#becky eats crayons

[bexophrenia]

i live for silly redraws! and hey most of worm takes place in june. its possible.

#worm #parahumans #skitter #coil #undersiders #pride month #gay bugs #wormblr #redraw #becky eats crayons

[ieatcranyons]

sabrina my queen

sabrina carpenter is great. me and my wife becky listen to her before our prayers to the spaghetti lord (long live and serve meatballs, i cooka da meatball amen). 10/10 album sabrina. sabrina seems like a nice sensible young lady who would enjoy eating crayons.

#sabrina carpenter #cranyon #crayon #queen shit #emails i can't send #olivia rodrigo #superwholock #art #larry stylinson #ihopeonedirectionhasareunion #tramp stamps

[sstrongstyle]

𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: Adam Cole x OC, mentions of Seth Rollins x OC 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: After nearly a decade of being the golden girl of WWE, Adaline Marin wants out. Their ring was no longer home, haunted by her first love and upon reaching her thirties, the face behind "Aspen Glory" wonders if the passion she once had was still ablaze. Instead, she gets sent down to NXT to join the Undisputed Era. The next three hundred and sixty-five days, all captured by cameras for the history books, become a year of revival, reinvention, and realization with her legacy at stake and a new flame from the past emerging. 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: All characters are referred to by their real life names (for the most part)

CHAPTER ONE.

August 11th, 2019

If Adaline had to force another wide smile for an Instagram selfie to celebrate the bright and beautiful Summerslam week that ended, she was going to completely lose it. The only person who seemed to notice was Trinity and, stifling a laugh at her irritated mood, went out of her way to buy Adaline a drink to help her get through the night. She shot her a relieved look, as she pretended to listen to Nattie talk about her cats for the nth time and trying to stay away from the Total Divas cameras.

"Hey, Addie!" Turning around, she saw that it was Kyle to her rescue. He was waving her over, presumably to join his table on the other side of the restaurant. There, most of the NXT roster and personnel had isolated themselves away from the other talent from Raw and Smackdown.

A thin smile stretched across her face. "I'll be back, girl." A complete lie, as Adaline patted Nattie's shoulder and got up to join her stable mates.

There was a different vibe to the NXT people; the family image and reputation that was painted on the Performance Centre residents wasn't far from the reality. Everyone under the yellow brand stuck together like glue and looked out for one another, something that Adaline hadn't felt in years. Initially, when she was assigned to the roster after nearly ten years on the "main roster," the Canadian felt somewhat insulted. Sure, they wanted a vet to guide the women's division, but she knew it was an excuse for the fact that creative had absolutely nothing for her.

And then, she found out that she was getting put with the Undisputed Era.

Austin smirked when he saw her approach. "You looked like you wanted to die over there." He pulled out a chair for her, always the gentleman.

"Those stupid camera guys put me on edge whenever they're nearby," she grumbled, sitting down in between him and Bobby with her drink still at hand.

"Smile a little. We had a good show," Austin nudged her. "Plus, we're in your hometown."

It was the late hours of Sunday night and as soon as Summerslam went off air, nearly all, if not most, of the on air employees that took part in the event, as well as Takeover, decided to go to a local bar and grill to celebrate. Raw and Smackdown were to follow in the next two days, but they wanted to gather while the NXT talent was still in Toronto. The city was alive and bustling, even dipping into the morning, and so was the entire locker room. Normally, Adaline would embrace the energy and take the time to bask in her surroundings—ever since she moved to Florida, she was rarely home.

Then, they walked in.

Kyle had impeccable timing in calling her over because Adaline was sure that she would have completely frozen up if she was still sitting with Trinity on the other side of the restaurant. As soon as she saw the flash of fiery orange hair, she completely turned her body away from the entrance in the hopes that it would appear as though she didn't notice the pairing appear at all. However, it was hard to do so when a round of greetings emerged from the crowd of wrestlers, upon realizing that the newest company power couple had walked into the room.

"Colby! Becky! Come sit here!" If anyone's voice on the entire roster was going to fill up an entire room, it was Ron Killings. It boomed and demanded attention from the entire restaurant and most people looked up, especially when it was the two biggest faces of the company.

Initially, Adaline thought the only good part about getting moved to NXT was getting away from Colby. He was the only constant in her life for the past decade and moving away to only see him once every few months was. . .different. Ever since the breakup, she wanted to completely erase him from her mind. Sure, that was the game plan for the few times they'd broken up before in the past—which, by the way, horribly failed every time and was the reason why they always seemed to crawl back to each other—but, this time was different. This time, it was for good. Adaline didn't know just how serious that promise was until she heard through the locker room grapevine about them shortly after the Royal Rumble.

"It's natural," Renee had told her one night over dinner at her house. "You guys were together since you were eighteen. Letting go of your first love is hard, especially when you see them everyday at work."

With a mouthful of broccoli, Mox had thought it would be smart to add on. "Yeah, especially when he's walking around backstage with the new chick that he's sleeping with." Though it was meant to be a lighthearted comment towards his former group members, Renee slapped her husband upside on the head for it.

At the restaurant, the only people who didn't care about the couple's appearance—or at least, pretended not to care for Adaline's sake—were her fellow Undisputed members. Bobby and Kyle continued to shovel food into their mouths. Austin didn't even flinch. While the couple entered, Christopher reached over the table to show the group a picture that his son drew of the stable.

Chris grinned. "There's Kyle and Bobby, still with the tag belts, obviously." The duo were at the front and although they were basically scribbles, you could tell which one Kyle was because of the guitar pose that the stick figure held. "There's Austin, with his luscious locks. There's me, handsome as ever. And then, there's you—"

"Um, why don't I have any hair?" Adaline deadpanned, thinking that she was supposed to be Austin in the drawing.

The boys peered over and started laughing. Adaline was clearly the only girl with a pink triangle body for a dress, but was bald. She was in the back, beside Austin, and the five of them were in a square that she assumed was a ring.

Kyle ruffled her hair. "Because you went and made it all white, obviously." The once black haired beauty went all the way in her transformation last month, when she cropped her curly hair to her chin and dyed the locks silver. It was supposed to be a little bonus to her heel turn, but ended up becoming more of a metaphor for her career and being assigned to NXT after all this time.

"Yeah, there's clearly white crayon marks," Austin pointed out.

"What? Oh. My bad." Adaline chuckled a bit, leaning back into her seat. The banter helped distract her easily and she was thankful for that.

She had her reservations about being lumped in as the token female member of a stable again. By the time it was decided that the female was going to be sent to NXT, Adaline had only just recovered from her past in The Shield and worse—Seth Rollins' arm candy. After making history as Smackdown Women's Champion, she thought that this would only be the beginning to the peak. Wrong. Adaline dropped the title to Becky at Wrestlemania and was subsequently shipped off the brand, never to be seen again, until emerging as apart of Adam Cole's crew. She was over it and she hated having sit back and let the men take the spotlight.

But, this was NXT. It was 2019. Adaline had proven that she was a valuable asset to the company, especially after her two years away to share her talents in Japan and thus, creating a deep hole in the women's division of WWE of the time. She wasn't being inserted into the stable to be eye candy or a joke. And, honestly? Adaline loved being around the other Undisputed guys. She was an equal in the group and her time with them completely exceeded her initially low expectations.

Bobby peered over at Adaline, who was just sitting there. "Are you not going to eat anything?"

"No," was all she said.

"We had a good weekend, why are you so down?" he asked, as she called a waitress over to order another virgin mojito.

Adaline was the life of the party. She was capable of shining with the brightest smile in the room, always made sure everyone was included, and was capable of sharing anecdotes that captivated the attention of the entire group. Tonight, she was a shell of that woman.

She replied, "Well, you guys had a good weekend." Adaline's dejected mood came from the fact that she didn't even have a match at Takeover, barely had an impact. It was different now that she was on NXT, knowing full well how methodical and planned out the booking was, as opposed to last minute changes done by Vince on the fly. They simply did not have a place for her on the card and she instead accompanied her members to their matches to support them from the sidelines.

"It's building, Addie and you know that," Bobby pointed out. "You're next in the title picture." And he was right. People in the higher ups were rumoured to be quite high on the Undisputed Era and they wanted all of the group members to be pushed to the top of the pyramid of the brand. They were all next in the title picture, it was only a matter of time.

However, she just wasn't used to it. After being one of the mainstays in the women's division even before the so-called Divas Revolution, Adaline was used to staying at the top. It was a little bit arrogant, but she felt like she had earned her place.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just a bit bummed out since everyone else seemed to have had a better time than I did." She discreetly glanced over at the other side of the restaurant, where everybody seemed to be talking about the main event that Colby, the newly crowned Universal Champion, had put on.

