#so here is a picture of them by the sea (they're on vacation)

[narmothewraith]

Current WIP

It's in an AU where Poseidon stays <3

[creativitysloyalservant]

i have decided to break my lack of original posting on this blog to bring you my Thoughts on Rot in Paradise. because i played it as soon as i got up this morning and i have scoured for some opinions after finishing it, and now i have my own!!

(and also i posted this on twitter but twitter has such a Shit wordcount that i'm also posting my things here with More Detail)

so! spoilers under the cut, please go and play the game if you haven't. it takes literally an hour (it only took nearly 2 hours for me because i like voice acting by myself and exploring every nook and cranny) and it's also free. so maybe come back into the tag once you're done.

okay, so i noticed quite a number of people being confused and disappointed on the lack of an explanation for the monster. it's brought up in the story as the central thing driving the plot, but it's never explained on what "she" is, why she's compelling people to eat a ton of fish-related food or hell, metal, and why this doesn't impact June at all.

but you know what I think?

i think that that's the point. the focus of rot in paradise isn't supposed to be on the monster.

yeah, it's the thing that pushes the plot along besides June and the gang going on vacation in this island. it's what's causing that uneasiness from the moment that guy grabs June's arm at the drinks, to the sheer unnerving feeling of witnessing people going to the ocean to get Raptured basically. i know i personally felt a chill when i saw that one dude literally eating chains and the other hauling an anchor, as if they're trying to make themselves heavier so they get taken by whatever She is.

but that's not the main point! the main conflict is about June and her friends.

as people have pointed out, this game is about toxic friendships and relationships! it's foreshadowed in the conversation that June has with the gang about her cousin (which i will also get into), and it carries it through the way her friends are horribly warped by this ocean Creature. June goes on a silly little vacation trip with her friends only for them to become so so different from themselves that they lash out at her and even hit her in McCoy's case.

but she still sticks it out with them. through the whole game, even despite their verbal abuse, despite being slapped, despite them being people that she can hardly recognise. she stays with them for the whole game, up until the point where you are given the two options at the very end. and she could still stay with them.

because they're still her friends. she cares about them even if they still hurt her. from the way June still tells Carmen to tell June if she needs anything after Carmen literally tells her to shut up and leave, the way June worries about Vonnie eating seafood even though she continues to stuff herself despite being implied to either hate or make an active choice to not eat seafood, to the way June still trudges out to sea screaming for McCoy to come back to the shore as he wades further in even after he slapped her until her nose bled.

it mirrors the conversation about her cousin, the reason for why June was looking forward to the vacation. that while she did comfort her cousin through all of it, June clearly says that "they were dickheads, and she should have ditched them a long time ago".

but it's funny, isn't it? that June, an outsider to her cousin's friend group, easily sees the pain that her cousin's friends are causing her, and immediately calls it as it is. that her cousin should have left the second they hurt her.

and yet now, when her friends hurt her, even though this was a quick and sudden change that happened in a span of three days, June still sticks around. her friends are dickheads right now, and we can see that in the way they interact with June, but she still stays.

because they're her friends. and how could she just leave them like this if it's something that's causing them to be this way?

so no, i don't think the monster is supposed to be the main picture. we don't need to know what it looks like, or why it needs to do this to the islanders, or how it's even doing it in the first place. it adds to the scariness of the game, as per the Spooktober Game Jam, sure, but that's not the point. might be a bit disappointing to some, but that's not the point.

the point is about June, and the choice that she needs to make at the end of the game.

it's a choice on whether she chooses to be pulled deeper into the tides and be with the friends who hurt her and will continue to hurt her in this way,

or to leave them to their fates, whether deserved or not, and resurface to a world where she's alone without her friends.

and even though the first choice hurts much more in the long run, doesn't the second hurt even more in the moment? knowing that you're alone at the end of all of this?

even if it is the right choice, i'm sure the pain must be unbearable in the moment.

[earthtooz]

i just stumbling around sae’s biodata and found out he loves spend his holidays by looking at the sea. how adorable when we go on a date by the sea, until midnight we sat by the sea. it’s peace, and we get to dancing in the open waves, joking around AAAAA i want my own sae :(

ugh this >>>>

this idea is so beautiful :((( no few words have been able to create such an evocative scenario in my imagination bc i LOVE the idea of going on a holiday to a beach place and spending the night time with a lover :((( i am going to eat my fist.

just... going on a beach holiday with sae is intimacy to a whole other level in your relationship. the beach being his safe place, and you being the person that he trusts so much that he thinks it's okay to bring you to this sanctuary of his.

there's only one person in the world who makes him feel at peace, who fills him with the confidence akin to the rush he gets whilst on the field, who disrupts his world of busy schedules, critics, and sore muscles with some semblance of normality. and it's you.

inviting you to the annual beach holiday he always goes on during breaks between seasons was a no brainer. in fact, he couldn't even picture going up to his vacation house without you. he's very protective of things that mean a lot to him, so to know that he trusts you to let you accompany him is such an honour.

little do you know, that you are also one of said things that mean a lot to him.

just imagine him taking you out on a seaside dinner to a cozy, but high-end restaurant that sae always used to go to by himself. the owner, who recognises him and welcomes him warmly each time sae visits, gives the magenta-haired a certain look before giving you two the best seats in the house.

sae orders his usual. you order something else.

the breeze that blows is slightly cold, causing goosebumps to appear on your skin. despite that, your attention remains on the view in front of you; the view being the beautiful sea and your even more beautiful boyfriend, who looks irresistible with his wind-swept hair and loose button down.

just imagine after a fulfilling dinner, you go for a walk down at the beach, the gentle glow of the sun highlighting all your features so ethereally that sae commits himself to engraining this moment into his memory. imagine the amount of shells you pick up, admiring them briefly before placing them back in the sand. imagine splashing sae gently and running away before he can even think about getting revenge, ending up in a mini-chase where his undeniable stamina inevitably leads him to catch you in his arms, stumbling a little from the momentum.

your laughter placates his 'fury'. a kiss on the corner of his mouth ends all plans of revenge he thought of.

you return back to his house in his convertible with the roof down, humming to the songs on your shared playlist.

just imagine him telling you that he's got a surprise planned. just imagine he leads you to the beach in the backyard of his home, picnic basket in hand. just imagine setting up to have a little, serene date with just the two of you, the sunset, and the crashing waves.

it's perfect, he thinks, perfectly content and satisfied when he feels your backside being pressed against his chest, wrapped in his arms as you feed him some fruits here and there. fruits that he cut up himself and sure they're a little rough and haphazardly shaped, sae's comforted by the fact that you very clearly don't mind. never ridiculing his clumsiness in all things outside soccer.

as you watch the ocean in silence, sae sinks a little more into your warmth every time, hugging you closer.

every time he comes onto these vacations, the revered soccer player is reminded of how calming life is when you just get to do nothing. but now he knows how memorable life is when you get to do nothing with the person you love.

as the stars emerge, your positions manoeuvre so that you're both lying down, your hands in his hair, the two of you bleeding so much love for each other under the inky sky. undisturbed in your little bubble of affection; as all lovers should be.

but then imagine the two of you then getting up to retreat back home, not wearing enough layers to protect yourselves from the winds for too long. before you could reach the house though, sae stops you with a gentle tug on your wrist, placing down the picnic basket as he takes out his phone.

imagine slow music playing out of his speakers as he takes your hand in his, gently pulling you towards him, ignoring the way his skin and heart burns from your touch. sae will never fully understand how you're able to fit against him as if you were perfectly moulded for one another. perhaps that's why he's content with letting you join him to his safe space, because it's only a safe space if you're there with him. that's what you've done to him since he fell in love.

this was your bewitching effect. you've seized him to the point that he is only what you want him to be, and if that was a lover who clumsily cuts fruits and takes you on beach vacations, he'll gladly fulfil that role.

so long as he continues to be able to hold you like this.

thank u for ur ask, anon :)) i hope i provided some substance to your idea bc i genuinely adored this as soon as i read ur ask! your mind >>>

[bluestar22x]

Serenity

Pairing: Frankie Morales x F!Reader

Summary: You take Frankie out on your boat for a weekend vacation, hoping to introduce him to an old friend

Rating: 18+ (to be safe)

Word Count: 1,450(ish)

Warnings: None really, except like one swear word and a mention of drugs and death (canon stuff). This is just a quick fic of a lovely couple and some beautiful animals.

Author’s Note: This is for Jamie's Ocean Challenge @mermaidgirl30

xxx

"I was so sure they'd be here," you said, nibbling on your lip out of concern. "Maybe something happened to them."

Your boyfriend, Frankie Morales, glanced at your face, and upon seeing the distress in your features rubbed your arms reassuringly. "Hey, hey, let's not go to the worst case scenario. There's many reasons why the pack wouldn't be here. You told me once that if fish get scarce they move, so maybe they're just further out now."

"Pod."

He blinked at you, confused. "Huh?"

"A group of dolphins is called a pod," you informed him.

He licked his lips. "Okay. I'll try to remember that, if you try to forget about the worse case scenarios that are popping into your head as we speak."

