#thanks again for the tag Saren :D

[drewzelle]

“nine mutuals you want to know better” tag game!

Tagged by @sarenhale ! I didn't have access to my computer the past couple days so I'm a bit late, but this was a lot of fun!! Thank you for the tag <3

Last Song: lately I've been relaxing to the Hollow Knight OST (City of Tears best track) but in terms of lyrical music, I recently rewatched the music video for "Little Dark Age" by MGMT because its vibes are fucking impeccable and mesmerizing (I can watch it on repeat for hours)

Favorite Color: purple is my go-to answer (especially blue-ish purples), but I also really love dark greens and desaturated earthy colors so much

Last Movie/TV Show: I feel like I haven't been watching movies lately (I'm more of a show person because I like longer form narratives) but I think the last one I watched was "Better Off Dead" while I was visiting my family for the holidays. It was a weird/surreal but good time! As for shows, I finally got around to watching Scavenger’s Reign!! Every aspect was just amazing, especially the worldbuilding and visuals. 2D animation is probably my favorite medium, so I'm really glad we're seeing more animation for adults that wants to tell a story instead of being a delivery device for lame sex jokes and cringe humor. OH ALSO DUNGEON MESHI!!! For a lot of the same reasons! Excited to watch the new episode tonight :>

Sweet / Spicy / Savory: I have a HUGE sweet tooth, so if I had to pick one, that would be it. Savory foods are great and I love them, I just have a leftover "now's your chance!" impulse from not being allowed much sugar as a kid that I can't seem to get rid of. I'm also weak to the "I deserve a lil treat" trap if I've got a bunch of sweet snacks around, so I have to be careful. As for spicy….I am SO completely unable to handle spicy food it’s almost funny, but really it’s just tragic because I LOVE cuisines known for being spicy, like mexican and thai. If I eat out, I always have to be like “can you please make it mild?” and even then, if it's not seasoned for the babiest of babies, my mouth will burn and my weak, white-person tummy will hurt.

Relationship Status: I keep forgetting I’m getting married in less than six months. My partner and I got engaged like two years ago and have lived together for almost five, so my brain just defaults to "there’s probably a guy nearby" and doesn’t think much deeper on it than that.

Last thing I googled: "morels" because I was discussing mushrooms with my friend and those are some cool lookin' guys! Shaggy ink caps too!

Current Obsession: …….One Piece 😅 I was a big fan as a teen but only got as far as the Skypiea arc before I fell off reading/watching it. The hype over the new live action version reminded me the series existed, so I’ve been not so slowly making my way through again, picking up where I left off. I love how absolutely bonkers, there-are-no-rules, anime-ass-anime it is, but also how genuine and heartfelt it can be. I also enjoy how character-driven so much of the plot is which works because of how interesting the characters are (Chopper, Robin, and Franky are my favs). I just got to the timeskip, so I’m maybe…halfway through? between this and BG3, RIP my free time lol

Last Book: I've been reading through Seiji Yoshida's "Houses with a Story" (slowly, because I want to really take it in and savor it) and it's been a delight. Very relaxing and inspiring :> (up next, I finally got copies of the Locked Tomb series, so soon I will be enjoying The Space Lesbians)

Looking forward to: Being able to organize and enjoy my "new" office space after some hectic days! My partner and I realized we barely spend any time in our bedroom except for sleeping, so we swapped my office into the bigger room in our apartment! There were some complications with getting the internet working on my PC, but we finally got it all smoothed out. Now I finally have all my books and sewing/crafting/creative stuff in one place without it feeling cramped or hiding things away in storage :>

Thank you again for the tag! I'm tagging @justagoos, @icicleteeth, @lunarliart, @saltsparkle, @fael-draws, @juliedillon, @ninamodaffari, @crabdominalpain, and the final slot for anyone else who wants to join in - but please don't feel obligated, this is just for fun! :>

[sparatus]

15 questions for 15 friends

tagged by @korblez and @aceouttatime thank youuuuu

ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?: deadname no, most of the names ive gone by have all uh. been stolen from rp characters (fridtjof, kjetil) or characters i id'ed with heavily (ierian, saren). soren is a mix of both, pulling from sorin (rp oc) and saren (duh), plus my nickname rin also stems from ierian!

