#queuing this because too nervous to click post

[digitalbath1988]

What if I said I’ve always found Gul Dukat attractive

What then

What if I said I had an unboxed action figure of him in my basement

[sen-ya]

Life After Info Post

[Click here to access the Life After Digital Comic Book]

Summary: Two years ago, a viral outbreak rose the dead. Considering how his life had gone up to this point, surgeon Trafalgar Law figured this might as well happen too. When a supply run into the nearby city gets intercepted by a seemingly reckless and impulsive former patient, the dependable routine Law had settled into in this new life shatters. He finds himself exposed — his body out in the infected landscape, his conscious clawing to define what he believes is right, his heart begrudgingly deciding to find a new home on his sleeve. Maybe there’s more than a virus roaming the new world that can bring a dead man back to life.

Content Warnings: Canon typical violence, zombies/body horror (but lbr I am not good at making scary things look scary)

Relationships: Luffy x Law

Update Schedule: New page every Monday/Wednesday/Friday

Page Count: [37 posted | 55 drawn]

Latest Update: [7/21/24] WOWEE did I get myself carried away this morning. I just spent 5 hours organizing my comics and creating the digital comic book pages. I could have spent that time drawing or idk not doing what I do for my job, but I cannot be stopped. Anyway I blocked out 30 pages of this comic last week and they include the most intense action sequence I've ever done in my gotdang life. Wish me luck because I am nervous about tying down all my drawings lmao.

OLD UPDATES:

[6/29/24] HULLO! I'm doing so bad at keeping my masterposts updated lately I am sorry. All pages of life after are tagged life after if you're ever looking between masterpost updates! Also exciting update, I finally have figured out all the different plot points i'm gonna be hitting (yay!). I got hung up on something for awhile that made me not wanna work on this project, but I'm back at it. I think we'll end up with 6-7 parts! I have probably another 80-100 pages to draw lol. Also i got the app Magic Poser and it's AWESOME and I immediately used it to block out sets cuz MAN I hate backgrounds.

[6/10/24] HELLO. I'm sorry I've been shit at updating my masterposts lately. It's easiest to do from my computer, which I rarely use, and life has been happening. I also can't believe I bungled the queue and posted pg19 before pg18 i am very sorry 🤦 Eventually I'll have to turn this into an airtable base I'm sure, but until that day comes where I have like 100 pages of this comic we're stickin to the regular post lmao

[5/26/23] I got real caught up in doing summer of lawlu comics this week and this is the first week since the first week of April I haven't drawn new Life After pages and it feels weird 🙊

[5/19/24] More Luffy backstory comin' this week! :^)

[5/12/24] Updating now so get myself on schedule to update on Sundays like I had been with my other comic master post!

[5/8/24] Thank you to everyone who's liked/reblogged/comment on the first few pages!! It means the world to me that anyone's reading my silly little comics.

[4/28/24] HULLO. It’s happeninnng. I’ve spent the last few weeks working on this comic, and I gotta make this post so I can start queuing pages & link this in them! This is the most like….legit? Comic endeavor I’ve undertaken perhaps….ever. I’m very nervous about committing to how long it will need to be lol. This story is dear to my heart — zombie content is kind of my very favorite. I’ve always found it to be a great backdrop for exploring themes like grief, coping with change, community, and learning to live again. It’ll be a long haul but I hope you’ll ride it out with me!! Tomorrow I’ll be posting the first two pages. After that a page will post every Monday/Wednesday/Friday. As of this post I’ve completed over 20 pages so that I have a good lead on what’s posting and continuing to write, so I’m hopeful that’s a cadence I’ll be able to maintain. I’ll update this post weekly to include the most recent pages the way I do with my main comics master post. All pages will be tagged 'Life After' and I'll tag any pages with zombies in them with 'zombie' for blacklisting etc.

[you-remind-me-of-the-babe]

Happy Wednesday, I hope you all are enjoying your summer! It is sunny and hot and lovely in my neck of the woods. 🌞

I am back to work on Depth of Reason this week. 🎉

Simon is trying to figure out where he and Baz stand after their trip to Watford last chapter:

I tried not to put too much expectation on things changing between us. (Even though it had felt like there had been a shift.) (How am I supposed to think otherwise when Baz had held my hand and told me he cared about me?) After all, I could have just chalked it up to Baz being a decent person. I had basically had a nervous breakdown in front of him. Twice. It’s only to be expected he would have tried to help.

But when he walked through the door, the wind whisking his hair off of his face as he spotted me across the room, he smiled so softly that it made my stomach flip. Because it wasn’t a look of pity in his eyes (which, frankly, I wouldn’t have blamed him for). It was more like, he looked so fucking fond, I didn’t really know what to do with it.

Also! If you haven’t heard, a new fest is coming soon! Caught On Tape: A Carry On Podfest! Click the link to follow the blog and think about whether you’d like to submit any of your fics to be podficced or whether you’d like to sign up to record a podfic!

Tags! @fatalfangirl @cutestkilla @moodandmist @captain-aralias @facewithoutheart @whogaveyoupermission @thewholelemon @raenestee @ivelovedhimthroughworse @ileadacharmedlife @artsyunderstudy @ebbpettier @valeffelees @youarenevertooold @iamamythologicalcreature @blackberrysummerblog @theearlgreymage @toonysart @forabeatofadrum @rimeswithpurple @alexalexinii @imagineacoolusername @supercutedinosaurs @aristocratic-otter @hushed-chorus

I scheduled this early so if you tagged me already thank you! And take this as a tag back for next time 💜 Edit: or, you know, I’ll accidentally post this on Tuesday night instead of queuing it 🤣

[smajorqna]

(Click for better quality)

Hello!

————–––--–––————

Welcome to the blog i made because i thought of it in class and i need some sort of way to feed my hyperfixation.

Here is a carrd with more info about this mess. (coming soon)

All art belongs to me!! I made it!! Please dont steal or use for ai (sense thats been getting popular recently..). And please ask before reposting and if your too nervous please at least credit me :)

(Press "Read More" below for tldr for the carrd and an ID for each image)

(Last updated: 12/10/22 11:19am CDT)

————–––--–––————

And now if you look just below youll see all the tags i use and what they mean :) (more will be added in the future)

#smajorqna - all posts posted on this blog

#4th wall breakthrough - ooc posts

#smajor of rivendell - all answers from c!scott

#hearts the creator tm - all answers/cameos from my persona, hearts

#hello deer anon - all questions from fellow anons! Hello anons :)

#(tw/cw here) - obviously wont say that exactly but if a post talks about anything triggering or anything that needs warning i will put it there and i will put it at the beginning of the post :)

#posts about beloved husband - posts mentioning or even including the one and only codfather (will be also used as flower husbands tag so if you don't wanna see that block it!!!)

#cameos - other character cameos featured

#id below read more - will be put for every post with images in it (besides dividers)

#the 17th letter of the alphabet - this post was queued

Heres the tldr of the carrd: (aka a list of things i need to add to it)

This is C!/CHARACTER!!! In no way am i impersonating scott the content creator. I am simply answering questions the way i think his esmp1 character would answer.

Admittedly, i have never watched scotts esmp1 series- i mostly know about his character through clips, fanfics, fanarts, and other fans. I know im such a fake fan /sarc so if i get any lore or canon wrong please tell me and ill do my best to fix it. If i cannot, then oh well to bad so sad.

This will include my personal headcanons so if you haven't heard of whatever even or something from canon, its most likely a headcanon

This will also include flower husbands (c!scott x c!jimmy) so uh yeah dont imply any other ships other than them only because i dont personally ship it (its fine if you do, i have nothing wrong with that :) just keep it out of this blog)

Everything you see on this blog was done on my phone using my finger. So obviously there will be mistakes. So yk use common sense and dont point them out :) its rude.

And lastly, this is literally my first time doing this ever so please be nice, im sensitive

ID for each image/panel:

[Panel 1 (one): (start id) outlined and colorless drawing of empires season 1 (one) character scott looking confused or worried, there's a question mark symbol next to him showing he's confused. He's looking at another character to the right with the same drawing style. Scott's outline/lineart is a dark cyan. To the right of scott there's a character with shortish hair, pointy ears like scotts, with a plain t-shirt. They look feminine-ish and their expression looks happy. Near them is text saying "Me, the creator tm" pointing to them. The character's outline/lineart is a dark magenta-ish, or a really red pink. On the bottom of the screen is a grey box with a smaller box on the top left corner saying "Scott" in a dark cyan. Below is text in the same color saying "So.. Remind me of what to do here..?". (End id)]

[Panel 2 (two): (start id) Same character's and poses as panel 1 (one) with different expressions. Scott's expression is still similar, except this time his mouth is closed. The character's (who's name is Hearts) expression changed to them talking with their eyes closed. They look happy. Below them is the same dialogue box except with a different name and obviously different text. The name now reads "Hearts" and the dialogue says "You're going to answer some questions from people because I'm bored and I need something better to do with my life. :)" in the same color used for Hearts' outline. (End id)]

[Panel 3 (three): (start id) Scott is now center with Hearts gone, leaving a "Bye!" where they were last. Scott then looks to the left with an exhausted look. In the dialogue box it says in the dark cyan outline scott has with scotts name above, "This will be easier said than done..." (End id)]

Also yes ik the original third panel i misspelled "easier" but its too late now im tired

[callivich]

^^^Look at all these amazing works!!! 🥰🥰🥰

I agree with your words Bee and anon’s words so much! 💖

Reblogging is always the best way to encourage artists if you enjoyed their work. And you don’t have to only do it once! You can reblog it and queue it up so it comes around again. And if you see it again after that on your dash, you can keep reblogging and queuing! And this goes for older work that you might come across, just because it was posted last month or last year or five years ago, doesn’t mean you can’t reblog it and queue it again and again.

It shows the artist you’re enjoying their work and it helps share the work so other people can find it. I get people are tired from real life or nervous about getting involved with fandom but if you can click like button, you can click the reblog button too. I know it’s so easy to just enjoy and scroll scroll scroll but fandom does need supporters as well as writers and artists and creators.

Seriously, supporters - the people who reblog, queue, comment, recommend, send positive messages, engage with work - are what help fandoms keep going. I’m not saying everyone has to always do those things, all the time, on every single work BUT if everyone who enjoys the works they see, does one or two (or more) of these things as regularly as they can…it can make a HUGE difference.

Omg honestly, there is art being posted & just not being acknowledged. There are posts from artists I have been following for years that I’ve seen bomb quite honestly. & I’m not knocking the anon, maybe they haven’t seen it or it’s not their vibe, but there is so much going unloved. I’m not an artist but I just can’t imagine how this feels after spending probably days on a piece. I’m sorry I’m just rambling here & this isn’t your prob I just get upset at seeing GOOD shit by GOOD people flopping!

LOUDER ANON! THIS IS THE TRUEST SONG I’VE EVER HEARD 🔊🔊🔊

you’re right. you’re absolutely right. & i was trying to sing it gently in that last ask because there has been a slow down in terms of the frequency that people were posting & also in users that are active FOR SURE. but to then finally put out a piece to have it bomb fucking S U C K S! & it’s happening to everyone. even, like you said, some of the ones who’ve been around the longest.

a general rule of thumb: if you like seeing more & new art, engage with the art as it comes! let the creator know that you loved it! hype them up! it takes guts & effort to put shit out!

but also what a great opportunity to shout-out some recent faves:

art for honeycomb by @heymrspatel

@deathclassic & @mikhailoisbaby are regularly making art, as well as running "draw this in your style" challenges. check out molly's for ian (round-up post) & harvey's for mickey + pup!

@doodlevich is constantly putting out art & gave us a whole ass week of art for gallavich week 2023

@steorie made gorgeous art for @palepinkgoat's gorgeous fic, restoration!

@suzy-queued put out this SPICY MOTHERFUCKER just today!

FEEL FREE TO ADD TO THIS LIST/POST! xx

[meltwonu]

21. “First one to make a noise loses.”

