#vanna writes

[heavenlydevil69]

Pregnancy is weird

[lavampira]

truth flows between us

summary: the nature of force bonds is a curious thing, as revan and bastila know all too well. pairing: vanna phy & bastila shan, vanna phy/malak (past) word count: 1.1k | rated: T | read on ao3 notes: an older fic that was once a prompt fill, twice rewritten and never reposted here before now, but an important facet of my revan's growing friendship with bastila in their canon. vanna also uses they/she pronouns.

Vanna gently rapped their knuckles against the door, announcing their presence before entering Bastila’s quarters with a soft whoosh of the door. Bastila was cross-legged on the floor with her hands resting on her knees and robes billowed around her, meditating, but didn’t bother to look up. She would know it was Vanna anyway through the bond they shared.

“I’m worried about you.”

Bastila still didn’t look up, not even opening her eyes to peek. “Me? Why?”

“Well, you haven’t left the room in a while, for starters.”

“I’ve been meditating. I… needed to clear my mind.”

Silence fell over them again. Determined to see this through, Vanna eased further into the room and settled onto the floor across from her. They could wait Bastila out until she was ready to talk. It was only a matter of time, considering how impatient Bastila could be, despite her stubborn nature. She would tire of Vanna intruding on her meditation and let down the wall she built to hide her emotions behind.

And she was right. Vanna had cleared their own mind of their thoughts, focused on the soft hum of the Ebon Hawk’s engines and energies of everyone on board, when the niggling sense of Bastila’s nervousness poked at their consciousness. It reminded them of the early days with Carth on Taris, sensing his underlying desire to talk about their situation and distrust, but this was deeper, almost part of themself as though the Force was spilling from Bastila into them.

“The bond we share,” Bastila finally began, causing Vanna to glance up, “it kept me from falling.”

“What do you mean?”

“Malak wanted to turn me into his acolyte. He tortured me, fed me lies about you and twisted my insecurity about the Order, but I clung to our bond. I knew the truth because I felt it in you.”

Vanna wasn’t sure what to say to that. They knew their bond was telling, considering they could feel just as much from Bastila as she did from them, but they also knew that Bastila was stronger than she gave herself credit. Sure, she was insecure and had her doubts. But nobody could coerce Bastila down a path that she did not want to take. Vanna just had no idea how to go about voicing that without immediately offending her and losing this large step in confidence.

They had been so worried from the time Bastila had been taken. At first, out of fear of what Malak would do to her, or if they would ever see their friend again. They hadn’t known each other long, technically, and they had started off on the wrong foot in more ways than one, but they had grown close. Their souls knew each other on an intimate level that only the Force could explain. And that was how they knew that Bastila was struggling with the aftermath of her capture, especially as they careened towards the inevitable—Bastila could lead the charge of the Republic forces with her battle meditation, Vanna would leave to face Malak on the Star Forge.

“Also, I didn’t say it before, but I’m sorry for my role in what happened to you.” Bastila reached for her hand, resting her own on top of it. “If I had known ahead of time…”

The unfinished thought weighed heavy between them. The unsaid maybe I wouldn’t have made the same choice was powerful, and it threatened to crack the harsh exterior built around Vanna’s admittedly fragile heart, but it dissipated just as quickly. They both knew it was a lie.

A small smirk pulled at Vanna’s lips. “You still would have saved me.”

Bastila ducked her head, huffing a soft laugh. “Yes.”

“I’m glad you did.”

“Me, too.”

That had been on Vanna’s mind since they'd first learned the truth. They couldn’t remember their old self—only in fragments, pieces of memories that had been unlocked by Malak and resurfaced a little at a time, though they never quite resonated as real—but they knew what they had done. To be the cause of so much pain and destruction, sometimes they wondered if they should have died on that flagship, or if they could have even been redeemed without the mind wipe, but then they would look at Bastila and think there had to be a reason why this young and promising Jedi had saved Revan.

“My memories are resurfacing,” Vanna admitted. It was only fair, considering how much had been shared with them. And they saw Bastila in their peripheral glance at her with curiosity. “Not much, only pieces, and it feels disconnected from me in ways. But ever since he told me, it’s like I was unlocked.”

“Master Vrook worried about the risk of your true memory returning.”

Vanna scoffed. They weren't going to touch that subject. “It’s difficult. I know what Malak has done, but then these memories come to me, and he was my…”

“He was your friend.”

“My friend, my love,” they whispered, recalling flashes of two kids sparring and giggling on the Temple grounds as much as two young Knights sharing victorious kisses on the battlefield and the warmth of each other’s bodies pressed close in a tent away from the prying eyes of their soldiers. “No wonder he hates me so much.”

