#ive had 1 interview in 4 months

[toastedmothbread]

Why does no one want to hire me my cv cant be that bad wtf guys i just want a job that isn’t the worst suited thing to me ever, is that so hard to ask for. Please give me a new job. Please I promise I don’t smell.

[papasbaseball]

Malachi 4:1 (Cardinal Copia x OFC/Reader)

+18 CONTENT NOT FOR MINORS. MINORS KEEP SCROLLING

Pairing: Papa Emeritus IV x OFC/Reader

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Contains Implied/Referenced Torture, Sadism, Angry Sex

Summary: A new initiate is off on the wrong foot with one Cardinal Copia. Sometimes it is better to be ignorant and spared the rod.

Word Count: 1,312

Notes: READ THE WARNINGS. Translations are at the end.

AO3 Link

A page torn from a bible seemed appropriate for the plot. The nib scratched lightly at the wafer-thin paper, careful not to tear it. Cardinal Copia frowned as he copied the childish way none of her letters matched. If anyone had her best interest at heart they would break her of that immediately and quickly.

The grandfather clock and its beard of dust about the clock face chimed, the bell sounding too far away for the fact that it sat in the corner of his office. He blew quickly on the paper, creasing it lightly and tucking it into the pocket of his cassock next to his rosary. He shoved the bible into the bottom drawer of his desk and locked it. One minute.

As he opened the door, the voices of siblings wove and mingled until a cloud of cacophony drowned out the reason why he had left his office in the first place. The cardinal shut his eyes just long enough for him to regain his purpose, and then he shoved into the sea of bodies. Excuses lost themselves in his chest as he wove in and out of the cliques and loners. Thirty Seconds.

There. She looked like an albino rabbit in her initiate habit, waiting to be shot. She was glued to Sister Imperator’s side, right where he wanted her. Sister was leaning down so that the initiate could hear her over the sound of the crowd. The little rabbit had a confused look on her face. Her stupid little nose that scrunched and wriggled grated the blood cells against his veins. She had sat so well through her whole entrance interview. When it had come to his turn to question her, he had to do his best to keep the smile from his face. It was one of the few pleasures of life, publicly embarrassing interested candidates. If he didn’t, they’d walk around the Ministry with their head held high like Satan had placed it there. That needed to be earned and built from nothing. However, when he had gone to level her, she cleared the trick and even had the audacity to question him back.

She needed to be brought low, low enough to kiss his black leather dress shoes and then beg for mercy as they pressed that cheerful face of hers into the carpet of his office. He marched up to them and Sister Imperator looked to him, breaking her gossiping shelter.

“Copia,” she started.

“Cardinal,” he corrected. “Copia” could be used behind closed doors, but the little rabbit was already lacking in the necessary humility. Best to not give her any more ideas.

Sister Imperator rolled her eyes. “Cardinal, what may I do you for? Am I still meeting you for lunch today?”

“I am afraid lunch will have to be postponed,” he said, giving her a slight bow before producing the note from his pocket. “One of our sisters said she found this while turning down the initiate’s bed this morning.”

Sister Imperator took the note and unfolded the delicate paper, an end page from Malachi with just enough room for a message.

“The poor girl was quite disturbed and I had to quiet her,” he continued. “Traitorous ways can be most upsetting to the siblings.”

“Traitorous?” the initiate spoke up. “Sister Imperator, I would nev-“

The woman cut her off. “My dearest brother, I miss home so much. Only a few more months and then my assignment will be over. In Jes-“ she stopped herself before she could complete the holy closing. She lowered the note with a hurt expression. “Is this true? Have you come here to violate our sanctuary?”

“No!” she shrieked. “No, no, I would nev-“

Cardinal Copia cut her off this time, gloved hand held up to shush her. “Sister,” he addressed Imperator, “I know that you are incredibly busy. I will see to it that she is properly dealt with. Bring her to my office tonight.”

“You’re lying!” the girl shrieked again. The noisy rabbit had drawn the attention of a group of passing sisters, one of whom he recognized to be Terzo’s prime mover. Now she’d done it.

“Enough!” he snapped. “Bring her to my office this evening.” With that, he stormed off to the records office.

A cane? A whip? Maybe he should just go straight for the hot iron. The warm sizzle of her inner thigh being burned might make her think twice before embarrassing him like that again. He had no intention of actually getting her excommunicated. No, he was going to enjoy breaking her, making her apologize over and over and over and once more over again, only for nothing. Maybe he’d collect her tears in a little vial and make her wear it around her neck as a vessel of shame.

The office door squeaked violently as he threw it open, ignoring the front desk and heading straight for the intake tray on top of the file cabinet. Her folder was still there. His gloved hand ripped it from the wire tray, sending the container clattering to the floor. What was one more misstep when Papa Terzo would undoubtedly hear about how the little bitch had gotten away with mouthing off to him in the hallway? The door hardly made any sound as he slammed it shut, the smooth voice of Terzo taunting him in his head. Rattino, dovrò comprarle un sacco in cui possa portare le tue palle.

As he stormed down the now empty halls, his mind batted back and forth the thoughts of whipping her and comebacks for that insufferable clown of a Papa. Maybe she would come to appreciate holding her tongue around him if he dislocated her jaw by forcing her to service one of his ghouls? His nose wrinkled at the thought upon returning to his office.

No. He should be the one to punish her. Her suffering would be soured in his heart if she didn’t cry herself to sleep every night over only him. The deadbolt flipped as easily as the folder did, showing him her innocent rabbit nose and soft lips paperclipped to the corner. Had she ever been kissed before? They looked as if no one had had the pleasure of taking them between their teeth, biting just enough to make her beg to have her mouth violated.

His cock ached as the blood rushed to it, thinking about making her gag and choke on it. The door secured, he gathered the front of his cassock and slipped his cock out into the grip of his gloved hand. The soft leather dragged along the shaft, bringing forth a bead of cum. She should be there, on her knees before him, tongue ready and wet to catch his spend. If he broke her well enough, she could make for a pretty and calm thing with eyes that lit up at the thought of pleasing him.

