#since that old black ship set sail

[obdurare-archive-blog]

i ama golden age of pirates/long 18th century baby historian.  ama.

i got bullied into this, really, so.  y’all know i shove a lot of historical shit into my portrayal because of it.  come ask me things about the 18th century and shit.  this also counts as studying, right?

[eventyrstuff]

So I started reading Manhwas after Kdramas, and I wanted to make a list as well.

I absolutely love Isekai themed Manhwas - specially historical, time travel and villainess themed. Most of them are based on a web novel but I could not find the novels per se so I read them as Manhwa at Manganelo Site

So here goes the list, I will input few at a time as I am rereading them again.

Warning: Unedited. I’m sorry if I mispell or has grammar lapses. Unabashed fangirling at times.  ALSO SPOILERS. IMMA GIVE OUT A FEW.

Inso's Law - Ongoing (Chapters: 81)

What made me read it: I found the earphone scene in Instagram and I instantly fell in love with Chunyoung. I mean I have this weakness with Black Haired characters. When I read the plot, I knew my tween heart will absolutely love this. The Main Character (Dan-I) woke up to a romance novel/parallel world where in she was friends with these very popular kids (I still can't believe they were 14 at the start). She did not want to be center of attention or to have any relations with the Female Lead and her reverse harem, but come on no one can resist those guys and their pretty faces and weird colored hair. The storyline may be a bit overused but my teenage self is very happy. 10/10

Is it visually pretty: YES. Everyone is pretty. This manhwa is also memeworthy. May not be as aesthetically pleasing as WMMAP but still 10/10

How much do I love the characters: I love Dan-I's internal monologue but hate how she sees herself as just the minor character, everyone adores her! Yeoryoung is the best friend you'll absolutely adore. Ju-In is adorbs. Chunyoung is LOVE. I love Jiho and Eunhyung too but Chunyoung is my ML. Ruda and Yeodan though *swoon* Other side characters are awesome too, but too much characters makes me forget a lot of em. Haha 10/10

Favorite part of the story: I LOVE their friendship so eveytime they show how much Dan-I is important too, all those text messages (especially Ju-In's HAHAHAHA text), Chunyoung is my fave so everytime he is in it I mean damn him and his beautiful hair, enchanting eyes and that smile *faints*, everytime Dan-I state one of every web novel laws, everytime Dan-I breaks the fourth wall and say how bullshit the story is hahahaha

Am I going to reread it again: Yes will do again and again

How do I describe thee: This was my first Manhwa! I'm a sucker for high school setting kind of stories. I really like it, makes me nostalgic of times I spent reading stories back in high school. I admit I was one of those teenagers who fell for the trope of being normal then every guy suddenly likes you *reverse harem for the win* but seriously this manhwa is one of my personal fave for being close to my tween heart. I really thought Dan-I was on a parallel world rather than a web novel as she did not got isekai'd to another person, she's still herself and it's still her family - it was like fanfiction of her own life. I like all characters eventhough, yes it's bullshit to have those kinds of friends (come on! A chaebol, a model in one group of friends in a normal highschool?) It's typical, it' cliche I know but their friendship is really #goals. When I first read this I was really cheering on Chunyoung to be ML, but when I read spoilers that Jiho will be the ML I thought whaaaat I shipped Jiho with Yeoryeoung. Then when I reread it I did saw how subtle his love was and it's really cute. I was really focused on Chunyoung since he has a lot of screen time showing off his affections but Jiho did too on the littlest of things you will see. Well, I'll wait for his time to shine. I just hope Dan-I finally notice them. And I want to know how she will be explaining to them her situation and how everything will be resolved - will she be going back to reality? *that's gonna suck* Also can I have Yeodan instead? Thanks. 10/10

Who Made Me A Princess - Ongoing (Chapters: 81)

What made me read it: I keep seeing screenshots of Athy's various expressions on the comments in manhwas so I searched for it. The plot is interesting, and as mentioned I absolutely love Isekai theme. But this is not romance (mostly), the story focuses on the dynamics of a father and daughter relationship. The main character was reborn as a character on a novel she was reading, Athanasia - the princess who was executed by her father. Knowing what will happen to her when she turns 18, she plans on saving herself. She changes the course of the story in order to survive. 10/10

Is it visually pretty: YES. JESUS CHRIST HAVE YOU SEEN DADDY CLAUDE. INSANE VISUALS. I mean the way the artist drew everything is pleasing to my eye. BUT ALL CHARACTERS ARE HOT. 100/10

How much do I love the characters: ONE MUST PROTECT ATHY FOREVER. Daddy Claude breaks my heart. LILY AND FELIX ARE THE CAPTAINS OF MY SHIP. Lucas is love. Can't help falling in love with Ijekiel/Ezekiel. I adore Jennette. DIANA AND LP'S ATHANASIA ARE DEAD BUT THEY DESERVE BETTER. Anastacius you evil motherfucker, I like you too. 100/10

Favorite part of the story: Every Athy expression. Tea time with Daddy Claude and Felix. When Lily is overprotective. Athy's debutante ball. All the boat scenes are gold. Everytime Claude shows how much he adores Athy even when he's supposed to hate her. When he picks her up and when he shows emotions. When Claude and Felix bickers. When Lucas teases Athy. Best boi Ijekiel/Ezekiel when he shows how much he likes Athy. Adorable Jennette and how she yearns for family.

Am I going to reread it again: Yes and No. Probably up to Chapter 45, I don't think my heart can take after that. Maybe when the manhwa is finished.

How do I describe thee: I AM EMOTIONALLY EXHAUSTED. When I first read this I stopped at Chapter 38,  I read another Manhwa and actually forgot about it but decided to reread again after. I thought this will be a funny, heartwarming story of how a daughter earns her father's love. OH BOY GET READY FOR FEELINGS. I love Athy so much, she just wanted to survive the story, but she was loved, she was finally happy. Claude was like fuck feelings but can't help but adore Athy. I love their relationship so much. It physically pained me after Claude loses his memory - BRING BACK THE FUNNY CHAPTERS. I cannot read that scene in Claude's birthday ever again without bawling. I like Jennette, I really do, but I hate how everytime Claude has headaches (especially when with Athy) he calls for Jennette. It hurts me the way it hurts Athy like I was the one being betrayed. I hate how what's happened to LP Athanasia might still happen ro present Athanasia and it will def break me. I hate Anastacius for being an evil bastard that he is but I hope his growing love for Jennette will be his redemption. This was the first time I did not care for the romance or love triangles (Lucas and Ezekiel/Ijekiel are still precious bbys). Still 1000/10 will recommend even if it's not yet finished. I just want everyone to have a happy ending. Also for my LilyxFelix ship to sail. Thanks. If you have spoilers, gimme.

The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke's Mansion - Ongoing (Chapters: 133)

What made me read it: It was on one of the recommended list and it caught my eye due to the title like pfft how very specific. It's Isekai so I know I'll love it. The Main Character got pushed (literally) into a novel wherein she got the role of Raeliana - a minor character whose death is the catalyst for the story to start. And of course our MC will not follow through the storyline and make her own destiny and survive. She ended up asking for the duke's (Noah, my love) help and became his fiancee, thus starting a butterfly effect for this manhwa's awesome story and twists. 100/10

Is it visually pretty: Definitely, everyone is absolutely pretty and the art is great. Not as insane as WMMAP but I got a lot of meme material. 10/10

How much do I love the characters: Raeliana is def one of top female lead for me, she's bad ass and not as dense as others. Noah, my love, is perfect. Even his brother that I could not remember his name because it's hard to spell. Naomi though is hilarious. Raeliana's family especially her mother. JUSTIN. GRANDPAAAA. SIR ADAM - NUFF SAID. No to Beabitch though but that says something for being villain. 100/10

Favorite part of the story: Chapter 130 hehehehe. Everytime Raeliana is BAMF who saves herself, everytime Noah flirts with her, Sir Adam and his aloofness and chibi self, the emperor's 40% playing pranks, Naomi and the emperor's bickering - which by the way ship it, when Noah confessed, when Raeliana confessed my heart could not take it, ALL THE TWISTS

Am I going to reread it again: YESSSS 100%

How do I describe thee: One of the God-Tier level Manhwa, I read because of Isekai I stayed because of the twist of that Isekai which is freaking mindblowing. Raeliana sets the standard for Female Leads, damn girl needs no man to save her shit. I LOVE HER. I LOVE THIS MANHWA SO MUCH. Noah is just perfect for her like it was really *winks* destined for them to be together. I JUST LOVE EVERYTHING. I love everyone, except that bitch. Also this was a first for me to have the MC admitting they were isekai'd to a novel and realizing her feelings and his feelings and accepting it and I just asdfghjkldfdfse 10000/10 READ THIS AND FALL IN LOVE WITH SIR ADAM WITH ME.

Living As The Tyrant's Older Sister - Ongoing (Chapters: 73)

What made me read it: The meme (you know the one - K.O), if you haven't noticed yet I am a collector of Isekai Manhwa. But this one def made me laugh at all chapters. We have your Main Character being thrown into a web novel (a novel her sister wrote btw) where she play as the Emperor's older sister - Alicia. She knows how the story goes (same old same old where she will eventually die) because she was her sister's consultant regarding the storyline and now regretting how she suggested to change the male lead. As always she devised a plan to stay as a minor character and survive but ended up sleeping with the main lead - Ares. 10/10

Is it visually pretty: Not a masterpiece but definitely meme material, all the screenshots I have stored are all memes from this manhwa 8/10

How much do I love the characters: Alicia is hilarious badmouthing bamf, very pretty very memeworthy. Ares could work on his personality a bit more but when they are together they're comical. Her brother is a typical tsundere and a fanboy. Lancelot is your typical nice guy. THAT BUTLER THOUGH BEST WINGMAN. 9/10

Favorite part of the story: Every meme hahahaha just read it this manhwa is the embodiment of a meme

Am I going to reread it again: Yes whenever I need a laugh ahhahaha

How do I describe thee: I AM WHEEZING. This truly is a comedic manhwa. You can't take it seriously because of the way it was drawn. If you really want a laugh this one's perfect. At times it is cringy when it exag a bit of their reactions but still 100% you will laugh. Not perfect but story is good, I like how it's still given a thought. But read it for the memes you won't regret it. 9/10

Survive as the Hero's Wife - Ongoing (Chapters: 79)

What made me read it: It's on the recommended list and someone mentioned that the art is *immaculate* and it is. IT REALLY IS. Well here comes another Isekai manhwa where the MC is pulled inside a novel where her character will be killed. But this time she was a minor villain character and the Male Lead's wife! 10/10 who are we kidding, I love em all.