“Do not go down that road. Malak made his own choices.”

“Just as I made mine?”

Bastila squeezed their hand. They both knew that nothing could be said to that—Revan was given a second chance, albeit questionable and unfair, but Malak had not. Redemption was a fickle thing, as was fate. As was the will of the Force. But she was right, Vanna shouldn’t blame themself for how much farther that Malak had fallen.

“I want to go with you.”

Vanna gave her a sad smile. “The Republic needs your battle meditation. Besides, all of this was started by Revan and Malak, and so I need to face him alone.”

“I know you’re right, but I despise it.”

The silence that followed was a comfortable one, as if a weight that held them down had finally been lifted. Vanna supposed it had. Even with the looming threat of battle, something innately familiar in the pit of their gut from a life they barely remembered, they knew that they were there for each other—even across a galaxy, they would have each other—and their trust, their bond, was unbreakable. They could save the Republic together with their crew.

And they kept that in mind as they were offloading their friends, including Bastila. The time to go their separate ways to the final battle had arrived. The only ones who would follow Vanna were Carth and the droids, who all hovered behind them as they said their goodbyes to the others. They were ready to leave, already halfway up the ramp when that wait, I have something more to say feeling struck them again.

“Vanna?” They turned at Bastila’s voice, surprised when the woman barreled into them, throwing her arms around Vanna’s neck. “May the Force be with you.”

“And with you, my friend. I’ll see you soon.”

[thedeadthree]

— CHARACTER RED FLAGS.

TAGGED BY my dearies @denerims, @echo3-1, @phillipsgraves, @jendoe, @chuckhansen and @adelaidedrubman to take this cutest uquiz for the loves! ty ty so much <3

TAGGING: @feystepped, @griffin-wood, @kingsroad, @marivenah, @50sjello, @risingsh0t, @queennymeria, @aartyom, @jackiesarch, @florbelles, @unholymilf, @leviiackrman, @confidentandgood, @pheedraws, @morvaris, @malefiicarum, @arklay, @fragilestorm, @impales, @jacobseed, @blissfulalchemist, @heroofpenamstan, @shadowglens, @shellibisshe, @aceghosts, @loriane-elmuerto, @belorage, @rosebarsoap, @lavinet and you!

LACK OF TRUST

this one isn't that difficult to understand. you're extremely secretive, and you're afraid that if you open up you'll get hurt (again?). you probably raise suspicion against others and accuse them of something they never did. you let your anxiety and worry influence the way you view people which is never good.

MANIPULATIVE

you're probably a passive aggressive person. you frequently lie, and gaslight to get your way. you never want to be held responsible for your actions so you avoid situations by either victimizing yourself, belittling others concerns, hiding the truth, and using threats to harm yourself or others

VIOLENT

when something makes you upset, it could even be the tiniest most petty reason ever, you yell, rage, and possibly throw stuff in anger. your actions think quicker than your mind, and it could probably not even be intentional but the next thing you'll realize is that you've hurt someone

LACK OF TRUST

this one isn't that difficult to understand. you're extremely secretive, and you're afraid that if you open up you'll get hurt (again?). you probably raise suspicion against others and accuse them of something they never did. you let your anxiety and worry influence the way you view people which is never good.

STUBBORN

you don't recognize the opinions and beliefs of others, either that or you don't care about them. you stick strongly to what you were raised to doing, and don't realize that the world can change. you have extremely strong beliefs, and you think that if another's beliefs aren't the exact same as yours, they're wrong and you automatically hate them. you also might be political and close minded

[batzyx]

Incoming ! ᵔᴗᵔ

HIII ! I know that I've been a little MIA working on new chapter of Vanna and vine n switched everything to word so its going well, for the meantime ill post more about the story n some more poems !

I hope you've all been well ! ♡

[hearts-hunger]

Oh my god Maddie I haven’t even read earnest, eager yet but I saw it and got a full body butterfly from excitement. Nobody writes sanny like you

VANNA OMG i wanted to tag you bc i feel like i remembered you being a sanny girlie but i didn't want to be weird if you weren't but oh i CANNOT wait to see what you think of it

[burned-lariat]

Forgot to say earlier - I caught the "story" nod to Tolly trying to have a baby and part of me deep down really hopes we get a Spixie/Lante redux in Destina/Tolly.

I mean, I'm writing it first (keep your eyes peeled for "how to keep house while drowning" in late May!), but I'm not gonna act like I won't eat up Chris and Dan's trash version of it...

