#it's unpretentious... and that's what i personally love the most about it

[hooked-on-elvis]

"The Trouble With Girls (And How To Get Into It)" (1969) Directed by Peter Tewksbury; Screenplay by Arnold Peyser and Lois Peyser; Produced by Lester WelchStarring; Cinematography by Jacques R. Marquette; Music by Billy Strange. Produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer — Based on Chautauqua by Day Keene and Dwight V. Babcock. CAST Starring Elvis Presley... as Walter Hale. Co-starring Marlyn Mason... as Charlene; Sheree North... as Nita Bix, or Miss Bix; Edward Andrews... as Johnny; John Carradine as Mr. Drewcolt; Anissa Jones... as Carol Bix; and Nicole Jaffe... as Betty Smith. Guest star Vincent Price... as Mr. Morality. Production ran from late October to mid-December 1968.

[smolandweirdwriter]

The Bad Kids In/After College:

Adaine, Kristen, and Riz attended Astral State University together. Ordinarily, a three-person party isn't the most likely to be successful, but they have a reputation and experience that many adventurers haven't, and they make it work, becoming saviors of not just Elmville, Solace, or their surrounding world but of planes of existence as well.

Fig dropped out after Junior Year. Since then, she has begun a recording label in Hell that operates something of the way Bill Seacaster's patronage does. She's effectively a patron to dozens of bard-warlock multiclassers at this point. Fig and the Sig Figs is going strong, but they're not touring as much because Gorgug's schedule has been wacky.

Why, you ask? Because Gorgug decided to take Arthur Aguefort up on his offer to teach at the Aguefort Adventuring Academy, and that resulted in Arthur forcing offering Gorgug to study directly under him. He's been hopping around through time and space with Arthur learning about Artificing and Barbarianism and the history of the Aguefort Adventuring Academy and all sorts of crazy things. It's been a chaotic four years, and also, somehow, the best four years of Gorgug's life. Weirdly enough, he and Arthur develop some convoluted bond/understanding of each other. He wants to take some time away from all the Aguefort stuff (both the man himself and the school) before he starts, so he'll be teaching in the next fall. Until then, he's returning to Elmville and staying with his parents.

Fabian did not pursue any form of higher education or further adventuring type thing. Of all the bad kids, he's become the most, well, normal. He and Mazey opened a dance-fighting studio. He wants to propose to her. Is 25 too soon? He asks Adaine over Fantasy FaceTime one night.

She's in a small bunk of an inter-dimensional spaceship, heading home soon. Her hair is dyed blue and longer than it's ever been, wrapping around her shoulder and spilling all the way out of sight of the screen. She's stronger now, dressed in something of intergalactic armor. She's not the person he knew--she's who that person was always supposed to be, and it aches because in all truth, she was his first crush, and he is always thinking about her and her sister and how much he loves them and how different that love feels now than it did when he was 15. How childish he was. How easily he wanted people who did not want him. How happy he is now with Mazey. How he always wants to feel like this.

Adaine shrugs. She doesn't really understand marriage, herself. Doesn't want it. Will marriage do anything to change what you think of her?

What? No. Of course not. It'll just make it more... Permanent.

Nothing's permanent, she tells him. But you two are cute. If marrying her will make you feel more connected, go ahead.

He bites his lip. I don't suppose you can look into the future for me and see if she says yes?

Adaine doesn't answer. They both know it doesn't work that way. She doesn't really know the future any better than anyone else. Her anxiety has not gone away or faded, her problems have not miraculously vanished, but she is not alone anymore. She is not afraid. She is so immensely loved, and there are days when that still strikes her as unbelievable, but those are few and far between.

Kristen loves college. She loves the freedom, loves the discovery of information on her own time and in her own interests, loves hanging out with Riz and Adaine, loves the mystery of new, unknown places that she and Cassandra can revel in. For all that has occurred, she and Cassandra are learning together, a reborn god and her reborn prophet who is young and has made mistakes and knows herself well enough now to know trying and failing is not something to fear. It's sort of ironic, but Kristen has become so alike to the philosophy student guardians she had with YES?. And yet she is still something different. She is gloriously unpretentious, but she has grown into (and simultaneously out of the more childish aspects of) her questioning and escapist nature, and she cares. She cares so much about everything. About fairness and justice and answers answers answers. She worships not only Cassandra but Cassandra and Ankarna, gathering power from both equally, a Cleric of Two Gods, the Cleric of the Reborn Ones, cleric of Dusk and Dawn. She's thinking of pursuing grad school. Maybe she'll study philosophy. Maybe not. She and Riz talk about it late into the night. She has not gotten over Tracker, but nor have they gotten back together in full. They are friends, and that's something that will not sit quite right in the pit of Kristen's stomach, but she lives and she learns and one day it will.

Riz it turns out, has discovered quite a lot about himself in the last few years. Like, oh, he can have friends who aren't the ones he made in high school. Like, oh, all those clubs he joined Junior Year? Yeah, it turns out he really, really likes some of them. He discovers, especially strangely, that he likes gardening. He likes the idea that he planted something, made something, helped keep it alive, that they together are surviving and thriving and okay. He likes taking care of things. He keeps a small potted plant that he carries with him everywhere.

When the Bad Kids come back together, they are not new people. They are who they were always meant to be.

[myeagleexpert]

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕻𝖆𝖘𝖘𝖆𝖌𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝕳𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕬𝖜𝖆𝖐𝖊𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕾𝖙𝖆𝖗 ( PT2 )

And if you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Howl's Moving Castle x Twisted Wonderland Au (Vil x Fem!Yuu) PS: This was written before Vil's new updates in the new chapters, I'm delving deeper into Vil's character and I know he's not just "a pretty boy" but for the direction of the story, he will have to follow this personality aspect a little more to this characteristic part of it. So I'm sorry if this isn't the most faithful fic to the character he is. I promise I will edit better, so that it has better quality.

Part1 You're here Next

"Bro, if you don't come soon I swear I'll get her alone!"- Ace stood with his arms crossed outside Heartslabyul's kitchen while Deuce carried a beautiful and tasty strawberry pie that Trey just made, the smell of pie woke up all the members of the dorm leaving them in a wonderful mood, if even the tyrannical Riddle smiled with that pie it would certainly work on Yuu too right?

"Don't rush me Ace! After all that stress yesterday the least we can do is apologize to Yuu."

"And you needed to give Trey more work and make him another pie so soon?"

"Well….er….With model students we must go beyond simple apologies!"- Suddenly, Deuce's jovial face turned red but he quickly remembered that shame should not stop him from apologizing to his friend.

"Come on! She's not even that mad!" raising his arms in resignation he continued “Okay, she is angry! But this happens almost every day, she is already used to it, and besides…” the nosy man put his finger in the gelatinous broth of the pie and licked his fingers. in such an unpretentious way “It’s not like she’s going to disappear out of nowhere and we won’t be able to say goodbye, she’s our friend.”

Deuce sighed heavily and finally agreed with his friend. Trapolla, with a genuine smile, began to remember some adventures they had already had and plan new adventures with Yuu and Grim would also love the antics. And hope filled their hearts. Planning after planning. After all, Yuu would always be with them, right?

“I'm grateful that you managed to get here as quickly as possible.” With a serious voice, the old crow thanked everyone present in the mirror room, from teachers to leaders and vice-leaders, some of Yuu's colleagues were also there.

"We know it's something important Crowley, we need to discuss this as soon as possible" - it was in the middle of breakfast that Riddle heard ADeuce's desperate screams, and when he turned up his nose thinking that the morning had already started badly he couldn't imagine it would get worse.

“So what do we know so far? I only heard loud noises all morning” - the lion grumbled

“The members of my dorm, Ace and Deuce, when they went to pick Yuu up for classes early in the morning, discovered that Yuu and Grim had mysteriously disappeared.”

“Have you looked for clues in the abandoned dormitory?”

“ That's the problem: the entire Ramsharckle Dorm is gone! Not even a piece of wood on the floor, no ghosts, just a mark on the floor where he used to stand” Trey replied and while he already felt anxiety in his heart, he knew that the first boys must be feeling it more. When the two arrived screaming like maniacs in the dorm asking them to follow Trey knew something was strange, due to the fact that his precious pie was dropped on the floor. Not even in an overblot had Deuce dropped a cupcake, but a pie on the floor must have been quite a problem.

“Oh, now that’s a problem.” putting his hand over his mouth Jade whispered discreetly in Azul's ear

“There are rumors all over the school. How could an ENTIRE dorm disappear out of nowhere? What about our protection field?�� Leona had had his precious 9am post-sleep nap interrupted when conversations from all kinds of beastmen started to get very loud and his sensitive ears picked up some things.

“I heard that Yuu hasn't shown up to class yet. Did you take their notes?”

“The meteor shower was incredible yesterday! I took several photos and posted them on Magicam!”

“There is a horrible smell near the statues of the seven! A very strong smell of rotten eggs and vinegar!”

" You will not believe! You know that girl's dorm without magic? IT DISAPPEARED"

“Our protective field detected nothing, no changes.”

“What if the dorm is gone but Yuu and Grim are still somewhere in the school? Can Rook use his magic and try to look for them both?”

The hyena knew two things: Nothing disappears without a trace and that Yuu would do anything for her and Grim to survive. No wonder she survived 7 overblots. They are alive.

“Yes, Monsieur Dandelion” when reciting his unique magic, the hunter combined it with a magic from his wand so that everything he was seeing, others would also see with a projection of his magical range - an idea that came from Yuu.

i s e e y o u

Spell cast but no result, Rook searched every dormitory and every hidden corner of the school, the deserts of scarabia to the bottom of the waters of octaveinelle, in the royal school, in the noble school, in the cities they had visited before but nothing… for one good period of time….nothing.

