#i have plenty of hobbies at home see brain see

[justapalspal]

I need a wig cap but after that I think I’m just. Gonna do a no buy (or as close to a no buy as I can) (low buy??) February and invest my time into the hobbies I already have instead of collecting resources for new hobbies that may or may not stick around after the dopamine hit is up. this goes for fashion as well me @ my brain

[undreaming-fanfiction]

My brain refuses to sleep, so more drabbling! Probably modern-ish AU?

Steve makes a career for himself as a re-decorator (or de-decorator, as he loves to call himself). His clientele are those celebrities who rose to fame so quickly they have plenty of money, but they don't have time to make their houses feel like home. They just bought penthouses and mansions and now live in homes that are fancy, but they feel like hotels.

Steve is there to fix that.

One of his clients is the hard working rockstar Eddie Munson whose life path went from a trailer park to couch surfing to living with 4 people in a tiny apartment, then suddenly tours, hotels and boom! He has a house that looks like an IKEA prop.

He doesn't hide his distaste at the pristine condition of the place (yes, Eddie has a cleaner). "Oh god. A beige carpet?" he scoffs and he sounds so bitchy Eddie decides he likes him already.

He likes him even more when Steve puts on reading glasses. Damn.

Over coffee, they discuss what Eddie wants. Except Steve doesn't just...tell him. He doesn't give him any hints. He just keeps asking about Eddie's favorite colors, what movies he likes, does he have hobbies apart from music? Can Steve see some of the items that bring him comfort?

And Eddie's surprised. "Shouldn't you, like...be telling me what I'm supposed to want?" he asks the gorgeous man who almost wails when he sees the vase with fresh flowers ("This is the third place in a row that has this fugly thing! Is it like a status symbol? Uh, tasteless.").

And Steve just stares at him. "Uh, Mr. Munson?"

"Eddie."

Steve nods. "Eddie. Why should I have any say in what you want? If you ask me what's practical, easy to clean, what bounces off light well, that's another thing. But in matters of taste...you're the boss. You live here, I don't. (Pity, Eddie thinks) Now, let's change this place into somewhere you actually like staying, hm?"

They spend the whole afternoon talking. Eddie opens up about what he loved before the touring and expectations from his agent took that from him. He talks about the Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, fantasy in general, and Steve listens, makes tons of notes and asks questions that make Eddie's heart bleed, such as "and who is your favorite Lord of the Rings character?" and "you mentioned elves, dwarves, orcs, wizards...so what is your favorite group?" and "which DnD class would you be then? I guess a bard? Is that too obvious?". Now, Steve doesn't know much about these things, but learns quickly and works with the info he has.

They walk through the house again, with Steve making notes and wincing at transgressions against humanity or at least against his taste in things ("Oh ew. EW. Glossy finish on a kitchen counter? What is this, a future crime scene?") and Eddie feeling equally amused and curious. Eddie orders dinner for them, it goes something like:

"I don't know what would be appropriate, any preferences?"

"Eddie, there's no time or space when pizza is not appropriate."

"What about a funeral?"

"It puts fun in a funeral."

"Touché."

They follow up on a bunch more things. Steve notices Eddie fidgeting and asks him like the mindreader he is if perhaps the place is too clean for him. "Minimalism is what everyone's trying to push," Steve says, not without sympathy, "but it's not for everyone. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you seem like a person who'd love a more....personal, cluttered space."

And god, Eddie feels so seen. He tells Steve about all his favorite books and trinkets that he lost during a horrible earthquake in Indiana, so when he moved to the city it was just some clothes and his two guitars. Steve makes so many notes. "I've seen quite a lot of collectibles for your beloved trilogy," he says with a hint of a smile. "Is that something you'd like in your home?" Eddie can't nod any faster.

They talk about the budget (Eddie just scoffs at that, for the first time in his life money is not an issue), Eddie's absolute no go things ("No more vases, please! PLEASE. Also maybe the one room that can stay as it is is the studio, there's no decor"), if he has issues touching any materials, if he wants to keep any areas in the house neutral for visitors (he doesn't). Then finally, he asks Eddie if he wants to be more consulted or surprised.

And Eddie, tired and surprisingly relaxed from talking to Steve, just grins and says: "Surprise me, big boy."

Steve just smirks and makes one more note. "Oh, I will, Eddie."

...

Eddie goes on yet another tour for a couple of months, which is the ideal time for Steve to start working on the house.

Steve sometimes texts Eddie random choices, such as "Rohan or Gondor or both?" or "what's the best pub in the Middle Earth?" and Eddie usually trips over his feet trying to get to his phone after concerts to see if maybe he has another message from Steve. He learns bits and pieces about the man as well - he has a younger brother, Dustin, who is into the same stuff that Eddie is. Sometimes it goes like this:

STEVE: What's the best battle in the LotR movies?

EDDIE: The Ride of the Rohirrim, duh!

STEVE: Dustin says you're wrong, it's the last stand at the gates of Mordor.

EDDIE: The disrespect to king Théoden!

And finally, the big day comes. Eddie meets with Steve at the door. From the outside, the house still looks boring, but that's what they agreed on. At least for now.

But there's one notable difference and Eddie gasps when he sees it.

"I know we said no changes on the outside," said Steve sheepishly, "but I took the liberty to make one slight change."

Where the door used to be bland and white, it is now carved with silver etchings. It replicates the Doors of Durin. Eddie loves it.

Steve smiles at him. "Speak friend and enter, right? Dustin told me. Anyways, are you ready?"

Turns out, Eddie wasn't ready. Steve took all of the shiny and sterile surfaces and turned them into something beautiful.

The kitchen is now in warmer colors, brown and green, imitating the Green Dragon inn, plaque included.

Guest rooms have been changed, each to represent a group or a nation of the Middle Earth. Eddie thinks his uncle will love the Rohirrim one.

No more vases are to be seen, but Steve got potted plants ("almost immortal, as long as your housekeeper waters them once a week or so").

Eddie howls in laughter when he sees that Steve somehow managed to disguise all his security cameras as tiny eyes of Sauron.

The bathroom is inspired by the Rivendell, with soft tones and nods to Elvish architecture.

Eddie's bedroom resembles the Shire, with round shapes and homely motifs.

But Eddie's absolute favorite is the living room.

The only things that remain there that he bought are the massive TV and his stereo system with records. The rest though...

Gone is the ugly and sharp couch that looked like a geometry exercise. The new one is large and comfortable, with a couple of armchairs to finish the cozy feel. The coffee table and TV stand are more rough looking, with decorative ironwork. And then, around the room and on the walls...

"Oh wow," whispers Eddie and Steve beams at him.

There are collectibles and figurines that young Eddie Munson would have killed for. A replica of the Narsil hangs over the TV. It's cluttered but tasteful, still easy to clean, but Eddie always has something to touch, to play with.

And then he spots the bookcase and actually sobs. "What the fuck, Steve?" he asks, but there's no anger, just awe. "How did you know?"

The bookcase is full of Eddie's most beloved books, all that he told Steve about and more, but it's not just that. These aren't just pristine new prints - Steve managed to get both those and well-loved used copies. Most of them are the same editions that Eddie had before the earthquake. He runs his trembling finger over the back of the Hobbit and it feels like home.

