#I read it when I was 18 and juuuust about to get into my first relationship. John is me. if you were wondering. and karkat is my gf

[cheetour]

Just in case something happens to tumblr, I finished my promstuck archive project. You can now read and download Promstuck on google docs!

@promstuck was a popular Homestuck fanventure/fancomic created over 2011-2012 and was originally posted on tumblr.

[gatheringfiki]

GatheringFiKi Interest Survey 2023 - Results

Hi folks,

First of all, huge thank you to those who took the time to fill in our recent survey. We have now reviewed the results and have a couple of points we’d like to share.

1) The Headcount:

The first, biggest and most welcome surprise from the Survey is that there are so MANY of you! And most of you are new faces, which I think is just wonderful! Welcome, welcome, one and all!

The total of 23 people took part in the Survey (admittedly some of whom I have never seen take part in any events, but I have high hopes).

When I was leaving for my travels in September 2022, a similar Interest Survey presented a bleak picture, very different to today, with a number of people having clearly moved on (though not all!). Personally, I think it was the right call to accept and acknowledge that, re-subscribe those truly interested today, and re-focus my efforts and events targetting where it's actually wanted.

Please remember that if you ARE interested in taking part in our events, you can always ask to have personal notifications delivered to you whenever one is running - just message @linane-art

Of course, I am fully aware and very grateful that, apart from the folks taking part, there are also quite a few of you who consume the new content, read, watch, like, comment, reblog or just silently marvel and enjoy their (guilty?) pleasure. I love and appreciate you all.

2) Your Favourite Existing Events:

12 Days of Christmas - 18 votes

FiKi Week - 14 votes

Trick or Treat - 12 votes

Drabble Challenges - 11 votes

Durin's Day Gift Exchange - 11 votes

Kink Bingo - 9 votes

H/C Bingo - 8 votes

AUpocalypse - 7 votes

Fandom Raffle Exchange - 5 votes

Show Some Love - 5 votes

Fic of a Fic - 4 votes

Fanfic Rec Bingo - 2 votes

Secret Admirers - 1 vote

Round Robins - 0 votes

No surprises near the top: 12 Days has just ran and is beloved by everyone and FiKi Week is like THE Gatheringfiki event.

Trick or Treat also ran recently, but I think you also have a particular penchant for everything spooky/autumny.

Drabble Challenges are quick and easy, and I think a natural choice for a 'top up' event next to the big ones. I wonder if those of you who haven't experienced the speed and the 'write off all your other weekend plans'-ness of this event will think of it. :D

DDGE surprises a little, because it's a big commitment of an event, but I guess maybe because we're not running the Raffle regularly any more, and it's a similar enough thing? Or like a Big Bang? And there's nothing else that promotes actual collaborations. Intriguing.

The Bingos - always heat up the temperature in the room. I think those of you who want them, want them like burning. I also think (looking at hit counts), that there are also many more of you who, ah, enjoy the fruits of our labours, but like... anonymously and silently :D So long as those are not ran too often, I think they're a blast, and it's been 2 years.

AUpocalypse juuuust about makes it, but I think it has a special place, as it's the one event where artists can participate easily and have a fully free reign of what they create.

Please remember that if you are an artist and you're not sure how you can take part, we have this here handy guide for you.

Raffle is probably too big for the headcount we have, rec-type-events have not been popular for a few years now, Secret Admirers still out of favour (why???) and nobody liked Round Robins - fair enough.

3) Other Comments we got / possible New Events:

'A Dead Dove Event' - what is it, I've never comes accross it? Please message me on priv ;)

'Bring-A-Friend Event' - The incest thing will make some people uncomfortable, and those that check us out 'as a courtesy' are unlikely to actually get hooked. I think, by all means, spread the word if you know folks who might enjoy our fandom, but mostly it needs to be discovered on your own. Awareness of GF is the key.

'FiKi Bingo' - We already run 2 bingo-type events and a FiKi Week. I think that ticks both the desired format and desired content boxes.

'Valentine's Day Event' - there is nothing like that per se, but it is no coincidence that the Kink and H/C Bingos usually run around the time when everyone is feeling loved-up ;)

'I don't feel comfortable sharing my own content' - that is perfectly okay and your own choice. Nobody is going to try and push you. But I will say that if you have a supportive fandom, feedback can do wonders for your self-esteem and practice makes perfect. Otherwise, thank you just as much for your silent support.

'Discord Server' - I thought about it, but I think it'll be more of a problem than help. I don't know how to set it up, don't have the capacity to moderate it, only some people would be interested and many people will resist change. We've always said that Tumblr is our native platform and on Tumblr we will remain - don't want to dilute the fandom accorss multiple platforms, sorry.

'October Advent Calendar' - I'm sorry, I don't quite see how it would be different/better than Trick or Treat, except longer? Plus, 12 Days, which runs right after, has that element of 'something new to discover' every day ;)

'FiKi Mad Libs and Frankenstory' - see: Round Robins Event. And it scored 0 points, the poor thing :(

'Visual / phrase / poem / porny inspiration' - visual is addressed by 12 Days. Phrase/poem will be addressed by FiKi Week ;) Porny will be blocked by Tumblr :(

'Reblog-focussed Events' - Yes, agreed, but in the competition for calendar availability, all our rec-type events consistently lose out to out content-creating events. So we resort to caveating all our summary posts with pleas for reblogging and commenting. :/

I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the wonderful and humbling words of encouragement I’ve received. I do what I do because of the people in this fandom and I will continue doing so for as long as there is interest in it. It’s what being in a fandom means to me, and hopefully it inspires some of you too :)

A Calendar of Events for 2024 will follow in a separate post.

Wishing you all a cracking New Year, filled with inspiration, joy, passion and feels, hopefully all whipped up by those problematic 2 little a$$holes...

~gatheringfiki

[comfeyworks]

Alastor writing/ Character ref sheet

NOTE: This is MY interpretation/ notes of my characterization of Alastor. Most is speculation and the other parts are just me having fun imagining what his character could be like. This is no way meant to be official or taken as cannon in any way.

A wonderful user by the name of dolly moon complied a lot of information from Viv’s streams. I’m referencing some of the information here so please check them out, they did a fantastic job making notes.

Warning: Contains talk about murder, cannibalism and other possible triggering subjects.

General

---NAME: Alastor--- Died: 1933 Age: 30′s Occupation: Former radio host and serial killer. Currently powerful overlord in hell

Main Personality/ notes

Always smiling (He sees people frowning as weak)

Sadistic

Charming and charismatic

Very proud( puffed out chest, arms behind back)

He's controlling/ does things his own way

Careful! He's not too braggy, or too forceful/ demanding. Ex: Viv stated in her qna that the pilot was originally going to have Alastor boast about himself and his backstory. Instead vaggie narrates his backstory. She changed this because Alastor wasn’t the type of person to flaunt his achievements. He knows that everyone knows how powerful he is, he’s not the type to rub it in. He's supposed to be charming, but still proud, juuuust in the right way

He knows what he wants, but doesn’t necessarily brute-forces his way to get it. Ex: "He-" "-llo!" He KNOWS he's getting in hotel regardless, but waits for Charlie to open up the door before invading the hallway.

