#tortoise tries to write

[awanderingtortoise]

I feel very strongly about my zoyalai classical musician agendas

[awanderingtortoise]

One of these people recently deleted their ao3 account and I remember their comments so vividly but for the love of god I cannot place the username and its messing with me so bad 😭 if you're reading this I appreciate you so so so much thank you you are the fuel of my creativity

Dude it is SO FUN and EXCITING to see a reoccurring reader. If you've commented a handful of times on an author's work, I guarantee that they recognize you. You can't imagine how many times I've excitedly informed my friends "the person with the funny cat image commented!" "- anon is back!!!!" and the friends've recognized who I was talking about because I talk about my commenters so often LOL. We love you all!!!

[chronicowboy]

if food be the language of love (eat up!) | 6.3k

Buck learnt the language of food a lot quicker than the others. It came to him naturally, Bobby said once in the early days. It would be a long time before Buck came to realise that was because it was a language of love, and Bobby would tell him that his heart spoke that language more fluently than any other, and Buck would blush and shake his head and think about how the only person he'd ever spoken love to as a child was Maddie. He was stumbling his way through it now, trying to catch up with everyone else. Bobby had just smiled and told him the fable of the tortoise and the hare, and Buck had tried challenging him to a foot race to see who the tortoise really was just to get away from the big thing shuddering in his chest.

For a long time, Buck spent most of his downtime at the station writing a new language with Bobby. They started simple but important. Breakfast. Nouns. Egg, Bacon, Sausage, Pancake, Waffle, Hash, Toast, Muffins. And before he knew it, he was sharing these new words with Maddie, Sister, like a little kid after their first Spanish lesson. And she gave him gold stars in return.

After he'd mastered breakfast, they moved onto lunch. This was trickier. Harder to pin down. Conjunctions. The connection between the first meal of the day and the last. The in between. The sandwich caught on the go after one call, before the next. The wraps and salads that got them through a grease fire after a pile-up had eaten up all the energy of a breakfast. And the team had their own language of gratitude for him: groans of appreciation and thank you's muffled by mouthfuls.

Dinner. Verbs. The daunting part. The big one. The core of the language, but so tricky to get right. So nuanced. Because it wasn't just verbs, it was tenses, and it wasn't just the -ed suffix, but irregular verbs too. And dinner wasn't just pasta or rice or potatoes. Dinner was a language of its own. Bobby taught him this.

(or: buck talks to eddie the only way he knows how - through food)

[takenbypeter]

Hiii I’m the one that requested the previous imagine, I absolutely loved it you did such an incredible job🥲❤️ I wanted to know if I could request another one again with Bob x Black Canary!Reader? Maybe like a continuation of the previous one. This time all of them go on a mission & it looks like things are going well until a villain (you choose) manages to get a collar around the reader’s neck that disables their sonic scream. Anytime she tries to use her power it causes her severe pain. It gets to the point where if she even tries to say a word without using her powers it hurts her. Everyone on the team gets back from the mission is frantically trying to figure out how to disable it and remove it safely. We see both Bucky and Yelena extremely worried for their closest friend and Bob comforting the reader + helping Bucky & Yelena with removing the collar bc that’s his girl👀But in the end they figure it out. Please and thank you! I swear this is my last Black Canary reader request lol you’re just sooo great at writing these��🏻

Believing In Bob

Bob Reynolds x reader

Word count: 1902

A/N: yayyyy another Bob request! So happy! I’m glad you enjoyed the last one, I can tortoise this is going into be as good. Whenever I write long fics I feel like I lose the plot halfway cause my brain just starts going everywhere

*Ding*

The elevator doors opened and the Watchtower that was previously still was suddenly full of noise as the team entered the larger area. 

“What if I just bust it open with my shield?” Came out of John Walker’s mouth as he lifted his shield towards your direction. You flinched, but before he could take any further action Bucky and Yelena jumped in between your two bodies. 

“Woah, woah! What are you trying to do, kill her?” Yelena asked her hands out in front. 

“In case you forgot you can do real damage with that shield,” Bucky mentioned and Walker’s arm fell back to his side. 

As soon as it did, the tension calmed again, “relax, I know how to use this.”

“Yeah that’s what we’re afraid of,” Ava breathed out, causing John to shoot her a look. 

Getting scars or wounds from missions wasn’t uncommon. But this? This, while, occurred once before was not common. 

