#i'm slowly getting my photos up on facebook

[redheadgleek]

✨ICELAND✨

Did you have a blast? Did you see furry horses? Whales? Northern lights? Puffins?

I saw furry horses

And sheep!

And some whale (blows)!

As well as dolphins (which are also whales, who knew?)

And northern lights (3 nights!)

No puffins, though. The little rascals decided that they had to "follow their inner instincts" and migrate away.

[oneforthemunny]

don't fear the reaper |older!dilf!eddie munson x reader| part 7

prompt: your introduction to eddie's ex-wife goes less than ideal.

age gap. reader is 26, Eddie is 42. everything is consensual. if you don't like it, don't read plz.

contains: language, dilf!eddie, older!eddie, age gap, angst, gina is Eddie's ex wife and she's really mean :(

"Can you get that, sweet thing?" Eddie asks, screwdriver in hand, hunched over the little set of drawers that he was assembling, tongue poked out in concentration.

You'd been happily watching him build all morning, a warm and light feeling buzzing through your body. You grinned cheekily to yourself when Eddie slipped on a pair of reading glasses before he had started. He looked over them at you, peering over the black frames with an exaggerated stare, pointing a warning finger playfully in your direction.

"Not a word. Understand, missy?" His tone was stern, playful, pulling a string of giggles from your chest. Your cheeks flush at his tone, tipping your head to the side to admire him. The way the veins in his hand protruded when he tightened something with the screwdriver, his tongue poking out in concentration. 

Eddie had just established the base of the drawers when there was a knock at the door. You stood, setting down your mug on the coffee table. "Should be Brielle. She's always forgettin' her key." Eddie sighed, a firm eye roll.

You opened the door, ready to see the girl who resembled your boyfriend so much- same eyes, dimples, cheeks. She'd been at her mom's all weekend, and you were happy to have her back, now that things were better with you two. You smiled widely, eyes lighting up, a welcome on the tip of your tongue.

Instead, you were greeted with a pair of piercing eyes, narrowed at you from the moment you opened the door, unfamiliar and challenging.

You blinked, looking at the woman in front of you, jarred and a little frightened. You knew her, how could you not? Gina, Eddie's ex-wife, Brielle's mother. You’d seen the photos- maybe, done a stalk on Facebook with your best friend. 

Gina's lips twisted, a scoff falling from them that had you stepping back in the doorway. "I'll be goddammed." She said every word slowly, dripped in venom. Your heart hammered, eyes wide, caught, scared.

Brielle squirmed, eyes sympathetically meeting yours. She was uncomfortable, intimidated too, though you weren’t really sure why. "Mom, I'm here now. You can go back in the car-"

"Nuh-uh." Gina snapped, eyes never leaving yours. You felt exposed under her gaze, vulnerable, wrapping your arms around your middle protectively. "I wanna meet the new girl your dad has you hangin' around. Make sure she's not being a bad influence on my baby." Her words were nearly mocking, your hand gripping the door in a white knuckled grasp.

Eddie's heavy footsteps appeared behind you, shoulders falling when he saw Gina. "For fuckssake, Gina..." He sighed, annoyed, exasperated, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well, hello to you, too, Edward." Gina spat the name like it was a bad taste in her mouth, lips curling into a snarl. Her teeth barred, like a predator to prey- amused. This was a game to her. One she was very good at, apparently. 

"The fuck are you doin', huh?" Eddie threw his arm out, looking down at Gina, standing at his full height. "You don't have better things to do?"

Gina laughed, humorless, eyes rolling. "Not when it comes to our child." Gina snapped. She paused, lips pursing, icy eyes sliding over your frame, sending shivers down your spine. "Sorry, I guess I should say our daughter, looks like you have another child in your life."

Your heart dropped, stammering lightly. Gina gave you a smug, challenging look. Brielle looked down, shifting on her feet. "Mom, can you stop? It's embarrassing-"

"Oh, I'm embarrassing?" Gina snapped, looking at her daughter. Brielle recoiled slightly, shrinking under her gaze. "But your father prancing around with jail bait isn't-"

"Alright, Gina, that's enough." Eddie growled, stepping in front of you. They glared at each other, so angry, full of hatred. "You wanna say some shit to me? Fine, but leave her out of this. And have some decency to not do this in front of Brie." He bit, glaring down the slope of his nose at her. 

Gina gasped, loud and accusatory. "Don't you dare, Eddie, don't you even fuckin' dare." She pointed a long, manicured nail at him, jabbing it at him. "Don't pull the bad mom card on me when you're dating someone the same age as Brielle!"

"She is not the same age, Gina, what the fuck-"

"Sweetheart," Gina turned to you, the pet name Eddie usually adorned to you was covered in malice, making your blood run cold. "How old are you?" She mocked you, spoke to you like you were a child- like you spoke to your kids at school. 

"Twenty-s-six." You stammered dumbly, heart pounding in your ears. It was nine in the morning, you weren't exactly prepared to be berated and harassed like this, this early.

Gina's lips pressed together, eyebrows shooting up. She scoffed, loud and derisive. "Twenty-six?" She repeated, each syllable rolling off her tongue furiously, looking at Eddie with a glare so cold it made you shiver.

 "So, when I had Brielle, you were what? Nine, ten?" She laughed, but she wasn't amused. It was a mean girl mocking laugh, one that took you back to days in middle school in the locker room at gym. "And Eddie, what were you doing then? Twenty-six years ago? Oh, that's right, you were still selling weed to high-school kids to support the baby-"

"Gina, I'm not doing this shit with you." Eddie seethed, jaw set and eyes hard. He glared at her, eyes flicking over to Brielle, who shrunk into herself, eyes on the steps. You could see the guilt wash over Eddie, jaw ticking and eyes softening. "Get in here, baby girl. I'll be just a second." He guided Brielle in, hand protectively on the back of her head, giving you a small nod before shutting the door.

You and Brielle stood in the doorway, not moving, eyes glued on the wooden door. Your heart was hammering in your throat, stopping and speeding when you would hear the muffled words and screams from the other side. A rollercoaster of emotions, tummy dropping and turning, twisting and seeking further and further into your nerves. 

"She's a fuckin' child, Ed!"

"Gina, are you out of your fuckin' mind? She's an adult, a teacher. A really great teacher-"

"Probably because she's the same age as them! They have so much in common!"

"Oh, fuck off, Gina. Aren't you married? Why the fuck do you care?"

"I don't want someone like that around my daughter! What kind of example is this? Whoring herself with some old guy!"

"She is not-"

"-How would you feel if Brie was doing this, huh? Fucking around with a guy twice her age?"

Your stomach dropped when Eddie didn't reply. You felt the color drain, feeling sick to your stomach. Brielle looked at you carefully, fingers twisting around her overnight bag, wringing them nervously.

"That's what I thought." Gina's voice was firm, smug. "I don't know what you're going through, Eddie, but this is a lot. Even for you."

"Get the fuck outta my house, Gina." Eddie growled, heavy footsteps moving towards the door. You could hear her muffled, biting response, mean and biting even through the door.

You stepped back just as Eddie threw the door open, eyes furious and blazing. He ran a hand over his scruff, free hand balled by his side. He looked at you, eyes drooping gently- tired, defeated.

"'M gonna go outside." Eddie growled, stomping towards the back door. "Need a minute." His hand ran over Brie’s shoulder, comfortingly- an apology. 

You flinched when Eddie slammed the door, shaking the house. Brielle looked at you, eyes wide and cautious, embarrassed. "They... They do this all the time." She offered softly. You didn't reply, eyes still glued on the back door.

"I'm sorry..." Brielle said softly. You looked over at her. "For what my mom said." She added, rubbing her arms awkwardly. "She can be like that sometimes. Don't take it personally."

You nodded, tongue feeling thick and constricted in your mouth.

Brielle hesitated, looking from you back to the window where a stream of smoke could be seen. Eddie. She lifted her bag gently, moving down the hall to her room. You didn't move, you couldn't.

Gina's words hurt you. It made your head rattle with insecurities and racing thoughts, self doubt and humbled truths. Eddie's reaction- or lack thereof- to her final accusation had your stomach twisting, knotting. Why did it hurt you so bad? Was Eddie embarrassed of you?

Eddie came in from the backdoor, shoulders still tense but eyes softened, nicotine induced relaxation. "I'm sorry about that, bunny. She can be a real-" Eddie stopped, looking at you in the doorway.

You didn't move, stilling even at his voice, zoned on the wall in front of you. Eddie called your name softly, hands raised in a slow approach, like you were a frightened animal that might scatter. His brows furrowed, lips pulling into a soft frown. 

