#It is very solidly Spring here

[solstrix]

Winter Spirit

[air-exec]

Seven Several Sentence.... Saturday

Tagged by @amiserableseriesofevents, I swear I didn't forget about this I just wanted to have some substantially new stuff to post. So here's some of the Very Much Dystopian American AU about the (modern) buckies getting married in college, solely to get better financial aid money.

Also, I'm going to stick most of this behind a page break because it is, actually, More Than Several sentences. Just as a treat.

It had started as a joke, like most of them did. They were solidly in the spring semester of their freshman year of college, applying for financial aid and planning their next year of classes. Being rejected for financial aid and doing the math on how they were going to pay for the next year of classes. Being rejected again and panicking about the prospects of higher interest private loans. And on and on. 

Sitting side-by-side on John’s skinny dorm bed, shoulder to shoulder with their laptops on their legs and backs against the concrete wall, Gale is complaining about his parents’ irresponsible financial situation when John first speaks it into existence. “I don’t know how my mom just didn’t know that they hadn’t been filing their taxes,” Gale says, angrily clicking through yet another Resources for Students page on their university website. “I don’t know why the IRS decided now that they needed to look into this. They haven’t filed in like four years, the government couldn’t have just left it alone for another two or three?” Which was ridiculous, and Gale knew it, but he was just so frustrated and worried and scared of the idea that he might have to go back home if he can’t afford to pay for next year. His part time job at the campus bookstore wasn’t going to cut it.  “You know, I’ve heard you get better financial aid if you get married,” John nudges Gale in the side with a pointy elbow. Gale rolls his eyes and leans away from his friend’s arm. “No, I’m serious! Especially if you’re poor, you get crazy financial aid if you’re married.”

( Also a little disclaimer, the title is kind of a joke, it’s only “dystopian” in the fact that 18 year old kids may or may not have to get married in order to receive better financial aid benefits, it’s not really a dystopian au )

[puffein]

FALL PARTY | late spring [ii.]

summary: you persuaded wanda to go to the party with you but at what cost? pairings: wanda maximoff x fem!reader warnings: the usual angst lol word count: 1069 a/n: idk how to feel about this but please enjoy!

series masterlist playlist!

New Brunswick, New Jersey

November 2021

"We should go, Wanda. I bet it's gonna be fun!" your voice booms from the bathroom, Wanda looks up from the book she's reading, her feet tucked tightly under her thighs. She shrugs and then realizes you cannot see her across the room.

"I don't know. I don't like parties," she says quietly. You got out of the bathroom wearing something that screams party girl. Wanda's eyes linger on you, for a little too long and abruptly looks down on her book. 

You bit your bottom lip lightly, thinking of different things to persuade her. Fall exams week just ended and you badly want to go to the party and drink the stress of studying all week away, but if Wanda won't go then the decision is settled. You wouldn't want to leave her behind even if it means ditching a scheduled plan with your roommate. 

"Okay, we won't go then," you said, your arms reaching out to smooth strays of her long brown hair.

She sighs, "No, you go. I can stay with Darcy or something." She shrugs, untucking her feet and placing them solidly onto your black carpet. Her eyes muster a wavering stare, eyelids drooped as her glinting green eyes filled with doubt.

You roll your eyes at her, sitting beside her, "Party won't be fun without you." 

Shoulders rigid, you tense as her eyes stare right at your face, analyzing your features, observing how she examines every person her eyes settled in. Sometimes, fright would swallow up your whole essence, afraid she would analyze something out of you, something you deeply hid under. 

Fear would always strike up at your chest whenever she does this, the staring, the head tilting with eyes determined, afraid she might see your feelings for her. She didn't have to know the affection you have for her goes beyond the borderlines of platonic warmth.

Then she looks away, brows furrowed, "I'll go then." her voice quiet. You see the fiddling of her hands and the nibbling of her bottom lip.

"We don't have to— wait, really? I mean, I'm fine with just staying here with you, we could watch movies or some—"

"You persuaded me anyways with that rat eyes."

You gasp at her dramatically, her laugh resounding in your all too quiet dorm room. Your face flushed at the sudden laughter she had emitted, the melodic laugh stabbed right into your chest with its sharp edges, however, instead of feeling pain all you have felt is fondness and devotion for the laughing girl.

That's how you found yourself and Wanda huddled together in a crowded room, sound blasting all over the place, people swarmed together to dance and sway their bodies closely. You felt the burning touch of her fingertips, her hands tightly grasping at your waist, leaving a fiery coil at the pit of your stomach. You try not to think too much of her touch, you knew Wanda hates crowded rooms, which makes her feel too close to people. 

You now kinda feel bad persuading her in something she deeply despises and watching her clutch at your side like a terrified puppy made you want to back out of the party and spend the night watching her favorite sitcoms. 

Your thoughts snap in place as you felt her tugging you impossibly closer, you lean into her ears, "Wanna grab drinks?"

Her wide eyes peer at yours and nods meekly, you smile at her encouragingly, wrapping your fingers around her wrist delicately, you pull the two of you out of the crowded room into a corner with much more space and none of that sweaty college students around.

"Stay here, I'll get you an apple juice." you playfully utter.

Wanda rolls her eyes, her cheeks turning pink as she scrunches up her nose endearingly. Huffing, she says, "Very funny."

You wave your hands in the air while walking away, steps bouncing lightly towards the kitchen of whoever house this Stark dude stole. Proud surrounds your chest at having the ability to find a space solely for Wanda. Not only for Wanda but for you and her too.

"I thought I will be ditched. Surprises." curly fiery red hair comes into your view, and you glance at her with brows raised high.

"I never ditch you."

"You did. Three days ago claiming it was yours and Wanda's sitcom day. Oh, and that coffee plan we had a week ago which totally got bamboozled as you said your best friend feels weird so—"

"Jesus. I get it." you sigh defeated, shoulders slump but a mischievous glint surrounds your roommate's eyes.

"Just ask her out." she suddenly suggests, lower back positioned right at the kitchen counter, slender hands grasping a small drink with lots of ice.

You shake your head, "No way, Nat. Wanda doesn't —" 

Your words die down as your eyes settled on your best friend, tucked in the corner of the room but this time she's not alone. A tall blonde man stands beside her, he keeps a respectful distance between them, head bobbing and his interest is piqued at whatever your best friend is babbling about.

"—like me." you continued. Your Face scrunched up in a weird, pain, embarrassment kind of way. 

Wanda doesn't like talking to strangers, much less babbling her night away with a man she never met before. 

So, watching her step out of her comfort zone for someone she had never met gave you a very weird erupting feeling of sorrow and bitterness. You could practically taste the dejection and wretchedness of the hurling realization that this man might be too special for him to get Wanda to break the walls she had put herself and gaze at him like he was the only being who matters in the entire space.

That was the night you very first felt a strong feeling of patheticness. 

You will always be the girl admiring the person she deeply loves from afar, who will always be positioned at the sidelines, who will always be the best friend, and will never be more than that.

Other than that, realizing that you were the one who persuaded her to come to this party made you sick. To come into the very place where she met the man she will be marrying 3 years from now.

Safe to say, you are the cause of your very own heartbreak.

general masterlist ◄ ►

—୧ taglist: @esposadejoyhuerta @sokovianbaby

[merrock]

HAPPY MAY !

It's starting to feel summery, don't you think, Merrockites?! We've still got a little ways to go, but May always puts a bounce in my step, and hopefully yours, too. This month, I have our usual post with some little reminders, lots of information about our upcoming events (it's Challenge month!!!), and I am addressing some concerns from recent anonymous asks... as well as one gentle favor. Read on. xx

ON THE CALENDAR !

May 3 -- free comic book day -- come to Page Turners for a free comic, but bring in your gently used ones, too!

May 5 -- cinco de mayo -- Paco's Tacos opened a brand new outdoor patio and is inviting everyone out to celebrate!

May 11 -- mother's day -- drinks, snacks, and most importantly: bouquet making classes for moms at Lavender Lane! your mini can make one, too!

May 13 -- cocktail day -- come out for a cocktail party at Evolved -- make sure to dress the part.

May 16 -- pizza party day -- come to Pizza Thyme for a jumbo pizza and stromboli and everything else good buffet!

May 21 -- international tea day -- stock up on your very favorite teas and supplies at What's The Tea?

May 23-25 -- THE CHALLENGE (OOC: May 17-31)

May 26 -- memorial day -- schools and a lot of local businesses are closed... so why not have a picnic?