His grip tightened as he set the file down to fully appreciate the black and white likeness of her. The leather squeezed as he imagined her tight cunt clenching around him, the roses in her cheeks blooming across her rabbit-like face as he choked her. The way she would sob as he let go…

The thread of pleasure had been caught too soon and spurts of his cum soon decorated both the file and that pretty little face of hers. The fun had been had too soon. He shoved the file off the desk, the papers catching in the air with snaps and skidding across the marble floor. He collapsed in one of the chairs meant for visitors as he tried to catch his breath. Yet another slight he would have to punish her for.

“Un bavaglio,” he mumbled as he straightened his underwear, cassock, and pectoral cross, “e poi le picchierò il culo petulante.”

Translations: Rattino, dovrò comprarle un sacco in cui possa portare le tue palle. - Little rat, I'll have to buy her a sack to carry your balls in. Un bavaglio, e poi le picchierò il culo petulante. - A gag, and then I'll beat her petulant ass.

[viathecloset]

Taehyung and jungkook's relationship is overlooked by 90% of the fandom solely because they are so controlled by the narrative of the fandom/company that they cannot quite accept that anything outside is even a remote possibility. Ive been more of a quiet observer for years now [my sister's an army since 2015] and I've seen the boys, moreover I know how marketing and kpop works. It's quite evident if u observe close enough of the pattern on how this group of seven guys who genuinely love music is marketed you would understand to what extent you're being brainwashed. Im not talking about this like a conspiracy theorist. It's quite simple and right infront of you. Yall refuse to accept it that's all.

1. There are a certain set of stories that are made to be told by them, over and over again. Even if it disturbs them or they are bored. E.g: 2018 disbandment story, vmin dumpling incident, jikook rain fight/tokyo trip, mind you there are many things that happend between people who lived together for 10+ yrs but if it cuts the flow of events you are made to believe happened you aren't gonna hear from it, ever.

2. Like stories there are dynamics that each pair is supposed to portray Taegi as annoying/annoyed duo, taejin/jikook as flirty HS boyfriends, namseok/taekook the awkward old friends and no matter how much the relationships change or evolve you won't see it cuz again, it won't FIT the narrative that has already been shown.

3. Like relationships there are characteristics that thankfully some members chose to break out of during their solo era: hoseok always being sunshine and loud ( he's quite serious and very dedicated infact ), jungkook being that muscle dude who only knows how to follow his Hyungs ( he's very independent and has a lot of targets he wants to achieve individually, he's very thoughtful and organized) and Taehyung being WEIRD and weak ( he's extremely intelligent and super strong he's strategic and disciplined)

4. This brings us to the whole Taekook narrative, the fact that they've been seen so much during solo era yet people had the audacity to still call them distant and awkward solely cuz it wasn't via company but through Taehyung's ig or jungkook mentioning him in interviews etc. I think it's needless to say they aren't comfortable being touchy and showy on camera for content, hell if they were to shoot everytime Taehyung and jungkook hangout there would he enough CONTENT till 2067. They're supportive of eo and have a very big shared friend circle, when jungkook went missing for almost 2 months we got to know Taehyung was the one he was with.

5. The thing is everyone [ including my own sister ] thinks that Taehyung is being desperate or such whenever he mentions Taehyung cuz a. Yall have actually led jokers run so fucking rampant that everytime the man mentions him actually doing something you're ready to throw him under the bus and call him a liar or such. b. Im not saying jungkook isn't close to anyone else but when he isn't working or shooting content and just wants to be himself the one you saw him most was around Taehyung and yes it matters. In the name of hating shippers yall have not only dissed the quite frankly PRIVATE bond they seem to share but went as far as dissing Taehyung himself cuz of the extreme level of manipulation yall are under.

Ik imma find armys [jikookers ]under this sooner or later calling me names but to be honest I'm sick and tired of yall dissing very real people and their very real human relationships solely based off the content yall are made to believe is 100% candid. Go touch grass, get friends, go date, don't obsess over them for a while then come back and try seeing it from a neutral perspective.

[thenighttrain]

it’s been a few months but i still can’t believe i got my current job my doing a 1-hour job interview only 4 days after my old bosses validated all my worst insecurities, it was the lowest i’d ever felt, etc. and then i had to smile and act confident and like i really believed in myself 😭 literally one of the toughest things ive ever done

[dervampireprince]

Hey prince! Have you listened to Skeleta yet? If so care to share some thoughts? /nf /pos

Okay so firstly this is my opinion and if I don't like a song it doesn't mean I think it's a bad song it just means I personally don't like it.

So I already liked Santanized and Peacefields when they were released as singles. Lachryma I did not particularly like or dislike, was pretty neutral on it, but though I may like it if j listen to it more but I've still only listened to it once when the single came out because then I got really busy with the donothon and now I'm busy with giveaways and commissions and life and world news stresses that I haven't had the brain energy to give it another proper listen (yes listening to new music can take up my brain batteries it's easier for me to listen to music I already know when I'm stressed).

As for the non-singles. When then album dropped at midnight in the UK I listened to the tracks I hadn't already heard. I like Umbra (welcome back cowbell ghoul i missed you) and Excelsis. That's it. I couldn't even listen to thr rest of the songs all the way through because I disliked them so much I had to skip to the next track because I couldn't make myself keep listening to it, music is for fun and I wasn't having fun.

So I like 4/10 songs off the album. A further 2 I might start liking more if I listened to them more (lachryma and whichever one the 'love rockets' one was) but no guarantee. And I know a lot of people are saying the album just takes a lot of listens to like but trust me when I say I know when a song makes me 'hmm idk but if k listen to it more I might like it' and when it makes me 'nope don't like this one, always going to skip it". Maybe I'll be proven wrong but I really don't want people to come tell me that I'm wrong or I will like them or I'm 'listening to it wrong' (have been told that before) like no we just have different opinions and that's okay, it doesn't make me like ghost any less. I'm not one of the fans who's mad it doesn't sound like opus because?? Of course it doesn't?? Bands grow and evolve and change who was reasonably expecting it to sound like their first album from 15 years ago??

