#i'm an airplane rhyme

[inkrivelbr]

How shameless!

It's not news to Liu Qingge that when he goes on missions, he ends up listening to the famous "Resentment of Chunshan".

But now, it's stranger than usual to hear this obscene song, as he is being courted (even if secretly from the public) by the couple.

Liu Qingge tried his best to ignore the music as he ordered tea at the store.

— Dear listeners, the beloved song has been updated, I hope you like it.

The song continues but halfway through, the singer says.

Liu Qingge was surprised.

— I hope they didn't make it any more obscene.

The singer returned to singing and...

A hot-blooded but loyal man.

A man known for his battles.

Once an enemy, now a friend.

The couple managed to win the heart of the handsome warrior.

Liu Qingge the warlord.

He is certainly the only one with enough resistance and strength.

To handle Xin Mo and Xiu Ya at the same time.

Liu Qingge spits out all the tea, ignoring the indignant scream of the person in front of him.

The music continued but Liu Qingge couldn't help but pay attention to it.

W-what did he just hear??

How did you find out they were courting you??

Why the hell in the song is he portrayed as a blushing virgin maiden?!

Yes he was a virgin before sleeping with them, but that doesn't matter now!

And what is this about holding both at the same time?!

He never...

Binghe is already too big...

B-both...at the same time...

Is this humanly possible?

He can already handle Luo Binghe...what would be more-

Embarrassed by his own thoughts, Liu Qingge pays for the tea and leaves the store.

______

Liu Qingge was panting, with his legs spread as wide as possible so that Luo Binghe could go deeper inside him.

— Qingge is very needy today, you know that whatever you want, just ask.

Says Shen Qingqiu while stroking Liu Qingge's hair as he was lying on Shen Qingqiu's lap.

Liu Qingge blushes, it is very shameless what he wants.

— Shishu, we will not refuse.

Seeing both of them being so kind to him, Liu Qingge finally confesses.

— I-I want you both... at the same time

A silence passed through the room before the couple, with renewed desire, made Liu Qingge's wish.

Liu Qingge actually endured Xin Mo and Xiu Ya at the same time.

The entire night in the Palace was filled with the moans of the Demon Lord and Peak Lord Qing Jing future husband

The servants clapped for Liu Qingge's resistance.

As expected of Bai Zhan's God of War!

[munsster]

red wine supernova

A/N: guys... i know this is a sapphic song but hear me out on this one.... the lyrics go too well with eddie to ignore 😖 (gif creds: @keery)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Bimbo!Reader

Summary: “Baby, why don't you come over? / Red wine supernova, falling into me” 2.9k words

Warnings: fluff, dumbass pining x2, best friends to lovers, a few kisses, broody & high eddie, cursing, pet names (teddy, bug), teenage boys, underage drinking/smoking

"Hi, teddy!"

It rings in his ears like church bells. Then Eddie sees you and you're drenched in golden sunlight even though it's afternoon and the school halls provide no source of natural light. So maybe you're just beautiful. A vision in go-go boots.

Totally not his type, though.

"Hey," Eddie sighs, exhuasted from the hour and a half English lecture he just suffered. Not to mention, he was already exhuasted from the fact that he barely slept the night before. Which was maybe, possibly, perhaps caused by his overthinking about that nice shade of lipstick you always wear.

"How was Lit?"

"Shit."

You giggle, "that rhymed!" His heart skips a beat.

You're side by side down the halls—you always walk to lunch together—and, like clockwork, you tease him about trying to hold your hand when his ringed fingers brush your wrist. Of course, he would. In a heartbeat, he'd have his fingers clasped with yours like that's what they are molded for. But people would stare, and that's more of a hassle than he’d prefer.

Don't get him wrong, he doesn't actually give a shit about people staring at him, he just doesn't want to give anyone anymore reasons to stare at you. In disgust. Or loathing. With whatever judgements they'd make. Names they'd call you. He's been through the ringer, he'd never drag you along with him.

You're chattering about the state of your new, pink jellies when Eddie catches someone throwing you an off glance. He tries not to think too much of it, and he's not like jealous or anything, but every snicker and whisper sets him off. You're bubbly and kind and it's not fair people look at you different when you're with him.

"You ever notice how people look at us?"

You tilt your head at him as you round the corner of the cafeteria doors.

"You mean like how Dustin makes funny faces when I compliment your hair?"

"No, I mean like that," he huffs, pointing right at the judgemental stares of Melissa and Nicole, who promptly turn away with a gasp. He shakes his head. "And I like when you compliment my hair."

"Well, I like your hair." You smile at him as he pulls out a chair for you. You're the first ones to the table.

"Thank you, bug." Eddie ducks into his own seat, tapping his heavy fingers against the tabletop. "Off topic. I'm saying, you never notice people look at us... funny?"

The metal clasps of your limited edition Disco Fever lunchbox clack against the side as you unfold the lid. Your face contorts, considering the scenarios you've devised in your head if anyone was ever rude to Eddie in front of you. Let's just say your self-defense knowledge would come in handy.

"I guess I notice sometimes, but I just don't care. I like you lots more than I like them," you say, shrugging it off, "And I know how to fight."

His heart swells, face rosy, ears hot as an oven. Of course, you'd say that. You always know what to say.

Too bad you're not his type.

Dustin plops down in the seat across from you, nearly gagging at the way Eddie ogles at you.

"Would you get a fuckin' room already—!"

"Language," you both holler.

"Jinx!" you chirp. "You owe me a soda."

"I'll get you a soda, bug," Eddie hums. Dustin considers stocking his backpack with those little bags they give you on airplanes just in case.

...

"Weird Science or The Woman in Red?"

You're perched on the floor of his living room, wearing silk shorts and a cami. You weigh both tapes in your manicured hands like it'll tell you anything about the quality of the films inside.

"Somethin' to say about Kelly LeBrock, bug?"

"Steve suggested them! And he gave me a discount, so I couldn't just say no," you say with such a dazzling smile on your face, he thinks you're the nicest girl he's ever met. Or, at least, the nicest he's ever seen, no contest.

Just, not his type.

"Go figure," he says, "Weird Science."

"'Cause of the mutant bikers?" You beam up at him where he sits on the couch.

"'Cause of the mutant bikers."

It makes you giggle, which makes him smile like an idiot.

Then Hellfire pours onto Eddie's front porch bearing gifts of humongous chip bags and a six pack of cheap beer. He jumps a little at the doorbell, and you spring up to open the floodgates for the rowdy group of boys. They greet you excitedly and spread themselves across the rest of the couch, an armchair, and the floor.

Dustin tosses you a bag of pop rocks, and you blow a kiss in thanks, promising to bring him by the arcade next week. Eddie feels so far from you, even though your shoulders are pressed between his knees. But he can't see you or talk to you, your attention is divided, and he can't help but feel a little needy. You smack Dustin's hand when he reaches for a beer, and he whines about Mike sneaking one.

"What movie did the love birds choose?" Gareth asks. Eddie takes out a baggie of weed.

"Weird Science!" you coo, slotting the tape into the VCR. Gareth celebrates, sloshing his beer can against the coffee table as the rest of the boys high five and howl. You roll your eyes affectionately.

You laugh, smacking Jeff on the arm. “Oh, you’re all horny perverts.”

Gareth salutes, “At your service!” Which earns him a playful flick upside the head. The opening credits roll, and you stand triumphantly.

“I have to pee, but you guys can let it roll while I’m gone!” you chirp, skipping off down the hall of the mobile home.

As soon as you’re out of ear shot, Dustin whips around to scowl at Eddie who exhales a slow puff from the neon pink bong you gifted him last year. He passes it to Gareth and crosses his arms over his chest.

“I can’t tell what’s worse,” Dustin huffs, “The fact that you’re so oblivious or the fact that she is, too.”

Eddie squints. “What?”

Dustin deadpans.

“Dude, even I can tell you two like each other,” Mike chimes in, “Will thought you were dating from two thousand miles away. Over the phone.”

“You guys are fucking high. We are not dating,” Eddie says.

Mike shrugs. “You should be.”

“Okay, twerp, I’m not taking romantic advice from someone in a long distance relationship.”

“He’s right,” Dustin barks.

“That means you, too, twerp. Besides. Not my type.” Eddie sighs and slumps into the cushions, reaching his arms above his head.

“Yeah, right,” Lucas says, “If she’s not your type, then who is?”

“I don’t know, but she’s not.”