“Je suis désolé, I didn’t find anything”

“Oh for the seven! How terrible! What do we do?" Crowley, oh so sad, exclaimed.

“Did they come home?"

“Did she run away?” “But what happened that made her run away so suddenly?”

Some voices whispered among themselves, others created more theories about what could have happened.

Malleus was in the corner of the room, absorbed by the shadows of the room, he could see how each person missed Yuu and Grim and how emotions were expressed on their faces, but Schoenheit's looked strange, it wasn't the same expression as sadness that Heartslabyul's dorm leader,it was Silver's expression when he was a child doing something wrong and Lillia caught him in the act… oh yes… guilt.

“Let’s split up, if the dogs just whine, it won’t help anything!” with authority determined to find the two, Crewel spoke out -“The two first year pups, Trey, Riddle, Blue, Rook and Jack go to the Ramsharckle to inspect for any clues in the dorm, any smell, footprint, anything.

Ruggie, Jamil, Jade and Carter, I need you to interrogate the students and find out how the rumors came about and if we have any useful information. Kalim and Epel, stay in this group too.

For the rest, check the library to see if there is any phenomenon linking last night to Ramscharkle's disappearance and calm down the dorms.”

“Any information must be said immediately. Stay calm, we will find them.” concluded Trey and they were soon dismissed

"Child of man, how did you know that Grim would precisely knock down that vase?" - prince in all his wisdom, asks Yuu who had just picked up a vase from the shelf exactly 5 seconds before the monster cat appeared out of nowhere and knocked in the exact location of the vessel.

"Intuition." Malleus's gaze asked for more information and so she graciously gave it “It's when we have the act of perceiving, discerning or sensing things, independently of reasoning or analysis to conclude something, you know? “ “Could this be a magic that only belongs to humans?”

“I don’t think so Tsunotaro” she laughed so cutely “So when you get a feeling about something, go ahead, there’s a good chance you’re right.”

Go ahead

His eyes narrowed and followed Vil's movements, who silently took another path from the research group.

Some things were discovered in each group:

1- The dormitory is completely gone, with all the members. 2-there is a very slight smell of Yuu in a single small section 3- Sam's friends saw Yuu just before the meteor shower started 4- Yuu was upset with some people (rumors) 5- All photos of the meteor shower are blurry 6- Absolutely nothing else

The students looked disappointedly at the paper list before handing it to Crowley, just some facts with few connections between them and no matter how much they looked for some magic or some phenomenon to explain what happened but the results of their efforts yielded nothing, just hearts. sad and heavy consciences and remained that way for a few days.

Until one day, the universe decided to smile at the boys again and especially at the manliest boy in Pomefiore who was pouting on his bed after being tugged on Vil's ear.

“Umnh…hello pewpaw?” “Hello my sweet! How are you?" his grandmother's voice calmed the lilac-haired boy for the first time in days “I’m fine grandma, things have been really complicated these days, but I’m trying hard to get stronger!” “Okay, grandma knows you’ve been having a rough day, so send an extra box of apple juice for you and your friends!” “Thank you, I’m sure they’ll love it-” “And Yuu, how is she?” my crush is missing in the middle of the world and we have no idea if anyone would say we will see her again, thank you “Well, she is… fine….but something happened that-” “Yesterday she said she wasn’t feeling very well, so I gave her that apple and lemon drink and wow! She looked really pretty!”

what WHAT?

“Yesterday grandma? What? Where?” genuinely confused and stunned even more so because Rook appeared out of nowhere next to him and silently asked to turn on the speakerphone on his cell phone. “I bumped into her in the village on Sage Island when we went to make some apple juice deliveries, I even thought you would be close to her with some friends! A pretty girl is not meant to walk alone!”

“How was she, grandma? Was she ok? Where did you see her exactly? “ Exasperated and anxious, the boy tried to control himself so as not to make it too obvious how worried he was! But Crowley, in all his old bird wisdom, ordered that no one should speak of this matter outside of the NRC people.

“She was in front of a store when we bumped into each other, I don't remember the name of the store because some were already closing. I don’t know why but she feels different”

“Like what grandma?” “Like…. magical…. but isn’t she the girl without magic who studies with you?” “Yes, yes… And!… ah… How was she d-different?" - increasingly anxious he had no idea what to think and what to ask without shouting that she was missing “I didn’t see him… um…. She likes it differently, I don’t remember what”

Rook thought of a strategy while Epel pulled out his hair, the hunter wrote on a piece of paper he took from the desk the most direct questions about what everyone wanted to know!

“Grim.was. with. her.? “I didn’t see him… um…. She looked different, I don’t remember what but it was the only thing I remember.”

“Did.she.tell.where.she.was going?” Rook's handwriting looked like a drunken French monarch writing, so give Epel credit for reading that riddle while he was trying not to pass out

“If she said, I don’t remember, she had some bags in her hand and that she had to run because she was in a hurry.” “Hurry.to.what?Hurry.to.where?”

“I don’t know Epel! I don't go around meddling in people's lives! Why are you so interested in her life? It’s like you don’t see her every day at school!”

“Sorry.dear.grandma.I’m curious.ha.ha”

“Anyway, do you know what happened here? Your uncle—-” the dear, sweet old lady couldn't finish the day's gossip because Epel had nervously hung up and ran off to send messages to the first-year students while running like crazy to Crowley's office.

Rook celebrated the victory and elegantly told the evil queen the news. Meanwhile, Lady Pewpeaw looked in the mirror and thought: I already know! She changed her hair! Or is it the hair that changes people? She looked very chic and elegant. Ahh, I hope my grandson Epel can win the heart of that beautiful girl!

As Epel ran with all the strength his legs could carry, which was a lot now that he was in the Spelldrive club, he sent messages to the other first-year students excited about the possibility of Yuu being found and a certain hunter was able to smile knowing that he would have fresh news to tell the evil Queen.

After a brief meeting between the first-year students and briefly with the leaders, Crowley allowed them to investigate possible clues. The boys searched every alley and store with their hearts burning with hope, Deuce was ready to hug her while Ace was preparing a lecture on why she disappeared out of nowhere leaving them all distressed. Jack concentrated as he remembered Yuu's familiar smell, the smell so different from the bunch of men in NRC, the smell that was unique to her. Epel was looking for the address that her grandmother had given her, always looking at the clock and the port, if she could only stay until sunset, that means she would have to leave before dark.

----- The sun finally set, giving way to the moon that illuminated the boys' journey back to school. The hopeful young hearts returned broken, hopeless, shattered, and without any trace of Yuu. Each one informed their dorm leader, Leona just turned her back and tried to sleep knowing that no matter how much she closed her eyes she wouldn't have rest until she found Yuu, Riddle for the first time didn't finish the strawberry pie, and Vil…. Vil was different. Vil was “strangely strange”, when even after receiving the news about Yuu's case he couldn't sleep properly, even with a beauty campaign that was going to make his skin wasn't radiant and a pimple appeared on the corner of his chin.

“The Campaign is tomorrow. How can I let such futile emotions ruin my skin just for tomorrow”? – the poisonous king thought as he touched up his makeup looking at a small hand mirror, taking care that his facial features didn't show the makeup.

“I can't believe we didn't achieve anything Jack!” Vil heard some voices in the hallway.

“It was a good attempt Epel. One time or another we will find an answer.”

“But…but we were so so close! I went to the exact store my pewpaw said but no clue!Damn! When the fuck we gonna have a track like this?!” maybe at another time Vil would fight with Epel for letting his accent come out rougher but the conversation was getting to the queen's delicate nerves

“In Tiana’s Palace there was only the smell of food, nothing of Grim or Yuu. I’m sorry Epel.” Vil might not have seen it, but he could have sworn Jack was rubbing his neck and looking down, probably feeling guilty about for not having found the prefect.

Is he to blame, Vil?

A voice called from the mirror and Vil was so scared that he dropped his mirror on the floor, breaking it into pieces, and he could no longer hear the gossip. But that wasn't the worst, my friends. The worst was right in front of the young prodigy's face. A wrinkle in the middle of the forehead.

“In the name of Gucci this can’t be happening!”

Is he to blame, Vil?

If he hadn't been so worried about his precious skin, he would have noticed a small bat watching him in a corner of the bathroom. Quickly composing himself, he headed to the Film Club at the appointed time.

The moon was shining in the sky and all Vil could think about was the last moments he spent with Yuu, if he said sorry, would she come back? No no, he's not the problem! This is pure coincidence! He turned over the bed and looked for his beauty sleep, but only found guilt and loneliness.

“Maybe a walk will help relax my nerves?” - he put a comfortable jacket over it before opening the door

It was supposed to be just a walk, through the hall of Pomefiore's grand corridors But Vil's desperation led him to the port of Sage's Island with his broom, looking for one last hope of finding Yuu. After all, to get a proper beauty sleep he had to solve the problem of his insomnia first. Some stores were still open, parties, nightclubs, a small village but so bright! With people laughing and talking, how lovely. Every person who recognized the celebrity asked for a photo and an autograph and the question he wanted to ask everyone died in his mouth. """Have you seen this person recently?"""

Putting his acting skills to good use, he put on his best face that didn't show how terribly guilty he felt and lost in his thoughts he entered the dorm, maybe the Film Club had something that could distract him, spend some time energy and quality sleep, maybe some sleeping pills… something…. the bedroom is not the best time right now, not when he can't sleep. And here he is, in the pit of frustrations. In the place where that day happened.

“The weather is pleasant tonight, wouldn’t you agree, Schoith?” Malleus's cordial voice cut through his train of thoughts, like the brakes on a speeding train. He had just entered the club, then closed the door. The atmosphere was strange, like sticking your hand in a hornet's nest with sleeping bees. What was the great one doing here?