Also you didn't ask, but gonna use this as a space to ramble about my thoughts on the supposed retconning of the ghost lore (literally just gonna paste my discord ramble, again just my opinions):

... im ignoring the retcon and still believing in the original lore cos i dont have time for this.

partly im like yeah sure he can do whatever he wants with his lore and hes never cared that much about it or taken it that seriously. but then the other part of me is like but a lot of fans do the lore means a lot to fans and they love making fan content so is it wrong for me to want tobias sometimes to care a bit about it on behalf of the fans that do since theyre the ones selling out your arenas and merch and movie.. idk

for those that dont know, tobias has retconned the family tree. original papa nihil is the father of papa 1 (primo), papa 2 (secondo, papa 3 (terzo), and the twins papa iv (copia) and papa v (perpetua), they all have different mothers, terzo and secondo are liek 4 months apart in age, and copia and perpetua's mothers are either canonically sister imperator or implied to be hers. this is how the lore has been since like 2010 until a couple weeks ago...

now new lore is that nihil is the older brother of primo, secondo and terzo, and only the father of copia and perpetua. people thought tobias mispoke in an interview but it seems to be the new canon (at least thats what people are saying). which is strange because even in the livestream they had the other day they were still showing the old chapters webseries which states nihil is their father not brother.

so maybe tobias will undo the retconn, idk. i thought he mispoke, most of us did, but now im seeing people saying no its canon so i guess he confirmed it somewhere but i havent seen where

if the family tree is retconned its still canon in my mind anyway. nihil to me is a shitty dad with 5 kids who all have daddy issues because of him, primo's always gonna be the heir, secondo's always gonna be the middle child who has self-worth issues and didnt get much love or attention and feels like he constantly has to prove himself, and terzo is the baby who flirts with everyone but is secretly insecure and wants love. copia's a silly guy who never got to bond with the others and maybe didnt know they were his brothers until after their deaths. thats what they're always gonna be to me.

Anyway that's my thoughts on skeleta and my ramble on the lore retconning

[charlotte-of-wales]

People treat Catherine's recovery and the conspiracy theories around it as guessing game about final episode of a TV show. I hate that one of the main arguments is 'she left hospital hours after births in full glam and make up so there has to be something wrong this time around'. She had a major surgery that as stated at the beginning required 14 days at hospital and months of recovery, obviously there's something wrong. None of her births was problematic as far as we know.

It's sad that social media era and influencers warped people's brains that they stopped understanding the concept of privacy and think it means anything but privacy. She is a public servant, but that doesn't mean we're entitled to her entire medical history.

yeah. It’s wild to me because I honestly think she’s the only famous woman right now who people can make conspiracies like this about and the general public doesn’t get offended by what’s clearly a gross intrusion and break of privacy. If Taylor Swift told the press she was disappearing off the public eye for 4 months due to a serious surgery and then half the internet was suggesting that she was locked up in a mental health facility in Switzerland to treat eating disorders because she seemed a little too skinny last time she was seen, it would never fly. But because KaTE MiDDleToN is public enemy #1 since the Oprah interview it’s all fun and games.

Also the pregnancy comparisons are so dumb. There was public interest involved and BABIES. Do they expect Catherine to come out and present her IV bag to the world at the steps of the London Clinic?

[sunnyyflowerrs]

Fanfic Writer Interview ✍️

hii rinnn @uriekukistan tysm for the tag!! <33

tagging anyone who wants to join in!

How many works do you have on AO3?

currently i have 10

Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:

1. fire extinguishers work just fine (https://archiveofourown.org/works/57077986/chapters/145164676)

2. five times the first years thought their sensei had a girlfriend + one time they figured it out (https://archiveofourown.org/works/56900434)

3. makes the heart grow fonder (https://archiveofourown.org/works/56275984)

4. copy cat (https://archiveofourown.org/works/58328917)

5. is it gay if our pinkies are intertwined? (https://archiveofourown.org/works/59123413/chapters/150748261)

(sorry for the ugly links tumblr was fighting me and i was Losing.)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

yes i do!! or at least i try to as much as i can, ive been bludgeoned to near death by school recently, but normally im good about it. i always always always appreciate comments and love to yap abt my fics (can you tell) and appreciate the time it took for someone to drop a comment so i love responding!! im slacking rnnn but trust imma get to that soon 🙏

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

ok im allergic to sad endings so i think the “angstiest” ending ive got is in makes the heart grow fonder. which is technically just canon jjk ending so

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

ngl, all of them 💀 they all end with itafushi together and in love and like no deaths so like what is happier??

i guess i would say copy cat has the happiest ending just bc they are not in jjk verse and their families and friends are all alive and not traumatized or whatever yk

Do you write crossovers?

no i never have! i probably wouldn’t bc it seems like a lot to juggle and i only really have jjk brainrot, but maybe i would write a fic of saiki k and gojo interacting bc that sounds hilarious

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

not yet, but that’s mostly bc i’m basic asf

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

no sir, i’m too shy and under qualified for that, i was literally shitting my pants trying to write a kiss scene 💀

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

nope! i … actually did not know that was a thing

Have you ever had a fic translated?

also no! that would be so cool tho

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

YES I HAVE!! me and my friend @kentuckyfriedmegumi wrote the fic is it gay if our pinkies are intertwined together!! i had a dumbass idea and tess enabled me, and after 9 months (3 weeks) we birthed a beautiful baby fic <3 it was so fun writing tgth, our styles melded so well and i was able to outsource the kiss scene to her lol

i love tess and her writing so it was so great to work with her!! i thought co writing would be much harder but with her it was so easy and i would to do it again!! and there are so many authors i would love to collab with as well <33

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

itafushi!!! as you can tell. my entire ao3 account is basically a shrine to them

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

i have this reallyyyy good idea for an itfs fic that’s set 10 years in the future after itafushi goes no contact, and they are forced to be teachers tgth at jujutsu tech (at like 27/28 ish) super slowburn, super intense, lotssss of tension.

but it would definitely have to be multi chapter and i lowk swore off of multi chapters for the foreseeable future since they kinda stress me out so, we’ll see. might happen wayyyyyyy later but not anytime soon.

What are your writing strengths?

i would say my biggest strength is threading canon into alternate universes. ig that’s super fanfic specific but it’s usually my favorite part of writing, seeing how i can interpret them in diff universes, it’s SO fun!

also i think im pretty decent at humor. or well, i make myself laugh and thats all that matters, right?

