#submitted by someone who would like to remain anonymous
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#submitted by someone who would like to remain anonymous#lily orchard#the sith resurgence is garbage and here's why#the sith resurgence#mayrik beniko#aliana beniko#aliana beniko is a colonizer
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Marauders With Palestine Project FAQ
Can volunteers open themselves up to more prompts if availability changes/can people change the number of prompts they’ve marked themselves available for at a later time?
Absolutely! It will all depend on how many prompts we get, though.
Will there be a social way to contact other participants in the project?
Yes, they’ll all be added to a discord server shortly.
Where can people send proof of donation?
We’ll post the link to a form where the contributors will be able to send proof of donation as well as their prompt(s).
What is the deadline for art/fics/edits?
They may be posted all throughout June, so the hard deadline is June 30, 2024.
Do I have to post the art/fic/edits on my account when completed? (particularly for nsfw)
Preferably, yes. NSFW art can also be posted to ao3.
Will we be able to contact the person that submitted the prompt we're given, if we have any questions?
Yes, that will be possible. (Applies to art, fics, and edits)
Is it ok if participants don’t use discord/are only available for contact via email?
That’s perfectly fine, we can contact the participants via email, tumblr, or twitter, though discord is preferred.
How long will prompts be?
No longer than 100 words.
Are there any word count expectations for fics?
None at all, but we encourage writers to make their fics longer than 1.5k words.
Should the fics be tagged any specific way on ao3 to make it clear they’re for the project?
The fics need to be tagged with MWPProject 2024 Fandom Initiative, and they’ll also be added to a collection.
Will prompts be filtered/checked for inappropriate/hateful content before they are given out?
Yes, any and all prompts will be checked and approved by the mods.
Can volunteers reject a prompt assigned to them if they are not comfortable with it?
Yes, the volunteers can contact the mods if they wish to change their prompts.
How long do volunteers have to complete their contributions?
Prompts will be assigned between April 23-30th, and posting begins June 1. They can, however, post their works all throughout the month of June.
If a volunteer doesn’t have any public socials, do they have to post their art/fic/edits?
They may create an ao3 account, there’s plenty of time for them to request one.
Do artists need to attach their names to the art?
If they want to remain anonymous, they may post their work to ao3 and we’ll keep it anonymous within the collection.
Are simple prompt requests ok?
The prompts can’t be longer than 100 words, so simple prompt requests are ok.
Would I need to donate the equivalent of 5USD or am I okay donating 5 dollars in my currency? (non US based donations)
It has to be the equivalent of 5USD in whichever currency you use.
Can someone donate on the behalf of another person who is unable to do so?
Yes, they only need to let us know about it.
May I post anonymously to the collection?
Yes.
Do volunteers have to be a part of the discord server?
It’s not required but it is highly recommended.
Can you keep my email private/make sure it’s not shared outside of the mods?
Only the mods have access to the emails, you don’t need to worry about that.
Are there any preferences in terms of characterizations/appearances of characters?
No, but it is recommended to not be too specific so that the volunteers can work with their prompt as best as they can.
If donors have specific requests for how characters are drawn/written, will they be in contact with the volunteers assigned to their prompts?
Yes, but at the end of the day, this isn’t commissioned fanwork, so the end result will be entirely up to the volunteer in question. Micromanaging will not be allowed.
If a volunteer is filling multiple prompts, can they decide how long each one is?
Yes they may.
Will prompts include tropes?
That is up to the donor, but being too specific with the prompt may make it hard for the assigned volunteer to fulfill it satisfactorily.
What will the prompts look like?
We will provide a form where the donors will be able to specify the pairing and their prompt. Please note: when listing pairings, use the Character Name x Character Name format (i.e. Remus x Sirius), versus ship names (i.e. Wolfstar), as some ship names aren’t well known, or vary across the fandom.
Does sketch mean actual sketch, or should there be a more polished final product?
Up to the artist, as styles and practices vary person to person.
Can volunteers post their contributions on any social platforms?
Yes, they can.
Should writers characterize based on their own headcanons, or based off the wishes of the prompter?
The priority is fulfilling the prompt as it’s been given, but the volunteers can find a middle ground if they’re not entirely comfortable with something.
Where/who can I contact if later questions arise?
You can send an ask to the MWPP blog, or you can send an email to [email protected]. All mods tumblr urls are listed on the MWPP blog, and all mods will be available to answer questions in the discord server as well.
How will we navigate if a volunteer is assigned a prompt they are uncomfortable with?
You may contact the mods and we’ll change it, bit please only do so if the prompt is genuinely something you cannot work with, as reassigning prompts may be troublesome for the mods.
Will I have to explicitly state in the final product that it was created for the project?
Yes.
Do I have to post the fic/art/edit, or can I just send it to the prompter?
It needs to be posted, but it may be posted anonymously via ao3.
Can I participate as an artist with a collage rather than a drawing?
We won’t be accepting collages, as that is technically not original work and it wouldn’t be fair for the prompter.
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Who would have thought that something could survive in this desert? This young biologist studying the desert could not exactly imagine that a new species would come to him in the afternoon when he decided to sunbathe. He felt in this desert like a fish in water, just like a parasite, although there was no water around.
As he dozed under the hot sun, the sand near his head began to shudder, something like a snake crawling under him. The sand was pouring, but the biologist did not care, a strange noise of sand movement was heard here all the time.
By the time the parasite jumped onto his muscular chest and grabbed his head with tentacles, it was already too late. The guy waved his arms like a swimmer without air, but in his hands there was only sand. His mouth widened against his will, something entered, scratching his throat and robbing him of air. He rolled on the hot sand, his body and face flushed as he tried to grab the slippery body actively cramming itself inside him. In the slime-covered palms, only sand stuck to it. The head arched back and the body rose as if possessed, uncontrollable hands flailing up and down in a desperate attempt to resist. A second later, he again plopped down on the sand and fell silent. The fingers on the hand clenched and straightened, the arms arched, and the body opened its eyes again. The sensations were new, he could feel the strength and heat spreading through his new body parts. The heat was coming from everywhere, and although the body was overheated and barely able to cope with the temperature, he lifted it up without much trouble and stood barefoot on the sand. He was practically standing on the coals and could feel his feet being baked, but he didn't care. Brain scans showed that there are still a lot of such bodies around. He spread his arms out to the sides, feeling the sun's rays warm him from all sides.
The biologist's mind was switched off from overheating, but the parasite was strong and the body was under its control.
The sunset prevented him from staying longer, he watched the orange circle disappear over the horizon, knowing that a new day would follow.
The staggering body climbed back into the tent and passed out, in the morning the parasite forced him to drink all the remaining water and move on. He walked like a ghost in the desert, nothing could stop him. His body darkened with a tan, his weather-beaten lips turned yellow and dry, but he kept walking.
The sandstorm scratched the withered body to the blood, but he walked. Someone else's inexorable desire moved him against his weakened and suppressed will. He felt something alien growing inside him, but he couldn't do anything about it. The slow trembling body looked much worse when he reached the first settlement.
Luckily, the first body he came across was another muscular young man.
When the process was completed, the body of the biologist was left lying on the sand, and the parasite moved on. He again felt strength and heat in himself, and thought that he definitely liked fresh human bodies and the parasite is ready to feast on more human bodies to control and to use
Note: This is a story submitted anonymously with additional pictures (the last two) from me
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RANDOM ASKS GRAB BAG
Putting a bunch of answered asks in one post so I don't spam your dashes too much. Under the cut because it's a very long post. If your ask isn't here, don't worry! The ask box is far from empty, and I'm sorta trying to group them by topic. Enjoy?
Anonymous asked: you mentioned in another ask that there were a few things you were probably going to check out from doing these polls and I was just curious which ones those are, if you don't mind sharing fjdjsj
I don't mind sharing! I had to go through the archive to remember which ones I wanted to check out, but a few of them would be The Walten Files, Red vs. Blue, The Murderbot Diaries, I Am In Eskew, and The Mistholme Museum of Mystery, Morbidity, and Mortality. Many of the characters posted here look interesting, but I'm such a slow watcher/player/reader/etc. that it'd take me decades to go through everything lol
Anonymous asked: Have you considered doing like uhhh idk how to explain properly, but statistics/data from loads of polls in a summary every so often? I've seen some poll blogs do a most known/least known type bar graph every so often. And I would be super interested in seeing this sort of thing for this blog!! It's fair enough if not though, obviously this would create a lot of extra work for you. Anyway, thanks for running this blog :-)
Anonymous asked: I just asked a question about seeing the data statistics/ bar graphs - please ignore it! Just reread your pinned and realised I'd missed that bit :'). BUT, last point remains, thank you for running this blog and putting up with repetitive anons I bet aksjskdjsk
I haven't put the data in a graph yet, but if I figure out how to organize that in a way that's both comprehensible and actually tells us something new, I'll give it a try for sure. Until then, we do have the spreadsheet. And no worries, I'm glad you're enjoying the blog! :)
Anonymous asked: *sees a poll blog*
"I must answer each and every poll I can"
Godspeed on your journey and remember to stay hydrated! 🫡
Anonymous asked: this is my favorite blog! Every morning I wake up and check the polls like they're the paper, just to say "I don't know them"
Truely a humbling experience!
Happy to be your neighborhood paperboy!
