#that phrase has been haunting me dudes

[sixerstanley]

Me: yeah, nothing wrong with it and I enjoy it from time to time, but teen Stancest isn't that interesting to me

Also me: *reads the phrase "I don't know if I'll be able to stop" during a teen Stancest part of a fic and now I'm thinking of writing a teen Stancest fic*

[karliahs]

fic writer interview!!

tysm @plusultraetc for the tag!! <3

How many works do you have on AO3?

50 exactly!

What's your total AO3 word count?

234,906, almost half of which (110k) was written/posted this year. insane!!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

darken your door (12,832)

walk a mile (5642)

swan dive (4857)

rescue (3905)

something else to pretend (3,572)

there's a theme here and it's bnha fics i wrote in 2019/2020

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

yes!! with several asterisks i'll get into in a minute. i try to respond to every comment i get because:

i genuinely really appreciate that anyone takes the time to tell me they liked a fic when they could just consume it and say nothing with 0 consequences, so i want to say thank you

some comments have a rly big impact on me - change the way i feel about stuff, contain phrases i remember for a really long time, make me cry, etc - and just like how if someone writes a fic that impacts me then i want to tell them, i want to tell people how much their comment mattered

i often only figure out why i did something or made certain choices in a fic until someone prompts me to talk about it. it's such a useful exercise for understanding my own work better

i genuinely adore rambling about my fics, it's arguably more fun than writing them in the first place

it's really nice getting to chat to commenters and get to know people!

however. there is a 3-4 year period where i didn't reply to any comments at all because i got overwhelmed and then felt like it was too late to try and catch up. this still haunts me a little bit because i got some really lovely impactful comments in that era but it just feels too weird to reply literally like 5 years late 😭

2nd asterisk is some fics i feel kind of embarrassed about and so don't reply to comments on, 3rd is that i'm bad at managing my comments inbox so i'm sure i miss people out by accident sometimes, and 4th is that if i don't have anything nice to say then i won't respond...i get almost no comments i think are intentionally meant to be rude, but sometimes i get ones that rankle for one reason or another and i won't reply if i'm just gonna be tetchy bc again, i don't think they're meant badly

so very much a yes in theory but not in practice 😂

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

bargaining chips i think. the funny thing about that series is that in some ways i think things would ultimately turn out better than in canon (there's a reason the 2nd fic has akechi promise to contact ren if he does survive, a thing that would have paid off in the 3rd fic i never finished). but as of bargaining chips it's very much...this is the POV of a person who thinks the only power they have left in the world is to hurt people

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

my usual ending is like bittersweet and/or hopeful, so for example i feel a lot of things about the cathertic (for me at least) endings for redux and something else to pretend and unwanted, but idk if they can exactly be called happy.

going to my pure silly fluff fics instead where we pretty much start happy and end happy: to work, to rest which ends with the gang being happy about stickers, or class pets which ends with class a getting three (3) cats

Do you write crossovers?

nope!

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

not really! probably the closest was someone commenting on pathologised with just "WHERE IS YUSUKE?" in all caps 🙄 "why isn't my fave dude in your fic" is not a genre of comment i enjoy, though it's usually phrased more politely than that at least

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

nope!

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i'm aware of, though it's apparently fairly rampant in bnha fandom with those "what if deku [x]" youtube videos. i think those are reserved for fics with actual plots though

Have you ever had a fic translated?

i think i've been asked for permission for people to do so before, but i don't think i've ever actually seen anything posted...someone did translate a little section of one fic into spanish in a bookmarker comment once, which was very fun because i remember little bits of spanish from school & years of sporadic duolingo

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no but i think it would be so fun 👀

What's your all-time favorite ship?

mannnn i just cannot care about romantic ships the way that seems to be so ubiquitous in fandom. even when i try and write romance it ends up as like ambigious tenderness or Friendship With Vibes. the few times i've even written kissing it's been just a build up to a kiss after which the fic immediately fades to black, which is really funny in retrospect like...buddy, is that because you stop caring about what's happening once the kissing starts?

i am fond of erasermic, jontim and shindeku, though i enjoy them as platonic dynamics pretty much the same amount

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

it mostly doesn't bother me to have tons of unfinished WIPs, i don't really put that expectation that everything i start will or should get finished/posted.

so the only one that genuinely bugs me is the third fic in seen and not heard, because i feel like i kind of promised it to people and then didn't deliver, and because it would have properly concluded a series i know a few people really connected with...and because the draft got to like 80% done but i could just never finish it off in a way i was happy with. maybe someday though

there's also a more recent bnha fic draft that i am really fond of in some ways, but i just could not take the discourse i think it would inspire. i might finish it just for me someday

What are your writing strengths?

cribbing all these from comments honestly but i think i'm pretty good at real-feeling emotional responses to situations. emotional realism, maybe? and writing introspection/people thinking and feeling things in general.

my characterisation gets complimented a fair bit, which is funny bc i think i actually take a lot of liberties with canon characters, but i guess i'm decent at couching those liberties in a way that makes it pass muster most of the time. like passing off a counterfeit watch as genuine

i'm somewhat good with grounding things in sensory detail, but that's one of those things i think i'll always be trying to get better at

What are your writing weaknesses?

i've never met a plot in my life and i don't want to. i also can't write longfic. in real-world terms i'm a short story writer and not a novelist - all those structural narrative things people do to make a long-form story work are just mystifying to me. part of that is just driven by what interests me though - i don't read a lot of plotty longfic either

i'm also still working on improving syntax and flow in my prose in general, but that's another one of those endless projects i think

oh also having more than two people in a prolonged dialogue scene is wildly difficult to me

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

i have no thoughts on this matter!

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

merlin! i wrote probably bad merlin fic on ff.net back when i was like 15/16. it's actually the reason i joined tumblr in the first place, bc my fave merlin fic writer had a tumblr and i got curious

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

i'd like to write more about my silly little video game OCs. i've dabbled in it a bit before but i've never really invested in it because i know no one would read it/care. but i'm getting better at writing for myself and it is really fun to have records of these OCs that i love, so i hope i can write some stuff about the protag i make for new dragon age that i'll inevitably get deeply attached to

it's also kind of wild to me that i've never written for homestuck or dangan ronpa given the impact those two things had on my psyche

What's your favorite fic you've written?

my answer to this changes depending on the day but right now...something else to pretend my beloved

wow that got long. not tagging anyone but if you'd like to do it, consider yourself tagged!

