#missing many big ones I've been wanting to see sadly!!!!

[semisweetshadow]

Top 12 of 2023:

Asteroid City, Dir. Wes Anderson They Cloned Tyrone, Dir. Juel Taylor Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Dir. Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson, & Kemp Powers Nimona, Dir. Troy Quane & Nick Bruno The Creator, Dir. Gareth Edwards Priscilla, Dir. Sofia Coppola The Killer, Dir. David Fincher May December, Dir. Todd Haynes Rebel Moon, Dir. Zack Snyder Guardians of the Galaxy, Dir. James Gunn Saltburn, Dir. Emerald Fennell Oppenheimer, Dir. Zack Snyder Honorable Mentions: Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, Barbie, Evil Dead Rise, Relax I'm From the Future Stats: Watched 116 movies total, 41 new releases (only 9 in theaters sadly)

[agentromanoffsir]

neocities guide - why you should build your own html website

do you miss the charm of the 90s/00s web where sites had actual personality instead of the same minimalistic theme? are you feeling drained by social media and the constant corporate monopoly of your data and time? do you want to be excited about the internet again? try neocities!!

what is neocities?

neocities is a free hosting website that lets you build your own html website from scratch, with total creative control. in their own words: "we are tired of living in an online world where people are isolated from each other on boring, generic social networks that don't let us truly express ourselves. it's time we took back our personalities from these sterilized, lifeless, monetized, data mined, monitored addiction machines and let our creativity flourish again."

why should I make my own website?

web3 has been overtaken by capitalism & conformity. websites that once were meant to be fun online social spaces now exist solely to steal your data and sell you things. it sucks!! building a personal site is a great way to express yourself and take control of your online experience.

what would I even put on a website?

the best part about making your own site is that you can do literally whatever the hell you want! focus on a specific subject or make it a wild collection of all your interests. share your art! make a shrine for one of your interests! post a picture of every bird you see when you step outside! make a collection of your favorite blinkies! the world is your oyster !! here are some cool example sites to inspire you: recently updated neocities sites | it can be fun to just look through these and browse people's content! space bar | local interstellar dive bar creature feature | halloween & monsters big gulp supreme peanutbuttaz | personal site dragodiluna linwood | personal site patho grove | personal site

getting started: neocities/html guide

sound interesting? here are some guides to help you get started, especially if you aren't familiar with html/css sadgrl.online webmastery | a fantastic resource for getting started with html & web revival. also has a layout builder that you can use to start with in case starting from scratch is too intimidating web design in 4 minutes | good for learning coding basics w3schools | html tutorials templaterr | demo & html for basic web elements eggramen test pages | css page templates to get started with sadgrl background tiles | bg tiles rivendell background tiles | more free bg tiles

fun stuff to add to your site

want your site to be cool? here's some fun stuff that i've found blinkies-cafe | fantastic blinkie maker! (run by @transbro & @graphics-cafe) gificities | internet archive of 90s/00s web gifs internet bumper stickers | web bumper stickers momg | gif gallery 99 gif shop | 3d gifs 123 guestbook | add a guestbook for people to leave messages cbox | add a live chat box moon phases | track the phases of the moon gifypet | a little clickable page pet adopt a shroom | mushroom page pet tamaNOTchi | virtual pet crossword puzzle | daily crossword imood | track your mood neko | cute cat that chases your mouse pollcode | custom poll maker website hit counter | track how many visitors you have

web revival manifestos & communities

also, there's actually a pretty cool community of people out there who want to bring joy back to the web! melonland project | web project/community celebrating individual & joyful online experiences. Also has an online forum melonland intro to web revival | what is web revival? melonking manifesto | status cafe | share your current status nightfall city | online community onio.cafe | leave a message and enjoy the ambiance sadgrl internet manifesto | yesterweb internet manifesto | sadly defunct, still a great resource reclaiming online social spaces | great manifesto on cultivating your online experience

in conclusion

i want everyone to make a neocities site because it's fun af and i love seeing everyone's weird personal sites that they made outside of the control of capitalism :) say hi to me on neocities

[dreameryfics]

JJ MAYBANK x READER

Summary: Your parents met JJ and they disapprove of you dating a Pogue, especially the Maybank boy

Today was finally the day that JJ was going to meet my parents. I'd told them all about him and how he made me feel. They didn't like that he was a Pogue, but I mean, what Kook parents would be okay with their only daughter dating a Pogue? That's just not how it works on the island sadly. Both my parents were raised as Kooks, and they wouldn't have it any other way for me or my brother. He's as much of a Kook as they came, he took full advantage of the privileged life.

I can't lie and say I don't enjoy being one, but I've also not allowed myself to ignore the disadvantages that Pogues have had on the island. That's how I met JJ. I was helping Big John a few years back bring some diving gear back to his house from my parent's shop and JJ happened to be there with John B. I started hanging out with them a few weeks later when I happened to run into John B at The Wreck. He was there getting some end-of-the-night food from Kie for him, JJ, and Pope. We've been kind of inseparable since. We've of course had our moments, especially when Big John went missing at sea.

JJ and I have been together since then; it was pretty crappy timing, but we also realized that life was just too damn short. We had a conversation the same week he went missing and realized the feelings were mutual. The group knew about two weeks later, JJ's dad knew too but he didn't have much to say. He was just proud of his son for 'landing a Kook' and telling JJ to make sure to take advantage of the 'rich kid living.' I haven't been around there since.

We've been putting off him meeting my parents, but today was the day. JJ was nervous, the most nervous he'd been since the Pogues found out about us. He was so worried they'd use the no-macking rule and break us up, I knew better though.

I'd picked JJ up from the Chateau and was headed to my house. "JJ, you OD over there?" I asked looking over to him as he was picking at his fingernails. He looked up at me, nervously biting his lip. He just shook his head and looked back out the window, the houses slowly getting nicer the longer the drive. "J, it's going to be okay." I place my hand over his, hoping to calm him down as I pull into our driveway.

I put the car in park and look over at JJ, he looked extremely nervous. I give him a quick kiss on the cheek before getting out of the car. I go over and open the door for him, realizing he hasn't moved. He slowly gets out of the car, placing his hat on his head. I take hold of his hand and lead him to the front door. "We're here!" I yell when I open the door. They walk around the corner and I can immediately see the judgment in their eyes; I know JJ could too. "Mom, Dad, this is JJ," I tell them trying to break the awkward silence. I look over at him and take the hat off his head, placing it on the counter beside us. They quickly walk over and shake JJ's hand. "Nice to meet you JJ," they both said.

"Nice to meet you too, sir, ma'am," he told them, trying to be as polite as he could, not wanting to say the wrong thing. We all stood there for a second before walking into the dining room where there was an array of food placed on the table. Mom and Dad sat on one side whereas JJ and I sat on the other side. We made awkward conversation about the weather and school while we ate. Dad was the first to hit JJ with the questions they really wanted to know. "So, JJ, tell me what are your plans for the next five years?" I look at my dad, wanting to tell him to stop, knowing this was only the first of many questions.

"Well, Sir, I'm hoping to graduate high school and get a job fixing up cars and boats at the Yard. I would like to save up enough money to buy a house and maybe a nice boat, if I'm lucky," he responded honestly. I chuckled at the last part, knowing full well he'd buy a boat before a house any day of the week. My dad just kept looking at him, "The Yard? Why not try to go to college?"

"Well, I figure I don't have the money to pay for college, so I need to take a different path in life," he responded taking a sip of his water, "plus, I'm not sure I would want to go to college." I know my dad isn't going to like that answer. He claims all of his success came from him going to college, but in all reality, it all came from him and Ward Cameron's business schemes. Our family having money has nothing to do with my dad's college degree, but he'd never admit that. "College is important to be successful, I might say, it's most important. I can't imagine the Yard being very successful as they haven't been able to expand to anywhere besides the cut."

"Dad, please stop," I tell him, "JJ is a-" I try and say before I'm interrupted by my dad.

"Now honey, I just want to know how JJ plans to provide for you," he tells me, looking over to JJ, "So, how will you provide for our daughter?"

"Uhm, w-," JJ stumbled, not even being able to get a word in before my mom started in on him. "JJ, who is your dad?"

"Luke Maybank, ma'am," he told her. I could see him getting more and more nervous by the second. I quickly took his hand and held it under the table, knowing my dad would have a fit.

