#also the ladies running is were so nice i think they might be a couple because there were only a couple flag options

[lurkingshan]

Things That Have My Attention in 4 Minutes Episode 5

If you watched this on iQIYI you missed a few scenes! A couple of which I think were actually important. Gaga has the full cut.

The show did a nice little montage summarizing the core theory (that is clearly correct): Great is in the midst of a NDE and is experiencing a mix of things during the 4 minute window: memories, perceptions, rewinds and do-overs, and a new start with Tyme who he purportedly had a relationship with in the original timeline.

Also as theorized, the NDE seems to have begun at 11:00, so Great has until 11:04 in this limbo space. We saw the clock advance to 11:03 in today's episode.

We still know very little about the original timeline, including how Great and Tyme got involved the first time around and what happened with their relationship there that might inspire the desire for a fresh start.

Re: the cold opens with Tonkla and the murders, I do not think we're being shown those events in chronological order given Title was still alive in today's open.

Speaking of, only a brief appearance in the open from Tonkla before he sat the rest of this episode out. Interesting after several weeks of him dominating the story.

I am still trying to make sense of the way this romance is advancing in the redo timeline, and it only works if both Great and Tyme are in this 4 minutes limbo together and coming with pre-existing knowledge of and inclination to trust each other. Otherwise, their instant closeness and partnership in this situation with Great's family really doesn't make sense. Why would Tyme tell Great everything and trust him to handle his family after just meeting him and having sex one time? That goes beyond straining credibility unless he is also reliving things.

The smartest thing Tyme could have done was to take that bribe money and run. If he wanted to be decent, he'd have given Nan a cut and helped her run, too. But he seems preoccupied with Great in a way that doesn't really track unless he also knows him already.

Speaking of Nan, that poor woman has been through it. I was yelling at Tyme when he told her nothing and expected her to just accept that he was not going to take action. As fucking if, dude.

The rewind/do over in this episode felt different than the others. When Great went back, he didn't actually relive the same scene, he and the shooter were just suddenly in different positions. And all he accomplished was getting himself shot along with his mom.

I liked the way the lady from the initial accident came back around this episode to cause that, BUT it also just opens up more questions about the timelines because if she died in the original timeline, she would not have been able to set up a hit on Great's family. So, did saving her cause new bad shit? Did Great's mom also die in the original timeline, but differently? And will anything that happens in the redo actually stick?

We saw in this episode that when Korn is actually in trouble he goes to Fasai, not Tonkla. I get the sense that he has been with Fasai for years and likely the entire time he's been messing around with Tonkla; I was not surprised that she's always known. They are not a love match but they need things from each other. He never intended to be with Tonkla for real.

By the way, I was dying at Korn's little motivational speech to Great. He has to help his father do evil shit so their family can "survive." Survive what? Not being filthy rich, I guess. Great's mom was similarly desperate to cling to the status and wealth she clawed and scraped for. Nobody in this family has any true morality.

And yet I find it weird that they are letting Great run around causing a ruckus and not putting a stop to it or even punishing him. He is remarkably spoiled and pampered compared to Korn. Is this their dad's feelings about his two wives being acted out on his sons? If so, why does Great hate his dad so much?

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE FINAL SCENE. As Tyme was running through the tunnel, lights flickering around him, there were bruises appearing and then disappearing on his face. Are we seeing his NDE??

This show is still so much fun to watch and think about even if I am scratching my head at some of what happens.

[eyesthatroll]

how many drinks? | luke hughes

pairing; lh43 x fem!reader

warnings(s); none really, fluff? lowercase intended, not edited. also written in like 15 minutes so kinda bad (might rewrite/re-edit it at a later date idk)

word count; 0.6k (blurb!)

summary; luke approaches reader at wedding reception

"do you want to dance?" you lift your gaze from the game of candy crush that you were currently enthralled in.

a tall brunette is staring back at you. he looks down at you expectantly, rolling on the heels of his feet. "do i know you?"

the boys cheeks tinge pink, and he runs a hand through his slightly curly hair before speaking again. "n-no, i just, i don't know. you look bored."

his awkwardness brings a smile to your face. you ponder his offer for a moment, the song 'skin' by dijon playing through the speakers.

the dance floor had a few couples on it, the other guests scattered around the room, eating cake or loitering near the bar.

you flip your phone screen side down, and chug the rest of your drink. "sure pretty boy, let's dance."

you lift your hand up, and he take it in his, easily pulling you out of your chair. he leads you to a small corner of the dance floor.

your arms rest on his shoulders, hands crossed behind his neck. his hands finding home on the small of your back.

"i never got your name." you state, the two of you swaying softly.

"luke." he answers sheepishly, seemingly embarrassed that he hadn't already told you his name.

"so, which side are you here for, luke?" you asked, your fingers beginning to absentmindedly play with the hair that coiled at the nape of his neck.

"oh, um, the groom. he's on my team."

you brows raised in confusion. "i didn't know you were a player for the devils, not sure i've seen you on the ice. though, i've only watched maybe a few games so i could be completely wrong"

"i haven't-well not yet, at least. i just signed my contract a few weeks ago." he says.

"that's exciting," you begin. "leaving college, i presume?" you're not sure if your questions are too personal, but luke makes no moves to ward them off.

luke gives you a bittersweet, close lipped smile. "yeah."

"that's got to be hard, leaving your friends?"

he tilts his head, thinking a moment. "i mean, yeah, but i'll still see them. plus, i have jacky, and the rest of team-they've been pretty nice and welcoming."

you nod in understanding. "so jacky, she your girlfriend?"

" oh god no!" luke sputters, his cheeks painted crimson again. "that's my brother-jack. he plays for the devils, too."

your eyes widen, and you kick yourself internally for your assumption. why would he of asked you to dance if he was in a relationship?

" 'm sorry, i shouldn't have assumed." you apologize, shaking your head slightly to yourself.

"no, it's all good! i'm single, by the way."

"professional hockey player gets no bitches?" you tease, feeling more comfortable with him by the moment.

he lets out a breathy laugh, his hands tightening around your waist. "i think i do okay with..the ladies." he trails off.

you mouth an 'okay', and dramatically nod your head.

"just looking for the right girl, i guess." he finishes.

"that's understandable." you agree.

"and you?"

"looking for the right girl?"

you laugh at your own joke.

"no-no, i mean, beautiful girl like yourself must have..suitors."

luke's face contorts into one reminiscent of pain.

you followed suit, cringing at his choice of words. "suitors?"

you laugh at him shamelessly, a big bellied laugh that draws attention to the two of you on the floor, not that either of you noticed, too engrossed in your own world.

luke pulls you closer to him, burying his head in your shoulder. "stop laughing."

—

mari speaks! again, like mentioned in the preface, wrote this super quickly so not edited/kinda bad but i might re-do it or make a part 2 idk. also, luke’s playing in his first playoff game tmro so make sure to wish babyboy some luck <3

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

What are some pro-team green fanfics you would recommend?

Ohh I've been meaning to recommend a few! Most of these are Aegon-centric because I'm generally more interested in him than Aemond, but there are a couple Aemond fics in here as well, and at least one that's Alicent centric.

a poison tree by @branwendaughterofllyr is a Dance retelling in which Daemon and Viserys' younger brother Aegon lived and had a daughter, and that daughter ended up being raised with the green children. Branwen tells a compelling story with great attention to historical detail, and although the story is green leaning, I feel it is fair to both sides. It has many POVs and really tells the story from many different angles, some some reliable than others.

My co-author @aifsaath's series The Skies Are Always Red Above Valyria is an entire Dance retelling that starts with Alicent as a lady at court before her marriage but eventually will progress to the Dance itself (and involves our beloved Baela/Aegon pairing). Aife's fics always feature impeccable worldbuilding and lush descriptions, so check them out.

The Wrath of the Queen by @florisbaratheons has just started but is very promising, featuring a more proactive Alicent who gets a cooperative if reluctant Aegon on board with her plan to put him on the throne following Driftmark, as well as fully fleshed out versions of the Baratheon and Lannister sisters. After seeing Cassandra Baratheon and Jason and/or Tyland Lannister cast as antagonists in dozens of Dance fics it's nice to see them get a fair shake.

The Dog Days Are Over is a Aegon/Helaena fix-it by @franzkafkagfn which they escape to Essos to start over with the kids. She also has another Aegon/Rhaenyra fic that is I'd say slightly more green slanted simply because much of the rest of the canon black faction doesn't exist per se.

This one has been on hiatus awhile but In The Ripe and Ruin by @kingsroad will forever have my heart as the first OC fic I ever got into, featuring gorgeous worldbuilding and one of my favorite iterations of Aegon. He's awful but also incredibly endearing. According to the author it's not going to be super canon divergent, and OC is Aegon's mistress through the Dance! Crossing my fingers that the author returns soon!

Would That They Were Not is a one shot by @navree that deals with Blood and Cheese and Aemond's feelings of guilt in the aftermath. It's heartbreaking! Blood and Cheese happens here the way it does in the book so if the show ends up changing it and you want an idea of how it might have gone down, this one is very faithful.