Your eyes met his, lip trembling gently. Eddie's face softened. "Baby, what's wrong?" He cooed, stepping towards you so he could rub his hands down your arms. "Don't let her upset you, ok? She just said all of that because wants you to be upset-"

"You didn't answer her." Your eyes flashed at him. His forehead creased in confusion. "When she said that about Brie, you didn't reply."

Eddie exhaled, tired, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, because I'm not arguing with her. It's pointless." He huffed. "All it does is make my blood pressure go up, and she just starts saying crazy shit. She thrives off that kinda attention, and it just gets worse when you give it to her. Trust me, baby." He muttered, eyes pinching shut at the thought. This was routine, a painful routine he was far too used to. 

You huffed, crossing your arms, stepping out of his grasp, anger bristling in your chest. "You answered her every other time, Ed." You bit, jaw clenching to keep your tears from falling.

Eddie threw his hands up. "What do you want me to say here? I wasn't gettin' into that with her-"

"Because you think she's right." You challenged him, brows raised in suspicion. "You think there's something wrong with this? With us?"

"No, fuck," Eddie growled, vein in his neck protruding, angry and prominent against his flushed skin. "I don't think there's anything wrong with us, ok? I wouldn't be doin' this if I did-"

"Then why didn't you say anything?" You shrieked, throwing your hands out. "You made it look like you thought that!" Your heart hammered in your chest, defensive and angry. 

Eddie's eyes bulged, head jutting forward. "Why? I wasn't lettin' her use my daughter against me like that ok? It's fucked up, and she knows what she's doin'! She knows it'll piss me off, and I'll fight with her the way she wants, and I'm not doin' that!" He boomed, voice bouncing off the walls, echoing into your ears.

Your eyes cut down the hall towards Brielle's room. Eddie huffed, shaking his head. You stood in silence, Eddie shaking his head, exhaling a short huff of air.

"I'm sorry, ok? I'm sorry I didn't say anything to her, I just-" Eddie stopped himself. "I was done. Done letting her say shit to you, to me, and she always drags Brie into the middle of it to try and make me feel bad or-or fight with her more."

You looked down at your feet. "I'm sorry." You muttered.

Eddie shook his head. "You don't have nothin' to be sorry for-"

"No, I'm sorry." You said sincerely, eyes lifting to him. "I'm sorry she does that to you. 'S not right."

Eddie's face softened, lines smoothing when you grabbed his hand, holding it gently, pressing kisses into his palm. "I don't think there's anything wrong with us. I was just scared...you did."

Eddie gave a lopsided smile, pulling you into him by your waist. "Nuh-uh," Eddie smirked, lips moving to your cheek, soft feathery kisses pressing against your skin.

"Just like a pretty little thing like you to keep me young." He teased, large hands giving your ass a firm squeeze, smiling as you squealed into his ear. "Nothin' wrong with that."

You smiled, moving his curly tendrils out of his face. He kissed you fully, lips sliding over yours in a passionate kiss that had your cheeks heating. "Don't listen to her, alright?" Eddie muttered against your lips.

You nod, looking over your shoulder, face falling when you look at Brielle's door. Eddie followed your gaze, shoulders dropping. "Was she upset?" He asked.

You shrugged lightly. "She said she did it all the time... Apologized to me for what she said." You muttered.

Eddie cringed gently, air exhaling out his mouth in a loud sigh. "'M just gonna go check on her." He said, eyes softening to look at you. "See where the hell she wants these drawers too." He huffed, motioning to the unfinished project in the living room.

You grinned, smacking his ass playfully in his sweatpants. "Go check on her." You teased, winking at him.Eddie raised his brows, grinning before pointing at you. "You better watch yourself, little girl." He purred, smirking at your blistering flush.

[champagneher]

— HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU | JEON JUNGKOOK

BASED ON | how can he move on when he is still hopelessly in love with you ? GENRE | f!reader x jungkook, ex!lovers, angst. WARNINGS | a very sad jungkook. I got the photos from the internet - pinterest - please let me know if they are yours, so I can give you credit for them or remove them. | something short i wrote when i was trying to get tickets for taylor, but sadly I couldn't.

Jungkook knew that being in his current situation was all his fault. No matter how much he looked at the ceiling of his room, how much he thought about things, or how much he regretted his actions. It was all done.

He also knew that his heart wasn't the first to break, but this was far beyond that. He felt like it had fallen off his chest and shattered into a thousand pieces on the floor. Unable to pick up the pieces to put it back together again. 

His head kept telling him that it had been months, and it was time to move on. That there were more fish in the water and in a little more time and with more will, all this would be in the past. But his heart... his heart, he couldn't even feel it. Because it wasn't with him anymore, it was always with her. 

He felt like he was going crazy since he wasn't with her anymore, his days passed slowly like an uncomfortable situation that he wanted to escape from all the time, but there was no way out. 

Even at rehearsals with his friends, all he could do was think about her and feel sorry for himself.

"I feel like I'm on automatic, I don't even feel it when I walk anymore. Or talk… or just breath." He muttered, looking at a point in the void in front of him.

Taehyung looked at him with his lips pressed together feeling bad for his friend's situation, but deep inside he couldn't help but want to let out a sigh and tell him that it was all a result of his actions. What he didn't know was that Jungkook already knew, and that was what fucked him up the most. 

"We were all there, bro. It'll pass." Were his only words before patting his shoulder and going to Namjoon.

His actions not only resulted in losing the love of his life, but he also lost the trust of two of his brothers. Namjoon and Jin were very close to you, almost like family. So it was natural for them to be unhappy with him or his presence. Jungkook couldn't care less, he just wanted to stop feeling that way. He wanted her.

When he went out on the street, he couldn't help but close his eyes tightly when he saw a couple walking hand in hand, for it reminded him of the moments he shared with her. 

After months, he knew he was still hopelessly and madly in love with her. 

He had come to the conclusion that there was simply no way to get over her. He was willing to sit and wait for her for the rest of his life if necessary. There was nothing more he could do at that point, he was losing his mind.

She had blocked him from everywhere, every time he tried to dial her number it would just send it to voicemail. When he tried to log into her Instagram, her profile would come up as non-existent for him. Her Facebook and Twitter were no longer on his friends list. Every trace of her had even been removed from his networks. 

Desperately, he had only one option left to communicate and as pathetic as it looked, he was going to use it.

My love,  How have you been? It's been so long... I've spent so much time without you that I feel like I'm dying.  I know that receiving an email from me on a Saturday night where I express everything I've wanted to say to you, just wasn't in your plans. And I know I don’t deserve it, but I have no other way to communicate with you. Your friends have done a great job of hiding you from me, and you have done a great job of removing yourself from all means of communication with me. Let me tell you that I don't blame you at all. I know I made the biggest mistake of my life and believe me I am paying for it.  I know I should have stayed home that night. I know I should have listened to my heart and waited for your call instead of going out with my friends. And I know I should let you go and move on, but I just can't.  How can I let go of the love of my life?  There is no one to blame but myself here. I take responsibility for my actions.  Still, I'm willing to ask on my knees that we can please talk. If only one last time. To ask as a last favor to see your eyes without tears. To be able to be in your presence one more time is all I ask. Listen to my words and if you still want me out of your life forever, then I'll leave... but until I hear it one last time from your lips I'll remain this fool madly in love with you blinded with the hope of still seeing you again and being with you.  I pray to the stars to hear from you. I love you today and always. Hopelessly devoted to you, Jungkook.

[redfurrycat]

🤠🐂🐓Texan Jake "Hangman" Seresin (Vol. II) Fic Recs🐓🐂🤠

Check the Top Gun Masterlist post for the latest updated version. 💕

Ao3 Authors: Alecjbi, Chase_acow, Dalearden, Dames_for_jamesbarnes, Dandeliondick, Davidbyrne, Earthangel_44, Ginnydear, Haridwar, Heir2slytherin, Kakyoins__wife, KazanskIce, Kiddi, MerielTLA, Nightwrite24, Owls4ever, Popandpizazz, Sceld, Sycamoretree, Thereisnocowboyemoji, Totoroboiii, Vannral, VarjoRuusu, Writerofthelorde.

> Texan Jake "Hangman" Seresin (Vol. I)

Art Bonus - I was cravin' the visual so badly I had to add these delightful pieces of art (don't hesitate to point others my way, I'm SURE I missed some 🤗🥰)

Aran’s Bullriding!Hangster - Aran’s Hat Rule!Hangster - Beezel’s (Smutty) Hat Rule!Hangster - Beezel’s Cowboy!Jake - Gray‘s Barbie Cowboy!Jake - Gray‘s Cowboy!Jake - Gray's Cowboy!Jake & Saloon Owner!Bradley - Indiana's Cowboy Hats' Hangster - Megan’s Cowboy!Jake - Mustasekittens’ Cowboy!Jake - Storm’s Cowboy!Jake  - Storm’s Cowboys!Hangster.