"Luke Maybank? It all makes sense now," my dad chuckled under his breath, "you don't have to explain anything else." I could see the anger and sadness on JJ's face, making me yell at my dad. "What the hell Dad! You don't ev-"

"You watch your damn tone with me," he yelled at me standing up and pointing his finger at me. "We leave you alone and you decide to fall in love with a fucking Pogue, let alone Maybank's boy! I will not allow this," he sat back down before turning to JJ, "JJ, it was not a pleasure to meet you. Now if you would please show yourself the door?" I looked over at JJ and I could see the tears forming in his eyes. He quickly pushed his chair back, causing it to scrape across the wooden floor. He looked down at me, letting go of my hand before pushing the chair back and walking out of the kitchen. I had tears slowly falling down my face now, disgusted with JJ's treatment from my parents. "Now, I don't EVER want you to see him again," my dad sternly told me.

I could tell JJ was still in the house as the door never opened or closed. I wasn't going to let him think I didn't care for him. "Dad, Mom," I say standing from the chair, "you know what, fuck this family. JJ is better than anybody in this family but you're too damn stuck up to realize that or even admit it."

My dad swiftly stood up and raised his hand at me before I told him with venom in my voice, "Do it, you'll never see me again and I know you care too much about our family image to kick me out. I'll go to the police and let them know all about your 'successful' businesses. I'll ruin your fucking life," I say the last part with pure anger. I get closer to him, hoping he'll hit me so I have a reason to go to the police and tell them everything. He sits back down and picks up his drink to take a sip before looking up at me. He doesn't say a word before he throws his cup to the ground, it breaking into a million pieces causing me to flinch, and proceeds to walk out the room. I look down at my mom, rolling my eyes at her knowing she's too scared of my dad to disagree with him.

I storm out of the room to see JJ with his back against the counter, holding his hat in his hands before placing it on his head. I go over to him and grab his hand, pulling him out of the house and over to my car. We get in and I start driving, not sure where to go as everybody was at the Chateau. "Your dad's right," I hear JJ mumble. I look over at him and he won't make eye contact with me. I pull over on the side of the road, looking at him. "JJ, my dad may be a lot of things, but he's not right."

"He is though," he looked up at me with tears forming in his eyes, "you know my dad. I'm just like him, you deserve someone who can give you more."

"JJ, you are nothing like your father," I tell him grabbing his hand in mine, "You are the greatest and best person to ever walk into my life. I can't imagine it without you, not only that, but you are pretty damn attractive too." He lets out a small chuckle at the last part, "J, can you please look at me?" I ask him. He looks over at me as I wipe a tear falling down his cheek, "I love every part of you, especially the ones you hate. You are my whole world and all the stars. When I look at you, I feel like I'm finally home. I feel nothing bad can happen when I'm in your arms. You are my person, my only person, and I hope you know that nothing will change that, not even my asshole parents. I would give them up a million times over before I ever think about saying goodbye to you. I love you."

JJ squeezes my hand tighter, letting a small sob out. "Hey, are you okay? Please talk to me," I tell him placing my hand on the back of his neck. He looks over at me before placing a small kiss on my forehead. "I've uhm, never had anybody tell me how much I matter to them. Dad has always blamed me for Mom leaving and has always told me how much he hated me, I guess I kind of thought there wasn't another way for someone to feel when it came to me. I got so used to how he treated me I thought that's what I deserved, it was all I was good for," he told me. I felt a few tears fall down my face, realizing how much what my parents said hurt him. "I love you too, I'm just sorry if I won't be able to give you everything you deserve."

"JJ," I tell him, waiting for him to look at me, "as long as I have you, that's all I need. I need you to know that."

"You really are whipped," he lets out a small chuckle to break up the emotions in the small car. I playfully smack his arm, "J, be for real right now. You're hearing what I'm telling you right?"

"Yes, I hear you. I love you too. Thanks for showing me what it means to be loved," he tells me, reaching over to place a kiss on my forehead before moving away and placing his lips to mine. "Now, can we go get some pizza 'cause I didn't eat." I look at him and laugh. "Nerves babe, they got to me and I'm starving now." I laugh and look over at him before putting the car in drive, whispering 'I love you' to him and he responds by grabbing my hand and placing small kisses on them. We head to the nearest restaurant and eat, getting extra so we can take it to the Chateau.

Once we got there, we were asked what felt like hundreds of questions on how it went. We gave them the tiniest of summaries, just telling them that my parents are dick and that we left. They didn't need to know anything else, there was enough going on in the group since Sarah started coming around. I'm a big fan of her, but the results are still out for Kie. No matter what though, JJ and I had each other, till the end of the days. As long as I was breathing, he was my love and I was his.

[curiouspupsicle]

Good Omens Fan Fiction Friday (12/6/24) - Illustrated Stories

Whoever decided that adult books didn't need artwork? I enjoy reading 19th century stories with line art from when they had been serialized (Dickens, Doyle, etc.) And who doesn't love Howard Pyle's beautiful illustrations for Robin Hood and King Arthur? So today I'm pleased to share a few of my favorite fan fics (but not all; some I've shared previously) accompanied by illustrations or in comic form. Like many illustrated fics, Butterflies in a Bell Jar (T) came about when a Big Bang united a writer and an artist. Writer Still_Not_King and artist @wyvernquill tell the story of co-workers Crowley and Aziraphale who team up at karaoke night and feel a spark. But it turns out, the company's no-fraternization policy is specifically directed at them and no one else. A surprising story that flies under the radar despite being truly unique and quirky. Rain in Avalon (M) by @snowfilly1 is set in Wessex after the death of King Arthur. Heaven wants peace. Hell wants war. Aziraphale and Crowley make a plan to keep both happy and themselves out of trouble. Start of The Arrangement. Sadly, I can't make out the name of the artist of the beautiful kiss illustration at the end. But worth stopping by to check it out. The latest from @klikandtuna, Naked and Afraid: Jingle Hell (T), is a Human AU in which Crowley and Aziraphale are competitors on reality show Naked and Afraid. This one-shot has great banter. I laughed out loud. And the writer also created the illustrations. Bonus is that it's set over Christmas for those looking for new holiday reads. Fan favorite @mrghostrat, wrote and illustrated Big Name Feelings (E) in which Crowley is a big name fan fiction writer who invites artist Aziraphale to pretend to be his boyfriend at a fan convention. Love the story and the style of the illustrations. Stalwart sun, wily moon (M) is a long, twisty tale in which Crowley is an art thief at the top of his game and Aziraphale is the former art conservator swept up into his world. Can't give much away without spoiling this tense and engaging story. But the writer/artist @dustandhalos decided that both our heroes are serious clothes horses. And provided stunning illustrations of their amazing outfits in the form of magazine cover art. Loved it!

I adore the style of @dreamdust who has been releasing two illustrated stories on tumblr. The first is Six Thousand Years in Love (NR) in which we see the developing relationship of our favorite pair starting in Eden. Each story comprises about 6 parts before going to a new setting. If you liked the cold open of episode 3 of the first season of Good Omens, don't miss out on what it inspired in dreamdust. And the second is Charmed (and Witch) (NR). A beautiful femme depiction in which Crowley is a witch and Aziraphale is the maiden caught in her enchanted grove. It is a WIP updated regularly. Purrchance to Dream (M) is a lovely collaboration between writer Calico and artist @vavoom-sorted-art. It's a WIP on hiatus but absolutely worth reading and subscribing in hopes they're able to get back to it. Crowley is suffering since Aziraphale returned to heaven. But he finds himself being stalked by a fluffy white cat who won't leave him alone. The comic form of One Night in Bangor (and the World's Your Oyster) is by @anotherwellkeptsecret based on the original fic by Atalan (found here - rated E). Heaven and Hell hold their annual joint meeting. But this time, the demons have made a bet about which hellish employee will be first to bed an angel. Both versions are hilarious. Do you have any favorite illustrated fics? Bonus points if the writer is also the illustrator. Please leave them in the comments. And please follow if you want to keep up with my weekly recs based on a different theme each time.

[cyanocophrenic]

"Do you... enjoy this?"

Shit.

I need to deflect, but when I open my mouth, all that comes out is a low moan. I feel so... massive. I can barely think.

"The first time, I was just worried about you. The second time... I just thought it was a weird coincidence. But now," she gestures at all of me with both hands. It's a big gesture. "Three times feels like more than coincidence."

She's not wrong. I've got to say something.

"I've known other people who've gotten blown up, you know? And after they get... you know, fixed, they've- they've all developed phobias, or left town, or gone through really intense therapy. But you," she says, placing a palm on my exposed belly, "have been completely unfazed. You just keep coming back for more."

My skin feels electric where she touches me. Everything is so full and tight, every little brush of breeze against my exposed skin is searing pleasure. I moan again, and she whips her hand away like she'd laid it on a hot stove.