@iceice-baeby asked: Are olyou fearing the day someone submits Solid Snake from MGS and you will choose the wrong picture
Because everyone always seems to choose the wrong picture
The only difficulty will be in not using this one:
Anonymous asked: Just scrolled back through your blog up to posts from Dec 3rd and I know why those polls are closed now but I cannot describe the genuine anguish I felt seeing Mr Orange and going NO I KNOW HIM - I KNOW HIM!!!! Anyway I found this blog like ten minutes ago and I love it
Don't worry, he's A-OK! 👍
(Also, thanks! I appreciate your dedication.)
Anonymous asked: scrolling through to catch up on the characters and knowing a whole three of them was so bizarre. im not supposed to press the yes i know them button, im supposed to do my sworn duty and vote no with unending confusion. the world has been flipped on its head 😵💫
I bet the next 30 were characters you've never heard of, just for balance to be restored.
Anonymous asked: Whenever i misclick I feel sooooo bad like im sorry my dear friend for not recognizing you I apologize for my rudeness
No polls so far ended with only one vote difference between answers, so you don't have to feel too bad. For now. 👀
Anonymous asked: this is fun cause i’ve definitely submitted some characters but i’ve immediately forgotten who. so i’ll also be pleasantly surprised to see my beloveds on the blog.
A gift from you to you, courtesy of unreliable memory! Sweet!
Anonymous asked: Devastating. I keep missing the voting for the only characters I know.
You'll do it one day, I believe in you!!
@iceice-baeby asked: Would you consider writing in the tags if YOU know a character or not
You have done it sometimes before, but I'd be curious if you do recognise some of those random niche as all hell blorbos
Also I can't wait for my Blorbos turn. Because either He-and-she is gonna take most obscure place, OR I will actually find maybe more than two people, myself included, who know him-and-her and who I can ramble at for hours until they block me
Oh yeah, for sure. I didn't think anyone would be interested to know, but I can do that when I remember to!
Did your blorbo show up already?
Anonymous asked: I have been having the opposite problem of everyone else, apparently. I'll see a name and be like, "I don't know who that is". But then I see the picture and realize… Yes I do!
That's why I take the time to include fitting pictures, helps jog the memory!
Anonymous asked: I feel very superior every time I know a character most people don't
Hey, nobody likes a show-off. (<- Joking)
Anonymous asked: Wait, has Beetlejuice not been submitted?? I could've sworn I submitted the musical version!
Anonymous asked: Oh wait no I didn't submit musical Beetlejuice to you, got you mixed up with @/every-character-ever-poll lol my bad
Indeed he hasn't been submitted yet, maybe next time!
@thetisming asked: sorry for saying something negative in the replies to a post someone was being a dick about jukebox musicals
No worries, but don't let it get to you. People are allowed to dislike your favorite things even without any good reason. It's a matter of taste, which is highly subjective. It's more constructive to focus your attention on people who do enjoy the same things as you!
@autism-criminal asked: What is your favorite color of the rainbow (red orange yellow green blue indigo purple) ?
Orange! 🍊 What's yours? :)
Anonymous asked: "data is not accurate" bro if ur going to a tumblr poll blog for accurate data you NEED to reassess some things asdfghjkl; anyway this blog is great thank you for running it it's a lot of fun and has resulted in some very funny interactions between me and my fiance. notably "what the fuck do you MEAN 6% of the sans undertale website doesn't know who sans undertale is" and "i'm sorry i simply don't believe that ANYONE doesn't know who DRACULA is"
Different people come here with different expectations, I suppose. Which is fine, I don't mind, but they're bound to be disappointed if they expect 100% accuracy all the time. But anyway! I'm happy to hear I can provide a new form of enrichment for you and your fiancé!
@sweetpollyolliver asked: So many manga and anime characters and I know like 1% of them 😭
I'm ngl, I'm not a big manga/anime connoisseur either, so I'm just as lost as you most of the time lol 🤝 (<- shaking hands in solidarity)
@cringelordofchaos asked: If I go insane one day I am going to try to make an English translation for Mesec Boje Purpura so everyone can know who veštica Noks is
I'm fully behind you! Keep us updated if you do.
Anonymous asked: I scroll through your blog. I don’t recognise any of these characters. ‘No,’ I click, ‘no,’ ‘no,’ ‘no.’ I am content in the darkness of the rock I live under. But, alas, all things must end. I continue my scroll, the glee of the irrelevant rampant in my veins. But what’s this? It can’t be… My shelter is cruelly ripped away and the brutal light of knowledge seeks me out like a bloodhound, it gives me no place to hide. ‘Yes,’ I sob, defeated, ‘Yes, I do know the jjba character.’
A modern-day Greek tragedy, truly 💔
Anonymous asked: was really surprised to vote and see that a character was 100% know them. then I noticed I got there early enough to be the only vote
For one shining, brilliant moment they were 100% known and surely that counts for something.
Anonymous asked: You should make up a character and make a poll for them and see how many people lie or misclick
Well....... I'm not going to comment on that. 🐰
Anonymous asked: I follow this blog and another blog that does smash or pass and occassionally I will come to one of your posts and examine the images to decide and then remember this blog's gimmick before trying to hit smash
Imagine voting smash there and then coming here to vote "I don't know them at all" on the same character. Brutal.
@ink7blot asked: *sees big naturals* I hate that. *reblogs*
A job well done, then 😌
#dyktc chatter#asks#not a poll#anonymous#iceice-baeby#thetisming#autism-criminal#sweetpollyolliver#cringelordofchaos#ink7blot#phew that was a lot
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North To The Future [Chapter 4: Semi-Charmed Life]
The year is 1999. You are just beginning your veterinary practice in Juneau, Alaska. Aegon is a mysterious, troubled newcomer to town. You kind of hate him. You are also kind of obsessed with him. Falling for him might legitimately ruin your life…but can you help it? Oh, and there’s a serial killer on the loose known only as the Ice Fisher.
Chapter warnings: Language, alcoholism, addiction, murder, veterinary medicine, delicious Thanksgiving nomz, ANGST and let me repeat that last one in case you missed it ANGSTTTTTTTTT!!!
Word count: 5k.
Link to chapter list (and all my writing): HERE.
Taglist: @elsolario @meadowofsinfulthoughts @ladylannisterxo @doingfondue @tclegane @quartzs-posts @liathelioness @aemcndtargaryen @thelittleswanao3 @burningcoffeetimetravel @b1gb3anz @hinata7346 @poohxlove @borikenlove @myspotofcraziness @travelingmypassion @graykageyama @skythighs @lauraneedstochill @darlingimafangirl @charenlie @thewew @eddies-bat-tattoos @minttea07
Please let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist! 💜
Here’s the thing about the Ice Fisher: he doesn’t have a type. Ted Bundy liked girls and young women. John Wayne Gacy liked boys and young men. Juan Corona liked farm laborers, Belle Gunness liked suitors who answered the marriage ads she placed in Chicago newspapers, Robert Hansen liked sex workers who he would set loose in the Alaskan wilderness and then hunt down with his Ruger Mini-14. Everyone has their preferences. But not the Ice Fisher.
The first victim was a burly mid-fifties logger and recreational hunter named Josiah Wolfenstein. The second was nineteen-year-old college student Tammy Miller; she was from Sitka and studying psychology, a choice that now strikes you as ironic. The third and most recent victim was Carol Philips: forty-three, Garth Brooks superfan, amateur baker, and beloved soccer mom. They have nothing in common except for their manner of death. They reveal no pattern. They shed no light on who the Ice Fisher is targeting, and conversely who can consider themselves safe. Everyone is a potential victim. And there is no such thing as safe.
In between veterinary appointments, you watch the local news coverage on the grainy tv in the clinic lobby, your arms crossed instinctively over your chest, your face grim.
“You want some bear mace?” Jennifer says, showing you a small black cannister attached to a keychain. “My boyfriend buys a new one for me every time someone gets murdered, so now I have extra.”
You take it tentatively. “Bear mace?”
“Yeah, but it works on people too. It has a 30-foot range. You can spray that Greek guy with it.”
You laugh and clip the bear mace to your purse: a Coach patchwork saddle bag that your parents bought you a few Christmases ago. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Chief of Police Eugene Baker, a high school classmate of your parents, is holding a press conference on the television screen. “We believe this killer to be an adult male with considerable physical strength and knowledge of the outdoors. While the first two victims were found in Dredge Lake, Ms. Philips’ remains were recovered from nearby Crystal Lake, complicating the investigation. Police are patrolling the Tongass National Forest, but we simply do not have the manpower to surveille all Juneau-area lakes at all times. We therefore will continue to ask for the public’s cooperation in submitting tips and identifying possible suspects. To this end, we have set up an anonymous 24/7 hotline staffed by volunteers; the phone number is displayed at the bottom of your screen. We advise all Juneau residents to stay vigilant, particularly around strangers, and avoid leaving their homes alone after dark…”
Outside in the violet-and-amber afternoon light, there is the sound of tires slipping on ice. Aegon’s 1985 Chevy Nova drifts sideways into a parking spot; or, rather, into a position improbably straddling three separate parking spots. He and Sunfyre exit the vehicle.
“Oh, great,” Jen grumbles. She hides behind the reception desk so she won’t have to interact with Aegon. She busies herself with cutting pieces of paper into snowflakes, impaling them with paperclips, and arranging them on the miniature Christmas tree that you obtained for the clinic.