[fairuzfan]

"Israel also secretly hires Jewish Americans as spies to work out of its Washington embassy and its consulates around the United States to covertly surveil and monitor fellow Americans, including students. Thoroughly vetted to ensure loyalty to Israel, many of those hired have spent years heavily involved in pro-Israeli activities from the time they were in college and before. Among them was Julia Reifkind, who led a pro-Israel group at the University of California at Davis before moving on to become an activist with AIPAC. After she graduated in 2016, she was hired by Israel and assigned to its embassy in Washington.

Reifkind had good preparation for her assignment. Thinking that Kleinfeld was a fellow pro-Israel activist, over dinner at Washington’s Mari Vanna restaurant she revealed that while at AIPAC she spent much of her time deceiving college students about her covert connection to the organization. “Obviously, I’m an AIPAC-trained campus activist,” she said. “When you’re lobbying on behalf of AIPAC, you don’t say AIPAC, you say, ‘I’m a pro-Israel student from UC Davis.’ And when you’re meeting with students on campus I would never say, ‘I am the AIPAC campus rep.’ I’d say, ‘My name is Julia and I’m a pro-Israel student.’”

At the embassy, Reifkind focused on developing intelligence on fellow Americans, including students on college campuses. “So nobody really knows what we’re doing,” she said. “But mainly it’s been a lot of research like monitoring BDS.”

In a different conversation, Reifkind explained: “It’s mainly gathering intel, reporting back to Israel. That’s a lot of what I do. To report back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, and make sure they have the right information.” Among the ways she spies on pro-Palestinian activists and Palestinian human rights supporters is with phony Facebook accounts. “I have my fake Facebook that I follow all the SJP [Students for Justice in Palestine] accounts. I have some fake names. My name is Jay Bernard or something.”

Once Reifkind collected the intelligence on her targets, she passed it on to her boss at the embassy. Then it was sent to the Ministry of Strategic Affairs and other offices over a secure encrypted system called Cables. It’s “really secure,” she said. “I don’t have access to [it] because I’m an American.… I’ve seen it, it looks really bizarre…. And then they’ll send something back and he’ll translate it and tell me what I need to do.”

Since the brutal Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7 and the Israeli invasion of Gaza, the ICC and its US-based spy networks are no doubt working overtime. But there is little likelihood of interference by the FBI—well trained to look the other way when it comes to Israel. It was a situation that even frustrated a former head of the FBI’s counterintelligence division. When I asked him why no one would talk to me about Israel’s massive espionage in the United States, he simply shook his head.

“You don’t think Israel’s a sensitive topic?” he asked, requesting that his name not be used. “So, Israel has been looked at and is being looked at and that’s all I can tell you,” he said. “But nobody’s doing anything.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“You can imagine,” is all he would say, implying high-level political involvement. I then said that I was planning to write about the topic. “I hope you do. I hope you do,” he said. Sighing, he added, “I’ve been there done that. I know it. I’ve brought cases to the Department of Justice on Israel.” Cases that were never opened."

— Israel’s War on American Student Activists by James Bamford on The Nation

[empty-movement]

Revolutionary Girl Utena Storyboards! Now on the Internet Archive!!

Hi! Vanna here! Did you know we have scanned copies of the production storyboards for a whole SEVEN out of 39 episodes of Utena? Not bad, I think!!! Most were donated kindly by cscratch, with me buying a couple myself.

I have uploaded all seven as PDFs to the Internet Archive, and you can grab them here. For now, a gallery tour!!! PART 1!

Episode 3: On the Night of the Ball, storyboarded by Kazuhisa Takenouchi

Known largely for his work on Dragonball, this is the only time Takenouchi works on Revolutionary Girl Utena. Episode 3 is notoriously one of the 'b-side' episodes in terms of animation quality, and was probably done out of house so to speak. It does include the banked opening fairy tale, which is incredible to see, as well as a lot of crossed out shots and dialogue. Lots to unpack on that.

Episode 6: Nanami-sama, Take Care!, storyboarded by Jun Matsumoto

Matsumoto will go on to storyboard several episodes, especially Nanami ones! The storyboard is titled episode 8, because these two episodes' releases were switched due to the speedier production of this episode. Originally, the curry episode was episode 6, with this being part of, starting with 8, an increasing focus on Touga and the people surrounding him and how they view him. I can definitely see how the flow would have been incredible if preserved this way, alas!! His storyboards are very clean, and tight. They appear to need little revision.

