#so drop some requests for dan art !!

[verianal]

Spider Phil :3.. (also guys wow look I drew a background)

this is inspired by/for my friend @krunktrunk !!!

[antiadvil]

I've seen some other people do this with fic and art so!! If you send me dnp drabble requests, I'll write them while procrastinating my longer fic and when I post them I'll tag them with phan

caveats: I can't do smut and I may or may not get to all prompts depending on what response I get and how I feel. I am disabled and what I'm able to do varies a lot day to day! But today is a good day and I'm hoping to get some writing done :)

I have some items on my ideas list that might be good for this, so also feel free to pick one from there and send it in (I'll put them under the cut for length + so I can mark off any that are done)

Phil dyes everything green/Dan finds out fic

Expanding on the "Dan didn't want to get a place together" reveal in Dan and Phil finally tell the truth

Dan's hospital/eye drops story (i wrote this one already)

Pandemic era conversation about whether or not to go back on antidepressants

I'm also willing to write a crackfic about Dan draining Donald Trump's bank account but I'm not sure anyone else really wants that (i wrote this one already)

someone suggests a really basic migraine "hack" to phil (eg, drink more water) and dan tells them to shut the fuck up (bonus, would be very cathartic for me to write)

[firecooking]

Here me out, in the tugs fandom there are 3 depictions of captain zero

1. Shitty mustache ( looks like it's pencil drawn)

2. Mustache that curls into a zero ( it curling to represent how he's the antagonist and also it resembles a 0 )

3. No mustache ( because he's either terrible at facial hair or artist just didn't draw him with one)

In your au is there an inside joke that zero can't grow proper facial hair?

I have been a conosuier of human Captain Zero's for years, and that theory does hold water!

I think the only Zero I can think of until a few that cropped up around this year with a beard that was drawn more than once is Dan-the-countdowner's over on deviant art. God speed Dan you where like the only guy drawing human Captains for years.

Also, your asks are always on deck in my ask box when I have a few minutes of free time, please don't think I'm ignoring them, sometimes it takes me a while to formulate my answers. Also I don't often do drawing requests, but I make an exception for my TUGS au's!

Anyways, on to my au! There will be a detailed explanation under the read more but tldr:

When Zero was a younger man he always kept himself clean shaven, after his time in he army he attempts to grow a mustache, which was universally hated and every one regarded as a bad move. Post War 1918-pre Zip 1920 is lovingly known as the rat years in the photo albums that reside around Zero Marine Bigg City.

Before the Great War Captain Zero clean shaved every morning, brushed out, cared for, and styled his hair, and generally looked put together and intentional despite living with rather wild, wavy, longer hair. I picture him around a 2b/2c if he makes an attempt to care for it but when he's not doing anything particular its just a frizzy/fluffy 2a, he has pretty fine hair so it's never consistent unless Zero makes the effort. His hair keeping short also makes it less wavy than it might be if he let it grow out.

He'll never admit it but he never really liked looking anyone in the eyes as a young man, and he still doesn't like it. His long bangs covering his face made him feel more calm and helped hide the fact he was avoiding eye contact.

When he signed up for the draft, Star had made a few passing comments about his hair, but Zero never thought anything of it. He's always remembered Star had had longer hair, and the Army wasn't that different to the navy, right?

After he was drafted and was in training, one of the first things that happened was his hair was trimmed back to fit in his helmet better and his daily grooming routine was reprimanded as a waste of time for a medic. He was told to change it or lives would be lost. So change it he did. This change consisted of not doing his hair routine save for 'basic maintenance' [ie, none] as needed, and only shaving one or twice a week, his facial hair never did grow very fast and was rather sparse anyways.

When he got back from the war, he vowed to grow his hair back out, but he was a different man returning home.

With his new found free time in the mornings meant he could always find time for tea and some breakfast. Making for a slightly less 'tired bitch of a captain' according to his three tugboats [data gathered from eaves dropping on their nightly poker games]. With his shaving routine fully altered and him no longer being picky about being clean shaven, he decided to try out facial hair, his father always maintained a beard, so why couldn't he? Genetics were on his side! He often forgets he's adopted.

It never did grow in fast, or very full. Even with Zorran's best efforts to help, Zero never really had more than a slightly bushy mess. And his hair never really got back to it's same length/health after the war, he always blamed it on the fact it was cut back, and not the fact he was a depressed mess after Europe who had stopped grooming almost entirely for years.

When Zip was due to be christened, Zero finally went down to a barbers shop to get himself cleaned up for the photographs at the urging of his tugboats and mother.

The barber took one look at him and told him the mustache needed to go and that his hair was initially damaged from lack of care during the war and then exacerbated by lack of care after. Zero on a whim let the man do what he felt was right, it was a new decade after all.

Zero's up cut was initially very low maintenance for him and he quite preferred it that way. Zero didn't keep up steam with his hair care the same way he did before the war, but he could manage to brush it in the morning to keep it from getting as bad as it had been.

Once Zasha comes into his life and he realized she has much curlier hair than he ever did [a mix of 3 b/c], he starts to pick hair maintenance back up as he learns how to take care of her hair. He's gotta be a role model and a good father after all. He still never gets back to how he was before the war, but at least his hair is healthy instead of oily, frizzy, and out of place.

More importantly he's taking regular showers and grooming again. His tugs count both of those things as a win.

He never figures out why he was less particular about the way he looks after the war. He was living a life of crime before the war. In the army he never injured a soul or took a life, unlike his days collecting debts as an 'accountant.'

He doesn't see how the war to end all wars could have changed him.

[paigelts05]

Nora [FNAF AR, Renegade AU]

https://www.deviantart.com/paigelts05/art/Nora-FNAF-AR-Renegade-AU-1041984580

Published: Apr 14 2024

CK animatronic maintenance and R&D Robotics contract with Faz Ent has ended, but their stories are far from over.

Nora's life was normal into her early twenties, when whilst on holiday in a remote landlocked town, she was kidnapped by a cult, almost burned alive, and escaped by killing the cult leader then finishing digging out. In the span of about four or five days. Most of which were spent digging prior to almost getting burned alive. Becoming the wrath of the girls who failed to escape in the past, she wound up being a walking cult detector whose back quite literally will set on fire if near real cult stuff.

That's how about a decade later, she knew that Faz Ent was harbouring a cult.

Though with all large corporations reps and execs setting off her 'this guy's in a cult' reaction and her having no real way to determine weather it was just the individual man who was sent to negotiate the contract for building animatronics was in a cult as an individual or if the cult WAS Faz Ent's executives themselves, all she could really do was warn CD of the potential danger. With how far into negotiations things were, she'd need tangible evidence to tell Faz Ent to shove it without it resulting in R&D robotics getting hounded by Faz Ent's legal department.

R&D Robotics was also so strapped for cash that needed the contract, even if Faz Ent was a known dubious company (then again, practically all corporations on Faz Ent's scale are dubious to some degree). At least being contractors meant that Faz Ent had no claim to anything R&D robotics made unless R&D robotics specifically handed over the rights, so they were protected on some legal fronts.

The only company in the area that seemed to be able to avoid taking a contract with Faz Ent was Smith &Tea Robotics, who used thier past employment at Freddy's as their reason for rejecting Faz Ent's offer of contracting.

Some way into the contract, Faz Ent started to treat R&D robotics as if it was their own Research and Development team, requesting new models whilst CK animatronic maintenance were being hounded by a ghost and computer virus.

Then, things came to a head: tensions got high, and Tristan dropped that someone he had spoken to in person knew that Faz Ent was trying to kill all of them.

Within that week after that revelation, Magician mangle tried to kill Tristan, and almost succeeded. Then, some weeks later, CK animatronic maintenance suffered what they called "The Adelaide incident". Then, as soon as Tristan's brother, Daniel, was wheeled into the hospital room, Tristan woke from the coma Magician Mangle had put him. He had known that Dan had been in danger, but he hadn't had time look at the blueprint that had come in.

Nora had looked at the blueprint and connected the name Adelaide on the Arctic Ballora blueprint to the Adelaide who tried to kill Dan, so she knew that CD was in danger. She was able to warn Izzy and CD in enough time for CD to survive.

Though if she was being honest, all the crazy shit going on was too much for Nora to understand, so she generally just kept her head low and kept on keeping on unless something was blazingly obvious. It wasn't enough to stop her getting a concussion from a certain animatronic's (thankfully rubber) oversized mallet, but she lived through the chaos and came out the other side well aware that most people in the robotics scene around these parts were already neck deep involved with something or someone Faz Ent related before this contract even started: the Rocha twins father was a technician in the 80's, Anna was a Faz Ent scientist's kid, Ness worked on the HW project, Luis was part-timing at Faz Ent during the HW project, and the two she knew already: PT and Fritz who worked at the Freddy's location designated 'Location C' back in the 90's.

Well, Nora didn't keep her head down entirely. During this chaotic time, a while after Tristan had recovered enough to come home, R&D Robotics did pick up a new employee: a girl called Sadie who used to work at a factory that produced some of the robots for the 'Special Delivery' project, including some 'Unique Models', until someone important to her was murdered. Nora helped Sadie to adjust and set her up with the survival tools necessary to survive working on the Special Delivery project. Nora was also the least surprised when the next day, Sadie showed up talking about how the person she had lost was back, albeit in a robotic body.

So whilst Nora never got the hang of the murder conspiracy ghost shenanigans, she did get the human element of everything. This made it so that despite her snappy nature, she made lots of friends.

After Faz Ent finally got off their backs after the Special Delivery project shut down, Nora was the biggest help to everyone when it came down to everyone finding their new normal.

[komodocomics]

making my own Tumblr year thing

My cats are probably gonna brawl into 2024 lalala

Thinking bout five nights at freddy's

The god damn aroace chicken run image is for sure my top post ever can someone explain why its such a hit

I need to see my Oc komodo mauled by a tractor on a farm for 2024

FUUUUUUUCK 2014 WILL BE TEN YEARS AHO FUUUCK IM GONNA DIE OF OLD AGE AT THE RIP AGE OF THREE MONTHS AND TWO DAYS

what was popular this year cause I've been living under a rock last time I knew what was popular was 2014 and then the 2019 YouTube rewind can someone hold my hand and tell me

I NEED TO MAKE MORE YAOI AND FURRY ART FUUUUUUCK

can someone show me lizards like anything lizard related I need this always and forever

My Tumblr recommendations ruined cause the fnaf wave o 2023

WHO IS BAD BUNNY WHY IS THIS PERSON POPULAR I LEGIT DONT KNOW WHO THIS IS

What the fuck is doctor who about is it good

The door creaks gently as I go to tuck in my three or more fursuits and kiss their fuzzy foam or paper mache heads goodnight

Im gonna schedule this for lik 9 or some shit so I can hide in my polar bear den under the ice as humans go ballistic cause a ball dropped or some shit

New things that happened this year: I did artfight went insane for a month,my blog reproduced via asexually and made three sideblogs Dan Phil and Sam (look at pinned post for the links) ,digital art,fnaf insanity which I still have to draw fnaf movie art but I had fnaf artblock, gmanweatherreport drew bara komodo after requesting I draw bara komodo,I need more things to get obsessed over that isnt half life or fnaf pretty much,

Does anybody know of a video game which was a survival game and u had to collect food and water maybe medicine, it had snow but Idk if it was a weather changing game, I watched this lady on YouTube I think 2016 era and she found this house that looked like hers and too the right of the front entrance was a dog house like her house and a field was also on the right side and something howled I can't remember if there was a monster or just false jumpscares like howling or something falls off a shelf stuff. The path to the house was a dirt road I think but covered in snow more like slush snow tho almost gone and trees were lined up on both sides of the road. Can anyone find that cause I have tried and have not found it. One of my must find games cause I remember it well and thought it was cool. Oh and I think it was like top of the line Xbox 360 graphics style

[bumblesimagines]

Imagine:

Moving into Hera Palace and choosing not to befriend the rich kids

Request: Yes or No

The rich kids don't have a group name so that's what I'll call em. I did some research so hopefully it's good. There seem to be different spellings for the names so imma just stick with one and go with it. Since in the show they speak english occasionally this will mean they're speaking english.