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?: who knows, within the past week certainly. i cry a lot easier than i used to now that i'm recovering from depression and like, allow myself to feel my feelings again. both positive and negative.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?: absolutely not

WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED?: played tennis and volleyball in middle school, did some horseback riding. still enjoy the latter two :)

DO YOU USE SARCASM?: the /s indicator is like a brother to me

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?: voices. i suck with faces until i've seen you around for like, a month, regularly, but voices stick in my head. probably at least in part because i dont like looking at people but i'm very sound-sensitive :D

WHAT'S YOUR EYE COLOUR?: gray mostly! with some uhhh green/hazel?? flecking, depends on the lighting, and a ring of brown around the middles, which i have been informed is technically central heterochromia?? it's very fun trying to look in a mirror and figure out what i'm supposed to put down on forms lol

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?: are those two things supposed to be mutually exclusive or something. man i dont care i'm just here to have a good time as long as the thing is GOOD i dont care

ANY TALENTS?: i can do this magic trick where misbehaving technology magically works again as soon as i come take a look at it. also i'm told i write real good

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?: minnesota, in the us

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?: writing, video games, drawing, off and on dabbling in finger knitting and considering crochet, also comic books and toy collecting!

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?: 3 cats! joakim is an orange-and-white bicolor, rhett is a black-and-white bicolor, and onyx is solid black. all neutered toms, and all littermates - mom was a calico and we got a sampler platter, lol.

HOW TALL ARE YOU?: 5'3.5" / 161 cm

FAVOURITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL?: history and government. if you have looked at my writing for 0.7 seconds this will not surprise you in the slightest.

DREAM JOB?: ideally i wouldnt have to work at all, but i probably wouldnt mind doing like. cemetery groundskeeping. i enjoy horticulture i enjoy keeping things nice i want to be left alone to tidy the graves and keep the dead company

im getting lazy with these tag games if you wanna do it say i tagged you

[chaotiicgoods]

Share the top songs in your playlist that most inspire / represent your muse the most. Bonus points if you include lyrics to go along with it.

TAGGED BY: @virmireisms, thanks 🥰 TAGGING: @smokedanced​ (garrus) @acourtcfmuses​ (tali) @illbringthechaosmagic​ & YOU ;D

Under the cut because I’ll explain them hehe 😜

Million Years Ago - Adele

Lenna was kinda forced into being a soldier, and at a very young age. The times of innocence didn’t last; she lost everyone she loved on Mindoir, then joined the army. She didn’t necessarily want this, but she felt like she had to because that was the right thing to do for everyone she lost. That pressure she has put on her shoulders becomes even worse during the pursuit of Saren. She loses Ashley on Virmire, she loses the crew of the first Normandy, she almost loses herself. And once the Reapers are officially there, it’s even worse. She loses Thane and Legion during the war. She feels powerless, and she always feels like she could have done more, even when it’s not the case. She has never had a break in years.

I know I'm not the only one Who regrets the things they've done Sometimes I just feel it's only me Who can't stand the reflection that they see I wish I could live a little more Look up to the sky, not just the floor I feel like my life is flashing by And all I can do is watch and cry I miss the air, I miss my friends I miss my mother, I miss it when Life was a party to be thrown But that was a million years ago

Lavender Haze - Taylor Swift

Lenna’s canon love interest (aka the one from my playthroughs as her) is Kaidan, and I feel like this song is totally a Shenko song. Since the events of the first game, Kaidan has quickly become someone Lenna is comfortable with. He’s her first boyfriend since the one who was killed on Mindoir. She’s not afraid to talk to him, to open herself to him. And that becomes even more important during the events of Mass Effect 3. She has so much pressure on her shoulders. Some people (including herself) feel like she isn’t doing enough, that she isn’t quick enough, but she manages to find peace every time they are together. She never forgets about the war, but when she is alone with Kaidan, she feels like she could have at least some small, stolen moments of peace in his arms, aka that lavender haze for her.