The waitress came back with her drink and set it down in front of the Canadian. She thanked her and began sipping on it immediately.

The only person who caught Adaline's quick look towards Colby was Kyle, who slapped her wrist to distract her. "Stop it."

"What?"

"It." Kyle pointed at her with his fork with a cocked eyebrow, causing her to giggle. He knew her too well and didn't want her to dwell on her ex any longer.

She replied. "Whatever. I'm fine," Adaline insisted.

The five talked a little bit more for the next while and it remained on the relaxing side. She chose to not rejoin her friends on the other side of the restaurant for the fear that she would have to interact with Colby. Maybe it was stupid, walking on eggshells around him after almost a year since their breakup and it wasn't always like that, but then he went and started dating her friend. The dynamic was different and Adaline didn't know how to handle it. The awkwardness was natural, but she didn't think it would last this long. She missed Becky and to an extent, Colby, too. Together, though, it wasn't the same.

Upon looking at her phone, the clock eventually had run faster than Adaline anticipated, but the establishment was still open and the WWE personnel dining were still lively and going nowhere. She, however, had an early morning flight to Chicago that she'd been dreading since it was planned. The notion of what was waiting for her at her destination caused a knot to form at the pit of her stomach—selling her house. Adaline took one last swig of her drink, swallowing it down along with the thought.

"I have to go," she announced, which left the boys groaning in protest.

This caught the attention of some of the other NXT roster members. "Don't tell me you're already going," Candice tried her best puppy dog eyes on her from the other table. "We just got here!"

Adaline smiled sadly. "I'll see you guys in Winter Park soon." The next set of tapings weren't until the end of the week, but she was planning to get back as soon as possible. That all depended on how quick the process was going to be once landing in Illinois.

It seemed like she was one of the first ones to leave, as it was still within the first hour of everybody arriving. A chorus of goodbye's followed from the crowd. She stood up.

"Be safe," Christopher said, also standing up to give her a quick hug. Among all of the Undisputed guys, Adaline saw him as a big brother figure the most. He'd known her since she was an annoying eighteen year old who demanded the wrestling world at the palm of her hand—now, she was just an annoying thirty year old who demanded it.

She hugged him back, waved at Kyle, and ruffled Bobby and Austin's hair. "Bye, boys." They responded with their own farewells, dejected that she was leaving so soon—as if the five never left each other's sides in Florida already.

The last beast of the night that Adaline had to conquer was grabbing her purse. It was abandoned when she left for the Undisputed boys and remained nestled beside Trinity at her original table. The occupants also included Jonathan, Nattie, TJ, Claudio, and Stephen. All she had to do was walk past the table before them. It wasn't that hard.

Speeding past them, Adaline could swear that she felt a burning sensation at the back of her head and she could only pray that it was just her imagination and not either Colby or Becky staring. It'd been months since they went public with their relationship and Adaline had effectively avoided talking to either one of them unless she absolutely had to. Maybe it wasn't very mature of her, but confronting that reality was painful and awkward. She tried to relax her body, remaining natural, as she approached her destination.

Claudio was the first one to notice her and must've thought that she was coming over to join them because he scooted over to leave a space for her. Instead, Adaline shook her head and instead leaned over to pick up her small purse wedged in between Nattie and Trinity.

"Already? What time is your flight?" Trinity frowned, watching her friend.

Adaline sighed. "In three hours. I'm just gonna grab my things and haul my ass straight to the airport, so I can sleep on the plane."

Another chorus of farewells emerged. The night was finally over and Adaline seemed to have the least amount of energy out of everybody in the room. Most of them had what was going to be, as it always was, a rowdy Raw show to look forward to tomorrow night. There was still a buzz in the air and she truly wanted to indulge in it, but there was just so much on her mind.

Her lack of spot on the card. Colby. Selling the house that she made home with him. Her upcoming contract negotiations. She just needed some alone time in her rental car with the windows all the way down and the music all the way up.

Maybe not alone.

Upon exiting the restaurant, the midnight summer chill planted a kiss on Adaline and she shivered slightly. That's when she felt the draping of a worn, light jacket over her shoulders. Taken aback, she turned around and was faced with Austin's icy blue eyes. He smiled slightly, his eyes disappearing into crescents.

"Hey."

She raised an eyebrow. "Hey." Then, she hadn't even realized it, but he snatched her keys away from her. "Hey!" Adaline yelled this time, but he was already gone.

Austin said, "I saw you having a drink. Better safe than sorry, right?" He'd already unlocked her rental car and she began jogging towards him.

"You really don't have to," she stated, even though she knew he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

A year ago, there was no way she could've imagined being in this position. Adaline wouldn't have even dreamed of being friends with Austin once again. Yet, she was standing here, fresh off of a Takeover of all things. She couldn't believe it. Something told her that this wasn't the end of this rollercoaster ride and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to not lose herself in the daze.

#adam cole imagine #adam cole fanfic #adam cole x reader #wwe fanfic #wwe imagine #adam cole fanfiction #hm series

[squishyteri]

Retty: Did you do everything I told you to do?

Hemmy: Yes, until the special thing broke.

Retty: What special thing?

Hemmy: The little animal.

Retty: What little animal?

Hemmy: The little animal attached to the button thing. It's small, not a rat.

Maya: Gerbil?

Karasu: Hamster? Hedgehog?

Retty: You two aren't helping. Is it a mouse?

Hemmy: Yes! The mouse. That's attached to the TV.

Hemmy: *pulls out a computer mouse* TV fell down when I tried to save the mouse.

Retty: The computer, you broke the computer?

Hemmy: Yeah.

Retty: When?

Hemmy: Who can say.

Retty: Go get juice from Becky and go color.

Hemmy: Kay.

Karasu: She's going to eat the crayons.

Retty: Don't color! Just watch TV!

[noxus-the-venomous-blog]

2.3 forwarding audio

“NO I WILL NOT BE QUIET!!!” Big Problem shouted at the small annoyed security guard, “SLAP A BOB AND ME AND CALL ME BECKY CAUSE I'M GONNA NEED TO SEE YOUR MANAGER!”

“Sir there is no manager, it’s a security team. You can call the security company and file a complaint but you still have to move along.”

“I'm not leaving here till I talk to someone.”

“The only way that would happen is if I call in backup and i'm not doing that for you to complain.”

BP’s eyes lit up with fiery inspiration. “SO I'M NOT WORTH CALLING IN BACKUP?!” He reached forward and grabbed the man by the collar. As his hands touched the man's clothing, BP’s power activated. The guard became lighter and BP lifted him high into the air. The frightened man scrambled for the radio sheathed on his chest.

“Uhhh guys we have a situation in the front!”

“Are you going to need backup?”

The man's eyes widened as BP holds him closer. “I think you do boy.”

--------

Mission 64 Equipment Live Test #50

Noxus and Tranquil waited patiently in the corner of the facility. He was fiddling with the PDA looking object he had purchased. It had a horrific appearance of old parts and new parts loosely wired together. It looked like something he would have made himself except more reliable. Let's see. He turned it on and waited while it slowly booted. He was tapping the side of the unit anxiously making small patterns to distract himself. Once fully loaded, he began navigating the small screen.

~~WelcomeNoxus~~

>Select Function (eg 1-9

>1

>initializing

>forwarding audio

“Someone call the cops this guy can't be human!”

“We were ordered to not call the police under any circumstances!”

“THEN WHAT ARE WE… SIR DROP THE BEAM! SIR! STAND DOWN SIR STA…(static)”

>3

>Replaying

>Forwarding Audio

“STAND DOWN! SIR”

>1

>Writing

>Clip saved

He then nodded at tranq, letting her know they were ready to move on. The lobby was empty now and a door left open by security made it much easier to proceed. They went through the main room and up the stairs to a large empty room, likely a banquet hall or conference area. They took a silent position in the storage room. Tranq tapped a device on her ear twice, signalling to big problem outside, as Noxious re-established radio connection.

>1

>Forwarding audio

>.....

>Transmission closed

>Forcing open coms

>Forwarding Audio

“AND THAT'S IF YOU EVEN WALK AGAIN! COME ON YOU SCRAWNY LITTLE PRETZEL STICKS I CAN DO THIS ALL DAY! IF THE LAST THREE COULDN'T TAKE ME THEN WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOUR GOING TO DO!”

