#six sentence sunday conditioned me

[jyae23]

WIP WEDNESDAY

Tysm for the tag @roomwithanopenfire

I posted twice on the same day on Ao3. Had to take a nap to recover.

I have NOTHING for chapter 3 and 4, so here's a part from chapter 5:

I feel miserable dancing the lines of ambiguity to preserve whatever vague relationship we have right now. Not friends or enemies. Can we call ourselves friends with benefits if we haven't established anything? I'm afraid to ask. To get a confirmation. A definition that could possibly draw the line between us for good. Perhaps not saying anything is the answer to what we have...

I gave myself less than 2 weeks to rock Baz's world. Let's see if I can meet my own expectations and deadline. May all of you overcome your biggest obstacles. (Mine is waking up and sleeping at a reasonable time.)

@jazzydl @lovelettersto-mars @gonzalesfreecs @thewholelemon

@catthehappy

Did I miss you? Want to be included? (I'm shy, you're gonna have to reach out first.) Let me know!

[kinardsevan]

several sentence sunday

(here, have something out of the painstakingly slow writings of Under The Stadium Lights)

“No, I…” He scrunches his face for a moment, almost as if he’s contemplating. “Do-do you know what a savior sibling is?” 

“Um, I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume it as something to do with being birthed for the sole purpose of saving another’s life,” Tommy offers. Evan nods. 

“Pretty much,” he replies. “I have an older brother—Daniel. He’s almost eight years older than me, and he got diagnosed with cancer at six. And when none of the treatments worked, my parents decided to birth one.” 

Tommy raises his eyebrows at the new information. 

“How does that parlay into a career in the NFL,” Tommy asks. 

Evan sighs. “Daniel survived for a while. The graft took, but then he relapsed a few years later. Long story short, he died right before he turned eighteen. After that…” His voice trails off, clearly caught up in the memory. He shakes his head at himself. “M-my parents checked out, not that they were ever really around to begin with. But Maddie, she was there. She’s the one who got me into playing sports so I’d have something to do with my anger at it all. She got herself emancipated at sixteen and then took me with her, and by some god-forsaken miracle, we didn’t end up living in a hole somewhere.

Anyway, she made sure I kept playing, because my coaches would all tell her I should. She also made sure I kept my grades up enough to qualify for scholarships,” Evan explains. “When I got drafted a few years back, she started dating one of the athletic trainers out in Philly. They’re married now. Anyway, I told her about the open position here for one of the conditioning coaches, so they’re coming to visit and Chimney’s gonna interview.” 

Tommy furrows his brow at him. “Chimney? As in Howard Han?”

Evan raises an eyebrow at him. “You’ve met him?”

Tommy lets out a chuckle. “Yeah. I didn’t get drafted, so I entered free agency my first year, and one of the teams that was interested was Philadelphia. We only met for a few days, but somehow it became a friendship. We still text.” 

Evan laughs, shaking his head. “That’s wild.” 

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

Six Sentence Sunday

Thank you to @emilykaldwen for tagging me on my main blog - posting to side, as this is where the end result shall end up!

This is from my upcoming fic, Gīsītsos:

There is an unspoken rule among the serving staff of the Red Keep; remain unseen and unheard whenever possible. Move as a spectre through the castle, do not draw attention to the mess you are employed to clean up. Those they serve do not wish to be reminded of their imperfections. Blissful ignorance is placed upon the pristine condition of the chambers they return to at the end of each day. They have always been that way, how could they not be? But beneath it lies an undercurrent of I do not wish to see it, do not make me look.

No pressure tags: @targaryenrealnessdarling @humanpurposes @theoneeyedprince @randomdragonfires @adragonprinceswhore @solisarium

[sgtmickeyslaughter]

Six Some Sentence Sunday Monday

thanks for tagging me @mmmichyyy and @energievie

this is part of one of the three fics im bouncing between. the other two are very heavy and this is the fun one.

Coming home to find his husband sprawled out nearly naked and half conscious on their kitchen floor was becoming a little too expected for Ian’s comfort. 

It was the hottest day of the year in Chicagoland, and Ian was sure the sizzling pavement was going to melt through the bottoms of his shoes, though that could be the humidity making his mind wander sluggishly and deliriously.

They’d been doing just fine, with the fancy central air at their apartment, deciding that the month of July was exempt from their usual frugality when it came to the electric bill. That was until the power grid crumbled under the heavy burden of every fan, air conditioning, and freezer in the city. 

But he has ice, he fought tooth and nail (waited in a long line) for two whole bags of ice for his husband, which he was carrying home like a warrior returning from the hunt. 

Because Mickey wilted in the heat. Ian wanted to make fun of him for it, and he had a little bit, back when they were kids living in the Milkovich house, the way he turned pink and sweaty with pretty, droopy eyelids in the hottest summer months. 

tagging @jrooc @lingy910y @callivich @mybrainismelted @sam-loves-seb

[airi-p4]

Spark joy

Hi! I wrote a new short fic. It's the one I shared for this past Six Sentence Sunday.

Enjoy?

Summary:

When Alya and Sabine scold Marinette, she finally cleans up and tidies her room.

…and her heart.

AO3

_____________________________

It all started with her best friend's comment:

"Girl, I have no idea how you plan to find anything in this mess! No wonder you lose and forget everything!"

…Which her mother's scolding seconded:

"Marinette, what's with this mess!? I know it’s summer vacation but you should tidy up your room. C'mon! Clean it up!"

"But-" the girl tried to protest, but was interrupted.

"If you don't, then I'll do it myself. And I'll throw away whatever I feel like. Don't come crying to me if you miss something!" 

Marinette knew from the hands on her hips, the annoyed brows and the threatening tone, that she was being serious.

"No, please! Don't throw anything away! I'll do it!"

"Tomorrow is Sunday. I want to see everything clean and tidy by the end of the day!"

"Okay…"

___

They were both right: her room was untidy. 