TW: Suicide mention

~

You stared out the window, a soft sigh leaving you as you watched the buildings and cars pass by. You turned your head, looking at your mother.

"Why couldn't I have stayed with dad?" You asked. Your mother let out a sigh of her own, looking away from her phone.

"I know you don't like traveling but you need to get in touch with your Korean roots. You were born and raised here for a while. Don't you miss it?" She reached out, gently touching your cheek.

"Just stay here for a bit and if you don't like it.. I'll get you a ticket back to the states." She offered a small smile before looking back at her phone. The car pulled into the parking lot. The driver got out, opening the doors for you and your mother. He got the luggage out with help from the Hera Palace employees. You walked inside, humming softly as you took in the interior design.

"Wouldn't expect less from Joo Dan Tae." Your mother muttered, giving a small nod of approval. You walked into the lobby, seeing Su Ryeon and her family waiting. Su Ryeon gave a wide smile, walking forward and embracing your mother.

"(M/N), it's been so long! We have so much to catch up on." Su Ryeon breathed out, leaning back and gazing fondly at your mother. She shifted her attention onto you, smiling and placing a gentle hand on your arm.

"How have you been, (Y/N)?" She asked, head tilting.

"I've been good, thanks for asking." You gave a small smile. You enjoyed Su Ryeons' company. Unlike her husband and children, she was kind and genuine. You dropped the smile upon noticing Joo Dan Tae and the twins. You felt your mother nudge you and give a pointed look.

"(M/N), (Y/N), welcome to Hera Palace. I hope it suits your tastes." Joo Dan Tae said, giving his typical business smile. He handed you and your mother the cards that would allow you to access the resident elevators and such. Seok Kyung looped her arm around yours.

"We'll show you to your place." She smiled, pulling you away from the adults. Her brother gave an apologetic look as he followed.

"How was the US?" Seok Kyung asked, turning to look at you. You licked your lips, resisting the urge to turn around and ask for plane tickets back.

"It was fine." You replied, entering the elevator. Seok Kyung hummed, putting in the floor number where your apartment was.

"Will you be joining us Cheong-Ah Arts High School?" Seok Hoon asked softly. You turned your head, looking at him.

"No, I won't. I'll be doing online school. I was never interested in classical singing like the rest of you." You answered, looking forward as the elevator doors opened. A woman and a girl stood on the other side. The woman blinked in surprise before bowing her head in greeting.

"Good evening." She greeted.

"Bae Ro Na, this is (Y/N), an old friend of ours." Seok Kyung said as she stepped out of the elevator. Bae Ro Na smiled sweetly.

"Nice to meet you."

"Same here."

"I'm Bae Ro Nas' mother, Oh Yoon Hee." Oh Yoon Hee gave a small smile of her own, shaking your hand.

"Are you gonna be staying on our floor?" Bae Ro Na asked. You nodded, feeling Seok Kyungs fingers tighten on your arm. It seemed like the friendship between her and Bae Ro Na was fake, at least on Seok Kyungs behalf.

"My mother is most likely with Ms. Shim downstairs in the lobby. I hope we can get along as neighbors." You glanced between them. Oh Yoon Hee and Bae Ro Na seemed relieved.

"Thank you. See you around." Oh Yoon Hee smiled gently, ushering her daughter into the elevator that Seok Hoon had prevented from leaving. Seok Kyung scoffed softly once the elevator doors closed.

"Su Ryeon wanted them to move in. They're nobodies." Seok Kyung explained, pulling you towards your apartment door. You opened the door, entering and looking around. Your mother had the furniture moved in before you had arrived.

"You can join us later tonight at the lounge. We should let you rest." Seok Hoon said, pulling his sister away from you. Seok Kyung finally released your arm, nodding.

"Jenny, Eun Byeol, and-"

"I'll have to pass. I have things to unpack and I want to get settled in." You cut her off, licking your lips. Seok Kyung blinked.

"Oh, well, maybe some other time?"

"I saw the video where you and your friends bullied that girl. The one who went on to commit suicide. For the sake of my family's reputation, I'll have to pass on any hangouts. I have zero tolerance for bullies and frankly, I hung out with you when I was a child because it was what my parents wanted. Now, if you could please leave, I'd appreciate it." You motioned towards the door. The twins stared at you in surprise. Seok Kyungs jaw clenched, spinning around and leaving.

"Thank you for walking me here. I'll see you around." You said, giving Seok Hoon a nod.

"If you change your mind, let us know." Seok Hoon said, stepping outside. You shut the door, letting out a sigh of relief. You heard a muffled stomp and grunt. Seok Kyung was still throwing tantrums despite being a teenager. You walked towards the couch, plopping down on it and staring up at the ceiling.

"I just have to stay long enough to satisfy mom and then I'll head back."

Gifs aren't mine.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

New canon detail and catalyst teaser image from today's ToX stream - and info for S4??

So today's Cortex Prime Time stream featured Dan Telfer, the narrative lead for the Tales of Xadia handbook, along with Mellie Doucette and Cam Banks! Dan talked at length about writing playable tales for Tales of Xadia, about the player's handbook that's coming out early next year with so many excellent canon goodies in it, and about working so closely with Wonderstorm throughout the process of creating the handbook itself.

We got just a teensy tease for the Tale of the Corrupted Core, but uhhh it's big. And because it's a canon detail in the world of TDP, it might have far-reaching effects for S4 and beyond.

Spoilers below.

The way Corrupted Core was explained, it begins with plenty of specific information for players, so they know exactly what their options are - and how little time they have to deal with the events that are happening. Apparently, Wonderstorm specifically requested that this tale have a "Ticking Time Bomb" vibe, and so it does.

Here's the setup: The Sunforge has been poisoned by dark magic, as we saw in S3 when Viren and Aaravos attacked Lux Aurea... and it cannot be saved. It's dying, it's going to die, and very possibly players will want to kill it themselves because of the dark magic that it's radiating across the land!

Um. Okay, so that's a lot. I had some scattered ideas about targeting/destroying nexuses, about what happens to elves if they lose their connection to their Primal Source somehow, and suchlike, but apparently that threat is active and current!

This isn't a guarantee that the Sunforge will definitely fail in the show. But personally, I think it will. That feels very dark and right for where this show is going to take us.

That doesn't have to be the way Corrupted Core plays out, though! Players can do basically anything they can think of in ToX tales. They're very flexible stories, and they're not meant to herd players toward any specific result. Play is centered more around a vibe that the group (ideally) chooses to pursue together. That said, the locations and characters, etc., we will get in this tale are canon, and might show up at some point in some aspect of the show, even if it's not got anything to do with Lux Aurea or this storyline.

So even if there's no canon way to save the Sunforge, in TDP or in CC, if you want to play to save the Sun Nexus before its light goes out when S4 drops, then you can just change the tale and go for it. ToX absolutely supports fix-it fics, even before canon breaks things. (like our hearts)

Hoo boy, that's a lot. But on a lighter note (I hope), there's one other fun detail I screenshotted from the stream: artwork of a Catalyst from CC, by Noe Levya:

A Catalyst is a major influence on gameplay, and depending on players' choices, they can affect various outcomes with a lighter or heavier touch. This teaser art shows us the Catalyst's hands, so we know they're an elf due to the finger count, but that's about all we get!

Or is it? CC is about the Sunforge, but this looks like, maybe, Moon magic, with the white light and the decorative swirls? "Moon reflects Sun" might be one of the possible angles players could use to try to deal with the crisis in Lux Aurea.

Also, this character might be trying to steal this object. I'm getting some Indiana Jones vibes here! It's probably the leather gloves, very roguish. But this image might not even have to happen in the tale! It could be more of a key art vibe thing instead of a specific scene.

Also, raise your hand if you want that cute jar as a night light. *raises hand*

I physically cannot wait for this handbook and its new tale and all the canon lore inside! It's almost here, after a very long wait, and you'd better believe I will be screeching ecstatically for years once I get my copy!

If you were planning to tune in for those cute canon holiday deets in the fluffy winter ToX rp over at Cortex, remember that it starts next week, and you can watch it here, from 3-5pm on December 2, 9, and 16.

[emerald-studies]

Racist Clothing Brands + Black Brands to Buy From Instead:

                                         Racist Brands

Chanel

Chanel has been repeatedly accused of racially profiling Black customers and last year they hired a white woman as head of their "diversity and inclusion" department.

Gucci

Gucci has a complicated history with the Black community, stemming from them all but trying to destroy Dapper Dan's business only to hire him two decades later. Most recently they came under fire for releasing a sweater that had suspiciously Blackface elements and stealing designs from Black designers.

Prada

Prada has a similar history and they recently had to apologize after releasing a collection of monkey key chains.

Dior

Dior's most recent fragrance campaign came under fire for racist undertones but a Black Hollywood stylist also gave BET.com an account of an incident that she had with a brand. The stylist requests to remain anonymous says, "they compromised our creative relationship by not following through on requests and instead loaning looks that were promised to me to white actors instead."

Celine

Celine's branding is notoriously extremely thin and extremely white. A quick scroll of their social media will reveal exactly their opinion on Black lives.

Barney’s 

Before going bankrupt, Barney's had to pay out a settlement in a racial discrimination case of $525k to two plantiffs. 

Moda Operandi

A former employee of the company released this thread on Moda Operandi, citing several micro aggressions she suffered there. 

Burberry

Burberry issued an apology after releasing a sweater featuring a noose motif.

Tommy Hilfiger

In 1996, Tommy Hilfiger famously made comments against the Black community and has since clarified what he meant, but the hurt in the community lingers. 

Moschino 

Managers discriminated against black customers who did not appear to be rich or famous.

“If a potential black client was not a celebrity and did not have an outward appearance of money via diamonds or name brands, defendant [Ranna] Selbak called them a ‘Serena’ to other sales associates and wanted the ‘Serena’ to be closely watched,” according to the complaint.

Versace

A former male Versace employee sued Versace for allegedly firing him after his manager realized he was Black.

Zara

Zara was accused of using racial code words for black and Latinx customers. The Center for Popular Democracy surveyed 251 Zara employees in New York City about the retailer’s practices. Poll respondents said that when the term “special order” was used at the store, employees were to find the location of the shoppers in question and follow them around. Black customers were most often described as “special orders,” according to the survey results.

Reformation 

They were criticised for their internal practices by a black former employee, Elle Santiago. Santiago said she was denied work promotions in favor of white colleagues, as well as being ignored by the company founder, Yael Aflalo, because of her race.

“Being overlooked and undervalued as a woman of color who worked and managed their flagship store for three years was the hardest,” Santiago wrote in an Instagram post picked up by industry watchdog Diet Prada. “I cried many times knowing [that] the color of my skin would get me nowhere in the company.” 

Urban Outfitters

“As one of very few PoC [people of color] I quickly noticed the toxic environment I’d joined,” says the former employee, who wishes to remain anonymous. “Within my first month my manager made a flippant racist comment in regards to an Uber I’d called; the driver’s name was Muhammad. Her comment was, ‘You would get a Muhammad’ – in what I can only take as a comment made because of my heritage.

“There’s no PoC in the executive team and very little representation of PoC in head office, on the website, marketing campaigns and within the retail management teams.”