I've been under scrutiny (yeah, oh yeah) You handle it beautifully (yeah, oh yeah) All this shit is new to me (yeah, oh yeah) I feel a lavender haze creeping up on me So real, I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say No deal, the 1950s shit they want from me I just wanna stay in that lavender haze

I Won’t Let Go - Rascal Flatts

This song is the support song, the meaningful friendship song. Lenna is not just the Commander of the Normandy; she wants to be there for everyone on it. Maybe it’s because she lost so much in her past; she wants to do all she can to prevent this from happening again. That’s why they quickly all become her friends. She offers them, support, comfort and friendship. She wants them to feel home at her side, on the Normandy. They are a team and not just on the battlefield.

Don't be afraid to fall I'm right here to catch you I won't let you down It won't get you down You're gonna make it Yeah I know you can make it ‘Cause I will stand by you I will help you through When you've done all you can do And you can't cope And I will dry your eyes I will fight your fight I will hold you tight And I won't let go

[lyrishadow]

Fictober 5: wait

Prompt 5: “I’m not saying I told you so…”

Fandom: Mass Effect.

Title: Wait.

Pairing: Kaidan Alenko/ Syrena Shepard

Rating: T

Warnings/Tags

"Syrena Shepard." A familiar voice brought her up short.

"What?"

"They said you were all grown up and being good."

"Back off Finch, didn't they tell you what happened to the last person the Red sent after me?" Syrena could already feel Kaidan tense up at the name of the old gang, Garrus looked at her confused.

"Oh I'm not after you, we want your help." Finch replied, sliding his arm over her shoulder, a bad move all round. Kaidan reacted faster than Garrus had ever seen him react before.

"Hands off the Commander." He stated through gritted teeth,

"So it's true, you still exist too." Finch grunted as Garrus stepped over to where Kaidan was holding Finch.

"Maybe reevaluate who you are dealing with?"

" Really? Aliens and space magic?" Finch grimaced.

"Let him go." Syrena stated, "Kaidan. Garrus. "

She motioned them back behind her. Finch looked delighted, as they moved, once they were clear however. Syrena slammed the gangster up hard against the wall, a reasonable height off the ground.

"Don't say I didn't tell you so.." she said sweetly "I am no longer a Red, I haven't been for a long long time. You upset or hurt my friends again and so help everyone I will drop you out an airlock."

"Just talk to the turian guard in Chora's, and we won't bother you again." Finch snapped and she dropped him to the floor. "Gods Cherub, you got nasty."

That nickname made Kaidan growl under his breath.

The turian in Chora's Den proved to be some guard of a facility.

"I just had a gang member try and bribe me into dealing with you, can you tell me why?"

"Ah the Tenth Street Reds, running drugs and hate crimes against aliens."

"I see." Syrena shook her head.

"Problem?"

"No, but you might want to increase your guards."

"Noted."

"I knew it!" Finch declared.

"Knew what? I told you: mess with my friends and find an airlock." She shook her head " I didn't say I would help you. I am not that stupid."

Later once they had left the noise of Chora's Den, the three of them headed to have a drink.

"So how do you know each other?" Garrus asked glancing between the two of them,

"I was put into the same biotics program as Kaidan." Syrena replied, glancing at Kaidan.

" It was meant to be rehab, but the Reds found me."

"Rehab for what?"

"I was a street kid Garrus, a thug and a mouthy one too. Funny how meeting Kaidana d some others changed my entire outlook."

"Really?"

"Really. I was taken off station for medical care then it fell apart. So my room-mates family thanked me by paying my way through school and college. Then I joined the Alliance." Rahna, if Kaidan ever wondered about that girl, Syrena knew what happened. If he still fought over the ghost of her, well, then maybe it was time Syrena moved on too.