"Sorry! I know I shouldn't be so casual about this. I should really call someone to come help you." She starts patting her pockets looking for her phone. "Sorry," she says again, then she stops. She looks back up at me.

"Should I even call for help? I should, right?"

Is that even a question?

"But what if you just do this again?"

Ouch. I've been lax, I guess, but I haven't been doing this on purpose! I mean... I have thought about it, but... it hasn't been intentional.

I think.

"It just takes up my time. The medical crew's time. Company resources." She looks conflicted. "Maybe I should just leave you like this."

Oh.

I try to plead my case, deny it, but all that comes out is a halfhearted "Nnnnnnnnnn-" before she cuts me off again. I'm just too full to speak.

"I could have you transferred to taste-testing," she muses. "Putting up with weird shit is, like, their whole job description." She starts dialing on her phone. Someone answers promptly.

"Hey, you'll never guess what happened again. Yeah, again again. Third time. Yup, big enough to roll, for sure."

She absentmindedly pats my belly with her free hand, like I'm some sort of bad boy you could fit so many things in. It's thrilling, that small touch. I nearly lose it, right then and there. Thankfully though, she remembers I'm a person just in time to give me an apologetic look before clearing her throat and returning to her call.

"Can you see if R&D has any openings for a QA Consultant? I know, right? All my ideas are good ideas. She's clearly more interested in being a giant balloon full of wasted product than an accountant."

I guess she's not wrong.

"No, no need for a trip to the squeezer. Put a note in her file that she's only to be reduced if she asks for it explicitly. Maybe have them bring a safe-suit, too. Hm?"

She looks me up and down. It's a long, curious look.

"No idea what size. Big. Really, really big. Yeah. One of the ones with the belt. Mhm. Yeah, she's not exactly naked, but... yeah, let's not give HR anything to complain about. Right. Yes, I'll follow up with her landlord and emergency contacts as needed. Yup. Thanks. See ya."

She turns back to me. She takes another long look, and then sighs.

"Congratulations on your promotion," she says, with a weird mixture of sincerity and irony. "We'll obviously miss you in Finance, but we're happy that you'll be rolling onward to bigger opportunities."

Oh good, she's got jokes.

"Sorry, sorry, I shouldn't make fun. Company policy is to treat this as a medical emergency, so I'll be staying with you until help arrives."

She checks her phone again.

"If you want, I can come visit you once you get settled in? I know I've always been happy to see friendly faces amidst all the strangeness of a new job."

She looks up at me again, sadly this time.

"I was looking forward to getting to know you better, you know? I noticed how you started dressing differently after your first... incident. HR would probably have something to say about how much I was... noticing. I thought maybe you were trying to get away from the trauma by being more poised and put-together."

She kicks her heels off and slides down the wall until she's sitting, obscured by the curve of my body.

"Oh well. Probably better for everyone that I didn't start hitting on a coworker."

Wait.

"Especially not one who keeps finding excuses to swell up until she's spherical," she adds, wearily.

Fair.

"I really should have seen this coming, shouldn't I? I mean, you've been touring the factory floor on your lunch break weekly. That's on me, I guess."

She hops back to her feet. "I think I hear the Medical folks." She brushes her skirt out, and looks me in the eyes one last time. "Hey, listen... I'll see you a-round."

She smiles and rolls her eyes at her own terrible pun, and walks away.

[zingaplanet]

hi, i adore your blog so much. <3. what are your thoughts on the state of fedal in 2024, especially as we approach (cries) rafa's retirement at davis cup?

Ergh I missed this one sorry! Although this might be prime timing considering what just happened during the retirement. I've been wanting to be as candid on this as possible for a long time and voice what all of their fans are thinking but I'm afraid I might cause quite some pain. So forgive me lovely tennisblr, here are just my two cents:

If you ask me what their relationship is like now, I've got to say I have no idea and I think that's a v telling answer. Fed retired end of 2022 and has been busy doing insane sponsor stuff for the whole year. He still showed up at tennis stuff (e.g., for Andy at Wimbledon, etc) but we can never tell how much engagement he actually has with the players anymore. Hence, even though he mentions Rafa a lot more often than others, I think we need to take it with a grain of salt here because the media sharks are simply pouncing on every opportunity to get a story from this too.

One thing I am quite sad about tho, is how everything after the mega publicised retirement ceremony seems to be a bit too PR-stunty. I get it, the rivalry was a big thing in the tennis world but with that photo going viral and winning all sorts of awards, being used in motivational sports speeches etc - it kinda transcends tennis now. Federer and Nadal have both always been bigger than tennis, but perhaps now that they are getting the attention together, it's getting a bit much.

When they mentioned each other throughout interview snippets all year, only sometimes do we get to see what's going on behind the scenes. Other times, from my perspective, it feels sadly like they have been media briefed after the whole whirlwind about how to make this as positive a press for them as possible without revealing too much. On this, I have to say, Federer is still a maestro - I have never seen an athlete with as much PR talent as him. I work a lot in comms and he is a simple branding wet dream, he says all the right words you want to hear, the same message in many different versions of sentences, but never actually reveals what's going on. Rafa used to be much more of a trainwreck early in his career but he has improved so much with age. He still sometimes, fascinatingly, slipped up tho, and seemingly only during Spanish interviews, when he's a lot more honest. In several of the Spanish tv and radio interviews he did this year, he seemed to hint that on the one hand, Federer is the only one he still speaks to regularly in tennis, but on the other hand, he gives a strange indication that they're not as close as they used to be?

I think it's quite predictable though. After Federer retired, they were now freer to build on the friendship without any of the rivalry hurdles - but at the same time, I think they didn't realise how much the intensity of the rivalry played such a central part in what made "them" special. It's such a push-pull enemies-friends delicate line they've been mastering how to tread all these years. It could be difficult to find footing now that tennis no longer binds them, and their initial obvious differences (you know, the "calm Swiss maestro - passionate Spanish fighter" kinda narrative) begin to show again. I don't necessarily think this means they can't connect without tennis ever again, it's just a bit like your school friends. When you graduate, you no longer have that connection of going to class together or hanging out during recess - but the truest bonds always survived, and after a few rough years, your good friends are still there.

If I'm honest, I think they are at the point where they're a bit unsure what to do with one another but might be forced to play a bit of a part as the media has lumped them "the eternal rivals turned friends fairytale". I honestly feel like the media and public interests might have made it a bit awkward between them. You can see a little bit in their PR stuff - Rafa namedropping Fed a little and sometimes a bit tired when he constantly got asked about Federer in his post-match pressers recently, and Roger doing stuff like the letter. The letter is v generous, heartwarming, and such a loving tribute - and I have no doubt he wrote it himself but it's a v public thing that would've and could've landed better just being delivered in person directly? Or perhaps in a speech for him. But the whole social media stuff seems a bit fishy.

Of course we all don't know what he did or didn't do privately, the same goes to whether this is all really true or they are both just v busy dealing with a big change in their lives (Fed newly retired doing a gazillion sponsor stuff and travelling the world, Rafa dealing with a career ending injury and retirement) - they might simply not have the headspace --or even want-- the other to be such a significant part of their lives at the moment, as these two new things they are experiencing are something uniquely theirs.

The retirement ceremony is a whole other story I could write lots of paragraphs about (don't encourage me!). But I think if we learn something this year, I think it's that athletes unequivocally deserve personal space, and we should never meddle with their personal lives too much.

For the first time in their lives, they will now be fully retired, out of the limelight, able to enjoy all the things we take for granted (like travelling anonymously! or trying out restaurants in new cities)! It's what they deserved after giving us 20+ years of blood, sweat, emotion, and passion on the court and in the limelight. They both owe us nothing. I think if they both disappeared from the spotlight next year (albeit unlikely) or decided to just grow their friendship in private and never appear publicly together again - that is completely their right. We can only show them support and thank them for all the amazing things they did to make our childhood and our lives so wonderful.

[bluescluesposting]

Even though this blog is mainly Blue's Clues and Blue's Clues accessories, I want to give a special happy 30th anniversary shout out to two other Nick Jr. shows, I love- Gullah Gullah Island and Allegra's Window!

Both shows were part of a big revitalization for the Nick Jr. block in 1994, with mascot Face introduced about a month before. Blue's Clues also started development around this time, and can easily be considered the start of Nick Jr.'s "golden age".

