#i literally cannot stress enough how excited i am

[citizen-zero]

WIBTA for taking advantage of my boss’ possible manic episode?

I know this already sounds bad but hear me out.

So I (30M) am the sole employee of this guy (62M) who’s honestly just a miserable boss and an even more miserable person. It sucks so bad working for him—the pay is horrendous, he’s verbally abusive, and the working conditions are awful (in the winter I literally have to stay bundled up the whole work day because he refuses to put the heat on in the office). He wouldn’t even give me holidays off if it wasn’t for the fact that there’s basically nothing to do those days because everywhere else is closed. I’m almost positive he unironically thinks poor people should die if they can’t work. His nephew (aka his only living relative and just the nicest guy) came by yesterday to invite him to Christmas dinner and he told him he’d see him in hell.

I cannot stress this enough—it’s BAD. I’d quit, but it’s been hard finding a better job and I’ve got four kids at home, including one with special needs.

Anyway, so here’s where I’m wondering if I’d be the asshole. Today was Christmas Day and he showed up at my house out of nowhere (huge red flag, I know). At first I thought he’d forgotten I had the day off and he was here to chew me out, which was worrying enough, but then his whole demeanor changed and he was super happy and excited and talking about how he was going to raise my salary. He even mentioned possibly making me a partner in the firm.

Now if that was it, I’d feel a little weird about the suddenness of it but it’d be fine. I’m not going to complain about having more money to feed my family. But then he started talking about how he wanted to pay our mortgage off. He talked about wanting to pay for our son to get the very expensive medical care that’s probably going to save his life. He mentioned at one point that he was going to be donating a huge amount of money to charity too—I knew he was rich but it staggered me. All this from a guy who doesn’t (didn’t?) even want to turn on the heat or the lights because it costs too much money.

It was such a sudden and drastic change that happened very literally overnight and now I’m kind of concerned he’s having a manic episode or something. I really, really want to accept his sudden generosity (I probably will; my wife is all for it and thinks he owes it to us), and I would love to believe that he’s truly had a sudden change of heart (an actual Christmas miracle lol) but I’m just worried about the possible consequences of accepting huge financial gifts like this from someone who I believe might be experiencing some kind of break from reality. Even if there’s nothing legally wrong with it, I’m worried about the ethics of it.

TLDR, my asshole boss might be in the middle of a mental breakdown. WIBTA if I accepted his offer to pay off my mortgage and my son’s medical expenses?

[error04landonotfound]

So, I told myself during the race that I wouldn't rant about it post-race. And I wasn't going to!!

But then the interviews and the quotes came out. And then I really couldn't just sit with my thoughts. I'm gonna put a keep reading under here because I just know this post is about to be LONG.

Let me start by saying this: the intent of this post is NOT to hate on Oscar Piastri. The intent is to voice my frustrations with Andrea Stella, Zak Brown, and Will Joseph specifically.

When Lando was P1 last weekend, Oscar was told they were "free to race." The exception to that was, understandably, when they were trying to clear backmarkers. Aside from that, they were free to race each other. Oscar wasn't told to hold back at any other point and even made the argument that he was faster, which was understandable. Lando, on the other hand, was told repeatedly by Will Joseph that his tyre degradation was worse than everyone else's and that he shouldn't push too hard. Now, I don't have it saved, but the post-race graphic showing tyre degradation levels for all drivers had Lando as one of the drivers with the LOWEST amount of tyre deg. If that's the case, then why is his engineer telling him his tyres were bad, when Lando has historically been good at managing his tyres? It begs the question of what exactly Will Joseph was doing giving those messages.

Now we come to this weekend. Oscar qualifies P1 for the main race with Lando in P3 due to some crucial mistakes. Nobody is arguing that Piastri had a better Q3 than Lando. Lando himself said he made some mistakes, and that track seems pretty famous for punishing drivers who make mistakes. Lando also noted pretty much the entire weekend that the car was difficult to drive and that he was just going to have to make the best of it. So when Lando moves up to P2 within the first few corners of lap 1, there should be some excitement, right?? Some happiness that Lando is now P2 and a McLaren 1-2 is within reach, provided the pitwall/strategists play their cards right? That wasn't exactly the emotion conveyed through the NUMEROUS messages from Will Joseph. Instead, we had to listen as Lando was told not to push Oscar too hard; his race is with George, not Oscar; Lando your tyres look bad. Now, I'd like to note here that it was 2 in the morning for me, and my TV volume has to be SUPER LOW because my grandmother sleeps in the room next to me. But some of these were heard LOUD AND CLEAR. It became evident very early on that Lando was NOT free to race Oscar in the same way Oscar was free to race him last weekend.

Fast forward to the last 10-15 laps (tbh I can't fully remember when it was), when Will Joseph finally decides to tell Lando his car has a braking issue. Which, by the way, they withheld from him

A BRAKING ISSUE.

Now I don't know about y'all, but I'm pretty sure literally ANY OTHER DRIVER would be told their car has a braking issue. But for some reason, Lando wasn't told until the last stage of the race. Am I insane, or is that not seriously dangerous to withhold that information? Should a driver not be made aware that their car has an issue with BRAKING, let alone that it's already critical? That, to me, tells me that nobody on that pitwall cared if Lando finished that race. I could list more radio messages from WJ that were incredibly sus and counterproductive (um, the using up pace and pushing into Oscar's dirty air??), but I think I've ranted about that long enough

I cannot stress this enough: I do not hate Piastri. Do I wish he'd react similarly to Lando's wins how Lando reacts to his? Yeah. But I still don't hate on him. It wouldn't be very fair to yell and scream that Lando doesn't deserve the hate he's received (and still receives) and then turn around and hate on Oscar. When I say "hate" I don't mean criticism. I mean saying things like, "oh I hope someone runs him off" or "he should lose it into the first corner". Criticism is fine, but there's a fine line between it and hate, and we should be mindful of that.

Because that's all we want: fairness. I want Will Joseph to stop sounding like he's trying to sabotage his own driver. I don't always like Max and GP, but at least GP's radio messages to Max are encouraging!

I want Andrea Stella to show up to Lando's podiums, too, because he deserves to be praised just as much as Oscar (moreso, imho, because Lando has put in part of the work that's made the MCL competitive again!).

I want Zak Brown to NOT admit in interviews that he's thankful one of his drivers had a car issue that prevented him from challenging for the win!

Because let's be real: if this behavior was directed towards Oscar, there would be an uproar. But because it's Lando, it's acceptable. Nobody (except Lando fans) has any problem with how ZB, AS, and WJ are acting towards Lando, and it's frustrating. I just want Lando to receive the same treatment that Oscar receives. It doesn't have to be an either/or. Both can be treated well!

He's leading the damn drivers championship, for goodness sake. The least you could do is act like it.

Okay, I'm done (I think).

[stgosupremacy]

Hi so this is me ranting about Ash being Goh's n01 supporter in project mew 😍 (as he always is ofc)

"I wanna join. Project Mew! For sure!"

love that cute sneaky side view

"You know what? I'm gonna cheer you on with all my might!"

the way he said you sounded a bit like it was a thank you for goh always cheering on ash during his battles 🥺 (it also sounds like I'm analysing too much again looooooooollllllllllll)

I always thought this was Ash just being dead supportive to Goh like he always is but he meant this so much 😭😭😭💗

"You're coming too, Ash?" (the hand on goh's shoulder omg and ash looks so cute idfjkmf)

"I promised I'd always cheer you on, didnt I?"

everyone smiling around them lol (they so know whats going on)

"I'll clear the mission for sure!"

"That's the spirit, Goh!" (always so supportive 🥺💖)

STOP HE'S SO HAPPY TO BE ALLOWED TO GO WITH GOHH AW 🥺

"You failed. You'd be toast if I hadn't saved you."

"Wait just a second, what are you talking about failed!?"

i love how as soon as ash sees goh's sad face he gets his protective boyfriend mode activated 🥰🥰🥺

"Good for you, Goh! I'm fired up about this too!"

i am so tempted to make a post on how touchy these guys are bc oh my god they are so touchy 💀💀 and hellllllll ash was not lying at all about being fired up about project mew, the entire trial period it was almost like ash was taking the missions, bless him 💖😂

"I'll help any way I can!"

it's so sweet to me ash constantly reminds gohof this fact <3

look at danika leaning in the back guys she knows

god ive talked ab this episode far too recently to rant about it here but 🥺😂

"You can count on us! Dont let it win!"

