#scheming larry

[bathroomtrapped]

workaholic

[marinerainbow]

I'm getting back into Mario... And it reminded me of two OC's I made when I was younger... I'll put the second OC on the back burner in case I don't go anywhere with her, but the other OC I know I'm definitely keeping.

The Princess of the Boos, daughter of King Boo

Now, I am still trying to figure out her design and backstory. Her backstory I think I want to keep it a mystery similar to Bowser Jr's origins (the idea I have though is that King Boo had fallen for a human women and used her soul when she died to create the first born Boo; his princess. But I haven't played Luigi's Mansion, so I have no idea if that'd even be in character for him). The only thing that is for certain, however, is that she is King Boo's child and heir.

I keep interchanging between a humanized look for her and her looking like a Boo, however. If she's a royal boo, then she'd be a bit smaller than a regular boo (which is tiny compared to King Boo 🥺), but she has the black sclera like him (or are those dark circles/shadows under his eyes? It's kind of hard to tell), with glowing, opera mauve pupils. She has a jewelry crown like him. However, it's smaller compared to his, and it'd look like a garnet rather than an amethyst like King Boo's crown. Her human form- which I'm not sure if she'd naturally have, could transform into, or would need the Peachette Crown to turn into, I'm still debating on... Though I kind of imagine her having a similar style as Muffet from Undertale 🤔

I couldn't find who the artist of Muffet's illustration was, but this was the best photo I could find. If you guys know, please let me know so I can properly credit them ^^

Yeah, she is still a bit of a mystery 😅 but I still wanted to post about her. Here are some tidbits for her ^^

Personality wise, she is a bubbly goth XD she's the kind of princess who would take you to the cemetery to meet her family, but she's way too happy and excited that you're here so you can't get too weirded out. To her, creepier things are normal; the killer piano is just a lovable puppy to her, the spinning eyeball is a nice decoration, her dad trapping people in his paintings is just 'dad and his collection' to her, etc. She feels curious about the rest of the kingdom, but would also feel out of place in Peach's castle or something.

Even so, when she gets upset, she'll resort to pranks and causing trouble. Like how children will sometimes do if they seek attention. She is a playful soul in general, but her jokes will turn more troubling when she's sad or angry.

King Boo, similar to Bowser with Junior, loves her to peices ^^ even if he is 'working' all the time. He does have a lot of haunted manors to look after and only really gets a vacation when Bowser temporarily takes over, and his time is taken up even more now that he's declared Luigi his enemy. So, unfortunately, they don't see each other too often. King Boo has yet to figure out how to balance his royal duties and family like Bowser (we do see Bowser invading the kingdoms alot, but it's obvious with how much Junior and/or the Koopalings admire and love him that he is a good and devoted father).

Princess Boo keeps a diary, like Luigi in Paper Mario. She writes down everything in it. Little writing blurbs, what she did that day, her thoughts and feelings, etc. Including all the times her dad left her behind.

This does leave Princess Boo feeling pretty lonely and prompts her to show up unannounced. But really, she just wants to hang out with the only parent she has. Sure, her citizen boos will play with her if she asks, but it's not the same... If she was in the games, this could even be a game mechanic; Princess Boo will pop up out of nowhere in the haunted house and pretty much stop everything the player was doing to 'play a game'. Whatever game she chooses, you can only pass the level when you win, but regardles, she looks so happy you're complying with her. On the surface, she looks like a brat interrupting the game, but all she wants is a friend if she can't have her dad.

Which leads me to one of my main tidbits about her; since I hc King Boo and Bowser have some kind of treaty or alliance, especially after the events of Luigi's Mansion, King Boo requested Bowser at some point to make sure his child doesn't interfere with his latest scheme. Bowser agreed, allowing the Boo Princess into his castle. She was pretty hurt by the implications behind this, and she did cause some trouble in the castle. But that led to her running into her best friend, Lemmy Koopa.

Lemmy, as we know, is pretty fun-loving and playful himself. I think he was immediately drawn to Princess Boo, just excited to have another playmate! But also because of how sad she looked. Being part of a mischievous pack of lizard children, he (and all his siblings) can tell the difference between genuine play and attention seeking mischief. Princess Boo at first wanted him to just leave her alone, but it didn't take long of him showing off his ball and magic for her to cheer up and start giggling again. And ever since then, they've been inseparable ^^ in fact, when the koopalings started taking over kingdoms alongside Bowser, she begged her dad to let her set up a haunted house in Lemmy's kingdom so they could team up.

Princess Boo does have varied relations with the other Koopalings too. She and Bowser Jr. And Larry are all similar ages, so they can get along the best (I'm not sure if I want Princess Boo to be younger or as old as Junior. She would definitely be one of the younger kids, though). She was first introduced to makeup and dress up with Wendy- who also taught her the tactic of referring to her dad as 'daddy' to get what she wants, so shes kind of like a big sister to her. Ludwig is a bit stuffy, but he can be cool. Iggy is on a similar level as Lemmy, and Princess Boo adores his pet Chomp Chomp. Roy is also cool, but in a 'the big kids on the block' sort of way to the princess. And she likes playing with Mortan and listening to him blab on about whatever is on his mind. But of course, Lemmy is her bestest friend.

She is envious, though, of their great relationship with their father. She is a bit sensitive about her dad and their relationship and would prefer it to not be brought up whenever she comes over.

