#3 years in memoriam

[missjackil]

We interrupt the Episode Battle to bring you the following special

The Supernatural Finale : 3 Years Later

I was introduced to these 2 boys in 2016, after much insistence from a friend of mine who had been watching it religiously since the beginning.

It wasn't my kind of show, dudes killing monsters like "A mini horror movie that's prime time safe on CW" didn't even spark my interest, but I gave in, and gave it 2 seasons to hook me, if it didn't, I was moving on.

It wasn't looking good through the 1st season. I did like Sam and Dean, and some of the episodes were good, but the monsters weren't scary, the writing was bad, I hated the lack of color, it being nearly black and white, was hard to see and just plain cheesy. I also felt like the stakes weren't high enough. I knew it was still on the air in its 11th season and Sam and Dean were both still on it, so what could really even happen to the brothers?

OH how wrong I was!

Admittedly, Season 2 was better. Still, I wasn't sure I was hooked.

And then...

This scene grabbed me by the heart and dug its claws in, and I was stuck...forever!

The next several years, I lived happily in my obsession. I gritted my teeth and cringed through some really bad writing, for those episodes and moments that made fall more deeply in love with these guys!

It was a roller coaster for sure, but it was my happy place. More than that, it felt like my best friend and was my escape when things got too bad.

Feb 1st 2018, from 8pm till 9, instead of watching the new episode "Various and Sundry Villians" I was at the hospital watching my Dad die. He died at 9:04 pm and the next several hours were spent crying with my sisters and my daughters.

We got home at 4am and I was physically and emotionally exhausted, but I had that episode waiting for me, just so I could focus on something else for an hour. I can't explain how much I needed that.

I'd say that was the worst day of my life, but they BEST day of my life was when I got to hug Jared at NJ Con 2019!

I'm sure every one of us has a Supernatural story, what it means to us, how we relate and how it impacted our lives, and I want to hear (read) them all!

Please take some time today to remember the little show that could, did, and still does! And if you still get emotional, it's okay... you're not alone

[nakedpersimmon]

I don't know how to talk about Michael Nesmith in the past tense.

When someone is so alive in your memory, they tend to stay that way. When someone like Michael Nesmith makes an impression, it never really goes away. I can still see the outline of him, the defined edges of everything that made Nez who he is.

Michael Nesmith and I became friends in 2011. We first spoke in Videoranch, but the conversation soon moved to email and then Skype, which he discovered shortly after. There are few things more surreal than coming home to a "missed call" and voicemail message on Skype from Michael Nesmith, but for the next several months, it was an almost regular occurrence.

"Amy, it's Nez."

He started each one the same, that familiar Texas twang ringing out over my computer speakers. Once, he called with his mouth full, asking me if I'd have lunch with him. Another time was to tell me he'd spoken to novelist Jane Smiley and told her about me, told her I'd been asked to speak at the United Nations, and told her how he and I had met.

Michael Nesmith and I met because of Monkees fan fiction.

That wasn't what he called it, of course. Everything had to be parsed through his own brand of Nezism, which meant that the second thing Michael Nesmith ever said to me was, "So, tell me about this fan porn."

And I did. Because no matter how weird it is, when Nez asks you something, you answer.

We met in person in 2013, when he started solo touring again. I still remember the first time, in Somerville, Massachusetts with @lynseymoon. Meeting Nez wasn't at all what I expected. I remember my first glimpse of him as we walked down the stairs to the dressing room area, shuffling back and forth with his hands in his pockets. He was so soft-spoken, quietly thoughtful but never cold, and so very hilarious. He was happy to see us, chattering away and cracking jokes until his then-assistant told him it was time to go.

Until I saw him at the next show, and we picked up right where we left off.

You always knew where you stood with Nez, even if he never said it.

Flashes of other shows still stand out in my mind. The glint in Nez's eye on the tour bus after one show, motioning to his keyboard player, Boh Cooper, to fix me a drink. "I'd like one with gin," I said. "So I can say I went to a sophisticated party where I got a little drunk on gin." He responded with a look so pointed I couldn't help but laugh. We both did. Before I left, he asked me if I was okay to drive home. Always putting the "Papa" in "Papa Nez."

Another show, this time in New York. He introduced me to Elvis Costello, who had been in the audience and went to Nez's dressing room before I did. Nez held my hand after another show a few months later, taking hold of it in the theater dressing room and not letting go until we reached the parking lot. That became a theme of our friendship, for some reason. Nez holding my hands, or taking my hand without me remotely expecting it.

He was always looking for connection, it seemed. Always reaching out. Wanting someone to listen.

Someone very wise once told me, "The Truth is the Truth is the Truth. It is immutable. It is unchanging."

The truth was often a strange place to be with Nez, but that was where we found ourselves, through countless conversations about sex and metaphysics and religion and life. He spoke with such curiosity and wonder and humor in his trademark deadpan style. He laid down threads of conversation and urged me to follow, and as confusing as it could sometimes be, I always tried, because he believed I could.

Nez and I believed in each other. Because that's what friends do.

The last time I saw Michael Nesmith was (strangely) also in Somerville. He'd barely begun to recover from his heart surgery but was somehow out on the road, and Lynsey and I were again there, standing in the theatre lobby, the blue neon light flickering over the concession stand behind us. His on-the-road assistant, Robin, brought him by us on his way to a post show meet-and-greet.

