#it only took 8 mins lol

[personwholikespmtok]

Based off of this post

[f1daydreamers]

𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 [𝐓𝐀𝟔𝟔] 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏

gif credits: @trenty

Pairing: Trent Alexander-Arnold x Fem!Reader

Summary: Arne, in hopes to focus on his team’s mental health as much as their physical, recruits a younger but just as educated psychologist to work one-to-one with the more reserved players. Trent is one of them.

A/N: This is me writing in hopes to distract myself from that abysmal final! Just to preface that Lee Richardson is the performance psychology consultant at LFC :) Also, I feel like Trent’s quite shy so I don’t think he’d be as rude as he is in this fanfic but for this to be a kinda enemies to lovers, I upped his rude boi energy by like 100% lol

There's no age gap btw! In the UK, it's doable to become a licensed sports psychologist in 6-10 years. If it took Reader 7/8, that would place her around 25 or 26 years of age. So, both Trent and Reader are of similar ages!

Warnings: psychology but nothing too in-depth, Trent’s rude in this :D, angst, very tense energy

Word Count: 1.9k words (6 mins reading time avg)

…

You checked your watch once, twice, then three times within a mere five minutes.

The sterile office, with its minimalist decor and muted lighting, seemed to magnify your impatience. Your eyes wandered to the vacant chair opposite you, and you sighed deeply.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was now fifteen minutes late for his first appointment.

“Not the best start,” you muttered under your breath.

Jotting a quick note on a pink Post-it to purchase a digital clock for your desk, you flipped the pen and clicked it shut, placing it down with a resigned finality. The email that landed in your inbox felt almost comically timed. It was from Lee, wishing you luck on your first official day.

You’d been in and out of the training center for the past week, organising your office, which had previously served as a spare room, often only used for the odd meetings.

Boxy and unfamiliar, it was a space you intended to transform into something warmer and more inviting with time. But any attempt to distract yourself proved futile; even the mental image of your office becoming a cozy haven couldn’t quell the unrest you felt inside.

Trent’s absence was more than a minor inconvenience; it felt like a deliberate message. After what Lee had disclosed about his rather aloof attitude, you couldn’t say you were entirely surprised.

Locking your office behind you, you ventured into the heart of the training facility. As you passed by groups of players and staff, your shoulders tensed imperceptibly. You adjusted your pace, trying to find a balance between caution and confidence.

Every corner turned, every nod exchanged with passing colleagues, felt like a small test of acceptance. Your mind raced with thoughts of proving yourself here. While a flicker of self-doubt danced across your features, you masked it beneath a veneer of professional composure.

You eventually found Trent tucked away in the far corner of a sparsely populated gym. A few exchanged ‘good mornings’ and ‘hellos’ momentarily eased your stress, but your tension returned as your gaze settled again on the man who had been purposefully late.

With a deep breath, you started heading towards him, weaving your way through the labyrinth of gym equipment.

You skirted around the treadmills, their rhythmic thudding echoing your own anxious heartbeat. Passing by the clanking weights, you dodged a few stray dumbbells left on the floor. The aroma of rubber mats and iron filled the air.

Finally, you rounded the weightlifting machines and found Trent on a mat, engrossed in his exercises. His headphones were still firmly in place, and his expression remained inscrutably focused, as though he was blocking out the world around him.

When you finally reached him, you hesitated, wanting to wait until he finished his set so as not to disturb his workout.

However, Trent spotted your reflection in the mirror in front of him as he came up. He stopped mid-crunch, the beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. He looked down, knowing exactly what this would be in regard of. He’d seen you around the training grounds enough to be familiar.

His elbows rested on his knees as his arms folded inward. He exhaled deeply, trying to regulate his breathing.

He wiped the tip of his nose with the pad of his thumb, then pulled his headphones off and let them rest around his neck.

“What?” He looked at you with mild irritation, craning his neck to see you standing just a few steps behind him.

Your lips pressed together in a courteous and tight-lipped smile.

“Hi, Trent. I’m Y/N, the new psychologist. We had an appointment scheduled for twenty minutes ago.”

Turning back to face the mirror, he stretched his arms out in front of him before reaching for a hand towel to wipe the sweat from his brow and neck.

Then he shrugged, his indifference palpable.

“Yeah, I know.” Your eyebrows furrowed at his response as you studied his expression in the mirror. His face shifted subtly, but the changes were too fleeting to decipher.

“Then why didn’t you show up?” you asked, your tone calm but firm.

"I don't see the point," he responded flatly.

In one fluid motion, he planted one palm firmly on the ground before twisting his torso and hoisting himself up with a push, turning to face you as he rose gracefully to his feet.

Your eyes locked inevitably, the proximity of his body left you no choice but to gaze up at his face, your chin tilting ever so slightly upward.

Beads of sweat glistened from his forehead, and his mouth was slightly parted as he scrutinised you from head to toe. A scoff escaped him before he turned away, sliding off some weight plates and placing them methodically beside his mat.

"I don’t need some shrink telling me how to play football," he asserted dismissively, the hints of his accent colouring his defiant tone.

You took a moment to consider your response, your gaze tracing the broad shape of his shoulders. Despite the urge to react defensively, you couldn’t shake the awareness that someone might be listening in from behind you.

You cautiously approached him, aware of the tension hanging in the air, his eyes flicking to your reflection in the mirror.

"I'm not here to tell you how to play football," you began calmly, letting the weight of your words settle between you. "I'm here to help you navigate everything off the pitch that might impact your performance on it."

"Well, thanks, but no thanks," Trent said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I've managed fine so far."

“Have you?” you questioned, quickly scanning the room for any prying ears, relieved to find everyone engrossed in their own routines.

Trent rose up, clutching a 15-pound weight plate between his hands.

"Because from where I stand, the club thinks you could use some support. And honestly, there's no shame in that." That was a saying your professors had instilled in you from day one.

Trent's jaw tightened, and for a moment, you thought he might ignore you. Instead, he pivoted to face you once more, his presence suddenly palpable.

"Look, I get that you're just doing your job, yeah? But don't expect me to pour my heart out to some stranger. Especially on someone else's schedule." He emphasised.

You blinked, but maintained eye contact, refusing to back down. "Fair enough. But I'm not going anywhere, Trent. Whether you like it or not, I'll keep trying to reach you."

He studied you for a moment, then shook his head slightly, leaning in just a bit closer.

"Good luck with that, psychologist."

…

"I think that's our time wrapped up, thank you so much, Conor." You hoisted yourself up with the armrests of your chair and gave a warm smile to the man opposite you.

"Yeah, no worries. I'll see you around." Conor said as he turned, rounding the chair he was just sitting on, giving you a final nod and smile before leaving and closing the door behind him.

You waited until it clicked shut before you sinked into your chair again. Your work was deeply important to you, one of few things in life you were immensely passionate about, but man, it took its toll on longer days.

You rubbed your temples in a poor attempt to alleviate the dull ache that had formed from hours of conversation. As you tried to gather your thoughts, the interruption in the form of a new email snapped you back to reality.

It was from Lee, asking you to come and see him when you were free.

Your head rolled back for a brief moment of respite. Trent had been on your mind ever since your confrontation earlier, lingering in the back of your thoughts throughout the day, despite the overall improvement as the hours ticked by.

Resigning yourself to more work, you pushed yourself up with a temporary surge of motivation. Straightening your blouse and combing your hair with your fingers, you headed towards Lee's office across the hall.

The door stood ajar, a silver name plaque bearing his name neatly affixed. Lee's office exuded an air of scholarly authority, with shelves lined with books, framed certificates adorning the walls, and strategically placed pieces of Liverpool memorabilia.

He glanced up from his desk as you knocked on the doorframe.

"You asked to see me?" you inquired, your head tilting slightly as he closed the folder he was reading, sliding it into the filing cabinet behind him.

"Yes, come in," Lee replied, gesturing toward the chair positioned across from him.

You smoothed down your skirt as you settled into the chair, intertwining your hands on your lap.

His demeanor exuded encouragement, warmth evident in the gentle lines of his smile. As he gathered his thoughts, your eyes fell upon a framed picture on his desk. Lee stood on the far left, flanked by several players including Trent and Curtis, their bright smiles frozen in time.