Episode 9, The Castle Said to Hold Eternity, storyboarded by Juugo Kazeyama, an alias of Takuya Igarashi

Kazeyama often works with Yoji Enokido on projects, and will continue to work on Utena throughout its run, and will even write episode 19, Song of the Fallen Kingdom. We have an interview with him that was published in The Art of Utena artbook translated to English, even! Check it out! We have him to thank for the tea on Akio Ohtori's intended age. ;D

Cool! I hope you liked! I ran out of time before break is over though, so you can catch the rest of our storyboards next time, or check them out yourself, again, either via the gallery, or the IA!

[shadedsecrets]

The Color Language of Phantomarine

At just a cursory glance at this webcomic, it is very obvious that there are strong colors and that they will be tied to themes of the story. And the impulse to discuss and dissect them is.... far too great.

So! Let's start with something general, yes?

Saturation

There are two types of color schemes in the webcomic so far. Schemes with brighter colors and additional accents, and more muted colors with much more limited value differences. Practically speaking, more saturated colors and visual interest helps to draw the eye to what is important; like black thick lines around animated characters to distinguish them from the background. But.... we have a group of characters who has changed from a background scheme to a main character scheme. Such as....

...Our Favorite Princess.

Three different color schemes for three different Phaedras. The first muted yellows and browns, almost boring against the intense lighting of the Candlelight Sea and its foreshadowing hues. The second an intense yellow and terracotta red that hold up against the maroons and deep reds of the Red Tide. The third, blues and white like the very sea she was looking down at but saturated and darkened with indigo and purple unlike any of the other sea ghosts we have seen before.

The transition from background color scheme to VIP color scheme coincide with the very critical moment of the Princess meeting Cheth, demonstrating that her death is a critical moment plot-wise. Her transition to a completely different but still VIP scheme is when she realizes exactly what has happened... and we see that it changes her outlook down to its core, all the warm colors replaced with cool tones.

So, a characters' color scheme tells us both how important they are and can clue us in to their mental states and affiliations. Nothing new. Let's see those groups!

Cheth

As the Red Tide King, it isn't surprising that his color scheme is dominated by a bright red, mixing into warmer purples with highly contrasting white and black. This color scheme overtakes the muted blues of the sea ghost, as well as marking them with his tattoos. White is the secondary color closely associated with Cheth in-story, representing bones featured both in skeletons and his original divine body the Bonefish. This sort of color pallet usually infers more sinister intentions, with red commonly being associated with aggression, but I believe in this case it implies passion. Not necessarily romantic passion, mind, but a deep level of involvement and care.

The Plume Church

Black and bright turquoise and blue with touches of white and green, Cheline and the institution worshiping her are perfect foils to Cheth in color scheme; the cool colors of the Goddess of Life oppose the warm tones of the God of Death while still being unique against The Candlelight Sea. I imagine the black represents the ashes left in the wake of her fire and the greens and blue new life growing from it, though the predominantly black robes are not the usual choice for a Life Diety. The very liberal use of black also paints a more sinister color scheme, with it's traditional use to imply 'evil' in villains. As of writing this, I do actually think that is the intention.

The Mantaluna Crew

Being Seaghosts, the group's scheme is focused around a cool blue, but with more saturation and variation than other seaghosts to represent how they still have some life in them yet. Their cooler colors also allows them to contrast starkly with Cheth, but the purple gives it just a bit more warmth than the Plume Church, showing that while the crew may follow their Church's teachings.... they are fundamentally different on some level than those who have tied themselves closer to the Church.

Pavel, Vanna, and the Lodestars

Characterized by yellow with accents of white, red, and black, the Lodestars stand out. Being the third primary color, they easily stand apart from both Cheth and The Plume Church, showing they are not tied to either. Yellow appears to be the 'neutral' side in this diefic-level conflict, with Best Boy Pavel trying to be a mediator and Phaedra from Chapter 1 treating Cheth with more empathy than in the current chapters when her color scheme was strikingly similar. They do not have a side: they simply want what they think is best and try to stand as a beacon against the dark.

The Fata Morgana

Monochromatic with only lighting and their pale pink eyes for color, these enigmas stand apart as blank voids against the rich vibrancy of the rest of the Candlelight sea. The dominant white with bone-like designs implies a closer relation with Cheth than Cheline, though the exact nature is still up for debate.

Seaghosts

Another monochromatic and muted color scheme, the seaghosts of the Candlelight sea are a pale blue with some white to outline and to fill the eyes. A traditional scheme for spirits, hostile or otherwise, and it blends nicely with their home in the ocean, truly making them feel a part of it. Their cooler color scheme also allows the Red Tide to stand out beside them.