>4

>Closing open transmission

He glanced over at Tranq and held up five fingers. She then checked her palms where the number six was scribbled and gestured the number one at him before pointing all over the room. Five distracted, one unknown. They moved a slowly out of the room out into the hallway, walking back to back, checking each room meticulously before moving up to the next floor. They quickly split up however when they saw the moving light of a guard patrolling the hallways. Of course this is where they would patrol.

Tranquil ducked into a small but terrifying room filled with children's toys and lab equipment. There were crayon drawings fading on the wall and small dashes on door frames marking heights. Noxious always takes her to the nicest places... She moved through the room, carefully going around small tables with permanently affixed loop games and tiny wooden chairs. What a nightmare. She made her way to the doorway and watched the man move. Two tapping sounds came across her ear piece. He had a plan, now it was her job to figure out what. She readied a small syringe they had bought to deal with live targets and held it out. That handles one potential scenario. She hovered her hand over the pack at her side, gently coming just close to touching the button on the small smoke grenade, to be ready for another. All she could do now is trust that Noxious had a plan.

“Yeah those guys are getting their ass kicked,” the guard blurted into his radio, “sounds like they’re fighting a bear.”

>6

>Forwarding audio to port two

“No not like a real bear… You idiot it's a metaphor. I'm saying I think it's a really big guy… No way i'm going down their i'm just waiting for the backup car to get here… That's way too long, tell them if it takes longer then 10 minutes i'm getting out of here before this place gets overrun… Yeah well if your so damn noble why are you at base?”

>7

>please select file

>12

>Transmitting Audio

“WE NEED HELP!!!”

“Screw that guys y'all poked it y’all can deal with it”

“HOLY CRAP… He’ s… EATING… GREG”

“Are you screwing with me right now”

“NEGATIVE… We have a situation… COMING UP THE FRONT…. BACK AWAY”

“SCREW THIS! I'm outta here. This job was sketchy from the beginning.” the guard started briskly walking away.

STATUS

“Radio Scrambler.” Passed.

“Weaponized Acepromazine.” Undetermined.

“Distraction gas.” Undetermined.

Tranquil took off her mask, winding down the truck window and shivering as cool air chilled the sweat on her face. Noxus kept his mask on but she knew he was smiling under it. A job well done.

“Y’all missed the whole thing. At one point i hit a guy with another guy. How in the hell they didn't call the cops is beyond me!” BP joked from the front seat.

“They were ordered not to. Probably some sort of illegal business going on there. That's what makes these places perfect to target,” Noxious said, retying the rope lace on his glove, untying it, and retying it again, “that pace was weird as hell. I spent some time in a room with nothing but cameras and pictures of old people.”

Tranq leaned in and held down his knot so he could tighten it. He moved and flexed and wiggled his fingers, admiring the much better fit than previously. It made her happy to help but her smile faded. “When you were in their i was some type of strange ass kindergarten from hell. Half mad lab, half daycare drop off. Where do we find these places???”

BP cracked his knuckles on the steering wheel.  “Hey i don't ask any questions about the job other than where, when and how. It's weird work but y'all can't deny the little toys he gave you make life easier. Keep working with this guy and you two will be pros in no time.”

Tranq liked the sound of that. They had been working hard at this and leaving a lot behind. It took a lot of sacrifice but they were starting to make decent money, and when they weren’t on the scheduled assignments BP set up, her and noxious were making some real progress fixing the minds of broken people around them. She smiled and glanced over at him. He was still rotating his palms, still bending his fingers, still impressed at the tied knot. She took his hand and put it into hers.

#original character #original content #original fiction #original story #oc #Noxus

[jobsearchtips02]

Pickup Trucks Getting Huge. Got Problem With That?

A FEW MONTHS ago, on an ordinary day in an unremarkable

Costco

parking lot, I was nearly squashed by an unusually large pickup. Thank God I was wearing a mask.

As that chrome grille closed on me like a man-eating Norelco shaver, time slowed. It seemed I was watching myself from afar, being nimble for a man my age, darting from the path of a towering, limousine-black pickup with temporary plates, whose driver barely checked his pace. Jerk.

What the hell was that thing? A 2020 GMC Sierra HD Denali? It was huge! The domed hood was at forehead level. The paramedics would have had to extract me from the grille with a spray hose, like Randall Jarrell’s ball-turret gunner.

He didn’t even see me.

Later, returning to my car, I noticed something: The parking lot was dotted with similarly enormous luxury pickups—many new, many taking up two spaces: Ram,

Ford,

Chevy, GMC. They stood out like Percherons in a herd of Shetland ponies.

“ Are pickups really getting bigger, on average, or do they just look scarier? Both. The average pickup gained 1,142 pounds between 1990 and 2019. ”

What is going on here? When did pickups get so big? And why are XL-sized pickups so big now?

I know. Pickup trucks at Costco. Film at 11. Except that in April, U.S. sales of pickups surpassed automobiles for the first time ever—about 112 years, give or take. Trucks and truck-based sport-utilities now account for roughly 70% of new vehicles sold in the U.S.

How we came to be Pickup Nation is a longer story (cheap gas, the Chicken Tax, IRS Section 179, marketing). But this year, to help move the tin during the pandemic, U.S. auto makers laid out a bounty of discounts and cheap financing, including 0% interest for 84 months and deferred-payment plans.

“Pickups without a doubt benefited from the great deals,” said Mark Schirmer, spokesperson for market service providers Cox Automotive. “And the deals were particularly great for consumers buying expensive vehicles.” The data suggest these incentives also juiced a boomlet in XL-sized, heavy-duty pickups, otherwise known as ¾-ton and 1-ton pickups, for private use.

That’s right: Gucci cowboys. Historically aimed at commercial customers, sole proprietors, horse-haulers and mega-RVers, heavy-duty pickups are stronger and taller than ordinary (half-ton) trucks, with cabs mounted high above reinforced frame rails and heavy, long-travel suspensions. But HD trucks have evolved in the past decade, irradiated with the same prestige-luxury rays as light-duty trucks.

Behold MotorTrend 2020 Truck of the Year, the Ram Heavy-Duty. In Limited trim (about $65,000 with four-wheel drive but before options) the 2500 HD sports an elaborate chromified grille that gleams like a tea service. Its flight deck glows with untrucky amenities such as acoustically insulated glass; active noise canceling; 12-inch center touch screen; wood trim, premium leather—all paired with a maximum 19,680-pound towing capacity. With the optional cab lights, it measures over 6-feet-9 inches tall.

Thus has been born a uniquely American vehicle type: the mega-luxury mega-pickup.

MEASURE FOR MEASURE

The dimensions of Chevy’s 2020 Silverado 2500 HD LTZ. Just how big?

Photo: Chevrolet

81.85 in. wide

79.82 in. tall

249.95 in. long

It seems to be resonating. While sales of Silverado light-duty were off 18.6% in the second quarter, sales of the HD model sales were off less than a point. GMC’s light-duty Sierra was down 9.5%, while sales of our menacing new friend, the Sierra HD, were up 7.6% in the second quarter and 21.5% year-to-date.

Ford and

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

don’t break out HD sales from pickups overall. However, Ram’s average transaction price in the second quarter soared above $50,000, according to a Cox Automotive analysis of data from Kelley Blue Book. Ford F-Series sales fell 23% (to 180,825 units) but its ATP was mostly unaffected—$51,688, the highest among pickups.

In July, J.D. Power declared Sierra HD the king of the bro-dozers, placing it first in its 2020 U.S. APEAL Study of Large Heavy-Duty Pickups, which tracks owners’ excitement and emotional attachment in the first 90 days.

“The front end was always the focal point,” GM designer Karan Moorjani told Muscle Cars & Trucks e-zine. “We spent a lot of time making sure that when you stand in front of this thing it looks like it’s going to come get you.”

Mission accomplished.

But are pickups really getting bigger, on average, or do they just look scarier? The answers are somewhat and definitely. The average pickup on the road gained 1,142 pounds between 1990 and 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and 730 pounds since 2000.

“One of the most significant changes in that time was the arrival of crew-cab configurations, which added cab space to make them more family and work friendly,” said Mike Levine, Ford spokesperson.

In 2011, a change in the way the feds calculate vehicle fuel economy (the so-called “footprint rule”) gave domestic truck makers incentive to go big. Ever since, GMC, Chevy, Ram and Ford have been locked in a competitive feedback loop chasing best-in-class attributes and capacities—the “towing/hauling” wars. For MY 2019, for example, Ram’s 1500 Crew Cab gained 3.9 inches in overall length over a 4.1-inch longer wheelbase. In the same model-year, the Chevy Silverado gained 1.7 inches in length on a 3.9-inch longer wheelbase.

