#msv hits

[madhansband]

Song of the week from the previous show:

எங்கேயும் எப்போதும் பாடல் | Engaeyum Eppothum | Madhan's Band | Best Wedding Music | #rajinikanth

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Original Song Credits:

Movie : Ninaithale Inikkum Actors : RajiniKanth, KamalHasan, JeyaSudha, JeyaPradha Singer : S.P.Balasubramaniyam Music : M.S. Viswanathan Lyricist : Kannadasan Year : 1979

Lyrics:

எங்கேயும் எப்போதும் சங்கீதம் சந்தோசம் ராத்திரிகள் வந்து விட்டால் சாத்திரங்கள் ஓடி விடும் எங்கேயும் எப்போதும் சங்கீதம் சந்தோசம் ராத்திரிகள் வந்து விட்டால் சாத்திரங்கள் ஓடி விடும்

கட்டழகு பெண்ணிருக்கு வட்டமிடும் பாட்டிக்கு தொட்ட இடம் அத்தனையும் இன்பமின்றி துன்பமில்லை தராரரீஓம்

எங்கேயும் எப்போதும் சங்கீதம் சந்தோசம் ராத்திரிகள் வந்து விட்டால் சாத்திரங்கள் ஓடி விடும்

காலம் சல்லாப காலம் உலகம் உல்லாச கோலம் இளமை ரத்தங்கள் ஊரும் உடலில் ஆனந்தம் ஏறும் இன்றும் என்றும் இன்பமயம் தித்திக்க தித்திக்க பேசிக்கொண்டு திக்குகள் எட்டிலும் ஓடிக்கொண்டு வரவை மறந்து செலவு செய்து உயரப்பறந்து கொண்டாடுவோம் கட்டழகு பெண்ணிருக்கு வட்டமிடும் பாட்டிக்கு தொட்ட இடம் அத்தனையும் இன்பமின்றி துன்பமில்லை தராரரீஓம்

எங்கேயும் எப்போதும் சங்கீதம் சந்தோசம் ராத்திரிகள் வந்து விட்டால் சாத்திரங்கள் ஓடி விடும்

காலை Japanல் Coffee மாலை New Yorkல் Cabaret இரவில் Thailandல் ஜாலி இதிலே நம்மக்கென வேலி இங்கும் எங்கும் நம்முலகம் உலகம் நமது pocketலே வாழ்க்கை பறக்கட்டும் rocketலே இரவு பொழுது நமது பக்கம் விடிய விடிய கொண்டாடுவோம்

கட்டழகு பெண்ணிருக்கு வட்டமிடும் பாட்டிக்கு தொட்ட இடம் அத்தனையும் இன்பமின்றி துன்பமில்லை தராரரீஓம்

ஆடை இல்லாத மேனி அவன் பேர் அந்நாளில் ஞானி இன்றோ அதுஒரு hobby எல்லோரும் இனிமேல் baby வெட்கம் துக்கம் தேவையில்லை தட்டட்டும் தட்டட்டும் கைகள் ரெண்டு Come on everybody தாவட்டும் ஆடட்டும் கால்கள் ரெண்டு Join me தட்டட்டும் தட்டட்டும் கைகள் ரெண்டு தாவட்டும் ஆடட்டும் கால்கள் ரெண்டு கடவுள் படைத்த உலகமிது மனிதர் சுகத்தை மறுப்பதில்லை

கட்டழகு பெண்ணிருக்கு வட்டமிடும் பாட்டிக்கு தொட்ட இடம் அத்தனையும் இன்பமின்றி துன்பமில்லை தராரரீஓம்

எங்கேயும் எப்போதும் சங்கீதம் சந்தோசம் ராத்திரிகள் வந்து விட்டால் சாத்திரங்கள் ஓடி விடும்

[missmassacre]

Of all the Gundam manga people talk about, I didn't expect the one no one talks about, MSV-R The Return of Johnny Ridden, to be the real stand out hit. Everyone wants to talk about the cool robots of Crossbone or Blue Destiny, but the series named for the guy primarily known as "the other red one" is the only one actually interested in talking about the finer points of the UC Timeline, primarily trying to answer the question: how did they fit so much bullshit into the One Year War, and who the fuck greenlit half those stupid ideas

It's a story primarily about foreign policy and military bureaucracy and all that fun "boring" stuff I adore, and it helps that the characters are fun and the art is phenomenally good. Blue Destiny 2015 was so boring it put me to sleep, and the depictions of giant robot combat had no weight behind the actual combat of giant war machines, just silly shounen-ass storytelling and fights that didn't fit UC Gundam. MSV-R is all overlapping political agendas of barely differing factions and it rules, because no matter how cool the Efreet is, it pales in comparison to whole chapters dissecting the economic reason anyone ever thought putting a Ball in combat was a good idea in the first place

[kamogryadeshi]

the Russians continue to shell the territory of Ukraine. Brief summary:

Mykolaiv Oblast:

the Russians struck with rocket salvo systems in the direction of Ochakov. No casualties.

During the night, the occupiers shelled the territory of the Kutsurub community with MSVs. According to preliminary information, there are no victims.

Dnipropetrovsk region:

the Russian army shelled the Nikopol district three times with heavy artillery. There were no casualties, residential buildings, a gas station, a gas pipeline and an electrical network were damaged.

Kharkiv Oblast:

Yesterday, the Russians shelled Kharkiv, previously with the Smerch anti-aircraft missile system. In the Kyivsky district, pyrotechnics were hit. There are no casualties.

During the day, the enemy shelled more than 20 settlements. No casualties.

Donetsk region:

Over the past day, the Russian army killed 1 person in Bakhmut, another resident of the region was injured.

Kherson Oblast:

the Russian occupiers shelled the territory of the region 63 times, Kherson — 24 times. An educational institution, a hospital and residential buildings were damaged in the city.

5 people were injured.

[z-h-i-e]

It's My Slashy Valentine round-up time. Here's the three new stories I have gifted to specific individuals through the magic of MSV, but also, are out there in the world for all to enjoy.

The New Shadow: Chapter Two Saelon/Herumor

Thirst Fëanor/Melkor

Orchidelirium Finrod/Glorfindel

If you'd like to know more about each, like how each one came to be crafted and silly notes from me, keep reading:

First up: The New Shadow: Chapter Two

I like to pride myself in my swift turnaround times; this, to my knowledge, was the first submitted of anything for the exchange this year, written at the end of last year after a lot of consultation with things I hadn't read in over a decade. I still remember the picnic table I sat at when I would have read these bits of the histories, but I digress. Tolkien envisioned a sequel to The Lord of the Rings, but stopped after rougly the first chapter, when it came to his attention it would be dark--like, cults and dark lord summoning dark--and he shelved it.

Every good chapter deserves a second chapter.

This piece goes into exactly what it was that happened to the missing sailors, what Saelon was up to, who the heck is Herumor, and why Borlas would have been better off if he had stayed at home. If you're looking for fluff this Valentine's Day--this is not the fic you're looking for. But if hot post-murder sex in the same room as the corpse is your jam, this is it. (With thanks to AnnEllspethRaven for betaing during the holidays so that I could get this up by the first of the year.)

Ever watch The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs? If this fic was a film, it would be featured there. Probably. Actually, maybe not, most of those films have a lot of boobies and this does not have those because slash, but… anyhow. Remember that time I wrote the Werewelf!Finrod Choose Your Own Adventure, and people thought that was dark? It definitely has a friend now. And this is that friend. Which would sacrifice that fic to Sauron in a heartbeat if this new fic thought it would bring the dark lord back. All this to say, if you squick easy, keep scrolling, and if this is intriguing, then come on down to the murder shack today!

Next piece: Thirst

This pinch hit came in right after I had recovered enough from the one-two punch of covid and bronchitis to get back to upright and writing again. There were a couple of options, but the idea of putting Fëanor and Melkor together was too interesting not to try. The summary is a good explanation of what you'll find here.

An Elda and an Ainu walk into a bar…and eventually stroll out into the back alley for canoodling. No on-screen sex, just a lot of banter about what they're going to do (or not going to do) or did do later. Because these two are 0% shy about that discussion at the pub.

There's a barmaid OC in this one who I simply must invite to another fic in the future. I also have to give a shoutout to cílil, because my usual betas were all busy when I got this one finished, and I had to do that thing where you post in a beta channel on discord and then cross your fingers and try not to look back every five minutes and start to think you're just going to have to volley it out into the world with potential typos. Much appreciation on the beta read!

This selection reads a little like a couple of D&D adventurers at a bar, mainly because I used D&D generators to get the right feel for the place, so I guess they were two D&D adventurers in a way. And like so many D&D adventures I've DMed, two characters ended up in an alley for adult funsies (and yet, I didn't make these two roll for it; I was feeling generous).

