#so technically old middle (2 of 6) but only technically

[kedreeva]

Today in measuring your peahen, Bug is casually 2 foot, 3 inches tall (she can stretch a little taller when she REALLY wants a treat). This is just tall enough to see over a tray table and pull things off of nightstands and end cabinets.

Bug is also a little over 3 feet long from tail tip to beak tip. Most of Bug is made up of tail and neck. There is a 6lb dead weight in the middle somewhere that she knows how to directly place onto the ball of one foot while standing on you.

Bug's wingspan is around 3.5 feet, thought I didn't get a measurement. It will be over 4 feet as an adult.

Bug is growing in her spurs. As a Spalding (hybrid) hen, Bug will likely have one inch bone knives conveniently attached to her tarsometatarsus. This is technically fused foot bones, not a leg bone. Curiously, pure Pavo cristatus hens have spurs, and pure Pavo muticus hens have spurs, but many domestic Pavo cristatus and low-percent Spalding hens lack them. This is one of the indications of domestication in the cristatus species. As I prefer the wild type, I prefer my hens spurred, so this is a good sign!

Bug's toes measure a smidge over 5 inches from the tip of her rear-facing to to the tip of her longest front facing toe. Try measuring that on your hand.

Bug's nails measure 1/2-3/4 an inch long, depending on the toe. That's almost as long as one finger section for most people.

When I had snakes, I got asked all the time if I was afraid of them biting me. The answer is no. I have been bitten by a 6 foot long, 20lb boa constrictor, and have no scars to prove it. Meanwhile I have so many scars from peafowl sitting on me, particularly on my forearms, that I have had to reassure people I am not a danger to myself.

I post these photos as a reference, but also as a precaution. This is a BABY peafowl, and a female at that. She is only 6 months old and weighs a little over 6lbs, which means she's about 2/3 of the way grown, and adult hens are typically 3/4 the size of an adult male. These are BIG birds that can do a LOT of damage, even accidentally. When they become aggressive, as in the case of hand-raised males or poorly bred birds, they become a potentially fatal threat to any other fowl you have. Unlike chickens, they are more than capable of (and prone to!) jumping to human face level before they flog (kick with their feet in a way that allows their spurs to hit home), which means they could easily take out an eye or cause other serious facial injury if they get a lucky strike. I have seen more than a few people end up with stitches, and more than a few birds end up euthanized because people think they are gonna be cute cuddly friends.

I know that Bug is a cute bird, but I also want to stress that a) she has an outstanding personality as a result of breeding choices and socialization b) she hasn't hit maturity, and won't do so for another 2+ years, so her personality could change considerably still and c) I have been raising peafowl one way or another for my entire adult life, which has been structured around keeping them. I love my birds, and I would love for more people to keep peafowl as they are great animals, but they are not casual animals. They are large and potentially dangerous farm fowl that take a lot of space, care, and knowledge to keep.

[cosmerelists]

If Cosmere Characters worked at a coffee shop...

[Spoilers for Rhythm of War & Mistborn Era 1, technically! All other references should be safe.]

Let’s say the Cosmere characters lived in our world and worked as baristas. What would they be like in that role?

1. Kaladin: Keeps trying (in vain) to unionize with the other employees

Kaladin: I really thought we had it, that time.

Kaladin: I can’t believe I’m the only one who didn’t get fired.

Kaladin: AGAIN

2. Shallan: Makes the most gorgeous latte art you’ve ever seen

Customer: H-How did you make the flower 3D? It’s just MILK

Shallan: I learned it from a book!

3. Sarene: Is the queen of malicious compliance and working to rule

Sarene: Manager got on my case because the customer said the coffee was weak.

Sarene: I am using this scale to measure out the proper coffee amounts to the gram.

Sarene: These tweezers help. 

4. Kelsier: The rumors of his firing were greatly exaggerated

Doug the normal barista: Uh, I’m pretty sure our new coworker Ty Decker is just Kelsier in a mustache.

Doug the other normal barista: Impossible! We saw him get fired!

Doug #1: I’m telling you, man! It’s like he can’t leave this coffeeshop!

“Ty” (to a customer): Hello would you like to join my secret club?

Doug #2 (whispering): And I’m pretty sure he’s in an MLM!

5. Adolin: Knows each customer by name (and flirts for tips)

Adolin: Janala! It’s so great to see you! You look gorgeous as always!

Janala: ...

Janala: Is our date going to be just hanging out at your coffeeshop while you’re working?

Adolin: I-It’ll be fun; you’ll see!

6. Lirin: Refuses to apply upcharges

Lirin: No one should have to pay EXTRA for oatmilk!

Lirin: I’m just going to give this to you for free.

7. Steris: Has the employee handbook memorized

Steris: Actually, it’s illegal to ask Doug to start the coffee before he clocks in.

Steris: Employee handbook Section 3.7a.

8. Lightsong: Refuses to believe that he is a god (of coffeemaking)

Lightsong: Ugh, WHY are we always so much busier when I’m working?

Lightsong: I’m not even that good at making coffee!

Llarimar: People believe your coffee is the best in town.

Lightsong: The coffee maker does all the work!

9. Lezian: Keeps forming grudges against coworkers

Lezian: Every time someone else gets chosen for Employee of the Month instead of me...

Lezian: I make it my mission to see them FIRED before the month is OVER!

Kaladin: But that’s...always.

Kaladin: You’re not very good at your job.

Lezian: THAT’S IT

Lezian: YOU’RE ON MY LIST

10. Tress: Really just loves the cups

Tress: Oh! I love your travel mug!

Tress: Where is it from?

11. Vivenna: Gradually has all of her coffeeshop illusions shattered

Vivenna: Man, I really thought people would come in, order off the menu, and then wait politely for their drink to be made and delivered.

Customer: NINE SHOTS OF ESPRESSO! WHIPPED CREAM!

Vivenna: I have seen the darkest parts of humanity.

12. Hoid: Is somehow everyone’s previous coworker

Shallan: Wait, didn’t we work for UberEats together? 

Kelsier: No, that’s the bastard who slapped me! In the middle of Walmart! While we were on the clock!

Kaladin: Huh? I think that’s the guy who always changed the radio station in the store I used to work at.

Steris: I think he did Lyft with my sister.

Vivenna: Are you sure? I thought he worked at a bookstore with MY sister.

Sarene: I think I recognize him from my last office job. He never really seemed to do anything.

Adolin: How old IS this guy??

13. Rock: Makes the coffee...very strong

Rock: This is how we drink it where I’m from!

Customer: M-My tongue is dissolving!

14. Jasnah: Doesn’t like coffee

Shallan: You don’t like coffee??

Jasnah: I do not.

Shallan: You work in a coffee shop!

Jasnah: I don’t try to convince others to dislike coffee. 

Jasnah: But I do believe that it is an unnecessary contrivance that people depend too much on.

Shallan: I thought you pulled, like, constant all-nighters!

Jasnah: That’s just sheer willpower. 

15. Silence: Takes safety rules very seriously

Silence: Hey!

Silence: Wash out that cut, put on a band-aid, and wear gloves! You can’t bleed around food!

Silence: T-turn off that stove! You shouldn’t leave an open flame if you’re not heating something up!

Silence: AND NO RUNNING!

[nanabansama]

Who Hurt Amane

I recently got an ask about this topic! And I feel I've been pretty vocal lately about who I think did it. My opinion isn't new or unique, but because of this ask I wanted to lay out the facts to explore other possibilities and also reinforce why I think it is who I think it is.

So without further ado, let's list out the facts.

1. Amane has been getting injured since first year.

Tsuchigomori makes it pretty clear in Chapter 13 that Amane has been covered in injuries that "never go away" since first year, among other things like having no friends and skipping class.

Most can agree that Amane wasn't being abused as a toddler (post-Tsukasa's return) or at the Tanabata festival. He does not show any particularly concerning signs of a child who is being abused or bullied, and his bare skin shows no sign of injury. I think that rules out Amane being abused his entire life, or at least not as severely as he was during his second year of middle school.

We've seen Amane at two different points during his first year, though, and neither had him visibly injured. Those being his and Tsukasa's middle school entrance ceremony and during the 1968 school festival.

I feel it safe to assume that the physical abuse hadn't yet started at these points in time. (though considering Amane's dour attitude at the festival I wouldn't be super surprised if he's hiding scars...)

Also, remember that Tsuchigomori would have to notice these injuries, so I'm going to rule out the possibility that Tsuchigomori could skirt by on technicality just because Amane is hiding injuries on his legs or chest. Tsuchigomori wouldn't normally be able to see hidden cuts and bruises, so I believe he must have started noticing Amane is being injured sometime later in his first year. Remember, Amane still has about ~6 months worth of time to obtain visual injuries. That's a lot of time left.

We can at least confirm that Amane has no friends and skips class, though. Or at least see the beginnings of this. In Chapter 101, Amane confirms he has little to no involvement with the school play his class and Tsukasa are putting on and instead chooses to focus on fixing the clock. There's also a bonus comic where Amane calls out how peculiar it is that Tsukasa has so many friends while Amane doesn't.

It should only be a matter of time before we start seeing him covered in cuts, too.

2. Tsukasa isn't injured.

This one's a little harder to prove, but bear with me here.

We've had a few opportunities to see the twins during the murder suicide.

Here's Amane after stabbing Tsukasa:

And here's Tsukasa's body below Amane's in the same chapter that the above image was posted on Twitter to promote:

Take note of how pristine Tsukasa's arm looks: We get such a clear view of it, and yet all we see is a bit of blood splatter. I've seen this image dismissed before because Amane's arm is also missing his bandage (note how his right arm is bandaged in the art before this) but I still think this is substantial evidence to support the idea that Tsukasa wasn't injured like Amane was.

And if that's not enough for you, I have something else for you to consider:

This is Hanako in The Hell of Mirrors, a place whose mirrors reflect your greatest fears.

I've seen many people remain unconvinced that the character in the mirror is Tsukasa, thinking it must be Amane himself. And I can understand where they're coming from--why shouldn't he fear Amane? He's his old living self, the volatile one that committed the crime of murdering his little brother. That, and it's a mirror--why wouldn't it reflect the person inside?

So let's compare the face in the mirror with Amane's face.

Notice how the face has zero bandages. Amane has one on his left cheek, one above his right eyebrow, and one on the right side of his neck. The figure in the mirror has no bandages, not even on his arms.

This on top of the fact that I believe his little brother's dead body makes far more sense for Amane to fear than his own. If Amane himself is supposed to be his greatest fear, it makes more sense if it was him actually committing the murder, rather than his body on the floor after committing suicide. From what I understand of Amane, that would fill him with more disgust and self-hatred than anything.

So in conclusion, I either think that 1.) Tsukasa wasn't being physically abused, 2.) that he happened to stop being injured in the days leading up to the murder, or 3.) that if he did have injuries that they were in non-visible places. My default is that he wasn't, though.

And this leads us to...

3. Amane forgives them

Amane fully understands that his injuries aren't normal. That even in the cases that injuries like his could be justified, that his might not be. Regardless, he forgives it. He's allowing this to happen to him, and he refuses to tell Tsuchigomori the details.

After witnessing this, Nene comes up with the theory that Amane could be getting bullied, but if that were the case, I don't see why he would forgive some random bullies. The fact that Amane forgives them for their crime against him is an impactful moment! The chapter ends on it, even.

