#this was supposed to be b-day post need to get back to the topic

[kaszymanny]

HAPPY B-DAY LG ILY

[empressgeekt]

Trolls - Burning Branches au - PART 2!!! Enter Brozone

Okay, so if anyone is reading this AU summery before my first post on the topic, you will not understand what is going on. So, yourself a favor and find post 1, it's by the same title, just without the big, "PART 2" on it. just go to my profile and use the tag "Burning Branches au"

Char=Branch to remind everyone.

Now for everyone else, let's pick up back where we left off...

The wedding day, starts out normal enough. Char manages to identify the pod he was hatched in, he Poppy and Barb go inside, to remises on memories he doesn't know, and try and find something to connect himself to this practical stranger who saved his life. Char finds a picture of him and the woman, from when he was a young child. Poppy is supportive, saying that the elderly troll must've loved Char very much. Barb, says that she was a bad*** for saving Char the way she did. Poppy ends up finding some Brozone albums, and said that she had a good taste in music, to the now very confused royal rock siblings.

The ceremony came all too soon. Satin and Chelie, along with Bridget and Barb helped Poppy, get dressed. While Peppy, Riff and Thrash (although he's not doing much), are helping Char prepare. They get to the part of vows, Poppy in a bright colorful dress, Char in a leather suit with his guitar on his back. Cooper is officiating for some reason. and then...

"Stop the Wedding!"

Out of the sky came flying in one John Dory in all of his lack-of-self-awareness glory. Char asks if Poppy knows this guy, she shakes her head, Cooper mumbles that he hadn't gotten to the objection part of the ceremony, and Barb stands up looking ready to throw hands.

JD does not notice the tense angry and confused atmosphere he's created, instead going on about how he's looking for someone named, "branch", until his eyes settle on Char and he lights up. Que the movie antics that JD does in canon, upon seeing his little brother. Completely missing the fact that Char does not recognize him. Barb gets involved the moment the butt slap happens, because that is not okay. She drags John off of Char and pins him to the ground demanding that he explain himself before she throughs him into the bowels of the volcano to forever rot.

John Panics, starts calling Char for help, to get the crazed Rock troll off of him. Char is like "Am I supposed to know you?"

This makes JD freeze, and the older troll starts calling out to Char in every nickname he can remember, but Char just shakes his head. Poppy chimes in, asking the important question of who John was. John answers that he's Char' brother. Everyone is confused. Poppy askes if they for got to invite this one, Char just shakes his head. Barb laughs at the claim and presses John further into the ground. Something clicks then for Poppy and she tells barb to let him up, and then id's him as John Dory.

Barb snorts when Poppy calls him old. Then she annouces for her guard to "Take this lune who tried to claim to be a member of the Rock Royal family and interrupted her brothers wedding."

John panics, and not just because the guards are coming towards him, but because he realized that not only was his baby brother getting married, but he just ruined the wedding. Just as the guards seize him, Char tells them to wait.

"Can you prove it? IF you're my bio-brother can you prove it?"

"Char?" Barb said, "What are you doing?"

"On the off chance he's telling the truth, this might be my only way to get some answers."

"Answers?" John chimed in, "Answers to what Bitty B? Look I should've figure you'd be angry. After all we didn't leave on the best of terms and I just uh...kind of ruined your wedding-also how did this happen?-"

"Cut to the chase!" Char snapped, "Do you have proof? or do I need to let my sister do as she pleases."

"Sister? She's not..."

"Get on with it!" Barb snapped.

"Okay!"

John continues to pull out pictures of him and his brothers form inside of his vest coat. (the dude has clay's underwear memorialized, pictures in his pocket isn't far off). Char reacts poorly to an image of him, he can recognize himself as an infant, in the arms of pink-haired troll that he doesn't known but feels familiar. A migraine comes on and he passes out while trying to process everything. Needless to say this escalated the incident further, and Poppy's screaming for a doctor, John is now fighting the guards only to fail and get taken away at Barb's order, and the crowds are both a mix of mild shock/panic and loving the drama.

Barb is both frantic and on a mission. After ensuring that Char is okay just overwhelmed and unconscious, and that her dad is in safe hands, she goes to confront her new prisoner. She finds John panic pacing around his cell, and he turns to her immediately asking if his brother is okay. Barb growls at him, but says that Char will make a full recovery, and that it was just his condition acting up. John began demanding to know what type of condition his brother has in a panic wondering if his Bitty B had been sick all these years. Barb shoots back that she'll be the one asking the question here, but since it's relevant to what she wants to know, she tells John about how her father found Char half dead with his skull cracked in half. Then she asks, "If you're really Char's older brother, then how could you let something like that happen to him?"

John is stunned to silence, only able to murmur that he thought Bitty B was safe, with their grandmother. Barb told him he was wrong, and then asks why he's even here, as you can't just jump into someone's life after twenty years, family or not. It's too late. John tries to say he came back but the tree was empty and he thought that his people, and family were dead, and only started to believe there was a chance he was alive after hearing about the marriage between a Prince of Rock and the Queen of Pop.

While this is going on, Char wakes up to Poppy at his bedside, they mourn their wedding for a moment, before contemplating he stranger. Against Doctor's orders He and Poppy travel to John's cell just as the stranger is telling Barb about Floyd.

With the possibility of a second brother out there, one who's actually endanger, Char agreed to help John, even if he doesn't remember. Poppy and Barb join the ride, simply becasue they were not going to let their fiance/brother go on this journey alone.

The journey to find the other Brozone members goes on, only this time John is constantly trying to get Char to remember in between stops. To the point that it's getting on everyone nerves. But Poppy enjoys the baby pictures.

When they find Bruce, he is crushed when Char doesn't recognize him either, and when John explains why Char doesn't have any memory of them. He's a little intimidated by Barb, but she softens we she sees her just how much anarchy her little niece and nephews can cause. During the practice performance, Char has some trouble keeping up with a seemingly unknown song and style. But muscle memory kicks in, and eventually, Char singing every notes and dancing every step. Poppy finds it cute, Barb finds the sudden shift creepy, John sees it as hope that he can get his baby brother back, Char is freaked out and now fighting migraine induced nausea. Barb offers to play for him, and Char agrees wanting to play with her.

Bruce joins forces with John on trying to further jog Char' memory, but he respects when Char tries to up boundries...mostly...Barb makes sure they back off fully when she sees them go too far.

Finding Clay is relatively similar. Clay gets shoved off of Char by Barb once he starts messing with his baby brother's face. Clay is also heart-broken by the news of Char' head wound. Barb is worried about how these trolls have lived with so much paranoia. Poppy is shocked about Viva, and Char just goes "We really need to have a sit down discussion with your dad about secrets."

When Viva mentions weddings, Poppy starts talking about, she almost just got married and if John hadn't crashed the ceremony. Bruce starts to scold John about how uncool that was. Viva asks about her fiance, and Poppy just points over to Char. Clay and Bruce's jaws drop, as they hadn't been told that yet. Bruce just said we would've missed their baby brother's wedding, and John chimed in saying doesn't that mean him crashing it was a good thing, they can all attend the re-do.

Viva wants to the all the details of the love story, and is thrilled to be becoming Clay's family. Poppy explains the nature of their arranged marriage, and how they grew to look forward to their future. Their siblings (minus barb) are disturbed by the arrangement, feeling like all should have a choice about love. Char shuts that down hard, saying that at first they were doing their duty to their peoples as Queen and Prince, but it evolved into something more, and their fine with the situation, happy with it even. And that Clay and Viva should at least understand that as leaders of the putt-putts.

When Viva tries to stop them from leaving, Char doesn't bother to talk her down. He and Barb share a look, they both see the puttputts getting ready to grab them, Char takes the situation into his own hands and pulls out his guitar, he and Barb fight their way out of the golf course to the tune of Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation" then at the end of the song blows away the door with a singular power cord. The others book it out the golf course, Clay apologizes to Viva before joining to the others to save Floyd.

Little do they know, that this time Viva sneaks aboard the back of Rhonda. Three steps away from a panic attack, but she needs to know more about those weapons the Rock siblings carry.

The dress rehearsal is a much bigger mess from the start. Char refuses to wear a flipping dipper, one because he's an adult and two why does it matter what he's wearing? This is a rescue mission not a performance. John Dory tries to push it, but eventually gives up, so they can focus on practicing. The nit-picking gets to both him and barb much faster, and they have enough of it. Barb goes off, telling John that his micromanaging is ruining any chances of harmony. John defends himself saying that they need to get this right, and that this is what almost worked last time.

Char says, "yeah last time, which was twenty years ago, what worked then won't work now we aren't the same people!"

"Look Bitty B-" John said.

"Stop calling him that!" Barb jumps in, "It's not his name. It hasn't been for years, and he hasn't told you can call him that!"

"She's right-" Bruce tried to say.

"Oh shut up, the rest of you are just as guilty!" barb said, "You've been treating him like you did twenty years ago, not the way he deserves now."

"Okay, look Barb this really isn't any of your business," John said.

"And why not?" Char said.

"Branch look this is family matter-"

"Barb is my sister! She is family..."

"Well not technically-"

"She's more of a sister to me then you a brother! I don't know you! I don't recognize you! I don't remember you! You might as well have never been there! You weren't there when my head was cracked open! you weren't there when I got my first guitar! My birthdays! my coronation!...Why...Why weren't you there?"

"Branch..."

"No this is why, isn't it? If we were such a great band, then why did we fall apart? Why was I alone by the time our grandmother died? It's because the fighting like this never stopped did it? You were so focused on the perfect that you forgot the second part of the harmony. Family. Everyone couldn't stand it...then you all abandoned me...that's why I was alone..."

"Branch?"

"I remember..."

"You! you remember?!"

"I remember that night! The night where you all bailed on me! You left me in the care of our grandmother inside of Bergen run town where death was literally at our door step! You left me to die!"

"Yeah yeah we did! I did!" John snapped, "And i'm sorry, but don't worry we just have to get through this one show and we never have to see each other again!"

"Wait wait!" Barb jumped back in, "So, let me get this straight. You abandoned a baby, believed he was dead for what ten, twenty years, and then find him again only to re-abandoned after getting use out of him? Pop-squeak you better cover Tiny's ears."

"Okay!" Bruce chimed in, "When you put it like that it's bad, but did you honestly think that's we'd be able to be family again after twenty years?"

"I thought you'd want to set a better example for your kids!" barb said, "Abandon your family great life lesson there!"

The argument spirals out from there...until...

"Shut up!" Char screams, "All of you! You know, some part of me always thought that it was misunderstanding or some accident that I ended up alone...but now I can see that it doesn't matter anymore, because brothers or not we aren't family! Family doesn't abandon each other! Even if you need space or to get away! Family would come back! Or at least check in!...But you all just walked out...Well not this time. This time...I'm leaving you.."

Char, Barb, Poppy and Tiny leave, and decide to go after Floyd on their own, because even if Char wants nothing to with his bio-family anymore, he's not going to leave someone to be tortured. A little breaking an entering later, they find the fourth Brother, and Char actually recognizes him, but he doesn't know why and Floyd calls out the vest.

Like in canon, they can't get Floyd out in time. They do try to use power cords but they only served to raddle the bottle. Barb makes a note for their engineers to invent some kind of diamond breaking weapons. While hiding the vents they witness the rest of the brothers were now imprisoned, Barb calls them idiots.

Flash forward to the boat battle. Barb and Char, challenge Velvet and Veneer to a music duel. They attack the Twins (I think their twins I might be wrong) with power cords (probably Bon Jovi "You Give Love a bad name" Not sure yet) while Viva keeps making a grab for the gems with her stick hands. They get everyone but Floyd out. Then Char says they need to get him out now.

