Birkenstocks. Well, not actual Birkenstocks, because money, but Birkenstock style sandals. Basically, as soon as itās consistently above 60 degrees (Fahrenheit) I live in them until late fall comes around. Work, church, going to the store, pretty much anything that doesnāt require closed toe shoes. I wore them with my wedding gownā and took that very pair straight to the honeymoon where I wore them pretty much every day.
like but... it's not the trope, it's how it's deployed, right. i hate a stupid miscommunication plotline just like the rest of y'all. if a single text message could resolve the situation, i often find it more aggravating than suspenseful. and we have all seen it used lazily! we have all seen a "miscommunication" that relies on all characters involved being suddenly stupid as fuck.
but miscommunication is a fucking incredible plot device, it just needs to be used well. because yeah, maybe it could be resolved with a single hey i just wanted to check in about what you said text.
but why isn't she texting that, actually. what shape do her hands make around the phone. does she open and close the messaging app, does she just doomscroll. maybe she can't even really figure out why she's upset - what she heard broke her heart. too much is happening in her life and she decides it's not her fucking job to constantly fucking be the hey just checking in friend. why can't they do it, for fucking once, she is always fixing things first. she is working with her therapist on her fawn response. and fuck them, honestly.
and they don't know she misunderstood, only that she pulled away suddenly. and the thing is that they didn't realize how familiar she was, how wonderful - and she's suddenly dropped them now, which makes sense, because they're a terrible person. everyone does this, right? once other people see how they really are - a void of a person - they are left alone again. so they don't text, either. they leave the phone at home while they go get drunk again. lights and music and dancing, skating over the frozen lake of their own heart, avoiding it. if they look too hard at it, fuck they miss her, she was the only fucking thing they have left. but it's not fair to her. she's setting a boundary, they need to respect it.
and the distance like a banner between them. her anger at their happy-go-lucky instagram stories; because of course they're out there fucking partying as if she wasn't ever important. their spiral that is the same spiral it always is, self-destructive and vapid, their heart empty in her absence. she pulls back further, they lash out - fucking stay away. neither one comes to their shared friend's birthday. and it's fine, right, people grow apart from each other, that's adulthood. but when she talks to her therapist she finds herself saying yeah, i could talk to them about it, but, like, it's been months. and they stare at her picture and type and retype the same message that they never send: where are you. what have i done. but they leave her alone, because they think it's what she wants.
this is a real thing that happens; and when it happens, it fucking sucks. in the real world, conversations are often not what they could be; they are often weird and painful and messy. we try to talk to the other person, but they're too stressed out to listen. we both try to fix things, but the hurt has just been too great, and it's never the same, no matter the length of the apology. we grow apart. or both people keep trying, but they're just too different (or too much the same), too much keeps getting in the way, they just end up arguing. the conversation was supposed to be small, it ends up spiraling into a massive and bitter breakup. the conversation was supposed to fix the friendship, but it just makes both people realize i don't really get along with you the way i once did.
in romeo and juliet, a pretty famous series of communication errors keep happening. obviously this is not because his writing is lazy. the lack of communication causes and exposes the tragedy. love is about two people trying to reach each other across an impossible barrier. the place where language can't touch - no matter how much i write about it, i will never be able to show you truly what i am feeling - like trying to name which sounds "feel" green. i cannot put you into my body.
barriers to communication are fucking interesting. is it because of the characters' shared history or because they don't have history? is it a generational thing. is it because they've actually talked about it too much, and there's nothing left that can even be said on the subject. is it because he is too attached to tradition, and she has fully forgotten her home country. are they both avoidant, both anxious? does one person accidentally trigger the other; is the other person not practiced enough to even talk about the trauma that surfaced? does one person lie; is another one being manipulative? is one person hell-bent on taking even neutral things personally, does the other person feel purposefully misunderstood and disoriented. maybe one of them just comes from a culture where interrupting is seen as rude, whereas the other learned crosstalk was a form of active listening - now neither feels heard, even though both actually are listening. hell, sometimes what isn't said shows us the real shape of the relationship hanging between them.
what matters is how you use it, truly. how you let it shape your characters and how you let it show us who those characters are. so much of art is communication. so much of being a person is communication. the driving force of love is understanding: and one cannot be understood without communicating.
