#in other news my other 6 year old phone died...

[yamada-ryo]

How nice of this polishing set to come with a pristine photo booth (white box) as a bonus

[epaily]

bith of my phones are so cooked lmao

[justanothervigalanty]

Jason and his girls

Age: y/n’s age (20) Jason’s age (21) Madeline’s age (5)

Characters:y/n m/n L/n , Jason Peter Todd and Madeleine/Maz Richard Todd 

info: you found out you were pregnant the day Jason died. You were so excited to tell him but then Bruce broke the news, Jason was dead only dick new about your and Jason’s little girl, Madeleine Richard Todd.

“Daddy’s home! Daddy’s home mama!” You heard your young 5 year old daughter say. “Maz honey we talked about this your father only comes for one week every other month, he was here last month baby” you said sitting up in bed. “No I promise I saw him come on!” She said dragging you out off bed with her two little hands. “Come on mama! Look it’s daddy!” She said pointing to the window. “Oh my god” you said seeing your boyfriend waving to you from the apartment opposite you. Maz opened the window and climbed out to the fire escape. “Madeline Todd you get back here right now!” You said as your daughter waved to her father. With that Jason used a grathaling hook and threw it to your fire escape and jumped over. “Hay mazie!” He said picking her up and bringing he back inside. “Jesus Christ maz don’t do that!” You said take in her in your arms. “Jace what’s wrong?” You said seeing the worried look on his face. “We need to go now” he said “pack all your things we need to leave!” He said grabbing some of maz’s things. “What jason what is going on!?” You said Jason’s hands were shaking as he grabbed his and some of maz’s things. “Maz hon go to your room and grab some clothes and your blanket.” She of course listens to her father which left you shocked she’s normally more stubborn than him! “Y/n were in danger we all are! The joker he’s targeted you, me and madeleine I need to get you both out of crime alley now!”  He said you just nodded and went to grab your bags. When you all finished packing you grabbed an old car seat and left your apartment, forever, your first home that you had raised your daughter in were you had marked her growing you would never see it again. “Babe? You ok?” You herd Jason say holding your hand. “I raised her in there. Since I was 16 we moved in on her first birthday dick helped pay and got some furniture for us and before you started visiting she would bang on the window every time see saw the red hood fighting some criminals and as she got more active she started running around hiding under tables holding her hands like a gun shouting boom at me.” You said trying to hold back tears by wiping your eyes “hay, hay don’t cry. I got you we all do. I know first homes are the hardest to leave behind.” Jason said hugging you “come on I called dick he’s driving us to the manor” 

you all went down stairs to see dick standing by his car. And helped you load it in before Jason and him got into a very quiet argument about who was driving (dick won). As you were on the road you whispered in Jason’s ear “you haven’t told Bruce yet have you?” 

“About what- oh yeah crap he has no idea.” He replied dick over herd and started laughing his butt off. “You mean Bruce has no idea you are a father to a freaking 5 year old!” He laughed “who is buse?” You herd your young daughter say “you haven’t even told her about him! God I question your parenting skills!” He said still laughing “can you shut up!” Jason said “no bad words Jason Todd!” Madeleine said giggling “hay is daddy or dad to you!” Jason said ruffling her hair “what? Mama called you that when she was shouting on the phone!” She said “she also said the b word” she added “no bad words miss Todd!” Dick said “not married!” You and Jason said at the same time. But then you arrived Wayne manor. You hadn’t been here in 6 years and god had it changed. But the worst thing was Bruce and Damian outside practicing hand to hand combat. Jason took a deep breath and when’t out to grab maz “umm nope we don’t need another robin no thank you!” Damian said seeing Jason and his niece (not that he knew). “She is not going to end up a robin! It’s stupid dangerous and dumb!” Jason said back “wait y/n?” Bruce said surprised to see you “god you look well different um when did I last see you?” 

“At Jason’s grave. I was 15. I told you I was leaving and not coming back.” You replied “well here she is!” Dick said closeting his door “Todd who is the child?” Damian asked unwrapping his hands. “Oh yeah Bruce there’s something I need to tell you. But can we go inside first?”jason said handing Madeline to dick. 

You and Jason were sat opposite Bruce. You were staring at the floor and Jason was figiting with his hands. “So what is this about? And who is the kid?” Bruce asked “That’s the thing, umm Bruce the girl is my daughter…” you said quietly but loud enough for Bruce to hear. “So you have been playing step-dad? Bruce laughed a bit to which Jason replied with a nervous chuckle. “No well she’s umm my kid like I am her dad and not like “oh yea I love her like my own kid” no as in half of her DNA is from me” Jason replied. “Ho wow umm ok well she looks a lot older than 2 or 3. That how long Jason had been coming over right?” Bruce said calmer then expected “well Bruce she’s kinda…5 years old…” the room fall silent. Bruce just covered his face in his hands. “So correct me if I’m wrong but if I am not mistaken y/n must off had her at-omg…”Bruce said realising “you got a girl pregnant at 16 and you got pregnant at 15…Jason .” Bruce said trying to stay calm. For the first time Jason actually looked kinda nervous. “Umm yeah Bruce?” “You where having sex at 16!” Bruce said through his teeth. “We were 14” you whispered after Jason put his hand over your mouth you stopped talking . “Ok what did you both call her?” Bruce asked “ho well I named her Madeline but Jason had always liked the name and plus he though up most her nicknames” you said not knowing how Bruce react to this. “Madeline or maz Richard Todd”

[canmargesimpson]

Chapter 2:

Chapter 1

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☪ . :☆ﾟ. ───

April 30, 1996.

Eddie, who was at his studio, sat on his piano with some pens and papers, trying to figure out how the bridge of his new song should go. He spent hours, repeating over and over the melody but then stopping at the same part, since it felt like nothing could ever continue it. As if there was no follow up to the story he was writing, like if in the middle of the book the protagonist died and there was no more story at all. It frustrated him so much, he was scratching his head nervously, biting his nails and even smashing the piano tiles whenever he tried to even continue the song. Nothing seemed to work. So when his Motorola cell phone rang, he thanked god to be able to get away from the monster that has become his piano.

“Hello?”

“Eddie!” Steve’s voice called from the over side, in a quite excited way that grabbed the man's attention quickly

“Baby? Aren’t you supposed to be in class right now?” he asked

“Lunch break” 

“Lunch break? But it's like 10 in the morning?”

“Eddie, it's 2… have you been in the studio all day?” the shift in steve’s voice knew that if he said yes the answer would bring him trouble

“No?”

“Eddie! I’ve told you it's not healthy to spend an entire morning locked in a room with only a piano and a guitar! Go eat something, or even just go to the bathroom”

Eddie huffed knowing that Steve hated the fact Eddie spent an entire day writing and not even eating, but everytime he was there, it felt like time moved faster somehow.

“I know, I'm sorry, I'm gonna grab my jacket now and leave to go eat something alright? Now what are you calling me for?” eddie asked as he stood up from the piano stool and walked to the the little table besides the door and grab his keys

“Oh! I almost forgot!” Steve’s disappointed and warning tone changed to a giddy one which turned Eddie's heart around “So remember I told you I was gonna talk to my colleague, Sarah, whose cousin works at the Orphanage? Well, i got in contact with the director of the place, and told me we could go next Friday at 4”

“Wait really?” eddie stopped his tracks as he walked out of the studio department 

“Yes!” he exclaimed “there are about 23 kids, the age ranges are form 2-15 year old”

“I'm not adopting a two year old human, sorry” Eddie laughed nervously. He still won't be completely in love with the idea of a kid in their house, but at least he could hold a 10 minute conversation with a 6 year old. And that was progress

“I know” Steve sighed a laugh “so i told her that probably a kid from 6-12, and that we don’t really have anything in mind”

“Wait” Eddie thanked God that there was no one else in that elevator with him at this moment “you told her about… us? Like… the fact that we…”

“Are a same sex marriage? Yes'' and with that eddie sighed loudly “ she told me that she has had a lot of queer parents adopting, so it's definitely not a problem, we just need to make sure we are suitable for taking care of a minor” 

“And how-”

“It's an interview. And before you panic, no, it's not about knowledge about children” another loud sigh came from eddie “it's about it we are… responsible and economically okay to take care of a child. Then they are coming to our house to make sure the kid is gonna live in a safe and decent house. It's just regular procedure”

“Wow'' Eddie smiled, quite shocked that this might be finally happening. They might be finally adopting a kid “and how long to like… get the kid”

The other line went dead. Eddie couldn't even hear Steve’s breathing. Just by this reaction, he knew the answer was not gonna be pleasant.