“Greetings, Draconia. I thought I locked the door, the club is closed now. As you can see around, everything is a mess. ”- Vil gestured his arms indicating the mess that the studio was around, with open boxes and disheveled wigs, it seems that the students who remained there after he left did not clean up the mess, much to Vil's annoyance.

“What a vulgar club this is. With such vulgar fantasies.” Malleus's repetitive voice was like a poison, the atmosphere was no longer “strange”, it was cold and heavy, the heir of the Valley of Thorns did not hesitate to hide the contempt and hatred mixed in his words “And you are the most vulgar thing from here."

The bees woke up.

“Yes, it’s messy! A few rotten potatoes didn't clean up the mess, they'll see about it tomorrow! It's none of your business.” Angry, the bees buzzed away, leaving the environment more agitated and hostile. No matter how much Vil tried to remain classy, his eyebrows showed his indignation and his fists were ready to attack.

Malleus approached, circling the leader of the Pomefiore domain, like a predator and his prey. The prince's eyes shone a bright shade of green and his pupils became increasingly thinner. Through the window, some thunder and lightning ripped through the sky, revealing Malleus' internal storm.

“I heard that there will be an important campaign tomorrow. Surely, you don't go that way, do you? Please don’t ruin the Queen’s reputation, after all, how do you want to continue her legacy if you have broken nails like any commoner?” looking directly at Vil's closed fists, Malleus smiled with disdain and a slight satisfaction seeing the oh so beautiful Vil shaking with anger.

“How dare Malleus? I don't know what you're doing here but leave immediately!” - furious, the leader of Pomefiore took a step forward and pointed to the door, his face red and with some blonde locks falling from his hairstyle irritating him even more. He dripped snake venom into every word he said, but when has a dragon died from snake venom?

“It is very bold to challenge the Prince of the Valley of Thorns, Schothein.” Stepping forward and coming directly face to face with Vil, he laughed elegantly with mischief in every note- "Don't worry, I won't spend any more time with you, I'll just hand you a gift."

With all the doors and windows closed, Malleus raises his hand and a green smoke with sharp thorns invades the Film Club, and with a simple look thorns wrap around Schoith bringing him close and totally paralyzed, the heir's malicious laugh grows ever louder. But before he recites a macabre ancient magic, in a language that not even Vil himself understood, Malleus's power was clear, shining in an electric green, with his scepter firing across the entire environment. When he finished his rush, Malleus passed his cloak over Vil's body, which was still frozen on the ground.

“You won't be able to talk to anyone about your curse. Send my regards to Yuu.” That said, he just left the club with a Machiavellian glint in his eyes.

As soon as the door closed, Vil managed to release the air he didn't know he was holding, the smoke and thorns were breaking apart and erasing the tracks as if they had never happened. When trying to get up, Vil realized how weak his beautiful and athletic body was but it was when his knee creaked that even standing up he was paralyzed. He looked at his shaking hands, recognizing the familiar hands with veins and wrinkles looking like an old, colorless raisin.

“No…no…not again!”

He ran to the mirror of a nearby dressing room, and his ugliness was so great that he broke the mirror. A fairy's gift is a dubious thing, but coming from Malleus, Vil can confirm his greatest fears in the mirror: He was old and magicless.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Every like, repost and comment is very welcome and appreciated. ♥

Want to see more? See the masterlist <3

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Living His Word

In whatever you do, don't let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves. Don't be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too. — Philippians 2:3-4

Humility is a virtue that is often overlooked in our society, but it plays a significant role in our relationship with God and with others. It can be defined as a willingness to put others before ourselves, recognition of our limitations and weaknesses, and a seeking of guidance and support from God and those around us.

When I asked A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) what humility was, it gave an interesting response: "Humility is not about thinking less of ourselves, but rather about thinking of ourselves less." Just pause and let it sink in for a while.

Humility is often mistaken for weakness or a lack of self-confidence. In reality, it is a powerful virtue highly valued in the Christian faith. It is the quality of being humble and unpretentious, putting others before oneself, and recognizing one's own limitations and imperfections. Our verse for today highlights the importance of humility in our relationships with others, and how it can lead to greater harmony and love within the Christian community.

One of the Bible's most well-known examples of humility is when Jesus washed his disciples' feet. Traditionally, this act of service was typically done by a servant; but Jesus chose to do it Himself as an example of serving others and putting their needs before his own. Another example of humility in the Bible is when John the Baptist said that he must decrease so that Jesus could increase. This shows a willingness to put oneself in a lower position.

On the other side, let's look at the dangers of pride, which is often the opposite of humility. Pride is a common human trait that can be both positive and negative. However, in the context of humility, pride can become a dangerous obstacle to personal growth and spiritual development. Proverbs 16:18 warns us, "Pride is the first step toward destruction. Proud thoughts will lead you to defeat." This verse reminds us that our prideful attitudes can lead to our downfall if we do not pursue humility. In addition, James 4:6 states that "… the kindness God shows is greater. As the Scripture says, 'God is against the proud, but he is kind to the humble.'"

Reflecting on our own pride can be difficult, but it is an essential step toward practicing humility. We must recognize when our pride is getting in the way of our relationships with others and with God. Only then can we begin to overcome this dangerous obstacle and embrace true humility.

© 2024 by Bible League International

[happyely2]

Pairing: Portuguese D. Ace x Fem!Reader

Rating: 18+ | The rating will be red this time, so if you are a minor skip this reading or highlight your age in your bio.| sex scenes, cuddles, and much more very explicit.

Summary: 31 prompts for 31 days of October. Life on Moby Dick is always hectic and has become more so since Ace boarded this ship and became part of the family.

��️Prompts taken from the contest (even if I don't participate) organized by the Italian Fanwriter page. I only translated the prompts into English, I hope you like it.✒️

🌊Writober PumpSea🌊 #day 1 - Ace

Ace is simply Ace.

Since you’ve known him, there hasn’t been a day when you haven’t discovered a new side to his character. Of course at first he was very wary, angry and wanted to kill Santa, but then you began to know him and since then you have not been able to help but be attracted to his light, just like a moth.

There are no terms to describe or re-enter it, Ace is funny, playful, carefree, strong, charismatic, warm, if it were a flower you would say it is a sunflower or a Hibiscus.

Despite his moments no Ace is sunny, loyal and ready to get involved when someone cares.

Ace is a whirlwind of emotions that burn your soul.

You wouldn’t have imagined all this coming from one guy.

Your love story started by chance, spending your free time together (or rather Barbabianca had asked you to keep an eye on him and maybe talk to him, since the girls have a good influence on the boys according to him and so it had been). Somehow you managed to penetrate that armor of distrust that Ace had wanted to erect, you began to talk to him unassuming - but he was never rude to you - and slowly made you get closer. A chat every now and then, a stolen laugh here and there, an exchange of jokes and a few attacks of narcolepsy that made him end up in the sea or on you and suddenly you found each other near the heart of the other, small, unpretentious gestures.

Ace became calmer and calmer, less quarrelsome and also very friendly with the whole crew, he was understanding that he could find in your wacky crew a family that would embrace him for what he was.

So when he joined the family you were over the moon, you didn’t believe he’d agreed - even though Dad was sure he would eventually.

You were the first person he said it to and out of emotion you hugged him hard, jumping around his neck, turning red the second after. But you started spending more time together talking about yourselves, sharing some missions together here and there, and fighting side by side.

Nothing to say that immediately after the betting started on the two of you, and Satch’s comment was what triggered it all: "God lose a room! That you’re undressing with your eyes." The commander of the fourth division was always direct and a gossip to death - even if you loved him very much - and maybe he did it to help you or just to spite you but the situation that created itself was unreal.

Dad laughed with taste - he was the worst gossip - the others who began to argue and point how long you would get together and Ace chased Satch all over the ship while you took refuge behind Marco to try to calm the beat of your heart. Luckily your big brother understood the situation and took you out with an excuse by glaring at anyone who dared to say something - although then the gossip is resumed once you went out - and told you not to worry, that everyone would be happy if you got together.

You didn’t sleep that night because of your heartbeat, and you were sure, even Ace wasn’t sleeping.

But Ace did not stray from you, indeed maybe you seemed to be even closer, more caring, more protective and with a more casual flirtation.

And you didn’t deny yourself all this, no. You wanted to live it slowly, savoring every single moment of that slow, silent courtship you started.

"Come to watch with me tonight?" A silent invitation to be close. Being a lookout was a task for you every now and then (although most of your siblings preferred to know that you were warm and safe, even though you knew how to defend yourself well) and Ace was always ready to keep you company. So the watch area was full of blankets (because the night was cold), thermos full of coffee to fight sleep, a good book to read in two and a pair of binoculars to look at the horizon. The nights on guard you spent chatting, reading and looking at the horizon, until the first rays of the sun, when Marco arrives to check if you were awake, a couple of times he caught you sleeping together, You wrapped in blankets and Ace hugging you to keep you warm. At least Marco was discreet in waking you, on the contrary Satch was tremendous (Izo had filmed him not a few times for this).

"You should know that our little sister is just starting out." Satch was too serious, so serious Ace had never seen him and did not expect such a conversation at that time at four in the morning inside Marco’s cabin.

He had been taken by the commander of the fourth division while on guard.

Izo had struck himself on the forehead with the exasperation of being involved in such a situation, Marco had raised his eyes to the sky because he did not even want to imagine the situation that would be created by them little and Ace had swallowed almost choking with his own saliva. He knew they were very protective of you, but not to that extent.

"So don’t you dare even think about getting your hands on her Ace! Do you understand?" Satch had become too apprehensive and protective as an older brother, as demonstrated by his iron grip on poor Ace. So he caught you guys hugging each other, it was just a simple hug. He was trying to explain it to Ace, trying not to choke.

