#I'm excited for some of the arks that are coming

[jewishconvertthings]

How to Immediately Ingratiate Yourself in [Most] Jewish Communities

(*caveat that I'm an American, liberal Jew, so my experiences are not universal despite being common)

So you've just started going to shul and you're worried about fitting in with the congregation. Or, perhaps, you're moving out of the community you converted in and are worried about finding your place in a new community. Maybe you're switching shuls. Whatever the reason, you're starting in a new community and want to be accepted right away. Here are some tips for becoming a rapidly accepted fixture in the community:

If your community has a weekday minyan, go to minyan. That will show you who the real machers are in the community: the ones who make services happen regularly and who aren't shy about calling or texting people to get butts in seats. If you're Jewish, you might be Jew #10, the perennial hero of daveners everywhere. If not, you're communicating to them that possibility in the future. (No one was more excited for me to finish conversion than the minyan regulars.)

Okay but what if I'm a woman (or not halachicly male person) attending a non-egalitarian community? If it's liberal orthodox community and/or has a partnership minyan, I'd still consider going. I attended morning minyan at my Modern Orthodox shul for months before I completed my conversion because it was less awkward than going to the Conservative minyan and having to clarify that no, they still couldn't count me yet. (And I really liked the people and the post-minyan drash the rabbi would give.) They were actually delighted to have me holding up the women's side of the mechitza and welcoming in the occasional women who would come for a yahrzeit.

Do you have rhythm and/or are possessed of decently good coordination? Learn the cup song! [Tutorial] People will be very excited albeit potentially confused if it comes out that you didn't grow up going to Jewish summer camp. (I'd just tell them you saw the song on the internet and thought it looked fun.)

Are you musically talented or a semi-competant guitar player? Many communities would love to involve you in the songful parts of the service if you let leadership know.

In general, pay attention to what your community is always begging for volunteers for, especially things you can do as a non-Jew or not-quite-yet-Jew if that's your situation, and sign up for one or two things you think you'd be good at. I would say it's better to pick one thing and focus your energy on being THAT guy rather than trying to do a little of everything (voice of experience here.) Real life examples I can think of: being a greeter, arranging set-up for events, helping out with food prep such as kiddush or post-minyan bagels, running groceries to homebound congregants, delivering mishloach manot if your community does that, childcare or assisting with children's activities if you like kids, etc.

Put a fair amount of energy into remembering people's names and faces, and try to work out early who is related to whom. Bonus points if you can file away information about their lives that they tell you during your conversations with them.

If you're asked to do honors by the gabbai, try to say yes to anything you know how to do and are qualified to do halachicly. If you're not Jewish, many liberal communities will still let you open the ark or take a multi-person aliyah with someone who is Jewish, or have you read some of the contemporary English language prayers. Bonus points for if you are able to learn and perform hagbah (especially if you're left-handed/able to hagbah when the sefer Torah is heavy on the left side.)

Honestly, if you're between the ages of 18 - 35, most communities will be thrilled you're there and tripping over themselves to get you to come back. In combination with the above? You're their new best friend. If you are older than that or still a minor, they will still be very happy to have another friendly and helpful face, even if it's just that you regularly attend minyan.

Good luck and here's to becoming a beloved fixture in your new community!

[abybweisse]

Ch208, Spoilers part 2

One day, some visitors come, and they look like they are from a circus. I don't know the circumstances in which they get to take him away. Do they break him out? Does his "owner" sell him off? Does something happen to the owner of the freak show?

Whatever the case, Joker asks him what's his name, and apparently Snake didn't really have one (that he could recall?), so Joker simply names him "Snake". Meanwhile, I see someone (Dagger, I think) bringing children into the back of a wagon; are they being collected for Kelvin?!?

Doll puts out a hand and offers for Snake to leave with them. He accepts the offer and goes with them to Noah's Ark Circus.

There, Doll seems to ask "チキンと汁一クどつち食う？", which google translates as "Would you rather eat chicken or a cup of soup?" Snake doesn't give an answer, so Doll says "黙ってちやわかんねーだろ?", like "You can't just keep quiet, right?" Then Jumbo walks over. I haven't had time yet to translate what he says, but Snake still isn't talking.

Emily tells Snake "...チキン" (chicken), and finally Snake says "あとメスりて言ってる" (I'm saying it's a female) or "あとメス りて言ってる" (Also, it says female). I'm not sure if Jumbo and Doll are excited about that snake being a girl, Snake speaking with snakes, or simply the fact that Snake has finally said something.

Then Jumbo says something like "これはしデイに失礼をお名前を伺っても?" (Please excuse me if I ask your name?). Either that or more like "My apologies to this day. May I ask your name?"

The bubble with "そうですね... エミリー なんてどうでしよう" means something like "I agree... Emily, what should I do?" Followed by "嵐が丘 の考者　エリス・ベルの本名です" (This is the real name of Ellis Bell, the thinker [author] of Wuthering Heights).

Snake considers the name "Emily" for this snake, and then another snake gets in the way and Snake says "俺にも名前を付けてくれ つて言つてる" (Give me a name, too, it's saying).

Looks like the other snakes all want Jumbo to name them.

Then Dagger and Doll work on an outfit for him, and they are later shown enjoying meals together.

But time passes, and then one day our earl and Sebastian show up....

I'll try to get more translations done soon.

EDIT: Corrections:

Doll offers chicken or pork (not chicken or soup)

Snake says something more like "chicken... says the female one"

Jumbo calls the female snake "lady" when he apologizes

[lixzey]

Letters.

The Tenth Letter.

warnings: mentions of depression

Timothée was about to open the tenth letter, when he heard the sound of pattering on the roof and the sound of thunder roaring in the distance. He chuckled, another rainy day in New York. 

Maybe it was instinct that he wanted to protect this girl—or maybe it was something else. Maybe he was falling? Maybe he was actually falling for this mysterious girl. Timothée sighed, before opening the tenth letter, dated July 31st.

Dear Timothée, 

It's raining.

It's the kind of rain that makes you think of flash floods and Noah's ark. The kind that makes you want to wear your fluffiest sweater and socks and crawl into bed under the sheets where it's warm and safe. It calms me, it makes me feel safe and sound. The way the lighting comes after the booming thunder, little kids would get scared—fearing that they'd get struck by lightning—but for me, it's relaxing. 

What about you? Are you scared of thunder?