He knew you too well. You sighed loudly and plopped yourself down in the captain's chair of your smallish but still fairly well decked out cabin cruiser that you'd named Ocean Baby the day you'd purchased her. "It's not just that. I was really hoping you could meet Serenity. She's not as young as she used to be."

Serenity was a bottlenosed dolphin that you had helped treat after she'd beached herself on the Miami coast eleven years ago - during your early days as a budding marine biologist. She'd been brought to a marine rescue center for treatment and rehab, being released back into the wild with her pod nearly half a year later. It had been your job to make sure she ate as she got her antibiotic treatments and gained back her strength and you'd formed a bond that still carried on after her release.

A few times a year you took your boat out to check in on Serenity and her pod and every time you did you found them around the same location, even after she became the matriarch.

She was now around forty years old and while many dolphins could live to sixty, she was getting up there for an average member of her species. You really wanted Frankie to see her before it was too late and you feared it already was.

Why else would the pod move away from this part of the ocean after staying there for over a decade? There had to be a new leader.

"I already know her," Frankie said softly, approaching to brush one of his thick, warm thumbs over your chin in a fond manner. "You've told me her story in such detail, I could picture it in all in my head, baby."

You had the urge to argue with him, insist it wasn't the same, but you let it go. It wasn't worth it. Not even you could make the pod appear on command and that was a good thing.

You nodded and Frankie gave you a quick peck on the cheek before leading you down into the belly of your boat, towards the kitchen.

"Want dinner?" he inquired.

You smirked at him. "You cookin'?"

"I've been told I make a mean PB and J," he replied and you burst out laughing.

"Okay, you've sold me. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches it is."

x

After dinner you stretched out on the deck of your boat and you did your best to live in the moment, closing your eyes to listen to the gentle waves of the ocean, the calls of distant seabirds, and Frankie's steady breathing as he also lazed around on the deck, shoulder to shoulder with you.

It was nice, and it was exactly why you needed to push aside your concerns for Serenity and her pod. This was supposed to be a peaceful weekend getaway for you both; a couple of days out at sea to get your mind off of the pressures that came with both your jobs and the expectations everyone had of you both.

Out on the ocean together you could just be yourselves. Just relax and enjoy each other's company.

You sucked in a deep, relaxed breath of salty ocean water smelling air, trying to lock it into your memory for keepsakes.

You didn't want to ruin this for Frankie, especially after all the shit he'd been through in the past. The military, the PTSD, the drugs, the loss of one of his closest friends. This was the first real vacation he'd gotten in a while.

You didn't know you'd dozed off until you felt someone shaking you awake, their strong hands gripping your shoulders tightly but not too tightly, their soothing voice drawing you back to the world around you, calling out your name quietly but urgently.

"Frankie?" you questioned, worried.

"You need to see this," he told you, helping you to your feet and ambling over to the front of the boat. "Look!"

You starred out at the ocean ahead, at the sun that had begun to lower in the sky and at the water below.

You lit up immediately when you saw them. Several grey dorsal fins that definitely weren't shark ones - they were way too curved.

The bottlenosed dolphins they belonged to breached their heads briefly from the water before arching back down underneath the surface completely.

At first you couldn't confirm if the three were from Serenity's pod or not. They were too far off and most didn't have major distinguishing features except mild scars, but they soon resurfaced again, with four others in tow before dipping back down again.

They slowly got closer and closer with every resurfacing, more and more of their pod members joining them as they did so, until their numbers reached into the twenties.

You beamed and pointed out one very recognizable cow to Frankie. "See that one with the thick white scar on her dorsal fin? That's Honor, Serenity's last calf. She's eight years old. Looks like she had her first calf this year."

You could see the much smaller dorsal fin beside her before they got lost in the crowd.

A lot of the cows in the pod had calves glued to their side and you wrapped your arms around Frankie's waist as you peered down to see some of the mother and calf pairs swimming around the bow of your boat, a mere few feet out of reach.

They were as beautiful as ever. Their sleek grey bodies gracefully moving through the ocean tides, making it look as easy as breathing. You never got tired of watching them.

"So this is Serenity's pod," Frankie surmised.

You nodded. "At least I know they're okay now."

You couldn't see Serenity anywhere. Maybe she'd gotten hurt or simply died of an old age disease. There was a lot that could have happened to her and you'd never know. That was the way of nature. As beautiful as it was, it was harsh.

But so was life in general. Most people had traded nature for modern living, but that came with its own trials and tribulations. You and Frankie knew this all too well.

"No Serenity?" he asked, voice gentle.

You were in the middle of shaking your head when you heard a sharp whistle from the far right side of the boat. Your heart banged against your chest as a rush of relief flooded you.

You knew that whistle.

You pulled Frankie in the direction of the sound and sure enough, just below the rails Serenity was rolling around in the water, clearly as overjoyed to see you as you were to see her.

Frankie glanced between you and the lively creature. "Serenity?"

You nodded, grinning ear to ear. "Even if she'd acted like she didn't know me, I could tell by the random scarring on her."

"She got those from a fight with another dolphin at some point," Frankie recalled.

"Yeah, before she got beached. Years before, likely." You'd have smiled harder if it was possible. Frankie really had been listening.

You whistled back to Serenity, a unique sound you considered to be a secret handshake of sorts between you two, her way of identifying you when you were out of sight, and she bobbed her head up and down making an eeee noise that her species tended to make when happy.

You chuckled. "I missed you too, girl."

"Nice to meet you," Frankie said casually, waving at her and you spontaneously turned to him and pressed your lips against his, knocking the heating oil cap he almost always wore off his head by accident, revealing the thick curly hair underneath that you gladly sunk your fingers into.

He was caught off guard but soon was deepening the kiss, passionately melding his mouth to yours over and over.

When you pulled away panting, he grinned at you. "What was that for?"

You embraced him, throwing your arms around his neck. "For always listening. For always caring about what I care about. For caring about me."

He nuzzled his nose against your cheek, his mustache grazing your delicate skin. "You make it easy, hermosa."

xxx

Tagged: @harriedandharassed

xxx

Main Masterlist

xxx

[choicesseptemberchallenge2023]

[Masterlist]

Welcome to Choices September Challenge!

Hello everyone! I'm Aura (@midnightmelodiz ). This is my first time hosting this monthly challenge, so I'm really excited about it. I really hope you all will like the prompts chosen for this month.

🍁GUIDELINES🍁

This is a prompt based contest. There's a prompt given for everyday, using which you'll have to create a content. Some days have multiple prompts, and different types of prompts. Feel free to use them all in the same work if you want.

You can use multiple prompt for the same work if the prompts are for same day. Don't mix and match prompts from different days.

Almost all kind of contents are acceptable. List of acceptable contents : fanfictions, drabbles, short-story/one-shot , poetry, microtale, art, mood board, theme, banner or other graphics etc.

Work based on any book from the Choices universe are welcome.

Submitted works will be featured on a weekly masterlist.

You can participate as many times as you want throughout the month.

Multiple entries for the same prompt, or same day prompts are allowed.

If your work contains NSFW/mature or triggering content, please use appropriate warning.

Mention/list the prompt(s) you are using in your content.

If possible, in stories, drabbles etc., write the prompt(s) in bold.

You can use the tag #choicesseptemberchallenge2023 & #choicesmonthlychallenge .

Please tag @choicesseptemberchallenge2023, feel free to tag me too : @midnightmelodiz . You can dm me your entries as well since Tumblr glitches a lot. Honestly I'd prefer if you dm your works, as Tumblr tags don't always work.

If I don't mention your work in the weekly masterlist, please send me a dm with the link.

🍂PROMPTS🍂

🍁 DAY 1 : Memories •||• "I can't be who you want me to be"

🍁 DAY 2 : Stars •||• Two people who keep crossing paths but miss actually meeting.

🍁 DAY 3 : Sea, Ocean •||• "You really like it?" "No, I was kidding."

🍁 DAY 4 : Moonlight, Moon •||• They have been secretly in love with each other for a long time.

🍁 DAY 5 : Diary, Journal, Notebook •||• "We're here now. Everything's alright."

🍁 DAY 6 : Dreams, Day Dream •||• "I'm in love with you!"

🍁 DAY 7 : Hope •||• Sharing something personal about them that they've never shared with anyone before.

🍁 DAY 8 : Coffee, Hot Beverage •||• "Come back! I'm not ready to get up yet. So you aren't either."

🍁 DAY 9 : Date Night •||• "I'm home, sweetheart!"

🍁 DAY 10 : Gift •||• "I care about you. I always will."

🍁 DAY 11 : Travel, Holiday , Vacation •||• Sharing an ice-cream together.

🍁 DAY 12 : Books, Reading, Writing •||• "You and me, it's never going to happen."

🍁 DAY 13 : Flowers •||• "I want to be with you." "I don't."

🍁 DAY 14 : Polaroid, Picture •||• Clicking candid pictures of their S/O to capture the special moments.

🍁 DAY 15 : Childhood, Nostalgia •||• "I love you. It's always going to be you."

🍁 DAY 16 : Cooking, Baking •||• Pretending to date each other to get out of a situation.