"Just leave them alone." Said Izo as he hit him on the head and Ace nor take advantage to escape from the three, he was not ready for that kind of discussion, not with all three older brothers together.

Ace was running along the deck of the ship, Satch was on his tail, and to lose him he would have to come up with something soon.

"Ace, what’s all the fuss?" You asked seeing him come running and thinking the worst when he picked you up and put the turbo on. Only then did you see Satch running after you and you realized what had happened: "Quick turn right there is a closet that’s right for us." You told him to hold on tighter so you wouldn’t feel the sudden turn. You crawled into a closet and locked it up behind you.

"What did Satch tell you?!" You turned red, damn his big mouth, Ace held you tight to him, you were sitting on the ground, you between his legs. He told you what happened.

"I’m sorry, Ace." You said leaning more on him, you could feel his heartbeat, it was accelerating.

"So I’m your first experience?" He said it to break the tension that had created, Ace stroked your hair to give you a little 'peace of mind, he liked to caress your hair and play with it to make braids and hairstyles.

You nodded, leaning better against his chest, you couldn’t look him in the eye out of embarrassment, you would have preferred to tell him in person a little further, maybe and Satch had ruined everything.

Ace laughed softly and squeezed you in, whispering in your ear, "You are also my first experience." You opened your eyes wide in surprise, starting to stutter nonsense. It was impossible, no girl or woman could resist a boy like him.

And yet Ace has repeatedly confirmed it to you by smiling softly.

"You’re the only girl I’m interested in, but I don’t want to run and ruin anything." He told you to calm you down, and Ace was sincere enough to make your heart beat painfully.

"Really?" You asked timidly, to say you were red was to say little.

"Really." he replied, looking at you and smiling with that grin that made him even more adorable.

"So you want to move on?" That was a simple question, but knowing the answer would silence the buzzing in your ears.

"Only if you give me permission, Honey." Ace replied, becoming serious and staring into the eyes. He was really waiting for your permission before he did anything.

"Then you should kiss me." You said while leaning against her forearms to have a firmer position. You approached him slowly, almost afraid of doing something wrong, and it was Ace who filled the gap between you by putting his lips on yours.

It was a chaste and simple kiss, nothing more, no running. Just the two of you clinging to each other with hearts beating at the same time.

Then the closet suddenly opened and Ace fell backwards and you fell on him.

"Ace, what are you doing to our sister?" Satch was furious.

"What happened?" Izo stood next to you and helped you get up as Marco stared at your red cheeks.

You didn’t answer, you knew they’d figure it out eventually, and you ran to your room.

You left very early that day, White Beard had assigned you a fairly delicate task, spying and in case you destroy a Navy ship that seemed to have requisitioned a treasure that was on your own island.

So you packed a very fast backpack and left at dawn on Ace’s Striker. The navigation fortunately did not last long, you arrived in a few hours on the island and after hiding your boat you started looking for the marines and using the element of surprise you managed to knock them out and make them run away with their ship.

Fortunately, the treasure was still in place.

"What are you doing?" Ace had finished lighting the fire in your makeshift camp.

"I warn Dad and others that the mission was successful." You answered as you dialed the channel through which to communicate.

"Let’s do it later." Ace kindly took your transmitter and after making sure it wasn’t working he put it in your bag.

At first you didn’t understand, then you put together the pieces of the puzzle. You had a night to yourself, without having to worry about your intrusive companions.

"So what do we eat for dinner?" asked Ace ready to go and look into the food in the jungle.

"The marines have left their supplies ashore, look at the meat." You answered by taking him by the arm and dragging him into the shed, there were so many things you could cook.

"Satch taught you to cook well." Ace was lying on the sand you were sitting between him and the fire you had lit, the tent was not far from you.

"He’s a good big brother." You said playing with sand and making little circles on it. Suddenly the voice had died in your throat and you didn’t know what to say or what to talk about.

"Well, you took the Marines out with your Haki." You said turning to Ace, the guy got up, and now he was inches from your face.

A look, a grin and your lips are again resting on each other.

Ace had soft and warm lips and you almost instinctively tasted them moderating them a little, and he let you do it, taking advantage of it to taste you in turn. His big hands slipped on your hips to hold him and you jumped in place when you felt something hard near your groin.

"Is everything okay?" Ace sincerely worried about you and only after he realized he had gone a little too fast.

"Yes Ace is all right, just... I mean..." You stuttered and that was not the time to stutter, you took a deep breath: "Continue." You said with a thread of voice taking his hat and moving it on the sand.

Ace brought your hands back to your hips and brought you closer to him again, creating a friction between your groins that made you sigh to both of you. Both of you were red in your face and you felt your heart so strong that it looked like it was coming out of your chest.

You scratched his shoulder with your fingernails when the kiss you exchanged became more enterprising. His tongue was looking for yours and caressing it with a need you couldn’t describe. You feel like you’re burning up, which is why you’re holding on to him a little bit more by pulling on his black hair.

Ace smiled inside your kiss and his fingers left deeper marks on your hips.

You went away just to breathe.

Ace leaned against your forehead, shortness of breath, and his eyes fixed on yours.

A mute question to ask to continue.

You nodded as you detached a little from him to help him take off your top and bra. Ace struggled with the hook of the latter did not want to tear it from you and you laughed to then help him open.

"Wow." You bit your lip for that statement and you made a small groan when his hand cup closed on one of your breasts.

"Ace..." Your moan of pleasure made him go on tilt for a moment and then he began to touch you and taste you with his mouth. He bit one of your nipples gently, then started sucking on it, then saw that you liked it.

To say you felt warm was little, you were burning inside.

You scratched his shoulders as Ace continued down his kissing descent to your belly button. Ace bit you in that spot leaving a visible mark with his teeth and you pulled his hair.

He smiled at you and continued to kiss you as his hands tinkered with your skirt.

"If you want to stop, you have to tell me, Honey." You lost a heartbeat, it was so sweet and thoughtful.

"That’s okay, Ace, I trust you." You responded by stroking his freckled face.

One time you found yourself naked under him.

"You’re perfect." He said giving you a quick kiss on the side before crawling between your legs.

"Ace... wait I want..." The voice died in your throat when he separated your legs and kissed your center.

"Time to time Honey, let me do it for now." Ace gave you another kiss at that point that hurt you so much and they remain staring at you, he continued.

If before it was just a stroke now you could feel his hand going up and down between the lips of your sex, rubbing insistently your clitoris, you tried to plug your mouth to avoid screaming, but Ace prevented it.

His tongue crept into you as his hands harpooned at your hips to keep you from escaping.

And Ace was voracious, so voracious, he wouldn’t let you breathe.

And all that heat you were accumulating and bursting in one second when your body tensed like a violin string leaving you without energy while Ace tasted everything about you.

"You are so good." He told you while he was stroking your cheek, his face was still dirty you blushed but you kissed him again by flipping the positions.

"It’s up to me." And Ace let you do it, enjoying every inexperienced touch you made. You took off his red pearl necklace, and you kissed his neck.

The hips were his touchstone you noticed as you went down with your lips to his pelvis and so you had left a bite while your fingers traced the grooves of his muscles.

Then it was time for that damn vintage belt. You lost a few minutes, but in the end you succeeded and you almost died of embarrassment at the bulge you found waiting for you.

"Oh my God..." You sighed over his boxers.

"Second thoughts?" Ace stroked your face to look you in the eye.

"No one." You answered by removing the tissue from his boxers and letting his penis get hit by the fresh night air. His pants and boxers had reached your clothing.

"Don’t run and do what you feel like doing." He said as he pulled your hair out of your face.

The light of fire shone on her sculpted body creating intriguing plays of light and shadow that invited you to move on.

You took it in your hand, squeezing slowly and starting to feel the texture. It was hard, you observed Ace’s reactions to understand the movements and the speed to use and his moans pushed you to continue and try something else, so you didn’t think twice to lower yourself to taste it.

It was just a little licking, but Ace’s body tensed up like you did. The muscles in his abdomen tensed while you kept tasting it and then you took it all in one breath.

Ace called you by your name and squeezed your hair to get you back up.

"I was wrong..." You couldn’t even say the last word that Ace eagerly kissed you.

"No, no, you’re doing great, but I don’t want to end it now." He responded shortly after by bringing you under him and sticking a finger inside you.

"Ah... ah... Ace...." You held on to him as the speed at which he crept in increased.

He then kissed you to distract you as he aligned with your center. The world around you stopped existing when it stopped kissing and looked you in the eye.

You nodded with breathlessness.

The first impression was something that burned, burned so much and you closed your eyes and pointed your feet on the sand to look for something to anchor yourself to. Then Ace met resistance and fermented to try to calm his heart and his instincts, did not want to hurt you.

"Hold on a little longer, Love." He never called you that, and you nodded and shook his hand while he shook your side with the other.

Then he started pushing back into you slowly trying to stop himself from getting into one push and hurting you.

You both felt it the moment something inside you broke and your hips joined at one point. You cried out in pain, and Ace kissed you, and he wiped the tears in your eyes, and he kissed you distracted as he started to move inside you.

Push after push you started to respond, feeling that the pain left room for something new.

You were close to each other, the breaths labored and the looks charged with a new feeling.

"I love you." Two simple words you didn’t expect to hear.

"I love you too, Ace." You kissed him back.

Ace picked you up and took you to a hot spring you’d discovered in the day.

He brought you down and entered the water first: "It’s perfect come!" He told you by reaching out, you came up and sat at the edge on the smooth rocks dipping your legs, you still felt disoriented.

Ace approached you and kissed you again, then saw the blood between your legs, and his eyes kind of frowned.