Deceitful; When asked why he wants to help out at the hotel, he says: "Consider it an investment in ongoing entertainment for myself!" 'This is what you can think my reason is...' is essentially what he's saying. He answers Charlie’s question in a roundabout way that givers her what she wants to know while still keeping his true intentions secret. Time and time again, he lets his mask down slightly when Charlie isn’t looking. At 24:10 he narrows his eyes when she has her back turned to him At the beginning of his song he distracts her with magic so he can push Vaggie away. When he says “...And it’s just laughable-” during he reprise he turns away from Charlie to say this, he leans down to Vaggie.

He’s a hypocrite (hates being touched, invades other’s personal space)

Watches people do things the hard way and then reveal he can do it once it's done just to watch people fuck up

DELIGHTS in watching people failing/ struggling to do things. He likes observing people/ sinners as they are battling with their conflicted emotions.

He’s curious (He stopped by the ‘radio shack’ place to see what Charlie was talking about on the broadcast, and cocked his head when she started singing. To me that meant, “Oh? What’s this now? Something new?” he was intrigued and wanted to know more)

He analyzes people. He looks at the Magne family portrait when left alone. You can briefly hear him playing Charlie’s “Inside of every demon is a rainbow” song, and smiling.

He picks up on things quickly. Vaggie makes it clear she doesn’t like the idea of him being there, and he messes with her. He puts his elbow on her and pushes her away ( 20:44-20:48) He pulls her chin up and tells her to ‘smile’

He’s egotistical. No one is really ‘up to his level’

He gives verbal and physical affection constantly throughout the pilot, but it’s not genuine.

Likes being unpredictable

Primary drive:   Decisions are weighed in his own wants/ feelings. He wants to be amused, he chases exciting/ entertaining things. Think of him as like a cat chasing a mouse.

Fears: He doesn’t fear anyone. But is wary of powerful threats. He dislikes dogs Physical Expression: He’s VERY, VERY expressive through his body language and eyes. Large/ easy to read emotions can be perceived through his body language (Leaning towards someone, or leaning away). Smaller/ pinpoint emotions can be read through his eyes and type of smile (Wide eyes, squinted, closed vs open smile, etc.) He’s like a bird, fluffing out his feathers constantly. (He fixes his hair briefly at 24:41) He expresses himself proudly. ‘This is who I am, remember that!!’. Viv said the reason why almost all of characters have nicknames is that a soul’s real name is dangerous, its a way others can have power over you. Yet Alastor uses his first name, because he’s not scared and confident in who he is as a person. He doesn’t hide from any aspect of himself. I’ve stated he hates being touched by others. When he picks up Nifty in the pilot, she poofs out and spreads her limbs out. At 25:41, Alastor turns his head away from her briefly so she doesn’t touch him.

Flaws/ Weaknesses:

(Note: Basically anything already stated can be a problem depending on the situation, I’m just saying things about his character that he’d find weak or naturally cause problems)

His mother, he’d do anything for her.

He has a darker/ more powerful demon side to him where he runs purely on instinct/ primitive emotions.

He’s arrogant. This can cause problems!

---

Killer/ moral compass profile (Living)

Motivations:

Thrill Killer- Pleasure from pain

Slight power/control aspect involved as well.

‘Causes’

Childhood trauma (abusive father)

Environmental factors (mother died when he was 18-20)

Type of killer: *Note: I’m still not 100% satisfied with this part, I might make some changes later*

He won’t just kill anyone. They have to meet a certain list of requirements.

Viv compared him as someone similar to Dexter

He’s a very goal oriented killer. Whatever he did it was with reason and purpose, meticulously planned. Ex: Maybe one year he’d kill someone who was a real jerk, to see how the others around him flourished. Likewise he might kill someone who was important to the community just to see how the grief made everyone react.

He was a very careful killer, he ended up dying purely on accident, bad luck.

He killed for the fun of it, pure joy, excitement, curiosity. But he only killed people he thought deserved it.

He considers what he does to be ‘work’. He expresses in the pilot how after decades in hell it’s become ‘mundane’ and ‘aimless’.

The victims had to be overconfident to some degree.(This ties into the ‘he wouldn’t chase his victims.’ They had to be somewhat full of themselves or naive)

Some kills are personal (Someone wronging him, trying to hurt him, otherwise he just wouldn’t care if some guy is an asshole) but others are just because he feels like they’re bad/ they’ve have done something that they need to die for.

He used ‘personal’ ways of killing people. (Knife, his hands). I don’t think he would have used a gun of any kind because of the noise, but he could have once every blue moon.

Generally doesn’t draw things out for too long ”...If I wanted to hurt anyone here... I would have done so already.” (He defeats Sir Pentious in under a minute. But still takes the time to crush him and drag his body across the floor.)

He ate people, and knew how to make delicious meals out of them.

Buried his victim’s bodies/ remains on a hunting ground for deer.

Morals

No human is pure or kind just because. They’re selfish beings. Who take and act to help their own causes. Everyone is a monster on the inside. “...redemption, the nonexistent humanity!”

Everyone puts on a mask to hide who they truly are. Life is one big game to see who can survive. “...the world is a stage! And the stage, is a world of entertainment!”

People don’t change “...there is no undoing what is done.”

Puts himself first, and above everyone else. He also degrades others. “I don’t think there’s any hope left for such loathsome sinners...” ”Inside of every demon is a lost cause, but we’ll dress them up for now with just a smile!” “...and show these simpletons some proper class and style...” “...do I know you?” “You think I’m [husk] some kind of fuckin’ clown!?” “...maybe!”

People deserve the consequences they get for being themselves “...the chance given was the life they lived before, the punishment is this!”

He understands what society views as good and evil, but doesn’t really believe in those standards himself. What is considered evil he just views as a hobby or something fun to explore. Ex: Cannibalism is wrong by society’s standards, but to him he thinks the greater wrong is killing something and not making use of it.

He has some level of empathy. (Again, He’d never kill a child or those running away.)

People’s emotions are a fun little game to him. “...I want to watch the scum of the earth struggle to climb up the hill of betterment! Only to repeatedly trip, and tumble down into the firey pit of failure!”

Doesn’t see value in being nice or honest. (He does find it funny to watch)

Other notes/ hc

He’s knowledgeable. In more ways than one. He knows not to fuck with certain people if he doesn’t want to get hurt, he’s got knowledge on the workings/ operations of hell and deal-making.

Likes to cook

He likes bitter things (Bloody meat, alcohol, black coffee)

He’s got a party side to him.

He speaks french!

He plays musical instruments

He knows how to fight without his powers

He’s an only child

He’s part creole

He hates silence, he always surrounds himself with noise of some kind.

Husk and Alastor have a long, complicated relationship

He does things to make Nifty happy (Wearing sweaters)

He’d go out into a hurricane just to let it beat him down for fun (Why is this so funny to me)

Despite all he is, Alastor is capable of having friends and loving.

Has absolutely NO romantic experience.

He hates modern technology in general, but hates tik tok the most

The idea of Alastor cross-dressing to lure his victims in is absolutely hilarious to me, but I don’t think he’d ever do it.

[multi-fandom-imagine]

Christmas / Winter Writing Promts

A/n: FOR THE ANON WHO ASKED FOR PROMPTS FOR THE ANIME!!

Note: can totally be used for other things.

A/n 2:So just like my last list this is the same thing.

