#we do have Other libraries in the city but thats the best one its my favorite one

[ghostcrows]

I miss the library :/

[turretistrying]

The Caged Bird and The Chased Mouse

Part 1! \/

Okay so this idea wont leave me, genshin Sagau, classic isekai imposter scenario, but you didnt do the main sumeru story quest yet (like i did on my account, I did everything else, except the story when it came out). I’m so sorry if I mess up characterization, spelling, or general writing structure, I don’t write often.

WARNING FOR: Swearing (F-word and thats it)

So let me set the scene:

You have been isekai’ d into the Genshin world and you’re the creator but its an imposter situation. You’ve been to every other region and have been chased out, betrayed by characters you love and trust. You venture into Sumeru, with an idea of the layout but no clue of what will come next when you step into Sumeru City.

You walk into Sumeru City, amazed by the architecture in person but wary of what might happen if people catch a glimpse of your face. You wander around, just listening to conversations and seeing what foods they have to offer, eventually ending up near the Academiya. You consider if you want to set foot into the daunting structure, considering it looks guarded well and if something went wrong you’d be in the deepest trouble, unsure how the Archon of the region would react to you (poorly you assume). But against your best judgement you start walking in, far too curious for your own good. You get a handful of steps into the building until you run into who looks like a playable character, one you haven’t met before but vaguely remember from the leaks. With grey hair and skin tight shirt, look at you with suspicious, I mean who wouldn’t be suspicious of someone in a cloak that you can’t see their face.

“….” He stares at you with an intense gaze, as if we can see right through your disguise, you’re hoping he can’t actually do that.

“Well it seems we have a newcomer, hello there.” He finally speaks, “My akasha doesn’t seem to know who you are, are you new to Sumeru?”

‘Akasha?’ You think, regretting the fact you didn’t play the story quests before getting sent here. You stay silent, unsure how to respond.

“Are you, or are you not? I’d like an answer or else i’m afraid I’ll have to call the guards.” He adds the last part, to add pressure to you.

“Yes, yes! I’m new to Sumeru and I thought I might take a look at the illustrious Aca- uhm, Academiya!” You mess up on the last part, nearly forgetting the name of the building you’re in.

The grey hair man gives a hum in acknowledgment, but doesn’t give any indication that he fully believes you. You’re getting more nervous as the pause stretches on and curse at your idiotic curiosity, you’re praying to whatever higher being thats left in Tevyat to have this guy to let you go. He starts to circle you, taking in your outfit and body language.

“Alright, well, do make sure you don’t cause too much of distraction, the students need their focus.” He finally breaks his silence and gets out of your way. You let out the biggest breath out in relief, the guy absolutely catches it but you don’t care enough at the moment while your body pumps adrenaline. You debate with yourself if you actually want to continue in self or just run out, but decide it’d look far more suspicious to just run out after that exchange. You give a nod to him and start walking to the main door, you’re able to see some books so you assume you’re walking into a library.

Once you enter room and get near the middle, you’re in awe of how large the room is, how high the books reach, and just how many books are crammed in one room. You imagine you could start reading and wouldn’t finish all the books in the library by the time you die. You start walking around the room, with an odd feeling as you walk around, as if someone was watching you, but you brush it off as someone took notice of the weirdo walking through their space. Once you finish that you start your walk out of the Academiya, entirely done of it’s stuffy feeling that you’d mostly ignored.

As you walked out your foot catches a ledge making you fall to the floor, with your hood pulling back enough to show your face, you yelp.

You catch yourself before your face makes contact with the floor, not taking notice that the hood had fallen back. People started to look where the noise came from and stare in shock at seeing the creator’s- no, the Imposters face. You notice the attention on you and reach up to the hood, and pale when you realize what had happened.

You book it.

You run back into the Akademiya, with a vague idea of an escape ruin, you take left and start running up the wooden ramp. You can hear calls of “GET THEM” behind you, thats starting to gain on you. You run through the almost maze-like path with your feet pounding on the stone with students looking at you with bewilderment. Your cloak flipping behind you as you start to get closer to the top, with your ripped clothes underneath showcasing your struggles from the other three Nations.

You reach the top and jump forward, avoiding the spears of guards and get to the large green door, unsure of what’s behind but hoping, hoping to the fake stars above that it’s a safe place. You struggle to get it open but get yourself in and quickly slam the doors shut. You can hear pounding but it doesn’t seem like the door is going to open, you slowly step away and turn around to assess the room you’ve entered. As you look to the orb in the middle to walk forward to get a better look of what seemed to be inside-

Oh your stars.

That’s a fucking child.

What the fuck.

You stare in shock at the little girl seemingly trapped in a green orb in a large empty room. She’s looking at you.

You start walking even closer, she follows the movement. She isn’t scared or mad or venomous, she just watches. You try reaching your hand up to touch her prison, only then realizing that it was too high up for you to touch. She seems to understand what you want to do and touches the wall of her prison, a ghost of a hand touch. You sit down after a few minutes of starring at each other, and yawn. You havent slept in a while due to circumstances, so you lay your head down knowing that any second they could come and get you but honestly, you just wanted a rest and get away from this new reality you’ve found yourself in. You drift off and all you hear is..

“Everything will be okay.”

_____________________________________________

Okay so,, i really hope people like this, this was just my thought to the screen and I’m very willing to make a part two!

I also added a doodle because i done know thought it’d add to the story

[animation-is-my-jam]

Hey ! I meant to send this a long time ago when you were taking asks, but I left for vacation so i never got to. I watched Wordgirl again recently and I have been obsessed with Becky and Tobey !! I saw that you have older versions of them and that's my favorite part of the Ship you made(I love domestic AUS)

Question||

How would you imagine a Becky and Tobey wedding? Who do you think they would invite? The best man? Maid of honor?

Where would they get married? Who would be crying the most? Lol (sorry if thats a lot of questions)

Ah, thank you, that's sweet!! (I live for post-canon Tobecky dynamics, too) And don't worry. Yeah, I'm incredibly busy now, but I'll still take asks. And this one is a very good one, Thanks!!

How would I imagine their wedding?

Besides some ideas of what they would wear/outfits (that I've drawn before, but I might redesign again, ha). I actually haven't given it much thought beyond some things I think would occur. And I'm mostly talking about my future AU versions of Tobecky and characters since that's literally my staple canon here, but that can generally apply to my perspective Tobecky since future au is literally just a time skip story.

So basic ideas. I think they would have two different areas for their wedding. One is inside for it being private with family and another outside for the public or general invited guest. I mostly say this because I think it was a compromise of Tobey and Becky wanting a more occasional smaller wedding versus their family urging for a bigger event. And also for Wordgirl/Lexiconian related reasons. As I think by this point, all her closest friends and family would know her identity and would probably like some Lexiconian traditions applied to the marriage (at this point, she's been wanting to connect to her original planet, but not by much). But where would they actually get married at?

I know it's a bit of a joke to say the city's library, but I think that would be cute since they have a lot of memories with the location. Where they could ask in a favor for miss Dewey and the city to rent out the space and make room enough for a small venue and get legally married. And the bigger outdoor wedding could be in the park or a rented garden venue.

The main colors would be white, gold, blue, and scarlet. (Becky wanted some green in there, but the planner refused--saying the greenery of the plants and outdoors would be fine enough). I have no idea what the dress code or coloring would be on the guest outfits/groom mates. But I could see the bridesmaids having golden/yellow dresses.

Maid of honor for Becky...like if it isn't Violet, then what are we doing!! So yes, of course it's Violet.

For Tobey's best man...I know some would say its Scoops, or Two-brains, or Rex (depends on who they would see as Tobey's best male-adjacent friend), but what if I totally go in the bold direction of saying TJ. And yes--it's mostly because in Future AU, I'm the only one who plays with the idea of TJ and Tobey's brotherly-in-law dynamic to the point where they do see each other as close friends despite how opposite they are and how often they get into conflict. And I could definitely see Tobey only asking TJ to be the bestman for the sake of Tobey not wanting to give Scoops the satisfaction of admitting he's his best male friend, LJDJSSJ (I really gotta make that dynamic/relationship chart).

On who would they invite? Besides already the close friends and family attending (like the Botsfords, Mrs. McCallister (+other family), Violet, Scoops, Rex, Rose, Victoria, Johnson, Bob, and Ect). I think for the public wedding they would extend it to the villains. Becky would be a bit conflicted on it, but hey--if they're all at her wedding, then she can make sure they don't commit a crime during her special day. And idk maybe besides DTB, it wouldn't be strange to only have them invited under the guise of Tobey doing the inviting because of his former status/relationship with them. Like the villains being at the wedding would mostly be a Becky idea (bc wahh I'm still a sucker for her and them getting along 🥹, even if they don't know she's Wordgirl). Other than the villains...idk like the recurring characters that we see? Maybe the groceries store clerk, exposition guy, Tubing, Reginald (I mean, they are going to use his jewelry for the rings). Aside from Tubing, they weren't personally invited, but eh, Becky is happy enough to let them be there.

Other details: Who would do the catering? Well, not wanting there to be a war. Tobey and Becky probably just let both Butcher and Chuck do it. Mostly to help with Bob's appetite. And the baker and candlestick maker provide the cake.

Who would be the wedding planner? I would most definitely say Violet, but she's more of the designer than the planner. So...idk maybe Becky? Who would try to be organized and cautious to the point of a breakdown from the stress? Yeah, so it's her. Becky definitely will need all the reassurance in the world to get through the wedding. I don't think the whole event will go perfectly, when do they for their family? But stuff will work out in the end, and Becky's going get her dream wedding. (Even if Granny May was trying to steal the wedding gifts/lh)

Who would be crying the most? The easiest answer in my life, of course it would be Tim. I can imagine him also being in charge of the recording, but he's so filled up with tears that he didn't do a good job at it, lol. And, of course, he couldn't stop wailing when they exchanged vows.

Speaking of the vows. You better believe that Tobey probably would say a lot, but he managed to make it as brief as he could, while Becky will pull up a 20-page essay from out of where and start reading out loud. (Many are almost asleep when she's done with it) (Not Tobey though, he's just not trying to kiss her immediately when she's reading through).

And last thing. The person who would officiate? There were many contenders on the list... I would have said someone like Professor Tubing, or Leslie, or Beau Handsome, or the exposition guy. You know people who would just totally randomly have an officiant license. Another idea is Bob, but nobody besides Becky would understand him, and he's out there putting his heart out in a speech.

But I thought about it and just went with the idea of them getting ordained by one of Tobey's robot, probably made specifically for it. I say that because Tobey has to have at least one robot doing something significant in the ceremony, but also, it would be the ultimate call back to his drawing.

That's all I think for now about their wedding. Maybe one day, I'll go into it deeper on another post. Thank you for the ask!

