#travel wrapped!

[modernmanblues]

how i rank the places i went to this year:

1. liverpool, uk (that place has officially won my heart. so many wonderful memories there. more importantly, couldn’t help but fall in love with the people. everyone made me feel at home. it’s what they call ‘english hospitality’ i suppose.)

2. manchester, uk (specifically stockport aka 10cc city. quaint little town and the people are just so lovely.)

3. places in england that are my honourable mentions: cropredy, oxford, Lake District , Peak District, southport. england’s countryside was absolute perfection. breathtaking.)

4. dublin, ireland (oh please take me back please please PLEASE. something about that place was just so..romantic.)

3. queenstown, nz (i absolutely ADORE this place. ent bungee jumping here. this place is definitely not for the faint of heart. would love to go back during one of their summers.)

4. cinque terre, italy (can’t believe this place even exists. riomagiorre was my favourite of all 5 villages)

5. san sebastían, spain (gotta love the nude beaches. oh and the pixtos too!)

6. auckland, new zealand (love love LOVE this city. the countryside was pure perfection.)

7. venice, italy (i won’t belabor you on what happened to me there that one night. let’s just say i had my une nuit a paris moment there. something to tell my kids about someday perhaps.)

8. rome, italy (ranking it low because of it being too touristy. Vatican City was lovely tho)

9. florence, italy (same deal as rome. only went here because it was a couple train stops away from the leaning tower of pisa )

10. barcelona, spain (again, too touristy)

11. madrid, spain (didn’t do much here except go to the museum, museo del prado, which was interesting)

12. tokyo, japan (beautiful city. impeccably clean just like Eric describes it in his song ‘Tokyo.’ only ranking it low bc being packed like a sardine on the trains was an anxiety provoking experience for me personally. had a fantastic time otherwise)

13. sydney, australia (ranking low bc it just felt like i was in another major city like toronto)

14. berlin, germany (what a depressing places. i remember learning about Germany for the first time in world history class in high school and given all that i have learned about it and combining it with the experience of being there i can tell you that there was something undeniably eerie about that place. i mean, to think back on the atrocities..i got a bit depressed honestly.

[ghostbsuter]

There was a teen in the cave.

A teen no one knows and looks like he could be a wayne, stands in the cave.

"Actually, I'm a wayne." He says with a shrug.

Bruce, Batman, carefully thinks of the implication.

"Not yet," The teen, Danny, doesn't say anything. Simple smiles. "You're not a wayne, yet. You will be. But not yet."

Then Bruce sighs, dropping the batman mask in order to take in the teen.

"Does future me know of the time travel?"

Dannys smile grows into a grin, deciding to take pity on the man. "You, grandbat, have..." He makes a vague gesture. "Theories, which none of your children ever confirmed."

The bat's mind short-circuits at the choice of words

Dick is sputtering incomprehensibly, there are Baffled expression all around.

Because.

Because that child isn't Bruce's, but one of theirs.

"Who is it?" Jason demands, hand clenching his gun uselessly.

Danny continues to smile, a hint of mischief now peeking out.

The cave is filled with theories, some yell, some sob, yet all eyes leave danny.

All but one pair.

She had known the moment his body language switched just enough for her to read.

She had known the moment he disappeared before the clan.

Had known when his hand found hers, shoulders bumping.

Her heart clenches, throat dry and memories of her childhood flooding to mind.

So she asks, voice soft and hesitant.

"Am I a good mother?"

And danny looks up at cass, adoration and pride laid out plain for her to see and accept.

"You're the best."

And so they both watch the clan together, silent and comfortable.

(Cass doesn't question when she finds him, how and why. All she knows is that she's more attentive when out on patrol, looking and waiting.)

(This is how Cassandra Cain-Wayne returns one night from patrol, a child, barely out of toddler stage and clinging to her form.)

(This is how the Batclan officially meets one Daniel James Cain-Wayne, freshly washed and clothed, a cookie in hand and hiding shyly behind Cass.)