“Steve?”

“Umm…. they said about…. 6 to…. 18 months?”

“18 Months!?” Eddie exclaimed loudly “Steve!”

“I know!!” he whines back

“I'm gonna be gone! Tour starts in a year and- what if i’m not there? What if the child comes into the home, and i'm not there and then when i come home they hate me? What if something happens to them or me, and I never get to meet them! Steve-”

“Eddie i know! I just… We’ve been waiting for such a long time…. There is hope that maybe it could be less. They say that if it works perfectly, it can be at least 6 months”

“For me to leave in six months? Not to forget, this tour is long, and then i have to do interviews and shit I- steve…” Eddie breathed loudly “I don’t want you to do this alone, because you and I both know it sucks not having a parent around, and I'm letting that kid go through this. I don't wanna be like you dad! I don’t want to leave for over a year, and then just come around to say happy birthday or merry christmas and then leave again! And with the new album-”

“Eddie you would never be like my father you hear me? Never.” Steve sternly said as he sat up from his desk chair to look at the window to where the kids were playing football “I just… maybe… you should just… not release the album maybe?” Steve knew he was on thin ice now.

“Not- Are you crazy?! I’ve been working my ass off with Gareth for almost 2 years now! We can’t just postpone! This is super important for me Steven, I can't just drop my entire work for a kid!”

And the line went dead. In both ends, the men were holding the phones to their ear with eyes closed looking at the floor trying to somehow make this better. To somehow change the entire universe so they could be happy and all could fit. But they can’t. So when Eddie heard the 3 beeps of the dead line, he knew he fucked up and real bad this time. 

He left for a Chinese restaurant and bought the usual. He walked back to his studio, and sat back again at the piano while he ate his chicken quietly. And then it hit him. The melody of the song suddenly crashed into him like a train and it all made sense. The story does continue, and this little rocky path made him stumble. But once he placed both hands on the keyboard the story seemed to write itself as he just played along with only one thing on his mind.

Steve.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☪ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Chapter 3

[rafalkbircom]

Help MENNA Family From Gaza To Have A Secure Life

Hello, I am Menna Musa Muhammad. I am 22 years old. I live in Gaza City. I graduated from Al-Azhar University. I lost two of my brothers during the war after my mother was making lunch and we were sitting eating together, and suddenly our lives were turned upside down as they attacked the neighborhood in which we live,

and with the dust and flying glass surrounding every place, my brotheres went down to check on the rest of my family in our neighboring house, and then I lost them in front of our house. We were unable to save them. We call more time the ambulance so that someone would come to their rescue due to the bad situation and the danger of the place No body come. We waited for more than 12 hours inside the house while

my link gofundme https://www.gofundme.com/f/assist-my-family-in-getting-out-gaza-2024

they were outside bleeding and no one came and the situation continued until the next day and then we went and buried them after our relatives came and helped us carry them. We left our house and did not take anything from it. Our house is anything we left our memories in. We went to Rafah and we did not have clothes, food, or anything.

We put up a tent, which was given to us by people we did not know who helped us and we sat inside it. Here the suffering is indescribable. My sister is sick and needs treatment, and she needs medicines that are not available at the present time due to the lack of medicines, and my nephew has electricity.

The brain needs treatment, and my sister-in-law has a thalassemia patient and needs medications and treatments due to a blood transfusion, as her blood in the past was 6. She took many units and removed the spleen because it was causing blood to break down. This is a picture of my family at the university when I graduated.

My brother was a philanthropist who helped others and neighbors, helping them with bread and water, and even charging their phones. He lived on the first floor, where he had a beautiful house with new furniture and a new TV. He was afraid the TV would break, so he put it in another room so it wouldn't break.

He also loves trees and loves to water them. One day there was a cat who climbed a palm tree for a whole day and could not come down. He ventured to taste it, but could not, for when he tried to catch it, it ran to the right and sometimes to the left. When I came down, my cat lasted about 4 days.

Then I opened the window and found her coming down alone, even though I used to love my cat and eat her every day and she slept in my lap, but the day I lost my brothers, I found the cat next to my brother in front of me from the house. It was yellow and died with them as well. This is a video of when my brother tried to save the cat

This is a video after we left our home, after we lost my brothers and headed to Rafah

This is a picture of our house after it was destroyed

On the second floor is our house, my father's house, who was with me. My mother, father, and my younger brother, whom I lost, along with my older brother, live in it. My mother loved birds.

On the day we left the house, my mother said: “Let's take the birds with us and not leave them alone, but they were not one, but 10. We could not take them because there were two birds in the cage.” This is what made my mother open the door for them and throw food on the floor so they could eat in the same house and we left them behind. Here is a video of the house from the inside after and befor

On the third floor, there is my brother with his wife and two daughters. He loves pigeons, and in the worst moments he considered pigeons like his children. Because of his intense love for pigeons, he sat crying because he could not provide food for the pigeons. What should he do? He went to the pigeons’ house and opened the door.

He found a cat coming to eat from the pigeons, which made him close the door. But he tore the ceiling so that it would fly from above instead of through the door for fear of being eaten by cats and left behind

This is a picture of my cat

In front of the house there was a place where we could sit and drink coffee. Every day he destroyed and destroyed the swing in front of the house. We lived a quiet life. We lost everything and headed to Rafah without water or food. The weight of each of us has become about half. This is a picture of the tent

I want to go out with my family. I want to continue my life abroad and study my master’s degree and treat my nephew, my sister and my brother’s wife because they need treatment and it is not available due to the lack of medicines.

I want to leave Gaza City and go to Egypt, knowing that the cost of going to Egypt is per person, and each person needs about 5,000 thousand dollars, and they number about 15.

The number of children is 10, and the travel cost per person is $2,500. The number of adults is 5, and the travel cost for each person is 5,000 thousand dollars.

The amount will be paid for travel costs to leave Gaza. I have absolutely nothing: no home, no livelihood, no university. Even my university was completely destroyed:

The surviving brother did his best to get me, my mother and my sister out of Gaza, but he is still stuck there with his wife and children amidst bombing, hunger and fear. My nieces, Alma and Dania, are very young. They need milk, diapers and clothes. The weather in Gaza is very cold, and also my brother’s children, who were lost in the war, we want to take them out to complete their treatment

I hope to complete my university studies, and I hope to go out to my family and treat my brother’s wife and their children so that we can live a decent life. I wish I were a famous girl ☺️ but war, famine, fear and sadness put us in a difficult psychological state.

I hope you will help me and donate to me, even a small amount, because this will make a difference and make me feel loved and cared for, because there are many wonderful people in this world. Only your help will protect me and my family. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for donating and reading my story. I hope to live a beautiful and normal life like everyone else. Thank you.

note. ▪️I want to explain to you that I chose Switzerland because there is no Palestine among the countries, and I have friends who help me collect donations.

▪️ To withdraw funds, I have a friend who studies in Egypt. He will help me withdraw donations and send them to me.

Thank you all ❤️

[oddvanilla]

kinda pray for monkeypox not becoming a big deal

like our world going NUTS we dont need it too THO very often i think about how everythinh that happens is part of future's history and it makes me kinda less paranoid because people been thorught worse and it wont be a big deal for anyone

ALSO GOT REALLY OFFENDED BY THE APPLICATION THAT CPVID MADE PEOPLE STRUGGLE WITH ASKING FOR KETCHUP for me it qasnt covid i swear i jusy became insane and now try to get more like a human

YESSS YOU GET ITTT!!! LIKE I JUST HOPE ITS NOT TRUE. THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION IS ALREADY FINDING CURES TO IT OR SOMETHING LIKE OMG PLS GO BACK TO FINDING A CURE FOR CANCER LIKE MONKEY POX WONT GET THAAAT BAD....right

(upcoming yap session put Ur seat belts on)

I often think about how back then it was way worse. Like ah yes, I'm a Victorian child born into a lower class family and I'm forced to labour all my life living in the streets of London or something. Of course, you don't have food or water or any source of hygiene to begin with. The worst part is..water quality was so bad back then that if you don't have drinking water; people just drink beer instead.