A total mess. 

But how was she supposed to tidy up her room? All cupboards, drawers and boxes were already stuffed. Where was she supposed to put all her new staff in these conditions?

A visit to Mylene's house that Saturday afternoon gave her a completely new impression.

Minimalistic. Green. Tidy.

Pretty. 

"Wow, Mylene. Your room is so clean and tidy!" Marinette admired it, looking around. "How do you always keep it so nice?"

"Have you ever heard of 'the life-changing magic of tidying up'? Or Marie Kondo?"

Mylene opened her eyes with a new vision of the world.

___

The main idea of Mylene's advice to tidy up her room was easy: 

You ask yourself a question about a certain item: "does it spark joy to you?" 

If the answer is "yes," it stays, if the answer is "no," it goes away.

Moreover, it is important to take notice of how your body reacts to the object. 

Tidying up with this method consists of repeating this process until only items that spark joy remain.

Simple. 

Even Marinette should be able to do it.

She decided to try it out.

Back at home, she started with the items on her desk.

The sewing machine, the fabrics, the accessories, the glitter, the buttons, the measuring tape, the scissors… all the sewing tools and supplies- they all sparked joy. They were clearly staying.

Her school books and homework… they didn't spark joy. But those were obligations- responsibilities-, just like her earrings. She couldn't throw them away (even if she secretly wished to sometimes).

Her drawing tools and crafting materials; stickers, washi tapes, patterned paper and sketchbooks… They were all surely staying. So much joy in drawing and designing!

She continued looking around when her little friend approached.

"What about this, Marinette?" Tikki asked, carrying a dusty exotic mask around. "I don't think you need this…"

"No! Don't throw it away, Tikki!" She quickly grabbed it. "I got this from one of grandma Ginna's trips! I have to keep it!" 

"Does it spark joy, then?"

"It does! Well, not exactly, but we had a welcome party for her that day, and papa baked a cake that day. It brings back good memories!" She fondly recalled. "The mask stays. And so do all of granny Ginna's souvenirs!"

"What about Ginna's candy…?" 

"Oh- Ugh… I thought I had gotten rid of all of them…" she made a disgusted expression. "Definitely doesn't spark joy. We're throwing them. It's not a secret anymore that I don't like them so…"

"That's true," Tikki nodded, throwing the candy inside the trash bin. 

Marinette moved to her cupboard next.

"All my clothes obviously stay!"

"Aren't these too small for you, Marinette?" Tikki asked at the sight of child sized outfits.

"They are, but I plan to reuse them for creating new pieces of clothing- giving them a second life. There's that '3R: recycling, reuse and reduce' event that Mylene promotes coming soon. We gotta do what we can to save the planet!"

Tikki nodded with a grin, and proceeded to imitate Marinette's arms in a cross shape pose, ready to say a tv program's motto in unison:

"Little changes are powerful!"

They laughed together as they continued tidying up.

___

"My bed!" Marinette jumped, wiggling her legs. "The cat plushie is obviously staying!" She hummed happily. "And the books and the night light too!" She collected and put them back on the shelf.

"Comfy" Tikki muffled snuggling the long cushion. 

Marinette giggled at her cuteness. 

“Should I throw my alarm clock away…?” she asked, cheekily. “Marinette, don’t!”

“I’m joking, Tikki!” She laughed at the kwami’s protest.

"Okay, next is-" 

Her heart skipped a beat, and suddenly, her mood dropped- body tense and mouth turning into a flat line.

"What's wrong, Marinette?" Tikki asked. But then she looked where Marinette was staring at and she understood.

The cork board… and the photos.

"Oh…"

Adrien's photos had been there for a long time. Since that rainy day when he gave her his umbrella and that thunder struck some months ago- and when she (and her friends, including Tikki) had convinced herself that it had been love at first sight, just because of a nice one-time gesture. 

Since then, she had done some crazy things to get Adrien's attention- some on her own and some others encouraged by others- all of them with the same result: a fiasco. Only embarrassment and humiliation from her part. 

It was tiring.

Plus the model boy had never paid special attention to her anyway… 

Well, except-

The lucky charm Adrien gave her for her birthday. 

Right- she hadn't cleaned up that drawer yet…

He did put effort into it, since it was handmade. 

For a "friend," he had said. 

It was so obvious he didn't feel anything more for her. 

The current question was: "Do these photos spark joy?"

She went into deep thought.

"Marinette? What are you thinking?"

"Tikki, I think… I think Adrien's photos do not spark joy"

"What?"

"I can't recall what's good about Adrien anymore, Tikki. All the girls' plans to get closer to him always fail and I get humiliated or embarrassed in front of him and everyone else as a result. People think I’m crazy… Geez- I can't even articulate a single word or talk to him like a normal person at all!" She sighed. "And after the failure with the statue at the wax museum…" that was probably the last straw. Too much. A turning point.

Tikki looked at her in concern.

"I don't know, Tikki. I think loving Adrien doesn't spark joy to me anymore. At all"

"But, Marinette-!" The kwami gasped.

"You've just seen it, Tikki! Whenever I look at these photos, my mood darkens and I get sadder, anxious, uncomfortable-" she took a deep breath. "Yes, both these photos and going after Adrien do not spark joy" she looked at Tikki. "I'm getting rid of the photos"

"Are you sure…?"

"I'm sure"

"What about the lucky charm? Are you going to throw it away, too?" 

"I don't know… I think I'll keep it. At least for now? I hate throwing presents and gifts away, honestly. I even keep all of Manon's ugly drawings and stones or sticks she picked up at the park because I'd feel bad for throwing them away! So I'll keep the lucky charm hidden in a drawer as a birthday present from a classmate, nothing more" 

"You know what, Marinette?"

"Hm?"

"I think this might be one reason why you're so untidy! You can't throw away the presents you've been given!"