Also most of these are from my old shitty list that I made years ago with some other ones added.

getting out/putting up decorations.

making christmas cards.

sitting/snuggling in front of the fireplace with hot cocoa/tea.

shopping for and/or wrapping gifts.

buying the christmas tre.e

decorating the christmas tree.

mistletoe.

making snowmen.

wearing ugly christmas sweaters

baking holiday treats.

Kissing in front of the fireplace.)

watching a classic holiday film

listening to/playing festive music or caroling.

ice skating.

snowball fight!

catching cold from being outside so much.

spending time with friends/family.

one lending the other their coat/scarf/hat to keep them warm.

throwing/attending a holiday party.

one surprising the other with an early gift.

spending the evening in a cafe.

making s’mores.

having drinks together on christmas eve.

sneaking around after the other has fallen asleep to put up their gift.

spending christmas morning together.

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town: Santa’s at the mall and our muses have gotten in line to visit. Who said this was only a holiday for the little kids?!

The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting): Our muses have snuggled for some fireside Christmas dreaming.

You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch!: My muse (or your muse) is about to ruin Christmas! Horror! One of the other muse watches on. Can they make the grinchy heart grow from being two sizes too small? (Specify in your request who is who or leave it up to me!)

Frosty the Snowman: Our muses are off to build a snowman!

Silver Bells: It’s holiday shopping time and our muses are off buying presents for everyone on their lists.

White Christmas: It’s started to snow for what feels like the first time in forever! But one of our muses has never seen snow before, so the other will just have to do something about that, won’t they? (Specify who is who or leave it up to me!)

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: Our muses attempt to put together what is the perfect Christmas for themselves.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Santa’s in trouble and only our muses can save Christmas! Can we do it and deliver toys to all of the good girls and boys?

The Christmas Shoes: Our muses do something very selfless for someone in need on Christmas Eve.

Santa Baby: One of our muses has decided to dress as Mr./Mrs. Claus for a little more “adult” Christmas fun. Oh boy! (Specify who or leave it to me!)

The First Noel: Our muses are involved in a nativity scene at the church.

Silent Night: Not a creature was stirring… It’s Christmas Eve and everyone is in bed, except for our muses.

Oh Christmas Tree: Our muses go tree shopping! This one looks juuuust right!

Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer: One of our muses has had a little accident and will be spending Christmas in the hospital. (Specify who or leave it to me!)

Who Spiked the Eggnog: One of our muses is a little drunk from too much ‘nog and has become a little too jolly. (Specify who or leave it to me!)

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing: Our muses have joined a group of carolers for some holiday cheer!

Believe: One of our muses has gotten down about the holidays and needs some of that holiday magic restored in their life to bring them back- and to restore their faith in humanity. (Specify who or leave it up to me.)

Grown-Up Christmas List: My muse finds your muse’s Christmas list and just has to find that perfect gift.

Jingle Bells: Our muses take a sleigh ride!

Blue Christmas: How do our muses cope with being apart for Christmas?

Silver and Gold: Our muses are rummaging through ornaments for the Christmas tree and admiring some of the pieces that have been collected over the years.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas: One of our muses is home for the holidays, just in time! (Specify who or leave it up to me.)

Winter expectations vs. winter reality.

We need to buy you winter clothing.

Treatment for the flu/ a cold

Getting the person who doesn’t like Christmas into the right festive mood

Snowball fight

Hot tea and cozy sweaters

Giving subtle hints of what one would like to get for Christmas

Decoration wars (must include glitter)

Sleigh rides

Reading someone Christmas stories

Baking Christmas cookies

An unusual snowman

Finding a present for that person that is impossible to find a present for

The smell of Christmas

Holding out in a snowstorm together/Getting snowed in together

A Christmas letter.

Falling asleep by the fireplace

Dancing in the snow

The last day of work/class before the holidays

An odd Christmas tradition.

Picking out the right Christmas tree.

Obnoxious singing of Christmas songs.

The Traditional Christmas dinner.

Watching the snow alone and watching the snow together.

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

December 1: Star

December 2: Hot Chocolate

December 3: Snow

December 4: Candy Canes

December 5: Christmas Tree

December 6: Angel

December 7: Pyjamas

December 8: Tinsel

December 9: Ice Skating

December 10: Frost

December 11: Eggnog

December 12: Cider

December 13: Peppermint

December 14: Gingerbread

December 15: Presents

December 16: Fireplace

December 17: Stocking

December 18: Cookies

December 19: Santa

December 20: Sled

December 21: Snow Man

December 22: Jingle Bells

December 23: Carols

December 24: Icicle

December 25: Christmas Movies

Handing their S/O a positive pregnancy test with a sprig of holly and a note reading ‘Merry Christmas’.

Getting trapped in a shopping mall together during after-hours in which they were christmas shopping too hard.

SWEATER PAWS AND CUDDLES.

Losing S/O at a christmas market and having to make an announcement over an intercom as to reunite them again (I’m thinking early 80’s era with fluorescent jackets and big old scarfs and brick phones that they left at home).

Fluffy, pretty, ‘princess’ character meets emo, grunge, moody character at a trashy christmas party and accidentally (drunkenly) makes them fall for them.

A competition for cringiestchristmas sweater at an office party, in which your otp comes wearing the same sweater.

Christmas Eve has your otp trapped in an elevator until late, both hungry and cold and now asleep together on the floor with bags of shopping discarded across from them.

Being hit in the face by an angry customer swinging their arms about and their S/O beating them up in the parking lot.

Christmas shenanigans under the tree, if you know what I mean.

Otp acting domestic whilst cooking their families christmas dinner and worrying about whether their parents are getting on with each other.

Planning a beautiful engagement for christmas day, only to lose the ring.

Mothering their S/O’s younger siblings and making sure they’re getting enough to eat.

Falling asleep in front of the fire whilst their S/O is playing them ‘dance of the sugar plum fairy’ on piano. They pull a blanket over them and curl up beside them.

Spilling hot chocolate/coffee/a hot-fucking-beverage on the other and insisting on paying for a new drink and new clothes for them, unaware that they’re rich and very capable of buying themselves another coffee. Besides, they don’t know that this jacket is Louis Vuitton and cost more than the knock-off Gucci belt that had caught their eye in the first place (probably looking a little lower than the belt, but we digress).

First christmas with their S/O and panicking to their best friend/sibling about what to get them. Somehow, a plushie didn’t seem exactly suitable when they knew the other had bought them an engagement ring.

Flying overseas for christmas, but having their baggage lost/delayed, meant they had to walk around their hotel room naked for a few days. That was their excuse anyway.

Burning christmas dinner and trying to order take-out (congratulations, you plebs).

Being gifted tickets to see a family member overseas, but having to leave their S/O at home for christmas, not expecting them to turn up on their doorstep on christmas morning with a bouquet of roses.

Finding their S/O drinking eggnog from the carton and crying at ‘Love Actually’ on their return from working all day. Pulling the other into their lap and kissing their forehead until they stop crying and fall asleep.

SLIPPING ON ICE, SPENDING CHRISTMAS IN HOSPITAL AND GUESS WHO THEIR DOCTOR IS??? *cue us pterodactyl screeching and them ensuing sexy shenanigans***

Decorating the christmas tree together and blowing the fuse for the electrics. Waiting in candle-light for the electricians to arrive and- let me just say- nothing stays fluffy in candle-light.