[sudaca-swag]

Top 10 reads 2022:

The starless sea by Erin Morgenstern- absolutely no plot just vibes, a story about stories. Our MC discovers an ancient underground library, some people want to destroy it, but its mostly plotless, it reminds me a bit of the raven boys series tbh. LGBTQ+

Babel by RF Kuang- i would sell my left tit to read it for the first time again, kuang is now one of my top writers. We follow a group of POC oxford language students during victorian times that have the power to sort of do magic through translated words but the catch is they have to do it in service of the british empire, this is a story about rebelling against imperialism, racism, inequality, etc i just love it. LGBTQ+ but subtext (romance isnt a central theme)

Jade city trilogy by Fonda Lee- absolutely urban fantasy masterpiece if you like martial arts (Lee is a black belt), politics, strong family bonds, amazing characters etc. We follow the Kaul family who is the leader of the No Peak Clan and is at war with the Mountain Clan. One of my favorite aspects of this series is that its set in about 30 years so you see the effects that actions and political decision have on the long run. LGBTQ+

Out by Natsuo Kirino- the BEST murder book, we follow a group of four middle aged women working night shifts in a factory, one of the women murders her husband in a rage and the others help her to get rid of the body, suddenly they find themselves trying to both escape the police and some yakuza men who want their help getting rid of other bodies. Ultimately its a book about mysoginy imo, the struggles of poverty and modern life, etc. Search tws because it has some very graphic rape and pedophilia scenes.

Our share of night/nuestra parte de noche by Mariana Enríquez- if you can read in spanish DO IT!! Amazing magical realism-horror tales, i LOVE the south american subtropical settings, the history, the culture, legends and folklore of northern Argentina is shown, its about a father trying to save his son from the rich ppl cult that took away everything from him, its about dark magic and necromancy, and so much more. TWs of course, especially bc it touches upon the dictatorship. LGBTQ+ themes.

Mistborn Era 2 by Brandon Sanderson- i just love the cosmere, but era 2 is so fucking funny, its just a wild west comedy. Predictable ending for me, but that last chapter sill crushed my soul. If you want to dive into the cosmere and dont know where to start, pick up mistborn era 1, but leave era 2 for after youve read the stormlight archive bc the last book will be impossible to understand

The stormlight archive by Brandon Sanderson- simply masterworks of fantasy, a little slow at the beginnning but so worth it, amazing characters and magic systems. You will need to dedicate like one or two months for that first read of one of the tomes, and leave them for after youve read the rest of the cosmere or you wont enjoy them as much. The roshar system is such a diverse and expansive world.

Wolfsong by TJ Klune- i lost all my money bc i bought the entire series. If you need a cozy romance series about werewolves and found families, this is for you. Everyone is gay in this series thats it. LGBTQ+

The Poppy war trilogy by RF Kuang- the 1st book was already in my last years top 10 but HOLY SHIT THIS SERIES!!?? Fucking amazing, its a retelling/reimagination of chinese historical events (although with other countries names) but with chamans and ancient gods who take over warriors, basically its about our MC Rin descent into darkness and madness, its about colonialism, empires, etc. Its explicit and violent so search tws. The characters are amazing, i think rf kuangs strenght is definitely her characters they make you feel everything.

The inheritance trilogy by NK Jemisin- i only read the first book but its amazing, if you like dark fantasy with all powerful gods, read it. Im so excited to see how it ends.

[lilacponds]

my mom needs to stop willfully ignoring actual problems to be dramatic

me: yea i know my legs hurt because i havent really been walking a lot, but i cant walk a lot because my foot hurts, its a vicious cycle

my mom: OH SO NOW YOU CANT WALK? YOURE GONNA NEED A WHEELCHAIR?

and im just sitting here like why do you think i want to see a better doctor. do you think i have fun being in pain. and honestly? i would be lying if i said i havent thought about using a wheelchair in the future! its more trouble than its worth at the moment for multiple reasons, but if my pain gets worse and more constant? yeah, i wouldnt be surprised if one day i'd have to use a wheelchair.

nevermind that i already know i cant walk very far distances even with my cane. sure, the foot pain can be pretty random, but i know it'll definitely flare up if i walk too long, and there's a discussion to be had there that i'll make in a separate post with a readmore because it has triggering stuff.

if i had the money for a wheelchair, lived somewhere with an elevator (or on the ground floor), and my city's streets were better, i would be seriously considering it, you know? it's exhausting not being able to go outside because i know i'll be in pain.

i can't go to the library. you know that? i want to go so bad, sometimes. or even to the promenade, near the beach, just be where the life is - i mean, i can if i pay for a bus ticket. but able-bodied people have access to these places for free because they can walk. it's not the distance - not really - it's the overpass. bridge? it goes over a canal and the train tracks. its between my house and where the life is. sure, this side of the overpass has people, schools, stores - but there's nothing for me here. its not where people hang out, just where they pass by. theres nothing here. but oh, on the other side of the overpass? thats my terabithia. theres way more shops full with curios that are fun just to look at. there are so many people to watch! there are seagulls and pigeons hopping around, there's the bookshop you can always stop in without buying something just to see whats new on the shelves, theres the beach, and the sea, and the pier! (if we want to dip into money talk, there's the best granita ever on that pier as well, and an arcade. an arcade! thats the only arcade ive ever seen) theres the library, and sometimes, sometimes theres people having fun on the streets. theres this one guy who likes to hang around, and he makes giant soap bubbles, and he entertains children and adults alike. one shop he was near once tried to complain about him and get him sent away, and people flocked together to support him. i was there, with my own little bubbles, just like many others, and we all blew bubbles together with him. (that shop closed, later. unsure how related the two things were, but the nice old man is still there sometimes, blowing bubbles and making children laugh.) i saw a small circus-like parade, once - so many people, but i remember a man in stilts and i remember looking up, and i remember the joy in my heart.

theres life over there.

and im poor and disabled. and im stuck over here.

[coolxatu]

welp dark timeline has won. ACP is already gone for the majority, and we now enter into the partial funding phase

for those that haven't been cut off yet, depending on how and who you received the ACP benefit through, you may still have internet until the end of may if you're lucky.

i can personally vouch that verizon at least has guaranteed its ACP recipients that currently use any of their prepaid wireless services will continue to be funded till may 31st.

this includes:

Straight Talk

Total by Verizon

Simple Mobile

Safelink

Walmart Family Mobile

Tracfone

Go Smart

Page Plus

Net 10

not sure if any other providers are doing the same, so i recommended checking out what your isp has to say about it. ive heard that some providers may even start giving out their own discounts in the future in order to keep ACP customers from canceling their contracts.

i encourage everyone that was enrolled in ACP to check out the link below to see if there are any local internet assistance programs in your state or city that you may qualify for

if you currently recieve EBT or medicaid then you should qualify for a free lifeline phone, which provides both free monthly cell service and a few GB of data each month. many lifeline providers allow you to use your own phone with their service if its compatible, but they will send you a free cheap smartphone if you need one. keep in mind that only one lifeline phone is allowed per household, even if your household members are just roommates.

you can apply for lifeline using the link below

i know better than anyone how depressing this whole situation is, but hopefully this won't be a forever thing. this program has helped too many people to just disappear for good like this

good news is there seems to still be some congress members pushing for a funding renewal. maybe if we kick up enough of a shit about it, we can force congress to expedite getting this program restored. might even help if we start rallying about it idk

23 million americans are about to loose affordable internet access, surely there has to be something more we can do about it

for me personally, i use a verizon based lifeline service so i still have one more month of unlimited internet before i get demoted from to like 4.5GB a month. thats just enough for necessary and emergency use, but i wont be able to do much else with it. i live right by a library tho and have family that are close enough to visit often, so i'll get by somehow

but most ACP recipients aren't as lucky as i am. my sister has already lost her internet, and many others have as well. not everyone lives close to public wifi sources, and unfortunately not everyone that qualified for ACP will also qualify for lifeline. for many people this was their only way to afford internet, and its loss will be felt deeply for a very long time.

my condolences to those that have already lost their internet, wishing you all the best in the difficult times ahead of us. be joining you guys soon o7

RIP ACP

government is trying to ban tiktok meanwhile millions of poor and disabled americans are about to completely lose their internet access at the end of april because congress wont renew funding for the affordable connectivity program

hell fucking world

[glitchdollmemoria]

big long diary esque ramble about jewish conversion below the cut bc mmmm the paragraphs

its sinking in that now that im finally settling into a synagogue i feel comfortable in, im gonna have a community i can celebrate the holidays with, and i can actually learn firsthand how to celebrate them... really fucking exciting

i dont know when ill be able to actually officially start the conversion process, both because im flat broke and idk how much everything would cost AND bc this synagogue is still looking for an official rabbi rather than guest speakers (transitional period since the last rabbi moved away), but in the meantime i feel like im very quickly being taken under the congregations collective wing yknow? so im excited to start celebrating jewish holidays with other people who know what theyre doing rather than having to cobble together what i can while i sit in my apartment lmao

overall im really really happy to finally be attending. its been way too long since ive been able to regularly attend a congregation. and this one is a conservative synagogue, and ive only ever attended reform synagogues before. the one i went to back in my old town was great, i adored the people there and the way we worshipped and everything was so comfortable, it was absolutely where i needed to be during that time. but based on my research and my experiences so far, im fairly confident conservative is the movement for me. this synagogue is definitely where im meant to be now, and my thoughts are basically... while my partner and i do have a plan on where we want to live someday, thats still years down the line most likely, bc im poor and hes in college, so im HOPING that this synagogue will be the one i attend throughout my conversion. i mean id be fine with starting here and having to transfer rabbis later but im mostly hoping ill be finished up before that time comes

theres something very familiar about this congregation. something in the grain of the wood, and in the worn out books of the library. its comfortable and welcoming and it tells me this is where im supposed to be, at least right now.

also - i keep thinking back to when i attended the reform synagogue in this city. the service itself was great, but i didnt really feel like i fit in with the others, especially the people my age. one of the other 20-somethings said that the people at the conservative synagogue were all "boomers" or smth who were unaccepting in some way or another, and idk if she had her own bad experience here which i really wouldnt want to brush off, but so far everyone has been very kind. i was immediately welcomed once i explained that im wanting to convert, multiple people went out of their way to help me and invite me to stay longer and attend more events. i was immediately regarded as a man, and maybe that was because i was wearing a suit and my voice is deep from hrt but it was still very reassuring either way - an older man told me very firmly to put on a kippah and while i joked with my friends that i felt like a kid being lightly chastised, it was still a really nice feeling to not only be seen as a man but to have someone insist on me following that custom.

and then afterward, over lunch, i was chatting with the other congregants and ended up talking about my partner, and referred to it with multiple pronoun sets and explained that it uses any pronouns. nobody was rude at all about that fact, and one man was clearly a little confused by me switching around words and pronouns but was very very obviously doing his best to be respectful and understand as best as he could. he said he was working on understanding these things better for his kids iirc.

overall i feel like this synagogue is a safe place for both myself AND my partner, should it ever visit and want to attend with me. yes, most of the people here are elderly, but everyone was friendly and so far people have been respectful when it comes to queerness and conversion. id say the worst thing i heard someone say was a small dig at reform judaism, but even then, another member was quick to shut him down.

it frustrates me a little to think that the people here might be getting labeled as intolerant in one way or another if thats not really the case, if its just because theyre older. again, i dont want to brush off any bad experiences someone else mightve had, but i also worry that there might be some preconceived notions at play here, yknow? but i guess in the end theres not much use dwelling on it. im just happy to feel at home in a congregation again, and to feel like im back on track making more progress toward my conversion. im glad to be meeting all these people and finding my place in a community instead of feeling so isolated so much of the time.