I believe the fact that Amane forgives this is crucial to understanding who did it.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆.⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆.ೃ

While we don't know Amane's full backstory yet, given what we know so far, I think the only two possibilities are either Tsukasa or their mom. And frankly, I think it would be weird for us to know as much about Amane as we do now and have the person injuring him be someone we haven't even met yet. Not impossible, no, but you'd think they'd be more important to his life if Amane forgives them, right?

Let me argue against the idea that it's his mother, as well. The injuries started in first year, not when he was a child. By all means, Amane seemed to be an average child up until middle school. Take note of his appearance during the 1964 Tanabata festival, when he was 8. The only really concerning things we saw were a lack of parental supervision and the fact that he was disappointed his brother wouldn't spend time at the festival with him.

In fact, we've seen very little of their mom, with the most damning evidence against her being when she rejected Tsukasa as her child after taking him to a shrine to be exorcised. Other than this, we've seen no evidence that she could be hitting her children. I personally find it weird that she would only start hitting them in middle school, if she is the cause of all this. And only Amane, at that. (I will admit I find it odd that her son getting injured didn't concern her to the point that his teacher had to step in, though.)

I also need to stress that we haven't seen Amane interact with or mention his mom since he was 4. Tsukasa's relationship with their mother is much more important to the story than Amane's. But who has Amane interacted with? Whose relationship with Amane is very important to the story?? (hint: it's Tsukasa)

Unfortunately, I don't actually know why Tsukasa is hurting him. We know so little, it's still possible it isn't him. But we also haven't seen Amane interact with Tsukasa during the time period in which we know he was being injured. This seems... intentional, to me. As if Tsukasa were somehow involved, in one way or another.

Something to consider, though, is that Amane was being injured around the time he turned thirteen. The 1968 school festival is only about two months before his 13th birthday. Thanks to Kou, we know that Tsukasa knows Amane is going to kill him and commit suicide when he turns thirteen. I'm not necessarily saying that this is why Tsukasa would have hurt him, but it's interesting, to say the least.

Anyway, this last part is a lot of conjecture, so I've separated it from what I view as actual facts about the person hurting Amane. But what do you all think?

[zeroaddzero]

Top 10 Horniest Bruce Springsteen songs, ranked

Yes there are more horny Bruce songs. Too many horny songs for one list. I don’t know if his game was good because he knew how to write horny songs, or if his game inspired him to write horny songs. Either way, we’ve been blessed musically with a lot of horny songs. Here’s the horny songs I managed to fit into a (very biased) list:

1.  I'm On Fire

THE horny Bruce song. A fever fantasy of a wet dream smushed into one moaning, sweaty mess. Before I was a fan, this (coupled with the below performance) was the song that made me go "OH. I get it now."

Spotify LINK

At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet And a freight train running through the middle of my head Only you can cool my desire

2.  Pink Cadillac

About as subtle as Lady Gaga’s “Disco Stick.” Even better paired with the BITUSA tour intro (said intro got noticeably more sexual after Bruce got married in 1985).

Spotify LINK

They say Eve tempted Adam with an apple But man I an’t goin for that I know it was her pink Cadillac

3. Fire

Originally written for Elvis, the bass line alone for this #problematic 70s “don't play coy with me” number will make you reconsider feminism for 5 minutes. The 1986 performance is downright NSFW.

Spotify LINK

You had a hold on me right from the start A grip so tight I couldn't tear it apart

4. The Fever

Bruce is king of the “lying in bed thinking of how horny this person makes me” genre, and this is one of his finest examples. At almost 8 minutes, it’s the tantric equivalent to the more concentrated "I’m on Fire". Anybody noticing a “burning” theme here?

Spotify LINK

Well now the day grows longer The love just grows stronger, baby And the fever gets so bad at night I got the fever for the girl

5. Because The Night

Bruce never finished the lyrics, and this song arguably belongs to Patti Smith now. Bruce has even said as much. However, I am biased and enjoy this banger too much to let technicalities get in the way of horny. On the list it goes.

Spotify LINK

Because the night belongs to lovers Because the night belongs to lust Because the night belongs to lovers Because the night belongs to us

6. Red Headed Woman

I'm Going Down may seem raunchy until you realise it's about a bad breakup. For the other thing, we have this entry. Folks, this song is literally about eating pussy. Bruce even introduced it as such during his Ghost of Tom Joad tour. I’ve yet to recover from the whiplash of hearing him say the word “cunnilingus” while performing at his old Catholic high school.

Spotify LINK

Well listen up stud Your life's been wasted 'Til you've been down on your knees and tasted A red headed woman

7. She's The One

Speculated to have been written about the violinist who played on the album Born To Run, this tune shows our boy is down baaad. Best paired with the excellent "Mona" intro, which is included in the Houston '78 live performance below.

Spotify LINK

With her killer graces and her secret places That no boy can fill with her hands on her hips Oh and that smile on her lips Because she knows that it kills me

8. Part Man, Part Monkey

My Tunnel of Love tour knowledge is woefully lacking despite the tour being his most explicit, and the accompanying album being in my top 3. In the eyes of the public, Bruce was still with his first wife when this video was shot in 1988. Only the band knew he was recently separated, so imagine watching a presumably married man on stage eye-fucking his backup singer. The gossip mill must have been insane after each show.

Spotify LINK

Well the night is dark, the moon is full The flowers of romance exert their pull We talk awhile, my fingers slip I'm hard and crackling like a whip

9. Crush On You

Another genre this Jersey dude excels at is “horny to the point of funny.” Bruce himself has called it "the worst song we ever put on a record" but hey, what does he know.

Spotify LINK

For one kiss, darling I swear everything I would give 'Cause she's a walking talking reason to live

10. Cover Me

I just realised this is only one of four songs on this list included on an official Springsteen album (if you don't count the outtake compilations.) And how fitting it is to start and end this list with Paris '85 concert footage!

Spotify LINK

Now promise me baby you won't let them find us Hold me in your arms, let's let our love blind us Cover me, shut the door and cover me I'm looking for a lover who will come on in and cover me

Honourable mentions (song/album):

Rosalita / The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle Candy's Room / Darkness on the Edge of Town Ramrod / The River Cindy / The River (outtakes) Ain’t got you / Tunnel of Love The Fuse / The Rising

Let me know if you think I missed any! I won't change the list, but more horny song discourse is always good.

[vampireheist]

Eleanor

Length: (Y/n) 5-part Miniseries.

Genre: Horror, unexpected pregnancy trope, a vampire child, a secret murder coverup, A love child from a twisted affair. Fluff. Daddy/daughter trope. 

Plot Summary: Y/n Barrett, the sister of Adam Barret gets pregnant by Krisfor Lazaar after being Hypnotized and fed on for 6 months during an undercover FBI Investigation, after escaping and disappearing with her brother, 9 months later, She gives birth to a baby girl, who initially seems like a lovely normal child. But as the child ages, so does her thirst for blood. The older she gets, the more monstrous she becomes.   Not understanding what her child is, y/n panic, as she finds dead rats sucked dry, buried Underneath her daughter's pillow, and a dead priest in the middle of the bedroom floor. Scared and frightened, she believes her daughter has possibly brought something hauntingly into the world of the living, and she quickly seeks her brother Adam for help. 2 years later, he used the night of the dead priest, against Y/N. Scared, she agreed to be a part of his kidnapping against a very wealthy man. and That was recommended by an old friend.

🍓🍓🍓 🍓🍓🍓

Prologue

You grew up with an abusive stepfather, and a mother that was so heavily in love she didn't care what caused her children, mental, emotional, and physical pain. 

As you came of age, growing up without any Maternal love and abused mind, you sought Validation from anyone that laid eyes upon you, seeking closure. You became close to your brother Adam, never leaving his side for anything. 

He became your best friend, a father-figure, a Guardian angel, Protecting you from any harm. 

When he got into law enforcement he begged you not to come along, but you heavily insisted- as stubborn as you are- He agreed, warning you to stay alert. 

You always knew how controlling Adam was- but it never bothered you one bit, because you know how protective he can be. 

When it was time to expose the one and only Kristof Lazar, the sheriff director ordered you to take part in the mission- alongside your brother. Adam bans it, not wanting his little sister involved.

 Wanting to make the sheriff director happy, you happily volunteered ignoring your brother's wishes, going undercover as the spy; an undercover Intern Technician hired by one of the bosses that work for Krisfor Lazar.  

On the first day of the job as an undercover FBI spy, you were sent to the top floor to work on a computer chip gone wrong, a business floor that no one dares to go up to unless called upon by the boss. 

You walked nervously down the hall, Snapping your necklace back and forth. When you entered the room, you felt like you were being watched, eyes burning at the back of your head.

 You assume it's just your paranoia, your crowded, noisy brain playing a trick on you. like it always had when you were younger. So, you continued with the mission. 

The room was crowded with digital cameras, computer coding, and other technical software. Examining the room, you searched for the secret flash drive that you wore around your knee high socks. Carefully, placing it there, to not forget it. 

Still feeling eyes watching you, you turned to look back at the entrance, but nothing was there. You sighed, with relief. When you turn back around, you gasp, shrieking away in a soundless scream.

 Lazaar appeared out of nowhere, admiring you with his dark shaded eyes.

You huffed, breathing for air after having a small heart attack. 

You look up at the 6 '3 pale men who stared down at you with a cold emotionless Demeanor. His presence seemed cold, but warm in a way that made someone nervously giggled when flirting. 

You smiled out of fright, pressing your hand against your chest. 

“I'm sorry I didn't see you there,” You snorted, muffling your mouth, biting your lips nervously.  

He lifted his head slightly- not saying a word- Instead, admire you silently. 

Heart thumping, throat tightening, sweaty palms, You breathed, still giggling nervously. “Hi, I'm y/n, I was sent to fix a computer chip.”

“I know who you are,” he whispers, raspily, no emotional change, gently taking your hands into his big palms, pecking a dry kiss.

You stared at the man with widened eyes. Your mind ascending, your body a float, with only your heart steering. 

 “You startled me! I didn't hear you come in,” you chortled, slowly, unsurely falling into a trace. 

“Mmm,” he deeply moans, eyes bugging, breathing in your wonderful scent. 

A few months in, you have completely fallen in love with the crime lore. Your brother Adam thought it was odd, but not strange- Considering you fall In love with anyone you meet Quicker than a shooting star- But his will to protect you, even when you didn't need it- is what fulfilled him- to know you were safe in this world of crime. 

Eventually, 48 weeks later, everything has been successful in taking down the crime lore. Tricking the crime lore to get into his circle and using you to testify against him. 

Everyone cheered, as the court date was set for tomorrow. Everyone went to sleep, preparing for victory. 

When Adam awoke, two rooms down where Krisfor Lazaar Lieutenants were held. He was ordered to check on them, Leaving you, who seems disoriented- stripped away from a trace- in the room to be. 

When he opened room 205, he shrieked, seeing a pile of dead bodies- ripped to shreds-blood splattered everywhere. 

The plan has been demolished. The Victory has been snatched. Someone or maybe a wild animal has come to steal back their Anonymous pride, viciously. Everyone quickly assumed it was Valdez. 

