#avoidingdestiny

[section-69]

tagged by my dear friend @gorseflowers to shuffle my on repeat playlist and post the 10 songs that play

I don't use Spotify so you're getting my YouTube supermix here's hoping it's not horrific

1. Nobody's Child by The Alexander Brothers

2. No Surprises by Radiohead

3. Grace Kelly by MIKA

4. My Life by Billy Joel

5. Eat Your Young by Hozier

6. Chase Me by DREAMCATCHER

7. Reflecting Light by Sam Phillips

8. Dead! by MCR

9. Suzanne by Leonard Cohen

10. Tomorrow Comes A Day Too Soon by Flogging Molly

Pretty reflective of my music taste 🙂 tagging @kamijoxversailles @ifihadmypickofwishes @avoidingdestiny @spaghetti-trek if yous want to share!

[monster--boyfriend]

Even after the wounds healed

When there was nothing left but scarring on his hand

It always felt like something was hanging over, right behind him, never letting go

Commission for @avoidingdestiny of his Star Trek OC, John

I've read a fair few pieces he's written about him and hope that this illustrates how I viewed the characters complex feelings about his captor after being a cardassian prisoner.

[kiran-wears-science-blues]

@avoidingdestiny

[wufflesvetinari]

2, 6, 11, 13, 17, 19.

(book asks)

2. Top five books of all time: the impossible question. this depends SO much on my mood. trying to keep to 2 terry pratchetts or fewer, i'll say Feet of Clay, Good Omens (i'm actually kind of an asshole about the tv series), Snow Crash, My Best Friend's Exorcism, and...East of Eden maybe??? it feels like murderbot or lotr should be in here

6. "What books have you read in the last month?": Uprooted by Naomi Novik (cozy!), Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts (upsetting!), and some slice of life lesbian manga by Uko Nishi including Collectors. although i guess if i count the manga i should also mention reading digger. this is straying significantly from the prompt

11. "What non-fiction books do you like if any?": books about neurology/psychology, AI, and consciousness! (x x x x). i also really liked The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker, which is a book about...the art of bringing people together in groups for an experience that feels meaningful. i read it thinking of my work and it's just a really interesting read on how you can structure meaning and tradition in transitory spaces

13. "Do you have a Goodreads?" Yes, here. it's more of a filing system than anything

17. "Top 5 children's books?" Artemis Fowl I-III, dammit. then the dark is rising sequence to fill in the rest

19. "Most disliked popular books?": My answer to this question always feels like low-hanging fruit but i tried reading Throne of Glass and man. MAN. good for her for becoming an ultra-successful author off a wattpad novel but it is. so clearly. a wattpad novel. i have a generally antagonistic relationship with modern YA in general, which is too bad given that I read a good deal of it growing up. :/ i'm not TRYING to be a jerk, i keep TRYING to read them, and yet......

[kiran-wears-science-blues]

46 for Spotify

The Bones - Maren Morris & Hozier

I’m actually shocked this wasn’t higher because I thought this was like, one of my top ten from this year. 

[this-is-a-love-story-isnt-it]

🍺🐞🎃

Eeee thank you for asking me this. I almost never get people to respond to those memes.

🍺- favorite drink... I don’t drink alcohol usually, and if I do, it’s wine. But that will be like twice a year. My favorite non-alcoholic drink is Pepsi!

🐞Are you afraid of insects. if so, which one?- I wouldn’t say I’m really afraid of insects. I’m afraid of being stung by bees because I’m allergic, but I like bees because they’re important. Spiders are creepy and I don’t want them on me, but I’m not scared of them.

🎃favorite holiday- maybe Christmas.

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

@turbro

As a Marylander, I approve of Ax being Old Bay ice cream. It's perfect.