There wasn't time to talk, but Nez still stopped when he saw us. It was only when he stopped that I saw the sadness in his eyes, the distant glassiness so far removed from how he was when I'd met him there five years earlier. He waved to us as if from behind a wall, an invisible barrier that had been put between him and us without any of us wanting it. But just before he turned away to walk into the theater, it happened.

Nez took my hand again. He squeezed it. And I didn't want to let go.

When Nez died last year, NP’s feeds were inundated with posts about the news. Articles and pictures and stories from every media outlet in the world, for days on end. The memorials today are ever-present, on personal pages and Monkees groups alike.

But I don't want memorials. I don't want tributes.

I just want to see my friend again.

I'd like to hear him laugh. I'd like to feel him holding my hand, and see the twinkle in his eye.

More than anything, I'd like him to be healthy, and happy. The kind of happy he was when I knew him, before the heartache of the last few years. Back when he told me that he was proud of me, and when he teased me about fan porn. When he was something like himself.

I sure do miss him...

[skitskatdacat63]

Blorbo in my current show just got killed, it's so over 😭😭

[questinwitchface]

Q's 31 Days of Halloween Advent Event Masterpost

Hello dears! Back in March, I decided I really wanted to write a Halloween fic this year, and with inspiration from @allcolorsoftherainbow who did an advent challenge for Christmas one year, I decided to do an advent challenge for Halloween this year, as a personal challenge to myself. My friend, my sibling/beta reader, and I all worked together to create a prompt list; I wrote a fic for each prompt, and soon I will be sharing those fics with you!

Each day in October, expect a new fic from me until finally we get to Halloween! Most of the fics are SamBucky, and most - but not all - are oneshots. I've separated them out into themed weeks, just because I thought that would be fun. The themed weeks are: Family, Other Ships, Angst and Smut, and Countdown to Halloween!

All fics will be posted to AO3, and I will edit this post to add the link to each new fic as the challenge goes on. As always, please read the tags, summary, etc. because the ratings and content will vary.

Family Week

Prompt 1: Witch - You Look Bewitching - Rated G; 2,042 words; SamBucky and Sarah Wilson/Original Male Character

Prompt 2: Corn Maze - It's That Obvious - Rated G; 2,284 words; SamBucky

Prompt 3: Best Halloween Candy - The Candy Market - Rated G; 1,671 words; SamBucky

Prompt 4: Creepy Object - The Not Fun Scary - Rated T; 3,383 words; SamBucky

Prompt 5: Making Costumes - Con Crunch - Unrated; Incomplete Multichapter; SamBucky

Prompt 6: A Spell - To Make Love Happen - Rated T, 3,504 words; SamBucky

Prompt 7: Making Decorations - Warmth That Lingers - Rated G; 730 words; SamBucky

Prompt 8: Treats - Revenge Is Sweet, but Maybe You're Sweeter - Rated G; 3,982 words; SamBucky and Sarah Wilson/Original Female Character

Other Ships Week

Prompt 9: Trick-or-Treating - A Daring Knight, a Brave Bard, and a Hapless Prince - Rated T; 1,650 words; Kate/Yelena/Joaquín and SamBucky

Prompt 10: Spiders - Irrational - Rated G; 988 words; Sharon Carter/Joaquín Torres

Prompt 11: Group Costume - Ruby Red - Rated T; Incomplete Multichapter; SamSteve and SamNatasha and SamBucky

Prompt 12: Ghost - To Love Is to Live - Rated T; Incomplete Multichapter; Kate/Yelena/Joaquín

Prompt 13: Haunted House - First Date - Rated T; 1,906 words; Shang-Chi/Joaquín

Prompt 14: Funny Costume - Getting Back at Bucky - Rated T; 1,922 words; Kate/Yelena/Joaquín and minor SamBucky

Angst and Smut Week

Prompt 15: Contacting the Dead - Best Friend's Opinion - Rated T; 4,561 words; SamBucky and ambiguous relationship Sam&/Riley

Prompt 16: Graveyard - In Memoriam - Rated T; 3,130 words; SamBucky

Prompt 17: Cursed Object - Finish the Last Chapter, Start a New Story - Rated T; 1,899 words; SamBucky

Prompt 18: Zombie - Until the End - Rated T; 4,471 words; SamBucky

Prompt 19: Darkness - The Good Part - Rated E; 3,197 words; SamBucky

Prompt 20: Vampire - Stay for Dinner - Rated E; Incomplete Multichapter; SamBucky

Prompt 21: Sexy Costume - May the Sunlight Shine on Me - Rated E; 3,462 words; SamBucky

Countdown to Halloween

Prompt 22: Decorating the House/Yard - Something Special - Rated G; 1,817 words; SamBucky

Prompt 23: Halloween Scavenger Hunt - When They Look Back, Will They Call This Their First Date? - Rated G; 4,379 words; SamBucky

Prompt 24: Fortune Teller - If It's in the Cards... - Rated G; 2,657 words; SamBucky

Prompt 25: Scary Movies - Cuddles and Coziness, Being Together - Rated G; 1,151 words; SamBucky

Prompt 26: Pumpkin Carving - The Avengers' First Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest - Rated G; 1,314 words; SamBucky