Although she doesn't know it, her father is definitely getting dad advice from Bowser when word gets back to him on how sad she really is. He genuinely loves her and wants to do the best for her.

When Princess Boo is really sad to the point of tears, she'll fly away and possess something just so she can be alone and unseen. She has a bed in her room just for the purpose of her diving into it, but she has been known to hide away in paintings, vases, and other furniture and decor.

After hanging out with Bowser Jr., she wanted to try her hand at painting, too ^^ her art is more gothic abstract/psychedelic, and she likes to hang them up in her dad's haunted manors. He refuses to take any of them down, not even to make room for his own collection.

Now, that's all I got for her, but there is one more thing; I have referred to her as Princess Boo throughout this post, but... I don't really like it 😅 I know it'd fit in with King Boo, but I prefer something like Boolina or Booella. I can't decide which one, though. So, even though I doubt this'll reach to a lot of people, I wanted to add a poll ^^ I'd love to see what you guys think.

Edit: I forget that the character Goombella existed. And thinking about it, with Toadette and Gommbella, Boolina would complete the set of 'characters with feminized names of their species' names' xD (but also, Boolina sounds close to Rosalina, and as far as I know, all of the female characters in Mario have unique names special to them 🤔 and I also like the sound of Booella-). So I am leaning a bit more towards Boolina, but we'll see how the poll goes ^^

Also, I meant to add this as an option in the poll, but if you guys have other suggestions for her name, I'd love to hear them! No doubt, you guys are way more creative than me XD

[powleen16]

Idk what this AU is, but i drew it 🤷‍♀️

[kettleprinter]

Color Scheme Challenge- EW Larry (Mint Stone)

[huntersapprentice]

I don't think I make it super clear enough but the veggietales characters are super adorable to me

[jamlessjj]

For the past 24 hours I have not been able to stop thinking about how these images remind me of tenebrism, a style of art/painting that dramatically engulfs the subject in a setting predominantly composed of complete darkness (like chiaroscuro on steroids... jamlessjj goes one day without mentioning chiaroscuro: impossible challenge). In these paintings, it is like the outside world falls away as a single source of searching light isolates, or perhaps is itself emitted from, some kind of profound emotional experience the subjects are going through or sharing.

I know there is a quote floating around somewhere from one of U2's members that mentions how light/illumination/the idea of light/searching for light is a common theme in the band's songwriting & composing processes, so in that respect the style of these photos is pretty relevant but ANYWAY I can feel a tangent coming on soooo...

Right, so LIKE. This is the vibe Bono and The Edge are bringing to the function:

"The Inspiration of Saint Matthew" by Caravaggio (x) but like also maybe this is Bono and The Edge writing music.

"The Taking of Christ" (once again) by Caravaggio (x) but tell me this isn't actually just Bono and The Edge during "Until The End Of The World" in the above photos (and also "You lead me on with those innocent eyes / You know I love the element of surprise / In the garden I was playing the tart / I kissed your lips and broke your heart" from the song's second verse etc etc).

"Still Life of Flowers in a Glass Vase on a Marble Ledge" by Rachel Ruysch (x) except with the way these flowers are alight I'm thinking about the whole "Edge is the silence inside every noise. He's the light inside the paint" (Surrender, p.60) thing again.

"Mary Magdalen in Ecstasy" by (guess who) Caravaggio (x) BUT ALSO--

I read up on this painting briefly and have so many thoughts about it in relation to the frameworks U2 tend to write music in, like how some of Bono's lyrics dually address spirituality&religious themes and sexuality, but I cannot be writing an essay right now.

Moral of the story: Bono and The Edge Doing Their Thing during the elevation tour would have driven a centuries-old tenebrism enthusiast into a coma.

As a musician myself, here is to hoping that one day I can perform in such a way that makes the rest of the world fall away :)

Is it just gig performance or foreplay? Are they arousing each other? Or is it just my dirty mind?😋

Bono & The Edge/Elevation Tour, Arnhem, Netherlands, Agust, 2001.

📷 Paul Bergen and Peter Pakvis/Getty Images

[periwinkla]

Some Maya shenanigans for the pokeattorney AU and some background narumitsu! I live for her teasing Edgeworth to death. For more about this AU: https://periwinkla.tumblr.com/tagged/pokeattorney%20au I think Munchlax and Misdreavus are perfect for her (and Mismagius and Snorlax fit her very well when she's older too, gotta draw that in the future). Munchlax is known for its outrageous appetite and Misdreavus is a mischievous pokémon, but also it's funny that - since they're a Normal type and Ghost type respectively - they can't even touch each other, which is basically what Maya can accomplish via channeling (bringing together the 'normal' world with the 'ghost' world). Also in this universe I imagine the Steel Samurai to have a Kingambit, thus Miles has one as well. Kingambit literally is a Steel Samurai, after all. It also fits with Miles' color scheme, chess theme, and sword theme (the only contradictory thing is that Kingambit is weirdly enough 'not skilled at devising complex strategies' but I guess Gardevoir can make up for that) Maya loves Kingambit obviously, and will absolutely tease them both to death. In this instance, by making both Kingambit and Gardevoir wear Miles' main fashion statement. Also on a side note I love the scene in Turnabout Goodbyes where she gets Polly to tell her the safe number. Her 'criminal mind' saved Edgeworth's behind. -The teams up to now, although might change some: Phoenix - shiny Decidueye, Goodra, shiny Umbreon (7y gap)* Trucy - Hoopa, Eevee (gigantamax) Miles - Gardevoir, Kingambit, Dachsbun (Pess), Espeon (7y gap)* Maya - Munchlax, Misdreavus Pearl - Cleffa Franziska - shiny Gallade, Dragonair, alolan Ninetales/Froslass Iris - white Floette/Florges Dahlia - Roselia Kristoph - shiny Roserade Athena - Rotom, Pawmot, shiny Lucario Ema - Reuniclus Nahyuta - shiny alolan Ninetales (it fits so well it's insane) Apollo - Scorbunny/Cinderace, Whismur Klavier - Toxtricity Larry - Smeargle, Monferno *Espeon and Umbreon evolve at the same time but Phoenix and Miles are in different time zones when it happens, still need to figure out the specifics