John admits Char was right, and controlling everything wasn't harmony, - Barb cuts in that is great that you realize it but save it for later and skip to the end were out of time - and they will follow his lead.

The guitar changes key, Char and Barb nod, and with a rocking guitar harmony to go with it, the the perfect family harmony is achieved. Velvet and Veneer are arrested. Poppy and Char finally get to kiss, and wonder if the universe will finally let them get married.

Then Floyd collapses....

______

And there's going to be a part 3 sorry guys... let me not if you have any idea for this one and p3

Part One and Part Three

[finnoahsource]

As much as I enjoy getting content of Finn and Noah, I think it's kinda invasive for someone to upload a CCT video of Finn buying a camera. Like, the cast is never allowed any form of privacy, and that's disturbing. Maybe I'm blowing things out of the water, but I feel like not every little thing these people do has to be shared online. I understand why Finn's becoming more reclusive the older he gets.

totally see where you're coming from, and right to care about invasiveness! I suppose it somewhat felt like another version of a candid on the street since those are also always celebs minding their business lmao, but those get shared around too. I think there's feelings about this sort of thing maybe from 1D days where fans would get into airport cameras just to watch them in real time (way more extreme), so it's understandable here because it also just looks odd.

in this specific instance, this guy who posted the footage is somebody a little known in some circles ("the backpack kid"), so even though he said finn didn't recognise him I a) dunno why he didn't ask for a photo with finn normally unless he forgot or was trying to be chill and b) to me has the mindset of online creating and it didn't surprise me that he'd post something like that to show a famous connection/experience he had, a "you'll never believe what happened today!" situation as opposed to if it were him recording finn in his everyday yet not even interacting with him

I think what has been really good this filming season is that the culture in atlanta IS to respect celebs, part of that I'm sure is being desensitised to seeing them, but we have a lot of instances where the ST cast - or our boys at least - have been spotted but left alone, we only know through word of mouth. OR when denied a photo, that's been immediately respected. so that's something worthy of noting on this topic, and I hope stays true once they leave atlanta too!

like I've always said about this blog I didn't intend to be an update on every little crumb, if I see one I'll likely post it, so I end up tossing between a lot of "do I need to post this or no?" like every noah letterboxd entry etc! this was another of them, but I boiled it down to candid + nice to know he was still in atlanta. it could be changed to a photo or text giving an update that he's in atlanta, but when asked for a source it'll end up going back to that footage regardless, is the thing. there's a lot of a grey area with celebrity spotting/updates, it's definitely an ingrained culture (for better or worse) so it is good to stay in reality about it

[unproduciblesmackdown]

days after the bit of rereading inspiring it Hraaarghh summoning the power to verbalize "i appreciate how much Everyone's Really Motivated Rn Huh & Barely Keeping Ahead Of Things is set up / converging At This Moment for the gamers in lackadaisy"

go mitzi lmao with the fraud or whatever (more importantly robbing the last friend in the world cashed in like poker chips you said it wasn't gonna be like that it wasn't supposed to be but etc Great Exchanges) stringing back together the symbolism necklace, are you sure progress is the world, all this on the line to barely hold things together a bit longer & then the payoff of this relies on what's going on with the other active players in the operation, which is "even more haphazardly strung together into an operation" and "it's going: bad"

which is to say, getting An begrudging shipment of goods based on a bluff, which hasn't been made yet, things are hanging together by a thread as it were, mostly nobody's having a good or particularly strategic time but now they're sure More In It than ever. and killing a guy from the most powerful enemy to make around here who is already on the defensive (ft. good offense style) but whoops where's the other guy? well that's probably fine, as was almost getting shot, and the entire run isn't even completed & compare this to the success of the marigold trifecta operation we were just shown. really ramping up the "no way this can go on indefinitely, & only would keep going on if you Need To Believe It Can Work Out rather than bring down disaster 5 min later"

shoutout to zib in whatever stage of imprisonment he's in where initially it's like "well dropping your access to / affiliation with lackadaisy pin down a drain could solely be about 'ha ha, now Another authority won't detect this'" but i'm supposing it's (also) about giving up on the operation / actually intending to cut his losses. But What Will Happen....and will the time devoted to his establishing any rapport with a prohibition bureau agent lead to him Learning Anything important? hmm

meanwhile there's viktor over there not wanting everything to end with paisley & regret, who's also like "wow i'm moved to tragically look at these unanswered letters from my Daughter daughter, whoops i lost (a picture of) her to the abyssal underworld (basement space) & can't manage to retrieve her (photo) from it. sure hope i don't get a call from elsa telling me a daughter figure is doing her first rumrunning challenge for the vine"

lmao MY guy. you imply around mordecai that marigold WAS up to something that could've played into atlas's death, On Top Of that Something's Up currently that's involving him but he doesn't understand it and he can't get any info from marigold about it, it's like two nights later & he's asking gracie about it, what a special time they're having. unfortunate that it's gonna end in ten seconds based on "mordecai is pushing a guy like thrice his size along on a squeaking desk chair through the obstacle course of an abandoned brewery so i don't think that's prime conditions to evade the savoys' detection / catching up to that" and "also wip sketch pages suggest serafine's about to noscope gracie 'what's going on here' shoot first ask questions of the guy who was supposed to have shot him already later" so like, a) mordecai will presumably have the info about gracie's scheduled Next Meeting With Drago (in several days) so like hm what's he gonna do? we know drago is focused on marigold. does he have info for zib, for mordecai? how would mordecai approach a meeting with a fed out here & as little Specificity to work with as he's had in questioning gracie, even if plausibly drago Does have more relevant info? i guess you could abduct him too, for a start. risky, ups the stakes, but that's just what he's Already done (as has Everyone Else, as per the central topic of this post) and so now b) seems like the savoys' getting to go "uhhh so. what's up" about mordecai's antics (like. also do we really think the savoys believe he's Having Fun anyways. i Guess. just also probably they'll very easily readjust that belief lmao)

actually this is just a paragraph break for the hell of it. MY GUY....so that basically it's looking like another thing that'll happen is mordecai will have to accept an Affiliation Outside Marigold with the savoys, simply b/c suddenly they have all this leverage knowing he's up to something, But based on what they've Just said & done, they aren't particularly interested in Telling On Him but Are particularly interested in "yeah we don't assume we or you will work at marigold forever, so also we Do want to be allied outside marigold forever" and like seems plausible they could be interested in [find out what's going on at marigold that Concerns Them but that they can't be more privy to than they are now] designs as well anyways. difficult to imagine that they can get on exactly the same page here, but it could be some Good Enough compromise between all of them. and i hope so because they Are still crushing it out here and i certainly think their allying in recognition of We're All Out Here Doing What It Takes To Survive is a basis of encouraging clarity / accuracy on the matter and of course a powerful teamup to maintain & work with & because like lord the [this is a narrative] target on mordecai otherwise perhaps lmao like he does not have the insulation of "wow, family, beautiful" or "wow, romance, beautiful" or "wow, the 'innocence' to have been insulated from This Kind Of Situation in the first place, beautiful" or "wow, randos happen to find you useful AND personable, beautiful" or "so you're up to violence in the violence business & so is everyone else but did you see all these preceding points?? watch out" like boy he needs the backup here. fingers crossed my special little guy. and rooting for the savoys too. anyways

and like see all my murder mystery musing but ofc i dunno what marigold's other Ventures and other Warnings and other Thorns are all about, but that we know Something's Up, and it sure could be that like whatever retrenchment type of maneuvers might've led to some situation of marigold like ummm maybe we care more about an alliance with atlas being a potential liability rather than an asset and then that nonzero involvement in the interest of Indefinite Survival For The Business will have been a little domino of its own destruction set off. would be wild if such "whoops trying to outrun one's own doom was feeding into it??" & Cycles Of Violence & stuff were like some fundamental themes driving the whole narrative here. would be wild if it was like nooo not the isolated guy too Weird to everyone else nooooo....at least one way or another getting up to plenty of Drama first. that's right

[the-starry-seas]

Tf One

Overcoming fear — Sharing a bed — Lullaby

:pleading_eyes:

Comfy-vember Day 10

Transformers One, B and Optimus

Check out this post to request a prompt!

There's a lot that's changed lately, and B's still a little nervous about being on the surface. After spending so long by himself, and in the depths of Cybertron... There's just so many bots everywhere, and so much open space.

He really thought he'd be okay with it. And when they were on the surface of the planet, there was too much going on for him to stop and panic. But now things have settled, and Orion has become Optimus, and B is still kind of afraid of being out there.

"Oh, hi," a voice says, and he looks up to see the big man himself.

"Oh, heeeyyy, Optimus! Wow, fancy seeing you here. Lots of bots, all over the place, and here you are! You, right here! And you know, I was thinking that, about, um-"

"Easy," Optimus says, making a downward gesture with his hands that's probably supposed to be calming or something. "Are you doing okay?"

"Sure?"

"I don't think that's the kind of question you're supposed to answer with another question."

"What, bots don't do that?" B asks, fishing for some way to change the topic of the conversation. "Because I can imagine anybot, you know, wanting to answer your questions, you're Ori-uh- Optimus Pax! Prime! You know!"

"Uh, right." Optimus takes a step back. "I was just looking for Alita, I'll..." He pauses, then sighs. "Do you need to talk about it?"

"Pft, no, nah, just, you know, talking! To myself! I do that, a lot, and I don't really mind, because there's usually not somebot around to answer me, so you get used to it-"

B stops talking, somehow, when Optimus sits down on the bunk next to him.

"Um. Hi?"

"If you need to talk to somebot..." Optimus trails off, vaguely looking like he regrets it.

"No, I'm cool!"

"We can go see the city. I can show you the starting line for the Iacon 500, I think you might enjoy that."

"No, no, no, I'm- uh- I'm okay! I don't wan-need to go up there!"

"Are you afraid?"

B looks away. Yeah, he really didn't mean to say that. Or almost any of it, honestly, but sometimes all his talking means that things slip out. It was how he got down there in the garbage chute in the first place...

"Of course not," he says, after what might be the longest pause in his life.

"I won't let anything hurt you," Optimus promises.

B thinks of when they almost got scanned on the surface, and Optimus grabbed him at the last second to keep him safe, and somehow that ends up with them taking an elevator up to the Iacon starting line.

Optimus holds his hand out when the doors open, and B latches onto him immediately, not caring at all if somebot sees him and thinks he's ridiculous. Maybe he is!

And maybe he's a little confused about the noise Optimus is making.

"What's that?" he ventures.

"Something I learned from... a friend. He said it was something that was taught to sparklings, sometimes, if they had trouble staying calm. A song to soothe them. I hoped it would help."

"Okay, yeah, that's cool. It helps! Definitely."

Bee inches out farther, still holding his friend's hand, glancing around them. There's a few bots lounging in the stands, but it's mostly abandoned right now. It must be a lot busier on race day. Is that what they call it? Race day?

"How many times did you see the race?" he asks.

"Oh, me and D would catch it every year. We dreamed about racing in it for half our lives until we really did."

"Wow..." B isn't entirely sure what that means, because they only got their T-cogs really recently, and he knows the Iacon involves transforming, but it sounds exciting. "Tell me about it?"

Things seem a little less scarier with Optimus there, and B decides not to question why, just appreciate it.

[decepti-thots]

I had no idea that anything was actually happening with otw but thank you I see this as a sign to start downloading all my fav fics lol

On reflection, I suppose I did make that comment offhandedly without thinking that many people have no idea what I'm talking about- it concerns stuff I suppose falls into that "if you're in circles that know it seems obvious, if not you have no idea it exists" valley.