Last but not least: Orchidelirium

This is not the fic I intended to write. There's actually the start of a much, much different Glorfindel/Finrod fic, where Finrod and Glorfindel fall in love right before Glorfindel heads back to Middle-earth, and then Finrod pines and worries in Valinor and lives on the couch in Angrod and Eldalótë's house. But that story ended up being this oversized plot bunny of far too many chapters, and then the other night when I was trying to figure out how to dig myself out of the rabbit hole I was in, Fila told me about orchidelirium, this historical mania over orchids that happened during the Victorian era. Jokingly, I started to freeform brainstorm ideas on how this would translate to Middle-earth, and who would be involved, and Orchidelirium was born, with a very different premise.

In this story, Finrod has been growing and selling orchids, and is the president of a fancy orchid society. Glorfindel shows up back in Valinor, and brings his collection of orchids along, which are basically his flower bebes. Promptly, Finrod steps in and tries to buy them all, ala Cruella Devil ("I simply MUST have those orchids!" And now imagine Finrod in a long, fabulous fur coat smoking a long cigarette--it's not that hard). Galadriel is the VOICE OF REASON (tm), Saeros is THE VILLAGE JERKFACE (tm), and cameos by a handful of others in a Fëanorian free fanfic (try saying that five times fast). Also, the best sex I've written in a while. It's two old elves with nothing to lose, and a business venture that would make that one Fëanorian in the middle jealous, guided by AnnEllspethRaven's ability to beta and keep me from falling off the deck when writing ship lingo at the same time.

And behind every speedy writer, there's probably some cheerleaders, so the help from lferion, Ann, Fila, Smaug, and Red to keep me on task and motivated through what was the worst January in a long time helped immensely. <3

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!

[hornpipetamilsongs]

சிறந்த அம்மன் பக்தி பரவச பாடல்கள் | Amman Bakthi Superhit Best Tamil Songs | Hornpipe Record Label#hornpiperecordlabel #superhittamilsongs #tamilmusic #superhittamilsongs #besttamilsongs #backtobacksongs #ammansongsintamil #bhaktisong #amman #bhakthipadal #samipadaltamil #mookuthiamman #devotionalsongs @superhittamilsongs சிறந்த அம்மன் பக்தி பரவச பாடல்கள் | Amman Bakthi Superhit Best Tamil Songs | Hornpipe Record Label 00:00 சங்கீத சௌபாக்யமே பாடல் | Sangeetha Sowbhagyame Song Movie: Sarvam Sakthi Mayam 1986 Actors: Rajesh and Sudha Chandran Music: Ben Surendar Singer: P. Susheela Lyrics: Vaali 04:15 உன்ன நம்பி நெத்தியிலே பாடல் | Unna Nampi Nethiyile Song Movie: Melmaruvathur Adhi Parasakthi Actors: Rajesh, K R Vijaya Music: K V Mahadevan Singers: P. Susheela Lyrics: Vaali 08:18 கற்பகமே கற்பகமே பாடல் | Karpagame Karpagame Song Movie: Kai Koduppal Karpagambal Music: Shankar Ganesh Actors: K R Vijaya , JaiGanesh Singers: Seerkazhi Govindarajan Lyrics: Vaali 13:47 ஓம் சக்தி ஓம் பாடல் | Om Sakthi Om Song Movie: Sri Kanchi Kamatchi (1978) Music: K S Ragunathan Actors: R. Muthuraman, Sri Priya, Sujatha, Gemini Ganesan Singers: Seerkazhi Govindarajan, T L Maharajan Lyrics: Maruthakaasi,Vaali 18:04 ஞான கண்ணை பாடல் | Gnana Kannai Song Movie: Samayapurathaale Saatchi Music: K. V. Mahadevan Actors: Rajesh, Nalini, Jai Sankar Singers: P. Susheela Lyrics: Vaali 21:50 பத்ரகாளியே பதில் சொல்லடி பாடல் | Bathrakaliyae Bathil Solladi song Movie: Badhil Solvaal Badrakali Actors: Jaishankar,Kr Vijaya Music: MSV Singers: Vani Jairam Lyrics: Vaali 26:35 சமயபுர ஆத்தா பாடல் | Samayapura Aatha song Movie: Samayapurathale Satchi Actors: Jaishankar,Kr Vijaya,Nalini Music: K.V. Mahadevan Singers: P. Susheela Lyrics: Vaali 30:59 ஒரே தாய் ஒரே குலம் பாடல் | Ore Thaai Ore Kulam Song Movie: Mel Maruvathoor Arpudhangal 1986 Actors: Rajesh, Radharavi, Sulakshana and Nalini Music: K. V. Mahadevan Singers: Sirkazhi Govindarajan Lyrics: Vaali 35:12 ஆடி மாச திருவிழா பாடல் | Aadi Maasa Thiruvizha Songs Movie: Kai Koduppal Karpagampal Music: Shankar Ganesh Actors: Seetha, Sangli Murugan, Sasikala, K R Vijaya Singers: LR.Eswari Lyricist: Vaali 39:50 மேல்மருவத்தூரில் வளர் பாடல் | Melmaruvathuril Valar Song Movie: Melmaruvathur Adhi Parasakthi Actors: Rajesh, Radharavi, Sulakshana and Nalini Music: K. V. Mahadevan Singers: Vani Jairam Lyrics: Vaali 44:04 மகா சக்தி அருள் செய்ய நீ வா பாடல் | Mahasakthi Arul Seiya Nee Vaa Song Movie: Mahasakthi Actors: Narasimha Raju, Madhavi Music: Sathyam Singers: S Janaki Lyrics: Vaali 49:00 ஓம் சக்தி ஓம் சக்தி ஓம் பாடல் | Om Sakthi Om Sakthi Om Song Movie: Melmaruvathur Adhi Parasakthi Actors: Rajesh, K R Vijaya Music: K V Mahadevan Singers: Seerkazhi Govindarajan Lyrics: Vaali For All Latest Updates: ▶Subscribe to our Hornpipe YouTube Channel For more Evergreen Hit Tamil Songs: https://goo.gl/oniuki ▶Follow Us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hornpipelabel ▶Like Us Facebook: https://ift.tt/5kISRv4 ▶Follow us on Instagram: https://ift.tt/tDW6cNy ▶Follow us on Tumblr: https://ift.tt/J4t36ho ▶Follow us on Dailymotion: https://ift.tt/kw9XzSR #Hornpipetamilsongs © 2021 Hice Telemedia Pvt. Ltd.

[gingerontheside]

Fukushima: A terrifying glimpse into a disaster

We were gifted a random Wednesday off by Temple, and because of this, a few spring activity trips were planned for that day. And what more relaxing and fun way to spend a day off than trucking 3.5 hours away on a bus to see the disaster zone of the 2011 earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Meltdown in Fukushima?

Sarcasm, naturally.

While it may not have been a particularly 'fun' trip, I did find my time in Fukushima to be very educational and enlightening.

I should start out by saying that the tours of the nuclear meltdown zone are given by none other than the company TEPCO, the owners of the nuclear power plant that melted down. The tours are meant to serve as a massive PR campaign, as (somewhat rightfully), the people of the area and generally around the world are very angry at TEPCO for the meltdown. While, yes, no one could have planned for an earthquake and tsunami to occur in a matter of an hour, there were several oversights done by TEPCO that resulted in the subsequent meltdown. The most obvious being this: The backup generators that were set to run in case of a power outage were placed just 80 meters from the ocean. Not only that but these generators were not protected by anything waterproof! This feels like a major oversight for a country that has historically been hit pretty hard by earthquakes and tsunamis.

Because of the Earthquake, the power sources for the 4 central units of the nuclear power station were lost. Luckily, that's what the backup generators were there for. However, not long after, the tsunami also knocked out the backup generators, and power was lost to Units 1, 2, and 3. Unit 4 also lost power but continued to have water pumped through, but this would soon be lost as well. The loss of the constant flow of water quickly proved detrimental. Despite efforts by local firemen, the core reactors began to melt down as heat increased exponentially from the nuclear reactions. This intense heat created steam, filling the air with hydrogen, and causing the eventual explosions that destroyed the plant. This is a simplification of the events that occurred, I highly recommend reading up on it on a better more knowledgeable platform than me.

What I mainly want to speak about is the experience of my tour through the TEPCO Dai-Ichii Nuclear Power Station.

We took a charter bus full of eager students to get to Fukushima. We were led by two professors with a long history of studying the nuclear disaster (one from a political point of view and one from a more scientific point of view.) As we approached the plant, signs along the highway began to pop up that read out the radiation level in mSv. The towns we passed through became more, and more, and more empty. It was pretty eery when we finally arrived at the TEPCO decommissioning archive center. This building was in a town of nearly 20,000 before the disaster. Now? Just 800.