Imagine your 6 year old daughter working her life off mining in a cave with starvation since yesterday and you have to just give her MORE beer to fill her stomach 😭 like oh GOD that's miserable..

and after all that, im surprised the diseases we get now are more "dangerous" than back then. Mind you, people in the 1800s or 1700s had like NO technology to even think of finding a cure. Like damn you didn't even invent a microscope YET. <- I'll educate you a bit about history..the first microscope as a CONCEPT was made by a Dutch man named Zacharias Janssen all the way back in 1590!!! But the first MODERN microscope that we know nowadays with all the different lenses and even coloured was in 1774. That's like almost 2 centuries later...and incase you haven't focused in your 7th grade science class, the first atomic theory was in 1804. If you understand where I'm going with this, we humans are slow as HELLL.

I'm mentioning all of this saying dude...you're telling me people back then had some deadly diseases, couldn't cure it, DIED on streets, and didnt even GET quarantine.

LIKE NO OLIVIA YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE A WIFE IN THE 1800s. NOT ONLY WILL YOU GET YOUR RIGHTS TAKEN AWAY BUT YOURE ALSO GONNA GET BORN, MARRIED AT 7 YEARS OLD TO THE PRINCE OF FRANCE, GET A DEADLY VIRUS AND DIE BY 12. MUST BE SOO NICE TO BE A WIFE IN THE 1800s CAUSE YOURE BORN IN THE WRONG GENERATION...right?? ❤️

Talking about generation...which I bet everyone is sick of me talking about..but like dude would our generation survive if we just got a time machine to the 17th century. Although I dont believe in the evolution theory because we are NOT monkeys but I believe over time humans learn new skills, which changes their life styles therefore their bodies change too because every creature adapts. Cool!!

You ever see those articles about how nowadays we stay on our phone all day and that'll make our bodies lazy and not used to work blah blah blah,, at first I was gonna say if we go back to the time the Spanish flu for example started we would PROBABLY survive because we have better education, better immune systems due to actual healthcare and we could definitely survive with just common sense. Like wtf?? I'm NOT going to visit by rat filled basement bare foot..

HOWEVER compare the average human who sits on bed all day scrolling and laughing at a glowy rectangular shaped decide called a phone...we would not last a day without internet...at least I know I wouldn't 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

So like...think about it. Why is corona so dangerous?? It's only borderline to older diseases. Or maybe it's the other way around. Corona itself is DEADLY, but it's just the situation and life style we have today that makes me wonder why it's harmless. Like cough cough I got covid oh no!!! I can just stay in my home all day.. like you get what I mean?? I'm sure you would just get back to work if you were unfortunately lower class victorian child and had covid..and dying probably gives you more peace than working a lifetime for 10 cents..

So that's it!!! Silly lil rant about Victorian children, diseases, Humans Adapting, science and history, and of course generations. MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT!!!

[shallyne]

The Diary of Feyre Archeron Ch 6

CHAPTER 6!!!! EXCITING! This is now the time jump. Reminder: new names because new identities. Enjoy! Whole fic is on AO3

Words: 1.5k

TW: nightmares, mentions of death, mentions of guns

8 years later

November 20th

Dear Diary,

I am back! It's been a long time and a lot has happened but at the same time, not that much. There have been some rocky moments the past years but altogether life was pretty damn normal. Mara, Daisy and I all went to community college. Mara graduated with a degree in journalism and is now working at the Velaris Times while Daisy decided to work at a bakery that just opened in town after graduating with a psychology degree. I, myself, have started a zoology degree but I dropped out in the first year because it just wasn't possible time and money wise. Mara had just started working at the Velaris Times and Elain was in the midst of college so I decided to work instead of studying. Financially it was pretty tight during that time but we managed. We would manage again now that Mara and Daisy are working, I could go back to college but I am not sure if I should go back to zoology. It’s been amazing and incredibly interesting but it just wasn’t for me. There’s still the possibility of art school but I haven’t drawn anything since that day. I can’t paint anymore but the prospect of it is still lingering, hovering over me like the ghost of my old self. I’ll have to think about it but for now I am okay with my perfectly mid job.

Although our jobs haven’t been the only things in our lives that changed, Mara has met two girls who are now her friends, Emerie and Gwyn, with whom she now has a book club and Daisy met twins who she hangs out with all the time, doing her favorite things like gardening and baking. Their names are Nuala and Cerridwen and they work for some rich guy who just moved here.

I also made a friend, his name is Lucien. We met through my boyfriend, Tamlin. Lucien and I couldn’t really stand each other at first, he was such an asshole. Well, he still is but I grew to like it about him.

Tamlin and I met under different circumstances, he hit me with his car. It was just an accident because he was looking on his phone and when he helped me hobble out of the hospital, because he broke my foot, he asked me on a date and I agreed. He’s a perfectly nice gentleman. Of course he has his flaws but don’t we all? Rhysand didn’t. Especially my old friend who lied to me throughout our whole friendship.

Oh! I also tried to get Eras Tour tickets but they were quite expensive, unfortunately. Maybe someone will sell theirs or I’ll get some for a future tour.

Alright, time for dinner.

Later!

November 21st

N Mara brought a vacancy flyer home today for me. It’s for some fancy Lounge in downtown Velaris who’s looking for a waitress. I am absolutely underqualified for this position but she says I should try anyway because it pays well. We wrote an application together that sounded a little more professional than my previous ones, it is necessary if I want to work there.

Getting the job would help us tremendously, we could get a new couch AND afford the good toilet paper, wouldn’t that just be amazing? I can’t let myself daydream too far because chances are high I won’t get the job. Daisy said she’s sure I’ll get the job if they meet me but I’d need a job interview first so that is a big IF.I am trying to hope for the best but expect the worst.

We will drop the application off tomorrow and get a look at the Lounge. Pray that I won't freeze to death, it's COLD.

November 22nd

I haven't had nightmares for two years. I had a nightmare again. I just woke up, I have to write it down.

I was back at home and mom just died, we just got the news. Everyone was in shock, no one moved. It was so quiet.

The doorbell rang, I went to the door just like I did when they got dad. I opened it, I opened the door.

I shouldn't have opened the door.

But I did.

They stormed in, they held us at gunpoint.

I just told Rhys that he's dead to me

I wish he was here

Because I'm going to die. I was going to die, I knew it.

But he was there, I don't know how. I don't know how he did it but he was there suddenly. He would protect me, always. I knew that, I always knew that. I've just been angry. I know it wasn't his fault. He just wanted to protect me. I wished I could tell him, right then. But they killed him, right in front of my eyes. Because he wanted to protect me. He died because of me. It was my fault.

I tried to move, to protect my sisters. I needed to protect them, it was my fault that Rhys was dead. I have to protect them from the same fate but it's too late. I can still hear the gunshots ringing in my ears. One. Two. Elain, dead. Three. Four. Nesta, dead. I want to scream, I want to rush forward but I can't. I can't.

Then I was looking down the barrel of a gun.

Then I woke up.

I can barely breathe.

November 23rd

I was on a lunch date with Tamlin today, it was fine until a waiter spilled some water on the table and he went through the roof. It was only a little bit of spilled water, it hadn't even spilled on his clothes. It took me forever to calm him down. I hope the waitress is alright, I left her a bigger tip.

When we sat in the car and Tamlin finally calmed down he apologized. Then, which is very exciting, Nesta called me because a letter from the Lounge I applied to arrived just then and I told her to open it and tell me. The seconds she took to open the envelope and read felt like an eternity BUT they invited me to a job interview!!! Isn't that just so exciting? Never in a million years I would have thought they would even think about inviting me but they did! For TOMORROW. The reply and the job interview both went so fast, I can't wrap my mind around it. Tamlin seemed semi-interested in the news but I'm sure he will think differently tomorrow, he had somewhat of a bad day today.

I went home and instantly threw my good pants in the washer, they are drying now. I'm as excited as I am nervous, this job could change quite a lot for us.

I should really go to sleep, I don't want to seem tired during my interview.

I'm thanking the stars that they listened and answered!! Maybe fate DOES exist! (Okay, Feyre, calm down. You don't even have the job yet.)

November 24th

I've got the job.

Tamlin said I shouldn't take it and move in with him, that he could take care of me and my sisters. Nesta said she would rather stab out her eyes.

Although Tamlin and his proposal isn't what's worrying me right now, it's how I got the job.

Why I got the job.

Let's start from this morning.

I woke up at six AM because I've been so nervous. I prepared questions that could be asked and the answers, took a shower, ate breakfast, cleaned my room, put on some makeup and then got dressed and made my way downtown. My whole thoughts were about this interview, because it's important, for me, for Mara, for Daisy.

