#than anything a big production movie can cook up

[charles-leclerc-official]

if there's one thing that i love about max, is his committment to hate all pr and any kind of involvement with it. i'll be ready with popcorn when he'll start his shading of the f1 movie campaign!

He's already been cooking

"I don't need to watch a film about my own sport"

[with-my-calamitous-love]

I DONT LIKE ANYONE EXCEPT SOMETIMES YOU

shinso x reader

thoughts about how shinso would act in a relationship. same premise as the kirishima ver.

inspired by backburner

hitoshi shinso, who’s facetimes with you always run late into the night. you ramble on about your day while he hums in response, knowing that you know he’s not the talkative type. he never asks “how was your day?” he always says “tell me about your day.” because he really, truly wants to hear about your day. you could have cured a disease or simply just gotten out of bed, and he’d still want to hear every single detail simply because its from you.

hitoshi shinso, who loves to cook. only you're aware of it, because he doesn't always like sharing personal details with others, but you never complained- it just means more for you. you're always the first person that gets to try his food, though he claims you're not a very good critic. but you can't help it, everything he makes tastes so good. and with every compliment you shower him in, he'll hit you with a 'yeah, yeah, whatever.' and then next moment, make you more so you can always stay fed during long days at UA and long hours during hero-training. its his silent way of telling you he loves you.

hitoshi shinso, whose cats love you more than they love him. he has three triplets, a black british short hair, a siamese, and a grey ragdoll- pepper, lexi, and mustache- he absolutely hates the last name, but he had just adopted the kitten and you named it for its white streak right below its nose. he'll deny it forever, but he gets pouty and huffs in annoyance whenever he sees the cats run to you, even after he's fed and taken care of them for all of their lives. but he also cant deny the way his heart skips a beat whenever he seems them cuddled up with you on his bed, wearing one of his big t-shirts. it softens his heart in a way that nothing else does- your love fills his heart more strongly and more passionately than anything does.

hitoshi shinso, who is the closed-off, funny but quiet dickhead of his friend group. he's known for his out-of-pocket roasts at the right times and his nonchalant nature that contrasts with the loud, spunkiness of his multicolored-haired friends. but with you, he softens. the few times he's brought you along with him to movie night or training sessions, you've softened his heart enough for the love in him to seep out towards others as well. whenever you crack a joke, make someone else at the table smile, and draw laughs and happiness from their chests, a blush blooms across his cheeks. obviously, he fell for you, how could he not?

hitoshi shinso, who's favorite activity with you is your sunday-ritual. you'll wake up together, either in the same bed or over the phone, and bike down to the coast. you'll bug him about wearing a helmet, but he always complains that it ruins your hair. he'd never admit that its because he thinks you're absolutely adorable when you dote on him. afterwards he'll share a smoothie with you- he hates all the flavors except for mixed berry, which is the one he always insists on getting. he hates the the overpricing for what the product actually is, but loves the smile it puts on your face after a tiring bike-ride. and afterwards, you two will go back to either his of your place. his place if your parents aren't home, and his place when his parents are home, and binge watch a long t.v show of your choosing. he'll always complain that its stupid, poorly written or drawn out, but get pouty whenever you watch an episode without him. it's the one thing he looks forwards to at the end of a long week, drawn out with endless studies, training, and burnout. you're his safe place, and he needs it more than he'll admit.

hitoshi shinso, who somehow remembers every tiny detail about you. his mind works like gears, arranging formulas and deciphering codes, but the intellect of his mind makes you its priority. he remembers the way you pick your nails and cuticles when you have anxiety, and how placing his warm palm over yours soothes some of those thoughts. he remembers how prefer to tie your hair back during training but how you somehow always forget a hair tie- and he knows how you always give him a peck on his cheek once he shows off the one he's been keeping on his wrist for you. he remembers how you can't sleep without your nightly calls, and how he needs to hear your voice before he drifts of too- maybe more than you need it. he remembers the first day you met, the first thing he said to you, the first time he ever felt love for you. he remembers all of it and keeps it embedded in his heart. hitoshi shinso may seem like he hates everyone, but the one exception to that is you. and he'll remember that forever.

[petermorwood]

Food on St Patrick's Day (in the USA)...

...is usually Corned Beef & Cabbage, which is the Irish-American version of the original Irish boiled bacon & cabbage, but while the celebratory Irishness is still going strong, try something a bit more authentic.

A nice warm coddle. Not cuddle, coddle, though just as comforting in its own way. (Some sources suggest it's a hangover cure, not that such a thing would ever be necessary at this time of year, oh dear me no.)

Coddle is a stew using potatoes, onions, bacon, sausages, stout-if-desired / stock-if-not, pepper, sage, thyme and Time.

You'll often see it called "Dublin Coddle", but my Mum made Lisburn Coddle lots of times, I've made West Wicklow Coddle more than once, and on one occasion in a Belgian holiday apartment I made Brugsekoddel, which is an OK spelling for something that doesn't exist in any cookbook.

*****

I do remember one amendment I made to Mum's recipe, which met with slight resistance at the time and great appreciation thereafter.

Her coddle was originally cooked on the stove-top, not in the oven, and nothing was pre-cooked. Potatoes were quartered, onions were sliced, bacon was cut into chunks and then everything went into the big iron casserole, then onto the slow back ring, and there it simmered Until Done.

However, the bacon was thick-cut back rashers, and the sausages were pork chipolatas.

Raw, they looked like this:

...and the bacon looked like this:

Cooked in the way Mum initially did, they looked pretty much the same afterwards. The sausages didn't change colour. Nor did the bacon.

While everything tasted fine, the meat parts always looked - to me, anyway - somewhat ... less than appealing. "Surgical appliance pink" is the kindest way to put it, and that's all I'm saying. This is apparently "white coddle" and Dubs can get quite defensive about This Is The Way It SHOULD Look.

I'm not a Dub, so I persuaded Mum to fry both the bacon and sausages first, just enough to get a bit of brown on, and wow! Improvement! I remember my Dad nodding in approval but - because he was Wise - not saying anything aloud until Mum gave it the green light as well.

Doing the coddle in the oven, first with lid on then with lid off, came later and met with equal approval. So did using only half of the onion raw and frying the other half lightly golden in the bacon fat.

Nobody quoted from a movie that wouldn't be made for another decade, but there was a definite feeling of...

*****

There are coddle recipes all over the Net: I've made sure that these are from Ireland to avoid the corned-beef-not-boiled-bacon "adjustment" versions which are definitely out there. I've already seen one with Bratwurst. Just wait, it'll be chorizo next.

Oh, hell's teeth, I was right. And from RTE...

Returning to relative normality, here's Donal Skehan's white coddle and his browned coddle with barley (I'm going to try that one).

Here's Dairina Allen's Frenchified with US measurements version. (I feel considerably less heretical now.)

And finally (OK, not Irish, but it references a couple of the previous ones and is a VERY comprehensive write-up, so gets a pass) Felicity Cloake's Perfect Dublin Coddle (perfect according to who, exactly...?) in The Guardian.

*****

Returning to the beginning, and how boiled bacon became corned beef (a question which prompted @dduane to start an entire website...!)

The traditional Irish meat animal for those who could afford it was the pig, but when Irish immigrants (even before the Great Famine) arrived in the USA, they often lived in the same urban districts as Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe.

For fairly obvious reasons pork, bacon and other piggy products were unavailable in those districts, but salt beef was right there and far cheaper than any meat Irish immigrants had ever seen before.

Insist on tradition or eat what was easy to find? There'd have been contest - and do I sometimes wonder a bit if sauerkraut ever came close to replacing cabbage for the same reason.

The pre-Famine Irish palate liked sour tastes: a German (?) visitor to Ireland in the mid-1600s wrote about about what were called "the best-favoured peasantry in Europe", and mentioned that they had "seventy-several sour milks and creams*, and the sourer they be, the better they like them."

* Yogurt? Kefir? Skyr? Gosh...

Corned beef and Kraut as the immigrants' celebratory "Irish" meal for St Patrick's Day? Maybe, maybe not.

Time for "Immigrant Song" (with kittens).

*****

Corned beef got its name from the size of the salt grains with which the beef was prepared. They were usually bigger than kosher salt, like pinhead oats or even as large as grains of wheat, and their name derived originally from "corned (gun)powder", the large coarse grains used in cannon.

BTW, "corn" has been a generic English term for "grain" for centuries, and "but Europe didn't have corn" is an American mistake assuming the word refers to sweetcorn / maize, which it doesn't.

Lindsey Davis, author of the "Falco" series, had a couple of rants about it and other US-requested "corrections". As she points out, mistakes need corrected but "corn" is not a mistake, just a difference in vocabulary.

*****

In Ancient and Medieval Ireland pig would have included wild boar, the hunting of which was a suitable pastime for warriors and heroes, because Mr Boar took a very dim view of the whole proceeding and wasn't shy about showing it (see "wild boar" in my tags and learn more).

Cattle were for milk, butter, cream and little cattle; also wealth, status, and heroic displays in their theft, defence or recovery. It's no accident that THE great Irish epic is "The Cattle-Raid of Cooley" / Táin Bó Cúailnge (tawn / toyn boh cool-nyah).

Killing a cow for meat was ostentation on a level of lighting cigars with 100-, or even 500-, currency-unit notes. Once it had been cooked and eaten there'd be no more milk, butter, cream or little cattle from that source, so eating beef was showing off And Then Some.

Also, loaning a prize bull to run with someone else's heifers was a sign of great friendship or alliance, while refusing it might be an excuse for enmity or even war. IMO that's what Maeve of Connaught intended all along, picking undiplomatic envoys who would get drunk and shoot their mouths off so the loan was refused and she, insulted, would have an excuse to...

But I digress, as usual. Or again. Or still... :->

*****

For the most part, "pig" mean "domestic porker", and in later periods right up to the Famine, these animals were seldom eaten.

Instead, known as "the gentleman who pays the rent", the family pig ate kitchen scraps and rooted about for other foods, none of which the tenant had to grow or buy for them. These fattened pigs would go to market twice a year, and the money from their sale would literally pay that half-year's rent.

For wealthier (less poor?) farmers, pigs had another advantage. Calves arrived singly, lambs might be a pair, but piglets popped out by the dozen. A sow with (some of) her farrow was even commemorated on the old ha'penny coin...

What with bulls, chickens, hares, horses, hounds, pigs, salmon and stags, the pre-decimal Irish coinage is a good inspiration for some sort of fantasy currency.

But that's another post, for another day.

[bodiedbyteecosplays]

Modern!Human Hantengu Brothers headcanons

Heeeyyyy babiesss!!! I’m sorry it’s so late but I FINALLY GOT MY HANTENGU BROTHERS HEADCANONS DONE 🥹🥹!! I sincerely hope y’all enjoy them!

Alright so, The headcanon came from the roots in the manga. Hantengu (the demon) was known to have multiple wives and children and he killed every last one of them. After Muzan’s defeat & Hantengu was reborn, he sadly abandoned his wife and his two children because he still had his memories from his past life and felt guilt & fear. His son grew a bit of resentment for him and promised that when he became a father that he would be there for his children through and through. He met the Brothers’ mother because she was visiting Japan from Nigeria and fell absolutely head over heels in love with her. They soon started dating after getting to know each other. Then married later on and their first born son, Sekido was born, then came Karaku, Aizetsu, Urogi , & Zohakuten.

Their Mother, Dr. Kehinde Adeyinka- Hantengu is a OBGYN & their father Urami Hantengu is a co director for a very big movie production company. ( my boys came from riches but still humble )

Their parents come from different cultures so they always brought them up in a way where they were exposed to both equally. They know Japanese (that does include how to write in Japanese too), Yoruba, Nigerian Pidgin, English, and Swahili.

