#i just want more people to see a nice bug

[seat-safety-switch]

When people come over, sometimes they want to go into my basement. This can be for professional reasons (plumbers, electricians, city inspectors, semi-illegal searches of my property for the whereabouts of my landlord) but it is often friends, who want to go down in order to see if I have the part they need.

As you can imagine, when you collect several metric tons of decaying 1970s Mopars, you also accumulate a lot of the parts and general bric-a-brac. For instance, I have like ten Dart radio antennas, which is more than eBay will ever offer at once. Little bits of chrome, to make your car look like it did when it was new. The only extant glovebox lock for a '72 Newport. All this, and more, in my basement. So what's the problem?

In this scenario, as with many others in home ownership, the problem is spiders. For whatever reason – probably the intermingled scent of old hydrocarbons and prime web-building real estate – spiders really love my basement. Every time I go down there, I have to shake dozens of them off the part I want. Of course, I would never hurt them – such a thing would invite rain, and then that rain would make my backyard impassable and my cars would smell even more like mould – but I do not hesitate to evict them if it suits my needs. Kind of like my landlord, really. I hope they never find his body.

Now, the spiders freak a lot of people out. I kinda get it. The media has spent a lot of time and money making folks afraid of our eight-legged friends. For what reason, I can only speculate, but it is often that I have to serve as a part-time therapist for grown adults who are allowed to operate at high speeds a two-ton 1970s Chrysler product but are terrified of little fuzzy creatures that barely comprehend your existence. I just add it as a "special handling" charge on their bill, much like the hospital charges you for crying. And if I have to go down there, hoo boy, you're gonna be shelling out for that mirror cover or cigarette lighter spring.

My point is that you don't have to be afraid of the spiders. Me and my arachnid pals simply coexist. I'd charge them rent, but the exchange rate between "partially-mummified bug corpses" and dollars is not particularly great this year. So come on down to my place: if you're not terrified of spiders, you can get a really great deal. Not you, officer. Nice try. Is that even a real warrant, or did you draw it on the back of a Denny's kid's club menu in crayon?

[jessicaloons]

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince:

Chapter 14

Masterlist - Previous - Next

The Heartbreak Prince

"I haven’t seen you this relaxed at a race weekend in a while…" Carlos looked at Charles after they finished the promo shoot with Shell.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that since the beginning of the season you were there physically maybe, but not with your head. You hated to film the challenges and basically everything that kept you away from Monaco longer than needed…"

"Oh-… did many people notice?" Charles asked and the Spanish driver chuckled.

"Depends… is almost the whole team many people?"

"Damn…"

"But whatever it was that brought you down, it seems to be over?" Carlos raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn’t say it’s over, but I found a solution that is more than satisfying…" Charles smiled, thinking about Lauren getting settled in at his place back in Monaco.

"Yeah? That’s good. It was boring to win every C2 challenge…"

"You did NOT win every challenge…" the Monegasque driver rolled his eyes, laughing.

"But a lot of them…" Carlos pushed him a little when they walked to the car that was supposed to bring them back to their hotel.

The drive was short and when they arrived, Silvia already waited for them in the hotel lobby, typing away on her phone as always.

"Ahhh! There you are, perfect. The car will pick you up at 7. Please don’t be late. Please look presentable. The sponsor dinner is important. Carlos, your girlfriend accompanies you, right?"

"Yeah. She will…" he replied and the redhead nodded, her eyes landing on Charles.

"You’ll accompany Sofia Lores, she’s the daughter of the CEO of, what we hope to be, our new sponsor for next year. She’s here for this weekend and I want you to make her feel extra welcome and maybe e-…" Silvia began but Charles interrupted her immediately.

"Ok, no. Time-out. What? Why?" he asked.

"Because you don’t have a girlfriend and we want her to have an amazing weekend. Making her happy will makes her father happy." she answered without looking up from her phone "So you will be her company for tonight and the rest of the weekend. I want you to just show her-… I don’t know, the motorhomes. Your drivers room. The garage. Explain her how the car works. I don’t care. I just want her to tell her dad that she had fun and everyone was nice and friendly to her."

"Yeah but that doesn’t mean that I have to-…" Charles began but this time Silvia interrupted him.

"Charles. Please do this for me. For the team. I’m not asking much of you this season, but this is important. We want to leave a good impression on him." there was a finality in her voice and he sighed, then slowly nodded.

"Okay… but I’m not babysitting her the whole time. I accompany her tonight to the dinner, show her around the paddock and the garage and all that tomorrow, but that’s it. I’m going to be nice to her when I see her, but I’m not taking care of her from Friday on… I need to focus on racing." Charles looked at her and she smiled.

"Thank you…"

"Maybe she’s cute." Carlos winked at Charles when they got out of the car, helping his girlfriend.

"I don’t care about that…" Charles replied, sighing "I just do it because Silvia is right. She’s not bugging me as much as usually this season…"

"That is true." the Spaniard laughed "She’s bugging me."

"Sorry…" Charles held up his hands "It’s going to get better from now on. I prom-…"

"What’s going to get better from now on?" Silvia interrupted, a big fake smile on her lips.

"Oh- umm nothing." Carlos lied and then looked at the girl next to her.

"Right. Charles meet Sofia Lores." the redhead introduced the blonde girl to him.

"Hi, nice to meet you." he smiled at her, shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you, too. And you too, Carlos." Sofia turned to Carlos, shaking his hand as well "My father is talking about you guys all the time."

"Hopefully only good things, yeah?" Silvia chimed in but the girl just shrugged.

"Mostly about how valuable they are to the brand Ferrari. Based on popularity rather than performance…"

"Good to know." Charles grumbled, not really liking this kind of evaluation of his person.

"I mean, he’s a businessman after all. That’s his job. But I can reassure you, he’s also a fan of you as drivers and thinks you’re both doing well…" Sofia looked at him.

"Great." he replied, looking at Silvia "Shall we go inside?"

"Yes, definitely! Let’s go." she ushered the two couples inside, looking at Charles pointedly and he rolled his eyes, offering Sofia his arm, who accepted it "Wonderful."

"Absolutely." Carlos winked at Charles and they followed Silvia to a table in the middle of the room, set up on a little stage.

"These are your seats. Enjoy the evening. Later on you’re both asked some questions and that’s it. Mingle with the guests. Smile. Represent." she smiled and then rushed off, leaving the two couple alone.

"Mingle. Smile. Represent." Charles and Carlos said in unison, laughing and Sofia cocked an eyebrow.

"Not our first rodeo." Charles explained and they sat down.

"She couples you up with the daughters of every sponsor, future and present?" she asked curious.

"Umm-… no, I mean-… not always."

"Relax, I’m just messing with you. It’s not my first rodeo either. The amount of dinners I’ve been to where someone was trying to impress me just to get a deal with my father… it’s staggering."

"Well, I’m not like that. Silvia wants me to be, but I don’t care. I don’t even know who your father is… I have no clue who’s the new sponsor." Charles admitted and Sofia looked surprised.

"You don’t? No? Well that’s a first…"

But before Charles could say anything else Fred and John Elkann entered the stage, welcoming everyone to the dinner. The next minutes there were more speeches followed by the dinner arriving and a comforting small talk settled over the table. Charles checked his phone if Lauren texted and his face lit up when there was indeed a text from her. A picture of Ava, sleeping away in her nanny’s arms.

"Who got you smiling like that?" Carlos asked out of the blue and several heads at the table turned, looking at Charles.

"Oh- umm-… it’s my- my mum. She wasn’t feeling that good the past days and she texted me know that she feels better again." he lied but no one seemed to notice and asked any further questions.

The rest of the night Charles did his best to be his most charming, well mannered self. Talking with Sofia and other sponsors, always praising the team, highlighting how well everyone was doing their job. And when it was finally time for him to leave, Sofia kissed both his cheeks goodbye, saying how excited she was for the next day making Silvia look at him satisfied, giving him the thumbs up.

"And here is my little corner. All my stuff is here, my helmets and gloves. Phone and headphones and this…" Charles showed Sofia his notebook.

"A diary?"

"No! I mean… actually, kinda? Yeah? It’s my notebook. I write down my thoughts. Ideas. What I have to work on, or what worked out great…" he explained when Mia waved at him "Well yeah, that was our garage, I have to go now. Press conference. I drop you off at the Ferrari hospitality on the way."

"Yeah. Sure." she followed him outside where Mia was already waiting.

"Mia, that’s Sofia Lores. Sofia, Mia, my media assistant."

"Nice to meet you." Mia nodded at the girl who smiled "You’re in a group with Max, Lewis, Alex and Lance."

Charles nodded and then stopped at the hospitality.

"You can just go inside or stroll around the paddock, feel free to do whatever you want, a little tip from me, go to the tent with the stroopwaffles. You’ll love it. I could eat a whole bunch of them, but well I can’t…" Charles smiled at Sofia who tilted her head a little "Just ask someone around where you can get stroopwaffles and you’re good."