What are your writing weaknesses?

i think description. i tend to be veryyyy dialogue focused when i write, because i can see the scenes playing out in my head, but that means when i go and fill in description im like. struggling to find words.

i also think my pacing tends to be reallly fast when i don’t mean it to be (see above for why..) andddddd i mix tenses up so often it’s criminal. editing is a bitch.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

hmmm i’m unfortunately monolingual. or technically i’m bilingual but in an obscure language my characters would never know so, prob no dialogue in other languages. i think it hits if done correctly though

What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

LINK CLICK!! genuinely one of my favorite shows ever but i never got a chance to write for it. i kinda have a devious fic idea but ive been so swamped with school and use my writing time on jjk so i haven’t gotten the chance.

also i recently joined the link click gotcha for gaza so maybe that will kick start me into writing for them!!

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

oh wow this is hard. i think “think fast” is a really good contender, but i think my actual favorite fic is something that’s still in the works, hopefully to be released soon.

and if we’re talking my favorite fic to giggle to it’s def copy cat, one of my silliest i love it

[mispronouncing-michaelangelo]

fic author interview

tagged by @sunriseverse (lets gooooo)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

23, which is honestly more then i expected but worlds less then i actually write. i also cleared out a few a few months back so it was a bit more this time last year

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

115,185,,,, sort fics my beloved uwu

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

just gonna post top 3 but its You fuck like a demon (a good omens fic that i dont really like anymore but i dont dislike it enough to take it down), an unrightful claim to the throne (a drawtectives fic that i actually really like about york fighting his brother to the death so that one can be crowned prince) and His body was found days before it was discovered (which is one of my all time fave fics ive written, very in my wheelhouse and very me)

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i do! and i do because i love and enjoy them and i like engaging! i also feel like it encourages more comments cause readers know i check them

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

its been deleted now but i want to rework it and repost it at some point, but it was an mdzs + dead ringers au where basically post jgy's death, lwj tries to support lxc but they become horrifically co-dependant

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

oh fuck okay so i dont really do happy endings,,, the happiest ending i have is probably Nuptial Flights,,, where they characters end up laying bloody in a field for a bit,, like thats as happy as it gets haha

7. Do you write crossovers?

no crossovers but some au's of other media

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

probably back in like 2012 yeah but not in relevant years haha

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

i have but not alot?? im a classic omegaverse/werewolf girlie when i do though

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

nope! and i hope it stays like that

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

also nope, but i have translated one of my own works as a gift to a friend

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

nope!

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

all time??? oh fuck this has changed a lot over the years, but i guess i always eventually come back to zuko/katara

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

The re-naming of cats!!! i love this fic so much but ah, how do say, i was deeply traumatised when i wrote it, and have recovered to a point where i legit dont think i can write like i need to to finish it

15. What are your writing strengths?

i have a really specific control of flow in a really stylistic way that i think is probably one of my stronger points

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

dialog. i just,, its hard,,,

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

i dont really have a strong opinion on it aye, as long as its done respectfully and its serving some purpose to your fic i say go for it

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

lotr i think????? maybe?????

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

wei wuxian and wen ning,, i just,, i need something fucked up to happen between them haha

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written

probably 'His body was found days before it was discovered'

okay so im gonna tag @wifiwuxians and @raspberrymama but no obligation if you dont want to aye!

[attractthecrows]

OC INTERVIEW

I was going through my Sy tag and found this old tag game from [checks timestamp] 2015. Since I'm dusting her off for a new playthrough I thought I'd update it. 

Tagged: some 9 years ago by @ofwolvesandshatteredshields (HAHA SURPRISE!)

Tagging: oh god oh fuck um. uh. hm

@storybookhawke @hawkeykirsah @greywardan @dammithawke @warden-mahariel and ive run out of people. do it anyways its fun 

Pick one of your characters and answer as if you're them being interviewed. Tag some others. 

CHARACTER: Sylaira Mahariel (Longbowman, Ranger, Assassin, HoF, died bringing down the Archdemon)

If I get into it I may compile like an actual article written by Brother Genitivi about Warden Mahariel (interviewed after the Landsmeet but before the battle of Denerim) but thats a bigass maybe lmfao

ANYWAYS LET's BEGIN

1. What is your name?

Sy Mahariel

2. What is your real name?

That is my real name. Sy is short for Sylaira, if you wish to be pedantic. Most simply call me Grey Warden, which suits me just fine.

3. Do you know why you were called that?

I'm called Grey Warden because that's what I am. …Oh, you meant the name?

My parents died before I had the chance to ask them. Ashalle told me once that my mother honored Sylaise; I assume that's why. Our names are similar, though I'm not exactly the best disciple of the Hearthkeeper.

4. Single or taken?

Taken for granted, primarily. Next question.

5. Have any abilities or powers?

I am a Dalish hunter. What does that tell you?

…Oh, all right. We - the hunters, that is - are proficient with longbows, shortbows, light blades, and simple potion-making, though we usually leave that for the craftsmen. Basic survival and tracking skills are also standard. Personally, I prefer longbows. Mine is dragonthorn and sylvanwood.

And over the course of the Blight I've picked up the skills of a ranger, and Grey Wardens have their own abilities.

6. Some have called you a Mary Sue. Thoughts?

Is that a reference to some shem hero? There are far too many.

7. What's your eye color?

I'm sitting right in front of you. Have you not eyes? They are blue, last I checked.

The color used to be deeper, in fact. It's faded out some in recent months. Blight sickness will do that.

8. What's your hair color?

…Black, as you can see. Have you received a blow to the head recently? What is the relevance of this, anyways? If you're committing my likeness to paper, focus on the vallaslin. It is the Hearthkeeper, Sylaise's pattern of clan Sabrae. Also in blue, I may add.

9. Have you got any family members?

My clan is my family. I had to leave them when I was recruited by the Warden Duncan, or risk spreading the Blight to them all.

10. Oh? What about pets?

There is a wardog that imprinted on me after the battle of Ostagar. Clever thing, highly loyal, obsessed with food. He reminds me of an old friend of mine, so I call him Fenarel.