IMPORTANT STUFF !

just some really gentle stuff this month -- only one minor rule change to implement the policy we developed with dropping diverse characters.

we've introduced a fun spring task! but don't forget that you are very welcome to continue working on the previous task about non-playable characters, if you would like.

it's Challenge month! you do not need to be participating to attend, and I recommend tagging along, as this will count as our 'trip' for the year, with fun lodging, and things to do around the site where everyone will be staying.

i will also have some other event announcements between now and the Challenge, so keep an eye out.

ADDRESSING RECENT ANONS !

Over the past couple of months, there have been several anonymous asks sent to me (and other players, unfortunately). While it is always tempting to just delete these and pretend they didn't happen, there were a few valid points about activity, fairness, etc., that I wanted to touch on, and also just some negativity that I wanted to nip in the bud. To be clear: I do not know who sent these anons, I do not know the intent behind the anons, I do not even know if the person is here in the group! But, again, I'm here to be mod, so...

ON ISSUES WITH CHARACTERS, FACE CLAIMS, SHIPS, PLOTS, ETC.

You will not always like every writer, every character, every plot, every ship, every face claim. If something bugs you, don't interact with it -- but you still need to be polite and respectful.

No one has a right to send anons about these things to other players (wtf?) or main. What you do have a right to do is contact me off of anon so I am aware and can help you.

I'm gonna hold your hand when I say this: the same way that you might not like everything/everyone, there are people out there who do not like you, your ship, your character. This goes for everyone. If you wouldn't want them bombarding you with criticism, telling you to leave the group (again, wtf) or spreading nastiness to main, don't do it to others. Period.

ON PUTTING A CAP ON CHARACTERS / DIVERSITY IN CHARACTERS NOT TREATED FAIRLY

I will not cap characters, sorry. I understand the concern, and I know that groups where people can play large amounts of characters can be overwhelming to some, but that just means we might not be the group for you, and that's okay! If people like it here enough to want to explore a large variety of muses, I want that for them, too.

But -- I also want to be sure we are being fair, and so I will be more careful about pick-ups in terms of making sure writers are solidly, steadily active for long periods of time, that all their characters are settled in, have connections, are well-developed, that open starters are replied to, that there aren't a lot of warnings or strikes. While I want you guys to be responsible with pick-ups, I also recognize my part in this and will be careful.

However!!! The issue was brought forward that people might be more active on white characters than POC, and I wanted to say: if this is happening, I will not let people pick up further characters, you have my word. But, I think this is less of a diversity issue and more of a balance issue as a whole: if you play more than one character, be sure that they are all equally on dash!

ON ACTIVITY ISSUES IN GENERAL

First and foremost: let me handle activity. It's not your job to send anons to main trying to call someone out -- as I said above, if you wouldn't want someone doing it to you, don't do it to others.

The rules are two (different) threads per week on each character. If you do not have two threads, you're placed on check. If you are only writing with one writer, if you are only meeting the goal Thursdays before check, if you are not replying to opens: I take note of these things, trust me. I got this. Let me handle it.

All this aside... I absolutely agree we have room for improvement, 100%. If we are being unfair with our threads, it causes other writers to have a deficit in replies, and honestly, can kinda kill muse, especially if the writer is otherwise active. It is important to keep in mind not everyone can reply once every few days! Some people may take longer, we all have different schedules.

At the very least, be more cognizant of your activity, maybe try to make yourself a tracker or a list of active threads so you can get to the oldest stuff first. At the very most, if it's a long-term problem, consider keeping within your limits on characters and threads.

Also, anon (and anyone!): we have a lot of characters in this group. Plenty of writers. If you are having trouble keeping up muse with someone, if you feel they're dropping or delaying responses to you, write with someone else! Reach out to someone else to do the plot you've wanted to do, I promise you will feel better.

A WORD FROM THE MOD !

If I can ask one thing from everyone this month, on a personal level, it's just to be kind. Not to me as a mod (although I don't think I can stress enough how much a kind word every now and then means), but to one another. To reach out to plot with someone when they ask in the OOC blog. To welcome all new writers, to reply to open starters, to reply to those messages from friends who want to talk about threads and plots. To be understanding, in the same vein, if people come here to escape real world stuff and just want to write or chat about silly, lighthearted plots, share head canons, be in a world that is not their own right now. Everyone -- and I mean everyone -- deals with their own ish, and deals with it in their own ways. Some want to talk, some don't. Some share, some never will. Don't assume, just... be polite. Trust me when I say that everyone just appreciates a little bit of kindness. So this May, let's make that our goal. Be kind. 💖 p.s. be active, too! We always love to see that. xx

HAVE A GREAT MAY !

[thepacifistrouter]

Chelley week, day 6: Heartbeat

Okay, I was excited about this day and category, it was the first one I actually did, but I didn't feel like I could convey it in drawings (or that it would take me too long if I did it with that), so I turned it into a short-fic

I know it probably won't be well received for that reason, but it was something I really wanted to do, so… well, here it goes.

Thump

It was a cold, but mostly calm winter night, the wind was blowing outside Eaden's bakery, it wasn't especially strong, but it managed to generate howls and the trees to move enough for their wood to make a crackling sound from time to time.

The place, like most of the town, was mostly made of wood, but firmly and solidly built, even though until not long ago, they had to remodel a little inside, mostly the room in which its inhabitants slept - After all, since the second of them arrived, or rather, since they started sleeping together, it had become a necessity to make the ceiling a bit or two higher.

Yeah, a lot of changes had happened in that place, how it had turned from a place of tension, of banging on the wall and night terrors, to not only having an adequate roof so that anyone could stand without crashing or hitting or needing another bandage in his head, it also has a proper window, normal curtains, furniture, and decorations. It was a completely different place. Just like the people sleeping in it.

One of them, the one with the shortest stature, opens her eyes slightly, having woken up, with the weather - or rather the wind - being the main cause, along with a slight drop in temperature. When she was alone, she usually didn’t notice the presence of those stimuli due to being busy with her own nightmares, which either woke her up or kept her distracted. It could also happen that, if she manages to sleep with no nightmares or no dreaming at all, if she noticed them, than the sound plus the cold would bring back bad memories of unpleasant, cold places with hollow sounds on a smaller scale -usually that involved a short walk to the kitchen for a warm milk cup. and a re-reflection on her life and the events surrounding her until she could fall asleep again.

Things are different now. She had managed to get used to it, to feel those signals that reminded everyone that there was still a long time before winter left and spring take place, to stop associating every small unpleasant and cold noise with That place. But of course, as with any person, there could be exceptions, it could happen to anyone that the seasons could wake you up with the weather in the middle of the night, always something inopportune. The main difference was that, in the current time, she had other, new tools to deal with them and, her untold favourite, involved the person who slept a few centimetres from her.

A tall, too-tall, skinny, gawky blonde man who was fast asleep facing her. He was also the main person responsible for the vast majority of changes that both her house and her life had undergone. The mere presence of him there had been and had had a couple of changes.

Not that she was complaining at all, au contraire, having him there, next to her every night, was nothing less than welcome. In fact, at times like this, it was exactly what she needed.

Moving stealthily and carefully (never a problem for her) so that she becomes attached to him. That, at first instance, fixes the problem of the cold, probably for both of them, she knew he could have woken up at some point because of the same reason, neither of them were very fond of the cold after all- but of course, this was not just about the cold, if it was, being like that would have been enough or she could just have gotten up quickly and stealthily, as only she could, to get a blanket and come back and problem solved. No, this was different and required a small specification in her movements. And that was to put her head right at the height of his chest, so she could carefully rest her ear on it, close her eyes and just pay attention.

*Thump-thump*

She smiled.

There it was.

*Thump-thump*

The sound she was looking for.

*Thump-thump*

It wasn't a necessity, but it was something she liked to do from time to time, if the opportunity and circumstances presented themselves (like in this moment) - it was something more like an habit, perhaps? She didn't know, she just knew that for her it was almost like that feeling that comes from the sound of rain and a crackling fireplace on calm nights. Maybe even better. It was simply something that brought her peace.

And it wasn't just because of how she felt about him, although that was an important reason, but she knew it wasn't the only one. It was complicated, after all, it was, on a small scale, a vague reminder of everything they had experienced, but somehow... in a good way.