Before going to the plant, we first walked around the Decommissioning Archive. It was here, in detail, that TEPCO explained their actions and ongoing plans for helping remove radiation and clean up after the meltdown. There are 4 phases to their plan of decommissioning:

0. Achievement of cold shutdown state. This will result in a significant impression of emissions. This was achieved in December of 2011.

Phase 1: Begin the removal of fuel debris. This was successfully completed in Unit 4 in 2013. Unit 3 has also successfully had all fuel removed. Units 1 and 2 still have fuel inside, and they are currently working to have significant rubble removal, including the installation of fuel removal equipment to eventually remove the fuel and store / transport it.

Phase 2: This is where the removal of fuel debris is set to begin. This is the current phase of the decommissioning being faced by TEPCO. Unit 1 still can not be touched by even robots due to the massive heat release from the fuel meltdown, but units 2 and 3 have begun to show progress with robots being able to touch and maneuver the fuel debris. Still, they expect that this process will not really be able to begin for another 10 years

Phase 3: Period to end of decommissioning. This includes treatment, disposal, and dismantling. This likely won't occur for another 30 to 40 years.

The main thing we learned from our time in the decommissioning center is this: Fixing this mess will take a very, very, very long time.

TEPCO can and is doing everything it can to keep the reactors cold. This involves pumping a TON of salt water through the reactors day in and day out. Because of this, the plant has accumulated hundreds if not thousands of massive water tanks filled with contaminated water. TEPCO has installed ALPS, an Advanced Liquid Processing System, to deal with this growing huge amount of irradiated water. Through ALPS, several of the radionuclides present in the water are removed, except for Tritium. Because of Tritium, even the treated water must still be safely stored away. There is no accessible and available technology for removing Tritium from the contaminated water.

With thousands of tons of water being pumped through the reactor cores every day, TEPCO now had another issue; Where the hell were they going to store all this contaminated water? They are running out of space on the plant's grounds for the water tanks to hold the contaminated water, and the areas around the plant have no intention of taking on any of the water on their land. They had lost enough to the meltdown as is, and now they are being asked to give more space for irradiated water? No way. So, a difficult and admittedly horrible decision was reached by TEPCO and the Japanese government:

They are going to release the ALPS-treated water, starting in the Spring of 2023, into the ocean. Sounds great, right? They are only releasing the water 1 meter from the land as well! Their argument is that, if mixed with enough clean seawater, there is no way to detect the Tritium still present in the water and there should be no issue with releasing it back into the ocean. Take that as you will.

Now, at last, let's get to go to the plant.

Naturally, we were not allowed to bring our phones with us to the plant. Whether this was for security, or genuinely for the safety of our devices against the radiation, I could not tell you. The Dai-Ichii power plant was about a 20-minute bus ride from the decommissioning center, and we were taken there on special buses equipped with technology that read out the radiation levels present within the bus at any given moment. Once at the plant, we went through some pretty hardcore security, including a metal detector and a large sense of sorts that read our day passes once they were confirmed by our IDs. Once cleared to enter, we were given gloves and a vest with 4 pockets; two on the chest and two on the abdomen. We were then given Dosimeters, which would play out loud an alarm if the level of radiation we were being exposed to get too high. We were told to expect them to go off, but that by the end we won't have received more than 0.2 mSv of radiation, which is about equivalent to dental X-Rays. For the women in the group, we had to wear our dosimeters on our abdomen, while men wore them over their chests. Well, in their eyes, women had to protect their ovaries and men had to protect their hearts. I held my tongue but oh boy did this piss me off.

Now we boarded back on the bus to begin our tour. We were taken on a road around the plant, passing by major attractions before actually stepping out anywhere. We saw the many massive water tanks, the ALPS building, as well as remnants from the massive concrete pumps used to get water into the reactors soon after the meltdown occurred. As we drove around, it was noted by all of us that there was not a spot of open land. For protection of the land, and for avoiding the massive accumulation of contaminated groundwater, the land around the plant had been completely paved over so no water could seep underground. To prevent even more ground water, a massive ice wall was installed in the ground around the plant to prevent any water from enetering from the sides, not just from the top. Further still, apparenly this area used to be lined with hundreds of Cherry Blossom trees to brighten up the plant. These were, of course, all gone. Now standing in their place were tall, imposing water tanks full of dangerously contaminated irradiated water.

The main attraction was, of course, the observation deck where visitors could view Units 1 through 4 at an almost alarmingly close distance. Unit 4 was nearly completely reconstructed, and Unit 3 was not far behind. Unit 2 still had quite a bit of work to go, but Unit 1...Unit 1 was the showstopper. This building was exactly as it was the day of the meltdown because simply there is nothing anyone or anything can do about it currently, it is too hot and radioactive. It was mind-boggling to stand just 50 or so meters away from Unit 1, where robots meltdown if they get too close. From behind the Units, we could see the sea wall that is currently being constructed to prevent a tsunami from wrecking the area once again. The original tsunami measured at 15 meters, so naturally, this sea wall was not 15 meters. The radiation meter by the observation deck was reading out at a whopping 75 mSv, which was an insane amount to just casually be hanging out in. We stood here for as long as our Dosimeters would permit, but after not too long, our dosimeters began to scream at us to Get The Heck out of there. We complied, but the scene of the 4 destroyed units will not leave my mind anytime soon. One of the buildings close to the units had all of its windows blown inside, and you could see inside that the explosions had really done a number on what must have originally been an office building of sorts. Seeing these relicts of the past so insanely destroyed, it sticks with you.

We boarded back onto the bus will a new sense of the severity surrounding us, and finished our tour. We stopped by Units 5 and 6, which were unaffected by the earthquake and tsunami but, of course, are now shut down. Passed the untouched units, we could see out into the ocean, where marked by 4 unimpressive brown poles, the area of the water dump is set to take place within the next few months. It made all of us uncomfortable how we all felt we could easily swim out and back from that point if we so desired, and this was there they were going to be releasing Tritium contaminated water.

Speaking of, once the tour was complete, we were brought into the main visitor building and allowed to handle a bottle of the ALPS treated water. It looked no different than a normal bottle of water, other than the fact that the lid was wrapped up in a ton of tape to prevent any sort of leakage or spilling. It felt a little odd to be holding it, but since we have every intention to release it into the ocean, it felt wrong to not hold it at least once.

After just a short hour, the tour of the plant was over. We were scanned thoroughly again, to make sure no radiation contamination remained on our bodies and clothes. We also had to step on a sticky mat, which removed any debris from the bottom of our shoes. Our Dosimeter levels were read out to us (0.2, as promised), and we were sent back to the decommissioning center. It was not said out loud, but anyone could tell that this tour had deeply unsettled us, leaving us with a new sense of the calamity that had occurred.

While it was pretty obvious throughout the tour that TEPCO was trying their best to clean up their public image, I still felt the whole tour was extremely informative and properly distressing. If given the chance, I think anyone would do well with experiencing this tour. If nothing else, than to put into perspective just how insanely powerful nuclear energy is, and how terribly things can go wrong in the blink of an eye.

[myslashyvalentine]

Hello, I meant to sign up for MSV but dithered too long and missed the deadline. Can I sign up as a pinch-hitter? Thank you!

Yes, you can! We've left the form open for you to submit your pinch hit details.

[swaps55]

Mnemonic

This is an AU version of a standalone scene from Cantata that I rewrote with kissing. Because there was a lot of UST and I am weak. 

Ao3

14 June 2180, Hades Gamma, Farinata System, SSV Myeongnyang

For a biotic, the armor never really comes off. What they carry under their skin is like a live wire, a current always in need of grounding.

Standing face-to-face with half a dozen L2 biotics holding the chairman of the Parliament Subcommittee for Transhuman Studies hostage on the MSV Ontario makes it a lot easier for Kaidan to see how much he takes for granted having a safe place to do it. And knowing how.

Reparations for the L2 side effects are a pipe dream. But a pipe dream Colin Daggett and his people needed to cling to, whatever the cost. And it had almost cost them everything.

Shepard doesn’t say much as they arrange for the survivors to be transferred to the Madrid’s brig and the engineering crew arrives to secure the Ontario for the trip to Arcturus. He says even less on the way through the airlock back to the ‘Yang, and the rest of the squad take their lead from him.

When they’re back on board the ship he disappears, sucking the air out of the room with him. They kit down without him.

“You’re an L2, aren’t you?” Pendergrass asks as she shoves her arms through the sleeves of her uniform, armor plating in a heap at her feet.  

Beaudoin jabs her with an elbow.