Is it visually pretty: this manhwa is a work of art, it is *chefs kiss* visual explosion. Everyone is insanely hot, even the villains. The background, the characters - their hair and wardrobe is truly 1000000/10

How much do I love the characters: I really did fell in love with Canaria and Cesar. Best soft couple. Their luscious hair though so pretty. Noah best boi. Best team of suspicious knights - Miller, Raya, Jax and Ethan are loves. Best friend Ricardo. Even best butler Oscar. 100/10

Favorite part of the story: The visual explosion. Chos. When Canaria is being supportive waifu and Cesar is being an innocent best boy, they are just very soft and loving and I love their scenes so much, that popularity vote in the consort's palace ahhahaha, Jax and his misunderstanding, Ethan everytime he eats (all the time), Cesar's blushing face, everytime we are introduced to a new character because we know they are going to be gorgeous as hell.

Am I going to reread it again: MOST DEF ITS VERY PLEASING TO THE EYE

How do I describe thee: BEAUTIFUL. GORGEOUS. ENCHANTING. Boy, the visual is absolute masterpiece, Canaria's hair alone (love all her hairstyles) and her clothes, I want all of em. Cesar is the embodiment of a perfect male lead - soft boi. Best boi. Pretty boi. I love how he loves Canaria and how they truly support each other since being married at freaking 12 years old. This type of love please.  1000/10 Also, I am a lot curious about that Oscar,I think he is related to the emperor and the lady ghost in Noah's story - a lovechild? *gasps*. Also-Also if you will be reading this at Manganelo, translation at Chapter 76+ is a bit off but still grateful for the translators for what they give

Up next: It’s villain themed time (The villainess lives twice, beware of the villainess the villainess reverses the hour etc)

[tanoraqui]

I'd love to see either Shades of Magic or One (1) Folklorist! (Don't have easy access to emojis at the moment...)

[ask meme] what the hell, have a whole chunk of Shades of Magic fic, because at this point, this WIP is pretty much abandoned until I reread the books, and idk if/when I’ll do that: 

Lila left London in the middle of the night. The need to go had been building in her since mid-morning--not anything she could pinpoint, not even her usual edginess, wanderlust, need for somewhere more exciting and death-defying and new than the London and royal palace of Arnes. Akin to that, though, and she didn’t question it when she got up, gathered her knives and a change of clothes, and slipped out of the palace, leaving Kell still asleep in bed.

She found most of her crew on the ship or in the tavern, in their rooms, and she ordered them aboard with her usual grin. After the better part of a decade for most of them, they were used enough to odd departures that they didn’t do more than rib her a little. 

Only when her first mate asked straight-out if they were just leaving the couple who couldn’t be found (off with lovers, or family, or other entertainments), did Lila pull a little out of the dream.

“We’ll leave a note,” she said slowly, pushing away her impatience to be off. “They can have a few days leave, and...I suppose one can take a message to the palace, to say that I’ll be back soon.”

Her first mate gave her a strange look, but Lila was already bounding onto the ship, the stars above and the horizon ahead.

The first day at sea was as glorious as they always were. The sun was bright, the wind was strong (as strong as Lila chose to make it), and the horizon stretched as wide as ever. She set their course in a direction that felt right, with no particular destination in mind, and checked her treasured pirate map to see what might lie ahead. She was antsy, and her mood infected the crew, but they were on their way.

On about the second day, when she was trying to burn her sourceless impatience by filling the sails with driving wind, it occurred to her that she was being magically manipulated. She swore in four languages and ordered the ship turned around.

They made it barely five miles before Lila let the wind drop, distracted by the need to go the other direction. It wasn’t like Vitari’s sweet calmness or Osaron’s whispers, or even the time in Kriminee with the sorcerer-slavers. This scratched at her mind and burning through her bones, and reeled her in like a fish. If she was Alucard, she bet she could see the threads tugging her towards some unknown point.

Instead, she was Delilah fucking Bard: thief and pirate, hero of two empires and wanted in a third (the Faroans would get over it eventually), and above all, Antari. One of the strongest magicians in the world. 

She had the Night’s Spire turn around again, though this time she didn’t fill the sails, and she got out her pirate’s map and peered a lot more closely at the coded lines, feeling for the spell and comparing it to the chart, until she had a much better idea of where they going. Then she gritted her teeth and made for the nearest port in roughly that direction, and stopped long enough to rent a Veskan message-bird and send a message back to London. Not that she needed backup. But Kell would be worrying so hard it spilled over to Rhy, and then Alucard would cross his arms at her when she got back, and it just wasn’t worth the effort not to keep her family informed.

Kell still hadn’t caught up by the time the Night’s Spire approached the Floating Market, which Lila was definitely going to give him grief for later. At the moment, after nearly a week of travel with a burning itch of a spell on her mind, she was just angry. When the doorwarden greeted her and held out his hand for the entrance fee, she snapped, “I’m here, aren’t I,” and flicked her least nice knife into the wood by his ear. He let her pass.

Matis’s office was just as treasure-crammed as always, but as Lila stalked in, her working eye went directly to her old, abandoned one: hazel-brown rather than black, still shattered within the glass, and sitting on Matis’s desk in the center of an elaborate spell diagram. Mostly from firsthand experience, Lila knew it for bone magic, drawing and binding.

“You can stop,” said Matis as an order, and reached for the glass eye. Lila ignored her, ignored the fire in her bones, and snatched it first. 

The spell snapped as soon as the glass eye was out of the circle. Lila felt washed over with a cool spring breeze, seven tons of tension gone from her body and mind, and she rocked back involuntarily. Her eyes closed in involuntary relief.

She opened them again right quick, and just barely resisted the urge to let a threatening flame dance on her fingertips. “That was rotten, Matis,” she said. “You could have sent a messenger.”

“Time is short,” said the mistress of the black market, and gestured to a figure Lila hadn’t realized was in the room. “I have sold the favor you owe me, and it is being collected now.”

[hergan416]

First line meme

Rules: List the first lines of your last 15 stories. See if there are any patterns. Then tag your favorite authors!

I was tagged by @touchmycoat and I will pass this on to anyone who wants to do it. Even if I don't follow you, or you don't think I mean you, I mean you if you think this sounds fun. Feel free to tag me so I can see what you learn!

About formatting--I am considering each chapter in the fic "Thirty One Days" a unique chapter for the purposes of this meme, as they are written to be loosely connected one shots.

I am using both of my pseuds to better get a picture of my writing history, so if you end up looking up my yugiomo pseud...know that there WILL be omorashi and consider this your warning. If you do not know what this is, and are over 18, use urban dictionary or something.

Astonishingly, all of the first lines of all of the fics are tumblr safe. Horray. Most of the fics aren't. If you look up any fics, PLEASE pay attention to the ratings on AO3, and any content warnings.

Patterns: Every. Single. One. Of my new (2019 holiday season forward) fics starts with the name of a person and a paragraph. This paragraph immediately sets up the person's thoughts. Previously, I had begun fics with much more action, often with dialog, or specific thoughts or actions. "Keijo!!!!!" was sitting in my drafts for years before it was finished and posted, so it makes sense that it followed my old format, despite falling on the newer side of the break I took writing. (It is the only thing I published besides the 2018 YGOME before the 2019 YGOME started me writing again.) The long break coincides, to my memory with the tumblr purge and me entering a long-term relationship with my current partner. I should maybe think about adding more action into my writing again.

15. "War of Love: The Game" from "Thirty One Days" --- “Draw!” Atem yelled as he pulled the card out of the deck and looked at it.

14. "Dignity Lost! The Ship Ride to Duelist Kingdom" (yugiomo pseud, and yes apparently I'm mainblogging that now). --- Anzu grit her teeth as she listened to the gentle sound of water on the hull of the giant boat, every wave torturous to her ears. Finally she stood from her position crouching next to Honda. “I’m at my breaking point,” she complained, her voice a slight whine.

13. "Paladins: Champions of the Realm" from "Thirty One Days" --- “Enemy double kill... enemy triple kill!” the automated voice announced. "Enemy killing spree.”

12. "Failure" (yugiomo pseud) --- Stupid Kaiba and his stupid rules! Jounouchi thought, desperately working at the restraints that held him him in place. Who even made desks like this anyway? It almost seemed like the chain was built in, like it was meant to be on the desk. But that couldn’t be right. Kaiba had said he’d had this desk as a kid.

11. "More Sex Play" from "Thirty One Days" --- “Want to play something other than Duel Monsters this afternoon?” Atem suggested to Kaiba as he dug through the golden box for his deck. “I live in a game shop, surely there is something else you’d like to try to beat me at.”

10. "Alone" --- All Kaiba wanted was to shrink away from the music, the noise and the crowd. He didn’t want to play this part anymore, but he had to, for Mokuba’s sake. Mokuba was all that was left.

9. "Trying (On) My Patience" -- “Look, all I’m saying is that you need to find something other than a discarded school uniform to throw over your shoulders. And maybe some better jewelry.”

8. "Keijo!!!!!" from "Thirty One Days" --- “Don’t you think we should check it out?” Atem insisted, his intense gaze meeting Kaiba’s across the desk. “It’s the latest competitive fad in Japan. According to Yugi, men are going crazy for it.”