🍁 DAY 17 : Picnic •||• "That's all I really need. Some time with just you."

🍁 DAY 18 : Cuddle, Snuggle •||• Taking care of the other when they're sick or feeling low.

🍁 DAY 19 : Museum, Library •||• Picturing a future together even though they know it might never be true.

🍁 DAY 20 : Blue •||• " Are you saying that there's hope? Maybe in the future-" "No."

🍁 DAY 21 : Love, Kiss •||• Sending love letters to the other.

🍁 DAY 22 : Friends, Friendship •||• "It feels like I've known you forever."

🍁 DAY 23 : Fall •||• "I'm seeing someone."

🍁 DAY 24 : Serene •||• "Guess all those romance novel paid off after all, huh?"

🍁 DAY 25 : Secret, Surprise •||• "Is that my shirt?"

🍁 DAY 26 : Chocolate •||• Predicting the other's words or moves.

🍁 DAY 27 : Sunset •||• "Why did I know you would say that?"

🍁 DAY 28 : Wedding •||• "I always knew you would get together someday. What took you two so long?"

🍁 DAY 29 : rêveur, rêveuse •||• " You are all I could ever ask for."

🍁 DAY 30 : Home, Heart •||• "I'm here for you. Always."

**{Credit for most of the dialogue prompts goes to this blog~ @youneedsomeprompts}**

Have fun creating!

[just-absolutely-super]

Mini crack

They're adults here

Lan and Roll is at s conference over seas

Mega: wonder how Lan and Roll are doing? I think it's morning over there right now

Mayl: let's see, oh! They sent a picture

Mega: is it the picture of the Airbnb scilabs put them into? Seen it. I can't believe they had to go to a conference in prime vacation time

Mayl: kinda. It's not picture if just the airbnb

Mega: ???

Mayl: look!

Mega sees a picture of Lan sleeping at the Airbnb, with a cat on top of him

Mega: I am not jealous

(he's totally jealous)

Wanted Lan to stay in an Airbnb so he could have a random cat encounter.

The cat belongs to the Airbnb owner

*Mega stares at the picture*

Mayl: You wish you were there don't you?

Mega: It's not fair! Why don't we have a cat?!

Mayl: Well, there's never been a big demand for one...

Mega: Lies! I always demand a cat!

Mayl: Not as vocally as you think...

Mega: Fine, let's buy a cat!

Mayl: Hang on! I don't want you to make that decision just spur of the moment! Lan and Roll need to put in input too, and what about Patch? What if he doesn't like cats?

Mega: Patch!

Patch, looking up from the tv: Yes Uncle Hub?

Mega: Do you like cats?

Patch: Yeah, they're cool I guess

Mega: See?

Mayl: I still don't agree with this...

[bmtpromotions]

Custom Bags, Infinite Possibilities: Showcasing Your Own Unique Style

In a world where individuality is celebrated, custom bags have emerged as the perfect canvas for expressing your unique style. Whether for personal use, promoting your brand, or gifting someone special, custom bags with logo have become popular. They serve a practical purpose and make a bold fashion statement.

In this post, we'll explore the wonderful world of custom bags and how they can elevate your style game.

Custom Bags with Logo: Your Brand, Your Way

If you're a business owner, you understand the importance of branding. It's not just about having a great product or service; it's also about creating a memorable and recognisable identity. Custom bags with logos are a fantastic way to achieve this. Here's why:

1. Brand Visibility: Custom bags with your logo are like walking billboards for your business. When customers carry them around, they're not just toting their belongings but also spreading the word about your brand.

2. Professionalism: Custom bags add a touch of professionalism to your business. They show that you pay attention to detail and care about the little things, which can go a long way in building customer trust.

3. Wide Range of Options: There's a custom bag for every need. You can find the perfect style to represent your brand, from tote bags and backpacks to duffels and messenger bags.

4. Eco-Friendly Options: In an era where sustainability matters, consider offering custom foldable shopping bags. These eco-friendly options promote your brand and showcase your commitment to the environment.

Fashion Meets Functionality: Personalised Style Custom bags aren't just for businesses but also for individuals looking to express their unique style. Here's how:

Uniqueness: You create something unique when you design your custom bag. Whether it's a bold pattern, a favourite quote, or a personal photo, your custom bag will stand out in a sea of generic options.

Sentimental Value: Custom bags can carry sentimental value. Imagine carrying a bag with a picture from your last vacation or a meaningful quote that inspires you daily. It's like carrying a piece of your story wherever you go. Versatility: Personalised bags can suit any occasion. Whether you're going to the gym, heading to work, or embarking on a weekend getaway, you can design a bag that fits your needs and style perfectly. Great Gift Idea: Custom bags also make fantastic gifts. Giving someone a bag that's been tailored to their tastes and interests shows that you've put thought and effort into the present.

Foldable Shopping Bags: Stylish and Sustainable

Custom foldable shopping bags uk is an excellent choice for those looking to make an eco-conscious fashion statement. Here's why they're gaining popularity:

1. Convenience: These bags are incredibly convenient. They fold down into a compact size, making them easy to carry in your purse or pocket. Say goodbye to plastic bags cluttering up your kitchen.

2. Style and Customisation: Just because they're eco-friendly doesn't mean they can't be stylish. You can personalise foldable shopping bags with your favourite colours, patterns, or motivational messages.

3. Promoting Sustainability: When you carry a foldable shopping bag, you're not just making a fashion statement but promoting sustainability and encouraging others to do the same.

The Bottom Line

Custom bags with logos are more than just accessories; they are statements of individuality and sustainability. Whether you're flaunting your style or promoting your brand, these bags offer endless possibilities. So, why settle for ordinary when you can carry your uniqueness wherever you go? Make a statement, choose custom bags, and let your style shine!

[garfinkelstingle]

heyy, can you do a fake insta for timothée? pronouns: she/her and face claim: blanca soler (or grace abrams). thanks <33

social media au | timothee chalamet

click here for part two

click here for part three

pairing: timothee chalamet x celebrity!reader

warnings: swearing! apart from that absolutely none lol

a/n: hi there!! thank you so much for sending this request in, and sorry for having taken so long! i was writing my finals this week so i was studying 24/7 but literally got to it the second i was free to! hope you like how it turned out :) (btw how freaking gorgeous is blanca soler actually??? i'm literally crying because hOw) ALSO part 2 of this is already in the works and most likely coming out sometime within the next week!!!

masterlist

tchalametdaily

liked by timmyfan13 and 43,599 others

tchalametdaily timothee was spotted yesterday embracing a mystery girl and handing her flowers. does anyone know who she is?

view all 12,492 comments

timmyfan49 i didn't know timothee was seeing anyone??? my heart is in literal shambles rn wtf

timmyfan05 everyone's trying to figure out who mystery girl is, meanwhile i'm over here bawling my eyes out because of course timothee is the type of guy to get you flowers

yourfan62 this looks an awful lot like y/n... i knew they were friends but maybe they're more? 🤭

timmyfan84 dude omg imagine if it really is,,, hollywood's two hottest people in a relationship? i don't think any of us would be able to handle that

yourinstagram

liked by tchalamet, addisonrae and 2,193,284 others

yourinstagram back in ny for a bit ♥️

view all 123,382 comments

yourfan94 nobody touch me i'm still trying to recover from the sheer gorgeousness of this picture (and desperately failing lmao)

yourfan62 am i the only one who noticed that timothee liked this picture suspiciously fast?

timmyfan81 no lol it's so obvious that they're dating it's like they're not even trying to hide it hahaha

realbarbarapalvin hot stuff <3

*liked by yourinstagram

timmyfan63 timmy's in ny rn as well... coincidence? i think not

tchalamet

liked by yourinstagram, zendaya and 1,349,294 others

tchalamet 🐠

view all 83,294 comments

timmyfan71 he doesn't even have to try and he still manages to look beyond adorable like???

timmyfan45 am i the only one who reallyreally wants to know who took this picture??????

yourfan75 i swear on everything that i hold dear that it was y/n, someone said they spotted them at the airport together

timmyfan36 is there proof? did they take a picture?

yourfan75 no but it checks out ig, she told someone on twitter some time ago that she was planning on going on vacay and she probably only went to ny for a couple days and then they flew out

tomholland2013 the weather looks lovely mate!

*liked by tchalamet

yourfan62 me, patiently waiting for y/n to post a vacation pic as well to confirm what i already know 🙂

yourinstagram

liked by tchalamet, winnieharlow and 3,192,348 others

yourinstagram this picture was taken on literally the only day when it wasn't too cold to wear a bikini :))) still had a blast though!

view all 98,284 comments

yourfan62 I TOLD YOU GUYS!!!!!!

timmyfan73 this is as much confirmation as we could wish to get lol

yourfan81 what did this picture confirm???? i'm literally so lost, i took a break from instagram for a month and suddenly i don't understand anything???

yourfan94 people are speculating that y/n is dating timothee chalamet now, and since he posted a picture of him from vacation at the sea two days ago, everyone is taking this picture as confirmation that they were there together and thus are dating

yourfan81 omg thanks i had absolutely no clue!!!!

taylor_hill literally wow

yourinstagram love you t!!!!!

maudeapatow ♥️

*liked by yourinstagram

timmyfan72 timothee chalamet or the world's greatest photographer??

yournameupdates

liked by yourfan72 and 8,328 others

yournameupdates honestly i don't know if the y/n x timothee dating rumors are true or not but they definitely would make a fitting couple haha!