"Tikki!" Marinette pouted at the kwami's laugh before joining her. "I think you're right…" she added, remembering a messy little pottery figure Kim gave her many years ago lying somewhere deep inside a drawer. Was it a dolphin? A snake? A monkey? Perhaps a pigeon…? Why did she even keep it if she had no idea what it was supposed to be? 

Yes, Tikki was absolutely right about her incapacity to keep her room tidy…

"Let's get rid of these photos first. I think it's time to tidy my heart as well" 

Tikki didn't question her- she could tell that the girl had set her resolve. Supportively, she helped her remove and throw them away.

___

With Adrien's photos gone (except the one with the whole class), Marinette could finally smile while looking at her corkboard. 

Photos of her with her best friend, Alya, the girls, her friends and classmates, her family, and-

It took her few seconds to realize the extra spark a certain photo caused her: 

Luka

This amazing, patient boy who was always there for her, who had been nothing but respectful and nice towards her and sometimes it even felt like their minds and hearts were completely in sync. A boy who was sweet, caring, that made her laugh and, more importantly, a true friend. Maybe a bit more than that since he… he had confessed his feelings for her some time ago- with the most beautiful words she had ever heard. She blushed at the memory, her heart beating faster. 

That alluring revelation had made her happy. 

Very happy.

And so, looking at Luka's photo felt like-

Joy.

A great amount of joy. 

Fireworks.

He never failed to bring a smile to her face (and redness to her cheeks, too).

"I guess this certain photo does spark joy, then?" Tikki teased her human friend.

"Tikki!" She flustered.

"I guess it stays?" 

"Yes, it stays. He absolutely stays" Marinette smiled warmly at his image. 

That's right, he had been busy lately and barely met up or talked. She didn't want to interrupt his summer music course but… 

She missed him.

Maybe- she could try to give him a call…? Or send him a message?

Yes, that would be nice.

A warm smile spread on her face as she typed.

'Hi Luka'

'I know you're busy with your music course and I hope I'm not disturbing you but I was wondering if you had time to talk…?'

'I mean-!'

'It doesn't have to be now! Just whenever you find the time? If you feel like it?'

Was this okay? What if she'd just disturbed him? She didn't have time to overthink it since a new message arrived on her phone.

'Hello, Marinette'

'You're not disturbing me'

'And for you, I can always make the time'

'What's up? :)'

Gosh- she loved that about him… And his eyes… and his smile..

Wait- don’t get distracted! 

Focus, Marinette!

‘I wanted to tell you something,’ she texted.

Luka: ‘Sure. What is it?’

Marinette: ‘You spark joy’

Luka: ‘???’

Luka: ‘I spark joy?’

Marinette: ‘Yes!’ 

Marinette: ‘A lot of joy!’

Luka: ‘???’

Luka: ‘What’s this about?’

Luka: ‘What am I missing…?’

Luka: ‘I can almost hear you giggling on the other side of the phone’

He wasn't wrong. She was giggling.

This boy lived on the Liberty, a houseboat that was a hundred times untidier and messier than her own room. She didn't expect him to know much about tidying up- even though she knew he and his sister Juleka secretly cleaned when Anarka was out. 

Besides, Marinette really couldn't picture the Captain asking herself if all that junk she had around sparked joy- the image alone was very funny in her head.

Luka: ‘So you're really not going to tell me? I'm curious now’ 

Marinette: ‘Fine, I'll tell you’

Marinette: ‘But only if you agree to go out with me the next day you’re free!’

Gosh-! She did it! She asked him out!

Luka: ‘Sure. I'd love to’

Luka: ‘I'm free on Wednesday’

Marinette: ‘Wednesday it is!’

Luka: ‘Cool :)’

Marinette: ‘It's a date ;) ’

…

There was a long pause. 

Did she break him (hopefully)? Was he squealing like she had just briefly done after sending the message? Kicking his feet as she did too, a moment ago? Or maybe he was more the type to yell at the pillow…? 

She didn't scare him, did she…?

Her heart was beating fast with anticipation. 

And his reply arrived.

It was a short audio with some happy guitar notes. 

Luka: ‘Great!’

Luka: ‘I’m looking forward to it! :D ’

She giggled happily as Tikki hugged her. 

Marinette: ‘I'll bring macarons!’

Luka: ‘Awesome!’

He sent another audio, this time longer, filled with more happy guitar tunes.

Both of their silly smiles didn’t leave their faces for the rest of the day.

By the evening, her room was clean and tidy to Sabine's surprise and delight. 

What Marinette’s mother didn’t know yet was that her heart was also clean and tidy, probably even more than her room. At some point, she should really throw away all these useless presents she still collected… Sooner rather than later, probably. 

It still amazed her how, with just the removal of a few photos, her heart felt much happier and lighter, filled with a great amount of joy towards a wonderful blue-haired boy as she excitedly awaited their date on Wednesday.

Little changes were powerful, indeed.

Fin

[lambourngb]

six sentence sunday

so even though I have 203 wips, I signed up for kinktober on FighterTown. Only a 100 words, sure I can write something short... but then I was given prostitution as my prompt. Listen, I know all the fucked up parts of sex work, the power dynamic is fucked, even in places where it's legal... that said, but I'm also a gremlin fic reader, so I just had to write a Pretty Woman AU for IceMav.

The window slowly went down, the driver was leaning across the front interior to pump the handle. Incredible. The car was probably one of the most expensive to ever be produced but it apparently lacked power windows. “Hey-”

Ice pasted a smile on his face, and leaned down at the stranger’s call, letting his shirt billow open for the driver to see his whole chest down to the dark furrow of hair at his belt buckle. “Hello,” he purred back, peering into the low set sport scar. He had expected the driver to be someone recognizably famous or someone old with money, but neither turned out to be true. 

He was around the same age, or slightly younger to Ice’s eye, with dark messy hair and sparkling green eyes. The smile he shot at Ice was crooked, and there was the faintest bump that spoke of an old healed nose fracture. Those mild imperfections  only highlighted the perfect symmetry of his cheekbones and the white-flash of his grin. In one word, though, he was gorgeous.