[fwob]

CAN I PLEASEE PLZ PLS GET UR FIC RECS DUDE (can i also rec one; poly philtatos (the most loved by far)

anything for you anon <3 sorry for taking . checks watch . two days .

under the cut cuz i have . A Few

PROJECT: ICARUS - aka the fic thats been absolutely rotting my brain for the past week . luffy dies at marineford except actually just kidding hes still alive but hes a marine pacifista / seraphim / human weapon now . oops ! please read it its so good the first 2 chapters are fucking BRUTAL

put your faith in what you most believe in - luffy gets sick . sabo's understandably worried . this ones a top contender for my fav op fic . i think abt this one CONSTANTLY

literally every taizi fic . yes all of them . i have read every single op fic theyve published . they're all bangers . no exceptions . but i will specifically recommend the previous fic , as well as this one , this one , this one , this one , and this one

wish by spirit and if by yes - sabo visits the whitebeards on revolutionary business . also a top contender for my fav op fic . i REALLY love this one the dynamic is SO good

i know you by the state of your hands - time travel shenanigans

breathe - luffy has a nightmare and an ensuing panic attack and law calms him down . they chat . VERY good i really like this one . the sequel is also good its linked on the fic

asl in red - this whole series is insane . it starts as like "shanks adopts ASL !!!" and then it just goes completely off the rails . like god whats going on . its great tho

ache in the rain (and remember the wounds) - luffy sees ghosts !

luffy's law - i dont know whats really going on in this fic but i fuck with it . will be incorporating multiple things from this fic into any modern au i make in the future

whatever you can still betray - ace has GOT to be a marine spy because nothing he says makes any fucking sense . i really love this one its so fun

finally i get to choose what's wrong (and what is right) - listen . 90% of the time i am FIRMLY against genderbending one character and nobody else . but like . im a fan of this one . also makino has a gun

si c'est un âme - your soulmate's first words to you are written on your body . luffy has 9 phrases on his back . i AM in fact a platonic soulmate enjoyer

blood song - post thriller bark zolu ...... ough

on brotherhood - ageswap , luffy is the older brother

code of misconduct - there's a set of written rules on the thousand sunny . VERY silly fic . very fun

hey, let's get lost (along the way) - luffy , ace , nami , and vivi get lost in alabasta . shenanigans ensue

i can't be selfless - garp invites aokiji to dawn island to help convince luffy to be a marine

god's emperor - shanks meets a young god . this was before 1044 actually like damn girl ur ON that shit

how it should have healed - the aftermath of some of luffy's various injuries

seven deadly sins - trafalgar law's new apartment is haunted by exactly seven (7) ghosts

chasing the remnants - sabo accompanies dragon to loguetown

little monsters - usopp and sanji get captured by marines

of dawn and dreams - i could not tell you what this series is about but its mostly shanks and buggy . its good tho

don't bury me with gold - WORLD NOBLE SABO ....... oughhh this one is so good . i think abt it a lot

sun over the horizon - luffy gives his crew some much-needed affection after a battle

take a step in mine - on their way out of marineford , luffy collapses a little bit earlier . it changes some things

spin a yarn - time travel shenanigans . this whole series makes me completely and utterly insane . read it now

over the course of a day - worlds worst roadtrip

greatest gift of all - luffy is 10 years younger than his brothers

two and a half pirates - luffy is 16 years younger than his brothers

unsinkable - the ocean is luffy's mother . ive seen like 3 different fics with this concept but this one is my favourite

three years, give or take - time travel shenanigans , except it's ace this time

hide the knives - after ace joins the whitebeards , shanks drops by for a party

beginning the next dream - time travel shenanigans . there's a reason it's the most kudosed op fic

make a choice (turncoat hero) - garp accidentally becomes a pirate . whoops !

boy with a scar - luffy vanishes after sabo dies and shows up 4 years later with a slave brand . what kind of man would i be if i didnt include boy with a scar . i love this one a lot

in which higuma doesn't get drunk, even though he really, really wants to - time travel shenanigans

sunflowers - genderfluid luffy ....... god i love transgenderism

pain scale - luffy gets injured and nobody realizes for a while , himself included

sibling sympathies - ace and nami have a chat in alabasta

small changes - id summarize this one but tbh i dont super remember what happens in this one i just remember rlly liking it . its a cora lives au i know that . read it anyways

too bright to see - lusan ..............

i'll keep the king (i'll keep him safe) - EXCEPTIONALLY good luffy whump . very good

of scissors and combs - luffy gets a haircut

and heres four gear fifth fics that i like. id summarize them all but i dont really want to so like . just trust me on this one . read em

also thanks for the rec !! ive been meaning to read that one for weeks thanks for giving me an excuse to finally do it . here's the link for anyone who hasn't read it which you should because it's VERY good

[jechristine]

What do you make of zendaya being a recurring mention in doms blog. The one last week having this extract :

Not a great week for our new Prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer… His first big speech as the main man. The position most coveted by all UK politicians. The man in the chair, as it were. And with all eyes on him and expectations so high, he got things spectacularly wrong… When instead of referring to Israeli citizens captured on October 7th by Hamas terrorists as ‘hostages’, his brain imploded, and he called them ‘sausages’ instead – which he quickly corrected but too late - the damage had been done. Much ridicule ensued and I think a degree of faux outrage given the sensitivity of the subject, albeit it was clearly just an error and not deliberate. Of all the words in his speech to get wrong, but ‘hostages’ and of all the words to replace it with but ‘sausages’. Doh. It’s now gone viral of course in this internet age and no doubt, many of you will have seen it already. “We demand the return of the sausages…” A phrase which will haunt him forever more. But I have some sympathy for him because with 24-hour constant news reels and the reality that everyone with a phone is now a publisher, the spotlight on public figures has never been brighter. Nowadays, a single misguided utterance can become world news in an instant and why, my time on stage with a microphone has become more perilous than ever. At a recent gig, the client was keen that I open my show to questions from the floor and immediately I sighed…   Questions about my eldest son for sure, but nothing I hadn’t heard before and I can always parry if needs be. So, what can go wrong? Ever amendable, I agreed. Keep in mind that a Q & A session with me still needs to be funny. As a comedian, ‘funny’ is a given – a default – which brings added pressure. And why the first question was a challenge on all fronts… “Do you fancy Zendaya?” A question which puts me in a world of pain. A crass question which deserves short shrift, but lest we forget that I need to keep the room on-side – and entertained. Which is a feat to wrestle with anyway and all whilst worrying about whether I am being filmed or not. As I flounder for an adequate reply, my eyes scour the room for cameras and my thoughts are on the story that my answer might create and the accompanying click grabbing headline… Which is why back in the day, gigs were much more fun and dare-say-it, easier. When what happened in the room, stayed in the room. When everything was in context and sensitivities less acute and honed.

Who follows this dude’s blog besides Tom’s and Tomdaya’s fans?

So cringe, all of it

[forgottenroisin]

OOC | Malconaire Character Arc Notes

idk what this is just...ruminations??? general thoughts??? notes to self?????

roisin malconaire & the power of wonder -- harnessing hope and devotion and belief to enact positive change

so rosie's character theme, as we already know, is wonder, and i've been ruminating a little on her growth arc (i always do this a lil -- this is what the 'crisis' and 'revelations' sections on my characters' pinterest boards always sort of track, sort of nesting into the 3-act plot structure kinda thing ig alksdjfklsjdf [ here's ] rosie's if you're interested) but esp in relation to the ~fall of malconaire~ (the timber! plot if you will...a lil tree humor for ya ig laskdjfkljdsf), which i do think, esp since it now seems it'll come more or less on top of her learning that it was edmund at the battle of m revelation, etc, and yeah i think its just pulling down walls for her, just bludgeoning her w, to borrow a phrase, ~life is not a song~ stuff which i think will feed into her ~crisis segment

but ofc it is in crisis that we either crack, or learn the tools we need to survive and, hopefully, to thrive. in her last crisis (the conquest, the battle of m), rosie really learned to cocoon herself, to push out and away from the bad and focus in entirely on the good -- that is to say, last time, she cracked. last time she depended on her sisters and the ppl around her, dug in, and tried to shut out the bad. now the bad will come for her, ripping her castle in the sky to shreds and depriving her of the option of shutting it out entirely. at first, i think this will cause her to lose faith in her wonder. she'll still see beauty, but i think hope will be a tremulous thing, and love scattered to the four winds w her sisters lost to her. i think it'll be that -- you can't always be strong, but you can always be brave -- sort of thing. she'll have to grapple with. she'll have to wke up everyday and confront the bad and choose either to be trampled or to take another step forward.