62. “I think that’s the first time i’ve heard you moan…it was like a fucking melody.”

notes; actor!scoups, actress!reader, cocky!scoups, dirty talk, degradation, rivals/enemies!au, cockwarming, lots of banter hehehe~ HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!! ✨💕❤️‍🔥🌸💐 I forgot to post my updated schedule so that’s gonna go up tomorrow instead kjdkjs sorry 😭 I always get busy when I least expect it and that’s been so often lately lol… ☠️ bUT ANYWAY who else to write about except the biggest dick man himself mr seungcheol for valentines day heh~ 🥳😗 Thank you so much for requesting, as always! Enjoy! 💕 

*queued post.

“There is not a kissing scene in this.”

“There is. Four of them to be precise.” Seungcheol grins.

You grit your teeth - eyes on your manager and Seungcheol’s as they both gulp.

“And the two of you agreed?” They nod shakily - both Seungkwan and Seokmin sharing a quick, nervous glance before they both open their mouths at the same time.

“We t-thought it’d be good for your careers!” They reply at the same time.

Seungcheol laughs, head thrown back against the sofa as you brood alone.

You had tons of kissing scenes in movies and tv shows, but none of them ever included Seungcheol; someone who you considered your rival in the industry.

He was good at what he did and so were you - which is why you sometimes found yourself losing gigs and deals to him when the production staff would pick him over you. But it was a two way street and Seungcheol would sometimes also find himself in the same position when you’d get selected instead of him.

“I–we, um, y’know, because the two of you are–are really up on top of it right now,” Seungkwan starts, “The two of you are booked and busy and–and really, just, y’know, it would just benefit the two of you so much!”

Seokmin nods feverishly as he agrees, “The biggest fan bases and the best reception from the media, it’d be a hit just having the two of you in the same show!”

You grit your teeth again - they were right even if you hated to admit it.

“Can you give us some time to discuss this? Alone.” Sighing, you run a hand through your hair as Seungcheol nods.

“How about you get us some lunch, Seungkwan? Put it on my card. It’s the least I can do for the ‘lil princess here~”

The two get up before they hear anything else; both of them just glad to be out of the room before the two of you potentially start arguing.

And once the door clicks shut, it’s only a matter of seconds before you’re climbing into Seungcheol’s lap - hands at the collar of his shirt as he grins up at your flustered face.

“Ah, well, we should get to discussing then, huh?”

“We’re supposed to only have a kissing scene, yet look at you~”

Your jaw clenches as you sit atop Seungcheol’s lap - his cock already sheathed inside your warmth as you sit and cockwarm him. “You can pretend to hate me all you want, but every time I’ve fucked you, it’s always the best fuck you ever get, isn’t it?”

“S–shut up, asshole…”

You bite down on your bottom lip, holding in your noises but you can’t help but let out a small, airy moan when the head of his cock nudges your sweet spot when you shift slightly.

“Oh? I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you moan… It was like a fucking melody~ You’re always too fuckin’ busy complaining or keeping in those noises, baby~ Let them out, I wanna hear how cute you sound when you’re getting my cock.”

“F–fuck you, I–I rather go f-fuck your manager…”

The shit-eating grin on Seungcheol’s face leaves and is replaced with a scowl; his grip on your waist tightening as he slowly readjusts and jostles you slightly.

“Oh? You think Seungkwan can fuck you this good, huh? He’s too soft, baby. We both know how rough you like it~ You like it when I treat you like my ‘lil fucktoy, don’t you? You’ll never beg but I know just how you like being under me~”

He uses his strength to lift your body up slightly - guiding you and thrusting up into you while simultaneously tugging you down towards himself.

“Fuh–fuck…!”

The head of his cock slams into your g-spot with each thrust and you can’t help but bite down harder onto your bottom lip as Seungcheol laughs.

“Awww, you’re so cute. You really don’t wanna give in, do you? You’re always the same~ You should switch it up, baby~ How else are you gonna grow in your career, hmm?”

The slight dig at your career makes you growl - walls clamping down onto Seungcheol’s cock hard as he grits his teeth.

“Much like how you had to do a lot of growing, yourself, huh, ‘Cheol? You would know~” You lick your lips, head thrown back as he tugs you down and halts his movements. 

“I’d watch my tongue if I were–”

KNOCK KNOCK

“Seungcheol, I got lunch! Are you guys okay?” 

Seungkwan’s voice is muffled through the door; the doorknob rattling before Seokmin’s voice joins in. “You guys a-aren’t arguing, right?” 

You peer down at Seungcheol - the lust in your eyes just as obvious as Seungcheol’s as he licks his lips and smirks up at you.

“We’re fine. Just discussing some of the scenes before we agree to it. It’ll be, like, 15 more minutes? Can you leave the food in the other room and we’ll be there soon?” 

“Okay! Don’t take too long!”

You hear their footsteps getting quieter and quieter and you let out a breath you didn’t even realize you were holding.

“And? Now what? You think you can get me to cum in that short of time? I’ll probably have to finish the job myself, to be honest.” You retort - already trying to pry his hands off of your waist to get dressed instead of finishing.

“Who says I can’t?”

He lifts your body once again; slamming you down onto his cock as you let out a surprised mewl.

“I would’ve said, ‘first one to make a noise, loses.’ but, ah, with the way I’m about to fuck you I already know it’s going to be you, baby~ So why don’t you start making up an excuse to our managers for the screams they’re about to hear, hmm?” 

Seungcheol watches as your lips form an ‘o’ shape - eyebrows furrowed with the way his cock fills you up perfectly. 

“You’re such a talented actress after all, aren’t you? You should be able to make something up~” He quips.

“Fuh–fuck you, Seungcheol...!”

[atths--twice]

Chapter Five  5/9

Abandoned Amusement Park New Orleans December 17, 2017 1:00 a.m.

Cera laughed as she took a picture of a guy wearing a large Santa beard and a red baseball cap with mistletoe hanging from the brim, trying to get the girls at the party to kiss him.

They all giggled quietly as they pushed him away, holding onto their headphones and shaking their heads. He tugged at his beard, silently asking if, without the beard, they would change their minds. They shook their heads again, dancing to the music they heard playing in their headphones.

“I really thought the Santa angle would work,” he said to Cera and she laughed again, taking one more picture of his happy bearded face.  

“Well, you had to try,” she agreed with a shrug. He nodded as he took off the hat and beard, and put on his black headphones with green rabbit stickers on the sides.

He danced away, joining the group of people also wearing headphones, glow-in-the-dark jewelry, and dancing to music those without headphones could not hear. Cera took a few more pictures before she waved at the DJ and he nodded, silently dancing to the beat of the music he was queuing up.

She looked around the room one last time, proud of the work she and Adam, the DJ, had done earlier: blacking out any light so as not to arouse suspicion of the security guards patrolling the outside area of the abandoned amusement park. The silent rave had been a great idea and she felt happy that she had been the one to suggest it.

Stepping out of the room, she slipped her camera into the pocket of the hoodie, trading it for her low light flashlight. She twisted her hair up and put on her beanie, turned on the flashlight to keep an eye out for alligators. As she continued on toward her post where she would keep an eye out for security and help others get to the party, she looked around with a smile, happy to be in a place that had meant so much to her.

She had been devastated at twelve years old, when Hurricane Katrina hit, not only for the horror it caused her and many others, but also because it forever destroyed the beloved childhood place of fun and escape.

She had mourned for it privately after her endless discussion of it had caused her father to give her a look, one she hated to see. Many times she had wondered what it looked like, left to rot in the Louisiana heat and humidity. Once she was old enough to drive on her own, she had ignored her fears and found a weak spot in the fence. Her heart racing, she had kept looking over her  shoulder as she silently walked through the now broken place she had loved as a child.

One time was not enough, and the next time she came, she had brought a digital camera with her, taking pictures of whatever struck her fancy and reminiscing for things that were lost.

When she had told people she had been in the park, they had not understood her desire to be there, calling it creepy and sad. It had been creepy at first, the place quiet, trees growing over the decaying rides and tracks causing her to feel as though the world had ended and she was the lone survivor.

But, the more she went out, the more she had found a strange camaraderie with the sadness held within. Some days she would find a spot and simply sit, thinking about her own time there and the sadness now held within it and the odd happiness it brought her.

“Sad is like happy for deep people,” she would say under her breath, smiling as she took her pictures, quoting a line from one of her favorite episodes of Doctor Who.

Once people learned it was her who had been the one sneaking in, they asked to see her photos, too nervous to venture into the park themselves, not wanting to get caught by the police. She had even sold some of them, remaining anonymous by using the name Sally Sparrow, the character from the episode of Doctor Who, who shared her love for the sad and the broken.

Taking a deep breath of the cold December air, she smiled again as she reached one of her favorite things in the park, both then and now: a statue of a woman known as the “wish statue” by locals. It was a statue of a happy smiling woman wearing Mardi Gras beads and a mask, the feather attached to it, broken long ago. She did not know when it became known as the wish statue, but everyone she knew knew it as such.

Making her wish for the night to continue being one everybody enjoyed, she kept on, nearly to her post as she hummed softly to herself.

“Cera Lee!” She heard someone call quietly, startling her out of her reverie, and she looked up. Devin Smith was walking toward her, a low light flashlight in his hand, a small group of people following him as he smiled at her and she smiled back.

“Devin, how are you?”

“Cera Lee, my favorite Cera Lee, far above THE Sara Lee. And nobody doesn’t like her and her delicious pound cake,” he said with a grin, giving her a hug. “Thank you for making sure all was well for tonight.”

“Of course. You know I love coming out here.”

“That I do. How many times have you been out here?” he asked with a smile.

“How many times in seven years? Hey look, just because I’m Asian, it doesn’t mean I’m good at math, you racist,” she teased and he laughed into his hand, covering the sound as they all knew they had to be quiet. She laughed softly and winked at him.

“Well,” he said with a cough, “I’ll remember not to ask that again.” She laughed and he winked at her, causing her to feel butterflies in her stomach.

“Devin… come on man,” one of the kids said and he looked back at him with a nod. Turning back to Cera, he smiled and saluted before walking away, the small group following him again.

“Bye,” she whispered, putting her flashlight into her pocket and taking out her camera, taking pictures as she watched them walk away.

She smiled as she watched him stop at the wish statue and she caught some more pictures, unable to hear them speaking, but knew he was telling them about making a wish.

One of the boys in the group reached out to touch the statue and a scream pierced the quiet night air. Chills covered her entire body as she watched the boy who had touched the statue, fall to the ground with a heavy thud.

For one second that seemed to last hours, no one moved and then to her complete and utter horror, the wish statue moved and reached an arm out, and the small group around her began to bend toward the ground.

Frozen in place, Cera was unable to scream or call for help. She saw the group on the ground and then screaming filled the air, screams that she could feel throughout her body, her head simultaneously feeling as though it was on fire.

Fighting to remain upright and resist the urge to cover her ears to block out the screams, she watched, her finger unknowingly continuing to press the shutter button on her camera. Then the screaming suddenly stopped and the deafening silence was worse, as she was certain they were all dead.

And then, the statue moved, but was no longer a statue. It looked like an angel, a female angel in a long white flowing dress. Cera gasped and the angel turned her way, apparently hearing her though she was yards away. She began to move towards Cera, silently, as though she was floating.

“Ohhh.” Cera heard in her head, felt it all around her, and saw the angel’s mouth moving.

As she drew closer, Cera’s knees began to fail her. She sunk to the ground, her fingers weakening, lifting from the shutter button, the camera slipping from her hands and falling to the ground with a crash.

“Yes… you will be a wonderful asset,” a lilting, terrifying voice said and Cera started to scream, goosebumps covering her body as she began to shake violently.

The dank scent of earth flooded her senses, as laughter filled the air and she started to cry for her mother. The world went black, and the last sound she heard was the continuous click of the camera shutter.

[capsicletho]

Hot Chocolate (Chris Evans x Female!Reader)

The one where your infamous hot chocolate earns a special spot in your relationship with none other than Chris Evans. 

Word count: 1399

Author: @chrixa

I actually wrote this a long time ago, and I don’t know why I didn’t post it. 

Gif is not mine. 

