#And a bunch of IC posts you can also answer if you want to ;3

[felassan]

Sylvia Feketekuty: "To celebrate DA day, I've made a bluesky account that I'll keep active for a few days to talk about my work on Inqusition or Veilguard! After a few days I'll lock the account, because I'm not a social media person. Happy to talk until then though. I want to say straight off: the reception to Emmrich, Manfred, the Mourn Watch, and the Grand Necropolis has been heartwarming for all of us who worked on those people and places. Thank you all very much!" [source, two]

Rest of post under cut due to length and spoilers. [Post Two, Post Three]

Sylvia Feketekuty: "In the meantime, I do want to talk about a couple of things I saw floating around regarding Emmrich: 1. Emmrich being 52 or 50. I think people got 50 from data mining a character file, but we can't do a ranges in those files. As in, I couldn't input 50-60, it had to be a whole number. I put down 50 as an early ballpark, then went more accurate in later audition scripts. 2. Fifty-two is a old number I threw into an early document before his art or character was totally final. (And which caused another developer a headache because they thought it was accurate, I never updated it. Sorry about that.) 3. "Wait, how old is Emmrich then?" Once I saw his final character art, I felt more mid to late 50s. MAYBE early 60s. But unless we specifically state a character's age in the game, it's all malleable. I honestly would just adjust it to your impressions unless stated otherwise. 4. I've also seen comments on how weird it is for Emmrich to act like there's an age-gap in the romance if your Rook is around his age. And you're right. 5. The reason is because Rook WAS younger when those scenes were written and worked on. I felt it'd be odd if I never addressed the May-December aspect, especially as it hooks into some of Emmrich's worries. 6. By the time that shifted, it was really too late to change without catastrophic repercussions to the excellent cinematics and music and other things that depend on line delivery and timing. 7. To be clear: you can feel how you want about the age gap coming up at all! But that's how the discrepancy came about. 8. "Is there a way to reconcile Emmrich acting like my Rook is way younger than him if they're not?" Great question! I have several suggestions: -Accept it's an error. (True, but unexciting) -Emmrich considers a gap of 3-5 years scandalous. (Funny, albeit a bit cartoonish.) -The Mourn Watch has perfected swapping out organs, and Emmrich is nervously hiding that he's way older than he looks out of vanity. (Untrue, but funny.)" [source thread]

User in reply to point 6. above: "I'm personally glad it was too late to change because their argument about it is genuinely my favorite scene in the entire game! 😭💕 It's such an important moment to me" / Sylvia: "Thanks! That one was one where I was all sweatily trying to balance things out, with tone, with pacing, etc. Really glad it came together for you. (Cine and the actors did heroic things there to get it feeling just so!)" [source]

More snippets:

Emmrich's favorite ice cream flavor? Rum raisin [source]

Lots of people on the dev team shared the vision of having a bunch of gothic weirdness in that pocket of Thedas [source] (Necropolis/Nevarra)

Sylvia "especially liked writing the Mourn Watch origin, it was fun to write a fellow nerd for Emmrich to chat with" [source]

Sylvia poured some personal worries and fears into writing Emmrich [source]

On Vorgoth and their nature: "I'm a little leery of saying anything, partly because I'm cowardly avoiding publicly defining anything more until/if I ever need to. And partly because I did want them to be a fresh unknown. Sorry!" [source] "I'm glad you like Vorgoth, but I'm afraid I don't have much for you that isn't in the game. I deliberately wrote them so as to leave room, if we ever revisited them, or for Vorgoth to remain mysterious, if we did not. I'm sorry if that's not a very satisfying answer!" [source] "I will say, it was fun to throw in a few lines about Vorgoth's art collection. Their passion for it is sincere and deep. (I wanted all the Watchers to have a little non-death related hobby or interest, because they can be so singularly focused.)" [source]

Dwarven Mourn Watcher is a rare origin combo for Rook so Sylvia wanted to call it out [source]

On the outcomes of Emmrich's quest: "I tried really hard to make the options equally viable, and more up to the player's interpretation or preferences of what it would mean for Emmrich in their view. It's been interesting seeing reactions to it, which hinge sometimes on various single lines pushing people one way or another!" [source]

"The Grand Necropolis is always eager and ready for a new member of the Mourn Watch to grace its ranks." [source]

User: "I loved Emmrich's view on death and what his personal quest ultimately went on to say about the nature of death itself, and how the beauty of mortality lies in its impermanence and unpredictability." / Sylvia: "I really wanted to dig into those themes, and everyone in cine and art and level design and editing and the whole team honed in exactly on the vibe. The floral stuff especially, I was so thrilled when I played through the Memorial Gardens' with the art and lighting in." [source]

User: "I experience thanatophobia and that first conversation w/ Emmrich was so affirming and helped me describe my own anxiety to others" / Sylvia: "Thanks, the thanatophobia was, as you may've guessed, a personal experience for me too. I'm glad it was something that helped a little." [source] "I suspect that phobia is way more common than people think, and part of the reason Emmrich talks about it was to express that sentiment out loud. I find it helps sometimes just to acknowledge it." [source]

What languages does Emmrich speak other than Trade? "I think he'd be familiar with Tevene, since there's surely many, many old texts about magic written in that language. Kind of like a doctor that knows latin through their work. I also named that MW alphabet "tomb-script", though I'm not sure if it has a spoken component or not since it never came up in-game. If it does, he'd be able to speak that for sure." [source, two]

User: "Playing as a Mourn Watch Rook has been an absolute delight!!!" / Sylvia: "Thank you so much, I really liked writing those branches of the dialogue. Since Emmrich's so focused on necromancy, it was fun having a Rook who could be both casual and knowledgeable about it." [source]

User: "In your opinion, what outcome do you prefer for a romanced Emmrich (lich/non lich)?" / Sylvia: "Interesting question! To be honest, I'm afraid to answer it properly in case anyone takes my answer to be a canonical one. I really wanted either path to feel equally interesting/correct for whatever you decide fits your Rook's relationship with Emmrich. (We're also in the strange waters of meta-reasoning. I GAVE Emmrich his fear of death-Sorry Emmrich!-which makes me feel a little culpable for that, even though he's entirely fictional. And that might prey on my mind when trying to decide. A very odd experience!)" [source, two]

What music genres would Emmrich be into? "Classical music is very much playing to type for Emmrich, but I feel it's also correct. He'd enjoy a nice concerto or an organ recital. Or, if he's feeling daring, a bold new Orlesian opera! But I don't think his tastes are too outré in that area. That said, I saw someone post something like "Leave Emmrich alone, let him attend the Depeche Mode concert" while listening to Depeche Mode's "Violator", for the first time, which made me laugh. (Great album. If he could get over the shock of synths, Emmrich might enjoy "Waiting for the Night".)" [source, two]

When writing Emmrich the devs wanted to try and hit the gothic romance vibe [source]

Does Emmrich mix his own fragrance/cologne? Does he ever vary it by the season? "I think Emmrich goes to some of the many perfumers that have set up shop in Nevarra City around the Necropolis, just because he trusts their judgement and expertise. I hadn't considered him varying it by season, but that's very fun! I certainly think he has more than one bottle of scent." [source]

User: "How does Lich Emmrich have sex?" / Sylvia: "I don't mind the question! But my answer's a bit boring: I generally stay at arm's length on the more explicit romance stuff, just because if it's not stated or shown in-game, I don't want to bring in a canonical answer that might affect what people imagined. My general preference for romantic scenes that get physical is to leave blank space somewhere, so players can imagine what happens next. It's not the ONLY way to do it, I think there's legitimate artistic reasons to go more explicit. But that's how I approached Emmrich (and before him Josephine.)" [source, two]

User: "The scene with the fade glow where he touches your hand haunts me in the best way" / Sylvia: "Aw thank you. Our animators and audio people made that scene way better than I could've hoped! They took such care with everything there. I want to say that little eye-peep from Rook was added in by one of them, which was the perfect touch." [source]

User on Emmrich: "i’m curious whether you think he’d prefer dogs or cats (or both, or neither)" / Sylvia: "I think he'd consider cats and dogs a little too noisy and messy for his tastes. Not like a nice, quiet plant or skeleton! (Weirdly, I actually had a scrap of banter going over this exact subject at one point. It got tightened down to the exchange with Harding about the pig he used to hug when he was a kid.)" [source, two]

Sylvia was trying to tease Nevarra with the Tevinter Nights story Down Among the Dead Men [source]. "It was really fun to tease the Necropolis, so to speak, in TN, and I'm grateful we got to actually let players through its gates at last." [source]

User: "if Rook chooses to save Manfred and keep Emmrich mortal, what would Emmrich wish to become of his body once he did pass on?" / Sylvia: "Good question. I think he'd want to remain active and useful in death. A guide for other Mourn Watchers, or posted as a mystic guide somewhere dangerous, or perhaps an oracle in the library." [source]

User: "when and how was it decided that Emmrich would be romanceable? I remember reading that he would not be a romance option." / Sylvia: "I'm not sure where that came from, because I pitched him and then shortly after that we decided the entire cast was romanceable. That was fairly early on in the development of Veilguard, as I recall it. (Could've been a crossed wire?)" [source]

Trick Weekes: "Sylvia wrote the fantastic Emmrich "the Vol-carnage" Volkarin and everything that happens in Nevarra while dealing with a lead writer whose attitudes about corpses and undead are... not dissimilar from Taash's." [source] / Sylvia: "I still remember when you gave the very accurate feedback "I think we need to give players whose Rooks aren't into corpses some roleplaying choices to express this" and I was all "Ohhh yeaaaaaah." (Thank u Trick, you were right)" [source] / Trick: "Specifically, being able to express this without locking themselves out of the content! (For non-Sylvia folks) Given my issues with corpses, Emmrich as a whole was SUPER Not For Me, so I gave one caveat and then said, "For the rest of my critique, I will be impersonating his target audience." [source]

Sylvia on the secret origins of Manfred: "After I pitched Emmrich, I started jotting down notes and thoughts on his plots, his quirks, all that kind of stuff. It was very early on Veilguard, anything was still possible. We were chatting in the writer's room about it one day, and I think we'd just seen some early concept art for Emmrich. And our lead writer Trick Weekes joked that Emmrich looked like a man who'd have a skeleton named Manfred. And I laughed and went "Yeah he does!" And then I thought about it. It's wild in retrospect, but that one comment spurred a train of thought that led to the core of Emmrich's arc. He may've ended up a very different character without it! tl;dr: I stole it from Trick." [source, two, three, four]

"I got to play with a pretty free palette when defining the way Emmrich and the necromancers view death and spirits. But I tried to keep it within the confines of existing lore. That's one reason why that scene where Emmrich talks about Manfred to Harding goes into "the eternal question" of whether a soul actually returns with the dead or not. Nevarra has distinct beliefs, but I thought it'd be interesting if its people argue over their interpretations of those beliefs." [source, two]

"the other writers also suggested a bit later on that the big choice dig more into Emmrich's philosophies. Initially, it was more personally focused on his fears, which made it 'relatable' but pettier. Without that correction, I think it would've been weaker, I totally needed the team push." [source]

"I have a few guides to graveyard symbology, and it's so packed with references and meaning." [source]

User: "Did any of your own fears & experiences, make it into the writing of Emmrich? If yes, is it information you’re comfortable sharing with us? If it’s too personal to give any details, that’s fine as well. Also, across the other games, who do you think Emmrich will get along with best?" / Sylvia: "some of his fears are absolutely personal. The reflexive-compulsive panic over death is something I'm very familiar with, and I wanted to explore that through him. Because I suspected it was not uncommon, and worth examining. The question of who he'd get along with from the other games is surprisingly tough! Because without asking the other writers about their characters, I wouldn't know for sure. So I can only really speak to Josephine with surety. That said: -I think Josephine would be polite, and grow to like him, but would never entirely be over the ostentatious necromancy. -I think Emmrich meeting Sera would be the funniest match." [source, two, three]

"Peter Cushing was also one of my go-tos as an example of what I wanted Emmrich to be." [source]

