#most of these are like 15 years old so everyone has probably already read them. However! I have decided rec lists are a good form of

[runawaymarbles]

SGA Fic rec

I've never seen SGA but that's not going to stop me from making a rec list for it. Is the characterization accurate? who the hell knows. Not me. I'm just here for a good time.

These are not in any order whatsoever.

A Slightly Different Quality of Light by rageprufrock | M | 5k | John/Rodney

Rodney has to go through John's memories when he accidentally uploads them all to Atlantis servers.

Navigation by rageprufrock | M | 26k | John/Rodney

Trauma and therapy. Mind the warnings.

Whither by Daephraelle | 15k | T | John/Rodney

John learns Rodney has feelings for him and handles it completely responsibly and reasonably and ha ha ha ha jk

Oolon Colluphid Was Right by melannen | G | 1k | John/Rodney

Communication in pop culture references. Ask me about my translation.

Proof by Contradiction by astolat | E | 10k | John/Rodney

Sex pollen aftermath.

Friendly by Speranza | E | 6k | John/Rodney

Secret gay stargate network that John is left out of.

Sheppard's Law by Speranza | E | 40k | John/Rodney

Rodney time travels through John's life.

Kid A by Speranza | E | 8k | John/Rodney

John and Rodney are hooking up except John is definitely not gay about it no sir.

Just So Long and Long Enough by busaikko | T | 8k | John/Rodney

Dave Sheppard tries to send John care packages.

Weddings, Plural, and a Yak by Speranza | E | 18k | John/Rodney

John and Rodney keep getting married for convoluted reasons and it's funny until it isn't. Also Rodney adopts a chaos child. John is normal about it.

War Bride by Speranza | E | 9k | John/Rodney

John and Rodney have a weird dinner with Dave and his wife, then go to space and almost get ritualistically murdered. It's genuinely very sweet.

Ordinary Life by astolat, Speranza | E | 20k | John/Rodney

They get shore leave, go to Florida for one of Rodney's contracts, and things go about how you'd expect (people try to kill them.)

paper cranes (upstairs, downstairs) by verity | M | 18k | John/Rodney

Rodney stays at John's childhood home and is bad about opsec.

Decision Point by esteefee | M | 23k | John/Rodney

Rodney tries very hard to retire to Nevada and John tries very hard to go back to space.

Your Inevitable Unhappy Ending by Helenish | E | 15k | John/Rodney

Rodney tries to attract women by carrying around a baby, and there are some delightfully awkward conversations. And a sex temple.

My Home And Native Land by copperbadge | 17k | T | very very background Rodney/John

Ronan becomes friends with Chuck, and decides to become Canadian.

[collecting-stories]

Sweet Nothings - Remus Lupin

Request: Remus lupin is so sweet nothing. Please I’m begging 🙏

Summary: Just Remus and the reader being cute and talking about reading aloud, eating toast, and having tea.

A/N: There's a whole paragraph about a backstory that I was going to expand on but then decided against it so now its just sitting there as backstory that goes nowhere lol.

TS Anthology Series | Harry Potter Masterlist

...all that you ever wanted from me was nothing...

Molly was still making the rounds, saying goodbye to everyone and making them each individually promise that, should any trouble arise, they would owl her and Arthur immediately. You were a tad too old for surrogate parents though you couldn't deny the warm feeling that always settled over you at the feeling of a too-tight hug and kiss on the head. Molly had a way of making you feel happy to be coddled instead of annoyed, as you so often found yourself with affection these days.

Everything felt forced and performative and overreaching, like every hug was just you trying to convince yourself that things outside of Grimmuald Place were not what they were. Kingsley passed you in the hallway on his way to the floo, nodding a goodbye as you ignored the staircase and walked into the dining room. 

In fifth year you had dated a boy whose family was friends with the Blacks and you'd been to a Christmas party with him here, where you cowered awkwardly in the corner of a room until he snuck you off to the library to make out. At the time you were 15 and Voldemort was dead (or so they claimed) and you had very little exposure to that most noble house of Black and their relatives. Now, in your late twenties, working at the Ministry with Kingsley, you found yourself well-exposed to all the inner-workings of the family drama. Both the Blacks and the Order, and supremely familiar with 12 Grimmuald Place. 

"You've got stuck washing up?" You took the short flight of steps down into the kitchen and walked to where Remus was standing over the sink (shirtsleeves rolled to his elbows and suds from the sponge clinging to his hands). 

"So it seems," he replied, shutting off the faucet and reaching for the tea towel, wiping his hands dry so he could take a sip of tea from the mug he had sitting beside the sink, "has everyone left?"

"They were when I snuck out," you reached around him, taking the mug and stealing a sip from it, "had to come all the way back here to say goodnight to you."

"Is that what you're doing?" He questioned, taking the mug back. 

"It's what I'm pretending to do," you replied. 

Your new found familiarity with the Black Family home had everything to do with Remus, who had been staying with his best friend since Mad-Eye and Kingsley had determined the house to be the safest place for Sirius to outlive his fugitive status (and probably for a significant time before that too). The house had become an unofficial gathering for the business of Voldemort's return months prior to the Order's official reinstatement and you had, in all that time, gotten to know the house and it's occupants (Remus in particular) very well. 

"It's no use," he held the tea towel out to you, a silent request to dry the dishes he washed, "Molly already knows. Which means everyone else does as well."

"What? How do you know she knows?" You asked. You knew you shouldn't be nearly as surprised as you were by the news, Molly mothered seven children after all. The woman had eyes (and ears) in the back of her head. "Also, why do you insist on washing up the muggle way?"

"It's relaxing." He shrugged, ignoring your other question for the moment. 

"Dirty dishes relax you?" You laughed, "you're a very strange man." 

"You must be quite strange then as well, seeing as you've chosen to share a bed with me." He said, voice dropping conspiratorially lower, as though he was sharing some kind of secret with you as he leaned in close. 

You nudged him away with your elbow, hands full of a plate and the rag you were drying it with. "How did Molly know?"

He shrugged, "I haven't the slightest idea, she came up to me at the last meeting and told me she knew about us. Very accusatory, I might add, as though she had caught me in the act."

"Perhaps she did," you teased, "you're very handsy you know."

"I've never been accused of being handsy before in my life," he replied, "perhaps you're thinking of yourself."

"That must be it," you teased, pinching the bit of skin that appeared just above his slacks as he reached to place some dried plates back in the cupboard. He managed to swat at your hand with his, frowning at you as if you weren't in Sirius' kitchen but in fact back at Hogwarts, some teacher just around the corner waiting to nab you. 

"I was going to set a pot for tea if you'd like some," Remus offered, setting the last of the now clean dishes back into their home before moving further down the counter to where the stove sat. 

"Depends," you mused, taking the kettle off the stovetop for him and filling it with water.

"Depends," he echoed, "on what?"

"Will you be reading?" You asked. 

Peace was hard to come by in a war, even when you were far from the actual fighting. When you'd first moved into Grimmuald Place you felt very much like you were suffocating in the morose silence of the home. There was no peace inside the walls. But then, by a stroke of luck and chronic insomnia, you'd come across Remus in the library, sitting by the fire reading and having a cup of tea. He'd happily made you one and then he read aloud to you and it was the first time since agreeing to help Kingsley and Dumbledore with the Order business (truly the first time since there'd been any inkling of Voldemort's return four years earlier) that you'd felt any semblance of peace. 

"Naturally." 

You passed off two mugs to him from the cupboard in the far corner. Sirius had 'therapeutically' broken every piece of china that his mother had perserved in the cabinet and replaced them with various (and often truly ridiculous) muggle kitchenware. The mugs you passed on to Remus now were a set that advertised muggle kings and queens of England.

"I read once that Mary Tudor was actually a witch, you know? Her mother apparently was from a pureblood family and it was rather scandalous that she married Henry. It was muggles then, I believe, that Mary was burning at the stake."

"Catherine of Aragon was a pureblood witch? I think you're making things up at this point," you replied, admiring the way the sleeves of his cardigan threatened to fall down over his hands as he worked.

"It's true, or at least the book I read claimed it to be. I've not given it the time to research properly. It also said she killed Arthur," he replied. 

"Suppose it said Mary was a slytherin?" You teased.

"Could've been." 

"Where's Sirius when I need him to tell you that you're full of shit," you laughed, "off the topic of English royalty though-"

"It's not so impossible to imagine that at least a small portion of the monarchy were witches or wizards." He cut in, insistent to make the point whether he was certain of its validity or not.

"Off the topic," you repeated, stressing the words as best you could, "I've bought you something. And you're talking such nonsense I nearly forgot to give it to you."

"You've bought me something?"

"Yes," you went back to the bag you'd brought that evening, sitting on the chair you'd once been occupying for the meeting, a few non-perishable groceries still sitting inside, and pulled out a container. "It's pumpkin butter, for your toast." You placed the small glass jar on the counter and pushed it toward him.