Today was just an average day. The cafe was not that crowded, thankfully, and the weather outside was just what I hoped for. The wind was a bit much to my liking, but the red, orange and yellow leaves made me forgive the whole windy situation. 

I was just cleaning up the tables and picking up some fallen tissues on the floor when I heard the bell chime which made my head turn to the door.

“Sorry, sir, but the shop’s closed for the day. Perhaps you can come back tomorrow for your morning coffee?” I asked him politely.

“Oh, yeah, I saw the sign. Sorry, I just thought I’d warm myself up here before heading home. Is that okay?” He rubbed his hands together and offered me a smile.

“Oh, sure, yeah. Uh, please take a seat.”

“Thank you, uh, Miss?” 

“Y/L/N, but please call me Y/N.”

“Y/N, hi, I’m Chris,” he said as he took a seat.

“Nice to meet you, Chris. Some hot chocolate, maybe?” I ask while heading to the kitchen. 

“I thought you said the shop’s closed?” He tilted his head to the right.

“I thought you said you wanted to warm yourself up?” I mimicked his head-tilting which earned a chuckle from him. “I’ll be right back.”

“Do you like it?” I took a seat across from him and tried to analyze his expression as he took a sip from the steaming mug. 

“Normally I’d go for tea but this hot chocolate is exceptional,” he grinned which turned into a giggle. “What did you put in this? This is really good.” 

Now it was my turn to giggle. “Well thank you. I’m glad you liked it.” 

“Why? People don’t usually like your hot choc?”

“They like it just fine. It’s just rewarding to get a compliment from Captain America,” I gave him a one-sided smirk as he laughed. 

“I was kinda hoping you didn’t recognize me.”

“Why? Crazy fan encounters?” 

“Something like that.”

“Well, I need to continue cleaning up this cafe and you need to continue enjoying my hot chocolate. Do not think of helping me,” I warned him before he could open his mouth. 

“Did you read my mind?” He tilted his head again. 

“Maybe,” I shrugged and winked at him. 

“Okay so what you’re basically saying is that I need to do it with you and if I don’t like it you’ll do everything I say,” I explain to him with my eyes wide. I absolutely can’t believe he is actually a 5-year-old. 

“Yes! But if it turns out that you do like it, and I bet you will, you’ll make me your hot chocolate as many cups as I want,” he said while practically jumping up and down with excitement. 

I sigh almost too dramatically. There’s really no avoiding his childish antics. “Fine. Let’s just get this over with,” I give him a dismissive wave of my hand. 

“YES!” He jumped before grabbing my hand and literally dragged me towards the queuing line. I wasn’t surprised that he even had an express pass just for this ride. 

“Chris, I don’t like where this is going,” I say as I squeezed his hand as hard as I could.

“Relax, babe, you’re gonna break my hand,” he laughed at my nervous state. How dare he. 

We were going higher and higher until all I can see is the blue sky with some patches of cloud. “Chris,” I squeezed his hand harder as we’re nearing the drop. He returned it with a laugh instead. 

“CHRIIIISSSSSSS! I HATE YOU!”

“I LOVE YOU TOO!” 

“Can I have another hot chocolate?” He asked for the third time that night. 

“Hey, babe,” he sighed from the other end.

“Hey. What happened?” 

“Wow, I haven’t said anything and you already know something’s up,” he chuckled dryly. I can picture him scratching the back of his neck. 

“Wanna talk about it?” I smile despite the fact that he can’t see me. 

“Maybe later. I’m about 10 minutes out. I miss you.”

“I know, I’m just so awesome that Captain America missed me.” I can hear him laugh in my ear, genuinely this time. “Have you eaten?”

“Yeah, I ate with Seb and Mackie earlier. Have you?” 

“Does salad count?” I asked back. 

“Did you really eat only salad?” He knows me so well. 

“Nah. I had pizza delivered hot and fresh in front of my doorstep. There’s some left if you want.” 

“Of course I do. See ya soon,” he said before the line clicked. 

“Babe, I’m home,” I heard my boyfriend called out, followed by the door closing. 

“Kitchen!” 

“Hey, what are you doing in th-” 

“I made you some hot chocolate,” I smiled at him, now that he can see me. “Couch?” I walked past him to the couch with two mugs in hand. 

He sat down next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and taking a mug from my hand. “Thank you, Y/N. You always know what to do,” he breathed as I rest my head on his shoulder. 

“Anything for my best guy.” 

Are you home? My phone buzzed and I read the text from Chris as I smile for the first time that evening. 

No, I’m still at the cafe. Are you?

Nah, just finished the meeting. I’ll pick you up. 

Thanks, babe. See you. I clicked send and slide my phone in my pocket, not waiting for a reply. Sometimes customers just don’t understand the meaning of throwing their own trash into the can. And it’s exhausting to throw it for them. 

The bell chimed and I groaned quietly as a rush of wind enter the warm cafe. I know it was Chris without looking up, because the shop’s closed. 

“Hey, babe,” Chris called out, his brows furrowed. 

“Oh, hey,” I said, not bothering to smile at him, which I usually do. 

“You okay?” He carefully asked me because he knows me so well. I only glare at him from my spot near the table in the corner. “That explains it,” he muttered to himself. “Can I have a cup of water?” 

“Yeah, help yourself in the kitchen. Just don't mess anything up.” I said as I continue cleaning this small coffee shop. Sure, I love working here. But sometimes there are rough days like today that I have to face. I have to smile at customers even though I want to punch them. 

I was lost in thought before I realized that Chris has been in the kitchen long enough to make a mess. All he needed was just a cup of water, right? 

“Chris? What are you doing?” I asked him as I walked to the kitchen.

“One second!” I heard him shout. After some rumbling sounds, his head popped up from the kitchen door. “How are you feeling?”

I raise my brows in confusion. “Uh, joyful. Unbelievably extraordinary,” I said sarcastically. 

“Why don’t you have a seat, hm?” 

“Okay?” I take a seat, still bewildered from his actions.

“Look, I know you had a rough day and I just wanted to cheer you up,” he sighed and started walking towards me, with a steaming cup in his hands. “I know this probably wouldn’t taste as delicious as yours but, you know.” He handed me the cup from across the table with an uncertain smile. 

“Chris, you didn’t have to do this,” I try to smile genuinely at him as I take the mug to my lips. “This is surprisingly delicious.”

“Really?” His face instantly light up like a Christmas tree with a huge grin. 

“Yeah, try it,” I offer him the mug which he took happily.

“You’re kidding, Y/N. This is nowhere as good as yours!” 

“Hey, I didn’t say this was as good as mine! I said it was delicious,” I smirked at him. 

“Yeah, yeah, your hot chocolate is unbeatable,” he smiled triumphantly, having lifted up my spirits. 

“I didn’t say that,” I tilt my head at him.

“That’s what you were implying anyway.” 

“Whatever,” I roll my eyes as I take another sip from his oh-so-delicious hot chocolate.

“Are you done cleaning up?” 

“No, not yet.”

“Sit here, and relax, babe. I’ll do it for you,” he stood up and took the broom.

“Chris, you don’t-”

“Hey, it’s okay. You deserve a break,” he smiled at me.

“Thanks, babe.”

“Anything for my best girl.” 

chris evans tag list: @patzammit @troublermalik 

[moistwithgender]

Monthly Media Roundup (June-July 2019)

Well, I neglected doing a post last month, and now another has passed. I haven’t done too much, about three games each month and not anything else media-wise, so let’s get it all done right now!

Little Nightmares (PC/Steam): 

These types of spooky “cinematic platformers”, like LIMBO and INSIDE, never really scare me or fill me with dread. Part of this may be that due to the trappings of cinematic platformers. Checkpoints are very fair, and nothing is too difficult because priority is on delivering the story. Little side challenges exist, like trying to light all the candles or break all the porcelain dolls in the short 3-hour run of the game, but these are also pretty reasonable, even if you’re in a chase sequence. I’m reminded of a youtuber I briefly followed who talked about how horror games aren’t scary anymore, and somewhat unintentionally delivered the point that as you become accustomed to the limits of a medium, and therefore are less likely to be surprised by it, you’re also much less likely to be scared by it. It’s a somewhat unfortunate and inevitable trade-off to becoming more invested in a hobby. When I was a kid, all games held infinite possibility, and so an NPC in Harvest Moon telling me that wild dogs came out at night led me to think that night time held the possibility of ENEMIES in a game without combat. What the NPC meant was that you should build fences. As an adult who has spent my life playing games, I can tell you that a game is almost never going to put you in a situation without the means to deal with it. If there’s going to be combat, you’re going to know how combat works before an ambush. If there’s an escape sequence, you’re going to be in an area that facilitates your escape (often a narrow space that leads you in a direction while also making it as harrowing as possible). Games are theme park rides, and while learning that can make seemingly difficult games more manageable and enjoyable, it also gradually disillusions you. Thankfully, there are always new things to learn if you keep an open mind.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS): 

2019 has been about thoroughly enjoying the games that I considered overrated in my young adulthood. I joked on twitter that 70% of my personality was disliking Final Fantasy VII and Ocarina of Time, and honestly, it might as well have been. I earned a lot of undeserved respect in college through arrogantly spouting hot takes about “objectively good art”, and a lot of people reasonably assumed this must mean I know exactly what I’m talking about. The way I process art and media is much looser and more personal than it used to be, partially due to burning out and becoming too exhausted to deal with other arrogant people. I think a lot about how tiring I had to be for other people to talk to. Watching Tim Rogers bleed his personal trauma into his video series on the subtleties of FF7’s japanese script was the most instrumental in turning me back toward the game. When Square Enix revealed gameplay footage of the remake at E3 this year, I was hooting and hollering with the longtime fans.

But, this is about Zelda, not Final Fantasy. I had already played through OoT, as hurriedly as possible, just to say I had done it. It was the better part of a decade ago, at the urging of a then-girlfriend who had nostalgia for it. Frustrations with the Water Temple in the original version are valid despite it being largely well designed, due to some minor shortsighted-ness that blows up into nagging issues, but I think I had put myself in the headspace to dislike it from the get-go. Similarly, I didn’t want to do any collecting in the game as a whole. I had convinced myself that there was no joy to be found in collecting in games (a take bereft of nuance). When the point of Zelda games is to inspire the player to explore every nook and cranny in search of rewards, going in as a player and stubbornly trying to avoid any of that ensures that you’ll miss the point of the whole experience. I’m not sure what it was that made me want to go back. It might be that I wanted to prove my younger, cockier self wrong, and pave over my old evaluations with more nuance. 

It certainly worked out that way, as several previous opinions changed entirely. Ruto used to be annoying to me, but was now one of my favorite characters. Doing all the little minigames felt rewarding in itself, and in turn I was unexpectedly rewarded with important items (they really did bet everything on the entire world they’d made). The Water Temple, now tweaked for a bit more convenience in the 3DS version, was extremely interesting. The side quest to acquire the Biggoron Sword was easily doable, whereas I had grown up assuming it impossible. And the story which had never appealed to me (because I wouldn’t let it) now felt relatable in a way I hadn’t expected. Link intends to do good, but through unfortunate circumstances and honest mistakes becomes unable to take part in the world, and it spirals downward for years as he remains trapped in a room, aging but inactive. Something about that mirrors my own experiences with depression. Sure, Link, can travel back to his younger self at any time, but there’s still a powerlessness in the inability to affect the seven year gap. You can flash back, but you can’t change what you’ve lost.

Banjo-Kazooie (N64): 

You know, as a kid I probably would have just accepted that Grunty was evil, but as an adult it’s hard not to see her as a product of her environment. Obsessed with asking her cauldron who the objectively prettiest in the world is, she seeks out and kidnaps the younger girl given the title in an attempt to steal her youth. Every character in the game describes Grunty as ugly, rather than evil, and even her own sister shows up in every area to tell you how gross she is and how terrible her lifestyle is. I ended up sympathizing with her more than anyone else. I’ve only played half an hour of Banjo-Tooie, but it was a relief in multiple ways to see her pivot to straight up murder after rising from the dead.