"(Huge shout out to all the animators and level designers making Manfred run, quite literally. Like 95% of his personality lives in his movement, I think they nailed it.)" [source]

On Emmrich: "I tried to put a lot of passion and sincerity in his love for the dead, and I admit the Necropolis was THE big place I wanted to see in Thedas myself ever since reading about it in a codex." [source]

User: "Thank you for letting him have that cemetery dream date!" / Sylvia: "Having the date in the cemetery was one of the first things I wanted when thinking about the romance." [source]

"Josephine was the first time I was entrusted with a new character and a new romance at once, and that'll always be special to me." [source]

User: "How much input did you have in Emmrich's appearance in the podcast?" / Sylvia: "In the podcast, none myself. I believe it was handled by a third party but reviewed by a few people at BW, I don't know too much past that. (We did provide a descriptor and character rules. Stuff like "Emmrich never swears" and "always says amongst" and broader, more thematically useful things.)" [source]

User on Emmrich: "Are you planning any other external-media stories for him?" / Sylvia: "Thanks very much, The Flame Eternal has a special place in my heart for being the first time Emmrich got to be center stage in a story. (And very flattering to hear about the cross stitch. That's so cool!) I can't speak to any external-media plans, I'm afraid. That's not an implied hint about anything existing or not, it's just literally outside what I'm allowed to chat about. It'd be fun to do something like that again though!" [source, two]

"I must give full credit to Nick Borraine, Emmrich's voice actor. He got the compassion and tenderness the character needed right away." [source]

"And glad him being closer to your age resonated, I really wanted someone older out on an adventure. No reason that has to stop at any age IMO." [source]

User: "do the mourn watcher/nevarra in general raise their pets after they die to keep them around? like a dog skeleton with a whisp in it?" / Sylvia: "To be honest I hadn't thought out this one, but it's a very good question. I'm not sure how common that would be, or even if it's permitted to have pets running around the family crypt. (I definitely thing people would WANT to do it.) You know, I think I'm going to have to leave this one in the vague quantum foam of the future. I think I'd want to not only double check existing lore, but answer that in-game (or in a book or etc.) if we ever need to. (Hope that's not too much of a cop out. Sometimes I like to leave questions I'm not sure about alone, because until it's in an official game or story, it doesn't quite count.)" [source, two, three]

User: "as someone who shares emmrich's anxiety about mortality, getting to spend time with him, and in the grand necropolis and with the mourn watch, was genuinely soothing" / Sylvia: "Thank you, I'm glad he was a comfort. It's a familiar fear for me too, and I'd hoped he would connect that way with people very much." [source]

On the giant ribcage 'ceiling' in the Necropolis: "sadly, even I don't know all the mysteries of the Necropolis. (Which is to say it's a very cool bit of art but has no stated origin yet. Could be a large dragon, a giant...or something weirder!)" [source]

On TN story Luck in the Gardens: "It was nice change up, writing in first person and with someone so rascally. I've got an enduring affection for the Lords after writing Hollix, the scamp." [source]

User: "I just love his genuine enthusiasm for everything he does. If the other party members had fan clubs Emmrich would be the president of each and I love that for him" / Sylvia: "Thank you! I really wanted him to embody a kind of expansiveness and generosity of spirit, to stand in contrast to the eeriness of his abilities." [source]

User: "What was your inspiration for Josie?" / Sylvia: "My girl! When I came on to Inquisition, there'd already been work done on setting up the spine of the main plot, and figuring out the overall cast. But one of the advisors was a little murkier. It just said "Diplomat" on the white board. We knew we wanted someone in that position, but not who. So in a game where you were out exploring, killing demons, etc., but also had a big organization to run? I immediately wanted to make a Diplomat firmly there for you. Somebody you could hand the keys to the entire Inquisition to while you were out, and know it'd be in good hands. I also thought it'd be fun to have someone from Antiva, since that area wasn't covered yet by anyone in the cast. And I needed her to be polished, smooth, but heartfelt, because of that aforementioned trust. And that was the core of Josephine! Her voice actor, Allegra, brought her to life with such lovely charm, and hearing those early sessions also helped me further hone her tone." [source, two, three, four]

"Our music supervisor Ron Dazo hit it out of the park with Emmrich's music IMO. And so glad you liked Hezenkoss! Just very fun to write as a character." [source]

User: "Did any specific watcher raise MW Rook?" / Sylvia: "Good question! I kind of left that one alone because I wasn't sure if I wanted to let Rook define that themselves, or leave it open, and also I'd have wanted a full conversation on it. In the end that was a little out of scope so I left it unsaid. Which is to say that it COULD be Vorgoth who helped raise your Rook. And that stands until/unless we give a definitive answer (or let you choose from a range of answers) one day." [source, two]

"It was such a pleasure for all of us to finally get to explore the Necropolis, I am very glad we got to throw open the gates." [source]

User: "I was wondering if there were any Mourn Watch details you wished you had more time to explore? I was so struck by some of the ethical implications in your stories" / Sylvia: "Geeze, now that's a question. I mention it with Emmrich, but there's some resentment over the power the Watchers hold as THE mortalitasi of the Grand Necropolis, between them and the other orders. There's something to that situation I liked. There's also questions of how they select people for the order. What their standards are, how closely they work with benign spirits. And how they cultivate those relationships. How deep does that go? I also mentioned in a codex "the lives and bodies of those who tamper with the undead of the Necropolis are forfeit unto the Mourn Watch." which is pretty chilling. What's that punishment like, exactly? And in general, writing about anything weird or unexplained in the Necropolis brought me much enjoyment, and it would be fun to dig around how the Mourn Watch deals with (or what they want out of) all these mysteries and entities." [source, two, three, four]

"Geeking out with Emmrich about spooky stuff was a delight to write." [source]

"I liked writing someone older this time, it was something different for me and rewarding in some unexpectedly different ways. (And thanks especially for the nice words on DAtDM - I was very excited to introduce people to the Mourn Watch there!)" [source]

"Ah, tomb-script. I named it but it was our concept artists who went developed it with the hexagon shape-language of the Mourn Watch, which I loved. Conceptually: I think it's used purely an occult or sacred language. Something for the graves, or books on magic, but not everyday things." [source]

"Some trans people kindly offered their help with some feedback on some of the romance lines and others, which absolutely made them much better." [source]

"Trick Weekes actually wrote a ton of the banter where Emmrich inquires into qunari artifacts and customs, and Taash talks about what it was like to grow up under a scholar. I really dig the dynamic they unearthed between the two there." [source]

User: "Do you remember what was written in the script to describe ✨this✨ moment? [link]" // Sylvia: "Lol. I miiiiiight? Let me look at my notes. Ah hah, I do! My note says that Emmrich "takes a second, surprised." And then he's touched afterwards." [source, two]

Sylvia: ""i hope it's not too late, but were there any designs in mind for what Nevarra City looks like?" Not too late! We've got a few sketches in the World of Thedas books, but that's it. If the team ever went back to Nevarra City proper, I'd imagine the art team would want to do a deeper dive." [source]

Sylvia: "(Glad you liked Myrna in particular. My first Mourn Watcher everyone got to know!)" [source]

Sylvia: "I'm glad to hear getting to know Emmrich has been of some comfort." [source]

[girl-dot-tzt]

Alright results are in, I'm not allowed to finish for 36 days 🙃

Im going to update this as a lil diary to keep me honest💃

Day 1: I'm feeling pretty good, I notice I get really horny when I take my prog the ✨️fun way✨️ so I'm going to use that method to increase the challenge this month. I'm thinking of meeting a friend tomorrow so I'm excited!

Day 2: more of the same, pretty standard, had a great time with said friend. Getting a teeny but pent up but nothing crazy yet.

Day 3: getting more pent up but it's still manageable, made the mistake of reading a ton of horny posts and getting myself really horny. Thankfully I calmed down and now I'm good to go

Day 4: went to work, did some bike wrenching, now im boutta sleep. pretty uneventful but I'm meeting a good friend of mine tomorrow so I plan on making up for the lack of horny twofold. I need to get some Oregonian mutuals bc I'd like to bite someone :3

Day 5: got my tits fondled for like 3 hours while I watched anime and got insanely high, I need like 4 people to hold me down and grope/tease/fuck me... preferably all at once. I've got 31 more daysssssss, does it count if it's hands free? 🧍‍♀️🧍‍♀️

Day 6: got no sleep, very horny, idk what direction Is up, and I need an answer to the question from yesterday 😫

Day 7: got sleep but not railed because if I get railed too well I'll could possibly finish and idk if that's OK yet :3. I'm going to mountain bike today! I'm super excited bc I need something to take the edge off, if I'm really unlucky I'll get too horny from the idea of getting fucked in the woods and make an update here.

Day 8: we're evening out a little, this may not be impossible, tbf I haven't had time to do much lately so when I finally get the time to ride my toys that might change. I'm planning on doing that tomorrow :3

Day 8 update: I accidentally took two progesterone pills because I boof mine, but I accidentally muscle memory-ed taking my prog orally. Got so horny during work that I nearly cried.

Day 9: I broke some spokes while mountain biking and now I'm sad, but horny and frustrated too. I can only think about being bred, but also being sad that my bike broke, damn fucking stupid sticks getting inbetween my fucking spokes. I need railed bad, etcetera etcetera

Day 10:

Girl abs, that is all

Day 11: I'm going to fuck myself on the biggest toy I own until I'm crying or edging with my Pspot🧍‍♀️ I will return

Day 12: I'm pretty sure I ended up getting edged. Pretty sure because I've never actually finished hands free before and my vibrator died right before I was about to finish. One of you witchy mother fuckers knew I was about to cheat or something, no other explanations, couldn't possibly be that I forgot to charge toys like a dumbass. Laugh it up, I got edged hard by my ADHD.

Days 13: I had a threesome and it was awesome! I explained my agreement to them and got teased a bunch as me and my friend dommed the fuck out of a gorgeous girl. We groped and kissed and sucked all over her body as she got more and more worked up, until eventually I was fucking her with my big purple vibrator and she came hands free for the first time! We made sure to shower her with all kinds of praise and congratulations 💃💃

Days 14-16: started a new job, I'm getting so horny these days that rather than feeling butterflies it's like an almost painful NEED. Like I just desperately need to get tied up and ground into dust, getting edged with my vibrator did a number on me because I'm a mess rn😆

Days 17-20: if I may be honest i embarked on this endeavor to try to finish hands free, I've never done it before but I desperately want to. I think I'll be able to do it by the end of these 36 days or sooner. Idk it's just a hunch🧍‍♀️

Day 21-29: 10 hr shifts in a lab will drive you nuts when there's nothing to think about but getting railed and ice cream percentages. On the plus side I am not only paid but required to eat ice cream every hour at my job. On the downside, I got so horny I cried last night🧍‍♀️😵‍💫😵‍💫

[delphines]

I was tagged by @eagans, thank you Syn!! I combined the last couple tag games into one post, hope that's ok :)

1 ) are you named after someone? yes! technically I'm half named after a person, half named after a cat lol

2 ) when is the last time you cried? today :') yayyy

3 ) do you like your handwriting? yes!

4 ) what is your favorite lunch meat? I'm a lifelong vegetarian haha

5 ) do you have kids? just a cat ^-^

6 ) if you were another person, would you be friends with you? very severance-coded question lol, I'm going to optimistically say yes but it would be an interesting dynamic to say the least

7 ) do you use sarcasm? always

8 ) do you still have your tonsils? yes

9 ) would you bungee jump? probably not

10 ) what is your favorite kind of cereal? this is a very lame answer but genuinely those high-fiber generic cereals and/or raisin bran + a sprinkle of granola...yes I'm a grandma

11 ) do you untie your shoes when you take them off? no

12 ) do you think you're a strong person? hmm...that depends

13 ) what is your favorite ice cream flavor? cookie dough!

