#this is what happens when you have 400+ muses and they all wake up in the span of an hour

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Doctor Who, but Chronologically: 46

Well. Tonal whiplash.

We advance three years, to 1986, and therefore we go from an almost aggressively mid Gatiss story on a Russian submarine to World Enough and Time, the Capaldi season finale that opens with the Doctor stepping out of the TARDIS mid-regeneration (which we've seen! It was a WW1 story with Mark Gatiss as an actor! He's a much better actor than writer), then cuts back in time to show us lovely companion Bill being horrifically cyber-converted on a Mondasian colony ship. I wish we were still on that submarine.

LOADS of plot though WOW. We get so many answers! Can't wait to update the list. The story proper starts with Bill, the ever-confusing Nardole ("I should go back to being blue" he muses at one point, because what the fuck is he), and of all people, Missy. They step out onto a 400 mile long colony ship stuck by a black hole which therefore has fun timey-wimey stuff going on whereby the top of the ship is moving much more slowly in time than the bottom. This is, to be clear, an absolutely fantastic concept to base a sci-fi horror story around, but only if you have a writer capable of spotting plot holes big enough to drive a bus through, which alas we do not have, so the whole thing is permeated with a constant urge to scream "JUST GET BACK IN THE ELEVATOR YOU FUCKING IDIOTS" at the screen.

So. They arrive, and Missy is pretending to be the Doctor while he listens in from the TARDIS. She describes Bill and Nardole as "Exposition and Comic Relief."

"Those aren't our names," Bill says.

"They aren't names, they're genders," Missy replies.

We are then treated to a flashback in which the Doctor says Time Lords don't care about genders and their associated stereotypes. This juxtaposition seems to be entirely unintentional.

BUT! So many answers. The Doctor explains that Missy is his oldest friend and a fellow Time Lord (our first Other Time Lord! Interesting, since we've been told repeatedly that the Doctor is the only one left.) They were friends together in the Academy, they've both changed gender since, and she's very like him so he wants her to be good.

"She's a murderer" says Bill, and the Doctor straight up compares sapient people to animals in an analogy I suspect Moffat thought was Really Clever, but I suppose it's a very Colin Baker response. In any case, this is presumably why Missy was living in a vault in the TARDIS, and could fly a TARDIS, and it confirms now that she is not, in fact, another regeneration of River. Origins for both! Huzzah. Let's see what's happening back on the ship.

A blue man immediately shoots Bill for being human.

Ah.

He does this because as soon as they arrive, the lifts start moving and rising to their current floor, and whatever is inside is specifically attracted to humans. The Doctor could in fact have prevented him shooting, but rather than actually stressing to the blue man that he will just put Bill back in the TARDIS to hide her, he instead chooses to go on an extensive self-aggrandising monologue about how great he is and is still mid-sentence when the lifts arrive so blue guy just fucking blasts a dinner plate sized hole right through her chest. Some patients in bandages step out, and take Bill's cooling corpse for 'repair'. They go down in the lift.

So at this point two things happen, to whit:

Bill wakes up in a hospital with a sort of coffee maker strapped to her chest, and spends the episode variously befriending a weird fake Russian (why so many fake Russians atm?) with a nakedly rubber face. His name is Mr Razor, and he does provide excellent comic relief. It turns out that the bottom of the ship has been here for generations and so is decaying - the air is engine fumes, the walls are rust, so some medical personnel are trying to upgrade everyone so they can move up in the lift and escape to a higher floor.

The Doctor realises the time difference as the lift with Bill is still going down. Rather than immediately following, he spends ten minutes explaining how black holes warp time to the blue guy who is not even going to be coming with him, and whom they ultimately abandon. This means Bill is down there for years.

Still, good to know the limitations of the TARDIS, eh? I mean, everything would have been solved if they'd simply been able to, I don't know, materialise outside the ship at a safe distance and then tow it away from the black hole. Clearly black holes must defeat the TARDIS. Got it. I shall remember this for future stories.

Anyway, here are several issues:

Of the 50 odd staff who were running this empty colony ship, many went down to the bottom floor when they first got stuck by the black hole. At this point, they did not bother going back up in the lift. Instead, for reasons that are entirely unexplained, they decided to stay down there and form a society, so the ship is now filled with their descendants. We literally know the lifts work; the people came for Bill immediately. There is no reason for the original staff to have done this.

The only difference it should make is that the blue guy would appear to the crew to have not moved in the ten minutes they were down there. They absolutely could still get back, though.

Like I have had days when I have felt 1000% done with my job but I have never decided to just build a house where I'm standing and start a colony so I don't have to go back to the office.

Perhaps, Tumblrs, you are wondering, like me, why the people on the bottom floor now can't just. You know. Get in the lift. Once again, in order to get Bill, several patients immediately got in the lift and came up for her, and then returned with her. So they do literally know it's possible. Bill asks this of Mr Razor. "We sent up an expedition to the higher floors once," he says. "But we never heard back from them."

Yes, that is blatantly the time difference, isn't it.

If there are still humans on those middle floors, why haven't they been retrieved by the patients? They came immediately for Bill, and she was on the top floor.

...and on, and on...

ANYWAY then Mr Razor BETRAYS Bill and has her cyber-converted. There is, fair play, an excellent reveal that these are Mondasian cybermen, which admittedly I did guess but still, credit where it's due. The conversion is shown to be more horrific than you can imagine, too. Semi-converted patients at one point are on a ward, repeatedly pressing speech buttons that say "Pain" and "Kill me", and the nurse who comes in just turns off the volume so they can't be heard. It is, imho, way too fucking dark for this show, actually, but that largely sums up Capaldi's era.

And that's the cliffhanger! The Doctor and Nardole staring in horror at crying Cyber-Bill (apparently she's still flesh inside the suit, though, that sure does imply it's reversible). BUT!

Also Mr Razor finds Missy and he peels off his rubber face.

"I had to wear this mask because I used to be Prime Minister on a different planet," he declares, which is baffling to us as we have not seen this, and also that doesn't make sense. "I'm a past incarnation of you and also the Master."

SO THAT'S THE MASTER! A character we have only heard named in passing. SO MANY answers in this episode.

I also still don't understand Nardole.

“She” (an unknown person) is returning (NEW INFO: perhaps River returned as Missy. River and Missy are separate! Could be either of them I suppose. Maybe Me? Maybe Clara???!)

There is something on Donna’s back

An entire planet, Pyrovilia, just… disappeared, somehow. (Maybe because the TARDIS is exploding??? Saturnine was also lost, and that WAS because of the TARDIS exploding. The lion man’s planet was also lost but he was a bit of a knob about it if I’m honest. The Thijarian planet was destroyed by some sort of impact). Is this the Flux?

Amy is maybe dead (she’s not)

The Doctor has been cubed (he’s out, but how?)

River is possibly blown up  (NEW INFO: unless she’s Missy. She's not Missy. Nope: she is definitely not blown up)

The TARDIS has blown up  (It’s fine now. Except it’s sort of melting now because it’s corrupted, but it’s fine again. NOPE, back to not working.)

The universe appears to have ended  (the universe is back again)

The Doctor has employed(?) Nardole

(And Nardole was “reassembled???” Nardole had glass nipples and invisible hair?? NEW INFO: he used to be blue, and could apparently go back to it??? WHAT THE FUCK IS HE)

NEW INFO: There’s a vault in the TARDIS and it contains Missy but we don’t know why (sometimes she knocks for the bants) She's a murderer and a fellow Time Lord and he's trying to rehabilitate her.

There’s an immortal Viking girl now. Her name is Me and she’s now looking after the people the Doctor abandons

Why was Rory entirely unconcerned by the entire world suddenly going silent when that is Not Normal and should have been, at the very least, extremely disconcerting?

What did the Doctor do to Queen Lizzie One?

Why is Amy seeing a one-eyed woman in a vanishing window? (She’s with the Silents, but we don’t know why Amy saw her)

Why is Amy’s pregnancy inconclusive? (Maybe because the baby had Time Lord DNA?) She’s deffo pregnant and the baby becomes River, but why inconclusive?

Who is Sarah-Jane Smith?

How is the Doctor Bill’s teacher and why/where does he have an office?

What is going on with the Cyber War and the Cyberium???

What happened with the Other Cyber War?

What happened with the Third War that deleted the void?

Why does Rose seem particularly important?

What order do these Doctors go in? (Eccleston, Tennant, uncertain, Smith, Capaldi, Whittaker)

Which companion just… forgot the Doctor, and how?

Yaz and Vinder are about to die as Mori/Mwri/Muuri (Not anymore, somehow)

There is a Lupari shield around Earth.

What’s a Time War?

What’s the Rift?

What’s Bad Wolf?

In which war did the Doctor become a war criminal, and how?

Who is the Master? NEW INFO: This is now resolved! The Doctor's oldest friend, a fellow Time Lord, but also a murderer.

Why has Amy forgotten Rory? How did she forget a Dalek invasion?

Is Rory plastic or not? Yeah, must be, he couldn’t possibly remember being plastic otherwise

Why is the Doctor sulking on a cloud?

How exactly does the Doctor have a cloud?

What exactly happened with Strax to, uh, tame him?

Which friend killed Strax?

Which friend brought Strax back?

Where did this lesbian lizard and human couple come from?

What happened with Clara as Souffle Girl and the Daleks?

How does Clara actually join?

Why so many Claras? A psychic midwife says she’s just normal human

Why is Missy apparently in robo-heaven?

Why is probably!Missy pushing Clara and the Doctor together?

What is Trensilor and what happened there?

Who is Handles?

The Doctor is about to be dissolved by a beautiful geode man

The universe is being crushed by the Flux

Will the Doctor open the fobwatch?

Sontarans are invading Earth again

Who is Kate?

Who is Osgood? Another name of Clara’s again?

The fuck is the deal with the Grand Serpent

Does Martha get to go to an ice cream planet with 12-fingered massage aliens?

How did the Doctor forget Clara?

Who is Bill’s puddle girlfriend Heather?

How did Nardole die?

When does Bill get Cyberman-ed and die? NEW INFO: Resolved! On a colony ship stuck by a black hole

When does the Doctor shrink and enter a Dalek called Rusty?

Whittaker is falling to her death rn

Was that ring relevant?

Does anyone know the Doctor’s name?

When did Yaz talk to Dan about fancying the Doctor?

When did Dan talk to the Doctor about fancying Yaz?

What’s happening with the bees?

What happened with Donna’s ex and a giant spider?

What war wiped out the Daleks, and is it one of the ones already mentioned?

What did the Doctor mean when he said “The (Daleks) always live, while I lose everything?”

If Dalek Caan is the last Dalek left why are there more now?

How did the rest of the Time Lords die?

How and why did Amy melt?

What’s the question that will make silence fall?

Why do the Silents… want silence to fall?

How and why are Silents at war with the Doctor when he… hasn’t even heard of them?

How does Hitler get out of the cupboard?

What’s the significance of fish fingers and custard?

Why does the Doctor feel guilt about Rose, Martha and Donna?

What happened with the space whale?

When does Rory defend Amy for 2000 years? Since Roman times, it seems

How does the Doctor survive River? He doesn’t, apparently

How does he erase himself from history

Did Captain Jack lose his memories to the same people as the Doctor? What did he lose?

When did the Doctor send the Daleks into a void to save the universe?

What’s with the weird crack in the wall and is it affecting memories?

Why do Amy and Rory think the Doctor is dead? Is it because of River as an astronaut?

Is Matt Smith’s Doctor a tree racist?

Why is the beautiful geode woman stealing people into a Passenger form?

River says she’ll die one day when the Doctor doesn’t remember her, let’s hope she doesn’t mean it

Why doesn’t the TARDIS like Clara?

When was the Master Prime Minister?

[slowdive1994]

hiii im bored so im assigning some mutuals song lyrics!

@svnflowermoon

sundown and im feeling lifted / downtown cherry lipstick / watch her silk dress dancing in the wind / watch it brush against her skin / makes me wanna try her on - silk chiffon by phoebe bridgers and muna

cause my girl's made of peaches and soft grass in the moonlight / every touch reminds me it's alright - strawberry blonde by chloe moriondo

theyre selling sunflowers cheap / im reading novels, im dating, but just just dating for sport / im getting coffees for free / i hang all my art and i dance with the coven / as the rain falls hard on the street - there it goes by maisie peters

@bookscorpion73

we didnt know that the sun was collapsing / til the seas rose and the buildings came crashing / we cried oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh / everywhere everything / i wanna love you til we're food for the worms to eat / til our fingers decompose / keep my hand in yours - everywhere, everything by noah kahan

leonard cohen once said / there's a crack in everything that's how the light gets in / and i am not an old man having an existential crisis / at a buddhist monastery, writing horny poetry / but i agree/ i never thought you'd happen to me - leonard cohen by boygenius

you got a slurpee for free / i caught you lookin at me / in the 7-eleven / under fluorescent lights / we walked in comfy silence / footsteps down familiar sidewalk - all my gosts by lizzy mcalpine

@recklessandyoung

it was magic, babe, pure and strong / it was the last man standing for the eagles song / it was a far-flung wish when we were young / now we're living the dream and i hope we never wake up - the band and i by maisie peters

i remember you stayed up all night / to make sure i was alright / believe me when i say / i wouldve done the same / i hate the way my brain is wired / can't trust my mind it's such a liar - rue by girl in red

you were my partner in crime / it was a welcome waste of time / eating cherries on the bridge, feet dangling / throw out the pits and stems into the racing current below / i get vertigo looking down and looking in - partner in crime by lucy dacus

@literatureisdying

drag-racing through the canyon / singing 'boys dont cry' / do you see us getting scraped up off the pavement? / i dont know why i am / the way i am / not strong enough to be your man / i lied, i am - not strong enough by boygenius

so we spent what was left of our serotonin / to chew on our cheeks and stare at the moon / said she knows she lived through it to get to this moment / ate a sleeve of saltines on my floor, and I knew then - graceland too by phoebe bridgers

keep your feet on the ground / when your head's in the clouds / well, go get your shovel / and we'll dig a deep hole / to bury the castle - brick by boring brick by paramore

@tellme-o-muse

you can't open your eyes for a while / you just breathe / i believed you were crazy / you believe that you love me / you and me, we're a day drink / so lose your faith in me - the gold by phoebe bridgers

we're never done with killing time / can i kill it with you? / till the veins run red and blue / got a lot to not do / let me kill it with you - 400 lux by lorde

sedentary secrets like peach pits in your gut / locked away like jam jars in the cellar of your heart / waiting to be tasted and ultimately wasted/ you were gonna win me over from the start - VBS by lucy dacus

okay im tired now but i'll probably do a pt 2 with irls and maybe a part 3!

[gumnut-logic]

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

::rolls up sleeves and brainstorms all over the keyboard::

If you want to do it, do it. Don't hide. Everyone had to start somewhere (wanna see my first ever fic? I was 18 and the internet did not exist, also, it was really badly written; you can find my second ever written fic here - its TOS Trek). We've all been there and we are all learning. Don't be scared, Thunderfam at least is here to support. For you fanartists out there, check out How I learnt Portraiture and then check out this post to prove that I can paint, honestly, really I can :D

If you do encounter negativity - block/ban. In fandom, if you can't say something nice, shut up and go away. Don't like, don't read, and mind your own business. I'm all for self curating your online experience. The only time constructive criticism is polite is when you know the person and they've asked. Like I have several members of Thunderfam I come screaming to while writing with the question, does this suck? These are my sanity checkers - Gavii, unfortunately you have taken on this mantle and suffer on a fairly regular basis. Nutty by name and nature.

Works in Progress - anyone who has known me here at all knows I leave a wake of WiPs behind me. Some I get back to, some, not so much (I promise to pull Alex out from under that building, I do!). WiPs are part of the way an artist works (I have so many in so many media, omigod). Because fanfic is published close to the leading edge of creation, its gonna happen. Fanfic is written for fun, after all. The key is to not let them beat you up in the head. Yes, there is unfinished stuff, but it doesn't mean you can't write something else in the meantime. Don't let it stop your muse. I am notorious for unfinished stuff and the real world hates it. But this isn't the real world, THIS IS FOR FUN. I know the marketing theories and the regularity of posting and popularity and what is at stake if either not enough is published regularly or if too much unfinished stuff disappoints the reader. But again, if you let the WiPs hang around your neck too much and badger you, they will drown you. It will become a job, a burden, something you hate. So don't pressure yourself. Work with your muse and see what you can wrangle out of it...at your own pace. You might be surprised what works.

The Terry Pratchett method - I don't know if it is true or not, but there is a post flying around Tumblr somewhere that claims Terry Pratchett, famous author, only aimed to write 400 words a day. This is something I have found extremely useful. If you want to write something, don't set the bar too high so you fail. Set it at a reachable level, even 200 words or 100 words. Honestly the hardest part is actually sitting down and starting. Before you know it you will have passed your low goal and blown it out of the water 3000 words later (my highest number of words in one day was 7000 - I tend to edit as I go, so it slows me down). Rarely do we have an entire day we can write, cos life keeps getting in the way. So do it in little bits. I'm doing this method with my crochet at the moment. Lots of little bits make big bits. This is how I've written many of my longer fics. Heh, I used to have fifteen minutes in the car before work, so I'd pull up on the side of the road and write as much as I could in that time. Sometimes having a limited time helps with that as well.