Despite playing Donkey Kong Country multiple times growing up, I’d never really grown to love Rare’s in-house aesthetic of big-eyed cartoony animals. It might be hypocritical, but Smash Ultimate’s reveals for both King K. Rool and Banjo (and) Kazooie made me see the charm in these characters. Something about how Smash canonizes characters as essential pieces of game history always causes me to drop any negative pretense and adopt them as favorites. It’s a little intellectually hypocritical, but I can’t help liking what I like. After the trailer for B-K in Smash, I immediately started up the original game in Retroarch. Thankfully the core I used was advanced enough to play the game without issues (the same cannot be said for Tooie), as other alternatives were expensive or hard to get a hold of. While the slightly-mean humor and talking animate objects took a bit of getting used to, I get it now. I get the children’s show aesthetic they were aiming for, and I appreciate the feel of the physics and control of the interspecies friendship of the protagonists working in tandem with each other, even if the game is at times quite difficult.

Dragon Quest I, II, & III (SNES): 

Yes, I did play through three JRPGs in a row! And yes, you might notice that the hero of Dragon Quest XI (and VIII, and IV, and III) was also announced for Smash Ultimate. They recently released, as of this writing! A lot of what I’ve been playing has been influenced by outside forces, whether it be Nintendo news or friends, but I’m not bothered at all when otherwise I might not have the energy to play anything. The games I’ve been playing are also ones I’ve intended to play for a while, so the excuses have been convenient for me. Though, actually, this decision had less to do with the Smash announcement and more to do with the upcoming re-release of DQXI, which seems to be related to the original three games, known as The Erdrick Trilogy. I had heard that you can play XI on its own, but that there is an extra layer of appreciation to be had if you’ve played the original trilogy. Me being me, I naturally queued them up. I chose the older fan translations of the SNES remakes, and though I did finish them, I can tell you that they have their fair share of bugs (DQII even has a game breaking glitch I had to finagle through using save states across multiple versions, phew). Besides that, those old translations lack the modern localizations of the games, so if they namedrop something in XI, there’s a chance it’ll go over my head. Oops! If you want to play these games, the best versions are currently on mobile phones.

Around a decade ago I was in early college, with no friends except for those still in high school or at another university. I was very lonely and nervous. I started playing Dragon Quest V purely by chance, and it served as the perfect salve for that loneliness, with its lonely child protagonist traveling around the world accumulating found family. It’s one of the more poignant and cathartic JRPGs I’ve ever played, and for the next decade I would actually be bothered that the rest of the games didn’t live up to the catharsis of DQV.

In revisiting the roots of the series, and playing it through to see how it develops from title to title, it finally clicked with me, and continues to click with me, as I keep learning more about the series. Rather than comparing every entry to DQV, I should have been comparing them in order. This might sound obvious, but it really did make a world of difference to see that V’s narrative is placed on top of the foundation the previous games set, rather than a singular case of lightning in a bottle. And the games have always featured loneliness, but in differing contexts, and to different degrees. The hero of DQI is almost entirely alone through the full game. In DQII, the princess comes from lonely circumstances, and one of the princes comes down with a sickness that leaves him temporarily unable to help his friends. In DQIII you can make as many team members as you want, but you grow up with an absent father, and your own good deeds receive bittersweet resolution. They are all games built on simple settings and followed through with empathy. The series is at times disarmingly heavy, which is part of what makes the games as memorable as they are. You’re never quite as prepared for Dragon Quest as you think you are.

As of this writing I’m currently half-way through a replay of Dragon Quest IV, and I’m enjoying it a lot more. I’m looking forward to replaying V. I have no idea what VI will be like. I’ve heard it’s a lower point in the series, but that’s what I heard about II as well, and I ended up loving it, so who knows. Dragon Quest is good.

---

Well, I managed to catch up. I didn’t get into the finer details of the DQ playthroughs, but DQIII is honestly so good I don’t want to spoil it for anyone (you should play these games). Maybe in August I’ll actually get back to watching and reading things. Maybe I’ll try to keep these things to a single paragraph per item, to make it more manageable to read. Let me know what you think, if you think.

[redvelvetreel]

Red Velvet Reel 4.5: A Crabapple A Day

                                      [Fic Directory]

Pairing: [Married] Spicyhoney (Underfell Papyrus x Underswap Papyrus)

Summary: Edge is incredibly unhappy, Undyne is incredibly nervous, and Stretch tries to keep them both from self/outwardly imploding.

Characters: Edge (Underfell Papyrus) & Stretch (Underswap Papyrus) & Red (Underfell Sans) & Blue (Underswap Sans) & Undyne (Underswap Undyne)

Contains: Mpreg/Skelepreg! Iatrophobia (fear of doctors)! Anxiety manifesting as aggression! Awkward & Anxious Swapdyne! Stretch & Undyne being buddies!

Rating: Teen and up! (I guess?)

Note:  Hello! This is still a queued post! I’ll try to edit the links as soon as possible, but since I only have mobile access right now, it’s a little tough… But I’ll get to it eventually! Thank you for your support! <3

“UGH.” Edge looked disgusted. “Terrible. Absolutely horrendous.”

Undyne cleared her throat, clicking her pen and holding her clipboard professionally. “Why don’t we get started. I’m Dr. Undyne, and-“ she stopped suddenly, earfins drooping as she seemed to collapse on herself. “I... I already introduced... myself...”

She stood up abruptly, heading towards the door, “That was really stupid... I’m, uh- I should maybe-“

“Undyne!” Stretch pulled her into a big hug that had her squeak in surprise, lifting her clear off the floor. He nuzzled the back of her head like she was a toy, and she clung to his arms as if afraid of falling. Undyne looked suddenly much more relaxed, for whatever reason.

“It’s going tibia ok! Edge won’t bite you or anything! He’s a lot more nervous about this than you are!”

Edge narrowed his eyes, stung by that inadvertent betrayal. “Doubtful,” he sneered, “You reek of fear.”

“Edge,” Stretch’s voice took on that rare warning tone, giving him that vaguely disappointed quasi-judgemental look that never failed to make Edge actually feel (a little) bad, “Play nice.“

Undyne leaned toward her armpit discreetly, sniffing the fabric a little too loudly to go unnoticed. “I knew I should have taken that extra shower...” she mumbled to herself, cheeks flushed in mortification.

Stretch squeezed her to get her attention, continuing with an obvious undertone of pride, “My Dyne-amo’s a great friend, and an even better doctor! She’s hardworking and honest, and has a great bedside manner! She owns up to her mistakes and works hard to fix them, so you couldn’t be in more capable hands!”

Edge held his tongue, watching actual sparkles manifest by his husband’s head with a carefully neutral expression. That was hardly reassuring, but Blue was right- isolating her would do him no favors. He would just bide his time until he could find a more suitable physician, if necessary. He gripped the plastic on either side of him tightly.

“Oh, well...” Undyne started playing with a loose lock of hair almost bashfully, before she grinned, “You’re such a huge dork!”

She turned around and started mercilessly noogieing Stretch’s head, laughing boisterously as he sank to his knees in pain, “OW OW! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS DO THIS?!”

“BECAUSE I GET OVERWHELMED AND I DON’T KNOW HOW ELSE TO EXPRESS MY SINCERE APPRECIATION OF YOUR SUPPORT!

Edge felt something stir deep in his soul, a strange feeling that made looking at them suddenly unbearable. Was it jealousy? Stretch gave hugs to everyone, and Undyne didn’t seem like much of a threat... What was it, then?! As much as he tried to ignore it, he couldn’t make himself relax.

“Do you know m00nsh1ne?!”

Edge looked back, watching Stretch massage his neck and shoulders for a moment, before turning his attention back to Undyne. She sat on her little stool, clipboard held against her face and looking incredibly excited.

“...Homemade distilled liquor?” Edge asked, unsure of what to make of her odd question. He was fairly certain that wasn’t what she was asking, but he had no idea what else it could be.

“If that’s a roundabout way of asking if I drink, then I haven’t since I found out I’m pregnant.” Edge wasn’t sure why she deflated, turning to look at Stretch in obvious confusion.

“A-pop- Aerok* Pop Music.” Stretch pointed at the poster on the wall. “They’re an A-pop band called m00nsh1ne, and Undyne’s their biggest fan. You were looking at the poster so...”

Oh. The poster featured a group of pretty girls in identical, impractical dresses, posed with something written in the middle in a foreign language. Maybe not, he squinted, maybe it was just very stylized.

“Hm.” Edge felt her eyes on him, even as she started fiddling with a complicated-looking machine. “No-“ He could see Stretch behind her miming a conversation with his hands, followed by a pleading expression. “You may tell me about them some other time.”

That wasn’t the best answer, but Undyne lit up like a Gyftmas Tree and Stretch made him a little heart with his hands. Edge sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Excellent!” Undyne picked up a portable screen and held it up, “I’ve read through your medical file, and you don’t seem to have any underlying conditions, but if there’s anything I should be aware of-“

Edge instinctively scrambled away as she came closer with the machine, only stopping when Stretch physically sat on the end of the examination table. He dug his claws into his husband’s femur as though grounding himself, keeping one arm raised defensively at chest level.

“Why...” He forced himself to take a deep breath, straightening his spine and asking with more aggression than he intended, “What’s that for?”

Undyne flinched as if he struck her, leaning back against her chair and pulling the screen up to her chest. She actually seemed to be trying to hide behind it, looking down as though afraid to make eye contact.

“Uhhh...” she started, worrying at her lips nervously, “Medicinal- um, magic- magicianal-“

“Ok, let’s all calm down,” Stretch was as soothing as possible, draping an arm on Edge’s shoulder and reaching out to lay a gentle hand on Undyne’s lap. It was more suffocating than comforting, so Edge quickly shrugged it off, putting his back against the wall instead.

“Did I say or do something bad?” Undyne asked timidly, ear fins drooping in obvious consternation.

Stretch looked in his direction, but Edge pointedly looked at the machine instead, bringing his foot onto the examination table.

“We’ve had very bad experiences with doctors before-“ Stretch sighed, but kept his voice calming and even, “So we’re very wary and very uncomfortable being here, right?”

Edge gave a curt nod, not trusting his voice when every instinct screamed at him get out of this room. He tapped his fingers on the plastic cushion restlessly, reminding himself over and over that neither monster was an enemy or a threat. They were allies. Allies. Allies. Allies-

“What?!” Undyne got up immediately, eyes dilating and gills flaring in obvious anger, “Doctor’s take a solemn oath to follow a strict ethical code tohelp their patients! That anyone would dare violate this is INEXCUSABLE!“

The aggression put Edge back on high alert, crossing the room with his handle on the doorknob in an instant- but it was familiar. Justice-fueled and aimed outward at no particular target. Just outrage at things outside of her ability to throttle into submission. Comforting. He felt something almost forgotten stir deep in his soul, and he almost smiled as Undyne let out a guttural scream of rage. Edge forced his fingers to uncurl around the handle, making a tight fist at his side as he watched her every move.

“THAT QUACK-! MALPRACTICE SHOULD BE PUNISHED BY EXECUTION!” She snapped her clipboard in half. Stretch looked completely unfazed as he ducked his head to the side, avoiding the largest piece of shrapnel as he kept an eye on both monsters.

“Ah!” Undyne looked down at her clipboard with furrowed brows, “That’s the fifth one this month!”

Stretch patted her back, taking the remains from her hands and tossing it in the trash with practiced ease. “At least it wasn’t the machine. You almost caused a fire last time.”

“Sorry!” Undyne was incredibly apologetic, ducking her head repeatedly in a series of quick bows as she swiveled towards the door, “I didn’t mean to startle you! I just can’t stand bad doctors! I can only imagine what that- that- UGH did if they could make someone as cool and as tough as you are that uncomfortable!”

She shuddered meaningfully. That, more than her praise and passionate outburst, did more to settle his insecurity and anxiety into something more manageable. Edge had to remain stable and in control for the sake of all the monsters looking up to him. For the monsters depending on him.

“Since your previous physicians- if you can even call them that- failed you, it’s my duty to make up for their shortcomings!” Undyne continued earnestly, procuring a new clipboard from a drawer filled with them. “Rest assured, you’ll have the best care here! And I’ll make sure little Pancake never has to suffer the same way!”