"I think I will do that… thanks Charles, have fun at your press con. I’ll see you later around." she waved him goodbye and stepped inside.

"She seems to be quite nice…" Mia said with a smug grin and Charles frowned.

"You look like Mia, but you sound like Silvia…"

"Oh take that back!" she boxed his upper arm laughing "I’m just saying, she seems to be nice, not like totally horrible ruining your weekend like."

"She is, but that’s all. She’s nice. End of story…"

"All right. End of story."

"Lukas Riva, ESPN Spain. Question for Charles. Last season during the summer break you and your girlfriend split. One of the reasons cited was that you wanted to focus more on your career. But last night you didn’t leave the sponsor dinner alone, that same girl is today now also in the paddock and you showed her around, is the Heartbreak Prince back?"

Charles was pissed. Annoyed. Exhausted. Questions like this were one of the reasons he hated media day. Journalists asking questions that had nothing to do with the sport, only his private life. Like a tacky gossip magazine just waiting for the next rumour to spread. He took a deep breath before he answered.

"I think it’s time you realise that not every girl I’m seen with is automatically my girlfriend." Charles answered, putting the microphone down. That was all the reporter would get.

"All right, that’s it, good luck to our drivers."

Charles jumped off, leaving the room as fast as possible so that Mia struggled to keep up with him.

"Ignore these kind of questions, Charles." she tried to calm him down as soon as they reached the Ferrari hospitality.

"It’s annoying." he just sighed and they stepped inside.

"I know. They’re idiots. Ignore it. Let’s focus on more important things. I talked to Silvia and Fred and we came up with a plan for Lauren."

"Okay?" Charles mood shifted immediately and he looked around, his heart pounding, not from excitement.

"She will be a media assistant. Her exact role no one will know, except Silvia, Fred and the board. That’s the official story. She will get her own pass and little office, always close to your drivers room. We will provide a bed for Ava and some stuff for them to fill their day. Of course Lauren will have to wear Ferrari gear and a work desk with laptop and all will be set up if someone happens to wander in there. To keep up her story." Mia explained and Charles nodded "She will be picked up in the hotel and brought back to the hotel from one of our staff. Using the back entrance so she doesn’t have to walk through the whole paddock with Ava."

"You really thought about everything!" he was impressed, but above all he was thankful "Thank you Mia, really. You outdid yourself."

"It was nothing, a little brain storming with Silvia and Fred and we came up with our plan. Let’s see in Singapore how it will work out and where we need to adjust it." she smiled and Charles leaned back in his chair.

It looked like his mother’s plan really would work. Ava by his side. His mum could focus again on her hair salon, without always taking care of Ava. The CPS could back off, because now he did what they wanted. Lauren was living in a real home, not a storage room. Everything seemed to work out just perfectly.

"I’m going to FaceTime them…" Charles got up and went upstairs to his room, plopping down on the sofa.

He was excited to tell Lauren the good news, how she would be here without anyone bothering. He waited for the call to connect and as soon as she picked up, his heart began to race.

"Hi…" she smiled at him, her eyes big "I didn’t expect you to call this early…"

"Oh you know, I had a little time to kill and thought I’d check in with you. What are you guys up to?"

"Oh umm-… nothing. Ava just woke up from her nap so I left her in her crib for a little while, as long as she doesn’t cry she can get used to be in there for a bit."

Something about her voice was different. She wasn’t her usual shy yet bubbly self. She was more timid. Closed off but before Charles could ask what was going on, he heard Ava’s faint whining.

"Oh wait…" she got up and he heard rustling in the back "Shhh little Miss Sunshine, look who’s here!"

Lauren stepped back into the picture a grumpy looking Ava in her arms, but the moment she spotted Charles her face lit up and she smiled at him.

"Hi, my little princess…" he cooed at her "I miss you…"

"And she misses you… she can’t wait for you to come back, isn’t that so, my little cutie pie?" Lauren whispered, tickling Ava’s tummy a little.

"Is everything okay? You’re settling in well?" he asked and Lauren nodded.

"Everything is perfect." she smiled.

"And what do y-…" Charles began when his door opened and Sofia stepped in, on the phone herself. He put his phone down, so that Sofia didn’t see his screen and then looked at her "Sofia, can I help you?"

"Oh shit, I’m so sorry! I asked someone if there is a quiet place where I could make a phone call and they said I could use your room…" she apologised.

"Oh, well, it’s occupied." Charles tried to joke and she nodded.

"Yeah- umm sorry again! I’m leaving!" Sofia walked out, closing the door and Charles took a deep breath before he turned his phone around, facing it again.

"I’m sorry-…" he began but he only saw the ceiling of his living room "Lauren?"

"One second…" he heard her voice from somewhere further away from the phone.

"Everything okay?"

"Yup. Ava had a little puke attack…" steps towards the phone "Well that was something."

"Everything okay?" Charles repeated and Lauren nodded.

"Now, yep."

"Okay… umm- sorry about that…" he began.

"She’s pretty. I saw some pictures of you from last night." again something in her voice that Charles couldn’t place, but didn’t like "And I have to say, the bag she carried today? She really has a good style… good choice Charles." she tried to sound funny, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes and Charles felt the urge to explain to her that he wasn’t dating Sofia.

"She’s the daughter of a potential new sponsor and Silvia asked me to accompany her last night to the dinner and show her around today. She seems nice but yeah, I’m pretty sure she’s bored being here…" Charles explained, hoping that Lauren believed him.

"Is that part of your job? Charming your sponsors daughters?" she asked and he nodded.

"Charming the sponsor, their wives, daughters, sons, everyone. Most of the time I don’t even know what sponsor it is I’m talking too, just like I don’t even know who Sofia’s father is, big according to Silvia it’s a big sponsor. That’s why she wants me to be on my best behaviour…"

"And are you?" Lauren laughed and he felt relieved that she sounded more like herself again.

"I’m always on my best behaviour. Always." Charles winked at her.

"Of course you are…"

"I am!" he pretended to be offended "Could these eyes lie?"

Lauren didn’t reply at first, looking him into his eyes, almost getting lost in them when she chucked.

"I’m not sure what these eyes can’t do… to be honest."

Charles didn’t know what to reply when he heard his doorbell ring through the phone.

"Oh! We gotta go! That’s Arthur and Carla, we’re driving a little further away to go for a little walk, get some fresh air!" Lauren said "Ava, say bye to daddy!" she held the little girl closer to the camera of her phone "Bye Daddy!"

"Bye my little princess, enjoy your walk!" he cooed at her and then looked at Lauren "Can I call you tonight? I want to say good night to her?"

"Of course… see you tonight." she smiled at him and then ended the call.

"See you tonight…"

"Box to retire the car."

Charles hated it. His bad qualifying yesterday brought him in the position to be in the middle of all the hectic battles with too little space at the race start which caused him and Piastri to crash into each other. He felt it the whole time that his floor was damaged. He lost time, lap after lap, position after position. When the final call came he felt relieved, but also frustrated.

"It’s not your fault, there’s noting you could do…" Andrea patted his back and he only shrugged.

After the media pen and later on the team meeting Charles returned to his hotel, packing up his bags, ready to take the jet first things first in the morning. He wanted to go home. See Ava. And a part of him craved to see Lauren as well. A small part. But a strong part. When he finally parked his car in the underground parking garage and got out he felt a sense of calm wash over him. Something he needed desperately. He got out of the elevator and unlocked the door, the apartment almost silent. Only the faint giggling of Ava and Lauren’s voice could be heard and he followed the sounds down the hall, stopping in the door frame to Ava’s room. But it wasn’t Ava’s room the way he left it. It was a beautiful nursery with soft blush and rosy colours, white furniture, a comfy looking rocking chair and a wall covered with beautiful roses, Ava’s name in the middle, right above her new crib. And right in the middle stood Lauren, Ava cradled to her chest, slowly dancing around, making his little girl giggle. The moment Lauren spun around and noticed Charles in the door, her cheeks blushed. His eyes fell to the white splash of colour at her brow, her messy bun, the beautiful smile on her lips. He swallowed hard. He never felt like this before. Never felt his heart beat outside of his chest like that. Never felt the warmth pooling in the pit of his stomach like that. He knew what it was. The one thing he always wanted but thought he’d never get. And it had to be the girl who was working for him. Just signed a contract. He was fucked.

Chapter 14 - Oh well, looks like *someone* has a little problem. But is it just Charles 👀 or does Lauren feel the same…

Please leave a comment/ like/ reblog/ message and tell me how you liked it! I'm dying to hear your thoughts!

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Last but not least, English is not my first language and although I tried my best: please excuse any mistakes I made!

Taglist:

@glitterquadricorn @lottalove4evelyn @janeh22 @itsjustkhaos @mariclerc @fangirlforever2000 @guaaafiiburg @giov13 @alittlebitofbooksandmagic @bravo-delta-eccho

[baalzebufo]

and here is a Nice Bug i saw yesterday :)

[serensama]

This. All of this.

The place certainly feels more homey when Lucanis joins, and not just because he is my Rook’s LI.