Timothée chuckled. What are the odds of reading the letter in the same weather? The probability of it was impossible, but here he was, reading the letter while the rain poured outside. 

The chances of getting struck by lightning are one to a million. That's the sort of thing that you'd hear on the news and you'd thank God that it wasn't you, but at the same time you'd feel bad.

Kind of like depression, really. You'd never expect it to be you. No one does. But the ugly truth is, a lot of people suffer from it and the majority of us are blissfully ignorant about it. When a person says they're depressed, they'd tell that person to suck it up and just move on—that there are people suffering worse than you. Invalidating their feelings, they bottle it up. Until one day, they explode. And at the end, when all is said and done, they're gonna be sorry because they didn't listen. People are treating depression like some sort of joke. Even when there's the Mental Health awareness, people look at depressed people like clowns. 

It's a chain reaction, really. Sharp words like knives cutting a person down, not thinking if that person is hurting, and all ending with a heart full of hatred against the world. And then what? That person feels unworthy—a waste of space, which ends up in doing things one shouldn't. 

“It's not your fault, none of it is.” 

But why does it feel like it is? Like I'm the catalyst for all the bullshit. The weight of it all is crushing me.

I'm haunted by the past, present, and future. I want to tell you, but I'm afraid someone else could read it. If you could just look into my mind, Timothée. 

You would see how the world treated me like shit. You would see every fucking thing that made me like this. 

Every night, I'd write a letter to you. Wondering if you'd ever get any of my letters. If you're listening, if you understand me. You said in an interview, “Love yourself for who you are and whoever you are, I'm gonna love you too. And when you suffer in life, suffer appropriately. And if you feel bad, that's fine! Just don't beat yourself up for feeling bad.” 

Am I delusional for thinking you'll love me? Based on what you said? Who am I kidding? I don't love myself. 

You're not going to love me. 

I've been suffering for too long and I've been feeling bad for half my life—beating myself up for it. 

If by some miracle, the pain goes away…..

Joke's on me. 

It's supposed to be fun, turning twenty one. 

All my love,

Y/N. 

Timothée felt an unsettling pit in his stomach. He prayed that Y/N was okay, and whatever she planned—he wished she didn't do. 

Suddenly, his phone rang. It was the private investigator he hired. Timothée sighed, hoping for good news. “Yes?” 

“I have a lead on the girl you're looking for, Mr. Chalamet. An address.”

The young actor nearly jumped on his bed in excitement. Timothée finally had an address. He could finally look for Y/N. Timothée quickly scrambled around his room, packing clothes and basic necessities—money, cards, and his passport—along with Y/N's letters. 

All eighteen letters. Ten opened, eight still sealed.  

Timothée stared at the photo in his wallet—the beautiful girl who he wanted so much to find. 

“I'm on my way, Y/N. Hold on, I'm coming.” 

@lovemelikecrazyiloveyoucrazy @helens3amstuff @gatoenlaciudad @thebetawolfgirl

[betyloca]

hobbit characters having a human s/o with tattoos and muscles

bilbo baggins

•He was tired of all the dwarves that were in his house and when he heard the door he started screaming.

-No, I don't want any more messy and rude guests, so goodbye.

• oh this poor boy when he opened the door and saw you at the entrance of his house he felt his heart stop

- I'm sorry* I move to the side* pass

• when you came in you introduced yourself

-I'm y/n at your service

- bilbo baggins to his

• He saw how you crouched down and got close to his ear, whispering to him.

- Do not judge people, Mr. Bolson, because I am not rude and disorderly, a little hobbit.

• this guy was a blushing mess

• At the beginning of the trip he was always behind you without saying anything

• this guy loves how strong and threatening you look

• you always end up defending him from Thorin's mockery

• He likes that you pay attention to him when I walk he talks to you about his home

- Your home sounds beautiful, I would have liked to stay longer.

- maybe after this you can come and have tea

- that sounds very good

• loves your tattoos

he spends his time admiring them

• always asks you what they mean or if it hurt you to do them

• sometimes he spends his time counting them when he is bored

• He will never admit it but he likes it when you pick him up, he feels protected in your arms.

• When I gave you a flower I thought you didn't like it until I saw you showing it off to everyone.

• You defend him from Thorin when he finds out that he handed over the stone from the ark.

• in battle you fight at his side without losing sight of him

• In the end you leave, you go with him to the region

until I confess to you

- Y/N I love you, would you like to be with me?

- aww little hobbit I wouldn't be with anyone else

Bofur

•this boy thought you were a man at first until he heard your voice

• He liked talking to you and how you laughed at his jokes

• he loves the way your tattoos look

- And that my lady, why did you do it?

- I did it because of a battle I was in

• He really likes your hugs, how you squeeze him without hurting him

• gets happy when you eat his food

• When they fought the orcs he was excited how you beat them one by one

• in the battle for the mountain they fought side by side

• he didn't lose sight of you even for a moment

• in the end you ended up confessing

- My wife would let me braid her hair

-Yeah

• He had explained to you what braiding means in his culture and it moved you very much.

Dwalin

•oh this man admired your strength

• He liked to talk to you about how much weight you could lift.

• sometimes they did strength competitions

• he likes how agile you are with axes

• Imagine when he discovered that you had tattoos he was almost upset for not having told him.

- Girl, do you have tattoos?

- yes I have some

- why did not you tell me!!

• likes it when you show him your tattoos while you tell them their meanings

• He also shows you his with great pride

• likes to compete with you for who has the most tattoos

- I have 14 tattoos

- * evil laugh*

- and you?

- *showing his tattoos*

- fuck

• No matter how far away you are, when you fight, he always cares about you.

• No doubt his brother notices how he looks at you.

- When are you going to tell him?

- to say that?

- what do you like

• gets jealous when you spend more time with another member of the company than with him

• It was confessed to you when they are in the battle of the five exercises

- Y/N, would you give me the honor of courting you?

- *screaming* tell me now

- what are you saying ?

- well of course yes idiot

•after winning you let him court you

• I couldn't be happier than with you

[killuagirly]

Yandere!Noah's Ark Circus[Separate] x Reader

Summary: Noah's Ark Circus members[Separate] seem to have a thing for you, but it only gets worse as you don't notice their obvious attempts to court you. What might they do in return?