Gareth rolls his eyes. “Sounds like a lame excuse for your cowardice.” Eddie’s jaw drops, and he grabs for his bong.

“You did not just say that to me.”

“I meant it.”

You bumble back into the room, and the conversation screeches to a halt, Gareth whipping back towards the screen with Eddie’s eyes still burning holes in the back of his head.

“What did I miss?”

“Nothing,” they grumble.

Eddie smiles when you plop down next to him on the creaky couch. He can’t focus on the movie with the stray glances he’s catching from the younger boys and the soft looks you offer every so often. Maybe he is gutless. Because when he thinks about you, he’s floored. Then—knee jerk—he has to justify his racing heart with the fact that he could never be into you. But he is. You’re beautiful and funny and sweet to him. You are his type.

Not halfway into the film, Dustin whines, “I’m bored. Can we play a game? Like spin the bottle or kiss marry kill or something?”

“First of all,” Eddie says, “there’s only one chick here, we’re not playing spin the bottle. Second, are you five years old?”

You scoff and pat Eddie on the thigh. “Hey! I’m with Dustin. Truth or dare?”

“Works for me,” Jeff interjects. Eddie glares at him, grabbing his bong from the table. “Truth or dare, Eddie.”

He exhales a puff of smoke, shaking his head.

“Truth”—The boys’ heads turn, wicked smiles on their faces like predators eyeing him up—“Fuck, dare.”

Jeff cocks a brow.

“I don’t like this game,” Eddie says.

“Do you have a crush on anyone?”

“I said dare.”

Jeff grins. “I dare you to tell me if you have a crush on anyone.”

Dustin, Lucas, and Mike chuckle.

“Fuck you all. Yeah, fine, I do. Next,” Eddie grumbles.

“It’s your turn, teddy,” you coo.

“Right. Dustin, truth or dare.”

“Easy. Truth,” he says.

“Is it fun being a little shit?”

You shove his side. “Eddie!”

“Why, yes. Yes, it is.”

“Great,” Eddie huffs.

“Awesome.” Dustin glares at him.

The game continues just like that, a vicious cycle of sarcasm and glares. It’s a little more lighthearted when Lucas asks you if you have a special skill. Without responding, you ask for a deck of cards and stand in front of the screen.

“You boys like magic?”

A few nod, the rest too stunned to speak as you show them a card, the queen of diamonds, and shuffle the deck a few times. You pull a card from the deck, and the boys lean in, anticipating the red queen. You spin the card, and they groan when you reveal the eight of clubs.

“That’s not our card, bug,” Eddie says. He expects you to be disappointed, but you grin and set the deck on the table.

“I know.” Their eyes widen when you reach into the top of your shorts, a card pinched between your fingers. The queen of diamonds. “This is.”

You toss the card, and the boys grab for it. Eddie gulps and shifts in his seat, couch squealing beneath him. Lucas pelts the hard-won card at Eddie, and you curtsy before heading back to your seat.

…

Just as the game gets a little tired, Dustin shoots his hand into the air. “My turn!”

“Okay, but this is the last one—”

Dustin shouts your name.

“Yes?”

“Truth or dare?”

You pretend to contemplate before chirping, “Dare!”

Eddie leans his head back, lulling to the side to watch you smile at Dustin. You catch Eddie staring and stick your tongue out at him. He winks.

“I dare you… to kiss the person on your right.”

“Geez, how long did it take you to come up with that one,” Eddie mumbles. But you look to your right, and Eddie looks kind of uninterested, glazed over and staring at the ceiling.

“That doesn’t seem very consensual,” you say, brows knitted just as Eddie lifts his head. Dustin glares expectantly at Eddie who slowly sits up and turns his head, smirking at you.

“You can kiss me, bug. So long as you promise not to bite.”

Eddie’s relieved when you giggle and set your hand on his knee.

“If you say so!” You lean closer, and he blushes at the new proximity. Despite his nerves, he just can’t look away, eyes locked with yours. You huff when it feels like he’s staring straight into your soul. But you’re smiling so sweetly, even with all the rascals chanting ‘do it!’.

You shift your weight and hold onto his shoulder as he slips his arm around your waist so you don’t teeter off the couch. He nods, tip of his nose just brushing yours. You press your lips to his quickly, and he can sense your nerves when you pull away and look down.

Everyone cheers.

You look into his eyes again, and your face relaxes, the heat not so unbearable when you see his smile. You duck to kiss him again, his arm tighter on your waist. He tries not to smile, but you hum softly and, suddenly, he’s a puddle in your fingers.

You pull away when someone whistles, your ears rushing with blood as you drop your feet to the floor and look away, face burning.

Eddie clears his throat. “Alright, you pervs got what you wanted. Can we finish this damn movie already?”

“It’s kinda late,” you hum, “I don’t wanna be driving too close to the witching hour.”

“Wait, what?” Gareth says, watching you stand and shuffle into your slippers by the door.

“Sorry, guys. Just… superstititous.” They wouldn’t have believe you if you hadn’t said it with a genuine smile on your face. Eddie hops up from his seat and follows you.

“I’ll walk you out, bug.”

“Ooh,” Dustin teases. Jeff slaps a hand over his mouth, and Dustin mumbles an expletive against it.

Your little, red coupe is sidled right up next to his van. He always keeps the spot closer to the door open for you. His hands are tucked into the pockets of his jacket, your arms crossed over your chest to keep out the cold. He winces.

“You sure you don’t wanna stay? I can take the floor,” Eddie says, shucking his jacket and wrapping it over your shoulders. You smile.

“Such a gentleman.”

He rolls his eyes.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, teddy,” you whisper, craning your neck to kiss his cheek. Your heart-shaped keychain jangles against the car door as you slot the silver key into the lock. When you get the door open and glance at him, he’s stone faced where he leans against the back window.

“Wait,” he huffs.

“Yeah?”

Eddie can feel himself flailing, hands shaky at his sides when you look at him. He can’t tell if it’s because of the cold or his nerves or how worried you look or the fact that this could be his only chance. Don’t be a coward. He expects you to get tired of it. Eventually, you’ll have to let go, but right now, you stand there and wait for him. Oh.

“Sorry, bug. I’m pretty high right now.”

“I don’t mind.” You shrug when he rubs the back of his neck and chuckles softly. “You okay?”

He shakes his head. “You’re so sweet. And you’re so nice to me. God, you’re so pretty.”

“Thank you, Eddie,” you coo, standing close enough to feel the warmth radiate from his chest. He nods slowly, glancing down at your lips.

“Yeah.”

You thumb over the leftover slip of paper in the pocket of his jacket. And you smile, remembering when you passed him that note in chem last thursday.

Eddie sucks in a breath, sighing, “You make me so nervous.” You blink hard, and he’s seering hot under the warm light filtering through the trailer windows. “And you’re so fascinating.”

“Fascinating?!”

“Yeah,” he whispers.

“That’s a new one. ‘S that a good thing?” you say, head tilted watching him push his fingers through his hair.

“Yeah, it’s a good thing. Fascinating is good. To me.” You swear his eyes twinkle a little when he looks at you.

“Well,” you nod, “Thank you.”

“Yeah.” And he can’t stop himself from taking selfish glimpses at your mouth. He feels so stupid for how long he denied his genuine attraction to you. His crush on you. You’d laugh if you knew what went on in his head. “I liked kissing you.”

You take a deep breath, and he steels himself for rejection. He thinks, why should you want anything to do with him after he’s acted so indifferent towards you all this time.

“I liked kissing you, too, teddy.” Holy fuck.

He grins. “You’re my type.” At first, you think he’s joking, but even a blind man could tell Eddie was dead serious. “Textbook description of it, bug. You’re my type.”

You look into his eyes again, trying to gauge if he’s fucking with you. He has to know that you’ve liked him for years. He has to. It’s not like the boys have been subtle about it.

“I… am flattered,” you coo, “Where’s all this coming from?”

“Just. From me. You know? It’s always been there. Had a crush on you forever, just had to tell you now.”

You nod, biting back a grin and shuffling a little closer. He’s absolutely buzzing when you curl your fingers into his bicep.

“Can I kiss you?” His head is spinning when you nod and press up against him. He’s sure you can feel his heart pounding. Especially when you press your delicate palm right to it. His hand fits gently against your hip.