But the biggest thing you can do to improve your writing is to get to know yourself very well. I'm on the autism spectrum and likely have some forms of ADHD or Executive Dysfunction (I literally cried the day I found out it had a name as to why I couldn't finish things). It's taken me years to work out how to get work out of myself. How to avoid fighting myself (a fight I never win). To learn what works best for me and how I can herd the cats in my brain into them doing what I need them to do. Find out what makes you tick. Find out what sparks your muse, what way best enables you to write. Try different times of the day, different places, bribe yourself, time limit yourself, lock the family out of the room, go to the beach, write on paper, go mobile, write on your phone, scribble notes, anything that can get your brain doing what you want it to do. Sometimes reading fic can do it, showers and manual work are great for idea sparking - let the brain idle and it comes up with all sorts of interesting things. Very late night writing can be a doozy of a trip :D Find what works then do it - until it changes and you have to find it again because yes, my brain does that too, drat it.

And that is probably enough babbling from me :D I need to go find Virgil and a pick up with his name on it...or Gordon's...it's still gelling in my brain :D

I hope this helps someone, even just a tiny bit. Writing is hard work, don't let it drown you. Also, we all have up and down days, just because something sucks today, doesn't mean it will feel the same tomorrow. Never give up, never surrender, and if you do give up on one thing....ooh, look there's another one to play with.

Thank you for asking ::squishy hugs you lots::

Nutty

(who despite this will still have days where the writing will not work...in which case, I'm gonna do something else for a bit until brain decides it wants to play....stupid brain, do it on demand, you pile of goop)

[isabellehemlock]

For my bingo prompt "Injury" I went with a WHUMP fic rec list featuring ten fics, under 5k (perfect for those days when you need a quick read), and are complete for TOG's Joe and Nicky. See the full list under the cut, organized by rating.

Please make sure to read all tags and author's notes since the subject can be subjective for a lot of readers.

Rated G

Heat of the Summer by Kaijuscientists

One thing that Nicolò had not become accustomed to was the heat.

“Take me instead” by @imbxdateverything

Joe and Nicky don't like when the other is hurt.

The Light Side by @disregardandfelicity

It was almost funny, he mused, the way the brain refused to hold on to the memory of pain. Even though he knew he’d gone through this before and things had eventually been ok, too much time had passed to truly remember the feeling. He could recall the early days of his diagnosis, when his wrists ached too much to even use a can opener, but he couldn’t actually conjure up the sense memory of what that felt like. Now, every time the pain moved, everyday he woke up with a new part of his body inflamed and sore, it felt brand new.

Modern AU in which Joe has a chronic illness and is dealing poorly with a flare up.

Rated T

I’ve Got You - by @deepwoundsandfadedscars

Nicky gets nightmares of the one time he was separated from Joe and assaulted. Even though that was 400 years ago, Joe still holds and comforts him now.

The day after the group escapes from the lab, Nicky develops a migraine from being shot in the head. Of course, Joe is there to take care of him.

Non Ti Laserò by Captain Weasley

More Than a Lump by @aravenwhumper

After having his throat cut, Nicky finds himself unable to speak. He's not a loud man, but the forced silence is more than a little bit frightening.

Written for the Whumptober 2020 prompts "forced mutism" and disorientation".

Rated M

Who Are You? by @fuinixe

When he recovers from a particularly traumatic death, Joseph has full autobiographical amnesia. Nicolò has to coordinate their escape while coping with the possibility that, despite the connection that remains, the Joseph he knew is gone forever.

Basically, the whumpiest possible whump followed by the fluffiest possible fluff. This is my favorite trope, after all.

This Mortal Coil by AgentDonegal

On the day it happens, Joe wakes the same as he’s done well over three hundred thirty thousand times before. Nose pressed to the soft, sleep-warm skin of Nicky’s nape, arm slung adoringly over his waist. It gives him the option of pressing the flat of his palm to a steady heartbeat or to intertwine their fingers and, oh, the sweet anguish of decision.

Joe smiles, nuzzles Nicky’s neck, snuffling through his grown-out locks. Ducks his head to Nicky’s shoulder blade. He presses his lips chastely to his flesh, not so much a kiss as a smile pressed into his smooth skin.

There is a bruise on Nicky’s shoulder.

Death By Your Hand by LozB4 

The last time Joe killed Nicky was 921 years ago. The last time Nicky killed Joe was a few seconds ago.

In a hopeless situation shortly after Merrick's lab, Nicky decides that the last thing he can see again is Joe's torture, even if that means stabbing Joe and resigning to be tortured himself.

And even a slightly annoyed Joe will always rescue his Nicky.

Rated E

Iron Interlude by pinstripedJackope 

A look into Nicky's time alone in the iron maiden.

If I messed up a link, or have the wrong tumblr handle please don't hesitate to let me know. Happy to update the author's in this post if they wanted to let me know their handles (I went by AO3 profiles).

Happy reading!

[theofficersacademy]

Continental winds from the north take up their arms as the long daylight hours wane, and drive out the last of summer’s oppressive heat. As cooler air follows behind, signs of the vibrant harvest season bloom across Fodlan. Hunting dogs pull eagerly at their leashes, scythes are taken down to reap golden fields, and celebration rises in feasting to give thanks for another bountiful year.

At Garreg Mach monastery, reports have come in about a discovery made by the Knights of Seiros: a strange sanctum concealed beneath the ground, kept secret by the Western Church. It’s a troubling find in the wake of the Cardinal Beasts’ inexplicable appearance, and a call goes out to the Blue Lions House:

Blue Lions Mission: Investigate the Secrets of the Western Church!

We are back on our regular season rotation, and this one belongs to the Blue Lions! As before, threads using tasks from the Blue Lions board must contain a Blue Lions character as a participant, but there are also non-mission tasks available to everyone without restrictions.

The sanctum is located at the far end of Western Church territory, beneath the temperate plains of the Brionac Plateau where it curves into Faerghus lands. Never-before-seen objects of all kinds are contained inside the secret space. You’re under strict orders not to tamper with anything, and to report everything you see to the authorities. It’s suspicious, for sure, but the place seems a bit small to have housed four monsters of such size...

BL Mission Task Board

Traveling to Western Faerghus means crossing through Magdred Way, a densely forested area known for thick and sudden onset of heavy fog and, as a result, being a favorite highway for marauders. Travel carefully and strategically.

Among the myriad of strange findings in the sanctum is the discovery of a false wall. Concealed behind it is a small room lined with nothing but... books? They’re written in a glyph that’s impossible to read, but the illustrations and arrays suggest that they’re spell books, and probably not your usual kind. Can you decipher anything? [Grants Reason +1]

A few people have reported seeing a suspicious figure lurking around the sanctum at night, when no one else is around. Even odder, the one night watchman who had gotten more than a glimpse of the stranger reports that he bore the insignia of House Arundel. What will you do?

Lake Teutates isn’t far from the site of the investigation, and you recall stories about a great treasure being contained there — The Inexhaustible, unrivaled bow of Saint Indech. Even if the stories aren’t true, it’s not often that an opportunity to see the Lake Teutates temple comes around. It’s a peaceful getaway, if nothing else. [Grants Faith +1]

Notably, the clergy of the Western Church are not happy about this intrusion, but remain stubbornly silent in the face of inquisition, refusing to give ground. The Knights accompanying you are keeping them in custody, but one morning a commotion breaks out: some of the clergy have broken free, and are making a run for the border into Adrestia!

NEW! The renowned Grey Lion, Lord Gwendal of House Rowe, has arrived with a unit of his forces to help with the investigation into the Western Church. Overseer of the impregnable fortress of Arianrhod, he and his legion of Great Knights are said to be equally as indomitable. In return, he asks that you help train his men in a mock battle. They must learn to be soldiers in their own right, and not just hide behind the Silver Maiden’s skirts. [Grants Axe or Heavy Armor +1]

NEW! One of the foremost documents unearthed from the sanctum has been sent back from Garreg Mach’s higher ups, granting the first half-decoded glimpse into the documents hidden here. Immediately, a few names stand out: Seagod, Thurii, Yevaud, Lamasar. These are clearly linked to the four countries the cardinal beasts had pillaged. But why these names in particular? Maybe your peers who went there will have more insight.

Non-Mission Task Board

With prey abound in the hills and forests around Garreg Mach, the kitchen staff could use anyone and everyone willing to help prepare for the Hunting Festival on the 7th. Everyone has their hands full, so if you’re handy with a bow or any traps to catch game, get out there and help pitch in! [Grants Bow, Lance, or Riding +1]

Leicester Alliance Founding Day is on the 8th, but the students this year have decided to make it more than just a dining hall dish. The monastery awakens to a field day set up in the academy’s myriad courtyards and gazebos. Classes are cancelled, so go enjoy the fair booths, small attractions, and traditional Alliance foods!

With the grapes harvested around Garreg Mach and from Adrestia around this time of year, the administration is hosting their annual wine-tasting event in the entrance hall. Students and faculty alike are able to use ingredients there to make their own wines and partake in some too, under the supervision of the monastery staff. Technically, you’re not allowed to take any out of the hall.

Horsebow Moon sees a spike in visitors: farmers and tradesmen alike coming to offer their prayers for the most industrious time of the year. There’s no shortage of merchants who set up shop in town to take advantage of this surge, but something doesn’t seem quite right about that one vendor advertising everything from blades crafted by Zoltan to mythical swords from faraway lands in hopes of reaping riches from the gullible. [Grants Sword +1]

NEW! It’s said that the Golden Fish in the monastery pond appear around this time of year. No one really knows what causes the mutation to happen, but supposedly being able to catch one brings you good luck. And if you cook it and share it with others, everyone who takes a bite gets a bit of good fortune too.

NEW! As the weather turns colder, Fodlan wyverns begin their migration south to warmer climates. The monastery wyverns aren’t able to leave, of course, but it does mean they get rather restless. Taking them out on a structured flight or two should help get it out of their systems. Just be careful. They are a bit more aggressive compared to pegasi. [Grants Flying +1]

NEW! Not even all the chaos that’s happened lately is going to stop Garreg Mach from hosting its annual biggest event to showcase student and faculty prowess alike: The Battle of the Eagle and Lion. The monastery is abuzz with anticipation and competition is high. Which house will win the battle this year and take home the glory? Well, the battle won’t win itself. It’s best to start preparing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the divided task board work?

This season’s mission is assigned to the Blue Lions. Therefore, tasks from the ‘BL Mission Task Board’ must be undertaken by someone from the Blue Lions House. However, they may choose to perform the task with someone who is not from their house. In logistical terms, this means that if you play a non-BL muse and want to do a mission task, you must ask someone who plays a BL muse to thread with you. All thread participants will still receive any skill point rewards.

Tasks from the ‘Non-Mission Task Board’ have no house restriction and can be undertaken by anyone.

These aren’t the only threads I can do, right?

Of course not! These are just prompts to help give some ideas of possibilities. You’re always free and encouraged to make up your own threads.

How do I claim the skill points?

In order to qualify for the skill point, the thread must clearly allude to the listed task and preferably feature the task being completed. You do not need to message the masterlist to claim your skill point.

Can I only do one task?

Nope, you can do as many as you’d like with as many different partners as you’d like! You can do the same task with more than one person! However, you can only claim any skill points once.

What if my partner leaves or drops a skill point thread?

If the dropped thread has at least 5 notes (not counting likes, only reblogs with replies in them) and you have hit at least 400 words on your end, you may still claim the skill point.

Remember to use (and track!) the #toa open tag for any open threads, and you can also post a link to your open thread on the appropriate Discord channel! If you have any other questions or concerns, shoot us a message through the masterlist or on Discord!

[lasersheith]

Lasersheith’s Sheith Month 2018 Masterlist

These are also on AO3 if you’d rather check that out instead!

Total word count: 19750

I thought it would be a fun challenge to myself to do all the prompts for Sheith Month as pre-Kerberos fluff/humor drabbles. The original plan was to keep them all under 600 words, but I went over on about half of them lol.

Some of the snippets sound angsty, but I promise all of them are silly and light-hearted and fun.

July 1 - Dynamics // Trust

Trust |  Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 600 

Keith’s hands were barely long enough to hold both handles at the same time, and he was leaning too far to the right. Even with what little he weighed, it still made the delicately balanced machine lilt just enough to throw them off course. “You’re leaning again.” Shiro gently corrected.

July 2 - Training // Headache

Training | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 600

Of course Keith had grown, Shiro had known that he was going to, eventually. He just hadn’t been prepared to notice so acutely. After a brief 4 week training mission in LEO, Shiro had crashed back down to earth and taken his first shaking steps back in 1G only to find the solid ground swept out from underneath of him. The surly, scrawny teen with a chip on his shoulder who would fight you for looking at him sideways had grown into almost a man right before Shiro’s eyes.

And Shiro’s eyes couldn’t tear themselves away.

July 3 - Sandwiches // Drinking

Drinking | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | T | 900

Some junior officers relished their time on the night roster, scouring the halls for cadets out of bed, busting up parties, giving their friends who were still senior cadets loads of demerits just for fun. Shiro was never one of those junior officers. Sure, he’d busted Matt’s chops once or twice to get him back for a dumb prank, but generally he would look the other way and let most things slide when his turn came up on the duty roster.

July 4 - No Prompt/Free Day

I worked on my Sheith big bang fic this day!

July 5 - Guiding Light // Galaxies

Guiding Light | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 800

Shiro was always up early, but Venus was supposed to be rising at 0413 on the nose, and it was a half hour drive followed by at least an hour’s hike to get to the best spot to see it. 0200 was a much more acceptable time to go to bed than wake up, but he quietly made his way to the senior cadets’ barracks and keyed in Keith’s door code just as his watch flipped 0210. Keith was already up, boots on and backpack shouldered, sleepy but excited smile brightening his face.

July 6 - Pre-Kerberos // Post-Voltron

Pre-Kerberos | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 500

The rooftop of the junior officers’ barracks was technically off-limits, though that had never stopped Shiro from sneaking his way up to stargaze or get some fresh air. The past several months he found himself drawn to the roof more and more; just off the southwest corner the upper stage of the SLS-6 was visible far off in the distance.

It was the orbital launcher that would be taking him and his crew to the very edge of the solar system.

July 7 - Royalty // Clones

Clones | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 650

Shiro frowned as he looked in the mirror, running a hand over his head. “Matt, I thought you said you were good at cutting hair?” He grumbled, turning his head to see the slightly uneven sides. Matt shrugged. “I said I could cut hair, not that I was good at it. You’ve seen what I look like.” He protested. “It doesn’t even look that bad, you’re just being dramatic.” 

July 8 - Save Me // Hover-Bike

Save Me | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 500 

Keith was trying hard to stay awake as he stared at his computer from his suddenly very comfortable desk chair. His morning schedule was pulled up as he tried to remember what order his new classes were in. The door to his room swung open and shut again in a flurry, as a very panicked Shiro first tried crawling under his desk and then slid underneath his bed. “Shiro? What are you doing?” Keith asked, tilting his head to stare at him.

“Matt’s coming, he’s really mad. You have to save me.” Shiro begged quietly.

July 9 - Quality Time // Physical Touch

Physical Touch | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 775

There are a lot of ways Keith would describe Shiro: kind, loyal, strong, dependable, funny, smart, gorgeous, and unfortunately…

High strung.

July 10 - Suspicion // Fidelity

Suspicion | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 970

Keith hadn’t gotten a single demerit all week, not even for staying in the sims past curfew. It would have been a cause for celebration, but it just happened to be the week before Shiro’s birthday. Shiro knew Keith had to be up to something.

July 11 - No Prompt/Free Day

Another SBB day!

July 12 - Eternal // choices

Choices | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 540 

Keith groaned at his screen as he scrolled through the seemingly endless form. Concerned, Shiro looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. “Hey, everything ok?” He asked, walking up behind Keith’s seat and leaning to look at the screen.

July 13 - Happy Ending // Tragedy

Tragedy | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | T | 1.7K (whoops) 

Getting the quartermaster to agree to sign over the newest and best hoverbike in the garage for an evening wasn’t easy. Matt had tried and been denied on the basis that he was awful at driving, which while entirely fair, had thrown a wrench in Shiro’s plan when he asked only a handful of minutes later. “You gonna let Holt drive?” The quartermaster asked, glaring suspiciously.

July 14 - Alternate Realities // Star-Crossed

Alternate Reality | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | T | 1K 

Matt knew something was off the moment he woke up. It was 8am on a Saturday and he could hear people in the living room. Normally Shiro woke with the sun and he and Keith would have long been in the sims training or out wandering around in the desert by then. He pulled on his shirt and sweatpants and walked out of his room suspiciously. “What are you guys doing here?” He mumbled, stumbling his way to the kitchen and the promise of coffee.

July 15 - Sin // Habits

Habits | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 450 

Every Wednesday at 12:30, almost on the dot, Shiro and Keith ate lunch together on top of the roof of the junior officers’ quarters. Technically, it wasn’t allowed, but the area wasn’t well patrolled and it had the best view of the surrounding mountains and open desert out of the whole Garrison.

July 16 - Ignite // Error

Error | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | T | 675 

“If we die, I’m haunting both of you.” Matt grumbled, massaging his rapidly swelling ankle.