her first step will come before she loses her sisters, though, and i think will be done for love of them, and that'll be the witch trials. ive already talked a bit abt what i think she'll do, but rosie is a creature of wonder, right: her power is understanding how ppl feel, how they perceive, and i think she has it in her to weave iconographies, to bend the eye and the ear of others. she already does things like wear heraldic dresses to make statements as a form of rebellion -- she tells stories, she plays pranks, but enthusiasm is also fervor and it's darker side is fanaticism, and that's just what she's watching being played out against her own family at the trials, so yeah as ive said before, i see her weaving that in an effort to try and free them at the cost of herself. tbh idk that it'll work, but yeah!!

i think she'll, as i said [ here ], I can def see rosie confessing and tryna use sort of the above skills/ideas etc to try and hold herself accountable so her sisters can go free and then 'cursing' roderick when it doesn't work (this would be effective in haunting him no lie that dude is already paranoid and now everyy lil thing that goes wrong is the witch's fault!!!! asldkfjskjldf which might cause more problems than it solves but rosie ~can be a lil impetuous and we already knew she had a prank streak as a way of exacting vengeance on her oppressors this one's just an extremely dark vers of the admittedly v lighthearted ones we've seen in the past ndsljfaksldjfkjlsdf not me like 'i accidentally foreshadowed her crisis moment' laskjdfkjdsf imma own i *cough* was planning this from the beginning *cough* ;DDDD) but yeah obv brigit coming forward will kinda trump rosie's efforts since, well, brigit really ~is the real thing alkjdsfkljsdjfk

anyway, after the escape where the sisters are split up etc rosie's def gonna feel hella lost and like everything they ever fought for/believed in is lost and has come to nothing, but ofc malconaire isn't just a place, its a spirit, its a ppl, and rosie just needs to rediscover her wonder so rediscover it <333333 and from there, i feel like she can unleash her showmanship, her understanding of perception, to really leave an impression if she wants to -- there is power in what ppl believe, and power does lie where ppl think it does -- and i think she might find she ideally suited to tap into that, to become a kind of visionary, and to help galvanize others to really believe -- i think that might just be rosie's best self, if she can ever find her way to it!

anyway idk what this was!! have a thing lkjasdkfljkjsdf just more ~malconaire fallout~ thoughts ig alksjdfksljdf <3

[randomrainman]

the trivialities of human existence (part one: puerile meanderings)

"The Universe is a yawning chasm, filled with emptiness and the puerile meanderings of sentience."

Pictured: a multidimensional space jellyfish. Art by onikafei

Back when I heard Ulyaoth utter this cryptic phrase while playing Eternal Darkness on my GameCube in my precocious (and heavily indoctrinated) late teen years, certain thoughts did come to mind, yet its gravity did not manifest itself until much, much later.

Little did I know that the story of my very existence would be carved from a quote from a Lovecraftian survival-horror game.

We don't mean a damn thing, even though many of us believe the contrary.

How many of you have grown up reinforced with the idea, whether through parents, friends, or anyone, that you are a unique snowflake and have immense inherent value due to your humanity? That you are irreplaceable, or that we're individually "fearfully and wonderfully made" by an unseen infinite and emotionally unstable dude, who also somehow cares about your particular situation on a speck of dust in the middle of the universe?

If only due to your genetic encoding, yes, you are, by default, "unique", as any being of sentience is, and once you have sentience, you do have a right as an individual to live whichever life deemed fit until you no longer have it. That said, you are not special. You're just ... you.

Pictured: a sea of bipedal organisms somewhere on Earth, rendered in glorious 1p. Image credit: WIQN

"But Mom told me I'm special!"

As of November 15, 2022, the Earth's population has ballooned to 8 billion people, and has increased by a whopping one billion people in the span of 12 years. For an even more mind-blowing perspective, our population in 1950 was only 2.5 billion people, and remained below 1 billion until 1804. It has been projected that our population will cease to grow in 2086, once it has reached approximately 10.4 billion. This near-real-time perpetually adjusting population growth calculator fascinatingly illustrates this statistic.

Pictured: instant gratification. Image credit: FE News

The thing to understand is that, despite this being an age of instantaneous data sharing and social media exploitation, it is exponentially more difficult to truly stand out, especially since you're having to do amongst a vast ocean of ever-increasing billions with accesses to the same platforms. Even if you are not a completely average person and do possess some remarkable attributes and work hard at your craft, the overwhelming likelihood is that your capabilities will fly under the radar unless you encounter a particular set of circumstances that propel your craft to another level, or your work is so far beyond anything anyone has seen that you have no choice but to become lionised. Even still, exceptionality is no guarantee that you will see success in your lifetime: history- and genre-defining icons such as Vincent van Gogh and Franz Kafka left this ethereal plane almost completely unrecognised, and their legacies consist nearly entirely of posthumous recognition.

"I am a legacy" -Kendrick Lamar

Pictured: me, taken by me, edited by me, and uploaded to this article written by me, Clayton Jones Images.

There is a lot of "legacy" talk: it seems that, whether subconsciously or not, many have come to terms with their own insignificance within this mortal coil; they seek desperately to carve out their own niche within the annals of history, despite having done nothing noteworthy and befitting of remembrance. To this end, they typically relegate this task to their descendants, hoping they will somehow keep them alive for eternity (despite that not being their purposes, but I digress).

No, I didn't die in 2019. This is my dad's casket. For the love of everything, do not put me in a casket or hold a funeral for me, or I will haunt you.

Gone ... and totally forgotten

The uncomfortable reality is that, regardless of any efforts to the contrary, almost everyone, to include exceptionally wealthy or otherwise outstanding individuals, will be completely forgotten within around 2 or so generations (though this figure varies slightly). An infinitesimal amount of people are remembered throughout history, and even fewer are revered. You might be one in a million, but not in the Aaliyah way.

Many, understandably, want to feel as if they're a part of something greater -- to belong, whether in life or in death. Many defer to religion to provide this sense of greater meaning to what would otherwise be without; looking forward to a place such as heaven can provide them with a sense of hope, even if they inevitably just return to the place from whence they came, regardless of their circumstances. To that end (heh), the way that I have resolved to reconcile this apparent meaninglessness is to fill my fleeting existence with as many joyous and personally fulfilling experiences as possible before until I inevitably suck up more dirt than an excavator.

I seek only to create things as often as I am inspired, to travel this planet extensively, to learn new things, and to enjoy the company of those who I deem worthy of my time. Money is important if it is to create additional positive experiences, but peace of mind does not possess a price tag. If I am to be remembered in any way, let it be for the things I have created, and perhaps as an inspiration to live as one chooses.

Because life is fast, and it can pass you quickly before you have even had a chance to live it.

사진: 서울 남산제2호 터널

|the kid|

[reckless-lambert]

IMPORTANT NOTE: I deleted all my art because of rumors of Tumblr selling out to ai, I will fix all the posts as soon as I glaze all of my drawings

I guess this'll be my pinned!

First of all, the tags:

Art - #my art

Talk - #mumbling

Reblogs of something I like - #reblog worthy

When intrusive thoughts win - #madman

BEWARE there will be 16+ content and jokes

DNI - any form of harassment will be blocked on sight.