Prompt 27: Werewolf - I'd Love You in Any Form - Rated T; 3,544 words; SamBucky

Prompt 28: Fall Festival - Birds and Butterflies - Rated T; 8,554 words; SamBucky

Prompt 29: Pumpkin Patch - Just a Couple of Guys, Going to a Pumpkin Patch - Rated G; 1,658 words; SamBucky

Prompt 30: - Ghost Story - Do You Believe? - Rated T; 2,574 words; SamBucky

Prompt 31: Halloween Party - Say Yes - Rated G; 1,703 words; SamBucky

And, just like that, we're done!! Thank you to everyone who read along, commented, left kudos, and sent me encouragement in any form along the way! It has been a joy to share these fics with all of you, and I'm so happy that we've made it to the end! I will be taking a rest for the first week of November, but expect updates to the multichapter fics in this list throughout November, possibly into December? Idk, we'll get them updated and shared with you dears. Thank you again so much for reading and enjoying this Advent Event of mine! Have a happy and safe and wonderful Halloween!

[mykingdomforapen]

LC's Link Click fic shout-outs

I worry I'm going to come off as nagging but I do feel strongly about it. Link Click has some INCREDIBLE fic, written by people who put a lot of time and energy and effort into writing, but they don't always get a ton of reader interaction. I feel like I often find a fic I enjoy, scroll down to comment, and find I'm maybe one of 2 or 3 people to comment on it.

Link Click is technically not a small fandom--on the contrary, it's so incredibly active! But it seems that unless a fic was published in the s1 era or happens to get lucky, this is the norm. Which strikes me as sad, because the fandom is popping and active on other platforms.

So here are a handful of fics (by no means exhaustive) of fics that I've thoroughly enjoyed that I had scrolled down and went, They deserve so much love! (again, not exhaustive!)

liminal by Anonymous

Qiao Ling and Lu Guang talk. Much is left unsaid.

It's such a subtle fic, but so effective in showing Lu Guang's emotions, Qiao Ling's worry, and the nature of their relationship in conjunction to Cheng Xiaoshi. It's truly just so soft and nice.

stain by HeavenlyDusk

The only way for Cheng Xiaoshi to be dead is for Qiao Ling to have died first.

I just love a Qiao Ling confronts Lu Guang about Cheng Xiaoshi's death fic, and this one really captures big sister Qiao Ling and how much she cares about both of her boys. I love it!

resolve and reverberations by macrauchenia

Lu Guang rarely fumbles, rarely cracks, and rarely steps up to the sparring mat first. Nevertheless, on a random day in the middle of September, he does all three. Alternatively, Qiao Ling and Cheng Xiaoshi can't figure out why their best friend seems so *wrong* for no explicable reason.

A slice of life fic that adds such a delicious sprinkle of angst at Lu Guang's expense hehe. But it makes me feel so sad for Lu Guang, who just is so traumatized of losing Cheng Xiaoshi, and then it gives him a soft encouragement at the end. It's so sweet.

Instinct (Part One) by JordannaMorgan

Hired to solve a wealthy client’s personal mystery, Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang discover there are even darker powers in the world than they realized… and the damage left in the fallout will not be easily fixed for anyone.

Man, this fic is so CREATIVE. It is great at suspense, kept me on the edge of my seat from chapter to chapter, and the Cheng Xiaoshi angst is so delicious. And then the ENDING. gahhh, I cannot wait for Part Two and really hope that it will come!! I think about this fic so often

A Day Like Any Other by rane_ne

After three long years, for the very first time ever, Lu Guang finally gets to turn 20.

It's just ... gahhhh. Cheng Xiaoshi is my blorbo, yes, but Lu Guang being so relieved and emotional at the end because he's finally done it, and is turning another year older because he no longer has to dive back because his friend is alive??? GAHHHHH

Memoriam by JordannaMorgan

Even for those who have no powers, photographs are powerful things.

This is a lovely case fic that is so thoughtfully, emotionally, and tenderly told. I love the compassion that the story has for the characters, and it gives me the feelings that the Earthquake arc concluded with--finding joy and kindness even within the tragedy. I really love it.

sept, oct by Toothpaste_Fresh

The first time around, there are no rules, and Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi must learn all of their lessons the hard way. The first time around, Cheng Xiaoshi is the seventh of Liu Min’s victims. The second time around, there will be no seventh victim.

Gosh, this fic is so goooood. I love the speculation of what the first time round was like, and GOSH it's just such a gut punch of dramatic irony, of both CXS and LG being bold and idealistic and naive, and then how it tragically leads to CXS' death. It's EXCELLENT.

Golden Hour by StuckIn_aTimeLoop

The salty breeze feels nice. Cheng Xiaoshi smiles as he kneels down in the sand, happy they managed to make it in time for golden hour. Cheng Xiaoshi holds up the camera to capture his shot.

I LOVE ME SOME PARALLEL SCENES THAT ARE CONNECTED AND INTERTWINED BY AN EMOTIONAL MOTIF!! The juxtaposition of two types of golden hours is done so well, and both are so full of energy of opposite kinds in such a well balanced way. I was so excited when I heard this fic was being written and I was so happy reading it.

the shine in your eyes reminded me of the moon by StuckIn_aTimeloop

Cheng Xiaoshi was barely a child when his parents died. The king took him in, raised him as his own. Now he's older, it is time for him to choose his own knight.