As a result, new light-duty pickup dimensions are approaching those of heavy-duty pickups. While the 2021 F-150 is about 18 inches shorter than the equivalent F-250, it is the same width (79.9). Mr. Levine noted that the company has gone to a common-cab design, using the same four-door living quarters for both light- and heavy-duty models.

“ ‘The face of these trucks is where the action is, a Chevy must shout Chevy. Every pickup has become a rolling brand billboard and the billboards are big.’ ”

Ask any kid with a crayon. If you draw the box in the middle bigger, you have to make the ones on the end bigger, too.

Which brings us to the 2020 Silverado HD—10 inches longer, 1.8 inches wider, and 1.6 inches taller than the previous model. The big Chevy’s challenging kisser comprises a thick, knee-high bumper; a central grille opening; several sets of lighting assemblies; a full-width transverse element helpfully informing with the message CHEVROLET…and then, above that, between very square corners, is a whole other layer, then a peaked hood with a central inlet. This hood line meets the base of the windshield about 6 inches above the side window sill.

Another cause of facial swelling? Marketing. “Full-size pickups are generally identical in profile,” Mr. Schirmer said. “The face of these trucks is where the action is; a Ford has to say Ford from head on, a Chevy must shout Chevy. Every pickup has become a rolling brand billboard and the billboards are big.”

You don’t have to be Steven Pinker to see that truck designers are leaning into the bully with these lantern-jawed bumpers and walls of chrome. Detroit’s blithe codifications of purposeful and powerful pickup design fail to describe the intimidation factor from the outside.

“A few brands, Ram and Ford, have taken to an overscale brand identity [and] applied it onto the grille,” said Kimberly Marte, associate professor of design at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. “The Chevy team did benchmarking of new models and followed the trend.”

It’s not clear how long pickup designs can keep getting their chrome on. In 2018 the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released a study examining the connection between SUV design and pedestrian fatalities. In a separate study released in June, IIHS found fatal single-vehicle crashes involving SUVs striking pedestrians increased 81% from 2009 to 2016.

While IIHS studied SUVs and not pickups, “The key is the geometry of the front end, the high and flat shape,” said Becky Mueller, a senior research engineer for IIHS. “It’s like hitting a wall.”

XL-pickups’ high-rising hoods also create significant blind spots just ahead of the vehicle. I know because apparently I was in one of them. While truck makers like Ford offer automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection systems as standard equipment on most trims, and forward-view cameras as an option, such systems are not mandatory, as they would be in Europe.

NHTSA proposed that new pedestrian-safety tests for SUVs and trucks be included in the New Car Assessment Program in 2015. But as of this writing, the agency had not issued guidance on new standards. When asked, the industry trade group Alliance for Automotive Innovation had no comment.

And what if the next administration should issue pickup-pedestrian safety rules? Could the extra tall hoods and bluff grilles, the sightlines, the scale, the very form language of the traditional American pickup ever be made pedestrian safe? “Of course not,” said Ms. Marte. “No way.”

So watch yourself at Costco.

TOO BIG FOR ITS BRITCHES?

Sizing up Chevy’s 2020 Silverado 2500HD

Photo: Chevrolet

HIGH-END HOOD: Modern pickups like the Silverado 2500 HD LT with Z71 Off-Road Package appear huge not just because roofs have gotten taller (topping out around 80 inches), but because hoods have grown relative to a truck’s overall height.

KING-SIZE BED: The 2020 Silverado 2500 HD Crew Cab with Standard Bed is 10.3 inches longer, 1.3 inches wider, and 1.6 inches taller than the 2019 model.

GAUDY GRILLE: The vast chrome rictus of Chevy’s Silverado has been coolly received by some critics and customers. But Silverado sales are up, and there’s a booming business in aftermarket grilles.

A STEP UP: To assist you in boarding its very tall seat—which maintains proportionality with the height of the hood, the 2021 Silverado HD High Country is available with power running boards that automatically slide out to meet you.

GRILLE MASTERS

The changing face of pickup trucks over the past century

Photo: Ford Motor Company

1926: Ford Model T Runabout

Dearborn’s first pickup shared a distinctive radiator shape with the Model T, and sported a cargo box that measured 56 inches long by 40 inches wide.

Photo: Getty Images

1949: International Harvester KR-1

Old school even by 1949 standards, the KB-1 model got a little bling with chrome plated wings lateral to the grille and even a hood ornament.

Photo: Getty Images

1949: Dodge Power Wagon

This medium-duty pickup was based on a WWII-era Dodge military truck and retained the “flat fender” for which they became known.

Photo: Alamy

1949: GMC Model FC pickup

Like competing Chevys of the era, GMC Trucks were fronted with “Bumper Bar” grilles—large horizontal bars surrounded by a thick frame on the top and sides.

Photo: FCA US Media

1963: Jeep Gladiator J-200 Thriftside

Are you not entertained? The Gladiator’s early years featured the coolest grilles—centrally mounted, canted forward, with the Jeep badge in the lower-left.

MORE SWANK, LESS SCHLEP

How Ford’s uber-popular F-150 pickup has changed shape and style since 1995

PICKUPS AND SUVS have become the vehicles of choice for U.S. drivers over the last 25 years. Along the way, they’ve also become less trucklike, emphasizing comfort as well as capability. Take the F-150, the flagship of Ford’s F-Series, America’s bestselling vehicles 43 years running, which has morphed from rural work truck into a daily-driving people-mover as suburbanites ditched minivans in droves. The bestselling F-150 of 1995 was a rigid two-door set with a 6.5-foot bed; today’s bestselling F-150 has four doors, copious creature comforts, and a cargo box that’s a full foot shorter. —Aaron Stern

Photo: Ford Motor Company

1995 F-150 SuperCab XL 4×4

Length: 235” Width: 79”

Curb Weight: 4,600 lbs. Payload Box: 6.5’

Photo: Ford Motor Company

2020 F-150 SuperCrew XLT 4×4

Length: 231.9” Width: 79.9”

Curb Weight: 4,858 lbs. Payload box: 5.5’

Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

%%

from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/pickup-trucks-getting-huge-got-problem-with-that/

[runningracingdancingchasing]

Rules: Complete the survey & say who tagged you in the beginning. When you’re finished, tag people to do this survey. Have fun and enjoy!

Tagged by @jupiter235

1. Are you named after someone? I’m sort of named after two people. Three, actually, when you count my middle name. My aunt’s name is Betsy, but when she was growing up, her dad (my grandpa) called her Becky. He died before I was born, so my mom named me in honor of him by naming me what he used to call my aunt. My middle name, Christine, was my mom’s best friend at the time’s name.

2. When was the last time you cried?  Yesterday, watching the first five minutes of Tangled Before Ever After.

3. Do you like your handwriting?  Depends on which one I use. I have three or four depending upon how in a hurry I am and who will be reading it later (and how much later). 

4. What is your favorite lunch meat?  Turkey breast.

5. Do you have kids? No, and at this point I doubt I ever will, unless sometime down the line I end up marrying a guy with kids. 

6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? Probably, since I have a lot of friends. I guess I’m decently likable.

7. Do you use sarcasm?  NooOOOOooo...

8. Do you still have your tonsils?  Yes.

9. Would you bungee jump?  Yeah, but I also might chicken out.

10. What is your favorite kind of cereal?  Quaker Oat Squares.

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?  Depends on which shoes I’m wearing. I do untie my sneakers.

12. Do you think you’re a strong person? Physically, yes. Mentally and emotionally, not always.

13. What is your favorite ice cream?  Rainbow sherbet.

14. What is the first thing you notice about people?  Their height.

15. What is the least favorite physical thing you like about yourself?  I’m fat. I’d like to not be fat anymore. I wasn’t fat growing up, and somewhere in my head, I think I still shouldn’t be.

16. What color pants and shoes are you wearing now?  Blue jeans, no shoes.

17. What are you listening to right now?  M*A*S*H* is on as background noise.

18. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?  One of many shades of green. 

19. Favorite smell?  Fresh baking.

20. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?  My best friend, Emiko.

