#it appears to have gone as viral as a post from me will get
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No because can you imagine being the SWAT showrunners and writers? You have this guy on the show for years. He's not a regular but he appears in every season. He's well liked by the cast and he's attractive. But you don't really do much with him for years. Another show's had him for like 3 episodes, no big deal. And then the other show brings him back as a love interest during a bi awakening. His name recognition explodes. He's the guy from 2 viral kisses now. He gains a fanbase basically overnight. And then somehow, the other show manages to fumble it. And the second whatever contract ABC had him under is up, CBS has him back on that set and posting to make it obvious that he is there.
honestly, either there's some scheduling things happening that we aren't aware of caused swat to take him away (which actually could explain why oliver knew the break up was possible early in the season, if they knew that he was going to have to go do that and needed to explain him just being completely gone for a while, contract obligations, etc) OR swat really said damn we'll definitely take advantage of this shiny new fanbase.
honestly, i'm just gonna live in my blissful ignorance that he might come back because the break up feels so unfinished to me personally (and i know some people will disagree, whatever, but to me it feels like the middle of a romcom when one of the idiots makes a stupid decision and now everyone has to get them to take their heads out of their asses - it doesn't feel like the end of the story). and i know tim isn't a Big Planner but I also don't want to assume anything for that exact reason. who the fuck knows what's gonna happen. i don't really care if i'm being naive.
I also feel like the promo and interviews have been so fucking weird this season (deliberately misleading, so vague it could literally mean anything, etc) that i almost just throw my hands up and say whatever any time they say anything. so i'm just gonna be over here like maybe bucktommy isn't over. they brought taylor back like 3 times. anything can happen. its the freeway shark beenado dead wife clone show. [does a dance, bows at the crowd, runs away]
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Y'ALL'RE VIBING WITH THAT G--GLE PHONE PHOTOSHOP LAMENT HUH.
#it appears to have gone as viral as a post from me will get#Q is this what bread ball fame feels like#the dragoon diaries
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TikTok Gone Viral
Paring: charles Leclerc x Hispanic/Latina reader
Summary: Y/N used a specific TikTok audio and it goes VIRAL
Warning: spelling and grammatical errors
A/N: I had this audio in my head so like why not. It’s my version of making Y/N a “PR nightmare” as other fanfic authors put it
Y/N was scrolling through TikTok while Charles was washing dishes, as he should because she cooked, and came across a video of a girl using a Megan Thee Stallion song with the caption “ovulation week be like”. She thought it would be fun to use the same audio so she put her phone against the napkin stand they have in the counter and started recording.
I need *points to self* this pussy *points down* on his *points to Charles off screen* nose *points to her nose* I spread it, I spread it, I pose *random dancing*
However, she did not see Charles move into the frame as she danced because she had her head down and just posted it without looking back at it. She did caption it “needing my boyfriend a little too much lately” and just exited TikTok. Their relationship has always been private, no one really knew Charles was dating anyone after Alexandra and they’ve only been dating for a few months. At least it WAS private.
“What were you filming, Mon ange?” Charles asked.
“Just a silly little TikTok, muñeco, don’t pay mind to it.” Y/N said.
“Alright well I’m done with the dishes, you want to watch a movie?” Charles asked
“Can we watch ‘Nosotros Los Nobles’?” Y/N asked.
“Whatever you want, Mon ange.” Charles said.
“Get the chips.” Y/N said as she got up from where she was sitting to head to their bedroom for a blanket while Charles gets chips from the pantry. They both headed over to their couch, sat down, Y/N put the blanket over them, and Charles gave her the bag of chips and passed her the remote. “Okay, it’s has English subtitles, so I hope you find this movie funny.”
“I’m sure I will.” Charles said. Sadly, both fell asleep on the couch, charles was cuddling Y/N. However, with Charles’s phone charging in his bedroom, he missed multiple missed calls from the Ferrari media manager, Fred, Pierre, Arthur, and his other friends. Y/N also has missed calls from her friends
The next morning, Y/N woke up on top of Charles. She shook him awake.
“Muñeco, we fell asleep on the couch, get up.” Y/N said and Charles woke up.
“Mm, what time is it?” Charles asked.
“I Don’t know, my phone is charging in the room.” Y/N said, getting off the couch to get her phone.
“Can you get my phone too?” Charles asked.
“Sure thing, muñeco.” Y/N went to their bedroom and unplugged their phones and she was shocked to see how many missed calls both of them received. “Charles, you have so many missed calls, here.” Y/N handed him his phone.
“Thanks Mon ange.” Charles said. He unlocked his phone and called the media manager. “Hello?”
“Charles I’ve been trying to reach you yesterday, your girlfriend posted something on TikTok.” The media manager said and Charles was very confused.
“How do you know I have a girlfriend?” Charles asked and Y/N’s head popped up.
“What about me?” Y/N whispered asked and Charles made an “I don’t know” face.
“The whole world knows she your girlfriend because you’re in the background of her now VIRAL TikTok. I’ll talk to you later.” The media manager hung up and Charles looked at Y/N.
“Ma Belle, my beautiful beautiful girlfriend, what did you post on TikTok last night?” Charles asked. Y/N took out her phone to open up TikTok.
“Just a silly TikTok using a trendy audio…oh shit, I gained SOOO many followers.” Y/N laughed and Charles took her phone to click on her profile and see the video he posted. His eyes widened when he saw himself appear on screen. The video had 9.1 million likes, 60.7 thousand comments, 231.8 thousand saves, and 76.3 thousand shares. Y/N looked over his shoulder. “Oh that’s why the video went viral. Oh I’m so sorry, muñeco, I didn’t know you appeared, I didn’t rewatch the video before posting, are you in trouble?”
“I don’t think I’m in trouble but now I have to introduce you as my girlfriend.” Charles said. “We are no longer private, Mon ange.”
“Shit, I was doing so well without the hate comments.” Y/N pouted and Charles chuckled before kissing her.
“I hope you’re ready, Mon ange.” Charles said before he grabbed his phone to record a video. “Hello everyone, this is my girlfriend, Y/N. We have been dating for a few months. Say hello, Mon Chou.” Charles said, pointing the phone to Y/N.
“Hello” Y/N waved shyly. Charles pointed the phon back to him.
“We met at her job, she’s actually a bartender, it was after my break up with Alex, we talked, we hit it off, we started hanging out, and now we’re dating, not that it’s any of your business. But I like her a lot and we’re happy together.” Charles stopped the video and posted it on his Instagram.
“You really had to say I was a bartender?” Y/N asked.
“Well you are a bartender, mon coeur.” Charles said.
“Watch them say I’m only after your money.” Y/N said.
“But we both know that’s not true, your salary is pretty good AND you get tips. I am glad I don’t have to hide you anymore though, I can finally post pictures of us together.” Charles said, kissing her.
“Well I’m glad you’re happy. Do you have to go to maranello?” Y/N asked.
“Nope, you want to go out today? We could go on the yacht.” Charles suggested.
“Ooh, a picnic on the yacht?” Y/N asked,
“Yep.” Charles said.
“I’m gonna start cooking.” Y/N said already looking in the pantry to see if they have anything to make. Charles just looked at her with love in his eyes, now the whole world knows he has the cutest person as his girlfriend.
The End
Hope y’all liked it, I found this very fun to write. Also, is there a market for Logan Sargeant x Hispanic reader fanfics?
#hispanic reader#latina#hispanic#tiktok gone viral#charles leclerc x reader#charles leclerc fanfic#charles leclerc#charles leclerc fluff#charles leclerc imagine#charles leclerc x you#f1 x reader#f1 imagine#f1 fanfic
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About Xavier’s online presence, virality and what it could mean for his identity
I find it interesting that he often ends up in front of a camera somehow, someway despite wanting to be “lowkey.” It makes sense that he’d avoid any type of photograph or video since he’s been around for so long, and having records of his existence could be detrimental and suspicious, but I wonder if meeting MC just has him throwing caution to the wind. Or maybe it’s because he thinks it’s his last “spring” so it’s like, whatever.
I always believed that he definitely had gone viral before, and the 4 star card that just dropped validates me, lol.
This text above happened before the myth card, aka before the movie, so I also think he got the gig from this. Wouldn’t be surprised if producers especially asked for him.
So, he has a sort of online presence. You’d probably could search pictures of him online. He’s been on a TV ad, has interviews and pictures of him going around, has his name in the Lumiere movie credits, not to mention his face was posted for promo by the movie’s account. It’s like if your face got posted on twitter by Marvel. Like, it’s not lowkey… at all.
Lumiere is a huge IP. It’s a brand at this point, of course it’s huge, there’s nothing people love more than /based on a true story/ and /superheroes/. Lumiere is beyond celebrity status and has become an icon in its own right. But that also means, he’s immensely talked about. There’s probably forums and online discussions about his identity—who he is, where he’s gone. Like, he probably has a Netflix documentary. Zooming in and dissecting grainy pictures of Lumiere, trying to get whatever detail they can. Mannerisms, physical appearance, fighting strategy, and god knows what else. I imagine he’s been picked apart to exhaustion.
With fame and mystique comes the conspiracies. So, they got his basic characteristics—build, hair color, fighting strategy, his fucking /evol/. And maybe even add in a witness report. Imagine somebody saw his eyes, heard his voice.
And then there’s Xavier, a notable and talented hunter who just so happens to sort of resemble Lumiere, and sort of fights like him, and his evol sort of looks like his. And you know this because it’s all fucking online.
It’s not hard to put two and two together. But hey, it’s just a conspiracy.
You think that with him being around for so long, he’d be wary of cameras, of leaving a trail. But he doesn’t seem to mind, or at least doesn’t act paranoid about it. I don’t know if it’s nothing or if it’s an intentional thing planted by the devs. To have his real identity leaked would be a mess—the public reaction, the pr nightmare. And there’s also the actual bounty on his head, how easy it would be to find him now.
I think somebody’s bound to find out. And for the sake of the plot and my own entertainment, I kinda hope they do 😁
#it would be such a mess but it would be so fun#force him to reconcile his 2 identities#infold hire me i will make him hurt but it will be so entertaining#love and deepspace#xavier love and deepspace#love and deepspace xavier#lads xavier#lnds xavier#xavier x reader#lnds#l&ds xavier#thoughts
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KPOP DR INTRODUCTION
GO! BEYOND! We are MKB!
∘₊ ✧───────────────────✧₊∘
MKB [initally called MaKe Believe] is a 5 member KPOP girl group that debuted around 2014-2015 under the company of JYP with their winning album : 5ALIVE! and their most popular songs Superstitious, Greedy hearts and What's more?. Adored for their GIRL-CRUSH aesthetic and catchy choruses that is presented in a film cinematographic manner that tells a story through the visuals as well as the lyrics in the genres POP, EDM CITY-POP, fans around the world can't help but feel entranced by the music and the lore that is made along the way.
∘₊ ✧───────────────────✧₊∘
She can sing? She can dance?? She can rap???
SHE'S A TRIPLE THREAT
— BASICS
Date of dr : 2015 02 04
Stage name : rochie (pronounced roe-she)
Most commonly called : keisha/keesha
Birth name : "CR name" keisha rochela banks
Spanish name : audriana rochela banks
Nicknames : rochie, roe, keesh, audrey
Fanbase nicknames : lol doll, jazz hands, dimples, glasses, curly fries
Date of birth : June 20th 1997
Zodiac sign : gemini-cancer cusp
Height : 5"7½
Ethnicity : half puerto rican, half korean
Languages : spanish, korean, english, japanese, portuguese
Group positions : main rapper, lead/main dancer, main singer, visuals, maknae
Representative animal : red panda / bunny
Representative colour : orange
Representative fruit : also an orange
Fanbase name : charmings !