[amoveablejake]

State of the Union

The first one for 2023. 

As we are now a couple of weeks into the new year, I thought that it might be time to do a small State of the Union piece to talk about a few things that have been circulating in my head so far this year. Some Sunday evenings feel like they’re the right time to have a clear subject matter to focus on and others are ones where its time to take a meandering walk through some different ideas as the weekend draws to a close and today, you bet its one of those days. As I write this I have OSC’s ‘Vapor Sessions 3-4′ playing in my headphones and what am experience it is. Now, I’m not going to dive into it too much now as who knows, perhaps there will be an album of the week piece coming on the album sometime soon but I did want to make a quick note here that since the album came out on Friday and appeared in my library by way of Club Flamingo it seems to have taken over and, well, hey now I just said I’m not going to get ahead of myself and so I’m going to curtail that discussion there and save it for tomorrow or some other time in the future. No, it will be tomorrow. Unless there is some last minute swap but really, when do I ever change the album of the week pieces at the last minute. I’m rolling my eyes at that so you don’t have to. Anyway, lets get on with some things that I can talk about that have been on my mind recently. 

Was 2022 the best year for my sports teams? No. Not really. Yes, the England football team did have a somewhat successful World Cup run and the Seattle Mariners did make it to the play offs but that, that was sort of it. It was one of those years that at times did look rather hopeful but by the end of the calendar year most of those had disappeared. On the flip side however, 2023 has started off pretty well. Now it is extremely early and with my team’s track records I’m not going to get ahead of myself but things, they’re looking somewhat promising. Manchester United beat Manchester City yesterday and Napoli beat Juventus the day before in an emphatic win that had Naples dancing. The Mariners I am hoping are going to keep up the momentum when the season rolls around and, look, if they get to the World Series I don’t know what I’ll do. Take a midnight flight to Seattle? It might have to. The one outlier at the moment are the Green Bay Packers who have had a disappointing season despite a last minute surge to try and reach the wild card round. They haven’t performed anywhere near where they usually do and it has been a season to forget, other than me seeing them in London ofcourse which was quite the experience. All of my NFL hopes are now hinged on the Cinncinati Bengals who I have quickly formed quite a liking for over the last few weeks although now I have said that I’m sure that they’ll lose against the Ravens tonight. No, I don’t really believe that. I believe they’ll win as I do for all of my teams. I’m always optimistic that one of them has to win at least or rather all of them will one day because thats what it is to be a supporter. An eternal hope and belief, through the good and the bad times, that maybe, just maybe one year it will be your team’s year. Hey, why not 2023. 

Usually, when a film or a TV series is coming out that I am excited about I get quite nervous just before I watch it. This is often because the project is to some extent important to me or the characters in it are and I’m worried a bit about how they’re going to be portrayed or what their fate will be. Tomorrow, the first episode of ‘The Last of Us’ TV series comes out and strangely, I’m not worried at all. Now some reviews for it have come out which are positive but I wasn’t nervous before then either. I always have believed that the series is going to be good, because afterall the source material is phenomenal but also because even if the series was a bit off the mark, that wouldn’t take anything away from how special the games are. The other part to this is that I’m looking forward to the fact that people who would perhaps never engage with the video games will now be able to experience the story themselves and the journey that the characters, the player and now the viewer will go on. Maybe some nerves will kick in as the first episode begins to play but I’m not sure they will. Pedro Pascal has shown time and time again that he’s the man and after working his magic in the Star Wars Universe, I think he is going to do it with the Naughty Dog property. Time will tell but I am very excited to re-enter ‘The Last of Us’ uniform which is quite the funny statement considering how at times it can be grueling. Its worth it in the end though, through all the pain that the road ahead may hold, its worth it in the end. 

-Jake, a man still drying out from the last week, 15/01/2023

[smireyac]

new year, same post

so... 2022 huh?

i didn't even write a reflection post last year (well i tried but i never finished writing it) which i'm kinda really sad about because i really like having these snapshots of where i am at in my life every year... and i feel like i'm missing a year! because i am! so while i can't do a whole reflection of 2021, i can do my best and that's the best anyone can do

so 2021 was the start, crawling out of the hellscape that was 2020... in terms of overall quality, 2021 was a major improvement from the previous year. to make things easier, first i'll go thru what i actually accomplished on my list of goals i made at the end of 2020:

☑️ read new books: my goal was 10 and i read 8, three of which were comics/graphic novels and one was a road trip guide book? so technically i read more than before

☑️ watch new shows/movies: i made a letterboxd to keep track of what i watched instead of the notebook idea i had and i watched 48 movies/tv shows !!! wowie that's pretty good i never counted that out b4 :D

☑️ listen to new music: my spotify wrapped had very much different music than previous years so i did the dang thing too ...it uh... got flooded by OM music cuz i had a phase in the summer but other than that its all pretty diverse !

☑️ eat new food: i had kbbq for the first time in 2021 so i think that counts?

☑️ go on a road trip/visit some place ive never been before/go to a club: so i planned a pretty spontaneous trip to LA cuz i saw an ad on Instagram for a city pop night at a club in DTLA... i thought it was a rare thing (turns out it ain't lol) so i got my friends to go and it was really fun and i knocked these 3 things out in one go (tho the road trip one is a little ehh bc we didn't make any stops, we just drove ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) bc i've never been to little tokyo and it was in a club! so check!!

so as far as goals go that's pretty good! other notable highlights of the year include:

⭐ i passed my drivers test (after failing the first time lol) and got a car that i love so dang much!

⭐ tried dating (the first time) and it didn't get far lol (that's on me)

⭐ karaoke night after not seeing people in person for over a year

⭐ played d&d in-person again finally

⭐ HELLA MEGA TOUR!! THAT WAS TIGHT AF 10/10 would recommend

⭐ saw lindsay and kaveh at a book signing event that was pretty cool !! (still have to read the book lol;;)

so yeah ! it was pretty great, all things considered... i think around this time last year covid cases were surging and things were feeling bad again so my perspective of the year was tainted by that cloud but looking back, i think i had a pretty good run...

i had made another, separate doc as a kinda goal list ? but i never finished it either lmao but i did put 3 things on it:

🌠 read more (surprise surprise)

🌠 write something

🌠 join a club at school

i said 2021 would be the year of new and i think i accomplished that

SO 2022 HUH??

thats what this whole thing was supposed to be about lol

lotta stuff happened... started off strong by getting covid (lol), went to big bear for the first time, technically saw snow (on the ground) for the first time, saw remi TWICE in ONE YEAR, tried dating again (still didn't get very far), saw ORI AGAIN FINALLY, hung out with pals A LOT, ate good food, got really (back) into comics this year??, worked full time at the library this summer, got over my stupid crush FINALLY, went to 3 conventions - 1 of which being COMIC CON... anD OH YEAH I GOT PROMOTED!! pretty accomplished i would say

as far as my goals from last year i actually accomplished something!! and hey 2 outta 3 ain't bad ;^)

i reached my reading goal with 13/12 !! granted 5 of them were graphic novels again but i stuck with my book club (kinda;;) and read some stuff!! i started a lot more books than i finished this year but i want to push myself harder next year (this year)!! my want-to-read list on GoodReads is 500+ and that hasn't even been updated recently!! i gotta step my game up man,, i think i decided i want to try to be an editor someday so i gotta go for it!!

did i write something this year??? in fact i fucking did!! i wrote fanfiction even!! something i srsly never thought i would actually accomplish... and i started a first real draft for J+M and got thru most of the first "season" of that!! so that's cool!! i wanna write more!! i found this writing tracker like halfway thru the year and was trying to add to it retroactively but it was hard so i don't know exactly how many words i wrote this year BUT it's more than 40k!! so WOW!! I'll keep better track this year so we can know fr fr

if 2021 was the year trying new things, 2022 seemed to be the year of getting used to the new normal bc surprise!! covid is still around!! but ig it'll be endemic now instead of a pandemic bc we couldn't fucking eradicate it 🙄 whatever...

the last couple months of 2022 kinda painted the whole year a somber color but looking back, i can see that i had a really good time for the most part... i hope 2023 will be nice :^)

SO... GOALS:

🎆 read more!! let's keep the ball rolling! 12 more!! once a month!!! and i'm not gonna add comics unless i've read a real book with words first!!!!

🎆 write more!! no goals let's just see what happens :^) i hope that maybe some fandom interaction will motivate me bc i love attention and praise!!! also my secret writing project 👀

🎆 apply to transfer to university next year!! this was supposed to happen this year but... shit happened yk

🎆 do stuff with friends!! gotta keep it up bb: NYC, hot springs, see snow, MKE??, LA

🎆 make new friends?? perhaps??? 👀 idk!!!

i will end this post with all the movies i'm super fucking pumped to see this year: M3GAN, the mario movie, the D&D movie, the BARBIE movie!!, new transformers movie??, blue beetle movie, SPIDERVERSE MOVIE!!!!!!!!!

it'll be a good year for me for movies ❤️

here's to 2023!! 🥂

[moralesispunk]

Caramel Lattes

Marcus Moreno x Reader

Summary - You meet a handsome stranger in the nearby cafe and it becomes a weekly date.

This is part 1 of my Marcus fic

Master list / part 2

During the week, coffee equated to a quick cup while frantically getting ready for work. At the weekend, your coffee was a lot calmer. Taking time to enjoy a caramel latte while reading whatever book you were in the middle of. Since moving to the city, you found your new Saturday morning coffee spot.

You had found the cafe you were in today a few weeks ago. It was a perfect slice of heaven being a mix of a cafe and library. At the front, there were small tables and mis-matched chairs and at the back there were rows upon rows of books. As you walked in, shaking your umbrella while it was still out of the door, the smell of warm coffee and old books instantly filled your senses. It was a lot cosier in here than it was in the downpour outside.

You placed your umbrella in the umbrella rack, turning to face the barrister.

“Good morning,” you said as you reached the counter, “can I have a caramel latte please.”

“Extra caramel?”

“Yes, please,” you said, already tasting the sweet coffee in your mouth.

The woman smiled at you, telling you to find a table and that she would bring it over to you. You looked around, all but one of the tables already full. There was one left right in the corner with two empty chairs. As you reached the table, you took your jacket off and placed it over the heater next to you to dry. You sighed of relief bringing your book out of your bag noticing that it was still completely dry despite the thrashing rain outside.

You were so engrossed in the book, only having looked up to say thank you as your coffee was placed down in front of you that you hadn’t noticed the tall handsome man standing in front of your table until he cleared his throat.

“Is this seat taken?” his warm voice asked as his hand gripped at the seat across from you.

It took you a moment to answer, your eyes taking in the man in front of you. His warm brown eyes were looking deeply into yours, a gentle half smile on his face. His hair was the same colour as his eyes, a little darker. It looked like there had been some attempt to tame it this morning but any attempt had been stopped by the rain ready to drop of the curls splayed across his forehead.

“N-No,” you replied, pointing to his chair with a smile.