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yourfan27 am i the only one who thinks it's a little bit weird how obsessed everyone is with these rumors? i think unless either one of them confirm them we should just let them be... but maybe that's just me lol

yourfan19 literal soulmates aaaahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

timmyfan83 honestly as long as they're both happy i don't care wether they're really good friends or dating... they would make one of the most amazing couples ever though!!!!

yourfan62 it's not even a rumor at this point lol everyone knows they're a thing

tchalamet

liked by yourinstagram, florencepugh and 2,429,942 others

tchalamet sleepy

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timmyfan67 i bet y/n took this picture

billieeilish why is there a pillow on the floor though?

tchalamet in case i fall off the chair from being so s l e e p y

*liked by billieeilish

timmyfan29 those jeans would not look this good on anyone else feel free to fight me on this

timmyfan18 you look sososo amazing in those jeans i'm literally screaming!!!!!!!

tchalamet thanks, my girlfriend thinks so too

timmyfan91 DID TIMOTHEE JUST?????

yourfan26 I THINK HE FREAKING DID OMG

yourfan62 I TOLD YOU GUYS THEY WERE A THING!!!!!!

yourinstagram

liked by tchalamet, realbarbarapalvin and 4,281,849 others

yourinstagram amore

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yourfan79 LITERALLY SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP

timmyfan12 we are all agreeing on the fact that this is 113% timothee right?? RIGHT?????

yourfan62 WHAT HAVE I BEEN TELLING YOU GUYS SINCE DAY FUCKING ONE????????

yourfan14 girl aren't you the one who has been commenting on literally every picture of those two since that very first one of them embracing got posted?? 😭

yourfan62 YES!!!!!!!!!!

timmyfan38 she better treat him right otherwise i WILL throw hands

[stitchthesewords]

Okay this is not a fully formed idea but I'm gonna put it here anyway -

So you know how empires s2 canonically is like, 1000 after s1. And you know how the hermits are currently on empires because of the rift. And you know how the rift is shown to move through space and time and not really have any rhyme or reason. And you know how all the hermits ARENT currently on empires [mostly because the ones who arent currently there also have other projects their doing {Vault Hunters, Ablockalypse, Create, Etho's singleplayer/inability to upload more than once a month, mumbo's vacation}]. AND you know how i just said I want to write polyhermits.

So what if, right. I'm imagining that the story starts out more minecrafty than fantasy, when it starts on the hermitcraft server [I don't think if I were to seriously write this, I would start it anywhere but when they all go back through the rift, but hear me out]. Think of like, those stories where its like uh, them on the server, and they're still clearly characters who live in this world, but also their lives are clearly playing the game minecraft. THEN when they go to empires, its becomes a little less minecrafty and a little more fantasy. There are villages with villagers in empires, whereas back home on hermitcraft they all just keep villagers in trading halls. There's some politics, a different economy, they're doing more fantasy stuff. And then they go to leave.

Remember how i pointed out empires season 2 is 1000 years after s1

So when the hermits on empires go back through the portal, they come out and its even more fantasy. Grian's basement is overgrown, overtaken. Grumbot isn't working anymore. He's rusted through, his screen is cracked. The content generator vats seemingly broke a long time ago. The whole thing looks like it's been worn down for centuries, cobwebs everywhere, moss everywhere, completely overtaken by the ground. And grian's base is fair no better. Bits of the buildings have collapsed, the one rock is completely overtaken by sculk, everything else is overgrown and the biggest rock is crumbling. Mumbo's vault looks like he built a little bit more onto it but it, too is overgrown.

Everyone's base is either like that or gone completely. Atlantis collapsed back into the sea. The waves have had time to smooth it over. Pearl's alien landscape has spread and it's competing with the natural order of things to grow over Gem and Impulse's bases. Everything is weathered and overgrown and looks like centuries have passed.

The villagers, at some point, escaped. The shopping district is no more, the Crastle is gone - and in their place is a city. It's no one's build style, it looks too...it's both simple but complicated. It's not a hermit's hand, that's for sure. And the place is packed full of citizens, of villagers.

The other thing is that the other hermits, the ones who didn't go through the rift - they're missing. No one can find them and they search everywhere. The Entity is missing too - or, well, not missing. It's planted itself right in the center of the new city, which is certainly not where Grian left it, and its changed. It has new bits hanging off it. It seems like the villagers are worshipping it.

The rift shut behind them again when they came through. It sealed them in this new world of hermitcraft, full of cities and town built in the ruins of their server and it plays by completely new rules - it's more fantasy, even moreso than Empires was, and the idea is that ther Hermits have to A. Get control of their server back if this even is a server anymore, B. Find the rest of their polycule, and C. adjust to life.

I'm picturing a like fantasy/post apocalypse style world and the hermits come back through and they are like. FAR more fantastical than they were when they left - Cleo's whole gorgon thing seems to be working concerningly well; she turned two people into statues on accident and they have to get her sunglasses. Scar's elf ears are back but this time they aren't like a party city costume. Ren and Doc are definitely even more hybrided than they were when they left, Cub has uh. Whatever cub has going on. Pearl and Gem and Impulse are are definitely leaning WAY MORE into their stories than they were [An miss LARPer finds she isn't quite LARPing anymore, these antlers don't come off]. And where did the other hermits go? Are they dead? Can the hermits even find them? Who knows.

[ichinisankaku]

Event Translation - Special Edition: How to Enjoy Midsummer (Chapter 3)

Kazunari: Ah, Frooch-san and Director-chan!

Hisoka: Lots of people coming today.

Azuma: My my, finished helping with work already?

Sakyo: Obviously.

Kazunari: Eh? When you say she helped with Frooch-san's work, you don't mean...

Sakyo: Oi, it's the opposite.

Kazunari: Opposite?

Izumi: Sakyo-san was the one helping me with my work.

We received a request from "VELUDO" to appear in their next magazine article.

Azuma: Ah, I see.

Hisoka: Did you go meet them together?

Sakyo: We already met with them, today we went to visit the site in advance.

Kazunari: Isn't that way too elaborate? Is the theme this time pretty heavy?

Izumi: Fufufu. That's because the theme this time is... vacation!

Kazunari: Vacation!?

Hisoka: Kazunari got excited quickly.

Azuma: Seems he likes this theme.

Kazunari: Stuff like Summer vacation is super hype!

Hey hey, what kind of feature are you planning on!?

Izumi: This time they're planning to feature a travel agency in town. That's why we've had a meeting to discuss a few tour plans in advance.

Hisoka: Tour plans...?

Izumi: The schedule is a bit tight, so I need to find members who can match their own schedules to it, but...

Kazunari: The way you're saying it kinda makes it sound like it's not being shot in Veludo~?

Izumi: Right. I talked with Sakyo-san, and turns out we'll be introducing tour plans with a sea theme.

Sakyo: In other words, we'll actually be going to the sea.

Izumi: Since we'll be introducing both the travel agency and the tours, we'll be giving everyone the chance to experience various things-

So I thought it'd be a good idea to gather lots of different recommendations.

Sakyo: They said they want to shoot some pictures at the tour location as well as the studio.

Kazunari: Uwaaaah! I'm pumped! It sounds soooo fun!

We'll get lots of recommendations, take lots of pics, show them to lots of people, all while enjoying the sea!

Azuma: If the readers see us having fun on the tour, it certainly seems they'd become more interested, doesn't it.

Kazunari: So true! Aaaalright, I'm gonna go see who else from Summer Troupe can come right away☆

Sakyo: ...He flew out of here quickly.

Hisoka: Just assuming he'll be taking part...

Izumi: Ahaha, I figured he'd be up for it.

Azuma: Fufu, I suppose this is going to be another fun shoot.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Epilogue

[seenery]

My astro chart notes (The 3rd house)

°°°°°°°°°°

3H in Pisces ♓

I have no planets in this house but with Pisces in here, it says a lot (the influence of Neptune). I've noticed that I can confuse people just by talking. I like abstract ideas. I could vividly picture them in my head. It's consistent with what the Internet says about being imaginative and all to the point of being too daydreamy. The thrill lies in open-endedness.

The cost would be not being particular to details. This is to my detriment especially in university where there is need to have a clear cut understanding of a material for a certain amount of time (e.g., homework deadlines). In my case, I need to take some time before I grasp the material. Don't get me wrong, I can deal with details. I just want to do things in my pace. Just like how you look at paintings in the museum. I want to be able to think deeply about its many facets and/or how it resonates with me.

But in my situation, I am forced to fasten up the process which ultimately burns me out. Imagine reading up a lot of materials from the get go and then instructors would expect you to have a deep understanding of a topic. It's probably one of the reasons why some get discouraged to attend school. They have assumptions which aren't pro-student (which they thought they are). Anyway, that's beside the point.