Training period : 10 months
Company : JYP
— KNOWN FOR
Keisha is a witty and ambitious idol who's personality shines brightly through her snappy and energetic choreography, while also showing a raw and passionate side of her through her singing and rapping. She is praised for a her precision, accuracy and emotion by her manager and JYP himself as well as from other Idols.
She is known for occasionally appearing in other k-groups lives either heard in the background or directly in view, rambling about something and coming to say hi to their fanbase. Charmings are shocked to see how close she is to TWICE and BTS in particular, making them wonder how long she has known both groups before she officially became an Idol, and what their relationships are like off camera
She's known for having a pet bunny called Tiffany, Tiff for short. Tiffany often makes appearances in her own lives. Tiffany is very cute and is loved by the fanbase
She is an artist. She tends to draw a lot and can see having piles of stuffed notebooks of drawings in her room. She's too shy to show her art but there was a screenshot of her accidentally leaving one of her notebooks open showing a double page section filled with well drawn sketches of recognised idols. Some from BTS some from TWICE.
She is a spanish black person. This makes her stand out from all other idols. But when she made her first appearance onto a game show, Black fans and Spanish fans of kpop had basically gone crazy seeing a black Idol speak their language for the first time and the number of Charmings doubled, if not tripled.
She is known for being so fucking painfully honest about everything it's funny. She's basically voluntarily called herself out on multiple occasions. Like when she admitted that she likes both man boobs and woman boobs (she's bi) or when she brain vomits her thoughts onto her tumblr page (yes she is in fact a tumblr girly), thinking no one would've seen her viral post that read "namjoon thinks I'm a bad influence on army cus of how vocal i am as if they didnt already want be crushed by his beefy arms before I admitted I did. They just get me (i joke btw.. kinda)" that she had deleted the second she posted it, but of course it got screenshoted and reposted onto twitter☠️
— FUN FACTS
She is older than Jungkook by 4 months
She is close friends with NAYEON, Sana, Chaeyoung, YOONGI, JIMIN, JUNGKOOK, Namjoon, J-hope, TAEHYUNG, Jin, BANGCHAN, Felix, Hyunjin and YUNA
No one knows this yet but she has a crush on 4 of the idols listed and 2 of the highlighted names are part of the four, the other 2 are not
Red Panda is her animal representative because there was a video circulating of her dressed up as a mascot for her highschool as a red panda
She is an excellent cook and loves to cook for her members and her idol friends
She is the 2nd most shipped with trainee in MKB before she even became an Idol. She is now the first most shipped idol in MKB.
She is a genuine ARMY herself lmao😭😭 way too many times has she been caught singing a bts song when on camera
Tags! : @livingmydreamlife5555 @cocozydiaries @theshifterbear @4ellieluv
Side note💌 : she's so silly guys. I hope no one suspects me having a crush on any of the idols in my dr.. — 🍊💭
#kpop shifting#shifting realities#reality shift#reality shifting#shifters#shifting#shiftblr#shifting community#shifttok#desired reality#law of assumption#master manifestor#4d reality#loa#drself#loablr#loa blog#loa affirmations#desired appearance#desired self#desired life#self concept
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Everyone, it seems, wants a piece of Moo Deng. The baby pygmy hippo is barely two months old and already famous. So beloved on TikTok, Instagram, and X is Moo Deng that workers at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, the place in Thailand where she was born, are doing all they can to keep up with her fans’ appetite for more. They post videos, photos, updates. They also welcome thousands of visitors a day and find themselves having to defend Moo Deng when tourists throw shells at her while she’s just trying to chill.
Moo Deng, a name that means “bouncy pig,” has probably been all over your timeline lately—on Sephora makeup tutorials, on X’s main feed. She was born in July and in the past few weeks has become the Internet’s New Favorite Animal. A tradition almost as old as the internet itself, Favorite Animals—Maru, any of the dogs on the shiba inu puppy cam, those two llamas who just happened to run free the same day everyone was trying to decide what color The Dress was—come into the public consciousness seemingly out of nowhere. Some, like Doge, stick around; others disappear, or simply outgrow their cuteness, within a matter of weeks.
All of which makes capitalizing on their fame a matter of some urgency. It seems heartless to think of animals this way, but if their owners don’t, someone else will. Perhaps that’s why zoo director Narongwit Chodchoi told the Associated Press this week that the zoo has begun the process of trying to trademark and patent the hippo to avoid her likeness getting used by anyone else—a smart move considering Moo Deng mugs, T-shirts, and other merch are already popping up online. Income from these efforts, Chodcho told the wire service, could “support activities that will make the animals’ lives better.”
Moo Deng might need it. Fandom is getting a bit out of control these days. As pop stars like Chappell Roan have amassed online and offline fame, they’ve also had to use their platforms to ask for space from boundary-less fans and stalkers. Social media celebs like Drew Afualo, on whose podcast Roan appeared to talk about the subject, also tell stories of being approached in public by people who simply know them from the internet.
It may seem odd to compare them to Favorite Animals, but the ways in which people feel entitled to their time aren’t that far apart. Everyone wants something for the ’gram, even if that something is a living being with its own sense of agency. One of Moo Deng’s most popular TikToks has 34 million views, and zoo staff have had to limit her visiting time to five minutes on Saturdays and Sundays to keep too many people from trying to get content of their own.
Trademark protections may be the best way for Moo Deng’s caretakers to ensure others don’t cash in on her viral fame. When Jools Lebron made efforts to trademark her “very demure, very mindful” meme, one of the hurdles that emerged was that it’s hard to claim ownership of a phrase. As Kate Miltner, a lecturer in data, AI, and society at the University of Sheffield’s Information School, told me at the time, memes with audiovisual elements, like Nyan Cat or Grumpy Cat, are easier to register. “People will invariably try to make money off of viral or memetic content, as we've seen time and again,” Miltner says when asked about trademarking the baby hippo, adding that the Cincinnati Zoo has already done this with Fiona the Hippo. “It's smart of the Khao Kheow Open Zoo to (at least try to) ensure that they’re the ones that do so.”
Lebron seems to be figuring out how to market her moment, and Moo Deng’s keepers seem to be doing the same. Being online in 2024 means living in a state of near-constant vulnerability. You could get hacked or turned into a humiliating deepfake. Having a public opinion on a video game or The Acolyte could turn your mentions into a hellscape. And that’s what happens to filthy casuals. When you’re an ascending pop star or a baby hippo the weak spots multiply, because the world always seems hungry for more of you. It’s possible to protect yourself, even monetize yourself, but you can lose yourself, too.
Like Boaty McBoatface, Moo Deng was named by the internet. The zoo held a poll on social media. Unlike McBoatface, Moo Deng is a living thing; she’s a member of an endangered species and needs protecting. Moo Deng is more than a meme.
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heyy if ur taking requests could u maybe do a fic where nicks out filming and the reader, his bf is at home and someone says something online (doesnt matter what) and the reader has a panic attack and like calls nick and he rushes over and comforts the reader??
⌗ posted, n. sturniolo
nick x male!reader
summary: you see a comment online saying that you are using nick for his fame, and try to clap back at the hater, causing a bit of anxiety in you.
disclaimers!: established relationship, kissing, fluff, use of y/n, short
a/n: submit more ideas for nick fanfics bc i love feeding my male readers lol | also, im basing the readers panic attack based off of how mine are just because i get them as well! everyone’s are different, so just a heads up!
as i patiently waited for nick to get back from filming, i scrolled on twitter. most of my feed was melanie martinez since she was my favorite artist, or tweets about my boyfriend, nicolas.
i had been scrolling for about five minutes now, when i scrolled back up to a tweet that caught my eye.
“nick’s bf is clearly using him for clout 💀 like cmon. he just wants money, i mean that shit is so obvious”
i was in shock. i scrolled down to the replies, and they all agreed. there was one that said,
“no he’s not. look at the photos of them, they are genuinely happy! nick tries to keep his relationship off of the internet but you guys can’t let him have shit.”
well, at least someone was right.
i clicked the reply button, and started typing out why what they were saying was not true. i sighed, and quickly hit the backspace button until it was all gone.
i set my phone down slowly as i felt my breathing start to grow faster. the breaths were rapid and shuddering, and it felt as if my heart was in my stomach.
my entire body felt shaky, and i couldn’t catch my breath. i reached for my phone, moving slowly.
“hey siri, call nick.” i spoke to the device.
the phone started ringing, and i felt a relief fall over me as he picked up. “hey, we’re headed back. whats wro—”
he stopped. i could hear him bring the phone closer to his ear. “y/n, are you okay?” i squeezed my eyes shut, and tried to stop the tears from falling.
“its…its happening a—again.” i spoke through breaths.
“we’ll be there so soon, okay? just try to control your breathing, okay? i love you, baby, be there soon.”
i sighed again through the breaths, and heard nick say, “matt, step on it!” before the call disconnected.
minutes had gone by, and i heard the front door open. footsteps sprinted up the steps, and nicks bedroom door opened quickly.
he appeared, and ran over to the bed, seating himself next to me. nick immediately put his hand over mine, interlocking our fingers, and planting a kiss on my forehead.
“are you okay?”
my breathing had neutralized, but i still felt a little out of it. i nodded, and he shut his eyes with a sigh of relief.
“we’ll leave you to it.” matt says from the doorway. he pulls chris’s arm, and shuts the door.
nick kicks off his shoes, and gets under the blanket next to me, resting his head on my shoulder. “what happened?”
i bite my bottom lip, and grab my phone, turning it on, and showing him the tweet. he reads it and sighs, looking up at me.
“we both know this isn’t true. i love you, so much, and you love me too. im so sorry you’re getting involved in this.”
i hug him, and he presses his lips against mine.
a kiss from nick always helps, but expecting this situation. i loved nick, and i always have, even before they started going viral. i would never do such a thing to him, and he knows that.
nick pulls away, and rests his forehead against mine. he grabs our interlocked hands, and plants a kiss on them.
“rule one, never read the comments.” he chuckles.
i smile, and turn away, biting my inner cheek. nick pulls out his phone, and leans in closer to me. i look at him confused.
“say cheese!” he smiles into the camera, and i quickly change my expression to a small smile. he opens instagram, and clicks on the photo.
“nick, what are you doing?” i question. he starts typing, and reading aloud at the same time.
“with my loving, caring, handsome, amazing, and awesome boyfriend. i love you forever and ever.”
i blush, and nick looks up at me and smiles.
“posted.”
#sturniolo triplets#nick sturniolo#nicolas sturniolo#matt sturniolo#matthew sturniolo#chris sturniolo#christopher sturniolo#sturniolo fanfic#sturniolo x reader
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Not So Berry (Straud Descendants) Gen 9
Today's (9/18/2024) Episode: Back to Reality
Noemi and Luigi popped home just long enough to drop off their Batuu souvenirs and bags , then headed right back out to pick up Skye and Blossom.
“It was great to have some time just for us” Noemi said as they climbed the steps to Isra and Rhy’s place “but I’m ready to see my baby!” Luigi just smiled and nodded. He didn’t feel nearly as ready to dive back into “that parenthood life”, but he wasn’t about to disappoint her by saying so.
They waved at Isra and the kids through the door, but as soon as little Skye spotted his mom he took off like a tiny parent-seeking rocket.
Isra wasn’t able to catch him in time and the toddler smacked face first into the nearly invisible glass. Fortunately, maternal comfort was close at hand. “Shhh, you’re OK, mommy and daddy are here now, we missed you so much.” Noemi whispered as she wrapped him in a hug.
“momma back now” Skye echoed, his tears subsiding quickly under her loving ministrations as his little friend played happily beside him, quite used to his drama by now. Luigi was hanging back to let Noemi handle it when Isra stepped up next to him to have a quiet private word.