But this post also makes me think about the Lighthouse in general. How it’s one of my favourite things about DAVG. How a home wants to look after its people.

How as we go on we see the ground start to be covered in soft foliage, soft and inviting enough for Assan to roll around in or Harding to lie upon and stare up into the not- so-unsettling (anymore) Fade sky.

How the casks on the wall next to the pantry slowly snaked its way from ceiling to floor. No one knows who is doing it, they assume the Caretaker, because it is nice to mark their passage of time- a physical representation of the way everyone fills the space and makes it a home. It is also a reminder to be kinder to their livers. The Caretaker is looking at you Davrin, seriously, do Grey Wardens have to drink like the have a death wish too?

How the chairs in the library know exactly how far to be from one another and how to look for each person to be comfortable, all so unique but mesh together so well it was as it was by design. At first Rook wondered why there weren’t enough chairs but quickly realised that Bellara didn’t like to sit down when she was participating in discussions that required her full attention; feeling she needed to be alert and focused to ensure she didn’t miss a detail that only she could find- she didn’t want to fail anyone, ever again. And Lucanis had spent too much time of the last year sitting, squatting, strapped to a table- for a long time, true freedom and comfort to him (especially when around people who were not quite yet family), was being able to stand up and walk around at his leisure.

How the dining table was always set for 10, always ready for the extra guests. As if it knew whenever Strife and Irelin had to speak to Bellara, and somehow Emmrich invited him- them!- to stay for dinner. Or whenever Teia and Viago would pop in to check on Lucanis or a Crow Rook. Viago specifically insistent to know that where Rook had chosen as their headquarters was safe and secure, probably very disappointed they did not pick the pantry to sleep in and told them they still had a lot to learn, and was happy they were there with the Demon of Vyrantium to guide them where he could- oh is that a cask of my favourite wine? Then they must sit and share a couple of glasses… yes, I intend to poison you, it’s been a year and you need to build immunity to this new concoction.

The Lighthouse and the Caretaker, alone for so long, jumped at the chance to be the place each of the team needed to feel secure and welcomed, and they were rewarded with the family it had always yearned to home.

*there was one thing that always bugged Rook however, and they asked the Caretaker after their victorious return from Minrathous…. What was the deal with no beds? Why were Davrin and Taash the only ones allowed to have beds? And they guessed whatever that cot-thing was Lucanis chose to sleep on.

“Dweller. The child of stone preferred to feel the ground beneath her head. The detective most comfortable falling asleep as she stared at her notes on the wall sitting up on her sofa. The tinkerer happiest to fall asleep on her desk, surrounded by her ideas and tools, ready to grab them when she awoke with answers. And the Professor… he had a bed. It was hidden behind one of his bookcases.”

It continues to kill me that the lighthouse starts to come alive again when Lucanis lights the hearth in the kitchen. Like the light in the fade even gets sunnier, and the plants start to grow.

They're slowly starting to come together, and the lighthouse is reflecting that back to them. (As the fade is wont to do)

The whole team contributes to this for sure! Like those plants are all Harding.

Lucanis specifically gets to me because he's coming straight from The Ossuary and starts turning the kitchen into a soft place to land. It's warm, it's inviting, there's a caringly made meal. And I think that really reflects the lighthouse itself? It was so lonely for so long! It lost so much after the veil! It was probably hurting. And when at last it has people again? It just wants to care for them.

I suspect the lighthouse has a soft spot for the weird man who lives in the panty. Because they have a lot on common.

[wolfsong-the-bloody-beast]

Modders out there just casually committing war crimes again.

[eric-the-bmo]

Neighborhood Watch S2 Ep1: Shindig

Hello!! We finished the first session of season 2! And jesus christ- a lot happens, it was a bit disjointed! But I’m here to try and make sure it’s all coherent! (my own personal comments will be in the tags) So let’s go!

A week has passed since the Season One finale; the Dome’s been dropped, and everyone in the Main Cast knows that John is a monster. Since the Dome is gone, the rest of the town had been unlocked for us to explore!

During the week, Song buys new flowers for her house at the florist- she runs into Louis, who’s been buying native wildflowers to improve his lawn. He runs into some interns who work for the mayor, who offer him some free seed packets for some newly discovered flower- They grow quick, with thick thorny vines and stems, and are ready to bloom within a week with beautiful tie-dye-esque colors. Louis declines, not trusting anyone who’s a part of the government, and the florist owner, Kathy, is wary of the flowers due to how quick they grow; they can very easily become invasive.

Song does archery practice with Amira in her backyard- Amira has not mentioned John being a monster, and Song hasn’t asked her about it. Amira does mention, however, that while hiding in Song’s house during the s1 finale she found a black book with a red gem. That’s one of Song’s spellbooks, and Song vaguely says she uses it to help protect herself. Amira shows interest in it, and Song discreetly tries to sense if Amira has the potential to become a magic-user- but Amira’s aura indicates she doesn’t have any ability for magic at all, which is odd because all humans normally have the capacity for it; the center of her soul is dead-blue.

Shelby starts her Twitch-streaming again, with the internet being back up, and when she’s not busy with that John spends time with her; Not only because she’s his friend, but as a way to make up for making her worry so much (and to avoid the rest of the Main Cast). Sometime during the week John tries to go the park, but sees Louis there and immediately turns around to go home. He also fills in Emmett about the events of taking down the Hunter, omitting the fact that he is one himself.

Markus keeps to themself for most of the week, ordering take-out (there’s only one Uber driver in Greenville, btw, his name is Kyle and he sells weed on the side) and healing from their wounds. At some point, they get rid of Emmett’s corpse with carrion beetles, and use his bones to make bonemeal for various projects- including their worm farm. Towards the end of the week, they decide it’s been long enough- They march right up to the Doe/Waters household and knock on the door. Shelby is busy streaming, and so John answers. He freezes when he sees it’s Markus, and in a cold panic he closes the door. Through the window he sees that Markus looks sad, and they walk away. John feels awful, and is still reeling from the cold panic, but he doesn’t want to make it awkward by opening the door again, and they’ll want to talk about that night, oh no, god you fucked up- And so he decides to head to the park, as part of him still finds nature to be calming/ feeling a bit like home. He people watches, observing the librarian reading a book, until it starts to get darker out, and begins his walk home.

Meanwhile, going back to Markus walking home, I feel it’s time to mention that some more neighbors have moved in during the week- Two of them being Heath and Sammy Clark. Heath, a 5′6 blonde guy, jogs up to a dejected Markus and invites to him and Sammy’s get-together (in fact, they’ve sent out invites to the entire cul-de-sac). Markus doesn’t seem too into it, and heads home.

On the topic of new neighbors, I’ll summarize them now:

The Clarks have moved in across from Phil. Heath is an outgoing trans man, and Sammy is a very quiet and hairy ginger man who’s almost 7ft tall.

Bonnie McMurry moves in next to Shelby and John. She’s a sweet older lady in her mid 60s and lives alone, though she had a bunch of odd-shaped boxes with her labeled “Lois”. Shelby had asked about it, revealing Bonnie had an adult son who passed some years ago. During the night, loud music can be heard from her basement.

William Krieger is a socially awkward and reclusive man with a pencil stache. He keeps his pet rats in his many coat pockets.

Kenneth Feinstetter lives across the street from Louis. He is a loud and boisterous man with glasses who will tell anyone willing to listen to him about his ridiculous conspiracy theories regarding Greenville.

Some moving trucks come in at midnight. Lucretius Wayne introduces himself to the neighbors, sending out gift baskets of high quality. He’s charming, and even the Pattersons like him.

Louis recognizes Lucretius as the vampire Lestat. His ex.

But the time for the Clark’s party is here, and Markus decides they’re going. They get all dressed and give themself a pep-talk about how they’re going to make friends. They head outside and see the Pattersons are heading over to the party as well, and for a moment consider heading home, but then Lucretius appears with some wine and greets the Pattersons; Karen waves at him, and Bob seems... jealous? Markus decides to go, if only to see this drama unfold.

Louis doesn’t like being left out and decides to go. As he’s walking over, William approaches him and wants to be invited to the party. Louis makes a comment about if William is really going with a jacket that has so many pockets, and William responds he’s got to bring his family with him. Louis doesn’t like William, who’s standing far too close to him, and so when Philip approaches Louis takes his chance to leave. Kenneth approaches Louis and asks if he’s seen anything weird, or out of the ordinary? Louis almost says no, but then mentions that he’s never seen Lucretius leave his house til after sundown- he might as well try and direct suspicion towards his ex.

Song decides to bring some wine over, and as she exits her home Lucretious greets her; They compare the wine they’re bringing, and he offers her his arm. She takes it, and together they walk to the Clark household. Louis sees this, and though his expression remains calm, his grip tightens. The Sampath family is going; Amira waves to Song, and she and Lu wave back.

Markus approaches the Pattersons and asks how Karen is doing (bc, yknow, The Curse), and she says she’s doing much better. Bob thanks Markus, who says that while they don’t like each other, they don’t want his wife to die, and Bob says he’ll owe Markus a favor because of their help. Markus squirms away.