14 ) what is the first thing you notice about people? gonna steal syn's answer and say their vibe haha

15 ) red or pink? pink

16 ) what do you least like about yourself physically? skippp

17 ) what color pants and shoes are you wearing now? green, and no shoes rn

18 ) what was the last thing you ate? ice cream (sadly not cookie dough flavor though)

19 ) what are you listening to right now? traffic outside

20 ) if you were a crayon, what color would you be? green or lilac

21 ) favorite smell? hmm that really depends but today I'm gonna go with the cliche answers of flowers & rain

22 ) who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? someone from work

23 ) favorite sport to watch? none lol

24 ) hair color? red

25 ) eye color? brown

26 ) do you wear contacts? nope

27 ) favorite food to eat? probably just plain old cheese & crackers

28 ) scary movies or comedy? comedy, but also I just don't watch movies in general very often

29 ) last movie you watched? darkest miriam

30 ) what color shirt are you wearing? green

31 ) summer or winter? winter always...I literally get seasonal depression from the summer which I find hilarious even though it is annoying

32 ) hugs or kisses? hugs. a good hug can heal you honestly

33 ) what book are you currently reading? in the middle of a bunch of tv analysis books, rn my favorite is "orphan black and philosophy" which is very good

34 ) who do you miss right now? my pre-burnout self :')

35 ) what is on your mouse pad? questions that send you back to your parents' "computer room" in 2005 lmao

36 ) what is the last tv program you watched? doctor who (some of my favorite older episodes - I'm not touching the latest season)

37 ) what is the best sound? gonna go with another cliche and say rain against windows in the middle of the night

38 ) rolling stones or the beatles? I have fond memories attached to some beatles songs

39 ) what is the farthest you have ever traveled? skip sorry (I get paranoid sharing anything related to my physical location on here)

40 ) do you have a special talent? uhh I can crochet?

41 ) where were you born? skip sorry again

42 ) people you expect to participate in this? if you made it this far and want to join in, feel free :)

And for the second tag game, here's my picrew! Yes, I am indeed a redhead with hellyna's haircut 🫣 I promise I had the haircut before 2022 lol

[ratlesshonret]

A Guide to Limbus Company Identities - Yi Sang

Hello. My name is honret, and today I decided that I'd give my (subjective) overview on a bunch of Limbus IDs. Are they worth Sharding? Are they worth Uptie 4? Do they make you dinner? Some of these questions and more, answered after the linebreak.

Today's writeup is going to cover our beloved Sinner 1, Yi Sang.

For reference, this post is being written on November 7th, 2024, with the most recently announced ID being LaMancha Rodion. This post may be updated in the future as new IDs release, but don't count on it.

LCB SINNER ~ YI SANG

Starting off strong with arguably one of the worst Base IDs in Limbus Company. This man's kit can be described in two words: atrocious and outclassed.

My man cannot roll higher than TWELVE. All of his skills are Sinking-negative, which is bad for a Sinking ID. He gets a little bit of Fragile on the S3, and he is sort of fast enough to pull it off, but it only works on enemies with SP.

His main redeeming quality is his Support Passive, which restores 10 SP to any ally who lost SP that round. There's some weird edge cases around what counts as "losing SP," but it's great for IDs like Dawn Office Sinclair.

Maybe he'd have some bizarre niche if Yi Sang didn't already have three other Sinking IDs, two of which are among the best Sinking IDs in the game.

SEVEN ASSOC. SOUTH SECTION 6 ~ YI SANG

You want statuses? This man has statuses. He'd be great support for Ring Yi Sang if it wasn't for, you know, him already being a Yi Sang ID.

His rolls are bad, but his Passive sort of makes up for them by lowering enemy Clash Power by 2 if you hit 4 Gluttony skills on your turn. He's still not going to do much damage, though.

This man is ostensibly a Rupture ID, but he inflicts very little Potency and only one Count on a Clash Win conditional. The 3 stacks of next-turn Paralyze on the S2 is pretty much the only reason to use him.

Otherwise, he has like... some Pierce Fragility.

Overall, not a great ID. His Support Passive is okay, but there's better.

MOLAR OFFICE FIXER ~ YI SANG

Our best-rolling Yi Sang so far, with an S3 that can roll a 19. Unfortunately, that does not make him good.

His kit relies on Discarding his Skills to gain Tremor on himself, and then spending it to gain Coin Power on the S3. Unfortunately, he falls into the trap of not being able to Discard with his S1, which makes cycling his skills harder if you get trapped by a lot of early S1's in your rotation.

MolarSang's Tremor Bursts also rely on spending his self-Tremor to activate. The big issue is... he has no way of generating more than 4 self-Tremor per turn unless he's double-slotted, and needs TEN to activate his S3 conditional.

Icing on the cake is that his Support Passive is rather meh.

PEQUOD FIRST MATE - YI SANG

One of my personal favorite IDs. This man is SUPER worth UT4, in my humble opinion.

First of all: he REALLY wants Poise support. He's not incapable of generating his own Poise, but he appreciates having allies that can spread a little like Blade Lineage Don Quixote.

His S1 is fine. Rolls average, Bind is nice, and it stacks a little Bleed. But his S2 is where it gets really interesting.

PeqSang is basically a prototype of RingSang. His S2 is a two-coin skill that, on Crit, reuses the second coin, up to a maximum of three times at UT4. This turns his 12-rolling two-coiner into a 20-rolling five-coiner.

Sure, it doesn't inflict Fragile, but it's pretty close in strength to Rabbit Heathcliff's S3, one of the more infamous damaging skills in the game.

Speaking of S3's, PeqSang's inflicts SIX Bleed Count on a Crit. Which is... pretty good. His Combat Passive also means that his S2 is inflicting twelve Bleed Potency if it Crits all five coins. If you can max out your Poise, an S3 into an S2 gives you a shitton of Bleed.

I'd say this is the first Yi Sang here that I'd really recommend running. Shove him on Bleed/Poise teams. Shove him on just Poise teams over BLSang. Hell, put him on Bleed if you don't own RingSang.

Overall, Relentless Stabbing is a fun skill and I love my silly boat man.

DIECI ASSOC. SOUTH SECTION 4 ~ YI SANG

You thought we were doing good IDs now? WRONG! 10Sang.

Dieci is an Association with multiple meta-defining IDs, so it's sad to see 10Sang be so overwhelmingly okay. He's trying to be another Dieci Rodion, but he just can't be since Dieci Rodion is so busted.

His S1 discards, which is nice. It can also roll a 13, which is fun. His S2 also discards, and can roll up to a 16, which is good.

His S3 is where the kit falls apart. You may think, "but it's a four-coin skill, it must be good, right?" and I'd say... nah. It only rolls a TWELVE, which goes up to a 16 if he's at under half HP.

Dead February 27th, 2023, revived January 25th, 2024, welcome back Shi Association.

Just randomly throwing a 50% HP conditional onto an otherwise okay ID is kinda... weird? I think the intended playstyle is to get him under half HP by letting him tank, and then using Discard to generate a ton of Shield so he doesn't care about his low HP. The main issue is that you don't want to be consistently Discarding with him, since all of his Sinking application is dependent on his Insight, so you just wanna get rid of an S3 and call it there.

By the way, he's a Sinking ID. So he's outclassed by two other Yi Sangs. Why does this guy exist, again?

His Support Passive is good on teams running Dieci Rodion or Meursault, though.

BLADE LINEAGE SALSU ~ YI SANG

Yep, it's yaoi time.

This man is pretty good on BL teams. His S1 sucks ass, being a one-coin 13 roller, but S1's are almost always bad. At least his clashes well.

The rest of his kit ranges from mid to pretty good, depending on if you check his Combat Passive. He can get up to +3 Coin Power by just... having Poise. You know, the thing he was gonna do anyway.

This buffs his S1 to a 16-roll, and his S2 to a 17-rolling two-coin Skill. So far, his only detriment is how simple he is, with no flashy bonus effects on any of his Skills other than "gain Poise."

His S3, if his Combat Passive is active, is a pretty good damage source. It normally rolls 14, but due to having three coins, it is buffed to a 23-roll. And the third coin hits +70% damage if it Crits.

The total roll is, hm... let's see... 13 + 18 + 23... account for the 70% buff on the last coin, making it kinda roll an actual value of 39... yeah, this skill hits, like, 70 on the effective damage roll. Not as crazy as PeqSang's 80, but it gets shockingly close.

I'd say this man is worth running on Poise if you've UT4'ed him. Especially on BL teams. If you're doing Bleed/Poise, or just not a BL team, then PeqSang may be more worth, especially since he's cheaper to buy with Shards, as a 2-Star ID.

EFFLORESCED E.G.O::SPICEBUSH ~ YI SANG

Sinking. Deluge.

Let's start with the basics: this guy is a self-Tremor Sinking ID. And he was meta on Sinking for a long time. Arguably still is, even though LamentSang coming out means he may be doing part-time at Burger King now.

His S1 does something interesting off the bat, which is inflicting 3 next-turn Sinking Count. This is a pretty interesting way to set up Sinking on an enemy, especially in long-term battles where you don't need to be building it on turn one.

If he spends 6 self-Tremor, his S2 gains Attack Weight 3. It also rolls up to a 19. And it inflicts a very respectable amount of Sinking Potency. Yeah, if you want group damage, this is how you're getting it with him.

But what if you want single-target damage?

SpiceSang's S3 rolls an 18 with three coins. Good, but not super impressive. However, it is the only source of Sinking Deluge in the entire game.

If you don't know what Sinking Deluge does, here's a primer: It deals Gloom-Affinity damage to the target equal to their Sinking Potency x Sinking Count. If a target has 10 Potency and 10 Count, they take base 100 Gloom damage.

The fun thing is... this applies to targets with SP. So Sinking Deluge gives Sinking a way to inflict damage on human enemies. Once the target hits -45 SP, all the bonus SP loss from the Sinking Deluge is converted into Gloom damage.

This, effectively, gives SpiceSang an uncapped damage skill. Or rather, it caps at about 19,798, ignoring debuffs, statuses, and other various things that may buff it even more. Though this also assumes that the enemy has 99x99 Sinking, and is Fatal to Pierce, Pride, and Gloom.

Finally, his Support Passive is good if you have a lot of Attack Weight Skills and EGO on your team that you want to use.

W CORP. L3 CLEANUP AGENT ~ YI SANG

Local man begs for Uptie 4, more after these messages.

Unless you have no other options for your Charge or Rupture team, do not run this man at UT3. Please.

Now, let's assume you've UT4ed him. His S1 is pretty bad. 11 roll on a one-coin Skill. Does inflict a bit of Rupture.

His S2 is decent. Two coins, fifteen roll. Inflicts Bind, and if you have 10+ Charge, a shitton of Rupture.

Finally, his S3 is the typical Charge nuke. Although, it has less coins, rolls lower, and spends more Charge than the vast majority of Charge nukes.

23-roll on a three-coiner. Inflicts up to 11 Rupture though, and it also inflicts 3 Rupture Count and 2 Dimensional Rift, which will inflict even more Rupture Count on turn end.

Yep, this guy, despite being from W Corp., is actually a Rupture ID in disguise. I recommend putting him there, instead of on Charge.

Sadly, his Support Passive is very niche.

THE RING POINTILLIST STUDENT ~ YI SANG

Sanguine Pointillism.

LOBOTOMY E.G.O::SOLEMN LAMENT ~ YI SANG

Have you ever wanted to go DINGDINGDINGDING? Then I have the ID for you.

Arguably the best Sinking Yi Sang ID, this man clashes insane and does DPS that most other IDs could only dream of.

His S1 is capable of Clashing at 15, and rolling damage at 14, with two coins. Definitely above average, if you can meet the Sinking conditional. His S2, also with two coins, is capable of rolling 20 if you hit its conditionals.

Before we get into his S3, let's talk about Butterfly and Reload.

Butterfly is a type of Unique Sinking, split into The Living (Potency) and The Departed (Count), and it can stack up to 15.

When an ally hits an enemy with The Living, you heal SP equal to The Living / 4. So, up to about 4 SP per hit. So LamentSang is now team SP support. Meanwhile, for each stack of The Departed, enemies take bonus Gloom damage if they're under 0 SP, up to 30 total. So he can also make Sinking actually do damage to enemies with SP, similar to SpiceSang.