About:

Silly lil queer haunted with anxiety, I have no free time, but still manage to waste it. I like all kinds of stuff and my current obsession with sonic doesn't change that, so I will draw and reblog from other fandoms too sometimes.

THE sonic rant:

I genuinely think that Infinite is cool, and not in like "oh he could have been so cool, but he is so lame" way. He is perfectly fine. Yes he got beaten by Shadow, but like... who wouldn't be beaten by Shadow, it's not a fair comparison. As for his later deeds, he captured Sonic and conquered almost the whole world. Yes, he got defeated, but it was done with the same overpowered bullshit his power consists of, so it's completely fair in my opinion. "But his bossfights are lame!" My brother in Christ, every rival bossfight up until Sonic 06 consists of you beating the boss into a bloody pulp in 2 seconds by spamming attack button. By that logic all of Sonic characters are lame. "But his awful backstory from episode Shadow", oh yeah I guess wanting revenge after your squad got killed by teleporting overpowered government experiment and not even deemed worthy of joining them is now lame huh. Dude lost everything, including his title. "Too weak to even be killed" is perfectly fine phrase to be mad about + Infinite definitely has some issues of his own with it. Yes forces are far from ideal, they are goofy and tonally inconsistent and have characterization problems, but they do have some good stuff and people dismissing it drives me insane.

Anyways now general opinions on shit happening in this fandom. How the hell are you people can be so dumb!? Sonic franchise never had any continuity, please stop prosecuting other people for non-compliance to """canon""" that is only true to one piece of sonic media you like. There is no Easter Bunny, there is no Tooth Fairy, and there is no freaking overarching sonic canon.

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 198

Sharp Teeth/Hide

“Sharp Teeth”

Plot Description: Garth is in the hospital after mutilating a cow and being hit by a car, but Garth runs away — with a dark secret in tow

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: look, if Garth is barely surviving running through the woods, getting shot at, and hit by a car…I don’t know if I have it in me

I forgot that they split up…

Sam…don’t. slap. Garth.

He was HANDCUFFED TO THE BED. HOW DID HE GET UP??

What is this episode??? Garth ran away, stripped down naked, and stole a car. What were you doinggggg???

Dean…why are you lying to Sam again???? You have photos of Garth (not naked…but just boxers. Wouldn’t have taken him for a boxers guy) oof. That’s probably the quickest one of their lies has been found out

Omgggg, Deeeeean stop with this whole “we can’t hunt together because I’m poison” thing. I hope to for that this doesn’t last too much longer

Excuse me?? Does….Garth’s a werewolf now?? And he has a werewolf girlfriend??

MARRIED?!?! He met this girl just after becoming a werewolf and within two months MARRIED HER? They’re…kind of grossly cute together

This is the least cool werewolf pack I’ve ever seen. No one’s even asking anyone where they’ve been, loca

Aww, they cooked the food for Dean. That’s nice

Noooooo, Garrrrrrth. I know you couldn’t know but…don’t bring up Kevinnnn, not to Dean

Wait…the cop is a werewolf TOO?? Uh oh…he’s part of the pack (or was….before Dean threw a silver knife into his chest)

I’m guessing there’s something fishy with Garth’s wife’s stepmother…I think she’s behind the whole dark underbelly of keeping the image of the pack squeaky clean (because this is supernatural and it’s pretty misogynistic)

Oh this is interesting…it’s not a pack, it’s a CULT trying to bring about Ragnarok and also eradicating human beings (whether feeding on or turning them)

Yeah. I knew it wasn’t the reverend who took over this weird group, he was bitten…it has to be his fourth generation werewolf wife whose father was the old reverend

Yeah, this was very predictable. Didn’t know she had a brother who was killed by hunters, but that would make the more recent interest in werewolf dominance more understandable

She really had to get her villain monologue out, ruining any chance she had at pulling off her scheme

Yes, Garth, don’t let Dean think he’s the only one who let Kevin down!! Take some of that weight off his shoulders

I do wish we had gotten just A Kevin and Garth episode (or a Kevin, Mrs Tran, and Garth episode, really)…Garth called Kevin his friend

Please stop pretending that you don’t miss each other.

Dean…I know that’s basically your catch phrase “we’re family” but like…you’ve now betrayed Sam’s trust…probably as badly as he did yours back in season 4

YES, Sam, set that boundary!

“Hide”

Plot Description: something haunts Caliburn House and the Doctor finds himself part of the ghost hunt

It took me just the tiniest bit too long to get the “I’m the doctor” “Doctor what” “if you like” joke

It’s kind of fun that he came here INTENTIONALLY to ghost hunt

Is this just an episode to parallel this ghost hunter dude and his assistant with the Doctor and Clara? Both pairs are flirting so awkwardly, it’s nauseating

I would like to carry a candelabra through an old mansion just ONCE…but no ghosts (my phone tried to autocorrect that to ‘no gojo’ or ‘no ghostfacers’. Brilliant)

You know, just as I was about to say that I was bored, things got interesting, and we’re REALLY digging into these other characters AND the ghost

Omgggg. I hate this. The girls are strictly talking romance while the guys are talking about war and death and guilt….

Oh, Clara. But like….I get where you’re coming from. It IS overwhelming to be able to see the whole life of Earth from the same spot in snippets. Yes, the TARDIS is amazing but…it has the potential to be such an easy way out, such a shortcut for the Doctor instead of taking time. He LITERALLY just takes and takes and takes time, and it feels like he doesn’t care

Well, that certainly isn’t terrifying. You don’t KNOW? You know the ghost you’ve been hunting is actually a time traveler stuck in a pocket dimension but you don’t know the thing she’s running from??

Sure. We’re just going to pop into pocket universes like it’s nothing, now…

I miss when this show was low budget :/

Oh no… he’s stuck there…

My bet’s on the thing being sympathetic. It’s HIDING from the Doctor

Another Clara?? Oh the TARDIS interface thingy. Man, the TARDIS REALLY hates Clara

Please don’t tell me he leaves and Clara gets stuck instead. You can’t do this twice

K. NOT sympathetic, just playing with him

This mansion and its grounds are gorgeous in the daylight

Oh, the monster IS sympathetic I guess?? It was looking for it’s lost love

This episode was really…….weird, and not in the normal cool way

[aspenmissing]

𝙱𝚞𝚐𝚜 (𝙿𝚝 𝟸)

Sam, Dean, and Y/N pull up outside the local university and get out of the car. Y/N takes the box of bones out of the backseat and heads towards the building.

"So, a bunch of skeletons in an unmarked grave," Y/N says.

"Yeah. Maybe this is haunting. Pissed off spirits? Some unfinished business?" Sam suggests.

"Yeah, maybe. The question is, why bugs? And why now?"

"That's two questions." Sam ignores him. "Yeah, so with that kid back there, why'd you tell him to just ditch his family like that?"

"Dean..." Y/N says, looking at him, but he ignores her.

"Just, uh...I know what the kid's goin' through."

"How 'bout tellin' him to respect his old man? How's that for advice?"

"Dean, come on," Y/N says, stopping him. "This isn't about his old man. You think I didn't respect Dad? That's what this is about."

"Just forget it, all right? Sorry, I brought it up."

"I respected him. But no matter what I did, it was never good enough."

"So, what are you sayin'? That dad was disappointed in you."

"Was? Is. Always has been."

"Why would you think that?" Y/N asks, looking at Sam with soft eyes.

"Because I didn't wanna bow hunt or hustle pool—because I wanted to go to school and live my life, which, to your wacked-out family, made me the freak."