Notes: I LITERALLY WAS SO EXCITED TO WRITE THIS FOR NO REASON AT ALL. The idea for this was taken from this post, but slightly changed up to fit more general circumstances. [Also because this is Yandere yk] I tried to make sure they all had a lil' sum but writing for this many characters in one post obviously means less content per character. Hopefully I'll get around to the main characters too, like Ciel, Sebastian, and so on.

CW: Yandere, Obsessive tendencies, Possessiveness, Slight mentions of violence[nothing really bad], etc. Read at your own risk!!

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Joker

☆ The 'ringleader' has special tricks up his sleeve just for you. It really couldn't get more obvious to everyone around you when he's leaving gifts outside your tent that range from flowers to clothing and so much more. He'll make sure you acknowledge his tricks and jests during the announcing and performances by making silly inside jokes between the two of you during the show.

☆ Eventually he may start to notice patterns in your behavior when you take his romantic gestures lightly, as nothing more than two close friends. Experimenting to see if his assumptions were correct, he even went as far as kissing you on the cheek before wishing you goodnight after one of his shows.

☆ As he suspected, you only laughed it off and told him goodnight in return. He starts to wonder if the way you keep looking the other way is because you may already have eyes for someone. If even it may seem so, Joker keeps his cool and focuses on improving your view of him. No action will need to be taken if he can simply draw your attention away from other.

☆ If means necessary, he's not hesitant and will slowly push everyone away from you to worm his way into your heart. If it gets to the point where your unmindful habits could be taken as rejection, he may be the type to just outright tell you about his feelings for you. If you still brush it off as some kind of joke, I pray for you because this man will take it to no means end to make you understand his love for you.

Beast

☆ One of the most gorgeous women you'll ever meet, falling for you. Honestly, I'm jealous. Beast is the one who'll communicate her love for you through silent actions, no doubt about it. She'll be your shoulder to cry on, help you with any questions or concerns you have regarding the circus, and you can always come to her with outside troubles as well.

☆ Beast honestly would most likely get upset rather than offended once it hits her that you aren't receiving any of her hints in a romantic context. Maybe she was going about it the wrong way? No, you're just unaware of her feelings towards you. No worries, she can just lay it on a bit thicker so it's within your grasp. After that, how could her love for you still go unnoticed??

☆ If you still manage to get past her flirting however unbothered, she'll probably start looking for outside causes. Could it be that you've got your mind elsewhere? Beast might actually begin to grow self-conscious because of the situation, wondering if you could be judging her for 'flaunting' or 'showing off' her body feature due to her costume. She might even start thinking about changing her main performance outfit.

☆ She may also outright ask you about what you think of her choice of outfit or general body shape saying something along the lines of, "I'm only curious t' know what y' think." In the context that she believes you're thinking of another in a romantic sense however, Beast might get a little pushy with you making sure that you're out of the path of anyone who could be considered a threat.

Dagger

☆ Dagger is literally a whole other story once he's fallen for you. He's very outgoing and honest, not to mention he'll literally serve you compliments on a silver platter for completing even the simplest of tasks. You wore something new today, did your hair differently, got new pair of shoes? He's dying to tell you how great you look, showering you with love and affection.

☆ Is it even possible to stay oblivious to this boy's feelings? He's all over you all the time, craving your praise, attention, literally anything and everything he can get out of you. So how and why on earth would you not acknowledge his efforts to present his feelings for you? It definitely runs through his mind that you could genuinely not feel the same for him.

☆ Honestly, try getting him off of you once he's realized you aren't giving him the attention he wants anymore. Dagger isn't the type to act desperate, but it can surely come off that way at times. He'll even outright bring up this form of, "neglect," you've been giving him. I hope that he doesn't suspect anything between you and another member of the circus, because he'll do anything in his power to keep them away from you.

☆ Dagger often proposes that you both train together, help him out with his act, or even silly little things like eating at the same table together in order to draw you out of any situation involving someone he sees as undeserving of your attention, insisting that you come with. As persistent as he is, he does know his boundaries and won't take it too far, most of the time anyways.

Doll

☆ Doll is an awfully touchy person, and she isn't afraid of showing it. When she's not all dressed up with the main cast, she'll be out and about following you around left and right. This girl could talk for hours without getting bored and proves it when she's with you by literally talking your ear off. Not that you really mind, especially when she's coming up with some new ways to compliment you. Calling you, "alluring," and "incredibly skillful."

☆ She's also very expressive with you, not caring to hide much from you. You'll probably know about how she's a first-tier member long before the sharing secrets phase in a friendship. She also enjoys helping you in every way she can, teaching you tips, tricks, and everything she can about the circus since she's, "more experienced than y'!"

☆ Eventually she comes around to flirting with you shamelessly so, trying to catch your interest. "Lookin' great t'day love," and trust me, it doesn't stop there. Coming around to your disregardful mindset started annoying her though. She'll probably go to Snake or one of the other members in hopes of figuring out what she's doing wrong. "How can't they not see 'm 'n love with 'em?"

☆ If it ever comes to a point where she believes that you may be in love with someone else, she will literally drive herself crazy about it. "Why don't they love m' like that, 'm I doin' somethin' wrong?" She'll pull you along, adamant that you spend more time with her instead of someone who's unimportant. Doll's jealousy is laid out on display for you, and she isn't shy about it either.

Wendy

☆ Spending time with you has become the highlight of her days, and she could go on and on about whatever is on her mind just relaxing and being with you. Wendy fawns over things like your choice in style, your makeup on that given day, honestly anything and everything that is noticeable about you. She's such a sweetheart, caring for you and making sure you've got everything you could ever need.

☆ Wendy is the yandere who might not even realize that her feelings towards you are considered romantic at first, taking her heart's increased pace as simply enjoying time spent with you as her friend. Once she does come to this realization, she's lovestruck and infatuated with you like no other. Honestly her change in behavior would probably be considered a bit concerning by the other members.

☆ If she actually starts flirting or making moves on you and you manage to overlook her signals, she'll automatically go into overthinking mode. It would go something along the lines of, "What 'f they don't find me attractive? D' they think 'f someone else 'ere 's prettier than me??" Peter would probably be the one to notice and calm her down.

☆ In the ensuing days, she'd probably get after anyone who got a little too close to you for her liking. Her main focus would be regaining your full attention, which much to her appeal, would probably be easy given her outgoing nature as your close friend. You can take my word for it when I say this girl isn't letting you go so easily, practically dragging you along with her just for some attention.