He smiled wider, thanking you as he sat down. As he took his jacket off to place over the back of his chair and brought his own book out of his bag, he turned to thank the woman placing his own coffee in front of him, showing off the dimple on his cheek and crinkles at the side of the eye. He gave off such a warm energy that the cafe already seemed brighter in the two minutes he had been in.

You looked back down to your book, trying to concentrate on the words in front of you. It was pointless. You read and re-read over the same sentence at least six times when all you wanted to do was take another look up at the handsome man in front of you.

“Is that any good?” the warm voice made you look back up at him again, “the book I mean, I’ve heard it’s meant to be good but it’s not my usual type.”

“I love it. It’s quite sad, not exactly an easy read, but the characters are written so beautifully. This is actually my second time reading it,” you admit.

The man smiled back, big enough to show off his dimple again.

“I guess I’ll have to give it a read, see if it’s as good as you make it out to be.”

“How is yours?” you ask, reading the name that was etched into the side of his book.

“It’s great! It’s about a detective who is investigating a murder in his home town,” he replied, sounding as excited as a young child who was showing off their newest toy.

“So, who does he think did it?” you ask, marking your page in your book before placing the book down.

“He’s not sure yet, but I think it’s his old best friend,” he said, while marking his page and setting his book down as well.

You both spent the rest of the morning talking, ignoring your books that had been discarded on the table. Another coffee each later and you found out that his daughter has moved to a swim team just down the street so this was his new cafe of choice while he waited during her practice. You learned that he was a single-dad, widowed a few years ago and no luck in the dating game he had recently went back to. You told him that you had just moved to the city and found this place when looking for a new Saturday morning coffee spot. 

The conversation flowed easily after that, talking about everything from books and music to making up stories of others in the cafe, like the old man in the other corner who had been a spy before he retired or the woman who was a ghostwriter and looking for inspiration.

As you both sat laughing, he looked down at his watch and sighed.

“Missy is going to be out soon, I better head,” he said as he stood to put his now dry jacket on.

“Oh, well it was lovely meeting you-”

“Marcus,” he finished for you with a smile.

“Marcus,” you repeated before telling him your name, letting him repeat it as well.

Marcus stayed standing in front of you for a moment before getting enough courage to ask you.

“Maybe if you’re here next week we can do this again?”

“That sounds wonderful,” you answered.

Marcus smiled and pulled his hood up, ready to face the rain that still hadn’t let up outside. You watched as he walked out the door, his pace picking up as he got outside until he reached the window next to you, stopping slightly to smile and wave before running off down the street. 

--------

The next week you get up a little earlier than usual, excited to see Marcus again. You looked out a comfortable but nice outfit, spending a bit more time getting ready, and packed the book you finished during the week to give to Marcus in your bag as well.

When you arrive, Marcus is already sitting at the same table as last week. He looks up as soon as he hears the bell of the door, something he had been doing for the last few customers as well. A wide grin comes to his face when he realises it is you and he stands to pull out a chair for you as you walk over. 

“I ordered you a coffee, I hope you don’t mind. Caramel Latte right?” he asks.

“Good memory! Missy get dropped at swimming all good?”

He nods, smiling at the fact you asked about his daughter as well.

“Oh, before I forget!” you say while reaching into your bag, “here is that book I was reading last week for you to try. I finished it the other day. I hope you don’t mind but I scribble some notes down while I read.”

“Wow-I- Thank you,” he said smiling, “I actually brought you the one I had been reading for you to try as well. There are also some notes in mine as well.”

You both sit for a moment, smiling at one another as you swap your books over. You open his book, flipping through the pages and noticing the black pen marks scribbled across some pages. He does the same, finding your handwriting in blue, stopping on a page where he finds a love-heart in the corner.

“What’s this for?” he asks, tracing over it with his finger, “is this your favourite bit?”

“No, its- thats the page I was at when we met last week.”

You look down at the table, shying away from his eyes that are probably on your now and not wanting to see whatever expression was covering his face. When you finally look up you notice the smile that is wider than any you have seen before and that damn dimple. Theres a slight sparkle in his eyes as he goes to talk.

“Well, I see you use blue and I use black. Why don’t we leave each other our own notes?”

“I think that sounds like a great idea.” 

The morning goes in quickly again and you spend the hour and a half talking about everything and anything. You finally find out about his job, something you had been wondering all week. Apparently he is not a teacher, which is what you had imagined from his warm and welcoming energy, but the leader of the Heroics. While you had heard about them before, everyone had, you had never really paid much attention to them on the news. He asks about yours, listening and asking questions as you go. He tells you more about Missy and his mum and you tell him about your family who you were missing since you moved. 

Before you know it, Marcus has to go get Missy again and you are both walking out the cafe door as he pays for both your drinks despite you protesting say it was your turn after he paid for your drinks last week. You both wait outside the cafe, standing awkwardly across from one another for a moment.

“Missy has a competition next week so I won’t be here but the week after?” he asks, looking down as he puts his hands in his pockets..

“It’s a date,” you nod with a smile.

“It’s a date,” he says as he looks up to smile back.

Marcus waits for a moment before leaning forward, giving you a quick hug and walking in the direction of Missy’s swimming practice. It had only been for a moment but you had been surrounded by his warmth and it was comfortable.

----------

You miss the cafe the next week, too busy reading the book Marcus had swapped with you. You found yourself leaving notes in blue as you went.

No way is it the best friend he is too nice!

I think its the old lady down the street, she seems too nosy

So it was the best friend! You should be a detective :)

About half way through the book there was a page with a note in black that read:

The day I met the most beautiful woman in the world.

You couldn’t stop smiling at the note, reading it over and over again. Tracing over the words with your fingertips. 

----------

You found yourself even more excited this Saturday, looking forward to seeing Marcus after a week off. The butterflies in your stomach grew wilder the closer you got to the cafe. As you walked by the window of where you and Marcus had sat at the past two weeks there was no sign of him. You weren’t surprised, you were a bit earlier this week, but as you reached to open the door you heard that familiar voice call your name out.

Marcus was standing leaning against the other side of the cafe, two to-go cups in hand. He looked as handsome as ever, his grey t-shirt showing off his biceps more than you had seen before, his bright smile aimed towards you as he handed you a cup.

“It’s a lovely day today, how about we go for a walk around the park?”

“Sounds perfect and thank you for the coffee but I think it was my turn to pay!” you jokingly scold him.

“Well, you can just get the next one,” he replies with a wink.

You start by talking about the books you swapped. Marcus admits that he did cry a few times and he was wondering what you were putting him through until the end made up for it all. You told him that he should give up his superhero day-job and become a detective, explaining all your guesses of who did it before realising it was the best friend - him finding the old lady down the street guess particularly hilarious.

The conversation moves along to asking about how Missy’s competition went, leaning that she came first and Marcus embarrassed her by cheering louder than any other parent. You find a bench to sit on, enjoying the rest of the coffees as the spring sun warms you both.

“I missed seeing you last week,” you admit, turning to face him.

“I missed seeing you too. Not often I get to spend time with such beautiful company.” 

“Hm I think your note said ‘the most beautiful woman in the world’,“ you teased, making him blush.

“I forgot about that when I gave it to you,” he admits shyly.

“Well, I am enjoying getting to spend time with such a handsome man.” 

You sit for a minute longer, looking at all the spring flowers blooming around you both.

“Listen, I was wondering if maybe one day you would like to go out for dinner sometime? Let me take you on a proper date?” 

You turn to look at the man who had for the most part been confident and sure of himself to find that there was some uncertainty in his eye, like he wasn’t sure you would say yes.

“I would love that, Marcus,” you say, reaching and giving his hand a squeeze.

The walk back to your car is comfortably quiet, every so often your hands brushing against one another and making you both turn to smile. The swimming pool where Missy trains is on the walk back to your car and you stop outside.

“So, I should probably give you my number then?” 

“Oh yeah, that would help,” Marcus laughs, “sorry, I’m not great at this whole dating thing...” 

“You’re doing pretty good so far,” you smile, putting your number and name in his phone. You watch as he takes it back, adding a blue love heart next to your name before saving it again.

“Dad?” you hear a voice call.

You both turn and see someone you couldn’t mistake for anyone other than Marcus’s daughter. She has the same mischievous smile he gives whenever he is teasing you. Marcus had shown you photos of her before but looking at them both in front of you, she was definitely his mini-me.

“Hi sweetie,” he says before introducing you both.

“Hi, its nice to meet you. Your dad has told me so much.”

“Dad has told me a lot about you too, you’re just as beautiful as he said,” she says looking back to her dad.

“Missy!” Marcus scolds as you both blush.

“Well, I hope the both of you enjoy the rest of your day, I better get going. I’ll talk to you?” you say, looking at Marcus.

“Can I call you later?” he asks.

“Of course.”

You say goodbye to Missy and turn to say goodbye to Marcus. He reaches and grabs your arm gently, placing a soft kiss to your cheek, before you give them both a wave and turn and walk away.

His lips had been so soft on your cheek, his hand gentle on your arm. You waited till you had rounded the corner before you let your hand reach up to touch where his lips had met you.

“She really is beautiful Dad,” Missy says as they watch you walk away.

“Told you,” he smiles down at his daughter, looking forward to getting to talk to you on the phone tonight and finally take you on a date.

[niko-jpeg]

A Relatively Spoiler Free Project E Run Down for @bean-with-a-knife

You asked for this Bean. Now you have to deal with the consequences.

Also, the name is a placeholder until I can find a better name, so if you have any suggestions for what the project as a whole should be called feel free to tell me.

Please note: This is a highly abridged version of events because I cant include everything without A. Massive Spoilers and B. killing my hands.

Project E is an original project I have been working on for around 2 years now. It started as a simple story about a character in an unfamiliar world and morphed into... whatever this is.

The project is divided into three parts: "Times End", "The Second Realm" and "Self-Contained Universe". A fourth part is also being considered thats just full of cut scenes and bonus stuff, but we'll cross that when we come to it.

TIMES END: Times End is the first part in the project. It follows the story of Aviator; an amnesiac creature called a "Luft". Lufts traditionally have magic surrounding air and wind, which is uncommon in the world this takes place in (No name yet). This world is divided into seven continents, and each of them kind of do their own thing.

Aviator remembers jack shit about her life or where she came from, as she had been travelling her whole life. One day, she stumbles upon a place called "Edolan", a conglomeration of different tribes and settlements that ignore each other and pretend the others don't exist.

Aviator is entranced by this new place and immediately gets to exploring. A lot of things happen, from Aviator discovering her new favorite food to pissing off the mafia to solving murder. Oh and a dead human ish character named Puppet follows her around creepily because thats Puppet for ya.

Then a bunch of bad things happen, the world nearly ends, and Aviator gets sealed in a crystal in another plane of existence to stop the end of the world. Because that makes sense. *cough* and Lufts as a collective species are blamed for the whole thing. Because thats logic ig.

THE SECOND REALM: The second realm takes place 100 years later and follows Shedo, Arsene, and Dori-Mei, three rebellious (and very bored) teenagers with absolutely nothing in common other than going to the same school. Shedo is Puppets adopted daughter, Dori is a refugee from another continent, and Arsene is an orphan taken from his home because his parents were deemed unfit to keep him. (Fair enough though, they were bad parents).