🥰the way ash looks at him

"Plus, I'll be there, you'll be fine!"

no words from me just pure SUPPPPPPPPPPPORTTTTTTTTTT is radiating here (and also goh looking like he's crushing bad)

"Only the challenger is allowed in this mission."

"You've gotta be kidding!"

bless the way he seems so fed up when danika says he cant come- LIKE CMON CAN THEY GET ANY CUTER??? 😭

but as soon as goh says this.....

"No worries Ash, I'm sure i'll be succesful!" (his smile is so sweet)

"You're right Goh, just make sure to pass that mission!"

...Then ash is totally supportive of it if Goh's fine with it too 💗

"Right?" 🥰

"Right!"

yeah....sorry i had to include that it was so cute

"Goh!"

"Dankia, did you do this on purpose!?" the way ash is so stressed for goh for literally no reason but his safety, enter: PROTECTIVE BOYFRIEND MODE ACTIVATED AGAIN WOOOOOOO

HE LOOKS SO SAD WHEN GOH DOESNT GET ANY TOKENS STOPPP 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

the way ash is looking at him so intently...i cannot 💀💀💀💀💀

"This time I'm going by myself."

"WHAT? HOW COME?" 😨😨 (that literally deserves to be in caps because he indeed shouted it lol ) he sounds so in disbelief, it's so sweet he just sees going along with Goh everywhere now his second nature 😭💙💙💙

but after goh explaining why, then ash just smiles and wishes goh the best of luck (as he always does bc he's just happy goh is happy)

like

why is this boy so precious

"I made it through!" I SEE THAT BLUSH HEAJDKAJ (it was obviously from excitement but blushing goh is quite rare in ultimate jrnys and he looks too cute when he does it) 😂

"No joke?! Congratulations Goh!"

YAYYYY HES SO HAPPY 4 HIM 🤗🤗

"Thanks to you, Ash!" 🥰🥺💖

"Thanks to all of your hard work!" STOPP LIKE the way how he tries to deflect the praise back onto goh makes me smile every time but yk so does this entire scene at this point

right the way goh ends the call and breathes out as soon as he does is definetelyy not gay at all 🤨🤨🤨 (fr tho they make each other so happy and i'm always living for it....if you havent noticed)

...right i should stop thats enough for today

[7postitsjumpingonabed]

TF2 Mamma Mia! AU

Cannot over stress how it’s-on-the-tin this is.

If you’re curious, my qualifications for this are the fact I’ve seen the movie like 4 times and am currently in a production of the musical so I know my shit.

Also Mamma Mia! is a romcom so I’ll just say the roms I chose are Sniper/Scout, Spy/Ma, minor Heavy/Medic, and optional Soldier/Demo(I present two options).

That’s all the preamble, lets get into this

Sophie

Alright let’s start with the most important character, who is our bride-to-be and catalyst for the whole plot? Scout, of course. Did I mostly pick him because he has known familial relationships that are easily enough translated to these characters? Yes absolutely. Did I also pick him because he seems the type to think inviting three strangers who could be his dad to his wedding is a good idea, he seems the type to be excited over a large and exciting wedding, and is commonly characterized with some form of anxiety that would lead really well into ‘Under Attack’? Also yes absolutely. Broadly, I think that Scout’s young, enthusiastic, and not-forward thinking personality lines up well with Sophie. For this we are going to ignore the other 7 Willis boys as characters, sorry unnamed brothers Sophie is very significantly an only child.

Skye

A reader with baseline knowledge of Mamma Mia! and who read the preamble can easily guess that Sniper is my Skye. I chose him because I like Speeding Bullet, he would definitely prefer a quiet elopement over a big white wedding, and he is also commonly characterized as kind of whipped for Scout so I would see him begrudgingly accepting this wedding as his life and making it work. You may be seeing this and asking ‘Postit, how on earth are you getting Sniper to dance, sing, and do all that theater kid bullshit?’ And to that I raise two things, 1. that is making me think of a community theater AU and that’s absolutely hilarious and now I want to make it but as I write this I’m realizing he would be in lighting… alright anyway 2. Through musicals are things are possible so write that down. Scout and Sniper going off to travel together seems very accurate and cute as well.

Donna

Alright this one should be clear, it’s Scout’s Ma. In all honesty I did briefly consider having Spy in this role but the fact that Sophie wants her dad at her wedding to do dad things is really important to setting the plot in motion so I’ve relegated him to a different role. Anyway besides literally being Scout’s mom I think she fits well because despite her lack of characterization, from what we do know about her she is a no-nonsense hard worker, who is trying to move past old and questionable decisions, and support her son in what she thinks is a silly decision. Overall I just think she’s the best option and can be made to fit well.

Ali and Lisa

If you only have a passing knowledge of Mamma Mia! you might not know these characters, and honestly I considered combining them into one person because they don’t have large individual impacts but it just worked better to keep them both, but they’re Sophie’s friends and advisors, as well as generation counter parts to Rosie and Tanya. I chose Ms. Pauling and Pyro for these roles. I had really no ideas on this front so it got filled in near the end of planning but I think Pauling and Pyro work well enough. I think if Pauling and Scout can move past potential love

Sam Carmichael

Who else? It’s Spy. With Scout’s Ms as Donna there wasn’t really any other choice. Sam is sort of the prime father and ends up marrying Donna at the end of the story. The second act songs between him and Donna are all about the past, regrets, and missed opportunities and that goes perfectly with the implied dynamic between Spy and Scout’s Ma. In this AU ‘Loraine’ would be Spy’s job, he would leave to work it and come back only to find Ma with other men. Speaking of.

Harry Bright

Harry is contemplative, plays the guitar, and had a ‘rough’ past that doesn’t reflect his current quieter life? Now who does that sound like? Engineer isn’t canonically an ex-punk but the idea of him ‘headbanging’ is really funny. I largely chose him because of his demeanor and the irony of him being a punk in a previous life but the straight forward attitude and guitar playing are also very appropriate.

Bill Anderson

Heavy is my Bill Anderson because he’s the last reasonable man left, his writing associations, and the fact Bill’s two duets in the musical have him mostly responding to another’s behavior. After Heavy the men get a little more visibly insane, even on a picturesque Greek vacation. Bill is a writer and travel books aren’t exactly Russian lit but the general idea lines up. The role of Bill being quiet most of the time and being the first father to figure out his relation to Sophie feels very Heavy.

Rosie

Rosie is Donna’s friend that is on the wild side, never married, and ends up ‘taking a chance’ (imagine me lightly elbowing you at my joke) on Bill. Replace Bill with Heavy and that’s an in complete description of Medic. I can see Medic having not terrible, if not normal, friendships with people willing to embrace the lunacy. A lady who shot her shot with Spy of all people and raised Scout can definitely handle some lunacy. Also there’s a line somewhere, musical or movie, when Bill mentions having one of Rosie’s cookbooks, and that seems like a sweet, Red Oktoberfest thing to do.

Tanya

For lack of better option, Demo is my Tanya. There’s no particularly strong connections between them but Demo needs to go somewhere and Soldier is even worse of a fit for this role. Since this is where he’s going I’ll propose that, if the viewer desires so and is willing to lose the alignment of Tanya’s marriages with the one happening at the end, the series of failed marriages could be changed to jobs, which would give this hypothetical casting more cohesion.

Pepper and Eddy

The only merc left is Soldier and I think him as a largely unhelpful, partying, kind of a freak feels… not terrible. This is where my two options in the Soldier/Demo situation is explained, you can go classic ‘Does Your Mother Know?’ and set the two up as romantic counterparts or you could just have them as friends. Like, Soldier is a ‘bad’ influence and Demo is trying to be normal for Scout’s Ma but is having too much fun with Soldier to resist. I think both work fine and it depends on preferences. For Eddy I want an unenthusiastic Merasmus. We know that Soldier just harasses him and drags him into random scenarios so a reluctant Merasmus can fit as a variation on Eddy so the cast is all lined up.

That’s where my fan cast ends but I want to say that if anyone wants to work with this idea, go ahead but tag me so I can see! Also I’m still thinking about Spy!Donna so there might be a follow up…. But we’ll see. Thank you for reading!

[shmaptainwrote]

𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 [𝐀 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘]

PAIRINGS — Violet Bridgerton x fem!Reader [Modern!AU]

SUMMARY — Violet and Reader enjoy their first business trip together in Rome

WORD COUNT — 3.5K

WARNINGS — none

NOTE — And the next installment of our story is finally here! Literally cannot describe how excited I am for you to see where all of this takes them! Thanks again to my gals for beta'ing and editing!

𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐀𝐎𝟑

𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑰𝑰𝑰: 𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑵 𝑰𝑵 𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑬

“Oh, are you sure you two will be okay?” Violet asked, pressing her lips together in a thin line. “Because I could cancel, I don’t need to go-”

“Hate to be the voice of reason, but you actually do have to go,” you interrupted as Violet spoke to her children. 

“Mum, we’ll be fine,” Hyacinth assured her. “We know the rules, and you’ll only be gone for a few days.” 

“And you’ve already told Agatha to come check up on us even though we’re not seven,” Gregory rolled his eyes. 

Violet still seemed nervous, but a reassuring kiss from her daughter and your hand on her back was enough to pull her away from her two youngest. 

“Alright, you’ll call me if anything happens? And don’t burn the house down, your grandmother would be rolling in her grave,” Violet warned. 

“We won’t. Now go, you’re going to make yourselves late,” Gregory urged, pushing his mother out of the house, you following after her with a small chuckle. 

“You’ll take good care of her, won’t you?” Hyacinth asked you and you nodded your head. 

“I think she’d argue and say she’d take good care of me, but we’ll just let her think that, huh?” you nudged the teenager’s arm and she smiled. 

“If she gets stressed, make her tea. She’s very British that way,” she whispered. 

“Got it,” you winked. “No sugar, English breakfast?” 

“That’s the one,” Hyacinth confirmed, and you smiled. 

“I’ll see you two when we get back, I wrote my number on the notepad in the office if you can’t get ahold of your mum,” you told both Gregory and Hyacinth. 

“Okay, we get it, you’re reachable, now go, you’re seriously going to miss your flight,” Gregory practically pushed you into the passenger seat of the car and you chuckled, closing the door once you sat down. Violet was already in the driver’s seat, waving to the two children as you pulled out of the driveway and headed out onto the street. 

“Gregory seemed awfully eager to get us out of there,” you looked over at Violet. 

“He’s always been like that when it comes to travel. We missed a flight once because Eloise had wandered off and we couldn’t find her. I think he’s  just been a tad bit traumatized,” Violet admitted. “Do you mind pulling up the itinerary, though? I haven’t had a chance to look through it yet.” 

You nodded your head and pulled out your phone. 

“First is a meeting with one of the companies your family owns that works out of Rome. Then, tonight, there's dinner with the head of your literacy foundation. Tomorrow, you’re scheduled to make an appearance at that fashion fundraiser the Featheringtons are organizing-” 

“Wait, is this the one where I promised Portia I would-” 

“Walk the runway? Yes, yes you did.” 

“Christ, how did that happen?” she groaned. “Actually, I know how it happened. One too many glasses of wine is how it happened.” 

You laughed at her self-recounting how she’d gotten herself into that predicament. 

“There’s no way I can get out of doing that and just attend instead?” 

“I’ll see what I can do,” you told her. 

“Is this the ‘different kind of challenge’ you were looking for when you applied?” Violet teased. “I know this isn’t really in your job description, but I appreciate you doing it anyway.” 

“With a life as crazy as yours, I can see why you’d need an assistant. I don’t mind filling that role until Marianne is back,” you assured her. “And it’s nice to think of something other than numbers every once in a while.” 

Violet smiled at your words, and you drove comfortably the rest of the way to the airport where you rushed through security and made it just in time for boarding. You both took advantage of the down time on the flight, getting a few things done here and there, but also taking quick naps to refuel for the next few days, knowing it would be long, and you’d both be without much rest. 

“You know,” Violet began, as you walked with your bags towards a man who held a sign at the arrival terminal with the name Bridgerton written across it, “things are going to be hectic while we’re here, but if we get the chance, there’s some place I’d really like to take you.” 

“Somewhere you’d like to take me?” You looked back at her, surprised. 

“Yes, why is that so shocking?” she chuckled. 

“I-It’s not,” you could feel your cheeks grow warm under her gaze. “It’s just-can I ask where it is?” 

“Actually, no, you may not,” she shook her head, a playful smile on her lips. “It will have to be a surprise.” 

“Promise you’re not taking me somewhere to murder me and dump the body?” you asked, and she laughed. 

“I certainly promise that.” 

“Good, then I can handle a little bit of suspense,” you nodded. 

The man holding the sign led you to your car and, for once, Violet was not in the driver’s seat. You could see how fidgety it made her, but a part of you found it endearing. 

Without so much as a second thought, you placed your hand on hers while going through emails on your laptop, ceasing her movements. 

Too focused on your screen, you didn’t notice the way she looked up at you. The way her blue eyes became almost black, her irises only visible along the edge of such a dilated pupil. The way she had to steady her breathing and try not to think too much about what your touch was doing to her. 

Violet just felt as though it had been so long since anyone had ever comforted her in such a way, that’s why her heart was beating in a manner that felt so unfamiliar to her, that’s why she had to take a moment to compose herself, to remind herself of where she was. There wasn’t anything more to it, it had just been a long time.

She heard your voice ask her a question, but it was muffled, and she had to blink a few times and look over to you. 

“Sorry, can you say that again?” she asked. 

“Are you good to be by yourself for the first fifteen minutes or so?” you asked. “I just need to grab something before I join the meeting.” 

“Should be fine,” she swallowed, noticing how dry her mouth felt. “First fifteen minutes are for catching up anyways.” 

“Perfect, I promise I won’t be long,” you squeezed her hand. “Then afterwards, we can check in at the hotel and you can change before dinner, sounds good?” 

“Sounds good,” she repeated, forcing a small smile. 

You removed your hand from hers, to begin typing something up in an email, and Violet moved her hand immediately to rub the back of her neck, fiddling with the clasp of her necklace. 

For the rest of the drive, Violet’s hands stayed in her lap and she made a point to keep them still. When you arrived at the building where the meeting was to be held, you parted ways briefly. 

Violet made her way inside the familiar building and was immediately greeted by warm smiles and open arms as she was ushered upstairs to the board room. 

“Is it just you who is joining us today Mrs. Bridgerton? I thought you had brought someone else with you.” 

“I have,” she confirmed. “My new financial manager, she’s just gone to run a quick errand, but she assured me she’d be back-” 

“I’m here.” 

Violet turned around at the sound of your voice, noticing the smile on your face as you introduced yourself to the others in the room. 

“I got this for you,” you whispered, handing her a takeaway cup. “You seemed a little stressed in the car.” 

Violet smiled and inhaled the scent coming from the cup. 

English breakfast. Simple, classic, her favourite. 

“Thank you,” she mouthed at you, and you placed a gentle hand on her back, pulling out a seat for her to sit in. 

“So, shall we get to business?”

The meeting went on without any hiccups, the company had been doing well and numbers were increasing each quarter, which was a good sign. Violet had to admit she was finding it hard to concentrate on everything that was being said, her mind wandering here and there. 

She decided it was perfectly unreasonable to blame herself, not when it was so easy to get lost memorizing every line and mark on your face. She told herself it wasn’t different that she was admiring you; Violet had always liked admiring beautiful things. 

“Mrs. Bridgerton?” 

“Hmm, yes, sorry,” she apologized and brought her focus back to the conversation.

She was grateful when the meeting ended, knowing they would be heading back to the hotel and she would be readying herself for dinner while you dealt with a few administrative things. 

“Oh, by the way, I managed to get you out of that thing with the Featheringtons,” you mentioned to her on the way up to your rooms. “Still have to attend obviously, but we managed to work out an alternative.” 

“Really? Oh, that’s wonderful,” Violet sighed, now knowing she was free of that one responsibility was a weight off her shoulders, and she didn’t feel the need to ask you any questions about how you managed to do it. 

You said your goodbyes once you reached your rooms and a part of Violet was a little sad you wouldn’t be attending the dinner with her, but she pushed the feeling out of her heart and focused on the task ahead. There was plenty of work to do and she could not get distracted.

—

“Aren’t you going to come sit with me?” Violet asked, curious as to why you were walking off in another direction at the fundraiser. 

“I have to go take care of a few things,” you informed her. “I hear they’re serving champagne though, go get a glass and relax for a bit,” you suggested. 

Violet nodded her head with a polite smile and you parted ways. She could feel the lenses of the camera following her, like the unrelenting eyes of a watchful hunter, but then again, they were taking pictures of everyone and everything. 

When she sat down, she took a small pocket mirror from her purse and made sure her hair was still clipped up properly and her makeup hadn’t accidentally gotten smudged. 

“Violet!” 

She looked up at the sound of her name, seeing Portia Featherington making her way towards her, a bright smile on her face and a glass of champagne in her hand. 