Adam rushed You out of the bathroom, packing every essentials that both of you needed before vanishing. 

For his safety and Yours, he quickly abandoned his own family, leaving behind everything that traced the both of you, And changed both of your names, so you couldn’t be tracked.

[kris-mage-fics]

asking for Kyrahlise, of course 💓 I wanna know all the stuff about her

@bigmeandragonlady and @kingdom-dance asked about her too, and who am I to deny the people? Or three people anyways, lol! Oc asks Most is under the cut because it got a bit long. Also, please note question 8 is about food, and I briefly mentioned someone trying to physically harm Kyrah in question 17. Please skip those if they are issues for you.

1. Full name: Kyrahlise Niriviel. I doubt I'll give her a middle name because I don't think they are really a thing in Blest, and it took me forever to come up with her first name. I'm not keen on going through that again to find something that feels right, lol

2. Best friend: Going by that stats, everyone! Which is accurate, because whenever I try to pin down who her best friend is I always start going in circles. Though her deepest friendship is with Red because of their history together.

3. Sexuality: If you asked her, she’d say she likes people sometimes. But more precisely, she’s bi and demi romantic + sexual.

4. Favorite color: “I can’t pick a favorite when all colors are beautiful and have an important place in the world,” is what Kyrah would tell you. Green. The answer is green. Even though she will deny this.

5. Relationship status: Single. (Technically. Depending on the romance, I think she knows she's in love somewhere around Chapters 5-7.)

6. Ideal mate: Kind people who have a sense of humor, or enjoy hers. They don’t have to be a nerd or artist, but she wants a partner who will appreciate those sides of her. Someone who takes the time to get to know her, and has some overlapping interests with her.

7. Turn-ons: Hm, do they mean like as in green flags in a relationship, sexually, or something else? Because if it’s the first, the answer is the same as 6 above. If it’s the second, well for as rare as it is for her to be sexually interested in/attracted to someone, it doesn’t take much to get her going once she is. ;)

8. Favorite food: Tbh, her favorite food rotates so frequently, it’s hard to pin down. It’s pretty much whatever the most recent food she tried and loved! But her comfort foods are: 1) The braided bread her mom made stuffed with different combinations of fruits, nuts, cheese, and herbs. It’s one of the only things she knows how to bake. 2) Lavender dumplings from Capra. 3) Biscuits and gravy, particularly if the sausage is spicy!

9. Crushes: Before joining the Shepherds, she had all of three crushes. The first was Red, and they dated for a little while. Then a woman she met a few years later, but that faded quickly because she found out her crush was straight. The third person, well I’m not going to spoil how that went, because I’m in the middle of writing a fic about it.

10. Favorite music: Any music she can dance to!!! It doesn’t matter the tempo, style, or mood of the music, if she can dance to it, she loves it!

11. Biggest fear: To die before she can accomplish her goals. One of the big ones is she doesn’t want to be the only person left who remembers Vale, so she wants to finish writing all she can remember about it and her life there and have it printed. Likely only given to the folks she trusts, unless she’s old and the world is much more receptive to Diminished.

12. Biggest fantasy: Ridding Blest of Endarkened, and then living a normal life where she can practice magic in peace. (Something tells me it’ll be downright impossible for the Hero of Haven to ever have a normal life.)

13. Bad habits: Smoking charch sometimes. Falling asleep random places because she overworks herself. Being snarky, or swearing under her breath in Elvish when she’s annoyed, then lying about what she said if anyone asks. Drawing to calm down, but accidentally breaking the pencil from holding it too tight. (She has a lot of short pencils now.)

14. Biggest regret: Besides what happened on her Flower Day there's also leaving the Circle, and [redacted because it's in a fic I'm working on].

15. Best kept secrets: Up until Chapter 3, it was the truth of “the birthday of doom” I think you once called it. Beyond that, she doesn’t have any secrets per se, it’s more things she chooses not to talk about, but if someone close to her directly asked, she’d give an honest answer.

16. Last thought: At the point where we are in Chapter 9, she just silently sent a prayer to the old gods, “Please let this work!”

17. Worst romantic experience: As I’ve mentioned, she’s pretty dense when it comes to romance. There have been a few times she went on dates without realizing it, because the other person wasn’t really clear about their intentions. One such time, the woman who asked her out got belligerent and attempted to slap Kyrah when she refused a kiss. She was 18 at the time, and it really messed with her head for a while. She started to feel like most people only cared about fucking her, and didn’t respect her or her wishes. Thankfully, she got over those issues in time.

18. Biggest insecurity: That she’s actually a dangerous monster deep down and people will, at best, leave when they find out. And that she will never be enough no matter how hard she works or how good she is.

19. Weapon of choice: Magic, or her ability to talk her way out of things (through charisma or intelligence). As for physical weapons is a bow and arrows, though a sword is a close second.

20. Role Model: Canon characters: Her parents, and Archmage Tevanti Characters I've made for her backstory: Leonadil (the woman who dragged encouraged her to go to the Circle), and Wenefreda (the elderly cook at the Circle)

[intotheseas]

20 Questions for fic writers!

Thank you for the tag, @writing-intheundercroft!! (Btw I cannot wait to start your Seb AU series and the Stardew stuff.)

How many works do you have on AO3? - Four! Though one is taken from my longfic, so technically three I guess? Still a baby writer and started in Feb, so I'm building works up haha

2. What's your total AO3 word count? - 98,474

3. What fandoms do you write for? - Stardew Valley right now! Tossing around some ideas for Life is Strange but idk.

4. Top five fics by kudos? - 1. This Modern Love, 2. Heartbeats, 3. We Played Hide and Seek in Waterfalls, and 4. Hoppipolla

5. Do you respond to comments? - ALWAYS. If someone takes the time out of their day to comment on my stuff I want to respond with equal enthusiasm. I can't express how motivating they are.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? - I don't do angsty endings, only angsty middles hehe. With that in mind, Do You Realize??.....

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? - Probably This Modern Love? They all have happy endings honestly.

8. Do you get hate on fics? - Not that I know of!

9. Do you write smut? - Everything I've written has smut lol.

10. Craziest crossover? - Not really a crossover person tbh!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? - Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? - Nope!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? - No, though with the right person it sounds like it'd be fun!

14. All time favorite ship - I'm biased lol, my OC Sage and Sebastian <3

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? - I have WIPs that are sitting in Google Drive purgatory but have every intention of finishing them. I don't allow myself to start something if I don't think I can finish.

16. What are your writing strengths? - From what I've been told - immersive writing, bringing readers into the story, good at emotional scenes, and descriptive writing? Idk how true it all is.

17. Thoughts on dialogue in another language? - The only other language I speak conversationally is Spanish (and that's being generous.) I'd hate to butcher a beautiful language so it's not something I'd do, but I'm not against others doing it.

18. First fandom you wrote in? - -cough-naruto-cough- (I was fourteen and wrote it on old notebook paper, ageing myself here lol)

19. Favorite fic you've written? - Toss up between Heartbeats and We Played Hide and Seek in Waterfalls. I LOVE writing with beautiful descriptions and lovely full emotions and I think those two are my best so far.

20. There was no 20th question, so I'm making one up! Tips for newbie writers? - Get! Writing! Seriously, pick up a pen or a phone or a laptop and just get going. You're gonna figure it out as you go along. Over time you'll identify your weaknesses, and when you do, study up!

shit I forgot to tag people fucking hell lol OPEN TAG please tag me if you answer I'd love to see your answers!!

[lutrainman]

Been wanting to create some quick profile pics, but I haven’t really fleshed out all main and supporting and chatizens. For now, I’ll give you the main. Still haven’t gotten all the other chatizen profiles done. Nor do I plan to in the future.

warning lots of profiles to skim through. Not all of them are fleshed out.

Terrence E. Coyote (middle name Egnacio)

ChibiRoom handle: Techy-mancer2772

Age: 25

Species: Anthro Coyote? (his dad hasn’t confirmed if he’s part wolf)

Close colleagues call him Terry. His friend Rev will call him Ter (pronounced Tear, as in “tear it all up”). Youngest prodigy in science and engineering. Already 2 PhD and current researching scientist at Acme Technical University. Has been going through a shut-in gremlin phase about 4~6 months ago.

He just finished up his last contract deal that has freed him from college debt, especially after the debacle involving an undergraduate intern. So he’s gone into a pseudo-gremlin mode by indulging in all of the nerdy stuff he’s deprived himself of; including anime, cartoons, shows, movies and video games, personal sci-fi prop making, reading books, comics, graphic novels, and going to sci-fi or comic conventions.

Terrence is an introvert by choice and isn’t very social. So he’s socially awkward, and tries to hide it behind a professional facade. Unfortunately, he comes off as standoffish, aloof, and a bit arrogant. Only because he holds himself to a high standard in the pursuit of science and using science for good things. Has a few inventions and breakthroughs tied to him. But he’s best known to be a collaborator, despite how obsessive he is with research and the details.

Joined “Retro-tech” chibiroom since he has grown up retro-fitting or making old tech work.

Creon Gilead

Age: 24 (going on 25 eventually)

Species:Publicly Human. Latent Mutant status hidden for now

Sous-chef and assistant manager to the Leghorn building cafe that she started when she first worked as a barista at the coffee bar. Also overworks a lot with side hustles, her main job, and community/volunteer work. Loves motorsports, hover-board racing, roller skating.

Adrenaline junkie and adventurous. Quite reckless and has a YOLO mentality. She tries to keep an open mind to new experiences. She’s multi-lingual due to her life experience and time in the military, and living in the Crater. Her life hasn’t been kind, and she is both lucky and unlucky with whatever wild scenarios that happen near her. Creon is a glass-half-full type of girl who always strives to be the best version of herself. Which means doing her best to be kind in a cruel world.

Despite trying to be honest and true, she’s a bit cagey about her past. Nearly abstained from dating/romance for 2 years. Until Terry literally fell into her lap one night on the train. She’s unaware that the chatizens of the Retro-tech Chibiroom refer to her as “Snow White.”

Revel R. Runner (middle name Reginald)

Age: 24

Species: Anthro Roadrunner

One of the undergrad students who got lucky with interning under Terrence, despite Terrence’s vehemence against taking on another intern. Goes by Rev most of the time. He prefers it. Rev was the only one to pull Terrence out of his shell, most of the times. Rev is the only one who can keep up with Terrence, or at least understand him when they work together. And Terrence is able to keep up with Rev’s speed-talking. Rev has made it his mission to keep Terrence from becoming a cyborg in the possible future. Rev thinks Terrence needs to live a little and not let science be the sole reason for existence. Also works as a researching scientist and engineer alongside Terry.

Alex Bunny

ChibiRoom handle: Black-Ace-Kazma

Age: 24

Species: Anthro Bunny

Works as one of the personal trainers and instructors at the Acme Tech campus gym and recreation center. Later on, Alex will become Terrence’s personal fitness coach. Also someone who likes to watch really old school movies or films.  He’s a martial arts nut so he has an old collection of Kung-fu film dvd/blu-ray sets. These were passed down from either an old relative or grandfather. Some even on VHS cassettes. So Alex also knows how to use antique projectors, VHS, DVD & Blu-ray players. Later on, Alex will figure out Techy-mancer and Terry are the same, but won’t reveal this at all. He silently enjoys the shitshow and continues to encourage Terrence with the pursuit of personal and physical growth. Alex sometimes does some stunt work for films or tv.