When Ice had first started in this type of work, he had to learn to separate his desire for men from the act, because beggars could not be choosers when it came to johns, literally. It was a job, and most people did not enjoy their jobs, broadly speaking. Of course, he had to push down the recent memory of being in the Navy, because god dammit he had loved what he did back then, even if he didn’t love the rules that had governed his behavior. Still. That life was over, and now he was used to turning a blind eye to soft white middle-aged bellies, and hairy backs, ignoring the bad breath and then imperfect skin. It was a job, he reminded himself, and not every job was pleasant.

This guy on the other hand- he was the furthest thing from what Ice had conditioned himself to accept. With one look, an old, neglected part of Ice perked up, something he belatedly recognized as genuine attraction. The stranger was dangerous.

“I was hoping you could help me-”

Ice lifted one eyebrow at the stranger, “I’m at your….service.” For once it didn’t feel like a line.

“So I’m lost,” the stranger explained with a boyish grin, gesturing around the dim neighborhood. Ice lifted his eyebrow a little higher at him because that had been a line offered a time or two from a nervous first-timer. “I’m trying to find the La Abber-barrage? Or maybe it’s aubergine? That’s a color, right?”

He had to wince at the poor pronunciation, the stranger clearly did not know French any more than he knew how to drive a manual shift supercar. “Do you mean the L’Auberge? The hotel?”

“Shit, that’s it! How do you say it again?”

“L’Auberge,” He repeated slowly, the years of studying French and his air carrier duty near the old colonial holdings in the South Pacific came back with ease. “It’s not a color, it means hotel or inn in French. You’re very lost then,” The handsome man waited for an explanation, looking adorably befuddled by the information, until Ice continued, “You’re in San Diego now. You’re trying to find the L’Auberge Del Mar, which is in… Del Mar.”

[swanmaids]

six sentence not sunday (round 2)

thank you for tagging me, @polutrope! i know the fic poll tells me to write some helcaraxe chomp chomp but i haven't had time the past few days, so please accept some especially mopey moryo from a few days ago as my most recent piece of writing.

Caranthir had known that attending the party was a terrible idea. When his mother had first raised the subject, his first thought - well, his first thought after fuck no - was that she could go and enjoy herself, and he’d stay late in the shipyard doing more of the menial but not unbearable grunt work that was part of the conditions of his release from Mandos. But then his mother had told him that she actually wanted him to come, and she proved impossible to sway. Even his argument that nobody had exactly enjoyed his presence at parties even before he was a double mass-murderer was deemed not good enough.  Well, almost nobody.  More to the point, there was a part of him that was loathe to deny Nerdanel anything these days - not only had he let her down in just about every way that a son could; he was also, for some inconceivable reason, the only son who had been granted permission to return to her.

@jouissants @imakemywings @wonderwafles @slightnettles @undercat-overdog, if you'd like to share anything?

[overdevelopedglasses]

A Lil' Treat

Well, I accidentally posted Sunday Six... 5 days early. Blame 1am me, I guess. Shouldn't of been up that late anyway XD

Sorry for all those tags, guys, but I guess you know if you're getting tagged for Sunday Six now!

I feel bad for just taking that content away, though, so I'll pop it here instead! This would be what you'd want to reblog, @lordichamo! I also went crazy on it once I woke up, so it's a lot more than six sentences now!

Once again, Yakuza 3 and Like A Dragon spoilers ahead!

The bartender picks up a glass and begins to dry it. His eyes trace up and down Mine’s now weak body, and Mine resists the urge to wrap his arms around his torso, knowing it would exhaust him even more.

---------------

“Please, sir… I don't think I can go anywhere else.”

“What’s your name, kid?”

“Yoshitaka Mine.”

The bartender’s eyes go wide, all motion stopping. “Mine!?”

“You know who I am?”

The bartender clears his throat, rakes his gaze over the empty bar, and gives a very slight bow. “Osamu Kashiwagi. Former patriarch of the Kazama Family.”

Mine’s eyes also go wide. The two men make eye contact, shocked by the presence of each other.

“Kashiwagi-san!? I thought you had died!”

“I thought you had died, but here we are.” Kashiwagi retorts, gesturing to the space around them.

"So…How'd you get here?" Mine sits down, a bit tired from standing for so long.

"Same way you did, in a sense. Thought I had died, woke up in a hospital bed, and I eventually moved here and started up the bar. But that was years ago. What about you?"

Kashiwagi takes the dried glass and fills it with some ice water, placing it in front of Mine. Mine accepts it, taking a small sip.

"Same sort of thing, I guess. Though, I must've been… out of commission for longer."

"You were in a coma?"

"I think so. That's what the doctor said at least." Mine shrugs his shoulders and takes another drink of water.

"That explains… a few things, actually. Huh."

Kashiwagi folds the dish towel he was using, lost in thought. Mine swirls his drink around in his cup, hearing the ice clink against the sides. Mine thinks about saying something, possibly to reassure the older man, but Kashiwagi speaks first.

"Well, I doubt there's anywhere else you can go, especially in your condition…" he says, putting his dish towel away. He turns around and extends his hand out to Mine.

"So consider yourself hired. Welcome to Survive."

[wildlyglittering]

Six Sentence Sunday - Silver In Her Eyes

A tease of what's to come next week!

***

“What of Eris?” he asked, turning to the map, his eyes sliding to Autumn.

Mor’s breath was shaky. “I hate that you made me speak with him.”

“Did you?” He turned to look at her, knowing he would be able to catch her in a lie.

Mor’s eyes were as hard as the stones that formed the House of Wind when she glared back at him. For a moment Rhys thought if Mor didn’t despise her father as much as she did, she would have been tempted to throw her lot in with them. It didn’t matter to Rhys if she hated him for the rest of her life - as long as she hated Keir more.