Edge nodded, still a little terse, “Very well, Doctor.”

Undyne sat back down, beaming, “What can I do to make you feel more at ease? This is your appointment, after all- you’re in charge!”

He was?! Edge felt something in him unclench, and while not at all comfortable, it was... better.  He went back to his spot on the examination table next to Stretch, discreetly laying his hand next to his husband’s fingers. He felt Stretch shift, squeezing his hand gently. Feeling a little more like he was in control, Edge looked at the machine she was holding, forcing down his trepidation.

“Explain what you will be using, where and how, and for what purpose before you do anything,” he instructed, sounding more confident than he felt. Undyne flinched at his commanding tone, but nodded nonetheless.

“...I can’t run the same risks as if it were just me, you understand,” he added softly as an afterthought, watching her every movement carefully. Her face softened as though she understood (how could she?), but if it was for Pancake’s sake, he could do it. He would do it. He would do anything.

“Of course.” Undyne pushed her hair out of her eyes to little effect, “Well, then let me explain what this thing is first, then.”  

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5 - Here!] [Part 6] [Part 7]

[bruisedconscience]

my tumblr year in review

I posted 2,495 times in 2021

1360 posts created (55%)

1135 posts reblogged (45%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 0.8 posts.

I added 2,733 tags in 2021

#ooc - 1241 posts

#queued - 237 posts

#[ don’t reblog from me; thanks! ] - 225 posts

#[ don't reblog from me; thanks! ] - 203 posts

#work posting - 177 posts

#mobile - 156 posts

#thread: barry - 148 posts

#n.sfw - 133 posts

#study: barry - 126 posts

#[ sorry i’m liveblogging fx wwdits ] - 87 posts

Longest Tag: 132 characters

#[ i think my friend realized after scrolling thru ao3 that there’s a brad pitt version and she went oh. shit. u meant that one huh ]

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

@xgoldxnhour => Ellie, modern verse

Being outside of Clockworks was...bizarre. David was still on a strict medication regime, but they’d let him leave the facility with the promise that they’d be seeing him once a month, sometimes a few times a month if it turned out like he needed it.

But he was out.

David had learned to respond to the voices in his head internally, without using his mouth, and that made it a little easier to blend in with regular people.

Coffee. David and about 6 other voices wanted Coffee. This, he could do.

He waited until it was his turn at the counter before walking up. The lady—he shouldn’t presume. The person behind the counter had a name tag that read Eloise.

“Hi Eloise,” he said softly. “I’m David. Um...do you have anything with chocolate in it, mayhaps? And-and coffee? At the same time?”

38 notes • Posted 2021-05-06 18:59:11 GMT

#4

Barry "I am actively planning a murder" Berkman

time taken: ~1.5 hrs (click for better quality, like usual)

45 notes • Posted 2021-07-09 06:21:45 GMT

#3

Barry & Maladaptive Daydreaming:

Barry developed maladaptive daydreaming pretty early on after getting back to the states. We see his daydreams a few times throughout the show as a device for Barry’s desires for normalcy and a ‘typical American life,’ but I imagine they extend pretty far beyond what we see in canon.

Barry will have daydreams at inopportune times, like—briefly—while driving or while going about banal daily errands. He’ll sometimes shut his eyes, but he’ll usually rub at his opposite forearm or bicep with his dominant hand, as if he were nervous about something. He can have his eyes open, too, and ‘stare off into space.’ Barry’s P.TSD manifests itself with frequent dissociation as well as maladaptive daydreams. During his psych eval after he was discharged, Barry was so set on sticking to the story Fuches had fabricated that he managed to completely mask his P.TSD symptoms from the military psychiatrist, similar to him being able to lie at face value to Janice Moss and her interviewing partner in Gene’s office.

52 notes • Posted 2021-05-18 05:11:46 GMT

#2

just realized something about the scene where Barry shoots his friend Chris 

keeping his hand against the wheel serves two purposes. one being to make sure Chris doesn’t bruise himself trying to fight Barry off and have signs of a struggle, but another reason is because of rigor mortis

barry, having completed an unknown number of hits by now, knows that after someone dies, there is a very limited amount of time that you have to Pose someone before their body cannot be reliably repositioned. Even an hour after death, indentations in the skin that were left are still noticeable. 

Barry held Chris’ hand against the steering wheel so that the curve would stay in his fingers, making it look like he’d just been holding a gun and his fingers only relaxed a small amount away from the trigger, after Barry smeared off his fingerprints. 

61 notes • Posted 2021-06-01 01:40:46 GMT

#1

hey so whats that thing where you mimic people around you and your behaviors change all the time and its hard to know what is you and what is influence 

is that like identity confusion or alteration or nah? 

edit: for folks reblogging this (bc it’s getting notes fast), see the replies! it’s called mirroring or the mirror effect, and lots of folks do it for a myriad of diff reasons 👍

110 notes • Posted 2021-08-10 20:48:26 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[fandomfuryy]

Cipher Sibling AU: Chapter 1

I have finally decided to share my Cipher Sibling AU with y’all! But since I don’t want to be annoying towards those who have no interest in it, imma put

There! (You should see the “Keep reading” thing. If you did not, sorry for this long post ur gonna have to scroll down) 

If you clicked on it, thank you for the interest. I’m not gonna rant too much, just give the basic info of this AU.  

So my AU is taking place in the past before Stanford ever came to Gravity Falls. It will continue into the future after Bill was frozen. I’ll let you know whether it is past or future/present. In this AU, as the title implies, it will have Bill’s siblings, Will and Kill. I dd not make these characters, I am simply using them in my own way. If you know who made them let me know:) 

Now onto the story!

△Chapter One: The First Rule Breaker△

Past

“Hey, Will! Guess what!” Bill pops up behind him.

“What?” Will turns to look at him curiously.

“I just found out why obtuse triangles are always upset,” Bill says, trying not to laugh.

“They are upset?? Oh no! Bill, why are they upset??” Will’s eye widens.

Bill, Will, and Kill are beings of energy and could take on any form they choose. However, they have agreed upon a simple, triangular shape with one eye. Bill is yellow, Will is blue, and Kill is red.

“Because… THEY’RE NEVER RIGHT!!” Bill laughs at his own joke, while Will blinks.

“Don’t make fun of people for being wrong, Bill! That’s not nice!” Bill sees the tears welling up in Will’s eyes. Will can be so emotional about everything. He can’t even make a proper joke without Will getting offended.

“Bill!” Bill rolls his eye and turns to the third Cipher.

“Hey Kill guess what!”

“Why are you tormenting Will with your immature stories again?” He asks unimpressed.

“They’re jokes,” Bill mutters.

“Well they are childish. Look what you did, Will is crying now.” Kill gives him a disapproving glare, and then goes over to Will.

Kill is too overprotective of Will, Bill thinks. However, if anyone other than him or Kill hurts Will, Bill would definitely destroy them too if Kill hadn’t first.

Bill, Will, and Kill are the Cipher Siblings. They are also the most powerful beings in existence. If only they weren’t trapped in the Mindscape.

Ciphers have no gender. They are simply a Cipher. However, Bill prefers to use the he, his, him pronouns, as well as Kill and Will.

Bill is the Cipher of Chaos, or so his siblings say anyway. Despite being the same age, Bill is considered the youngest sibling, due to his actions. Personally, Bill thinks that Will should be considered youngest since he is the weakest.

Will is the Cipher of emotion. Unlike Bill and Kill, Will has feelings towards others, as well as pretty much anything. He cries way too much. I bet if I told him that, he would cry as a response. But Will isn’t always a crybaby. If nothing upsets him, he is usually a more quiet, kind being. Unusual for a Cipher.

And then there is Kill. Cipher of destruction. He is in charge. I’m not sure who decided that. Probably him. He is very sophisticated, the opposite of Bill. He may be Cipher of destruction, but he is very organized. He is no fun. Only rules and work, rules and work. All he cares about. However, something about Kill is… You don’t want to get on his bad side. Because if he hates you, chances are your life has come to an end.

But the best part about the Ciphers is that they are inseparable. They look out for each other no matter what, and together, they are the most powerful beings. Even alone, they are powerful.

The sad part is Kill and Will don’t even use their powers to the extent that they have. Only when necessary.  Not like Bill. Bill likes to use his powers. He likes creating new things, testing his limits. He likes to be weird.

Bill looks out of their… home, He guesses would be the best word to describe to a human, and into the vast abyss that is the mindscape. It is infinite, like the universe. However with powers such as Bills, he can sense what is going on in every single part of it. The mindscape allows access to the dreams of humans in the 4th dimension. The real dimension. Bill has always wanted to visit. He has watched people’s dreams from afar, imagining what it would be like to control his own world, not just a dream the someone will wake up from and forget.

Although he technically controls the dreamscape with Will and Kill, they are never as fun and are always saying we don’t control the mindscape, we simply watch over it. We protect it.“

Pfft. Protect. I don’t want to protect it, Bill thinks. Bill wants to use his powers for actual meanings. Bill wants to test his limits, to create his world. Not protect other people’s worlds.

Bill decides to go alter people’s dreams again. It’s forbidden, but no one notices a few little changes every now and then, do they?

He transports himself into a new dream.

Like usual, it is a resident in Gravity Falls. Bill has felt drawn to this place even before it was given a name. Something about it… calls to him. People often dream about crazy things there, things they have seen, or thought they have seen. And for some reason, it uses less of Bill’s energy when altering dreams from Gravity Falls.

Bill is in a forest. A Gravity Falls forest. He’s seen many dreams with a setting in this forest. He looks around and sees a girl. The dreamer. Bill sits himself atop a tree branch and watches the scene.

Suddenly, a boy appears. Ugh, not another romance dream. These are boring. But hey, he loves seeing their faces when he makes the dream more interesting.

“Hey, I never thought I’d see you here,” the boy smiles at the girl. The girl’s name is Rosaline. Bill knows everything about her now that he has entered her personal dreamscape. He knows everything about everyone.

Yawn, Bill is getting bored. Time for some fun!

He watches as the boy leans in towards Rosaline, and suddenly backs away disguised as Rosalind’s teeth start falling out. She looks at the ground with her eyes wide, face horrified.She puts her hand through her hair, and it falls out too.

Bill laughs. He watches as the boy flickers out of the dream, and Rosaline is left alone. Bill likes to make weird things happen in peoples dreams, it spices up the mindscape life.

Usually, Bill stops here. He can’t do too many changes at once without Kill or Will sensing it. But strangely, he doesn’t stop this time. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have a conscious. Maybe he is a conscious. Bill pops up beside Rosaline.

“Hi there!” Bill waves. He would have smiled too if he had a mouth.

“Who are you?” Rosaline looks up at Bill.

“I’m Bill. Now I noticed that you are having boy trouble, aren’t you?” He asks.

“Kinda. I really like this guy, his name is Max. But he never seems to notice me. And every time I’m about to talk to him, I get nervous. Even in my dream I scared him away! It’s like a bad omen,” she rants. “Wow I’m basically talking to myself, aren’t I? You’re me.”

“No, I’m Bill!” He says. “You are the first person I have met in a long time, Rosaline Harsley.”

“How do you know my name…?” She asks.

“Didn’t I tell you I know everything? Like you were born in Canada, moved to Gravity Falls with your family when you were four, and you are currently 17! ” Bill sits down and puts his hands at the back of his head. “So anyway, about your dilemma,”

Bill has no interest in this mortal’s love life, but he has never talked to someone from out of the mindscape in so long. He doesn’t want the conversation to end.

She seems confused as to how he knows so much about her. She probably thinks Bill is just another figment of her imagination in this dream.

Bill and Rosaline chat for a while, and Bill starts to wonder if Kill is going to kill him later. But he can't because the Ciphers have an equal amount of power! Ha.

“I just never know how to talk to him. It’s too bad you aren’t there, you seem to have the confidence to walk right up to him.” Rosaline says at some point.

Too bad you weren’t there,

The Cipher siblings have multiple rules, but one rule is the sacred, most important rule that can never be broken. Don’t make a deal with a human.