The company has a history of producing offensive items of clothing, including a seemingly blood-spattered T-shirt seen as a reference to the 1970 Kent State shootings; a T-shirt in a color named “Obama/Black”; another featuring a six-pointed badge, which seemed to allude to the Star of David badge that Jewish people were forced to wear during the Holocaust; and a racially insensitive Navajo line which used the Navajo nation name illegally.

Dolce & Gabbana

Ads, featured a Chinese woman struggling to eat spaghetti and pizza with chopsticks.

Comme des Garçons

White models wore wigs of traditional Black people’s hairstyles during its men’s autumn/winter 2020 show.

                                             BLACK BRANDS

ASATA MAISE

This designer transforms vintage fabrics into unique pieces that are made to be photographed. I mean, this whole slideshow of looks is A-R-T. Of course, being a one-person business can be overwhelming, so if you have the means, you can donate to Asata's GoFundMe which will provide her with equipment to keep up with demand.

Website: asatamaise.com

MIE

If dreamy, flowy dresses are up your alley, you definitely want to give this brand a follow. All the pretty pieces, including this stunning red puff-sleeve number, are made by local seamstresses and artisans in Lagos, Nigeria where it's based.

Website: mie.ng

JBD Apparel

Kim Kardashian recently gave this brand a shoutout, and it's easy to see why she's a fan of these body-hugging knit sets. All the pieces are handmade to order.

Website: jbdapparel.com

PHLEMUNS

Another celeb fave is this gender-neutral brand designed by James Flemons and based out in Los Angeles. Solange Knowles, Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Clairo, Lil Nas X, Miley Cyrus, and Bella Hadid have all worn its designs.

Website: phlemuns.com

RIOT SWIM

Looking for a truly standout swimwear piece to add to your summer wardrobe? Check out this label designed by Monti Landers featuring minimalistic silhouettes and shades that blend in seamlessly with darker skin tones.

Website: riotswim.com

COME BACK AS A FLOWER 

Specializing in hand-dyed garments, the pieces are ethically made using 100 percent recycled cotton. It also does drops of cool vintage tees, and stars like ASAP Rocky and Big Sean have worn its clothes.

Website: cbaaf.org

HUMANS BEFORE HANDLES 

This jewelry label has some of the cutest accessories for summer (eyeing these seashell ones, wow), and most impressive is the fact that everything is under $50.

Website: humansbeforehandles.com

LAQUAN SMITH

Here’s a real celeb fave (Rihanna, Beyoncé, and sooo many more have worn his pieces). Go to LaQuan Smith for any of your glam/sexy outfit needs, please! 

Website: laquansmith.com

BROTHER VELLIES

Founder Aurora James creates truly one-of-a-kind shoes (please look at this pair of mesh boots topped with feathers) and small leather goods that are handmade by artisans around the world.

Website: brothervellies.com

CUSHNIE

Designer Carly Cushnie’s sleek styles have been worn by the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Ashley Graham, and Lupita Nyong’o, btw.

Website: cushnie.com

JADE SWIM

Need a swimsuit? You’re going to want one of these pretty, minimal designs by former fashion editor and stylist Brittany Kozerski.

Website: jadeswim.com

CHRISTOPHER JOHN ROGERS

The 26-year-old designer from Louisiana was one of the hottest tickets at New York Fashion Week in February 2020, and high-profile ladies like Michelle Obama and Cardi B. have worn his unique, colorful pieces. Find his clothing exclusively at Net-a-Porter online.

Website: christopherjohnrogers.com

MATEO NEW YORK

Matthew Harris of Mateo New York is a self-taught jewelry designer hailing from Montego Bay, Jamaica, and living in NYC. Shop here for beautifully minimal 14k-gold fine jewelry.

Website: mateonewyork.com

TELFAR

Looking for something truly magical and out there? Consider designer Telfar Clemens, whose hybrid pieces (hello, “sweatpant jeans” and “scarf-collar shirt”) really stand out.

Website: telfar.net

FENTY

DUH.

Website: fenty.com

PYER MOSS

Founded by designer Kerby Jean-Raymond in 2013, Pyer Moss uses its platform for social change, storytelling, and activism as well as art and design. For shopping, come for the bright, matching suits, glam, and pleated gowns and stay for comfy sweats and jeans.

Website: pyermoss.com

                                         + More Brands Here +

[louciferish]

12, 14, and 27 for the fanfic asks please

favorite character to write about this year

I don't know how much of it I'll do in the future, but I really enjoyed writing Dan Ashcroft for Wild Magic. I'm way too fond of that messy son of a bitch, and also probably identify with him too much (though hopefully I'm no longer as big an asshole as Dan is.) I don't know when or if I'll ever write Nathan Barley fic again, outside of getting a request for it, but it was great to play around with.

a fic you didn’t expect to write Now Is The Start, definitely. I mean, for starters, at the beginning of 2021 Bloods was not a thing and I was wholly unaware of it. Add to that, the whole idea started as just joking around on Discord about what it would look like if Noel got a part on the show, and I dipped into that conversation having never written an OC love interest before (although the jury is still out on how much we can call Felix an OC, I think).

When I did start plotting the fic, I kind of expected I'd drop the first chapter on AO3, the 5 people involved in the Discord discussion would read it for a laugh, and then we'd all move on and I'd probably never finish the story. I did NOT expect anyone else would actually want to read that fic, or that I'd end up writing almost 50k of it. Whoops.

favorite fanfic author of the year

Man. I read so much new and new-to-me fic this year. 2021 has been absolutely baller in terms of self-soothing through amateur fiction and I've read basically no books as a result. So I got this ask last night and I've been rolling it around in my brain since because there were SO MANY and a couple of the first options that popped into mind would be @silentorator, who manages some truly delightful shit in a short, incredibly impromptu sort of prompt and @moggyhog who paints the softest goddamn pictures both with art pens and with words.

But if we did have an AO3 Wrapped (and thank god we don't) it would probably call me out for spending entirely too much of my time on @kdqt314's page. Between Don't Read Too Much Into It, Cloud Nine, and Bite the Hand, I've probably spent more time reading and re-reading Kady's fic than any others this year, and that... is saying something. So yeah. This year was a truly excellent year in fic for me. If nothing else, we have this~

[newsiegirlscout]

So after watching the infamous five-hour Victorious video, there are....a lot of odd takeaways, but by far, I am still baffled by the writing of the Victorious games, particularly Victorious: Taking the Lead?

The game follows you, playing as Tori (the self-centered talented protagonist) or Jade (the self-centered talented antagonist) where you are trying to get the lead role as Vampire Juliet. Both Tori and Jade do well and are taken to callbacks voted on by, for some reason, only the boys in their theater class, which, ick. That's not the weird part.

Jade runs around giving all the boys in your friend group Pear Pads (the Victorious version of Ipads) which they're all zombified for to bribe them to vote for her. You run around breaking them all off their "hypnotism" from it in various ways, and afterwards, ask all the boys if they' vote for you, so this wasn't even an acting competition, it's a straight-up popularity contest? So, first of all, why is Jade in this friend group? She doesn't really seem to have a personality other than fighting with everyone around her.

One of the characters, Robbie, always carries a ventriloquist dummy he makes talk throughout the series and is treated like a seventh friend. For whatever reason, though they all go to an arts school, Robbie is treated like a weird actor and not a super talented ventriloquist? Mais alors. He is lost in his Pear Pad playing a video game, and had dropped Rex (the puppet) to play. You go back across the school, find his backpack, and get Rex, who I) starts talking by himself and II) offers to grant you a wish, in which you can either try to get him back to Robbie and awaken the part of his brain that voices Rex, or just ask to win the game, in which the game immediately ends.

Bringing Rex to Robbie doesn't work, so Rex advises you that Robbie can't resist dancing girls (like, the cha-cha-slide, but still), and you just? Get all your girl buddies and start doing a choreographed dance like this is a reasonable request and not super creepy, especially for a character in a friend group consisting of half girls?

So, big takeaways:

A) Dan Schneider is a massive creep, big surprise

B) In the Victorious universe, I could reasonably make a request like "Yo, Tori, I would love to go to the school dance party, but I would be too self-conscious without a [well-endowed] goth girlfriend." and she'd just go "Okay! Here's Jade" without even questioning this?

[antiadvil]

Starlight

summary: There isn’t much else to do during lockdown, so Dan and Phil go stargazing.

rating: PG13

wc: ~2k

notes: This was written for the @phandomreversebang for the beautiful prompt and art provided by @ayushikuu and betad by @gravyflavoredjuulpod. They were a great team to work with and I'm really happy with how the overall project turned out!

read on ao3 or after the cut

“We should go stargazing,” Phil said one morning over breakfast.

Dan snorted. “In London? Good luck, mate.”

Phil shrugged. “I was thinking not in London.”

“You want to go on a trip? Everything’s shut down, Phil.”

“Not far. I bet you don’t have to travel very much to get away from the light pollution.”

Dan looked skeptical.

“Really,” Phil insisted. “We should do it. It’ll be fun.”

Dan stirred at his coffee. “It might be fun.” “It will be fun.”

“Stars are pretty,” Dan said.

“So are you.” Phil dropped a kiss to Dan’s cheek. “I’ll do the planning. Don’t worry about it.”

It was surprisingly easy to rent a car for a night. Phil was still in shock that it was legal for him to drive a car; he had been ever since he turned seventeen. However, Phil seemed to have fooled the rest of the world into thinking he was a functional adult, including the woman he spoke to on the phone, so after a walk to the car rental place and a 5 minute conversation with the man at the desk, he handed a set of car keys to Dan and pointed him towards a small white car at the end of the line.

Dan raised his eyebrows at the car keys Phil had put in his hand.

“I said I would do the planning,” Phil said, “Not the driving. I think we’re all better off if I do not do the driving.”

Dan grumbled slightly, but he took the keys and climbed into the driver’s seat, peeling his mask off and dropping it in the glove compartment. “Do you have directions?”

Phil followed suit. “Of course.” He pulled up the directions he had prepared on his phone. After looking at some light pollution maps online, he had chosen a general area just past the outskirts of London to aim for and prepared directions in advance. They’d just drive until it was dark enough that they could see the stars.

Dan started the car and carefully pulled out of the parking spot. “Lead the way then, planning boy.”

Phil wrinkled his name. “Planning boy?”

“It’s a nickname in progress.”

“Stop progressing it. It sucks.”

Dan stuck his tongue out. “You suck.”

“Oh yeah? Well your mum-”

A car honked behind them.

Phil looked at Dan and giggled.

The car honked again.

Phil scrunched his nose at the car, but he started reading Dan the directions.

They quickly found themselves outside of London. Phil kept an eye on the sky until he thought he could see enough stars, and then told Dan to stop.

Dan pulled off to the side of the road and climbed out of the car. “Here looks good.”

Phil pulled a picnic blanket out of his backpack and followed, unfolding the blanket and laying it as best he could on the ground. He sat down, basking in the warm summer air and stretching himself out to look up at the stars.

“I hope whoever owns this field doesn’t mind,” Dan said, sitting down next to Phil.

“I’m sure they won’t,” Phil said, hoping they didn’t come out to check. He turned his head back to the sky, trying to take in the sheer number of stars sparkling above him. “I always forget these exist.”

Dan pointed at one. “Is that Sirius?” Dan asked. The brightest star in the night sky.

Phil pulled out his phone and checked a night sky app he had downloaded earlier in the day. “No, that’s Venus.” He put his phone down. “Sirius isn’t actually visible tonight, I don’t think.”

“Disappointing.”

“A bit,” Phil said. “But we’ll be able to see a lot of other stars tonight.” He rearranged himself on the blanket. “Did you know Sirius is actually two stars?” Phil smiled, proud of his little star factoid.

“No,” Dan said, rolling over on the blanket, propping himself on his elbow to listen.

