#the rest of the podcast is really nice as well

[badgerhuan]

SO @maverickcalf UNEARTHED THIS PODCAST/INTERVIEW WITH BILL HADER FROM 12 YEARS AGO AND HE ACTUALLY TALKS ABOUT TROPIC THUNDER AND TOM IN A MORE DETAILED MANNER I'M VIBRATING THIS IS ALL I EVER WANTED!!!!!

JESSE THORN: What was it like to actually interact with him professionally; especially when he’s doing something as ridiculous as his character Les Grossman in that movie?

BILL HADER: He was great. He was really collaborative and was like, oh, do you want to come in on this, or maybe you say this and I say that.

I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED IF THEY EVER TALKED ABOUT IT!!! like the energy and chemistry they had between them, whatever little screen time they shared, always spoke to me like it's an interaction that was discussed about. you wouldn't get that kind of thing if it was just Tom doing his thing and Bill doing his best to keep up. they talked about it!! Tom asked for Bill's input!!!! I WAS RIGHT

He’s a very committed guy. He works incredibly hard, especially at those dances that he would do, and he would have these long monologues in the movie, mostly directed towards Matthew McConaughey’s character that were really funny and hard to get through, but he was so focused on making it a character; like a person. He looked so crazy in it, but making Les Grossman a real force.

YES god I'm so glad Bill talks about it here. like whenever people bring up Les to Tom they only ever ask about the dancing, but never about the CHARACTER WORK. that's what I love about Les honestly. that he so easily could've been a one note character played for laughs. but you can TELL that Tom put thought into his character and motivations, keeping Les grounded and more human. I love it so much.

He played it very real, like when he would get really angry he would actually be angry. He was really committed to it. But working with him and hanging with him in between scenes and stuff he was the nicest guy on earth. It helped that he was in that makeup, because for me after a while you forgot, oh, that’s Tom Cruise, and then at the end of the day you’d be walking to the van or your car, and he’d be like, “Hey Bill, great job today!” — Oh my god, that’s Tom Cruise!

more points for Tom being really nice 🥺🥺🥺 and him complimenting Bill oueghdgdhh I'M NORMAL ABOUT THIS

JESSE THORN: Bill, you’re a married man with a child; I am too. I would be worried if I ever met Tom Cruise that I would accidentally kiss him or something.

BILL HADER: When he’s dressed like Les Grossman, you don’t.

this part made me laugh honestly dhkfhdj DON'T LIE TO ME BILL

(thank you for playing Rob like he wants Les to rail him anyway)

That is an interesting thing. That’s the kind of guy who will sit there and talk – – like, between doing the movie and doing the MTV Movie Awards thing, like, I had a kid and stuff like that, and he definitely was like, “How’s that going?” Very legitimately interested in what was going on in your life and just very cool. Telling me stories about making The Outsiders, he’ll sit and tell you stuff and it was really cool.

we've all heard about how people talk about when Tom talks to you he always gives you 100% of his attention and is very genuine so this isn't a surprise but it's just so good to see Bill confirming that yet again 🥺

but also ohhh my god Tom telling Bill about making The Outsiders. just telling him stories about movies he's made!!! BILL DID YOU EVER TELL HIM YOU LOVE FILM THE WAY HE DOES!!! DID HE KNOW ABOUT YOUR DREAM TO BE A DIRECTOR!!!!!

I'm so happy this interview exists. and I'm so happy to have confirmation on things I've wondered about for years (did they ever discuss their characters while filming the movie, did Tom and Bill ever talk about films, etc). I can't believe this information was out there for over a decade and I only just learned about it!! thank you Blu so much for sharing this 🥹🥹🥹

[matty-bear]

Heyy! I was wondering if I could request a sturniolo triplets x sister reader. She’s like 17/18 and they are doing a podcast episode with her, and they talk about childhood stories and maybe she plays football or something, or is really into art. Just an idea… love you fics btw!

A Trip Down Memory Lane

type: request ! 

pairing: sturniolo x little sister 

warnings: sfw, fluffy, lighthearted sibling banter 

summary: the triplets invite you to join one of their podcast episodes ! cue in the bickering and childhood memories 

notes: hope this is what you were wanting ^^ writing this was sm fun ! had a little trouble figuring out the childhood memories but i think i got the bickering down 🔥 happy reading ! hope you enjoy <3 

WC: 3425 

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“Good morning Campers and welcome back to the Cut The Camera Podcast!” Nick greets, a small smile toying at his lips as he looks at the camera before him. “It’s your favorite host… Not Matt, not Chris…” A few beats of silence pass by as the redhead leans closer to his mic. “Nick Stromboli.” 

Chris can be heard faintly giggling as Matt rolls his eyes. “I’m Matt.” The said male adds, holding up a small peace sign as he looks at his camera. 

“I wonder if someone will see that clip of you saying ‘Nick Stromboli’ and actually think that’s your last name,” Chris says as he leans towards his mic, his eyes shifting over at Nick who’s smiling proudly. 

The redhead’s smile falls as a thinking expression plays on his face. “No, because it’s crazy how I will instinctively say ‘Stromboli’ over and over again. Like the number of times I’ve said that instead of Sturniolo is getting a little worrisome.” 

“I’m Chris by the way!” The said male shouts with a large smile. He leans back in his chair and strums an imaginary air guitar for a moment before he returns in front of his mic. Nick adds to the boy's shenanigans by mimicking a few guitar noises before the brunette continues speaking. “Welcome to episode 35 of Cut The Camera Podcast. Today we have a very special episode for you guys  because we have a guest joining us today.” 

“She is sitting right across from me actually. Please, madmazel, introduce yourself to the viewers.” Nick dramatically brings his hand out in front of him and bows his head down. You roll your eyes at the sight and adjust the headphones on your head before looking straight into the camera across from you. 

“Hey guys! I’m y/n, it is very nice to be on here finally.” You greet, your voice soft as you gently speak into the mic. 

“How anticlimactic and boring was that.” You hear Matt mumble. You quickly whip your head around and narrow your eyes at the male who’s resting his head in his hand. 

“Says the one who said ‘I’m Matt’ and called it a day. You can’t be calling me boring when I said more words than you.” You sas, your statement earning a muffled giggle from Chris. Matt sends you a glare, the two of you locking eyes for a moment before he leans in closer to his mic. 

“Womp womp.” 

“Yeah, womp womp to you, kid. Let’s see if I beat you in talking today.” 

“OKAY!” Nick exclaims, a single hand raising as he cuts the bickering between you and Matt. “We’re not even five minutes in and you two are already fighting.” 

“Well, he started it.” You defend as you point an accusing finger towards Matt. Before the male gets the chance to retaliate, Nick cuts him off. 

“Enough! You will have the chance to argue later.” You roll your eyes and send another glare toward Matt as the older sticks his tongue out at you. “Anyways… Guys, this is our younger sister, y/n if you didn’t know.” 

“You guys don’t see her very often since she’s very camera shy and hates being on social media,” Chris adds as he reaches for the red solo cup in front of him. 

“What can I say, social media is a very toxic place.” You say with a shrug. 

“I completely agree.” You nod your head faintly when Nick points his finger at you. “Adding onto what Chris said about y/n being camera shy, we had to beg her to come on here for a week straight.” You send an innocent smile to your camera at the male’s statement and make a small heart with both your hands. 

“They almost gave up until I mentioned that we’d buy her food for a week,” Matt says, both his thumbs pointing toward Chris and Nick. 

“And Matt said he’d buy me a Fortnite skin!” You add. “I’m waiting for the item shop to refresh so I can make him buy the one I want.” 

“Okay, I knew about the food but not the skin,” Nick says, a single eyebrow raising as he looks over at Matt. 

“She made me add it,” Matt replies with a dramatic sigh. “She’s gonna run my pockets dry I kid you not.” 

“Yeah, yeah, you love me anyway.” 

“Do I?” A fake hurtful expression paints your face as you look over at Matt. 

“How rude.” You mumble with a frown. 

“Guys I'm kidding by the way. Don’t wanna stir up unnecessary drama.” Matt quickly blurts out as he points at his camera. 

“Say you love me back then.” You say, your arms crossing over your chest as you stare down at the older male. Matt takes a glance over at you before his gaze shifts over to Chris who gives him a small shrug. 

“I love you too.” Matt mumbles, earning a victorious smile from you. 

“Are you two done? Can we continue?” Nick asks, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as he leans against the booth. 

“We’re done.” You reply with a smile. 

“Okay perfect.” Nick adjusts his posture and reaches for his phone to pull up his notes app. “So, y/n, would you care to tell the viewers a few things about yourself? You know like how old you are, what you like to do, basic stuff.”

“Of course!” You exclaim, you smile not faltering as you look into your camera. “Well for starters, I am 18 years old and my birthday is a week after the triplets’. Hate being the youngest because these fuckers are always teasing me about everything. Especially when it comes to potential love interests.”

“It’s called tough love and being protective.” Chris corrects as he points a single finger at you. 

“Yeah, yeah.” You take a moment to roll your eyes before you continue. “Anyways, there are some things that I enjoy while being the youngest but I don’t think that’s very important right now. As for hobbies, I enjoy art. Especially painting. I have a shit ton of art supplies and enjoy taking time out of my day to take my canvas, paintbrush, and a few paints outside to paint the world around me. I find it very calming and it helps with my anxiety quite a bit.” 

“Sorry for cutting you off. I have to say this real quick.” Nick says as he holds one of his hands out in front of him. You faintly nod your head at the redhead, letting him know he can continue. “y/n is actually really good when it comes to painting. Like especially her landscape works. If she lets me, I’ll post a photo of one of her works on my story after this podcast episode gets uploaded.” 

“Awh, thanks, Nick.” You say, a shy smile overtaking your lips as you begin to fidget with the few rings littering your fingers. 

“I agree with Nick. For my birthday y/n painted me the most beautiful forest landscape with a cabin. I have yet to put it up yet since I’m scared I’ll fuck it up so it’s just sitting on my desk.” Matt adds, the biggest smile creeping onto his lips as he taps back to the day you gave him the said painting. 

“Kid literally cried when she gave it to him. I don’t blame him though, it really is a sick-ass painting.” Chris hops onto the small compliment train as you find yourself sinking into the seat you're in, suddenly feeling a little shy. 

“I’m working on something for  you two by the way.” You speak up, your statement gaining the attention of all the boys as they quickly look over at you. “Nick’s is done, I'm just doing some finishing touches on yours, Chris.” Excited expressions can be seen on the two boy’s faces as they smile widely. 

“Don’t play with me, I’m so fucking excited.” Chris says as he hugs himself. 

“Can you send pics to me? I wanna see.” Matt asks as he sends you a large smile. 

“Yeah, I’ll send you pictures when I get home.” You reply with a small smile of your own. 

“Are you ready to move into the next topic, y/n?” Nick asks as he takes his phone back in his hand and scrolls through his list of questions. 

“Born ready.” You reply, firmly nodding your head as you sit at the edge of your seat and lean in closer to your microphone. 

“Alright…” Silence fills the studio for a moment before Nick asks the next question. “How is it like having triplet older brothers? Like in school or just in general.” 

“Hmm.. Interesting question.” A faint hum emits from your closed lips as you gently tap your pointer finger against your chin. “As for school, being in the same school as you guys was quite the experience. If I got the same teacher as one of you and the teacher recognized my last name, they would go on a small tangent about what it was like having you in the class. When it came to girls, it was pretty freaky considering how most of them tried to befriend me just so they could get closer to the y’all. So making friends that weren’t interested in using me to know my brother was a little tough. I did find a few friends though so I promise I'm not a lonely little fuck.” 

All three boys laugh in unison the moment the last sentence escapes your mouth. You simply shrug your shoulders and send your camera a tight-lipped smile before one of your brothers speaks up. 

“She’s lying, she has like two close friends right now.” Matt says, earning a loud, dramatic gasp from you. 

“Matt, what the fuck!” You exclaim, a hurtful expression playing on your face as you look over at the older male. “In my defense, I think that it’s better to have two close friends than 10 friends who are fake.” 

“She has a point.” Chris says as he gently nods his head. 

“y/n, continue.” Nick urges as he waves his hand out in front of him. 

“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted.” You start, your eyes narrowing as you glare at Matt. “I also found it quite weird how girls would openly confess their feelings for one of you guys to my face. Like… Why are y'all telling me this, I'm not them. I also didn’t understand what they saw in you guys.” 

“Okay, rude.” Nick mumbles as he focuses his gaze on his phone. 

“Yall are my brothers so I could never see them how I saw you.” You defend with a shrug. “Anyways, outside of school was a whole different story. People didn’t know I was y’all’s sister unless they knew of my last name or if I was hanging out with you guys. Speaking of hangouts, I found it quite endearing how people would come up to us because they recognized you guys. Like you guys always talked out how being recognized in public was a dream of y'alls and seeing it happen was very heartwarming. Apart from being recognized, it was funny to see people’s reactions to seeing triplets just walking around minding their own business. It was like I was in a fucking zoo when I was with these three. I always had to tell people to mind their business because they just stand there and fucking stare. Like God, some people just have no manners sometimes.” 