His Reload is also special, since he uses Unique Ammo, also called The Living and The Departed. When he reloads, he reloads a random amount of each ammo, influenced by if he's above or below 0 SP. He also loses a bunch of SP when he reloads, so watch out for his ammo count, and also watch out for when you use his S3. Which ammo he has determines whether he'll inflict The Living or The Departed version of Butterfly onto the enemy.

LamentSang's S3 is a 4-coin skill. Its normal roll is 16, but if you hit all the conditionals, it can roll up to 28. It can also gain up to about +80% bonus damage on the third coin, and depending on how much Butterfly the target has, they'll take a bunch of bonus Gloom damage as well.

I've seen this skill deal 150+ damage to enemies that resist it. And I've seen some absurd damage come out of this skill. It frequently one-shots enemies.

Use this man on Sinking. Use him on Pierce teams. Use him anywhere you can, assuming you can pull/shard him next Walpurgis, or already own him.

[bella-rose29]

the jockwood universe (college au)

basically jockwood is a thing now, and these are the generic world building hc's of this au :)

essentially what's going to happen is a bunch of x reader fics set within this universe, all probably slightly different but every one of them set with this same background to them, so... yeah!

(also a special thank you to the multiverse of George for helping answer my pestering questions)

Lockwood is on the football team/part of the university football society

Also the fencing society

George and Lockwood are friends from high school but are in separate circles in college

George is also on the ice hockey team 

Kipps is on the football team too

When they were like… preteens or something Kipps and Lockwood had a friendly football match where they were on opposing teams

Lockwood’s team beat Kipps’ by… a lot (and Kipps totally isn’t bitter about it)

Holly is a student rep

Lucy is in debate club and fencing

Skull is a campus cat who hisses and scratches everyone but Lucy

He’s called Skull bc he’s got a weird patch on his head that looks a bit like a skull

And also Lucy seems to always know what Skull wants?? It’s like she can actually talk to him or something 👀

Barnes is a very tired senior lecturer who is the academic advisor to the trio + Holly and Kipps, and he wishes they would stop hogging his office hours

The Winkmans are a family who live in town and sit on their porch every morning shouting abuse at people who walk past

Bobby!!! On the football team and also in band (plays the clarinet probably)

Kate and Ned as well - both on the football team and hang out with Kipps obviously, along with Bobby

Rotwells College is in the same town/city and often competes against the Fittes university (that Penelope is head of)

Flo goes to Rotwells’ and is in their fencing society, but she sneaks onto the Fittes campus all the time to feed the ducks and throw frozen peas at passing students

Visitors - there’s a lot of local folklore and haunted buildings, and Lockwood and Co go and investigate because they’re Like That

Technology is modern, and as such they have phones

And group chats

Obviously Lockwood and Co is the name of Lockwood, Lucy, George, and Holly’s group chat

Lockwood is surprisingly old-fashioned when it comes to technology though? Like he has a record player and cassette tapes in his room that he just whips out every now and then

People’s courses/degrees!

Lockwood’s course is chemical engineering with fine art/art history

George - chemistry

Lucy - English (language and literature)

Holly - English literature + publishing

Kipps - Architecture (but he’s a dick about it)

Ned - Spanish/Spanish + international development

Kat - chemical engineering

Bobby - history

Flo - classical and archaeological studies

tag list:

@no-morning-glories, @t2sh0, @informedimagining, @strawberryloveyyy, @chameleon021, @demigoddess-of-ghosts, @genderfluid-anime-goth, @cottagecore-babe, @ahead-fullofdreams, @light-23, @locknco, @briar-rose23, @mischivana, @ell0ra-br3kk3r, @superpositvecloudshipper, @mrsyixingunicorn10, @mitskiswift99, @anathemaloren, @ran23sblog, @taygrls, @dangelnleif, @el-de-phi, @augustisintheair, @wordsarelife, @tournesol77, @novelizt, @anthonylockwoodandco111, @curseofhecate, @karensirkobabes, @mrsklockwood, @whenselenefallsinlove, @zoom1374, @a-taken-url

and the multiverse of George (of course): @avdiobliss, @neewtmas, @oblivious-idiot, @bobbys-not-that-small, @lewkwoodnco, @uku-lelevillain, and @maraschinomerry 💕

I'm aware that there are a lot of people and if I've forgotten you then I am so so sorry (my tag lists are all over the place whoops), so if there is anybody who wants to be added to my lockwood tag list, then please go here!

I am aware that it has been a while, but from now on I will be checking this post every time I write a new fic to see who is there, so head on over to give a comment or a like and I'll pop you on for next time! <3

[jerry-the-leech]

I lowkey wanna cry rn for no reason but for all the reasons at the same time

Please yap to me about smth I need to talk to someone about literally anything I feel like I’m going insane

(There’s a high chance my periods just coming)

hi lovely <3 (sorry I haven’t responded to your earlier post yet)

I’m sorry:( I know the feeling 🫂🫂🫂

Okayyyy so yap time!! I’m going to do my best giving the fact the I am typing this on my phone

I’m in DC! On a school trip!! Idk if this information I should be revealing online but whatever I’m not actually saying where I live I’m traveling. we got here on Sunday and then spent the day walking around for ten miles. We saw the Lincoln Memorial, Washington monument, and the National mall and then also the Capitol. at the National mall we got ice cream and the guy was very nice and instead of 6 bucks per ice cream it was 5

idk there is something about being in the Capitol of America that makes me really hopeful and really hopeless at the same time

Idk if you have heard of “mr. Smith goes to Washington” but it is a great movie and you should totally watch it. But tbh I feel like Mr. smith. I know how corrupted and horrible and awful our government is, I know how corrupt the founders of our nation actually were, and being in the Capitol amongst ostentatiously grand buildings representing the “values of America” makes me nostalgic for what could have been, but also can never be.

DC is such a beautiful city! I really love walking around it and it’s very aesthetic too. Here are some pics I got last night

those are from our walk last night. We also went to a super cool corner with lots of street art!

Yesterday we went to the Smithsonian. Sk, Ember, and three other children were in a group with me, but we split apart and just had me, child, child. Sk and ember and child went ahead. And I really liked it!! We saw the giant squid, we walked through the star and insect wing, dinosaur hall, bone hall, African voices, gems and minerals, and maybe there was another one I am forgetting lmao

and from the gift shop I got a t shirt. It was really funny bc sk and ember both got a pin and a mug respectively with the exact same design on it and we didn’t even plan it.

I also got a ceramic porcelain crane and a ring

I wanted to get a book but I was getting SUPER stressed out by the gift shop so then I didn’t get it. Oh and a bracelet. It’s made of hematite so it’s pretty heavy and I like it bc it’s very calming. Sort of like a portable weighted blanket.

oh also on Sunday we went to a bunch of war memorials and i found it very cool. It made me very philosophical and I might post some poems about it later

yesterday we also went to the holocaust museum and memorial. Tbh I was not expecting to be affected as much as I was. Probably going to post some poems and rants about that too

but basically we all went through it at our own pace, and I was one of the last theee to leave. Overall I probably spent about 2.5 hours in there.

I almost cried but also not. It was a powerful memorial.

then today we went to the Air and Space museum. It was cool and I got a hat, an airplane model for my brother, and a pair of solar system earrings

we scheduled a visit to the planetarium and THEN I GOT SO FUCKING POSSED

THE LADY THERE NOT ONLY TREATED US LIKE KINDERGARDENETS

SHE WAS ALOS SPREADING MISINFORMATION AND CLEARLY DIDNNT KNOW WHAT SHE WAS ALTALKING ABOUT

I was asking her questions about Greek and Roman myths behind the constellations and planets and also about some other facts and she either didn’t know or answered incorrectly.

SHE TREATED US LIKE CHILDREN

also there as another school there which POSSED ME OFF

YOU GUYS ARE OUR AGE

ACT MORE FUCKING MATURE YESS I GET YOURE TEENAGE BOUS BUT COME ON

JUST BECAUSE SHE TREATED US LIKE CHILDREN SOESNT MEAN YOU HAVE TO ACT LIKE THEM

ITS NOT THAT FUCKING HARD

anyways. I’m so angry at that lady

and yeahhhwe just had lunch at the African American museum of history and culture and it was SO GOOD. I’m typing this from the free Wi-Fi. We are about to go explore

Sorry this is so long you 100% don’t need to respond to all of it

I hope you enjoyed reading

also you will be getting yapped to about my book ideas and it will be great

thank you for sending me an ask lovely I appreciate you

I hope you feel better ❤️

[king-bumis-armpit]

hihi, let me just say i love ur writing omg it’s so good

i was wondering if you could write a maiko fic about fire lord Zuko and fire lady Mai, post war, where zuko was put to do business and he comes back early after finding out mais been attacked by another assassination attempt (obv) and he goes borderline insane even if she’s just really chill about i, you don’t have to ofc just thought it was an idea 💗💗

You're my Peace

Summary: “Kiyi! It's good to see you again. Where are Mai and Izumi?” The Fire Lord was eager to see his wife and daughter. He had been forced to travel urgent diplomatic business, and it had been nearly a week since he was home.

Kiyi refused to break their embrace, “Izzy’s with mom and Mai… is okay. There was another attack.” Zuko’s world shifted. His inner fire turned to ice. His mind stopped.

Author’s note: HELLO!! Thank you, @darkacdemiasworld I absolutely loved this idea! Thank you so much for suggesting it <3 And thank you for your kind words! Zuko is such a protective person and if there’s one thing we all know about Mai it’s that she doesn’t need any protection, lol. I changed the premise just a tad. I thought it would be more dramatic if Zuko didn’t know what had happened until his return. But I hope you enjoy! Again, thank you so much for the ask!

My inbox is always open! Sometimes I take a while to respond, but I love all of the ideas!! I’m terrible at writing from scratch so they really help me. 

ALSO! Thank you to everyone who's reading right now. It brings me so much joy that I can share what I write with all of you. So thank you <3

This fic is cross-posted on Tumblr and ao3

TW: Stabbing, strangulation, death of a side character, and one raunchy joke. 

Expanded warning: Somewhat detailed description of an attack on Mai’s life and the resulting injuries, specifically stabbing and strangulation. It is also mentioned that a minor character dies. If these topics are triggering, please sit this one out. I’ll be posting something fluffy on Thursday or Friday for everyone to enjoy.

WC: 2,798

“Zuko!” His youngest sister barrelled into his arms as soon as he entered the palace. It was hard to believe she was already twenty.

“Kiyi! It's good to see you again. Where are Mai and Izumi?” The Fire Lord was eager to see his wife and daughter. He had been forced to travel to Yu Dao on urgent diplomatic business, and it had been nearly a week since he was home.

Kiyi refused to break their embrace, “Izzy’s with mom and Mai… is okay. There was another attack.” Kiyi finally pulled back and Zuko could see the anxiety in her eyes. His world shifted. His inner fire turned to ice. His mind stopped.

— —

“I need you to take a deep breath, Zuko.” Kiyi clutched the long sleeves of her robes so she wouldn’t fidget. She didn’t want Zuko to think she was upset, even if she was. 

“Where is Mai?” His voice sounded calm. Impassive, even. But Kiyi knew better. She could see the slight quiver of his bottom lip. He was blocking out every emotion in order to deal with the situation as quickly and efficiently as possible. It was a coping mechanism he’d picked up from his wife.

“Mai’s okay. She's gonna be fine.” 

“Good,” he was grinding his teeth. “Where is she?”

“It was another assassination attempt. The assailant was one of her father’s most loyal followers. All that stuff with the New Ozai Society happened so long ago that he wasn't even on the watchlist anymore. But–”

“Kiyi!” Zuko interrupted, “Where. Is. Mai.”

She put on her stern voice. “Fire Lady Mai told me to debrief you before letting you go to her. She said she would be too tired to answer all of your questions.” Zuko humphed but Kiyi could tell this put his mind at ease a bit. He knew that Mai was conscious and communicative at least. 

“This guy held a serious grudge against her for betraying her father. His journal had a bunch of misogynistic stuff about how she should have been prepared to sacrifice everything in her father's name.” 