“Well, it is,” Phil said. “It’s one bright star and then a dimmer one. They orbit each other, it’s a binary star system.”

“Mmm,” Dan said. “Like in Star Wars. On that planet.”

“Yeah,” Phil said. “Like in Star Wars.” He paused. “I like the idea of binary star systems. Being a star must be so lonely. You’re all on your own; all of the other stars are so far away. It would take years to even send a message to your closest neighbor. At least being a binary star means you don’t have to be alone.”

Dan laughed. “Phil, by star do you mean celebrity?”

Phil tilted his head. “I didn’t mean to.” A pause. “I don’t like the word celebrity. But I guess it works, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Dan said softly, folding his head into Phil’s neck. “It’s a nice metaphor.”

Phil pulled Dan a bit tighter. “I’m glad I’m not alone.”

Dan sighed a bit, melting into Phil’s touch. “Being alone sucks.”

“If we were Sirius, which one of us do you think would be the brighter one?” Phil knew the answer, had seen how bright Dan’s coming out video had burned while his own was just a flicker in the background, but he wanted to know what Dan had to say.

“You,” Dan said immediately.

Phil couldn’t help but laugh. “What?”

“Phil, I haven’t uploaded a video in over a year.”

“But when you do-”

“But I haven’t.”

Phil sighed. “But when you do-” he tried again.

Dan shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m tired of the spotlight. It was fun for a while, but I just… I don’t want to be that person anymore. I need a break. It’s nice being less in the public eye.”

“Do you think someday you’ll want to be that person again?”

Dan hesitated. “It won’t be the same. But someday, yeah. Once I have everything figured out.”

Phil laughed.

Dan poked him. “Don’t laugh. I will have everything figured out one day. You’ll see.”

“Mmhmm.”

Dan poked him again.

“Okay, okay,” Phil laughed, rolling over. “It’ll be good to have you back,” he added, fondness creeping into his voice.

Dan snorted.

“I mean it. So many people don’t have anyone, Dan. They’re hurled into this soul-sucking business all on their own. Do you know how rare it is to have someone with you you can depend on? Not even necessarily in entertainment, or on youtube, just… in general. So many people are alone.”

Dan hummed quietly. “I feel bad for everyone who hasn’t found their soulmate yet.”

“Do you really believe in soulmates?” On a certain level, Phil knew what Dan’s answer would be. He’d watched Dan’s coming out video. He still had trouble keeping himself from blushing when he heard the way Dan described him. Real best friends. Companions through life. Like, actual soulmates.

“Yes,” Dan answered instantly, without any hesitation.

Phil propped himself up on his elbow. “You’re like, the least spiritual person I know.”

“You believe in soulmates.”

Phil waved a hand dismissively. “I believe in all sorts of weird shit. Not you, though.”

Dan shrugged. “I believe in things I have evidence for,” he said softly, reaching to brush at Phil’s hair.

Phil’s heart melted. “Oh.”

Dan smiled, pulling his hand back.

“No, keep talking,” Phil said, teasing, though he did mean it, a little bit. It was nice to hear Phil’s boyfriend say nice things about him. So sue him.

Dan laughed. They had been together long enough that he could recognize Phil’s clumsy request for affection. “From the moment we met, there was just… something about you. I don’t know how to describe it. We just… clicked. I couldn’t get enough of you. I never wanted to stop talking to or being with you. But it’s not the initial feelings that make me think we’re soulmates. There are so many other explanations for that. Weird teenage hormones, not enough exposure to well adjusted gay people when I was a kid. It’s what happened after that that convinces me. How the feelings didn’t fade. How we fit together. Grew together, almost. I just can’t imagine anyone fitting me better. I can’t imagine someone finding me when I needed them more. It was like it all happened for a reason. I don’t know how or why. I just know it did.”

“Mm,” Phil said, not sure how to reply to a speech like that. “I love you too, I guess.”

Dan laughed, and then they were quiet. “I love you too.”

The stars really were beautiful, Phil thought. He pointed out the few constellations he knew to Dan, who listened attentively, even though he probably already knew them.

It was comforting, the warmth of his boyfriend beside him, the light of the stars scattered above, the darkness blanketing it all.

“I don’t want to leave,” Dan admitted.

“Me neither.” The stars were so bright. Living in London, it was easy to forget about how beautiful the sky was when you could actually see it. “We can do this again sometime if you’d like.”

Dan hummed quietly. “That might be nice.” A short pause. “But we still have to leave.”

“Is it really leaving if we’re going to come back?” Phil pondered, half joking.

“Yes.” Dan pouted. “It’s an ending. I hate endings.”

“Maybe it’s a beginning,” Phil said.

“A beginning of what?”

Phil shrugged. “Our drive home. More nights like this. A new chapter of our life.”

Dan sighed, half-mocking. “That’s the trouble with beginnings. Always an ending included.” He noticed Phil’s glance. “It’s silly. I know.”

“It’s not silly,” Phil said softly, dropping a kiss to the side of his head.

Dan sighed, turning towards Phil’s voice and resting his head on Phil’s shoulder. They lay like that for a few minutes, just breathing, melting together, until Phil pulled away.

“C’mon,” Phil said, standing up and reaching a hand down for Dan. “Let’s go.”

Dan took his hand.

Dan drove the way home mostly in silence, letting his left hand drift towards Phil’s right. Phil glanced over, and Dan seemed to have a decent amount of control over the car with his remaining hand, so Phil accepted Dan’s hand, folding their fingers together. The car rental place was closed when they returned, but Phil filled out the return paperwork and put it in an envelope with the key and put it in the dropbox for returns. Then he returned to Dan and they started their walk home.

“That was nice,” Phil said.

“It was,” Dan agreed.

Phil glanced around. The streets were nearly deserted, so he reached for Dan’s hand. Dan accepted, using their threaded fingers to pull Phil a little bit closer to him.

“What time is it?” Phil asked.

Dan yawned. “Nearly 3 am.”

Phil yawned too. No wonder the streets were so dead. “I’m tired.”

Dan sounded amused. “You’re normally up later than this anyway.”

Phil bumped Dan’s shoulder. “So are you!”

“Maybe I’m not tired,” Dan said, yawning again.

“Stop yawning,” Phil said, fighting a yawn back. “You’re making me yawn.”

Dan made a face. “I’m not making you do anything, dork.”

“You know, people copy yawns more when people they’re close to yawn. So sort of, you are making me do it by being so irresistible.” Phil tried for a wink.

Dan just snorted. “Just don’t yawn.”

“How am I supposed to not yawn when my soulmate yawns?”

Dan laughed, climbing the stairs to their flat and fumbling with his keys. “Only you could say that sentence,” he said with an almost unbearable amount of fondness in his voice.

Phil turned back and looked up before he followed Dan into their flat, hoping for a last glance at the stars.

The sky here was completely black.

[sterlynwrites]

July 16 Riot

Title: One Man Riot 

Series: All For The Game 

Pairing: Andrew Minyard / Neil Josten 

Neil Josten was an absolute menace. 

That was about the only thing that Andrew’s brain could agree with itself on any time Neil was involved in anything. He was a menace whose good intentions either ended in a self martyrdom, or ended with the people around him having to dodge things that may or may not be life threatening. 

Even after Riko’s death, this didn’t change. 

Neil was a passable vice captain and Andrew would stand by that silent approval, but there were some days that Neil could be described as a one man riot. 

It almost always involved Sheena and Jack, neither of which had learned to keep their goddamn mouths shut. In fact, Jack had been on it, again, all practice. Andrew was in goal and he couldn’t be bothered to really care about what was going on out on the field most of the time, but today was definitely different. 

What was the difference you might ask? 

The play had paused just long enough for Jack to pass Neil and say something. Andrew knew that he needed to stay out of this dick measuring because Neil could handle his own fucking dick, but Jack must have caught Neil just right on his raw nerves. The freshman didn’t understand or want to understand what the others had gone through, so everyone stopped when Neil dropped his stick and called out, “Hey. Jack!” 

Jack turned and Neil punched his square in the nose. 

“JOSTEN HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!” Wymack screamed from the sidelines. 

Everyone froze. 

Then all hell broke loose.

Jack was on his back, the redhead on top of him, both hands fisted into his shirt. His face was close to Jack’s and he couldn’t see either expression, but the hard lines of Neil’s body spoke volumes. 

Don’t interfere. 

“MINYARD GO GRAB JOSTEN.” Wymack growled at him waving in the direction of his just-slightly-something. 

Andrew shrugged and dropped his stick, his gloves and wandered over. 

Before he got there Sheena decided to be a stupid bitch and get herself involved. Her hands pushed at Neil’s shoulders and Andrew quickened his steps because two on one? Really? 

That won’t do. 

Before he reached them, Sheena ended up on her butt Allison standing between her and Neil, “Back off.” 

Smart. 

Anyone who touched Neil would be punished. The upperclassmen knew that rule, and it was one that the freshman were still learning. 

Matt had stepped forward and he hand his hands on Neil’s shoulders, “Neil, buddy, you need to let him go.” 

“Why?” Neil gritted out through clenched teeth. 

“Because we like you and you can’t play exy in prison.” 

“Not true. I played in juvie.” Andrew called out. 

Matt turned and looked at Andrew, “You aren’t helping.” 

No. He wasn’t. But if Neil was an instigator, then Andrew would fan the flames just a little bit. After all, he was still interested to see what would happen if Neil decided to end Jack. 

“Am I supposed to?” Andrew gave Matt a flat look.

“Yes!” Nicky stood to the side, fingers flexing as he tried to figure out where to pry Neil off of Jack. 

“Fucking Asshole as soon as I’m up-” Jack snarled. 

“You’ll what? Don’t even think about it.” Dan snapped. 

Again, one man riot Neil Josten. Already the others were dividing and it was clear. Not one was on Jack’s side. 

Andrew rolled his eyes and changed to German: “What did he say to piss you off?”

Neil’s fingers loosened and he flicked his eyes over towards Andrew: “He said something about you.” 

Leave it to Neil to have a short fuse when it came to him. He still didn’t understand it, but it made his chest clench and something warm flood it. 

“Leave him. He is not worth it.” 

“I kind of think it’s worth it.” 

“Well I don’t. You do not need to defend me.” 

“I actually think he should hit him again.” Aaron volunteered. 

“Yeah, what could another punch hurt? He’s already down.” Nicky added. 

“No one asked you.” Andrew shrugged and stepped forward, putting his hand on Neil’s shoulder. 

“JOSTEN GET OFF HIM UNLESS YOU WANT TO RUN A MARATHON!!” 

Wymack growled and added, “Jack maybe keep your mouth shut huh?!”

“Come on junkie, let’s go get Abby to look at your hand.” Andrew switched back to English again. 

It wasn’t a request. 

Neil relaxed under his hand, and let Jack’s shirt go standing up.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

As Abby fussed over and bandaged Neil’s busted knuckles, Andrew settled next to him as things slowly got back to normal. When she was done she headed up into the stands to tend to Jack’s, bloody nose and split lip. 

“Was it worth it?” Andrew asked. 

Neil nodded, “To me it was.” 

Note: If you don’t know these awesome characters, click here for some art.

@jennoasis @furokuro @thefirstknightofren 

[sagehaleyofficial]

HERE’S WHAT YOU MISSED THIS WEEK (1.1-1.7.20):

NEW MUSIC:

·         Angels & Airwaves teased a new song, while providing some information about the new documentary about them. According to frontman Tom DeLonge, the sing is titled “Time Bomb.”

·         Travis Barker of Blink-182 fame and his son Landon Barker took to Instagram to briefly tease the idea of them working together. On Instagram, the drummer classically banged away on his kit and Landon appeared to be nodding his head.