[twopoppies]

Sorry to go back to Bg but I'm convinced Louis team was intending to let it fade into irrelevance until nobody remembered it until B's sugar daddy exposed her and he/his team did what they always do and overreact instead of using it and backdating the whole thing they went in the opposite direction and pushed to try and cover up the fact he had nothing to do with the kid for years. ( just like with larry,, there was no reason to do all that it just made people more interested in them) all they've done with it is made a bigger mess that's going to be MORE sus and make MORE people look deeper into everything when it finally ends or more likely gets exposed (disclaimer: i dont want him to be exposed it's just the fact is the bigger the lie the harder it is to keep 🤷‍♀️)

Yeah, I agree that Boobgate seemed to be the turning point. I don't think it was entirely an overreaction because they could have course-corrected if so. They haven't yet and it's been two years at this point. I really think there's some kind of legal issue he's trying not to get caught in. There's no way Sony would take the fall if the truth came out. It would all fall on Louis.

I'm not an attorney, but from what I can understand, falsely claiming to be a parent on a birth certificate can lead to serious legal consequences. At the federal level, there is no specific law criminalizing falsely signing a birth certificate, but this type of fraud can have various legal repercussions based on state laws.

False Information as Fraud: In California, knowingly providing false information on a birth certificate is considered a form of fraud, and the state may impose both civil and criminal penalties. California law treats falsely establishing paternity as perjury if done knowingly, which can be a felony with significant fines and potential jail time.

Paternity Presumption: In California, when a man signs a voluntary declaration of paternity, the law presumes he is the legal father. If he later claims he is not the biological father, he may face legal complications, especially if he signed the declaration while knowing he was not the biological parent. Depending on the state, this can be classified as a misdemeanor or felony offense with penalties including fines, imprisonment, or both.

Federal Involvement in Fraud Cases: If the false claim is part of a larger fraud scheme involving benefits, such as falsely claiming dependency benefits, federal charges could apply. For instance, fraudulently claiming a dependent on tax filings (if connected to a fraudulent birth certificate) could lead to charges for tax fraud or other federal offenses. I doubt Briana is filing taxes claiming Freddie as a dependent, but Tammi and Brett may be. Or Louis might be required to do it but isn't. I have no idea, but it's something to think about.

Consequences Beyond Criminal Penalties: Falsely signing a birth certificate can also have serious civil repercussions, especially in cases where paternity or custody rights are contested later. Courts may impose penalties, order repayment of child support or benefits fraudulently obtained (ie: requesting government assistance), and adjust parental rights or responsibilities (would this affect who has the right to care for Freddie and make decisions concerning his well-being?). Additionally, Louis' ability to keep his US Visa (thus being able to visit/tour/work in the US) could be compromised if he were found tp have committed fraud.

(If there are actual Family Law attorneys out there, please correct me if I'm wrong)

This is not to say he is stuck forever. But I think he needs to establish that he THOUGHT he was Freddie's dad for a long enough time to then have a DNA test and prove that he's not, but he can't appear to have known the whole time.

This, IMO, is why fans are better off just shutting up about it right now because constantly pointing out the pregnancy discrepancies, or how much he didn't do in those first five years, probably makes things more difficult for him.

[liberty1776]

“The drive of the Rockefellers and their allies is to create a one-world government combining supercapitalism and Communism under the same tent, all under their control. Do I mean a conspiracy? Yes, I do. I am convinced there is such a plot, international in scope, generations old in planning, incredibly evil in intent.” ~ Rep. Larry P. MacDonald (Note: Lawrence McDonald was killed (likely murdered) on Korean Air Lines 007, 1983, a few months after making this statement.) To begin, I will preface my remarks by saying that this is an attempt to explain in simple terms, very complicated financial and … Continue reading →

[kamisama1kiss]

Larry Johnson { Classmates with equal interests }

This is an old story I made a while back 😝 hope you guys enjoy the small little story I tried to fix to at least readable this time around. Don't worry, requests are being worked on at this very moment 😚🫶

Tapping the pencil on the tan wooden desk as their eyes scanned outside as the rain was booming down as if there was never going to be a tomorrow as leafs waved in the wind as they flew past in a rush, a soft sparkling sound could be heard with the lights being poorly lighting up the old classroom.

The teacher spoke, yet the words fell on deaf ears. Meanwhile, they focused on everything around instead. Their mind as being easily distracted also didn't help much to their displeasure. The class went on when a sentence had finally reached out, shifting to face the teacher listening to her one toned monotone voice.

"In this project you need to partnered up with someone" before she could continue several voices were whispering amongst the students, "Groups have already been chosen, the remaining of class will be used for discussion." Many groans were heard, and a lot of grumpy teenagers' faces were visible in the room.