“Portia, how are you?” Violet stood up and they exchanged kisses on the cheek before both taking their seats once more. 

“Marvelous,” she answered Violet’s question once they were seated again. “Things could not have fallen into place more splendidly for this fundraiser. Prudence, Philipa, and I are so pleased with how it turned out.” 

“And what about Penelope? Have you heard much from her and Colin?” Violet asked, also curious to see if there was any news of her son while he and his partner were on their travels together. 

“She is busy working on that article about the um-oh damn, what is it called again?” 

“The effects the droughts and floods are having on the local population,” Violet said. “Yes, she was telling me about it the last time they called.”

“Yes, that’s it,” Portia smiled. “But she’s been so kind as to write a small piece about this endeavor of her sisters and I. Hopefully it will spread the word and encourage more donations.” 

“Wonderful,” Violet smiled and patted Portia’s back. “And I apologize for not being able to help you like we had previously discussed.” 

“Oh, nonsense,” Portia waved her hand. “Things sorted themselves out quite nicely.” 

“They did, did they?” Violet asked and Portia nodded, just as she saw the signal from her two eldest daughters that they were about to start and she excused herself, going to join them so they could welcome everyone before the show began. 

Violet twiddled her thumbs, quietly wondering to herself where you had gone or what you could possibly need to do right before things were to start, but her attention was drawn away from her thoughts as she heard Portia’s voice ring through the microphone. 

Violet finally took the moment to take stock of all of the intricacies of the decor and wondered how the garden theme would tie into the fashion they were presenting today. 

It quickly became clear that floral patterns and insects were the main inspiration of the designers and it was indeed very true to the Featheringtons' tastes. 

She had leaned back in her seat, her legs crossed and her hands held onto her knee as she watched the models walk the runway. Part of the charm was that the models were mostly members of prominent families who had made donations in order to participate. 

Violet had obviously kept her donation to the cause, but was more than happy to be in the audience, instead of on stage. 

She saw a few faces she had recognized, a smile coming up on her lips appreciating how much fun it seemed everyone was having. Even Prudence and Philipa walked the stage together, wearing complementary outfits. 

Just when she thought things were going to end, there was a last wave of models walking the stage, one by one, in sequence, and suddenly she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

She blinked a few times to ensure she wasn’t seeing things and when you certainly remained standing in front of her on the stage, she had to make an extra effort to make sure her jaw didn’t drop. 

You wore an intricate gown that looked as though the skirt was made up of petals, perhaps similar to an upside down tulip. The green fabric that covered your torso mimicked the receptacle of the flower, and the sleeves acted as leaves, adorned with small insects, whose wings fluttered every now and again. 

Violet could feel her mouth begin to go dry, her fingers coming to her lips and curling around her mouth as she drank in every last detail of you.

You were biting back a chuckle at Violet’s reaction, on your walk back towards the end of the stage and Violet was still in her seat, finally taking the time to make the connections as to how you managed to get her out of her commitment. 

As soon as everything was over and had wrapped up, Violet was the first out of her seat, slipping past everyone to head backstage, seeing you change back into the clothes you had arrived in. 

“Were you ever going to tell me you took that bullet for me?” she asked, coming up behind you while you were buttoning up your shirt. 

You turned around, still working at the buttons, a laugh on the tip of your tongue. 

“I thought a surprise might be more fun,” you admitted. “Mrs. Featherington was very nice about it all though, I’m glad I could lend a hand. Both ways.” 

Violet wanted to respond to your comment about the surprise, but she found her eyes lingering on your hands as they travelled along the centre of your shirt. 

“Violet?” 

Violet quickly brought herself out of her trance, a nervous smile coming across her lips. 

“I suppose I owe you one now,” she ended up saying. 

“Just make sure we have time for that surprise, and I think we’ll be even,” you grinned. “Mrs. Featherington wanted a quick chat about something, can I meet you at the car?” 

“Sure, I’ll see you there.” 

Violet chewed on the inside of her cheek as she made her way back to the valet where the driver for the trip was waiting for both of you. 

She got into the car and you joined around five minutes later, two bottles of wine in your hands. 

“A present from the Featheringtons,” you said, handing her one of the bottles. “She said she asked Colin what your favourite was.” 

Violet looked at the bottle in her hands, a reminiscent smile coming across her face. 

“That boy,” she said fondly. “I’ll have to call Portia later to thank her.” 

The driver began the route back to the hotel and you took the time to relax in your seat, closing your eyes for a moment, grateful you didn’t have to answer any emails or resolve any current crises. 

“Maybe an early night is wise,” Violet suggested, noticing your relaxed state. “For both of us.” 

“Yes, especially with that board meeting tomorrow,” you groaned and ran a hand across your face. “No matter what job I get, I never seem to be able to escape those.” 

“Oh, you poor thing,” Violet teased. “We’ll survive. And I promise there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” 

“Whatever you say, my Lady,” you turned your head over, still leaning it against the headrest and tipped a fake hat towards her, making her chuckle. 

When you arrived at the hotel, you went your separate ways, each to your own rooms. You went straight to bed, but Violet sat on one of the couches, grabbing a glass from the counter and placing it on the small coffee table in front of her. 

As she sat down, she opened the bottle of wine and poured herself a glass, taking her phone and scrolling through her favourites on her contact list before seeing who she was looking for and dialling the number. 

She placed the phone to her ear and listened to it ring a few times before there was a familiar gap signalling someone on the other end had picked up.

“Mum? Is everything alright?” 

“Must something be wrong in order for me to call my daughter?” she chuckled, lifting the wine glass to her lips and taking a sip. 

“No,” Francesca replied with a similar laugh on her lips. “I suppose not.” 

“I just wanted to check in,” Violet said. “Your other siblings are all quite active in the family group chat so I, at least, know they are alive.”

“Is this about me not responding to your message about bringing John over for the long weekend?” Francesca said. “Because I told you I need to talk to him, his family usually does something and since the wedding, we haven’t spent much time with them either and they’re all in town from Scotland.” 

“No, I’m simply teasing,” Violet chuckled. “You don’t have to worry about John, or any of those things, we’ll figure it out, whatever works for you both, I’m sure I’ll survive…” her voice trailed off. 

“Mum, is everything okay?” Frnacesca sensed something on her mother’s mind and attempted to pry. 

“Yes, everything’s fine, dearest,” she assured, sitting up straighter. “I suppose I am just missing you.” 

“I miss you too,” Francesca admitted. “Maybe you could come to one of my shows soon? I know you are very busy with work and I always have rehearsals or am locked away in a practice room, but…I would very much like to see you.” 

“As would I, my darling,” Violet agreed. “As soon as I am back from Rome, we’ll arrange something.” 

“I would love that,” she smiled. “And are you sure everything’s alright? Daphne says you haven’t been up to visit her in a while, that's quite unlike you.” 

“I know it is,” Violet sighed, leaning back into the couch again, sipping her wine. “I don’t know how much Anthony has mentioned to you or your siblings, but there are a few things we’re still dealing with after everything that’s happened with Landon, and I suppose it’s taken up a lot of my time,” she explained. “I would love nothing more than to go see your sister, or my grandchildren, for heaven’s sake, but I barely have enough time to keep my wits about me at the moment.” 

“Ah, so you’re missing being a grandmother,” Francesca teased. 

“Oh, you know I dislike that word,” Violet playfully chastised. “It makes me feel old.” 

“Well it is not my fault both you and Daphne decided to have children young,” Francesca countered and Violet laughed. 

“No, it certainly is not,” she shook her head. 

“Look, Mum, I really want to talk longer, but-” 

“You have to go practice?” Violet asked and Francesca sighed. “Keep me on the line for one song?” 

“Always.” 

Violet waited for a moment as Francesca prepared herself, and before long, the melody of the piano filled her ears. With Francesca, even if it was the same song, each time, there was something new. Violet could always tell. 

She tried to let all of her feelings, her worries and anxieties, the confusing thoughts that had been plaguing her mind recently, float away until it was just the music that came across the speaker of the phone until the piece was over and the static silence filled the air. 

“Sleep well, Mum.” 

“I will, my dear. I’ll see you when I get back, and thank you.” 

“Anytime,” Francesca said softly. “I love you.” 

“Love you too.” 

Violet hung up the phone and sighed, sipping at her wine once more, not thinking she would ever get used to the quiet. 

TAGLIST —

@paola-carter @madde11 @thesamesweetie @cherrysxuya @philocalistwrites @mako-mermaids2021 @oh-mydarling @courtneyteal @amethyst-bitch @etherynn @lilisdarling

[lextheartguy]

My review of The New Gods (2024) #1.