Now, it’s his turn to kiss you. His lips are so soft against yours, tender like he’s nervous you’ll shatter. You giggle and reach for the back of his neck, your mouths falling open against each other in a fit of excitement and heat. He tugs you closer when your tongue slips into his mouth; he doesn’t mean to, but he feels himself smile and spread his hand across your lower back.

Eddie pulls away, eyes flicking wildly across your face just before he pecks your mouth again.

“Bug?”

You nod, eyes refusing to open as he kisses your cheek.

“Be my girlfriend?”

“Yes, teddy, I will!”

You tug him down by the collar to kiss him ferocious, his cheeks instinctively hot with your baby pink fingernails gentle on his neck. You can hear the cheers and high-fives from inside the house, exclamations of ‘finally!’ and ‘i knew it’.

Then Dustin hollers, “Fuck yeah!”

And you both shout, “Language!” just before falling into each other in a fit of giggles.

stranger things masterlist

[saeun]

a bathtub filled with water, a toddler, and an eighteen-year-old boy. these three key items have now renamed themselves as the tickets to trouble.

usually when one's left with a toddler they pay utmost care and attention. however, gojo's not like that. gojo's main idea of babysitting is to let them do as they please. saves everyone's sanity. when push comes to shove, and you're faced with an ultimate battle, as the elder you must make your dominance known.

today wasn't like any of the other days he spent the weekend over at your home. today was special — he promised to babysit the younger sibling while you do groceries with your mom. it's never been an easy road with the youngins for gojo but he must prove himself to your mother.

she thinks of him as a good boy, you think of him as an idiot, the toddler can't decide if she likes him or hates him, and he thinks of himself as the best creation. as the day progressed into the night, the little girl's bed time dawned. in order for her to get in bed she needs to take a bath first. that became the first struggle of the night.

she didn't want to shower so gojo lengthened her play time. as soon as the thirty-minute alarm rang, he distracted her by lifting her up with one hand secured under her stomach and the other parallel on her back. soaring through the corridor, he reenacted an airplane flying through the sky with her.

it's safe to say she enjoyed every moment. unfortunately for both, good moments only last seconds. soon enough the second struggle came: getting her to not run out of the bathroom. he doesn't understand — toys, bubble bath, phone locked on youtube playing kid rhymes, and her floaty. all prepared for her to enjoy the bathtub but she glares at it as if it cursed her entire bloodline.

maybe it's the water? can't be.

the toys aren't to her taste, perhaps? no. she picked those toys herself.

is it the bubble bath? negative.

so what's the issue now? he can't wrap his brilliant mind around it.

gojo looks at her and she looks at him. the two stare in silence. only time can tell where this battle will go.

"no bathe!" she speaks.

"you must!" he argues.

"why?" she questions.

"because your mother and sister will kill me if you're not showered and asleep," he explains.

"why?" she questions again.

"i just said why," he sighs.

"oh," she tilts her head, "why?"

"i'm beginning to think that's the only word you know," he brings himself to a conclusion.

"no!" she exclaims.

gojo accepts defeat. there's no winning against a toddler whose vocabulary consists of four words maximum. slapping his palms on his knees, he stands up tall and looks down at the girl. if he can't get her to shower, he'll just exhaust her so she can sleep. this action will lead to consequences and he might not have enough armour to defend himself.

"kid, do you wanna play with legos?"

her eyes brighten at gojo's suggestion. at last, they can both be on the same wavelength. he takes her reaction as confirmation, lifting her to his hip again so they can resume the previously halted play time.

[rubykgrant]

Hi! I'm not sure if somebody asked you this before, but what types of music do you think the Reds are into? Maybe you have some examples of artists you think they like?

Sarge definitely likes a lot of country-western and classic rock/folk rock, but surprisingly loves more soulful music as well, jazz and blues (he wishes it wasn't called that, but oh well), and isn't afraid to give any musical genre a listen, which leads him to liking many songs that are funk/hip-hop/rap (he's also secretly a huge fan of Stevie Nicks and Dolly Parton). Some of his favorite songs are "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, "War" by Edwin Starr, "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash, "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring, "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers, "99 Red Balloons" by Nena, "September" by Earth Wind and Fire, "Country Roads" by John Denver, "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the Charlie Daniels Band, and "Hit 'em High" by B-Real/Coolio/Method Man/LL Cool J/Busta Rhymes

Simmons tries to play-up being a fan of classical music to seem impressive... and he DOES like it, but he's also a big dork who loves songs that are specifically made for movies (Ghostbusters, everything Will Smith did for his films, etc), and collects soundtracks for whatever he likes (he really digs musical scores, like Jurassic Park and such). He also really likes 80s bops and techno/synth music, but doesn't want to admit he's into "nerd music". He also likes oldies and "soda fountain hits" from the 50s and 60s. Some of his favorite songs are "Take on Me" by A-ha, "Mad World" by Tears for Fears, "Sh-Boom" by the Chords, "Get in Line" by the Bare Naked Ladies, "The Impression That I Get" by the Mighty Bosstones, "Rocket Man" by Elton John, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by the Proclaimers, "Yoda" by Weird Al Yankovic, "It's the End of the World as We Know It" by REM, "Carry On" by Kansas, "Weird Science" by Oingo Boingo, "Johnny B Goode" by Chuck Berry

Grif will just say he likes "whatever", because he doesn't focus too much on one genre (and he doesn't want to admit he likes a lot of "oldie" rock, some pop and hippie music), and plays up liking chill zone-out songs more. He does enjoy a few weird/experimental/alt music (grunge and what-not). Some of his favorite songs are "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister, "Baba O'Riley" by the Who, "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane, "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics, "Stay Home" by Self, "I Get Around" by the Beach Boys, "I Wanna Be Sedated" by the Ramones, "If I Had a Million Dollars" by the Bare Naked Ladies, "Here I go Again" by Whitesnake, "Rock and Roll All Nite" by Kiss, "Headstrong" by Trapt, "But Anyway" by Blues Traveler

Donut does indeed love a lot of pop songs/dance music, but randomly likes more edgy stuff, but usually not too dark (some hip-hop in there, some alt rock, punk, and glam metal). Basically anything really catchy, which he WILL play over and over again when it is his turn to control the radio. Like Grif and Simmons, stuff he enjoys were in the soundtracks for movies he watched, and he has an appreciation for disco. Some of his favorite songs are "Cele-B-R-A-T-E" by Russell Velázquez, "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches and Herb, "Car Wash" by Rose Royce, "Barbie Girl" by Aqua, "Dancing in the Street" by Myra, "Cherry Bomb" by the Runaways, "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves, "Wanna Be" by the Spice Girls, "Foot Loose" by Kenny Loggins, "Changes" by David Bowie, and "Ballroom Blitz" by the Sweet, "Baby One More Time" by Bowling For Soup

Lopez mostly enjoys more serious music, soulful love songs, and the occasional power-ballad... but he is not immune to a catchy tune with fun lyrics, including pop and salsa, and electronic music (though, he'll probably lie and insist somebody ELSE put it on the radio, and he just hasn't bothered to change it). Some of his favorite songs are "I'd Do Anything for Love" by Meat Loaf, "You Sang to Me" by Marc Anthony, "Bailamos" by Enrique Iglesias, "On Melancholy Hill" by Gorillaz, "Harder Better Faster Stronger" by Daft Punk, "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by the Clash, "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons, "Satellite" by Smash Mouth, "No Children" by the Mountain Goats, "The Final Countdown" by Europe, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, and "I Love You Too Much" by Diego Luna

[pomrania]

If you don't already know, @prokopetz is hosting a thing this month, where people are making 200-word RPGs. Here's some I thought were cool, and my commentary on them; in order of how they showed up in daily compilations. Disclaimer that I'm finding these entirely based on the compilation posts, which only show the title and the creator, so there's a chance I'm missing something I'd thought was really cool, simply because I didn't remember what it was called.

Bun Chaos by @nyalaholic This one just seems delightful. I always love stuff where the literal premise is "you are little creatures, and causing problems on purpose"; and everyone loves "stats that rhyme" (or at least I do, and that's what's most important when we're looking at my opinion). A thing I particularly thought was cool, was using a d20 to put a "time limit" (really more of a "rounds limit") on the game. Also, how the points are for the group total, because what really matters is "how much chaos was caused" and not "who did what".

Crushing It by @writemeasandwich I would never play this game myself, because folding paper into any shape more complicated than a basic paper airplane, makes my eyes glaze over, and also I have slow reflexes. However, I am glad that it exists, and it seems like it would be tremendous fun to watch; probably also to play, for people who don't have my particular issues. I enjoy the bit about "more dots shown is better, unless it's the most dots shown, in which case you want to avoid it".