Bringing each others home country traditions to the dinner table and experiencing a weird mix of food.

Secretly learning their S/O’s mother-tongue to surprise them and be able to talk to their family at christmas.

Buying animal-proof fairy lights, confusing their S/O, but it all makes sense when there’s an ENTIRE puppy in their living room on christmas day.

Falling asleep in the passenger seat whilst their S/O drives them to a family members house for christmas, but not wanting to wake them for further directions because they look so p e a c e f u l.

Cuddling in the bathtub because it’s so cold outside and their S/O got caught in the snow on the way home from work.

Kissing under the mistletoe is underrated, go big or go home.

Sleeping in until midday because they just want to be in each other’s arms and it is so warm with them right here beside them.

Making out under the christmas tree because the lights reflecting in their S/O’s eyes just looked too ethereal for them not to kiss them until they lost their breath.

Eating dinner together and sharing kisses over the dining table. This isn’t always fun when their S/O has a hate for brussel sprouts.

Falling asleep on their significant other’s chest whilst they’re wrapping christmas presents, meaning that some aren’t wrapped the next morning because the sellotape had RUN OUT.

Failing to get the right meat and their S/O sending them back multiple times until they end up going together and realising that they weren’t even going to the right store.

Slow kisses.

Text messages asking for their S/O to put the kettle on for them as they were almost home.

Sitting on the doorstep in the cold, waiting for their S/O to come home from working on christmas day (emergency services?) and hugging them for so long whilst whispering ‘merry christmas’ into their neck and kissing any inch of skin they can reach.

Slow dancing to Frank Sinatra’s christmas songs in the kitchen and forgetting to check the potatoes in the oven.

Ice skating and them BOTH BEING REALLY GOOD ACTUALLY.

ACCIDENTALLY WEARING MATCHING NAUGHTY/NICE JUMPERS IN PUBLIC AND THEN BUMPING INTO EACH OTHER.

Avoiding the mistletoe at all costs, however, everyone is trying their best to get the otp there.

Neighbour au in which one gets drunk on mulled wine and ends up knocking at the other’s door, drunkenly trying to seduce the other and- instead- passing out in their living room.

MAKING OUT IN THE CLOAKROOM OF SOME POSH CHRISTMAS PARTY.

Just lots of making out in general. Jesus wanted us to repopulate which means fuc-

Crawling into their roommate’s (S/O’s) bed because it is too cold in their own and they want cuddles.

For goodness gracious IT’S 3 AM PLEASE STOP CAROLING au

-You threw a snowball and it hit me/my window and I was going to be mad but you’re really cute. Do you want to come in for hot chocolate? au

-This is the fourth time you’ve come to ask for sugar this week. How many cookies are you making? au

-we’re at an ugly Christmas sweater party and that thing is horrendous where did you even find that au

-You don’t realize I can see over the fence to watch you make snow angels like you’re five years old au

-you would literally make the best neighborhood Santa au

-are you the one putting mistletoe absolutely everywhere in this apartment building, or do you just happen to be in the right place at the right time every single time I walk under it au

-I just heard a ten pound turkey hit the ground and also very strong words. Do you need help? au

-I work at the Christmas tree lot and you just had to pick the heaviest tree there didn’t you au

-You were putting up Christmas lights and you just fell off the roof omg do you need me to drive you to the hospital au

-I invited you to Christmas dinner as my boyfriend/girlfriend so that my family would stop pestering me about being single, but we can keep this up until New Year’s, right? au

I’m going to eat this whole pie by myself and you’re not going to say anything about it au.

1. Mistletoe kiss

2. Pretend boyfriend/girlfriend for family Christmas party

3. You made me a Christmas playlist but it’s just Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is you”. I can’t tell if you’re hitting on me or if it’s a joke

4. My car got stuck in snow you saved me

5. Last Christmas I gave you my heart and you asked me to marry you

6. I got you for Secret Santa, but I thought it was suppose to be a gag gift, and now I wont fess up because I’m embarrassed

7. We’re both stuck at the airport for Christmas eve

8. Snowman competition, the judges are a bunch of five year old kids

9. I work at a toy store and you keep coming in but never buy anything

10. Your dad is Santa, he’s missing, and I’m helping you save Christmas

11. I’m a barista and you keep making weird faces when you drink the “Christmas cheer in a cup” coffee I make, why do you keep ordering it?

12. We’re neighbors and I just got locked out of my apartment, I was baking cookies that will burn if I don’t get in there quick

13. You made me an ugly Christmas sweater

14. I met you on Christmas but haven’t seen you since, until today on Christmas day, are you an angel? Wait, you actually are?

15. We’re stuck in different cities, so we wont be together for Christmas. We end up talking on the phone for hours, to the annoyance of our families.

16. I was dressed up as an elf, because of my job. You’re drunk and think I actually know Santa

17. You hate Christmas because you’ve never had a good one. So I go all out to make this the best Christmas for you

18. I was cold, so you gave me your jacket but now you’re cold too. So I suggest we hug instead

19. I’ve never seen snow in person before, until now, what is this white stuff falling from the sky? Why are you laughing at me?

20. We got into an argument because of something stupid, but I slipped on ice on the stairs. I called you to help me, and our fight was forgotten when you got all worried

21. I was putting up Christmas lights, and I literally fell into your arms

22. There’s one Christmas cookie left, so I challenge you, winner takes the cookie

23. You keep playing Christmas music, and it’s driving me nuts, please play something else.

1. “You’re freezing. Come here.”

2. “That’s the eggnog talking. I’m cutting you off.”

3. “I didn’t wrap it, so you have to close your eyes.”

4. “Don’t be such a Scrooge.”

5. “That’s mistletoe we’re standing under.”

6. “It’s snowing.”

7. “Open it.”

8. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

9. “I’m just happy you’re here.”

10. “Tis the season for sharing feelings, I guess.”

11. “Will it be too cliche to say I love you?”

12. “Nice sweater.”

13. “I didn’t know what to get you.”

14. “My fingers are numb.”

15. “Look at that. It’s beautiful.”

16. “How many candy canes have you eaten?”

17. “Careful. Santa’s watching.”

18. “What would you like for Christmas?”

19. “I don’t want to just see you once a year.”

20. “That’s my scarf.”

21. “I won’t let you fall.”

22. “How much sugar have you had?”

23. “Chocolate chip is the only cookie that matters.”

24. “Is this the part where we kiss?”

25. “If there’s magic, it’s only because of you.”