The only thing that would maybe scare them about this project depended on who they got with it. Maybe it could mostly be because who would wanna be partnered up with 'the quiet kid' huh? Most people.

"Last group is Larry Johnson and {Name} {Last Name}. Group up and talk." Which was the last words heard from her, having moved her focus back at her desk as she schemed at some sort of papers. Clinging on to some sort of hope that they'd survive this project.

While they sat as thoughts ran through their head, a voice interrupted that train as they blinked. Their eyes met with a pair of brown eyes, "Hey {Name}, right?" Long brown hair softly framing his face as a beauty mark placed underneath his right eye, he was pretty decent looking. "Yeah, Larry, correct?" A soft smile creept its way to their lips, trying to keep the awkward tension to minimum.

"Mhm" Keeping a good mood. "How would you like to do the project? I am currently blank myself, " shrugging his shoulder sheepishly with a lazy boyish grin on his face. "Oh yeah. We have had about the nature lately, so we can just keep it simple with that theme? Like sustainability of some sort?"

Looking at him waiting for a response, but he only nodded, seeming as if he didn't mind, "Yeah, that could be an easy topic without too much stress. Chill." He agreed, nodding with tiny lip curl.

"Thinking the same." scribbling down the idea in the book which was used as notes. Facing Larry again with an almost nervous smile, that never actually seemed to have left. Not used to interacting with someone. Complaining? Slightly, but that was before their eyes landed on the big letters on the tan t-shirt he was wearing.

"Sanitys Fall?" They mumbled softly, which he had heard easily enough as a bright smile appeared. "You know them?" he spoke excitedly, which shocked them as it suddenly was a bit louder than before, even seemingly more interested in talking. Happily answering. "Yeah, I do"

Almost as if new life had shot throughout his body, Larry leaned forward as his elbows rested crossed on the desk. The left leg bounced. "Wow, I don't often meet people who even know about them. Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Stopped yapping, waiting for a reply from them. They were speechless for a few seconds before the words poured out like a waterfall. "Really? That's shocking. I've known about them since the first release." Taking a short breath.

"I have had to hide that interest, not every accepted at home." Their expression showed excitement, yet it lingerd a more of an upset filter underneath. Greeted with a rare emotion of no judgedment.

"Fucking that suck man, we can talk about it now? I've got a friend who also likes SF. " He smiled back. His joy could be reminded of a little kid in a candy store. "If it isn't too much of a trouble, I would love to."

"No, no. I dont mind. How about later today? After school." An eye-closed chuckle escaped from him, recreating a similar smile on their own expression. His smile was contaiges.

Pausing for a brief moment, "I am not exactly the most... social person." Rubbing the back of their own hand, the pencil being back on the table. Their expression now faltering for a little. "Don't even worry, Sal is chill with new people."

The bell rang, signalling the end of class. Disappointed, this conversation had to come to an end. Larry had looked at the clock on the beige wall before turning back to them. "Later?" Saying with more of a questionable look, "Yeah.. later." Nodded at him.

Larry stood up with these words, grabbing his red bag, which he had next to him on the floor, which went unnoticed by them, not having seen the bright red bag before now. Their eyes looked around the bag to see all the different designs, which looked mostly hand-made or stuck on there. He was a creative person.

Lifting a hand as to say bye before he left the room before making his way to god knows where. This small, friendly movement made their face heat up the slightest bit, almost not even noticeable. Being left in class smiling to themselves before snapping back and leaving for next class.

[erenfox]

My Biggest What-Ifs of A Series of Unfortunate Events (Series Only)

The Night of the Opera:

1. What if Beatrice and Lemony had just taken the fucking sugar instead of the whole ass Sugar Bowl?

2. What if Olaf's father had never been shot by the poison dart?

The Bad Beginning:

1. What if Violet, Klaus and Sunny had never gone to the Briny Beach that day?

2. What if Violet and Klaus had never figured out Olaf's scheme to marry Violet irl?

The Reptile Room:

1. What if Monty's dumbass had just straight up recognised Olaf?

2. What if the Baudelaires had actually been fooled by Olaf's disguise, or had just pretended to be fooled?

The Wide Window:

1. What if Josephine hadn't been charmed away by Olaf, being still distraught about Ike and all?

2. What if the Quagmire parents had actually come down via their plane to help the Baudelaires + Josephine?

The Miserable Mill

1. What if Violet and Klaus never figured out Georgina's scheme?

2. What if Violet had never yelled 'Fire' and taken out all the workers from their trance?

The Austere Academy

1. What if Larry had never lost the book like a stupid dumbass?

2. What if the Quagmires had never been caught by Olaf?

The Ersatz Elevator

1. What if Olivia had never met Jacques?

2. What if the Baudelaires had identified Esme's true nature beforehand?

The Vile Village

1. What if the absolute fucking idiots of the village had just listened to the Baudelaires?

2. What if the Baudelaires had managed to escape with Hector and the Quagmires?

The Hostile Hospital

1. What if Esme had found the Sugar Bowl before Kit arrived?

2. What if the Snicket File had somehow gotten destroyed before either the Baudelaires or Olaf got to see it?

The Carnivorous Carnival

1. What if Olaf had identified the Baudelaires in their pretty terrible attempt of a freak outfit?

2. What if the Baudelaires had never been reunited with Olivia or watched any of the VFD Files?

The Slippery Slope

1. What if the Baudelaires had never met Quigley?

2. What if Quigley had never been separated from the Baudelaires?

The Grim Grotto

1. What if the Baudelaires had never been intercepted by Fiona?

2. What if Fernald hadn't helped the Baudelaires to escape?

The Penultimate Peril

1. What if the Baudelaires had never met Dewey?

2. What if the Sugar Bowl had been saved by someone at last?

The End

1. What if the Baudelaires had never figured out Ishmael's scheme, and had gotten successfully drugged enough to forget their past?