SEKIDO

• Much like his past life, Sekido still remains the oldest. His birthday is September 3rd, 1995 making our angery baby a Virgo ♍️.

• When I tell yall he is nonchalantttt!! Whew! He literally says the first thing that comes on his mind. His mom always told him that he was like his father in that regard.

• Also much like his past life, he always looks angered (Resting bitch face go brrrrrrr) Most people are kinda afraid to approach him.

• Definitely gets annoyed by his brothers antics (mostly Urogi and Karaku playing pranks on him and pissing him off and Aizetsu constantly second guessing himself)

• Loves the rain and finds it peaceful when it’s thundering outside.. it sets the mood when he’s by himself playing the piano (one of his hidden talents)

• He works as a Auto mechanic at his own shop. (which explains how he knows to keep his cars in perfect condition)

• He is most DEFINITELY a cat person. He has a Black Maine coon mix named Zeus. He found him just laying on top of one of his cars one day as he was getting ready to go get groceries and when he came back from the store, he was sitting in front of his apartment and he started growing fond of him and took him in. Zeus is spoiled rotten so I can only imagine when Sekido gets a partner 🫠.

• Is a greeeeeaaaaattttt cook! Other than their mother, his brothers usually latch on to his place when he does cook. (He definitely has a special apron on when he cooks too) He learned from his momma 🤩

• Has a giant dragon tattoo on his back that was drawn by Zohakuten and tattooed by Managi (Modern Human Gyokko. In my headcanon, he’s a famous Tattoo artist that grew fame from TikTok)

• Definitely is a Heavy sleeper but don’t let that MF Fan Turn off. He gonna wake up PISSED.

• Academically speaking, Sekido is extremely intelligent. He graduated top of his class in High school & has a degree in Engineering (he also graduated top of his class in college too)

• BLACK COFFEE ADDICT! Can’t stand overly sweet coffee or sweet ANYTHING. Likes really savory foods! Lots of meat but not too too much. Also loves vegetables, stews, curry’s, and etc. The only thing he can tolerate that relates to sweet foods is dark chocolate.

• Definitely the type to go to bed by 10 pm (grumpy old man 😂😂)

• LISTEN! My baby is BUILTTTTTTT. He definitely hits the gym after work He’ll OCCASIONALLY go with Karaku if he doesn’t have to work. He’s also tall (he’s 6’3 1/2 and the tallest out of the brothers)

• He adores his family and anyone he deems close although he does get annoyed with their shenanigans he will always and forever care.

• y’all know that bath & body works scent “ Mahogany Teakwood” yeah, literally smells like that plus Shea butter & mint.

KARAKU

• Karaku is the second Born like his past carnation. He was born on October 4, 1996 making him a Libra baby.

• He’s literally a big kid at heart but he’s really chill and down to earth.

• Much like his past life he’s really playful and loves a good thrill. It makes his blood pump lol.

• Loves teasing his brothers (mostly Sekido and Aizetsu) One time he played a prank on Sekido while he was asleep by putting a realistic looking robotic spider on him (poor Seki has arachnophobia 🥲) & when he woke up all hell broke loose and when he finally caught Karaku, he put him in a chokehold and it took Urogi and Aizetsu to get him off of Karaku. 😂😂😂 and you’d think after that he’d learn his lesson (he didn’t)

• He works as a Bartending Manager for a big club and always makes good money in tips because one he loves serving the drinks and seeing people’s reaction to his drinks and they all love him dearly.

• Speaking of, he Is a masttttterrrrr at creating drink recipes and has a miniature bar at his place. He’s also a fairly decent cook but still annoys Sekido because he likes his better 😂.

• Like I’ve said before, mans is a seriously talented dancer & he effortlessly woos people with his moves ever since he went viral online & has a lots of fans (no pun intended).

• He also posts videos of him making drinks on TikTok too and always picks the best songs but people mostly like when he does voice overs of what he puts in drinks.

• He also does Twitch streams from time to time playing games( likes games like FNAF, Dead by Daylight, or any kind of scary games.)

• I also headcanon that he loves Halloween mostly because it’s during his birth month.

• Has one tattoo on his arm of his moms first name. His mom always told him that he reminds her of herself back in her youth.

• Loves all animals but is more so a Dog person.

• HE DOES SMOKE WEED & VAPE!

• Academically he made A’s & B’s in high school so he is quite smart but still goofed off in class though 😂. He has a Bachelors Degree in Communications and is also apart of a Fraternity.

• DEFINITELY A GYM BRO BUT NOT THE TOXIC KIND. Takes his physical health and physique seriously but never ever talks bad about how anyone else chooses to do with their body. If they are happy, he is as well. He’s definitely not a bodyshamer & will put someone in check if they talk bad about someone around him.

• HES A LIGHT SLEEPER. Any little sound will wake him up instantly. One time he came home from work so tired that he forgot that he connected his phone to his big bluetooth speaker while he took a shower & also forgot that he set an alarm to wake him up in the morning for the gym and damn near had a heart attack when his alarm went off. 🥲

• Loves energy drinks and coffee but knows his limits on his intake and that too much caffeine isn’t good. DEFINITELY MEAL PREPS! Has meats, vegetables, and fruits.

• Like I Said, he takes his personal physical seriously. He has a skin care routine and he also smells really good too .. it’s like a Citrusy and warm vanilla type scent mixed with hints of his favorite cologne.

• He’s also fairly tall too standing at about 6’2

• He’s heavily into zodiac signs and reads his horoscope on the daily! Got the rest of his brothers into it. Sekido & Zoha thought it was stupid until they both did some research and it started singling out their individual character traits & that’s what sparked their interests in it.

• He’s a lover at heart so anybody that he loves he has them near and dear to his heart. If he loves you then you’re a 4LIFERRRRR.

AIZETSU

• So he’s the middle child! His Birthday is February 20, 1998 making Zetsy a Pisces baby!

• Much like his past incarnation he’s quiet & monotone if he’s not comfortable around you but once he is comfortable he becomes relaxed and more expressive. Is very introverted.

• He was kind of bullied in school due to his quiet and timid behavior but when asked his opinion on something, much like his older brother Sekido he wouldn’t hold back the truth (it’s always the quiet ones)

• I would like to think that Aizetsu is heavily into meditation because it calms his anxiety and his nerves.

• PLEASE GIVE THIS BABY WORDS OF AFFIRMATION AND REASSURANCE!

• Aizetsu works as a computer tech and is very good with technology. He’s been very tech savvy since he was a kid always learning how it functions and knowing the ins and outs of it. He also works part time as a Lyft driver.

• His hidden talent is singing! Like I said in my last post, Aizetsu is a hellllaaaa talented singer but he only does so in private but if he sings around someone that means he’s comfortable with them.

• He’s into Zodiac signs thanks to Karaku. He’s a water sign (Team waterrrr) so he’s really good at seeing through people and strays away from those who he determines to be not good people.

• Doesn’t really go to the gym. He thinks it’s way too many people. Instead he finds alternatives at home and he was blessed with a high metabolism too so that’s a W for him. But don’t let that fool you, under what he covers up, he’s still buff. He is about 6’2, same height as Karaku.

• Made excellent grades in school. Mostly all As and graduated top of his class like his brother. He is currently in college pursuing software engineering and is still doing excellent academically!

• Is a good cook at best. Only sticks to simple stuff and doesn’t really like to go all out. Not particular about food but in the same breath, he does lean towards savory foods.

• Doesn’t have any tattoos but low key wants a treble clef tattoo on his chest or something small.

• Has a pet Bearded dragon named Toothless.

• Smells really good! I think he would smell like Cinnamon. Skin does get irritated during the summer time but it’s not severe. Does get tips from Karaku about skin care.

• Is much more of a tea kind of person and loves herbal tea (chamomile is his favorite)

• Not really much of a sweets kind of person.

• IS A VERY LIGHT SLEEPER. Imagine Karaku x10!! Will wake up if he hears the smallest sound or if the temperature is not to his liking (he keeps his place on 64 degrees AT ALL TIMES).

• Aizetsu is a very gentle, understanding, sweet, and thoughtful person and he has times where he second guesses himself but he definitely has a good crowd of people around him to keep his head held high.

UROGI

• Like his past incarnation he’s the second to last born. His Birthday is January 4th, 1999 ( he’s only 11 months younger than Aizetsu)

• He is most DEFINITELY a wild child lmao! He’s like Karaku x3000 when it comes to getting a thrill out of doing some shit. As a child he used to like to jump off of crazy shit and oddly would not get hurt 😅

• Has always been hella adventurous since he was a young lad. Always loved being outdoors and being in nature and still does in his adulthood. Likes going hiking & climbing. He feels at peace outdoors.

• He once climbed a whole fucking billboard and sat there for like 10 minutes ( Karaku and one of their cousins has a recording of him climbing it)

• Not only is he super flexible and athletic but he’s also very musically inclined too. His singing voice is on par with Aizetsu and he can read and write music (to an extent).

• Urogi works at the same bar as Karaku (Yes they work together) literally trouble but make it double 😂😂. Much to anyone’s surprise they don’t cause THAT much chaos. If Karaku is thing one then Urogi is thing two!

• He also loves coming up with different type of recipes and they are all a hit. Him and Karaku compete to see whose drinks are the best at work but it’s all brotherly competition and never any hard feelings.

• Heavily into gymnastics too & have been since he was little! So you know he keeps his body in great condition and goes to the gym everyday! He is about 6’1 1/2.

• Academically he made a mixture of A’s, B’s, and some C’s. Never went below a C. Is very smart but is whole ass class clown. It only took one time for his parents to get onto him and he never caused any significant distractions again lmao. Did not want to attend college but chose to follow what he felt was good for him. At first his parents were a little mad but they let Urogi decide what was best for him and supported whatever he decided (WE LOVE GOOD NON TOXIC PARENTING 🥹).

• Can cook but absolutely hates doing it. Prefers takeout instead and only cooks when he is in the mood to do so.

• Very much a HEAVY ASS SLEEPER & SNORES. Can probably sleep through a loud ass storm.

• Smells very earthy but not in a bad way. Like a combination of Pine and Sandalwood. (His favorite body wash is Dove Sandalwood for its earthy tone) Has seasonal breakouts but worst during winter (poor baby)

• He definitely smokes weed but by himself or with Karaku.

• His weakness: HE LOVES SWEETS & JUNK FOOD. Mans can literally eat a XL pizza by himself.

• Urogi is all together a very friendly, eclectic, and outgoing person and everyone can’t help but love him (even though he sometimes drives them crazy) 😂

ZOHAKUTEN

• He’s the last born baby of the brothers! He was born July 21st, 2007 so he is a Cancer baby!

• Like Sekido and Aizetsu, Zohakuten is a rather quiet, reserved person. But he is hellllaaaaa blunt. Zohakuten’s tone may come off a bit direct and blunt and a little harsh but I think he means well. (Sometimes)

• INTROVERTED.

• Also like his brother, he DEFINITELY has a resting bitch face and is his dads literally mini me.

• He is very much into art and loves graphic design. He’s also a very skilled digital artist as well.

• As a matter of fact, he drew the dragon design that Sekido has tattooed on his back for his birthday last year.

• He is still in high school and is very close to his senior year!! He makes excellent grades in school with straight A’s and has always.

• He is also a band student too! He plays the snare drums.

• After Highschool he does hope to help his dad out at the studio and work to save up for college. He wants to pursue a career in art.

• Since he still lives at home of course he gets spoiled by his parents but I don’t see him being the petty type like rubbing it in his brothers faces. Hell they be spoiling him too.

