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actualbird · 2 years

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hypothetical fights i want to see between the tot cast cuz it’d be fun to see how they’d fair in a fight to the death (just kidding. i mean a friendly fight as an appreciation of combat skills)

inspired by a convo i had with @samsspambox . i’d like to make it clear that when i say 'fight' here i mean a physical fight, a scuffle, some good ol fashioned "nothing personal just wanna see who would win" FISTICUFFS!!!!

with no weapons allowed, heres who i'd pay good money to see go at each other with only their unarmed martial expertise

The Battling Butler VS Agent Raven (aka ogier vs luke)

ogier is so badass. i love a fighty dude and hes dressed to the nines and he hilariously drags vyn every once in a while, whats not to love?

but yeah, clear in my memory is his combat prowess in vyn’s personal story 4. i dont know anything about ogier past that, but given that he was sent as a guard from svart by vyn’s father, i can only assume his training is of the royal guard quality type of level. thats intense!

though we also know luke is ALSO INSANELY INTENSE....

i think a spar between them would be really fucking close, irt who bests who. luke is NSB’s top agent, but i assume ogier is incredibly well trained also, youve gotta be Damn Good to be a guard of anyone remotely of royal importance

so like, what luke has got going in his favor is his NSB training obviously but also

luke has youth on his side

HSKJHFDKVJHGVSD HEAR ME OUT! aside from his illness, hes at the top of his game in terms of prime age range for physical peak, did u kno that the average age for olympic competitors is early 20s? well now u know. body can be in good shape at this point, thats a plus for him and a not-plus for ogier. idk how old ogier is (and i cant find out cuz he doesnt even have a Big Data Lab entry omfg the man the mystery the LEGEND) but he looks Older, a little past his prime. even skill cant negate the woes of aging.

buuuuuut ogier has a trump card: his training was probably completely different to anything luke is used to.

now we dont know very much about luke’s days in the NSB, but i get the impression that his work was Generally Within The Country Of Stellis OR Generally Handling People Who Are Stellans.

ogier is not a stellan. hes svartan. or svartish. or however the hell we decide to conjugate the nationality of svart. additionally, i can see it being a huge advantage for svartan guards to be keeping their training/fighting style under wraps. if opponents dont know how you’ll fight, u can catch em unaware

ogier’s fight style and tactics could be completely novel to luke, which would knock luke down a peg (both figuratively and metaphorically).

still, luke is adaptable and hes got a quick and intuitive mind. while he cant fight exactly like ogier, he’d be able to recover and figure out his own way of countering ogier’s attacks

with all that said, my personal verdict of who would win is.....//drumroll!!

nobody!

it’s a tie!

and luke enthusiastically brings ogier out for drinks later, he hasnt been tied in a match for years and hes kinda giddy about it!

(luke: you have to teach me some of your moves sometime, yeah?

ogier: of course. and perhaps you could encourage vyn to join this class as well? haha.

luke: haha.

ogier: haha.

luke: hahaha.....no. im pretty sure vyn is capable of destroying me psychologically, im not making him do anything he doesnt wanna do, thanks.

ogier: fair enough)

The Battling Butler VS The Perplexingly Over-Capable Assistant (aka ogier vs vincent)

remember when luke in main story 7.2 said this in the case files?

yeah. YEAH IVE GOT MY EYE ON YOU, VINCENT KIM!!!

vincent’s investigative prowess aside, i just think it makes sense for vincent to have some kind of combat knowledge for the following reasons:

1) currently, marius has nearly gotten stabbed a total of three (3) times. while marius has his own self defense knowledge, i wouldnt put it past vincent to get some training in as well juuuuusssstt in case knife-magnet von hagen gets into hot water again.

2) it’s unexpected. vincent does not look the type to punch anybody in the face, and thus i want him to be capable of a mean right hook

3) if nobody expects u to throw a punch, that punch can land way easier.

that being said, i dont think he’ll beat ogier at all. my view is that vincent took some classes and that his self defense training is a little bit above marius’ skill level, but it’s nothing that can go against a trained royal bodyguard

still, ogier can be caught unaware. vincent maybe gets like a few hits in before ogier takes him down

so my verdict is: ogier would win but would be very impressed by vincent for managing to fool him

(vincent: oh, i wasnt...aiming to fool you?

ogier: hm. i think that adds points for you, actually)

Baldr Civil War (aka howard syter vs william lewis)

ive got no rationale for this

i just think theyre hilariously pathetic and i wanna see them fight in a hilariously pathetic way, like the one scene in Bridget Jones’ Diary

absolute cringefail combat, this is what i WANT

maybe whoever loses has to be the one to face mc in court next, and neither of them wanna be the poor shmuck to have to get annihilated by her again

my verdict: ingrid has to break the fight up (which is happening in the baldr legal office lobby) and everybody involved loses. everybody loses their dignity

#tears of themis #tears of themis headcanons #luke pearce #idk if the others have common tags so i'll just tag luke some more LMAO #tot luke

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belliesandburps · 3 years

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Soo what is your long term plan for H.I.S.S. if you don't mind me asking?

Long term, I'd like to turn HISS into a book and get it published online. I haven't uploaded a third chapter because I'm writing a full skeleton 'arc' by 'arc' before going back. And the reason is because I'm very likely going to rewrite the first two chapters so I can do better world building and work on Hakari's "beginnings" a little better. I don't like that there's a bit too much randomness how Hakari starts his adventure, and think he needs a more specific drive. Happening upon Jian can still be a random occurrence, but the before and after needs to feel more focused.

HISS can also be my window to more job opportunities. Netflix is based right where I live, and they're often looking for writers. I'd absolutely love to have a book on hand that can be used as a sorta "business card" for those purposes. Right now, I have a lot of concept pieces, but no published work, and none of the scripts I’ve written to completion are scripts I’d wanna use for trying to land work yet. HISS is one of the more ambitious things I’ve worked on, since everything else was always MUCH smaller in scale, and generally had a similar, far more tame and neutral tone to it.

LONGER term? I'd love to make HISS a video game. I'm toying with the idea of it being like Phantom 2040, a REALLY old Sega Genesis game based on the Phantom, which was an awesome show and way better than the actual Phantom property, in my opinion. It'd be a sorta 2D side scroller with shades of Metroidvania. You'd have to actively explore to carry out your missions, each level would have a mini boss and a boss fight at the end. The main villains would be fought multiple times, much like in Phantom, and I'd have different playable characters for key chapters, namely Hakari for most of the game, Nara & Jian for other key moments, Mamoru during his entire origin story and possibly Lev for some puzzles involving his drones.

It's something I have to work towards though. I'm starting my game development period working on a stealth game. I want to have more confidence and COMPETENCE with GMS2 before I branch into a new genre of games.

I WILL say this though. I'm earning so much doing DoorDash and UberEats Food Delivery full time that I may be able to afford hiring a few coders to assist with higher level stuff that I'm not familiar with, so I can sorta copy & paste what they do and go from there. I'm very likely to also hire sprite artists and then make specific sprites based off of their work.

See, I have the know-how and capacity to make assets myself, which I've been doing, and code most of the foundation myself, much like my own current game. What I lack is the ability to fine tune stuff and make the art look CLEAN.

And while I have headcanon voice actors in mind, I'd very likely do a text only game. I technically could afford to hire professional voice actors, but that wouldn't happen until the game is basically already finished. And whether I'd still have the means to do that would really depend on how much making the game itself would cost.

Buuuuuut none of that happens until the book itself is finished, and I'm not even done with the freakin' SKELETON yet, soooo get comfy. 'XD

#ask belliesandburps #hiss #book #writing #video game #my video game #cadmus would be the boss you can't beat #like sam at the beginning of revengeance #or the bosses in bloodborne #what's that?#you CAN beat the bosses in bloodborne?#if you don't suck at games?#well!#the more you know and shit...#also is bloodborne spelled with an e at the end?#i literally don't even care enough to google it #mako and mauler would be frequent mini bosses whenever koloss is around #sentinel would be freakin' nuts #oh yeah i have a composer friend who's helping me with my current game #i've already paid him for tons of tracks that i can use for whatever #set me back but damn if the results aren't amazing #i may go with a more rock-based ost if i can afford it #something like mick gordon's work #i mean his killer instinct soundtrack literally inspired so many of my character development choices... XD

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summonerscenarios · 4 years

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this isn't at all relevant to sin so feel free to postpone this but in your opinion. out of the summorners who would be the most to least helpful if mc starts crying? I can literally already see toji standing there like :[

ASDFGHJKL OKAY SO THE SECOND I IMAGINED TOJI IN THIS SCENARIO I JUST IMAGINED HIM IN THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROOM COMFORTING MC LIKE THIS

Buuuuuut in all seriousness here’s my personal opinions of worst to best (though the middle is a mixed mess lmao)

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Toji

Toji’s arguably the most awkward out of all of the Summoners and handles it the least well when he sees you crying. He isn’t sure what the best way to comfort you is - with words or with actions Toji’s expertise really doesn’t lie in either of them. He’s kept to himself for a long time and as a result handling others emotions and figuring out what people want to hear when they’re vulnerable isn’t something that he’s used to. Toji keeps his distance unless you explicitly state that you want him to come closer, though he does try his best to comfort you with his words. He’s aware that he’s not the best to handle these sorts of things - he’s confident that Ryota or Hanuman would be better suited to cheer you up, but if he’s the only one there he isn’t just going to walk out and let you cry unless you tell him to get out - even he knows that sometimes you don’t want to be alone when you feel like the world is on your shoulders.