I should probably clarify that that post wasn't me talking about some imminent risk of AO3 as a platform imploding or disappearing or anything, and nobody needs to start panicking in that regard. I was referring to the current boiling over of a lot of very long term (like, back to when it was founded) institutional/structural/operational issues within the OTW as an org that have been coming out over the past week or so. So me looking at being less solely reliant on AO3 was more a matter of longterm "seems a good idea not to be on just this one platform having these issues" planning and not anything anyone needs to be worried about like, right now.

...and because I know folks not as familiar with this same longterm stuff WILL ask, I'll put a brief summary below the cut for if any of you are curious. However, please be aware, this discussion will by necessity include reference to an incident last year in which OTW volunteers were sent CSEM/CSAM materials as part of a horrendous targeted campaign; while nothing graphic regarding CSA itself is discussed, I mention it here for post filtering and general warning purposes.

So these past couple of months there has been a sustained fan organizing action going on under the name #endOTWracism, which is a specific, targeted attempt at pushing for the OTW to make good on promises they made in 2020 to look at improving their response to racism on their platform. There's an FAQ covering the scope of the action (which ended yesterday, and ran through May) here.

I've been following this with very great interest and it's brought a lot of really good focused discussion out in fan communities, bringing back up a lot of talking points which have historically been shouted down re: the OTW and its poor (one might say "nearly entirely negligent") response to racism in fandom over the span of its existence, and the long standing attempts to get them to address this.

Anyway, one of the posts I especially was recommended that looked at it from the perspective of someone with experience in volunteering and organizing was this post, which takes a look specifically at the issues of how the OTW is structured as an org in a practical, real-world sense. I think it's a great post that brings a really good, grounded approach to the whole issue, looking not just at the big ideas but at how to really run a functioning organisation in a way that is able to be e.g. antiracist. A post like that of course brought in a lot of discussion of... how the OTW is structured and functions day-to-day! That being the topic at hand, and folks wanting to bring their own experiences to the table.

Which, both on that post itself and elsewhere, has uh. Brought some stuff to light that makes even the most hardcore OTW skeptic look like maybe they were overly optimistic. To be quite honest

Some highlights:

Last year, there was a horrendous attack in which OTW volunteers were directly emailed and bombarded with high volumes of CSEM. This was of course horrifically traumatising and scary, and even at the time it was noted that the OTW's response to this was wildly negligent in terms of taking action to safeguard and help their volunteers. Well, it turns out that a) this was an escalation of preexisting issues that the OTW knew about and failed to reasonably address, b) they took a HIDEOUSLY unethical approach to how CSEM distribution attempts were moderated on the platform and just dumped it on one unsupported volunteer who was left horribly burned out by the experience. This post has a good summary and roundup. The fallout from this entire debacle is way too much for me to summarize in full but suffice to say: folks are thinking maybe people should consider not continuing to volunteer for an org that is this unethical and exploitative towards its workforce in a way that directly puts that at serious risk! This is a standpoint I would agree with given there's seemingly also been internal retaliation against the person speaking out! This is terrible! I feel so bad for all these poor volunteers! I have been reading about and fuming regards this situation for two days now and it truly is awful.

There has recently been an instance in which Chinese OTW volunteers got hung out to dry regards their specific work with OTW on Weibo, where it was made clear to them that the org really wasn't interested in any of the work they were doing to engage with and support specifically Chinese fandom. Basically, "we don't really think this is worth doing, and noone involved in the board etc even speaks Chinese, so whatever". This follows an observed and longstanding pattern of higher ups at the OTW undervaluing... basically anyone who isn't part of Western anglophone fandom.

In general, just a LOT of current and past OTW volunteers talking on various platforms about the sheer dysfunction that means things at OTW are deeply incapable of getting basic shit done at best and straight up chew well meaning volunteers up and spit them out at worst. This is basically the nth round of this exact cycle since the OTW began, but in conjunction with the above, it seems to be getting a lot more attention than such things usually do.

This is only some of the stuff that's going on right now but basically, every single issue of internal bullshit the OTW has been accruing as an org for the past ~15 years seems to be blowing up at once, and it's really the first time I've considered that this time it might, in the long run, have a serious impact on the viability of the org in the future. (As things stand: it absolutely should do, because any org that so comprehensively fails the human beings working for it in such an immediate, real life sense needs to make huge immediate changes or fuck right off tbh.)

So that's a bad summary of... SOME of the stuff going on right now. It's a lot. Needless to say.

I wanted to make this post for a couple reasons. One: many folks came into fandom well after the AO3 was just this... site that was there, used by default, and which just sort of operates and you don't think about how. Which is understandable. A person coming into fandom in a post-AO3 world will see the site the same way one sees Twitter or Tumblr or Wattpad; a thing too big and too... default to really concern yourself with the details of how it came to be so big, and used by default. I, personally, have been in online spaces since I was very young, and AO3 launched when I was around sixteen, many years into my experiences with the fandom spaces it came out of. I was around at the time that the OTW and AO3 were proposed, developed and began to expand in scope. I was in circles where folks were talking about this stuff in a very direct way, basically. So I think I have a decent enough sense of context to help lift that veil a little for folks who have no such advantage, and also to help highlight that these are issues years and years in the making, not sudden revelations as they sometimes seem.

Two, because I expect to see many, many folks trying to pass this off as "discourse" or "wank" or "purity culture" in the coming weeks as the fallout continues, and I want dig my ankles in and say if you try that shit on with me I will laugh you off my blog. I think this post makes my opinion fairly clear on where I draw the line between "dumb fandom wank" and "this is not dumb fandom wank, this is serious shit"; it is well before this stuff. So.

tl;dr: I don't know what the OTW will look like in a year or two or five, and this shit has reminded me I shouldn't bank on pretending I do. So, I'm mirroring stuff elsewhere, not because I think the org will collapse, but because maybe the centralization of fandom is overall bad, actually. I encourage folks to consider their own feelings on the topic, since this is as good a reason as any to consider for yourself how you feel about this stuff.

[sillypinkboy]

@ems-chaos-corner YAY

Okay okay so I am insanely in love with this woman. She is so amazing and I will kill for her.

Because she has always been raised to be a queen, she seems really full of herself. She knows what she wants and will get it type of girly!! Everyone seems to see her as either a) awesome, cool ghoul b) scary or c) a BITCH. But there's always this respect for her. You are around her and can Tell she's royalty. Holds it open for all to see, knows she's supposed to rule one day

BUT you look at the bts of her life. She's not in a great situation. She has an elder sister named Nefera and they both live with their dad. Nefera isn't a great big sister, she servers as an antagonist to Cleo. Cleo is, unfortunately, stuck in her sister's shadow and trying so hard to shine bright enough to not be there anymore. It doesn't help though that she has all the pressure - mostly from her dad - to be a Proper Ruler. To keep things traditional. To be the prefect princess.

Dad doesn't like Cleo being friends with none royals, but allows it. He hates her dating Outside royalty though. And I find it interesting. Cleo wants to impress him so much. She wants to be perfect for him so much. But there's something about knowing she can't. It doesn't help that Nefera isn't supportive either. She has ruined everything she can for her sister (got Deuce to break up w/ her being one of them. Those two are so hard to separate- but different post). So this ghoul is practically in a shitty situation with no support from family.

BUT SHE HAS HER GHOULS. Ride or die for these ladies. She is their queen bee and knows it. Fights strike hardest between them. Cleo, though, craves attention a lot. She needs it to be herself is how it can feel at times.

She'll do whatever to get the topic back on her. That fear of not being seen runs so deep through her and you see how it affects all of her actions. She is a queen and what is a queen if she has no followers, you know?

That fear gets her in trouble some times. But she always trys to put her friends (and schoolmates) needs above her own. She is a great queen if you ask me. She'll take care of herself ofc but she takes care of her empire first. But, she is a teen. She's trying her best but she is still learning– and I love that so much. It's nice seeing a leader character learn beside you.

Top 5 ghouls to ever exist

[cherryfairytwist]

RickFic Ch2. You’re Not Invited

(Tags: substance abuse / harassment / intoxication / adult situations and themes / Minors DNI)

—- HELLO —-

—- INITIATING DOWNLOAD SEQUENCE MEMORY CLUSTER #2 —-

—-PULLING UP EARLIEST ASSISTED MEMORY RECORDS —-

—- NARRATION SIMULATING NOW —-

 The next few weeks and month ended up roughly similar to how things went that other day at school. Astrid kept finding herself in seemingly awkward or uncomfortable run ins with Rick Sanchez as she tried hanging around his grandkids more. Getting used to working at the school really started to open her eyes as to how much Rick really did show up unannounced. Always plucking Morty and Summer off the face of the Earth and going off on some insane quest for personal gains. Part of Astrid felt a little envious of all that freedom Rick had no problem abusing. Even going so far as getting a little excited when she was accidentally teleported along with the three off planet yet again. 

 “Fuck. N-not this again.” Rick groaned while  looking at Astrid in his rear view mirror. Astrid sat in the back seat next to Summer in the space ship.

 “Mr. Sanchez you’re the one who teleported me here.” Astrid almost annoyed stared directly back at him through the mirror. 

His eyes narrowed even more after receiving the comment, “Oh y-yeah. RIGHT. I’m s-supposed to know my dumb grandkids are still *burp* b-barking up the same tree.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Summer asked annoyed as Morty quickly blurted, “Please Rick! Come on! Let her come with us.” 

“It means Summer…..” Rick shouted over Morty, 

“I’m not h-humoring another little unrequited *burp* crush Morty has-“ 

Morty’s face went red as he was about to yell when Summer interrupted him, “Well what about me grandpa?! I want her around. What are you going to say to that?” 

“T-that’s self explanatory.” He smugly laughed, “You’re a stupid teenager. Y-you’d get bored of her. End up being-becoming enemies. She would end up flirt-taking your *eeeruuhg* boyfriend or something stupid and petty like that.” 

 “Well you seem to have it all figured out old man.” Astrid said sarcastically as they propped their feet up against the back of his seat. 

 “That’s it.” Rick huffed and pulled out the portal gun. 

“NO! RICK!” Morty protested. 

Rick fired his portal right next to Astrid and reached back from the driver seat and grabbed her hard by the upper arm. 

“Try again next time.” He sarcastically smiled at her and shoved her through the portal back into an empty school classroom. 

She heard Summer complain, “You fucking suck grandpa!” Right as the portal snapped shut again in her face. 

 “God. Fuck you Sanchez!” Astrid said to herself but stood up grinning. 

She thought about how fun it might be to make her new personal mission to get under Rick’s skin. She laughed and headed home. Maybe things could get more interesting if she started not taking things so seriously. Could be a fun experiment. 

  Easier said than done. It had been weeks since being kicked out of Rick Sanchez’s space ship. She had still caught wind and tail of him in the past days popping in and out of the school. However today ended up not being so great for everyone. Summer and Morty had both freaked out after a mission had almost gone wrong with Rick. They explained to Astrid not take it personally. They just needed alone time after whatever it was that went down. They refused to go into details. This made Astrid always worry about them, relating to how they felt in those moments. It reminded her of how bad training days at the agency went in the past when she was around their age. But she respected their space, worrying it could make it worse if she tried to persist on the topic. 