In the communication aspect, my emotions could get the best of me. Remember when I said I have a Mercury in Gemini (which is in the 6th house) and I tend to overthink and be a nervous wreck? Yep, I sometimes fail to articulate. I would rather write my thoughts down (as I have a lot going on). Unfortunately, not all circumstances would allow it, so I have to really work on being able to express myself clearly. I want people to understand where I'm coming from. Though, it's hard living in a world with a tendency of singling out people just because they're cut from a different cloth. This is why I'm wary about the type of people I'm surrounding myself with. How else could I speak my truth?

And I don't know about liking water travel stuff. I remember being on a boat with my family during this vacation at the beach, and I swear I can feel myself sweating just seeing the water lapping and smelling the sea breeze. Thoughts of drowning would take over too, so no. I like the swimming pool though, if that counts lol. Nonetheless, anything related to travelling excites me, just ask my mom.

To sum up this placement, I guess in order to achieve success (in its many forms) in my chosen field, I have to stay curious and use whatever given talent I have to put the effort in really going down the rabbit hole to be presented with a world of countless opportunities. Only I have the power to manifest what I want. Nobody could take that away from me.

••••••••••

:D

[tiikerikani]

The Best Medicine

14.08.2022 CoolHead Brew, Helsinki

Sick leave is no ordinary vacation do-over, when it's a vacation do-over WITH MORE SENPAIIIIIIII than the original. (Coincidence. I bought these tickets ages ago.)

There was some uncertainty over today's schedule; the ticket said that the gate opens at 5 but according to the venue it was actually at 6, so since I got there just before 3, I was definitely there a whole hour too early. I got a drink from the bar and spent my time reading a book and looking around a bit (it's a brewery inside a greenhouse so there are windows to peep inside from).

A little after 4, a couple of groupies showed up and invited me to their table (the same people who waved me over in Tampere). Next, band members started appearing. This meant I hadn't somehow missed the sound check (and I danced to it but it's not like anybody cares) :DD

When they let us in I ran so hard to get to the centre front I almost knocked the railing over lol

The place was kind of interesting, they had set up like a full size stage in the yard but the yard itself was pretty small. Much smaller than at Allas. It's nice for the performers so they're not just watching a massive sea of heads, I suppose. It was a hot day but the sun set behind the stage so we were in the shade and caught some breeze too. Being right in front of the subwoofers made this a bit more... intense an experience than I'm used to ;)

I got hit by the line again. Finger guns were exchanged (again).

Somebody ACTUALLY bought one of the noisemaker horns. (It was the other weird merch besides the 🔍)

(pictures can only capture a fraction of their energy, ok)

-----

I think I found (a) Number 1 Finnish fan (I'm sure there's more than 1). Before the show she talked her way into the back room to get everyone in the band to draw a flower and sign their name on a piece of paper.[1] If I understood correctly, she's getting them tattooed. She also carried a journal/scrapbook with pictures and ticket stubs and so forth. I mean that isn't so different from what I'm writing digitally here. Heini received a portrait from her, so I'm also not the only one giving them fan art, although hers was more lighthearted than my sort of thing.

Number 1 Finnish fan also drew a tattoo design for one of the aforementioned groupies (yeah groupies are a tight-knit, well, group); it's got the notation for the rhythm of a specific song. Now THAT is subtle.

If I were to get a fan tattoo it would probably be of some lyric, because words are my specialty and (if chosen wisely,) the text can still be meaningful even if you later move on from the fandom.[2][3]

-----

I've been eyeing the silver cape ever since I first saw it, and keep talking myself out of buying it but it doesn't make me stop wanting it. I decided that I'll buy it if I got to chat with Senpai. I don't think it really counted last time but today fulfilled that criteria. (It's actually a slightly-yellowish silver. Pearl, I guess?)

"I have nothing for you today." (I gave merch guy Pate a note with some niceties and a couple of merch ideas, though. Nothing sentimental. I didn't want him to feel like just being a messenger all the time.)

"Well, I haven't replied to [the other] yet." (Next Christmas?)

I also told Jepa that I would really like the remainder of the band to sign my banner but I wasn't sure how I could go about that because it's taped to my wall and I can't just bring it everywhere and hope I have the opportunity to get a hold of them. She suggested I could get in touch with them on Instagram and make arrangements.[1] Earlier she (I think it was her) came out from the back room with a sheet of normal people paper with everybody's autographs on it, dated and all, so I guess that's a thing. (I've had ticket stubs signed but most tickets are digital these days.)

-----

Oh, before I forget: same songs as the last.

And superfan couple wasn't there?? Surely they would have hung back as I did if they were there.

__________

[1] But I mean, the band is very approachable. It's just the potentially Very Serious security staff you gotta get past.

[2] I drew an (abstract) tattoo design for myself some 16 years ago and I'm committed to it—it's on a few other personal items—but I don't think I'll ever afford the luxury of getting it done. I wish henna paste was easier to find here, as I drew it on with henna for some special occasions back in the day (it's the correct color too).

[3] It seems like bangles with mottos/affirmations engraved on them are kind of A Thing with the middle-aged crowd? I'm not old enough to be in that demographic yet but it's an alternative to getting inked.

[thewidowsghost]

The Daughter of the Sea - Chapter 8

(Y/n)'s POV

I know someone at camp resents Percy and me because one night, I come into the cabin alone and find a mortal newspaper dropped inside the doorway, a copy of the New York Daily News, opened to the Metro page. The article takes me almost an hour to read, because the angrier I get, the more the words float around on the page.

GIRL, BOY, AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER FREAK CAR ACCIDENT

By Eileen Smythe

Sally Jackson, son Percy, and daughter (Y/n) are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. The family's badly burned '78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred feet before exploding.

Mother, daughter, and son had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident.

Ms. Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepson, Percy Jackson, is a troubled child who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past.

Police would not say whether son Percy is a suspect in his sister's and his mother's disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson, (Y/n), Percy. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free Crimestoppers hotline.

The phone number is circled in black marker.

I wad up the paper and throw it away, flopping down on my bunk on the far edge of the cabin under the window facing the sea.

I remain silent as Percy walks into the cabin, flopping down onto his bunk as well.

That night, I have the worst dream yet.

I was running along the beach in a storm. This time, there was a city behind me. Not New York. The sprawl was different: buildings spread farther apart, palm trees and low hills in the distance.

About a hundred yards down the surf, two men were fighting. They looked like TV wrestlers, muscular, with beards and long hair. Both wore flowing Greek tunics, one trimmed in blue, the other in green. They grappled with each other, wrestled, kicked, and head-butted, and every time they connected, lightning flashed, the sky grew darker, and the wind rose.

I had to stop them. I didn't know why. But the harder I ran, the more the wind blew me back until I was running in place, my heels digging uselessly in the sand.

Over the roar of the storm, I could hear the blue-robed one yelling at the green-robed one, Give it back! Give it back! Like a kindergartner fighting over a toy.

The waves got bigger, crashing into the beach, spraying me with salt.

I yelled, Stop it! Stop fighting!

The ground shook. Laughter came from somewhere under the earth, and a voice so deep and evil it turned my blood to ice.

Come down, little hero, the voice crooned. Come down!

The sand split beneath me, opening up a crevice straight down to the center of the earth. My feet slipped, and darkness swallowed me.

I wake up, sure I'm falling.

I am still in bed in Cabin Three. My body tells me it's morning, but it's dark outside, and thunder rolls over the hills.

A storm is brewing.

I hadn't dreamed that . . .

I hear a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking on the threshold.

"Come in?" Percy asks, sounding uncertain.

Grover trots inside, looking worried. "Mr. D wants to see the two of you."

"Why?" I ask, peeking through the curtain separating mine and Percy's side of the cabin.

'He wants to kill . . . I mean, I'd better let him tell you."

Nervously, Percy and I get dressed and follow, sure we were in huge trouble.

For days, Percy and I'd been half expecting a summons to the Big House. Now that we were declared children of Poseidon, one of the Big Three gods who weren't supposed to have kids, I figure it's just a crime for us to be alive. The other gods had probably been debating on the best way to punish us for existing, and now Mr. D is ready to deliver their verdict.

Over Long Island Sound, the sky looks like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain is coming in our direction. I ask Grover if we'd need an umbrella.

"No," Grover says. "It never rains here unless we want it to."

Percy points at the storm, 'What the heck is that, then?"

Grover glances uneasily at the sky. "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does."

I realize that he's right. In the week I'd been here, it had never even been overcast. The few rain clouds I'd seen had skirted right around the edges of the valley.

But this storm . . .

This one's huge.

At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin are playing a morning game against the satyrs. Dionysius's twins - Castor and Pollux - are walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. Everyone is going about their normal business, but they look tense; they keep their eyes on the storm.

Grover, Percy, and I walk up the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sits at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. Chiron sits across the table in his fake wheelchair. They are playing against invisible opponents - two sets of cards hovering in the air.

"Well, well," Mr. D says without looking up. "Our little celebrities."

I wait.

"Come closer," Mr. D says. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortals, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father."