"Where did you get it?" He asked, lifting it and turning it over in his hands. There were no distinct markings on the outside, just a plain glass mason jar with a lid secured on.

"A market in Bathgate. Went over the weekend to see my mum...she's talking about leaving Scotland, think perhaps she means it this time." You mouth did something resembling a frown (or the beginning of one) before you forced a smile, "as it is, the seller informed me that she grows her own pumpkins and everything." 

"Looks very intriguing."

"It's a bribe, so that you'll read more Silmarillion," you explained, leaning against the counter to be closer to him. In truth, he probably didn't need to be bribed to do anything you asked of him, he simply needed to be asked. And sometimes, not even. But he had claimed, after the last evening you spent reading together over a kettle of tea and plates of jammy toast, that he was going to quit reading to you if you didn't stop falling asleep.

"I was only teasing, before," Remus clarified, an especially soft look on his face, as though he believed that you had taken him seriously when he said he wouldn't read with you anymore, "I'm not really bothered that you fall asleep. I know you've been having trouble getting rest."

"Says you, when was the last time you had a good night's sleep?" You questioned, buttering a skillet to toast bread on, "the last time you fell asleep it was sitting up, trying to read the daily prophet over a bowl of porridge."

"Yes, I remember," Remus replied, thinking of the porridgy goop that had stuck to his elbow when he'd accidentally dropped his arm into his bowl.

"We both need sleep then," you replied. "Desperately it would seem."

"How do you suggest we go about getting it? Considering how busy you are during the day and how adverse I am to napping in the afternoon."

"We go to bed at a reasonable hour?" You offer, laughing on the end of the sentence. There hadn't been a night this week that hadn't been overtaken by a meeting. If not a meeting then simply someone (Mad-Eye or Kingsley or someone equally in a hurry) dropped in to give news or request assistance or speak in hushed tones to the three of you in the kitchen about the changing climate of the wizarding world. Even Grimmuald Place seemed unable to shelter you from the chaos that reigned outside. 

"Splendid idea, are you suggesting we start tonight?" He asked, glancing quickly at his watch as if to remind you how late it was already.

"Seems a shame to waste perfectly goody slices of bread...and you've only just made tea," you replied. Despite your own suggestion you weren't the slightest bit tired and imagined you wouldn't even begin to be until you had finished off your toast and tea and were bundled in Remus' cardigan listening to him read aloud. 

"Excellent point," Remus noted, not ready to fight with sleep either, "shall we head to the library?"

"We should light a fire this time," you suggested, and then, "oh god! You think that's how Molly knows?"

"What?" 

"Do you think that's how Molly knows we're together?" You clarified, though not enough because Remus still looked somewhat confused.

"How? I don't know what you're referring to."

"When Arthur flooed in...to see about the incident near Buckingham and we were-"

"Ah," Remus cut you off, his cheeks going red at the reminder, as though he were not a man in his mid-thirties, perfectly allowed to do what he wanted (or who he wanted, in this case) without being shy about it. "I would say so yes."

"Well best to light a fire then, don't want to shock anyone else, even if Molly has put the word out."

"Are you expecting something to happen?" He asked, following you out into hallway, mugs of tea in hand.

"I have two very distinct reactions to you reading aloud Remus," you replied, "who's to say what tonight's will be."

"Merlin's beard."

[detentiontrack]

Oh wow you actually give quite good advice. Got any advice for highschoolers? I just started my freshman year (although probably some advice won’t be terribly applicable since the entire school is 25 people and my class is 4 kids, but it’s worth a shot. Also it might help other people.)

YES! I DO! So I went to a year and a half of high school before moving up to college and I HATED it. Here are some tips that would have made it suck less.

Learn to have a thicker skin. Easier said than done, I KNOW, but if someone says something mean to you, you can't let it bother you forever. Accept that they're just an asshole or are insecure and taking it out on others, and move on. Your worth is not defined by what some 14 year old bitch says about you.

It is not lame to have a good relationship with teachers! Talk to them, hang out with them during lunch, don't care what anyone else thinks.

Pack yourself a lunch every single day. Its healthier and you'll have more time to hang out during lunch.

Get involved! Join clubs, do student government or debate, do cast or crew for the fall musical. I did costumes for my freshman fall musical, and it's how I met one of my best friends who is still my best friend almost 5 years later (if you're reading this, you know who you are. ily <3)

Don't feel pressured to dress a certain way for fashion trends. I was a freshman in 2019/2020 so vsco girl/cottage core/""alt"" (that wasn't even really alternative) were very popular and I basically didn't wear any of my favorite clothes for a while. Just do what makes you happy.

Get a 504 or an IEP (educational/school accommodation plans) if you need one. They're life savers (if anyone wants another post on what was on my 504 for accommodations, lmk!)

Your body is inevitably going to change. Most people gain weight when they're in high school. Despite being a teenager, you are still a CHILD. Your body isn't going to look like an instagram model's. Don't let it get to you.

Always carry around pads or tampons with you. Even if you don't have periods. You never know when you or someone you know will get a surprise period.

Bring deodorant in your backpack every day. You will need it, even if you apply it in the morning.

Don't be that person who puts on heavy perfumes or body sprays in class. Just don't.

Take honors/AP classes if you can! They're honestly not that much more difficult and they look great on your record.

Do every single extra credit assignment!

Use google docs for everything

Take notes in every class, even if you already know the subject and notes aren't required.

Learn to study in high school, even if you don't need to. You WILL need to study in college and it's good to already know your studying style.

Take lots of photos! Even if you are insecure. You don't have to look at them, but someday you'll want to have them. I was deeply insecure in high school and have barely any photos of myself, and I deeply regret that.

You know those posts that are like "life may suck but at least I'm not 15 again"? Those posts are real. High school is NOT AT ALL the best years of your life, despite what everyone may tell you. Things can always get better.

Try not to date much in high school. Statistically, you are not going to marry your freshman year partner. Even if you think they're "the one", don't take it super seriously. You both have a lot of developing to do.

DO NOT EVER IN YOUR LIFE DATE A SENIOR AS A FRESHMAN. YOU ARE NOT MATURE FOR YOUR AGE. IT DOES NOT MAKE YOU COOL. THEY ARE NOT DIFFERENT OR SPECIAL. A 17/18 YEAR OLD HAS ABSOLOUTLEY NO BUSINESS DATING A 14/15 YEAR OLD. DO NOT GO THERE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is a LOT of pressure to lose your virginity in high school. That is bullshit. It's okay to not have sex until later. It's okay to never have sex. Anyone who tries to pressure you or tell you otherwise, is NOT someone you want in your life. The right sexual partner will respect your boundries and not try to pressure you into anything.

[hacked-by-jake]

𝗡𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘀

Summary: Not everyone is interested in getting married, but in a dangerous life, a lot of bad things can happen. Especially in Jake and MC’s life, the couple cares a lot about safety. So they just wanted to be prepared for the worst. But if you have a Kaden, you don’t need enemies anymore.

Pairing: Jake x Fem!MC (She/Her)

Other characters: Kaden. (Jake's extroverted Brother. (If you don't know him yet, Kaden is an OC made by a couple of people from our Fandom. It began as little joke but some of us really enjoy the idea of him.) + The Group

Words: 2718

Warnings: Strong language / Marriage / Fast progress (?) / Implied accidents, death and severe injury (?) Not really but just in case. Quickly written

A/N: Okay, so, I wrote it this morning. If you’ve been following me for a while, you might know that I’m not a fan of getting married. Nevertheless, I had this idea in my head for a long time and somehow it came out today. I think it kinda suits MC and Jake. At least, how I imagine them so maybe you will like it as well. Please forgive me for any mistakes. Have fun. 💚 Oh, and very important, don't be like Kaden. Let people live. Do not force anyone into thinking that things like marriage is important to be fully happy. :)

"Yo yo yo, my two favourite chaotics." Kaden did not bother to wait until MC went out of the way and just pushed past her into the apartment as soon as the door was wide enough open.

"Ready for party?" he added and turned to the young woman, who closed the door while rolling her eyes.

"Sure, party, at the Rainbow, I can already see the hangover due to too much cake," mocked his brother’s girlfriend.

"MC, my sweet little MC," Kaden spoke as if he wanted to explain important life-rules to a 5 year old child. He came up to her, cupping her face and bringing his so close to her that his nose almost touched hers, "Anything can be a party if you act accordingly." He nudged her nose with a finger befor distancing himself again.

"So, where’s my dear brother? Not ready as usual, huh?"

He almost jumped straight through the room to the spiral staircase, took the first three steps up and singsong, "Jake, move your ugly ass down, we’re too late!"

MC couldn’t help but grin, "Wait here, I’ll get him, I have to change my shirt anyway."

As she went upstairs, Kaden sighed bored. As always, he was unfamiliar with privacy, and as long as he had to wait, he could also look around a bit. After all, it was the couple’s own fault.

If they weren’t late, he wouldn’t have time for this.