The Exes of Texas Are Upon You by chase_acow {M}

While trying to enjoy their day off, a bet comes back to haunt Hangman forcing Rooster into a tight spot.

cowboy, take me away by ginnydear {T}

jake has a cowboy hat he doesn't just let anyone wear. bradley takes that as a challenge.

Show me the way home, honey! by thereisnocowboyemoji {E}

It’s perched on one of the posts of their poster bed frame and it drives Bradley absolutely crazy.

riding into the sunset with you by alecjbi {E}

While searching through the group's old Facebook posts, Jake finds a photo of Bradley that he can't seem to get over.

Nickelback isn't Romantic, Jake. by dandeliondick {T}

When Jake drinks everyone remembers that he's from Texas and one poorly placed bet from Fanboy leads to everyone in the bar learning Jake is from Texas and well...Bradley is just trying to make it through the night without jumping the ex-asshole.

"I bet on after Texas, it makes him soft." by dandeliondick {T}

The other man raised a brow before reaching up for the bottle Jake pulling it backwards making Jake fall into his chest with a huff. Bradley laughed as Jake honest to God pouted full bottom lip out, “Bradley Bradshaw stop being a dick.” Bradley kept ahold of the beers as he sat down making a dramatic show of getting comfortable before turning his smirk up at Jake, “Well, take a seat and you can have your beer.” He expected Jake to grab his beer and walk off and he nearly jumped when Jake instead swung around and settled onto Bradley’s thighs. Jake leaned back against his chest and laid his head on Bradley’s left shoulder as he snagged his beer from his loose grip.

A Barbecue by Any Other Name by owls4ever {T}

The second time their leaves all line up, Mav's in charge of hosting. Despite himself, Jake's excited when Mav announces he'll throw them a barbecue. What could be better than a day of hanging out with each other and eating good food? Only, turns out Jake and Mav don't expect the same things when it comes to throwing a barbecue.

Pressed Sunflowers by Sceld {T}

His smug expression is the final nail in the coffin for Jake, who is doing a fucking terrible job at hiding his outright shock. “You’re… Good at that,” he says slowly, pretending it’s not doing something for him. or; Jake spends the night at Bradley's place and learns more than he anticipated.

Forever your begonia by MerielTLA {T}

“This is not for me.” Mickey grinned like a fucking maniac as he held out a small envelope for everyone to see, pointing at the signature in it. Jake. The blond felt his world tilt as he frowned at the offending four letters of his name. What. The. Fuck. He pulled the card away from the other´s hand as he looked at the fancy lettering in horrified amazement. “Oh my GOD! Bagman has an admirer?!” Paybay yelled Or Jake Hangman Seresin had never gotten flowers...until he did.

With His Head Held High by dalearden {T}

Jake was born and raised in Texas and he knows a thing or two about guns. When Hard Deck is raided by a band of thugs and all inside taken hostage, Jake gets his hands on a rifle that Penny keeps under the counter and shows them exactly why they shouldn’t mess up with his Team. And Rooster may or may not get hard by seeing how precise Jake’s aim is.

Rack 'Em Up, Big Blonde by Earthangel_44 {E}

Bradley becomes a regular at a Hooters to spend three hours with a blonde server with an unfortunate taste in football teams. Along the way, Bradley might have developed feelings. AKA: Jake is a Hooter's girl and Bradley is his regular.

First Thanksgiving as a couple by Writerofthelorde {G}

Bradley and Jake live together in Bradley's old house, and they're getting everything ready for their family members. They are both nervous. Jake's parents are vastly different from Pete and he is worried they won't get along. Bradley is worried because he had been doing this holiday alone for sixteen years and he's not sure how to act. That and he has some very special papers to give Mav today, and what if he doesn't want to sign them...? The day is a mess, it's loud and hysterical and soft and full of tears.

Rolling Hills and Stormy Skies by VarjoRuusu {E}

(Not Texan!Jake - but this fic fits the vibe! <3)

Everyone thinks Jake Seresin is from Texas. Something he doesn't bother to correct, he just enjoys when his friends try and pin down exactly where his family ranch is, north, south, it's near Dallas, no it's near Austin. He sips his beer and lets them guess until the topic changes. He elbows Rooster in the side when the other man can't stop snickering because only Rooster knows Jake Seresin's ranch is in Montana. -Or, a tale of Bradley and Jake.

bluebonnet boy by dames_for_jamesbarnes {T}

"Let's go see 'em," he says. starts putting his foot on the brake, slows them down to a crawl after checking his rearview. Bradley glances back at him with wide eyes, but Jake just gives him a little smile as they roll to a stop. "C'mon. They won't bite." "But your parents might," he says to Jake, concern creeping into his tone. Jake's fingers tighten a bit on the wheel at the mention of them, even as he puts the truck in park. Bradley always plays at not being nervous, but this is different. This is meeting the folks. "Aren't they expecting us?" It's the sight of the purpley petals once more, the way they seem to shimmer and shine that allows a deep breath. "Yeah, but we're almost home," he tells the other man, reaching over to squeeze his thigh. "And... I think they'll understand." -The bluebonnets make Jake feel more than sentimental, memories of a time when he could just forget. He's glad he gets the chance to do it again with Bradley.

I thought he was older by Popandpizazz {_}

Jake recently moved to California and started dating Bradley Bradshaw and for the first time in months he’s going to see his closest friend

darling, i ain't even worried by heir2slytherin {_}

Jake Seresin did not get jealous. He didn’t have to. He was completely secure in himself, thank you very much. He knew that he was the best there was, in every aspect. He knew that nobody could even compare to him. He knew that no matter how many dates Rooster, no matter how many drinks he accepted at the bar, they were always going to end up together. Of course, he was sure of himself, but the one true thing he knew for absolute damn sure was that he and Rooster were always going to be the ones to walk into the sunset together. He didn’t need to get jealous. That was no point. ... Or, Rooster keeps going out with people who will never be as good as Hangman, and it is most certainly not killing Hangman from the inside.

Wear the Hat, Ride the Cowboy by kakyoins__wife {T}

Jake won't stop wearing obnoxiously big cowboy hats and Bradley decides to steal it.

dirty dance floors and dreams of naughtiness by davidbyrne {E}

Bradley reaches over and grabs Jake’s hat, lifting it off his head. He settles it on his own, winking at Jake as he does so. Jake smirks. “Getting into the country aesthetic?” he teases, spinning them easily. Jake admires the way Bradley follows his guidance naturally. “Nah,” Bradley answers, keeping his eyes trained on Jake. “Just testing out if a rumor I heard is true.” “What rumor?” Jake asks, crooking an eyebrow. “Steal the hat, ride the cowboy.”

If you find yourself thinkin' About that boy from East Texas by Kiddi {M}

“Funnily enough,” he decided to say, hoping he was reading the situation correctly, “this isn't the first sunrise we’ve had, is it?” Jake chuckled softly and made a small noise, “no it is not,” he agreed, “just as pretty though,” “No matter where I go,” he retraced old conversations, “the sunrise always feels like back home.” They settled in comfortable silence for a bit before Jake spoke, “it's been a while since we’ve seen each other,” he said, looking down at the sand, “Spain was it?” he looked over at Rooster, “the last time I saw you?” A little bit of shame and guilt rose in his chest, neither of them kept in touch after Spain but Rooster always felt like it was his fault, “yea, it was,” he nodded, “you haven't changed a bit though, still as annoying as ever,” he laughed, and so did Jake, “but you’re still one hell of a pilot,” Or Bradley and Jake haven't seen each other since running away from their feelings and now they have to realize that they never really went away in the first place

Somebody Sighs Who Is Not In Disguise Anymore by Totoroboiii {E}

Bradley doesn’t connect the dots that maybe Jake was his high school crush

change is alright by haridwar {M}

Jake bet fifty-fifty on whether he was going to enjoy this conversation and stepped up to the passenger side door just as the window rolled down. He was greeted with a warm, smiling, moustachioed face which took him off guard. Though Jake didn’t recognise the driver, something about him verged upon familiar. His smile faltered as his gaze flitted over Jake’s face, eyes tightening in a way Jake didn’t want to overanalyse, but it made him seem no less friendly overall. “Where you headed?” “Closest ranch,” Jake replied, trying to keep his tone neutral as he made the snap decision to not identify himself for reasons he would rather not think about. or... little bit of homecoming, whole lot of drama

show me a slow ride, cowboy by vannral {E}

”Bradley reaches, takes the hat very gently from Jake and places it on his own head. Oh. Jake’s heart is about to burst wide open through the seams.” In which Jake wears a Stetson and Bradley comes down from the perch for once. Or, the obligatory ’steal the hat, ride the cowboy’-fic.