Your own smile deepened at the sight, noting how much younger they all appeared in the photograph. But as today's events replayed in your mind, your gaze momentarily lowered before returning to meet Lee's.

"A few years ago, that one," he pointed briskly at the photo, though he didn't give you time to respond before changing the topic - a relief, in your opinion.

"So," Lee clasped his hands together, "first official day? How'd it go?"

Pushing back thoughts of Trent deliberately, today had gone rather well.

"Good, honestly. Wataru and Conor were a little shy at first, but I think I was able to break through by the end of our sessions. Curtis was quite bubbly and a joy to talk to. We had some positive discussions too." You truthfully answered, giving a polite smile to round off your answer.

He nodded, impressed. Without a word, he turned to squint at his computer screen, his glasses perched atop his head. "And Trent?"

You cleared your throat, your tongue swiping over your bottom lip nervously. After a moment's hesitation, you shook your head once before answering.

"Trent didn't show up." You admitted with a wry smile. "I found him in the gym and brought it up but I wouldn't say that was a positive discussion."

Lee chuckled softly, his voice carrying a gentleness that belied his words. "Trent’s a tough nut. He’s got a lot on his shoulders and doesn't easily trust new people. But that's why you're here."

You nodded resolutely. "Absolutely. I don't intend on letting up."

"If you want me to step in-" He began but you shook your head again, halting him in the middle of his sentence.

"I respectfully don't think that's going to help. He's not exactly trusting of me right now, and I'm worried about the impression you stepping in might leave. I'm fortunate he's at least talking to me and sharing his feelings." You said with a measured tone, your words careful and tinged with a hint of apprehension.

"Well, you're the pro," you smiled at his joke, exhaling a sigh.

"I'm relying on your guidance, Lee. I can only hope he'll start working with me."

Lee nodded thoughtfully. "Trent respects effort and authenticity. He's introverted, sure, but once he's comfortable, he's a lovely lad."

"I'm sure," you blinked, fiddling nervously with your fingers.

Once he's comfortable.

That shouldn't take too long, you lied to yourself.

...

Part 2

Masterlist

Comment below if you want to be part of the taglist! Once you are part of it, you'll be reminded for every part of the series until its completion!

[holy-reference-in-a-username]

Goretober in Review!!

i went and actually did an art all 31 days in october, and you know what that means?

31 data points with which to make unnecessary graphs!!!!

first off: shoutout to @crisis-arts for making the prompt list. i kinda did whatever i felt like but the inspirational power of a good prompt list cannot be understated. now look at my graphs.

first off: how much time i spent on these fuckers. over the month i decreased in average time spent on each art, which makes sense lol. the red for days 3, 5, and 18 were because i did the initial sketches in pencil and simply colored over them, but day 31 was because it took an hour and a half to do all that zombie makeup and that counts. the green days are from when i spent a significant amount of time working on ideas i eventually ended up scrapping. you can find them here!!

notable stats:

longest time : Day 8, x-ray - 5 hr 44 min.

shortest time: Days 12, burning, and 13, headache - 20 min.

average time: 1 hr 35 min.

next up: when did i post these motherfuckers. also unsurprisingly, i started posting them later in the day as the month progressed. also, i was only late for one day, and it was by one minute! i'm proud of that, actually.

earliest post: Day 31, trick or treat - 9:17am

latest post: Day 12, burning - 12:00am

average posting time: 1:34pm

also, its interesting to note the connection between the amount of time i spent on each art and the time i posted them. the three latest posting times, days 8, 12, and 26, correspond with the longest, shortest, and a fairly average amount of work time. WHAT DOES IT MEAN...

you may have noticed i didn't do gore for every prompt. this is because i couldn't come up with any gory idea that actually felt good enough to post. so here's what i did instead. have fun figuring out which arts i classified as which, or whatever

oooo artsy graphs!!! theres definitely correlation between these three factors and the amount of time it took to "finish" each art. but i spent too much time on these graphs already im not doing that.

oh yeah, and here's all of them in one place! the stars are my personal favorites :)

[akookminsupporter]

Hi Rosie,

Your calm and logical explanation about Sapporo/Tokyo was excellent. ✨

I’m a Japanese expat and I was just in Tokyo for a visit. Trust me, I didn’t go stalking these locations, but as a former local, I recognize these places. lol

The restaurant photo of JM was taken at a curry restaurant chain Coco Ichibanya location in Shinjuku. Mind you, all Coco Ichibanyas have identical interior and they all use the same serving wares and signage/menu/decor but I saw some J-army did some sleuthing to identify the specific store (complete with cosplaying recreating the photo at the same table😳).

The Dior/Celine storefront photo was taken in front of Ginza Six, which is about 7 or 8 subway rides away on Marunouchi Line.

Assuming that Kookmin flew into Haneda Airport from Gimpo, above places are all easily explorable. Area is around 30 min car ride from the airport (if no traffic).

Not sure if Are You Sure is going to include their time in Tokyo (so far only Sapporo has been mentioned), but if I’m a betting person I’d put my money on Kookmin being together doing these activities in Tokyo—JK being behind the camera of the IG photo JM posted. Geographically, it makes sense. Mind you, I don’t know if either of them had any work schedules in Tokyo.

Also, Tokyo rarely gets covered in snow nowadays—especially in November. The 3 sec GoPro footage has to be from Sapporo.

Just wanted to share my proverbial two cents…

✨💜🫰💜✨

Oh, hello Anon! Thank you!

If I remember correctly, some fans went to the restaurant where Jimin took the photo, and one of the people there confirmed that Jimin was with someone. The description they gave of the person with him matched Jungkook.

The time they spent in Tokyo seems to have been mainly due to Jungkook's work commitments in the city. He was promoting his album, doing some interviews, recording a performance, and recording a visualizer for his song 'Hate You'. To date, we don't know if Jimin also had work commitments in the city during those days, so for now, it appears he was just accompanying Jungkook until they could travel to Hokkaido. Basically, same thing he did in the USA.

We will see if they include something from Tokyo.

[reallychaoticwoo]

Hi, again babe!! Idk if you write for individual characters, but would you be down to Mingi being jealous / possessive over reader?? Sometimes like reader talk to a man being friendly and he’s seething. Do it as long or as short as you’d like. Love you💕💕

YESSSSSSSS!!! I liiiveee for possessive and for Mingi 🫣 don't come at me lol.

Pairing: Mingi x reader (duh)

Warnings: MDNI!!! 18+ ONLY!! Possesive bf mingi, slight degrading (Mingi calls yn a slut), lottsss of cussing (sorry, not sorry 🤷🏻‍♀️), rough sex, hair pulling, squirting, I thinkkk that's it? As always let me know if I missed something 🖤

Mingi has always been a bit possessive. So, of course, it wasn't any different when it came to you, HIS girlfriend. You'd been dating for some months now, and you'd grown accustomed to his displays of possession. His hand wrapped tightly around your waist every time the two of you went out together. Him slowly leaving more and more of his items and clothes at your apartment. Oh, and your favorite, the necklace, he got you with his name on it, practically begging you to never take it off. And you didn't. To be quite honest, you love that he wanted to claim you. He'd let the whole world know you were his, and he was yours. Not that this didn't come with some downfalls, but it was never something you two couldn't move past.

-

Tonight, you'd be meeting all of his roommates. The only girl in a house full of 8 men. You'd questioned if he'd thought this through or not, but he seemed so excited to have you meet the people he considered family that you just went with it. Pulling up to the rather large house, you did a quick once over to make sure you looked presentable. Something Mingi definitely took note of. However, you quickly reassured him that you just wanted to make sure you looked goof for him, like someone he could be proud to call his.

Walking into the foyer, you looked around, shocked by how clean the place was. It was honestly a gorgeous house, and you definitely couldn't tell there were 8 men living there.

"So you must be y/n, Mingi has told us so much about you. I'm Seonghwa." He introduced himself smiling politely.

"It's nice to meet you too. Thanks for being okay with me coming over tonight." You shook his hand and smiled back.

"Woah Mingi, I think you may have left out some important information about your girl!" A loud voice said, coming from around the corner and into view. A shorter man with half blonde half black hair and a huge grin on his face.