"That was the hardest part," says Steve and leaves Eddie to rummage through the books, the old DnD guides and used comic books. "But I assumed you're sick of new and shiny. In fact, most of the collectibles are already used as well. They have some history. As for the books, uh..." He scratches his neck, embarrassed. "I will be honest, I don't read much. Dyslexia and some issues with the eyes, although audio books are making it more possible for me now. So I had to ask Dustin for help. We looked for editions published before the earthquake. I hope we got some of them right?"

Eddie just mutters "Sorry, I'm about to do something really unprofessional now" and pulls Steve into a bear hug. And Steve reciprocates.

"Fuck, this...this is everything," says Eddie into his shoulder. "How did you do this? Are you magic. You must be magic."

Steve grins. "I take it the surprise was a success then?"

Eddie finally pulls back. He would have loved to keep embracing Steve for a bit longer, but boundaries. "A total one. Wow. I mean. It's a lot, but so good. SO GOOD. How can I repay you?"

"You already paid me, Eddie."

"You know what I mean!" Eddie points and the books and apparently also a DVD collection he now owns. "This must have been so much more work than you normally do, no? I doubt every client has you memorize the members of the Fellowship."

"Not just that, but also why Sam is the best," Steve smiles at him and fuck. Eddie might be in love. "It was more than usual, but I loved it, Eddie. That's why I like my job so much, helping people find themselves again. You don't owe me anything. Although, if you're offering..."

"I'm listening."

Steve runs his fingers through that majestic hair. "So, I didn't tell Dustin that I was decorating the house for you, but he's a huge fan of your music. Like, massive, has every album, has been following your career from the start. And feel free to tell me it's too much, you are my client after all, but...he'd love to meet you. Over a pizza, maybe? The plain ham and cheese one you like so it doesn't have too many flavors?"

And Eddie melts. Because Steve still remembers his pizza choice from months ago, even though this definitely wasn't in his notes. He decides there and then that Steven Harrington is a national treasure.

"Sure, big boy," he smiles at Steve, and hopes he didn't imagine Steve leaning into the touch. "How about you invite him over for a movie night or something? With pizza of course."

It looks like Steve could kiss him, but he doesn't. Not yet. That only happens a week later, when they bump into each other in Eddie's kitchen when they scramble to make more popcorn for Dustin.

Steve stays the next night. And maybe a few after that. Always in a different themed bedroom.

They travel for work a lot, but when they are both in Chicago, they always meet in the Green Dragon kitchen, cuddle in the bed that would be far too large for a hobbit, and in the night, Eddie wraps himself around Steve and whispers: "My preciousssss."

And Steve can't really complain, because it's his fault that his boyfriend has re-discovered his dorkiness, so why would he mind?

[esoteriamaya]

Astro Thoughts ! Different perspectives on the signs, aspects and more !

Just had a lot on my mind and open to share a few pieces i got from certain placements:

7th house placements : have difficulty in being alone. needs time to surrender to themselves more to truly break into that authenticity they know they have inside of them. its okay to want a partner, but not when your focused on them being your other half.

aries placements : energetic, strong willed, blunt and abrasive. youthful appearance and energy, to me, this is a placement that ages very well. because they go harder for themselves more than anyone will. could be in leadership positions more than they want to, its there bold-like presence hat makes it happen for them.

3rd house placements : you guys need to travel to sma'l cities in your area. if you like in a small rural area then try other towns that are two hours away. make it fun. its to expand that brain of yours, you never know what you may find.

neptune/sun : too beautiful for the camera. might of been told you look different on and off camera. idk, your beauty can not be described, even the camera dont get it right sometimes.

pluto/venus : deep intimacy with themselves. magical personas and beings of light that the dark even strays from them at times. they have beautiful auras that can be life changing the longer you stick around them. beautiful spirits.

3rd house suns : can brighten the mood with just their warm presence. gifted in astrology, writing, poetry, travel, and have plenty of hobbies. i see jewelry making as a big theme for some people here.

1st house liliths : odd, interesting perspectives, intriguing to look at, hard to ignore and MUST be tamed. these individuals have a lot to look up to, and must overcome challenges of the psyche before the people of the valley get to them first.

10th house venus : popular loners, eventually enjoy the spotlight after being pushed to the side for some time, I know it seems odd for them to never be popular but theres a time for everyone, even this placement. their beauty is unmistaken, captivating and can even bring them an army of fans that look up them for their artistic values and appreciation of life. princess energy is strongest here.

6th house mars : y'all work way to hard. waaaay to hard. must take time for yourselves and work on not feeling guilty on doing that lovelies <3

moon in the 2nd: needs to appreciate life through their home. balance is necessary in their home, finances and with the inner self. could have talents in sociology, psycho therapy, and could have a strong intuition as well.

hope you all enjoy ! wanted something short and sweet. let me know what you think in the comments !

[w2beastars]

Waezi2′s thoughts on “Beast Complex” chapter 23.

I wanted to blog about this gem for a while now. "The Wolf and The Dog" is as Paru as it get.

Meet Adamo.

Adamo is a 61 year old dog, a German shepherd to be specific. And he is a notorious stalker. And he is very good at it, but we will get to that in a minute.

Adamo doesn't think that what he does is creepy. He has an excellent nose and is a born tracker since that's what his family has been bred to be. Yes, even in Beastverse, dogs are a result of selective breeding.

His stalking is not of nefarious reasons as such, he is just obsessed with following animals his nose gets the attention of and learn everything about them for no reason than the satisfaction of the hunt.

But one day, the nose of this old dog catch a very special scent.

On his way home, Adamo notice a female wolf in his train who carries a massive bouquet of flowers with strong pleasant scents. As if she is hiding something. That's something a herbivore would normally do, so this catches Adamo's attention right away. He starts sniffing and learns surprisingly much about her, like that she can't be more than twenty and that she must work in an office filled with females as he can't notice any male scents. And she uses so much makeup and soap, anything to dim her own smell.

In his own mind, Adamo sees himself "painting" the female wolf and he now stalks her to learn everything about her.

Adamo gets sloppy for a second and gets noticed by the wolf. But she apparently doesn't realize he is stalking her, so she just smiles at him and goes on about her business... or her smile is a warning... or perhaps an invitation?

Adamo realize he is much more fixated about this wolf than any other of his targets, spending a month following her around.

It even seems like the old dog starts to have a strong affection towards the female wolf who BTW is named Fasa(appropriate name for her, look it up after reading this blog). She seems like a model citizen, early to bed, early to work and always nice to the elderly.

But in a Paru manga, that's often a red flag.

Adamu gets a closer look at her apartment...

... Damn.

Sure, there are plenty of predators in the Beastverse, but Fasa is an organized one, having chopped up her victim, keeping the different parts in bags in her fridge and eating brain and eyeballs, not wasting anything.

Adamo is shocked by what the female he has a creepy crush on has done and, without thinking, yells something he have not said in a long time:

Yep, Adamo is a retired police detective. No wonder he is such an effective stalker. And seeing someone committing a predator crime wakes up the old cop.

Fasa is however not intimidated by the old fart, she knew she was being watched, she just got sloppy and forgot to close her curtains. She smiles at Adamo when he says he used to be a police officer, recognizing a fellow canine who is a slave to their instincts. Fasa is a slave to her hunting instincts while Adamo is very much a dog, having only joined the police because he is good at tracking and at following orders. And now that he is retired, he keeps tracking other animals because he doesn't know what else to do.