Gullinbursti

Listen I would put Gullinbursti higher on this list if it wasn’t for one major factor. He means well in thought, but the execution can go very, very wrong depending on what’s got you upset. Of course, seeing his master upset, let alone reduced to tears is a sight that physically pains him, and he’s desperate to fix anything that has caused you such distress no matter the lengths it may take to do so. All you have to do is to say the word on what he can do to aid you and he is ON IT. You might want to be careful how you word it however, as we know Gull tends to take things literally, and at the insinuation that someone is responsible for your state he will charge headfirst to confront them before you even have the chance to - if you don’t want that confrontation you’re going to have to practically drag him back and explain that - no, you just wanna leave it. He may be insistent, but he values your word above all else, so if you don’t want to pursue it that’s that.

Kengo

Kengo walks in on your crying and the first words he blurts out is an awkward “Oh...you okay?” which if you weren’t openly sobbing you would’ve laughed at. Once he realizes that you’re seriously upset though he gets serious. His first thought is that someone’s responsible for upsetting you and he’s immediately on the defensive, demanding to know who made you cry and to just point him in their direction so he can kick their ass. Of course if it is someone responsible for making you cry it’s up to you if you want to give him names, just be sure before you do because he will 100% throw down with them with zero hesitation even if it gets him in trouble. If it’s something else though he’s a lot less sure on how to handle it, but seeing you upset of course he’s going to still wanna do something about it! The first thing he’s gonna do is get you to sit down, asking you what you want to do about whatever’s making you upset - talking things out isn’t always his style but hearing what you want to happen directly from you is the best way for him to understand how to help you. You wanna go out there and tackle it directly? He’ll be right behind you. Wanna just forget about it? Sure thing! The two of you can just talk about something else till you’re ready to move on. Wanna just get out of there? Kengo’s going to get you out of there asap and find somewhere you wanna go - whether that’s a bustling shopping district or somewhere quiet for some peace. You’re his partner and he’s got your back, regardless of how good he is at the whole comforting thing.

Agyo

Agyo of course freaks out seeing you start to cry - he’s not prepared to handle this and you can practically see him frantically trying to go through all of the ways to cheer someone up in his head as quickly as possible from across the room. For what it’s worth though he doesn’t just wait for you to cry it out like Toji probably would, and instead approaches you. The type to rub your back and pat your head while you get whatever crying to need to get off of your chest, telling you to just let it out and that you’ll feel better. With the way he tries to comfort you, you wouldn’t be surprised if he’s picked this up from someone else (most likely from Ungyo when Agyo was upset.) but it’s more comforting than you’d think to just have those lil head pats. Admittedly if you’re the hugging type of comforter he’ll whine a bit when you pull him in for a hug, holding off on scolding you about using him like a teddy bear since you’re upset and all, but for what it’s worth he’s super fluffy and squishy so he’s peak cuddling material. Just be sure to give him plenty of head rubs and he’ll relent on the fuss until you’re feeling better.

Moritaka

When Moritaka catches sight of the tears welling up in your eyes his first thought is to take your cheeks in his hands and wipe away those tears as they fall. If you make a noise of discomfort then he’ll quickly back off with an apology for acting before asking, however he can’t ignore that you’re upset and implores you to tell him what has caused you to cry. Mori’s an excellent listener, always willing an ear to your troubles and he takes it very seriously, even if you try to downplay it he insists that if it’s upsetting you it’s important. If you’re okay with physical contact you can be sure that you’ll be getting a comfort hug from him too, just holding you while you cry it out and bury your face into his fur as you let out all of your emotions. Letting your feelings get pent up is an easy way to get overwhelmed and he knows that lesson well, so he encourages you to get whatever you need to off of your shoulders and that you don’t need to carry these burdens alone.

Hanuman

Hanuman’s the master of cheering up through distractions. He sees you starting to cry and he’s immediately at your side asking if you wanna see something cool, catching you off guard as he tugs you over to whatever he thinks will help you forget alllll about what made you upset. There’s plenty of games that you guys can play together - he recommends multiplayer since he’s got some awesome fighting games the two of you can compete with! Or ones where you guys can work together! Or there’s single player options if you prefer - he’ll make it a game night and invite Tsath, Ryota and friends over if you want to be surrounded by people who care about you. And if you wanna see some of his ninja tricks he loves showing them off! Anything that is able to make you smile instead of cry he wants to do! To Hanuman so long as he can at least get a laugh out of someone when they’re upset it means he’s doing a good job of cheering you up; so of course he’s going to want to make you smile and laugh as much as he can until you’re crying from joy rather than sorrow. When it comes to actually confronting your problems however Hanuman’s inexperienced; comforting sure, but unless it’s an issue that can be sorted out with some mischief or swiping something up from right under someone’s nose he’s stumped on how to help. Aside from that though if you’re just looking to get your mind off of what’s made you upset, if only for today Hanuman’s the boy for the job.

Shiro

When the tears start to fall Shiro takes the initiative, getting you into a position of comfort or safety while you cry, be it leading you to take a seat or getting you something to drink once the tears run dry (gotta keep hydrated after a cry if you wanna avoid the headache after folks). And of course if you need something to cuddle there’s already three lil D-evils on hand, swarming around you with concerned screeches upon noticing their Summoner’s fretting over you. Just seeing them worrying about you and clambering to wipe the tears off of your cheeks with chubby little fingers is enough to make you cry all over again at how much they care (which just makes everyone panic all over again thinking they’ve done something wrong until Shiro swoops back in to calm everyone down). Unlike most of the other Summoners, once you’ve calmed down he’d like to sit down with you and talk through the options that you have available to get through what upset you. If it’s a particular event he’d like you to walk him through it if you’re comfortable with it, and throughout he’ll ask you where you would like to go from here; and, if it’s a person who’s responsible, how you would like to confront them to deal with it. If you’d rather just forget about what happened altogether Shiro’s supportive but also thinks you should reconsider - if this situation was bad enough to reduce you to tears he just doesn’t feel right about it going unresolved, if you push though he will relent, afterall the choice is up to you in the end.

Ryota

Ryota’s arguably the best in regards to comfort. He’s an empathetic soul at heart and seeing anyone in pain makes him want to do everything that he can just to see them smile again. And this is especially true when it comes to you - you’re one of his closest friends and at the first sign of tears in your eyes his heart breaks at the sight and almost immediately he’s closing the distance to hug you. Ryota focuses on cheering you up above all else - anything he can do to make you forget all about what’s upset you if only for a little while he’ll do it in a heartbeat. It’s up to you whether you want to talk about what happened or not but making sure that you feel better is Ryota’s main focus. All kinds of snacks, a good movie collection and a whoooole lot of blankets is in the cards for cheering up any of his friends! If you’re not comfortable with hugs that’s totally fine! But if you are, you can bet that Ryota’s going to cuddle right up next to you, his hugs proving to be super comforting when it comes to making people feel better. The whole time he’ll be comforting you with his words too - telling you that it’s gonna be okay and that whatever’s upset you will be sorted out and that you won’t go through it alone! You’ve got so many friends who want to be there for you, and he’s sure to tell you that he’s going to be right there with you the whole time, wiping the tears from your eyes until they stop.

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iris-sistibly · 4 years

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You will not like The King: Eternal Monarch if...

1. Fantasy genre is NOT your cup of tea:

Basically, TKEM is a love story between Jeong Tae-ul, a police officer in the Republic of Korea and Lee Gon, who hails from a parallel world and the current king of Corea. Gon first found out about Tae-eul after obtaining an ID card from a mysterious person who saved him on the night of his father’s assassination, and being the owner of the half of the manpansikjeok, Gon was able to travel through space and met Tae-eul and the rest is for you to find out IF you are a fan of fantasy.

IMO, I think the concept of having two (or more) parallel worlds co-existing is quite interesting since I’ve read articles where some scientists propose theories on the presence of another dimension,and it’s not just a typical fantasy series where it involves magical spells, mythical creatures, gods and goddesses, etc. it’s more of a fantasy with a hint of physics and mathematics. To be able to enjoy this series you have to have an open mind, like what I wrote on my fanfiction for Seo Dan and Gu Sung-jun from Crash Landing on You: “The universe is full of endless possibilities,” if you think of it that way it will be much easier to embrace the whole idea.

