#most wanted man in rome atm

[little-red-devil]

Puli really said “if I’m gonna be anything, it’s a menace to society!”

Homie got half the other team sent off 😂

[iworshipsappho]

aaah tack for the tag!! @rosetintedgreyspaces :D <33

Favourite colour and why? ooh red and honestly idk i think i was like 4 or smth when i went oooh blood = cool and blood is red therefore red=cool and i love that for me

Five comfort movies: oof uhh red white and royal blue for sure yeah, maan karate,vip and remo are some really feel good tamil movies for me and uhh badhaai do :33

Favourite season and why? oof definitely has to be whatever we have from october to january here. literally all the other months are hot humid pressure cookers :')

Favourite book(s): YOU CAN'T MAKE ME PICKKKKK. but like the obvious answers here are RWRB, the song of achilles, one last stop, ooh room on the roof by ruskin bond one of my comfort books for sure, oh and this one book i read called my life as a book, changed my life as a kid honestly. other than that we have the toa series and uhh the iliad and odyssey which i havent gotten to yet but do love

favourite aesthetic(s)and why? mmmm im a big fan of dark academia but tbf i do love most aesthetics in varying multitudes, never really got much into it

Favourite genre and why? genre as in music or media?? idk in media it is definitely queer romance atm used to be mystery and mythology. and for music i more or less listen to anything and everything thats vibey

Favourite clothes style: baggy tshirts and shorts >>>>> but thats usually for at home. when i head out ive been layering a baggy tshirt over a white shirt paired with brown pants/jeans off late. layering is one of my favourite styles for sure, the whole academia vibes or the 'teenage dirtbag' style is what i usually go for ig

Favourite music genres: ohhh music here, yeah as i said if its good me likey

Favourite artists: oof long list coming up :]] uhh taylor swift, omar rudberg, the front bottoms, wilbur soot as well as lovejoy>>>, jeff satur my beloved bottom, cavetownnnnnn, conan gray ofc, queen and then uhh mitski

Favourite song(s): i for the life of me cant possibly pick now can i???? BUT rn ive been obsessed with theseee

Favourite fandoms: young royals fandom my beloved, closely followed by mcyt bc that was my firstever proper fandom and fuck yeah for that!!! (still very much into that so les gooo qsmp and tommyinnit my beloved) and well im not really part of any fandoms save for these and rwrb tbf? oh how could i forget!!!! KINNPORSCHE!!!! love that for us

Hobbies: oof uhh reading, writing and playing minecraft or watching cubitos on minecraft probably lmao

Care language you give: i think i usually show my care in the form of words i think? pretty sure yeah

Care language you like to receive: mmmm physical touch <333

Are you an introvert/extrovert/ambivert: ehhh its pretty fluctuating. used to be introverted, getting more and more out of my shell off late. so ambivert it is ig

Morning or night person? again idfk at this point man what even is time anymore fjdksgksfg uhh night person probably tho i like satying up faaar more than i like waking up early

City, country or suburbs and why? uhhhh never really thought about it? idk on one hand i do want the quiet of the country but idk if ill survive with the constant bustle of a city ykn. and never really experienced to much of suburban life except for when i lived in australia for a few months so yeah idk

Favourite time of day and why? that time between like 5-8. the hours go by so quick and hte fucking sunset etc etc

Do you have any religious beliefs(don’t have to answer if not comfortable)? mmm vaguely religious from time to time

What does your ideal family look like to you? again its faaar too much in the future for me to have given it a thought but but ik for sure that ive always wanted kids, so thats the only definitive there

Dream future: mmm im an author lving in a little cottage just surrounded by overflowing love and creativity and nature etc etc. very ruskin bond-esque

Dream place to visit: greece and rome for sureeee. and thenn uh nyc just for the vibes of it ykn also uhh sweden for reasons ;)

Favourite type of nature: mmmm rainforests my beloved. absolutely love the earthy smell and just how fucking alive it is man like >>>>> oh also the fucking hills of north east india. lomls would drop everything and go there again no questions asked. and ofc beaches. be aches are just based

Favourite habitat (eg jungle, desert, tundra etc): mmm i have a special place in my heart for tundras and the savannah idk why. i just love that life fucking THRIVES despite ykn the harsh(er) conditions

How would you describe yourself in 4 words: dumb, enthusiastic, creative and uhhhh complicated

If you could be another thing on earth what would it be: oooo idfkkkk theres just sooooo many options i could literally be a fucking manatee!!!! or a vampire or or a mudskipper!!!!! wait can i be food?!?!?! id be garlic man ajskdsfl the fucking irony of wanting to be both a vampire and a garlic clove oooh id love to be a grapefruit ngl. omg i could be an actual monkey???? id be one of those spider monkeys man so fucking cool. gosh i could just oughhhh creatures and inanimate shit man. so cool

Favourite type of weather: i loveeeee thunderstorms. top tier weather. as long as its not during deepavali. if it rains when im trying to burst my crackers? im sorry but earth can perish /j

If you could travel anywhere right now we here would it be: is my girlfriend's house a valid answer? bc thats where i wanna be right now baksdflsd. uhh idk tbh maybe like oooh i wanna go to puducherry ngl i miss the beachhhh even tho i literally just went like a week ago man. its right here-

Do you have any fears (serious or otherwise): ehhh not as far as im aware. not materialistic ones atleast. ive always had a fear of being forgotten or left behind

Dream job: uhh a writer for sure

Would you be a pirate/vampire/cowboy/astronaut/werewolf/wizard/witch/knight/cryptid and why? VAMPIREVAMPIREVAMPIREVAMPIRE!!!!! i literally get to suck blood in the most homoerotic way possible- what more could i literally ask for ahfjdsflk pirates/knights are a close second tho fucking love them could go on a whole tirade if i wasnt to tired for it

tagging uhh @elblorbo @stygianirondiangelo @foxtriestobiteandmaimandkilland @daylightsimon @desi-yearning @altruistic-meme @spaghett-onaplate @mirabel-on-a-bicycle

💜

[vaspider]

So, reading the thread about the moneychanger incident. I was raised Protestant Evangelical and heard the typical interpretations of its story. I left Christianity for my own reasons years ago: religious trauma, believing that its god hated me for apparently being a girl who couldn't "girl" right, spent literal decades trying to deny that I was really a gay trans man, you get the idea.

So I didn't think about the moneychanger event again until now. Now, I'm seeing the context of temple life as explained in the moneychanger thread. Like, I can't imagine someone legit going into a community center or farmer's market and bashing up the stalls and ATM. Jesus' actions as depicted in the story seem so illogical that I have to question whether the story really happened.

Apologies for my ignorance. There's a lot of stuff I'm trying to unlearn.

I think if you understand that Jesus was a Pharisee (he had a rabbi! No one else really had those then!) and he was talking about a lot of things that like...

... he was talking about a lot of internal disputes and fine-point discussions of how to best obey laws, and a lot of the stuff he said, someone else had already said?

Things start to make a lot more sense.

Around the time Jesus was preaching, Bet Hillel and Bet Shammai were the two big "sides" in what would become rabbinical Judaism. Hillel died around the time Jesus was five. To overly simplify, Hillel was "love your neighbor is the whole of the law" and Shammai was "no the word of the law is super important!"

And in that context, Jesus was a pretty Bet Hillel kind of preacher.

But then... he died. Dramatically.

And then you have Saul of Tarsus/Paul and you have a lot of people who weren't Jewish and didn't want to convert but liked what Jesus had to say (again, most of which Hillel had kinda gotten at before) kinda taking all the Jesus-ness and making something else out of it.

So if this incident happened at all, it was an internal dispute between two factions of Judaism going on at a time when a client king of Rome (Herod) was causing lots of strife bc he was enforcing high taxes and a bunch of cronyism and not paying workers on the Temple very well... and then Paul sauntered in and turned everything Jesus said into something else entirely, added a bunch of shit about women and the only mention of gays, maybe, in the New Testament, and then he died and a whole other group of people took that message during a huge war and made it into a totally third thing.

Christianity is literally founded on massive cultural appropriation, and I genuinely don't think the "Cleansing of the Temple" even happened.

But don't apologize, I came from an Evangelical background and I totally get it.

[cynthiaandsamus]

New Visiting Muse Poll!!

(On Pollmaker since Strawpoll is being shitty atm, hope this works)

So a new season, new visiting muses for this fall! I plan to have Uzaki/Nagatoro/Misato/Yoko last a little longer but might as well get this poll started because I’m starting to itch for some change.

Ayla and Kohaku: The classic cavegirl pair! These two have been on a few polls now so you should know what to expect from them, primitive shenanigans from both the rock-brained but sweet Ayla and dry sarcastic naivete from the futuristic cavegirl Kohaku!

Crim and Yamato: The “gender is complicated” pairing, Crim is intersex and clearly has the experience as a Reviewer to handle themselves at the villa (probably), Yamato models himself after a man but doesn’t shy away from his feminine charms either and is eager to see what kind of magical experiences the villa has to offer!

Kagome Higurashi and Sango: These two were a late addition to some of the previous polls but ended up doing relatively well. They’re used to dealing with demons and perverts but how can they stand up to the challenges of Cynthia’s Villa?

Calliope “Calli” Mori and Gawr “Gura” Gura: The Vtuber invasion has begun! When the queen of the sea and lady death herself descend to sew chaos in the villa, is there any hope for things not to turn yabe?

Nero Claudius and Medusa Gorgon: Servants!? At the villa!? You bet your Umus! Between the chaotic presence of the self-absorbed emperor of Rome and the stoically insecure maternal force of a monster of myth, how can you not want to see them come by?

Having trouble deciding? Send them an ask! During the poll duration all ten candidates will be open to small interview-like asks to help followers decide who they most want to see show up next as a visitor at Cynthia’s Villa!