They all have very different problems and lives, but they get along well enough. One day, Shedo finds a strange glass crystal ball sort of thing and Arsene breaks it like an idiot, landing them in another dimension. They learn how to traverse the new realm and go back and forth.

Sadly, they arent the only ones exploring this new realm, as a group known as "The Investigators" are hot on their heels trying to track not only the trio down but whatever seems to be at the center of the world.

Anyway, drama ensues and a lot of enemies to lovers tension between Shedo and Rift, the leader of the Investigators, who is a Luft herself. No I promise that not all Lufts are girls, I just wanted her to be an angry lesbian okay.

They make their way to the center of the world thanks to the help of a pair of weirdos who offered their assistance up to them named Tamy and Teaso. Speaking of them... SELF-CONTAINED UNIVERSE: Teaso was a normal... uh, humanoid ant. Sounds weird but its really not. Worked at a library, had a solid life in the underground secret city of Lamplight, and everything was fine. Until his childhood best friend he WATCHED jump to her death shows up as his door drunk at two in the morning.

When he asks what happen, she just drunkenly tells him that she found the answers to Times End, the event that nearly ended the world 100 years ago in a diary written by a Luft. Huh, weird. That sounds a little familiar.

And thus, once Tamy (the aforentioned friend) sobered up, they embark on an epic quest of which Teaso was not a willing participant in.

Everything else is too spoilery sorry but I hope the synopsis of each makes at least a LITTLE sense. Its kind of a mess but oh well. If you made it this far you deserve a cookie. I would love to hear your thoughts on this VERY VERY FUCKING ABRIDGED VERSION OF THIS PROJECT LMAO.

[highonchocolate]

Take Two: The Guardian in Gotham Chapter 4

First   Previous   Next   Ao3

Note:  When italics are in quotations (“”) then Marinette is speaking French. If the italics don't have quotations, that’s people’s thoughts.

---

After patrol, Dick made his way to bed, mulling over the announcement Bruce had made at dinner. When he had seen that picture, he had wanted to join Jason on his Paris killing spree. That girl-Marinette, was it?- seemed to be in need of a better place to stay, and he was happy they could provide it to her. At the same time, he had no idea how to treat a young teenage girl! What does she like? Sports? Dresses? Both? None? He had no idea! As he lay there having a breakdown in a slight panic, he couldn’t force the image of her broken, bloody body out of his head. He wondered what kind of person that sort of assault would turn her into. He had seen greater people snap after such emotional and physical wounds. 

Meanwhile, Jason, Tim and Damian were facing similar dilemmas over the girl in question. 

Jason had no idea how to handle teenagers, especially ones that had been assaulted. Suffering through fucked-up shit like that would definitely leave you with some trauma. He thought to himself. Maybe we should ask her about her boundaries. His coping method involved wearing a red helmet and gallivanting around the rooftops of Gotham, looking for excuses to shoot people. He didn’t exactly think that was the best way to help her out. Sure, he grumbled, I’ll just walk over to her, hand her some Kevlar and a grapple before pushing her off the top of fucking Wayne Enterprises in hopes that she’ll get it right. ‘Cause that’s totally fucking healthy!

Tim on the other hand, was completely and utterly paranoid. Sure, he was definitely worried about that girl, considering that it looked like she had lost a lot of blood; but at the same time, he was worried about exposing their identities to her. Just one slip up, and she would know exactly what the Wayne family did at night. Not to mention that if they ended up getting injured, they’d have to figure out how to hide it from her. As he hacked into her school records, he noticed that she had filed several bullying complaints that had never been acknowledged, as well as a request to transfer classrooms that had been dismissed. Just how corrupt is this school?! He thought to himself as he saw how the principal-Monsieur Damocles- had bent to one girl’s every whim, just because her father was the Mayor! Abuse of power, and ignoring bullying reports? He thought to himself. This is not going to end well for them. With that, he completely launched himself into digging up every bit of dirt he could find on that school and it’s staff; completely forgetting about his original panic over being discovered.

And as for Damian, he was completely furious that there would be another person living in the Manor with them! Not to mention she had to go to Gotham Academy as well! He hadn’t even met this Marinette, and she was already proving to be a pain. 

---

As the day of their Marinette’s arrival dawned bright and clear, four members of the family waited for the arrival of their last member and guest. Bruce was slightly nervous. He had never had a girl so young stay in the Manor before, and he didn’t know how to greet her. Did he shake her hand? Smile and wave? Shake her hand then smile? Wave then shake? 

Dick, however, was full of excitement that their new guest was arriving in a couple of hours. He wondered if she knew any gymnastics, and if she would be willing to do some flexibility-related stretches and workouts with him.

All his other children were scattered throughout the city, doing various different things. Jason was up in the Manor library, reading his latest novel. Tim was in his office at WE, finishing up some paperwork he had wanted to fill out before Marinette arrived. Damian, thankfully, was at school, and wouldn’t be returning until later in the evening.

His thoughts were cut short by Tim’s arrival. As he walked into the kitchen and came back with a large mug of coffee, Jason trudged downstairs, and they all sat around in the living room continuing to work and read as they waited for Marinette and Alfred.

Half an hour later, Bruce was alerted to the gates in front of the Manor opening. They all lined up outside the house and watched as the sleek, black limo pulled up in front of the house. 

They waited patiently as Alfred got out of the car and headed to the trunk before opening it and taking out a suitcase, and what looked like a foldable wheelchair. The four of them were confused. Why would she need a wheelchair? Surely her classmates hadn’t injured her that badly? Their thoughts were cut off by Alfred opening the back door on the opposite side of the car. He bent down and proceeded to open the wheelchair, before wheeling it around to face the family. When they caught their first glimpse of their guest, they were absolutely floored.

They had all seen many worse injuries during their nightly patrols, and several injured children years younger than her, but when they saw Marinette, they were shocked into silence at her battered appearance.

She was a decent height at around 5’ 4”, but compared to Bruce and Jason she was absolutely tiny. She had several dark purple-blue bruises that contrasted sharply with her pale skin as well as an angry gash covered in stitches on her forehead. She also sported a clunky cast and a thick brace on her leg and wrist. With her dark hair pulled into space buns, and blue eyes, as well as how small and bruised she looked, they all felt a rush of protectiveness flood through them when they saw her. 

Their silent shock was interrupted by Jason leaning over to Bruce and whispering angrily “You said her classmates did this to her?!” At his exclamation, the other three tensed in anger at the reminder that her old friends had been the ones to injure her so severely. They were snapped out of their thoughts by Marinette speaking.

“Bonjour, Monsieur Wayne! Thank you for letting me stay in your house with you! I promise I’ll do my best to not be a bother to you and your family.” Her voice was slightly rough from when she had been crying, but she spoke sweetly, and politely. At her statement, Jason jumped in “No problem Pixie Stick! The only nuisance here is the Demon Spawn, and he’s not home yet.” She blinked up at him, before her mouth twitched up into a half-smile. “Thank you, Monsieur. I’m sorry but I didn’t get your name…” she trailed off. 

“Sorry about that Sunshine, he’s Jason, I’m Dick, and the sleep deprived one is Tim.” Dick interjected. “And you don’t have to call us Monsieur, either. Just our names are fine.” 

“Oh okay. Thank you Mister Bruce, and thank you Dick! I’m Marinette, but I’m sure you knew that already. You can call me Mari if you’d like. I’m not very picky about nicknames!” She laughed. 

“Now if the young Masters are done with their introductions, I will gladly show Miss Marinette to her room.” Alfred cut in. “Thank you Monsieur Alfred, that would be wonderful.” The girl in question smiled up at him from her seat in the wheelchair before he wheeled her inside.

---

Marinette thanked Alfred as he wheeled her into her room. He mentioned that someone named “Damian” was at school, and that she would be attending school after she gets adjusted to the time difference. After he left, she opened her bag to let the Kwami out, and waited for their excited chattering to calm down. Once they had quieted, she spoke. “Hey Tikki? Do you think it was wrong to tell Alfred about the Miraculi being active in Paris?” she questioned as she fiddled with the straps on her bag. ”I was just so excited to meet another wielder that everything slipped out!” 

The Kwami was quick to reassure her. “Oh no Marinette, it's okay. SInce you are the Guardian now, you need all the help you can get. And besides, you already recognized each other’s auras, so there was no point in trying to hide it!” She flew up to her face and patted her unbruised cheek gently. 

“Oh no! I completely forgot to tell Alfred that I’m the Guardian!” She shrieked. “What if he gets mad at me for being too inexperienced?! He’ll kick me out and I’ll have to live on the streets! Then I’ll end up becoming part of the Crime Alley hierarchy, living alone in an abandoned building with a stray cat named Tommy! Tikki this is a disaster! A disaster!!” She would have continued to ramble in french, if it wasn't for the fact that Wayzz had flown up to her and reminded her that she needed to shower because she had been on an airplane and in the airport.

Several curses, near falls, and plastic cast coverings later, Marinette limped out of the shower, exhausted but clean. She quickly tied her hair onto a messy bun before changing into warm leggings (although she couldn’t fully pull one side down due to her cast) and a sweater. Gotham was cold! She let the Kwami roam around her giant room as she put her clothes into her closet. 

After settling in, she plugged in her phone and texted her friends. 

FashionableBug: Just got everything organized and took a shower. Turns out M. Wayne has four kids! I met Dick, Jason and Tim, and apparently Damian is at school. 

QueenofMean: Maribug! How dare u not text us as soon as you arrived! Ur plane landed over three hours ago! 

Snakey Boi: Chlo’s right, Mari. We were all worried bout u.

FahsionableBug: Sorry u guys. Everything was going so fast I completely 4got!

FashionableBug: Also I met a Peacock wielder!!!!!!!

You’reUnderAgreste: Really?! Buginette thats amazingggg

DragonGurl: Wonderful news indeed, Mari. They must have lots of advice for you.

QueenofMean: !!!!!! 

QueenofMean: Nettie thats awesome!!!!!!

SnakeyBoi: Thats totally great!

SnakeyBoi: Also who is it???

FashionableBug: lol Luka its Alfred their butler. Tho hes more like a grandfather

FashionableBug: Anyways, I’m going to go find the kitchen. I wanna make the Kwami some macarons!

FashionableBug: Bye!!!

DragonGurl: Bye Marinette.

You’reUnderAgreste: Bye Bugaboo!

QueenofMean: Bye Bug!

SnakeyBoi: Bye Mari!

Marinette smiled as she put her phone down. Glancing over at the Kwami flying around the room, she stretched before calling out “I’m going to see if I can bake in the kitchen. Do any of you want to join me?” Before she had even finished her sentence Tikki and Kaalki were flying over to her and nestling in her bun. Laughing at their antics, she maneuvered herself into the chair before wheeling herself down the hall. She hadn’t gone very far when she bumped into Alfred walking out of another door. "Salut, Monsieur Alfred! Would you mind showing me where the kitchen is? I was thinking of making some sweet treats for my...friends.” At her statement, Tikki and Kaalki poked their heads out of her bun to wave, before hiding again. Smiling, Alfred turned to her and spoke. “Of course Guardian. Right this way.”  Her eyes darted to meet his hesitantly. “You aren’t mad that I’m the Guardian?” Alfred paused and looked her directly in the eyes. “Miss Marinette, I am in no way questioning your capabilities as a Guardian. You are very powerful, and I have no doubt you will do an amazing job. I am simply upset over how you seem to have no Mentor or any form of Guidance to help you.” Sighing in relief, she smiled. “Well, my old Master lost his memories because he had to give up his memories after being compromised. I do have the Grimoire though, and I was also hoping you would help me as well?” She questioned, looking up at him hesitantly. As they walked into the kitchen, he bowed to her and stated “It would be my greatest honor to assist you, Great Guardian.” She laughed and thanked him before beginning to bake. 

