#aspen excel

[anasabdin]

Aspen Red Forest, hand-made entirely with MS Excel 2007

Last week, I shared a pixel art piece I created using MS Paint, and I was truly grateful for the warm response from the community 💖 This time, I took on a new challenge, creating a fully animated pixel art scene using only Microsoft Excel 2007. Yes, Excel! Over the past week, I manually filled 320x200 cells, across 20 sheets, using just 9 colors. I then compiled 20 screenshots into a GIF to showcase the animation. The final artwork exists solely as a Microsoft Office Excel 2007 (.xlsx) file.

[mochinomnoms]

BONDED PAIR! DO NOT SEPARATE (TWST OCs)

Twisted from The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea

"A pair of mermen from the Coral Sea with seemingly close ties to the current heads of Octavinelle. One standoffish, one flirtatious, both are attached to each other's hips despite the conflicting personalities."

Aspen Albamar

“An aloof but haughty young man from the Coral Sea. He is unapproachable to most on campus, though he can be seen getting angry and excitable when provoked. He is very private and keeps to himself. Tony is referred to as his ‘keeper’.”

Tony Lombardi

“An unconventional man with a detached sense of humor but a soft heart. He is laid-back and easy going, making him an excellent mediator. He is surprisingly detached from others despite being flirty. Is often referred to as Aspen’s ‘keeper’.”

template by: @unfinished-projects-galore / art by: @the-trinket-witch

YAAAY MY TWO BOYS ARE HERE!!! Once again, a big thanks to Trinket for the art and working with me on bringing my two to life! They added an extra piece to show their height difference, which I loved! Love me some height differences lol. I was a bit busy this week so wasn't able to get these done and out but I'm so happy that I finally could! I hope yall like the visuals for Aspen and Tony, as they will be fairly important side characters in future PTM chapters :)

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fiction Free-for-All Book Bracket Tournament: Round 6

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

Angels in America by Tony Kushner

Endorsement from submitter: "Sweeping epic play. 100% excellent read even if you can't get to a performance."

The play is a complex, often metaphorical, and at times symbolic examination of AIDS and homosexuality in America in the 1980s. Certain major and minor characters are supernatural beings (angels) or deceased persons (ghosts). The play contains multiple roles for several of the actors. Initially and primarily focusing on a gay couple in Manhattan, the play also has several other storylines, some of which occasionally intersect.

Play, classics, AIDS crisis, adult

Time to Orbit: Unknown series (The Javelin Program, The Antarctica Conspiracy) by Derin Edala

When Dr Aspen Greaves signed up for the Javelin Program, humanity's first foray into colonising deep space, they expected to wake up to life in a thriving colony on a distant planet. Instead, they find themself five years away from their destination on a broken spaceship full of complex mysteries, dead astronauts, and a very unhelpful AI.

Aspen wasn't trained for any of this. But if they can't keep themselves alive, get the ship in working order, and find out what went wrong by unravelling a chain of mysteries leading all the way back to distant Earth, then neither Aspen nor the five thousand sleeping passengers in their care will ever see a planet again.

Science fiction, mystery, series, adult

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

So at Thanksgiving my mother was complaining of receiving a bunch of books to read that all contained what she described as "far too much child dismemberment". I happened to have the first book of ttou with me so I gave it to her with the "no child dismemberment but a totally normal spaceship adventure that goes a bit fucky". Well, she hasn't started it yet but my dad, who is a conservative, apparently picked it up because he was bored and hasn't been able to put it down. The only message I've received about it is asking a confirmation of Aspen's gender and a nondescript acceptance to my response of "nonbinary". I'm looking forward to talking about it with him! Anyway, excellent story with ridiculously interesting societies and cultural norms and I adore it. Hope you're having a wonderful December!

Lol it's so easy to avoid child dismemberment in a book with barely any children

I hope your dad likes the book

[princesssmars]

hazel falling in love with her childhood family friend is rotting my brain actually.

wc : 1383

sfw and slight nsfw? fem reader. thanking emma and rachel for making hazel rich because i love writing rich people stuff. i’d say maybe a good mix of cocky!hazel and loser!hazel because i love both so bad.

so for the first six years of her life she spends her winter holidays at a beautiful chalet in aspen with her parents, spending the days having snowball fights with her dad and falling asleep by the fireplace with her mom.

just like. she's rich, and her mom seems like one of thos wealthy women who loves to go on vacation to show off her perfect life and her perfect friends, so she or her husband definitely had a vacation house they'd visit every year.

when she turns seven they finally let her start skiing on the bunny slope, figuring it’s better than the little evil genius thing she does with the pots and the tiny snowmen. for a little kid she's pretty good at the sport already, if not taking the pizza and french fry tip a little too seriously.

about an hour in though, she's taking her umpteenth trip down the hill when a four foot mass slams into her right side, going at way above whatever speed limit was allowed in this area. she's lying flat on the ground, her right arm aching and her hound pounding and she's about ten seconds from crying when she looks over to see you, face planted in the snow and your shoulders shaking as you laugh like you're insane.