7. "Liquid Gold" --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XaS93WMRQQ

Atem sat at the computer, simply searching the internet while he waited for Seto to finish up with his work. While he almost exclusively had been using this specific computer in Seto’s office space since coming back from the afterlife, occasionally Seto would use it to set the ambiance while Atem was gone. What Seto didn’t know is that Atem had figured out how to search the browsing history, and that he had recently seen that there were nearly 20 plays of the same youtube video.

6. "All I Want For Christmas..." --- Yugi yawned as he watched out the window of the Kaiba jet . It was the private one, not the blue eyes white jet; Yugi had always been secretly nervous about that plane’s capability of flying, and regardless, there wouldn't have been enough room for Mokuba, Yugi, and Seto to fly in the dragon-shaped jet together. He’d been woken by the announcement of the plane’s descent, as dawn broke over the unique arrangement of city and harbor that forms Sydney, Australia. 

5. "Help Me Doctor (I Have Sinned)" --- Marco always had an eye out for sails as he went about his daily tasks on Whitebeard’s peaceful home island. He’d been expecting Edward Weevil to make his way there eventually, and in the meantime needed to protect the small island from bands of low-class marauders. So, when he was walking down the beach and he recognized the telltale black flag, he immediately pulled out his spyglass. The jolly roger showed a skull surrounded by a fluffy pink scarf, with giant red lips and a brown and pink tricorne on its head, and Marco’s heart rate immediately increased.

4. "Shimmering Blush" --- Tony Tony Chopper woke up bright and early, excited to go back to see his friends. The last two years in Birdie Kingdom without seeing any of the other Straw Hats had been long, even with the new friends he’d made here. He knew he was stronger, and would do his best to support everyone now that he would finally get to see them again.

3. "House On A Hill" --- Marco wasn’t about to listen to Katakuri (of all people) lecturing him on selflessness. They both had always been the kind of people that would prioritize their families over themselves. That was why they had ended and Marco was cursing Katakuri for not leaving the island after yet another ill-advised tryst.

2. "Relief" (yugiomo pseud--you thought this died in 2017, didn't you?) --- Ryou had, for the most part, reached an understanding with the Spirit of the Ring. Unlike Yugi, Ryou was well-aware of the other person that had come attached to the Millenium Ring, the Item his father had gifted him from one of his archeological digs. Most people probably would have assumed they were cursed the first time they saw the disembodied Spirit following themselves around, and thrown the Ring away as far as they could. Ryou, in contrast, turned around, faced the Spirit, and said hello.

1. "Shared Nightmares" --- Robin has had nightmares about the Buster Call that destroyed Ohara ever since she escaped her fate. Sometimes it’s just the kids back home that picked on her and called her a devil child, all in the rescue boat and dying because she might have made it on board, sometimes it’s the burning of the Tree of Life, sometimes it’s Saul’s laughing face as Akoiji froze him solid.

0. "Seek and Ye Shall Find" (I miscounted and started a fic late and I am not spending time readjusting this nonsense) --- Atem was so happy he’d finally found a way to at least view what was happening back in Domino. Rather than getting surprised by the Gods’ future requests at world-saving, he could keep an eye on things from the afterlife. It’s not like he could transport himself to Domino without the Gods’ help, so it was more a way to keep an eye on things in the meantime. The Kaiba Dome seemed the best place for the mirror into the realm of the living; after all, Seto Kaiba now seemed the center of all the trouble.

[twistednuns]

February 2020

I managed to use my iPad as a second monitor for my computer. So tech savvy. Yay me!

Joking about developing a sex-based cardio programme with Manu. Powerfucking! Might help against aggression as well.

A late night phone call with Tom. Not saying much.

Making a huge pot of my grandmother’s signature veggie stew.

More Bon Appétit test kitchen videos. Chris recreating tacos. Claire making Ben&Jerry’s. Priya making her mum’s Indian curries.

Writing a letter to Lena. Drawing upside down bats (which makes them look like they’re having a wicked dance-off). Just the act of writing. I thoroughly enjoy looking at my handwriting.

Using the Salted Coconut handscrub by Lush. Especially now that I wash my hands so often when we’re working with clay at school. I feel like the peeling triggers some pressure points on my palms.

That Saturday productivity high. Cooking and preparing heaps of stuff, cleaning the windows, doing laundry.

Painting my nails like an expressionist artist.

Some portrait studies. Accidentally drawing Sirius Black.

Being really motivated to improve my Spanish. Working with Lorena, the Duolingo app and even starting my own grammar/vocabulary book.

This ultra quirky ASMR video. Also: watching videos with Erin an her boyfriend Chris. It’s amazing how well they work together. How you can almost feel their connection, how similar they are.

Carrot cake oats.

Seeing the The Darkness live again, this time with Margit. Justin’s outfit and personality, singing along, especially to Time of my Life, the band’s traditional first song after the show.

Meeting Chris. Having a Bramblette cocktail at Pusser’s. I like that place. Feels very old-timey with a rowing boat right under the ceiling. We made out in front of a tiger slide in a toy store window on our way to the next bar.

Peeling fresh carrots.

Pickling onions and making kimchi. My fermentation game is strong these days!

Looking through Dominik’s sketchbook. I loved the tree whose bark resembled a mole burrow with its underground tunnel system.

The flu. Yes, really. Fewer pupils at school. Quiet times. I’m actually surprisingly healthy. I’d guess my probiotics must play a role here… Who knows.

More sourdough experiments. Writing about it (DELICACY - a haiku. Oven-warm sourdough / salted butter, alpine cheese / and a strawberry).

Finding a really interesting list of SanFran hippie era book recommendations at the end of Robin Sloan’s Ajax Penumbra: 1969. In the mood to read Maya Angelou, Tom Wolfe, Jack Kerouac, Richard Brautigan.

Even more beautiful books: I really enjoyed Die weiße Stadt by Karolina Ramqvist, a feminist author from Sweden, and the graphic novel version of To Kill a Mockingbird. But two books that literally (well, figuratively obviously) blew my mind were Circe by Madeline Miller (mythology, loneliness, animals and plants, magic and monsters, some desperate kind of feminism, independence and strength) and Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (magical realms, university setting, psychological depth, unexpected twists and turns). I haven’t read anything comparable in a very long time and I desperately hope that there’s more to come from these authors.

A beach collecting all the world’s single socks in The Magicians. Oh and of course seeing them break the moon. What a sight. The show is super confusing, obnoxious and absolutely fabulous at the same time. Best example: the Freaky Friday szene in which Margo and Eliot switch bodies. I love how the actors took on each other’s speech patterns and behaviour.

A new addition to my colour vocabular: celadon (a greyish green; there is a type of ceramics you’ll only see in this colour which is not surprising since the shade provides such an interesting contrast to the the earthy, rusty orange of burnt clay.)

Manu telling me that he had rarely seen people with more joy in their eyes than me (“Ich habe schon Freude in deinen Augen gesehen! So ein Leuchten kann man nicht simulieren.”) after complaining about being bored and lifeless. / Making curry with or, well, for him the other night. Drinking Liqueur 43 with cinnamon and milk. Playing the Jackbox party games for which you can use your phone as a controller.

Finding myself in a well-known sitation from the past. Lying in Frank’s bed in the early morning hours, not that tired yet, when he starts talking about his life and his depression. In English, obviously, because that’s our emotional filter. Relating, since I feel quite similar. Coming up with a suggestion for a reciprocal support system. Let’s see what we can do for each other.

Looking at travel photographs. The sea, the cenotes. Longing to go back to Mexico or Australia. Diving. Taking it all in.

Dreaming of my grandmother talking about her biggest regrets in life. Weirdly she was in a little bundle under a coffee table, much like Voldemort in the last Harry Potter movie.

My weird, weird brain. How both pleasure and pain enhance my sense of smell and increase my brain activity, almost causing hallucinations and fixations on ideas. Like geometric shapes in gloomy off-colours and a beige silicon-like surface the other night. All I could think of was a benchscraper.

Blue eyeliner.

Brainstorming three-letter-words with Frank since I’m thinking of getting personalised Nike Blazers. Sad cat. Yes but. Dat ass. Why tho.

Flying squirrels. Watching them wobble through the air. How they look like cute exhibitionist when they’re extending their limbs and thus stretching their, well, let’s just call it wings.

The fact that red cabbage has an intricate pattern like brain convolutions when you cut it open.

Talking to Sonja for the first time in over two years. What a strange person. Interesting, too. At least in homeopathic doses.

Ripe strawberries and nectarines. Oh my god. I love fruit.

Meeting Eve at Pub Quiz. She identifies as female, loves swing dance, used to be an animator and I love her style. Also, I realised that really like Betty. And Dennis wasn’t mean to me for once. I love my nerd friends <3 And I learned that Starbucks was named after the first mate in Moby Dick! Also, coincidentally they asked a question about the city where To Kill a Mockingbird takes place (Maycombe, Alabama) after I had read it the week before.

Inviting Lorena to the Botanical Gardens. I always feel very happy and very much myself when I’m there. I sometimes wish I was a gardener. Lorena was late so I walked along the Spring Path outside and it might have been the first time I’ve seen a brussels sprouts plant. Inside I learned lots of Spanish words and marveled at the incredible butterflies. The huge yellow one right behind the entrance was my favourite. Its delicate feelers were fascinating.

Washing my hands at the Keg’s bathroom. Looking into the mirror. Suddenly thinking of the perfect karaoke song… Rescue Me by Bell Book and Candle! I kept singing it for days on repeat. My neighbour must hate me (nothing new here) especially since my voice is too low for the chorus.

It isn’t hard to see how such attachment patterns can undermine mental health. Both anxious and avoidant coping have been linked to a heightened risk of anxiety, depression, loneliness, eating and conduct disorders, alcohol dependence, substance abuse and hostility. The way to treat these problems, say attachment theorists, is in and through a new relationship. On this view, the good therapist becomes a temporary attachment figure, assuming the functions of a nurturing mother, repairing lost trust, restoring security, and instilling two of the key skills engendered by a normal childhood: the regulation of emotions and a healthy intimacy. // An interesting article on attachment styles and why theraphy works; it makes me want to learn more about attachment theory. This School of Life video is a nice addition as well.