Mingi clenched his jaw, "And what might that be Woo?".

"Uh, she's fucking hot?!" The shorter of the men said eyeing you up and down before shooting you a playful wink.

And with that, Mingi had his arm around your waist, pulling you as close to his as humanly possible. "Yeah, she is. And she's mine so keep your fucking winks to yourself." He was already getting pissed.

-

You'd eventually made it to the living room where everyone was sitting on the large sectional or leaning against it on the floor. Some playing games on the TV, a few scrolling on their phones, one seemingly only focused on his laptop with headphones on. Mingi had sat you on his lap to avoid anyone getting too close to you. Wooyoung, however, didn't seem to care that you were sitting on your boyfriends lap. Walking up behind the couch and throwing his arms around yours and Mingi's shoulders.

"So is this why it took you so long to bring her over, Min? Afraid one of us might take her away from you?" Wooyoung chuckled, big cheshire grin across his face. You blushed a little at the compliment, and oh boy, did Mingi catch onto that. His hands tightened on your waist. Wooyoung leaned in a little closer to your face, "You know, Mingi probably didn't say anything because he doesn't even realize how fucking hot you actually are. You deserve to be reminded constantly, shown off, not kept a secret". He shot a devilish glare at mingi. Your crossed your legs and gulped a bit flustered, and even more nervous.

Mingi had enough. "Fuck this, y/n get up now." He stood up so fast you almost fell from being lunged off his lap. He caught you by the wrist and started dragging you down the hall to his room.

"Mingi what the hell?? Where are we going? What are you doing?" You asked him trying to understand even remotely what was going through his brain right now.

"Oh don't act so fucking innocent princess, don't think I didn't catch you crossing your legs at his words. Or the way he had you blushing earlier when he called you hot." Mingi was seething. He will be damned if another man gets your attention. And he's about to remind you that you're his and only his. He's going to remind you how you don't need or want anyone but him.

-

As soon as you two were in his room he slammed the door locking it behind him. His eyes dark and his expression somewhere between pissed and sinister. "Take it off." It wasn't a request it was a demand.

Fuck you loved this side of him so much. You knew he was about to make sure everyone in this house had no questions as to who you belonged to. And you knew he was about to ruin you in the absolute BEST way. Stripping down to absolutely nothing Mingi pushed you against the door pressing his lips against yours hungrily. He wasted no time pulling off his belt and dropping his pants. Immediately grabbing your ass and holding you firmly in the air as he lined the tip of his cock with your already drenched hole. With one swift motion he bucked up into you, fully submerging himself. You lifted your hand to cover your mouth but he caught it in his before holding your hands above your head. "Don't you dare try and be fucking quiet. I want you to scream so loud the whole fucking block will know who you belong to." He was basically growling in your ear. Fucking up into you relentlessly, biting and sucking your neck harshly leaving a trail of marks down to your collar bone. "F-fuck.. Fuck Mingi...ahhhh" You whined, your legs starting to shake as the pressure in your stomach started to build faster than it ever had before. Mingi started to slow down before placing you back on the ground. "Mingi... please.. please more.. don't stop" You begged and whined but he just spun your body around to face the door. "Hands on the door, spread your fucking legs. You want to act like a little slut, getting all flustered from fucking Wooyoung. You're going to get fucked like a slut and the whole fucking house is going to hear you." You shivered at his words, quickly following directs. And he was right back in you pushing your back down to bend you forward further. "Keep your fucking hands on the door, I want everyone to hear how hard my little slut takes me. I, urgh- I want Wooyoung to hear how fucking -ah - how fucking drunk you get off MY dick", he was ramming into you mercilessly. Hitting so deep he wrapped his hand around to your stomach, "you feel that princess? You think any of them could fuck you this good? Could rearrange your guts and make you scream like I can?" He pulled your hair making you straighten slightly. Keeping your hands on the door you tried to shake your head but his grip on your hair was too tight. "I asked you a fucking question. I expect words y/n" He punctuated with a painstakingly deep thrust causing you to fall forward letting out a scream. "No" You said breathlessly through blissful sobs. "No, what?" He asked, another deep thrust. "No, no one -aaahhhhh- fuck- no one can fuck me like you baby- fuuucccckk - I'm so close". You were a crying whiney mess. "Don't you fucking come till I tell you to come baby, now be a good girl and tell me who's fucking pussy this is"

"Yours - fuck - it's yours Mingi, all yours. Please, please" You were begging to let go. You needed it, you were falling apart barely holding yourself up, your legs giving out.

Mingi not letting up for even a second pulled your hair back again, the door slamming with each and every thrust he's giving you. "Louder baby girl, fuck, say it louder".

"FUUUCCCKKK MINGI - MY PUSSY IS ALL YOURS- ONLY YOURS!!"

"Good girl, now come for me baby. Let me feel you loose yourself on my dick."

You let out a glass shattering gutteral scream, Mingis name the last sound to leave your lips, shaking uncontrollably, your vision white, and your release, everywhere. Mingi carried you ti the bed laying you down until you could regain some form of consciousness. Grabbing you a water from his mini fridge, he pulled his pants back up and sat on the bed next to you.

Once you came back to you smiled faintly, "I should have you get jealous more often. That was sooooo fucking good." A breathy chuckle leaving you as you propped yourself up to take a sip of the water.

"I don't think that's a good idea baby, but I'm happy to fuck you however you like, whenever you want." He said grinning, placing kisses your your forehead and cheeks.

"Now, let's go make an appearance to make sure they got the point." He said pulling you up into his arms once again, your legs wrapped around his waist and his hands firmly on your ass.

-

Sitting down on the couch pulling you into his lap again, he glared around the room, making sure to lock eyes with Wooyoung. Pulling you in closer to his chest, he gave the younger man the biggest shit eating grin before placing a soft kiss to the top of your head. "MY beautiful princess." He said, resting his head on yours.

** As always, this is purely fictional! This doesn't not represent the idol in any way, shape, or form. **

**Not really proofread, so please don't come for me. 🖤 Thank you as always for your support and I really hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

[kaxenart]

Rusty's Knees

So the 30MM Steel Haze kit has zero knee articulation and this guy did a tweak to give more leg movement

Except he uses one piece from a 30MS kit and I don't collect 30 Minutes Sisters and I could not be bothered to order an $8+shipping option parts kit for Two Hexagons.

First, I 3D printed a part, but the different plastics didn't really stick together nicely and I didn't like the structural integrity of it.

So I was like was fuck it, let's just print the whole part.

Ironically, it's one of the few times where my filament printer would be faster than my resin printer (6 mins vs 30 mins)

But my filament printer is a piece of shit.

CREALITY CR10, MY BELOATHED

ELEGOO SATURN 4 ULTRA, MY BELOVED

Because I am a moron who can't measure even when using digital calipers that can't possibly be more accurate, it took 3 prints, but I got there.

It's still got less range of movement than in-game (was kind of surprised how forward and upward the piece goes when I booted up the game to check), but you can only shave so much from the plastic holding the pieces together.

Now to print the one for the other leg and spray paint them bronze.

It's a pretty basic-ass model. I have zero temperament for modeling anything that's not a face lol

[memoriesndew]

day 8/30 || 20/08/2024 || memoriesndew gbc✰

reflection:

𐙚 sorry for not updating. I've just been a little stressed, but I've been trying my best to keep up with this challenge, and now we're on day 8. Today I was able to do a little workout just 100× jumping jacks and 10× burpees (might increase it if I have the capacity), I also took a 30mins walk, I was able to study korean for only 15 mins bcs it was quite late and I completed 4 work tasks the life planner is really coming together

achievements:

updated 4 parts of the life planner template (plan to update 4 more tomorrow)

practiced Korean for 28 minutes (so close lol)

went to church

completed my morning routine

stretched

habit tracking:

30mins+ daily movement 10mins+ journaling 30mins+ Korean study complete 2+ work tasks quiet time

photos credit: pinterest

🎧 Haske ~ Kaestrings

🎀 caught up with manhwas

photo credits: pinterest

[xstrawberryshiftsx]

How I met my better cr s/o PT1

based off a dream and a playlist!

part two!