Lexi Bunny

ChibiRoom handle: Loola_Honey55

Age: 23

Species: Anthro Bunny (distant cousin to Alex Bunny)

One of Creon’s besties. Met Creon when they were both auditioning for TV extras. Marketing Research specialist for a fashion company that caters to anthros. Lexi is gregarious, ambitious, and quite bubbly. But Lexi can also be ambitious, hard-working, and introspective when she needs to be. On spare time she takes care of her plants, tiny garden, and streams playing video games. She’s also a fashionista who likes to take thrift-store clothes and fix/spruce them up for herself. Lexi joined chibiroom asking for advice on integrating old consoles, emulators, or stream setup. But mostly the video games, since she likes to explore old-school games ranging from late 90s, and early 2000s. Plus, she likes some of the older consoles and games.

Ripley R Runner (middle name Roland)

ChibiRoom handle: RippingW!r3z226

Age: 22

Species: Anthro Roadrunner

Rev’s younger brother. Moderator of the Retro-Tech Chibiroom. Actually working on his own apps and software in spare time. Secretly wants to get approval from dad and take over family business. Due to a lot of time in the Retro-tech chibiroom, he’s made a few programs, mods, and even inventions to help the group. Has tested them out. Lexi was the first guinea pig to test out programs or plugins for her stream and video game setup. Rip may seem slow-speaking, quiet, and aloof, but he’s just as smart as his big brother. Maybe even smarter, especially in certain departments. Rip has that perfect balance of being business savvy, entrepreneur, and software engineer and inventor.

Tina Russo

Age: 26

Species: Anthro Duck

Another one of Creon’s besties. Met Lexi through Creon. They too are besties. Tina is down-to-earth, blunt, feisty, and street-smart. Tina can be brutally honest, especially during the early days of befriending Creon. It’s thanks to Tina that Creon started developing a no-nonsense attitude and was able to set boundaries for herself. Family came from Italian immigrants. Does construction work in modular housing. Has always liked building stuff as a kid. Helped her dad out a lot in his plumbing and handyman work. Has a degree in architecture. Transferred to Acmetropolis from home in New Jersey to work with a real estate company that is undertaking a city renovation project.

Daniel Duck

ChibiRoom Handle: Duck_Dodgers_livedangerous

Age: 24

Species: Anthro Duck

Is kind of a pessimist and a conspiracy nut. He’s really paranoid about how the government is using current technology as surveillance. A bit short-tempered and comes off as delusional or egotistical. Deep down he’s just a lonely, insecure guy who got done dirty by the child foster system. So he’s had to grow up a bit street-smart and cynical. The “Retro-tech” chibiroom is the only place he sometimes finds solace in and the first place he consults in regards to retrofitting some old gadgets to work. That and he’s kind of a lonely duck trying to cope with his unfulfilling mundane life.

Samuel D Tazman (middle name Denver)

ChibiRoom handle: Slam-Taztic-devil

Age: 28

Species: Anthro Tazmanian Devil

A local wrestler who works in construction work and welding during the day. Sam is actually chill and respectfully polite in real life, which tends to clash with other people’s perception of Tasmanian Devils. Sam is very fond of good food and happens to know which local food venues are best. Joined “Retro-tech” chibiroom for adapting some tech for his big hands.

Oberon_Maestro67 (chatizen)

Species: Human

A music enthusiast, musician, and loves performing or going to music concerts. Absolutely hates the idea of AI music overtaking normal organic music. Has offered a lot of audio tech integration advice and music recommendations.

T!meSk!pper136 (chatizen)

Species: Human

About high-school senior who’s kind of lonely but loves making models and gunpla or making robots for bot-fighting. Lives with grandpa, who is an acclaimed professor and expert on theoretical physics and time. For now, he takes solace in the Retro-tech chibiroom.

Sylphair375 (chatizen)

Species: Human

A bitter, pessimist who seems to like being a naysayer and bringing up the worst case scenario. Is actually a recovering athlete who is bitter about how his athlete career barely started after a bad accident and injury.

Cloudy-chance-185 (chatizen)

Species: human

Currently a news anchor intern working under Misty DeBreeze. Actually went to school to study weather and meteorology. Part of a small collective of volunteer weather watchers collecting local weather data for climate change studies.

Massivechad305 (chatizen)

Species: human

Just a guy trying to go straight while living on parole. Had been jailed for some time for burglary. Participating in a new parole rehab program which was experimental and difficult. Joined chibiroom to get help and resources for retro-fitting tech that accommodated his size. Doing odd-end jobs here and there. Training to get a welding license.

Wac-gran20K (chatizen)

Species: human

Creon’s next-door neighbor, enjoying her well-earned retirement with her pet canary, Tweety. She’s already aware that Creon is “Snow White” that everyone in the Retro-tech Chibiroom chat likes to talk about. She just chooses to not reveal this secret and just watch the drama unfold. Granny is the definition of “sweet little old lady.”

Yeah there are other side characters, like Zadavia and others who are also chatizens or just regular citizens living normal lives. But I don’t think I’ll get into them now.

[nowandforalways]

"Never to change, ever to share...": An off-the-rails analysis of "Now And For Always" from the Lord of the Rings musical

Good day to you, my dears.

"Now And For Always" is my favorite song of all time and has been since I first heard it at age 16. With the revival of the musical giving us a ✨whole new arrangement✨ of the song, I decided now would be as good a time as any to analyze it as a whole and take a look at a few of the changes made to see how each version accomplishes exactly what it set out to accomplish with it's storytelling from a musical perspective.

A QUICK NOTE BEFORE WE START: While in the original production of the show, "Now And For Always" is clearly diegetic (that is, the characters in the show are actually singing the song in the world of the show), it's a bit more debatable in the new production. Samwise Gamgee is a wonder, but I find it hard to imagine him schlepping an entire guitar to Mordor - this ain't Hadestown, after all (the "Wait for me"/"And I'm coming with you" thing would require an entirely separate post 😉). Regardless, for the sake of analysis and also my sanity, we are going to say that the song is 100% diegetic in both versions of the show.

Key: NA = new/revival arrangement

OA = old/original arrangement

SO

First lets take a look at what stays the same between both versions (which is most of the song, tbh) and see what can be seen. We're gonna get lightly music-y here.

This song is in 6/8 time signature, which basically just means that it's counted out in two groups of 3 notes each - 123, 456 - with a sort of slope-y feeling to it, like rising up to 3 and falling back down to 6. You can also count it in a very slow 2/2 (1, 2), with each of those being on the 1 beat and then the 4 beat of the 6/8 counting pattern. This time signature has the effect of making it slow and relaxing, but still sound Hobbit-y, in a rather country-ish way. This time signature could technically become a very fast waltz, and it does lean into a natural sort of swaying motion when you listen to it. Perfect for singing around the fire.

The rhythm of the song itself is interesting because it's very speech-like. If you try to speak the words out loud in rhythm, it doesn't actually sound that off from a typical English speaking rhythm. This makes it very easy to learn, and very easy to add your own words to, as its implied Sam and Frodo are doing as they sing it. Lassi Longren, the composer of the song, said that it wanted it to sound like an old song that the Hobbits all know and sing around the fire, and the idea of a song like this with a chorus that everybody knows and then verses that are improvised by individual singers makes a lot of sense (makes me think of, like, "The Campfire Song" from The Lightning Thief - a song that is also in 6/8 and with a very speech-like rhythmic pattern).

The chordal structure also contributes to this homey, comfortable feeling. The song is in the key of D major, which is a fairly middling key (it's the key that most pennywhistles are automatically tuned to!), and is constructed around just 3 chords, with 1 more thrown in there if you want the cadence on "strange and rare" to sound correct. This makes it extreeeeeeemely easy to play - like I can barely play guitar, but I can reasonably play this. For the music nerds, the chords are I, IV, and V, with a little vi for that one cadence I mentioned earlier. This is essentially the most basic group of chords ever created, and it seems very intentional to me - it makes the whole thing feel comfortable and familiar, like it's an old song you know, even if it's your first time hearing it (Fun fact: The Shire theme from the Peter Jackson films uses also uses this chord group!). The only this about the song that might make it tricky to sing along with is its range - it's more than an octave, which can be hard to span if you're not a practiced singer. But you know, sometimes you just gotta have that fun melodic contour. Song gets boring if it stays all within too small of a range. :P

Okay so that's all the basic musical stuff that's the same between both arrangements. Time for the differences.

The most major musical differences in the NA as I can see are: Frodo and Sam switching who is singing the higher vocal part and who has the lower part during the second chorus, different instruments being used for the solo instrumental lines, and the whole of Frodo's solo verse and chorus. These all serve the major thematic change in this moment in the NA, but I'll get to that at the end.

First, the vocal lines in the chorus. You all know how much I looooove that Frodo is always on the lower part in the original show (see this whole post I wrote about it here!), and I equally love Sam getting the higher part in the OA for this song. It fits his character and part in the song very well - he started it off, he's done the improvising bit; after one chorus of unison to make sure that Frodo has a handle on the melody, he can pop off. Young, dreamy, surprisingly poetical Sam, with his love for elves & beauty & all things that grow, gets the chance to soar, while Frodo stays lower, hanging onto the melody. It almost works like foreshadowing for their characters, with Sam audibly choosing to do so much while it seems like Frodo is just there, but Frodo's actually doing the arguably far more important part of carrying the melody.

In the NA, they are flipped - now Sam stays on the melody while Frodo pops up to the higher part, and it still works just as well. Frodo's actually been on the higher part for the whole show up to this point, cause that's just how Louis Maskell rolls (the one very significant moment where he sings a lower harmony to Sam's melody is right before he leaves at the Grey Havens, which I could probably write a whole 'nother essay about), but it doesn't screw with the character perception in the way I had initially feared. Sam starts the song, Sam's got the guitar, so Sam stays on the melody, to carry the thing through. This now leaves Frodo free to do his thing with Sam's support. And this is where I start heading into headcanon territory, but I can't help but think by the easy way he slipped into it that maybe Frodo has sung this part before. He canonically has a nice voice (the Breelanders like it so much that they make him sing "The Man In The Moon Stayed Up Too Late" twice in the book!), and it would make sense for a naturally talented singer to get enough experience singing that they are able to whip out a higher part just for fun - maybe, if they ever sang this one down at the Ivy Bush, or by the fireplace in the parlor of Bag End, this was Frodo's part. And speaking from the same character perspective, Frodo is also everything I described Sam as before - dreamy, poetical, sweet - he's just older and, at this moment, significantly more tired both mentally and physically. But, he hasn't lost his hope yet, so he can still reach down and bring out a past version of Frodo, one who could sing that part in the song.

Next, the instruments. This is pretty simple; there aren't a lot of changes, but the one significant moment is the use of a harmonica instead of a fiddle for the solo in the middle of the song. Both versions of the show have instruments associated with certain characters (harp for Arwen, whistle for Frodo, concertina for Gollum, etc.) but the NA has the advantage of having all the actors play instruments, so it becomes rather explicit. In this case, the harmonica is being played by and associated with Bilbo, and that's neat, because this is a continuation of a story that he was also a part of. The fiddle in the OA is more representative of hobbits as a whole, so it also works in context.

