#twas an interesting weekend

[topperscumslut]

literally me seeing my ex’s parents for the first time in four years at a concert where im also trynna shoot my shot with the opener

[justafairytailofinnocence]

Jareth x dreamy reader🔮✨️🌌

How he would react if he was fascinated by you.🔮🌌🌠✨️

Part 1.

Part 2 here

A/n: hello dearies, this was my first attempt at doing a fan favourite childhood movie. ❤️✨️ I plan on writing a fanfic, but please let me know if you'd like a part two for the venetian masquerade scene. I'll admit I might rusty with his character because I haven't seen the movie in a while 😅.

Labyrinth requests: open

You were always a dreamer, daydreaming imaginative worlds beyond anyone's understanding, creating creatures in your mind that appealles to the eccentric.

No one really understands you, not deep down. On the outside, you may speak with politeness, telling others of your little endeavours of fantasy yet twas not in their interest nor care.

You never really fit in with the world around you, dreaming as others spoke in the usual topics of gossip, romance, sport, debates, and social societies of the world.

When working, you would dream of yourself in a flowing white garb dancing around in a fae forest pretending to be a different creature.

One night, you watched a film you believed to be rather fun and eccentric, not thinking much of it.

You recalled your mother was fond of the film, as you remembered. You had watched it once before as a child, then as a teenager.

However, as the day went on. as you worked. driving. Sleeping. Your daydreams soon turned to seeing yourself within that world, and not only that—

In the day dreams, you envision—not purposefully—you were often interacting with one of the characters within the film, the goblin king.

Though this phenomenon wasn't unusual as this happened when you were but a teenager. It was quite crazy to think that if you told anyone, they wouldn't believe you. Most saw it as only a movie, others saw it as their fantasy.

You didn't think much of it at first. Though, it was always in your mind, in your dreams despite never researching about the film.

One day, out of the blue, just as you were about to head to bed. You were wandering to the kitchen to turn off the lights. When you saw a book on the counter, out of curiosity you examined it. As to how it got there was a mystery.

Examining it, it hit you with the realisation the title was the same as the movie you had watched. How was this possible? I don't remember having owned any book like this?

Reading it plagued your curiosity. Did I—no—I don't recall buying this—how on earth? Did I—

Your questions were soon put to rest upon seeing the outside light flicker on. It had motion sensors, so whatever moved would activate it. That's odd? Perhaps it was just a cat roaming outside. They often do trespass to hunt for whatever else may be out there.

You placed the book back down onto the countertop. Taking a peek outside the window, seeing if anything was outside. What the hell? Is that a barn owl. Here. On the fence.

In hindsight, you were rather in awe than suspicious. You loved animals, and barn owls were quite rare. Once, as a child, you recalled a similar experience of a barn owl perched on the roof. It was rather extraordinary.

The owl seemed unaffected by your presence as it tilted its head, observing you—curiously.

You didn't want to disturb it. So you thought of taking photos to show your parents whom were out of town for the weekend. Grabbing your phone, you attempted to take pictures when suddenly—it was gone.

Baffled, you opened the door to your backyard, looking around the area. Nothing.

You didn't think too much of it, yet you were slightly disappointed. It was a rare sight to see something extraordinary in the moonlight.

Looking down at the book—and thinking of the movies plot. You wanted to test the theory of these coincidences. Scoffing to yourself, you jokingly said the words "ok, then, coincidence or not—".

You dramatically turn, acting like a character in a stage play. "Goblin king, goblin king, heed me, take my life away from here."

Within whispers and echoes—nothing. Nothing happened.

"Did she say it? Did she say it!".

"No, shut up!."

"Those weren't the words!".

"All she has to say is 'I wish my life away from here' it's not that hard to say."

"Shhhh, she's speaking again".

You picked up the book, reading the words from the beginning. Testing it once more. You thought of all the moments of conversing to many, not making any sense of your imagination. Trying to fit in within the world, and yet, they never understood you, despite being kind.

With genuine emotion, you say plainly, "I wish my life away from here."

Suddenly, with a turn of events, a gust of wind passed through the trees, and it wasn't gentle, but rather heavy. Turning, you didn't think a storm was possible.

Though it was put to rest when the door to the backyard swung open with brute force from the blustery winds, as glitter rained from in from the winds.

The owl that had perched against the fence had flown inside the home. Transforming into a man. You couldn't believe your eyes. You were too flabbergasted to speak.

"My, my, not even a second later, and you've already spent a wish on something so foolish—I'll be honest y/n, I was expecting a rather more exciting display from you." He was rather peculiar. His attire was not of modern fashion. Donning a white blouse with grey leggings with black boots. What caught you off guard was his outward apperance.

"That's because I thought it was fictional." You muttered.

"Fictional, you say? Hm~ Well, I'm afraid not, for I'm as real as you." He cocked a smile with a rather British sly tone.

"No, I'm dreaming, this isn't real—" you muttered, stopping. "This is a dream, you're not real, I'm simply in bed dreaming right now."

He found it funny. He was taking pleasure in your flummoxed reaction. Despite how wished to deny it true, he was real—and he was here to fulfill your wish.

"Y/n, do pay attention, I've heeded your wish, and I am here to grant it." Suddenly, within the grasp of his hand, a crystal clear ball fluently appeared. He started turning it, spinning it. Displaying tricks that seemed impossible for any human to do.

"Not all young girls get this privilege. What I'm offering you is far more than what anyone can simply have." Within the crystal ball, a vision began to play. A dream. One that happened during one of your day dreams. "I can take you there, you know, all you have to do is ask."

"Dreams can be made." You said simply. "There was merely a misunderstanding."