21. Favorite sport to watch?  Figure skating is the only sport I ever turn on, and only when there’s nothing else.

22. Hair color?  Dark brown.

23. Eye color?  Brown green hazel.

24. Do you wear contacts? Nope. Not glasses, either.

25. Favorite food to eat? Potatoes.

26. Scary movies or comedy?  Comedy. I don’t like scary movies. I think they’re stupid.

27. Last movie you watched? Movie? Uuuuhhhhhh... wasn’t Tangled on last Sunday? Or was that the Sunday before?

28. What color of shirt are you wearing?  Lantern scene from Tangled and all the colors associated with it.

29. Summer or winter?  Summer.

30. Hugs or kisses? I’ll take a hug from almost anyone I know. Kisses, we have to be really close.

31. What book are you currently reading?  Nothing.

32. Who do you miss right now?  Lots of people.

33. What is on your mouse pad?  It’s a drawing tablet, so no one. Well... my mouse.

34. What is the last TV program you watched?  M*A*S*H*

35. What is the best sound?  Rain.

36. Rolling stones or The Beatles?  Beatles.

37. What is the furthest you have ever traveled?  ~3000 miles to Orlando, FL.

38. Do you have a special talent?  Communication. By which I mean I usually know what people are talking about, even when no one else around does, and can translate what they’re saying into something everyone else understands. This helps with characterization in writing and getting along with people.

39. Where were you born?  Granada Hills, CA (it’s a suburb of Los Angeles)

#meme

[soofection]

im just too bored and desperate for procrastination

tagged by becky-baekkie

Rules- Complete survey and say who tagged you at the beginning. When finished tag 5 others :) (tagged by @flowerpotfanfics - thanks bb)

1- Are you named after someone?: nope

2- When was the last time you cried?: a month ago

3- Do you like your handwriting?: hate it its typhoon 10 

4: Whats your favourite lunch meat?: CHICKEN

5- Do you have kids?: No and I don’t want any neither but i dont hate them

6- If you were another person would you be friends with you?: yes 

7- Do you have sarcasm?: are you damn right kidding me?

8- Do you still have your tonsils?- i dont think so

9 - Would you bungee jump?: hell YES

10- Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?: My ass aint bothered

12- Do you think you’re a strong person?: hell yeah i am on the surface

13- What is your favourite ice cream flavour?: cookies and cream

14- What is the first thing you notice about people?: face then attitude

15-  Red or pink?: pale pink <3

16- What is the least favourite physical thing you like about yourself?: ear wax stuck in my ears bc ew

17- What colour pants and shoes are you wearing now?: blue sweatpants and no shoes

18- What was the last thing you ate?: dark chocolate 75%

19- What are you listening to right now?: i talk to myself

20- If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?: red

21- Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?: mom.

22-  Favourite sport to watch?: FIGURE SKATING

23- Hair colour?: red

24- Eye colour?: brown

25- Do you wear contacts?: sometimes

26- Favourite food to eat?:chocolate and chicken

27- Scary movies or comedy?: Comedy

28- Last movie you watched?: this war film i regret watching

29- What colour of shirt are you wearing?: blue

30- Summer or winter?: summer

31- Hugs or kisses?: both

32- What book are you currently reading?: lord of the flies

33- Who do you miss right now?- my tumblr friend

34- What is on your mouse pad?: a bird

35- What is the last TV program you watched?: looool not telling

36- What is the best sound?: ksoo

37- Rolling Stones or The Beatles?: nope

38- What is the furthest you have ever traveled?: too many countries to rmb

39- Do you have a special talent?: i have double jointed elbow and can rotate my arms 360 while holding my hands tgt

40- Where were you born?: somewhere in asia

#jongsooyah #faakeid #and others im so sorry i can't ass be bothered ilyall tho

[h2hoe]

tagged by the qt @104ks  💖💕💓💗💘💝 ty for tagging me !! 

last song you listened to: 뻔한 멜로디 (Inst.) - Zion. T

last book you read: The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, one of my favourites n u should all go n give it a read 

if you could be anywhere right now where would you be: well.. *cough* bathing my self in doyoungs nut *cough* I MEAN.. coffee shop wid Sicheng :) :) of course :) sof sof Sicheng :) 

where would you time travel to: ummm well i’m quite happy where i am really, wouldn’t want to miss a day.. But if i had to choose, id say end of college?? So i can move on and start a fresh somewhere new 

fictional character you would hang out with for a day: i have too many to choose from.. THIS IS TOO HARD IM OUT 

put your music on shuffle and list the first ten songs:

poor mans song pt. 2 - leaf dog

good thing - nct127

what 2 do - dean

sherlock (clue + note) - shinee (a bop)

intro: boy meets evil - bts

i’m left, you’re right, she’s gone - elvis presley

comin’ thru - chali 2na

no church in the wild - jay z

memory taffeta - palmistry

highlight - seventeen

are you named after someone: not a someone, but i was named after one of Saturn’s moons. It’s shaped like a potato.. i mean, did my parents jus knOW?

when was the last time you cried: about an hour ago at yoongi’s glowing skin + the pink jumper in the spring day mv ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

do you like your handwriting: yeah its ite. Not incredibly beautiful, but ppl can read it sooo …. 

what is your favourite lunch meat: (imma have to go with @ 140ks on dis one) Turkey i guess?… 

do you have kids: yes, 7. Mark Lee, Huang Ren Jun, Lee Je No, Lee Dong Hyuck, Na Jae Min, Zhong Chen Lee, Park Ji Sung :) <3

if you were another person, would you be friends with you:  heck frickin yh im super cool n interesting 🤘

do you use sarcasm: to an excruciating extent 

do you still have your tonsils: yep

would you bungee jump: fuck no 

what is your favorite kind of cereal: crunchy nut (heuheuheu)

do you untie your shoes when you take them off: if they the easy slip on n off kinda shoes then no, but i recently invested in some converse highs (come @ me bts) n NO CHANCE IN HELL R U GETTING THEM OFF W/OUT UN TYING THE LACES UNLESS U WANNA DISLOCATE BOTH UR ANKLES ND UR SOUL :) 

do you think you’re a strong person: not at all, im the kinda gal that has to ask ppl to take bottle lids off for me 

what is your favorite ice cream flavor: hit me up with that good ol’ salted caramel any day of the week

what is the first thing you notice about people: 💘💝💕💖 their eyes 💝💗💓💕  no um probably the type of clothes they wear n how they speak to other people

red or pink: pink, like yes

what is the least favourite physical thing you like about yourself: imma sayyyy, my chin? or my huge cheeks. But im not really too bothered bout them 

what colour pants and shoes are you wearing right now: (i’m editing this so it is in english bc america just got it wrong, its TROUSERS. unless.. u really wanna kno 😏😏😏) lol gross um, im wearing blue n white shorts, n im not wearing shoes its 5pm?? im in bed??

what was the last thing you ate: full on roast lunch at becky’s, so typically british i lov it

what are you listening to right now: another world - nct127 (mainly for sichengs ‘baby turn it on.’ what can i say, im a simple girl)

if you were a crayon, what colour would you be: peach

favourite smell: ok.. this is a perfectly reasonable answer… babies.. U KNO LIKE FRESHLY CLEANED BABIES?? im a childcare student this is just tru

who was the last person you spoke to on the phone: my dad, or becky

favourite sport to watch: none. butterfly catching idk.. ISACs ???

hair colour: auburn

eye colour: blue/grey/green

do you wear contacts: sometimes, i have glasses so if i can be bothered i try contacts. But i really like wearing glasses so

favourite food to eat: does everything count? i mean, if i reeeaaaallly had to choose one.. spaghetti bolognese 

scary movies or comedy: both, i lov em both. 

last movie you watched: the millionairess (1960) its bloody hilarious, watch it

what colour shirt are you wearing: orange

summer or winter: right now im like summer, but during summer i’ll say winter

hugs or kisses: hugs, <3<3

what book are you currently reading: the list by joanna bolouri, its so funny please reaaaad

who do you miss right now: joshua’s auburn hair 

what is on your mouse pad: nothing 

what is the last tv program you watched: hello my twenties, i lov those girls 

what is the best sound: suho sneezin, or that harmony doyoung, taeil, n jaehyun did of sunday morning, orrrrr jongdae in drop that, or when yoongi called himself oppa that one time, or when he says wow :) 

rolling stones or the beatles: god, the beatles

what is the furthest you have traveled: Croatia 

do you have a special talent: umm not really.. be able to stan 348754 different people at once n still be sane (kinda) (not at all) 

where were you born: Devon, England 

THERE. DONE. i actually really enjoy these things so tag me in more qtpies  (did i change all the american spellings to the PROPER ENGLISH SPELLINGS? yes i did.)

i tag ze ethereal: @ydaegu @yug97 @ir-im @vmin2 @dolcegf @soulsbaby @taeminsbaby @1aemin @chogifuckingwa

#tagged #the more u kno

[bexophrenia]

taylor “how could they mistake me for a supervillain!?” hebert 

she deserves those antennae, it just looks right in my mind <3 I also saw on the wiki that her armor is meant to be kinda pillbuggy so i ran with that. i think we all have very similar but not quite identical “mind skitters”... 