“Yeah,” Kaidan murmurs, fingers tracing the amp port on the back of his neck when he removes the protection plate. He flexes his fingers, gravity well jumping into his touch. As he reaches for his chest plate to store it in his gear locker, an electric shock passes through him.

When 23:00 rolls around, Kaidan shows up in the mess as usual, figuring he’ll keep it simple tonight and just make some pasta. Shepard is there waiting, as usual, picking at a spot on the table while Kaidan pulls out a pot and finds a container of pasta. The entire time the water boils Shepard doesn’t say a word, stubbornly lost in thought.

Kaidan tells himself he’s not going to do more than olive oil and garlic – it’s been too long of a day for effort – but by the time he gets it to the table there’s parmesan cheese, parsley, and even a little red pepper in the mix.

“You going to tell me what’s up, or do I get to guess?” Kaidan asks when he sits down across from him and hands off a fork. He spent too much energy on going above and beyond with the red pepper to bother with a second bowl. They’ll just have to share.

Shepard looks up, almost in surprise. “Just thinking.”

“You’ve been thinking ever since you got Chairman Burns through the airlock. Maybe you should think out loud.”

The gravity well churns as Shepard stirs eddies in it, in tune with the twirl of his fork in the pasta bowl. “Everything that happened on that ship hinged on what Daggett did with his pistol.”

His toying intensifies, until blue energy shimmers around his knuckles. This one’s been chewing at him. A snap of electricity skips between his finger and the fork, and he drops it with an annoyed mutter. He looks up.

“You pulled the gun out of his hands,” he says.

And Shepard had put a bullet between his eyes. The fight had gone out of the rest pretty quickly.

“He wasn’t going to put it down,” Kaidan says. “We all knew it.”

“No. He wasn’t. And if you hadn’t been there, that standoff turns into a clusterfuck where everyone dies.”

A soft smile tugs at Kaidan’s lips. “Guess it’s a good thing I was there.”

Shepard picks up the fork again, staring at it with an unfocused gaze before he stabs it back in the bowl and twirls more pasta.  

“I couldn’t have done what you did. I can’t refine a field like that. I was prepared to shoot everyone in that room. But you pulled the gun right out of his hands.”

Only because Shepard had given him the chance. Whether Shepard had done it with purpose or actually hesitated is a question he hasn’t been in a hurry to examine too closely.

“We work together, remember? In case you hadn’t noticed, we’ve gotten pretty good at it.”

Shepard huffs. “Yeah. We have.”

“But you’re just gonna get bent out of shape about not being able to do everything yourself, anyway.”

“Have you met me?” Shepard says with a helpless shrug.

“Yeah, I’ve had the pleasure,” Kaidan says with a chuckle. He pushes his chair back. “Come on, then.”

Shepard casts him a suspicious look. “Come where?”

“To the gym.”

“Alenko—”

“Come on.” He nods towards the elevator and starts walking, smirking a little when Shepard’s chair scrapes against the floor and his feet hit the deckplates.

“You’re just dying to give me a taste of my own medicine, aren’t you,” Shepard grouches when they board the lift.

“Oh, definitely.”

“You’re the worst.”

“Apparently not when it comes to taking people’s pistols out of their hands.”

Shepard chuckles, though he tries to choke off a smile by looking down at his feet. When they get to the gym Kaidan digs a canteen out of his locker and sets it down on one of the sparring mats.

“I’m guessing that your training didn’t include a lot of control drills,” he says.

Shepard shakes his head. “Tulak wasn’t big on control. Overwhelming tidal force tends to be the krogan approach.”

“You don’t say.”

“Sarcasm does not become you, Alenko.”

Kaidan grins and points to the canteen. “Start simple. Just lift it off the ground.”  

Shepard rolls his eyes, but taps into the gravity well, corona enveloping him in a shroud of snapping blue tendrils. The hairs on Kaidan’s arms stand on end.

It’s so rare he gets to just watch Shepard work. All unrestrained power, from the loose, angry snarl of his corona to the sweeping mnemonics, make him seem larger than life. When he swipes the canteen off the floor he does it with his entire arm. The canteen leaps into the air, nearly hitting the ceiling before Shepard wrangles it. He only holds it still for half a second before sending it skidding to the other side of the gym.

“Hm,” Kaidan says.

Shepard gives him a withering look before marching off to fetch the wayward canteen. “It’s small. I don’t do well with small.”

“Not sure the size trips you up as much as you think it does,” Kaidan muses. “That mnemonic of yours applies some pretty impressive force automatically, so you’re already playing catch up if you’re trying to control the speed or direction.”

“See, I can’t tell if you’re complimenting me or giving me shit.”

“Both.”

“Har.”

Shepard resets the canteen and comes back to Kaidan to try it again, standing close but not so close their fields intersect. Kaidan watches through three variations that all end almost the same way, too much force being applied to the canteen, making it nearly impossible for Shepard to control where it goes, or where it doesn’t.

Doesn’t matter that he’s not accomplishing what it intends. The way the gravity well cants under his touch, the way his corona lights him ablaze like a flickering star, the way it caresses every nerve in Kaidan’s body like a swash of silk is mesmerizing. Kaidan swallows before trying to speak.  

“Good news is, if we ever need someone to punt a suspicious canteen into space, I know who to call.”

Shepard rolls his eyes. “And if you’re not around to yank pistols out of terrorist hands?”

“Well, first, I will be around. But second, as for the pistol, yanking it towards you isn’t so different from kicking it away from you.” He cracks a grin. “In your case you just need to be prepared to duck.”

“Have I mentioned that separating the pistol from the person holding it wouldn’t end well for anyone?” Shepard says. “If you were to go hold that canteen in your palm and ask me to do what I just did, you wouldn’t like me very much.”

I doubt that.

“One problem at a time,” Kaidan says. “Let’s work on controlling the canteen by itself, then we’ll add clutter.”

“And how do you suggest we do that?”

“You need a new mnemonic. You’re fighting yourself by adding force and trying to take it away at the same time.”

“I’m sensing a metaphor.”

Kaidan smirks. “Think that says more about you than it does me.” Before Shepard can protest he raises an arm. “Watch me. You don’t have to use my mnemonic, but I want you to see something different so you can visualize it.”

Shepard folds his arms across his chest, but does what Kaidan asks. A nervous thrill runs through him at the undivided attention.

Kaidan waves a wrist, a hard-learned, hard-fought mnemonic that now feels as natural as breathing. Dark energy rushes through him, responsive and willing, as his fingers flex and settle a field over the canteen. Very little mass-shifting needed to pick up a light-weight canteen, which makes it tricky to keep from doing exactly what Shepard did – send it spinning out of control. But Kaidan has spent years perfecting his ability to do exactly this, so the canteen rises off the floor until it reaches eye level. Kaidan closes his fist and holds it still, floating almost motionless in mid-air.

“That mnemonic is so damned subtle,” Shepard says with an appreciative shake of his head. A flush builds at the back of Kaidan’s neck.

“Easier for me that way.”

Shepard grunts and unfolds his arms. “I was never good at levitation.”

“Because your mnemonics always apply force.”

“Need force to yank that pistol.”

“Sure, but if you want to control it, you need to learn how to hold it still.”

“I’m not good at still.”

“I know,” Kaidan says, lips curving into a smile. “So come here and let me show you.”  

Shepard strays a step closer into Kaidan’s biotic field. The blend of auras creates a low keen through his nerves, familiar but always striking. The canteen wavers before falling to the ground.

“Sorry,” Shepard mumbles, but doesn’t back away.

“It’s fine,” Kaidan says, lifting the canteen again with another float of his palm.

Their eyes lock for a moment before Shepard clears his throat and looks down at Kaidan’s hand.

“You put everything in your wrist.”

“Yeah,” he manages. “You do it all with your arms.”

“Yeah.”

“So maybe, if you’re looking for finesse, try to create a mnemonic that’s a little, uh, smaller.”    

“With my wrist.”

“Right. Um, I’ll show you. Here.” He steps in front of Shepard, angling his body to align their right arms. He takes Shepard’s right hand guides it to his wrist, tingle running down his spine when his fingers close around it. Shepard glances at him with soft eyes that stop the breath in his throat, but doesn’t object.

“Hands-on teacher?”

“Best way to learn,” Kaidan replies, gaze flicking to Shepard’s mouth before going back to the canteen. “Just follow my lead. Don’t act on the canteen. Concentrate on what my arm does. Visualize it.”

“Sure,” Shepard murmurs.

Kaidan reaches into the gravity well, his own corona unfurling, a steady candle to Shepard’s flaring torch. Goosebumps rise on Shepard’s arm, a subtle reminder that he’s human after all, one Kaidan is almost never close enough to witness.