Peter

☆ Peter is a little ignorant when it comes to showing his love for you Trying to court you for him is like trying to survive falling into a volcano, it's seemingly impossible. Don't underestimate him though, he does try his hardest for you. If you ever need help with your act, he's there for you. Couldn't grab a bite to eat from the mess tent in time? He'll share with you, just keep your mouth shut about it or he might get embarrassed.

☆ For a while, Peter might be in denial about this little crush of his. After that stage passes however, he goes right into, 'If anyone at all ever hurt them I would take them out with my own two hands.' Not to mention he just might follow you around like a lost puppy, seeking out your attention. Though he'll never say it aloud, he does enjoy your when your attention is completely focused on him and him alone.

☆ Once he realizes that you aren't understanding his hints, - bypassing his love for you - he just gets straight up pissed. What is he doing wrong? Is it because of his condition that you might find him unattractive compared to other circus members?? Bless your soul, if you thought he was clingy before he's not letting go of you now, and anyone who tries to start up a conversation with you is rudely interrupted by a short blonde who isn't having it.

☆ Peter will go off at anyone who tries to speak with you even if it's simply an everyday conversation, no romantic ideals involved. He won't make it seem like the reasoning behind the way he's treating the lower-tier members is his jealousy and possessiveness over you, but some like Wendy might notice him having more sudden outbursts. He'll go as far as physically hurting someone over a harmless compliment about you. In his eyes, he should be the only one telling you such things.

Jumbo

☆ Jumbo's ways of attempting to court you seem the usual, showing off his strengths and starting small talk with you. He enjoys the simple things, like complimenting your skills whenever you do well during practice, or listening to how your day went. Whether you're feeling down in the dumps, or having a wonderful day, he's always there to listen and chat with you.

☆ The silence or calming atmosphere will put him at ease while he simply basks in your presence, even being near or just seeing you after a long day at the circus is enough to put a smile of his face. He cares a lot for you and your well-being, and simply can't imagine a world without you anymore. He may become aware of his feeling much later than he should, and once he does he begins noticing the other things too.

☆ Like how you simply turn your back when he's performing, of course you watch every now and then but you only pay attention to him as much as a good friend should. Jumbo probably starts realizing that you may not feel the same way for him as he does for you, which he simply takes notice of to try harder. Playing the harmonica for you, complimenting your tastes as often as he can, and so on.

☆ Eventually he understands that his efforts are going completely unnoticed in any kind of romantic sense. Could it be someone else has you wrapped around their finger or are you simply oblivious to his methods of courting you? Jumbo definitely seems like a gentle giant, so he probably won't hurt anyone even if they are testing their limits with you. Just a menacing glare from him and they'll know to back off, and he'll only even go that far if they're getting awfully touchy.

Snake

☆ Snake trying to court you is.. practically bound to go south. Well, from his view anyways. He just wants your love and attention, but he's much more closed off than most of the other members which makes it harder to get his feelings through to you. He may absent mindedly gravitate closer to you in public settings, but he still doesn't say very much to you in his own voice.

☆ He prefers to let his snakes talk for him, not often speaking to anyone himself. However, for you, he'll start slowly trying to start small conversations even if they only last moments. Sometimes he even watches you from afar while you're busy training with your act. When you notice him, maybe even flash him that pretty smile of yours, his cheeks will get all flushed and he'll scurry away.

☆ Snake is rather insecure about himself, so he automatically assumes the way you brush off his subtle attempts of flirting with you is because you couldn't be interested in him with his out of the ordinary looks. In addition to that, he's probably not all that offended or upset if you tend to shrug him off just taking it as if he's not good enough.

☆ Although, the other members[especially Doll] may end up offended on his behalf when noticing he the efforts he's putting in for you. He's trying his hardest, isn't he? Snake may be hesitant to step in if the cause of your disinterest in him is the fault of another who's caught your eye. Given his timid nature, I highly doubt he'd go to the extent of acting upon your disinterest in any way besides simply trying even harder for you.

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Masterlist

[roosterbruiser]

(If you're still accepting blurbs !)

‘I was looking forward to seeing you all week.’

You're just starting to go to the beach (for 2 weekends now) and it's usually the same day the Dagger squad plays dogfight football. You and Rooster been secretly yearning for each other and at this point you've given up using this time to read (just using the book and sunglasses to hide that you're thirsting all over him 😶‍🌫️). Rooster caves and sweeps you off your feet and (๑>◡<๑) ！！！！

you have your sunglasses high up on your nose, not chancing any of the sweaty, oily men playing a strange game of football seeing you practically eye-fucking them.

this is the third weekend you've come to the beach at the same time as them. the first two were total accidents--they just happened to be there at the same time you decided to set up a little reading nook in the sand.

but now? oh, you're absolutely here at the same time as them on purpose.

there's one in particular, one with a ridiculous mustache and ridiculous tan skin and ridiculous muscles, who's caught your eye. there's a distinct feeling in your gut when he looks in your direction--a jolt of something between excitement and fear. it makes you feel like electricity is coursing through your veins.

but right now, as you're "reading" your book, you're trying to hide the disappointment in your gut. you've timed your glances perfectly, making sure no one can see you, and you haven't seen your man.

what a waste, you think. now I'm actually gonna have to read Animal by Lisa Taddeo.

you sink back into the towel you're on, soaking up the hot sun as perspiration gathers on your hairline.

as you stifle a frown, you try to read a sentence, a pit of frustration growing in your belly.

but then the sun disappears.

brows knit, you look up, sunglasses falling low on your nose. and then he's here, standing just before you, grinning down at you. he has on the sweetest denim cut-offs you've ever seen and ark aviators--and that's all.

"hey," he says with a grin like the two of you are old friends. "I've been looking forward to seeing you all week."

you almost choke out a desperate me!? but then you think better of it. you let the book fall closed, push your sunglasses up on your head, and give him a sweet smile.

there's that familiar jolt in your gut--right on time as he digs his toes in the sand and awaits the sound of your voice.

"did I look like I needed some shade?" you ask.

"you were looking awfully hot," Rooster says with a a flush across his chest.

"you the protector of the beachgoer's then?" you ask, biting your lip.

he nods.

"well, as a Navyman, I take it upon myself to do my part," he says with a hand over his heart. "wouldn't want anyone getting burned. not on my watch!"