“Luigi” she began “I have to tell you; Skye was a little… aggressive while he was here. He was fine with the older kids, but we had some issues with the infants. First, he bit Orson when he tried to take a toy Skye was playing with. Then yesterday, during a playdate with Beau and Breanne on the beach, he hit Betty after she accidently messed up his sandcastle. We convinced Beau not to bother you, but he’s pretty mad. You should talk to him.”
Luigi didn’t know what to say, finally landing on “I’m sorry about that. I know Skye likes things just so and he’s not used to sharing.”
Gesturing towards the back patio where Noemi had settled with the tiny terror in question for a game of peek-a-boo he continued “He was obviously missing us too. I’m sure now that we’re back, he’ll calm down. Also, thanks for the heads up about Beau, I’ll call him soon.”
Isra followed Luigi outside to join the others. Wanting to make sure she knew he was taking the information she’d provided seriously Luigi wasted no time filling Noemi in: “Honey, Isra was telling me that Skye here wasn’t very nice to the little ones while we were gone.”
Noemi was appalled when she heard what had happened, immediately telling Skye: “We don’t treat other sims that way! We have to be nice to our friends or they won’t want to play with us. Now you say sorry to Ms. Isra, and then we’re going to go find Orson and say sorry to him too.”
“Sorry” Skye parroted, looking vaguely in Isra’s direction “Thank you” she replied “Everybody makes mistakes. I’m sure Orson will forgive you too.”
As Noemi led Skye inside to the nursery, where Isra indicated the twins had just woken up from a nap, Rhys appeared. “Welcome back man!” he greeted Luigi “Can you believe the hype around the video you posted of your wedding dance!?”
“What hype?” Luigi said, all ears. “Part of the Batuu experience is avoiding interaction with the outside world as much as possible.”
Rhys shook his head in disbelief “Oh wow, they really keep you isolated at that theme park. Well, come on upstairs – you’ve got to see this.”
Luigi could hardly believe the millions of views listed under his SimTube video. “People are talking about it, and you, everywhere” Rhys told him “I know the PR department at work is going to want to capitalize on this while it’s still viral. I’d say you’re a proper celebrity now – congratulations!”
Thanking Rhys for the good news Luigi hurried downstairs to find Blossom and leave. He was eager get home and take a serious look at his SimTube analytics dashboard. His older videos were sure to be seeing an uptick in viewership thanks to this, and he was dying to review everything.
Noemi wasn’t thrilled to be the other half of the dance video that was apparently sweeping the nation, but she tried her best to take it in stride. She knew Luigi loved the fans and the fame, and she loved him. It was why she’d agreed to let him film them after all.
Collecting Blossom from under their friend’s couch, they agreed to catch up again soon before heading down the beach towards home.
In game I actually moved Skye into Isra’s household to live “that NPC life” for a couple days while I took his parents on their honeymoon, and this is what I came back to 🤪🤭!
View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here
#sims 4#sims 4 challenge#sims 4 legacy#sims4#sims 4 nsb#sims 4 not so berry#sims4nsbstraud#sims 4 let's play#sims 4 gameplay#sims 4 lets play
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When Everything's Made to be Broken - Chapter 2: And You Have Every Right to be Scared
Summary: Theo ends up on SHIELD's Radar. Loki ponders his place among the Midgardians.
Author's Notes: First chapter with Theo POV! This is a much lighter chapter than the last one. Hoping to post Ch. 3 on 10/22, but it depends on how helping my parents move next weekend goes (I have it written, but having the time to post is another thing. If you enjoy, please reblog!
Content Warnings: None!
Word Count: 3,843
Read on AO3 | When Everything's Made to be Broken Masterlist
Song: Some Nights (Intro) - fun.
There are some nights I hold on to every note I ever wrote Some nights, I say "fuck it all" and stare at the calendar Waiting for catastrophes, imagining they'd scare me Into changing whatever it is I am changing into... And you have every right to be scared
It was really easy for Theo to pretend there wasn’t a sudden infestation of shadow creatures attacking Earth until she was locked in a dirty subway car beneath New York City with a horde of them.
Sure, she saw the recent news reports about their appearance in New York, not to mention the videos of different organizations struggling to fight them. Hell, at work she had treated some of the people who came into the Emergency Room after getting into a tussle with the little terrors. However, she was perfectly content to ignore the reports, the calls from Nick Fury, the stalking by Maria Hill, and the pestering by her Mémère to put her abilities to use by helping eradicate the beasts.
Nick Fury may have done her family a favor a while back, but they already repaid it tenfold. It was no secret that he always kept tabs on Theo, but she assumed it had less to do with him calling on a favor and more with ensuring someone with abilities like hers was always monitored.
If anything, the more Fury insisted on cornering Theo “to talk,” the more it seemed like Nick Fury had forgotten that Theo swore off everything affiliated with her powers. Theo was a civilian. She left that life behind, trading it in for stethoscopes and scrubs, and she was not about to go back. There was nothing that the Director of SHIELD could offer her that would change her mind. Besides, the hippocratic oath specified that Theo would do no harm, and if she really wanted to push Fury’s buttons, she could argue that the oath could apply to shadow creatures, even if they were eldritch horrors.
Well, that was what Theo told herself. In reality, she was content to ignore the shadow creature problem until a pack of the little monsters barged through the steel door of a subway car, snarling and slithering and reeking of death. Running crossed her mind, until one of the damn demons launched itself at Fran, the little old woman with the perfectly permed hair and smoker voice who always rode the subway back from her poker night at the same time that Theo was on her way home from work.
Hippocratic oath be damned, Theo was not about to let Fran die right after she won $200 from Eddie (who from what Fran had told her over the course of many train rides, sounded like an absolute asshole). Fran needed to live so she could celebrate, which meant the beasts needed to go, and Theo was the only one around with the skills to exterminate them.
A bit of strategic maneuvering among the chaos ensured that no one saw Theo activate her powers. Not even five minutes later, the subway car floor was littered with the dust of what was once the pests; she may have chosen to abstain from fighting, but after all that time combat still came to Theo like it was second nature. When all was said and done she slipped into the crowds, deactivated her powers, and returned to the scene, pretending to be just as shocked as everyone else.
In the days following the confrontation, the video of her singlehandedly obliterating the entire pack had gone viral. Even though Theo’s powers altered her appearance so a casual acquaintance could not identify her, anyone who knew about her little secret would instantly recognize her. Unfortunately, Fury and Maria were among the select few who knew exactly what they were looking at. After the video got out, the pair were somehow even more incessant in their attempts to speak to Theo, to the extent that she had to start relying on back doors and climbing out her fire escape to avoid them.
When the other members of the cover band Theo played in noticed her aversion to taking the main exits, they assumed she had a stalker. It certainly didn’t help that there was now a table of middle aged men in suits at every bar gig, standing out like a sore thumb amidst the younger, more casually dressed regulars. The only reason they didn’t call the police was because she eventually made up the claim that Stark Industries was recruiting her for their hospital that they just opened in Avengers Tower, so she was trying to make it less obvious to the people around her that she was being observed.
As far as lies went, it was terrible - certainly not one of her best - but somehow they believed it.
It was a bit harder to avoid the SHIELD agents when she was at soccer practice. They sat in their vehicles, parked far enough away that none of the other players noticed. Sure, it made Theo wonder if there were times other creeps sat there watching their practices, but she never brought it up. Her team had just qualified to play in their rec league championship, so they needed to stay focused.
A week after having to talk her bandmates out of calling the cops, Theo came home from a bar show to find Maria Hill accompanied by a collection of SHIELD agents in her apartment. The stalking was one thing, but entering her private space? Theo was moments away from banishing them to an alternate dimension, even if it meant she’d be in deep shit later on.
Before Theo could unleash her temper on the uninvited house guests, Maria uttered a phrase so startling that even Theo was rendered speechless.
“Director Fury wants to speak with you immediately - it’s about your parents and your sister.”
Cause there are some nights I hold you close, pushing you to hold me Or begging you to lock me up, never let me see the world Some nights, I live in horror of people on the radio Tea parties and Twitter, I've never been so bitter…
Two decades prior, had one inquired whether Loki could imagine himself living his life anywhere besides Asgard, Loki would have laughed at the preposterous nature of the statement.
In his naivety, he believed Asgard to be the golden realm, the very definition of a Utopia - why would one wish to live anywhere else? Certainly, other realms had their charms - Vanaheim’s lush landscapes always provided a peaceful retreat, and visiting Midgard to cause lighthearted chaos was a childhood pastime for both Loki and Thor - but why would one ever wish to live anywhere other than the realm of the Gods themselves?
As he sliced through another of what could best be described as “shadow beasts,” it occurred to Loki that the Norns had a rather cruel sense of humor. How else would he be in his current position, residing upon and working alongside the Midgardians to protect a realm which he was once sent to conquer? That morning, he was summoned to fend off a multiversal threat unlike anything he’d encountered among his many travels. The day before, he represented New Asgard at an international summit on environmentally sustainable food production practices. He had lived upon Midgard for over half a decade, with no sign of leaving any time soon.
Had someone informed younger Loki of what the fates had in store, he would have collapsed to the ground in a fit of relentless, all-consuming laughter which was so intense that one might think him mad.
Alas, Asgard was no more. The few Aesir who survived Ragnarok were brought to Midgard, to establish a new civilization on the very land where Odin uttered his final words. No sooner had the Aesir landed on Midgard were they called into battle, facing off with the Mad Titan himself, Thanos, as well as the Black Order. More Aesir perished in a truly intergalactic battle which barely succeeded in preventing the Titan from achieving his goal - eliminating 50% of all living creatures in the universe.
When the dust settled, the once mighty Aesir were reduced to a mere shadow of their former glory. They struggled to make sense of the tragedy, to attempt to rebuild without any of the tools which allowed the Aesir to thrive in the construction of Asgard.
The initial reaction to Loki’s presence in the realm he once terrorized was not kind. Had it not been for Thor’s advocacy and Banner’s testament that Loki was acting under duress when he attacked New York, Loki would have been banished from the realm, if not outright executed. Whether he deserved his brother’s arduous defense, Loki was skeptical, but without an alternative for where he would go or what he would do, Loki was forced to accept the support.
Selfishly, he was grateful for his brother’s foolish sentiment, though he would rather hug Sutur than admit it aloud.
Preparing the Midgardians for what to expect when Thanos would inevitably arrive, as well as fighting alongside the Midgardians to defeat Thanos brought a tenuous truce. He no longer endured harassment when venturing beyond New Asgard, but scandalized whispers followed him as if they were the shadow of his legacy - a legacy of destruction, of embodying the monster which parents told their children of at night, of betraying those who he claimed to love. Those nearby would put forth a concerted effort to avoid crossing paths with the trickster, providing him a wide berth wherever he went.
While the Midgardians were unafraid to hide their distrust, the attitudes which the Aesir held towards Loki were more difficult to ascertain. Perhaps they were conflicted; the time which Loki posed as Odin was among the most peaceful and prosperous that the realm had known, though it was at the cost of banishing the Allfather to a care home on Midgard. Banishing the Allfather led to Odin’s passing, which brought the return of Hela, and eventually caused Ragnarok. Though prophesied, it was not a stretch to argue that Loki’s actions served as the catalyst for the demise of thousands. And while Loki ensured the salvation and evacuation of many Aesir by piloting the Statesman to Asgard, it never should have reached such a state where evacuation was necessary. Sure, he unleashed Sutur and ultimately ended Ragnarok, but that was simply a matter of finishing what he started.