2. You’re not a patient viewer

Even I myself didn’t quite get what kind of story the writer was trying to tell at first, I mean I’ve seen and followed a LOT of shows with complicated story telling but this is by far the most difficult to understand TBH. Half of the entire show I was completely lost. Gon is a freaking mathematician and my mind couldn’t even grasp wtf was he saying when he was trying to solve the mystery of the manpansikjeok and it’s true power. Now if you stopped watching half-way you just made the wrong decision, because all of the answers we’ve been seeking are actually on the middle up to the last episode. Patience is the key guys, if you don’t have it, don’t even bother to watch.

3. You prefer the usual “Cinderella” kind of drama

If you’re expecting Gon and Tae-ul’s story to be the usual cutesy-cutesy damsel-meets-her-knight-in-shining-armor kind of romance, you’ll be disappointed. Although there are some Kdramas with this kind of formula that I totally loved, this has become more of a comfort zone for the writers, and when I see the same concept over and over again it becomes less interesting. And why the hell are the male leads USUALLY the cool, smart and crazy rich whilst the female protagonists are physically unattractive, broke af and dumb? I used to be a huge fan of the “Cinderella” kind of romance but then I realized it’s not fuckin’ cool, demoralizing and belittling the capabilities of a woman for the sake of ratings is not fucking cute!

Anyway, I’m so happy that we get to see a lot of empowered women not just in the movies and dramas but in real life as well. Jeong Tae-eul is badass btw, and her romance with Gon is a more mature type, a love so deep that not even fate could put to an end. Because that what it is, even if you’re far apart if you both love each other you’d do something, find ways to be together and just do whatever works, and most of all, love like there’s no tomorrow. Don’t think of anything else, not even the future, focus on the now because the reason why it’s called present is because it’s a gift.

If I were to choose an ending I would have preferred Tae-ul to stay in Corea, marry Gon and be his queen consort and have a bunch of princes and princesses but I figured, no matter how they try to hide it, there will be people who will be curious to find out who Tae-ul really is and where she came from, then they’ll find out about the manpansikjeok, then history would have repeated itself, because there will be people who will be just like Lee Lim, and if that happens Gon and Tae-eul would have had the same fate as the former’s father, and they would have made an orphan out of their child. The finale was the best ending for these two, knowing that they were happy and grew old together was more than enough.

~All in all, I would say that it’s nowhere near LMH’s and even KGE’s other shows in a sense that it’s not for everyone, but I do think it’s still worth watching.

Personal message:

Hello! I've finished watching this two weeks ago and I was planning to post this RIGHT after watching the final episode, BUUUUUUT these past few days a lot of things happened and I'm not gonna lie, it's been hell for me, I've been freaking anxious, doubtful, frustrated--it's a mix of negative emotions and I've been freaking exhausted. I would have had a chance to breathe by taking a break from social media, unfortunately the real world is much worse.

~Also, even if I'm not okay still I'm still sending my love and (very, very late) birthday greetings to LMH ♥️♥️

#k drama #the king eternal monarch #lee min ho #kim go eun #jung eun chae #woo do whan #kim kyung nam #kim yong-ji #lee gon #jeong tae eul #koo seo ryeong #myeong na-ri #kang shin jae #jo yeong #mineun

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queenofangrymoths · 5 years

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Saintless Stars

So this was a story I wrote for my English Class. It's post-apocalyptic and I’m proud of it.

Trigger: Death, Blood, Gun-violence, Stabbing.

Given the chance, Nadya might sleep another four hundred years. Instead, she was awake and hunkered down, Aleksander scouting just mere inches from her. “Is it safe?” How her voice did not sound meek-how it not trembled-Nadya knew not. Perhaps it was the comfort the woods gave her. Saintless Woods was similar to her homeland of the Forbidden North, filled with snow and dark trees. It felt like home, back when things were simple.

Aleksander crouched beside her, his cheeks red along with his nose and the tips of his ears. “Looks clear,” he finally admitted. Nadya nodded then stood, looking both ways as she stepped out of the snowbank they built an hour ago. Aleksander followed her, the snow crunching as they waded through it.

The snow rained down in thick flurries but Nadya pushed on. Both of them were disheartened and cold, frustrated to no ends that Saintless woods produced no game. The bows on their back weighed heavy with disappointment, the quivers whispered little snarky messages in both of their ears. Nadya glanced at Aleksander, testing out a little idea. “How about we split up? Surely one of us will find a deer,”

For a few minutes, Aleksander did not speak, mulling over the pros and cons in his head, the gears slowly turning. In the end, desperation won by working its lever. It was the third day without any game, one more day of their supplies dwindling. Soon the food would run out and then desperation ruled over them all. “We might as well try,”

Without a sound, Nadya left him. It wasn’t long before he didn’t hear the familiar crunch of her footsteps. The loneliness crept back at once but Aleksander ignored it, continuing to walk until he found a good spot, hunkered down, and waited. The hours blended together, his thoughts were few, mostly on how Nadya was doing. Better than I am, he hoped.

Then it happened. Out of nowhere stepped a doe, looking holy in his coffee dark eyes. He took a deep breath and slowly unslung the bow strapped across his back. Slowly, ever so slowly, he drew out an arrow and took aim. Within minutes, the doe slumped, staggering away with an arrow lodged in her lung. Aleksander followed at a distance, waiting for her to collapse. It wasn’t long until he walked away with the doe over his shoulders.

“Thank the saints,” Nadya whispered under her breath as she watched him approach the river, doe over his shoulders. It was a nice size and in Nadya’s eyes, it was a treasured saint’s relic.

“How’s your luck?” He asked, sliding the deer on the snow before crouching next to her.

Nadya was settled by the river bank, a hole cracked in the ice and she was stabbing fish with an arrow. “Pretty good, just want to get a couple more.”

“Get your own,” She slides over, just teasing. Together they fished, stabbing fish every chance they got. In the end, a dozen fish suffocated on the river bank. Nadya beamed proudly, the sight of all the food made her want to cry. Finally, a good haul. They both thought as Aleksander wrapped up the fish and Nadya shouldered the deer before turning back for the bunker.

The good thing about the bunker as it wasn’t some hole with a ladder going down. Instead, it had two steel doors with a security code. Since his hands were free, Aleksander punched in the code and the doors creaked open. As quickly as they could, they shuffled inside to escape the endless cold. The lights flickered on and off as they descended deeper in the bunker, finally hitting the living area after three levels of security measures.

"Hey, guys, how was hunting-" Nikolai's voice bounced off the walls as he tinkered with the crew’s radio. He glanced at them only to look up nearly at once, his hazel eyes widened, “Saints, you got something!”

“We got more than something,” Aleksander lifted the bundle of fish.

“That’s great - Saint Anastasia and Saint Edith, is that a deer?!” Nikolai’s voice grew excited enough that it drew Kaz’s attention. All of them heard Kaz’s cane making it’s thump, thump, thump against the cement floor as he made his way to them.

“I’ll add you to the list,” Nikolai deserting the radio to meet his boyfriend, Kaz, standing in the doorway. The black haired youth narrowed his eyes at the deer and bundle of fish, his knuckles white on the head of his cane.

“You got a deer.” He said, they nodded. “Bring it in the kitchen. Now.”

“What he means is ‘thank the saints and whatever dark god I worship’,” Nikolai translated as they followed Kaz to the kitchen. The kitchen was as modern as possible with a working fridge, freezer, sink, and stove. It was Kaz’s kingdom and he ruled it with an iron fist.

“Put the deer on the table. The fish next to the stove,” he instructed, Nadya was happy to dump the doe on the table and Kaz wasted no time starting to clean it. “Morozova, leave,” Kaz ordered. Aleksander quickly vanished from sight before Kaz snapped at him or threw a punch. “Nikolai, fillet the fish.”

“Only if you kiss me first,” teased the blond. Kaz sighed, wondering why he was dating this flirtatious fool but he needed those fishes to be on the grill in five minutes or less and a quick kiss was a worthy sacrifice to get Nikolai to shut up.

“Nadya, you can go,” Kaz said as he got back to working on the deer. She looked up from where she was, taking out a sheet of ice to be melted for drinking water.

“What?”

“Go. Now.” He snapped and she ran. Sure, it was a big bunker but it was still a bunker. One did not piss off Kaz and live to tell the tale. So Nadya made her way to the Slat. The Slat was what they called the hangout space, most of the crew was there if they weren’t busy or doing something important. It was a comfortable space, nice and warm with plenty of blankets to go around.

Right now, most of the others were busy in the shop or the greenhouse, some were sleeping or making weapons. So the Slat was empty except for Kate, their reader. Her job was running the little library and stealing more books when she found them. She was on the couch, reading a book under two blankets.“Well looky here, it looks like you’ve had a scare! Let me guess, a run with Kaz?”

“Something like that,” Nadya admitted, settling herself next to the reader who grinned and marked her page. “Can we continue that history lesson we started the other day?”

Kate brightened up. Her love of books and history went hand in hand, so when Nadya came to the reader looking to catch up on all the history, Kate was more than enthused. “Of course! Where were we?”

“I think Ivan the Gilded?”