"Yeah, you were kind of like the blonde chick in The Monsters," Dean says, earning a smack on the arm from Y/N.

"Dean, you know what most dads are when their kids score a full ride? Proud. Most dads don't toss their kids out of the house."

"I remember that fight. In fact, I seem to recall a few choice phrases comin' out of your mouth," Dean adds.

"Sam, Dad was never disappointed in you. Never. He was scared," Dean says.

"What are you talkin' about?" Sam asks.

"He was afraid of what could've happened to you if he wasn't around. But even when you two weren't talkin'... he used to swing by Stanford whenever he could. Keep an eye on you. Make sure you were safe," Y/N says.

"What?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me any of that?"

"Well, it's a two-way street, dude. You could've picked up the phone." Sam looks at the two sadly. "Come on, we're gonna be late for our appointment," Dean says, walking away with Y/N and Sam following close behind.

==

Sam, Dean, and Y/N are talking with the professor.

"So, you three are students?"

"Yeah. Yeah, uh, we're in your class, Antho 101." Sam says.

"Oh, yeah."

"So, what about the bones, Professor?"

"This is quite an interesting find you've made. I'd say they're 170 years old, give or take. The timeframe and the geography heavily suggest Native American."

"Were there any tribes or reservations on that land?" Y/N asks.

"Not according to the historical record. But the, uh, relocation of native peoples was quite common at that time."

"Right. Well, are there any local legends? Oral histories about the area?"

"Well, you know, there's a Euchee tribe in Sapulpa. It's about sixty miles from here. Someone out there might know the truth."

"All right."

==

Dean, Sam, and Y/N are driving through Sapulpa. They stop, and Dean asks a Native American man for directions. Once he directs them where to go, they thank him and drive away. A while later, they enter a diner and find another Native American man playing cards at a table.

"Joe White Tree?" Sam asks as they walk over to the man. "We'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's all right."

"We're students from the university," Dean says.

"No, you're not. You're lying," Dean seems taken aback.

"Well, the truth is—"

"You know who starts sentences with 'truth is'? Liars," Dean exchanges a look with Y/N.

"Have you heard of Oasis Plains? It's a housing development near the Atoka Valley," Y/N asks.

"I like her. She's not a liar," the man says to Dean, who looks angry. "I know the area."

"What can you tell us about the history there?" Y/N asks.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Something... something bad is happening in Oasis Plains. We think it might have something to do with some old bones we found down there—Native American bones," Sam says.

"I'll tell you what my grandfather told me, what his grandfather told him. Two hundred years ago, a band of my ancestors lived in that valley. One day, the American cavalry came to relocate them. They were resistant; the cavalry was impatient. As my grandfather put it, on the night the moon and the sun shared the sky as equals, the cavalry first raided our village. They murdered and raped. The next day, the cavalry came again, and the next, and the next. And on the sixth night, the cavalry came one last time. And by the time the sun rose, every man, woman, and child still in the village was dead. They say that on the sixth night, as the chief of the village lay dying, he whispered to the heavens that no white man would ever tarnish this land again. Nature would rise up and protect the valley. And it would bring as many days of misery and death to the white man as the cavalry had brought upon his people."

"Insects. It sounds like nature to me. Six days," Y/N says.

"And on the night of the sixth day, none would survive," Dean, Sam, and Y/N exchange a look.

==Time Skip==

Dean, Sam, and Y/N are walking back to the car.

"When did the gas company man die?" Sam asks.

"Uh, let's see, we got here Tuesday, so Friday is the twentieth."

"March twentieth?" Y/N nods. "That's the spring equinox."

"The sun and the moon share the sky as equals."

"So, every year about this time, anybody in Oasis Plains is in danger. Larry built this neighbourhood on cursed land."

"And on the sixth night, that's tonight," Dean says.

"If we don't do something, Larry's family will be dead by sunrise. So how do we break the curse?" Sam asks.

"You don't break a curse. You get out of its way. We've gotta get those people out now," Y/N replies as they get in the car and drive away.

==

Dean is driving while talking on the phone with Larry.

"Yes, Mr. Pike, there's a mainline gas leak in your neighbourhood."

"God, really? And how big?"

"Well, it's fairly extensive. I don't want to alarm you, but we need your family out of the vicinity for at least twelve hours or so, just to be safe."

"And who is this, again?"

"Uh..." Panicked, Dean hands up.

"Give me the phone." Sam takes the phone from Dean and dials a number. They pick up.

"Hello?"

"Matt, it's Sam."

"Sam, my backyard is crawling with cockroaches."

"Matt, just listen. You have to get your family out of that house right now, okay?"

"What, why?"

"Because something's coming."

"More bugs?"

"Yeah, a lot more."

"My dad doesn't listen in the best of circumstances, what am I supposed to tell him?"

"You've gotta make him listen, okay?"

"Give me the phone, give me the phone." Y/N grabs the phone from Sam. "Matt, under no circumstances are you to tell the truth, they'll just think you're nuts."

"But he's my..."

"Tell him you have a sharp pain in your right side and you've gotta go to the hospital, okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, okay," he hangs up, and so does Y/N.

"Make him listen? What are you thinking'?" Dean says.

"Don't blame Sam, Dean. He was just saying what he thought was right."

==

A while later, they pull up outside Larry's house. Larry looks out the window and, seeing their car, goes outside.

"Damn it, they're still here. Come on," they say, getting out of the car.

"Get off my property before I call the cops," Larry says. Matt comes out of the house.

"Mr. Pike, listen."

"Dad, they're just tryin' to help."

"Get in the house," Matt says, looking at Sam, Dean, and Y/N.

"I'm sorry. I told him the truth."

"We had a plan, Matt; what happened to the plan?" Y/N says.

"Look, it's 12:00 AM. They are coming any minute now. You need to get your family and go before it's too late," Sam says.

"Yeah, you mean before the biblical swarm?"

"Larry, what do you think really happened to that realtor, huh? And the gas company guy? You don't think somethin' weird’s goin' on here?" Dean asks.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but you're crazy. You come near my boy or my family again, and we're going to have a problem."

"Well, I hate to be a downer, but we've got a problem right now," Y/N says.

"Dad, they're right, okay? We're in danger."

"Matt, get inside! Now!"

"No! Why won't you listen to me?!"

"Because this is crazy! It doesn't make any sense!"

"Look, this land is cursed! People have died here. Now, are you going to really take that risk with your family?"

"Wait," they all say, going silent. "You hear it?" From somewhere nearby, a very loud buzzing noise can be heard. It continues to get louder.

"What the hell?" The light on the porch begins to shine overhead, killing several bugs at a time.

"All right, it's time to go. Larry, get your wife," Y/N says.

"Guys," all of them look up at the sky. Millions of bugs begin flying towards the house, blanketing the sky.

"Oh my God."

"We'll never make it."

"Everybody in the house. Everybody in the house, go!" They rush inside the house and lock the door.

"Okay, is there anybody else in the neighborhood?" Sam asks.

"No, it's just us," Joanie says.

"Honey, what's happening? What's that noise?" She asks.

"Call 911," Larry asks, but she doesn't move. "Joanie!"

"Okay," she says, picking up the phone and dialling.

"I need towels," Y/N asks.

"Uh, in the closet."

"Okay, we've gotta lock this place up. Come on—doors, windows, fireplace, everything, okay?" Sam says this to Matt, and they go upstairs.

"Phones are dead."