“Are you sure screaming isn’t doing anything? Try screaming again,” Alexei suggested. 

“She’s already tried that, it just made things worse,” said John. 

You all had been sent on a mission to fight, who knows what yet. And what was supposed to be a simple mission ended up being an ambush. 

And while you all were dealing with different battles, trying to help each other while avoiding your own, somewhere along the line two of the goons pushed you down while a third wrapped around you and managed to get a collar-like device locked around your neck. 

The hold was one you’ve gotten out of many times before. Nothing your sonic scream couldn’t get you out of, is what you thought. But as you opened your mouth, the sound you emitted was cut short as a surge of power ran throughout your body. 

The feeling felt electrifying. It was the most prominent in your throat. You grunted at the burning sensation you felt in your vocal area afterwards. 

Noticing your struggle Alexei was quick to help you free and you managed to fight off the rest. 

During the battle you noticed Bucky needing some help of his own as multiple people began crowding in on him. You tried to scream, thinking if you screamed louder that would have some sort of effect on the device as well. 

But, screaming the loudest you could was probably not the best idea as all that did, was leave you with an intense, deep, and painful feeling unlike anything you’ve ever felt before.

You all managed to retreat, without even getting any intel so it all was a waste. 

On the way back the team noticed your predicament which leads up to the current time, with the others trying to come up with a solution, while you rolled your eyes at most of them. 

Body aching and tired you took a seat on a nearby stool, letting a sigh escape from you as you threw your head on your closed fist.

Bob was quiet but quick to be by your side while the others continued arguing. “How you holding up?”

You turned to him offering a disheartened expression, “…hurts,” you croaked finding it hard to even say that. 

You couldn’t believe two screams and you were already in so much agony. 

“Do you want water?” He asked, trying to be helpful. 

You shook your head, mouthing thank you to him. You honestly weren’t sure what the water plus the electricity would do to you and you weren’t sure you wanted to take the risk. 

“Bob!” A voice rang out causing you both to look back over to the group. “Can’t Bob use his powers, I mean, the man has the powers of a god!” Alexei shouted and the team turned to the both of you. 

“Yeah! Have you forgotten what you did to my shield or should I bring that taco back up here? ” John said pointing at the brunette who began glancing around at the eyes glued to him. 

“That was "Sentry "."

 “Oh come on, that was you! You can do it if you put your mind to it, and all that bullcrap. The point is you can do it,” John said. 

Bob turned to look at Yelena who shrugged, “you have been practicing.”

“Wait a second, this might be just as risky as Walker’s plan. How do we know physically altering the collar won’t cause a worse type of electrical surge?” Bucky added, trying to be the voice of reason in the team. 

“Well then leave the choice up to her, whatever she wants to do we’ll do,” Ava nonchalantly suggested. 

All eyes were now on you and after meeting several you turned to Bob. 

While you should’ve been concerned about yourself you were more concerned about Bob. Especially with that expression on his face. His jaw was held tight and his eyes were focused in thought. You could tell he was starting to feel the pressure. 

Without a thought you hopped off from the stool, landing while holding up a T for time-out before you grabbed your phone. 

Everyone waited as you typed out a message and then showed Bob. 

You okay?

Was all it said and Bob shot you a surprised look. 

You shouldn’t be worrying about him, you should be worrying about yourself. But still he took a breath and relaxed a bit. “I’m fine. All I’m saying is that I don’t know if I can do this, I don’t have full control of my powers, what if I make it worse?”

“So maybe no super strength. Oo!” Alexei snapped his fingers before pointing at you two, “super heat!” 

“And what burn her neck?” Yelena said. 

The team grew quiet for once thinking of another idea, until eventually Ava spoke up from where she stood further from the others, “you have matter manipulation powers,” she suddenly remembered as she pointed at Bob. “Yeah, that’s how you stopped me in the past. You can alter shapes as well. If you use it you can rearrange the molecules and create an opening in it for her neck.”

Everyone looked at Bob again who looked taken aback himself. 

“Have you practiced that?” Yelena asked. 

“No.”

The team was soundless again and John abruptly left. He came back after a few seconds with a dumbbell in hand and set it down in front of Bob. 

“Ain’t no time like the present Bobby.”

Bob, whose eyebrows have lowered with each passing minute stared at the object. After taking a deep breath, he reached out and focused hard. 