All I want (for Christmas) by KazanskIce {T}

“It’s… almost midnight,” Jake stutters, hoping that his time estimation is right. It’s been a couple of hours since the start of the party and he hasn’t been checking his watch. “What about it?” “You know what they say… about kissing someone at midnight.” Bradley laughs shortly, but it doesn’t seem like he’s trying to be mean. When he stops, his eyes return to Jake. “Yeah, I know. Doesn’t matter, because it’s not New Year’s Eve,” he says. He’s either not getting the point or purposely trying to throw Jake off. 

From the horse's mouth by sycamoretree {M}

Jake hears that there’s trouble with his horse back home. Bradley misunderstands hugely. It has an impact on both of them.

cowboy like me by nightwrite24 {G}

“Why weren’t you in love with me the whole time, asshole?” Bradley feels the doey-eyed look in his eyes melt into downright annoyance. “Well, maybe it took me a fucking minute to figure it out, Jake!” Bradley writes songs for the girls he falls in love with.

[ohyoufool]

20k for 200!

In the spirit of everyone who has done such fun follower celebrations in the past, and the milestone I just reached (thank you for loving my ideas about these wacky little characters we all love??), I'm trying to write 20k total across different submissions YOU guys submit.

And, because I'm a sucker for chaos, this is specifically an alternate universe fic festival. Have an idea of an AU you think would be fun with OMGCP characters? This is THE MOMENT. These will be short pieces, written in order of submission over the next few weeks.

And just in case you're having a hard time brainstorming ideas... pulling back the shades on my AU ideas list I haven't written yet. Feel free to submit any of these or put your own spin on it!

The fun goes as follows:

Submit an AU. Can be from the list included below, can be one of your own ideas.

Jazz it up. Give me a song. A scene that comes to mind that made you pick the AU. A snippet of dialogue. Anything!! I want this to be a little bit a both of yours and mine, because I’m excited we’re all here to celebrate this fandom together.

Be following me, and submit it as an ask! :) <3

Submissions open until MAY 17!!

Window washer AU

Eel fishing AU

Asbestos removal AU

Ghost AU

Ice cream AU: Bitty works at an ice cream store and Jack keeps coming in and bringing different dates. Bitty catches feelings anyways, and it turns out that Jack has been bringing the dates there as excuses to see Bitty.

“Race 2” AU where Jack and Bitty get teamed up as a recently-retired NHL player and a food network star.

Sports AU: Any. give me a sport. I will write it.

Catering AU: Bitty is on the catering staff at a 5 star hotel. Jack is the best man at Shitty and Lardo’s wedding that he’s catering. 

Bitty is the PR person for the Falcs and Jack is on the coaching staff AU

I’m a night guard at a museum and you haunt the paintings AU

NASCAR AU

Space Bar AU

Bob and Alicia Assassin AU

Jack works at an upscale dude ranch, where Bitty is the celeb who comes for a getaway with his friends AU

Bitty is the newly elected President of the United States. Jack is the secret service agent assigned to him AU

Bitty!Angel AU

Jack notices slowly in little ways like Bitty always being in focus on photos and always smelling like pie and the ‘sunshine’ way that people keep describing him always makes Jack feel like the light on him is just a little wrong.

Mob Boss x Bodyguard AU

TV Show AU: The team is all playing themselves as characters in a Check Please TV show. Jack and Bitty are playing love interests. Horror ensures. 

Players in canon TV show but role reversal. Bitty’s parents were the famous actors. Gives a sexy chance for Bitty to have anxiety. Bitty looks at Jack the character and sees what is easy to love about himself. BECAUSE they are playing opposite roles. Jack loves him like it’s breathing. 

Airstream AU: Bitty buys a pair of hiking boots from Jack on Facebook marketplace. Bitty is doing the social media and cooking and driving for his best friends’ band while they’re travelling the states and hiking around America while he runs a cook vlog from their airstream trailer. Jack is a mechanic and failed motorcycle racer who sells him the boots. Bitty proceeds to text Jack photos of the boots accompanying him around the tour across the US throughout the summer. The vlog about the journey of the boots makes Bitty’s vlog blow up and go viral. The band starts taking off. Bitty (also their opening act), invites Jack to a show when they’re back in the area. Jack sneaks off to a show that he didn’t think he was going to be able to make it to and Bitty comes on stage and fucking SINGS A SONG ABOUT HIM. They make out against the airstream after.

High school musical AU: instead of troy and gabriella, they’re CHAD AND RYAN

Bitty the vlogger who has an ongoing series about how he has the criteria for the Perfect Date and he’s convinced that once he goes on it, he’ll have found the perfect guy. He slowly gains followers and goes on a date on a friend (Shitty’s) recommendation, and to his surprise, the guy gets ZERO of the things on his list. They fall in love anyways. AU

Rock band in the middle of the apocalypse. Yeah that’s it. AU

Politician and reporter AU

Wedding DJ x Wedding Party AU

Wild West AU

Band AU where Bitty is the lead singer and Jack is the drummer and they’re famous. Bitty has been in love with jack for forever and jack finally catches feelings. There is totally a gay angst moment where jack writes a song and it gets leaked  on twitter. So there’s Jack, in a backwards baseball cap with an acoustic guitar and IT’S THE DRUMMER POSTING AN ACOUSTIC LOVE SONG. sound the alarms. The worst part is it mentions blonde hair and brown eyes and it’s so about Bitty it isn’t even worth denying and ends up getting them together.

Witch AU where someone has a cursed item and is taking it to the other character, who is a cursebreaker, to fix it. (You pick who is who)

College track AU: Jack is an unbeatable distance runner and Bitty is the short and fiery sprinter who he can’t keep his eyes off of.

Speech and debate team AU

SECRET BONUS OPTION:

ALL THE AUs: Jack/BItty keeps waking up in different realities. He isn’t quite sure what it means. Based on the quote: “you don’t get what you want, but you get what you need.”

[bugthebog]

Day 8: Missing

Words: 488

Our city is perfectly normal. Town if you must, village if you're being technical. But we have a perfectly average crime rate by populus, and the absolute correct number of restaurants and shops. Many are local: an above average percentage. Me, I'm not so average. I'm a little taller, a little more ginger, a little more curious than the average citizen. My family, like every third-to-fifth family throughout our area, has an outdoor cat. The thing is, I swear it's not the same outdoor cat every time. His colour changed, shifting just slowly enough that I couldn't be sure of it until I checked the photos. My family doesn't believe me. My kid brother snorts and says, so what if the cat changes? It is an outdoor cat, after all. As if that explains how a black cat could slowly turn tabby with no one noticing. Maybe the number of outdoor pets was above average, but these numbers are hard to track.

Maybe I'm the one who's wrong: I once brought up how weird our cats were to my best friend who lives just across the street, and her suggestion was a shrug and a blank stare. "Cats are just like that," she said. This lived in the back of my mind for years, all through high school, and by then I had a boyfriend and wasn't as much worried about our weird cat, or any other cats I passed in the street daily. I was walking home one night from band practice, humming our latest song, when I saw something abnormal.

You have to understand, my whole life I'd never seen anything abnormal, so I am not sure if I am using the term correctly. What I saw is this: a cat being absorbed by a tree. A moment later, a different one walked out the other side. I know it was a different one because it was a lighter colour, white patches decorating it's rump that hadn't been there before, the slim white tail noticeably shorter. I am so disturbed that when I arrive home that night I go onto the facebook page I have been avoiding since I first noticed Carl the Cat's strange changes: the missing pet page.

What I find relieves and confuses me. People keep finding their pets, but the FOUND picture they post is never quite the same as the missing poster. And it's not some psychopath replacing people's pets, for the pet displays similar behaviours once found-- to a point. The animal is never quite the same, maybe traumatized or whatever by their experience on the streets, as evidenced by these people posting to ask how to reconnect with dear Fluffy, who recognizes them but is just a bit more distant. A bit less trusting.

The main pattern I notice is that the coats get lighter. Always lighter. I worry what happens when they get too pale.