"Ace..." You called him and gently taking his face in your hands and rubbing your noses: "Whatever you’re thinking, stop immediately." You said with a smile, your eyes were still shiny and you felt a little bit of pain in your groin, but you were fine, you were happy and you told him straight.

Ace calmed down a little and picked you up to get you into the hot spring.

Maybe it was the heat of the water, maybe it was Ace’s heartbeat but you fell asleep in his arms, happy, a little sore but immensely happy to be there with him.

"But where are those two ends!" That voice was too familiar to you.

"Ace..." You said in your sleep clutching at him, and in response, you received a grunt and two arms clutching you even more.

"I found the tent! Satch come here!" The figure of Izo had appeared above you two.

"What happened in here?!" Satch had arrived in no time and without wasting time had opened the tent without even the slightest warning.

The sunlight hit you both forcing you to wake up, you shook the blanket with one arm as Ace stood up before you and rubbing your eyes he asked, "What’s going on guys is too soon."

"Too soon?! It’s past noon and you two haven’t given us any news since yesterday! Wretches!" Satch was furious.

"We went down to find out what you were doing." Marco had appeared next to Satch and was looking at you from head to toe.

You got up shortly afterwards, holding the blanket tightly to your breast and only then did you realize what was going to happen.

"Is that a hickey?"

"Where are your clothes?"

"What are those scratches?"

"What did you do last night?"

You had suddenly turned red and hoped that no one would understand the situation. But it was your older brothers you were talking about. You had no hope.

Izo sat next to you and grabbed you by the back, he’d already figured it out.

Marco and Satch made a few seconds later and Ace realized he had to run if he didn’t want to be killed at that moment. And then the chase started, Ace in boxer shorts running along the beach to outrun the two men.

"So how was it?" Izo’s question threw you.

"IZO!" You said while you were looking for a change to go help Ace.

"Don’t worry, they won’t kill him... maybe, but I want the details."

[sitp-recs]

HP Rec Fest, Day 24

Happy Christmas Eve! Today’s prompt surely feels big, I can feel the pressure 🫣 it was hard to come up with something fresh right after posting yet another Christmas rec list but I appreciate that @hprecfest went for a holiday theme, which I reckon doesn’t necessarily need to be Christmas, right? This rec could very well be about the holiday vibes instead: fun trips, hot smut weather, cozy homes, happy friends, freedom to be and to love.

So in that spirit - and mindful of the fact that not everyone celebrates or cares for Christmas, I decided to go for something a bit different here. These two short fics bring me so much joy whenever I revisit them. Not only they were written by two very dear friends of mine (who I’m happy to be celebrating today!) but they fill my heart with warmth and an all-encompassing peaceful feeling of joy and celebration to see my favourite characters just lazing about and being stupidly in love together. Maybe these picks are a bit too subjective (honestly though, when are they not?) but I’m ready to feel seen! If you’re like me and appreciate a good mix of sexy, light and sweet, here are two perfect holiday-themed fics to light up your night ✨

Day 24) a holiday fic:

Drarry

The Last Star Falling by @tackytigerfic (M, 1.4k) - implied future Dronarry

A destination wedding, an afterparty, and an unexpected guest. Seamus is getting married, Portugal is hot, and Ron has nowhere to stay for the night.

destination weddings are the superior trope (note to self: make a reclist later) and this hot, vibrant and dreamy ficlet encapsulates the lush summer heat perfectly! between the constant flirting, the evocative church aesthetics and the delicious hints to Dronarry I could almost taste their sweat in my mouth, sultry and tantalizing. like all of Tacky’s fics, all scenes are full of tiny details that pulls me right into the Irish scenery and gives all characters so much personality. I love the playful and curious tone there, never crossing the Dronarry line but definitely toeing it with a sexy ending full of promise. it’s wistful, unpretentious and full of inhibited want as all summer romances should be. btw if you vibe with this triad make sure to check this year’s A Time, Dark and Divine by @moonflower-rose, which was inspired by this fic! ily Tacky 💜

Rare pair

Mischief Managed by @maesterchill (Harry/Sirius, E, 1.7k)

Nothing has been said, nothing solemnly sworn, but they both know what's going to happen. They've known from the minute Sirius suggested this weekend away by the beach.

this is one of my most cherished gifts and it makes me cry and yearn for Sirry every time I revisit it. this this this is what I want for them, to be alive and safe and loved. this might look like an innocent (and deliriously hot) PWP but in fact it slaps me in the face with so many feels my body can’t decide between horny, tender or devastated and if you ever thought no fic under 2k could make you feel this emotional turmoil I’m here to prove you wrong 😂��🏼to be clear, this is a happy ending story!!!! they’re so happy and in love, finally getting some time away from everything and allowing themselves to enjoy the good life and fuck like rabbits be together after so much longing and anticipation. speaking of which the UST here is unbelievable, I thought I’d combust from the dirty talk alone, but then… hello, the tenderness?? the bathtub scene, the wall sex, Sirius calling Harry ‘pup’??? there’s only so much my body can take and my heart belongs with them in this dreamy getaway house, in this magical summer holiday, forever. ily maester 💜

[thepapergirlandthespiegelman]

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person in the world who still remembers and loves CDs. Vinyl records have made a comeback and are now considered cool among certain varieties of hipster and audiophile, but CDs haven't had the same treatment.

And like, to some extent, I kinda understand that. CDs aren't cool. Records are cool. They're big and textured and elegant and they're objectively old enough to feel vintage rather than dated. They're not exactly durable but they make up for their fragility with their other positive qualities, and you could certainly argue that warping and scratches add exactly the kind of character to a record that we've lost with digital music and therefore crave from physical media. A slightly damaged CD pretty much always just becomes totally unplayable.

So I get it. And I'll readily admit that the biggest reason why I like CDs is simply that I grew up with them and have fond memories of them. But I do also think it's objectively true that there are certain positive features unique to CDs. I will never tire of the experience of giving and receiving mix CDs. You can't do that with a record. (I mean, I don't think you can? Not easily, at any rate.) And it's not the same as a playlist! It's not the same. When you make a mix CD, you not only curate the music for the recipient, you burn the disc, you decorate it, you make the sleeve or pick the jewel case and make the paper insert for it, figure out how to wrap/package it. I mean, obviously you don't have to do all of these things, but the opportunity is there for a lot of creativity and love. And in the end the person gets both the physical object as well as being able to make digital copies of the songs on their computer (which also allows them to use those songs in their future mix CDs, continuing the cycle!).

The mix CD is just so unpretentious, wholesome, and kind. It gave the average person unprecedented power over how music was curated and shared. (I mean, of course mix tapes did something similar, and maybe they deserve more credit than I give them, simply because they're from before my time; but I kind of have to assume that CD mixing is a much simpler and more efficient process.) The mix CD creates a loving context for experiencing music. Here, I made this! Special from me, for you! I think context is one of the things which we most desperately miss in this modern age, where we're fed our newest songs by the goddamn algorithm (whether that's Spotify, TikTok, YouTube, or whatever). The mix CD is personal, human, earnest and sweet.

(And yes, to some extent, playlists do this as well, and they have their own advantages. But I think the shareability of playlists, while making it possible for many more people to experience your creation, has ended up discouraging the intimate act of making something just for one other person and instead promotes the idea that what is most desirable is to have your work seen by the greatest possible number of people.)

I started thinking about this because I saw another post talking about the removal of CD/DVD drives from computers and it really does make me sad thinking that this may be the final nail in the coffin of the mix CD. I've had to depend on external disc drives to make my mixes, and I'm sure that for most people, CDs have passed totally out of their awareness.

I'm not saying the mix CD is the end all be all of sharing music. There are already lots of other ways to share music and I would quite like to think that we will continue to invent new ways. But I do find it very sad that the art of the mix CD is dying, and while the mix CD itself may be doomed, I really hope that we don't forget its virtues, and find a way to keep the spirit of the thing alive. Physical object as well as digital copies that can be shared with others, permanent ownership of the music (rather than just streaming/renting), the burning and reading of this object being cheap and accessible, personal touch/high customizability (not being limited simply to song order, a single cover image, and a short description), intimacy. These are what I don't want to lose.

[mr-silkpyjamas]

Derek Rose Brindisi 40 Men’s Silk Pyjamas

I am pretty sure everyone who has the slightest interest in silk or satin pyjamas has seen this picture:

The infamous Brindisi 40, which haunts our pinterest boards with its striking boldness and lustrous beauty still to this day, and taunting us with its unattainability. Ever since the first time I laid eyes on them I had longed them, even though the style was out of print when I first discovered of its its existence. I went as far as to contact the Derek Rose customer service who told me they no longer had this style in their warehouse, and the two remaining retailers that had them in stock did not have my size. I thought I had lost all hope was lost until I randomly stumbled across a pair, in my size, on American ebay. So yeah, this pair is definitely special to me, like finally getting with my crush through my sheer determination.

But enough about my aggressive obsession with the Brindisi 40, you’d get plenty of that later.

The UK market for men’s satin or silk pyjamas, I daresay, is shit. You get a limited scope on offer, whether it be mass produced crap from Amazon (which I still sometimes buy, simply out of curiosity for the hope that I strike gold on some high quality cheap pairs) or luxury high-end designer brands with flashy designs and an even flashier price tag. And one of the oldest and most reputable companies in this high end market is Derek Rose. 

I have actually wanted a pair of pyjamas from Derek Rose ever since I was a kid. I always thought of getting a pair as some end game for my quest for finding the perfect set of pyjamas, even though I now realised my thirst of more is excessive as I have boxes filled with sets of pyjamas that I will never again wear. So naturally I chose a pair which I will never ever get bored of, and I pray to god that I don’t.