·         Vic Mensa dropped a new video for his song “It’s a Bad Dream.” The song comes from the project 93PUNX and features Good Charlotte, as well as notable names such as Travis Barker of Blink-182 and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine.

·         All Time Low’s social media, as well as all the members including Alex Gaskarth and Jack Barakat, posted a cryptic video to their respective accounts. We see the iconic panda from the “Birthday” video as he lights a barrel on fire that contains a Last Young Renegade jacket.

·         Green Day‘s newest album track listing might have been leaked online. A fan of the group claims he was sent the Father of All… vinyl sleeve in the mail from someone in California, which is where the band is based.

·         After a surprise track released earlier in December, Set It Off dropped another new song called “So Predictable”. The band previously dropped another song, “Catch Me If You Can,” in mid-December after teasing a new release on Twitter.

·         Post Malone is reportedly going to be a featured performer on Justin Bieber‘s new album, due out later this year. In addition to Posty, Coachella headliner Travis Scott is rumored to feature on the album as well.

·         The 1975’s label Dirty Hit sent out a tweet requesting people to submit some information and a picture of themselves and their partner. The label says they’re shooting in London on January 18th and are searching for couples to star in a new music video.

·         Paramore’s Hayley Williams posted three mysterious black squares on Instagram, sparking theories that the music will soon be here. Fans spotted a poster of Williams and the phrase “Petals for Armor” around the U.S. including New York and her Nashville hometown.

TOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS:

·         Motion City Soundtrack made their triumphant return to the stage last Tuesday on New Year’s Eve in Chicago, rocking the House of Blues. Before the return, the band posted a hype image, reminding fans to get tickets while they could.

·         Green Day began 2020 with a performance on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. At the event, the band performed their hit “When I Come Around” in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Dookie.

·         The Academy Is… posted a photo that is strikingly similar to the cover of their debut album Almost Here‘s cover art. The band’s debut record is coming up on its 15-year anniversary in February, leading to speculation about either another run of tour dates.

·         5 Seconds of Summer Ashton Irwin teamed up with Palaye Royale at NYE 2020: A Rock + Roll Carnival at the Taix Champagne Room. The night featured a host of covers of classic hits such as “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen to “Black Dog” by Led Zeppelin.

·         After countless rumors regarding who will be playing this year’s Coachella, several of the speculated artists have now been confirmed after the full lineup announcement. Weekend one is sold out, but weekend two presale begins today at noon PST.

·         My Chemical Romance’s latest post spawned speculation they will announce a show in the UK. The band posted across their social media accounts a cryptic photo of a cloaked skeletal face person with a simple caption containing the UK flag.

·         Halsey recently came under fire for some comments she made while performing at Bay Dreams Festival in New Zealand. She then relayed that it was just crowd banter to get them really going and she would say the same to anyone about their rival of sorts.

·         The surviving members of Nirvana reunited on Saturday in Los Angeles for a show with Beck, St. Vincent and more. The concert was for a charity gala hosted by charity organization the Art of Elysium.

·         Post Malone recently showed off his screaming skills while screaming along to Pantera‘s “Walk.” Recently, videos of Posty were posted by New York-based, indie-rock band Beach Fossils.

OTHER NEWS:

·         Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons took to social media to address concerns about the band recently taking the top three spots on Billboard’s Hottest Rock Songs of the Decade chart. Reynolds laughed off the negative comments.

·         Post Malone showed off his newest face tattoo, an armored hand holding a medieval flail. It takes a sizable spot on his face and was created by Kyle Hediger, who has tattooed Posty previously.

·         Pierce the Veil revealed that their collaboration with Sleeping with Sirens’ Kellin Quinn, “King for a Day,” went platinum. In November 2014, the song went gold and held its own in the Top 40 Rock chart.

·         A very dedicated My Chemical Romance fan compiled all the high-quality footage that everyone posted throughout the band’s return show. They edited them all together and made a one hour and forty-minute video of the entire gig.

·         Jeffree Star posted his first video of the New Year, in which he takes us on a 36-minute tour of his new multi-million-dollar mansion. Star also talks about how he had a dream and made it come true with less than $500 in his pocket after quitting music.

·         In anticipation of the release of Birds of Prey, merchandise for the film has officially dropped via Hot Topic. Among the items is also an impressive jacket from Her Universe resembling the one Harley Quinn is seen wearing in the film’s trailers.

·         New Years Day vocalist Ash Costello made a post on Instagram explaining the ups and downs of 2019 for her personally and professionally while confirming she is now engaged. Costello and her fiancé Jered Boeving made the move together at Disneyland.

·         Lil Peep’s management and label, First Access Entertainment, is disputing claims filed by his mother in documents filed on December 23rd in Los Angeles Superior Court. Liza Womack filed suit against the company over claims they overworked him and encouraged drug use.

·         Billie Eilish launched a sustainable merchandise line with H&M. The line features everything from oversized t-shirts and sweaters to joggers, which are all made from sustainably-sourced materials.

·         We the Kings drummer Danny Duncan announced his engagement to longtime girlfriend Valentina Guerrero. The couple have one son, Carter, who adorably posed with the newly engaged duo after the proposal.

·         All Time Low is teaming up with Full Tilt Brewery to create a new beverage called “Beer Maria Count Me In.” Full Tilt founders Nick Fertig and Dan Baumiller originally opened the brewery using Peabody Heights Brewery’s facilities in Baltimore six years ago.

·         Benji Madden of Good Charlotte and his wife, actress Cameron Diaz, welcomed the birth of a baby girl. The couple kept it a secret to protect the privacy of their little one, who is named Raddix Madden.

·         Twenty One Pilots frontman Tyler Joseph and wife Jenna continued to invite fans into their world as they prepare for the birth of their first child. The mother-to-be shared a photo with a caption revealing approximately their daughter is due in approximately one month.

·         The Panic! at the Disco track “High Hopes” was used for an epic same-sex skate routine in the UK show Dancing on Ice. During the premiere of the program’s latest season, pro ice-skater Matt Evers and Welsh actor/singer Ian H. Watkins had their first routine together.

·         The iconic venue Koko in the Camden district of London last night. Firefighters worked hard to put the flames out as smoke and flames blow out from the roof scaffolding of the venue, which is currently undergoing renovations.

___

Check in next Tuesday for more “Posi Talk with Sage Haley,” only at @sagehaleyofficial!

[tfiolarry]

tfiol chapter two: pretty

summary: simply, the girls meet their grandmas and make a friend.

[one] [three] 

give us feedback :) 

A/N: gif not ours creds to owner

SATURDAY 

11:55 AM 

STYLINSON HOME - LONDON 

Louis and Harry already woke up, the girls fed them breakfast, gave them a bath. Now, they are getting them ready to meet their moms, Jay and Anne. 

HARRY: (putting Dani's hair in pigtails) Alright, so on the agenda for today is meeting with moms and then we’ll head to the park for a cute little picnic.

JORDYN: (Louis putting her hair in a pigtails also) What's genda? 

LOUIS: An agenda’s like a game plan, o’ tiny one. Like...all the fun stuff we wanna do with you guys today. (finishes her hair)

DANI: Fun stuff?

LOUIS: Yeah, like snacks and bubbles or...barbies, maybe chalk or coloring...but all that, plus picnic.

DANI: (tries to look up at Harry even though he’s doing her hair) For real?

HARRY: (nods and puts cute bows in her hair) Anything you guys wanna do, we will get it for you.

JORDYN: I like bubbles and grapes. (smiles)

DANI: Chalk too.

LOUIS: We can bring it all.

DANI: We can have grapes now?

LOUIS: (looks at Harry) Now?

HARRY: (looks at Louis and shrugs) I guess. But only a few, because we still have lunch later.

JORDYN: (claps her hands) Yay! 

HARRY: Alright Ms. Dani, you are all set.

DANI: (smiles a lot and touches it) Pretty. (gets down from her chair and hugs Harry) Thanks.

HARRY: (pouts and hugs her back) You’re so welcome.

JORDYN: (to Louis) I done too? 

LOUIS: Yes you are indeed, my little poppet. All done and just as pretty as Dani’s, I promise.

JORDYN: (smiles, turns to him and holds her pinky out) Pwomise? 

LOUIS: (smiles and pinky promises her) I promise, 100%. (boops her nose with his other hand) How about we get you guys those grapes now? Sound good?

JORDYN: (nods quickly and gets off the chair after letting go of Louis pinky)

They head to the kitchen with the girls and give them handfuls of grapes each. While they are eating the grapes there is a knock on the door. Wonder who it could be? 

HARRY: I got it. (goes to the door and opens it) Mothers! Hello! (hugs both at the same time) 

ANNE: (hugs him back and is a smiley woman) Hi lovebug.

JAY: (hugs back also) Hello indeed, darling, where are these adorable children of yours? 

HARRY: (lets go of them and opens the door more for them to come in) They’re in the kitchen eating grapes. Come in.

They join Harry and co. inside the house, making their way to the kitchen where Louis, Dani, and Jordyn are eating grapes - seedless green ones, red are for chumps. The girls are casually munching and Louis’ gonna get up.

LOUIS: Moms! How exciting is this? (goes to Jay first and gives her a big hug and then Anne) Lovely to see you guys, like always.

DANI: (while chewing) Who that?

JORDYN: (shrugs and eats more grapes) Moms?

HARRY: Dani, Jordyn, these are our moms who are now your grandmas.

JORDYN: (looks at Dani to let her know who they are) Grandmas. 

DANI: (smiles) Grandmas. (baby waves to them) Hiiii.

JAY: (waves back) Hello, you are so cute.

DANI: I know.

LOUIS: Dani…

DANI: (giggles) Thanks.

JORDYN: Hewwo (waves also) I Jordyn, (points to Dani) This Dani.

DANI: (nods and stuffs her mouth with grapes)

ANNE: (laughs a little) I’m Grandma Anne, nice to meet you both.

DANI: (tries to talk but she’s got grapes)

ANNE: (looks at Louis and Harry) I think...she’s got too many grapes. 

JAY: Yeah, I’ll second that.

LOUIS: Harry, it’s your turn to fix this. I fixed the plant situation the other day, so...

HARRY: (scoffs) How do I even fix this? (goes to Dani) Hey bub, you got too many grapes...one at a time, yeah?

DANI: (looks at him and then decides to fix this by spitting them out on a paper towel on the counter and looks at him) Okay. (gets a new grape now and does a little dance)

HARRY: Okay. (smiles at Louis, Anne and Jay) Parenting isn’t so hard after all. 

JORDYN: (drops a grape) No! (pouts and is almost about to cry because she was really excited for that grape)

JAY: Are you sure? 

LOUIS: Harry, it’s still your turn to be fixing this. 

HARRY: (is pouting but goes to Jordyn) Hey, hey. (grabs another grape and gives it to her) Look, don't be sad - there's more grapes.

JORDYN: But...(points to the one that fell)...I want that one. (pouts) 

LOUIS: That one is yucky, love, it’s on the floor. 

ANNE: (teasing) Thought it was Harry’s turn.

LOUIS: I’m...being a good person, sh.

DANI: No sad, just do like... (grabs a grape and wipes it off with her hands)... that.

HARRY: It’s still yucky, Dan.

JORDYN: (big baby sigh and grabs a new grape) 

HARRY: I’m sorry Jordyn, it’s just how life goes.

JORDYN: No.

LOUIS: But it is, Jordy, it is how life goes, sometimes life gives you yucky grapes on the floor, and you just have to accept it, why? Because big girls accept those things. And you guys are big girls for real, so just say bye bye to it.

DANI: (pouts) Bye bye.

JAY: Kind of depressing to tell them that’s life, isn’t it?

DANI: Who is pressing?

HARRY: Don’t worry about that. The better question is who is ready for the park? 