First he examined the framed picture of himself, his mother and his brother, which was palced on a dresser. This picture was taken almost 15 years ago and the two boys had been quite young and happy at the time. Every time he was here, he looked slightly melancholically at this picture, sighed and put it away with a grin. Just as now.

He already knew the rest of the living room by heart, at least the obvious decoration. He also knew most of the drawers, but decided to take a look at the top drawer. Maybe it has some new, interesting things to discover.

The drawer opened and the man froze as he saw the indeed new paper.

'Registry office - Certificate of marriage'

The words literally screamed into his face. If he had something to drink in his hand now, he would probably have spit the liquid against the next wall and choked terribly. Instead, his heart skipped a couple of important beats while he kept reading the couple’s, sorry, spouse's, two signatures at the end of the note over and over.

The words raced through his head, he understood what was there, but it took him a good minute to realize it.

But then, then it hit him right.

"What the fucking hell!" he yelled, grabbed the sealed paper and jumped up the stairs, ignoring two steps at a time.

At the same time, the door of Jake’s office opened and MC came out of the bedroom.

"What the hell is that?" Kaden waged furiously with the certificate in front of their faces, staring at them with wide eyes and shook his head in disbelief. He repeated his question, making a tiny pause between every word to emphasize the seriousness.

MC’s eyes grew even bigger than before while Jake could do nothing but looking tormented at his... wife.

When neither of the two attempted to answer, Kaden frantically hissed, "You are married! I thought you didn’t want to get married? And then you do it? Secretly?"

The woman wanted to approach him, calling his name calmingly.

He interrupted her, "Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?"

Jake sighed while passing her to enter the bedroom. But not without placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Kaden, come down, you’re exhausting." His brother stopped in front of the closet, opened it and grabbed a hoodie which he pulled over his black shirt.

"I am exhausting? You got married! Without telling anyone!" the younger brother followed the hacker into the room.

MC stood behind him and gave Jake a tired look.

"Kaden, stop" she pleaded, "Yes, we got married. And we didn’t say anything because we didn’t want to make a big deal of it."

"No big deal?" Kaden snapped, "The most antisocial man in the world," pointing straight at Jake, "My brother. Got married! To a real, living woman, and you’re telling me that’s not a big deal?"

"Right." Jake growled, offended by the previously spoken words, "Because it’s no big deal."

"Why didn’t you say anything? And why the hell are you suddenly getting married and keeping it secret? You don’t even wear rings!"

"We didn’t say anything because we didn’t get married to capture our love on a piece of paper." MC joined her husband’s side. She grabbed his hand and looked into his eyes. His blue was filled with warmth and pure affection for her. "You know," she continued, "What happened with Richy back then, and after Jake disappeared and the arrest - we’ve just seen too many times what can go wrong without being able to expect it. Too often we have had to watch disasters, so call us ridiculous, but the reason we decided to take this step..," she paused. For the hacker, it was the sign to continue her sentence. He cleared his throat, the air suddenly seemed to be suffocating, "If anything happens. To me or MC, then we want to be able to decide about the other. No, rather for the other. Should the case occur that we ourselves can no longer do it."

For a few moments it was very quiet in the room. Not even Kaden, for once, knew what to say. Instead, he looked at his counterparts with a mixture of disbelief and concern.

This time it was MC who had to clear her throat, her voice sounded still a bit hoarse, "When it came to what happens with Richy in the hospital, the drama of who has the authority and all that. The argument between Jessy and Richy’s father - we just want to be able to do what’s best for the other. And only as a couple this is not possible, so we decided to get married without ceremony or anything else. Only legal and fast, and only for this one specific reason. You know that we both didn’t really want to get married, so we didn’t want to celebrate either. On the other hand, the reason why we did it, is not a reason worth to celebrate. We discussed it normally and decided to do it to be on the safe side if the worst case ever comes true. And we didn’t tell you anything because we really didn’t want you to make this thing bigger than it is. We love you, Kaden, but you know that keeping secrets and discretion are not your strengths." His new sister-in-law grinned slightly at the end.

Kaden looked slightly hurt, but could not stop the small grin that slowly crept on his lips. Everything he could get out was a soft, "Okay."

"O-okay?" Jake’s face grimaced in amazement, "No more? You accept it as it is?"

No, of course he did not.

"Yes, I do. I guess I have no choice. I admit, I feel hurt, but I have to live with it. I’m happy for both of you, tho." He dropped the paper onto their bed, bridged the gap and pulled the couple into a firm embrace.

"You are pathetic unromantic," Kaden muttered and ended the tender moment.

"We do know."

"I think we should really get going now." Jake recalled the meeting.

"Righty-right." his brother clapped his hands, "Let’s go!" He did not hesitate another second, leaving the two speechless behind.

Neither Jake nor MC trusted this situation, it did not suit Kaden to simply swallow such a thing and then continue. He makes a big deal out of everything. This reaction was more than suspect.

~

15 minutes later the three got out of Kaden’s car. They could already see the group sitting outside the Rainbow at a big table, laughing.

"Kaden," Jake’s voice was warning, "No word to the others, understand?"

"Ay ay, sir." He saluted exaggeratedly and nodded, "Go ahead, I’ll be right back, I’ll have to buy something for my computer." Jake tried to reach for his brother's arm but Kaden escaped him, "Don't worry, I will hurry up."

The young woman rolled her eyes once again, taking Jake’s hand into her own and together they joined their other friends.

~

Just as the friendly waitress had placed the last ordered drink on the table and left, Kaden suddenly appeared at the table.

Right behind Jake and MC.

"Hello, dearest brother." Lilly’s eyes began to glow with joy, but her second half-brother ignored her. He was way too busy praising himself for his very next move.

Without shame, he placed a small square box in front of the couple. It was clearly a ring box, covered in wonderful black velvet.

'Fuck you, Kaden!' MC hissed in her mind and closed her eyes, trying to control her breath. Or rather, her rapidly rising anger level.

"Kaden-" The hacker growled and wanted to turn around, but Kaden pressed his hand against Jake's mouth. "For the newly married couple!" he purred.

At the table it became dead-silent, just like Kaden earlier, everyone froze in the middle of the movement, staring at the standing man, then switching to Jake and MC.

"What do you mean, excuse me?" Jessy choked on her coffee. Dan who was sitting next to her immediately started patting her back a little too hard. The redhead coughed while trying to grab Dan’s hand, "Ouch, stop!"

"Yeah, right. Joker and Harley. V and Evey. Romio and Julia, the last one is the best fitting one, married quietly and secretly, sneakily and cocky, and they didn’t tell anyone."

Lilly almost jumped up from her chair, "You seriously got married?"

Hannah began to smile slowly. "Is that true? You got married?" The older sister looks at them like real unicorns are sitting in front of her. Her eyes were a real competition for the ones of the little girl in the movie 'Despicable Me'.

The first shock had dissolved and everyone started to talk wildly.

"Goddamnit Kaden, you fucking asshole!" Jake turned to his brother and wanted to get up to be at his eye level, but MC put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Let’s just do it, we have no other choice anyway."

To put an end to the discussion, she took Jake’s hand and then spoke out loud to get through the jumble of voices, "Yes, we got married. Two weeks ago. No, we didn’t do it out of infinite love, even if we do, we just want to be able to take care of each other, even in an emergency. We don’t wanted a situation like the one we had with Richy back then. No, we do not want to celebrate now and we do not want to make a big issue of it. We’re a couple like before, we just signed a note, that’s all."

Kaden’s grin grew wider and wider, if that was still possible, while he finally took the last free chair.

Seconds passed again, filled with nothing but silence, then the voice-chaos repeated.

MC whined and dropped her head against Jake’s shoulder, needed his near and searching for support. To her surprise, even he was grinning lightly. She had rather expected that the hacker would take the fork in front of him and ram it into Kaden’s shoulder.

Mentioned one just leaned back contentedly in his chair and watched the whole thing with devilish pleasure.

"You're officially banned from our home!"

He gratefully pretended to put the middle finger he had just been shown by his beloved sister-in-law into his pocket.

"Excuse me," the waitress stepped back into the action, "There seems to be a big reason for you discussion, but I ask you to be a little quieter, the other guests also want to talk."

"Sorry, Liza, we’ll be quiet." Cleo knew the woman for a long time, they both had attended several cooking classes together.

"Oh, and congratulations," she turned to Jake and MC before moving to another table.

"Listen," Jake’s brother supported his elbows on the table and leaned forward, "I know you both hate me now-"

Jake snorted, "Not only since now."

A unanimous laugh, an eye-rolling of Kaden, a punch against Jake's chest by MC.

"Okay, correction: I know you hate me even more now," he winked, "But I had a good reason to be an asshole."

"Pah," Dan chuckled, "Funny. You say that every time."

"Let him finish, Dan" Although Thomas said what everyone thought, he just pulled his head in and looked consistently away from the bearded one.

"Thank you, Thomas." The younger brother blew a kiss towards Thomas.