Review

Look

I guess I should start with the look. The satin finish was very nice, and although I do not believe my home’s lighting does my pictures much justice, the opulence of the design is apparent. The lustre is not overbearing, but is rather unpretentious but still sharp even in the brightest lighting. If I was caught by house guests wearing these I will not be embarrassed.

The mother of pearl buttons are present as they are for every set in the Brindisi collection and they accessorise the shirt rather well, each giving their own lustrous qualities to the shirt and providing an ironic sense of formality to it. I know its kind of trending for some guys to wear pyjama shirts with an informal two piece suit nowadays but hell if I knew anything about fashion outside of the bedroom! I didn’t actually know this set came with a top button when I bought it, so I was pleasantly surprised. Aesthetically, top buttons of pyjamas are a bit too cumbersome for me but it does not hinder the set at all, but rather gives more options for those who enjoy a more traditional feel to their nightwear. 

Usually it is the norm for pyjamas in the Brindisi collection to feature a self seeking magnetic fly but the Brindisi 40 is one of the older products in the collection and so it has a simple button-up fly. No biggie. I did also notice some design changes since for the more current Brindisi men’s collection where they no longer opted for 3 pockets but maintained the classic breast pocket (as seen in the Brindisi 88), of which I honestly prefer the latter.

There isn’t really much else to say for the look that I have not said to be honest. Personally the bold stripes and satin finish were what drew me to this set and I really don’t think newer striped pyjamas in the collection really gives off the same regal air that the Brindisi 40 possesses. I feel like it really combined all the things people loved about Derek Rose’s classic striped pyjamas with the contemporary style through the fit, as well as the luxury of silk that made this pair the one I wanted as my first from this esteemed company. I am definitely fanboy-ing a bit too hard here!

Feel

I’ve actually been fortunate to have the privilege of owning several pairs of silk pyjamas but this is the first time I have owned and worn mulberry silk. The quality between this pair and the pair I recieved from LilySilk was night and day. But of course, it has to be expected as they have drastically different price tags. The Brindisi 40′s silk is far less coarse against my skin than the silk from the 22 momme pair I got from LilySilk. I might have to revisit this post but I have actually ordered another pair of Mulberry silk pyjamas from a relatively new company and maybe I can give a more fair judgement of the difference in quality of Derek Rose’s pyjamas to their competitors that way. Also I cannot really judge the whole catalogue of LilySilk’s pyjamas through just this one experience so maybe I might invest in another pair in the future!

Despite not being very thick at all they are surprisingly warm. My biggest gripe with them is that, like all silk, they tend to crease quite easily and it really pains me to actually sleep in these as I will ruin their pristine look, but they are just so god damn comfy that I cannot help myself. I may have to learn how to iron silk properly just to save myself the trouble of dry-cleaning.

Overall I do think this pair has lived up to my expectations, which is pretty rare considering I have not actually been that impressed by silk pyjamas thus far. I don’t think I will get another pair from the Brindisi collection for the sake of my finances but maybe another set will encapsulate my mind like this set has one day. It has been such a long time since I have posted on here so this entry may have seemed rather long-winded and rant-y but I really hope it gets me back into the swing of sharing my passion of pyjamas with others and giving others a better informed decision when making a purchase on men’s nightwear. Do keep in mind I am a very picky person so if you are happy with the Tony & Candice pair you got from Amazon then power to you! I think I’ll leave the pictures for my Instagram.

[mtsainthelens]

my across the spiderverse thoughts!!!

i did a similar writeup for the first movie but i think i deleted the post. no worries, i think a lot of it is irrelevant now anyway.

anyway.

-movie was incredible. animation was 10/10, most impressive i’ve ever seen maybe? the intro scene with gwen and miguel and the ending sequence where miles is swinging home were my favorites. writing was like 9.5/10, it always nails the comedy in such a natural and unpretentious way which is so perfect for a spiderman movie

-you can really feel the love and passion put into this movie. its a real shame to hear about the crunch conditions the team was put under but its remarkable that the movie doesn’t feel particular anxious or resentful in the way other crunch projects tend to be. really such a loving attention to detail in spite of the shit management. actually kind of ironic.

-also the energy of this feels so incredibly different from the vibe of the firet i supposed there really has been a culture shift! everything these days is about determinism and multiverses is that any indication of where we’re heading?

-miguels little jingle is fantastic. i’m gonna remember that sound forever

-i thought trans gwen was a theory but to me it seemed explicitly canon. unfortunately i felt mostly confused whenever i saw the trans colors appear explicitly in a scene because i didn’t understand the double meaning? i only understood a lot of her scenes in a literal sense

-those action sequences, goddamn. you know i never watched korra but i watch the best fight compilations on youtube. i love animated fights.

-i didnt know you could curse in sony movies i was gasping everytime….

-meta-commentary 1: the “what was their canon event” meme makes no sense because in the movie it says everyone has the same canon event!!! like it varies depending on the context but its all fundamentally the same its like not funny to me to think about cat gwen stacy dying or smth. not funny to me

-i love how this movie doesn’t make unlikable characters. i can’t think of a single character i dislike in either of the movies? if i was the kind of person who used the term “comfort movie”, well…..

-meta-commentary 2: i did notice the “spider-team” of miles, gwen, pavitr, and hobie was only on scene for like. that one sequence. i’m sure they’ll come back but what i saw of the fandom reaction to it made me go in expecting a lot more from that. this happened to me with the last movie as well i feel very detatched from the wider fandom reaction to it? nothing against it but to me the movies dont feel like either A.) hanging around a universe or B.) making a story that needs to be dissected through long ass essays. which is what i’m always looking to get out of a fandom experience and i think are my perquisites for being interested in a fandom experience at all. obviously im still a huge FAN of the movies but i can never really take them outside of what they are if that makes sense. they start and end at the credits for me.

-having said that i loved spiderpunk!!! i know he was like total…. fanbait if that makes sense? i usually feel averse to characters im supposed to like or who feel engineered to be liked or who are known for getting fang1rls but god he was such a sweetheart. that diy watch. he reminds me of a friend i guess thats why im attatched. i like how nice he was to miles im just incredibly endeared to him.

-and having said that. my thirst rating is that i didnt think hobie or migel or the spot or anyone else were hot. something about the way faces are rendered is very interesting but i cant find it attractive at all. btw im someone who can be attracted to fictional characters easily and i wish jeff the killer was my boyfriend. anyway….

-my only criticisms would be that some of the emotional moments felt not exactly flat but noticeably offbeat at times and that the final 15-20 minutes kind of wore me thin. forgivable.

soooo great. i think im going to rewatch the first one soon but it might make me feel really raw. i think theyre both fairly sentimental movies but the first one makes me feel just a bit sorer because it feels so sunny. hard to explain. i really wish Peter B was in this movie more but i get why he wasnt.

anyway back to work

[ultrajustjo]

Week 3: Visio divina

Historic murals in Zion Lutheran Church, Athens, NY; Basilica, University of Notre Dame

Sanctuary of Zion Lutheran Church, Athens, NY. Photo taken June 16, 2023.

Visio divina

Welcome to Week 3 of my prayer exercise. This week, we step away from the Met, but not from architectural forms. I attended a colleague's studio's piano recital at Zion Lutheran last week. My children and I have also performed here, and my family has attended ecumenical services here. I was happy to be back in Zion, as it's a small, welcoming upstate New York church -- by that, I mean that the sanctuary is cozy, and the building is historical, as are most Mainline Protestant churches here. I love worshiping in the Basilica at Notre Dame or at Duke Chapel when I'm down for my intensive weeks, but the smaller worship spaces in our Northeastern villages are home. Most are similar, and some, regardless of denomination, have the same blueprint (having used the same artisans).

If you are a church history fan, click here:

The recital was lovely and showcased serious young people who pursue their passions for piano performance.

Today is the Saint Day for Aloysius Gonzage, whose relics are housed in the Basilica, because he died on this day several hundred years ago. He was also a young person who pursued his passions. Coincidence?

Here's a bit about him:

Aloysius Gonzaga

died midnight June 20-21

patron saint of young catholics, died age 23

headstrong teen with ideas his father opposed

forbidden by Jesuit superiors from too much prayer: he needed a balanced life. He "pursued" relationship with God as his main passion

Read more about him here where you can see depictions of him at the University of Notre Dame, including a mural found within the Basilica:

https://faith.nd.edu/s/1210/faith/interior.aspx?sid=1210&gid=609&calcid=53508&calpgid=61&pgid=15208&crid=0

* A quick memorial to my high school algebra teacher and quiz team coach Mr. Gillette, whose middle name was Aloysius -- a fact he grudgingly revealed when none of us could guess his name. He smoked like a chimney and drove us off campus without permission (it was the 80s), he accepted and respected pregnant and newly married teens, and he was unpretentious to the point of being loved by his critical teen students. He was an Army man turned teacher, God bless him. His mother knew what she was doing when she named him after a saint for the young. I didn't know it then, but Mr. Gillette was a saint sent to us.*

Getting back to the recital, and Zion Lutheran's sanctuary, I invite you to imagine a piano program played with increasing skill as a backdrop to a meditation. I don't have a link for that, but you can play this in the background as you keep reading.

The verses

We are continuing in the gospel of Matthew, this week in Matt. 6:1-6. The verses that grabbed my attention are verses 1 and 6.

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

The Meditation

Praying in public and in a leadership role is a weird thing for me, having been raised to pray quietly, privately, authentically, and spontaneously (not by rote). Adding my gender and its ensuing religious issues into that public prayer mix creates a barrier that I must constantly work to overcome. More on that, maybe, in the next post on contemplation.