Prince Cheng Xiaoshi and Knight Lu Guang. Need I say more??? It's so indulgent and I love it.

[operationslipperypuppet]

Naddpod Carnegie based on what I can remember, post-show euphoria comedown. (That’s more for me so I can remember it later)

The music was played by a quintet, and the director was Emily’s brother, Brian. They were incredible.

Music started early and people talked through a lot of it but it was all incredible. When they played Kingshammer, everyone lost their shit after one note. When they finished we freaked out. We were correct to do this.

The whole two crew was dressed up and looked so great! Murph’s jacket was bedazzled.

The band stayed on stage for the show and played music under moments of it as it happened.

We started with the Boobs. They were nominated for the hit awards show, the Batubies, 5 years after the fall of Thiala. Bev was wearing a too-tight bow tie and grew a bad mustache. Hardwons outfit matched what Jake was wearing. Moonshine wild shaped just her torso into a penguin (still with huge boobs). Paw Paw was covered in hair gel and grew a perfect mustache. They were all gunning for pawpaw to win, and the photographers only wanted to photograph him.

Balnor was the host. He was possessed by a joke book, dungeons and laughies. He had veneers and Hardwon and Moonshine wanted some as well. Hardwon filed his teeth down to prepare, Moonsshine opted to wait for a dentist. The boobs HATED Balnor’s jokes. He hissed at them when they tried to take his book. Moonshine admitted to maybe being attracted to hissing Balnor.

The awards show started with an in memoriam to certain villains they’d killed. They were described: Josh - thrown out a window by Moonshine, The Crag - beheaded by Bev after a beheading song/dance (I do not remember lol), Galad - beheaded by Hardwon and then resurrected and beheaded by hardwons mom (jake blows kiss to Lydia), The Bear Prince - killed by Moonshine then brought back as a zombie so he could be killed by Hardwon, who was trapped in honey the whole fight, Thiala - eaten by Moonshine.

Awards were as follows: A best dramatic acting - they played clips from the actual pod; Hardwon finding out about his parents, Bev trying to resurrect Erlin when Thiala killed Pelor, Moonshine’s “child has a duty to his father, hero has a duty to the world”, and Donkey Kong’s recap of the wars - DK won. The audience was confused. Moonshine and Hardwon were angry because “that wasn’t canon”. DK sent in a video acceptance speech. Pendergreens won best redemption arc and gave a speech about how good Bowflexes are, and then Ren won a free bow flex. Coach Bortram won best smite, murph thought he remembered his voice. He did not

Best hero was the boobs rescinding their nominations so Paw Paw could win. Balnor, possessed, gave it to Galad, resurrecting him. Paw Paw was the only one to escape a restraining spell, and fled the theater, chosen knights in hot pursuit. The Boobs were annoyed with Balnor and when he died onstage were called out by Cobb and MeeMaw for being mean. It was nice to have Cobb.

Outside, he found the Triplets and Keychain, who were arguing with the astral worm bouncer because they weren’t on the list and Onyx dressed as one of the “Stranger Kids” cast to try to get in. (Murph still DMing, Caldwell as Keychain.) They wanted to kill Paw Paw (thought he was a weird dog) and were ready to fight the Chosen over it. Paw Paw rolled a nat 20 initiative, and ran again. Nyack killed 2 knights, Onyx killed 3 others. They got VIP passes and headed inside the theater, Onyx hitting on the astral worm along the way.

Paw Paw then found the Third Mates in a bar. Zirk drank windex, poisoned himself, and Fia and Hank also drank Windex. They talked about having Windex visions and seeing Windex Goblins. Paw Paw was familiar with the ladder. Bukvar could talk to Paw Paw and translated his distress to the Third Mates. He also asked why they drank Windex. Murph said that the bartender said “this only really sounds like one of you” and looked past zirk, very clearly calling out human man Caldwell. It was beautiful. They were ready to act, healed from poison by Paw Paw giving them water. Balnors evil book attacked, and Hank and Shank took it out in one turn, doing over 100 damage with an action surge. Murph was pleasantly shocked. Fia was able to use the disenchanted book to learn the spell to free everyone in the theater They then followed Paw Paw back to the theater.

Inside, everyone discovered that the Boobs had been kidnapped by Galad, who intended to use their blood to bring back Thiala. The only witnesses to this were our beloved Duck Team, who did not get restrained but didn’t help because they were busy playing smash on a DS.

Balnor, back alive, asked everyone to come help. There was some discussion over whether the triplets would go.

He took all the heroes in the Stormborn to the mountains of Irondeep. The triplets took over the captains quarters and claimed they already had rewards accounts. They tried to order chicken caesar salads from Calder, who could only find lettuce. Hank was steering, worried about gunk in the wheel. Fia was warming up the canons, Callie was in the crows nest. Sol was in the sails, Zirk got stuck in the engine. It was glorious.

Once in irondeep, they found Galad looming over the tied up boobs, stealing Rosaline back. They rolled initiative based on the highest dex of any of their characters and could choose one to take a turn as. It was dope as hell. Order was Galad, Jake, Emily, Caldwell.