@avoidingdestiny

I’ve never in my life heard of Old Bay ice cream and had to Google it because I thought you were kidding

There are two types of people

if the animorphs were ice cream flavors which ice cream flavors would they be

Marco: Rum raisin. It's edgy, it's odd, it's either serving alcohol to children or not and no one can agree on this point. The name is strange and off-putting, but under that shell it's soft and sweet inside.

Rachel: Birthday cake. This ice cream is secretly vanilla, but the kind of rainbow-colored vanilla that reminds you just how precious and high-end vanilla extract actually is. It's all about the aesthetic, but the aesthetic is actually there to enhance the flavor.

Tobias: Superman. What is Superman ice cream? It's ice cream that's also Superman. It's Superman flavored. What's in it? Superman ice cream. If you want to understand your ice cream or put it into clearly defined categories, you're looking in the wrong place.

Jake: Sea salt caramel. It's a little rough, a little bitter, a weirdly savory take on dessert. It has also launched a thousand legal battles, because no one can agree who (if anyone) owns the phrase "sea salt caramel." It's the ice cream flavor for all your salty and battle-ready needs.

Cassie: Strawberry. The oft-forgotten much-overlooked third of Neapolitan ice cream. Neither chocolate nor vanilla but their hardworking cousin, there to balance them out with a rich burst of unapologetic sweetness.

Ax: Old Bay. Despite the strangeness of putting a Cajun-style seafood seasoning in ice cream, there's a strange allure to Old Bay ice cream. It's so strange, especially when marketed just as "crab flavor", that everyone's drawn to it for its oddness. Plus, it's the kind of thing that no mere human could eat an entire bowl of without a stomachache.

[kingfindekano]

Wool socks, corn maze.

wool socks: what’s something you look forward to in fall?

EVERYTHING. tall boots, sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes!!, rocky horror, halloween decorations, colder weather, the leaves changing color, cloudy days, apple and cinnamon flavored and scented everything, the end of the hellish Texas Summer,,,

corn maze: do you have any secret talents/abilities?

eyebrow flexibility, typing 105 wpm, attracting inordinate numbers of mosquitos. hello ladies (;

(autumn asks)

[fyeahfoxmulder]

1, 10, 13-18, 37, 40-43.

1. Season 1 MSR or season 9 MSR? 

Season 1 they were so full of hope and only had eyes for themselves and the metaphorical Truth not the actual Truth.

10. Who is your favorite character aside from Mulder and Scully?

Byers bc I’m a hoe and he could get it CGM bc he’s evil for p much no reason and I like it

13. Favorite season(s)? Why?

1-5 I just really love the classics

14. Favorite episode(s)? Why?

MOTW - Bad Blood, FPS, Host, Tooms, Sanguinarium, Arcadia, Ice, Field Trip, How the Ghosts Stole Christmas

Mythology - Pilot, Ernlenmeyer, Anasazi/Blessing Way, Piper Maru, Memento Mori, Nisei/731

15. Favorite MSR moments?

I couldn’t pick?? like every time they talk or forehead touch or spend the night or care about each other???

16. Favorite character developments for Scully?

she remains a Take No Shit badass and I’m really glad that never changed

17. Favorite character developments for Mulder?

homeboy doesn’t really develop all that much but he did go from having severe trust issues to having a lasting relationship and before I go into too much detail about myself that would be nice so go him thats p cool

18. Favorite character developments for Skinner?

when he takes a bubble bath in Hollywood A.D. the poor man needs to breathe more often

37. Do you have any fic recs?

I actually haven’t read fic in literal years back in my day we called them lemons so I wouldn’t be up to date

40. How do you feel about the direction Chris Carter takes as the series progresses?

I would 100% fight him for all of it

41. What’s your ultimate MSR song/playlist?

The only thing coming to mind is Jeff Buckley’s version of Hallelujah 

42. A song you think embodies Fox Mulder? and

43. A song you think embodies Dana Scully?

again, Jeff Buckley’s version of Hallelujah don’t know why it’s just stuck there for now so I can’t think of anything else

Thank you for the ask!! :)