• He hits the gym with his brothers when they go. It’s like part of a bonding experience.

• He is about 5’9 ( his mom thinks that he’s on the brink of a major growth spurt.) For more context, their mom is 5’11 (momma a stallionnnn) and their dad is 6’7.

• HE HATES SWEETS! Prefers spicy foods though! Literally will go through a family sized bag of hot chips in 30 minutes and nobody knows how. (Not even me.) 😂😂😂.

• HEAVY ASS SLEEPER! That’s it that’s the post.

• Is willing to learn how to cook but only trusts his mother or Sekido to teach him.

• Karaku got him into zodiac signs too. He didn’t understand the concept at first until he read further and started seeing his attitude traits in what he read on Cancers.

• Not a people person but it is not as bad as his past incarnation where he bathed in hatred. Is willing to make some changes to his attitude and approach especially pursuing a career that deals with customers commissioning him for his arts but PLEASE do not piss him off or rush his work.

• He may not show it but he lovvvveesssss and adores his family!

I genuinely hope you all enjoyed my headcanons. I had been putting it off and putting it off and making revisions but I think that I love my headcanons for them. There are of course some more to come though so keep your eyes peeled. I will eventually start writing for more fandoms but I gotta let this Hantengu clone brainrot out somehow lmao.

I tag: @i-karaku-swear-i-dont-smoke-weed @ch3rriiii-bunn @hakujisstuff @bbkook @its-freaking-jordan @yunaarts

[infamous-if]

I’m curious what the RO’s homes/bedrooms look like because I think it can tell a whole lot about someone 🤔

I'M GLAD YOU ASKED. I was actually ruminating over what Sev's room/apartment, in particular, would look like the other day.

Seven's room is very dark to me. Black walls, a lot of band posters plastered everywhere. It's a mess but an organized mess. Very much what a music enthusiast's room would look like in a 2000s teen movie lol. They've never grown out of the 'fanboy/fangirl' phase so they'd just have posters all over, they have a dresser of vintage records on one side and a mirror full of photo booth pictures and photos of their life tacked to it. Their bed is never made, mostly because Seven is always in bed when they're home. Seven has clothes strewn just about everywhere but they claim to know where everything is. A lot of ripped-out pages of scrapped out song lyrics on the floor. My imagination of Seven's songwriting process is a lot of pacing, a lot of humming. They get their best ideas while doing other stuff like cleaning and cooking. Outside of their room, their apartment is also messy with a lot of novels strewn about. Seven is very sentimental so every gift they've ever gotten is on display. Their bathroom is clean but messy; just a lot of hair products and makeup everywhere. Seven's "I just rolled out of bed" look is a stylistic choice lmao

I can imagine Sev being a very annoying neighbor to have since they always have music on and they're always singing. Seven has never actually cleaned their place quickly because of all the times they stop to have a mini concert in their living room. Seven is fun when they're alone lol

Orion's is expectantly clean and very minimalist. His room is barren, a plain black bed with a metal headboard. He always has incense burning and has an air purifier and a lot of tech. Everything is spotless and there's not anything out of place. Orion's place is a lot of dark furniture, a lot of leather, and a lot of gray and white in terms of looks. He has a large glass balcony that he likes to do work on in the mornings. I imagine him to have a large closet with all just suits on one side and just...straight up black clothes on the other. Orion isn't one to wear anything colorful. His neighbors love him and want to connect with him but Orion is not interested lol More than a few times he'd come home and just plops himself on his couch and falls asleep due to how tired he was.

Sebastian's home is large but sparsely decorated. He has a big TV to play his video games on and it's what you'd think is a stereotypical young guy's place: brown couch, some video game memorabilia, and some sports stuff. He has a huge gamer computer setup he built himself. He uses it for games and for coding and general data stuff. Sebastian likes displaying all of his goodies and stuff and he doesn't touch Maya's room, which is much like Seven's in that it's super cluttered with music stuff and posters. Sebastian's house is what a default sims house looks like: nothing stylish, just generic furniture.

Victoria and G's is luxurious that leans more to anything that they like they just toss it in there. Huuuuge with plushy colorful couches and overpriced designer furniture. OH! If anyone has seen Cara Delevigne's AD...that's what their house would look like. Just chaotic everywhere with so many knickknacks and things that it's like an assault on your every single sense. Funky wallpapers, leopard rugs. A lot of that, surprisingly, is G's doing. G was very set on designing their house. They're barely home and live mostly in hotels anyway so it doesn't really matter.

August's is pretty generic; gray walls, purple bed. They live with their family (August was supposed to live with a roommate but I changed it to better fit their route) and Clare tends to be the messy one. I would say August's room is half and half, it's pretty empty but what they do have takes up a lot of space like their drum set and their huge speakers. The house is big (August's parents are pretty well-off as politicians) and very Grecian in appearance. August doesn't have much knickknacks and things like Seven. They're pretty detached to sentimental things like that. It's a very standard room, the centerpiece definitely being their drums. They have a huge computer set up, though, like a gamer set up like Seb's but they don't use it for games lmao

[stonathandreamer]

Stonathan Headcanons to brighten your day Part 6✨

🔸 Stonathan Masterlist

🔹 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

A/N: To celebrate today's Stonathan crumbs, have some headcanons! 🥳

✨ Steve baby talks to Jonathan whenever his boyfriend is tired or sleepy;

— *Yawns* "Man, I'm so tired."

— "Aw, is my baby sleepy? You want to go sleepy-sleepy, Jonny?"

— "Shut up, Harrington, you fucker, or I'll beat your ass again!"

— "Aw, someone's cranky..." *Gets a pillow thrown at his face*

✨ Jonathan can't keep still. He's repeatedly tapping his foot on the floor, bouncing his knees, drumming his fingers, or shifting his weight from one foot to the other, so every time he starts doing one of those things, Steve will attempt to try and distract his boyfriend by telling some lame jokes, starting a conversation, hold hands, anything to divert Jonathan's attention from his uneasiness/anxiety/discomfort. It always works;

✨ Fancy hair products have become a common sight in the Byers' bathroom - namely, Fabergé Organics and Farrah Fawcett spray;

✨ Mixtapes of The Clash, The Fall, Joy Division, Bowie, The Smiths, Television, Talking Heads, Oingo Boingo, Shock Therapy, The Psychedelic Furs, and Swing Set fill the glove compartment of Steve's car;

✨ There's ONE Abba mixtape in the glove compartment of Jonathan's car;

✨ They hum each other's favorite songs whenever they think of each other. Steve will find himself humming "Should I Stay or Should I Go" while working, prompting Robin to tease him, while Jonathan hums "Dancing Queen" while working on his photos;

✨ Jonathan steals Steve's clothes - mainly his jackets - because they're big and comfy, and Jonathan likes baggy clothes. In retaliation, Steve steals Jonathan's clothes, and he doesn't care at all if they're a bit too tight for him;

✨ You remember Jonathan's yellow pajama pants from Season 2? These pants:

Yeah, Steve stole them and never returned them to Jonathan. So Jonathan had to buy himself another pair;

✨ Accidentally switch sneakers regularly, to the point where it is not uncommon for Robin to see Steve wearing Jonathan's Converse and for Will to see his brother wearing Steve's Nikes;

✨ Jonathan knows what Steve will say before he can even open his mouth;

— *Opens his mouth*

— "No."

— "What? You didn't even let me say it!"

— "You were going to say something stupid, weren't you?"

— *Opens his mouth again before closing it and mumbling a "yeah."*

✨ Steve's a clingy drunk, always wanting to hug, kiss, and cuddle with Jonathan - much to his annoyance and slight amusement. I have a story about it, btw. You can read it here 🥰;

✨ Jonathan, on the super rare occasions when he does drink alcohol, is a happy drunk and talks with a slightly British accent (Charlie, baby, this a nod to you!), and Steve absolutely loves it - and also wonders how the hell can Jonathan perfectly mimic a British accent;

✨ Also, when Jonathan's drunk, he calls Steve "love" and "husband" - A/N: if British boyfriends can call their girlfriends "wife," Jonathan's drunk British persona can call his boyfriend "husband." - And that makes Steve's heart explode with love;

✨ On his first trip to the grocery store after moving to California, Jonathan automatically shopped for several hair products for Steve and only realized it when he arrived home. It was an "oh" moment for him, followed by him listening to "Dancing Queen" on repeat for an hour or so;

✨ When the Byers moved to California, Steve listened to the mixtapes in his glove compartment non-stop;

✨ Steve adores Jonathan's Season 4 hair! He loves playing with Jonathan's long hair, braiding it, putting it in a ponytail, wondering how the hell can Jonathan's hair look so effortlessly good and fluffy like a Golden Retriever's fur;

✨ Jonathan's the one who always does the cooking because Steve sucks at making anything other than fried eggs;

✨ Steve tried using some of the tactics he used with his previous girlfriends on Jonathan, like taking him to watch a horror movie so Jonathan could cling to him when scared, only to realize they're ineffective on Jonathan. And worst of all, Jonathan picks super scary movies that make Steve cling to him instead;

✨ Joyce threatened Steve when she found out they were dating. She was happy, yes, but if he ever hurt her son, his ass is grass. Hopper, on the other hand, uses his status as Chief of Police to threaten him with jail time if he ever hurts his (step) son. It's not uncommon for Steve to be pulled up by the Chief whenever he's driving around Hawkins - I have a story about it, btw. You can read it here 🥰;

✨ You remember Steve's blue Adidas he used to match with his Scoops Ahoy uniform?

Yeah, Jonathan bought those for him;

✨ Steve helps Jonathan tie his ties when he used to work at the Hawkins Post;

✨ Take turns in being the little spoon/big spoon;

✨ Steve's a constant presence in the Byers' house, though he enters through the window more times than through the front door - Joyce knows, by the way. He's not that stealthy;

✨ Jonathan doesn't like staying at Steve's house. It's too big and too cold for his liking. A sentiment Steve shares, so they spend most of the time at Jonathan's house;

✨ They have an agreement when it comes to parties. Steve wants to go with Jonathan to parties (even though they need to go as friends and not boyfriends because, well, it's the '80s), and Jonathan doesn't want to disappoint his boyfriend, but his social battery and anxiety can't handle parties, so they came up with an agreement - Jonathan will go with Steve to one party per month, and they'll stay there as long as he can endure. Terms Steve happily agrees to because he values Jonathan's well-being and opinions, and honestly, he'd rather stay at the party with Jonathan for five minutes than stay two whole hours without him;

✨ Steve was definitely jealous of Argyle when Jonathan spoke about him for the first time. What do you mean his boyfriend befriended a long-haired Californian? Who is this guy? Is his hair better than Steve's?!

✨ Jonathan was also definitely jealous of Steve's friendship with Robin until she told him she was a lesbian - another "Oh" moment for Jonathan that granted him the nickname of "Dingus 2;"

✨ Steve loves to hear Jonathan talking. He could listen to him talk for an hour unending;

✨ Steve has a copy of the Hawkins Post newspaper safely guarded in his desk's drawer with a photo with the subtitles "Photo by: Jonathan Byers;"

✨ Jonathan has a whole album filled with photos of Steve and him. The cover has clippings of letters from various magazines that form:

[ririsasy]

I knew you were taking your sweet time with my ask to cook up something amazing and I was right. Really enjoyed & appreciate the long post. 6 hours?!? THANK YOU, Riri. I haven't watched RRR so it was quite surprising to see that veiled scene pic, looked very intimate. I'm aware of the mainstream SM talks of RRR's bromance but surprised there's barely any for Varadeva. This is the 2nd south indian movie that I've liked, the first one was Aarya 2, great film and songs, coincidentally it also has a possessive, psychotic character who'll do anything for his male friend but that's where the similarity ends with Salaar. The difference is in the essence of their friendships. One seems "toxic" but platonic while Varadeva seems like love and has chemistry. I fully relate to all your posts on Varadeva because I had those exact thoughts while watching the movie. Cannot choose one from the pile of greatness (love the parallels). Hope you write more such posts and yes I really enjoyed your mob boss Deva and his Varadha. I'd love it if you make one post about the tattoo on Aadya's arm and what can it mean and can or will cause in the (varadeva) future. All tattoo saga.