Gullah Gullah Island was a really important show for so many kids. It was one of the first preschool shows to have a black family front-and-center, and put a strong emphasis on their culture. A big step in representation- and as a white kid growing up in a small town that's more diverse now, but SUPER white in the mid-90s, it was so important for me to see media featuring kids and families of different backgrounds. It was important then and still important today- I REALLY wish the Nick Jr. channel could still show reruns of it (and by that I mean, reruns at times when kids would actually be awake to watch it, not 3 AM), but at least it's on Paramount+ (knock on wood...if they took Allegra off who knows what classics are next). I bought all the DVDs of it a few years ago before they were discontinued and I'm proud to own the soundtrack album. The songs in this show are great, by the way- I think my favorites are "Friends and Family", "P-L-A-Y", and "Move Your Body". And the theme song might be the biggest ear worm theme in Nickelodeon history (rivaling only CatDog). You can find the entire series on the Internet Archive for free!

Allegra's Window might not have been as influential or important as Gullah Gullah Island- there were a LOT of puppet-based musical shows on in the 90s- but it was still a great show. It emphasized getting used to new situations (such as starting daycare), which can be hard for very young kids, and put a heavy emphasis on music in general- which actually was pretty important as this was right around the time a lot of elementary schools were starting to cut music programs as a cost-cutting maneuver. This show had SUCH a fun aesthetic and I loved the puppet and costume designs (I've cosplayed as Lindi before and I'm pretty sure Encora was an influence on my own personal fashion style). Every Jumbo Pictures show has always had such a fun but calming feel to it. Not just Allegra, but Doug, PB&J Otter, and 101 Dalmatians: The Series as well. The songs are also really good and feature a lot of Broadway-based talent writing them (as well as the human actors performing some of them!). Sadly this one slipped into obscurity; it wasn't reran as often as Gullah Gullah Island and ended abruptly during production on S3 thanks to Jumbo Pictures getting bought by Disney. Paramount+ also took it down last year for unknown reasons (among all the Nick content taken off, it was the only one over 15-20 years old- most of the removals were from the late 2000s to now), but the entire show is on the Internet Archive.

So happy 30 years to two great shows! And once again, I miss Nickelodeon Studios a lot. The shows from the Florida studio just had such a specific feel to them no matter the show or target audience (I get the same feel I get from AW and GGI that I do from Clarissa Explains It All or Legends of the Hidden Temple). I'm so glad to have grown up with this era of Nick.

[dearheart42regenerated]

MOTORCITY SEASON 2 MASTERPOST

once upon a time, over 10 years ago, just a few months after the announcement that Motorcity was officially canceled...the creators of the show took pity on their heartbroken fandom and gave us several glimpses of what season 2 might have been like. they saw how much we loved Motorcity and gave us every scrap of info they could at the time, so that we could use those scraps to imagine our own personal "Season 2" - whether it continue on in our fics, our fanart, or simply our own heads.

I'm making this masterpost so that none of this material will be lost or forgotten, and so any fanartists/fic writers still hanging around today can use it for inspiration. if there's any related material I've missed, PLEASE feel free to add it in a reblog or let me know in my inbox! I want this list to be as complete as we can make it! :)

--

The Season 2 That Never Was: A Comprehensive List

Motorcity Season 2 Rough Intro "Scratch audio by our very own Chris P." (x)

-> backup download

--

Season 2 Writer's Wall posted (and later deleted) by @chrisprynoski on twitter, and shared on tumblr by @peopleofmotorcity, these pictures of the writer's wall showed us a "rough sketch" of what could have been, and gave our imaginations SO many fun theories and possibilities to play with. every blurry sticky note was a treasure to us. :')

-> original tumblr posts: x x x x x x x x x x x x -> image masterpost -> google drive folder

--

Chris Prynoski's Fan Interview + Tumblr Q&A's this whole interview on youtube is a delight to listen to, and Part 2 in particular has some interesting bits about season 2. (skip to 17:10 for some good stuff about Texas and Chuck's backgrounds!)

-> Part 1 -> Part 2

Chris P also answered several juicy season 2 questions on tumblr. sadly his blog is deactivated now, but you can still read through all of them at the links below!

-> image masterpost -> google drive folder

--

Capri Chilton - Mike Chilton's long lost big sister! I can't remember where or when it was first revealed that they were considering giving Mike a secret older sister, and I haven't been able to track down the origin. that being said, when it was revealed, the fandom loved the idea so much that they begged the creators to make it canon. Chris P busted out the "magical canon stick", gave us this delightful concept sketch, and "Capri Chilton" was born!

--

The Motorcity Series Bible "To help you all understand what it is you are reading, this is the material that Titmouse used to help pitch Motorcity, and it was also a tool for writers to use when coming up with episodes to help understand who the characters were before there was any other reference. That being said, this was one of the very first documents about Motorcity, so many things have changed or evolved from these early concepts." (x)

-> original tumblr posts: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 -> image backups -> PDF download

EDIT: the COMPLETE series bible has now been leaked by Lost Media Busters on X (Twitter) and helpfully shared by @waksworldrebooted!!

--> here is a google drive download for the full PDF file!

--

Motorcity Series Bible - Redacted Version (Pages 1, 2, 17, 19, 20) funfact: @peopleofmotorcity was the official? unofficial? tumblr blog for Motorcity, and it was run by a guy named Mac - an animator for the show who loved to tease and joke around with the fandom. before revealing the actual first 13 pages of the series bible, he posted this censored version as a prank - a mix of truth and trolling! it's up to the fandom to decide which is which. ;)

-> original tumblr posts: 1 2 17 19 20 -> image backups -> PDF download

--

MTV Era Motorcity Masterpost a fantastic collection of glimpses into the original pilot/pitch trailer that would evolve into the show we know and love today, found and compiled by @waksworldrebooted. "In 2000, Chris Prynoski pitched a cartoon called Motorcity. He made a card and a website promoting the show, which wouldn't see the light of day until the Walt Disney Company got their hands on it."

--> tumblr masterpost (including wayback links to the old website) --> twitter sources from Chris P himself :)

--

Motorcity Unaired Pilot - 2009 Disney Version Originally aired during Comic Con 2012, the pilot was recorded and then posted on YouTube by Allison Simmons in July of 2012, later being privatized in 2022. The video was re uploaded onto VKVideo 22 days after its original posting to YouTube and is still currently available to watch online. (x)

--> backup download --> also viewable here!

--

if I find more material, I will add it here! :)

[lucy90712]

hey can u write angst with fermin?

I moved to Barcelona a few months ago but I've been so busy that I've barely explored the city my days have consisted of going to classes then going to my internship with a big law firm and then on the weekends I'm also at my internship as I truly want to learn as much as possible about what it's like to be a lawyer. Today however I actually have a day off so I'm going to explore all the tourist attractions in Barcelona and take in the city I now live in. My friends and coworkers have given me recommendations so my schedule is packed today but that's how I like things to be I love being busy. 

The first places I was told to visit was camp nou and the Barcelona training ground so that's where I went. I'm not hugely into football because my ex from a few years ago used to play and we broke up because he wanted to focus on his playing career so I’ve avoided football as not to be reminded of that time. As much as he has put me off football I feel like being here is as good a reason as any to get back into it seeing as the football team is so important to the city. My plan was to just look around as much as I was allowed to but when I arrived at the stadium they were doing tours so I took the opportunity to have a guided tour. The whole place was so cool and they had so many trophies and pictures from history and they had pictures of all the players now most of which I didn't recognise but there was a few that my friends had mentioned to me. 

After the tour I was really hungry as the tour took longer than expected so I found a little cafe nearby to stop at. Luckily it wasn't too busy there was only a few people in there and then one guy came in after me. Once I ordered I looked at the guy who walked in behind me and if I had my drink I would've spit it out because I recognised him straight away as one of the Barcelona players on the wall. I couldn't remember which one he was so I frantically searched Instagram then found out his name was Gavi which is one of the players my friends have mentioned as they think he's hot. I can't lie he's definitely attractive but he's a famous footballer so I'll just admire him from a distance. I was minding my own business until Gavi moved closer to me and started talking to me. 

"Hi I'm Pablo sorry to disturb you it's just you're so beautiful but I don't recognise you have you recently moved here?" He asked 

"Hey I'm y/n I moved here a few months ago but this is my first free day to explore" I said trying not to freak out 

"Well I'm glad you chose to come here can I get your number or your Instagram or something and maybe I can show you around at some point" he said 

I gave him my number and my Instagram and then we both went on our way. 

Fermin's POV 

Gavi came into the locker room with the coffee he always gets us both before training but this time he had a big smile on his face bigger than usual. Something had definitely happened before he got here and if I had to guess I think he met a girl that he likes because he has the same smile as the one other time this happened but sadly things didn't work out with his ex. 

