#But I'm totally on board with people taking my ideas and running with them

[esamastation]

'Lo! hope you're having a good day/night/timezone! I'm curious, what do you think ab/of fanfics of your fanfics? like, ppl writing fanfic in the universe of your fanfic, iykwim? /genq

I'm cool with it.

[batfamhastwitter]

Since I think it'll be a hot minute before the next update, I figured that I'd post some headcanons relating to this au that have been floating around in my brain for a while!

Bruce is one of those celebrities that has tens of millions of followers, but unless you live in/around Gotham, there is a high likelihood that you have never seen his posts

Even though he spends zero to no time on twitter in his day to day life and doesn't have notifications turned on, Dick is always one of the first ten people to like his sibling's posts. There is a running bet going between the rest of the family about how he does it (there may or may not be a murder board)

Jason can and will get into heated debates with idiots on the daily on a secret account. Bruce has been begging him to stop because he knows that it will eventually end up reaching the media. Little does he know that's Jason's main motivator for continuing.

Because of her dyslexia, Cass doesn't really use twitter a lot, since the idea of reading scrolling walls of text doesn't appeal to her very much, which is why I don't have her make appearances very often (not that I don't love her! I just don't see her as someone who would be online very much anyways)

Tim was 100000% a Tumblr girly back in the day, and though he'll deny it, he totally still is. It's where he hosted the old blog he used to document his pictures of Batman and Robin when he was younger, and how it has transitioned to more general subjects, though sometimes he'll post a picture of one of the Bats from an angle that should be impossible for a civilian to have gotten to.

Steph actually had a big twitter following before ever being publicly associated with the Waynes! She's into the makeup scene and has posted the occasional video of her routines for years, at first on YouTube and then on TikTok. Even though the makeup wasn't great at first because she was a teenager and just getting started, people loved her humor, so they stuck around! Sometimes morons try to say that she's only successful because she's associated with the Waynes, and she takes great joy in showing them how being associated with the Waynes barely boosted her follower count.

Duke has had the same twitter account since he was 13, and occasionally an embarrassing tweet from that era of his life will resurface and be quoted around the manor until he starts retaliating by retweeting some of their "greatest hits" (like the one time tim crashed into a food table at a gala when he was nine because he had snuck his skateboard in.) Needless to say the rest usually quiet down afterwards lol

Damian has the second highest follower count in the family besides Bruce because people love how he goes from posting a cute photo of Titus and Alfred the Cat snuggling to doxing someone (coughTimcough) for annoying him

Lmk if you guys like this type of thing! I'm definitely down to post more headcanons and the like if there's interest, hope you enjoy! :)

[emry-stars-art]

Oooh do go on about raven neil and jean 👀 (if you’re so inclined ☺️) - @neil-jostenminyard

*chanting* raven Neil raven Neil raven Neil (and lots of Jean) (quite possibly even jeaneil) (although most of the thoughts are post-ravens lol)

So my personal thoughts about this are also mostly thanks to chats and inspiration/prompting from @jtl-fics and @greenautumnleaves so if you see any additions from them on this post it's most likely also thoughts I adore lol

Anyway this got kind of long so:

I ALSO latched onto Sakavic's statement that Neil wouldn't leave Jean in the nest bc yeah it makes sense and also ow

But just the two of them being partnered up like Riko and Kevin as is common in these aus, and then after Kevin gets out first, they have to stick together and rely on each other even MORE because Riko is pissed that Kevin is gone and probably takes it out on the next closest two idk

But in our imaginings, Renee or Andrew get Jean out quicker than in canon, again because Neil would refuse to leave Jean behind and I can only imagine he'd go so far as to trick or manipulate Jean into leaving. Maybe by being at a certain place at a certain time to get picked up, however he can make it happen. But the issue we run into is that once that's done, what the hell would Neil have left at Evermore, besides Exy that maybe he still loves deep down. But Exy's been so warped being raised on it at the nest that at that point his obsession is barely recognizable.