  It had been hard on her lately too. She had found herself on a drinking binge that previous night after yet again checking in with her Handler and being told to return back to her post. He barely looked at her these days. Always keeping his back to her. So she fell back on old habits and got too plastered to think what was a good vs bad idea. Astrid haphazardly tried to use her “magic” abilities to open a makeshift portal off planet while intoxicated to a popular strip club on a distant planet’s moon. They used to work there during their honeypot training days for the agency. In spite of their current Handler warning them not to return anywhere near the club after the “incident”. Of course they did anyway. In their drunk state of mind they figured they could at least make some cash and be a complete mess at the same time and no one would say anything. In fact the Club’s owner was almost a little too thrilled by their return. The owner went by the name Glacks Asmodeus. Playing into his roll as the said club owner of “The Room”. As loud music boomed through the building he slid over to greet Astrid.

“Hey baby, it’s been tooooo long~” he crowed to her in a sickly sweet voice. 

This sent a shiver down her spine. But she was drunk enough to power through it. She played it up as if she had missed him too. Fake love was currency here. He fancied her as his favorite trophy due to her natorious reputation around the universe.

“Hey daddy.” Astrid quickly replied and braced herself for a hug he would inevitably give her. 

He smoothed back his hair that looked like a slicked down Mohawk full of thousands of sharp quills. His body looked like that of a leather gimp suit if it were for a reptilian. He wore a large fur coat with pink,red,purple and yellow patches all over it. Under that he had a black combo of a button up, vest and matching pants. Multiple chains and pearl strands hung from his neck. And to finish it off he had pointed steel metal toed shoes with custom engraved designs of alien words in the metal. 

“Like the new coat? Hunted it myself.” He hissed proudly, “Finally decided to come back hmm?” He whispered in her ear as he came in for an overly tight and dominating hug. 

“You know I was about to send people to go find you.” he said in a joking manner even though it was clearly a threat. 

“Well you know the agency…” Astrid forced a fake smile, “They insisted I needed a little time off, but you know I couldn’t stay away from you.” She playfully glanced up at him. 

He grinned wide showing his endless rows of horrifying dagger like teeth. 

“That’s right baby.” He pulled her over to his VIP booth and sat her down on his lap with is leather glove covered hands. 

“You’ll always come back to me.” 

He grabbed her chin and took a large hit of some type of cigar and pulled her in close to his face. He pressed her cheeks together making her mouth open and blew a huge puff of smoke in her face.  

“Perfect timing, you showing up.” He laughed as she coughed, “My crew just pulled up to the docks this afternoon looking for some fun tonight.” He gripped her tightly from behind. 

“You can handle a little partying with us like old times right?” He growled in her ear, “That little incident got fixed up by the agency …right?” He curiously pried as his yellow/green reptile eyes locked in her gaze. 

“Yeah…. Completely resolved.” Astrid laughed. “Got reprogrammed with new codes and triggers.” 

“Oh really?” He hissed having a hint of suspicion in his voice, “Well that’s too bad… it was kind of fun hearing you had gone completely ape shit just because of a little office scientist.” he breathed heavily in her ear. 

“Got me all excited seeing what I could have done with all that power if I had gotten the chance.” He chuckled as the velvet curtains around the booth moved to reveal his crew entering.  

As the group of fellow shady looking aliens came in, his attention was completely taken by them as he slid Astrid off his lap to get up to say hello. Astrid knew it was going to be a long night so she took out a small bottle from her bag and chugged some more of the mystery liquor she had thrown in for this exact moment. The rest of the night was a blur again. Partying with hardened criminals, keeping up appearances and numbing the horrible discomfort she felt deep inside. But money was money. The agency only funded things that helped keep her cover. Like her apartment, food, car and gas on Earth. This made it so that she was limited in what she could do besides having a little bit of money being a teacher’s assistant. 

She’d fetch drinks for the group and put up with them toying with her for entertainment. She didn’t dance that night but clearly they got plenty of entertainment by messing with her all night as they’d throw her tips and random jewelry they had definitely stolen on “jobs” they had gone on. After having too much of quite a few different substances, she quickly slipped away from the group. Stumbling through the club’s crowd and down a darkly lit hallway to the bathroom to hide. Being that heavily intoxicated normally meant some of them would end up getting belligerent and try making real passes at her. So she tried attempting another portal back to Earth. However sometimes her “magic” abilities (outside of shape shifting and the agency’s specific training) could get a little unpredictable. Especially when she was fucked up. 

She started getting paranoid about being at the club again. The “incident” that got her in this “vacation” mess was actually partly because of an ex co worker from Cognito Inc. She started to panic and sob in the bathroom. And quickly threw up. As she muttered incoherently some spell like combination, a hole cracked open with bolts of electricity flying in and around the small bathroom. Clearly it was unstable. She continued to persist. Promising out loud to no one in particular that she’d sober up and do better next time. That she just needed a break. Just this once. 

“Please. please. please work.” She breathlessly muttered as she started to slump against the bathroom wall. 

“I know they are waiting out there for me like sharks.” She moaned looking in the direction of the locked door almost falling unconscious trying to grip onto the edges of the portal. 

“Please just send me somewhere safe on Earth.” She said loudly trying to keep herself awake. 

She just had to focus on a location… her mind wandered back to the nights she’d pass the Smith’s house on the way home from the bar. She thought about when Rick had grabbed her arm and shoved her through his portal. 

“What a dick” she thought as she slipped out of consciousness and her body fell sideways through the quickly closing portal.

 She shot through the Earth’s atmosphere like a comet. Little bits of electricity and burns appearing by her sides while slamming into someone’s front yard. She had been lucky it was in the dead of night when no one was around…. Well almost no one. Rick had been up late tinkering in the garage when he turned in the direction of a distant crash outside the house. He went to the dining room and looked out the large window to investigate. He spotted something crumpled up inside a crater that had now formed on the front lawn of the neighbor’s from across the street. He pulled his welding mask off and squinted to see in the dark. But no such luck, so he moved toward the front door wanting to find out what the mystery thing was. But as soon as he opened the front door and peered out, it was gone. He sighed and went back inside. He thought about how he could have sworn he saw something familiar..

 Astrid had momentarily gained consciousness after being awoken by the impact. The first thing she saw in the dark was the faint glow from the Smith house and Rick’s silhouette in the dining room. Her mind instantly raced to not wanting Rick to get the upper hand. She refused to be perceived as weak. With the last of her strength she forced herself up on her feet. Stumbled a bit and attempted to run but instead hobbled over to a nearby fence. Lunging up over it and collapsed on the other side of the wood boards. After she heard the front door of the Smith house open, then close again, she disappeared into the neighborhood limping it off and huffing the cold night air. Astrid wasn’t going to let Rick Sanchez have the satisfaction of finding her a mess in his neighbor’s yard. 

—- PART TWO COMPLETED —- 

—- SHUTTING DOWN —-

—- GOODBYE —- 

[arsenalgbt]

https://www.tumblr.com/arsenalgbt/717957841595580416/zizoudane-10-things-englands-bukayo-saka-cant

i saw this post you reblogged in your fic material and couldn’t stop thinking about your techbros au where bukayo and nelli are talking about something/anything and maybe nelli brings up something about going on a date with fabio after they’re done and bukayo is fighting back tears and then nelli is just like “by the way i bought you a twix” and then is like see you later and leaves and bukayo is just left to breakdown because how is he supposed to survive if nelli is so sweet with him but is in love with somebody else

i’ve gone hilariously off topic because i’m now realising this is not gonna fit into 100 words 💀

anon, huge thanks for such a brilliant choice from my #fic material tag. I swear I did have this twix canon event planned for the actual fic (hopefully soon!!)

for now, enjoy the helplessness~

everyone, flood me inbox!

As it turns out, Bukayo owes his best friend an apology.

One Twix is all it takes, fallin’ in love with you, possibilities, I’m not the one you need⎯oh, Emile is going to have a field day with this information, unless Bukayo decides to keep it a secret (for now, not so soon, not after their drunken celebration of B FiNaLLy GeTTiNg oVeR ThE CLueLeSS CuTe gUy cUz sAiD CuTe GuY is FriEnDzOniNg HiM just last weekend.)

“It’s Twix, right? Your favourite chocolate bar?” Gabi, Bukayo’s cute guy no matter what, asks, already looking concerned that he got it wrong.

“Yeah! Yeah, it is.” Bukayo hopes the slight trembling on his lips goes unnoticed. “Thanks, bro.”

[originalwinnercheesecake]

Steven Universe Characters as Pokemon Trainers

Okay so a little background about me: I have never really liked S.U’s fandom, and I quit the show some years ago, before its finale season. I do not watch it anymore, and my general opinion on the show’s execution is that it was that it would have been a much better show if it a.) had been shown from multiple povs instead of always being through Steven’s eyes, and b.) had been able to focus its themes and stories more. It also should have been shorter. I think, as seasons progressed, that it got to focused on trying to be a show about everything (every genera and every topic) and that the quality in how it handled situations was hurt by the choice of quantity.

All of this does not mean I see the show as without praises. The art style and colors are very fun. A lot of the songs were great. Characters could be really unique and cool at times. A lot of the issues I have with it I can tell are the result of CN imposing restrictions and not allowing Rebeca Sugar to write the show how she wanted/envisioned it. This brings me to one finale trait of he show that I will always praise it for: It was front-line in showing networks LGBT+ characters and relationships, not just hinting coded ones but making them explicit parts of the show, did not mean have to mean that the show could no longer be watched or enjoyed by kids. We would not have the present day representation we do in children’s media without Steven Universe paving its way.

On a semi unrelated note I have been getting back into Pokemon lately, and have been imagining characters from cartoons I have watched from Disney as trainers (I have like 7 previous posts with those teams by he way if anyone would like to check those out too). After I finished doing Disney shows I thought of cartoon Network, and even though I have long since stopped watching SU the question “what pokemon would Garnet have?” popped into my head and I ran with it until I had done her and seven more characters. In honor of Pride Month I am posting it now.

Garnet

I will start with the Leader, and the one who I started this train of thought with.

Flareon (was originally just Ruby’s) and Glaceon (Originally just Sapphire’s): because they have different fire and ice types, but are from the same branch evolution

Mawile (was originally just Ruby’s) and sabbleye (was originally just Sapphire’s): So I was looking up pokemon pairs and found out that these two were both version exclusives to the ruby and sapphire. That they can also both mega evolve is adds their perfection.

Slowking (has always belonged to Garnet): I had to give Garnet Slowking. Slowking is when Slowpoke and shellders fusion becomes so close they go from being two pokemon attached at the tale/mouth to one pokemon

Hariyama (has always belonged to Garnet): Garnet needed a boxer to match her style of fighting. I was originally going her Hitmonchan, but it just looked so small against some of the titans on Amythyst’s team, and Garnet is supposed to be hands down the strongest Crystal Gem. So I had to swap it for a bigger, heavier, hitter.

Amethyst

Ditto: an obvious choice for Amethyst whom shape shifting was a favorite game and method of expression for.

Ganger: It’s both a tough fighter and the ultimate prankster. Gangar and Amethyst together are a manse to all things decent and orderly (Or at least that is something Pearl likes to say when they try to have fun with her)

Machamp: They are both wrestlers

Snorelax: Another pokemon that I remember being a pretty powerful member of Ash’s team, but its also really laid back and prefers to eat and sleep. Amethyst can chill with Snorelax. Plus I just have this image of her in her bouncy ball form bouncing up and down on its jiggly stomach while it wither sleeps or genitally tries to bounce her.

Turbbish: I looked up what the messiest pokemon was, since Amethyst was pretty much a slob if I remember correctly, and Turbbish is what I got. It enjoys needling  Pearl’s miccino. The two seem to have a feud going on, but are friends regardless. This one could also tie into Amethysts self worth arc. Turbbish is trash which is how Amethyst saw herself. But it is still a valued member of her team, just like how Amethyst has always been a valued member of the crystal gems.