"Well, you hate me, okay, we hate you for not saying a word to us, but I still want to make one thing clear. Warning, cheesy shit ahead - For you, this may be a small and insignificant thing, but not for us. If you don’t want to celebrate, okay, but we want to celebrate."

Lilly cut him off, "Exactly!"

"Shit," Hannah sobbed, her boyfriend immediately wrapped an arm around her, she continued, "Kaden is right, I understand why you didn’t say anything. And yes, this is appropriative, I admit it. But I don’t know of any couple who deserves the pure happiness more than you two, no couple has had it as hard as the two of you. And if it’s not a big happening for you-"

"For us it is." Cleo solemnly raised her glass.

"Truly!" Jessy did the same.

"Blah blah blah."

"Dan!" The whole group snapped at him at the same time which leads him to raise his hands in defence.

"Check out the rings," Kaden nodded at the box. Jake did as instructed. To be honest, he liked the whole thing here. Although he did not think much of marriage as proof of love, the term 'my wife' made him proud. And he also liked the idea of wearing matching rings with her more and more.

In the beautiful box there were two matt black rings, a slightly larger and wider one, and the second slightly smaller and narrower.

The hacker pulled out the smaller, MC still leaned against his shoulder.

"See the inside." Kaden smiled lovingly.

'Till Death' was neatly engraved inside.

"The second looks the same," the ring buyer informed them with another wink.

The new bride looked at him stunned, "They're beautiful!"

"And absolute destiny. These were the only not boring rings the jeweler had, see if they fit you."

Hannah had already pulled out her phone and filmed the couple.

MC giggled and pulled out the second ring, "Alright, let's do this." She exhaled loudly and turned to Jake, he followed her example.

"And three, two, one." Lilly joked. Thomas tapped the table with his palms, imitating a drum roll.

And then, more ceremonial than they ever imagined, the two of them put the ring on each other’s fingers. Of course, they fitted perfectly.

Kaden laughed happily, "You may kiss the bride now! But remember, we are in public, 18 plus is not -"

Before the he could finish his sentence, the spouses already kissed each other.

The group cheered and clapped loudly. But not only them. Of course, by now, all the other people around the group had long understood what was happening there and joined the small celebration.

Jake and MC, both slightly flushed, smiled into the kiss. Even if it was not as they had imagined, they were more than happy. The reason for this was not the meaning of a marriage or something similar, but the love of her friends and family.

"Till Death," Jake whispered, leaning his forehead against his wife’s. "Till Death." MC agreed just as quietly.

Till death, and beyond.

[elliespuns]

Seeing the whole Joel thing with a Daddy kink reminds me of something else, Ellie being so horny? Like yes I read them because it’s a fanfic😔 but realistically speaking after a victim is hit with SA they can either be easily repulsed by sex or be hyper sexual. I’m sure Ellie didn’t suffer a lot after David & I love how your Drabble captures it after.

Another thing I hate when people say Ellie has so much experience in sex? Like being honest she’s probably only had sex about 2 times because it’s clear she’s had sex before when she got with Dina. Not to sound like a perv but Ellie did have Cat before & suspecting since they were both 17 & dumb teens it’s likely they did it before.

Another thing I really doubt Ellie would be dominant in bed being honest she probably looks like a standing stick bug trying to top you, as much as I love her. (I wanna give her a big fat smooch) yes I am talking about older Ellie & in none of these paragraphs am I talking about 14 year old Ellie-🕸️

ELLIE'S TRAUMA: The thing David did to Ellie was horrible. I still have chills just thinking about it. It definitely took a toll on her. We can see it when the game skips to the spring section (which is already a few months after David) and the deer on the wall awakens some bad memories of the incident in her and she suddenly becomes really sad and distant.

But as you say, I don't think she suffered that much from it (hopefully thanks to the fact he didn't have a chance to actually do any real harm to her). We can also see that it doesn't affect her as a person that she is in Part 2 at all. All she is is because of what happened at the hospital, not because of what happened with David. Of course, she carries it with her everywhere she goes, but after she managed to kill that motherfucker, I believe that her strong personality and bravery helped her to accept it and move on.

There are a lot of fics that capture her trauma after what happened with David, but I think the writers just portray their own trauma through Ellie for they feel close to her because she went through something similar (or the same). Which is okay. It's just not canon for Ellie as we know her. I think she felt bad for a long time after it happened, but I also believe that she was more upset about having to chop the man's face into pieces than about him hovering above her, trying to do things. I guess the fact that he didn't have time to finish what he started caused Ellie to be more 'accepting' of it.

ELLIE'S SEX LIFE Ellie is definitely not as sexually active as many people make her in their fics (again, it's just their way of portraying her as they want her to be). Which, again, is completely okay.

Although there are a few fics that make Ellie be like this and that just doesn't rub me the right way. Whenever I read something like this, I have a feeling I'm reading about someone else. I don't read much of the Ellie x reader thing (mostly because in most of them she is portrayed as a dominant and hypersexual nymph and it's not my thing), but I've read a few.

I have to admit though, that until recently, I always thought that Ellie had her first time with Dina. But when I play the scene in my mind over and over, I can see she's the one pushing Dina down, laying on top of her, feeling confident about 'taking over'. Which wouldn't probably happen if she was completely inexperienced. She knew how to do that already, and she had no other intention than to make it happen.

I also think that she had sex with Cat (and if not sex-sex, they definitely did things together). They must have tried. C'mon, I don't know how old Cat was, but Ellie was 17. That girl was probably having sexual thoughts at 15 already, let alone at 17. I mean... let's not forget she was still a hormonal teenager like everyone else at this age.

And as far as it goes for Ellie being dominant, yeah, I can't see that. She's probably this cute, little lame cookie trying her best to make her girlfriend feel good, always asking things like, "Is that okay?" during her first time or "Does that feel good?" during regular sex. Like, I'm sorry, I just can't see her pushing someone against the wall with words like, "I'm gonna fuck you so hard, you won't be able to walk." Like, no, this is not the Ellie we know.

[runninriot]

20 Questions For Writers

i'm a little late because i took a break while on vacation but THANK YOU for the tag @ataliagold and @sidekick-hero 🖤

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

52

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

468,074 (written in 16 months, which is a personal achievement i'm actually quite proud of)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Steddie only for now because these boys still have me in a tight grip i can't get out of

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

thought i'd only look at the stats for the ones i wrote this year out of interest

Liberate Me

Worship Me

Sweet Thing

Tomorrow

You're A God (Be My Sinner)

5. Do you respond to comments?

always!! i appreciate everyone who's taking the time to comment on one of my fics so much. love these little interactions

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

it's 'happy endings always' in my house but the ending of Only Love could maybe count as angsty?

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

it's hard to choose but Where The Sun Still Shines has one of my favourite happy endings

8. Do you get hate on fics?

people have always been very kind to me (thank you, people! 🖤)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

yes and any kind? since i started the The Best You Ever Tasted series i have tried not overthink it and not to limit myself anymore when it comes to writing smut and to just go for it. there's still more to explore 😏

10. Do you write crossovers?

apart from my first ever steddie fic Real Love Is Forever (ST×The Crow mash-up), i haven't written any crossovers yet

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i think/hope not?!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope. but i'd love it if that ever happened

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

no but i think it could be a fun experience although i'm not sure i'd want to burden anyone else with the chaos that is my writing process 😅

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Steddie. don't know what it is exactly but i love them being in love and writing and reading about them makes me fucking happy

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Weight of the World. do i want to finish it? yes!!! will i ever? only the stars and moon know (it's been a year, man 😔)

16. What are your writing strengths?

people have said i'm good at writing dirty smut mixed with deep emotions which is a compliment i hold dear to my heart

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

ugh. plotting/outlining, just planning ahead in general. i always start my fics with a random sentence and just take it from there which has cost me some nerves in the past because i never know what i'll end up with

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

love when people do that. i think it can be a nice way for authors (like me) who aren't native english speakers to sprinkle bits and pieces of their own first language into their fics

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Steddie (any hand-written sins from my youth are well-hidden in old notebooks and will never see the light of day again)

20. Favorite fic you've written?

oh god, that one's hard because i love all my brain babies equally but

We Are The Lifeless Stars (Shining In The Dark) is the one that broke me most

Small Treasures To Keep is my favourite prompt inspired fic (kudos to all of those amazing people providing us with writing challenges and prompts, i love you guys!)

i absoluetely loved creating Vampire Steve's background story in Show Me What It's Like (To Live On The Other Side)

Unlovable is very special to me in many ways

and Monsoon and Harrsion was probably the silliest fic idea i ever had, inspired by Jemma who came up with the names. it was so fun to write and it still makes me laugh when i think of my google search history while writing that porn actors au 😆

that was fun!

feel free to ignore me if you've already done this or don't want to but i'd love to read your answers

@thisapplepielife @morningberriesao3 @steddieas-shegoes @thefreakandthehair @steddie-island 🖤

[water-beats-earthbender]

Not to like complain about this again,,, but,,, God Zuko being 13 when he's burned and banished is just so important to his character and it makes so much of him make sense. Idk aging him up say, 3 years just doesn't work. Obviously what ozai did was horrific whatever age Zuko was. But Zuko was never going to last in the fire nation. He wasn't going to make it past 14 max. Unlike Aang, Zuko doesn't run from responsibility- if anything he runs towards it. That's why even at 13 he sneaks his way into a war meeting. It's why, when he hears a plan that would wrongly sacrifice an entire division of new recruits, he speaks out. Yes, (pre-scar) 16 year old Zuko would speak out against the plan, but he was never going to make it to 16 in ozai's fire nation.