That dream. About a book shop modeled after my picture of Penumbra’s 24-hour bookstore. There was an old man in a very narrow but high-ceilinged room full of books. There was no light source except for moonlight or some street lights. There were loads of stairs, very steep, leading to the back of the house. Upstairs the man would set out cat food and on the rooftop there was an old sailing boat. One day the man decided to open the door to the roof and let visitors see the ship, much like a museum; perhaps to attract customers. However, in the next night a cat-shaped ghost appeared who reminded me quite a lot of Kot Behemoth character in Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita. The ghost was not amused about the old man’s decision and took away his key, a big golden one adorned with a red ribbon.

Toasted sesame makes pretty much every dish so much better.

Watching High Fidelity with gorgeous Zoe Kravitz (I adore her effortless style and her outfits), getting in the mood for making a playlist and listening to more music in general. There are all these great songs out there I forgot about.

Remembering the xkcd storm chaser comics.

Making a wicked good batch of Pho for Tom.

Spending a nice evening with Alex at Shamrock. Singing along to American Boy by Estelle. Confirming the hypothesis that the nerdy, quiet ones usually have a freak streak. That moment in the morning. Eye contact and kegel exercises.

Karaoke with Margit and Betty. Meeting Manu’s doppelganger. Same type, looks, voice. Eerie.

Making a BA Gourmet Makes meme for Steffen after he had passed his law examps. Strangely Gaby kinda looked like him after I was done with it.

Saturday morning in bed. Reading comics and graphic novels. Fresh bedclothes, surrounded by books. Since it was February 29 I thought about leap years and asked a few friends what their inner seven-year-old would have done that day (based on the thought experiment that your birthday was on February 29 and you’d age in 4-year-steps which would divide your age by 4 obviously).      

I came up with: visiting grandma / eating Cini-Minis / falling asleep with my face buried in a cat / beating my neighbour Anna at Memory / drawing while listening to a Bibi Blocksberg cassette.

Alex said he’d have been outside all day, building a snow igloo. Not noticing his mum telling him to come to dinner. If the weather had been bad he would have played with his dinosaur collection. His inner 7-year-old was a hopeless dreamer who got agitated whenever his parents had a fight. Who came home late from school every day because he forgot about time when he was talking to his friend next to a hedge with thorns that looked like tiny airplanes.

Lena said she would have been outside all day long, playing in the mud with the neighbours’ kids. Of course.

[lostcauses-noregrets]

Thank you to @kaguneko, @tsukareta-levi and @zedsdead1001 for tagging me in this writers meme.  I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone else’s answers :)  It’s fascinating to have an insight into how people feel about their writing.

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean?

LostCauses because when it comes to Eruri I truly am a lost cause and NoRegrets because I have none.  Also Levi :}

2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/subscriptions/hits/kudos)

Cardamom with 188 bookmarks, 115 subscriptions, 9055 hits and 882 kudos. 

3. What is your AO3 profile icon, and why did you choose it?

The Western Squadron Leaving Falmouth by Derek G M Gardner, because I used to write Age of Sail fic about one of the ships in the painting.  And Wings of Freedom by RainNoir because damn will you look at that beautiful back. 

4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters?

I deeply appreciate each and every person who takes the time to read and comment.

5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again?

Hell yes. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve read all your demons and desires and dark sides by Carthage.  Irascible and Salt by revai-lution,  Black Dog by Stereobone and The Laws of Survival by pasiphile are my other go-to fics. 

6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked?

I’m subscribed to 11 stories and I have 99 bookmarks.  Oops.  I really, really need to clear out my bookmarks :}

7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most?

Modern AUs.  Frequently involving clubs and silver leggings.  Alternatively involving domestic appliances used for unorthodox purposes.

8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page)

122 user subscriptions, 215 subscriptions, 1101 bookmarks.

9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!)

Not afraid exactly.  I wanted to write an Eruri Age of Sail AU for ages but I didn’t think anyone would be interested.  Eventually I decided fuck it and started writing it anyway! 

10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc.

I can’t write action. at. all.  Hopeless at it. I wish I could.

It also takes me ages to reply to comments which makes me feel immensely guilty. 

11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often?

Eruri is a popular ship right? :}

12. How many stories have you posted on AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)?

99 posted to AO3.  I have another 50 odd on LJ that I’ve been meaning to upload for years. 

13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program?

More than 20. 

14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head?

I write snippets of dialogue as they come to me, hence the number above, but I usually keep plot ideas, such as they are, in my head

15. Have you ever co-authored a story?

Yes, a few times. 

16. How did you discover AO3?

Someone gave me an account code for the platform just after it launched. AO3 opened in November 2009 and I posted my first fic a few weeks later.  Have you any idea how old that makes me feel?!

17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on AO3?

Nah, not really. 

18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers?

Nope.

19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write?

Every fic author I read encourages me to write, because god dammit, all fic authors are amazing in their own way.

20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author?

Write whatever the hell you want and don’t give a damn about what anyone else thinks. 

21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go?

Usually I just make it up as I go along.  I very rarely work out plots in advance. You can probably tell :}

22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do?

There was a person who used to comment on my Age of Sail fic who was always pointing out what they saw as historical anachronisms. Unfortunately they were usually wrong so I would politely point them to the original sources.  Yes, I am that pedantic.  

23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..)

I find smut really hard to write if I’m not in the right mood.  Other times I really enjoy writing it.  

24. What story(s) are you working on now?

HMS Maria, a self indulgent fic about Levi as a body piercer, that circus AU I nicked off @hedera-helixwriteseruri that I keep toying with, and one or two others.

25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)?

Ha! No. 

26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself?

I do write everyday, but it’s mostly boring work stuff. I wish I had the kind of lifestyle that allowed time for fic writing on a daily basis. That would be such a luxury.

27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started?

I hope so! 

28. What is your favorite story that you’ve written?

Sheesh, I’m not sure I could pick just one. I’m very fond of Cardamom and Loosing It and I also have a real soft spot for Keep Yourself Warm. 

29. What is your least favorite story that you’ve written?

Beautiful.  I killed Levi and I’m still not over it.

30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years?

I hope I’m still writing fic.  I very much hope I’m still writing Eruri fic. 

31. What is the easiest thing about writing?

Editing.  I really enjoy editing.

32. What is the hardest thing about writing?

First drafts. Bleh.  Mine are barely legible.

33. Why do you write?

Because I love the characters and I like getting inside their heads.  Because I love words and the flow of writing. Because it’s a turn on. Because it’s a great way to share a connection with people. Because @downfordanchou cooks eggs in the kettle.

Thanks again for tagging me! I’m tagging anyone who hasn’t already done this.  I can recommend giving it a go, it’s a really interesting exercise :)

[itsmajel]

Majel Reads - August 2017

[What is this?]

Supernatural - Destiel

Angel Cookies by noxsoulmate ( @noxsoulmate)

“On Christmas Eve, if you eat Angel Cookies right before bed and then dream of your one true love, he will be your destiny.” The Shurley clan sure believe their old family legend, but not Castiel James – not since he was a pudgy teenager, running down the church aisle on Christmas Day, trying to stop his very handsome and very straight teacher Dean Winchester from marrying someone else. He may be grown-up, well-toned, bestselling Young Adult’s book author “C. S. James” now, but Castiel will never forget that day. And he’ll never fall foolishly in love again, especially not for Dean Winchester. But when the wish for a big family Christmas from his sick father brings him back home, Castiel has to confront his past. And not only that: a letter from a little fan from his home town is weighing heavy on his conscience. Reaching out to a troubled kid might endanger his secret identity. Adding to the problem is the shock of discovering that Dean is the little girl’s father – unattached and hotter than ever. Dean’s smile still makes Castiel melt, but Castiel knows that ship has sailed. The fact that Dean seems to be on board this time, however, doesn’t make it any easier for him. .

[Explicit] [74,494 Words] [Read on AO3 here]

Satin and Sawdust by Ltleflrt *Re-Read

When Castiel moves out of Jimmy's house and into his own place for the first time, he saves money on buying a home by investing in a Fixer-Upper.  He knows nothing about how to fix the many problems the house has, but he figures he's smart enough to figure it out.  Unfortunately it's not too long before he learns that he's way in over his head.

Thankfully his new neighbor Dean is a handyman, and agrees to help him out.  He knows Dean has a bit of a crush on him, but he's not taking advantage of it, really.  Dean's a great guy, and quickly becomes a good friend.

But a flash of satin under Dean's toolbelt changes everything.

[Explicit] [159,594 Words] [Read on AO3 here]

Painted Angels 'verse by WinJennster *Re-Read

Author Castiel Novak has finally hit the big time, with a book based on his failed college relationship with a brilliant painter. He's put all his pain behind him, but at a book signing, he comes face to face with Dean Winchester for the first time in twelve years, and the reunion doesn't go like Cas hoped. Dean's a broken man, with a lot of scars and secrets, shoulders weighed down by his demons and self loathing. Cas sees a second chance with the man he's never stopped loving, but Dean's moved on, and is about to get married. Sam launches a "brilliant" plan to reunite his brother and his best friend, but Cas is worried it will all blow up in their faces, and he'll go through the agony of losing Dean a second time. (Summary Part 1)

[Explicit] [133,969 Words] [Read on AO3 here]

The Way to a Man’s Heart is Through Chlamydia by violue *Re-Read

Dean doesn't expect to see his one night stand again, but then again he also doesn't expect to find out he has an STD. Sometimes life is hilarious like that.

[Explicit] [89,337 Words] [Read on AO3 here]

The Way to a Man’s Heart is Through Christmas by violue *Re-Read

Dean's first Christmas with Castiel.