"And yet your dreams can be granted. Look at what I'm offering you y/n, a life far more than your own, a place where you're understood, a land in which none can harm you. A world completely of your own." He spoke as if he knew you completely, as if he'd been observing you each day, watching your dreams.

"I—I couldn't, what of my family, my friends, my loved ones." You say in a soft whisper.

"What of them—the deed is done y/n, and I'm afraid there's not much you can do now." He whimsicaly spoke with a cunning tone.

"There must be—surely—if there's a way to counter any deal, curse, or legend. Then, there must be a way for a wish."

"Hm, quite the insightful young thing, aren't you. Very well, I shall give you a chance to take back your wish if—you complete my labyrinth."

"Labyrinth?" You questioned whether or not such a place exists. After all, it's not like you could simply teleport to where he was speaking of.

Suddenly, turning behind you, you were met with a great, vast plane and seeing a stoned architecture resembling a maze with a castle in the middle. "You have 18 hours to complete my labyrinth or."

"You shall be trapped here forever." With that, his voice disappeared within the wind. As you turned to ask "wait but, how do I—hm?, ok, guess I'm on my own."

With that you were on your way.

What you hadn't known was that he had watched you from the start. Taking fascination in only you when the rest were only but white noise.

He could've sworn he dreamt of you once or twice yet, to his astoundment, you were as real as the throne he sits on.

To you, you had no idea how excited you made him. He only wanted you as interested in him as he was in you.

Even if you couldn't recognise it, he wanted to trap you forever within a dream where he could finally have a companion that could understand him. Build worlds and new domains for his labyrinth. To finally have a queen/king/royal by his side to hold forever.

He wouldn't have approached if you were not of interest. Many have attempted to catch his interest and yet failed. After Sarah, no one could capture his care nor attention. He was left within a void. Until you came along.

For now, you were his dream, a wish he could grant, and he plans on keeping it.

[studywithsilver]

Pictures from last weekend

26.02.2024

'Twas the first day of uni today, and it was...interesting? Since our first week is basically fresher's week/orientation, we were just having introductions today. The dean of business seems pretty cool, as well as our cohort leaders. The people are okay as well, I did get along with some of them, but I think I might take it slow with getting to know people.

[twistedtummies2]

I HAVE RETURNED!

Ahoy there, comrades and knaves! As of last night, I have officially returned from my trip out of state. I'm going to attempt to continue commissions this week, starting on Wednesday. We shall see how things go.

During my trip, among other events, I saw the stage version of The Lion King (twas glorious), and I also got to see "Kung Fu Panda 4" in theaters. (It grieved me to see how empty the seats were.) Not sure what the general opinion of the movie is, but I think it's good. It's a bit different, in some ways, from the past three, and I personally think the first two films are still the best two of the bunch, but it's not a bad entry at all: the returning faces, even if a lot of them don't actually do a whole lot, are nice to see back in form. As for the new faces - most notably the main villain and our deuteragonist - they are fun and interesting additions. The animation is also still top notch.

Also, we get Tenacious D covering a Britney Spears song over the end credits. This is worth celebrating.

ANYWAY...like I said, I'll hopefully resume commission writing in a few days. I want to take this weekend and the early part of the week to try and finish a personal piece I've been working on, then I'll get back into comms, as well as a gift story for someone. If you're reading this, you know who you are.

Thank you for your patience, comrades and knaves alike.

[mydaroga]

Chicago Fest for Beatles Fans 2023

I've always loved connecting with people who share my passions. For me, cons aren't about meeting celebrities or room parties, though those are both fine. For me, it's about meeting people whose eyes don't glaze over after thirty seconds of your special interest. So when I began my deep dive into Beatlemania, I wanted to find people who really wanted to chat. (Some of you have witnessed these efforts here, to varying degrees of success.) So I googled "Beatles conventions" and, on a whim, bought a ticket to the Fest for Beatles Fans in Chicago, partly because I had someone to stay with (over an hour away, but still) and didn't need to shell out for a room.

If my goal was to engineer a feeling like, say, my best one on one convos here, or the Meta the Beatles discord, or old school livejournal, or the K/S cons, it was only marginally successful. Still, I think it was a positive experience and I am considering attempting to afford the next one in February at the utterly stunning remodeled TWA hotel.

The Fest, which used to be called BeatleFest until Apple Corps intervened in 1997, has been ongoing since 1974 when founder Mark Lapidos asked John Lennon if he was cool with the idea of a Beatles convention. You can see various guests over the years here, so clearly it's a known quantity in Beatledom. Many people there this weekend have been attending since the beginning, and it's an annual (or bi-annual) tradition.

It differs from other fan cons I've been to in that the focus is largely on music itself. This is natural, but what I mean is, there is constantly at least one musical act playing Beatles music in some form. On the main stage and breakout rooms you also have guests: Pattie Boyd, Gregg Bissonette (Ringo's current drummer), Billy J Kramer, Terry Sylvester (the Hollies), Joey Molland (Badfinger), Jay Bergen (John's lawyer), Allan Kozinn (The McCartney Legacy), Bruce Spizer (various books about the recordings), Kenneth Womack (upcoming Mal Evans book!), Susan Ryan (long time Fest fixture and historian), Skylar Moody (Beatles TikTok), Jude Kessler (The John Lennon series), Sara Schmidt (Meet the Beatles for Real), Steve Matteo (Act Naturally: the Beatles on Film). There are dealers with vintage and current merch and memorabilia, a "museum" room with historic merch, old clippings, an "ashram" where you can attend various meditation and yoga sessions, a karaoke room, costume and talent contests, even a Beatles Rock Band setup I failed to attend despite my yearning to one day play it.

