#AND THEY RANDOMLY SWITCHED TO WEDNESDAYS FOR NO REASON

[starfleetwitch]

Berenice Griselda Wolfe tried to kill me and when that didn't work, she sabotaged my home set up by being a flirty MF with a TARDIS.

(Not a sentence I thought I'd EVER write completely sober or seriously but here we are)

This is a bit of a long story and now I've written it and got it out of my system I fully realise just how much I resemble a dog barking at a corner for no reason.

There is a TLDR at the end

Story time:

So I got this Tardis themed external USB hub for Christmas a few years ago.

It's kinda cool, lights up when you plug in a USB and what not. Fantastic. It also made that scrapping TARDIS sound when you plug in USBs. Also a fantastic feature, quite quirky. Much wow... For a week and then it really grated on my nerves. Found out after a month there was a switch on the side that let you turn the sound off. Wonderful. Fantastic. Problem solved. They all lived happily ever after, end of the story.

Except it wasn't.

Because the internet exists and with it, great knowledge that I shouldn't have been allowed access to.

I got bored and last year during some death scrolling, I found out I could change that hideously irritating TARDIS scraping sound...

...TO WHAT EVER I WANTED...

... And lesbian jesus help me, I wanted to be funny 🙈

So I decided to use sound bites from Holby City. Specifically from Bernie Wolfe.

We had "I say ding dong" for when a USB was pushed into a slot and "Easy tiger" for when a USB was pulled out of a slot.

Link here for reference: Where it all went wrong

Anyway. For a while it was quite funny... Except for you know... When my volume was turned up full blast and I was getting jump scared by Bernie Wolfe's voice every time I plugged in, lord knows what the rest of the house thought every time it went off.

I lived with it for a while... You know... Haha, scared me, GOT ME AGAIN BERNIE YOU OLD SCALLY WAG! But then things started going wrong. The jump scares started going into heart failure mode when in the middle of the night if I was doing a long download, she'd just randomly yell 'DING DONG!' or even worse, she'd start stuttering on full volume 'I SAY I SAY I SAY DING DONG DING DONG DING DONG DING DONG'. GENUINE heart failure territory. Like FOR GODS SAKES BERENICE STFU!!!

Me being me, I forgot how I'd changed the setting to be her voice... And also at this point, I should add, the switch on the side to stop her talking stopped working.

I must assume murdering me in cold blood via jump scares just wasn't working fast enough for her because for a while she stopped.

All seemed well in the land of Starfleet Witch but unbeknownst to me, Bernie was plotting something bigger. Something she knew would REALLY insta kill me.

I started working from home for a bit and randomly about a week in, she did it again... Except this time she yelled 'EASY TIGER' and that was it. Nothing seemed out of place, she never spoke again after that. Everything was fine for a couple of weeks.

Until last week (AKA THE WEEK THAT NEVER ENDED.)

I'd been in an anxious spiral. Shit was happening IRL and I was TERRIFIED of the future. She saw this weakness in me, witnessed first hand how on the edge I was and decided, like the spiteful cunt she is, that now was the time to hatch her brilliant plan.

Wednesday morning. I had a deadline. 9:30am arrived... But my computer wouldn't turn on. I rang for help, I had switched it on and off many times... Nothing. 10:30am rolled around. I unplugged everything, had the very guts of my computer spread out across my floor praying it would be an easy fix... Nothing. At the 11th hour, I plugged everything back in and tried to turn it on again, constantly pressing F8 to reboot it and miracle of miracles, it worked! I downloaded some software to test the hard drive health, did some diagnostics and everything seemed fine. Better than fine. The computer was HEALTHY AF! So I prayed it may have been just a one off glitch.

It wasn't.

In fact my computer repeated its issue of booting up every morning after that, an expense I couldn't afford to fix any time soon but I NEEDED the computer for work.

Friday morning rolled around, I unplugged everything, held the very heart of my computer in my hands trying to find a loose connection or SOMETHING. Nothing. Everything was fine. Dejected, this time when I tried to turn the computer on, I only plugged in the power cable, screen and keyboard.

It worked first try.

And that's when I FINALLY got suspicions.

Over the weekend I decided to do some experiments. I tried plugging in different things I hadn't plugged in when I last tried switching it on and low and behold it wouldn't turn on when Bernie TARDIS was plugged in.

And that dear friends is when I decided aging 40 years in the space of days over a joke isn't actually funny and that I'd CLEARLY wronged a god somewhere along the way, for what crueller punishment could they bestow upon me than to have my very muse almost kill me via an anxiety induced heart attack?

TLDR:

I haven't found out how yet but my TARDIS with Bernie's voice clearly got possessed by a disgruntled spirit insisting on making my life a living hell and now it's in quarantine until I can cleanse it's soul and work out how to take it's voice away again.

Moral of the story: Don't give things Bernie Wolfe's voice, no matter how funny you think it'll be. Bolting upright in your bed because you heard Jemma Redgrave say "ding dong" at 3am isn't actually as pleasant an experience as you might think and when it happens several times, it's terrifying.

#Anyway I've lost my mind and I'mma go bark at a wall now I've calmed down and am less angry at actual bernie #Normal scheduling shall now resume #Maybe bernie wouldnt have been so spiteful if I'd given something else Serena's voice #FUCKING TERRIFYING #bernie wolfe

[miercolaes]

  ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️  ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️  ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️  ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️  ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️  ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️  ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️𝙶𝙴𝚃 𝚃𝙾 𝙺𝙽𝙾𝚆 𝙼𝙴 𝙱𝙴𝚃𝚃𝙴𝚁   ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️  ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️  ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️  ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️  ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️  ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️  ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️  ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️ ️️️️️️️️️️️️️(i apologize in advance)

alias / name : veronica, vero

birthday : june 12

zodiac sign : gemini

height : last time i checked 159cm / 5ft2 ???

hobbies : writing, drawing, visiting haunted places, watching movies, sfx makeup because i gave up on normal makeup (can't do an eyeliner without a tiktok filter...), video games

favorite color : purple, red, black

current book : interview with the vampire (i was supposed to look into interviews as a data collecting method but oh well...)

last song : the great war by taylor swift / frunzuliță, iarbă deasă by subcarpați (romanian song if any1's interested, here's the song and the translated lyrics if you're curious)

last film / show : miller's girl / family guy

inspiration : goodreads quotes on different topics, all addams canon material, this one wednesday addams playlist, edgar allan poe's work (got a complete tales and poems and i randomly open it and read for inspo), my own past experiences (be it information from uni or stuff i've experienced), witchcraft i grew up with, horror movies

story behind url : previously woednesdayaddams, after a while i found it too long so i switched to a shorter version. miercolaes meaning wednesday but in spanish and tbh it was easier to remember since spanish is a latin / romance language (fun fact in my language wednesday translates as miercuri, but that was already taken and didn't fit with the addams lore)

fun fact about me : the reason i'm currently studying marketing is because i know i'd be godmodding irl had i chose security studies (think cia but for another nation) or probation. i've seen enough movies to know how it'll end. like i wouldn't imagine being professional if i had the ta.te brothers in front of me. they also managed to get arrested again so there's that.

tagged by your friendly neighbourhood @freakarus ily s

tagging : the legend that is @havvkinsqueen , the gore queen i adore @peachwrites / @anthrcpophagi , the sexy gorgeous addams family member @silent-stripes , the hippie mom @pierprincess along with her @nancewheelr & @wildhecrt brand , the one who accepts my morbid child @swervdcity and their dead princess @stvrsold , my morbid twin @wickedslip and if you haven't done it already, you (in a joe goldberg kind of way)

#♱ vero stfu. #crossing fingers u won't unfollow me now that u know im a gemini #i dont have two faces im more like joker than i'd like to admit #if u get the reference ily

[frozenmoonshine]

Is it just me, or something about about TR anime at this point just feels... idk, kinda off? I mean, aside from all the discrepancies with manga, and the scenes they skipped for no reason. 😑 But somehow, even the opening feels like the song and the video do not match, it looks more like an amateurish YouTube AMV, than an anime opening. Weird. 🤔

And the pacing of this episode was just off. Randomly switching from scene to scene... I'm just getting uncanny vibes, can't really put it into words.

But in any case, the hype is real, I'm still super happy Tokyo Revengers is back, cause my life feels like it finally has a purpose once again! 🥹

I legit let out the nastiest squeal of fangirling when KokoNui showed up in that cringy opening! And I'm sooo excited to see Haru finally getting some real screentime!!! I just hope the studio does justice to his character and presents him the way he should be presented. 'Cause I am livid with the fact that that poor excuse of a failed Wednesday Addams cosplay was given some serious beauty filters, and even the "pretty boy" voice. Such a damn waste... 😑 (Yes, I am aware how much hate I'll get from all y'all Hoetani stans, but I just organically cannot stand them cowardly bitchez!)

Anyhow, we'll see how this season goes... There's still so much to look forward to! 🤞

#rant over #tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers anime #tokyo revengers season 3 #tokyo revengers tenjiku arc #yokohama tenjiku #tokyo manji kai #s62 generation #toman #kokonui #tokyo revengers manga #wakui ken #ken wakui #liden films #white noise #official hige dandism

[talking-about-bug-snacks]

Hello everyone again!

Sorry to not respond for a while! Originally, I wanted to start Bigsnax in July, but since it is the last day in July, you can probably tell that is not going to be the case. I did initially want to actually post today, and be like “hehe I started in July technically after all!”, but I decided against it. And here is why!

Supply chain issues mean that I will not actually be getting the Switch version until September. I initially thought I could just use other people’s footage to get images like I had been doing, but I want these posts to be the best they can be! And for that reason, I am going to wait until after I play the Switch version after all. I want it to all be fresh, and to be in full Bugsnax Mode!

Bigsnax posts will begin on October 5th, and will be posted every Wednesday and Saturday until November 12th, so that they will end on the second anniversary of the game! Thank you in advance for waiting! Maybe I will randomly appear sometimes before that and post some other funny little stuff if I have any. See you later!

[87435678753256732]

July!