A net of lightning flashes across the clouds; thunder shakes the windows of the house.

"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus grumbles.

Chiron faints interest in his pinochle cards and Grover cowers by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.

"If I had my way," Dionysus says, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron puts in.

"Nonsense," Dionysus says. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

"Mr. D - " Chiron warns.

"Oh, all right," Dionysus relents. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rises, and the invisible players' cards drop onto the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you two must do."

Dionysus picks up a playing card, twists it, and it becomes a plastic rectangle. A security pass. He snaps his fingers. The air seems to fold and bend around him. He becomes a hologram, a wind, then he is gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.

Chiron smiles at me and Percy, but he looks tired and strained. "Sit, Percy,(Y/n), please. And Grover."

We do.

Chiron lays his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.

"Tell me, (Y/n)," he says. "What did you make of the hellhound?"

Just hearing the name makes me shudder.

Chiron probably wants me to say, Heck, it was nothing. I eat hellhounds for breakfast. But I don't feel like lying.

"It scared me," I admit. "If you hadn't shot it, I'd be dead."

"You two will meet worse. Far worse, before you're done."

"Done?" Percy asks. "With what?"

"You're quest, of course," Chiron says. "Will you accept it?"

I glance at Grover, who is crossing his fingers.

"Sir," I say, "you haven't told us what it is yet."

Chiron grimaces. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."

Thunder rumbles across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as I can see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.

"Poseidon and Zeus," I guess. "They're fighting over something valuable . . . something that was stolen, aren't they?"

Chiron and Grover exchange looks.

Chiron shoots forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"

"The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And...I've also been having these dreams."

"I knew it," Grover says, his eyes bright.

"Hush, satyr," Chiron orders.

"But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes sparkle with excitement. "It must be!"

"Only the Oracle can determine," Chiron strokes his bristly beard. "Nevertheless, (Y/n), you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

Percy laughs, looking nervous, "A what?"

"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warns. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

"Oh."

"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron says, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

"And it's missing?" I guess.

"Stolen," Chiron corrects.

"By whom?" I ask though I guessed what he was going to say.

"By you two," Chiron says and Percy's jaw drops.

"At least"—Chiron holds up a hand—"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon argued. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly—that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

"But I didn't - We didn't -" Percy goes to say.

"Patience and listen, child," Chiron says. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you two as his children. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief.

"But we've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"

Chiron and Grover glance nervously at the sky. The clouds don't seem to be parting around us, as Grover had promised. They are rolling straight over the valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid.

"Er, Percy . . . ?" Grover says. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."

"Perhaps paranoid," Chiron suggests. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam...." He looked at Percy.

"The Golden Net?" I guess again. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods trapped Zeus in it and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler?"

"Correct," Chiron says. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you two have come along—the proverbial last straw."

"But we're just kids!" Percy protests.

"Percy," Grover cuts in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, and that he's father, not one, but two mortal heroes who might be used as a weapon against you . . . Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"

"But I - we didn't do anything, Poseidon - our dad - he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?" Percy asks, and I remain silent in thought.

Chiron sighs. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a fullfledged war would look like, Percy? (Y/n)?"

"Bad?" Percy guesses.

"I'd guess that it would be like nature at war with itself," I say and Chiron nods.

"Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight," Chiron adds to (Y/n)'s statement.

"Bad," Percy repeats.

"And you, Percy and (Y/n) Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."

And then, it starts to rain. Volleyball players stop their game and start in stunned silence at the sky.

We had brought this storm to Half-Blood Hill. Zeus was punishing the whole camp because of us.

"So we have to find that bolt," I say. "And return it to Zeus."

"What better peace offering," Chiron says, "than to have the son and daughter of Poseidon return Zeus's property.

"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?" Percy asks.

"I believe I know." Chiron's expression is grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago...well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

"Why can't you tell us where the bolt is beforehand?" Percy asks.

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."

I swallow thickly. "Good reason."

"You agree then?" Chiron asks.

I exchange a glance with Percy, then Grover, who nods encouragingly.

Easy for him, I think. We're the ones Zeus wants to kill.

"All right," Percy says. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."

"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron says. "Go upstairs, Percy and (Y/n) Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

. . .

"Well?" Chiron asks us.

We slump into our chairs at the pinochle table. "She said we would retrieve what was stolen.

Grover sits forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!

"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron presses. "This is important."

My ears are still tingling from the reptilian voice. "She said we would go west and face a god who had turned. We would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."

"I knew it," Grover says.

Chiron doesn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"

"No," Percy says. "That's about it."

He studies Percy's face, then meets my green gaze. "Very well. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

I get the feeling he knows we're holding something back, and he's trying to make us feel better.

"Okay," Percy says, looking anxious to change topics. "So where do we go? Who's this god in the west?"

"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron says."if Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain."

"Someone else who wants to take over?" I guess.

"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."

"Hades," I say, raising an eyebrow.

Chiron nods. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."

A scrap of aluminum dribbles out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh - what?"

"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminds him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."

"Yes, but - but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protests. "Especially if he has found out Percy and (Y/n) are children of Poseidon . . ."

"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continues. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy and (Y/n) to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill these young half-bloods before he can take on the quest."

"Great," I mutter. "That's two major gods who want to kill us."

"But a quest to . . ." Grover swallows. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in someplace like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."

"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy and (Y/n) must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."

A strange fire burns in my stomach. The weirdest thing is, it isn't fear. It's anticipation. The desire for revenger. Hades had tried to kill me two times so far with the Minotaur, and the hellhound. It is his fault my mother had disappeared in a flash of light. Now he is trying to frame me, my dad, and my brother for a theft we hadn't committed.

Grover is trembling now; he'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips.

The poor guy had to complete a quest with me and Percy so he could get his searcher's license, whatever that is, but how can I ask him to do this quest, especially when the Oracle said we were destined to fail?" This is a suicide mission.

"Look, if we know it's Hades," Percy tells Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus and Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads."

"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron says. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades—and I imagine Poseidon does—they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"

"You're saying I'm being used," Percy says.

"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon had claimed you and (Y/n) now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs the two of you."

My dad needs us.

Emotions roll around inside me like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. I don't know whether to feel resentful or grateful or happy or angry. Poseidon had ignored me for twelve years. Now suddenly he needed me.

3rd Person POV

Percy looks at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"

"I had my suspicions. As I said . . . I've spoken to the Oracle, too."

(Y/n) gets the feeling that there is a lot he wasn't telling them about the prophecy, but she decides that she couldn't worry about that at the moment. After all, she and Percy were hiding back information too."

"So let me get this straight," Percy says. "We're supposed to go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."

"Check," Chiron says.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"Check."

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."

"That's about right."

(Y/n) looks over at Grover, who gulps down the ace of hearts.

"But I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" he asks weakly.

"You don't have to go," Percy tells him. "I can't ask that of you."

"Oh . . ." He shifts his hooves. "No . . . it's just that satyrs and underground places . . . well . . ." He takes a deep breath, then stands, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his t-shirts. "You saved my life, (Y/n), Percy. If . . . if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let the two of you down."

Percy feels so relieved that he wanted to cry, though he didn't think that would be very heroic. Grover is the only friend she'd ever had for longer than a few months. Percy isn't sure what a satyr can do against the forces of the dead but he feels better knowing he'd be with them.

"All the way, G-man," Percy turns to Chiron. "The Oracle just said to go west."

"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."

"Where?"

Chiron looks surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."

Percy's POV

"Oh," I said. "Naturally. So we just get on a plane -"

"No!" Grover shrieks. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"

I shake my head, feeling embarrassed. My mom had never taken me and (Y/n) anywhere by plane. She'd always said we didn't have the money. Besides, her parents had died in a plane crash.

"Percy, think," Chiron says. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."

Overhead, lightning crackles and thunder booms.

"Okay," (Y/n) says, not looking up at the storm. "So, we'll travel overland."

"That's right," Chiron says. "Two companions may accompany you. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered if you will accept her help."

(Y/n)'s POV

"Gee," I say, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a suicide quest like this?"

The air shimmers behind Chiron.

Annabeth Chase becomes visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.

"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, Seaweed Brain," she says. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."

"If you do say so yourself," I say. "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?"

Her cheeks flush. "Do you want my help or not?"

The truth is, I do. I need all the help I can get.

"A quartet," I say. "That'll work."

"Excellent," Chiron says. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."

Lightning flashes. Rain pours down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather.

"No time to waste," Chiron says. "I think you should all get packing."

Word Count: 4018 words

[typicalmidnightsoul]

Hey from the prompts list can we have 20? There's that tiktok thing where people text their significant others dirty things while they're sat around family so maybe doing that one?

Hey! I actually love that trend i find it hilarious!! Hope you enjoy <3

Prompt list here

Send me prompts here

Prompt 20

Tik tok Pranks

She could not believe they were doing this.

“My mom and his mom are here for fucks sake,” she told Cresseida.

“That’s why it is so perfect to do it now.”

“You’re asking me to sext Cassian in the middle of a family dinner for a tik tok?!”

“Yes,” Clare supplied, “We are.”