John and Shelby are going as well; John prepares a snack tray to bring along. As the two of them leave they hear music coming from Bonnie’s basement; as much as John wouldn’t admit it, part of him is glad he’s away from the noise.

The Clarks are greeting people as they enter; John approaches, sees the rest of the Main Cast and seriously considers leaving, but Shelby interprets this as general social anxiety and reassures him it’ll be fine. He makes eye contact with Song as she approaches- her gaze hardens, and John looks away. Lucretius asks Song if everything is okay; she responds by saying not everyone in the neighborhood is getting along at the moment. Lucretius is invited inside by Heath.

Inside is very spacious; the archways leading to the different rooms have been altered to be taller, and even then Sammy has to bend over a little bit to avoid hitting his head. There’s snacks, drinks, etc. Sammy offers Philip some alcohol, and he turns it down. Markus is in awe of how tall Sammy is, and heads to a corner to vibe. They can hear the spiders behind the bookshelf in their corner. William shows up to stand next to them, and Markus bluntly tells him that they want him to go away (”Please go away. I can say it in four different languages if you’d like.”) William’s smile starts to fade at Markus’ insistence, and he actually starts to look angry, but then gets distracted by a snack tray and scurries away.

John and Shelby have bumped into Kenneth, who’s informing the both of them about some kind of drama going down on Twitter. John doesn’t have social media, so he doesn’t quite know what he’s talking about, but he likes listening to people talk and wants Kenneth to like him- especially since Kenneth doesn’t know about his monstrous nature. Shelby brings up the fact she’s a Twitch Streamer, upon which Kenneth looks her up on the Internet, and then awkwardly excuses himself.

Everyone starts to vote for which party game to play. John approaches Philip, who’s trying to tune his guitar to bring some extra entertainment to the party, but Phil is having a bit of trouble tuning it. Lucretius appears and offers to tune it, and plays a flamenco riff (and winking at Louis), absolutely showing up whatever Phil was planning to do (John doesn’t interpret it that way, though, and thinks it’s nice how Lucretius helped out Phil). Markus and John both notice Bob Patterson and Louis going off into one of the other rooms of the house- Bob has noticed Louis’s reactions to Lucretius, and asks if they know each other. Louis tries to play it off- not every person with a southern accent knows each other, Bob- but Mr Patterson wants to know if Lucretius is anything similar to the monster he saw the previous week, if something supernatural is going on. Louis says nothing supernatural is going on with any of the new neighbors, in response Bob whispers something to him before storming out. Louis, apparently a bit shaken by what Mr Patterson had whispered, takes a moment before leaving the room and heading back to the party.

The group has decided on Two Truths One Lie. Some highlights:

William glaring at Markus the entire time

Almost every normal neighbor hoping that Markus’s “I have over 300 bugs at my house” bit is the lie

Everyone immediately guessing Philip’s lie (divorced but on good terms)

Kenneth putting one of his truths down as him “knowing the truth about this town.” Song asks him what that means, and Kenneth invites Song over to his house to look at his charts and notes some day.

Lucretius smiling at Louis the entire time is was Louis’ turn (we find out Louis is allergic to wool)

Flirting with Song when it was her turn (He’s been flirting with her the whole party, I should add.)

And then it’s Lucretius’s turn. He grins, and gives his options: 1) He was born in Louisiana. 2) He has a skin condition that prevents him from being out in the sun 3) ...And he’s bloodthirsty monster.

Louis knew this, but Song doesn’t pick up on the danger; like almost everyone else, she’s incrediby charmed by Lucretius. John was too, actually, but as soon as that was said, John realizes that Lucretius’s charm is all part of a lure to get prey, and that he could be something similar to John. Markus realizes the danger as well, and deduces that everyone in this room could be in danger- so they summon a bunch of cockroaches to scare everyone away. Almost no one notices it was them who caused the roaches- except for William, who’s been staring at them the whole time.

People start running away in the chaos- Heath faints, Sammy tries to stomp the bugs (shaking the house with this, actually), and Louis tries to get ahold of Song, but Lucretius has taken her hand before he could do anything and has gotten her out of there. Lucretius offers to walk her home, and she accepts. Once outside, John tries to make eye contact with Markus- a “did we both notice the same thing” kind of look. Markus sees this and looks almost panicked, an “oh god not again look” (Unknown if it was fear about John or the event happening), before their gaze becomes sad. A monstrous roar appears from inside the house, and Markus races inside. John tries to head in too, but Louis calls out to him and says they need to talk. John anxiously says something about getting rid of the roaches and attempts to get away, worried Louis wants to talk about That Night, but the Crooked stops him (”John. This isn’t about you”). 

Meanwhile, inside, Markus sees Sammy angrily stomping at the roaches. Markus, not wanting to have their bugs killed, leads them out with food. Sammy corners Markus and, speaking for the first time, growls a comment about how he didn’t see what Markus did was necessary, and that he knows about their kind and would appreciate that Markus never do that again. Markus stammers an apology and runs home.

Louis leads John to his house, where he asks what John knows about Lucretius. John tells him (how the charm is a lure, how he might be like him), and Louis says that John is strong enough to take him on in a fight, but not strong enough to survive; Song is in just as much danger in Lucretius’s presence as she is in John’s. At this comment John tense and seems angry, and Louis said it wasn’t meant to offend: He needs John’s help to kill Lucretius, after all. Stakes, garlic, crosses and etc might be useful. Also, Louis tells John, Bob knows about Lucretius, the house shook when Sammy tried to kill some roaches, William has rats in his pockets- there’s a Lot more to deal with than John being a monster, or even Louis’s ex being a vampire.

Meanwhile, Lucretius has walked Song back to her house. He says it was a pleasure to hang out with her this night, and Song agrees- but the night isn’t finished yet; Would he like to come inside for some coffee?

He accepts, and is invited inside.

[happyk44]

[ID: Bingo card titled "Schizoid Bingo". The title and "Free Space" text are in cursive font with an orange gradient. All other text is black plain text. The background is white. In the upper right corner above the card, it reads, "Template by @/malicious-vampire" in light orange font.

The B column reads:

Let's dissect the emotion instead of experiencing it

Rather die than ask for help

Either 100+ WIP's or total boredom (both suck)

"I'm better off alone anyway" mindest as a coping mechanism

Dissociating

The I column reads:

"You're just introverted™️"

Pets are better than humans

"What if people use [mundane slightly personal fact] against me?"

Memory issues

Inviting people into your home feels like losing control of your privacy

The N column reads:

Studying people like bugs

Lonely? Surely isolating will help. Depressed? Isolation. Emotional? More isolation. Suicidal? I-s-o-l-a-t-e.

Free Space

Kept files of information on their peers in school, "just in caase"

The irony of not wanting to be alone but hating being around others

The G column reads:

"Hi it's so nice to see you!" (Please stop talking to me"

Misanthropy

Recurring daydreams of the same specific scenario

"I don't care" (Literally)

Despises intimacy

The O column reads:

Not feeling human

Tons of ink spent on journal entries with deep personal psychological analysis

Nietzsche, Kant, Schopenhauer, Camus

Longing for human connections on a level too deep to possibly reach

Hates "needing" friends or relying on people

/end ID]

Bingo time! I noticed there isn't a lot going around for Szpd so I made my own. Please tag me or hit reblog so I can see your results :)

Disclaimer: This is not for self-diagnosis purposes; these are not symptoms but my personal experiences with the disorder. This bingo is simply meant for entertainment.

[valla-chan]

grgrrggrhgkrhkaukerhgjherkajg/..... GRRGRGRGRRGTFHFHFFHGGTFTFTGFGFG

[blurryface-bitch]

I feel aughgrjkhsfk but it is mild and it shall pass and I shall be better for it

[bubblewater]

I do agree with how the wealthy utilize research and technology to make themselves richer and inhibiting access to innovative technologies that would improve the commonfolk’s quality of life and how that plays into the political field of innovation and implementation of new ideas

But when was Mel looking at Viktor like a bug??? I don’t think she’s ever expressed hatred for him at all.

Sorry but It's actually so annoying how much people downplay the crucial role piltover's corrupt council games played in derailing jayce/viktor's work and pretty much putting shackles around their lives. The council is directly responsible for and directly FUNDING so much of the misery that happens in this show, before the story has even started. Before Powder ever finds the gemstone. They single-handedly doom half of the region to death.

Just during the show: Jayce wanted to create magic to aid and uplift the common people, the council wanted trade route instant teleportators to make themselves richer.

Jayce & Viktor wanted to work on technology to help miners and steelworkers and artisans who are trying to survive in the industrial hellscape of piltover and zaun; the council wants it shelved for another 20 years. (yes, heimer is part of the corrupt council - no matter how much his image is laundered by the fandom.)