(When they meet, all they say is "Welcome home, danny," and "Good to see you again.", Danny doesn't necessarily get it, but that's okay. Maybe his new mom will explain it one day when he's bigger.)

[amoritasart]

Love the idea of Philip coming into the isles with the same I’M THE HERO mentality as Luz. He never grows out of this fantasy. Well at least one of them got to see it through!

[marlynnofmany]

Other Uses for Packaging

I waved goodbye to the customers — other humans this time — then sat back and waited for the trash pickup. I didn’t blame them for not wanting to take all the packing material out into the spaceport. They hadn’t brought a hovercart or forklift, and had been unprepared for the huge crate full of bubble wrap and foam.

Other times, our little courier ship had done deliveries where time was short or regulations were tight, and all we would have been able to do was advise them on where to rent a hovercart or buy a crowbar. Luckily for these customers’ convenience and my conscience, today we could stick around and help them unpack the custom end table or whatever that was.

They’d left happy, with something much easier to carry, and Captain Sunlight had headed for the cockpit to call in the station’s trash crew. (Apparently this was a regular feature at this space dock, which was a nice change from the last few where we’d had to move the ship’s garbage over to the trash area under our own power.)

Zhee looked over the crate that he’d just taken great joy in disassembling. “Wood may be valuable here,” he said with a thoughtful click of a pincher arm. “If not to the station at large, then surely to another ship. I wonder if the captain thought of that.”

I glanced back at the open cargo bay. “Probably?”

“Probably,” Zhee agreed.

We were both silent for a moment while the spaceport bustled around us.

“I’m going to check,” he said, tapping his way up the ramp on his many bug feet. “Make sure none of that blows away.”

“Sure thing.” I looked at the piles. The only breeze in here was the faint wafting of ventilation systems and the occasional gentle landing of other ships at a safe distance, but I understood the impulse to be careful. That one package awhile ago, full of styrofoam beads, had been memorable. And terrible. The darn stuff was almost as bad as glitter, what with the way it stuck to things with static electricity. Nobody wanted a repeat of that.

This set of packaging was much better. The boards made a tidy stack, the foam was in rubbery sheets that didn’t leak bits everywhere, and even the bubble wrap was in long rows instead of individual panels. This was no top-of-the-line cryo suspension or force field generator, but it was respectable.

I organized the mess a bit while I waited. The rest of the crew either had stuff to do on the ship or out in the station, so despite all the ambient noise, things were quiet.

I started rolling up the bubble wrap, thinking someone might want to use it again, but found that many of the bubbles had gotten popped in the disassembly, leaving it only good for one thing.

The first bubble popped with a satisfying snap. By the third I’d pinpointed which direction the sounds were echoing from most, and I enjoyed the different noises I could get by tilting my head. None of the pedestrians were close enough to pay much attention, so I happily worked my way down the roll. I’d seen multiple other types of bubble wrap, some made by different cultures and different materials, and most of them didn’t actually pop. What a simple joy to find the regular old Earth kind again.

Mur’s voice from the cargo bay asked, “What’s making that sound?”

I sighed and turned. “Don’t tell me, this is another swear word in your language.”

Mur waved a tentacle. “No, of course not. I just wanted to know what’s breaking out here. It sounded like a problem.”

Before I could answer, Paint appeared behind him in a rush. “Is there a problem??”

“No,” I hurried to say. “Everything’s fine. It’s just bubble wrap. See?” I held up the section I’d been working on and popped another bubble.

Paint winced. “Is there something wrong with it?”

“No, it’s just garbage.” I rolled up the part I’d already flattened, then twisted it to pop the next row all at once.

“Okay, that almost sounded like a swear word,” Mur admitted.

I had to laugh at that. “Of course it did.”

Blip and Blop hurried out to join the growing crowd in the cargo bay. “What keeps breaking?” Blip asked, frills waving anxiously.