Keith looked away from the cliff face to raise an eyebrow in Matt’s direction. “If we all die how will you haunt us? Can a ghost haunt another ghost?”

Shiro groaned under his breath. “Ghosts aren’t real, and we aren’t dying. We’re gonna be fine.” He assured, trying hard to keep both of them calm.

July 17 - Sacrifice // Rebirth

Sacrifice | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | T | 400

Keith looked up from his desk in shock as his door flew open. “Smith, get out.” Matt demanded.

Smith looked up from his desk as well, but more in outrage than surprise. “What? This is my room!” He shouted back.

Matt rolled his eyes and pointed to his shoulder. “Cool story, I’m a Second Lieutenant. Get out.” He challenged. Smith grumbled to himself and shook his head at Keith, grabbing his books and stuffing them into his backpack. “Bye, now.” Matt called with mocking sweetness as Keith’s roommate stormed out.

July 18 - No Prompt/Free Day

SBB!!

July 19 - Pilot // Ninja

Ninja | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 500

Not that Shiro had ever been small in the time Keith had known him, but he’d come back from a month-long training mission absolutely huge. It made sense- astronauts had to be at the top of their game, mentally and physically. Keith wasn’t the only one that had noticed.

July 20 - Simulation // Exploration

Simulation | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 1.2k

Shiro paces when he’s nervous. He’s done it ever since Matt’s known him. Normally, it wouldn’t bother Matt so much, but he was stuck on the couch with a broken leg and no homework left to do and nothing on TV and Shiro wouldn’t stop pacing.

“Shiro, buddy, you have to sit down. For like 3 minutes. Please.” Matt practically begged.

July 21 - Coping // Stress

Coping | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | T | 800

Matt’s idea of coping with finals was to lock himself in his bedroom and turn off his phone, forbidding any human contact whatsoever until he was sure he’d get top marks in everything. Shiro however, didn’t believe in cramming for exams. He’d studied all he was going to and was confident in his ability to pass all of his tests and simulations with flying colors, no matter what his pounding heart told him.

July 22 - Parents // Orphan

Parents | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 450

Keith sounded like he was nearly in tears when he’d called Shiro and begged him to meet up on the roof. It had set off every alarm in Shiro’s brain and he raced to the stairs as fast as he could to see what was the matter. Keith was holding something bundled up in his jacket when Shiro came bursting onto the rooftop.

“I got here as soon as I could. Are you ok?” Shiro asked, slightly out of breath, as he walked over to check on Keith.

July 23 - Zodiac // Concert

Zodiac | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | T | 600

It is said that only the dead have seen the end of war.

It was almost an enviable position, Keith mused as he took in the all-too-familiar face smiling back at him from the poster. A lifetime felt like it wouldn’t have been long enough to pinpoint all of the follies that had led him there, to that moment. He brought a trembling hand up and closed his fingers around the paper. The handsome smile crumbled in his fist as he stalked down the hall.

July 24 - Betrayal // Fame

Fame | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 500 Shiro was used to being the Garrison’s Golden Boy. It was a little annoying, a little isolating, but mostly it suited him just fine. He knew how to be confident in his abilities without being arrogant and how to use his status for minor indulgences without being accused of being a diva (by anyone but Matt, at least).

Keith was always used to being the troublemaker, the discipline case, the odd man out. That suited him just fine as well. He did his best to stay out of trouble at the Garrison for Shiro’s sake. Keeping his head down, working hard in class and blowing off steam in the sims or the gym or out in the desert was a system that had taken time to perfect but Keith figured it out with only a few missteps along the way.Yes, their roles suited both of them just fine… until the first time Keith broke one of Shiro’s records.

July 25 - No Prompt/Free Day

Hit 40k on my sheith big bang fic 👌

July 26 - Rest // Nightmares

Nightmare | Canonverse | Pre-kerb & Post-canon | G | 500

“This is a nightmare.” Matt groaned, threading his fingers through his hair. “Youare a nightmare, Takashi Shirogane.” 

Shiro looked up at him with a mixture of shock, hurt, and confusion. “How am I a nightmare?”Matt glared. “Don’t give me those puppy eyes. You know you’re like this.” He gestured to Shiro’s desk and then to his body.

July 27 - Sports // Stargazing

Sports | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | T | 1.4k Most of the cadets and instructors go home for the holidays in the winter, but Keith wasn’t one of them. He didn’t dwell on the fact that he didn’t really have a home to go to, he made the best of making the Garrison his home. The only part that really bummed him out was the boredom.

He’d already finished all of his homework assigned over the break, and the simulator was down “until further notice” for maintenance, so things had started to get… weird. Gathering all his pens and pencils, he placed a coffee mug on his own desk and sat down across the room at his roommate’s desk. One by one, he started tossing the pens towards the cup, adjusting his position on the chair and the angle he threw with each miss.

July 28 - Protect // Attack

Protect | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 500

Matt had seen Shiro do a lot of dumb things over the years- he wasn’t as cool as he pretended to be. He’d seen Shiro get stuck in more than one t-shirt that had allegedly shrunk in the wash, accidentally put ketchup into his coffee because he was too exhausted to function and then drink it anyway, and he’d watched Shiro hit his head on the sim door more times than he could count.

All of that paled in comparison to the second-hand embarrassment he inflicted upon Matt every single time he was around Keith. 

July 29 - Honesty // Lies

Lies | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 400 “It’s nothing I wouldn’t do for any cadet that was struggling,” it’s not a lie the first time he says it, or if it is, it’s a lie that he believes in his soul. It might be a lie later, after a dozen trips to Iverson’s office, after countless sleepless nights in the library, after hours baking in the hot sun on the back of his bike when he knows he should be studying.

“We’re just friends,” Shiro knows it’s a lie but he says it with conviction. They never become more true, no matter how many times the words leave his lips. And they do- he says it a dozen times, maybe more. There’s nothing just about the kind of friends they are.

July 30 - Feline // Hippopotamus

Feline | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | G | 680 They named the chinchilla Churro. Keith had been adamant. Shiro had suggested Cinnamon, originally, but Keith’s eyes had lit up and when he whispered the word so reverently, Shiro was powerless but to agree. They’d done their best to find Churro’s rightful owner, but it wasn’t like he’d had a collar or anything, and he was technically contraband.

Luckily Matt’s middle name might as well have been contraband, so he and Shiro were locked in a battle of mutually assured destruction should he say anything about Shiro’s illegal pet. 

July 31 - Hero // Pain

Hero | Canonverse | Pre-kerb | PG | 900 

“I can be your hero baby,” the earplugs weren’t working. Not that Matt would have been able to sleep with the foam stuffed halfway into his brain anyway.

“I can kiss away the pain,” he pulled them out with a grimace before tossing them into the trash, putting his glasses on and stalking into Shiro’s room.

“I will stand by yo-” Shiro stopped singing and tore off his headphones, staring up at Matt from his desk like a deer in headlights.

“I say this both as your friend, and as someone dangerously close to committing homicide, you have to tell him.” Matt’s stern tone left no room for discussion or argument.

[unlimitedskyeproductions]

100 Random Things About Blake Riley

(I got bored at 4 am so I wrote down some stuff about my OCs This is not the only 100 Random Things sheet that I have so that should warn you of what's to come) 1: his full name is Blake Riley Bates but he always goes by first and middle names rather than first and last 2: 25 years old 3: birthday is February 15th 4: born on a Saturday at 4:37 AM 5: blood type is O-Negative 6: he was involved in a public bombing by terrorists which left nore than 75% of his body completely mangled and destroyed so he had to be fixed up with robotic prosthetics and as a result he's super self-conscious about the fact that he's "not a complete human" 7: favorite color is, obviously, red 8: GAY AS FUCK but super subtle about it despite being way too flamboyant to be legal 9: LOVES FASHION 10: also loves shopping because like ;;;;; pretty clothes are awesome 11: loves roses and if you give him one he'll love you forever 12: he's generally pretty chill about shit but if you mess with someone he cares about then be prepared to get punched with a robot arm 13: he pretends he doesn't believe in supernatural stuff like ghosts but if he hears a weird noise in the middle of the night he'll probably want to move out the next morning 14: hates coffee but ironically loves coffee cake 15: always a little cold??? for some reason??? 16: he likes to poke people and make them shiver 17: likes being cuddled 18: LOVES spooning when he cuddles someone and he really doesn't care whether he's the big spoon or the little spoon as long as he's cuddling 19: really flirtatious and totally not shy about it like at all 20: he loves spoiling the people he loves and making them feel happy 21: he'll flirt with you all day if you let him but as soon as YOU start flirting with HIM he just becomes this dorky little blushing mess and it's adorable 22: WILL. FUCKING. NOT. stand for people insulting his physical appearance 23: loves peanut butter but not peanuts 24: he can't really swim all that well but he's very good at floating 25: like he can swim properly without drowning but just not all that gracefully (he looks like a fish out of water when he's in the water) 26: has a really weird obsession with snow globes??? he collects them and owns over 50 and they're all alphabetized 27: possibly a bit autistic but Nobody Really Knows For Sure 28: he's a fucking genius (seriously his IQ is fucking insane) 29: it's easy to turn him on but it's really hard to make him calm down afterwards 30: you could literally bump into him at a weird angle and there's a 50/50 chance he'll just randomly get a boner from that alone 31: when he gets going he'll kinda whine and try to flirt with you until you give in but in reality he'd never force you into something you don't feel like doing 32: if he happens to get riled up but has nobody who'll do anything about it (or just doesn't feel like it) he'll end up reading smutty novels all night 33: an incredibly passionate lover 34: he doesn't know the meaning of personal space and he'll just come up behind you for no reason and invade your space with hugs 35: he owns 23 pairs of shoes in total and 18 pairs of them have high heels 36: he's not really a blanket hog but if he goes to bed before you do you're sure as fuck not getting that blanket 37: loves spending time with kids (he really wants to be a daddy) 38: loves pickles for some reason 39: he will literally eat an entire jar of pickles all in one go and then drink the juice when he's done 40: he's really weird about people invading his personal space when he doesn't want them to 41:dO nOT tOUCH hIS hAIR wITHOUT cONSENT oR hE wILL sLAP yOU 42: always sings really shitty pop songs in the shower 43: he rarely watches anime ever at all but he fucking LOVES Sailor Moon 44: he went to a costume party one year before the "incident" and he literally dressed up like Sailor Mars 45: full miniskirt and everything and he looked fucking gorgeous???? but why wouldn't he honestly 46: his weakness is caramel and caramel chocolate and basically anything with caramel in it 47: he's not super clingy but he'll insist on really long hugs before leaving to go home or like do thngs (and I'm talking about super close full-body pressing against each other bear hugs for five minutes -minimum-) 48: he often has recurring nightmares about the "incident" and it's actually not uncommon for him to wake up in the middle of the night crying 49: this happens anywhere between twice in four months to six nights per week for nearly a year 50: when this happens he requires lots of gentle cuddles and sweet words of reassurance that he's okay 51: he acts super flamboyant and sassy but in reality he's the most sensitive man you'll ever meet 52: it's super easy to hurt his feelings so please watch your tongue when you're around this sweet little redhead 53: it's totally not uncommon for him to just randomly start blasting Britney Spears on the stereo with the volume all the way up 54: loves wearing sexy lingerie and just feeling pretty 55: there's rarely a time when his nails aren't painted (never any color but red) 56: he's an expert at beer pong for some reason 57: also a master at bottle flipping and mario kart 58: has three sisters named Tanya, Sharon and Abigaile 59: he acts all pure and classy when in reality he owns a hardcover copy of 50 shades of grey and he's read it at least 30 times by this point 60: never goes anywhere without checking himself out in the mirror 5 times first 61: he has a really bad issue with never shutting up during movies 62: if he thinks of something funny to say he'll lean over and whisper it to whoever he's watching the movie with and this will happen every few minutes during the entre movie 63: he's a virgin but like????? he sure as fuck doesn't want to be at this age 64: SUPER fucking ticklish 65: worst spots are his sides and his stomach 66: he has a really sweet and pretty laugh, almost like music 67: he gets really smarmy whenever he starts tickling someone (sort of like he gets a rush outta teasing them) 68: he doesn't often start tickle fights but holy shit he'll fucking end them 69: generally always an uke rather than a seme 70: he's that one friend who'll come over to your house at 3 am because he made ramen noodles and wants to know if you want some 71: can play the violin and the piano beautifully 72: it's super easy to make him cry but he'll never actually cry in front of anyone, he'll just politely excuse himself from the room when he gets upset and go into a random room and sob his heart out until he feels better (quietly, of course) 73: has the mindset of "if you like me I'll let you bother me, but if I don’t like you then fuck off in a fire" 74: despite that he's super nice to everyone unless provoked 75: bacon is honestly his muse 76: he'll eat an entire pack of that shit for breakfast and he'd honestly eat more than a single pack if you let him 77: if you don't watch him carefully he'll wander off and go missing for the whole damn day, and when he comes back it's with an entire car full of shopping bags because guess what he went on aNOTHER fucking shopping spree 78: he's super high maintenance but at the same time he isn't??? 79: like he's just as excited with a super expensive jewelry gift as he is with a bag of burgers from McDonald's 80: he's weird like that 81: he'll pretty much eat anything he can get his hands on and his metabolism is scarily high so he never gains any extra weight despite the fact that if he didn't have that high metabolism he'd honestly be like 400 pounds at this point because he loves food and can't control himself 82: loves cute things 83: also loves soft and fluffy things 84: always wants to dress up his friends in cute clothes and do their hair (and their makeup if they're girls) 85: his parents have no idea he's gay but his sisters do and they're very supportive of him 86: his dad is a super strict military man so like????? He's Fucking Terrified To Tell Him 87: there's honestly never a time where he doesn’t want to go shopping 88:  you could call him at 6 am and be like "hey there's an awesome new shoe store that just opened" and he'd be pounding on your door not even fifteen minutes later like "BITCH GET YOUR COAT WE'RE GOING SHOE SHOPPING" 89: despite everything he's actually really super shy and it's really hard for him to talk to people and make friends 90: but once he trusts you he relaxes and he's able to act like himself 91: loves flowers 92: he's absolutely insufferable when he gets sick but at the same time he also apologizes profusely for being so snappish 93: once spent an entire night chained to a radiator 94: he never talks about it but he's made it very clear that he was NOT kidnapped 95: he may or may not own a whip and a tazer 96: for practical use only, of course 97: loves sweets and candy 98: when he gets excited he acts like he has ADHD and can't focus on anything 99: probably knows the lyrics to every Lady Gaga song by heart 100: in general he's a great guy and a loyal friend

[iphoenixrising]

Master List Update

I...didn’t even realize how much crap I’ve written since the last one >.< Also didn’t realize what a pain in the ass it was to click on when you’re on mobile. Here’s one that’s a little easier, I hope.

AO3: Fracture (fanart!); Distractions, Forward Momentum (Avengers)

Tumblr

Poison-Basil’s Art:

*iPhoenixrising (my wonderfully talented artist/writer babe literally made my spirit animal)

*Fracture Chapter 1: It’s Tim asleep on the bathroom floor where Dick and Jay find him (God, it’s amazing >.<)

Fracture Chapter 29: The intense almost between Dick and Red

BABE MADE ME A WHIRLYBIRD

 *No Home for Dead Birds: (Eventual Conner/Bart/Tim maybe)

This is the amalgamation of comments from Fracture. A whole what if Tim didn’t forgive them and go back? Au. It’s right after the epic planning of Red Robin to keep Ra’s al Ghul from killing everyone Batman loves from the Red Robin series. Just a little bit of a twist on how the story would go if Tim didn’t stay.

Chapter I 

Chapter II

 Drabble

 Chapter III

Chapter IV 

Chapter V 

Chapter VI 

Chapter VII 

Chapter VIII 

Chapter IX

Chapter X p1 

Chapter X p2 

Kon’s Drabble 

Warning for mentions of suicide

NHDB What-If

The Red Hood 

Dick Grayson

The Last Titan Standing 

Redux (NSFW)

Tumblr Ask: Tim/Kon/Bart; warning for abuse of TTK, super-powers, and literally making Tim scream. All kinds of NSFW.

Chapter XI

What’s In a Name?

*Night Call (Tim/Jay Stripper Verse AU): 

Based on an Ask. Just your standard Bouncer!Jay working at a strip club where Super CEO Tim Drake secretly moonlights when the stress of his life gets a little hard to handle and stripping gives him freedom. Of course, there’s probably identity porn and a little bit of smut.

Part 1 

Part 2 (NSFW) 

Final Part: 3 

*DC AOB Attempt (Omega Tim/ Alpha Dick/ Alpha Jay by request):

This was seriously a try at the whole Omegaverse thing. I write it on it occasionally when I get asks and whatnot. Premise: Tim is making his way back to the Bats after a little hiatus after he lost the Robin mantle and brought back B from time.  He’s in Gotham being part of the crew when his suppressants might have…worn off and the scent of a male Omega in heat makes the Bats a little more than concerned. To make matters worse, he gets a little more than he bargained for when Dick follows him back to Titan’s Tower to take care of his pack’s Omega.

Smut ensues. 

Part 1 

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6: The Demon’s Head: (Warnings: Tim/Ra’s non-con but the journey and subsequent revenge are oh so sweet.)