Apology for such a long ask.

Part of the reason why Salaar wasn't talked more than RRR bromance I think because they have so little promotion tour, that's the first reason while RRR they have so many press tour to the point I couldn't even catch up with all of the amazing interviews Tarak and Charan give to promote RRR. And they definitely promoting this movie as bromance, without any hints of hesitation.

While Salaar there are only 2 like T W O interviews where Prabhas and Prithvi was in the same room 😂 while the movie is indeed about these two character and even the song all just about these two ..I don't know why they didn't highlight it in all the release short clip, they advertised this movie like the most violence men or whatever while in reality this movie is all about drama between the rulers in khansaar (and Varadeva romance).

They advertised the left poster too heavily while in reality they should have just used the poster on the right everywhere and we all be flocking to the theater lmao

People who just listened to their (unreliable) promo stuff without pondering toward the meaning of this movie they quickly just agree, yes this movie is about violence..and move on. Lmao this is like the case of shot fired wrong advertising strategy. (But aren't we all here even though like only 100 of us maximum trying to make up to it by talking about Varadeva bromace day and night like our lives depend on it.) I really want to talk with their advertising team for Salaar. It's just not as engaging as with Rajamouli.

Perhaps it wasn't their fault. Perhaps because Prithvi and Prabhas are hella busy with their other projects so they couldn't really take their times the way Tarak and Charan could who literally promote RRR movie for a whole year. RRR success I think beside the movie is really good and entertaining (I made a full review about RRR here but it contain spoiler so only read it after you watch RRR or if you're okay with getting spoiler. I post a lot of RRR meta as well you can just click RRR tag in my account and scroll scroll lol), the advertising was top notch as well, they didn't hold back. I mean Salaar getting the 750 crores return with that level of advertising 😭 it was almost a pure luck because if they didn't double the money they spend in production for ceasefire we might not even got Salaar 2 news 😭 thankfully now we can just wait for the continuation of varadeva story.

Second reason beside the advertising I think the content of the movie is also a big part of the consideration, RRR is just more colorful so people could engage with it in lighthearted nature about their bromance because there were also the element of humor when they interact with each other, while Varadeva, they exist in bleak world, no color, black and white, only people like us (what is us actually lmao) who spends more time to really really sit down and rewatch this movie could really pick out the true essence of this movie from within khansaar violence world and pulled out Varadeva love story.

Arya 2? I haven't watched it but it's on my list because I love Sukumar with Allu arjun, they made one of my favorite telugu movie together which is Pushpa, and Pushpa 2 will be released soon, the 2 songs they already dropped for the movie sequel were really great (especially Pushpa Raj whoaa) So someday I will definitely check Arya 2 when I have the time (now I am drowning in Prithviraj 134 credits to his movies lmao he has so many I am literally trying not to be too overwhelmed and take it slowly)

Mob boss Deva and bbg Varadha is literally my favorite so far from what I have written for them lmao the AU was so much fun, they will make a comeback someday lol

And for Aadhya and the tattoo actually, I really really want to talk about this in some kind of continuation story from the canon event in the movie in fic format and not just writing meta, let's see what I can do, but as you can see I am quite slow in many things haha but this time I feel like I shouldn't delay a reply to you only to wait for me writing a fic about the tattoo 😂 while making gifs might take me 6 hours (seriously that might be my longest post in this fandom that I made lmao (thank you to everyone who have like and reblog too 💯💕💐)) and to others I am sorry in advance if that post bothered you with how long you have to scroll when you see it on your dash lmao I keep adding the gifs when i re read about the analysis to support the explanation I think it's more than 25 now 😂 in that single post). writing fics it's at least 6 days business for me or even 6 weeks then would turn into 6 months, it happened so many times 😂 (so no promise for fic but it might be written)

Tell me about what you feel if you managed to watch RRR 👏👏 it's as gay as Salaar no doubt lmao RRR is the door that introduces me to the wonder that's south indian cinema.

[yell0wsalt]

For the OTP + Character Ask

Linzin 7, 17, 27

Linumi 5, 15, 25

And dealer's choice - any number and pairing you thing would be fun!

These were really good questions, many thanks!

Linzin 7, 17, 27

7. Who's clumsier?

In the day to day neither of them are all that clumsy. Consider that a product of their bending and training. However, there are instances when Lin might be more clumsy than Tenzin. Have her out of her element doing something she may not be particularly used to and she's on rocky waters so to speak, well, good luck to her 🫡 

Tenzin as a bender is not only self aware of his body/movements, but years of training as an Air bender he is particularly light/graceful on his feet.

If either of them catch a glimpse of the other’s booty, all bets are off and they’re tripping on their own feet.

17. Who is more competitive?

Ooh this one I can see going either way. Lin is blatantly more competitive when they are sparring and things like that. However, Tenzin also has the tendency to take things and himself too seriously. So he’ll make a competition out of the trivial things that don’t matter, such as how well either of their art came out or how much Oogi likes either one of them.

27. Craziest place they had sex?

I did answer that one here, suggesting Raiko’s office out of spite and a changing room in the shopping mall. 

Linumi 5, 15, 25

5. Who is the cheesier one of the two?

Bumi. He’s more expressive with his affection. Pet names, big gestures, PDA… things of that nature. Lin gets embarrassed and acts like she hates it, but she can’t deny that part of her secretly loves it.

15. Who's the first to cry during movies that don't seem sad?

Lin. She’ll be crying happy tears the main character, despite all the trials and tribulations they were put through, were able to get their happy ending. Bonus points if the movie had a found family situation. I can see her internalizing any of the conflicts the characters had in the movie and it ends up spilling over. Meanwhile, Bumi enjoys the movie for what it is and has a higher degree of separation of himself from the movie.

25. (a lil sappy, but..) What do they like about each other?

Lin loves that Bumi underneath all the foolishness he can exude, is actually a genuine and standup guy. He is quite adept when it comes to reading others, and it's helpful that she doesn’t always need to tell him what may be wrong or what’s on her mind. Somehow, he just… knows. He makes *a vague circular hand wave* everything easy for her.

Bumi loves that not only is she a strong and capable woman who doesn’t take shit, but there’s a part of her that would do anything for the ones she loves. She’s not afraid to tell it like it is and he appreciates that realness.

And dealer's choice - any number and pairing you thing would be fun!

I went with 1. Who is the better cook? (Linzin and Linumi)

Lin is technically the better cook. However, I say this meaning that she has a small rotation of dishes she cooks out of a sake of efficiency. But because she is so efficient in the kitchen, the few recipes she knows, she has on lock. 

When she takes time off, she’ll use that time to practice/try something new to swap in and out of her rotation.

Tenzin is not that great of a cook. He is an excellent baker though. 

With their powers combined, they eat well. They try to make kitchen activities a bonding moment for them.

Bumi is actually quite the excellent cook. He’s had to be resourceful and has also had greater exposure to local/traditional cuisines from around the world in his time in the United Forces. He’s gained knowledge on what spices and techniques to use and applies them to impress Lin on occasion.

OTP + character asks!

[yes-i-am-happyaspie]

❄May Your Days Be Merry and Bright Series🎄

by happyaspie

All of my G rated winter and holiday themed fics in one place!

Peter Parker's December Shenanigans  [1999]

A collection of related short stories that center around Winter/Christmas. Everything from Advent to New Year's Eve. [This fic is a continuation of Peter Parker's October but could also be read alone.]

The Definition of Anything  [2020]

The heater in Peter's apartment goes out on the coldest day of the year and the landlord seemed to be overrun with maintenance requests. Calling Tony to help him out seemed like the next logical solution. After all, he had told him many, many times that he should call him if he ever needed anything.  The man had never really specified what 'anything' meant but he figured that by definition, 'I'm cold and you know how to fix things.', fell into that category. Right?

Secret Sugarplum Spiderling [2020]

Peter has been taking ballet for nearly as long as he can remember and all of his hard work has finally paid off. He's been cast as the Cavelier to the Sugarplum Fairy in his Performing Arts School's production of The Nutcracker. It's a big deal and it's going to take up a good bit of time but... he's just not sure he's ready for his mentor to know about that particular hobby just yet. He's sure it'll be fine ... All he has to do is show up at the studio on time, keep his grades up, make sure to see Tony on a regular enough basis that he doesn't worry and try to squeeze in some patrolling in between. It's that simple. Right?

Holiday Traditions [2021]

When a brief misunderstanding leaves Morgan thinking that Peter doesn’t like Christmas, Peter decides that it would be fun to teach her more about Hanukkah. In order to do so, he and May invite the Starks' to share in some of their holiday traditions.[This story is part of a post-Endgame AU. However, it can easily be read on it's own!]

Well, Merry Sickmas, I Guess [2021]

Peter is sick, Christmas is right around the corner and May had no idea how to help him. Naturally they end up in Tony’s medbay. It doesn’t take long for Peter to be diagnosed with nothing more than some mild dehydration and a nasty stomach bug. However, knowing she can’t take Peter to just any hospital should things go downhill, leaves May feeling a little nervous. …And that’s how Peter and May end up spending the holiday with Tony Stark in his Penthouse apartment. [12/14] Now featuring a short and completely unplanned Bruce Banner centric chapter 2!

Merry Stitchamas  [2022]

All Peter wanted to was to cook May a really nice dinner for when she got home from her Christmas Eve shift. He'd thought it out and was excited to put it all together-- until the knife slipped and he accidentally cut his thumb. The good news is, he knows exactly who to call.

“Hey, Mr. Stark!” Peter greeted with as much enthusiasm as he could pull together given the circumstances. “I, uh, I know it’s Christmas Eve and all, but can I ask you a really quick question?”

Calm Still Night  [2022]

Just a quick fic about Tony enjoying the Penthouse's warm Christmasy atmosphere with Peter by his side.

Seeing is Believing  [2022]

Young Peter Parker, who has started doubting the existence of Christmas Magic, is given the opportunity to board a train heading for the North Pole. The entire night is one big adventure as he meets new friends, makes some spontaneous decisions, and has the best, most magical time of his life. [This fic is based on the film version of The Polar Express. However, you don't have to have seen the movie to enjoy the story!]

Snow-cation [2023]

After Tony's elaborate family winter getaway plans are grounded due to the early arrival of some snow, Peter does his best to make sure everyone still has a good time. Especially Tony, who seems more than a little put out by the disruption.

Toasty Warm  [2023]

Peter comes to the tower after a night of patrolling in the cold- with a broken heater. Tony helps him warm up, with hot cocoa and warm blankets, and a hoodie straight from the dryer.

🆕 Best Night Ever  [2023]

Peter’s been promised a night of ice skating. At first, things didn't go quite as he planned. But in a joyful turn of events, he ends up having a night filled with unexpected surprises, a walk in the snow, the promised ice skating adventure and several heartwarming moments. It all wraps up with a few holiday treats and a lot of family bonding.

✨Coming Soon! ✨

Santa Impersonator Happy [Dec. 14th 2023]

Happy walks into the F.E.A.S.T. building prepared to drop off a check and leave. Then Peter uses his big brown eyes to convince him to stay and help out. He just wished he'd asked a few more questions before agreeing.