Some of the panels were pretty sparsely attended, and there was a strong feeling that a lot of people go to listen to the bands and stay up all night. But what that meant for those of us who were there to talk and make connections was, I got to talk and make a ton of connections. I met Sara Schmidt and her mother and they took me under their wing and introduced me to anyone who was anyone. I had a lovely chat with Ken Womack. Wally Podrazik insisted on taking a photo of my Nerk Twins shirt and demanded I email him. I spoke to Allan Kozinn about how a John boy comes to write the most comprehensive Paul biography ever. I met a lady named Tina who is going to hook me up with info about early slash and RPF fic (because I've heard several of you youngin's declare it's a relatively new phenomenon and I know it isn't!). I danced to a great cover band while looking like Twiggy. I had a lot of comments about my Stamp Out the Beatles shirt. I spoke to Steve Matteo about his book about the Beatles on film, and shared my own film work in which he took an avid interest.

All in all, it never got as in depth as you can with good fandom friends in a quiet setting. I've also heard that attendance and quality have gone down in recent years, and changes have been implemented due to stupid copyright shit (like, no being able to show any of the licensed films or cartoons? Which is a huge bummer.). But I do feel that I made connections and furthermore, felt embraced and included and warmly welcomed. No one questioned the fact I got here via "Get Back," no one challenged me on being new, no one made any attempt to gatekeep or Beatle bro at me. Only ONE person even asked who my favorite Beatle was. They all seemed genuinely delighted to have a new weirdo to share their passion with.

I haven't decided if I'm attending again, but I do already have plans in the works to suggest a few panels more in line with the type of con activity I like to see. Because even if it's not exactly the interactions I've been seeking, there's no substitute for face to face discussion and squee. And now, my photos!

Jay Bergen, Gregg Bissonette, Terry Sylvester, Joey Molland, Billy J Kramer, Pattie Boyd, and moderator Terri Hemmert.

So many shirts! My little outfits, missing my prized Stamp Out the Beatles sweatshirt:

Weirdass vintage Beatles merch:

And finally, what I spent too much money on because everyone I talked to had written a book, GDI. Plus, 1974 era buttons because I like old stuff and they were $10:

[cleolinda]

Weekend links

My posts:

Varney the Vampire: Chapter 12: 4900 words about paintings oh and also we shot a vampyre

Perfume: Tyrannosaurus Rex (Zoologist, 2018), feat. oud, rose oxide, and panic

Reblogs of interest:

The WGA strike has begun.

In fairness to Disney: "You want Disney to wipe the floor with [Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida with presidential aspirations]. Because as evil as some of their business practices are (capitalism sucks, man, and there’s no getting around that) - I HAVE to emphasize that they have been curating a safe space for real-life queer people for decades. And we want that to win."

The Met Gala was on Monday; for my money, Harvey Guillén won, and Karl Lagerfeld can stay dead mad about it.

Dracula Daily (which I am reblogging lightly) has started up again; I am also posting non-readalong things on just my plain dracula tag, such the Edward Gorey paperdoll theater.

Someone mentioned the DB Cooper case, and if you have not seen the Buzzfeed Unsolved episode about it, I highly recommend that.

Dytto - “Barbie Girl” Dance

The sacred texts: TWAS I!!

Gangs of cats with thumbs

Personal tags of the week:

tiny things, where I put dollhouses and miniatures

Edward Gorey: hoo.

[canyon-of-chaos]

Here’s some ideas for M.A.P (multi-animator projects) that I came up with!

1: Underrated Species MAP

So many ocs are wolves or foxes, or cats or dogs! Even axolotls are quite popular! But how many people have made lemur OCs? What about squirrels? Maybe a reptile like snakes? This map focuses on species not often used as OCs!

2: Every Day’s The Weekend by Alex Lahey- Positive Anything Map

A map focusing on anything positive, whether that be an oc hanging out with some friends, a cute ship, a positive vent, or just a general scene of running around in the wild meadows somewhere! The MAP would have warm lighting, a nature scenery based environment, and a travelling theme!

3: OC + Fandom MAP

OCs and Fandoms cross! Have an OC in the world of a fandom, or vice versa, or even a character from another world in one they don’t belong in! Chilling with a friendly face, fighting a fierce enemy, even working alongside the antagonist? You choose!

4: King and Lionheart- Caramel Arrow Cookie MAP

@pastelpillbug told me the lyrics fit her, and I can’t help but agree! What with mountains and loyalty and dark creatures in the depths? Very fitting!

5: Underrated Xenofiction Map

You heard of Varjak Paw, Tailchaser’s Song? What about Longburrow or The Lost Rainforest? These books are interesting, but unfortunately lack much art or animation! This map is about books like them! And despite the popularity of Erin hunter books, even Erin Hunter’s other series are allowed, if it isn’t warriors. (that battle cat series is quite popular!)

Twas thinking of drawing some thumbnails for this so I might do that sometime :D

[faerociousbeast]

fae gamer moments! games i played this weekend, a review (part 1, saturday edition)

trapped with jester: short, but fully voiced and also animated! i didnt really. go Into this with expectations but it somehow managed to defy them anyways. twas fun piecing lore through different endings! a good play. this one is also available on steam afaik

404 shinigami: grims cute i like him. also short but its pretty funny 👍 i legitimately got jumpscared the first playthrough when the music started tho dhshhfjsjf

project kat: a prologue to some other game, but i havent gotten around to playing that one yet. this ones actually a horror type thing, had a good concept, i liked clicking around, i think its on steam too?