[viksalos]

hi Sarah! would you like to tag 5 songs that you listen to ? :)

hi clo! :D like ANY songs? ok uhhhh i'm gonna try to pick some new stuff i've been listening to instead of stuff I've already posted about a bunch lol. also as usual i got carried away talking about music so i wrote a little about what i like about each song, but for tl;dr purposes i'll tag my 10 people up front: @axiolotl @avoidingdestiny @stoneboss @everoutoftouch @lilybee @famishedst @sealab420 @iloveyoutoodeath @mousey-toy @saisons-en-enfer (<-people i remember interacting with posts about music recently but if anybody else sees this feel free!)

People Are Good // Depeche Mode off their new album Memento Mori. when I went out for goth night last weekend we got there pretty early and they played this while there was nobody out on the dance floor and we were just playing pool, but the DJ apparently heard me go like "ayyy depeche mode!" cus he played it again for us when more people showed up so we could dance to it. it was nice lol

Eat an Eraser // Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum kinda catchy synth rock? like reminds me of synthpop-era Ulver almost? like i said in that photoset i reblogged earlier today, found this on my discover playlist and apparently it's fronted by Michael C. Hall of Dexter fame which is so fucking funny to me. i fell off of Dexter after season 3 and had no idea what the dude was up to til now lmao

More // Low this one's been on intermittent repeat since the vocalist Mimi Parker passed away of cancer last year. i had an aunt who was kinda like a second mother to me, was about her age, and passed away of cancer, so i feel for everyone who loved Low, and this song kinda reminds me of her. i also consider this album to be noise (among other genres) and while i love harsh noise i also think this song shows off the breadth of the genre--here the distortion is used to carry a lovely wistful melody

Things That Scare Me // Neko Case another one from my discover playlist. i thiiiink the lyrics are about how conservative values in America lead to gun violence? but as usual i'm enamored with the guitar and banjo picking--i may or may not be on the verge of a big neko case phase we'll see. i feel like i'm gonna take up some kind of music-making hobby after i graduate and knowing me it's either gonna be a noise project or the banjo. duality of woman or whatever

93696 // Liturgy off their latest album of the same name. it's a 15 minute avant-garde black metal epic--this was Liturgy's closer when they played my city in December and it was insane to hear live

honorable mention: The New York Trader // Lankum only an honorable mention cus you already picked the other lead single off this album lol, but i'm so glad we agree it's a banger!! the last ~3 minutes of this song in particular are nuts. bought a ticket to see them in September even though it's 4 hours' drive away but whatever it was 20 bucks 👍

[monster--boyfriend]

@anthonypanics tagged me in this and then I promptly drafted it and forgot. But what's more tumblr than that? Also these things are just fun and feel like classic old school tumblr

were you named/named yourself after anyone?

I did in fact name myself and yes all three names were after someone or something. The first, Jasper, was after the Steven Universe character and no I don't regret that. She was and still is massively important to me as a character. My middle name, Aspen, I chose as well. I really wanted some kind of tree and after looking at a lot of symbolism behind various trees, the Aspen stuck with me. Of it's many different historical meanings, strength through diversity stuck with me the most. My last name, which I also changed, I took from my grandmother. It was her maiden name. I always admired it, always liked how it felt so much closer to what little culture I have, and so I took it. And as an extra little treat just for me, my initials spell Jam. Which I want so bad to be my nickname but no one has ever picked up on it.

when was the last time you cried?

I can't even remember? I think maybe it was last year? It happens so rarely now it's hard to remember. Medication is a magical thing

do you have kids?

No and I don't think I'll ever be able to parent any on my own. I would like to but I just don't think that I could possibly afford to care for any kid by myself. I'd need a partner who wanted to parent as well.

do you use sarcasm a lot?

I had to think about this because I actually think I'm slightly less sarcastic than I used to be. Like I'm still very sarcastic but I don't always default to it

what's the first thing you notice about people?