Aaaaand the last one, the arrangement of Frodo's verse and chorus. This one is a doozy, because this is where we will be involving my theory on the different reasons for Sam starting the song.

So, the first time I heard the NA "Now And For Always", I actually started yelling IRL "IT'S A HYMN" as soon as it got to Frodo's verse+chorus, because, well, it is. Lemme explain. The orchestrations shift from the guitar and strings of the rest of the song so that Frodo is backed primarily by the ensemble singing "Oohs" and some sort of drone bass note underneath that I can't figure out (probably like a cello or something). The tempo suddenly becomes a lot slower and a lot less "bouncy", so to speak - that 6/8 time rising and falling pattern that I described before is significantly downplayed, and there are a lot more complete rests in the music, and that gives the whole thing overall a much straighter feel. This all gives a very hymn-like effect, particularly the "ooh"s, because voices moving between chords like that in a homophonic way (that is to say, everyone changes notes at the same time) is common in chorale-style hymns, and the drone, because having something called a "pedal point" (one note held underneath multiple chords) makes the music sound a lot older and more solemn. This is in contrast to the OA, which has, while not the exact same backing in Frodo's verse+chorus (it does get slower, and more smooth and flowing in the instruments), certainly much less contrast between Frodo's bit and the rest of the song than the NA. They both do this, but the NA just a bit more emphasizes how serious Frodo is about what he's saying. It's also is a texture that we haven't heard yet in the show and won't really hear again, so it kind of demonstrates the changes going on in Frodo by this point, like he's becoming something not quite of the world (sort of like all those comments in the book about him being "clear" or having a light shining through him). From a practical standpoint, it's also because Sam had been playing the guitar this whole time, and now he has gone to bed, so no more guitar. But above all, the vibe that making it sound like a hymn gives it is reverence, and that is important for the next bit.

Hoo boy, it's extrapolation/headcanon time. I've done a lot of actual musical analysis, but there comes a point where you have to take all those things you've gleaned and start spitballing about what they mean when combined all together. Here's what I have landed in: The changes in the NA reflect a change in Sam's motivation for starting the song in the first place.

Lemme explain.

In the scene before "Now And For Always", the boys are discussing Frodo's realization that destroying the Ring means that the elves will leave, and that there will be no more magic in the world. It's as they reflect on these very big changes that Sam starts singing a song about how at least some things stay the same. NOW. In the OA, Sam and Frodo start off the song in much the same place, emotionally - they're both kind of moody and mournful, feeling shaken at the idea of everything changing in such a big way, and missing the days when they believed that stories always ended with things returning to a happy normal. Sam's line "We hobbits only really like stories that end just the way they started, don't we?" is sort of a rueful realization that they are both severely freaked out by all of this because they come from a place that values unchangingness so highly. Sam starts the song as a way to bring them both some comfort by reminding them of home. He then fills in the bit about Frodo during the second verse because Frodo mentioned special folk and great adventures, they're both so tired that everything's funny, and Sam genuinely adores Frodo and knows how brave and important what he's doing is. Frodo's verse about Sam, in turn, is sung almost like a lullaby, which makes sense, as lullabies are often directed at the person falling asleep. So Frodo sings to Sam as he falls asleep about how much he admires him right back, sort of returning the compliment, like in the book. The way he says "it's not me they'll remember, you know" just before he starts singing has this weird sort of regretful tone to it, as if Frodo has kinda always known that his would be a thankless task, and that Sam, taking charge and leading them around and taking care of them, will be the one who goes down in history as being instrumental. He has been seeing this whole time how much Sam has done for him, and he knows that in time, others will too.

In the NA, on the other hand, the vibes of the scene before the song are somewhat different. The lines do not change at all, but the attitude from each of them is different. Here, we have the exact same conversation, but Frodo is audibly more stressed about it (not to mention more audibly exhausted), and Sam, in response, is keeping his tone very neutral, almost lighthearted at times. That general vibe continues into the song, which I thought was weird at first, until I realized what Sam is doing. Frodo is very shaken by all the big changes that he sees coming, so Sam responds by reminding him about the songs that they used to sing the Ivy Bush - the ones where nothing ever really changes. He says the line from above about hobbits liking stories that end the way they started like he's reminding Frodo of a fun fact, which is that despite everything going on around him, there are still plenty of stories about heroes where things are allowed to go back to the way they were. In other words, while the OA of "Now And For Always" is two people trying to comfort themselves by singing something that reminds them of home, the NA is Sam Gamgee Is Going To Cheer Up His Best Buddy Or Die Trying, first by reminding him that plenty of things do stay the same, and then by getting a bit silly and describing Frodo as one of the heroes (who, I will remind you, are allowed to go home unchanged). He goes until he sees a sign that he has succeeded somewhat in his quest - remember my headcanon about Frodo singing the higher part being indicative of his old self shining through? That could certainly be a signal to Sam that his little idea worked. More likely, the fact that Frodo starts waxing poetic about plum cake (which is so valid of him, tbh) when a few minutes ago he had to be ordered to sit down and eat something is also a sign to Sam that Frodo feels better, at least for the moment. So he feels alright to go to sleep. And then Frodo sings his part. And THAT'S why the reverent tone I mentioned earlier is so important. Because it makes it seem like Frodo also realizes, in this moment, what Sam has just been doing, and what Sam has been doing this whole time. The pauses in the music make it seem like he's coming to awareness, step by step, of just how much Sam has done for him, and the only possible emotional response for something that earth-shatteringly loving is reverence. And THAT'S why the NA ending works so gosh darn well - it gets across everything that Frodo is thinking and feeling in this moment with the music as well as the lyrics.

So, yeah. I don't have, like, much of a conclusion for all this. These are just a bunch of things that I observed about these two songs and then my brain running absolutely buckwild with extrapolating conclusions from there. And a lot of this is my own interpretation of what I hear, so if you thought something different, that's totally fine! Also, this is entirely based on only being able to hear what's going on, so if you've seen the show and I got the vibes super off for part of it, please let me know. :)

Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you around! Heyday!

EDIT: The more I think about it and try to feel it in my body, I might call the time signature a very fast 3/4. Regardless, all my points still stand. Just wanna cover all my musical bases. :)

[griffynbird101]

The Black Family tree is weird as hell (not for the reasons you think)

Hi, so a few days ago I made a post talking about squibs in the Harry Potter world and how JK Rowling doesn’t make sense and in it I mentioned how Cygnus Black was part of a child marriage and that prompted me to scour the Black Family tree for more examples…

It is deeply weird. In more way than one.

First of all; Cygnus was not the only child to have children at 13. His father Pollux also started at 13. This isn’t like a trend in the Black Family; most have children in their 20s and 30s, and the pair have siblings who have children at reasonable ages. It is completely random. Cygnus has 3 children before he finishes Hogwarts so it wasn’t like an accident or anything. I could’ve excused Pollux as a one off thing because he has Walburga but then it’s 13 years before Cygnus is born… but then Cygnus goes and has 3 children before he’s 17 so I don’t know what to think. (Especially since Alphard appears to be older, so why wouldn’t they have Alphard get married instead?? Like why did JK Rowling need to do this?)

There’s also a weird, but not impossible, trend where a bunch of Black Family members just don’t get married or have kids. In a normal family I would say that it made enough sense, but this is a family who puts having Pureblood children above everything so it doesn’t really add up. There are 8 people on the family tree who don’t have children and don’t get disowned (Granted we can cross of Sirius I and Regulus who both die young so it’s more like 6). It’s oddly progressive of a family who also at the same time thinks children are so important that they need to marry off 13 year olds??

Moving away from the topic of marriage; there’s an event that happens in 1990-1992 that I like to call “The Purge of the Parents” where all the remaining Black Family Members who aren’t imprisoned or disowned just die. Like literally, only Narcissa is left. The 5 other living Black family members die in 2 years (3 in 1992). It’s not just the Black Family either, I know Abraxas Malfoy also dies in 1992. There was just this massive genocide of an entire generation within 2 years and it’s not mentioned in the story at all. And while I’m writing this I’m starting to think JK Rowling just really hates Narcissa (“Oh Narcissa is your life going well? Well I’m gonna kill your entire family for no reason. How do you feel about that?”) There’s a massive plague or something that killed all the old people in the wizarding world; Harry was just too dumb to notice.

Unrelated to Marriage or death: Each generation has at least one trio of siblings where the second child is disowned. I like to think at some point the Black Family just collectively agreed that 3 was an unlucky number and they had to disown the middle child on principle. (Like; Alphard didn’t do anything against the family he just give Sirius some money, Cedrella still technically fulfilled the family wishes by marrying a Pureblood just not the right one: They were just looking for excuses at this point)

I’m rambling a lot so I’ll just say this; The Black Family tree is surprisingly not impossible. All the things I mentioned are plausible, but all together it makes for a very improbable and odd family tree. Honestly just leads to believe the family as a whole was incredibly unstable; possibly due to the fact that Purebloods in general are likely inbred due to breeding within the same few families for 1000 years. Also; tragedy for only Narcissa that the entire family just died out.. I get the feeling that it’s actually not… that terrible of a thing.

(Yay for that one Gamp (not sacred 28) in the family tree that everyone collectively decided didn’t exist. New blood was needed)

[wolfieworld]

4/6 Diary: Dead Projects

it's hard to acknowledge why something isn't working when you're in the middle of it, sometimes it's hard to even know why. There's a few plots that have been in my brain for years that I've rewritten and rewritten and rewritten with little success. I think a big part of failed projects is actually over-estimating ones own capabilities, for example I plan out mechanics that I don't have the experience to achieve, or characterization too far from my own experience that its not fun to write. I often plan out stories that require a lot of research and I feel like I can't write until I know everything-therefore most writing doesn't get done and what does is full of holes. It's kind of embarrassing to look back at stuff and just think "I didn't know what I was talking about at all."

Sometimes shit just doesn't work out. In the words of Pretty Boy Detective Club giving up on a dream can be more beautiful than achieving the dream itself.

Probably 90% of everything I try doesn't work out and it's been on my mind lately that that's a good thing. Of course in an ideal world we learn from finished works bc there are things from those you can only learn by sharing with others and by wrapping up a story and by saying goodbye to your characters but there isn't such a thing as an ideal world and everything we do we learn from whether other people see it or not. There is something special you learn from unfinished projects, the types you choose to put down forever, which is you are forced to acknowledge precisely why it could not get done.

These are all images from 2 retired vn/comic projects.

These projects are prisons for some of my best and worst writing, full of ideas with no through-line or real objective, and no real thorough understanding of these characters who I loved just collections of feelings and images and facts I thought were cool.

What is improvement? I'm not a person who looks at my old art and feels like I've gotten better at drawing, and when I look back at old writing I only really get the sense that I've become less cringe but not become a better writer. I think improvement is more esoteric than becoming better at the skills you use to express, maybe it's just knowing yourself better and playing to your strengths, and crystalizing what you want to say (or finding it in the first place). Aesthetics form naturally from writing and drawings that plainly express what they need too and they are drawn like blood from stone from work that is trying its hardest to be clever.