“Hey!” Aegon announces merrily as he breezes inside. He is dressed in his light-wash Levis, black Converses, and an oversized pale green sweater with holes in it; the white of the T-shirt he has on underneath shines through the gaps like stars. Overtop he has thrown the black parka you gave him, unzipped and peppered with melting snowflakes. Half of his hair is pulled back in a messy bun. Sunfyre—still wearing his cone of shame—trots along beside him, unleashed.
“Hey,” you return, smiling. “You’re early.”
“We weren’t catching anything, there was an orca pod in the bay this morning and it scared most of the fish off. So we docked the boat after lunch.” His spots the new addition to your purse. “What’s up with that?”
“It’s bear mace. For bears…or serial killers…or you. I haven’t decided which yet. What’s up with your hair?”
“It’s a man bun,” he says, somewhat defensive. “They’re very popular in Southern California.”
“That sounds fictional.”
“I’ll have you know that in the acclaimed feature film Mulan, love interest and all-around badass General Li Shang had a man bun.”
“Literally fictional.”
“Are you going to take the stitches out of my dog’s face or are you just going to mercilessly bully me? I’m very sensitive, you know. As an Aquarius, I hide this beneath a thin veneer of rebellious behavior and inability to commit, but at my heart I am a profoundly fragile man. I’m forever just a few seconds away from disaster. I’m a Christmas ornament in the unsteady hands of a five-year-old high on the jittery, saccharine rush of Kool-Aid.”
“Tropical Punch?”
“Cherry. But knowing you, every cup would have to be a brand new flavor.”
You’re still smiling; you haven’t stopped since he walked in. Aegon smiles back. Jen peeks over the top of the reception desk with wide, curious eyes. Sunfyre whines and scratches at his cone, as if to remind everyone about the true purpose of this visit.
“Bring the beast,” you say, leading Aegon back into the exam room. He scoops up Sunfyre with a grunt and places him on top of the table; the dog’s nails click against the cool, reflective metal surface. You liberate Sunfyre from his cone, then numb his muzzle with lidocaine and remove the stitches one at a time, snipping them with surgical scissors and then pulling them out of the flesh with tweezers. Aegon watches you with his hands in his parka pockets, his expression strangely vacant.
“He’ll have a scar, won’t he?”
“Yes, a small one. But that will just make him more rugged and attractive to all the lady-dogs. Or gentleman-dogs, whatever Sunfyre is into.”
“A scar on his face,” Aegon murmurs, then shakes his pensiveness away. “What should I bring to Thanksgiving?”
“Probably nothing. I think my parents have it covered…the appetizers, the dinner, the desserts…and also, you do not strike me as someone who cooks.”
“Yeah, I eat a lot of Lunchables. But I feel like I should bring something.”
Your eyes flick to his, playful. “Are you worried about making a good first impression?”
Aegon smirks, shrugs, says nothing. Sometimes you make an appearance at Ursa Minor, sometimes you don’t; sometimes you pick up when he calls, sometimes you end up spending hours in his apartment watching the X-Files or Law & Order or 60 Minutes. Other times, you fill your time with work, family, friends, flipping through the tower of travel magazines you have stacked beside your bed. It’s not that you’re ignoring Aegon. It’s that you’re trying to figure out what being with him would be like: what you would gain, what it would cost. He hasn’t tried to touch you since that night under the Northern Lights. You haven’t tried to pry into his many mysteries. But each unanswered question is like a landmine one careless step away from eruption, and they’re filling up that space that stays between you on his threadbare floral couch. At this precise moment, Aegon seems sober, which is highly unusual. There’s something quiet and boyish about him when he’s like this, something almost vulnerable. You can picture him wandering aimlessly through the Foodland, staring at mounds of Idaho potatoes and cans of gooey apple pie filling, having no idea what to do with any of it.
“My mom really likes flowers,” you say. “And obviously she doesn’t get to see them a lot this time of year. So if you want to bring something, bring flowers.”
“Okay. Deal.”
“No rum and Cokes today?” you ask, still removing stitches with sure, deft hands.
“Not yet. But I’m counting the seconds until we’re done here, believe me.”
You recall what he told you as you sat together in Ursa Minor under Christmas lights and strands of shimmering silver tinsel: I don’t do well when I’m sober. You pull out the last stitch and pet Sunfyre’s soft fluffy head. He pants happily, his tail thumping against the table, his trusting dark eyes gazing up at you, tiny starless universes. “Why did you buy the Nova if you’re almost always too drunk to drive it?”
“So I can take Sunfyre up to the woods on nice days. He loves the trails.”
“Um, I don’t think you should be hiking out there alone.”
“Relax. Killers never get the people who deserve it.” Aegon flashes you grin, digs around in his parka pocket, tosses you a gold key that you catch in fumbling, cupped palms. “Here.”
“What is this?”
“It’s a spare. Just in case you ever want to stop by and hang out with my dog. Or, you know. Me.”
You gawk at the key, at Aegon, back to the key. “You’re giving me a…? Why would…? How…?”
“Just so you know it’s an option,” Aegon says. He lifts Sunfyre down from the exam table and leaves like the sun at dusk.
~~~~~~~~~~
You love waking up at home on holiday mornings. There is the noise of clanging pots and pans, the scents of bacon and pancakes and rising Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, the sound of one of your dad’s rock albums spinning on the record player in the living room. Today, his Thanksgiving preparation background music is Third Eye Blind; you bound down the stairs as Semi-Charmed Life drifts through the house. After a swift breakfast—your mom has already set out a plate for you, along with a glass of ice-cold orange juice and a Flintstones multivitamin—the real work begins.
The turkey is slathered with butter and herbs and placed in the oven. The neck and giblets are boiled to make stock for gravy, and then you set them aside for Sunfyre. The rolls are baked, the potatoes are mashed, the yams are smothered with brown sugar and marshmallows, the green bean casserole is topped with French’s fried onions, the stuffing is Stove Top out of the box, the cranberry sauce retains the precise shape of the aluminum can it was jiggled out of. Once you and your dad have finished setting the table, you tell him you’re heading out to pick up the mysterious friend who will be joining you for dinner.
“Your friend doesn’t have a car?” your dad asks, not critical or suspicious, merely intrigued. You have been uncharacteristically cagey about this particular friend, and with good reason. You know practically nothing besides what your parents have already surmised: male, probably single, inopportunely sexy.
“No, he does. I just told him that I’d give him a ride.” In case he gets too hammered to drive himself home, which is almost a certainty.
“Okay, ladybug,” your dad says, folding the red cloth napkins into inelegant triangles, his scruffy grey eyebrows knitted together. “Whatever floats your boat.”
When you knock on Aegon’s apartment door, he appears dressed in his most festive attire: a blue Hawaiian shirt, black jeans, combat boots, a gold chain around his neck, his white-blond hair neat and mostly straight. He is holding a bouquet of roses that have been dyed a deep sapphire color, like the ocean, like biting winter cold.
“Wow,” you say. “You look like Leonardo DiCaprio in Romeo + Juliet.”
“I hope I get a happier ending.” He calls Sunfyre over. The golden retriever pads into view. He is wearing a meticulously groomed coat of fur and a blue bowtie to match Aegon’s shirt.
“Hey, buddy!” you squeal in delight, squatting down to scratch Sunfyre’s ears and cover his scarred muzzle with quick smacking kisses. “You are going to be so psyched when you see what we have for you. There’s a nice turkey neck…and a heart, and a liver…and a delicious gizzard…and maybe even some nice juicy kidneys…and I’ll slice it up all up for you into easily chewable little bites…”
“Calm down, Appletini,” Aegon says, grabbing his parka. “You wouldn’t want anyone thinking you’re the Ice Fisher.”
Back at your parents’ house, your mom and dad dash to the door to meet your enigmatic friend, clamoring like teenage girls at an Enrique Iglesias concert. Aegon beams and shakes their hands, thanking them graciously for the invitation. Your dad shoots you a furtive grin: This friend IS sexy! Sunfyre presents himself for pats and high-pitched coos of adoration.
“I’m Vince, and this is my wife Debbie,” your dad says. “But you can call us Mom and Dad, that’ll make things less confusing. That’s what most of my daughter’s friends do.”
“That is so totally cool of you. I’m Aegon.”
“Aegon?!” your mom blurts out before she can stop herself.
He sighs. “It’s Greek.”
“Oh, how exotic!” she recovers tactfully, then gasps when he hands her the bouquet. “For me?!”
“It’s the absolute least I could do. I hope you like roses. The options at the Foodland were roses, roses, or…let me think…oh yeah, more roses.”
“They’re lovely,” your mom purrs. “And such a unique color!”
“They reminded me of Alaska, all the ocean, and ice, and big open sky…and also Appletini. Because I always give her the blue mug.”
Your parents blink at him, confounded. “…Appletini?” your dad ventures, smiling.
“It’s a long story,” you say, suddenly shy.
“Well, come on in,” your mom courteously deflects. “There are deviled eggs, salmon dip, Ritz crackers, and pigs in a blanket just waiting to be eaten.”
As your mom and dad bang around the kitchen putting the final touches on dinner, you and Aegon assemble your appetizer plates and loiter in the dining room, nibbling and chatting, bathed in the flickering golden light of the woodstove and humming along to the red Third Eye Blind vinyl that is still rotating on the record player like a bloody planet. There are three unopened bottles of wine on the table. Aegon keeps glancing at them, his eyes gleaming and famished.