[intearsaboutrobots]

heyyyy so you seem to be into horror movies atm. would you mind recommending a few you really like? i'm looking for new ones to watch :)

oh!! yes defs!! i am having a Films Phase atm and that is a Lot of horror for me. I'll aim to keep this to a reasonable length lol and not to succumb too much to recency bias

Saint Maud (2019)

Follows a pious nurse who becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient.

having said that... i just watched this and i can't get it out of my head. this is the kind of horror where the perspective you're tied to keeps doing things that make you go "oh no :cc".

maud's particular strain of religion is roman catholic ish so ymmv on whether you want to watch a movie w those themes - i loved it and canNOT stop thinking abt it!!

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

A monstrous spirit seeks revenge by invading the dreams of teenagers.

literally wes craven should get a nobel prize for the idea of "slasher but the murders happen in your dreams" bc the weird dream imagery is SO good. follows kind of a standard slasher model in basic structure, except now when there's a Murder Chase Sequence you can have the weird dream feeling of running like you're moving thru molasses, communicated via rad practical effects. also nancy thompson is THE most competent person on earth, i love her so much.

it does have the blood and gore you'd expect (a LOT of blood) and since its the 80s the villain has some weird horny energy towards the teens he's murdering.

Blood and Black Lace (6 donne per l'assassino) (1964)

A masked, shadowy killer brutally murders the models of a scandalous fashion house in Rome.

do you want to see some murders done in the most saturated colourful gorgeous lighting? do you not need much in the way of a plot? boy is this the movie for you! truly beautiful, i gasped aloud in fear at some scenes.

the murders do hew violent, and my friend and i both had to look away from the screen at a point bc we did not want to see events unfold further, so if violence is an issue watch w caution.

Eyes Without A Face (Les yeux sans visage) (1960)

A surgeon causes an accident which leaves his daughter disfigured and goes to extreme lengths to give her a new face.

this is a movie that is shot so unsettlingly. the camerawork is *chef's kiss* very effective and creepy. it is also a movie in which face transplants are a major plot point. you might think, as i did, that since it is a black and white movie from 1960 probably they don't have the effects to fully realise the scary parts of that - go ahead and take my word that they make do JUST fine.

aside from the face-related stuff, which you can consider as much or as little as you like to decide if you'd like to see, this is also a movie that makes scares out of someone having scarring/disfigurement and having prosthetics to cover that. if you don't want to watch that, more than fair.

The Wicker Man (1973)

A puritan Police Sergeant arrives in a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl whom the locals claim never existed.

i love this movie so much. classic folk horror, the aesthetic of a 70s crime show which appeals to me deeply as a columbo enthusiast, FOLK SINGING. it is also, Imo, not That scary???? unlikely to give you nightmares, by my reckoning at least.

what this movie Does have, if not scares, is a fair bit of nudity/sex, so keep that in mind.

The Endless (2017)

As kids, they escaped a UFO death cult. Now, two adult brothers seek answers after an old videotape surfaces and brings them back to where they began.

this is a movie that does a lot more than what it says on the tin, and goes in some weird mindbendy directions. it's been a minute since i watched it but i was SUPER impressed by the visuals. while there is certainly some Scary Business depicted, in general the camera will move off of the horrible-thing-abt-to-happen and so you only witness the effects of it, not the thing itself.

Candyman (1992)

The Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth.

see now, that description gives the idea of a simpler movie than this is. it also (tries to?) talk abt race and class, and it captures the feeling of reality slipping around the protagonist as she gets pulled into this Spooky Business.

i will highlight this since the description doesn't imply it that if unreality/gaslighting Type Things are not fun for you, this might not end up being enjoyable

------

honourable mention: the conjuring (ghosts), insidious (ghosts), hellraiser (kink demons and body horror), friday the 13th (slasher), halloween (slasher), the exorcist tv show (weirdly good?? Very spooky possession stuff), gaslight (does what it says on the tin, does it REALLY WELL)

[romewritingshop]

30 qs - 20 blogs

Rules: Answer 30 questions and tag 20 blogs you are contractually obligated to know better!

Well for the record, you are not under a contractual obligation so don’t worry 😆 I offer you immunity. I would love to get to know some of you and let you guys know me so thank you @what-do-you-mean-theyre-evil @withbeautyandrage @shewillreadyou @nikki-2406

I’m gonna tag five people:

@eleanorbloom (I love you and want to know more 🧡)

@drariellevalentine (I am slowly reading Medically Inevitable and I am loving it 💕)

@ladylamrian (Writing your request is a lot of fun and I hope you’ll enjoy it 💜)

@utterlyinevitable (You’re amazing and I’m absolutely in awe of your work 💙)

@melaninnntae (I love the way you react to my fics and I am in awe of your aesthetic 💛)

Name/Nickname: I go by Rome here but if you’re close, I’ll tell you my real name 😉

Gender: female (she/her) or (They/Them)

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius ♒

Height: 5′0 to 5′1 (I actually dk)

Birthday: Feb 3 (It’s actually coming up soon 😅)

Lucky Number: 3, 14

When did you create this blog?: 18 June 2020

What do I post?: Choices fanfics, a bunch of other fanfics (Might transfer those to AO3) Memes sometimes but important stuff, fanart. I have a sideblog: @romereadingshop where I reblog fics I enjoy reading or fanarts I like, more important reblogs on there.

Last thing I googled: “The Yorkshire Ripper” 😶 “easter chocolate usa” 😄 “yt” 🤦🏽‍♀️ 

Do I get asks?: No. I’ve gotten one or two recently but that’s about it. Nothing on my other blog. I would love asks. sounds pathetic but I’m starved of conversation. Would love an anon ask,

Why did I choose my URL?: My first original blog was chroma3 which was something Tumblr suggested. I had a sideblog I wanted to start where I did writing and posted my reviews of stuff but Tumblr sucked and I wanted my writing blog to be my main. So I deleted and restarted (Had around 314 followers on there) I write stuff and technically it’s a shop where you look around for fics to try so I stuck with Rome Writing Shop. It’s diverse and not limited to a single fandom. This is the name I’ll be known by and die by 😅 I don’t have the strength to change it.

My current projects and wips: 🤣😂🤣😂🤣 I have a dissertation and essays to complete but in terms of here: Some of the titles are on my masterlist with ‘Coming Soon’. At the moment, I’m writing Baking Love which I aim to release monthly and have a completed series. My Colt series, Meeting in Paradise is going to be retconned so I’m sorry if you wanted to read it. I’ll be deleting it soon and a new story line. I have 2 - 3 requests to write and one which I hope to finish soon and post.

Favorite artist(s) (atm): 

The Weeknd, especially with his new album After Hours. 

Michele Morrone 😍 

Shawn Mendes 🥰 

Lubalin (Really love his internet drama songs) 🤩

Song stuck in my head: 

'She stole my Broccoli’ - Lubalin (SLAPS HARD)

‘Love Faces’ - Trey Songz (Slowed version 🥴🥵)

‘Honey’ - Jessica Jimenez (🥵 Her voice)

Favorite song of all time: 

‘Hard for Me' - Michele Morrone (All versions because they all hold significance in my heart. Helped me heal through tough times)

‘Fallin’ All in You’ - Shawn Mendes (It is so romantic and honest and I just want to dance with someone on that song)

Last movie: My Neighbour Totoro (Still haven’t finished it 😅)

Last show: Bridgerton on Netflix 😂 (Cannot get over Simon) and Night Stalker (It’s about the Richard Ramirez case and it freaked the fuck out of me)

Favourite food: Anything with seafood

Food I hate: Some Asian curries 😬 Other than not much, also don’t like jalapeños

Favourite colour: Black, brown, blue, purple, green and red. The dark shades the better but I do like pink, yellow. I basically named all the colours of the rainbow 😂 I like shades more than specific colours. Hate strong pinks.

Favourite animal: Don’t really have a specific fav. I prefer foxes and really got into ferrets 😂 Animals with ✨ big ‘Fuck you’ energy ✨

What I’m currently wearing: A purple iron man shirt with black leggings. If you DM me, I’ll tell you my underwear 😂 If it was upto me, I’d wear a baggy shirt and underwear with socks.

Dream job: A writer at PB (I’m still salty at their treatment of books and POC characters) or an Editor at a publishing company. Become a part - time YouTuber

Dream trip: Anywhere snowy, like Austria, Norway or Switzerland. Also want to go to Iceland. They’ve got such pretty places there.

Currently Reading: Should change that to start but I’m gonna start reading Shakespeare’s stuff: King Lear, As you like it, Much Ado about Nothing

Currently thinking about: When will my [REDACTED] jumper come?, How much of a disappointment I am (Literally most of the time) My uncompleted deadlines and goals.

Fun Facts: Despite having a licence for two years, I don’t know how to drive. (Insurance was expensive and now I’m terrified to get behind the wheel)

I’m Muslim and Pakistani. People think I’m Indian, Goan, Punjabi (One time Arab) and they think I’m Christian or Hindu but I am a fairly religious Pakistani Muslim with liberal thoughts (To an extent, most people take advantage of my liberal opinions so I have to clarify to an extent)

Never had a boyfriend, dated or kissed anyone (Alone but I’ve done dare stuff)

Top three fictional universes: 

Choices (I want to be there with all my baes)

A world with Detectives, Murder and Mafia because I love mystery so I guess would that be Scooby Doo?

Detroit: Become Human universe or Almost Human. Love Androids with cops

[roguish-gallery]

Rogues + Internet/Social Media HCs!

Hello!!! this was requested by @geniusbee I struggled a bit with the initial prompt, so I kinda broadened the question, I hope you don’t mind! Once I got the ball rolling with this one, it was super fun to work on! Thank you again for your request!

If anyone wants to, feel free to send me send me more requests! I’d love to do more of these!

Everything is under the Read More bc this got LONG AS FUCK. (Slight TW for sexual references!)

Bane:

Doesn’t use social media. point blank

He’ll surf the web mostly for research or for communication purposes, but that’s mostly it... That being said sometimes he DOES look up stuff for fun because he’s a naturally curious guy who had limited access to education for the first 20-ish years of his life. It sends him down a rabbit hole of researching weird shit and sometimes you’ll catch him up at 4:00 am looking up how bread was made in Ancient Rome or what Cock and Ball Torture is bc he heard Joker say it once and he’s never EVER fucking heard of those words strung together like that before

Also… his fingers are simply too beefy for most keyboards. Dude tryna sit down and send Scandal Savage some fun cookie recipes she could try with her GF like

 Catwoman:

Not a lot to say here but tbh she probably has the most normal internet habits of everyone. Helps to promote cat shelter’s web pages, and will use some light hacking to find the locations of fur factories and animal abusers but that’s mostly it?