“Yeah, some people act like we’re literal aliens. It’s fucking weird. Like hello, we’re regular human beings that just so happen to be triplets.” Chris chimes in as he rolls his eyes. 

“Yeah, it’s fucking insane.” You agree as you nod your head faintly, your gaze shifting to Nick whose eyes are glued to his phone. 

“You texting your boyfriend over there?” You call. Your statement quickly catches the redhead’s attention as he quickly lifts his head, his face flushing as he locks eyes with you. “Did I miss something?” 

“No,” Nick replies flatly. 

“Why are you blushing then?” 

“I’m not?”

You send the older male a look as he avoids your intense gaze by looking back down at his phone. 

You were definitely gonna pry about this later. 

“Anyways, next topic,” Nick says after he clears his throat. “What are some of your favorite childhood memories that we were a part of?” 

“God there’s so many.” You start as you begin to gaze off into the distance, your mind running with countless old memories. “I’ll start with Chris and work my way up.” All three boys nod their heads and wait for you to continue to be lost in your thoughts for a moment longer before you finally continue. “I remember when dad took Chris out to play mini golf one day and I begged Jimmy to take me with him because I wanted to hang out with Chris. I vividly remember placing bets with Chris on who would make the most holes and the loser would have to jump in a bush and give up 20 bucks to the winner. Seeing Chris jump in a bush and humiliate himself in front of a group of girls was the highlight of my week.” 

“How old were you when this happened?” Matt asks with a laugh. 

“About nine.” You reply, faintly nodding as you look over at Chris who has his head buried in his hands. 

“So you’re telling me a nine-year-old beat you in a game of mini golf,” Nick states as he turns in his seat to also look over at Chris. 

“I let her win!”  The brunette defends as he points his pointer finger at you. 

“Did you really?” You ask, your jaw-dropping. 

“Yeah.” 

“We’re going out for another game of mini golf then because that’s fucked up.”

“Fine, we’re going this weekend.” 

“Same rules?”

“Same rules but we’re tripling the prize money.”

“Alright, word. You’re going down, Owen.” 

“Ooohh she said your middle name.” Nick coos as he bites back a laugh. 

Chris rolls his eyes, a smile creeping up onto his lips. “Yeah, yeah. We’ll see this weekend.” 

“Guys, I'm gonna record our game and send it to Nick so you guys can see how badly I’ll destroy him.” You say as you stare into your camera. Chris shakes his head and makes a talking gesture with his hand before you continue. “Anyways, I remember when I was like 7 that for Halloween, Matt and I both wanted to be Spider-Man but we were arguing about it for like two hours because we both couldn’t be Spider-Man. And before you all say anything, I don’t think Spider-Gwen existed back then so I didn’t even think of being the female version of Spider-Man. Anyways, mom ended up painting my suit a different color so me and Matt could both wear our suits and go trick or treating.” 

“Oh my God, I remember that. We were both being annoying little pricks with our web shooters.” Matt says with a smile as he does a web-shooting gesture with his hand. 

“I also remember Dad having to confiscate the said web shooters because you and y/n kept abusing us with them,” Nick adds as he rolls his eyes and leans back against the booth with his arms crossed. 

“Those fuckers hurt like hell. I think I had a bruise for like a week.” Chris says as he rubs the side of his thigh. 

“Yeah, yeah. What matters most is that Matt and I had the night of our fucking lives.” You say as you look over at the said male. You go to send him a smile but the moment you see the older get up from his seat and lean towards you with his hand held out in front of him, you quickly lean in and share a quick high five. 

“Anyways... I didn’t forget about you, Nick.” You start as you send a wide smile to the said male. “When I turned eleven, Mom and Dad took us to go to the arcade for my birthday because I wanted to get all the plushies. Me being fucking dog shit at crane games ended up spending all my game currency in like 10 minutes and didn’t win anything. When Nick found out, he used the remainder of his credits to get me like five Hello Kitty plushies. I still have them to this day and they’re all sitting on my bed. Not to mention how like two of them are fucking massive and so soft.” 

“Wait, you still have them?” Nick asks, his eyes slightly wide as he looks at you. 

“Of course I do! They’re tied to memories, Nick.” You reply as you twirl your finger inside one of the holes at the corner of the desk. 

“How much stuff do you have from your childhood? Like did you keep most stuff in your old bedroom or did you get rid of everything?” Chris asks as he shifts his focus over to you, his left hand reaching to bring the microphone closer to him. 

“It depends on the emotional connection I have with that item. If it was just in my room just to be in my room, it means nothing. If it was something from you guys or Mom and Dad, I most definitely still have it in my room. I will not allow myself to throw something away that holds memories or if I have deep attachments to it.” 

“So if I gave you a rock, you’d keep it?” Matt asks with a small smile. 

You narrow your eyes at the male. “Well, it’s a rock so no. Maybe if I was like five, maybe I’d keep it.”

“Wait, now I wanna see what all you kept,” Nick says as he sits upright.

“You would be very surprised about how much shit I have in my room.” You say as you lean back in your seat, your arms crossing over your chest. 

“Next vlog is gonna be a house raid slash y/n house tour video guys! Look out for it.” Chris states as he points at his camera. 

“I think I'm good actually, thanks.” You mumble, your statement earning soft laughs from the three in front of you. 

“So I'm guessing that's a no to the house raid?” Nick asks, a single eyebrow raising as he slightly tilts his head to the side. 

“Well I'm not saying no to raiding my house or the house tour, I'm saying no to the video. I don’t want people to see my living conditions. Knowing how well your fans find where you guys are at, I wouldn’t doubt that they’d find where I live.” You defend, your voice soft as you point down at the desk in hopes of getting your point across. 

“Okay, that’s very reasonable.” Matt agrees as he leans back against the booth, a single arm coming up to rest at the top of it. 

“So we can raid your house,” Chris says as the smile on his lips grows. 

You let out a soft sigh as you pinch the bridge of your nose. “Yes, you guys can raid my house.” You give in. All the boys cheer loudly at your statement, causing a soft laugh to emit from you. “BUT you need to text me before y'all come over.” 

“Deal!” Nick exclaims, his hands clasping together a few times as he claps excitedly. 

“Gonna start the prank wars back up the second I step foot inside your house by the way,” Matt says, his statement barely being picked up by the microphone as he leans back a little. 

“WHAT?” You ask, your voice coming out louder than intended as you stare wide-eyed at the brunette to your right. 

“What’s the next topic, Nick?” Matt asks, trying to switch the topic as he sends the redhead a small smile. 

“Matt, repeat what you said right now.” You demand as you reach over to grab the flamingo plush in front of you. “Or the flamingo gets it.” 

“Hey!” Nick exclaims, his loud and sudden voice startling you. “Do not touch Fred. Put him down.” 

You raise both your hands up in surrender and slowly put the flamingo back down. As you do so, you can hear Matt giggling softly in your headset and you quickly send a glare to the male as you return to your seat. 

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:· TagList ·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·

@freshloveforthefit @nickuniversity @patscorner @frankdelreyy @sturnssan @kileybankzz @robins-scoop

[shivadh]

Portrait of a Royal

(Warning behind the cut for a full-length image of the new Jonathan Yeo portrait of Charles III, which is real startling if you aren't expecting it.)

"Having met Charles Windsor," Gregory said over breakfast that morning, "I can assure you, he really is exactly the kind of man who wouldn't notice an elaborate and expensive roasting."

They had a rule about reading smartphones at breakfast -- using a tablet was fine if they were talking business, and phones were permitted for scheduling or settling arguments about the lyrics to songs or movie trivia, but overall they tried to keep the devices face-down. On that particular morning absolutely nobody was following the rule, because Jes had walked into the dining room with Michaelis, propped their tablet against a juice carafe in the middle of the table, and said, "I want everyone's opinion on what the actual living fuck is going on here."

Gerald had almost choked on his coffee. Alanna, feeding Sera, had looked up at the tablet, showing a portrait of King Charles III of England done in raw-meat pinks and muddy browns, and missed Sera's face entirely with a spoonful of mashed banana. Joan's eyes went huge as Eddie went into peals of laughter, which the twins promptly imitated, slapping their hands on the trays of their high chairs.

Gregory had carefully set down his silverware and rested his elbows on the table, propping his nose on his clasped hands to try and maintain a poker face.

"It's satire, right?" Ger had asked, looking from Jes to Gregory to Alanna. "I actually liked art history at school, and that's a painting someone did in protest, isn't it?"

"This is the official royally commissioned portrait of Charles the third," Michaelis had said, helping himself to breakfast at the sideboard and settling in between Joan and Jes. "But yes, it is also satire."

"They paid for that?" Eddie asked, gesturing at the painting. "They paid for it. And voluntarily put it on display."

"So the press releases say," Jes said. "I'm taking soundings because we are absolutely dedicating at least one episode of The Echo to it. I might have to start an entirely new podcast about contemporary art just so I can do a deep dive."

"Satire," Gerald repeated, staring at the painting.

"Not explicitly according to the artist, but his description of it is…very dry," Michaelis said. Jes held up their phone and read from it.

"The vivid color of the glazes in the background echo the uniform’s bright red tunic, not only resonating with the royal heritage found in many historical portraits but also injecting a dynamic, contemporary jolt into the genre with its uniformly powerful hue…" they stopped to snicker.

"Oh that's good," Alanna said approvingly. "Calling raw-flesh red the royal heritage is a very nice touch."

"The butterfly approaching King Charles's shoulder in the portrait adds a layer of narrative depth, symbolizing both his known advocacy for environmental causes and his personal transformation."

"It's a lie," Joan said. The adults looked at her.

"What's a lie, hon?" Gregory asked.

"I mean -- " Joan frowned at the painting. "He says he's painting the king's portrait but he's actually painting his feelings about the king, right? And being paid to paint a portrait implies you're supposed to be on the subject's side. But he's definitely not. So it's kind of like a lie. Of a painting. That's cool," she added, thoughtfully. "He roasted the king and the king didn't even notice? That's so cool!"

"Having met Charles Windsor," Gregory said, "I can assure you, he really is exactly the kind of man who wouldn't notice an elaborate and expensive roasting."

"That's sort of what satire is," Gerald added. "It's saying one thing but meaning another in a way that's really obvious to almost everyone."

"Ooh," Joan replied, digesting this. "I've had European history," she continued. "Other royal families aren't like ours."

"Well, some," Michaelis said. "Most, perhaps. Because we elect our royalty, even if we do tend to…elect in families. If you're king one day, it'll be because Gregory trained you and the people think you'd be best at the job. If you were the kind of person he is," he added, nodding to the portrait, "You probably wouldn't get elected."

"I sure wouldn't want a portrait like that done of me if I did," Joan said.

"That reminds me, we really do need to have portraits done," Gregory said to Eddie.

"Well, I say hire this guy," Eddie replied, gesturing at the painting. "At least you know you'll get an honest opinion."

"Doubt he needs the work, given he managed to get paid to insult a king to his face," Jes said. "Maybe that's the angle -- he basically ran a con on the royal family."

"Is it a con if they pay you for something and you give it to them?" Gerald asked.

"To be clear, that was con-parenthesis-admiring-close-parenthesis," Jes replied.

"I should never have told them I have a Tumblr," Ger said to Alanna.

"Don't look at me, I warned you," she replied.

"His other work is very good," Gregory said, scrolling images on his own phone. "I wonder if we can afford him. Love to see what he'd do with you, Eddie."

"I don't mind. Whatever he does, can't be worse than the haters who didn't like my TV show," Eddie replied serenely.

"Am I going to meet the Windsors, ever?" Joan asked Gregory.

"Oh, sooner or later, probably."

"We used to have to go to the birthdays sometimes," Alanna said. "Gregory and Gerald and me. We used to immediately go find Mia and then spend the parties running around with her, causing mischief."

"That's Queen Amelia of Genovia," Michaelis told Joan.

"I should call her, she's going to love this," Gregory said absently.

"I owe her money, I think," Gerald added. "Don't play poker with Genovians," he told Serafina, who burbled.

Eddie, who had apparently already thought of someone to call, had his phone to his ear. "Hey, Gee," he said, to whoever answered. Gregory looked at him curiously. "Yeah, it's Ed. Oh, don't give me shit, I married for love. Have you seen the new Yeo painting? I know! Yeah, I thought you might. Can I get his number? Oh, great. And do you know what his rates are? Well, yeah, and I want to be top of the waiting list. Okay. Huh, that's…affordable."

The entire table was silent. Eddie grinned at them.

"Oh, would you? You are the best, my man. Yeah, absolutely. Hey, next time you're in Europe, book a few days here, huh? Okay. Okay -- yeah, here it comes -- ciao, darling!" he said, and hung up.

"Who do you know who can quote you Jonathan Yeo's fees?" Jes asked.

"Gordon Ramsay," Eddie said casually. "He had a portrait done. I don't know what the royal budget is but his going rate, at least pre-Windsor, is not going to dip my bank account uncontrollably."