He grabbed her shoulders, “Please, just get to the point!” Zuko was begging now. Kiyi really didn't need to be going into so much detail. She hated keeping her brother in suspense, but she was hoping he would regain some more of his composure before she told him what happened. And Mai really had asked her to explain everything to Zuko before she saw him. She didn’t want to make her sister-in-law relive her own attack in another round of questioning.

“He posed as a member of the kitchen staff, and took a tea tray up to Mai’s office. It seems she had fallen asleep at her desk. He stabbed her in the right shoulder, but Mai woke up before he could remove the knife. He– he tried to–” Kiyi felt tears sting her eyes. She had wanted to be the one to tell Zuko because she knew that if anyone else did he would probably light them on fire, either on accident or intentionally. But she hadn't accounted for her own feelings. She loved Mai too and this awful man– “he tried to strangle her. She has bruises…”

By this point Zuko's face was buried in his hands. He let out a strangled sob, and repeated his refrain, “Where is Mai?”

“She's in the spare room in the West Wing of floor 2.” The location was chosen because it was private and easily defensible, but still close to the Royal Healer’s office. However, Kiyi did not have the opportunity to explain as Zuko was already moving in that direction. Kiyi watched her brother run, formal robes trailing behind him, and she said a silent prayer to Agni that everything would be okay.

— —

He ran with abandon and burst through the door. “Mai!”

“Zuko, you're back.” She sounded as unaffected as ever. Hearing her voice for himself again jolted his world into focus once more. He stopped to catch his breath. Mai was sitting in the center of a large bed that he remembered well. This was the very same room where Mai delivered their child. So much pain, but in the end even more joy. 

He couldn’t say the same for today. Mai was wearing a white robe so that the healers could spot it if she began to bleed through her bandages. The wrappings peeked out through the collar of her clothing, and he wondered how far they extended. As Kiyi had said, Mai had haunting bruises on her neck. He could almost see the patterns of fingers. He inhaled sharply and looked away.

Azula and Ty Lee were in the room as well, sitting on either side of his wife. There was another chair halfway between Azula and the door, but Zuko strode past it and perched himself gently on the edge of Mai’s bed. He didn't want to cause her discomfort, but he would also die inside if Azula was sitting at his injured wife’s beside while he was relegated to the corner. He sat on her left to minimize disturbance to the wound.

“Are you really okay, darling?” Zuko searched her face for the slightest bit of pain, but as usual her expression betrayed nothing. 

Mai gestured for him to move closer to her. “I'm truly fine. I trust Kiyi filled you in?”

“She gave me the basics. I was… eager to see you.” Zuko forced himself back into composure. He needed to be strong right now. For Mai. He gently tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead.

“Bleh!” Azula made a face. “I thought you two would grow out of your sappy phase.” In the past years, his sister had a change of heart morally, but her attitude remained intact.

Zuko clenched his fists and felt his anger invigorate his chi. “I can and will have you escorted out of here right now!”

Mai took his right hand in her left and brought his knuckles to her lips for a quick kiss. “It’s okay, Zuko. Azula and Ty Lee have been looking after me.” She moved their joined hands into her lap. Zuko felt awful. His poor, injured wife was comforting him because he couldn’t keep it together around his sister.

Ty Lee stood from her place. “A calm aura is important for convalescence. I’ll have the servants bring us some–” she remembered the manner of Mai’s attack and her face went pale.

Zuko felt queasy, but Mai laughed. “Oh c’mon, we can’t let this ruin tea for us. What will Iroh say? The assassin could have just as easily been bringing dinner and I would still eat.”

Azula nodded, “We can’t project fear. In the next few days, we will have to make a public statement about the incident.” She eyed her brother warily. “Do you think you’ll be up to it?”

“Of course,” he stated with more bravado than he was feeling. “But I didn’t really let Kiyi explain the whole thing. When did this happen?”

Mai looked down at their hands. Azula answered for her, “It happened two nights ago. The day before yesterday.”

Zuko blinked. “You– you didn’t send word to me immediately?” He tried to keep the hurt out of his voice. He didn’t want Mai to feel guilty or anything, but he also felt genuinely confused.

Mai leaned into his side, not meeting his gaze. “We didn’t want the public to know, and you were coming home so soon anyway. I didn’t want to worry you for nothing.”

Zuko pursed his lips. He wasn’t satisfied with that answer, but he also knew that it wasn’t the time to argue.

“Okay.” He managed a small smile and tilted Mai’s chin up so she was finally looking him in the eye. “Do you want me to write to Aang and Katara? They can probably be here in a day or two.”

Mai bit her lip, and Ty Lee piped up. “We already did. According to their return message, they’ll be here in a few hours.”

She told them before she told me. Am I really so useless as a husband? Zuko pushed the thoughts away. “That’s good. Hopefully Katara can speed up the healing process a little bit.”

He let his eyes wander to the bruises on her neck once more. Rage lit a match in his heart, and it took like dry kindling.

Mai, sensing the shift in his mood, reassured him, “Really Zuko, I’m alright.”

“As long as you’re alright, Firelily, then everything is fine.” But everything was not fine. He was going to visit that man in prison and light every single hair on his head on fire until he told him everything he knew about everyone who could be a potential threat. And then he was going to find those people and he would–

“Izumi missed you,” Mai said calmly. 

Some of the heat left Zuko’s body. Their baby girl was only six, and Zuko despised being away from her. Ever since her birth, his absences were few and far between. Of course, an assassin would capitalize on the opportunity. “I should check on her before bedtime. Poor thing. I’m sure she’s worried about you.”

“She is, but she acts so brave. I talked to her as soon as I was stable so she could see me, but I don’t want her to spend too much time in here. I don’t want her fixating on my injuries and having bad dreams.”

“Have you seen her today?” Zuko asked. 

Mai nodded, smiling in the radiant way she reserved for talking about her daughter. “We had breakfast together. She tried to feed me with her chopsticks so I wouldn’t have to move my right arm.”

Zuko felt tears welling up in his eyes again. Family breakfast was such a mundane thing. He didn’t realize how much those moments meant to him until he was faced with the prospect of their end.

Ty Lee was still standing awkwardly by Mai’s side, unsure if she was joking about wanting tea. But Azula took control of the situation. “How about we all have a family tea? Ty Lee, you can bring the tray. Zuko, you and I can get mom, Noren, Kiyi, and Izzy. Mai, you’re due for a check in with the royal healer. They said they should be able to dress you in something more substantial by now. If you’re feeling up to it, we’ll regroup here when the Healer leaves.”

Mai nodded again. “That sounds really nice, actually. Thank you, Azula.”

Zuko wished he had his sister’s confidence and calm. He should have been the one to think of that and get everyone in order. It was a very Fire Lord-ly thing to do. He, on the other hand, was about to cry or commit a felony. (Could you commit a felony as an absolute monarch? He was going to find out.)

— — 

As he and Azula made their way through the palace halls, he realized she was leading them off course. “Where are we going?”

She looked at him sharply. “We’re taking the long way. You need time to pull yourself together. I’m not taking you back to Mai until you’re fully under control.”

He huffed. “I thought I was doing a good job, all things considered. I had half a mind to march to the prison myself and find the pathetic–”

Azula raised her hand, stopping his tirade. She had led him to the fountain, where he had tackled Mai as children. His heart seized. If his sister was trying to make him less emotional, this was a bad choice.

“He’s not in prison, Zuko. I killed him,” Azula reported in a disinterested tone.

That brought him up short. “What– When– How– Are you… okay?”

Azula shook her head dismissively. “Of course I’m okay. Ty Lee and I were entertaining Izzy, but she started getting fussy. I volunteered to go find Mai. When I opened the door, that bastard had his hands on her throat. She pushed him off and I… I filled him with enough lightning to arc across the ocean.”

Zuko’s mind was racing. He hadn’t been there, but Azula was. Would he have been able to do what she did? To take a life? In his anger, he’d thought about it, but he had never followed through. Even in the war. When Uncle spoke about his experiences, he could tell they haunted him. 

He put a hand on Azula’s shoulder. “Umm… Thank you. And I’m here if you need to talk.”

Azula rolled her eyes. “Mai’s my friend too, remember? Even without you, she would still be a sister to me. It was the least I could do after everything in our past.”

Zuko withdrew his arm. “I know that. But I’m still grateful. If you hadn’t been there…” He choked on his words. “Azula, I wasn’t there! I’m her husband and I wasn’t even there! She didn’t even tell me. I don’t understand. Doesn’t she trust me? Why can’t I do anything right?” The tears were flowing now and he collapsed on the ground. 

Azula lowered herself awkwardly beside him. Comfort was not her strong suit. “Listen, Mai loves you very much and she trusts you completely. Why she does those things is beyond me.” Zuko shot his sister a watery glare, but she continued. “But she made the decision to not contact you because she’s the Fire Lady. She knew you would be forced to choose between her and your duty to the Nation.”

Zuko took several deep breaths until he trusted himself to speak. “I still don’t get it, Azula. Doesn’t Mai know that I will always choose her over everything else? I took a vow before Agni to put her first in all things.”

Azula patted his back, hesitantly. “Yes, I think she knows that quite well. In fact, I think that’s why she made the choice for you. Whether she was right to do so or not, Mai wants what's best for you and for the country more than she wants what’s best for her. She’s not someone who thinks of her own pain as consequential. Her wounds aren’t fatal, so she’s hardly taken account of them.” 

Zuko sighed. When did his wife get so altruistic? No, she was always like that. She always put him first, even when they were angsty teens who hated the world. When had he stopped noticing? He needed to be attentive and start listening to the words that she left unsaid. When she was fully healed, they could have a long conversation about communication. Again.

He wiped away his tears. Mai was alright. The man who hurt her was dead. His family was safe. And Azula… was empathetic now? Perhaps life wasn’t so bad after all. 

“Change of plans,” Azula’s voice brought him back to the present. She was standing above him now. “I’ll find Ty Lee and tell her to delay tea. You go back to your wife and sit with her for a bit. But we’ll be joining you in an hour so don’t do anything obscene.”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “She’s injured. Have some decorum. But, thank you. That was almost sweet.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Azula offered a hand and helped him off the ground. “Don’t get used to it.” She punched his arm, harder than playful, and the two went their separate ways. 

— —

When Zuko was readmitted to Mai’s room, he found she was indeed wearing a slightly heavier red robe. He took it as a good sign that the bleeding was under control. The healer had also secured loose bandages on her neck, purely to hide the marks.

“Hey,” Mai greeted him with a small voice.

“Hi.” Zuko resumed his place next to her on the bed, even though they were now alone and the chairs were vacant.

“Are you mad at me?” Mai asked. “I didn’t want to hide anything from you but I knew you would worry and get all worked up for nothing.”

Zuko didn’t think an attack on her life was nothing. He took a lock of her hair and twisted it around his finger. “I could never be mad at you. Not really. I’m angry at myself.”

His wife looked surprised. “Still? After all this time?”

“No,” he laughed humorlessly. “Again. I wish I was better at anticipating your needs. I want to always be exactly what you need. I wish I could have been by your side and prevented all this.”

Mai held his cheek. “You are always exactly what I need. You’re Zuko.”

“And you’re Mai. My fearless Fire Lady.”

“And we’re still here.” Mai brought him in for a kiss, and for a few minutes he felt peace.

[dominimoonbeam]

Hi, first I wanted to say that I really love your writing and thank you so much for sharing it.

You're amazing and so talented and you made me addicted to your writing. The way you write characters is so real and your way of writing scenerios in general makes me so Invested in the story.

Another thing, I don't know if you accept requests and if you don't feel free to ignore it:

Can I please ask for Sam comforting darlin after a long week when they basically shut down from stress? (Can you tell I'm projecting?😅)

Please don't feel pressured to do it, I know you're working on a lot of stuff now too so maybe just keep the idea for the future?

Anyway I wish you a happy rest of your week, take care of yourself and rest if you need to!

Anon! Thank you so much for all the kind words! You're not the only one needing some comfort and care lately! I think something about this season has been rough for people for a bunch of different reasons, myself included. I've got you! Or at least, I tried. Hope you like it! And I hope things turn up and go smoother for you soon!

Sam/Darlin comfort fic below the cut. Will probably reread and post it on ao3 later on.