Dove: that’s me! (I’m obvs not using my real name, plus my irl one is pretty weird so it suits lol)

Caster: my s/o

James: casters bestfriend

Bell: Casters twin sister

Jade, Min-Jun, Cindy, Clay: my best friends/friend group

I found this playlist on Spotify and my mind has never been more pleased

also no judgement this is super Mary sue and cringey but let me live

‘who’s that chick?’

James asked as he crushed his Up&Go in his hand before trying to throw it-and miss-into the trash bin

‘I don’t fucking know’

Caster replied not looking up from his phone, it was like 8:30 and he didn’t have the energy for James gossip.

‘nah-mate seriously’ he jabbed Caster in the shoulder impatiently, he didn’t answer but put his phone down and looked in the direction that James was pointing to.

it was a girl-she was a golden blonde and light eyed, freckles littered her cheeks and she looked around 5’3-5’5. She was laughing loudly, holding one of her friends hands and Caster noticed that when she smiled two dimples showed and that she had slightly pointer then average canines.

‘Wow a girl-crazy’ he rolled his eyes sarcastically.

James rambled on for a moment about blondes and how the school never got new people-which was definitely not true, they lived in Sydney there was always gonna be new people.

The girl was surrounded by one of the main groups in the school year, this wasn’t an American movie and there wasn’t really a ‘popular’ group but they where some of the friendliest and well known people in the year, Clay, Min-jun, Cindy and Jade circled around her in a weird bubble, Cindy pointed around the school yard showing her random sections and Min-Jun not so subtly gestured to random people and telling her about them.

‘anyway-that’s why I think brunettes are wife material and blondes are friend material’

Sighing Caster turned away from the girl and back to his friend

‘wow that’s crazy interesting dude-really deep’

not understanding the sarcasm James grinned and nodded looking pleased with himself

‘still tho what a babe’

TIMESKIP

Dove watched as her friends chatted on the train ride home, she’d known these guys since kindy but it was weird to finally been in the same actual school.

‘hey you all good?’ Clay asked suddenly noticing her quietness

the others looked up to her direction

‘hmm? Yeah I’m good thanks! Just been a long day’ she replied softly

‘I’ve got headphones if you wanna listen to some music and have some down time?’ Cindy said smiling as she rested a head on Doves shoulder.

‘Nah it’s okay-mine and Jades stop is soon-thanks tho’

Nodding Cindy got off her shoulder and turned to discuss some politics thing with Min-Jun. Eventually the train stopped and Jade and her both got off waving goodbye to their friends as they did.

…

‘so…-what’d you think about the school?’

‘oh! Uh-it’s nice-loud and full on but nice I guess’

Jade took Doves hand as they walked through their street the streets lights shining down on them.

Jade had moved in with Dove a few months back after her family decided to move back to England-jade had had a right fit about it and ended up staying behind to her delight.

‘As long as your happy’ Jade smiled, the street lights shone on her dark thick curls making them shine in golden light, everything about Jade was beautiful-from her golden brown doe eyes to her smile…a perfect picture.

‘I’m always happy’ Dove replied squeezing Jades hand

‘yeah-I know’

‘Oi-Cass!’

Bell barged into Casters room holding a twenty dollar note in her hand.

He looked up from his desk his night glasses resting on his nose

‘what?!’ He groaned shutting his laptop and looking over at his twin.

Bell and Cass were eerily similar-only in appearance of course- they both had 1C dark hair and almost black eyes, they were pale and tall, the only difference was Bell was a decent person to be around.

‘I’m on my period…I-uh would personally be super appreciate if you decided to go to the corner store and buy me some snacks’ Bell crossed her arms and handed him the twenty dollars.

Sighing Cass got up from his chair.

‘yeah okay-what do you want?’

Dove stared at their bedroom ceiling tracing the patterns with her eyes as she did. They turned over in her bed and twisted around trying to get comfortable. her uncle had recommended her to go to bed earlier but she couldn’t find it in herself to fall asleep.

she pulled on a jacket over her pjs and hopped out of bed walking out of her bedroom and through the halls and into the kitchen to where her uncle was having a beer

‘hey I’m going to the general store is that okay?’ She asked grabbing her wallet on the counter.

he looked up and smiled

‘sure pickle, just stay in the open streets and don’t be out for long-oh and keep your phone turned on’

Dove smiled and nodded before walking out the door

…

the door jingled as Cass walked through the store, going straight to the Asian snack section.

he looked down at the list Bell gave him

A cup of ramen (spicy beef flavour)

Two cans of melon soda

oreo and strawberry pocky sticks

Bin Bin rice crackers

white rabbit candy

‘Uh-um’

Cass looked up realising he was blocking the aisle

‘oh sorry-‘ it was the girl-the new girl from school, he stared at her not expecting to meet her especially not here, he decided to be polite for once and start a conversation.

‘your the new girl right-uh Daisy?’ He didn’t mean it but his voice came out uninterested and mean

‘Dove-my names Dove…not daisy’ she said awkwardly not really in the mood for a chat

‘huh-that’s a weird fucking name’ again he didn’t mean to sound so off putting but he always somehow ended up with that tone

‘Excuse me? No need to be a cunt’

she tilted her head at him confused at his staring and comments, she narrowed her eyes before walking past him.

the boy was cute-and tall but she was put off by his weird gaze, plus what a dick. He watched as she walked past him straight towards the pocky section-he watched in horror as she grabbed both the last strawberry and the last Oreo pocky box.

Against his better judgement he spoke

‘wait-uh do you really have to get those…ones?’ she turned around looking at him an eyebrow raised

‘Huh?’ She didn’t say it meanly but it was clear she was on edge

‘the pocky-those are the last two’

‘Well your obviously blind since there’s like a bunch here’ she gestured to the wall behind them

‘yeah but I need those two’ he said feeling impatient-he was cold and he could already feel Bells comment if he came back late AND without her favourite pocky flavours.

‘No one needs anything’ Dove scowled crossing her arms and glaring up at him

He laughed clearly frustrated

‘yeah well your wrong cause I need those’

Scoffing Dove walked past him and straight to the checkout

‘hey-wait please’ he groaned-shit, his mum was right his attitude was beginning to be a problem.

Dove walked out the door pleased with themselves leaving Caster alone in the shop defeated

@starrihideshere @livingsecret @ottaorca @gaiaexploreslife @catschasingstars @lovebvni @morganshifts @chloesreality @zipperrants

PT2?

this is super cringey and I absolutely hate myself for writing this 💀

[chu-diaries]

140 days of productivity: day 4/140

Today was such a long day because I woke up at 4:30 am for no reason at all. Suddenly, I was all alert and ready for my day. I started my day with some journaling and connecting with my ancestors, then I made the ugliest and most non-aesthetic tapioca of my life lol, went to the grocery shop and then I worked like crazy until 6 pm. I really thought I would be able to finish my candle shop website today, but I only managed to upload the products and their descriptions… I still have so much to do! I don't want to have a nervous breakdown or anything like that before I sell my first candle, so today I want to be kind to myself and allow myself a few more days to finish all the preparations for launching my brand.

🥀: day 23/29

💧: 1,5 L

🏋🏻‍♀️: workout (45 min)

🏃🏻‍♀️: 1690 steps

🕯️: worked on my scented candle company website (8 h)

🪘: took some notes about misogyny and other abuses in religious communities (1 h)

🇰🇷: 🚫

🎧: marcha de Maria - Douglas germano

📺: watched Pixar’s Coco

📚: 🚫

🛑: 10 days pick-free

💊: vitamin c, omega 3, magnesium and iron supplements

[kcalsforhim]

˖⋆࿐໋ thursday 19th of december

⋆˙⟡

can confirm : worst day of my life. i woke up and i told myself, ur so sick and genuinely didn’t sleep at all, today food is your fuel. it’s a sad reality im shameful i really am, but you have to understand i needed to get to college today

at 4:50 am i had breakfast, i took no photos because i felt such deep shame, i was calling with eli and i remember saying that my tray looked like i was in recovery cause of the volume. i wanna cry just thinking about it. i didn’t count cause i knew i would end it all

breakfast :

some leftovers from yesterday, less than yesterday though.