"You married for love?" Gregory prompted.

"Oh yeah, he likes to make fun of me for marrying into royalty, he calls me King Golddigger. I think you'll like him, I'll introduce you."

"What if you have Mr. Yeo do a portrait and it ends up like that, though?" Joan asked, gesturing at the painting. Jes picked up the tablet and blanked it, setting it aside.

"Then I will have deserved it, don't you think?" Gregory asked. "We should never try to pretend to a face that's better than the one we actually have. One reason art is so important is that it reminds us of that. That's why we spend so much government money on the arts. Now, finish your eggs, we are definitely going to have to have some conversations about that painting with several of the MPs, it's going to be a rowdy morning."

I think this is more or less extracanonical, but I couldn't get out of my head the idea of the Shivadh royals reacting to Yeo's portrait of Charles III. I don't think he's actually done one of Gordon Ramsay, but I think Ramsay's the kind of guy who would enjoy his work, for sure. Yeo's statement about the portrait is here; it's well worth clicking around his site, his other work is equally fantastic. I can only imagine what he'd do with a portrait of Gregory or Eddie (or Michaelis).

[writingduhh]

listen im lowkey obsessed w the idea of schlatt x reader who doesnt stream or anything but is a guest on chuckle sandwich

Ok I LOVE THIS! My mind immediately went to when Charlie was still on the pod so hope that’s ok! (You can just pretend it’s tucker for all the tucker lovers)

Also, this is Fem reader!

Jschlatt || Podcast Cameo

You’ve always been a little outside the world of streaming and content creation. While your boyfriend, Schlatt, was making waves online, you preferred to stay in the background, supporting him quietly. You loved the privacy, the comfort of your normal life, and the knowledge that while he entertained millions, he came home to you.

But one day, that quiet routine was interrupted when Schlatt casually mentioned, “Hey, how would you feel about being on Chuckle Sandwich?”

You looked up from your book, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “Me? On the podcast? Schlatt, I don’t even use social media. No one knows me. What would I even talk about?���

He grinned, leaning against the doorframe with that mischievous look you knew all too well. “That’s the point. You’re not like anyone else we’ve had on, and I think it’d be fun. Plus, it’s a chance for the world to see why I’m so obsessed with you.”

You rolled your eyes, your heart fluttering despite yourself. “Obsessed, huh? You’re laying it on thick today.”

“Can’t help it,” he shrugged, walking over to sit you, pulling you into his arms. “I just think you’d be great. Besides, you already know and like the guys. They’ll make it easy on you.”

You hesitated for a moment, then sighed, resting your head on his chest. “I don’t know, Schlatt. I’m not used to being in the spotlight like you are.”

He tilted your chin up, his gaze softening as he looked into your eyes. “You’ll be fine. I’ll be right there with you the whole time. And if you don’t like it, we never have to do it again. But I really think you’ll surprise yourself.”

With his arms around you and that earnest look in his eyes, it was hard to say no. “Alright, fine. I’ll do it. But only because you asked.”

“Good choice,” he murmured, leaning down to press a slow, lingering kiss to your lips. “I can’t wait to show you off.”

The day of the recording arrived faster than you expected. You felt a mix of nerves and excitement as you walked into the recording studio with Schlatt by your side. Charlie and Ted greeted you warmly, as they always did, immediately making you feel at ease. They were as goofy and charming in person as they were on camera, and it wasn’t long before you were laughing along with them.

“So, what made you decide to put up with Schlatt here?” Charlie teased, leaning back in his chair as the recording began.

You shot Schlatt a playful glance, “Honestly? I think it’s his weird mix of sarcasm and sweetness. It keeps me on my toes.”

Schlatt grinned, resting his hand on your thigh under the table.

Ted jumped in, his voice full of curiosity. “So, how do you handle the whole ‘dating a youtuber’ thing? It’s gotta be pretty different from a regular relationship.”

You thought about it for a moment, feeling Schlatt’s thumb gently stroking your leg. “It is different, but it’s also kind of nice. I love that he has something he’s passionate about, and it makes the time we spend together even more special. Plus, I get to see a side of him that the audience doesn’t. A side that’s softer, sweeter… maybe even a little bit shy.”

Schlatt laughed, his hand giving your leg a light squeeze. “ Me!? Come on, you’re making me sound soft.”

You turned to him, your eyes sparkling with affection. “You are soft, sometimes. Especially when we’re alone.”

The guys erupted in playful jeers and teasing comments, but Schlatt just leaned in closer, his lips brushing against your ear. “Keep talking like that, and I might just have to show you how rough I can be.”

Your breath hitched slightly, your cheeks flushing at his words. You shot him a look that was both amused and flustered, and he chuckled lowly, clearly enjoying your reaction.

The conversation continued, flowing effortlessly from topic to topic, with Charlie and Ted keeping the mood light and fun. They asked you questions about how you and Schlatt met, your life as someone without social media, and what it was like dating someone with such a large online presence. You answered honestly, with Schlatt chiming in every so often with a sarcastic quip or a teasing remark that had you all laughing.

At one point, the conversation turned to pet peeves, and you couldn’t resist poking fun at Schlatt. “He leaves his clothes everywhere. I swear, it’s like a trail of evidence from the front door to wherever he is.”

Schlatt groaned, but there was a playful look in his eyes. “And you’re perfect, huh?”

You shrugged, giving him an innocent smile. “Pretty much.”

The banter flowed naturally, and before you knew it, the recording was wrapping up. Ted turned to you with a grin. “You did great. You’re super entertaining. Ever thought about starting your own channel?”

You shook your head, laughing. “Oh, no. I think I’ll leave that to you guys. I’m happy just being the supportive girlfriend.”

Schlatt wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you close. “And I’m more than happy to keep you all to myself.”

As the recording ended and the mics were turned off, you felt a wave of relief mixed with a sense of accomplishment. You’d done it. You’d stepped out of your comfort zone and had actually enjoyed yourself.

Charlie and Ted both gave you hugs, thanking you for being a guest. “You’ve got to come back sometime,” Charlie said with a wink. “We’ll make a regular out of you.”

“We’ll see,” you replied, smiling. “Maybe I’ll make a cameo every now and then.”

As you and Schlatt left the studio, he slipped his hand into yours, giving it a gentle squeeze. “See? Told you you’d be great.”

You leaned into him, feeling the warmth of his body against yours. “You were right. I actually had fun.”

“I’m glad,” he murmured, his voice softer now that you were alone. “And just so you know, I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted to show you off. I love that you’re mine, and I wanted everyone to see how amazing you are.”

Your heart swelled at his words, and you stopped walking, turning to face him. “You know, for someone who tries to act tough all the time, you can be really sweet.”

Schlatt grinned, his hands finding your waist and pulling you closer. “Only for you. Don’t go spreading that around.”

You laughed, wrapping your arms around his neck as he leaned in, his lips touching yours. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

[yandereunsolved]

ꨄ︎ Yandere Podcaster — Amos Emerie ꨄ︎

"Welcome to Holy Springs, darling!" I had a vision of you coming here. We must be destined to be together.

"Nice to meet you?"

"Oh, I'm Amos! I actually run a pretty successful podcast. You've probably heard of it before. It's called Yandere Unsolved."

"I listen to that every morning! How could I not recognize your voice? I'm so stupid."

"Me? You listen to me?" I think I just came.

"Yeah! I love how you delve into the unsolved murders supposedly committed by these deranged murderers."

Ow. I am not that deranged. I just love you a little too much. I wouldn't kill anyone unless I really needed to. It's against my moral code. Moral is a subjective word, after all!

"It's something I-I'm really interested in as well!"

Can they tell I'm sweating? I'm not sweating that much. It'll be fine. It'll be fine. They don't even notice. They just look so cute. They smell even better than my visions could have predicted. I wonder why type of—

"Amos! I have a question. Why does this place seem so barren?"

There are a bunch of entities, both good and evil, inhabiting this place. I'm getting to them before they get to you. I couldn't let anyone get to my precious darling. The rest better back off. I'll fuck up their bets if they don't. Steal some of their money. Yeah, totally. 

"This is just a cozy little town. It's usually not so quiet. I guess you just moved in here during a quiet day."

"That makes sense. Would you mind showing me to... one second... this location. It's where my apartment is. I normally wouldn't ask someone I just met, but my phone has been glitching since I got here, and I don't exactly have a psychical map I am able to use. I couldn't even find this town on the maps! I guess it's just because it's so tiny, haha."

Ugh, I know who that is. That demonic ass better not be trying to lay claim to you.

"I can show you there! Your apartment is actually right next to mine." It's just how I envisioned it. I just hope they aren't feeding right now. That ghoul always seems so ravenous for another meal. I couldn't let them get to you.

"What a strange coincidence!"

"Yeah—coincidence... Let's go!"

I'll protect you along the way and from the others.

You're already mine.

You just don't know it yet.

[cloveroctobers]

OCTOBER PROMPTS 🦇 — 11. Evan “Buck” Buckley

A/N: my man, my man, my man!! Hopefully we get to see you soon and I can actually get the nerve to finish season six—I only have maybe 4 episodes left? Then I’ll dive into 9-1-1 lone star while we wait. Regardless I thought this would be funny and a little creepy to write so here we are! Enjoy 😉

Synopsis: Buck loves the new house you live in together and although you’re not crazy about it…you decide to pull a prank on your boyfriend to liven up the place that perhaps leads to you opening doors for a uninvited guest?

PROMPTS ARE FROM HERE & HERE & I’m using: A buys a crappy sound machine and plants it in the house. While it plays ghost noises and spooky sounds, A hopes they can convince B that the place is haunted. + “Come on, if there was ever a time for me to be superstitious it’s definitely now.”

*GIF BELONGS TO: @911edit

<- read my previous anthology prompt here.

꩜⌖ㄨ࿔⚡︎꩜⌖ㄨ࿔⚡︎꩜⌖ㄨ࿔⚡︎꩜⌖ㄨ࿔⚡︎꩜⌖ㄨ࿔⚡︎ ꩜

“BABE!” Buck yelled into your ear after pulling the headphone away.

You flinch as you stand up straight from the kitchen island and away from your overnight oats, “Yes?” You press with raised brows.

Buck waves his hands around, “you don’t hear that?”

“Hear what?” You question, pausing the podcast and resting your headphones to lay around your neck, “I didn’t even know you were home.”

Buck immediately frowns, “don’t tell me that. That means anybody could be hiding in here and you wouldn’t even know because of those stupid things.”

“You bought them for me.”

“Yeah to use at the gym and keep those meathead douchebags away while I’m not around.” Buck explained which made you smirk with a roll of your eyes.

“Listen,” Buck said again as you moved around the modern kitchen (that you hated) to place the now empty bowl and spoon into the sink.

Placing a hand on your hip you glance around the new open floor plan home that you and Buck moved into together. The modern contemporary home was such a contrast from the outside to the inside with its exterior being too boxy for your liking but you enjoyed the black exterior and the courtyard and pool. The inside was much lighter, from white to cream walls, along with the high ceilings which made the home feel bigger and instantly sold Buck who believed this would be your forever home.

You on the other hand were not convinced but nobody could ever say you weren’t open to trying new experiences. It’s only been four months settling in and there were still some things you wanted to change like: mainly the wall colors but Buck was convinced furniture and decor could replace that urge.

Sighing you say, “I don’t hear anything Ev,” you tap the sink on, “maybe you should lay down? Was it a rough day?”

“No, it was a breeze.” Buck fanned his hand along before resting them both flat against the White Island counter, “…maybe it’s a bird or something?”

“Well what exactly did it sound like?”

“Like scratching. Kinda like Pearla when she tries to sneak into our room at night,” Buck answers before glancing around, “matter of fact, where is she?”

“At the groomers. She won’t be ready until after four,” you inform Buck of the whereabouts of your old English sheepdog.

Buck dips his head, looking at his watch, “it’s 3:42.”

“Shoot! time does really get away from me,” you widen your eyes as you quickly finish washing the dishes before spinning around to shove it into the dishwasher.

Buck nods his head, “I’ll drive.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” Buck shrugs his shoulders, “it’s a nice crisp day and…I don’t want you having any accidents considering your hearing isn’t the best right now.” He playfully lifts the headphones from your neck to place down while you roll your eyes again.

You lean towards him smug, “ah, I see what this is…you’re scared to stay here by yourself because of this imaginary noise you’re hearing.”

“I’m not! And i don’t think it’s in my head.” Buck defended while you went over to the couch to shove your hoodie back over your gym attire.

“Uh huh,” you say as Buck scoffs ready to plead his case as you lock up the home behind you.

The next time Buck hears the noise is around 3am when you’re both tucked away at the back of the home in bed. It’s not a pleasant sound as his eyes snap open to the darkness of the room, the moaning and creaking almost sounds like a mixture of a whale and the cracking of a ship that meets the bottom of the ocean. Buck knows he should stop clicking on random things on YouTube before bed that leads him down a deep dive but this isn’t the first time he’s hearing that groaning sound.