*Thump-thump*

It made her remember different related moments. How, the first time she saw him in a human form, that prototype avatar of solid light that they had made, was just that, an almost perfect, almost empty mirage, it wasn't real... it wasn't alive, Wheatley was the one that, while being awake, gave it life. Remembering, also, how, watching him asleep (or well, in sleep mode), if she hadn't known, and anyone who didn't know, she would have thought he was dead.

*Thump-thump*

Then, that time on the hill, when she leaned her face as she was doing now, but back then, there was nothing, just something similar to the noise of the LED light in a kitchen or the hard light bridges in That place. It was a strange, uncomfortable feeling... even sad, it made her think about what they did to him, what they took from him and that his whole being, in fact, was actually in something not much bigger than a pen with lights and a lot of unnecessarily complicated Aperture technology.

*Thump-thump*

Even more, at this point, it was… almost hard to believe that he didn't always look like that. Human. Even though, he always acted like one. Who knows how long he was in his little spherical body. She was sure that even now he must feel, at least in part, as if he still is in some level. She knew that at least he still didn't stop completely feeling like a machine and she had her doubts than that would ever change - if it could, there was still plenty of time for that and it was fine, she didn't mind giving him time to adjust to things, it could be annoying, yes, but it was even sweet to see when he made progress on something, how happy he was and how, truly, he kept trying after failing and learned from what he did - achieved or not. Little by little he had begun to stop pretending so often that he knew or could do things that he really didn't, to quick so fast, and start to actually try, to practice and learn despite failing till he gets it and finally being able to do it. Frustration could still become an issue for him, depending on the situation, he could still seek responsibility or blame in others (or things) while failing - fortunately that was something that had also been slowly decreasing over time. Probably, knowing that no one would harm him or throw him up if he failed, specially not her, was a great help on his progress (Plus, the enthusiasm and shine in his eyes when he finally managed to do something well was priceless)

*Thump-thump*

Then, she also remembered the first time she heard that beat, that last time they stepped into That horrible place never to return. He was naked and soaked in a slimy, stinky, gross substance, but in that moment she felt such a relief to see him, she couldn't have cared less about any of it -he was there, he was alive and he seemed to be fine, that was all that mattered -she just needed to go check him and make sure of the “being fine” part. It was in the middle of a hug when she heard it. She was so excited to see him alive that she had overlooked it, distracted by so many emotions and sensations, but being who she was, it didn't take her long to react and, after a small check, It didn't take her long to solve the puzzle. That was not a mirage or an artificial body, it was his actual body, this was real. He had his human body back.

*Thump-thump*

Of course, at that moment there wasn't much time to process it, they were a little more worried about getting back to town all in one piece.

*Thump-thump*

Someone would think that after a couple of 101 lessons on being human and relearning how to use their organic body, everything should have gone fine, but the truth is that they would still have to go through one or two more big Aperture Science Labs headache, but at least this one wouldn't involve the "labs" part, so, by comparison, they weren't that big… but still.

*Thump-thump*

At first it was just a couple of colds, flu, stomach pains, allergies (luckily they taught him not to take too many medicines at the same time to get better sooner because it doesn't work like that), his forehead testing all the edges of 2 meters or less of the town. A lot of unpleasant stuff, but nothing particularly bad - who knows how many decades in suspended animation without even contact with air wreak havoc on anyone's immune system and physical condition -at least he managed to cover his mouth by reflex when sneezing or coughing... most of the time.

The real problem came later, a couple of months later and it started with what seemed to be another case of the flu, but accompanied by a lack of appetite and more and more noticeable fatigue, among other things. He was trying to hide the seriousness of the matter, trying to make it seem like just the flu, saying from time to time that he was starting to feel better and finding ways to make it seem that way. But there was no way to continue the attempt of a theatre once she saw him fall passed out, burning with fever while he tried to go down the stairs (luckily it was almost halfway). The scare plus her own instinct helped her react quickly enough and effectively to first check that there were no serious injuries and then go find help.

The details of what happened are long, complicated, almost worthy of an adventure, but at that moment, Chell could only especially remembered being there, in Dr. Dillon's guest/patient room, him asleep in the bed and her in a chair next to the bed. She went there when she could to check on his progress, changing wet towels and checking him, his temperature, his breathing...and his pulse. Since she checked him after the fall, she could feel how his heart took on such irregular rhythms, sometimes almost at the level of tachycardia... and sometimes so low... without a doubt they were days of worry and discomfort for everyone, including fear for them both. It was an absolute relief when things finally became normal and she could see him acting with the same energy as always, having regular breathing, and being like this, in that very moment, while she was listening to that sound in the rhythm it should.

*Thump-thump*

Of course, not all were bad memories, you could say that a third and final part of what makes this pleasant for her is what that sound transmits to her, his heartbeat could become as much or more communicative than his voice-which is saying a lot, especially on those... private occasions, planned or not. Like that first time, when she found him in the bathroom naked, confused and scared by a part of his own body's functioning that he knew nothing about, so she helped him to... clear up the misunderstanding… by using the empirical method.

She discovered 2 things that night: First, that she liked to feel how, at that moment, the most obvious part of his body was not the only one that showed emotion when they were that close, it was as if they had disconnected his mouth so they could say almost everything that needed to be said.

*Thump-thump*

Second thing was, deep down, she liked having that kind of control over him. Perhaps because he was someone so vulnerable and at the same time so paradoxically unpredictable and predictable at the same time. Having that level of control over him and the circumstances around at such an intimate level was an extremely satisfying delight, almost irresistible to her so, of course, when she managed to prepare, from time to time, very occasionally, she would gladly take advantage of her position. During those encounters, she even learned that there was difference when the heart races out of fear, out of happiness, or out of pleasure.

*Thump-thump*

And now this.

Moments like this, in some certain different way, also counts as a private, intimate moment, but instead of hot, they are warm.

These moments not only allow her to feel his more honest and vulnerable side, but also allows her herself to be openly vulnerable, knowing she would be safe by being it, even if it was just for a bit of a time.

*Thump-thump*

*Thump-thump*

Someone could say, in summary, that these moments, taking the time to listen and/or feel carefully, from time to time, was something that, in some way, for her defined very well his presence in her life and himself, a reminder of what he went through - what they both went through to get here, of who he was and what she liked about him, his fragility, his spontaneity, and that strange paradoxical strength that he himself doesn't seem to realize, but it does seem to be based in that cheerful endless optimism. He made her feel warm inside and happy to have him there with her, alive and in peace. Maybe it wasn't all always joy and happy and fun, but right now, there was no way she could ever say that she regretted it.

*Thump-thump*

*Thump-thump*

It didn't take long for her to begin to fall asleep again, without separating a single centimetre from his chest, from his heartbeat, as if it were a little coo just for her.

*Thump-thump*

Shortly before she completely falls back in the Morpheus arms, she gives herself the small luxury of carefully wrapping one of her arms around him.

*Thump-thump*

To her surprise, somehow he, unconsciously -because she was very sure he was still asleep- seemed to realize this and, in response, slowly and clumsily moved his own arm to lightly puts it around her in the same way.

After that slight initial surprise and a quick processing, she simply smiled - without moving from where she was, without taking her face off his chest, she closed her eyes again and, letting herself be carried away by the calm, but somehow cheerful way of his heartbeat, she finally fell asleep.

*Thump-thump*

[dorothygale123]

I'd say I'm becoming a nerd, but that ship sailed a long time ago. I guess I'm just expanding my nerdiness to other areas.

Anyway, MORE MYTHOLOGY!

So in Journey to the West, the Buddha explains that there are 4 'spiritual primates' that don't fit into any categories for immortals or types of creatures. Fans of Lego Monkie Kid are likely familiar with 2, the Stone Monkey Sun Wukong and the Six Eared Macaque. The other 2, the Long-armed Gibbon and the Red-Buttocked Baboon are a lot more obscure. They only get a brief mention in JttW because the focus of the chapter they appear in is Macaque, but the idea of a set of super powerful Immortal monkeys is just too fun to pass up, you know? So I've been thunking my thinker.

What if each primate was associated with a different realm (mortal, heavenly, lunar, and underworld) and element? I know the 4 elements (earth, water, wind, fire) are a western idea rooted in alchemy and eastern mythology has 5 elements (earth, water, fire, metal, wood), but there aren't 5 monkeys and this is just a thought experiment and not me trying to force western ideas onto eastern culture.

Got it? Good.