If she isn’t already an influencer, she has definitely considered it. Will sometimes post selfies of her wearing stolen jewelry just to flex. Has a legion of simps.

Clayface

Unknowingly gets into kin drama without trying to

He has... so many theather blogs, musical blogs, and obscure film blogs... someone help him... somehow he regularly adds shit to ALL OF THEM. 

He’s that one bitch who hoards all the canon URLs and there’s nothing you can fucking do to stop him.

Harley Quinn:

Her computer is slow and buggy as shit because she’s got so many viruses from trying to download flash games. Edward refuses to fix her computers at this point because he knows it’s a lost cause.

She vlogs sometimes, actually! And she’ll drag her hyenas or any of the rogues/batfam/GCPD she’s hanging out with atm into it.

She likes to go onto anxiety or depression forums and anonymously leave nice, helpful advice :)

Joker:

Mostly on the dark web, doing… things that you do on the dark web...

If he’s ever on the clean web I promise it’s only to start kin drama or to dm fucked up shit to random people he finds.

Has been known to catfish when the mood strikes him

Also? He jumps onto RP forums and either plays the SHITTIEST Batman, or an eerily accurate Batman.

Killer Croc:

He likes looking up funny videos online!!! Also! Art tutorials!!

He likes to post his artwork online under a pseudonym. He doesn’t expect anyone to really pay attention to his work, but it’s always a very pleasant surprise when someone likes or leaves a nice comment on his art.

 He genuinely cherishes all of his followers and the kind interactions he shares with them.

Mad Hatter:

It’s just hat porn and hentai. I’m sorry.

Mr. Freeze:

Normal internet habits tbh. Doesn’t really go on the internet that often because he doesn’t particularly care about keeping up to date with what’s happening.

He used to have a Facebook where he’d post pictures of himself and Nora, but he can’t really do that anymore due to obvious reasons.

Penguin:

Lightly dabbles in dark web shit (for business purposes) but otherwise he’s like an old man on the internet. Checks the stock market and shit. Responds to his emails in a timely manner. He keeps track of everyone’s internet presence but that’s mostly because he enjoys drama and he doesn’t want to be out of the loop in case Eddie starts something again and he needs to know WHY Jervis and Pamela can’t be in the Iceberg at the same time without trying to kill each other.

He REFUSES to make a social media account for the Iceberg Lounge!!!! It is too classy for that!!!

Other than that, though… don’t tell anyone… but he keeps some tabs open on some 🥺🥺🥺 some bird forums and uh 🥺🥺🥺 m🥺🥺🥺 maybe some blogs he has that are all about Jane Austen and Star Trek: The Next Generation 🥺🥺🥺🥺 n-not like he LIKES Star Trek, though!!

Also in Batman #448 it shows that him and Batman canonically play chess with each other online and you know what? That’s cute as hell so I’m gonna say that they still do that.

Poison Ivy:

Surprising no one… she mostly blogs about botany

Will ONLY go onto other parts of the internet to like and share Harley, Selina, or Waylon’s posts and THAT'S IT!!!!

She is not above getting petty in the comment section!! If she finds a video of some clown over-watering their ferns she will absolutely let them know and she will not be polite about it.

Riddler:

Canonically has the best hookup and 100% is the most active online. Like yeah he does a lot of hacking shit but he uses the internet for legit stuff too.

PURPOSEFULLY looks himself up and will argue with anyone who talks smack about him on literally any of the search results. He WILL remember your username and he WILL publicly mock you for it when he freezes your laptop or when he takes over the broadcasting waves in Gotham again.

You KNOW he has a social media account for everything. He WILL talk about how smart and sexy he is and he WILL get around any attempts made to get him blocked, suspended, or banned. 

“You fool… I have 70  A L T E R N A T I V E  A C C O U N T S”

He is the self-proclaimed tech-guru of the Rogues. He WILL harass you if you are using the wrong web browser or if you have TOO MANY FUCKING TABS OPEN FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU.

He calms down somewhat once he becomes a P.I. He’ll take selfies at crime scenes and livestream himself when he’s finding clues or chasing someone down! He’s absolutely obsessed with it and he gets super popular. He knows that he shouldn’t broadcast himself solving crimes... but... the clicks... the views... his stans...

Enjoys gaming and modding whenever he has free time.

Scarecrow:

He hasn’t been in a classroom in years but if you looked at his internet habits you would think he’s still teaching psychology at Gotham U. Responds to emails responsibly (but NOT on weekends or after 10 pm!!)

Probably wouldn’t blog these days, but when he was younger he had a page where he would discuss his psychology work.

He mostly uses the internet for research or to order chemicals but he’ll often get swept up in some inane message chain with Harley and Eddie and he HATES IT.

He has like two dozen tabs open on his computer because he forgets about them and even though some of the tabs have been there for so long that he GENUINELY can’t remember why they were there, he keeps them because it makes Edward break into hives every time he tries to watch what he’s doing online. Giving Edward Nygma anxiety sweats is easy and free and should be done often.

Two-Face:

He uses incognito mode… whenever he needs to google embarrassing questions…

He likes to peruse the dark web but sometimes he enjoys hopping onto r/legaladvice and r/relationships and reads that shit like it's the Sunday paper.

If he’s bored or is having a bad mental day, he likes to look up all the Google doodle games that Google keeps archived. they’re all really cute and are a lot of fun to goof around with whenever he’s wanting to play something light and quick!

[calumthoodshands]

RULES: 8 song prompts, tag 8 people

I was tagged by molly @staticsounds and em @redrattlers thank you both!! 🧡

Favourite song at the moment

the angel of 8th ave. by Gang of Youths, I’d say. Car ride song. Feeling infinitely song. Yk? Such a comforting voice, such a nice vibe, just 10/10. I won’t mention starting line here simply because if you don’t listen to it already, that’s you own fault for missing out, pal.

A song you associate with your favourite ship

Take on the world by You Me At Six. Which is a fucking sad song, i now realise. It is not the only song I associate with cake tbf but i won’t name the other song for reasons here. Idk, it’s the ‘i’m there for you despite not knowing everything there is’ vibe ig, because you never truly know someone through and through and so on. I also associate it with several damn sad fics somehow. Sigh. Cake do be my life atm

A song that could be about you

Idk, i have to be honest here. I don’t know myself. I don’t know why am i the way i am and idk what’s happening around me and with people around me and also it’s just stupidly unlikely that there’d be a song about me so i’m just gonna... pass here.

A song you think is underrated

Homesick by Dua Lipa and i’m gonna squeeze in a second one: Lay it all on me by Rudimental feat. Ed Sheeran. Homesick is just beautiful. It’s so, so beautiful and just... yeah. It got to my heart. I even used it in my fic because i like it so much. Isn’t a lot of her older stuff underrated anyway? Can i add another one of her songs, because Be the one is also such a fucking banger and the first song i heard from her. Lol. I really do like both the songs a lot.

Lay it all on me is actually one of my favourite songs i think ever? I don’t think i can ever get sick of it. Rudimental make sick stuff in general but this is just next level idk idk the chorus with headphones and full volume? — chef’s kiss. Can listen to it on loop for hours i think.

A song that reminds you of a good memory

Y’all this is gonna be such trash to some of you i think but if anyone does listen to it — it does slap. It’s called Keine Liebe by RIN feat. Bausa. The bass, man. The chorus. The recycling of Du trägst keine Liebe in dir by Echt. The day this reminds me of my best friend’s birthday and i think we had maybe the best day and party ever. I felt like myself that day and i don’t think i’ve ever felt that good in my own skin and mind, so. (Mimi if you see this tell me your opinion here lol)

I’m gonna name one more: More than you know by Axwell /\ Ingrosso. Summer ‘18 in Italy. Best summer of my life, with some of the best people. Take me fucking back to the beach and Rome and Capri, island love of my life. This song slaps and i think it’s one of the songs i heard the most times during a limited period of time. It was insane. I’m impressed i haven’t gotten sick of it actually lmao.

The last song you listened to

Stockholm Syndrome by One Direction. It just slaps and has the ideal Zayn and Harry vibes i love about Four so much. 10/10. Also perfect showcasing of all of their voices here. And the harmonies, sign me the fuck up, ‘tied down’ — harry styles, come here now. Remember the video where he sings the echo of ‘done’ and is so proud of himself? Lol. Baby, look what you’ve done, done, done, indeed.

A song that makes you laugh

Yodel it! by Ilinca, Alex Florea. I’m sorry, the attempt of trying to make yodeling mainstream-appropriate is just so amusing me. Like, they’re serious about this. I’m sorry it’s fucking funny to me. You shouldn’t be surprised that it’s an ESC song either here lmao (mili pspspsps). The yodeling in the end has me so goddamn weak it’s so over the top like ma’am are you in a race here — i can’t talk about this I’m already laughing.

A song you want your mutuals to listen to

I’ve talked so much here already so, all plain: Witchcraft by Bohnes. 10/10.

I’m tagging,,,, @talkfastcal @bente-gifs @calumsash @highscal @faeryphilia @till-the-sunshine-fades idk if y’all did it already, and no pressure ofc!! 🧡 i can’t count to 8 sorry <3

[ghost-of-jupiter]

Not My Name (Part 1)

Summary: soulmate au with Jason Todd. People have their soulmate’s name on them from birth. When the reader meets Jason Todd, they recognize his name as the one sprawled across their inner thigh. However, the reader has been going by a pseudonym. How long will it be until they give in to the urge to outs themselves and potentially be put at risk?

Warnings: cursing. Some angst and thriller.

The burner phone wedged between your ear and shoulder rang as you waited for your friend to pick up. Acrid odors greeted your nostrils as you stepped off the subway, piss most likely. You were still surprised that cell phone coverage had extended even this far down. Gotham just didn’t seem to be the type of place to have tech in their subway stations. At all.