 Part 7: Probably Finale with @satire-please

Ask from Tumblr: The Heat Fallout: (I wrote a follow-up to this…but it’s terrible and sweet, and I just never posted it >.<)

Ask from Tumblr: Two Alphas in Rut and one cute Omega (Very NSFW)

(Ask from Tumblr: Pregnancy Scare) 

(Ask from Tumblr: Bonding and Shit)

*Marvel AOB Attempt (Omega Tony/ Alpha Bucky/ Alpha Steve):  

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

*Night Sky (Possible future to the Fracture Verse, Tim/Dami) 

Ask

Drabble

Part 1

Part 2

 Part 3

Finale ( Warnings for things like Robinpiles and NSFW; that said, I’m absurdly proud of this smut)

Destroyed (a multiverse conglomeration of Bad Ass!Tim in a world where the Insurgents took over the planet):

Part 1

Part 2  (NSFW)

Part 3

Justice is Blind AU (Blind!Tim):

Part I 

Part II

Drabble

Ask fic

Part V

Drabble (beware of Superbats)

Angsty stuff that kind of goes together? (Before NHDB, this is the ‘Tim isn’t forgiving your ass’ realm from my brain pan): 

Clean

Drabble

Realize

Meeting

Mistake

Forward Momentum Things

(MCU Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes; eventual Steve/Bucky/Tony) 

Forward Momentum Drabble 

Coffee

Observation 

Dr!Tim:

Dr!Tim au: How it all Began  

Follow-Up Drabble

Dr!Tim Drabbles: The Mentor (with Tony Stark); The Suit (shameless Jay/Dick loving him in a suit); Med School (how he Met Steph, etc)

Dick Grayson’s acrobatic talent (surprise, it’s smut)

Dr!Tim Drabbles: Stephanie Brown and Batgirl

Dr!Tim Drabble: The Joker (I really enjoy playing around with the baddies sometimes and the Joker was an interesting character)

Playing around with Submissive Dr!Tim

Dr!Tim Safewords out Ask;  Follow-up: Drabble: Sub-Drop

Dr!Tim: London Bridge is Falling Down (Bad ass Tim and a little hurt/comfort at the end)

Missing Scene from “London Bridge” (cute and a little angsty with Hurt Dr.!Tim and the L-word)

Post London Bridge Ask (guest starring Tony Stark)

Meet and Greet

Cute Dr. Tim taking care of overwrought Dick Ask: (The muse for Jason died a hard death >.<  comments that make me sad do that tho)

Scary things:

Subdue (Tim/Ra’s non-con; be careful if you read this, tagged for triggers)

Fooled You Tim/Ra’s Valentine’s Day thing

Follower Posts!

100 Followers! Night Sky Drabble with Tim and Older! Dami; Sleeping Tim Drabble; MCU Steve/Bucky/Tony drabble Hurt/Comfort; Cross-over au! Where Dick and Jay admit their feelings to Tim; NHDB depressing drabble (Dick/Tim);  

200 Followers! Tumblr Ask about Tim having scars from his childhood rather than as a vigilante; Justice is Blind Drabble: Tim and Lady Shiva; NHDB Prompt, sad Dick/Tim; Sick!Tony ask; Sad Ask: Red Robin Posthumous Award

300 Followers!: AOB Drabbles: The Pack (Cass and Fear Toxin) and Mating Bite; Body Swap: The Follow-Up (which I wasn’t really happy with but oh well); Fracture What-If Continuation for Anon; Dr!Tim Drabbles: Jay/Tim Fluff and Smut

400 Followers! : Dr. Tim: The Birthday Present, Robin’s Redemption (such a play on them both), Cross-Over AU! (Marvel Universe and Tim gets a second chance at being Robin), The Suit (shameless Dick/Tim)

Future au!

Part I: Pre-Fracture Tim and a little bit of time travel. How is going to take the “Night Sky” verse? (An attempt at making Fracture go full circle)

Part II: Continuation of lost Future Bats, mentions of Superbats, and attempts at coddling.

Bat Prompts and Drabbles:

Hard Fracture What-If (featuring BatDad and intense feelings; what if B had picked up Red after the Insurgents Battle and brought him back to the Cave right then and there? Watch your feels)

Space Salvagers AU (Jay/Tim)             

Soulmate thing: Robins

Bodyswap (Dick & Tim); Body Swap: The Fallout                         

Concussion Confessions

The night the Flying Graysons Died      

Of Owfucks and Accents

De-Aged Jay (based on fanart)

Fam Stuff (Bats)                                    

Dick/Tim/Dami: 

Drabble 1

Drabble 2

Drabble 3

Drabble 4

Time Travel Ask I, Drabble Continuation  (Fracture Verse)          

Dick/Jay/Tim Fluff: Tim being Tim Ask                             

Graduation (maybe Fracture Verse)

Stalker Photos                                       

Holidays: Cute Holiday Cheer, Sad What-Could-Have-Happened Prompt based off this

Angst: A NHDB kind of Verse, 'What if Dick didn't catch Tim when he fell through the window' Prompt (aftermath of Character Death), Dark!Jay and Tim: Silence (Character Death)

Jason v. the Pit and then I saw this

Hilarity ensues

Jay/Tim Praise Kink

Tim is going to keep kicking ass

Worth the Wait (for Travelallover’s birthday): Based on Robin #10

“I’ve already forgiven you, but I won’t make the same mistake twice” Ask (Dick Grayson & Tim Drake)

 Kid!Tim fics:

Window Seat

Kid!Tim is discovered

Old Fracture Drabbles: Superbats What-If

Convergence: Bringing together all the Tims. (Just an idea I played around with: Dr!Tim, Fracture Tim, Destroyed Tim, Justice is Blind Tim, and Detective Comics Tim)

Firefly Cross-Over for Tim Drake Week (Jason is Mal; Dick is Inara; Tim is Simon; Cass is Tam; Steph is Wash; Roy is Zoe, etc)

Injury/Healing for Tim Drake week (hilarity ensues; Tim is thwarted by Dick’s Sixth Sense)

Heavy in Your Arms Part I;   Heavy in Your Arms Part II  Jason Todd angst; Based off the song with the same title by Florence and the Machine

Crossover: Avengers/Bats

Tim stays in the MCU 

And goes out as Robin                     

Tony Stark being a bro

Early NSFW (Please be advised): 

Need (first in the DCU)

Prompt:  “ Here’s a nice image for you. Jason has Tim bent over the counter...” (I was so new to Tumblr, I just threw it up as quote LOL)

Voltron: (They all stink, please see @satire-please for better stuff)

Team Dynamics

Left Behind

Waking

You Not the Lion

Miraculous Ladybug

Play : Shameless Adrien/Ladybug, MariChat, and Adrinette (if only I covered LadyNoir. Damn) with fake identity porn and hetero smut.

 Non-Fiction stuff (I guess?)

Writing

Writing Choices

A little bit about Jason Todd’s mouth (just some ramblings about how his accent kind of evolved

[purewanderlust]

So I recently read @idiopathicsmile‘s fic,  World Ain’t Ready for the first time because, as usual, I am late to everything. And then I read it again because I have an obsessive personality. And then I made a fanmix because god forbid I use the small amount of free time I have to relax or do something useful.

Anyway. Tracklist and rambling under the cut. 

Listen on Spotify!

This mix is a compilation of tracks that follow the story and individual tracks for each member of the ABC. I’ll notate the latter but the not former, because you should just GO READ IT YOURSELF.

Also, I know people more dedicated than me stuck to songs that would’ve existed in the era of the fic (’05-’06) but honestly I have questionable taste in music so I only managed that for about half of the 35 tracks included. Oh well.

1. Agnes - Glass Animals (Grantaire) Your head is so numb/That nervous breath you try to hide/Between the motions/That trembling tender little sigh

2. Detention - School Gyrls So tell me what I got to do/To get this boy's attention/Now I'm in trouble

3. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana Our little group has always been/And always will until the end

4. Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t Have) - Buzzcocks You disturb my natural emotions/make me feel I'm dirt and I'm hurt/And if I start a commotion/I'll only end up losing you and that's worse

5. Le Pastie de la Bourgeoisie - Belle & Sebastian (Eponine) Don't be scared, like the books you've read/You're the heroine/You'll be doing fine

6. The Kids Aren’t Alright - Fall Out Boy And in the end/I'll do it all again./I think you're my best friend/Don't you know that the kids aren't al-, kids aren't alright?

7. Rebel Rebel - David Bowie (Jehan) They put you down, they say I'm wrong/Your tacky things, you put them on

8. Kick Jump Twist - Sylvan Esso (Courfeyrac) Now aren't you gonna do the dance for the camera/Dance for the shutterbug

9. American Idiot - Green Day Welcome to a new kind of tension/All across the alienation/Where everything isn't meant to be okay

10. Slow March - K.Flay Stupid I've been abusing my mind/Number than ever I'm losing the time/And all that I want is to do what's impossible

11. Apollo - Magic Man (Enjolras) Won’t you take my hand, like I know you will/When you’re sparkling madly in the moonlight/Don’t you understand that I need you still

12. Bad Decisions - Two Door Cinema We've got the time/Gonna work. It's worth it. Found the perfect crime/You don't need to know what everybody's thinking/Looking back at yourself

13. Soft Revolution - Stars We are here to take the blame/To take the taunts and if the shame/We are here to make you feel/It terrifies you, but its real

14. Ruby Blue - Roisin Murphy You'd better stop/And try to think/Look what you're doing

15. Free - Jack and the Weathermen (Combeferre) Try to keep it in perspective/Saving all the unprotected/Still the people unneglected/We are all connected

16. Bad Liar - Selena Gomez Your touch like a happy pill/But still all we do is fear, oh oh/What could possibly happen next?

17. Fitz and the Dizzyspells - Andrew Bird (Joly) Comes and goes/Like the fits and dizzy spells, like the weather/And it gloats /Like it knows whats going wrong, like its clever

18. Ne Me Quitte Pas - Regina Spektor (Musichetta) And yes, they know that it will melt/And yes they know New York will thaw/But if you're a friend of any sort/Then play along and catch a cold

19. Ca Plan Pour Moi - Plastic Bertrand (Bousset) It's not today que le ciel me tombera (It's not today that the sky will fall)/Sur la tête (on my head)/Et que l'alcool me manquera (And I’ll have no glue to sniff)/Ça plane pour moi (That’s cool with me)

20. Where the Sky Hangs - Passion Pit I've got somebody else just to keep me on my toes again/I can barely stand when you're coming too close

21. You Gotta Feel It - Spoon (Bahorel) You gotta feel it yes you gotta feel it/To get it right even one time/You gotta feel it don't take notes/Just clear out your mind/Let go your pride/Feel it inside

22. Young Pilgrims - The Shins (Feuilly) But I learned fast how to keep my head up 'cause I/Know I got this side of me that/Wants to grab the yoke from the pilot and just/Fly the whole mess into the sea

23. Love - Lana Del Rey (Marius & Cosette -- sorry, they have to share) Look at you, kids, you know you're the coolest/The world is yours and you can't refuse it/Seen so much, you could get the blues but/That don't mean that you should abuse it

24. Shake the Sheets - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists So cut out the morbid verse. I know you'll make it work/And how're you gonna save the world, when the world ain't ready?

25. Say It, Just Say It - The Mowgli’s When you said this was ridiculous/And you kissed me just because/You knew it'd shut me up/All right well then say it/Just say it

26. Made for Ending - Jukebox the Ghost Let's cut it off/no use in making up/let's stop pretending/I should have known right from the start that we were made for ending

27. I Wish You Would - Taylor Swift I wish we could go back/And remember what we were fighting for/And I wish you knew that I miss you too much to be mad anymore

28. Change Your Mind - The Killers And you won't let go/While I ignore, that we both felt like this/Before it starts to show/So if I had a chance/Would you let me know?

29. Uprising - Muse You know that their time's coming to an end/We have to unify and watch our flag ascend

30. A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay Stand here beside me baby, watch the orange glow/Some'll laugh and some just sit and cry/But you just sit down there and you wonder why 

31. Fall for You - Secondhand Serenade The best thing about tonight's that we're not fighting/Could it be that we have been this way before/I know you don't think that I am trying/I know you're wearing thin down to the core

32. Goodbye Lovers and Friends - Franz Ferdinand Don’t fake your memory/Don’t give me virtues that I never had/Don’t get sychophantal/We never were sentimental/I know I took more than I ever gave

33. 400 Lux - Lorde We're never done with killing time/Can I kill it with you/'Til the veins run red and blue?/We come around here all the time/Got a lot to not do

34. Hurricane - Something Corporate You don't do it on purpose /But you make me shake/Gonna count the hours 'til you wake/With your babies breath/Breathe symphonies/Come on sweet catastrophe

35. Such Great Heights - The Postal Service And I have to speculate/That God himself did make/Us into corresponding shapes/Like puzzle pieces from the clay

[dragonshost]

Back To The Start

Chapter 1: Resolution

Pairing: Acnologia x Lucy

On FFN:

On AO3:

Summary:  Lucy has lost everything she ever cared for, all thanks to the black dragon of the apocalypse. So, with the help of two old journals belonging to her ancestor Anna and a dragon slayer 400 years dead, she will find out the secret to Acnologia's defeat. No matter the personal cost.

Dedicated to @tammyscythe - I hope you enjoy the first chapter of your giveaway prize.  I’m sorry that it took me a full year to get this posted.

This fic is going to be chock full of headcanons, and largely ignore whatever is in Dragon Cry.

Enjoy.

Heaving a sigh, Lucy pushed back from her desk, chair wheels squeaking on the plastic floor cover. Rubbing her eyes, she let out a yawn. "That's it!" she stated. "I'm done for the day! No more!"

Behind her, at his own desk, her supervisor laughed. "Calling it a night?"

"Yeah. Couldn't write another word if I tried." Lucy stretched, her joints creaking as if she were eighty instead of eighteen. For good measure, she flexed her hands and wrists. Soreness had long since set into them, and it was a relief to put down her pen at last.

Without looking up from his own work, Jason passed her a ceramic mug. "Mind filling this up before you head out?"

"Sure thing." Plucking the mug from Jason's fingers, Lucy grabbed her own mug and stood up. A short walk, and she was at the break room in Sorcerer Weekly's headquarters. After she placed her mug in the dishwasher, she eyed the brown sludge that remained in the coffee pot. Long since cold, the grounds had congealed and were starting to smell funny. The liquid didn't seem much better.

"Getting you tea instead!" she called out across the empty bullpen, sticking her head around the corner of the breakroom door. "The coffee's no good!"

A thumbs up was raised above the partition in acknowledgement.

Lucy gave the cup a quick rinse, then dropped a tea bag in, and poured hot water from the water dispenser on top of it. While it steeped on the counter, she popped lid off the coffeepot, removing the filter and grounds and tossing them in the trash. Thankfully the building cleaners hadn't arrived yet. One quick scrub later and it was back where it belonged.

Removing the tea bag, she dumped two packets of sugar in. Jason would need the extra boost, and after two weeks of working with him, Lucy had come to notice that he had a sweet tooth that could almost put Erza's to shame.

The thought of her redheaded friend sent a pang of loneliness through her chest.

But Lucy ignored it, grabbing the mug and walking back to her desk.

"Thanks, you're the coolest." Jason finally looked up from his article-in-progress, and watched as Lucy gathered her coat and keys. "Finally getting used to the odd hours?"

Lucy smiled wearily at him. "I always kinda kept weird hours, so the adjustment was pretty easy."

"That's good! When do you think you'll have the research ready for that report on Boscan mage guilds ready for me?"

"Hmm... tomorrow afternoon, if I really crack down on it."

Jason beamed. "Cool! That'll be perfect. See you tomorrow, and take care on your way home!"

"I will. Bye, Jason."

Leaving the office, Lucy stopped at looked at the sky overhead. It was almost completely dark out, and Crocus's streetlights blazed against the night sky - too bright for her to see any stars.

Her footsteps dragged as she made her way to the train station. It wasn't too far from the office, which was nice, she mused. So were the bento lunches sold in the kiosk by the platforms. Lucy purchased one, before hopping on her train to Magnolia. She ate it silently as the train pulled away from the platform.

The scenery began to flow into the night, a formless blur as the train picked up speed. If she were being honest, the food tasted much the same. Lucy couldn't remember the last time food had excited her. She patted her stomach. She'd lost some weight recently, with her appetite mostly gone.

Three weeks ago, that thought would have made her happy. But for some reason, she couldn't seem to stir herself to the emotion.

She threw away her bento box, only half eaten.

Lucy stared out the window, her gaze unfocused and unseeing, even if there was some way she could see the world outside the train. She yawned widely - the steady thrum of the moving vehicle lulling her into drowsiness. With a shake of her head, Lucy held back another yawn. She wished Crocus wasn't so far from Magnolia - the three hour-long commute each way was brutal.

Maybe it was time for her to look for an apartment close to the office.

Maybe it was time to accept the fact that there was no one she loved still in Magnolia.

Maybe it was time she stopped waiting for people who weren't coming back.

"Now pulling into Magnolia Station."

Lucy jolted in her seat at the announcement, having dozed off despite her best efforts at staying awake. She gathered her things in a hurry, just barely ready to go by the time the train doors opened with a hiss.