"Santa. You want me to dress up as- Santa?

How Spidey Saved Christmas [Dedc. 20th 2023]

After rescuing a few stolen shopping bags, Spider-Man stumbles upon Santa Claus and his damaged sleigh in Central Park. With Tony's help, Peter is able to get Santa back in the air, thus saving Christmas. As an added bonus, he’s able to get Tony back the nice list as well. Santa thanks Peter by inviting him to assist in delivering some gifts Including the ones he’d saved! Together, they fly through the night, spreading holiday cheer. "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

[el-michoacano]

fill him with daylight

chapter one

"Don't worry, cariño." The words were spoken against the back of Nacho's neck, and Lalo grinned when he shivered in response. "I'll be gentle."

Oh, but Lalo isn't a gentle person, is he?

A horror AU set in the 1920s and based upon the movie 1922.

Tagging @dolly-macabre, @lokisinsurrection, @seraphtrevs, @lady-writes-flanagan, @jugem13, @sword-day, @fuzzthebuzz, @slainmanca and @cooked-out-euro-trash 🖤

READ ON AO3

.

January 3, 1925

"Don't worry, cariño." The words were spoken against the back of Nacho's neck, and Lalo grinned when he shivered in response. "I'll be gentle." He had his chest pressed to Nacho's back, pinning him against the grimy brick wall of the alley. They were behind his Tio's speakeasy, the sounds of jazz and chatter and raucous laughter pouring out the back door. The single bulb that hung above it was buzzing away, illuminating the brick walls and the garbage cans and the big wooden crates that carried in the products that supported the bar's front as a restaurant. It was a restaurant, of course, and the food was amazing, but it was only half the business, and it wasn't even the more successful half.

Tio Hector was in his office, muttering to himself, and Tuco was barking orders from the kitchen, and even though there were walls between them all, Lalo and Nacho were far from alone. Nacho was, naturally, more bothered by that than Lalo. He was by far the more cautious of the two. Though his chest and cheek and leather-gloved palms were pressed to the brick, his eyes were dark and wild. He said, his voice coming on a puff of steam into the frigid air, "Someone's gonna see us."

That was a perpetual concern, though Nacho seemed to feel it more deeply than Lalo did. Luckily, Lalo knew exactly how to deal with it. He leaned in, nipping at the nape of Nacho's neck, and as he always did, Nacho melted. "Let 'em see," Lalo said, his voice so low it was nearly lost under the brassy jazz blaring from inside the speakeasy. "What's the worst they can do?"

"Arrest us?" Nacho shot back, though halfheartedly. There was color rising in his cheeks, and it wasn't just from the cold. "Sodomy is a crime."

Lalo laughed, though he kept the sound as gentle as he could manage. "You want me to sodomize you, Nachito? Here?"

"I'd rather you didn't."

Lalo held back another laugh, hesitantly pulling away and shoving his hands into the pockets of his fine wool overcoat. He said, "How about in the back of my car?" He offered Nacho his arm, but the offer was ignored. It always was. Best to offer it anyway; It was the gentlemanly thing to do.

Lalo's car, a gorgeous black Ajax that so far sported only a single bullet hole, was waiting for them around the front of the building. It was an enormous car, and it had been a gift from Tio Hector when Lalo had first arrived up from México. It was so Lalo could run errands for the family, yes, but a new car was a new car, and for it, Lalo was grateful.

Arturo had been left outside on watchdog duty tonight, leaning against the front wall of the building and smoking what was probably his hundredth cigarette of the night. He gave Lalo a respectful nod as he and Nacho passed.

Lalo, naturally, ignored him, opening the passenger door for Nacho before he claimed the driver's seat for himself. Though it was terribly, bitingly cold, the engine started easily, and they drove off into the night.

This late, the roads of Brooklyn were largely empty, and they could make the trip to the Bronx with astonishing speed. The advertisements said the Ajax could reach sixty miles per hour, but Lalo dared only go forty. Were he alone, he might have tried it, just to see if that speed was even possible, but he was more careful when Nacho was with him. Tuco was the reckless driver of the family, anyway.

During the day, it would have surely meant a ticket, but even the cops avoided this area of the Bronx this late. Hell, even Tuco avoided it, and he wasn't afraid of anything except maybe Tio Hector.

It wasn't too bad during the day, honestly. It was rather cute, a bunch of little businesses with loft apartments above them, but businesses meant money, and money meant thieves. It could have been worse, but the cops were too lazy to keep it in check. Pigs, the Americans called them. They weren't wrong.

The fact that Nacho steadfastly refused to leave the neighborhood was a constant worry. Not that Lalo would ever say he was worried, but he was sure Nacho could see it. He was smart like that.

At the same time, Lalo couldn't blame him for not leaving.

It was the shop that kept Nacho in the Bronx. His father had been a tailor, and when he'd passed away a few months before, he'd left it to his only son.

Lalo had met Nacho there, mere days after the loss. Nacho had been on his knees carefully measuring the inseam of Lalo's trousers, and when he glanced up with those big brown eyes through those glorious lashes, Lalo was done for.

That had been nearly three years ago, and most everyone knew about them. It was something of an open secret. Lalo didn't care. No one dared to bring it up or come at him for it.

It wasn't so easy for Nacho. He wasn't the heir to a respected racketeering family. He was was small and pretty and on his knees for other men for a fair portion of his day. It was mostly the knowledge that Lalo was his lover that kept him safe.

He was looking out the window now, his arm resting along its edge. When Lalo reached out to take his hand, Nacho threaded their fingers together without so much as a glance, though the leather of his gloves squeaked in protest. It was second nature now, and Lalo smiled to himself as they drove on through the night.

The shop was dark when they arrived, only the light in the front window left on, illuminating the gold letters that spelled out Varga Tailoring. Beneath that, in smaller, black characters, it read Varga Sastrería.

Lalo parked the Ajax on the street in front of the shop, shifting into park and turning off the headlights. Though the car had only just started warming up, he turned off the engine and climbed out, crossing to open Nacho's door for him. Nacho didn't look particularly impressed, but he hopped out anyway, pulling the keys to the shop from the pocket of his coat. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, but when he moved to turn on the interior lights, Lalo stopped him. He opened his mouth to argue, but Lalo captured it in a kiss. The light that shone over the front window wasn't bright enough to give them away, but Nacho pulled back anyway, casting his gaze toward the glass.

There was no one outside to be watching them at this hour, and Lalo shrugged out of his coat, hanging it up on the little rack beside the door. With a quick glance back at Nacho, he locked the door.

Nacho, who was pulling his coat off, too, said, "I have an appointment first thing in the morning. You can't be here when the shop opens." There was a narrow staircase set against the wall, and Lalo followed Nacho up it to the little loft apartment above the shop. It was a warm and cozy little place, though the furniture was old and mismatched and the scent of Manuel's cologne still lingered in the air when it got hot.

There was a side table beside the door, and a banker's lamp sat on it, and this light, Lalo allowed Nacho to turn on. As they hung their hats and slipped out of their shoes, Lalo said, "You know you don't have to work, querido."

"I like working," Nacho replied, stripping off his pinstriped suit jacket, leaving him in a simple white button-down and suspenders. This was Lalo's favorite look on him, and he knew it. "I like having something to do."

It was entirely true, and Lalo admired it. It was also immensely frustrating. There was nothing he wanted more than to move Nacho into his place in Manhattan and keep him as a pet, but Nacho had too much pride to ever allow that.

He was currently standing in front of the radiator, warming his hands, his shoulders hunched and brows drawn together. He hadn't even taken off his gloves. He rarely did. He'd told Lalo why once, but Lalo had been too distracted watching his hands as he sewed to remember what he'd said.

Lalo approached Nacho slowly, carefully, winding his arms around Nacho's waist and hiding his face against his neck.

This time, Nacho didn't pull away. He did glance over his shoulder, though, looking vaguely amused and asking, "You don't give up, do you?"

"Never."

The word was punctuated with a kiss, and Nacho shivered. He whispered, his voice soft and shaky, "Just make sure you're gone in the morning. They can't see your car here."

Who they was, Lalo couldn't say, but he didn't argue, leaning in to mouth along Nacho's neck. His skin was cool and soft and tasted of salt and the cigarette smoke that had been floating through the speakeasy. It was addictive, and Lalo let one hand drift low, pulling Nacho's shirt up and free from his trousers. "You're still kinda chilly, huh, Nachito?" He didn't wait for an answer, slipping a warm hand beneath the hem of Nacho's shirt, reveling in the startled little gasp it earned him. "You should let me warm you up."

Nacho didn't seem to mind, reaching down to grasp Lalo's wrist with a gloved hand, more to feel the warmth of him than guiding him downward. Lalo's hand slipped lower anyway, beneath the waistband of Nacho's trousers. He bucked into the touch, letting his head fall back against Lalo's shoulder and sighing, "You're gonna be the death of me."

Lalo muffled a laugh against Nacho's neck, nipping at his rapidly warming skin and teasing, "Maybe someday."

[kit-main-blog]

Hello!

Hi, I am Kit!

TLDR: I study TVDM, I like having fun and being creative; Im Trans, Bi, In a relationship, And cool

I'm currently in college studying TV and digital media production, and I will probably get a psychology minor starting this fall.

I like to code; write scripts, short stories, poems, and books; spend time in nature, I especially like tennis and hiking; take photos; draw (digital and traditional); watch movies/TV; work on big, elaborate projects; spend time playing games (videogames, sports, and boardgames) with friends and family; cook; and practice mindfulness/meditate.

Im an insanely dry texter, so be warned. But if you do want to be friends, ask me what games I play, and maybe we can do that :D (18 and older tho). Or we could penpal if your interested in that!

I'm a bit (a lot) of a stoner, but I've quit smoking, and I'm on a tolerance break for the summer. TBH, Im trying to cut back a bit and build up some discipline lol.

I am transmasc/man. Id say I a dude but in a nonbinary way, and also in just a guy way Iykyk. He/they are preferred but Im chill with anything. I don't like to be gendered femininely.

I'm Bi and happily dating my GF :P. I say Bi, but lowkey, I feel straight most of the time, lol. I'd say Im 70% into women, 20% enby, and than dudes (mostly fictitious). Is this because Im in a relationship and there for not thinking about other people, mayhaps.

I think im going to use this place as a little blog/log of my hijinks. I might get more blogs eventually, but prob not. I'm not going to reblog anything without reason.

[demyxdancer]

Anime Summer 2023

Overall I thought this was an enjoyable season with quite a few high quality shows in it and a few surprises.

Here's my thoughts on Summer 2023 anime, from most favorite to least.

Bungou Stray Dogs Season 5

How could anything else be at the top? While I think overall this was a little weaker than S4 for me -- I really like some of the character work in S4, particularly Ranpo and Yosano's pasts -- this was an absolute roller coaster ride from start to finish. I can't help but admire BSD's ability to throw absolutely ridiculous and over the top plot points one after another and still make it all work. It came to a reasonably satisfying conclusion as well. BSD in general has shot up to become one of my favorite anime of all time and this season didn't disappoint at all.

Highlights: Ranpo saving everyone's asses. Sigma just wants a home. Bram just wants tunes. Aya is the MVP. Chuuya and his Spirit Halloween vampire fangs. You can't kill Dazai in a way that matters.

Complaints: I can only hope we're getting some light novel movies or else we're going to be waiting a long time for more BSD.

My Happy Marriage

Romance in anime tends to be hit or miss, but this one was incredibly refreshing. Far too many romance stories just don't do a good job of showing how the leads are meant for each other, but this show was delightful whenever the leads were on screen. I loved how they were able to talk to each other sensibly and how gently Kiyouka treated Miyo's trauma. Plus, it was beautifully animated.