#worm #parahumans #taylor hebert #skitter #becky eats crayons

[ieatcranyons]

crayons v markers debate

i believe that those who like markers are wincest shippers. so basically the worst of the worst. the scum of the earth. markers are overpriced and stupid. just like taxes. they run out of ink so fast. cause more pollution and look dumb. crayons however are perfect. wax is natural and you can utilize all parts including the wrapping as all things are edible if you try hard enough. back in my day we ate dirt. so eat crayons they're nutritious and wonderful unlike those dang markers. siri insert slur about markers becky stop trying to escape

#supernatural #cranyon #crayon #old money #coquette #lana del slay #destial #wincest #slur

[respect-the-king]

Tag Game

I was tagged by @cassie5squared

I’m tagging @bullshituberalles @cornelthecursed @sigynlaufeyson-love @hellsmother @sigynlaufeyson-love

1: Are you named after someone? Pretty sure I’m named after Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer but I could be wrong...


2: When was the last time you cried? I don’t remember... I cry a lot.


3: Do you like your handwriting? Nope. it is terrible.


4: What is your favourite lunch meat? Corned Beef.


5: Do you have kids? No and i’m sick of people asking me when it’s happening.... I want them eventualy just not now.


6: If you were another person, would you be friends with you? I think so x 

7: Do you use sarcasm? Who doesn’t? xD


8: Do you still have your tonsils? I think so?...


9: Would you bungee jump? YES!


10: What is your favorite kind of cereal? I like Bran Flakes... blame my nana


11: Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? not if i can help it


12: Do you think you’re a strong person? i really don’t know


13: What is your favorite ice cream? chocolate brownie


14: What is the first thing you notice about people? I think their appearance/ style.


16: What is the least favorite physical thing you like about yourself? My belly and my eyebrows


17: What color pants and shoes are you wearing now?  my pjs don’t even match, mate.

20: If you were a crayon, what color would you be? i am so tempted to say Yellow :P but i’d wana be a red one because it’s my favourite colour


21: Favorite smell? um after it rains? i dunno.


22: Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? most likely my mum

23: Favorite sport to watch? gymnastics and figure skating

24: Hair color? Dark brown. 


25: Eye color? Hazel


26: Do you wear contacts? yes but i wear glasses aswell


27: Favorite food to eat? lasagne


28: Scary movies or comedy? i love a good horror but i like comedy too

29: Last movie you watched? The Wolf of Wallstreet


30: What color shirt are you wearing? it’s grey with a unicorn on it.


31: Summer or winter? winter if I have to pick but I prefer Autumn 


32: Hugs or kisses? hugs from most people but platonic cheek kisses are nice 


33: What book are you currently reading? Sandman Slim book 7 Killing Pretty. it’s taken me over a year to get this far because I am a very slow reader.


34: Who do you miss right now? …my nana x


35: What is on your mouse pad? i have a gorjuss one but the one I'm using now is plain black


36: What is the last tv program you watched? Game of Thrones


37: What is the best sound? i don’t know


38: Rolling Stones or The Beatles? both? I do love The Beatles tho


39: What is the furthest you have ever traveled? Portugal


40: Do you have a special talent? I don’t alway believe it but I am a born performer. Pretty good at swimming too.


41: Where were you born? Horwich, England.

#ooc #meme #long live the queue

[dracarysdroqon]

rules: complete the survey and say who tagged you in the beginning. when you’re finished, tag people to do this survey. have fun and enjoy!

tagged: @livinladolcevita​ <3 tagging: @starklinqs​, @emmaajjones​, @rayven-rayes​, @cla-rke​, @stark-bastard​, @kingrvbb​, @gellersmonica​, @towalkinyourlight​, @timetraveldean​, @bellamyblak​, @frederickchiltonsbelly​

1: are you named after someone? nope

2: when was the last time you cried? oh man, i think it was when i got a little teary eyed when i was watching fuller house season 2 and jesse and becky brought home their new baby girl and they said they named her pamela ... i don’t really cry much lol

3: do you like your handwriting? no

4: what is your favourite lunch meat? turkey or chicken

5: do you have kids? god no

6: if you were another person, would you be friends with you? probably

7: do you use sarcasm? all the time

8: do you still have your tonsils? i have 1 ... i had them removed when i was 2 but one grew back

9: would you bungee jump? NOPE

10: what is your favourite kind of cereal? french toast crunch

11: do you untie your shoes when you take them off? not if i can help it

12: do you think you’re a strong person? i think so, most of the time

13: what is your favourite ice cream? cookies and cream

14: what is the first thing you notice about people? i honestly don’t know

16: what is the least favourite physical thing you like about yourself? my eyes

17: what color pants and shoes are you wearing now? black yoga pants and pink socks

20: if you were a crayon, what color would you be? pink or black

21: favourite smell? cookies/pie/cake/etc baking in the oven

22: who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? my mom

23: favourite sport to watch? i love hockey

24: hair color?  light brown naturally, its currently dyed dark reddish-brown

25: eye color? a blue-ish green-ish gray color

26: do you wear contacts? nope

27: favourite food to eat? mac & cheese

28: scary movies or comedy? comedy

29: last movie you watched? the nice guys

30: what color of shirt are you wearing? light brown

31: summer or winter? summer

32: hugs or kisses? hugs

33: what book are you currently reading? seraphina by rachel hartman

34: who do you miss right now? my friends who i haven’t seen in a while

35: what is on your mouse pad? don’t have one

36: what is the last tv program you watched? law and order: svu

37: what is the best sound? the sound of skates and hockey sticks on ice

38: rolling stones or the beatles? both, beatles if i had to choose just one

39: what is the furthest you have ever traveled? canada, i haven’t traveled much but i hope to get to europe someday

40: do you have a special talent? i don’t think so

41: where were you born? pittsburgh

#tags

[sodypap]

rules: complete the survey and say who tagged you in the beginning. when you’re finished, tag people to do this survey (as usual i’m a loser and i don’t feel like tagging anyone sorry). have fun and enjoy!

tagged by @teneki - i love that you always tag me in these things btw, i mean that genuinely

1: are you named after someone? no... but while my mom was pregnant with me, my dad had a dream that he had a daughter named leah, so that’s why they named me leah lol

2: when was the last time you cried? last night maybe?? heh

3: do you like your handwriting? eh it’s messy but it’s fine i guess

4: what is your favourite lunch meat? i’m a vegetarian lmao (but before i was a vegetarian i really liked salami so)

5: do you have kids? god no

6: if you were another person, would you be friends with you? uh NO i’d think i was so annoying tbh

7: do you use sarcasm? yeah bc i think i’m hilarious

8: do you still have your tonsils? yep

9: would you bungee jump? NOPE

10: what is your favourite kind of cereal? honey nut cheerios bc i’m a basic bitch

11: do you untie your shoes when you take them off? nah i’m too lazy, and i also don’t often wear shoes with laces

12: do you think you’re a strong person? no

13: what is your favourite ice cream? chocolate chip cookie dough is the BEST

14: what is the first thing you notice about people? not sure? whatever’s the most defining thing about their face i guess

16: what is the least favourite physical thing you like about yourself? it changes all the time but rn i’d say i hate my eyebrows the most

17: what color pants and shoes are you wearing now? black sweatpants and no shoes

20: if you were a crayon, what color would you be? purple!

21: favourite smell? again i’m going to be a basic bitch and say ~rain~

22: who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? my dad

23: favourite sport to watch? the olympics i guess? but i don’t really like any sports

24: hair color? brown

25: eye color? green

26: do you wear contacts? no - i have a thing about touching my eyes

27: favourite food to eat? blueberries

28: scary movies or comedy? comedy

29: last movie you watched? i think la la land?

30: what color of shirt are you wearing? gray

31: summer or winter? summer

32: hugs or kisses? don’t touch me lmao

33: what book are you currently reading? simon vs. the homo sapiens agenda by becky albertalli

34: who do you miss right now? lowkey i always miss my friends

35: what is on your mouse pad? nothing?

36: what is the last tv program you watched? the office

37: what is the best sound? strings and rain and cats purring

38: rolling stones or the beatles? the beatles i guess?