The mural: Ok, ok, it isn't really a mural, but we're viewing the art on the wall, and OF the wall at Zion Lutheran. The art we are contemplating IS the worship wall. What strikes you about the images and words on the wall? How does this compare to the mural of Aloysius at Notre Dame? How do they relate, or do they relate, to the verses from Matthew?

What words stuck with you when you read the passage? What phrases do you keep coming back to? How do you feel about them? Do they inspire you? Irritate or confuse you? Are you ok with this?

Time now to sit for a moment in silence and let God continue to dwell with you.

[collymore]

A truly unforgettable and likewise a most veritably, quite extraordinary Lady!

By Stanley Collymore

From the very onset of my life in this world you've always unstintingly very literally given everything which you possibly could to me, while simply devotedly and protectively doing so without a contrived moment's, hesitation. An intensive and effective caring love that actually quite unquestionably characteristically specifically and distinctively also, wholeheartedly countenanced no restrictions on it whatever while effectively and unceasingly, sought to distinctly provide the consummate safety plus evident security, within me of what true love very selflessly and honourably delivered is all about. A distinctive, effectively discernibly, crucially obviously naturally actually inspirational relationship quite instinctively and totally voluntarily on your part, Mama; that fittingly, and very fulfillingly induced in me an instinctive, and irrefutably automatically reciprocal love literally so intensely bonding it inescapably and rather too permanently welded us very unitedly together in crucially irrefutable, distinctly mutual and intrinsically lasting love for and loyally to each other.

Features firmly combined with an everlasting fine bonding that nothing nor anybody could ever, even briefly, tear apart! For the literally enduring love, respect and commitment that we also jointly, and evidently apart, naturally and instinctively too, held for and unquestionably essentially rather crucially gave to each other, came distinctively unpretentiously from two specifically dear Hearts!

(C) Stanley V. Collymore 1 July 2024.

Author's Remarks: Affectionately relayed in my eternal and commemorative praise specifically for and likewise the unstinting gratitude I most unquestionably owe you Mama for the unequivocal love and all embracing care and devotion you quite intentionally and continuously gave to me from my infancy.

And furthermore, in turn, distinctively and discernibly wholeheartedly fashioned and permanently welded within me the abiding love, mutual admiration, coupled with the reciprocal love and enduring respect that mutually and fully characterized the quite distinctly inseparable bonding and durable loving relationship, which delightedly we've always discernibly, most comfortably and crucially, permanently had with each other.

One which truly irrevocably and exclusively continued unabatedly throughout our great earthly relationship quite undoubtedly with and essentially too our existence together; and, naturally, has rather keenly expectedly carried on after the Almighty God we both worshipped cordially invited you, distinctly unsurprisingly, to significantly permanently join the quite Celebrated Host of Heavenly Angel's! Making you now forever immortal but distinctly from my own unquestionably personal perspective, all the same, still my irrefutably precious ever loving Mama and Grandmother!

Affectionately and most endearingly rather lovingly nicknamed "Mama" by me - simply an endearing terminology that both quickly and substantially truly became universally utilized within our exceedingly quite close- knit community for very obvious reasons - Mama: whose Christian birth names, were Louise and Gertrude, was actually born on the 1st January 1893 and contentedly died on the 1 July 1988 aged precisely 95 years and 6 months!

[audio-luddite]

Head fog clearing.

Further thoughts on Getz / Gilberto.

That album made an impression for sure. Like a heavy meal it takes time to digest.

One word that comes to me is naive. Simple, basic, unpretentious, being how it was recorded. The sound is presented with the same placements the artist stood in the studio or at least it seems so. Drums Left, Solo girl singer hard Right male singer center. Solo guitar (the singer) and sax center. Upright Bass mostly center, but low frequencies are hard to place anyway.

Soft sound as in easy going like it is hot out don't work so hard. Not soft as in lacking clarity or the treble. There is enough of that.

Honest reproduction of what the instruments sounded like. Fingers on the strings, check. Brushes on the cymbals, check. That wet sound you get from Sax sometimes. A piano is there, but not prominent.

I am sure that the ARC amp emphasizes certain sounds in the voices and the sax especially. It is a good match.

My wife and I both love Astrud's singing. Simple laid back as one would sing with friends around the living room. There is a PR story about her being a housewife plucked into the studio, but no her presence was deliberate as everyone thought she was perfect for the song, having heard her join in while singing in the Getz's living room. There is a charming story about her not knowing it was actually going on the album while it was being recorded, and it was a surprise gift to her. Not much pay, but she did become a star.

And to close the story there is a real person identified as the "Girl from Ipanema" who was 17 when the song was written in a bar she walked by daily to wolf whistles. That would not be a good thing in this day and age. But she also became a star.

Those are just some of the story lines behind this album. Impex went to a lot of effort to get the Getz family involved and behind the issue. The liner notes are extensive, detailed, and illuminating. It is not a package to fully appreciate in one sitting.

So as the most expensive album I have ever bought I am satisfied. I expect it will appreciate in value, but I probably have a few $$$$ albums. There is no point in thinking about selling any. That is not why they are kept.

This is one of the milestone Jazz albums full stop. I have three thus if you list my Miles Davis, Jazz at the Pawnshop, and now this one. I have more jazz, but none yet designated as treasure as far as I know.

[lizzygrantarchives]

Billboard, October 22, 2015

After reinventing herself as a cryptic Hollywood femme fatale, the 30-year-old singer has fought off the haters to become a proper, if unusual, pop star. In a rare interview, she opens up about coping with anxiety, her new-age mentors and how she almost played Sharon Tate on the big screen: “I could have become an American nightmare.”

LANA DEL REY AND I WERE FIRST introduced at an Architectural Digest pimped manse off Pacific Coast Highway during a party thrown, weirdly enough, for Werner Herzog and his bud, the physicist Lawrence Krauss. (Del Rey, 30, has spoken before of her interest in science and philosophy.) On that night, she wore an unformfitting Polo shirt dress with a personal-old-fave vibe. In deglamorized “Stars Without Makeup” mode, she was unpretentious and softly gregarious, like a doe-eyed, underdressed newcomer to the Town. I was at the same table, and she caught me staring off at the horizon. Del Rey was sardonically attuned, nudging her boyfriend, the Italian photographer-director Francesco Carrozzinni, to have a look at the cliché: Old Brooding Man. Her warmth took me out of myself.

Lana Del Rey’s fourth album, Honeymoon, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in September, but when I asked if she planned to go on the road to promote it, she shook her head. “I do everything backwards. It already happened — I’m actually done with the world tour I started four years ago, when I needed to be out there. I really needed to be out there singing.”

That exodus was partly born of the need to heal following a 2012 appearance on Saturday Night Live that elicited a slaughter-of-the-lamb storm of derision over the then up-and-coming star’s seemingly zoned-out amateurism. She was tarred as a poseur — part Edie Sedgwick, part Valley of the Dolls, a Never Will Be Ready for Primetime Player — but it turned out that Del Rey was only at the end of Act One in an all-American A Star Is Born passion play of celebrity crucifixion and resurrection.

Born Lizzy Grant in Lake Placid, N.Y., Del Rey moved to Manhattan at 18. “For seven years I wrote sexy songs about love,” she says. “That was the most joyous time of my life.” The screen that so many gossipy personas have been projected onto (rich preppy, suicidal anti-feminist, morbid dilettante) has instead transformed into a nearly religious dashboard icon of ghostly seduction. She’s a global phenomenon, part of the national conversation and cultural soundscape. Nielsen Music puts her total U.S. album sales at 2.5 million, and her videos have been viewed hundreds of millions of times. Del Rey is now a few years into her return from the desert, having arrived on a mystery train of Santa Ana winds, existential dread and “soft ice cream” (to quote her song “Salvatore”) that is uniquely her own.

I meet her for the interview at a John Lautner house she rents in Los Angeles. Lautner was a seminal Southern California architect, and Del Rey says her choice of lodging was deliberate. She production-designs her life. She greets me in the drive — inquisitive, friendly and aware. For a moment, she looks like Elvis and Priscilla, all in one. The hair is old-school Clairol dark, the eyes siren green, the auburn ’do the most done thing about her.

“You’d love my dad,” she says. She was just on the phone with him; her parents are visiting. He’s a realtor, and Mom’s an English teacher whose passion is reading history books. Del Rey lives here with her younger sister, Caroline Grant, a photographer who goes by Chuck. (Del Rey tells me that her sister was so shocked by the force of the fans’ emotions during concerts that she doesn’t take pictures of them anymore.)

“My dad’s that guy with perfect Hawaiian shirts and matching shorts,” says Del Rey. “The other day he said, ‘We should see about getting you a vintage Rolls.’ I said, ‘Um, it’s a little attention-grabbing.’ And he said, ‘Uh, yeah.’ ”

What do you do with yourself now that you have nothing on your schedule?

I go for long walks, long drives. I’ll get in the car and drive the streets, feeling for places. I go to Big Sur. I love Big Sur, but it has gotten so touristy. I went to the General Store, and there were hordes. On a Monday! But I’m drawn there. Sometimes I go to write. I’ve been thinking it might be time to do a longer video, a 40-minute video. I was watching The Sandpiper, and I was working on something kind of based on that.

Have you thought of writing something for yourself? Shooting down the paparazzi helicopter in the video for “High by the Beach” was your idea, no?

Yeah, it was. I’d like to write a book one day. But you need a beginning, a middle and an end! I can deal with four minutes — but I’m not so sure about a book.

Your song “God Knows I Tried” fits somewhere between The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” I’m thinking of Cohen because of that line “Even though it all went wrong.”

I love Leonard — because he’s all about women. Women and God.

Does it all go wrong?

It’s hard for me sometimes to think about going on when I know we’re going to die. Something happened in the last three years, with my panic…

I had read that you were prone to that.