[sominhs]

helloooo! i literally just got off work, so this.... is some snazzy timing. i’m nic (18+, they/them) and i’m here to introduce you to chae somin --- a character whom i’ve put through a lot of groups and now hold very dear to my heart, even if she is a menace. her stats are here, but i don’t have any other pages for her as of yet. read below the cut for more info!

first things first, she was born on feb. 11, 1997, so she’s currently twenty-three years old and an aquarius. she was born in jeju, and has, unfortunately (in her eyes), lived here her whole life.

her parents were not divorced when she was young, but she was raised predominantly by her mother; this is because her dad was offered a job in seoul, and her parents agreed it would be best for somin to still be raised in jeju.

she favored her dad, though, so when he left, she was pretty upset. her mom didn’t really know how to parent a child alone, and ended up putting too many rules on somin that didn’t do anything except make her act out.

problem child. she was always cooking up some kind of mischief when she was little, and things only got worse as she got older --- especially when news broke that her father had cheated on her mother, and he had a whole other child in seoul. really ruined how she saw him, and how she saw her mom, too.

suddenly..... she became very angry. aggressive. she was mad at the world, and she began to shut everyone out except for the people who wanted to wreak havoc with her.

still tried to reach out to her dad, but he wasn’t interested in anything involving her. he was too caught up in his new family, and he tried to act like nothing had changed, but it was clear that everything had.

started hanging out with a really bad influence in the form of an older boy when she was 15. kept talking to him for years, turned 18 and ran away with him --- except it didn’t last long, because they got into a fight after driving for about twenty-five minutes and he kicked her out of his car for..... being a bitch, basically.......

stumbled upon homestay by what she’d like to call fate. she was in a vulnerable time of her life, looked a bit rough, definitely acted a bit rough, didn’t have the best image, but she didn’t find any judgement so???? that was good??? ended up staying at homestay on and off for literal years because she didn’t know where else to go and she’d never say it, but it really did feel like home.

left for weeks/months at a time to work various entry-level jobs and live on her own, but none of it kept her attention for long (and she got fired from probably every business in town), so she always came back.

juuuust went home for the first time about a year ago, turns out her mom is SUPER sick. currently hospitalized, health is just deteriorating every day. somin went back to homestay one last time to ask for a job to help pay her medical bills.

she’s...... honestly still a bit of a bitch, but she’s getting better about it. she’s not mean without reason, but may be a little sarcastic or snarky from time to time. when she’s in a good mood, though? sweetheart!!!!!....... kinda. will at least show guests nice places and listen to their worries.

another thing worth noting is that she’s a freelance artist; she’s not bad at all, but doesn’t get much business because her paintings are a little??? rough??? much like herself. no matter what she paints, it always seems..... angry. please..... commission her....... she’ll paint ur grandma as spiderman...... anything for some money.....

[measuringlife]

This is so relatable.

.

Confession. I haven’t been much of a reader for at least the last 6 years. Since my tween days I’d say I’ve been a regular reader, at times an avid one. Although I grew up with a television in my room I regularly read, especially before bed. I’ve been known to read until too late into the night.

.

I remember I read The Lovely Bones in a night - I couldn’t put it down. One of favorite book series from the late 90s was called Trash by Cherie Bennett. It was about college interns working at Jerry Springer-esque talk show. For an aspiring broadcast journalism student like myself I adore this 6 book series and read it many times. I held onto them all these years and rescued them from my mom’s house when we emptied it out.

.

Of course in college and grad school my pleasure reading was mainly sidelined with some occasional reading during school breaks. I remember reading the Dan Brown books when they were all the rage. Also during this time, Border’s Book (RIP) carried a “chick lit” publisher called Red Dress Ink. I read MANY MANY MANY Red Dress Ink books - I just looked it up and it was an imprint of Harlequin from 2002-2008.

.

Once I started working full time I started reading more and as an adult I made the choice to not have a TV in my bedroom (and that’s still the case). Around this time (2008), I read all the Twilight books juuuust as the last book was being released/before the release of the first movie. That lead to me reading a large majority of the Sookie Stackhouse books from Charlaine Harris (and yes I watched most of the True Blood series too).

.

I love a series or at least finding and author I like a reading a bunch of their books. I also read a lot of Jodi Picoult and Janet Evanovich books. One of my favorite authors is Meg Cabot. However the funny thing is Meg Cabot is best known for writing the Princess Diary Series and yet that’s not how I know her, nor have I read that series. I’ve only read her adult series books, not any of her YA books.

.

In more recent years I’ve tended to read autobiographers, memoirs, and personal development type books. I buy books that seem interesting or people talk about, but they are largely collecting desk on or in my nightstand. So I’m not sure what the issue is. I think part of it is not having a “place” to read. Part of why I know I haven’t read much in the last 6 years is that’s how’s long my now-husband and I have lived together. He goes to bed before me most nights and likes sleeping in the pitch dark (as do I). So my bed used to be the main place where I read a lot when I lived alone.

.

Another place I did a lot do reading was at the pool. The 4 years I lived in Alabama the pool at my townhouse community was open from early May-end of September and I was out there for HOURS every weekend (since there wasn’t much else to do down there). Even when I moved to Virginia my condo complex I lived at for 3 years had an awesome pool that was open from ~Memorial Day to Labor Day and I was there often. Both of these pools were relatively low trafficked and even then it was mostly adults.

.

Where I live now the whole town in an HOA and there are 18 pools we could go to, but between summer being my peak season at my last job, weird pool hours, tons of kids and families at the pool, and now COVID the last 2 years I haven’t had much pool time.

.

I do read at the beach sometimes, but usually I only get the the beach once or twice a summer so when I’m there I like to soak in the sights and sounds and smells rather than read.

.

As the weather gets warmer and as I try to get into the habit of writing again. I KNOW it would be good for me to get into the habit of reading again too.

.

So if you have some thoughts on where my “book reading place” could be or what I should be reading to help re-awaken the reader in me I would appreciate that.

#read #reading #readingnook #readersofinstagram #writersofinstagram #lent #habits #accountability #bookstagram #bookrecommendations

[bosstoaster]

Get to Know the Author

Tagged by @sleepyhunk

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean?

I’ve explained the origins of Bosstoaster a few times, but the short version of it is: I was playing a Roleplaying style forum game, and my abilities were that of a deity fondly referred to as ‘Boss’.  During the course of the game, I was accidentally turned into a toaster.  

It was a strange game, but the name ‘Bosstoaster’s tuck

2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/subscriptions/hits/kudos).

Depending on how you rank it (hits vs kudos vs bookmarks), it’s either Your Grace is Wasted or the sequel Leave Them Stunned and Stuttering

3. What is your AO3 profile icon, and why did you choose it?

It’s a toaster.  Wearing glasses and with a mug of coffee.  Because Bosstoaster.

(The rest is under a read more)

4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters?

My regulars.  You know who you are.  Especially everyone leave comments with their favorite lines or their thoughts as they read

5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again?

A few.  I’ve reread @butteredonions‘s Hogwarts AU about a dozen times, probably.  But mostly, my rereads are back in the Harry Potter fandom

6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked?

7 subscriptions and 4 bookmarks.  Most of those subscriptions are for fics that are over/abandoned, too

7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most?

I mean, my canon divergence ones, probably, since there are a number of those.  Spectrum, DLS, Ten Years On...

Other than that, Hogwarts

8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page)

728 author subscriptions, 2667 work subscriptions, 9078 bookmarks

9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!)

I’d like to write Empress Allura at some point, with some really questionable relationships.

On that note, I’ve had the Sven and Slav stuff plotted forever, but I’m not certain how many people will read that without the rest of the paladins as central characters

10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc.

Doing a better job of editing, slowing down, focusing on longer fics again

11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often?

I mean, I guess rarepairs, depending on your definition.  Mostly I don’t care, I just write what I feel like

12. How many stories have you posted on AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)?

123, 100 on the Bosstoaster account, 23 on the smut account

13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program?

Heck, I don’t know.  Lots.

14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head?