Hi friend, it is currently the first week of August and its time to write! it kind of sucks that I don't have a therapist anymore, and the only people I feel comfy talking about my issues are friends and my boyfriend. So I decided to talk about some stuff on here. work has been getting busier, but I think I get decently paid. school starts in two weeks~ and I have been having a lot of anxiety because I fucked up my class schedule. I was supposed to switch one of my courses, but instead dropped the one that was okay and cannot waitlist for two courses. I emailed the dept chair asking if there was a way to get added to the course I shouldn't have dropped. No reply yet, but I understand that it is the weekend so they are not working. Panic will start kicking in if I haven't heard back by Wednesday.

something else that I have noticed myself struggling with is my anxious attachment. when trying to explore how I developed it, It makes sense that it has come from abandonment and feeling neglected in relationships where all I wanted was to feel loved. AKA with my parents. In previous romantic relationships, I have noticed I "settled" for people that showed slight interest in me. As a teenager, I accepted relationships for the perks that came with it, such as attention and affection. I had to almost convince myself to like these people. but this would eventually backfire as I was the one getting broken up with and experiencing heartbreak. Taking a long break from relationships/dating (around 4 years?) was a very good decision. I focused on school and friendships, especially during covid where making online friends from college became very easy as an introvert. Once I graduated, it hit me that now that I was done with school and working full time, there was something that felt like I was missing. holidays made me realize I was craving a romantic connection. I had suffered from dysthymic depression for so long that I had not realized what I yearned for until I got on medication and began to feel better. I decided to try online dating around spring of 2022. that was an interesting experience. I started dating someone who had no previous relationship experience. I was hesitant at first, I wondered if there was a reason they were not successful, or was it external factors/unluckiness? I quickly realized it was nothing to do with unluckiness and everything to do with his porn addiction. Looking back, I genuinely feel sympathy for men that have effected so much by their porn consumption that they cannot speak to women irl. The scariest part was realizing that the person you thought you knew fairly well was the exact opposite. Online, he lived a completely different life. sex-obsessed and porn rotting brain in a site where he could anonymously roam in. I was able to get over that person fast because I realized I wasn't really into them, just into the attention they gave me. im aware that sounds shallow, but it was what I really needed at the time. The post and comments that I also found quickly made me realize I did not know this person at all.

Fast forward to February, I was feeling a bit sad that valentines day was coming up and I had no plans. Solitude became something I was comfortable with these past couple of years, but I still yearned for something. So I decided to download hinge and see what was in the dating pool (lol). some strange dates after, I met a guy that I clicked with. He was everything I couldve asked for; beautiful, hawt, nice, charming. Both sides clicked and we decided to get in a relationship. Fast forward to now, we are almost 6 months together and I am the happiest version of myself. Now here is where Im struggling. My anxious attachment is biting me in the butt. I am so scared that he is going to wake up randomly and decide he doesn't like me anymore, or unable to resist temptation and be unfaithful. A big reason why I have these irrational thoughts is due to stories I have heard online and irl, and my past relationship traumas. Yet I feel like a dick for even thinking that he would do anything like that. I think something that also plays a role is possibly how many sexual partners he's had, and how good he is at sex. im afraid that I won't be able to satisfy him fully that way, and that he will seek it elsewhere like so many men do. and he's so fucking hot too which makes me nervous! like other people can see him and say "dayum." AH! I have talked to him about this, because I know that if I don't, I will begin over analyzing his behaviors/actions and convince myself that my delusions are correct. He is so sweet to me. He picks me up from home, buys me food/dinner, talks to me and listens to my worries without being defensive, tells me that he loves me, introduced me to his family and friends, has met my fam and some friends, isn't selfish with money. I feel that sometimes it feels to good to be true. Like, this is some evil psychological trick that will lift me up and then crash on me. why do I feel like I don't deserve good things? why do I overthink so much to the point where I make myself cry? I feel so unstable sometimes. am I planting rotten seeds that will eventually make him realize he cannot be with someone so emotional? I deserve good thing. I deserve love. I deserve him. He is everything I could have ever asked, and I am so afraid that I am not the same for him. Im not in shape, I am not conventionally attractive, I have terrible hyperpigmentation, I don't have cool hobbies, I put all my self worth into making others proud. thats why im even starting grad school in the first place. I come from a very poor upbringing, I have little to no family around me. I could go on and on, but what good will that do. it will just make me feel worse about myself. I need to work on this. I have heard from others how good I am as a person, that I am beautiful in my own way. I guess I just need to believe it.

[tekni-kali]

Day 19

09:45p, Wednesday May 17, 2023

Today wasn't nearly as misery as I thought it'd be. Considering I tried my hardest to grt to bed and fall asleep by a reasonable hour...insomnia struck and no matter how much I begged, pleaded, yelled, and berated myself to close my eyes and go to sleep... I didn't. I stayed up until 3:15a, I wouldn't say it was super productive, but it wasn't not.

I did some writing, sorted through some feelings, did one smol piece of my therapy homework, and managed to not actually turn on the switch and bang my head against the colloseum wall.

Work went by quickly. I made progress condensing and re-organizing the primary section of interest and next step will be creating a new organizational hierarchy then begin filling it up with new content. It's pretty rough going though because I've lost a sizable chunk of motivation to remain productive because of all the politics that have popped up. I'll keep dredging forward for now though... And try not to let it weigh me down too much.

Therapy was productive though. I kinda ping ponged from topic to topic with her but she followed and gave me some really helpful advice that I really need to take to heart and remember for good use. Basically, yes, acknowledging the feeling of being stuck - professionally, financially, and otherwise - is valid. But i cannot ignore the fact that I have made progress, I have come along way in achieving goals and generating positive outcomes even if I feel like I'm constantly taking one step forward and three steps back all the time.

New homework is to randomly pick some old journal entries then review them and apply the knowledge that I've gained since to determine areas of growth and improvement where I can give myself credit for the progress. I think it will be a good exercise, even if I always find this particular method of backwards time-travel incredibly cringe and somewhat painful.

Mostly why I very rarely ever go back and re-read the brain dumps. After therapy I putzed around a bit but logged in to start day 1 of the 3 day house buying education program. Getting a bunch of humans in a zoom meeting with their correct first and last name only took about 20 minutes. Can't rly say I learned much of anything, newsflash: you need good credit and low debt to buy a house. 💡

Ah well.... Gonna go watch sum teen titans now.

Catch ya later!

-10:18

#day 19 #personal #log

[moghedien]

THEY REALLY CREATED THE MULTIVERSE ON 6/16 HUH

#AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HOW THE ORIGINAL ARI DATE WAS JUNE 12 #AND THEY RANDOMLY SWITCHED TO WEDNESDAYS FOR NO REASON #LIKE DID THEY ONLY DO THAT SO EPISODE 2 WOULD BE 616 #WTF #LOKI #LOKI SPOILERS #MARVEL #MCU

[violetsoju]

page 30彡★

kageyama tobio · fluff · 3.2k

a/n: came up w this idea based on a tiktok vid of this trend that randomly popped up on my feed (which i can't find anymore T_T) do let me know if you enjoyed it! ❤️

“Hey, Tobio.”

The mop of raven hair doesn’t look up to you, eyes fixated on the jiggly onsen tamago on top of the curry tonkatsu.

“There’s this new trend going on.”

He hums in response, fingers gripping onto a pair of wooden chopsticks, manoeuvring the fragile soft lump towards the spoon. Just a few more steps till being cradled snugly in the deep end of the cool ceramic spoon.

“And we’re gonna learn the moves and film it right here after this.”

His fingers twitch. One of the long pointy chopsticks loses its cool and stabs the tamago right in the core, streaks of yellow bleeding across the crisp golden brown tonkatsu. Its counterpart desperately tries to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding, but too much yolk has been lost, and more jabs were made in the frantic rescue mission. Not even the string of ‘shit’ muttered could save the day. So long, dear onsen tamago.

You’re finally met with piercing blue eyes glaring at you.

“No. And look at what you did to my onsen tamago.”

“You should’ve scooped it up with your spoon instead of pushing it with your chopsticks. Common sense much?” You thank the waitress for the hot steaming tempura udon. “Plus, you’re supposed to break the yolk and coat the luscious essence over your rice, unless you’re a freak and eat it in one go.”

Kageyama’s scowl softens when a piece of fried tempura lands in his bowl in exchange for a piece of tonkatsu. A glint of delight gleams in the two pair of eyes at the first bite of delicious food, taste buds tingling in satisfaction.

It’s a rainy Wednesday night. And rainy nights call for warm comfort food to make up for the gloomy wet weather brought by the pitter patter parade of fat rain droplets. So after a spontaneous text message, here you are, with an old close friend of yours, inside a small cosy shop hidden in an alleyway without any prior arrangements.

“And let me repeat myself. I’m not going to do any dumb dance trends with you again.” Kageyama restates his point firmly.

“Come on, you had so much fun the last time! Even Tsukki sent a good job sticker in the group chat.” You reason.

“You mean he enjoyed seeing me almost tripping over my feet.”

“That was the highlight, to be honest.”

He smacks your chopsticks away with his at your attempt to snag another piece of tonkatsu, not giving in into your pout.

“Anyway, I was just kidding. You’re in luck this time because it’s not a dance trend.”

Kageyama raises an eyebrow at you suspiciously, tilting his head to ask you to continue on.

“This time it’s a trend where you grab your nearest book, turn to page 30, and the first sentence will describe your love life. Interesting, isn’t it?”

“Just when I thought you’ve outgrown these ridiculous nonsenses.”

“Says the one who still insists on drinking a box of strawberry milk before matches.” You jab your chopsticks towards his direction accusingly.

“That’s different because it actually works. And it’s good.” He counterattacks by returning your gesture.

“I hate to say this but, point taken.”

He triumphantly snickers as you sigh in defeat.

“Aren’t you curious on how my love life is described?” You question, blowing off the steam from your spoon full of udon.

Kageyama chomps on another piece of pork cutlet, unamused at your question. “If you’re generous enough to share, I’d be honoured.”

“‘He smiles’”

“What?”

“That’s the first sentence on my page 30. ‘He smiles’.” You reply matter-of-factly, taking a sip of your hot green tea.

“What’s that even supposed to mean?” His brows knit in confusion, hands momentarily forgetting the spoonful of curry rice in hand.

“Use your imagination, Tobio. Awaken your romantic cells.” You gesture with your hands dramatically, earning a deadpan look from the boy seated across you.

“Does it mean whoever’s smiling is the love of your life? Or someone who’s always smiling?” Kageyama rests his cheek against his left knuckle, trying to connect the dots together.

“Well-“

“Wait a minute! Don’t tell me it’s Suga-san. Because if it is, I won’t allow it because Suga-san is way too good for you.”

He yelps as you not-so-accidentally dip your chopsticks stained with broth into his green tea.

“Shush, we both know how much Suga-san adores me. And everyone else.” You smugly take another bite of your fried tempura as he frowns in disgust after drinking the now broth infused green tea.

“I guess it’s feeling of love at the sight of his smile? Like feeling all warm and fuzzy seeing him smile.”

“Is there someone who makes you feel that way with their smile?”

You swirl the udon with your chopsticks mindlessly for a moment. “Maybe there is.”

You look up to the pair of blue eyes staring back at you, holding the intense gaze firmly, neither side backing down to break the tension.

“Do I know him?” Kageyama falters, a hint of anxiousness cracks in his voice.

“Since when were you so interested in my love life?” You laugh awkwardly, hoping to conceal your nervousness.