It got worse. But I’ve always been prone to it. I remember being — I was, I think, 4 years old — and I’d just seen a show on TV where the person was killed. And I turned to my parents and said, “Are we all going to die?” They said “Yes,” and I was totally distraught! I broke down in tears and said, “We have to move!”

How do you cope?

I saw a therapist — three times. But I’m really most comfortable sitting in that chair in the studio, writing or singing.

The panic won’t last forever.

I don’t think so, but … sometimes you just want to be able to enjoy the view. I think I’m really like my mother, in the sense that I make small lists. To calm myself down. I reward myself. You know, “If I finish this, then I’ll do that” — I’ll go for a walk on the beach or swim in the ocean. I go for swims and am actually shocked I do that. Because one thing I’m terrified of is sharks.

Do you think having a child would chill you out? Do you want to have kids?

I’ve thought about it. Really thought about it lately because I’ve just turned 30. I’d love having daughters. But I don’t think it’d be a good idea to have kids with someone who wasn’t … on the same page.

Someone who…

Who isn’t exactly — like me! (Laughs.) Though maybe it’s best to have kids with someone who’s … normal.

When was the last time you got trashed by a love affair?

The last one — before the boyfriend I’m with now — was pretty bad. It wasn’t good to be in it, but it wasn’t good to be out of it, either. He was like a twin. Not a facsimile twin, but a real twin.

So maybe finding the same person doesn’t work. Are relationships hard for you?

For someone like me — and it’s not a codependent thing — I just like having someone there. I’ve been alone, and that’s fine. But I like to come home and have someone there. You know, to say, “Oh, he’s here. And this other thing (Mimes a table.) is there. And this (Mimes setting down an object on the table.) is there. (Laughs.) I’m very methodical. I have to be. I’m like that in the studio too. Mixing and mastering can take four more months after we’re done — three to mix and one to master. I like having a plan. Though I do leave spaces for ad-libbing in the studio when I write.

Do you mind if I write all this? Because I don’t want to piss off Francesco.

Oh, he’s going to read this! But he’ll have things to say anyway. He’s very … aggressive. (Smiles.) And besides, I didn’t say he wasn’t just like me.

There’s something weirdly shamanistic about your work. You channel Los Angeles in ways I haven’t seen from anyone, at least not in a long while. Places now extinct, streets and feelings that you have no right to be able to evoke because of your age. And it’s so unlikely that you’re the one to be the oracle that way. But it’s for real.

I know. I know that. I love that word, “shamanistic.” I read energy; I always have. One of the books I love — aside from [Kenneth Anger’s] Hollywood Babylon — is The Autobiography of a Yogi. And Wayne Dyer … I was so upset when he died! [Dyer, part Buddhist, part New Thought motivational speaker, was best-known for his book Your Erroneous Zones. He died in August.] He gave me so much over the last 15 years. I went to see a clairvoyant. She asked me to write down four things on a card before I came in, things I might be thinking about, and she nailed all four. I asked about the man I was seeing — that one, before the one now. She said, “I don’t really like to go there, but … I just don’t see him present.” I went, “Ugh.” She’s seeing the future and doesn’t see him present. Oh, no!

Are you aware of your effect on men?

I’ve only recently become aware of the heterosexual males who are into my music. I remember when I was 16, I had a boyfriend. I think he was… 25? I thought that was the best thing. He had an F-150 pickup and let me drive it one time. I was so high up! I panicked and was worried I might kill someone — run over a nun or something. I started to shake. I was screaming and crying. I saw him looking over, and he was smiling. He said, “I love that you’re out of control.” He saw how vulnerable I was, how afraid, and he loved that. The balance shifted from there. I had the upper hand — until then.

Do you want to be in the movies?

Well… I’m open to it all. James Franco asked me to be in three films that were going to be directed by a Spanish director, and I was hesitant. I think he heard my hesitance and got scared. Someone wanted me to be Sharon Tate. I thought, “That’s so right.” At that time, there were three Manson movies being talked about, but none were ever made. So maybe that was the answer.

Have you ever been the “voice of reason” for a friend in crisis?

I have — I can be. It’s easier to do that sometimes … for someone who’s half-checked out.

Meaning you.

Yes. (Pauses.) You know, I was living in Hancock Park once and thought about a movie idea. I was renting this house whose high walls had been grandfathered in, so of course I kept making them taller and taller. And I had an idea about writing something about a woman living there, a singer losing her mind. She has this Nest-like security system installed, cameras everywhere. The only people she saw were people who work on the grounds: construction people and gardeners. One day she hears the gardener humming this song she wrote. She panics and thinks, “Oh, my God. Was I humming that out loud or just to myself? And if it was aloud, wasn’t it at 4 in the morning? Did that mean he was outside my window?” Then a storm comes, one of those L.A. storms, and the power goes out except to the cameras, which are on a different source. And the pool has been empty for months because of the drought. And she goes outside in the middle of the night because she hears something — and trips over the gardener’s hoe and falls into the empty pool and dies facedown like William Holden at the end of Sunset Boulevard.

For me, one of the most interesting things about you and your story — and of course your work — is that you broke through. That it has turned out well.

I think about it, and I’m so grateful. I am aware that it could easily not have happened. That I could have become … an American nightmare. I see her — Lana — I listen to her and watch her, and I’m … protective.

Let’s end with Big Sur. Do you think your interest is by way of your kinship with the Beats? Your enthrallment with Kerouac?

Big Sur challenges me to surrender. What draws me is … the curves. I’m really drawn to the curves.

Originally published on billboard.com, and in the October 31, 2015 issue of Billboard with the headline An Inconvenient Woman.

[christianotome]

It’s easy to be good when things are fine

The main character of a book I was reading a few days ago was a quite good person, he was charitable, unpretentious and helpful, that is until something happened to him and his personality would do a 180 degree turn.

Galatians 5:22-23 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Self-control comes last in the list of the fruit of the Spirit, but that doesn’t make it the least important. Love and faith are the most important of course (1 Corinthians 13:13, Hebrews 11:6), but self-control comes right after.

1 Corinthians 9:27 says “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” In a reality in which we have yet to attain perfection (Philippians 3:12), it’s impossible to always be kind, patient and gentle, when that happens self-control is what keeps us walking in the narrow way (Matthew 7:13-14).

But mistake it not,the self-control I’m talking about is still a fruit of the Spirit, so that means it doesn’t come from you, but from God, so we pray and ask for it (Matthew 7:7-11) and we act like we have it with the faith that God will give it to us.

[norfloxacin1]

33-year-old billionaire throws 4.5 billion yuan to give his Stanford girlfriend a 150-person research institute. This is the most romantic "I love you" I have ever seen.

[ammg-old2]

My 6-year-old boy died in January. We lost him after a household accident, one likely brought on by a rare cerebral-swelling condition. Paramedics got his heart beating, but it was too late to save his brain. I could hold his hand, look at the small birthmark on it, comb his hair, and call out for him, but if he could hear me or feel me, he gave no sign. He had been a child in perpetual motion, but now we couldn’t get him to wiggle a finger.

My grief is profound, ragged, desperate. I cannot imagine how anything could feel worse.

But vaccine opponents on the internet, who somehow assumed that a COVID shot was responsible for my son’s death, thought my family’s pain was funny. “Lol. Yay for the jab. Right? Right?” wrote one person on Twitter. “Your decision to vaccinate your son resulted in his death,” wrote another. “This is all on YOU.” “Murder in the first.”

I’m a North Carolina–based journalist who specializes in countering misinformation on social media. I know that Twitter, Facebook, and other networks amplify bad information; that their algorithms feed on anger and division; that anonymity and distance bring out the worst in some people online. And yet I had never anticipated that anyone would mock and terrorize a grieving parent. I’ve now received thousands of harassing posts. Some people emailed me at work.

For the record, my son saw some of the finest pediatric-ICU doctors in the world. He was in fact vaccinated against COVID-19. None of his doctors deemed that relevant to his medical condition. They likened his death to a lightning strike.

Strangers online saw in our story a conspiracy—a cover-up of childhood fatalities caused by COVID vaccines, a ploy to protect Big Pharma.

To them, what happened to my son was not a tragedy. It was karma for suckered parents like me.

Although some abusive posts showed up on my public Facebook page, the problem started on Twitter—whose new CEO, Elon Musk, gutted the platform’s content-moderation team after taking over.

I posted my son’s obituary there because we’d started a fundraiser in his name for the arts program at his neighborhood school. Books didn’t hold his interest, but he loved drawing big, blocky Where the Wild Things Are–style creatures. The fundraiser gave us something, anything, to do. Most people were kind. Many donated. But within days, anti-vaxxers hijacked the conversation, overwhelming my feed. “Billy you killed your kid man,” one person wrote.

Accompanying the obituary was a picture of him showing off his new University of North Carolina basketball jersey—No. 1, Leaky Black—before a game. He’s all arms and legs. He will only ever always be that. Cheeks like an apple. His bangs flopped over his almond-shaped eyes. “Freckles like constellations,” his obit read. He looks unpretentious, shy, and bored. Like most children his age, anything that takes more than an hour, such as a college basketball game, is too long.

Strangers swiped the photo from Twitter and wrote vile things on it. They’d mined my tweets, especially ones where I had written about the public-health benefits of vaccination. Someone needed to make me pay for vaccinating my child, one person insinuated. Another said my other children would be next if they were vaccinated too.

I tried to push back. Please take the conspiracy theories elsewhere, I pleaded on Twitter. That made things worse, so I stopped engaging. A blogger mocked me for fleeing social media. Commenters joined in. My grief, their content. “Your one job as a parent was to protect your children,” wrote one person. “You failed miserably.”