1 slices of bread with chicken meat on it, also had ketchup and mayo.

a banana, 2 lotus cookies, and some kind of other sweet cookie thing

maybe 10 g of paprika potato chips ?

it made me feel bad eating, i actually really didn’t want to. i got dressed 3x slower than usual, everything hurt so bad. soso bad. i tried zipping up my jacket when i left the house and i literally couldn’t and i was so mad it woke my dad up and he zipped it up for me sigh…

i went to school and i fell asleep in the train, haku called me awake tho. i walked so slow haku later told me it actually pissed him off but he knew it couldn’t be helped…

during college i didn’t do much, i coloured some of my animation cause my hands were too shaky to continue on lineart, it all hurt so bad. i watched rupauls drag race with haku, which was funny

i went home and when i was walking i literally felt so terrible , just as terrible as when i fasted for 70 hours or when i started doing 500 cal omad at START WEIGHT.. that was so bad lol

we went to the amazing oriental and i got 2 onigiri’s and a sweet roll thing. the pack had 2 of those so i gave haku one. eli sent me some money so i didn’t feel guilty spending the money lol

then i went home in the train, and afterwards i took the bus cause thank lord himself i already had 10k steps by then and i still did get extra steps cause my busses changed and now the bus that stops the closest to my house is still 10-15 mins away

got home exhausted tired and barely conscious sadly. i had a little autistic meltdown trying to get undressed i literally broke one of the buttons on my jacket mmm..

dinner :

1 tuna onigiri, 1 salmon onigiri, one vanilla cream sweet roll thing

the onigiri’s were so good ! i love eating it super cold it’s delicious. the sweet rolls were like, super fluffy like cloud bread and the cream was so sweeeeet and delicious

dinner 2 :

3 1/8’th slices of pepperoni pizza, 2 kinder bueno sticks

yeah so i only wanted to eat the last kinder bueno we had, it was going to be a long time since i would have those again, im not buying myself anything like that unless my parents or someone else buys it for me of THEIR will, i will not ask anyone for it. but my mom got a bit upset at me and told me she didn’t believe i had food and urged me to grab something so i did i dont know why i didn’t make a fuss

i should’ve flushed it, but i felt so disgustingly defeated.. so i just ate it. i thought “fuck it, i already fucked up enough, might as well eat fucking pizza at this point”

i fell asleep soon after eating that, makeup on, lashes on, contacts in… i woke up at 12 am feeling refreshed. i cleaned my face and took out my contacts and i watched reels until 2 am. i couldn’t stop sending haku reels and he literally said “go to sleep” and i was like ahaha… okaay… so i went to sleep

im kind of disappointed in myself, but i also can’t blame myself. the day before i totally overdid myself running a whole ass marathon and then not getting any sleep it was crazy. i don’t know what possessed me… but. it’s fine. days start fresh i guess.

only the last thigh picture was taken recently, the rest are all just recents, and the before pictures were all taken in the high 70 kgs… 75-79 kg range… it’s all so terrible…

cals : N.V.T but too many sigh

steps : 12.1 k

love her

⋆˙⟡

[batsyx]

OK some interesting things to note because there is so much to unpack here:

- 8:08 time mark, Deathstroke and Waller talk about metahumans and how the whole invasion was lucky for her because she’s got the supers in her pocket. He says something about how they say Wonder Woman was molded from clay by the gods and that she “might wanna keep an eye on that”. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Are the gods gunna come after Waller? Could the gods bring Diana back? Resculpt her from clay?

- 15:08 time mark, Freeze talks to Waller about the “clone theory” where she hypothesizes that the League we did battle with are actually clones of the originals, based on Lex’s notes from the “corrupted” Batman and the DNA from the recovered Flash and Green Lantern. WHOOP THERE IT IS. So it’s official then, they’re gunna bring back Superman and Batman in the last episode. While I am overjoyed to know Batman will return, it really makes everything that happened in the first game meaningless. Wonder Woman’s death? Pointless. All the emotional heft from the story is gone. The ridiculous Batman death scene seems laughable now. And then to bring them all back in the DLCs feels cheap as fuck. I can’t help but wonder if they really meant to keep them dead but then when the backlash hit, they quickly reworked some parts of the story and decided to bring the League back in the DLC. It all feels so rushed and if Batman comes back and we get like 1 min scene of him saying one line……Im gunna be upset. I think we’re owed more than that, Rocksteady! Waller tells Freeze to deliver the findings of her report to her and to keep it “my eyes only”. She’s keeping it a secret from the rest of the Squad for now but Freeze had got to spill the beans somehow! THIS IS HUGE NEWS!

- I think the Clone Theory 1-3 segments are all worth listening to. The implications of them actually saving the original members of the League made my ears perk up because Freeze was saying how restoring their memories could cause disastrous cognitive dissonance in the future. 👀

- Squad Conversation: Second Acts 1-5 we get to more Joker fun! Joker and Ivy are pals now. He gifted her a switchblade! I did a double take when Ivy said to Joker “You mean what we have in common is we used to be special frenemies with Harleen and the Batman.” SPECIAL FRENEMIES!?!? Ivy may be a literal child but I love that she still remembers that Joker was super “infatuated” with Batman.

AND THEN THIS LITTLE FUN BIT!

Barely hit it off with his Bats? That makes me sad! It also deviates from what I wrote in my fic but thats ok lol. This Joker talking in his sleep makes total sense. It’s certainly a useful nugget of information I may or may not use down the line. 🙃🙂 BTW HERES A SHAMELESS PLUG FOR MY SSKTJL FIC: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60083872/chapters/153308584

AND THEN THIS PART!

HE’S LONELY. OF COURSE HE IS. HE DOESN’T HAVE BATMAN! 😭

Freeze has a talk with Ivy about her new friend:

I’d like to think Joker is using this Brainiac apocalypse as a way of pursuing his own fulfilling journey to self discovery ala “Eat, Pray, Love”.

Next month is the last episode of the current season and then the game will be truly over, for the story mode at least. I can’t believe it took a WHOLE ASS YEAR for them to end this god awful thing. All the squandered potential of this game and for it to be Kevin Conroys last hurrah as Batman makes me weep.

[ecogirl2759]

Here's something interesting (maybe)-

So, a couple years ago, I got bored and was feeling sorry for Taka, as usual, when I decided I wanted to research something that was probably pointless.

BUT I DID IT ANYWAY!

Below the break here is an analysis of Trial 3 of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. I looked at some characters and wrote down things that I thought were noteworthy. Everything (other than the percentiles) has been untouched from my initial research (formatted for Tumblr).

Let me know if you guys have anything else that you think is interesting!

!!SPOILER WARNING FOR CHAPTER 3!!

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Trial 3

(Only gaining some info from nonstop debates)

Victim’s names weren’t mentioned until after 8 mins in

Victim’s often only called “it” or “corpse”

Only talks about Taka when it’s convenient

Hiro’s self-aware that he’s dumb

In talks about both victims, Hifumi seems to be brought up most

Most times Hifumi’s objectified is when he & Taka are lumped together

Hifumi referred to more, but as “he/him” (doesn’t fit criteria)

Taka often only referred to in cases of figuring out Hifumi

Lmao Tick Tock and Huffy

Most times Taka isn’t objectified is when they’re talking about his note

Celeste slandering dead Hifumi

After certain point, Taka’s barely brought up until closing

Taka mostly only referred to as “body” or “corpse”

Hifumi was accomplice, but Taka was/is important

Taka:

# times name called: 63 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111|111

# times referred to as object: 56 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111|11

# times referred to total - 119 Ratio - 63:56 % objectified - 47.06%

Hifumi:

# times name called: 104 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111|11111111111

# times referred to as object: 30 1111111111111111111111111111|11

# times referred to - 134 Ratio - 104:30 % objectified - 22.39%

| - Closing argument

After the trial:

Hifumi was completely manipulated

Celeste slandered Taka’s good name

“He forced me to steal her… He abused me [and] took pictures, saying he’d show everyone if I did not comply… He is going to use her to escape… He is going to kill you [just] so he can have her all to himself.”

God I hate Celeste

“Did you do it for the money?” “…That is not all there is to it.”

Celeste’s dream/goal was to live in a castle which she’d need money for

“Are you asking me to feel guilty? That’s a pointless endeavor.”

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

So...