Magnolia was quiet this time of night, and the streets were mostly empty. Light and sound still spilled out of the taverns, but they were the only source of life along Lucy's route home. Her feet thudded on the pavement, carrying her swiftly past the pools on light that spilled out the doorways. The sounds grated on her, and her head spun. Focusing on the ground, Lucy picked up her pace a little more, nausea swimming inside her. Soon the sounds of the taverns were behind her, as she entered the residential district and turned onto her street.

Once in front of her apartment, she reached for her key. Her fingertips brushed against the cool metal of her keyring, and Lucy found herself fighting against another wave of nausea. She gagged, and furiously fumbled keys in her hands, hands shaking as she found her apartment key and tried to get it into the lock. Missing twice, she got it into the keyhole on the third try. Pushing the door open, she rushed into her apartment, and to the toilet where she vomited what little she'd managed to eat.

She knelt on the cool tile, hands clutching the porcelain and breathing heavily.

“Princess,” a soft voice called behind her.

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, steadfastly ignored her concerned spirit.

“Princess.  I have prepared a fresh change of clothes for you, along with a hot towel and a glass of water to cleanse your mouth.”

“Virgo,” Lucy whispered hoarsely, unable to raise her voice any higher.  “Thank you.”

“You are most welcome. However, I believe you are suffering from acute exhaustion, and that you should take the day off tomorrow to recuperate.”

“I can’t.  I have a report to hand in.”  Gratefully, Lucy took the water from her spirit.  She held the water in her mouth without swallowing, swirling it around and then spitting it out into the toilet.  Then she took the towel, wiping her face as she flushed the vomit away.  “I promised. I can’t… I can’t break anymore promises, Virgo.”  Her voice cracked.  “I can’t!”

The spirit sat down beside her, and held her while she cried.  “You didn’t, Lucy,” she consoled, gently rubbing Lucy’s back.  “You didn’t break any promises to Aquarius.”

“I did!  She was my spirit!  I… I sacrificed her, Virgo!  What kind of…” She hiccupped.  “What kind of celestial wizard does that?”

“You had no choice; Aquarius made the decision.  You didn’t betray anyone.  Not us. Not her.  Letting your friends die would have been the betrayal, and thanks to you it didn’t happen.”

A wail warbled out of Lucy’s throat, as broken as her heart.  “Then why are they still gone?!”

Virgo had no answer for that.  She continued to hold Lucy, until she cried herself out and fell asleep in the spirit’s arms.  Once she had, she changed her clothes, then picked her up and tucked her into bed.

Lucy watched herself struggle against the demons.  She shouted, and sobbed as Aquarius vanished in a shower of golden light.  Pounded at the walls of the invisible bubble from which she observed, screaming for Aquarius to come back, to rewind time, for anything that could return here friend to her.

But just as before the spirit was gone, and there was nothing Lucy could do about it.

Her eyes streamed with tears, as she watched her friends fight for their lives against Tartaros.  Trembled, when she felt the boneshaking roar echoing in the dark sky.  Wings of darkness filled the sky, and suddenly she was no longer watching him combat the red dragon, but staring down its maw as it consumed Tenrou.  She was paralyzed with fear, her legs unable to move and the bubble that prevented her from helping her friends no detriment to the dragon’s wrath.

Then the red dragon fell from the sky, a gaping hole in its midsection.

Lucy screamed and cried for Igneel, but mostly for Natsu. His father falling, dying.

Nothing Lucy could do to stop it.

Her arms were covered in blood, as a man laughed over her death. Palace tile merging with the rubble left in Tartaros’s wake, her own corpse lying broken on top of it.

When Lucy was jolted violently from sleep, she promptly turned over and grabbed a bowl lying on the floor beside her bed, then vomited into it.

It wasn’t long before Virgo appeared.  She gently wiped Lucy’s face with another hot towel, and removed the bowl for cleaning. “I will let your work know that you’re not coming in today,” the spirit told her softly.  To which Lucy could only nod weakly in agreement.

Everything was gone. Everything she loved, vanished like water droplets thrown at a fire, evaporated to nothing.

Her mother, her father, Aquarius, the guild, her friends.  Gone.

Natsu.

It was as if the black dragon had blasted a hole through her, as well.  A void through which her friends had fallen.

Everything was that dragon’s fault.  It had prevented her from having a relationship with her father, from being there when he died.  It had led to Future Rogue destroying the future with his own hands, and trying to eliminate any chance of hers.  It had brought down Igneel, whom Natsu had searched for, for so long.

“Princess,” Virgo announced, returning to Lucy’s side.  “Your boss said to take all the time you need – he’d make do with what you left behind.”

Left behind.

Lucy was rubble.

And it was all the fault of that dragon.

“Virgo.”  The spirit nodded in acknowledgement.  “I think… I think Erza mentioned… a library.  Where is it?”

“I presume you mean the Sorcery Library,” she intoned.  “It’s not far from Magnolia.  Half a day’s walk.  But you can’t mean to go when you’re in this condition, Princess.”

Lucy shook her head. “I don’t think I can stomach travel today.”  Her smile at Virgo was wobbly.  “But I’m taking tomorrow off as well.  Maybe… maybe more than just tomorrow.”

The pink haired spirit stared long and hard at her key holder, her friend that was pushing herself too hard.  “Is it too much to hope for that you’ll take the time to rest?”

“I can’t afford to,” Lucy informed her.  “That dragon is still out there, Virgo.  He took everything away from me.  He’s terrorized this world for too long.  But he must have a weakness.  Somewhere. I’m going to find it, and help my friends and stop him from hurting anyone ever again.”

She took a deep breath.

“I’m going to find a way to kill the black dragon, Acnologia.”

[oumiyuki]

Happy maker!

Summary: August 3rd is a very, very special day. So special, that Honoka couldn’t keep her excitement down for a week after she came up with the best plan to spread the joy and love she felt with all her friends.

Pairing: Nope, not pairing. Muse is a group of tight-knit friends here. :'D 

Genre: Friendship and Family

Author Notes It’s midnight. 2am? And I finished scouting for our dear Honoka~ in SIF! *O* 400+ loveca stones!! And I managed to get 2URs and 5SSRs! Ahh~~! Honoka is so~~ cute~~! Ahem! X’P Sorry ‘bout that. Happy Birthday, Honoka! :’D May everyone enjoy and smile~! *W*

Honoka woke with a smile on her face, and that's perfectly acceptable since today is a special day. But she woke before her alarm clock sounded, that brought a whole new sense of accomplishment in the gingerhead's life.

"Woah! I can totally brag about this to Umi-chan and Kotori-chan later!"

Waking before her alarm was one thing, having plans that she's going to carry through all on her own, without any form of assistance by her childhood friends or family is another positive and possibly shocking difference for this special day.

Ah, but I think Umi-chan will be mean and just say: "Honoka, this is something you should be doing everyday."

Honoka pouted for a second.

At least Kotori-chan will praise me! Something like: "That's amazing, Honoka-chan! I'm so proud of you!"

Honoka laughed happily as she thought of how her childhood friends will react when she told them she woke before the alarm rang.

Kicking the blankets off with excess enthusiasm, Honoka wore her wide smile from her bed, to the closet, to the bathroom and back.

Donned in her school uniform, she gave her red bowtie a strong pull to tighten it, the gingerhead giggles to herself.

"Today is going to be so fun!"

And the more-energetic-than-she-would-be-on-normal-days gingerhead bounded out of her room towards the kitchen fridge.

"Good~ Morning~ cake!"

Honoka flashed a blinding smile to the cake she practiced many a times to bake before it was a success, and was currently sitting in the fridge for her to take.

"It's time for a walk, cake-san~"

The eldest daughter of the Kousaka house chuckled as she carefully pulled the cake out and into a neat cake box with green heart shape patterns.

I sure hope she likes it! And I made sure it's edible too! Hehe~

Honoka ran up and down the stairs to her room and around the house to grab all that she have been preparing for a week; all for this special day.

"Yosh~! I double, triple, checked this five times already! I most probably, shouldn't have- definitely have all that I need!"

Honoka had her hands to her hips as she nodded proudly at the stuff she needed to carry to school, not forgetting her school bag.

At the sounds of footsteps she knew belonged to her younger sister, Honoka spun around and ran up the stairs once again.

"Yukiho~~!"

Yukiho's alertness skyrocketed as she blinked up to a smiling widely older sister running at her with her arms spread apart – probably for a hug.

"O-Onee-chan?! Mm-"

The excitable ginger engulfed her younger sister in a warm, tight hug, slamming some air out of the younger Kousaka too.

"Good morning, Yukiho! I love you!"

Honoka pecked a kiss to her younger sister's pink cheeks before Yukiho could recover.

"Eh? Um...I love you too..?"

Yukiho barely managed a reply after returning a squeeze to her older sister's bone-crushing hug, and said older sister was zooming down the stairs again.

The young redhead wore a lopsided smile as she heard her older sister's loud and energetic voice from downstairs; a huge smile the gingerhead is definitely sharing with her parents too.

"Onee-chan, happy birthday." Yukiho whispered; knowing it'll take awhile before she gets to see her older sister again today.

The moment Honoka spotted her mum and dad, she dashed and threw her arms around them.

"Good morning, okaa-san! Otou-san! I love you!"

A peck on her mother's cheek as Kousaka-mama giggled and rubbed warmly on her daughter's back, and another peck on her father's cheek as Kousaka-papa patted his daughter's head.

"We love you too, Honoka. Take care, okay?"

"I will! I'm off~!" Honoka shouted as she exited her home with all her prepared gifts, not staying to see her father shed happy, manly tears while her mother laughed heartily.

Honoka skipped down the streets to Otonokizaka Academy, that huge, upbeat grin becoming permanent on the gingerhead's face.

Spotting a head of long ash-grey and another with long dark blue hair, Honoka's grin became a full blown smile with her pearly whites gleaming as she sped up to catch her best friends.

"Ko~to~ri~chan~! U~mi~chan~! Good~ mor~ning~!"

Her two childhood friends stopped in their tracks and turned around, finding an orange haired high school student who had clearly over packed for the day, running over.

The stricter of the two was about to open her mouth to reprimand the gingerhead about many things, but didn't get a chance to begin as her jaw dropped from the lines spouted from the gingerhead next.

"Kotori-chan~ I love you!"

Honoka had jumped the ash-grey haired girl the moment she was in glomping distance, eliciting a surprised yelp from Kotori. Honoka only proceeded to rub her cheeks on her childhood friend's soft, rosy cheeks, making Kotori giggle and return the hug.

The reciprocal hug only lasted a second as Honoka's love declaration not only froze one, but two of her childhood friends.

"Eh?" Kotori managed after some time.

Honoka pulls away from the hug, leaving her hands on the surprised ash-brunette's shoulder, beaming happily like nothing out of the ordinary happened.

"I've got something special for you today, Kotori-chan."

Honoka continued in her own pace as she reached for the bag she packed the cake in, before handing it over to the still too stun to react girl.

"I baked a cake for you. I hope you like it. Ehehe~" Honoka laughed sheepishly with a hand rubbing the back of her head after Kotori accepted her gift.

"Um..." Kotori didn't know what to say; though it seems like Honoka wasn't seeking for a response, as the gingerhead switched her attention to the bluenette who had frozen beside them.

"Umi-chan!"

Honoka easily hooked her arms around the archer's neck and pulled the bluenette into a tight, warm hug.

"I love you~" Honoka cooed loudly; repeating a similar rubbing of cheeks with the current childhood friend in her embrace.

"H-H-H-Honoka?!" Umi stuttered out.

Honoka giggled as she took a step back and pulled her gift for Umi – new archery gloves wrapped in an ocean blue gift paper covered with yellow stars.

"I know yours are quite worn from all your practicing daily, so I got you a new one! I even made sure it's your size, so don't worry!"

Umi blinked twice, accepted the gift, blinked another three times before she looked at the gift.

"But it's..?"

Umi was going to question why Honoka is giving out presents on her birthday, but her words fell short at the sight of the brightly smiling gingerhead. Is this the feeling of awestruck?

"Ah! I've got another six gifts to go, so. See ya in class!"

Honoka ran off into the school with her remaining bags (which was still a lot), leaving her two childhood friends to watch her go.

"Umi-chan, what just happened?" Kotori asked, her eyes not leaving where Honoka just ran off to.

"I think we just got presents from the birthday girl." Umi shook her head with a disbelief but happy grin.

Kotori giggles softly. "That's just like Honoka-chan. Always surprising us."

"Indeed."

Honoka figured that two of her seniors will be easily found in the student council room since they said they'll help out this morning, and so to the student council room the Leader of Muse went.

In all her excitement, Honoka forgot basic manners of knocking as she threw open the door, causing Eli to shout in surprise and Nozomi to raise both eyebrows.

Honoka was not one to be knocked off her momentum easily as she closed the doors loudly and ran up to the former Student Council President and engulfed the recovering blonde in a huge hug.

"Eli-chan~ Good morning-I love you!"

"Ehh?! Honoka?!" Eli was wide eyed and was holding onto the desk so as to not fall out of her chair due to Honoka's powerful hugging or from the consecutive shocks she had received in a span of two minutes since the Leader of Muse has arrived.

"Elichi, I didn't think you would..." Nozomi who already recovered from the initial surprise teased.

"What?! No, Nozomi!" Eli was exasperated.

Nozomi and Honoka chuckled at the same time, while Honoka moved herself back to a proper standing position to grab her gift for Muse's dance instructor.

"Dear Eli-chan!" Honoka started with a too familiar, playful smile.

"Please don't start this, Honoka..." Eli rubbed a hand to her temple, though a bemused smile played on her lips.

Honoka giggled once more before holding her gift box out to Eli.

"This is for you."

"For me?" Eli couldn't think of a reason she should be receiving any gifts today, especially not from the girl they were going to give gifts to.

"Yup. I'm 100% sure that you'll love them!"

Honoka knew how in love her senior was with chocolate; so she went out of her way to find out which was the most well-known and praised to be really delicious before she bought them, and got them beautifully wrapped in brown gift paper and a golden ribbon.

Eli was going to ask why or what the present is for, but the gingerhead already started for the purplenette who lowered her crossed arms, readying for a hug; which she received.

"Nozomi-chan, I love you!"

Nozomi giggled and pulled her junior in for a tighter hug; because she likes how warm Honoka felt, and also because she didn't want Honoka to see how much she was blushing.

"Where are these pleasant surprises coming from, Honoka-chan?" Nozomi queried when Honoka wriggled out of the embrace to fetch her gift for the Spiritual Mother of Muse.

"Because today is a special day!" Honoka answered with a ginormous smile, handing her gift over simultaneously.

"It sure is~" Nozomi grinned as she took the gift from Honoka into her hands.

"I, er...know that Nozomi-chan is usually really lucky already, but... this is...more than just a lucky charm. It's to protect and bless you all round!"

Honoka fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, slightly nervous that Nozomi might find her gift kind of overly simple- it could be seen as just a fortune slip after all.

Nozomi smiled sweetly at Honoka being nervous as she brought the precious paper close to her chest.

"I love it, Honoka-chan. And I'll treasure it even after I pass on." Nozomi winked.

"Mou... Nozomi-chan..."

Honoka pouted for a moment before smiling again and bounded out the door.

"I've got more gifts to share. See you later!"

Nozomi and Eli both grinned at the shut door which the bubbly gingerhead left from.

"Are you going to eat them now, Elichi~?"

Eli shook her head, smiling.

"Nozomi, how do you even know it's food?"

Nozomi chuckles. "Intuition."

Eli gets off the chair and walked over to the mini fridge in the student council room, and placed her gift inside.

"We'll share it with everyone later."

Nozomi grinned wider as she joined Eli at the desk to finish up the miscellaneous paperwork.

The next viable location would have been the first year classroom to catch all the first years, but Honoka's gut was telling her to go to the music room instead.

As she was getting closer, melodic piano notes reached her ears and she couldn't help but smile even wider than before.

Honoka stops just outside the music room to wait for the redhead to finish playing, and when she did, Honoka clapped – loudly and enthusiastically.

"Vuee?!" Maki looked up alarmed. "Honoka?!"

Honoka beamed as she entered the music room and walked inside.

"Maki-chan really plays the best music!"

"Wh-What are you saying, Honoka?" Maki turns away and started twirling her hair out of a nervous habit.

Honoka chuckled and sat herself beside the pianist.

"Maki-chan."

Maki wanted to remark that she didn't give Honoka permission to sit beside her, but stopped when Honoka said her name so gently.

"What is it?"

Honoka pulled out her gift for Maki.

"I got this for you. I hope you like it. It's, er... I wish for Maki-chan to keep doing what she loves!"

"Vue? A gift for me..?" Maki stopped twirling her hair to take the rectangular gift, wrapped in pink and red gift paper and a lot of smiley and musical notes.

Honoka grinned happily when Maki's lips pulled into a smile, and the inevitable hug reaches the unsuspecting redhead.

"Maki-chan~ I love you!"

"H-Honoka?!"

Maki toppled backwards on the bench while Honoka just laughed.

"See you later, Maki-chan~"

Honoka gave a final squeeze and smile to the flustered redhead before she ran off.

Maki stared at the ceiling as she collected herself.

"How is it that even on your birthday, when I was going to do something special for you, it's you who beat me to it?"