"They must have chewed through the phone lines." Y/N begins putting towels at the base of the front door when the power goes out. "And the power lines."

"I need my cell," Larry says, picking up his cell phone. "No signal."

"You won't get one. They're blanketing the house," Dean says. Millions of bugs began collecting on the doors and windows, covering the entire building. The six of them watch, waiting.

"So, what do we do now?" Larry asks.

"We try to outlast it. Hopefully, the cure will end at sunrise."

"Hopefully?" In the kitchen, Dean searches the cabinets. He finds a can of bug spray and returns to the living room.

"Bug spray?"

"Trust me," he says. He turns to Y/N and grins. They realise what he's doing and smirk. They then hear a creaking noise coming from somewhere around the fireplace.

"What is that?" Matt asks.

"The flue."

"All right, I think everybody needs to get upstairs." Suddenly, hundreds of thousands of bugs come into the living room, swarming all around them. They scream and try to protect themselves. Dean uses a lighter with the can of bug spray to make it flare up. The flame wards some of the bugs away. "All right, everybody upstairs! Now! Go, go, go!" Larry stops in the hallway, pulling down the ladder to the attic. They climb up. Dean is last, and Y/N closes the door. After a moment of being in the attic, sawdust begins to fall from the ceiling. The buzz of the bees gets louder.

"Oh, God, what's that?"

"Something's eating through the wood."

"Termites."

"All right, everybody gets back. Get back, get back, get back!" Y/N shouts. 

The three Pikes move as far into the corner of the attic as they can. A second later, the bugs chew a hole through the ceiling and swarm around the room. Sam, Dean, and Y/N frantically try to patch up the hole in the ceiling, but this only works for a minute. Soon, two more holes are chewed, and while Dean tries to ward them off with bug spray, nothing seems to work. The six of them stand in the corner, trying desperately to swat the bugs away for a few minutes. Then, suddenly, the sun rises. Miraculously, the bugs start to leave through the hole in the ceiling. Confused, Sam, Dean, and Y/N go to see what happened. Through the hole, they can see the bugs in the sky, near the sun, in one enormous colony. The six of them continued watching, relieved.

==

Sam, Dean, and Y/N approach Larry, who is placing boxes into a moving van.

"What, no goodbye?"

"Good timing. Another hour and we'd have been gone," Larry shakes their hands.

"For good?" Y/N asks.

"Yeah. The development's been put on hold while the government investigates those bones you found. But I'm gonna make damn sure no one lives here again."

"You don't seem too upset about it."

"Well, this has been the biggest financial disaster of my career, but..." He looks over at Matt, who is carrying a box to the garbage. "Somehow, I really don't care," they say, sharing a smile. Sam walks over to Matt, who is throwing away all his insect paraphernalia.

"What's this?"

"I don't know. They kind of weird me out now," they both laugh.

"Yeah, I should hope so." A few minutes later, Sam joins Y/N and Dean by the car. They watch Larry and Matt, who are now getting along very well.

"I wanna find Dad," Sam says.

"Yeah, us too," Dean replies.

"Yeah, but I just...I want to apologise to him."

"For what?" Y/N asks.

"All the things I said to him. He was just doin' the best he could."

"Well, don't worry, we'll find him. And then you'll apologize. And then within five minutes, you guys will be at each other's throats," Sam laughs.

"Yeah, probably," they say, sitting in silence for a few seconds. "Let's hit the road." They get in the car, giving one last wave to Larry and Matt, and drive away.

[wormvill]

January 3rd, 2023 (No update)

Sorry guys, I am away from the computer hosting the rom for my town :(

...I know, I know, I'm sorry Eunice. I still wanted to write a blog post, even if it isn't about my village. Keep reading for some Animal Crossing nerd rambles.

Today, I thought I'd post some facts about the starter villagers currently residing in my town. I don't know everything about them yet, and I'd like to study them and share the information with you. That way, we all can leave with a better understanding of who they are. Also, it'd be fun and give me an excuse to write a blog post.

All of the information is probably from the Animal Crossing Wiki, so thanks to the people over there. Also, most of the info is in relation to their versions from City Folk, as this blog is centered around my City Folk town.

We are going to start with...

1. Pippy

Pippy in English, or ロッタ in Japanese (meaning Lotta), is a peppy rabbit. Pippy, who is peppy!

She's been in the series since どうぶつの森 (Dōbutsu no Mori, or Animal Forest) so she's an OG! She was born June 14th, and her phrase is 'li'l hare.'

Some trivia from the wiki states that her birthday coincided with the European release of Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which I think is pretty cool.

Also, she wants to be a superhero! How cute :)

2. Bud

Bud in English or グラさん in Japanese (meaning Gura-san, or Gra) has been around since どうぶつの森＋(Dōbutsu no Mori+, or Animal Forest+). He was born August 8th, and his phrase (in City Folk) is "maaan."

He's a little lion guy, with the personality trait of a jock, whose appearance and catchphrase give that of a surfer dude. The interior of his house in City Folk (and several games) is even a beach.

I'm not personally that much of a surfer guy vibe, but he's been pretty nice to me so far, so I do not dislike him. Though, he does need to get rid of the goatee.

3. Rolf

"I could eat you for lunch, you know" - Rolf

Oh Rolf, what is there to say about Rolf? I think that quote says everything there is to say about him. Suffice to say, we have not gotten along very well (even for the two days I've known him.)

Rolf in English or チョモラン in Japanese (Chomoran), is a cranky tiger evil man who was born August 22nd, and has the very fitting catchphrase of "grrrolf." He's been haunting our worlds since どう��つの森 (Dōbutsu no Mori, or Animal Forest).

This tiger man threatened to beat me up the first time I met him, so I very much do not like him. But hey, maybe (if he's nicer) I'll come around.

4. Tipper

Tipper in English or まきば in Japanese (Makiba) is a snooty cow. She was born on August 25th, and came around in Animal Crossing: Wild World. Her phrase is 'pushy.'

I shockingly do not know a lot about her. I'm not always a fan of snooty villagers, though so far she's been super nice and adorable to me in my town, I hope we get to know each other more. :)

5. Mitzi

Mitzi in English, or マール in Japanese (Māru) is a normal cat who's been around since どうぶつの森 (Dōbutsu no Mori, or Animal Forest).

When I say Mitzi is an OG, I mean she's an OG. She has been on the cover of Animal Crossing...

(She's in the window)

...she was in an icon for Pocket Camp...

...and was on a screenshot on the back of the City Folk case (which is in relation to the game we are playing!)

Mitzi is so much of an og, she even appears on the cover of K.K Parade, and is in the Animal Crossing themed track for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Suffice it to say, Mitzi has been around the block, and I don't blame Nintendo! She seems to be a bit of a fan favorite. She's been really friendly to me, so I'm a bit of a fan too. :)

Some cool trivia, is that she was also the first girl villager. Amazing!

6. Walker

Walker in English or ベン in Japanese (Ben) is a lazy dog. He first appeared in どうぶつの森ｅ＋(Dōbutsu no Mori e+ or Animal Forest e+). His catchphrase is wuh.

Walker first appeared upon the release of どうぶつの森ｅ＋as an e-Card, which came with the game. Which is pretty cool.

His birthday is June 10th, and he has this really funny quote on his wiki page.

“The dog wags his tail, not for you, but for your bread.” - Walker

Those are all of my starter villagers. Hopefully, this infodump can replace the lack of update today. And, hopefully getting to know my starters can help me get to know them better (and maybe like them more...maybe not with Rolf.)