Whaddya think?

I knew at the time that people really didn't like how little Taka was brought up / mentioned during the trial, and I wanted to see if there was any merit to that.

TURNS OUT THERE WAS! I HAVE A RIGHT TO BE ANGRY LOL

I also feel like that last part where Celeste accuses Taka of... well yk what it is. That part is largely forgotten about or actively disregarded by Celeste stans and the Dangan fandom as a whole.

THIS LADY WAS WILLING TO FALSELY ACCUSE SOMEONE OF YKW JUST SO THAT SHE COULD GO LIVE IN A MANSION WITH VAMPIRE BUTLERS!!!! SHE'S NOT A GREAT PERSON!!!!

Props to Hifumi for sticking up for her, but uh... murder? Really?

Hifumi, really, just wanted to help. He thought he was doing something good, and I applaud that. Just... yk... murder?

SO YEAH

HERE ARE MY FINDINGS!

Hope y'all get something meaningful out of this because I grabbed it and now I have NOTHING to do with it :(

Let's all suffer together :D

[rulesforthedance]

slapdash race report

How do you make a bulleted list on mobile

I'm not looking it up. Anyway!

That "50 miler" sure was 54 miles, lol. CONSERVATIVELY. My garmin said 49 and strava on my phone said 61 and they tend to under- and overestimate (respectively) on trail by close to the same amount, and everyone at the finish was saying how it was longer. This is not unusual for trail ultras and I don't mind because I learned I can run 54 miles :)

It took me 12 hours and 45 minutes. Even in the last few miles I was still doing like 70% running, which is better than I can say for my 50k. So what this tells me. Is I could have run a 100k this summer. I don't wish I had though.

It wasn't easy or comfortable, but I never felt like I might not finish.

Set a 40-minute 50k PR DESPITE spending half an hour at the mile 28.5 aid station.

Arrived in the hot nasty portapotty at said aid station after 15 miles of fantasizing about pooping and said out loud, very sincerely, "wow, I love it here. This is the best place I have ever been."

So hot. So hilly. Such bees.

First overall was a woman. And she averaged 8 min/mi which was frankly insane in these conditions

I had an obscene amount of caffeine and my body has so many problems right now as a result of my recreational sport and I hope I ever sleep tonight

In my 50k, 90% of participants beat me, but today only 70% did. I'm moving up in the world!

[finkinthisfrew]

Anything (Pt.8)

cw: sexual tension and horniness, erection, being naked together

Chapter 8 I shut the door to my apartment and leaned my back against it, my lips still tingling from the kiss we shared before Matty hopped into a cab to get to his meeting which he was now late for. He had changed back into his date clothes from the night before, leaving his hoodie and sweatpants behind.

We'd spent the rest of the morning in bed cuddling while chatting, laughing and eating cereal. Eventually, after much protesting from Matty, I convinced him not to cancel his day of meetings and interviews. He obliged only after I promised him I'd come over for dinner later that evening.

I walked back upstairs, still in a daze, and started making my bed. I had once again been lost in thought when I heard my phone buzz on my nightstand.

I'm not particularly enjoying being apart from you :(

My heart fluttered as I read his text and my phone buzzed again.

If you get out of the studio early, will you please come straight to mine?

I couldn't help but smile at his eagerness. It wasn't just that it was flattering, but something about his unabashed honesty was so comforting. He wasn't afraid of this, which helped me feel unafraid too. I sat down on the edge of my bed and began to type.

I'm also not enjoying being apart from you :( I want to come over straight after, I really do, but I need to go home to shower and change out of my studio clothes first. If I don't... well, if you saw me like that then let's just say you'd probably enjoy being apart more lol

It didn't take long for Matty to respond.

You could sprout a tail and 3 extra heads and I'd still be utterly obsessed with you. Come over straight after- you can wash up at mine. If it helps I promise I won't look at you when you first get here (that's a lie btw)

I rolled my eyes at his message and I couldn't help but giggle- he was so funny and clever. As I began to type a response, I got another text from him.

Not to pressure you. Sorry, I'm being very selfish here. I've just got a bit of a crush, that's all :)

I took a moment to think before I wrote my next couple messages.

Wellllllll, when you put it like that... as long as you don't mind me taking a quick shower at yours before we eat then sure, I'd love to :)

I can text you when I'm heading over. I'll probably be done by 5:30/6:00 pm- maybe even sooner. Should only take me 15 min to get to your place from the studio

I couldn't help but blush when I read his response.

Amazing. See you then <3 Text me whenever you miss me plz

The little heart emoji made me shimmy with giddiness. I was so excited to see him again- and we'd only been apart for... three minutes? Four? It felt insane, but the connection we had felt so deep so immediately. I hopped up from my bed, running to my wardrobe to get dressed as quickly as possible so I could get to the studio right away. The sooner I got my work done, the sooner I'd be able to see Matty again.

The next several hours I spent at the studio working on a new piece as well as finishing up some older ones. Somehow, by some miracle, the day had flown by and I'd finished just a few minutes after 5 pm.

We'd texted throughout the day, updating each other when we found time, but we could both tell we were missing each other desperately already.

As soon as I finished loading my last piece into the kiln, I sent Matty a text letting him know I was heading over and I all but ran out of the building and onto the tube.

I didn't even care that I was covered head to toe in dried clay and glaze with my hair in a dishevelled little bun on the top of my head. I looked my absolute worst, and somehow I felt my best the second I opened Matty's door, which he'd let me know was unlocked. Jogging up his steps, I called out his name. As soon as I reached the top of the steps I barely saw Matty appear before I was swept up in his arms, enveloped in a deep and longing kiss. I greedily kissed him back, which only made him kiss me harder. Our hands ran over each other urgently, taking in each other's presence in every possible way. We tried to break off the kiss after several minutes of making out, but failed every time, going back for more as if we'd been starved of each other.

The sound of a timer going off eventually convinced us to stop, earning a grunt of annoyance from Matty.

"One moment, stay right here," he said before disappearing down the hallway. "Stay perfectly where you are, darling," I heard him yell from the kitchen. Reappearing moments later with his arms already reaching out for me, we pulled towards each other like magnets, embracing once again. After a few more moments of passionate kissing, I pulled away.

"Before we continue," I said giggling as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my face all over, "I really want to take a quick shower. Do you mind?"

He was just kissing my neck, sending tingles down my spine and making me shiver, when he retreated and said, "Actually, I hope you don't mind, but I had something else in mind for you... follow me."

We walked into his bedroom hand in hand. Then he pushed open his bathroom door, revealing a bathtub full of thick foamy bubbles and candles lit all over. A plush white bathrobe hung on the wall, and a bottle of wine with a large wine glass sat on the stool next to the tub.

I was speechless.

"Hopefully you have everything you need, but if not, just give us a shout and I'll grab you whatever you need. I'll be in the kitchen when you're done," he said giving my hand a squeeze. He leaned down and kissed the side of my nose, to which I turned to face him fully before taking his face in both my hands and kissing him on the lips.

"Thank you," I said softly.

He looked at me sweetly so happy with my reaction as he walked out the door, our fingers parting only when our arms could no longer reach. As he began to close the door, he paused saying, "It's such a comfort to have you here in my home, knowing you're just down the hall... It's really lovely to be home together."

I smiled back at him as he shut the door behind him.

I walked over to the sink and washed my face and cleaned my fingernails of the caked-on clay. I slowly peeled off my clothes, reflecting on what Matty said. I felt so at peace knowing he was here. This wasn't my home, but I felt at home here, because he was here.

I lowered myself into the tub, enveloping myself in the lavender-scented suds. The water was the perfect temperature, soothing my sore body which ached from hunching over the pottery wheel for so long. I poured myself a glass of the chilled wine and sunk deeper into the suds.

My mind drifted back to the last memory I had of Matty in this bathroom- soaked from spraying each other with the showerhead, his shirt clinging to his muscled and toned body, water dripping from his damp curls onto his parted lips. I remembered the tension I'd felt at that moment- the tension we felt. I remembered his face perfectly, the way he looked at my lips, then back into my eyes, panting slightly from our water fight. If I hadn't been so nervous... I wondered what would have happened.