i didnt get all the endings for this one tho since it was longer then the other ones i tried on saturday but i am planning to go back and do that at some point

teisatsu: I REALLY LIKED THIS ONE one of my favourites from this weekend tbh. was a nice change of pace after all the horror-esque type things. you get to choose to be a guy or a girl if that means anything to anyone? but basically you are a SPY! also its a dating sim 3 love interests all guys. But the spy part is more important

personally my favourite is haruki bc. Well. yeah hes cute but everyones pretty cool. left a lot of unanswered questions in term of character backstories and plot, you dont really finish the main goal either but given the length i dont mind. the aesthetic kinda reminded me of p5 too

all of the above are free btw^

[itsnotmandatorybee]

December 1, 2024

Sunday

3:15 PM

A few days ago when I and ish-friend Jomar had a little conversation via chat; the last time we saw each other was 3 years ago. I remember of not getting a constant sleep while thinking of Vlad. I remember Jomar's in Clark and complaining of his work but he's on vacation that time. I'm negotiating with buyers who are interested of having my book collections a new home, like, I'm out of mind to do it but I won't let any days missed out.

Fast forward, now he's in Taguig to work and vising his auntie in the hospital during the weekends, while I am casually doing the same routine I am doing during my off.

I remember how simplest those days when I rushed into my tita's kitchen and cooking tocino while she's asking me where will I go.

Before heading to Vlad, I'm with Jomar to have a chit-chat as the moon waves hello. We're happy.

What I remember are those things about law firm I don't think of too much not until I saw myself watching ”Square Off” a few months after Vlad and I lost our communication. So, I cut ties with most of my friends, hence, Jomar's out 'cause how an article or a republic act can mend my broken heart? I'm quite afraid to say my inner feelings 'cause I had this feeling of being misunderstood. After all, if I'll see 'em, I might bummed since I'm used to be with my friends before Vlad's.

I curse Vlad for stealing my morning hiccups 'cause I remember I hated the idea that the sun shines north during summer. I hated the idea of going to 7/11 to buy Cup Noodles as my comfort food 'cause basically that was what I can afford that time, and I had these moments when Vlad and I had to eat Cup Noodles—

—and I don't know why I am so stupid to think of these things. Maybe I am scared 'cause my friend might ask me these things:

1. How I and Vlad lost our track;

2. What happened after 3 years;

3. What I am doing right now;

4. How's my heart

Or maybe Jomar or most of 'em forget it already.

Since Vlad stole my mornings, I had this idea before of writing in the afternoon 'cause I think it can ease my pain. If I hated the idea of going with him outside when the sun rises, I should love the idea of being alone when the sun sets.

I don't know exactly what we talked before, especially when my phone and laptop's dead containing the journals I wrote for years. Maybe 'twas a good score: I don't need to think so much, but, hey, it's new for me not to write so much things whether they're good or bad, or maybe I'm wrong because if I'll had a premonition that I have nothing to hold back, then what's my point of seeing the people or places I had or with before? Isn't that I had this mission of bringing my old self back, then why I need to be afraid of the bad times when bad times are what make the good one's good?

Hmmm...

[ianmhill]

5.46

Twas a busy weekend. We went to dinner and a play with neighbours on Friday evening. The play was good, though not excellent, in a cute little theatre under a church near work. Sadly one of the audience behind me was blatantly asleep during the latter part of the performance! Dinner at the Unconventional Diner was… slightly unconventional, but rather pleasant.

On Saturday we finally had the gardener in to give the trees their annual haircut then drove out to the Maryland Soccerplex to watch an Old Glory open training session. It was a tad chilly out on the bleachers and there wasn't much selection in the way of beer or food, but at least I confirmed which season ticket seats we have booked. The training wasn't particularly entertaining or inspiring, but I wasn't expecting to learn much. There were a lot of new faces amongst the playing group though and it's going to take a while to figure out who is who this season.

First opportunity will be the first game of the season, away at NOLA tomorrow. They haven't even announced the team yet, though.

On Sunday, the Boy came over for a roast dinner, the first time we've seen him in a few weeks now. After dinner we were having an interesting discussion about his future career, but which has him committed to living in the DMV area (and probably still not Maryland!)

[pesterloglog]

John Egbert, Jake English, Karkat Vantas, Tavrosprite, Jaspersprite

Act 6, page 7513-7514

JOHN: hey!

JOHN: mr. jake harley i presume?

JAKE: No...?

JAKE: Its english actually.

JAKE: Twas my grandmas surname.

JOHN: oh. my mistake!

JOHN: so then, is it just a coincidence that she had the same name as an invincible super villain?

JOHN: are coincidences even real??

JAKE: I dunno.

JAKE: The history is a little murky to me.

JAKE: I heard she took the name from a nasty fellow to spite a wicked baroness.

JOHN: ok.

JOHN: good to know!

JOHN: it's been interesting to learn how even though we are all pretty similar, we all had a lot of really different life details.

JAKE: I guess so.

JOHN: like, there are all these things i take for granted about jade's childhood, which in theory is similar to yours.

JOHN: but not really... she had a super powerful dog you didn't have. and also a grandpa you couldn't have had, because... that was grown up you!

JOHN: i'd be really curious to hear about all the differences in your life some time, if you don't mind.

JAKE: Sure.

JOHN: hell, i'd be REALLY curious to hear about the differences in my alt-life, so to speak.

JOHN: but jane is asleep!

JOHN: i'm guessing she grew up in a similar situation i did, but with... a bunch of differences???

JOHN: guess i'll just have to wait!

JAKE: Well...

JAKE: She was a good friend.

JAKE: I know lots of stuff about her life.

JAKE: What do you want to know?

JOHN: oh! hmm.

JOHN: let's see.

JOHN: so i was her grandpa, instead of her being my nanna?

JOHN: i'm not sure if that statement made sense, but you know what i mean.

JAKE: Yeah she had a poppop.