“Would you like a tour of the house?” you say. “An authentic Alaskan house? Come March you’ll probably never have this opportunity again. You’ll be jet-setting off to some other far-flung destination, probably somewhere warm where they have plentiful Taco Bells and internet.”
“I’m not a fan of the internet,” Aegon replies, piling a Ritz cracker worryingly high with salmon dip. “But Taco Bells are a must. Yes, lead the way, oh wise and prophetic Madame Appletini.”
You show him the kitchen where your parents are laboring (floral wallpaper), the study (more floral wallpaper), the living room (wood paneling), and the backyard (adorned with a salt lick for the friendly neighborhood cow moose). Then you take Aegon upstairs to your bedroom. He ponders the details for a nerve-rackingly long time as he gnaws on slightly-too-crispy pigs in a blanket: your stack of travel magazines, your veterinary books, your dark blue bedding, the photographs taped to your mirror, the plethora of posters tacked to your walls.
Aegon speaks without looking at you, still investigating. “Has Trent ever gotten to enjoy your extensive collection of Ricky Martin posters?”
“Not yet. Preferably not ever.”
Now Aegon turns to you; he is smiling. “I feel so sorry for him.”
“Dinner’s ready, kids!” your dad shouts up the stairs, and you obediently report to the table to eat until you are in agony, which to your understanding is the primary objective of Thanksgiving.
“Drinks?” you mom inquires as she lights the tall red candles. The blue roses are in a vase at the center of the table. “There’s Tang, and Snapple, and water of course, and Pinot Noir. Martha Stewart says that’s the best wine to pair with turkey.”
“Wine, please,” Aegon says. She fills his glass. It vanishes almost immediately.
Aegon is the perfect guest: he samples everything and offers enthusiastic compliments, even when he is clearly horrified (as he is by the green bean casserole): “The turkey is so moist and flavorful!” “The yams are like dessert!” “It’s so fun to poke this cranberry sauce!” “My, what a creative use of cream of mushroom soup!” Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Sunfyre feasts on a plate of turkey organs and a few slices of white meat. You have a glass of wine, and so does your dad; your mom has two; you lose count of Aegon’s glasses after four. He becomes increasingly uncoordinated, giggly, fogged like a window. Your parents do not encourage him to drink, but they don’t try to stop him either; they ignore his drunkenness like a ghost that stands in the corner of the room, silent, waiting, set ablaze by firelight.
“Do I detect a British accent?” your dad asks Aegon pleasantly. “So this must be a new experience for you. Did you grow up abroad?”
“I grew up everywhere.” Aegon smirks evasively, swigging his wine. “And yes, my exposure to Thanksgiving is extremely limited. But I like this. I like this a lot. I’m going to have to do it every year, wherever I am. Sunfyre will rebel if I don’t. He’ll call PETA to file a complaint.”
“You do quite a bit of travelling, I gather,” your mom says. She watches Aegon with an intense, mesmerized sort of interest. It’s almost unnerving. It’s like she is searching for something: fingerprints dusted at a crime scene, gold nuggets sifted from a river.
“All over. All the time.”
“What do you do for work?”
“Everything,” Aegon says. “Here I’m salmon trolling. In San Francisco I was a dockworker, in San Diego I was a lifeguard—you don’t want to know how little training it takes to be a custodian of human lives, it’s absolutely horrifying, they’d let a great white shark be a lifeguard if it looked good in red—in Phoenix I did construction, just outside of Denver I got a job working on a cattle ranch. In Dallas I picked cotton. In Portland, Maine I caught lobsters. I’ll try anything once. I just like to keep moving. As long as I can make enough money to have somewhere for me and Sunfyre to sleep at night, I’m happy.”
“You’re just like Jack Dawson in Titanic,” your mom sighs, smiling in a way that brightens her whole face. “All you need is the air in your lungs.”
“You work on the same boat as Heather’s brother Trent, is that right?” your dad asks.
“Oh, Trent!” your mom says. “He’s a hunk. He looks just like a long-haired Matt Damon.”
You squint at her. “Yeah, if Matt Damon did steroids.”
“He’s a nice boy, that Trent,” your dad says. “I mean, he won’t be winning Who Wants To Be A Millionaire anytime soon, but he’s solid.”
Your mom nods in agreement. “Dumb as a rock.”
“He’s a great guy,” Aegon says diplomatically. “Wouldn’t hurt a fly. Unless that fly was a salmon.” He laughs overly-loudly, sloshing red wine out of his glass and staining the tablecloth like blood on snow. Your parents pretend not to notice.
After dinner, your mom brings out dessert: one pumpkin pie, one apple pie, one plate full of Tongass Forest Cookies. Aegon samples both pies and gobbles cookies until his Hawaiian shirt is littered with crumbs, washing them down with more wine. Then he gets up to pull on his parka and let Sunfyre outside. Aegon lurches as he moves, clutching walls and counters and the backs of chairs.
“I’ll go with you,” your mom offers before you can. She helps Aegon down the icy porch steps and then plays with Sunfyre in the backyard: chasing him through the snow, throwing sticks for him to fetch, tossing snowballs for him to snap between his jaws. Aegon, wobbly but in good spirits, participates as much as he can. And the way that your mom looks at him…it’s an expression you can’t recall ever seeing on her face before. It is fascination and fondness and grief all tangled up together. The light in her eyes is beautiful; it is also breathtakingly sad.
Your dad taps one of the empty wine bottles. “He’s got a problem, ladybug.”
“I know.”
“You can’t fix that for him. He has to want to fix himself.”
“I know,” you say again, your voice a brittle whisper.
Your dad sighs deeply and clasps his hands together, stares out the window, contemplates something heavy and unseen. At last, he speaks. “I’ve loved your mother my whole life. And when she and Jesse got together, I thought it was going to kill me. It wasn’t the fact that she was with another man. It was what he put her through. There were fights, there were bruises, and then there were promises and apologies, past-due bills and handmade birthday cakes, locked doors, open doors, kicked down doors. I couldn’t get her to leave him, and I couldn’t watch it keep happening. I tried everything to get away from your mother. I joined the goddamn Marines to get away from her. Four years in Vietnam and I still couldn’t sweat her out. I came back to Juneau and used my G.I. Bill to go to the University of Alaska, and…I would never admit this to anyone except you, but you need to hear it…I waited for that marriage to fall apart. And it did, but it took Jesse drowning in the Gastineau Channel.” He looks at you with miserable, glistening eyes. “Watching the way your mother suffered with a man like that was hell. Watching you go through the same thing would be unbearable.”
There is silence: a silence as thick and perilous as the ocean. Your dad studies you, searching for understanding, for a rational consensus to be reached. You study the lines in your palms. There is nothing rational about what you’re feeling. Alaska is flush with eligible men who are not temporary, not secretive, not unrepentant alcoholics: pilots, truckers, fishermen, loggers, oil riggers, scientific researchers, park rangers. You don’t want any of them. You’ve never wanted anything the way you want Aegon. It’s not fair. It’s not fucking fair.
The back door opens, and your mom and Sunfyre—elated and covered in snow—romp into the house. Your mom is giggling as she grabs a dishtowel from the kitchen and begins to clean the snow from Sunfyre’s fur. “You might want to…uh…retrieve Aegon,” she tells you. “It’s pretty cold out there.”
“What’s he doing?”
“Making snow angels.”
“Oh. Great.” You put on your own parka and head out into the afternoon twilight.
“Hey,” Aegon says from where he’s sprawled on the ground. He’s sweeping his arms and legs back and forth as stars rise in the sky.
“Hey. Are you having fun down there?”
“Yes.” His breath is a cloud in the frigid air. His arms and legs go still. “I love feeling small like this. Nothing matters. Not our pasts, not our accomplishments, not our mistakes. We’re all just bones with memories. We’re all just future space dust.”
“You don’t want to be remembered?”
“God no. What would be worth remembering? I want to be a whisper. I want to be the wind that blows over the ocean.” He cranes his neck to look up at you, thoughtful in that glazed, drunken sort of way. “You can remember me, I guess. I’ll allow that. But only you. No one else.”
“Assuming I outlive you.”
“You will obviously outlive me.” He holds his arms up in the air and you pull him to his feet.
“I think it’s time for you and Sunfyre to go home.”
“Oh no.” His face is filled with abrupt realization. “Do your parents hate me?”
“No, they like you. They like you a lot. They’re just worried about you.” And they’d be a lot more worried if they knew about the track marks on your arms or the fact that you can’t stay in one place longer than six months without being descended upon by maybe-metaphorical ghosts.
Aegon laughs wildly, almost hysterically. He reaches for your shoulder to steady himself and then stops short. He sways in the late-November air, his hair dripping from the snow, his hazy blue eyes all over you. You tuck his ever-errant lock of hair behind his ear. I love him, you think helplessly, like when you know you’re dreaming but can’t wake up. “Worried about me,” he muses without elaborating. “Worried about me.”
Your parents send Aegon home with warm hugs and Tupperware containers full of leftovers, including extra turkey meat for Sunfyre and a truly ludicrous helping of cookies. You drive to Aegon’s apartment building slowly so Sunfyre can stick his head out the back window and bark gleefully at every car you pass. It is dark when you get there, the sunset come and gone, the constellations visible in a rare clear sky: Gemini, Orion, Draco, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor. Your Jeep idles under the lusterless beam of a streetlight.