Kevin might recognize this, because he knew Neil in the nest. Or at least he knew the person that Neil presented himself as. But it's probably more likely that Jean recognizes this, and yeah things are super rocky and weird but Jean can barely even function without Neil. So back a fox goes to rescue their second raven's partner.

They bring Neil back to Palmetto and he and Jean are completely inseparable. Emotionally and physically. Neither of them act like, feel like, or even call themselves "touchy feely" or "clingy" people but as soon as Neil is treated for various intense and mysterious injuries, they're curled up in some hidden place for hours. Even the short time having left Neil behind made Jean almost too anxious to leave his room. Even the short time without Jean - now with more punishment for aiding Jean's escape - was enough for Neil to consider something drastic.

(side note: Andrew now has not one, not two, but three gorgeous tragic boys under his supervision and I'm sure he's handling that totally normally lmao. But it's so obvious to him that Jean and Neil have something going on that any ideas for himself aren't worth entertaining.)

So it's a little easier to ease out of various habits and thought processes because Jean and Neil are doing it together, with outside help. They fix their sleep cycles/rhythms, try a slightly more normal college diet, and most slowly lose their "win or die" mindset in practices. They're still never seen without each other - Wymack had a talk with some of the school board about their schedules and dorm arrangements for the first semester. In reality, he's not sure if he should have them go cold turkey on raven habits or if he should take it slower, but he's doing his damn best to get these boys adjusted to life outside a cult. And Neil and Jean, whether or not they actively realize it, find that step to be the one they absolutely cannot take. Why would they go through the agony of learning to live separately if they don't have to. When no one else understands them like the other, when they've already seen each other's worst so nothing else is worth keeping secret between them. Who else is Jean going to go to when having a better life makes him feel like he more deserves death or punishment and the guilt hits him so hard he can't breathe, much less sleep. Who else is Neil going to go to when he can't let go of his birthright - if he isn't good at what he does (Exy) he literally could just be shot like a lame horse - and he's not allowed to go practice Exy against a wall to the point of tearing himself apart anymore so he forces his feet away from the court to find the only person he knows he'll listen to when they say no.

Kevin, of course, is keeping a close eye on the two, whether unintentionally or on purpose is unclear. Neil still has a mouth on him, he sometimes plays mind games with the foxes like chess against himself, and most of all does not allow anyone to get too close to Jean. Jean is still quiet, having learned not only to take a punishment without resistance but also that Neil will speak first. Neil will resist so Jean doesn't have to. He's safer in Neil's shadow.

Maybe it's a phrase or warning that Neil uses and that Kevin recognizes. Maybe it's a gesture between Neil and Jean that Kevin oversees. Maybe it's just the general demeanor of the two. But whatever it is is familiar to Kevin, not in a "I remember this from them in the nest" way. He can recognize by now that Riko was not good to him, he can acknowledge it even if the rest of him hasn't caught up. He looks at Jean in Neil's shadow and remembers himself in Riko's.

As if Butcher's son Nathaniel Wesninski wasn't already scary enough on his own.

But Kevin won't allow this kind of thing on his court, and he's not good at it but he is still trying to let go of unhealthy raven ideals. If Neil is holding onto some fucked up dynamic, Kevin is going to put a stop to it.

He pulls Jean aside, a miraculous feat. He asks what Neil has done.

"Mistake" might be an understatement.

It could very easily be the longest string of words Jean has said to anyone besides Neil. Kevin doesn't know near as much French as he does in canon - Neil is the one that shares that secret defiance - so it's all clear English, Jean making sure Kevin understands every word. Kevin should never speak about Neil that way again. He knows nothing about them, he shouldn't so much as pretend to understand Neil. Neil is the only good thing that ever happened to Jean. Kevin never cared enough to bring it up in the nest, so he has no right to start caring now.

It isn't great for their already tumultuous relationship. Kevin wonders for a bit if Jean would tell Neil about it - then next practice Neil doesn't even try to work with Kevin, even after the two had made it a point as strikers to figure out how to. He ignores the other strikers entirely, falling immediately and seamlessly into perfect synch with Jean behind him, speaking hardly a word of English the whole practice. Because he knows that will make Kevin even more angry than Neil being actively hostile to his new teammates.