[glittery-phantom]

I have this one friend who I've known for years honestly like maybe 3 years verging on 4 and he is literally the main reason I started trying to restrict and fast and eat low calorie and excessive exercise I'd never tell him that cause I know it'd only hurt him in the long-run and I'm not intreasted in making him feel worse than he already does besides this was always inevitable honestly the only reason I never did was because I didn't know how but slowly he inadvertently managed to teach me the basics of things I previously never knew and then Google, Tumblr, and my mom, taught me the rest at some point or another this was always bound to happen I've struggled with disordered eating since before I even met him always delt with body dysmorphia it's really not his fault honestly it's my family, strangers, bullies, doctors, not him

I'd hate to hurt his feelings or loose him because we are both so unwell to talk to one another anymore and terrified for eachother he means a lot to me and has been a more positive influence on me than most people I've been around I just hate how wrapped up in our ED's we have become

I just felt jealous of his success why should he be sk1nny and not me? Why do I deserve to eat and not him? Why should he starve to death and not me? I wanna be buried sk1nny and I don't wanna be the only one left after he's gone if he didn't come online for a day or post on any of his other accounts at all I'd know exactly what happened to him honestly

I don't blame him for me turning out like this and I wish he wouldn't blame himself either this isn't his fault and it never has been I'm just fucked up WE are fucked up

He doesn't even tell me stuff relating to his ED anymore cause it used to worry me and I'd just copy him honestly I literally have been copying him too so that's pretty fair really he really doesn't want me following in his foot-steps

I know this may sound irrelevant but trust me it's relevant just bare with me here okay? when I lost 35 pounds a bunch of people would make comments about my weight loss and on the one hand I loved those comments but they also scared me and hurt me and made me crazy cause I was scared my unexplained weight-loss would just end with me getting fat again and then they'd stop telling me that stuff and judge me it made me desperate to loose more weight but I didn't know how at the time I had no idea about Calories, BMR, among so many other things so I'd just pray I lost more and pray the purg3ing did the trick

Why this is relevant is because I know he probably feels the same and I know deep down it'd hurt him and make him sad and uncomfortable and push him to get worse if told him he is literally my thinspø because I saw a photo of his weight loss on Facebook by accident I haven't been able to forget it

Today we were talking about ED's and he mentioned how he had been fasting for so long and genuinely when I heard that I wanted him to tell me because I wanted to copy him and compete with him to try and fast for longer than he had even if only by a day because I had been copying his OMAD and low calorie restriction

I hope he never sees this I don't even know why I'm posting it I know he's active on ana-blr I'm just so screwed up I keep telling him his life would be better without me cause I'm not a good influence and I have a tendency to burn bridges but he's so unwell and lonely he won't and as long as he's willing to stay I am too I've been like that for years because I'm terrified of being alone if he leaves I have nobody left

[purplesurveys]

1944

Is your closet disorganized? It's not at the moment. I do have a great talent at slowly making it more and more chaotic lol, but when that happens I just do a hard restart and fix it back to how the clothes should look like.

Have you ever been to Times Square? I haven't but I would love to. I feel like I'd really enjoy my time there.

What TV shows do you watch on a regular basis? The only show I really ever enthusiastically rewatch would be Friends. I can't do that now, though, since they took it out of Netflix a few days ago. :( It's moving on Max when it launches in the Philippines later this month, and since I already have an HBO Go subscription (which will apparently rebrand into Max) I think I won't stay Friends-less for too long.

Have you ever accidentally left something valuable at a shop before? Not a shop, but I've left some stuff behind from events and never got to recover them. The things I feel most sorry for losing would be my pink Hydroflask tumbler (which I've had since college, so I was very attached to it huhu) + my power strip that I had bought just the day before.

What makes your life remarkable? Idk but I'm generally proud of myself for achieving as much as I have at 26 considering how shy I used to be or how much I really doubted myself since childhood. I still do...but I guess I'm just good at faking it till I make it.

Are you putting off doing anything that you really need to get done? Kind of, yeah.

What is the last thing you scribbled down on a Post-It note? Just work notes.

What are you currently listening to? I can hear the ceiling fan and a bit of my mom's TV upstairs, but other than that it's quiet.

How would you react in discovering your best friend was seriously obsessed with you? I'd tbh go straight to her fiance and ask what's going on and how I can help.

Do you care if your produce is organic or not? No.

Do you have any children? If so, how old were you when you had them? If not, do you think you ever will? No. I don't think I will.

Do you eat meat? Yes.

Do you get enough calcium? I like to think so. I drink milk everyday lol, for one.

Do you think before you act or speak? That's something I've definitely learned how to do more and more the older I've gotten and the more people I meet.

Do you have a SwagBucks account? I have no idea what that is.

Are you nosy? I could not care less.

Do you always try on clothes before purchasing them? No, it's such a hassle. I just pick something if I like it, find it in my size, and pay. Fitting takes such a long time considering I'll get it anyway lmao

Is there anything in your closet with the tags still on? I don't think so, no.

Are you happy with the size of your bedroom? It's the right size but I'm also looking forward to having a bigger room just for the sake of being able to experience having a spacious room.

Do you add people you don’t actually know on Facebook? No and I genuinely don't understand why others do that. Facebook, at least where I'm from, is different from other platforms in that it's designed for your personal network and keeping up to date with their lives. That said I uhhhh would have absolutely no reason to be adding strangers and knowing about their vacations or seeing their family photos. That idea is so weird...even stalkerish...to me.

What’s your favorite condiment? Mayonnaise. Chili garlic oil. Sesame oil!!!

Would you even want to know how much of your life has been spent online? Yes just out of curiosity but I know I'd be so ashamed of myself once I find out the number haha.

Do you shop at American Eagle? No.

List 5 things you’re afraid of: Losing a loved one, fire, cockroaches, rats, sharp objects.

Have you forgotten anything important recently? Ahaha last Wednesday I was out for a work meeting only to realize pretty late that I did not have either of my debit cards + my driver's license – I had transferred them into a smaller purse the other day when I went out for a family lunch and never got to place them back in my wallet. Fortunately I had my employee ID with me, but I still felt so stupid.

Would you say you’re an honest person? More often than not, yeah. If anything, I feel like I'm only ever dishonest toward myself – like about my personal feelings and frustrations and insecurities and such. In front of everyone else, though, I find it a waste of time to bullshit them.

The last Facebook message you received from the opposite sex, what did it say? It was just him telling me how to buy a PS5, haha.

What does the nicest message in your Facebook inbox say? I don't really keep track of stuff like that.

Is your best friend single? Nope.

What color was the ink of the last pen you wrote with? Black.

What does your pencil-case look like? I don't have one.

Where was the last place you went that was totally new to you, as in, it was the first time you’d been there? Good question. I wanna say Amici? I've had their food before, but I've never actually dined in their restaurant. It was a pleasant experience and the servers were all very nice.

When was the last time you used someone else’s computer? Around a month ago when I asked for permission to use Tina's laptop since she has Canva premium on hers.

Who do you dislike the most? Explain what you dislike about that person. I don't like one of my uncles because he's always been a useless dad who's done nothing but drag my hardworking, self-made cousin down...he's also a terrible TERRIFUCKINGBLE husband and has never kept a stable job...not to mention the fact that he subscribes to Nazism? You're fucking Filipino, what the fuck are you doing being a Nazi hello ahahaha??? It's just so frustrating watching a man have no redeemable qualities whatso fucking ever lol

What’s the longest you’ve liked someone without doing anything about it? I dunno. Like 2, 3 months? I asked them out immediately as I wanted to give it a shot, at least.

Do you use straightening irons on your hair? What brand? No.

What’s the relationship status of the last person you talked to? Single. At least I think she is. I don't pressure her to tell me anything.

Is there anything you would like to complain about? Yeah work sucks and I wish I could find something that brings me joy again.

What’s the first line of the last song you listened to? "Dearest, darling, my universe, would you take me along?"

Think of the person from your past that hurt you the most. Is there anything you would like to say to that person? No.

Does your mom like the last person you kissed? I knew she did.

Now your cell phone, what color is it? Light blue.

What was so special about today? The actual day sucked, but this evening I treated myself to sushi and found out that WWE Network is back in the country so I subscribed heheh. First thing I watched was Paul Heyman's HOF speech and let's just say I'm so glad I chose that.

If somebody tried to steal your best friend’s boyfriend/girlfriend, what would you do? That's kind of happening already. Gut reaction was to talk shit about the person directly to Angela, especially because she was already crying about it so I had permission to be angry and petty lol.

What was the last thing you said to your mother? Can't remember exactly but she was asking me a luggage-related question since she'll be flying out with dad in the next two weeks, and I just answered her on that.

When was the last time you cried? LOL I teared up a bit watching Hello, Love, Goodbye this afternoon - but since I was watching with my sister and I never cry in front of family, I made up some bullshit excuse that I had to pee but really it was so that I could let it out in the bathroom hahaha

Has anyone made you upset lately? Not really, no.

What are you looking forward to? Seeing my dad. Not working in my workplace anymore...

Does anyone completely understand you? Sure.

Ever stayed up all night on the phone? Yeah.

Do you miss your past? I do miss some parts of it, but it's all in a nostalgic sense. I'm not like, caught up or feeling stuck in 2016 or anything like that.

Do you have a reason to smile right now? I do.

Are you a forgiving person? No.

Do you say sorry first? Yes, if I have to.

Do you like cats? I like cats now - Max helped me with that. I'm still very much a dog person but my previous slight dislike for cats is pretty much nonexistent now.