“Ah, yes, I remember!” Almost immediately, Kate launched herself in a long history lesson, Nadya listening eagerly, not even getting sleepy as Kate droned on and on. Time blurred as they worked their way to more recent day. “In the year of Saint Louis IV, the winter came hard. People expected this, the winters were getting harder but Spring never arrived.”

“Why?” Nadya asked, furrowing her brows.

“Religious zealots will tell you humanity pissed off the Saints, big time. Buuuuuut my bet is on global warming. We’re in an ice age!”

Nadya nodded. The second option made sense. “Then what?”

“Well. Society crumbled, bunkers were built, and the determined ones learned how to deal with the snow.” Kate shrugged, “honestly, my mom used to complain all the time that this ‘wasn’t bad as the winters when I was your age…’ but I think she was just messing with me.” She said with a chuckle.

“And that’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Nadya sighed, stealing one of Kate’s blankets. Now she was all caught up on history, she no longer was able to claim the ‘oh I’m a newbie, I don’t know anything’ card. It wasn’t like she used it often but still, it was nice to have in the back of her pocket when Nikolai cornered her to help him fix the heating system or test some new, dangerous invention. “What are you reading?” Kate lifted her book, flashing a black cover with orient gold detail. “King of Scars. Oldie but a goodie.”

“How good?”

“There’s a character named Nikolai in it.”

Her ice blue eyes light up, “Gimme.” She reached for the book.

Kate tugged it, “Nu-uh, you got to read the Grisha series then the Six of Crows!” Nadya stared at her, defeated slightly. “Don’t worry, I have them all.”

Nadya huffed, rolling her eyes. “Fiiiiiine. Better get me the first book, ASAP.” Kate grinned and returned to her novel, Nadya leaned her head back against the wall and shut her eyes. No doubt that in his quarters, Aleksander was passed out. She must have dozed off because the next thing, she opened her eyes to see Nikolai strut into the Slat, do his best butler bow, and say with a flourish, “Dinner is served, my ladies.”

Kate giggled behind her hand, got to her feet, and ran right past Nikolai. Although strict in the kitchen, Kaz’s food was to die for even if it was simple. Nadya sat for a minute before she found the will to stand up. “Shall we walk together?” She asked the blond, giving him her best curtsy.

“Gladly,” Arm in arm, they made their way to the mess. Kaz must have rung the dinner bell because the rest of the crew was making their way to the long, large table. It reminded Nadya of the feast tables of her youth, the food was much simpler, and there were no king-just weary people trudging their way through the snow. Nadya made a mental list of the names but people were always coming and going.

There’s Kaz of course, Aleksander….Kate, Celaena, Race and Spot flirting, Jesper, Nina, and Matthias must be out scouting still. Wylan is threatening Kuwei with bodily harm, what else is new - oh, she’s new. Wait no, that’s Alina, crap. Rowan is sulking but Aelin is cheering him up and so her list went. Filing in names, noting who was there, trying to pick out where she might sit for the night. “You’ll be with me and Kaz tonight, don’t worry.” Nikolai hummed.

“Kaz and I,” she corrected.

He laughed, throwing his head back. “Shut up.” Then he sat her beside Kaz, starting to immediately praise his lover on what a wonderful meal he made! Kaz, although he always looked like little ruthless schemer, seemed pleased. Nadya slides her own praise as everyone settled to eat.

Dinner was lovely with venison cuts and vegetables from the garden. Nadya listened to the endless chattering. Kate and Alina chatted over a new book, Nikolai flirting with Kaz, Rowan and Aelin’s endless bickering. Aleksander was across her, eating his venison slowly. “Tired?” he asked.

“Utterly exhausted,” she confessed.

“Me too,”

She yawned, covering her mouth. “After dinner, I think I’m going to take a long nap.”

He raised his dark brows. “Really?” Since she woke up, Nadya slept very little. ‘I’ve been asleep for four hundred years - I will sleep when I’m dead’ was a common phrase she uttered in the dead of the night but now she was exhausted. She nodded. “Odd, don’t you think?”

“I’m all oddities now,” She confessed, picking at her dinner. Aleksander watched as she swallowed the last bite and slipped out of the room. In the kitchen, she washed off her plate and set it out to dry, being careful not to make more work for whatever poor soul might do the dishes under Kaz’s cold eyes. Then she slipped off to the room she shared with the others, pulled back the room divider and dived right in bed, not bothering to take her boots off.

When she awoke, the alarms were going off. Loud and braying like a mad donkey. She lay in a stupor for a minute, wondering why the shrill noise was attacking her ears and why she saw nothing but red. Then it hit her. Someone or something got through the first set of doors. She sat up quickly and bolted out of the room, glad she was fully dressed. She finds Celaena strapping her belt of bullets on her before loading her rifle. “What’s going on?”

“Security breach,” Celaena answers, focused entirely on loading the rifle quickly despite taking precious seconds ensuring she loaded it correctly. Nadya groaned as she gathered up her own weapons.

“Yeah, no shit, Lena, but by what?” Situations went through her mind, flashes of raiders-men and women were driven mad by the cold, monsters of kind stalking through the steel doors. She forced herself to remain calm as she fastened her holster, followed by her scabbard.

“A sesya.” Celaena said dryly before rushing out of the room, Nadya following the slender blonde as soon as she grabbed her axes. They ran together, punching in security codes as they went. For the most part, the steels doors, reforged by Nikolai and the other tinkers whenever they discovered something to make them stronger, kept the monsters out. Monsters like the man-eating wendigos and ruthless yokai.

These monsters were always in the world, even before the Great Winter arrived but now their numbers were endless - the winter only encouraged their siege against mortals. But sesya were different and it was easy for a sesya to blast through the steel doors and destroy them all. Nikolai was still working on his newest invention, trying to prevent the exact thing happening right now.

The sounds of battles and laughter filled Nadya’s ears quickly. The first workroom was ruined and cold, scattered with the crew fighting back the unholy monster trying to steal their home. Nikolai was swearing under his breath, a curse mingled between every single word, and really it wasn’t nearly as softly as he thought it was - next to him was Kaz. Kaz was silent as always, relentlessly shooting the sesya with deadly aim.

“Nadya!” Her name called from behind a knocked over table, her eyes swerved to find Aleksander tucked behind it, loading his rifle. “Get over!!” His voice pinched with desperation as the laughter boomed in the room. Nadya dived for the safety as a knife flew past her. He pulled her close, both of them pressed tightly against steel. She opened her mouth to thank him when a crack exploded in the area and a scream followed.

“That was my good leg!!!” screamed Kaz, hissing in pain and gripping the head of his cane even tighter as his bad leg was forced to take all of his weight.

“Are you okay?! Oh, saints, Kaz- you’re bleeding, you’re bleeding, fuck- we got to get you to the infirmary-” Nikolai jabbered, the panic set in at the sight of his boyfriend’s bleeding leg.

Kaz gave him a hard shake. “Later, okay?! Focus on the mark, foxy!” He grabbed his gun again, clicked to reload it and unleashed hell on the sesya. It made Kaz feel better but did nothing to the laughing monster.

Nadya tore her eyes away from the bickering couple and focused them on the sesya laughing above them. She wasn’t sure what the sesya found funny-if it was anything or the thing was just mad but it made it hard to miss. It was a sad thing, it looked so human and beautiful with long dark locks whipping around its pale face, covering fierce blue eyes and red lips booming laughter from a powerful throat. With a thrust of its slender hands, the winds screamed some hideous melody. The sesya reminded her of a witch that lived in her village but Nadya didn’t let it distract her.

“What do we do??” She yelled to Aleksander, the dark-haired fellow finished loading his gun. She sighed and prayed to the Saints this monster couldn’t only be killed by a bullet. She was a bad shot but if they could slay the sesya with a bullet-why hadn’t Kaz killed the damn thing yet? He was one of the best shots in the bunker but it was still laughing.

“Aim for its heart! It’s too close to get a stab in, a bullet will have to do!” He yelled back, taking aim before firing. Without her consent, a plan began to form in Nadya’s head. A crazy, dangerous plan but still - a plan, better than just shooting bullets in the area and hoping to the Saints they didn’t ricochet and hit a member of the crew.

“Aleksander,” She whispered, her voice dangerously soft. “Cover me.”

“What?!”

”Cover me!” She yelled before flinging herself away from the table’s safety. She yelled similar messages to Kaz and Nikolai, asking them not to shoot her as she ran straight for the sesya. Maybe this was how she died. Not today, She thought as she avoided bullets, winds, and random objects alike. “Hey! Sesya!” She screamed when she was close enough, drawing a knife, and throwing it. The wind caught it and the sesya turned to stare at her. The eyes were eerily family but Neday pushed on and drew her dagger.

It kept staring at her, not moving as she stalked closer. “You.” It whispered when Nadya was less than five feet away. “You,” it repeated in its tittering voice. It sounded even more like her Zoya. It made her heart stop and stutter but this wasn’t Zoya. Her Zoya was dead and buried. Had to be, after four hundred years.