11. Now tell me about something you don't like.

You don't have enough paper in that little notebook of yours, Genitivi, nor do we have time. In summary, though: Darkspawn. The Chantry. Wastefulness. And arrogant shems who think they know what's best.

12. Do you have any hobbies you enjoy?

Look around us, old man. We are in the midst of a Blight. I am one of two total Grey Wardens remaining in the entirety of Ferelden. Do you think I have time for hobbies?

Before the Blight, I enjoyed assisting Master Ilen, the clan craftsman. He tells me I have a good hand for bowmaking.

13. Ever hurt anyone before?

I challenge you to find me a Dalish hunter who has not.

14. Ever killed anyone before?

[She stares deadpan at me.] Are you serious?

You're serious.

Yes, I have killed people, you stupid shemlen.

Humans threatening our clan. Bandits. Carta. Blood mages. Tevinter slavers. Overzealous templars. Casteless thugs. Deeply, deeply stupid farmers hoping for reward money. Idiot knights defending the honor of an honorless man. At least two Arls and a Teyrn. Shall I continue?

15. What kind of animal are you?

I am an elf.

Ah, metaphorically. I've no idea. Wardens are associated with griffons, are they not? Likely one of those.

16. What are your worst habits?

I hold onto hope when I should be practical, according to Sten. I am too forgiving, according to Morrigan. I am too compassionate, according to Shale. I catastrophize too much, according to Zevran, which seems silly, to me; we're in a Blight. This is a catastrophe. I am too reckless, according to Alistair. And I drink too much.

17. Do you look up to anyone?

In the clan, I looked up to the hahrens; we all do. I looked up to Duncan, when he was alive. Neither of those are available to me now.

18. Orientation?

Looks to be… south-southwest.

That's not what I meant.

I know what you meant and am giving you an easy out.

19. Did you go to school?

Isn't that what shem nobles do with their children? No, we don't do that. We follow the Vir Tanadhal or Vir Atish'an, and every hunter knows the Vir Banal'ras. Dalish children are taught our history and culture by the hahrens. But no, there is no "school".

20. Would you want to marry and have children one day?

I did, once. I was… you humans call it 'betrothed'? I had hoped to marry Tamlen. But that is not possible anymore.

21. Have any fans?

Preoccupation with me tends to lead more to assassins than 'fans'.

22. What are you most afraid of?

I do not hold fear in my heart.

23. What do you usually wear?

I spend most of my time on the battlefield, so, armor.

24. Do you love someone?

Yes.

24a. Care to elaborate?

No.

25. When was the last time you wet yourself?

[she levels an icy glare at me and does not answer]

26. We're not done yet…

Then stop asking stupid questions.

27. What 'class' are you?

What, like noble, commoner, mage? The Dalish don't do that.

28. How many friends do you have?

More than you'd think, although likely I will not see many of them again. And the people traveling with me will always be important to me.

29. Thoughts on pie? 

Leliana's mentioned that. It's a type of food, yes? I've never had it.

[We take a brief intermission while I find us some pie.]

This is… fruit? In a pastry? It's good. Impractical - we could never make such things in the aravels - but tasty.

30. Favorite drink?

The only 'drink' we get with any regularity is… I'm not sure how to describe it, actually. Alistair calls it "Grey Whiskey". It's quite something.

In my clan, we make honey mead and wild fruit wines. Those always remind me of home.

31. What's your favorite place?

There is a birch grove in the Brecilian forest. I imagine it's fallen to the Blight, by now. I used to go there with Tamlen, a long time ago.

32. Are you interested in someone?

[She does not meet my gaze.] Even if I were, such follies are dangerous.

33. What's your cup size?

[I had barely enough time to notice her glare before her fist shot out and collided with my nose. In lieu of an answer, she threw a rag at me to staunch the blood.]

34. Would you rather swim in a lake, or the ocean?

[She laughs. It's unexpected, but a lovely sound.] Have you been to the Ferelden coast, Genitivi? It'd be safer to swim in Orzammar. Lakes, thank you very much.

35. What's your type?

Not you. Next question.

36. Any fetishes?

[She glares at me.]

37. Top or bottom? Dominant or submissive?

[She stands to leave.]

38. No, please don't leave. I'm sorry. Do you prefer camping or sleeping indoors?

[She sits back down.] You, old man, have a fondness for dangerous and inappropriate questions. This I will answer, though my patience wears thin.

I prefer camping. My entire life prior to the Blight, I remember being able to hear the wind in the trees and see the sky. It is comforting to know one's place in nature. Walls and roofs have their place, but I don't like them, and I particularly dislike being underground.

39. Do you carry anything sentimental?

…Yes. All Grey Wardens wear a pendant that we receive after the Joining. And I've kept my old hunting gloves; Ashalle gave them to me when I received my vallaslin, and they were made by Master Ilen. [After a long, heavy moment, she slips a ring off of her finger and places it in my palm. It is a simple band carved from wood, detailed with elfroot leaves, warm in the hand.] And this - you call it a promise ring, I believe. Tamlen gave me this, a long time ago, before we came of age, before the Blight, to declare our intent to marry. Ma vhenan. Ma abelas. It reminds me of what I have lost. I will carry it until my death.

40. Thank you for your time.

Mhm. I recommend leaving the city, old man. You're in no condition to defend yourself from hordes of darkspawn, and they're approaching quickly.

[because-im-a-mirrorball]

hey there marybeth it’s been awhile!! how are you? lots of things to Catch up On in my world! the job i was just starting the last time we talked ended up fiRing me after 3 months because i called their maNager out for stealing tips from our tip share so. that’s fun! not the best first entry into the workforce but it’s ok. my eras tour show was so aMazing, and i actually ended up standing outside the stadium in pittsbUrgh which was really fun!! i also went on a major Family vacation (not saying where because i’ve talked about it on my main haha) and it was incredible. but enough about me, what’s new with you? what are your plans for this Fall? my fall is going to be filled with school, volleyball, and mIssing my sister as she just left for college :( see you sooN!

CORN MUFFIN ANON MY BELOVED!!!! 🌽🧁 @cornmuffinanon sounds like you’ve had much going on!! I’m so glad you had a great time at the eras tour, I did too! I saw her in Atlanta and then was in the parking lot for Seattle and just loved it.