Maki propped herself up and smiled at her gift.

"It's probably something stupid... And probably something I'll like..." Maki placed a hand on her gift, her grateful smile still lingering.

Honoka pulled the first year classroom's sliding door open with a resounding slam, startling the students inside.

"Rin-chan! Hanayo-chan!" Honoka called loudly as she made eye contact with her two friends. "Come outside!"

Rin didn't see a need to question why as she ran outside, while Hanayo apologized to her classmates before following behind her bestfriend.

The moment Rin stepped outside, she was pulled into a hug by Honoka.

"Rin-chan, I love you!"

Hanayo shrieked in surprise as she shut the door tightly, and Rin laughed heartily.

"I love you too, Honoka-chan, nya!"

Honoka laughed along as she got Rin's gift out.

"This is for you, Rin-chan!"

"Wahh!" Rin cried out as she took the book of vouchers. "Ramen?! Voucher?! Nya?!"

"That's right!" Honoka smiled widely, proud of her own capabilities to make her friends so happy; she knew collecting a whole lot of free Ramen vouchers for the ramen-loving-cat girl is a brilliant idea.

"Thank you, Honoka-chan, nya~" Rin glomped Honoka once more, as the two of them laughed happily.

"Um..." Hanayo stared at the two gingerheads nervously.

Honoka untangles herself from her junior's hug to give Hanayo one.

"Eh? Eh? H-Honoka-chan?"

Hanayo stammers in surprise, not sure what to do but hug back.

"I love you, Hanayo-chan!"

"Ah..! I...I love you too, Honoka-chan!" Hanayo tightens her hug on her close friend.

Honoka chuckles as she pulls away. "I'm glad you do! This is for you, Hanayo-chan."

Honoka lifts a heavy looking bag over to the timid girl.

"A-A gift?"

"Yup! It's top grade." Honoka winks as she passed the gift over to Hanayo.

"Ah!" Hanayo almost drops the gift. "I-It's heavy!"

"It's your favourite!" Honoka chuckles and waves to the two first year before running off again; one final gift to give.

"How heavy is it, Kayo-chin?" Rin hopped over to assist her best friend, surprised by the weight.

"I think Honoka-chan got me top-grade rice...But..."

"But?" Rin blinked in wait, wondering what was wrong.

"How was Honoka-chan able to run over so quickly with a 2kg bag rice, and who knows what other things she had!?"

Hanayo exclaimed with disbelief. Rin laughed.

"Hm~ Only one place Nico-chan will be!" Honoka decides as she takes off towards the Idol Research Clubroom.

"Ni~co~chan~" Honoka chimed as she skipped into the clubroom.

Nico turns around from her chair at the computer, putting on a displeased look.

"What is it, Honoka? You're awfully loud this early."

"Ehehe~ It's cos' I'm happy!" Honoka beamed wider as she pulled the grumpy third year into a bone crushing hug.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?!" Nico struggled and tried to push Honoka away. "You're crushing me! Honoka!"

Nico wasn't pushing Honoka away because her bones were being squeezed though, she was just feeling embarrassed from the extremely warm hug and attention.

Honoka chuckles as she pulls away. "Sorry, I didn't mean to crush you."

Nico sighs and quickly looks away to hide her reddened face. "It's fine. What do you want?"

Honoka was smiling broadly once again at the reminder. "I've got a gift for you!"

"Huh?! What are you saying? Today is when you receive gifts!" Nico huffed angrily.

"Ehehe~ I suppose. But I want to share the happiness of this special day. So I decided to give everyone gifts!" Honoka pulled out a 30 x 40cm collage board she made with Nico merchandise like pin badges or bookmarks, and snippets of magazines of Nico and Muse, a bunch of pictures she took of Nico, solo or with Muse and herself.

Nico was left speechless at the gift that obviously took more than a night to put together; indicating how Honoka's whim to give gifts on her own birthday was planned.

"I...hope you like it..." Honoka took a turn for shy, similarly with Nozomi, as she scuffled on her feet. "I kind of pasted a picture of me hugging you in the centre before I placed the other pictures... sorry if you find it embarrassing. Nico-chan could paste another picture if-"

Nico snatched the collage board from Honoka carefully, to stop the gingerhead from blabbering.

"Who said I don't like it? This is going to be hanging in my room from now on!" Nico declared, not bothering to hide the blush on her face anymore.

Honoka's confidence and happiness meter flew back to 110% at Nico's honest words. "I love you, Nico-chan." Honoka remembered to add before she left for her classroom.

"Love..?" Nico shook her head as she lifted the collage filled with love, effort and memories; Nico smiled at it.

"That idiot... It's your special day so let us make you happy instead."

.

.

.

Honoka is popular. Very popular; as expected of the girl who brought eight friends together to challenge something new and seemingly "a crazy idea" to save her school.

After the gingerhead gave her gifts to her cherished friends she loves oh-so-much, she was swamped by classmates, underclassmen, underclassmen and even teachers; each wanting to wish the bewildered Leader of Muse a happy birthday, and to give their gifts to her.

The school day passed with a whole lot of smiles, presents and well wishes (and some love confessions), Honoka was happy, happy but slightly exhausted.

The gingerhead walks out the school gates and releases a short breath of air.

"Hwah. Today sure was eventful! Exciting. And fun! Hehe~"

Honoka stretched towards the blue sky, in preparation to skip home-

"WAHH! N-Nozomi-chan!"

Honoka whined and shook in protest to break free from the purplenette's washi-washi hold.

Nozomi giggled. "Hm-hm~ You were wide open, Honoka-chan~"

"That doesn't mean you should..." Honoka couldn't quite bring herself to say the words 'grope me', and she trailed off, her face red from embarrassment, especially since her senior's hands are still on her breasts.

"I shouldn't what~? Mm, Honoka-chan~" Nozomi teased as she gave her captive's growing chest another squeeze, eliciting a whine from the gingerhead.

"Let me go, Nozomi-chan..."

Nozomi relented; she didn't mean to make Honoka cry, and a teary-eyed Honoka pouting at her was a bit too potent to even to the usually unfazed Spiritual Mother of Muse.

"Sorry 'bout that, Honoka-chan~ my mission is to bring you to my house actually~ not too much on the washi-washi~"

Nozomi grinned with her eyes closed to hide how flustered she was feeling from the very cute display Honoka was presenting.

"To Nozomi-chan's house?"

Honoka straightened her back and tilted her head to a side, not understanding why she needs to go to Nozomi's house.

"Yes, silly. For your birthday party." Nozomi started walking towards her house.

"Oh! Well, no one told me... or reminded me... was I informed?" Honoka jogged to catch up with Nozomi.

"There was a golden invitation letter in your locker, but was probably missed out, along with all your other gifts~"

"Eh?! Really? I'm sorry for not noticing!" Honoka was wide eyed, and couldn't believe she almost missed out on her own birthday party with her friends.

"Who knows~" Nozomi giggled suspiciously.

"Eh? What's that supposed to mean? Nozomi-chan~!" Honoka whined cutely for part way of the walk to Nozomi's house until she came to a conclusion that Nozomi was probably just joking with her about the golden envelope.

The moment Nozomi opens her front door; the two were met with happy chatter, mouth-watering aroma of Nico in the kitchen cooking and warm smiles of their friends.

"Wow~ This is too much! You guys didn't had to go so far for me..."

Honoka had pink tinting her cheeks as she took in the birthday decor setup in her senior's apartment – happy coloured balloons (red, orange, yellow) floating around or stuck to the walls, along side a happy birthday banner that was definitely designed and drawn by Muse's designer herself as she saw the all too familiar illustration of herself in the center, the rest of Muse located on different parts.

Nozomi's dining table was already filled with plates, bowls and trays of food; most definitely whipped up by Nico the number one cook, and desserts; high chance was single-handedly baked by Kotori yet again. Honoka didn't miss out on the rice balls though; no doubt that Hanayo played a part in that.

"Honoka-chan."

"Honoka."

Honoka was tearing up again for an entirely different reason; she was greatly touched by her friends efforts for her, and she quickly used the back of her hand to wipe the appearing tears when they called her name.

"We want to do this for you, Honoka." Eli emphasized the genuine desire to give Honoka an unforgettable and heartfelt birthday.

Watering ocean blue locked eyes with soft light blue, and Honoka felt tears incoming again; what did she do to deserve the attention of all these wonderful friends?

"I don't know what to say..."

Kotori approached Honoka with a handkerchief as she dabbed gently away her best friend's tears.

"You don't have to say anything, Honoka-chan."

"Thank you...Kotori-chan..." Honoka breathed strongly from her nose.

"Yeah, you can be thankful. But we are here wondering if this is enough, because of you trying to one-up us this morning, Honoka!"

Nico gestured at the entire house with mock anger; Nico is more than over the moon from Honoka's surprise gift, and is quite confident that the party they planned is flawless.

"I'm...sorry?" Honoka seeked forgiveness from the petite third year.

"You don't have to be. Sheesh. Stop crying and enjoy the party, okay? You have to finish all the food I cooked. And we have two cakes!"

Nico shook her head with a blissful smile.

"Eh? Two cakes?" Honoka composed herself and asked.

Kotori giggled and the gingerhead look over to her childhood friend for answers.

"I baked a strawberry shortcake for Honoka-chan's birthday. And you gave me a cheesecake this morning, Honoka-chan."

"Oh...Well, the cheesecake is meant for you, Kotori-chan." Honoka grinned at the blushing ash-brunette who shook her head.

"I want to share with everyone."

"Well! Everyone is eating all together anyways! Let's party!" Honoka cheered, and it didn't take long for the rest to join in.

.

"Wahh! Top grade rice really tastes different! From the texture, to the sweetness, to the stickiness..."

Hanayo begun a long speech as she gushed about the top grade rice Honoka gave her, and she asked Nico to use to cook for everyone.

Honoka chuckles as she took a bite of the rice ball Kotori offered to feed her; happy to have made Hanayo that happy.

.

Soon, they decide to bring the birthday cakes out to sing happy birthday to Honoka and eat some cake before they get too full.

"Hehe~ Having two birthday cakes feels really special!" Honoka giggles happily, she felt like poking the cakes to steal a taste, but Kotori was there to take the laughing gingerhead's pointer finger away before it touched the cake.

Maki clears her throat and silence followed as all eyes landed on the redhead; Maki twirled her hair out of habit.

"Honoka..."

Hesitant violet met excited and patient cerulean; Maki smiles, feeling more confident.

"I made a disc filled with me playing the piano since you say that you like my piano playing so much-"

"The best!" Honoka chimed with a broad smile.

"And...We got together to record a 'Happy Birthday' song for you, accompanied with my piano. Um, this is for you."

Maki quickly hit the play button before it got any more awkward, and everyone begun clapping as they sang 'Happy Birthday' to Honoka.

"Aww man. This is..This is..."

Honoka was so overwhelmed with emotions and feelings from the piano playing, the recording, and the actual live singing from her friends all around her, she felt like crying tears of joy again.

"Make a wish and blow the candles, Honoka."

Umi instructed in a soft, gentle and understanding tone, giving Honoka's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Honoka nodded and shut her eyes, bringing her hands together in a prayer as she made her wish.

"I wish to celebrate our birthdays together, year after year after year after year, forever! Even when we're white haired grandmas!"

Honoka opened her eyes and blew out the candles, her permanent smile widening.

"I love you all!" Honoka exclaimed, running around to give everyone heartfelt hugs once more.

.

"Hey, what's Umi's gift to Honoka?" Nico asks pointedly as she took a bite of the cheesecake Honoka baked, having already finished a slice of strawberry shortcake.

Umi looks over to an expectant Honoka, and the lyricist grins.

"My gift to Honoka is..."

"Is..?" Honoka's eyes sparkled in anticipation.

"To turn a blind eye to Honoka's slacking."

"Ehh~" Honoka whined.

"Once."

"Only once?!" Honoka couldn't take it as she shook Umi's shoulders in disbelief; the bluenette just laughed softly at Honoka's unimpressed face, and the rest laughed along, not expecting Umi's answer.

"What about you, Rin?"

Maki asked after lots of laughing.

Rin bounced to her feet, and ran to her bag and back to the birthday girl.

"I got Honoka-chan some cat ears!"

Honoka laughed and gladly accepted the cat-ears, apparently they were wired to be able to sense the user's emotions and the ears will move accordingly; such as droop if she's feeling sad.

"Aww~ These are really cute and fun! Thank you, Rin-chan!"

"Nya nya nya!" Rin exclaimed happily. "Rin will be Honoka-chan's pet cat for the rest of the party too~"

Rin rubbed her head against Honoka's thighs, eliciting a happy chortle from the gingerhead.

"I got a really adorable cat!" Honoka tickled Rin's chin as a show of appreciation which Rin purred happily to.

"How about Elichi~?" Nozomi grinned knowingly at the blonde, Eli shook her head as she beckoned for Honoka to go over to her.

"Eli-chan?"

"This is for you, Honoka. Take it as our graduation gift too."

Eli passes her green bowtie to Honoka; a memento of a third year, and student council president since it's from Eli.

Honoka fought the urge to be emotional again as she hastily removed her own red one to put Eli's green bowtie on.

"Now I'm everybody's senpai!" Honoka had her hand to her hips, expecting someone to play along, but no one addressed her by 'Honoka-senpai', instead the room was filled with happy laughter yet again.

Honoka pouted for a moment before joining in the laughing. This is how Muse is after all – no senpai-kouhai relationship; Muse is a family.

Honoka was gifted a smile filled, joy filled birthday spent with her family, and she couldn't wait for the next.

  Author Notes

:'D Happy Birthday Honoka. X'D

I hope everyone will keep loving Honoka, and enjoyed this story, and received the smiles Honoka and I wanted to share with everyone. *O*

Wow, it's 3am now. -chuckles- Time to dream of Honoka! X'D

Leave a comment if you like~ And keep~ smiling! X'D

[grchcmisms-blog]

Return || FB - 400 || Self

Walking home was a casualty as well as a time to rearrange thoughts. Graham always used this time to his leisure, prolonging the span between leaving and arriving, trying to spend as many waking moments as self-involved as possible. He no longer had a desire to share thoughts with words, to speak, even when spoken to. Since the painful loss of his mentor he found himself knit tightly with silence, almost having taken a personal vow. No one really noticed the exceptional quiet, he was never particularly talkative to begin with. The only words people had heard from him in his last living days came in the form of quill to paper, words on parchment. It was the last push he had needed to completely give up on the life he was never supposed to have. So broken heartstrings bled the blues. Graham had never considered himself suicidal, but he had found himself in questionable situations with rather morbid possibilities more and more often recently. Sometimes it was something small, like leaving the candles lit when he went to sleep, not caring if it were knocked over, sending himself up and the house up in flames. Other times, it was something bigger, more obvious, like when he would climb onto the roofs of buildings, claiming he was seeking muse, but secretly fantasizing about an earthquake, or a surprising noise that would knock him from his placement on the high safety to the ground. He wondered whether the noise would be dramatic, like a ’crunch’ or a maybe even a reasonable ’splat,’ or whether it would be a muted noise, a ‘thump,’ the sound of a rock hitting soft underfoot. Rather anticlimactic.

Some would say that he always had that mentality, that lack of self preservation and the urge for his life to diminish before his very eyes in a swirl of dust. They would be correct in that sentiment, at least in some way. Graham had never truly cherished his life, he was never thankful for it. There were very few moments, if any, where he found himself thinking he was glad to be alive, not even in passing, not even for a second. He flaunted the Earth in a blissful indifference as a child, an empty shell that held on only by pure coincidence. Then, as he grew older, as more people fell like crumpled sacks of mud around him, his blissful neutrality soon became a dull ache. A throbbing in his chest region, right below the heart, and another, pressed up against his brain and skull, telling him that this life was no longer worth living. His life was a death sentence from the moment it began. He had always known himself to be a beacon for destruction, and he always thought that perhaps that would end if his life did. Death was always a way out, a plan B lurking around every corner. It called to him from sharp objects and tall places, it cooed like a mother to a child, coaxing him to the edge of cliff, the waves offering a sweet caress. He always restrained himself, held back from going out of his way to cause such a messy fate, however, he always found himself in a constant swirl of ’if death barrels in my direction, why should I flinch?’ It was that exact notion that kept his feet planted in the path of an unruly horse.