1968 is a modern AU by @inthedayswhenlandswerefew In which the wife of presidential candidate Aemond Targaryen, who is running against Richard Nixon in the 1968 election, forms a connection with the family screw up, his older brother Aegon. This is technically a readerfic (hear me out!), although I'd really call it a 2nd person POV because the "you" is a fully fleshed out character more so than a reader insert. I do not usually go for readerfic but opened this on a whim because the history teacher in me saw the premise and went "what on earth" and proceeded to be blown away by delicate character work, symbolism, and gorgeous prose. I actually got several friends who do not usually enjoy Dance fic OR readerfic fully invested in this one. Is it pro green? I guess? It's not set in Westeros and Aemond is a real POS but Aegon is lovely and the blacks don't really feature so I think it counts.

[stardustwritings]

Hi Star, I was wondering if you can write for Leon x Fem reader where the reader and Leon are on mission together to save Ashley during RE4. Leon and reader are in love with each other but they haven't confessed until reader almost dies.

If not that's okay. Have a nice day/night :)

Resident Evil Leon Kennedy x Fem!Reader: “You can’t die on me yet!”

Warings: Spoilers for RE4 Remake, Violence, Guns, Drowning, Almost dying.

Pronouns: (She/Her)

A/N: Hi! Thank you so so much for requesting you’re my second request and I’m so excited!! I really really hope you enjoy this fic and I hope to get requests from you in the future. Thank you! Also I’m sorry for the wait, i’ve been so busy. I promise any future requests will not take this long 😭

Running through the graveyard, you and Leon run for the gate just ahead that lead to the church. With a grunt Leon pushed the gate open and then closed as you went ahead to the second gate in front of the door inside. You shook it a couple times trying to get it open.

“Damn it- Leon it’s locked.” You said looking at him over your shoulder. He started to walk up behind you, he had a look in his eyes as he shook his head.

“But of course. Because when would the two of us ever get a break?” He said with a sigh. His comment made you smile slightly. He was correct of course, the two of you haven’t had a break since you’ve got here. The only thing close to one is the time you’ve spent with the merchant, talking and shopping, without him this trip would of been much worse.

“Well… Let’s call Hunnigan. Might be a good idea to update HQ anyway.” You said leaning back against the gate and looking up at the sky. Leon nodded his head at your words.

“You’re probably right…” He breathed out then placed his finger to his ear and called, “Conder One and Robin Two to Roost. The church is sealed up.”

”And Baby Engle?…” ‘Roost’ or Hunnigan asked in reply.

“Negative. We haven’t found her, yet. This place is locked up tighter than knox…” You told her joining the conversation.

“I see. I can think of one reason they’d want to do so.” Said Hunnigan, they could hear light typing from her keyboard through her mic as she spoke.

“So can I. She’s definitely in there. And we’ll find a way in, one way or another. Conder One and Robin Two out.” Leon told the woman before ending the call. You looked at him standing up straight and going to his side.

“Do you really think she’s in there?…” You asked placing a hand on his shoulder. He paused at your touch and looked you in the eyes. His look made you pause in return. You loved his eyes, and his hair and his jokes and his-… Well you loved him.

You met him after the Raccoon City incident , both of you were survivors. How you managed to survive is a different story, but soon after you found yourself working for the government and meeting the blonde in front of you. Training was a nightmare, but having Leon made it so much better.

“(Y/N)?… Did you here me?” Leon asked titling his head as he looked at you. You removed your hand and gave him a nod looking away to the church.

“Yeah sorry- I zoned out a little uh… Let’s find a way inside.” Your voice was hush as you walked to the side of the church following the wall. Leon watched you go for just a moment before following not wanting you to be left alone.

It didn’t take long for you both to found a small room on the side that was unlocked. It wasn’t connected to the main church but there could be clues on how to get in. Looking around for supplies and answers, Leon’s eyes land on a map and a small note.

“This here says that the key is being held in a cave on the lake-“ He said taking it off the wall then looking at you.

“Then we’ll go to the lake. The signs around said it was just through the gate next door. It’s locked but…” Your eyes landed on a trapdoor in the corner of the room. “I think there may be a way around.” Leon walked up and opened it, shining his flashlight down the hole before looking at you.

“Well… Ladies first.” He said giving a half smirk. You playfully rolled your eyes walking up to him.

“Oh why thank you, what a gentleman.” You said walking pass him and starting to climb down the ladder. You faced him as you descended down, he chuckled softly.

“And watch your step too-“ He said as he made his way down after you, “I won’t be able to catch you from up here-“ He told you smiling.

Shaking your head you left the male on the ladder and followed the light at the end of the small cave, it lead to the other side of the gate just next to the church. You unlocked it just in case then looked to Leon.

He nodded his head down the path then started to walk that way, following you looked around at the world around you. If the people here weren’t crazy infected monsters then this would be like a vacation. Thinking about it you’d love to go on a vacation with Leon. You both needed some time together. You- Your happy thoughts were cut off as Leon put an arm over you and held you back as he peaked over a corner.

“Hostiles… Get your gun.” He whispered softly. You ignored the warmth in your cheeks as you nodded getting it ready. Leon took the first shot and the two of you went into battle. And battled and battled and battled. You were just lucky that he was here to have your back. He always is, it’s one of the reasons you loved him so much.

Throughout the whole fight Leon would warn you if someone was behind you, call out whenever something was thrown your way and freed you from anyone who laid their hands on you. You did the same for him. It’s why you were put on this mission together. It’s why they always put you both together, because you work perfectly together.

That work and care got you through the some cliff side area and through the quarry to thankfully, the merchant. The merchant was glad to see you two, welcoming the both of you in from your battles. You and Leon look at each other with a sigh of relief and buy anything that looked important. After saying your goodbyes you both continued forward.

“He’s always there when we need him.” You mumbled as you stepped out. Leon nodded a bit looking at you then smiled a little.

“Yeah I bet you loveee seeing your boyfriend~” He joked laughing a bit as you playfully hit his arm.

“Oh ha ha. Very funny but he’s not my type Leon.” You replied walking up to a fence blocking off a drop. Placing your arms on the railing you look out over the lake as Leon wondered what your type was exactly. “Hey- there’s some people in the water- On a boat.” You called to Leon as he walked over.

The two of you watched as they dumped a body in the water.

“Fuck…” Leon mumbled and then two seconds later the body was eaten by a large creature they only got to see for just a moment. The two of you stood silently knowing what would come next.

“That um… Cave we have to go there is-…there’s a walk way right?…” You were sheepish as you glanced at Leon. All he did was point to the little docking area across from them. “… Great.” You mumbled then sighed. Leon looked down to you and then gently placed a hand on your back.

“Hey… We… got this okay? In and out. As long as we’re careful I’m sure we’ll be fine.” His voice was soft and comforting, he even gave you a soft smile to reassure you. All you did was smile back and gave him a nod as you both started to make your way down to the lake side.

There was a very tiny boat it looked like it could just fit the two of you. Leon smiled and held his hand out to you then gently helped you down into the boat. Afterwards he followed suit, pulling the cord and starting the little engine.You sat in front and he drove the boat to the little building.

Light from the lowing sun made the lake shine, the whole place in a pretty orange glow.

“Hey…” Leon said to get your attention. “I actually want to talk to you about something while we have a moment… I was thinking maybe after all this… You and me could-“ He cut himself off as the boat slowed then came to a stop.

“Did um… Did you do that?” You asked looking over at him as he looked to the engine and shook his head.

“No?…” He said pulling on the cord trying to get it to start once more. You bit your lip, glancing into the dark water then jumping a little as something hit the bottom of the boat.

“Leon- Please for the love of god get it started already.” He could hear the worry in your voice as you held onto the sides of the boat. But Leon was somewhat lost in thought looking around the calm water of the lake. “Leon?”

He was brought to his senses as the lake monster that ate the body moments ago jumped from the water and over the two. Right after it grabbed onto a rope hanging from the boat and started to pull it along with it. “W-Woah-“ You let out falling a little bit into Leon but he kept you up right in a protective hold as you both were pulled. 

“Now what do we do?!?” You asked looking back at Leon. He glanced at the engine then some harpoons on the floor of the boat.

“You shot I drive- Just another mission… We got this.” He said handing you the harpoons. Have you ever used a thrown weapon? No, but it wasn’t like you had much choice. With Leon keeping the two of you away from rocks and anything floating in the water with you, you fought off the monster.

Things were looking great, with the lake filling up with the beasts blood. Bending down to grab another harpoon, the boat was rocked by the creature just enough to throw you from the ship. You fall backwards into the dark cloudy waters with your heart pounding as you try and swim up. Your lungs started to burn, it was like no matter how much you swam you couldn’t reach the top. The last thing you remember was something moving pass you.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆.｡:*.｡.:*☆ ༓･*˚⁺‧͙

……

“(Y/N)?… (Y/N) come please? Don’t give out on me now-“ A muffled voice called as you slowly came two. “God please I- I never got to… Damnit… Come please… You can’t die on me yet. I can’t lose you too… Please… I love you so much don’t do this. I didn’t even get to tell you!” The voice continued then you gasped, all of the water in your lungs coming up and out making you gag.