Despite the surrounding bustling chatter, the world suddenly falls painstakingly silent, with the irregular beats of two young hearts thumping deafeningly and out of rhythm.

The raven-haired boy succumbs first, looking back down to his half empty bowl. You continue swirling your bowl of udon, mentally slapping yourself at your answer and cracking your head to come up with something to save the mood.

“Well, I could help to scan him for you, if you want. Boys know boys better after all,”

You snap back up to look at the boy seated across you, eyes not meeting yours. This is a surprise.

“Plus, you can save the tears and snot to yourself because I might not be free to attend to your midnight crying sessions. If it really happens.”

A surge of warmth radiates throughout your body at his words. Definitely not from the hot bowl of udon.

Kageyama still has his eyes on the bowl before him, looking anywhere else but you. He tries to keep himself busy by scooping more rice, groaning as he further destroys the onsen tamago, unaware of the faint blush painting his cheeks. Definitely not from the hot bowl of curry, too.

“Don’t worry, he isn’t a jerk. I’m sure you’ll like him too.” You chuckle, adjusting your chopsticks to pick up more udon.

Oh, Kageyama Tobio, what exactly should I do with you.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽.* :☆ﾟ. ───

Scroll. Refresh. Switch apps. Repeat. Sigh.

You’ve been stuck in this constant loop for the past hour. Instead of getting much needed sleep for the next day, you subject yourself to the chains of the device held in your hand, despite the drooping eyelids and strained arm muscles.

What’s so fascinating about social media anyway? If it’s not friends or random acquaintances posting sinful food pics of ootds, it’d be someone ranting about either their work or love life, or memes you’ve already seen before. Sometimes you wonder if you’ve been casted a spell by social media.

Crying out a yelp as the gadget lands right in your face at the slip of your hands, you massage your nose bridge and forehead from the impact, grimacing in pain. It’s not easy being a slave to social media, huh.

Tossing your phone to the side, you roll over to lie flat on your back, sprawled like a star fish on your bed. A long sigh escapes your lips, eyes staring blankly at the bare celling above. Maybe you should really call it a day.

A beep from your phone tells you otherwise.

Tobio [23:17]

I did it. You owe me one box of strawberry milk.

[23:18]

IMG_20210402_961222

You immediately plop yourself up to sit cross-legged on your bed, tapping on the notification to open the message. As expected of Kageyama Tobio, it was a full-page picture of a book, with a small number 30 on the top left-hand corner. But unexpectedly of Kageyama Tobio too, the page wasn’t from those volleyball books or magazines stacked in the corner of his room. Looks like the mini ramble session you gave him on the way to the metro station worked.

“I know volleyball is the love of your life too, but we’re talking about your actual love life here! So no volleyball books or magazines, go rummage Miwa-san’s book shelf for one random romance novel. Just one. She’ll thank me for taking care of your love life.”

Sliding both your thumbs outwards on the screen to zoom in, your lips press together to form an ‘o’, brows arching in fascination at the first sentence.

She knows.

Interesting.

Your fingers dance across the screen swiftly.

me [23:20]

Ohhh interesting. See, it’s exciting, isn’t it?

Tobio [23:21]

I guess so

me [23:22]

Do you think it describes your love life well?

To actually imagine Kageyama Tobio having something that he loves as much as volleyball is, an odd and foreign feeling.

Tobio [23:24]

I’m not sure tbh

me [23:25]

Well spill the tea so I can help you analyse it

Tobio [23:25]

No

You swear you would throw punches at him if he was beside you now.

me [23:26]

Tsk tsk, so who’s the girl you’ve been hiding from me

Tobio [23:27]

Since when were you interested in my love life?

The use of your own words against you has you clicking your tongue in amusement.

You were contemplating between a civil or sarcastic remark when a new message bubble pops up.

Tobio [23:29]

But do you think she knows?

me [23:30]

About what?

Tobio [23:31]

Nvm, forget what I said

Seriously? This conversation is by no means, ending like this. You tap on the video icon on the right-hand corner of the screen hastily.

It takes a few rings for the familiar face to appear on screen, face a little too close to the camera, brows furrowed, lips pursed.

“What the heck, do you know what time it is?” Kageyama huffs in annoyance, running his fingers through his dishevelled black hair.

“Says the one who sent me such juicy information at this hour.” You bend your legs up, resting your hand on your knees for a better angle.

He throws his head back exasperatedly, muttering something inaudible along the static noise from the speakers, resting his head on a wooden frame you recognise. He still hasn’t changed his bed that he has long outgrown, complaining about soreness in his legs and arms that dangle off the edge every night.

“How do you expect me to go to bed with you hanging me like this? You have the worst timing ever.” You raise your hands in protest.

Kageyama buries half of his face in his palm. “I shouldn’t have listened to you.”

“But you get a box of strawberry milk from this! It’s worth it.” You gesture a finger gun to him knowingly.

He moves two fingers away from his face, peeking to see you through the screen like a child. Heaving a long, heavy sigh, he shifts his weight to sit up properly, half of his face still cradled in his palm.

“So, ‘she knows’, huh. Back to your question. What do you think she knows?” A tinge of excitement and fear bubble up your throat.

Kageyama avoids your gaze, looking to the side. “Well, I mean, about my, er- my feelings, I guess?”

“You mean your heart.”

The sentence has his eyes back on you, vivid blue eyes clouded by the shadows of dimly lit room.

“Yeah, uhm, well, I guess.” His voice trails off.

“Well, have you told her before?” You keep your voice steady.

“No, of course.” His words come out like a whisper.

“Then how is she going to know without any words or actions?” It comes out like a blunt statement, but somewhere deep down, a wave of relief washes over you.

“But I’m always there for her. Whenever she needs me, wherever she is, I try my best to be there for her,” Passionate flames ignite across the vast blue ocean. “I know something is on her mind when she bites the insides of her cheeks, when she flicks the tip of her thumb with her index finger constantly, or when she plays with the piercings on her ears. I’m not one with words, but I stay by her side when she needs me to, listening to her rambles or vents, or wiping away tears that stain her cheeks soft like mochi.

“I set notifications the night before to give her morning calls during her exams or important days because she tends to snooze the alarm on days like these. I always have extra band-aids ready on hand because she always somehow cuts and hurts herself, which hurts my heart too. Heck, I even learn ridiculous things that would be the death of me just for her, because nothing compares to the sparkle in her eyes when she flashes her precious smile, brighter than the sun that takes my breath away every time. I-”

Kageyama stops midway, face painted with horror as if he just let out a million-dollar secret. Panic flares in his eyes, mouth agape in incredulity as his body rigids, dumbstruck with terror by what rolled off his tongue so smoothly. You wonder if the line got disconnected because he turned into a static image, with a full-blown flustered look on his face.

You wave at the screen. “Tobio, you still there?”

It takes a few seconds for the raven-haired boy to snap back to his senses and regain his composure, coughing awkwardly in attempt to calm himself down. Small patches of blush blooming furiously on his cheeks peek out from his hands covering his mouth.

He looks cute.

No, he’s cute.

He’s always been cute.

“I- Er- Ye- Yeah, I’m still here.” Kageyama struggles to find words from his tad-larger-than-average vocabulary vault that has seem to disappear into thin air.

“Gosh, breathe Tobio, breathe. Come on, take a deep breath with me. One, two, three.”

He exhales deeply at the count of three with eyes shut close, hoping that all his jitters have been expelled away in the air.

“There you go. Feel better now?” Your lips tug up gently as the boy on the screen visibly relaxes, shoulders loosening from the tension, face free of creased lines.

He opens his eyes slowly, blinking a few times to adjust his vision before returning a soft smile to you. “Yeah, I do. Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

A tranquil silence blankets over the both of you. This time, the steady beats of two young hearts thump in tune like a metronome. Two young souls gaze at each other, basking in the calmness and comfort of the sincere warm smiles that felt so much like home; but too proud to admit they were like lovesick fools, brushing off the feelings that were screaming loudly to be heard, feelings that they were afraid to face.

“Do you think she knows?” It’s a genuine question, one that takes a mountain high of courage to come up with.

“I’m sure she does.” It’s a genuine answer, one that takes a of couple hundred meters of might to emerge from the deep ends of the sea to come up with.

And you both hope that you’re on the same wavelength.

“So back to square one. Who’s the girl?”

“None of your business.”

“Another piece of crap from you and I’ll leave without you at the metro station tomorrow.”

“Sorry.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽.* :☆ﾟ. ───

When you reach the designated exit of the metro station the next day, a pair of eyes as blue as the day immediately catches your attention among the crowd, feet shuffling on its own accord towards them. As if there was a detector sensing your presence within him, the owner of the beautiful pair of orbs turns to you, raising a hand in greeting.

Kageyama gives you a smile, a smile that says, ‘I hope my smile makes you feel warm and fuzzy’.

You smile back at him, with a smile that says, ‘I hope you know that I know your heart’.

It’s hard to shake off the pride to be damned, but the two lovesick fools find themselves discarding it slowly, bit by bit with each step taken, together.

【☾】

Kageyama is a creature of routine. He always has his day planned out in detail and hates it when it doesn’t go according to plan, or when something pops out of the blue. But there are a few which he can make exceptions for. So when he receives your text asking for dinner after his training session, he agrees in a heartbeat.

He felt his heart sink deeply in his guts when you said there was, indeed, someone who made you feel warm and fuzzy with their smile. But who was he to have his say when his status was merely just a close friend?

Miwa thought he had lost it when he barged into her room without notice that night, scanning her bookshelf for novels, specifically of the romance genre. It was more nerve-wrecking than retaking exams back in high school with Hinata while flipping through the pages, and it didn’t help much when he finally found the particular page, with the first line inked in black staring back at him in doubt.

He doesn’t know why he sent the picture of the page to you. What exactly was he expecting?

Worse, he doesn’t even know why he started blabbing about how he was always there for you, how much he cares for you, and how much you mean to him. It all just came out so naturally that he could actually score an A+ for impromptu speaking.

But when your eyes were filled with concern while calming him down instead of making fun of him or pestering him for more, something flutters in his mind. Maybe it was from the rush of adrenaline from before, or maybe it was his heart that had leaped out from his chest taking over. He brings up the question once again, with more confidence this time.

He knows you’re not one to lie with your eyes. And he sees the kindness and honesty in them.

A ray of hope flickers in him.

So today, Kageyama musters up every ounce of courage he has, and tells himself it’s now or never: to close the gap he has longed for so long between two hands that swayed side by side. Instead of retreating his hands away when they brush against yours, he curls the tip of his fingers with yours delicately, as if your fingers would melt at his touch.

He hopes that he made the right decision.

And when your fingers curl back, intertwined with his, he knows he has made the right decision, and that his question has been answered.