Of all of the characters, Zuko's age is probably the most important when it comes to his backstory. Aang's age is also pretty important, but only bc a 15 year old aang running from being the avatar is not as sympathetic as a 12 year old aang told too soon. Katara and Sokka being 3 years older doesn't change much of their backstory regardless of where you add in the 3 years, same with Toph. Although, i do think a 15 year old Toph would have probably would have run away from home already.

Besides that, like Zuko being in the height of grumpy disrespectful teen angst during the show makes complete sense when he was horrifically burned banished at 13 and spent the next 3 years chasing a ghost. But Zuko at 16 being burned and banished would be more likely to recognize the quest for what it was. 13-14 year old Zuko is naive enough to believe that ozai wants him back. And like, i get that everyone of any age wants their parent to love them and that the hope that somehow it isn't a hopeless quest is powerful. And i know older teens and even adults give their parents chances when they know it's hopeless. But a 16 year old would be more likely to recognize that it's an impossible quest. A 16 year old freshly banished Zuko would still be in denial but not nearly as naive as 13 year old freshly banished Zuko. The main issue is that Zuko getting older means he becomes more aware of the world around him and thus he can't ignore the suffering that the fire nation causes to itself (the world too but Zuko couldn't see that unless he left the fire nation). As Zuko reaches 15 it just becomes unlikely that he'd never sneak out of the palace (and we know he has the skill to) and once he does sneak out he'd be unable to keep quiet and ignore any suffering he saw. Factoring Iroh's influence and a 16 yr old never banished Zuko would wise up to the problems of the fire nation.

I also can't help but notice that the 3 extra years of Iroh influencing Zuko aren't often factored into how different Zuko would be. A Zuko who isn't bent on chasing a ghost would be more easily influenced by Iroh. A freshly banished 16 year old Zuko who is old enough to notice the problems within the fire nation would be more open to Iroh's anti war stance. That Zuko would probably be mature enough for Iroh to actually discuss treason with. Iroh and Zuko were close before Lu Ten died. If Zuko had 3 extra years around Iroh without the trauma of his scar and banishment, season 1 Zuko would have been very different (even if he's still grumpy and angsty). To the point that, we'd probably have white lotus!Zuko.

On the flip side, lengthening Zukos banishment helps ease some of the issues from making him 16 when banished. But even Zuko would mellow out a bit after 6 years of chasing a ghost. Idk i was just reading a fic and put of nowhere they mention Zuko being like 19/20 and it totally took me out of the fic. Like season 2 Zuko's attitude does not work if he's aged up. To some degree, i just think Iroh would kinda get through to him with 3 extra years of tea and metaphors. And without the avatar actually showing up (which gives Zuko tunnel vision) Zuko would get worn down. He would notice the harm the fire nation is causing and his morals would set in.

[johaerys-writes]

Do you know the approximate ages of all the main characters in The Iliad?

Hi anon! I haven't looked into this topic before tbh, and I feel like researching it thoroughly will take up a lot of time, so these are just off the top of my head!

Achilles was a teenager when Agamemnon called the men of Hellas to sail to Troy. By the time of the Iliad, he must be in his late 20s.

Patroclus is described as being slightly older, and therefore wiser, than Achilles and is sent to Troy to counsel him. So he must be in his early 30s in the Iliad.

Ajax is Achilles' cousin, and is said to have been trained by Chiron too. But I'm not sure if they trained at the same time? Telamon, Ajax's father, is the elder brother of Peleus, so if we assume that both these men had their kids at about the same age, then Ajax would be at least a few years older than Achilles. Maybe Ajax was sent to Chiron first, and then Achilles followed. I'm really not sure haha. But I would say he must be about mid to late 30s.

The sacrifice of Iphigenia is one of those myths that not everyone accepts as part of the Iliad, but I am one of those that believe that it should be read into the greater myth of the Iliad and the Epic Cycle (for various reasons that I will not go into now lol). Agamemnon and Clytemnestra had four kids, and Iphigenia was the oldest, who at the start of the Trojan war was at marrying age (let's say about 15). That means that Agamemnon must have been at the very least in his mid 30s when the war started (although men generally married older than the women). So in the Iliad he should be at least mid to late 40s.

Menelaus is Agamemnon's younger brother, so.... let's say he's late 30s, early 40s when the Iliad starts? Give or take?? My impression is that he's a quite a bit younger than Agamemnon but I don't remember a specific passage about it right now.

Odysseus left Ithaca after Penelope had just had Telemachus, so that would have been in the first or second year of their marriage. He must have been at least in his 20s when that happened, let's say mid to late twenties. He must be mid to late 30s in the Iliad.

Nestor is described as having seen two generations of men, and that he's still ruling as king in the third age, so I would assume he's FUCK old lmao. Probably 70s-80s in the Iliad, I would say.

Hector is Priam's oldest son by Hecuba, and he has 19 siblings by the same mother. The youngest son, Polydorus, is old enough to meet Achilles on the battlefield in the Iliad. I'm not sure in which order the children were born, but if we assume that Hector has at least a 10 year age difference with Polydorus, and that Polydorus is at least 15 in the Iliad, then we're already looking at a man who is in his mid to late 20s at the very least. But he's most definitely much older than that, because...

Helen's daughter, Hermione, is quite young when Helen leaves with Paris, but I'm not sure how old exactly. What we do know is that Helen spends 10 years in Troy before the Achaeans arrive, and then there's 10 more years of the war, so at the time of the Iliad she must be... late 30s? At least? And Paris is probably around the same age as her. And if Paris is in his late 30s, and he's Hector's younger brother, then Hector is even older than him. Which means that Hector is probably in his early 40s.

Priam has a ton of children, and he is generally described in the Iliad as a kindly and mild-mannered old man, so I would place him about Nestor's age. Virgil in his Aeneid has Priam be in his 80s when Troy is sacked, and I think that estimation is correct.

I think these are the main characters?? Don't think I've missed anyone lol. As I said, these are off the top of my head so if anyone has any corrections or additions they're welcome to add them <3

[bassguitarinablackt-shirt]

Bad Descriptions of All My Characters (part 2 technically)

Power Doesn't Guarantee Glory:

Aria Allen (they/she):Short little girl liker who is somehow friends with everyone and is a constant presence in the story even when they aren't truly there

Alex Ruinde (he/they):He read too much twilight as a kid and the aloof mysterious aesthetics seeped into his brain, also they probably listen to hozier

Mathew Mckoy (he/him):A 15 year old who thinks he could beat god in a fistfight. He's absolutely correct.

Salveria Ramel (she/her):Simultaneously the least and most plot important character

Eli Roile (he/him):So much cringy middleschooler energy

Frey Ruinde (she/her):A 12 year old girl already holding the weight of her family's issues on her shoulders

Oriana Mckoy (she/her):She deserves to be a little bit of a judgemental bitch. As a treat.

Inora Luis (she/her):Religiously traumatized librarian

Lani Morina (any pronouns):Butch lesbian who probably ate dirt as a kid

–––

Built on Bones and Flowers

Antoine Villeneuve (he/him):He's trying okay? It's not his fault his parents were aristocratic assholes

Vixen Valentine (any pronouns):Overdramatic goth researcher who's gender is whatever happens to be funniest at the moment

Celestine Maxwell (they/fae/she):Proof all you need in your life is a transfem inventor girl

Arden Clayborne (xe/he/they):The definition of "how could someone so smart be so dumb...?"

Melian Doyle (he/him):Former depressed fuckboy alcoholic, current depressed married coffee addict

Analie Villeneuve (she/her):Elegant sword lesbian

Silas Doyle (he/him):Would let a man stab him if the guy was pretty enough

Alexandra Slater (she/they):Butch sword lesbian

–––

The Inhuman Fascination With the Human Mind

Orion (he/him):Freaky little automaton dude who throws rocks at kids

Oz (they/he):They're everything society hates and he loves it

Opal (they/them):Stereotypical horror movie child

Nathalie (she/her):Simultaneously a doll pretending to be human and a human pretending to be a doll

–––

Corrupted Royalty WIP

Casimir Clement (he/xe):Flower shop owner soul in the body of a prince

Fletcher Clement (he/him):Spoiled brat pretending to be a gentleman

Celeste Clement (she/he):Bigender bisexual in the sense that she is simultaneously a he/him lesbian and a she/her gay man. Also he was accused of murder and everyone went "yeah she would do that"

Alistair Evans (they/he/she):Therapy and a relationship with a slight power imbalance would probably fix them but that's not what happens

Cordelia (she/fae):Beautiful, elegant, mysterious woman who knows a suspicious amount about the royal family for the leader of a criminal group trying to take down the monarchy

Rigil (he/it):So chill and down to earth you almost forget he's wanted for murder

Cyrus (he/him):This baby can fit so many metaphorical skeletons in his closet

Fredge (any pronouns):Woah turns out the closest thing this group has to a mechanic/doctor/chef is a 15 year old who says shit like "actually im gender evil"

Tip (she/her):Bloody little girl. Will bite if you steal her snacks.