“I did as I was bid my Lord.”

“And?”

“He’ll declare for us – with conditions.”

[coolpointsetta]

~ six sentence sunday ~

“Come on, granddad. We have to discuss the terms and conditions of our friendship.” Jamie cackles as Roy flashes him an indignant look.

“Friendships aren’t supposed to come with conditions. The fuck happened to unconditional love and shit?”

Jamie pretends to squeal, batting his eyelashes and fanning his face like some obsessed fangirl. “Roy, did you just admit you love me?! Gosh, that fast?”

Roy flips him off with both hands, though he sighs and exits the kitchen anyway, making his way back towards the living room once again.

[brilla-brilla-estrellita]

Trope Grading Game

I do not have Six Sentences for you this Sunday, so instead I'm finally doing this trope game that the lovely @artsyunderstudy tagged me in... some time ago. And thank you to @shrekgogurt for tagging me in Six Sentence Sunday this week!

Prior to Carry On, I mostly read Harry Potter fanfiction with a little bit of Percy Jackson and a little bit of Avatar: TLA thrown in there. I was pretty specific about what I liked in my fics in those days (which were primarily 10+ years ago), but the Carry On fandom has absolutely changed me. I'm not yet sure what is Carry On-specific or what applies outside the fandom because I haven't ventured back out again yet. So let's see who I am now...

Rules: How much do these tropes affect your decision to click on a fic?

-10 -> very dissuaded

0 - don’t care either way

+10 -> very enticed

nope -> if it’s a hard no and you’d never click on a fic with that tag or or you even have the tag blocked or you’d insta click out of the fic if it wasn’t tagged

Bonus points for explaining the rating and whether it’s conditional.

Age gap: -7

Would make me hesitate for sure. Depends a lot on the characters. If they're like... under 20, I'm probably not interested. If they're a little older, maybe? Idk, definitely sensitive here, but not quite a hard no.

Codependency: +3

Given how much I love Snowbaz, there's no way this is a turn off for me 😂

Obsession/Possessiveness, jealousy: +4

I'm going to quote artsyunderstudy's answer here because she already explained it perfectly,:

Complicated feelings. I'm kinda into it, so it definitely wont put me off, but jealousy as a trope can either be really fun in a story or really toxic. Like, I'm a little obsessed with Simon's jealousy in the series, because its not the kind where he gets mad at Baz, really, or lashes out at him, its very internal and about his own insecurity, but also really indicative of how very attached he is despite his assertions through wayward son that he was going to end things. I love a bit of possessiveness as long as its not the kind that hurts their partner or turns really bad to the point of me disliking the character. So, yeah, in most situations i'm a fan of exploring this, though I can't say I specifically look for it.

Opposites (grumpy/sunshine etc): +7

Yes! I do love a good grumpy/sunshine, black cat/golden retriever combo. Solangelo, anyone?

Enemies to lovers, Enemies with benefits: +10

Boy do I love me an enemies to lovers, and this has always been true (Dramione was my first non-canon ship... followed by Zutara, so. There's a theme here.) That was one of the major selling points of Carry On when my friend told me about it.

And enemies with benefits only if they end up actually having feelings for each other, ya know? If it's like... enemies that evolve to have benefits but never really have the emotional connection, meh. Though I can't say I've really run into that.

Friends with benefits: -2

Aaaand quoting artsyunderstudy here again because she nailed it, which... um... hm. I maybe am questioning certain aspects of my sexuality now... so... anyway......... 👀 Though I changed the rating to -2 because unless there's a tag telling me emotions are involved and important and leading somewhere, it's a turn off.

Ehhh is it benefits to full on love? I don't really connect with allo perspectives on sexual relationships, like I get them intellectually but I don't jive with them on an emotional level, so there has to be that emotional draw for me, that underlying romance. I mean tho, @fatalfangirl stacy is writing an excellent fic on this premise right now that I absolutely love because there are clearly feelings involved. But it also might fall more into the realm of the next trope on this list ... which is ...

Sex to feelings: -5

This one is new with Snowbaz (this was not at all a thing I read in previous fandoms. I was not ready for sexy fics back then.) It's another kind of weird one for me. I feel like it has to be accompanied by something else, but I can't tell you what off the top of my head. Like I don't know what this is missing right now... I think I just want the feelings to be there first? Idk, maybe I'll go read some fics like this and see if I can work out what I'm feeling here.

Actually I'm already having thoughts. I think the context of the sex has to be right. I'm not super into things like hookups because that sounds personally terrifying. Like... character a meets character b at a bar/event/etc and there's physical attraction and that's all they need. Just doesn't jive with me.

The only example I can think of off the top of my head that gets close, though doesn't exactly fit, is @facewithoutheart's "to do, to know, to want" with Gareth the Cherry Plucker. Except for this Sex to Feelings scenario it would need to be Baz falling for Gareth (which... HAH. I... I can't with that image.) But anyway. Context. Baz is going to Gareth for help and would then would develop feelings during/after the fact, and that would be fine. And I guess that's probably still about emotional vulnerability. Also hatefucking. That's fine too? Anyway, I'm losing my train of thought on this one.

Fake dating/relationship: +8

I quite enjoy the fake dating trope, especially when combined with enemies to lovers.

Friends to lovers: +5

Yes! Very cute. But also can have a lot of angst and I am more cautious about reading those and making sure I'm emotionally equipped to handle angst. So yes, but handled carefully.

Found Family: +10

I looooove found family stories! I love seeing people choose to care for each other even though they don't have a traditional familial or romantic bond. This is a big part of what I've loved about all of my favorite YA series. People taking care of and understanding each other in ways their families can't or won't and filling voids... I'm actually getting emotional just thinking about it ok moving on.

Hurt/Comfort: +10

As artsyunderstudy said: "It gives me the swoops." Yes. 100%.