Aegon asks, a ghost of a smile on his lips: “You want to come upstairs with me?”
“Yes,” you reply. And if you do, you won’t leave until morning. “But not until I’ve talked to you about something first.”
“It’s important,” Aegon says softly, not a question but an observation, reading your face like a weather forecast: chance of sun, chance of storms.
“Yes, it’s important.”
“Okay. Let me take Sunfyre inside and I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
He doesn’t kiss you goodbye, he doesn’t even hug you. He reaches out with one hand and dusts his calloused thumbprint across your cheekbone, marveling at you like you’re a radiant horizon, like you’re ancient ruins: cave paintings older than the pyramids, pillars of stones and secrets. Then he gets out of the Jeep and staggers into the apartment building with Sunfyre scampering along beside him. He reappears moments later, his hands buried in the pockets of his parka. You were too anxious to wait in the Jeep; you pace back and forth beneath the dim ochre streetlight. Aegon watches you from several yards away, waiting for you to begin.
“Look,” you say. “I like you.”
“Cool.”
“No, I mean, I really like you.”
He smiles like the sun, like the Northern Lights. “So you are applying to be my Juneau girl.”
“Yes. But I need something from you first.”
His blue eyes are calm beneath the streetlight, beneath the starlight. “Name it.”
“I need you to get help.”
Aegon shakes his head, not understanding, his smile slowly dying. His lock of bone-white hair cuts his cheek in half like a scar. “What are you talking about?”
“You can go to rehab. I’ll help you find a program, I’ll take care of Sunfyre while you’re away.”
Everything about him changes, like the phases of the moon: his face darkens, his eyes go steely and sharp, everything you love about him is eclipsed. “I don’t need rehab.”
“Aegon, you obviously need rehab.”
He glares at you with savage distrust, with betrayal.
“I need you to get yourself together,” you plead. “I want to be with you, I want to let myself care about you, but I can’t do that when you’re killing yourself right in front of me.”
“I don’t see how it affects you.”
“It does. It will.”
“I’m a lot better now than I was two years ago.”
“It’s not good enough, Aegon.”
He looks down at his combat boots, then back at you. You barely recognize him. “So I’m not good enough.”
“That’s not what I said—”
“It’s what you meant, it’s what this whole fucking conversation is about, right?” he flares. “You not being satisfied with the kind of person I am. You thinking that you get any say at all in who I am. Are you delusional, are you that goddamn narcissistic? Have you staked some claim to me that I’m unaware of? Are you Christopher Columbus here to strip me bare and claim you discovered me?”
“Are you listening to me?! I’m trying to tell you that I l—”
“No, you don’t like me. You like some hypothetical version of me that you’re trying to convince yourself exists.”
You stare at him in heartbroken disbelief. “Why won’t you let me help you?”
“I don’t need your help. I don’t want your help.”
“But I thought…if you would just…we could…”
“When the fuck did I ever promise you a future?” Aegon flings like a blade. “When did I ever promise you anything? You think I showed up here to build you some cabin on the side of a mountain, get a desk job, give you Christmases and kids? That’s not me. That’s never going to be me. I’m not yours to use. I’m not a Ricky Martin poster to keep tacked up on your wall. I’m not the impetus to bail you out of your spineless, unfulfilling life.”
“Please stop.” Your throat is burning; there are hot tears slithering from your eyes. The icy wind stings against your face. “Please just stop.”
“I’m not the one who fucked this up,” Aegon hisses. “It was you, it was you, because I told you the truth but you refused to believe it. I’m not yours and I never was and I’m never going to be, so you better get that through your thick fucking skull. I’m not yours.”
“And why would I want someone like you?!” you scream into the darkness. He flinches away like you’ve hit him. His eyes are huge and glassy. “An alcoholic, an addict, a coward who runs away from anything worth living for? I’d rather die than waste my life on you. Wait, my mistake, waste the next four months on you, because then you’ll be fleeing to go terrorize some other girl in some other city. I don’t want you. I can’t wait to forget you.”
“Then go!” Aegon roars over his shoulder as he turns away. “Just fucking go!” He storms off into his apartment building; he disappears like the end of summer, leaving a jet-black endless void.
You retreat back into your Jeep, slam the door, and sit there under the silver-cold moonlight sobbing into empty, trembling hands.
#aegon ii targaryen#aegon targaryen#aegon ii#aegon x you#aegon targaryen x reader#aegon targaryen x you#aegon targaryen ii#hotd fanfic#aegon x reader#aegon x y/n
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TLHOD SECRET SANTA 2023 - SIGNUPS OPEN
Yes, it's that time again!
As always, even if you aren’t participating, I’d be very grateful if you could signal boost by re-blogging! I’ll also be cross-posting to my Twitter *here* so RTs much appreciated if you’re on there ~
What’s a Secret Santa?
For those who have never done a Secret Santa before, the way it works is you submit a gift request, which goes into a pool which is then randomised. The randomised requests are then handed out to the participants.
So basically, its Mystery Gift! Everyone draws/writes a gift for someone. You won’t know who it’s for, and you won’t know who is doing yours! Then at the exchange, the completed gifts are handed out anonymously to whomever they belong, via email.
Sounds good, where do I sign?
Send your email applications right here! -> [email protected]
What do I write in my application email?
1. Your name / tumblr tag / most used social media - a link to your blog would also be helpful so I know who you are and can contact you if emails are not working or something. A link to examples of your work (art tag, etc) is also appreciated!
2. Preferred gift rating. NSFW requests are totally okay as long as they are not offensive/racist/sexist but if you’d like something NSFW, please also provide a SFW alternative request as not everyone is comfortable producing such content. If you don’t mind receiving NSFW but would prefer not to submit it, please tell me and vice versa.
3. Your actual request! If you prefer shipping/non shipping, please include this in your signup email. Please try to word your request so that it can be filled by either an artist or writer, if possible, as your gift-giver is randomly assigned!
Examples of requests (just for reference, there’s no required format):
- something with your fave pairing / a particular scene
- an AU you’d like to see (please provide some details)
Your requests don’t have to have any particular theme, request whatever you like!
4. Whether you would be able to pinch-hit (fill an extra gift if needed).
5. Whether you would like to remain anonymous to your gift recipient and/or on the master-post of entries (which will be posted up on Tumblr a few days after gift exchange)
———- DEADLINES ————–
Applications Close: 29th October 2023, 00:00 GMT
Prompts Sent Out to Participants: by 1st November 2023, 00:00 GMT
Gift submission: 20th December 2023, 22:00 GMT
(Please submit your completed gifts to [email protected])
Gift Exchange: 22nd - 24th December 2023 (TBC)
———- RULES/GUIDELINES —————–
- Don’t be a butt. (generally the best rule to live by)
- Complete the gift using your MAD SKILLS, be it drawing or writing fanfic! If you have other cool magic abilities like animating, you’re welcome to use those too!
- Please submit completed works only. Your gift should be fully coloured if it’s art (unless you are specifically doing a monochrome / inked piece), and properly formatted, spell-checked and at least 1,000 words if it’s a written piece.
- For written pieces, google doc links/word documents are fine for the email exchange, but if you want me to include your fic in the tumblr master-post please bear in mind you need to post it somewhere link-able such as AO3.
- if you are submitting NSFW art, AO3 hosts art too and can be a good alternative to tumblr/twitter restrictions.
- Please don’t post any completed gifts on your blog before the gift exchange date!
- if the deadline is approaching and you know you won’t be able to submit your piece in time, please tell me as soon as possible so I can arrange for someone else to fill your assigned prompt.
- if you’d like to remain anonymous, please tell me (there will be master-posts of all the submissions a couple of days after exchange)
- I’ll be tracking the tumblr tag ‘tlhod secret santa 2023’.
There’s also a Discord group - please let us know if you’d like an invite!
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Thoughts on Spring & A New Series 💌🌸💭
🌸 Spring is the season of life and rebirth. The world is being reawakened as Persephone returns to her mother. Students are finishing school for the term, flower shops and farmer's markets are opening, and overall, there's an excited buzz in the air.
🌸 Spring is also the season of love, despite commercial belief. Victor Hugo writes, "If people did not love one another, I really don't see what the use there would be in having any spring." He's right—spring is the season for budding relationships, making amends with people, and starting anew.
💭 As a black, queer femme in America, spring has always felt like a precursor to my official return from hibernation. The time needed to perfect my summer wardrobe and to find the lotion-oil-perfume combination that will last me all day and leave me enticing and moisturized for hours. As a writer, spring is the season in which I am most inspired by the world around me. I begin to write love letters to the Earth and to the mundane, which leads me to a very special project I've been planning.
Black Girl Notes presents "Love Letters: All the Things We Wish to Say." From April 29th through May 31st, I will be hosting a series that seeks to promote healthy, effective communication with the underlying goal of healing ourselves and building interpersonal community. The first installment of the "Love Letters" series is "Love Letters: To Our Dearly Departed."
While spring is the season of renaissance, it is not absolved from death. In my short twenty-four years, I have experienced death more during springtime than any other season. Using my experience as a basis, I think as we begin to transition from spring to summer, we should help heal the traumas of losing those who may have transitioned from life far too soon.