"And Kaidan?" Garrus frowned.

"I was there the night she got attacked, well her roommate woke us up, my roommate and I ran to help."

"Saved my life."

"Uh yeah. " Kaidan blushed.

"Ok I get it. Wow, that's dramatic and you were both16?"

"Um, he was. I was 14 I think. Yes I'm an L2, exceedingly lucky, no migraines no complications but I do get checked every six months."

"Wow impressive." Garrus nodded "but…"

"Yeah but Kaidan spikes higher, at a cost." Syrena sighed as the omni-tool notification sound drew them all back to reality. "So much for shore leave. Huh Wasn't me, that's first."

Garrus made a face.

"My father wants to talk to me, so I had better go call. See you back at the ship Commander, Lieutenant."

"You okay?" Syrena turned to Kaidan as Garrus walked away.

"I think so,"

"Not going to ask me about Rahna?"

"I don't have feelings for her, if that's the question. You kept in touch?"

"She told everyone who would listen that I saved her life." Syrena shook her head "I ended up with all expenses paid and a stipend to study university. She married a guy her father chose for her. "

"Wow."

"Yeh, that's the last thing I expected, but she is happy doing what she can to change the world." Syrena sighed "I always envied her that happiness, well that and you."

Kaidan blinked as if he hadn't heard her correctly.

"We are on shore leave, I am allowed to tell you aren't I?" Syrena asked quietly, wordlessly Kaidan nodded.

"I remember you being nice to me even when I didn't think I belonged, before I wanted to. " Syrena chuckled "I think I called you a princess."

Kaidan smiled, "You did in fact."

"Well I was interested in you from about then." She shook her head "I've never in the meantime dated anyone else."

"Sy." Kaidan replied.

"Yeah wrong timing, maybe when we get Saren out of the way?"

"I…"

"If you are interested. Gods when did I become someone who talks too much?" Syrena buried her head in her hands.

"Syrena?" Kaidan murmured, closer to her than she had expected.

"Is it safe?" She asked lifting her face to the side his voice had come from only to be met with his lips on hers.

It was like the galaxy froze for just a minute. Then Kaidan pulled back with a sigh.

It was a promise she had waited a long time for.

"Rahna?" Fifteen year old Syrena asked her new friend of a month.

"Yes?"

"What do I do if I have a crush?"

"Wait. If it is meant to be more than a crush the feelings will hold, if it isn't the feelings will fade and new ones will come." Rahna looked up from the homework she was writing on her bed " You like Kaidan?"

"I think. It's new." Syrena replied "Plus you like him, and he likes you. So it doesn't make sense."

"Not right now, we are all kids really, we can't tell the future, so it still stands. Someday we will be in love and that is supposed to be a lot more fun."

"Thanks Rahna,"

"Syrena, friends last through all of that."

It was all new, having friends, people who cared. She would wait and guard these good things with her life.

[skybound2]

Writer Ask Meme

I was tagged by @threewhiskeylunch. Thank you muchly, dear!! This was way more fun than I was expecting :-D

—

ao3 name: skybound2

fandoms: Uh...lots? Ao3 says that they include the following: Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Supernatural, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel the Series, Doctor Who, The Lost Boys, X-Men, Good Omens, Sherlock, Labyrinth, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mad Max, Legend of Korra

number of fics: 96 on Ao3. Some of which are drabble/ficlet collections each containing bunches of short fics. Also, I’m pretty sure there are another couple of full fics over on FFN that never made the transfer back in the day when I started using Ao3. Still, I’m almost at 100, which is pretty cool! I should probably do something special for that. Maybe...

fic i spent the most time on: ...I have absolutely NO idea. I have multiple fics that I have spent YEARS working to complete (some of which I am STILL working to complete many years in), so I am not sure what the metric for this should be. 

fic i spent the least amount of time on: Again, I haven’t a clue. I’ve written a lot of 100-word drabbles in my time, as well as bunches of short ficlets. So there are legit some that I couldn’t have spent more than like, 30 minutes on. Most likely culprit was probably back in my BtVS drabbling days. 