You all watched. Time went by while the dumbbell remained the same. 

“Nothing’s happening,” Alexei whispered, causing John to turn to him, “yeah we know nothing’s happening we’re all watching the same thing you are.”

Bob lowered his hand avoiding everyone’s eyes, “well I can’t concentrate with you all staring.”

Grabbing the dumbbell he turned around and stomped out of the room. 

You glanced at the others all sharing a look before you got up to follow after him. “So…” Bucky drawled, “what’s the new plan?”

Bob didn’t go far, and when you found him he was still practicing on the dumbbell. 

Stepping beside him you tapped his shoulder letting him know you were there. When he didn’t react, you gently hit his shoulder causing the tension to break. 

“What?” He whined, tone not angry just irritated, but you knew it wasn’t directed at you. 

You frowned typing into your phone. Once done you pulled his attention back by showing him your screen. 

Talk to me!

“I can’t talk to you, you can’t talk.”

What are you feeling?

“Life isn’t always let’s talk about feelings, let’s do some deep dive on emotions.”

You frowned deeper, bringing your phone back and typing some more. 

Bob stop. Just relax. 

“Relax! How can I relax? This is all my fault I should’ve been right there to help you! I should have complete control over my powers by now!”

You again typed out on your phone this message longer than last. 

This is not your fault! It’s nobody’s except for theirs. Don’t focus on what could’ve been done!

I understand there’s pressure here, but you also can’t put too much on yourself. 

I’m not dead, everything's okay. 

His eyes left the screen and met yours. You put a hand to your chest and nodded, releasing a content sigh. 

Bob, face still uncertain, let a deep sigh of his own out. His shoulders dropped, the built up anxiety working its way out. 

“I just wish I could do something.”

You curled your lips in, while your eyebrows came together, typing another message. 

Can I be honest? 

I think you’re doubting yourself way too much.

“I’ve never practiced this.”

You pursed your lips to the side. 

Honestly I think super strength would actually work just fine. I’ve tugged on the collar and it doesn’t zap or anything, it's just there. 

Bob glances at you, “maybe… but what if I accidentally crush it into your neck.”

You have been practicing little by little and you have gotten more control. I understand why you’re hesitant, but you are also selling yourself short. If you need more time to practice it’s okay. But I also know that you can do this! I have no doubt that you can! 🩷🩷🩷

Bob was uncertain but you could tell his brain was thinking and you waited. And waited, allowing him to process it all. 

What he did next surprised you. 

Next, Bob turned to the dumbbell and his gaze was suddenly hyper focused. Then he reached out and yanked on the object, instantly breaking it into two.

Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped. You had seen him practicing his powers in the past but nothing like this. 

Bob, not wanting to lose his momentum, turned to you. 

Understanding what his expression meant you lifted your head, extending your neck to give him the most available space to work with. 

Were you scared? A bit. But you trusted Bob and you had no doubt in his abilities. 

While you half expected Bob to just rip open the collar like he did the dumbbell. Instead you heard him crunch the device, and then once more before pulling the weakened portion apart making it all slightly easier and safer. And just like that it was off. 

You reached up, your head lowering as you both looked down at the object in his hand. Then you looked up at each other and finally a smile spread along your face while you threw your arms around him, “you did it!” You whispered, throat still sore.

At that exact moment you heard the doors slide open followed by Bucky’s voice. “Okay guys , we’ve thought of something, it might take some time but with the right…work,” his words cut off as he took one look at the scene in front of him. He looked first at you two still hugging then the device that was scattered at your feet. 

“…never mind. Looks like it’s all under control. Good job” he said, spinning around and leaving again. 

Separating you reached for your phone again. 

That was amazing! And dare I say very attractive. 

Bob, while reading your message couldn’t help the grin that was glued to his face. 

“Listen when it comes to you, I’m willing to do anything. And I mean anything.”

You beamed, giving him a gentle shove in response. 

[icycoldninja]

Could you please write Dante x gn!reader? The reader has cold hands all the time (cold hands, warm heart, as people say). But when the reader puts their hands on him (like holding hands), the reader's hands are warm!

Sure, sure!

Dante x GN!Cold-handed!Reader headcannons

-Dante always found it charming that he, a fiery demon, is dating you, someone with cold hands all the time.