“Rosaline, maybe I could help you. If I were to… be with you, while you tried to talk to him, then wouldn’t that be so much easier?” I ask. She mustn’t have noticed the glint in Bill’s eye, or the way his voice grew more excited by the moment.

“Yeah, it would. Too bad it isn’t possible. Or is it?” She looks up at me.

Bill looks down at his now blue flame engulfed hand.

“All you have to do is shake my hand,”

Well this seems longer when I copy and paste it onto Tumblr. Anyways, I have this queued to post every Friday so the next chapter will be out then. So ya. Hope you liked it! If you did, let me know :) 

Also I may have some information wrong, so if you’re going to correct me, please do so in a nice way. Thanks!

Next 

[kotoriqueen]

Heith Week 2k17 Day 3; July 17th - fighting/touch Also on my AO3 Will be queuing all my days since I’ll be working too much to post all my fics but all the chapters will be posted on my AO3 as well because I might end up forgetting!!

Keith wasn’t much of a touchy person. When he and Hunk first dated, Keith wanted to keep it on the down-low. He knew how Hunk was with information, so he wasn’t angry with him when he told the others. But Keith was very hesitant went it came to showing off in public, even if it was with the people they’ve been around for months now. But Keith warmed up to it eventually, and hunk started off slow; cuddling with Keith while they were in their rooms or holding hands when they were at the dining table. Simple pecks on the cheek with murmurs of ‘be safe’ and ‘love you’s against each others lips when they went on solo missions. Keith decided to take the big step after they got back from a long fight against the Galra and everyone showered. Hunk had went first, and he had laid out on the sofa in the common room. When Keith came in, he plopped down on him and cuddled with him, practically falling asleep on Hunk if it wasn’t for everyone watching.

Turns out, Keith was very cuddly when he was tired. Shiro had witnessed that more than once, but it was rare for Keith to show that to others. (“He must like you a lot, Hunk,” Shiro had told him, with a wide grin on his face. Then he had ushered Lance and Pidge out of the room to give them privacy.)

Hunk and Keith had both slept on the couch that night, curled up in each others arms with Keith listening to Hunk’s heartbeat and Hunk listening to Keith’s steady breathing.

Now that Keith was warmed up to the whole public display of affection thing, he initiated little sweet acts more than Hunk. He showed up to breakfast early to help him, going as far as planting kisses to the yellow paladins face, taking chubby cheeks in his hands and making Hunk laugh from how ticklish Keith’s kisses were. They may be a difference in height between them, and it made Keith stand on his toes in order to do this, but Hunk never complained – he absolutely loved it. And now that Keith was comfortable, he’d sometimes swoop Keith up and place wet kisses on his face or swoop him up just because he felt like it. It always surprised Keith, and he never expects it, and he always yelps because of it, too. But that’s also something he doesn’t mind. Just makes his face heat up hotter than his lions element, even more so when Pidge makes gross noises and Lance teases them.

It took what seemed like months to Hunk to get Keith to approve of PDA. And then suddenly he feels like he’s back to square one when he wakes up one morning to Keith missing. The bathroom door is shut, and Hunk calls out to him. When he gets no response, he hurries to the bathroom door and tries to open it. The door starts sliding open, but Keith quickly regains access and types in the code to lock the door.

“Keith? Keith, please. If somethings wrong, you can talk to me?” Hunk offers, fists banging on the bathroom door. “Did I kick you off the bed last night? ‘cause I’m sorry! If you’re angry, I’ll let you be the larger spoon tonight so you can kick me off!”

“That’s not it..” Keith mutters and Hunk blinks at the door. “Just-- just leave me alone.. okay? You wouldn’t want to sleep with me, let alone touch me again if you saw me like this.”

“Saw you like what? Looks never bothered me, Keith, you should know that.” Hunk says. Then it clicks. “Wait.. did you turn purple? Are you purple, Keith?”

“I look like a monster, Hunk!”

“I doubt it. Let me in, please?” There’s complete silence, and Hunk lets out a sigh. “..Fine. I’ll let you be. I’m going to the kitchen to make you breakfast. Pretty sure you won’t come down, but I’ll come back to bring you some food.”

Hunk turns around and gathers up his clothes, starting to get ready in the room; he strips out of his pajama shirt, getting only that far when the bathroom door chimes to signal it was unlocked. Hunk glances over and the bathroom door swishes open, revealing a very purple Keith in the doorway. He steps out into the light, and Hunk gets a better look. Keith’s hair is dark purple now, and there’s Galra ears sticking up, starting from the side of his face from where his human ears. His skin is purple, but it’s not fuzzy. At least, not all of it. And his nails look like claws now.

“Oh.. my god.”

“I told you I look like a monster,” Keith mutters, frozen in his spot. “I.. I just woke up like this. I understand if you don’t want to sleep with me anymore.”

“What? No! No no!” Hunk’s panicking and runs to Keith, taking his purple face in his hands. Now that he has a better look, the whites of Keith’s eyes are yellow now, but his iris is still the dark purple that he got lost in time and time again. “You’re no monster, Keith. And I already told you: looks don’t matter to me. You being Galra doesn’t change that. I didn’t expect you to turn purple, but it was probably bound to happen, right? You’re still you, Keith. I love you, and I’m not going to stop loving you because of this.”

Keith sniffles and his voice cracks when he tells Hunk ‘thank you’. For a while, they stay like that in complete silence before Keith breaks it.

“..How am I going to tell the others about this though?”

“You can stay here if you want until you gather up the courage to do it,” Hunk offers, a hand running through dark purple locks now and going to a Galra ear. “I think that may be better off for you. And for me.”

“..Why for you?” Keith feels nervous about asking, especially when a grin spreads wide across Hunk’s face. “..Hunk. What are you thinking.”

“I’m thinking I want to touch these new ears of yours a lot more,” Hunk responds with a giggle, both hands scratching behind them. A whine emits from Keith and he tells Hunk to stop, trying to push his hands away. But then Hunk’s hands start feeling good and a low rumble comes from him, sounding like a--- “Did you just purr?”

“..I-- no? No. I definitely did not.” Keith says, pulling back from Hunk. “Nope. You’re hearing things.”

“You did!”

“Nope!”

“Keith-- Keith, come back! I want to touch your ears more!”

“I’m revoking your touching privileges, Hunk!”

“You can’t deny me happiness when it makes you happy, too! I heard you purr for Quiznaks sake!”

[sarahburness]

What’s Helped Me Get Out of My Head and Do Things That Scare Me

“Don’t let the fear of what could happen make nothing happen.” ~Unknown

I knew it was coming.

But as I sat there on the first day of the seminar, my stomach still did a little turn when the trainer announced the exercise we’d be doing over our lunch break:

The dreaded pizza walk!

I knew this was the trainer’s wry (but equally as unnerving) riposte to Tony Robbins’ famous fire walks. But right then, I would have much rather taken my chances with the coals.

The idea is simple: Go into a shop, restaurant, or other public establishment and make an absurd and bold request, i.e.: walk into a hardware store and ask for a pizza.

Easy? Maybe.

As we broke for dinner there was lots of nervous chatter amongst the trainees, but I chose not to engage with the others. I wanted to get out there and face these pizza demons as soon as possible.

Now, the aim of the exercise on one level seemed obvious: to teach us to be more forthright, in businesses, in our relationships, in life.

The bolder the requests we make, the less ridiculous they’ll seem, and the easier it will be to make other bold requests. Thus we can go home and feel more comfortable speaking our truth, asking for what we want, and generally showing up in life more confidently.

Or so I thought. Because what I actually learned from this exercise was much more powerful.

After leaving the building where we’d been, I walked down the main street, which was in fact the Baker Street.

So, as I passed Sherlock’s ‘house’ and the eager tourists queuing outside, I began looking around for my target.

There were a few souvenir shops I could pick. A Subway restaurant (of course!), a few bars, but nothing that really took my fancy.

(Or rather, if I’m honest, I knew I had an hour to do this and it all felt too edgy and I wanted to put it off as long as possible.)

So I ducked into a Nando’s Restaurant and had some chicken. (Oh, the irony!)

As I ate my half Piri Piri chicken (medium-hot with rice, if you’re interested), I contemplated my task.

It felt silly to be so up in my head and nervous about this simple, innocuous exercise.

What was the worst that would happen? Perhaps a bemused stare off the shop worker at best.

So why was I shaking just thinking about it?

And if you’re thinking I’m being daft and wussy as you read this, I’d encourage you to try this for yourself. It’s not as easy as it seems. In fact, making that bold request can feel pretty scary.

But then again, is that really true?

Because the insight I had next changed a lot of things for me.

You see, I realized that what the trainer actually wanted us to learn from this experience was something completely different from my original notion.

As the clock ticked away and I saw that we were due back in ten minutes, I knew it was now or never. I had to make my absurd request. I had to do the pizza walk.

I also knew that I had to just get it done, to stop waiting to feel ready and just get to it. Action was key.

So as I passed the next shop, a newsagent, I went in. I strolled up to the counter, looked the guy straight in the eyes and, poker-faced, said:

“Can I have a cheeseburger and large fries please?”

And it was weird.

My immediate feeling in that moment was actually one of real elation. I felt dizzy but happy, like I’d just nervously jumped out of a plane and now found that my parachute had opened and I could enjoy the float to earth.

Of course, the man behind the counter didn’t appear to be experiencing any of this. He just looked a little confused and taken aback.

Yet I also felt there was something else present in him. Compassion maybe? Concern?

I’d jarred us both out of our day-to-day reality and allowed us to be supremely present with each other. We connected on a deeper level.

In that moment, we dropped out of being on autopilot and a more profound interaction could take place.

(Again, I’m not sure that the man behind the counter assessed it all this way, but I felt it!)

Next he kind of stuttered something about having some sandwiches in the chiller, and I was suddenly overcome with warmth toward him—that even in this bizarre situation he was trying to help this strange man at his counter.

From nowhere I heard myself say:

“It doesn’t matter about the cheeseburger actually. I’ll have a Lotto scratchcard, but can you make sure it’s the winning one?”

I was having fun now. Still totally present and enjoying this interaction.

Thankfully. I think my new friend was beginning to enjoy it too, as he play acted choosing the right scratchcard, which he assured me was the winning one.

I thanked him, paid, and left. As I stepped outside onto that cold February afternoon I saw something I’d not truly, insight-fully seen up to now.

You see, I’d spent the last hour stuck in my head worrying about this event.

I’d been living in an imagined future where the event went really bad, where I felt silly, where I was ridiculed. And these thoughts had made me really fearful of making this silly request. My confidence had dropped and it had almost stopped me from taking part.

But what actually happened was that when I did make the request I was truly in the moment. I was living in real life, not in my imagination about what this might look like.

And more importantly, in the moment I was so much more resilient, confident, creative, and connected than I’d given myself credit for. So much so that I forgot all about that imagined reality and just lived in actual reality.

This insight was massive for me because that’s how we can all be, quite a lot of the time.

This can show up with our careers, in our relationships, in life. We get so stuck in our thinking that we can almost talk ourselves out of doing things we want to do.

We second-guess ourselves, we make stuff up about what people might think about us, and then we sit with those thoughts and go over and over them until they start to look real. But in that process we always underestimate our resilience and our moment-to-moment creativity.

What I really saw that day was that it’s never the future event we fear. It’s only ever our thinking about that future event.

And if it’s just our own thinking—and not the imagined, self-created ‘event’—then why do we give it so much attention?

Because I see now that there have been loads of times in the past when I’ve worried and stressed about things, only for them to be fine, even enjoyable when they actually happened.

I’m sure you’ve got lots of examples you can recall right now as you think about your own life.

The more we can explore this and shine a light on what’s going on, the more grounded and confident we become.

Because what would it mean to you if you could use all this anxious energy for good use?

What would it mean if you could quickly drop out of worrying about future events and stay present?

And let’s be clear here, we are only ever able to do anything right now, in this moment. When we live in that scary future world we have no power. We don’t exist there except in our thinking.

By exploring this deeper I know it’s allowed me to be calmer, more confident, more productive in my work. A better human being even.

I don’t take things so personally any more. I don’t spend needless hours and days worrying about what might happen.