I did my student teaching Jan-April and just loved it. Loved my cooperating teacher, loved my kids, loved teaching. Passed edTPA!! Which was just disgustingly stressful and was a huge contributor to me absolutely disappearing from here.

I graduated college back in May, moved across the country, and am currently job hunting for a teaching position. I actually have 2 or 3 interviews this week so fingers crossed for that 🤞🏻🤞🏻. School doesn’t start til after Labor Day where I live now so that’s a weird schedule adjustment in my brain and it’s stressing me that I don’t have a full teaching position yet. I’m set up to substitute if nothing else, but I’d really ideally like my own classroom.

Let’s see, what else is new with me? Since last we spoke, I dated a guy for 2 months then got dumped 4 days after putting a label on it bc I was moving and he didn’t want to do long distance (he knew the entire time we dated that I was moving and we specifically discussed it when we labeled it). Good news with that though is that I got him into Taylor Swift so now he can never listen to her and not think of me :) small wins ya know?

Anyway so I moved and I’m much closer to my family (read: I moved back in with my parents and sibling after 3 years living alone… big change) but it’s nice to not be on total opposite sides of the country. I’ve managed to start making some friends/friend adjacent people with the group I found for dnd.

I’ve been reading TONS more this year, most especially this summer. From May to now, I’ve read 35 books! And total of 48 so far this year. My goal is 52 books and to read at least 1 page every day and ive met that so far! I have a 232 day reading streak. Best book find of this year by far is The House Witch series by Delemhach. It’s about this witch who becomes the cook for this king and castle of people and his magic all revolves around making people in his home feel safe and welcome 🥹🥹 it’s just so sweet and cozy and low stakes, while still having a compelling story and it’s SO funny!!!

I’m really in the fall mood and so excited for pumpkin spice to return this week 🍂🍁

Anyway there’s my life update ramble, thanks for listening Corn Muffin Anon!! I love you and hope you have the best day

[nikysavi]

I haven't finished it LOL but here's the stuff I've written down

1. For now – around 83 books

2. I've reread Wilimowski by Miljenko Jergović (bc I wanted to write an article about it but then I've decided not to) and Migrations, the book 1, by Miloš Crnjanski (I did write an article)

3. I. Interview with the vampire by Anne Rice (and now I try to read all the books and I used to be a huge fan for a couple of months before I got into Pathologic; I like it partially bc I'm queer and its my home, partially bc its a really good book); II. Dnevnik o Čarnojeviću/Čarnojević's Journal by Miloš Crnjanski (First of all, I've had a Crnjanski fase this summer until I learned that Crnjanski was a Nazi, so, keep this in mind and Miloše, nek' crvlja pod zemljom ti; Second of all, I still love this book bc how sorrowful and personal it is, so I recommend you ti give it a try; also, he wrote it before he found out about Nazism; TW war) III. Tempo di uccidere/Time to Kill by Ennio Flaiano (its similar in a lot of ways to Čarnojević's Journal, but more brutal and from the perspective of a fascist Italian soldier; TW fascist Italy, murder, colonialism, misogyny, war), IV. Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Ambroise Choderlos de Laclos (it was WILD; TW French aristocracy and their shenanigans, including pedo stuff and forced abortion); V. Неспящие by Барбара Морриган (I hate to like it and think about it occasionally to this day bc there's a lot of homophobia in this book & from the author herself (and a lot of other things I hated). Abeo didn't deserve the treatment he got. Also the main character is an assole and he doesn't change in the end. And there's a lot of stupidity. But I liked it a lot as well as the author is talented and writes well)

4. As I said, I try to read all VC, so I must say I really enjoy Anne Rice this year.

5. I can't say, bc I read a big variety of genres. It would be easier to count what genres I read the least

6. A majority of my bookshelf. Проклятье Жеводана by Джек Гольб, Табак by Димитр Димитров, Сиротки series by Мария Вой, The Imitation of Christ, Going Postal... It's like 1% of what I was intended to read

7. 4.3 and I think it's accurate. I'm usually generous with my ratings. It's hard for me to focus so if the book was well-written/interesting, I will most likely give it 5 stars.

8. Nah:D I only have a goal of 85 books this year

end-of-year book ask

How many books did you read this year?

Did you reread anything? What?

What were your top five books of the year?

Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

What genre did you read the most of?

Was there anything you meant to read, but never got to?

What was your average Goodreads rating? Does it seem accurate?

Did you meet any of your reading goals? Which ones?

Did you get into any new genres?

What was your favorite new release of the year?

What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read?

Any books that disappointed you?

What were your least favorite books of the year?

What books do you want to finish before the year is over?

Did you read any books that were nominated for or won awards this year (Booker, Women’s Prize, National Book Award, Pulitzer, Hugo, etc.)? What did you think of them?

What is the most over-hyped book you read this year?

Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

How many books did you buy?

Did you use your library?

What was your most anticipated release? Did it meet your expectations?

Did you participate in or watch any booklr, booktube, or book twitter drama?

What’s the longest book you read?

What’s the fastest time it took you to read a book?

Did you DNF anything? Why?

What reading goals do you have for next year?

[jujubeesupreme]

I have an interview tomorrow and I hope to God all goes well. I'm so tired of the constant disrespect from my job. For my entire work career (12 years) I've been stuck on nights no matter what I do. The job i currently have hired me for mornings and 1 month later they added a 2nd shift and moved me there against my will. Fast forward 3 years and I finally escape and make it to morninga at the cost of a small pay cut. Fine I guess, but at least I'm on mornings and in a department that i don't hate. 2 months into the new position, they tell me I'll need to go to nights for 1-2 weeks to help support seeing as a nighttime employee quit and my department is small. Fine, but 2 weeks and that's it. 7 months later, after threatening my bosses with HR and asking them to explain to me why it has to be ME on nights instead of all the new hires they keep throwing on and keeping on mornings despite my protests, they finally put my back on mornings.