Now, Sun Wukong is very solidly earth because he's, you know, a rock. No surprise there. He was also born in the mortal realm and spent most of his life there, so we'll call him the celestial primate of the mortal realm while we're at it.

The Six-Eared Macaque is another easy one. A lot of LMK fannon associates him with wind, inferring that his heightened hearing has something to do with wind magic. He's also very closely tied to the moon because of the line in "Shadow Play" where he directly compares the Warrior (himself) to the moon. So Macaque is the celestial primate of wind and the Lunar realm.

Now here's where we get a bit more speculative and start using information creatively. There are 2 monkeys, realms, and elements left I want to use, so let's start with the monkeys so everyone has a baseline understanding.

The Long Armed Gibbon (Gibs, from now on) is described as being able to "seize the sun and moon, shorten a thousand mountains, distinguish auspicious from inauspicious, and manipulate planets and stars."

The Red Buttocked Baboon (Babs for short) has "knowledge of yin and yang, understands human affairs, is adept I'd daily life and can avoid death and lengthen its life."

Starting with the realms because they seem easiest to assign, I would give Gibs the Heavenly realm because of its ability to move around celestial objects like the sun, moon, planets, and stars. This leaves the Underworld to Babs, which I think fits nicely because their "knowledge of yin and yang" and "understand[ing] of human affairs" would make them a good assistant to the 10 Kings of the Underworld.

Next comes the 2 remaining elements, water and fire, which are a bit tricky because it could go both ways.

Gibs could be fire because the sun and stars are giant balls of burning plasma, but also water because the sky/heavens are often associated with an ocean or other bodies of water in several different mythologies. For example, in Egyptian mythology, Ra sailed his boat through the sky every day, while in early Abrahamic belief the sky was a huge dome with water on the other side, and rain happened when floodgates were opened to let the water through. In Chinese myth specifically, the Milky Way is often depicted as a river that is sailed through by various deities.

Babs could fit with fire as well because underworlds and hell-adjacent places are often shown to have fires to torment and punish the sinful dead, no surprise there. But there is surprisingly a lot of water symbolism in the realm of the dead as well. For example, some people may be familiar with the Japanese idea of the Sanzu River, very similar in concept to the Greek River Styx, as well as the Chinese Huang Quan/Yellow springs.

Personally I would pair Babs with fire because he has red in his name, making him the celestial primate of fire and the Underworld.

That leaves Gibs to be the celestial primate of water and the Heavenly realm.

I feel pretty good about this, but if anyone else has other ideas I'd love to hear them.

Sh*tpost Masterlist

[kotamagic]

It's Lore Olympus time again! Mostly visuals, though the plot moves forward a bit slow.

We commence with Hades after he escapes, then imprisons Kronos.

Hi Morpheus! Glad to see you back! How did you break free from Kronos' mind control? Was that through Hades' efforts, Hera whooping Kronos' ass, or did you have your own battle with him that we don't get to see?

I'm a little leary about this. Just because Kronos is down and out on 2 fronts doesn't mean he's done on ALL fronts. Morpheus' being back to normal so suddenly is still suspicious to me. I feel Hades handing the crystallized Kronos over to Morpheus is not a great idea.

Let's also factor in that Melinoe is still around somewhere. She needs to go back to her proper time in the future. Did Melinoe have her own trial? Did she succeed? Or is this all still a nightmare in disguise?

On Hera's front, Kronos tells her of the fear and trauma he experienced under Ouranos. Whether it's legitimate or not, Kronos apologizes.

But rationalizing why Kronos behaved the way he did doesn't excuse it. It makes sense of it, but it will NEVER justify it.

Thankfully, Hera doesn't care. She is not obligated to forgive him, and she does not.

On Persephone's end, she works to start healing up the Mortal Realm. Just as she gets a sprout to spring up, it gets stomped on... by Apollo.

He grabs a hold of her, verbally condescending the entire time. Persephone struggles, but is undeterred.

Of note are the distorted music lines associated with Apollo and the memories of what he did to her. It might very well be why she struggles, but doesn't give up-- Persephone has worked to move past the trauma and heal, but it's not over yet.

Oh good. At least Persephone has no dillusions about what happened at Apollo's televised display of supposed power.

Ooo... and another thing Apollo doesn't like? The thought that Persephone is no longer too scared to speak up about the SA. Apollo doesn't like folks outing his dirty deeds, especially this particular doozy.

What's this? Is Apollo bleeding ichor through his skin? Why does he turn yellow? If it's him using whatever power Ouranos gave him, I hope it hurts like hell.

Apollo turns to victim-blaming, attempting to verbally crush Persephone with all of the things she is sensitive about.

Ah, and here it is. Apollo shows his hand with the "true love" arrow he forced Eros to give him. Apollo really thinks that it's going to make Persephone love him. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Or, rather, nothing will certify the truth more solidly. Those arrows, as we know, show the truth about a person, whether they themselves believe it or not. Daphne saw the truth about Apollo when Psyche shot him.

If Apollo REALLY wants to see how much Persephone absolutely hates him with every fiber of her existence.... well, that arrow is certainly one way to do it.

If Apollo is really expecting Persephone to "change her mind" and let him fuck her, he is in for a very nasty surprise.

Not that it was hard to guess, but having the confirmation helps.

How far back does this actually go? How long ago did Apollo know Persephone was a fertility goddess? Does this go all the way back to the very beginning of LO when he SA'd her? Or did he find out after the fact?

Not that it matters; Apollo is still a huge piece of shit.

Oh, fuckity-yes!

I mean, Hades is perfectly capable (and willing!) to do many horrible and extremely painful things to Apollo.

And now, despite likely being terrified under the surface, Persephone plays her hand. She uses Apollo's perception of her as helpless to distract him....

...AND STAB THE FUCKING ARROW IN HIS NECK!!!!

Apollo has now been struck TWICE by these arrows. They show the truth. Persephone already knows what a monster he is.

Honestly, I'm more concerned about the horrible truth about him she's going to see, but didn't know about before.

Who else has he harmed? And will getting stabbed AGAIN finally nail home how much Persephone and so many others hate him?

Anyway, thanks for coming to my LO post!

[littlemissmanga]

Maybe Among the Stars

Pairing: Broadside x (gn)Reader

W/C: 2,737

Summary: Broadside was literally built to withstand risk and danger. He’s willing to take the chance this will all end badly. But that was back when the only one at risk was him. How can he face that same danger knowing it’ll roll over onto you now?

Warnings: Angst/comfort, the realities of loving a soldier, slight nod to intimacy but think like PG-13 rating. Lots of longing, but it's got a happy ending.

A/N: Goodness, I had this drafted out so long ago but real life and brain pain made this take forever. I’m terribly sorry @sunshinesdaydream for the slight delay, but here is your Broadside fic for the @rare-clone-fic-exchange! I had a lot of fun researching Broadside, Shadow Squadron, their planes and getting to dive into a starfighter’s mentality. I hope you like what I did with his personality since there isn’t too much in canon to go off of, other than his limited screen time showed me a very confident man. And what’s better than a fic about a man in crisis with himself?

Also, submitting this as an entrance for my @clonexreaderbingo card, the “Hope” square. 😊

Inspiration song, The Word of My Body from Spring Awakening: “Oh, I’m gonna bruise you. Oh, you’re gonna be my bruise.”

dividers by @saradika

It wasn’t fair. To either of you, but he understood the risk and was willing to face it. He knew what could come next and didn’t care if it meant one more chance.

But you …

You put up a great front. It took him too many rotations to see the softness under your steel. Weeks of finding reasons to fuel up at the café you worked at before he was shipped off just to tease you and get under your skin. It was a challenge that gave him a little lightness to his step before he and his brothers were back in the heat of battle, the memory of a cheeky smile on pretty lips settling his battle-tossed nerves.

Eventually, the face behind the smile was the thought that gave him comfort. But he’d never say it. He could keep you at an arm’s length and still get his fix as long as he didn’t cross that line.

And you never backed down from this game you couldn’t have known you were playing, giving as good as you got but never with cruelty. Your responses had even gotten downright flirtatious recently, a taste of normal that he couldn’t resist.

Until the last time.

Right after the Battle of Coruscant. Broadside had been flying high even with his feet solidly on the ground. Shadow Squadron had taken impressively minimal damage as each trooper flew beside General Skywalker bravely and proved integral to the safe retrieval of the Chancellor.

He’d opened the door to your café with a swagger that would make even his General blush, ready to leverage his status as planetary savior for a free slice of meilroon pie.