💌 "Love Letters" will begin with an opportunity to share an anonymous letter with your dearly departed loved ones. A link to a form to write anything you wish to say to someone you may have lost will be posted here on this blog, as well as on my Substack under the Black Girl Notes tab and on my Instagram (@terizahh, @shop.nellmaria, and @theeriscompany). If you choose to write a letter to a loved one, you will be given the option of receiving a response from me. I am not a licensed therapist, and I simply want to help ease pain and build community.
When I was young and grieving the loss of my adoptive mother and eventually my biological mother, I found solace in online communities. My responses will simply be an expression of understanding and sharing that I will always be there for those who may need a shoulder to cry on.
💭 The form for submitting a letter to a loved one will remain open until May 3rd. On May 3rd, I will be sharing a post about Death and the Black Community, which will be available to read in full on Substack. Each week, a new "Love Letters" topic will be shared with the opportunity to leave a letter to those who you wish to be able to speak to.
Finally, at the end of the series, we will have a celebration of love in all its forms, from families to friends to relationships to finding ourselves. There will be Substack exclusive interviews with some amazing people throughout this series whose stories will hopefully inspire and encourage you.
I look forward to writing and reading your love letters 💌💭.
- Nellmaria
#blackgirlnotes#spring#love letters#grief#healing#black mental health#victor hugo#les mierables#black writers#loveletter#african american
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I'm having a hard time figuring out why this is on fox news first instead of having every single women's advocacy group out on a picket line or protest against the possibility of her appointment.
thoughts?
Submitted anonymously
Your guess is as good as mine, would think NOW would be foaming at the mouth at the thought of someone who's made these kinds of rulings going up the ranks to state supreme court.
Looked in the article to see if there was more, there is, she's got a fair few things like these up here under her belt.
Unless there's some more stern rulings that fox isn't covering I'm going to remain dumbfounded about why there aren't mass protests over someone that's gone this light on violent sexual assault cases.
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Reply too big to keep in replies, forgive me
Flash emulation won't actually work with the way the site is coded. It's really difficult to truly illustrate HOW fucked the site is if you aren't familiar with it.
So the flash games are INTEGRATED into the site. They don't just play. They send scores and those scores are validated by the site and then affect the game in real time by awarding points. Thats backend stuff and it seems EASY. But flash EMULATION will not really let that process work. Not blanket. Ruffle is a browser add on for flash and you can play some games with it but every game has needed to be worked manually and individually to try and get it to play correctly and to let it send scores.
Here, so like. Last year you may recall having heard about the data breach. It was a long time coming. Neopets has terrible security and always has. So someone got backend access, downloaded the server and this had all of the usernames and passwords ever used. Were they hashed? Yes. Was the hashkey stored in the server and thus also available to the hacker? Also yes.
As a result neopets finally moved from http to https. Great!
Not for flash games.
Every game has links in it right. Backend stuff. Mechanics. But all those fucking links redirect to http, not https. And you cannot change that without editing the game and you can't do THAT without a program that makes flash elements. So they're basically unfixable on site. On one fell swoop, every single flash game broke at once. You could play them but scores were now unsendable.
The workaround neopets USERS found was, I shut you not, using developer tools to modify the way your entire computer communicates with the internet
"oh, that seems simple"
Look the fuck at what is IN the js file
It is 538 lines! It is manually overriding the links used in these games. This IS hacking. Technically this is against the rules, it's just not being enforced.
Don't worry, I'm terrified.
The workaround before this STILL had you download a new browser, modify it, take your internet offline and manually reinstall an old version of flash to create a jury rigged flash browser. Oh my God this is so dangerous and we Still do this. Did I do all this fiddler stuff? Yes! I did! Because neopets is very much like transformers in that there is a small user base but every single person there is fucking insane!
So.... Emulation is not a solution. Every game needs to be individually ground up REMADE in html5. And you can't just import the old game and tweak it. It has to be made from scratch. That's why there are so few html5 games. It's incredibly difficult and time consuming and probably not all that worth it when there's so much to be done.
This is what I mean when I say the site is virtually unplayable. This is the kind of shit that we have to do to make the site work. You basically cannot play unless you are accessing fan sites and communities to find resources that can offer fixes to everything that is broken. There are legitimately pages of this website that have not been updated since 1999. Until like two years ago you still could not say "gay" on the forums because the chat filter caught it. And do you know why?? Staff literally did not know where the chat filter was stored in the backend. They could not find it. The site traded hands and staff so much that no one remained who knew where it was.
There is LITERALLY a guy who found backend access several years ago and can, whenever he wants, get into the server and look at everything. HE could have stolen those passwords (which the other hacker was selling for $10,000!!) At any time he wanted. Instead he just made an anonymous reddit account where he would post info about how the fucking site works and why things are broken and "yeah they lied about fixing this its still broken" or "yeah actually they secretly shadowbanned a bunch of people from submitting scores to the big yearly event next year if you dm me I can tell you if you're on the list"
And he IS STILL THERE!!!! HE STILL HAS SERVER ACCESS!!! ITS BEEN YEARS AND THEY HAVENT KICKED HIM OUR BECAUSE THEY STILL HAVENT FOUND THE BREACH!!!!!!!
This. THIS is what staff is dealing with. THIS is the absolute shit storm they need to tackle if they want this site to work. The way pets are stored, the way accounts work, all of those things cannot be changed without causing severe issues conflicting with users accounts, pets, items, and all of that was originally coded in 1998/1999 and it cannot be changed. It cannot be modernized. They need to find ways to integrate old code that cannot be changed into a site coded for a modern internet. That is beyond the scope of normal site building.
All that is to say... I'm hesitant to believe things will improve, not because I don't think staff wants to, not because I don't think they have the drive and the passion to throw everything they have at it. Just because... Jesus dude I don't know if they actually have the resources to fix this mess at all.
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Vincent Price (The Price of Fear)
"(To be clear, this is a fictionalised version of himself that he portrayed in a radio show, not the real life person. Although the "total strangers confess weird often disturbing and confidential things to him unprompted" aspect WAS apparently true of him in real life--I don't know that anyone ever confessed to murder but a lot of strangers who recognised him would apparently confide all kinds of secrets and strange stories to him since he was fairly nonjudgemental and wasn't the type of guy to interrupt or walk away when someone was talking to him. The "just knowing things" part…well, he did believe he had some level of psychic abilities/premonitions IRL, but I don't know what to make of that. Either way though the character being submitted for this poll is the fictionalised version, who shares a lot of traits with the real man but gets into clearly fictional situations in each episode.) Vincent discovers all kinds of Dark Secrets (TM) in the form of a different supernatural or murdery event each episode. Sometimes this involves him actively investigating mysteries to discover the truth about various strange occurrences. Other times he's more of a witness to events, often becoming the only person alive to know the truth about something horrible--for instance going on a fishing trip with a guy leads to him discovering the guy's been killing people and feeding them to sharks. Other times, people just…tell him things--in fact, people open up to him extremely quickly in most episodes, he only has to ask a couple of questions to get someone to tell him all about his experience of being possessed, but the most notable examples are the FOUR occasions where a total stranger approaches him, sits down opposite him, and confesses to murder almost totally unprompted, in an unusually coherent way (OK so one guy was a very nervous and hesitant person who takes a little bit of prompting, but his confession still forms a coherent and narratively interesting enough story to make an episode of a radio show!), while Vincent just (mostly) calmly listens to it all. Also he…knows stuff. Inexplicably. Like, maybe not concrete factual stuff so much, but like, at least to what in a different context I'd call force-sensitive levels. Any time he thinks something's wrong, or someone's in danger, or that he might never see this person again, or he claims to sense Evil, without fail he is accurate. (Also the promotional art for the show features him staring at you somewhat disturbingly.)"
Futaba Sakura (Persona)
"A playful hacker who acts as the Phantom Thieves’ Mission Control, using her technological skills to uncover information in the real world and her Navigator abilities to provide information about the Palaces and Shadows in the Metaverse. The Phantom Thieves recruited her to take down the hacker group Medjed (named after an Egyptian deity whose description calls him “that smiter […] who shoots with his eyes”), only to discover that she’s the original Medjed. Her Personas are Necronomicon (a source of forbidden knowledge that drives people mad), Prometheus (who stole fire from the gods for humanity), and Al Azif (the Arabic title of the Necronomicon). By remembering the truth behind her mother’s death, she unlocked Necronomicon: "What denies you is an illusion… A curse put upon you by the heartless… You knew from the very beginning… And yet, you cowered in fear. […] The forbidden wisdom has been revealed. No mysteries, no illusions will deceive you any longer." Her technological prowess is second to none: not only does she manage to take down a corporate executive impersonating her hacker group Medjed, but she manages to crack into more-or-less every television broadcast in Japan to send a calling card from the Phantom Thieves to Masayoshi Shido, just to make absolutely sure he knows they're coming. As the original Medjed, her skills were of worldwide fame, even if her own identity remained anonymous. She has a habit of using her skills without regard for privacy or consequences, such as her bugging of Leblanc to keep an eye on Sojiro, bugging the protagonist's phone camera so she can keep an eye on them during their trip to Hawaii, and finding out her Uncle's financial history. When the Thieves are targeting Makoto’s sister Sae, she offers to tell them about Sae’s history with men and “her repertoire of underwear.” Makoto even mentions before the Hawaii trip that she's glad Futaba is on their side, recognizing she'd make a fearsome enemy."