Fandoms: White Collar, Batman, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Super Danganronpa 2, Baldurās Gate, Genshin Impact, Ace Attorney, Kpop Demon Hunters, Avatar (Cameron), Honkai Star Rail, Stranger Things, Call of Duty, Deadpool, Mo Dao Zu Shi, the Brave Locomotive
Writing
Paint the Town Pink by BlueLaceAgate0590 forĀ ASmallVoice @bsmallvoice
Fandoms: White Collar (TV 2009),Ā Batman - All Media TypesĀ Ā
With a head-turning exhibit on loan from the Wayne Foundation, Elizabeth's latest event is shaping up to be a smash hit--and a security headache. Good thing she has an FBI agent and his criminal informant on speed dial.
But despite all his expertise, there's one thing Neal Caffrey overlooked: With all this Gotham attention, someone just might recognize Richard Grayson, Wayne Heir.
When Life Gives You OrdersĀ by ASmallVoiceĀ @bsmallvoice forĀ Koraesdoodles
Fandoms: Red Hood: Lost Days,Ā Batman - All Media TypesĀ Ā
Slade Wilson has a contract for a kidnapping. The target turns out to be more interesting than expected.
What I'd Sacrifice for YouĀ by KoraesdoodlesĀ forĀ BlueLaceAgate0590
Fandom: Batman - All Media TypesĀ
It was supposed to be a routine, easy mission. But now the building was on fire and three of Batman's children were stuck inside. Bruce needed to choose which one he'd rescue first, but it wouldn't matter what order, he would be getting all three of them out alive. The alternative wasn't an option.
Golden Spoons and Other Kinds of WeaponsĀ byĀ Crayon @auxchord forĀ Rookblonkorules
Fandoms: DCU,Ā Batman - All Media TypesĀ Ā
āStop, or I shoot the kid.ā The man presses the metal harder into Jasonās hair, and with horror that's mirrored in Bruceās expression, Jason realizes distantly that itās a gun. He has a gun to his head, his arms are tiedā
Or, newly adopted Jason Todd attends his first gala, desperate to fit into Bruceās world.
The night doesnāt go as planned.
Imaginary Lines by Rookblonkorules forĀ TundrainAfrica
In the middle of the investigation, Miles Edgeworth gets injured.
Nightmares return, old emotions resurface, and roles are reversed. This time, it's Phoenix Wright's turn to help him out.
it all started on a fridayĀ by TundrainAfricaĀ forĀ TrophyxTissues
Fandom: KPop Demon Hunters (2025)Ā Ā
Another year of livingā¦Ā Yay.Ā
Was that something sheās supposed to be happy about? Well, society says it is. A Huntrix birthday is always heralded when fanfare, but it seems contrivedā¦ especially since growing up, it wasnāt something her parents ever celebrated beyond some simple acknowledgement that sheās now x years old, and now that sheās older, she should be doing āx.ā
It was never anything special, and she doesn't feel the need to start caring now.
Mira's birthday falls on the weekend, and she isn't interested in celebrating. In the Kang family they just never did.
A Soldier's A SoldierĀ by BurdenedWithPointlessPurpose for AchingRationality
Fandom: Avatar (Movies - Cameron)Ā Ā
Quaritch spends his time reflecting on what his life has become, healing with the Mangkwan Clan. Varang for the most part, takes care of him like a good tshaikā¦ or a bat shit crazy one. The drugs keeping him high off his ass make it more difficult to tell than usual. All he is certain of is he is in no position, physically or mentally, to put up a fight when his alternative is being court marshalled in hell.
Stuck with you (or Not the fun kind of Acid)Ā byĀ Dye_IguessĀ forĀ DeadeyeCassidy,Ā Ashthevalkyrie
On an abandoned research station Boothill and Caelus get stuck in a buggy situation.
Trapped in the dark, waiting for help, Boothill decides to hide an injury fearing the consequences of a rashly acting Caelus.
If only Swarm acid wasn't so goshdarn corrosive.