I was half an hour too early so I went and got a coffee. Unfortunately my nerves didn't let me sit still for more than two minutes so I walked up and down the street until it was finally time.

There was a nice lady, I don't remember her name, who led me to an office in the back because my interview was with the boss himself. The whole Lounge was so luxurious, even though I was wearing my best outfit it felt incredibly cheap in comparison but it was so tasteful, I kind of felt comfortable?

Then the lady knocked on the door and left, leaving me alone as I entered the office.

I knew instantly, right as I stepped into the office. It's been 8 years, we became adults, we grew up, but I knew before he looked up from his paperwork. I knew that a pair of almost-violet eyes would stare at me, a pair that was scribbled all over my old notebooks.

He did look at me, his eyes almost the same, but they seemed more dark and haunted now. But when he recognized me, he lit up.

But I was stuck there because-

What the fuck is Rhysand doing in Velaris????

Excerpt from a chat between Rhysand and Morrigan

Rhysand: I'm sending a car over, you need to come ASAP

Morrigan: What??? What happened?

Rhysand: I can't tell you over text, get in the car and come over here

Morrigan: Jeez, this better be good

Morrigan: I'm delaying my nail appointment for you

Feysand Taglist:

@captain-of-the-gwynriel-ship @starfall-spirit @rhysiedarling @corcracrow @sydney-fae25 @tothestarsandwhateverend @aayo-whatt @dreamlandreader

[emiewritesthings]

a not so happy halloween ☆ jay halstead

summary: in which Jay feels like Halloween has it out for him, but Y/n and his daughter proves him wrong

warnings: swearing 

From the moment that Jay Halstead woke up on Halloween morning, he soon remember why his cynical father had labelled it the ‘devil’s holiday’. It seemed no matter what he did everything was going terribly, horribly wrong. 

It started with him sleeping in, his usual alarm that he’d remember to set before he went to sleep was proved useless when his phone had died sometime in the night having not been charging despite being attached to the cable. Waking up 7 minutes before he was set to start work - thanks to Y/n’s shrieks up the stairs - he’d ran out the door so fast only to discover that his truck refused to start. 

The neighbours watched him with concerned gazes as Jay proceeded to silently scream, aware that the noise might wake up his sleeping daughter and pass on his morning from hell onto the woman he loved inside. Taking a deep breath, he tried to play off the unfortunate events, and went inside where Y/n offered to drop him off. 

Which quite frankly was exactly what he needed. To be in her company, along with the nearly three year old in the backseat, partially distracting him from the morning. He’d found that Y/n could sweeten even the sourest of moods, and after all these years that had never changed. 

Promising to come back later to pick him back up, the two exchanged a short kiss before Jay made his way inside. With a new outlook on the day, his optimism was soon shot down when he was confronted by a grumpy Hank, punched in the face by a suspect they’d arrested and was then delivered a truck load of paperwork with hours until the deadline. 

The work of the devil was indeed no joke. Jay felt every last strength in his body dissipate into the air of the bullpen, as he tried to ignore the way his friends and colleagues narrated his day of bad luck. Thankfully, Y/n had seemed to sense his distress, for every hour or so she’d send a cute video of Zara ‘helping’ to make halloween treats, or pictures of her pulling faces at her mom. They were a strong motivation to keep going, a light at the end of the tunnel that signposted a feeling incomparable to any other. A euphoria that he’d only felt as a husband and a father. 

It was a matter of minutes before the end of his shift, Jay had received a total of 6 paper cuts in the last hour that he struggled to turn the pages with the amount of bandaids covering his fingers. His eyes stung with exhaustion, and he was sure if he stood up right then, he’d collapse into a pathetic pile on the floor. 

His pen slipped against the page as he signed the last page, just as the lights in the unit suddenly zipped off and there was a string of groans. 

“Oh for fuck sake, Jay, look what you’ve done!” Adam groaned from all the way over at his desk and although Jay couldn’t make out the man, he could imagine how he was sprawled back on his chair, an accusing finger pointed his way. 

“How is this my fault? I didn’t do anything!” He argued back, but didn’t see any other member of the team jump to defend him. Not even Kim that was the general mediator of the entire group. They knew as well as he did, something was off. 

“You got hexed and now we are all suffering the consequences!” It was an immature conversation, but part of Jay felt like the words rung true. He did feel cursed, like he’d upset some kind of deity that was punishing him for something - anything. “shit, hexes aren’t contagious are they? i am suppose to be meeting with this hot blond and I really can’t afford-.” 

Before Adam could finish his spiel, everyone’s attention turned to the approaching footsteps up the unit stairs. heads turned and guns were held, ready for some kind of intruder. But instead they were caught off guard by the sound of a familiar voice flowing into the space. 

“God this building is not unfit people friendly.” Y/n wheezed, though no one could see her. It took them all a moment too long to recognise the voice that despite not being officially a member of the team, was certainly a member of their family.

“Y/n?” Kim gasped, dropping her weapon immediately upon the lights being switched back on by a curious Voight, and the woman appearing in front of them with a small girl holding onto her hand dressed in quite possibly the cutest costume any of them had ever seen. “Wh-Why did you do that? We could have hurt you!” 

“I was trying to be dramatic!” Y/n whined, letting her daughter be plucked away from her as everyone began to appreciate the cow costume she had bought late last week upon being brought to tears at the thought of her daughter wearing it. “But then I got a stitch and the moment was ruined.” She explained plainly, though the only person listening was Jay who watched her with soft eyes, still planted at his desk. 

Smiling over at him, she slowly stalked over. But just as she moved to go around his desk and plonk herself down on his lap, his hand had extended and she paused.

“You don’t want to be near me today, trust me.” Jay grumbled, wanting nothing more than to feel her warmth pressed against his cold, hollow chest - but whilst he could deal with getting himself into situations, he didn’t know if he could live with himself if even the smallest thing brought harmed to the two most important girls in his life. 

Scoffing at the suggestion, Y/n had no problem with whatever karma the father of her child brought, for all she had been thinking about since they’d last seen each other was being held by him - and she’d be damned if she didn’t get exactly what she wanted. Scooting around the wooden slab of a desk, she gestured for Jay to move back a little - which he obeyed - before she let her body sink into his lap. A satisfied sigh leaving her lips as she felt her own stress fade with every millisecond. 

“What haunts you, haunts me. They are the rules, baby.” She smiled, grabbing ahold of his arms and pulling the tighter around her as she snuggled back. Jay’s chest vibrated with a chuckle, his lips pressing against the side of her head once, twice, three times. The sound of appreciation from her lips was enough to make him feel like his soul had been cleansed. “But I’m afraid I am the bringer of your next nightmare.” The teasing tone made Jay’s brows quirk up, watching the woman glance back at him, eyes focused on his lips. 

“Please don’t tell me you have one of them cow costumes for me too.” Kissing her lips quickly, Y/n’s hand reached up and traced the features that built his handsome face with a small grin. Shaking her head lightly, she stopped when she’d outlined his lips and pressed her own against them. 

“Worse.” She mumbled as she pulled back, looking up into his eyes that seemed significantly lighter than when they’d started the conversation. 

--

“Trick or Treat!” Zara almost pronounces correctly as she stands in front of Jay and Y/n on one of their neighbour’s porches. The two adults couldn’t stop smiling, which was saying something for Jay hadn’t stopped complaining about the straw hat that sat upon his head since they left home an hour ago. 

“Stop messing with it, you look perfect!” Y/n groans as she swatted Jay’s hands away from where they tried to reposition the accessory that made up only one element of the farmer outfit he’d flat out refused to wear - until Y/n’s convincing had him dressed and ready to go twenty minutes later. 

“I look like an idiot.” His pout was adorable, one that mirrored his offspring the made a similar face at the woman when she tried to make Zara eat vegetables. Leaning forward on the cowboy boots she’d borrowed from Kim, Y/n pressed a longing kiss against her husband’s lips once, twice, three times. 

“Speak for yourself, I think you look hot.” She grinned, her hand slapping down on his denim covered ass. The action causing him to yelp, catching the attention of the woman at the door who was helping a fussy Zara pick a candy she liked. Trying to play it off with a small cough, Jay narrowed his eyes at his beautiful wife and leaned in closer. 

“You can’t seriously think I look hot right now!” Gesturing down to the blue dungarees and the plaid shirt, Y/n’s hands ran up and down his chest. Her teeth clamped on her bottom lip, as her eyes look up at him with a gaze that could suck the soul out of his body. And after such a day, Jay Halstead somehow felt like the luckiest man on the planet to simply know - let alone be able to love - a woman like Y/n Y/l/n. 