Gasping for air you held your chest trying to get it out. After a moment you took in the world around you. You make it to the little dock you had seen before. By your side was a soggy Leon who pulled you into a tight hug the second he saw you were okay.

“Oh thank god! I thought I lost you.” He said as you gently pat his back to reassure him.

After a second it hit you. You were alone so the voice you heard had to be Leon’s… And what he had said… Your cheeks reddened as you remembered. Did you imagine it? Miss hear? Either way you were going to ask, you needed to know.

“Leon… What um… We’re you saying before I was completely up? I kinda heard a bit…” Your voice was quiet as Leon froze and glanced away for just a moment.

“O-Oh that uh… Damn it well… I almost lost you and I’m not going to risk it happening again without you knowing.” He said moving closer and taking your hands. “I really really love you… So much… I was even going to ask you out on the boat before that monster came. I couldn’t help it- You’re just… You’re just amazing.” He said looking at you like you were the only girl in the whole world.

You blushed and slowly grinned pulling Leon into a tight hug. He loved you! It took you almost dying to find out but he loved you!

“I love you too Leon… I have for a long time now.” You told him softly, your hug was so tight just wanting him close. Leon grinned and hugged you back just as tightly. He was so thankful you felt the same. 💜

(A/N Hi- I’m so sorry for the wait again April is always a busy month for me. Future fics will come faster I promise! In at least at weeks time if I decide to do it!)

[stevesbipanic]

Imagine if Mrs Henderson leaves Hawkins after Season 4 and Steve manages to persuade her to let Dustin live with him. This means Eddie is always popping up at Steve's house (because I refuse to accept the finale episode) so much so that he basically lives there as well.

Claudia didn't want to leave Hawkins, this was her home, but her mother needed a full time carer and they couldn't afford to put her in a home and they couldn't risk moving her interstate.

"Mom I don't want to move! My friends are here!"

"I know Dusty but I don't have any other option!"

"I hate you!" Dustin yells and runs out the door, jumping on the bike and riding to the only place he can think of.

"Dustin, you shouldn't have said that to your mom, but I understand how moving could be really hard," Steve says rubbing Dustin's back as he cries into Steve's shirt.

"I know but I can't leave you guys, what if something happens?" And this is something Steve understands all too well, he couldn't imagine leaving Hawkins while the kids are still here.

"Let me talk with her."

And that's how Steve Harrington ended up as the temporary guardian of one Dustin Henderson.

Steve doesn't really notice much of a change in routine, Dustin and the other kids were already around so much anyway now that Steve had moved out of his parents house and into an apartment. Dustin took up residence in the guest room and it was nice to have someone in the house all the time. They'd always eat dinner with each other and Steve packed him lunches for school and helped with homework where he could.

The thing this new arrangement does lead to is a lot more Eddie. He's always over now, doing something with Dustin or just to hang out. Not that Steve minds, he and Eddie had grown much closer since Vecna. Eddie had been making it his life mission to educate Steve on need culture which Dustin took a lot of joy in helping with.

"I have seen this movie you know."

"You called the Ewoks teddy bears Stevie were watching it again.

It's a couple months into Dustin living with Steve when the nickname 'Mom' towards Steve becomes less of a joke amongst the party and more Dustin just always calling him that. Steve doesn't mind though, it makes him feel loved.

Things with Eddie had also changed, now instead of crashing in the couch whenever he visited he slept in Steve's bed instead.

"There's enough room for both of us Eds I splurged for a queen we might as well make use."

"Damn is that the line you use on all the ladies, sweetheart?"

Eddie now has a drawer of clothes in with Steve's which is quickly becoming just a mix of both of their clothes since Eddie steals Steve's sweaters and Steve steals Eddie's band shirts.

Dustin starts calling Eddie dad after month four.

Even Robin starts commenting how they're like a little family of three.

It's Steve that brings it up to Eddie one day when Dustin is over at the Wheelers and Eddie is lounging with his head in Steve's lap while Steve plays with his hair.

"Why don't you just stay?"

"I already said I'd crash tonight?"

"No I mean like, what if you moved in?"

"Ok Stevie"

Neither comments how there's not another room and that when Eddie does move in his stuff finds a place between Steve's and that they're still sharing a bed.

It all comes to a conclusion one day when Dustin is out and Eddie is heading off to work at the mechanic and Steve has packed him a lunch which Eddie almost forgets to take.

"Wait Eddie, don't forget your lunch,"

"Thanks baby what would I do without you,"

And Eddie kisses him as if that's just what they do as if it's what they've always done and not a world shattering kiss for Steve. When Eddie's brain catches up to him he looks at Steve nervously, but he doesn't have to worry long before Steve is pulling him in for a proper kiss.

This is of course when Dustin arrives home.

"Finally, now my mom and dad can be together for once"

And their little family becomes a little more whole.

[spacemonkeysalsa]

Somebody (okay like a lot of people) said being attracted to a character makes it hard to be objective about them. So, for science (eh, for fun) I have interviewed a lesbian with nearly 3000 hours in Baldur's Gate 3 with questions about Astarion:

Q: Hi. I know you are a lesbian, but that doesn't preclude being attracted to Astarion, so let's also establish objectivity according to the experts. Are you attracted to Astarion at all?

A: No. It's kind of devastating to me because I love vampires. But apparently they do have to be lady vampires.

Q: Perfect. Have you ever tried to romance him anyway?

A: I started a couple of games with the intention of romancing him. It never worked out. I always end up with Shadowheart. Or Lae'zel.

Q: Do you like him, as a character?

A: Yeah. He's great.

Q: Ever kill him in any of your playthroughs?

A: Only to resurrect him, to see his lines. But I've never permanently killed him.

Q: Why not?

A: Because I like his story. I don't always enjoy talking to him about his story, because he's a bit much. But I want him to have that development and see it through. Be happy and free! Fuck Cazador. What a bitch.

Q: Is he an asshole?

A: Yes, but he's a lovable asshole. As much any of the others. Well, some of the others. Let's be fair.

Q: What's his alignment like?

A: I don't understand DnD alignment.

Q: For the record, have you played DnD?

A: Yes. I still don't get it. I have played for years now and this is all I know: lawful tends to equal "the worst in your group." There are exceptions though, like obviously I love Shadowheart, even though she starts off pretty strictly obeying Sharran dogma. Chaotic means "fun." Most party members in any given campaign say they are one thing but then act as true neutrals. And if you participate in a torture session with a DM controlled NPC and you forget to ask any questions, then your alignment will get shifted mid campaign. I learned that recently.

Q: I have no comment on that besides that maybe you should have listened to the bard in your party telling you this was stupid and pointless?

A: I wasn't running the torture session, I just held her still! I'm an accessory. I'm a barbarian, I can't be expected to think shit through or pay any attention to you when you speak.

Q: ...So can Astarion fall in love?

A: He's perfectly capable of that.

Q: If you had to guess his sperm count...?

A: Why would anyone ever care about that? Even if he were a real person? Why would anyone give a shit? Is this really a talking point? Fuck. I hate you guys. Just play the game.

Q: Whose your favorite companion?

A: Shadowheart.

Q: Tell me what you like about her?

A: The process of getting to know her, delving underneath that shell of secrets. She's so strong and sweet even through she can't easily show it right away because of all the bullshit she's been taught. In early access, when I couldn't get her out of the pod, either because that wasn't an option in the game yet, or I was too stupid, I've never figured it out, I was devastated. I didn't even know her yet, but I was so in love from the very beginning.

Q: Aww, that's really nice. What character do you think you are most like?

A: Karlach and Lae'zel. Maybe more Karlach, but definitely both. Not that Karlach isn't great, but I wish I was more like Lae'zel.

Q: And I should probably end on an Astarion question again since that was kind of the point. What about him do you find relatable, assuming that's anything?

A: I totally relate to wanting to put up a front to protect yourself. Can't relate to the method at all but the motivation is solid. Also, even though I have never romanced him, I have seen his DTR dialogue, and I really love it. I love how honest he is about his feelings. It's not romantic to be uncertain, but he doesn't care about that anymore, because he's just being totally transparent. It might seem weird that I would say that while being down bad for the least transparent character in the game, but that's a trait I personally value in myself more than a partner. Don't get me wrong, it would be nice, but for me I really try to be honest about what I am feeling. You can't DTR with Shadowheart really, the equivalent would be the stupid "you've never been in a relationship like this have you?" dialogue option which is never what I would say irl, but it's all I get in the game, and I think she's telling the truth when you have that conversation. With Astarion, it's so obvious. He's so obvious. I'm like that. I think it's very cool that you see that development in him, going from lying to survive to just being totally readable. Whether you're romancing him or not, by act three you know exactly what he's really about. Or if you don't, you haven't been talking to him, or like failed all your insight checks or something.

Q: Thanks! You were great. Anything to add?

A: Shadowzel forever.