2. What if Olaf hadn't been a dumbass and released the Medusoid Mycelium on the island?

The Epilogue

1. What if Beatrice II had not managed to survive the returning trip?

2. What if Lemony had never received Beatrice II's letter?

(help im ✨mentally dying✨)

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

You know you've written an effective & terrifying villain when he's scarier OUTSIDE the court than in.

In court, while Manfred does end up bending a lot of the rules, there are still rules when working behind the bench. The Judge still has enough power to refuse his demands/objections (even if he's too intimidated to try most of the time). He plays the game well and you've seen him do it twice, both of them requiring Maya or Larry to save Phoenix's ass and the latter getting a Guilty verdict before the Judge retracts his decision. But Manfred is still beholden to the rules of the game and not even he has total control over what said rules are.

Out of court? No such luck, buddy. No one's going to kick him out the room for being in contempt or anything so petty. He can get away with anything provided he isn't caught. You know what he's willing to stoop to when he's limited by the rules of the game and even techinically won at one point - just what is he willing to do when there are no such restrictions?

That initial terror is followed by an insulting deflation; he doesn't even remember your name. You, the lawyer who managed to put up a fight against him for two days and dodged a Guilty verdict, yet he doesn't even recognise you when you're both face-to-face. All that hard work? All those last-second narrow triumphs? Those were nothing to him. Edgeworth is going to be convicted for Hammond's death or DL-6, no matter how hard some mere defense attorney and his assistant fight against it. Why even acknowledge their existence when they're practically redundant? Manfred has 40 years of precident on his side and you just have a short string of lucky breaks. You're challenging a god with a pointy twig. Good luck with that!

It helps that he's an absolute unit; the mere physical presence is enough to assure you that you aren't winning any altercation with him if it ever comes to it. He just stands there at attention, facing directly towards you with his eyes locked into yours the whole time (though not calling attention to it as much as Gant's infamous stare). There's just no way around it; you have to look this undefeatable giant dead in the eye in the single worst place you could have bumped into him and give him every reason under the sun to stop you in your tracks.

All of that manages to make him pulling out a NON-LETHAL weapon meant for self-defense a dreadful turn. What's more, it plays into his cunning and foresight as well; there won't be a track of evidence that he attacked anyone in the evidence room so there's no point in trying to press him on it or - heaven forbid - try to get that evidence back. The letter especially he could easily destroy without a trace. The only reason he could even be taken down was Maya snatching the bullet from him without his notice - a clue that doesn't hold any relevance until she nudges Phoenix to make the then grand leap of logic towards accusing Manfred of the murder, which requires an unorthodox explaination of where the second bullet went and an even wilder way of proving its existence.

The encounter with Manfred in the police records room sticks out in my mind for how it sets a man who's terrifying when restrained into a place where anything - from being punched with bourgey knuckle-dusters to being surrounded by mafiosos - could happen to you. It's the most intimidating the living legend had ever been in that case. Other villains will later surpass him by threatening us from inside detention or even beyond the grave, but Manfred's simple yet effective method of shaking you to your core is too memorable to discount because later villains get more elaborate with their schemes.

[hlficlibrary]

✤ Fake Relationship Fics ✤

A series of posts with the top five fics of each category by kudos plus five more hidden gems from that category! Remember to leave kudos and a comment on the fics you enjoyed to show your appreciation! You can find our other recs here.

- Top 5 H/L Fics -

1️⃣ Escapade by dolce_piccante / @haydolce {M, 146k}

In the grand scheme of things, finding a date for a wedding should be no problem for Louis Tomlinson. He's rich. He's handsome. He's reasonably well behaved. But when the wedding is for his lifelong best friend (and former boyfriend), and is happening in under a month, finding a date for the ceremony and accompanying festivities becomes more of an adventure than he ever could have planned for.

2️⃣ And Then a Bit by @infinitelymint {E, 158k}

“We’d like to give the fans what they want.” Magee states, placing his hand on the table in front of him and leaning forward. “We want to give them Larry Stylinson.”

Or, take a parallel universe where Louis and Harry were never together, mix in a two year hiatus and an impending comeback, pour in a dash of lost fans, two tablespoons of strong friendship and a Modest! employee with a good idea. Add a squeeze of pretending to be a couple, lots of kisses and a tattoo or two. Stir. Serve: the mother of all publicity stunts.

(aka Harry and Louis fake a relationship for publicity. Eventually it becomes a lot less fake and a lot more real.)

3️⃣ California Sold by @isthatyoularry {M, 123k}

Notoriously closeted boyband member Harry Styles is famous on a global scale, meanwhile Louis, as his best friend, is back home in Manchester, living the typical life of a 24 year old. When Harry needs Louis with him in LA, a publicity stunt gone wrong changes their friendship forever.

A fake-relationship AU between two lifelong best friends.