I have a few special mentions that are not fully flung schemes of their own, yet, but that I feel need mentioning.

Silas, though we have yet to see him in different lighting, has the Plume Church's signature blues and greens catching in his hair, with the rest of his pallet being a background tone with little detail. Almost like a certain bird's words have wormed right into the head of 'some nobody' and he all too eagerly listens for the boons she promises.

Daphnie and Euphamina also share a muted color scheme, tending towards the golds with purple to show their high status. Though this is their funeral dress, Daphnie having the black on top covering her own warm and regal colors while her mother instead covers the black with yellow and dons spectacles of a familiar red seem to hint at how the Plume Church interacts with them. Daphine is being covered and almost smothered, though her pure intentions still peek through; Euphamina cannot get away from the influences, but has found ways to assert her will.

Speaking of the funeral, we have a mystery bean with their very own VIP color scheme with cool, deep blues that we have yet to see used elsewhere.

Finally, we have Amos Ellery. We also do not know much of his color scheme sans funeral, but I believe his color scheme hits at his own motivations, similar to Silas. Whereas Silas's colors were seemingly very average for persons in Saperport, save the little highlighting of his hair, Amos is all black, white, and grey. His course is chosen not because of promises, nor because he agrees with the Church... they are driven by the Church being the only thing 'correct' to follow.

I hope you have enjoyed my ramblings, the pretty colors, and any snippets of a story you saw. Do please go read and give the author all the support!

[telomeke]

Get to Know Me Tag :)

I was tagged by @lamonnaie at this post here. Thanks for tagging me! 😍 It was such fun to read your responses; now here are mine. 🥰

do you make your bed?

Never ever. I'm pretty messy, and if I don't watch my hoarding tendencies I will morph into the worst pack rat. But I like a bit of clutter around me; I think it helps my creative side since my output (whether at work, or writing on Tumblr) is always tidy and tidied up to a fault, which can stifle creativity (at least that's what I tell myself! 🤣).

what's your favourite number?

Don't have one. However (even though I like to think I'm not superstitious) if I can I'll try to avoid the number 13 and anything with 4 in it...

what is your job?

Not gonna get too specific, but my work involves design, project management and construction.

if you could go back to school, would you?

I was too stressed out at school to want to repeat the experience. But I wouldn't mind a bit of time travel back to advise my younger self not to take things so seriously! 🤣

can you parallel park?

Yes. Not well, but the car will be fully in the lot eventually. 👍

a job you had that would surprise people?

Some minor modeling jobs when I was younger. Hush! I don't like to talk about it. 🤫 You wouldn't think it to look at me now (me 🤝 Ricky Gervais 😂).

do you think aliens are real?

There are too many planets out there for our little blue marble to be the only habitable one, so yes I do think there are aliens out there. I just don't think we've been visited by them yet though! (Aylin doesn't count. 🤩)

can you drive a manual car?

Yes. Mom taught me how to drive in one... until the day I jammed on the accelerator when she said "Step on it" and I almost up-ended us into a ditch. Then I was sent to driving school instead. 🤣

what's your guilty pleasure?

Ooh. It's this bad boy here:

Sadly I've been over-indulging, so chocolate is now banned from the house for the foreseeable future. I'm still lusting after it though. Other guilty pleasures: I do like a good nightcap, so any (gluten grain-free) alcohol makes me light up – cognac, cabernet, sherry, sake, port... (But I don't always know my limits, so this is now banned too.) And a steamin', stonkin', trashy BL every now and then (bonus if there's a nice muscley actor for me to get all googly-eyed over – shoutout Gap Jakarin!). 😁🥰

tattoos?

I like art and have fanboyed over beautiful tattoos before – but I'm put off by the permanence of them, so I have none myself. Don't like the idea of not being able to change them much once they're inked in, because I will always be wanting to change things up if I were to get one. And no, even for looking at I prefer an uninked bod over an inked one. It takes a lot of work to get a body in shape, and I can't understand someone wanting to cover up the results of their hard work at the gym. 🤷‍♂️

favorite color?

A deep, rich blue most of the time. But when the mood hits, I like a bright, bold red too.

favorite type of music?

My tastes are a bit eclectic, leaning lighter and not challenging. Anything with a strong melodic line will get me hooked. Bonus points if the lyrics can come together with the melody to tell a story, and elevate it even more. So – pop mostly, but I also like R&B, soul, light jazz and the odd heartfelt country ballad or foot-stomper (go Queen Bey! 😍). Also like things with a nostalgic bent (I melt at Karen Carpenter, Seals & Croft, and England Dan & John Ford Coley). And then throw in a couple of show tunes in there for good measure! My YouTube playlist is all over the place – Sheila Majid, New Country, Renaissance, Nunew, Miley Cyrus, Streisand, Li'l Nas X, Ayumu Imazu, The Carpenters, Clean Bandit, so many others, all side-by-side.

do you like puzzles?