He takes a deep breath and flexes his wrist, Shepard’s fingers loose and feather-light against his skin. A crackle of dark energy passes between them before he snares the canteen and turns his wrist palm-up to lift it off the floor, Shepard close enough his breath washes over Kaidan’s cheek. The canteen wavers but Kaidan keeps it afloat for several seconds, the mingle of auras, ripple of kinetic energy and closeness of Shepard enough to make him dizzy.

He lets it go with a clatter and puts space between them.

“Does that help?” he asks, trying not to sound breathless.

“Yeah. It does.” Shepard’s gaze stays on him, still and steady. “Might take a while to hard-wire my brain for something in the wrist.”

“Doesn’t have to be that. It could be something else. But you associate those big movements with force. Take that away, you might have more luck with leaving velocity out of the initial execution, so you can add it how you need it. Have more control over it.”

Shepard’s mouth crooks in a half-smile. “Sure I’m not a lost cause when it comes to control?”

“I’m sure.”

Shepard breaks his gaze and focuses on the canteen, brow furrowed in concentration. Twice he catches himself using his arm, then nearly wrenches his wrist trying to restrict the movement.

“It’s so ingrained,” he says with a shake of his head.

“That’s why they work,” Kaidan says with a smile. “Here.” He steps close once again, positions reversed with his hand on Shepard’s wrist this time. “Let me help.”

“Fuck, your hands are cold,” Shepard says with a laugh.

Hastily, he loosens his grip. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” Shepard says with a grin.  “Go on.”

Gently, Kaidan closes his fingers again. Shepard trains his eyes on the canteen, though they dart to Kaidan ever so briefly.

Shepard’s corona is so bright, so fierce, it’s a wonder he can wrangle it at all. Kaidan breathes in deep, letting his own kindle, the snick and crackle as they blend together forming a resonant hum that hovers just under his skin.

When Shepard’s arm moves, Kaidan tightens his grip, keeping the motion small. Instead of his usual languid, fluid posture, Shepard’s arm is stiff and resistant against him. The canteen spins in a circle but stays on the ground.  

“Breathe, Shepard,” Kaidan says softly. “Just let it happen.”

Shepard inhales deep, like someone trying to relearn how. This time they move together, Kaidan picking up the slack when Shepard falters, until the canteen hovers briefly in the air. It’s more under Kaidan’s control than Shepard’s, but it’s a start, and that’s what matters.

They gutter out and the canteen falls, but Kaidan doesn’t let go and doesn’t step away, not yet, not quite yet, not while the remnants of kinetic energy are still sharp in the air and he has to remind himself to breathe, too.

“How do you do that?” Shepard murmurs. “You worked around me, without…taking over. How do you do that?”

Their eyes lock for just a moment. God Kaidan could get lost there if he’s not careful. “Practice. Years of it.”

Let go.

He means to. He means to. In his head he loosens his hold on Shepard’s wrist, drops his hand away and puts space between them. That’s what he tells himself to do. That’s what he intends to do.

But while he does loosen his grip, instead of fall away, Kaidan’s fingertips brush Shepard’s knuckles, the pad of his thumb running along the round muscle of his palm.

It’s an accident. Just an accident. So many of their touches are, but rather than move or pull away, rather than let it be just another one of those excusable, explainable slips, Shepard exhales, the breath fluttering out of him, then splays his fingers wider, as if making room for Kaidan’s to slot between them.

Let go, let go.

But instead he explores the open space Shepard has left for him, fingertips light, hesitant, ghosting Shepard’s skin as he finds where they fit, hovering, hoping, but never daring to rest. Never giving up the ruse.

It’s an accident. It doesn’t mean anything.

Except it does.

Shepard stays still as a stone save for the rise and fall of his chest. They’re close enough now their cheeks almost touch, though whether Kaidan moves or Shepard does to close that gap he can’t say.

The next time Kaidan’s fingers trespass through that open space, Shepard closes his around them and traps them there.

Kaidan’s breath hitches.

The gravity well sighs as Shepard calls to it, glow of dark energy limming their hands, accompanied by a soundless hum that strums every nerve in Kaidan’s body before settling in his groin. Without thinking his other hand comes to rest on Shepard’s hip, needing something, anything, to hold onto.

A soft sound stirs in Shepard’s throat. Kaidan’s hand doesn’t stay on that hip for long, because Shepard seeks those fingers out, too, lacing them together. Kaidan folds both arms until Shepard is surrounded by them. There’s no imagining any space between them now – their cheeks rest against each other, Kaidan tightening his hold until Shepard is snug against his chest.

Shepard turns his head, but after briefly meeting each other’s gaze, his eyes drift down to Kaidan’s mouth.

Kaidan can still let go. There’s still a way out. Chalk it up to adrenaline, nerves leftover from the standoff on the Ontario. They can walk it off, laugh, pretend it never happened, continue on like they always have.

But he doesn’t let go, and then the millimeters between Shepard’s lips and Kaidan’s no longer exist and the window is gone.

Shepard’s mouth is warm, soft, lips tinged with the salt of his sweat. They start out slow, cautious, neither of them daring to think about it too hard, but that’s not a problem for long, because soon there’s no room to think about anything at all.

Nothing else matters but this.

Slow and cautious becomes deep and headlong, Kaidan pushing his tongue between Shepard’s teeth, Shepard sighing into his mouth and taking him in. His fingers tighten around Kaidan’s, the glow of dark energy rippling out from their joined hands until it swallows them whole. Kaidan gasps at the sensation.

Shepard kisses him harder.

God.

Kaidan wants to spin him around, throw his arms around his neck and meet him head on, give in to everything, all of it, but he can’t bear the thought of turning loose of that hand.    

They part when they run out of air, both straining to catch their breath, fingers still entwined, Shepard still firmly ensconced in Kaidan’s arms as his corona fades.

Shepard rests his cheek against Kaidan’s, ensconcing himself a little further.

“Oh,” he says softly.

“Yeah.”

Shepard’s fingers flex within his, twining and retwining, never letting go.

“You…don’t seem surprised.”

Kaidan closes his eyes, breathing him in, a star he’s somehow pulled down out of the heavens and trapped right here in his arms.  “No. Felt it…for a long time now.”

“Oh.”

“…Yeah.”

Their coronas may have faded, but the mingle of their biotic fields is a constant, soothing whisper under Kaidan’s skin. A small, contented sound slips from Shepard’s throat.  

“Why didn’t I see it?”

Kaidan huffs. “To be fair, I don’t think either of us are very good at this kind of thing.”

Shepard tightens his grip on Kaidan’s fingers and pulls them to his chest. The race of Shepard’s heart thrums under their joined hands. If Kaidan had any illusions about letting him go, they’re gone now.    

“I think I’d like to learn,” Shepard says.

Kaidan’s stomach flips. “Me too.”

They stay still, Kaidan content to hold him, Shepard content to be held, until their lips find each other once more. Kissing Shepard is easy, effortless, like it’s something they were meant to do, a safe place for the live current running under their skin to go to ground.

Shepard, against all evidence to the contrary, is…safe.  

Shepard gazes at him when they part, and butterflies cut loose in Kaidan’s stomach.

“You’re very good at that,” Shepard murmurs.

“We’re very good at a lot of things.”

“Yeah. We are.” He draws Kaidan’s hand up to press a kiss to his knuckles. “What do we do now?”

“I don’t know,” Kaidan admits. “What do you want?”

“You.”

A shiver runs down Kaidan’s spine, the euphoria of that one, single word enough to make him lightheaded. So simple. So complicated. They’ll have choices to make, all of them with compromises and consequences. But that’s something for tomorrow. Right now there is only the truth.  

“I want that, too.”

Shepard releases Kaidan’s hand to turn until they’re face to face, then runs his fingers through the hairs growing over Kaidan’s right temple. All the while those glittering eyes search Kaidan’s face, as though reconciling all the things he knows with the things he’s learning for the first time.

The corners of his eyes crinkle as a smile spreads across his face, pure, open, and full of possibility. “Taste of my own medicine, huh?”

“Well…” Kaidan shrugs helplessly, and Shepard’s grin only gets deeper.  

“Seems like I should have let you teach me a few things a long time ago.”

Kaidan flexes his fingers, a curl of dark energy igniting in his palm that draws out goosebumps along Shepard’s arm. “All in the wrist.”

Shepard laughs. It’s like music. “You and me.”

“I like that,” Kaidan murmurs, before kissing him again. “I like that a lot.”

[aipilosse]

Feeling bold, so I'm finally going to do a pinned post of my writing.

The main 'verse

These absolutely don't need to be read in order — each is standalone. I also reserve the right to decide something I wrote at an earlier point was stupid at any time and contradict myself. Nonetheless, these do all have recurring OCs, locations, headcanons, and pretty persistent characterizations. Listing them in chronological order, more or less.