"What happened at the coffee shop did you meet a girl" I teased him 

"I did her name is y/n and god she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen" he said 

That name brought back memories as my ex was named y/n. We dated a few years ago now and I broke up with her because I wanted to focus on football but I can't lie I have missed her a lot over the last few years. One of my biggest regrets is breaking things off with her as she was a lovely girl, smart and beautiful but I imagine she has probably almost forgotten about my existence in the three years we've been broke up. 

"Here's her Instagram isn't she just so beautiful I want to ask her on a date I just need to figure out what she would like" he said showing me his phone 

Instantly I recognised the girl as my y/n. From her posts it's clear that she's moved here for law school and has been working with the biggest law firm in the city which doesn't surprise me at all because she's the smartest person I know. She's also had a major glow up she was gorgeous before but now she might be perfect. I wanted to tell Gavi to back off because she was my ex and I still love her but I can't do that to him or her I can't stop them being happy just because I made a stupid decision. Still I think he should know that we used to date so that I'm not hiding things from him especially if she tells him at some point. 

"Oh I know her from back home we dated for a few months but I broke up with her to focus on football" I admitted 

"Oh I didn't know you had an ex from back home" he said 

"Yeah but it was three years ago so don't worry about it she will have had other boyfriends in the mean time don't let me stop you if you like her" I said trying to sound genuine but it hurt to say 

"Thanks man I'm just hoping she doesn't have a boyfriend right now" he joked 

~~~~~~~~~

3 weeks later 

I've been sat in my car for the last few minutes waiting for Gavi as we are spending the afternoon at my place playing fifa. I saw him approach the car and he had a big smile on his face which he often does but his smile seemed bigger than usual. He sat in the passenger seat still grinning ear to ear which means that something has happened that he's excited about. 

"What's going on with you you never smile that much" I said 

"I went on my first date with y/n last night and it was amazing and she just text me asking if I'm free tomorrow to go on another date" he said 

"That's great man I'm happy for you" I lied 

Secretly I was hoping things wouldn't work out between them and they wouldn't get past the talking stage but that was foolish of me. Y/n is a great girl and impossible not to love and Gavi is a good guy too deep down I knew that they would get along really well but part of me hoped it wouldn't be the case. I want to see Gavi happy but it hurts that it's with the girl I'm still in love with. Don't get me wrong I knew y/n would move on but I thought it would be with someone back home not my teammate and best friend but that's probably what I deserve for breaking up with her for purely selfish reasons knowing it would hurt her. 

For the rest of the day Gavi didn't stop talking about y/n and how well they get on. He showed me pictures from their date and told me all about the messages they sent to each other. All I was listening to was the stories she told him about her life since I last spoke to her. Just like I thought she would she's turned out to be incredibly successful she always wanted to be a lawyer and now she's here studying law with a full scholarship and an internship with the best law firm in the city who have already got a contract ready for her once she passes the exam to be able to practice law. When we were together she was always focused on studying and being the best she could be and she always wanted to do the things she's doing now and I promised I'd be right there with her when she did but instead I'm hearing about it from my best friend instead. 

~~~~~~~~~~

1 year later 

It has been a long season but a successful one ending with winning the league which feels amazing. To celebrate we are all having a team party at Robert's house all the team and their partners are invited as they've been through the stress of the season with us all. The party started an hour ago which is when everyone was supposed to arrive by but Gavi is yet to turn up. A few of us have text him but got no answer so naturally we started to worry but just as Pedri was about to call someone to see if they knew where he was he arrived with y/n. They have been together officially for 10 months now but she never comes to team events as she's often too busy and Gavi says she doesn't like being around loads of new people which I knew already so it doesn't surprise me. She was clearly nervous as she was hiding behind Gavi and I could tell he was squeezing her hand even from a distance. 

"I'm so sorry we're late guys y/n had her graduation this morning and I insisted we go out to lunch with her family to celebrate so it's my fault" gavi explained 

"Congrats y/n" Robert said 

"I thought you had another year left" Pedri said 

"I did but I managed to graduate early as I've done all of my required classes" she explained 

"Thats amazing well done" Pedri said 

The two of them joined the party not leaving each other's side for a while until y/n came to sit down in the only empty seat which happened to be next to me. We've seen each other a few times in the time she's been dating Gavi but not exchanged anything other than a few words. She never seems bothered by me being around its clear that she doesn't have any feelings towards me anymore like I do for her. I wish I could get over her the way she got over me but I can't because I know it's all my fault. 

"Hey congrats on your graduation I always knew you'd be super successful" I said talking to her for the for time since we broke up

"Thank you it's been hard work but completely worth it" she said

"How have you been by the way?" She asked 

"I've been good things have been good with the team I'm enjoying playing at Barcelona" I said avoiding the topic of my love life 

"How about you?" I asked 

"I've been great life has been treating me well I've got a good job lined up and Pablo has been helping me through everything thank you for not being weird about us being together I know you guys are friends and I promise it wasn't my intention to date one of your friends because I'd hate to get between you two" she said 

"It's ok I wouldn't want to get between anything if you guys like each other it's not my place to get in the way of that it's been long enough since we were together it doesn't matter anymore" I said 

"Still I appreciate how cool you've been with it all" she said getting back up to go and find Gavi