Then there was Loki’s involvement with the interruption of Thor’s coronation, the invasion of Jotunheim, the banishment of Thor, and the killing of his father, Laufey. All of which led to his involvement with the Mad Titan and the Black Order - a time which Loki had no interest in revisiting, but caused irreparable harm to many people and multiple realms. And though most were unaware, Loki could be traced back to the death of Frigga - had he not informed Kursed where to find Jane, the Allmother would have remained alive. He may have nearly sacrificed himself to protect Jane Foster, but one heroic moment was nowhere near the atonement required for his past actions.
The search for atonement was how Loki found himself fighting alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
It had been Thor’s idea. The oaf believed that joining the Avengers would cast Loki in a positive light and improve his reputation, which would be important if he were to remain on Midgard and ruling New Asgard by Thor’s side. Additionally, joining the Avengers would provide the younger prince with a means by which to continue practicing magic, as well as access to knowledge and resources which might satisfy Loki’s more scholarly nature.
The case Thor put forth was not terrible; perhaps a lesser being would have been swayed. However, neither of the reasons he provided were the cause of Loki relenting to the constant pestering about assisting the Heroes.
Loki viewed the agreement to join the Avengers as reparations, or paying his penance. He did not expect the Avengers to welcome a villain into their midst, much less a monster - he certainly was no hero. If anything, he expected them to view him as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. They would be civil towards the Asgardian, and in exchange he would provide whatever assistance they needed while maintaining a safe distance.
That was years ago. In recent days, Thor swore the Midgardians had come to love Loki, though Loki was hardly convinced. Sure, the Midgardians no longer made a point to avoid the younger prince wherever he went; if he was out in public with Thor, from time to time a passerby would approach and ask for a photo with the trickster instead of the God of Thunder. The media relished opportunities to interview the God of Mischief, during which he turned on his charm and played the reporters like a fiddle. It was all a show. Loki knew that it was a facade, an illusion - a part he played in the elaborate scheme of things. Still, there were moments where he allowed himself to dwell on what it might be like to truly belong, to know he was not alone.
A flash of movement in the corner of his vision caught Loki’s attention. He turned to find Maximoff unleashing a blast of chaos magic on a pack of the eldritch vermin which had overrun the streets as of late. She offered a bright smile and wave; Loki allowed one corner of his lips to quirk upward as he nodded at her.
Even if his responsibility was little more than to play a part, there was something to be said for the recent challenge which occupied the Avengers’ time. Shadow creatures, for lack of a better term, randomly started appearing in New York, attacking random civilians and destroying anything they touched.
In the many years since Loki had adopted Midgard as his place of residence, never had he encountered a situation quite like this. All efforts to identify the origin of the beings had been futile. The creatures were not like anything encountered by any of the Avengers, Loki included, and even among the seemingly endless supply of information available to the Avengers, no record of similar creatures appeared anywhere. The magical aura which emanated from the creatures was quite distinct from anything Loki had encountered before.
And yet, the prospect of a challenge that not only required skill in battle, but a certain intellectual pedigree brought a spark that he had not felt in quite some time. Perhaps it was an antidote to the drudgery.
Or, perhaps it was a chance to prove to himself that he was in fact worthy of the title of “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.”
He didn’t dare dwell on the thought.
And you, why you wanna stay? Oh my God! Have you listened to me lately? Lately, I've been going crazy... And you, why you wanna stay? Oh my God! Have you listened to me lately? Lately, I've been fucking crazy...
She must have lost her mind.
Flanked by a pair of SHIELD security guards, Theo cursed herself for agreeing to go with Maria. Really, she must have lost her mind - that was the only reasonable explanation that Theo could come up with for her lapse in judgment. After all, everyone in her immediate family was dead, and they had been dead for a long time. If she couldn’t bring back the dead, there was no way that anyone affiliated with SHIELD could.
What could Nick Fury possibly want to speak with Theo about regarding her parents and her sister that hadn’t been discussed long ago?
When she considered the situation, it was more realistic to assume that there was probably some treaty that Theo broke by using her power. Given she wouldn’t come willingly, they must have realized they needed to lure her out so they could lock her up - even if the Sokovia Accords were no longer enforced, it didn’t mean people were still a bit put off by anyone with… abilities. Again, another reason why she had no interest in using her powers.
Along the cool tile floor, Theo’s black oxford shoes clicked with each step. The sound echoed off the sterile halls, while harsh fluorescent lights illuminated the path forward. Staring ahead, Theo had to stop herself from snickering when she realized Fury’s bald head actually shined under the light, as if he polished it for the occasion.
What would happen if Theo told them she changed her mind? Would they grab her and drag her into whatever interrogation room they undoubtedly had set up for her? Would they skip the interrogation and toss her into a cell? Or would they let her slip away?
Probably the first option. Maybe the second. The third was laughable. This was SHIELD they were talking about; they probably had some kind of ward on the entire compound to restrict any special abilities.
No, it was too late - she had come too far, and she couldn’t turn back. She may as well play along and see what they wanted. If nothing else came from it, she was curious to see what on earth would be related to her family.
Then again, Curiosity killed the cat… or some shit like that.
Well, nothing managed to kill her yet, so it was safe to say that curiosity probably wouldn’t be her cause of death.
Arriving at their destination, Maria scanned her badge to unlock the steel door. Fury entered first, not even offering a nod of acknowledgement to Maria. With a tense smile, Maria gestured for Theo to enter next. Theo forced the closest thing she could offer to a smile before following suit.
Based on the hallway they just exited, Theo expected an interrogation room to await her. Instead, she was greeted by black leather chairs with high backs, which surrounded a relatively small table constructed from metal and glass. A projector dropped down from the ceiling, pointed at a screen on the opposite end of the room. There were no windows. Pale gray walls echoed the metal finishes found throughout the rest of the SHIELD facility.
A conference room.
“Sit.” Fury gestured to a chair, though he didn’t make any effort to sit himself.
Keeping her eyes trained on the director, Theo cautiously lowered herself into the seat.
“I thought you were done fighting.” Fury began, crossing his arms and glaring at Theo.
“I thought you could control your interplanetary invasions better, but if it’s between having to fight versus watching little old Fran get ripped to shreds, I’m protecting Fran.” Leaning back in her seat, Theo crossed her arms and returned Fury’s glare. “You know that I want nothing to do with this, so why won’t you leave me alone?”
“We understand that you want to be a civilian, but you know more about shadow creatures and the world they come from than anyone else,” Maria answered, taking a seat across from Theo and folding her hands together atop the table. “We wouldn’t be trying to enlist you if we felt we had other options to stop them.”
“So you lied about having something I needed to know about my family so you could get me down here and beg me to help?” An incredulous laugh snuck out of Theo as she shook her head. “That’s low, even for SHIELD–”
“Your parents and your sister are alive.”
With seven words, Nick Fury rendered Theo speechless.
It wasn’t possible; there was no way they were alive. Theo was there - she saw their blood spilled on the cobblestone streets, empty eyes reflecting back a city engulfed in flames. Their final cries still rang in her ears on the darkest nights.
Searching his face for proof that he was trying to trick her, Theo only found the harsh glare and narrowed eyes that the director cast at everyone around him.
Fire coursed through Theo’s veins at the audacity of Fury’s claim; that he believed he could fool her was almost enough to make her leave right then and there.
“Bullshit.” Theo clenched her jaw, her hands balled into fists as they remained in her lap. “You know as well as I do that they were killed in the massacre—”
“Proof.” To make his point, Fury slapped a manila folder down in front of Theo. “They may have been in the massacre, but they weren’t killed.”
Biting back her ire at Fury for the moment, Theo turned her attention to the contents of the folder. Photos, partially redacted communication records, measurements of their magical signatures, all relatively recent - her mother, her father, and her sister.
An avalanche of thoughts cascaded in Theo’s mind. If this was the case - if they were really alive, how did they survive? Where were they now? Why hadn’t they tried to contact Theo, or Mémère, or the council?
Theo drew in a deep breath, holding it for a five-count, then released it slowly.
“This doesn’t make sense,” She said, scanning over the documents yet again. “If you know they’re alive, where are they? Why aren’t they here?”
“Here’s the deal: you help us with the shadow creature invasion, and we’ll help you reunite with your family.” Rather than answer Theo’s question, Fury leaned forward, folding his hands together and resting them on the table. “Work with the Avengers to investigate and eliminate whoever’s at the center of these invasions. If you do, once you’re reunited with your family, we’ll leave you alone.”
“Wow, that seems rather manipulative, don’t you think?” Theo drawled, her tone unapologetically sharp as she glared at the pair of SHIELD agents across from her. “Withholding my family from me in exchange for my services?”
“We’ll need to work together in order to reach your family anyways,” Maria pointed out with a small shrug.
“You help us, we’ll help you.” Fury pressed.
Some people believed in fate. Some people believed in destiny. Theo didn’t believe in either - while she had been placed in positions where it seemed like she had no choice more times than she could count, she knew that she, ultimately, was the one who decided her path forward. At times, the decisions were obvious, but there were plenty of decisions made that kept Theo up at night.
This was one decision she was not ready to make.
“Give me two days to think it over,” Theo countered. “I’ll find you when I’ve made up my mind.”
Two days was reasonable - she needed time to do some research of her own, figure out what parts of the situation Fury was holding off on telling her, and weigh the risks of agreeing to the proposal.
Then again, if they were alive… What did she have to lose?
There are some nights I wait for someone to save us But I never look inward, try not to look upward And some nights I pray a sign is gonna come to me But usually, I'm just trying to get some sleep... Some nights!
Tag list: @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @thedistractedagglomeration @lokisgoodgirl @simplyholl @mochie85 @coldnique @lokixryss @gigglingtiggerv2 @infinitystoner @loopsisloops @mischief2sarawr @crzyplantladyvibes @buttercupcookies-blog @vickie5446 @wolfsmom1 @sarahscribbles @loki-cees-all @the-lady-amphitrite @tripleyeeet - let me know if you want to be added!
#loki fluff#loki angst#loki#loki fanfiction#loki smut#(eventually)#when everything's made to be broken#WEMTBB#loki x oc#loki fanfic#loki marvel#loki mcu#avengers AU#slow burn
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Round Robin: Chapter 5 - Don’t call me Angel
Book: OH & TRR crossover
Characters mentioned: Luna Auclair (F!OC - OH), Bryce Lahela (M!MC - OH), Tobias Carrick (M!MC - OH, Maxwell Beaumont (M!MC - TRR) and Bertrand Beaumont (M!MC - TRR)
Words in total: 3,373k
A/N: Masterlist for Round Robin @choicesprompts I’m participating for Round Robin for the 1st time and I really hope I could do the characters justice 🥰
Side note: Thank you so much for helping me with this story and helping me get inspired @aallotarenunelma & @annieruok94 🩷🩷🩷🩷
A few weeks ago…
Luna
The phone rang somewhere in the house while I was in the middle of an art project.
A few seconds later I heard footsteps and when I turned around I saw Bryce appear in the doorway, handing me my phone.
”Who is it?“ I asked and turned to my canvas again.
”No idea some fancy talking guy said he wanted to talk to you.“
”Is he sure he got the right person?“ ”Beats me.“
I furrowed my brow and pushed my dark blonde hair out of my face and accidentally got some teal paint in my hair. Good thing it’ll wash out.
”Hello?“ I wiped my paint covered fingers on a cloth I kept handy when I painted.
”Am I speaking to Ms. Luna Auclair?“ A deep voice with a slight accent can be heard from the other end.
”Yes. And who is this?“ I put the phone on speaker and got up slowly as I took my brushes to the sink to wash them.
”My name is Bertrand Beaumont from House Beaumont in Cordonia. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.“
”Hmm. Sorry doesn’t ring a bell.“ I say not able to resist teasing him. Bryce snickered next to me.
”You’re so mean.“ He mouthed, and I kissed his stubbled cheek, making him smile.
I turned back to the conversation, putting Bertrand out of his misery. Poor guy must’ve thought the worst of me.