JORDYN: (gasp and raises her hand) Me! 

DANI: Me too! And...chalk too.

LOUIS: Yes, Dani, the chalk is ready for the park as well.

DANI: Good. You too?

LOUIS: Yeah, me too.

DANI: And grandmas?

ANNE: Of course.

JAY: Always.

DANI: (to Harry) You too?

HARRY: (laughs) Yes me too. 

•• 

SATURDAY

3:12 PM

NEIGHBORHOOD PARK

Jay and Anne came over earlier in the day to meet the girls before Louis and Harry rounded them up and got them ready to go to the park. They requested chalk, granted they went shopping for toys the other day and picked some up, so they brought it with them. At the park, Dani and Jordyn walk ahead of the adults. Louis is holding a bag of snacks, Harry has a cooler bag for drinks and stuff, and Jay is holding a bin of chalks.

ANNE: (looking at Louis and Harry) They’re really lovely girls, you two.

LOUIS: Of course they are, they’re being raised by us. We’re the loveliest of the lovely.

JAY: Debatable, at least for you.

ANNE: For sure, I agree. 

LOUIS: Hey! Harry, back me up here!

HARRY: (looks around and points, ignoring him) Oh! We should sit there! 

ANNE: That’s an excellent choice, my darling boy.

LOUIS: Wow, I see how it is. I just get bullied around here and get no back up, just pointedly ignored. Just rude. 

DANI: (goes to Jay and taps her leg) Grandma? Chalk please?

JAY: (opens it and hands her the bin) Be careful, okay? Try not to drop them, they’ll break.

DANI: (gasps) Oh no. (looks at Jordy) We be careful, okay? They break.

JORDYN: (looks at her) Why? 

DANI: Dunno. (looks at Jay) Why break?

JAY: Science?

LOUIS: Mom. Science? Really?

JAY: It’s a good answer, hush, you.

DANI: (looks at Jordyn again) That.

JORDYN: (makes an unsure face and looks at Louis) Why? What’s a...(struggles to say science). 

LOUIS: Science is the reason why everything is everything. Like why are you guys the cutest? Science. Why is grass green? Science. (joking) Why is Harry goofy looking? Science. 

DANI: (looks at Harry) Goofy? 

HARRY: (does the goofy laugh) 

JORDYN: (laughs a lot) 

DANI: (also cracks up but is careful because the chalk)

LOUIS: See this? The man makes our children laugh, I knew I picked the right guy to fall in love with.

HARRY: (smiles) I also picked the right guy to fall in love with - who else would be so down to risk being mobbed to get their kids chalk and bubbles? 

LOUIS: Approximately zero people, you lucky son of a gun.

JORDYN: (stops laughing and wipes her face) That funny. 

LOUIS: He’s a comedian. I mean...he is very funny.

DANI: (she’s done laughing too and puts the chalk bin on the ground and starts drawing with a green one)

Anne and Jay go to sit in the spot that Harry pointed out, and Louis follows (hopefully Harry too). They sit and supervise the kiddos from...close enough.

HARRY: Girls, we’re going to be over there. (points again) If you need anything, yell, got it? 

JORDYN: (nods) Got it.

DANI: Yes, got it. For real.

HARRY: Alright, good. (leaves them) 

JORDYN: (sits with Dani) You like dem? 

DANI: (holds up her chalk) Chalks?

JORDYN: (rolls her eyes) No! Hawwy, Lou Lou, and Grandmas?

DANI: Ohhh, yeah. (continues drawing) They nice. And funny, like goofy. You too?

JORDYN: Yeah, (picks up chalk) I happy. (starts drawing too)

DANI: Me too. Happy. 

Dani and Jordyn continue to scribble on the pavement, creating some incomprehensible images that would only make sense to their young minds. They encourage the family to come see when they have a lot going on, and they appreciate their creative efforts in full. While the adults relax and talk, making sure to check on them every now and then, a small boy - Chase - is riding his scooter near them. He is going back and forth, being sure not to ride through their drawing. He makes his way over to them though and looks at their drawings. 

CHASE: Hey.

DANI: (looks up at him from her spot on the ground and smiles) Hiii.

JORDYN: (squints at him like “who are you”) Hey. 

CHASE: I’m Chase. You?

DANI: Dani. (points to Jordyn) Jordyn.

CHASE: Okay. What’s that? (points to their art on the pavement)

JORDYN: Flowers. (keeps drawing)

DANI: (asking him for an opinion) Pretty?

CHASE: (nods) Pretty. (fixes his elbow pads)

DANI: (smiles) Thanks. What that?

CHASE: These, I have ‘cause I felled.

DANI: (nods) Ouchies.

CHASE: (nods too) Lots of ouchies.

JORDYN: (looks up at him) You felled on that? (points to his scooter)

CHASE: Yeah. But not scary, just...ouchies. 

DANI: Just ouchies. I try?

CHASE: Dunno. Maybe.

DANI: (pouts) Okay.

CHASE: (sits with them and touches drawings they did already) 

JORDYN: (offers him blue chalk) Draw? 

CHASE: (takes it) Yes, I help?

JORDYN: Yeah. (point above their drawing) Do sky. 

DANI: Do sky pretty, okay?

CHASE: (nods and starts drawing) Pretty. Okay.

JORDYN: Like Dani.

DANI: Me? No… (bashful smile) you.

CHASE: Both pretty. 

JORDYN: Both? 

CHASE: Yeah. Like...you two. Mommy telled me.

JORDYN: Thanks. You pretty. (nods)

CHASE: (smiles) Thanks.

The children continue drawing, talking about their matching ages, favorite colors and toys, and how Chase got a baby sister in their own baby way. He claims he got up and “mommy wasn’t big anymore”. Interesting. Meanwhile, the family keeps watch on all three of them, especially when Chase does let Dani try his scooter. It’s a fun day, in summary.

A/N: Thanks for so many notes on the first fic it really means a lot 🥺

[itsmyusualphannie]

the demons that bring us together (2/5)

Chapter 2/5: heart of the darkness (ao3) Beta: @yourfriendlyblogstalker Artist: @candanandphilnot - check out the art here! Warnings: none for this chapter

Summary: Dan knew he should be doing his patrols of London, especially with Valentine still on the loose, but he gets sidetracked and when he goes to a downworlder cafe, he meets Phil. The warlock isn’t like most downworlders. He is kind and caring, and weirdly enough, attracted to Dan.