I thought talking to her would make me feel better and I could move on and let her and Gavi be happy while I find someone else but that didn't happen. It just made me wish I could be the one to celebrate all of these things with her I would've loved to have been there at her graduation or be one of the people she called about getting the job she wanted but I'm not that person to her anymore. She used call me first when she got grades back on any exam she took and now I don’t even make the list of people to tell at all and that hurts even if it is because of my actions. 

~~~~~~~~~~

A few years later 

The venue was filled with amazing decorations and people there to celebrate the special day the day that should be a happy one for everyone attending but not for me. Today is the day y/n and Gavi get married this date has been planned for months and I've been trying to ignore it hoping it would go away but here we are. Over the last few years their relationship has blossomed I secretly hoped that they wouldn't last but deep down I knew they were meant for each other. They've done everything together and if I wasn't still in love with y/n I'd admire their relationship and how perfect it is but I can't get over my feelings. 

I still remember the day Gavi announced that they were engaged, over our summer break they went away together and he proposed to her on a private beach during the sunrise with a beautiful ring and a bouquet of her favourite flowers. Everyone else was so happy for them but I just sat in the corner of the locker room thinking about how that could've been me and how I let her go. The wedding quickly became the talk of the locker room especially once a date was decided and invites were sent out it was supposed to be a perfect day and so far it has been. 

Soon enough everyone was seated and music began to play as everyone entered the venue at the end of the train y/n walked down the aisle with her dad. She looked like an angel her dress was pretty much moulded to her body and her makeup was just perfect. You could've told me she was a model and I would've beloved you she looked that amazing. She had a big smile on her face as she saw Gavi at the other end of the aisle with tears in his eyes which reminded me that I'm just here as a guest and she's not smiling at me. As the ceremony went on their smiles only got bigger and then it got to the part where they say their vows and there I wasn't a dry eye in the room. Most were crying because of how beautiful the words were but I was crying because I was thinking about what I would've said to her or what she would've said to me if it were us in this situation. 

Once the ceremony was over I had to find somewhere else to go to get myself together I thought I'd be ok and I would be over my feelings by now but I guess I'm not. If only I'd been brave enough to stay with her when I wanted to focus on football this could've been us. She could've moved to Barcelona with me and then she wouldn't have met Gavi that day in the cafe and who knows where we would've been. It doesn't matter what could've been because it's not going to happen it's time to accept that she will never be mine again and be happy for her and Gavi as they start a life together. 

[the-fictive-haven]

So here we are with yet another all-call for fictives, introjects, kins and the like from the Sonic the Hedgehog universe! Because guess what? I've been gaining my canon memories back!! Mainly searching for my canonmates but any sourcemates are so welcome to interact :)

I'll leave a description of myself/my memories and my story below the break! If you happen to remember me or anything sounds familiar, please please please shoot us a message! Especially Sage or Ivo please I miss you guys ;-;

Hi! In this life I go by Yami. I don't remember my original name, sadly. I am the twin or younger sister of the late Maria Robotnik. I share many of her physical features - blue eyes, blonde hair, fair skin, and so on, - and was blessed enough to be born perfectly healthy and never contract the same illness as my sister. I stayed on the ARK voluntarily to be by her side and wanted to help our grandpa (Dr. Gerald) search for a cure for her.

He experimented on me. I don't recall many details of this, but it undeniably happened. As a naive kid I had no idea what was truly going on, I trusted him blindly. I would turn out to be the precursor - and catalyst - of Project Shadow, after breakthroughs in working with alien DNA brought about new opportunities for research. I was given a prototype of what would become known as inhibitor rings and told never to take them off or the consequences would be dire.

I would aid Dr. Gerald in his work on Project Shadow, quickly becoming attached to the new lifeform and beginning to doubt the morality of what we were doing. But I was a kid. I couldn't do anything about it. All I could do was reach out to Shadow once he finally gained consciousness and offer support, which I did. All of my time was spent with him or looking after Maria.

Of course all good things must come to an end. Long story short, ARK raid, G.U.N. bad, lost my sister and Shadow and I were separated. Gerald had a plan to preserve the three of us but the execution was very botched, and I was the only one successfully secured and placed in stasis while my best friend was carted off to prison island. Fast forward somewhere between 45 and 50 years, a certain blue hedgehog stumbles across me and wakes me up. He was cool and all, but the moment I met Ivo I knew who I'd end up siding with. Don't get me wrong, I'm not "evil", but hey.. another Robotnik, another curious and ambitious scientist who might be just a little crazy. We clicked, what can I say?

From then on I'd live with Ivo in his lair, helping out like I did for gramps. I was sort of a neutral force here. I didn't hurt anyone or let anyone be hurt. I sided with Ivo but ultimately became friends with Team Sonic as well. And then, we discovered Shadow was in fact alive, and busted in in what was essentially a giant middle finger to the people who'd taken so much from us, taking my best friend back.

(something something Sonic Forces, don't remember that part of the timeline and I'm not sure it actually happened)

Then the time comes for Ivo and I to make a trip to the Starfall Islands to do some investigating around the ancient ruins there, and some cyberspace shenanigans ensue. I may or may not have gotten a little distracted by the Koco (they're adorable, okay?) before running into Sage, who'd already encountered Sonic doing Sonic things and activated the Titan Giganto.

God I miss Sage. Naturally we were on the same team, trying to save Ivo from cyberspace (and prevent the world ending big bad from doing world ending big bad things). She was the smartest, sweetest, most curious AI, and while she followed her directive strictly we got along fine.

Then we get to Sonic trying to take down the Titan. Spoiler alert, it's stronger than it was in the game. He almost fucking dies. But seeing him get hurt flipped some kind of switch in me. Remember the inhibitors I mentioned earlier? For the first time in years, I cast them aside, recklessly following the voice of instinct inside that told me I needed to do something. And holy hell, I'm powerful. It was really exhausting though, I could only really maintain control long enough to stop Sonic from becoming a hedgehog pancake on the ground and retreat before passing out. Sage found my rings and I had them back on as soon as possible. See, they work differently than Shadow's; they suppress whatever abilities I have completely rather than regulating it. And yes that was an intentional move by the doctor. He didn't want anyone finding out he'd shoved black arms DNA into his human grandkid for obvious reasons. But I digress.

The last thing I remember chronologically there is gradually exploring my powers there on Kronos Island. I was terrified, not gonna lie. But Sonic has a way of putting people at ease. god I miss him too. In what felt like no time I was learning to control and use my new abilities. I could move pretty damn fast! Not as fast as him of course, but it was fun to try. That's such a beautifully fond memory of mine, it makes me so happy to think about.

And there you have it, basically everything I remember about my past life. Sourcemates, canonmates, please I am begging you our messages are open and we will give you our discord! Just ask! Thank you <3

[blehblarghblah]

Update:

Hey, it's been awhile since I updated y'all!

There was one ask I got a blue moon ago about Magic Between the Moon & Sky, and I will sadly report that I do not see myself updating that series for the foreseeable future. I didn't want to be one of those authors who make a 100 oneshot series then stop, but I am just not a fan of TDP at the moment so it's hard to really find the passion to write for a fandom I'm not in anymore.

I also know a good many of you are wondering about Loyalty & Light but I can confidently say that there is nothing solid yet. Another batch of twenty chapters is a lot for me and it will take a long while for it to get up and kicking. But I am still working at it. Don't be afraid to keep asking about it or to send asks! The comments I've been getting are a great inspiration!

Meanwhile, for The Most Undoing Thing, the final two chaps are coming! Regardless of season 2, this does not change the development of the fic at all. TMUT was always set in a post-season 1 only AU formula. I hoped to finish it before season 2, but alas, I did not. That said, I am immensely appreciative of the surge of love and attention toward TMUT. I guess a lot of people are aching for some Mama Jinx after Isha, huh? ( >ヮ<).

So when's TMUT coming out? Well here's a rundown:

Arcane/Legends of Runeterra, Mama Jinx AU, multi-chapter story (Title: "The Most Undoing Thing"). Chapter 19 somtime January.

The Owl House, Lealtad Noceda big sister/beta sister AU, multi-chapter story (Title: "Loyalty & Light"). Still in development!

The Owl House & The Ghost and Molly McGee crossover, crossover AU, multi-chapter story (Title: "The Light and Molly McGee"). Still in development!

Halloween fics: yeah I got delayed, so I'm gonna aim for 2025 Halloween now hopefully...

Once again, all is subject to change of course. Between uni, my newfound interest with D&D, and personal matters, it's hard to find time to write. But I still wanna write! I love writing fics and I miss posting 'em. Fall sem is done and I am hyped to write. As always, if you're interested in these fics, I have a few asks or posts about them that you can find via tags!

In other news, I will officially state that I am now ceasing use of FFN or Fanfiction.Net. This doesn't mean I'll delete my account and all stories up there, but for the future, I will not crosspost anymore fanfics on FFN. With all the issues it's had over the years, and a new wave of scam mail, I'm just tired of it. I'm sad too, because I'm aware of the recent traction I've been getting on there as well, but I'm afraid I'm just too tired of it.

So, I'm only using Ao3 from here on out. Sorry to all you FFN users, but I hope you can find the leniency to at least follow my stories on Ao3!

By the way, tags with “bleh update” keep track of all incoming fic posts! And check out my Fandom Masterlist to see what I’m into! Also Here’s all my Fanfics!

That’s all for now. Stay safe and take care all!

Until next post,

- Bleh

[cringefailvox]

15, 17, 19 for the meme! Dealer’s choice! You can do the same fic for all three or you can do different ones, whichever is the most interesting. (Aka I can’t pick… you have so many tasty fics.)

15. talk about the characters' struggles & how you decided on those.

sometimes you scrape and sink so low