“It’s just bubble wrap!” I exclaimed. “See?” I held it up and popped another one.

Instead of nodding and going back to whatever they’d been doing, my alien coworkers remained perplexed. “Why does it keep popping?” Blop asked. “Are you doing that?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed.

“Why?” asked both Frillians at once. Paint and Mur also looked curious.

“Because it’s fun?” I replied, scrambling for an answer. I hadn’t thought this needed explaining. But apparently it did.

Paint asked, “How is that noise fun?”

“Well, it echoes—”

“You don’t need to worry about condensing materials for the trash pickup, if that’s the concern,” Mur said.

“Yes, I know—”

“Are there food items on your planet that you have to open like this?” Blip asked. “Large fish eggs, maybe?”

“No, ew! It’s just—”

A shadow loomed taller than the Frillian twins. “It is violensssss,” Trrili hissed, making them twitch. (I don’t know how she found a shadow in the cargo bay. Sometimes I think she brings them with her.) “Small-scale, sanctioned violence. These can be destroyed without repurcussionssssss.” She was choosing which words to hiss on, for effect.

“Sure,” I said, spreading my arms and lifting the bubble wrap. “Let’s go with that.”

Trrili wasn’t done. “Each tiny section can be crusssshed individually, with precision, or multiples at once for maximum volume.” She glided forward on quieter feet than Zhee’s, and the others made room for her.

I held out the bubble wrap. “You want a turn?” Her pincher arms didn’t seem suited to it, but I was curious to see where she’d go with this.

“Plasssssse it on the floor.”

“Sure.” I flapped the row out in front of her like a red carpet, and she moved like the predator she was to crush one after the other. With precision. And shiny black bug feet.

It gave me an idea. “Hey, wanna see who’s faster?” I grabbed another section and laid it out to one side. “You’ve got more feet, but my shoes are bigger.”

Trrili spread her mandibles in her favorite creepy smile. “Challenge acssssssepted.” She crouched like a spider and waited for me to be ready.

I glanced back at the others. “Anybody else wanna race?”

Mur spun on his tentacles and scooted back into the ship. “No thanks! I’m going back where it’s quieter.”

“Me too,” Paint said. “But thank you!” She scampered off.

Blip and Blop looked at each other in silence for a moment, fins waving. Then they turned to me. “We’ll judge,” Blip announced.

“All right!” I said. I wrangled my own section of bubble wrap, roughly the same length as Trrili’s, and struck my own ready pose. “Say when!”

The twins chorused, “Start!” and we were off. Pops filled the air along with Trrili’s delighted hisses and my laughter. There were probably people staring, but that didn’t matter.