Has someone promised you something and broke it? Sure.

Did you kiss or hug anyone today? Just the pets.

Does your phone ring in the middle of the night? It doesn't, and unless it's coming from family I'd be a little pissed off if anyone would be calling that late. I would also 100% ignore the call.

Is there anybody you’re really disappointed in right now? No.

Have you ever lost someone you wish you didn’t? For a period of time I felt this way, but it's also been a long time since I got over it.

Are you anything like you were a year ago? Yeah, in that I'm still a ball of nerves and anxiety at work everyday.

Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? Sure.

Would you rather spend a day outside with friends or inside alone? I'd love to spend a day with friends, mainly because I already work from home 5 days a week and spend most of my time alone.

Think back to this time last year, were you happy? Not completely.

Has anyone upset you in the last week? Sure.

What should you be doing? I should be sleeping but like it's the weekend so I want to make the most of my precious free time before work shoots up my blood pressure again.

Describe how you feel right now in one word. Escaping.

What would you do if you found out one of your friends was going for the person you liked? I don't like anyone.

Do you prefer drinking water from a bottle or a sink? I can't drink from the sink in the first place; tap water is not a thing here.

Will you ever run away and get married in Las Vegas with no notifications to either of your families? No.

Have you ever thrown your iPod in anger? I can't recall ever doing so.

Who did you last have a heart-to-heart conversation with? Angela.

Do you believe that there’s good in everybody? Sorry, no.

Has anything happened to you within the past month that has made you mad? Yes.

Would you ever get a tattoo? Probably not. Needles be freaky.

[kissmethroughthebone]

I feel so...... disoriented.

A wonderful date, followed by the next morning getting attacked by his ex. All over some tapdancing financial analyst who I wasn't even SERIOUSLY seeing. Why was I in it? God.

Like, something about this dude was too perfect. He was everything I wanted in a man to manifest, and even got me a ruby bracelet I had secretly desired for ages. And I was like, what's the catch, Universe?

Turns out the catch is the catching of hands at 8:30am by a screaming banshee with an Aliexpress clearance sale wig.

And of course him, he was wanting me around since I'm the only girl he has as an option, but slowly distancing and being stingy, since I suppose whatever classy and elegant softspoken charming woman he thought he knew vanished after seeing me with no wig, pimphand his ex, and then set him straight, ever so gently, I was ridiculously calm even, for lying to me in the first place.

He didn't cheat, they were 100% broken up, she just wanted to start drama. And a man lying and saying they were broken up half a year and just roommates, is a huge difference from saying they were broken up a month only. But regardless, not a great scenario all around.

And oh lookie, the guy who was so generous from the jump and a sweetheart and allegedly wanted to do all this extravagance on my birthday, is now conveniently busy, and "saving money" and whatnot.

And I cut him off since he's now going on a trip. Ah, that doesn't scream money-saving to ME.

Also paired with him telling me last Thursday that he wanted to do this one event with me "next weekend, on the 10th or 11th", and then I had to ask HIM myself last night if he was still down. And he conveniently forgot to tell me.

Ah, for someone always on his mind, he sure forgot about plans we made, or to remotely tell me that the plans are undoable thanks to a spontaneous trip.

Fuck him.

Ah well, I don't get to score an apology gift the size of Texas. A conveeeeeeniently undocumented "destruction of his personal items and stealing all the money in his wallet" from his ex. What dumbass would "forget" to take photos of evidence of a destruction of his items? The DA would throw his case out. His funeral, if he is telling the truth!

I shall take the L and move on, ah well, at least I got it on video. And oddly enough that boosted me to the algorithm on multiple social media sites, so, lol.

And now just using men for stuff on my bucket list and refusing to get attached even if I wanted to. I just no longer respect them at this point. It's a cruel joke to even think about liking them.

The last guy I claimed publicly was messaging women on FaceBook Dating behind my back, even during the good moments, so fuck him. The guy before that was actively sabotaging our relationship by being paranoid of me seeing others, whole time he was the one seeing others. And overall I hate a man that gets stingy, comfortable, or unbearable...

I only came back to the recent fella since I wanted an apology gift at best and a hangout buddy that paid for my stuff at worst, but alas. A liar that lied to make himself look good would of course keep the habit. Ah well, let's dip, thank you.

[elfwreck]

not calling out anyone here - these are sentiments I have seen before. And I get it. I'm a power user of Windows, and Microsoft is awful and Windows gets worse every year (damn I miss WinXP's search functions so much...) but for a lot of us - Linux is not better.

Less invasive, sure. Less loaded with bloatware. More customizable.

But those features are only useful if the computer also does what you expect your computer to do, and "customizable" is only useful if you understand the options and how to set them.

Virtual box is weird and complicated and does not integrate well with the rest of the computer. (And a daughter who plays Genshin, which I gather is difficult, although maybe not impossible, to do in a virtual box.)

I would definitely need a virtual box; I'm a power-user of programs that have no Linux versions, including Adobe Acrobat Pro. (If you want to convince me there's a good Linux alternative, talk to me about its bookmark and form field editing features.)

Damn I hate having to download & install an update for Discord every couple of days. (I know there's an interface or wrapper or something that will let it auto-update. It takes more space on the disc, which my Linux laptop doesn't have to spare.)

Cannot find my files in Linux. I'm sure they're organized in some much-more-logical way - but the point is, I don't know that way, and don't want to spend a few months being frustrated with the system trying to get used to it.

My job is Windows-based. Cannot stop using Windows; could only shift to "and ALSO use some different system when not at work."

Linux often has tech-support issues - there are very few purchase-new Linux laptops, and the rest often have issues like "must manually install these drivers from a flash drive before your laptop will recognize the internet."

A large portion of the Linux community is hostile to Windows users. Answers to tech questions on forums often include comments like "if you don't have the technical details of the software and OS you're using, you're doing it wrong. Go away and come back when your question is coherent." ...Which does not help a person searching their phone trying to find answers to "why does my new-Linux install not connect to the internet?"

There is no Switch From Windows To Linux website, forum, or support community. There are several Linux options (...several hundred, but we'll limit it to the half-dozen often recommended to newbies), and there's no coherent pros & cons lists, because the people recommending them don't understand what people get out of Windows well enough to make those lists. Microsoft comes with free tech support for new purchases. If your laptop or desktop isn't working correctly when you start it, or there's issues like "sound keeps shutting off," you can contact them, and they will walk you through the problems. (Or, will troubleshoot and say "you have a hardware issue; sorry; I can't help.") There is no equivalent for Linux... there's "visit some forums, in which you can find advice for your problem dating back to 1993; try to find something recent because the old advice probably involves software pieces that no longer exist."

I gather that Linux is terrific for coders, for programmers. Maybe for sysadmins. However, for office workers & students, it's not better, just not full of adware.

That is a good feature! That is a GREAT feature!

...that is not enough of a feature to give up the software that doesn't have Linux support, nor to have to learn a new OS that isn't what most jobs & schools use.

(Want to fix that? Set up a How And Why To Switch website and be welcoming and friendly to clueless newbies who will ask things like "does Linux work for Facebook?" and "how do I get to my photos on Linux?" Because until that exists, Windows is going to dominate the office spaces; schools are slowly being ceded to Google's Chromebooks.)

(For actual would-be Linux newbies: My #1 bit of advice is choose a password that you don't mind typing. A lot. There are people who claim you can Linux without the terminal - without command-line instructions. I assume they are not lying, but they are not talking about the Linux most of us are stuck working with. #2 advice is, when you search for answers online, limit the results to the past year.)

A boy can dream, can't he?

[mochamoonstone]

୨୧ Diary Enterary 6- 02.12.2024 ୨୧୨

So diary, I sometimes look back on my secondary school days, and compare them with their Facebook posts. I wasn't treated very well there, and neither were my friends. There'd be these teachers in year 11 trying to be chummy with the students and just making some really fucked up jokes- I remember one teacher in particular joked about someone ending up homeless in one of our lessons. Or just the ignorance of the bullying or how much of my life was lost. I don't know why, but I feel so stunted. I'm a fly stuck in those papers that keep it to a wall and can't leave, slowly suffocating to death. The more I try to move on, the more I'm reminded of it, and in my worst moments, I'll go back to that website and look at their photos from then and just feel sick. Because I know it's not real- or lined up with my reality. I just feel this disconnect, like those should have been the best years of my life, and those images show people who were my peers with faces I can't picture smiling. It just doesn't feel right. I think so much of that experience made me feel so ashamed because I sometimes remember conversations. Like the one I had with one of my teachers about prom, it pretty much went like this: (For reference, T is her, ME is me speaking )

T- Mocha why aren't you going to prom? It's such a big life experience, you really shouldn't miss out on it. ME- I've just never been a big fan of social events. Prom just isn't my thing.