[Explicit] [42,80 Words] [Read on AO3 here]

Dean's Days Off by MittenWraith                

For years, "Goin' out for a drink" had been Dean's standard excuse whenever he needed a little time alone. When Cas raised him from Hell and was ordered to keep an eye on the Righteous Man, Dean's strange little ritual escapes from the drudgery and horror of his everyday life intrigued the angel. He'd secretly watched the man who was destined to save the world try to save himself, one small adventure at a time, and learned some of his greatest lessons in what it means to be human in the process. Ten years later, he figured it was about time to come clean-- for both of them.

[Teen And Up Audiences ] [14,182 Words] [Read on AO3 here]

Captain America / Marvel CMU - Stucky

Nevermore To Be Alone by msmarvelftw                

Bucky Barnes bumps into Steve Rogers three hours before he flies to Georgia for Army Basic Training. Three years later, they're still going strong. Enter a lot of letter writing, some losers who somehow got into Special Forces, and two sarcastic nerds in love.

Title stolen from "Travelin' Soldier" by Dixie Chicks, which this fic was also shamelessly inspired by.

[Teen And Up Audiences] [28,933 Words] [Read on AO3 here]

Demobilization by 743ish, sallysparrow017                            

When the Statue of Liberty slides into view, the whole ship roars. It’s deafening. Bucky throws his fist in the air and yells along with everyone else. His heart is in his throat. The Statue of goddamn Liberty. Bucky wants to climb up her robe and kiss her sour green face.

The cheers rise up again as they go by her, and then die back down; most of the guys are just happy to sit and smile and watch the city float lazily into focus. They know they’ve got days more of barracks and bunks and cheap train seats before they’ll get to see their families in Pittsburgh, or Columbus, or Chicago. But Bucky’s home, he can see Brooklyn, and he laughs and shades his eyes from the sun and feels crazy with happiness, and this has to be the slowest fucking boat in the world, but at least he has a good view while he dies of impatience.

------

In 1945, Bucky comes home from the war.

[Explicit] [41,390 Words] [Read on AO3 here]

Red, White & Those Other Colors by coveryourheads (rsk110)

Steve Rogers wakes up from the ice to a world where he has nothing left.

He meets Bucky, his best friend James Barnes' grandson, who is an agent of SHIELD.

[His cats are perched on the bench, watching the night sky. The volume is low but he can hear Steve’s laughter, filming the fascinated cats and the fantastic display in the air above. Lights burst in the black sky, in splashes of various flares, in red, white, and other colors. Awe aspiring and patriotic, loud, but so calming and majestic. It fills him with satisfaction as big as the sky, in those flowing and falling colors.

[Mature] [23,249 Words] [Read on AO3 here]

Freshwater Memories by superheroresin

Steve hasn’t been back to his family’s cottage for years, ever since the car accident took both his parents and his childhood memories. His therapist seems to think it’s a good idea for him to get out of the city for a while, so Steve decides it's time to fix it up. He remembers a lot of things when he’s finally arrives, smells the fresh grass, hears the whisper of the trees, and the familiar warmth of a home away from home. The river outside is familiar too, only Steve can’t quite remember the imaginary friend he invented from it, when he needed one the most.

The river remembers him though, and will be damned if it watches his old friend sulk in loneliness instead of play with him, like he used to.

[Explicit] [50,673 Words] [Read on AO3 here]

The Scottish Boy by BetteNoire (WeAreWolves), maichan, Tsuminoaru

The year is 1333. The English are at war with Scotland. 19-year-old West Country knight Sir Steven excels at jousting, but yearns to prove himself in real action. So he jumps when his sponsor, Baron Alexander Pierce, invites him on a secret mission with a dozen elite knights. They ride north to a crumbling Scottish keep, capturing the feral, half-starved boy within and putting the other inhabitants to the sword. And nobody knows, or nobody is saying, why the flower of English knighthood snuck over the border to capture a savage, dirty teenage boy. Pierce gives the boy to Steve as his squire, with only two rules: don't let the boy escape, and convert him to the English cause.

At first, it's hopeless. The Scottish boy is surly, violent, hoards sharp objects, and eats anything that isn't nailed down. Then Steve begins to notice things: that, as well as Gaelic, the boy speaks flawless French, far better than Steve's own. That he can read it – Latin, too. That he isn't small so much as desperately under-fed. That when Steve finally convinces the boy – James Buchanan, Bucky – to cut his filthy, matted curtain of hair, the face revealed is the most beautiful thing Steve has ever seen.

[Explicit] [129,392 Words] [Read on AO3 here]

The Hobbit - Bagginshield - Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield

Awkwardness and Absolution by SailorFish

So Thorin decides to thank Bilbo for saving his life in battle. He does it how any good warrior thanks another warrior (for Bilbo was a warrior in that moment he saved him), by tending to his saviour's sword. Yes, that sword. De-anoned from the kink meme.

[Explicit] [1,729 Words] [Read on AO3 here]

Safe and Distant by Lindzzz

"Bilbo never bothers denying that he is a slight, little bit, probably infatuated with Thorin. It’s not something that bothers him. Really. He’s pretty sure that everyone very likely has a little flutter in their chest for the dwarf. He’s something grand and unattainable.

And it’s really much safer if it stays that way."

[Explicit] [45,453 Words] [Read on AO3 here]

Know the water's sweet but blood is thicker by StrikerEureka 

Thorin finds his nephews, and his burglar, still alive at Ravenhill. He tries to atone for his blunders before the battle.

  A huge, imposing shadow circles above, and the wind kicks up again, sending snow scattering between where he sits holding his eldest nephew and where Dwalin stands holding his youngest. He narrows his eyes against the biting sting of the wind and looks up, just as Dwalin does.

“The eagles are here,” he breathes, just as careful talons open and descend upon them.

[Explicit] [10,368 Words] [Read on AO3 here]

A Smith and his Forge by acervate                

Bilbo's door gets jammed one day. Luckily, a company of dwarves just so happened to have set up shop in front of the old smithy.

[Mature] [157,897 Words] [Read on AO3 here]

(All summaries are the official summaries of the author. Stats and infos as according to hosting site or information given by the author)

Looking for more reading inspiration? Check out my fic rec tag  here on tumblr, my reading list masterpost or just check out my AO3 bookmarks.

[of-sanguine-eyes]

Shipping

SHIPPING INFO // Answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog. REPOST. Don’t reblog.

What’s your OTP for your Muse?: I really don’t have one? Being she’s an OC, I’m usually pretty flattered and surprised that people want to ship with her, so I’ll happily go with all the ships. As an OC, she’s also already not an official part of the fandom 'verse, so it always seems wrong, somehow self-centered, to have her be one of the sides of an OTP. 

What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?: Slow burn and plot-centric ships are what I like best; happy flirty scenes are all well and good, particularly interspersed into something ongoing, but it does get hard to sustain those when there’s nothing going on beneath the surface, no pressure or crisis going on. That being the case, I’m really open for whatever seems it would fit with a ship, or create that driving tension; I want this ship to keep on sailing, and for that to work, things have to happen. I’m also more than willing to negotiate on ideas of where we want to go; this should be fun for everyone involved, after all.

How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?: I have a hard time seeing her with anyone much younger than she is, since she generally has an old soul. But she’s also more likely to look up to someone older as a mentor and a friend. I’d say ten years older and five younger is about as flexible as it’s likely to be...except for when elements of the fantasy setting come into play, and then mental age is much more important than chronological.

Are you selective when shipping?: I’m fairly selective, at least as far as ongoing things are concerned. I’ll do a meme response for just about anything, but for a proper ship, it does work best when I’ve written with someone before and have a feel for how they write - and, for that matter, how they chat, how easy it is to bounce ideas off them.

How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NS.FW?: I’m fairly jaded as to steamy scenes; I’ve written erotica with extremely explicit details, so it doesn’t me uncomfortable at all, but I totally respect that others don’t feel the same way. Basically, if things are steaming up, toss me a message as to if or when you want to cut to black, and my response, I promise, will be “okay!”

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?: Well, right now, Geralt of Rivia’s blowing up my dash and welcome to it. In the Dragon Age 'verse, I can also see her having at least a crush on Cullen or Thrask, though with the gap in ranks and age, it certainly doesn’t have to go any farther than a one-sided thing. In her native verse, there’s Valen Shadowbreath from the Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark campaign.

What do these men have in common? (And while they do all in fact identify as men, it’s entirely possible for her to be interested in a woman as well, though with less experience she would take longer to recognize the emotions.) They’re all competeant, confident swordsmen who have a strong sense of morality and duty that at least parallels hers; more chaotic characters she’s generally going to be warier of, and evil need not apply.

Does one have to ask to ship with you?: Asking is nice, but “asking” can also come in the middle of a thread, because if you notice that they seem to have chemistry, I’ve probably noticed, too.

How often do you like to ship?: Not gonna lie, I love me some flirty, sexy memes...but those can honestly be one-offs: just for fun, to play with a pairing, or for reasons of pure crack.

Are you multiship?: Oh, sure, though it seems to be a one-ship-at-a-time thing, just as it works out with people's activity. I’m totally open for multiple ships at once, though, if the chemistry works out.

Are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?: I seem to be fairly ship obsessed, but that can be at least in part due to the fact that there’s so much material to be mined from relationships - the starting of them and the building of trust and the internal agonizing. It’s not a requirement by any means, but done properly it reveals a lot about the character. But, again, I prefer long, drawn out ships, and not rushing things.

What is your favorite ship in your current fandom?: In Neverwinter Nights and the Forgotten Realms, I’m more in terms of companions as a whole than relationships. In Dragon Age, Hawke/Fenris, with a side of Alistair/Cousland. And in the Witcher, I can’t say I have one yet (aside from Geralt/Roach).

Finally, how does one ship with you?: Throw me a starter or an ask, and start something in general, see how we bounce off each other, if we come up with a great idea to make our characters emotionally miserable! :D

TAGGED BY: @canticleofmercy TAGGING: @silverandsteelsing (or whichever of yours), @neverwinterforgottenhero, and anyone else who wants to snag it

[dawen]

Words To Guide You

A Jackrabbit soulmate fic written as a fill for the RotG kink meme here (well, a background fill).