Maybe I could talk Trrili into a dance-off afterward. On whatever was left when one of us was declared the champion of small-scale, sanctioned violence.

~~~

These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.

Shared early on Patreon! There’s even a free tier to get them on the same day as the rest of the world.

The sequel novel is in progress (and will include characters from these stories. I hadn’t thought all of them up when I wrote the first book, but they’re too much fun to leave out of the second).

[hangingoffence]

the only possible young joseph and josuke interaction (joseph got beat up by invisible fists)

[industryhbo]

Hawk and Tim + dominance and submission (part 8) Fellow Travelers (2023)

[calltocupid]

my sweet, beautiful, heartbroken boy.

[hydrachea]

Paimon and Alhaitham have such a cute relationship.

First it was the way he kept sending books for her after her apparent interest in what he was reading in the Sumeru archon quest. His first birthday letter, and now his second one too.

He doesn't treat her with any kind of irony or condescendance when he suggests she reads more book - like everything else he does, it's very blunt but genuine.

And now, it looks like now she's starting to imitate him!

Their relationship is only sprinkled here and there, but it's really damn sweet.

[canisalbus]

what part of italy are machete and vasco from? not their birthplace since from what i've seen you're still workshopping that. where do they live? i assume rome?

In the 1500's setting Vasco lives and was born in Florence, his family has lived there for centuries. Machete was born in Sicily, was taken to Naples to serve as an apprentice and ended up living and working in Rome (and more specifically today's Vatican city, which as you may know has been an independent country since 1929 but wasn't back then). They first met when they were both studying in Venice in their late teens/early twenties.

I think in the modern au they live together somewhere in Florence.

[larabar]

hed be so lethargic after everything. all in favor of letting him sleep in the tornado on the way home say aye

[oncamelliastreet]

it’s truly a curse that my fav 5sos songs aren’t available on streaming platforms in my country (wrapped around your finger, when you walk away, if you don’t know)

[hawklovesskippy]

Matt’s photoshoot/interview with The Wrap | Released September 10, 2024

[befuddled-calico-whump]

WAIT continuing the caretaking thought. putting ander with jer or benji!!! maybe through some anon magic they rescue him from vic‘s training……

next

×~×~×

How could he look so small?

Well, Sahota was usually small, at least in comparison to Jericho, but he carried himself with an air of power and confidence that had the crew looking past his lean frame.

This Sahota didn't have any of that. He was younger, somehow, so much younger. His hair was longer and his face was softer and his expression was full of fear, but it was unmistakeably him. Same eyes. Same scar running from top to bottom lip, though it looked fresher here.

It seemed impossible. Jer had just seen Sahota that morning at breakfast, where he'd instructed the crew to self-train for the rest of the day.

"Vic and I will be out. Don't make any trouble."

But impossible or not, the terrified kid in front of him was very much real. He was partially hidden by a weight rack, his back flush with the wall as he stared up at Jericho, almost like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Jer couldn't blame him. Whether he was here through dimension magic, or time travel, or whatever, that didn't matter right now. He'd been somehow displaced, and didn't seem to know what to do about it. He knelt on the ground, holding up both hands.

"Hey..." he called out softly. "Are you alright? Can you come out?"

Sahota didn't move. Jericho inched forwards, and the kid flinched back.

"I... Please. I'm tired. I... I can't do this again. Please, j-just stay back."

Again? Jericho nodded, scooting back to where he'd started.

"Okay," he said, swallowing. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just trying to figure out what's going on. Do you remember how you got here?"

Sahota shook his head. Okay, that made two of them.

"Are you hurt at all?"

That didn't get an answer. The kid dropped his gaze, shoulders bunching up defensively.

"Who are you?" he said after a moment. "Why are you here?"

"My name's Jericho. I'm here to train for a mission." With you. Older you. He left that part out. One thing at a time. "Do you live here?"

"Yeah." There was another silence between them. "Did... Did Shepard bring you here?"

Shepard. Wasn't that Vic's last name? "Uh, yeah. He did."

That did not have the intended effect. Sahota seemed to shrink back further, eyes darting around like he was searching for an escape. "Please," he choked out. "H-he said I could have a break, he said---"

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm not doing anything. I won't even move if you don't want me to, I..." he exhaled. "I'm here to help. I don't know what's going on, but I want to help you. Okay?"

He wasn't sure he'd get an answer, but after a long pause, he heard a small okay.