“Me,” Nadya answered and before the sesya did anything-move its hands or laugh, she thrust the dagger in its heart. “Me,” she whispered as it slumped against her, chilling blue blood spilling all over her.

“You. You. You. It’s always you.” it jabbered while it died, the wind vanishing as it took its last breath. “Nadya, why?” It cried before the world stopped. Her heart chilled at the sound of its familiar voice. Zoya? But how? Then her heart broke as she realized what she had done

The laughter did not return, neither did the wretched wind. All that was left was the bleeding body and the bitter cold. The world stopped then started again. The first to snap out of it was Nikolai - he wasted no time in snapping out orders and carrying his gremlin of a boyfriend to the infirmary.

The chaos came back but it was different chaos. People were setting things right, carrying weapons back to the armory, and heading to the infirmary for some healing. Everything was moving, buzzing, some of Nikolai’s fellow tinkers were assessing the hole in the door.

No one noticed Nadya stepping out of the bunker with the body in her arms. No one saw her dig an unmarked grave and pray over the sesya. No one never needed to see the little funeral anyway - no need for her tears to be witnessed then to be pointed at for an explanation. Nadya slipped back in the bunker and made herself useful.

Meanwhile deep in the infirmary, Nikolai was helping Sasha deal with the bullet lodged in Kaz’s good leg. Really, he should be upstairs fixing the door but he couldn’t just leave Kaz to deal with Sasha alone. “It would be out of your leg already if you stopped moving!” The little devil of a healer yelled at Kaz.

Kaz grunted, his face blanched from the bloodlust. “Just make sure I don’t end up with two bad legs, Sasha.” He was gripping the side of the bed hard enough Nikolai worried it might break. If Kaz was holding his hand, he’d snap it in two. He needed his hand.

“Stop moving then!” She hissed at him, grabbing the tweezers. Nikolai offered his hand to Kaz anyway, despite the fact he might break it. He took it, Kaz’s grip was like iron but it loosened meer minutes when the bullet tinked against the kidney dish. Sasha moved on to cleaning the wound, stitching it shut, and bandaging it. Nikolai’s fingers remained intact and Sasha moved on the next wounded idiot.

“I can’t believe you got shot in your good leg,” Nikolai remarked, rubbing his hand.

Kaz groaned, resting a hand over his eyes. “Don’t remind me.” He said bitterly, behind his hand he glared at the white bandage.

“It’ll heal right, this one,” Nikolai said, a bright smile on his lips- Kaz saw right through it.

“Stop wasting your time on me and go fix that damn door.” He told him flatly.

The smile vanished. “What? Tired of my gorgeous face?”

“No, you just will pace around, looking strained and wringing your hands. Might as well send you off now,” Kaz watched his boyfriend. He didn’t deny it. The security breach continued to bother Nikolai’s inventor mind, wondering what he could have done to prevent it. If he stayed cooped up with Kaz, he might drive himself mad.

“And you’re fine with this?”

“Just go.” Sure, he tugged Nikolai in a kiss first but he let him go. Let him figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. Kaz sighed and laid back down, staring at the ceiling. He shut his eyes and waited for his REM cycle to kick his ass.

Many floors above Kaz and the infirmary, Aleksander found Nadya passed out on the lone couch in one of the workrooms. Someone was kind enough to put a blanket over her, the room was terribly cold. He shook his head, four hundred years later and she can still sleep anywhere. She was too thin for someone of her height, far too thin, Aleksander tutted as he carried her back to her little section of the woman’s chambers.

He knew where she kept her favorite pajamas-another thing unchanged-and it wasn’t the first time he got her in bed without seeing anything. He set her weapons against the wall as he folded her clothes away. He was about to leave when she said it.

“Sasha.” He turned to look at her. Her blue eyes were wide and full of tears. “Sasha,” she repeated as if the first time didn’t get his attention.

“Yes, Nadya?”

“I killed her, Sasha,” she whispered, horrified.

He blinked at her slowly. “Who?”

“Zoya.” He shook his head, opened his mouth to tell her Zoya was long dead. She didn’t need to worry over killing her wife now. “I killed her, Sasha, I killed her!” Her voice grew louder as he shushed her. “My Zoya, Sasha, I killed my Zoya, how could I do such a thing??”

“You didn’t kill her, she did not die by your hand, Nadya,” He reassured her, pushing her down as she tried to get up - wiping away the tears streaming down her cheeks. Slowly, she calmed down to the point where Aleksander knew she was drifting off to sleep again. “Sleep well, Nadya, and not too long,” he teased.

She stared at him with her icy eyes. “Zoya,” she said one last time before shutting her eyes and falling in a deep sleep. Aleksander shut the sheet and left the living quarters, dipping his head at everyone he passed. He was no mood for a conversation. He passed Nikolai at the door, who perked up and opened his mouth to say something but Aleksander kept moving, vanishing through the hole in the door.

He did not know where he was going but he knew it when he stopped at long last. A little grave, far too insignificant for all the damage the women inside had done. He stared at the grave, his eyes dark with hatred for the person deep inside the grave. Why? You may ask, sit down and listen then.

Once upon a time, there were three girls. They were witches although one seemed to be powerless she was not all that she seemed. Two of these witches lived happily, marrying each other when they were of age and lived together in wonderful matrimony. However, this left the third witch all alone, alone to brew in hatred and spite. To make herself feel better, she put a curse on the two lovers. The powerless one fell in an undead sleep, unable to wake but unable to die while the other vanished, looking for some way to wake her wife up and lost herself. Only the third witch found this was not enough (it never is), so she made a deal with a Frost Jotun.

“Bring an eternal winter,” she asked.

It regarded her with interest as we would a mouse. “Bring me a Roseblood thorn and I will consider it.” The witch brought back the thorn and it took it with great intent. “I will do as you ask but your fellow villagers are coming to kill you. Worry not, how many times they stab you will be how many years I will wait to start this winter of ours,” Then it vanished, thorn in claw.

“Wait!” The witch screamed as the mob descended on her, killing her with four stabs to the chest. Her spirit relished in the thought that in only four years, an eternal winter would hit but Jotun years were long and after four hundred years, it at long last arrived. Now, four hundred years later, Circe’s grave remained untouched.

“Are you happy now?” The stone said nothing, as stone’s often did.

“Zoya is dead and Nadya killed her. I hope you’re happy.”

Still, the stone did not reply. He glared at it even harder.

“I know what you did, Circe,” He took a deep breath “but we will continue to survive. I hope you’re happy.” Then he turned and stalked his way back to the bunker.

THE END

#yup #me #most of these characters have other fictional characters names #mhm I know #its refrences #gay #all these characters are gay #witches #magic #post apocalyptic #for an grade #hope its good #yes I pulled a bury your queer ticket #but theres still one couple!

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superiormimicry · 5 years

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What’s this? After all this time with so many different muses I am finally making a permanent starter call? This is wild even for me. Mostly because I have no idea what to put in these, but I think I’ll give it a try.

Friends:

This is probably a difficult category for you to get into- only because it would depend on what he observes from you. If you are someone that had nothing and using whatever you have to rise to the top, he’ll like you. Only because the two of you could relate to that, he may just be off telling you about himself and you are the sad victim to listen to it all. Okay but seriously, he would be that annoying friend that would actually want you to succeed. No tricks behind those words.

Sidekicks:

Want to learn how to be the very best? Of course this kid can teach you. In his own way. Monoma would be willing to help out someone in need to whatever would be beneficial for them. Whether one finds it heroic or not, he would only want them to succeed. Though you probably need that friendship card first before handing out tricks.

Mentor/Hero:

If you thought being his friend was difficult, you haven’t tried being someone he could look up to. There is probably less then a handful of heroes he would look up to, despite being a petty brat, if you show what you’re capable of, expect him to want to learn more about you. Teach him your ways and maybe change his own way of doing things. Though he has his reasons- offering some helpful advice isn’t too bad.

Rival:

This will probably go out to a lot of people who he would consider to be a threat- or that he would want to try and get better at something to prove to himself how much stronger he has, physically and intellectually. More intellectual then anything.

Enemies/frienemies:

The easiest category for everyone to get into. Only because he gets under a lot of people’s skins as far as I see. He taunts and jabs others and would find amusement in doing so, until they turn the tables around on him. And that’s where you would be set to that category. Not a difficult one to enter.

Villain:

This is an odd term, but it’s basically someone right off the bat giving Monoma major trouble, that would actually cause him to find no solution get himself out. Making him feel trapped in a terrible mind game and loosing over and over again. If you are able to break his facade while doing something villainous, he probably want to stay clear from you til he finds a way to win.

That’s all for now. So expect a message from me, or heck you can message me and we can plan things out. You liking this post gives me permission to send you random messages, starters, ect. (even though I do that to most of you guys anyways). I feel like I’m missing something buuuuuut that’s all for now.~

#isola rp ad #permanent starter call #isola memebrs only

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jumpydr4gon · 3 years

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Bored. Here's another book questionnaire.