She hummed a simple melody designed to bring about calm and peace, and soon she was happily working in her own tranquil little bubble. 

An hour later, as she was frosting the little pastries, Jason walked in, drawn by the smell of sugar and freshly baked goods. “Hey Alfred! What cooki-” he cut himself off. “Sorry Pixie Stick, I thought you were Alfred. Only he can make something worth eating in this house!” 

“Oh it’s no problem Jason, I was just making macarons. My parents own a bakery, so I’m kinda used to just baking whenever.” She laughed softly

“Damn Pixie, macarons?! You haven’t been here a day, and you’re already much nicer than all my asshole brothers!” 

“Yeah, well these are for after dinner, so no touching ‘till then!” She warned.

He sat at the counter and scrolled through his phone as she decorated the pastries. Soon enough, she had them all completed and proceeded to carefully take the tray and wheel over to the fridge. Before she could move an inch, Jason had leapt up and placed the tray in its designated spot. “Sorry Pix, but I’ll get that for ya. We don’t need you accidentally crashing or dropping these heavenly treats!” He laughed.

She crossed her arms and pouted up at him, before her mouth stretched into a wide grin. As she wheeled herself into the dining room, she swiftly turned her head and stuck her tongue out before disappearing through the door into the room beyond.

---

Dinner with the Wayne family was a rambunctious affair. Dick and Jason bantered good-naturedly over their meals as Bruce sighed tiredly in the background. Tim moved lethargically, downing giant gulps of coffee as he ate his meal. Damian apparently was studying with his friend Jon, and therefore wouldn't be eating with them. They all smiled and laughed as they talked through dinner. Marinette told them about her friends, before adding that they’d probably video call her tomorrow so they could meet the family. Bruce assured her that it was not a problem and added that he would be glad to speak with her parents. After eating, she headed up to her room to work on the outfit she had been sketching on the plane. 

She immersed herself in designing, and ended up finally going to sleep shortly after midnight. The Kwami flew over to their little nest of pillows and blankets, and she turned off the lights before drifting off to sleep. Her dreams were plagued by nightmares of looming shadows and ethereal dark butterflies destroying the world in fire. She watched in helpless terror, stuck in her Ladybug persona, unable help as the world burned. The horrific dreamscape was shattered by the sound of her phone blaring out an Akuma alarm. 

She leaped out of bed and shut off the shrill noise as she called for Tikki and Kaalki before leaping through the portal and into Paris.

She ended up in a ravaged, unrecognizable landscape covered in flames. Looks like her dream had been semi-accurate after all. The Eiffel Tower was partially melted, and fires were cropping up all over the city. The four simultaneous thuds behind her signified the arrival of her team. As one they looked upon their ravaged city and charged the Akuma.

[ardentprose]

College Boyfriend: Jungkook

Warnings: language, suggestive/sexual themes, boyfriend jungkook

Dating college-aged Jungkook...

Would be annoying as hell

he’s the type to piss you off whenever he’s bored

which happens alot because this boy. does. NOT. study.

which is stressful for you because at exactly 1 am every night he comes to you with his dumb shit-eating grin and his mint textbook because he never uses it

and begs you with not even a morsel of regret because he knows you’ll help him

otherwise how will you two graduate on time to move to the city together?? that rent will not be paid on one income

“baaaabe. what’s on the exam tomorrow?”

“Wow, i’m shocked you even knew there was an exam this time.”

“TaeTae just quit our game so he could go study and now i’m bored”

if you simply rolled your eyes and kept typing away at your paper he would drop his textbook loudly on the edge of your desk or if you’re in bed on your legs without hesitation

earning your death glare that does not phase him

he snakes his rock-hard arms around your tummy and nuzzles his face into your neck, his hair tickling your cheek and blinding you in your right eye

“pleasssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” 

“ALRIGHT BUT THIS IS THE LAST TIME!”

alas

it was not the last time

bored jungkook would show up at your dormitory on the daily and you’d know because either

all the girls get real giggly out of nowhere

or he’s brought his entire squad and even the RAs are swooning over the seven boys clearly breaking the rules by being present in a girls’ dorm

he would never knock but just shout until you heard him through the door and your headphones

but of course your neighbors didn’t care

sometimes they’d even answer their doors first and by the time you let jungkook in he was already waist-deep in ranting about a battle gone wrong on league of legends and the regret in the girl’s eyes caused you to take pity rather than get jealous

he was Never allowed to bring all the boys in your pathetically small room so they would either scatter and explore this sacred paradise or line up obediently in the hallway, winking at the girls as they passed

bored jungkook lays his stinky feet on your thighs after working in the gym

he shakes the sweat from his hair onto you and will offer you his shirt and as soon as you turn your head, sometimes accepting the shirt blindly, he’s cackling as you hurtle the dead-cat smelling shirt across your room

bored jungkook will make up names inspired by his twitter feed and call you each one until you laugh or smack his closest body part

“babe. baby girl. bae. my boo. main chick. girl with the good hair who’s not becky because i only love you. mamacita. miss thicc. my skinny legend. sweetheart. brat (that’s YOU, jungkook). my ult bia AND my bias wrecker. my all-kill. yummy yumm- (NO!)

but sometimes bored jungkook was really sweet

there were times he was exhausted of his testosterone flooded environment and texted you in the most polite millennial format you had ever seen

“can we netflix and chill but like really just chill?”

baby boi jungkook is activated as soon as you reply ‘yes’

he shows up with a blanket and a hoodie he’s wearing but its for you because he would rather be shirtless and snuggling you under the blanket’s heat

and of course he brings exclusive “Y/N and Me snacks” from his many shelves of Jungkook Snacks

no lie he punched jin in the face because jin ate your favorite oreos and jungkook had saved up to buy those

okay so he accidentally hit jin while wrestling them out of his grip

you greet him with a kiss on each cheek and his eyes become adoring stars as he literally follows you around your room. he stands at the bathroom entrance and watches you get ready for bed. he waits patiently by the bed as you clear it of your study materials

you set everything up he strips his hoodie off and hands it to you

his arms again around your waist and this time he keeps his hair in a bun so it doesn’t tickle your nose and make you sneeze even tho your sneezes make him giggle

he kisses your lips at least four times while you surf netflix not offering suggestions because he only wants to watch anime or whatever you wanna watch

his love for romantic korean dramas started with you which is funny seeing as he’s had an entire lifetime to watch these with taehyung repeatedly recommending them 

tae is not happy that it took a girl to convince jk to sit down and watch Boys Over Flowers

or even Strong Woman Do Bong Soon which was made for jungkook like c’mon-

and if a couple breaks up on screen, fighting and screaming he instinctively grips you tighter and presses his lips against the pulse in your neck for comfort and assurance

his wide doe eyes are glassy as they fight but they absolutely flood when the couple makes up

jk will whip his head into the hood behind your head and hide his tears while you stroke his forearm and interlace your fingers with his

most nights jungkook falls asleep on your shoulder before the first episode ends

some nights the first ten minutes have barely passed before you realize soft boi jungkook was a ruse and his hands are up his sweatshirt on your torso, cupping your boobs and mouthing at your neck and

dang nabbit you’ve been bamboozled AGAIN

but fuck is it hot the way his teeth pull the skin on your neck, going back in to suck on it and repeat the process until red blooms like an abstract necklace

and if you’re too lost in the feeling of his fingers circling your skin leaving traces of fire he’ll remove one hand and cup your cheek turning your jaw to interlock with his

thus a makeout session ensues

at some point you’re pulling the hair tie from his head and weaving your fingers through the wavy thick strands, moaning at that sensation alone

but your roommate usually comes in before you get very far

or annoying jungkook returns and he pulls away breathless but a smirk flashing on his lips as he glances over your shoulder 

“its curfew...gotta go”

jungkook is actually very smart and very talented

like the best in his film production class AND his art studies class AND best athlete on the football team

he would be best dancer but hoseok claimed that title and jungkook has made it his personal mission to surpass the dancing legend before either of them graduate

he always holds your hand while walking to class

runs up and snatches your hand, kissing your cheek in greeting

uses your interlocked hands to pull your arm around his shoulder, cup your waist and kiss you for good luck before your test

always leaves his friends to come say hi

uses his extra college-given bucks to buy you a coffee or a meal in the cafeteria if you forgot your money 

lets you use him as a chair if all the seats in the library are taken or even if they’re not and plays with your hair with one hand, phone in the other while you study for the both of you

everyone on campus knows jungkook is top of the line but everyone on campus thinks you’re top tier for wooing the man

that annoying student who guesses the answer and gets it right

if namjoon can hate another human being it’s jungkook in philosophy spouting off A-class bullshit and getting praise from the teacher

then having the audacity to ask for namjoon’s notes

college boyfriend jungkook may be your typical jock in physique but his heart is kind and protective and he knows how to balance time with his friends and time with you

well no thats a lie

he spends 99% of his time loving you

[ao3gingerswag]

Learning

Prompt Submission by modernurbanfantasy:

I would love some sort of future situation (if/when) Dean, Cas and Sam when they are back at the inn around how smart Sam is. Like we know how smart Sam is (and I think Dean probably does as well) and he wants to get Sam some education (in the church or in some local school) but that is obviously v difficult. So he is all sad thinking about what he would need to do to get Sam into a school and is trying to hide it from Case and then like idk Bobby or something is able to help get Sam some sort of deal with the local school bc they see how smart and talented he is. Idk just an idea. 

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE OUTSIDE

To: Pastor Murphy

My name is Sam and I am 10 years old. I saw your pamflet on the phisics of momentem posted on the church bulitin borde. I liked it a lot. I am writing to you becase I think you made a mistake tho. You cubed the largest side of the triangel when I think you meant to square it. If you square it it solves the problem you were talking about. I tride to go in to tell you but the man at the door said no I cant come in becase theres no church today and only the students can go in. And I dont go to the college. I tride to say I need to see you becase you made a mistake and tride to show him but he said i dont know what your talking about. So I am writing this note and leaving it here on the borde for you.

Thank you.

-Sam

Dear Sam,

In all the years I have posted my articles on the church bulletin, I have not once received a response from the local population. I have always continued to post them regardless, just in case anyone is reading them. I was so happy to discover that my efforts have not entirely been in vain.

I have received several letters from my colleagues since the publication of my paper pointing out my error, but none have been so polite as yours. Did you know, none of my own students caught the mistake you so kindly made me aware of? Authority is the bane of progress, I often think, as it seems since I took my position none but the few others in similar positions dare to question whatever I say.