She knows.

And the fact that he’s the one behind the smile that makes you go all warm and fuzzy, he swears it feels like he could run for miles and miles without running out of breath, soaring even higher than the clouds in the skies. None of the perfect sets he has set in his lifetime could compare to the satisfaction and bliss he was feeling right now.

Because you had set his life ablaze the moment fate brought the both of you together, and you’re his end game.

#haikyuu #haikyuu!! #kageyama tobio x you #kageyama tobio x y/n #kageyama tobio x reader #kageyama tobio #kageyama x y/n #kageyama x reader #kageyama fluff #kageyama tobio fluff #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu oneshot #hq imagines #i want a soft boy like kageyama T_T #fun fact: the first line on page 30 for me is actually 'he smiles' too #which i thought to myself 'ah yes my 2d men smiling best describes my love life' #i originally started this for suga but it turned into kags midway hhh #go grab your nearest book and tell me whats the first line of your page 30!

[softomi]

inevitably

prompt: Honestly for a while I was okay with seeing you, but for some reason it pained me to see you. It pained me to feel like I missed you.

pairing: akaashi x reader 

genre: angst

When Akaashi was left alone, he felt indifferent. He continued his daily routine; coffee in the morning, cab ride to work, home late as usual, heating up dinner in the microwave. Nothing was that significantly different, he tried to reason. The lone toothbrush, the single towel, the sudden emptiness of the bed, he reasoned it wasn’t significant.

Even when his friends came knocking on his door on the first weekend in a while, it was nothing significant.

“How you holding up?”

It was like they were trying to beat around the bush, he wished they could get straight to the point.

“I’m fine.” Akaashi spoke, “It’s just a break up.”

The men in the room stared at him. Bokuto tried to laugh it off, patting the male on the back, “Right. Nothing we all haven’t gone through before.”

“You went through it the worst.” Someone interjects.

Akaashi doesn’t pay mind to the way Bokuto’s face falls at the statement, banter is thrown around the room, but Akaashi can’t focus, repeating in his mind that it truly wasn’t a big deal. We all go through it. He stated in his mind.

It was fine for a while. He was fine for a while. There was no reason for him not to be fine, in fact, how could he not be fine when there were no traces of you. Perhaps a lingering hair or two, but he noticed how you did a perfect job of erasing your existence that you were ever physically living with him. It helped with the moving on process, to feel like you were never there at all.

But yet, at two weeks after, he somehow found himself on your social media page. You, who was addicted to posting all the fine things in life, had not posted in days. It was shameful, as if he were expecting you to mention him in some way. It was so shameful, so he decided to mute your posts.

“Akaashi.” Bokuto was watching his friend pick at his food, “Are you sad?” Bokuto had no filter, “I feel like if I were in your situation, I would be sad; or at least frustrated! Don’t you want to cry or something? Maybe get mad!” Bokuto’s fist accidentally pounds on the table, “Akaashi.”

Akaashi felt it would be out of character if he did that. There was no reason to cry because you had given him sufficient reason to leave him, he had no reason to get mad because all your reasons were valid. Everything you had said that day was so valid, that he couldn’t argue.

“Bokuto.” Akaashi pushes around the food on his plate, “I’m okay, there was nothing I could do to stop her.”

Bokuto noticed the way Akaashi slumped, he knew the signs of his friend, Bokuto switched the topic to his next volleyball game. Akaashi wasn’t listening, he was too concentrated on how he accidentally ordered your favorite dish; he couldn’t tell the waitress or Bokuto that he made a mistake.

Two months passed slowly but he was still as fine as ever. To prove it, he unmuted your social media. He noticed how you had gone back to your everyday posts. But he was good, pleasant in fact that you were getting back to normalcy; you were back to how you were without him.

“Would you like to get some coffee with me?” The girl in front of him, he had never noticed her before.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” Akaashi was trying hard to recall her.

Her smile falters, “You helped me with an article last week.”

Now he remembers her, she wore the same earrings as you, it was one he had picked out randomly when you asked for his opinion on earrings. Truly the most mundane activity you had him do with you, but it was worth the smile on your face when you wore it every day for a month.

“Sorry.” Akaashi says to the girl, “I’m meeting someone.”

He was lying. Akaashi was granted a leave early from work, feigning an important event, he let out a large sigh when he exited the building. He loathed the thought of going home and he was craving something sweet. He took a cab to a bustling neighborhood. He doesn’t know the exact location, he just knows the cues.

The stationary shop that sells Hello Kitty stickers, you bought a set just to stick one on his briefcase. The ramen restaurant, it was one of those single seat restaurants with the option to eat with someone if you chose to let down the divider; you really wanted to try it with him. The bookstore, you two browsed individually, but you had the hardest time trying to drag him out after three hours.

He reached the café.

It was quiet, but who besides him would go to a café midday on a Wednesday. It was still the same, of course it was, you had only left him three months ago. The only thing that changed was your relationship status with him. He’s still okay though. It doesn’t bother him.

This café had the best fruit cake. Out of habit, he ordered two.

“One, to go.” He had to backtrack.

He remembers how the tea paired nicely with the fruit cake. The tea provided a nice bitterness to the sweet cake.

“Keiji?”

When he looked up, he saw you. The way you clutched your bag nervously, a smile on your lips as one of your hands waved to him. Did you look as beautiful as you did when you stood next to him?

He invited you to sit with him, it was a kind gesture he thinks, contrary to how he must have been when dating you.

“Wow.” Your hands clap together, “What a coincidence that we ran into each other here.”

Coincidence. He remembers you used to be a lover of fate but seeing him was only a coincidence.

“You grew out your hair?” Akaashi points out.

You grip the ends of your hair, a small laugh, “Actually I got extensions.” Your fingers run through your hair, “Just wanted to know what long hair felt like.”

Akaashi always stated he liked shorter hair on you, but the way your hair now falls long; he absolutely loves it, “It looks good on you.”

Your eyes light up, “Really? I was scared it wouldn’t suit me.”

It’s perfect on you.

“How are you?” He knew it was a stupid question. He planned many questions he would ask you if he ever saw you again but the simple how are you had never been option.

Your hand flipped your hair behind your shoulder, a grin on your lips, “It’s been good.”

He suddenly hated your answer. Weren’t you supposed to be sad? Was dating him perhaps so bad that you got over it so quickly? His fingers tightened against his cup, feigning a smile on his own expression to state he, too, was fine. How could he not, seeing you was absolutely okay; he, too, felt no linger attachment.

Akaashi wasn’t even realizing that he was holding his breath until you left; and when he breathed out; air shaky, throat suddenly terribly dry, Akaashi felt every emotion he’s ever wanted to feel in the last three months. His heart cried, his blood pressure rose, his head clouded. He stood angrily, the chair falling back.

He abandoned the to-go box of cake as he left the café; footsteps following in the direction you went. He was finally going to do it, he was going to confront you because he was not okay. What you said about him did not make sense. Nothing was valid. How could anything be valid when you left his life like it didn’t matter.

He sharply turns the corner, his footsteps froze as he saw you; tucked with your knees to your chest, bending on the lonely sidewalk. Your hair caressed your face as you began to sob. Akaashi’s steps backtracked, peering over the corner to watch over your sad figure.

The cell in your hand rang, you stood to your feet, brushing off the streak of tears to answer, “Kou!” Your voice surpressed the urge to cry, “Right now? I’m not doing anything.”

Akaashi watches your figure walk away.

“Me?” Your eyes are staring to the sky, “I’m totally fine. After all, we all go through it.”

Akaashi turned on his heels, hands dug into his pockets as he also looked up into the sky. It was perhaps the worst feeling in the world, trying to feel okay when he missed you.

#haikyuu x reader #akaashi x reader #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu #akaashi #akaashi keiji #akaashi scenarios

[elizabethsharmon]

Be kind always (even though we know it's not possible due to you being so offensive 😇😇😇)

oooh okay so turns out that this is an actual question meanwhile I thought it’s just a reminder that I shouldn’t be too petty while ranking the remakes 🤦‍♀🤦‍♀🤦‍♀ though I honestly don’t know how can I not be offensive while answering this question soooo I guess I’m gonna put this under cut so if anyone doesn’t want to see the negativity just don’t click? 🤷‍♀

Be Kind always - Unpopular opinion about skam?

aka I’m gonna say something controversial yet so brave

since you haven’t specified which one I should mention and I know you well enough to know what you expect from asking me this so…

skam france: season 4 was well-written. yes, there was sometimes too much drama to handle but there weren’t any plot holes and everything that happened actually made sense EXCEPT MARLES GETTING BACK TOGETHER UGH but other than that yes. and AT LEAST they gave imane all 10 episodes and in two clips that had somewhat switched pov she was still the main focus of them in the end. some remakes should learn.

wtfock:

they seem to just pick all the songs from billboard top 100 list from years 2003-2019 and put them randomly in the clips only to have a Known Tune and it makes no sense for the story shown on screen

cutting clips that could’ve easily be long into short clips and then ending them abruptly disrupts the flow of the story and one longer clip would work better than 832882 long ones (for example see: wednesday clips from s3e3)

what they’re doing now with sander and robbe without showing us practically any interaction between them but giving us hints that yeah they talked with each other and spent some time together is not cutting through, they can’t cram 3 weeks of interactions and longing into one week (or more like 3 clips where they actually talked) and be like “yeah, that’s good, great job, jeff”

which brings me to my next point: it kinda seems now that they don’t have any lgbt writers in the team and it shows

skam espana: s1 was the least skam-like in terms of experience and acting and the work of camera of all the remakes

skam austin: it’s not even skam anymore, it’s another american show for teenagers and yeah, no, it doesn’t work

druck:

first of all mia and queerbaiting saga - the only reason why they made her bi was because fans wanted her to be and so first in s1 she says “i don’t like labels”, then the writers made her KISS HANNA, only to make her say like two or three lines that she’s bi in s2. AND THEN they made her break up with alex after they were kinda okay together (as much as a noorhelm couple can be) and literally 5 minutes after they broke up they queerbaited with mia and this other girl.that’s like… not how you write bi characters and it’s very, very harmful to the community. so stop.

secondly: the constant focus on boys and talking about relationship with boys only like that’s the only thing girls can talk about. spoiler alert: it’s not! first they made the bechdel test clip and literally the next day they forgot about it all and released a clip of girl squad (except mia who was too busy kissing alex) talking about boys and relationships only with boys (but not for mia because “mia has a choice”! yeah so do you!!!) for 7 minutes straight. love that for them.

thirdly: contrary to popular opinion season 3 was a complete mess and the writing decreased tremendously and acting wasn’t good either. matteo had all the signs of depression but they just completely ignored it and just made him smoke more weed and meet with his weed dealer and he was practically stoned through the whole season. also his outfits were plain awful and whoever says otherwise has no taste at all sorry not sorry

still at the third point: if you want to change MI storyline to trans storyline that’s amazing BUT you HAVE TO adjust the timeline to this and if you really want to make it right and use your show as a platform to raise awareness and normalise stuff just do this and actually show stuff and talk about them and mention it. one dialogue isn’t enough. all in all what druck did wasn’t good at all, there was no point in waiting for so long for matteo to meet with david again plus making david being outed their “big reveal” at the end of ep8 (aka clips when evens have an episode) was only there for shock factor

let’s move on to season 4 aka “amira where?”. it was basically kiki’s season first, then they literally changed pov to mia and hanna and made it even worse and more pointless. love that.

i think that mohammed was borderline creepy and some of his interactions with amira reminded me a lot of noorhelm?? and yeah, i wasn’t buying that

also sam. she was in like 1/10 of all the seasons and it seemed like they put her in the clips only when kiki really fucked up and someone had to deal with it OR for comedy relief. she was the least developed character in the show

oh and the person handling youtube comments in the show and some members of the cast saying “just wait :)” and “yeah amira’s season is over but there are still some episodes left with other characters so just shut up and enjoy”… yeah, it doesn’t work like that. they can’t expect us to be thrilled that they made even more mess of s4 than any of the remakes or og and gave their poc character only seven (7) episodes. you don’t do things like this. you just don’t

okay i think that’s it. if i think of something more, i will let you know. are you happy now that you got your answer?