Spoiler free: I know we’re one issue in but I cannot recommend The New Gods enough, it’s already become my favourite comic currently running and I loved literally everything about the first issue, 10/10. It’s so epic and grounded at the same time and characterisation of everyone involved is spot on. It’s also I think a really good jumping on point if you’re not a New Gods fan, Ram V has said that you don’t need any prior knowledge before reading this comic and that really rings true for the first issue. And THE ART!!! Omg Evan Cagle and Jorge Fornés really cooked with the pencils and inks and the colour by Francesco Segala are AMAZING.

Spoiler inclusive/my favourite moments:

Warning I’ve only read it once so far so my thoughts are little more than AAAAH!!!

Metron is such a little shit stirrer as always. And I love this vague ass prophecy. Everything about the beginning showing the grand scale of the New Gods and then contrasting it with the Frees on earth is chefs kiss. It’s also such a good way to kick start the run.

LIGHTRAY!!! This art is stunning in literally every panel but omg he’s so cute. And he’s such a ray of sunshine (literally). All he wants to do is help. Also the choice to make him literally glowing is fantastic.

This whole section with Orion is probably my favourite part art wise (which is really saying something cause again the comic is gorgeous). But Cagles art is so dynamic and full of life I just love it. Also Orion’s design is amazing.

OLIVIA!!!! Cutest baby ever!!!!!!! I will protect her with my life!

Like I said before the way Ram V and Evan Cagle contrast the vast expanse of the universe and the mythic levels of the new gods with the domestic life of the Frees is amazing and so impactful. And Orion being in the background and giving them their time was adorable. (Also this Scott design!!!! AHHHH)

I absolutely adore the way Ram writes them as actual brothers. Their voices and the way they speak with each other has so much more calm and closeness than most of their other appearances ever do. And the way Scott really couldn’t care less about the prophecy until Orion tells him what he has to do, it’s such a perfect characterisation of him!

AHHHH! Again, cannot stress enough what an amazing characterisation of Scott this is. He’s finally found himself at a point where he doesn’t want to escape and he’s forced to leave anyway. I have to also give props for the large print introductions for Scott and Orion, both of which are visually stunning and represent them perfectly. Also the “and you” AHHHHHHH!!!

I know I’m repeating myself but it cannot be stressed enough how lovingly, amazingly, and accurately Ram V is writing these characters. Their voices are PERFECT. Orion not wanting to go through with killing a child so he makes Scott stop him and Scott not wanting to go but not being able to stop himself. “The one thing you can never escape, Mister Miracle, is who you are.” Just kill me now.

MAX??????? What the hell are you doing here???? No but not only am I always happy to see my favourite piece of shit but also I love this. When Max was first introduced he was chasing power and ignoring all empathy because he was being manipulated by a computer created by Metron to gain the knowledge of earth. So I think having him (at least I’m 90% sure it’s him) act out the wills of the gods (whoever it is that’s telling him about the child) is absolutely perfect.

And I could not be more excited. Like I said this is already my favourite comic book running and one of my favourites of all time and we’re one (1) issue in. I’ve already got both the main cover and the Cagle acetate cover ordered through February (wanted to get more but couldn’t financially justify it). The fact that I have to wait another 4 weeks for the next one is criminal. But I urge everyone to go read this!

[poolverineficrecs]

I am so absolutely, genuinely, physically in love with this fic and I literally am so excited for it to update. I cannot stress to you enough how much you need to read it

Not rated 30k

[homonculus-posting]

something a friend sent me

Ok I was too lazy to take my insomnia meds tonight which was obviously a mistake because as of writing this it’s 5:00 am on the dot and I have yet to get a wink of sleep. But it’s ok because for the last half hour or so I have been entertaining myself to the point where my face hurts from laughing with this thought. 

So Minecraft story mode au/fanfic where it’s not explicitly stated what’s different just that it’s a cannon divergence au (and maybe from the tags you can tell Ruben lives past episode 4). 

Everything is the same, just a rewrite UNTIL episode 4, the episode when Ruben dies.  Suddenly instead of getting Jesse’s point of view it switches to Ruben as he, with very vivid description from the author, lands in water instead of on the stone, survives and goes off running to find all his other friends.  They’re all so excited because you know that’s dangerous stuff for a pig. They’re all having this nice moment and then splat. 

Jesse lands on the pavement. 

Same emotional death scene but like way worse because while Ruben does help save the world in the original game people do meme on the Minecraft story mode games because of how Jesse just carries everyone in his group and no one does anything except for him. 

Everyone is sobbing even the pig as Jesse tries to say some overly emotional last words like “you know I love you guys you were my best friends and I’m glad that if I have to die it will be while I’m with you” or something. 

Poof. 

He is now inventory. 

Crying. 

Now jump cut like it does in the game to Ruben’s memorial but instead of being for Ruben it’s for Jesse. 

From here on out the game remains the same but they switch rolls, any lines said by Jesse in episodes 5-7 of season one or all of season 2 are now just Ruben going “oink”.  Still everyone responds like he said what Jesse actually says. Literally games the same but they switch. 

Season 1 episode 5: Ruben gets teleported to a sky block server with his friends, Ruben has the option to follow one friend to “build club” which is in fact a fight club reference or go to jail with another friend I’ll let you decide which is funnier, Ruben throws a terrorist off sky island.

Season 1 episode 6: Ruben meets world famous Minecraft YouTubers dantdm, captain sparkelz, ldshadowlady, Stacy plays, and stampy cat, Ruben accuses 3/5 of these YouTubers of murder, Ruben solves the mystery of the white pumpkin and her murder dinner party.

Season 1 episode 7 baybe: Ruben fights an over powered mind control ai and wins by ripping the red stone heart straight out of its circuiting.

Season 1 episode 8: Ruben rallies an army to fight off fascist dictators making people kill one another for sport and sending the “respawns” to the quartz mines, Ruben is forced to 1v2 these op fascists, Ruben loses, Ruben gets Tim’s armor, (I’ll send you a picture of Tim’s armor after this rant/brainstorm) Ruben kills the fascists, Ruben goes home. 

But that’s not all my dear elm tree, you see that’s only season one. Now we get to review the things Ruben does in season two. 

Episode 1: Ruben gets an intern named radar, Ruben takes a second to morn the best friend he lost in the battle with the wither storm recounting how good of a friend he was, Ruben (and I cannot stress enough these are all things that happen in game just with the rolls reversed) picks a Jesse look alike to be part of the parade celebrating the anniversary of them killing the wither storm, Ruben practices conflict resolution, Ruben goes on a mine adventure with Petra, Ruben gets a gauntlet stuck to his hand (hove?), Ruben freaks out, Ruben accidentally opens a gateway to hell the spills out charged creepers, Ruben feels betrayed by Petra, Ruben fights god, wins, Ruben closes the gateway to hell he opened.

Episode 2: Ruben has to fight god again, is losing, god purposely destroys the Jesse memorial to piss off Ruben, Ruben wins his second fight with god, what is the first thing Ruben does, rebuild his Jesse monument of course, god sets up another challenge for Ruben, Ruben technically loses due to the power of friendship, unfortunately Ruben has pissed off god enough god sends Ruben to bedrock prison.

Episode 3: Ruben climbs the ranks of bedrock prison, Ruben tries to release a prisoner that will help him and his friends escape bedrock prison, god does not like this, god feels Ruben has betrayed him once again, god just wants friends after all, you know who has a lot of friends, Ruben, god shape shifts into Ruben so that he can play fascist ruler, oh no, god has abandoned the bedrock prison anarchy has already started.

Episode 4 woho we’re on a roll: Ruben breaks a defunct god out of prison, defunct god tells where to find her dead god friends guide to making fascist god defunct, Ruben wins a dead god trivia contest, Ruben fights a creation made by god to be fought by other gods for entertainment, wins, Ruben goes home. 

Episode 5 you can do this we’re almost done: oh no god has made home a wasteland, Ruben forms a plan to get in gods office, Ruben hugs Lukas to prove it’s really him and not a fascist imposter, Ruben tries to reason with god fails, Ruben tries to reason with god, fails, Ruben tries to reason with god, fails, god tries to reason with Ruben, fails, Ruben kills god, order has been restored, radar Ruben ivor and Petra all set up for a sequel that will never happen. 

Le fin. 

So what are your thoughts?