Paranoia slowly sunk it’s claws into you as you glanced around. You pulled the bill of your cap down further. You tried to seem as grounded and not, well,  scared as you were. Stay invisible.

“Hey,” the gentle voice of your friend greeted as he picked up, pushing your anxieties aside just a bit. “I take it you just got off the subway?”

“Yeah... at 14th,” you responded quietly.

“Okay, head south,” he paused. “You still have the address?” You responded affirmatively. “Good, keys under the mat. Shitty hiding spot I know but it’s only been there like an hour.” He attempted to lighten the mood and you appreciated it, a small smile lighting face.

“Remember to avoid cameras! ATMs have them so I had the bank send a second credit card to the apartment. They’ll think I’m on a business trip to Gotham so no problems there.”

“I’ll pay you back I-“

He scoffed. “None of that. I’m a fucking lawyer working for the biggest firm in America. I think I can take on some financial burden to protect my best friend.” The emphasis on the word ‘burden’ made your lips twitched into a small smile. Sarcastic bastard. A beat of silence passed as you ascended the stairs. It had been so long since you had been to this city and you paused to look around. The promise of impending fall lingered in the air as you noted a slight chill go through your body. Good, you thought, more layers would be easier to hid in.

“I-” you cut yourself off with a sigh, knowing how stubborn he could be. “Thank you, Tom.”

You could tell from his chuckle that he was pleased. “Security at the building knows you’re staying in my apartment and won’t bother you. Be warned, there are cameras in the lobby but try not to seem suspicious, alright?”

“Did you give them my fake name?”

“Yeah...” you could hear him shuffling around a bit, his dog barking in the distance. “Make sure to check in frequently. Nick and I will look into our next options, alright?” You agreed. “Alright, gotta go. Love you, call me soon!”

“Love you too,” you mumbled while hanging up.

As you moved through the dreary city, you kept your head down and simply dodged any oncoming people. The dark towering buildings of Gotham caged you in but at the same time, gave you a little hope that you would be hidden within it’s shadows. The walk was short and easy, but unnerving. The hair on the back of your neck stood on end, it felt like eyes were on you at all times. You didn’t breath easily until you were in the comfort of Tom’s apartment.

Even though you were happy to be away from people, you still did a sweep of the apartment, making sure nothing was out of place and nothing was suspicious. You knew it was unlikely that anyone knew you were here or that it had been bugged, it helped easy your nerves just a little bit. The second thing you did was unpack your large duffle bag. Beyond clothing and necessities, all it really had was your official papers (id, passport, etc), a phone charger, and a pistol. You let out an uneven breath as you placed the weapon on the table. This is the safety lock. Be careful there is recoil with it. Arms like this, yeah. Nick’s words rang in your head, this was real. You were shocked by how heavy it was and still couldn’t see yourself using it even in self defense.

“Credit card,” you mumbled to yourself, breaking the spell of the glinting metal. You needed food and food required money so unfortunately that meant braving the world one more time. “Fuck.” With a sigh, you rubbed your hand over your face, tired and drained.

You grabbed the hat one more time, a common Gotham Knights baseball cap and fixed it to cover your face. The plain, baggy navy hoodie worked to obscure your figure. One more look over confirmed that you looked like an everyday Gothamite. Deep breaths.

You avoided the elevator, less chance of being on camera, bonus: less people. The card was in the mail, just like promised and you headed once more out to the streets.

About an hour later you were a block away from the apartment building, arms laden with bags. It was going fine, no one paid you attention (though the burning feeling of eyes on you persisted). A sharp hit to your shoulder sent your bags flying, eliciting curses from you, directed at the man that bumped you. He looked at you, surprised as though you had materialized out of nowhere.

“Seriously dude?”

“Shit, sorry,” his voice was rough. He shoved a hand through his black hair a shock of white in the front, looking flustered. You gave him a roll of your eyes but mumbled something along the lines of ‘yeah it’s fine.’

He awkwardly helped you gather the strewn groceries. Had your anxieties not been going haywire, you would have noted that he was attractive with blue eyes, and a tall, muscular body. When you had all your bags back, you walked away, ignoring the fact that he looked like he wanted to say something else.

Back in the apartment you kept yourself together long enough to put away the groceries. By then you were too tired to cook and the anxiety had left you with no hunger.

You paced in the living room, which was an open concept with the kitchen, giving you a direct eye line to the daunting gun on the table. By the time your feet were tired, you were able to at least sit down and realize pacing solved nothing. Unfortunately. You decided another sweep of the apartment may help though, so thats what you did.

After debating it for far too long, you took the gun into the bedroom and placed it in the nightstand. The bedroom was typical with white walls and nice furniture. The comfortable looking sky blue duvet was no surprise. Suddenly you were appreciative of Tom’s taste for the finer things. The apartment overall was very nice and you couldn’t fault it. Thankfully he was also concerned with security, you mused. Your nightly routine was short and you quickly got into bed before you could get yourself stuck in another loop of bad coping mechanisms. Maybe something else would help you relax, the tense muscles of your shoulders beginning to ache.

You picked up the book on the opposite nightstand and began to read. The words ran together and you couldn’t untangle them, causing you to re-read the same paragraph over and over. Then you attempted to meditate. All you saw was red and yellow and orange. You glanced to the nightstand where his white noise machine sat. When in Rome... Almost immediately you regretted that decision as the noise simply overwhelmed you.

After a few minutes of sitting in silence, the room dark, your eyes felt heavy, but your anxieties spiked. You tried to sleep anyway. Eventually, the world faded away and you slept. It was not restful.

You hummed as you stirred the ingredients in a bowl. A song played that you kind of knew - not enough to sing but enough to sway your hips. Your apartment was cozy and exactly how you wanted it. Intense eyes stared at you from the window of your apartment, you could feel his fiery gaze.

Burning. Burning. Burning.

The bowl slipped from your hands, flames rose from the stove, the oven roared to life.

“Mine.” His voice melded with the sound of the flames. “You are mine. Do not run from me.”

As the flames spread around you and your apartment fell away, he rose before you. Intimidating figure cut from stone, eyes of fire, hair of gold. The god he thought himself to be, brought to life.

Breathe.

The roar and crackle of the fire intensified until it was so loud you had to clamp your hands over your ears. The god’s lips move, smiling as he does. The words his lips formed repeated. Over and over. Over and over.

Slowly, you removed your hands to be met by not a roar but deafening silence. You couldn’t hear the god. Now, you could read his lips, “I will find you. Do not worry. I am coming. I love you.”

Breathe, fucking breathe.

[hoochy-coo]

I can’t pinpoint why but gigi (and Bella) seems very young to me like in her style and approach to things. I feel like she depends a lot of validation from social media like the reaction to her latest ig post will leave her gratified until it turns negative. I think in her ideal world, her and zayn would be like Blake and Ryan but he won’t play ball unless he’s promoting for himself. Like they’re pregnant but still no hint of engagement? He has it perfect, Gigi tied to him but no commitment

- Like don’t get wrong, congrats to gigi and romee and Sophie but I cannot imagine wanting a baby at 24 especially not with their money and opportunity-there’s plenty of time for that and let’s face it that guy is most likely not going to be your forever partner

It’s probably a combination of the Hadid’s sheltered lifestyle while growing up and their mother constantly making them crawl on their hands and knees for validation. I actually think a lot of that nepo squad are like that though. 

I’m not too sure if she’d want to marry Zayn anytime soon though...? I agree that in Gig’s ideal world, they’d probably be a power couple ala Blake and Ryan but idk why she’d think a life-time commitment would be a good idea, especially atm when he’s not the most stable mentally or health-wise. I feel like she probably wishes they were more solid as a couple but he’s not in the headspace to be anyone’s husband and I think she knows that too (you would think anyway after everything they’ve been through). I presume that the baby was unplanned and that she’s decided to keep it anyway. Do we even know how much of an active role he’s planning on taking as a father and partner? They’re always going to be tied through the baby but if they break up, she’ll be fine. Her and her family alone have enough money to raise a whole daycare by themselves so she doesn’t need to depend on him for anything but maybe a photo-op if she wants. 

In terms of Sophie (idk enough about Romee and her partner), Joe is like her dream man and they seem to have a really stable marriage so them having a kid isn’t all that odd to me. I sure wouldn’t want to have a baby at 24 but these celebs are rich and they have access to all types of resource to raise a kid. I know some people prefer to be younger parents so I can respect that if you feel like you’re financially and mentally prepared to start a family. 

[madonna-la-cardinalessa]

Another tag by my beautiful friend @tiffany-of-wales which I am glad to do finally :D

Flower tag:

jasmine; what mythical creature do you wish actually existed? 

Unicorns. And I also believe that what we call mythical creatures once did exist and somewhere still do.

lavender; soundcloud or vinyls? 

May I say CDs instead? I always like to have a CD booklet and like own the CD, putting it in my cupboard and say “ Look, I own this.” – not only on an online platform.

 primrose; what book does everyone right now need to read? 

Hmmm. Everyone? I do not think every book if for everyone but I recommend classics from Goethe, Schiller, Lessing and Shakespeare.

 lunar mist; do you like wearing other people’s shirts/jackets? 

I share some clothes with my mom. But if I had a boyfriend rn I would love to cuddle in his hoodies at times I think^^”

 bird of paradise; what was the best thing that happened to you this month? 

That I finished my bachelor’s thesis. I learned so much and I hope the work was worth it so that I pass it and get a good mark!

 gardenia; what’s a promise you’ve recently made to yourself? 

That I will try to get things done now that I have time during Corona.

 lion’s fairytale; would you rather be the sky, the ocean or the forests? 

Forests!

whirling butterflies; would you kiss the last person you kissed again? 

Definitely not Ö.ö

marmalade skies; do you plan your outfits? 

Yes!

 apricot drift; how do you feel right now?

Bored. I don’t like the current situation.

 everlasting daisy; what’s the last dream you remember having? 

Omg this night I dreamed sm shit, I swear. I was horse riding at night in the forests (no sane soul would do that lol) and found a deserted planetarium.

queen’s cup; what are you craving right now? 