Galad used his first turn to kill Jens. Turned him to dust. Murph demanded a sad song play for his death, and he got Valiant Ol’ Cobb. (Beautiful orchestration. Un fucking earned). The remaining triplets then explained his best moments to Balnor, including asking Keychain if he was a blender and watching Friends with headphones but the subs on so others could read it. Nyack shot at Galad. Onyx smacked the shit out of Galad (with the help of a chronal shift). Galad used legendaries to hit and then power word kill Nyack. Nyack blamed Calder due to the fact he didn’t have chicken on his salad. The familiars freed the boobs. Zirk helped Bev use a “blue smite” (Windex reference) on Galad. Galad attacked and crit on Onyx. Hardwon smacked the shit out of Galad and killed him once again.

Paw Paw was then given the divine power Galad had and Murph said the audience could decide if he resurrected Nyack and Jens. It was a split vote. In the end, only Nyack was resurrected.

We then ended the show with a One Big Bed singalong. It was so wonderful and sweet and perfect.

All in all, it was a great fucking show. What an absolute gift. Here’s to 5 more years.

[migrated-to-diff-account]

Orion's Kiss

————

TFP Optimus x human!reader

A cute lil fic of you spending quality time with your autobot lover <3

Warnings: None

Word count: 747

————

It was an overcast night; the soft rumbling of thunder can be heard in the distance as Optimus Prime begins to return to the place, he unknowingly began to call home. The small pitter patter of water droplets on the asphalt reached his audial receptors. It will not be a good night to observe the Earth’s night sky, he thought.

In his alt form, Optimus Prime sped slightly faster than he usually would. He was eager to get out of this rain, but more eagerly, get home to you.

His spark mate, the love of his life. He had met you a little over a year ago, around the same time he met the other humans. Your protective nature over those kids made his spark sing, whether it was helping them with their homework, helping build projects or just sitting with them and listening to whatever was on their mind. He couldn’t help but smile as he observed you mothering them.

Optimus reached the base, drenched in rain and transformed back into his bot alt. He hums as he shakes the water off himself. He looks to the designated human area, expecting to find you laying on the couch bundled up in soft blankets, however you were no where to be found.

He looks to his old friend, huddled over the main computer. “Ratchet, do you perhaps know of (Y/n)’s whereabouts?”

“I saw her take the elevator up top,” He replies, not even looking up from his work. “Silly human will catch an illness in this kind of weather.”

Optimus hums, giving his medic a small pat on his shoulder plates, “Thank you, old friend. If you require my assistance, I shall be with her.”

Ratchet nods his helm, glancing a look back at Optimus as he walks towards the roof top access for the bots, then returns to his work.

Up on the roof, a small human sat with a raincoat. She was leaning against the many rocks stacked upward in the memoriam of their fallen team member. She shivered a little as the rain hits her cheeks. She starts to smile as she hears the rough sound of pedes behind her.

“Hey, love.” She smiles as her lover settles down beside her.

“Hello, my sweet spark,” Optimus greets, he looks down to his human. He follows her gaze which is pointed out towards the misty horizon. “May I ask, what are you doing out here in this weather?”

She hums, “Waiting for the stars to come back out to play.”

Optimus looks back down at her, a soft smile returns to his faceplates. The one thing out of everything that he admired about her, was her love of the stars. Often, they would venture out of Jasper to more unpopulated areas just to have a clearer view of the wonders of the galaxy. It was one of their favourite activities to do together. While on these dates, he can remember countless conversations about his experiences when he was Orion Pax, how his favourite place on Cybertron was the Observatory of Iacon. Oh, how he wished he could take her there, knowing how much her beautiful eyes would light up as she explored his most treasured location.

 Optimus holds out his servo to her. She could hear him doing so and took the invitation to climb up. He holds her close to his chassis, the soft thrumming of his spark making her relax. She sinks deeper into the embrace. Both sat there in comfortable silence, listening to the rain become less and less heavy until it became a soft sprinkle.

The lovers both watched as the moon began to break through the clouds. Optimus strokes his thumb over her back, the exhale of his vents indicating that he is completely relaxed. The clouds slowly dissipated over time, and the night sky began to make itself known.

“Look Optimus,” (Y/n) pointed towards a constellation in the sky, “There’s Orion’s belt.”

Optimus looks up towards where she was pointing. He softly chuckles as he brings his love closer to his face plate, giving her a light kiss. She happily returned the kiss, resting her hands on his face plate.

“And that, my love, was Orion’s kiss.” He presses his helm on her forehead, enjoying the little giggles that escaped from her.

The rest of the night was spent right there, enjoying each other’s embrace, and enjoying the wonders of the universe. He absolutely wouldn’t have it any other way.

[alienoresimagines]

Tag game

Thank you @onyxsboxes @heretoobsessstuff and @sleepr-agent420 for the tag 🥹❤️

Last song you listened to: Salvatore - Lana Del Rey

Silver or gold jewelry: I only own three pieces of jewelry and they're all silver so I guess silver 😂 But I've never tried to see how gold looked on me so that might change :)

Tattoos: None

Piercings: Again, very boring but none 😅 Not even the ears lol

Currently reading: In Memoriam by Alice Winn

A hobby i wanna try: Piano! My father bought me one a few years ago but since then I haven't been able to go to his place as often so I have made 0 progress :'(

Coffee or tea: Neither, unless they have lots of sugar 😅

Fav video game: Osu!