I let myself steep in that memory, and after a while, I couldn't tell if I was getting hot from the bathtub water, or from the memory itself.

Without thinking, I called out Matty's name. He appeared at the door a few moments later, his head poking in. "Yes, darling?" he asked, averting his eyes for my own modesty.

"It's okay, you can look. I think you put enough bubbles in here for a months worth of baths," I said with a lighthearted laugh.

He allowed his eyes to slowly turn and look at me laying in the bath, bubbles covering everything below my collarbone.

"Fuck..." he said to himself quietly. "You are painfully gorgeous, Anna."

I blush at his candidness. "Thank you, Matty." I tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear before remembering why I called him in in the first place.

"Are you doing anything super involved in the kitchen right now, or would you possibly want to keep me some company?" I asked.

He all but skipped over to the stool next to the tub and sat down, leaning in to kiss me.

"Of course, darling. Anything for you." He said as he rolled up the sleeves of the flannel shirt he wore. I could see a spatter of red sauce from whatever he'd been cooking staining his shirt underneath.

He saw me notice his soiled shirt, face turning red as he said "Things got a bit more involved in the kitchen than I anticipated."

"Actually, I was wondering... if maybe you'd like to join me?" I asked, my boldness faltering only briefly from the sweetness of our kiss.

He blinked at me, processing what I'd just asked him.

"It seems like you could do with a soak too," I added tentatively, gesturing at his shirt, my voice a question mark.

"Are you sure?" He asked. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

I smiled at him. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't want it. I promise."

"Well as long as you're sure..." he pulled his flannel off as he stood up to undress.

I looked away as he pulled his stained t-shirt off, allowing him some privacy while undressing. I could feel his eyes on me, his movements measured from the corner of my eye, watching to make sure I was okay with every step he took.

He lowered himself slowly into the tub across from me. The tub was wide enough that we could both lay with our legs stretched out side by side. Matty gently lifted one of my legs to rest on his chest and began to rub my foot. My eyes practically rolled back into my head from bliss. I sighed audibly.

"Now there's a sound I could live for," he said with a smile.

I frowned from pleasure, my eyes closing.

"Are you sure you're not an angel, Matty? You treat me way too well- if you keep this up I don't know what I'll do without you once my placement ends."

Matty's hands paused for a moment. He fell silent, and I wondered if I'd said something wrong.

"I know it's quite irresponsible, but can we pretend that you aren't leaving in a few months? Just for tonight?"  He returned to rubbing my foot, looking me straight in the eyes. "I don't think I can think about that right now. Actually, I don't think I can think about it ever, but just for this one evening... I want to imagine this never has to end."

I couldn't tell if my heart had stopped, or was beating so fast that I could no longer feel it.

"Is that okay with you?" He asked, a look of innocence on his face.

"Of course," I said with sympathy, because I knew exactly what he meant, and I felt exactly the same way.

He kissed my big toe with a giant grin, making me laugh.

I sunk deeper into tub, relaxing, admiring the crinkles beside Matty's eyes as he smiled, taking extra time to memorize each one. I loved the way his eyes squinted when he smiled, the way he always spoke so earnestly with me. I loved that he always asked for consent. I loved how he would get carried away with his excitement, then always pedalled back to make sure I was in the same place as him. And I always was. I'd never fallen into step with someone like this before, every stride matching. I had never felt so safe with someone before. Or so turned on.

"Matty," I said, sitting upright, leaning towards him.

"Yes, dear?" He answered, eyebrows risen innocently.

"Kiss me. Please?"

"Anything for you." He said, rising from the tub, suds slowly dripping down his tattooed chest.

Our lips met, heat radiating from each other, dampness from the steam of the bath and our sweat intermingling. Our tongues met, dancing lightly with each other at first, then building intensity the longer we kissed.

I wrapped my arms around his naked torso, running my hands over his back, skin soft and slippery from the water. He gently placed one hand on the back of my neck, the other around my waist under water.

I couldn't get close enough to him, shifting myself onto my knees and straddling him, sitting down on his stomach as he reclined.

I was hungry for more. I kissed him deeper, and he pulled me in close against him in response, our bodies now touching everywhere.

"Is this okay?" He asked breathlessly, pulling away briefly to check in with me. I was so touched by his concern, which only made me want him more. I kissed his cheek, his jaw, then nibbled his ear. He moaned softly.

"Yes. Very, very okay." I said, my lips returning to his. We kissed even deeper, heat building.

He kissed me with even more intention now, his strong hands grasping at my hips. I ran my nails down his back, to which he responded "Fuck, Anna. I can't get enough of you."

I felt bold, so I pulled away, looked him dead in the eye and said, "So have me. Have all of me."

With that I shimmied further down his body, his erection now hard against my backside. I watched Matty's jaw drop as he processed what I'd just said and done. I maintained eye contact with him as I did it.

"... are you sure?" He asked slowly. "I don't want you to feel pressured to do anything just because I've got a bit excited."

I shook my head. "I mean it. I want you."

He shook his head in disbelief, eyes glazed with passion, "I need you." before he pulled me in with full force.

[andthebubbles]

okay so some real quick thoughts of 3x05-08

cressida got seriously short-changed. but i don't think the writers were anticipating that people would even like creloise

eloise almost had like a retcon re her friendship with cressida? did she think that was all fake? from what i recall (i might be wrong ofc) she first played into hating her because she pretended she was LW, even though she totally knows she's not, but basically she wanted to take pen's side. and that was it, really. so... i feel like the cressida stuff (and her being shipped off to wales) could've been avoided if they'd just talked. idk

eloise is still... hmmm..... still has some growing to do. but it's fun now, watching her, because i don't find her annoying anymore, unlike in s2

benedict's really floating. but i do feel like his season is next. though, are they really going to have the actor for michaela on standby for four years, if that's the case (eta: i suppose she could have a sideplot for s4, if benedict is lead. i'd love that)

and, actually, i suppose i would not mind fran/michaela next. but i don't want john to die :( but even the priest knew he was gonna die!!!!!!!!!! so i guess he's gonna :(

i very very very much enjoyed anthony's pretty face :3

and all the a&b moments!!!

anthony was half OOC. but all his moments with benedict were lovely so i'm good :3 and he had a nice moment with colin too skjfgnkfg but, too short!! haha

i always need more anthony + any sibling. but i think i like a&b in particular because you can see how close they are

hmm i think i said this elsewhere but i think they resolved the LW stuff too easily. but yeah, they really are using the queen as like, the get out of jail card lol

still trying to decide if they gave cressida a storyline just to put a spanner in the works for LW, or for it to somehow be linked to sophie....... ... is cress gonna come back? hm

colin finalllly got malewifed... finally accepted his role as pen's number 1 simp. good on him. took him a while. had to get through some cringe fragile masculinity moments--or were they just 'wanting to be good enough for pen, wanting to do things for her, wanting to save her' - oh perhaps that's the same thing

i love portia!!! and polly walker is an amazing actor

i wish that cressida wasn't so alone that she felt she had to resort to blackmail. eloise abandoned her by pretending to think she really was LW... and she never turned back from that. kinda like she gaslit herself. idk, i'd have to watch it again, but idk if i can be bothered

as i said in the 3x08 post, iiiiiiiii felt like it was only the last 10 mins or so of that ep that really felt like bridgerton. and i enjoyed that part.

the pacing was off in places. and the characterisation. re pacing, the biggest problem ones i can think of are ep 2 and the first half of ep 8 or so. ep 8 didn't even feel like it should be there at one point.

anyway, these are all initial thoughts

tl;dr we got some lovely a&b!!! and anthony's face is pretty. and benedict and fran are queer. and there was lots of peneloise. and creloise got crushed to the ground

and i feel like i'm missing something. missing lots, in fact

eta:

pen continuing to write LW under her real name is not the same

the discussion of power they touched on in the show is interesting; i also rather liked it in A Thousand Cuts by wall-e-nelson, can't remember which chapter though

[butterflydm]

‘Matrim’ Cauthon: what’s in a name, etc.

I'm putting this in my reread because it's relevant, but it does have spoilers through A Memory of Light, please be warned! (also much thanks to sunrise-and-death for giving me the info on the first five books, several months ago)

So, I have not yet started the Sanderson books in my reread but I did some research on something that I remember bugging me about the last three books, after a couple of people who were doing their first reads kinda confirmed it was definitely A Thing in the Sanderson books (tigraine-mantear noticed for sure). Anyway, I wanted to share my results.