It was brief before on his day off while you were at work and he was lounging on the couch watching some twisted documentary about Russ McKamey. Buck tried to brush it off as something that was on screen since it stopped when he paused the television but he couldn’t hear it while watching again. Was this truly in his head? He started to think but here he was— technically—the third time hearing the noise for much longer.

When he peaks over at you with your back to him, he lightly grips your shoulder and leans over to see that you’re still fast asleep and sits up in bed. By the edge of the bed, he spots Pearla on the floor with her fluffy ears perked up and Buck nods his head.

“You hear it too, girl? I know I’m not going crazy!” Buck whisper-yells to the dog who’s definitely more alert than you are.

Buck’s crawling out of bed with Pearla at his ankles, taking a deep inhale he opens the bedroom door to peak down the left of the hallway towards the front of the new home and only sees darkness. Pausing for a moment he listens for the noise again but the home is eerily quiet.

Buck stands there for at least two minutes before he considers closing the door but the creaking starts up again, sending Pearla flying out of the room barking as she tries to locate the noise first.

“Pearla!” Buck yells for the dog who disappears down the hallway and out of sight.

He blows a whistle with his fingers to get her attention, stepping into the hallway now but Pearla is nowhere to be seen. When he glances over his shoulder back in your direction, you’re still in fact sound asleep. Usually you’re the light sleeper out of the pair but somehow in this early morning, you’re having a grand time in dreamland.

Reaching for the doorknob, Buck slowly pulls the door closed with a soft click and begins taking the path to the main areas of the home. Pass the three bedrooms and the half bath on the left, Buck scans the dining room, kitchen, and living room to find it all empty. Confusion is written all over Buck’s face as he stands in the center of the home, hands on his hips as he’s searching but…for what?

The groaning picks up again just as a touch goes to his hips. Buck yelps, whipping around to face you who’s actually holding their composure. Buck holds onto his chest ready to let out a exhale but the look you cast behind your shoulder then back to meet Buck’s island water eyes you say, “the house is haunted.”

“What?” Buck let’s out a full exhale, trying to calm his heart rate.

You swallow, hands still holding onto Buck’s hips, “I hear it too.”

He tightens his jaw, ears picking up on the noise but now it’s the loudest it’s ever been, making you grip your very sensitive ears.

“Wait here,” Buck suggests, hands flexing as he picks up a fire poker that was left leaning against the industrial bookcase from his old apartment, “it sounds like it’s coming from the laundry room.”

You huff, feet slapping against the floor as you latch right onto the back of his shirt, “hell no! You’re not leaving me behind in this sketchy house.”

“Ohhh,” Buck sing songs, “now it’s sketchy but when I said it’s been weird lately you tell me I need a nap.”

You hiss, “be quiet, we’re supposed to be stealthy when sneaking up on a ghost.”

“I wasn’t aware that you had experience with the paranormal.” Buck looks back at you with a frown before slowly leading the way back towards the bedrooms.

“I’ve seen ghost whisperer you know?”

“…am i supposed to know what that is?”

“It’s a show Maddie and I are currently binge watching, now ssh!” Your attempt to silence the man was met but Buck used this silence to steady his heartbeat.

If this house was truly haunted then it was going to be hard to explain this to the insurance company when he’s done tearing up the place.

And we all know Buck’s not afraid of some action. His arm goes out to shield you as you both slide up against the wall opposite of the door that leads into the small laundry room. Buck couldn’t hear Pearla’s barking anymore and she did go in the opposite direction so he hoped whatever this is, didn’t harm your beloved dog.

“On my count,” Buck signals peering at you shortly to make sure you understood where he was going with this, “three…two…”

Of course he didn’t say “one” as he pushed the door back, revealing the very normal looking laundry room. Everything appeared in tack as Buck stepped into the room, hand reaching out to shove some clothes on the rack aside and then checking the cabinets above the washer and dryer.

“Huh,” Buck hummed before pulling the appliances open to find them both empty, “nothing.”

When he turns to face you, you’re hugging yourself but your brows are still furrowed in disbelief. He reaches to flick the light off and steps towards you to exit the room but a screeching noise picks up yet again. Instead of it sounding like it’s in the laundry room, it’s appears as if it’s coming from back towards the front of the home.

“No freaking way!” Buck yells, bringing the fire poker up like a bat as he runs down the hallway.

You scream at his back, “stop running towards danger you idiot!”

Buck ignores you, following the sound right to the pantry door, which is closed shut. He wastes no time, pulling the door back to reveal a gray and white Pearla fleeing from the room with a whine. Buck almost recoils at how loud the sound is coming from the pantry but steps in anyway, looking around the spacious storage room until the door shuts right behind him.

He tries the knob but to no avail, he turns back to the dark room, dropping down into a push up motion to check underneath the shelves. The thirty year old was just waiting to see something further unusual but got back to his feet just to be shoved towards the shelves.

Buck steadies his hands out in front of himself, catching himself against the shelves but not without the goods crashing onto the floor. He spins back around as the cracking noise picks up, almost making his teeth ache at the sound but that doesn’t stop him from swinging the fire poker wildly in the air. He’s not sure when the poker breaks one of the shelves but he spots a flash of red way at the top behind a acrylic container.

Panting Buck begins latching and crawling up on the shelves and swipes a hand across the top shelf, knocking the contents onto the floor to spot some sort of machine that suddenly shoots a weak steam of fog his way, followed by the creaking sound. Buck presses on top of it which sends out that screeching sound that makes Buck slip at the upsetting noise.

He’s shouting your name once he aims his footing right, landing back on it but not without the machine slipping right towards his face and knocking Buck off balance.

“I’m just glad it’s not broken,” you say for what felt like the thirteenth time as you hold the door open; ten am later that morning, leading your boyfriend back into your shared home that Buck secretly didn’t want to come back to.

The bandage on his bruised and cut up nose was prominent but Buck still sported a small smile on his face. “See what happens when you try to prank me. Now you have to tell everyone that I did in fact fight a ghost.”

The pantry door was jammed by the time you got to Buck, hearing him calling your name and Pearla barking for your attention. It wasn’t something it commonly did but you just deemed it as your anxiety getting the best of you, struggling to get it open. You were in on a bet with Chimney and Hen since Eddie (surprisingly) and Bobby didn’t want to participate—that you could convince Buck that your new home was haunted.

However you weren’t expecting for him to go investigating and get smacked in the face with the crap ghost machine you purchased off eBay. You were just happy that you weren’t the cause of Buck almost breaking his nose (you didn’t intend for the machine to slide off the shelf) but everything else you’ll take responsibility for.

“Sit,” you ordered Buck by his arms who laughed at you going into your nurturing role, “you know they’ll never believe that right?”

Buck kicks his feet up along the couch with a sigh, “but it could be a plot twist x2 with there actually being some haunted vibes going on. I mean…you did set me up.”

You pout as stood in the kitchen, “it was supposed to be all in good fun but then you had to go Rambo—being Buck. Did I mention how sorry I am?”

Buck laughs, “it’s just a scratch,” as Pearla jumps up beside him to rest her head in his lap, “it’ll heal and I can take a joke but just know…you did start a prank war for the rest of this fall season. You have no idea what you just unleashed.”

You didn’t like how Buck was rubbing his hands together in wicked joy but you’ll learn to deal with it.

“Yeah that’s what Maddie said,” you mumbled as you pulled open the fridge, “so before you come up with those ideas…I can make you your favorite breakfast.”

Buck grins, “that’ll be nice but I’d prefer a cuddle first.”

“Is your head hurting?”

Buck lolls his head, “I told you babe, I feel fine. Now get over here.”

You make a cross motion as you cautiously step over to Buck who shakes his head at you with a grin. Once you’re close enough, he reaches for your sweatshirt to yank you to his other side since Pearla made her claim on his left.

“Now that I know I’m not going crazy anymore, I can really enjoy this house with my two favorite people.” Buck curls a arm around you and rests the other along the back of the couch after patting Pearla’s head.

Resting your head against Buck’s chest you sink into the comfort each other. However that doesn’t last long with the sound of glass shattering from the mirror that once hung on the wall above the wooden chest that contained the record player on top of it.

The silence is almost deafening now as the both of you watch the pieces of the mirror decorate the floor.

Buck says, “Come on, if there was ever a time to be superstitious it’s definitely now.”

You knew a broken mirror was not a good sign and Buck started to feel like it wasn’t really all in his head as the flashes of what happened earlier this morning played back in his head. It couldn’t just be the trash machine you bought whenever and Buck really wasn’t that clumsy to trip over his feet so what gives?

Spookiness can be fun but Buck could always sense when things didn’t exactly feel right anymore? He believed in the full moon, mercury in retrograde and he strongly believed in when things weren’t just a good scare.

“So you agree, we should go house hunting?”

Again? Buck hated the process when he was on his own but with you it felt nice, like there was a definite future to look forward to.

“Yeah,” Buck states, “I think I’m done ghost hunting for awhile.”

“Hell yeah you are.” You respond, keeping your eyes towards the area just in case you saw something else that didn’t sit right with you; while reaching for your phone.

The both of you didn’t bother to debate over where you would be escaping to for the night as you searched your contacts for your realtor and fast.

꩜⌖ㄨ࿔⚡︎꩜⌖ㄨ࿔⚡︎꩜⌖ㄨ࿔⚡︎꩜⌖ㄨ࿔⚡︎꩜⌖ㄨ࿔⚡︎ ꩜

Continue with my fall anthology prompts here.

[samandcolbyownme]

You should do a Zach justice imagine where he has a guest on the show as well as us Jared Tara and Alissa and he gets really jealous because said guest is flirting it’s us and he just become his Dickish self that he always is on the podcast but just like heeps worse and then after Tara comes to us and says like he was so jelly and it ends in smut

Pleaseeeee I am living for jealous Zach!!

Warnings: SMUT18+, strong language, swearing, jealous and slightly assholishy!Zach, flirting, jealousy, kissing, praising, hair pulling, choking, biting, scratching, oral (fem rec), unprotected sex, filth with a lil bit of fluff

Word Count: 3.1k | unedited

“Hello, hello everybody. Welcome to today’s episode of Dropouts.” Zach starts out, “We have Alyssa, Jared, Tara, Y/n, and our very special guest, Marx Allen.”

“You’ve been a constant name in our comment sections recently.” Jared says, “So thank you for accepting our invitation to come on.”

Marx nods, “It’s a pleasure to be here, thank you.” He looks around and lands on you, “I like that necklace.” He reaches over, “Is that an amethyst crystal?”

You nod, looking down at his fingers caressing the wire wrapped mineral in his fingers, “Yeah, I got it for my birthday last year.”

He rests your necklace against your t-shirt, “It’s beautiful.” He smiles and you look over at Zach, who’s scrolling on his phone, “Excuse me, Mr. Host Man. Whatcha doin’?”

He ignores you, making you tilt your head, and you look at Tara. She leans in to her mic, “Yeah, hello. What are we doing?”

Not even five minutes into the episode, and Zach is acting off. You knew Zach liked you, and you liked him, thanks to Tara. But, you told her that you were only going to believe it when it came from his own lips on his own terms.

So far, Zach has confirmed it, mainly by just acting out when there were guests on, specifically with the ones who flirted with you. So you made it your mission to finally get Zach to break.

Zach looks up at Tara from his phone, “You know, it’s funny. I seen someone the other day doing something and I think it’s perfect for you, too.”

“What?” Tara asks as she laughs, “Shutting up?”

“Minding your own business.” He sets his phone down next to him and sighs as Jared cuts off anyone from continuing that, “So Marx, What got you into music?”

Marx shrugs as he thinks for a moment, “From as long as I can remember, I was always doing something to make some sort of beat. Whether it was pencils or my fingers tapping on the table, I just couldn’t stop myself.”

“So you probably got in trouble all the time in school, right? With all the tapping” Alyssa asks, and Marx nods with a laugh, “Yeah, it got so bad that my mom and teachers had to check my backpack for extra pencils. I was allowed one.”

“When was this?” Tara asks and Marx sighs, “Elementary school.”

Your jaw drops and you start to laugh which catches Zach’s attention straight away, “They basically pat searched you everyday you went in? In elementary school?!”

Everyone but Zach laughs again and he just looks from you to Marx, “So what you’re saying is, you can thank a pencil and your early start to a criminal record for your music career.”

Zach’s judgmental tone causes Marx to just look at him slightly confused, but Tara break it by laughing, “Ignore him. He’s always like this.”

Marx laughs, looking back at Zach, “I mean, yeah. The number two pencil was, technically, my first drumstick. Plus, the girls love a good backstory.”

Marx sends a wink towards Zach before turning to look at you and that just sends Zach into progressively acting worse.

Usually, you’d scold Zach like a mom, tell him to be nice to the guests, but ever since you came to terms with your feelings for him, It became amusing.

Also, hot. Mainly because Zach was being an asshole in your honor.

Tara, with being the one who told you, is rooting for you and Zach to finally get together, but she respects your wishes as to having him tell you, but she made no promises to not try and help in, sometimes, not so subtle ways.