Fasa then embrace Adamo, making the dog terrified as he has no idea if he is gonna end up in the wolf's fridge as well or if she is hugging him since they are "the same".

But then the actual cops comes.

Fasa is surprisingly calm about being arrested, not resisting at all. Feeling guilt about his unhealthy hobby, possibly because he was just reminded that he used to be a cop who arrested creeps like himself, Adamo is about to confess to the police officers that he is a stalker, but Fasa interrupts him.

Fasa claims that Adamo is in her apartment because she had kidnapped him and was about to eat him as well, then whispers to him that they are not similar at all.

... Makes you wonder if that is suppose to be assuring as his stalking is nowhere near as bad a crime as what she has done... or if it is degrading as he as a dog is a pale shadow of what a wolf is.

Either way, she smiles as she tells him to take care of himself, and the manga then ends with a perfect panel:

Adamo stands between the strong-smelling flowers Fasa used to hide the scent of the blood of her victim/victims, like she is covering up for his crime of stalking. The symbolism is chef-kiss worthy!

This is most likely in the top five of the best chapter of Beast Complex. Its a bittersweet tale and it is kinda funny how Fasa manage to appear more noble than Adamo... or at least have more dignity.

That's all for now. I'm Waezi2, and thanks for wasting time with me.

[smittyw]

i forgot my dailies so heres some of the au redesigns ive been up to 🚶‍➡️🏃‍➡️🤸 return of the funnies, new and improved!! moonstone, plume agate & tigers eye!!!

lots more lore i never dropped + fusions below the cut- but this post will get long hahaa

making the post pretty for you :-) ok?

their rundown is that plume and tiger crash land on earth and team up with an already stranded moony, hoping to get back with an impressive enough report to save them from trouble. when this starts to seem less and less of a possibility, they have to face their feelings about staying on earth, and whether itd be worth it to take desperate measures just to return to a status quo they were never cut out for to begin with. theyre more or less minor villains of the week who have their own rich inner lives completely offscreen so i can claim theyre canon compliant.

moony- got retconned to be a bit of a fool jingling miserably across the court, while blue diamond pondered whether this was a good enough use for a former espionage class of gem. shes busy mostly crying about other things tho. and moonstone is too. on the first pity mission away from home they decide to sit pretty and stall until blue forgets to ask for updates, maybe forever.

plume- leader of a squadron of tigers eyes grunts (theyre a scout class, expendable and fast close range idiots without the benefit of tankiness). she's outwardly very tough on them but hides a lot of fondness for only them to see. she also hides an independent streak that fuels her history buff posturing, and is getting dangerously close to acting on her fantasy of becoming the next rose quartz.

tiger- the weak link of the squadron whos had her ass saved plenty of times by plume before. to prove shes not dead weight, she throws herself at every problem expecting to fail a few times and break a few limbs before succeeding. shes grown neurotic & wary of attention, and is liable to just go looney tunes at the slightest opportunity. if freedom calls she wont hesitate to scamper.

& hey! fusions as promised! helps to know what theyre working with dynamics-wise:

pietersite (piet)- shes very serene on the surface level while masked and doesnt speak, but underneath it kind of a terror...due to the constant dual internal monologue that gets broadcast telepathically from her out of sync brain...at least tiger doesnt mind it. theyre not very stable as a fusion due to an inherent mismatch in how their component gems communicate. it takes time before they get a handle on their combined strengths, so they dont form often.

unakite (una)- shes the worst and i love her, and she loves herself more (until she doesnt, at which point she combusts to avoid dealing with it, and both parties forget what happened). shes the manifestation of a long term work friendship & is therefore her own right hand man. her first inclination is to plot, then to destroy, then applaud herself for it. she has illusions of grandeur to become a permafusion due to her remarkable stability while formed, but has too much of a one track mind to last forever. still, shes around a lot when the situation calls for it.

chrysoprase (chryssie)- hes a delight but also sucks ass at being helpful in most situations that require more than chilling smiling and having fun. hes pretty stable but prone to long spells of isolation, and spends all his time on confusing hobbies that burn him out big time. plume finds them really frustrating and it takes her ages to stop wishing theyd just stay apart, after realizing their existence is like necessary therapy to the goobers involved.

p.s. all three gems use she/her initially as gems do, and plume continues to throughout. moony is very taken with human culture and later puts in a lot of effort to be like them, so he adopts their concept of gender and prefers he/they instead. tiger mirrors whatever she finds interesting and doesnt really care, so all her fusions default to the other party's preference

p.p.s, all the little refs in the corners of the fusion pics are outdated so pls ignore the discrepancies

i think ive said my piece for now.. if u made it this far, big thanks & feel free to take the mic, im trying to be less of a lore recluse !! this au does things to my brain.. id love to explain each of them and their little personal arcs in better detail soon, but plotty things can wait until i get the nerve to start doing comics again. CIAO!

[voxofthevoid]

I'm so sorry you get so many hate messages. You're always so cool about it and don't let them get to you but I know it must suck anyway. So I just want to say I think all of your jjk opinions are correct. But seriously, your characters are always on point and I especially love how you write Yuji. People are crazy for complaining about something you chose to write and share with the world. Anyway, you're a really skilled writer and I love all of your fics and ideas, so please keep sharing them!

Thank you, anon 💗

I do appreciate the support, especially because I've been in a bit of a shit mood the last few days. This was a nice pick-me-up.

I won't deny I've been very lucky. Half of it is my internal workings; the hate messages piss me off, but they don't affect my confidence or creativity. However, I've been at this for well over a decade now, and my brain chemistry was never prone to things like imposter syndrome. Newer authors or authors who struggle with self-esteem issues often don't have that internal scaffold.

The external support I get from you guys is the other half. It's the community aspect that makes a fandom worth staying in for me, and if I were to be treated solely or mostly with hostility, I'd have packed up my bags and found a new home a long time ago. I have no control over which ship/show I fall in love with, but a hostile fandom is the greatest killer of passion. The reason I stayed so long in the MCU was that its people were wonderful and vocally so. JJK isn't quite that pleasant overall (younger, more drama-prone fandom, I suppose), but the vast majority of my readers are amazing, supportive, and very kind. That's why I'm still here.

I had an exchange with another author on Reddit the other day, and they were saying that the reason they quit writing for their current fandom was that, when they got harassed, the larger fandom's reaction was to ignore or actively dismiss the harassment. I see plenty of posts/discussions in fandom spaces, from subreddits to blogs on here, about people getting bullied out of fandoms because of the toxicity of a few bad actors and the apathy of the rest.

I don't post/share all of the hateful messages I get because some of them straight-up don't deserve to be inflicted on human eyeballs, and they're blatant, unrepentant attempts to actively hurt my confidence as a writer and my dignity as a human being. I do not have sufficiently harsh words for the kind of filth who'd do that.

I hate that people have the fucking audacity to try this and that it's distressingly effective most of the time. Nobody wants to spend their hobby hours fending off assholes. I don't know if fandom as a whole has become more hostile recently, but I do find the overall atmosphere more toxic and downright violent than it was when I started actively participating in fandom in 2014. For all our sakes, I hope it gets better and soon.