“So we need freaky pics,” Audrey, her cousin, replied.

“And we need carefully constructed texts.” Helion said.

Nesta shook her head, none of this made any sense to her but it sounded fun.

“Ok fine let’s do it.”

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

Nesta opted for a redress with a Bardot neckline, it was hot as fuck in Greece and she wondered why in hell her mother wanted to take a vacation here to ‘get to know’ Cassian’s family. Audrey came up next to her,

“All set?”

“Yes.”

“Pictures?” Clare asked.

“Yes.”

“Carefully constructed texts?” Helion asked.

“Yes.”

“Phones ready tik tok on, gang?” Cresseida asked.

“Yup,” they all chorused.

They all took their seats at the restaurant table.

Nesta opposite Cassian, who took his sweet time eyeing her outfit and then winked at her.

Conversation started at the table, merriment going through.

“Phase 1 go.” Helion whispered.

Nesta got out her phone,

“Start off slow Nes,” Clare advised.

Their phones were hiding in the tablecloth recording Cassian.

Cassss!!!!

Yea?

Do you think I look better in a skirt or tight jeans?

 A faint coughing noise came from the other side of the table.

Cresseida sniggered.

You look great in everything.

Ok ok but still… choose.

Tight skirt.

 Nesta rolled her eyes; Clare zoomed in on Nesta’s face.

 I was thinking about you in the shower.

 Cassian dragged a hand through his hair, throwing a wolfish grin at her.

 Oh really?

I miss you dominating me x

 Cassian physically choked on his tequila. Azriel patting him on the back with a confused look.

 That’s when Nesta sent him the picture. It was her in a tight bodysuit that well… flattered all her…parts.

  I needed you this morning.

 Cassian looked at her from the other side of the table, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head, subtly warning Nesta.

 You need to stop.

 No xx

Btw I’m not wearing anything underneath.

 And that’s when Nesta slid her legs towards his under the table and slowly took off her heel. She used her toes to slowly undo his shoe laces. He jerked his leg away from her so fast that his foot hit the table leg shaking the whole table.

“Cassian?!!” His mother called out from one end of the table, “what’s the matter?”

Nesta’s side of the table was fizzing with attempt to keep their laughter in.

“I am ever so sorry,” Adelaide, Nesta’s mother said, “It seems like this is my daughter’s fault.” She turned her head to all the ‘children.’

“Kids would you like to go down to the beach?” She asked.

They all nodded letting their laughter out. Cassian stormed out of his seat towards Nesta, who picked up her heels and sprinted down the stone steps.

He was way faster than her so he let her have a head start. Then he broke off into a run.

She managed to get to the beach huts before strong hands pulled her against him,

“You little minx!” he shouted, “What the hell was that?! Why were you sending me all those texts?”

Nesta was still laughing, unable to make any coherent words.

“Nesta!! Could I have an answer?!”

Nesta was still laughing, her knees going weak. Cassian shook his head at her, pushing her against one of the beach hut wall.

“What were you trying to do?”

She put a hand on his cheek, “Poor baby.”

“Were trying to get me hard in front of our whole family?!”

Her face turned serious and she vigorously nodded.

“Cheeky!” He flicked her nose, “who’s idea was it?”

“Mostly Cresseida’s,” She said wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Ok…what is Cresseida getting from you sexting me in the middle of dinner.”

“A tik tok,” she saw from the corner of her eye, Audrey slowly pushing something towards her. Nesta grinned.

She started talking about the tik tok trend then-

“NESTA!” Cassian shouted, his head now dripping with water from the water balloon, Nesta laughed pushing him off and running towards the ocean.

And of course Cassian being Cassian followed her, tackling her into the sea. As waves lapped around them, he said,

“I’m going to get you back for that you know.”

She pulled him closer and whispered on his lips,

“Looking forward to it.”

Tags:: @skychild29 @aesthetics-11 @perseusannabeth

[me-on-set]

Harrowingly Strange

When was the last time you had to face a moral dilemma? I am still reeling. I actually just got home. I think I invented a new selfie style. I wanted to take a photo of my makeup on and off.

As I currently write this, I am not an actor but instead have been doing background work for the past year. I've occasionally been a featured extra and was a body double once.

It's fascinating, seeing and doing the work that embodies being on set.

A couple of days ago, I received a message from a casting agency that had my headshot asking to submit my photo for a featured non-speaking role with a local production company. It was a one or two day shoot at $200 per day. I said yes and I got the gig.

When you are cast, you get an email the night before with details about the set location, start time, special instructions, and wardrobe. This show I booked was for a reenactment TV series about real world events. The exciting news was that this particular episode revolved around a crisis that occurred in my parents' homeland. I was to play someone at home seeing the news on television, and then in a second scene complain to police of their incompetence. I was asked to bring leisure clothing one would wear at home.

When I first started being an extra, I would bring my clothes in a backpack, trying really hard not to care too much. That behavior did not last. I found my interest stumbling forward into a natural evolution. I started taking luggage to neatly carry my wardrobe options. I found that I would mostly get cast as a mid-30's businessman. This led me to comfortably bring my outfits in a garment bag. It's funny how familiarity can grow your views.

For today, I packed shorts, sweatpants, t-shirts, a hoodie, a pair of runners, and a pair of flip flops. I got these flip flops during my last vacation with my mom overseas in her hometown. I also brought some henley shirts and arrived on set in khakis and a short-sleeved polo because there was also a mention of button-ups being an option.

The majority of work involved as an extra is waiting. It's a good idea to bring a book, although in this day and age, occupying oneself with a smart phone is a much more fulfilling time killer. I didn't end up using any of the clothes I had brought except for my belt and my runners. After my hair and makeup were done I decided to satisfy my curiosity by searching keywords of this specific production. I searched the name of the character I was to reenact. Adding quotations to strict strings of words, I had soon discovered the event I was going to portray. This was when my moral dilemma began.

I was born and raised in North America by immigrant parents who arrived in their early 20's. The typical experiences had by people of color paint a relatively positive mural that represents my upbringing. Having visited my ethnic country many times throughout my life, I felt, and still feel, a deep connection to the motherland. This connection is common for others like myself, powered by identity in a time where life will sometimes present it as a limitation. Conversely, this only strengthens cultural pride.

The role I was to play was an international representing their countrymen against the very country I identify with. Pangs of uneasiness flooded my body. There was another featured role performer who had an earlier call time. We sat together in the holding area. He was cast to play the part of a family member learning the news of the event. What surprised me more was the fact that he was a recent immigrant from my country of ethnicity. Us both, cast in roles of coincidental conflict of interest?

When it comes to acting, the only other time I recall having feelings of apprehension was during a big budget movie filmed in a church. I was a church goer among a sea of church goers seated in church pews. We were instructed to portray the enjoyment of a church service. Some of us were selected to stand and sway to the Christian music. Some had their eyes closed, head tilted to the ceiling, palms facing up to the heavens. As easy a physical task that is, I instead opted to clap along to the band and pretend to really feel the sounds of my favorite music. I know it's just acting but I was driven by the thought of my mom seeing me do anything other than that on camera. So, I coursed the music through my veins. I know the history of the band members, the albums, this music moves me, pretend.

I received my paperwork and read it over a cup of coffee from craft services. It was standard paperwork that I've filled out over a dozen times before. I looked at the inviting exit door. I was parked right outside. This is not that big of a deal, is it? I imagined this TV episode making its way to the news overseas, the citizens all over the world deeming me a traitor for perpetuating a negative image, not merely through action but through representation against them. Against us. Am I selling out? For two hundred bucks?

I thought about getting up and leaving. I thought about all of the hard work that people have put into this specific production. If you haven't been behind the scenes before, it is quite the trip. An assortment of heavy duty cables line the floors, taped in place. Racks of props in designated areas. The backstage crew zip around in sync, bursting with walkie-talkie sounds and hollers of instruction. There is a commonality in the many interactions, their minds tuned into the goal meant to be achieved. This is their career.

This is my hobby. I am a prop. Would leaving this put a blemish on my record in the local film community, or the film industry as a whole, because I wasted everyone's time being sensitive? As I languished, I get a message from my best friend and I tell him I'm on set. I tell him:

For some reason, that makes me feel better. I just might be able to work with that mentality. The other guy has finished. He returns his wardrobe and collects his belongings. I ask him if he knows what this show is about. We speak in our language among the English-speakers. I ask him if he thinks people back home are going to be mad at us. I ask him if he knew we were going to be doing this. He seems ok with it all. He said he was there during the actual event. He's new to the industry. We laugh about how we can pass as different races. This is his first time being on camera. He said he enjoyed the experience. I ask him if he'll continue. He said yes. I hope he does.