Star sign: Scorpio

Biggest hear me out: I don't think I have one so I'll raise you Buck/Bucky/Benny/Brady as a ship for my "hear me out" moment 😔

Np tagging @amiserableseriesofevents @rangerelizabeth @majorbuckyegan @happy-days19 and @don-humes-tiny-shorts <3

[funtomfactory]

In memoriam

Now that most of you have read chapter 209 of the manga and have hopefully let it settle in a bit, I would like to give some attention to this.

RIP Snake 3/15/1871 - 12/9/1889

A beloved member of the Phantomhive household and Kuroshitsuji family has passed away. Snake, as we learned, was 18 years old and had no other name. His eccentric looks an dabilities made him a very special character to many who have feelings akin to Snake's: the fact that they desperately want to belong somewhere, despite being an oddity. Snake therefore was a very popular character, even becoming the seventh most popular character of the series according to an official poll, just missing out on the Akuma Six.

Much about Snake remains a mystery. We still don't know what caused his appearance, or how he wound up at the freakshow. I have little hope that we'll find that out yet now that he's gone.

But we will not let his passing go by unnoticed. That's why we announce the following:

Snake's memorial service (#Snake Memorial) Starting this friday, and lasting throughout the weekend, we will honor Snake in the ways fandoms tend to do:

Friday: Memories day. Share your favourite manga/anime moment(s) of Snake and his Snakes.

Saturday: Fan content. Share your fanfictions, fanart, etc. featuring Snake.

Sunday: Speculation day. What headcanons do you have for Snake? Which questions left unanswered do you think you have the solution to? Share your thoughts on Snake on the third and final day.

How to participate? Of course we leave that entirely up to you! If you want us to reblog your posts, use the tag #Snake Memorial or send in something using the askbox or submission page.

Remember: Snake will only truly die if we forget about him as a fandom.

@kurosnakes

[magicalyaku]

Hello and welcome to my 2023 reading wrap up! A big Thank You to everyone who followed my ramblings throughout the year! <3 I will continue through 2024. Maybe I'll learn how to write proper reviews, at least I'll try to remember better what I actually want to say about the stories. In 2022, I read 93 books plus my own. Guess how many it were in 2023? 93 plus my own!! xD That was huge coincidence and I love it. Of these 94 books, 4 are rereads (which won't be included in the "Favourite" sections), 2 are non-fiction, 11 are non-queer. I only DNFed 1 book (which is not pictured) and other than that I only disliked 6 books! (And it's a pretty soft dislike in comparison. I don't hate them nearly enough to want to shit on them again. :'D).

So on the the awards!

Most Read Author: KJ Charles (8 books)

Least Favourite Book: Daresh (Katja Brandis) (the one I could not finish for dear life)

Favourite Character: Brand (The Tarot Sequence) and Will (The Will Darling Adventures) (yes, there's a trend)

Favourite Covers (of books I read, not releases):

(There were too many. D:)

Highest Emotional Investment (aka The Agony, the suffering, the why you do this to me Award): Dark Heir - The Scottish Boy - In Memoriam

Wildest Story: The Adventures of Pinocchio

Favourite Books:

The Devil's Luck (L.S. Baird)

The Scottish Boy (Alex de Campi)

In Memoriam (Alice Winn)

Just Lizzie (Karen Wilfried)

Dark Heir (C.S. Pacat)

The Will Darling Adventures (KJ Charles)

Gwen & Art are not in Love (Lex Croucher)

The Buried and the Bound (Rochelle Hassan)

More Books I enjoyed greatly:

Oracle of Senders series (Mere Joyce)

Of Feathers and Thorns (Kit Vincent)

Wren Martin Ruins it all (Amanda deWitt)

Simon Snow series (Rainbow Rowell)

The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley (Shaun David Hutchinson)

The Tarot Sequence (K.D. Edwards)

The First and Last Adventure of Kit Sawyer (S.E. Harmon)

Sixteen Souls (Rosie Talbot)

By any Other Name (Erin Cotter)

The High King's Golden Tongue (Megan Derr) and more!!

Most Used Name: I counted names last year and didn't want to do it again this year because I read so much fantasy, so the names were all over. Still, there was one who stood out amongst them all with at least 4 instances, if not more. Probably more.

Will

Congratulations. I have to admit, I've always liked that name. My favourite character of all times and part of my one and only OTP is named Will as well and I kinda hope the last book of their second trilogy never comes because it will probably make me scream and ... ...

Bonus! This year, I counted pages! Because I felt that most books were much shorter than what I read before. So I wanted to know. Turns out, my feeling was wrong. My 93 books had a whole of 33011 pages which results in approximately 350 pages per book. That's pretty normal I dare say.

That's it for 2023! I had a very good year in books. I wanted to read less actually, and failed spectacularly because I had too much fun. And if anyone's wondering how I read so much, I read fast and I just didn't do anything else in my free time. Escapism to the max. I hope, the new year treats you well! I hope, you have fun with the books you read! Let's meet again soon! <3

[escapedaudios]

I think I found Crow's post-mortem theme song. For Neon Memoriam.