WRITE THEM DOWN.  I will forget in a matter of hours otherwise

15. Have you ever co-authored a story?

Not under this username, nope!

16. How did you discover AO3?

I believe hearing about it when it juuuust came into open beta.

17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on AO3?

For my niche?  Probably.  Outside of that?  Nah

18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers?

No?  Should I?

19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write?

Uh, the Thinktank is a big one.  And there’s one fanfic author I follow from a much older fandom who first made me believe that you can write and treat fanfic like you would a full novel, and it kind of changed everything for me.

20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author?

I’ve answered this before, so see this post!

21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go?

Plot it out near completely.  I hate winging it

22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do?

The worst I’ve gotten is people looking for content I’m not willing to provide (both trolling and serious).  I tend to reply and make it clear not to expect that from me.  Ever.

23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..)

Pure actions scenes are hell.  All in all, dialogue heavy or very introspective scenes are what I enjoy writing.  Everything else can be a bit of a slog (which is why people talk a lot in my fics)

24. What story(s) are you working on now?

Porn, the Shotor past fic, a Park Ranger AU, an Sheith canon-divergent AU from S1/2-ish, some sequels, Sven and Slav (as mentioned), and a ton of other stuff

25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)?

I general outline a lot at once then work through my bakclog

26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself?

I try to!  That’s fallen to the side a bit from post Nano burnout, but for the most part I try to write about 15k a week.

27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started?

Oh yes

28. What is your favorite story that you’ve written?

All The World Will Be Your Enemy

29. What is your least favorite story that you’ve written?

Take These Broken Wings (no link, if you want to read it you have to go dig it out)

30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years?

Hopefully still writing

31. What is the easiest thing about writing?

Dialogue, letting situations cascade into pure chaos

32. What is the hardest thing about writing?

Doing the leg work.  Endings.  ENDINGS.  Action.

33. Why do you write?

Because the stories need to come out some how.  And it’s cheaper than psychiatric help and anxiety meds

Tagging: @velkynkarma @mumblefox @ashinan @butteredonions @realityisiron @eastofthemoon

[angeliaxy]

twenty things about me

Thank you ROO, for the tag. THIS IS VERY FUN~

Under read more bcs well. LOOONG xD

1. what is your favorite cartoon character?

OKAY. let’s just choose otome hubbies bcs I dont have anything else (with the exception of 2 FF boys idk if they’re ‘cartoon’ or not lol). I’ll just choose the ones who affected me the most or this will get super long xD

- Vlad   Honestly, I never fell THIS deep with otome guy UNTIL THIS GUY (and well Mitsuhide but let’s talk about him later). Everything about him is calling my soul. His appearance, his aesthetic (FLOWERS!!) Then, I went to Comte’s JP route and learning a lot more about his motivation, his personality.. ohmygod, I love everything about him??!! especially his /bad/ side!! and now.. I found MY OTOME SOULMATE, even I have to wait for years. I WILL WAIT and I will write a lot about youuuuu~

- Mitsuhide Ikesen   So, I’ve been Mitsuhide hoe since many many years ago, due to his history. THEN this Mitsuhide knocked every other Mitsuhide(s) out there and, omg just how layered he is and exactly someone who I would fall in love with?? He just sneaked his way to my heart since I saw him, well I downloaded Ikesen basically FOR HIM lol. LISTEN, I did all his route choices with +4 +4 results until the end. Perfect score, without hints/anything. I was both shook bcs it never happened before and ‘I DO LOVE HIM SO MUCH’. Another OTOME SOULMATE (ssshh I can have several ok~)

- Zen Mysme He helped me going through my worst depression years ago. My life felt so damn empty and I picked Mysme to play, then Zen. ZEN!! His overflowing love got me SOBBING everyday, like I cried in 90% of his chats/calls, and even until now. I can never get over him. I wrote random fics about him that time but I have disagreement with some of mysme aspects, so yeah, it was mostly fix-it fics *winks at Reira ehehehe* LOL. 

-Jumin Mysme THIS ONE. I KNEW I WOULD FALL FOR HIM SINCE I PICKED MYSME. (thank God Zen was the common route or I won’t play him bcs I would go straight for Jumin and stayed with him lol). And yet he still swept me off of my feet when I played his route. But unlike Zen, & the opposite actually, I feel like JUST LET ME LOVE YOU. Again, there were.. fix-it fics I wrote about him with my MC, just because. LOOOL.

-Victor Just.. Be mine, pretty pleaseeeeeeee? He’s my type 101% and he can call me dummy etc I would still love him xD While Jumin wrecked my heart but this CEO made me.. yearn. (and thirst. but let’s not get too far lol) I love his power, his strength and determination, his demeanor. BUT I just want his heart among everything else?? aaaaaaa.

-Theo This one oMG, he snuck on me so damn hard. He’s also someone I def would fall in love with. I just.. *sighs longingly* His devotion is what I adore the most. the LOYALTY, the whole bad guy vibe, but mostly. HIS BIG, BIG, SOFT HEART.

-Nobunaga I AM WEAK FOR HIM, I just love this devil king in both otome versions~ I’m always side-eyeing when people talked bad about these two versions of him. But then I think they just don’t understand him. still side-eyeing so hard, though~

-Comte Another ‘JUUUUST LET ME LOVE YOU’ case. I went to his JP route for Vlad but I slipped, fell for him too lol. Not usually my type, but he’s definitely the gentleman type I would want to wed (and bed??) LMAO ssshhh.

The rest are, well, obvious enough. Basically the ones who I write, I loooove them~

2. if you could be fluent in another language, which one would you choose?

Japanese. (and more English lol just to make writing easier)

3. what kind of food do you like the most?

SPICY FOOD. JAPANESE FOOD. and instant noodle haha. But I love sushi, abura soba, salmon, the moooost~

4. what is your favorite holiday memory?

I have a lot, I think? But going overseas!! Disneyland!! And I definitely love every visit I’ve done to Singapore. Never been to JP though *cries*

5. if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

JAPAN. and maybe Singapore. that’s it.

6. what is the worst job you’ve ever had?

My only and also current job. It’s just something I will never get used to because it’s the opposite of my artsy soul. So, RIP. Suffering forever. 

That time I did part-time for a private gaming server. that HURT bcs I fell for the one I worked with and let’s just say he was not available. I had to get out and disappeared from him lol. (still miss him sometimes.. sobs)

7. if you could meet anyone in history, who would it be?

Ehhhh. None. Not too interested in this. (Except if you count Mitsuhide, maybe? I want to know him looool)

8. if you could change one thing in your past, what would it be?

that I shouldn’t fall in love too easily? I had.. a lot of heartbreaking moments. AND I trusted people too easily back then, got used and back-stabbed too many times. so yeah.. kinda regretted that bcs it scarred me greatly

9. what is something that few people know about you?

That I write. Only 2 of my friends knew, and I won’t tell anyone else. This is my world, my safe haven.

I’m shy at first, but can be shameless after you get to know me HAHHAHA

10. if you had to evacuate your home, what would you take with you?

MY DOG. MY LAPTOP. lol, that’s it. OHHH WAIT. MY BJD DOLL, Charlotte!!! MUST SAVE HER.

11. you only get 3 words to describe yourself, what are they?

romantic, empathetic, and.. resilient I guess? my brain is currently tired lol

12. if you could jump into a pool of something, what would it be?