Have you ever bought a book solely because you liked its title Eh, I don’t think so. I might have. I honestly don’t remember.

How often are you recommending a book to other people? All the time. Whenever I can. I love sharing my favorite stories or what I’m currently reading.

How often do you read the books others recommend to you? I would say at least 80% of the books I’ve read in the last 2 years have been from the recommendations of others. I’ve a pretty cool reading circle of friends.

What is your favorite book series and what is your favorite book of that series? Oooof!!! That’s a difficult one. Hmmm...I’ll give you my top favs. Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb; Fool’s Errand. Dresden Files by Jim Butcher; tie between Cold Days and Skin Game Foreigner by CJ Cherryh; Deceiver, Intruder, or Peacemaker The First Law by Joe Abercrombie; The Trouble with Peace

When reading a book, how often are you thinking of ways in which it could have been written better? Not often. I typically do that type of thinking while I’m stewing over a finished book.

Is there any character from a book you wish was written off? None that I can think at the moment. Most of the time, characters i want written off die.

Have you ever disliked a book so much that you never finished reading it? I recently DNF She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan. I tried to finish, I really did. Buuuuuut the middle was slogging so bad after an excellent beginning. Really disappointing with all of the hype surrounding it.

Name one book you’ve read cover-to-cover but completely hated. Child of Fire by Henry Connolly. Don’t get me started on that...

Has any book ever made you ugly cry? Assassin’s Fate by Robin Hobb. The final book of the series, and I was a slobbering mess for the entire last 30% of the novel. (FYI, That’s almost 300 pages of exhausting ugly crying).

Do you pay attention to the Amazon or New York Times bestseller lists? Nope! Usually, those books are not what I’m looking for. I also just don’t care.

Do you ever read book reviews before buying a book? About 90% of the time I do, yes. I like to get the general feel of the public, why they rated it x stars out of 5, what triggers there are, etc. I don’t want to be spoiled, but I’d like to be prepared.

Have you ever used a library card or a bookstore receipt as a bookmark? Hehe! Yup! Many many times.

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever used as a bookmark? I’ve used my Kindle as a bookmark. Smart reader here folks!

How often do you read a PDF version of a book on a computer or mobile device? PDF’s? Not really. Never.

How often do you listen to an audiobook? Not as often and I would like, but often enough to have a nice Audible library.

Do you own an Amazon Kindle? If not, do you want one? YES!!! I have an Amazon Oasis with the warm lighting setting. Best ebook reader purchase EVER!

Have you ever forgotten where in a book you left off, so you started from the beginning again? That happens?

What fictional character from a book do you think you relate to the most? Why that character? Oh dear. FitzChivalry Farseer, Jo March (never read the books, but the films paint enough of a picture), Orso dan Luthar are the main ones that pop in my head. Stuck in roles they were born in, depressive, are loved, but refuse to see or believe it, not eager for change that would affect them personally, introverted, would rather do their own thing, big hearts, not one that fits in with society, has friends that others would look down upon, introspective.

Name one (yes, only one) fictional character from a book you wish you could be best friends with in real life. Why that character? Fool from Realm of the Elderlings. They are such a quirky character with a deep heart. Fool would push me to go past my boundaries in a way that’s aggressive, but not harsh or cruel. A loving, generous heart. Defender of their loved ones. Knows to laugh and have fun. I would also be able to sit in silence reading a book or something, no talking, and there would be no awkward feelings. Just warm companionship. Yea, they would be a great best friend. AND… there would be no hard feelings if we didn’t see each other for long periods of time while picking up our friendship as if we saw each other the previous day.

Are there any lines from a book that have helped you out in real life? I’m not a big line collector. More of a character and overall feelings collector. For example, Alanna (from Tamora Pierce’s Tortal world) has been my role model in following your dreams no matter what society expects of you. A lady who loves to wear breeches and tunic, but every now and then dresses up because she wants to feel pretty. She is fiercely loyal to her loved ones while being stubborn in maintaining her independent identity.

How often do you take and post photos of the current book you are reading? Depends on the mood.

Have you ever taken a selfie of yourself reading? No...because I’m reading!

Do you own any first edition copies of a book? I have a fair few. Doesn’t mean they’re all valuable.

How many of your books are autographed by the author? Currently 7. Battle Ground by Jim Butcher, The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie, The Broken Empire Omnibus and The Red Queen’s War Omnibus by Mark Lawrence, and the most recent Farseer Illustrated Editions by Robin Hobb.

What is your favorite movie based off a book? Dune by Frank Herbert. The most recent 2021 film. Not that 1984 abomination. (I'm sorry, but it is).

Has a movie ever made you go and read the book that it’s based off? Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts and P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

Name one book you wish had a movie version. Who would you choose to act in it? Don’t ask me this!!! Too many books and I’m terrible at casting. Top of my head, I wouldn't mind a series of Abercrombie's First Law world, Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings, Butcher's Dresden Files, or Jacka's Alex Verus . At the same time, I don't want them touched out of fear of fucking them up on the big screen.

Name one book you believe is superior to its movie version and explain why you think so. Eragon by Christopher Paolini. What a clusterfuck of a film. It’s so bad that the author and the fandom have this running gag of saying “What film?” whenever it’s mentioned. Just horrible. I would be perfectly fine with Jeremy Irons and Robert Carlyle redoing their roles.

#book questions #bookish questions #reading #bookworms #booklover

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pandjseetheworld · 3 years

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Protests in the Street

It was time for us to head to Rio Dulce so we were up and packed ready for our 6am shuttle. We arrived ready to go only to find out that there are scheduled protests in the streets and our travels are not going to happen. This was unfortunate but it could have been worse. The transportation company said the protests are scheduled for today and tomorrow from 6am-5pm so they may have a shuttle going at 6pm. We said we want on that shuttle and had the day to chill. We went back to our hotel and let the front desk gentleman about the protests and he said we could get back into our room. Thankfully we could cozy back up into our bed and rest for a few more hours.

With the day open we figured we would get some errands done. I have been talking about getting a new tattoo for a while now and have been tinkering around with ideas and had the design ready. Since it was Monday there was an open tattoo shop in town I wanted to check out. If the shop looked professional and the artist was available, why not get it! So we walked to town and found the shop and it was great. The artist didn’t speak much English but since I had the design on paper all he had to do was recreate it on his iPad and tweek little odds and ends to my liking. When I was satisfied with the design, he disinfected the work station, and prepared for me to lay down. I made sure the needle was new and he took it out of the packaging in front of me to make me feel even more comfortable. With my little Spanish we were able to have a little conversation and Louis, the artist, was very professional. When it was done I was very satisfied and that was that! After paying our US 35$ for my newest tattoo he asked, how are my prices. In my head I thought, shoooot for how professional and clean everything was it was a steal of a deal but it would probably be expensive for a local. It’s hard to judge the price but I was extremely satisfied with the experience!

What is the tattoo… well that’s more for me but since most of you reading this are family I will let you in on my secret!! ;) The tattoo is a mix of different things for me. Firstly, there is our wedding coordinates. I had Pearce figure out the exact location on the beach where we got married, a symbol of our union. Next there is an old school compass. Clearly we like to travel but on a deeper level, life is now our journey together and the world really is our oyster (cliche but true). We have the choice to go in any direction we want and now we get to go together!! Lastly, there are some small celestial icons; a moon and a sun/star. You will notice that the sun is on the West side of the compass because when we got married the sun was setting in the west and that was our special moment. ANDDD I think it’s a cool simple tattoo! So there ya have it fam!

When we finished we walked to the local mall so we could get a cell phone. Before leaving the states Pearce bought an expensive hotspot that was supposed to sync off any cell tower buuuuuut it doesn’t work. He’s worked his magic with the company and they said he’ll get a full refund when he returns the device…… in a year! SO yeah, he hasn’t been to thrilled about that waste of money and lack of service. We have chatted with a lot of other people about how they get service and what they are using and we decided to buy a cheap unlocked phone. Since the phone is unlocked we are able to add different SIM cards in and this particular phone has 2 SIM slots. This way when we get to a new country we can buy a SIM that works locally and we should be able to get WiFi to use as a hotspot for our phones. The whole thing is a little wack but it’s not that expensive and it’s good to be able to have WiFi in “emergency” situations (lost somewhere, need to book a hotel, unexpected protests, etc…). I think the whole purchasing a phone took longer than my tattoo but we had nothing else to do and killing time was a must.

After our two little errands and popping into a few other shops to buy things we headed back to our hotel. The hotel was holding our bags so we didn’t have to carry them around all day which I am so thankful for because it’s become rainy season here. They said it ends in November but it’s been raining on and off daily so not having our bags was very nice! Back at the hotel we did some work/reading and then headed towards the shuttle. Our shuttle left promptly at 6pm and we were on our way to Rio Dulce!