-You don't seem to mind it though and often don't even notice your hands are below freezing temperature unless someone points it out to you.

-Your friends are always gifting you mittens and gloves for the holidays, and while you appreciate the gifts, you just don't seem to understand why they keep doing this.

-Or maybe you do understand and you think it's hilarious.

-Either way, it doesn't matter, whenever anyone else tries to hold your hand, they discover it's cold as heck, but when you're lying down with Dante, just cuddling, and then you decide to run your hands across his torso, he will find that they are very warm.

-Why your temperature is so unpredictable is a great mystery to him that he really wants to solve. He doesn't have to; he could probably live the rest of his life without knowing the answer, but he wants to know.

-After wondering if you were literally cold-blooded, like a crocodile or a tortoise, Dante concludes that perhaps the reason you're warm to him but not anyone else is because your love is so passionate it heats up your hands.

-Now, whether this is true or not remains to be seen and eventually evaluated by a doctor, but it's a cute concept, isn't it?

-He does find himself picking up your hands whenever you're near each other, just to check and make sure they're still warm for him.

-Likes to press your hand against his cheek as he's falling asleep because it's reassuring, relaxing, and makes him feel loved, as he deserves.

[awanderingtortoise]

im teary eyes emoji-ing the screen kicking my feet sending love thank u i just write whatever i can and i am endlessly happy when other people enjoy it too

That feeling tho when you find that fic writer that just absolutely fucking

understands the characters to their core

writes so well they–just so–they just—their writing is—-THEY WRITE GOOD

shatters your bad mood with a new update

writes a fic that you can read over again and still clutch at your heart like HOLY SHIT I FUCKING LOVE–I LOVE THIS FIC

writes a scene that has you all giddy in public and that one random stranger asks you like “ooo you are smiling :) :) is that a boy :) you are talking to :)” and you’re like “no I’m reading a Everybody Lives/Nobody Dies AU, please leave”

understands and portrays the characters better than the people who make MOVIES with those characters

amazing. just amazing. fic writers are awesome

[ihauvescurvy]

Assorted modern AU pet headcanons

Sol has a big pit bull rescue who he treats like a princess. She has sweaters for different holidays and her big smiling face features prominently in his socials. He loves to take her out to play at the park or go on runs with him.

Despite how much he gets compared to a puppy himself, Edward is more of a cat guy. He likes dogs fine and enjoys playing with his friends’ pets, but has two cats himself. His favorite place to be is cozy on the couch with both his fluffy sons sleeping on him while he plays video games. (He also technically has a horse but she lives at his parents’ barn and he doesn’t really think of her as “his pet.”)

Jopson never had pets growing up and doesn’t really know what to do with them. He’s privately considered getting a cat because it would be nice to take care of something and he likes that cats clean themselves.

George has a tiny Pomeranian named something silly. His dog absolutely has her own Instagram/tiktok/whatever where George writes all the posts as if she’s the one running the account. “Her” profile picture is George pushing her in a pet stroller while they wear matching sunglasses.

Irving has a beagle who likes to join him on hikes and a lazy domestic shorthair. He claims to be more of a dog person and was raised with dogs, but the cat showed up one day on his porch, hungry and wet, and just settled right in.

Crozier has some kind of big, chill dog. He’s a mutt of some kind and was rescued from an abusive environment. Jopson and Blanky helped pick him out after Crozier had reached a milestone in his recovery. He tries to hide his massive body under the couch during storms, and Crozier is very patient and comforting with him.

Blanky has a 3-legged lab who he got specifically because he thought it was hilarious to have a dog that “matched” him. He’s very playful, and they make lots of visits to the park to run around and play. They’re occasionally joined by Crozier and his dog, but that mostly ends up being Blanky’s dog just running in circles around them.

Goodsir has a lizard of some kind and a tortoise. He works very hard to maintain their tanks to their needs and is always doing research on what enrichment he can provide them. He gets quietly offended when people suggest he should get a more cuddly pet.

Hickey has ferrets. He finds them deeply entertaining and is always sending pics of them looking cursed to his groupchat.

Dundy has an extremely pampered purebred cat named Duchess or something. She has a better diet than most of their friends because he’s a foodie in every possible way. He doesn’t dress her up (she’s too dignified for that), but he brushes her every day to keep her looking and feeling her best.