Sorry, that got way longer than I intended 😅

On a cheerier note, I'm delighted to hear you enjoy my takes on JJK and its characters! And nothing makes me happier than hearing you like how I write Yuuji in particular. Thank you again 🥰💗

[interxstitial]

WHAT'S YOUR ROLE IN THE FOUND FAMILY DYNAMIC ??

tagged by: @heartxshaped-bruises (thank you!!) tagging: @itsacriime (benz) @idleds (musician sg) @adorajpg (micah) @meantome

and more tags because i cannot for the life of me figure out why tumblr won't let me @ more than 5 in a row: @volonata @tewwor (ravi) @weedzkiller (matthew) @xinxiins (lcy) love you all !!

golden verse: THE PROTECTIVE ONE — it does not require much for you to take someone under your wing. you have a knack for seeing the best in others and rooting for them, and they look up to you in turn. they feel that you are safe to go to in times of chaos or strife, and are calmed by your presence. you take extra measures to make sure everyone feels supported. things that others might not even consider, you have already likely accounted for. in most scenarios, you are "the leader." your struggles tend to come from your desire to provide things to others. you want to give, to see those you love happy, to make wherever you are a place of comfort. your failures hit you hard because you see this as your responsibility, and you hate to let people down. …okay, yes, there's no avoiding it: this is the parent friend.

otherside verse: THE HEART FULL OF FAITH — at some point in your life, you've probably been told you're "the glue" keeping a certain group of people together. you look on the bright side of things. you are able to convince someone that everything will be alright. your (found) family walks away from you feeling strengthened by your faith and--let's face it--wisdom. hopefully, you aren't being taken for granted in this. keeping morale up comes naturally to you. you probably do plenty without even realizing it. you're a good listener, thoughtful, kind. even leaders come to you for guidance. you may or may not be keen on being in charge yourself, but you are trustworthy, and you do right by the people who depend on you. the only person you can't always see clearly is yourself. it's easy to tell someone their potential but incredibly difficult to realize your own. you need the support of others just as much as they need you--but once you're put to the test, you'll realize you had the right stuff in you all along.

bitter verse: THE BRAINS — people are not so much your forte. you are more at home with thoughts, ideas, hobbies, skills. as such, you probably have to learn how to work well with others--but once you do, hey, it has its moments. while you are treasured for your ability to solve problems, people also have this unique love of novelty. when you break from your schedule, when you say something no one is expecting--that's novel. you are as curious and lovable as the subjects you study. you are family. this place is not the same without your witty comments and wry observations. you definitely feel more comfortable when someone needs a straightforward answer than a shoulder to cry on, but it's not impossible to give both. know that your family loves you for more than that, though, and will (usually) remember to respect your boundaries.

[rosemaidenvixen]

Halloween prompt idea:

Chapter 6 of a secrets worth from Jim's POV?

That chapter lives in my head rent free. It's literally one of my faves to go back and reread.

Jim was still laughing, all of them were, as they walked out of the dark theater into the bright lobby. He really shouldn’t make a hobby of theater hopping, for a lot of reasons, but he was really happy they’d done it today.

“Glad you decided to stay later this time,”

He started and glanced over in confusion.

Toby grinned up at him “Dr. Lake probably won’t be too mad at you for breaking curfew, just make her some of your famous spinach puffs and she’ll get over it,”

Jim stopped completely to turn and look at Toby directly “What are you talking about? It’s only three, I’ll be home in plenty of time,”

By now their whole group had stopped, the girls all turning their heads to silently watch his and Toby’s conversation.

Toby raised an eyebrow at him “No dude, it’s four thirty,”

The beginnings of something uncomfortable squirming in his guts, Jim slowly pulled out his phone “It can’t be that la-”

Jim froze, heart seizing up middbeat, staring down at his phone, brain refusing to accept what his eyes were seeing.

4:27pm.

He blinked, hoping desperately it was a trick of his mind and that after a few moments of staring it would go away and he’d see the real time.

It didn’t, the glowing numbers remained static, showing that the time was indeed four twenty seven pm.

He couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, an icy chill spreading out across his whole body and a roaring sound in his ears–

Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder “Don’t worry, I’ve broken curfew a few times, your mom might be mad but it’s n--”

The touch and the voice snapped him out of his paralyzed trance.

He had less than fifteen minutes until he changed. 

He needed to get out of here now.

Sprinting away from the group, he rushed out the doors and made a beeline for his bike. Frantically trying to tear it free from the rack with badly shaking hands.

Had to go get out now before anyone sees–

“Hey, where’s the fire?”

Hearing Darci’s voice, seeing the four of them walking up out of the corner of his eye, Toby’s face pinched and strained, made his already pounding heartbeat ratchet up tenfold.

He couldn’t let anyone see, he couldn’t let them see. Getting hunted down and dragged away was bad enough, but to have his friends see him like that. To watch their eyes widen and faces twist up in horror as they saw the monster he really was –

Jim didn’t think he could take that, ever.

Despite his trembling fingers he finally managed to undo his bike lock and pull it free “Sorry but I really need to leave right now,”

He didn’t stick around to listen to Mary’s shout of alarm, in too much of a rush to even put on his helmet. His mom’s lectures about bike safety drowned out by the frantic drumming of his heart.

There was only fifteen minutes left until he transformed. Less now since it had been a while since he’d looked at the clock. It was ten minutes from the theater to his house by bike…

This was going to be close, so close, if he slowed down by so much as a second it would be game over.

Jim was so singularly focused on peddling his bike as fast as possible he was nearly to his cul de sac before he noticed–

The others were following him on their own bikes.

His already pounding heart shot straight up into his throat but he didn’t dare slow down. Too keyed up to even feel relieved when he pulled up to his house. Ditching his bike on the lawn and sprinting towards the front door. 

Ripping it open, Jim darted inside and slammed it behind him without slowing down for a second. A creak of the floorboards had him glancing to the right to see his mom was right there in the living room, sitting on the couch with her phone in a death grip, expression gaunt and skin chalky. As soon as she spotted him equal measures of relief and anxiety washed over her face as she stood and stepped towards him.

“There you are, Jim what–”

Both of them jumped as a pounding sounded just on the other side of the front door.

Jim stared at it in horror, insides twisting in on themselves, then a second round of pounding noises had him racing into the kitchen and ducking behind the counter.

He was in his own house, his own home with his mom right there. But he couldn’t calm down, the booming in his chest and ears and jittery energy all over his body refusing to dissipate.

He was faintly aware of soft noises echoing in from the front room, his mom trying to shoo Toby and the others away, making the pressure in his chest ten times worse.

What did they think of him? Running off like this? Acting like a crazy pers–

Jim jerked and swallowed a gasp as the change washed over him. The roaring in his ears was now ten times louder, and his clothes had to be at least twenty times tighter and it was not comfortable at all.

As unpleasant as it was, the sensation of his too tight clothes straining and pinching into him did help ground him somewhat. He was still freaking out, but he was a lot more present in the here and now than he had been ten seconds ago.

A slam of a door, click of a lock, rapid footsteps and then his mom was walking into the kitchen. She leaned heavily into the counter across from him. Her entire body rocked by deep, shuddering breaths.

After what had to be a solid minute she finally turned towards him.

“What were you thinking? I must have called you over a dozen times!” 

Hearing her desperate tone a wave of guilt rose up alongside the existing panic inside him “I…I’m sorry, the others wanted to sneak into another movie, and I lost track of time, and my phone was off–”

Barbara sagged against the counter, as if just standing upright took all the strength she had.