Paths in the DarkĀ by BlossomingRosebudĀ forĀ Ashthevalkyrie
Yanqing takes on the task of looking for a missing IPC employee, and unfortunately, they justĀ hadĀ to insist on sending one of their own to go with him. Lyndon Skott is living up to his reputation of being annoying, but more importantly, the situation they are dealing with is looking more and more suspicious...just who and what is still lying in wait here, just beneath the surface of the Luofu?
to discordanceĀ by AshthevalkyrieĀ forĀ Dye_Iguess
Let it protect him. Let it guard him, just as Wood had done. The scars weep gold under his fingertips. They pool into lines, twist into veins and withered leaves. Sunday forms the thorns last, and lingers on their hooked barbs. Itās all he can feel, pinpricks, bright and startlingly quiet in a sea of sound. Ā Let it remind him, lest he forget, that he is Sunday, ever-falling, ever-burning with power that is not his. Let him pay the price. Ā "Save me," he mouths, and lets them sink into his skin. --- Or: sunday has a hard time adjusting to the Elation's mask.
who's watching me?Ā by pineapple_velĀ for ilike_color
Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016)Ā Ā
Jonathan can't help but have his eye on Steve. He's always around, lately, and Jonathan is an observant guy. Comes with the photography, or something.
That's how he knows something is wrong with Steve Harrington.
Steve's got a game plan for weekends like these: Stay on his bathroom floor until it passes.
Somehow, he ends up in his bed anyway.
Nancy's been watching Jonathan watch Steve, and she keeps her own notes about what's going on.
There's more to it than any of them realize.
The Harrington JewelsĀ by lightningmcqueenstan (ilike_color)Ā forĀ pineapple_vel
Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016)Ā Ā
āOkay, so. You know how Steveās parents are in town?ā Dustin started, looking just to the left of Robinās face. He was nervous.
āYes?ā She replied, unsure of where the conversation was going.
āHeās being weird about it but like, in a concerning way,ā Dustin blurted out, steamrolling past Robinās thoughts. āHe hasnāt been doing his normal checking-in calls, he hasnāt been able to drive me places, I havenāt even seen him anywhere. Like genuinely I havenāt seen him this entire week.ā
āShit.ā She muttered, covering her mouth with her hand. Something must be wrong.
~~
or, Steve's parents are in town.
one thousand deathsĀ byĀ spindly (VVSmydiamonds)Ā forĀ shadowhuntingdauntlessdemigod
Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016)Ā Ā
With a sniff, he clears his sinuses. Mom frowns at the sound, but Will canāt be bothered to find a tissue. āVecnaās going to take them,ā he recites, unable to draw up the source of his claim. Deep in his heart, he knows itās true. āNo matter what we do,ā he starts, distant, āwe canāt defeat him. He always wins.ā
āThatās no way to think.ā Mom pulls back only so she can look into Willās hazel eyes. āYou canāt talk like that. Itāll only make it true.ā
āBut it is,ā he argues. He picks at the outer seam along his pants. āMom, it was . . .ā
(a bloodbath)
The rumours and the truthsĀ by SiegrrunĀ forĀ VVSmydiamonds
Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016)Ā Ā
There were a lot of things one could say about Steve Harrington, many of them true. He was immature. He wasn't the brightest match in the box. He was arrogant. He was lucky. He would do anything for his friends.
***
In the tunnels Steve takes on himself the attack intended for Dustin.
Wages earned and lessons learnedĀ byĀ pineapple_velĀ forĀ Siegrrun
Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016)Ā Ā
Steve's injuries post-mall are worse. He has to let himself depend on others early in recovery, and later realizes that it's not as difficult as it's always sounded
Wade out of WaterĀ by TrophyxTissuesĀ forĀ BurdenedWithPointlessPurpose
Fandoms: Deadpool (Movieverse),Ā Deadpool - All Media TypesĀ Ā
Wade's having a nice, relaxing My Little Pony marathon.
Until he remembers, at least.
Stubbornness and SurvivalĀ by Autobot2001Ā forĀ JigglycrowĀ
Fandom: Call of Duty (Video Games)Ā Ā
A mission at a warehouse on a cliff results in Ghost, and Soap fallinf off the cliff. Ghost is injured and the two are seperated from the others.
The Sun that Chased Down the MoonĀ byĀ SneakySteefĀ @sneakysteef forĀ Crayon
1. Ensure every member of the opposing team receives at least 1 gift.
2. Total points score is higher than the other team.
Phases
1. Battle: participants will earn points by gifting to members of the opposing team.
2. Diplomacy: participants will earn points by commenting on the gifts their team has received.Ā
Timeline
Fight Begins: June 20th
Battle Phase ends: August 10th
Diplomacy Phase begins: August 11th
Fight Ends: August 31st
Setup
āEach participant receives a list of people they might like to create for based on their preferences
āThereās also a filtering system to help you find participants to create for
āWorks will be posted to ao3 collection
āEach team has own private channel for strategizingĀ
āUpdating scoreboards to show progress
āPay attention to Battle periods!