“So, Marx. You’re from Jew Jersey, right?” Tara asks as she tilts her head, eyes moving to you and you knew exactly what she’s doing.

Marx nods, “Yes, ma’am. Princeton.” You look at him, “No, way. I’m from Short hills.” Marx looks over at you, “Small world, huh?”

“Didn’t you move to Colorado when you were like, eleven?” Zach asks and you look over at him, a smile resting on your lips, “Yeah, but we went back and visited and I still do today.”

It was like you contradicted his statement on proving the he knew you better, which in reality, Zach did know you pretty well.

“Well, clearly not today.” Zach raises his brows and you roll your eyes, “Yes, clearly not today.” You look back at Marx who hasn’t stopped staring at you, “What?”

He shakes his eyes, “I’m just trying to remember if I’ve seen your face around, I’m sure if I did, I wouldn’t have been able to forget it.”

You purse your lips, smirking as you nod your head, “That was smooth.”

“That was.. oh gosh, I’m turning red for you, y/n. Fuck.” Jared laughs and you look over at him, glancing over at Tara before she smirks.

You look back at Zach and he tilts his head, “Alright, moving on. Alyssa. Next segment.” He motions with his hand and she tilts her head.

You scoff, “Zach, you can at least say please.”

You smirk at him when he looks over at you and he huffs before giving Alyssa a very nice and soft spoken, “Please.”

Alyssa looks over at you and she smirks, “So I actually have here a snippet of Marx’s new song that he’s working on. I don’t know if you-“

“Play that shit!” Tara yells, “I’ve been waiting to hear this.”

Marx chuckles, “I only put what I could on because the person we have on it, decided it’s better if it’s a surprise.”

Alyssa nods as she clicks play, and you all listen to the snippet of his song, quickly getting applause as soon as it’s over.

“Just from what I’ve heard, that’s going to be a hit.” Jared says with a nod, “I just.. I want to know who is on it with you.”

“I will not confirm nor deny.” Marx shrugs and Tara groans, “That’s sounds like.. no..” she sighs, “Can you give us a hint at least?”

“She is phenomenal to work with.”

As you all look around, trying to think of who it could be, Zach clears his throat, “Your music is surprisingly good.”

“I didn’t really think you were one to listen to my music.” Marx laughs and Zach nods his head, “You thought right on that one, buddy.”

“Don’t let him fool you, he listens to your stuff.” Tara laughs and Zach forces a laugh, quickly going serious, “Are we still on this topic or can we-“

You gasp, kind of cutting Zach off on purpose, “Oh fuck. If it’s who I think it is..” You tilt your head and Marx chuckles as he shrugs, “Who do you think?”

You move one of your headphones off so you can judge how loud you’re talking before you lean over. Marx takes his off, bringing a hand up to lay on your arm.

You lean back and pull your lip between your bottom teeth as you judge Marx’s response, which also has Zach’s full attention because he absolutely loved and hated when you did that.

Mainly because he wanted to do it. He wanted to know what pretty sound you made when his teeth are in your place. It made you look all innocent and sweet but he knew what you really were, especially with how you drunk text him.

You tilt your head slightly as you notice Zach zoned out on your, “Hello, earth to Zach.” You wave your hand and he blinks, “Oh right yeah sorry, now are we ready to move through the show?”

“What’s your problem?” Tara asks, “You were literally fine.”

“I’m still fine, last time I checked which was, mm.” He tilts his head, “Right now.”

“You seem a little irritated.” Alyssa adds and Zach looks at her, “Nope. I’m great.”

“Is anyone else having like a Scooby doo moment to where.. you feel like you can cut the tension in this room with a knife and serve it on a plate?” Jared laughs slightly and you look over at him, laughing slightly as you look back at Zach.

His eyes are on you and you lick your lips, “Let’s just.. take five. Yeah?” You look around, “Sound like a plan?”

“Yeah, because I need to talk to you.” Tara stands up, setting down her headphones and you’re pulled away as she walks by you, “And you.” She grabs Zach by the hood of his sweatshirt and pulls you both out into the hallway like children.

“Good lord.” Zach stands up and fixes his hood, “What the hell, Tara?”

“What the hell, Tara? I should be saying what the hell, Zach. What the fuck are you doing?” Tara says in a loud whisper as she taps the back of her fingers into her other palm, “Seriously, Zach. She’s right here.” Tara pushes you into Zach and his arm goes around you.

“And you like her.” Tara points to each of you with her words, “And you, like him. Right?”

You both nod, agreeing in unison, “Yeah..”

“So there you go!” Tara laughs, “Just be together. Happiness is not that fucking difficult!” She sighs frantically, “Oh, my god, you’re stupid.” She points to Zach and then to you, “You’re just fucking stubborn as hell.”

“Says you.” You tilt your head, waiting for her to speak, and you copy what she says at the same time, “I am not fucking stubborn.”

She laughs, “Kay, I’m going now. Continue to take five. Come back when the tension is cut.” She moves her thumb over her neck and walks back into the studio.

Zach turns you towards him, his hands sliding over your waist, “So you like me?”

“So..” you look up at him, “You like me.”

He purses his lips and nods, “Yeah, yeah I do.” His eyes bounce from your lips to your eyes and you smile, “just kiss me you jealous asshole.”

He furrows his brows, pretending that he actually isn’t and smirks before leaning in. His hands tighten on your waist as soon as your hands slide up his chest to his neck, closing the space between you with your lips on his.

You so badly want to deepen the kiss but you know you won’t be able to just go for five minutes, so you pull away, “Let’s go and finish the show.”

“What? Why?” He whines holding onto your hips, “They can just-“ He stops when you sees you giving him a look, “Fine.”

He sighs over dramatically as he rests his forehead against yours, “please? For the love of all things considered, please tell me you don’t have plans tonight.”

You purse your lips, “Oh shit, I do.”

He lifts his head and you grab his face, “With you, silly.” You give him a kiss and step back, “Sooner we get back, sooner we’re done.” You bite your lip and raise your brows and he wraps an arm around your waist, “You’re so logical.”

You laugh, rolling your eyes as you walk back in, “Alright let’s get this party, re-started.” He claps and sits down as you walk back over to your seat.

You give Tara a smirk and she smiles, giving you a wink.

The rest of the show went a lot better than the first half, but you were happy to be done.

You walk up to Alyssa, placing your hands on the desk as you lean down over her computer, “Oh yes. I like that! Thank you for picking a good picture of me.”

She smirks, looking up at you, “Zach picked it.”

You feel hands on your waist as you smile, “Of course he did.” You look over your shoulder and Zach leans in, “He who did what, of course?”

“You, picking a picture to put on the thumbnail.”

“That’s my favorite picture of you. I mean, have you seen that smile?” Zach tilts his head, “Because you’d love it, too.”

You look at Alyssa and she furrows her brows, “Who are you and what have you done with Zach?”

Zach mocks her and she sighs, “There he is.”

You laugh and turn towards Tara as she walks up with Jared and Marx, “Thanks for having me on today.” Marx reaches out to shake Zach’s hand, “Also, these girls told me I had to be flirty with y/n. So I hope you don’t hate me.”

Zach looks around at you, Tara, and Alyssa, “Why am I not surprised.”

“Listen. I was sick of seeing you mope around about her. If you would have just manned up.” Tara shoots at Zach, “It would have never had to come to this.”

Marx leans in, “Plus, She makes you look good.”

“You’re not telling me something I don’t already know.” Zach shrugs and pulls you into his side. As Marx talks with Alyssa, you look up at Zach and he looks down at you, both of you thinking the same thing.

“We can take our five minutes now.” You smirk, gently pulling on his sweatshirt and he nods, “You read my mind.” He looks up, noticing everyone is engaged in conversation, “Come on.”

He slides his hand into yours and leads you out and up the steps, looking back at you as you reach the top. He turns, pulling you into his body as his lips meet yours.

His arms wrap around your body, mumbling against your lips, “Jump.” You comply, legs wrapping around his waist as your arms slide around his neck.

Your lips stay on his as he blindly closes the door and presses your back against it. He leans back, eyes moving over your face, “You’re so beautiful.”

You smile, lacing your fingers through his hair to pull him back in for a kiss. You let out a small moan as his teeth sink into your lip and Zach groans, “You sound so pretty.”

He pulls you away from the door, walking over to his bed so he can lay you down, his body hovering over yours as he kisses down your neck.

“Zach.” You whimper out, gasping as you feel his nip your skin, “P-please.” You slide your hands up, cupping his cheeks to turn his head, which leads into a heated make out.

Your tongues move together, fighting for dominance, to which you surrender, allowing him to take full control.

You moan, digging your nails into the fabric of his sweatshirt. He leans back, taking it and his shirt off all in one motion, and you take the opportunity to discard your own top and bra.

His eyes fixate on your chest before he looks up at you, “Don’t stop there, sweetheart. Keep going.”

He smirks as his hands move to his belt, undoing it slowly as he watches you shimmy out of your pants and panties. His jeans and boxers are tossed to the floor before his body is on yours.

You gasp out and look up at him, your hand grips his bicep harder and you whimper out as he continues sliding in.

“You okay, baby?” Zach’s voice is low in your ear and you nod, looking up at him. He watches as your lips part and your brows furrow as your face scrunches up in pleasure, “Feels good, huh?”

You nod, lips forming an o shape as he starts to thrusts slowly. He groans deeply in your ear, “You feel so good. You’re so wet, I love it.”

You moan, wrapping your arms around his neck, “It’s so hot when you’re a jealous asshole.” You smirk, looking up at him and he scoffs, rolling his hips into you slowly which causes you to roll your eyes back and moan out.

“What’s mine is mine.” Zach whispers, “And I don’t like sharing.”

You moan at his words, digging your nails into shoulders, “All yours.”

“Say it again.”

“All yours.” You moan out, “Fuck, I’m gonna cum.”

He reaches down between you so his fingers can press against your clit, “Do it. Cum for me, sweetheart.” His lips attack your neck, sucking and pulling at your skin, “Can’t believe you’re all mine.”

You buck your hips, moaning out as your back arches off the bed, “S-shit, shit. Yesyesyes.” Your legs tense, body twisting as you enter your high, moaning loudly as he fucks you through it.

“That’s it, baby.” Zach breathes out, sliding his hand up to interlock with yours. He does the same with the other, pinning them down by your head as his thrusts pick up speed.

He groans loudly, bending down to peck your cheek with open lipped kisses. You squeeze his hands, moaning out, “Flip. Flip.”

He sits up, rolling over into his back and you instantly straddle him, bouncing up and down on his cock and he groans as his hands slide up your thighs, “You look even better on top of me.”

He raises his brows quickly and you smirk, pressing your hands onto his chest as you lean forward to give yourself more leverage to move your hips faster.

“Shit.” He lets his head fall back before looking up at at you and gripping your hips tight as he bucks his upward.

You moan out loudly, leaning forward to bury your face into his neck, “Fuck. Zach.” You whimper, “D-don’t stop.”

His grip on your hips grows surprisingly harder at your words before his right hand slides up to press into the center of your back, “Love it when you cum around me.”

You melt into him, allowing him to bring you into yet another orgasm. All you can do is moan.

He rolls you back over, kissing up your neck as you feel his thrusts slow down. He pulls out to spill his cum onto your pelvis and you can’t help but whimper at the feeling.

His lays next to you, his arm laying over your chest, “I’ll get you a towel in a second.”

You nod, “You’re fine, babe.” You laugh slightly, “I need a second, too anyway.”

“Aw, did I wear you out already?” Zach laughs as he gets up to grab you a towel and you watch him as he walks over, “No. I just needed a second because as soon as I wipe off..”

You drag the towel over Zach’s mess on your skin and toss it to the floor before reaching up to grab him, “We’re going for round two.”

——

Thank you so much for reading! I truly love an appreciate all of you. See you in the next one!

Likes and reblogs are majorly appreciated!

[babydollmarauders]

COMFORT — LUKE HUGHES

summary: in which Luke’s girlfriend, y/n (dolly), finds out her comfort person and close friend, Ryan Graves, is going to Pittsburgh

luke’s gf au!

my bottom lip quivers, tears immediately welling in my eyes as the realization sets in.

“w-what?” my voice trembles, the phone shaking in my grip, the unshed tears making the facetime appear blurry.

“i’m sorry, y/n, i really am.” Ryan tells me solemnly, “but this is what’s right for me and my career right now. you understand that, right?”

“mhm.” i hum, blinking past the tears and nodding my head, “no— yeah, i understand. i get it.”

Ryan heaves out a sigh, his eyes soft as he begins speaking again.

“i really enjoyed spending time with you and i’m still so honored that you warmed up to me the way that you did. and this doesn’t mean our friendship is over! you’re still more than welcome to call me when you need someone to talk to, and we’ll see each other when the Penguins and Devils play each other!”

i nod again at his words, trying my hardest to let them relieve my sadness and bring joy to me, but it all still hurts a bit too much for me to see the bright side just yet.