Getting a good mark on my bachelor’s thesis xD Oh, and I hope that I will be able to visit Rome this year – we had to cancel the Rome trip that was planned in a week for obvious reasons..

 lavender dream; turn ons/offs? 

Dangerous vibes/ being clingy and/or wimpy.

 water lilly; when was the last time you cried? 

Last week I think. Maybe the one before that.

 lily of the valley; did the one person who hurt you most in your life apologize?

No.

 winterberry; do you bite or lick your ice cream? 

Depends, actually I do both.

 honey perfume; favorite movie ever? 

Hände weg von Mississippi (2007), Die Wilden Hühner (2006), most Studio Ghibli movies.

 desert rose; do you like yourself? 

Yes, I do.

 snapdragon; have you ever met or seen in person a celebrity? 

Yes, I did.

 night owl; how many countries have you visited? 

Only 5.

heliotrope; have you ever been in a castle?

Many, many times. I love visiting castles and monasteries.

 creams and sky; what’s the craziest/bravest thing you’ve done? 

Riding nearly every day into the woods with my high speed thoroughbred? xD Does that count? My girl is FAST.

 lantana; what’s on your mind right now? 

My horse Poly <3

 pumpkin patch; what’s your zodiac sign?

I’m a Capricorn.

 tulip; name 5 facts about yourself.

1. Even though I may look like it, I am no party girl at all.

2. Since childhood I had to deal with envy towards me which is why I never had many friends.

3. My best friend and I broke up several times – we’re both stubborn but we love each other a lot.

4. My love for history started with a documentary I watched when I was about 14. It was about vampirism in the balkan states. And it manifested with watching “The Tudors”, since then I knew that I wanted to study history – and now I do.

5. Without my friend Sandy I would have never settled down in church history during the Renaissance.

 daphne; do you believe in karma?

Absolutely.

 queen of the meadow; ever been in love?

Never with a person from this time period, no. I hope I will in near future tough.

 wisteria; whom do you admire and why?

People who don’t spend their time with overthinking what other people might think of them.

 angel’s face; what was your favorite bedtime story as a child?

The tales my father invented for me.

 remember me; did you make someone laugh today?

My dog when I offered him a bit of my banana.

 iris; do you believe in ghosts?

Yes.

 lilac; if you could go back in time which time period would you visit?

That is hard. Renaissance Italy sure is fascinating but 17th century Europe comes to my mind more often, it’s weird.

 caramel kisses; would you want to live forever? why/why not? 

Maybe not living forever, But I would not mind at all staying young and beautiful as long as I live xD

 primula; what makes you sad?

What mankind does to the world, to the earth to it’s creatures: plants and animals. I think we deserve to suffer and die out.

 rain lily; was today typical? why/why not?

No, since everything is upside down thanks to Corona.

 queen anne’s lace; who do you trust the most?

Myself.

 Lady’s slipper; what did you have for breakfast today?

Toast with Nutella and fennel tea. <3.

 forget me not; do you have any regrets looking back in your life?

I wished I had done more social things during my teens. I was always studying and reading with my head in the clouds. I wonder how things would be different now when I had been in relationships earlier etc.

 lunaria; what’s your favorite fictional universe?

Torn between LOTR and Harry Potter.

 violet; favorite tv show?

Borgia, now and always.

 sunflower; share a favorite quote.

Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it.

 snowdrop; what does your ideal day look like?

Getting up early, go seeing my horse and take a long ride into the woods. The weather would be cold but sunny. After having a nice lunch with my mom I would relax in the afternoon and then go visiting my best friend, for dinner we would have sushi and watch a nice movie together like best friends do. When I got home I would watch an episode of Borgia to relax and then go to bed <3.

 tiger lily; do you have any hobbies?

Reading, writing, history, horse riding, dreaming…..

 peony; share a small random book passage that means something to you.

In Neil Gaiman’s Coraline when Coraline is about to find the last child’s soul and the other crazy old man says: “You’re too clever and too quiet for them to understand. They don’t even get your name right.” I feel that sm.

 tea rose; what’s something you always wanted to do but were too scared?

Partying maybe? I am a very shy person and would feel uncomfortable but I am afraid I miss something always staying at home at night.

 honeysuckle; do you usually date people your age or older/younger?

Mostly about my age, but I like the guys to be older than me tbh.

 sweet pea; who means the world to you?

My horse Poly.

 love in the mist; best books you’ve ever read?

Actually I really enjoy Ludwig von Pastor’s History of the Popes. It may have it’s flaws but I it is really good researched and I appreciate all the notes and footnotes. Even though it’s academic literature it is still enjoyable to read.

 foxglove; who is your favorite cartoon character?

Sailor Moon! If that counts as a cartoon.

 magnolia; coffee or tea?

Tea, I have one right now.

 crown imperial; would you rather be extremely rich or extremely loved?

Can’t I have both?

 snowflake; are you a dog or a cat person?

I love both but probably more a dog person.

 bell flower; what is your biggest addiction?

History.

 cosmos; do you ever think about the galaxy?

Yes, we are so small, aren’t we? And yet mankind pretends to be so special and to know everything. How pitiful.

 moonflower; what’s your favorite color?

Fir Green.

 freesia; do you have a good relationship with your parents and siblings? why/why not?

I think so, yes.

 sundrop; are you a morning or a night person?

A morning person.

 poppy; have you ever dealt with a mental illness?

Yes, but I try to lock it inside.

 clover; how would your friends describe you?

Calm but clever.

 dandelion; do you consider yourself and extrovert or an introvert?

Introvert.

 lilly; what’s something you love watching/reading but you are too embarrassed to admit you do?

In romance novels I am always waiting for the s*x passages lol xD Probably because this kind of thing is missing in my life atm xD

 anemone; describe yourself in 3 words.

Astute, spiritual, special.

 lotus; best memory as a child?

The holidays in Bavaria. Nothing was more beautiful.

 angelonia; what is your eye and hair color?

Smokey grey, blonde.

 dahlia; do you like crystals?

Yes.

 buttercup; if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

Let everything bad for the environment disappear.

 baby’s breath; what’s your hogwarts house?

Slytherin.

 calendula; biggest pet peeve?

Pollution.

 blanker flower; would you rather go to a cocktail party with your best friends or stay home and read a book/watch a movie with your pet?

If you read everything till now you will now – stay home with my pet and watch a movie/read a book. xD

 blazing star; share a secret.

Why would I?

 carnation; would you rather live longer or happier?

Happier.

 petunia; who’s story is your biggest inspiration in life? why?

I stopped looking for rolemodels but try to live and be the best I can.

 bluebell; do you wear glasses?

Nope.

And I tag everyone who wants to do this :D

[ourpyrrhicvictory]

a multi-muse survey

tagged by @praeludio​

CANON MUSES

name of your favorite muse: here i would have to say rabastan ? because that’s literally my boy whom i relate to on every possible level ( save the serial killer supremacist part ) , but cedric is a close second because my son

name of your very first muse: ever ? was an oc. it was aramis. he’s evolved so much. but first hp muse was frankie longbottom then sirius soon after. but like yeah frank has also come so far and i am so proud of him. 

name of your meanest muse: i would definitely say fenrir is an absolute dick , but mulciber is probably the most callous and unforgiving? like fenrir at least has some charm when he needs to. he can get one over on you. cassius just doesn’t care. he probably has a bit of charisma in there somewhere , but why use that when you can literally just shred someone into pieces or walk them off an astronomy tower ? 

name of your nicest muse: cedric !!! literally like i said , he is the absolute nicest. not to say he can’t have his moments because everyone does. he is very competitive and sometimes , that gets to his head , but for the most part , he’s gonna have everyone and anyone’s back when need be

name of your most troubled muse: definitely bastan. it’s not just due to the things he’s been through but how he reacts to them. he’s essentially had to split himself into two different people , and his disassociation is so bad that he doesn’t even need to do it consciously anymore , so there’s this shadow of a man doing horrible and horrendous things , and then there’s this shell of a man who just wants to be accepted , to be loved as hard as he loves. and those two are constantly at war because one cannot possibly advocate for the other , you know. so yeah

character you have the most muse for atm: always bastan. fenrir. roddy too. cedric again. they never really shut up so that’s cool. amycus and mulciber too are always loud af. complaining but nonetheless.

two of your muses that would never get along: bro do you know evan and mulciber absolutely fucking hate each other? or rather , evan despises mulciber , and mulciber is mildly scared of evan. but also rodolphus and frank ? WOULD HATE EACH OTHER. they’re literally two sides of the same goddamn two-faced coin but alas

two of your muses that could be best friends: in an effort not to be too basic, i would probably say that rowena and minerva would be dope ass best friends. alternatively , godric and ron would get along way too well for the world NOT to be in trouble. it’s just facts.

two of your muses that would make a cute couple: rowena and minerva are still winning. just because they would sit there and judge people together and hold hands and then duel before bed and shit. but also probably cedric and viktor? because viktor needs some sunshine in his life because i doubt he’s ever fucking seen any where he grew up , and cedric is the sun embodied? so yeah. yeah

two of your muses that are most similar: ernie and marcus are actually a lot more alike than i saw coming. the thing is that ernie is way more pretentious , which is wild. but also , even though it’s kind of expected, draco and bastan are a lot alike INDEPENDENT OF being related. like i didn’t want to do the traditional fanon thing of playing someone’s kid exactly like them , so i parsed out a lot , and still. draco has a lot of the quiet cunning his father has , which of course could also stem from his mother , but nonetheless. there are just some mannerisms that coincidentally end up showing in draco’s replies without my meaning them to , so that’s kind of cool.

name of the muse you’d be best friends with irl: definitely cedric. we could go through transition together , and i’d be cooler by association. but also neville and i would be good bros

name of the muse you’d probably hate irl: i could never imagine sitting anywhere near mulciber without wanting to throw him off a bridge. like legitimately , fuck him. 

a faceclaim you’ve been eager to use: i want to use SOOOOOOOOO many. i’ve had a few in my back pocket just waiting for an opportunity (most of which i wont share because they arent used much rn so prime opportunity for me to be UniqueTM), but some would be  ja.ke g.yllenhall , ya.hya abdul mateen , d.ev p.atel , and alg.ee sm.ith as it stands. 