Personally I find these digital pages from 2020(21?) to be better drawings than anything I've done in the last two years in a technical way but it doesn't matter, I couldn't finish it, and I didn't know the characters. It's just portfolio work, it took me months to do five of them. They're just "cool shots" even though I didn't know it at the time.

As I get further into working on Youth Who Was Killed I'm noticing that cutting corners produces better results, there's more emotion in sketches so why finish a drawing, why design a logo which I'm not good at when I can use a font, why color grade the images myself when limiting the palette to one or two or three colors provides an unmuddied result? This is the kind of laziness you would think would harm 'improvement' but I've found that too much brute force is a highway to burn out, and then you're not learning anything at all.

Making art is a war against human nature I think, cavemen definitely weren't built too instinctually develop a five year plan every new years. However it becomes like less of a war when you work with your nature rather than against it. Maybe. I don't know. I really hope I don't make a blog post two years from now about why I couldn't finish YWWK. If that happens blame ren'py.

i drew my ocs in funny t shirts for the first time in my life so maybe all that stuff i said about improvement being that you become less cringe is untrue, maybe you get more cringe. thats ok with me i guess.

[exquisitexagony]

MULTIMUSE QUESTIONAIRE !!

RULES: Answer the questions with the Muses that would best fit the answers. Bonus if you give details why.

TAGGED BY: @ask-thedepressedkidatthetable

TAGGING: @miidnighters @heartxshaped-bruises, @dramatiique, @starrymused, whoever wants to really!

Answering this based on all of my muses between all 4 of my blogs since this blog is technically not a multi-muse. Thanks for tagging me!

1) Rank your softest Muse and your toughest Muse. (Personality-wise)

Ohh...That's a tricky one...I thinks softest is a tie between Rhys and Sam. Ah! Or maybe even Daianira or Hypnos! When I first think of softest, though, my brain goes to Rhys. He's always been my precious little boy. Toughest? Jazzi or Chell, maybe E. I think Chell comes to mind first, though.

2) Which Muse would blow through $1000 quickly?

Aurelius Bridgers...Because $1,000 is nothing to zem.

3) Do any of them have nicknames? Is there a meaning behind them?

Rhys & August have a couple of my fave nicknames I've written for characters. Rhys' being Reese Cup & August's is AJ or Almond Joy. They typically only really use those names with each other, like sweet little brotherly affections, but August will use AJ with people he's close to...Samuel's nicknames include Sami, Sam, and even Arthur which is his last name or Arlo when he was a kid. Aurelius has lots of little nicknames mostly because people struggle with spelling and/or pronouncing his name and it's just easier that way--his stage name is Aurora. Daianira goes by Daylight or Day because they find it pretty and it's easier to pronounce/spell for most humans. I also gave that to them because it reflects their personality very well--sunshine. Elizabeth goes by "E" because they hate their name and it's more gender neutral, which they prefer. Leo (@gollldrush) calls Ambrose Rose which I find absolutely adorable. Jhazala typically goes by Jazz or Jazzi again just to shorten the name. Some people call Demetrius Demi, but don't ever say it to his face because he'll smite you. James hates nicknames and would be absolutely livid if anyone called him Jim or any shorter version of James. Shimi goes by Sami or Sam sometimes as a sort of "human" name in homage to his transition from living with xyr jinn brethren to living amongst humans.

4) Are any of them up-to-speed on the latest trends? Anyone more old school?

OK that last one was long, I'll try to make this quick: Sami is very old school. Aurora is trendy as hell. Rhys is old school or at least just somewhere in the middle because he doesn't care. August is a mix of old school and trendy--he likes what he likes and sometimes that's old stuff sometimes that's new stuff. Chell, Ambrose, Luna, Demetrius, Jazzi, and maybe Skylar are all what I'd consider up-to-speed on trends. James, Shimi, Sarai, and Day are all a little old school. The rest just don't care so they're probably aware of trends but don't pay much attention to it.

5) Who has the best relationship with their siblings?

Rhys & August, of course.

6) Karaoke night! Who is likely to grab the mic first and bust out a tune?

Aurelius, for sure! Godly voice and proud of it. August would try to talk Rhys into it, but he'd definitely decline and August wouldn't push him too much. Luna would probably jump up there too. Maybe Ambrose because they'd probably be drunk as all get-out.

7) Who is least likely to enter a beauty pageant/model?

Oh gosh, um...Probably Rhys & August would be least likely, but also Elizabeth, Day, and obviously Sarai would require a lot of convincing. Hypnos probably wouldn't either and probably not Hermes.

8) If your Muses visited a haunted house where actors scare you, who would panic and who would be unfazed?

Muses that would panic: Sami, Hypnos, Day, Ambrose, Luna (but she'd be enjoying it), Aurelius (also probably enjoying it just a little)

Muses that would be panicking on the inside: Shimi, Rhys, August, E

Muses that would be unfazed: James, Sarai, Demetrius, Hermes, Zagreus, Chell

Muses that would be kicked out for punching an actor: Chell (maybe if they happened to spook her), Elizabeth, Skylar, Jazzi

9) Are any of your Muses particular about taking certain modes of transportation?

Rhys takes the bus or bikes a lot because he can't drive. He definitely prefers biking over bus, though, and is known to bike in the rain so long as it isn't storming. Aurora loves to take his convertible whenever he can have the top down. Sami prefers not to drive even though he can so he'll take the bus sometimes. Day will usually walk because she can't go very far anyway and she's taken a couple of taxis but has definitely gotten in trouble for not having money to pay for the trip.

10) Share a little-known fact about any Muse.

Oh gosh...but I have so many muses with so many little facts! Here, I'll throw a few out there... Rhys is trans-male--something that I've gone back on in the past but recently brought back again because it just feels right for him even though his faceclaim isn't trans. Sami doesn't talk about it at all or even know how to put a name to it, but he's definitely queer in terms of gender, which is why I use different pronouns for them even though they would never ask someone to do it because they're still learning. Aurora has a verse that's technically his canon in which about 10 years from his main verse he contracts a deadly disease that is extremely rare and most typically developed in demi-gods and basically dies in his mid-thirties! Little known part of that is that it's also the same disease that killed his mother.

[of-elves-and-mad-hatters]

"The Azure Sky" - Chapter 11

Masterlist 

Request Guidelines

Shadows to the Brightest Flame: Series

- The legacy of Lumia’s influence is scarred eternally into the lands of Elvendale. Burdened by a prophecy foretelling her demise and need for a successor, she watches for one capable of such power. Yet her enemies are working steadily to undo all she’s labored so long for, and it is millenia too late to make peace. 

Emily Jones, heir to Eimileen, is a bold girl dedicated to protecting Elvendale, but the world she has grown so fond of is not so black and white as it seems, and the titles of Guardian of Portal and Guardian of Light may hold darker legacies some ancient elves have worked tirelessly to hide

In conjunction with the extended version of the Guardian of Light prophecy I wrote previously

Basically a rewrite of all of the Lego Elves & Secrets of Elvendale storylines with an additional arc beyond the Season 4: Into the Shadows. There will be a varying degree of deviation from canon.

Technically a crossover with Lord of the Rings/Hobbit/Silmarillion in terms of worldbuidling, as I set Elvendale as being north of Middle-Earth, cause this is fanfic and I can. So there will be mentions of the Noldor, Sindar, Silvan, and some Tolkien characters, but they will be mostly background. Definitely not an issue if you aren’t familiar with the Middle-Earth fandom; everything will still be easy to understand.

Book 1: The Azure Sky

Grieving over the unexpected death of her grandmother, Emily Jones is accidentally trapped in another world. Befriending a few young elves in an attempt to find her way home, Emily discovers many secrets about her grandmother’s past, but for every truth she learns two more questions take its place, leaving her vulnerable to darker force inhabiting this realm. 

A rewrite of Unite the Magic

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10 

_________________________________

Chapter 11

Eimileen must have loved this place. 

The small, open-air market of Urisil is like something out of a painting, surreal in the way light shines down through the silk canopies, crystals and lanterns illuminating the stalls, the structures surrounded by trees.

Emily’s gaze is darting around, trying to absorb it all, a grin helplessly plastered on her face. She doesn’t even hear Naida’s voice at first; the water elf has to tap her on the shoulder. “Emily, are you sure this will be enough? Do you need anything else?”

She looks down at the small pile of clothes Naida’s about to pay for, absorbing the question. Enough? She’s relying on the water elf’s expertise for what the mountain weather will be like, only Emily isn’t an elf, and humans seem to be frail in comparison. 

“Another coat? Just to be on the safe side?” 

Naida nods, and the shopkeeper suggests a fur-lined one in a dark, muted blue. 

Emily reaches a hand absentmindedly to her amulet. It feels cold again, prickly with static. Unpleasant. 

An intense spark jolts her finger. She recoils. 

A rush of half-faded images, a memory, impress upon her mind. Her eight-year-old self trembling under a quilt on her grandmother’s couch, crying because there was a wailing thunderstorm that night and she hated the way the world looked when it was lit up by lightning. 

They illuminated the dark faces in the trees, the ones too melded with the night to see any other time. And she begged her grandmother to make them go away. 

Her grandmother smiled pityingly, and whispered that she was too old to be hunting spirits anymore, but not to worry, that the dark things were farther away than they appeared, and that there were barriers that kept them locked away. Because that’s how the light deals with darkness, by casting it far away. 

Of course there were the few who dealt with things by swallowing the shadows, but her grandmother told her never to pay them much mind. That you should just tell them white lies because they tended to be grumpy and might not otherwise help anyone with the darkness. 

Little Emily objected. Her parents said that lying was always wrong. 

Her grandmother only smiled gently, tucked a strand of hair behind the child’s ear. Whispered, “Sometimes the only way to love is to lie”. 

And lie, Eimileen most certainly did, only Emily isn’t sure she can see the love in that particular choice. How was concealing her own heritage, the world she’d grown up in and loved, necessary to love her human family? 

“Something on your mind?”

Emily’s eyes flicker over to Naida. “Nothing…everything. I don’t know,” and she shrugs her shoulders. 

“I did not mean to upset you.”

The human shakes her head. “You didn’t. Sometimes, I just feel overwhelmed, still.” She hesitates. “…and I guess it doesn’t help that this amulet continues to surprise me.” 

Naida frowns. “How so?”

“Just little things. Like feeling as though it were charged with static electricity. Like sparking an old memory of my grandmother that I had forgotten…” Emily shakes her head. “I don’t know. It drew me to this realm. It wanted me to come here. But somehow I have this feeling it doesn’t like me very much. Does that sound stupid? I mean, it’s an amulet, not a person.”

Naida reaches out, just grazing the stone with her fingertips. “It is an artifact of great power. I’d be surprised if it did not behave strangely.” She tilts her head, thoughtful. “It was given to you by Eimileen. It should be loyal to you, but perhaps it is not fully confident in its new owner. Sometimes trust must be earned.” She takes a deep breath then, as if washing away her contemplations. “Come. We need to be on our way if we are to still stop by the bakery and return to the others by nightfall.”

________________________________________

After regrouping that night, and a restful sleep, the five travelers began their trek up the mountain paths. They hike in single file; Aira leading with the map, Farran just over her shoulder, Emily securely in the middle of the entourage, and Naida and Azari bringing up the rear. 