“Jim I’m glad you’re going out and having fun with your friends, but you can’t just let yourself get careless like this. If you want to be independent you need to manage your time better,”

“I– I’m sorry,” despite his new size his voice was small “I just– I didn’t think–”

“Do you have any idea how close you were cutting it!”

Jim jerked back in surprise, shirt ripping from the sudden motion. He couldn’t remember his mom sounding that scared, ever. He didn’t know how to respond.

And based on the look on her face, neither did she.

“Oh sweetie I’m sorry…” Barbara glanced down, seeming to notice his tattered clothes for the first time “Stay here, I’ll get the scissors,”

He managed a nod in response, slowly getting to his feet while his mom pulled the scissors out of the pencil jar.

Despite the panic, shock, and guilt still coursing through him, there was still a part of him that rankled at the idea of his mom helping him undress like a little kid. But his clothes were beyond ruined, and there was no way he could get out of them on his own.

Barbara stepped up to him, scissors in hand, and Jim held out an arm in permission.

There would be repercussions from today. There was no way he could run out on his friends like a crazy person without any consequences.

But he was home, he was safe, his secret was safe. Whatever fallout would come he would take it. However bad it was going to be, Jim knew today could have ended far far worse.

His mom looked up to him, the pain in her gaze saying more than words ever could, then slid the scissors under his sleeve and snipped.

[magnuficent76]

Uuuh hiiiii for the oc asks!!!!! So, how old, best memories, hobbies and gender+sexualitt for uuuuh Archer Mary and Luis but you can do more. Or less. Or pick and choose. Have fun!!!

[ From this ask meme ! ]

HIIII !!!!! OKAYSSSS :] !!! tysm for the QUESTIONS !!!

🌼 How old are they ? [Or approximate age range]

🎹 Do they have any hobbies ?

❤️ What is one of your oc's best memories ?

💚 What is your Oc's gender identity and sexuality ?

[-> Archer

🌼 Caede Tales characters give me a tricky time to answer this, because the story is told over the course of their entire lives, but by the time the story really starts going (Aka, Archer is joining Maliwan), he's about 29 while Joey is 25 !

And for the last time he's seen, he's around 40 something.

🎹 No <3 [/hj] But for a serious answer ! Archer isn't someone who has a lot of hobbies, he's usually too busy with work to really have his attention dispersed, but when he is stationary for a certain amount of time and work slows down, he likes writing poems in post-it notes and then bringing them home to collage em together. He says it's just to make time pass faster, but he does genuinely enjoy writing and reading. Otherwise, he's usually just working.

❤️ One time, when Archer was a kid– no older than 13– he and Jonah were out and about for a little mission with their dad, but they couldn't go back home right away, so they had to sleep on a tent outside. Their dad fell asleep pretty fast, so for most of that time they were together, playing and talking and trying to tire themselves out. They eventually got to lying down, and seeing the stars so clearly above them, with only the other brother to keep them company now, was really kind of a foundational experience. They both promised that no matter what, at some point, they would make it to those stars, and they'd both shine just as brightly for other kids in Pandora to marvel at, so maybe a few of them gets inspired to change the world too.

But you know, silly childhood dreams.

💚 "WHAT? [Clearing throat] I mean. I don't know what either of these mean, so who the hell are you to ask that? Both of those sound like very private business, if I had to guess, so I won't be taking further questions. Get out of my office." [He is NOT Cishet that's for sure]

[-> Maria

🌼 Maria is about 54! She ages very gracefully in the sense she's happy about growing old, since so many people in the planet don't get that luxury most of the time. She dies at about 71, not long after Lucio, but at least she didn't die alone like he did.

🎹 Oh Maria has plenty of hobbies, that you can be sure ! Gardening, weaving, playing violin (usually with her kids), cooking, anything to keep the hands busy and the brain focused in a task. It's not wise to leave yourself unoccupied when your head is full of thoughts Constantly, and Maria is all too familiar with it. Thankfully there's always something that needs doing in the house and in the town in general !

❤️ One of the most special memories in Maria's life is getting to escape her old clan, leaving with Lucio in this special, once in a lifetime romance with someone she was sure would bring her happiness, seeing the world she used to know expand its borders so much farther than she thought they could... it was a weird adaptation, but it felt like her life actually had purpose now, that she would get to help people elsewhere, and bring some good to the otherwise very violent wasteland she called home. It was a choice for certain, and one she never regretted.

💚 "Oh, I don't know much about that... I don't know many of the terms! Is there some kind of guide? I figure I could tell you better if there was!" [Cis Biromantic !]

[-> Luis

🌼 In a quantifiable, human-adjacent age ? He's been stuck in his 30's for a while. In actuality ? About 3 Million and some, but in this reincarnation he's around 328.

🎹 Working out, and anything that includes moving his body (Parkour, hiking, running, you name it). Luis is the kind of guy who hikes the everest without any gear and then returns home a month after like "wow, that was refreshing". He's extremist and won't hesitate to remind you several times by running around in the woods in the dark for fun. Otherwise he usually either cooks or plays videogames with his housemates.

❤️ <3 That's A Spoiler And I Won't Tell You <3

💚 "Who's askin', the pride police? Unless we're gettin' to business you ain't gotta know." [Bisexual and Cis... Probably.]

[bard-like]

lads I just had a birthday and I don't know what the FUCK I'm doin

I mean I know what I'm doin but I don't know what I'm doin on so many accounts:

1 ) HEALTH. am I healthy? I've been eating less and smoking a Lot. I just got an elliptical so I'm trying to move more and get my lungs moving. I still have the daydream about smashing my bong into pieces and giving up smoking by force. I'm sick of the tightness in my chest, I'm sick of the overthinking, I'm sick of my brain feeling like it's in the washing machine.

2 ) HOME. I want to be happy at home. I want to bring my parents peace of mind. but I also want to live my Self. I want to help them but I can't help them. I need to feel like I can separate work from home. I want to get an office but it will max out my budget for longer than I want; and money might get tight soon.

3 ) SOCIAL MEDIA. Generally? To hell with it. But I wanna make it better. I wanna make it how I want to make it: my thoughts, my progress, sharing experience, and reaching out. NOT advertising. NOT trying to be popular. same ol Stupid thoughts turned Real for the sake of making other laugh or relate to those who feel similarly. making fun stories and sharing them. taking stupid ideas and making them stupider with friends. I don't need to be my perfect self. I don't need to be a specific way. I wanna be my stupid slot machine personality of a self and explode ten-thousand ways and let those who wanna stay, stay. tumblr's a place where our fixations wander, people come and go, and we customize our shit, I'm not worried so much about that. but the book? god I gotta clear out people I don't want to hear from, and be the chatterbox I love to be with the people who understand me, or at least want to hear from me. I just need it changed.

4 ) MUSIC. I'm sitting by an instrument I want to practice, and a brand new instrument for fun. They're hobbies that bring me a sort of silence, a concentration that puts the noise of thoughts to rest. I want to do more of it. I want to be On myself to play a little each day. to think about it each day. It's something I want to share, too. It's something I want to grow. I gotta choose them over my other vices.