–––

Tagging: @literatureisdying @gently-decaying-flowers @imslowlydisintegrating @clearcloudlesssky @olive-riggzey @serendipminiewrites @asoulsreverie @talesfromtheunknowable @j-snapdragon @holdmyteaplease @lordcatwich @sm-writes-chaos @enne-uni @sneebl @sixthesnek @leisoree @dandelions-fly-in-summer-skies @the-stars-sing @shadow-of-tea-and-tea (sorry guys i just think you might be interested in my writing lmk if you want me to not tag you in stuff like this in the future)

please feel free to send asks about my writing i thrive off of answering questions

[starlightshadowsworld]

My thoughts on Bsd Chapter 113

Spoilers.

Obviously.

Okay guys we get it Sigma is alive, everyone chill.

I didn't think Sigma was dead, but good to have confirmation regardless.

The true duality of Double Black is that they can take down the most vindictive and smart villians.

And also share one braincell between them.

You'd think the first one or two times Chuuya dropped Sigma he'd think maybe this isn't gonna work.

And of course he dropped him 15 times.

I kinda wish it was 16 purely because Chuuya is wearing the same outfit he had on during the Dragons head incident (which was 6 years ago, when he was 16.)

But this is still funny.

... Hold on I just realised Dazai doesn't know Sigma has an ability.

Otherwise he'd probably know what happened to him, given how similar it works to Ango's.

Chuuya stop saying Fyodor is dead, you've said it twice now and the more you do the less I believe you.

Ohhh hell yeah I love the effect of all the memories looking like pages.

Starting from the bottom of the pile seems like a good idea but man how long is Sigma gonna be out for?

Oh back to this shit... Listen I don't care for Fukuchi but I do love Fukuzawa.

The fact Fukuchi admits there were other ways but this was his decision.... He could've spared Fukuzawa all this pain but chose not too.

Man fuck this guy.

Also the condition that 500 lives could achieve world peace, hated that.

The coin bombs didn't threaten lives he says like it didn't almost kill Tachihara.

Of course it was Fyodor's plan, only he'd come up with such nonsense.

At least we know why Fyodor was in Mersault now.

Back to Sigma.... Why is there a castle?

... Please tell me that's not Fyodor...

IS THAT BRAM?!

... What the fuck am I witnessing?

And not just Bram, Count Bram who's body isn't impaled by the sword.

And it is Fyodor, how old are you?! Love the robe but what?!

Oh and right back to this... I said it before and I'll say it again fuck Fukuchi man.

Having Fukuzawa choose between his life or the Agencies, become the thing he never wanted to be or save his family.

I do wonder if that choice is basically the mystery to get out the book, because this is shill Poe's book.

Or if that was just finding out the mystery of the past, who knows.

God and Fukuchi not needing to give any last words because he has no regrets. Because his best friend is going to kill him and it's everything he wants

Fukuchi wins and it costs Fukuzawa everything.

I do love that Fyodor retains his love for getting captured on purpose.

And flirting with Count Bram apparently, I can already see the fics.

Man when even the Vampire King calls you evil incarnate.

Is Fyodor trying to be a seer? What is this premonition? Or is he just fucking around.

Oh shit yeah reminder that Bram is from Ireland, so that's why the Romans be such an issue rn.

... Jeez how far in the past is this?

Also, is it just me or does Fyodor have a scar on his face he doesn't have in the present?

Yeah Bram I don't think that's gonna kill him.

Oh and Fukuzawa aiming him cut down Fukuchi in the same place he sliced Akutugawa.

AWW AND HE CAN'T DO IT.

My heart, I'm so glad Fukuchi didn't get mad at him for it or I would've flipped the table.

You're really asking a lot.. Like way to much.

Which is when Teruko shows up.

Awh Teruko... And putting the sword in Fukuzawa's hands so he takes the fall as she cries.

I can't...

Fuck man...look at him. His face, his eyes Fukuzawa is never going to emotionally recover from this and neither will I.

Aya hunny I appreciate the enthusiasm but you might wanna read the room.

[starredanise]

approaching my tumblr 10 year anniversary next month?! so for fun i browsed through my art tag to categorize what kind of art i’ve posted 🫣 and out of 186 #my art posts:

most of them (41) were original - self portraits, drawing from life, ocs, school stuff, et cetera.

the month with the most posts was january 2016 (11) after watching fullmetal alchemist brotherhood and star wars: the force awakens that winter break. close behind was october 2014 (10), when i attempted inktober for the first time.

i’ve made the most art for percy jackson + heroes of olympus (22) which is fitting given that’s how i got into drawing! by sketching the characters from the books for my friends in middle school.

besides “other fanart” (anything i only ever made 1-2 posts for, 18) the next highest category is avatar the last airbender + legend of korra (sensing a pattern with the formative media here LOL). before 2020, i made only 3 art posts for it and all of it in 2014. after 2020, that number is now 16! #renaissance

next is aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe, with 15 posts (!!) clearly i loved that book and wanted to contribute to the small art scene for it.

i’m surprised that h*milton has the same number of posts as m*rvel (catch-all for comics, mcu, agents of shield, and spiderverse) with 10 posts each… sometimes you have to acknowledge your past to move forward 🫡 tbh i think drawing for both at least strengthened my skill in capturing real faces (vs from a book description or an already stylized animated face). that also reminds me, irls came too close to coming to this blog because the musical’s official accounts reposted my art because that was the year i started trying to crosspost to twitter SKSDJSKDK

longest time between posts is 508 days (between jan 14 2022 and jun 6 2023) whoops...

post with the most notes is still my s&seasian atla piece (~46k) and i hope it stays that way <3 i recently rearranged my shelf so I could put up the prints i made of it on display.

i think that’s it, interesting numbers wise. other observations:

overall, i started off posting more traditional stuff by way of sketches in the margins of my school notes or on the blank backsides of worksheets, and also i was in art class at the time. i did post digital art drawn on my tablet, but not as frequently as I now draw/post with my ipad since 2018 (and notably the app procreate since 2020, actually a gamechanger) and a lot more art in full color since too. i wouldn’t mind making more traditional but it’s more time consuming and now i want to post art that’s more finished-looking (quality vs quantity).

did i expect myself to still be posting art on tumblr 10 years later? probably not? i did try posting on twitter and instagram but got cold feet sooo now i’m still here. glad i’m still here! i’m glad i can look at old art with a fondness (though i would prefer no one else scroll or reblog that far back please 😭 just take my word for it that i posted all that PLEASE).

thank you for reading if you made it all the way here!! thank you to everyone who liked or reblogged or followed or commented something nice in the last 10 years! and thanks to the artists and writers and gifmakers and other creators who inspired me too! even if i stop posting on tumblr, i hope to draw for the rest of my life!!!!!

[wytfut]

Scooter Cannonball

Most of you reading along most likely know about this upcoming event, but I have an “urge” to write a bit about it.

A week from tomorrow (june 15, 2023), I leave for a once in a lifetime adventure, that this old blue hair is going to totally enjoy.

The Scooter Cannonball.  Here’s their website scootercannonball.com  .. 

Its a coast to coast event, starting in San Clemente California, and ends at Hilton Head North Carolina.... 7 days later. I know I’ve probably told some of you the wrong dates, but thats just me... I can’t remember dates/numbers for the life of me. My personal hell. 

This event is a race against the clock. With several classes of “scooters” competing. 

The classes are broke down to engine size, vingtage, etc. Some scooter are known historically to well in this event, while others not so good. 

I got asked into this hilarious idea by good friend Dennis Bennett in Huron South Dakota (a Excelsior Henderson Pal).

He witness last year the scooter cannonball up close, as the event went thru and stopped for the night in Huron. 

Dennis, Ken Bretz (the 3rd member of our team), and myself are all Excelsior Henderson buddies that make big efforts to attend the “ANTIQUE MOTORCYCLE CANNONBALL” when its within reasonable distance every 2 years that it runs.   motorcyclecannonball.com

Our last one we attended was September of 2020 in Sturgis.  Being we live in mostly the midwest, when the antique cannonball runs east to west, they have a “day of rest”, where they stop for 36 hours to work on their motorcycles, and take a break. This “day of rest” is always the midway point (midwest). This creates the most opportune time for us to show up and get to see all of the “action”.   The teams are generally very friendly and don’t mind answering questions, etc. 