They are inept and self-serving leaders, elected by themselves and their blood inheritances, utterly obsessed with ultimate profit. You can really see how parasitic their relationship is to the people at the beggining of act 1. Jayce is a token nameless life, so disposable to them that they were going to burn down all of his research and throw out all of his titles, making him not just a lower-house vassal but an EXILE, and the only reason why that doesn't happen is because they realize how much money they can suck out of his work.

This applies to Viktor too. See the way that Heimerdinger tells him over and over again that no other paths can be taken, he has 'fulfilled his purpose' and he should be content to die. See how Mel looks at Viktor like a bug she wants to squash under her palm when he rejects the idea of making weapons for council. See how they speak over him and only address Jayce, as if he's worth less than nothing.

You are only as valuable as the profit you're willing to create. You are a problem that has to be dealt with as soon as you refuse their orders. They have the power to ruin your life, and if they find an excuse, they will. This is a direct threat pointed at Jayce & Viktor during ACT2, when Jayce is pressured into becoming one of them to protect 'the bottom line profit' and, personally speaking, to avoid that ire being redirected towards Viktor. He's pushed into compliance and told a target has been painted on his back.

Arcane jayvik are doomed in big part not for wanting to do harm, but being forced to exist under the beck and call of billionaire leeches. They are both immigrants. They are both struggling to get a degree and keep themselves afloat and they want to help people so goddamn much but they have to keep postponing their dreams to serve uncaring masters. I really wish there was more fan content focused on these very real bonds of understanding and solidarity between them.

When Viktor says 'Jayce will understand' that's not a fluke; he's lived in this environment for years. He knows Jayce is being pushed down the same way that he is and that deep down they've been kept captive by the exact same people. When Jayce agrees that Viktor should do whatever he needs to do to keep himself alive, he means that from the heart.

[samantitaswrld]

Hi! I like your Deadpool as your boyfriend post, can you please do Logan as your boyfriend next? 😄

logan howlett

…as your boyfriend!

description: wolverine, logan howlett as your boyfriend!

pairing: wolverine x you!

|an: my man my man he love me!

- he’s so big and so tall and scruffy and so mmm. that’s your man! and u want everyone to know it

- like i keep mentioning, he is manhandling tf out of you no matter ur size, all the time!

- he thinks it’s soo cute that he can pick you up in his arms with ease and he loves to hear squeal out a “logaaan!” as he throws you on to the bed

- he’s so standoffish and kinda shy when you’re first around each other bc he’s sooo into you and he thinks you’re so cute

- but once he founds out you dig him too ooo girl

- he grows such a big soft spot for you, you’re the only person that ever sees him vulnerable. and he’s such a silly goose.

- he becomes so much more himself, he’s messing with you all the time throwing teasing insults with a smirk on his face just to watch you get all riled up from him.

- he’s also flirting with you 24/7 girl he’s hot and he knows it. sometimes he’s rather crude but you like it. so it’s okay!

“nice shorts you got there little lady” he said with a teasing tone as you walked past him into the kitchen to grab a quick snack.

“god they’re not even that short!” you’d said, pulling them down a bit. they were that short. but hey, they did the job.

and by job, you mean drive logan crazy.

- but once you become his omg…

- you’re his. nobody is touching you and he’ll make sure of that. and it’s pretty hot.

- if anybody even has body language that even slightly seems like they’re into you oh girl….

- they’re becoming a new scratching post!

- not only are you his, but he’s yours. super loyal! and if he can’t get someone off his back, you bet your ass you will!

- you always feel so protected and he always makes you feel so protected because you are! he would do anything for you and to make sure his lover is safe and sound.

- he’s so obsessed with you and he’s not afraid to hide it, he’s not overly affectionate but he is in fact a cuddle monster.

- he’ll hold your hand, or shove a hand in your back pocket, or lend you his jacket to let people know your his, but he saves the good stuff for back at home.

- you’re also his drinking buddy, he isn’t a fan of the tequila like you are, he’ll stick to his whiskey. but he always takes care of you after a night out and makes sure you’re snug as a bug!

- he is the biggest dom ever omg it’s so hard to get him to sub out for you but when he finally does it’s the best night of your life.

- all the noises he makes that you’ve never heard from him are music to your ears.

- a MUNCH. need i say more? thats why he got that damn beard!

- oh and we know those abs are like a pack of buttered up hawaiian rolls and you wanna go for a ride!

- of course he’ll let you! anything for his babygirl, lick em, touch em, fuck em, anything his baby wants. as long as he gets to watch and as long as you feel good.

- he also loves the praise as you ride yourself out on his abs.

- he loves attention and praise, especially when it’s about his figure.

you and logan lie in bed, his figure cradling yours as he slowly felt you slot your head between his craned arm.

“your muscles are so big babe. give me a lil flex.” you stated, holding on to outside of his forearm with your neck between the underside his forearm and bicep.

“you’re crazy bub.” he states, chuckling and lightly flexing his arm, not enough to hurt you but enough to satisfy you and make you giggle as his big muscles squished your cheeks together.

- you’re always touching his muscles, they’re so hot. and hey, he doesn’t work out like that for nothing! he loves it when you cling to his biceps, or run your fingers down his chiseled back.

[ghostprinceiii]

As soon as I get home I am never leaving my house again.

[astonmartinii]

a case of the cuddle bug | logan sargent social media au

pairing: logan sargent x fem!piastri!reader

someone check his temperature, he's got a serious case of the cuddle bug

author's note: thought we could all use some logan content to get us through the weekend

MASTERLIST | TIP JAR

yourusername

liked by oscarpiastri, logansargent and 201,445 others

tagged: logansargent

yourusername: he's not racing :( more time to cuddle :)

view all comments

user1: if i find out that that t-shirt was made by them i may need to be shot in the head

yourusername: sorry to be the bearer of bad news 😕

user2: y/n where do we find a logan?

yourusername: date your brother's best friend - the romance books did NOT lie

logansargent: hard to be too sad when you're around

yourusername: awwwww logie bear 🐻 i love youuuuu

logansargent: i love you too come back to the motorhome the hospitality coffee is not worth it

yourusername: not even if i swipe you a cupcake?

logansargent: okay..... maybe ....

alexalbon: i'm sorry buddy, i promise i'll do us proud

yourusername: yOU BETTER 👹

alexalbon: i'm soRRY are you like a gremlin? did someone spill some water?

yourusername: i'm gonna ignore most of that cause gizmo is cute

logansargent: she loves you really alex

alexalbon: do you still love me logie?

logansargent: yes?

alexalbon: I' SORRY I HAVE.A GUILTY CONSCIENCE I DON'T LIKE PEOPLE BEING MAD AT ME

user3: lol mood ^

oscarpiastri: you could support your BELOVED BROTHER NOW (AT HIS (OUR) HOME RACE)

yourusername: ugh i guess

oscarpiastri: you literally said you'd support me any time logan wasn't racing :(

yourusername: unless he can come with me, we'll be supporting you from the williams garage

oscarpiastri: better than nothing i guess

logansargent

liked by oscarpiastri, alexalbon and 459,046 others

tagged: yourusername

logansargent: no way around it, this weekend has been the hardest of my career. however, i'm thankful for alex for picking up a couple points for the team and for having y/n with me to support me this weekend, enjoy the cute picture of her (but not too much)

also i guess congrats to oscar on a podium at his home race 🤷🏻‍♂️

view all comments

user4: hardest weekend ever... here's a pic of my. hot gf :)))))

user5: he's real for that, just reminding us that he's still winning off track

alexalbon: thank you isn't enough logie, love you man, can't wait to see you back in the car next week x

yourusername: you're so lucky you got points otherwise your ass would've been grass xoxo

alexalbon: Y/N I SAID I WAS SORRY PLEASE STOP BEING MEAN YOU'RE MEANT TO BE THE NICE PIASTRI

oscarpiastri: you stole my soon-to-be brother-in-law's car and called me a shit padel player 🖕��

alexalbon: why is everyone ganging up on me :(

logansargent: you gotta take it for at least this weekend bro

alexalbon: i guess...

user6: they're so cute, but who is taking these photos of them?

yourusername: oscar makes himself useful sometimes

oscarpiastri: ugh i get NO CREDIT IN THIS FAMILY

logansargent: i at least appreciate it oscar 🫶🏻

oscarpiastri: that's all well and good and i love you, you're my bff but sometimes i don't want to see you be lovely dovey with that hellspawn

fredvesti: let it be known i will no longer be sneaking out with you guys for ice cream on a race weekend, the risk was not worth the third wheeling

logansargent: i paid?

fredvesti: thank the lord you did otherwise i'd raise an official complaint

oscarpiastri

liked by landonorris, alexalbon and 793,209 others

tagged: logansargent & yourusername

oscarpiastri: got a podium at my home race and i'm still not my sister's favourite

view all comments

user8: have we considered that y/n and logan have attachment issues?