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chuulove · 7 years

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it's super hot where i'm at too!! my god it feels like i'm living in an active volcano.. buuuuuut ily and thank you for being a friend... 'travel down the road and back again your heart is true you're a pal and a confidant...AND IF YOU THREW A PARTY INVITED EVERYONE YOU KNEW..YOU WOULD SEE THE BIGGEST GIFT WOULD BE FROM ME AND THE CARD ATTACHED WOULD SAY--' ♥ sweet anon!! lol

‘THANK YOU FOR BEIN A FRIEEEND’ sdjfhgkjhsdfjhg the golden girls song im crying i used to watch that show after school when i was little omfg 😂😂 i hope u were able to stay cool today !! i went down by the water and it was overcast so i was v v happy :’’)) but Anyway ty angel lov u

#Anonymous #sweet anon #replies #i cracked up when i saw the lyrics khfghdh

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dorothydelgadillo · 7 years

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The F Word: Nevertheless, She Parented

Welcome to The F Word, where we, Skillcrush staffers Lauren Lang and special guest Maren Vernon, discuss issues that impact all of us—both in and out of the workplace. We know that, for us, coming to understand the f-word (in this case, feminism), and how important it is in the scope of our lives, didn’t happen overnight. We hope you’ll join us once a month as we meet to discuss power, identity, and the changes we want to see in the world.

Lauren: Maren, welcome to the F-Word! It’s so great to be with you today chatting about the joys of feminist parenting—and specifically, motherhood.

Maren: Thanks, Lauren! I have my cup of coffee in hand. I’ve taken a deep breath. And I’m ready to jump in.

Lauren: With three kids (all girls) between us, you and I have some insight into what being a mom is really like. And man, it’s tough. I’m constantly running interference against mean kids at school, media messaging that disrespects women in any number of ways, and the little microaggressions that fly under the radar and become tiny, but growing, insecurities in my daughter’s spirit.

On the heels of Oprah’s AMAZING Golden Globes speech where she envisions a “new day on the horizon” where “nobody ever has to say ‘me too’ again,” this is the future parents also aspire to. But it can seem like an insurmountable task to shield our kids from the reality of the world in 2018. Where do we start?

Maren: I’m starting to think I should have brought wine to calm my nerves when I think of everything they are facing… But Oprah’s speech!

My gals are still young and just starting in school but my kids are not only girls but girls of color, and finding the line between preparing them and not scaring them is something my husband and I talk about a lot. I can tell you that an early way I’m trying to raise them to feel they can do anything and ignore the haters is through stories and good role modeling.

I used to work in publishing, so books will always be important in my house. I like to look for picture books—since that is the stage we are in—with strong, and ideally diverse, female characters using their smarts and creativity to problem solve, lead, or demonstrate kindness. I could name books all day but Pocket Full of Colors (about Mary Blair), Drum Dream Girl;I Am Truly; She Persisted; Ada Twist, Scientist; and Rosie Revere, Engineer spring to mind as particularly great examples.

Of course my struggle is that I want them to feel independent and in control of the course their life takes, buuuuuut I also need them to listen when I say, “Come on, dude, that is not a great idea.” So we find ways to negotiate and I let them take the lead when appropriate. Just yesterday my oldest snuck business cards out of my office to give to friends so they could get their moms to schedule playdates with me. I caught her with the cards as she headed into school, but I appreciated her pluck and determination and I let her move forward with her plan. How have you started introducing The F Word in your household?

Lauren: Okay, business cards? Genius.

I wholeheartedly agree with you about choosing media with strong depictions of women. My daughter loves the Rebel Girls book series, which features small vignettes and beautiful illustrations of notable women and girls throughout history who have exhibited strength and determination (including the women featured in Hidden Figures, which she loved). We talk openly about these women’s struggles and the discrimination they’ve worked to overcome—based on gender, yes, but also race or ethnicity or religion or age or ability or sexual orientation. These books have been a great resource both for empowering my daughter and also spurring deep discussions about her own privilege.

So media is important… BUT I agree that the best opportunity to introduce feminism—both to girls and to boys—is to teach the concept by example and model what feminism looks like. It looks like empowering and respecting our children, expecting them to respect others, and empowering them to speak up when they feel unsafe. It looks like mothers who have agency and confidence and it looks like fathers who understand consent and who listen. It looks like the world that Her Majesty Queen Oprah says that we want for our children.

And it benefits us as mothers to find what that looks like too, because SOCIETY HAS NOT GOTTEN THE MEMO. There is so much pressure on mothers to do everything right and to have perfectly behaved and brilliant children at all times, and to never, ever lose our patience. And so, feminist motherhood is just as much about how we as women consciously choose to construct ourselves as parents, by bucking those impossible standards and finding what works for us. Maren, there are so, so many ways to “fail” as a mother, to the extent that—SPOILER ALERT!—there is literally no way to “succeed.” So let’s get specific: What criticism do you face about your role as a parent?

Maren: I find external criticism most often comes in comments along the lines of, “Working and mothering and side hustles… You should give yourself a break. You are trying to do too much.” The implication is: You should focus more on being a mother.

Usually the things I love to do—that make me feel fulfilled outside of being a parent—are the first things I’m expected to cut out. Then that just leaves me grumpy and resentful. Does that make me a better parent? No.

I need the side hustle or the part-time job that keeps me intellectually curious. I have fun doing art projects with my kids or exploring the science museum, but I also need challenges and positive stress and to learn new things. (Let me take a moment to acknowledge my privilege that I even have some choices to make, and also to say that just like I don’t want to be judged for my choice, I’m not going to judge another’s path. I’m just acknowledging that wouldn’t be living as my authentic self.)

I started learning to code (with Skillcrush!) when my first was about a year old. I’d suffered from some postpartum depression and was generally feeling down about my abilities and intellect because parenting was a lot harder than I expected, and despite all the reading and prep, I didn’t feel like some things came as easy to me (and social media was NOT helping). I’m not lying when I say that learning to code gave me my confidence back. Maybe my kid didn’t sleep through the night last night and refused to eat the ten different foods I prepared but, hey! I got that image to float beside some text! I am good at something! It was the outlet and challenge I needed to get my mojo back. And you know what? When I felt better about myself, I know I became a mom who was more fun to be around. Losing your identity is no joke.

What criticisms have you faced as a parent, Lauren, and how have you dealt with it?

Lauren: There is SO much here that resonates with my experience, particularly in the idea that I have a right to make a choice to be a multidimensional human being whose existence is not fulfilled entirely by my child—and the notion that this choice is actually a positive thing for her to witness. THE HORROR: a mother who is also a person with interests and talents and—gasp—ambitions!

If I reveal myself to be stressed or anxious about ANYTHING in my life, you’re right—I receive unsolicited advice that the first thing to go should be what makes me happy. The message is clear: My career is a luxury, and any mission I value outside of motherhood is somehow deeply unfair to my daughter—even when, ironically, that mission is to create a world in which she is empowered and free.

So how have I dealt with it? I keep doing what brings me deep satisfaction. I try to tune out the noise and follow my true north. And in doing so, I show my child the best possible person I can be. I try my best, and sometimes I’m a shitty mom. (And sometimes I’m a shitty employee and sometimes I’m a shitty spouse and sometimes I’m shitty at keeping my shit together.) But I think I’m okay with that. Perfection is for Beyonce, and she has help. And speaking of support, what roles do you think male partners have in all this? Heterosexual coupling puts vastly differently expectations for how mothers and fathers interact with their children: a mom who takes her kid to the park is like the default while the dad who does the same is OMG THE BEST DAD EVER. Or a dad who slightly raises his voice to his kids is giving some “tough love” while a mom who does the same is a horrible person who should have her kids taken away. What do we take from this double standard?

Maren: I’m incredibly lucky to have a husband doesn’t expect me to fall in lockstep with gender roles, but at the moment he is the primary breadwinner and I am the lead parent. So by default I am expected to know what is going on with their schools and their friends and to volunteer for all the things and get the laundry done and have food in the house. And those efforts feel rarely acknowledged.

But just because I am the lead parent doesn’t change the fact that sometimes I want to spend an hour coding, rather than at the park with my children. And the fact that, when I think about doing something for me or for my career, I almost immediately consider it to be selfish—is problematic. I’m criticizing myself before anyone else has the chance to.

Lauren: YES. I think a lot of it comes down to the concept of “emotional labor,” right? This idea that women have to shoulder so much of the unseen knowledge and work to keep everything running smoothly—and a lot of that is learned behavior.

One way I’ve experimented with lessening the burden of all there is to do is just by…dropping some of it. (#badmomconfessions)

I’ve stopped monitoring whether there’s milk in the fridge or whether library books are in the backpack on library day at school. Practicing personal responsibility should come at an early age…and picking up a young able-bodied person’s dishes and transporting them to the dishwasher for her? Or picking out the perfect birthday gift for my husband’s mother, when he’s known her 20 years longer than I have? Nope! Ain’t nobody got time for that.

And it’s not that I would never do any of these things—I often have. I love my family. But it’s been a long unwinding of the expectation that I will, just because my ovaries make it so.