#don't @ me #it's iza's fault that i'm even saying it #answered #maggie talks

[ariela-of-aedyr]

How To Fight My Watchers

[A Guide to Defeating Eora's Champions. Or not.]

I wanted to do something a little bit different for Watcher Wednesday this week, so... well, here it is.

Ariela Rosethorn:

A beautiful and smooth-talking mixed race elf, Ariela was the youngest child of a minor Aedyran noble house, until a falling out with her family- on account of them trying to kill her, just a whole bunch of times- caused her to pack up and leave home in the dead of night. She's kind hearted, and even before becoming a Watcher, all that she really wanted to do was help people and improve the world around her. But don't let that fool you; beneath her calm and composed exterior hides an extremely tough and scrappy individual. She's survived a lot in her life, and she plans to keep on surviving. Her family couldn't kill her, The Leaden Key couldn't kill her. A God couldn't kill her. Do you think that you can?

Why You Would Fight Her: I mean, honestly? I don't know, why would you? She's a sweetheart. What is wrong with you? Maybe you heard that she was a pacifist, and thought that meant you would be able to get the upper hand on her? Probably a bad decision on your part, honestly.

Things to Watch Out For: Well, she's a cipher for one. If your friend tries to help you fight her, she's almost certainly going to make you fight each other, and that's just embarrassing really. She's also a crack shot with a pistol, so you probably want to hope you challenged her to a fist fight and not a duel, because that could be bad for you.

Verdict: Ari doesn't really care for fighting, but if you don't give her a choice, she'll likely kick your ass. If you catch her unaware, you might be able to get close enough to get a few hits in before she locks you in place with her psionics and wipes your memory of this event ever having taken place. On the off chance that you did manage to defeat her, somehow, be prepared to deal with a pissed off Iselmyr, because the Aedyrans are never far from one another.

Aubrey Stargrove:

The amnesiac orlan, and devout follower of Wael, Aubrey woke up from grave injuries as a teenager in a small town in the Deadfire with no memory as to who she was or how she got there. No-one in the surrounding area seemed to recognise her, and from that moment on her life became one big mystery that she intended to unravel. She's smart and inquisitive, but absolute chaos to deal with. Don't let her small form fool you; she's spent most of her life travelling on her own, and is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She's killed beasts for dinner, she's killed bandits that made the mistake of attacking her. She's killed her fellow followers of Wael. What makes you think you're so special?

Why You Would Fight Her: If you started the fight, then it's likely because you've made the mistake of thinking the small orlan is an easy target, and, my friend, that was your first mistake. Most likely, though, she's the one that's chosen to fight you, maybe because you looked at her funny or seemed otherwise suspicious or aggressive. Sucks to be you.

Things to Watch Out For: What's not to watch out for with Aubrey, honestly. She's unpredictable, and has a God on her side who's entire philosophy is Do It For The Lolz. She's a healer, but you should probably be ok on that front, because 90% of the time she's too focused on fighting that she forgets she can do that. Oh. Well, I guess the 'her being focused on fighting you' thing probably isn't great news, though.

Verdict:

She likes to think that she's a fighter, but she's a little squishier than she gives herself credit for. If you manage to get in a few good hits before she hits you, and piss her off enough that she forgets to heal herself, then maybe you'd stand a chance. More likely, though, she'll defeat you quickly and you'll wish you hadn't picked a fight with her. On the off chance you do manage to win, be prepared for your stuff to start randomly disappearing for the rest of your life, because Wael is nothing if not a petty bitch.

Mia:

The charming and voluptuous Mia is a world renowned actress and singer. She's very likely toured to a town near you, and you can bet that everyone who's seen her perform pretty much universally agrees that she's just as talented as she is lovely. The life of a performer, though, has left her rather soft. Sheltered and a little naive to the world, she isn't exactly experienced in the art of fighting, but ever since her soul was Awakened, she's been learning to survive. She's survived beasts, she's survived bandits. She's survived a biawac. Just maybe she can survive you, too.

Why You Would Fight Her: Maybe you got fed up of listening to her talk about herself, and honestly no-one can blame you for that. Maybe you made a remark about her performance not being show-stopping and she launched at you. Either way, if you have to fight one of my Watchers for some reason, then Mia is probably the one to go for.

Things to Watch Out For: The big one is probably that her songs aren't just songs, they're magic. If you startle her, she has a tendency to let out a scream that's also a wave of force that'll send you flying backwards. She's also deceptively strong, so while she doesn't have a lot of fighting experience, she does pack a good punch.

Verdict:

There's a decent chance that you might beat Mia in a fight, if you manage to catch her alone and off-guard, and maybe cover her mouth to stop her chanter spells. The buzz of your victory will quickly be replaced with fear, however, when her large, devoted fanclub mobilizes to hunt you down in vengeance.

Faenna:

A quiet and reserved Nature Godlike, Faenna is as difficult to read as they are tall. Which is to say, very. They don't really like to talk about their past, but you hear that they were part of a group of Bounty Hunters that specialised in hunting dangerous beasts back in the Living Lands, before they ended up heading out the the Dyrwood and becoming a Watcher. From what you hear, they've hunted trolls, and eoten. They've hunted dragons. You're probably nothing to them.

Why You Would Fight Them: Maybe you thought that because they're quiet, their reputation is a bit exaggerated. Maybe you're racist against Godlike or something. Either way, you've picked a fight with a giant of a kith now, and you've got to live with that decision. Don't worry though, you probably won't have to live with it for long. 

Things to Watch Out For: Faenna is a skilled surgeon, and as such knows all of the best vitals to aim for to incapacitate an enemy, or cause them pain. They're also a druid, so if you try to run, you're likely to find yourself tangled in vines, or pursued by something that they conjured to help them out. Tldr: you're fucked.

Verdict: They're going to beat you, no two ways about it. You probably won't even get a hit in. After the first couple of seconds, you'll quickly switch from an attacking stance to a defensive one, and maybe if you're lucky, they'll not kill you. I wouldn't worry about what might happen on the off chance that you win, cos that's not the timeline you're living in.

#pillars of eternity #watcher ariela #watcher aubrey #watcher mia #watcher faenna #watcher wednesday #Em-J Writes

[video-killed-the-radio-host]

Heartbeats on the Airwaves chapter 5

As always, for @acealex-blueiguana

Cecil had to stay in the hospital for a week and a half, to make sure the wound healed properly and wasn’t infected. He slept a lot because the exhaustion of his job is finally catching up with his over worked body. Carlos spends a good chunk of his free time in Cecil’s room, making small talk, cuddling and exchanging small kisses.

They shared dinner most nights, unless Carlos got called away. Carlos managed to sneak away and picked up Chinese.  Now, Carlos sat cross legged and barefoot at the foot of Cecil’s bed, listening to Cecil go on about how much he hates his brother-in-law. Carlos smiles a little. This man was an absolute dork, but Carlos was completely smitten. He sets his chopsticks down in the container and then sets it aside, pulling Cecil’s feet into his lap, rubbing small counter-clockwise circles around the ankles. Which were quite boney.

“What are we going to do for our first date?” He asked randomly.

Cecil gives noise that was basically a purr and opens his eyes.

“Nothing to fancy. Because a good time isn’t based on how much money you spend.”

“I could cook for you.” Carlos suggests. “Since your birthday is next week.”

“How did you-oh god. Right there!” Cecil groans as Carlos presses his thumb into the arc of Cecil’s foot.

Carlos chuckles. “I read your chart. I also know you have a wheat allergy. And that your middle name is Gershwin.”

“Now hold on- “Cecil keens again, arching his back a little as Carlos begins to rub the lower part of Cecil’s left leg before switching to the right.

“Hm?”

“You know so much about me and I hardly know anything about you.”

“Well, my middle name is Fernando, my birthday May 20th and I’m allergic to cats. Which I assume you have because the first time we met you ran into me and then I was sneezing like crazy all day.”

Carlos smiles at the memory but Cecil’s face fell.

“Oh.”

“Hey. Don’t worry about it. I take Claritin. Because I can handle it and I would hate to stop seeing you, as we are now dating and all.”

“You’ll have to meet him sometime.”

“What if he hates me?”

“Then it’s not going to work out. I can’t date anyone my cat doesn’t trust.”

Carlos nods. “I can respect that. I hope I’ll make a good impression.”

“I’m sure he’ll love you as much as I do.” Cecil muses before his eyes go wide and one hand clapped over his mouth. “Shit. Sorry. I know it’s still way early and- “He kind of shrinks back a little.

Carlos reaches out, a tad concerned. “Cecil? Are you okay?” He asked softly.

Cecil nods quickly. “I’m alright. Just lost control of my mouth for a moment is all.”

Carlos reaches out and takes his hand, giving a careful and gentle squeeze.

“You meant it?”

Cecil looks up at him. “I do.”

“That’s good. Because I love you too.”

Cecil's mouth dropped open and he was stunned silent. Carlos chuckles again and shifts to his knees, leaning up to kiss Cecil’s lips. Cecil was speechless. Cecil “I talk for a living, so I don’t do shut up” Palmer was silent. It was a bit jarring.

“You’re adorable.” Carlos grins before sitting back down.

“You broke me.”

“I do apologize. But I am a doctor so I’m sure I can fix what I broke.”

“I do believe I’m entitled to compensation.” Cecil gives a small smile.