oscarpiastri: she sat at the window like a woman waiting for her husband at war when he DARED to go home for christmas when we were 16

yourusername: as if you haven't cried over lily 🙄

oscarpiastri: i ACTUALLY don't get to see her very often, i can't separate you and logan

yourusername: LEAVE ME BE

user9: oscar says this as if y/n wasn't crying her eyes out at the podium

user10: and logan wiping her tears to prevent smudging her eyeliner - sigh

logansargent: don't hate the player hate the game

oscarpiastri: what happened to blood being thicker than water

yourusername: you know what else is thicker than water ... 😩😩😩

oscarpiastri: okay you can sTOP RIGHT THERE

landonorris: they're really one being huh?

oscarpiastri: believe me the dinner at mine? they were being TAME

yourusername: okay for the audience we are not that bad, we're just affectionate we aren't like making out in front of everyone

landonorris: .... shame

oscarpiastri: yOU HAVE SHAME THAT'S MY SISTER

logansargent: THAT'S MY GIRLFRIEND

yourusername: AND THAT'S MY BOYFRIEND

landonorris: damn tough crowd

yourusername

liked by oscarpiastri, logansargent and 212,934 others

tagged: logansargent

yourusername: a wee break before my boy is back to knock your socks off

view all comments

user11: they're so cute your honour

alexalbon: dating a racing driver and not wearing a seat belt? interesting.

yourusername: dating a professional golfer and still shit at golf? interesting.

lilymunhe: she did get you there alex, soz.

yourusername: also we weren't even driving, that hair acting is all a fan

logansargent: practically a professional photographer now (the model definitely helps, she looks perfect doing anything)

yourusername: hehehheheheheheheheheheheeh

user12: y/n really just gagging alex at every corner

user13: she saw logan wasn't holding a grudge and decided to double down on hers

user14: and we respect that

logansargent: you knock my socks off everyday babe

yourusername: as long as it's only me 😘

logansargent: i've been in love with you since i was 13 👍🏻

yourusername: SNAP🫰

oscarpiastri: once again left out of the photodump

yourusername: you are not 'my boy' that would in fact be inappropraite

oscarpiastri: you couldn't just change the caption?

yourusername: you're not cute enough to be a lannister (cersei and jaime call me)

logansargent: ????

yourusername: *call us 😉

logansargent

liked by lilymunhe, alexalbon and 592,309 others

tagged: yourusername

logansargent: glad to be back in the car this weekend, though if alex could stop terrorising y/n that would be great

view all comments

user15: were oscar and y/n's parents in the williams garage?

user16: so oscar wasn't lying about him basically being family already 🥹

alexalbon: i was not TERRORISNG I WAS ENGAGING IN SIBLING LIKE BANTER

oscarpiastri: hold on buster, that's MY sister 🤨

alexalbon: i can't win with any of you three 😭

yourusername: LET'S FUCKING GO EAGLE BOY GOD BLESS AMERICA 🦅🇺🇸

logansargent: i'll let you have this one for once

yourusername: as an aussie that was very hard to say, please appreciate it

logansargent: thank you my little kangaroo?

yourusername: kinda offensive they're scary

logansargent: koala?

yourusername: YOU SAYING I HAVE CHLAMYDIA?

logansargent: well i've ran out of australian animals now :(

user17: thanks for the violent reminder of chlamydia being rife in koalas :(

oscarpiastri: gonna have to beat you this weekend to win back my parents' favour it seems

yourusername: let's be real, they prefer logan over both of us :(

oscarpiastri: true 😔

logansargent: i can't help the southern charm

williamsf1

liked by yourusername, alexalbon and 1,034,672 others

tagged: logansargent

williamsf1: LOGAN POINTS, I REPEAT LOGAN POINTS 😤

view all comments

user20: TRUST HIM, I REPEAT TRUST HIM

yourusername: THAT'S MY BOY LET'S FUCKING GO

oscarpiastri: you never get this excited for me?

yourusername: FUCK OFF THIS IS NOT YOUR TURN, IT'S LOGAN'S DAY

maxverstappen1: pretty sure i won the race

yourusername: FUCK OFF ALL OF YOU

user21: y/n crying her eyes out she's so real

user22: based on the faces in the garage i think she may have let everything out lol

user23: as she should

user24: can't expect two people to be attached 24/7 and not be ride or die for each other

logansargent: thanks for the support, glad to pick up some points for the team

yourusername: I'M SO PROUD OF YOU

logansargent: i know you've shouted it in my face since i got back from media

yourusername: you need to know it :(

logansargent: i love you so much

yourusername: i love you even more

user25: the whole piastri family going wild in LOGAN'S garage was not on my 2024 bingo sheet

user26: but it was cute as fuck

yourusername

liked by oscarpiastri, logansargent and 287,045 others

tagged: logansargent

yourusername: we're down bad with a case of the cuddle bug

view all comments

user27: the CUDDLE BUG?

user28: i need to be taken out of my misery

logansargent: i've got a high fever, a love fever

oscarpiastri: THAT WAS CORNY AS FUCK

yourusername: i thought it was cute :(

logansargent: and that's what matters

yourusername: exactlyyyyy

oscarpiastri: so fuck me, right?

yourusername: yes!

logansargent: yes!

user29: this whole interaction makes it so obvious oscar was the only boy growing up LOL

alexalbon: i'll concede, you guys are cute

yourusername: we been known

logansargent: no one does it like us

alexalbon: erm alex and lily erasure?

yourusername: lily cute, you not so much

alexalbon: stop being SO PROTECTIVE WHY ARE YOU A GOLDEN RETRIEVER WITH EVERYONE ELSE AND A RABID JACK RUSSELL WITH ME IT WAS JAMES' DECISION GO FOR JAMES' ANKLES

williamsf1: ???

yourusername: i thought it was friendly sibling banter (also james is logie's boss of course i'm not gonna go for his ankles dummy)

logansargent: she's my little guard dog 🫶🏻

yourusername: anything for you, come back to cuddle :(

logansargent: on my way cuddle bug!

fin.

note: i understand why williams made the decision they did, but i've had such a soft spot for logan since he admitted he's lonely in the paddock :( i hope he has a good next race to really prove himself to everyone xx hope you enjoyed! xx

[sexybritishllama]

in further neopets discord news, oh boy is there drama in my awful virtual pet game website today. strap in if you want way too much information on neopets’ broken economy

for some context, an event has just launched called the faerie festival. this is the first event to be run by the ‘new’ TNT (aka. the neopets team aka. the staff) since the leadership change, and they've said in recent editorials that this year’s faerie festival is going to be a combo of two previous popular events:

the faerie quest event, wherein people can get a free quest from a faerie every day in exchange for a reward (something that’s normally limited to random special events and therefore quite rare)

the charity corner, a highly requested event that hasn’t run since 2020, where you can donate random items to get points that can then be exchanged in a prize shop

there’s a LOT of ultimately worthless items on neopets that people gather from doing dailies and things, but charity corner actually gave a use to hoarding all of these, so people have wanted it back for ages. people have been going out of their way to hoard extra junk items for like 2 months now, after TNT teased the event in an editorial

this event was originally meant to start on 20th august, but got delayed 2 weeks, presumably because of issues behind the scenes. people were generally a bit disappointed but relieved if this meant they were going to get a proper, well prepared event without bugs

flash forward to 2nd october, the actual start of the event. nothing actually opens up for several hours on the day- that’s somewhat waved off by the fact that staff presumably need to be in the office to launch everything, a midnight launch isn’t expected

but, eventually, it opens!

well… kinda. there’s one page with one dialogue scene available and a link to an event page for spending neocash (the premium currency that costs irl money). the faerie quest page is giving out free daily quests, which is nice, but literally just the same as they did back in 2020. where’s the item recycling part? did this really need 2 weeks of delay?

the next day, the FAQ page for the event is published neopets support site (but not announced via news). still no sign of the actual event starting- seems like that might not be until moday?

as well as multiple grammatical errors, the FAQ had a few… concerning elements. most notably:

only 10 items could be donated per day

points would be awarded based on the rarity of the item, with the maximum rarity being r200-500, worth 15 points each

this meant people's hoarding of junk items for months was... essentially useless

r200-500 items basically means either hidden tower items (rare, expensive items that can only be bought in an account age locked shop with a purchase limit of 1 per day) orrrr….. neocash items. In other words, players could either spend an exorbinate amount of their in-game currency to buy up items to donate, or they could just hand over their credit card and pay to win

people were Not Happy about this

not long after info spread and the outcry started (and a sizeable number of people cancelled their premium membership in protest), the FAQ was quietly updated to remove mention of donating neocash items. that took away to pay to win element at least

however, now there was a new problem. a tombola man problem.

i mentioned already that the highest rarity items are pretty rare and expensive. one of the least expensive of these is an item called the Squeezy Tombola Guy Toy. you can probably see where this is going already

because you can only buy a maximum of one tombola guy per day from the hidden tower, your only option if you want to buy more than that in a day is to go to user shops. however, in light of the event, people had already started buying and hoarding tombola guy toys. equally, others were buying them purely to sell at a profit. this made the perfect storm and caused the price of the tombola guy toy, which was normally 110k NP, to explode up to 500k, 600k, even 700k within just one day

BUT THEN THE FAQ GOT UPDATED AGAIN. surprise, you can now donate 30 items per day! also they just got rid of the highest rarity tier altogether. the maximum you can get for an item is now 8 points, for rarity r102-r179.

this has now made the squeezy tombola guy toys useless. unless you’re a collector they don’t serve any function beyond that of a normal neopets toy (of which there’s thousands of much cheaper options). the price has now plummeted down to BELOW what it originally was and many users now have piles and piles of the dolls sitting in their inventory, mocking them

so what now? well, because no one ever learns, everyone is now flocking to what is now the cheapest high-rarity item eligible for donation. most are going for omelettes, which have a few different options at r102+. these have also inflated by like 400% from before the event, but unlike the squeeze tombola guys, these are only worth a few thousand neopoints, so not as bad a potential loss in comparison

it’s worth noting that while all this is going on in preparation for the recycling event, neopets is also experiencing insane inflation in a lot of other items right now, including those required for people to complete faerie quests. for example, a Griefer, which cost 5000 np just last week, is now worth selling for 1 MILLION

So yeah. 3 days into the event and that’s where we are so far. who knows what tomorrow might bring

[malum-forev]

Unexpected

“I can’t believe people actually fall for these kinds of things,” Bucky scoffs, flicking one of the drooping petals on the flower arrangement. “Ridiculous, right?”