But instead of the sweetness he was expecting, the salt of your tears was all he could taste for hours after. The relief couldn’t erase the deep worry lines on your face at the sight of him, and while Broadside wasn’t above imagining what you’d feel like in his arms, the reality of your half-choked sobs racking your form as it melded to his when you pushed into him and held him like he would float away weighed on his heart.

“They were showing the dogfights over the holonet. I saw … there were so many … I didn’t know if …”

The realization hit him like a proton canon blast: He had become someone important to you. You felt the same way about him as he did you.

And ever since, elation and dread warred within him.

Since the Battle of Coruscant, Shadow Squadron had been requested to handle more escort missions for the Chancellor, meaning more time on Triple Zero.

More time with you.

But proximity to the Chancellor and by extension the Corrie Guard meant no room for deviation from the regs … including the one about not fraternizing with spunky natborns who’d be brought to tears at the thought of a trooper in danger.

A specific trooper. Him.

A gorgeous soul who kept him on his toes, challenging every truth he thought he knew. Who’d started saving a serving of his favorite meals when they were on special without knowing if he’d be coming in that day. Who’d throw an extra serving in for a customer going through a bad day but feigned ignorance when questioned. Who fought off the thugs and lowlifes that’d crawl in from the lower levels with a broken broom without an ounce of fear but shattered at the sight of his Squadron in danger overhead.

He was going to hurt you.

Maybe, just a little, he understood why the Jedi didn’t allow attachments. Because more and more, Broadside could feel the craving to see you again rise and overshadow the knowledge of just how thoroughly he’ll ruin you.

***

“Is this where you’re gonna murder me?”

Broadside threw an exasperated look over his shoulder. “Why would I drag you all the way here just to murder you?”

You cocked an eyebrow as your head swiveled to take in the narrow, at to be fair rather dingy, ally he was leading you through. “To throw the cops of your trail, duh. It’s like you don’t even listen to those crime holos I send you.”

He heard the smile in your voice and felt its match stretch on his own lips at your macabre humor.

“Those are all full of fluff anyway. It’s all nonsense.”

“No, they’re-”

“Shush.” He turned back and continued leading you on. “We’re almost there.”

“Would be great to know where ‘there’ is. Or what’s gonna happen there.”

Despite your grumbling, Broadside could feel your grip tighten around his hand. All at once, your simple show of trust filled his chest and brought him to his knees.

He didn’t deserve it. But he hoped he’d earn it.

Reaching a nondescript door ­— one of many to line the ally — Broadside stopped in the entranceway, pulling you over to face him.

“You already know the answer, mesh’la. You came up with this idea.”

Confusion covered your face with an aching cuteness. He could see the wheels turning inside, your eyes giving everything away as you searched for an answer.

“Closing time ... I was helping you sweep ... You asked what civvie experience I wanted to have …”

Your eyes sharpened in a playful glare. “And you said, ‘working in a diner’ just to be an ass.”

He leaned in close, towering over you and invading your space just to rile you more. He couldn’t help it. Broadside was addicted to that spark and needed it, needed you, like a hit of spice. “Not just to be an ass. But that’s not the important part. What came next?”

“You … You asked me what I’d want to do …”

Your eyes were wide as moons when you looked back up at him, disbelief filling every inch of your expression. “No …”

“Yup.” He confirmed, entering the access code and opening the door to reveal the back entrance to the hanger where Shadow Squadrons brand-new Y-wings were lined up all nice and pretty.

This time, he didn’t take your hand. Broadside strode through the hanger like he owned it, confidence grounding every step and growing at the sound of your quick footsteps franticly trying to keep up with his.

“Broadside!” You hissed quietly, earning a rich laugh at your idea of stealth. “This can’t be allowed. We’re gonna get caught!”

He stopped next to his new ship, ladder at its side at the ready. “You know, I’m actually insulted. You think I haven’t thought this through.” Turning, Broadside gestures broadly at the hanger. “See? No one around. Maintenance has been reassigned and my squad is grounded right now.”

Your eyes followed his across the cavernous room and you nodded in agreement. But your lip was still caught between your teeth, a telltale sign.

Letting the levity slip away, Broadside brought his hands up to cup your face and pull your gaze to his. Once again, he invaded your space but this time, all teasing was gone. “No one will know we’re here. I’ve got you.”

You gave him that look again. The same one as that day, the one that screamed to him just how unsure you really were underneath all your strength and bluster. The one that broke his heart with how much he wanted to erase it from your face. The same one that told him, just maybe, that you knew how tenuous this all really was.

And then you stepped closer.  

You turned to reach for the ladder, stopping to look at him one more time. He gave you an affirmative nod, fighting every cell that cried out to shatter in relief. Maybe this would go better for you both than he thought.

Following closely, he climbed up the ladder after you, settling behind you in the cockpit.

It was a tight fit, only being designed for one person at a time. Broadside struggled for a moment, trying to get his legs to fit around yours in the narrow space until you took matters into your own hands. A touch was all it took to get him to sit still, your hand holding down firmly on his thigh.

The look you sent him over your shoulder is so soft, Broadside wanted to preserve it somehow. To freeze time so you’d always look at him just like that. To make a galaxy where you’d have no reason to ever look at him any other way.

“May I?” Your voice was steady, but barely a whisper.

“Yeah,” he rasped back.

Lifting yourself up, you moved your legs to straddle his before resting yourself on his lap.

“Sorry, but I think this may be the most comfortable configuration.”

Broadside reached around you to start the operating procedures, reveling in the feel of you so close. It was a mockery of an embrace, but it was enough for now.

“No need to apologize, angel. We’re all good here.”

Once all systems were engaged and optimized, he pressed his comm. “Shadow One to Tower. All systems go, here. Ready for clearance.”

You spun in your seat to level him with an intense glare. “No one will know we’re here?”

And Broadside couldn’t resist stoking your fire, sticking out his tongue like a cadet just to revel in how riled you got. “No one who will say anything. Corkscrew is on tower watch tonight and he owes me a favor or three.”

“Tower to Shadow One. Request for test flight confirmed. You are clear for launch. You have 30 minutes.”

“See? Just a standard test flight for the new fighters,” he said smugly.

With that, Broadside went through the launch procedure without a second thought, focusing instead on every way you shifted on his lap, how your hands fumbled for purchase on the sides of the ship before gripping hard on his knees. His hand curled around your hip, holding you in place for all the good it did. The turbulence had you shaking against him and by the Maker if that friction wasn’t the most sensational thing in the entire galaxy.

But everything settled when they broke the atmosphere, the stillness and quiet covering them and isolating them from the chaos of the city planet below.

He watched with delight as your head moved on a swivel, turning back and forth to take in the vast array of stars in front of you.

“It’s beautiful,” you breathed.

“Yeah, it is.” Broadside’s response was just as quiet as he took in your awe before adding louder, “But we didn’t come up here just to look at it.”

“No?”

Before you could do anything else, he grabbed your hands. Without asking, he brought them to the steering column, molding his over yours.  “No. You’re gonna fly.”

He could see the broad, devious grin overtake your face in the reflection of the transparisteel and for the briefest moment, Broadside second-guessed whether this was a good idea.

Worry quickly gave way as he lost himself fully in the joy you exuded. Playful cheers filled the small Y-wing cockpit as he instructed you through a few of his simpler maneuvers. Eventually, he began taking a bit more control, showing off with several rolls and drops all in hopes of earning just one more delightful shout, one more squeeze of your thighs around his. All while his hand kept you in place on his lap.

Leveling out after his latest round of showing off, you leaned back against him fully, losing all tension in your body to rest soundly against his chest.

“So, what brought this on?”

His pause is palpable, creating a stillness that could rival space itself. He knew it would happen eventually. But he hated that it could ruin everything.

“I … I don’t know when I’ll be able to visit you next.”

His eyes were trained onto every inch of your body, so he saw the moment your shoulders tensed.

“I see. Even though I know Shadow Squadron has been assigned to escort the Chancellor from now on.”

Broadside took a breath, preparing for his practiced spiel, but you wouldn’t give him the chance. “Oh, yes. Don’t think I don’t follow the news. I do. Of course I do, because how else would I know where you were, what you were doing, if you were okay. You don’t tell me these things when you visit. I have to piece together rumors and suspicions. So I know you’ll be around more. But sure, tell me the lie. Tell me you won’t be able to see me. I’ve been dumb enough flirt with you. To start feeling …”

Your voice tapered off. He couldn’t see your reflection anymore, your face cast downward, but he could see how tightly you were holding yourself.