Highlights: Kiyouka burning the Saimori house the fuck down. Any time Miyo wore a new kimono. The exchange of the hair cord and the comb. Miyo finally getting to protect Kiyouko.

Complaints: The first arc was stronger than the second. The abrupt turnaround by the Usuba family was a little strained.

Jujutsu Kaisen

The art change has made JJK more beautiful than ever. The production values and the OP/EDs of this show don't miss. The Hidden Inventory arc was so intense and featured some stunning fights. While I think the last few eps have been a bit rocky, I'm looking forward to seeing what's going to be cooked up.

Highlights: Pulling on our heartstrings with the girl's sudden death. Gojo's revenge rampage. Geto tormented by the clapping of hands. Yuuji's friends teasing him about a girl.

Complaints: JJK's commitment to never slowing down means we never get to spend as much time in the character moments as I'd like. I think this hurts arcs like Hidden Inventory where Geto's turn to the dark side would be better done if they slowed down a bit.

Undead Murder Farce

This season's big surprise for me. This show was incredibly entertaining and had everything you could want. Vampires! Werewolves! A phantom thief! Sherlock Holmes! Lesbians! The supernatural creatures in an alternate history late 1800s Europe thing did a little bit to fill the Vanitas-shaped hole in my heart. I really appreciated how solid production values and creative visuals spiced up episodes that were really mostly just talking. There had better be another season of this. The story's just getting started!

Highlights: Phantom Thief Lupin and his dramatics. Literary characters showing up one after the other. Vampire murder mystery.

Complaints: The second arc was definitely the best one, and the following werewolf arc dragged a bit and couldn't quite compare.

Saint Cecilia and Paster Lawrence

This show just doesn't work as a romcom, which it ostensibly is trying to be. Lawrence is just too dense and the development is excruciatingly slow even by anime romcom standards. Thankfully, this show does work nicely as a charming slice of life. It's consistently cozy and heartwarming even if nothing ever actually happens. The village full of supportive townsfolk looking after these two reminds me almost of Stardew Valley.

Highlights: The trip to the city where we actually inched along the plot a bit. Cecilia's outfits -- she really does look cute in anything. The scene with Cecilia and Lawrence in the attic.

Complaints: Nothing ever happens. Ending on Lawrence confused about whether or not he thinks of Cecilia as family was kind of a downer.

Sunshine in the Mirror

I haven't watched Love Live! Sunshine (which this show is a spinoff of) but I did watch Superstar and it's not like it's difficult to follow a Love Live show. This one started out promising with a cute enough premise, but kind of fell apart halfway through. The cute slice of life content wasn't bad, but the plot itself was poorly done with unclear stakes. The magic badness engulfing the town was primarily shown as fog with a few angry deer in it. That's just New Hampshire, I'm not scared of that.

Highlights: While all idol music sounds a little samey to me, this one was on the higher end of enjoyability. Cute outfits and consistently colorful and fun to look at. Lailaps plot was cute enough.

Complaints: The overarching plot was really badly written, and that killed a lot of the momentum of the series.

Bang Dream! It's MyGo!

This show has one thing going for it compared to Love Live, and that is willingness to show actual teenage drama and teens being petty and selfish. I loved the lead singer character and her awkwardness and her bandaid collection and wished the show were more about her, but I guess not all shows can be Bocchi the Rock. While the writing had its good points, I ended up dropping this due to pointless drama overload and the fact that I couldn't tell the girls apart.

Highlights: Lead singer character was endearing when she got to be on screen.

Complaints: CGI animation was stiff and poor. Characters impossible to tell apart. Teen drama maybe a little too realistic and hard to watch as a result.

Zom 100

This had an outstanding first episode but quickly went down the tubes for me. I'm not a big fan of zombies in the first place, so bouncing off the show is probably on me. I dropped it after the first handful of episodes.

Highlights: First episode is well worth watching on its own. Colorful animation.

Complaints: Unfunny humor. Production quality drops significantly after the first episode. Treatment of female characters made me uncomfortable. Guilt over watching an anime about exploitative companies knowing how many production delays this has had and that the people making this are also being exploited.

Fall 2023

Fall 2023 is looking absolutely slammed! Dr. Stone and Spy x Family are back. Frieren, Apothecary Diaries, I'm in Love with the Villainess and Tearmoon Empire are high on my list of shows to try. And we'll have the second cour of Jujutsu Kaisen.

[passivedecept]

I saw this and thought "why not share some of the tips that help me with writing?"

Foremost of all. Remember. You are suposed to have fun. When you stop having fun you shpuld take a break or do something else.

For most of us it is a hobby. And hobbies arent suposed to stress you out or intimidate you. So. Lets take back the fun of writing!

- I dont feel like writing.

Take a break. Even if you havent writing for days or weeks. Someone once compared writing with emptying a lake in your head with a spoon and being like "trust me. As soon as this lake it empty you will see how cool it is". Well... sometimes you need a break from that. Go outside. Cook something. Bake something. Watch a movie. Read a book. Just. Let yourself relax. Dont feel guilty. You write for you. You are allowed to take breaks to make sure you enjoy the experience. The will to write will come back

Okay. That is the big one.

What if you want to write but you CANT for some reason? First thing to do. Look for why you cant continue.

- no idea how to continue. Or no inspiration.

You need a break from it, again. Your inspiration and idea well can dry out. Remember that lake that i mentioned before? That is also your imagination and your inspiration pool. If it is empty you ant take from it anymore. Which means. Break time. Step back and interact with other things. If you really want to write you can always try writing a few short stories. Put you characters into situations. I personally love browsing through prompt lists and just picking one that speaks to me. Sometimes you will even come out of it with more ideas. Or you will get an idea for a completely different story. That is okay to. You dont have to focus on just one story. You can have multiple you work on at the same time. Gives your brain different things to interact and play with and we love variation :D

- you know what you want to happen but cant make it work.

Now we are getting into the part which means we have a block in the story. You want to write. You know what you want to write. But dont know how. I have noticed... that sometimes when i get stuck it is not the future part that is the issue but something before. Maybe it needs one more set up sentence for it to make that step. Think about where you want to go with the story and when this could be casually mentioned or foreshadowed. You create a small bridge to breach the gap :D

- but PD!! What if i have to write this report before midnight! But i cant write it because i dont want to and hate it but my grade will be affected.

Perfection is the enemy. You sit yourself down. With chips and somekind of energydrink or coffee. Look up the video game music playlist and just go my friend. A finished something is better than unfinished in this case.

Joking aside.

Perfection is the enemy. You are not going to write the perfect book/fanfiction on the first try. Your first draft or anything. First version. Is always going to need some extra love and care. You can see this as sketching. You make the main lines ans add some details. Maybe somewhere along the way you realise a different pose is better so you change the arm. It is part of the process.

Try and remember to have fun. This isnt about consuming or production. It is about a love for creating something you like. And there is only one person in this world that has to like this... and that is you. Write for you. Dont worry about cringe or about using the same prompts or be predictable. These things are popular because they work and these cna help you get started.

It is easier to edit a finished draft than perfecting an unfinished chapter.

Dont be afraid to let yourself take risks with writing. It is for you. You dont have to chase any approvement.

Write for you. And buddy. If you decide to upload it. There is always going to be people who dislike it. But there will always be people who love it as well, and those people are the ones you will make a connection with.

Have fun. And happy writing.

daydreaming about writing: 🥰😍🥹❤️😊🌺✨😘

the act of actually writing: 😭😰😵‍💫😭😰😭☹️😖

[writerchickmarie]

John Lloyd Young At 54 Below - A Broadway Leading Man For All Seasons

John Lloyd Young knows his Broadway stuff.

This is something that we have always known to an extent, as his Broadway set has become a favorite with friends and fans over the years. But this week at 54 Below, he showed just how vast his knowledge is - and proved that he can perform anything, from every corner of Broadway and beyond.

He began the evening with "So You Wanted To Meet The Wizard" from The Wiz, which debuted on Broadway in the year of his birth. From the first note, he cast a spell over the audience, that only grew stronger with each story and song. His rich baritone took center stage on "I Have Dreamed" from The King And I, as he connected with audience members throughout the entire room.

JLY moved into a special, jazz-style arrangement of "My Favorite Things" from The Sound Of Music...which also made those of us heading to Bavaria and Austria with JLY in a couple of weeks picture our itinerary in Salzburg at the movie locations, along with our upcoming cooking lesson there making those crisp apple strudels.

He was accompanied by a stellar band, with musical direction by Ron Abel on piano, Sean Harkness on guitar, Derek Nievergelt on bass, and Ray Marchica on drums. It's always a pleasure when this group of musicians works with JLY, and this time was better than ever.

JLY told us the story of how his parents had their first date seeing a production of The Fantasticks, and that he had picked this next song because he had lived it while working toward his Broadway dreams. "I Can See It" was rich and strong, and inspiring for the rest of us to pursue our dreams as well.

He then performed one of our favorites, "Till There Was You" from The Music Man, done in the style of the Beatles arrangement. Next up was a song he used to sing at events where the Jersey Boys cast was invited to perform, when they weren't given permission to sing the songs from their own musical. Ron Melrose's arrangement of "I Only Have Eyes For You" is perfectly suited for JLY, and his incredible falsetto takes your breath away.

He also brought back a song that I loved when he first started doing an all-Broadway set. His deeply thoughtful version of "Where Do I Go" from Hair goes right to your soul. I am so glad he included it in this incarnation of the Broadway set. He also told us how he used to listen to various cast albums while he was growing up, with Jesus Christ Superstar being one of his favorites. He performed "Pilate's Dream" from the musical, which brought so many of us to tears. His interpretation truly brought the character's thoughts and dilemma to life.

After a special number featuring each member of the phenomenal band, JLY took us back to his high school days, when he was elected Prom King...which meant that he chose Phantom Of The Opera for the prom theme. (I would definitely have loved to attend a Phantom prom!) He performed a song that another friend had requested, that we all know - "All I Ask Of You". Stunningly beautiful and powerful, it brought all of us to tears again, and led to a long standing ovation. This one is absolutely a keeper!

We stayed in emotional territory with "Empty Chairs At Empty Tables" from Les Miserables, which he performed as Marius in 2008 at the Hollywood Bowl. He also mentioned that he often listened to cast albums in other languages. He learned this same song in Japanese for a friend who is a world class pianist, who was in attendance the night before. He performed it for us as well (and for those livestreaming the show from home), and both versions were haunting and poignant.

Of course, there was a Jersey Boys segment for this show as well. The audience got to participate in "Big Girls Don't Cry", and he also did "My Eyes Adored You" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", which still take our breath away every time.

JLY talked about opening the show with The Wiz, where Andre DeShields played the wizard...then mentioned that he was in the original Broadway cast of Ain't Misbehavin' with another one of his inspirations, Nell Carter. He performed one of her numbers from the show, "Mean To Me", showcasing his full vocal range and tugging at our hearts. I'm happy to hear this one in the set as well.

He finished the evening by going around the room for "One Last Kiss" from Bye Bye Birdie, then had us all on our feet and singing along to "Working My Way Back To You" and "Sherry". Everything was perfect from start to finish.

John Lloyd Young worked his way from one end of the Broadway spectrum to the other, demonstrating his versatility along with his vocal prowess. The is a set that we will all be talking about for a long time. I'm excited to hear what the future holds...and thrilled that we are all along for the ride as the world hears that voice and takes notice. Whatever the season, JLY is a Broadway leading man like no other. Here's to more in the future!