Wishmur: hugable plush, and a little boom box. Amythyst can party with Wishmur,

Pearl

Clampearl: I had to. Its based off her gem, so of curse I absolutely had to. I feel like sh would be more likely to evolve it into Gorabis than Huntail, its more inline with her style.

Minccino: It is listed on wiki as being one of the cleanliest pokemon and as we all know Pearl is a neurotic neat freak. Minccino enjoys making jabs at Amethysts Turbissh. The two seem to have a feud going on but are friends regardless.

A Hisuian Lillligant: Now Here is a pokemon I feel really represents Pearl, how the worls is meant to precieve her and how she see’s herself. Lilligant is thin, lightweight, feminine, and completely unintimidating. It looks like nothing more than a graceful dancer. But  picked the Hisuian version specifically because in addition to being a grass type it is also a fighting type. Pearl may not look like a fighter on the outside, but she definitely is one.

Primaria: This would be one of if not the strongest pokemon on her team. Dance style is important in SU as it’s how the characters draw forth weapons and fuse. Pearl’s style always seemed akin to ballet to me and Primaria is what I got when I googled Ballerina pokemon.

Marowak: the way it wields bones reminds me of the way pearl wielded her weapon arsenal

Escavalier: Sam reasoning as with Marowak, adding to it that Escavlier is clearly  based of a mid-evil knight, and Pearl could easily be considered a knight to Rose/Steven’s round table

Steven Universe

Ralts: I got tired of using the Chancey line for any character with medical talent/healing abilities so I looked up what other pokemon could use heal. I picked Ralts because like Steven it is kind of girly, and also because its evolution line is madly powerful.

Chatot: Greg gave it to him. The universes are a musical family so they would have t have musical pokemon. i gave most of them to Greg. but Chatot due to its size and cutness, seems really well suited to Steven. Also adding that Parrots are really loving compainions to their owners, and I bet Steven could teach his Chatot to sing.

Male Pyroar: For Lion. Would it also be considered a gift/inheritance from his Mom?

Bronzo: For his shield powers and desire to defend what he loves. It has a close friendship with Connie’s honedge.

Vanillish: First episode “I can summon my shield by eating ice cream”. Yes I know that wasn’t actually true, but you cannot tell me Steven wouldn’t love this pokemon.

Larvitar: In no way was I going to get away with not giving this male queen of the rock people a rock type pokemon. I went with Larvitar because baby dinosaur

Connie Maheswaran

�� For some of these I originally intended to give her the next evolved form. Then I noticed her team had a lot more higher evolution's than Steven’s, and decided it would be better to keep them about equal, since they train and fight together (Steveonnie).

Honedge: Because Connie is the sword to Steven’s shield. It has a close friendship with Steven’s Bronzo.

Kricketune: She plays the violin and it is violin based

Vulpix: neither her team, nor Stevens has had a fire type yet, and at least one of them should have one. Vulpix, and its evolution Ninetales are both Fire types I consider to be very smart, and I could see it making a strong member of onnies team.I like to think it would be buddies with Stevens Vanilish

unown letter “M”: I gave both Dipper and Amity unknowns on my Disney lists (deserving so) and tried to make them the only ones, since I know its a very rare pokemon. But SU was on a different channel and I had to give Connie one. In addition to being extremely intelligent and loving to read, Connie basically stepped herself into the unown when she decided to become the first human soldier in the Crystal Gems. I gave her the letter “M” for her last name, and because if it turns upside down it would be a “W” for warrior.

Spoink:So originally I had it as a gruntpig and I was going to say that Connie did sports with it, then I had to de evolve it, then I found another pokemon for to be Connie’s primary sports buddy. But I decided to keep Spoink on her team because it is a good psychic type pokemon and its great at balance. Connie balances so many extracurricular activities on top of being an honor roll student.

Nozleaf: Connie’s primary Sports buddy. The pair are great at playing Tennis, pokemon ping-pong, and sparing together.

Greg Universe

Warturtle and Cyndiquail: So most of his pokemon are music based (they are a band) but I did want to give him a Warturtle to to help him out at the car wash; and a Cyndiquail to help him grill food and keep warm in the winter.

on to his music pokemon.

Ludicolo: Both are big, goofy, and fun.

Chimeco: Both are chill, relaxed, and a soothing presence

Toxtricity: Rockstar pokemon.

Meloetta: This is a more OP pokemon than I would usually give someone, and I am not sure if it stays with Greg all the time or (more likely) lives on its own and just frequently visits him . But we all know that mythical space goddesses adore Greg Universe.

Lapis Lazuli

Her pokemon are all water and flying types for obviuos reasons.

Cramorant: So did anyone else ever read that comic where, before pumpkin, Peridot and Lapis adopt an abandoned baby bird and Steven decides to help them take care of it? But Lapis winds up doing pretty much all the actual work because Steven and Peridot do not really understand how to take care of it? But Lapis is able to feed it and teach it to fly? Well the point is she is actually really good with Birds so I am giving her a couple of them, like Cramorant and

Mukrow: So since I watching the show before it ended I know that Lapis comes back from space, but I have no idea if her and Peridot ever got back together. But they were that cool artsy couple for at least a few seasons and I wanted to give them both  artsy pokemon. Turns out the only art based Pokemon is Smeagle.WTF? Smeagle doesn’t really work for either of them since its a pinter and they were sculpters. So I did some out of the box thinking and decided they should both get pokemon that like to collect *cough steal cough* cool, and shiny objects, that they could use to create meep-morps. Lapis’s is Mukrow.

Slowpoke: This is not meant to show any tie or similarity between her and Garnet, who has its finale evolution. This choice honestly does not really have any deep reason to it. Slowpoke is just a really dopey water pokemon and given Lapis’s sense of humor she might find it funny to have.

Omanyte: a water type pokemon that has a shell it peeks/craws out from sometimes. Lots of symbolism for Lapis’s arc in this one.

Poliwrath: Wasn’t it a common part of her fighting style to knock any gem she wanted away from her flying with water fists? Poliwrath helps with that.

Gyaradgyos: I want you to look me in the eye and try telling me that Lapis Lazuli could not handle a Gyaradgyos. Yeah do not even try that lie with me.

Peridot

Magneton: Peridot’s ace pokemon. I picked it out due to her magnetic powers and technical intelligence.

Pachirisu: Not only do I see electric and then electric and grass pokemon as being Peridots favorite types, but Pachirisu also happens to be small, adorable, hyperactive, and keeps on form all its life. Pachirisu is basically the pokemon equivalent of Peridot as it is.

Egylem: Peridot was the first Homeworld gem to be shown landing on earth. I picked Egylem first for its whole “little body, big headed, space alien” vibe. Also according to Bulbapedia it typically has a personality that is similar to Peridot’s.

Zigzaggoon: Peridot’s little meep-morp helper. It was close with Lapis’s Mukrow, and the pair would go on scavenger hunts together to find supplies for their masters sculpting hobby.

Pumpkaboo: For Pumpkin. Vegetable Farming was hinted to have originally been Peridot’s idea, and she is the one who kept Pumpkin in her and Lapis’s split.

Sunflora: Again she loves gardening, and growing/tending to flowers was one thing she started doing as a therapy exercise after the split.

[musingsoflys]

2nd post for the morning. It was just going to be a deconstructing post, but I went off on a health tangent.

I have multiple journaling locations. I have one where I try to collect everything, but it's getting ... octopus. It's in OneNote, and I have multiple tabs and subpages for different topics: my kids coming out, my husband coming out, my religion shattering, a letter for my Mom about it that I've been procrastinating finishing for over a year -- it's so close--, my own thoughts and feelings about 'all the things.' Due to life's business and my previously mentioned (the other post from this morning) low energy and mental function, I haven't been able to give my religious/spiritual aspect enough attention, and lately I've been feeling the need to do that. The last few days I've been wanting to start rereading Untamed by Glennon Doyle. I think I'm ready to move into the next phase, ?, whatever that is. I feel stalled right now.

I had been working my way through Falling Upward by Richard Rohr. That was also supposed to be part of my Sunday morning time. Now I'm not sure how applicable it will be given my Christian deconversion. I guess I should look and see. I am capable of recognizing metaphor and framing separately from my experience and so still be able to take the lessons. ... ... haha, just had to bring my brain back from another tangent related to framing/context. OK. back to the topic at hand. See, I didn't leave Mormonism only to remain a Christian; my deconstruction of God precludes that. My understanding of God was the first thing that shattered. So, while I often appreciate others' deconstruction experiences, I'm still looking for more non-Christian deconstructing community. Jesus as radical historical figure, fine, but no more Jesus as Savior, no more Heavenly Father (or Mother) -- I feel like they're less parental and more transcended siblings. I want to find my own divinity, not the "seeds of Divinity" as spoken of by Mormon leaders but the stardust inside.

Since at least November, my husband has been in the early goo phase of metamorphosis or the early germination phase of a seed: breaking apart, melting, he's beyond the point of no return from what he used to be. But in his case it's kind of weird b/c what he used to be was constantly masking, constantly trying to be what everyone else thought he should be, so he's trying to be himself, to go back to the beginning, but I just realized that even that being is socially defined, I think, by the imprinting he got as a child. But there's also a lot of trauma there. Anyway, I feel like I'm finally ready to explore nonmonogamy but now he's in a very personally, mentally, and emotionally delicate stage. He's worried that I'll find someone "better" or replace him. (Actually one of the 1st fears listed on a remodeledlove post in IG.) He also expresses interest in swinging, but I can't see myself doing that, at least partly b/c I've never had sex with anyone else. So sometimes, he's like, hurry up and have sex w/someone else, so that we can move on to threesomes and swapping and swinging. But I can't have sex with a stranger; I wouldn't mind having a FWB relationship but I at least need the friend part. I'm on an app, but I'm afraid to 'like' anybody. I've only liked 2 people but have not had any conversations with them. I'm not "talking to" anyone. I just fantasize, lol. And he's not ready for any new relationships, friend or otherwise, right now. So...where does that leave me? Where am I, and where do I go from here?

[louisisalarrie]

Thanks for answering my ask, the bbg ending one. Your response has given me quite a bit to think about! Yes, I haven’t been here since the beginning, but from what you said about B she used to post a lot of F content? She really doesn’t seem to have gotten anything much out of this whole deal when you think of what she might have achieved. Crazy. And what you said about using it as a scandal for publicity- bless poor L, I think the fact that he fought so hard against it in the first place, and so many people know that (I mean we’re all still talking about it) means that the end could be very messy and not in a good way for him. I suppose I’m saying that the thing that would benefit him most to work towards ending it without ending his career is for people to forget it’s not real, to go along with the narrative, maybe? It’s so tough though, isn’t it, considering all the evidence that’s out there?

I think our society, the way we are encouraged to view and judge others (those with celebrity), seemingly for our entertainment, and to stop us from involving ourselves in important topics, is awful. And the fact that everything is set up to push groups of people to pretend to be other than they are to benefit those with all the power (rich older white men most of the time) is so sad. When there’s such beautiful diversity that should be celebrated rather than squashed. Sorry for rambling, got on my soap box a bit there! But thanks again for making your blog somewhere to dive into difficult topics! 🩵

Never apologise for rambling, anon. Love to hear your thoughts! 🧡

Yeah, B used to post F a fair bit. That whole family was very involved and would post F non stop and talk about louis and really do anything that could get them attention from the fandom. It was super yucky and weird. Even if you did believe F was louis’ kid, having the baby’s face all over the internet all the time was super inappropriate as he’s a minor. And then the photoshopped pics she posted? And posting photos that aren’t even her but saying it’s her baby bump? It was a hot mess.