“Maybe I’ll be dumb enough to believe the lie,” you whispered.

He reached forward, snaking his other arm around to encircle your waist and pull you impossibly closer. Like a child clutching a soft toy, he curled around you in the cocoon of the cockpit.

It must have hurt. His armor was hard and unyielding. He could imagine all the ways it dug in to your pliant skin, how your curves arched around its firm plains.

Even his embrace was painful to you.

And yet you didn’t fight. You didn’t pull away or even adjust yourself. No, you pushed yourself closer, folding yourself in to fit into him like a missing piece.

“It’s not a lie,” he whispered, hoping for all the galaxy that you heard his promise. “It’s not safe.”

“For who?”

“For both of us.”

The silence lingered, and he knew you understood. If you really had been following the war, if you’ve been slicing through the holonet for information, then you had known the truth of his words for a while.

Shifting your hips, you turned in his hold, folding your legs under you to sit sideways on his lap. You didn’t look at him, though. Instead, you tucked your head under his chin, staying as close as possible. “Is that why you brought me up here? Show me the stars so I have something pretty to look at when you tell me it’s over?”

His grip tightened. “No.”

“Then why?”

He brought his hand up to cup the back of your head. He needed you as close as possible. “Because I can’t say it’s over. I want to. But I can’t. I will knowingly put you in danger just to see you again, to hear you again.”

He pressed his lips to the crown of your head. His first kiss has the aftertaste of salt and bitterness, but he wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“Bringing you to see the stars like you always wanted is the least I can do. I’ll give you anything within my power ’cause I’m taking so much more.”

You wriggled in his grasp, pulling away just enough to look him in the eye. Your cheeks were stained with tears he didn’t even hear begin to fall. Instinctively, he brought his thumb to swipe it away, but your hand stopped him.

“You’re not taking anything, dumbass. I’m giving it willingly.”

Broadside’s eyes close as relief surged through his body. He relaxed even more at the feel of your forehead pressed against his.

“I don’t care about the danger. And take as much time as you need to make things as safe as possible. But you’re not the only one who can’t call quits, so don’t act like you’re carrying the burden alone.”

He couldn’t help the smile that spread easy as sin across his lips at your declaration. Knowing that you were as far gone as he was. Now that he had your knowing consent, that you could handle all that came with being together, there was nothing holding him back.

“So, I don’t have to plan such extravagant dates?”

You let out a peel of laughter in response, your delight breaking the last remnant of grief. “Oh, you absolutely have to try and top this next time. I’ll accept nothing less.”

Fueled by hope and the fire of his wanting, Broadside pressed his lips to yours, tasting starlight and a hint of the blumfruit juice you had earlier.

“I’ve created a monster,” he murmured into the kiss.

“Indeed, you have.”

Your smile against his lips is all the reassurance he needed to not care.

You can find the rest of my fics on my Masterlist here. And you can sign up for my taglist to be alerted to any new fics here.

[decepti-thots]

not a meme question, but do you have a favorite pen? i don't know anything about them but you seem to, lol

I do, but my answer will differ depending on if you're asking my personal favourite pen or if you want advice as someone who doesn't use FPs as to what a good way to try one out is, anon! (sorry you just ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD)

I currently have six fountain pens, five of which are 'starter'/budget pens and one of which is a mid-range 'enthusiast' pen. My favourite I own is the latter. It's my Nahvalur Original, which I own in the Spring colour, and which cost me around £45. It's a pen designed to exclusively take bottled ink with a fancy filling mechanism, instead of ink cartridges. It's not high end by the standards of fountain pens, per se, but it's solidly in the 'enthusiast' realm. (My Dad, who once owned an FP because he needed something that looked good while signing Important Work Documents, did a double take when I told him how much it was, lmao. He did not ever spend that much on one pen.) It is a hefty, lovely thing with great build quality which I can use with fancy ink and feels great to write with. Nice nib, great quality, looks awesome.

But if you have never used a fountain pen, and want to try it, you do not need to spend over £20 or your local equivalent, fwiw. Many cheap fountain pens suck, but equally, many people who have spent thirty years collecting them who own pens worth hundreds will happily tell you, many cheap fountain pens are excellent, and noone needs to spend much to get an industry-gold-standard one. My second favourite pen is my Pilot Kakuno, which is aimed mostly at schoolkids in Japan where Pilot are based, can be bought for under twenty pounds shipped in the UK, similar prices in most of the world, and writes better than multiple 'adult' pens I own. Because Pilot has incredible high quality pen nibs and the Japanese FP market is competitive. You could easily buy just a Kakuno and be set forever with a pen that is extremely good quality! And there's other similarly great options too; there's a whole section of the market that is just 'good pens for newbies'. The Lamy Safari is a very famous option from a western (german) brand, for example. (Also have one of those, it's good.)

If you want to try fancy fountain pen inks with special qualities like sparkle or sheen, you'll probably need to put down a little extra money for a converter- basically a refillable cartridge that refills from a little ink bottle, instead of the disposable ones most stationary shops sell. But you don't need that if you're happy with the normal ink cartridges. All cheap fountain pens accept cartridges, though the better brands do tend to require you buy their cartridges, unfortunately.

And if you REALLY don't want to risk it: buy a Platinum Preppy. Platinum are a very well regarded brand, they use the same nibs in their entry level pens as they do their £30 ones, just with cheaper gel pen like bodies- and they are like. £5. Comes with a cartridge. Writes great, I own one. Again, a Japanese brand aimed squarely at schoolkids, very cheap but genuinely good to write with.

(The one thing for fountain pens I would say is, do spend the extra little bit on a cheap notebook with fountain pen friendly paper. Same as with e.g. paints, good paper is more important than the pen a lot of the time. The worst fountain pen in the world on good paper is better than a £500 pen on shit paper. Here is a guide; I use Clairefontaine.)

anyway sorry maybe you didn't want all of that. but if you think fountain pens sound Interesting and are curious, i'd encourage you to try one, but buy cheap. many cheap pens rule. and fountain pens are great- they are better than almost every other kind of pen for doing longform writing, because they don't cause wrist strain when doing it for long periods. i would definitely recommend a fountain pen over other kinds if you want to use it to write for long periods, no matter what pen you get, tbh!

[reijnders]

i will never ever stop harping on (fictional(and also my brother) teen boys for failing their hw. its my divine right as an older sister

fully translated part of Thitur's bogus worksheet from my creative writing final from last spring semester and Also retyped it in the correct scripts and directions.

Jutal, the language spoken natively by Thitur (Θitųr) and his teacher, is written right to left. By the time he's around, its very solidly an alphabet, which comes from a much older abugida with the same ancestor script as that of the target language he's attempting to learn at school. This target language is Jěyotuy, and is written left to right in alphabetic syllable blocks (similar but not identical to how it works in Hangul. lot less combo types). While both languages share many similar letter shapes that correspond to close enough sounds, they are from Very Separate Language Families, and have little in common in terms of grammar and lexicon.

Pictured above are the Most Related letters across these systems.

Thitur has failed to include the year in his marking of the date (Iye 35- written in a base 6 number system- year 206), but he was flunking out of his required(for political reasons) basic Jěyo class ~302 years before the setting's modern day. This is riiiiight around the beginning of the decline of Jutal as a spoken language, which is done very much on purpose by incoming Jěyo folk--namely those fuckshit Mavecite folks who pour in from the south and continue to leak northward until they get their asses kicked wayyy up in the northern foothills of Ranihikk, across the Mireurǎ sea. In the modern day, Jutal is considered extremely endangered, but... it does still live on in many modern day place names, as well as the Jutal people themselves being the most likely origin for the name Jěyotuy, which is an exonym stemming from the Jěyo word <jěyodeŧ>, meaning "to chase". Not a good look for them, as compared to their endonym <Cyemiddu>, which comes from a conjugated and archaic form of the word <myid>, meaning "to speak". Of the nine recognized macrodialects of Jěyotuy, only one uses a form of the endonym in regular speech to refer to themselves and the language.

Pictured above are examples of Jěyotuy nations in the northern peninsula of the Katteșuvi continent, with the exception of Hayișura, which is the city that Thitur lived in.