Finally, wardrobe is set and I am wearing a navy blue golf shirt and some gray slacks. I want to feel good, like the other times I've worked. How can I get that feeling? They're calling me on set. They adjust the lighting while I sit in front of the camera. A fog machine fills the mock living room belonging to my character. When the camera rolls, there is a fake TV in front of me that I am to watch casually at first and then grow increasingly interested as the live footage I am pretending to watch unfolds. I am supposed to build up into a frustration with the host country. My country. As I understand it, the real guy is being interviewed and I am the reenactment; the illustration of his side of the story. I do the scene. Twice. Filming took less than 5 minutes total. The whole time I was thinking about my mom. I can remember it still, a few hours ago today, the director describing the gradual transpiring of the footage to guide me. To help me see a reason to be frustrated on camera. It wasn't helping. It's not his fault. I don't think it's anyone's fault. I don't think they even knew why I would be uncomfortable. I don't think they knew much about the countries involved in the event. They even spelled the city name wrong. I don't even think the takes were that bad.

I wish it wasn't about my country. If it were different, I feel like I could have given more - like I had done at the church.

It's unsettling to perform make-believe, but for myself I have managed to apply a mental exercise that immerses me into a character; to actually be the person. The trick is to relate. To tie the emotion to a real memory and relive it. If it had only been about another country, I'm sure I would have enjoyed the process a lot more.

I'm writing this and I was hoping it would help me shake away this dread. Thoughts of regret imagining if I had only researched the keywords sooner. Maybe I would have cancelled. But that wouldn't have been better. I would be blacklisted and never cast as another role again. Or maybe I'm being dramatic. Hey, that's good for this line of work, right?

I honestly hope the final cut looks great. This is the biggest role I've ever been in. They gelled my hair funny like a nerd, I had on large framed glasses, just like the portrayed, and they put makeup on my upper lip to hide my dark, clean-shaven stubble.

When I got home, before I washed my makeup off, I took a before and after mirror selfie because my face looked comedically smooth. Taking the pictures reminded me of when I was sipping coffee in the holding area. I had taken pictures of my paperwork. I remember my mind racing. The feeling was like gathering license plates and insurance information after a collision. You know, just in case I have to stand trial, my cultural membership in jeopardy. I can review my situation with a lawyer to see what I can and can not say during a variety show interview that is getting my side of the story after viral, captioned screenshots of me flood the internet with embarrassing memes, stamped into history. Jesus Christ, that would be the worst. Here I go again with extreme maybes. It's an entertaining curse that I will forever be engulfed in my own hypothetical torture.

Anyway, here's that selfie I invented:

Yeah my bathroom mirrors are dirty.

I can't wait for my next job that I can cleanse my palate with. I really hope I can accept today as purely an actor's portrayal, and not a turncoat betrayal. This can't be my last go at acting. I ate some of my country's food for supper. I feel a bit better. I'm wearing a shirt that is emblazoned with our country's sports hero.

I have always been excited to see the final release of a production I am in, except for this one now. Uncontrollably, my perverse curiosity into the film world is only strengthening, so I don't think even the worst thoughts can slow my future participation. The silver lining is that the uncomfortable bar is set to a new level. I could reenact a murderous deviant now without batting a moral eyelash, I like to think. All for the sake of film.

- WSS, February 8, 2019

[tiikerikani]

Waiting for Senpai

(This one's long, so the whole thing is under the fold.)

(it's taken me all day to write this so the pictures have been added later.)

21.07.2022 Allas Sea Pool, Helsinki

I. 6:00 PM

Because I was running a bit late getting my work wrapped up before my vacation, I didn’t quite get to the place the whole 90 (or 120, even) minutes before entry, which meant that I missed the chance to dance to the sound check. (They always run at least through to the first chorus of Ei voittajaa, and if you’ve been reading this blog long enough you’d know I have a Very Special™ interpretive dance thing to this song.)

When I arrived, there was a some 10 metre long queue along the wall, by the door to the ticket counter. It took me a moment to realize that this was actually the queue for swimming pool tickets and the other queue was forming in front of the gate to the inner yard where the show is held. By ’forming’ I mean there were two young-ish women standing there. Another group came to the same realization at about the same time I did so I ended up behind them.

When the superfan couple arrived, this time I waved at them first. Ha!

II. 6:55 PM

When the gate opened, the front row by the stage filled up incredibly quickly as you might expect. I tried to reserve a bit of space for the person from the Facebook group that I agreed to meet up with. She and her friend were about maybe 30 metres behind me in the queue so it took a little while for them to show up.

III. 7:30? PM

She tells me of meeting some Real Groupies™ (my epithet) who literally follow them around to every single show (”except they don’t have tickets yet for like 2 shows because they aren’t sure of their work schedule”).

I tell her how I could never compete with that type, hence emphasizing that I’m ”non-Finnish speaking”.

She tells me how it always seems that, when she’s in the front, she’s towards the right side of the stage, as we are now, and as she was at the Tavastia show.

I tell her that I was there, and that I vaguely remember her being on the other side of me. (The forearm tattoo looked familiar.) She didn’t see my giving Senpai the gift, as she had to leave early to catch the train home.

She tells me that she once brought her mother along to meet Senpai because Vesterinen is her maiden name. As it’s not a particularly common surname, this means they’re all not-even-super-distantly related.

IV. 8:30 PM

They didn’t play Kirottu yksinäisyys.

Two middle-aged women behind me kept trying to get my attention. (Although to be fair I did turn around and interact with them a bit.) They wanted to know whether I was here alone and if I wanted to go with them for drinks afterward (and karaoke? I suggested). I technically was, I suppose. The pair off Facebook needed to leave as one of them had work the next morning, so I let them do that.

You don't have quite as much room to dance here when you're kind of pressed up against the railing at the front, compared to the other times when I was a few steps back.

V. 9:30 PM

VI. 9:45 PM

Very Serious security staff were starting to tell everybody to GTFO.

VII. 9:50 PM

I wanted to talk to Senpai; they were collecting selfies with each band member so they needed one with Heini. (She doesn't do every performance; for me it's been like 50/50 whether it's her or her alternate.)

Senpai did not come out to the merch table.

We hung around trying to decide which bar to go to.

"They're over there!" I shouted, pointing at the other side of the yard. I could see a few of them milling about.

"Who????"

They saw him before I did. "Tero!!"

I screamed.

We ran.

Senpai disappeared behind a door.

One of us went to ask Very Serious security staff guarding the door whether they could fetch the people we were looking for. There was some head-shaking and she returned with a pouty look.

I told Pate that I didn't bring anything for them this time but if he could please send my regards to Senpai.

Meanwhile, Jepa was being questioned for bar recommendations. She says that there's a possibility they might go to the one upstairs here.

Senpai reappeared, wandering off in the other direction. Said he was looking for his wife.

Heini finally appeared so they got their selfie.

Senpai also eventually came around. I had had the passing thought of asking which song I should cover next (lol), but I got a sense of everybody being in a sort of hurry to do something or be somewhere so I was content with a quick selfie (to kind of parallel the one I took last summer).

It should be apparent by now that when I say that no other thing brightens my world as much as seeing Senpai, I am not bullshitting for dramatic effect.

In fact, I was super giddy like a sixteen-year old despite being completely sober. This just doesn't happen when I'm at an event alone, as it's not my "being alone" aesthetic.

VIII. 10:00 PM

Very Serious security staff were Very Seriously telling everybody to Very Seriously, please GTFO. So we GTFO.

I started wondering whether the aforementioned people who literally follow them around to every single show are the same people as the superfan couple. They were still hanging around at this side of the yard even as we left.

The two women who were at the front of the queue to get in had convinced the roadies to give them each one of the set lists. I guess if you're into that kind of souvenir. But it really is just a typed piece of paper.

This is all I need:

(interpretation: as previous list, minus 4, 12, 14.)

We had a drink each at the rooftop bar, but I think my companions were getting a bit bored (not least because it was several flights of stairs to get down to the smoking area—it's a wooden building, ok) and the (ahem) VIPs did not show up (yet? who knows.) so we went on to find a karaoke place.

Random thing completely beside the point: turns out one of them is also a geocacher and has found more than I have despite only been doing it for 2 years (I've been at it since 2014 but you're really limited when you don't have a car and/or friends to go on daytrips with).

Epilogue.

I didn't get home until quite late (like almost 3 AM); it was really close to my next turn at karaoke when the last bus left, so I decided to stay and had to take a cab home after that. Taxis were deregulated a few years ago and the prices have gone up a bit since. I probably saved a chunk of money walking a little bit in the relevant direction first, rather than just taking the first available taxi I saw. It's my vacation now so I can afford to be out late but not necessarily to stay out the entire night or take taxis more often than absolutely necessary.

(As for the people I was with, they were showing no signs of fatigue and were having way too much fun, so I'm sure they stayed a fair bit longer. They were from out of town and had a hotel room nearby so the time was not an issue.)

Despite being so tired (but surprisingly not very tipsy), sleep was a bit... fitful. I had a dream where I was in a mansion and there was a large blueberry birthday cake in the corner of one room, and Senpai was serving pieces from it. But by the time I found out about this, he had gone, and it just didn't feel right to help myself to some.

(It was probably blueberry because (in real life) I had ordered a blueberry lonkero at the bar but they accidentally gave me cranberry. But I don't really care, any flavor is fine, really. Also the cake looked a lot like the small (also blueberry) cake I bought from the supermarket earlier this month to celebrate Mom's birthday with, except party sized.)