“What I think is if you stop messing with your hat, maybe you’ll get to see my other costume.” She breathed out, her finger tracing up and down his chest. Jay’s breath caught in his throat. His body felt like a puddle of gasoline and her words a match that completely obliterated his being into a hot, fiery flame of love and lust. 

“Look, mommy. Daddy, look!” Zara’s sudden appearance by their side broke the moment, as Y/n released an exaggerated breath at the lollipop their daughter was gushing over. 

“Wow! Now, what do we say to Mrs Merced?” She gestured to the old woman still stood at her door. A ‘thank you’ was sung out and soon the family of three were off once again. And for another fourty five minutes, Jay’s fingers didn’t so much as graze his cowboy hat, his hands attached to the woman that could remove even the darkest cloud from the sky. He didn’t know what she was: a goddess, a witch, an angel. But what he did know was luck would always be on his side, as long as she was. 

[ikoarts]

October 2023 Art

for some reason i wrote a novel under the cut, for those of u actually reading, thank u for being so patient x

vvv dates + info under the cut vvv

1 - 03/10/2023 : another of my faves of last year, was trying to get better at drawing trainz, so just Edward and Toby hanging out, displaying the duality of old men x

2 - 04/10/2023 : got a new puter! one of the first things i set to doing after getting set up was to draw a Ru, of course, it was also just me trying to get used to the new MS paint..... it feels very odd

3, 4, 5 - 06/10/2023 : part 1 of redrawing random pics i have of Edward on my phone with my human version of him, this was really fun tbh, and the third here is one of my fave drawings of the year probs.. like sir.. those look heavy... what big uhh.. Glasses.. you have

6, 7, 8 - 07/10/2023 : part 2! i think i just like drawing his face... dare i say this train is cunty or will that get me exiled

9 - 08/10/2023 : something stupid i thought of and couldn't get out of my head for days so had to draw it..... little johnny from oingo boingo's only a lad, doing what he does best, fantasising about radios he wants oh so bad and running people down with a boyish craving for blood.. based on that 1 meme of the guy driving and thinking of a thing then making that insane face

10 - 09/10/2023 : based on that 1 silly vargskelethor song (that could not be less specific), had Shed 17 on the brain and was reminded of the milk song where the skeleton comes out.. thomarse dank 2 much milk and died..

11, 12 - 10/10/2023 : chooshada again :333 first a little doodle on my phone bc i was wondering about her livery, i do think she'd have originally been NER apple green but then painted NWR colours, butttt with a twist... coz i can do whatever i like... the twist is just that she's painted dark blue rather than a sky blue, coz its more her colour x

ALSO MS paint shada, wanted to draw her more uh, idk, detailed ig, idk i love this one, it also served as more train practice

13 - 13/10/2023 : previous one, but with COLOUR!! not much 2 say other than that shes very cute

14 - 18/10/2023 : saw a tweet abt old photos of engine crews posing with their crashed locos and how the NWR crews would do that, made me think of how, if Toni was (choo)shada's driver, she'd do that.. probably x .. very like her to slay in the midst of a terrible accident

15 - 22/10/2023 : predictably, i have some playlists for the ttte engines, one for Diesel which is notable here, so uhh, i have the scrapped song from the lorax "biggering" in there, bc i see it as like a Duck vs Diesel song, ik im surpassing several layers of cringe here but hear me out ok... i drew this at 2am coz i couldn't stop thinking of Duck lecturing Diesel

16, 17, 18 - 25/10/2023 : speaking of playlists, think i was listening to my Robin one here, and felt like drawing him, i have "the land of make believe" in there, which ive always found to be an oddly haunting song, so this is semi based on that, though that wouldn't be apparent if i hadn't just told u x .. this looks like vent art but tis not i was just having fun

also tiny chooshada, i was in the middle of writing something which i have literally Just remembered now and i was writing a scene where Ru is stuck between some characters who shes not looking forward to working with bc they're about to bicker the whole fuckin time and one of them thinks shes a dick, so i drew her being sad that shes forced to work with morons..... and speak of the devil, 3rd drawing is here with 2 of the aforementioned morons :D i think D+D take a liking to her, they're just a little obnoxious (love them for that)

19 - 27/10/2023 : a quick(ish) digital thing of Chooshada again that i did on the side of another project, more engine drawing practice he he, she'll be out of proportion and lacking detail but really it was just to not be too hard on myself about that, it did help i think to understand how to draw her more, plus just look at her lil face... also she has a number here, doesn't mean much other than 8 being her lucky number, other than 11, like those are just her numbers, suppose i could have it be 1188 to ref her bday, idfk x

[sca-nerd]

Ruby Joust

My Squire Brother, Marcus de Rath, was Knighted! Which was the whole reason I went. Ruby Joust is not usually on my calendar because it’s always ridiculously hot and miserable, and usually longer than a day trip drive that I’m comfortable with. I was not about to miss this event. So, under the guise of celebrating Sir William’s 5th anniversary of Knighthood, I grabbed the niece (who is also in the Household), the little old pupper ladies, booked a hotel room, drove 6 hours and proceeded to help hide EVERYTHING going on from Marcus until he could be put on Vigil on Saturday afternoon.

Traditionally, Ruby Joust tends to have god-awful weather; it’s usually swelteringly hot. 5 years ago, at Sir William’s Knighting, it was so oppressively hot my niece got heat stroke, and my phone died in the middle of recording the ceremony because it over heated. So when we were told, “You don’t want to miss Ruby this year” (which is code for get your ass to this event/Court, something is happening in our Household) I knew I was gonna book a hotel room. I wasn’t going to mess around this year.

My biggest concern was the dogs. Because of extenuating circumstances, I wasn’t able to leave them behind and so at 15½ and 14, they went to their first SCA event. I knew Tipitiwitchit would thrive, because she is social, curious and everyone is friend-shaped. Daisy is the one I was concerned about. Daisy is skittish and shy around people, even if she knows them, and will sometimes try to intimidate other dogs (she was attacked once and had 12 stitches), and so she sometimes barks and charges other dogs when she first meets them. When we meet new dogs, we always take precautions with her for that reason. She’s never hurt anyone, but we aren’t willing to risk that ONE TIME she does.

At home, Daisy is so noisy and bossy and has such a BIG personality; we joke that she is secretly a Mafia Boss. Around people or in new places she gets shy, reserved, hesitant, sometimes quiet, and will usually just hide in my lap or want to be carried everywhere. Going into this, I knew she would need extra care. I had prepared her own space so she could be comfortable, I warned folks I would be going to the hotel if things got too hot or too much for the dogs, and everyone who knows Daisy knew that she would be a little bit overwhelmed.

I don’t know what dog I brought to Ruby Joust, because it was not Daisy.

This. Bitch. We had literally JUST arrived on site and she walked straight up to people she didn’t know. She let complete strangers pet her without shying away or me having to stand with her. She FOLLOWED people like she was going with them. “Bye mom, gonna hang out with my new friends,” kind of followed. She let people HOLD HER. And she didn’t try to get away, wiggle to be let down, or try to stretch to me to take her from them. I have never seen a guy hold her, and she let TWO of them do it while being perfectly content. She didn’t bark once. Not once. She is a yorkie/jack russell mix. She ALWAYS barks. I don’t think I heard her bark once from Friday morning to Monday morning.

She THRIVED. And in the process made me into a LIAR. “She’s skittish she won’t let you pet her,” LIE. “She won’t come to you if you call her,” LIE. “She doesn’t let other people hold her,” LIE. “She might bark at your dog,” LIE. If I had known she was a born Scadian, I would have brought her to events sooner!

She and Tipi also got to be part of the procession into Court when Marcus was summoned, which was a lot of fun. Now I wish that I had made them SOME sort of Household garb or a bandana at the very least. Next time, I guess, because they had a lot of fun and so I will definitely take them to another event soon (when the weather is more comfortable for them).

Speaking of the weather, we had GORGEOUS weather. There was a cold front pushing through, so it was in the low 70’s with no humidity, some cloud cover, and a nice breeze the whole time. We broke down early on Sunday morning so none of the canvas got wet in the anticipated rain, and then I left after the Knighting. If I stood still for longer than a minute, both dogs were asleep on the grass – so I knew they were done. We were probably about 20 minutes on the road when the rain hit, so it was a good call to break down when we did.