OC  MUSES

name of your favorite muse: efraim is my guy. on this blog at least , i love this man. he’s such a good man , but he’s not at all like any other muse on this blog. if anything , he’s a meta-analysis on the hypocrisy of every muse on this blog. he knows that no one here is a good guy. he wouldn’t even call himself a good guy , and he’s content on calling out every british wizard’s bullshit without prompting. 

name of your very first muse: aramis was my first muse on tumblr , he was an hp oc. he’s evolved since then immensely but yeah i still love him the most

name of your meanest muse: all of them are pretty blunt and reserved , but not inherently meanrome is probably the most blunt and likely to come off rude. anora is kind of an oc though so her probs

name of your nicest muse: aramis is probably nicest once you get to know him yeah , but if we count isaiah ( again an oc in practice but the concept is canon ) , he’s definitely the nicest.

name of your most troubled muse: aramis for sure

character you have the most muse for atm: i can always write my ocs , but efraim for sure.

two of your muses that would never get along: isaiah and anora could not ever. rome and cal would probably have some issues.

two of your muses that could be best friends: defintiely aramis and efraim

two of your muses that would make a cute couple: anora and efraim might...but no not really so none really 

two of your muses that are most similar: rome and aramis

name of the muse you’d be best friends with irl: for sure aramis

name of the muse you’d probably hate irl: naw none of them 

a faceclaim you’ve been eager to use: same as the other ones ? 

Tagging:  @aefintyr @opheleian @pridcful @oflightndarkness YOU

[oakpear]

Tag game from @dzhonah (thank you for tagging me!!)

Tag people you want to get to know better: @blacksmithfemme @vleabag @oakfern (although you don't have to if you don't want to ofc!)

relationship status: single and trying to work through the mountain of trust issues my ex left me w before moving into anything else atm SJGKDJDJGKFJDJ

Favorite colour: close tie between blue/pink

Favorite food: I change my mind on this like every month but rn it's these blueberry white chocolate cookies my mom made earlier this summer, I've been dying to get the recipe for them! Also Miso Soup and Pork Gyoza are just an unbeatable combo

Song stuck in your head: an off brand one for me but When I'm Done Dying by Dan Deacon! Specifically the second verse has been ringing in my head since I stumbled onto it the other day. More on brand is Paradisin' - Rina Sawayama sjgkgkfjgifjgkdjgjgis (ALSO I just saved both of pinc louds' albums I have to give them a listen!)

Last thing you googled: 'bus 14 [town I live in]' lmao

Time: 12:30pm i work my final shift here in abt 8hrs but I am! not even remotely tired!

Dream trip: this is the hardest possible question for me BUT a tie between touring Scotland, visiting Edinburgh, and the couple villages my family's from, and going to Italy again, particularly Rome since I only got to spend like, HALF A DAY there.

Last book you read: do comics count? It's a lil embarrassing but it was Avatar: the Last Airbender - Smoke & Shadow JKFDJGJDJDJJ I tried reading through the all the comics after rewatching it but got bored at after this one

Last book you enjoyed: Currently reading Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro and I am LOVING it! I can't make any claims that I exactly GET all of it but I'm having a great time trying to parse through it!

Favorite thing to bake/cook: oh man I made a really basic tomato bisque pasta the other day and like, again it was basic as hell but after a long day it was so good it almost made me cry knowing I won't get to cook stuff like that in my dorm SNFKJDJGKDHGJDJ

Most niche dislike: Ok this sounds more pretentious than I mean it to but reading fancasts from people who don't know anything abt film production. Like reading them and going "oh yeah aesthetically these 6 A Listers you've chosen would fit their parts! I want to know which demon you plan to sell your soul to to get the budget approved to not only pay all these expensive ass actors but ALSO to actually make the adaptation of this YA Fantasy novel." As I said it's pretentious as hell but it gets me GOING sometimes for no reason JDHFGJJJFJDJGJFU

Opinion on the circus: oh p much exact same, acrobats are cool as hell but the animal stuff is so messed up

Do you have a sense of direction?: In life? I like to think so! I've felt pretty lost for the past few years since graduating, esp w covid throwing such a wrench into things but since getting accepted into film school and finally allowing myself to come to terms w being trans I really feel like I have a lot to look forward to right now! Physically tho? Absolutely not I get lost all the time and idk where I'd be without google maps JGKFJDJKGDJFDH

[badheart]

RP PLOTTING CHEAT SHEET.

Want new-and-exciting plots for your character? Long to reach out to more of your followers, but don’t know where to start? Fear not! Fill out this form and give your RP partners both present and future all the of juicyjumping off points they need to help you get your characters acquainted. Be sure to tag the players whose characters YOU want more cues to interact with, and repost, don’t reblog! Feel free to add or remove sections as you see fit. Template here.

mun name.   Snow, Snu or SnuSnu for the ;DD  ooc contact.   IM, m too lazy to check discord 

who the heck is my muse anyway.     All canon, with 75% being total assholes. One is a human with hollow and shinigami powers, seeks revenge and answers and is pretty much against Soul Society. Another worked for the greatest man ever once and is now bored to no end and wants to kill a certain shinigami brat. She worked for him too and is pretty much lost now, but still tries her best, save her. Another woman, Shinigami though and very bitter and probably won’t bother unless you hold some great potential and are probably him. 

points of interest.     mostly interested in his goal. just wants to be respected and be somewhat entertained, hueco mundo is pretty boring. she has no issues to do the whole day absolutely nothing, your company most likely won’t be necessary but some change would be really nice anyway. whereas shu has plenty of interests, but she has no reason either to share those with some random people. 

what they’ve been up to recently.      turning ichigo’s life into literal hell, still searching for answers though, calmer now with being dead. nothing but training, he lacks hobbies. standing around and trying to keep las noches safe, really being a hollow sucks. probably creating more art pieces, music, clothing, puppets and having occasionally a good fuck. 

where to find them.      living world, japan, in da city and later in soul society. hueco mundo. also hueco mundo. soul king palace, super rarely in soul society. 

current plans.     ANSWERS. getting stronger, find some form of entertainment. also getting stronger, find some way to help her people. either keep doing her job or change everything.

desired interactions.       i would not mind seeing kugo with a boyfriend or something, meanwhile if possible explore his past somehow. grimm getting attached again, no doubt i love ships a lot, perhaps finding some more meaning in his life again. someone love harri finally, foreplay, i really am curious how she would deal with it or actually feel something more again, so make her fall in love, also interactions while she is imprisoned are interesting. shu should just have her fun or find some to love again. meanwhile i would love to interact with supernatural muses, curious how mine deal with them. or a family AU, or ancient rome AU orr ... whatever could catch my interest. 

offered interactions.      random ones? even unplotted stuff could turn into something interesting, some random talks are nice too. 

current open post/s.     tag me and i will instantly reply if its short |’D i have none atm.

anything else.      win me as rp partner and u shouldnt regret it, at least when we get both hyped about the interactions between our muses. i love ships, since they inspire me often to draw more content of my or our muses. but only love them as long they make sense. idk if anyone bothers to srsly read this but woah ♥

tagged by: @illholy, thankies!!   tagging:  @blackcuttingmoon, @aizen-sousuke, @iliyovunjika, @heavenxpiercing, @blessedfate, @corrupter-of-sanctity, @vaciic, ... c:

[mayorwhiskerss]

ABC Tag!

I was tagged by @sunflowersim​!!! thank you aaaaaa!!! <33

i’m not gonna tag bc i’m lazee

A - Age: 17!!

B - Biggest fear: Oh, gee. i have a lot of fears but atm its smth happening to my mum

C - Current time: 21:50!

D - Drink you last had: Apple and blackcurrent....that’s literally all i drink lmao

E - Every day starts with: Wishing for the warm embrace of sleep once more

F - Favourite song: Heck!!! I’ll uhh maybe go w this one?? (the vid is so cheesy......lov thos cheesy bois. i got to see them in concert earlier this year and it was AMAZING) There’s SO MANY i could choose tho. 

G - Ghosts, are they real?: Hell yea! 

H - Home town: I was born in this tiny lil village but i’ve lived in this,,, other “village” (a town almost at this point) since i was abt 5

I - In love with: Nobody i’m lonely and gay

J - Jealous of: cfghj everybody??? i’m unhalthy

K - Killed someone: gotten close

L - Last time you cried: oh man!! i rarely cry anymore tbh so this is a hard question. prolly last time i allowed myself to indulge in The Trauma whoops

M - Middle name: Jayne!! after my auntie!!!

N - Number of siblings: Just the one! A half-bro but i live w him so he’s just bro. its funny cuz he has a half bro too that i’m not related to at all.

O - One wish: i just wanna win the euromillions Please God

P - Person you last called/texted: my bestest and most wonderfullest friend whomst i love!!!

Q - Question you’re always asked: “why do you have a walking stick?” “why are you tired?” “why do you spend so much time in bed?” :^)

R - Reason to smile: i love my friend!! i love my mum!!! i love my CATTO!!!!!!

S - Song last sang: tricky question! :0! i sing bits and pieces a lot! i was singing a song abt being in rome earlier lmao (i was playing ass creed)

T - Time you woke up: abt 11 this morn but i went back to sleep and woke up like 7:30pm??

U - Underwear color: i’m not wearing any ;) dfghjk i’ve been chillin in PJs all day

V - Vacation destination: I’ve always wanted to go to finland!! but anywhere tbh!! greece! italy! japan! usa!

W - Worst habit: does being alive count

X - X rays you’ve had: i’ve had a few on my teeth when i had braces!

Y - Your favorite foods: i only eat a few food lmao but chicken and chorizo!! diet coke chicken!! thats it

Z - Zodiac sign: taurus :0! i’m still true taurus according to homestuck lmao

[jghouse-asia-pacific]

New Post has been published on https://www.jg-house.com/2020/01/26/sardinella-gold-1/

Sardinella & Gold, 1

When a few minutes before 3:00pm, our driver, Joseph, who had said little since we left Dakar, drove us into Saint Louis, not far from the border with Mauritania, I felt my anxiety rise. The Fulani man, wearing a gold earring with a short-sleeved shirt and brown slacks, navigated his Peugeot across the bridge in silence.