shortest fic: As mentioned, I used to write 100-drabbles fairly often, so there’s a bunch that clock in at that count. But nothing shorter than that. 

most hits: Beating Like a Hammer (Mass Effect, Garrus/Shep, Rated M)

most kudos: Kissing, Accidentally (Good Omens, Crowley/Aziraphale, Rated G)

most comment threads: Prayer of the Refugee (Eventual Garrus/Shep, but right now it’s all about Saren raising an adopted Shep, Rated T)

most bookmarks: Also Kissing, Accidentally (This is also one of my most recent fics. I adore the Good Omens fandom, just an FYI :-D)

highest total word count: My finished fic A Child Unexpected (Dragon Age, Zev/Tabris, Rated T) has the highest count of any single finished fic of mine (~65K), but my still WIP story Walk Unafraid (Lost Boys, Michael/David, Rated X) is currently at ~63K in the published main fic, with an additional ~5K in the companion piece Walk Between. (And I have another ~15K at least in drafts for the next chapters that have yet to go live.)

favorite fic i wrote: Probably either (No)Vacancy (Supernatural, Crowley-centric with hints of Crowley/Dean, Rated T) or Callous (X-Men, Rogue/Wolverine, Rated T) as I managed to hit all of the points that I really wanted to in both those fics, and I’ve been able to reread them since finishing them and still been happy with the final results. I’d probably tack on Good Morning, Mrs. Verner! (One-sided Conrad/Shep, Rated T) as an honorable mention there too, because that one was just a ton of fun to write from start to finish. 

fic i want to rewrite/expand on: Well, technically I think that Prayer of the Refugee counts as a rewrite/expansion? I started in on an anon meme in 2012, abandoned it for years, before restarting it in 2017 with a LOT more care and attention to detail than it was originally getting. It’s still a WIP (because I’ve not been in a good headspace to write the last couple of years), but I DO have plans to finish it one of these days.

share a bit of a wip or story idea you’re working on: I’ve made some VERY poor attempts this week to write some Geralt/Jaskier fic for The Witcher, none of which is ready for public consumption. But hey! At least I wrote something, right? So...have ~175 words that may or may not ever go anywhere?

But Jaskier, for all his faults (which he has had cause of late to examine in great and excruciating detail) is not a fool. Nor is he prone to extreme or long-lasting bouts of self-deprecation and cynicism. 

Short and brutal bouts? For certain. All good artists are, of course, but that’s hardly the same thing.

No. Popular (and unpopular) opinion aside, Jaskier is no fool. Nor is he in the habit of beating himself up over false accusations flung at his person like so much stale bread. 

Or rocks. Or...daggers in the back. (If one were so inclined to making similes of a more violent persuasion, as Jaskier on occasion, is. He is a writer, after all.)

But, the point remains: Jaskier is not a fool.

Which is why it has only taken him five short weeks to claw his way back to the surface from the lonely bottom of a pit of near crippling self-doubt (and a near constant state of intoxication), with just one single solitary thought acting as a shining beacon to guide his way:

Geralt is an Asshole.

Tagging: @darth-salem-emperor-of-earth, @hekate1308, @lionheartmadre, @missroserose, @misscamthenorwegian, @grey2510, @thievinghippo, @theladyzephyr, @goodcareermove and anyone else who wants to give it a go!

[siarven]

Find the Word Tag

Thank you @unfocused-overwriter for tagging me!! <3 This is my fave tagging game :D (Also, I’m tagging you back!)