5 ) ART. When it comes to making the New Game, there's a lot of experimentation. I have a Plan but I feel like I'm staring at the start line. I really really really want to share this experience with you all, and I need to get over my perform-y perfectionist-y ways and just hit the Live button and have at it whenever I want to make progress. But that too feels like it needs a better routine schedule?? I'm fighting against my work hours and my Garbage Attention Span Pace to see what schedule works best for me. Of all things I just wish people WANTED a specific way about it, this day that day these hours this objective blahblahblah. it feels like I need a manager for F u n . T wT

6 ) GAMES. Same for this, I play a lot of stuff and sneak in 15-40min rounds of stuff all the time. There are plenty times I'd rather be streaming, but sometimes I get self-conscious about my friends/work seeing my 'slacking' in this or that. So my favorite thing ever became this guilty pleasure- when not long ago I was pretty damn okay with NEETing the fuck up and playing with friends forever. I wanna get rid of this guilt, and have FUN when playing. And I just know I have a lot more fun when it's sharing the game.

----

my life is full of Things To Do. I'm just severely missing the time structure, and the timeplanning shit i'm trying to do aint cutting it. I want to fit all this in:

4-6 hours of Work [if assigned]

45min of Bass/Drums practice

60min of 3D modeling

2+ hours of project progress

some kinda exercise for an hour

and I know my dumbass will want to play a game in between those tasks. I haven't been able to get a day that yet. so far I've felt like I've been in Festivity month. There's so much I wanna do. and so much to move forward on.

but for the love of god someone get this schedule out of my hands

[dansnaturepictures]

Another brilliant Global Bird Fair and time at Rutland Water 12th-14th July 2024 

We're just home from a long weekend in the East Midlands visiting this event we love and packing in some amazing wildlife encounters at the Rutland Water Nature Reserves along the way. The two days we spent at the fair were fulfilling as always, it was such a valuable chance to interact with people; we saw so many people we knew from different aspects of our bird/wildlife watching who were great to catch up with, and we enjoyed chatting to many new people too and meeting some of my wildlife idols again. We attended some inspiring talks, from seeing Nick Baker put invertebrates under the microscope on stage to a touching talk about loss of hearing and hearing impediments from David Lindo. Simon King and Mike Dilger were fascinating and thought-provoking to listen to as ever among others with a great return for the prestigious ‘Bird Brain of Britain’ quiz. Seeing the incredible work of the BTO at their legendary Bird Fair ringing demonstration was a pleasure again, whilst we were watching Green Woodpecker, Treecreeper, Goldcrest, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Great Tit and Blue Tit were thrilling birds to see ringed. I always leave the Bird Fair inspired and feeling good. 

Both on a look round Egleton Nature Reserve on Friday and at Lyndon Nature Reserve nearby to the fair visited at or after it over the weekend, we fitted in some amazing birdwatching. From start to finish we were mesmerised by the iconic Ospreys, such magnificent birds to marvel at one more this year. It was so peaceful watching them fish and special to see a youngster. It was a bird of prey fest with including Kestrel and Buzzard on the way and way back from the car eight different species seen on the trip; also including Red Kites another massive bird that we saw so much of, elegant Marsh Harrier, agile Hobby, Sparrowhawk and sensational evening moments as a magical Barn Owl quartered over Lyndon’s waterside meadows. I notched up a glee filling milestone when as hoped a sighting of my first Green Sandpiper of the year took my year list to 200, making it my joint third highest ever. What a moment for the year with a bird I have a big admiration for and a strong record for seeing at Rutland Water. Great White and Little Egrets, Grey Heron, Lapwings, Egyptian Geese, Tufted Duck, Teal, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Wren, Stock Doves, Sand Martins, Swifts, Whitethroat and Blackcap were other highlights. 

There were also two astonishing moments seeing young birds of two of my favourite species as for the first time ever I saw Pochard ducklings and a juvenile Cuckoo. With the latter it was exhilarating and fascinating to witness the adult of its host species on this occasion, a Dunnock, feed the bird. A smashing glimpse into the life of this species, one of my wildlife moments of the year and ever. 

As is often the case we had a fantastic weekend of mammals too, with a Water Vole seen swimming across a channel of water at Lyndon bringing me another milestone as my first of the year bringing my mammal year list beyond last years total to make it my highest ever. There was also a sensational moment as we saw two Stoats at Egleton, thrilling glimpses of this charismatic mammal. Rabbits were nice to see too. Getting into insects and I got some crucial dragonfly sightings of my year with my first Ruddy Darter and Four-spotted Chaser of the year as well as fine views of Southern Hawker, Common Blue Damselfly and Blue-tailed Damselfly. In the world of beetles it was great to see my first Black-and-yellow Longhorn beetle of the year at Lyndon and plenty of summer stalwarts Common Red Soldier beetles throughout the weekend and ladybirds. Bee, Sun Fly, spider including Harvestmen in a hide, midges and Golden Dung fly were other highlights.

Global Bird Fair coincides with the start of the Big Butterfly Count and Rutland Water especially a bit of rich and vibrant meadow at Egleton is a perfect place to do some counts. This weekend I saw some great species and pleasing amounts of individuals. Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, a fair few Ringlets, Small White, Green-veined White, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell were great to count and away from the count Large and Small Skipper were good to see. I liked seeing Six-spot Burnet too and on the Butterfly Conservation stand at the Bird Fair seeing an Elephant Hawk-moth and others with a caterpillar too was great. 

It was a floral fest with many species enjoyed, so much upright hedge-parsley, nettle-leaved bellflower, meadow crane’s-bill, pineappleweed, yellow rattle and herb-Robert were among the top sightings. Other plant highlights included sorrel, white and red clover, red campion, water lily, marsh woundwort, hedge woundwort, lady’s bedstraw, oxeye daisy, spear thistle, creeping thistle, common hedge-nettle, bush vetch, sow thistle and hawksbeard, white deadnettle, forget-me-not, meadowsweet, hairy St. John’s-wort, nightshade, bird’s-foot trefoil, viper’s-bugloss, yarrow, hogweed and rowan berries. As ever I was taken in by the vast water and wetland views of Rutland Water, it is stunning, with wooded areas, meadows, views to the focal point in the landscape Burley-on-the-Hill and some dramatic and pretty sky scenes. A key weekend of my year once more, a fantastic time which I enjoyed so much. 

I took the ten photos in this set of; the young Cuckoo, view at Lyndon, upright hedge-parsley at Egleton, Common Blue Damselflies mating and the Stoats there, Osprey on the nest at Lyndon, view in the vast Rutland Water at Egleton, Green Sandpiper, Lapwings and Greylag Geese at Lyndon and Gatekeeper and knapweed at Egleton.

[the-official-account]

Episode 18 liveblog YIPEE!

Fewer opening notes on this one. I'm gonna attempt liveblogging AND drawing at the same time, let's see how that goes. I'm currently feeling very smug with my advertisement efforts and while I hope to get to spar and vellum today I realized I made Anya kinda thin and that feels...not right for her vibes. So I'm doing Anya again...that's my excuse JGLDKDHDIS she's so...she's like a purse sized friend

Anyways, beginning of this i was not in front of my art tablet so:

"we come as a pair" haha. Cute.

Cloven heart said OUR little brother figure [bugs bunny com meme]

Scientist with a radio tower.....max.....hm. interestinger an interestinger

Yeah josepha you might be the only person in town who wants cloven heart to be the "center" of anything. Why not sindershore? She already works....idk, there? Or in v.n

Vellum just pulls out the papers lmao. Like why not!

Max came up with the schematics... Did max disappear? Yeah. Hm. HM!