I love them, especially word and logic puzzles. I'm always shouting over Pat and Vanna. 🤣

any phobias?

Oddly, not the usual suspects, but I'm a bit phobic about birds. They're just creepy up close, even though I find them fascinating and beautiful with a bit of distance. While the bog-standard creepy-crawlies don't bother me one bit – I'm the one always getting called in to whack the roaches and chase away rodents. I dream of getting a cobalt blue tarantula as a pet (but that's not going to happen for various reasons, alas).

favorite childhood sport?

I wasn't that sporty growing up (classic bookworm) but I did enjoy a bit of soccer when I got to play. But I guess my favorite was probably swimming, though I didn't compete.

do you talk to yourself?

All the time. There's a nonstop monologue going on in my head and I've been known to startle people by accidentally voicing that conversation out loud. So I've learnt not to do it around others. 🤣 And no I'm not hearing disembodied voices; it's just me keeping myself company (plus I find it helps me focus my thoughts).

what movies do you adore?

My all-time favorite: Cinema Paradiso; it really pulls unabashedly at the heartstrings, but then again I'm a sentimental fool and love it all the more for that. That's also why I like Love Actually, especially the scene where the repressed Jamie (Colin Firth) travels to Portugal in order to confess his feelings to Aurélia (Lúcia Moniz), having realized he loves her despite the language barrier, and doggedly learnt Portuguese just to make his declaration – and then he finds out that she, lovelorn and bereft, learnt English just in case ("just in cases") he came back. 💖 And my second favorite is from the other end of the spectrum, actually quite a bit before my time as well: Hello Dolly! 😆 Don't judge... A couple of songs in there are really amazing – Love is Only Love and Just Leave Everything to Me especially (which are not in the stage version) are mindblowingly good. The former is almost pithy in its bare-boned purity, all about looking at love without sentimentality while reprising themes heard earlier on in the musical; the latter has the among the cleverest lyrics set to music I've ever heard:

Streisand is in fine fettle portraying a campier, more youthful incarnation of Dolly. Such a shame it was not better received. The costumes are spectacular too.

coffee or tea?

Coffee (or rather the caffeine it contains) is my drug of choice, and I drink buckets of it. But I like a good cuppa when I'm feeling nostalgic and/or sentimental, because tea is what I drank a lot of growing up – at my gran's there would be a perpetually-replenished, giant kettle of dark, bitterish Oolong on the sideboard for whenever you felt like some (which was often), while at home there was always a big pot of tea on the table in the morning, that would then be set to chill in the refrigerator after breakfast. I would always have an ice-cold milk tea with the papers when I got home from school, and it was my favorite daily ritual.

first thing you wanted to be growing up?

A paleontologist – like a lot of kids I loved dinosaurs, and I can still rattle off the names of the more well-known ones (including every one in Jurassic Park 👀). But that got pushed aside for more practical considerations later. Still wish I'd explored my second childhood ambition more though, which was to be a writer/journalist. Maybe that's why I like posting so much on Tumblr! 😍

Onward tagging (too many people as usual, but no pressure to play if you don't want to or can't 🥰): @hughungrybear, @relativelydimensional, @neuroticbookworm, @wen-kexing-apologist, @waitmyturtles, @airenyah, @twig-tea, @solitaryandwandering, @recentadultburnout, @lurkingshan, @grapejuicegay,@bengiyo, @urikawa-miyuki, @pickletrip, @suni-san, @kattahj, @dimplesandfierceeyes, @7nessasaryevils, @imminentinertia, @befuddledcinnamonroll, @pandasmagorica, @nihilisticcondensedmilk,@shortpplfedup, @rokklagio, @thegalwhorants, @brazilian-whalien52, @callipigio, @respectthepetty, @corettaroosa, @colourme-feral, @virtualtadpole, @aroceu, @belladonna-and-the-sweetpeas, @delesaria-blog, @dribs-and-drabbles, @inventedfangirling, @jiirotu, @visualtaehyun @happypotato48,@akawrites000, @kleopatras-cat, @dc-alves, @toschistation, @lovelyghostv

I've been tagged by others in various tag games over the past few weeks but have been too busy with work to be able to play. 😭 Not gonna post half-assed replies if I can help it, but then I'm always beset by dread thinking people might assume I'm ignoring them for whatever silly reason. But I just haven't had the time until now.