[moonxmagix]

MCR Songs & their vibes

MCR songs and whether I think they’re day, night, sunrise, or sunset songs.  Also adding seasons.  If you get it, you get it. If you don’t then idk what to tell  you homie. I do get carried away & include scenarios I personally picture with the songs. It took me a couple hours to write this so please read. This might make more sense for my fellow autistics though:  

First album: Bullets

As an overall album I don’t have a set season for it BUT if I had to pick it would be a transition from Summer to Fall. It’s also more of a Day album for me but not ever sunny. With exception of sunsets. 

Romance - Sunset but when the sun is almost down, Summer but transitioning into Fall 

HTMIBHFTBOU - Night but just after Sunset, still that Summer to Fall transition  

Vampires - Night, but sometimes fits a cloudy rainy day, Fall

Drowning Lessons - Night, probably around 9pm, then again I get rain vibes, Fall but  exceptionally chilly this day

Our Lady of  Sorrows -  Night, Fall, i imagine being aggressively drunk to this song in  some small shitty venue 

Headfirst for Halos - Day but slowly transitions into sunset, nice fall day

Skylines and Turnstiles - Day but super rainy/cloudy to where it looks night,  Fall

Early Sunsets Over Monroeville  - Day and night because it starts  off nice then progressively gets darker, winter

TITBDE - Sunset/night but  like right after the sunset, i imagine being at the fairground & setting the firewheel ablaze, Summer transition into Fall

Cubicles - Day but cloudy, Fall but getting close to winter, being miserable at a shitty  corporate office job, coffee & cigarettes 

Demolition Lovers - Day into night, Winter, blood in the snow

Second Album: Revenge  

Easily a Fall album with SOME Winter exceptions. From the story we know I get lots of vibes of murder and suicide. I get lots of screaming and yelling between a couple vibes too. Definitely a Night time album overall.  

Helena - Day but rainy & cloudy, funeral vibes but that’s so obvious, peak Fall

Give ‘em Hell Kid - Day but very cloudy it’s almost night, Fall,  definitely ‘just got out of school 4 the day’ vibes

To The End - Night,  a very eerie night somewhere in the woods bc you & your friends found a vampires mansion and the lore to the house is that a husband & wife lived there but they killed each other, Fall

YKWTDTGLUIP - Night but you're in prison so you don’t care what time of the day it is, Fall but it’s a bit chillier because it’s ALMOST winter 

I’m Not Okay (I promise) - Day, cloudy school day with light drizzle, Fall but a bit warmer but it feels like summer because the gym teacher made you run laps outside & you threw up on the side

The Ghost of You - Day/night but cloudy (Kinda going  off MV), Winter probably 

TJLIGKY -  Late Night, downtown somewhere sketchy in a hotel, missing person vibes tbh, rain, Fall transition into Winter 

Venom -  Night but early on, I imagine fighting for something you want/to keep living/fighting for love even if it’s not necessarily romantic love

Hang ‘Em High -  Day, Sunny fall day, emo cowboy vibes idc!, Sunset later on in the song though, very sinister & hungry eyes, possession comes to mind here

Fashion Statement - Night but just turned, graveyard, crawling out of coffin in ground, Fall but foggy

Cemetery Drive -  Day but cloudy and rainy, when you were found on the bathroom floor though it was night, staring out the window like a movie, Fall

INTYWIDFAL - Dead of the Night, lots of mania & killing, Staring at the mirror with blood on your hands, Fall

Third Album: Black Parade

This album is Winter through and through! Definitely a transition into Day from  Night. Themes of death obvi  and incompletion and self hatred. Lots of fire and potentially setting stuff ablaze, so arson! Memories on memories. 

The End - Day but you’re in an auditorium watching a play/musical until Night, lots of screaming & agony, Fall but just about Winter

Dead! - Day but it’s cloudy, lots of dreaming & being taunted by death, Winter

TIHID - Night, being in the woods late at night, walking in snow barefoot & blood trailing behind, seeing ghost, Winter 

The Sharpest Lives - Night but it’s  2am, drunk, cigarettes, trying to comes to term w/ your career & how you won't achieve anything, Winter

WTTBP - Day into Night, cloudy, dead of Winter but lot’s of fire to keep warm, seeing death finally 

I Don’t  Love You - Day but cloudy & rainy, Fall transition into winter, painful breakup but we knew that

House of Wolves - Night but downtown vibes so the lights keep everything alive, running  from cops vibes, personal rebellion against church & religion, reminiscing on running the streets with friends when young, the memories are Summer but song is Winter

Cancer - Right after Sunrise, patient dies early in the cloudy morning, body stays in bed until Night though so family can visit, lots of flashback of memories, Winter

Mama - Night, arguing with family, lots of anger, war flashbacks, rainy Winter

Sleep - 4am Night,  nightmares, sleeping in shitty hotel, haunted hotel,  creaky floorboards, sleep paralysis, Winter

Teenagers - Day, Fall, zombie like & judgy teenagers, reminiscing on teenage years, violence  

Disenchanted  - Night, drinking yourself away, disappointment, feeling like you didn’t do enough, Winter, around Christmas

Famous Last Words - Night 12am, realizing your memory will forever live on, coming to terms w/ death, Winter but the fire is enough to keep you warm

Fourth Album: Danger Days

If you say anything else but Summer you're just wrong. Blazing summer heat & just sweaty musty & dusty mf’s.  Themes of fighting for what’s right, the power of friendship & love. Partying in the desert. Obviously a Day time album. 

Na Na Na - Day,  blazing hot in the desert, partying at some underground rave, hanging head out window to shoot the corporation ppl, robbery, Summer

Bulletproof Heart - Sunset, lots of smiling & laughing w/ crush, trying to runaway with crush to somewhere better, one of the lovers dies because of Korse, Summer but it’s very breezy 

SING - Night, “I’m gonna save the world” vibes, sneaking  around,  cool Summer night

Planetary (GO!) - Sunset but it’s just about to be night, partying, lots of colorful lazerbeams and strobe, very sweaty,  Summer 

TOHFMIY - Sunset, fighting for friends & showing them love, taking pictures with friends on a desert cliff, Summer

Party Poison - Day, pompous ass character, fighting for what’s right, protest, Summer

SYIHTB - Day into Night, fighting off the Exterminators, stealing cars & sneaking off, sneaky make out session, helping friends get away from Exterminators, Summer 

Scarecrow - Day almost Sunset, feeling safe, finding a place to rest & collect thoughts, maybe mourn the people you lost, being found &  have to keep moving, Summer but it’s not humid

Summertime - Day into Night, so much love, finally got with crush, telling story of them, sappy,  laying in the desert/on-top of car & staring at the stars, hot Summer day but chilly night

Destroya - Day, horny, so hot you had to get almost naked, fighting against corporation  by holding a concert of sorts to raise awareness, borderline dehydration, blazing Summer heat

The Kids From Yesterday - Sunset, reminiscing hard, missing childhood/younger self, living in the moment, hand holding w/ friends, realizing you’re not actually alone, Summer into Fall

Vampire Money - Day, causing chaos with friends, so many crimes, more crimes,  scary teenagers, selling soul for fame, Summer in Los Angeles 

[stinalotte]

Season 5, Episode 6: The Shrine

I said I had to gather my thoughts before I would be able to write something coherent. I still don't know if I can do it justice. It's weird, but I hesitate to call The Shrine my favorite episode because it's so devastating. It's very shippy, it has phenomenal acting from everyone, the story is heartbreaking, it should be perfect - but it just hurts so much. If this is my favorite episode, what kind of masochist am I? (Don't answer that, that was rethorical.)

I'm placing this under a cut because this is gonna be long.

The cold open on this one is just brutal. Rodney is already pretty far gone, and he calls himself "Mr Rodney McKay" instead of Dr, because "doctors are smart, and he's not smart anymore". To know what's happening to you, to slowly lose your mental capabilities and to be able to still process what's happening, that's cruel. And then he's calling for John, and that's when I had to pause the video for the first time because the tears were already coming. The title sequence hadn't even started.

Fuck.

I lost my grandmother to Alzheimer's a couple years ago. She had a slow and steady decline and thankfully, it was one of those cases where she just forgot more and more, but without the mental anguish. She wasn't panicking, or aggressive, or even agitated. Just a smiling, sweet old lady, who in the end didn't remember how to sit or eat or breathe. When she died, I couldn't cry. I was too busy consoling my mother and aunt at the funeral. The first time I cried was when I rewatched The Shrine, years later. It just shook something loose in me. It's also the point where I decided that if I ever got diagnosed, and was still in a state to do something about it, I would end my life on my terms. I'm not putting anyone through that.

I remember Kate Hewlett saying in an interview that a lot of people on set where crying during those scenes because they had family members with dementia, and that she had to leave the room at one point because it hit close to home for her too.

At first I thought it was mean that everyone was like, "Yeah I realized something was wrong when Rodney was being nice to everyone", but then I thought, no, that's actually a good point. Because his friends were uncomfortable with alternate universe Rod (who was too suave and cool) and they're uncomfortable with a Rodney who is uncharacteristically nice. They love him as he is, not a polished version.