And absolutely, I agree with you how horrific the entertainment industry is. Fans, and the general public, are told what to think about a certain person. We’re fed narratives to keep us buying magazines, clicking on websites, talking about celebs online, and buying tickets to their shows. Without us, celebs are nothing. They don’t make money and can’t have a career and so PR happens through whatever means possible. PR can be minor, or it can be a huge scandal. It just needs to grab attention and headlines, no matter the narrative. BUT horrible crazy huge narratives like “louis is a shit dad and goes clubbing and fucks a million girls and doesn’t support his son” stay in the media longer than “louis donates £1,00,000 to a children’s hospital”, because no “sources” can comment on that positive headline. But “sources who are close to louis” can keep adding tidbits to a negative headline, and therefore, can keep a developing story going and louis in the headlines. And us, in turn, would give it more publicity by fighting against that narrative.

Sure, we can make up our own minds about it that contradict the narrative (us larries, for example), but that’s because we’ve dug deep and been here for so long and read theories and talk about it. The general public see a catchy headline, and it sticks. They don’t bother looking into it further. Why should celebs be themselves, when they can make more money by being someone else?

Also, Larry coming out, whether it was gonna be during 1d or years from now, is a huge scandal. It’s always in their PR team’s back pocket. The boys want to, so they keep dangling it in front of them, and it’s gonna be a moment that goes down in history. The headlines would be swaaaamped with larry, and larry content from the 1d days, for months. Sources can add so much to it, there’s so many larry fans and fan content to show, so many theories the headlines can hint at, so it’s major and everyone is happy when that finally happens. Everyone is happy and the team have gotten an insane amount of money and larry are happy and most of their fans are cool with it. But there’s still so much homophobia in the industry, and in the world.

Louis has fans that believe he’s straight, because he is portrayed to be, but hey! we’re still here, aren’t we? And we don’t believe that. But if he came out as gay, well, it’s not a thing to hide that you’re straight by pretending to be gay. So the homophobes and antis/whatever fans don’t like larry, won’t stay. Ya know?

[captain-kit-adventuress]

And to add to a conversation that really doesn't need an addition, The Indignant Replier literally defeats their own argument in...*checks notes* the first paragraph.

Yes, America and Britain did, in fact, diverge in culture some 200-ish years ago! You are right about that (except that true cultural divergence in America had already started happening well before the war, while more linguistic forms take about a century or so depending on where you're living, and it starts to converge back a little bit again after WWI because of all of the Americans stationed in Britain, so, no, actually, you're not right at all).

And that's what makes it worse. It is quite different now, and that makes it fucking lazy writing. Is every writer required to research to that level? Of course not, but they can hardly be surprised when at least some readers, to whom it is important, then complain. Do they have to care that anyone's complained? They do not! But it won't stop people from complaining, either. So whether anyone actually takes the complaints and does anything about it is entirely up to them as writers, but for those who might be tired of the complaints, or equally maybe just didn't know, the original post serves as a handy starter guide.

Because, really, this is what the rest of the world complains about when they say things like "America just assumes the rest of the world is exactly the same as they are" and "America is forcing its culture on everyone else and acting like it's not a big deal, except it is," and the like.

Are you concerned that you're completely paving over those 200-odd years of divergence? Clearly not, but everyone the fuck else should be. This is why Wales started requiring learning Welsh in schools in the 1970s, because it was nearly a dead language so few IN WALES spoke it, because the English tried to do exactly the same thing you're doing, Your Indignancy. Irish, too, though I'm not certain what the state of native Irish speakers speaking Irish as a first language is, these days (totally on me).

Hey, you know why Australians say 'prawn' instead of 'shrimp?' Because their English, Scottish and Welsh forebears fucking said it first, because of course it's totally fine to ignore the centuries-long colonisation of Australia via Britain's cast-offs and those who strip-mined their way to wealth and then retired back in Jolly Old England™, all the while attempting the total eradication of Indigenous peoples there, all so you can make a stupidly wrong point.

There was a point in time where Russian aristocrats spoke more French than Russian, because Russian was seen as a dirty peasant language. I wonder why that was, couldn't be because of the French Empire? Why would the average person in Morocco, historically, have had cause to learn French, Spanish, English, Dutch, and German, in addition to Moroccan Arabic? Couldn't be because those are all countries that tried to claim Morocco for themselves within the span of about 20 years or so, to say nothing of the rest of the colonial occupation of the rest of Africa, and Asia, and...everywhere, that would just be ridiculous. I also can't imagine why so many people worldwide feel it necessary to learn English? I'm sure it's not because we Americans--and Brits, too--demand it from others without bothering to return the cultural compliment? Or we actively kill their cultures while forcibly implementing our own? That doesn't sound familiar at all, I'm sure.

So, yeah, it matters, even if it's the UK. And that's before we even get to the topic of it being jarring AF to read something that's supposed to be a certain English or other British accent and using all of the wrong words, not to mention it being disrespectful in the extreme.

(And of course, the different words in Scotland may be you know, the six different widely-used regional dialects, right? None of which are Scots, which is a thing on its own, or Scottish Gaelic, which is also a separate language. So I'm sure it wouldn't be insensitive AT ALL to just conflate that as one single thing, or to ignore that even in England, there isn't just England-y English, which of course I use to refer to RP, and I'm sure you know exactly what that is, who uses it, and what it says about the characters who use it vs the characters who don't and all the reasons why a writer might make or not make those choices.)

But I'd be shocked if you could tell me something as basic as the difference between 'high tea,' 'afternoon tea,' and 'tea,' and why knowing that isn't elistist but is, in fact, good cultural literacy for writers who write about people living in the UK.

Oh, and btw? 'On accident' isn't proper American English, either, it's considered a colloquialism as the result of a commonly-occurring error. Proper American English also requires 'by accident.' Now, I'm all for colloquial English, but maybe you should learn how to use your own damned language correctly before demanding others conform to your ideas about its usage in works of fiction?

You die mad about it, Your Most Indignantest.

Americanisms that annoy the crap out of me in writing

By Writerthreads

Welcome back to another post! Today is a little rant/PSA for all of you who use American English and terminology.

When I read books that are meant to portray British characters, I get so annoyed when I read jarring Americanisms. Here’s a list of them that are especially annoying (I’m sorry):

“Pants”

Pants = underwear. Every time I read something on Ao3 along the lines of “Harry spilled a cup of tea on his pants” I immediately think of him drinking said tea in his undies which is absolutely hilarious.

Somebody who can’t afford to go to the GP/hospital??

Hello, we have the NHS which is free at the point delivery!!! #rare uk w

I had to fully stop reading a fic when a British character couldn’t afford medical care and that was a whole plot-line.

As a medical student, this scenario is fully bizarre for me to comprehend. The only situation in which someone wouldn’t seem medical attention from my pov is if they don’t want to wait for hours at the A&E

Chips/crisps/fries omfg

Chips= the fatter ones you get with fish and chips

Crisps: potato chips

Fries: the thinner ones from Maccies

Cookies vs biscuits

To this day, I still don’t fully get the cookie/biscuit thing but according to my British friends who get annoyed when I mix them up, biscuits are meant to be crunchier (eg. Chocolate digestives & jammie joggers), while cookies are softer, eg. chocolate chip cookies

Biscuits covered in gravy????

What is that. That is not a thing. The UK equivalent would be a scone (sweet, eaten with jam and clotted cream or smth like that and which one goes first is a whole debacle) or a Yorkshire pudding.

Accent/slang

Different people from different areas in the UK speak differently & have different vernacular. When who’s meant to be posh speaks in roadman talk, it’s the funniest thing ever, so please do research carefully!

Takeout

Unfortunately I do say this quite a bit, but people are saying this more in the UK now imo. Takeaway is the preferred term.

Fall

“It’s fall because the leaves fall form the treeeeees” no bro it’s autumn. I grimace every time I read this in a book set in the UK.

I could care less

Ok, then care less? It’s I couldn’t care less, which makes more sense anyways.

Fanny pack

Fannies mean something else in the UK lol. It’s a bum bag, but this term is used more now maybe?

Freshman year? College? Frats? Spring break?

We have a different education system :) uni is three years usually, colleges are halls at uni or sixth form colleges

Little annoyances:

Math: It’s maths. Mathematics.

Vacation: holiday (more interchangeable now tho)

“Line up”: “QUEUE up”

On accident: by accident

Trunk/hood: boot/bonnet (I do a weird mix and say boot/hood, my bad lol)

I drive stick vs I drive manual (learnt this from my ex). Most people in the UK (and Europe) drive manual because it’s supposedly superior

Movie: film (more interchangeable now)

Principal: headmaster/mistress

There’s probably a longer list somewhere…

Thank you for bearing with me. My friends are now subject to me saying ‘trousers’ every time they say ‘pants’, I can’t help it (help I’m getting colonised)

Also look up slang (esp slang from certain parts of London, or roadman slang), they’re hilarious and I can’t help but say some of them now (I blame my friends but honestly calling a meal a scran is so funny)

Anyways goodbye

[callsign-peach]

A Very Bradshaw Wedding

summary: it’s your and bradley’s big day, from sunrise to sunset

pairing: established rooster x fem!reader (obvi), platonic!dagger squad x reader

warnings: i’ve only ever been to church weddings so if you’re not a fan of church weddings, sorry.��

word count: 2,175

The opening tones to the Marimba ringtone pulled you from the slumber you were enjoying, and you blindly grasped for your phone. 

“Hello?” You groaned, your voice was still in the dream world.

“Good morning, Mrs. Bradshaw.”

“No, that’s not my last name yet!” You stretched, phone pressed to your ear. “I only signed the paperwork yesterday, the court definitely didn’t get them yet.”

“Well,” Bradley breathed, and you were sure he was still lounging in his bed, as well. “I considered you my wife as soon as we signed the marriage license last week.”

“All right, you got me there, B.” You chuckled, trying not to pick at your well-manicured nails. “What time are you supposed to head to the church?” 

You could hear Pete and Jake trying to get your fiancé to hang up, so you knew your sister would be knocking on your door soon. 

“‘Bout fifteen minutes, I think. Mav wants to get photos of the guys and I in our formal attire.” 

You snorted, picturing Bradley and his fellow aviators in their formal uniforms. When the topic of what the aviators were going to wear came up, you teased Bradley relentlessly. “Trying to steal my thunder, Bradshaw?” 

“Hey, the guys are about to pound the door down, I’ll see you at the end of the altar.” 

“See you in a few, I’ll be the one in white.” 

“Not the only one.” Bradley quipped, and you could hear the smile on his face. “I love you, Mrs. Bradshaw.”

You replied the same, not bothering to comment on your surname this time. 

As you hung up the phone, the door to the hotel opened, and your sister and Penny piled into the room, Amelia following.

“Good morning, it’s your wedding day!” Your sister was already weepy, plucking a Kleenex from the box on the bedside table. 

You thanked Penny for the coffee, the familiar green and brown cup helping wake you up. “What time do we need to be at the church?” 

“Hair stylist said to be there by 10, but we need to leave soon for breakfast!” Amelia was first to reply, the teen was only up before nine on a weekend if there was food on the horizon.

You nodded, slipping on a pair of leggings and the zip-up with bride embroidered across the back; a gift from your Aunt Jeanette after you posted your engagement photos on Facebook.

“Is Nat meeting us there?” You asked, grabbing your phone and purse, following Penny and the others out of the hotel room. 

“Nope, she’s probably waiting for the Lyft.” Amelia replied, and you smiled.

You weren’t one to have a ton of friends growing up, so the three women joining you for breakfast were your bridesmaids, with your sister as your Matron of Honor.