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#submitted by someone who would like to remain anonymous#lily orchard is a colonizer#lily orchard is racist#lily orchard#lily orchard wrote stockholm#lily orchard is garbage and here's why#the sith resurgence
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I don’t think the announcement from BH denies V-J dating rumours, but seems most Army think it did. What do you think?
I think someone from Hybe is lurking on my blog
If you gonna lurk you might as well just hire me. I mean shit, I'll do shit for free. You don't gotta pay me.
Compare the text of this statement to my post on the hybe/ Taehyung dating situation...
Sus.
I mean, I did say they might be building a case against the perpetrator quietly and that the perpetrator might simply be out of Korea so it complicates matters for them.... I didn't actually think that a thing but sure go for it Hybe. You guys are just pulling shot out of your asses now ain't you😂
The bit they say about "person's inside or outside Korea" is really really interesting to me. They sticking to the theme ain't they? They really committed.
While they might not name names in their legal hunts for menaces, they usually drop hints about whom they are targeting or the issue they are addressing by pointing to the platforms and mediums through which these offensive acts are committed.
HYBE Posts Updates On Legal Actions For Malicious Activities Against Their Artists BTS, SEVENTEEN, TXT, And More
HYBE shared updates on its legal response to malicious commenters and other individuals attacking its artists BTS, SEVENTEEN, TXT, NU’EST, and ENHYPEN.
On December 29, HYBE shared the following statements in English regarding the protection of its artists.
Here is the official statement regarding BTS:
Hello.
This is Big Hit Music.
Our company regularly initiates legal proceedings against perpetrators of malicious activities related to BTS, including defamation, personal attacks, sexual harassment, the spread of groundless information, and ill-intentioned criticism.
We would like to provide an update on these activities.
We have recently filed additional criminal complaints using new information provided by fans as well as collected through our monitoring initiatives.
Our company initiates strong legal action against personal attacks and the spread of groundless information related to BTS.
We are taking every action possible, civil or criminal, especially against YouTube and DC Inside accounts who repeatedly engage in such activities. We have submitted legal complaints against anonymous perpetrators who have engaged in such activities without the use of their real names or nicknames, and we have also filed criminal complaints against those who have been periodically changing their nicknames and their respective accounts by collecting data on the nicknames used and the posts they uploaded through constant and real-time monitoring.
We have taken additional legal action against perpetrators who have continued to engage in malicious activities without remorse even while undergoing investigation for their criminal activities. Additional civil suits for damages were filed against those who were convicted of criminal charges.
Recently, a lawsuit for damages filed against those who were sentenced to criminal fines was ruled in favor of the company, and the ruling was finalized with a total of 9 million won (approximately $7,582) ordered in damages. We will ensure that the damages are compensated in full to send a clear message that those who engage in criminal activities will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law – both criminal and civil – and that they will bear the heavy responsibility of their actions.
We will continue to initiate strict measures to ensure that these malicious acts are not repeated, and our policy of no settlement and no leniency remains in effect. Big Hit Music regularly collects information on malicious postings regarding BTS, reports them to the authorities, and files criminal complaints. We ask that you make continued use of our hotline ([email protected]) to report any cases of abuse.
We are always grateful for the affection and dedication shown by fans of BTS. We will continue to work to ensure that the rights of our artists are fully protected. Thank you.
End quote.
As you can see, the mention of DC inside accounts makes it glaringly obvious what they were investigating and on whose account they were acting.
Similarity where are you. Where art thou
Such responses were also often swift so let's not overlook how long it's taken for them to address this issue.
HYBE WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG????
This is giving nothing. With how long you've taken to respond to this crises one would think you'd come up with something more concrete than vague words and generic legal templates to instill the fear of God in Mother effers.
A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE. Yall never heard that? Come here with receipts of legal undoings. I want damages. I want take downs. I want bankruptcy boots in ass. I want their ancestors to shake in their Graves from the poverty that's finna awake them.
Naa. HYBE DESERVES STITCHES
And Jin's shade. Sirrrrrrrr
What do you mean what did they do😂😂😂😂😂
But like we want to know too. Juseyo. Hybe tell us. What did they do??? Isn't this a bit dramatic over a dating rumor?😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Especially if the images involved are doctored?
Lime just deny it and go we doing too much🤣
I'll intentioned rumor- huh? Bye💀
Let me see what else they have...
Personal attacks.
On brand with haters.
But I don't think saying someone is dating someone is a personal attack or constitutes personal attacks. So that might be addressing all the death threats and criminal promises and unfounded vitriol against BTS, the constant disparaging of the members and coming for them for no freakn reason. I approve this message. Prosecute the shit out of them.
The second issue raised by Hybe is defamation. The spread of groundless information- I think we have covered that extensively and don't need to go over it.
Hybe is going through all this trouble when they coulda just said the rumors are false and call it a day💀💀💀💀💀
I smell wool over army eye but imma give Hybe the benefit of the doubt and assume yet again that they can't say much about this because this is an ongoing investigation.
The statement did what delulu fans have been yearning for all this while- give them a peace of mind. Anything to prove to them that Taehyung is single so they can ship him with Jungkook or Jimin in peace😌
To that I applaud Hybe cos me, I'm not about to stop shipping Vmin I'm sorry😂
I like to picture myself as Tae with JM sometimes 🥴
I lowkey be fucking him vicariously through Tae🥸
These legal updates are routine. A response in a timely manner shud have addressed this aptly and put it to rest by now.
I mean they addressed the breach of privacy in Jungkook's case but I'm not seeing any concerns here. Frankly I think we might all be in denial over this, hybe, me, every one.
HYBE IS BEATING AROUND THE BUSH.
If they want to sue anyone for spreading groundless rumors about BTS dating, they should look no further than their own Fandom.
Jail us all
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“That Hussey woman's behaviour, reasoning and frame of mind are the norm in royal palaces. One is forced to resign because her racist behaviour has gone viral, hundreds of people like her still WORK FOR royal family members and ARE royal family members.” - Submitted by Anonymous
“After the Oprah interview I expected royal family members and royal aides to go out of their way to be extra nice to Black people, instead I'm getting a racist scandal go viral every other week. It's like blunder after blunder. They just can't help themselves I guess cause they're so old and so white and live in this insulated world, an old white world but the real world the one that's not so old and white well it is creeping in on them real quick.” - Submitted by Anonymous
“Black Britons invited to Buckingham Palace being asked by royal aides "but where do you really come from?" denotes a structural issue: it's not just one or a few royal family members or royal aides who are racist, racism is clearly systematic in the royal institution and being a 3rd generation Black Briton myself the fact that this isn't an issue that's addressed on a regular basis and denounced openly makes me ashamed of being British.” - Submitted by Anonymous
“Lady Hussey's racist comment is par for the course for someone connected to the UK-based Windsors. She's not one of the *two family members* who made the skin colour comments, however, because she's not a member of the family. My two prime suspects remain William and Kate.” - Submitted by Anonymous
“The Lady Hussey issue would have never have happened if they had just listened to Meghan in the first place and fired anyone who was being openly racist. They’re a bunch of over privileged white people living in a bubble that doesn’t match Britain’s ever changing makeup, don’t be shocked if it comes out staff called Rishi Sunak a “coloured man”.” - Submitted by Anonymous
“The British media is giving Lady Hussey more support for being racist than they've given Meghan Markle for being the victim of racism.” - Submitted by Anonymous
“From an objective point of view, the allegations coming out after Camilla’s ‘violence against women and girls’ reception only add credence to Harry and Meghan’s claims… honestly this is what I was wondering about- long time staff pulling shit and not getting canned like they should because ‘but mah loyalty!’ *clutches paste pearls*” - Submitted by Anonymous
“I'm so so so so so over the constant racism scandals in the BRF. Like when will they realize that this keeps happening and the common denominator is them. Accept it, and educate yourselves.” - Submitted by Anonymous
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DOTA SECRET SANTA 2023 - SIGNUPS OPEN
It’s that time again already!
As always, even if you aren’t participating, I’d be very grateful if you could signal boost by re-blogging! I’ll also be cross-posting to my Twitter *here* so RTs much appreciated if you’re on there ~
What’s a Secret Santa?
For those who have never done a Secret Santa before, the way it works is you submit a gift request, which goes into a pool which is then randomised. The randomised requests are then handed out to the participants.
So basically, its Mystery Gift! Everyone draws/writes a Dota-themed gift for someone. You won’t know who it’s for, and you won’t know who is doing yours! Then at the exchange, the completed gifts are handed out anonymously to whomever they belong, via email.
Sounds good, where do I sign?
Send your email applications right here! -> [email protected]
What do I write in my application email?
1. Your name / tumblr tag / most used social media - a link to your blog would also be helpful so I know who you are and can contact you if emails are not working or something. A link to examples of your work (art tag, etc) is also appreciated!
2. Preferred gift rating. NSFW requests are totally okay as long as they are not offensive/racist/sexist but if you’d like something NSFW, please also provide a SFW alternative request as not everyone is comfortable producing such content. If you don’t mind receiving NSFW but would prefer not to submit it, please tell me and vice versa.
3. Your actual request! If you prefer shipping/non shipping, please include this in your signup email. Please try to word your request so that it can be filled by either an artist or writer, if possible, as your gift-giver is randomly assigned!
Examples of requests (just for reference, there’s no required format)
- a pairing or your favourite character/s doing [something of your choice]
- an AU with [character/pairing]
Your requests don’t have to be seasonal-themed, request whatever you like!