[helenaheissner]

Love During Robot Fighting Time: Chapter 20

Zeke

The morning of our fight with Gregson, I woke up to find Faith making pancakes, singing along to a Brandi Carlisle song as she flipped a flapjack over, swaying her hips back and forth in a way I found difficult to describe with a word other than ‘tantalizing.’

I nearly slapped myself on the spot. I resisted the urge, both urges, and simply said, “Hey. You’re in a good mood.”

“Yes indeedy,” Faith said, shining that bright smile of hers. She wore nothing but a miniskirt and a tank top, her hair up in a messy bun, no makeup, no jewelry, utterly freaking beautiful as the morning light shined on her and refracted off her big brown eyes. 

“Photoshoot yesterday go well?” I asked. 

“Oh yes, very much so,” she said. Practically sang. 

The microwave dinged, and she chirped as she opened it and retrieved a glass measuring cup filled with real maple syrup, the pure stuff from Maine, and poured it over a plate adorned with three pancakes all topped with pallets of butter. 

She carried the plate over to me and put it in my hands, then tousled my hair and spun back around on her heel and went back to the stove. I cringed when I realized I was staring at her butt as she went back to work cooking. 

“Thanks,” I managed to choke out as I sat down. A glass of orange juice and an equally tall glass of cold brew coffee awaited me at the table. “You didn’t have to do all this, though.”

“I wanted to,” she said. “How did your date with Katie go last night?”

“Good,” I said, holding the image of her cuddled up to me in the darkened movie theater in my mind, trying not to think sinful thoughts about anyone besides the girl I was currently dating. I won’t be like Dad, I won’t be like Dad, I won’t be like Dad. 

“Good,” she said, soon coming over with her own plate of pancakes. She stared at me, smiling a crooked smile and tilting her head to the side. “She say anything to you?”

“Uh… About what?”

“Oh, you know, stuff.”

“Y… Yes, Faith, she did in fact say things to me about stuff at various points, though not so much when the film was playing,” I deadpanned. “Did something happen with you two yesterday?”

She shrugged. 

OH COME ON! 

“Sh-should I be concerned?” I asked. 

“Not at all, big guy, not at all,” Faith said. She dug into her pancakes and devoured them, and I decided the best thing to do was let this one be for the time being. 

***

“You guys ready for this?” Kate asked, sitting in the back seat of the Star-Rocket Racer. She’d gotten herself dressed up in a pink floral blouse with ruffled sleeves and a light blue skirt, done her makeup and hair. Faith and I, meanwhile, were going for a look Faith described as ‘a night at the opera’- she was even wearing long white gloves to go with her stark black gown. I, in contribution, had agreed to don a monocle to accompany my tuxedo. 

Mrs. Calloway- Miranda, as she kept insisting I call her- had even done a bit of tailoring on my tux to make it fit better. Honestly, she was a miracle worker- suddenly the thing was a perfect match for my giant body, not pinching at the crotch or hanging too loose around the ankles like it had before. 

“Not remotely,” I laughed. 

“Oh c’mon, don’t be like that,” Faith said as she unbuckled herself and opened the car door. 

I followed suit. “You know I love the confidence, but I’m trying to keep my expectations in check.”

“I just don’t think that’s productive,” she said, cracking her knuckles as she opened the trunk of the car while Kate helped me lower DG out onto the sledge. “We have to believe that we can do this, otherwise, we’ve no chance.”

“She raises a good point,” Kate said. Then she grabbed a fistful of my lapel and pulled me in for a kiss, white hot lust sparking inside my chest and nether-regions at the contact and… Brazenness. “Stud,” she whispered, blatant desire shooting out her eyes and going deep into my soul. 

I chuckled, “Let’s not get carried away, babe.”

“No, please do, I encourage it,” Faith said with a wink, putting her arm around Kate and nuzzling her neck, damn near purring with affection. 

I struggled not to picture certain… Bedroom activities the two girls I cared most about in this world might do together. It was a losing battle, and all I could do was pray I wouldn’t display any… Physical evidence of this. 

Kate stroking Faith’s hair certainly didn’t help. 

Seriously, what had gotten into these two lately? I knew they were friends now but it constantly looked like they were undressing each other with their eyes and giggling at their mutual proximity to both each other and to me. 

It had to be my imagination. Had to be. 

Just my overactive imagination, trying to make me be like Dad. But I won’t be like Dad. I can’t be like Dad. I won’t be like Dad.

We entered the Pits and got ourselves situated, only for the competition to come up to greet us amidst the roar of engines and saws and blowtorches. 

George Gregson was, in a word, unassuming. Middle-aged, gray-haired, barrel-chested, average height, clean shaven, whiter than printer paper, bespectacled, clad in a black and silver Johnny Cash t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans and workman’s boots, he was not, at first glance, in any way intimidating. And yet, as he walked towards us, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up. And looked at him. Some, like Team Forest Fire, were in awe; others, like Team Flipper, were terrified; others, like Jolly Roger’s crew, just looked furious. And plenty of others, Ultimate Frisbee and Ax-Grinder and Damage Control and Rotator Cuff and Power Play, were just embarrassed, probably because Gregson had kicked their asses at various points over the years. Ax-Grinder in particular had gotten systematically dismantled by Gregson within forty-five seconds not two weeks erstwhile; the odds of them having a functional bot again by the time of their next match hovering the hazy line between slim and none.

He ignored every single one of them, and simply walked forward in the deafening silence. He stopped in front of the three of us and looked Faith square in the eyes. For her part, Faith planted her feet and didn’t flinch. 

“Good luck tonight,” Gregson said, extending a hand towards Faith. 

Faith exhaled softly, and returned the handshake. “Same to you, sir.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “Please, just call me George, I’m begging you. Feel old enough as is.” Then he offered me the same handshake, and I returned it as well. Holy shit, that was a tight grip! “Good luck tonight, young man.”

“Thank you, s… George.”

Finally, he turned to Katie, who I then realized was one step short of quivering. “As for you, young lady. I’m looking forward to our rematch. And I like your new look. Suits you better than the old one.”

Kate gulped, and finally shook his hand as well. 

“See you kids in the ring!” he said jovially as he walked off, literally everyone in the room still staring at him as he waved good-bye to us. “And remember- it isn’t personal, when I wreck your shit! It’s just business!”

A few moments passed, and auditory stimulus slowly but surely began to permeate the pits once more as everyone finished drinking in the presence of a living legend/creature of pure nightmare.

“You okay, Kate?” I asked. 

“I just… I used to want to be him, you know?” she said, turning around and putting her arms around both of us. “I think based a lot of who I used to be on who I thought he was. But I didn’t even know him, so it… It wasn’t really him, and it wasn’t really me either. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, it does,” Faith said, still smiling at her, then smiling at me as well. 

I returned their shared looks of affection. At the end of the day, Gregson was just a guy. And he had a reputation to protect, so he sure as hell wasn’t gonna go easy on us because we were the young bucks trying to prove something.

But Faith and I had a reputation to protect as well. We were the defending champions, Goddammit, and we needed this win to have a shot at making a repeat title run. 

And I had something else to defend as well. I didn’t want to see Faith cry again, not after the fight with Olivia, and not after everything that had happened. Regardless of how I felt about her, and about myself, on my honor as a man, I wouldn’t let that happen. And as for Kate… That look she’d given me before, the one that told me how much she was proud of me, how much she admired me, how happy she was to be mine… I’d defend that with all I had. 

She’d used to want to be Gregson, because she wanted to be nothing less than the best there ever was. So the nicest thing I could do for her was show her that Gregson wasn’t the best. 

Faith and I were the best. 

Time to fucking prove it.

***

“AND IN THE RED SQUARE: THIS BOT WILL BRING YOU TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PIT! IT’LL SWING YOU BACK AND FORTH ALL OVER THE BOX! IT’LL TAKE YOU THERE AND BACK AGAIN! IT’S… PENDULUM!!!!” bellowed our glorious hype man while the cameras focused on Gregson and his companions, Ben Yancy and Marjorie Hennessy. 

Gregson just roared with malice and delight, his mannerisms shifting to a cackling supervillain working the crowd before he did something very messed up but very, very cool. I think I understood what Kate meant now- she’d practically been emulating this guy from the moment she’d walked on stage last season.

“Gregson is a long-standing presence in this league, Marty- do you think he’s got anything to worry about in fighting the defending champions?” Derek Benes said. 

“Well, I asked him about it earlier,” Marty said, “All George Gregson had to say was ‘not a chance. My victory is assured like always.’”

“Hard to argue with logic like that,” Derek responded. 

And then it was our turn. 

“AND IN THE BLUE SQUARE: HOPE YOU’RE READY TO RUN SOME DRILLS! BECAUSE THIS BOT ALWAYS GETS RIGHT TO THE POINT! IT’LL MAKE YOU DO A MULTI-PRONGED ASSAULT! IT’S… DAI GURREN!!!!”

The crowd cheered, and the cameras turned towards us, and through all the noise, I heard Kate and her parents screaming louder than anybody. I noticed Faith’s hands shaking just a little bit- that confidence was evidently something she’d been practicing for all of our benefits- and I put a hand on her shoulder while my free hand punched the sky and cheered. 

After a second’s hesitation, Faith did the same. 

“Faith Watanabe and Zeke Underhill have… Not been having the best season so far, all things considered,” Marty said. “With a tied record halfway into the regular season, and one of those matches frequently being called a ‘fluke-’”

“Say what now?” Faith growled under her breath.

“Many are wondering if Dai Gurren is just a flash in the pan,” Weston continued. 

“Well, I think that’s a little unfair to Watanabe and Underhill- as a former heavyweight champion of the world, I can tell you first hand that defending a title is a massive amount of pressure for anyone, let alone two young people barely a year out of college.”

“Well, then only time will tell,” Marty said. “Let’s get ready to fight.”

My heartbeat soared, and I concentrated on breathing, in and out, in and out, in and out, as we led our bot into the battle box. Dai Gurren and Gurren were situated in our square while we climbed into our control zone. 

“ROBOTS! ACTIVATE!” intoned the mechanical overhead voice.

Just like we practiced, Faith and I had DG and G scramble, DG bearing left and G to the right. Pendulum went directly after DG, and Faith twisted DG out of the way of the first swing of the upper-cut hammer. 

She delivered the first blow, puncturing Pendulum’s armor on its left hand side and pushing against it. Unfortunately, the damn thing was just plain heavier than DG and would not budge. Gregson laughed raucously as his bot pivoted at a sharp angle and broke free of DG and launched its uppercut again. DG barely made it out of the way while I had G take Pendulum from behind and leave an incision in the back of it. 

Gregson proceeded to completely ignore me, and continued chasing after DG. Slow and steady, he chased after DG as Faith slowly led him toward the rotating screws. She had DG sit stationary in front of the screws, waiting, waiting, waiting ‘till Pendulum was right in front of her and launching its uppercut. 

DG drove out of the way at the last possible second, sustaining a slight clip on its side that made one of the wheels wobble. The uppercut collided with the screws and stopped them entirely as the rotators were torn loose and a giant cylinder of serrated metal fell onto the arena floor. 

“WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! WHAT A DISPLAY OF PENDULUM’S RAW POWER! UNBELIEVABLE!” Marty screamed. Seriously, how much cocaine was that man on?

I drove G into Pendulum’s tract again, chipping away at it as he drove away from me yet again. “Don’t you freaking ignore me!” I grunted. 

“Hm? What was that?” Gregson said, an evil chuckle lacing his words. 

“Son of a-”

“Stay calm, Zeke,” Faith said evenly. “Just do it like we practiced. Like we planned for.”

I exhaled. “Right.”