(This took me 41 minutes just to type)

(took me an extra 10 minutes to edit)

(I’m sorry you have to read this)

(you do have to read this thought it took me almost an hour to write)

[inkblackorchid]

me again! 😹 I love the headcanons you wrote ,thank you ! While reading them I imagined something else so I thought to give it a try !

Perhaps, do you think you could write Faithshipping married headcanons? That would be so cool , thank you in advance:)

Also ,I am so excited for more Faithshipping fanfictions. Also ,I love how you're giving Aki more time to shine and get actual development 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

@mathemagician93 Hope you don't mind me combining these since they pertain to similar topics!

Had to think about these for a while so they've unfortunately been sitting in my inbox for a couple of days, haha. But here we go, married faithshipping headcanons!

The proposal is a long time coming (especially to Aki and Yusei's long-suffering friend circle), but both of them don't know how to go about it at first.

I imagine Aki's parents are just traditional enough that they're basically expecting Yusei to propose, while Aki herself really doesn't mind who proposes, but ends up being too chicken to do it herself. (She doesn't think Yusei would reject her, but old fears are a bitch and she knows it would break her heart if he said no for any reason.)

Yusei, meanwhile, definitely has the courage to propose, but doesn't have the foggiest idea how to. What do people do when they propose?? (Jack and Crow are the polar opposite of helpful, btw.) He ends up taking Martha's advice of doing it in a simple, but heartfelt way.

It's not a big thing. It's a date, but not a date that immediately seems special. There's no crowd, only them. The question's quiet and earnest, and the memory of it belongs to them and them alone.

(For a couple of days, the others don't even know the big question came up. Everyone's offended as hell when they find out Aki and Yusei didn't consider it big enough of a deal to make a big announcement out of it. But big doesn't matter to them. What matters is each other.)

I imagine several parties would try to hijack the wedding planning. Among them, Jack, Carly, and Aki's parents. Nobody manages to keep their trap shut and not make unprompted suggestions, at any rate.

Despite the above, the wedding wouldn't be big and fancy, either. Everyone who's important is there, but nobody beyond that. Aki manages to wriggle the occasional input out of Yusei and puts together some kickass (floral, duh) decor.

(They both stress about the wedding. Aki looks more like she stresses, but in truth, Yusei's also worried he's going to make an idiot of himself. Fancy occasions were never his thing. But they manage to put their heads together and make it work, because that's what they're best at.)

Married life ends up not being all that different from the way things were before. I'd imagine they already lived together and tackled day-to-day life together before. Except now both of them are Dr. Fudo.

(Yusei wouldn't have minded taking Aki's name, but Aki's parents fussed and she wasn't too attached to Izayoi, anyway, so she happily takes Fudo.)

They absolutely manage to mix up their name tags for work (if not their lab coats outright) at some point.

Half of the nurses working with Aki know and are convinced she's married to Yusei Fudo (yes, that Yusei Fudo). The other half are dead convinced the others are just pulling their legs and that it's a rumour because it would be cliché anyway, etc. The reason why is that Aki doesn't see the reason to make a big deal out of her marriage (and knows Yusei likes his privacy).

By contrast, the entirety of MIDS knows Yusei's married to Aki Izayoi. Because he brings her up every second conversation—not even to brag (although he sometimes does), but simply because he thinks of her that often. (You cannot convince me Yusei would not be one of the most wife guys to ever wife guy.)

They are popular with literally all their neighbours because they're the most capable couple on the block. Your washing machine is broken? Ask Yusei about it. Your grandma tripped and fell? Better pop over to Aki.

They're good at dividing up the chores and know exactly which chores each the other likes to do less. (Aki's better at doing the laundry and hates cleaning the bathroom, Yusei's better at doing the dishes and hates dusting the furniture.)

Despite Aki's demanding work hours, being a doctor and all, Yusei still always manages to be awake earlier than her. He knows exactly for what time her alarm is set and always makes sure a cup of tea and something small to eat are ready for her by then.

In return, Aki likes to stay on top of making sure that Yusei's got lunch he can take with him to work. (Because she knows his abysmal working habits and the fact that he makes time to actually go for lunch too rarely.)

They coordinate their days off to the best of their ability. What free time they have, they want to be able to spend together.

Yusei may or may not forget his lunch on occasion. Aki, on days where she's not stuck at work herself, may or may not pop into MIDS to bring her husband his lunch. (Yusei's coworkers find it hilarious.)

Hope you like these! And thank you so, so much, glad you enjoy my stories! Aki deserves every little bit of development I can give her. ^^

[royaltrashkin]

AITA for asking my friend for a melon daiquiri after he asked me over to hang out with him and his wife??? TL;DR at end.

For reference, we are all in our early 30s and I introduced them to each other. I get a message from my old college friend I haven't seen in years, asking if I can come catch up with him and his wife for their tenth anniversary.

So I show up when I was asked, and I can hear them arguing about me being there through the door. I didn't hear the whole conversation obviously but it sounded like his wife thought I was going to be there later. Even after I knock and get invited in, when my friend goes to get his wife from down the hall I can hear them whisper arguing all the way to the living room. So maybe I was just there at a bad time and this is a big misunderstanding because honestly I'm very confused about this whole situation. I could feel the tension between them immediately, I felt so awkward greeting both of them because I'm not sure if they know I overheard them arguing specifically about me being there. I think they must've felt super awkward too because about thirty seconds in, I have literally just asked how they're doing and they didn't even really answer just kinda avoided the question, he suggests that he make us all fancy drinks. And I'm like yeah sure and he's way too excited to go make us something, and his wife is kinda annoyed about this, like she rolls her eyes and tells me that no, I want something simple like a chardonnay. (I as in me. As in, she is telling me what I, not her, want.) She sounds really angry about him wanting to make something cool and insistent that I want something simple. So I feel like this is where I screwed up. I have literally said nothing except "how are you doing" and "yeah sure" at this point so again I genuinely feel like I can't have done anything wrong beyond simply being there because it's just so awkward and tension filled. I cannot stress enough how intense the vibe in there was, so maybe they do know I overheard them argue? I only overheard about ten seconds really, but maybe they think I heard more. I don't know. Anyway so because he seems so excited to make something fancy, I told him "I'd like a melon daiquiri." And he just. Immediately. I mean IMMEDIATELY kicked me out of his house. He literally flipped like a switch from excited and eager to snapping at me that he's had enough and I need to leave. I thought he was joking so I just kinda stood there staring at him but he physically grabbed my arm and led me to the door. I didn't fight him or try to stay put or anything, i allowed him to lead me out his door, but that's just how fast it happened. He immediately told me to leave and grabbed me and led me away, i mean i stood in shock maybe one full second. I was eight feet from his door at the time. I was in their apartment two minutes tops? Seriously. Two minutes. I said maybe fifteen words. I don't know if the polite thing to do was to just leave and not bother knocking once I heard them arguing, or maybe should have told them? Maybe showing up exactly on time was too clingy? Should I have taken his wife's advice and had the chardonnay? Was my choice too fancy? Should I have asked what he had available? Should I have turned down his offer entirely? People don't just kick people out for no reason, so I must have screwed up somewhere. It's been a few hours since then and I'm still baffled.

TL;DR: I got kicked out of my friends' apartment after he offered to make a fancy drink and I asked for a melon daiquiri.

[f-imaginings]

i was gonna write a small comment on one of your posts then i realized how intense i had gotten into this text, i really hope this isnt too concerning to get such a lengthy message, so my genuine apologies for this😅🙏

okie first off— oh my word, i just might tear up over hearing you’re plotting a sequel haha🤧 despite that, i seriously can not for the life of me fully express just how tragically poetic KMKY is written. i CAN. NOT. stress that enough. truly.. like i literally tell myself & some fellas aaall the time how i so desperately NEED to get off my bum and write a looong meaningful essay over your work (and for canon gravity falls’ story lol). i don’t mean to get out of hand and ramble but really, the full on complexity of ford & bill’s dynamic (canon or au) plus with certain canon events being extended in your perspective is just..ughh woww!!😫 the way you articulate both ford & bill’s internal struggles with themselves and towards one another throughout the whole timeline of events and with how they really aren’t so different from each another. how they both strive for similar goals of ‘changing the world for the better. how they find strange solace in one another for being outcasts in their own societies. how (possibly) this is one of, if not the first time, bill had someone ACTUALLY fully accept and worship him back, regardless of his form. how they have endless conflicting thoughts and feelings constantly churning away in their brain, admitted or not. how bill is taking in every single new experience in a human vessel (an all-knowing immortal inter dimensional being is shown something NEW? by a mortal human being no less??? ohhh lord how i lose my mind over that, i could probably write an essay on that concept alone!🫡). and unfortunately, how both of their faults lead to ultimate consequences for anyone and everyone involved. goddamn, id be lying through my teeth if i said this fic hasn’t highly enlightened me wayy more for these troubled souls (canon or au). oh gosh i cant help but gush over this fic, ive reread it too many times to count. in all seriousness, your work has changed me very deeply 🫣💛

It is not at all concerning I'm delighted to get such a long thought out lovely ask about the fic!