Knock Knock, Cthul-Who's There? by @bookoramaenderteeth This one goes on the list because I absolutely ADORE the premise, it's just so GOOD. And also I like the mental image of just calling up some unrelated person and having them listen to the stuff you came up with.

Raccoons and Goblins by @kaninchen-reblogs Honestly pretty much ANYTHING where you play as raccoons and goblins would prolly make it on here. The gameplay seems pretty generic, which, there's only so much you can put into a thing when you're limited to 200 words, but 'generic' also means 'functional' (absolutely not a given with these kinds of weird games). Within that though, I love how the "goblin" actions all start with G, and the "raccoon" actions all start with R; incredibly basic stuff that just makes my brain happy. I like the bit about most of the 'actions' you choose are from your own list, plus one from the other list.

VAMPIRE DANCE FLOOR (not sure if it's supposed to be all caps, or if that was just to emphasize the title) by @danacarajb First off I always love stuff where there's various 'traditional' monsters; that's like a cheat code for my brain. But aside from that, the STRUCTURE of this is fascinating, how each type of monster has a different win condition, and WHAT the win condition is for each of them; they're all things that make sense for that type of monster, AND work within the mechanics. I think this is my favourite of the games from the first day, but I genuinely can't say how much of that is from its own quality, and how much is because it aligns with my tastes.

And I think that's where I'll stop for now, to post it, because I don't want this to just stay forever in my "I'll finish it eventually", and also there's a nice clear cut-off point of "this is the stuff from the first day".

[sorryichasedyourmorning]

THANKLESS JOB: AN UNPROFESSIONAL ANALYSIS

(Chorus) Repo Man! Repo Man!

(Nathan) It's a thankless job

Nathan expects to be thanked, holding himself as a lawman that keeps order on Sanitarium island

But somebody's got to do it Peelin' off the tissue, inch-by-inch; Skinnin' off the muscles, too! Harvesting the kidneys for the fall; Savin' up the livers in the fridge

This compares keeping literal organs in a fridge and ripping out kidneys to food and nourishment, being harvested and kept in a kitchen. This can lead to the thought that Nathan sees his career as a sick type of sustenance to keep his life in check. Like many characters in the film, when he enters his alternate 'Repo Man' persona, he himself is addicted.

No-one ever thanks me when I'm done How self-absorbed people can be!

Nathan expects to be thanked for his work, despite the fact that he is viewed as a symbol of fear and hatred. He also is shown to have gotten so numb to the point of barely understanding his impact, instead frustrated by the lack of gratitude he gets from both his boss and victims.

With a slice, or a snip Eenie-Meenie-Minie-Mo...

This is a children's rhyme, and coupled with Nathan's act of 'playing airplane' earlier in the song, it shows that in his Repo Man mindset, he is completely unstable and unable to think straight whatsoever.

With a cut, and a stitch Returning organs good as new!

It's a thankless job! But somebody's got to do it! Like a mop! And a broom! No-one wants a thankless job!

At the end of the song, Nathan loses his smile and his expression falls as he recognizes his actions. This similar to when the helmet is tossed onto his desk, sort of a repeating loss of innocence trope where he is forces to repeat the process of unconscious action and then discovering exactly what he's done.

[sleepyowlwrites]

FTWT CCCLXXXIV-VI

yeah that's right. a three in one. that's 'cause this ornamental sword came with an ornamental shield and a ceremonial dagger and I can't break up the set. anyway the tags say they're from @zmwrites @diphthongsfordays and @on-noon

play (swamp, soup, pond, 2018)

My brain is a pond It always has been With lily pads for little frogs To play their games on and in And sometimes things go smoothly And sometimes they fall apart Sometimes my frogs have maybe A little too much fun with my heart The pond is often messy And frogs throw my stuff around But in the end it's still my brain And I prefer it this way: Unbound.

step (don't run with scissors, 2011)

But just as I was coming through the door I tripped There's a step there that I missed And those scissors They jabbed me Skipped my fingers and went for my knee Left an ugly slice in my jeans That's what you get for running with scissors

miss (one breath, 2015)

We said, one day We'd be stars in the sky Holding hands, in space We'd illuminate the night Now that day, it's gone And you left without me I'm lonely, I'm torn I miss having you beside me

scramble (hurried, 2014)

All the cars are useless, all the airplanes walk All the pigeons scramble before they are crushed All the people worry and laugh and sigh All the people know is how to die

dirt (jasper and juniper, 2022)

At the elbow crook of the valley there's a spring with calcite at the base, pink and yellow glittering up through the water to dance in our eyes. We dip our pots in and pull them back covered in ice. When we put down dirt with our long-stride boots as we hike back up to the houses, the ice melts and soaks into our skin.

soul (I feel purple inside, 2012)

I feel like my soul is purple And it would rhyme with orange Then suddenly it was silver Because everything was turning over And over, And over, Again

ocean (stars of the indigo sky, 2013)

You never know just how deep the sky is until you stare and stare and then realize that you can never see through to the end. And midnight isn't blue, but it's not black either. It's indigo, with a depth that sinks down into your eyeballs until the whole world is tinted rich purple-blue. On and in that indigo sea float the stars. The tiny spatters of light spread across the whole of the ocean sky and far up into it, glowing from generations away. Still, they always hear me when I need to talk, offering an empathetic shine.

busy (little laptops, 2011)

Little laptops in the skyscrapers Little laptops on the sidewalks Set on desks or inside bags Of the busy little people They went to the university To make something of their life But now they type on laptops And they all look just the same

hoping (to know your enemy, to know serenity, 2021)

present your weapon, meet me outside if you were hoping for something then put all your dreams aside

fit (you, a spectator, and I, a spectacle, 2020)

somebody painted the house today and I don’t like it. it feels clean and covered up, like it wasn’t fit to be seen before. but I saw it, I saw all of it (all of it, all of it): every crack and every blemish, every detail left behind by someone afraid to let go.

home (the dearest thing, 2016)

Something like arms is holding me close It's warm and it's comfortable, I love it the most The sweater that smell so exactly like you You're my home and my heart, and I love you

caught (my winter song to you, 2011)

I'd like to hear a song from my own mouth I'd like to hear some beautiful sounds I'd like to know that my own words Caught a person on the street who heard

compare (the book of lost lyrics, 2020)

Fend off the cold with angel’s warm glow The twinkle of stars floating like a halo “Stop comparing me to space dust” But you are so beautiful

lose, lesson, light, late. BONUS: lever, likely. a handful of petals of pressure tags for @etjwrites @sleepy-night-child @drippingmoon @vellichor-virgo @monstrouswrites @author-a-holmes OR ANYBODY

[ariadne-mouse]

for the writer ask: 💝 and/or 💥

(if they are both done, pick one from the list that you want to answer 💜)

Hello there! As it happens you picked two as of yet unchosen :)

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

Oh I know one for this! I was absolutely not expecting A Gift of Friendship to get the volume of response it did. It was a throwaway warm-up scene to unstick my brain, barely over 1k words, and I tossed it onto Ao3 with the air of someone casually flinging a paper airplane across the living room. Maybe it was the saucy element of the summary, and/or the bite-sized wordcount, or something else, but it quickly outkudos'd several other things I had posted at the time, which was certainly entertaining but also baffling. Sometimes you just don't know what's going to get traction with readers!

💥find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it.

At 40 kudos, my least-kudos'd fic is Red Sky At Morning, an old genfic for the CW tv show The Flash. It's a quick little fix-it in which I sought to correct the fact that a whole alternate world and its beloved supporting characters - some of whom were regulars in previous seasons - were killed off in an world-obliterating event that kicked off in another show (Arrow) and the associated killed-off characters from The Flash were not even mentioned until what felt like an intolerable time later. I'm still annoyed about it, can you tell? 😂 those big multi-show ensemble crossover events have their appeal, but so much gets sacrificed for time and pacing! And while what I wrote would probably not have made sense in the grand scheme of the multi-show bonanza (it's POV of one of the side characters, and they just wouldn't have spent time on that), it was cathartic to write, and I feel like was a nice slice of what the action could have been from that character's view, and some emotional punches that the series glosses over. And I like the title! The world-ending event was shown as red antimatter engulfing everything, so the warning "red sky at morning" from the old rhyme made sense.