I stay more in the moment, which means when I’m at work I’m no longer in my head wondering if people will want to hire me, or what they think of me, or if I’m going to be able to get them the results they want. When I’m with friends and loved ones I’m not living in my thinking about what’s going on, I’m enjoying being present and in the now with them.

And this frees up my attention to really listen to what they’re saying, to connect with them on a deeper level.

And in doing so I can have so much more impact than if I was trying to second-guess the situation or worrying about what will happen next.

And how do you stay more present?

Remind yourself that, no matter how real the future event looks in your mind, your feelings don't indicate anything about the outcome of that event; they are just a response to your thoughts in that moment.

You’re feelings have no idea what will happen in the future.

And like me, you might just find that what, in your imagination, seems really scary is actually incredibly liberating and enjoyable when it actually happens.

So next time you catch yourself stuck in your head, simply take a moment to step back and notice where your attention is.

Is it in your thinking, or in life?

In asking yourself this you’ll automatically drop back into life, where you have everything you need to really connect with the person in front of you.

And if you were wondering, it wasn’t the winning scatchcard.

You can’t win ’em all!

About Matt Hattersley

Matt is a coach who works with heart-centred business owners, coaches, and creatives…or those who aspire to be. These are people who want to become more impactful and influential leaders in their careers, relationships, and community. For more info and insights connect with him here.

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from Tiny Buddha https://tinybuddha.com/blog/whats-helped-get-head-things-scare/

[picseedapp]

Springboard to Creativity: A talented 22-year old Creative, reveals his tips on how to stay motivated and inspired to create.

As part of the launch of Picseed, we want to share with you a series of interviews called ‘Springboard to Creativity’ sessions. We aim to inspire and motivate you to create. The sessions delve into the stories of creatives practicing in the area of art and design. 

Picseed app helps you find inspiration based on your creative interests. Capture, collect and share your work simply and beautifully. 

Today, we are going behind the scenes of Aidan Broletti, a talented and successful photographer, videographer and graphic designer. We find out about his creative practice and learn about what motivates him to create even outside of his 9-5 job. Aidan is a 22-year old Dublin based Creative and globetrotter wannabe.

It’s a pleasure to have such a talented mind to kick off the first ‘Springboard to Creativity’ session. Tell me about your practice. How did your journey begin?

I would describe myself as a creative. I prefer not to stick as just ‘Graphic Designer’ or ‘Videographer’ because sometimes you could be put into a category. I do a lot of video work for the company I work with in my 9-5. I try to be a little bit more creative and work on more abstract ideas as a whole. As to how I got into that and where it started - I began doing photography when I was in 6th year in secondary school and I got really into it. I was never brought up doing it. I was interested in photography. 

But it wasn’t until I was in college that I got interested in video. I picked it up and ran with it! I spent my entire college years just doing video work and then I was introduced to graphic design in 3rd year. I was actually quite late into the game. I wasn’t brought up doing creative work, I just kind of fell in love with it. I got a job in a global company after I finished college and have just been doing it since then.

What type of video work did you do in college?

It was mainly highlight-videos on events going on around campus. The first one was a Christian Union Gospel Choir. They wanted me to record a 3-hour concert. I was really nervous. I was like ‘please pick me, please pick me’ – thinking there would be hundreds of people queuing up for it but there was nobody so I went there with my camera. It was good! I did about 100 different highlight videos a year over two years. I was doing lots and lots of it for free and that kind of kick-started me. From there I started doing freelance work. A lot of it was highlight-videos. Then I started moving into live streaming and then short films.

What projects are you currently working on?

I traveled to Thailand two months ago. I have wanted to go for a while. I wanted to do self-portrait travel. It’s really big on Instagram at the moment but I have always wanted to delve into it. I know perhaps it’s not the most original concept but it’s definitely something I believe I can put my mark on - plus I find it fun and interesting. I travel with my girlfriend most of the times and we photograph each other (I need to get better at giving her credit). I believe the editing process is where the magic happens. 

She’s like your assistant photographer?

Yes [laughs] but I do the editing process behind it which I enjoy. I bring it into Photoshop. I find it’s a balance between adding elements in Photoshop but it’s still being slightly realistic but without being too abstract.

‘Obviously coming back from Thailand, the scenery in Ireland is beautiful but it’s not like Thailand. The landscape in Ireland is a challenge in itself.’

I also got bitten by the travel bug. I went to Paris there a couple of weeks ago and I am going to the States soon with work. I will try to do some shoots around that as well. I try to get different travel opportunities wherever I can. And when I’m at home, I try to choose different places where I can shoot new work.

Describe your routine and what gets you into a creative mindset.

I’d say I like to keep myself motivated. Currently, I am into Podcasts. I listen to a tonne of motivational podcasts. They perhaps go in one ear and out the other. I listen to that when I’m working to help get me into the right mood to just go and do it.

‘I have a routine of getting a cup of coffee which starts my productivity even if I’m not tired. The idea of me sitting there with my cup of coffee makes me feel like I am being a lot more productive.’

[Laughs] That’s entirely in my head. It helps me to focus my energy. I finish work in my 9 to 5 job and go home and sit there with my coffee working on editing photographs for a couple of hours.

Then, when I’m out shooting, I always try to frame something in my head before taking lots of photographs. I walk around trying to find different angles.

‘I scout out where to I’m going on Google maps looking at various photographic locations that are a bit unique because I don’t like to take the photographs in the same place that everyone else does. I want the image to be a bit different.’

That’s my one pet peeve - when you go to different tourist locations, like in Thailand or Paris and everyone is taking photos in the same place - I know I am a tourist as well!, but I just try to find a new angle on that to make it different.

Are there any particular materials, equipment or tools that you like to use? What’s in your creative kit especially if you are going abroad?

I would like to say it’s vast and you have all this technology like go-pros etc. but realistically I simply use a DSLR. I just stick with that. I use one lens. That kind of confines you a little bit but also forces you to find a new perspective. If you have one lens and you can’t zoom in, you have to find a way of getting closer or a new way to frame it. Whereas, if you have so many different things, it can be a bit overwhelming. I find a lot of people get drawn into the technology and they forget about their actual subject. So it’s pretty basic using a DSLR, Photoshop and Lightroom.

I understand that - with boundaries comes creativity.

Yes, it’s a bit of a challenge too - don’t get me wrong. I went over to Thailand with 20kg of equipment. [Laughs] Yeah, I brought along numerous different lenses and Go-Pros but when I got there I just thought, ‘what am I doing carrying all this around with me’, because realistically I am just going to use this one camera and one lens. So I left all the rest in the hotel. I still had to bring it around to different places but I made the decision there and then and I think it’s going to stick with me.

What motivates you to create?

I’d say it’s a mix.

‘What motivates me is a mixture of people I look up to but wanting to inspire other people too.’

I was probably not as motivated right up until college. That’s when something just clicked. But every single night and morning I feel there’s a sense of urgency. It’s like ‘oh no I need to be doing something to advance myself.’ That mindset is something I’ve always just had. But I always find myself looking to others for motivation as well. I look up to people on Instagram. I’m big into the fitness industry and I look up to them for different things like work ethic. So there are lots of people that motivate me but it’s also self-motivation that helps keep me trucking along.

What does success look like to you?

‘I would say success is being able to do what I love without worries about money or things like that.’

It’s not necessarily working for the biggest brand in the world. It’s doing what you want and having fun creatively.

What is your greatest achievement?

Being a 20-year-old, straight out of college and getting a job as a creative, is my greatest achievement.

Have you collaborated with any other creative and if so can you describe your experience of it? 

I collaborate a lot with people in work. Outside of my 9 to 5, I have definitely reached out to people. I am still finding my feet in the creative scene on social media, so I have not completed anything yet - but I have upcoming collaborations that I am very excited about. It’s just trying to find the right time. That’s the only thing is having the time to do it.I’m thinking, with your girlfriend, it’s like collaboration in itself. She is behind the camera taking some photos for your self-portraits.Yes, actually [laughs]. I probably don’t give her enough credit for that. It’s probably the biggest collaboration. I love that!

How does that work?

She’s into it...I was going to say she is probably into it just as much as me but probably gets fed up of it every now and then. But it’s good. We both enjoy traveling and taking photographs. She comes from a science background but she has definitely learned how to use the camera. She enjoys the process of seeing the photograph taken in a place and seeing what can be done when you add it to Lightroom and Photoshop.She sees it taking life, especially after posting it. Like when I put it up on the ‘Gram’ and seeing it getting likes, [laughs]. She sees the whole process. That’s collaboration. I get asked a lot of questions from people and they are asking ‘who is taking these photographs?’

Who’s the person behind the camera – it’s the unsung hero.

She’s the unsung hero there is right [laughs]. I didn’t stick it on a tripod or put it on a timer. 

Who inspires you to create?

I go through phases. For example, there’s Offset in Dublin every year. I go through a phase of following these people religiously and think ‘Oh my God, they’re who I want to be’ and then a month later it’s someone else. I would say at this moment in time, I’m into creatives on Instagram. There is a cool trend at the moment where they create all these images and content that are entirely out of stock images. They are quite abstract. There’s another group called the Art of Visuals and there’s a lot of people on there who do a lot of sharing and collaborating. It’s very interesting - It’s the whole idea of creating something entirely from your laptop sometimes using stock images and photoshopping them. There’s still a lot of work you have to put into them. It’s still like 8 hours of work just to get one image. That really motivates me at the moment. I would like to get into that but I still enjoy going out and traveling, getting fresh air.

Do you post images up in the ‘Art of Visuals’ group?

I tag them in it. It’s a big group. That’s the motivation as well to be more part of that group. Getting feedback from the group, sharing and getting to know people by networking. It’s a world-wide group but I definitely like to be a part of that.

Do you find that if you have a project on your mind that you want to research, sometimes ideas just come to you when you don’t think about it? Does that ever happen to you?

I feel like inspiration works in the backend of your brain. You don’t really realize until that moment that you kind of go ‘Ahh’. Like when I came into work earlier this week, I just thought of something and I wrote it down. I literally hadn’t thought about it for months. But something just clicked. It seems to just work in the background.

What superpower would you like to have and why?

[Laughs] I kind of always wanted to fly. That’s real basic of me. You could apply it to modern day traveling. Because of the expensive flights as a limitation, I could fly everywhere with my DSLR.

Are there any challenges that you have encountered when creating your work?

Yes, lots of challenges. It goes part in parcel with what I was saying – to be able to get to a place where there are no boundaries and being able to do what you want.

‘But the challenges drive you to aim for more.’

There are always challenges coming from clients, who you work for, software and other things like trying to take a photograph in a particular place. For example, when you go to different places, there are always tourists there. You’re a tourist too. But you just have to wait for them to move out of your frame or..pro tip, you just clone them out of the background anyway.

Or have the patience of a saint.

Yes, to have the patience of a saint and wait for the right time. It’s small challenges like that that make it more rewarding. I really enjoy taking the extra bit of time to make an image stand out, if it were easy then I wouldn’t enjoy the process.

How do you share your work with your audience? Do you have a particular preference for a platform?

Currently, it’s Instagram. I feel like that’s where everything is going at the moment. I’m really enjoying Instagram stories. I’m getting great feedback from doing all that. Before that though, it was Facebook. It depends on what’s big at the time. I was always into Facebook. I’d set up my Facebook likes page in college and invite all my friends. But I think Instagram is a lot better because you can find people you wouldn’t have know through Facebook. You can’t find as many people on Facebook as you can on Instagram that share your interests. That’s probably the one I’d share most on. But I’ve always been a key person for teaching about keeping all your platforms up to date. So whether that’s on your website, YouTube, Twitter etc. I’ve probably fallen down a bit on Twitter over the past few years as it’s declining a bit but Instagram is the main one.

Do you interact with your audience for feedback on your work?

Yes, I try to ask for feedback all the time on Instagram and use it to talk to people. You get their DMs there too. It’s something that people don’t see but you’re reaching out and networking with other people.

‘Even if nothing ever comes of it, you can reach out to people you have never met. People who live in another country and you’re talking to them like they are someone you know.’