Sam, I am delighted that Whitecreek is blessed with a child as inquisitive and bright as you. It is not often that I meet ten year olds who are interested in physics, much less those who can follow my published papers. If you like physics, I would be happy to meet with you and your parents this coming Sunday to discuss the subject and the possibility of furthering your education.

I am leaving this note with the guard you spoke to last week, and have asked him to give you this letter if he sees you again. If you have another letter for me, you can leave it with him and he will pass it along. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Pastor Murphy,

The Whitecreek College of Natural Sciences

Hello Pastor Murphy,

Sorry I didnt come to the church Sunday I didnt get your letter until now. I dont live in whitecreek we only come once a month to get suplies. I live at the inn outside of whitecreek they call it the willow inn becase it is near a willow tree. Maybe you have heard of it maybe not if you dont travel.

I like everything not just phisics I like biolagy and astranomy and math and I like reading and I like learning and I like looking at bugs and plants and things in the woods. My dad didnt like it when i read tho becase he didnt know how and he said do you think your better than me. I said no but he still got mad at me. But I dont live with him anymore.

I really like learning a lot. I would like to meet you and talk about phisics and other things but I dont have parents I just have Dean and Cas. They run the inn and I help them. They said I can meet with you but Cas said to tell you that we have no money for school becase he said maybe you think I’m rich becase I can read and write but we are not rich. I learned to read by myself becase I like it. So I cant go to school and cant further my educatin like you said but I would still like to meet with you please if you want to.

Do you have any books I could look at? I like books but no one has any books. Cas has a book and he let me read it but I read it like a hundred times now and memerized it. If you have any books I could look at I would be very gratful and I would not mess them up I would be very careful. But if you dont have books or dont want me to look at them thats ok i understand i would still like to meet you please. I have a lot of questins. Like is the moon hot or cold. And lots of other things. I used to ask my dad but he yelled at me and sometimes he hit me i think especially when he didnt understand the questin.

It is better now becase Dean was always nice to me and listened to my questins and Cas I dont know him so well yet but he is nicer than dad and he hasnt gotten mad at me for asking questins yet. He says you are very smart Sam and it is good to ask questins which is nice. But even tho Dean and Cas let me ask questins alot they sometimes know the answer but usually they dont. They say you know more than me Sam. I think I do know more than them but only becase they dont know how to read I think everyone could learn everything if they just knew how to read. Thats how i learn things.

Please let me know if you still want to meet with me even tho I didnt see your letter in time. The guard said you are not here today becase you are at a lectchure about math in a diffrent city that is so exciting maybe you can tell me about it when you come back. I will be here again in four weeks I will come and maybe I can see you or maybe there will be another letter eether way thank you I am so happy.

-Sam

To: Sam, ten years old. Willow Inn, outside of Whitecreek.

Dear Sam,

I was truly overjoyed to receive your most recent correspondence. I had worried that I had scared you off or that your interest in science had faded. Clearly, these were merely the fears of an old man, who has become a bit too paranoid in his old age. I have in fact heard of the Willow Inn, and in fact I have stayed at it a few times when traveling that direction for a conference or a lecture. It has been a few years since I last had the pleasure of receiving their hospitality, but I had thought it was run by only a man and his son, who was about 13 at the time. Has the inn changed hands, since I was last there? Or has my faulty memory yet again betrayed my years?

In any case, I have sent a courier with this letter to the inn, in order to avoid missing you yet again when you again make your way into town. Sam, I am absolutely still interested in meeting you, regardless of your financial situation. Your literacy and thirst for knowledge is made all the more impressive by your lack of formal education. I will happily share all the resources I have with you, if you would like to learn. The college’s library has many books on all of the subjects you have expressed interest in. We have collections on physics, biology, astronomy, math, and several thousand others. All of these can be made available to you, and if you are as careful as you promise you will be, you can borrow almost any of them and take them home with you for the month. I would be happy to meet with you and discuss your readings when you make your regular trip to town, and could suggest which books you may want to start with, and which to continue with once you have studied those.

I am sorry that you have had difficulty in the past when you have tried to express your curiosity. Unfortunately there are many in the world who don’t care for knowledge, and resent those of us who seek it. I am glad to hear that you are now living with people who are more understanding of your interests, ignorant though they might be of them. I must say that I am struck by your optimism regarding the natural learning capabilities of the general population. I strongly agree with your statement, which I have quoted here because it means so much to me: “I think everyone could learn everything if they just knew how to read.” This is an opinion which I have always agreed with, and have been trying to convince many of my colleagues of for most of my long career. I am glad we are of the same mind in this area.

In answer to your question: Unfortunately, no one knows for sure if the moon is hot or cold. The prevailing theory currently is that it is cold. The reasoning here is that we are fairly certain it is made of stone, and stone is cold unless otherwise heated. In the absence of an internal heat source, we assume the moon is likely cold to the touch. However, we cannot know this for sure without knowing exactly what it is made of and how this material would be affected by the heat of our sun at its current level of exposure. Perhaps when you grow up, you will be able to figure this out for us.

I look forward to hearing your other questions when we meet, and I of course will be happy to share what I learned at my conference with you. If I am correctly understanding your schedule, I believe you will be in town again two Wednesdays from when this letter should reach you. I will be at the church from dawn to dusk on that day. The guard will know to let you and your family into the building, and we can discuss the possibility of further meetings then. Please give my best to your family, and I wish you the best until then.

Pastor Murphy,

The Whitecreek College of Natural Sciences

Hello Pastor Murphy,

I asked the man to wait for a minit so I can write a letter back and he said he would but I cant take forever he said so I wont. I am so excited to meet you in two weeks I am going to write all of my questins down. I am so excited to see your books I am so excited to learn. Cas said we can all come meet you together and then they will go do shoping and I can stay if thats ok or Dean can stay with me if you want. That is so intresting about the moon i didnt think about that thank you for explaneing. I will be so careful with your books if you let me take them home and I will read anything you say I should I will be good and learn fast and you will be happy you let me learn I promise I will be good and you will not regrat it. Thank you I am so excited sorry this is mesy and there are stains I am crying a lot. I would wait to write later but the man wants me to hurry up. I used to dig in the trash to find anything with words on it to read and Dean would let the man at the church do bad things to him so he could bring me pamflets sometimes. I said dont do that but he did anyway and I was always so happy to get them even tho I said dont do that. Which I felt bad about but I still read the pamflets. Anyway if you let me take lots of books home I will learn everything and I will read to Dean and Cas so they can lean too and I will be very happy. I am so excited thank you I will see you in two weeks.

p.s. i forgot to say. Cas’s dad died and now he runs the inn with Dean who is my friend.

-Sam

To: Sam Winchester, ten years old, of brown hair and brown eyes. Willow Inn, outside of Whitecreek.

Dear Sam,

I have sent the courier along once again with this letter. The suggested coursework I promised you is enclosed. I also again wanted to express how wonderful it was to meet you and your family, and how excited I am to have such a bright young man under my tutelage. Your questions were delightful, and I can only hope that I have answered them to your satisfaction.

Please do reiterate to your friend Dean that it was lovely to meet him as well, and that he will always be welcome in my church regardless of the content of his past.

I look forward to seeing you all again in person next month, and wish you the best until that time comes.

Pastor Murphy,

The Whitecreek College of Natural Sciences

Hello Pastor Murphy,

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Sam :)

[modern-fae-female]

Elorcan Modern AU Chapter 6 Lorcan’s POV

She just had to show up with the rest of her friends to see me, the Cadre, and Maeve arguing and taunting them. Then of course Maeve hade to go around calling her the ‘crippled girl.’ Usually I would go along to the names Maeve would call people, but for some reason that made me angry. I felt the sudden urge to tell her to shut up, but I held back because I know it would make tonight more awkward and I didn’t want her to be angry at me. I had zoned out again until I heard Maeve say we were leaving and I walked out with them to head out to football practice, sadly Dorian, Rowan, Aedion were also on the team which meant we were going to have to deal with them. I got to the locker rooms with the Cadre and got my uniform on. I could still feel the rage I had from Maeve taunting Elide and I hoped that I could get it to stop during practice. 

“ Alright boys, stop frolicing around and get into formation and do some run and catches, pair up.”

Luckily I got paired up with Gavriel, one of the members of the Cadre I could stand most of the time. 

“ So, your going over to Maeve’s tonight?” he asked.

“ Ya, why?”

“I heard during class, just wondering since she’s never had just you over before, right?”

“ Not that its any of your business but yes.”

“ Well good luck, she can be pretty unpredictable when she asks you over.”

“ What do you mean?”

“ Well I know what your thinking why she's asking you over, but when she asked me over she asked me to do some jobs for her.”

“ What kind of jobs,” now I was confused,

“ Like you said earlier, none of your business.”

We did some catches and played some runs until practice was over. It was now 5:00 and I knew I had to head over to Maeve’s in a little bit. I didn’t want to head home so I just decided to visit the library and get some work done until I had to head over. 

I got on my motorcycle and drove to the library and walked in. Surprisingly

“ I went there quite often so I smiled to Mr.Illias as I walked in and went to my usual spot, a table beside the window where you could see most of the city. It calmed me, to see the outline of the city, its lights, the people walking by, the sun setting over the horizon. I sat down and pulled out my bag to do some work. I did some math and science until I pulled out the debate papers. How was I going to work with Elide on a six week project when I couldn’t even stand up for her today. I thought we made good progress during class, I don’t usually do small talk but with her it was easy, and now she probably hates me again. Great job Lorcan, you’re back at square one. I looked at the time, 6″15, shit! Maeve;’s house was at least 20 minutes away with no traffic, but it was rush hour. Maeve was not a patient person and I didn’t want to make a bad impression as it was my first time over alone. I quickly packed up all of my stuff and got on my motorcycle and drove as quickly as I could over to her house. I pulled into her driveway and ran up to the door and rang the doorbell. After a minute her maid opened the door nodded at me and let me in. She pointed me up the stairs and to Maeve’s room. Maybe Gavriel was wrong, maybe she did love me back and wanted to get together with me. I knocked and walked in to see her sitting at her vanity pulling up her hair.

“ Lorcan, so glad you could come.”

“ Of course.”

“ Now down to business,” wait what, “ You know that little new crippled girl, Elide Lochan?”

And there it was again, the rage, and like before I resisted the urge to tell her to shut up.

“ Yes I know her, I sit next to her in history and she’s my partner for the debate project.”

“ Exactly, that’s why you are the perfect person for this job,” what job is she talking about that had to do with Elide, “ We both know that Aelin the bitch and her little group of pathetic friends are always nice to everyone, but they were exceptionally quick to make her part of her little group and I want to know why. I know that there is some dirt there so I want you to find out everything you can about our little Lochan.”

“ Why is this so important,” now I was annoyed. I didn’t want to hurt Elide. 

“ Lorcan, think about it. There is a reason that the little queen bitch snapped her up so quickly. There may be some dirt on them that we can find out and take our revenge on them.”

“ What exactly do you want me to find out?”

“ Anything, I’m planning to have this year be our best yet and I have some big plans for the school and I don’t want anyone interfering, so you find out anything that will make the rest of the student body turn on them and love me.”