I know everyone is giving Dr Keller shit for not wanting to try the Shrine, but I really think it's because she's a doctor. I work with doctors, and almost weekly I have discussions about respecting a patient's advanced directive. I've had a doctor wanting to install a gastric tube in a patient who was at the end of their life. We had the advanced directive that CLEARLY stated they didn't want that. When I confronted the doctor, she was almost angry. "But they will starve! I can't let them starve!" Yes, you can, and you will, and you have to. The hardest thing for a medical doctor is to have to sit back and not be allowed to do something that might help the patient. I think that where she's coming from. There are treatments to be tried, and if Rodney is taken to the Shrine, all those other options stop. I still think she was wrong and I don't like her approach, but I think it's an explanation why she was acting the way she was.

And then we have Rodney running to John's room in the middle of the night because of course that is the first and only place he'd go. It hurt to watch him be so frantic and desperate. And John is right there for him, grounding him, telling him, I'm not going anywhere.

Beer On The Pier. Yes, you have to write it like that because this scene is a fixed point in time and a goddamn cornerstone of this ship.

Rodney, knowing this is probably the last night he'll be this lucid, wants to say goodbye. And John doesn't let him. Because Rodney's stuck with him until the end. He's not going to turn away, no matter how ugly it's going to get. The very thought of saying goodbye is so foreign to John that he doesn't even want to discuss it. "That's final."

(Also, just for aesthetics alone, the night shots of the city are beautiful.)

I'm trying to be a bit less rambly, but what can you do when you have this masterpiece of an episode?

In the cave, when Rodney is intense pain, John has his arm around him the whole time and doesn't let go until he is himself again.

I love how everyone is so caring and surrounds him with love.

And ugh, the surgery - with fucking power tools. Barbaric. But necessary. But man, to hold your friend's head in your hands, holding him still, while a literal drill is going into his skull? I'd have passed out.

The only tiny little thing that was a bit jarring was Rodney's confession to Jennifer at the end, and just because for me, it came a bit out of left field. But I am nothing if not good at ignoring things that I don't like, so I'll just refer to fanfics that fix this. No harm done.

And finally.

David Ian Hewlett.

Holy fuck, dude.

HOW are you not buried under a shitload of Emmys? How is there not a whole wing of your house dedicated to housing the tons of awards you should have gotten for this? (I know he did get quite a few, but I'm talking custom built shelves in at least four rooms. Minimum.)

Everyone brought their A game acting wise, but this guy knocked it out of the park. It was heartbreaking, moving, extremely believable, and just jaw-dropping. David is, in my opinion, one of the best, if not the best actor of the franchise, and I don't say that lightly. I have a massive crush on Joe Flanigan and he's great, same with Amanda Tapping, but David is just fantastic.

So yeah. There you have it. My very concise, totally normal opinion of this episode. I doubt anyone reads all of this, but hey, this is my tumblr and I do what I want.

If you did indeed sit through all of this, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to tag or reply or add stuff.

[ninacytosis]

For the time lost

Summary: Zuko wants to erase every reminder of his past mistakes, and Katara will take him on a journey to, quite literally, heal both of their scarrings.

Contains: Angst, Fluff, Katara has burns scars from Aang's first attempts to firebend, Katara tries to get over her resentment towards the FN, Zuko doesn't hate Azula.

Dear reader: I hope you enjoy it! <3 Let me know if you want me to continue posting.

Find chapter two here.

Also if you prefer reading in ao3 here's the link.

┊┊┊┊☆┊*🌙*┊☆┊┊┊┊

Chapter One

“Dear Zuko:

I hope this letter finds you well. Since you didn’t respond to my messages from the previous weeks, I couldn’t help but do a little investigation on my own. Aang told me he last visited the Fire Nation a couple of days ago, and to his surprise, you weren’t there. Honestly, this got me even more curious. What are you up to, Fire Lord? What juicy secret are you keeping from us?

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that my dad made some octo-fish soup this weekend. I bet you have never tried it, well, maybe on your finding-the-avatar days you stopped by and tried. But that doesn’t seem like you. One day Sokka and I will cook you some, but only if you tell me why you’re being so distant lately!

We’re always here for you, Zuko.

Hugs,

Katara”

Zuko read the letter while waiting for the water to boil. He had never heard of octo-fish soup to this day, but he wasn’t opposed to trying new dishes. In fact, most of his favorite dishes weren’t even from the Fire Nation. After trying the Omashu noodles, who could blame him?

 “Dear Katara,

I hope you enjoyed that soup and the company of your family. Knowing that you spend good quality time with your family brings me so much joy and relief because all of you deserve it. I hope that every good memory makes up for every bad one, though unfortunately, healing doesn’t work like an exchange, does it?

As the Fire Lord, certain duties demand my presence in the other nations. So, as much as I wish my lack of responses were due to a secret vacation of mine, they are more like business trips. Might as well call me the Fire Businessman now. (Don’t let anyone read this to Toph because she most certainly will call me that.)

It was nice hearing from you. Send as many letters as you please. Even if I’m not home, I’ll promise I’ll read them. By the way, how are your little waterbenders doing? I’m sure it was harder to handle Aang, you know, back in our teaching-the-Avatar days.

Best,

Zuko”

He sat down and frowned at the piece of paper. It’s not that he wanted to hide things from her, or his friends. But it was almost embarrassing to write and send a letter describing his last weeks. It was a path of emotions he was unready to walk through. She would probably forget it in a couple of weeks anyway, and then he would be able to tell her everything.

“Dear Zuko,

Or should I say, Dear Fire Liar?

Even though I don’t have a lot of time in my hands, I still managed to get some information about your mysterious “business” trips. Sokka’s been of great help, for once, and a little bird told him that people from the Northern Water Tribe have spotted you in very weird places. But being honest, I still don’t know what is it that you’re hiding so hard. You got yourself an Ice Lady?

On another note, it’s very exciting to see both of the Nations exchanging goods and, you know, not trying to slit each other’s throats. I always wanted the war to end of course, but it was very hard to imagine a future so full of prosperity. It’s hard to grasp sometimes.

I hope I’m not getting overly emotional but it makes me think about my mom a lot. She never lived in a world without war in it, isn’t that fucked up? Some days I feel a strange guilt running through my body because I get to move on and she will always stay there. This seems like I’m getting all over the place. I don’t usually say this stuff to anybody, but I know you would get it. And today seems like a good day for letting it all out.

When I’m down, I like to think that she sees the world through the eyes of Sokka, or dad’s, or even mine. It’s silly, I know. But it makes me feel closer to her.

Well, enough about me. Tell me more about your trips, about your uncle’s new place. I’m dying to know. Maybe next time you should try doing business in the Southern Water Tribe and pay us a visit. We all miss you!

Hugs,

Katara”

Zuko took a long breath. No amount of tea would cure the unmeasurable shame that he felt reading Katara’s letter. He knew how empathetic she was, and how much he loved her family, and he could never forgive himself for what his family did to the world. Every day he looked at himself in the mirror and was reminded of a past he could never erase, his face became no longer his once his dad put his palm on it.

His sudden state made him forget about Katara’s little quest. He was not only full of shame but also full of passion to help others. Every reminiscent of the war also reminded him of the resilience of people during difficult times. And every time Katara changed the subject, Zuko needed to excruciatingly tell her how much her strength motivated him to be better. And after writing that letter, he decided it was time to invite her to the palace.

[rendy-a]

I saw the househusband au and thought of how Ruggie would be as a househusband. You can decline if you’d like to ^^

Of course, I’ll take it!  I hope you enjoy this househusband musing.  Thank you for requesting.

Ruggie’s frugal nature follows him to your home life.  He knows how to scrape by on very little and he doesn’t see why you should live any differently.  He takes advantage of sales, which leads to very eclectic meals at home.  Some days, you’ll have pasta topped with things you swear pasta isn’t meant to be paired with.  Other times, you might have soup ten days in a row because it was such a good sale.  Ultimately, when he proudly shows you the growing savings account, you can only smile and continue to indulge him.  He is just so happy to have that safety net for once in his life!

You’ll never need to call a handy man when you’re married to Ruggie.  He is endlessly creative at solving problems around the home.  If things break, he is pulling out his phone to watch videos on how to repair it.  Don’t call someone, he can do it!  And finally, if he really can’t fix it, he will find a way to repurpose your old junk for new uses once you’ve replaced it.  He is the type to turn old TV’s into pet beds or aquariums like you see on Magicam.  Waste not, want not!

Don’t go to an expensive hair salon, manicurist or masseuse, Ruggie will gladly do those things for you!  Even if he didn’t know how to do those things before, you can bet he is going to learn how to!  Why pay for someone else to do these personal things for you when your loving spouse can instead?  Plus, he gets all warm and fuzzy inside when he gets to rub your head while washing your hair or hold your hand when filing your nails.  It’s also couple’s time!

Back in the old neighborhood, Ruggie used to take care of all the children like they were his siblings.  These days, he still seems to be well known by all the neighborhood children.  If you go for a walk, you are guaranteed to have at least one child run up and ask your spouse if he wants to come play.  “Sorry, I’m a little busy right now but maybe next time.  Shishishi.” 