Love Triangle: -10

I'm not sure I ever loved this trope, but I was ok with it. Now I think I am just generally over love triangles. The angst doesn't usually hit right and I end up feeling more annoyed with the character doing the choosing than anything.

Poly, open relationships: -3

I'm pretty sure this is my bias coming through. My introduction to the concept of open relationships was through some people that were... not... great... imo... I recently realized how much that first introduction colored my perspective and I'm trying to undo some of that. In addition, just the idea of my partner also being with other people makes me so incredibly jealous, which I know is also my own issue to work on. So I should probably actually read more fics in this area. Fics often help me work through these kinds of internal issues.

Mistaken/hidden identity: 0

I don't know if I've ever read a fic with this trope? Not feeling any particular way about it either.

Monsterfucking: +8

Oh, this is certainly new with Snowbaz. I remember a time when I was like "wow, no, absolutely not. I do not get it." And then Spadey came along...

Does this apply outside of Snowbaz? TBD. I so far haven't been interested in even Shepard's scandalous stories, so this may be Simon specific.

Pregnancy: -1

I am very confused. This is new with Snowbaz, which on it's own was a "?" moment for me. I was very unsure about mpreg at the start of this journey, but wanted to try it out and very quickly became fine with it. mpreg specifically is probably at a 0, maybe -1.

But pregnancy in general terrifies me. Not in the way where people are like scared of/grossed out by pregnant people. Other people being pregnant is fine. It just sounds so incredibly uncomfortable and painful that I'm like... no thanks? Don't really want to think about it for me. Very excited about it for you, though. But I haven't really read any non-mpreg fics, so I'm not sure where pregnancy as a whole falls... I'm going to go with like -1 because if it's not me it should be fine... maybe...

Second Chance: -9

artsyunderstudy again:

breakup angst wounds me deep ya'll. I hate thinking of them not together. I hate thinking of them thinking they are better off not together. I hate IT it makes me cry all of my tears.

But where she loves the coming back to each other, I just can't get past the breakup/betrayal/whatever it is that needs a second chance. It hurts too much to even finish.

Slowburn: +8

YES, but in the right mood. Sometimes I just need fluff and falling fast and I need it NOW. But otherwise, yes yes yes.

Soulmates: +6

I feel like I've missed out on this entirely. I can't think of any soulmate fics I've read? Or what qualifies as a soulmate fic as opposed to other fics with magical ties between people. So maybe I have read them? Idk. Sounds nice though.

I don't think I've seen anyone's posts for this game come across my dash aside from Ashton's, so if you've already done it... oops! My bad. Or consider this a last-minute Six Sentence Sunday tag: @onepintobean @thewholelemon @technetiumai @iamamythologicalcreature

[queenofbaws]

 “fine, i get your cereal-soup argument, but there’s nothing you can say to convince me that a hot dog is a damn sandwich.”

Listen, I am sorry but this is the most perfect climbing chrash prompt ive seen in fucking ages. It's quite literally them. So you know that I gotta see this argument/debate happening in real time fhdjsksbd

(READ PART 1 FIRST)

He'd no sooner snuggled up to her than Ashley called him out: "You don't want my opinion," she said, and rather matter-of-factly at that, "I know you think you want my opinion, but that's only because you think I'm going to side with you, and I'm telling you now, Josh, you don't want my opinion."

"Honestly, Ashley, I'm wounded that you think my affections are so, y'know, conditional." He threw an arm over her, nestling into her shoulder, and in his loudest stage whisper (which was, to be fair, pretty goddamn loud), he added, "But you should definitely side with me, because I'm right and Cochise is wrooong."

She groaned, letting the paperback she'd been reading fall shut with nothing but her finger for a bookmark. "Hot dogs are not sandwiches," she droned, but before Chris could so much as pump his dorky, dorky fist in a celebratory booyah, she continued, "but neither are hoagies - by virtue of the bun being one piece instead of two, they're more closely related to pizza, in my opinion."

There was a beat of silence, then Josh promptly rolled over to spoon up against Chris instead, the force of his eyeroll propelling him by momentum alone.

six sentence sat(or)sunday!!!

[f1]

McLaren F1 rookie Oscar Piastri finishes with points after 'difficult' Monaco Grand Prix

Oscar Piastri finishes with Formula 1 points for the second time in his six-race career - as the Aussie rookie admits having Max Verstappen in front of him was 'useful' in a 'difficult' Monaco Grand Prix Piastri finishes tenth in the Monte Carlo GP Rookie says it was his most difficult race yet Piastri said trailing Verstappen assisted him By James Cooney For Daily Mail Australia Published: 20:10 EDT, 28 May 2023 | Updated: 20:10 EDT, 28 May 2023 Oscar Piastri has plenty of reasons to smile after claiming tenth position in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo - a race the McLaren rookie described as his most difficult yet. The 22-year-old, who started 11th on the grid after missing Q3 by just 0.018 seconds on Saturday, survived a tricky circuit that started dry and finished slippery.  Piastri seemed like he might finish just outside the points after being passed by teammate Lando Norris in the final stages, but when Yuki Tsunoda struggled in the slick conditions Piastri took his chance. It was the young Australian's second points finish of his maiden F1 season - which he admitted afterwards was his most difficult, considering the slippery conditions and his disappointing practice sessions. 'I think so definitely. I think after, you know, from a personal note, after all the practice sessions, I wasn't very pleased with my driving,' Piastri said. Oscar Piastri has claimed tenth position in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo It was the young Australian's second points finish of his maiden F1 season - which he admitted afterwards was his most difficult race yet '(I was) consistently six tenths off (which) wasn't a very nice feeling. So (from) that to bring it a lot closer for qualifying — and end up with a point today is yeah, a very, very positive step forward. 'The race itself was probably the most tricky of the year as well. So yeah, just a tricky weekend.  'But, you know, these are the weekends where you learn the most, trying to make that jump from practice to quali and also in these conditions — I don't think it gets too much harder than Monaco in the rain on slicks. So yeah, happy with that.' Piastri said that having race leader Max Verstappen in front of him when the weather turned nasty was very convenient. 'Having Max right in front of me was actually quite useful in some ways,' Piastri explained. 'That was my first time on slicks on a rainy track, in an F1 car, and having Max there… I obviously knew that if there's going to be anyone that's probably going to be okay, it's probably going to be him.' The Aussie admitted there were a few close shaves where he almost came undone.  Piastri said that having race leader Max Verstappen in front of him when the weather turned nasty was very convenient The Aussie's second points finish of the season moves him to 13th in the drivers’ championship 'I don't think there were any touches, but some very, very close moments, especially when we were on the slicks,' he said. 'One time, I got keyed up on the radio to talk and almost put it on the wall mid-sentence! 'I won't do that next time. But yeah, a few close calls.' Piastri’s second top ten finish of the season moves him to 13th in the drivers’ championship, while McLaren is sixth. Share or comment on this article: McLaren F1 rookie Oscar Piastri finishes with points after 'difficult' Monaco Grand Prix via Formula One | Mail Online https://www.dailymail.co.uk?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