4. Whether you would be able to pinch-hit (fill an extra gift if needed).
5. Whether you would like to remain anonymous to your gift recipient and/or on the master-post of entries (which will be posted up on Tumblr a few days after gift exchange)
———- DEADLINES ————–
Applications Close: 29th October 2023, 00:00 GMT
Prompts Sent Out to Participants: by 1st November 2023, 00:00 GMT
Gift submission: 20th December 2023, 22:00 GMT
(Please submit your completed gifts to [email protected])
Gift Exchange: 22nd - 24th December 2023 (TBC)
———- RULES/GUIDELINES —————–
- Don’t be a butt. (generally the best rule to live by)
- Complete the gift using your MAD SKILLS, whether that’s drawing or writing fanfic! If you have other cool magic abilities like animating or using SFM, you’re welcome to use those too!
- Please submit completed works only. Your gift should be fully coloured if it’s art (unless you are specifically doing a monochrome / inked piece), and properly formatted, spell-checked and at least 1,000 words if it’s a written piece.
- For written pieces, google doc links/word documents are fine for the email exchange, but if you want me to include your fic in the tumblr master-post please bear in mind you need to post it somewhere link-able such as AO3.
- if you are submitting NSFW art, AO3 hosts art too and can be a good alternative to tumblr/twitter restrictions.
- Please don’t post any completed gifts on your blog until gifts have been exchanged!
- if the deadline is approaching and you know you won’t be able to submit your piece in time, please tell me as soon as possible so I can arrange for someone else to fill your assigned prompt.
- I’ll be tracking the tumblr tag ‘dota secret santa 2023’. If you have any issues, inbox me, email me or DM me on Twitter! (link above)
There’s also a Discord group - please let me know if you’d like an invite!
- GL HF!
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CFWC Survey Results!
Hello! We want to thank everyone who took the time to participate in our survey, and we'd like to share the results with you. Kathy and Elsa are reviewing the data together, and we'll provide you with updates (and maybe more surveys!) soon.
Until then, we'd like you to see what you had to say!
It looks like we'll be doing this! The most common suggestion was to have masterlists grouped by series, and we agree. We will be discussing guidelines and "how-tos" in the weeks ahead. So keep an eye out for more on this!
This idea was also liked. So again, keep an eye out for more info!
So it seems most like events, but finding time to participate is a problem. We get it! Here are some general suggestions, and potential event topics, we received:
Suggestions:
Make events quarterly to allow more time for participation. We're adding this to our list of considerations!
Fanfic writers recommend other fanfic writers and new writers. While this could be a fun idea, we have decided as a policy to never have reviews or recommendations on CFWC. This is a neutral site to bring creators and readers together; we don't want any involvement in the popularity contests that plague our fandom, and we fear is what it would become.
Someone liked the Top 3 Fic events we hosted last year and asked if we will be hosting them again. For those who weren't around, we allowed authors to submit their Top 3 fics of the year according to Tumblr, as well as their personal Top 3. We hope to do this again this year.
One respondent said they prefer written prompts for use in events. We'll keep that in mind!
Topic Suggestions:
Crossovers
Holidays
Royals & Nobles
Birthday Events (character birthdays, etc.)
LGBTQ Themed Event
Series or character appreciation weeks
Stories from MCs past
What if scenarios/Roads not taken
Pets
We were pleased to see this, honestly, though we may be a little bit annoying (and 5% of you agree! 😂) We have no intention of increasing the number of posts, but we may look into how they're delivered. More to come!
We had 2 responses from those who don't follow the blog.
One felt there were too many posts and not enough interactions.
One was not pleased with how the NSFW tag was handled during our current event. Please note we follow the standard practice in the fandom for such events.
Here are some of the comments and suggestions received. Please note, we removed one only because it had a person's name attached and we want to keep all comments anonymous.
Regarding suggestions:
Edits, text-fics, and fanart that are not part of fics - we will discuss this and follow up at a later date.
Recommendations. We agree it would lead to more divisiveness, which we both feel is one of the biggest threats to our fandom. Because of that, we want our blog to remain a neutral place to celebrate all creators.
Newcomer welcome. We'd love to do that too! But it is a little labor intensive to make sure we don't miss anyone. But, we can give some thought to better ways to do this.
We certainly didn't expect to receive so much love! We were humbled and touched by it and truly appreciate your kind words. Both of us are very happy to do our part to help our talented creators and loyal readers alike.
Thank you for your time - and more to come!
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Also, we’re in the endgame, meaning close to the end that he gave romance hints between Sanji x Pudding, Zoro x Hiyori, Franky X Robin(the caress and the motorbike ride scene) those are fairly recent as well. That’s that. Usopp has Kaya back home. Chopper has that Mink. Brook doesn’t need anyone. Cause he is a skeleton. Luffy I believe promised Hancock and Amazon Lily that he will return. All that remains is Nami’s love interest. That’s about all I can think of. These posts should be longer.
I want to be honest with you. I want to stay as neutral as possible to all ships.
All beside FRobin who I fully support and hope will become canon and while I accept other Robin and Franky ships, I don‘t support them.
I understand why people ship Sanji x Pudding and Zoro x Hiyori. The ships have good bases and as a person I appreciate that. Same can be said about Nami x Vivi and Zoro x Luffy. Same with Kaya x Usopp and Usopp x Sanji
I of course have preferences. I have written down some headcanons here, also as neutral as possible... sometimes less because after all I'm only human XD
You can also submit entries: https://frobin.tumblr.com/submit
It's not as anonymous as the asks though.
Let's continue with your post but I put it under a read more because it is really not about FRobin:
Anon: Continued…Nami was the only one in Dressrosa who cared for Law’s well being and defending his plan. In the manga she was so shocked he got shot and the anime since they ship law and robin, they included the reaction of the other straw hats on sunny,when in the manga Nami’s reaction was only shown , she then passionately took charge and told everyone to follow law’s plans and she only went to zou for Law’s sake(at first she was hesitant going there) but knowing his condition, she went to zou
In zou, someone(maybe Luffy)asks about Law’s whereabouts and in the manga it’s chopper who answers while in the anime it’s robin who answers. Also in the anime, They made Nami brush off the topic about Law while in the manga she never did that. In the anime,They were pushing the Sanji and Nami thing while that was not like that at all in the manga. She was genuinely worried for sanji as the other nakama. She would have done the same if let’s say zoro left as well. Worried just as a nakama.
Continued…toei animation doesn’t want any other female for law other than robin. Which is very biased as you can see. Which is weird because they used to ship law and Nami together in the past. Even though Nami did so much for him. Which is canon. In zou, Nami was talking about the log pose, she mentions Law and he looks at Nami softly and in the anime they didn’t animated law looking at Nami softly, in fact they didn’t animate it at all. How biased are they? Because this goes against their…
Ship. You clearly see it. Also after Jack’s attack on the elephant sends everyone flying all over the place, Nami is holding onto Luffy’s head and there is Law standing next to Nami for no reason really in the manga, while the anime did animate that scene but they didn’t put Law next to Nami like how it was in the manga. Someone on the anime team is so scared of Law x Nami happening(in the past they did ship them) it goes against their ship of Law and robin….
…the staff or some members who liked Law x Nami were probably changed thus why the change from one ship to the other. I doubt Oda had anything to do with it since the anime is doing their own thing like spoiling zoro’s conqueror’s haki way before it should have happened as in the manga it was against Kaido that this reveal happened. You can see the bias and I can’t be the only one noticing this. Here we can talk about these topics cause we know we aren’t toxic like some other fans. We rely on
We rely on facts and proof here which is why the frobin fandom doesn’t shake much at anything. Also in that colorspread where the heart and the straw hats pirates are mingling together, Robin is looking back at Franky on the opposite side of her. While Oda put Nami at Law’s side and he is smiling like we never seen him before with a female. Nami is also smiling being next to him. Also Law’s crew shachi and penguin are blushing at Nami being there as well. Continued…
… it seems Nami is close to Law’s crew as in they seem fond of her. Also Oda’s wife (real life Nami)supposedly has a crush on Law. I would try to find out what her favourite female character might be in one piece obviously. That might be a hint for Law. Also Kishimoto’s wife loved naruto with hinata thus why they happened. And clearly hinata seemed the best choice for naruto as well since she is so kind and loves him for his personality. I would look for what his wife likes , a female for Law.
I don't have much to say (she said like a liar).
Thank you for trusting me with these messages! Thank you for the trust, really.
Those differences between Manga and Anime can be found for any number of scene and is why I rarely take the anime as canon. It's easier to not take it as canon at all.
To be fair, I haven't thought much about Nami/Law at all (I think I read one or two fics out of curiosity?)... which is mostly because I don't care much for Law as a character (except he is a nerdy dork and being embarassed by someone else - mostly in OP Party) but I do understand why you ship them. And I hope this stage I'm providing will help you find other Law/Nami shipper.
Also looking up some Law/Nami on tumblr this posting by @bubbly-bungee-may is a good start if someone is curious about possible scenes:
There are also some really amazing fanarts, really. I did a quick skim and the artists are madly talented.
With that, I continue to more in-box shenanigans.
Until next time, anon :)
#Not Frobin#lawna#Law x Nami#LawXNami#LawNami#OP analysis#OP meta#long post#anmie#manga#comparison#also apparently there are a lot of german LawNami shipper#kon
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