4️⃣ Paint Me In A Million Dreams by green_feelings / @greenfeelings {M, 112k}

Harry's one of Hollywood's biggest actors, has made a name for himself in prestigious films and lives the life of a superstar. There's just one thing missing to make it picture-perfect, but the one Harry's in love with is completely out of reach for him. Enter Louis, one of Hollywood's biggest actors himself, who just came out of the closet and taps new genres in the industry. When Louis sacks the role Harry auditioned for in Scorsese's next big film, their irrational feud starts. Who could have guessed it would get even worse when for promo season, their teams decide to present them as a couple for publicity?

In short, Harry's in love with someone and doesn't care about dating anyone else, Louis never felt home in L.A., Liam writes love songs for someone he shouldn't write love songs to, and Niall makes everything better with good food.

5️⃣ Faking It by TheCellarDoor / @donotdialnine {M, 46k}

A uni AU in which Louis has been Harry’s best friend since he offered him cubed fruit on the playground, and they spend more time cuddling in their dorm beds than they do apart, but it’s not like that. Or is it?

Aka Harry pretends to date his best friend to escape unwanted attention from a too insistent classmate and hopes it won’t blow up in his face. Featuring embarrassing dildo accidents, awkward boners, longing, first times, late night conversations, emotional discoveries and Niall as the exasperated friend with bad advice.

HIDDEN GEMS:

💎 this charade (was never going to last) by @scrunchyharry {E, 68k}

On the surface, CitizenX, an international caritative nonprofit, looked like any other nonprofit, funding humanitarian missions worldwide and striving to make the world a better place, one donation at a time.

At least, that was what Harry thought, until he was hired as a computer specialist for a spinoff agency called carish, whose true purpose was to reveal CitizenX’s tangled web of lies.

As if the whole ‘industrial spy’ business was not stressful enough, Harry found himself in a hatred-at-first-sight relationship with one of his new coworkers, Louis, a man intent on detesting Harry.

When the worst happened and Harry and Louis found themselves thrown together in hiding, with only each other to rely on, Harry never could have predicted the turn their relationship would take.

Nor could he anticipate that it would all be taken away from him and he would have to decide how far he was willing to go to get Louis back.

💎 Love Is a Winning Game by Rearviewdreamer / @all-these-larrythings {M, 47k}

Before their broken engagement, Harry had his head stuck so far in the clouds that he doesn’t even remember entering him and Louis for something as crazy as a couple's gameshow until a series of bad, post-breakup decisions puts Harry in the awkward position of needing the help of his ex-fiancé to try and fix the mess he has made.

💎 Wed’n Walk (Or, We Went to Amsterdam Together) by @hellolovers13 {E, 11k}

When Harry had first started planning his honeymoon to Amsterdam, he had not envisioned ending up there with his best friend.

Or getting fake-married to him for 24 hours.

💎 Every Line, Every Word, Everything by lsforever / @kingonafiftymetreroad {G, 10k}

“I just fucking came out of the closet to the whole world so I wouldn’t have to parade around fake relationships anymore and that’s what you’re trying to put on me again?!”

or, the AU where Harry's team suggests that he should have a fake boyfriend after he's just come out. Who would've thought it would be his best friend?

💎 Just To See That Smile by @homosociallyyours {NR, 6k}

It's Coming Out Week at university, and Harry's taken on a lot of responsibilities to make everything run smoothly. Finding his roommate's boyfriend attractive is making that a bit difficult, unfortunately. It might help if he realized that said boyfriend (Louis) is really just there to help said roommate (Liam) figure out if Liam's crush (Zayn) likes him back.

But that would make things too easy.

A fic where a hastily faked relationship and a lot of miscommunication almost ruins a perfectly good dance.

[vintagerpg]

The Demon Pits of Caeldo is sort of the reason Gamelords existed. Kerry Lloyd had written it as a companion to Mines of Keridav, but Phoenix Games folded before it was published. So Lloyd founded Gamelords with some friends. It took a few years to get around to re-publishing Mines and then getting Demon Pits on shelves.

Largely worth the wait. The ruins of Castle Caeldo were detailed in brief as one of the hexes in Mines. The castle is reputed to be haunted, but it turns out demons roost there, not ghosts; it fell in a single night thanks to a summoning gone wrong (I love this concept) and has stood in ruin ever since. The thrust of the adventure is simple: clean out the castle in hopes that the player’s can claim it, and the surrounding barony. Despite being a mid-sized dungeon complex, though, reclamation is no easy task thanks to the power of the infernal defenders and the schemes of many factions of interested non-player characters. And, once the players pass through the castle proper to the titular pits, matters get decidedly more difficult, and surreal — there is a room full of nooses, a cursed treasure chamber and stranger things to be found in the demon-warped cellars. A classic of the early day, if a largely forgotten one.

VM Wyman on the cover again. Bob Charrette and Larry Shade inside, delivering some really nice illustrations. I particularly dig that demon prince, Aryok, who seems to be knocking off every cool villain ever, simultaneously.

[drivelikescooters14]

Koopaling AU Idea:

Okay, okay!! This came to me in a dream: What if the Koopalings split apart and each worked for different people? Hear me out!!

Storyline: Morton and Bowser Jr. are trying to get all of the Koopalings back together now that the Koopa Kingdom has fallen to dismay. (Morton stays because he continued to stay loyal to Bowser)

Some Koopalings are doing much better now, others.. not so much. NO MATTER!! They need to get them back. So here’s a rundown of who each of them are working for:

Larry: He’s working at the Last Resort (From Luigi’s Mansion 3) He came across is during his attempts to find a new boss. He works as a bellhop under the control of Hellen Gravley.