If you've tagged me and I've not responded, please know that I really wanted to but I just kept getting sidetracked by urgent deadlines. (In fact, my drafts folder is full of half-written tag game responses that are too far beyond their use-by date to ever see the light of day. 😮) So to any and all who see this, please accept my apology for not replying to your tags and invites, and if you'd like to play along with this one even if I haven't tagged you directly (and you have the time for it) – please do so! I'd love to read your responses! 😍

[phantomarine]

in some sort of high school AU, what would be the favourite subjects of the main cast?

Pavel - history

Lani - PE or creative writing

Irving - math

Phaedra - also history, not math

Cal - teaches an ethics seminar

Halea - principal

Vanna - teaches biology

Cheth - teaches theater

Silas - skips class a lot to hang out with the principal

[sunforgrace]

strictly in a writing sense it is so. it’s really. they kept flashing chekhov’s gun for 12 years like a high school color guard while going gun? there’s no gun. maybe you are confusing our batons for a gun. we would never have a gun in this show. in this show. meanwhile the color guard is playing keep away with the gun. and then in final season 15 they hang it up on the wall and gesture to it like vanna white. then in the 18th episode they take it off the wall, fire it at castiel the angel, kick the body off to the side behind a curtain and say pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. then put their hands, holding the gun, behind their backs while saying gun? what gun. there’s no gun here. meanwhile you see castiel stand up behind the curtain. his feet are poking out. and you go what’s that. and they go don’t worry about that. he is alive and well but that’s all you need to know. and you go can I see him. and they go no. also it’s important to know that chronologically. before cas stood up behind the curtain they ran at dean winchester like a looney tunes character shoved him onto a structurally purposeless spike protruding from the wall and shouted get into the car go go go!

[thedeadthree]

— WHICH OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS IS YOUR OC?

TAGGED BY the darlings @chuckhansen, @marivenah and @leviiackrman to take this loveliest uquiz for a few dears! ty ty so much!

TAGGING: @risingsh0t, @griffin-wood, @queennymeria, @aartyom, @dihardys, @jackiesarch, @florbelles, @arklay, @confidentandgood, @adelaidedrubman, @aceghosts, @swordcoasts, @roofgeese, @pearlcscent, @bloodofvalyria, @belorage, @yennas, @shellibisshe, @multiverse-of-themind, @unholymilf, @lavinet, @roberthouses and you!

PRIDE

pride: "dangerously corrupt selfishness, the putting of one's own desires, urges, wants, and whims before the welfare of other people." basically, you're selfish. but hey, at least you love yourself!! that's a good thing. you know what you want and when you want it. you're very determined and tend to block out negativity in your life. good!! your ambitions might block your view of everyone else in your life, but deep down you know they're there and you care for them very deeply. you're very energized and invoke a lot of emotions in other people. your voice has a very big impact, so don't forget to use it (for the right reasons) :)

GREED

greed: "an artificial, rapacious desire and pursuit of material possessions." you're greedy (obviously). you have a very competitive nature and always strive to be the best. you also really like money but hey, who doesn't. your dream is to be rich and successful, and you'll do anything to get it. you have few friends, but the ones you do have are basically family to you. don't forget to slow down and cherish the people around you ;)

ENVY

envy: "a sad or resentful covetousness towards the traits or possessions of someone else." another sin of desire, you constantly feel upstaged by everyone else. you want everything you know you can't have, and tend to under-appreciate the things you do have. you're easily distracted and might be self-loathing. but that's okay because you're ambitious and determined. you can do anything you put your mind to, and are capable of a lot more than you think you are.

SLOTH

sloth: "a peculiar jumble of notions, dating from antiquity and including mental, spiritual, pathological, and physical states. an absence of interest or habitual disinclination to exertion." basically, you're careless. you have a lack of feeling for the world and the people in it. but actually, the most carelessness you have is for yourself. you tend to be self-loathing, when in reality you deserve the most. make a list of all the things you love about yourself and don't forget to appreciate all that you are and all that you do ;)

WRATH

wrath: "uncontrolled feelings of anger, rage, and even hatred. feelings of wrath can manifest in different ways, including impatience, hateful misanthropy, revenge, and self-destructive behavior." basically you have anger issues. you tend to seek vengeance and hold grudges for a loooooongggggg time. but that's only because you're looking out for yourself and the people you care about. you're not afraid of a fight and are very confrontational. you're strong-willed and thick-skinned. don't forget to show ur soft side every once in a while :)

LUST

lust: "intense longing or desire." you're just tryna get into everyone's pants now aren't you. honestly, good for you. you feel lonely a lot and happiest when giving or receiving love. you constantly wonder whether the people in your life truly need you or not. I'm sure you're a very friendly person with a big heart <3 and lots of love to give!! so give it!!