JAKE: He was a really funny and beloved old time comedian so i guess that is the guy you grew up to be.

JOHN: cool!

JOHN: i never knew my nanna growing up, except as an urn of ashes above the fireplace.

JOHN: i only met her as a sprite.

JOHN: was i dead? or... was he?

JAKE: Yep but he wasnt ashes they had a different way of preserving him which i think was arguably more dignified.

JOHN: how?

JAKE: Have you seen weekend at bernies?

JOHN: no.

JOHN: i've heard of it though!

JAKE: Oh man you HAVE to see it!

JAKE: Its about a couple of knuckleheads who parade around with a funny corpse trying to pass him off as a living friend and good time charlie over a series of escapades.

JOHN: sounds incredible.

JAKE: I still have it if you want to see it some time.

JOHN: definitely!

JOHN: so you like movies?

JAKE: DO i?????

JOHN: haha, i love movies too.

JOHN: there are a whole bunch i'd want to show you, assuming you haven't seen them already.

JOHN: i love talking about them with people! i think my friends usually just humored me about the movies i liked, but i have a feeling you'd really dig them!

JAKE: Oh i GUARANTEE you i would.

JOHN: awesome, i can't wait to show you some.

JOHN: so... that means jane had an old man corpse version of me around somewhere? like in her house?

JAKE: Yes.

JOHN: ok, that sounds pretty preposterous to me...

JOHN: but i guess she must have grown up thinking it was normal.

JAKE: Not... really. She was always pretty put off by it to be honest.

JOHN: heheh. poor jane.

JOHN: i'll have to apologize to her for freaking her out from beyond the grave.

JOHN: what was her life like otherwise?

JAKE: Pretty typical id say.

JAKE: She always characterized it as boring.

JAKE: But i never agreed really she got to live on the main land with access to all kinds of things i didnt have.

JAKE: Plus she lived with a cool and manly father who cared about her a lot and seemed like a standup gent.

JOHN: oh, she lived with her dad too?

JOHN: do you know anything about him?

JAKE: Not much other than what i just said and a few things she told me.

JAKE: I think he was stern and fatherly and dressed well if memory serves he was a private detective at one point.

JOHN: a private detective???

JOHN: wow.

JOHN: it sounds like he must have been a completely different kind of dad from the one i had.

JOHN: all these differences are so interesting... some are subtle, but some are drastic, like this one apparently is.

JOHN: it would be neat to meet him.

JOHN: i mean, not that it would be much of a substitute for getting to see my dad again, since they're totally different people, but...

JOHN: you know what i mean.

JOHN: do you know what happened to him?

JAKE: Im not sure i kinda lost track of him for a while...

JAKE: I think he might be in jail?

JOHN: jail??

JAKE: Yeah on derse.

JAKE: I THINK. I could be wrong though.

JOHN: i'll make a mental note to check on him some time soon.

JOHN: i bet jane would want to too, when she wakes up. i'll ask her about it.

JAKE: Good idea!

JOHN: you know jake, at first you seemed pretty shy...

JOHN: but you don't really seem that way at all now?

JOHN: you just strike me as a nice regular dude who likes movies and stuff.

JOHN: i'm glad we are getting a chance to talk!

JAKE: Yeah me too!

JAKE: Ive been feeling way out of sorts since i got sprung from the big house and dragged along to this here frog stage to suddenly bump gums with WAY too many people...

JAKE: But you are really good company john and you know how to make a guy feel at ease.

JOHN: heh, yeah, it is a lot of people.

JOHN: i'm having trouble keeping track of everyone myself!

JAKE: They all seem like decent folk and all but...

JAKE: I guess everyones catching me at a bad time.

JAKE: This wasnt how i pictured things going at all.

JOHN: how were you picturing it?

JAKE: Naively i suppose.

JAKE: Its not that i was expecting differently of anyone else...

JAKE: More that i had spurious visions of my own conduct.

JAKE: Remember the letter i sent you?

JOHN: yes.

JAKE: All the excitement and swagger you heard from me in those words...

JAKE: Thats the man i thought id be when you met me.

JAKE: A man of action and gumption... hell when i wrote that i thought by now maybe people would even have come to see me as a leader!

JAKE: What a laugh.

JAKE: I turned out to be such a disappointment to myself and everyone else.

JAKE: The bravado in that letter was fake ive realized lately.

JAKE: Ive realized a lot of things.

JAKE: That i could never be a leader or a people person or probably ever have a quality relationship with someone.

JAKE: So its hard to get up a lot of moxie for a big moment like this even though im as excited about it as everyone else.

JAKE: Tavrosprite already tried cheering me up and hes nice but i dont think it worked.

JAKE: Like by saying maybe all that stuff ISNT true and maybe im actually really great in all the ways i dont think i am?

JAKE: Its a nice thought but also it weirdly just doesnt make me feel any better.

JAKE: John you seem like the kind of guy who likes trying to cheer up a pal so i guess...

JAKE: I guess just so you know someone already tried telling me i was wrong and it didnt work.

JOHN: i don't think you're wrong though!

JOHN: well, i don't know.

JOHN: we just met! what could i know about you other than what you tell me?

JOHN: i believe you about all that.

JOHN: really, it just sounds to me like you are going through a lot of changes.

JOHN: changes are good!

JOHN: especially if you understand that's what's happening to you.

JOHN: i think that's how we grow and stuff.

JOHN: i think i've changed in a lot of ways.

JOHN: some ways that weren't easy.

JAKE: Yeah?

JOHN: sure!

JOHN: so you're realizing you like being by yourself, it sounds like.

JOHN: big deal!

JOHN: i like being alone a lot of times too. it helps me think.

JOHN: if that's who you are, there's nothing wrong with that.