After a long day of housework, he likes to lay his head in your lap and get his ears rubbed.  It’s pleasant to card your fingers through his hair and rub the velvet-soft ears.  He sighs with satisfaction and snuggles deeper into your lap.  It’s a task you don’t mind at all, but you still like to tease him about it.  You tell him he is getting as lazy as Leona, laying around all evening like this.  He responds that he certainly feels like a prince when you treat him like this.  You suppose a few extra minutes might be ok tonight.

You arrive home at the usual hour and open the door to your home.  Ruggie hears you enter and pokes his head out of the kitchen to tell you dinner is almost ready.  You take off your jacket and rub your aching shoulder, it was a long day!  Then you smile at the mouth-watering aromas coming from the kitchen and head to the dining room to await what promises to be a delicious dinner. 

You don’t have long to wait before Ruggie sets a plate down in front of you.  It does look delicious, but you can only frown at it.  Ruggie sees your expression and asks, “Something wrong?”  You look at him, “This is steak.”  He looks sheepish, “Yeah, so?”  You give it another look; it’s a good cut of meat.  “What did you do?”  He looks away and says, “What, a guy can’t make a nice meal for their spouse?”  You give him A LOOK.  “Ok, fine, fine,” he says with a sigh. 

“You know my Grannie,” he starts, “the most wonderful, amazing old lady that ever lived?  The one who single-handedly raised me without ever asking for anything in return?”  You narrow your eyes, “I do seem to recall such a woman, yes.  Go on.”  He swallows and smiles nervously before continuing.  “Well, she is going to have this surgery on her knee.  The doctors say she should get a nurse to help her out for a while after the surgery.  Only, I was thinking, nurses are expensive and I’m home all day anyway so…why doesn’t she just come stay here while she recovers?”  You raise an eyebrow, “How long is this recovery time?”  He rubs the back of his head while answering, “One month.”

Granny Bucchi is a firecracker of an old woman.  She tells the craziest stories, both about young Ruggie and her own life.  Your favorites are obviously about Ruggie and you ask for at least one embarrassing story each day.  You tell your spouse that you’ll have so much blackmail by the end of the visit, you’ll be feeling like Azul.  He does not seem amused by the idea, but you plan to make the most of this opportunity.  You’ll be getting foot massages for at least a year on this.

The biggest downside is that you are really feeling the lack of privacy.  Once or twice, you did slip away for some private time with your favorite guy but the mischievous smile and laugh that Granny gave you the next day always makes you feel like a misbehaving teenager.  So, when the month was up, you were rather eager to send Granny home to Sunset Savanah.  You drive her to the train station and wave from the platform as she gets on the train.  Right as the train starts pulling away, you see Granny look at Ruggie and give him a conspiratorial wink.  What was that about?

When you get home, Ruggie tells you Granny left a gift and tells you that he will bring it out.  He emerges from the kitchen with two flutes of champagne and an open bottle grasped between his fingers.  You smile and take a glass from him.  As you ‘cheers’ with your glasses, you ask your spouse, “What does Granny want to get us liquored up for?”  Ruggie gets a conspiratorial grin (obviously this is an inherited expression) and says, “Oh, she said now that we don’t have an old woman around the house, maybe we’d talk about getting some great grandchildren for her.  Shishishi.”  You were alone and had all night free; who knows, maybe Granny will get her wish.

[lycomorpha]

Eivor's herbarium: Page 5 - grasses and yarrow from a cursed zone meadow

~

“From a hill-top meadow west of Grantebridge, where the land breathes again”.

~

Before changing county, I've been thinking about meadows and how agriculturally important they would have been to settlements like Grantebridge or Ravensthorpe. Handily there's a meadow not far from our previous stop outside Soma's longhouse, on a cursed hill-top just west of town.

Cursed zones are small areas on the map where a black roiling fog gathers, horses freak out, and Eivor talks of malevolence and cursed troll magic.

This horse is questioning its life choices...

To dispel the curse you need to find and destroy a skull covered in glowing symbols. Shoot it and the dark fog dissipates, with Eivor saying that the land can breathe again.

The cursed troll magic symbol

Cursed zones are a slightly odd feature, in that it’s not clear how the ‘magic’ of the curse works. There isn’t an obvious link to Isu tech. We find some notes/snippets of story around suggesting they’re being placed there by Saxons in an attempt to hex away the Danes. In the Wrath of the Druids DLC, the druids are using a recipe that creates hallucinogenic vapor to induce visions of werewolves etc, so the cursed zones could work in a similar way, with the fog being part of the mechanism. But it’s not clear to me unless I’ve missed something.

However they’re supposed to work, cursed zones are good places to find fungi, plants, and honking great big trees. So I quite like them. (I know some gamers hated them and felt they were pointless collectibles; if that’s you, maybe some video game botany will improve them?!)

Aerial view of the hill-top cursed zone west of Grantebridge

The hill-top cursed zone west of Grantebridge has a particularly nice view from above and is surrounded by meadow. Since Eivor is helping run a settlement with farms, I’m sure she’d appreciate the importance of hay meadows to agriculture, and as a source of herbaceous plants for medicinal uses.

In the long grass

What is a meadow?

A meadow is an area of grassland where the vegetation is allowed to grow tall and isn’t cut in spring and summer. In late summer/autumn, the meadow is mowed to make hay, which then feeds farm animals over the winter. Until then, cut meadow is grazed by animals (sheep, cows, maybe goats) which poop as they go, dropping some handy fertiliser around the place. When gets too cold and wet for livestock to be out grazing, animals are brought in and fed on the hay, with the meadow left until spring for the cycle to start over again. This is in contrast to pasture, which is grazed in the growing seasons rather than allowing grasses to get long.

The un-cursed meadow, ready for hay-making

Hay meadows are full of diverse grasses and wildflowers. In AC Valhalla we particularly see yarrow, ox-eye daisies, and grasses like Yorkshire fog (4th pressed grass from the left) and meadow foxtail (2nd from left.)

On this page I’ve centred yarrow, mainly because I’m saving the daisies for another page! The grasses are from a couple of square metres in my back garden that I keep as a veeeery smol meadow. I’m lucky enough to have some outdoor space, and my priority in life is generally insects. So I leave some grass to get tall, and encourage a range of local wildflowers and grasses that serve as food for bees, moths, and beetles. In the un-cursed meadow, Eivor might have also seen clover, yellow rattle, lady’s bedstraw, and I’d bet on sweet vernal grass and crested dogstail too (3rd grass from the right.)

Ox-eye daisies in my local cemetery meadow

Hay meadows are an amazing reservoir of wild plant and insect species, but are now a rare habitat. Apart from the obvious changes in agricultural practice, capitalism doesn’t value biodiversity in spaces it could build on, extract from, or intensively farm the crap out of. But hope is not lost for meadow species. Many conservation organisations here work with farming communities to restore former meadows or to create new ones. Churchyards and church lands that haven’t been developed are also important spaces for meadow preservation – and in AC Valhalla we see meadows around the monastery at Meldeburne.

Meadow grasses and flowers around Meldeburne monastery

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Super-common and very tough, yarrow is a component of meadows but is found anywhere grassy – it’s found in lawns and verges all over the UK. In my area you'd be hard pressed not to see any in summer.

Yarrow in my backyard

Feathery, finely divided leaves gave it another common name, milfoil or millefoil, meaning 1000 leaves. It has clusters of small white or pinkish flower heads with an interesting structure. The flat-topped clusters of flowers look like they’re made out of daisy(ish) shaped individual flowers...

...But take a look at those daisy shapes and you’ll see that each is actually a cluster of many smaller tiiiiny flowers that just LOOK like a daisy. The centre is made of a bundle of tube-like ‘disc’ flowers that have 5 petals fused together. These are surrounded by a few ‘ray’ flowers, each with one large petal. So cool!

Yarrow: flowers inside flowers

Ecologically, it’s an important source of nectar and pollen for bees, and a food plant for many other insects, including moths and beetles. Some cavity-nesting birds use it as lining material. I encourage it to grow in my lawn along with clover, self-heal and black medick, because it’s a lot hardier and more drought tolerant than any lawn grass.

Historically, yarrow used to be used medicinally to staunch bleeding, but weirdly was also called ‘nosebleed plant’ because of a myth that it caused nosebleeds. It also used to be used as a good luck charm.

Yarrow and ferns

I'm going to move onto the autumnal ferns of Ledercesterscire for page 6, but I'll probably come back to Grantebridgescire for some of the other mysteries.

[waheelawhisperer]

fiaexu, 2, 4, 20

Fiammetta or Exusiai (your choice =w=) , 4, 5, 8!

FiaExu:

2: Why I do or don't ship them

You fucking know why, it's your fault in the first place

(It's the Catholic guilt, the way they've both been treated like second-class citizens by Laterano, the height difference, the amusement i derive from Mostima's suffering, the way Exusiai made Fiammetta a present, the pain of isolation, the way their personal stories can both be readily interpreted as trans narratives, the thought of both of them healing and finding freedom from Laterano together, and more)

4: How many other characters in my opinion see the chemistry of this couple before the couple itself does.

it ultimately depends in how they get together and when but I imagine that if they had the chance to see the two of them interact, the Penguin Logistics ladies would figure it out before they did, so that's 3 right there. Mostima, Lemuen, and Andoain might also figure it out.