The Knighting was beautiful. Marcus and his Lady looked incredible. The speech for the chain, the spurs, and the belt (the sword presenter left ahead of the anticipated rain), were beautiful. He received a belt that had belonged to our Knight’s Knight – Sir Kane. It was an emotional time; the culmination of years of hard work and growth, and I am so honored to have been able to witness it and to be a part of it. I am so proud of him and deeply grateful to be able to call him my Brother.

Vivat, Sir Marcus de Rath.

OH. Nearly forgot one of my favorite parts: THEY PUT A BATTLE YORKIE ON HIS SCROLL. I have to get a picture of it, because I died a little when I saw it.

[nytehavyn-circle]

The news I got last night killed me. It hurt my heart. Let me explain why...

My dad died 6 years ago. My mom died last December. I haven't seen my brother since my mom died - not even a text or a phone call, so I've basically written him off. He is who he is (he's the type who is 'out of sight, out of mind.' Once someone isn't around, he basically forgets the person exists - I haven't heard hide nor hair from him, or a text or a phone call from him and his wife since mom died), so, it's whatever. My sister is basically the only family I have left that came to see me (that was even able to). But her son recently bought her house from her and her husband. So, come the end of the year, she'll be moving somewhere out of state. So, once again, I'm gonna be alone. And I've hit another depressive hole, where I'm sitting thinking and believing that everybody leaves me in some way.

My disabled aunt and my disabled sister who lives a few cities away literally can't come and see me, for obvious reasons. My other half-brother who lives in Oregon, can't come and see me. Again, for obvious reasons. I haven't seen my best friend since the end of last year/beginning of this year when he helped me when my old laptop went belly up.

So when my sister moves away? I'm basically going to be completely over here.

As much as I love my friends online - and I do, greatly - it isn't exactly the same as them being here; and even they eventually leave me, too.

It just hurts my heart. It hurts pretty bad.

Because I don't want to be alone.

[willowwhispers01]

Forevermore (2)

“My friend’s father died in an accident, his body was taken for the post mortem,” In a large assembly of senior officers and officers in training, Dhruva speaks, presenting his view on the rules still present in Indian law System since olden time which are completely irrelevant as of today.

“By providing the excuse of ‘Post Mortem is not performed after 6 PM’, the body was left as is till next morning. The family was very disturbed by this incident” He continues his views confidently.

“Rules are right sir, but, in olden days there was no proper electricity hence it wasn’t possible to perform post mortem after dark. But we still follow those many blind rules. In today’s era even phone apps get updated regularly so why can’t a country with a billion of population get updated too? This incident influenced me a lot”, He explains his point with no hesitation, laying down his views thoughtfully.

“That was admirable”,  The senior officer praises his views.

“May I share something, Ma’am?”,  Gautam questions, catching the attention of the present fellow peers , officers and his friends.

“Yes you may Mr.Gautam”, replies the Senior Officer encouraging him to share whatever is that he wanted to share.

“The reason for the strength of my social views is, Dhruva”, Gautam speaks, his voice proud and confident.

“One day he told me, Kasab, involved in Mumbai attack was 18 years old, and the boy involved in Delhi gang rape was 17 years old. Similarly, boys involved in any time of extortion and robbery of country are in age of 17-18 years. It doesn’t take a lot of time for a man to learn and commit wrong, but a good person never sees time or make excuses to commit good.” He continues as everyone listens to him attentively.

“These words of him have left a great impact on me. ‘For a good person committing good deeds, every moment is great’, with these words he has gifted me this watch.” He proudly holds up his wrist, the watch strapped on it on display for everyone to see.

Tick

 “Every tick of this watch”

Tick

“Reminds me of Dhruva”

Tick

“That is why I never separate this watch from myself” He states proudly….. not realizing how cheesy it sounds.

Everyone bursts into giggles upon hearing the last sentence as Dhruva watches his friend fondly.

“Quiet please”, The Senior Officer commands and everyone composes themselves and the session continues.

As Dhruva smiles as his friend’s short speech, he is disturbed by the vibration of his phone, a message had been sent to all of his friends and him.

I know that you all jump the wall at night….

If you don’t want me to report this to the seniors Dhruva must be present at the Park Hotel by this evening.

All of them read the message and glance worriedly at each other.

“What’s this, a new headache? Who could have sent this message?” Karan questions worried and frustrated.

“Posting is due in next few days, if the seniors found out about this we would be in big trouble”, Gautam states worriedly.

“We can deal with 40 people outside easily, but dealing with the seniors….. Tenshion ho rahi hai yaar”, Ranveer states tensly, worried about the situation.

“Instead of making the matter a big deal, lets solve it peacefully”, Vijay advises softly to sooth their nerves.

“Look, we didn’t start this to leave it in the middle. They have called to meet, haven’t they. Let’s meet them and hear them out.”

At Park Hotel…

Dhruva arrives at the meeting point, fidgeting with his pen and glancing at his watching. He subtly glances to where his friends are sitting having a clear view of him and his surroundings in case he needs help. He looks around for any sight of the person in question, glancing at his friends he gives them a slight shrug.

And then…..

Gautam and Vikram catch the sight of someone, recognition flashing on their faces.

Dhruva catches it. He focuses his hearing without turning around, catching the sound of hurried footsteps approaching his way. Before the unknown person could push him the pool, he sidesteps causing them to stumble and almost fall in the pool. But before they could fall, Dhruva catches them by their wrist, still facing away from them.

Ishika….

He recognises her without even turning  around.

“What is she doing here?” His friends question eachother as Ishika dangles above the pool, Dhruva’s hold being the only thing keeping her from falling. But as soon as realization hits him, annoyed, he lets go of her wrist.

Splash

Ishika falls in the pool. Dhruva looks back annoyed as she emerges from the pool. She tries to explain herself, but he doesn’t listen and walks away still annoyed by her antic. He meets his friends halfway, fidgeting with his pen.

“Was the message sent by her?” Ranveer questions.

“Yeah, it was her”, Dhruva replies.

“Did something happen between you two?”, Gautam questions curiously.

“ Go, why don’t ask her yourself ”,Dhruva replies with a sarcastic smile and walks away, his friend calling after him.

“To become an IPS Officer like my papa, after passing my civils, I too went to Mussoorie for my training. There, for the first time, I met Dhruva.”

Dhruva drives behind the bus as Ishika enjoys the beauty of Mussoorie, all the while leaning out the window.

Dhruva honks his horn as Ishika pays no mind to it, being slightly tipsy from the beer she was drinking.

“Kaun hai bey wo?” Bujji leans out the window to look at the cause of the noise.

To her surprise a very handsome stranger seemed to me honking his horn.

“HEY! Ishika, he is honking the horn for you!” She calls out to her friend. Ishika turns around and notices Dhruva.

“Hello!? Bus rokne ke liye kahiye!” Dhruva requests her.

“Wow, you are doing hard work, are you following us?~” She teases him leaning on the window.

“What?!” Dhruva asks back.

“Sundar ladki dikhte hi follow karne lag jaoge?” She teases again as Dhruva shakes his head, amused at her teasing.

“If you keep following us like this then…. Bujji?~” She calls to her friend.

“Ishuu?~”, Her friend coos as she leans her head back out again, a beer bottle in hand.

“Then I will make you marry her!”, She states sternly as her friend hiccups and accepts the proposal.

As Dhruva Lags back, Ishika and her friend lean back into the bus, all the girls laughing and cheering at the scenario that just occurred.

Suddenly, the bus stopped. Dhruva had parked his bike at front to stop the bus. They notice him climbling on.

“Yeh to andar he aa raha hai yaar”, one of her friend states worriedly.

“Two minutes”, Dhruva tells the bus driver as he climbs aboard.

“Bulane par kese nahi ayega.” Her friend states again.

“Sir-” Bujji hurries in front of him before he pushes her to the side.

“Moti toh nahi chalegi, par tum zaroor chalogi”, He flirts looking her up and down before pulling her for a ki-

“Stop It”, Dhruva calls out annoyed breaking her memory lane. “Tell them the truth”, He orders before walking away.

Ishika looks guiltily in between his friends.

“Don’t look at me like that yaar……. If this happened then- ”She explains before being interrupted by Gautam who asks her to tell them the truth.

As Ishika goes back to properly explaining how they met, how she had confessed her feelings to him and how he had refused her proposal.

Dhruva walks out the hotel while pulling out his phone. He calls the one person he had been wanting to call to explain the situation.