both sets of your parents rush over to make sure that the both of you are ok, and after you manage to calm down a bit and give hazel a very formal sounding apology that your mom whispered in your ear, you ask hazel if she can help you learn to control your speed on the slopes.

so after an hour of driving her crazy as she tries to teach you how to control your speed, your moms sit at a table watching over the both of you while sipping on their drinks and becoming fast friends.

ever since then, each winter was spent together. whether it was spending time in the snow, (hazel continued to excel at skiing, eventually giving up on trying to teach you), sharing stories of your normal lives over cups of cocoa at the cafe in the ski lodge, and helping each other decorate your christmas trees that you both had to beg your parents to buy.

whenever she went back home the days following new years, she’d count the days until she could see you again. to compensate for the time apart your parents let you send a horde of letters and e-mails to each other, letting the two of you share long phone calls on their phones when you were still to young to have your own.

hazels secret favorite hobby became photography. you couldn’t go twenty minutes without her shoving her polaroid camera in your face. she’ll tell you it’s because she’s using the vacation time to explore and try new things, and not that she constantly looks back over the photos of you with a big smile and a flush to her face.

(she also won’t mention that she’s addicted to the feeling she gets when pj and josie come over to her house and pj goes ona ten minute rant about how impossible it is that a girl that pretty could spend time with hazel without being insane. she ignores the insult because she’s hung up on the fact oh called you pretty.)

now i think hazel was pretty much always aware of the fact that she liked girls, if not because she realized that being obsessed with a certain scene from cruel intentions and always volunteering to play the husband when one of her friends wanted to play house on the playground was, in fact, not straight.

but at this point she’s maybe fifteen, she’s starting to grow into her looks and she’s definitely not ready to admit she might has a crush on you. at this point you both have had your own phones for a while, and she couldn’t even count the amount of times she had fallen asleep with you over facetime.

over the course of that year she often found herself wondering what your sexuality was. dumb ass stereotypes had her believing there was no way you, pretty and popular and preppy you could possibly be gay. and if you were a lesbian there was no chance that you'd like her back.

it was just made all the more confusing when once she had complained about how she hadn't had a girlfriend, let alone a first kiss yet and she was nearly halfway through high school with no experience for the hundredth time that you told her you had a solution for her on your next shared trip.

so you can imagine her shock when three days after landing in aspen you pull her into your room in your lodge and sit her on your bed before telling her you knew the perfect way to get more experience was to experiment with you.

"your first few times kissing and stuff can be pretty awkward, so why not just do it with me? i can show you the ropes and stuff.”

now on the outside she seemed normal, agreeing with an easy smile on her face, but on the inside her brain was playing the loudest tornado siren known to man.

it starts tame, the first few days consisting of you just telling her about your past experiences with girls and how to take it slow and everything. she knows its important but it honestly feels like torture. every time you talk to her she's wondering about what you'll do to start the physical lesson, if you'll set her down on her plush bed and softly touch her, or if you'll finally get fed up with the waiting like she is and press her and take her against a wall.

if you had known you would have prepared, but hazel was a freak in disguise and had decided that she was ready to take things into her own hands. you had invited her to sleep over at yours and drink hot cocoa while watching christmas movies and she had accepted in a heartbeat. what she didn't expect was for you to be wearing really cute pajamas, your legs covered in little hello kitty's and christmas trees with a plain red top and geez she could see you weren't wearing a bra.

hazel was a ticking time bomb, and when the two of you were sitting on the couch and she watched the reds and whites and golds dance across your face and you looked ovver at her with a 'what's wrong, hazie?' she exploded, smushing her lips onto yours in a mess of limbs and teeth.

she can feel your giggles in her mouth as she presses you down into the plush of the couch, her excited hands gripping your cheeks before brushing over your chest and gripping your waist, grinding her hips into yours and groaning when your giggle turned into high pitched moans.

it feels like she kisses you for hours before you reluctantly stop, your hands going to press into her shoulders when her head follows yours to resume making out. "hazel, as much as i'm enjoying this we were supposed to be taking this slowly. since when did you know how to...do that?"

"i dont know i just," she sighs as she tries to catch her breath, starting to get embarrassed about what a virginal mess she must look and be acting like. but you seem to like it, so she starts to not care all that much. "i just really want you. i wanna do everything with you."

you smile and hold her cheek in your hand, her eyes fluttering shut at your touch. you look at the gentle expression on her face, the slowing of her breath, and how her hips still occasionally stutter downward looking for yours, and you cant find it in your heart to deny her. you never really could.

"ok, hazie. we can do whatever you want-"

you're cut off before you can finish, the girl quickly rejoining your lips together and groping at your body once again.

when she gets back from vacation, hazel is less single, less unexperienced, and more than ready to throw this in pj's face.

i kinda lost inspo for this can you tell :,(((( but i thought the idea was cute so take this thing. bye.