[queenaeducan-writes]

In the Blood

Characters: M!Mahariel, Merrill, Kieran Pairing: M!Mahariel & Merrill, M!Mahariel & Kieran, Merrill & Kieran Fandom: Dragon Age Rating: G Other Tags: Dalish Identity, Father-Son Relationship, Male-Female Friendship, Background M!Mahariel x Morrigan, Background Merrill x Carver Summary: The Arlathvhen approaches, and Merrill prepares for its imminent arrival with the last of clan Sabrae. Written for @dreadfutures as part of a server OC swap! 💖 Halevune Mahariel is her OC.

As the years go by, it becomes more difficult for Merrill to remember their faces.

Still, she tries to. She remembers Pol’s nervous smile when he'd finally learned how to knot a halyard; the distant look in Paivel's eyes when a story started getting away from him; how Marethari would stare down her nose at Merrill when she'd failed to meet the expectations that had been set for her.

She sometimes forgets Halevune's face, too, even when he's stood right in front of her. His face is gaunt, dark shadows carved into his face by the fire between them. His hair is brittle, white, like winter's grass, she thinks it would fray if she rubbed it between her fingers. When he smiles (if he smiles) some semblance of her old friend is reborn, and when he doesn't, Merrill looks to Kieran.

Read the rest on AO3!

Tag list!

@warpedlegacy @rakshadow @rosella-writes @effelants @bluewren

@breninarthur @ar-lath-ma-cully @dreadfutures @ir0n-angel @inquisimer

@crackinglamb @theluckywizard @oxygenforthewicked @exalted-dawn-drabbles

@melisusthewee @blarrghe @agentkatie @delicatefade @leggywillow

@plisuu @hekaerges @volkoss

@salesmain @tortoise-teapot @theshirallen

@nixeofmidgard, @valorcorrupt, @bodysnatch3r

[xoxobuckybarnes]

November 2024 Reading List

Complete

Not In The Answer But The Question (Rated: T, Words: 27K) by aimmyarrowshigh / @aimmyarrowshigh

Summary: It rankles that his drink was made before he even got a chance to order it. What if he wanted a change? What if he were adventurous and bold? What if he tried something new? --- Or, Steve Rogers shakes up his gray daily routine in 2014 by going back home to Vinegar Hill. To his surprise, the Jewish deli he used to frequent with Arnie is still standing. And Steve's whole life changes again.

Little House In The Suburbs (series)

Good Grief (Rated: G, Words 23K) Summary: All Bucky wants is to be the best he can be for Becca. It gets harder when his feelings start getting in the way. Birds and the Bees (and a thing called Love) (Rated: G, Words: 2K) Summary: Becca starts to ask the hard questions.

The Tortoise and the Hare (Rated: G, Words: 10K)

Summary: Bucky loves all kids, but no one's kid is better than Steve Rogers's.

Boy, Where Do You Think You're Going (Rated: E, Words: 20K) by Jibbly

Summary: That small head of blonde hair whips around and glares at Steve. He isn’t prepared for that anger. “This is all your fault.” More tears come and her glare crumbles. She’s furiously wiping at her eyes and hiccupping in distress. Sam leans in to whisper in Steve’s ear. “Who is that?” Steve stares helplessly at those hunching and shaking shoulders, whispering back to Sam. “She’s Bucky’s daughter.” “What?” It’ whispered through clenched teeth.

Love Will Make a Home Inside You (Rated: M, Words: 18K) by moshiznik & art by @koreanrage

Summary: "All children need is love, a grown-up to take responsibility for them, and a soft place to land." (A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness) Or, the one in which two super soldiers adopt two super children and, incidentally, fall in love.

The Happy Days (Rated: G, Words: 1K) by Ranger616

Summary: Steve and Bucky, being domestic dads during a quiet, cold evening in December. Fluffier than fairy floss.

Family Matters (Series) by attackofthezee (noxlunate)

Captain America And The Accidental Baby Acquisition (Rated: G, Words: 2K) Summary: The baby looks up at Steve with big brown eyes and pulls it’s fists from it’s slobbery mouth to hold them out to Steve. Right. Right. There’s a baby on Steve’s doorstep. Steve can handle this. Aka Steve Rogers And The Accidental Baby Acquisition. Aka sometimes assholes on twitter say "Captain America would never wear a papoose" and you gotta write a fic just to spite them. Nature's Masterpieces (Rated: G, Words: 2K) Summary: “Snow.” Ella says solemnly, pointing towards the window and the white fluff drifting down to gather in piles outside. “Yep. That’d be the fluffy cold white stuff out there.” Steve agrees, “We can go play in it when Pops comes home.” Ella sighs in a way that Steve is 110% sure she’s gotten from Bucky, presses a hand to Steve’s face and says, “Daddy, listen.” In which Steve has a precocious as hell three year old, snow ball fights are had, snow angels are made, and the future is talked about.