Thanks for reading, have a good night. :)

[pisswizzard]

[Image ID/ Screenshot a paragraph written in the ioS notes app on July 5, 2021 at 5:34AM that reads: you know I bet Light Yagami despised people that pissed in the urinal directly next to him so much but knew he couldn't kill them because it wasn't a crime so instead he always had a small scrap of the death note in his back pocket to touch them with so after they finish their business they zip up turn around and see ryuk's dog face just staring back at them and ryuk is just like "hey man, look," and the person is like WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT and light is just like huh? :) what are you talking about? of course, light and ryuk are both in on it, they made this agreement super early on and ryuk gets an apple every time he does it. anyways ryuk then says to the guy something like yeah I'm the pisslord of this bathroom I come out whenever guys just whip it out recklessly next to another man and the dude runs out of the bathroom screaming /End ID]

[Image ID/ Screenshot of a series of replies to the above post. The first is from rubbrchickn on July 20th saying: when they set up the cameras in light's house it would have been really funny if ryuk still ate apples and moved objects around and light talked to him, the house is haunted but maybe not related to the killings tho if they could pull off that deception. Just a completely separate phenomena that makes light look suspicious but not relevant to finding the serial killer.

The next reply from yorickoid on Aug 2nd reads: he's touching these men who come and stand next to him at the urinals huh...

The next reply from russersprouts on Aug 2nd reads: Everybody saying "yeah but light doesn't have a sense of humor" is right but only partially. He does this with full sincerity and doesn't get how it would be funny in the slightest.

Next is a reblog from j4gm with tags that read: #L: I've heard rumors of a strange pisslord who haunts this bathroom. #L: (takes the urinal right next to light) #Light: (dramatic internal monologue) why would he take the urinal next to mine #if he believes it will summon the pisslord #unless he has figured out that kira's supernatural abilities must be the result of a shinigami #in which case I must plot my next move very carefully #if I touch him with the death note so he can see ryuk then it might confirm his theory #and increase the suspicions on myself #but if I don't... #he will know that the pisslord is treating him differently #and that will also increase the suspicion on myself #damn it L #you hold all the cards this time #death note

Next is a reblog from iernos with tags that read: #this is it @this is the post that kills me every time I read it #i don't know how many times I've looked up 'ryuk dog face light yagami urinal crime' or some variation of this #in hopes of finding this #the phrase 'they zip up turn around and then see ryuk's dog face just staring back at them' #has got to be the funniest shit I've ever read in my life #but no yeah op's right #death note

Last is a reblog from fruityastronaut with tags reading: #oh my god #posts hall of fame #posts to show to irls #<- my mother /End ID]

had to share this note i woke up and wrote in the dead of night

[firstdegreefangirl]

January 2024 Reading Wrap-Up!

New year, same love of books, slightly different structure for things around here. I'm keeping the monthly tracker and the mini-reviews, but skipping the prompt-based challenges because I couldn't find any that looked like they'd suit my reading tastes.

Instead, I've invented a game of my own, to focus on reading down the hundreds of books I already own: Bookcase Roulette! The rules are simple: three bookcases, five shelves each, roughly 25 books per shelf. I'm using random number generators to pick at least two books a month, and reading whatever the bookcase gods pick for me. So those will be marked in the reviews, along with whether or not I enjoyed the book enough to justify keeping it.

Beyond that, you know the drill. Monthly stats incoming, reviews under the cut!

Total books read: 5 

Total pages read: 1,722 

Days read: 31/31 

Average star rating: 4.2 

Bookcase Roulette Books: 2 

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green  ⭐⭐⭐⭐(½)  I knocked this out in a day, on New Year’s Day, much to either the astonishment or frustration of housekeeping bestie ((I was reading at work most of the day, then a few hours later we saw each other outside of work and I mentioned that I’d finished the book. I ... don’t think he believed me?)) It was the first round of Bookcase Roulette for 2024, but something like 2/3 of the way through, I realized that I’ve read it before. It’s great, I loved it, but it wasn’t familiar, until I turned the page and was face-to-face with a scene I remembered so clearly. So I have no memory of the first read, but I’m completely positive that there was one at some point. 

That said, all of that is about me and my experience, and none of it is about the book. John Green’s books are always so captivating to me, and this was no exception. The MC’s OCD and anxiety are so intensely palpable; I could feel myself stressing out with her as much as I wanted to give her a big hug. This is a book you should check in with yourself before reading; I maybe should have kept a closer eye on my own illness anxiety as I read along, but sometimes I live on the edge?  

Never Wager With a Wallflower by Virginia Heath  ⭐⭐⭐(¼)  Here’s the thing: historical romance isn’t usually for me. But, as happened so often last year, it was in my library experience bag and I was curious. It wasn’t bad, by any means, but all of the things that usually pull me away from the genre were true here too. As for the story itself, and the characters, I loved most of that. Parts of it were laugh out loud funny, parts made my heart ache for the characters and everything they’d been through. The characters were compelling, and I wanted to be rooting for them. I did deduct a full star for the phrase “wedding vegetables,” which has haunted me every day since I first saw it, as it completely pulled me out of the story and ruined my experience of what was otherwise an excellent scene. If you like historical romance, you’ll probably like this, but I'm in no way compelled to read it again or to finish the series.  

Play With Me by Claire Wilder  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  If you’ve been here for a while, you know this series has read me through three different trips now (Denver, Houston, and now Orlando). They’re consistently knock-outs for me, but this was far and above better than the rest. I’d been SO excited to read Jude’s story, and Nora felt so relatable for me. Claire Wilder does such an incredible job balancing the romance stories with Eleanor Cleary’s murder, and that really ramped up in this book. The mysterious intrigue blended so well with the friends-to-lovers romance, and Cap is just the best little dude. I laughed out loud on an airplane, I cried in a botanical garden (because of the book; not just because the flowers were so pretty), but there’s not much I can else I can say without breaking down the full context of the entire series (which, trust me, I am HAPPY to do, if anyone is interested. That’s just ... not this). 

Mess With Me by Claire Wilder  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  ... And I finished out that Florida trip with the next/sort of last book in the Quince Valley series (there’s a future-set shorter story after this, but this was the last of the Kelly siblings). Griffin, the elusive “only shows up when he absolutely must” sibling, got his love story! I was really looking forward to this one because it felt like no one knows anything about Griff, and I was so eager to find out what/why. Especially after the truth he half-dropped on Jude in Play With Me, I knew this would be a good one. It picked up with the tail end of Eli’s story from Sing For Me, elaborated on Jude/Nora, and touched back with Cass and Chelsea too, so we heard from the whole Kelly clan. AND we got all the backstory on Griffin’s job and the mysterious love he told his brother he’d lost. THEN he fell in love again. Truly, the only down point was Chester, the old man who lives next door. I saw it coming, it served the plot well, I still cried. (Bonus points to the author for already announcing that her NEXT series is going to build off of where this one ended, which took a little bit of the sting away from the end of Quince Valley.) 