MONEY. LOOOL. nah, kidding. Not too interested in money. A POOL OF FLOWEEEEEEEEEEERS (just no thorns/poisonous flowers ok.) xD

13. if you could stop time for 1 hour, what would you do?

Write? idk, 1 hour is too short to do anything meaningful.

14. if you have a love potion that will make anyone love you back, who would it be?

MY 3D BIAS. PLS???? Any of them is ok, but that means I gotta deal with idol life... (sigh)

15. if your life was a movie, what would it be called?

Endless Sorrow. Yep~ (also one of my wip title xD)

16. if you have a time machine, would you go back in time or visit the future?

Why not both? HAHAHA but prob future. I’m just curious??

17. if you could be anyone in a movie, who would it be?

?? Ehm.. I have no idea tbh. I BLANKED.

18. if you can choose your couple’s name, what name would you choose?

idk? I need to find my soulmate and ask him first LMAOOOO

19. Where would you go for your dream holiday?

JAPAN PLS. T_T idk if I can ever go there.

20. would you rather live in a large urban city, a small town or in the countryside? Why?

Large urban city with PROPER & SAFE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, bcs LORD it’s so annoying here, where we need CARS to go around. It’s so limiting and ugh. And I love city too much to choose the other choices xD

[leonmckennedy]

1 3 7 12 17 18

here we go!

1) is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

weeeeell in particular there’s like, a narrative i’d like to write that i’ve been holding off on bc its abt mental health so it’s.... really personal? so it’s gotta be done juuuust right 

3) what order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

from beginning to end the way i intend for it to be read!! sometimes i get ahead of myself and write a scene i’d reaaaaally like to see but if it ends up in the finished product it’s probably rewritten and rearranged completely

7) when asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

ENTHUSIASTIC. I’M NEVER NOT GLAD ABOUT BEING A WRITER it depends on the person im talking to, yeah, but i’m proud of being a writer?

12) your weaknesses as an author

i’m bad at... plot, honestly? that seems like a very important thing to be bad at as a writer but it’s always been really hard for me to get a story going and KEEP it going so i’ve been trying to practice at it more......

17) if you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?

REWRITE SHIT MAN. REWRITE THE WHOLE THING, DUDE. that shit’s a revolutionary concept. like, editing is good and all but sitting down, opening up your entire draft and rewriting it (starting word for word) completely is an experience i never thought i’d do. and it’s sooo helpful. 

like, i’d been so used to skipping this step on essays bc “GOOD EDITING YA” but it’s honestly not the same. two windows, side by side, one being a new document and the other the Thing you’ve been working on and... just, rewriting it all out. not everything changes, but a good amount of it will and that’s a very good thing

18) were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? what were they?

there was a book i read in high school that was a collection of works by young authors (like 12 - 19 years of age?) and i remember being really influenced by it. because that was a period of time where i realized “wow, i really wanna write for the rest of my life”

another thing that influenced me was Up Jump The Boogie, by John Murillo. it’s his first? poetry book. and it’s so good. my favorite, hands down

outside of that, a lot of my writing choices and stuff have been LARGELY influenced by fanfiction. yknow, because. it’s most of what i read

there are so many fics that i love and continue to love but static is one that i’d probably cite the most. that shit wrecked me and i happened to read it at a very... interesting time of my life, to say the least. that’s more recent tho: when i was like, 14 there was this one bleach fanfic writer that i absolutely adored and i took a lot of inspiration from them

there’s also some homestuck + hetalia + ace attorney fic that affected me a lot

[enfys-squees]

Book Meme Thing

Got this from @batmanisagatewaydrug and I am a huge book nerd so I had to do it.

1. Which book has been on your shelves the longest? Beauty by Robin McKinley. I used to check it out from the library constantly, and finally broke down and bought it when I was 15 or so. It still holds up to rereads. 2. What is your current read, your last read and the book you’ll read next? I always have several books going at once. 

Actively reading (for fun): Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (Kindle), The Ghost Train to New Orleans by Mur Lafferty (audio)

Actively reading (assignments for witchy things): The Chicken Qabalah by Lon Milo Duquette and The Qabalistic Tarot by Robert Wang

Casual reading (going slowly): Queer: A Graphic History Meg-John Barker, F(r)iction #7 (a literary mag by Tethered by Letters), Hamilton: A Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Last read: Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss (re-read). 

Next up: Uhhh peep my Goodreads shelf?

And this doesn’t include the audiobooks I have simply for the purpose of falling asleep because they’re juuuust interesting enough for me to pay attention but boring enough to fall asleep to. I have four of those I cycle through.

3. Which book does everyone like and you hated? 40 Days of Purpose.

4. Which book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t? No specific book, but I have given up on the idea that I will get through most nonfiction quickly. Most nonfiction books take me 6 months to get through.

5. Which book are you saving for “retirement?” Probably Mark Z. Danielewski’s The Familiar series, since it’s supposedly going to be a 25-part series.

6. Last page: read it first or wait till the end? Wait until the end.

7. Acknowledgements: waste of ink and paper or interesting aside? Interesting aside. Books are hard to write, and it’s good authors get the chance to give shout-outs to those who helped along the way.

8. Which book character would you switch places with? Granuaile from the Iron Druid Chronicles, because she’s a confident, magical badass.

9. Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time)? Anastasia Krupnik books by Lois Lowry will always remind me of being a tween in the summertime, reading in my room or outdoors. The Nancy Drew Files series will always remind me of road trips with my parents and reading four or five of them in the span of a week in the back of the van.

10. Name a book you acquired in some interesting way. I got an ARC from an author friend a week in advance of release, which was cool. Not going to say who. :)

11. Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person? I’ve given a lot of books as gifts. I have given House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski to a bunch of people but only one has ever made it through it.

12. Which book has been with you to the most places? I bought the first Harry Potter book in the States and brought it to study in Australia with me, so it went all over Australia.

13. Any “required reading” you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad ten years later? Most classic literature is a lot more tolerable when you’ve developed more patience.

14. What is the strangest item you’ve ever found in a book? Nothing I can think of, but my librarian friend has found menstrual pads that people used as bookmarks in returned library books. O_o

15. Used or brand new? Kindle or Audible, so brand-new is the only option.

16. Stephen King: Literary genius or opiate of the masses? I'm not a big fan of horror, so I haven’t read his novels, but I thought his book On Writing was pretty good.

17. Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book? All the Lord of the Rings movies were better than the books, IMHO. Tolkien needed a better editor.

18. Conversely, which book should NEVER have been introduced to celluloid? I’m just annoyed that every children’s book seems to get made into movies/Broadway shows these days, but no specific book comes to mind.

19. Have you ever read a book that’s made you hungry, cookbooks being excluded from this question? It was 1 a.m. and I was working front desk security detail at my dorm in college, and I was reading The Fellowship of the Ring and got to the Rivendell scene, where they go on and on about all the fantastic breads they’re eating. Our chaplain, Merlin (I shit you not), wandered down to say hello and chat, and I told him how the book was making me hungry for bread. He said, “You want bread? I have six kinds!” and then brought me a few kinds of delicious bread. Best chaplain ever.

20. Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take? My aforementioned librarian friend. Also @razrgrl. Both have excellent taste.

Not tagging anyone, but do this if you wanna and tag me so I can see your picks!