Don't Hate the Player (Rated: M, Words: 60K) by LoserOnTheInternet

Summary: Steve breathes heavily as he processes what he just did. The Gamemakers are staring down at Steve with gaping mouths and wide eyes. Shoving his panic down, Steve shoots them a cocky smirk and says, “Thank you for your consideration.” He gives them a lazy salute before dropping the shield and exiting the room. Steve Rogers and James Barnes are this year's tributes for the Seventy-Fourth Annual Hunger Games. Being from District 12, their chances of survival are next to none. In order to gain sponsors, the two create a fake star-crossed lovers scenario that quickly goes south once Steve starts to fall for the other boy. In a game where all but one are destined to die, who will be announced victor?

Where Everybody Knows Your Name (Rated: E, Words, 22K) by romanticalgirl & art by kittyandmulder

Summary: Bucky Barnes came back from the war short one arm and pissed off about it. His luck went downhill from there, and now he's listening to Clint, of all people, for life advice. He sends him to a bar that only hires vets and, despite a rough start, Bucky ends up working for Steve Rogers. Which he regrets instantly. Things get better. Bucky gets better. Steve's still an asshole, but maybe that's not so bad.

On The Other Side of a Downward Spiral (Rated: E, Words: 31K) by torakowalski

Summary: Bucky Barnes is barely functioning, let alone living, but when the Avengers find an abandoned baby girl, Bucky has to learn to look after himself, and keep the baby out of Hydra's hands. All while trying to work out exactly what kind of relationship he and Steve want from each other.

[awanderingtortoise]

my overly complex headcanon for this is that david had plans for a mechanical rose he wanted to gift genya. it blooms with the seasons and droops without water like a real one but it doesnt die, and its made of metal, which, he figured, Has to be an upgrade. he doesnt get to finish it. nikolai finds it half done in the workshop after the bombing. he figures out what he can from davids barely legible scribbles. all the durast bits are more or less done, its the mechanical work left, and nikolai does his best to complete the rose as a final tribute to his friend. one last gift from david to his wife. and thats what they ‘plant’ for him, together.

no cause the idea of Zoya telling Genya about the garden... them burying a flower together for David...

don't mind me, going to sob in the corner

(also which flower would they choose please share your thoughts)

[awanderingtortoise]

zoyalai deserves a beach holiday

[labete-du-gevaudan]

An Endling is the last known member of a species or subspecies. The death of an endling means the end of the species as a whole. The word was supposedly coined by Robert Webster in the mid 1990s. The term is used by museums and in writing, however, it still does not have an entry in The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Robert Webster tried his best to get the word into the dictionary before his death in 2004.

One of the most famous endlings was Benjamin, the last known thylacine, who died in the Hobart Zoo on September 7th, 1936. It is actually not known if the animal's true name was Benjamin, but that is what is usually used. Some stories state that Benjamin died from neglect rather than old age, having been left in its outside enclosure in the cold overnight. While others disregard this, as the last known thylacine would have been incredibly valuable and important to the zoo.

Other notable endlings are:

- Martha, the last passenger pigeon, who died on September 1st, 1914.

- Lonesome George, the last Pinta Island tortoise, who died on June 24th, 2012.

- Booming Ben, the last Heath Hen, who was last seen on March 11th, 1932.

- Turgi, the last known Partula turgida, a type of Polynesian tree snail, who died on January 31st, 1996.

[madwomanxx]

As some of you poor unfortunate souls know, I've been obsessed with Hermes the theif by by Norman O. Brown

That book has genuinely helped shape a better perspective of Hermes and to my surprise offered great insights that I am able to utilize for Apollomes and the cult rivalry I wasn't aware of before!