[the-colourful-witch]

i'd love to know more about astrid cresswell if you're willing to tell us more. such as her family, is she dirk cresswell's daughter? what's her wand like? what year was she born? etc

Hiya! I can't believe you found her! I forgot I shared an illustration of Astrid on my page a long time ago :) Astrid Cresswell is my OC. And yes, I did take inspiration for her name from Dirk Cresswell, who is an Auror at the Ministry. He was one of the Aurors who was supposed to arrest Dumbledore if I remember correctly. In Order of the Phoenix. The two of them have no relation, actually. I took the last name when I was toying with the idea of her being the daughter of Dirk, but I went in a different direction. The last name kind of stuck, oops :) Anyway! Astrid!

Astrid is a Slytherin, in the same year as Fred and George (born 1978). My story for her is:

She was raised by her dad, who is a Healer at St Mungo's, in the permanent ward. Her mother was a Muggle, who died in childbirth. Robb Cresswell, Astrid's father, never told his girlfriend he was a Wizard. Astrid grew up with her dad, who was always working. They lived in the hillside village of Ottery St Catchpole where a few more magical families were housed in the hills. Robb regularly dropped Astrid off at the Weasleys, where Molly was more than happy to look after Astrid when he went to work. And so Astrid grew up with her two best friends: Fred and George Weasley. But that friendship didn't last very long after Astrid got sorted into Slytherin House. From that moment on, Astrid and the twins became rivals. They will do anything to destroy each other, both on and off the Quidditch pitch.

Astrid is a Chaser, the only girl on the Slytherin team. She's constantly dealing with Marcus Flint's sexist antics but is determined to play. She has something to prove, after all. Her patronus is a fox and her wand is 9 1/2 inches, Aspen wood with a dragon heartstring core. It stylishly resembles ivory; excellent for duelling and charm-casting. It's a wand made for revolutionaries but can be temperamentful, reacting to uncontrolled emotions. Astrid has two best friends: Maeve and Dorian, both Slytherins in her year. Dorian plays on the Quidditch team with her, as a Beater. He wants to be an Auror, like his father John Dawlish and is ahead of everyone in their class in all subjects. Maeve is the oldest of seven girls and the only one sorted into Slytherin. Hogwarts is the only place where she doesn't have to be a parent to her sisters. She enjoys reading and is Captain of the chess club. Oh, and she has a pet: a tubby black and white cat named Tibo. Tibo likes treats and scratches behind his ears. He has one of those loud purrs.

Astrid herself has a toad, which is a surprisingly uncool pet for a girl of her status. He's called Samuel the Second. You don't want to know what happened to the first. Sebastian usually hangs out in Astrid's room, but she takes him with her to the greenhouses sometimes when she's doing extra credit work. And Astrid is popular! After finding out she wasn't ever going to fit in with her Gryffindor friends (not really friends anymore), she decided to really embrace the Slytherin identity. She is clever and cunning. She knows how to get what she wants. To everyone who does not know her, she is perfect. Prefect, Quidditch player, star student. Behind the scenes, it's a little more rough... But she tries. She wants to become a Healer, after a successful Quidditch career, of course.

I am still figuring out Astrid's story, but it's fun for me to work on her every now and then. I admit, it's been a while. I dream of writing a fic for her one day, but I am not much of a writer. I start with something and then I can't finish, because I get distracted and instead draw my characters. What can I say, I like to draw! Maybe one day I'll actually finish a first draft :)

(an older version of Astrid - I don't love how I drew this)

I would like to share some more OC work in the future, but it's been a while since I worked on my characters. All the existing HP characters take up a lot of my time at the moment. One day :) I hope you like this. I'm happy to answer more questions if you have them <3

Magical wishes, Fleur

Some more earlier concepts of Astrid..

[seventh-sojourn]

HALLO!! :D

Who would each of your friends be as a progger in an alt universe, GO!!!!!!!

Hello!!! Long post because I love saying too much about everything 😋

Dearest Elijah would be every musician I have ever loved. But I will settle on Jan Akkerman – self-taught; or mostly self-taught, thriving against all odds. You are brave. A hidden gem. Sometimes you make me dig to find out more about you, and this is part of your enchantment. Very sweet, very honest, very thoughtful. You always surprise me. You're a force of nature.

Liz is Jon Anderson, not only for her profile picture but also because she is passionate about music, is a fantastic singer and introduced me to prog in the warmest, kindest way. You remind me of summer sunrises and the fog lifting itself from the hills before I leave for work and the warm afternoons that welcome me home after a long day.

Agus and Eli (an entity to me) are many things. I am inclined to say Hirasawa because they would still be an unbeatable, inseparable duo in every possible universe, even the apocalyptic ones. But Agus *is* shaped after Robert Fripp; or my vision of Robert Fripp is shaped after Agus. This is more craftsmanship than natural to me. They are the best friends I could ever wish for!

Trisha would, without a doubt, be Chris Squire – ADHD, always involved in some huge project that requires so much effort but acts so nonchalantly about it 😭. A natural leader. People flock to you and you are either incredibly loved or strongly disliked. I am part of that first group.

Al is Neil Peart. AuDHD. Maybe not DHD but definitely Au. Impecable fashion taste. Master of music theory. Humble. Hard to get to know but your company is so rewarding… thank you for every minute you have shared with me.