Fair They Wrought Us

Multi-chap, Teen, Gen

The story of Celebrimbor in Gondolin, snatching some joy and friendship between fallen cities. Making weird UT lore work, so I can have Celebrimbor live in Gondolin, reignite his friendship with Idril, become friends with Coroniel, and craft the Elessar.

What Joy Here is Left

A collection of ficlets done for tumblr requests, Teen, mostly gen although some Silvergifting slipped in. Most take place in the Second Age, although there are a few Fourth Age pieces.

The Evil Ex-Boyfriends Club

Multi-chap, Explicit, Celebrimbor/Fingon.

YES. You read that right. The first fic I ever wrote was Celebrimbor/Fingon, and I still think they work as friends with benefits - maybe I should revisit this pairing. After returning from Mandos years after everyone else in his family, Fingon has a difficult time coming to terms with his past. Aredhel thinks a change of scenery will help. Elsewhere in Aman, Celebrimbor is also trying to cope.

Feanorian Week One Shots

I wrote a collection of one shots around each of the sons of Fëanor leaving Mandos. Most are G, one is Teen.

What Brings Us Together

WIP, Mature, Silvergifting

My attempt at making post-canon Celebrimbor/Sauron work. Featuring a cat named Miaulë, a hotly anticipated wedding, and Galadriel losing her goddamned mind.

Other One Shots

Works I didn't really envision as being part of the main 'verse. Most were written for exchanges and events.

Goldilocks and the White Bird

G, Gen

Written for TRSB '21 and comes with beautiful art! When a strange white crebain shows up at Bag End, Goldilocks and her brothers are determined to find out everything they can about their visitor. Their discovery brings about a summer full of magic, machines, and trying not to let their parents find out what they're up to as they try to help the bird.

Greetings, O Favored One

Teen, Gen

Written for the B2ME Mini-Spring Bang and this *also* comes with beautiful art! Six encounters Celebrimbor has with the Maiar and the perils and blessings of the Holy Ones favor.

Darkness Inescapable

Teen, Gen

A pinch hit for TSS '20. Elrond dreams of Númenor.

You are the New Day

G, Silvergifting

Written for TSS '20. I love a good torture fic as much as the next person, but sometimes you need soft, holiday silvergifting too.

The Yawning Grave

Teen, Gen

Eluréd knew there were rules. He chose to break them. A dark fairy tale re-telling of the Second Kinslaying.

Prophetic Tears

Teen, Gen

Idril Celebrindal’s life with a Cassandra twist

The Porn

Listen, we all love gen, and the Tolkien fandom is full of it. But sometimes you need some smut.

You can stop at any time

Silvergifting

Annatar really only has himself to blame. That just makes things worse. Featuring orgasm delay/denial and cock rings.

Brim/Gil stuff

Three one shots featuring Celebrimbor/Gil-galad. Indulging my need to write slutty Celebrimbor. That's all you really need to know.

The Nature of Stone

Galadriel/Melian

Written for MSV '21. Melian is an excellent teacher, and Galadriel is eager to learn everything she is willing to share. Featuring object insertion and the chillest Thingol you will ever meet.

Alas, I don't think I'm going to succeed in finishing the Season of Kink bingo. But here are the three fics I managed to write:

Tools of the Trade

Silvergifting featuring pervertables and light bondage. Perhaps the most Red-Flag-Annatar I've ever written.

Disastrous Expense

Reincarnated Feanor/Nerdanel featuring breath play and soul bonds.

Submission

Sauron/Ar-Pharazôn featuring a submissive Sauron. He's also throwing red flags left and right, but Ar-Pharazôn is a bit too conceited to detect them.

Getting Along

Galadriel/Celebrimbor/Sauron written for undercat. I cannot believe this trio didn't exist already.

[verecunda]

WIP Meme

Tagged by @nocompromise-noregrets. Thankee, m’dear! I do like the gist of this one. It seems most therapeutic. XD

List the titles/filenames/descriptions of your WIPs and tell us a little bit about them/wail about them/beg for inspiration/whatever you want! Then tag some people for a no-obligation mutual wailing/cheering/complaining session!

Well, I’ve got two exchange assignments on the go (Chocolate Box and My Slashy Valentine), so I can’t really talk about them. Progress on both is rather... ahahahaha. XD As for the others...

Caranthir/Haleth - Yule

OH GOD IT WON’T END. WHY WON’T IT END?? I started writing it near the start of December and it’s still going. The original spark for this idea was just a short little exchange - Haleth explaining to Caranthir about the midwinter customs of the Haladin: lighting fires to encourage to sun to come back out of the dark, and getting a bit defensive, saying basically, “No doubt you think that sounds very twee.” To which Caranthir has a very vivid memory of the terror that gripped everyone at the Darkening of Valinor, and tells her in no uncertain terms that he thinks their customs are very reasonable. (Do the Elves of Middle-earth even know the nature of the sun and the moon at this point? They can probably guess Yavanna managed to salvage something from the Trees, but the Noldor were long gone before they were crafted.) Anyway, it kind of snowballed, and there’s been Yuletide feasting and dancing and heartfelt talks about family and loss etc, and at the last check-in they both had one too many and now they’ve Done It, and now they’re both wondering what might happen if she gets pregnant? could she get pregnant? can Eldar and Edain breed together? what would be the political ramifications if she got pregnant? (My H & C appear to be terminally practical like that!)

I just... I just wanted to write something short and fluffy and Christmassy, but now we’re halfway through January and I’ve still not finished the first draft. Just wait, I’ll end up posting this thing in like mid-July or something, because the fucker just WON’T END. 😫

Wherein the Worship of the Whole World Lies

(When in doubt, grub up a random Shakespeare quote for a title.) This is actually the first Angbang fic I started writing, back in *checks* October, but I’ve not actually made much progress beyond the halfway point. Mostly because from there it’s pretty much fierce dirtybadwrong smut, and my smut muse has apparently taken a sabbatical. (Which bodes well for my MSV assignment, which may well call for some sexytiems. >.>)

I have quite a few other Sauron-centric/Angbang pieces floating about my head: Melkor’s (not so) triumphant return to Angband, a possible follow-up to Beguiled by One, and a wee something about the crafting of Annatar. But since I’ve not written a word of them yet, they’re still nice mental images that aren’t giving me any trouble. :P

Legolas/Gimli - post-LOTR, Hobbit

A very exciting working title, I know. XD I wrote the beginning of this one last year, but I’m turning my attention back to it. Originally the idea was pretty simply: after LOTR, Legolas and Gimli go back to see their kin, and everyone is Scandalised™ by their relationship. Decidedly movie!verse, since I really want to have Gimli and Tauriel hitting it off right away, and Legolas being like “oh god, this is going to end so badly for me.” XD

But as I was thinking about it, I could see there was potential to explore lots of more emotional themes. Like Legolas seeing the damage done to Mirkwood during the battles there, and having a real heart to heart with his father about love and his place in the world etc. Then there’s the fact that Gimli will surely have to grieve for the death of Dáin, and he’ll also have to pass on the news about the loss of Balin and co. in Moria. I was throwing some ideas about with my sister the other day, and we agreed it would probably make for a better story if Legolas and Gimli aren’t an item at the beginning after all, but that all these other things help lead them to realise their true feelings.The idea is pretty irresistible, but… uh… there’s a lot of ground to cover, and it’ll almost certainly run into at least a few chapters, which… THIS IS WHY I ONLY WRITE ONE-SHOTS. I CANNOT DO PLOTS, I DO NOT DO PLOT, WHAT IS PLOT????

So, yeah, if anyone wants to hold my hand through this one, I’ll be very grateful indeed. X’D

That’s all for fanfiction. As far as original fiction goes:

Heartwood Abbey

The gothic ghost story thingy. Still redrafting this damn thing, though to be quite honest, I’ve not so much as glanced at it since before Christmas. >.> But I’d like to get it finally done and move on. My family keep going, “You should try to get it published!” which… lol, no. The entire thing is made of cliché and Easter eggs. That was always the point. I’ve had fun with it, it’s made me much more confident about my ability to see a story through to the end, and I’d like to make it the best I can before I draw a line under it. But just… lol, no.

The Votadini novel

Still in the research and planning stage for this one really, but I think I’ve got all the major plot threads sorted out. (Though that’ll undoubtedly change the minute I start writing in earnest. XD) As the title suggests, it’ll centre around the Votadini tribe of East Lothian and their place in that oh-so-volatile northern frontier of Roman Britain. I can’t help but feel there must have been quite a lot of times when their leaders felt that they were walking a very tricky tightrope, especially when war flared up between the Romans and the more northerly tribes. I’ve got a good idea of the main characters and all the various conflicts - but I still have no idea if that brooding Damnonii king actually has any bearing on things, or if he belongs in another story. Hopefully he’ll let me know soon. XD

I tag: @bryndeavour, @themalhambird, @di-daydreamer, @imakemywings, and anyone else who needs to scream a bit about their WIPs. :D

[infinityreview]

Look at that Marut!