this fic let me dig my teeth into husk for the first (and hopefully not the last) time!! a missing scene post-ep5 because i've been thinking about the hallway scene ever since i watched it and feeling CRAZY. i earnestly believe that husk and alastor consider each other friends of a sort, even despite the soul ownership, and so this fic delves into husk struggling with the aftermath of alastor betraying him like that -- he thought he'd known the rules, known how to play the game, and here alastor goes overturning the board on him in a way he never had before. it was a profound breach in the status quo between them that leaves husk rattled and hurt. but alastor doesn't want that either; he wants husk to respect him, but he doesn't want husk to genuinely fear him, at least not in any personal sense -- being afraid of the radio demon mythos is one thing, but he truly doesn't want husk to take the hallway incident as their new normal.

i'm so endlessly fascinated by their dynamic mostly because of how ooc that scene feels. as in, neither of them are at their best: alastor is stressed and irritated out of his mind already from lucifer's presence + husk does what he does best and instantly zeroes in on someone's sorest spot to drive his point home = alastor violently lashing out at him in a way we've never seen him do before. it sucks! husk was just trying to look out for him! but we knew that conversation was never going to go well. this fic was definitely a lot of wish-fulfillment for me skjfghjkfd i really wish we'd gotten some kind of resolution with them in canon.

17. talk about the fic's ending. why did you end it where you did?

The Diving Bell

after a sweet and sappy closing scene, vaggie ends with a note of defeatism -- she'll tell charlie the truth about what she is someday, if charlie ever asks, but until then, she'll savor what she has until it's inevitably taken away from her. it's a bummer sentiment but it felt true to vaggie's character; she hates herself so deeply and so strongly that she's convinced charlie would hate her too if she knew the Truth -- the big, ugly truth at the core of her that makes her unworthy of anything but being useful to charlie. she knows it's inevitable that the truth will get out someday, but she isn't optimistic about how it'll go. so i wanted to end this fic on that feeling of mixed happiness/dread, where vaggie thinks she knows how this story will end, but intends to cherish what she has while she's allowed to keep it. girl let's get you so much therapy.

19. while editing, did you kill any darlings? what were they?

dragging its tail in the sea

i had to rewrite one section of this like three times to make it flow well and sadly had to cut this hilarious line:

it was just a touch too bitchy for the melancholy tone and i couldn't get it to connect to the rest of the scene, but man it still makes me giggle. and who knows, someday you all might get to see it given a new home in static shock since i gave bird custody

[ask-the-splitmind-au]

The Talk

Unfortunately, with the switch in drawing equipment and the chaos of my life lately, the end to the sliver arc was done in writing instead of art.

I want to wrap this up so I can start answering asks again, and so I can eventually bring in my next plot idea, but until then, enjoy the read.

(A tl;dr of the lore impact will be beneath the writing!)

There they stood.

The two lovers, now in different bodies, face-to-face at last.

Suns approached carefully. Why were they so scared to do this? Sliver loved them. She wouldn't hurt them . . . right?

They'd been out of touch with each other for so many cycles. It had felt like an eternity since they'd last heard her voice. They had been desperate to see her again.

"Sliver," they breathed. None of this felt real. It was all one big dream and they'd suddenly wake up, and she'd be as unreachable as she was before.

"Suns."

Hearing her voice made them want to cry. To run into those fluffy arms and never be let go. Screw everything else, how everyone wanted them to make Sliver go away, they wanted to be with her.

They had been dreading this moment from the start. They had been given a goal by the ones they wanted to call friends. The slugcats and iterators that their specimen had befriended. The goal was simple enough in theory.

Force Sliver into hiding and make sure she can never come out again.

Suns was the only one they thought she might listen to.

Sadly, they knew that the others were right about it.

"Why have you damned yourself to this place, my love?"

They froze.

There was no answer to her question. No thoughts in their brain. Everything had been removed just from hearing those words again.

"My love," they echoed, speechless.

She took a step forward. Her paws made no sound, cushioned by the soft fur that grew all across her slugcat's body. Her new form was considerably weaker, but everyone had seen it's power now.

"I had a plan for us," Sliver whispered, getting even closer now. "We would have been together at last. We would have left this world together."

She turned her head as her eyes closed. Suns saw the bright glimmer of a tear across her cheek. "Now look at us. We're still just as far apart as when we started, and now I'm trapped here forever."

"No, no, I'm here." Suns lightly placed their paw on one of hers. It was soft, warm, and absolutely perfect. "I'm here with you forever. We're in this together."

Sliver's breathing started to shake. "Oh, Suns, I love you too much to let you go like this. It wasn't supposed to go like this! Nobody was supposed to get hurt!"

"Nobody is hurt, Sliver. Especially not me." They wished they had a mouth to smile with. To comfort her and love her and give her the kisses they never could before.

But I can't now, and I never will be able to.

"But someone is hurt. Someone of value." Sliver hiccuped as she tried to formulate her words. "All of our friends- Omen and Epoch, and those long-distance ones you had- I want them to be my friends again! I left so suddenly, with no chance to explain any of it, that surely they all hate me now."

"I don't hate you, Sliver. Nobody hates you."

That was a lie.

They could tell Sliver knew it too.

"Please. Nobody's exactly been throwing any parties for me."

"Except Wind. She was pretty happy to hear about you."

Sliver rolled her eyes. "Ancient tongues, I still don't understand what you tried to explain about the whole mess I caused. Hearing people call themselves 'Sliverists' sounds like there was a cult about me."

"To be fair, it pretty much was, my Sliver of sunshine."

Her eyes widened. "My Sun peeking through the clouds. You remember our special nicknames!"

"Of course!" They said, a little frantic. "I never forgot you! Nothing about you!"

"Oh, oh, that means so much to me!"

In an instant, Sliver suddenly wrapped them in a hug. Her fur was so soft, like silk and wool together, but warm and perfect. It wrapped around them like a blanket.

They loved it.

"Suns, I've missed you so much," Sliver said, crying. "I was so worried about you every second of every moment. You never left my thoughts. You've always been the most important thing in this world."

Their heart melted. This was the love they'd missed for countless cycles. The last pearl they'd exchanged had been so long ago.

Suns' tail tensed. The others had the plan neatly laid out. It was either talk her down, or . . . well, the host body always got control after a death.

. . . I can't do this.

"Sliver, I have to tell you why I'm here. Right now, talking to you." They took her paw and pulled it close to their chest, almost right to where their scar was.

"Any-" Sliver gasped. "Your chest! Oh, what happened to your vessel?"

"It's my specimen. Or even, my offspring, if you would like to refer to it as such." Suns sighed. "I'll explain everything later, okay? But, right now . . . "

Silence.

Suns trailed off. What could they say to her? Was there anything to say at all?

"Right now . . . what?"

They felt their eyes watering. They should've removed their creation's tear ducts in the early planning stages, but it didn't work out.

"Sliver, you have to run. Run away from the others."

She looked heartbroken. "I can't leave you, Suns. Not again!"

"I can't leave you, either, but-!" Suns burst into tears. They didn't know how to explain this. Words fumbled in their head aimlessly, stringing together sentences that hardly made sense. "These are my friends! My friends want me to kill you! They want me to kill my one and only girlfriend! Do you see why this is so hard for me?!"

She was silent.

They were silent, breathing hard through flared nostrils.

"Please. I can't choose. I can't decide between you and my friends."

"I won't make you."

Sliver stepped forward and brushed her paw against their cheek. It was chilly, but soft, and they reached out to hold it there.

"I love you, Suns."

"I love you too, Sliver."

She smiled, and closed her eyes.

Suns waited and watched, pulling her into a hug.

"What's happening? Who did she hurt?!" Saint shouted, panicked and shoving themselves away from Suns. "Suns? Are you okay?!"

They nodded slowly. "Fine. I just . . . Want a moment to myself. Spears can entertain you."

And they left, back to a dreamless sleep, thinking of their love.

Hoping she'd return someday.

------‐---

Tl;Dr: Sliver peacefully gave control to Saint, Suns and Sliver are back on now that they know they're both alive, and I can finally answer asks again.

[ooapple-greaseoo]

Thundering Drums

I don't know how to feel right now. I haven't ever been a big KISS fan because I was born in 2006 and never felt a strong connection with the band. I didn't know any songs besides "I was made for loving you" and I didn't even know any of the band members names. However, now as of March 2024 I learned more about KISS not because of the band but because of a person who was in the band. The first band members name i ever learned was Eric Carr's name. I guess much like other people they felt a connection with him. I felt that when i started watching videos of him goofing off (I wasn't even listening to any of the music he made/helped make. I was purely just watching for who he was as a person). I don't feel that type of connection with any other band members like you won't be seeing me actively reading a Gene Simmons biography because I want too. Eric Carr just seemed so human. He was such a good guy and I may not have met him but hearing stories about him...I kinda miss the guy you know? How could I miss someone I never had the chance to meet? Even as I'm sitting here crying while writing this every so often glancing at the picture of Eric Carr on the face of my own copy of "The Eric Carr Story" I feel like I need to make this post. I wrote this type of post before I read the book but it sadly got deleted. However, after reading the book in basically one day I feel compelled to rewrite it to get my own emotions and feelings out. One thing I wrote in the previous post that stood out was that I said I felt empty. I get like that sometimes when I get so vested into a person its like I lose a part of myself. So I was feeling very hollow before I read the book. But now after reading the book I feel like I gave that part of myself to Eric Carr and he sorta handed me back this piece of hope and confidence to keep going with my life to strive for better things. I think for me at least Eric Carr is the best drummer in the world not just for his skill but also for who he was as a person. He is definitely one of my role models now to strive to be remembered as someone who did something. I don't cry a lot it's not who I am but when i read the book and write this post I'm crying. It really shows how in such little of a time that I've learned of Eric Carr how much he grew on me and influenced me. I'm very glad I had the chance to learn about him through the people who loved him like his family, Carrie Stevens, and the many people who befriended him. I hope no one forgets who he was and what he's done for everyone.