His eyes found the horse quite quickly, it was hard not to with the commotion surrounding such a thing. A whip, a startled coachman, and quite a bit of screaming. He looked at the scenario unfolding in front of him slowly, as if the clock wasn’t ticking for him to move out of the way, his last moments to save himself from total destruction. He didn’t take it. He felt his fists close in on themselves instinctively, his body’s natural reaction to run being fought with every fiber of his being. He wanted it, actually, he needed it. All he found himself thinking as the carriage barreled towards him was ’so this is what’s it’s like.’ His entire existence was building to the moment he ceased to, that’s what he had always believed, and as the coachman screamed at him, eyes bugging out of his head as he tried to warn Graham, they made eye contact. Then there was a bright burst of light, a noise loud in his right ear, and nothing. The sensation of death is like drowning, even if the cause is nothing to do with water, swallowing mouthful, lung, mouthful, of something that isn’t quite air and then… numbness. It’s painful, and then peaceful. All at once. Once the pain subsided, Graham found that he liked death. Oh, how morbid a thought. He loved it; the feeling of it, the force. He always knew he would, and there was something so pleasurable in finding out he was right. The dull ache that had plagued him through his entire life was gone, empty, it left him with a feeling of pure freedom, of unadulterated nothingness that filled the desecrated void that he believed his humanity had been. They say there are stages of grief when it comes to dying, but what they don’t tell you is that the same stages apply for coming back. The next thing Graham saw was white, but not a light this time. It wasn’t a walkway to heaven, or whatever it is that people say you’re supposed to see when you die. It was smoke, shifting around his face, breathing into his lungs despite the fact he no longer felt as if he required oxygen. Sucking in air, or whatever it was that was corroding his vision, was a comfort. It drifting through his nostrils and lungs, clouding his vision. Cool on his skin. He found his arms, his hands, his legs. He pushed himself up, face searching for something other than white, and he was greeted with just that. Darkness, black. A long empty stretch of field and despite the smoke covering the sky, making him wonder whether there was really a sky at all, he somehow knew it was night time. If it were a time at all, that was. He half expected the clouds to part, to reveal a sky of stars or perhaps for him to jolt out of a dream. Was this this other side? The thought flooded quickly and he felt a gnawing at his stomach as he got his footing. Of course he would be damned to a life of spiritual limbo. He had heard stories, tales, myths, of this place, or of what he assumed this was. Was he a specter? Was this real? He felt a growing frustration, a growing confusion. Where was he? “Hello?” His voice was demanding, saturated with disbelief and vexation, agitated, and maybe even the slightest bit afraid. His voice echoed back to him despite the lack of walls or mountains, there were no barriers, not that he could see. His voice didn’t stop there, it continued it’s bounce, back and forth, back and forth, the volume increasing each time until he was screaming at himself, his voice so loud in his ears he crumpled back to the ground, hands covering his head as the word beat him like a brick. Then it went silent.

He woke up in a field, the same field, gasping for air he still wasn’t sure he needed anymore. His senses were blurry, coming back slowly, one by one as he coughed and spit, blood and God knows what pouring from between his lips as his vision streaked its way into existence. The shine of a bright early morning almost blinding him again as his eyes lids fought to open, his entire body protesting, as if it knew that he should no longer be there. Limbs cracked, trying to bring themselves out of positions they weren’t made to be in. His eyes flickered through the pain, through the light, taking in the surroundings. They were the same, while being entirely different in every way. The smoke was gone, the darkness was missing. That echo dissipated into thin air, as if it had never existed. Maybe it hadn’t, of that he was still unsure. The next thing he noticed was that he was covered in mud. It was caked to his clothes, his skin, his hair. He was drowning in dirt, and more than displeased to find the other inhabitants of his mouth were insects, hands planted on the ground as he struggled to sit up, dry heaving and his brain reeling as memories flooded back. Was the darkness a dream? He was hit by a carriage, that much was painfully obvious, how else would he have gotten into this situation? Another thing he knew, or was almost sure he knew, as he struggled on his hands and knees, still emptying his body of whatever fluids and contents had decided to make a home of it, was that he should’ve died. He should be dead. Did he survive? The question struck like lightening, sending pain down his spine that wasn’t quite physical. It looked, it felt as if he survived, but he died. He knew he died, he had felt it. Confusion and nausea over took his body, a shaking in his hands and arms that was caused entirely by his panic. He took another look at his surroundings, head not much clearer but more desperate and curious now. He was pushed off road, down a hill. Either the horse wasn’t to be stopped at even the collision or the coachman was in a hell of a rush. He stared at his hands with a sort of angry confusion, fists flexing to be sure they were real. Was he dreaming? He couldn’t place the reality for the situation, he couldn’t sense if this was right, if it was what was supposed to happen. He pushed himself off the ground, trying to dust dirt off his pants and matted tunic, both covered in blood that he could only assume was his own, as he struggling with the waves of emotions coursing through his head and chest, almost drowning him all over again. He wiped the blood from his mouth. This felt a lot like survival, a lot like something he wanted no part of. How long had he been in the field? Was he still alive? Had he died? Was this a sick joke? He didn’t know, he didn’t know anything and he felt the overwhelming sense of frustration and confusion from what he could only guess was real returning, and it wasn’t until he was taking slow steps towards the trail ahead that he realize he shouldn’t be able to walk. He was hit by a carriage, his legs should’ve been the first to give, they where bound to be shattered, broken, unusable. He could only feel the frustration and anger mounting at the thought, and suddenly he found himself at the verge of absolutely losing it. There was no way he’d survived that crash, it was completely implausible, unlikely to the brink of absolute insanity. The universe was laughing at him, as if he were some huge cosmic joke, a fluke.

As he found himself trudging up the hill, struggling to make his way back home, he had the thought, his anger and tension piquing. “To cheat death twice is an anomaly, a complete disassembly of the facts to life. No, I’m not cheating death. Death is cheating me.”

I. DENIAL & ANGER

The thoughts hit like a horse running at him full speed, except impossibly harder, because while that he expected, desired even, this was a page of a novel he hadn’t even known existed. There was an immediate anger that went hand and hand with the idea of being forced to continue living on this plane of existence, of surviving well past what he felt he was reasonable. No, it wasn’t that, it couldn’t  be that. He was a smart man but he suddenly found himself opposing logical ideas like a child who couldn’t get his way. This was a mistake, another happenstance were he, for some reason, avoided death. This was a joke, a blip in the universe, an i left undotted and a t uncrossed, a mistake plain and simple. He walked through town, covered in mud and blood, face hard as rock and eyes blazing with an anger that could only belong to someone who was scammed, who was betrayed. His veins were alight with an anger, a complete irrational blazing hot frustration that was driving him home, back straight and fists clenched at his sides as he strode with almost a confidence, a positivity. A woman looked at him with a shock, pulling her child from his path as if he were a monster, and he supposed he looked that way, eyes only meeting her for a moment as he continued his trek, his quick yet agile pace not slowing nor stopping for anything. He was going to finish this. He was tired of being laughed at, being picked on by whatever entity controlled life, whatever controlled him. He wasn’t going to be a play thing, not anymore. He had decided he was going to die today, he refused to accept otherwise. It was a breaking point, waking up in the field not once but twice. Something was messing with him, or maybe trying to save him. It is possible to save someone who has no desire to be saved? No, it isn’t possible, because while you could save them from situations, you cannot save them from themselves. An elderly woman in her rocking chair, she always sat in her upstairs window, looking out over the town in blissful silence. Graham knew her, he had bought apples from her from the market before, she was kind and always gave him a smile, asking him about his writing, but as she looked at him now, her face fell into that of fear. She wasn’t concerned, not like she would be when seeing him under normal circumstances, her face contorted into that of plead, her eyes shining. She would never look at him that way. He felt as if she was no longer looking at him, she was looking at something else entirely, like was gazing upon a man that is no longer Graham. She looked at if she was expecting him, and he felt a growing feeling in his stomach, he didn’t know what it was, but it was telling him no. She wasn’t ready. This was unsettling, it gave him a sense of anxiety, almost like he should turn around, that maybe there was something behind him, something on him. Something riding his back, a part of him that maybe wasn’t there before. He didn’t stop, not even with the concerning thoughts or the shocking look he was greeted with, his face didn’t falter, he didn’t flinch. He was being driven by insistence and anger, all the things he had felt throughout his life, all the loss and pain, all the emptiness, it built itself up like a tower, a castle teetering on the edge of falling over. It all screamed in his ears, only feeding into his determination, his persistence. Death was going to finally knock on his door, he was going to give it no choice. Two full grown men, drunk and making their way home after a long night knocked into each other, faces covered in confusion and alarm as they fumbled out of his way, eyebrows drawn together and eyes betraying a certain fear that could only be evoked by something truly horrid. What has he become? What have the last few hours, days, weeks, of time spans he isn’t sure, but what have they made him?

II. BARGAINING

Then he’s tying a noose, fingers quick with his anger, fumbling over themselves and only making his ferocity more intense. He undoes and redoes it several times because he couldn’t seem to get it right. His brain still isn’t processing what it is he’s going to do, it’s too overrun with emotion, and even if it had been able to understand, to keep up, it wouldn’t have been able to stop him. He was finished. Graham was no longer going to wait, he wasn’t standing in front of a carriage anymore. Waiting for death wasn’t an option, it was refusing him, it was pushing him away. He had to make it come to him, he had to force it’s hand. He was certain this time, there would be no way, no possibility of survival. He stood on the chair, neck wrung tight with a rope as he took what he felt was going to be his final breath, then he stepped off and the chair fell, he was in midair. First, there was the restraint, his breath being taken from him and pain, his eyes watering and mouth gasping for breath instinctively as his legs flailed. It felt like the first part of dying, that’s what he would tell you. Or, well, it did for the first twenty minutes or so, after that, it was just uncomfortable. He was hanging there, a rope digging into his neck, stopping air from entering his lungs, but he wasn’t losing feeling, not anywhere. His vision was fine, he could move his limbs perfectly. How long had he been hanging there? He looked at his curtains and tried to judge what time it was, tried to guess why the amount of light filtering through. It was only then that he realized that this wasn’t working. He was hanging there, for what felt like ages, and he could still guess the fucking time. He supposed that answered the oxygen question. He brought his hands to the rope and pulled himself up with a surprising ease. He had never been particularly strong or well trained in the physical regions. That fact, however, was taking a back seat, as he had more pressing questions, more upsetting and frustrating things to consider. His feet touched the floor once again and he flung a fist at the wall, punching a hole clean through it, something he had never be able to do before. There wasn’t new blood on his hands, his knuckles weren’t torn. They were fine. This thought brought a new one, of what the rest of him looked like, his clothes torn and matted with blood and dirt. Perhaps a bath was in order, maybe it would clear his head, wake him up. Maybe this is all a dream, a sick, twisted, hyper realistic dream that’s squeezing his mind, made to torture him even further. Looking at himself he knew he’d have to clean up, at least as best he could, before making his way to bathhouse. He couldn’t go back outside in this condition, he had caused enough of a stir in the town, and he couldn’t imagine that his appearance had improved at all since he’d reentered his home. His fingers touched his throat where he felt the rope indents still pressed into the skin.

III. DEPRESSION & ACCEPTANCE

He stripped off his tunic, face distorting at the sight of it, and the sight of his bare chest covered in earth. He could help but think that he had really had bled a lot, it had to have been more than he contained in his body, the red streaking over all his skin like a morbid oil painting not made for the faint of heart. Then he stepped into the mirror and saw his own face. His eyes were hardened more than he’d ever seen them before, they were harsh and unforgiving. The skin on his cheeks were almost unrecognizable, his face looked different. It looked hollow. Blue eyes gazed into blue eyes, staring with ferocity that didn’t belong to him. He could still see the lines where the rope had dug into his neck, the marks clear and prominent, even when opposing all the other marks and streaks covering his skin. He could remember every time he had done this. When his parents had died, that was the first. He had stared at himself with such a hatred, such a dislike. It was the first time he had really wanted to die, the first time he had gotten that ache in his chest. He saw himself, those same eyes, as a young boy, as a teen, as a young man. He had given himself that same look millions of times before, but now it was different. His eyes weren’t the exactly same. They were still crystalline blue, the pure physicality of them was the same, it was still exact, but there was a new sadness, a new immortality shining back at him like a beacon. It was screaming at him. The way his eyes sat and shone on his face, the line of his mouth, the sharpness of the bones on his cheeks and jaw and the color of the bright red contrasting his light skin. He finally knew, a new feeling running through his bones as disgust took over his features, his eye contact not breaking not even for a moment. All this time, all this fucking time he had been searching for death. Candles, cliffs, roof tops, carriages, rope, he had been searching, seeking, desiring. He had wanted it for so long, and this whole time he had been looking in the wrong place, peering around the wrong corners. Now, as he stared himself dead in the eyes, he finally knew. He had been confused, thinking that death would save him, thinking it would be the end, that it was waiting for him. It wasn’t a reprieve, it wasn’t destined to save him after a life of sadness and regret, he wasn’t meant for a clean ending, he was never designed for a peaceful rest. This whole time he had been looking, searching around him for the answer as if it were hiding when really, it had been here, in his polished metal mirror, this whole time. He shook his head slowly, subtly, lips drawing back to bear his teeth as he narrowed his eyes, his reflection mimicking the action. His gaze didn’t break as his mouth finally spoke the words, the disgust and realization, the displeasure, prevalent, obvious as he spit. “So, I finally found you, you son of a bitch.”

[ulfwolf]

Wolfku Musing 117

Sunlight to starlight  to sunlight again as Life to Death  and then Life

Twenty-four hours. Day to night to day again. We don’t reflect on this too often, but this cycle really is a lifetime for some, say a mayfly who, indeed, wakes up one morning to fly about all day but most likely will not fly at all the one following.

By the way, why is a mayfly called a May-fly anyway? Well, if you have heard that these little darlings start hatching from their water-larva state starting in May each year (to then continue to hatch, hatch, hatch through the balance of spring and most of summer) then you’ve heard right. Yup, that’s why the name. So, next time you see, or run into, a swarm of these flying critters, be assured: the days have been getting longer for a while.

It is also true that the mayfly is incredibly short-lived. Once out of the larva stage, the female mayfly gets bored with life on Earth after about five minutes, and departs this world then and there while the more long-lived male can make it through not only one day but on occasion a whopping two. But these boys don’t waste a single second of the 86,400 to 172,800 they have been allotted, and spend most if not all of them mating and reproducing. 

In other words, sexing like there’s no tomorrow.

As for nicknames, I don’t know where on earth they got it from, but it’s true that there are folks in our land that refer to them as Canadian Soldiers. Why? one wonders. Not a clue. They are certainly not called that in Canada, where they’re better known as shadflies. And then the British had to weigh in with the more observant and anatomically accurate: up-winged fly.

To some, the mayfly looks like a multi-sectioned flying ant for its abdomen consists of ten individual segments. Strangely enough, some of these segments carry open-and-closeable gills (like a larva hangover). Why? you ask. Well, with so many sexual seconds to fill, perhaps they need to take a break now and then and go for a swim, only to discover that they don’t know how to. No worry, no drowning here. We have gills. I think the word is amphibious.

Actually, I think the word is sloppy evolution, in-elegant.

Most people don’t like mayflies. One people, however, loves them, and these people are called fly fishers; and they love the mayflies because from May on, a fly fisher’s favorite fly to fish with is a mayfly fly (I can say that 23 times in a row, and fast, without screwing up). You may have noticed (or not) that once the mayflies start to hatch, the avid fly fisher starts using artfully made flies resembling this flash in the insect pan. The reason? you ask.

Well, I answer, the mayfly is an extremely popular dish for many a fish, trout included, and since fish keep a close eye on the calendar and know when May rolls around, they will then lunge for anything mayfly-like and if they’re really short on their luck—or karma’s not so good—they’ll swallow an artificial one, much to the fly fisher’s delight and the trout’s dedark.

I think that’s a devious tactic, though, and should be outlawed.

Here’s another interesting mayfly tidbit: they are winged protein and are good food even for humans. What is seen as a nuisance in America is seen as a gift in Africa. Locals around Lake Victoria, for example, gather mayfly adults along with Chironomid midges to make a type of patty called ‘Kungu’. Yum. In fact, this protein-rich food is an important part of their diet.

And bakers in Malawi add them to breads and cakes. Yum, again.

Weird, you say, but did you know that children in the Congo will eat live larva that they dig out of trees, these white larvae so fat that they explode when you bite into them. No, I don’t know this from personal experience, from books. This, though, is my way of offering that there’s no accounting for taste.

So, other things (fish and humans) like to eat them. But what do they eat in turn? The answer is nada. Nothing at all. Why? you ask.

Because they don’t have mouths, I answer.

There is, in other words, no such thing as over-eating in the mayfly world; no diet issues or cookbooks. No counting calories.

Really, it stands to reason, since for adult mayflies, as different from the two-hour old adolescent nymphs, every second (except for those spent swimming slash drowning slash using gills) is earmarked for reproduction and, yes, feeding the occasional lucky fish.

They simply don’t have time to eat so they never developed functional mouths. As larvae, on the other hand, the have very good mouths indeed, which they use consuming tons and tons and tons (as a species) of algae.

I wonder if there are mayfly fly-fishers who fly-fish with algae looking flies? 

Turning now to reproduction: mayflies have lots of babies. Let me restate that: mayflies have LOTS of babies. The female mayfly (who, remember, only lives about 300 seconds, spends the tail-end of those valuable seconds (having first been duly mid-air impregnated) laying anywhere from 400 to 3,000 eggs on waters surfaces. These eggs soon sink to the bottom where they eventually hatch into hungry larvae—look out algae.

Oh, I can hear the question now: How, with about five minutes’ worth of life, does the female mayfly manage to get pregnant? Well, let me enlighten you.

This is what happens:

A mayfly’s life cycle starts with a bunch of horny males forming a cloud-like swarm of “come-and-get-it” above the water for the females to fly into (and they do) to mate—in-flight, no less. The words airborne and orgy comes to mind.

The clouding male mayfly, who is equipped with elongated front legs developed for this very purpose, grabs a passing female and the pair then mate in the air, on the wing (which could be one reason they have very well-developed wings, come to think of it). Done sexing, the male lets go of the female, who now—with a precious minute or two left to live—descends to the water surface where she lays her tons of eggs.