Some photos of the fully painted new Marut are out, and wow do they look great! I have a small Aleph force, but I’ve never owned the Marut. I have, however, played against it many times. While I’m a big fan of the old model, I also like this new one quite a bit. I’m looking forward to comparing them in detail!

I’ll have a full review when we get official release photos. In the meantime, here’s my best story from my MANY battles against this TAG. Toward the end of N2 I was regularly playing a vanilla Combed Army force consisting of a Charontid, a Vector Operator and odds and ends Morats. Lots of MSV and smoke! My most regular opponent was an Aleph player who frequently brought their Marut. One of our fiercest Quadrant Control mission came down to literally the last order. I had started the game strong, fending off a Naga led alpha strike and following it up with a turn of my Charontid chewing through several Daikini and Proxies. But  My opponent’s second and third turn were both devastating, leaving my Charontid dead and my Morats scattered across the field and barely hanging onto 2 quadrants.  I spent most of my last turn trying to kill the Marut with my Vector Operator, and managed to do 2 wounds before the Marut won an ARO and killed the Operator dead (no Unconscious state for Exrah). Suddenly, with just a single order left, I realized that I only had one hope to win the game. I absolutely had to kill the Marut, but the only model I had that was in line of sight was a single Daturazi. And he was out of charge and Chain Rifle range. In fact, he was jussssst out of maximum pistol range too (I knew this from a previous ARO attempt). Worse, he was on top of a 14 inch tower, and couldn’t actually get into range... Unless he jumped.  As my final action of the mission my Daturazi leapt as far straight out from the tower as he could and took a max distance pistol shot against the Marut. I was lucky that the Marut was facing away!  In N2 the Daturazi had a BS of 10 (!!!), and a max range pistol shot was (I believe) -6. So the Daturazi needed a 4 to hit! Luckily he managed a crit, before falling to his death. The Marut, who had managed to wipe out half my army on its own, was defeated, and Combined Army secured 2 quadrants to Aleph’s 1, winning the match!

[scope-dogg]

What is in your opinion the ugliest mobile suits?

You can never go too wrong with looking at various Zeon suits from the original series when you’re looking for stuff to make fun of. While Mobile Suit Gundam was arguably the first Real Robot show it still had a lot of DNA left in its system from the older monster-of-the-week style super robot shows, and that’s most evident in some of the Zeon designs. In particular I think Zeon’s line of amphibious mobile suits like the Zock:

and (I know this is going to carry accusations of heresy from many) the Acguy

are good candidates, though at least the Gogg and especially the Z’gok are still pretty cool IMO. This especially goes for the Juaggu:

Which I believe may have actually been intended to be in the original TV series but didn’t make it in, and ended up being an MSV, though eventually it was brought back to star briefly in Gundam Unicorn and ended up being a fan favourite. Similar story for the Agg:

Which is also an MSV (un?)fortunately hasn’t found its way into a prominent role in any of the anime yet, I think it might have shown up in the background in some Build shows from time to time.

As an added bonus, there’s the mobile armour Zakrello, which is actually one of my favourites because of how weird it looks but I’ve still got to concede that it looks really stupid and impractical even by the standards of the original show:

Most people think of G Gundam when it comes to ugly and stupid looking mobile suits, but I think most of the more notorious examples like the Jester Gundam, Mandala Gundam and Nether Gundam (the notorious windmill Gundam) were made that way deliberately either to enable their strange fighting styles or just for comic effect, so IMO they don’t really count. That said, there is something I feel like I have to draw attention. G Gundam had a manga sidestory called  Super-Class! Mobile Fighter G Gundam: ShinjukuUndefeated of the East! In it, the other shuffle alliance members get upgrades to their mobile fighters around the same time that Domon upgrades from the Shining Gundam to the God / Burning Gundam. Now, let me just say that I think the Rose, Dragon, Bolt and Maxter Gundams are all excellent designs. All 4 of these “upgrades” though go in way too hard on their predecessors gimmicks and end up looking like complete shit:

The manga these were in was overseen by Yasuhiro Imagawa who actually directed the G Gundam anime, meaning that there’s probably a parallel universe not too far from our own where these made it onscreen instead of being rightfully buried in an obscure side manga where most people don’t know about them.

Honestly there’s probably many more good examples, if you keep hitting Random Page on the Gundam wiki you’re probably bound to eventually run across something from an obscure manga or videogame that looks just as if not more stupid than anything I mentioned here.

[z-h-i-e]

New Year Fanfic Asks - Part 1/5

My good friend Anonymous, who is responsible for many shenanigans in my inbox, has asked for all of the questions to be answered from the New Year Fanfic Asks. I am splitting the answers into five parts so I don't break Tumblr.

1. Do you have a word-count goal for the upcoming year?

Absolutely not. I try to write a little every day. I usually write at least 100K words per year. 

2. Will you participate in any fandom exchanges or fic challenges, etc? 

I do a lot of pinch hitting. I can put together stories rather quickly, so I’m sure I’ll end up doing some of that. Already finished my MSV entry, so I’m on deck if needed.  Unsure about TRSB this year.  I might like to have a summer off on the writing side; potentially I might still throw a piece of art in there because I have one I started working on during the pandemic I might actually get finished in time this year.  There’s also the ones I help run–so I’ve got at least one thing into Screw Yule, I’m working on the parts of B2MEM that I am responsible for (super fun theme this year), and then later in the year we’ll have Scribbles & Drabbles again. 

3. Do you anticipate writing for a new fandom this year? Which one?

Uncertain. I have nothing planned, but when I was in bed having mindful time this morning before I got up, I was thinking on the fact that I spent about twenty years deeply rooted in one fandom, and now I have spent a little over 20 years rooted in another fandom, and it feels like I’m due for some sort of change.  I feel like I’ve been setting myself up with all of the shuffling things onto AO3 and making lists and whatnot for the inevitability of change.  I don’t think that change is a fandom, though. Right before the pandemic, I had arranged a lot of time and expectations to work on some original fiction I’ve dabbled in since 2006, but when the pandemic happened, I had to just manage life, the universe, and everything with choices related to keeping my sanity in a world where there were a lot of people relying on me to keep them calm.  It was also at the start of the pandemic that we learned our dog had a major heart issue, and that led to medication and regular procedures and I don’t even want to think about the money it took to keep him around another two years (but, honestly, in hindsight, I’d still do it all again, because we were told 18 months max, and he made it just past his 10th birthday). I think I am finally in a place again where I can start to consider planning time for that.  

4. Do you think you’ll stop writing for a fandom this year? Which one?

I don’t think of things as stopping writing for a fandom – I wrote a short ThunderCats scene last year – it’s more like, going on hiatus. 

5. Which WIP is first on your list to complete this year? Will you post a snippet?

This question came through earlier, and I answered with Phoenix.  I’m going to double down on that, but I’ll provide a different snippet under the cut and resume answering questions in another post…This snippet is a Thranduil/Finrod scene, or at least, the teasing beginning of one.

Immediately after Thranduil and Felagund were seated, a plate with steamed salmon, mixed green vegetables, and wild rice was placed before each of them simultaneously.  A second item was set before Felagund, between him and the plate.  It was a long, rectangular wooden box, inlaid with ivory. He looked at it curiously as Thranduil motioned for the wine to be poured.  

“That is a small gift, from me to you,” said Thranduil as the servants stepped off into the shadows.  He lifted his wine bowl.  “You have been hard at work, and with the next few days off, I thought you might enjoy it.  I was going to save it, but then, for what am I waiting?”

Felagund pressed his lips together and traced his fingertips along the edge of the box.

“Of course, it is your choice whether to open it now or wait until after dinner,” said Thranduil.  He picked up the wine bottle and topped off the bowl.  “Either way, I intend to fuck you with it this evening.”

Felagund’s gaze snapped up to focus on Thranduil, who now had a forkful of spinach and was keeping watch on Felagund’s movements.  As he looked back down to the box, Felagund lifted the lid up with both hands.  He let out an audible breath.  “This is...exquisitely crafted.  Is it a rep,uh, rep-replica of–?”

“Yes.”  Thranduil continued to eat calmly.  “When we first arrived, you asked for something I cannot give you at this time.  This, I can give.  I hope you do not find it too crude.”

The lid of the box closed.  Felagund looked down at the ornate box for a few seconds before he placed the napkin from his lap onto the table.  Thranduil watched, and drank from his bowl of wine.  Felagund pushed his chair back and stood up.  