I'm so glad it's brought you lots of joy and that you've had fun with how complex the characters get to be. I am sure you can tell haha but I love all the characters of Gravity Falls and want to do them justice, so the fact that people are vibing with how they're portrayed in my fic makes me very happy.

Ford and Bill are so similar and the story is littered with about a billion narrative foils to reinforce the themes of the fic. In the latest chapter I'm working on rn Ford's narrative foils in particular are a lot of fun to explore (Stanley obviously, and Dipper and Mabel too, but he's had a few narrative foils, like Antelias's worshipper Ingénue and Sandeep) but Bill gets some fun ones too (Zippy, Mabel, Pyronica) and as the main pairing their circumstances always revolve around the other.

I cannot tell you how excited I am about the sequel tbh. My notes app on my phone is full of plot points for it that will hopefully A) make y'all laugh a bunch (they made me laugh a lot so hopefully) B) tie up any loose threads from KMKY (though I don't plan on leaving a lot of them floating in the ether) and C) hopefully be a believable journey to a sort of redemption that won't feel forced for any of the characters. I want you all to believe that this is the logical progression for things if the circumstance in the sequel actually came to pass, I want it to be like that feeling of dawning realisation, accountability and wonder, that things really can change, so the readers can feel all the story beats that the characters feel when it happens. I want it to untangle the conflicted feelings they would all be left with by the end of KMKY. I know that through the course of KMKY they've all developed into their own versions of the characters in the show, but hopefully they're still recognisable to show fans. I'd want people to be able to read the fic and go 'yep that's them' even if they haven't read all 1 million words of KMKY haha. Anyway I can't ramble too much bc I don't want to spoil anything for y'all but I can promise it will be good.

Thank you for enjoying the fic so much and sticking it out with me. The encouragement you provide helps me write and put out my best work (because I want to impress everyone who enjoyed the fic and believed in me as a writer) so best believe that there will be some enthusiastic dedications next chapter in the authors notes.

[lenakluthor]

u literally said it perfectly w ur tags on that cr poll w how vm and tm9 got multiple arcs but bells hells just had the moon that’s exactly why i lost interest bc it felt like the same thing every episode

right?!?!!! i knew pretty much from the start that they were gearing up for a big crossover event, but i didn’t think it would be at the expense of bell’s hells’ story and character development.

vox machina started at level ten, and we still saw them through several different story arcs. and each character had countless character beats with important development and backstory. they grew, and the audience got to experience that with them.

the same thing happened with the mighty nein– even more so, actually, because they started at like, level three. we, again, saw them through several different story arcs. the characters had meaningful backstory moments that led to a lot of growth. they did SO MUCH.

and then you have bell’s hells. which, for me personally, was SUCH a disappointment, because i think that campaign has some of the most interesting and relatable characters. they had so much POTENTIAL. i fell in love with them all instantly. but they pretty much immediately dove into the moon storyline and any character or backstory moments they had were not fleshed out. they barely had room to breathe because the end of exandria was imminent. which, okay, would’ve been at least some sort of payoff if bell’s hells had saved the day on their own. but they didn’t. they called in vox machina pretty early on and then wanted the mighty nein to go to the moon. and maybe it was still a good payoff in the eleven episodes i have yet to watch, but tbh i doubt it. so, really, what did bell’s hells even do?

i could go on for hours about how disappointed i am with how c3 ended up. i cannot stress enough how much i love the characters (minus a select few). i was so excited and invested in the beginning. i was even excited about the crossover potential at first. but in reality, it just felt rushed with no real emotional payoff. why am i so invested in characters that are essentially going nowhere? they were small fish in a big pond the entire time. and i still have so many unanswered questions about every single character’s backstory.

i’m SAD about it, dude.

[utilitycaster]

second run updates now that I'm on the train up for Thanksgiving (under a cut for length and spoilers)

I probably could have changed my combat level to Easy somewhere mid-first run but honestly doing so as a mage, when all the Primer/Detonator stuff is a lot more relevant, is kind of great! I wish the intro tooltips were more easily accessible (ie, I don't know where you can reference them at all after the fact) but I am picking it up. I must admit there's benefits and drawbacks and it's hard at this point to say if I prefer it to warrior (I do not have the rogue temperament and probably never will sorry), since mentally I am comparing high level nigh-unkillable warrior stuff on story mode to baby mage on keeper mode. It IS very nice to have elemental damage on tap. It is NOT very nice to have like half the HP. Also you get mage dialogue options which is very exciting, and you get both a decorative orb in your room and a magic orb with which to do damage, which is the best thing ever. So much orb pondering. There are zero warrior dialogue options, possibly because you do not have any particular knowledge as a warrior. I also have way more faction dialogue options as a Shadow Dragon.

Neve likes me more this time around but flirtation options with her have not yet opened up. I also don't recall having any flirtation options with her post-dragon attack despite knowing it's technically possible so I think there might be an INCREDIBLY narrow window for expressing interest in her, which is 1. apt and 2. funny. The Viper is very nice to me and wrote me a very nice letter but Tarquin still hates me, which is great. I support him.

Things I have noticed that I missed last time due to The Motion Sickness or not knowing how controls work or not knowing lore: It is indeed VERY obvious the second Solas realizes what's going on and decides to trick Rook about Varric. I either didn't notice because I had no basis of comparison or wasn't looking around as much, but the Lighthouse starts off GRIM. AND the two Veil Jumpers you meet on Bellara's quest are the ones Anaris kills. I do feel this sort of contributes to the issue I mentioned with the Veil Jumpers though, in that even the one you rescue in Harding's quest isn't named. The only ones with names that aren't Bellara, Strife, or Irelin all die, and I don't think you encounter those two in camp beforehand either, though I haven't checked. Like, literally I cannot stress enough that an elvish name generator instead of "veil jumper 2" would have done WONDERS. Other things: Varric knows about things you literally haven't told anyone (though to be fair one can think that Neve or Harding told him) and his facial injuries heal much, much faster than those of your companion who was injured (Neve in my case). The Converged City is initially full of Orlesians, and I do not know why. It does feel nice to see Dock Town intact again and I look forward to seeing it as such until the endgame.

There haven't been too many options to do things differently yet, but I did release the mayor this time, and I have been way meaner to Solas, which is very satisfying.

Finally: I also am tracking all the faction/location sidequests in a spreadsheet so I can provide a better like, sense of the vibe and also when they unlock. I must admit I don't know if I have gotten all the chests because I didn't realize you couldn't go back to all levels of the Ossuary at the end of the quest, but I do intend to get all the ones on the places I can visit regularly. I also know I specifically did an absolutely terrible job seeing the Dellamorte mansion, so looking forward to that.

[lovelyelbowleech]

Hello!! I just wanted to come here and offer my thanks for blessing us with your masterpiece of a story. I have been reading it non stop for the past few days, literally unable to put it down, this is not an exaggeration 😭😭 your writing is so outstanding and amazing!!! I said this in a comment already but i cannot stress it enough! I feel so pulled into the story when reading, like im really there and experiencing all these emotions. I cant believe i get to read this for free!! All your characters are so well fleshed out and well written, and even though i only started for sokka and zuko, ive fallen in love with every other character and their story. Im on the edge of my seat at the end of every chapter! Honestly one of the best things I've ever read, no joke. Im on chpt 22, and i cannot wait to see how it will all progress, its literally giving me the will to live rn😭😭 and i cannot thank you enough for writing this!!!! I can never find the right words to express how much i love something or how much excitement it gives me but i need you to understand that as soon as i wake up this story is the first thing on my mind. I cannot wait to read it. Thank you!!

Thank you for such a nice ask and such kind words! I am really glad you are enjoying the fic so much! It has been a bit of an obsession for me the past few years 😅 And it is always lovely to hear people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!

Thank you for this lovely message! I hope you continue to enjoy the fic!

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Character voice

Thanks to @elsie-writes here, @elizaellwrites here, @mk-writes-stuff here and here, and @willtheweaver here.

Rules: rewrite a given line in your OCs' voices!

Got long, under the cut :)

"I've got a headache."