Mav is a powerhouse. My worst enemy. If I were able to name *anyone* and say it's prog, I would pick Walter Becker from Steely Dan. You are an excellent guitarist (although humble), your sense of style is (also) immaculate, you know so much about gear and math it's crazy to me, and you know when to push someone out of their comfort zones so that they can become better people. Thank you!

Emily/Drew is a bit like David Cross to me. Everything they touch is gold. Everything they make appears as if out of a dream. You have this hidden wisdom within and I feel anguish too. May you be free from it someday. One thing I know is that your talent will always be recognized as long as I'm around 🙏 and I think others would agree.

I think Chris/Kieran would be Keith, actually. He's probably one of the most active people I know (against his will?) with varied interests. He's really well-spoken but I need some time to fully understand the things he tells me. Exquisite person. Thank you for your company!

Cass reminds me of Tony Levin and I can't exactly describe it. Every time they create something the world is changed. Unspeakably beautiful art. Everyone admires them. But they're also just a chill guy

Danny (Awesome) is so cool I can't think of someone who could ever reach his level. I'll go with David Jackson from Van der Graaf because of 1. his dignity, finesse and kindness 2. the fact he can still be the funniest guy in the room while still having all of those atributes and 3. the mistique that surrounds him; his incredible fashion sense and connection to classical music. Thank you for being so good to me. You are one of a kind!

Feather - Ambrose from KGLW 😋😋

Other mutuals that I don't know as well (but I wish I did! Talk to me any time)

Tumblr user RobertFripp is actually Bill Bruford

Aspen reminds me of Peter Hammill

Mel reminds me of Greg Lake, very charming and confident

Not prog, but Aster is forever Roger Daltrey

Eels Gibb - Todd Rundgren

Yesterday's Answers is PFM, especially Flavio Premoli

Mayo - Phil Collins (associated with you forever)

Mikeology - M... mike Rutherford (also associated with you forever AND you have the best blog in the world)

Aubrey, Tony and and Alistair are Badfinger reincarnated to me.

Gail is technically also Badfinger but Russ Ballard especially. Of course.

Caden reminds me of Keith Emerson!

There are others I have not mentioned... but I feel kind of embarrassed 😭 please let me know if you want one too. I am extremely grateful for everyone who saw me worthy of a follow.

Much love!

[manicpixiedreamlestats]

Crystal my beloved I am so sorry today has been chaos- but you, my best girl, are an icon.

I made this graphic because I think of Crystal as many things, but I also tend to associate her with the tarot card The Empress. For those unfamiliar, tarot has many meanings and associations (and some personal for the reader) but popular associations include:

Growth: When Crystal comes to the agency after the boys free her from David, she pushes them both to ask some important questions about themselves by taking them on the Becky Aspen case- Charles has to confront that he is afraid of being a "bad guy" while in Poet Townsend. Edwin needs to confront his romantic feelings for Charles. Crystal, herself, needs to rebuild her life after David. If the trio never went to Port Townsend, Niko may have never had a chance to survive the sprites and rebuild after her grief. Crystal is a huge symbol of growth for this reason.

Intuition: Crystal's psychic gift is excellent- and so too is her gift of knowing what to say to people in tough moments. She knew Edwin needed to hear that what they were doing in Port Townsend mattered because she could see he is driven by a sense of justice and compassion for others. She knew Niko needed to talk with someone else who was missing a family member. She is able to connect deeply with others, even without using psychic powers in the moment.

Knowledge: Crystal is connected to a long line of psychics. She now knows she can go to them to learn and grow. I would have loved to see how this plot would have developed.

Compassion: Once more, Crystal is kind. Although Edwin was (understandably, perhaps) standoffish to her in the start of their relationship, she attempted to buy him a coffee before learning ghosts cannot drink. She also crosses an ocean to save a missing girl. She is the one who tells Charles to stop teasing Edwin when she notices Edwin is upset. She is kind to ghost children it seems, enough that Emma asked the Dead Boy Detectives to look into her disappearance. Perhaps she made mistakes with the living when she was younger- but she is not entirely heartless. An abusive relationship, like the one she was in with David, can change a person. But Crystal came back stronger from it. She was even ready to confront David again to save Edwin from Hell.

All of these things are reasons I will always love Crystal so very much. ♡

[thelongestway]

@essie-essex, tag accepted, tagging @lettuce-tv and @queenlua (if you two take tags), and anyone else who wants to. :P

As for my part, ahaha! You caught me out a bit, because I am right now mostly in edits, but: there is another Horrible Crossover that I sketched a little before putting it down at least until I finish the present one.

This one is Time to Orbit: Unknown/Star Trek Prodigy, and it's mostly tooth-rotting fluff, set in the very beginning of TTOU (so the moment when a Starfleet crew would have made a very big difference). I really think we need more Prodigy fics which are focused on the crew itself, and getting them play off of familiar characters is an excellent way of getting to know them for me!

Here's the beginning:

It's movie night, and the mood has just been thoroughly killed by talking about synnerves, abducted brains and zombies. I open my mouth to try and lighten the mood again, at least for the duration of the movie, but the screen suddenly switches to static.

"Oh great," Tinera says. "The zombies are chewing through wires already, huh?"