If we're not talking about like, visual aspects, then the first thing I almost always figure is if someone is some level of geek or nerd or the likes. I stand out enough visually that I will have people comment on my outfit very often in public. The way they comment tells me a lot about them in most cases. People who are some kind of nerd or even sort of in some kind of fandom, will likely recognize something on me and comment on it Or sometimes they will comment on something else and it can tell me that while they might not be fannish folk, they have similar political ideas as me. Or even inversely just the look I get from others tells me they find something if not everything about me distasteful.

what's your eye colour?

I'm sorry, I'm a blue eye haver

any special talents?

I have a fairly good sense of direction and learn the layout of places very quickly. I'm generally really good at not getting lost or if I do get lost, figuring out how to get unlost pretty easily.

scary movies or happy endings?

If I could only pic ONE I'd probably end up taking the scary movie. A lot of my favourite have been in the realm of horror lately so

where were you born?

Vancouver, BC. Lived here my whole life. Probably gonna die here too unless I somehow acquire a large amount of money. In which case I'll just move to Vancouver Island.

what are your hobbies?

I do be enjoying drawing again recently. But I also like sewing and I'm learning to embroider. I also love gardening and foraging. Cycling as well.

have any pets?

what sport do you play/have you played?

When I was in 4th grade? I think it was 4th, I played soccer at recess but that's about it. I wasn't in any organized sports. I was however briefly in gymnastics, dance, modelling, swimming, and I took piano lessons.

how tall are you?

I don't know, I think 5'5"? I'm not actually sure anymore.

dream job?

I don't even know. I don't think my body could do the kind of work I would find actually fulfilling and enjoyable now. But also some of that factory work on How It's Made looks good.

I'll tag @queerrbyrd @nebelung-dragon @umberisk @avoidingdestiny @cosmichorrorcocoa @mind-altering-bugs @minecraftgender @eispeon aaand that's all the mutuals I can remember off the top of my head but feel free to anyone do it and say I tagged you I'm tagging you in my mind

[section-69]

WIP Tag Game

RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it. Thanks for tagging me @bijoumikhawal !

Trek fics:

Dukat egg fic

Felicium

Jadzia and Sirella fuck

Chakotay/Neelix rock bottom with eventual J/C

The Alien (x2?)

If [x] Had Lived

Stuck In The Wormhole

Kira/Cretak Postcanon

Dark Ezri thriller

Ezri/Lenara except it's not actually

Late Night Chats

my immortal trek translation (briefly abandoned due to brain melt)

Other:

The Stars Above the Path (Witcher)

ATS stars fic

Watchers' Council surveillance

ATS Wesley/Gunn homelessness (characters who shouldn't relate but do)

The Boys Butcher/Hughie in the whale (dead dove? no. dead whale)

The Boys Butcher reflects on the pseudo-incest going on

There are others technically but those are the files with sentences. Ask anything! IDK who's done this or who wants to but tagging @aseaofhoney @tirlaeyn @avoidingdestiny @allandrogynouscreatures

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

Hi, I just wanted to let you know I love your podcast! I have a 5 mile walk to work so I can fit a couple episodes in, and listening to it while I go is a great part of my day.

Thank you so much!  Cates has been keeping Fandalite Academy going while schoolwork has been eating my dang life these past several months, but by gum I’m going to start doing my best to pull my weight now that I’ve finally got my dang dissertation submitted.

[wufflesvetinari]

Stars.

°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

[kiran-wears-science-blues]

1, 3, 8, 25.

Thanks for the ask! This is a long one, haha.

1. Tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

I have three current projects!

mango is my ongoing Undertale fanfiction. 

What it’s about: Briefly, it’s about Sans going back to grad school, except that I’m at 120K and he only just in like the last chapter decided to apply to grad school at all. More broadly, it’s about Sans’ relationships with others and himself, trauma, nostalgia, and fulfillment. 