The Pope knows all and sees all.

20: How and when they should get/should have gotten together.

EXUSIAI SHOULD HAVE FOUND THE COURAGE TO ASK HER SENPAI OUT IN HIGH SCHOOL

Failing that, they should get together soon, perhaps similar to the way they did in a really nice fic I read once where they practiced safe sex and dunked on Mostima.

Fiammetta:

4: If I have NOTP for them.

Not... really? FiaMos is rather bland imo and it's frustrating how much Fiammetta art is centered around it, but it's at least aesthetically interesting and they've gotten enough interactions in canon that you can theoretically build a ship around them. I don't really think they have great chemistry, but they at least share screentime and have some kind of established relationship to work with.

Fiammetta x Andoain is utterly uninteresting to me when played straight, but it's a funny crackship specifically if she gets to deliver on her promise to sodomize and facefuck him

5: I feel like the writers mistreat them or if the story would be better if they were taken down a peg.

sorry, I read "Fiammetta" and "peg" and got so hard I got Nauseous

I don't think the writers particularly mistreat her, at least compared to the rest of the roster. She gets good character work in Guide Ahead and doesn't feel like she's been shunted out of the narrative, at least not any more than every character does when we have a revolving door of events that feature characters spread across the world. I guess she does suffer from the fact that she was introduced early in the game's run with minimal characterization and didn't get fleshed out until her HRT kicked in she got an event that gave her focus later.

8: a headcanon I have about this character.

I was gonna say "Fia's trans and has a feather treasure trail", but that's just objectively correct. I think that maybe, in contrast to her very critical view towards filmmaking, she secretly nurses a liking for really trashy novels.

Exusiai:

4: If I have NOTP for them.

I don't think so. I don't think Mostima is a good partner for her by any stretch of the imagination, but she's bad for her in ways that are interesting to explore. Other than that, Exusiai's other ships that have actual traction all feel at least workable to me. There are some where I think they're better as friends or don't find the ship all that interesting, but none that make me go "oh hell no"

5: I feel like the writers mistreat them or if the story would be better if they were taken down a peg.

Exusiai has the same problem a lot of launch characters have where she got a little bit of characterization and the fandom ran with it and filled out the rest with shipping and flanderization and stereotypes and didn't adjust for additional information when it came out. That said, she did at least get a little bit of relevance early on, unlike launch characters that didn't actually get any kind of acknowledgement until years into the game's run or the ones who just dropped randomly on a banner before they had any actual appearance in the story. She definitely, textually got mistreated within the narrative, but I don't think she got mistreated by the narrative significantly more than your average Arknights character.

That said, the fanbase did her dirty though.

8: a headcanon I have about this character.

excellent at video games. Plays Terran Tekken with Lappland.

[bella-is-sleepy]

Rise! Donatello x Female! Smart/Nerd! Reader || PART 1 || A New Aquaintance

This is my second story so im still getting better at writing (kinda 💀) so…yea also I have like zero requests PLEASE REQUEST SOMETHING

___________________________________________ not proof read

parings: Rise! Donatello + Reader

Pronouns for reader: She/her

words: ??? Idk but it’s short

key words (FN1/2)= Friend name 1/2

___________________________________________

It was a getting cold in NYC, because it was October and around 8pm. Y/N was walking down the street with her headphones/Ear buds on blast. Here’s the question, why was Y/N out at 8:23pm (to be exact). Well short answer she snuck out; long answer Mom & Dad we’re fighting—again! Mr & Mrs.L/n were fighting over their daughter. You see her dad said it was not ‘lady like’ for a young 14/15 year old girl to be making inventions, codes, engineering, etc.

But did that stop Y/N from making inventions; Hell no!! She was at the top of her class she was not gonna just give up now, because she had a great future ahead of her. Her Mom, April (her best friend), (F/N1), and (F/N2) all supported her.

Everything was going perfectly normal until one night, which was that(this?) very night. She heard a weird crash sound coming from the alleyway. And this crash was LOUD Y/N could hear it through her headphones/Earbuds. Out of instinct she Stoped and flinched as well. She walked towards the alley slowly turning on her phone flashlight, and what she saw next made her freeze. Y/N saw a giant mutant turtle with a purple mask, metal shell with a hovering thing.(?) The two just stared at each other for a couple of minutes until Y/N broke the silence.

Just make the lens you fav color

“I like your goggles, they look but mine look a bit different from yours.” She said. 15 seconds later he responded “Your not scared of me- I mean like how..” she tilted her head “Why would be scared? I mean yea you are different so what, I’m different too.”

“Right, im just not used to people not screaming and running away..” At this point the girl thought that she should introduce herself “Oh, sorry, I should introduce myself! My name is Y/N. Y/N L/N.” She said while she held out her hand. The purple clad turtle shook it “Donatello. Donatello Hamato. Or just Donnie for short.” He gave a small friendly smile. “Well it was nice to meet you Donnie I really should get going tho.” She said as she checked the time ‘CRAP!! How is it 10 o’clock?!?’

Donnie was about to grab his tech-Bo he had sat up against the wall of the alley way, until She said something else. “Wait before you go do you want to hang out sometime?” He looked at her and said a plain ‘Sure’ it sounded blunt when he said that. (If that makes any sense) || So the give each others number :p

Y/N Went home and tried to go to bed, yet should couldn’t something…no someone’s keeping her awake. She could could not get him out of her head. Y/N I just drawn to him somehow. She liked the sarcasm in his voice, and the way the purple compliments his skin. She was not the type of girl to think love at first sight was real; now that she has met Donatello….she might just believe that it exists.

————————————————————————

YAY!! Got that done Ik it was short but should I do a part 2?? I really enjoyed writing this it’s not fully edited I will do that as soon as possible hopefully 🤞

[coffee-at-annies]

For the fic mashup, 94 and 41.

Love your stuff, Annie!!

94. Hair Brushing/Braiding + 41. First Kiss

You didn’t specify a pairing so please have some very quick aus based on what’s been knocking around my head lately.

First up, @prettyhockey and I have been talking about girl!SidGeno. Idk I’ve been in the mood for ladies and I don’t quite know any of the woho players or teams well enough to write about them.

The setup for this one is Gena promising to do Sid’s hair for idk pregame or whatever. She swears that she’s done it before, Gonch’s kids let her do it all the time. So she’s doing Sid’s hair. Sid spends the whole time chirping her about her skills and Gena chirps back about Sid fidgeting and messing up her work. Gena does know how to braid but it’s definitely wonky and not the easy basic braid Sid’s been putting her hair in since she was in mites. At the end of it Sid looks in the mirror, sees her objectively kinda terrible braid and the smug/fond look on Gena’s face and needs to kiss that look off her. Needless to say Gena ruins her hard work when Sid kisses her a second third fourth and fifth time and Gena runs her fingers through Sid’s hair in response.

Next up is SidFlowerVero cause I’m always thinking about both Sid and Flower and Flower hit a milestone tonight.

The setup for this one is Uncle Sid braiding Estelle’s hair ahead of her first big hockey game. He learned how to do it for Taylor when she was younger and used to do it for the Lemieux kids. She asked for an extra special braid from her favorite uncle and both Sid and Flower are weak to her puppy dog eyes. So here Sid is, on a rare afternoon off, helping Flower and his daughter get ready for hockey. I think the conversation to go from Flower+Vero to Flower+Vero+Sid is like a couple days old and they’re still getting a feel for what the new dynamic might mean. Idk if they’ve told the kids yet or if Sid is here in favored uncle status rather than potential new dad status.

Either way Flower comes across Sid very earnestly braiding her hair and telling her how amazing she’s going to be and after he finishes and she runs off to show her mom, Flower has to swoop in and kiss Sid. Just cause. Cause he loves him. Cause he’s so great with his kids. Cause he can now. He gets to have this. They had the adult feelings conversation and all three of them said yes. There’s something about kissing Sid for the first time that has him giddy and it’s not just the memories he’s about to make with his daughter- their daughter. It’s about the way Sid’s eyes scrunch up and how he wants to keep him forever.

Finally @podcasts-8-my-heart challenged me to do EK/Tanger and I’ve been talking about it with @carpehistoryandthepens so have some soft 6558.

The setup for this fic is both of them hanging out after a road game and drinks with the team in EK’s hotel room. They started out talking and watching tv and have migrated to sharing the same bed because it’s nice and both of them are hockey players and thus are conditioned to seek out touch. Tanger sprawls out on the bed and somehow his head ends up laying on EK’s thigh. Erik started out playing with Kris’s hair, twirling it between his fingers and lightly scratching his scalp. As the random hgtv show (because what else is on in hotel room tvs) they were half watching gets to the mid point of the episode, EK moves on from twirling it and started braiding Tanger’s hair. Little short braids the kind kids do at slumber parties or when they’re learning and messing around with their own hair. Nothing big, nothing fancy, nothing permanent, though Erik still has a stash of hair ties in his suitcase from when his hair was long that he could break out if he needed it. Kris’s hair isn’t quite long enough to warrant that and also he wouldn’t get them cause that would mean disturbing Kris. Kris of course is very content and is trying not to fall asleep on top of Erik but he skated 25 minutes tonight and while his conditioning is good, he’s adjusting to a time zone difference on top of everything else. He didn’t want to say goodnight earlier when they first went to Erik’s room but he also doesn’t want to fall asleep there.