Carlos raises an eyebrow. “I’m sure we can work something out.”

Before Cecil could answer, Carlos kissed him once more and then kisses his forehead. “Are you wanting to do that interview?”

“I had completely forgotten about it.” Cecil admits. “But sure. Not like I have anything better to do at the moment.”

Carlos opens his mouth to retort but Cecil gives him a look and he shuts his mouth with a laugh.

“You need to behave Dr. Mendez.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about Mr. Palmer.”

“Mhm. Hand me my bag please?”

Carlos gets up and picks up the satchel that Dana had dropped off earlier. Its bag was covered in pins and patches ranging from pride to Star Trek. It was very Cecil. He hands it over and watches as Cecil opens it and digs through files and papers before pulling out a recorder.

“Here we are.” Cecil holds up the silver recorder triumphally.

“Anything else?” Carlos asked as he settles back down at the foot of the bed.

“Nope. Let’s begin.”

Cecil slipped into a professional personality easily, despite being in a hospital gown and hooked to multiple machines.

“I’m here with Mercy Eastern’s Chief of Surgery, Dr. Carlos Mendez. I’ve been told you have big news for the viewers?”

“I do.” Carlos smiles, seeming a bit nervous for some reason.

Cecil reaches over and takes his hand, giving a gentle squeeze.

“What is your news?”

“Originally the Crystal Storm Foundation was for teenage and single mothers to get help so they can get back on their feet, but as of February 13th, this Wednesday, we will be extending our reach to women who cannot conceive and working with surrogates to provide them with the family they cannot produce themselves. We believe everyone deserves a chance to be a family.”  The words seemed to be pouring out now.

Cecil couldn’t help the smile that spreads across his lips. He loved how passionate Carlos seemed when talking about helping others. His eyes light up and hold a love for people.

“We also will be helping children in the system to find forever homes. Everyone should have someone to love them.”

Cecil nods a little, his eyes starting to sting a little. Carlos stopped talking and reaches out for his hand.

“Cecil? Is something wrong?”

“No. No. Nothing is wrong. It’s just…. you are so amazing. I’m so lucky to have met you. I- “He pauses, reaching over to turn off the recorder before continuing. “Carlos, words usually come easily to me. That’s why I do what I do.” He pauses and looks away, only to have Carlos reach over and take his hand.

“But?”

Cecil looks back over. “But you make me speechless. I’m at a loss for words. I don’t know why. I’ve dated before. But this is different. You are different.”

Carlos gazes at him for a moment. “I’m…. I’m amazing because you make me want to be amazing. You have this way of making people want to be better. You inspire me with your raw passion and loyalty to your work.”

Cecil was openly crying now, and Carlos panicked.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry! I’m sorry!”

Cecil gives a watery laugh. “You.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“What about me?”

Cecil tugs on his hand. “Hold me. I’m tired.”

“Yes sir.” Carlos smiles a little and cleans off the bed before getting up.

-----.-----

The next week went by in a blur and before Carlos knew it, it was Cecil’s birthday.  He wasn’t sure what to get as a gift but suddenly, he just knew. He ran out and bought the supplies before hurrying home and getting to work.

The day passed by fairly quickly and soon it was six o’clock. He slides the lasagna into the oven and moved to answer the door. Cecil stands on the other side, wearing what he wore on the news that night, with his hair pulled back into an elegant braid. His glasses slipped down his narrow nose a little and Carlos smiles fondly.

“Hey beautiful. Happy Birthday.” Carlos steps back after pressing a chaste kiss to Cecil’s lips. Cecil follows him to the kitchen.

“I wasn’t sure if you drank red or white, so I brought both.” Cecil says as he sits down the paper bag he was carrying.

“I’m not to picky. Which do you prefer?”

“My favorite is Arbor Mist, the raspberry one but where I went didn’t have any, so I got Pinot Grigio and Rosé.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. I’m sure we can make do.” Carlos leans against the counter with an easy smile.

“I have been told I’m pretty easy to satisfy.” Cecil comments.

Carlos raises an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

Cecil’s eyes go wide, and his face, ears and neck flush a bright red as he struggles to answer. Carlos laughs.

“Yknow, you made that exact same face when we first met.”

“Please don’t bring that up. I have to deal with both Dana and Earl teasing me about it.” Cecil wines a little and buries his face in his hands.

Carlos crosses the kitchen pulls him close. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it. You have a cute blush.”

“You are annoying. You know that?” Cecil says, his voice muffled where he tucked his head into the crook of Carlos’ neck.

“You love it.”

“Yeah.” Cecil presses a kiss to Carlos’ neck. “I do.”

Before Carlos could answer, his pager went off in the living room. He tightens his hold on Cecil with a groan. He wasn’t on call tonight!

“Do you need to go?” Cecil asked, pulling away a little.

“I can have someone else get it.”

“What if they need you?”

Carlos rubs a hand over his face. He knew Cecil was right, but he didn’t want to leave. Cecil takes his hand.

“Hey. It’s okay. Go.”

“But- “

“I’m used to spending my birthday alone. We can reschedule.”

The words made Carlos’ heart hurt.

“You have lives to save.”

Carlos nods. “I know.” He kisses the center of Cecil’s palm. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Be safe.”

“I will.” Carlos promises, turning the oven off and taking the pan out. “You can eat if you want. It’s wheat free.” He says, kissing him once more before moving into the bedroom to put his shoes on.

 Carlos finally gets home around eleven to find Cecil asleep on the couch with Stark Trek: The Next Generation playing quietly in the background. Half a glass of Rosé sits on the coffee table but both the lasagna and the cake are untouched. Cecil’s purple glasses sat crooked on his face and his clothes were rumpled enough for Carlos to assume that he’d been asleep for at least an hour. Carlos quietly sits down the bottle of Arbor Mist-raspberry of course- on the coffee table and kneels down beside the couch. He had to go to three different stores to find it, but he didn’t mind. He brushes back Cecil’s bangs and kisses his forehead. Cecil stirs a little before snapping awake and jerking upright.

“No!” He gasped, making Carlos fall back.

“Cecil?” He asked.

Cecil looked around before his eyes landed on Carlos and him visibly relaxed. “Oh. Carlos. You’re back.” He smiles.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. Just a bad dream is all.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not tonight.” Cecil shudders. “What time is it?”

“Eleven ten.” Carlos picks himself up off of the floor. “I know it hasn’t been the best birthday, but we still have fifty minutes we can salvage.”

“Sorry I fell asleep. I wanted to wait up for you.”

“I don’t mind. It was a cute sight to come home to. I got you something.” Carlos says, handing over the bottle.

“Where did you find this?!? Everyone is sold out!”

“I just got lucky I guess.”

The truth was that he drove two towns over to find it, but Cecil didn’t need to know that.

“Thank you.”

“There’s one more thing.”

“Oh?”

“Wait here.” Carlos instructs, going to his room and getting the box and returning to the couch.

Cecil takes it with a curious expression and opens the box. Nestled in silver tissue paper is the vest that Carlos had ripped when Cecil had gotten shot. It was cleaned and repaired, with a red flannel heart sewn onto the left side, over his heart.

“One of the holes was to big to fix so I improvised with one of my own shirts.” Carlos admits, rubbing the back of his head.

Cecil looks at him, a gentle expression on his face. “I love it.”

Carlos kissed him once. “Happy Birthday Dearheart.”

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

CECIL’S CAKE RECIPE!!!

Okay so I’m from the south and the best damn cake ever is called a hummingbird cake. It’s been in my family for literally forever. And now y’all have the recipe.

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 large eggs, beaten

11/2 cups vegetable oil

vanilla extract(as much as you feel is right)

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained

2 cups chopped bananas

1 cup chopped pecans

Shortening

Cream cheese frosting

1/2 cup chopped pecans

How to Make It

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and 1 cup chopped toasted pecans. Spoon batter into 3 well-greased (with shortening) and floured 9-inch round cake pans.

Step 2

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes our clean. Cool cake layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

Step 3

Place 1 cake layer on a serving platter. Spread 1 cup Cream Cheese Frosting over cake layer. Top with second layer, and spread 1 cup frosting over cake layer. Top with third cake layer, and spread top and sides of cake with remaining frosting and pecans.

I also like to mix coconut into the frosting

frosting is optional and the pineapple can be substituted with cherries

#welcome to night vale #wtnv #cecil palmer #wtnv carlos #wtnv cecil #carlos the scientist #cecilos #fanfiction #and cecilos content #au #fic wip #wip #hbotaw #fluff #bridge chapter

[heisenbergchronicles]

APPRECIATION & INTERVIEW

Better Call Saul episode posters by Matt Talbot After 4 nearly years, I thought it was time to catch up with Matt Talbot about his Better Call Saul poster project. The last time we talked during Season 1, Matt was deep in the hustle of making his name as an illustrator: juggling a full-time job, freelance projects, as well as band. Finding time for personal projects like this one can be a significant challenge. (Not to mention surviving the death of your tools: During Season 1 his Mac laptop died, and this season, his Wacom tablet bit the bullet). But despite these challenges, the 43-year-old New Hampshire native has persevered to create a clever and thoughtful series of episode posters that has garnered considerable attention, and brought with it new high-profile clients and art exhibitions. 

First, congratulations on all of your success and recognition with this series of posters. It’s well-deserved. What’s been the most gratifying feedback you’ve received? Thank you! Every interaction I’ve had with anyone from the show has delighted me. I've been surprised by all of the cast and crew members who have said nice things – every note I’ve gotten has meant a lot to me. That being said, Michael McKean randomly tweeting at me that he has my poster for Chicanery hanging in his home blew my mind. I was eating dinner when my phone showed the notification and I literally jumped up from the table. I’ve been a fan of Michael’s since I saw Spinal Tap in the ‘80s and never in a million years would I have guessed I’d make something he valued enough to hang in his home.

Tell me about your contributions to Gallery1988 exhibitions. How does that process work? It's a pretty simple process. They invite me to be part of a show, and I make something to send them. I’m very excited for the opportunity to show there, and I feel like it’s a milestone in my art-making career.

Across the 4 seasons, which BCS posters are your favorites? Which one are you most proud of? I’m particularly fond of Rebecca, Rico, Marco, Switch, Sunk Costs and Something Beautiful. Oh man, it's hard for me to evaluate my own stuff. I tend to like the posters where I find a way to get a different take on something they did in the episode. I would say that “Sunk Costs” is also one of my favorites because I did something differently than how they shot it, and because Mike is so recognizable even from the back. I was also pleased with “Off Brand” because it was when I finally figured out how to draw Bob Odenkirk.

How has your process for creating these posters evolved over 4 seasons? When I started this project I had a vague idea that I would focus on scenes rather than portraits or likenesses, but that didn’t even last half a season! The characters were too good not to include. In that way, the posters have evolved in my willingness to draw characters, and also, hopefully, my ability to draw them. 