Fast forward to last week. First day back on mornings. My bosses boss pulls me aside and says that the new guy who can't be bothered to show up to work on time and is constantly on his phone is getting promoted to the position that I've been after since I started at this company almost 4 years ago, and he didn't even ask for it, they're just giving it to him because it's slightly more convenient than training me for this entry level position. Ouch. But wait, there's MORE! Now that the new guy is leaving the department, they have to put me back on nights for coverage. I once again asked, why ME SPECIFICALLY?? his response? "I'm really sorry man and I know it sucks, but if my job was easy I wouldn't have to give this bad news to you, so I get it, this kind of stuff makes my job hard. I don't have an answer"

Then he offered me a fist bump. "No hard feelings?" I walked away, went into the bathroom to calm down, and all the frustration came out. Eventually I had to go back to work so I did. My immediate manager pulled me aside and she could tell I had been crying. So I told her everything I had told her boss and she asked me to just put up with it for a little longer while they find a replacement and I'd be back on mornings. I told her I didn't believe her, and left it at that. Went back to work, and now here I am, back on nights typing this out, hoping that tomorrow's interview goes okay. Because I really can't do this anymore.

And to make things a little clearer, no I'm not bad at my job, my records actually indicate that I excel in whatever department I'm in and I show up on time every day. Every single promotions ive gotten, ive had to fight tooth and nail to get, while others around me get offered them despite being shit at their jobs. And it's not even about the fact that I didn't get the position, it's about the fact that I didn't even get a chance to go for it. And these positions NEVER open up. In the 4 years I've been with this company, only 2 of them opened up and it was when I was new and unqualified. It also comes with a 45% pay bump and the chance to learn some real life practical skills. Last thing, why don't I get another job? I've desperately been trying but everything is a massive downgrade in pay with more responsibilities. I get paid at almost the top % of people in my field so that's kind of out of the question. Even so, it's just not a livable wage, if it wasn't for my wife I would be able to afford to live. The job I have an interview for now is the job I want but the pay wasn't listen on the job search board. Not exactly uncommon, and a big red flag, I know but I'm desperate.

To anyone who actually read all of this, thank you, I just needed to vent and I'm sure my wife is tired of hearing about it. I'm just so tired and angry.

[trckstergods]

if this doesn't post as a read more i'm logging off for at least a week

i have just enough money to pay for my last semester of college but ive been having SUCH a horrible time financially like Things Keep Happening like an ER visit, and my cat getting a UTI, and then i had to get a new tire of my car, and today my phone finally broke too badly for me to justify using it so I had to buy a new one. I've put maybe $200 into my savings in literally 3 months

and i REALLY wanted to go on a backpacking trip but that costs money that I dont have. i might be cashing in my PTO at work to afford something because I haven't taken any time off in more than a year (i have 90 hours of PTO if that tells you anything. I'd love to use it but all i can afford to do is sit at home. and what's the fuckinng point of that)

then if i get accepted into PA school (honestly i'm losing hope) I'll have to find $500-$1000 just to secure my seat. And what if someone gives me an interview but it's in person? then I have to pay for a hotel room and gas too

i have a counseling appointment on friday but i'm about to cancel it because it's going to cost me at least $75 but probably more like $150. and if I dont the first thing i'm going to have to say to her is "i can't really afford to be here right now so idk if this intake appointment is even useful"

oh and also I have to teach myself undergraduate physics because my professor sucks. I got a 65 on the first exam which is the lowest grade I've gotten since I decided to go back to school. got a 75 on an epidemiology assignment that i did today too. i'm ready to give up because i've yet to enjoy any part of this college experience except my art minor. and i could have learned the same shit for 1/4 of the cost at the local art center. fucking useless except to raise my garbage gpa. most expensive, useless mistake of my fucking life. I should have just been a travel scrub tech at least then I wouldn't feel stupid all the time.

[mononijikayu]

another thing about this, we know nothing about rhaenyra's life BUT how eeriely similar it was to matilda's. matilda and her husband often don't meet because matilda herself had to rule in her lands in normandy and also visit her father in england to pray her homage to him while geoffrey had his own lands in anjou to rule it.

despite that distance and that little time with each other, matilda and geoffrey managed to have three sons. which was fairly a common thing. another good example is charles v, holy roman emperor and his wife isabella. they were often apart FOR months on end because charles had to travel between the imperial lands and still managed to have children in between that short period of time.

laenor being heir of driftmark was often away and joined rhaenyra on times she needed him or if he was needed at court and she visits him and laena, when she moves there with daemon once again. it was very normal historically for laenor to not be with rhaenyra ALL THE TIME. him being a consort does not mean that's all he is. he is his father's heir in driftmark — he was still needed there and expected to carry his duty to his lands and people.

him not being with rhaenyra or his children often in the books does not indicate the lack of fondness — because his death does impact the velaryon boys quite a lot because the velaryon boys only ever got aggressive in the fight in driftmark AFTER he died, as the velaryon boys were being mocked by aemond with their rumoured bastardry.

and that once again is just rumours as,

1. first men blood is in rhaenyra and laenor's genes — even with their magical blood, genetics is a lottery and you see this with latter targaryens whom all ended up having diversified features. the velaryon boys not being valyrian in features does not negate anything.

2. it was noted that laenor could have coupled with rhaenyra with either of their lovers present — laenor being gay does not stop him from siring an heir willingly. there are historical men like james vi/i of scotland and england were gay, if not bisexual and had children with their wives. him and rhaenyra enjoying lovers together and still having legitimate blood children is not an unheard of thing historically.

3. we don't really know what harwin looks like. we know that he was rhaenyra's lover, as we got grrm's confirmation about them when he did interviews for hotd. we don't get confirmation of them having kids or what he actually looks like in the canon of the books. the only strong we know of was blond.