I'm obsessed. It sounds so melancholy but so hopeful and adventurous at the same time. The buildup at 3:50 suits him so well. I think it'll match his journey of Swan Song has a theme too! It's very different though. I think they'll both fit neatly together into their story. One side being the story of an emotionally wounded man who never found lasting happiness in spite of his gentle heart, and the other being the story of a jaded woman who thought she'd seen it all learning just how much there is left to discover.

Oh and of course Acid Rain. She's actually named after her theme song. I originally intended for her to have more backstory in season one and ended up cutting the scene featuring her theme. It will finally appear in season three. Her present self's (1994) theme song is Acid Rain by Lorn.

Her past self's (1981) theme song is Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake Suite, Op 20.

Conflicted by her feelings for Crow, she defends the last living piece of him (Project Vengeance, seven years old by Neon Memoriam). She is still painfully in love with him, but she knows she is in love with the version of him that exists only in the past, before time passed in her absence and he changed. I kind of want to give her this tragic but powerful and epic presence.

[witchstone]

my life updates: been rotting <3 things haven't been good, but they also haven't really been bad (mentally/emotionally, that is). mom's been dead for a nearly a year, which is wild to think about. we've decided we're going to drive up to the mountains in october to plant a sapling in memoriam. tiny baby frankie's getting tubby. also i have a lump in my sinuses that i've spent well over the monthly minimum wage trying to get diagnosed and still need to get a ct scan done. fun!

[soup-charades]

just finished In Memoriam by Alice Winn and like. there’s nothing online. no fanfics or fanart or headcanons or anything

please forgive any nonsense, English is not my first language…

-

It’s odd how things work sometimes. Ellwood walked through the house, holding the tea cup Luís filled up a couple minutes ago and paced around the house looking for Gaunt. He didn’t know what for, on the last couple of years he developed the habit of just looking for him for no reason, as if to know he was still there, with him, alive and (almost) whole.

He thought vaguely of a party they had to attend to the next day and what he was wearing for the event when his shoe caught in a small ripple on the carpet. He didn’t fall, but the small cup escaped from his grasp and shattered as soon as it hit the floor in front of him. Ellwood didn’t even stood a chance.

It’s odd how things work sometimes. He fell to the ground gasping and heaving. He couldn’t think. He just couldn’t. The tea spilled on the floor started mixing with the sudden, fat tears falling from his eye. ‘This?’ managed to form in the back of his mind, and he didn’t even try to complete the thought.

He could scarcely breathe, let alone see clearly, but through his teary vision he caught a glance at the pieces of porcelain on the floor. ‘A shame’, another brief, blurry idea in his mind. An image of a dismembered man of his company flickered in his memory. He tried to scrape it, like he scraped away pieces of what had been their friend’s bodies after a shell smashed them into pulp. He couldn’t.

Gaunt was sweating. It had been almost 3 full years after moving to Brazil, and yet his body seemed to beg for the frozen dew of British mornings. He held the pen firmly while translating Thucydides on his desk, when a quick and strong knock on his door caught his attention.

‘Sir!’ Said a high voice behind the walls.

“Come in” he replied quickly, and a maid looking exalted looked at him.

“It’s mister Ellwood…” she started saying.

Gaunt felt his stomach drop. He didn’t listen anymore, and instead sprinted downstairs while his mind rollercoasted on his own. He was usually calm when awful things were happening, but his steady-minded, problem-solving self had been taking more and more rest since the war ended.

He went into the library to see Ellwood on his knees, grasping at his clothes where his heart was. The sun was still shining through the window in front of him, but Gaunt was suddenly cold with fear. He threw himself towards Ellwood and hugged him tight, as if to keep him together. He recognized the panic in his heaving from their journeys by train, but the yelps, borderline screams that were leaving Ellys mouth were new, and terrifying. Gaunt kicked to the back of his mind the memory of being trapped in that stuffy tunnel on Germany, trapped and airless.

He quickly prompted himself against the couch and placed Ellwood in between his legs, facing away. The waterfall that had become his eye kept running, and the whines that followed made him feel sick. Gaunt tried to recite Pericles in an attempt to calm him down, but it just seemed to make it worse. He felt like he was trying to contain an angry ocean with a feeble bucket, helpless to the amount of things the waves carried. So he let it flow. He let their home flood with the pain, and anger, and loss, and fear that poured from Ellwoods body, and held onto him just trying to understand. Gaunt silently wished all the tears would wash away the grime that the war had left. Gaunt thought how curious love was. He was used to turn the other way when men cried in front of him, an act of respect as to leave their dignity as intact as possible. Yet when he saw Ellwood crying like this all he could feel was relief, that he was still him, a human that could feel the world around.

He entered in a sort of trance, his mind rambling on as well as his mouth, repeating Sidney’s name until the word sounded funny. When he snapped out of it all he could hear were quiet sniffles and soft, shaky breathing. Ellwood was half facing him, laying on his chest. It was uncomfortable, and the pressure bordered on pain, but he knew he would’ve thrown hands if Elly tried to let go.

“I didn’t know you liked that china so much” he said, testing the waters while stroking his dark hair.

There was a long silence, so long Gaunt thought for a moment that Ellwood had fallen asleep.

“… To tremble like a lutestring, ere the note

Hath melted in the silence that it broke.” Said ellwood.

Gaunt closed his eyes and savored the words. The salty tears that dropped from his eyes had no right being this sweet.