(ask me writer questions!)

[ncisladaily]

Walking in the St. Albans neighborhood of Queens, New York, LL Cool J said, "I love this hood, man. Love this neighborhood. Love everything about it. Love the energy. I made a name for myself rappin' around here."

LL Cool J is still a neighborhood hero here. Forty years after his first record, he is a walking embodiment of hip-hop history, which doesn't mean he's retired. Last week, at the MTV Video Music Awards, he celebrated his extraordinary track record.

Asked what he thinks has kept people interested in his work for so many years, he replied, "I just continuously do what I love. And I know an apple tree keeps giving fruit, an orange tree keeps giving fruit, until it's gone. So, I just keep giving."

His career began in his childhood bedroom, in the basement of his grandmother's house in Queens. "You're in the museum," he said. "You in Graceland, baby."

He still has boxes filled with old demo tapes, and handwritten rhymes. For him, this was his artist's studio. "I wrote 'Rock The Bells' down here. I wrote 'I Need Love' down here. I wrote 'I'm Bad,' like, in the car and down here."

ll-cool-j-basement-studio-at-his-grandparents-queens-home.jpg LL Cool J shows his basement studio at his grandparents' Queens house to "Sunday Morning" contributor Kelefa Sanneh. He said this basement was the place where dreams come true. As a boy, James Todd Smith also saw this basement as a refuge.

Sanneh asked, "I think a lot of people who experience what you experienced – you've seen your father shoot your mother, you get abuse from your mother's ex-boyfriend, you go through these really difficult things – don't come out of it the way you came out of it."

"Yeah. You know, life is funny," said LL. "You can use things as an excuse for failure, or a reason to succeed. When my mother was shot, they told us they didn't think she'd walk again. She walked again.

"Using the things that happen in your life to propel you towards your dreams is probably the healthiest way to deal with anything that happens," he said.

He was largely raised by his grandparents. They bought him turntables to keep him in the house (and out of trouble). It was a more important gift than they could have imagined. "It really was just wanting to escape pain," he said. "It was an escape, you know what I'm saying? And so, the music became, like, a way to feel empowered."

LL Cool J (short for "Ladies Love Cool James") started writing rhymes and recorded a demo tape, and in 1984, the right person found it. Adam Horovitz, known as Ad Rock from the Beastie Boys, was friends with producer Rick Rubin, who had just started his record label, Def Jam. "I would just kind of go through demo tapes," Horovitz said. "Something about [LL] just sounded really cool. I don't know, he sounded interesting."

Horovitz convinced Rubin to listen to him; and he remembers when LL came by to meet them: "So, a teenager walks in and he's like, 'I'm LL Cool J. And the LL stands for Ladies Love Cool James.' And you're just, you know, a high school kid? The ladies love you? Okay, all right. If you say so! He was real confident, and he should have been. He was really good at what he did.

"He is a force, but I never would have predicted that LL Cool J would be what he is now, never," Horovitz said. "LL's personality, his inner light, like, shines. It really does."

Horovitz helped produce LL Cool J's first single, "I Need a Beat."

That track got LL a record deal, although you might say it got the record company an LL deal; he was the first artist ever signed to Def Jam Recordings.

Getting the deal, LL said, "felt like Christmas, honeymoon, hitting the lottery, jumping out of an airplane, a roller coaster, all at once. it was the best feeling in the world. Best feeling in the WORLD, getting that deal!"

LL Cool J became one of the first major hip-hop stars. Hits like "Going Back to Cali" and "Mama Said Knock You Out" blazed a trail for other rappers to follow.

And in 1987, he pioneered a new tradition: the hip-hop love song, with "I Need Love."

His music career turned into a career in film, and then on television: For 14 seasons, he played special agent Sam Hanna on "NCIS: Los Angeles," which mainly kept him away from the recording studio. "I thought the show would last two years and it'd be done," he said. "I had no idea that 'NCIS' would be so huge. And I'm very grateful. I had a great time doing it. But you can't be a part-time MC. You can't really be a part-time musician. There's no such thing."

Now 56, LL Cool J is returning to the thing he loves most: rapping. He recently released his first album in more than a decade, "The Force," which includes appearances from Eminem and other rappers who grew up listening to him.

He says there's still something magical about making a hip-hop record: "My job is to go into a room and paint on silence, and then say, 'Listen to this.' Like, it's easy to sit around and judge it or say, 'That album was better than that album.' But can you go in a room, paint on silence, present it to the world, and have them enjoy it? Can you do that?"

LL Cool J says he's still having fun making music, which doesn't mean he doesn't want people to pay attention. "I love the idea that you're talking to a hip hop artist in Year 40, and his record is relevant and impacting the culture," he said.

"They were talking about it on the radio this morning," said Sanneh.

"I love it," he laughed. "I love it. I love it. Because you know why? Not only for me, I love it for future generations. I love that they get to see, 'Oh, I can keep doing what I love?' Yeah!"

[tipsmedia]

NURSERY RHYMES - TIPS SALEM KG

"I'm an Airplane" is one of the favourite rhymes of Aadvik A (KG 1) and he has sung it with all actions, which is a charm you can't miss.

By repeatedly singing rhymes, he not only has fun but his speech develops and leads to language acquisition. He also learns voice modulation and tends to articulate words. His mouth and tongue muscles also develop by regularly singing nursery rhymes. 

#tipssalemkg #nurseryrhymes #rhymesforpreschoolers #rhymesforkids #imanairplanerhyme #kgrhymes #tipskg #voicemodulation #singingrhymes #preschoolactivities #preschoolinsalem

[undermine-the-instinct]

Oof, to add on to the relunctant AbsentDad!Touya, courtesy of @willowser....

Hell breaks loose the day your daughter calls Shouto otō.

You can't really play it off. Shouto and Otō both rhyme, but your daughter is very articulate for her age, only two, nearly three, and she said it with perfect clarity. 

It's one of those family dinners that the Todoroki's have once a month. Fuyumi does most of the cooking, but everyone is obligated to bring a dish. 

And you don't have the last name, but they all welcome you so readily, and your daughter loves them all. She loves her uncle Natsuo, who picks her up and throws her up in the air. Her aunt fuyumi, who cooks good food and always gives hugs. Sweet and calm baba rei, with her cool hands. And even jiji enji, who sometimes picks her up, so tiny in his giant hands. You always watch them carefully.

But her favorite is Shouto. He learned how to make little ice orbs for when she was teething. He lets her 'braid' his hair. Rattle the little canisters on his hero suit. Heats up her food when she lets it go cold.

Shouto was trying to feed your baby in her high chair, that she's getting too big for, while she kept shaking her head and turning away. No trains, or airplanes, or birds or dragons would make her open up. Finally she yelled,

"No, otō!!" 

And the room fell silent. Your daughter, oblivious, just kicks her feet and leans farther away from the spoon. You have frozen, passing a platter onto Natsuo.

No one moves. Your daughter continues to kick her feet.

"...Oji. You mean Oji, right baby?" She looks at you, confused. She points to Enji.

"No! Jiji is jiji. Otō is Otō!"

"Shouto is Oji. Oji. Natsuo is Oji too, okay?" She still looks confused, and you repeat yourself. She nods.

She opens her mouth to say something but Shouto attacks, putting the spoon in her mouth, gently of course. And she knows better than to spit food out, so she swallows, albeit with a disgusted look on her face.

"See? It wasn't that hard, right?" She pinches her face and nods.

"I'm sorry. But if you eat all your food, I'll make you those ice lamas you like to munch on." Shouto smiles, imperceptibly,  when she nods eagerly this time, and he continues to feed her.

________

The tension stays, but the night goes on without a fuss. You feel an absence, like the cool imprint of air after someone moves out of your space. Your stomach rolls, appetite gone.

The next morning, you hear on the news that seven people have been burnt to cinders. The estimated amount is only seven, because only teeth were what was left in the ashes. Pro heroes most definitely, or some politician whose scandal will be thrown to the light soon.

You swallow against the dry patch in your throat. You turn off the tv, glad your daughter is still sleeping.

He doesn't try to hide what he did, and the next time you see him its a video, uploaded to YouTube, prancing and shouting more than laughing. He's got more burns now. He's laughing so hard the staples on his face are falling off, tearing him open. His burnt eye patch things are bleeding. Something aches inside you.

________

You don't know why you save the video. It's taken down two hours later.