<3

They were tired.

Dead tired. Like they wished they were dead. No, no, that was bad. They didn’t wish that. They just… It had just been such a long fucking week and it felt like everything was going wrong. Nothing big enough that they could point it out or complain. Just, off. And they hadn’t been able to sleep. And it seemed like the longer it went, the longer they hid it well enough that no one pressed for an explanation they couldn’t begin to come up with, it got heavier rather than lighter.

When they got home that night from a job, they were actually relieved Sam wasn’t back yet. The last thing they wanted to do was to drag him down with them. God, he deserved so much better than them. They tossed their keys on the side table, toed off their boots, and hung up their jacket. The side of their face throbbed. They’d gotten hit with a fucking bat. David thought their cheekbone was broken and had only finally allowed them to go home because he knew Sam would take care of it.

Darlin sat down in the big chair, their favorite chair, and told themself they’d just sit for a minute. And then they’d shower, see if their face was really that much of a mess, and if it was, maybe they’d drag their ass over to the clinic and get a healer there to fix it. They felt bad making Sam patch them up all the time, but they also hated the idea of anyone else touching them let alone mending them.

They could put an ice pack on it. Maybe the swelling would go down on its own.

They sank back in the chair and closed their eyes. Just a minute.

-

Sam was still at the Solaire house when he got a call from David.

His heart always lurched high in his chest when he got a call from David, his first thought always that frantic fear that something had happened to Darlin. Why else would David call him instead of Darlin or instead of using the group chat?

Sam stepped away from the big table of squabbling younger vampires and a very amused William.

“David?”

“Hey Sam,” David said, voice gruff but easy, instantly relieving that tension in Sam’s chest. “I just wanted to check in and see how they’re doing.”

The tension was back. “What?” Darlin had been off for almost a week, barely talking but not willing or ready to tell him why. He wasn’t sure they knew themself, not yet. But somehow he didn’t think that was what David was talking about.

The pause stretched. “Are they not home yet?”

Sam was already grabbing his jacket and waving heading for the front door. “They might be, but I ain’t. Why?”

David sighed. “Sorry. It’s not an emergency, Sam. The job got rough and they took a bat to the face… I would have taken them to a healer but they insisted—”

“Yeah,” Sam said, nodding. Of course, they would. “I’m heading home now. I’ll let ya know when they’re patched up.”

He called Darlin in the truck but they didn’t answer, which conjured a mess of panicked thoughts. What if they’d passed out behind the wheel? The thought of his Darlin in a twisted wreck was hard to push away and almost immediately replaced by other tragic imaginings.

He exhaled small relief when he saw their car in front of the house.

The front door wasn’t locked. Darlin never locked it when they were home. And there they were, asleep in the big chair. He sighed and put his keys down with theirs. Another step inside and their eyes opened. Well, one opened, the other was swollen shut.

“Damn…” Darlin winced as he closed the door. They sat up with some effort. “Sorry, I think I fell asleep… What time is—”

“Don’t you dare stand up,” he warned when they were starting to tip forward. He was already in front of them, gently catching their shoulder to ease them back. He kept his voice in a low hush, thinking their head had to be hurting inside and out. “You shoulda called me, Darlin.” He knelt beside their leg, carefully fingering hair out of their face. The bruising was new, like it had only just begun, and the swelling was bad. It looked like their cheekbone was broken. “David said you got hit with a bat?”

Darlin sighed, shoulders slumping. “I wasn’t paying attention and this guy… Yeah.”

Sam clicked his teeth to keep from snarling at the idea of ‘this guy’ whoever the hell he was. He reached toward their face but they caught his wrist and pulled it gently down to their heart instead. “I’ll be gentle,” he promised, surprised.

Darlin smiled weakly, eyes already closed again. “I know. You always are, cowboy. But I don’t…” They sighed, their smile gone. “I don’t want to cost you anything right now, you know?” Their voice had gotten small, like they were far away inside themself.

Sam kept his hand to their chest, feeling their heartbeat through his palm. He leaned against their thigh, so they’d feel him right there next to them, practically leaning into the chair with them. “You never cost me anything,” he whispered back. “Healing you is a privilege. It makes me feel like there’s something I can do for you. I love you, Darlin.”

Their face pinched, not a wince but close, and he thought if they opened those eyes, they’d be teary. His other hand stroked up the side of their thigh, squeezing them gently. “Tell me what it is,” he said gently. “Tell me what’s going on in your head.” He said it quietly, like it could be just between them.

Darlin sighed and he heard all the exhaustion and strain in that breath. “I don’t know. I just… It’s been a bad week. It’s everything. I just feel… Everything. And I’m tired and I hate myself and I can’t… I can’t take things from you when I feel like I’ve got nothing to give.”

Sam watched them the whole time they choked out that barely audible confession. They’d never told him these things, but they didn’t shock him either. They hurt, because he never wanted them to feel like that, but they didn’t shock him. “Do you trust me, Darlin?”

That good eye opened enough to look at him, surprised. “Of course. I love you.”

He stroked his thumb against their collar, above their heart. “I’m going to heal you and then we’re going to take a bath. You can talk or you can relax. We’re going to get some well needed sleep and I’m going to order your favorite food. And every step of the way, I’m going to remind you that you’re incredible and all the reasons I love you, all the reasons your pack loves you, and all the reasons my clan loves you. You get to feel however you feel, Darlin, but that voice in your heart telling you bad shit, that’s asshole is lying.”

A tear rolled off Darlin’s lashes, even though their mouth was set in a stubborn line, like they refused to acknowledge it.

He reached up slowly, so they could stop him again if they needed to argue about this more, but he also couldn’t leave their face like that. His fingertips brushed the edge of the bruising and Darlin’s eye closed as that warm magic slid through their skin, spreading out. The delicate bone in their cheek healed and the swelling went down.

They exhaled relief when they opened both eyes and blinked at him.

He could see an apology building in their eyes, trying to form on their tongue. He took their face in both hands and leaned in, touching his forehead to theirs the way he’d seen the pack do. “Trust me,” he pleaded. “I ain’t ever going to lie to you, Darlin, and we’ll get through bad weeks together.”

Darlin stayed tense for another few seconds, like they might push this comfort away, but finally they sagged. Too tired maybe?

Sam smiled when they tipped their face into his, brushing a soft kiss against his lips. He kissed back and then pulled them to their feet to lead them to the bathroom. He had to make a dash back to his jacket to send a text off to David, telling him Darlin was fine but they were taking tomorrow off.

[flingmetothemoon]

The sun is getting hotter again, which is unfortunate for the countess. She still wants to enjoy the fresh air though, so she finds a cool lake away from the city while shading herself with her parasol umbrella and chills there for an hour or so. That lake and rain is now when Marya calls them "Holy water", not the fonts of stagnant so called "Holy water" contaminated by germs from a bunch of hands creating bacteria. As she twirls and sinks down in a body of water, she ponders about what to do next. She remembers hearing about how in America, it's traditionally the men giving gifts to women during Valentines Day. But in Japan, it's traditionally the women giving gifts to men. Now White Day is coming up this month, and the dynamic is more like the western dynamic of Valentines. But Tedward already gave her a bunch of gifts and treats this Valentines, so it's Marya's turn to return the favor. But what could she give him?

She dries off and puts on her pretty pink flower kimono and goes to a local store to find something. Thankfully, it does have pink heart boxes that contains white chocolate, strawberry chocolate and white chocolate with caramel swirl. It also has a melon soda bottle, vanilla ice cream, cherries and a cherry blossom bouquet. While still no expert on modern money matters or modern courtship traditions, Marya had learned how to use modern money to buy enough of the treats for both her and Teddy to enjoy. She calls Teddy to put on his blue yukata rode and don't come out of his room until she says he can because she is preparing a special surprise for tonight's "dinner". When she is finished preparing the white day "dinner" (Which is more like dessert for dinner lol) and calls him out, he is utterly surprised by what he sees: White chocolate heart boxes, Melon cream soda with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cherry on top, and a cherry blossom bouquet in the center. It was an absolutely unexpected surprise, but it was so heartfelt of the countess. The Lobo son might've felt his heart touched whether he'll like to admit it or not.

Also yes, Marya can go underwater as an undead vampy that doesn't need to breath to "live" so to speak

I also hc that Pink is one of Marya's favorite colors bc when you think about it, pink is a pale shade of red, and vampires are pale af and drink red blood to keep living, therefor vampire blush would be pink if they had recently consumed blood

Pink is also a lighter and softer shade of red when associated with Marya Zaleska because unlike Dracula, she is more sympathetic, sensitive, tender, sweet, the girly girl to Rebecca Quincy's tomboy, strives to revive her childhood nostalgia after having them robbed from her for the majority of her life, and because of her long loneliness, I'm positive she'll love to have someone who loves her (Like genuinely loves her, not interested in her only to use her for selfish purposes), thus romance

A combining that with Teddy's black would indeed be hot~ 😏

Funny story while I was developing the storyline: I remember that one time where @popironrye asked me this ↓

NEW MARWARD LORE RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC 👁️👁️

Interesting I thought about this as I was writing a backstory about the Countess buying gifts for her Lobo :3

Now if you're wondering why I'm making another Japanese themed Marward fanart and if has something to do with the Japanese dub, well my answer to that is... YES! Yes it's true this month is White Day and the time where cherry blossoms begin blooming, but it's also because I'll like to announce that I have watched the Japanese dub of Renfield this month + posted clips of my boi! :D

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

[voxofthevoid]

Hi! I've been a long time reader of your works and we have like 3 fandoms in common (jjk, yuri on ice, mcu) which is the Dream for an average fic reader like me. Thank you for putting all these out to see. I love the way you write, it really pulls me in no matter the genre. Your mind is amazing.

On to the questions:

1.I kind of want to start writing myself, do you any advice for a beginner?

2.On average, for how long are you into fandoms? How much time does it take for the brainrot to take root in your mind?

3.What kind of media do you usually enjoy?

I hope I didn't bother you. Please stay healthy and safe!

That's delightful on my end too! Love seeing cross-fandom readers. And thanks so much ❤️

1. The advice I have is mostly social and technical. In terms of the writing itself, all the reading you do is likely to give you an idea of what you want to write and how to go about it, and practice will refine the process.

Given the fandoms you've listed, you're likely already familiar with how rancid fandom spaces can get. This depends on your disposition, but being braced to deal with shitheads is important, whether that comes in the form of puriteens or entitled assholes without a brain-to-fingers filter. This is mostly a case of "do as I say, not as I do" because *gestures* you know what my online presence is like, but I'd recommend the following:

(a) Make an account just for writing that's entirely divorced from any and all IRL information or even previous fandom shenanigans. It reduces chances of people digging through your history and other such demented things.

(b) Block liberally and, failing that, be enough of a dick that people will think twice about picking a fight—the more accommodating you are, the more these fuckers will act like sharks scenting blood. There's a reason I stopped accepting tag requests, slapped CNTW on everything, and generally adopted a "my way or the highway" stance toward everything I post. The alternative isn't worth it. YMMV, of course.

(c) Write whatever you want however you want, and don't show an ounce of shame or guilt. Even if you feel it, don't show it. Fake it till you make it. Like above, it's safer than the alternative.

The technical advice is to get a copy of the Chicago Manual of Style; there's an online version, a paper version, and also good old pirating. It may look intimidating, but it's got a beautifully indexed list of damn near every grammar and punctuation element (and a lot of other stuff). I started using it for work, and while I'm way more lax with my own writing than I am with editing, the CMOS still did wonders for my general understanding of the technical side of creative writing.

2. It varies based on a bunch of factors, but my usual pattern is to spend several months just reading while the obsession grows stronger and stronger, to the point I start getting ideas. And we know what happens when I get ideas 🤣. I generally don't stay in a fandom for more than a year. But there are exceptions! I was in the MCU for some three years. I started writing for JJK less than a month after watching it (though this is mostly because I couldn't find much to read—not because fics were low in number but because I was and am extremely picky), and I'm rapidly approaching my 1.5-year mark.