With us attending the antique cannonball, we all 3 had envisioned “someday” we’d be able to be part of this event. Each time we attended, it was becoming more and more clear,.... “someday” wasn’t going to happen. These folks have really deep pockets. Have huge backgrounds in restoration of these bikes, and although very friendly, don’t really care about folks like us. Other than we have the Excelsior Henderson sickness, we have no notoriety to antique motorcyles. No matter how much we love them.

Once the scooter cannonball came into town of Huron.... Dennis  noticed immediately the family feel of the competitors. Much like the antique cannonball, AND us Excelsior Henderson owners.   Needless to say..... Dennis was hooked.

He emailed me how much fun he had that short night, and meeting everyone. I stated that if he were to create a team, I’d be part of it. Within a day or 2, ... “you are now on the team”...    Then Ken also got on board.     All of this to me was tongue in cheek, but I was truly interested, and Dennis was serious. 

Dennis presented to me, that he did not need a pit crew/team/help. As a large portion of the competitors do not have any back up other than the event chase vehicle.  There are teams with chase vehicles, but most do not. His point was, I’m going whether anyone else comes along or not.

He also stated that he was going to put the whole trip on a credit card (well it is once in a life time). With Dennis having the rooms already paid for, all we had to do was pay for our food. 

This was wonderful, but I got to thinking that He didn’t need a huge credit card bill. We figured it was going to cost between $6500-$9000, no including scooter purchase. This bothered me....

Thus the gofundme page. Gofundme.com   search Bruce Whitefoot or Dennis Bennett, or “low buck scooter cannonball team” or team fat Jesus. If you want to help with the money. Sales pitch: $15 free sticker. $30 free tshirt and sticker. Be sure to leave your information (address and size) in the “notes”. 

I started that, without Dennis knowledge initially. And its been a blessing. We haven’t hit our lofty goal, but wow the response has been very humbling. 

Dennis got a hold of his local promotional shop, and has created our Tshirts and Stickers.  If you haven’t seen them.... they are pretty cool.

As grumpy and disappointed as I get with us humans....   this has been a crazy ride. I’ll be honest, I have asked friends for donations, which can be very awkward. I try hard with no pressure. But folks that I have not made the “sell” with... are tossing some very generous amounts our way. 

SO HUMBLING..... WOW. Reminds me of when our house burned. 

Yup.. I’m excited. We will be seeing large portions of the country I’ve never seen. 

Rules state that we can follow along right behind Dennis with the chase vehicle. But we don’t feel that it would be practical. The route (mostly a secret daily) will be out of the way. Dennis will be wearing a transponder, so we’ll know exactly where he is. Plus this years entrances has been the highest number yet. Over 300. And I’ve heard rumor that the entire trip there will be roughly 150 miles of dirt roads. 

We will most likely follow AFTER the last scooter leaves the daily starting point. And then mosey along to the next hotel, roughly 250-370 mile daily. 

We’ve had a ton of requests for daily reports. Dennis and I think his facebook page maybe the answer. But a lot of folks don’t know Dennis but know me or Ken. I’m thinking I may do a daily report here on tumblr. They will be simple with maybe something noted that was exciting that day. Been also contemplating maybe using my youtube channel for dailys instead. Youtube though isn’t exactly convenient to use... really time consuming. Maybe do a live launch on yourtube?? just thought of that idea. 

I’ll be honest, this will be a huge learning curve. We don’t know if we will be extremely busy late into the night, or taking long afternoon naps. We just don’t know. Will our scoot break blow up 5 miles out on the very first day.... or blow up 5 miles from the finish line. 

I think I’m a pretty good wrench with no training, but working on scooters is a brand new world for me. Dennis did give me a good look when it was here. Looks very simple. Will be some getting used to metric wrenches again.

Dennis made a maiden voyage to my house a few weeks ago (344 miles one way) with no real issues, and back home the next day. That crazy machine will do 79/mph, but feels really good at 60. At the whopping HP of 19. Its a single with DOHC, carbureted, and snow mobile drive (vary ratio pulley). 

Our scoot if you want to google it....   its a 1984 Honda Helix with 20000 miles on it. Not real pretty, but has some great bones. Runs like a top. When Dennis pulled in at my place, I thought he was coasting in.... but it was running, so quiet.  For those questioning Dennis purchase.... historically with the cannonball, Helix’s have done very well.

Just in simple conversation, EVERY SINGLE TIME, laughter and smiles break out. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??

I keep laughing to myself, wondering what I got myself into. Gonna be a cool notch in my life experiences. 

Wish us luck!! Don’t worry about the fun, that’s a promise to happen. 

[mvsicinthedvrk]

hw event 15 (funky murder mystery time) plot call! hit the 'like' button and i'll send you a plotting message, maybe not today but definitely tomorrow/wednesday at the latest, and we can pick some people to plot with. this will double as a starter call; i'll add threads here as we plot them. (but as a side-note, i probably will drop most non-event stuff once this starts, just for my own sanity. if it's a thread i'm really enjoying i'll keep it but otherwise if it's not hugely plot-related it'll probably get cut, rip)

wei wuxian: this man has died 3 times already, so he's not concerned. also his personal life is going great at the moment, so I can't see him getting too distracted by these murders when he's got better things to do than panic.

wei wuxian starters for: marlene mckinnon (mcrcki)

yuri plisetsky: he is tired of this bullshit. will be compulsively texting his friends and acquaintances to make sure they don't go out alone. will he be investigating? no, because he's a 21 year old, without any background in detective work. but for plots he's more than willing to tell your character that their theories are stupid and ridiculous

yuri plisetsky starters for: lizzie midford (drvcxrys)

orpheus: probably doesn't even know this is happening, tbh. does not read the news, does not eavesdrop on people at the cafe. blissfully living his life without a care in the world.

orpheus starters for: vanellope von schweetz (flyaboveitall), sirena (vcndetta), samwise gamgee (softsliders19)

wen kexing: his security system at home and at work are great. he'll be worried about a-xiang and chengling more than anything, so he'll want to keep an eye out on them/for them, but solving a mystery is none of his business.

wen kexing starters for: zhou zishu (youllalwaysbemyporcelain)

xie lian: xie lian is unfortunately in the category of 'i care too much' and 'let's work together and help solve this, okay?' he is pretty sharp when it comes to solving mysteries, but definitely wants to team up and coordinate with other people, because the more minds working together, the better! he is very optimistic that they can get this wrapped up soon.

xie lian starters for: mu qing (masqce), qi rong (tragcdysewn), ji euntak (spellbcok)

blathers: man is just trying to do his job at the museum, ok. please do not pull him into anything, he does not want to be involved, he is too aware of true crime podcasts to think that his contributions would be useful.

blathers starters for: ahkmenrah (purelybilateral), stede bonnet (softsliders19)

he xuan: this is not his fault. he did not cause this. he will have a few people he wants to keep an eye on but will be minding his own business otherwise.

he xuan starters for: shi qingxuan (irresistiibles), chunyu (tragcdysewn)

sha hualing: murderers? finally some excitement that this city needs. she will be causing problems on purpose, such as purposefully fucking with evidence and trying to leave fake clues for investigators. because that's good, cheap fun.

sha hualing starters for: eddie munson (recklcssabandon)

liu qingge: if he sees someone even vaguely suspicious, he will not hesitate to stab them with his giant fucking sword. so consider your characters warned.

liu qingge starters for: adora (flyaboveitall), anakin skywalker (recklcssabandon)

loid forger: finally a chance to utilize his spy skills! he has not been "officially" put on this case, but in the interests of helping keep the city safe, he will be investigating, so if you want anyone to team up with, give him a call.

dongfang qingcang: let everyone kill each other, he literally does not care. caring is beneath his paygrade.

chu wanning: he'll feel an obligation to contribute, probably by investigating on his own. i don't think he'd want to work with anyone else, because he doesn't want them to get potentially hurt, but that motive probably would not come across well and instead he will most likely come off like a loner asshole, rip

chu wanning starters for: mo ran (tragcdysewn), cisco ramon (vcndetta)

filippa kosta: yeah, they're ambivalent. this shit happens all the time. it is what it is and they just hope they don't get stabbed to and from work, but-- they have decent insurance, so.

filippa starters for: josh washington (purelybilateral), fred weasley (rcquicm)

qi yan: she's suspicious about why this is happening, but trying not to get involved. she works at the white house, so i'm sure tensions there are relatively high. if you have a white house employee character as well, this is a good potential plotting opportunity.

qi yan starters for: leia organa (mcrcki)

kaz brekker: keeping eyes out everywhere. he won't be trying to solve the murders unless someone he knows falls victim to it, but-- he's a good person to bounce ideas off of, because he does know crime pretty well.

kaz starters for: elliot alderson (purelybilateral), inej ghafa (irresistiibles), nikolai lantsov (rcquicm)

mo xi: he'll mostly be wanting to keep an eye out and make sure gu mang doesn't go wandering around alone, stupidly. he'll be concerned about the situation, but one or two murderers can't be that big of a deal, right?

pei ming: no murderers on the loose will keep him from enjoying a good time. he may, in fact, talk his bar owner into throwing a serial killer themed party at the bar one night. bad idea? probably. fun, though? hell yeah

pei ming starters for: victor nikiforov (irresistiibles)

lee rang: look, man is down to use this as an opportunity to cause some chaos, so if you want one of your characters to get injured or psychologically fucked with in some way, we can plot with him.

lee rang starters for: zoya nazyalensky (masqce), lee yeon (youllalwaysbemyporcelain), sabrina spellman (spellbcok)

that's what i've got! hit the like and we'll figure out a couple threads to do during the event 🎉

[clonerightsagenda]

ask meme: holly munro or kitty jones

(Ask meme here)

While I am a big fan of Ms. Direct Action herself Kitty Jones, I read the other series more recently, so let's go with Holly Munro, who did not deserve any of that.