39: what is the furthest you have ever traveled? i think oslo

40: do you have a special talent? idk if this counts as a talent but i kinda have perfect pitch

41: where were you born? california

#get to know leah

[touchmewithyouryaoihands]

Rules: Complete the survey and say who tagged you in the beginning. When you finished tag 5 people to do this survey. Have fun and enjoy!!! My new friend @nishawantsjustice Tagged me !! ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ

1. Are you named after someone? I dont think so （−＿−；） 2: When was the last time you cried? Like sunday lmao 3: Do you like your handwriting? I dont mind it? Its shitty but idc 4: What is your favorite lunch meat? Chicken?? 5: Do you have kids? Lyon my cat son, Bo my doggo stepson and Senpai my hamster step daughter 6: If you were another person, would you be friends with you? Maybeeeee? 7: Do you use sarcasm? never,,,,,,,,,,lmao 8: Do you still have your tonsils? Ye 9: Would you bungee jump? The shitty ones on trampolines yes not the spooky ones lmao 10: What is your favorite kind of cereal? Literally anything chocolately 11: Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No im lazyyy 12: Do you think you’re a strong person? Nope 13: What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Omg maybe chocolate, or mint but i love it aLL 14: What is the first thing you notice about people? Hair 15: Red or pink? Pink!! 🌸💖💕💞💝💘💗💓 16: What is the least favorite physical thing you like about yourself? Uhhh my general face area lmao 17: What color pants and shoes are you wearing now? Im wearing black school pants and runners (definitely allowed in school :^) 18: What was the last thing you ate? cheese pastry 19: What are you listening to right now? AZURAS SONG THAT SHE SINGS TO GARON IN FIRE EMBLEM 20: If you were a crayon, what color would you be? The prettiest pink 21: Favorite smell? Its creepy but my gf smells rlly nice im soRRY 22: Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? The gf :33 23: Favorite sport to watch? I hate watching sports more than playing so none 24: Hair color? Pink 25: Eye color? Grey 26: Do you wear contacts? Never but i own them 27: Favorite food to eat? Pasta 28: Scary movies or comedy? Im smol so comedy 29: Last movie you watched? I watches scott pilgrim the other day ( best film) 30: What color of shirt are you wearing? White school shirt )): 31: Summer or winter? Winter :3 32: Hugs or kisses? Both are great but huggus 33: What book are you currently reading? I just finished the scott pilgrim comics but im reading asking for it in class 34: What do you miss right now? I miss the gf becky bc when do i not lmao 35: What is on your mouse pad? don’t have one 36: What is the last TV program you watched? Either Skam or Fullmetal alchemist 37: What is the best sound? AZURA SINGING 38: Rolling Stones or The Beatles? I can actually name a beatles song so them lmao 39: What is the furthest you have ever traveled? Malta 40: Do you have a special talent? I can do weird hand thing and crack alot of bones 41: Where were you born? Irelans 42: People you expect to participate in this survey? I forget all my friends urls im terrible @littledinothor

@dearkafkaa @kanaeroze @seun @cryptid-ghoul I FORGET URLS IM SORRY FAM

#tag thing

[suffergettes]

Biography

One year old: Layla was the third child of Lisa Shelby who now had three too many kids to care for. With undiagnosed bipolar disorder, Lisa was a semi-functioning alcoholic who refused help in any of its various forms. Some weeks were spent holding down a job, providing for her children, throwing out all the bottles of cheap whiskey, and even cheaper vodka. Others were spent locked in her room, curtains drawn, refusing to get out of bed as her one year old screamed-- hungry and in need of a diaper change. Her father wasn’t shared with her older siblings, and he rarely came around the old house with a sagging roof. Nursed with cow’s milk, and hardly cared for it was a wonder why the wide eyed, watchful baby rarely cried lest there was something she needed to say. “Someone shut that baby up!”

Three years old: No one remembers being three years old, but Layla does. She can remember their house reeking of mold. She could remember how cold the winter nights got, sleeping in a coat as she shivered in a shared bed. She could remember how hot the summers came, lying on the floor naked, staring up at the cracked ceiling while her mother, pregnant once again, desperately cleaned the kitchen at two in the morning. Layla and the new baby would share a father, and she could remember him, with his hard face, and his rough hands, sitting on the couch smoking a cigarette and nursing a beer. He was either indifferent or violent, there seemed to be no in between, and Layla could vividly recall the pain in her face when he hit her for the first time. She could remember her older sister’s expression, recalling the events of her day at school, complaining about the teacher, gabbing about the girls in her class, and the boys who chased them with spit on their hands. She could remember coloring with the crayons her brother had stolen from his kindergarten class as her mother, a manic episode in full swing, chatted with a the next door neighbor about Becky down the block and her new job on the corner. She could remember loving to listen, loving the thrill of spoken word. Most people don’t remember being three years old, but Layla does. “Get outta the way of the tv!”

Five years old: Five kids all crammed into a house meant for a family of four. They always had television, but rarely heat. There had always been alcohol in the cabinets, beer in the refrigerator, and cigarettes on the counter but there was no guarantee of bread, or milk, or toilet paper. Layla, at five years old, knew how to change diapers, open a bottle of Pabst, and cook eggs, but she struggled to spell her own name, and count to twenty. There was rarely ever a knock on the door-- that was the first sign something was wrong. The woman standing on the rotting wood porch was a Black lady with a pretty, soft, chubby face. She wore a blue pants suit, and held a clipboard in front of her chest as a tight smile stretched her pink painted lips. Layla can remember the woman sending her a sidelong glance as she talked to Lisa, the way those dark brown eyes assessed her in a moment, noticing the yellowing bruise on her upper arm. It only took a couple more visits for social services to decide that they were children in need of help. Two months after the initial visit the Shelby children were rounded up and all taken away from a drunk, screaming Lisa. The infant howled, the eldest cried quietly into her palms, her two year old brother clung to her skinny, pale leg, and Layla was frozen, following gentle orders with a blank stare; they were loaded into two cars with nice leather seats, the smell of artificial lemon, and the faint undertone of disinfectant. The social worker caught Layla’s eye in the rearview mirror, “It’s gonna be alright, baby, it’s all gonna turn out all right.”

Nine years old: Nature made her one way, and nurture splintered the girl she might have been in a hundred little pieces. Layla was sharp, she was keen, she was attentive, and with a proper foundation she might have been a brilliant student, but life had other plans. Six homes in a little over three years. It was a cycle, helpful and providing in theory, and vicious in practice. The foster care system was not constructed to rear well rounded adults. How could it when each front door they came upon was nothing but a revolving barrier. Each time Layla began to feel a sense of comfort or happy stability it seemed as though that familiar, lemon scented car would pull up to the curb, brakes whining. A reason was hardly ever explained as she stuffed her belonging in a garbage bag, and followed her social worker over to the curb. It had been her fourth day at school, and the others in her class had seemed so nice. What relationships withstood the forceful yank of her little wrist by the government? By the third move Layla refused to invest her emotions, her energy, and her hope in the false promise of a family. She learned quickly how to shut down the current of hope, how to turn the fear, anger, confusion, and guilt into trouble, into something physical, something real. Her worth was circumstantial, a paycheck, a charity project, an extra set of hands. There was no escape from the reminder of her powerlessness, and Layla did what she could to wrench it back into her own small clutches. She refused to eat, she ran away, she disobeyed the rules, but they hardly set her apart from the mass of children. So she used her sharp tongue, smart mouth, and keen ears to spit venom where it mattered most instead. She saw it in one of her foster mother’s eyes the first time the words left her mouth, “Mrs. Cynthia, do you know what I heard?” Fear, curiosity, disdain for the nosy child all in a flash. The concoction of truth, and lies, and uncertainty made her unpredictable, and that made her undesirable. At least this way when the social worker showed up it was on Layla’s terms, and her garbage bag sat ready, having never been unpacked. Foster homes, group homes, hotel rooms, the social worker’s couch-- three long years of her life were spent without a home, without a family, and with few real friends. When, Layla wondered at such a young age, had that become her normal? Nature gave her the tools for intelligence, a quick, susceptible mind, but nurture turned them into weapons, and shields of self defense. “What are you looking at, punk?”