“i just wanted you to hear it directly from me first, Dolly.” he explains, “i don’t want you finding out when the rest of the public finds out. you deserved to be be told beforehand.”

“i’m gonna miss you.” my words are choked, spoken between sniffles, and i quickly rub at my nose with the sleeve of my hoodie.

“i’m gonna miss you too.” he frowns, “and you better tell Bahl that he needs to step up and become your club bodyguard now! i’d say Dougie but…”

i let out a huff of laughter before i finish the sentence with him, “he looks too nice.”

Ryan grins at my slight smile.

“exactly.” he beams. “look, i gotta go. i gotta go in and sign the contract now. but, i’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“okay.” i nod, bidding him a goodbye before he hangs up.

left in the silence, my heart aches.

i didn’t really think of the possibility of Ryan leaving the Devils.

i guess in my head, i always thought of him as a Devil. i never thought about the chance of him becoming anything else.

i crawl up on Luke and i’s bed, burrowing myself in a mountain of blankets and pillows; curling up on my side and just staring ahead at the wall.

Ryan was, dare i say, the person on the team that i was closest to beside my boyfriend and his brother.

ever since we met, early in the season when i had visited Jack, and i had felt the comforting energy that he gave off, he looked out for me. he stuck by my side when the team went out to bars and clubs; warding off any highly unwanted male attention, glowering at any sketchy guys that dared to come near me.

it was never unusual to find him in Luke, Jack, and i’s living room, allowing me to paint his fingernails black as i talked his ear off about how my classes were dragging me down or telling him about the new true crime case i had heard of on my podcasts.

he was my platonic person. and now he’s gonna be gone. signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins at this very moment.

i was lost within my own head. the room eerily quiet, making it hard to miss the creak of the bedroom door.

i turn over in the bed, finding my boyfriend in the doorway, staring back at me with pity filled eyes.

“Ryan texted me.” it was in that moment that my reserve vanished. my walls broke down and my tears came pouring out, unable to be kept in any longer.

“Dolly, i’m sorry.” Luke crawls into the bed, pulling me into his chest. his hand holds the back of my head, the other rubbing circles on my back. “let it out, baby. i’m here for you. i’m right here.”

my tears soak into his black t-shirt, making it damp, but he doesn’t seem to care, only pulling me tighter to him.

i lose track of how long we lay there, Luke allowing me to cry into his chest until i’ve run out of tears.

“do you wanna talk about it, baby?” i shake my head against him, not quite ready to discuss my friend leaving. “okay. that’s okay, you don’t have to talk until your ready.”

i let out a whine, burying my head further up and into his neck.

the door creaks open once more, and i peek an eye open, retreating from my boyfriend just slightly to see his middle brothers head pop into the room. at the sight before him, Jack winces, his gaze softening.

“i just saw the news. i wanted to check on Dolly.” he whispers, his words aimed at his younger brother, as i’ve already moved back into my position in the crook of Luke’s neck.

“she’s not taking it very well.” Luke whisper’s back, “which is completely valid and i wouldn’t expect this to be any easier.”

those words are spoken into my hair, directed at me; reassuring me that my emotions are not dramatic, but rather understood and logical.

the door shuts, footsteps getting closer before i feel my side of the bed dip, a hand coming up to rub back while Luke’s hand stops to hold my hip.

“i’m really sorry, Dolly.” Jack’s voice comes from behind me. “you still have me, and Luke, and Dawson, John, Nico, Dougie, Bratter, i can keep going.

“we’re here and we’re not going anywhere. Ryan had to take a different path, and i’m really sorry about that, but i know he’s still there for you to call if you need him, right?”

i nod my head, my nose brushing against Luke’s neck.

“exactly. he’s not gone completely. just, not in Jersey anymore. and that’s what’s best for him and his career.”

i let Jack’s words sink in. pulling away from my boyfriend, i press a kiss to his cheek, him giving me a soft smile in return, before i turn and hug Jack; thanking him for his comfort.

i have my other best friends. it’s gonna be okay.

[slowestlap]

Bradley Scanes, Max's trainer during 2020-2023 seasons, did an interview with The Red Flags Podcast (22 Jan 2024)

I took one for the team and transcribed the bits I found interesting enough to share:

[12:40] Talking about the first times Brad met Max and how important it is that you click together well:

I think it's the most important. We had a good conversation in that time, I think the decision probably set on the fact that, for half of the time I was there, he was out driving the car. But I was there, talking to his dad, talking to his family. And really got on with Red Bull and really kinda fit into that mold and did for my whole 4 years with him and it was so nice. And I appreciate Max for this, his dad for this and the rest of the family because I felt part of the family the entire time which was really really nice and you know, we'll stay friends.

[24:00] From what I saw, I saw a guy that was elite. He knew where he wanted to go. You could see the drive, you could see the work ethic. The work ethic was tremendous. And for me it was just, I've gotta create the optimal space for him to be him and him to do him.

[27:30] Talking about flexibility and adaptability being the traits that separates greats from the rest:

He's on the grid being interviewed by two or three different tv stations, or something's happening with the car, he gets in the car and drives exactly the same no matter what's going on. And that's for me what I've seen from the kinda good to great.

[28:25] Was it hard to train him this year when he was so far ahead?

No, no. If anything he was more motivated this year than any year before.

[34:55] I feel like you have to be elite at falling asleep. Is Max like "allright time to go to bed" and he's like "okay [snores]"? Can kinda turn on turn off?

Yeah, he's really good at that.

[48:50] On staying motivated to win:

The mindset to keep winning is there. We love winning and it's what we get out of bed for, it's what we do our work for. We want to win no matter what it is. We going to Monza, going to Belgium, we wanna win that race. We want to win every single race and if the championship comes in the end the championship comes in the end. That's the mentality he has. […] The first one was motivated by winning the first championship, the second one was motivated by seeing off Ferrari and making sure we got the second (wdc) and that we're here to stay. And then the third one we were motivated by winning every single race and setting every single record that we could.

[1:14:55] Talking about other drivers posting tough work out videos while Max posted a lighter work out:

That's the thing actually, it's a conversation we've had before because we have the markers where we need to get to. How you get there doesn't really matter. We managed to do it in the most time efficient way, in the most enjoyable way for Max and how it doesn't impact on the other stuff as much. […] He doesn't like working out, everybody knows that. But when he's in the session he gets after it. It's just shifting that mindset, he might not want to do it ever again but there's not too much encouragement needed actually in session which is always nice. It's nice to work that way.

[1:16:10] If Max pisses you off what exercise are you doing to punish him? What's his least favorite?

Single-leg squats or planks.

[1:17:35] How long can Max plank for?

Decent amount of time. I don't actually remember but we must have hit like 4-5 minutes in pre-season test and a bit longer come summer break.

[keesdarlin]

☆// striking midnight (MDNI, 18+)

info! cayde-6 / fluff + gender neutral reader

cw! n/a

notes! just a silly little idea i had. also new year's eve has been a little bit rough, so i'm writing this to cope a little bit lol. enjoy :]

in all honesty, what you were doing probably seemed pretty sketchy to someone who was uninformed. or maybe even someone who knew what you were doing. to the unsuspecting eye, it probably looked like-

“are you rigging a bomb? what are you doing, guardian?” your ghost asked, hovering anxiously over your shoulder. 

“no, i’m not rigging a bomb,” you retorted, moving around some wires attached to your little contraption. it was colorful and roughly the size of a backpack, mostly metal cylinders and colorful tubing with wires attached. you sighed to yourself, still fiddling with it. “...they’re fireworks.”

“ah. a colorful bomb,” your ghost replied, an air of disappointment in their tone. 

“no, no. it’s a light show. we’re gonna send these off to celebrate the new year,” you explained, not looking up as you screwed in a loose part. 

“but why do we need to celebrate again? it’s just another completed revolution of the earth around the sun. there’s been a ton of these; it’s nothing new.”

you sighed. you had set up a display leaning against a trash can to the left side of the little alley you’d set up shop in, your headphones connected wirelessly. on the screen played a sort of podcast – two humans sitting together at a table, reflecting on the year with music playing in the background. the viewer count in one corner of the screen read a measly 24, not that you really minded. a countdown to midnight sat in the other corner. the hosts wore no armor, just civilian clothes. you yourself wore minimal armor. probably not the smartest decision considering that you were currently working with explosives, but you wanted to honor the holiday. not quite in your civvies, but not in any kind of battle suit either.

your screen glitched where it leaned against the trash can, the hosts’ voices becoming momentarily distorted. you leaned over, hitting the side a few times. the screen corrected itself. old tech. “because of what it means,” you began, focusing back on the work at hand. “a new year is a fresh start, a clean slate. holds new opportunities. think the light of a new day and all that shit. symbolism.” a beat passed as you rearranged some wires, and then, “i learned that we used to celebrate it before the going got tough. guess i got a little bit sentimental.”

your ghost hummed somewhere behind you, their shell rotating curiously. “well, i think that’s quite nice, guardian.”

“thank you,” you mumbled appreciatively, distracted with your work.

a thud sounded behind you, but you didn’t think much of it. if it turned out to be a threat, you had confidence in yourself to handle it. do you stayed the course, twisting and rearranging and soldering quietly as you hummed along to the music on your livestream. at least it’s nice out. all chilly and calm, just like winter should be. not a peep. judging from your ghost’s silence, they didn’t detect a threat either.

“whatcha got there?” a robotic voice asked from behind you.

you looked over your shoulder to find none other than cayde-6 leaning against the wall of the alley, watching you work. one of his hands lingered near his hand cannon, the other draped across his torso, blue eyes glowing in the dim light.

“a bomb,” your ghost answered easily, shell spinning.

“not a bomb,” you rushed to assure the hunter vanguard. “and not funny,” you directed at your ghost before turning back to the exo. “they’re fireworks.”

“ah,” cayde nodded. “pretty bombs.”

“they’re not bombs,” you corrected, standing to face him. “they shoot up in the air, they’re not gonna hurt anyone.”

“oh, relax. i’m not here to snitch on you or anything like that,” he said nonchalantly.

you looked at him again, gazing pointedly at the hand that lingered near the gun resting in his holster. “mhm,” you said, tone disbelieving.

cayde coughed awkwardly, bringing that arm up to cross the other over his chest. “say, do i know you from somewhere?”

you sized him up, somewhat offended. “i work at the tower. i’m a weapons expert.” i’ve actually worked on the ace of spades, you thought, but left it unsaid.

“of course i knew that,” he assured, nodding. sundance thrummed by his ear, observing.

you nodded too, half-heartedly affirming him.

“so what’s with the bombs?”

“am i the only one that celebrates new year’s eve around here?” you asked lightly, tone bordering on a laugh. 

cayde whistled. “from what i’ve heard, yes.”

you frowned to yourself, shoulders slumping. “that is so disappointing.”

“i suppose so,” he agreed. “how are you planning on celebrating?”

you pointed to the podcast playing on your monitor. “once that timer hits midnight, i’m gonna get off the fireworks. probably get a bite to eat after.”

“sounds… interesting.”

“care to join?” you offered, giving him a lopsided grin.

cayde seemed to think on it a moment and then shrugged. “i mean, why not? as long as no one gets hurt, of course.”

“great!” you smiled, turning back to your machine. you quickly went back to soldering and tweaking various parts of it.

cayde came up, crouched down next to you. “so how long do we have until it’s time to set this sucker off?”

you spared a glance to your screen, checking the countdown timer. “a couple minutes.”

“a couple minutes? and you’re still working on it?!” 

you waved him off. “calm down, i know what i’m doing,” you muttered.

“you’re sure?” cayde checked.

you turned to him, eyes narrowed. “if you don’t trust it, leave.” when he didn’t, you turned back to your work. a few more sparks flew before you finally stood up, setting your hands on your hips. “there.”

cayde hummed, standing up beside you. “okay, great! now what?”

you gestured to the screen. the timer in the corner stood at only 11 seconds. the both of you watched as midnight grew closer. “5… 4… 3… 2… 1…”

the timer hit zero and you pushed a button on the contraption with your foot, stepping back. thankfully cayde followed suit because, a moment later, a barrage of fireworks went up in the air. both of you watched as they exploded in a colorful, booming display of sparks. “wow,” he whispered breathily. 

grinning, you turned your gaze to him, nudged him with your elbow. “happy new year.”

although it seemed a little hesitant, cayde smiled back, eyes glowing a little brighter. “happy new year.”

“now…” you trailed off, grabbing your display screen and dropping it into your bag. another troop of fireworks went up and your grin seemed to gleam a little brighter around the edges. “we should probably run before we get in trouble.”

cayde blinked at you. “what?”

you laughed, staring at him a moment before taking off down the alley. “we should go! you think i got permission from this?”

and then he startled into the realization. you jerk. he broke into a sprint after you, watching the fireworks over his shoulder as he went. “i guess i assumed!”

“no way!” you called, mischief clear in your voice.

he shook his head, following you around a corner. “you owe me ramen for this, kid!”