Josepha used to be a woodworker? Was I remembering that right or did my brain just make this up.

"We would talk to Thorne" 😬

MAX WHAT

THEIR NAME WAS MAX WHAT?

Did grey have like....a really shitty alias? How old was max??? Fifteen days ago.... Hmmm.

Vellum would know if his uncle was out of town for like 2 and a half months if there was overlap and it took like a day or half a day of a train ride to get back and forth. It's unlikely vellum wouldn't connect those dots

"I was on drugs when I named it I will be honest".josepha is SO good. She's lovely. She's so funny. Oh my god.

"This may not be to your taste of perhaps it is I do not know how you party vellum" NFOSBDKSHDO

"THINK I COULD ROCK THOSE"

"I ALSO DONT KNOW HOW YOU PARTY AGENT VELLUM"

Trying not to burst out laughing in public this is a struggggllleeee

"The belt has 3 slots for arcane cores" I would rather we not go looking for bombs.... But yk. Queer people have plenty of odd hobbies who am I to judge

Okay but like short distance teleportation for someone with a bad leg is a pretty banger deal

"Sometimes you wake up one day and you're retired" In THIS economy?

Also I'm mentioning this out of order bc this episode is being funny faster than I can type, but (I say this with all of the respect) was vellums "I'm sure I'll find other use for you" sultry or was that just Ila's voice? HFOSHSKSBSOS

Spar sounds so depressed. Give this sheep dog some enrichment!

Vellum being like 'Hey you're good we still need to find some more bombs!' he is in fact giving spar some enrichment

"Waiting for this boat and seemingly intent on returninf to clovenheart"

I just squinted with SO much suspicion that that would be diamond

"Is Brunhilde!!!" Dksgsud ok

"Do you say hi to your mom as you're pretending to arrest the chick you dated who you invited into her home on grounds of a repeat assault?" My god

Spar is ~5'8 tati is 5'3 very good to know

~ many hours later, now doing art stuff~

Vellum could fall on this face and STILL look cool

Anya spar and vellum having a snack has gotta go on my to-draw list (my mind is so fast and my hands are so not fast! Ahh!)

OH NEW MIDTRO isk if this was here last episode. OH SHITFUN FACTS? i love blorbo facts

he has written a SYMPHONY? The essentricism is genetic i think.... a smphony baout YEARNING FOR BELONGING? you are handing me a fic idea. NOTE: symphony driven by loss and isolation over being trans, having lost his parents, wanting to find a place where he's accepted

Smooth velvet is his stripper name this episode is just raining fic ideas, huh? (i am joking but also I am not joking. BUt im joking but im not joking....I am deciding if im joking)

DONT BE MEAN TO ISHBALA (spell chat tdb) SPAR!!!!!!

DONT BE MEAN TO GREGGINS EITHER!!! LJKSAFHGLKAHFGLAKSG

greggins binder generator.

[not episode related but im battling between having sincere thoughts about Anya's fashion sense and going "ooooh belly"]

I FEEL LIKE THIS IS PROBLEMATIC AND YOU'RE GONNA GET CANCELLED AND HERE'S WHY

ALSDHGLKASDHGASKGFASGD MY SWORDS A GHOST NOW OHHHH MY GOD I LOVE THEM

SEKITAN WAS A VICTIM....WOAH.......WOOOOAH.

ALTERATION RESISTANT BLOOD? HOOOOLY SHIT. WOAH. WOAH. WAOH MAN. WOW. FUUUUCK. i dont evne......

anya said hey your uhhhh. Your uhh special friend is little stressed. go makeout of whatever. THEY'RE WALKING ARM IN ARM LMAOOOO

ishbala just chose violence SO unprompted

[anya is drawn now for spar and vellum iterations i am...........Well to be fair i am Never very confident going in and it walways turns out okay!!!]

"*he puts a gun in vellums hands* its goot to know you're with someone who can protect you." s;aldfalsfdjaw awhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! SPAR DOESN'T GET PROTECTED SPAR IS ALWAYS THE ONE JUMPING IN FRONT OF THE BULLET DO YOU KJNOW HOW MUCH THIS MEEEEEEEANS TO ME?????

"when you got a good one you keep em" thats it thats spar

spar is correcting vellums stance and vellum must be SCREAMING inside lmao. Vellum focuses SO HARD on everything BUT spar directly behind him and accidentally becomes an expert

ARE THEY ALSO IMPRESSED BY THE SEXUAL TENSION

vellum, full on titanicking it with spar is trying VERY hard to respect boundaries and that is my FAVORITE kind of tension. "I am not making moves because i respect you as a person" is never not entertaining

STOP JUMPSCARING ME WITH THIS FUCKING KISSES I GASPED TOO HARD AND CHOKED ON MY SPIT HOLY FUCK. HOOOLY FUCK.

ughhhhh drawing kisses is such a pain but FUCK do i wanna.

oooh this new outro is so fancy!!!! i love the format changes that are happening here!

im torn between doing another episode tonight and saving it for tomorrow so I can focus fully on drawing.......ill feel out the vibes after i get spar's jaw right. LOVELY episode. spar is making moooooooves!!!!

@threeheartscast i almost forgot!

[bardicbeetle]

How would you describe the plot of SITD to someone who didn’t know anything about it?

oh no /lighthearted i promise this is an excellent question we will see if my pasta colander brain can manage a coherent answer.

Uh

hmmm

See this is why I can't pitch things. This plot is absolute nonsense and that is due in no small part to having worked on it for twelve years.

Safe in the Dark is, loosely, about a 20-something (Hi Alex) who ran away as a kid and never stopped for fear of being dragged back to a family who just wanted to hurt them. About the intense desire to find somewhere they are wanted and protected and seen. About putting the past literally in the ground.

I say loosely because it's, not just about Alex.

Safe in the Dark is about Jesse learning he doesn't have to die, and he doesn't have to make himself smaller in order to be loved, and he doesn't have to give up what he wants out of life just for the sake of making other people happy.

It's about Moira finding people who understand her and care about her and nurture her actual hobbies and interests and don't just value her as a great talker or a good shot. About finding the balance between comfort and change.

About Daniel learning to live and love again despite the horrors in his past. About him finally letting himself feel again. And accept that maybe, just maybe, it's not going to be ripped away this time. (it will be)

I'm getting a little too philosophical again, forgive me, it's late, I haven't slept much.

Safe in the Dark is about Alex Blackwood unknowingly moving into a house full of vampires, getting stuck half-ways between vampire and human, and trying to make the choice between:

completing that change and committing to an eternity of killing, but gaining a family who will love, support, and protect them for literally ever

killing Daniel--who took them in without hesitation, who along with the rest of the household has treated them like family near since their arrival--and reverting to humanity, but losing this strange little home they've fallen into

or waiting it out until the hunger takes their life.

Hijinks ensue.

There is a tenuous truce with a local vampire hunter (Isaac) who didn't believe vampires were actually real until Alex almost kills him.

There is a really quite terrible massacre of a bunch of college students in a club.

There is the main reason I have so much trouble giving an overview of this story which is that every present-day chapter is followed by/coupled with a chapter set in the past that mirrors the present day chapter in some way, be it theme, setting, specific character involvement, or a specific repeated event.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Safe in the Dark, get your moral dilemmas and tragic backstories here, we've got plenty.