It was the seventh house, and on the seventh day God had completed his masterpiece and at long last, sat down to rest. This is what Suzanne Elliott reminded Layla as she placed a warm kiss on the child’s forehead that first night. The lemon, and disinfected scented car had come to a squealing halt as always, and Layla did nothing to acknowledge that they’d stopped. She had been staring down at page 57 in her book for nearly an hour and a half as they grew nearer and nearer to their next destination. Layla had just left a group home with fourteen other girls, and she was set as taut as a string, prepped for fight or flight. She finally looked up see her next stop, and it nearly took her breath away; a white house, an even green lawn, cerulean hydrangeas lining the perimeter of the front yard, and an inviting red door. Even as she stared in awe, knowing quite well they were miles and miles from the influence of Indianapolis, Layla had prepared herself for the sabotage. The welcoming appeal, and the distant sound of church bells striking eight in the morning would not save this nice family from her. There was nothing that could. Or at least she thought there was nothing until that red door flew open and out ran a familiar blur of red curly hair, and a wild grin. He didn’t stop until his arms were wrapped around Layla’s waist, knocking the wind from her lungs, and the hardened resolve from her features as her arms wrapped around her little brother. “I’ve missed you.”

Eleven years old: Even with her brother safely at her side it was not an easy transition for Layla into the Elliot’s home; peaceful stability was something of a culture shock to girl, and she struggled with resisting the temptation to grow comfortable with every turn. She refused to sit down to family meals, or join game nights, she lied, she disobeyed, she worried them with late nights at the park, she clung onto their every word, throwing it back with a backspin she’d perfected over the years, and most fervently she denied their invitation to church every single time. She fought and she fought and she fought until one night she came down for dinner, quiet and sullen at the table, but unmistakably there. Then she began to adhere to curfew, and do her chores, and play on game night, and ask for homework help. It was the Elliot’s unwavering presence, their consistent attention, frequent acknowledgment, and their refusal to give up on the struggling girl that softened her slowly. The last piece of her resolve fell away as she walked through the doors of First Assembly Baptist Church on her twelfth birthday. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Thirteen years old: God will be with you wherever you go. Layla did not believe he was with her before. She could never believe he walked with her through those houses, over crowded, and unwelcoming, those families fickle and unaffectionate, those schools where she sat alone, too afraid and angry to reach out, too mean, too spiteful to keep friends. She could not imagine Him there, but He was certainly at her side now as Suzanne and Abraham Elliot signed the adoption papers, and took the kids to pizza, and ice cream to celebrate their new family. Layla had imagined a life where she would have her own room, and a mother and a father whose breath didn’t reek of liquor and whose hands were gentle, a school where people took notice when she didn’t show up to class. It had always been a fantasy, a dreamworld that certainly didn’t exist and yet she was living it now. She joined the youth choir that her mother led, and never missed a Sunday service, because for the first time in her life something was real, something was tangible, and it was God. She could feel him in the food in her belly, and the warm kiss on her cheek, leaving the pink print of her mother’s lips. It was a good grade in school after hours of extra work. It was her little brother, and her dog, and her full size bed, and her trips to the movie theater, and her position on the middle school volleyball team, and her braces, and her first cell phone. It was her life, the home she lived in, and the people she was allowing herself to love. People may ask how one believes in something they can’t see or touch, or hear, but Layla would only laugh and shrug her shoulders. “Look again.”

Fourteen years old: Nature vs Nurture. The war between the two will forever rage on inside the girl whose nature railed against the reality, and ramifications of her upbringing. She was born with a kind soul, and a caring heart, she had been equipped with tenderness, and humility, she had been bestowed confidence and humor but each and every one of those traits found themselves twisted and gnarled over the years. Her kindness was held at bay, her caring heart hidden behind layers of mistrust and self preservation. Her tenderness became a bruise, her humility became a handicap, and her confidence became arrogant in essence, and her humor cut sharply. She seemed at times, a walking paradox, and her demons were only held at bay by the power of the cross around her neck. Her first few years in Wheeler had seen her struggling to connect, and form relationships. Every instinct told her no to keep people at arms length, while something deeper, something darker, something truer wanted it all. And it wasn’t until Junior High that Layla rediscovered the power of words. All it took was that phrase, that look in her eyes that she knew something she oughtn’t and people drew close. Some of it was true, some of it was not, and most of it was a mixture of both. Layla’s voice beckoned in a group of friends, her smile kept them close, her faith garnered trust, her history begged interest, her gossip kept her safe. She’d had mastered it as a kid-- that crooked grin, mischievous green gaze, the honest buzz of hardly contained excitement, and the uncovered secret on the tip of her tongue. “You’ll never guess what I heard.”

Seventeen years old: She didn't want to leave. Her parents offered to take her on road trips around Indiana in search of the perfect college, they encouraged her to at least apply, but Layla didn't want to leave. She finished high school with a diploma in hand and a honors cord draped over her shoulders, and that satisfied her just fine. Wheeler had embraced her, wrapping the young woman in protective arms that she clung too just a little too tightly. She got a job at the Wheeler Pool working as a lifeguard sitting under the midwestern sun, never a shade darker as her sheilded eyes scanned the splashing pool. And when it quieted down, and there were only the women tanning, and the boys torturing a beetle on the hot concrete, she opened her mystery novel, and devoured the words. "No running!"

Twenty-three years old: A kitchen, a living space, and a small bedroom. The water pressure was weak, she lit the stove with a match, the paper thin walls leaked muffled conversation, and the windows rattled when the train passed through in the wee hours of the morning. But it was hers. The faded yellow couch, mismatched dinnerware, the wall phone with its stretchy cord-- all of it. She worked as a server for Old Times Cafe, and helped her mother direct the choirs at the church. With the money she saved away over the years, Layla had enough to take online classes, and finished with an associates degree in Psychology a little over a year ago. It hardly applied to any work, but what she had learned spinned webs in her head, snagging more than what was usually offered. She was content, or so she thought. She can still remember the rain that dumped in buckets beyond the cafe windows. The dining room was empty, for no one cared enough for the chicken fried steak to venture out into storm that could only be compared to The Great Flood. Layla was leaning against the counter, book open, when the door jingled behind her. Wind swept the smell of his cologne into the diner before she even turned around; the smell lingered as blue eyes fell upon him, and then he smiled. He came in again and again, and the butterflies always flapped their wings in her stomach, eyes lingering a little too long. She'd never imagined herself a romantic, but Layla was swept up in madness that ensued, in the encompassing emotion that rattled her bones, and crawled through her veins. Love. that was the word for it. She fell in love. And so did he. He with his Mayoral title, his hopes and dreams, his charming smile, and his own skeletons hiding in the closet. Their courting was a whirlwind, a tempest as divine as the one that brought them together. "Until death do we part."

Thirty years old: It started as a political manuever. The mayor's wife as secretary to the First Baptist Church. Never mind seperation of church and state, this was Wheeler, Indiana. Layla could have never guessed how much she would take to it, how easy it would be to enjoy every day of monotonous work. No one notices the woman filing papers as they chat about the their weekend events, or the latest news about so and so’s supposed divorce. She is easy to forget as she makes copies and hears about a recent arrest. Whispers run through the church like the mice the scurry between the old walls, descreet and nearly missed, but she leans her ear to wall, and the sound is unmistakable. It's when the gossip dies down, and the walls grow still and quiet that Layla can feel her skin crawl. At home, their large house remains unfilled, a reminder of her shortcomings, of her failure to fulfill a dream. Bill presses a reassuring hand to the small of her back as she passes, though these gestures are becoming less and less frequent. And the pain still rests deep in her muscles, the weight of a loss so heavy she thought it might break her in two. But as time goes on, the ache fades, replaced by the sting of words that cut into her skin joining the mossiac of invisible scars that decorate her body. Neither know where the madness inducing love went or when it went, but she can remember a shade of lipstick she did not wear on the collar of his shirt. She cannot pinpoint when first she saw the cold disregard in his green eyes, but Layla can remember the pitch of their voices as they hurled malicious words across the space between them, and the storm raged outside their bedroom window, as violent as the one that brought them together. And yet, the ring remains placed on her finger, unmoved, and like the way she clings to Wheeler, she clings to her husband, secure within his arms, within the circle of her wedding band. “Old Times Cafe for breakfast tomorrow?”

Thirty-four years old: For better or for worse, that’s what they had said, and now Layla found herself tangled in the sheets of a another man's bed, the smell of his soap on her skin, and the weight from her missing ring ever present as she presses her hands against his chest. The sound of cicadas, and the smell of whiskey fill her mind with a dreaminess that allows her to almost forget the sin she commits. Her heart thumps against her ribcage, strong and fast, and Layla is presented with a flash of that madness so far gone, and it lights her skin on fire. How could something so wrong taste so sweet? Eve must have asked God the same thing. And after a quick prayer of forgiveness, Layla tossed her head back, mouth open to the heavens. “Oh my god."

#about: layla stewart