My process is now something like: Watch the show on Monday; think about it on Tuesday, figure out what stood out to me and do a thumbnail sketch or two; draw it on Wednesday night; post it Thursday afternoon. I’m a bit faster at drawing these now compared to when I started. And I’m a bit more decisive on choosing which subject matter to depict.

There have been quite a few changes on the visual side of Better Call Saul over the last 2 seasons. New directors (Minkie Spiro, Daniel Sackheim, and Andrew Stanton), a new cinematographer Marshall Adams, even new cameras. What are your thoughts on how the show’s visual grammar has evolved? Has any of this impacted your posters from Seasons 3 & 4? I try not to just redraw literal scenes from the show, and I don’t need to tell you that they shoot the show in an incredibly beautiful way. I mean, they always, always, pick the best angle, the best shot to capture something. For that reason, it’s sometimes hard to to come up with another take on a moment from the show.

That being said, the visual style hasn’t really impacted my posters as much as the evolving subject matter has. The show, I think, is substantially darker than it was in the early going. It was easier to depict Jimmy’s hi-jinx in the first couple seasons. But with Chuck’s deteriorating mental state, the cartel stuff, Mike going deeper into Fring’s world and of course, Jimmy’s loosening sense of morals, the funny moments are harder to spot. That’s lead me to some more somber layouts and color choices.

We didn’t discuss this in our first interview. Which typeface are you using in your posters, or is this custom typography? The main logo and episode titles are set in Sign Painter, from the excellent House Industries.

The Heisenverse is known for it’s color theory and use of color. How has that impacted your color choices in these posters? I’ve kind of adhered to their blue=good/red=bad symbolism, but I also try to balance out colors between episodes and not repeat myself in sequential posters.

Many of your posters (especially ones this season) use a monochromatic, or simple palette of 1-2 colors. Tell me more about why you chose that approach. Is this a signature of your style? I’ve seen this approach in a lot of your work. You know, in the early seasons, I was trying to use simpler color palettes, but I wasn’t very disciplined and I got away from that. I’m trying to stick to a more consistent style in season 4. It is a conscious decision. I also feel like with the week-to-week nature of this project, it helps quickly set apart each poster. And, I really do love limited color palettes. Giving myself color constraints helps me figure out different ways to solve layout problems.

I’ve heard other illustrators say that Bob Odenkirk’s facial features are tricky to capture. Do you share that sentiment? Which characters are more challenging to illustrate? I do agree with that. I had a really hard time with him at first. I kind of think I have a better handle on it now, but I’m always trying to get better. I feel like if you can get his mouth right, it goes a long way.

I found Hector hard to capture both times I drew him. Mike, on the other hand, is just pure fun to draw. Jonathan Banks is so distinctive and iconic.

What’s been the most difficult poster thus far? Why was it challenging? Maybe it’s because a lot of time has gone by, but I can't think of one that stands out as having been really difficult.

Francesco Francavilla did alternate posters for some of his Breaking Bad posters. Inevitably, when artists look back at their work, they consider revising or redoing it because of a variety of reasons – their point of view has changed, their skill/style has evolved, or maybe they were never truly content with the final product. Looking back at 4 seasons worth of posters, are there any that make you want to scratch the revision itch? Yeah, more than I would care to admit. I would really like another crack at Amarillo. I know I could do a better job and that drawing is just super flat. In season two, I decided to to experiment with style and I kind of wish I hadn't. I like Cobbler, but I wish I had drawn it in my normal style. I would redraw Nailed for sure. Oh man, if I start going down this road it's not going to end well, so I'll just stop.

You mentioned earlier this season you were excited to draw Track Suit Jimmy. Who or what haven’t you drawn, that you are eager to illustrate? Howard! It bums me out to no end that I haven't drawn him, but it just hasn't worked out. And I need to include Kim more. It's kind of criminal that her face only appeared for the first time in a poster this season.

What’s your opinion of Season 4? Tell me about your favorites – episode, scene, character. I think season 4 is brilliant so far. The Kim/Jimmy relationship has deepened so much this season, and feels so real, but full of inevitable heartache. Oh, the flash-forward to Breaking Bad’s timeline was amazing. Mike doing his audit in the Madrigal warehouse. Really, anything Michael Mando does on screen. It's hard to pick. I so enjoy the deliberate pace of this show.

Where’s your favorite place to discuss the show? I honestly don’t talk about it too much online, though I lurk in a few places and read a lot. I actually discuss it mostly with my wife!

I know you get this question a lot, so let’s cover it here so folks understand: Do you have plans to sell any of this work online? I really appreciate that people like it enough to want to buy it or hang it, but I don't plan to sell the Better Call Saul posters online. I’m doing this for fun, not to make a buck off the show, and I don’t own the rights to sell it anyway.

What’s next for Matt? Do you have any other poster or illustration projects in the works? Is you band performing soon? I have several more pieces for Gallery1988 shows coming up. I’m pulling together an art show at a local brewery for whom I design all of their labels and stuff. I’m patiently waiting for a t-shirt I designed for one of my all-time favorite movies to be announced. And for the past several Octobers, I spent the month drawing a horror poster per day. I’m not sure if logistically I can do that again this year, but I’ll probably fit at least a few in. We’ll see how it goes. Sadly, with all of my illustration work, I haven’t had any time for music making, but someday I hope to get back to that!

Follow Matt: Web site / Tumblr / Twitter / Dribbble / Instagram / PosterSpy

– Interview by Shayne Bowman, Heisenberg Chronicles

#better call saul #artist interview #matt talbot #mine #heisenberg chronicles #illustration #fan art #posters #favorites #mattrobot #bcs season 4 #gallery1988 #g1988 #house industries #sign painter

[welcometophu]

Not Your Love Song: Chapter 12

Marked Book 2: Not Your Love Song

Chapter 12

[ Previous | First | Next ]

There’s a light dusting of snow on the ground, a few flakes still falling as Rory and Kit walk back to campus. Kit pauses, almost turning, before they reach the end of the block.

“I’m not going to be insulted if you go back for Serina,” Rory says. He digs a hat out of his pocket, crams it down on his head to keep the wind from his ears. He forgot gloves, so he shoves his hands in his pockets and does his best not to shiver.

“She’s closing tonight, so there’s no point. Especially since it’s getting busy.” Kit tries to match pace with Rory, taking an extra half shuffle every few steps. He’s at least half a foot shorter than Rory, which isn’t small, but it means Rory needs to shorten his stride to let Kit keep up easily.

It takes a little experimentation, but they find a pace that lets them fall into step.

There’s something comforting about the measured crunch of their footsteps like a cadence on the sidewalk. Rory taps his fingers against his thigh, testing it for rhythm.

“Are you going to ask her out again?” It’s awkward for Rory to ask about Kit’s relationship, but at the same time, switching topics abruptly would be even more awkward. When Rory’s phone buzzes, he takes it out and fishes it from his pocket, opening the text.

I had a good time yesterday.

Rory smiles slightly. In a strange way, talking to Darrik is easy. He’s not sure if he expects it to go anywhere: Darrik’s mourning, and Rory still has his unresolved soulmark issue. And that’s not even touching the difference in their ages, although Rory does have an understanding of life in the real world, unlike most college freshman. But he likes Darrik. He’s quiet. Knowledgeable. Enjoys talking about history, and the historical interactions between Mage and Clan. And Rory’s definitely interested in hearing more about where Darrik grew up, where the two interacted regularly.

He slows his steps, types as he walks. So did I. Unfortunately the weekend is over.

A small pause before the phone vibrates in his hand. We could do it again soon?

Yeah. Maybe that.

“You didn’t hear a thing I said,” Kit says quietly, a low laugh in his voice.

Rory types back yeah and leaves it at that, shoving his phone back in his pocket. “Sorry.”

“Whoever it was made you smile.” Kit shrugs one shoulder, gestures at the phone. “I’m not going to interrupt that.” He pauses before admitting, “And you didn’t miss anything. I didn’t say anything. You were obviously occupied.”

It catches Rory by surprise, and he laughs, his skin warming. “It was just Darrik. We went out last night.”

“He’s the guy you were thinking of developing a ritual for.” Kit tilts his head thoughtfully, pushes forward with one shoulder as if to say let’s walk a little faster, and Rory can’t disagree because it’s cold out.

A stray snowflake lands on his nose, a chill point that drips slowly after it melts. Rory rubs it away. “He is. I talked to him a little bit about it over dinner. He says as long as it doesn’t put Lora in danger, he’s in. Which means I should probably work on getting a group together.” He glances at Kit, but Kit’s looking straight ahead, as if he’s trying not to watch Rory at all. “Pawel mentioned I should probably talk to Dax.”

“Is Dax good at traditional ritual?” Kit asks. “Pawel thought your brother would be a good partner for me because he’s got one of the most traditional backgrounds, and a good handle on his natural abilities as well.”

Rory isn’t sure how much he can or should say about Dax. “Are you trying to get out of working with Thorne and take over my ritual for Darrik as your independent study project?”

Kit flushes. “Depends. Are you doing this because it’s about the ritual or because you’re trying to get in bed with Darrik?”

“I am not trying to get in bed with Darrik.” Rory shudders, shakes his head. “I’m not trying to get in bed with anyone. I like Darrik, though. I think the closure of doing this ritual would be good for him. But I also want my roommate to be safe. Alaric’s a good friend—pretty much family by now—and I don’t like the idea that there’s a thing out there that might still be hunting him.” It occurs to him that he hasn’t gone into detail about the whole situation yet, although Kit at least heard what Pawel had to say at Coven. Rory could explain. Maybe should explain.

“Relationships are complicated,” Kit muses quietly. He tilts his head back, sticks his tongue out to catch a snowflake.

“Serina?” Because now Rory wonders if Kit does want to talk about it after all. Especially if it keeps them from talking about Rory’s potential maybe possible relationship efforts with Darrik.

“Serina,” Kit agrees, the flush still staining his cheeks. “And you and Darrik.”

“I know why me and Darrik is complicated and there are a lot of reasons for that,” Rory says. “But you and Serina? She’s a cute girl and seems interested. You’re a cute guy and you seem interested in her. From an outside perspective, you seem like a love song waiting to happen.”

“You’d think so.” Kit hunches his shoulders, seems to curl in on himself. “I haven’t dated much. For reasons.” One shoulder rises, falls. “And every time I start thinking about dating someone, I have to ask myself: when do you have the serious conversations? Is it a first date thing? Is it a third date thing? Is it the kind of thing that waits three months and then she gets pissed off at me for not being up front about it?”

“I don’t think Serina’s the kind of person who’s going to not date a guy because he’s bi,” Rory says, because it seems obvious that Kit’s gun shy, and had people break up with him over his sexuality before.