The human pulls her cloak tighter over her shoulders, shivers. The spots of green grass along the path are tinged with frost; she can see her breath in the crisp air. The higher they climb, the sky shifts from lavender to a crystal clear blue, unmarred by cloud and occasionally broken by birds flying in the distance. 

Emily feels Naida’s eyes on her, and hears the water elf shout, “It’s time for a rest!”. 

Aira jerks her head back, confused until her gaze falls on the human girl. “The path widens just around the next bend. Plenty of space to set up camp.” Emily can barely hide her sigh of relief. 

The narrows path does end up widening suddenly into a clearing that had been intentionally carved into the side of the mountain. Out on the edge of outcropping, to their left, stands a dilapidated windmill. The sky is quickly dimming to dusk, and Azari builds a fire close to the face of the mountain. Emily drops to her knees, stretching out her hands to warm them. She nods in Aira’s direction,“So, how much farther to the next key?” 

Azari shrugs. 

Aira, overhearing, trills, “Just a few more miles!”

“And what are we looking for, exactly?” inquires Farran. 

The wind elf finally seats herself around the fire, spreading the map on the ground, and reads, 

“Under the wings of those who rule the skies

Buried in the dark with all they find precious

An ancient hold for a beast long dead

Forgotten by those who knew not the days of malice”

Farran’s eyes widen. “A dragon cave.”

Dragon? “Wait, do you mean like an actual fire-breathing dragon, or is that a metaphor for something?” Emily questions. 

“Well, not all dragons breathe fire, but yes,” Naida confirms, “The riddle clearly points to the actual lair of one of those creatures. One long deceased.”

Azari scrunches her face, “But what on earth does the line ‘Forgotten by those who knew not the days of malice’ mean?”

Aira frowns. “Maybe it’s referring to a melkorian dragon.”

Naida mirrors her frown. “Let’s hope not. Their treasure hoards are rumored to be cursed, inciting delirium in those who linger too long.”

Emily winces at the thought. “So, what’s the difference between a melkorian dragon and other dragons?”

“Dragons are native to these lands, present at the time of creation, and friends of the northernmost elves. Melkor, an evil and powerful spirit to the south, captured a dragon and transformed it. Twisted its mind and body into a weapon of war. Its descendants we call melkorian dragons. They range from apathetic to completely wicked. Devouring sentient peoples like cattle, and hoarding gold with a compulsive greed far outweighing the natural dragons’ appreciation for beautiful gems.

It’s easy to tell the two races apart. Melkorian dragons grow to be far larger, and more powerful. Unlike other dragons, who are colorful and shimmer in the light, the scales of melkorian dragons are dull and muted in hue. They dwell along our southern borders, a frequent threat to the cities there. Though some have claimed that in rare cases, elves have been able to befriend these drakes, and redeem their natures. 

The last time melkorian dragons came this far north was before elves had established permanent towns up here, just scattered settlements. A treasure hoard of their kind would be very ancient indeed, at least by our reckoning,” the water elf explains. 

Emily absorbs this, picking a croissant out of the bakery bag being passed around the campfire. She pulls the bread apart, only realizing how hungry she is once she takes a bite. “If the cave was made by a dragon, which can fly, how do we know if it’s even accessible on foot?”

“We don’t,” Aira chirps. “But don’t worry, I’ve invented dozens of different ways to get around the problem of flight!” 

Azari makes a nauseated expression. “Flight is a problem, all right. And something to be avoided, not solved.” 

“Nonsense! Once you get over your fear of plummeting to your death…”

“Aira, stop,” Naida cuts her off. “We’re about to go to sleep, and you’re going to give Azari nightmares over a hypothetical situation.” 

“Fine. But a few pegasi-sky-diving sessions would really do her a world of good.”

_________________________________

Emily opens her eyes. She blinks, slowly, the world around her seeming blurred. The air around her is heavy with fog; she can barely distinguish the forms of her sleeping friends around the remnants of their campfire. 

The mist is dark, but as she peers into the night, she sees even deeper, darker shapes in the distance. They’re indistinct, fluid, with glowing blue eyes. Shadows. 

Emily sits up, wary, pulling her legs to her chest. The shadows are whistling, a high-pitched almost-white noise that makes her ears ache. There are whispers, too, in her head. Overlapping, wispy phrases, aggressive, rambling on and on about mortals and the passageway. 

Electric blue lightning crackles through the fog. Emily’s amulet begins to glow, shining like the shadows’ eyes. It levitates, lifting itself from the girl’s chest until the chain bites into the back of her neck. 

It’s leading her.

Shaking with apprehension, Emily allows herself to be pulled to her feet. She stumbles forward, the heavy fog obscuring anything more than a couple yards ahead. She’s lead further up the narrow mountain trail, winding endlessly towards a sky she can’t see. 

At some point, she’s turned sharply to the left. The girl continues walking forward, but realizes the ground feels different, absent. She looks down to see a gaping chasm beneath her. 

Emily considers, for the first time, that this might be a dream.

As though air were as solid as stone, the girl is lead on. She trips when her feet meet rock again, scraping her shins on a jagged outcropping. There’s a rough-hewn path with deep gauges that perhaps could have been carved from talons, if it was ever possible for a creature to have claws as wide as a school bus. 

The rock is damp from the mist, and Emily ends up sliding down the tumultuous path. Now with a scratched-up arms to match her bloody legs, she barely has time to catch her breath before the amulet drags her forward again, and enters the mouth of a monstrous cave. 

The blue glow of the amulet is her only source of light, and even that is quickly swallowed up by the darkness. Every step she takes sends small, clinking objects scattering. Gold, gems, she can’t tell what kind of treasure she’s stumbling through, but the deeper she’s lead, the more her legs sink into the hoard. 

Emily’s standing knee-deep when the amulet stops. Glow softening, it drops back against her chest with a soft thud, the surface crackling with static electricity. As its light dims, another light, deeper in the cave, moves towards her. It grows rapidly in size as it approaches, a dark, shadowy shape forming in its center, evolving into a humanoid shape. 

Emily’s heart drops. It’s them, the presence she felt in the forest. She’s sure of it, even though a part of her mind reminds her that this could just be a dream, a nightmare. 

“Who are you?” she asks, trying to still the tremor in her voice. 

“Who?” the shadowy figure repeats, tilting its head. The voice is warped, but it sounds vaguely female. “Who I am never really mattered to your grandmother. She held her own assumptions as gospel. So why do you inquire? Or did she not warn her own descendant of the dangers of this realm?”

“She must have had her reasons,” Emily spits back, defensive. “And it’s too late for me to ask her now. But I can ask you why you’ve been stalking me, and how you’re somehow connected to her amulet.”

“It was a gift, and a foolish mistake.”

Emily lifts her hand, letting it hover over the jewel, feeling the sharp pricks of electricity jumping to her skin. “Is that why it hurts me? Because you regret giving my grandmother the amulet?”

“Because I made it, and Eimileen used it for something I never condoned. As long as its purpose is being abused, it will always try to find its way back to me.” The shadow’s voice grows in volume, the cave beginning to shake. “It may be yours, little half-blood, but don’t mistake ownership for loyalty. For your own sake, give the amulet to the guardian of the castle. She has sworn to safeguard it till I return to these lands.”

The shadowy figure vanishes into a wreath of blue and green light, as the ground opens up underneath Emily, crumbling away. She falls, jewels and coins pouring in after her. And far beneath, in the darkness, are hundreds of glowing blue eyes, waiting. 

_______________

A/N: I can't believe it's been two years since I've updated this story, and a full year since I shared a segment of this chapter as a WIP. I'm so sorry to have made everyone wait so long! Hopefully, now that I'm over the hurdle that was this clunky chapter, I can finish the Azure Sky this year? Crossing my fingers.

[callowyn]

20 Questions for Writers

Tagged by @oakashandwillow

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 42...the perfect number

2. What's your total AO3 word count? just shy of 500k which is an insane number

3. What fandoms do you write for? >_> look. is the top fandom on my ao3 page supernatural: yes. am I still actively posting spn fic: technically also yes. but the incoherent scum villain tweets that don't make it onto ao3 are where my heart truly lies rn

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

#1 and #2 are the double header of Cumplane (Pairing), an in-universe meta for @cleromancy's threadfic, and Cumplane Forums AU, an archive of @flightlesscrowkids's communal threadfic that I shamelessly enabled. #5 on the list is also a scum villain chatfic, It's Fine Cause I'm Wearing Cat Ears, where shen yuan is still insane on the modern internet but this time binghe and liu qingge are there. thank you cucumber stans for your support and good taste.

#3 is my untamed big bang from these nettles, alms which I cowrote with @zorrosuchil (chengxian, but also wangxian and a lil tiny bit zhanchengxian, much to jiang cheng's disgruntlement).

#4 is my pacific rim reverse bang Our Blood in the Machinery in which raleigh becket is possessed, but joke's on you, he's into that shit.

5. Do you respond to comments? I try but unfortunately I often give myself the fake homework of needing to reply Meaningfully which means it simply does not happen

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? hmm probably the most it-didn't-have-to-be-this-way classic tragedy fic is The Dismemberment Song (the untamed, nieyao); the deadest dove is Jettison (pacific rim, hansens badtouch)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I was going to say Only Human but then I remembered the last chapter ends with one of the main characters announcing her imminent demise lmao so perhaps my cql fix-it of Waking / Rising

8. Do you get hate on fics? thankfully not, I don't think they get enough attention to have haters lmao

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

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? fandom fusions are my faaaaavorite to spitball. way back in the day I had grand plans for Merlispn which (as the name should make clear) was very silly

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? not to my knowledge but cambionverse did once get cited in an academic paper

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? funnily enough one of my smallest and least-viewed spn fics, Driftwood, was translated into chinese!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? nearly all of them in fact! shout out to @thegeminisage and our series Cambionverse which is old enough to be in middle school now

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? I am a multishipper til death do us part ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? fuckin. Envesseled lmfao. ON GOD WE WILL POST THE LAST FIVE CHAPTERS I JUST DON'T KNOW WHEN

16. What are your writing strengths? *eye* think my own jokes are very funny hahaha and I love to write banter & arguments

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I can brainstorm plots all day long but executing upon them is So Hard

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? as a monolingual it is something I would do very sparingly if at all, and only if there wasn't another way to convey the same tone/emotion

19. First fandom you wrote for? the first thing I ever posted to ao3 was The Quest for Camelot which is found poetry from the merlin fic finders comm. before livejournal I did post a few things to ff.net but they are going with me to the grave

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? listen. I understand why it deals psychic damage for my followers to see supernatural content in the year of our lord 20 whatever. but read Cambion those are my kids

[95jezzica]

any headcanons about ladonia ?

Yes. A LOT. ÒwÓ . Let's go!

. First & Middle names: Karl Mattias Axel. . Family Name: Steilsson, Svensson or Nordir. (Depends on the nationverse/AU). . Full Name Example: Karl Mattias Axel Nordir. . Birthday: 2/6. (1996). - [ American order: 6/2, 1996. ] . Human Age: 10y old. . Height: 148 cm. (Almost 4'9 in American, I think).

. Ladonia was the first nation/micronation to "pop up" really young, literally looking like a newborn baby.

. For the first year or so Ladonia grew up at around the same speed as a human baby, making many nations unsure if Ladonia truly was a micronation or not. Sweden could sense he was a micronation since he's the "host" of Ladonia's micronation, but the rest only really had Sweden's words to go on.