[chicleeblair]

Sorry the LPL update was late today. I had the most hellacious doctor's appointment of my life today. The opthamologist who has een treating my corneal issues is trying to help us get into an occular plastic surgeon, but we've also been checking with the regualr plastic surgeons who've operated on me for their advice. He spent an hour bad mouthing them, claiming the email my Boston doctor wanted to send TO THE DOCTOR HE WANTS ME TO SEE and WHO SHE HAS WORKED WITH would just get lost in the shuffle. He interrupted every sentence my mother tried to say, and then somehow segued to illegal immigrants in Miami, like it's 1970 or something.

Monday, he'd asked for my Boston doctor's number, basically cold called her, and when she said SHE couldn't do a procedure that's NOT HER SPECIALTY he stopped listening, even though she has contacts. He kept calling her "a nice lady." Dude, she's one of the best plastic surgeons at Boston Children's. You do eye exams in medium-city Florida. The local doctor he was dissing has gone above and beyond for me for twenty years, and is the reason my legs aren't too swollen for boots--or fankly shoes. He does my wound care every six weeks, even though most of his practice is cosmetic. People like a challenge! The doctor in Gainseville where they "see all kinds of conditions" ghosted me after she gave up on doing the procedure with local anaesthetic. (When Mom mentioned the time and money that had taken up, he basically yelled at her that the time was more important than the money because my eye is at risk, like MY MOTHER doesn't care about that??? She's just saying, we had to drive there, stay overnight, and I'm probably gonna get billed for it, and never be able to afford a new laptop, but that's not the point.)

His office staff is stellar. One of them hugged both Mom and I as we left. I have to keep seeing him--and he has been good; he saw me on Sundays when my cornea was thinning--but I'm so disappointed he's turned out to be just another old white man with a superiority complex.

I'm so mad, and exhausted. I can't get a new lens fitted until I have the surgery--and yeah without it there's danger of an abrasion getting infected and losing the eye, but day-to-day, I jsut want to be able to see decently.

[mariacallous]

Veteran Turkish journalist Merdan Yanardag was sentenced to two years and six months in prison on Wednesday for “making propaganda for a terrorist organisation” following his criticism of the jail conditions of Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK.

Despite the sentence, Yanardag was released from prison considering he had spent more than three months in prison already.

“I criticized the policies followed by the [ruling] Justice and Development Party. They came to a conclusion that I praised Ocalan, for no reason. Why did you arrest me?” Yanardag asked on Wednesday in a press conference in front of Marmara Prison, formerly known as Silivri Prison, which is famous for holding political prisoners.

“This prison is the symbol of the regime’s tyranny,” Yanardag added.

Another senior journalist, Aysenur Arslan, was taken into police custody and investigated by prosecutors’ office for her comments on last Sunday’s Ankara bombing, which was claimed by the PKK.

Arslan was accused of praising terrorists. Both Arslan and Yanardag were targeted by pro-government media and social media trolls due to their comments.

“I explained what I really said [on TV]. As a result, I was released,” Arslan said on Wednesday in front of the court house in Istanbul.

Turkey’s Radio and Television Supreme Council, RTUK, the government agency for regulating TV and radio broadcasts, has taken punitive measures against Halk TV, citing comments made by Arslan on the channel related to Sunday’s bomb attack in Ankara.

RTUK imposed five programme suspensions, deeming Arslan’s comments a violation of the rules. RTUK also imposed a 3-per-cent fine [of its revenues] on Halk TV for “crossing the line of criticism”.

Yielding to the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Halk TV has since ended Arslan’s programme and fired her.

“Although terrorism was condemned in the same program, the unfortunate words spoken live in the … program aired yesterday go beyond the limits of Halk TV’s stance and perspective. Therefore, we announce with regret that we have decided to end the program,” Cafer Mahiroglu, chair of the Board of Directors of Halk TV, announced on Tuesday.

Following last Sunday’s bombing, Turkey has intensified its police and military operations against the PKK.

Since Sunday, the Police and Gendarmerie have arrested at least 105 people, and two more Kurdish militants were killed in clashes with the Gendarmerie in Agri province on Wednesday.

As the air force continues to bomb PKK targets in northern Iraq, the Turkish Defence Minister said that two of the bombers came to Turkey from parts of northern Syria controlled by the Kurdish People’s Defence Units, YPG, forces backed by the United States.

“We would like everyone to know that all facilities and activities of the PKK and YPG in Iraq and Syria are our legitimate targets,” Defence Minister Yasar Guler said.

Turkey considers the YPG a sister organisation of the PKK.

However, Mazloum Abdi, the leader of the YPG, denied playing any role in the bombing.