But before I can answer, or try to figure out what just went wrong with my movie, a crackling voice speaking completely period-inappropriate Extalingua comes out of the speakers.

"This is captain Gwyndala of the USS Prodigy. Courageous, can you hear us?"

It's not a voice that anyone knows.

Everyone looks to me, and I say, "This obviously isn't part of the movie."

Tinera stands up, balling her hand into a fist, "All right, whose fucking idea of a joke is this?"

It's blindingly obvious from the looks on everyone's faces that it's no one's.

The voice continues: "We're glad you can hear us. We apologize for the intrusion and the lack of visuals, but our communication protocols aren't easily compatible, so we had to hijack a speaker. We're requesting assistance."

The Friend, sitting next to me, draws in a sharp breath.

"What's your status?" it asks before anyone else can reply. "Are you in danger?"

"No," the voice says with an embarassed little chuckle. "We're just… a little lost. We've had some navigational problems, and would like to check against your records to triangulate where we are."

"Where you are is speaking to ship travelling at near light speed," Denish growls, looking deeply suspicious.

"It's not easy on the impulse engines," Captain Gwyndala says almost sheepishly. "But we can keep up. Jankom, can we give them visuals yet?"

Another, slightly rougher voice comes through: "Visuals ready, captain."

"With your permission, Courageous crew?"

"Go ahead, captain. Give us your camera feeds," I say. Because whatever the hell is happening here, we need more information.

I look at Tal, but ke's already on it, tapping rapidly to set up a recording of the screen. Ke is typing faster than I've ever seen kem type, and kes mouth hangs slightly open in disbelief and wonder.

"Please tell me it's aliens," ke murmurs, looking up sharply.

And then the screen switches on again, and Tal is vindicated for the rest of kes life.

There are two aliens staring us down from the screen, both vaguely humanoid. The taller one has light blue skin and fleshy-looking braids that give off a faint glow. A slightly shorter second humanoid sits alongside the first, their skin a matted purple, and their dark gray hair sticking up wildly. A small tail, or maybe tendril, curls out from the nape of their neck, and swooshes around curiously.

They're wearing the same kind of uniform: form-fitting jumpsuits, grey, red and black stripes extending over their chests. Small badges sit above where a human heart would be, and there are single gold pips on both of the aliens' collars.

"That's better," the blue-skinned humanoid says, and I realize that must be captain Gwyndala. "And we have visuals through our scanners, too."

I stand up. Because apparently this is first contact, and I'm the captain of a first contact ship now.

"I'm captain Aspen Greaves of the spaceship Courageous," I say. "Tell us about your situation."

[lynzishell]

The Sims is love. List 5 facts about a favorite sim couple of yours, and why you love them so much. Then pass this on to 5 others, whose sim couple(s) you also love. 💘💕 :D

Thank you thank you @sirianasims as well as @mdshh and @elderwisp for sending me this ask!! (I'm hoarding the other two in case I get time to do more, but also tagging you here in case I don't aksdljflkd) ❤️❤️

I chose Phoenix and Dawn because I miss them dearly right now, but also...

💙TODAY IS THEIR ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!! I mean, in the story they got together in August like seven years ago, but this scene was posted one year ago today! I can't believe it! 🥹

💙My favorite thing about these two is how incredibly supportive they are of each other. My favorite example of this is in this scene where Phoenix takes Dawn to the bench where he used to talk to his mom. He said it was the best way he could think of to introduce them, and Dawn didn’t even hesitate, just jumped in and started talking as if his mom was really there, and I know it meant so much to him. The other would be this scene where Dawn expresses that she wants to leave her job and stay home with Aspen. Phoenix wasn’t fond of this idea. It puts a lot of pressure on him financially, and honestly, he would’ve loved to be the one to stay home with her. He probably could’ve plead his case to do so, but instead of pushing back he said, “how do we make this work?” and they figured it out.

💙They encourage each other to remain individuals. It’s difficult in this stage of life, between careers and marriage and parenting, to maintain a sense of self. One thing they always encourage each other to do is to pursue their own interests. In this scene we see Phoenix pushing Dawn to go have a self-care day to destress and indulge her interest in yoga and meditation. It’s been more difficult for Phoenix lately since his career is becoming more demanding, but he does still make time to run every morning before everyone wakes up.

💙They’re dreamers. One of the things they love most is talking about their plans and dreams for the future. Dawn has always been a very future-focused person. It’s a coping mechanism that keeps her distracted from her past, but it also allows her to maintain her optimistic nature, and it’s rubbed off on Phoenix.

💙They rarely fight. In most situations, they’re excellent at communicating and working through things. It’s rare they can’t find a middle ground. However, we recently saw a situation where Dawn let unresolved issues from her past lead her to break Phoenix’s trust, and that led to their biggest fight ever. When we last left them, they were doing okay, but I think it would be unrealistic to say that everything is suddenly fine now. There is some work to be done for Dawn to face her past and earn that trust back. More on that when we return to them in Part 5.  