Every month you find a check, some large sum of money, inside your apartment. Always somewhere obvious-on the counter, atop the fridge, on your desk or your pillow, today. The amount has been increasing lately. You see him more in the news now.

Ever since you moved to a new, nicer neighborhood there have been no footsteps creaking in the night, no doors wincing as they were let open. No figures looming in the shadows a street, a block away, watching over you, though you know he still does.  Just too far, too hurt and too busy to do it in person. Maybe that's a good thing. You think his hands would ignite, if he saw what you do right now.

Fuyumi being in your apartment and helping out is okay, but not Shouto. Shouto shouldn't be in your apartment too, much less cradling your baby, half asleep in his arms.

Its only been a couple of days since the dinner incident. More bodies have been found, properties destroyed. You all know who did it. Its an unspoken knowledge. And the death toll only keeps rising, somehow, everytime your daughter slips and calls Shouto, otō. They haven't made the connection yet. You have.

She likes Shouto because he's warm, she says. And cool. Everyone else is cold and nice, and you don't really see jiji much, nor do you want to, so Shouto is her favorite. You think she would've loved Touya. He was always warm.

Is, is. Sometimes you have to remind yourself he's alive, somewhere.

Shouto is just happy to be of service, he says. He's not good with kids. He just wants to be a good oji-san to his little niece. Just wants to make sure she's healthy, happy. It's sweet. You know his intentions are pure when he smiles down at her. Your stomach twists, anxious, anyways. You are waiting for something. 

You don't wait long. For the first time in years, you get a phone call. Unknown caller. You pick up.

He doesn't say anything for a while. He just breathes, and he sounds bad. There's a rasp, a delay-like he has to drag each breath in and out his chest. Still, he speaks first.

"...That's my baby." You sigh, and that only fans the flames.

"That's my baby. Mine. Not fucking his."

"Of course, I know."

"Than why the fuck is she calling him that? Huh? Why the fuck is she calling someone else dad?"

"Because kids aren't dumb. They see things. They ask questions. They try to fill in the blanks any way they know how. That's why Touya." It's the first time you said his name, to him at least, in years. It doesn't feel like it.

"I corrected her. It's not even a habit. I'm working on it." He scoffs, mumbles the words back to you, but you hear what he doesn't say.

You search for the words, but you seem to have said it all in your last talk. You are standing, unsure and wary, and it's like a liminal space. Time doesn't exist here. Like you could reach out and pluck your last moments together out of thin air, inspect them in the moonlight.

"It was just Father's day, and people, stupid people were asking questions. No one came, except me, and she was sad." You explain. 

"She's just��trying to make sense of things. I'll sort it out.  Shouto is her favorite anyway so that's why she called him that." He snorts, and you imagine fire came with it, like a dragon.

"...Yeah. Shouto seems to be everyone's favorite." There, the root of it all. Your voice is small, but you take a chance. You still want to comfort him, after all these years.

"Not my favorite."

He pauses, scoffs.

"Really? Because he seems to come over to your place a lot. Helping with the chores, I guess?"

"Touya."

"Picking the baby up from daycare? Taking her to the parks and shit? Helping you pick out clothes and little booties? The fuck?" He's really been watching, keeping an eye on you two, his girls. You think a few years ago you would have been flattered. You're just tired now.

"You know Natsuo does the same thing."

"My baby doesn't call fucking him otō, does she?" He laughs, just like in the video.

"Doesn't he offer you breaks, from the baby? Go relax, or, you deserve this, you work hard enough. I'll pay for whatever, or, let me treat you."

"You know he's dense. He doesn't know what he's insinuating."

He laughs again, hoarse. You wonder where he is.

"He's a man now, of course he does. And you do too. Didn't think I was so replaceable." You go silent, angry, and he takes that as his sign.

"Do you like him? Is he pretty enough for you? Rich enough? Is he everything you've ever dreamed of and more?"

"Touya."

"What, got something to say? I don't want your apologies."

"I don't need to apologize because I've done nothing wrong." He starts to say something but you cut him off, fuming.

"Why are you calling Touya? Why? You don't get to say shit after all these years. You chose not to be a part of this."

"But that's still my fucking baby!"

"You've never even held her! You're never there, you don't want to be there!"

"Don't fucking say that, you know why I cant--"

"Does it matter why? You're still not here."

"So you found someone who is? Perfect fucking Shouto, huh?"

"Touya!" You throw your hand up. You should have never answered the phone.

"The perfect fucking prince, am I right? Are you fucking him, huh? Does he make you say his name when he fucks you? Do you cry when he makes you ride him?"

"Touya!"

"Tell me! Don't be shy now. You got a new man, let me hear about it! Does he rock the baby to sleep and sing her lullabies? Does he make it snow for her when she asks? Does he kiss you both when he leaves for work? The baby already calls him otō. Are you gonna give him a baby too?"

"Touya!" You say his name. You don't know when you've started crying.

"Touya. She's sleeping right now." You don't see or hear it, but you feel the anger leave him. Like smoking hands, going limp as you cry.

"We have a baby. We have a baby girl, and she's right next door." He curses when your breath hitches.

"...fuck, I know. I know."

"You can't yell at me. She's sleeping right now."

"I know, I'm sorry baby, I'm sorry."

"She won't go back to sleep if she wakes up now."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry baby. Fuck. I'm so fucking sorry." You think he'd cry if he could. His breath is ragged enough as is.

The line on both ends is quiet, as you try to calm down. Touya just listens to you,your sniffles and aborted sobs. He sighs. He sounds tired too.

"Just, go to sleep. I'm sorry I called, fuck. Just, go to sleep. Give our baby a kiss for me." And he hangs up, before you can say anything. You hang onto the phone.

Then you leave, to go kiss your baby.

You stay in that room, that spot for a moment more, lost in time.

[sirfrogsworth]

Antoinette White 1923 - 2021

My beloved grandmother, Antoinette "Toni" White, passed away Saturday morning.

She lived to be 97.

I can't imagine what it must have been like to see almost an entire century.

But not just any century—the most rapidly advancing century of all time.

Throughout history, most people only saw the world iterate bit by bit. They would be lucky to see revolutionary advancements once or twice in their lifespan. And it's possible things will soon return to that iterative state. Though I'm sure they'll say the iPhone 37 is groundbreaking regardless.

But the century my grandmother happened upon this earth saw almost exponential advancement. Every decade had its own separate personality, culture, and technology. You can literally say "The 50s" or "The 70s" and form a distinct picture in your head. You could jump ahead any 10 years and think you were on a different planet.

She went from having to go into town to use a telephone to actually learning how to use a smartphone. Computers that once filled giant rooms pale in comparison to the device she used to check in on her grandchildren.

She started her life in the midst of The Great Depression and watched society transition to become fully electrified.

Not long after automobile ownership became feasible for those who lacked a certain degree of wealth, she and my grandpa took their first car on a road trip for their honeymoon.

She saw airplanes develop from a grand novelty to a staple mode of travel. She saw flying vehicles that struggled to lift a few hundred feet into the air and people rocketing spaceward bound.

She saw the birth of modern cinema. She saw people learn how to send radio waves across the country into the living room of every home to display full color moving images.

She saw medicine go from something barely understood to humans mapping the entire genome.

I can't imagine what it must have been like to see so many amazing firsts.

That said...

To her, the most important development of the last century was watching her family grow.

People hopping around on the moon had nothing on seeing my newborn brother blow snot bubbles out of his tiny nostrils—her very first grandchild.

That was the day she found her true calling.

Being a grandma.

She had six children who bore a dozen grandchildren who are now popping out a bunch of great grandchildren. (Not to mention a plethora of grandpups.)

Truly a blessing for a woman who loved family above all else.

She was everything you think of when you imagine a grandmother in your mind. She almost strived to be the grandma stereotype and took pride in every grandmotherly duty. From baking cookies, to taking way too many photos of chaotic Peewee soccer games, to spoiling us at every opportunity, to never once forgetting a birthday in all my 40 years.

She was like... a professional grandma.

She was exceedingly kind and contemplatively quiet. At family get-togethers, she loved to sit in the corner of the room and absorb all the conversations happening around her, showing genuinely piqued interest in whatever anyone had to say.

My grandma loved listening—which I think is an admirable skill. She was truly interested in everyone's story and always made you feel comfortable sharing life's triumphs and tribulations with her. She gave you empathy when times were tough and praise for your successes.