"ahh," you say softly, trying to keep your heart regular. "I'm feeling a bit special that I was chosen out of everyone here."

Bradley shrugs, still beaming at you.

"I can only do so much."

honestly, he noticed you the very first time you came to the beach. it may have caused him a football to the gut and a roll around the sand with Coyote, but he just couldn't get himself to tear his eyes away from you. he absolutely had to see what book you were reading, which he may or may not have read reviews for--strictly to get a feel of what you must be interested in. and he would be remiss if he didn't catch those little stolen glances.

"well, thank you for your service," you tease with a mock salute. "how can I ever repay you? apple pie? white bread?"

he laughs--a big and booming thing.

"how about your name?" he asks.

[servantofclio]

Following up on my "five happy things" post, I'm going to talk more about the zoo I built.

So, for context, Ark Nova is a board game in which you build a zoo -- you select animals for exhibits, and also can put resources toward conservation -- you can release animals into the wild, or have breeding programs, or a few other things. To win the game, you need to have a balance between zoo appeal (which comes from animals and other attractions) and investment in conservation.

Lost won the game by a few points, but I arguably had the BETTER ZOO! My zoo was packed with exciting exhibits: sea turtles and two kinds of rhinoceros and ostriches and cassowaries and jaguars, and also some small cute animals and a petting zoo. My zoo appeal was really high.

Lost's zoo had a few animals and then a ton of pavilions, which are cheap small buildings that Lost had built in an area that gave them extra bonuses, and Lost had put a ton of effort into conservation, so squeaked out a win on the basis of their conservation points.

We were laughing about this today, imagining the general public response to our imaginary zoos: People love my zoo! It's so much fun! they take their kids and ooh and aah at the picturesque exhibits and happy thriving animals! People look at Lost's zoo and say with a sigh: "well, they do really good work, I guess." And probably they have a good sideline in renting out the pavilions for weddings and other events.

[skaruresonic]

actually that would be really cute, just a day in the life on the ARK. you don't really see the Professor much, but he's always glad to see you. helping Maria study for tests, observing stars. helping researchers with their various tasks. racing down corridors and slopes. maybe Maria hears some news that her little cousin just got born and she's really excited about meeting the new baby ;A;

maybe towards the end it's revealed that the Professor has been absent due to his work on the Eclipse Cannon and he confides in you about it, explaining your responsibility to operate it when the time comes. I know I'm leaving a lot on your shoulders, Shadow; I wish it weren't so, but I also know you're capable. make me proud.

like. not leaning so much into Maria's illness side of things? it can be referred to in a poignant manner, but I wouldn't want to milk it for angst.

idk there's so much made of the death surrounding the ARK, but what about the life?

[sincerely-sofie]

It took me a minute to finally get my notes straight so I could answer this— I hope it was worth the wait! I’ll give some bullet points of tips I use to help boost my production speed in addition to the strategies I use to try to keep characters consistent. Let’s get into it!

First up: How I draw faster!

Note that these mostly apply to digital art, as that’s my preferred medium.

If your art program has them, experiment with brush stabilization levels. My hands shake really bad, especially while I’m drawing, so I put a lot of effort into finding a stabilizer level that works with my need to control lines while also smoothing out the tremors in my hands. It’s made it so much easier to draw lines like I want to, and therefore lets me move on instead of redrawing the same line over and over again.

Creating templates for your art helps so much— setting up things like canvas size, color profile, DPI, background colors and images like the paper texture PNGs that I love to use ahead of time helps me get drawing faster, while I’m excited and inspired! Similarly, having a naming system for your art files is useful for speed as well as finding and organizing old pieces easier.

Having premade color palettes of local colors for characters is also super helpful for speed, as well as keeping characters on model :>

Personally, I use a single brush for lineart and rely on the selection tool and bucket fill for coloring when I actually bother to color things in. My lines are pretty loose nowadays, and the same goes for when I color things— I don't abide exactly by the lineart I draw, and get pretty messy with the selection tool and bucket fill!

I simplify character designs as much as possible— the standard design of a sigilyph, for example, is pretty complex. But I made Sen a lot simpler (and also forgot the spikes on her torso in this panel. Oops)

As for keeping characters on-model…

I’m very flattered that you feel otherwise, but I actually don't keep characters very on-model between different drawings— just look at the different ways I've drawn Ark below— however, I'm improving over time as I become more familiar with how I want to draw the characters! A big part of my process of keeping characters on model is drawing characters over and over to familiarize myself with how they should look through trial and error.

Learning common angles and poses I will draw characters in is very helpful for making sure they look consistent. As a bit of a downside, though, it makes wonkier angles stick out like a sore thumb! Drawing Ark with his head slightly angled downward was really hard, and I don't think I communicated it that well here:

I try to have the characters broken down into as many simple shapes that fit into each other as I possibly can, like Twig’s head (circle + rectangle snout + angled rectangle horn) Ark's hair (that weird bangs shape) and Dusknoir's upper body (beanbag shape / slightly elongated circle torso, arms coming out of his frill that comes in a very particular arcing line). This makes it way easier to draw characters quickly and consistently, because I can learn those lines and shapes and get the motion of drawing them into muscle memory.

Also, knowing the ways characters emote is like knowing cheat codes. Giving characters things like a signature comedic expression of shock or grin that they make when they're happy are very helpful!

The biggest tip I can give on the topic of keeping characters on-model (at least without model sheets— model sheets are THE way to go. Don’t be like Sofie and neglect those pieces of gold) is really just to practice. Build up familiarity with the shapes and proportions of characters, get a feel for how your hand and wrist moves to get the lines right.

[crystal-lillies]

a rambling retrospective on the last year as a new Critter

So, it's been about a year (a little over) since I fully dipped into the Critical Role fixation.

Last year around this time, we got the other Halloween episode in Whitestone, just before the Mighty Nein Reunited two-parter, and gee, we just got a Halloween episode in Whitestone and we're about to go into a Mighty Nein Reunion this week! And a LIVE show at that, the first one since pre-COVID!

And last year at this time, I was just starting into a work D&D group and I'd just gotten my first set of dice at a renaissance festival, and I'd just bounced around a bunch of compilation videos, several oneshots, and some out-of-context Campaign 2, along with The Legend of Vox Machina season 1. I was just barely dipping my toe into the wider CR + TTRPG world.

So much has happened since then.