[meesherbeans]

Ryder Appreciation Week Meme

Yay! Excited to fill this out. :3 Hope you all enjoy some further insight into my canon Ryder! <3

Questions were taken from this blog post, part of the Ryder Appreciation Week initiative undertaken by the lovely blog, @everythingryder .

Questions and answers below a read more cut because of potential spoilers!

1. Does your Ryder like their father? Sara has very mixed feelings about her father. On one hand, she logically recognizes that he did, in fact, love her and tried to connect with her and Scott as best he was able. On the other hand, Sara does resent him for the way he brushed them to the side. While some may have considered it very sweet that he sacrificed himself to save her life, when she discovered that he pretty much only did it because he couldn’t face her mother waking up to find out Sara was dead... Let’s just say that really screwed Sara up for a while. She feels like he didn’t care about the potential of her dying, only her mother’s reaction to it happening...and that is NOT a good feeling.

2. How does your Ryder feel about their sibling? They are two peas in a pod. Sara and Scott have always been close, but once they went in very different directions for their post-secondary education, that only intensified their bond. The two would consistently send each other small trolly texts to try and get the other to laugh in the middle of classes, among other little ways to keep in touch. (Scott's always been the jokester of the two, and he usually won those!)

3. If given the chance, do you think your Ryder would be a good Nexus Director?  No. Sara could potentially make a good ambassador, but she wouldn’t be a very good director. She needs to be out and about, working with people and accomplishing things in the field. Pathfinder was not the career she had always envisioned, but once she and her team really settled in, it was clear that was exactly where she belonged.

4. What’s your Ryder’s favorite weapon?  Really, it’s biotics. If she had to pick an actual weapon, she’d probably go with the Mattock because it packs a punch but she can still reasonably aim with it. But she’ll pretty much always use biotics in a fight.

5. What’s your Ryder’s fighting style/class? (biotic sniper can be a thing now!) Straight biotic with a few tech tricks up her sleeve, like Overload. She tends to stay near the back and pick off the unarmored targets, leaving the heavier guys to the front line.

6. Does your Ryder get along well with Tann, Addison, Kandros, or Kesh? She doesn’t get along with Tann, but by the end of the game’s main storyline, she understands and respects him. She warmed up to Addison after the third colony was founded, and the two had a chat about hope and poetry. She got along with Kandros pretty quickly, given the similarities his communication style shares with her father’s; she understood him pretty quickly. Sara adores Kesh - simply adores her, and the feeling’s mutual.

7. Is your Ryder good at driving the Nomad? Yes! Sara is a very good driver, actually; she’s always been the driving buff in her family, and one of her favorite things to do while out during research was to just drive around and see the sights.

8. What is the one Pathfinder task that your Ryder hates?  Anything that involves a decision about justice or the like. She isn’t a cop and she hates feeling like she has to be cop, jury, and judge at times. For instance, she wasn’t wild about the whole Kadara Port incident. She didn’t trust Sloane, she didn’t trust Reyes, and she hated having to “choose” sides. Neither side was good and if the establishment of the colony wasn’t hanging on it, she probably would have refused to work with Reyes after what he did. (Note: my Sara actually didn’t see the sniper glint, as she wasn’t looking in that direction - no way she would have let it happen had she known.)

9. What does your Ryder enjoy about being a Pathfinder? Pretty much everything else! The freedom, the adventure, the sense of the unknown lurking around the corner. Her ship. Her team. 

10. How does your Ryder feel about the memories they unlocked? For the most part, they were interesting. The one that relived her mother’s death hit her very hard, as seeing it first-hand again really brought all of the emotions back. Other than that, she has generally positive opinions about being privy to those memories: she’s able to relive those moments in a way other humans never could, similar to a drell. It’s quite a gift.

11. Does your Ryder consider SAM a friend/sibling/…? I wouldn’t go so far as to say Sara classifies SAM as a sibling, but most definitely a very close friend...even family member by the end. SAM ends up becoming a valued part of the team, and the team is Sara’s new family by the end of the main storyline. Yes, she still has Scott (and her mom!), and they are very important to her, but she finally has - for the first time - a large family that loves, fights, hugs, and yells loud and proud.

12. What’s your Ryder’s favorite location in Andromeda? Initially, Voeld. She loves the cold and she loves the snow because she never had any weather while growing up on the Citadel. Sara always wanted to experience the picturesque “snow falling outside the window” kind of Christmas and Voeld was the closest she’d ever gotten to it.

After the vaults were activated and Meridian began to do its work, she fell in love with Kadara’s landscape. After some time working on helping fix irrigation issues with the colony, she began to appreciate the colors of the landscape, the water, and the jagged mountain peaks. The weather was nice, too! Cool and sunny but not humid.

13. If your Ryder could give one gift to their LI (if there is one!), what would they give? If it’s an “absolutely anything regardless of the reality of it” kind of gift, she’d definitely find a way to get Liam’s car to him. If we’re talking realistic, my headcanon already details a gift she gave to him: a Hot Wheels-sized replica of his family car. She had it made from found and fabricated parts that she worked with Vetra to track down.

14. How does your Ryder feel about the fight between Kallo and Gil? She initially thought that Kallo was being far too rigid and that he need to lighten up: they were dealing with unknown situations and hostiles and that it was better to adjust on the fly as necessary. Once Kallo opened up to her, she immediately understood why he was reacting that way and she worked with Gil to show him the same.

15. What does your Ryder think about Shepard? Hero worship, much like many humans Sara’s age. Shepard was juuuust older enough than Sara (about ten years) that Sara considered Shepard a badass that she wanted to be when she grew up: hero of the Skyllian Blitz, awarded the Star of Terra, first human Spectre!

16. Does your Ryder like the other Pathfinders? She does! She immediately felt bad for Avitus, given his obvious loss of Macen, but quickly grew to admire him for how he bounced back and really embraced the role. Raeka immediately made an impression and Sara likes to try and emulate Raeka’s calm and cool demeanor. Sarissa is...not quite trusted, although Sara can’t help but understand her motives and respect her ability to simply make the call and move on.

17. What is the one lesson your Ryder learned in Andromeda? That it’s okay to ask for help or advice. That being part of a great team is more important than being an important person. That family is what you make of it, rather than what you’re given.

18. What is the hardest thing your Ryder had to do in their life? Leaving Scott in a coma. She hadn’t really bonded with the crew yet at that point and she was essentially heading into a job she didn’t want (Pathfinder) with people she didn’t know and diving into potentially deadly situations (on Eos)...and she couldn’t even talk to her twin brother before doing it. She had to leave, absolutely had to go try and find resources, but she had to do so not knowing if she’d ever see him awake again.

19. Does your Ryder like memes? She finds the ones geared toward her interests funny (science, music, and cats). She does think that the more generally random ones that border on nonsensical are kind of stupid, though.

20. Which song would represent your Ryder well? Sara is an emotionally available person, full of hope and optimism; as the game goes on, she really starts to be worn down by the violence and no-win decisions she’s forced to make. Every once in a while, she needs to decompress and recenter herself. Usually, she does this with a movie night or a picnic or something small that lets her make personal connections with her friends again. To remind herself that this is why they’re fighting: laughter, love, life, and learning. The song Grace by Devin Townsend really personifies her struggle to keep this philosophy at the forefront of her mind.