He looks over at Sam, wanting some kind of backup from his partner, only to receive a shrug in response. Bucky rolls his eyes, having flowers delivered to the compound seemed so overplayed in his mind.

“No self respecting woman could actually want to date someone who outsources something like giving flowers.” Bucky mutters, his fingers itch to look at the card to see who they’re from. And more importantly, who they’re for.

“Can’t say I agree with you on this one Buck,” Sam leans back on the conference room chair, waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. “Flower delivery is a normal thing in the modern world, not that I expected you to know. You’re not exactly the romantic type.”

He tries to not let Sam’s comment bug him, but it does. A lot. Back when he was alive the first time, Bucky was over the top. So over the top that some women’s knees physically buckled when they saw his gifts and acts of love. Sure, some of the things he only did to get into their pants but who cares, they were romantic nonetheless. 

Bucky tries to concentrate on your detailed plan for the mission but he’s done this a thousand times and could quite possibly complete this recon mission in his sleep and more importantly, the flower debacle is still present. The plastic vase sitting in the middle of the conference table taunts him. The folded card underneath it was basically begging for him to take a look.

He lingers after the meeting, saying some excuse about wanting to look over the documents when really, his curiosity is what’s keeping him seated. 

In his defense, your floor of the compound rarely gets any deliveries, let alone “romantic” ones. At least what people now think is romantic. Apart from Sam, himself and you, the other people on the floor are either married or forever alone. Leave the cheesy displays of affection for the lower level agents, the ones who still get the hots from one look.

Bucky looks both ways, making sure no one catches him as he slips the card from under the vase and reads it. 

Thought of you today. Have a nice week. 

“Nice week? What a loser.” Bucky blows raspberries, throwing the card back on the table. 

“Can I help you with something, Barnes?” Bucky jumps up in his spot as he hears your voice coming from behind him. 

“Just reading this extensive report,” Bucky lifts up the corners of the papers. “Great to know you have so much spare time.”

To say you and Bucky have a complicated relationship is an understatement. You think he’s a reckless agent that gets away with everything just because he was Captain America’s friend and he thinks that you aren’t reliable on the field because you second guess everything. Match made in heaven, right? Not a single mission you’ve been on has resulted in the two of you being civil. It always ends with a catfight and both of you trying to one up the other one.

“I don’t have time for this. Right now all I want is to go home and get some rest before we have to leave in a couple of days.” You roll your eyes, picking up some of the extra copies for the other agents you’re taking on the mission before grabbing the flowers from the table. 

“Are those yours?” Bucky’s voice pitches up, like he can’t seriously believe someone sent you flowers. 

“This is exactly what I don’t have time for.” You huff, leaving him behind in the conference room, wishing he’d just drop it. But knowing Barnes, and hearing his combat boots smack on the floor behind you, he won’t stop. 

“Who is he?” He raises his eyebrows, walking next to you, covering the elevator buttons with his hands so you can’t press either button. 

“Barnes,” You warn. “I’d rather not spend any more time with you than what’s required for my job.”

“Me neither,” Bucky nods. “So, if you can just tell me who sent you the flowers we can go on our way and not talk until we absolutely have to.”

“Does it matter who they’re from?” 

Bucky’s eyebrows shoot up. “Of course it matters, I’ve never known you to like someone enough to give them your work address. I’ve never known you to like someone, period. So, yes, it matters.”

“Why would I tell you?” You quickly press the arrow pointing upwards as Bucky gets distracted with his dig at your non-existent love life. “So you can go and tell him what a big mistake he’s making?”

“That, and maybe I just want to know if he’s a real life breathing man.” He shrugs as you get in the elevator. “With eyes and ears and all those things one would need to know you really.”

“Great, thanks for the motivational talk I so didn’t need.” You flip him off as the doors close. 

-o-

Your head bounces against the side of the plane as you go through some turbulence but you try not to let it disturb you. But it’s something else that wakes you up, or rather, someone else. 

“I’ve come to the conclusion that he works somewhere in the compound.” Bucky drops his body in the seat next to you, his loud voice making your eyes snap open. 

“I’m resting before the mission,” You narrow your eyes at him. “And having you talk to me is messing that up.”

“You’re not disagreeing.” Bucky hums. 

“The only reason I haven’t flipped you over and dislocated your shoulder is because you have somehow gotten on Sam’s good side and I don’t want him giving me his disapproving father look.”

“Just tell me.” Bucky’s crystal blue eyes are looking straight into yours. 

“Tell you what?” You throw your head back with a groan. 

“Who the flowers are from.”

“You’re still on that?” You quirk one eyebrow.

“You never answered it.”

The questions seemed to have died down once you closed your eyes again but Bucky popped up whenever you expected him least.

You rummage through the office of the suspect that had just been killed. A doctor that was once Hydra had been trying to replicate the super soldier serum, the animal testing had been positive and a couple of dog sized rats still lived in his office. 

“Can you tell me what area he’s in?” Bucky leans on the doorframe and the sudden sound has you bringing your gun to his forehead. 

“I could have killed you just now,” You heave. “And I wish I would have, I think death is the only thing that’s going to stop you from asking all these questions.”

“You could just answer.” Bucky shrugs, looking both ways, making sure no one’s around.

“Why do you want to know?” You huff. 

“I want to know who’s romancing you.” Bucky acts like he doesn’t care, but the truth is that he’s spent the last few days with you and only you on his mind. 

The thought of you dating someone that does the bare minimum makes him frown. He’s never given a second thought to your dating life but if he had to rack his brain, Bucky would assume that you would date someone who’s competent enough to handle your wit and your moods, someone who gets your strength and doesn’t try to undermine you, someone who can handle the emotional baggage that comes with this job and doesn’t judge you. Someone who will hand deliver flowers to your apartment to show you he likes you, instead of having them delivered so that everyone thinks he likes you.

“Why do you care about my love life all of a sudden?” You snap at him and it actually stops him in his tracks. 

Bucky stares back at you with half a breath sucking in his lungs.

Love. 

You actually said the word love. 

Nothing’s ever happened between you two (except for that night the two of you spent cuddling together after neither of you wanted to sleep on the floor, but you swore you’d never speak of it again), but you’ve been a constant in Bucky’s life for years. And he doesn’t deal with change very easily. 

If you’re so freely talking about having a love life, as opposed to what? a like life? Get yourself together Barnes! he scolds himself, that means that soon enough you’ll be bringing this mediocre boyfriend around the tower, which means he’ll have to practice his “I’m trying to act like I care what you’re telling me” smile in the mirror while he’s bumped into the guy while you’re still getting ready because lord knows you love to take your sweet time getting ready! And that means that he’ll have to get a tux for your wedding because who would be stupid enough to not marry someone as intelligent and beautiful as you, and that means that you’ll take a leave for your honeymoon but knowing you, work will follow you to said honeymoon. You never stop working and Bucky’s warned you about your body taking a toll after all those years. 

“You’re one to talk.” He remembers you rolling your eyes at him the time he said it. 

God, your eyes. He’s going to miss your eyes. In the morning, you’ll look at him from over your boiling hot coffee cup. Bucky knows that you like to drink your coffee before the sun goes up because, in your words, I want to have at least a couple of minutes to myself before the world needs me. He’d never admit it to anyone but he sometimes acts like he’s had nightmares keeping him up at night just so he can share those quiet moments with you.

And after the tsunami of memories he won’t share with you anymore subsides, another wave comes crashing in. Soon you’ll be retiring, Bucky’s seen you with Morgan. It’s clear you want kids of your own some day. And you sure as hell won’t be having them when someone like Bucky Barnes is your partner. Bucky knows he’s a risk, he wouldn’t judge you if you thought it too. 