Every Thursday since that Halloween in Whitestone last year with Bells Hells, I've been tuning into the stream (despite the ET time difference) and sometimes even making it through all the way (for some exhaustion points that are still worth it). I watched more of the oneshots (the Call of Cthulu one and Nautilus Ark being particular favorites I've seen in 2023). I've also watched a lot more of Campaign 2 and even went back into Campaign 1, bought myself some merch (I'm actually wearing the Hot Topic Ashton shirt, haha), and I got friends into The Legend of Vox Machina before and after Season 2 dropped on Amazon.

I even wrote a little fic when Matt slammed us all with the Apogee Solstice on the 8th anniversary session :)

And, as anyone who's been following me has noticed, I got the Exquisite Exandria cookbook and have been making the recipes from it whenever I can, and that's also been amazing.

Plus, I've watched some Dimension 20 (Mentopolis was incredible and Burrow's End rn is fascinating) and dipped into Worlds Beyond Number thanks to that.

My work D&D group has since dissolved, but I took a leap of faith and I joined a pickup oneshot game of D&D5e in April, and around late June/early July, the DM of that game invited me with a few others to a campaign set in that homebrew world the oneshot was based in.

We started playing at the end of July, and I've been having such a blast. Each session is so much fun and the highlight of any given week we play. I cannot believe I went so long in my life without having D&D until this point, honestly. But I'm so glad I have it now.

All of this to say, a lot has happened in the last year, and I'm so glad to have stumbled into the Critter community and gained knowledge of Critical Role and the wider TTRPG sphere as a whole. The fandom has been so welcoming and supportive in a way I haven't felt from many fandoms in my experience. It feels like it's been more than just a year of being invested in Critical Role, but I suppose that the fervent intensity of the story and the people involved and the genuine excitement in front of and behind the cameras.

I guess, just... thank you for everything. And here's to many more years of Critterdom to come :)

Love y'all very much, and is it Thursday yet?

[burningexeter]

Since just like with a certain voice actress on a 2000s Cartoon Network show, there's not a lot of information on in this case writer/director Shane Acker, the man behind the dark, twisted, action-horror post-apocalyptic animated film 9 from you guessed it 2009.

So here's all the trivia that I could find on the guy if anyone's interested in reading for yourself:

• In an interview, Acker cut to the chase on why he hasn't directed a movie since aforementioned 2009 and here's what he said — "Have a lot of the movies I've been attached to as director fallen into development hell, yes. But the bigger reason is mainly personal, I've just been living my own life. I would absolutely love to direct another feature or anything really but at the same time, I'm enjoying what I already have in life. I'm kind of a schlub that way right down to the fact that I'd nowadays rather sit back on a nice Sunday, watch football and eat bacon and pepperoni pizza than deal with modern studio executives who probably get higher pay every time they yell and scream in your ear".

• He's already listed The Brothers Quay, Don Hertzfeldt, Jan Svankmajer and brothers Christoph Lauenstein as influences previously however recently he's named Terrence Malick, Edgar Wright, Gore Verbinski, Jordan Peele and Richard Kelly as some of his favorite filmmakers.

• Speaking of favorites, he's given some of his favorite movies — Donnie Darko, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Dredd, The Watcher In The Woods (1980) and The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian (surprisingly).... then he gave some his favorite TV shows — Tales From The Crypt, Bob's Burgers, Squid Game, Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Sons Of Anarchy.

• When asked what was it like working with Tim Burton since he was producer, Acker spoke high praise saying "I would work with him again if the time comes. Tim was a phenomenal producer who allowed for so much creative freedom while at the same time contributing his unique voice and view to the project".

• On the flip side, here's what he thought of the other producer Timur Bekmambetov — "He was very, very, very, very, VERY fucking russian as all hell. I'm surprised he was a Hollywood producer..... he was quite the interesting person".

• He does indeed have an idea for a new project that he not only wants to do but intends on having it be his second film as director, describing it as "The Incredibles crossed with Raiders Of The Lost Ark, it's an animated action-adventure with edge we haven't seen since honestly the early 2010s. I'm still deciding on whether it should be another PG-13 or an actual R".

• On modern media, here's his blatant thoughts on it so tough shit to any dope who reads this and gets offended because of stupid reasons — "I think it's been awful. There's barely any genuine storytelling now and instead it's all politics. It's all about representation, obnoxious wokeness, pandering, subverting expectations and shoving as much modern bullshit themes into them than actually telling stories with characters who you care about".

• He's most certainly not a fan of a certain film called Star Wars: The Last Jedi — "I know this is saying quite a lot since I've only been able so far to direct one feature but honestly I wish Last Jedi was never made at this point. Not only is it a truly terrible movie but it's created so much hostility, so much shilling, so much toxicity that it becomes unbearable. If this is that film's legacy than it's a failure".

• There is however one positive about all of this and it's that the one movie that he's excited for and interested in — what is it....

[silentcrowsilentravens]

Mashing together some shorter requests for this :P

Relationship headcanons about Salvatore Moreau, Ark Thompson, Bruce McGivern, and Jake Muller.

(Gender ambiguous).

Warnings: n/a

Masterlists here!

Salvatore Moreau

Sal just fucking melts if you go and give him a lil' kiss on the top of his head. It almost always gets him giggling like a moron.

He likes to play with your hands whenever given the opportunity.

To what I'm sure is nobody's surprise, Salvatore is a huge fan of movie dates. He has lots of good ones to pick from, and a pile of blankets you guys could potentially snuggle under... It can get rather chilly down in that mine, you know.

He might try to find a nice spot around the reservoir to have a picnic with you. Maybe the piers, one of the rooftops, or on a boat...

He tells you that he loves you a lot.

Sal makes his own bracelets (also, bone crowns) and will definitely be making you something as well.

He gives you little trinkets and cool rocks he finds in the reservoir, and will barely be able to contain his excitement when presenting them to you.

He uses pet names like darling, love, my precious, and sweetheart.

The man loves to praise you and give you compliments.

(In case you were wondering, he does enjoy receiving those things from you just as much).

On occasion, you might find him affectionately bumping his head against you. Like a cat or something! :)

Ark Thompson

Know that if you want to be with Ark, then it's crucial that you get along with/like his kids, Lily and Lott. It's important to him that the most important people in his life have a good relationship with each other.

He's always trying to take you out to restaurants for dates. Usually hole-in-the-wall places since they, in his opinion, have the best food.