Ring~

The person on the other side picks up the call in one ring, indicating they had been waiting for him to call.

“Hello? Dhruva”

Her sweet but tired voice rings on the call, instantly calming his nerves, an unconscious smile settling on his lips.

 “Bangaram…..”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

This was so fun to write. And a little glimpse of our MC.( •̀ ω •́ )✧

Can't wait to write the next chapter. Final intro!!

@sada-siva-sanyaasi @yehsahihai @rockingstaryash12

[williamdecade]

What is it August 10th August 11th I'm not really sure I didn't look at my phone before getting on here I feel awful I've rinsed off with a cup of water for the third time today no running water or working shower tub Etc. I wish I had better news that I had won the lottery or some philanthropist or kind person donated enough for me to fix up the house so it's livable again or so I don't have to worry about them turning off the utilities etc. What I really got on here for it's been a hundred or more all week long and it's devastating to say the least with no AC although I am grateful to have a fan it helps slightly, anyway it stays in weeks like these that I suffer so much and I feel so sick and so bad that I wonder what makes people go on why do they continue suffering? Sometimes I think it's stupid but I don't know is it stupid to think that a person would hang on hoping that something good would happen or that their luck would change and they would be able to improve their life somehow? I think about all the family members that have passed and how there's no one left that really cares about me they're all waiting to hear the news that I've died, I have no benefit for them so they don't bother all the good ones are gone and all I'm left with is the trash. No one has stepped up to help me they all know that I'm suffering though and I imagine some of them Delight in it in fact I know they do. Anyway I hang on because I think about all the people that have passed that I love and all the things that they've missed the things in the world that are new and exciting or maybe the beauty of the world I think of my sister that died of cancer a few years ago and how I miss her laugh and how she would have loved all the things that have come to life I also think of my brother that died in a car wreck at 12:00 that I never really knew because I was 6 months old, I also think of the brother that I never really spent the time to get close to because I didn't know how and he was suffering so much because he was close to our other brother, I think about how he died in 1989 he loved to video games he would Marvel at what video games are now he would love the internet and the smartphone he loved things like that so much they would be new toys for him. He had such excitement and fascination with technology like I did, the smartphones been out for a while now and I still Marvel that I can lay down I'm in pain but I can still look at my screen and I can check the weather I can check the time and I can be on social media using a voice text. Unfortunately I'm aware of many of the bad things in life but I'm also aware of the good and I'm grateful for the good. I just don't know anymore some days they're just so horrible and I feel so awful mentally and physically I'm tired very tired I don't want to have to worry about I have food or not or whether or not they're going to cut off the utilities we're trying to take my home away from me I'm really really tired of it all but I keep hanging on and I keep looking in the mirror and calling myself stupid for hanging on, some days I just don't know anymore.

[divinekangaroo]

I keep seeing takes indicating T/G would have been living together for 2 years prior to their marriage. This has always bugged me because it would have been a social suicide at the time, a respectable women living with her lover? No way they would have risked it as Tommy was trying to climb the social ladder plus he would not have risked tarnishing Graces reputation? Her family would have disowned her and no one would have turned up for the wedding. Grace was fronting the "single mother and a grieving widow" until it was socially appropriate to remarry? Tommy also looked to set everything up for them to start living together - his trip to NY to bring her and baby back, the wedding, the new house - it just seem to fit that they would have stayed in touch but would have only got together maybe a few months prior to the confirmed wedding.

This was my take watching the show or maybe I'm missing something here. I remembered you addressed this vaguely in one of your fic. I know you do tons of research and I would love to hear your thoughts/facts on this subject :)

I had it in my head that Tommy didn’t see Charlie until Charlie was 6 months old, which was a 15 month duration from conception to Tommy going to New York to collect Grace and Charlie.  This would mean he and Grace only really had, let’s say 1 month pre-wedding honeymoon in New York together, and 6-ish months in Arrow House together prior to the marriage.  (6 months is long enough to float a new charitable institution...)

But, this time gap for me was motivated more by headcanon/thematic desire rather than well researched. I mean, thematically, I just *really liked* the idea that Tommy never saw any of his women pregnant with his children or their early lives (Zelda (Duke-17y), Grace (Charlie-6m), Lizzie (Ruby-3m)). 

There were a few other factors which might lead to the lag between conception and Charlie being 6 months old, but these are more floater thoughts or first perceptions than anything I've double/triple checked:

The biggest one: I assumed Grace went back to America with Clive the morning after Derby Day, because Tommy didn't get back to her in time.  Because she was probably a *minimum* of 6 weeks pregnant at that point, possibly 8 (had to miss two periods minimum; no pregnancy tests back then and cervix takes 6 weeks before it looks different to a gyno), she told Clive the baby was his on the steamer to protect herself on the assumption Tommy didn't want to proceed with her. (If this doesn't happen, and Tommy manages to catch her before she leaves, it's possible she could have physically left Clive then and lived the full two years or so with Tommy and just weathered the scandal.)

The simplest possible divorce (Grace accepts fault for committing infidelity) would be 6 months, however I assumed with an investment banker for a husband, that divorce would be very complicated, so let’s say an 18 month process.

Once Clive died, with no word of divorce mentioned, an uncomplicated estate settlement can also be around 9 to 18 months. (if Clive committed suicide on his own in America without a divorce processed, and Grace was in England, she would have had to travel back to America for settlement)

Back in the day, pregnancy was still fairly high risk, and medical advice cautioned against extensive travel during pregnancy, especially in the later stages, due to the potential discomfort, risks associated with the journey, and limited medical facilities on board steamers.  Given my assumption she went back to America, Grace was probably four months pregnant by the time she and Tommy agreed (via remote correspondence! every letter taking 10 days! phone calls with terrible lag and disconnections!) they would get married and worked out a disentanglement strategy with Clive, they decided to wait until the baby was born before starting any of these proceedings.

The risk of travelling with a newborn was similar, and recommendations in the day suggested waiting until they were older to deal with all the foreign bugs. So whatever kept Grace in America until Charlie was born, meant she had to stay until he was older anyway.

In terms of what did keep Grace in America until Charlie was born, rather than simply getting on the next steamer back to England at 4 months pregnant and dealing with all divorce etc remotely, I headcanon that:

Grace’s strategy was to wait until Charlie was three months old (so she could be fully supported in America) then admit the infidelity and process the divorce

Tommy agreed with her at face value, then promptly executed his own secret strategy, which was to find dirt on Clive and blackmail him into saying he committed the infidelity, and Tommy tried to push this as fast as he could; the quicker the divorce was processed the better, and as far as he was concerned, Grace could get on that ship at whatever point and he’d throw a bunch of doctors on with her if needed to get her there

Whatever Tommy found, whether he tabled it with Clive, whether Grace got emotional and told Clive everything, whatever it was: Clive committed suicide before Charlie was born.  This threw a spanner in Tommy’s ASAP-timeline because Grace then had additional reasons to wait in New York (until Clive’s estate settlement was dealt with, as well as Charlie being old enough to travel safely). In the meantime she was able to be supported by Clive’s money as a widow.  My irony headcanon: inadvertently, this pre-birth/pre-divorce suicide also left her with Clive’s fortune, and after her death, left Tommy with her fortune *gasp*.  For me this fortune-transfer headcanon is also thematically relevant – that whole “everyone Tommy touches” curse, but even as people die around him, all the time his net worth and assets increase. 

So yes – mostly headcanon and themes rather than anything concrete! I don’t think fear of scandal would have bothered Grace all that much. BUT, given how supportive her family actually were – they only picked on Tommy’s corrupt reputation with mild concern -- I can assume there was no hint of pre-marital infidelity or divorce.  Tommy was a dubious match, but there was no suggestion he and Grace committed infidelity, and no one seemed to blink twice about Charlie so would assume the family thought he was Clive’s and Tommy adopted him.  I also had the undercurrent Grace's family thought Tommy was marrying Grace (as another man’s widow/seconds, and taking on another man’s child) to socially advance himself, and they could reluctantly understand that coming from a man like him; they were satisfied enough with the match because he had his military record, he was firmly new money by then, and Grace was, after all, widowed and had a child, had no parents or sibs to support her (they were all uncles and cousins), was very happy with Tommy, and would have been difficult to convince to a different pathway/marry off again. So they acquiesed.