She never had a negative word to say about anyone and I don't think I ever heard her even raise her voice. She was very thoughtful and cared about everyone in her life and everyone connected to everyone in her life. She wouldn't just ask how you were doing—but how everyone you cared about was doing as well.

She loved taking care of people. I remember as a tadpole she let me tag along while she helped care for an elderly friend. I only knew her as "Mrs. Kuhs." (Rhymes with loose.) I never actually saw Mrs. Kuhs in person—as she had become very antisocial in her later years. She only trusted my grandma to be in her presence. But I loved going there because she lived on a vast estate the wilderness started to reclaim. It had oodles of gorgeous green acres that were perfect for a curious Cub Scout to explore.

They have since revitalized the property and tidied up the landscaping.

I much preferred it when everything was wild and overgrown. It felt like I was surveying ancient ruins that time forgot.

While Grandma was minding the mansion of mysterious Mrs. Kuhs, I would trek out on my own and search the grounds for toads and frogs. I would bring a glass Ball jar with holes in the lid and if I found a froggy friend I'd throw in a stick and a leaf to recreate what he's used to. Before it was time to depart I would excitedly show her all of my amphibious captures. We'd think of names for each one and then I would carefully release them back into the pond.

She was very... *accidentally* funny. She really wanted to understand everything that us crazy kids were into, but most of the time our weird interests baffled & befuddled her. (Rightfully so.) And watching her try her best to understand rollerblades or Ninja Turtles or slap bracelets or SpongeBob was always endlessly amusing.

She once took my younger cousins to Beauty and the Beast: On Ice. She was just so perplexed as to why they were all on ice skates. It had nothing to do with the story and they never mentioned why they skated everywhere. And honestly, she had a point.

In the end, she was just happy we were smiling and laughing, even if it was partly at her expense. Though I think sometimes she played up her confusion trying to get more laughs. Because her greatest joy was being surrounded by her family and laughing and smiling together.

I remember her and Otis got off to a rocky start. I even made a comic about it.

At first, he just didn't understand that some people were a bit more *fragile* than others.

But my Grandma was determined to be his pal without risking injury to her skeletal system.

She asked for a bunch of treats and basically trained him how to be gentle around her. They worked on it all night, and being the little smartypants he was, Otis caught on super quick and they became fast friends.

From then on, whenever she would visit he would contain his inner spaz, wait for her to get seated on the couch, and jump up next to her for treats and head pats.

She knew how much Otis meant to me and I always appreciated how she put in the effort to properly befriend him. She loved him almost as much as a proper human grandkid.

Too much loss for our little household this year.

I could probably write a novel of Grandma Toni stories, but I think I have to stop here. As it is hard to see the screen through the tears.

I am incredibly sad she is no longer with us. But I am so glad she was able to see several generations of the family she started.

Not everyone gets to see their legacy while they are alive.

Goodbye, Grandma. You will be profoundly missed.

[darkarfs]

Tagged by @d-d-zero and I'm on board. Rules: "spell out your url with song titles, then tag as many people as there are letters in your url." Don't Light My Fire - Otoboke Beaver Airplane Boneyard - Open Mike Eagle Rhymes Like Dimes - MF Doom Knucklehugs (Arm Yourself with Love) - Diablo Swing Orchestra Aerostar - Video Age Rings - Aesop Rock Five Magics - Megadeth Sing Along - Sturgill Simpson 8 people? Ah...alright. @lilaviolet @bonewhiteglory @okayneat @niftynihilist @iotatundra @lunatic-hiya @funeralopolis666 @ministryofdarkness

go nuts!

[tossawary]

Have I ever told you that even just the title "Pride Is Not The Word You're Looking For" is absolutely genius to me???? I enjoy it so much. It's such a simple little joke nod to the original name of SQH's book and it makes me weirdly happy, if that makes sense. IDK it's just very fitting and witty and my naming game is v weak so I'm impressed

Thank you! I chose it on a bit of a whim. It’s from the song “Dear Theodosia”, for those who don’t know the reference. Yes, I know the musical is problematic, but I still like the wordplay and rhyming in the lyrics of many of the songs, and the theme of parenthood in that song felt appropriate. 

Also, yes, it’s a reference to “Proud Immortal Demon Way”! 

It also felt appropriate to the character of Shang Qinghua | Airplane Shooting Towards The Sky, because... I mean, I wouldn’t exactly call the guy who will literally hug thighs and beg for his life “proud”, but Airplane has his pride. I was struck in the Airplane Extras by his somewhat twisty sense of pride. He’ll let himself get stepped on, but he very much has a backbone and his moments of arrogance. He’s the creator of this world and he knows it! He acts shameless, but he’s not open either. He’s not shy, but he keeps his feelings buried. 

“Proud” is not the word I’m looking for to describe Shang Qinghua... and yet... 

I have difficulty naming fics (I spend lots of time trawling quote and lyrics sites), but every once and a while I hit something that feels like, “Yeah, this works.” 

[jazzzzzzhands]

Ok so I decided to make a whole new post because this gets pretty long winded. (I tag this stuff with #longtextpost for blocking)

Anyways, here is my official analysis and reconstruction of

Balan Wonderworld:

(Which should be Balan Wonderland for rhyming purposes)

Oh god, this got really long, um here is a cut:

First off, allow me to say that I did love the "pop-up" feeling of the game a whole lot. I want to keep that, and the doors. Controls and some of the graphics will need to be fixed. By graphics I mean, make things a bit more stylized and not try so hard to be realistic because it did not look like it belonged in the world of whimsy. I also really loved the "stage" bits and honestly the game had a lot of VERY GOOD POTENTIAL and lovely themes, but it was just lost and muddied with the way it was executed. So I'm just going to RECONSTRUCT the entire thing!

Ok so Balan is kidnaping two children, a boy and a girl, and I want them to be both playable, kind of like being able to switch between the two characters or two players because both of their stories will be important. (I'm going to change their stories completely) Also I would keep all of the people, their stories and their bosses. (except maybe we don't show them getting resolved, but this is for later) (also those doofy dance scenes can be cut too)

This game is all about emotions and coping with three major "Bad Feelings" Anger, Sadness and Fear

And most of the "side people" can be grouped into these three worlds, but I feel like putting them in order of intensity will flow better for the story. (like showing a farmer loosing his entire crop, then showing some dude loosing chess, it pretty much makes the chess player look silly and invalidates him. but putting them in order will stress the different levels of emotion)

Before I go into these level, I must bring about a very special element to the game. Bottles. This is what Balan is going to provide to the children to defeat the bosses. In order to defeat them, they will have to fight them down and then Bottle them up!

I had a few moments where I had a bit of a hard time placing people in categories, but I chose what I chose to make it perfectly even.

3 worlds, 5 levels each

I also involved the children and changed their stories.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok World 1 (Anger)

(For story elements, the main player will be Leo, and player 2 or the computer will be Emma)

- Level 1. Irritation

-This is the chess guy. He's obviously the first case. He's mad because he lost a chess game and his championship.

-Level 2. Frustration

-The boy who is trying to invent the Airplane. He keeps failing and is obviously angry and frustrated with himself.

-Level 3. Anger

- The woman who is upset about the city taking over nature, I almost placed her in sadness, but I felt like the emotion was toward the construction workers, so she got placed into anger

-Level 4. Rage

- The farmer lost all of his land and hard work. Just weeks of labor and even he may depend on that for finances. He is furious at the storm that caused it

-Level 5. Fury

- Here is where we bring in one of the main protags. The Boy; Leo

*His story is that he lost his parents in a car accident He is now in an orphanage and he is coping with his loss with anger. To the point of obsessed fury at the driver who killed his parents and ruined his life.

-The boss is on the other side of a door, symbolizing that you must initiate having to face and defeat your own emotions

-His boss is a representation of anger itself, I had pictured a very fire powered frog (fused with a car??) with perhaps a very loud sound shockwave (anger- screaming) That you would have to cover or tape his mouth in order to weaken him. (Silencing your rage, holding it in) And then of course, getting a big bottle, in order to bottle him away

This is all shown in celebration, like we did it! We beat them! We captured the bad guys!! We stopped them! :'>

--We are also going to get introduced to Lance here. An evil bad guy who tries to stop the kids from capturing the bosses and insist that they give into them, Let them take over you! So maybe a mini battle happens here, to where he escapes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So moving onto World 2: Sadness

(For story elements, the main player will be Emma, and player 2 or the computer will be Leo)

-Level 1. Somberness

-This is the old man who is sad because nobody notices his hard work and they just trash the street anyways.