. However, no one could deny Ladonia looked a LOT like Sweden, the only real difference being the red hair - so when Sweden went on to claim Ladonia as his son no one disagreed/disputed it either.

. Sweden was TERRIFED Ladonia as a person wouldn't make it. Ladonia was just so SMALL, and no one had heard/seen a representation of a nation/micronation "pop up" that young before. Normally they showed up looking like toddlers or roughly 5-8 years old. It was a new and scary time for Sweden and his family, but Ladonia was a stubborn lil' fighter and made it through the years to slowly but surely grow up a bit to a "safer age".

. Still, this contributed to how protective Sweden became of Ladonia (and Sealand, once adopted), and is also why both of his kids get a bit spoiled by Sweden.

. Once Ladonia was 3y old his aging slowed down a bit, proving once and for all he was a micronation to anyone who might have had doubts.

. Once Ladonia looked like a 10y old he completely stopped aging and growing (to his annoyance). His real age was then 19y old. (Year 2015).

. Ladonia mainly lives with Sweden in a house near his micronation, and depending on the week Sealand, Finland and/or the rest of the Nordics join them there as well. The house in question is hidden with the help of Norway's magic, to ensure Ladonia's safety.

. He sees Sweden as his papa, Finland as his Isä (Finnish for dad/papa), Sealand as his older brother, and then Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Estonia as his uncles.

. Ladonia isn't very close to England, and thus only view him as "Sealand's weird dad".

. Ladonia's best friends are Kugelmugel and Wy. - (and Sealand, but hush. He can't have people know he LIKES his brother, now can he?). xD

. Ladonia is really annoyed by the fact he's two (2!) centimeters shorter than Sealand (who stands at 150 cm), and because of this he hasn't realized 148 cm is decently tall for a 10y old. (He got Sweden's tall genes). xD

. In human AUs where Ladonia gets to grow up to an adult, he ends up at 215 cm tall. (" Take that, Sealand! ").

.

. Ladonia LOVES Pokémon with a burning passion! 🔥 (Which is canon, but! Worth mentioning anyway.) . His favorite Pokémon is Stunfisk. (Also canon).

. Ladonia admires Japan "a bit", as the home to Pokémon. In turn Japan is a bit confused but honoured of the attention, and makes sure to send the new games to Ladonia whenever they're released.

. Over the years Ladonia and Japan got a bit of a "student-teacher" friendship going, mainly - but not only - about Pokémon.

. Denmark is the uncle Ladonia meets the most, mainly because of how near he lives, but Norway is likely the uncle Ladonia is closest to.

. Ladonia also sees Estonia as a uncle-figure, and he's obviously also the one Ladonia turns to when he wants to talk computer stuff.

- - - - -

. Ladonia's main computer is his own trustworthy laptop, but he can technically enter/exit any computer at will, as long as it's connected to the internet.

. He also has a "room" (account) in all of the Nordics' + Estonia's computers, which essentially works as points of fast-travel/teleporting for him since he's just as bad at "nation-jumping" as Sweden is.

. The first time Ladonia accidentally got stuck inside his Laptop he lowkey gave Sweden a heart attack. 😂 👍🏽 xD

. In order to force Ladonia out of a laptop/computer you have to right-click him and hit "print". He will then pop out from the computer, and the printer will give you an empty paper.

. The only computer you can force Ladonia INSIDE is his own (main) laptop. You do so by turning off/closing the laptop.

. Ladonia is banned from the White House in USA after a prank where he jumped out of the computer to scare America. Only, he accidentally popped out from the wrong computer and scared the living daylights out of a poor human just trying to do their work. 😂 xD

. America thought the prank was hilarious. His boss did Not. 😂 Thus, Ladonia got banned from the White House. 😂👍🏽 xD

.

This is getting long, so I will stop here for now, but hope you enjoyed these! xD

[onlyhereforturtles]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

So, I am brand new to the posting fics online scene and don't have much to back up these questions with. Most of what I've written are personal WIPs I will probably never release if finished, and I don't release much due to my inability to finish stories as well as my writing mostly being personal. So, since I've only got two released fics out due to this, I'm going to use my WIPs to answer some of these.

Thanks so much to @daboyau for the tag! This was fun!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2 at the moment. Much of what I write is personal or I don't finish it, so I haven't released many.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

29,684, though with all my countless WIPs it's around 500,000

3. What fandoms do you write for?

TMNT, TF2, Creepypasta, MLP, and Hetalia, though I've only posted one of the TMNT fics and the others will never see the light of day!

(They're not finished and won't be).

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Of the two that are on there, the 2003 Lighthouse AU ranks above Work or Death in kudos.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Of course! But I'm also a bit (a lot) antisocial, even on the Internet. So I know there's going to be comments I want to respond to but don't know how to 😅

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

So, I tend to fail no matter how hard I try at writing bad or angsty endings. Somehow everything always ends up going well for the characters, even if I want them to fail. I'm great at giving trauma, just not giving bad endings. I also don't finish a lot of what I write, so there's a small pool to pick from here.

That being said, there is one I know of where both of the endings were planned before I even started writing it, (and no, I'm not finished with it yet), and one of them is a "bad" ending, so to speak. I don't want to talk too much about it, since it is a personal project, but essentially the main character has traveled to a different time and place where an alternate version of her family exists, except all of them are dead but one of her brothers. A lot happens, of course, but it eventually ends up with him being so injured he's rapidly dying. She has the ability to heal him, but he tells her not to because he wants to be with his family again. They have a whole emotional conversation and he dies in her arms. And then she's reunited with her real brothers hours later and won't let the one who died in her arms go for days afterwards. So, like, a bittersweet type of thing.

And that is quite literally the only angsty ending I've ever written. Angsty middles, however, is all I do, and angsty beginnings are a specialty of mine.

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

The good ending of the one above! After years of battling through several different places on the way home, most of which consisting of alternate versions of people she knew, she finally got to make it back to her real family! They thought she was dead, so the reunion is of course filled with tears and group hugs and a lot of feelings. But that technically happens in both endings. The thing that makes it the good ending is that she was able to save her alternate brother and take him home with her, so he had a new family to love. (Yes I know the new family being his old family is a whole thing that could be psychologically bad. I assure you there's circumstances in place that change that whole perspective, but it'd take forever to explain).

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not as of yet, but we'll see what happens! If I do, it's fine by me because I loved it enough to release it and that's all that matters to me.

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

I have indeed tried to write smut before. My brain apparently doesn't do that. But that was also a super long time ago when I didn't know as much about that whole subject as I probably should if I want to write it properly, so maybe I'll try again and see how it goes. Not really interested in writing it now though, with all the WIPs I have putting me so far away from that mindset.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I've never been super interested in crossovers. Official crossovers are cool to see, but I don't usually look beyond that. I've found a small handful of crossover fics I liked, but have never written any. I guess my brain just prefers to stay within the world I'm working with.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope! I hope I never do, but I'm aware it's always a possibility, unfortunately.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but if anyone ever wanted to, I'd be honored.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I was once writing an original story (that I still hope to finish one day) and was telling a guy I was talking to about it. He came up with his own character to help me beef up the story background a bit, and we had a whole storyline about his character meeting the MC. We were going to determine how he fit into the main plot once I'd developed it more. Sadly, I lost inspiration for that story and fell out of touch with that guy, so that most likely won't happen. But that's the closest I've come to co-writing anything, except for a little back-and-forth with @allyheart707. That was fun!

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

Uhhhh I'm not really into shipping? I enjoy seeing other people's ships, but I'm not majorly into the romance part of watching or reading things unless it's the main point of the story. So, if a ship isn't canon, then I'm not obsessed over it or looking for or making content for it.

On a side note, I was very happy for Lyra and Bonbon when-

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

Every. Single. One of them. There are a couple from my high school years I could care less about now, but all the others are still interests and still things I want to get finished. I have two original stories I already started writing, but got lost in the plot so I had to pause. I've got at least eight that I'm working on right now, all TMNT related except for two, and there's probably a couple more somewhere but I've lost track. But yeah I want to finish all of them. Once I can get them straight enough in my head to do so.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm pretty good with dialogue and character/world building. I tend to do a lot of go-with-the-flow with conversations, and I've been told they feel very natural. And I always know everything about who is in my story and why they are where they are and why the world or area is the way it is before I even start writing, which makes everything fall into place a lot easier.

I'm also pretty good at making small points, forgetting about them, and somehow coming up with something later on that connects perfectly with it in a way that makes it seem like that was the plan all along, even if it was done mysteriously enough the reader couldn't figure it out but the clues were all there. I really don't know how I do that, but I'm not complaining.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plot. I'm horrible at developing a proper sequence of events or, you know, what we're even doing here. Are we fighting someone? Uh, maybe, but why? What'd they do? What are we trying to to stop them from doing? If we're not fighting someone, what world-saving quest are we going on, and what exactly are we meant to do on it? I have no clue. But everyone here is super developed and has a backstory and detailed list of powers if you need them. My go-with-the-flow attitude is a hindrance here because I can't connect everything if there's no greater picture to weave the threads through. Lighthouse is some strange outlier and I have no idea how it came together so cohesively.

I'm also not the best at describing things in a not straightforward kinda way. I can explain to you in detail how something looks and how the characters are moving and acting in the scene, but I can't do it in a fun way with analogies or flowing descriptions of emotions or any kind of whimsy to fill the scene out and immerse the reader further.

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

If I specifically want the words spoken in the other language for a particular storytelling purpose, I'll do so. But only for, like, a couple words. If there needs to be longer sentences or conversation in another language, I'll clarify that that's happening and just write it in English. Unless I'm trying to make the reader feel like they're in the room but and don't know what the other characters are saying, maybe that'd work. But the couple times I've done it, it was the MC speaking in another language, so it felt more important to see it from her perspective and put it in English so the reader would understand her.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

TF2! My main character from one of my original works was originally my TF2 OC, but she ended up having such a complex story built around her that I pulled her out and gave her her own world. However, my first ever story was inspired by my uncle's book, and I believe it was meant to exist in his world. It doesn't have a fandom around it, as far as I know, but it was the first time I wrote within someone else's world. It was the first time I wrote at all, I'm pretty sure.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

My favorite one I've released is the 2003 Lighthouse AU, because it features my favorite turtle boys and took a lot of research to develop properly, and I love the way it came out. My favorite one I've written out of everything is the one I mentioned in 6 and 7. It's so complex and takes place at the almost end of a very long journey MC has taken to get home. So emotions are high, back stories are long, characters are tired and don't want to be here but still have to do this thing, and new bonds are created.

There's a lot that happens before the start of that story, but it's a personal work so I don't care too much for writing all that out. But it creates such a cesspool of history and emotion, all negative and positive mixed together, leading to certain character development moments I just constantly come back to and watch over and over again in my brain. And then there's the two endings that create whole separate sets of overwhelming emotions. I just can't get enough of my MC and her relationship with her alternate brother. They're perfect to me.

So it got a little wordy, whoops. I love talking about the stuff I write, and probably a little too much. And I would love to see @wendigomahana or @allyheart707 try this for themselves. Or just ignore it if you want. If anyone else happens to see this and wants to give it a shot, go for it!