I just saw @skeptiiciizm amazing hc over the lyre and thought to share my own, inspired by what I discovered in that book, hope it doesn't bother you 😭 I just love yapping

According to the book, Hermes creating the lyre and having anything to do with a music domain is a very new thing, the book offers many sources for this, so I will just talk about the conclusions, if you're skeptical or simply want to fact check ( as you should, we all makes mistakes!) Get a pdf copy and jump to chapter 5!

In the majority of sources, the lyre is Apollo's creation, the minute he's out of the womb he claims the lyre and bow as his domains, many philosophers and ancient Greek writers have explicitly rejected the notion of Hermes creating the lyre and went further on denying that anyone could trick Apollo.

This stems from the IRL intrusion of Hermes cult onto Apollo's cult, it's sorta like a battle of the cults-

The ending to it seems to be the newfound friendship the hymn ends on! ( girl do I have several angst related siblings rivalry and recognition+ sex hc based on all of this-)

A lot of modern scholars( is this the write name?? I'm not an English speaker and finals have fried my brain- ) have tried to reason this clear contradiction, most of them dismissed how involved the gods were in the politics

So, one of the suggestion which I'll be using in my version/writing is this:

Marsyas

The myth in its most basic form is Mayrsyas the satyr challanging Apollo into a music competition, claiming he's the better musician, they agree on the terms, whoever win gets to do whatever they want to the other

While Mayrsyas desires were very horny-

Apollo waaas... Murderous!

In the end Apollo wins and Mayrsyas accuses him of cheating ( TAKE THE L DUDE HE WAS ALREADY PISSED)

And as ya know, Apollo as any reasonable god would do, flayed him alive!

In some version ( the one I'm following) Apollo actually regrets what he did, tears his own lyre apart and stops playing it.

I've always loved this myth because it shows something that I haven't found any other god doing, clear admission from Apollo that he was wrong, he himself believes that his reaction was inappropriate. A realization he reaches without anyone telling him or discussing it with him either (you could argue he regrets the Coronis situation too, but this one stands out because he actively chooses to punish himself, it's imo a big punishment since he's a god and music is his main domain)

So here's the cute idea, he abandons the lyre till Hermes makes his tortoise shell lyre

Hermes played so beautifully, he reminded Apollo of what he was missing

Hermes played so beautifully, with such joy that Apollo finally felt pure again, that Apollo finally chose to move on

Apollo forgave Hermes and shared many domains with him, helped elevate him to an Olympian, let go of his self imposed punishment and made up for his previous overreaction by forgiving Hermes

He vowed to love no mortal or immortal son of Zeus more than Hermes, Hermes helped Apollo and affected him from day one in ways he himself isn't aware of

I think that's very beautiful : )

Also- the song forever by Stephanafro is the most Apollomes song I've ever come across

Lowkey Stephanafro is also my voice claim for Apollo- he has another song that's peak Hyapollo

[awanderingtortoise]

hii it's actually not out 😭 I've just posted a couple of small parts of it under [ #tortoise tries to write ] but the rest of it is incomplete in my gdocs. Will let you know if I post the whole thing soon though!

nikolai lantsov is this type of man who has literally million playlists for every possible situation (and, as we all remember, there's not such word as "impossible" in his lexicon) and another million playlist that blended with his friends. and zoya is this type of woman who just plays her liked songs. and she definitely stole his spotify account even before they started dating. and nikolai's never mind because "i told you, zoya, i have the best taste"

[howtofightwrite]

So happy you're back after all this time! I have a question, do you happen to know how people fought in ancient rome? Particularly gladiators and soldiers? Sorry if this isn't the blog for this question tho!

I think we've covered both of these questions independently over the years.

Gladiators were a performance sport. It was more about glorifying the Roman Empire and its victories, than a conventional fight. As a result, most Gladiators were armed with specific variant, “loadouts,” designed to cosplay as various enemies that The Empire had conquered, and they only fought against specific countering variants. Specifically, the variants would be matched in such a way that it would be difficult for either combatant to have a decisive advantage over the other, with an eye towards creating situations that would result in a lot of visible injuries, without serious harm to either participant.

In case it needs to be said, gladiators were a significant financial investment, and they weren't casually killed in the arena. The point was for visible injuries, and a bloody spectacle, not a slaughter. Sometimes someone would die, but having them die on the field wasn't the intention, and they generated a lot of money, and on the rare cases when they were killed, it was meant to be a climactic moment, not someone taking a blade to the gut and collapsing mid-fight.