Once done, literally spent, she then collapses on top of the water, gives up her ghost, and now, motionless with her wings spread on the water, does a different “come-and-get-it”, this time for the fish who now pick them off at their leisure.

The male mayfly (say that fast, ten times) rarely returns to the water but, as the final hours approach, instead wings off to die on dry land. Should he, however, return to the water for a late-life swim, he will not, gill-equipped as he is and as we’ve already discussed, drown.

One curious thing about mayfly eggs, by the way, is that they are extremely sensitive to pollution. They like, even demand, clean water. Even modest levels of water pollution can kill up to 80 percent of the eggs, and that is why scientists sometimes use the density of viable mayfly eggs to quickly determine the purity of the water.

I biologists are to be believed, they have been around for a long time, the mayflies, and have over the years caught the attention of many of us humans; Aristotle mentions the mayfly in his “History of Animals.” The poet George Crabbe used the mayfly as a symbol for the brevity of life. And these days many people gather to witness the swarms that form and rise during hatching season. In some regions, the number of insects is so incredibly voluminous that they show up on the local weather radar.

The selfsame biologists say that mayflies have been around since before the dinosaurs, and after more than 350 million years of trial-and-error evolution, they have now perfected what they consider the art of life. Not so sure I’m all that impressed.

They start as eggs that soon turn larvae, which after a month or so hatch into nymphs (also called naiads) who emerge from the water to then, give them an hour or two, mature into adults to reproduce and then start a family of at least 400.

That’s some schedule if you ask me. They all should wear T-shirts saying “live fast, die young.”

Taking a closer look at their development: one of the many characteristics that makes mayflies the unique insects they are is their two-step evolution from larva to adult. Hatched from the larva as a nymph the mayfly-to-be emerges from the water as a dull-colored sub-imago (or dun) that seeks shelter in bankside vegetation and trees. After an hour or so, the sub-imago now sheds its nymph skin to transform into the brightly colored imago (or spinner). It is not clear why mayflies have retained this unique step in their lifecycle; however, it is thought that they may not be able to achieve the change from nymph to sexually mature adult in one step—which doesn’t say much for mayfly intelligence, I think, if, indeed, they’ve had 350 million years to figure things out.

Some mayfly species exhibit an amazing hatching synchronicity. For example, one North American mayfly species hatches in huge numbers from the Mississippi river every year. The total number of mayflies in this hatch alone are estimated to reach 18 trillion—more than 3,000 times the number of people on earth.

Another thing is that these guys are attracted to lights from riverside towns and villages which on occasion has forced the local authorities to deploy snow clearing vehicles to remove small mountains of mayfly corpses. Not a pretty thought.

What a creature.

Of course, this is not what this Wolfku is about, it’s about our local sunlight vs. our remote suns’ lights, e.g. starlight. It’s about life to death to life again.

It’s about impermanence—a fleeting state of affairs much more easily seen and recognized among our mayfly friends than among us humans. However, if an alien species with a lifespan of, say 30,000 years took a closer look at us, and at our ridiculously short lifespan of 80 years or so, they would indeed be justified in calling us mayflies.

It’s all relative, isn’t it?

::

P.S. If you like what you’ve read here and would like to contribute to the creative motion, as it were, you can do so via PayPal: here.

[socialviralnews]

One woman photographed all 626 of her Facebook friends. Here are 5 of them.

Sometime between New Year’s Eve 2010 and New Year’s Day 2011, Tanja found herself wondering about the concept of friendship.

The night before, she’d been quietly multitasking — handwriting a letter to a friend deployed in Afghanistan while instant-messaging with another in Indonesia.

Waking up the next day, she was consumed with questions about technology and friendship. She started thinking about whether her online relationships were as real as the ones she’d formed in person. She looked at her list of Facebook friends, hundreds of names long, and wondered: “Am I really friends with all these people?”

She knew she had to find out.

Her plan was simple: Travel to the home of every single one of her 626 Facebook friends, spend time with them, and photograph them.

Tanja Hollander's self-portrait with friends Karin and Barry in Auburn, Maine. All images copyright Tanja Hollander, used with permission.

For five years, Hollander crisscrossed the globe to meet her friends in a project she called "Are You Really My Friend?" She traveled an average of two weeks every month, chronicling her journey for fans on Facebook and Instagram. By the time she ended her trip in Israel in 2016, she’d visited four continents, 12 countries, and 34 states, and she'd been welcomed into more than 400 homes.

“I have crawled on the floor to play Legos and read books with children I just met. I have been shown urban gardens, admired chickens and off-the-grid cabins. I saw a bee sanctuary being built in North St. Louis as part of an urban beautification project. I shared a bowl of gumbo in New Orleans with a friend I hadn’t met in real life. In Washington, D.C., I toured the West Wing with a friend who was a staff photographer for President Obama. I have listened to stories of family tragedy and strength, and the difficulties of surviving in this economic climate. Most importantly, I have learned about human kindness and compassion. I continue to be surprised by the number of people, especially the real-life total strangers who have opened their homes to me — offering me a place to stay, sharing their lives, their stories, and their families while allowing me to document it all.”

Colin Dusenbury and Thaddeus Herrick. Photographed at home in Los Angeles.

As Hollander learned more about herself and friendship through her travels, her fans were eager to share their own musings on the subject.

Hollander began soliciting comments at lectures and events, asking attendees to write their answers to the question “What is a real friend?” on Post-it notes.

She eventually collected hundreds of answers, scanned them one by one, and posted them on her website in a garish, beautiful collage.

“It was fascinating seeing the different ways people answered the question,” she says. “Sometimes a kindergartener would have the same definition of friendship as someone with three Ph.D.s.”

12 Post-it notes from Hollander's collection. There are hundreds more.

There are worse ways to pass an afternoon than scrolling through them.

Responses run the gamut from pithy and witty — “a real friend holds your hair back when you’re drunk” — to profoundly sincere — “a real friend sees you at your best when you’re at your worst” — to surprisingly moving — “a real friend has a different life with the same heart.”

Kyle Durrie, photographed in the Type Truck in Brooklyn, New York.

As for whether the project answered her own questions about friendship, Hollander says it did.

Mary Bok, photographed at her home in Camden, Maine, alongside some adorable furry pals.

“I learned that people come in and out of your life at different times for different reasons,” she says thoughtfully. "There is value in relationships that are fleeting and are ephemeral. I have friends that will go see music with me but won’t go see art with me. That doesn’t mean our friendships are less real. And as we get older and have kids and families and relationships, things will change and continue to change. That doesn’t mean our friendships weren’t meaningful at the time.”

Melody, Ike, and Zachary Nwangburuka, photographed at their home in Converse, Texas.

As for whether friendships can be categorized by whether they happen online or offline, Hollander says her opinion is clear.

“One thing is for certain,” she says. “There isn’t a difference between online friendships and offline friendships. It’s something that weaves in and out of everything we do, from work to friendship — everything, literally. There are some people that I see in person more often than friends that exist only online, but that doesn’t mean I’m closer to the people I see every day.

Social media is just a different way of communicating.”

from Upworthy http://ift.tt/2rW9HoK via cheap web hosting

[newstfionline]

Sleep Is the New Status Symbol

By Penelope Green, NY Times, April 8, 2017

At M.I.T.’s Media Lab, the digital futurist playground, David Rose is investigating swaddling, bedtime stories and hammocks, as well as lavender oil and cocoons. Mr. Rose, a researcher, an inventor-entrepreneur and the author of “Enchanted Objects: Design, Human Desire and the Internet of Things,” and his colleagues have been road-testing weighted blankets to induce a swaddling sensation and listening to recordings of Icelandic fairy tales--all research into an ideal sleep environment that may culminate in a nap pod, or, as he said, “some new furniture form.”

“For me, it’s a swinging bed on a screened porch in northwestern Wisconsin,” he said. “You can hear the loons and the wind through the fir trees, and there’s the weight of 10 blankets on top of me because it’s a cold night. We’re trying a bunch of interventions.”

Meanwhile, at the University of California, Berkeley, Matthew P. Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology and the director of the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory there, is working on direct current stimulation as a cure for sleeplessness in the aging brain. Dr. Walker is also sifting through the millions of hours of human sleep data he has received from Sense, a delicately lovely polycarbonate globe designed to look like the National Stadium in Beijing that measures air quality and other intangibles in your bedroom, then suggests tweaks to help you sleep better.

“I’ve got a mission,” he said. “I want to reunite humanity with the sleep it is so bereft of.” Sense is the first product made by Hello Inc., a technology company started by James Proud, a British entrepreneur, for which Dr. Walker is the chief scientist.

In Paris, Hugo Mercier, a computer science engineer, has invested in sound waves. He has raised over $10 million to create a headband that uses them to induce sleep. The product, called Dreem, has been beta-tested on 500 people (out of a pool of 6,500 applicants, Mr. Mercier said) and will be ready for sale this summer.

That is when Ben Olsen, an Australian entrepreneur, hopes to introduce Thim, a gadget you wear on your finger that uses sound to startle you awake every three minutes for an hour, just before you go to sleep. Sleep disruptions, apparently, can cure sleep disruption (and Mr. Olsen, like all good sleep entrepreneurs, has the research to prove it). It is his second sleep contraption. His first, the Re-Timer, a pair of goggles fitted with tiny green-blue lights that shine back into your eyes, aims to reset your body’s clock. He said that since 2012, he had sold 30,000 pairs in 40 countries.

For years, studies upon studies have shown how bad sleep weakens the immune system, impairs learning and memory, contributes to depression and other mood and mental disorders, as well as obesity, diabetes, cancer and an early death. (Sedated sleep--hello Ambien--has been shown to be as deleterious as poor sleep.)

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls sleeplessness a public health concern. Good sleep helps brain plasticity, studies in mice have shown; poor sleep will make you fat and sad, and then will kill you. It is also expensive: Last year, the RAND Corporation published a study that calculated the business loss of poor sleep in the United States at $411 billion--a gross domestic product loss of 2.28 percent.

Companies now fight “presenteeism,” a neologism that describes the lackluster performance of foggy-brained, sleep-deprived employees, with sleep programs like Sleepio, an online sleep coach, and sleep fairs, like the one hosted last month in Manhattan by Nancy H. Rothstein, director of Circadian Corporate Sleep Programs and otherwise known as the Sleep Ambassador, for LinkedIn. For the last few years, Ms. Rothstein has been designing sleep education and training programs for a number of Fortune 500 companies. At the LinkedIn sleep fair, she taught attendees how to make a bed (use hospital corners, please) and gave out analog alarm clocks. (It was her former husband’s snoring, she said, that led her to a career as a sleep evangelist.)

If sleep used to be the new sex, as Marian Salzman, a trend spotter and chief executive of Havas PR North America, proclaimed 10 years ago, today it is a measure of success--a skill to be cultivated and nourished--as a “human potential enhancer,” as one West Coast entrepreneur told me, and life extender.

“Sleep is the single most effective thing you can do to reset your brain and body,” Dr. Walker of U.C. Berkeley said. “We have a saying in medicine: What gets measured, gets managed.”

Sleep entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley and beyond have poured into the sleep space, as branders like to say--a $32 billion market in 2012--formerly inhabited by old-style mattress and pharmaceutical companies.

“I can see sleep being another weapon in competitive parenting and career-building,” Ms. Salzman said. “If you want your child to succeed, do you have to buy them these sleep devices? Sleep is personal, it’s class, not mass, and now the sleep industry is based on technical services, customized for me. It’s a bizarre marriage of high tech and low tech. Chamomile tea is going to have a resurgence, as the antithesis to the whole pharma thing.”

The familiar paradigm of success used to center on the narrative of the short sleeper: Corporate titans and world leaders--like Martha Stewart and our last two presidents--counted abbreviated rest as proof of their prowess. It turns out that short sleepers, as they are known, may have a genetic mutation, as Arianna Huffington pointed out in her 2016 book, “The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life One Night at a Time.”

(It’s worth noting that George W. Bush, formerly a sleep outlier among his presidential peers for clocking in around nine hours of nightly shut-eye, along with a daily nap, is newly popular.)

The Army has proclaimed sleep a pillar of peak soldier performance. Jeff Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon, who used to take a sleeping bag to work when he was a lowly computer programmer, has said that his eight hours of sleep each night were good for his stockholders. Ms. Huffington’s new company, Thrive Global, whose first-round investors include the internet entrepreneur Sean Parker and the venture capital firm Greycroft Partners, is working with Accenture, JP Morgan Chase and Uber, among other companies, on antiburnout programming, which educates their employees on the importance of sleep. Aetna, the health care company, is paying its workers up to $500 a year if they can prove they have slept for seven hours or more for 20 days in a row.

But the growing pile of apps, gizmos and gurus--some from unlikely corners--has led to “pandemonium in the bedroom,” Ms. Rothstein said.

In 2015, the actor Jeff Bridges made a spoken-word album, “Dreaming With Jeff,” a project for Squarespace, that reached No. 2 on Billboard’s New Age chart and raised $280,000 for the No Kid Hungry campaign, for which he is the national spokesman. He collaborated with Keefus Ciancia, the composer and music producer, on a truly weird collection of quasi-bedtime stories, musings about death and also a humming song, with Mr. Bridges’s familiar gruff voice and all manner of ambient sounds that many listeners found more alarming than sleep-inducing.

“I don’t know where this is leading,” Mr. Bridges said the other day, “but I’m steeping myself in the subject. We’re working on something called Sleep Club, which will be sort of a hub for all things sleep related.”

“Dreaming With Jeff” made me anxious, as did “Sleep With Me,” a podcast by Drew Ackerman, a gravelly voiced librarian in San Francisco, whose “boring bedtime stories” are designed to cure insomnia and are downloaded at a rate of 1.3 million a month, as The New Yorker reported last year. I’m more drawn to the thousands of “songs” in Spotify’s Sleep Sound Library, particularly “full gutters” and “office air-conditioners,” and I have a white noise machine. But recently, desperately, I craved a more substantial intervention, perhaps a cure for the 3 a.m. fretting that has plagued me for years.

Mr. Mercier sent me his Dreem headset, a weighty crown of rubber and wire that he warned would be a tad uncomfortable. The finished product, about $400, he said, will be much lighter and slimmer. But it wasn’t the heft of the thing that had me pulling it off each night. It skeeved me out that it was reading--and interfering with--my brain waves, a process I would rather not outsource.

I was just as wary of the Re-Timer goggles, $299, which make for a goofy/spooky selfie in a darkened room. My eye sockets glowed a deep fluorescent green, and terrified the cat.

The Ghost Pillow, $85, has “patent-pending thermo-sensitivity technology” designed to keep your head cool. It is wildly comfy, but when I read what it is made from, a polyurethane foam, I lost sleep. I bought a Good Night Light LED Sleep bulb, $28, which comes with its own “patented technology” to support your body’s melatonin production. I can’t tell if that’s what happened, but since the bulb is too dim for my middle-aged eyes, I struggled to read my go-to sleep aid, a worn copy of “The Pursuit of Love,” by Nancy Mitford, and knocked off a good half-hour earlier than usual. I was up again at 3 a.m., however, as my new Sense pod alerted me the next day, through an app on my phone. And again at 5 a.m., when the cat swatted the pod off the night stand and it glowed red in protest. “There was a noise disturbance,” the app explained.

My so-called sleep summary, as provided by Sense, was both compelling and off-putting. Why is my air quality “not ideal”? And how comfortable am I sharing my sleep habits with a Silicon Valley start-up?

Ms. Rothstein, the sleep ambassador, is less bothered by privacy concerns than by the temptation to wakefulness that phone interfaces pose. And nearly every gizmo seemed to have one.

“We’ve lost the simplicity of sleep. All this writing, all these websites, all this stuff. I’m thinking, Just sleep. I want to say: ‘Shh. Make it dark, quiet and cool. Take a bath.’”

Ms. Rothstein taught me her relaxation recipe, a practice that mixed gratitude with body awareness and breathing. Start with your toes, she said, and thank your body parts for their hard work. (My favorite: “Knees, I know it’s not always easy for you. You can rest now.”)

Still, the best sleep I’ve had in weeks cost $22, and lasted 33 minutes. It was a Deep Rest “class” at Inscape, a meditation studio in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan designed by Winka Dubbeldam, the sought-after Dutch architect, to evoke the temple at Burning Man, and other esoteric spaces, and created by Khajak Keledjian, a founder, with his brother, Haro, of Intermix, which they sold to the Gap for $130 million in 2013.

Mr. Keledjian, a meditator, aims to make the practice both secular and modern: a “mindful luxury,” he said. Though there are human “facilitators” in each class, who gently touch the feet of snoring attendees if they get too loud, the practice is guided by a recording made by an Australian female member of Mr. Keledjian’s company. “We call her ‘Skye,’” he said. It was lunchtime on a rainy Tuesday, and I settled onto a soft mat outfitted with a bolster, a pillow and a cozy fleece blanket. “Skye” urged me to stay awake, and then delivered a script like Ms. Rothstein’s, in mellifluous antipodean tones. I drifted once or twice, and from the muffled snorts of the other attendees, they did too. That night, I slept until dawn.