“Ankara’s attack perpetrators haven’t passed through our region as Turkish officials claim, and we aren’t party to Turkey’s internal conflict, nor do we encourage escalation. Turkey is looking for pretexts to legitimize its ongoing attacks on our region and to launch a new military aggression that is of deep concern to us,” Abdi said on Twitter on Wednesday. He added that Turkish attacks on cities are war crimes.

[prisoner-tom800477]

MY PRISON BLOG PART 07:

Two years... I was shocked. I didn't even spend two month in prison and it was absolutely the hell. Now I'll have to spend 24...

The judge went outside also the guests. My lawyer came to me and wished me good luck before he also left. A guard came and said "I have an offer for you. It's your first sentence and it's less than 4 years so you're a candidate for an education program."

He put a sheet of paper on the desk so I could read. "you'll have to decide within the next 30 minutes because to which prison you'll be send depends on this!" I read:

"CHAIN GANG CONTRACT

Prisoner 800477 [the number was filled in by hand], further called 'inmate' applies for the chain gang program.

Conditions:

#1 By participating the chain gang program the prison time can be reduced to 50%. Inmate is immediately released when the program is absolved. Starting time is 50% of the original sentence.

#2 Inmate is committed to work six days a week in a chain gang, sunday and official holidays are free but there can be education Programm lessons.

#3 Violations of the rules lead to solitary confinement according to the penalty list. Times when the inmate doesn't participate the program because of solitary are added to the full time. Only days when the inmate goes to work or educational lessons counts as absolved.

#4 frequent violations of the rules can lead to cancelation of the program. The rest of the original sentence must be served in normal prison. (for this rule it doesn't matter how many time of the program left)

#5 by signing this contract prisoner accepts his obligation to absolve the full program. Cancel the program just because the inmate changes his mind is not possible!"

I read it. There wasn't much to think about. I would do everything to reduce my time and till this day prison was nothing to do and just waiting and working would make the days go by faster. I signed the sheet which wasn't easy with stacked handcuffs when I signed it the guard lead me outside and down to the garage of the court house. He put me in the back of a van without windows.

Again I had no feeling for the time. The handcuffs I had to wear since the morning cut into my wrists. After an eternity the van stopped, someone got off and then the door and the barred door of the steel box inside the van was opened. I was lead outside and to a barrack. Then my cuffs were removed. A man in military uniform called me to strip. I stripped the orange jumsuit, socks and at last the boxer shorts. He put on latex gloves and searched every inch of my body. Even if it wasn´t the first time I had to go through this procedure it's everytime again embarrassing. When he was done he called me to take a shower and when I came back on the ground there were my new clothes

Again a jumpsuit this time black and white striped. Again bright orange boxer shorts and orange shoes. A towel, a toothbrush, a plastic cup and a linen. I put on the wide ugly jumpsuit. It was even more crude and ugly than the orange one. When I was ready he also gave me a pair of heavy black boots. "These are your work boots. You'll have to keep them clean in your time here!"

I was woken up by an siren. The lights in the barrack were turned on. All of the inmates jumped out of their bunks and quickly put on their jumpsuits. I also did it and we went to the tables where everyone got a table from a trolley. After breakfast we went back to the bunks and took our boots. The other inmates showed me to put the jumpsuit inside the boots. We stould in a line between the beds when the guards came in with a long chain and a bunch of padlocks. They started to lock the chain around the right ankle of every inmate one after the other and with around two meters of chain between them. Then we went outside and over the prison yard to a waiting bus. It wasn't easy to walk chained together and the tightly locked chain hurt my ankle. I thought "It's day one of 365... In normal prison it would be much worse!"

The bus had just a small barred window gap so we had no chance to see where we drove. I asked other prisoners where we'll work today. They told me the cities gave assignments to the department of corrections where a street is to sweep and such things and then the DOC sends the groups there depending on how many people are needed. We're a group of 10. When the bus stopped and I stepped out I gulped. I knew this street. I not just knew it, I lived here. Just 2 blocks away from the corner where the bus parked. On the other side of the street there was my old supermarket... "Oh fuck. Please can we go somewhere else? I can't stay here!" "You'll have to! You'll stay here till the end of the workday! And now shut up. No talking to each other or to people passing by. And guards are called 'Sir'!" fuck. I'll have to hope that we're done before my former neighbors or my roommate come home and maybe go shopping! I ask my cellmates “Can we please hurry?!”

The guard came and told: “So 800477 will experience on the first day what it means to break the rules? Okay one day in the hole!” “What, noo!” “TWO. And for every word when your´e not allowed to talk, one day will be added. Days in the hole doesn´t count as absolved so it´s not just punishment but also you increase your sentence!”

In the evening in the barrack two guards lead me to a row of cell doors on one side. Not barred. It wasn’t barred doors bug steel with little holes. When they locked it from outside it was dark. There was no light in the cell, just the light from the dormitory in the barrack. When I got my meal through a flap in the door a guard gave me nine pairs of boots and shoe polish. “So because you´ll stay ‘at home’ the next two days when your mates are working you´ll now have time to say thank you that they do your work. In the next two evenings you´ll polish these boots! Also yours. If they arent shiny in two days you´ll spend another one here. I started to work. No chance to resist. The guards are in charge and in worst case I would have to spend the whole sentence! It was disgusting. On the boots there were dried mud. In the boots there were the smelly socks of the other inmates obviously worn for days. The ventillation doesn´t seem to work in the hole so the smell immediatly filled up the wohle room. It lasted three hours until I got ready with all the boots. They left them and their smell in my single cell. I laid down on the matress but didn´t fall asleep for hours because I didn´t get something to eat in the evening. In the morning also was woken up by the siren. But they didn´t pick up me from the cell. They took the boots and gave me a table with my breakfast before the other inmates left. A guard took the empty table and left me alone. In the evening the other inmates came. As promised I got the boots again. This time full of mud. The guard grinned develish when he slammed the door. While I did my best to make the boots shiny again I took an important decision. I WILL ESCAPE THIS HELLHOLE!