[patheticbatman]

My Squishmallow got chewed so now it’s moose-Aspen! Moospen*! If themed skin grafts were a thing I’m sure Tal would talk them into a citrus patch for sure I totally didn’t have to post this to discord and have someone goodnaturedly point out the irony lol

*also stolen from discord ^_^ thank you @ Moshicat

If you have no idea what I’m talking about you should check out Time to Orbit Unknown by @derinthescarletpescatarian . You definitely won’t lose hours of your life to an excellent serial!

The culprit

The inspiration chat from discord (see description below I ain’t typing all that into alt text)

Moshicat Today at 8:37 PM

Oh no the citrus! Is Moospen going to be ok? (Funniest fabric choice you could have made)

😆🍊

Pebble Today at 8:39 PM

oh my god it IS an orange fabric i love that

❤️

Deathsmallcaps -... Today at 8:40 PM

Oh dag I didn't even think of that XD. I had a cheap-fabric apron | was never going to use to l used part of its smock (?) as the patch and the apron string as their eye (edited)

Moshicat Today at 8:54 PM

It adds to it. Those are clearly exposed synnerves

🧠

[mochinomnoms]

okay so i just read ptm and i'm really liking it^^ but i wanna ask, are your OCs twisted from certain characters or you just made them up ?? i tried to guess some of them but my brain is mostly empty rn :')

Hiiiii!!! I saw you in my notifs, I almost always notice when someone makes little comments in the tags, cause it makes me really happy when people comment and talk about my fics (─‿‿─)

By now I think most people have guessed their inspirations, so I'm happy to talk more about them and explain a bit for each one! I'll go one by one and share a little fun fact!

Yev Quispe is based on Yzma from the Emperor's New Groove! A fun fact is that Yev's signature spell is called “Creature Feature”, which allows him to temporarily turn someone into an animal of his choosing, though it's limited to one person at a time and larger animals require him to use more energy than a smaller one. His uncle is the botany professor at NRC!

Timothy O'Hare, mostly goes by Timmy, is based both on the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland and Thumper from Bambi! He has 9 younger sisters and 3 older sisters, and would regularly get beat up by them if he was rude to a girl. His signature spell is “Reverse the Clock” which allows him to turn time back by a few seconds, 10 at most, however he has to wait at least 30 minutes between each use due to the massive amount of blot he accumulates from use.

James Bartholomew is based on Captain Hook, though he has no hook (yet). He was raised at sea for most of his life among much older and crass sailors, so he has a hard time talking with others. His signature spell is “Hook, Line, and Sinker” which allows him to cast a barrier that “hooks” his opponent to his vicinity, up to a 5-foot radius; if they attempt to leave they will be dragged back like a fish on a hook. The farther they try to get away, the heavier their body will get.

Wynfred Salson is based on Winifred Sanderson from Hocus Pocus, but likes to go by Winnie. He's the eldest of the triplets and is extremely protective of them. He likes foraging and making his own potions from scratch, so he joined the Mountain Lovers Club to collect his own materials. He is very socially unaware and thinks he is the epitome of the ideal human, though most people are put off by him.

Marion Salson is based on Mary Sanderson from Hocus Pocus and is the shyest of the triplets. He's Winnie's shadow and idolizes his brother, and even tried switching clubs but was denied. He has a very acute sense of smell on par with beastmen, so he hates how perfumed Pomefiore is, as he'll get migraines from the smell. Marion would like to become a healer, like his mother, and volunteers in the infirmary as much as possible.

Silas Salson is based on Sarah Sanderson, though they like to go by Sy. Sy likes to dress up in both masculine and feminine clothes and sometimes will ask everyone to refer to them as he, she, or they, depending on how they feel day to day. They also like to eat bugs and will snatch a flying cockroach from the air and shove into their mouth to eat. They say it's because they like how the texture feels in their mouth. Sy is also an excellent singer and would like to study bardic magic.

Aspen Albamar is based on Morgana from the second Little Mermaid, though his name references her green skin. He tries to be composed, but it's quite easy to push his buttons and get him riled up, unintentional or not. He is a wonderful musician, but actually has trouble with magic, as he was a late bloomer. He's originally from the Arctics and moved to the Coral Sea very young,

Tony Lombardi is based on Undertow from the second Little Mermaid, and is extremely small for his type of merfolk, which is a tiger shark. He, unlike the rest of his mer peers, is really into flight class and surprisingly excels in it. It might come as little surprise, but Tony has a big ol' fat crush on Aspen and has since they were children, but has kept it on the down low. Despite his warnings that Jade most likely views him as a little brother, Tony will begrudgingly help Aspen in pursing him since it makes him happy.

Yaqub Fahim is based on Iago from Aladdin and is a parrot beastman. Yaqub is arguably the most level-headed of all the Ramshackle freshmen, and gets along with most if not all of his peers. He does not like Kalim and Jamil at all, as both are off-putting to him for different reasons, so he is not particularly attached to Scarabia as his dorm, so he prefers to stay in Ramshackle as long as possible.

Amara Goethel, also known as Nurse Goethel, is based on Mother Gothel from Tangled. She is in charge of the infirmary, but also teaches the health and wellness curriculum, which has classes that correspond with both science and health, so she works with Vargas and Crewel often. She has a very hot wife who is covered in tattoos and

I wanted to establish a cast of side characters to make up for the lack of the third years, so I decided that new freshman would be the best choice! A lot of their background and 'lore' won't be relevant in the main story, but I would like to write more about them in little side snippets!