JOHN: jade's grandpa liked being by himself too.

JOHN: so much so, that he moved to an island as far away from civilization as possible.

JOHN: but he still did adventurous stuff and was super successful and also raised a cool grand daughter, who was actually his daughter, and i guess also yours.

JAKE: Huh.

JAKE: Yes i guess youre right.

JOHN: and if nothing else...

JOHN: at least you have a cool costume.

JAKE: You...

JAKE: You really like it?

JOHN: hell yes!

JAKE: Wow thanks.

JAKE: Sometimes i worry that i might look a little silly.

JAKE: And feel kind of... exposed maybe?

JAKE: Like im on sexy display or such and people dont see me as a person.

JOHN: i wouldn't worry about that.

JOHN: i love the god tier pajamas, and yours are badass.

JOHN: you look like a super hero!

JAKE: Really???

JOHN: yes.

JOHN: well...

JOHN: maybe a plucky side kick, at LEAST.

JAKE: Heheheheh.

JOHN: side kicks are really under rated anyway.

JOHN: i think in some cases they might be the real stars.

JOHN: like, you know bat man?

JOHN: truth be told, i think he might just be some kind of gallivanting idiot.

JOHN: he's got all the money and skills in the world, and what does he do?

JOHN: he buys a fancy car to drive around in, then jumps out and starts punching crooks with his bare hands.

JOHN: then, when he gets horn swoggled by a wily clown with NO powers, and a LOT less money, who has to bail him out?

JOHN: his side kick of course.

JAKE: Yeah youre right!

JOHN: what is bat man even trying to prove? being all serious and "cool" looking.

JOHN: his side kick looks like he has a lot more fun, and smacks of confidence and self assurance, trotting around in his underpants.

JOHN: bat man probably doesn't even care much about stopping crime, it's more about walloping thugs and getting to feel cool.

JOHN: if he really cared about stopping bad guys, he'd probably use his fancy money to buy guns, and at LEAST show the criminals he's packing, to make them scared, if not surrender outright.

JOHN: i bet his side kick probably just has to wait for bat man to bungle things up with his stupid karate, and when he gets in trouble, the side kick just guns down all the crooks from a safe distance like a sensible person.

JAKE: Well i do love guns!!!

JAKE: ALSO fisticuffs.

JOHN: see? there you go.

JOHN: you're better than bat man already.

KARKAT: (WHISPER WHISPER WHISPER)

KARKAT: (WHISPER WHISPER)

JOHN: hold on...

JOHN: shh, listen.

JAKE: ...

KARKAT: (WHISPER WHISPER mayor)

KARKAT: (WHISPER WHISPER WHISPER can town?)

KARKAT: (WHISPER WHISPER but where? WHISPER WHISPER earth WHISPER)

KARKAT: (WHISPER WHISPER WHISPER to scale?? don't see how WHISPER WHISPER WHISPER)

KARKAT: (if you're really going WHISPER WHISPER WHISPER build WHISPER WHISPER)

JOHN: (ha ha.)

JOHN: (he's talking to the mayor again.)

JAKE: (so it seems.)

JAKE: (they really appear to have quite the rapport.)

JOHN: (i just love how he talks to the mayor.)

JOHN: (it's like he made up this whole language.)

JOHN: (of like minimal talking and hand gestures.)

JOHN: (it's so cute!)

KARKAT: *AHEM*

KARKAT: EGBERT, WHAT THE FUCK.

KARKAT: WERE YOU EAVESDROPPING?!

JOHN: no!

KARKAT: THIS IS A FUCKING PRIVATE CONVERSATION.

KARKAT: STOP BEING RUDE GARBAGE.

JOHN: i wasn't eavesdropping...

JOHN: you just happened to be like... right there.

JOHN: and you're a really loud whisperer!

KARKAT: OH!!! OK THEN! HERE, HAVE AN EXCESSIVELY *QUIET* (shut the fuck up)

JOHN: sorry!

JOHN: go back to your cute mayor conference.

JOHN: we'll mind our own business.

TAVROSPRITE: aCHOO!,

TAVROSPRITE: aaaCHOO!!!,

JOHN: oh man.

JOHN: what's going on now?

TAVROSPRITE: aCHOO!,,,

JASPERSPRITE: Meow. :3

TAVROSPRITE: aCHOOOOO!!!!!

TAVROSPRITE: wHY,

TAVROSPRITE: aCHOO,!

TAVROSPRITE: wHY, dOES YOUR LUSUS NEED,

TAVROSPRITE: aCHOO,!,,!

TAVROSPRITE: tO BE HERE,,,

TAVROSPRITE: aCHOO!!!,

TAVROSPRITE: mY ALLERGIES, }:(

JOHN: jaspers??

JOHN: what are you...

JOHN: wait a minute.

JOHN: rose, is that you?!

JASPERSPRITE: Meeeeeow!

JOHN: oh my god.

JOHN: i turn my back for two seconds, and something stupid happens.

TAVROSPRITE: aaaaCHOO,!!!

[gaoau]

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is there color in your world? warnings — none. word count — 1.4k

prev. — next.

summer passed him by. like a car to a civilian in a traffic accident, it rolled over suna with waves of unbearable heat and muscle-straining serve practices. july blended into august the same way blue faded into orange during those late sunsets. he had never thought he'd be willingly staring at the sun fall into the sky. he accidentally caught a glimpse one dull afternoon and unconsciously incorporated it into his routine.

was it gold? sunset orange? pale cyan? he didn't know any colors beside the ordinary red, yellow, blue, and their mixtures.

much like the sun sinking into the horizon, august disappeared when he flipped the page of his calendar. september rose above the heat as if it were the moon illuminating the night sky.

suna concluded he didn't like the moon. it never bothered him, he never paid any mind to it. but it was so bright and white and blinding and it drowned out the deep blue around it.

maybe he was starting to understand why [surname] called him black and white; why [surname] called him blinding and hard to read. he found annoyance in understanding.