The bridge, called Pont Faidherbe, in honor of a French civil servant in West Africa who almost became mayor of Saint Louis, appeared to be old, but it was not. It was roughly the same age as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, designed by Gustave Eiffel before he became famous.

I occupied the back seat of the vehicle, peering out the window to my right. Lomax, my younger brother, sat in the front seat next to the driver, scrolling through images in his Pentax 645.

The medium-format camera, fitted with a 90-millimeter lens, was big, and Lomax alternately complained about it and praised it, calling it “my baby.” He had taken only a few photos on the 165-mile trip.

“At what time did we leave Dakar this morning? 10:30?” Lomax asked. I nodded.

I kept my gaze on the landscape unfolding on the river below. On the opposite bank, I saw an assortment of buildings in washed out pastels.

The three of us moved into the heart of Saint Louis, located on an island, called N’Dar, in the middle of the Senegal River.

I knew the bridge, which was opened to the public in 1897, connected N’Dar Island to the older, more run-down parts of Saint Louis to the east where the disused railroad from Dakar came to a halt in a patch of weeds. What I knew came from information from tourist brochures, not from Senegalese people themselves or from direct experience. Lomax and I had been to Senegal once before a few years before.

Joseph, reaching the end of Pont Faidherbe, turned right into the French colonial town, moving through a series of narrow, dusty streets lined by old buildings. Finally, he turned right on Rue Blaise Diagne and brought the sedan to a halt in front of one of the buildings, a massive 4-story structure occupying half a city block on our left. Two signs, one running horizontally across the middle of the structure and the other hanging vertically from its northern edge, displayed the same words: Hotel La Residence. We had arrived at our destination.

Above us, against a brilliant blue sky, fat, billowing clouds extended upward as far as the eye could see. The sky, on that Thursday afternoon, was oppressive. I opened the back door of the Peugeot, and a man, who had been leaning against the side of the building, next to the entrance of the hotel, moved toward me. I stood in the dusty street. The black man, covered only by a ripped brown tank top and red short pants, spoke in French. Lomax, too, as he exited the vehicle, came face to face with a black man speaking French. Lomax said, “Bon jour, monsieur.”

A group of black men gathered around Lomax and me as we collected our luggage from the trunk of the car. We were surrounded. Lomax, especially, was nervous. Several of the men were 50 or 60 years old, but most were in their late teens to mid 20s. All of them spoke to us, almost casually, as if they were distracted, in a kind of French I had heard spoken before by other Africans in other places. Previously, I had lived in Europe, where I had met many French-speaking Africans, in Brussels and Paris but also in Rome. It was in Italy’s capital that I had an apartment on Via Ostiense across the street from Basilica San Paolo, the second largest Catholic Church in the world. It was there, too, I had a Congolese girlfriend who had been born in Kinshasa but who had grown up in Paris.

Joseph drove off in his car, and Lomax and I, carrying our luggage through the crowd, walked the short distance to the lobby of the hotel.

Boy in Embroidered Shirt and Pants

The Guide

Just inside the main door of the lobby, a man, a tall African with closely cropped hair wearing an Izod cotton pull-over shirt and pressed trousers, stepped forward and smiled. Behind us, on the other side of the door made of glass panels, I could see the group of men dispersing. In front of us, the tall man handed me a card. “I will be your guide,” he said. His English sounded more like French.

“My name is Ismael,” he added. He opened the door and stepped into the street.

A mixture of dark wood and soft lighting, the lobby had a floor set in a pattern of alternating black and white tile squares. On the walls, a series of photos referred back to the 19th century. To our right, four leather chairs lined the wall. Upon closer inspection, the paint on the walls was faded and, in places, peeling. The upholstery of the chairs was coming apart at the seams. The overall impression was one of decline.

“It’s quiet,” said a man behind the front desk, speaking softly in English. “We don’t have many tourists now.” The man, who was black and about 60 years old, wore a tan linen blazer with both of the buttons buttoned and looked tired. “People here are desperate for work,” he said, looking through the glass panels of the door into the street. “Now we also have people from elsewhere, Mali and Cameroon.” The man continued, “You’re the Americans?” He handed us the key to our room. “Most of our visitors are Europeans, especially French.”

“By the way, Ismael has a special arrangement with the hotel,” the man added. “If you want, he will show you around Saint Louis for a small fee.”

Lomax and I walked through an open doorway at the end of the lobby to a wide staircase, laid with ceramic tiles. At the heart of the hotel, open to the sky above, the stairs rose up sharply into the bright sunlight. The glare was blinding. At first, we were alone on the stairs, dragging our bags up the steep incline and paying special attention to our heavy cameras. An elderly couple—a short silver-haired white man and a grey-haired woman—who were speaking French with Parisian accents appeared on the landing above us. Neither of the two spoke as they passed, but the woman smiled.

When we reached the 3rd floor, we turned left and found our room in one corner of the building. However, after inserting the key in the lock, we discovered it wouldn’t open the door. Next to the lock, the wood was scarred and slightly loose, as if someone recently had attempted to force the door. Suddenly, the door swung open.

Our room, with a view of the dusty street, Rue Blaise Diagne, was non-descript and minimally furnished. Against one wall, a small, black television set protruded into the air. No remote control was visible. I didn’t attempt to turn on the TV. Neither did Lomax. Under the TV was a table with two narrow wooden chairs. To one side of the table, attached to the wall, was a small mirror. Against the opposite wall, two twin-sized beds, each covered by a thin, red blanket, extended into the center of the room.

“All right,” I said to myself, setting down my luggage on a chair next to the window overlooking the street.

“We need cash,” I said to Lomax. “Let’s find an ATM.” Lomax looked at me. He was, I could see, not yet ready to go back outside.

Young Father with Two Daughters

At the ATM

I was opening the door when two people, two women in their 30s, appeared, moving along the hotel corridor in the direction of the stairs. I saw one of them nod at me, but I was pre-occupied and looked back over my shoulder into our room.

The room, which was neither large nor small, had a black-and-white photograph of ten fishermen in a big wooden boat setting out on a fishing expedition on the Senegal River. On the east side of the room there was a tall window, providing a view of Rue Blaise Diagne. Next to the window stood Lomax, looking down into a street of shadows. It occurred to me that Lomax was studying the desperate men who had surrounded us when we stepped out of the Peugeot sedan earlier.

“Come on,” I said, pushing the door open.

Lomax picked up his Pentax and walked past me into the corridor, bathed by a brilliant but setting sun. I looked at the digital watch strapped to my wrist—it was almost 5:30—and stepped into the sunlight too. I closed the door and tested the lock, hoping no one would force it again and make off with our computers. Following Lomax down the stairs through the lobby and out into the dusty street, I realized conditions in Senegal were worse than I had expected. From the moment my brother and I arrived in Senegal, we had been surrounded by groups of people, primarily young men, on the streets.

On Rue Blaise Diagne, he and I walked south until we reached the end of the block. At the cross street Rue Mor Ndiaye—I checked a sign on the side of a building—we turned right, scanning both sides of the short block before us for a bank. We needed to find an ATM so that we could obtain cash in the local currency, the West African CFA franc, for daily expenses.

Above, a column of white clouds in bright colors extended into the brilliant sky. Behind, black figures followed closely. We turned left at another street, called Rue Khalifa Ababacar Sy. A bank, named Compagnie Bancaire de l’Afrique Occidentale, came into a view on the west side of the street.

As Lomax and I moved toward the bank, one of the men behind us, in his mid 20s, came up to Lomax, speaking softly in French, but Lomax ignored him. I realized, at that moment, upon approaching the bank’s ATM, it was right on the street.

Woman Cleaning Fish

“Not this one,” I said, gesturing with my head in a southerly direction. Lomax moved in that direction. The man retreated a few steps. Resuming our pace, Lomax and I, with the African men not far behind, moved down Rue Khalifa Ababacar Sy toward the end of the block. We turned right on an equally narrow street, called Rue Blanchot. No cars had passed through any of the streets in the old town, but I realized that here and there cars were parked on both sides of the streets. A second bank, called Banque Internationale pour le Commerce et l’Industrie du Senegal, came into view. As we approached, I noticed its entrance was enclosed by a set of heavy steel doors.

“Here,” I said.

Behind the doors, Lomax and I found ourselves in an antechamber which contained an ATM. Alone inside the enclosed space, we were able to insert our debit cards, follow a set of instructions in English, obtain a small stack of bills, and retrieve our cards. Both of us relaxed, counting the francs and securing the money in pouches we wore tied around our necks. Previously, in Dakar, where we had stayed for two days, neither of us had been able to complete an ATM withdrawal.

In the sky, the mass of white, billowing clouds floated over the old town in the fading light. A cool breeze pushed away the warm air.

I stood on the sidewalk in front of Banque Internationale pour le Commerce et l’Industrie du Senegal, looking at my watch. It was almost 6:00. Lomax stood silently beside me, adjusting the strap of the camera on his shoulder. I stepped off the sidewalk into the narrow street, and we started to re-trace our steps through the old town toward our hotel.

Behind us, the same crowd of young men followed. One individual, appearing suddenly at my side, looked different from the others. With hair cut close to the scalp and wearing a clean polo shirt, he was not in the same class as the others. A gold ring on a finger and a gold bracelet caught my attention. Then, I realized the man was Ismael, the African guide, who had introduced himself in the lobby of Hôtel de La Résidence. “What do you want to see?” he asked, smiling. “You like photos? I take you to many good places along the river.”

I stared at Ismael, regarding him in a different light now that we were walking in the street at sunset, not standing in the hotel. Ismael was about my age, 42, and 6 feet in height, but he seemed thinner than I remembered. Also, he looked uncertain in the presence of the men standing nearby.

I noticed, at that moment, Lomax had raised his camera. To one side of the narrow street, I saw four teen-age boys playing marbles in the dirt. Three younger boys, skinny with bare feet, and one tiny girl with pig-tails had gathered around the older boys. Lomax steadied his camera and took several pictures. I waited, hoping he wouldn’t continue obsessively, taking additional photos, changing the settings on his camera again and again.