-Level 2. Melancholy

-This is the artist who fell into an art run and just cant seem to find the inspiration she needs to make art :'(

-Level 3. Sadness

-The girl who was almost accidentally killed by her dolphin friend. She is really upset about this, Almost like being betrayed by a dear friend

-Level 4. Grief

-This is the girl who lost her cat. Not only that, but she feels as if it is her fault that her pet got hit by a car :'(

-Level 5.

-Now this is the other main protag, the Girl; Emma.

*Her story is that she grew up with her grandmother. What happened to her parents is unknown, but her Grandmother is all she had in the world. She lost her to sickness, as we see her being taken from the hospital to go live in the orphanage (Yup, the same one, you may realize where I'm going with this already. )

-The boss is on the other side of a door, symbolizing that you must initiate having to face and defeat your own emotions

-Her boss is some sort of creature (I couldn't decide, but perhaps fused with doctor equipment like IVs) That cant stop crying, and uses lots of water attacks. You defeat it with a special sleeping potion that makes it fall asleep and allows you to weaken it

(Ignoring or using substances to dull your sadness)

Now comes World 3: Fear

--Once again we are met with Lance who tells us that we are fools and that we are only prolonging our doom, that it will get worse, ect...

and again he has a little mini battle and escaping again

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-Level 1. Worry

-The bug girl is a little paranoid that nobody likes her and that nobody will like her because of her 'strange' interest.

-Level 2. Anxiety

-This is the clown boy who is simply too nervous to confess his love to the girl at the amusement park.

-Level 3. Fear

-The fireman has to go into the fire and is experiencing genuine fear. Maybe he will die, maybe he wont be able to save the victims. That's very scary to have to literally jump into fire!

-Level 4. Dread

- This is the woman who lost her parents and shut herself away from her lover. Far too afraid to let herself love again, even though her fiancé is trying to be there for her

Now here is where things get interesting, who's world is this? Well as you get closer to this final boss. The final door. Balan starts to drop his act. He starts acting really nervous.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But then Lance appears. This time he seems determined more than ever. He tried to warn them.. Suddenly the bottles that hold Leo's and Emma's monsters break and they come out looking meaner and bigger and badder than before! He tried to tell you that you couldn't bottle them, they only get stronger... but Balan knew this... didn't he?

Balan is looking really nervous right about now and he should be because Lance is going to reveal his little secret. This world is Balan's world. The Monster behind the door is his. He tried to bottle it many times but it grew too powerful, so he sealed it away behind the door. Not only that but he spied upon helpless human beings trying to pick out the most miserable of them all to train them to fight and capture monsters in hopes that they would fight his battles for him.

But that doesn't work, that never works!

Lance goes on to say the only way is to let them in, to take over, to control you, to possess you.. just as he has done...

Here, he absorbs both of the monsters from the children and here he becomes the Big Boss

-To defeat him, you must separate his components away from him. Once you separate the components. You can't attack them or they will just keep going. In the battle, you just have to endure long enough for them to wear themselves out. To get it all out.

Once you defeat Anger, Leo will hug it and it will turn docile

Once you defeat Sadness, Emma will hug it and it will turn docile

But you will not be able to defeat Lance. Leo and Emma will be defeated.

Balan will have been cowering the entire time but there will be a button saying "Don't Give Up" and you will have to push it several times in a dramatic fashion in order to unlock playing as Balan!

Balan will have powers of light and you will have to strike your light onto Lance as quickly and often as you can!

When you defeat Lance, Balan looks at Leo and Emma and their tamed monsters, There are two doors that look ready to be open. Then he picks Lance up and hugs him

This triggers a huge Flashback!

The Flashback shows them as silhouettes in photos, like a scrapbook. They appear to be growing up together, Brothers..

And then you see an image of Balan laying flowers on a bridge,

Him sitting with his back against his front door,

Vines grow around his house signifying that he never left his home ever again

He goes as far to board up his front door

but then he starts to build.. He starts remaking changes to his door, science and magic are not even at question in this point

Time is going by, pages fall from the calendar, the vines engulf the house

The door is complete....

The Flashback ends and there stand Balan and Lance. But Lance's form has now changed, he looks human!

Lance explains through vague dialogue. "I'm sorry .. I left.. but It was because I let the monster consume me... I..." He points at the doors. "The children are ready to go back... but you must open your own door, nobody can open it but you"

Balan looks at his door, but it hasn't changed, Its big and its dark and its looming. He reaches a hand but there is something thrashing and banging against the door trying to get out! Balan is shaking, you can hear his heart racing in his chest. The door is deafening and is starting to crack. Lance tries to be at Balan's side, but it is too late. The Door bursts open and the Darkness Consumes Balan.

-Ultra-Balan-

The Final Battle

Ok so here we are. Fear has possessed Balan and turned him into the ultimate Boss fight. You will now have your tamed emotions to help you in battle.

Anger and Sadness, they will have turned into Venting and Relief

You will need both of their powers to get you through Balan's first two phases, but the 3rd will be undefeatable.

SO now what? Remember how I said that we would not be showing the redemption of the people you met along the way? Well here they are and now its time. They all release their bottles and embrace their monsters, changing them!

When they embrace their monsters, each person now goes through their resolve in their life and shows how they got through their traumas!!

The now-tamed Monsters all band together to created one giant dome of light that completely surrounds everything!

And when the light settles, there is Balan, looking very different. He still has his hat over his face, but he lifts it to reveal his very human face. He has tears just rolling down his face.

The kids hug him and the people cheer. They start to disappear as if they were never there, leaving only the brothers and the kids.

Balan looks at their doors and with a sentimental goodbye, sends them back to their world.

His door awaits him, now calm as ever. He knows that he must go through. Lance holds his hand as he opens the door.

Its the outside of his home.. just his same front door, just as he left it.

He steps through and pauses. His hand holding onto Lance's

Lance nods with tears in his eyes, he knows he can not follow

Balan must.. let him go

Balan lets go of his hand and walks through the door

The outside world is awaiting him.. its quiet and he turns around to look into his home, but its just his normal home. Just as he had left it

He shuts the door behind him .. and decides he will go for a walk today

Now here is where the credits role as he is walking down the street. He passes by people that look very familiar to him. He waves and laughs with the people on the street and he goes along. He's happy to see how much they have made friends with each other as well!

He keeps walking until he reaches a building, the Orphanage. He knocks and for a moment there is no answer. But then the door slams open and Leo and Emma leap out and embrace him as they know they have found a new home!!

It zooms out and into the sky, the credits finish

The end

This connects all three of them. They all experienced loss in some form. Each of them went thought a different coping emotion. But the morale of our story being that you can't bottle them or hide them away. But you also cannot let them consume you. You must face your battles and learn to cope with your emotions

Though Balan and Lance are first introduced as "Good and Evil" It comes to pass that they are both wrong in their extremist way of dealing with problems and that they were just as lost as the kids were. In the end, they all helped each other ;w;

I really really hope you enjoyed reading all of this if you did.

Let me know if you would have added/changed any of this!

I had a ton of fun envisioning this!

[the-firebird69]

Charlotte County Jail

Charlotte County Jail

(941) 833-6300

It's Shawshank redemption and Andy figured it out I said what's the name of that stream that you went out and out of the pipe and has something to do with an airport maybe and he says it does it's the name of an airport and it's this particular airport it used to be named that in world War II when it was a training grounds he said you're pretty smart and you knew what you're doing so what do we do about it well we have to verify it he says I say actually and we have to see if that's actually it or if it's a ruse in other words we go to court I'm calling as a witness and see you're convicted I disappeared so you can become me but probably it's bja because you look like him in Shawshank and I go into a clone body and then take me up to DC no they're taking me to space

So they need Mom and they need Dad alive intact to make a call or they need my brother in order to keep me alive and intact

This stuff's wicked but it smells real the other thing is they may take you to DC from the airport and that seems real too and it seems real to me because they want people to find your people and I agree Andy that's more reasonable than my plan you're going to kidnap me and have scanned with me and do what with me it's just a signal to tell people to do stuff and nobody might know where I am

Also curious so I'm going to go ahead and figure out which one it is but we pretty sure it's the airplane and it's right near there and you want to trick you into sneaking onto an airplane smelling like s***

Yippee Friday the s***** skies

No no that doesn't rhyme or anything