“Okay, we’re done here. I’m leaving, White Wolf hot on my heels.” You speak into the chip, making him snap out of his thoughts and return to Earth.

“As always, thanks for doing nothing, Barnes.” You laugh, slapping Bucky's shoulders as you pass him.

Bucky’s lungs burn as he runs alongside you down the corridor, trying to make up for all of the air he didn’t get as he spiraled. 

-o-

Bucky is up and it’s not because he heard the door hinges creak as you came inside or the slapping of your heels on the old wooden floor. It’s because he hasn’t been able to sleep since you left. 

He acted tired and fake yawned all the way to his room as you passed by, all maked-up and perfumed, when in reality he spent the rest of the night trying to decipher a video game someone recommended. 

Bucky’s verdict: I’ve been to war, I don’t need to play make believe. 

He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on the sounds coming from the kitchen. You opened the fridge door and took a glass bottle of sorts out. From the cork popping, he figured out you were taking out your favorite wine. 

Bucky walks quietly towards the kitchen, not wanting to startle you. 

You gasp as you turn around, cork in your mouth and wine glass filled to the brim in your left hand. 

“I thought everyone would be asleep by now.” You spit the cork into the trash, lowering your face so your hair fans over your features. 

“Nightmares,” Bucky mumbles, his eyebrows furrowing at your unusual mannerisms. 

“Well, now you know who was out here.” You walk past him. “Goodnight Barnes.”

But before you can leave, Bucky holds your arm. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” You try to release from his grip but you know you’re no match for the vibranium arm. 

Bucky lifts up a trembling hand to your face and moves away your hair. Your normally bright eyes now look dull. Red blotching around your irises and black ink running down your face.

“You’ve been crying.” Bucky’s jaw tightens. 

“Thanks for that, Sergeant Obvious,” You scoff. “You’ve discovered my secret. I’m a living, breathing woman with feelings. I know they make you uncomfortable because you don’t have any but I do.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because I’m a person and as much as I would like to be as robotic as you are, sometimes people do things that hurt me.” You roll your eyes. “Next time I have feelings, I’ll make sure to take care of them before I enter the tower so you won’t be bothered.”

“Why are you crying?” He hisses, shutting his eyes before he sees red. “Who made you cry? Tell me a name and I’ll have them killed before dawn.”

“What?”

“No one makes my girl cry.”

Your mouth opens and closes as you try to understand what Bucky just said. The man who’s constantly bothering you and making your life quite impossible is threatening to kill someone just because you shed a couple of tears?

Bucky runs his hands down his face. “We’re wasting precious time here baby, just give me a name and I’ll do the rest.”

“You don’t care,” You tell him but his expression doesn’t change. “You’re not supposed to care. Why do you?”

“The other day, when you told me about the flower idiot, I may have realized something.” Bucky lets out a deep breath. “You’re my partner on the field but you’re much more than that in here.”

Your hand shakes as Bucky takes it and presses your palm flat on his chest. 

“I’m thinking of you when I wake up, hoping I catch you before you get ready. You’re on my mind when we’re training because I want to teach you everything I know, and I want you to teach me how you twisted the agent’s arm and dislocated his knee at the same time. Most of the times when we’re out on missions I’m reckless because I want to keep you safe. I don’t care what happens to me, you’re what needs to be taken care of. At night I dream of you, and then I wake up feeling hollow.”

“You’re too good for me and I know that but that doesn’t mean that some jackass can take you out and then make you cry. If that’s the standard then I’m way above average, baby.” Bucky lets out a dry chuckle. “And I know you don't want me because, who would? But-”

You slam your lips on his, stopping him completely. 

Both of you are starved for touch, wanting to explore every inch of the other. His hands roam your body as yours get tangled in his hair. 

Heavy breathing takes over the kitchen as you separate. 

“Why did it take you so long to tell me?” You rest your forehead on his. 

“Why did it take you so long to kiss me?”

tagged: @kpopgirlbtssvt @shara-ne @namelesssaviour@hallecarey1@aorifukuzawa@sammyssm@alana4610. @mrsjobarnes@vicmc624@unkasworld@theroyalmanatee@almosttoopizza@cjand10@cremebruleequeen@buggy14@jasminocano.@isabel-ffl-xoxo@wintrsoldrluvr@kandis-mom@12345sebby@tittittoee @unaxv. @teambarnes72@angelicrexi@she-wolf09231982@wilsons-striped-ties@tmb510@capswife@pono-pura-vida@touchstarvedforbuckybarnes@tatianah26@drewsuncrustable@minmiin1d

[inkskinned]

it is the first snow today. i think we should all have off work, even though it didn't stick. i think there should be 4 national holidays, one for each season. happy first snow, go home and make cookies. for spring it can be the first crocus. for summer the first lightning bug. for autumn, the first golden leaf. go home, kiss your dog, feed your cat (who is absolutely already-fed but somehow still starving.)

i think we should all take more showers together, but i mean that in the soft way. i mean it like taking a nap. two years ago i had 5 adult friends in my queen bed, all of us laying across each other, head over belly over thigh over hand. any time one of us would giggle, it would ripple over each of us, like pulling on a spiderweb. kim actually needed to nap and didn't get to sleep and i am still sorry for it even though this is one of my most precious memories.

i think we should all wash each other's hair, i mean. i walk my dog and i watch someone put up twinkle lights around their front porch. alex and i just moved, and i love the neighborhood. already so many of our new neighbors have stopped by to say hello. the nice lady downstairs also collects plants, like me. she gave us her number on a pink post-it note. i am trying to decide whether to make her cookies or brownies.

i am going through a very hard time. something bad happened this weekend that i do not wish to discuss. it is hanging over me. i think of the green ribbon, and the woman who had her throat cut. it feels like that sometimes, inside of my body. like i am walking and talking despite being half-corpsed. like i am hanging on by a ribbon, standing on some kind of cusp. i keep saying - at least it wasn't worse. we are so lucky it wasn't worse. the idea is river-rock smooth now, all the edges worried off.

in this very dark night - the sun sets by 3 now - people don't need to, but they try anyway. they paint the missing light into things. i have an embarrassing number of missed calls and texts, but i feel the love from them nevertheless - hey. if you need something, i'm here. i will bring you food/puzzles/anything. i got you.

i think we should all have a big group chat where we do errands with strangers. this week i got lost in a home depot, which is wild because i'm a lesbian and we are actually hatched in a lowe's lumber section. there were two other women in the whole store. we ended up shopping together, at first by accident (we all needed things in the same aisle), and then because, well, why not. one of the ladies was taller than me, so she pulled down the screws i needed. i am agile and have the personality of a raccoon, so they sent me after anything below 3 feet. we talked about holiday plans and never learned each other's names, but did learn all the drama about each other's families.

i am making you cupcakes, because i have so much affection i want to pour it into batter. you ask me if i am eating enough per meal. i wrap your gift twice, trying to do it prettily. i get excited to give it to you, just because i hope you'll be excited too.

my parents drive an hour just to see the new apartment and to do the parent thing; standing in the kitchen saying things like "oh you'll get so much use from this dishwasher" and "well, you could paint that" and "when your mother and i moved it was uphill both ways and in a snowstorm and of course your brother was an infant." my mother brought me a plant for housewarming. i always say i love you before she leaves.

i play dnd on tuesdays still, after all these years. we all keep that night free. at one point, between grad school and marriage and all of it, we had to have a serious discussion about how to keep it running. we will keep going, we decided eventually. just to see each other, even if we don't play - you are all important to me. sebastian is not prone to affection but last night he stole my usual sign off - i love you all, be good, he said. he was laughing.

i don't love the winter, actually. i like snow in theory, but i grew up in the north, and am too-familiar with the season of "mud and sludge". i don't like being cold. but i do love something kind of soft and rare: every year around this time, people remember oh yes. you and i are human together. and i have love to spare.

it is the first snow, and something in my heart is finally warm again. i have spent what felt like the last 18 months just going-through-the-motions. it has felt blank and immediate, like i would never actually feel again. that sounds extremely trite and stupid - but that is the boring and familiar experience of depression. life just washes up against your windows, and you watch it happening. you see things that should be lovely and affecting, and it just whispers too-thin. i was desperately uncreative. uninterested in my hobbies. unimpressed by my writing. i told my therapist, often, i don't know how to find hope again.

almost sheepishly, something strange and lovely is burning in my chest. i keep not-looking at it, worried it will scamper back into the shadows again. it is skittish and wild, but it is so warm i want to sink my hands into its fur and feel it breathing. i love-hate it: if it's real, it can hurt me when it leaves again. but i am icarus-born, sun-lover and poet: i can't help myself. despite my best intentions, i am falling in love with life again.

i am planning to make cookies for my friends. alex and i are going to go christmas tree shopping. we picked out matching dish towels last night, and they have little mushrooms on them.

i love you. it does come back. yes, even after a long time. even for you. i promise. keep trying. you will wake up and it will be a day you can smile about.

write me when you get there. we will take the day off of work, and i will wash your hair, and we will both be laughing.