How’s progress: It’s gone remarkably well considering I started this fic on a whim without the faintest idea of a plot or direction, and I’m really happy with what I have right now. I’m taking a short break though, because after a year and a half of writing I needed that. 

What do you love most about it: Working on this story was absolutely what I needed. My second year of grad school was really tough on me; I was amotivated, isolated, and depressed. I started this story on a whim, and it helped me ground myself in what I loved (fiction), gave me structure to my days, made me proud of a project again, and motivated me to take care of myself again. Six months after starting the story, I was discharged from therapy for improvement, which my therapist pointed to beginning after I started the fic. Also, I really like the emotional dialogues that anchor the entire story. 

Seek the Stars is a series of Mass Effect: Andromeda shorts

What it’s about: Just a bunch of short stories centered on Vetra and Ryder’s relationship, not in chronological order. First part is about how Ryder fits in with the relationship between Vetra and her little sister, Sid. Part two is Ryder breaking the news to her ex-it’s-complicated, Peebee. Part three is an extension of the scene where they got together in the game, and part four is Vetra dreaming of the parents who abandoned her and realizing she really will never get closure. 

How’s progress: Good! Two stories up so far, made good progress on story three. I don’t have a final goal, just to keep writing this as long as I want. It won’t be as long as mango. Maybe five parts total? 

What do you love most about it: Vetra’s fucking cool and I love writing about her and exploring her psyche. I also love writing her relationship with Ryder because 1.) they’re cute and 2.) it’s a great place to explore Vetra’s insecurity which for some reason I haven’t seen a lot of other people acknowledge. 

And finally, my original novel. 

What’s it about: Two siblings, Jamie and Dan, who have never been close. But when Dan gets engaged, he invites Jamie to come stay because he figures that his sister should meet his fiancée at least once before the wedding. It’s about the siblings hashing out old feelings, and meanwhile these supernatural beings called wisps that exist as a result of human consciousness are fading from the world and Jamie and Dan have to figure out why. 

How’s progress: Well, I scrapped what I have again, but I’ve returned to the drawing board to work on plot and world building, and I’m a lot happier with what I have, so I think good! I want to have an outline done by the time I finish mango, so I can start drafting then. 

What do you love most about it: I really like the characters, and I think the story will give me a lot of opportunity to do what I like best in my stories: exploring the relationships between siblings, writing emotional conversations, and just a little bit of magic. 

3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

I don’t know if I have one scene specifically, but I think there’s this one kind of emotion that’s . . . like a particular flavor of eudaimonia that’s based on just being so full of feeling when you haven’t been before, and I’ve never been able to capture it the way I want to although I have tried many, many times. 

8.  Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read? 

Lol, definitely not. I mean, I write the same characters I love to read, but I like stories that are faced pace and have some kind of action. I love to just sit and write meandering thought pieces that explore characters’ psyche and relationships. I’m no good at plot. 

25.  What part of writing is the most fun?

For me? Getting to know the characters. I love it when I know the characters so well their dialogue just like flows in one unbroken river, and I love it when I have those breakthroughs of understanding why a character did something I already wrote them as doing and I didn’t know why it felt so right. Like. Therapying the characters. 

[this-is-a-love-story-isnt-it]

Farscape

Give me a Series & I’ll tell you…

❤ Favorite Male: John Crichton

❤ Favorite Female: Aeryn Sun

❤ Favorite Pairing: John/Aeryn

❤ Least Favorite Character: Grayza

❤ who’s most like me: Probably season 1-2 Aeryn bc I don’t like to deal with emotions, and I also am really reserved and cautious about how much of myself I show to other people. 

❤ most attractive: John Crichton

❤ three more characters that I like: Pilot, Chiana, Rygel

Edit: I have revised my least favorite character from Noranti to Grayza because she’s a villain that I can’t just “love to hate” like Scorpius became. Grayza is a rapist who raped John multiple times and that’s unforgivable for me.