Attacking
The first time you āattackā (post a gift), you will earn 1 point for your team. Every time you attack after that, you will earn +0.2 points more than the last time you attacked. You can attack up to 20 times.
Battle
Throughout this phase of the Fight, there will be 36-84 hour time slots during which your Gift can earn bonus points (+0.5, etc.), but only if you post it during that period of time. These are called Battle Periods. The times of the next Battle Period will be announced as the last one ends. NOTE: the bonus amount will not be revealed until after the Battle Period is over.
BP Server VoteĀ
After each Battle Period, every gift sent during that Battle Period will be presented for the server to vote on.Ā
DiplomacyĀ
All comments made before the end of the Fight will count for points; this includes comments made before the Diplomacy phase started. Only comments made on gifts created by the opposing team can count for points, and you can only submit 1 comment per gift. You will receive 0.3 points per comment.
Final Bonuses
āYour team will receive a 15% bonus if the team creates 2 gifts for every member of the opposing team. That is 15% of your final score.
āYour team will receive a 5% bonus if every member of your team comments on each gift they have received. That is 5% of your final score.
Further minor details can be found in the announcements channel!
For no particular reason, I give you that time Blockbuster hired a reporter to try and dig up dirt on Dick Grayson, and this was all she could come up with:
i especially like the lock-out one because shortly after moving into either his first or second solo apartment (i cannot remember) he chased a ghost into the hall after a shower and this happened:
presumably someone helped eventually because the next time we see him he has clothes, but first all his neighbors had a laugh and enjoyed the show
Iām LAUGHING BECAUSE JUST THESE PANELS ON THEIR OWN SEEM LIKE BRUCE REALLY CANāT COMPREHEND OR BELIEVE WHAT THE FUCK DICK IS WEARING. LIKE HE NEEDS TO TAKE OFF THE COWL BECAUSE WHAT IF ITāS MESSING WITH HIS EYESIGHT IT HAS TO BE THEN HE TAKES IT OFF AND ITāS LIKE
Look, I agree that perhaps the Witch-king should have been less assured of his own invincibility in a world where elves, dwarves, hobbits, wizards, the undead, and women are all real things, but I think he would have still been screwed even if Glorfindel's prophecy had been less exact in its wording. Consider the following scenario, for instance.
Witch-king: "Hinder me? Thou fool! Nobody may hinder me!"
Odysseus of Ithaca, very lost:
I do think the circus wasnāt like. The greatest operation just considering everything about it and I do think the animal welfare situation was probably dubious. And Dick will sometimes think back on it and get uneasy about it but crucially he would never actually acknowledge those flaws for the same reason he will never say āmaybe I shouldnāt have been on the trapeze at fourā because that would taint his rose-tinted memories of his childhood with his parents. If he acknowledges the elephantās situation heās opening the door to acknowledging his own which he simply cannot do. In a sense Dick is the elephant
it's easy to mock the concept of batman's secret identity and think it's ridiculous that nobody would realize that he's bruce wayne but if some lady suddenly showed up late at night dressed in full military grade kevlar and started fighting crime in los angeles i wouldn't look at that and think "ah it's kylie jenner"
Bilbo: Itās a dangerous business going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you donāt keep your feet, thereās no knowing where you might be swept off to.
Witch King: *being swept away by the flood in Rivendell* Damn heās right
The sad part is thereās a decent chance a large proportion of them can be blamed on one spider.
The tarantula that bit JRR Tolkien as a child.
He swore he didnāt have a spider phobia and the experience had nothing to do with the man-eating giant spiders in The Hobbit, the even more giant and even more man-eating spider in Lord of the Rings, or the unholy eldritch spider from outside creation that plunged the world into darkness and made literal Satan scream like a little kid in the Silmarillion. Very few people believe him.
Given LotRās influence in the fantasy genre, there is a high probability that tarantula is the progenitor of even more fictional spiders than Ungoliant was.
āfantasy universes have too many spidersā factoid actually just statistical error. Georgs Spider, who bit JRR Tolkein & is to blame for menacing over 10,000 fantasy universes, is an outlier adn should not have been counted