[yourimagines]

Hey again! I loved your content on AngryGinge! I was wondering if you could do fluff content for ArthurTV? If not, it’s completely fine I understand! Thank you! 💕✨

Sorry that this took so long, I officially feel old because I didn’t know who he was 🙈 I’ve done some research on him. (Watching some videos.) I hope you like this one and I’m sorry it’s a shorter one

Podcast

* English is not my first language I apologise

* Gif is not mine

* Triggers: Swearing and fluff

- summary: you have a crush on Arthur

Y/N POV

Arthur asked me if I wanted to join him today on a podcast. A few others where there also like Chip and Calum. “Hey Y/N.” Chip greeted me as I arrived at the studio. “Hi Chip.” We both walked to the rest. Arthur was laughing with Calum. “Oh hey guys.” Arthur smiles at me, smiled shyly back. “You guys ready for today?” Calum asked us all. “Yes always.” Chip said while taking place on the set. “Okay then let’s get started.” Calum walks away to take a seat. Arthur smiles at me. “Let’s join them.” I nodded as we both took a seat. “I’ve never done a podcast.” “Don’t worry, Arthur will help you.” Chip laughs as Arthur pushed Calum. “Oh shut it.” I shyly looked at the microphone as the guys laughed about it.

“So we all seen the new movie talk to me right?” I shook my head. “No I haven’t.” “Why not?! It’s the best horror movie from this year.” Chip said to me. “Because I get scared easily, I don’t want to see a horror movie in the cinema, I wait till I can see it at home.” Calum laughs as Chip shook his head disappointed. “I can’t believe you….” I shrugged my shoulders. “Sorry I guess.” Arthur smiles at me. “We can watch it together then, I haven’t seen it either.” Calum gasped. “No way, come on guys..” “oh shut it Calum. Y/N and I will watch it together and then we come back to this topic again.” Chip starts to whistle, I blushed as Calum wiggled his eyebrows. “Yeah… watching the movie my ass.” Arthur laughs and shook his head. “Of course what else.” Chip made a kissing face. I was red as a tomato and hide my face. “Oh look at her!” Calum yells. “This is so not fair, you guys are making it weird.” I said into the microphone. “We?! Nahh you guys are so oblivious… just go on a date already.” I looked shyly over to Arthur who was smiling at me. “Only if you want” I nodded. “Yes, do you want it?” He nods. “Yeah for awhile to be honest.” I giggled at him. “Okay cool.” Chip and Calum high-fived each other. “Yess we did it again.” Arthur and I laughed at them. “Okay let’s move on…”

—— a few days later ——

“I heard you went on a date with Arthur.” Harry asked me as we were having lunch. “Yes, did you saw that video with chip and Calum.” “Yeah, you where embarrassed…” I nodded and sighed. “Yeah I’m still are.” “Why you like him and he likes you too.” “How do you know that maybe he’s just being nice and didn’t want me to be more embarrassed.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, he does talks a lot about you when you’re not around. He smiles a lot when he sees or mentions you.” “Really?” He nods and took a bite from his food. “Yeah its getting annoying.” I hummed and took a bite from my food.

I was making a video with Harry as he got a call. “It’s Arthur.” I looked surprised as he answers the call. He made a silent movement to me as he puts him on speaker. “Hey Harry.” “Hello mate how’s going.” He smiles at me. “Good, I actually calling you about Y/N.” We both looked at each other. “Oh yeah, what’s about it.” “Well I’ve been on a date with her, was super nice but I don’t know if she wants to go on another one.” I smiled as Harry winked at me. “Ask her out then.” “You think she would love that.” “Mate you both like each other so yeah why not.” He gave me a thumbs up. “Yeah you right. Thanks Harry.” “No problem.” Arthur hangs up as Harry and I laughed. “See he totally likes you.” Then I heard my phone going off. I looked at my phone and saw Arthur’s name. “Oh my god.” “Pick it up your idiot.” I quickly answered the phone, putting him on speaker. “Hi Arthur.” “Hey Y/N, how you’re doing?” “I’m good, how are you.” Harry wiggled his eyebrows. “Good.. I was wondering if you want to go out on a second date.” I smiled brightly to my phone. “Yes I would love too.” “Really?! Uhh okay is tomorrow night fine with you?” “Yes that would be lovely.” “Okay cool. I’ll text you for the actual time… I see ya tomorrow then.” “Yes I see you tomorrow.” “Okay bye..” “bye…” he hung up and I did a happy dance. Harry laughs and joins me. “Oh my good Harry, I’m so nervous.” “Why you heard him he likes you, don’t chicken out now.” “I’m not just nervous about this.” I signalled with my hands around us. “It will be alright, you guys are totally in love, it’s makes me almost sick tho.” I pushed his arm. “Don’t be mean now.” “Hey I’m just saying..” we both laughed about it and started the video again.

—— date night ——

We where at a mini golf arcade. Arthur was winning the game. “Ugh not fair.” He laughs as my ball missed the hole. “It’s okay, you did your best.” He patted on my shoulder as I throw the ball in. “I’m hungry let’s eat something.” He nods and grabbed the golf stick. “Let me carry these to the counter.” I smiled and gave it to him. He walks over and gives them to the young girl behind the counter. She smiles and checks him out. ‘The disrespect of her.’ He waves and walks over to me. “Okay done, let’s eat something now.” We both walked next to each other to the food court. Our hands brushing slightly against each other’s. I got a light blush on my cheeks as we walked in.

“So favourite game.” I started to think. “Favourite game, I think at the moment party animals..” he nods. “Yeah that’s a fun one.” “What about you?” “Uhh I don’t know, I like a lot to be honest.” I nodded and took a sip from my drink. “I hope we can do this more often..” he looked at me with his beautiful smile on his face. I started to get shy and smiled. “I hope so too.” He carefully grabs my hand. “I like you for a while now, I hope you feel the same about me.” “Yes I do..” he squeezed my hand slightly. “I hate it that they were right about us, imagine all the bullying.” I groaned. “Oh yes especially from Chip and Calum.” We both laughed. “I hate them already.” “Yes me too, I can see the looks on their faces already.” He laughs and nods. “We need to protect each other from them, I have your back if your have mine.” “Don’t worry Arthur I have your back 100%.” He pulls my hand to his face and slightly kissed it. “Thank you..” I blushed at him. “No problem.” We both sat there for a few more minutes. Smiling at each other as two crazy love birds who just confessed their feelings.

[fyeahaudiodrama]

happy audio drama sunday, pals! here's what i've been listening to this week:

i've been playing some catch-up with @breathingxspace! i loved the madcap jaunt had by peyton and brother mckenzie - the "what could these criminal masterminds be planning with such precise yet unpredictable decisions?" [cut to characters skating by on pure bullshit and chaos]-type plot always appeals to me. plus, that musical moment in the yard, so good!

finally listened to the mid-season finale of among the stars & bones, which continues to showcase exactly how horrifying the situation of its subjects is, combined with the sophomoric shrug of its previous season's crew in regards to "well, this is definitely fucked, but at least we're not starving this time too"

i also went back and did a full series re-listen of childish in order to prep myself for the now-existent series finale! i'd forgotten just how funny the show is and how much i loved the music ("R-A's, are a re-source~" was stuck in my head the whole day), and it was so nice to see it finally reach its conclusion!

the childish re-listen also got me craving other musicals or heavy on the music podcasts, so i also did re-listens of the ballad of anne & mary, and @eelerschoice! because gosh do i sure love nautical musicals

i did a catch up of the new season of @doyoucopypod, and honestly, it just highlighted for me something i love about the way audio dramas (and other independent media) are able to handle romantic relationships. something that started to really bother me about tv is this pervasive idea that being in that "finding the one" and finally being in a relationship with them would make the characters' lives immediately too easy and not dramatic enough to be interesting, and so writers either have to keep their characters arbitrarily apart or keep finding increasingly convoluted reasons why they can't be together

but that's obviously not how it works - relationships are not a solve-all for life. they can create issues of their own, and they don't immediately wipe out the rest of a character's problem, but they can also be a place of comfort amidst more turbulent times - which is what we fully get with reese and alex this season. like, they are still surrounded by danger and uncertainty, and the terror of reese and blair's shared past is looming just over their shoulders, but they're also still like. flirting and joking and complaining about their boss and working out what exactly this relationship means for them.

and there's no ratings-guided arbiter cutting in and saying "their happiness is terrible for advertisers, break them up immediately!"

(well, except maybe dakota, but we'll see how that works out)

[darlinguistics]

'its just IMPOSSIBLE to not be addicted to your phone nowadays its UNREALISTIC-'

heres some advice to being less chronically online. for gen z (and younger??) who dont even know how to start thinking about it and have only heard shitty advice from older adults who just genuinely do not get it, from a fellow gen z and my experiences so far.

*these are personal and may not all 100% resonate but its still good prompting to start thinking about things! PLEASE feel free to add your own stories/advice in the notes! support your fellow humans, dont gatekeep what youve learned, lets have these conversations! and no negativity/pessimism please <3

first thing is to make it a less scary thought, a more concrete idea and not a hypothetical. it doesnt have to be all-or-nothing, cold turkey, a huge announcement and a fundamental shift in your personality. the internet will be in your life for the rest of your life, this is an ongoing relationship you are trying to make healthier thats all! and it takes one step at a time and some self-compassion, but a true effort nonetheless. 'dont you think thats a bit too serious-' if youre my age you quite literally grew up and developed online, it is literally part of your psyche the way your childhood is, it IS serious, you deserve to treat it seriously.

dont save your login info/dont stay logged in for social media accounts, having to manually log in when you want to go on like youre on some elementary school chrome book is a really healthy and clear boundary to have between being logged off and logged on.

-> bigger challenge - uninstall it on your phone in general, only log on on your laptop/pc if applicable for you!

if youre motivated to, try to work on your posture too. i only say that because most of our bad posture is at least partially related to being on our phones a lot, and when i started wanting to fix my posture, completely separately and unrelated from trying to break my phone addiction, it made it easier to lose interest in my phone since i didnt want to ruin my progress with my posture. it made me start to have a mindset like 'well if you cant do this on your phone with good posture then dont do it' and 'if youre on your phone so long your posture starts to cave in, youve probably spent too long on your phone anyway'

listen to music more. its easier for me to kinda write off my phone and do other things if i just open music or a podcast or long youtube video on it. i know we all love long video essays, but i recommend music more specifically for me at least because im less inclined to pause music or scroll while listening to it for some reason? whereas using a show or video or podcast for white noise, im way more likely to also be scrolling on my phone and that is my activity lol. music for some reason i dont want to interrupt and instead of being on my phone i can clean or do something productive on my computer etc

this one is sooo hard but try to fall asleep with some distance between you and your phone, even just a couple feet. mine stays on the desk next to my bed which isnt that far but its better than on bed like it used to be. when you wake up you probably wont feel like reaching for it right away if its far and even better if you have to get up for it because then at least you stand and move your body first thing instead of looking at your phone first thing. and try to get more and more of your morning routine done before touching your phone over time.

-> for me, i started by just trying to at least wake up a bit in bed before touching it, then stand up before touching it, then stand and stretch, then going to the bathroom first, making coffee first, feeding the cat first, etc. its surprisingly helpful to have a specific chore/task in mind that is The requirement so that everytime you do it you get a lil dopamine rush for unlocking your phone from yourself lmao. when the weather was nice i used to make my Requirement being outside first before going on it and i LOVED that. esp as it got easier and i started doing more and more before going on it and finally walking outside with coffee and my phone felt like such a pleasant little reward.

find a hobby that uses your hands. example: i really need to get back into knitting because when i did it regularly so much time that wouldve been on my phone was spent knitting with music/podcasts/shows/(even online lectures! when i felt productive lol) playing. its the same amount of physical relaxing - barely moving lol - but uses a longer attention span and a much better dopamine hit than scrolling, i literally MADE things.