Iggy: Traveled to find a new life in the Beanbean Kingdom. Unfortunately he came across the fragment of Fawful’s soul (AKA: That weird insect-like form he takes during the finale of Bowser’s Inside Story) He merges with Iggy and controls him like a puppet to help him enact revenge.

Roy: During his solo ventures, he came across the Smithy Gang. With Exor gone, they can’t get back to their world. No matter, that doesn’t stop them from scheming different ways to enact their world domination plans. Roy had nothing better to do, and decided he’d help them.

Wendy: Now that she was “free from Bowser’s control” She wanted to find a place where she’d be respected. A place where she’d have fame and recognition. She now fights in the Glitz Pit as a major leaguer.

Ludwig: Traveled to unfamiliar locations to gain knowledge and learn different forms of magical practices. His knowledge venture lead him to Pi’illo Island. That also lead him to find Antasma. They were able to strike up a deal. Antasma saw Ludwig as an opportunity to get revenge on Bowser for his betrayal.

Lemmy: He was the most heartbroken after the split, he didn’t know what to do, he couldn’t get over it. In his moment of vulnerability, he was able to be found by Dimentio. Using Lemmy’s emotionally vulnerable state, he was able to manipulate him into working for him. Unfortunately that only led to Lemmy becoming his puppet for his own heartless schemes.

PLEASE!! IF YOU THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA, TELL ME!! I ALREADY HAVE SO MANY IDEAS WITH THIS!! (Also btw I’m calling it the “Split AU”)

[coimbrabertone]

NASCAR Numerology: How NASCAR's Current Teams Got Their Numbers: Part Five.

Alright guys, we've gotten to the last part of this little miniseries.

Today we're covering:

Front Row Motorsports, who run the #34 Ford for Michael McDowell and the #38 for Todd Gilliland in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series.

Legacy Motor Club, who run the #42 Toyota for John Hunter Nemechek and the historic #43 for Erik Jones.

and JTG Daugherty Racing, who run the #47 Chevrolet for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Fittingly, we get to end on representation for all three brands.

Front Row Motorsports debuted in 2004, running the #92 Ford on a partial schedule with drivers like Brad Teague, Tony Raines, and Stanton Barrett, but they would fail to qualify for any races. Furthermore, the Mach 1 Motorsports team ran the #98/#96 car that year, splitting time between Ford and Dodge, and running drivers such as Todd and Geoff Bodine, Larry Gunselman, Derrike Cope, Chad Chaffin, and Randy LaJoie.

This team did manage to make some races (keyword: some) and in 2005, Mach 1 would attempt the full schedule with a #34 Chevrolet while another slew of drivers (mainly LaJoie, Chaffin, and PJ Jones) but by the end of 2005, the team was up for sale. Front Row Motorsports would buy this #34 car, as well as Mach 1's shop, and build their team around it.

Often running as a start-and-park team with a revolving door of drivers, Front Row finally got some stability in 2009, with John Andretti driving the #34, and dragging it up to three top twenty finishes, at Daytona, Loudon, and Fontana.

Andretti left after the 2010 Daytona 500, but the top twenty streak remained, with Travis Kvapil scoring an 18th at Talladega and Kevin Conway a 14th at the summer Daytona race.

David Gilliland (Todd's father) ran the full 2011 season and scored a third place at the Daytona 500, building on the results of the last three years to make Front Row Motorsports a proper contender on the superspeedways.

For 2012, Gilliland was moved to the #38 (more on that later) while David Ragan took over the #34. This car would top off FRM's superspeedway streak by winning the 2013 Aaron's 499 at Talladega.

Ragan would leave FRM after the 2015 Daytona 500 to get the opportunity to fill in for the injured Kyle Busch, so that season was a bit of a revolving door for the #34 yet again. Yet, for 2016, they got a technical alliance with Roush Fenway Racing in exchange for running Roush development driver Chris Buescher.

And Chris Buescher would win the 2016 Pennsylvania 400 for them on a Monday after a rainy weekend followed by a foggy weekend led to a segmented and ultimately shortened race. It took a bit of luck, but it got FRM its second win, and the first that wasn't on a superspeedway.

Chris Buescher went to JTG Daugherty of all places for 2017 (more on that later), so FRM hired Landon Cassill, without much success, before signing Michael McDowell for 2018.

McDowell has seen FRM become a legitimate team, winning the 2021 Daytona 500 and the 2023 Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at the IMS Road Course. Furthermore, in 2024, now in alliance with Team Penske, Front Row Motorsports is no longer an ironic name, as McDowell has started first or second multiple times this season, including at Daytona, Atlanta, and even Gateway, the latter two being pole positions.

Michael McDowell, however, will be moving to the Spire Motorsports #71 for 2025.

FRM has built their numbering scheme off of the #34, running other cars such as the #35, #37, and most commonly the #36, but its second full time car has been the #38.

Driven by David Gilliland from 2012-2015 and son Todd Gilliand ever since 2022, the car has also seen drives from Landon Cassill, David Ragan (in a return to FRM), John-Hunter Nemechek, Anthony Alfredo, and Zane Smith. With four top tens and a further ten top twenties, 2024 has thus far been the most successful season to date for the #38.