Here's a refresher of what the text i turned in for class looked like!

aaaaaand here's a wordlist for all the jutal words present! I feel too tired to go back and gloss everything sorryyy:

Notice that Jutal's alphabet features not only RtL writing, but also has initial, medial, and occasionally final forms for most letters.

[dragon-swords-prophecies]

HI HELLO here's so many OC questions!! I would love answers for Alex and/or Ronald and/or whoever else you're feeling in the moment. Maybe also Leo. Mix and match or everyone for everything. ANyway.

15. Are they good at cooking? Do they enjoy it? What do others think of their cooking?

24. What is their sleeping pattern like? Do they snore? What do they like to sleep on? A soft or hard mattress?

44. What is their favourite season? Type of weather? Are they good in the cold or the heat? What weather do they complain in the most?

46. Do they make a good first impression? Does their first impression reflect them accurately? How do they introduce themselves?

49. What is their most valued object? Are they sentimental? Is there something they have to take everywhere with them?

50. If they could only take one bag of stuff somewhere with them: what would they pack? What do they consider their essentials?

HI THANK YOU there's so many questions I love questions. the plane was very long so you get everyone for everything!!

15: Ronald's cooking is solidly mediocre. Makes abysmal coffee though. His coffee is bad enough that it's a (minor) plot point. When he's living with Donovan & Mary, they (lovingly) banned him from making coffee. His tea is also bad. Really, any beverage other than water made by him is horrible. He just. Doesn't know how to use a coffee maker. He either puts too much water in, pours the grounds in WITH the water, or doesn't put enough water in and it's super bitter.

Leo's cooking is alright! Better than Ronald or Alex's. He makes the best coffee out of the main cast, which is also a minor plot point. His tea is decent too, but James makes better tea than him. He can bake, though. On occasion.

Alex can cook for herself, but not really other people. She knows how to cook basic stuff, and she can follow recipes, but she's not really a cooking for others kind of person if that makes sense. Her coffee is alright, not super good but it's not super bad either.

24: Ronald doesn't sleep nearly enough, and he has nightmares a lot. He probably snores. Sometimes he'll go on walks around the city instead of sleeping, or sit up and read. ~4 hqours of a sleep on a really good day. Much like with therapy, a lot of his life would be improved if he slept better. Unfortunately, his trauma.

Leo has a really regular sleep schedule, which is impressive considering his job and that he lives with James, who has a fucking horrible sleep schedule and wakes up at random hours to wander around their apartment before going back to bed.

Alex does sleep! But she wakes up at 5 in the goddamn morning, because she's absolutely batshit. Occasionally, she goes to bed at 2 in the morning. If she gets seven hours of sleep it's a goddamn miracle and her average is probably about 5 or 6.

44: Ronald's favorite season is the spring. He likes all the flowers, but he doesn't like hot weather that much. Hates cold more, though.

Leo's favorite season is summer, and he loves hot weather. Absolutely despises cold weather.

Alex's favorite season is fall, I think. She likes that it's colder, but not too cold, and she doesn't have to deal with snow & ice, but it also isn't horrifically sunny out.

46: Ronald's first impression generally consists of ''oh he's a grumpy old man''. Which is. Not inaccurate! But it's also so wildly inaccurate. Because his actual personality, which is buried under approximately 17000 layers of regret and bitterness and unprocessed trauma, is really fucking different. It was more obvious when Donovan was alive, and it gets more obvious after Leo almost dies and Ronald gives James that lecture in the supply closet about not being an idiot.

Leo tends to make a really good first impression, especially on strangers. He's good at socializing and being charasmatic & shit. That first impression isn't nessecarily accurate, he's a lot more of a sarcastic little shit (affectionate) than first impressions of him might lead you to believe, but in terms of the face he puts on when he's doing newspaper stuff it's accurate. In private he's quieter.

Alex's first impression depends on the context, but generally it's of being 1) absolutely batshit about her job 2) fairly intense and highly dedicated to whatever she's doing and 3) absolutely batshit in general (affectionate). Second impressions of her normally amount to "why is she breaking into a government office". All of those are extremely accurate. She introduces herself as Alexandrina McLelland, journalist for The Clockwork Herald, unless she's doing something with her family. Then and only then is she Alexandrina Gates. Otherwise, she's too scared of backlash from the amount of people she's pissed off hitting Amelia or her mom to use her actual name.

49: Ronald's most valued object is easy, it's the photographs he keeps in his desk. If I had to pick one, probably the photo of him and Donovan together, rather than the photo of Mary, but both of them honestly. He's sentimental as all hell.

Leo's also sentimental, but not as sentimental as Ronald. It took me a while to think of what would be his most valued object but I think it would be a copy of N or M? by Agatha Christie, because of course the guy who almost gets murdered likes spy murder mysteries. James gave it to him for Christmas in 1942.

Alex, too, is fairly sentimental. Not as much, though, as the other two. Well. She's not as obviously sentimental as the other two, but she still definitely is. The cast of herald is sentiments georg. She has a fountain pen that she really likes. It was a present from her mom when she was in her late teens/early 20s.

50 (for this one I'm skipping essential things like clothes, etc, and just doing the other stuff): Ronald would bring the photographs of Donovan and Mary that he has in his desk, and a cut out of Donovan's obituary. Which he hasn't looked at in 20 years, but he still has a copy of it. He'd also take-- so Ronald kept a copy of Alex's first article, which was also, technically, Donovan's last article. He kept it because, you know, he's her godfather! he's proud of her!! and then he saw the 'and Donovan McLelland' in the byline and almost started crying in the middle of the office.

Leo would bring his cane, the book James gave him, and the photo he has of him and James in 1942-ish. Also, he has a photo of his family (his parents + his sisters & him) and he'd take that, also.

Alex would take the pen from her mom, a cut-out photo she has of her dad (it's the one from donovan's obituary), and her notebook. she refuses to go anywhere without her notebook.

[volgeblaft]

Hiii,

Just saw the spring ask game you reblogged and I hope I am not too late but here are some asks for you: Blossom, comfort and Fun Facts! :P Have an amazing day!

EE I apologize for my late reply!! And no, these prompts are never too late to throw into my inbox ❤️ Blossom - what’s your favorite flower? I am in love with wild flowers and roses!! Who wouldve guessed hahah! For Aubrey it would be the same honestly, so Im grouping this together as one reply Comfort - who is your go to comfort character? HONESTLY? Aubrey hahaha! Levi is my favorite character, but I dont know how much he gets to being an actual comfort character? For comfort I usually just either draw Aubs or write about him <: Fun Facts - what’s something people would never guess about you? Me: WHEW UHH! Im a furry? I guess thats someone people here wouldnt immediately guess? Im a very open book though, so I'm not really mysterious about anything!

Aubrey: ''I feel like sometimes people forget I'm bisexual, and get confused when my flirting doesnt stop at one gender, hahaha. Also how stern I can be when needed? A lot of subordinates usually see me as super relaxed and like they can pull whatever shit they want. Its disappointing to them when I solidly put them in their place.''

[wmufranniefabray]

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ after hours.

para title: after hours. song inspo: lost on you, lewis capaldi. OR [ here ] date: friday 29th march. summary: after briefly returning home for the morning, frannie struggles with the continuous power struggle her parents still attempt to hold over her. trigger warnings: tw child abuse, tw bad parenting?

"Why did we have to find out you had a BOYFRIEND through the internet, Franscesca?"

Her Father's voice had hissed the question at her like it had been some kind of disease. As though the news disgusted him. Perhaps it wasn't the news of a boyfriend, necessarily, but more so how Frannie had kept it relatively secret from her parents. A few hints had been thrown in, here and there, over the previous weeks...but nothing that had solidly confirmed it. No hiding now.

Pursing her lips, Frannie stared back in her Father, a familiar feeling of irritation sweeping across her features. "This is the first time I've seen you both since it happened." She explained, keeping her voice relatively firm. Cool, almost. Devoid of any kind of emotion. "And I wanted to make sure it was serious before I told you both."

She was an expert at this. Years of weaving her way out of situations had led her to confidently managing to de-escalate situations as best as she could with her parents. In spite of that, the shaking of her hands that were placed inside of her pockets revealed just how nervous she was about this news.

Reading her parents expressions, Frannie watched oh-so-carefully to determine their reactions. Every slight change in facial feature meant something serious to her. She'd spent her entire childhood watching carefully each and every expression to help her determine whether each day would be a good day...or a bad one. Being back in her home again felt like she was being transported back in time. A time where her Father rose his eyebrows and crossed his arms across his chest. Neither of which weren't bad signs...but they weren't necessarily good, either.