Just minutes later, though, Lomax and I were on Rue Blaise Diagne. We had covered the half block to Hôtel de La Résidence quickly. We stepped onto the concrete sidewalk at the front door. I was astonished that we had made it. Most of all, I couldn’t believe we had gotten our money without a mishap.

Ismael, once again, appeared. “I’m always available,” he reminded us, and melted back into the crowd. Lomax and I entered the building, passed through the lobby, and ascended to the 3rd floor, where I inserted the key into the lock on our door and discovered it opened the door easily.

Rue Blaise Diagne

An hour later, preparing to go downstairs to the restaurant for dinner, I heard a knock on the door and opened it. Standing in the corridor was a 65-year-old man, who looked familiar, but, also, angry.

“Do you have hot water in your room?” he asked in a French accent.

“Well, yes,” I said, “we do.” I paused, studying the elderly man. “I just finished taking a shower.”

“My wife is upset,” he stated. “We told the hotel staff an hour ago that we didn’t have hot water. Ten minutes ago, the manager told us the problem had been solved.” The man paused, staring. “But we still don’t have hot water.” With a determined, semi-angry look on his face, he continued to stand in the doorway. Then, he put his head down and walked to the stairs. I watched him retreat, thinking he was going down to the restaurant and realizing I was hungry and wanted to go downstairs too.

“Let’s eat dinner,” I shouted back into the room at Lomax, opening the door wider. Lomax stood by his bed. My gaze shifted to the opposite side of the hotel corridor, where a door of a room opened and, there, emerging, were the two young women I had seen earlier.

“Bon soir,” I uttered without thinking.

Woman Wearing Blue Scarf

François

Entering the restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel, Lomax and I saw not only an interior dining room but also, through a set of floor-to-ceiling glass panels which closed off a courtyard open to the sky, a collection of tables and chairs creating an outdoor dining room.

Seated at one of the tables in the outdoor courtyard, the two 30-year-old women were drinking white wine. At an adjoining table, a 65-year-old, silver-haired man and his wife were bent over their plates. The thought crossed my mind that the older couple was dining without taking a shower. I knew the elderly man and his wife felt uncomfortable. Probably they were both still upset. It had been a hot day.

Lomax and I walked to the center of the interior dining room, where a man sat at a table set for four persons. Before him on the table was a plate of fish, rice, and some vegetables. Near the middle of the table, within arm’s reach, sat a bottle of Flag beer, and a half-full glass of alcohol. The man, who was Caucasian, took a bite of fish as a waiter ushered Lomax and me to the table next to his. “Hello,” the man said, looking up.

“It’s pretty quiet in the hotel,” Lomax said, staring at the man. “Not many guests.” Then, to the waiter, Lomax said, “Two Flag beers.” Lomax sat in a chair, directly facing the man, who wore thick-framed glasses and an expensive looking, long-sleeved purple shirt. I sat in a chair at our table opposite Lomax.

“There will be more of us arriving in the next couple of days,” the man with glasses said, looking through the floor-to-ceiling panels at the diners in the courtyard. “You’re here for the river-boat cruise, like the rest of us?”

I shifted my chair at a 90° angle to the table partially facing the man with glasses. “Yes,” I said. “But also for other things.”

“That makes at least eight of us,” the man said, raising his glass toward Lomax and me. “More members of the cruise will arrive tomorrow, I believe.” He paused. “My name is François,” he added, “from Montreal, Canada.”

“We’re from Southern California,” Lomax replied, studying the fingers on his left hand. After a moment, he looked up and, remembering what he had to do, introduced us to François.

The waiter returned, placing two bottles and glasses on the table. Lomax filled my glass, and I picked it up and drank half its contents, leaning back in my chair. Lomax contemplated the bottle of beer in front of him, looking at it as if he had decided he didn’t want it. Then, in one motion, he picked up the bottle and drained it.

Boy in Red Shirt and Short Pants

“I’ve been on the cruise up to Podor once before,” François said, studying Lomax. “But this time we’re taking a bus to Podor and catching a boat back down the river to Saint Louis.” Podor, a small town on the border with the neighboring country of Mauritania at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, was about 125 miles northeast of Saint Louis. I drank the rest of my beer and looked up at the ceiling. A large fan turned slowly above my head.

Lomax said, “I thought we were taking the boat up to Podor.”

The waiter re-appeared and asked if we were ready to order. Lomax nodded. Then he glanced at François, “What’s he having? I’ll have the same.”

When the waiter turned to me, I requested a Zebu steak with pepper, flambéed in cognac, and a potato. “Put sour cream and butter on the potato,” I added. François was looking at me.

The waiter said, “Very good.”

“You can talk to Anna,” François said to Lomax. “She manages the river-boat office across the street. She’ll answer questions about the itinerary.”

Lomax was reading the label on the beer bottle still in his hand. “Why not?” Lomax said, suddenly, allowing the bottle to drop on the table. François studied Lomax again, attempting to make sense of his behavior.

Lomax removed the Pentax from his bag and placed the camera on the table. “When was the last time you were here?” he asked François.

“Two years ago,” François replied. “It was in the fall, though.” He stared at the food on his plate. “I’ve been coming to Senegal for 25 years. I’m an administrator at a private school in Montreal which has an exchange program with a school in Thies, a town not far from Dakar.” François took a sip of beer from his glass and cast a glance at Lomax. “I’ve never seen it like it is now,” he continued. “The economic devastation, I mean. The desperate people roaming the streets every day.”

François looked through the glass partition into the courtyard. I followed his gaze. The two women sitting at a table in the courtyard were looking back at us. One of them smiled and waved.

Girl with Lollipop

Madeline and Sylvie

“I need to get back to my hotel,” François announced. “It’s 30 minutes away on foot.” He stood up.

“You’re not staying here? At La Résidence?” Lomax asked.

The waiter appeared, placing one plate with fish in front of Lomax and a second plate with a steak and baked potato in front of me.

“No, I prefer another place in the old town,” François replied. “Maison d’Hotes au Fil du Fleuve at the southern end of the island.” He smiled. “Enjoy your dinner.” Then, as he walked away, he stopped and, looking at Lomax, said, “I’d be interested in seeing some of your work.”

“Work? Oh, you mean photography,” Lomax replied and opened a pouch on the front of his camera bag and removed a business card. “Here,” he commented, reaching toward François. “My Internet address is printed on the front.”

After François departed, I finished the meal. When Lomax finished, he started to scroll through images on his large camera.

“Let’s go outside,” I said, looking through the glass partition into the courtyard and noticing the two women also had finished their dinner.

On the sidewalk in front of the hotel, moist air from both the Atlantic Ocean less than a mile to the west and the Senegal River two streets to the east settled over the night. The two women followed Lomax and me from the lobby. We stood looking across the narrow street at a dress shop and, next door, the office of the river-boat company. I followed their gaze, recalling the suggestion of François to visit the office the next day and remembering the name of the river boat, the Bou El Mogdad.

“I’m Madeline,” the shorter of the women said. “This is Sylvie.” Madeline nodded at her companion, a tall, black woman. “We’re from Paris.” Madeline, slender with curly dark hair, and Sylvie, more filled out, but slightly overweight, were unsteady on their feet. After drinking the two bottles of chablis which I had seen the waiter place on their table, they would be asleep soon. Madeline slurred her words when she mentioned their reservation on the Bou el Mogdad on Sunday. “I’m an MRI technician,” Madeline said. “Sylvie, an anesthesiologist at the same hospital with me outside Paris, in Combs-la-Ville.” Madeline spoke English with no accent, but Sylvie didn’t utter a word. Sylvie raised her right arm, and I noticed the gold bracelet which she wore on her wrist, reflecting the light shining from the hotel lobby.

“A nice piece,” I said, pointing to the bracelet. “I like the engravings on it. Where did you get it?”

“I bought it in Mali a week ago,” Sylvie commented. “In Djenne, about 600 kilometers up the Niger River from Bamako, the capital.” I’d been to Bamako the year before and wanted to go back. Sylvie showed me her other arm, saying, “I’ll go shopping tomorrow. I need another bracelet for my other arm, as you can see.” She laughed. “I love gold.” Then she spoke quickly in French to Madeline, while an image of Ismael and his gold rings came to me.

I wondered how soon Ismael would find Sylvie.

Sisters with Little Brother

Bertrand and Beatrice

At 9:00, on Friday morning, Lomax and I went downstairs and passed into the lobby on our way to the dining room. In the lobby, I noticed the silver-haired man and his wife, who were talking with the desk clerk and who glanced in our direction as we entered.

“My name is Bertrand,” the man said immediately. “I apologize for my behavior yesterday. I can’t believe I lost control.” Bertrand introduced his wife, Beatrice. “We’re from Montpellier, in southern France,” he said. He appeared to be in better spirits than he had been the previous day. “We live in Paris now,” Bertrand said. “My wife is a professor of economics at a small Catholic college near Notre Dame Cathedral, specializing in microfinance.” Beatrice smiled and extended her hand to me and then Lomax. Bertrand continued: “I was an executive at an insurance company, but I’m retired now. I’m a chef, not a professional one but a fanatical one who refuses to allow his wife in the kitchen or even to suggest what he should cook.” Beatrice started to laugh. Bertrand, though, looked uneasy, as if he feared what Beatrice might blurt out about him on impulse.

Bertrand peered at me and studied Lomax, who wore an oversized black baseball cap with an emblem of a raven on its front. “You’re the Americans,” he said, as if he had re-gained his confidence from the night before. But it occurred to me that everyone in the hotel—and, possibly, the town—already knew who Lomax and I were. Nevertheless, Lomax started to introduce us to the couple in an overly formal way, explaining that he worked as a software engineer for Motorola in Southern California and I worked in Washington, D.C., for a political research group. After Lomax finished, Bertrand and Beatrice excused themselves, saying they had an appointment with another chef, who was an old friend from Montpellier.

Lomax and I entered the courtyard. In the sky, I didn’t see a single cloud.

**

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