SPOILERS below.

While I agree with markantonys that Sanderson's most out of character choice for Mat is his failure to have Mat think about Elayne's dimple even once, for me, the second biggest Sanderson-specific narration/PoV misstep is definitely, definitely the overuse of 'Matrim’ Cauthon.

Let me illustrate (using a random website that I found, also, while this is something that does annoy me, it is not that serious, lol. It mostly Just Bugs Me. But making the graphs was surprisingly fun so... there’s several of them).

In the Jordan books: 59 times over the course of eleven books.

In the Sanderson books: 125 times over the course of THREE books!

And Mat himself goes from almost never using/thinking of the name (3 times over the course of Jordan’s 11 books) to being one of the primary people who uses it (30 times over the course of Sanderson’s 3 books). 

Per book chart average. The teal is Jordan and the yellow bar is Sanderson. The only case where the teal bar is larger is Nynaeve. She’s the only person who used ‘Matrim’ more often in the Jordan books than in the Sanderson ones (averaged per book). Unless you count Tam, but I’m not sure if Tam mentions Mat at all in the last three books? I'll try to remember to check during my reread. 

Special notes: Tam was only averaged for 8 books in the Jordan books, mostly a guess as to when he appears in Perrin’s storyline; Moiraine was averaged for the first five for the Jordan books, since she went into the doorway at that point; Elayne was averaged for 9, since she wasn’t really aware of Mat’s existence in the first two books. Tuon was averaged for three because she was introduced in Winter’s Heart.

“Matrim” is used EXTREMELY sparingly in the Jordan books. I’m guessing that Jordan wanted to Make A Point by having Tuon use it, which does kinda hilariously get watered down by so many other people using it in Sanderson’s books, to the extent that she has to give him a whole new Special Asshole Name because Matrim isn’t cutting it anymore. I feel like the point Jordan was trying to make (Romance Lady Gets To Use Special Name) was not the point that I took from it (Tuon Is An Asshole Who Doesn’t Respect Preferred Names), but mine has more textual backup (see: Leilwin née Egeanin).

For interest’s sake, since our other mains also have ‘formal’ titles that get used in place of their names, I made a few more graphs, just for fun:

We can see here what Mat and Perrin usually just go by their names, and Elayne rarely uses “Daughter-Heir” as well, while Nynaeve has a solid stripe of green from the early books and then it cuts off, while Egwene is the reverse, getting a strong amount of having a title near the second half of the series. 

Cutting “Rand” out to see everything else better. 

Here I just left in the titles plus Mat’s “formal” names. You can see how thin that stripe of green is for “Matrim” and how it’s mostly the deeper purples of the last books.

Cutting out “Dragon” so that we can zoom in even more on everyone else’s titles. You know, seeing Mother, Wisdom, and Daughter-Heir like this is giving me real Maiden/Mother/Crone vibes. Like, I know that the comparison that is used a lot is Aviendha (former Maiden), Elayne (Mother that literally gets pregnant in the series, and Min (crone... because she’s older than Rand? I guess, lol), but honestly Elayne as Maiden, Egwene as Mother, Nynaeve as Crone is giving me vibes. 

Finally, taking out “Mother” and “Lews Therin” really lets us see what’s happening with everyone else’s titles. Here you can really see how massive the three Sanderson books are in comparison to the Jordan ones when it comes to “Matrim”.

And for the raw Matrim data, here is our total Matrim count across the entire series, broken down by who says it:

Eye of the World: 8 times

Tam x3

Nynaeve x2 (annoyed with him)

Egwene x2 (annoyed with him)

Mat x1 (introducing himself to Moiraine & trying to impress her)

The Great Hunt: 2 times

Moiraine x2

The Dragon Reborn: 10 times

Padan Fain: x1

Moiraine x1

‘Selene’ aka Lanfear x1

Random Tar Valon Guard x1

Nynaeve x3 (annoyed with him)

Egwene x2 (annoyed with him)

That Herbalist Lady in Cairhien x1 (how did she learn it?)

The Shadow Rising: 8 times

Elaida x1 (how did she learn it?)

Egwene x1

Moiraine x1

Melaine x2 (HOW did she learn it?)

‘Natael’ aka Asmodean x1

Liandrin x1

‘Keille’ aka Lanfear x1

Melaine calling Mat ‘Matrim’ is EXTRA weird because she doesn’t use his last name, so she’s both being shockingly formal by Westlands terms (by using ‘Matrim’) but shockingly informal and intimate by Aiel terms (no last name). 

The weirdest thing about some of the ‘Matrim’s in the books is that they seem to completely come from the ether, as no one has introduced Mat to these people in this way and how do they even KNOW that Matrim is his formal name??? Naming conventions are so country-specific in this series and we never meet another person named ‘Matrim’, so how do all these random people know that Mat is short for ‘Matrim’? (Authorial fiat)

The Fires of Heaven: 7 times

Random Aiel x3

Melindhra x2

Somara x1 

Random Cairhienin citizens x1

Lord of Chaos: 7 times

Mat x1 (first time he’s mentioned or thought of the name since book 1!)

Random Cairhienin citizens x5

Nynaeve x1

And Mat thinks of himself as ‘Matrim’ here but still introduces himself as Mat (”Just call me Mat”).

A Crown of Swords: 5 times

Nynaeve x3 (very annoyed with him)

Elayne x2 (formally)

The Path of Daggers: 2 times

Elayne x2 (formally to other people)

Winter’s Heart: 0 times

Crossroads of Twilight: 0 times

Knife of Dreams: 10 times

Thom x1

Tuon x8 

Mat x1 (in the context of thinking about how no one calls him that, while he’s in the middle of asking Tuon to call him ‘Mat’)

I will note that Thom has NEVER used the word ‘Matrim’ before this very convenient moment of announcing it to Tuon so that she can keep not calling Mat by the name he prefers. And I’m not sure where THOMDRIL has any room to be using other people’s formal names in front of randoms. I will also note that though it is implied that Mat doesn't want to be called 'Matrim' (since he introduces himself as Mat always except once to Moiraine in EotW), from what I could see, Tuon is the only time Mat corrects someone calling him Matrim (but she's a jerk so she ignores him).

Notably, ‘Matrim’ is almost always used in the Jordan books when people being particularly formal (or, mostly in the case of Nynaeve, when she’s mad at him). Until Tuon. When Tuon decides that she respects him enough to no longer call him ‘Toy’ but not enough to respect his choice in names, she refers to him as Matrim multiple times in that one scene, just to really grind in that she refuses to use the name he prefers (she’s such a petty asshole so again I say ‘yikes’ for Randland that Jordan decided she didn’t need any character growth during her circus roadtrip), as he asks her SEVERAL times to call him “Mat” and she’s just all: *asshole stare* nope, I will never call you the name you prefer and you better get used to it! Truly a marriage dredged from the cold and miserable depths of hell.

Okay, now brace yourselves.

The Gathering Storm: 35 times

Graendal x1

Nynaeve x2

Tuon x12

Mat x3 

Joline x2

Thom x1

Aludra x2

Verin x12

Tower of Midnight: 38 times

Mat x11

Teslyn x3

Joline x1

Elayne x5

Leilwin née Egeanin x1

Setalle Anan x4

Thom x1

Sumeko x1

Tuon x2

Perrin x2

Faile x1

Moiraine x5

Verin x1

A Memory of Light: 52 times!!!! 

(Almost as much as Jordan used in the entirety of the first 11 books.)

Leilwin née Egeanin x1

Mat x16

Selucia x1

Tuon x17 (and once she continues her asshole trend and renames him, we get Knotai x33)

Moiraine x1

Egwene x5

Min x2

Faile x2

Urien x1

Elayne x5

Davram Bashere x1

Olver x1

Fain x1

Loial x2

Ironically, Mat uses the name 'Matrim' the most in his own thoughts in the very book where Tuon tries to take the name away from him (though he is luckily not brainwashed enough into the Seanchan culture to actually start thinking of himself as ‘Knotai’).