3. A mix of things, but so far, fantasy is the most common theme across various media. I enjoy most subgenres of it too.

And absolutely no bother! I had fun answering, though I may have gone overboard with #1. I feel a little protective of new writers these days because I keep seeing so much vile shit happening online.

[lonewolflink]

hi! before reading your fic I’d only ever watched one hockey match at my local mall (there’s an ice rink) and it shook me for real. after reading your fic my interest in hockey has resurfaced, but I have no idea where to start. any suggestions?

HELLO!!! i'm sorry this response is so damn late; it's been hectic af around here (here being...my life).

i am genuinely so excited that you're interested in getting into hockey. it is such a fun sport to be a fan of.

*warning*: this is a super long post, because i wanted to answer you thoroughly and make a list of useful resources in case anyone else reading wsc also wanted to get into watching hockey and wasn't sure where to start.

generally speaking, my recommendation is to familiarize yourself with the basic rules of the game, and then maybe pick a team to start following. being a fan is most fun once you start getting invested in the players on the team and know their stories, their connection to the community, etc.

—basic rules of the game—

there are some more (and less) useful guides online to getting into watching hockey. i'll link you a few; peruse at your leisure (and note that some of these posts are pretty old; they're still overall solid though).

(1) i think this short guide is might be the best place to start. it's just some guy on his own personal blog, i think, but that (weirdly) is what makes it a better take than more "official" sports journalism outlets.

(2) this is a really helpful (and fairly short) guide to the different zones of the ice and what they're called, and some other basic concepts of the game. i think it's directed at parents of kids who are starting to play hockey, but still super useful!

(3) this guide doesn't give a ton of detail but it's solid re: concrete basic steps to take to get into hockey.

(4) parts of this guide are outdated (e.g. brendan shanahan no longer runs the department of player safety and is instead the president of the toronto maple leafs) and it's a little pretentious in the way hockey fans can sometimes be, but it gives a sense of the flavor of being a fan of this sport i think.

(5) more on this below, but 2024 began with a bang, as the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) began it's inaugural (!) season. there are some differences between the NHL and the PWHL, some of which are covered here and here. if you're interested in watching women's hockey, that'll be useful!

—picking a team and how to watch—

[note: i am assuming you live in north america. if you do not, some of this might not apply, e.g. picking a favorite team based on geographic proximity]

if you're starting at a baseline of 0 hockey knowledge, you should probably know the names of three hockey leagues: the National Hockey League (NHL, the best men's league in the world), the American Hockey League (AHL, the NHL's minor league where their young prospects usually play for a few years before transitioning to the majors), and the aforementioned Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL, literally brand new as of a month ago).

NHL Recommendations

—the NHL is a great place to start for watching hockey, largely because it has the best players in the world so the level of play is extremely high and entertaining, and it has some really great personalities in the game right now. i watch the NHL regularly. —if you live in an area that already has an NHL team (or at least one within 2 hours of driving), i'd recommend starting out as a fan of that team. this is bc part of sports culture is to support your home/local team, but also because that gives you more opportunities to see your favorite team play in person. here's a list of all the NHL teams. —watching the NHL on TV or your computer is actually kind of annoying, because the league is run by a bunch of idiots in its bureaucracy. you can watch most games (but for some reason not all of them) if you have ESPN+. here's the nhl's official guide for how/where to watch. —i am a poor grad student so i use other...completely...legal...means to stream NHL games online. they are, as i just said, completely legal (...). but um. nonetheless, if you want to know how to find and use these means...maybe just...shoot me a private message. —if you don't have geographic proximity to any of the NHL teams, there are a few ways to pick a team to follow. some classics:

1. as you learn about hockey and watch some games, you might find yourself starting to have a favorite player. you can start with their team! [message me or send another ask if you want some recs for players to look into!]

2. pick the jersey you think is coolest. it's how kids pick their favorite teams half the time, so why not us? here's a link to an article that that ranks the current home jerseys of teams. i STRONGLY disagree with these rankings, but the photos of the jerseys are high quality so you can see them well. you can also see each team's away jersey and third/alternate jersey designs here.

3. pick a fun, up and coming team to follow. some notes on this: —for example, if i were you and could pick any team, i would probably not pick my very own favs the washington capitals. they were one of the dominant teams of the last 15 or so years because our captain is the greatest goalscorer of all time. however, he is now 38 (ancient by athlete standards) and the team is on its decline. —by contrast, a team like the edmonton oilers is super exciting to watch; they're considered current championship contenders because they have by far the best player in the world, connor mcdavid (aka "McJesus"). they're kind of a heart attack to watch because they have insane offense but not amazing defense, so they score a lot and get scored on a lot. they're a team with amazing history (wayne gretzky's dynasty oilers in the 80s), but were TERRIBLE for decades until mcdavid came around. he's trying to bring the franchise back to glory from the pathetic ashes it turned into. —then there's teams like the montreal canadiens or buffalo sabres, who have been really bad the last while but drafted a ton of great young players who are on the verge of becoming superstars. they'll probably not make the playoffs this year (and maybe not next year) but they'll be on the cusp soon and getting into a journey like that with a young team early on is super fun. —in general, teams i'd stay away from being a fan of, if you have a choice:

-washington capitals/pittsburgh penguins/st. louis blues (formerly top teams in the league, now on the decline) -toronto maple leafs (the most tortured fans (and also somehow the most annoying and entitled), don't join their ranks) -arizona coyotes/columbus blue jackets (disaster franchises (sorry fans of those teams! it's true!!) traditionally have been poorly run) -chicago blackhawks (they do have the next great superstar in connor bedard, but they've had some really messed up scandals in their organization and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth) -new york rangers/islanders (unless you're from nyc...don't)

—recs for current good teams if you want to come in when they're already hot, they're all pretty fun teams tbh: -carolina hurricanes -colorado avalanche (recent champions) -new jersey devils -florida panthers -seattle kraken -vancouver canucks -vegas golden knights (recent champions) -edmonton oilers

—recs for up and coming young teams that will break out in the next 1-4 seasons, i think: -anaheim ducks -buffalo sabres -detroit red wings -montreal canadiens (would be my pick, i low key love them) -ottawa senators

AHL Recommendations

it can be super fun to follow an AHL team if you happen to live near one. tickets to AHL games are SUPER cheap, and the arenas are smaller and more intimate. you get to see some really talented players early in their career before they become superstars, and this can also help you pick a favorite player to follow (and thereby, later, a favorite nhl team) for their career! i love going to AHL games, and did that a lot in high school.

here's the list of AHL teams.

PWHL Recommendations

tragically, i have been so busy in 2024 so far that i haven't been able to get into the PWHL yet. however, i'd really like to, once i have a bit more time.

because the league is in its infancy, there are only six teams: -boston -minnesota -montreal -new york -ottawa -toronto

they don't currently have team names outside of the cities, but i think those are coming next season. for myself, i already know i'm going to be a montreal fan (i lived there for 5 years, and montreal's hockey culture is in my opinion the best in the world).

the pwhl is great for many reasons. -first of all, women athletes. let's fucking go!!! -second of all, we get things like two fiancees playing on the same team (on the same line!!) and celebrating together when they score a goal. -third of all, women's hockey has traditionally had a different ruleset from men's hockey to discourage the more...violent aspects of the sport. but the PWHL...has been honestly violent af so far, at least from the highlights i've seen. could be that hitting is still against the rules, but seems like the refs don't really give a shit, so the games are bloodthirsty lol -fourth, and perhaps most importantly, it is super easy and convenient to watch the PWHL. they stream every (!) game on their youtube channel for free!

for more info on the season schedule and how to watch, look here.

also, speaking generally, i'll probably be reblogging some pwhl content on tumblr so you can peep some of the people i'm reblogging and poke around until you find a team or player you like! :)

OK THAT'S IT SORRY FOR THIS LONG ASS POST I JUST WANTED TO ACTUALLY DO YOUR QUESTION JUSTICE, HOPEFULLY I DID AN OKAY JOB!! PLEASE ENJOY YOUR HOCKEY JOURNEY!!!!!!!!!! <3

[sad-leon]

Hello again!

I did this lil silly survey a long while ago :)

I wanted to ask if you would mind to answer a few of my questions again :3

If not, that's totally fine! No pressure!

How many hours do you sleep per night?

How many hours are enough to get through the day and how many are a lot for your standard?

Is caffein (in any form) part of your morning routine or your 'last resort'?

How do you feel over the day before and after consuming caffein (if you consume any)?

For example: sluggish, foggy, awake, exhausted, grumpy, just tired, etc.

Thank you a lot for (maybe) participating!

If you want, I can add you when I post the results, but I can also leave you out :)

oooh more questions! i love answering questions!

Lately I've gotten about and average of 5-6 without melatonin, but with melatonin i get about 7-9

I'm always exhausted, but I get manic with only 2-3 hours and can do a bunch of stuff, but crash hard like 5 hours later. Anything less than 5 usually means I take an hour - two hour nap (whether i want to or not lol)

I've tried caffeine twice... it is not a part of my routine in any way.

My most recent experience with caffeine was a coffee that ended up with me staying awaye for 48 hours, then sleeping for 15... I think i tried drinking a bit of the coffee for the rest of the week, but it didn't have any effect.

I do drink ice cold water when I'm really eepy to shock me awake lol

I am curious about the results 👀

[eusuntgratie]

Okay updates on my hockey ~descent~

I've been reading a bit of bennguin and that was pretty good, I've been looking at some vids and I swear when Tyler got into a fight after someone took a cheap shot at Jamie 😭 like why do I care so much about that?? Anyway I have also just finished reading closed fracture by lightgetsin and it was so lovely <3 so looking for some more recs for sidgeno if you have them! (also why are there (((( all over the place sometimes? I've seen a few in fics and in tweets?) I do really like the Penguins logo and jerseys so maybe I'll follow them closer when things get moving a bit more, its the off season now right? Some other ships I'm a fan of is sterek from teen wolf, Sirius/Remus from hp, Macdennis from iasip, steve/bucky - just pretty basic ones lel 😬

oooooh i'm so excited to answer this okay okay. thank you for the update i love this!

tyler seguin is everyone's favorite slutty bisexual. go bananas in his tag (just #tyler seguin or #seguin) on tumblr and you'll find some great shit. that ship doesn't get as much attention anymore bc benn isn't fandom's favorite. i don't know enough about the stars to know all the reasons, but he did a very dirty and unneccessary hit on the vegas golden knights captain in the playoffs this year and that was enough to make me not like him. i can rec some stars blogs if you want - they are a great team with a solid fandom presence and a lot of young amazing players. and they have seggy :)

um, if you love boys being overprotective on the ice, i can definitely give you some pens moments but ALSO you should look into tknp (travis konecny/nolan patrick). i think i have a #protective tk tag on here you can browse bc the boy goes batshit insane anytime someone touches his boy. one of the big reasons a lot of us fell for that ship. you don't have to be a flyers fan to love them; tk is a fandom darling bc he's so tiny and fighty and wonderful.

also, any decent player is very protective of their goalie, so if you love that dynamic, you might enjoy some defenseman/goalie pairings or there's just some fun clips and gifs out there. i'll try to reblog some stuff for you. give my poor followers a break from the rwrb posting and tzp thirst 😂

DON'T GET ME STARTED ON SIDGENO OH GOD. okay i'll reblog a few posts for them because the things they say about each other are just. alright. you're in love. we get it. okay.

King and Lionheart is the fic that made me fall for sidgeno. There is an excellent podfic available as well.

I could give you a billion sidgeno recs and writers and blogs to follow. What kind of fic do you like? Fluff? Whump? PWP? Kink? ABO? Monsterfuckery? Sidgeno is the most popular hockey rpf ship at least by numbers on ao3; we got it all, baby! I read a lot of angst and porn, so I don't want to throw a bunch of recs at you without knowing what you like :)

((( and )))))))) are russian smileys... so you're probably reading Geno texting. So instead of texting (or tweeting - you can see these in some of his old tweets): i'll be there soon :) he would text i'll be there soon )))

we ARE in the offseason but hockey comes back (relatively) soon. preseason games (exhibition games that don't count towards playoff standings) start at the end of september and the season kicks off in October. The Penguins season opener is vs the Chicago Blackhawks which should be a VERY fun game to watch, bc Chicago drafted Connor Bedard this year, one of the best hockey prospects since Sid himself. Bedard is insanely talented and we are all very eager to see how he does in the NHL. Sid was Bedard's favorite player growing up (he is so many players' favorite player growing up) and they've met and they are both very sweet boys and anyway it will be an interesting game.