“Let’s go!” Amelia lead the way out to join Natasha at the waiting Lyft. --- “You ready to be the first married man out of us?” Rueben asked, tossing the football over to Bob.

Bradley looked up from where he was staring at the wedding itinerary, distracted. “Hm?”

“Not even a married man, already distracted by the missus.” 

“Fuck off, Bagman.” Bradley replied, no sour tone behind his words. He and the blond aviator had become close friends, with Bradley asking the Texan to be his Best Man a few months ago. 

Rueben repeated his question, and Bradley nodded, smile on his face. “Surprised it took this long, honestly. Knew it as soon as I first met her she was the one.”

The men of the dagger squad all teased the mustached man, yelling when Pete walked into the room and caught the football. --- “Oh! You look so good!” Your sister was near tears again, causing you to roll your eyes. 

“I’m not even dressed yet, sis.” You looked at your reflection, the makeup artist having finished a few moments prior. 

“Remember when Mom would let us try on her wedding dress when we were younger?” You asked. Bittersweet memories of your late mother had been popping up ever since your sister’s wedding four years ago. 

“Come on, time for dresses!” You were thankful for Penny’s distraction before you started to cry, not wanting to ruin the beautiful makeup. 

Rather than having each woman wear a specific dress, you asked them all to find dresses in matching colors, a light blue to complement the groomsmen’s formal blues. 

“You sure you’re okay not wearing your blues?” You asked Natasha, not wanting her to feel minimized by wearing the dress.

“Trust me, I never get to go out to formal events in anything other than my formal blues, I need this.” Natasha smiled, giddy to get dolled up for the day.

You squeezed her hand, letting her go change in the bathroom.

“Have you found your something new yet?” Penny asked, knowing smile on her face.

You were one for traditions, and you wanted to make sure you had all four “somethings” on your wedding day. 

You had your something blue; a patch one of Bradley’s old navy blues had been sewn into your dress. Your something old was the Bradshaw engagement ring, passed to Bradley from his mother, and his mother’s mother. 

Something borrowed was waiting to be adorned to your updo, your sister’s hairpiece from her wedding day. 

Shaking your head, you began to wonder what the older woman had planned. “No, but I’m using my wedding band for that.”

“Mav and I wanted to chip in, make sure you had all you needed before your trip down the aisle.” Penny pulled a long, Tiffany blue box out of her purse, a dainty gold chain with a simple diamond on the end. 

“Pen, I can’t! This is too much!” You had tears welling in your eyes, softly shaking your head. 

“Oh, hush. It’s the least I can do, getting Rooster to stop moping at the bar.” Penny latched the necklace as you held your hair up, her slender fingers patting your shoulder lightly. 

You smiled at her in the mirror, thankful for her maternal presence on such an important day. “Thank you, Pen.”  --- Bradley twisted his cuff links once more, nerves starting to get the best of him. “What’re you thinking, Rooster?”

The aviator looked behind him, smiling at his mentor and godfather. “Hi, Mav.” 

“You ready for this?” Pete asked. The ceremony was set to start in just over two hours, so all the men were prepared to get the wedding photos done. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Bradley nodded, but the older man could tell something was pulling his attention. “I just wish my parents were here.”

Pete sighed, knowing parents were a sore spot for both the groom and bride. “They’re here, Bradley. They’re here and they’re proud.” --- You stared at yourself in the mirror, now adorned in the white dress you had your eyes on ever since Bradley got down on one knee. 

Amelia, Natasha, and your sister were already getting their photos done with the groomsmen, leaving you alone with your thoughts. 

A knock on the door tore you from your reverie, and you looked in the mirror to see Pete pop his head in. “Wow.” 

“Hi, Mav.” You smiled, one hand going to your neck. “Thank you for the necklace. It means more than you’ll ever know.”

Pete smiled, softly closing the door behind him. “It’s the least we could do.” 

You closed the space between the two of you, wrapping your arms around Pete in a hug. “Thank you for being there, for both of us.”

Pete rubbed a hand over your laced-up back, pressing a soft kiss to your temple. “Come on, they’re ready for the first look.” 

You followed Pete down the steps, and out to the small garden behind the church, where you would get a first look at your soon-to-be husband.  --- Bradley was antsy, and he almost spun around when he heard the soft click of heels on the stone beneath him. “Hi.”

“Hi, B.” You whispered, tears springing to your eyes. “Ready to become my husband?” You whispered, afraid speaking at full volume would ruin this special moment.

“I’ve been ready ever since I laid eyes on you.” Bradley replied, squeezing your hand behind him. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah.” You mumbled, eyes watering. “Never thought I’d be okay with my groom wearing white, too.”

Bradley let out a watery laugh. “Everyday is full of surprises.”

“Okay, okay. Before I burst into tears and ruin my makeup, we need to get ready for the ceremony.” You squeezed Bradley’s hand once more, before he heard the sound of your heels retreating. --- The music slowed down considerably after your sister reached the end of the aisle, taking her spot next to Amelia. 

You took a deep breath, looking up at Pete as appeared next to your side. 

When you first asked Pete to walk you down the aisle, he was speechless. He wasn’t one to think of himself as a father figure, not after he pulled Bradley’s papers, but he was proven wrong when you stopped him after you met up with the aviators at The Hard Deck one night. 

“You promise you won’t let me trip?” You asked, wrapping your hand around Pete’s arm.

“So long as you promise you won’t trip me.” Pete replied, stepping up as the opening notes to Canon in D began. 

You started the procession down the aisle, smiling at your family, your friends, and Bradley’s family as you walked, but they all blurred as you made eye contact with Bradley. Your Bradley.

Before you knew it, you were across from him, navy whites making his tanned skin pop. 

“Hi.” You whispered, smile tugging at your lips. 

“Hi.” Bradley replied, smile already spread across his face.  --- You heard hollering and hooting from both the groomsmen and audience as you kissed your husband for the first time, his shiny new wedding band cold against your back.

“We’re married!” You mumbled along Bradley’s lips, kissing him once more.

Bradley laughed, pressing one last kiss to your lips before you two turned to walk down the aisle, Bradley raising his newly-adorned wedding band into the air.  --- “Now, I present to your for the first time,” you heard the emcee pause for dramatic effect, and you bounced on your heels next to your husband.

“You ready?” 

“Give it up for the Bradshaws!”

You and Bradley tossed open the doors to the reception hall, smiles bright as you took in everyone here to celebrate your big day. 

You never would have pictured yourself with a military man, surrounded by so many other uniforms and people who you considered a second family. The hollers, cheers, and applause caused tears to spring to your eyes once more, though you doubted it would be the last time. 

The music slowed as you two stopped on the dance floor, facing each other. 

“Remember, men lead with their left because ladies are always right.” You whispered, teasing Bradley with the line your dance instructor said while you two started taking lessons for this moment. 

As you two spun, you smiled at the faces you recognized and the ones you didn’t, rolling your eyes as Jake pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. --- Finally having a moment to yourself, you sipped the white wine in front of your now-finished dinner. The first dances had been a whirlwind of emotions, and the speeches were some of the best. 

“Hey,” Bradley stopped next to you, glass of whiskey in his hand. 

“Hey yourself, Mr. Bradshaw.” You wrapped your arm around his waist, reading over a few of the notes on the Polaroids that guests had taken.

“Finally escape from Emma and Louise?” Bradley asked, teasing you about your younger cousins being stuck to you like glue.

“They got distracted by Jake’s war stories.” You smiled, pointing at a Polaroid of Pete and Penny. “Their turn’s next.” 

Bradley laughed, nodding along with you. “Come on, it’s almost time to cut the cake.” --- You thanked some of the final guests as they departed from the reception hall, promising they’d text you when they made it safely to their hotel.

“Have fun on your honeymoon!” Your aunt Delores squeezed you tight, happy to see you with the man of your dreams.

“But not too much fun!” Delores’ girlfriend teased. 

“Oh, hush!” You felt your cheeks heat, ushering them out to their waiting taxi.

Bradley was finishing off his second slice of cake when you reappeared, grin taking over his face. “Come here.”

Curious, you met Bradley halfway, conveniently stopping on the previously heavily-occupied dance floor. “What’s up, B?”

“Can I have this dance, Mrs. Bradshaw?” 

Not caring to mention the lack of music, you wrapped your arms around your husband’s neck, soft smile on your face. “I love you, Bradley. Thank you. Thank you for making me the happiest woman on the world.”

Bradley smiled, pressing his lips to yours, humming softly as the two of you shared a last dance. --- a/n: send requests pls :( 

[simonsnowichooseyou]

This excellent essay was posted by @goodbyedandelion and reposted on Instagram—however their account sadly seems gone now. But it is in rememberence of their Tumblr spirit that I post a continuation to their essay!

EVEN MORE Reasons Why Carry On is so groundbreaking as a YA Fantasy/Romance

Misconceptions/Character Complexity

A large topic in YA Contemporary is gossip, but I feel like fantasy doesn’t touch on this as much. Think of how others perceive one another in Carry On. Early on we learn that Simon, for example, saw Penny as different because of her race. But of course, we quickly know this isn’t true.

But what about Agatha? In Harry Potter, for example, Lavender Brown and other feminine characters are often looked down upon because of their femininity. We often as a culture perceive beauty as overcompensation for what’s inside. Sometimes Agatha is looked at in the same light in Carry On, but when we see things from her POV, we realize that Agatha is perhaps the smartest one there. Maybe she’s not Penny Bunce-smart, but she has the survival instincts that Penny lacks.

Agatha isn’t the only one. Baz looks cold and unfeeling from others’ POVs, but we quickly learn that he is a boy with a soft heart that’s been hardened by his past. Everyone thinks he cares about nothing but we know he cares about his mother and how she’d feel about him; his father and step-mother and siblings; Simon, of course; Bunce, in his own way; he even cares about flowered suits and dramatic entrances! We think Bunce is nerdy and perhaps annoying, but we learn she’s very sweet and like a mother to Simon. And the mage. Ugh, the mage. We think he cares about Simon but we learn that for every bit he cares about Simon, he cares about the war more.

Rowell doesn’t allow any character to be simple, stereotypical, or as they appear. My sister, for example, was saying that Baz sounded like a stereotypical gay man in the media. But he’s not, is he? He might love fashion but Rowell does not make him simple or stereotypical. Everyone is so complex, and she uses the multi-POV to not just show us their complexity but also the complexity of how they are viewed by others.

Woman on Woman Drama/Anger

For years and years, only one woman was allowed to have a true seat at the table in films. Take Indiana Jones, the original Avengers, and Star Wars for example. This woman was often made to be the sex appeal or romantic interest, but I’ll save that for another day. Because of there only being one spot, it set a precedent that women in media needed to fight with each other to take that spot, thus depriving us of women getting along!

At first, I was worried Rowell had fallen into this trap. Bunce thinks Agatha is simple and too feminine, Agatha thinks Bunce is a major pain in the ass. Their dislike for one another is complicated in that they’re essentially two different types of feminism battling it out, and half of their fight was about Simon and their roles in his life.

But in the end, Penny and Agatha create a relationship that exists outside of their relationship with Simon. Penny sees Agatha’s strength and resilience; Agatha recognizes Penny’s harsh exterior for what is is. When Agatha moves away, they text without his even knowing. Penny is the one that decides they need to check on and save her. In the end, penny and Agatha fight alongside one another.

Rowell didn’t just give us a feminine friendship—she showed us what we’ve been doing, and how to get from Point A to point B. I think it’s the most underrated part of the series.