Maren: Are we long lost twins?! My anal-retentive nature will probably never let me forget how much toilet paper is in the house at any given time, but the house chores are gender neutral and everyone can pitch in in some way shape or form, big or little. Don’t like the chore I’ve offered you? Pitch me a compromise! My husband and I definitely do that. Never too early to practice those job skills, right?

Lauren: HA! Totally. Okay, Maren, last question! And this is a fun one. :) What is, to you, the absolute best part of being a parent? What did you never anticipate about having these little people in your life that has been delightful and surprising? For me, it’s been experiencing my daughter’s wicked sense of humor, which grows sharper and drier by the day. She’s only seven, and I can’t believe what she comes up with as it is—not to mention in 20 years when she has her own HBO stand-up special.

Maren: I love that! I think what has been fun for me is seeing the things they create out of seemingly nothing. It really is true that some buttons and a cardboard tube and some pencils and a mismatched sock can suddenly entertain them for an hour and is ten times more fun than anything I’d buy. I really just need to step back and get out of their way and let them have agency over the project (that includes letting them sort out their differences because I can’t always be there to fight their battles). It is so fascinating to watch how their minds work, and I’m often inspired by new ideas or challenged by them to step outside my comfort zone.

from Web Developers World https://skillcrush.com/2018/01/17/feminist-parenting-working-moms/

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typotrash · 7 years

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About me tag

Tagged by: @sei-joh

rules: answer all of the questions, then add one question of your own and tag as many people as there are questions!

coke or pepsi: pepsi

disney or dreamworks: both

coffee or tea: both

books or movies: I wanna say both, buuuuuut I’ll say movies here.

windows or mac: windows

dc or marvel: marvel

xbox or playstation: playstation

dragon age or mass effect: Dragon Age

night owl or early riser: I’d like to be an early riser.. but I’m a night owl against my will

cards or chess: cards

chocolate or vanilla: chocolate

vans or converse: either, idc

lavellan, trevelyan, cadash, or adaar: Lavellan or Cadash

fluff or angst: fluff

beach or forest: forest, that ocean gonna kill me

dogs or cats: cats

clear skies or rain: i like rain for when I’m trying to sleep but I can’t rlly go anywhere if it’s raining so clear skies

cooking or eating out: cooking horrifies me, eating out.

spicy food or mild food: i used to rlly like spicy food but my mom kept telling me im gonna get stomach cancer so it;s mild food now

halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas: HALLOWEEN

would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot? a little too hot

if you could have a superpower, what would it be? I would like to be able either control electronics or have the ability to learn any natural talent. (e.i mastering any instrament I want)

animation or live action: animation

paragon or renegade: ??

baths or showers: showers

team cap or team ironman: team ironman, just bc spider man was on his team.

fantasy or sci-fi: both

do you have three or four favorite quotes? if so, what are they? “Do no harm, but take no shit”, “by any memes necessary”, “Watashi wa the fucking strongest”, “Work hard, play hard”.

youtube or netflix: youtube

harry potter or percy jackson: I rlly like percy jackson bc of a lotta reasons but my boi Hp is pretty close to my heart. I didn’t watch/read Pj till I was older.

when do you feel accomplished? After helping someone I care about or after a good work out.

star wars or star trek: I’m gonna “meh” on both, I’ve never even seen star trek.

paperbacks or hardcovers: hardcovers, paperbacks can literally fight me.

horror or rom-com: rom-com (make me watch a horror and lmao, u better let me sleep in ur bed)

would you rather live in a world without literature or music? how about you just kill me

pastel colors or dark colors: i like both, idrc

tv shows or movies: i don’t have the attention to watch a whole 1 - 2 hour movie, so tv shows.

city or countryside: city (I’d rather get mugged everyday in the city than go back to living in the countryside with no human contact)

if any other zodiac sign could describe you, what would it be? idk, maybe a gemini, bc i can flip-flop between personalities occasionally.

if you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be? I got comitment issues why u gotta do me like this- Flight Log: Arrival.

cinema or theater? I’d like to go to a theater but idrk what it’s like so I’ll say cinema

if you could be any fictional character’s best friend, who would it be? I’d like to be The Iron Bull’s best friend, holy cow.

smiling or smirking: smiling, smiles are so cute

are you an “all or nothing” type, or are you more consistent? lmao idk, go with the flow.

playlists or your whole library on shuffle? playlists

traveling or staying home? Traveling.

what languages are you fluent in? English, and broken Dutch, r.i.p.

How old are you? 17

what are you doing right now? doing this and playing Game of Dice

if you could live in space, would you do it? if by space we’re talking Voltron Space, then heck yeah.

favorite food? I like noodle soups, and waffles.

(lmao u fkin wish i’d tag 51 ppl, fk no)

Tagging: @unravel-you , @rocklordzimms , @smol-kags , & anyone else who wants to do this.

#shimmies #tag meme #about me #typosts

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chrisfromorlando · 7 years

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March 27: Further Upwards

Since my last post, I have made a fantastic change in my life: I HAVE LEFT MY OLD AIRBNB EARLY AND AM NOW LIVING IN A NEW PLACE!!!

This was an A M A Z I N G change for me. I’m sleeping better, I’m less anxious about coming home, I feel like I can finally relax, and (although this might be attributed to my Building A Bridge more often when I stand up*, my back pain seems to have subsided a lot too...)

Granted, my new place has its quirks and some things that are less convenient than the old place -- I’m no longer near a Moe’s, I have to take two separate routes in and out of work (and I missed a toll on my first night driving home, so I now have to send in a money order), the parking situation is a bit weird, and we don’t use the dishwasher -- but I am SO much happier here. There are several cats -- including two-week-old kittens!!!! -- and a dog and it’s just a great place to come home to. Pretty much everyone in my house works for Disney, too!

Jobwise, things have also been pretty cool. It definitely feels like it’s actually been longer since my last post, but then again, that last one was just an announcement. And I’m really happy for it! Not only am I looking forward to everything the job will entail, but I’m also happy about having an end date set for myself at Disney. The peace of mind from that is actually kind of incredible!

I got to have my first celebrity experience as a CM while I was with a princess the other day!!!!!

I spent my entire day outside today, but I thought it went well regardless. I did a LOOOOT of spieling, and at the end of the two, two of my male friends (who are very much not the size or shape of bodyguards) came over to help me close my line, and we had a nice joke about how they were my bodyguards. I actually ended up photographing 5 or 6 families after the one I said would be my “last” one for the evening because I am a pushover believe in quality guest service, but they prevented against any others once I told them that enough was enough. Mickey needs us to return his equipment at some point!

As we were leaving together, we almost had a mom ask us to take her children’s photo when she saw us coming, but then we said goodnight to her politely and she didn’t end up asking. We also had a guy walk by as I was shortening my tripod and he said, “Oh, they’re closed, never mind” and just kept walking. We liked him.

I won Photo of the Week for the third time so far and the second week in a row!

On the day I moved into my new place, I was able to pick up a short evening princess-exclusive shift that not only got me extra hours and extra princess experiences, but also let me practice driving to and from work in the afternoon and evening, which is basically what I always do! But that said, I drove the highway by myself for not exactly the first time, but for the first time longer than 3 minutes. It was... not the most fun (especially because I misunderstood some directions and got rerouted), but I obviously survived :) (and I’ve since realized that there is another way to get home that involves no highways or tolls, so it’s all good.)

I was also able to spend almost all of yesterday photographing princesses and got to have a good conversation with a performer. The day before that, I actually had one of the most fun, if not the most fun, experiences I’ve had in that location since I started shooting there! I need to send that girl a Four Keys card...

I had a guy explain shutter speed to me before I replied (not directly/rudely, but a way that made sense in context) that I knew what shutter speed was, and he was surprised to learn that we are “actual photographers” and not just button-pushers. >:|

One recent negative was that I very nearly had an anxiety attack onstage when I was deployed to one location for the whole day, which in itself was not the problem, but what triggered it was two guests complaining about my line when I invited a family who I knew for sure had been there before them to come up, and the second family complained that they were first, and that dad complained within earshot of me that we needed a line manager while I let the first family go, and then the mom had the audacity to ask for a magic shot (if you’re not familiar, it’s a special kind of shot that most of us hate doing because it takes extra time to set up) and I was so tempted to tell her that I’d let the other families in line go first, but no, I let her get back in the photo spot... and I kind of hate myself for it... but anyway. As the first family was leaving, that (first) mom leaned down and told me that I was right, they had been first, which I kind of appreciated for the validation but not for the fact that the second family probably could have heard them and I had just before then thought that some kind of argument was going to break out. After that, I actually decided to push back my break so that my next shift would be shorter, but having someone rudely complain about me at work and nearly start an argument with other guests, combined with the crowds and the loud music and the nearby drunk guests, just made me anxious.

Buuuuuut... my family is coming next week and I have the whole week off!

#*it's an ergonomics thing #when you do traditions they make you do a thing where you learn how to move ergonomically #and you learn things like Building A Bridge and Staying In Your Green Zone

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