Keep Rock n Rollin, Izzy

Shout out to @spacefoxy and many other fans for posting so much amazing Eric Carr content. I think it helps a lot of people in many different ways.

P.S I won't speak on my own feelings of KISS the band and who they are now and what they did while Eric Carr was sick and dying. But I hope their happy because I think at the end of the day Eric would have wanted them to be happy too.

"But this too is true: stories can save us."- Tim O'brien (The Things They Carried)

[featherstorm2004]

All For One's death

I am a little confused at some of the disappointment I've seen directed at the latest chapter or well chapters, more at how Horikoshi has handled All For One. Because, I don't see how this could have gone differently given the current circumstances but to organise my thoughts I will start with the first arguments I've been seeing.

"I am upset that All For One went out the way he did"

This one I can kind of understand since with the reveal of his backstory, he has successfully (in my eyes) become one of the most complex and well thought out characters in bnha. However, due to the fact that it was revealed so late it meant that for the people who had just gotten attached to him or the people who had been craving this character development for a long time, it meant we had a short time to enjoy it and his character fully before he died.

And that kinda sucks and I get that, I wish that this backstory was revealed sooner like I would have had it revealed in the vigilante arc where Deku was exploring why villains are the way they are, maybe we could have had both All For One and Yoichi narrate it as Deku was getting used to his vestiges and Shigaraki and All For One were fused. But I understand why that didn't happen since it was clear that Horikoshi was experiencing burnout after writing the monster of an arc that was the war, plus I'm pretty sure he was dealing with a new editor/manager which couldn't have been fun.

In a perfect world Horikoshi would've taken a nice long break after the war arc and then started working on the next arcs but sadly that didn't happen. But I'm happy we got this backstory at all since it's clear he's been rushing to finish the manga as soon as possible (which I can't blame him for) and I'm glad to see he cared enough about All For One as a character to make it crystal clear why he is the way he is and that despite everything that he is in fact human.

As for the people who are mad that he's not the main villain, I'm not really sure what to tell you. Yes he is a really cool character/villain and it might have been cool to see him in all his big bad glory but this has never been his story; it's been stated over and over again that All For One and by extension All Might's time in the limelight is over, this is Deku and Shigaraki's story not theirs. Since the beginning it's been made abundantly clear that bnha is a story about successors and the legacies they carry and if you wanted a story about their predecessors then you're reading the wrong manga.

Which brings me to the next complaint I've heard, people that are upset that All For One was included in the first place.

I can understand this to a point, I too was upset when All For One barged in and tried to steal Shigaraki's thunder, it was frustrating I can admit that. But I also wasn't too surprised after all it was an incredibly in character thing for All For One to do and Horikoshi needed a believable way to handicap Shigaraki so the hero's had the slightest chance of winning, and vestiges had already been long established in this world.

But most importantly there needed to be a reason for Deku to believe that Shigaraki needed saving and to want to do so in the first place, and being forcefully possessed by the most evil man in history is a pretty good motivation to save someone.

And to be honest there was no way that Horikoshi could get away with not using All For One at all after there had been so many hints and foreshadowing to him eventually breaking out of prison, people would have lost their minds if he had never been included. Especially after he had been built up as this master manipulator who had warped Shigaraki's mind for years and had been pulling the strings of Japans underworld for a century.

It would've been seen as the worlds biggest missed opportunity so, I think Horikoshi handled it the best way he could've whilst keeping the integrity of his characters and the main theme's of the story intact.

And I think it was probably for the best that we spent that time deconstructing the myth that was the villain All For One because in my eyes he really didn't fit in the world of bnha; which has spent it's entire story exploring how people aren't born good or evil and that bad people can choose to change if they want to and that good people can also do bad things. So, to have this pure evil villain who was just born that way didn't really mesh well with the tone and message of the story, he needed to be brought down a peg or two to be made more human in order to fit in and I think Horikoshi succeeded in that.

Now that I'm thinking about it, that's probably the reason I never cared for All For One at the start as I could sense that he didn't belong in this world. And I didn't start getting invested in him until he started falling apart because suddenly he made sense in the narrative, but that's just my opinion. I'm not saying that pure evil villains can't be fun or thematically appropriate, just not for this story.

But yeah those are my thoughts of All For One's death at the moment I'll probably do more meta's about it later but I wanted to respond to the complaints I've been seeing.

[atlasscrumpit]

Platonic Bucky x reader

Interrogation

Steve watched Tony try to break the Hydra Agent, but he could tell he was getting nowhere.

He stepped out and groaned.

"Shield has trained professionals for this shit, yet we have to deal with it. She won't talk." Tony said as Bucky looked through the double sided glass and stared at you.

"Let me try." He grumbled as Tony and Steve looked at him in shock.

"Hell no, you'll trigger each other and we'll have two hydra agents to deal with." Tony said as Steve thought for a bit.

"Look, I've been in Hydra. I know how this works, I know how they train them. Let me in there and I'll get her to crack and give up the information." Bucky suggested making Steve sigh softly.

"Okay, it's all we've got to go on. But, as soon as I see either of you about to blow up, I'm stepping in." Steve said as Bucky nodded.

He walked into the interrogation room and you glanced up at him.

"Y/N, I never heard about you in Hydra, I've never heard your field name either. So, that must mean you didn't have a very big part to play." He says as he sits down and stares at you.

You keep your head down.

"Don't feel like talking, doll? That's okay, how about I talk for you?" He said as your jaw tightened.

"So, here's what I think happened in Hydra. One of the agents found you as a kid, had a tiny bit of a heard left and decided they take you home and train you from an early age. But, it didn't really stick, after countless punishments they finally got you to obey. Unfortunately you weren't as strong as the other soldiers so they mainly used you as an on field medic, barely being able to fight for yourself. But, I think you were okay with that because who ever your handler was in Hydra, you loved him." He said as he saw you tense up.

"I think you cared about him and you didn't care how many times you got hurt, all that matters was his praise and affection. Do you want to tell me who that was?" He said as you stayed tense but didn't say anything.

"Come on, doll. I know you know his real name, you probably said it a lot when you were begging him for mercy or maybe you cried out his name when he would have his way with you?" He said as you snapped and slammed your hand down on the table.

"Shut up!" You screamed as he chuckled a little.

"Name, now." He demanded as you felt your body shake slightly.

"Agent Ray Morgan." You grumbled as he smiled.

"Good girl." He praised seeing a small positive reaction from you.

"I'm sorry I had to be so harsh on you. Do you want some water?" He asked as you nodded a little.

"Alright, stay here for me." He said before he left.

"Well, props to you, Barnes. Think you can get a few more things from her?" Tony asked, Bucky nodded and crossed his arms.

"She's a lower agent, which means she was brainwashed to always follow someone above her, now that I've asserted dominance and let her know she's safe, she'll tell me what I need to know." Bucky said as Steve and Tony nodded.

After a few minutes Bucky came back and gave you a water bottle.

"I don't want to go to prison..." You whispered as he looked at you sadly.

"How old are you?" He asked, as you took a sip of the water.

"I'm 22." You replied as he did his best to hide his shock, you were just a kid.

"If you tell me what I need to know, I'll do my best to help your situation, okay?" He said as you looked up and nodded.

"Okay."

--

You had cooperated with Bucky and answered all of his questions.

He left you in the cell as he spoke to a few Shield agents.

"We're taking her to the Raft, she'll serve her prison sentence there. She's too dangerous for any other prison." One said as Bucky's eyes widened.

"But, she barely even has any kills. I have more than her and you let me go and become an Avenger. Why not her?" Bucky asked as they chuckled.

"That's because you had Captain America on your side, this kid doesn't have anyone. No one to miss her when she's gone." The man said as Bucky clenched his jaw.

"Buck, this is the best option for her. She's dangerous and we can't just accept every Hydra agent into the avengers." Steve said as Bucky nodded sadly.

The agents went in and grabbed you roughly as you tried to fight against them.

"We're taking you to the Raft." The agent grumbled as you scream, you saw Bucky and tried to get to him.

"You promised! You said you would help me!" You screamed as him as he looked at you sadly.

"Let me go!" You screamed as Bucky turned away and they quickly sedated you.

A million thoughts ran through his head before he turned around.

"Wait!" Bucky shouted as everyone looked at him.

"Leave her here, I'll talk to Fury." Bucky grumbled to the agents as they laughed.

"Bucky, this isn't a good idea." Steve said as Tony stopped him.

"Agents, listen to Sargent Barnes. We'll handle her." Tony interrupted as the agents dropped your unconscious body to the ground and walked away.

Bucky rushed up to you to check you were okay.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't do it. I could see it, I could see how much they tortured her. She's just a kid, she deserves a chance." Bucky whispered as he gently picked you up.

"Take her up to the infirmary, then we'll talk to Fury." Tony said as Bucky nodded.

When he made it up to the infirmary he made sure to update Bruce on what was happening and made sure to restrain you to the bed.

--

After three hours you woke up from the sedative, you groaned as you looked around.

Your eyes landed on Bucky beside you.

"What happened?" You muttered as Bucky looked up and smiled.

"I'm sorry I even thought about letting them take you to the raft. You're right, I said I would help you, and I'm going to. We talked to Fury and he agreed to let you live here and let me train you. So, I'm basically your handler but not in the creepy Hydra way." He said making you chuckle softly.

"You seem a lot nicer than anyone in Hydra." You replied making him smile softly.

"You deserve a shot at life, doll. And I'm going to stay true to my word and try to give that to you." He said holding onto your hand making you smile softly.

"Thank you, Bucky."