What tips or advice do you have for other creatives starting out?

‘In terms of photography and video, it’s learning the basics first.’

It’s very easy to get carried away with the latest technology like gimbals, drones etc. Videos nowadays all have the flashiest transitions, LUTs, colour grading, etc. I use that myself but I try not to get to carried away with it or rely on it because I try to keep the story at the forefront. If you use too much of it, people who are a lot more experienced will just see through it. They will see you haven’t mastered the basics.

‘You can get lots of positive feedback from people but if you’re hoping to get into the creative industry, you have to remember that creative professionals will also be looking at your work and they’ll be able to see through that.’

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from creating your work?

‘I’d say the biggest lesson I have learned is to not to put things off.’ 

I’ve gone through numerous phases of just putting things off. Like I would think, ‘right I’m going to have a productive Saturday morning. I’m going to sit down and do lots of work’ but unless you set an objective or goal, that work never happens. You could sit there refreshing your feeds but unless you have something to work on, you’re not doing much at all. I learned that lesson in the past year.

‘I’ve decided to make To-Do lists on my phone. I make lists each day and that makes it a lot easier.’

If I don’t get the work done that day, I don’t go to bed at night [Laughs]. It’s one of the most basic things but it makes it really easy to stay focused. It’s all about goal setting. If I think ‘if I do this it will make me more successful’ but you have to break it down into smaller, easier steps.

All images are copyright of Aidan Broletti©

To see more of Aidan’s work, head over to his website: www.aidanbroletti.com 

Join him on Instagram to see his latest adventures: www.instagram.com/aidanbroletti

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[migrately]

What You Need to Know About WOW Air Business Class

WOW Air plane on the tarmac at Keflavik Airport in Iceland

You’ve probably heard by now about WOW Air, the low cost, budget airline from Iceland that offers flights to Europe from the United States. But before you start to think I’ve lost my mind, technically WOW Air doesn’t have Business Class seats on their flights, but they do offer a WOW Biz class of service.

Let’s compare WOW Basic to WOW Plus and WOW Biz:

WOW Basic: Flight ticket, Personal item

WOW Plus: Flight ticket, Personal item, 1x carry-on bag, Checked bag, Standard seat

WOW Biz: Flight ticket, Personal item, 1x carry-on bag, Checked bag, Cancellation protection, In-flight meal, XXL legroom, Priority boarding

To reiterate, WOW Biz is not a class of service on the plane that’s comparable to Business on any other airline. Instead, think of it as paying for your services in advance all at once instead of paying for á la carte service at the airport. Since I hadn’t flown with WOW Air before, I was excited to try this airline out for my trip to Amsterdam.

Check In at BOS for WOW Air

Checking in at Boston Logan International Airport was fairly quick although I immediately noticed issues. Several people in line were trying to argue the point that their luggage was appropriately sized. Ticket agents will make you place your bags in the carrier near the lines to see if it fits. A few people had to take their luggage on a walk of shame back to seats near the entrance of the airport to repack or pay to check their bag.

I highly recommend reading all of the possible charges that can and will be charged so there are no surprises.Click To Tweet

The website clearly shows luggage size and weight and I highly recommend reading all of the possible charges that can and will be charged so there are no surprises. You can pay for your bag charges in advance, too, and if you do you’ll save more instead of paying at the airport.

Since WOW Air is a budget airline, that meant I was going to go through the security line with everyone else without any special lines for Business Class. The line was long and slow to get through security and all I could do was grin and bear it. Once through security, I decided it wasn’t worth going to the Air France lounge for maybe an hour. Instead, I walked around, bought a bottle of Vitamin Water Zero and Dasani sparkling water, and a coffee from Starbucks.

BOS to KEF – Flight #1 WW126

Gate E5 at Boston Logan Airport

Eventually I decided to walk over to gate E5 and wait for boarding. The gate agents were regularly calling up passengers even up until the time of boarding.

WOW Air flight attendants in Boston – Doesn’t this look like a 60’s airline advertisement?

When boarding time did arrive, there was zero organization. Normally people queue up but this was a random group in no order near the gate. I asked someone if she was in line and she flippantly responded how yes, she was in line and no, the plane wouldn’t leave without us. Did she think this was my first ever flight?

After advising those with children, those needing extra time to board, and priority boarding could board, we waited something like 20 minutes in the cold gangway. Having people wait here is completely ridiculous considering those with children or disabilities are expected to just hang out patiently to board in this area.

Seat map for flight WW126

Once onboard, I located my seat, 11A, which was near the exit door and didn’t have a seat in front of it.

View from seat 11A on the Airbus A321 on flight WW126

This seems like a great idea, but not having that seat means no under seat storage. The seat back pocket is on the wall near the floor, which I didn’t initially notice.

I had one of two options from my window seat if I needed to get up. I could scoot past the two women in seats B and C or walk through the small space that would get me out by row 10 on the left hand side.

Before take off, I opened my blanket and placed it over me, but under the seatbelt. The flight attendant came by and brusquely informed me that I needed to fold up my blanket and place it behind my back. WTF? On the many flights around the world I’ve taken, not once has this ever happened. I had my seat belt closed and visible, which is what I thought she wanted, but apparently that wasn’t good enough. (TSG Note: Apparently, they don’t want anything out that could “fall” and we all know how loud and damaging a blanket is when it falls.)

The Flight Itself

Food options with WOW Air

During meal service they seemed surprised that I wouldn’t accept food. “But it’s included” the flight attendant repeated to me. There wasn’t anything I could eat off the menu, which is basically a lot of sandwiches with meat. I had packed a snack size bag of nuts and seeds and called it a day. I had a few shows on my iPad I decided to watch as I opened the Dasani sparkling water. Apparently, it must have been shaken and decided to erupt like a geyser all over everything. Like the wall, my blanket and pillow, the floor, and of course, my iPad. I dried off the iPad immediately and put it away and listened to music for the remainder of the flight.

The woman in seat B next to me was Roza, a friendly woman from Albania who’s now living in the Boston area. She usually flies with her husband but this time she was on her own and was a little nervous. She didn’t know where to go or what to do and I felt her pain as she recounted her story of having to pay for checked luggage to the tune of $150. I could see how it could all be confusing for someone who doesn’t understand that free doesn’t exist anymore, especially for budget airlines. She didn’t bring any food or drink onboard and since my WOW Biz seat had extras, I ordered an extra bottle of water and gave it to her.

The lights in the cabin stayed on the entire time. Why? Probably because the flight attendants come around constantly selling food and Duty Free items throughout the flight. That’s, of course, when they weren’t congregating near the front of the plane and chatting.

Northern Lights Watch

Northern Lights as seen from my seat onboard WW126 to Iceland

There's nothing else quite like the Northern Lights and watching them dance across the sky outside my window was amazing.Click To Tweet

Lights in the cabin were dimmed only during takeoff and landing and when the pilot spotted the Northern Lights. I purposely booked a seat on the left side of the plane for this reason and I was so glad that I was able to see them. There’s nothing else quite like the Northern Lights and watching them dance across the sky outside my window was amazing. Once the cabin lights came back on, it was impossible to see them clearly or to photograph them.

The flight landed at Keflavik International Airport 30 minutes early at 4:07 am. While this sounds great, my flight to Amsterdam was leaving at 6 am. I departed the plane with Roza in tow. Although I thought we would walk right over to the gate, I forgot that we would have to go through passport control. Less than 5 minutes later we were at gate C35 along with everyone else.

KEF to AMS – Flight #2 WW442

When they finally announced boarding, one of the few perks of flying WOW Biz was Priority Boarding. I was able to walk right up and then have my boarding pass scanned while everyone had to wait. But unfortunately once again, they queued us up for 30 minutes in the gangway before allowing us to board the plane.

Seat map for flight WW442

I took ZERO pics for this flight after all the standing around and waiting. I sat in seat 1A, which besides no underseat storage, was a really great seat. First on and first off is always good in my book.

AMS to KEF – Flight #3 WW443

Waiting at Schiphol AIrport for flight

My flight from Amsterdam to Keflavik meant I was departing from an M gate with few services. While there’s a duty free store, a bar, and a takeaway shop with sandwiches and beverages, there are no lounges. I arrived early to check in which meant I sat and waited for a while. Like others, there was lots of sitting until gate M07 showed up on the overhead board.

View from gate while waiting to board flight WW443 AMS to KEF

Gate M07 has stairs going down and I walked down on the right to use the “priority boarding” lane. The gate agent checked my boarding pass and advised me to enter the lane to the left, which wasn’t priority. I asked her about priority, she was apologetic and sent me to the right side. I stood in Priority Boarding alone for the duration of my wait. The last person deplaned and I was immediately sent to board the plane.

My seat was 11E on the WOW Air Airbus A320, which was like row 10 in the seat map below. The row was one of the few double instead of triple rows on the plane.

Seat map for flight WW443

Seat F behind me meant that the passenger could stretch out his legs next to me, which this guy did sans shoes. Why does that always seem to happen to me? For a 3-hour flight, do we really need to take off our shoes and snuggle up with blankets and neck pillows?

Overall, this flight was uneventful and the flight crew was courteous, professional, and the flight quick and on time.

KEF to BOS – Flight #4

Seat map for flight WW125

Once in Keflavik, we had to go through passport control, which I’ll detail in my next post. Boarding for this WOW Air flight was fast, especially with priority boarding. I found my seat quickly, which was 11F on the right side of the Airbus A321. Again this plane had rows of three except for row 10. No one was sitting in the middle seat so it meant a little more elbow room for me.

View from my seat onboard WW125

Our flight was delayed about an hour with no information conveyed to the flight crew or to us other than to say that there were passengers that had been delayed going through security. We didn’t know why they were delayed or why they held the plane for them, but they did.

View from my seat onboard WW125

You have to kind of love the bright pink color of this plane. Ok, some may call it magenta or even purple, but regardless the color is bright and cheerful.

The flight was easy with only small pockets of turbulence, but beautiful views out the window, especially of Greenland over the Greenland Sea. While I generally avoid conversations on flights with strangers, I enjoyed talking the entire flight with Vinny, a passenger from Massachusetts. You never know who you’ll meet so always stay open to the possibilities.

Although the Food Doctor appears as an option on WOW Air flights, don’t expect to get any as they don’t carry them

When the flight attendants came around, I thought I’d order something to eat for my meal since I had skipped meals previously. I decided to order the lentil and couscous cup, but as you can already guess, they no longer carry it.

Apparently, what WOW Air considers a meal would be a sandwich and soda, pizza and beer, or a baguette and red wine. Instead of using a dollar amount, it's two items that's that. Click To Tweet

So I asked for the porridge cup (non-vegan btw), a water, and a chocolate bar that I planned on bringing back for Mr. TSG.  Apparently, what WOW Air considers a meal would be a sandwich and soda, pizza and beer, or a baguette and red wine. Instead of using a dollar amount, it’s two items that’s that. I was only allowed to have porridge and a bottle of water. I had to assure them that I didn’t get the bottle I was drinking from with them in order to get another bottle of water. C’mon people — it’s just water!

Landing at Boston Logan International Airport

While the flight was supposed to have been about 5 1/2 hours long, I sat far longer than that. Since we had the extra hour wait at Keflavik, I couldn’t wait to get off the plane and get home.

My Overall Thoughts on WOW Air

Overall, WOW Air is exactly what it proclaims itself to be: Cheap flights to Iceland and Europe from USA and Canada. While there’s no actual Business Class on this budget airline, it doesn’t proclaim itself to be more than what it is. Expect to pay for what you need as you go and expect to be nickeled and dimed along the way. There are zero freebies and the flight is like any you might expect with a short haul US domestic carrier. That’s nothing bad if that’s what you’re expecting, but disappointing if you’re expecting more.

My biggest advice is to price out all of the costs associated with any budget carrier before you buy. Compare the overall price for the flight, food, seat selection, checked and carry on baggage, etc. to all inclusive tickets. If you can save money, then WOW Air can definitely get you from point A to point B.

Have you flown WOW Air? What are your thoughts on this international carrier? Read more TSG airline reviews here on the site.

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