”I’m just kidding Mr. Beaumont I know who you are. So what can I do for you?“ I turned off the faucet and put my paint brushes upside down so they could dry.
”I could use your help.“ He sounded hesitant, which made me instantly curious.
”Help with what?“
”We have our PR firm that we founded, and we’re trying to give some people a better public image.“ I took my phone into my hand.
”What does that have to do with me? I’m not a PR person. I have a bachelor's degree in fine arts, and I’m currently teaching art at the University of Hawaii.“
I took a look at my half-finished painting sitting on the easel, and decided to let the painting dry for now. I’ll keep working on it later.
When I closed the door Bryce and I walked towards the backyard, where we sat down in our beach chairs, while Bertrand’s voice kept coming out of the speaker.
”I’m very well aware. But I know you’re someone who’s skilled as an artist. And I know you think outside the box, and that’s exactly what we need.“
”I will need more information than that if you want my help.“ I could hear some commotion before another voice replaced Bertrand's.
”Luna right? Hi I’m Maxwell, Bertrand’s brother. Look, my brother's social skills suck sometimes. I have the cliff notes version if you want it?“
”Um…sure fire away.“
”Alright. A few weeks ago there was a bit of an…let’s call it an incident. Tobias Carrick was caught making out with the daughter of one of the hospital directors of Mass Kenmore. Someone apparently posted it online. Of course, it’s gone viral. The damage is done and he could get fired. Because apparently it’s unethical.“
”Poor Tobias. He’s a good friend of me and my fiancé Bryce so he has our sympathies especially since this a massive violation of their privacy to put the video online. I’m really sorry he’s going through that.“
I looked at Bryce who was as surprised as me to hear about this.
”Both Bertrand and I feel terrible, because Tobias seems like such a great guy and then for someone to swoop in and destroy his image like that. This is actually where you come into play. Let’s just say we’ve tried other people to fix his image, but it didn’t work.“
”Like I told your brother, I’m not a PR person. I have zero experience.“
”That’s not what we’re looking for. I’m talking about your other accolades. You’re not only one of the youngest people to finish your bachelor degree, but one where all your professors had only glowing compliments for you. You also published your own book, called Kala Kala - Overcoming anxiety with the help of art. Very nice read. I loved it, it’s also super colorful by the way. Not only do you teach art at the senior center, you’re an active member at arts on the fence, a non-profit organization in Honolulu, Hawaii. You love malasdas and are allergic to ginger. Should I continue? I’ve got more.“
”I…no…that’s fine. But how did you find out that much about me? Not everything is available online.“ I was wondering how the hell they got my phone number, and all the things in my bio Maxwell just mentioned. Why would they even be interested in seeking out my help?
”Let’s say a mutual, redhead found out about it. She bought some of your art, and she said you could be a good fit. I think the phrase »ovaries of steel« was mentioned.“
I gasped in awe.
”You don’t mean Olivia Nevrakis do you? Because then I’m so in. I’d love to meet her. And of course help out in any way I can.“
I heard a whoop and a sigh.
”Is that a yes?“ Maxwell asked unsure.
”Hold on a sec.“ I muted the conversation.
”What do you think B?“ I asked Bryce and I could see his beautiful face, that I could sketch every single day and not get tired of looking at.
”I mean I’m sorry Tobias is going through this. He’s our friend, but are you sure you’re up for it?“ His brown eyes were filled with worry as he gently caressed my stomach.
”I’ll be fine. Women have gotten pregnant before and have worked until they’ve given birth.“ I said with more conviction than I felt right now.
”I know you’re trying to be strong but okay. If you’re really sure, then I’m okay with it, but the smallest hitch, and we’re going back home. And don’t think of going alone. I don’t care who they are. You’re my fiancé and the mother of my kids. So they better believe I’ll be going with you.“
”I love your protective mode.“
”Out of all the things I’ve said, that’s what you focused on?“
I grinned and then I unmuted the conversation.
”Maxwell? I’m in.“
”Thanks Luna. I promise you won’t regret it.“
”I better don’t. Otherwise, you’ll hear me yell at you.“
Maxwell chuckled.
”You got it. There’ll be a private jet to pick you up. I’ll send you the arrival date. Can’t wait to meet you. From the pictures I’ve seen, you're really beautiful.“
”Careful there Casanova.“ Bryce chimed in, and I grinned as I pushed my hand through his soft brown hair, making him relax.
”No worries, I know she’s taken. We’ll see you soon in Cordonia, bye.“
Before I could say anything else the phone call ended. Bryce and I just stared at the phone and then laughed at how surreal the situation was.
Who would’ve thought I’d meet members of House Beaumont?
Though it looked as if a new adventure was coming our way.
5 days later
So here I was on day five not making any kind of improvement whatsoever.
I’ve tried talking to Tobias, but nothing worked to get through to him.
He acted as if nothing was wrong and there’s no part where he could lose his job. He’s been painted as the bad guy but doesn’t seem to care.
I got up this morning, let Bryce sleep in a little, as I went down to the pool to figure out a new strategy for how to fix this mess.
That’s when I saw Tobias flirting with a woman by the pool.
You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m trying to repair his image, and he’s out here flirting? Oh, hell no!
”Having fun?“ I asked when I stood next to him. Tobias turned his light green eyes to me, focusing on me rather than the woman he was just talking to a minute ago.
As if he wasn’t already good-looking enough, the smile he threw my way made his face even more beautiful.
”Good morning to you too, gorgeous.“
”Sorry buddy but that charm is wasted on me. I’m engaged and I’m expecting.“
”Does that mean I can’t flirt with you?“ Tobias smirked.
”You can. But it won’t have any effect.“ I said and took a towel from the rack and threw it at him.
”Get dressed.“ I said, and he took the towel, but didn't move. He threw an apologetic smile at the woman who was sitting next to him. She slipped him a small piece of paper and left. He watched her walk away and nodded his head in appreciation.
I cleared my throat, and he turned his gaze on me.
”Let me guess you have another glorious idea how to restore my image?“
”You can call it that. You have 10 minutes to get dressed and be back.“
”Let’s make it 15 alright?“ Tobias laughed.
”Now it’s 10 minutes.“
”Does that tone ever work on Bryce?“
”I’m not going to repeat myself.“
”Now you sound like a school teacher.“ He replied but got up. That’s progress I guess.
”Look, I was assigned to give you some sort of glowing makeover for your reputation. If you don’t want it? Fine. I have better things to do.“
Tobias stared back at me, his charm gone.
”Like what? Be all sunshiny? No offense, but don’t you ever have a bad day or get angry? In all the time you’ve been here you’re always smiling and never losing your cool. You’re more like a robot.“
His comment hit me more than I thought it would, so I got up in his face. Which is hard since he’s taller than me, but I made it work.
”Don’t mistake my bubbly personality for being just that. There’s a lot more to my character and my personality than being happy and positive. You don’t know me that well if your words are any indication.“
His eyes widened for a fraction.
”My bad.“
”And that was lesson number 12.“
Tobias rolled his eyes.
”What I don’t get is why they even assigned you to me? We’re polar opposites.“
”You know what’s interesting? In our whole convos, you’ve avoided talking about this whole incident that led up to this moment right now. You keep acting as if you don’t care, and it’s no concern of yours. But you avoid talking about the core problem.“
Tobias crossed his arm.
”Please enlighten me.“
”You’re not a bad guy. But you’d rather have people believe you’re a dick then let them think you have a heart. That’s interesting.“
”Are you done psychoanalyzing me?“ His voice sounded more and more irritated.
”If you think that we’re done? Then you don’t know me at all. We’re just getting started. Get dressed. And don’t be late. If you’re not down in 5 minutes I’m leaving. So dealers choice.“
”Fine, I'll go get dressed. Doesn’t mean this conversation is over.“
”Now it’s 9 minutes.“ I said and watched him quicken his steps while I sat down and enjoyed the nice view of the ocean.
10 minutes later…
”What is this place?“ He asked without really seeming to pay attention.
”It’s called a room. With walls and windows. And sometimes there’s even a door.“
He snickered.
”I know what a room is. I meant what are we doing in this room?“ He looked at all the cans of paint I had people assemble for this exercise.
”That’s the fun part. Team building exercise. It’s also pregnancy safe, which is a plus.“ I grinned, but he just looked at me and didn't reply.
”The point of this exercise is to let go of past hurts. Look at it this way, you can just let all your anger out. I like to call it angry painting.“
I take a can of paint, open it and see the color coral crush. I took it and threw some at the wall.
Tobias regarded me and I handed him another can, he took but stared at it as if it’s been touched by Medusa herself.
”Do you even know how to get angry?“ He looked at me skeptically as he kept holding the pint can in his hands.
”Excuse me?“
He opened the can of paint and a soft canary yellow joined the coral crush tone on the wall.
”Look, all you’ve said is how I have a heart and I don’t let others see it. But you don’t even know me. How do you expect me to trust you?“
”Is this finally the heart-to-heart you’re giving me? One that the others failed to get?“
”Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to partner up.“ He set the can down and was about to walk away.
”Giving up so soon? That’s a shame.“
”What?“ He stopped and slowly turned my way.
”I know you’re the type of guy who likes to do things rather than sit around and talk.“
”You’ve been paying attention? I’m shocked. Everybody knows I’m competitive, that's not a secret.“
”Of course I’ve been paying attention. You know I have bad days and angry moments too. I’m not just some blonde bimbo, who can’t count to three. I notice a lot more than people think.“
”Such as?“ He raised his eyebrows daringly as he leaned against the door frame.
”When you get nervous you bite your lip and clench your left fist. Which would lead me to believe you are left-handed.“
I kept going.
”Whenever I ask you a personal question or try to tackle the issue, you laugh it off, meaning you’re not ready to talk to me or improve your image. You think it’s fine and it doesn't need any polishing. If people don’t like you or think you’re a dick that’s on them.“
Tobias doesn’t say anything.
”I’d wager you’re someone who likes to do things his way or the highway. You don’t play well with others because you like to be in control. It’s hard for you to give anyone even an ounce of your trust because you believe trust is earned. You said it yourself I don’t know much about you, so why should you trust me? So did I get any of that right?“
Tobias didn’t say anything. He didn’t even move a muscle.
”Your silence indicates I got something right.“
”Even if you did get it right, it doesn’t mean I need your help.“
”So what you’d let your image get destroyed and let others decide on the narrative rather than trying to fix it? That doesn’t sound like the Tobias I got to know.“
”I can’t control what people think.“
”Maybe not. But you can let them see that there’s more to you. Do you know what I see right now?“
”What?“
”Someone who’s been hurt in the past, and now you’re hurt again. But you’re trying so hard to bury those feelings that you’re drowning in them.“
”Sounds like a therapy session.“ He mumbled.
”Art is therapy. Did you know I basically got bullied out of the art gallery I worked at in Boston?“
He shook his head. By the look in his eyes I could tell I got his attention.
”I had no idea, but I’m sorry to hear that. Why did you get fired?“
”I quit. I’ve been struggling with anxiety for years. And they’ve seen me as someone they can demean and push around. My voice was snuffed out. I’ve always seen art as freedom, choosing to make art work for you. Art has helped me find an outlet, find my voice. Let me be creative and put paint on a canvas when I can’t name my own feelings.“
He rubbed his neck as if uncomfortable by my word vomit.
”I had no idea. And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a dick. I just…“
”You needed to vent so you let it out on me. I get it. We all lash out when we’re angry. Usually at the people we’re close to.“
”But you seem so calm and composed. You and Bryce never even fight. You’re so perfect.“
I threw my head back and let out a laugh. Making it echo from the walls.
I turned back to Tobias who was looking at me as if I grew another head.