I lied in that response. I had lost so much of myself that I don't think celebrating it would have helped. On the last day, I do remember just hiding in the toilets; they were all having a barbeque, and I just felt so overwhelmed. I'd spent so long waiting for things to improve, and they just didn't. And it hit me how much I'd given to never receive. I put down the toilet seat and just lost it. I'd been overstimulated, and I'd been faced with the realisation that almost all of my teenage years had been decimated because of ignorance from my peers and teachers. It was kind of cathartic, and I just lied and told people that I had really bad ibs that day, so I bailed on it, so now I don't feel like such a loser. But I look at the photos from time to time. Everyone is smiling, and enjoying themselves there. Funny, it's like I didn't even exist to them. Like there were two worlds: a 16-year-old crying in a bathroom and a group of adults and teens enjoying a BBQ and partying. It was a weird kind of disparity I guess.

I at least got to have my own prom, though. My parents let me stay up late that night, and we had a swing set in our back garden. It always soothed me, especially when I'd just blast music like Marina and the Diamonds or Florence and The Machine through my headphones, and I could just zone out when I was on it. I stayed out til it got dark and got to see the stars that night. It was comforting in a strange way- they got their party and I had mine, they had a student body and I had the night sky and the ground beneath me to keep me company. Two different ways of a celebration I suppose: They were having one last hurrah, and I got to have my first one. It was nice in a way.

Sometimes, I really want to be bitter—to hate them, slag them off, and tear them down to how I was. But I don't think I can—I just get hit by these waves of memories, and I deal with them. I can ride the wave and acknowledge that it's there. In a way, I think my trauma made me, well, me. People say you have to shove it in a suitcase and lock away the key. Sometimes, people tell you to ignore it so it'll go away. But I've never been big on cowardice. Mocha refuses to cower. And I'd much rather wear my scars and accept that I have them and that they'll take time to heal, then let the cut get infected. Always and forever, Mocha.

[j-a-smiths-blog]

2050 11Oct24: Chapter 285

Is it the end?

This past year has been a struggle... but to make things even worse... my marriage isn't getting ant stronger either. In fact it's pushing further apart.

I, in a nutshell (it's never nor will it ever be said), have to just keep my mouth shut. My opinions are not worthy, my ideas, hopes and dreams, all need to be crushed because it wasn't written in the book of happiness therefor why am I not doing what I should and that's keeping my mouth shut?

Am I missing something? Did I do something wrong? I'm very fucking confused. I gave up everything, literally everything... for this life? And when I do try to talk to my wife about it... "You don't think i..i..i..."

I deactivated my Facebook. I kept messenger working as it's the only way to talk to people back stateside. I was hit with a community standards warning because I had posted a picture of President Trump.

Literally, all I did was added this photo... and yet Democrat backed fact checkers hit me with a warning... I found out while I was trying to figure out how to deactive Facebook. They make it so difficult.

I guess I am just slowly trhing to pry myself away from social media as it's just a way to ruin your life.

[ozma914]

Haunted by a Haunted Book Project

 Well, I finally finished the first draft of Haunted Noble County, Indiana, which is all well and good, but would be better if the whole thing was done.

Especially after a year. A whole year.

I love researching, and I love history. I'm not a big fan of doing interviews, being what they used to call shy, and then antisocial, and now call introverted. (I'm sure there are differences between the three, but I don't like asking people.) Still, the interviewing hasn't taken as long as I thought, and the researching has taken way longer, so I can't complain.

What I can complain about are the numerous delays in the project that had nothing to do with the project. Don't get me started on Covid.

This is the face of Covid. It's pretty much the same as my tired face, except with a fever.

Anyway, my goal was to be finished by April, and it's now June. I still haven't added photos, or even captioned the photos. I don't have the project finished enough for Emily to go through and show me all the mistakes I've made. I haven't heard back from some of the people I reached out to, which is understandable because they probably haven't heard back from me since August of last year.

As a result, sadly, once again, I have no one to blame but myself. And Covid. Hey, the Chinese planned this whole pandemic to delay my writing career!

No? No, I guess not.

History! Photographed by John A. Harkless, who was responsible for many now-historical Albion photos.

This is the part where I apologize to everyone--and yes, I mean you--who I may have forgotten to get back in touch with in the past year. If anyone reads this who had a story, photograph or other information for me and may have gotten lost along the way, please contact me here, or on the book of faces, or wherever discerning patrons of history may haunt. Yes, I am trying to wrap it up, but there's still time to throw in more information.

On a related note, for anyone I have talked to, please let me know if it's okay to use your name in the book (if you haven't already said). If I made contact with someone but didn't get consent to use their name, they'll go down in Noble County history as "anonymous". After that, if you sign anything you have to remember how to spell anonymous, and no one wants that.

Finally, yes, the project has been pushed back, almost certainly until next year. The traditional publishing industry is a lot of things, some good and some bad, but above all else the wheels grind slowly.

The original Ligonier City Jail. Very cool, especially if you got stuck there during winter.

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Remember: Ghost are always looking for new books to read over your shoulder.

[elaichoi]

gasp 🔴 live viewing of soulmates au unfolding irl

yes in fact i am (confirmed)

to be fair i haven't been on tumblr that long i joined somewhere btwn jan-mar of this year and so i don't think ive experienced many of your themes (blog profile wise), but i remember stalking the tags and it was easy to spot what works were yours based on the header edit, it stands out and is v eyecatching among other stuffs in the tags ^_^

mhm i think your style is very deviantart fs hehe,,, NAUR FR they r the ogs i used to want to be them so bad. for reference i started getting into kpop around 2/2.5 gen,, i was an admin on a facebook snsd fanpage and posted like png shadow/swirl edits 😭😭😭 simple times

hell i'd love to! i don't think i'm mentally there i fr lack the creative capacity, its in very rare circumstances do i see something that i kind of envision and edit in my head and ill usually screenshot it to keep the idea there but i even more rarely ever jump into starting the edit.

yes it is! i still have and use it, it was the 'it' app for photo editors back then me thinks, kind of like the ae of photo editing... at least from my viewpoint on the ig fanpage editing scene. it was the hotter sister to picsart lmaoo

see soulmates au!! we couldve crossed paths but we didn't!! until now!! 😾

omg wait stop it cus i used to love reading imagines n shit on ig but im pretty sure i stopped because i felt like it wasn't a popular content type esp since its a photography platform. i browsed the tags for imagines n stuff but it was meh,, i only followed ONE imagines account 🥲

wait so to clarify, u also edited on ig alongside writing?? imagine if we crossed paths on the algorithm dats crazy 😭 you're the cool one i wish i could be skilled in both literature and art ?? i simply do not have enough brain cells for that ^_^

canva on phone is my enemy‼️ at least the last time i used the mobile app,, bc i now use it only on desktop, sometimes on ipad... cus u alr cannot see the layers i cannot be doing anything complex bc i will def tap on the wrong layer and thats annoying -_- the patience u have ㅠㅠ well assuming the app is still like that idk maybe it changed

HAHAH i used to draw before like pencil paper shit so i thought i could do it digitally....and after years of not drawing on pencil paper too 💀💀

u are so much more articulate than me goodbye thats embarrassing 4 me T_T

soulmate does exist <3 look at us being prime example!!

actually i think ive active with my account within the time frame as well, probably feb-march i think, but before that i didn't care about the account that much but like slowly started make headers im a tryhard ( only after i stopped obsessing tumblr themes bc i couldn't figure it out) ARE you fr?? like u could tell my works in the tags of my header?! dude that's so,,, that's like such a huge compliment that I've got something that makes someone go ah yes it's that same. author like it feels so fulfilling, YOURE REALLY BUTTERING ME UP ILYSM!!! thousand consentual kisses!!!!

YOURE SO COOL WTH YOU'VE BEEN HERE SINCE 2/2.5 GEN PLS THATS SO awesome ive been into kpop since mid 2017 so most of my groups like og ones were third gen but I listened to 2nd gens too and SNSD my beloved!!! genie was my introduction of kpop tbh and replay by shinee is what made me stay so i can say im a child of 2nd gens too lmao but holy shit I want YOUR PLAYLIST!!!!!!!! GIVE ME SONG RECS!

tbh i get you i only edit for my headers or blog too tbh like usually if there is no purpose you don't really feel like editing bc it's like what are you even gonna do with it? and you've said that you've always posted them so maybe the fact you don't have anywhere to showcase your art has you feeling like that too?