“Of course, if you prefer to wait for the real thing…”  Thranduil paused as Felagund picked up the box and carried it to the other end of the marble table, one hand on the table to keep his balance.  The box was set down next to the wine bowl.  “If it displeases you–”

Felagund grasped Thranduil’s face in both hands and leaned down to kiss him deeply, tongue mimicking the suggestion Thranduil made for later that night.  Then Felagund said, “Now.”

Thranduil arched a brow.  “I thought you were hungry.”

After he leaned down again and kissed Thranduil a second time, Felagund said, “I hunger for something only you can feed me.”

One of Thranduil’s hands came up behind Felagund’s neck.  He kneaded, and Felagund groaned.  “Alright.  Get on your hands and knees over there,” said Thranduil, motioning with his other hand.

Felagund looked over his shoulder.  “Here?”

Thranduil grasped Felagund’s chin to turn his head back.  “You did say ‘now’.”

[hornpipetamilsongs]

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[aricazorel]

N7 month prompts- Day 13 Armor

(This occurs on the SR1 during the Broken Road timeline)

It seemed to have occurred gradually. Slow enough that he didn’t realize he was doing it. Often enough that someone else had. Of course that person had been Ash. She just seemed to notice things like that. She always said there was a reason scuttlebutt got started to begin with. Apparently staring however covertly at another marine while they took off and cleaned their armor was just such a reason.

Ashley had teased Kaidan privately about it but would never push. In the first few weeks Williams had become a trusted ally both in battle and navigating the Normandy’s social network. All she had said beside the teasing was that the object of his attention obviously had a hard time trusting people and he’d be an idiot to break that fragile trust she’d given him.

Kora Reese had been the one to capture his attention from the time he’d caught her making adjustments to the Normandy without permission, to the time she hadn’t had her barrier up and was shot, to the times Shepard looked as if he was torn between throwing her off the Normandy or giving her a medal for her quick thinking. Her tenacity, her stubbornness, her unwillingness to forget about anyone made him both admire and empathize with her.

In a way she reminded him of himself as a youth. Angry and untrusting of people after Jump Zero until he found a better way. It was no secret Anderson had requested her posting to the Normandy but what was not widely known was that she had always had an ally in the captain. He knew her potential and refused to accept anything less. And so she remained in the SR1 to prove to him that she was worthy of his support. Alenko had stepped up to offer his own support when he recognized what his former CO saw in her. It was Reese though that forgot sometimes what she was truly capable of.

It was like she wore an set of armor all the time, afraid someone would get too close. That someone would discover the real Kora Reese. Now as he watched her again take her armor off piece by piece he realized that he knew her better than most. How that had happened was anyone’s guess. But he likened it to how he realized he watched her every time they returned from a mission, making sure she were really okay both physically and mentally.

This last mission though…

The mission to rescue the chairman of trans human studies from a group of biotics extremists had taken a lot out of both of them. Shepard had settled it with the help of words from both Kaidan and Reese but it still stung. Their own people resorting to such extremes just to get reparations. The actions of neither side settled well with Kaidan and he had reason to think Reese agreed with him.

Lt. Kora Reese was far from being helpless. That was something she prided herself on but what she was reluctant to admit was that she needed a shoulder to lean in. In recent weeks, Kaidan had found himself being that shoulder to his great surprise. She had confessed small things to him, things that in the grand scheme of things probably didn’t matter but it mattered to him. He remembered her favorite ice cream, that she drank hot chocolate and preferred cappuccino to regular coffee, that she had binge watched a 21st show called Mythbusters too much according to her grandmother. All things mentioned offhanded but he still remembered.

Finally done with his own armor he put it in the automatic cleaner as he walked back to her. She had been the last off the MSV Ontario and the last to begin changing out of their armor. She still hadn’t made much progress as she started blankly at her helmet’s visor. He took her gloves and put them in the cleaner as he asked, “Do you want to talk about anything?”

She shook her head as he gently pulled the helmet from her hands. “Do you need anything? Are you hurt?”

Reese shook her head again. “I just—I’m fine.”

Kaidan shook his head this time. “No you’re not. But you don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to. I’ll listen if you need to later though.”

Grey eyes met his. Physically she was fine. But he could tell the mission had been emotionally taxing. She was still coming to gripes with her own biotics and for this to happen…it must make everything he’d been trying to get her to understand even harder to accept. Granted he wasn’t feeling too great about biotics right now either. But at that moment his concern was Reese and hoping that she wasn’t having second thoughts about the training her was giving her.

She began taking off the rest of her armor; Kaidan silently taking it to the cleaner piece by piece for her. She was thinking about how to respond to his offer. It would normally be one of two things: either telling him to mind his own business or just deny needing anyone to talk to. This time he wasn’t so sure.

When the last piece of armor had been put in the cleaner, Kaidan suggested gently, “Hitting the showers and checking in with Chakwas couldn’t hurt things. The Commander said we were off shift until tomorrow so you have some down time.”

When she didn’t respond he began walking away towards the door to the locker room. He wouldn’t push, not on something like this. That wasn’t how you got any where with Reese.

“Kaidan?” Her voice sounded small, hesitant. Anything but how she normally sounded.

He stopped at the door. “Yes?”

“If things aren’t…I mean if I…” she fumbled as if looking for the right worlds. “Is ice cream an option later?”

He smiled broadly as she caught up with him. “Yeah, Kori. I think that might be a good idea.”

Reese worn a small grin of her own as they walked out of the locker room. Maybe it would help. He remembered the first time they’d done it after Shepard had nearly thrown her off the Normandy for not doing her best. Anderson and Kaidan’s words had convinced the Commander to give her a second chance. It was during that midnight ice cream run that Kaidan had revealed how he thought she was letting her biotics control her because of her fear of them. It had been the first step towards them working together to change how she viewed biotics.

Now as they headed for the showers, Alenko realized that his original assessment had been correct. Reese did wear armor to keep others at bay, to keep anyone from caring about her and vice versa. If somehow, for some reason she was allowing him in, acrack had formed and he was starting to see more of the real Reese each day. Of course that only made him want to know her even better.

That also didn’t help with the emotions he felt when he thought of her. They were decidedly against regs but that didn’t make them go away. Regardless, he hoped to one day see her completely devoid of her metaphorical armor and just see Kori.

One day…

[thessalian]

Thess vs Tactical Limitations

Playing ME1 for the first time in basically forever, I’m starting to figure out where my skills actually lie in this kind of game and, more importantly, where the quality of life improvements were made between the various games. The main one? ME1 was not fucking built for a dedicated sniper.

I’m currently at the MSV Ontario, which I have to storm into in order to save a hostage, and getting in is exceptionally tight. Yes, it’s exactly what a group of terrorists would do if they wanted to buy time if they got boarded, but the issue is that you as Shepard can’t do the things you might do in such a situation to compensate. I’d be climbing boxes and finding a sniper nest, but you can’t even jump in this game, so that’s out. There’s no way to find space, find high ground, or any of the things that I might do in that kind of situation. The only real option is Dampen and backpedal, repeat as needed. A little difficult on a three-minute time frame.

(Of course, it also didn’t help that there are still some bugs and one of the biotics hit me with a biotic field so hard I clipped through the floor and had to Vulcan Nerve Pinch out because all I was seeing was a distorted star field. But I digress.)

And therein lies the problem - my play style demands space. I can make fun of ME2 and ME3 all day for giving such obvious shooting-gallery areas, but honestly? That’s a quality of life issue in a video game. Good AI or bad, the fact is that getting rushed by enemies in a very tight space limits your combat options, and all I really want to do is stay concealed behind a wall while peeking out just long enough to take pot shots at people’s heads in a chill kind of way. ME1 didn’t leave as many opportunities to do that as it could have.

I’m not always 100% down with the homogenisation of video games as a whole, but one thing I do appreciate is a varied approach to combat. Some people are better at some types of combat than others. You shouldn’t be forced into one single combat style in a game where you’re allowed a combat class. I’m playing an Engineer so Dampen is going to come in handy, but an Infiltrator is screwed in that mission, depending on who they take with them. And whether I can specialise in them or not, I like my sniper rifle. I blame Horizon Zero Dawn for this, entirely.

So, while the UI isn’t made of hot garbage and I can even drive the Mako without wanting to murder the world now (though my first thresher maw got me fleeing the vicinity because OW and also I didn’t have enough omnigel to repair the Mako through it), the story of ME1 is still my favourite but the combat still not so much. But at least I can do it without cheats, which is better than I did last time (good thing, because cheats got made seriously harder this time around and the .ini file where you can usually get access to the console is apparently inaccessible now without downloading a separate programme and a whole lot of fiddling).