FRM will run a third full time car in 2025, having bought a charter from SHR, and has signed SHR's Noah Gragson, but it is unknown was number he will run. FRM ran the #36 this season for Kaz Grala, but Bob Jenkins says he's not married to this numbering scheme. Still, even numbers in the mid-30s are as close to consistent numbering as FRM has ever gotten, so I hope they do decide to stick with the #36.

Onto Legacy Motor Club.

First things first, this team is a Frankenstein's Monster mess of forgotten NASCAR teams in hilarious fashion. Petty Enterprises, officially ran from 1949 to 2008, when sponsorship could not be found, leading to the team merging with Gillett-Evernham Motorsports for 2009. Gillett-Evernham Motorsports consisted of Evernham Motorsports, the former Dodge factory team that ran the #9 and the #19, MBV Motorsports (which was essentially the #10 car owned by Valvoline at this point), and money from George Gillett, who was at the time the controversial owner of the Montreal Canadiens and Liverpool FC.

So already, you had the Petty #43, Petty #45, Evernham #9, Evernham #19, and Valvoline #10 merging into one team, but for 2010, they also bought Yates Racing to take over Paul Menard and his #98 Ford. This allowed the entire team to switch from Dodge to Ford.

So come 2010, the team is running the #9, #19, #43, and #98 with relics from three different numbering schemes remaining in the team. It's freaking awesome.

The #19 and #98 went away after 2010, leaving the team with the #9 and the #43.

The #9 was initially their most successful car, with Kasey Kahne winning Sonoma 2009 and Fall Atlanta 2009 with the team, before Australian Marcos Ambrose won Watkins Glen for the team in 2011 and 2012.

The #43 would, to its credit, with the 2014 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona with Aric Almirola, and it would become the team's only car after 2016.

After the 2021 season, GMS Racing, a truck team, bought into Petty, becoming Petty GMS. Ahead of the 2023 season, the team became Legacy Motor Club, with Jimmie Johnson buying in, Richard Petty chasing out, and Maury Gallagher of GMS becoming majority owner. Petty remained involved a spokesman for the team, however.

So, finally, onto their numbers. They run the #43 and have since practically the beginning of time, because that was Richard Petty's number? Why, well, that actually takes us to their second car, the #42, which was Lee Petty's number.

Why did Lee Petty pick the #42? Legend has it was the first two numbers in his license plate.

So, Lee Petty ran the #42, his son Richard ran the #43, Richard's son Kyle would eventually run the #44, and Kyle's son Adam would run the #45. Each generation building on the last. When Adam died, Kyle took over the #45 in his memory.

Thad Moffitt in the Truck series is a grandson of Richard Petty through Petty's youngest daughter Rebecca, and he continues this trend by running the #46.

In any case, when Petty GMS bought a second car in 2022, they chose to run the #42 - recently vacated by Chip Ganassi - reuniting the original two Petty numbers.

This arrangement continued as Petty became Legacy and eventually switched to Toyota for 2024. Currently the #43 is driven by Erik Jones, who won Darlington in it in 2022, and the #42 by John Hunter Nemechek.

Also, fun fact, Kyle Petty drove the #42 at Team SABCO (which would eventually become Chip Ganassi Racing) from 1989 to 1996, so it was a Petty number even when it wasn't.

And now JTG Daugherty Racing. It started in 2007, running a second car (#47) in alliance with the Wood Brothers. I cannot find any specific reason for the #47, only that Tad Geschickter ran a #47 Busch car ever since 1996, so maybe it was an availability thing. In any case, they ran the #47 and made their Cup debut in 2007, with Ken Schrader and Jon Wood each trying and failing to qualify for a race.

The #47 managed a few starts in 2008 with Marcos Ambrose, finishing third at the Glen, which prompted JTG to split with the Wood Brothers to try and go full time for the 2009 season with Ambrose in a #47 Toyota. This lasted two years before Mabrose moved to the aforementioned Richard Petty Motorsports, with JTG instead drafting in Bobby Labonte.

They would sign AJ Allmendinger in 2013 as Labonte began scaling back his races, and with AJ full time in 2014, they'd win at Watkins Glen. Allmendinger would last until 2018, when Ryan Preece was hired for that car, but then Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was chosen for 2020. Ricky would win the 2023 Daytona 500 with the team.

JTG Daugherty also briefly has a second car, the #37 - ten less than #47, also apparently Tad used this number in college sports - the #37 ran with Chris Buescher for 2017, 2018, and 2019, before running with Ryan Preece for 2020 and 2021.

This brings up another interesting aspect of JTG Daugherty Racing - despite the fact that they're a Chevy team, they kinda have this unique relationship with RFK Racing. First of all, Chris Buescher was a Roush development driver. Second of all, that #37 car for Buescher was run on the charter for Roush's #16.

Third, was that when Roush took Chris Buescher back for the 2020 season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. then went the other way, going from the Roush #17 to the JTG Daugherty #47.

Oh, and as recently as 2023, JTG Daugherty's pit crew was on loan from Roush. Yeah, odd.

So yeah, that is all 36 chartered teams for the 2024 NASCAR Cup series and the story of a couple other numbers that are relevant to the story. I hope you guys enjoyed all that, but I think I'm gonna write about some other motorsports for a little while. The blog has been a bit NASCAR heavy lately and this week added a whole five extra blogposts to it.

I do enjoy blabbing on about NASCAR, but I also enjoy blabbing on about MotoGP and Indycar. Formula One is also a sport that exists.