Thanks Katie, sorry for the Entirely Too Long Ramble <3

@abalonetea

-Larkspur

[sheepon]

I'm stuck thinking about bugs!! Hobby entomologist rant!!!

When I move I have to leave my collection behind for biosecurity reasons, so I'm looking up info on collecting etiquette for Tasmania. The laws, permits needed, etc. In the US, there are plenty of state parks and forests that are chill with you insect collecting, foraging, and sometimes even taking plants home to plant. In Tas, it looks like this is very much not the case. I'm left thinking about my hobby. I love it. I love catching bugs, I think it's a ton of fun. I love spending time pinning them, the care it takes and being able to see all kinds of detail on them that's so much harder to see from afar. I love that it gets me out in nature, I love spotting new ones, I love that it makes me research and ID them. And as I've starting collecting only very sparingly now that it's not for classes, I love that each specimen reminds me of a time and place. I hold so dearly the funny little guys from my sand dunes trip in Colorado the other year! I will miss them :c tachinid fly, my beloved... On the other hand, I am killing living things for hobby. I am selfishly taking lives in order to obtain their bodies. On the other other hand, I've got excuses in my brain. I'm labelling everything meticulously so I can donate them when needed! And insects are r-selected! There are so many, because so many will die anyway! And I kill so, so many more insects when I drive my car out to go hiking, or when I walk around, or when I accidently let one fly into a building it'll never find its way out of. Really I guess I'm just uncomfortable because I want to keep doing this hobby even though I know it's kind of selfish and maybe wrong. And I have a gut feeling that maybe Tasmanian bug nerds might maybe look down on me for it. It feels like it'd be more forgivable if I at least had a spine about it. It's not lost on me though, that I don't really feel bad about fishing. Somehow it's forgivable if you at least are going to eat what you kill. Even though that means I'd kill more trout in my lifetime than I'll ever kill any single species of insect. Ough.

[lightwise]

15 Questions/15 Mutuals

I'm so late to this, but thank you for the tags @ladyzirkonia @sunshinesdaydream @freesia-writes I loved reading your answers!

Were you named after anyone?

If I told you this you would know what my name actually is ;)

When was the last time you cried?

Hmm probably at a recent movie watch or reading an article that resonated with me.

Do you have kids?

I do not, but I love seeing my friends' kids.

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

What do you think? ;)

What's the first thing you notice about people?

Hmm if I had been answering this question in high school I would have said their shoes. Now I think it's a combo of someone's face/looks and also their demeanor, how they're speaking, what their attitude is.

What's your eye color?

Dark chocolate brown (people think they're black, but they're not, I really do have irises, I swear).

Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy Endings, or just endings that make sense/feel purposeful and appropriate for the characters and story. I have a low tolerance for horror or anything scary...it's stretched some as an adult (and I've been shown plenty of gross or scary things by friends). Considering that I was carried out of the theater screaming as a child watching ET and Toy Story (the first one, when Sid is tearing up his sister's dolls) I think I've come a long way.

Any special talents?

I'm a good writer and photographer, like words and connecting and distilling concepts just come naturally to me. Skills that would get me on a talent show? Not really.

Where were you born?

Southern United States

What are your hobbies?

You mean posting on here isn't a hobby? :p Watching and critiquing movies and shows, reading, writing, when I have the time/finances trying different recipes at home, taking good walks, talking to/hanging out with my friends.

Have any pets?

No, but I want a cat desperately. I've rescued a number of feral kittens here and there but haven't been able to keep one myself yet. I had two gerbils as a kid and two kittens for a year, but had to give them away because my dad was allergic. Since then I've always either lived with people who were allergic, had landlords who didn't allow cats, or just haven't had the finances to feel like I can properly take care of a pet for the commitment of its life.

What sports do/have you played?

Basketball both for a year in highschool and also my whole childhood with my dad in our driveway. We had enough space for some good 3-pointers. I also took ballet for over ten years.

How tall are you?

5'5"

Favorite subject in school?

History and English/Lit.

Dream job?

I've never really had a dream job, and still don't. I went to school for photography and have always done it on the side, but have had jobs in marketing mostly (and coffee sometimes). I usually just want to find something that allows me to be creative and use my brain in ways that work well for it while allowing me to live a life that is healthy for my nervous system. I commuted to work in offices for years and detested every second of it (other than a few great coworkers who got me through it). I like working from home or working on creative projects, and just want to be skilled and effective and helpful with whatever I put my effort toward. However, referencing the hobby section above, I would love to turn watching and critiquing movies/entertainment into something of a paid job.

NPT if you've already been tagged/don't want to do this please ignore! @drafthorsemath @eriexplosion @heyclickadee @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @rosechi @wreckers-wife @kixs-husband @sinfulsalutations @photogirl894 @questforgalas @starrylothcat @iellarenuodolorian @eelfuneral @ladykagewaki @ladyanidala

[plothooksinc]

15 questions, 15 mutuals

I was tagged by @calliopechild /o/

Rules: answer the questions and tag fifteen mutuals (THAT’S TOO MANY I REFUSE I SHALL TAG 5)

1. Are you named after anyone?

Nope.  I was named when my name was the third top name in Australia to call your kid and my parents are just unimaginative. 

2. When was the last time you cried?

LMAO ACTUALLY.  It was when I watched the Rise movie for the first time and saw That Ending.  Like What.  What Do You Want From Me, I Was Not Okay.  

3. Do you have kids?

No.  Rapidly approaching the age where it’s a non-issue, elderly strangers on the street who think it’s such a shame DNI and fuck off

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Well, I could say no...

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Sense of humour, definitely.

6. What's your eye color?

Blue!

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings, please and thank. (I see no reason to change this answer.)

8. Any special talents?

I type 126wpm, can play piano by ear, and can plot a chess game 9 moves in advance.  (Or could.  I haven’t tried in years, my brain is probably too swiss cheese now.)  Also, I can convince complete strangers that I am in fact an amazing fortune teller.  (it’s just empathy.)

9. Where were you born?

McLaren Vale, South Australia.  Wine country!

10. What are your hobbies?

Reading/writing fic, walking to different towns, making AMVs, vidja games.  I have way too many hours of FFXIV on record.

11. Any pets?

My cat died in 2017 and I’ve had no heart to replace her. I am fostering a cat for a friend right now while he’s off overseas, but I can tell you now she’s a terror and while I find her adorable I’ll be happy to see her leave.  So no.

12. What sports do you play/have played?

Tennis and softball!  Neither for a very long time though.  

13. How tall are you?

5′3″.  I am short and stocky and we joke that I have dwarf blood.  (Okay, I joke.  Everyone else just smiles and nods.)

14. Favorite subject in school?

Music, actually!  Followed shortly after by English.

15. Dream job?

Hmm, I think being an editor.  I keep reminding myself most authors would prefer not to get a message from nowhere offering to beta their fics from a complete stranger.  I enjoy editing stuff!  Aside from that, the actual job I have now is pretty good.  It’s not ambitious, but it lets me work from home, play to my strengths, and have plenty of free time.  (I’m a transcriptionist.)

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Tagging @purplecatghostposts @akaikit @janedrewfinally @never-fear-the-fall and @eggxalted - and anyone who’s bored.  Do as you will or not.  (Literally just picked the last five mutuals in my activity feed. o/  but hey, two are new mutuals, so tell me stuff!)