previous chapter | next chapter

~~~

"It's decided, then," said Natalie. Her gaze was no-nonsense as it travelled over the various Shadowhunters assembled in the study of the Institute. As the current head of the Institute, her word was law, but that didn't mean Dan had to agree with her. In fact, he didn't at the moment, but he bit back a reply anyway. He had already spent a good few hours arguing his case last night, when he had given his report on what he had seen on patrol.

Dan wanted to hunt down the creature. It was some form of shadow demon, although he wasn't particularly sure of the classification as he hadn't seen it quite long enough. He didn't like the thought of such a creature roaming the streets of the city unchecked. He knew Natalie didn't like it either, and he could understand the logic behind her order that Dan was to stick to his patrol and not go specifically hunting it down. The Institute was running low on hunters, and they couldn't spare a single one to take over Dan's patrol while he hunted down a shadow that he would likely never find.

"We'll find it eventually," Natalia had assured him last night. "I'm not worried about that, but I don't want you to waste your time looking for it when it will pop up by its own volition soon."

"But how many people will be hurt when it 'pops up'?" Dan had demanded. Natalie had just shaken her head at him, and that was that. Louise had backed him up, of course, their parabatai bond humming with shared adrenaline as she argued, but there wasn't much point once Natalie had made up her mind. She was fair and listened to everyone's reasoning, but when she made her decision, it was final.

"Jack is going to be switching with Dean in that area," Natalia was saying, and Dan's attention focused back on her only to realise that she had dropped his topic entirely, and was now focused on patrol rearrangement. Her long bronze fingernails tapped on the holographic map spread across the massive oak table in the room. The false nails looked intimidating, and they weren't just for show. They were sharp-edged weapons, complements to Natalie's sleek bronze katana that she wore strapped to her back. All, with one slice into a demon opponent, would send its atoms whirling and scattering into nothingness. Dan's twin blades at his side were made with the same material, but he had never been able to obtain the same natural oneness with them that Natalia had with her weapon. She sparred regularly with the younger hunters, and Dan had never seen anything quite like it. Her keen intellect wasn't the only reason she was the Institute's head.

"Dan," said Louise at his side, and he glanced at her. "Did you want to submit a transfer request? I can take your patrol." Her eyes were knowing. She was his parabatai and she knew him better than anyone; she knew well that he would continue his hunt for the creature, even if he continued his regular patrol as Natalia ordered.

Dan shook his head. "It starts in two hours. I'll just leave early and look for it, then start my patrol. Natalie can't argue with extra work."

"Don't overwork yourself," Natalie called across the table. Her hearing rune was apparently freshly applied, as she raised a knowing eyebrow at the pair and then returned to her conversation with the other hunters around her.

"I'd go with you if I could," Louise said, her mouth pursing into a small frown, "but my patrol starts in ten minutes or so, and it's right around the Institute. Yours is over thirty minutes away."

Dan shrugged. He would prefer to work with Louise, but they were stretched thin enough as it was, and Louise's patrol was perhaps one of the most important of all. She, along with three others, carefully patrolled a mile-wide perimeter of the Institute itself, keeping anything from approaching. They also kept up the wards, the invisible bands of magic around the border of the Institute maintained by runes, making sure that none of them were running low or patchy. If necessary, they even had the authority to let Downworlders through the wards in order to keep Downworlders safe from any demonic attacks, but that had happened exactly three times in the entirety of Dan's life here.

"It's fine," said Dan. "I'll text you if anything happens."

Louise punched him solidly in the shoulder. "You'd better. I don't want to find out that you got mauled by a demon when I happen to wander into the infirmary."

"I lost my phone that time," Dan protested.

"Yeah, but you could have asked someone here to let me know first."

"Fine," he sighed. "I'll steal someone's phone to text you if I get half-eaten by a demon."

"Good," she said. She turned to watch Natalie talk with one of the other hunters, a burly, muscled man that Dan called "Mark" and Louise called "Puppy eyes." Dan looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. 

"I'm going to head out," he called to Natalie. She lifted a hand in acknowledgement but didn't look up at him.

Louise followed him out of the study, through the winding, wide walls of the Institute, and to the main entrance that led to the street just outside of the Institute. It was quiet, the halls unusually empty of hunters, but Dan was used to it by now. It shouldn't be normal, and yet he had reached that point of resignation where he didn't expect anyone to be taking up space at this little table in the corner, or on that cosy bench by the window, or clashing weapons in the training room. A small part of him still panged when he passed the sparse training areas, the empty bedrooms, or the little-used library in the Institute. It was getting better, though; in the past month, they had six hunters transfer from the Shanghai and Madrid Institutes. The reinforcements were building the Institute back up, albeit slowly.

"Well," said Louise, watching Dan as he snagged his pair of long knives from the massive rack by the door and slid them into the sheaths at his side. "I'll see you later."

Dan slid the tiny straps on his sheaths over the hilts of the blades. Although inconvenient to hastily remove in a fight, Dan did far too much running and rolling and flipping to risk letting the blades fall out. He kept these weapons by the door, but he always had at least ten throwing knives strapped to his person somewhere. Right now, in anticipation of finding the same shadow demon, he had added an extra dozen or so. His clothes, thankfully weighted evenly by the skilled seamstresses at the Institute, still hung a little heavier than usual.

"See you soon," he agreed, and he gave her a quick hug before ducking outside. The door thudded quietly behind him and then he was moving, feet swift on the cracked pavement as he jogged away from the massive building. If he looked back, he would see the Institute towering high overhead, striking an eerie resemblance to a sixteenth-century chapel, but with considerably sharper edges and more stone instead of windows. If any normal human passed by, they wouldn't see that at all; the only chapel they would see were crumbled ruins of an old church. It was the perfect disguise, with spells and runes carved into the very foundation of the structure in order to turn away unwanted gazes.

It took Dan just under thirty minutes to make it back to the area he called "downtown." It wasn't really in downtown London, but it hosted a menagerie of Downworlders - particularly werewolves, and so that was Dan's name for it. There were a few other places he called downtown, but each area was home to a different species of downworlder - the quarry in the West End was swarming with merfolk, nests of vampires lived in the streets of Peckham, and the few warlocks in the city were scattered here, there, and everywhere, usually living surrounded by other Downworlders. That was who they peddled their wares to, after all. Most warlocks that Dan had met sold their magic services, or potions, or spells either in writing or to be activated. Two even worked for the Institute on the occasion that they needed a ritual performed with actual magic. Shadowhunters didn't have magic that could produce anything, after all.

By the time Dan arrived at the dark alley he'd hunted through the previous day, the sun was peeking over the horizon and casting a harsh glare directly into his eyes. He squinted against it as he made his way through the alley, poring over each individual item for a trace of anything the shadow demon might have left. Not a piece of trash, nor a rubbish bin, nor a doorway, nor a pile of crates piled against the side of the dirty walls escaped his notice. He rummaged through heaps of trash, pushed aside scraps of metal, and brushed grime from a window to peer inside a dark storage room.

He had to admit defeat after nearly an hour of searching. He couldn't find anything that suggested a demonic presence. It wasn't still here, that was certain, but he couldn't even discover a whiff of a leftover scent that would hint to a shadow demon slipping past. He probably should have done this last night, but it would have been much harder with twilight approaching.

Dan dropped one last piece of mouldy carpet, kicking it toward a rubbish bin slumped against the alley wall, and straightened, brushing off his hands. He had about thirty minutes before he needed to start actually patrolling and would have to leave this area.

Well, Dan considered, he might as well ask around and see if anyone had seen anything since last night. That was definitely the only reason Dan then slipped from the alley and, casting a glance at the sparsely-occupied main street, went into the shop on his right that he had visited the previous night. The bell tingled once more as he entered, but this time it was almost completely empty. There was a couple in the corner, their heads close together as they talked quietly, and a sharply-dressed woman standing in front of the counter with her head craned back as she looked at the menu above her.

And there was the warlock. Phil stood a few feet behind the counter, his hands buried in the deep sink as he washed some sort of blender container. He was chatting with the customer still deciding on her drink, but his gaze drifted to Dan as the hunter stepped inside, and he offered a slow grin.

Dan smiled back without meaning to do so, and he frowned when he realised it. Phil didn't look concerned by Dan's abrupt change of expression, just raised an eyebrow and looked back at the item he was rinsing, mouth still moving as he talked to his customer.

It took Dan longer than it should have to realise that the customer at the counter was a human. It was something that he should have noticed right away; in fact, he shouldn't have even walked into this shop without making sure of it. Humans couldn't see him, not with the active rune on his upper arm concealing him from their sight, and even if he did deactivate the rune so they were able to see him, the long knives and numerous black, elegant markings on his skin would give them more than a little reason for concern.

He sidled to the side, moving to the far side of the counter and almost to the other side of the wall, far enough that she wouldn't be able to bump into him when she left. The couple in the corner glanced up at his movement in unison, assuring him that they were both wolves and could see him. One of them sniffed the air, thick eyebrows furrowing at Dan when they recognized his scent as a hunter, and then huffed and turned back to their conversation.

The woman gave her order to Phil, something long and disgusting-sounding, and Dan watched as Phil made it with none of the magical flairs that he had used with Dan's drink yesterday. Instead of summoning the shot glasses with a snap of his fingers, he crossed the entire space to collect them from their upside-down position next to the sink. Dan found himself missing the flash of sparks, the delicate way that the warlock arched his fingers through the air when using his magic, and he forced himself out of the thoughts. He wasn't here for that.

It only took another minute for Phil to finish the drink and ring up the woman, and then she was gone, and Dan crossed the room again to the counter. He leaned a hip against it, pretending to gaze up at the drinks menu but really, he was sneaking little glances at Phil's back, watching his shoulderblades move beneath the straps of the still-horrifically-pink apron as he rinsed out the items he'd just used. Phil returned to the counter once he was finished, propping both hands on the counter and leaning uncomfortably close to Dan, a smirk gracing his lips as he quite obviously looked Dan up and down.

"What can I do for you today, hunter?"

Dan had to keep himself still when he wanted to shiver under the stare. He returned it, instead, letting his gaze travel over the jut of the warlock's collarbones, the sharpness of his jawline, his sloping nose, and then abruptly down to the pink apron and the green- and red-patterned shirt beneath it. They didn't match, not in the slightest. "You could change those clothes," he heard himself say.

Phil laughed, clearly surprised, but pleased. He ran a hand down the front of his apron, cocking a grin. "I don't know what you mean, this is the height of fashion."

"Maybe in the sixties," said Dan, unimpressed.

The warlock raised a finger, the ring adorning it glimmering at Dan. "Ah, see, I lived through the sixties. It's still fashion for me."

That only served to make Dan wonder how old Phil was. He looked in his late twenties or early thirties, but that didn't mean much with a warlock. He was much more likely to be in his early or mid-hundreds. "Keep up with the times," said Dan, instead of commenting on Phil's age, as the warlock seemed to be hoping he would.

Phil pursed his lips and shook his head minutely. "Ah, you young ones. I find myself frosted that you don't understand what's kicking anymore."

"You're speaking English, but I don't understand you."

A loud snort. Phil leaned back from the counter, hands sparkling suddenly as he summoned a mug of coffee and lifted it to his lips to sip. "Another caramel macchiato?"

Dan blinked. He wondered if the warlock just had coffee at the ready to dramatically drink from at the best possible opportunities. More importantly, "You remembered?"

"But of course," said Phil, and he winked extravagantly. "It's not every day that a gorgeous Shadowhunter wanders into my humble coffee shop looking for a demon."

Dan furiously willed himself not to blush. He was a hunter, dammit, he didn't do that. "Speaking of demons," he said, "I'm still looking for it."

"Still?" Phil took another gulp of his coffee and then let go of the entire mug. Dan watched as it fell for half a second, then disappeared into thin air, blue light sparking around it. He wondered how that worked for warlocks. Did they have some sort of pocket dimension where they stored these items or did they just teleport them from some convenient location? If so, when Phil dropped that mug, did it still retain its momentum and shatter somewhere on a floor somewhere hundreds of miles away?

"Yeah. They're demons, you know. They're as intelligent as you and I."

"Maybe as intelligent as you," said the warlock, a gleam in his eyes. Dan would have shot back a smart retort, but Phil was already turning away, summoning items left and right as he began to prepare a drink for Dan.

Dan just watched him work, tempted to let the silence linger as much as his gaze did, but Phil spoke again a moment later.

"So are you one of those new transfer hunters or have you lived in the London Institute for a while?”

He shouldn't have been surprised that the warlock knew about the new hunters that had come to live at the Institute, but he was, a little. Dan had never seen Phil at any of the meetings where the leaders of the individual downworlder groups met with the Institute - he would have recognised him. Then again, that didn't mean much; just because Phil didn't appear in person to the meetings didn't mean he couldn't find out anything he wanted to about them.

"I was raised here," said Dan. Phil's fingers were nimble, wrapping snugly around a bottle of syrup as he drizzled it into over the drink he'd just made. "What about you? I haven't seen you in any of the meetings."

Phil turned back toward him, the cardboard cup in one hand as he turned his clear gaze back toward Dan. He twisted his other hand with a flourish and a small shaker appeared. He sprinkled its contents over the cup without looking away from Dan. "I'm not a big, ah...politics person. I like my little coffee shop, I'm not particularly interested in anything like your big meetings or ongoings or even other downworlder parties."

"Sure, but don't you want to know what's going on around you?"

Phil waved a casual hand - the one holding the shaker. The shaker went flying but vanished in a flurry of sparks before it hit the counter. "I let the High Warlock of London worry about that, as he's in charge of all the important things. I'm just a simple warlock running my business." He capped the iced drink with a plastic lid and handed it to Dan with a straw.

Dan accepted the drink, pulling the straw from its wrapper and sliding it in the top. He wasn't quite sure how much of that he believed, but Phil wasn't wrong that the High Warlock had the ultimate say. Perhaps Phil really didn't care what was going on, but then, he did know that the Institute had new transfers. Dan would just...have to keep an eye on him. Yes.

He took a sip of the drink and was delighted by the flavour that burst across his tongue. It was a caramel macchiato, but just a little different. "Hmm," he said, and took another drink. "Good."

Phil looked pleased. "I added a little cinnamon to it," he said, and then wiggled his fingers and winked. "And a little special touch."

Dan wrinkled his nose at the insinuation of magic, but the drink really was good. It didn't have that undercurrent of sparkling bite that most foods or drinks made with magic had. "Three pounds again?"

Phil rocked back on his heels, a smile spreading across his face. "On the house," he announced.

"You'll run your business into the ground if you give out free drinks."

"It's one time!" protested Phil.

Dan took another long drink from the cup. Shit, even if the barista wasn't hot, he might have to come back just for the coffee. "Fine," he said. "But I owe you one." That...was probably not the best thing to say. Owing anything to a warlock wasn't the best idea.

But Phil just waved it away. "Just catch that demon before it gets into trouble and we'll call it even."

"Sure," said Dan, as if they both didn't know he was already fully planning on doing that. He glanced at the vintage clock hanging in the corner of the shop. Five minutes until his patrol started? He'd lost track of time. "I'd better go. Thanks for the drink." He tilted it toward Phil, who just aimed a grin at him in reply, and then he headed for the door.

For the second time in as many days, he headed back down that dark alley with a drink made by a warlock. For the second time in as many days, his heart was pounding faster than it had been when he had gone into the coffee shop.

He allowed himself one more memory of Phil's broad shoulders and sloping smile, and then he chugged the rest of his coffee and set his mind to the long patrol before him. In a swift movement, he leapt to grab an overhanging window on the alley wall and used various protrusions to scale the rest of the wall until he crawled over the ledge of the roof and stood to his feet. He took a deep breath and then began a steady run across the rooftops.

He would patrol now, but as soon as it was over, he'd hunt that demon down.

~~~

previous chapter | next chapter

[dyxnamicart]

my stupid highschool oneshot thing

look im not a writer, (I used to be when I was fourteen, haven’t done it since then so ya know, you dont use it you lose it lmao)

Anyways this has been highly requested that I post it, im a bit mad because its not exactly how I wish their dynamic was, I’m not great at writing banter (or anything i’m an artist now plewse) but ya know Also DISCLAIMER: This is a piece of fiction, it in no way reflects real life Dan and Phil (In fact my au switches up their personalities a fair bit) and do not tag them okAY P E O P L E They dont wanna see it and I dont want them to see it (Even if this isnt a particularly shippy piece lmao people are getting very angsty as of late) I also don’t have an editor so sorry for any mistakes  Anyway here ya go heathens 

Dan didn’t notice the opposing teams jock barrelling towards him, not until his leg had swept under his own, causing him to fly through the air, ball no longer in his possession. 

In fact it all flew by in a matter of seconds. Dan didn’t really have time to process exactly what was happening until he felt the shock of pain that travelled up his wrist and down his arm as he landed heavily onto it, crying out as he rolled once or twice before coming to a stop… He couldn’t really tell. There was a whistle blow, but the bustling around him seemed dull in comparison to the loudness of the pain in his wrist. 