This goes on for another twenty minutes probably. They’re not really talking or watching the tv but it’s providing just enough for plausible deniability and to keep them from falling asleep completely. After about twenty minutes one of their phones goes off or there’s noises from the hallway of other players returning that prompts them to groan and break apart. As much as neither of them want the night to end, Kris really doesn’t want to sleep in Erik’s room. He needs to do his nightly routine, change out of his jeans, and really he just needs to go. Erik walks Kris to the door of the hotel room, Kris swaying a little cause he’s tired prompting a balance/skating joke and one about old man legs. At the door Kris turns around to say goodbye, silly little braids still in his hair and Erik can’t help but smile fondly at him. Kris smiles back a little helplessly. He sways forward into Erik’s space where he’s leaning against the door and presses a gentle kiss to somewhere in the face/mouth vicinity before turning around and heading for his hotel room down the hall. It takes a moment for the kiss to register with Erik and all he does is watch Kris walk away towards his hotel room. When Kris is out of sight, he peels himself off the doorframe and goes to brush his teeth and get ready for bed.

[imminent-danger-came]

What do you think of the resolution of the Samadhi Fire arc?

I'll take this to mean the "Embrace Your Destiny" special, which effectively closes what I consider to be the first arc in Lego Monkie Kid!

Between liking it as a finale and liking it as set-up for the next season, I decidedly like it as set-up more (but there is plenty to enjoy about what they answered/resolved). I think the 3x13 flashback gives a lot of depth to LBD (which is then later paralleled to by Azure), and it answers a couple questions along the way, like: why? Why did the Lady Bone Demon do any of this? Why was she in her prison? Why is the Mayor in league with her? And ultimately, what is her destiny?

As far as those questions go, I liked the answers the show gave and how LBD's defeat was ultimately brought about (through standing together and with that unity bringing about hope/the future, something that was contrasted by MK's s2 arc and supported by 3x08 and 3x10, doing it together vs doing it alone).

The final confrontation of ideals is beautiful to me, boiling down to perfection vs imperfection (chaos?👀):

Lady Bone Demon: "You would allow this world to continue to fester and rot? The eternal misery of countless souls because of your sentimentality for mortal pleasures!" MK: "*yells* You can't judge things by they're worst qualities!" Tang: "This world might not be perfect, but it's still worth fighting for!" Pigsy: "Yeah! Sometimes it's that little bit of char that makes for a more flavorful meat! Even if it is a bit tangy." Sandy: "You said it Mo! The world may be full of darkness, but to let the light shine, all we need to do is stand together!"

Like this sentiment of an imperfect world being worth fighting for, and by extension imperfect people being worth fighting for, is one I love. It also ties in nicely with MK and his low self-esteem, (like, thematically, heaven knows he has not applied his "you can't judge things by they're worst qualities" mentality to himself), where you can still love/defend things that aren't perfect or wholly "good". This naturally affixes itself to Wukong, who has lifetimes of mistakes. At this point MK chooses to ignore and repress his perception of Wukong's flaws, but eventually, we're going to go the direction of loving people in all there imperfectness. Yes, even when someone has made terrible mistakes, you can still fight for them and care about them (4x08, 4x13).

Though, let me also talk about Samadhi Fire Mei and possessed Wukong! I love both of these concepts, and I love the way they were executed. "Don't use the flame Mei...Be the flame!" linking to 1x09 "You don't use a weapon....you ARE a weapon!" This idea of "using vs being" intrigues me, and I think it works in tandem with being controlled versus having your freewill. The Lady Bone Demon both used Mei and Wukong for her purposes, and her ruin was for them to be themselves. I think you can also view Azure with this lens—he was so focused on using the Jade Emperor's Power to change the world/revenge, he ignored actually being the Jade Emperor.

Overall, I think Samadhi Fire Mei does a good job of continuing Mei's arc (using power to protect those you care about), and perpetuating the pattern of her following in MK's footsteps. For Wukong, he's a character who always desires the ability to do whatever he wants. So possession is delightfully ironic for Wukong, you know. He keeps running off to keep MK safe, but running off is what also put his protege in danger, from his own hands no less ("Can't you see you're hurting the people who care about you the most?" - "Until I know what I am, what my destiny is? I can't risk hurting the people I care about—the one's I have left.").

And obviously 3x14 has one of my favorite scenes in the whole show, that being the "To pain" scene, which continued to blur the "good guy"-"bad guy" lines that have slowly been obscured over the course of Monkie Kid. I will never shut up about that scene. Doing what you think is right and giving it your best can still lead to disappointing and terrible outcomes.

And of course, they began "A Hero is Born" with a Tang narration about the past, and then ended 3x14 with a Tang narration about the present. I always love a good book-ending.

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Hi I am so enthralled by your mia, ethan and reader dream. Is it possible to know more?

<3<3<3

okay okay okay so- there's not much left of the dream itself that I didn't already go over, at least nothing substantial (in other words basically all that's left would be actually writing it out). it ended right around the time Miranda showed up, I think? honestly at this point the dream and my own daydreaming are blurring together. legit woke up from and went "actually. can we keep going" lmao

anyway, here's some more snippets/ideas/whatnot:

Rose technically didn't show up in the dream, she was just mentioned, so I'm still figuring out how old she should be for the fic. I'm tempted to make her a bit over a year old just so I can use my nephew for reference in terms of what milestones she's hit, but that's a little too close to the end of RE8 for my tastes. I want at least a bit of time to have passed, so she's probably somewhere between 2 and 5?

Speaking of RE8: everybody lived, nobody died. In my mind Mia worked out a deal with Miranda where they worked together to revive Eva + ensure Ethan wouldn't die from the mold. Mia is still working with Miranda, albeit she doesn't love doing so, mainly to make sure they can get support if Rose's health changes as she gets older. The reader has zero idea of any of this.

Mia and Ethan don't do a great job of hiding the fact that their situation is odd, somewhat intentionally, but they keep a very tight lid on the specifics. This leads to the reader coming up with a lot of theories/excuses. The #1 theory is that the Winters are essentially in the international version of Witness Protection, and that's why they moved out to the middle of nowhere Romania with a young child, why Mia is so secretive about her job, and why all of the "babysitters" seem like total badasses. Which is technically pretty close to the truth, lmao

Ethan is initially worried that the reader might be one of Miranda's followers, or be involved with the BSAA in some fashion. But nope! They're a totally normal person, living in a small town even after all of their childhood friends moved away, kind of drifting from job to job. Only point of interest is that they are somewhat aware of the Village, in the same way that most locals know to stay away. This provides a point of tension when Ethan unintentionally makes them think that Mia's work involves the Village

The first time Miranda shows up is also right around the time the romance vibes start up. Reader got a bit too drunk after the girl they were seeing turned out to be lying about some stuff (claimed she'd be staying in town for a while, despite knowing she intended to leave as soon as her work was finished + knowing that the reader wanted something more long term), the Winters go to drive them home only to realize they actually have no idea where Reader lives, so the Reader ends up crashing in their guest room. The three have some nice conversation before Reader falls asleep.

When they wake up, it turns out there was a snowstorm overnight, so Mia can't go to work, and Reader can't go home. Despite this... Miranda shows up, refusing to give a proper explanation for how she got through the storm. She's wary of Reader, claiming to just be protective of her god-daughter, when really she's trying to remind the Winters that they have good reasons for being so isolated.

Miranda's arrival starts the gradual introduction of other Village characters, although only a couple make physical appearances (mainly Lady D's daughters). There's a running joke that they're considered part of the family but no one can agree on how any of them are supposedly related to Rose. Like, are the Dimitrescu daughters her cousins or her aunts?

Ethan reportedly played flag football in college. Mia is insanely good at playing darts. They knew each other before Ethan came out, and Mia was his #1 supporter, the two of them got together around the same time he went on T.

They've gone back and forth on how open their relationship is, not due to disagreement but rather agreeing that at certain points they wanted to focus on each other (like when they were trying for Rose). Ethan implies that he thinks Mia and Miranda had a fling at some point but he's honestly not sure. They're not actively looking for either hookups or a third partner, but they both admit they're growing rather fond of Reader. Mia's flirting is sort of testing the waters, with Ethan slowly joining in. Neither of them want to outright make a move or suggest anything because, well, Reader is the first friend they've made out here and they don't want to mess that up.

(In contrast, Reader is only stopping themselves from making a move because they're worried that the Winters will eventually leave Romania... and leave them, by extension.)

Since this was my dream, and also because it's how I normally write things, the reader is going to be gender-neutral, and probably coded as non-binary.