~

It started out as normal protocol. On-duty warriors  weren’t supposed to look at their words at all; any kind of drastic change could make a warrior horribly unpredictable at the worst of times. Most recruits complained – but then, most recruits’ words changed frequently, and had more than seven different phrases to cycle through.

Private Bunnymund’s beloved hadn’t been born yet, and the behavior of his words proved it.

~

He saw how his fellow warriors were affected by their words after leave. They would come back shaken, or buzzing with pent-up energy. They would talk about what new, never-before-seen phrase had been under their bracers when they first took off the uniform. They came back after three days of remedial training, to get their minds back on the war at hand.

Sergeant Bunnymund still had to complete the remedial training, of course. Even if the phrase under his bracers, identical on both wrists, didn’t seem to change in the first five years he’d been a warrior.

It wasn’t like it was anything new.

More and more warriors returned, shaken and worried, from their leave even as fewer and fewer warriors were allowed – could afford to be allowed – leave in the first place.

They were finding phrases like dead and rotting and scaredscaredscaredFEARLING under their bracers.

Many had no words at all anymore, and that was how they knew the Fearlings were winning.

First Lieutenant Bunnymund didn't like to take his bracers off, even on the bare few times he got leave anymore. It seemed he was always active-duty, and he was always required to wear his bracers, and he preferred it to seeing what his warriors saw.

~

Colonel Bunnymund landed on some unknown planet in some unknown star system. The last of his warriors had been killed lightyears back; he hadn't had communication with Pooka or Starmen or even the Lunanoff dynasty in even longer; he was barely hanging on by a thread, thanks only to the First Light tucked away in his ship and the trail that young Lunanoff's ship was leaving in its wake.

He was no longer active duty. There was no warrior pact any more; even if there was, he had run far enough and fast enough that they would have declared him deserted. If there were any left. His bracers were still on.

He left his ship and spent perhaps three hours collecting readings from this planet he had landed on. It seemed uninhabitable, and as he drew a star system map from his calculations he saw it was outside of the system's habitable zone. The Colonel packed up his equipment and left the dusty, red, oxidizing planet behind him.

~

Very shortly Colonel Bunnymund found another planet, closer to the native star. It was well within the habitable zone and, even better, Lunanoff's ship was in orbit around it already. As the Colonel approached, he admired the beautiful egg shape of the planet. When he landed, he sent his report to the Lunanoff ship and then set about making the planet more spherical, so that it would remain in the habitable zone during the next few billion years.

Then he laid down, somewhere in the new continent he had created, and he slept.

He still wore his bracers.

~

It took him barely a millennium to get sick of wearing the bracers constantly. They became uncomfortable, especially when he slept. And he did sleep a lot. To solve this problem, Bunnymund put on his longest-sleeved coat and then took off his bracers. He had no chance to see his words.

He went to sleep again, and this time did not wake for millions of years.

~

Bunnymund did not, in fact, see his words again until after those Russians and the new Tsar dragged him into defending the newly-spherical planet against Pitch Black. Even then it was an accident, blood and engine oil spilling on his arms, and he caught sight of his wrists as he washed up.

Settler.

He jolted in surprise, splashing sudsy water out of the basin. He had expected his wrists to go blank millennia ago with the death of his kind, or at least to begin bearing terrible words like dead or rotting or murdered. But they still bore the familiar phrase, unhelpful as always when nearly 95% of Pooka could be considered a settler of one form or another, just the same as they had since he was a child. For the first time, he considered that he might have been the one in every hundred births with a beloved who was not Pooka.

It was still a familiar phrase, he reminded himself as he put his bracers on again, preparing for battle again. His beloved was still yet to be born.

~

Bunnymund began an annual schedule of peeling back his bracers and his coat sleeves to check his words. They changed as slow as they ever had, once perhaps every three to eight years. They maintained their steady cycle of seven phrases: settler, brown eyes, son, storyteller, younger brother, older brother, and illiterate. His words behaved as he was used to.

It was in the mortals' year 1694, nearly five billion years after the extinction of Bunnymund's kind, that an eighth phrase appeared.

Born by a river.

Bunnymund stared at his wrist in unadulterated wonder, one claw caressing the paler fur in which his words appeared. His beloved had finally been born.

~

After that fateful year, he began checking his words monthly rather than annually, taking off his bracers and sleeves under the light of the full moon. It felt appropriate to share this intimate ritual with an old acquaintance, even if this acquaintance was several hundred thousand kilometers away. His words changed frequently now; new phrases such as brown hair, human, excited, and impatient appeared approximately once or twice a year, interspersed with the old ones. Verbs started to show up; laughing was one, sailing another.

There was one month, when Bunnymund's beloved was approximately three years old, when his words said hungry when he removed his bracers. His heart lodged in his throat, recalling that only two months ago his wrists had read poor, and then he nearly cried with relief when his pale fur blurred, spread into a solid bar, and reformed the phrase younger brother.

~

In addition to watching his words more carefully, Bunnymund began taking longer jaunts up to the surface. His best chance to find his beloved would be in this intermittent stage, when the child was old enough to toddle around outside but young enough to believe in stories like the Guardians. He started at major rivers, the Huáng Hé and Yangtze and Yinesei, the Euphrates and the Tigris and the Gihon,  the Indus and the Mahanadi,  the Missouri and the Colorado and the Rio Balsas, the Amazon and the Anconcagua, the Murrumbidgee and the Warrego. Some, such as the Yukon and the Mackenzie and the Olekma, he saved for the summer.

To his chagrin, his beloved was nearly two and a half years old when the word Christian first appeared, and he started searching in Europe for the first time - the Seine and the Danube, the Thames and the Rhine, the Volga and the Tisza.

But he was a Guardian, and the children of the world depended on him, and Easter was always coming.

~

His words became more specific, changed more frequently, and overall became more helpful. Lives near a pond and sheep herder were more helpful than, say, has a little sister or Quaker (Bunnymund researched for months and still did not know what that word meant). Some seemed unhelpful at first, then provided clues with a little logic: loves borsch in winter suggested that his beloved was of Eastern European ethnicity; making maple candy implied a home in north-eastern North America.

And while Bunnymund kept searching - of course Bunnymund kept searching - he was able to quietly rejoice in his beloved's triumphs - first step, helping to cook, snowball fights - and mourn with his beloved's sorrows - the first time sad appeared, coal for Christmas, first killed lamb, stillborn sibling.

~

He started referring to himself as Aster, even as the other Guardians took to Bunny. A small part of him was worried that when he met his beloved, he would introduce himself with his public name instead of his private one, because he had been Bunnymund, the Pooka without family, for so long.

~

When his beloved was approximately six years old, Aster chose to hide his words only during his busiest season: the two months before Easter, and the Easter run itself. He kept his wrists bare the rest of the year. The other Guardians made only a few comments, of losing clothes and becoming nudist, but they couldn't read the phrases and they didn't ask questions about the changing marks.

Aster finally understood why the other warriors had hated covering their words.

~

His beloved grew older, outgrew belief in the Guardians. Protective appeared frequently, presumably because of the little sister. Some phrases made Aster's heart hurt - first kiss, euphoria, witnesses a public burning. He worried, a little, that his beloved would never be capable of seeing him again, that his beloved would find a nice Christian girl to marry.

And then Aster's words did the one terrible thing for which he had never prepared himself.

They contradicted each other.

~

It was the winter of 1712 and Aster's wrists read blue eyes.

~

Everything seemed to go downhill from that. Aster's beloved appeared to fall upon bad times; the word lonely appeared for the first time, followed in quick succession by invisible and isolated, cold and scared and the silence hurts. Aster kept going up top, searching for his poor beloved; he became snappish and cranky with everyone but the sweetest children. St. North made pointed jokes about having maybe just a tiny dab of chocolate. Toothiana waspishly offered to make him some ashwaghandha tea, to which Aster's ears stiffened with embarrassment and he apologized for his recent behavior.

Aster was self-aware enough to realize that he was able to curb his churlishness with his colleagues only because, in between the depressing phrases, the old ones returned - laughing was common, and so was snowball fights. Storyteller appeared less frequently; Aster worried that it meant his beloved had fewer people willing to listen to the stories he told.

Protective ebbed and flowed for a time. It would appear often during hard winters, and barely at all during mild winters or the other seasons. Perhaps thirty years into this terribly confusing, saddening period, protective became much more common. Aster wondered if his beloved had had a child.

~

Aster never saw brown eyes again, after that heart-stopping moment when blue eyes first appeared. The frequency had been steadily lessening since his beloved's birth. Aster's words had seemed more concerned with what his beloved was doing and feeling than what he looked like.

Blue eyes quickly became one of the five most common phrases on Aster's wrist after that initial appearance, as though to continuously remind Aster that something had irrevocably changed.

~

Other spirits avoided him. He knew why, of course. He had never been very sociable at all during his time on Earth in the first place, and now - just because he could control himself around his fellow Guardians didn't mean he had the inclination to do the same with other spirits.

He never snapped at a mortal child.

He always behaved worse around winter spirits, because he knew it was winter that had so terribly affected his beloved.

~

It was in 1784 when Aster discovered his mistake.

His wrists read flying and he knew his beloved was a spirit.

~

He could only desperately hope he had not run across his beloved yet, in his foul temper.

At least he was the Guardian of Hope.

~

It was 1866 and Aster's wrists read painpainpain.

He tried to keep himself from pulling his ears off, and wondered why anyone had ever thought the words were a blessing.

~

Scared became a common word. So did ashamed and guilty. Aster's mainstays, laughing and making maple candy and snowball fights, dropped in frequency. Protective became one of the most common phrases Aster saw, and he worried for the sharp increase.

His temper frayed further, as other phrases started to crop up, like insomniac and nightmares. Nauseous seemed to be on a biweekly rotation for a period of several months, often accompanied by achy and prone to nosebleeds. Exhausted popped up frequently.

Perhaps five months after that terrible first thought-phrase, painpainpain, came the second: what do I do?

~

Aster still could not find his beloved.