Stucky was my first ship since really diving into fandom and I spent a ton of time in Teen Wolf fandom! There's a ton of teen wolf on my ao3, mostly sterek, but i mostly write hockey these days.

feel free to keep sending me questions! there's a lot to learn when you first dive into hockey but i love the sport and love this fandom!!

[from-somewhen-and-somewhere]

(//warning for unreality. things may get dark here too. ask to tag, since i'm confused)

"Greetings rotomblr! Our leader convinced us to try this website! So here we are. I, Soarswift, was the one chosen to be in charge of this blog, but there are 3 others who may or may not love to chat. Feel free to contact any of us for any reason. Even dumb reasons are welcome!" -❅

"Nah. Dumb reasons aren't welcome, they're encouraged!" -★

"This is why Shadelux thinks we're bad influences on each other :)" -❅

//They sign with pictures. ⏸for Volo/Shadelux ♥ for Gloria/Hallucenight ❅ for Grusha/Soarswift ★ for Reaper(that's a Hop)/Grimotaur

//I subscribe to the idea of multiple multiverses. My au guys have plenty of places and I get a big playground. I get room to do big things without intruding on other folks. Infinite amount of universes in an infinite multiverse. But what if the infinites stacked further? Multiple multiverses. These are some of the creatures called celestials who basically run my main fantasy multiverse. (a couple of other celestials are on different blogs). If you do not subscribe to the idea of multiple multiverses like I do, you can simply view it as them having their own big section of the singular multiverse and you are still free to interact as long as you aren't mean about it.

//More below

Mun has poor social skills and is tired a lot. I'm trying my best so please be patient with me and let me know gently if I do something wrong. This blog will be heavily connected to a few of my other blogs and will mention au things related to them.

One thing to note about the celestials. They don't really have gender, but their gender if best described as nothing and everything at the same time. Any of their pronouns could be he, she, it, toaster, skateboard, tree, or whatever else and it wouldn't be wrong. They may have preferred pronouns, but they don't actually care that much. (Except Shadelux would probably be really unamused at being referred to anything other than the standard he, she, it, or they. Just because he is against things he considers improper. Long list, that one)

I like using pink text for describing actions.

Rules:

No asks relating to private parts or sexual intercourse please!

No spam-liking. Occasional likes are okay. But seeing a bunch of notifications can get my hopes up for interaction. Kinda disappointing if it's all just likes.

Info:

Pelipper mail and the rest of the typical rotomblr stuff such as magic anon and musharna mail, and more(?) are allowed and the evil versions of them. Go wild. But keep in mind I have the right to not answer things I don't like. Mun is super chill though.

Will interact with any type of blog. Fallers, sapient pokemon, etc. I’m very fine with in-character reblogs from other rotomblr blogs too. If you want to interact that way, go for it!

I may be active a lot, but I also can’t always get to things right away for one reason or another so be patient if I take a long time please.

Posts will either be social media styled or roleplay styled with no specification. Reblogs are fine and appreciated either way

I use "//" for ooc text. This will be in tags too. If a tag doesn't use those, that means it is written in-character. (Except for the following tags which are more ambiguous)

Tags:

ask: responding to an ask

game ask: responding to an ask in relation to an ask game.

ask game: reblogging an ask game. these won't expire

ic post: posting in character.

ooc post: posting something out of character such as an announcement.

ooc reblog: reblogging something out of character

ic reblog: when I reblog a non-rotomblr post that this character would reblog.

reblog: reblogging a rotomblr post.

long reblog: If a reblog-based conversation goes over 3 reblogs I will use this instead.

the reblog finale: If it looks like a long reblog conversation is over, I change the tag from long reblog to that. Doesn't mean it can't continue later if someone else continues it.

art: posting art.

Likes and follows from @au-drayton-shenanigans

Other blogs: @the-blood-queen - Carmine from the apocalypse au @the-darkest-part-of-the-void - Kieran from the apocalypse au @pepperbreeze-pepperdeer - Crispin from the apocalypse au @ryuki-the-star - Ryuki rp blog (not the one that may be mentioned on this blog) @amped-psywaves - Ryuki nephew oc for my Ryuki blog

Pictures and details of the muses

⏸ The celestial of fate/death, Shadelux. Bitter towards non-celestials and detests the thought of acting casually around them. He won't respond to an ask unless it's directed to him, but take caution when speaking to him, he's likely going to be mean. As a surprise to literally every other celestial, he found a non-celestial he was fine with getting close to. A Volo from a universe that won't be specified for now, whom he fuses with. (I don't have any pictures of the celestial form. All I have is this where he's fused with the Volo of his choice)

♥ The celestial of dreams, Hallucenight. A celestial previously thought to be deceased despite her domain still functioning, actually reincarnated into the beast universe's Gloria. Has a sill personality like that of a child. Also has a strange obsession with the way Hop looks and may treat any universe's Hop like a king

❅ The celestial of time, Soarswift. Like with the celestial of dreams, this one also reincarnated into a beast. But in a more subtle way where the other celestials really didn't notice. Likes the Ryuki from the apocalypse au, much to the annoyance of the celestial of fate. Very wild natured and monster-like and his preferred method of entering a building is to break through the wall like the koolade man. (The center image doesn't show it well, but he is crazy-tall)

★ The celestial of space and chaos/balance, Grimotaur. Outside of celestial form, he goes by the name Reaper instead of Hop. Has space autism. Don't get him started about it or he won't shut up. (Mun doesn't know much about space, so seriously don't ask him about it or I will likely not be able to provide an in-character response) Always floating because he dislikes the way the ground feels. Pure sweet little guy unfitting of the name Reaper and he thinks it's funny

Annnd here's this height chart

The Volo there is meant to represent the au Volo that I don't have a proper image of but he's the same height as normal Volo, which hilariously I know the rough comparison of next to Ryuki. Needed that info for a different au thing at some point

[cariboll]

Hello friends! According to the calendar, spring is now upon those of us in North America. And, while it's still chilly for some, I'm guessing we're not all prepared for summer just yet.

Now, we know that summer means things like sun, humidity, rain (for some), bbqs, and fun. It also means biting insects. After last summer, and more than one friend asking for help to deal with mosquito bites, I decided to create this handy dandy list of things that, in my years of dealing with allergic reactions from bites that lead to antibiotic regimens, I have discovered can help. General notice that I am NOT a doctor or nurse; I just happen to be someone with a ton of allergies and a lifetime of experimenting how to prevent/treat mosquito bites (and now midge bites, because that's apparently a thing in my city now).

First off. Are you on the preferred mosquito menu? It's easy to figure out. Are you female? (I haven't found anything yet on if it's strictly people assigned female at birth or if it includes transwoman or excludes transmen. I'm sorry for not knowing the answer to that question.) Are you O+ or O-? Or, the female mosquito's absolute favorite: pregnant person with type O+/- blood? The mosquito will bite most people, but these seem to be the gourmet meals of humanity to mosquitoes.

There's a saying in English about an ounce of prevention. Now, you can't 100% prevent getting bitten, but you can make them think twice before nibbling on you. There are doctors and other experts who will tell you that vitamin B-complex won't do anything. It won't prevent the bites, as I mentioned, but in some cases it can make you react less. The trick is to start taking it well in advance (30-40 days) before the mosquitoes come out for snackaroonies. You can also use sprays and lotions (remember to look for Deet in the active ingredients list) and there are other objects, such as bracelets, stickers, and buzzer devices that are supposed to also deter them. Also, AVOID BANANAS. Seriously. They love people who have recently eaten everybody's favorite yellow fruit.

Next, once you've been bitten, how will you treat it? There are all the old standards: calamine lotion, Benadryl cream, After Bite, etc. These all work for some people and it's good to have them on hand. You can also use the hot spoon and ice cube methods. Hot spoon: heat up a metal spoon with hot (NOT boiling) water and apply to the bites to destroy the chemical that's making you itch. Ice cube: apply an ice cube, or a bag of them, or an ice pack to the bites to calm them down; a cool bath with ice cubes may also work.

Now, you've seen me mention the vitamin B-complex. How about apis mellifica? You can get it at health food stores. It's a bunch of small pellets that you place, 5 at a time, under your tongue, 3 times a day (read the instructions for specifics). These are not recommended if you have lactose intolerance, though, because they contain lactose. And, like everything else, they don't work for everyone.

Finally, there's a magic device called the Bug Bite Thing (yes, really). If you haven't heard of it, Buzzfeed has mentioned it in its shopping listicles before if you want someone else's opinion. You can get them in a lot of places like pharmacies, big box stores, online retailers, and on the company's website (I won't link it, but it's simple to look up).

Okay. That's it. I hope this post is helpful to people. Remember, I'm not a doctor/nurse, I just happen to be one of those unlucky souls to be on the mosquito menu. Good luck, wear sunscreen & insect repellent, wear a hat & sunglasses, and don't forget to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

[pepperbreeze-pepperdeer]

(//warning for unreality. things may get dark here too. ask to tag, since i'm confused)

Heyyyy. Crispin here. I survived an apocalypse! Well, I didn't actually but I was brought back to life by a magic bird-Drayton from another universe. We're pretty close.

That other Drayton gave me the nickname Pepperbreeze as a way to be specific when talking about Crispins from other universes. He also calls me Pepperdeer sometimes if he wants something shorter to type, haha.

Um. I'm basically a plant! I mutated this way during the apocalypse. It's risky to do much cooking now but I do it anyway! I'm covered in spicy and made of spicy. I've got capsaicin like spicy plants do. Don't come near me (physically) if you have allergies to that I guess??

I get really silly when my bird-friend is around <3

//ooc below

Mun has poor social skills and is tired a lot. I'm trying my best so please be patient with me and let me know gently if I do something wrong.

I like using pink text for describing actions.

Rules:

No asks relating to private parts or sexual intercourse please!

No spam-liking. Occasional likes are okay. But seeing a bunch of notifications can get my hopes up for interaction. Kinda disappointing if it's all just likes.

Info:

Pelipper mail and the rest of the typical rotomblr stuff such as magic anon and musharna mail, and more(?) are allowed and the evil versions of them. Go wild. But keep in mind I have the right to not answer things I don't like. Mun is super chill though.

Will interact with any type of blog. Fallers, sapient pokemon, etc. I’m very fine with in-character reblogs from other rotomblr blogs too. If you want to interact that way, go for it!

I may be active a lot, but I also can’t always get to things right away for one reason or another so be patient if I take a long time please.

Posts will either be social media styled or roleplay styled with no specification. Reblogs are fine and appreciated either way

I use "//" for ooc text. This will be in tags too. If a tag doesn't use those, that means it is written in-character. (Except for the following tags which are more ambiguous)

Tags:

ask: responding to an ask

game ask: responding to an ask in relation to an ask game.

ask game: reblogging an ask game. these won't expire

ic post: posting in character.

ooc post: posting something out of character such as an announcement.

ooc reblog: reblogging something out of character

ic reblog: when I reblog a non-rotomblr post that this character would reblog.

reblog: reblogging a rotomblr post.

long reblog: If a reblog-based conversation goes over 3 reblogs I will use this instead.

the reblog finale: If it looks like a long reblog conversation is over, I change the tag from long reblog to that. Doesn't mean it can't continue later if someone else continues it.

art: posting art.

Likes and follows from @au-drayton-shenanigans

Other blogs: @the-blood-queen - Carmine from the same au @the-darkest-part-of-the-void - Kieran from the same au @from-somewhen-and-somewhere - blog for the creatures who rule in my fantasy multiverse @amped-psywaves - Ryuki nephew oc @ryuki-the-star - Ryuki rp blog

@protokirby-sims4cc - not a roleplay blog but if you play the sims 4 I recommend checking it out