I flanked across the side of the box while Faith led Gregson towards the overhead hammer at the other end and tried the same trick as last time, dodging more successfully. The hope was that the impact of Gregson’s uppercut against the vertical hammer’s downward assault would disable Pendulum’s primary weapon, but unfortunately it had the opposite effect of tearing the overhead hammer off of its hinges and sending it flying into the glass surrounding the box. It landed in front of the announcers and buried itself in the shield, leaving both men screaming. 

Faith turned and went at Pendulum’s left side again, perfectly matching the holes she’d already drilled, while I did some more damage to his left tread. 

Pendulum rotated. 

DG and G both rotated as well, trying to avoid the line of fire. 

That was when DG’s wheel broke off. 

“NO!” Faith screamed as DG stumbled onto its side. 

“Oh HELL! LOOKS LIKE THAT WING-CLIP DID MORE DAMAGE THAN WE THOUGHT!” Derek screamed. 

“MWAHAHAHAHAHA!” Gregson cackled. He wasted no time and aimed his weapon. 

He fired. 

DG took the hit directly to its face plate, and all of our drills shattered as its front was caved in and sent flying back. It went careening to the other end and impacted against the glass on the audience side of the box, falling in a crushed heap onto the rafters. 

I wanted to scream, to lose it as well, but I had a job to do. 

Faith looked ready to cry. 

Me? I couldn’t take that lying down. 

Pendulum’s uppercut hadn’t returned to its station yet, so I drove Gurren directly into the slot and plunged the titanium drill into the magnet propellant. I dove out as soon as I was in, finding, mercifully, that the uppercut wasn’t returning to its home. It couldn’t. The similarly-charged magnets on both ends wouldn’t let it get any closer than it already was, reducing it to a blunt instrument stuck at a forty-five degree angle. 

“OH HELL NO! The mini-bot Gurren has disabled Pendulum’s primary weapon! Without that, it’s just a mighty glacier!”

I couldn’t stop there. I went back to the point on Pendulum’s tread I’d been working on plunged back in, my hands sweating as I held the button down on my control pad, ripping apart the opposing bot’s mobility. 

It tried to move after me, but I went on the retreat. Gregson’s left tread was totally disabled, meaning it had to rely entirely on its right to haul its massive bulk. It tried to rotate to get a decent angle on me, and Gregson grunted as he poured all the power into the right tread… 

… Only for the poor balance of the stuck weapon to work against it as it turned. 

Pendulum fell onto its side, remaining stationary as it rested on its broken tread. 

“HOLY FUCKING SHIT!” Marty screamed. I wonder if the live-bleepers got that one on time. “ARE YOU SEEING THIS, DEREK?!”

“OH I’M SEEING IT MARTY!” Derek screamed. “I’M JUST NOT SURE MY AGED EYES CAN BELIEVE IT!”

I could have cried. I could have laughed. But honestly… I was too stunned to do anything besides stand there with my jaw in pieces on the floor. I can’t believe that worked. I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT FUCKING WORKED! HOLY SHIT ON A DICK THAT ACTUALLY FUCKING WORKED!!

“Gonna need to see some movement,” the referee said to Gregson. 

“Yeah, that’s a tall order right now,” Gregson said, laughing bitterly as he spun the right tread that hung above his broken bot. 

“10! 9! 8!”

The countdown continued, and elation bubbled through me as I drove G around the box for a victory lap, still incapable of closing my mouth. 

“1! That’s game!” the referee said. “Team Dai Gurren wins!”

“LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS!” Marty roared.

The crowd went crazy, so loud I couldn’t make out Katie’s voice amidst all the disparate sounds. Next to me, Faith held her hands over her mouth, tears streaming out her eyes, too stunned to move. I’d sworn I wouldn’t let her cry again, and I suppose I’d failed at that particular endeavor, but… From where I was standing, those looked an awful lot like happy tears. 

There was only one thing I could think to do.

I gave a bow and a flourish of my arm and said, “Fair lady. May I have this dance?”

She gulped, looking up at me like she was the happiest woman in the world. And I’d made that happen. I’d done that for her. The impossible. I’d killed a fucking giant for her. 

The post-fight interview was a blur, as was Gregson coming up and giving us both big old bear hugs, congratulating us on the win, saying we’d given him a helluva fight and that we were worthy opponents and he was looking forward to seeing us in the playoffs. Under the hammy exterior, he really was a good dude. 

We brought the obliterated remains of DG back into the pits. I held G in my hands, stroking like a damn bunny. I knew it was an inanimate object- that both of them were- but at that moment it felt like as much Gurren’s victory as mine. The little guy had really come through for us. We had a lot of work to do on repairs, and we could have stayed for the rest of the matches, but without even having to say a word to each other, we knew we were done for the night. So we put our equipment on a sledge and hauled it out to the Star-Rocket Racer. Kate leaned against the car waiting for us, and she ran over and planted a kiss on my lips, long and passionate. 

“I am so freaking proud of you,” Kate said to me, her arms around my neck, mine around her waist. She tilted her head and looked at Faith and said, “And you, too!”

Faith chuckled. “Does that mean I get a kiss as well?”

Kate gulped, and I expected her to laugh, but then she said, “Only if Zeke says it’s okay.”

I blanched. “Um… What?”

“Is it okay?

“W-what is happening right now?” I said, my head spinning, my heart racing, elicit images sparking in my mind, of the two of them, of all three of us. 

Faith gave Kate a shallow nod and a thumbs’ up.

“I… Faith and I talked the other day,” Kate said, pulling herself off of me but not breaking off eye contact. “And she-”

“I like Kate,” Faith said. “And I like you, Zeke. I like you both. And I know that’s true for you as well.”

For a moment, I thought my heart would stop. I wouldn’t be like my dad, couldn’t be like him, shouldn’t be-

“If you’re not comfortable with it,” Kate said, “We can forget about all this.”

“I can’t be like him,” I said, barely more than a whisper. 

“You won’t be,” Kate said, putting a reassuring arm on my shoulder. “Because… I like Faith, too.”

For once, I noticed myself crying. It wasn’t sad, though, and it wasn’t shameful, and it wasn’t envious. They were tears of relief. She… They both… They both liked me, and each other, and we all… 

The possibility had never even occurred that they could feel the same way about each other as they did about me. I don’t know why, it made perfect sense; they were both amazing, beautiful, intelligent, and so damn sweet. I didn’t want to be like my dad, but I was pretty damn sure my dad had never even talked about the possibility of this with my mom. Not that she’d have ever agreed- she was old fashioned and close-minded. They both were. 

And I didn’t want to be like either of them. 

We all liked each other. And that was okay. More than okay, that was beautiful. And I wanted it. I wanted both of them, and I wanted them both to have each other as well as me. 

“Ladies first,” I said, gesturing to Faith.  Faith gasped, “You mean-” She didn’t get to finish, because Kate was already locking lips with her within a second.

It was the most heartening sight I’d ever seen, the two girls I cared about more than anything else in the world sharing mutual affection for each other, and letting me have this moment with them. And when it was over, Kate pushed Faith, the nervous, shaking girl that I’d loved for so damn long, towards me. 

“You know this is gonna be complicated, right?” I said. “Lotta work from all three of us to make something like this function.”

“I know,” Faith nodded bashfully, blushing bright red. “I’m up for it if you are, though. I’m not scared anymore.”

“You know what?” I said. “Neither am I.”

She stood on her tip-toes, and I leaned over, and our lips met. She was soft and sweet, her body pressing against mine, the curve of her hips glorious as my hands ran over them. Her lipstick was thicker and waxier than Kate’s… No, no that wasn’t right. Some of Kate’s had gotten onto Faith’s lips, leaving it thicker than when she’d started. An aftermath of her grace and affection, evidence of her having been there and an extra treat for me to taste and a reminder of the affection we both had for Faith. 

That just made it better. 

I picked Faith up into my arms and held her tight, slipping tongue into her mouth as she did the same with me. Kate hugged us both, taking turns kissing us on the cheeks, and then we broke off and started kissing her as well. 

When that had run its course, we found ourselves dancing once again, all three of us together, keeping time and rhythm, delighting in each other’s company. 

Tonight, I had slain a giant. 

Tonight, I was with the two most beautiful women in the world, and they cared for each other just as much as they cared for me. 

Tonight, I was the luckiest man in the world. 

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[mikroaaurora]

confused

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 Woooow what a handful of a start to 2023. I think I’ve gone through the 5 stages of grief about 10 times during this month and a half. I’ve defiantly also experience a LOT within the shortest time although January felt like three months compiled into just one.

The BIG, big one was that I actually met someone, well this was December of 2022 but after about a month things were going well for us, actually things were going really well. I really liked this guy and I’m pretty sure he was reciprocating the same feelings back, and for me this was quite big because I had never been in a real relationship before, I mean I had dated a girl but she was my best friend so eh, and I had also dated long-out-of-the-country distance before, but I had never actually had a real relationship, and mind you this was with a boy.

I was nervous meeting him for the first date, hell I was shitting myself, honestly I think I almost considered driving back home, but I didn’t and we had a really great night.

Fast forward we would spend hours at night talking and watching movies (especially watching movies), staying up till 6am until one of us would doze off for a bit and then laughing at the fact we can both see the sun through our blinds. It was really really good, and it became quite a consistent habit to the point where I was wishing I just had one night to myself to play games haha.

I could also see my mood changing and I felt more happier, my family noticed me feeling happier.

A few weeks later after I saw him again things started to change, I mean he had his reasons that were completely reasonable so we talked a little less, took a little longer to reply to each other but it was okay, I had to understand. I just think that it was a little hard for me since we were talking so much constantly, I think I got a bit attached and clingy so I had to pull myself out of that mindset which wasn’t as easy but it got there.

Before I knew it we were not really talking at all and I was missing him constantly, at one point I think I got a little depressed for a few days because of it, since I was thinking… was it something I did? Did I do something wrong?? Whats happening???? But no matter what I could think of nothing has me pointing the finger at myself because we had just been like normal before we stopped talking so much. I struggled quite a bit through those probably 4 days, I didn’t do anything, wake up, watch tv all day, check tiktok a few times go to sleep, that’s all I did for about 4 days straight.

Honestly I would like to say a big fuck you to tiktok for also showing me so many relationship advice tiktoks on my fyp that fed into my anxiety and stress which didn’t help at all.

That was until I got sick of being sad.

One thing that I always admire about myself and pride myself on is how I can change my mood very quickly, and instantly motivate myself to be more positive. So I did. I was more positive and productive than I had been in the last 6 months. I was finally getting around to doing things I had put off for the longest time, I was waking up early, cooking myself new recipes and it made me feel really good!

Something that also helped was that I tend to get hyperfixated on something, in this case it was a movie/ movie characters, so tiktok I take that back thank you for feeding my hyperfixation.

Eventually I decided to text him after about 2 weeks of not talking, even though I was waiting for a response from him I said fuck it.

We talked for a few days but things just went back to normal and it felt like he was detaching himself a bit. But I kept gaslighting myself saying he’s busy, and tired because he was busy, he had a lot going on, but I don’t know things told me otherwise.

Now I think the worst part of this was he never established what we are, he did mention that we were in a relationship and god we acted like it but I just need that verbal confirmation.

I am still waiting for that confirmation and sometimes he’ll do things that will make me think okay we’re all fine, but then he’ll forget things that we had planned to do and I just get sad and confused all over again.

Confused that is the big word, constantly being confused.

Now I actually want to text him and ask him about what we are because I feel like it will be too hard to meet up and idk about calling, and I would like to know sooner or later before I become more confused with myself. But I told myself I would wait until valentines day is done just encase he decides to make a move, and wait until my trip this week is done since I don’t want to make myself stressed or sad.

But as for now the ball is in his court and I’m hoping he makes a move soon.