”Do you really believe that? Of course Bryce and I fight. We have disagreements all the time. But we’ve learned how to handle them. Even if we don’t speak to each other for days, it doesn't mean we hate each other. But it means hey I need space I’ll talk when I’ve cooled off. We found our rhythm. We love and understand each other.“
He sighed and sat down, leaning on the wall that was just covered with paint, he winced when he realized it, but he didn’t sit down somewhere else.
”What a mess I’ve created, but maybe you’re right.“
”I must have a fever, or did you just say I’m right?“ I grinned and he smiled back.
”No you heard me correctly. You’re right. I’m scared to end up alone. So that’s why I pushed Chloe away. The woman from the video. We’ve gotten pretty close, and I don't know I panicked. I mean whoever took the video had no right to do that, but I guess people judge me and say how I’m sleeping with her because I’d like to get to the top. But that’s not true. I like the job I have. I have no desire to work in an office. I love working with patients. Hearing them tell me what’s wrong and finding a way to make things better for them.“
”Could it be that you’re scared you won’t measure up? Wanting to prove others wrong? You’d rather be the one who ends a relationship rather than the one who gets his heart broken?“
”Yes to all of the above.“ He nodded.
”Alright. That’s something we can work on.“ I said with renewed energy.
”How? We can’t just fix this mess in a matter of days.“
I smiled softly at him.
”No. But we can slowly build towards improving. You know there is a Hawaiian proverb my grandma always uses: A’ Ohe Pu’u Ki’eki’e Ke Ho’a’o ‘Ia e Pi’i.“
”Uhh…meaning?“ He asked.
”No cliff is so tall it cannot be climbed.“
”I kinda like that phrase.“ He said thoughtfully.
”Yeah it’s beautiful. You know what else? You’re not broken. It just means you haven’t figured out the right formula. I don’t want to turn you into someone you’re not. I just want you to realize that if you keep pushing people away who’d like to be in your life you’ll end up all alone. And that’s not what I want for you. You’re smart, funny and good-looking. Don’t let it go to waste.“
Tobias shook his head as grinned at me.
”You know? Now I understand why Bryce fell for you.“
I grinned at him.
”I told you so. There’s more to me than you might think.“
”I can see that. Also, please tell me I’m not the only one you boss around. At least tell me you do that to Bryce too.“
”Oh trust me I do.“ I laughed again because it felt as if we reached a good point. And I’m glad I could get him to open up.
I can see a big grin forming on Tobias face and I already knew there’s something snarky coming.
”Also I did get something right on the first try.“ He grinned.
”Let me guess how to do sex right.“ I sighed.
”No. It was actually how to pick friends. Maybe after we solve this mess I can try and restore some of my friendships.“
”You got this Carrick.“ I slapped his arm.
”Now you sound like Lahela.“
I winked at him.
”Now what?“ He asked after getting up.
”Now we slowly improve your image. With me by your side things can only get better.“ He laughed out loud and we continued to throw paint at the wall. We might’ve not solved everything, but we’re getting there.
#choicesprompts#roundrobin#TRR & OH#Luna Auclair (F!OC)#Bryce Lahela (M!MC)#Tobias Carrick (M!MC)#Maxwell Beaumont#Bertrand Beaumont
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How does a false accusation by a white nationalist in a small town in Ohio get cited by a major-party presidential candidate in a nationally televised debate? The answer is actually pretty revealing about how deeply white supremacists have penetrated the Republican Party and can illustrate the tactics they've used to do so. Let's dig in with a LONG RANT (TM), shall we?
INTRODUCTION
The Republican Party and the MAGA movement in particular have built up a pipeline that allows racist ideas to quickly and easily pass from openly racist spaces into broader conservative discussion. Trump's citation of a white supremacist fever dream on national television is only the most recent and obvious example of this and, while the MAGA movement has supercharged it, this pipeline has been built up over the course of decades as dedicated racists have fled the increasingly liberal and minority-friendly Democratic Party and worked to take over the Republican Party.
I obviously don't have the time or space to detail the whole history of racism in the Republican Party from the John Birch Society to Barry Goldwater's opposition to the Civil Rights Acts to Nixon and Reagan's embrace of the Southern Strategy to Pat Buchanan's paleoconservative movement to the MAGA movement of the present day in a single post and most people wouldn't have the patience to read the whole thing if I did, but let me walk you through the basic mechanisms of how racist ideas spread into broader conservative spaces using this particular one as an example.
It begins with one man…
THE GENESIS OF THE IDEA
On August 27th, 2024 a man named Nathaniel Higgers, a leader in the Neo-Nazi group Blood Pride, spoke before the Springfield City Commission and accused Haitian immigrants in the town of killing and eating the pets of other residents. That's the origin of this particular story, there appears to be no earlier mention of it. Mr. Higgers provided no evidence for his claim.
ASCENT FROM THE RACIST SWAMP
For a few days, this floated around on various white supremacist accounts on Twitter (X), but on September 6th, it was picked up by an account named EndWokeness which began to spread it among broader conservative circles. This account did not make clear that these claims were coming from white supremacists, but simply spread the claims as if they were factual. More importantly, this account, while often drawing from white supremacist ideas, is not seen as openly white supremacist itself and is just respectable enough that other conservatives who would shy away from openly citing white supremacists themselves are willing to cite it.
SPREADING AROUND
From EndWokeness, this idea was then picked up by a number of well-known conservative influencers including Charlie Kirk, Benny Johnson, and Tim Pool [5] within the next 2-3 days. Again, none of these people provided any evidence for the claims or acknowledged their origin nor did they acknowledge where they had gotten the idea or the broader history of it.
INJECTION INTO POLITICS
On September 9th, 2024, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) picked it up. Not only did he post about it on his personal account, he also posted about it on the JudiciaryGOP account. On the same day, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), the Republican candidate for Vice-President, also posted about it. Within a day or two, it had gone viral and was widely discussed both online and offline in conservative media.
THE DEBATE
This is the context for former-President Trump's claim at the debate on September 10th, 2024 that "[t]hey're eating the dogs! The people that came in. They're eating the cats! They're eating, they're eating the pets of the people that live there." He was repeating something that conservatives politicians and influencers were saying that had been laundered through a semi-reputable conservative site directly from a false accusation by an avowed white supremacist. I should note that there is absolutely no evidence behind this accusation and that all the photos and videos used in posts promoting it have been shown to be unrelated.
THE PIPELINE
Look, this isn't the first time racist ideas have migrated into standard GOP talking points and it won't be the last. They all follow exactly this same train of events, white nationalist -> white supremacist social media -> marginally reputable conservative social media -> shock jock conservative influencers -> conservative politicians -> broader conservative media. Racist ideas like the Great Replacement Theory and the increasingly common scare stories about immigrants and minorities have followed this pipeline for years and I can guarantee that the next one will too, as will the one after that and the one after that.
WHY DOES THE PIPELINE EXIST?
Okay, now we're getting into more complicated things, this will take me more than a paragraph. First of all, you have to understand that racists have been looking for a way back into mainstream politics for decades. After the civil rights era, it became unacceptable to say openly racist things in public or take openly racist actions, so openly racist people were increasingly forced out of public spaces. However, there are a lot of people who don't say or do openly racist things but still hold many racist views and that provided a foot back in the door for those more extreme.
The first step in this process was to define down the definition of racism. Obviously the white nationalist guy who openly uses racial slurs is a racist, but what about the guy who shares a lot of his views without the racial slurs? How about someone who just thinks that attempts to address racism have gone too far and that there should be no more consideration of race at all? If you talk to a white supremacist without denouncing them, does that actually make you racist yourself? An idea that comes from the first guy might be suspect, but you can accept that exact same idea if it comes from the third or fourth one.
The second step is obfuscation and social media has helped with that a lot. By allowing people to engage in public discussion anonymously, it's not only provided ways for information to spread without attribution. It's also allowed white nationalists to continue to spread hateful ideas without smudging their more public facing persona. I'll write this up in more detail later, but I encourage you to look up Jordan Keeperman who runs the conservative publisher Passage Press and is considered to be a respectable, mainstream conservative figure but also turns out to have been anonymously running the openly racist, sexist, and otherwise bigoted Lom3z Twitter (X) account. By keeping his open bigotry in the anonymous identity, he can continue to push for the normalization of that same bigotry while maintaining a façade of respectability in public that allows him to engage directly in conservative politics and share ideas with conservative pundits and politicians.
Finally, the third step is to use the anonymity of social media combined with the lowered bar for racism to launder racist ideas through the pipeline described above into mainstream conversation. By doing this, it allows racists to define the policies and focus of right-wing politics while allowing right-wing politicians to keep a pretense of distance from them. The goal of all of this is simple, to move the acceptable range of political ideas and speech to the point where openly racist ideas are again part of the public conversation and, more importantly, are able to implemented at all levels of government.
NEXT STEPS
Look, if you're not convinced that racists have built themselves a backdoor into conservative politics, I'm not sure what it would take at this point to convince you. If seeing conservative pundits and politicians take up racist talking points again and again and again doesn't do it, if being told exactly how this happens again and again and again in a way that you can look up and verify for yourself doesn't do it, then I have to wonder what it would take. Would you believe it if Trump himself told you he was racist or would you just rationalize that away?
If, on the other hand, you accept that the evidence is there, that this has happened repeatedly, and that it will likely continue to happen, the question becomes what to do about it.
Well, I guess the first step would be just to use that knowledge. When you hear a conservative politician say something that sounds a little extreme, think about where they got it from. If you're interested, look it up, it's usually fairly easy to find these days where something originated. If you hear friends or family repeating these things, challenge them to do the same.
After that, well, the answer turns out to be systemic which I know conservatives are allergic to. If you're liberal, obviously you can join liberal groups and campaign against this kind of thing, but if you're conservative, I would encourage you to look into joining Never-Trump organizations. If you're a conservative who's horrified at the increasing racism in Republican politics, you're not the only one. Many conservatives have had the same reaction and, while most of them have been forced out of official positions in the party, they continue to organize outside of it.
Unfortunately, though, this pipeline is decades in the making and likely will not be torn down in a short amount of time. The Republican Party in particular, under Donald Trump's leadership, has vociferously purged any official who dares to oppose it and it will take time to build up a replacement party apparatus that rejects racist ideas. However, the only way to do so is to start now, the only alternative is to surrender conservatism to racists.
CONCLUSION
Racists and racist groups have built a pipeline that allows their ideas to quickly and easily be transmitted into mainstream conservative political discussion with the example I cited above taking only two weeks to go from a single statement by an avowed white supremacist in a relatively remote small town to being quoted by a presidential candidate on a national stage. This is the result of a dedicated and specific strategy that has taken decades to put into place and is intended to return openly racist ideas and policy to the bounds of acceptable political discussion.
If the fact that a white supremacist can put words in the mouth of the Republican presidential candidate in as little as two weeks doesn't horrify you, I'm not sure what would.
#politics#us politics#trump#republicans#racism#white supremacy#white supermacists#2024 debate#presidential debate#long rant (tm)
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ok I'm just going to be flooding y'all with posts today I guess, but when I went to Carlin's profile to look at her weird baby announcement (I'm assuming?) I saw that the post below it was a reel with their kids using the "very demure, very mindful" joke/meme. Which pissed me off, because if you don't know, that whole meme was created by a trans creator named Jools Lebron on tiktok, who is literally using their tiktok money to help find their transition.
and I know it's unrealistic to expect someone like the Stewarts to know that but it just feels 🫤🫤🫤🫤 that they get to profit off of her creation, when they are probably regularly voting for and promoting anti-trans sentiments (and if they aren't, they've never cared to make that known as people who have been associated with a lot of homophobia over the years).
that joke has gone like, mega viral over the last few weeks and poor Jools has had to deal with an insane amount of bullying over their appearance, voice, and just being trans in general, with a lot of it being from self proclaimed Christians, of course.
and i know that's nowhere near the only time that's happened, they do it a lot (they used a Frank Ocean song in that baby announcement? video I just mentioned, who is a famously queer artist). but it's just frustrating with how hateful their family has been to trans and gay folk that they just get to keep profiting off of the art work of queer folk.