"hotter sister of picsart" this is so real bc all the hot editorson Instagram ( the western artists collage style specially) all used superimpose and thr fact they used to pay for it too.

bro like imagine if we did cross paths i think i was more active on ig during 2019-2021? imagine if we had ever crossed paths since we both worked on kpop lmao, okay but if you like posted your work under #kpopgfx im pretty sure i have came across at least once!

did kpop have imagine accounts? i knew a lot of dating door accounts tho lmao but then again i was stuck in wattpad, and that's all the delulu you need lmao.

lmao yeah i always wrote with my works, most of my edits were based on stuff i wrote basically like love stories based on songs, certain ideas (was BIG on mythologies and all the other things.) but really fr tho i wonder if I actually ever saw your work tho because i never had the guts to interact with other editors.

lmao im the same with canva but on laptop i for the life of me cant do that plus i just use it get pngs and other stuff also when i want to do masking lmao. i usually collect shit on there and then manipulate those on my own app.

bro that is insane that you used to actually drawing like as someone who can't draw a single straight line this is so cool to me i really wish i could draw tbh

articulate and me? lmao im literally all over the place but it's so sooo fun to talk to you!!

[delectablegecko]

I hate social media, although it's not that simple.

I find myself enjoying my experience on Snapchat. That is, until I swipe to the discover page. What the fuck am I to discover there? Endless and mindless scrolling? Tapping and tapping, just to see things not to enrich my life, but to merely pass time?

I think it's possible to always find something that's beneficial in every moment. It may be impossible to truly live in every moment like that, but there's always a possibility.

But then, I'm on my Tumblr feed, and it feels different.

I deleted my Facebook forever which in turn made it impossible for me to log into Instagram anymore. Although, I did stop using Instagram a few years before deleting my Facebook.

I'm never getting TikTok. YouTube shorts, the same exact thing, fucks with me in a bad way.

Twitter is, mostly terrible.

It's just so fake. So bullshit. So much bullshit.

That's what makes me realize that it isn't entirely about it being social media but rather, how people use it.

The tumblr live page at the top gives me that same feeling. I'm sure the people using it are expressing valuable things but I miss the old Tumblr. The experience was never broken by ads or a livestream. It was an uninterrupted flow of water. And the people. The people here just seem to post things that mean something.

That's why it's different. People are just here sharing things that directly enriches their lives.

Snapchat too. I use it to talk to my friends and easily share photos and videos. It feels more personal. I'm sending something that means something to me and I want to share with the people I care about and that care about me.

Tumblr feels personal too. I may not know the people, but we're all experiencing life in a similar way. I'm not sure what it is about it. That's just a feeling I have.

On Tumblr I can freely write without a care in the world. I couldn't give a rats ass about what people will think or say. I have freedom here. The freedom to be genuine and myself. The freedom to write.

The rest of them don't feel that way. It's so cold and uninviting. It's a sinkhole filled with desires and expectations. The lust for attention and reassurance.

Fucking bullshit.

I crave that attention and reassurance. I'm anxious a lot but I'm slowly finding ways to find reassurance within myself and within God.

I'm scared. I'm scared of what's to come. I make decisions and I fear the consequences of those actions.

What do I do, what do I do? Endless rumination. The world appears to be collapsing.

Yet it's not. I don't need to know. I don't need to worry. Whatever happens, I can figure it out. I said fuck it and willingly became homeless. I was excited. I was driven. I was curious. It was mystical.

No matter what happens, no matter how bad I fuck up, no matter how bad I hurt someone, I don't need to hate myself for it. I can allow myself some grace. I don't need to ruminate. Just because I accept myself and remain confident and happy after fucking up doesn't mean I didn't take my mistake seriously, and that I don't care about whoevers feelings, or that I don't understand how I could have made a permanent impact on their life, for better or worse.

I'm just free. Free to fuck up. Free to fail. Free to hurt people. Free to try my best. Free to explore. Free to imagine. Free to be curious. Free to be hated, disliked, and despised.

I don't want to hurt anyone. When I do, I feel so much shame. I become so scared of how they will react. Terrified of whatever terrible consequence that I completely deserve that is coming. I take away my own happiness in these moments. I eradicate my confidence. I destroy my desire to live.

I'm free to fail. I'm free to experience life.

Even if I get fired. Even if I go to jail. Even if I crash my car. Even if I have drug addictions. Even if I isolate myself and push away the people who care about me. Even if I fuck up in some unimaginable way.

I'm free.

Nothing can stop me. Things will try, but it's up to me with the guidance of God to make it through.

Fuck you, expectations. Fuck, you.

When those moments come back to you of those things you said and did...

Fuck those expectations. Fuck that fear.

Fuck.

You.

Go to hell, you miserable fuck.

I don't need to sit down and hate myself.

I need to stand up, be humble, acknowledge my mistake and suffer the consequences.

It's going to be hard.

It's going to feel like shit.

But.

I.

HAVE.

To.

I need to live through the pain of my mistakes rather than avoid them or wallow in pity for myself.

I want to suffer.

It sounds fucked up, but it's not masochism.

I hate suffering. It's unbearable and annoying.

But I know.

I KNOW.

Suffering in these ways will make me stronger. Help me realize my faults. Help me atone for what I did. Help me get better at repairing relationships. Help me get better at not damaging relationships.

Suffering in this way can only bring me growth.

I hate it. I hate it so much.

It hurts.

It's hard.

But it wouldn't mean something if it didn't hurt so bad.

Something like, we store information better when it means something, and when we no longer have to think about it and we inherently understand it, we can move forward in peace, love and grace.

That's really curious. How do we inherently know things?

What is that?

Where does it come from?

Those things where you just know what it means without words.

It's just there. You just know. It's an intuitional sense.

It's strange.

Life is strange in the most beautiful way.

[ultralaser]

thinking today about all the social media sites i have lost over the years

2018/9 to today - twitter

cause of death - a robber baron having a midlife crisis, or maybe a multi level marketing scheme of authoritarians aligning to take down a protest hub

what we lost - a reliable, expansive feed of traditional Wierd Internet, breaking news, esoteric discourse, and minor celebrities who might actually follow you if you had a good bit of humor or outrage go a bit viral

2010 to 2018? - instagram

cause of death - facebook buyout, the algorithm, monetization

what we lost - started as a nice way to share pictures, then it became very difficult to see your actual friends pictures under all the Content, then they pivoted to video (stories aka snapchats), then they pivoted to video AGAIN (reels aka tiktoks), now they've somehow pivoted to video YET AGAIN and buried your friends reels under an avalanche of reposted tiktok Content, if they havent all been shadowbanned anyways for only posting pictures

2008 to 2018/9 - tumblr

cause of death - yahoo, digital gentrification, a legitimate need to clean out all the csm that went really badly and ended up breaking everyone's trust

what we lost - a full decade of community building of all the quirky independent artisinal discourse this site became known (and then maligned) for, leading to the last three years of twitter users whinging endlessly about tumblr bs while i'm all "why are you booing us, we're right!" bc this is where we were radicalized and twitter is where trump happened

2000? to 2015? - facebook

cause of death - nazi apologia, maga regulatory capture, broken ass algorithm, pivot to video, "it's meta now", etc etc

what we lost - it started as a fun simple way to keep up with your family, and friends from hs and college and old jobs, and to share cat photos and baby photos. it ended up as a radicalization vector for turning your grandparents into far right trolls.

2003ish to 2005ish - my movie critic friend luke's web forum on his personal site

cause of death - actually i don't remember, it might still be there, oops. but probably hosting fees vs just moving to facebook

what we lost - a fun little community of luke, me and some of his other internet friends, some of his irl friends, and his cool irish uncle, plus random angry strangers, just talking mostly positively about movies. it was a good vibe, felt like working at the movie theatre again

1999? to 2002? - killingmachines

cause of death - hosted on a server in my brother's office, which died and killed the archive and also nuked the code, which, will definitely happen to someone's mastodon instance in the next 3-6mos, oops

what we lost - a budding community of us and our friends and also a bunch of early internet randos i never regained contact with but still remember fondly to this day

1999 to 2001ish - the raving toy maniac "toy buzz" forums on toymania dot com

cause of death - hosting fees, the internet changed, my group had already aged out like two message board generations ago as we graduated hs, etc

what we lost - being yelled at for going off-topic unless we were hiding our conversations in replies to old posts way down the board, a community of like minded toy nerds who absolutely believed that scalpers were an organized cartel ruining the hobby for everyone else, the naivete of the late 90s dotcom era, getting to watch week old posts and reply chains slowly disintegrate as they fell off the bottom of the page, getting to append NT for no text to posts where you put your whole short reply in the post title so no one needed to click through to that post on slow-ass dial up connections. but also, the pure anticipation we all felt for the star wars prequels in the summer of 1999 when all we had was a trailer, a promise, and a MOUNTAIN of merch on the way

1995 to 1999 - email

cause of death - too much god damn email

what we lost - a manageable amount of primarily non-spam email. 95% of what email used to be is just what facebook became, and twitter perfected it, becoming what email could have always been but never got to