Some of them will end up together or with an unnamed background character. Two technically have partners already, but one of them doesn't really count. Anyways this was fun thanks for asking about them, though I think I shared more than asked lol.

[buckets-and-trees]

Okay. Aspen. Your latest iteration of Fine Line mean alpha Bucky had me thinking.

How did Bucky decide to pursue and keep reader instead of disposing of her? We know he’s a very thorough calculated man.

Clearly she got on his radar VERY early into planning without her knowing but I’m curious how that came about? Did he have someone following her for updates? Did he do any light stalking himself? How would he know that she would give herself over for a more peaceful transition and save her people?

Oh, Chi! I'm thrilled you asked something about the most recent part of the Fine Line saga! And what a meal of a question...

Outright takeover and removal of your family was, of course, one of the options on the table once Hydra had given Bucky instructions to conquer your territory. But it wasn't the only option. There was also the idea of supporting one of your father's political rivals who had enough of his own support within the territory and installing him with Bucky as his right hand/fist. Another option was Bucky running for congress office himself and gaining political capital in the territory, but that would obviously be the longest road to achieve his ends.

But as he considered the option of forcing your father out and claiming you as his omega, there were many pros and few cons. Your father (and by extension, your family) was incredibly respected and beloved by most of the territory, and if you were his token omega? It's almost like he let the intended scenario play out of you taking the reigns after your father. And everyone loves the idea of a "princess", if you will. Plus, if you ended up being fairly cooperative, he could keep you around not only for the optics, but potentially also for historical context and your knowledge of the territory, though that seemed like a long shot.

If you didn't cooperate after he took over as governor, Bucky was ready to spin the narrative so that you were painted as the unreasonable one. A moody omega. Good thing the people avoided you as their governor, etc.

The more he weighed the options, the more the one that involved yor just made the most sense.

It was easy to get a lot of information about you. Your great grandfather, your grandfather, and your father had all been governors over the territory, and you grew up in the public eye. Interviews and appearances were readily available information. You had been working in the government alongside your father after completing your masters degree/study and spending a couple of years abroad in Europe on diplomatic stints - low key ambassadorial kind of stuff. So aside from the public/press info about you, you'd also built a reputation that a lot of people could speak to, and your work ethic and behaviors were readily on display.

Bucky did have his connections all across your territory, including in the governor's mansion, in your father's staff, in your staff...

But of course he also did some of his own observation and intelligence gathering. Bucky knows how to set up an excellent network, but he's earned his reputation as one of, if not the, best spies and assassins and operatives and strategists Hydra has ever had amongst their ranks. But he keeps that edge and reputation because he's never put aside doing his own time in the field, even as he's moved up the ranks. Firsthand observation, personally cultivating relationships, learning the ins and outs himself to some degree is still essential for him.

And how did he know you would ultimately do whatever needed to be done to ensure the safety of your people?

It was a reasonable assumption based on your general profile, but Bucky had learned and studied enough about you to know there was no question you would ultimately give in to his demands. And once he had taken his first bite and mated you as his omega? He knew he'd be able to use that alpha-omega power dynamic to keep you in line. How comfortable and compliant you chose to be at that point would be up to you.

He just didn't know he was biting his true mate.

And that's it, folks! 36 for 36 on answering asks to celebrate 3 years and 3.6k followers! Thanks for playing!

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

Can confirm the timewarping ability of TTOU.

The totally normal spaceship is far more compelling than sleep. It’s truly excellent.

No idea why. Must be something to do with how totally normal everything is.

Aspen's not getting enough sleep and neither should the readers

[seat-safety-switch]

Have you been up to the ski hill this season? That's the sort of question that folks from places named things like Aspen, Whistler, and Shittleburg ask each other. Although I have lived my entire life in the snowier regions of North America, I have barely ever gone skiing. Why? The chair lift isn't fast enough.

Skiing is fun, nobody can debate this. You strap planks of waxed and potentially greased composite to your feet, then you let gravity do all the work. Thing is, at the bottom, you still need a way to get back up the hill to do it again. Some absolute genius invented the chair lift. It's sort of like a big belt drive with seats on it, and you hop your ass on one of those seats and it pulls you to the top. Great stuff all around, except for one thing. The rate of ascent is agonizing.

Sure, there's probably good reasons for this state of affairs. People get spooked by riding in open-air vehicles (a bench) with no protection whatsoever at high speeds. The wind will chap their lips, and the sound of the motor screaming away without a reduction gear makes it difficult to discuss the condition of the powder. It's just not that relaxing for the average human being. That's okay; they can take the slow one. I want the fast chair lift. I got places to be, and those places are the top of the mountain.