[surname] [name] was annoying—not really. if she hadn't approached him, suna would've never acknowledged she existed anywhere near him. but once he did, there was no going back.

she had a strong presence he couldn't ignore. she forced herself into a routinely part of his life, dyeing his days with vibrant hues he hadn't even thought of. those weekend good mornin's and daily doses of sugar became a welcomed change.

of course he missed it. it felt odd to abruptly stop something that had been going on for months. it impressed him how [surname] simply managed to make herself click seamlessly some place she didn't belong. all until she decided to pull away and find herself a new, more interesting place.

it was so annoying how she just never stayed put.

if he slumped over his desk any longer, his spine would adopt an unhealthy curve forever. his back will be eternally thankful towards [surname] and her deafening group of friends.

the door slammed open, making suna jolt his shoulders in sleepy surprise. [surname] skipped inside and to the center of the classroom. a glistening smile stretched her lips into her cheeks.

"good mornin', everybody!"

shijiki was the first one to scramble out of her seat. the corner of a neighboring desk dug into her hip and her ankles twisted as she toppled to the floor. she caught her fall with her palms, pushing herself back onto her feet in an instant. her arms wrapped around [surname]'s waist before anyone could blink.

had suna been any more drowsy with his usual morning daze, he would've mistaken shijiki for a feral wolf. as she bawled into [surname]'s chest and offered to carry her satchel for her, she looked more like a clingy puppy. compared to her, suna didn't get to say he had missed [surname].

the squeals of her friends were too much to handle first thing in the morning after month and a half of peace. they engulfed [surname] in a group-hug. suna heard yelps and stomps as they stumbled to the floor. among the intelligible screeches, he started making out coherent sentences.

"we missed ya so much!"

"'twas worse than last year!"

"summer's long without ya, [name]-chan!"

yeah, suna could agree, but he wasn't hollering it to the wind.

"hey, [surname]-chan," called a deep voice, keeping a safe distance from the dog-pile of tears and cackles, "take us with ya next year, will ya?"

[surname] laughed her trademark ahahaha! giggles. "don't hold me to it, nabu-kun."

"up ya go," nabu-kun grunted. suna craned his neck backwards to see a fellow classmate—nabuhiko something—pulling the rumbustious girls to their feet.

they chirped a friendly thanks! in return as they collectively smoothed out the wrinkles on their skirts. someone squeaked when her friend started swiping at her back to dust off her blazer. nabuhiko laughed with them, patted [surname]'s head, and returned to his seat with a grin on his face.

suna felt his skin crawl. he wondered for half a second if he had a colony of ants trailing up and down his arms. it didn't take too long to realize he was feeling [surname]'s eyes pricking him like needles.

he had nearly forgotten that sensation. so intense and uncomfortable and annoying.

shijiki's brows dipped into a scowl. she flung a poisonous, uncalled-for glare at him while looming behind [surname]. her limbs locked onto [surname] as she hugged her like a koala to a tree.

suna cocked a brow at shijiki's unnecessary hostility. he couldn't decide if he preferred that venomous glower or [surname]'s razor-sharp, unnerving staring. when he faced front again, he decided that—despite not being an option—anything was better than osamu's smug smirks.

definitely the worse twin. osamu's shoulder bounced when he laughed. "sure didn't miss her, didja?" his brows motioned towards [surname] prying shijiki's arms off her.

suna massaged his temples, grumbling, "how was i so blind? you're much worse than atsumu."

"who's atsumu?"

he almost choked on his spit at the sound of [surname]'s voice. his eyes flew wide open in surprise. osamu snickered as suna turned to meet her gaze.

[surname] grinned at him. she really did like carving herself a place to belong. it was probably uncomfortable to stay for too long. "good mornin', suna-kun, miya-kun. hope yer summer break went well."

"same to ya, [surname]-san, how was it?" well, maybe osamu wasn't that bad. he was either trying to spite him or give him time to recover.

"spent my time stuffin' math info in my brain."

osamu chuckled, "flunkin' math?"

[surname] shrugged. she seemed to be laughing at her own bad grades with that smile of her. "i just don't get asymptotes, y'know?"

yeah, suna didn't get her either, but he wasn't whining.

"how's studyin' at a farm like?" maybe osamu was trying to spite him.

he felt her knife dig into his arm. "ah, never woulda thought suna-kun talked 'bout me, 'm flattered." her palm tore the blade away when it fell on his shoulder. it was warm.

her fingers used him as an instrument, drumming at a steady beat that invited him to join the conversation.  "i mean, atsumu was practically willing to kill just to know about you."

"oh." her fingers halted. her grip was weak but very noticeable. "i'm topic of gossip in yer locker room?"

"something like that." he shrugged his shoulders on instinct. maybe if he hadn't, [surname] wouldn't have pulled away.

she instead placed her hand on her chest. her nail polish was colorless but shiny. "'m honored," she giggled.

"ya should drop by and watch practice."

osamu was, without a shadow of doubt, trying to spite him. and boy, was he succeeding. suna could physically feel the color drain from his face—not that he had any, so nobody noticed.

[surname] hummed. "i was plannin' to, actually. now that i've an invitation, can't say no, can i?"

"lookin' forward to seein' ya there, right, suna?" osamu nudged him with his elbow. suna's glare swore no mercy.