Kit stops walking, turns to face Rory. He takes a step back so he doesn’t have to tilt his head as far to meet his eyes. “I don’t need to tell her I’m bi,” he says flatly. “I’m trans.”

Not what Rory was expecting when this conversation started, but okay.

He pauses as well, not looking away. Nods once, slowly. “I’m ace and gay, so I get complicated,” Rory says quietly, and Kit’s posture eases. “Some things are awkward, because you figure everyone’s expecting the typical status quo.”

“Straight, all guys have dicks, and looking to get into bed?” Kit quips, and Rory laughs dryly.

“At least you didn’t say all guys are dicks.” Rory takes a step sideways, rocks on his foot until he’s sure Kit’s going to join him. They walk more slowly now despite the cold, approaching the outer gate leading into campus. “I don’t think there’s an easy answer to that one,” he admits. “I mean, I like Serina. She’s on my floor, but she’s not one of the ones who keeps wandering into my room randomly, like Nik. So I can’t say we’re really close, and I don’t know exactly how she feels. She doesn’t seem to mind queer people, and she didn’t freak out when she realized that Nate wasn’t ever going to be interested.”

“But being trans isn’t like being gay,” Kit says quietly.

“Yeah.” Rory looks up at the sky, the snowflakes falling faster now, swirling through the darkness like a hyper speed special effect in a movie. “Maybe just play it by ear? Go out again. You need to trust her, right?” As he says it, Rory isn’t sure why Kit trusted him with it. “I don’t think she’d do anything bad, but she might feel hurt that you didn’t say something. But I think she’d at least get why you waited.” He glances down at Kit. “Serina’s good people. When are you going to go out again?”

“Guess I need to ask her that.” Kit pulls his phone out, looks at the screen like it’s going to give him answers. “I don’t think I’ve really got time this week. I need to finish that assignment with Thorne, and then there’s Coven on Tuesday, and we meet with Pawel for independent study on Wednesday and Thursday, and by that point, it’s just about back to the weekend. Carolyn’s sorority is sponsoring the Saturday movie. Maybe I’ll see if Serina wants to see that, if I don’t get roped into helping with it.” He hesitates, brow furrowing, mouth slightly open before it closes again.

“What?” Rory recognizes that look. When he sees it on Thorne it rarely bodes well for him.

“When are you seeing Darrik again?” Kit’s gaze narrows. “And is it personal or about the ritual thing?”

Rory licks his lips, huffs out a breath. “Both, I think, at this point. But he doesn’t know I’m ace. There really wasn’t a time to bring it up when he was telling me about his dead boyfriend.”

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Kit asks. His voice is low again, a soft note in it. Concerned.

“Do any of us?” Rory counters. Love is complicated. Relationships are complicated. He touches the out-of-focus mark on his wrist, because that’s just another complication on top of everything else. “We just go forward until we hit a wall, right? Or maybe we get lucky and it’s the right person at the right time doing the right thing. There are a ton of variables that make the difference between an epic love story and an epic fail.”

“We could double.”

Rory somehow expected a different reaction to his words, something more in-depth. Something more profound. “We could what? Double date? You and Serina with me and Darrik?”

Kit nods, adding a shallow, hesitant shrug. “It adds a buffer. A way to just hang out and not worry about adding in coming out stories. Right?”

That… makes a kind of sense. But at the same time, it adds yet another layer of complication over something that Rory isn’t even sure is a thing at all.

And still, he finds himself agreeing. “Okay, sure. Saturday. For the movie. If Darrik’s willing to subject himself to an on-campus movie when he escaped college campuses a couple years ago after grad school,” Rory agrees. “I’ll ask him.”

A half-smile from Kit. “Sounds good.” He’s quiet for a few steps, staring into the distance, before he asks, “Is Thorne always like that? I didn’t interact much with him our freshman year. He’s—”

“Hyper-sexual? Not as much as he says he is,” Rory says. “But yeah, he got all the sexuality in our family, and I got none of it. Mac’s right, though. If you make it plain that you want him to stop, he’ll stop, no questions asked. He might still flirt, but he won’t touch if you don’t want to, and he won’t be serious about the flirting. Just tell him what level of interaction you’re comfortable with, and he’ll adjust. Consent’s a big thing.”

“Okay.” Kit falls silent again as they pass through the gate. Rory isn’t sure where Kit lives, or even if he lives on campus, but Kit turns in the same direction when Rory does, heading toward Davison.

“Is there something else?” Rory asks. “Seriously, did Thorne make a move and I need to talk to him? Because I will. I love my brother, but sometimes—”

“He didn’t,” Kit says quickly. “I was just thinking that I think it’ll be good to work with him. It’ll put me outside of my comfort zone, which is what I wanted to do. It’ll make me interact with other people I normally wouldn’t, I’m sure, which is also good. I have a tough time reaching out.”

“Because—”

“Because I don’t want to have to explain, but at the same time, it’s hard being honest with people when you’re keeping a secret.” Kit’s voice twists, frustrated and tight. “Not that it’s actually a secret. It’s just me. But other people see it like a secret, and I’m tired of hearing that. That they think I’m tricking them. I’m not. I just want to be taken at face value and be allowed to be myself.”

“Then just be you.” Rory knows it’s not that simple, but he also knows it’s the best advice he can give. “I know that Thorne really doesn’t give a shit. Use him as a practice case for just being you and being exactly who you are, and don’t—don’t come out. Just be you.” He’s usually got better words than this, but he doesn’t want to say the wrong thing and this is new territory. “Are you introverted naturally?”

Kit snorts. “Yeah. Can’t you tell?”

“It has to be hard, because again, layers of complexity.” Rory touches his own chest. “I’m in a band full of extroverts, and I’m the only introvert. They keep me in touch with other people. It helps. So… use Thorne and me for a while.”

“Having a buffer seems to be the theme of this conversation.”

“We’re not an English paper in need of a thesis statement, but yes.” Rory smiles slightly, licks his lips. Reaching out has never been his strong suit, either, but Kit’s wariness makes him want to help in some small way. “I don’t want to use Darrik for your project,” he says. “This is personal, for him and for me, and for my friends. But if you want to help, I am okay with that.” It’s a small olive branch.

Kit presses his lips together, reaches up to push his hair out of his face. “I’ll work with Thorne for a grade, and I’ll work with you to help Darrik. That’s good.” The road splits, heading toward Townhouse Row in one direction. Kit wavers, leans in the other direction. “We’ll talk again on Tuesday?” he suggests.

“What’s your number?” Rory could get it from Thorne, but this is easier. He has his phone in his hands, sends a text as Kit lists off numbers. Kit’s phone buzzes faintly from his pocket, and Rory gestures with his own. “You’ve got mine now. I don’t remember if Pawel and I told you everything about what happened with Darrik and his friends, but I can send some things to you that you should look at. You really need to know what you’re getting into; you might change your mind.”

“I’m going to push myself this semester,” Kit says firmly. “So no, I won’t change my mind. Whatever you need, you’ve got my help. We’ll talk Tuesday.” He turns away, raising one hand to wave as he goes.

Rory’s fingers itch, and he’s not sure if he’s feeling a ritual or the words to a song. Either way, he needs to get back to the dorm and write it down. Maybe play a little, let it all spill out.

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#welcome to phu #welcometophu #not your love song #phu marked #marked

[sidskywrote]

I wish I had a job where I could tell people a month in advance if I was going to have a holiday off. My mom and grandmother have both asked about Christmas, which would just be a video call if I was free anyway because pandemic, but I can’t even commit to that because I only know my schedule two weeks in advance. I can’t even tell what my weekend is going to be, because for awhile it’s a steady Wednesday-Thursday thing, and then it randomly switches to Monday-Tuesday, or Friday-Saturday, or Sunday/Tuesday for some reason. My hours aren’t even consistent, so I can’t even give them a good timeframe for a phone call. It makes getting in touch with family a lot harder, and the hour swings throw my sleep schedule out of whack, and I wish it was more stable.

[shippingphobia]

tutorial (sort of, idk)

This is more of a walk through and I always make these props with as little effort as possible because I’m very impatient.

Materials: worbla or any type of thermoplastic, plastic orb I randomly found in a craft store, pretty ribbon, foam type of stuff, satin little hearts that I happened to have, purple spray paint, printer and laminating machine, led lights and 6v cells.

YOU CAN SKIP THIS PART IF YOU DON’T WANT A MAGICAL LIGHT UP WAND (srry for the aggressive tone)

get yourself some lights from ebay and rearrange the current so you can cram it in the wand, the only thing you’re really changing is that the parallel current becomes a series because you need two 6v for the total 12v so I just stacked them, shlammed that copper around and stuffed it in sum isolation tape. make sure the tiny switch will be at the side.

Then you make a shaft with some thermoplastic, just lay it over something round and heat it up, after that you put the battery packets in there and close the seam of the plastic.

Then you cut some holes in these two part orbs, one for the facing of the wand where the star is shown and one to attach the shaft.

WARNING: this is acrylic and it melts if you saw or drill too hard, kinda difficult.

then you sand the orb, prime and paint everything purple. the lights and wires are in a plastic bag because I didn’t want to paint them (duh).

Here’s a sheet I made, printed and laminated because I’m too lazy to make it or paint it.

Once plasticized, you cut out the facing, wings and horns. (the heart wasn’t used because I found a prettier one in my decoration stash.

you can print this, it should already be the rights size though for some reason I lost a lot of resolution but who cares? (wings are lightly traced, I don’t know if you can see)

if you like origami you can use these to craft a diamond.

like so

here I already glued the facing in and taped the horns to the inside, just put a big piece of transparent tape on each horn, trim around it and leave a tail at the bottom, stick the tape to the inside and no worries because the horns stand up by itself when the front part of the orb is attached.

Also, the white part you see is the backside of the facing but I later put another blue paper sheet behind it so that it will light up in a blue shade.

bottom part is foam, heated up, bended, smoothed with glue and painted gold. Other gold parts were made with this stuff as well.

before attaching the top or bottom parts you should glue on the ribbon, use some tacky old glue that won’t show or seep through. or let it dry a bit first or use a minimal amount.

this is a piece of fake leather that I put in the backside to prevent the lights from distorting or showing through the thin plastic backside.

Checking under the hood where all is good.

(There are the parts that I keep as detachable)

And then you get something like this, Is should’ve kept the shaft shorter because now I see it’s casting a shadow in the facing but oh well. It’s done.

Have fun making wands n stuff.

@kc4drawings

I’m known to be a terrible explainer so if anything isn’t clear, be creative and figure something out or ask me or smth.

happy wednesday

#svtfoe #cosplay #tutorial #wand #star vs the forces of evil #star butterly #svtfoe cosplay