He also strikes me as the type of guy to take you bowling, mini golfing, or something in a similar vein.

You're one of very few people that gets to see his resting grumpy face change to a genuine toothy smile.

Ark owns one of those wallets with a big ass photo sleeve, and one side of it is literally just pictures of you.

He loves an excuse to rest his forehead against you or to have his head on your lap.

I don't think he uses pet names all that often. Most of the time he just calls you a nickname that's pulled from whatever you go by.

He can be a bit of a doting partner and is always talking about you.

If he can get away with it, Ark likes to pick you up. Most often it's that type of carry where he hooks his arms around your legs and slightly under your butt, but he also goes for the fireman carry on occasion.

He's a big fan of giving you single-lip and corner-of-the-mouth kisses.

Bruce McGivern

Bruce loves to sling an arm over your shoulders when you're standing next to him/walking beside him.

He also loves to come up behind you and hug you. Depending on your height, he might rest his chin on the slope of your shoulder or the top of your head.

His attempts at flirting with you are almost always... corny. Very corny.

Bruce is the kind of guy that likes to play fight/wrestle with you—if you'll allow him.

He uses pet names like honey/hun, darlin' sweetheart, doll, and stud.

If you speak more than one language, Bruce'll try and learn. He'll do it in secret and whip it out once he's confident in his abilities.

He enjoys making you nice home-cooked meals. Be warned, if you choose to help, he is the kind of person who will smear a bit of the ingredients on your face.

Bruce sleeps on his back, so if you're cuddling in bed, he likes to have you snuggled up against his side while he has an arm around you. Alternatively, draped over him like a blanket.

Please run your fingers through his hair. He's a sucker for it. Might just lull him to sleep.

Bruce is someone who hardly ever takes you on the same sort of date twice. Man's got a million ideas to try out with you.

Jake Muller

Jake might not always be the best at expressing himself with words, so he often shows his affection for you through actions. He'll get you little gifts every now and then to surprise you, and often does things for you without asking.

(You might find him doing stuff like this in an attempt to make up for doing something stupid).

He can be rather protective of you. This guy wouldn't hesitate to take a bullet—or bite from some undead motherfucker if it means keeping you safe.

When it comes to cuddling, Jake prefers when you're snuggled up against his side or straight up into his chest.

You'll often find him resting a hand on one of your thighs.

Or alternatively, both of his legs across them.

Once you get to know him, it's not too hard to fluster him. Despite often acting like a smug bastard, compliments from someone Jake genuinely cares about can make them that way. He just doesn't know how to process them.

Jake is the sort of partner that goes out of his way to annoy and tease you. Very, very rarely to the point of genuine frustration, though! It's all in good fun.

His ideal dates involve going out without having any real idea what you're going to do, and just doing something that piques your guys' interest when you come across it.

With his line of work, you either end up doing a lot of moving around or, unfortunately, go through periods where you only get to hear his voice. He calls often, at least.

[vlstarie]

NAME?: Vixen / Vix

PRONOUNS?: she/they (but like, anything vibes)

MOST ACTIVE MUSE(S)?: This fucker here and the slut moth i call Vexious .

EXPERIENCE / HOW MANY YEARS?: unironically been rping since I was 16? So 2016 and still talk to one of my first rp partners who's also my best friend

PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION?: DM's to start and if we vibe discord but sometimes I post my discord

RP PET PEEVES?: 🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️if I say no to something it means no.

BEST EXPERIENCE?: God damn since coming back I gotta say the new friends I've made ( ichi , ark , star , Roman, Jack , Rory) they have positively influenced me and my muses as well I love tjem

FLUFF, ANGST, OR SMUT? : honeslty it all really depends I don't like auto fluffing things or angsting things unless it's like thought out and smut isn't really a thing I like doing but sometimes I do but it's VERY rare that it'll happen

PLOTS OR MEMES?: best way for a first interaction IS memes but I do love plotting a lot it is so much fun and you can always add some more lore to muses which is even more exciting ( I like lore )

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES?: Either. Sometimes I can do long ass replies other days I just wanna do short and simple replies . Doesn't mean my interests fading just some days I can only muster so much

TIME TO WRITE?: uhhh depends on work days any time from 11pm ast -4am then after that it's crack but when it's non work days it can fluctuate due to my sleep schedule

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S)?: I mean I do love some burgers and beer not gonna lie but I wouldn't say I'm overly like my muses maybe the calmness but not aggression or blood lust

Tagged by: @divine-gnosis

Tagging: @cfribbons

[heresmyfiddlestick]

new doctor who trailer, let's go

let's try and get anything out of what they've given us on wild blue yonder

to re-cap from my first trailer break-down post, we've got (from top left to bottom right) the Doctor with his jacket off (since he tossed it down just before zooming around the new TARDIS and didn't have time to grab it on his way out) discovering something in a strange metal-walled place, Donna also being amazed, Donna rushing frantically through a corridor, a hero shot of Donna with a little triangle button thing behind her, a little scene where we establish that something has scared the TARDIS away and Donna is going to kick its arse (over three shots), Dr. Who trapped in a little metal box screaming "NOO" again, and a spooky looking TARDIS

they have...really not given us anything - i'm very excited!!

we start with an ordinary metal room, which the TARDIS then violently spins through, materialising in. (just like in the Children in Need special... why is she doing that now? smashing things up) this gives us that final WBY shot from the specials trailer. we can suspect that this crash landing is because of the coffee incident from TSB

somebody give this man a break! this has got to be just after crashing and rushing out of the TARDIS, hence the smoke everywhere, and the guy just grateful to be alive and safe

then a blackout as creepy music comes in, before we see our time travellers snooping around a blue-lit room. those things with the windows on them, I'm thinking stasis chambers of some sort? but what's inside? the lights that flicker in the next shot are in this same room. check out that grille on the left hand side of the first shot, it looks like the thing the Doc was banging against in the specials trailer

Donna asks, very scared and clearly in the first room they arrive in, "where are we?" - this is presumably coming just after the TARDIS has disappeared and before the "kick its arse" line

Ominous shot of a grubby vent, which we've seen in the very first shot of this trailer above and to the right of the first door, with a creepy ticking/clicking noise... something is watching them?