“Tennyson” he mumbled, his lips buried into Ellwood’s hair, his nose taking in the smell.

Ellwood could hear Gaunt’s heartbeat through his scarred chest, like a distant drum from the carnivals that passed the streets every now and then. He took a deep breath and his lungs ached from all the panting and gasping, yet his chest felt pounds lighter. He buried himself a little deeper into the embrace Gaunt had him in, earning a small, strained sound from him. He felt selfish, but wasn’t that fair? Wasn’t Gaunt selfish when he made his heart live against the grasp of shell shock? When he made him love so much that the words for it scratched his throat trying to get out?

“I do love you” said Ellwood, although it came out more like a whisper, a secret, a truth so pure and fragile that somehow survived the shells, and the bullets and the horror.

Gaunt made a small gasping sound and held him tighter. Ellwood returned the hug.

Gaunt knew Ellwood was still bathed on blood from the war, they both were. But there, on the floor, drowsy and tangled together with Elly looking him like that, he figured Sidney wasn’t drowning anymore.

[mumms-the-word]

In Fathoms Below

Teaser + Masterlist

Plot Summary: In ancient times, well before the Age of Humanity began, there existed a series of islands inhabited by powerful elves—the islands of Nautera. Rumored to have been the birthplace of multiple magical wonders and inventions the likes of which the world has never seen again, or is only just now reinventing, Nautera was legendary even during its own time. Until one fateful day, over 4500 years ago, the islands vanished, never to be seen again...

Now they’re no more than myth. No more than a bedtime story for young children. Not a single, legitimate record of Nautera exists, save for one. The Nauterran Account. Long thought lost, it has recently been retrieved from the depths of Candlekeep’s archives and placed into the capable hands of one Gale Dekarios. With the Nauterran Account in hand and an eclectic team of Baldurians and other allies mounting an official expedition, Gale journeys to find the ruins of Nautera…but hopes to find so much more.

ao3 link to the full fic

~*~*~*~*~*~

Pairings: Gale x fem!Tav (technically she's an OC not a Tav but eh)

Genre: Adventure, Angst, and Romance (everything you can normally expect from my long fics lol)

A/N: This fic is heavily, HEAVILY inspired by the Disney movie Atlantis, so be prepared for a familiar plot and several callbacks! For all intents and purposes, this fic takes place in an alternative version of the Faerûn setting, set in the 1490s. In this world, the Absolute Plot didn't happen, but our various characters have found a different adventure to bring them all together. Some things stay the same and some things change. Some stuff is completely made up by me to fit the idea, so if you’re looking for lore-accurate content, you’re probably not going to find much of it here. Just have fun with it!

Chapters:

Ch. 1 - The Adventure Begins

Ch 2. - The Launch

Ch. 3 - Expert in Gibberish

Ch. 4 - The Stowaway

Ch. 5 - Dragon Turtle

Ch. 6 - In Memoriam

Ch. 7 - Getting Underway

Ch. 8 - Cloakers

Ch. 9 - The Journey

Ch. 10 - Mythallars

Take me back to the Faerûnian Masterlist!

[ibleednavyandorange]

Things I personally can't wait to see in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice:

1. Beetlejuice's reaction to Lydia having a kid and any interactions with Astrid.

2. If Lydia comes up with any nicknames for him, so she doesn't have to keep saying his name if they do intact interact a lot. (Hoping for "Beej")

3. Beetlejuice calling her "Babes" Al la the cartoon and/or making her laugh with his antics

4.Delia and Lydia's relationship and how it's grown, or if it's still slightly estranged

5. Any mention of Adam and Barbara or Lydia still being into photography

6. More Michael Keaton screen time! 17 mins in the original was iconic, but I'd love to see what else he does with the character with more time to improve and play around with the script.

7. BLOOPERS - I've hoped for not only a sequel but one with a blooper gag-reel for YEARS

8. A Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian easter egg of some kind- whether it being that Charles died (rumored to be eaten by a shark) near Hawaii or someone in the waiting room in a Hawaiian shirt...just SOMETHING for those of us that have waited forever for a sequel.

9. The reaction Beetlejuice will have to his Ex looking for him. (I'm hoping for another "EEeeeEeee!") Also curious about more backstory

10. A in memoriam acknowledgement for Sylvia Sydney and Glen Shadix a.k.a. Juno and Otho in the credits.

💜💚💜💚💜💚

[literaryvein-reblogs]

‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all

A favourite quotation of the recently bereaved (or, more commonly, the recently dumped), this line does not, in fact, refer to someone who has lost a lover. The full quotation is:

I hold it true, whate’er befall; I feel it when I sorrow most; ‘Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all.

It was written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, about his (probably purely platonic) friendship with Arthur Henry Hallam, who had died suddenly of a cerebral haemorrhage.

The poem, entitled In "Memoriam A.H.H.", took Tennyson seventeen years to write, revealing how deeply his friend’s death had affected him.

Unlike a funeral elegy to a particular person, however, it reflects on bigger concepts, such as the cruelty of nature and death.

The poem also raises questions about the clash between traditional Biblical beliefs and the theories of contemporary scientists about evolution (it was published just before Darwin unveiled his theory of the origin of species).

Sources: 1 2 3

If these writing notes helped with your poem/story, please tag me. Or leave a link in the replies. I'd love to read them!