WRATH

wrath: "uncontrolled feelings of anger, rage, and even hatred. feelings of wrath can manifest in different ways, including impatience, hateful misanthropy, revenge, and self-destructive behavior." basically you have anger issues. you tend to seek vengeance and hold grudges for a loooooongggggg time. but that's only because you're looking out for yourself and the people you care about. you're not afraid of a fight and are very confrontational. you're strong-willed and thick-skinned. don't forget to show ur soft side every once in a while :)

[lavampira]

writing patterns

tagged by @sangrefae tysm! I’ll pass it along (with no pressure) to @hythlodaes @coldshrugs @scionshtola @birues @veeples @narrativefoiltrope @hylfystt @ghostwise @a-treides @carlosoliveiraa @aphoticfairy @galadae if anyone wants <3

RULES: share the first line of your last ten published works or as many as you are able and see if there are any patterns!

1. Vanna gently rapped their knuckles against the door, announcing their presence before entering Bastila’s quarters with a soft whoosh of the door. | truth flows between us - kotor, revan & bastila

2. The first morning back on Dromund Kaas, it rains. | habitually yours - swtor, cadrien/minaiph

3. The Solar greets D’alia with the all-encompassing warmth of the fireplace as she steps past the heavy door. | your sweet confession - ffxiv, d’alia/minfilia

4. They had been separated for too long. It’s been like this for some time, but it never gets any easier. | not letting go - swtor, cadrien/minaiph

5. Malena doesn’t scream when her hand misses the ledge. | stay the course - mass effect, malena/kaidan

6. Malena returns to the Normandy SR-2 in a foul mood. She’s given a wide berth as soon as she steps through the airlock, and even Joker elects to keep his comments to a minimum, unable to completely withhold the crack about her confrontation on the surface but clearly using it to gauge how bad it’d gotten. | exit wounds - mass effect, malena/kaidan

7. A bitter chill seeps into the room long before the sun rises over the horizon, bringing with it hues of soft blue and warm gold as slow illumination takes hold. | lazy kisses in bed (prompt) - ffxiv, d’alia/sidurgu

8. More often these days, D’alia finds herself at the Forgotten Knight after a patrol. | drown the night - ffxiv, d’alia/sidurgu

9. Gazing around the room, Lon could almost forget the fact that a war was ongoing not terribly far from him, or that he was across an entire ocean due to it, perhaps even pretend that he had hopped a train with his lover for more than a simple few days of their overlapped reprieve from the front. | a night in paris - original, lon/ethan

10. Evie wishes she could say that her ex turning up to her apartment in the middle of the night is unexpected, but she’s not really surprised to see him. | collide - original, angel/evie

PATTERNS: I have a hard time writing first lines (and often come back to it after I’ve written further) but I do seem to like punchy, emotional state starters or atmospheric ones that capture mood!

[burned-lariat]

The Twitter Jex girlies are so, so triggered that their precious pairing was criticized for being a vapid, empty "love story" by SoapHub. Unfortunately for them, just like SOD, not a single lie was told, not a one. Truth hurts, babes.

Here's the article for your reading pleasure:

[owlbelly]

can't believe i spent so long away from tumblr trying to hack it on other social media. i feel so fucking done i'm exhausted just looking at anything more "current"

& while i do unfortunately still suffer from the curse of wanting the internet to be my diary (here i am, Posting), i need it to be text-only & behind at least a semi-plausible smokescreen of anonymity. i have ZERO desire to spend time curating myself & my life visually! i absolutely fucking refuse to film myself! i hate the way this dovetails with being a freelancer & needing to self-promote, where i'm watching my peers scramble to make ~aesthetic video content~ about their (static!) visual art or even writing, feeling the need to be not only a creator of whatever it is you make but also a model, an interior designer, a photographer/filmmaker, an ad copywriter, etc. etc.

i can't do it. i can barely fucking scrape together enough executive function & will to live in order to just make the damn work, i can't also be Vanna fucking White showing it off. video killed the radio star & TikTok killed the old tired ugly artists who just want to get paid

i know i'm gonna stay on all these other fucking sites (except the video-only ones, fuck that), i have to, but i only post work & then bounce. i've crawled back into the tumblr sideblog hole & this is where i live