#follow jools on tiktok if you're over there! she is @joolieannie she's so funny i love her#streams of consciousness#homphobia#transphobia#carlin stewart#the Stewart family#fundie instagram
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A Study in Sonder
a short story by livy taillon
please give me feedback and stuff id love to hear (read?) it
small warning for the tiniest mention of blood
ok here it is
Hal Avalos loves people-watching. He relishes going on drives around his city of Philadelphia, observing the intricacies of city life like he’s done for the past 48 years—ever since he could drive. He prefers to walk, but at his age, he is limited, which is a shame. It’s easier to hear conversations and see the details of a face while walking.
Hal finds something interesting in nearly every interaction he watches, which separates him from other people. Just last Saturday on a brunch outing with his friends from Bingo club, he shared a story that made his eyes well up with tears:
He was driving to the park when he stopped at an intersection. He saw a woman walking across the street accidentally drop her wallet, only noticing this once she was on the other side. A car stopped just before running it over and the driver got out, grabbed the wallet, and handed it to the woman. As the car drove away, the woman smiled and waved with genuine gratitude.
After he was finished telling his story, however, his friends sat in silence and stared at him. Jerry, a large man in his early 70s, gave a loud cough.
“So, what is everyone getting to eat? I can’t decide between the sausage and the hashbrowns myself,” said Jerry. Hal was confused at first. Why was no one acknowledging his story? Why were they all staring like he was some demented nutcase? The conversation started up again, and Hal realized they truly thought he was crazy. They thought the events he’d witnessed were ordinary and mundane. He thought this was incredibly dismissive and shallow of them. He also felt a small pang of pity for them that they can’t see others in the way he does; they ignore the interesting people and things all around them. Most people, Hal discovered, have never experienced sonder. Sonder is the realization that everyone, including strangers passing in the street, have lives as complex and intricate as one’s own. Hal himself never realized this; he’s always known it. He was born with intense fascination that extended all the way to passersby.
An extension of his people-watching, Hal enjoys filming people. He films interactions between lovers, friends, families, strangers, and even enemies. Occasionally, when he doesn’t feel like going out to people-watch, he watches his films instead. When he considers a film too good not to share, he creates a new Youtube account with a name that isn’t his and posts the video. He does this because he knows the conventional wisdom says filming strangers without their knowledge is weird and creepy, but documenting one wholesome moment isn’t. A few of his videos have gone viral, but on account of his commitment to staying anonymous, Hal never benefits from it. Despite the lack of profit he gains from it, Hal considers his photography and filmography a very fine art. He considers himself similar to a wildlife photographer filming and documenting animals’ daily lives. Wildlife photographers, however, never interact with their subjects. Whether it is to hurt or help them, those people only watch.
Hal has a different philosophy.
Anna Keens, a 32-year-old woman from Center City, appears in three different videos across the internet. In one of them, posted by William Myers (an account with no other posts and no profile picture) on Facebook, she is seen having a heated dispute with Dante Fox, her ex-boyfriend. In the video, he threatens her and reveals a handgun on his hip. The video ends before Anna’s reaction to this, which worries everyone who sees it. In fact, everyone is too worried about what happens next to wonder about the person behind the camera.
The video of Anna Keens was posted three days after she was reported missing by her sister. During those three days, Anna’s disappearance was beginning to gain traction on social media. The masses were suspicious of Dante Fox, and after the video was posted, they believed their suspicions were right. The police further confirmed speculations when they gained a warrant to search Fox’s apartment. There, they found three of Anna’s teeth, Anna’s blood on a shirt and pair of sneakers, a handgun (the one seen in the video), and a clump of Anna’s red hair along with a bit of scalp in Fox’s trash.
“Dante Fox is a sick man who kept trophies of his heinous crime,” said the chief of police to the press.
Fox pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. He received a life sentence with no possibility of parole.
Hal sighed in relief when he read the news. Normally, people like Anna went overlooked, but Hal supposed Anna was slightly different from the rest of them. She was young, pretty, and had her whole life ahead of her; which made her murder more enraging. Hal doesn’t really see things this way. To him, all of them are equal.
Hal has filmed many others. Sometimes, their faces show up on the Missing In Philly Facebook group he’s a member of. Others show up on the news, on telephone poles, or even (twice) on billboards. But all of them star in videos of Hal’s—some private, many public. Nobody ever considers it strange how many missing and murdered people can be seen on the internet, made famous by accounts that aren’t their own. To Hal, this shows the general public’s thoughtlessness and lack of critical thinking, but he is glad for their disregard. After all, Hal doesn’t want to be caught. He wants people to keep thinking he’s just an old man in retirement, sitting peacefully on a park bench in Philly, listening to the children playing, watching the birds, and engaging in a little harmless people-watching.
ok so that was my story. hoped you liked it and please leave a comment or something! i may or may not continue sharing my writing here depending on how this does
tags
#writers on tumblr#writeblr#horror#short story#my writing#spilled ink#authors on tumblr#students of tumblr#looking for feedback#may or may not be a terrible writer lmao#please leave a comment#horror writing#flash fiction
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Phoenix Chapter Two
♡
Phoenix Masterlist
♡
Homelander x OC
Black Noir x OC
Soldier Boy x OC
♡
It had barely been a day and the video someone posted of you taking down the robbers had gone viral. People were stopping you on the streets for photos. You were the sole talk all over, including the Vought higher up.
“We should get her to take Lamplighter place.” One suggested. “She’s already popular just imagine the sales.”
“She hasn’t even done an interview.” Madelyn Stillwell, Vice President of Hero Management, argued.
“Then let’s interview her.” Stan Edgar, CEO of Vought, announced. “Madelyn,” She turned to him. “get someone to find her and bring her here for a proper interview.”
“Yes sir.” She smiled before leaving.
Reaching her office she sent someone for Black Noir. It wasn’t long before he came knocking.
“Come in!” He opened the door and stood opposite of her. She clicked a button on the TV remote and a photo of you flashed onto the screen.“I need you to find this girl and convince her to have an interview with us.” She gave a smile and leaned on her intertwined fingers.
Black Noir nodded, before leaving the room and heading down to the surveillance department. Annika had already been sent the picture of you, she had the cameras following you.
Black Noir walked over with a sticky note reading ‘girl location’. Annika smiled nervously and she sent the locations. As soon as he received the locations he left.
♡
All the people got quite overwhelming at times but it was just a fraction of the human interaction she missed out on during her lonely childhood.
It didn’t take you long to notice the figure following you. Deciding to hide in the closest store, you push open the doors of an electronics store.
“Hey welcome in! Are you looking for anything in particular?” A man asked, he was tall and lanky with brown curls. He had a lopsided boyish smile.
“Oh, uh… I just need a place to hide out, it’s fine if I stay here for a little while?” You gave a sheepish smile. He nodded.
“Yeah that’s cool.” He shrugged. You decided it would be easier to spend your time there talking to someone rather than being bored out of your mind. You walk over to the front desk. Leaning on the corner you tell him your name.
“Oh um, I’m Hughie.” He kept the same boyish smile. “Who’re you hiding from?” He questioned.
“I don’t know, I felt them though.” He furrowed his brows. “I have powers.” You elaborated, he nodded in what seemed to be an understanding.
“That’s cool, I-I mean if it doesn’t hurt anybody.” You smiled.
“It doesn’t hurt anybody I don’t want to be hurt.” He saw the saw the sadness behind your eyes when you said it.
♡
It had been hours, you and Hughie talked about everything under the sun, he had even told you about his girlfriend’s recent death. It was dark outside and his manger left telling Hughie to lock up after him.
The door opened with a ring. But nobody had walked in. The door closed behind nothing. You felt someone there. Your eyes hardened and you focus on feeling the air around you. Seeing him you looked straight at him. Hughie noticed this and called out.
“Hello?” Hughie asked. There were footstep being heard.
“Who are you?” Hughie jumped up from his seat.
“The fuck?”
“Right in front of you, prick. You think I wouldn’t find this thing?” A plastic circle thing floated in the air. You grabbed the man’s wrist
“The hell, let go of me.” He dropped the thing on the glass showcase in front of him. He ripped his arm from your grip and grabbed Hughie’s lanyard.
“Hughie.” Pulling on the lanyard he slamming Hughie’s head into the glass cracking it and causing a cut on his forehead to appear.
You quickly sprang into action using your powers to stop his movement. You turn to Hughie eyes glowing, cracks framing your face, and your hair floating.
Walking over to the frozen man you place your hand on his arm making his pass out. He fell limp and became visible again. You looked away noticing his nakedness.
Suddenly a car rammed into the store and a man with black hair and beard and dressed in a black trench coat pushed the car door open.
“I see ya already handled it.” His accent was from New Zealand.
“Butcher?!” Hughie seemed to know the man.
“Come on Hughie, help me get him in the boot.” Hughie started to spiral and was arguing with Butcher, you took thins opportunity to leave out the back door sensing the second man hostile nature.
In the back alley a figure dropped down from the rooftop. You forgot about the guy following you. He didn’t say anything but he held a yellow sticky note.
The note read, ‘come with me, Vought wants to interview you to become one of their supes’ This excited you, finally you could do what you dreamed of doing, and you knew he was telling the truth, his thought were a little hard to understand but you knew he wasn’t lying.
You nodded. “Lead the way.” He nodded before turning around and climbing up the wall to the rooftops. You watch him until he reached the top, he looked back down at the ground to where you still were.
Using your powers you float up to meet him at the rooftop. He seemed to just look at you, you tried to get a read on his thoughts but they were way too jumbled and you were tired.
He started to walk jumping over the gaps between buildings, climbing the difference with taller building. You floated when these obstacles present themselves but overall you walked.
♡
Soon enough the two of you were at the very tall, very intimidating Vought Tower. Noir jumped down from the rooftop landing hard on the concrete. You float yourself down and he leads you inside the tower.
No body asked questions when he entered, passing security easily. Everyone moved out of his way and avoiding even looking in his direction.
“You must be a fan favorite.” You quipped to no response. Shrugging it off the both of you reached the elevator, the people who needed to use it either left or waited outside of it so they don’t ride with him.
He pressed the button for floor 99. ‘this is gonna be a long ride’ you thought to your self.
It was a long ride, or at least for you. You had no idea of what Noir is thinking, you kind of just stopped trying to unscramble his thoughts.
He eventually led you to a big room with a ‘V’ shaped table. You looked around the room, TV’s and monitors decking the walls on either side and in front was a wall of windows.
At the table sat a man with short greying black hair and glasses, he had a calm and collected demeanor, unlike the man standing next to him. It was the man she met before at the diner; Homelander, if she remembered correctly.
“Welcome, I’m Stan Edgar.” The corners of his mouth tilted up slightly giving a small business approached smile. You introduced yourself to him and he gestured you to sit at the spot next to him on the ‘V’ table.
“I’m here to give you the big interview, to become part of the Seven, now normally I don’t give the interviews but on special cases like yours I just can’t help my curiosity. So, what can you do?” He seemed genuinely intrigued.
“Uh, a lot I guess.” You didn’t know why but his presence was very overwhelmingly powerful, it made you nervous.
“Show me.” He commanded you, he then commanded the man. “Homelander.”
You stood from your seat as Homelander approached you. “Do you want quick or showy?” You ask Edgar.
“Quick.” He answered your question. Nodding your eyes started to glow, your hair floated, and the glowing cracks formed. Then it took a little bit more struggle to knock him out without physical contact, which you believed was not possible at the moment. Soon enough he got close but when he did he passed out.