Whew. Now what? What could he even do about this? He didn't have the power to send him back to wherever he came from. And why was he so afraid? He already knew Vic, he already seemed to live here. The only new factor was Jericho, and the kid was acting like he was a trap ready to be sprung. And the fact that he'd dodged the question about being hurt...

"Hey. Do you mind coming out here? I won't touch you or anything, I just want to make sure you're not injured."

He was once again met with a long silence, but after a moment, Sahota began to crawl out from behind the weight rack. Almost right away, Jericho's gaze landed on the bruise on his jaw, then trailed just below that, to the faint purples that ringed his throat.

More than just the visible wounds, he moved like he was in pain. Stiff and stilted and slow.

"What happened?" he murmured. He'd seen his Sahota banged up before, but it was so much more jarring to see it on this younger version.

The kid froze, wincing as he lowered himself into a seated position. "There... there was a break in."

Maybe that was why he was so jumpy. It made sense, especially if it was recent enough that he was still sporting injuries from it.

"Well, I can promise you I didn't break in," Jericho said lightly. "Vic... uh, Shepard invited me for my computer skills."

Sahota nodded, uncertainty on his face. "And you're not here for me at all?"

Back to that. What did it mean? Something in the way he said it was concerning, but instead of questioning it, Jer only shook his head. "I'm not. I didn't even know you'd be here."

He seemed to relax a little at that. "Okay."

One step in the right direction. Jer held out a hand, careful not to move too quickly.

"Want help getting somewhere comfier? Looks like you need some rest."

Sahota stared at his open palm. He didn't move to take it.

"We can stay here too, if you'd rather," Jericho offered. It wasn't a permanent solution. They couldn't stay in the gym forever, and this Sahota would eventually have to be introduced to the idea that he'd been displaced, either temporally or dimensionally. But... baby steps.

"If I come with you... what happens?"

Well, hopefully you take a nap. Maybe get an ice pack for those bruises. But Jer only shrugged. "I can probably make you some hot chocolate? Not sure if Vi-Shepard has all the ingredients, but I'll figure something out."

Tentatively, Sahota placed his hand in Jericho's. "Okay."

Whew. Another step. He stood slowly, letting Sahota put as much weight as he needed to on Jericho as he got to his feet.

"You can lean on me if you need to." He'd almost prefer to carry him, but he didn't want to overwhelm the kid. Sahota gave a short nod, but stayed an arm's length away, one hand wrapped around the crook of Jericho's elbow.

From here, they could head to the kitchen, and Jer would find a way to break the news about the whole time thing. And tell the rest of the team. And figure out how to tell Vic and Sahota that the latter's younger self had decided to swing by.

He had time to work all those out. For now, he had some hot chocolate to make.

×~×~×

@theonewithallthefixations , @violets-whumperflies , @whump-me , @pirefyrelight , @soheavyaburden , @snakebites-and-ink , @whumpsday , @kixngiggles , @echo-goes-aaa , @whumpcateyes , @clickerflight

[lsleofthelost]

descendants tweets [27/?] Gil Edition

[xx-thedarklord-xx]

Sam's Weekly Wrap Up 2!

Week two is done! I can't believe it. I've been having so much fun, I hope y'all are enjoying it too! |Week one|

Resting Rumors Rule one as a new Ministry recruit, avoid Harry Potter. He's rude, mean, intimidating and grouchy. Except—wait—why is he smiling? Wait, he's married to who?

Present Meets Past Harry expects a lot of things. He expects to grade papers in his quarters alone, expects to prepare for a full day of lectures, expects a night of peace and silence. What he doesn’t expect is the arrival of his and Draco’s 14-year-old selves crashing into his quarters and completely destroying it in the process.

The Only Hope (was you) Join the Dark Lord, they told him. Become a true Malfoy, they said. Only, he didn’t want to. Draco knew he had one shot at escape, one chance to get out of there and it all boiled down to one thing: Potter.

Draco didn’t know where else to go.

Curiosity Killed Everything Harry was used to getting love letters after the war, but this? This one didn’t quite count.

'I can't stand you.'

Rudeness aside, Harry found it funny. He continued to find it funny as his last year of Hogwarts was filled with more and more hate mail from an anonymous admirer.

One Wish Harry finds Scorpius’ letter to Santa and he positively melts at the request. Can he make his son’s one wish come true?

Our Voices Fans wanting to meet the Harry Potter was always an annoying part of owning the Tornadoes Quidditch team for Draco. But when a little boy stands in front of him clutching a Quibbler magazine, eyes wet pleading to meet not Quidditch player Harry Potter but instead the Harry Potter that came out as bisexual, Draco knows that he's about to break his firm no fan meeting policy and allow the kid to meet his husband.

[aroace-poly-show]

human loop designnnn :3 design choices ramble in tags