In fact, if you crank this puppy up, why am I only riding it up? Let's go down, too. These skis are too damn slow. And if everyone is so upset all the time about getting wind blowing in their face, then put a windshield on each bench. Maybe along with a four-speed manual transmission, so they can get the best ratio for the corners. Put some paddlewheel tires on it, and a 1.6L, cross-flow, high compression inline four engine that can rev to 10,000 rpm. Get rid of the belt entirely. I know it sounds like I've just described a dune buggy, which is weird, I agree. Coincidentally, this ski resort is also full of excellent, challenging areas in which to drift a dune buggy around. So let's have some dune buggy races here, if you're going to be so insistent on calling it that.

See? I'm having fun already. Thanks for the investment in this fantastic infrastructure, rich weirdos.

[magickkate]

Witches! Today, let's dive into the mystical world of correspondences associated with the days of the week. Each day holds its own unique energy and significance, making them powerful tools in your magical practice. Here's a quick guide to help you harness the magic of each day:

🌞 Sunday: Sunday is the first day of the week, perfect for new beginnings. This day rules the conscious element of the human mind, the ego, the "real self." It is your confidence, your strength, your resilience, your personal power. The sun is life giving, it’s energetic, it inspires growth and accomplishment. 

Planet: Sun Color: Yellow, Gold Plants: Sunflower + Marigold Stones: Diamond, Amber, Tiger's Eye, Carnelian, Sunstone, Topaz, Gold Herbs: Cedar, Frankincense, Lemon, St. Johns Wort Foods: Orange God(s)/Goddess(es): Brigid, Helios, Apollo, Lugh, and Beli or Bel

🥈Monday: Mondays are ruled by the moon and the divine feminine energy that this celestial body is associated with. The cycle of the moon has long been associated with the menstrual cycle. Therefor it is an excellent planet to work with for fertility, transformation, and change. 

Color: white, silver, blue Plants: bluebells, jasmine, gardenias, or white roses Stones: moonstone, pearl Herbs: Jasmine, Lemon, Sandalwood, Honeysuckle, Myrtle, Willow, and Wormwood Foods: Melon God(s)/Goddess(es): Selene, Luna, Diana, Artemis, and Toth

🏮Tuesday: Tuesday is ruled by the planet mars who is associated with the roman god of war Ares. This day of the week is perfect for any areas of your life that requires strength, courage and speed. 

Planet: Mars Color: scarlet, red, black, and orange Plants: snapdragon, thistle, and holly Stones: garnet, bloodstone Herbs: Basil, Ginger, Black Pepper, Dragon's blood and patchouli Foods: carrots, peppers, and garlic God(s)/Goddess(es): Ares, Tiwaz, Tiw, and Tyr

🔶Wednesday: Wednesday is ruled by the planet Mercury, making this the perfect day for communication. If there’s a conflict that needs addressing, a big decision to discuss, a promotion you want to ask your boss for, or any other situation where communication will be your sword, this is the day to harness that magic. 

Planet: Mercury Color: purple, orange Plants: fern, lavender, lily of the valley, aspen Stones: citrine, agate, aventurine, mica, pumice, quicksilver, zinc Herbs: lavender, eucalyptus, jasmine, sweet-pea Foods: unknown. God(s)/Goddess(es): Odin, Athena, Hermes

🍏Thursday: Thursdays are ruled by the planet Jupiter. It is also associated with the Norse god Thor and the Roman God Jupiter. Jupiter is the largest planet and therefor the most powerful. Thursday is the best day to perform manifesting magic. Prepare that money magic, ask for that raise, have fun with friends and loved ones. 

Planet: Jupiter Color: blue, purple, green Plants: oak, wheat Stones: amethyst, lepidolite, sugilite, tin Herbs: Clove, Oakmoss, Cinnamon, Musk, Nutmeg, and Sage Foods: unknown. God(s): Thor, Jupiter, Zeus, Taranis, Perun, and Perkunas.

📘Friday: Fridays are ruled by the feel good planet Venus. This day is usually associated with reward and relaxation due to the end of the work week, but the influence is also due to the celestial body that governs it. Fridays are for indulging. It’s date night. It’s a luxurious bath with a glass of wine. It’s celebrating your free time. 

Planet: Venus Color: pink and aqua Plants: rose Stones: rose quartz, jade, lapis lazuli, coral, emerald, malachite, copper Herbs: Rose, Yarrow, Cardamon, Strawberry, Sandalwood, Saffron, and Vanilla, Thyme Foods: strawberries God(s)/Goddess(es): Eros, Venus, Aphrodite, Freya

✒️ Saturday: Ruled by Saturn, Saturday is ideal for grounding, protection, and banishing negativity. It's a great day for spells related to structure, discipline, and long-term goals.

Planet: Saturn Color: black and deep purple Plants: pansy, morning glory , cypress  Stones: obsidian, hematite, or jet, Coral, Hematite, Salt, Lead, Serpentine, Pewter Herbs: Cypress, Myrrh, Patchouli, Black Poppy seeds, Mullein Foods: unknown. God(s)/Goddess(es): Hecate, Saetere, Saturn, Cronos, the Norns, Loki.

As always, while these correspondences can serve as a helpful guide, feel free to adapt them to suit your own intuition and magical practice. Experiment with different spells and rituals on each day to discover what resonates best for you. Embrace the magic of each day and let it guide you on your witchy journey! 🌟✨