Six Goodbyes We Never Said by Candace Ganger  ⭐⭐⭐(¼)  This month’s second round of Bookcase Roulette! As I started reading, I realized it’s by the same author as The Inevitable Collision of Birdie and Bash, which I LOVED when I read it. It also seems to be a companion piece, judging by namedropped characters and events, but I haven’t read B&B recently enough to say 100 percent. The plot was sweet – I like YA books that recognize that young adults can and do experience real-world, life-altering events. This is a book about grief, about young people grieving, about big and heavy topics. Too much YA is after-school clubs and kissing boys in the hallway, and while those stories can be great too, young people are capable of experiencing and comprehending so much more; this is truly a book for anyone who’s ever lost someone, regardless of age. Parts of the plot felt disjointed, especially early in the story, and especially with the voicemails and emails dividing Naima’s sections. I was usually able to figure out where things fit together, but it took more effort than I’d have liked and pulled me out of the story. There were some really powerful moments and quotes, and even though I don’t think I’m keeping it, I’m glad I finally picked this one up.  

[enchanted-lightning-aes]

I'm curious the development of clawie from leading someone on to wanting to avoid breaking somebody's heart

what made her to regret what she did? since leading someone in is something you do on purpose, what make her change?

sksksk, this is a long ride, so buckle up.

back when claude was twenty, there's this one dude who was into her. like, he was very high-key in love with her but he wasn't aware of the harshness beneath her pretty face. in that age, she was calculating and cruel. she noticed how he had heart eyes and stuff. and she decieved the guy into thinking she felt the same to have a three day fling with her. after it was over, she admitted she didn't have feelings for him in the first place. and as you can see, this made the dude feel embarrassed and hurt by her deception. she even mocked him for his naivety and stuff. and left him in tears afterwards.

after an accident regarding fire and some things later, she was in her 'haunted by atrocities she caused on purpose' phrase. and she remembered the vivid way she hurt that guy. the way he wept had been painful to think of. and she got guilty for how she used and discarded an innocent guy, who had wholesome intentions. and she decided 'you know what?? i'm gonna prevent anyone else from developing romantic feelings for me', so that won't happen again. and she believed her appearance and personality were enough. she was glad that she isn't the type anyone can be into. she was okay with one-sided feelings bc she thought it was a fitting punishment for what she made that guy feel.

idk how the idea formed but once it did, it was stuck. i mean i could make things easy but. . . unlike the l.o.t writers, i am 100% meaner to ray. i will not hesitate to pair him with someone, who has such a screwed up past. compared to the canon demonic possession, this'll screw his psyche and heart over ten times worse. thank you for lettin' me ramble about this. 😂

[withahappyrefrain]

hey abby! ♡ For sleepover night, I just need to get this out of my chest. I see you as a very wise person I look up to so I'm hoping you can give me some insight on my situation!! Or just listen too, that would be nice :)

To make a long story short, I dated a guy during my early teens (I'm in my 20s). It was the most toxic relationship I've ever had. He came from a very rich family in my town and I literally live in one of the most poor areas here, he was from a very religious background too and extremely conservative and low key his family was kinda fascist.... anyways... I was the exact opposite of him. I stood up for lgbtq+ rights ever since I was 13, my whole friend group consisted of gays and minorities, hell, I'm bisexual too, I was a really loud feminist and I had multicolored hair lmao. I honestly don't know how we were able to work this out for a little over than 5 months but the damage he did was something ELSE...

Well, I broke up with him abruptly after he touched me without my permission... His family came for me and I snapped. Looking back now I might have been very agressive towards them, but anyways, I blocked everyone and never saw them again. I completely blocked those terrible memories for the first weeks, I couldn't even cry when I broke up with him. Just felt immense relief. Sometimes those memories still haunt me.

Well you see, the problem is, one of my best friends goes to the same extremely religious church him and his family go to. Her family is close to his mom and she is gonna get married in a few months... meaning, he's gonna be at her wedding.

I'm dreading this exchange so much, Abby, I kinda feel stupid. Everyone who knows me thinks I'm such a strong person, but I cant stand the thought of facing my abűs3r without getting extremely insecure. To make matters worse, this friend of mine told me he has a new girlfriend. He started dating her 4 months after I broke up with him and they met on the waiting room of a psychiatrist office💀 uh.... yeah.... don't know how to feel about this... I'm not jealous, in fact, I can only sympathize with this girl I don't know bc I know for a fact she's struggling with the things I did...

I won't miss my friend's wedding bc of some loser and his lame family but I feel so helpless thinking about it... :(

thank u for coming to my vent session lmao, you don't even have to respond if you don't want to babes but anyways, thank u for making me feel safe in your blog <3

First and foremost, I'm so sorry you went through that. Second, fuck that guy and his family.

Third, besides the one getting married, are there any other friends/people you trust that are attending the wedding? I would recommend making a plan, like a signal or a certain phrase you could say or text that they know would mean "get me away from this dude"? That would make me feel better.

[vnusplanetoflove]

had a dream couple days ago where I was at a bookstore w a friend and we found this book that was written about him(?) anyways I flipped thru it and said "dude.... they mpregged you"

[midas-lost-it]

Gotham's Haunted (by a Little Shit)

The theater had once been majestic, there was no doubt of that.

Even if its walls collapsed every now and then, even if the rotten floors seemed to want to swallow you whole like time has done with the place, even if the stairs made noise with non-existent steps, and the rats and vandals had left their mark there like the actors from past years.

You could see it in the way the stage stood, almost untouched by decadence, as if haunted by glory days.

You could hear it in the rumours surrounding it.

All the vigilantes of the city saw and heard, though, was that there was a seemingly abandoned building with lots of space and suspicious noise coming at suspicious hours.

And with their work, they had to deal with it as if a crime was already in place, or about to.

It's the paranoia that kept them alive for so long, or at least that's what Bruce said.

So, one night, a couple of them went to investigate.

All was normal- for an old, abandoned building, that is.

And then they heard it.

"Excuse me, do you know when the next play is?"

Nightwing was closer, so he reacted first, turning to the voice. There, sitting in one of the old seats, was a dark haired teen, who shielded his eyes from the light Nightwing shone his way.

"Calm down, dude, I'm just messing with you."

Nightwing debated for a moment if he should get closer -nothing was safe in this city, much less in his line of work- but ultimately decided to do it, nodding to one of his brothers to come too. Just in case.

"Well, you surprised me," said the vigilante. "Didn't expect to find someone just appreciating the view..."

"Yeah, no shit, me neither. Of course the night I come here you guys crash too.."

"So, what are you doing here, kid?"

Bold of Red Robin to call him that, seeing how the boy seemed around his age.

"A dare. My friends and I heard this place was haunted, and they thought I should check it out."

"Wow.. what kinda friends do you have?"

"Seen anything interesting yet?"

The boy shrugged, blue eyes -don't let Bruce find him- glued to the front as if he was actually watching a play unfold before them.

"A pair of rats fighting here, a couple masked boys there," he smirked. "More than I expected, really."

"I take it you don't believe in ghosts?"

A chuckle came from their new friend then, as if he had heard an old joke, echoing through the whole damn building. He finally looked at them.

"I don't really have another choice..."

And he faded away.

-

"Bruce? Bruce, uh, there's a-"

"Meta," Tim said before Dick could finish that sentence. "We just found and lost a meta..."

"Yeah, what Red Robin just said."

"How do you lose a meta so fast?" Jason commented, having gotten there while they were trying to process the strange interaction.

"You forget to cherish him!"

"...The fuck-"

-

Duke was watching the footage of the other guys' "spooky" adventure, when he got a new message, just as the echo-y last phrase was heard. Then another. And another one.

They hadn't stopped sending him "we cherish you" texts since the meta suggested.

And really, it felt nice, but he didn't know if he wanted to thank the boy or throw his phone at him. He'll figure it out when they find him.