First impression

Oh thank god finally someone who can get these kids' finances in order. Why is Lucy being so mean

Impression now

Again: She did not deserve any of that. Especially since I think she probably quit her last job because she turned 18 and her boss took that as permission to be creepy. Glad she blew up his facility after they kicked him into a hell portal. Shame she didn't get to do the kicking.

Favorite moment

Love when Lockwood (everyone's boss + coworker + landlord, horrifying combination) invites Holly to live with them in his new spare bedroom and is baffled that she turned him down. I am imagining her facial expression right now but I'm sure she was extremely polite about the offer to live in his deathtrap of a home full of heavily armed emotionally unstable 15 year olds and cursed relics. Like, I guess not having to pay rent is a draw, but At What Cost. (The cost of rent.)

Idea for a story

Answering these out of order but inspired by my response to the last bullet point I think there's a funny multichapter fic where she tries to sit each employee down to do a skills assessment/Career Planning Interview and it goes horribly. At least George has prospects.

Unpopular opinion

This is not addressed in the text because the text doesn't really address race and ethnicity beyond an unfortunate number of food comparisons for Holly's skintone, but the fact that she is the only employee of color at the agency and gets treated that way by Lucy while their boss is willfully or unintentionally oblivious to the whole thing adds to how shitty her experience was. I hope she had friends to lean on during those months.

Favorite relationship

Don't feel like we get a lot here since most of Lucy's perspective on Holly is seething and/or thinking she's hot. However since she's over that now I hope they can be friends. Holly really wanted to be friends! Also Holly can explain the brave new world of other orientations which I think will help Lucy figure some stuff out. Lucy could stand to apologize a bunch more though.

Favorite headcanon

Most agents don't seem to like acknowledging getting older - there's no mention of birthdays, I don't think Lucy ever directly states her age - so Holly stands out to me as someone who's already prepping for like. Being alive 10 years from now. She eats healthy foods. She uses skincare products. My point is that she's a planner. She is the only agency employee under 20 with a resume and an investment account. You will not be finding her working at Starbucks in a few years when her talent dries up. She tries to get her coworkers to do career aptitude quizzes with her but they always change the subject.

[un-nonymous]

So I started seeing an ADHD coach about a month ago. She’s the second one I’ve seen in 3 months and the first who doesn’t take insurance, but I really like her.

She said I’m an overachiever today, or that I have those tendencies anyway, and she’s the second person who’s said that to me in the past week. Legitimately, I’ve never seen myself that way. Never. I feel like I’m always behind, always catching up, everyone is doing more than me. Always.

It’s an interesting experience, being in this type of coaching, because (stay with me on this) I feel like I’m paying someone a lot of money to essentially read me things I’ve already read on the internet. And that’s because I think she’s really good at her job.

In sessions, I feel amazing. Heard, understood, validated. And then I digest a little and I’m like, damn. I could’ve googled that. I have googled that. What’s the difference now?

The difference is the immediate responses and thoughtful compassion I (we) don’t get from words on a screen written to an anonymous audience. I wish I had done this a long time ago.

I’m grateful to have a supportive presence in my life finally who sees me AND will call me out from a place of awareness. She gently preaches and encourages radical self acceptance and I’m finally listening and taking the babiest of steps. Googling it for 15 years hasn’t worked and I can admit that now. Figuring it out on my own hasn’t worked, therapy hasn’t worked (because we’ve focused on all the other hard shit I’ve grappled with in the past 3 years instead) and I need something specific, and I’m ready to do something about it.

This has been a really fucking hard month because I’m facing shit I’ve been masking and things about me that I’ve gotten really good at keeping hidden from most everyone in my life. A lot of it deals with work, but not all of it. I’ve spent my entire adult life trying to fit into a neurotypical professional world and being shamed and feeling awful for it.

My best friend says I’m the best storyteller she’s ever met while I’m wishing I could be more concise and regularly qualifying what I’m about to say by starting with “brevity isn’t my strong suit” and using “long story long” to signal when I’m finally about to land the plane. I think, often, that it drives people nuts and the impact of the one piece of negative feedback I’ve gotten about this (when I was interviewing for the job I have now, by someone who regularly gets chastised for taking forever to get to the point) is far heavier than all the compliments I’ve gotten about it, because brains are jerks.

I don’t think I’m in the right job to truly flourish and one day I need to figure that out because I LOVE my current job a whole fucking lot. It’s more that I’m struggling keeping this Big Thing About Me™️ hidden, but I’m actively choosing that. If you ask me why, I’ll tell you construction is a tough industry for “overhead” (support) roles like mine that I can do anywhere else for probably lots more money at this point, but I still choose it because I really like being a big fish in a small pond. I really, really like that. And then I’ll say I have enough stacked against me: I’m a woman, I’m “young” (I’m not, but people don’t think I’m as old as I am which is not a humblebrag), I have tattoos and bleached hair and a nose ring and a fancy degree and my job is to teach crusty superintendents how to feel their feelings at work, why are the youths so sensitive these days anyway, etc., — so in my mind, I don’t need to be known for having an attention disorder on top of everything else.

That’s what I’ll tell you, at least. In reality, I don’t think it matters what industry I’m in because I’ve had both great and fucking terrible bosses in all of them. I’ve doubted myself in all of them at some point and I could draw up a litany of reasons why I’d want to keep this to myself in all of them, when really I want to be acknowledged for it and more than that I want to be able to relate to others, and help others from a place of “I get it, I actually do”, but I can’t do that where I am right now. I am terrified of going off on my own is the truth, but I want to, and it’s just a matter of when at this point.

Today was a good session. I see her every Monday afternoon and honestly, I can’t wait to see how things are going 6 months from now.

[highlynerdy]

15 Questions

Tagged by @fan-man-huaisang and @shana-rosee (a while ago...whoops)💛

1. Are you named after anyone?

I am named after my godfather for my first name and my godmother for my middle name

2. When was the last time you cried?

Yesterday at a friend’s sisters memorial

3. Do you have kids?

No, and I shan’t. But I do quite like to hang out with kids as the fun aunty friend

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Yes, regularly. But only in casual settings.

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

The vibes lol. But seriously, I have a fairly accurate read of people right off the bat. I think I notice if they seem genuinely friendly or not.

6. What’s your eye color?

Hazel-ish, that tends towards orange-y when my hair is red, brown when my hair is brown, and green-ish when my hair is blonde.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings! I canNOT handle scary movies. At all. The last one I watched was the first Alien about 4 years ago and I had god awful nightmares where I woke up crying. @mr-highlynerdy was concerned. He loves scary movies and I’m sorry I can’t watch them with him.

8. Any special talents?

This is question I don’t want to answer because if I say no, I feel like I’m lying. And if I say yes, I feel like I’m bragging. So I’ll just say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ lol

9. Where were you born?

Appalachia

10. What are your hobbies?

Too many to count and most of y’all know that lol. Knitting, crochet, sewing, painting, bookbinding, spinning, dyeing, photography......lol. Who has ADHD?? Me.

11. Do you have any pets?

Two kitcats. Lemon, who is a 14 year old grump and I love her endlessly. And Biscuit, who is 7 or 8 (we adopted her in April 2020), and is the chattiest, friendliest love muffin around.

12. What sports do you play/have you played?

I played basketball most of my life until I realized that I wasn’t going to get taller than 5′4″ and even playing point guard that’s too short. Also played soccer for a few years, ran track (the half mile and mile), and also cross country. I loved playing all sports until my knee injury end of junior year that put all that to a stop. I miss being able to be more active but chronic illness is a motherfucker of unfavorable situation.

13. How tall are you?

5′4″ (~162 centimeters)

14. Favorite subject in school?

Probably Lit or physics.

15. Dream job?

If I could do anything, and money wasn’t an issue, I would probably be a full-time photographer for people who couldn’t always afford a good photographer for their events. Or I would open an awesome community art studio and have classes by donation.

I feel like I’m always the last to respond to these so everyone has probably already done this already. I won’t tag anyone, but please say I tagged you if you want to do it!