(On scandal -- Grace's whole profession seemed scandalous for a woman (?) -- I just don't think she would've cared all that much about a reputation for infidelity given she was basically prepared to sleep with men (Campbell's orders) as a spy. Society/family might have different opinions but I just didn't see it too much as Grace's motivational concern. In my head, Tommy was probably more concerned about that reputation landing on Grace (hence his scheme to have Clive take the fall) than she was.)

[orange-demons-deactivated2024]

Avatar Voice 3

Buckle your seats, everyone, this post is gonna be a doozy.

So I was in the process of making a post of the VAs behind avatar's voice and I stumbled upon this one. In the Credits, they're credited as 'KIMO' with no last name, so I went to the Behind The Voice Actors to find more information about them.

Turns out their full name is Kimo Leopoldo, at least according to IMDb and behind the voice actors website. He didn't have any other works besides this game so he struck my interest.

KIMO (Kimo Leopoldo) is an American retired mixed martial artist and actor. He made his MMA debut at UFC 3 in 1994. A professional from 1994 until 2011, he also competed in the PRIDE Fighting Championships, Cage Rage, and the World Fighting Alliance.

He was credited with a black belt in taekwondo in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC 3.

He was most known for carrying a cross with him to the ring.

Leopoldo has worked since 1996 as an actor in independent productions. He starred in the Femme Fatales  episode "Family Business", the direct-to-video production R.I.O.T.: The Movie, and the films The Process, The Dog Problem, In the Closet, Bullet and Avengers Grimm

Although Leopoldo isn't new to acting, this was his first Voice Acting gig according to www.behindthevoiceactors.com.

Also, I think it's kinda cool that he's one of the VA that Voices Avatar in Street Fighter 6.

But here's the weird thing I found:

(Source 1) (Source 2) (Source 3)

All of them mirroring the same thing:

"The former UFC fighter Kimo Leopoldo reportedly died due to complications from a heart attack at the age of 41."

And that it may be due to "having tested positive for anabolic steroids at the end of his career, and later being charged for possession of marijuana."

He was reported to be dead on July 21, 2009. But as you all know, Street Fighter 6 was released on June 2, 2023.

(Source 1)

But doing some further digging, some websites provided an update retracting their original statements or pulling their articles off the internet.

And in during a phone Interview with Yahoo! Sports, he said "I knew I wasn't dead, So when I was reading this I wondered if I was jinxed or something was going to happen."

Leopoldo even appeared at the Orange County Sheriff's office in Santa Ana, Ca. to put an end to rumors of his death that spread rapidly across the Internet.

"It was really strange," Leopoldo said. "I was surprised at how nasty it was. I guess it wasn't a good thing. … I've always had strange things written about me but nothing this bizarre. I couldn't believe it when I searched for my name and I wrote in 'Kimo Leopoldo' and it added the word 'death.' "

Rumors of Leopoldo's demise first appeared on MMA.tv's popular forum, "The Underground." The post reported that Leopoldo died in Costa Rica "of complications from a heart attack."

The report quickly was picked up by the celebrity website TMZ.com, which "confirmed" the death. It later pulled the story without comment. 

But despite this, Leopoldo ended up returning to his life as normal.

I'm not going to go in-depth about Leopoldo's use of certain drugs like Stanozolol or methamphetamine because there's enough information about his business online. So if you want a more in-depth explanation, you're free to look yourself.

Now even though he was listed in the credits, I was still wondering if Kimo Leopoldo is the actual VA. Mostly because the last name wasn't included in the end credit. And there are no other sources that linked to Kimo even mentioning it on his platforms or in previous interviews. Nor any mention of the Street Fighter games in general.

In the game, he is supposed to be voicing a Young (Age) Normal (Tone) Avatar. And Kimo is now 56 years old.

The videos I found of him talking are Here and Here

The first video is 5 years old around the same time that Street Fighter 6 was in production. And his voice slightly resembles Avatar's, a little bit, especially when you're fighting.

Then in the second video, it's a scene when Kimo was on the show Cyborgs which was released back in 2020.

The most recent video of him I could find on YouTube was from 3 years ago in a Video interview. His voice has definitely gotten more raspier. So I think he probably would have done his lines about 4-5 years ago, but who knows.

I personally think it may be someone else, mostly because of how young the VA sounds compared to Kimo. And with new content dropping the VA has a consistent tone to their voice.

But it's possible for Takayuki Nakayama to know of Kimo.

Because Kimo was a pro wrestler who took jobs out in Japan and was undefeated. And since the Street Fighter devs are so well-versed in different styles of fighting, it wouldn't be surprising that they would've heard about Kimo when he signed a contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).

The Street Fighting devs know about the NJPW because the New Japan Pro Wrestling superstar Kenny Omega stared in the Street Fighter 5 Cody reveal trailer.

But, this is just my theory and speculation. And I wanted to know the VAs behind the Avatars in SF6. I didn't think I would be doing such a deep dive here because my post with the other VAs is nothing like this.

This was all just useless rambling and I'm pretty sure no one really cares but I thought this was interesting and I wanted to talk about it. I also contacted Kimo through IG DMs to ask him personally about it, so I'm still waiting for a response from him. If he does ever get back to me I'll post an update. Thank you for reading to the end.

[breawycker]

From UNC Charlotte student Mom who was arrested twice:

Watching narratives on the student protests on college campuses has been interesting.

Hearing that the campuses are run by outside agitators. Hearing that the protestors are being paid. Hearing that the protestors are somehow being led.

My son was arrested at UNC Charlotte on Tuesday, May 7th at 6:40am for protesting. He was the one person arrested. He was peaceful. He did not resist arrest and calmly went with the arresting officers.

UNC Charlotte repeatedly told the press in statements that it wasn’t clear if my son was a student since he did not give his name when he was arrested. This is an obvious lie on behalf of the university, as they suspended him and banned him from campus while he was in jail, via an email- so they definitely knew his name and status.

He was bailed out of jail by fellow protestors using a bail fund that the students had all contributed to. George Soros, unfortunately, did not provide any money for the bail fund, and it was a bunch of 18 year olds who managed it.

He returned to campus in order to go to his dorm room, his cell phone was dead and he did not have his laptop, so he had not seen the email from the university which suspended him and banned his access to campus. He was arrested for second degree trespassing at 6:40pm (same day,Tuesday, May 7th). Again, he was polite and did not resist arrest. Despite the narrative that campus police and the university have told to the press, he was no where near any protest when he was arrested for a second time.

He spent the night in jail, he was seen by the bail judge at around 11:30am the next morning, and his release took until nearly 4pm to process. During his bail hearing, the public defender pointed out that he was in jail for a crime that, if he received the maximum penalty, would only warrant a fine.

The protests were non-violent. Any argument that they are antisemitic, is heavily belied by the fact that Jewish Voice for Peace is one of the main organizing groups.

In the 1980s, university students protested apartheid South Africa and demanded that universities divest from South Africa. This is the SAME request that is being made today.

News articles are heavily weighted in favor of what the university says. How many students are the reporters speaking to? Yesterday, there were twenty students downtown in front of the Mecklenburg jail all day, waiting for my son to be released. No local reporter bothered to speak with them.

My son’s name is [REDACTED]. I am proud of his moral strength in standing up for what he believes in. Both of his parents are navy veterans. His father, who is his namesake, died on active duty. We are patriots in my house, and we are also believers in the need to do good in this world.

My son spent his childhood hearing me quote the following passage to him when discussing how we must live in this world and how we must care for each other: Matthew 22:34-40 (NRSVUE) 34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them, an expert in the law, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Love God. Love your neighbor.

End the slaughter of the Palestinian people. Stop using US money to pay for Israeli bombs.

My son was arrested on a university campus, where he is a student, yesterday. Across this country, many students have been arrested for protesting the horrific destruction of Palestine and the senseless killing of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians.

There are no universities left in Palestine. Israel has destroyed them all.

I am proud of my son. A part of me certainly wishes that he was less willing to be thrown to the lions, but I am very proud of his moral strength and insistence on using his position of privilege to be a voice for others.

I am incredibly proud of my son.

I am ashamed of UNC Charlotte, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police, and every single reporter who uncritically simply quoted UNC Charlotte.

Feel free to share this post. It is public, and I believe that the best thing we can do is amplify youth voices and do our best to correct any incorrect narratives that we hear or see.

*this post has been edited to clarify the dates of both arrests as Tuesday, May 7th.

*There was a correction to Jewish Voice for Peace from the previously incorrectly named “Jews for Peace”. My apologies for the original error.

*the final statement telling people to feel free to share the post was also added on to the original post.