Obviously, I'm barely scratching the surface here, because it gets a lot deeper, but the simple answer is that in the vast majority of cases, gladiators were armed with weapons that were designed to make seriously harming their foe difficult to impossible. Also, the gladiators were something that evolved and became more complicated over time. When they first started in the Republic, it was a much more stripped down structure with prisoners of war being given a sword and shield and forced to face off against one another.

As for the Roman Legions. I'm not sure I've ever seen a comprehensive description of their training techniques. The Testudo, (or Tortoise) is one of the more famous examples of their specific combat style. Legionaries would create a shield wall, and the soldiers behind the front line would raise their shields to cover the formation against attacks from above (usually arrow fire, or thrown spears.) While being able to strike with javelins. In practice, the formation had issues, including being vulnerable to siege fire, and mounted archers were able to easily flank the formation. It's a neat story, but the formation had serious limitations.

One thing we haven't talked about before (I think) was the Roman's use of biological warfare. During sieges, they would load (locally sourced, I assume) corpses onto catapults, and then launch them into the besieged city.

Beyond, the major thing about the Legions was the extremely disciplined and orderly combat formations, with a lot of attention paid to managing battlefield movement. It wasn't so much about exceptional individual performance, so much as their ability to operate as a unit. This isn't a particularly mind blowing concept today, but in an era when professional soldiers were the exception, or limited to the elite forces, it had slightly more impact.

Regarding the details of their training, I've never seen any of that come up. Now, granted, I've really tried to research that degree of Roman history. So, if you're asking, “how, exactly, did they swing the gladius?” I don't know, and I don't remember ever seeing anyone credibly claim they had that insight. As far as I know, the only surviving Roman training manual was De Re Militari, (there's around 200 surviving Latin copies) which is far more concerned with overall strategic planning and command. If you're trying to write Roman era military fiction, it's probably worth reading. So, I'm not sure this is exactly what you were looking for, but I do hope it helps.

-Starke

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[vampzyb4tz]

KYLE HEAD CANNONS!!

A/N: Time to continue giving the people what they want. Headcannons for my favorite diabetic ginger Jew from Jersey. Enjoy, lovey!! Excuse any mistakes please, English isn't my first language.

He is a munch. This is honestly the reason that I decided to write this.

When you guys cuddle, he'll never make you get up. He'll get whatever you want, but will make you get it if you try to abuse that power.

Ike loves you. It's gotten to a point where Ike will hang around with you whenever you come over, and Kyle has to yell at him to fuck off.

He has a cat. Sheila finally trusted him to care for a pet, and he picked out a Maine coon.

Goes over to Stan's every Thursday for video games. All of the guys are there, and it's their mandatory hangout.

He LOVES learning about other cultures, races, and things like that. He loves learning in general, but he likes that stuff more.

He's 7.5 inches, with a pretty pink tip, and pretty heavy balls. He keeps everything trimmed down there, so don't worry about that.

He'll take care of you for aftercare. A cup of water, a snack, running a bath, changing the sheets, and then passing out together.

He has snacks in his nightstand bc of his diabetes. He refuses to drink alcohol, because of his diabetes. He lets you put on his insulin pods sometimes.

If you hang out with him and his friends, you 100% have a folder dedicated to their fights with Cartman. It's funny as fuck, man.

He grows out of Terrence and Phillip when he gets older. But, when he's really sad or stressed, he'll go back to watching it.

Tears up pasta. Sorry.. idk where that came from, but it feels right.

He gets a tortoise eventually. The cat doesn't go near the tortoise. The tortoise is mostly friendly, but tries to bite Cartman.

Pull his hair!!! Please!! This man is so into it, it's kinda pathetic. Oh, and compliment him. That overachiever in him needs it. Just the amount of both makes him feral.

He's a night person. He also prefers road trips over plane rides. Those two don't go together, but it's whatever.

He doesn't curl up on the bed or anything. No, he lays spread out. If he gets in bed before you, he's like a starfish. You have to lay on him, but he doesn't mind. If you get in bed first, he holds onto you.

He likes working online. On a laptop, on a tablet, on his phone— On a screen. He color codes his notes, has a binder filled with informational sheets that he's collected over the years.

He's so organized!! Definitely dorms with Stan in college, and then complains about how messy Stan's side is.

Likes horror movies to an extent.