True Friendship

It might sound bad, but I truly believe a lot of today’s media ruins the idea of friendship. I just feel like none of the portrayals are realistic. Friends are either joined at the hip and have never fought (toxic) or never get along (also toxic). The fact that Baz and Penny and Simon and Penny and Agatha and Penny can get into fights but still continue to love one another platonically is really heartwarming to me.

Trauma/Mental Illness

I remember getting to the end of Harry Potter and thinking “he went through all of that and we’re just supposed to leave him now?” We see some remnants in the most cursed play ever: The Cursed Child. But more than trauma we see someone who looks back on the days they risked their life everyday with *longing.* While that’s about the most Harry Potter thing Harry Potter has ever done (and the most canonical part of that play) it’s so unrealistic. You’re telling me Harry grew up with nothing and was an amazing father—minus a few spats with his son. You’re telling me Harry was able to hold it together emotionally after fighting for his life from ages 11-18 without a therapists help? You’re telling me Harry lost two father figures in the ministry of magic AND spent 7 years going through what amounted to a lesson titled “the government is corrupt” just to be a part of that government!?

Wayward son isn’t like that. Wayward Son shows us what happened to Simon afterwards, and it’s not peaches and cream. He had therapy, he quit therapy. A lot of us have been Simon on that couch, and we all needed the Baz in our life to drag us across a metaphorical America. Wayward Son is hands-down my favorite book. Realistic depictions of mental illness, check. Subverting our expectations of after the end, check. Reading it feels like taking a road trip, check.

As OP mentioned, Simon is a beloved chosen one because he’s just so wrong for the role. He’s not levelheaded where he should be, he’s bold in all the wrong places, he couldn’t possibly maintain a professional relationship with the coven. Meanwhile his super-hot enemy Baz was the absolute perfect choice to be chosen, but he was completely passed over. And part of this chalks up to how Simon became so powerful—fate isn’t twisting its whims this way and that. Simon is only chosen because he was a Petri dish experiment-gone-wrong baby. When Simon asks the fates why, really he should be asking the mage. There’s something delightful about the fact that Simon was made. The chosen one was made, and in the same process, so was the greatest threat.

De-escalation

I think it’s clear by now that Carry On is a great book, Simon Snow is an amazing series, and Rainbow Rowell sure can write. But I feel the need to point out that the end of Carry On wasn’t well-received by everyone. I recommend the series to everyone I know and some people are really disappointed you don’t get a big magical battle at the end. Some people think Simon filling in the humdrum was a cop out. But I disagree. I felt it was thrilling to witness a book where war was as stupid in fantasy land as it can be in real life. This is the first fantasy I’ve ever read where they find a better way to handle conflict than senseless fighting. It’s emotionally rewarding, to me, to see de-escalation. To see conflicts fixed before they start to be huge problems. It was a risky choice for an end, you have to admit. But Rowell pulls it off amazingly.

Nothing is Wrapped in a Bow

A day will never go by without me thinking about the fact that Simon Snow Salisbury doesn’t know who his parents are. Or how Baz will never know what exactly happened with his mother—whether she really ended herself to avoid vampirism and whether she would’ve done it to her too. We’ll never even quite understand the mage’s plan behind fix the humdrum and get an all powerful boy wizard on his side. Rowell doesn’t wrap everything up. She gives you closure as often as she gives you something to ponder. The ending of Harry Potter was so controversial, I think, because it spelled out so clearly much of what was happening. And what you didn’t learn in that epilogue, Rowling released later through Pottermore and interviews. That’s fine and dandy—but there’s something to be said for ending Simon Snow’s books with questions. Not infuriating questions but rather things that I’ll always ponder—that will shed new light on different situations depending on how I look at them. Rowell sets a precedent that you can fill in Simon’s world with your imagination while also reminding us that life doesn’t have endings. Not really, the way books to. Rowell is one of the few writers of today’s fantasy, I’d argue, who’s okay letting things go unanswered. There’s always a thread of fantasy and magic going. It’s something that will keep Simon alive in my heart for many, many years to come.

So yeah, that’s what I think about when I think about Simon Snow. It’s not nearly as coherent as the original post but I hope you enjoy it.

[shotorozu]

HI AIDHAIHDHAJD I HOPE YOU’RE DOING WELL RN BUT I SAW THIS POST ON TIKTOK AND- BQKDHQIHAHA ITS SO FUNNY IF IT’S OKAY TO YOU CAN YOU PLEASE DO THAT ONE FOR KAMINARI, BAKUGO AND SHOTO 😭😭

IT’S JUST SO??? BAHAHAHAH THANK YOU THOUGHT ILY🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️

(https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSJRWVY2g/)

giving them boxers with your face on them

(tiktok trend)

character(s) : kaminari denki, bakugou katsuki, todoroki shouto (bnha)

legend : [Y/N = your name] they/them pronouns used, quirk not mentioned

headcanon type : fluff, crack (x reader)

note(s) : PLEASE I BURSTED INTO LAUGHTER WHEN I READ THE TITLE, AND IM NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO LAUGH THAT MUCH 💀💀

no proof read— wrote this at 12am so,, if there are any mistakes, i’ll fix them later!

»»————-　♡　————-«

kaminari denki

you saw a tiktok of someone giving their boyfriend a pair of boxers— but it had their face on it. so, you KNEW that you NEEDED to give this to denki.

beforehand, you asked his besties— sero and kirishima, to help you out on this tiktok. because,, if you asked someone else, it would’ve DEFINITELY been questioned (and obviously, they were willing to help)

but let’s be honest, when you told them what exactly you wanted to get done, they bursted into laughter 💀 and it took them 10 minutes to recover

it didn’t take long for you to receive the pair, and you also managed to conceal the pair of boxers with dark packaging. all that’s left is your boyfriend’s arrival

now— you’d think that denki would know about this new trend going around, but surprise! he doesn’t know 🗿

and even if he did know, i feel like he’d be caught off guard anyway— if you saw someone’s face on a piece of underwear, you would be surprised too

when you were setting up your phone (for the tiktok) that was when denki comes in, “hey Y/N! whatchu doing?”

“hi denki, look! i want you to open something i got you— and it’s custom made.” this sparks his interest no pun intended, and he hurries on to open it

and he is NOT DISAPPOINTED

he doesn’t even comment on the fact that your phone is out which he assumed was for tiktok and he bursts into uncontrollable laughter, practically snorting

“PLEEASEE WHY DO YOU HAVE YOUR FACE ON A PAIR OF BOXERS? I WASN’T EXPECTING THIS—” and he really meant that.

after you finished filming the tiktok, denki basically SPRINTED to the bathroom, so that he could wear the boxers 💀 he has to cherish your gifts as soon as he received them, right?

he’ll talk about them once in a while, “remember the time that you gave me those boxers? plEASE it’s still funny.”

the tiktok does incredibly well, and heck— it even came to the point where the tiktok’s sound went viral 💀 gathering 11k videos under that sound

bakugou katsuki

the idea never crossed your mind— and the tiktok didn’t show up on your fyp. but it did show up on kaminari’s fyp

you’d be scared because one, he’d scold you for spending too much money on ‘stupid pair of boxers’ which you worded in katsuki’s words

and two— this is bakugou katsuki 🧍 pranks and trends like these don’t really work on him, and you’re also scared of angering him?? you value NOT dying in the hands of an angry bakugou katsuki, okay?

but i don’t think that should be your concern anyway, the fact that you even managed to tame katsuki— was enough

back to the topic, kaminari basically dared you to give katsuki that because “he’d appreciate anything from his dearest s/o, riiigght?” and he’s not wrong

so, you receive the custom made boxers in the mail (with your face SLAPPED on it’s front) and you make sure to repackage the boxers

so that the wrapping would conceal the boxers’ print— and so that the surprise would be a tad bit more effective.

when you were discreetly setting your phone up for the tiktok, that was also when katsuki came from his daily workout routine

he’s just like 🤨 when he sees you all excited— and when he also sees the package

“what are you all excited about?” he’ll ask after pecking your lips,“idiot?? don’t tell me yo—”

“no, no! it’s for you, this time!” you reassure him, “i promise it’s not anything funny!” too bad katsuki believes you

he walks over, and immediately tears the wrapping— “what the,,” when he opens the package, he is NOT pleased 🧍

“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?? YOU’RE GIVING ME BOXERS WITH YOUR FACE ON THEM??”

you just laughed out loud, rolling onto the floor in pure laughter— and katsuki can only stare at the boxers in shock, “you’re gonna wear them, right?”

“no, fuck no.” he’s so done with your shit

“aww pleaseee? those were expensive, AND they were custom made.” he’s so disappointed wjdnsjs

“i—” he sighs, “you’re lucky that i love you. i would’ve chucked this.. thing in the trashcan.”

it’s,,, the thought that counts for sure! he’ll probably wear them once in every blue moon though.

kaminari watches the tiktok, and ends up having the biggest field day— on the brighter side! your wallet isn’t that empty anymore.

if you’re curious about the tiktok’s results, it does well— it’s almost scary, considering how the tiktok blew up FAST

todoroki shouto

pleaseeee 💀🖐

now,, shouto would’ve thought that you wanted to gift those boxers to him GENUINELY. like,, sincerely

not like a gag gift, but more like a “oh hey shouto! i saw these boxers while shopping, and i thought these would look great on you.”

and you’d also think that shouto would’ve gotten a lot more used to the social thing— in a way, he has.

but,, boxers with YOUR face on them??? that wasn’t in the run through, tf

you were shopping online for clothes, when you suddenly got the greatest idea to surprise your boyfriend with a pair of boxers—

that had your face on them 💀

you don’t actually mean to tease him, but you’re just really curious on how he’d react to seeing the boxers (and if he’d actually wear them)

you place your phone in a not so obvious area— but it was also high enough to capture his reaction. when you get the boxers, they actually came in black packaging so,, less trouble!

“hey love,” he greets you with a quick kiss on the lips— and he quickly notices the black package that sat right next to you. “what’s that?”

“oh, speaking of which—” you hold out the box, “open it!”

and shouto is like,, hmm.. because you didn’t tell him what exactly the gift was, but either way— anything from you would be worth the suspense im sorry, but you’re just trying your best to hold yourself back

when he opens the package, he’s surprised to see what appears to be shorts, but when he unfolds the pair of ‘shorts’

😯 “is that..” he’s at a loss for worrd, completely BAFFLED at the sight of your face on a pair of boxers. out of all of the things he was expecting, it,, wasn’t this

YOU JUST CAN’T HELP BUT LAUGH AT THE FACT THAT HE’S LIKE 😯 ➡️🧍

shouto’s so confused, because why are you laughing? was this not genuine? is this not a social cue he doesn’t understand? why would he not like them??

but he’s surprised for sure, so he does laugh, “Y/N, i’d appreciate anything you’d give me. so, this was not any exception— but this was certainly the most interesting gift you have given me.”

setting all of jokes aside, he takes good care of the boxers— commenting on how he doesn’t want to tarnish the fabric, or the print of your astonishing face.

he wears them when he’s not going anywhere 🗿 so occasionally, you’d catch a glimpse of those boxers in the laundry—

he’s not very shy about it, since “you gifted me them so.. i’m using them.”

when you posted the tiktok, it does extremely well— and it mostly consisted of comments like “LMAO WE KNOW HOW MUCH YOU WANTED TO LAUGH” “he was genuinely surprised lmaooo”

»»————-　♡　————-«

likes and reblogs are appreciated, thanks for reading!

i do not own bnha/mha and it’s characters. boku no hero academia/my hero academia belongs to horikoshi kohei, i only own the writing and i do not profit off of my hobby

do not plagiarize, reupload, translate, or use my works for audio readings without permission