~

It was 1867 and Aster barely set foot in the Warren anymore. The thought-phrases were coming thick and fast, as though a dam had broken - why am I here? and she'll be okay without me and hurthurtpain can I do this? Ordinarily this meant Aster was physically close to his beloved, but he never saw a spirit but for his colleagues.

The spirits had learned to stay away decades ago.

Aster settled on his haunches, staring upstream as the Warrego River tumbled by. It was almost December, time to get the third stage of Easter preparation underway in his Warren. But his wrists read alone alone always alone and he didn't know how much longer his beloved could wait.

~

It was the beginning of 1868 and Aster's thirtieth batch of chocolates was cooling on the table. He started the thirty-first, and caught sight of his words.

I can't, I can't blurred to become why? why does she want this?

Aster closed his eyes in pain, and when he opened them again, he continued with his recipe.

His words blurred again to form ashamed.

~

There was still nearly two months until Easter, and Aster's words flowed rapidly from guilty to who needs an invisible, immature fuckup? to sore to cold cold cold. Aster settled his bracers on his arms, his mouth a firm, tight line and his eyes shiny.

~

It was Easter.

It was Easter and Aster had not looked at his wrists in over two months. He didn't know what they said now, as his eggs marched out of his tunnels. He was afraid to look, to see what new pain his beloved had to face alone. He was afraid, not of his wrists reading murdered like he once was, but of them reading committed suicide.

It was Easter, and Aster jumped out of his tunnel to face the strongest blizzard he'd yet seen on this blue planet. He stared in bewilderment, a strong shudder vibrating through his body, and tried to make sense of the whirling wind and sleet and ice.

It was Easter, and this blizzard reeked of magic, and Aster saw red.

~

"Wait - don't!"

The little winter spirit spun to face Aster, wide eyed and terrified, shepherd's crook clutched desperately in both hands. It glowed blue very faintly and was the main reason Aster could see the spirit's face through the blizzard. A tiny part of Aster's mind wondered how such a tiny body held so much power. Most of his mind was filled with the red-tinted rage.

Aster took a couple steps forward in the shrieking wind and sleet, and the spirit scrambled backwards a corresponding few feet. The snow around his feet seemed to spontaneously turn from hard-packed, icy misery to the powdery fluff that poofed up in clouds at the slightest disturbance.

"Please - please, sorry - "

"Sorry!" Aster roared, advancing further. His voice sounded faint to his own ears, and he wondered how he could possibly hear this spirit over the wind at all. "Sorry won't fix my holiday! Sorry won't help the kiddies who go out in this!"

"I'm sorry - had no choice - "

"I know what seasonals do! This is not no choice!"

The spirit slammed against a fence, one hand letting go of his staff to correct his balance. Aster pressed forward, and the spirit aimed the crook end at Aster, shaft tucked under his arm, blue glow starting to concentrate in the hook. "Please - don't make me - "

Aster roared and lunged.

A bolt of blue ice slammed into his chest.

Aster went sprawling in the snow, thankfully the soft, powdery stuff left in the spirit's wake. It whipped around his face, threatening to smother him. He started to scramble to his feet, and another bolt caught him in the ankle. Aster groped for an egg grenade, rubbing the ankle against the ground to test for frostbite, and -

The spirit hopped up, into a tree just on the other side of the fence -

Aster's bracer got caught in his bandolier, and in his haste he simply tore it off -

The spirit froze the ground between Aster and the tree, as if he didn't know how far Aster could leap in Earth's low gravity -

Aster's wrist caught his eye, a swirling morass of panic, and then -

Then -

His marking coalesced into an intricate, delicate, stylized arrow -

It pointed to the tree.

Aster froze. The spirit leapt out of the tree and was tossed up into the clouds by an updraft. The movement caught Aster's eye, and he watched as the spirit - the spirit? His beloved? - disappeared into the swirling, sleety onslaught of the storm. The arrow moved to follow the spirit's flight path.

Fuck.

~

It was Easter, a day of new beginnings, and Aster had met his beloved for the first time. He had met his beloved and started a fight. He did not know the spirit's name, or the reason behind the storm, or - well, anything but that this was his beloved.

But it was Easter, and so Aster wrestled his emotions aside and threw all of him that was Spring into the storm, to try and mitigate the damage to his holiday and his believers.

~

It was four days after Easter, Aster saw as he checked his instruments with a large mug of liquid comfort - also known as licorice tisane - in hand. Four days after Easter, and he was finally up, recovered from the effort of taming the blizzard and overseeing the egg run, and able to think logically again.

Stars above knew he needed logic.

He dug out his old, half-filled blank book and flipped it open to the ribbon. Then he recorded everything he could remember of the encounter with his beloved.

His beloved had no choice...?

Aster groaned and scrubbed his face. This was going to be about politics, he could tell. No seasonal spirit could start a storm like that and reasonably claim it was the seasons, the weather, driving them to do it. No, this was a magical storm through and through, a contrived, synthetic storm, and the reasoning behind it would be equally contrived, unnatural. Political.

He had always hated politics.

Well, there was nothing for it. Aster flipped to a blank page and started listing spirits who hated him, along with their abilities and their place in spirit society. His beloved may have tried to curry favor with one. His beloved may have needed a boon from one.

Aster drained his mug and squinted at his list. This would only get him so far, and so he settled back to sketch his beloved, perhaps identify him, perhaps take the portraits around to others. Like an officer asking citizens if they'd seen the criminal in the mugshot, he thought bitterly. Like his beloved was a wanted delinquent.

As he worked, bits and pieces of a plan floated to the top of Aster's mind. He noted each bit down in his book as it came, erratically, each piece following the previous with no sequence or logic behind the letters. He could sort through it and finalize a coherent plan later.

For now, though; for now, he had a beloved likeness to capture.

His wrists read storyteller.

[fashiontrendin-blog]

The Best New Menswear Pieces To Buy Right Now

http://fashion-trendin.com/the-best-new-menswear-pieces-to-buy-right-now-39/

The Best New Menswear Pieces To Buy Right Now

Harry’s Shave With Pride Set

We’re nearly half way through a month of Pride 2018 celebrations and the fashion and grooming world has been joining the party in its droves. Not content with sitting at the bar watching all the confetti cannon action going down on the dance floor below, razor subscription service Harry’s has launched a new razor kit with a shiny rainbow coloured blade handle, a groovy emoji laden box created by graphic design duo Craig & Karl and all profits from the sets being donated to various LGBTQ+ charities.

Buy Now: £24.00

Vivienne Westwood x Yoox Sweatshirt

World Cup fever is reaching that horrible, shivering, dribbling stage when in a desperate attempt to get your footie fix you resort to watching Denmark against Australia on your iPhone in the work loos. To celebrate the tournament (not your job shirking) e-retailers Yoox have exclusively released a T-shirt and sweater from designers around the world to represent their countries while the cup is on. Starting for England is the great dame of British fashion Vivienne Westwood who has designed this typically punky sweater for the series.

Buy Now: £111.00

American Apparel They Okay Print T-Shirt

Another June day, another capsule collection to celebrate Pride 2018 (we’re not besmirching it, we’re just wondering how we’re going to get all these fanciful clothes in our wardrobe). Focusing on the use of pronouns in the LGBTQ+ community this collection from American Apparel is fun and empowering all at the same time. The totes were tempting, but we plumped for a tee instead so you can wear the message loud and proud, no shirking allowed.

Buy Now: £22.00

Jimmy Fairly Hometown Sunglasses

Uber chic French eyewear brand Jimmy Fairly has been protecting gallic peepers since 2011, but sadly us Brits have had to gaze longingly across the channel hoping that one day they would come here and protect ours too. Well from September they will with a boutique set to open on Regent Street and plans for 15 more across the country in the next year. Get on the hype early by shipping these futuristic pair of shades over before everyone is wearing them come the end of the year.

Buy Now: €129.00

Alfie Douglas Midnight Blue Large Backpack

Can the backpack ever be elegant? Well, while you might look like you’re on the hunt for your next Pokemon running around town with a hefty canvas one, a sleek made-in-England option crafted out of fine Italian leather will take you right up to boss level. Invest in this cracking backpack from family-run British brand Alfie Douglas which has the capacity to fit a 15-inch laptop despite the slim profile.

Buy Now: £380.00

Mr Porter Vive La France x Husbands Wool Blazer

The tastemakers down at online retailers Mr Porter have a hefty set of style chops, so when we heard it was releasing a range of exclusive capsule collections plucked from the hottest French labels, well we were drooling like someone had placed a 20 ounce steak in front of us. Maison Kitsuné, Lacoste and J.M. Weston all feature but this juicy double breasted jacket from highbrow French menswear brand Husbands is truly the chateaubriand of the collection.

Buy Now: £950.00

BoohooMan Pride Love Is Hoodie

Stuck for options on what to wear this Pride season? Yeah, thought not, but you can never have too much choice so in comes BoohooMan with a 30-piece capsule collection inspired by the love within the LGBTQ+ community. Our pick from the ripe bunch is this black hoodie with its domineering slogan imitating the high-end styles of Balenciaga and Off-White without the need to sell your second lung to pay for it.

Buy Now: £18.00

Puma Thunder Electric

When it comes to the chunky game, we might have to put Puma above Kit-Kat at the moment. For even though our love for the bulky chocolate bar knows no bounds, every time Puma drops another chunky trainer it is an absolute beast. The gorgeous Thunder Spectra sold out in a blink of any eye in April, so you’ll have to be quick to catch these new Thunder Electric trainers, but if you do, be sure to savour the crazed mish mash of mesh and nubuck and the 90s inspired colourway.

Buy Now: £110.00

Adidas Manchester United 50th Anniversary Jersey

We don’t want to take sides when it comes to football, but when it comes to fashion we are perfectly willing to make a stand. So while we may or may not be fans of the Red Devils, we certainly can vouch for this stylish streetwear version of their jersey with an embroidered Manchester United crest from 1968 to celebrate their victory in the European Cup that very year.