"So, who is this Sam boy anyway?" Russell Fabray asked after a brief silence with a small scoff and eye roll, mirroring the exact same tone he used when he had heard about Frannie's previous boyfriend. "You know we will only accept him into our circle, Frannie, if he treats you like the Princess that you are."

A wave of relief washed over her features and she silently let out a breath she had been holding in. She felt dizzy; exhileratingly so. "He does, Daddy." Frannie answered with a small smile and a nod, trying to hold back on the urge to completely gush about Sam completely. "Honestly, you will absolutely adore him. He's charming and he's sweet and he absolutely adores all of the dorky movies that you're obsessed with."

This appeared, at least for now, to appease her parents.

"Does he share the same faith as us? That's very important." Judy questioned from across the kitchen, raising her gaze to meet with Frannie's. "We will need to meet him, of course, Frannie, to make sure he's the right man for you. There are lots of questions we need answering."

This had been what Frannie had been fearing. Although she had mastered, by this point, remaining a neutral expression on her face, it felt as though dread had settled in her gut. A darkness had closed in. The reason why she had failed to mention Sam to her parents was because keeping these worlds so distinctly separate meant that she could hide just how...intense, this side of her life was. Maintain the illusion that her family, while imperfect, were relatively normal. While Sam knew a little, thanks to their pre-Spring Break evening together where Frannie had opened up, it was no where near as...chaotic as actually meeting her family in person. The questions. The judgement. The way she was oh-so-sure they would make snark comments about any sort of weakness. Keeping Sam away from that Fabray world was...easier than admitting just how much she wanted to escape from that world entirely.

Giving her parents a reassuring smile, Frannie released a small chuckle. "Don't be ridiculous, Momma." She smoothly replied. "We're only newly dating. Once we're a little more...serious, I'll look at arranging a time to meet him. The last thing I want to do is scare him off just yet." While her tone implied to her parents that she was teasing them, she was serious. There was a strong possibility her parents may scare Sam away, and Frannie wouldn't blame him at all.

"Fine." Russell responded, but a small frown creasing across his forehead warned Frannie this wasn't over. Far from it. "But we will be meeting him eventually. And we will make sure he is right for our baby girl."

Once she had left her parents house and was making her way back to her car, parked up against the sidewalk outside, Frannie's eyes darted to the sky with a small sigh. Did anyone really deserve this life? Having to meet her parents and pretend like their version of life was normal? Sam certainly didn't. He deserved so much more than that. A girlfriend with a family who wasn't such a mess. A girlfriend who didn't feel as though she had to lie to her parents to avoid him meeting them. A girlfriend without so much...stuff. In her eyes, Sam deserved the world.

It was then that Frannie flipped out her phone, shooting Cody a quick message. Someone who understood was someone she needed to speak to right now.

[orangepanic]

Happy Friday! Using @bearsandbeansart's open tag:

Last Song: "Tell Her I Said Hi" by Nikki Milou

Favorite Color: Oh gosh. It used to solidly be blue and now it's blue gray green orange? I love colors.

Last Movie/TV Show: I watched The Interpreter on the plane. Not a new movie but interesting.

Sweet/Spicey/Savory: Spicy

Relationship Status: Very much in love

Last thing I googled: A jewelry shop in Kenya where I'm being indecisive about buying myself a present

Current obsession: PLANTS! It's almost spring here in Seattle and it's tiiiiiiiime to gaaaaaaarden!!!

Last book: Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien. It was cute and I read it in a day.

Looking forward to: the weekend. TGIF.

I'm supposed to tag nine people, but I'm just going to say that anyone who wants to do this, pretend I tagged you :)

[hearthandheathenry]

Hi! I know this was from like 2 weeks ago but I completely forgot to follow up. Here's some info if you're still interested.

- Ireland follows a different seasonal calendar to most of Europe, so we still consider February 1st the 1st day of Spring. Halloween is also our last day of Autumn. So February is solidly spring to us. The season changing is the most prominent modern day aspect of 3/4 of these festivals. (Halloween being the exception because of how big and international it has gotten, and the season change aspect is pretty much ignored outside Ireland.)

- Making the crosses is still relatively common. Most commonly school children make them in school. However, I'm a university student and I saw a few folks walking around with one a friend had made for them.

- Spring cleaning is pretty common on Feb 1st.

- It's very much a tradition thing here. A lot of Irish people consider it both a Christian holiday and a Pre-Christian cultural holiday simultaneously. Devout Christians will consider it primarily religious and staunch atheists will consider it purely cultural. A lot of people fall somewhere on a spectrum between the two.

- St Brigid's Day isn't an appropriated version of Imbolc (I see this claim sometimes), it's the exact same holiday. The Irish had a weirdly chill and peaceful conversion to Catholicism so our ancestors just imported a huge chunk of Pre-Christian culture and changed the terminology. Irish monks loved to just write things down and say "see this is proof of this ancient thing being Catholic" so people could convert and also keep their cultural practices. Brigid is a complicated figure and unlike other saints we have no concrete proof she ever existed and it's very possible our ancestors got the Vatican to canonise a pagan goddess to make the festival acceptable for the Catholic converts to keep celebrating. Most of the early tales about her are directly comparable to her pagan counterpart's folklore.

- We actually got a new bank holiday in honour of St Brigid's Day the last two years so now we all get a day off the Monday after. It's still new enough that the February bank holiday is a bit of a novelty here.

- There's no concept of a wheel of the year here (this was invented by Wicca I think?), there's 4 cross quarter days. The average Irish person will see it as a conterpart to the other traditional seasonal festivals. St Brigid's Day is the second most important in the modern day. Halloween is of course the most celebrated. Lúnasa is probably third because although celebrations have kinda died out in the past few decades some places still have prominent things like Puck Fair in Kerry. Bealtaine is last because it's pretty much just a bank holiday and everybodh getting excited that it's finally summer.

Sorry this ended up so long, but I hope at least some of it is interesting lol.

This is so interesting, thank you for sharing! The information is very much appreciated! 💕

[sealwithfeels]

Spring 2023 Anime Wrap-up

Didn't watch a huge number of anime this season, but enough to have some short reviews, plus some fanart. Some spoilers for Witch From Mercury.

Heavenly Delusion (Tengoku Daimakyou) - the standout of the season, definitely the best of the shows I watched in Spring 2023. Fascinating world thats revealed naturally, characters that feel really and have a great dynamic, slowly unfolding mysteries, excellent animation that even messes with style a bit. Heavy content warnings though, deals with some heavy stuff, in a way I'm not sure I've decided how I feel about it yet. Hoping there will be another season to adapt more. Feels kinda like a combination of The Last Of Us, Made In Abyss and Shinsekai Yori so it was kind of inevitable I'd be into this.

Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) S2: Swordsmith Village arc - great animation, pretty fun, but otherwise standard battle shounen. Still enjoyed it. Though the supporting cast are much more likeable than the Entertainment District arc, the fights felt much more messy, and villains not as cool or interesting. Mitsuri deserved more spotlight though, they did her dirty.

Gundam: Witch From Mercury S2 - such mixed feelings here, as a lot of it is good enjoyable stuff, but then there's also so much blegh. Some interesting characters and conflicts dragged down by a bizarre obsession with focusing on things that don't matter in the end. Really needed to either have a third season do the concepts justice, or to have cut them entirely and focus on what mattered. Guel and Miorine continue to be the best, and Prospera steals the show as a villain. The ending was lackluster, with sudden third faction distracting from the core conflict of the show, sudden asspull power-up to defeat the threat, and generally killing the conflicts and plot threads in a very sudden and rushed way. Suletta and Miorine got married, so there's that, but they didn't kiss and their relationship got shoved to the side in the latter half, so the shipper in me is annoyed.

The Marginal Service - dropped, and the less said about this the better. Just kinda incompetent and boring tbh.

Oshi no Ko- the big hype machine. Absurd but attention-grabbing premise and a memorable first episode, but kinda peters out afterwards. I do think I'd have gotten more out of it if I was into the aspects of the entertainment industry it covered. Aqua was rather boring as a main character, and it was baffling that he had all these girls fawning over him, but it could have been worse. Kinda wish they ditched Aqua and had the whole show about Kana and Akane's acting rivalry instead. Lots ups and downs by episode, never really amazing but far from bad either. Solidly enjoyable, but far from living up to the hype.