He fell at your feet, lying in a close version of the fetal position. Edgar clapped. “Well done, you’re on the team.” He slid forwards some paper work for you to sign. After reading it you signed it, you could always just erase your signature later if necessary.
“Welcome to the Seven.” He held out a hand for you to shake.
“Thank you sir.” You shook his hand back. “Do you want me to wake him?” He got up from the seat and started to walk out.
“I don’t care.” The he left, closing the doors behind him. You walked over to Homelander’s body. He had a peaceful look on his face. Placing your mr hand on his cheek you woke him.
He sprang up grabbing you by the neck and using his flight and speed to quickly slam you into the wall across the room. You weren’t being choked, though he was very much trying you held a small forcefield between your neck and his hand.
“How dare you!” He seethed, his eyes glowing red like when you first met.
“I just did what I was asked.” You expanded the forcefield pushing his hand off your neck. This action seemed to make him angrier.
“I’m the leader of this team you’ll listen to me, ‘ya hear.” He pointed his index finger at you.
“You’re not my employer, I’ll listen to whoever that is before I listen to you.” Two lasers were quickly deflected off of the forcefield you had to make from his anger. Deciding you had enough of this you washed a wave of calm over him.
He seemed to physically relax; his hands unclenched, his shoulders lowered, his face unscrunched, and his breathing slowed.
“What did you do?” The forced feeling chase a whisper to escape him.
“I calmed you down. I didn’t want to fight you, but trust me I will if need be.” You explained with a subtle threat at the end. The force field dissipated and you lowered yourself to the floor. He followed you to the floor.
“Look I did what I needed to do to get this job, nothing against you. I don’t like fighting.” You held your hands up in an explaining manor.
“Fine.” He gritted out. “I’m suppose to show you to your new room anyway.” He walked past you and towards the door. You followed behind him.
♡
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Follow-up Q from reading back on the timeline: is there a place on here/elsewhere where screenshots or Wayback captures from AB’s blog are, if such things exist? Since he deleted his blog (or possibly just made it private) there are a lot of dead links etc., or analyses of an original post which appears nonexistent.
PS thank you for still being here. I know a lot of AA bloggers are not, which is understandable because he seems to have gone quiet for a few years, but coming from someone on the West Coast who’s also trying to get into costuming, seeing the bullshit he’s pulled around the entertainment industry/film/TV, and then realizing that he’s also in fandom freaks me the hell out. I’ve met that ‘type’ before and body-shaming is such a rampant issue around costuming (and even tailoring more broadly) that day one of my education on the subject was “Do not ask a person for information about their body which you do not absolutely need; so not make comments on their body (including “compliments” on their figure etc); and put their physical safety and comfort as a top priority”.
I found your blog because of the Strange Aeons video and was sad to learn that much of the early bullshit happened in my hometown, but when I came back to this blog I was far more horrified discover that this person is also a serial sexual harasser and body-shamer not only had gone viral one here (the “cis people can get dysphoria” tweet went around costuming tumblr for obvious reasons) but also was/is in this industry. That is such a dangerous position to put him in, not just because he’s clearly a sexual predator, but because bad costumes regularly cause people serious injuries. This is especially likely to be the result of directors trying to make women look skinnier or otherwise “more attractive,” and the harm is often most serious in scifi/fantasy contexts where lots of stunts happen. Good costuming requires ETHICS when it comes to things like health, body image and, yes, gender. Mr. “Complimented his ex on her weight loss when she was literally starving because of him” should not be trusted with such a job ever imo.
I hope there are no dead links on the timeline--all the links on there should be to screenshots of Andy's posts rather than directly to his blog. There are definitely dead links in a bunch of my old tumblr posts, though.
As far as I know, the timeline is the only place to find a significant number of screenshots from Andy's blog. The Wayback Machine has captured some of it, but it's scattershot and some of those links don't work. archive.is also has a little bit.
“Do not ask a person for information about their body which you do not absolutely need; so not make comments on their body (including “compliments” on their figure etc); and put their physical safety and comfort as a top priority”
I'm glad to hear that this is emphasized in costuming education, and sad to say that Andy has violated all three of those rules at least as recently as 2018, which isn't that long ago. I agree with your concerns, and those are some of the reasons I'm still around. I hope this blog is a good resource for people in the industry to find information about Andy's past and decide for themselves how to respond if they encounter him.
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Babies are not props to be used to validate gender feelz. And unfortunately this is just the start of a long list of why this guy should not be around kids
By Genevieve Gluck February 26, 2024
A trans-identified male residing in Canada who claims to be HIV positive and inserts progesterone rectally has been allegedly “breastfeeding” his child with the support of established medical clinics. Former men’s rights activist Murray Pearson, 52, who uses the name Margaret (Margie) Fancypants on social media, has been criticized after he shared an image of himself at a lactation clinic holding a young infant.
The photo was first posted three months ago on Reddit community titled r/TransLater, a board dedicated to males who transition later in life. In a post titled, “Milk, baby, milk! MTF 52,” wherein Pearson appears ecstatic that one “benefit of being transfemme” includes “that you can be pregnant and get drunk” with no undue problems.
“I have a baby almost 9 months old… I cannot wait to connect through feeding. And yes, I will stop drinking before it negatively affects anything they drink!” said Pearson
“This is a wish I have had for decades. My egg cracked a year ago on December 12 and I realized I could nurse my baby already on the way. That lit a fire under me, and I have gone from having lean pectoral muscle in March to full B-cups now and growing fast,” he added.
Pearson continues on to claim to have the assistance of “medical expertise,” including “five physicians in three clinics in two world class hospitals,” with one of the clinics named as the Goldfarb Clinic in Montreal.
“Two endocrinologists, Newman and Goldfarb, created a protocol to induce lactation in adoptive mothers,” Pearson explained in the comments. “It works for trans women as well, it works best when breast growth is mature but I am taking domperidone while my primary breast growth is underway. By an astonishing coincidence, I live right next to their breastfeeding institute!”
According to statements Pearson has made on social media, he began identifying as transgender in December 2022, and the following year, began taking progesterone. Approximately eight months ago, Pearson announced that he had found his “true self” as a result of performing in a drag show for a friend’s birthday celebration.
Earlier this month, Pearson described the first moment he believed he was a woman after trying on used women’s clothing at a thrift store. “I realized that the beautiful curvy woman in the mirror was the real me and I could be her every day… after more than two decades of stealth resistance. 87 days later I started spiro, 14 days after that estradiol, and now I am looooooving my boobs. Having curves without fakery is AMAZING.”
In a post made to the TransLater community last week, Pearson described how to insert the female hormone progesterone rectally, as a suppository, rather than swallowing it as a tablet.
“My breasts get a wonderful plumpness and pleasing jiggliness when I have had progesterone the night before…. You’ll need some lubricant (personal lube such as K-Y jelly or similar, or silicone personal lube which may be overkill, or some sort of non-irritating oil; I use my own mixture of cocoa butter and shea butter) to allow free clearance for the capsule… Some people simply pop the capsule in their mouth to use saliva, but I like a more effective lube,” he commented.
Pearson has also shared images of himself in a blue and pink wig attempting to eat ice cream containing the hormone in a seductive manner.
Disturbingly, Pearson has also revealed that he is HIV positive and is aware that the deadly virus can be transmitted through breastfeeding.
“I am HIV+, continuously controlled for 18.5 years now,” said Pearson in a Reddit post six months ago. “The viral suppression into undetectability [sic] makes sexual transmission impossible. But transmission through milk IS possible if viral load becomes detectable so I will test viral load monthly (opposed to semiannually) to keep a VERY close eye on that.”
In a shocking display of further disregard for the child’s health, Pearson speculated as to whether his experiment would qualify him as a candidate for the participation in academic research.
“Fortunately, Dr Lenore Goldfarb, creator of the protocol, has her clinic at the same hospital we birthed our baby in. I may even end up in the medical literature.” While again discussing his HIV status in relation to ‘breastfeeding’ a child, Pearson alleges that his case is being documented by infectious diseases researcher Dr. Marina Klein, who is affiliated with McGill University.
Pearson in a “before” picture posted to Reddit tracking his transitioning progress.
Reduxx reached out to Dr. Klein to request information on her involvement in Pearson’s experimental lactation, and she confirmed that she had been monitoring Pearson for his HIV infection at the Chronic Viral Illness Service of the McGill University Health Centre. However, she stated she had not been involved in his transition nor had she been consulted on his induction of lactation.
“It’s important to emphasize that we do not recommend breast feeding for people with HIV as this is the only way to be certain that no HIV transmission will occur after a baby is born,” Dr. Klein said in her response. “However, guidelines have evolved over time with the recognition that the risk of transmission is very low when HIV infection is undetectable with effective therapy … If, after informed discussion, a person expresses a wish to breastfeed they may chose to do so provided they are willing to follow a close protocol of viral monitoring and have their baby followed closely with pediatric specialists who would generally recommend that they receive preventive medication.”
Dr. Klein further states that Pearson had expressed a desire to breastfeed and then had been referred to an endocrinologist.
Prior to identifying as transgender, Pearson was involved in politically advocating for the US-based, anti-feminist men’s rights non-profit A Voice for Men (AVFM).
The organization was founded in 2009 by Paul Elam, who has said that there would no longer be “any place to hide on the internet” for “lying bitches,” and members associated with the group have previously published personal information about women who opposed their activities.
Pearson has linked to the organization’s website on his YouTube channel biography, where he has uploaded videos of himself advocating positions held by AVFM, such as accusing women of lying about sexual violence.
In one video shared in July 2013, titled “Rape, Posters, Traffic Lights and Consent,” Pearson claims that he was previously drugged and raped by a woman on the University of Alberta campus.
He also encourages discussion of posters produced by Men’s Rights Edmonton which featured the headline, ‘Don’t Be That Girl’, created with the intention of parodying an anti-rape campaign designed by a women’s rape crisis shelter, Sexual Assault Voices of Edmonton (SAVE), which used the slogan, ‘Don’t Be That Guy.’
Pearson has also been active in a Facebook group for “trans lesbians,” a term which labels men who call themselves transgender as same-sex attracted women.
Criticism of Pearson’s claims to be “lactating” and “breastfeeding” have focused on concerns that he is “motivated… to experience sexual arousal from lactation,” as one X user, Lulu Solomon, said.
“Because it is not motivated by what is best for the baby it’s automatically risky because the baby becomes a prop in the fantasy,” she stated, alongside a photo of Pearson at the Goldfarb clinic.
This is not the first controversy that has involved trans-identified males breastfeeding babies, with a number of recent examples triggering concern over the past year.
Last year, a lactation professional in Australia along with a women’s rights campaigner were warned that they had broken the law after criticizing a trans-identified male who had boasted of breastfeeding his infant. Shortly after, a trans-identified male in the UK dismissed critics of the practice as “transphobes” after he posted images of himself with a baby latched to his nipple.
UPDATE 02/26/24: The article has been updated to include comment received from Dr. Klein.
#Canada#Margaret (Margie) Fancypants is Murray Pearson#A men's rights activist turned TIM#Reddit#TransLater#Hospitals used to give new mothers the option to have a beer to induce lactation until they encouraged actual mothers to not drink at all#Narcissists just hate it when the attention is on other people#Even when the attention is on their wife or girlfriend due to pregnancy#Another man transitioning while his wife is pregnant#The Goldfarb Clinic#montreal#Another man who transed due to autogynephilia#Dr Lenore Goldfarb#Dr. Marina Klein#Chronic Viral Illness Service of the McGill University Health Centre#A Voice for Men (AVFM)#Another abusive man claiming to be the victim of the family court system#Transbian
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