Buy Now: £99.95

Topman x Charles Jeffrey Loverboy Adoption T-Shirt

To celebrate Pride this year Topman decided to eschew the sloganeering and have instead hooked up with menswear designer Charles Jeffrey for a series of T-shirts that feature works of art from five young LGBTQ+ artists in Jeffrey’s creative collective. The standout is this bold yellow tee with a disorientating and schizophrenic illustration from French textile designer Axel Gutapfel.

Buy Now: £30.00

Sebago Docksides Ariaprene

Sebago is as synonymous with boat shoes as Ray-Ban is with sunglasses and Donald Trump is with Twitter. They still look ace despite edging towards the technical end of the market, with the upper on these docksides made out of a special water-friendly synthetic fabric, which means you won’t be slipping on any puddles of champagne left on the deck.

Buy Now: £109.99

Albam Sailing Smock

Continuing the sailing theme is this smock from utilitarian menswear masters Albam which lets face it is more likely to see some high seas action than our late run for the 2021 America’s Cup on the old man’s catamaran. Styled in a fetching pistachio green (may contain traces of nuts) stuff it in your backpack ready to whack out at after work drinks when everyone else is shivering and you’re looking smug in a sailing smock that you haven’t as much as rowed a boat in.

Buy Now: £169.00

G-Star Raw Lanc Slim Trackpants

The man who invents a trouser with the cushiness of a tracksuit bottom and the cut of a tailored suit will surely have hit on a goldmine worth a thousand ships (or you know a thousand tailored trackies). Anyway, G Star RAW has done it, and the results are pretty tasty, with the taper at the bottom of the leg making you look twice and hey, a double look is better than a single so we’ll take a thousand pairs please.

Buy Now: £85.00

FoR Roma Varsity Bomber Jacket

We love our Scandi minimalist brands, but the Arcadia group, home to Topman and Burton went and tricked us by copying the style and making it gobsmackingly better with new brand FoR. The prices are another attraction, and we don’t think you’re going to find a better bomber jacket under £50 than this sleek red option. You can also wash it in the washing machine so spill as much ice cream and beer as you want on it.

Buy Now: £38.39

Lacoste Fraisier Gold Croc Sliders

Lacoste was originally founded in 1933 to provide moveable polo shirts for tennis players including its founder, seven-time Grand Slam winner René Lacoste. But that slippery little croc started sliding away from the tennis court until it found a home lounging around the pool protecting our feet from the lava-like patio. That is to say, Lacoste makes great pool sliders, like these gold and navy ones, that are as timelessly stylish as the polo shirts René used to volley around the court in.

Buy Now: £35.00

Barbour Kelso Tailored Fit Shirt

We cannot espouse the benefits of a nice shirt enough. Firstly you’ll score brownie points with mum for your sensible clothing choices (cue baby fist-pump meme) and secondly it works for all occasions, working with chinos at work or jeans at the pub so you’re never under or over dressed. This 100 per cent cotton choice from Barbour is a muted tartan dream so if you have a Scottish mum that’s double brownie points to scoff.

Buy Now: £69.95

Mango Jersey Henley T-Shirt

The T-shirt game is a little too dominated by the crew neck gang, so in rooting for the underdog, we were pleased to find this sterling Henley neck effort from Mango. It comes in a fine-knit textured cotton, but while the body might look more like a jumper the sleeves are short and sweet freeing those biceps up to enjoy the glimmering sun outside.

Buy Now: £29.99

Percival Tan Brushed Cotton Shorts

A brave man would style his ace suede jacket with a pair of suede shorts, but we’re an ol’ chicken legs so we daren’t try it. Instead we would just go with a simple white tee. Now we just have to find the perfect suede shorts and like a suede short fairy Percival has only gone and made this rugged pair. Plus they’re in cotton so you know your thighs won’t burn up like a polar bear in Mozambique.

Buy Now: £79.00

Farer Ponting II

This new watch from Farer has us oohing and aahing in unison like the little Pizza Planet aliens from Toy Story, its intergalactic beauty coming from the dolphin-grey dial paired elegantly with aquamarine (and glow in the dark) hands and numerals. The strictly limited run of 50 colour-way designs are supposedly inspired by the British coast, although presumably the stimulus is more cool Camber Sands than Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Buy Now: £1,175.00

Kenzo Acrylic Tiger iPhone Case

Tony, Shere Khan, Richard Parker (that one on the boat from Life of Pi that was definitely smaller than the raft Jack had to jump off of in Titanic) – we’ve got a lot of time for the cool cats of the jungle, especially when they adorn anything by French luxury streetwear brand Kenzo. Its tiger tees are iconic, but don’t let the branding stop there, with this grrrrrreat iPhone case made from a sturdy acrylic.

Buy Now: £35.00

[obdurare-archive-blog]

❤

[obdurare-archive-blog]

Music Tag.

Rules: list 10 songs you’re currently vibing on and tag 10 people!

Tagged by:  @snowingwillow Okay, I’m swapping this up and I’m gonna link songs that are Hector Songs but the lyrics don’t match him, and the whole thing just seems wrong, but for some reason they have a #vibe that makes me think of him.  So it means some really weird choices, but bear with me, okay. joy williams, matt berninger; hush dorothy; raise hell louis jordan; is you is or is you ain’t my baby red hot chili peppers; breaking the girl the animals; house of the rising sun inon zur; rise and prevail vandaveer; spite fleetwood mac; the ledge funkadelic; hit it and quit it crooked still; ain’t no grave Bonus Mentions: whiskey shivers; graves cherry poppin’ daddies; zoot suit riot eluveitie; inis mona lyre le temps; looking like this inon zur; the fog gets to you caravan palace; lone digger caravan palace; rock it for me Tagging:  @changing-roads  @roipirate  @pearlsparable  @hooliganghoul  @securitrcn  @conquistadoradelmar  uuuuuh idk anyone else that wants to i guess.

[obdurare-archive-blog]

RULES: answer  20  questions  +  tag  20  of your followers you’d  like to know better.

Tagged By:  @vinikwen Tagging:  @changing-roads @mostlyhxman @roipirate @moonlit-myth  @luckycaptainaubrey  @conquistadoradelmar  @hxrnblower  @pearlsparable  @murdermayhemandjack  @par-the-raider  @smallmeanssafe  @oceansode  @imnocoward  @goldenngore  @godveiined  @bittersweetcrag  @jinglcjanglcjinglc  @txghut  @huntressofthenorth  @snowingwillow @thescourgeofpiracy

NAME:  Amanda NICKNAME: Alas, I do not have one. SIGN: Taurus HEIGHT:  5′2" NATIONALITY: American ORIENTATION: Pansexual FAVOURITE  FRUIT: Purple Grapes -or- Cherries FAVOURITE  SEASON: Autumn FAVOURITE  FLOWER: Plumeria FAVOURITE  SCENT: Sea Air FAVOURITE  BOOK: The Wolves Of The Calla - Stephen King FAVOURITE  COLOUR: Lime Green, Aqua Blue, Cherry Red FAVOURITE  ANIMAL: Sun Bear COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Coffee AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: 4-6 hours usually CATS OR DOGS: Both NUMBER OF BLANKETS YOU SLEEP WITH:  Two DREAM  TRIP: Barcelona or Havana BLOG  CREATED: Sometime in May of 2015 NUMBER  OF  FOLLOWERS: 350

[obdurare-archive-blog]

🔥

[obdurare-archive-blog]

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[obdurare-archive-blog]

NATURE AESTHETICS.

BOLD THE NATURAL AESTHETICS THAT APPEAL TO / APPLY TO YOUR MUSE.   REPOST, DO NOT REBLOG. FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY NATURAL FEATURES YOU SEE FIT

Tagged by:  @whofavorsfire Tagging:  @roipirate @moonlitmyth @conquistadoradelmar @asenseofpropriety and anyone else who wants to.

fluffy white nimbus clouds. dark grey cumulonimbus clouds. rainclouds. a hurricane. light spring breeze. a sherbet-colored sky at sunrise. hazy yellow skies. deep blue ponds of fresh water. blankets of sparkling snow. tornado winds. monsoon flooding. rich, orange sunsets. soft, purple clouds at dusk. heavy hail. the rumbling of thunder. icy sleet. gentle snowfall. moss-dusted tree bark. pink sunset clouds. grey winter skies. navy blue skies in the daytime. cool mist in the morning. leaf-bare trees. giant ocean waves. the full moon. a cracked, dry desert. rolling hills of prairie grass. sweeping waves of briny seawater. rocky, steep ravines. rippling canyon walls. spindly, cave stalactites. creeping, green ivy. lush canopies of leafy trees. dense, white fog. a peaceful creek of clear water. flowering cacti dusted with dew, catching light in the morning sun. a bubbling, hot pool of volcanic sulfur. sharp, grey mountainsides. fossils nestled in chunks of rock. a white sand beach. deep imprints of animal tracks in the dirt. soft, squishy moss. uniform rows of birch trees in winter. delicate mushrooms popping up in spring from beneath the decay on the forest floor. tumbleweeds jerking in the faintest wind across the desert landscape. light rain. summer wildfires. a mixing of hot and cool air before a storm. silent lightning in the static of summer heat. a windy blizzard. thick flakes of snow tumbling down from the sky. a tree standing alone in a barren, yellow field. a desert of loose sand and tall, orange dunes. a pure blue sky. a river of molten rock. a grove of flowering trees. twisting, mangled roots sticking up from the muddy ground. bitter, cold winds. tumultuous skies of stormy clouds. branches of lightning ripping across the sky. a foggy swamp. the tree-bare foothills of a mountain range. sandy brown cliff sides. rocky coastlines. the violent shaking of an earthquake. the mysterious sound of ethereal trumpets in the sky. the lights of the auroras borealis and australis. a black sand beach. a lone tropical island in the reef of shallow, aqua waters. underwater volcanic vents. a herd of migrating mammals. tree branches growing heavy with ripe fruit. light streaming down through the clouds. a field of lush grain waving peacefully in the summer breeze. the sound of insects and frogs teeming in the night. natural disaster