4. laenor claimed his sons in front of court himself and stated that he was their father. thats the only validity people needed in terms of legitimacy of a child. which is why when the duke of clarence and richard iii wanted to say that their brother, edward iv, was a bastard child of their father — they couldn't really prove anything but just whisper rumours, because their father claimed edward iv. no one but the greens ever had complaints about the velaryon boys, even after the velaryon boys proved they can hatch dragon eggs unlike alicent's own children.

the only reason the greens would ever decide to come and say that rhaenyra had bastard children was to lower her in the eyes of the court and others as heir by accusing her of falsities and indecencies — which would lead to aegon the usurper to look as a better alternative. this is why the greens prepped him to marry his sister, because that emulates aegon i, by having a targaryen queen and valyrian looking targaryen children. no one else benefits from that marriage but alicent and the greens. just like no one else benefits from rumours of bastardry other than the greens.

this consistent perpetuation, even with the writing team and their blatant disregard for the historical parallel the story exists in is kind of sad because the mystery and the non-mystery of the velaryon boys was so good. and rhaenyra and laenor's marriage and all that lives around it is so interesting. minimizing it and being so straightforward with it to give the greens a boost and a boon to their image defeats the purpose of the greens and their willingness and gladness to be villains to gain what powr and agency they wanted.

i explored that legitimacy question more in depth here:

a rumored bastard and a proven, disinherited, legally illegitimate recognized bastard are not the same.

Rhaenyra’s sons are rumored bastards, i know the show has a lot of team green stans feeling bold but just as in the books, they are never legally considered bastards in the show either. they are speculated to be via their physical features and Laenor’s apparent sexuality, but since Laenor and the KING (btw Westeros is a absolute monarchy, meaning the king IS law) both claim all three boys as legitimate heirs, unless someone demands a medieval dna test, those kids are legally Laenor’s true sons.

this is apparently a very hard concept to understand for some, hell even Alicent in the show says something like “we can all tell” which fair point, but that is not proof enough. looks, accusations, and rumor are not the same as actual proof of adultery or bastardy.

someone i was having a “discussion” with used Joffrey as an example to point out a flaw in my logic, but ultimately proved my point. Joffrey was a rumored bastard. Ned himself had no more proof than Alicent does, just hair color and a hunch, so Joffrey was never legally disinherited from the line of succession. I hate to defend either of these men but King Robert never publicly disowned him and called him bastard, which is why Joffrey ascended to the Iron Throne. now the rumors did hurt, and caused huge political issues leading to the War of 5 Kings, which is exactly why Alicent and Team Green is so insistent that Rhaenyra’s children are illegitimate, they know they cannot legally or physically prove her children are bastards, especially when Laenor and the King are claiming them are true born, but they can spread the rumor and call into question Rhaenyra’s honesty and morality. think episode 8 when team green takes their chance with Vaemond to attempt a coup of sorts for the Driftmark Throne, why would the succession of Driftmark need to be settled if Rhaenyra’s sons are true born? why would Alicent / Otto need to make this decision in place of the sick king and mia lord of tides who both had already been stating Luke would inherit for years. it’s all apart of the scheme to tarnish Rhaenyra’s reputation as Vaemond has no other proof either, and promptly loses his head (both metaphorically and literally) by calling the recognized heir to the throne a whore and her children bastards with no proof in front of the whole court.

it is a political scheme on both sides, Alicent cannot prove anything, and Rhaenyra cannot disprove the rumors no matter how many times they are claimed as true born sons. Rhaenyra has to live in the comfort the law gives her, as legally her sons are seen as legitimate, and thus legally they are protected. and from an unbiased pov with both in universe and historical references, those kids might be bastards in actually but not legally.

Rhaenyra goes through hell to keep her children legally protected, not only for their sake but for hers because should the truth come out both her and Laenor would be seriously punished, i wouldn’t go as far as executed but that would depend on if Viserys was old and bed ridden or dead. which is why im making this incredibly long post repeating myself in every point. you can argue all day about Rhaenyra’s children and their parentage but i am making this to make it clear that her children are not *legally* bastards by Westeros law. in order for Jace, Luke, and Joffrey to be illegitimate bastards Laenor, Rhaenyra, Harwin, and/or Viserys would have to publicly acknowledge them as such and disinherit them. no, Laenor and Viserys dying do not magically make Rhaenyra’s children legal bastards either. they would, again, need to be claimed and proven as such and disinherited.

and at the end of it all, true or not true, the rumors made a lasting impact on the story. so much so this fandom is still debating this topic, and frankly i am dreading the season 2 release when all the bad takes and bad faith arguments start up again.

anyway other famous rumored bastards are in Targ history are:

Maegor

Daeron II

[scottspack]

im applying for a job that i thought i was vastly underqualified for but when i actually started reading through it, turns out im not only qualified, but my qualifications line up almost exactly with what they’re looking for

[the-empress-7]

I tried to read the daily mail recap as neutral as possible but the bullshit is just too much. Sure, soap commercial blah blah yawn. Lets say i also buy the "she didnt face any setbacks about being *ambitious* *cough* bullying* cough* until dating Hazmat" (only because she didnt pick a career where being an 'ambitious woman' would matter. Thats just how everyone in hollywood is. Try getting into neurosurgery and we will talk).

But just the fire thing is driving me crazy. How many times Catherine had to cancel something because of pregnancy and/or child related issues.(wasnt a lot of times but we have examples) Especially in those early months nobody bats an eye. And Harry was there, i dont think anybody would protest if she said Harry should go to the engagement i would like to stay with my baby. Youre not the Queen meeting world leaders that they had to pull you away from your baby tooth and nail. ALSO if you were so shaken why full glam and outfit change? Sit with your child until the last minute, idk maybe change the dress because it takes 1 minute to take it off and put another one on because you got sweaty maybe, i give you that, but did you really need hair&makeup?

And last point, lots of children go tru these things, parents dont drop their lives because of that. I apperantly flew down a flight of stairs and hit the wall in a stroller just a few months old, at age 4 my hair caught on fire (because i bent over a candle too much), multiple times ive been caught climbing to places i can fatally fall from. My mom still went to work because i was fine, even tho she was very scared. Maybe called home a few more times that day. Theres thousands of kids getting treated for cancer right now, some terminally ill, i bet you their parents have to go to work. Its just ugh, so many things so wrong about that small snippet, it annoys me so much.

Im also speculating that after the podcast and barely letting Serena speak, Serena was annoyed and didnt feel like playing to Vogue anymore. You have a legend like Serena to interview and youre still talking about yourself. I wonder what the listener numbers will be around episodes 4-5, when the curiosity listeners get bored and stop listening.

I hear you and yes she has no appreciation for the fact that being a parent is not a get out of jail free card when it comes your responsibilities at work.