Lexi: "Oh, man I got a headache. Well, that's what ibuprofen is for. Time to go out to a crowded bowling alley!"

Maddie: "I've felt worse. I'll be fine." (Is dizzy)

Ash: "I have felt worse before. Maybe I should use those probing devices :)" (bad idea)

Gwen: (if she has nothing to do) "I should probably go lie down. I don't feel good." (If she does) "I feel terrible, but I'll push through. For [person]."

Robbie: "Pfft I'll be fiiiine don't worry about it! I have braved through more before!" (Is later seen lying down)

Akash: "No need to worry about me. I'll take some Tylenol and be okay."

Jedi: "I will be alright. We have medication for a headache." *Injects himself with some over the counter drugs*

Carmen: "Everyone BE QUIET I have a headache!"

Everyone is so healthy here (:

Prompt: Uh oh, you forgot to do something very important!

Lexi: "Oh no! I forgot!?? How??" *flips frantically through her color-coded planner* "I couldn't have forgotten to write it down.... it's not possible...it has to be here somewhere..."

Maddie: "I did? Whoops."

Ash: "Oh. Sorry. Uh, guess I'll try and remember next time."

Gwen: "Oh my gosh I am so sorry I forgot!! I've been under so much stress lately... It won't happen again. What can I do for you to help?"

Robbie: "Oh SHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT--" *scrambles around trying to get it done in five seconds*

Akash: "WHAT?! Shit, there's no way I forgot... Guess I did, huh. What is wrong with me? This is why I write stuff down... Oh, um, sorry I forgot, man. Uhh hey is there any way I can make this up to you? Like now? Cause this may haunt me."

Jedi: "Oh, I am terribly sorry... It must be sleep deprivation... I apologize, I will go do that now."

Carmen: *borderline panic attack, likely kicks or punches something*

"Where are we? How did we get here?"

Perfect for TSP actually

Lexi: "Wait, what just happened? Everything just simultaneously changed. The temperature and humidity levels are different. I must be dreaming." (Anxious)

Maddie: "Woah that was super weird. Where do you think we are? (Excited and curious)

Ash: "What-- that isn't possible...but it clearly is... what happened?" (Is also genuinely curious)

Gwen: "Woah. How did we get here? It's... admittedly cool here. Beautiful even."

Robbie: "Holy shit, where are we?! Did I blackout? Or was I just walking and not paying attention so much I took a wrong turn?"

Akash: "Dude...what happened? Did we take a wrong turn? I don't think we did - I was paying attention."

Jedi: "Well... *looks around and pokes at the map on his tablet* it appears this map was not as straightforward as I assumed. I frankly have no idea how we got here. I suppose we are lost. Well, if we must be here, let us survey the area and collect data." (This is what I call the Star Trek Voyager method)

Carmen: "Who gave me wrong directions?! There is no way I possibly got lost. Who can tell me in precise detail how we got here?!"

"I don't have enough curse words for how much you pissed me off."

This one was harder than I thought because most of these guys don't get cold angry, but I'll try.

Lexi: "I have a pretty large vocabulary. I know all the synonyms for, like, every curse word. But I don't think that I know enough for you!"

Maddie: "Hm. I'm not sure I can think of enough curse words that can describe how I feel toward you. Like, none of them work."

Ash: "I would love to cuss you out, but nothing is accurately describing how mad I just got."

Gwen: "I'm not exactly one for swearing, and I'm really pissed that I can't use any cuss word in English, Spanish, or Italian because you're making me so angry."

Robbie: "Bro, I have the most creative swears I know, and even I can't think of one you deserve."

Akash: "Y'know you're pissing me off so much that I literally cannot think of a good enough swear for you."

Jedi: "I will have you know that I am not one for expletives, and I see that this is because I have never been able to find one that quite describes how I am feeling toward people like you."

Carmen: "I would love for you to see how angry I am, but unfortunately you're such an irritating idiot that I cannot find a single swear in my vocabulary that can accurately depict that fury!"

"You want me to eat that?"

Lexi: "Oh, you want me to eat this? Um, that's...fine, thank you.... Y'know I actually ate a lot earlier, and I don't think you want me to eat anything else...thanks though. Really thoughtful of you."

Maddie: "I don't want to eat that."

Ash: "No offense, but I'm not going to like this."

Gwen: "It was very sweet of you to think of me, but I don't actually like [ingredients]. Yeah...sorry. I feel bad, can I do anything for you?"

Robbie: *long exhale* "Look, man, I know you worked really hard on this. And...yeah it's awesome for you to uh....do this. But...I don't think you want me to eat that."

Akash: "That food looks interesting. Oh, you want me to eat that? Umm. Okay..."

Jedi: "It would...be my pleasure to eat this. However, I am afraid I don't quite like this meal."

Carmen: "Why would you want me to eat that? It's gross."

Alrighty that's finally done. Softly tagging @aziz-reads @atelierwriting @mysticstarlightduck @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @stesierra @rickie-the-storyteller @sam-glade @memoriethereaderandwriter-blog @ahordeofwasps @spitefulbull + anyone else who wants to

Your phrase is, "Who would leave milk on the counter?"

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

[its-all-papaya]

Soph. My god. I’m obsessed.

Like- I was so immersed in this little world that I was actually surprised when I had already reached the end. It felt so quick despite it literally being an over 4k word chapter.

Buckle up. This may be a long one.

First off, after all this time of hearing about Lando and Max’s friendship, I can already grasp the type of relationship they have just from the first chapter. It’s soft, they banter and they may not see each other often but it’s like they’re intertwined. They don’t need to see each other constantly to know where they stand with each other.

“Max talks about you enough. Glows about you, actually.” He so would wouldn’t he? Going into work and everyone’s chatting about their week with their families and here comes driver Max Fewtrell, yapping about his own version of his family. I love them.

Now. Oscar. First off, fabulous characterization. Sometimes you read a fic and it’s good but Oscar especially can feel a bit out of character in some fics but you nailed it. You wrote in that casual, laid back but still very attentive vibe he has so well. Also wasn’t sure what to expect with their first meeting but I DEFINITELY wasn’t expecting lando to be full on drunk during their first meeting lmao. (Not a complaint though bc it actually introduced their dynamic really well.) Also definitely made me curious for how their next meeting will happen. 👀

Also. “Night, lando. you’re a good dad mate. And a good person x” Banger line. THE X??? What a way to knock a man out during a brutal hangover LMAO. But also that was so sweet, I wish dad!Lando luck bc I feel like he’s gonna need it.

Also the little snippets of Emma 😭 I just know I’m gonna love her so much. AND the “I kind of just miss her” line?? Sobbing. He misses his baby :(

Anyways. I could literally go on for far too long about this but tumblr must have a word limit at some point so I’ll stop here for now. Fabulous writing as always. I know you were nervous to post this but honestly, this is wonderful so far. You truly have a knack for writing and immersing your readers into the story. I really find myself getting lost in your writing everytime. I know first hand how stressful and nerve wracking it can be to put your work and passion projects out into the world, I’m glad you pushed through and shared it with us. I’m so excited to read the rest of Overwinter (lovely name btw). Hope you are having a good night out!

-og

hello ! hi ! am i drunk ? perhaps. gonna tackle this anyway.. obviously.

first of all, 4k is the SHORTEST chapter so. chapter 2 is like ~4100 and all the rest (minus 15, which is also 4.1k) are 5k+ i think? Twelve is literally 10k. i think 16 also. like there are some HEFTY chapters in here.

anyway !!! nortrell my beloveddddd <3 i didn't even know when writing ch 1 how deep i'd get with them, so just like... know. that it gets worse (better? more?) as the fic goes on. maxf is soooo important to me (and to lando and emma)... of COURSE he's talking about them at mtc. of COURSE everybody on the team knows who lando is. obviously.

oscar in ch 1 is definitely my best oscar. "makes sense why you're at his birthday party, then" is perhaps my favorite osc line i've ever written. i fear they both get a little ooc down the stretch of this one, but i'm glad i nailed the first scene with them at least LMAO.

i feel kind of bad that there's only trace evidence of emma in chapter 1, and tbh she's a bit in and out until like... the second half... kind of... she's around, though. but as i've always said, she is IN every part of this fic, even when she's not physically present. i can't wait for y'all to get to know her and love her like i do ! like lando does ! like max does ! like oscar... will? you'll see.....

anyway!!! dad lando anon you are so important to me, and i hope you enjoy every sentence of this fic bc you deserve it perhaps more than anybody. cannot WAIT to continue to yap with you about it as we move along!!!! cheers!!!