"i make no promises. don't miss me too much, you two." she patted suna's head twice, narrowing her eyes and smiling. she used that same hand to wave her fingers. "see ya guys 'round."

suna followed her with his gaze. he nodded, muttering, "see you," almost as if it were second nature.

he regretted sitting behind osamu when he met his smug expression a second time in less than an hour. osamu snickered. "she patted yer head."

"i'm aware."

"must be nice."

"i'm not a dog."

"ya seein' colors now?"

"ow, fuck!" suna hissed. he cradled his head in hands, grimacing in fake-pain. "i feel it! it's a—my braincells! they're killing themselves!"

osamu cackled and threw his head back. "yer so whipped."

"i'm not." any energy he could've had vanished with that sarcastic show of his. he buried his face in his arms. the background chatter lulled him to sleep.

[surname] had said she made no promises. [surname] had said to not hold her to it. she didn't show up to practice that afternoon.

osamu's question tapped at his brain.

he could see colors. he didn't know their names.

[totori9]

Electronics Intermittent Fasting

Y'all know what intermittent fasting is. You set a time block for when you eat, when you're not in that time block you fast.

Try the same thing with electronics!!!

What to do?

The technique:

Allot an 8 hour time slot during which you're allowed to use electronics.

Also:

1) Work is not excluded. If you work 8 hours a day on a screen, you'll either have to set your time block for those eight hours or use the screen less.

2) Electronics like a kettle, the oven, lamps,... are obviously always allowed.

3) Adapt to your needs. You'll likely still want to use messenger apps or music (in the background, e.g. while reading a book -> what matters is spending time on the screen directly).

That was all you need to know! For whatever reason, you can skip the example and jump straight to the conclusion.

Example

We use ipads in school, i. e. I need to use electronics by default. I can't use paper instead because that's very impractical!

So my time slot is from 8 am to 4 pm. Technically, school starts at 7:40 but for simplicity's sake I use 8. Most days, I'm not even home by 4 pm. Which means that I have zero phone/gaming time left!

I don't want that!! So what'd I do? First, let's look at my experience after roughly 3 weeks:

Checked on my phone games in school. Because I don't have much time and would rather socialize than spend time on my phone, I very quickly do what I need to do and then stop.

Stopped opening apps for no reason.

Downloaded interesting videos/articles to watch during commute.

Soooo bored!!!

Soooo much time!!!

Because of the above, I started picking up hobbies. When you're bored, you just have to do something. I read, drew, meditated, cleaned, baked, gardened, walked, jogged, worked out, thought, studied, ...

When I did get to spend time on my phone, which was like once a weekday and on the weekend, I somehow didn't want to. Even though I could've binged 8 hours straight, I spend majority of that time productively. Learned something, watched a documentary, or, when playing games, played with more awareness - no doing things just for the instant gratification, I actually thought about what I wanted to do and did just that. I didn't waste my time, I used it. Stopping also became easier.

One thing I allowed myself was one (1) YouTube video a day after having completed all tasks. BUT with a catch! I could only choose from my Watch Later (which is mostly really educational vids) and I had one minute to choose. Didn't even do this every day!

I want to say at this point: It was HARD. But I pulled through. I am so so so proud of myself!!!!! Before, I was on my phone literally the entire day, not kidding, every waking moment. Had to give my phone and laptop to my parents and hid the TV remote.

I was just super determined. I know exactly what I want in life, and I'm gonna get it, even through all my tears and fears and anxiety and problems. The thought of having had the chance of living my dream life and having thrown it away because of a stupid fucking fear scares me more than anything. I've been addicted before, I know that it's hard, and it's okay to fail. You just have to get back up and keep improving ever so slightly, always keeping in mind that you can and will get better.

Sheesh, 'twas heavy!

What would've definitely helped would've been a routine and set hobbies. BUT I'm still working on implementing those, so yeah, too bad I guess!

Conclusion

(Probable) Pros

More time

More mindful

More productive

More disciplined

Probably also happier

Cons

Less flexible in your usage (Not less flexible with emails/text messages)

Bored (Not really a con)

Thank you so much for reading!!! Bless you!!! Hope this helped, please try it out - what are your thoughts?

[wrecklessgentlemen]

Twas a very interesting weekend to say the least. #tattoos #sullenclothing #texas #nye #tattooedmen #art #facetattoos (at Lubbock, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm-WiF3OYdT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[owenryder]

Ryder knew better than to boil any one place down to a specific meal that people talked about; places always had their favorites, their standards, but any one dot on the globe had a hundred million things about it that made it special. Including Texas. "Ooh, those are fighting words in a town like this!" Ryder broke into a grin when she said it, knowing that people in Merrock had a tendency to fight to the death over their favorite restaurants. But Tex-Mex down in Texas had to be top notch, he couldn't deny that. "I do have to ask, though -- is rodeo as huge of a deal as it is in the movies? I feel like I always watch TV shows and movies about Texas and everyone's spending their weekend at the rodeo, watching the cowboys do their thing," and he could never tell if tha twas just how it was, or a stereotype played up to make media more interesting. "I'm a smart guy sometimes," he beamed, lifting a hand to catch the waiter's attention and placing his order, giving space for Kennedy to do the same.

"Well, not just the barbeque and their sides for sure that's for sure," she gave a small laugh, sipping her drink before continuing. "There were a few great Tex-Mex places near me, which kind of put Paco's to shame, not going to lie," she grinned, lowering her voice conspiratorially as if someone around that heard her would argue about that. She was more a fan of that than the initial things people thought when thinking about food from the state. It gave her a bit of nostalgia thinking about her old hometown, despite being content with living in Merrock. She nodded at his next statement, closing the menu as she decided on what she'd be getting. "That's not a bad idea actually. The fish and chips actually sound pretty good, and probably safer than some other things on here."

[aswebothshook]

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