-> you might be thinking, 'but mindless knitting isnt better than mindless scrolling is it?' but that mindless feeling on your phone is just that, mindless. the mindless feeling you get when doing something like knitting is actually closer to a flow state, which is actually incredibly good for you, like a fulfilling nutritious meal as opposed to 'empty calories' or whatever

get a widget for your homescreen that shows your screen time. i have one and of course it doesnt always stop me but seeing that time go up all day the more i use it and the pride of keeping it low is really helpful

practice grounding. in general.

spend more time on anonymous activities and have more privacy and less attachment with your 'persona' - what i mean by that is, i consider things like scrolling through tumblr (for me personally!) to be relatively harmless because i dont try to like,, brand myself here. if youre a tumblr regular you know the jokes - 0 follows, 0 notes, screaming to the void, moots you dont talk to, blorbo pfp and urls, fake names everywhere, and we're having fun! basically targeting the 'everyone is famous now' thing with this one - embrace being a nobody with no personal stakes here

-> personally ive never kept up with having social media accounts that are actually just, me irl - like a facebook or main instagram, like a locals account yknow? but i think it goes for that too - stop spending so much time trying to further personalize your online presence in the hopes of it representing you perfectly - because it never will, and it shouldnt, and you shouldnt aspire for that. your social media presence is lighthearted and incredibly surface-level, treat it like that! thats not me bashing social media either, having that mindset will make it more enjoyable bc youll be using it as it should be used!

do following/followers or camera roll/files or app purges. this is also a soft launch type of way to practice easing into a better mindset. aside from just literally getting rid of junk, the process of trying to judge whether or not you need something is good practice in mindfulness! even if you dont delete everything you feel like you maybe should, thats fine, youll do other purges in the future too. eventually youll get better at parting with things and realizing when things that feel good in a moment are actually bad for you. and it forces you to regularly check in on your more long-lasting parasocial relationships online and how theyre serving you or not

speaking of parasocial - for actual friends, if theyre irl, think about how much you interact with them online vs in person and why you think that is and how it affects you. maybe youll wanna see them more irl if possible (i promise its better for your friendship), maybe youll realize you dont need to keep tabs on them anymore (old high school acquaintances lookin at you). for celebrities and fandom things - try to think about the bare minimum content from them you could do with. you dont have to unstan all your faves and stop enjoying things - but do you need their notifications on? do you need to have a stan account? do you need them on all the platforms? do you need to have all that saved content of them? are there aspects of this that you love that could be found elsewhere?

if youre of the genre of online where you just cant help yourself from getting involved in big discussions or discourse and arguments - i recommend journaling when you get upset by something online, articulating your feelings without the idea of someone ever reading it and without the goal of 'winning' or being the most correct and logical or even the most sympathetic and morally good. take away every audience aspect of it. what is this really about for you, and why would strangers online deserve to hear your personal well-thought out opinions? why would your thoughts deserve to be simplified and misconstrued and underappreciated the way they would be in this discussion? is there even an outcome to this where you feel truly satisfied? are their people who are more worthy of hearing your thoughts who arent part of this audience? is this a conversation that is best held online where so much communicative nuance is inevitably sacrificed?

in the end these are all just practices in remembering how in control you are. and that goes for if any of these are scary or too difficult sounding too! these all become less scary if you remember that as soon as anything becomes too uncomfortable or painful, you have all the power to stop doing it, make a change, and try again later. so much of advice for quitting bad habits can be intimidating because the pressure and the shame that would come from failing scares you out of the possible benefits of trying - just go ahead and kill that shame from the jump. of course youre going to fail! you are going to have setbacks! thats part of it! you have agency in this, always. the internet is not inherently or completely evil nor good. build trust in yourself to make the calls on when it is serving you and when it isnt on a case-by-case basis, and then give yourself permission to learn through trial and error.

and remember you are worth all of this effort. i believe in us <3

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

6/20/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Samson Kayo's Birthday!; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Vico Ortiz; Anapela Polataivao, Samba Schutte; MoonglowingWithPride; FanSpotlight: Cast Cards; OFMPride Colouring Pages; Pride Month; ErosTheArtist;AnaCrowley; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika;

== Samson Kayo ==

Today is Samson's birthday! So much love for our wonderful Oluwande-- Happy Birthday Samson!!!

Source: Samson Kayo's Instagram

== Rhys Darby ==

New Cryptid Factor! This time it's The Magic Bank issue! Check it out on Spotify for the podcast version-- the video will be released on The Cryptid Factor podcast in the next few days!

Source: The Cryptid Factor Spotify

== Taika Waititi ==

Can I just say how nice it is that Taika is posting on Instagram again? It really warms my heart seeing he's feeling more comfortable again <3 Also it's great to see his sense of humor hasn't changed.

Source: Taika Waititi's Instagram

Source: Rita Ora's Instagram

== Vico Ortiz ==

Vico has so much going on right now! Today they were on with Nikki from "Don't Tell My Mother" and talking more about the upcoming show on the June 25th! Wanna watch? Check it out here! You can get more info on the live show/livestream on the Don't Tell My Mother website!

Source: Dont Tell My Mother's Instagram

There's also a new episode of Date My Abuelita First! out! Listen to the newest episode on your favorite Podcast platform!

Source: Date My Abuelita First!'s Instagram

Are you on Vico's Patreon? If so, there's new BTS! If not-- for $10 for a month you can have access to all the Exclusive BTS! There are quite a few of the crew jamming out going on in these... from quite a lot of the crew, including a certain Captain.

= Anapela Polataivao =

A new article on Auntie and all the amazing work she's doing! Check it out! Anapela Polataivao on Stepping Up To The Work

Source: The Spinoff Article

= Samba Schutte =

Samba sending love to Samson on his birthday, and wishing us all a Happy Summer Solstice!

Source: Samba Schutte's Instagram

== MoonglowingWithPride ==

Reminder! Today is the start of #MoonGlowingWithPride! Happy Solstice everyone! Thank you @xray-vex for organizing this!

Source: Xray_Vex's Twitter

== Fan Spotlight ==

== Cast Cards ==

Tonight's Cast Card by @melvisik is Karl L! He's listed as a British soldier, as well as an 'Action Extra'!

Source: @melvisik's twitter

== OFMD Colouring Pages ==

More Our Flag Means Pride colouring pages from our dear crewmate @patchworkpiratebear and released by @adoptourcrew!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

== Pride Month ==

= Eros The Artist =

Some gorgeous Pride Month art from our friend @erostheartist! They're keeping busy and have lots of new work coming along!

Source: Eros The Artist Tumblr

= AnaCrowley =

Another one of our lovely crewmates, @anacrowley has released some beautiful Pride Month artwork as well!

Source: AnaCrowley's Tumblr

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies! Happy Solstice and Happy Friday! It's finally the end of the work week coming up for some of us, and it's time to get some rest if you can. Have things been changing for you lately? Are there parts of your life you weren't expecting to go in the direction they did? Maybe it's moving you in a positive direction, maybe not so much. I try to remember, that just like the seasons, sometimes we're not ready for changes, but they do need to happen. They keep life interesting, new, and they provide new perspectives, and new opportunities. Today the sun has set in your part of the world, and tomorrow, it will rise again, and so will you lovelies. You will get up tomorrow, and no matter what you're up against, you will make it through-- I whole heartedly believe in that. Believe in yourself, you are wonderful, and capable, and you've got this <3 So much love coming your way friends, change is hard, but it's so very lovely too in the long run. It'll be okay one day.

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

Just a reminder of the most ridiculous things these two do. Special guest star-- Stu! Gifs courtesy of the most talented, astonishing, superb folks @celluloidbroomcloset and @meluli!

[sharenadraculea]

The primarchs on a bus

So, the primarchs take a roadtrip, in a doppeldecker-travelbus because I say so:

Lion: He drives the damn thing. Doesn‘t talk to anyone, just stubbornly looking at the road. Very good driver. Either listening to a very disturbing true-crime-podcast or caliban-lovesongs Fulgrim: He and Fulgrim secured the last row on top for themself, so they have a lot of space. Laying down and using Ferrus as a pillow. Occasionally is struck by creative inspiration when looking out the window. Has all his painting supplies with him. Perturabo: pretends to be grumpy but is very excited. He sits at the bottom so he has a proper table to draw on and right next to Magnus. Drinking lot‘s of coffee Jagh: The whole polycule/lovetriangle-thing around Magnus sits at the bottom around one of the tables, so he is there too. Kind of sad that he can‘t take his bike but hanging out with his brothers is fun too. Tries to do some throatsinging to impress Magnus but get‘s glared at by Lion. Leman: Sits opposite of Magnus and tries to do his best to not start a fight. Rob has taken away his Mjod and stops him from taking more from the minibar. His wolves are under the table and he pets them the whole time. Started a fight with Jagh about who get‘s to sit at the window. They switch every few minutes now. Rogal: He sits in the trunk/luggage storage to give emotional support to Konrad. Has built a pillowfort, it‘s very comfy. Appears a few times to sternly talk to people who aren‘t using their seatbelts. Konrad: He‘s a very happy bat right now. He sits in the luggage area, it‘s dark and comfy, Rogal has snacks for days there and gives lot‘s of hugs and headpats. Was very sceptical about going at all, he had some visions. Sang: With his wings it‘s quite klaustrophobic. Also on the bottom floor so he can be next to Lion and Rob. Might be stresseating. Very glad Lemans wolves are there for emotional support. Ends up falling asleep, a lot of cute pictures were made. Ferrus: Currently beeing used as a pillow by Fulgrim. Is prepared and has some books and snacks with him. The two regularly get yelled at to stop making out. Angron: He is watching a movie with a lot of gore and cuddeling with Lorgar. Falls asleep eventually. Everyone is surprised at how calm he is. Turns out he is like some toddlers/babies and sitting in a car/bus calms him down very fast. This knowledge will be used in the future. Roboute: Lion has entrusted him with the minibar. He is vigilantly guarding it, making sure no one get‘s drunk. Drinks a lot of coffee and tries to get some work done. This is made harder by everyone (but especially Sang) Morty: Sits on top, kind of in the middle. Was very nervous but then Vulkan sits a row behind him and just starts talking? And it‘s nice? And he is listening to Morty talking about bugs? He bluescreens. Magnus: Sitting at the bottom, with the rest of the polycule-lovetriangle-thing. He has a lot of fun. A lot of drama happening. Makes out with Leman, Perty and Jagh at least once, Rob threatens to leave him behind on a rest stop. Horus: Can‘t decide where to sit. Switches places every few minutes. Wants to sit next to all his brothers. This was his idea and he is very happy how well it‘s going. Constantly on call with Emps of Malcador to tell them that everything is okay and everyone still alive. Lorgar: Cuddeling with Angron, doesn‘t really want to watch the movie so he listens to a audiobook. Once Angron falls asleep he starts writing on his own book. Vulkan: Sitting behind Morty. He has brought a ton of food and drinks with him and shares with everyone. Very, very happy. One of the few to properlly wear his seatbelt. Corvus: Sits in the overhead bag-storage-space. Probally sleeping, has plenty of birb-food for snacking with them. Alpharius Omegon: everyone feels like they forgot something, but they aren‘t sure what. Don‘t worry tough, the two sit under the chairs and have fun watching the drama. At some point just appear in the seats at the very front on top so they have the best view.

[breelandwalker]

How can you motivate yourself to practice? I'm so busy with work and other daily life things that I often don't have time, energy or motivation to practice, or I just forget. Time goes so fast these days and suddenly I've missed the last two sabbaths and full moon, then I get bad conscience and feel like I'm a "bad" or "failed" witch. (I struggle a lot with self deprecation in general with my mental health) Do you have any tips on how I can motivate myself to practice more?

Oof, I hear you. We all have the best of intentions when it comes to keeping up with our practice and making progress on our goals and projects, but damnit, Real Life just keeps on getting in the way.

Ideally, we'd all be able to keep perfect track of the occasions we wish to celebrate and the cycles of the moon AND have time and energy to devote to our practices on top of taking care of silly things like jobs and families and social lives and household management. Ideally, we'd be well-read, well-rested, well-organized, and perfectly in command of our faculties.

It's nice to dream, isn't it?

In reality, we're all doing the best we can and despite our best efforts, we miss holidays and moon dates and gatherings and go weeks or months without having time to sit down and actively work on our craft. And that is OKAY. None of it means we're bad people or failed witches. It just means we're human beings with human lives and human limitations. We can only do so much with 24 hours in a day.

The nice thing is that the craft meets us where we are, and if that means waiting a while, it's got a loooong shelf life. Besides that, practicing witchcraft isn't JUST performing rituals and casting spells and lighting up the altar. It's research and rest and reflection too.

In my practice, I've found that doing small things as part of my daily routine and larger things when I have time really helps. For instance, stirring a blessing into my morning drink, or setting my wards when I lock the front door, or wearing a charmed piece of jewelry. I do my best to keep track of the moons using reminders and a planner so I can put my jars out, but I forget sometimes. It's annoying, but there's always another one coming. And I find ways to make things I'm already doing magical as well, like cleansing my home when I clean or take out the garbage or reconnecting with the land I live on while doing yard work.

And when all else fails, I take a break and go back to the things that inspire me. I work on crafts. I journal. I try something new. I listen to music and watch movies and maybe re-read some things, and I give myself a little grace. (I've run myself into a full burnout before by ignoring my limits before. I don't recommend it.) Then when I have the time and energy, I get back to work.

Here are some posts that might help:

My Intuitive Spark Feels Low - How Do I Get It Back?

I’m In A Slump - How Do I Get Out Of It?

I’ve Reached A Stopping Point - What Do I Do Next?

How Do I Know When I’m Ready For The Next Step In My Practice?

Witchcraft Exercise - Quantifying Your Craft

Witchcraft Exercise - The Book of Lessons

Witchcraft Exercise - Witchy Inspo Journal

Witchcraft Exercise - Music To Witch By

I also discussed the topic on two episodes of my podcast:

Hex Positive, Ep. 027 - When Inspo Takes A Holiday (March 2022)

Hex Positive, Ep. 033 - Touch Grass (April 2023)

Hope this helps! 😊