"Oh, life signs!" - we recognize this chair and room from the specials trailer! this comes straight before the shot when he stands up and they both look amazedly at something. that'll be the life signs then. probably what's being held in those stasis chambers

a door slams in Donna's face in a dark and green place - and another one of those grilles - this might be around the time Donna is running through her colour-coordinated corridor

"Doctor!" "Donna!" while Tenteen is in a bright red and scary room

and then a further quick shot of the shouty "NOO" room

so obviously these two are going to get separated in this unfamiliar place, after discovering there are "life signs" somewhere on board

which leaves us wondering, "what are they?" (a line of dialogue laid over what is clearly a scene taking place in the first room, this is probably the two of them watching as the TARDIS absconds)

alright, RTD you've done a very good job of giving us absolutely nothing on this one and I have to respect that.

we do know (from Tardis Wikia) that there's a character called Mrs. Merridew played by Susan Twist, the episode is directed by first-time DW director Tom Kingsley, and the TARDIS has left because of HADS

also, from this promo image, we have this little robot guy, and a big triangular corridor with piston-looking things. is the robot guy Mrs. Merridew? why is he all Rusty? why is he so cute? it sort of seems like he could be the one making the ticking noise, and he is probably the one caring for whatever life signs are being held in the stasis chambers... maybe it's a long-haul star cruiser type thing à la The Ark in Space?

then we have the Target cover, which shows us the little guy again, as well as Donna and the Doctor in what looks like a golf cart. easy transport for getting around an unmanned space station, maybe?

Oh yeah, we also have this clip shown at the end of the Doctor Who Unleashed episode, which gives us these amber-coloured banks of drawers of somethings, one of which the Doctor grabs, "if we move one up..."

"ugh, is that stuff dangerous?" Donna asks as what looks like a misshapen honeycomb drips. "No," says the man who should really still be recovering from regeneration sickness before giving it a sniff and a lick (hello 13)

and then definitely deciding "no"...

...and as he tries to put it back, he gives a little cough and starts falling backwards

so what does this leave us with? the Doctor and Donna are abandoned on a spaceship/station/underwater bunker that doesn't see a lot of use but is the site of Hostile Action which makes the TARDIS fuck off. they go snooping around to see what's up and find a bunch of rooms with exciting different colour palettes, flipping on lights and licking alien honey as they go. they discover the life signs that are being kept alive in the bowels of this ship/station/bunker before being separated. maybe they can still hear/see each other somehow? one of them discovers the rusty little guy and maybe the other discovers Mrs. Merridew? they have a daring escape on a golf cart and manage to get the TARDIS back through the power of the U.S. Air Force

and it's "unlike any Doctor Who episode ever"!

[suna1suna1]

Hello! It's Wednesday and y'all know what that means!

I've made some progress on a WIP from a couple weeks ago, and I have some new ones too that I'm pretty excited about! And more of my fics have a definitive release date!

I'm also happy to say: To my Shadamy followers, I will have a new AU fic debuting for y'all in April! (and I continue to have fun with Heart of the Ark, so I shan't be abandoning it anytime soon, dw). I think @killingthecringe in particular will be excited to know I've been working more on the Hades and Persephone AU, so I'm excited to share the first chapter with y'all in a couple weeks! (April 1st, no it's not a prank lol) ^^

Don't forget to go check out @deadrabbithq 's blog! They have really cool Sonic AU stuff + a psychological horror webtoon they're working on that's off to a great start!

Some Surgamy for @/sonicrarepairweek2024 (super excited for that btw, us rarepair enjoyers are always struggling lol). Hoping to get the colors done by the end of the week.

Still chipping away at @/metamiie's WALL-E AU designs, but it's getting there! It's really hard, but I've been having so much fun! Plus, anything that gives me an excuse to put the film ost on loop is good in my book lol

A sketch for Blaze's ref for Fire and Ice

Sketch for Tails's ref in TCaH. He's quite a bit older in this AU, so he's in his gangly teenager phase XD

Still chipping away at this test comic of my ocs. Pretty happy with how it's coming out so far though!

And now for my writing WIP word counts this week!

Shadamytober 2023 one-shots - Words: 23,754 (+ 124)

Sonadowtober 2022 one-shots - Words: 20,280 Chapter release date: March 31st

To Catch a Hedgehog - Words: 18,965 (- 4 (Worked on editing this week)) Chapter release date: March 31st

Angels and Demons - Words: 17,996 (+ 280) Chapter release date: March 31st

The Heart of the Ark - Words: 9,495 (+ 409)

All Our Love - Words: 6,303 (+ 123) Chapter release date: March 31st

L'histoire d'une Ladybug a Paris - Words: 6,179 (+ 1060)

Fire and Ice - Words: 5,164 (+ 6) Chapter release date: March 31st

[fugamsemidei]

Ark's words are not heeded, the Doduo all but throwing herself on top of the pair, landing between the two instead and rapidly jumping from foot to foot. The Ekans goes flying off her neck at the sudden stop. "Omigosh you guys are so small!!" The excited head shouts. The other head gives an amused shake.

"ehhhhhh....." The Ekans groans. The Eevee pair help him up while the Doduo continues.

"Where'd you come from?? Are you staying here forever?? Oh!! What are you, I've never seen Pokemon like you before!!" She shouts again.

Ark and Alburune shrink a bit under the attention, turning back to Paleo with big sad eyes. "Mister Paleooooo......" Arc whines.

Paleo holds in a laugh as he watches the remainder of the kids also surround his charges. "Y-you'll be fine, you both. Try to make some friends."

The Marowak does so. "This newcomer arrived with the two of them. They're new residents!"

The Magcargo turns to face them, staring at Paleo with her one good eye. "You? You brought them?"

He isn't able to parse through the other's tone. Is it accusatory? Incredulous? He responds as neutrally as he can. "Yes. We were....fleeing human mistreatment. Came across this place in a stroke of luck."

She seems agitated by that. "Humans had a baby Arceus?! Oh that's awful. That's criminal. Rest assured I will protect your kids with my life. I'll kill people if I have to."

Despite how concerning that sentence is to Paleo, Nobone smiles up at him. "Fuse here is one of two Pokemon that take turns watching over the children here. Her and Honey. I saw him earlier, I'm sure you'll have a chance to meet him soon."

"That's good to know." He bowed his head to the Magcargo. "My name is Paleo. It is good to meet you."

She grins, her black stone teeth clinking together with the motion. "Good to meet you too. The more the merrier."

Fuse's ref has been unlocked!