Of course Maeve some clever plan, but did it have to involve Elide. Wait what am I thinking? Maeve is asking me personally to help her with a big job and I’m second guessing it. What is wrong with me, Maeve is everything and Elide is nothing. I should have no guilt about this, so why do I do?

“ Can I rely on you to find this information for me Lorcan?”

“ How am I supposed to get that from her?”

“ I don’t care, you have six weeks of working on a project with her and thats when I need all the information possible by. Befriend her, make her fall in love with you, threaten her, I don’t care, just get it for me, and maybe I will give you a little reward.

I defiantly wouldn’t threaten Elide, but befriending her or making her fall in love with me. I didn’t know how to do either. My ears perked up at the little reward Maeve would give me. I could do this. I mean I’m Lorcan Salvettere for gods sake. I’m Maeve’s most loyal follower, member of the Cadre, feared my most in school, and star player on the football team, I could totally get information from a little new girl, right? 

“ So, do we have a deal Lorcan?” I looked up to see Maeve right in front of me with those eyes looking at me, she new that I would do anything to be with her. 

“ Ya, we have a deal.”

“ I knew I could count on you,” she said while dragging her nail up my arm and to my shoulder and leaning up to my ear, “ And don’t fail, remember your reward.”

I nodded and I knew I was done here, so I walked out and back to my motorcycle to head my foster home, which my great luck just happened to me Fenrys and Connall’s family. They had known my parents and when my dad left when my mom was pregnant and my mom died when I was 8 years old, I was put in the system. I was in and out of a few families but managed to still be in the Adarlan school district. After a couple more years Fenrys and Connall family had taken me in. They are very nice, but it still doesn’t feel quite like home. I pulled into the house and walked into the home to my Rottweiler, Hellas, jumping on me.

“ Omph, really Hellas, I just walked in.”

“ Lorcan sweetheart, how was school,” Mrs.Moonbeam asked.

“ It was fine, have a big debate project.”

“ Oh Fenrys told me about it, he said you got paired with a new girl, Elide Lochan.” 

“ Uh ya, I did.”

“ Well be nice to her, I’m sure its hard moving here after most people there have known each other for years. Well we just ordered pizza tonight so you can get a slice and do what you need, don’t forget to take Hellas for a walk soon.”

“ Thanks.” 

I walked into the kitchen and washed my hands and got slices and walked up to my room. They had a big house so luckily we all had own rooms. Mine was very minimally decorated, it had some rock posters, my guitars, motorcycle helmets, my bookshelf which had lots of books, my desk, and bed. I walked and sat down on my bed and pulled out my phone. I had a text from an unknown number.

>> Hey, its Elide, your debate partner. Rowan gave me your number and I just had a couple questions to ask you about the project.

She got my number from Whitethorn? Now I had Maeve’s job to think about which weighed on my chest. How would it end, but that was to think about later, might as well try to befriend her. 

<< Hey, and I know who you are Elide. And what questions.

>> Um.. did you want to start some things on your own before Wednesday or did you want to completely start then?

<< I did a little research about what the case was today so if you want to do that we can then cover the basics when we meet.

>> Sounds good! Thanks for letting me know.

<< Yep...

>> Everything ok?

>> I wanted to say sorry about after debate. I didn’t know Maeve would call you that

<< oh, it’s fine.. I expected it. I was just sad that you were there.

>> What do you mean?

<< Well when we talk you seem so nice, but then I see you with her and your a different person, someone who I don’t like. 

Is that how she saw me? She didn’t like me?

<< Don’t get me wrong, you seem like a good person, but I just don’t know why you act like two different people.

>> I don’t.. at least not on purpose. Maeve and the Cadre are my friends and I do what I can to please them. 

<< That doesn’t sound like friendship.

>> What do you know about friendship?

<< Well friends should accept who you are and make you the best version of yourself.. you should feel happy and accepted with your friends

>> Are you saying that I’m not.

<< I’m just answering your questions, I don’t get to chose what friends you make. 

>> Ya, you don’t. 

<< Well... I have some things to do, see you tomorrow. 

>> See ya. 

Well... this year got off to an interesting start. 

@bri-loves-sunflowers

[amoveablejake]

Well, Here We Are

It is time for the obligatory year in review piece, I know, try and contain your excitement. 

Well, here we are. The end of another calendar year. 2020 is drawing to a close and so like many, if not all, journalistic outlets I too will be doing my year in review. Do I count as a journalistic outlet I hear you ask? Yes. I’ve decided that I do. This is my column and I’m going to to pretend that I am a columnist here. And I can’t hear your eye rolls because I’m busy hiding behind my clicking keyboard. 

I’ve been thinking quite a bit about how I wanted to structure my year in review, for instance did I want to go through each category in a classic way and also would I also only speak about things that came out this year. The answer to both, is a no. Instead I am going to present to you my alternative awards for the year. There will still be runners up but the categories may be a little bit all over the place so if you were planning on counting on  a sure thing award winner that might be out the window now. That being said, shall we dive into perhaps the most chaotic awards show you’re going to experience this year. 

The album that I listened to literally on repeat for a week whilst I was working and as result now know ridiculously well. Perhaps too well - Winner: Pink Floyd ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ 

Right. So. Back in April one rainy Monday afternoon I put on ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ to listen to it through in its entirety for the first time. I had heard songs from it before and I was familiar with Pink Floyd’s music before this but this was what sent me down a spiral of their discography, so much so that Spotify have dubbed them my artist of the year based on playtime. Whilst I would not consider them to be my artist of the year, I can’t deny how deep I’ve gone into their library and in particular ‘Dark Side of the Moon’. I quite literally had it playing on repeat for the entirety of that week and now, now I simply don’t know if I ever truly existed before that album. Am I the album? Is the album me? I’m in too deep. 

The best representation of Seattle in a post apocalyptic video game - Winner: ‘The Last of Us Part Two’

Honestly, I know that this category makes it pretty clear that Last of Us was always going to win but that is because if it wasn’t on this list somewhere I think it might have indeed been a federal crime. This year I played both editions of Joel and Ellie’s story pretty much back to back and boy oh boy was that quite the ride. Part Two is a gruesome, grueling, revenge fueled ride that in all honesty is some of the best storytelling I have ever experienced. In any medium. It’s narrative is phenomenal, its game design is unparalleled, the voice acting and soundtrack are both out of this world and the way it looks is breathtaking. It is a game that continuously left me speechless and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I put it down. The fact that Joel looks like my Dad did and wears the same clothes only partly adds to the emotions it makes me feel. Although I won’t pretend the bit where Joel is talking to Ellie didn’t hit me quite hard. But hey, thats the game’s point. Its a story designed to make you feel and oh boy does it achieve that. 

The football player who came out of nowhere to bring life back to my club - Winner: Bruno Fernandes 

It has been a lot ol’ time since I’ve seen a player that I instantly fell for. Bruno Fernandes arrived in Manchester with an already strong reputation but he has completely transformed a team and shows no sign of slowing down. His first twelve months have been unparalleled and the comparisons drawn with a certain other Portuguese player who was worn that red shirt are not only warranted but deserved. 

The band who I’ve been missing all my life: Winner - Niteflyte 

Quite frankly, this is a very hard award to give. There were quite a few front runners however, it has to be Niteflyte. I got introduced to Niteflyte via a podcast about the CIA’s involvement with the soundtrack of the Berlin wall coming down (’Wind Of Change’, listen to it now. Well after you’ve finished reading this piece that is). The podcast only played Niteflyte because one of the figures it was investigating used to manage the band. It was a thirty second sound bite if that and it stopped me in my tracks. I was walking in my old city at the time and I had to stop on the street and find the album the song was from and put it on straight away. I have previously written about Niteflyte and their self titled album on the blog so go back and read that for a more in depth look however, if you take one thing from this it might be that if I was going to give an artist of the year award, lets just say I think I know who it would go to. 

The best motion picture handling of a father that has passed away that I have seen. Ever - Winner: ‘Onward’ 

When I first heard what ‘Onward’ was about I was, hesitant. Any film where a parent particularly a father comes back to life always makes me filled with trepdiation and this was the case when I went to go and watch ‘Onward’ back in March (the last film I saw in the cinema before all of this). Instead, what I found was an incredibly moving and sensitive film about losing a parent that had at its end the best handling of a reunion between father and son that I have ever seen on the big screen. I have watched it a second time since and I still found it to be incredibly well done. ‘Onward’ might well be my film of the year because of it, I’m that impressed. It is also a great film in its own right but hey, I can’t deny why it sticks out in my head. 

The show that keeps on getting better and better: Winner - ‘The Mandalorian’ 

Sigh. Everytime I think that that ‘The Mandalorian’ couldn’t possibly get any better it goes and proves me wrong. This year started off with the finale of series one and it has ended with the conclusion of the second series. It is a masterpiece and for that I don’t want to ruin its ending here. Instead I will say that it does get better and better each week and for this life long die hard Star Wars fan, hell, it might be my favourite Star Wars property. And I know that won’t mean anything to you, but to me, that is saying something. 

Okay, so, I could keep going on and on with these awards however, its the festive period and I don’t want to keep you hanging around too much so instead I am going to include below some honourable mentions with a little sentence about each. 

‘Anxious People’ - If I was to give a book of the year award winner this would be it. In fact its one of my top ten books ever. Its perfection. Read it. Now. 

‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ - Released at the perfect time and all these months later it still captures my heart everytime I go on it. 

‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ soundtrack - Look. I don’t need to make my feelings about this album any clearer. We know I love it and I hope that you’ve listened to it by now and you do too. 

Diego Maradona - The greatest of all time. There’s nothing more to say. 

‘The Prestige’ - Oh boy. I had heard about this film a lot from the IGN UK podcast over the years and it did not disappoint at all. Especially who plays a certain Mr Tesla. That reveal blew me away. 

Joe Exotic - Watching ‘Tiger King’ really felt like event viewing and came along at the perfect time like Animal Crossing. Joe Exotic, I don’t know what to say but he has earned his place on this list thats for sure. 

‘I’ve Got My Second Wind’ - I heard this on one of the early days in January, maybe the second or third and I’ve been listening to it ever since. My song of the year. 

Philippe Auclair - Football journalist and singer. Auclair who features on the Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast regularly is an incredibly articulate speaker and is never afraid to hold the more questionable footballing authorities accountable. One of the writers and figures in football that I look up to the most. Oh and hes an excellent singer. What a man. 

Napoli FC - This was the year that I fell in love with Napoli. Theres no looking back now, I finally found my own team. 

‘Uncharted Four: A Thief’s End’ - The game that showed me, truly, how good games can be. I felt like it was a crime that this game is so perfect. It feels like the inside of my head and I never wanted it to end. 

My brother, James - Look. I know you’re reading this and you more than deserve your place on this list. I was going to give you a proper award but I couldn’t quite get the wording right. Anyway, the point is you’re on the list as you always will be. (And yes, you’re in the same section as Joe Exotic, quite the compliment I know) 

So there we have it. 2020. Hopefully the above gives you something to think about and some things to consume over this festive period before we go again for the new year. This won’t be the final piece for the year but all the same, I hope its a bright 2021 for you, see you in the future. 

- Jake, a man who is immediately re assessing the awards, 27/12/2020