He hissed as he was righted, pulled up and put steadily on his feet, being ushered to the benches, it only felt like five minutes before the game was back on course, bar Dan to be left on the sides, a few claps on the back from his teammates as he let his head come down from the spinning it was doing. 

The nurse on staff did a pretty shoddy job of bandaging, but to her credit she did ask if he wanted an ambulance. If his dad knew an ambulance was called because he hurt his wrist... he didn’t even want to imagine the searing look of disappointment he would receive. 

So he just declined. 

The game was one of the final ones of the season, they were playing against the local private school, which had a surprisingly amount of suspiciously beefed up kids, though with private school money Dan wasn’t surprised they probably had some ins with the law and extra ‘help’. 

He really wanted to play in the final, in fact his coach had even been considering him for the team, not that Dan was amazing at football, but he wasn’t the worst. He was passable at best, probably why his parents weren’t here right now to witness the semi, something he supposes he should be counting his lucky stars for now he had an injury as mediocre as a sprained wrist, but now there was a nagging pull in his gut of his own disappointment. 

He waited out the game on the bench, figuring he should at least be there for his team for the results, even with a sprained wrist he didn’t want to run away without at least talking to a few of his mates afterwards. 

-

Phil didn’t see the tumble. 

He was perched up in the bleachers, trying to ignore the way the mild and darkening sky had began to stew whipping winds that tore right through the threads in his sweater, by sketching insurmountable things he could see. 

He didn’t usually go to games, not only was it not his scene, but he would either end up insanely bored or find his eyes following Dan Howell’s god damn limber body. But this was the semis, and he totally wasn’t here to occasionally glance at a certain panting number 91, he at least wanted to show his support for the school. It wasn’t his fault this game was boring and his sketchbook looked far more inviting. 

He only looked up when there was a big murmur and gasps coming from the crowd around him, and he couldn’t see who it was at first, but there was a boy sprawled on the ground. 

It didn’t take long to figure out it was Dan, and his eyebrows furrowed deeply, closing his sketchbook and shoving it into his bag. He ended up walking down a few rows in the bleachers, just trying to see if the daft idiot was okay, and he sat down again much closer. The nurse did an awful job at bandaging his hand, he could see that from here, and he would have to fix it after the game. Well.. he didn’t have to, of course, but he figured Howell was too much of an airhead to fix it properly and as much as the other grated on him he at least wanted him to be comfortable. 

When it came to the end of the game, Phil’s school lost, and there was a brief celebration for the other school as they paraded off the field, while Dan’s team just huddled around to talk to the coach and then walk to the locker rooms, obviously trying to act casual even if they had essentially just been eliminated from the finals. 

Looking around, a lot of the families and students were milling out, many of them disappointed by the outcome of the game.  

This was their star team, and there had been a surprisingly large turnout for the event, to have it all end this anticlimactically felt a bit wrong, if he was being honest, even if sports definitely weren’t his thing. 

Phil headed down towards the locker rooms, some of the boys were already heading out, chatting and bumping into each other as they walked. Boys were talking, over half of them shirtless. He tried to avoid looking at them, while Phil had come to terms with his sexuality internally, he wasn’t out to his school, despite the obvious digs lots of the jocks and ‘cool kids’ would make. He wasn’t exactly subtle. 

Dan hadn’t noticed him, he was sitting on a bench and chatting to a teammate, but some of the boys closer to the entrance had. 

“Ay! It’s Danny’s little bitch, what’s new Lester?” A boy Phil knew as Jason laughed, throwing an arm around his shoulders, leaning heavily on him. 

Phil grunted, and shoved him off. “I’m not anyone’s bitch. Especially not Howell’s.” 

There was an ‘oo’ that rippled through the boys, and it was safe to say that Dan had noticed him. He furrowed his eyebrows, and stood up. 

“A teacher told me to help Dan.. carry his stuff with his hand like that.” He faltered off, because that half baked excuse really did make him sound like someone’s bitch. But by this point people were beginning to lose interest and ended up either packing up to leave or going back to chatting amongst themselves about a hot girl or something Phil honestly couldn’t care less about. 

Phil walked towards Dan, throwing on a mastered look of indifference and annoyance.

“What are you doing back here?” The brunette sighed deeply, running his good hand through his hair. “As if I don’t already get clowned on enough from seeing you during actual school hours.” He said dryly. 

Phil rolled his eyes. “I saw that sad excuse for a nurse ‘wrap’ your hand. I’ve seen children under the age of 4 wrap toilet paper around themselves better.” 

Dan groaned as he fell back to his sitting position on the bench. “Good deed Lester huh? You aren’t a guardian angel you know.” 

“Are you going to turn down actual help with that wrist, Howell. Seriously.” He dropped his bag on the ground, and knelt down, ignoring the few whistles he got from the people still in the room. 

Dan rolled his eyes as he looked down at Phil, arched eyebrow and holding his injured wrist with his hand, like he didn’t trust him. “Fine.” He sighed, setting his hand down on his leg, looking down at Phil with a suspicious and unless he was imagining it, flushed face. 

Phil carefully lifted the brunettes injured hand, frowning at the small pang of guilt he felt when Dan hissed in a sharp breath, quiet, as if being a little louder would shatter his reputation in one fell swoop. 

By now the locker room had basically emptied out, Dan’s mates sauntered away, hefting their heavy gym bags over their shoulders as their voices echoed down the hallway and slowly faded into the cool night air. 

Dan and Phil sat in silence for a few moments as Phil examined the bandage. Dan seemed to relax a little, and he allowed the feeling of calm to wash over them now there was no eyes examining their every move. The indifference and hostility seemed to drain from the air.

He didn’t know if it was the late night game or the lack of people, but he felt as though he was back before highschool, back before their fall out. Before their life became a series of quips and tension seeping into the fond memories he once had for the boy in front of him. 

“Why do you play, when you end up hurting yourself like this?” His question was genuine, none of the concealed fire that was usually behind his voice when he talked to Dan. 

Phil used his other hand to unroll the bandage. He had seen the first aid kit it came from, the contents being the single bandage, two band aids and a single cotton swab. Not the most ideal for a sport like this, hands on and physical, but their school wasn’t really known for their state of the art resources. 

Dan looked unsure of whether or not he should give a witty response or answer seriously. In the end he seemed too exhausted to spit out a clever one liner. So he opted for the truth. 

“I don’t know..” Dan huffed a breath out of his nose, like he was out of practice with talking about his emotions. “The guys are cool.. people like a jock you know?” He pauses for a moment, like he was struggling with whether or not he wanted to continue. “And I kind of want my dad to be proud of me? You know my dad. I want him to think.. I’m one of the lads. One of the boys.. not a royal screw up son.” He snorted, good hand rubbing the back of his neck like he was trying to play off his words as ridiculous. 

But Phil didn’t laugh. 

“Proud of you?” He repeated, slightly quieter as he slowly started to wind the bandage around Dan’s stiff wrist. 

Dan shrugged, looking away and seemingly focusing on a spot far across the room, like he was trying to be anywhere but here, talking to a friend who had been distanced by time and change. 

But Phil remembers, he remembers his curly brown hair bouncing around when he was excited, when he was jumping around playing cops and robbers, he remembers his loud and boisterous laugh and the way his cheeks dimpled and filled with colour. He remembers a time when he knew the boy in front of him more then he knew anyone in the world. When he thought Dan was his forever friend and that nothing would ever change that. 

Guess something changed. 

“You know I’m proud of you,” He continued, not looking up from bandaging. He could feel Dan’s eyes on him now, he could feel the incredulous and doubtful eyes bore into his skin, see into his soul. He didn’t seem to have expected an actual answer in response. “I’m proud of you when I see you play piano. When I see your eyes light up and when you lose yourself in the keys. When you recite dumb Shakespearen poetry and when you are on stage commanding the spotlight, when the only person who matters is you. That’s what I’m proud of. That’s what makes me think, THIS is Dan Howell. THIS is who he is meant to be. Not a shallow jock with a sharp tongue and attitude. I’m proud of the real you.”

He clipped the bandage pin on the end of the roll, now safely locked on Dan’s wrist, and he went to pull his hand away but was stopped by a hand placed over his. 

Dan’s eyes were how he remembered, not in way they were for the past two years, glazed over as he tried to cram his way into a puzzle he didn’t fit into, but filled with an unfathomable tenderness and something he couldn’t quite put his finger on 

They didn’t need to exchange words, the soft smile Dan gave him spoke a thousand words, making up for time that felt lost before now. 

He stood up, finally dropping Phil’s hand and grabbing his jacket off the bench. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.” 

-

Their silence was welcoming as they walked down the hall towards the exit. The last few years had been full of quips and jabs, fast insults and banter that sometimes toed the line as not quite friendly. This silence, it was new, but it felt right. Dan couldn’t quite understand, but there was a shift that felt comfortable. 

Dan had known Phil a long time, longer then anyone in this god forsaken school. He was quiet and reserved and he enjoyed painting and drawing. He was creative, and he didn’t care what people thought of him. He was unapologetically himself, and that was something that he only wished he could be. 

For the longest time it was him and Phil. Dan and Phil against the world, playing Mario cart and watching shitty movies, always at each other’s houses like they belonged together. 

Then high school happened.

The desire to fit in hit Dan like a ton of bricks. While Phil was content to remain a Mario kart loving geek, Dan couldn’t stand being the butt of the joke. He couldn’t stand his dad being disappointed whenever he brought Phil home to do something nerdy. As the years went by it became a sort of crutch for him and Phil to make snide remarks at each other as they passed in the halls, glaring across the halls and that’s how it stayed. 

Don’t get him wrong, he loved to see Phil riled up. He loved to see his eyebrows furrow together and his eyes roll. His arms crossed and his posture unimpressed. If anything that was his favourite part, the way his voice flooded with heat and passion, as he stared at him with the intensity of a bonfire. He loved to tease him and play his surprisingly short temper like a fiddle.

But he wasn’t attracted to him. No way. Phil wasn’t a pretty girl. He did NOT find his eyes pretty and the way his hair sometimes fell into his eyes and his hands didn’t itch to run his hands through it. 

He was straight. He had to be. 

His heart dropped a little, and he couldn’t explain why, but he looked over at Phil, who was walking beside him. 

They were outside now, and it was raining, not too heavily but enough to get you fairly wet. Despite the fact Phil was wearing a sweater and long overalls, he could see him shiver, the fabric of the sweater probably allowed the biting wind to nip tight through it.

He shrugged off his jacket, and gently wrapped it around Phil’s shoulders, forcing them to stop momentarily. The street light cast a soft light over them, and his eyes met the other boys, and for a moment they stared at each other, Dan watching as raindrop followed the contours of Phil’s face, a drop following his cheekbone and the slope of his jaw. 

He coughed, rubbing the back of his neck again as he started walking. “Okay okay, lets get you home, Lester.” 

“Are you sure you aren’t cold?” Phil enquires inquisitively as he sped walked a bit to catch up with him. 

He shrugged. “Still running on adrenaline I guess.” It was a lie, he was slightly cold. But it felt right, and he continued to walk with him in silence. 

Phil was holding the jacket around himself as they approached his house, and they stopped just under the porch, the light flickering on to illuminate his face. 

Dan stuffed his good hand in his pocket, and he clicked his tongue as Phil went to shrug off the jacket to give back. “Nah, wash it first, don’t want your nerd germs on my clothes.” Despite the insult, he found himself smiling warmly, and Phil too just chuckled. 

“Alright, I’ll give it to you on Monday or something, Howell.” 

Dan saluted as he turned to walk away, and he could feel Phil staring through his back as he walked back into the rain. They were only a street apart, but he knew that was going to be one long walk.