I was tagged to find the words shine, walk, eyes, and daughter in one of my wips, I’m doing these for Like Dragons of Old because As Dreams Collide is only at the beginning of the third draft and I could find just two out of four words xD

I’ve arranged them chronologically :)

Eyes

As her eyes slowly adjust to the strange greyness, she finally realizes that there are plants everywhere, no — trees. Their thick, gnarled roots hold the remainder of the house together, keep it from crashing down, into the abyss—   Two trees. Their trunks have the shapes of people. Faces, eyes closed as if asleep. Lips smiling sad smiles, stretching their branches out as if trying to protect—   She almost falls from the bed as she scrambles back, and only realizes moments later that the high, horrified screeches are coming from her. To protect her. “Mama? Papa?” Her voice is rough and sounds wooden, choked. There are tears in her eyes. She wipes them away, pulls some of the furs down from the bed, wrapping them around her. Then she sways back and forth, again and again, until it gets dark again. The sky is obscured by thick clouds of smoke and ashes. The earth rumbles her to sleep.

Walk

"Timbre!" His shadow detaches from the house walls and he walks toward her. He looks the same as always, except that he's grey, of course. But there's something about him, something that makes her weary. She back up until she realizes that there's nowhere to go.

Daughter

"I don't want—" But Kulnai breaks off before she can finish that sentence. None of them want. But they have no choice. That choice was taken from them, taken away, just like the colours. Just like their hope, their homes, their dreams. "If only the children could be saved", someone says. Saren nods sadly, looking down at her grand-daughter. She’s cried all the tears there are inside her. Now she feels drained, empty, like she’s already dead. She has accepted her death, has accepted the Change. But she hasn’t accepted the deaths of her loved ones. "If only the children could escape."

Shine

Timbre’s eyes suddenly started to shine. “You mean, like— you have colours?” They stopped, right in front of the door, Selandri staring at Timbre with big eyes. “You mean… uh, my clothes have colours. Sure, not bright colours, but… the Observer, too! Green! And brown!” Timbre looked around at the other two, her eyes strangely empty. “I— I don’t see anything”, she whispered.

I’m tagging @madmoonink @wilde-writing @raiswanson @romenna @random-stuff-thrown-into-a-pot @fatal-blow @authordai @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword @corishadowfang @novel-scribe @consciousdreamz @kittensartsbooks @fynniana @sincerestaffect (in hopes that you want to do this :D)

Find me the words star, whisper(ed), end, memory in one of your wips :)

Also tagging my ldoo tag list peeps below the cut because some of the excerpts got longer than anticipated ;D if you want to be added/removed please tell me :)

@dramaticvoiceover @asttralhell @authordai @thereisnothingwrongwithbeingmad @wilde-writing @madmoonink @prismalicht @romenna @fynniana @sincerestaffect @randooooooooooom @random-stuff-thrown-into-a-pot @raiswanson @zekethegm @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword @stephrawlingwrites @kittensartsbooks @annelaurant-writing @lady-redshield-writes @wolfdancer333 @bmariewinter @thedrowningtsarevna @corishadowfang @dogwrites @pinespittinink

[starlightwrites]

Last Passage Meme

I was tagged by @illusivesoul, who is so sweet! Thanks! :D

As always, I don’t want anyone to feel pressured (and I don’t want anyone to feel weird!), so if you see this and want to post something, assume that this is meant for you and please tag me in your “last passage” post! I am always excited to read other people’s work! <3

From a Ken Donnelly/Gabby Daniels fic I was working on for Leather and Lace week (I know I kinda dropped the ball on those posts--it was a really messy week, but I have a bunch of partially-completed prompts that I will try to post someday).

“Proper good of you to buy me dinner before taking me back to your room, Missus.”

Gabby flashed as red as an overheated eezo core. If her hands hadn’t been full juggling the skewers and her beer, she would have slapped him.

“Kenneth!”

He laughed. Things were weird right now, no doubt about that, but at least Gabby was still Gabby. So long as he knows where Gabby stands, he’s never lost.

Standing here on Z-ward like this? They could be anyone. Laborers helping with the Saren-attack repairs. Dancers at the club. Visiting Earth dignitaries. Anything. He couldn’t tell if he liked that idea right now. Gabby definitely wouldn’t. She was who she was—Gabriella Daniels, rouge Alliance engineer and starship specialist. She sipped the beer again before sending it his way.