Kevin isn't sure what he was expecting. Chances are Jean hadn't even needed to bring it up for Neil to notice something was off.

As for Andrew, I think he could still pick up a game of truths. He'd need to offer a similar deal as he did for canon Neil, this time for Neil-and-Jean, the entity of the two of them together. I think he could ensure some cooperation by saying he won't force Jean and Neil apart from each other the way some others have muttered about doing. Even if Neil knows by now the codependence isn't healthy, neither of them are ready to give it up.

It probably really throws Andrew to hear that they don't consider themselves to be an item. They're together, sure, but for a raven that doesn't always, maybe even rarely, means "in a traditional relationship". Neil and Jean definitely never offer any clarification. That's no one else's business, even if they could explain it so that a non-raven could understand. Generally I feel like if this is an andreil universe, it's an even longer, stranger, more winding road to get there than in canon.

I'm almost CERTAIN there's more Im forgetting about rn but this has been my taster on raven Neil+Jean, I hope it was at least a little bit coherent, and greenautumnleaves - I hope this comes anywhere close to your galaxy brain ideas on these two lol. Maybe I'll be back with other thoughts later who knows

[the-unrelated-theorist]

Some Undertale gamer headcanons:

Someone said that Toriel would be the world Tetris champion, and I'm not sure why, but I agree with that. And not just Tetris, but bubble-poppers, match 3, marble-shooters, all of those kinds of games. She's the new Candy Crush mascot.

I've also seen people say sans would be into rhythm games, and... no. Why would you think he would be into something that takes that much effort? Seriously, come on. What sans is into is farming sim games. He's written dozens of online strategy guides for Stardew Valley, all of them under different pseudonyms.

Papyrus is into online multiplayers. All of them, any genre- Fortnite, Apex Legends, Fall Guys, Elder Scrolls Online, Runescape, you name it. He sucks at all of them, but none of his online friends is willing to tell him how bad he is because he's so darned innocent and nice. Nobody really wants him on their team because he'll always make them fail the mission, but he's so upbeat and uplifting that no one has the heart to tell him they don't want him.

Undyne loves Souls-like and dungeon crawlers, but she struggles with anything that requires stealth, she just doesn't. do. stealth. She says it's stupid to have to sneak up on enemies, she should just be able to barge in with guns or swords or spears blazing in any and all circumstances. Don't ever even suggest Metal Gear to her. Or Breath of the Wild- she rage-quit after the Yiga Clan Hideout quest (although it did leave her with the impression that bananas give you strength in battle, so she now always keeps a bunch of bananas on hand).

Blooky plays solitaire and Mah Jongg, and even those stress them out.

Maddie plays casino and slots games. On an unrelated note, she's always broke.

Mettaton is the rhythm games master. You will not change my mind on this.

Alphys is HEAVY into JRPG's. The more anime it looks, the more she loves it.

Asgore has no idea what a video game is. Well, ok, he has some idea, his kids both played games, but he never could figure them out. He thinks Sonic and Crash are both Mario characters and that Link is a girl- you get the idea. But he did used to play card and board games with Toriel. Especially chess (she totally owned his ass in every match). Ever since Toriel left, he can't bring himself to play chess. He plays checkers a lot, tho. He usually loses (he plays against himself).

Asriel and Chara were into action/adventure games. Asriel's favorite characters were Yoshi and Link, while Chara's favorites were Samus and Shadow the Hedgehog. What? No, I'm not projecting my favorite games onto the Dreemurr kids. What are you talking about?

Frisk has only ever played the hit indie game Undertale. About 500 times. Always Pacifist, they've never even tried a Geno run. They've been thinking about playing that Deltarune game, too, but they kinda wanna wait until the whole thing is released.

[kaiasky]

when my dad and gmom were introducing me to watching football (was not allowed to play) they explained yknow, ok it's not just a game about shoving people, it's strategy, it's like a scale model of a war, except you don't want to hurt people.

and i was like okay, interesting it's a strategy game, I am at this time playing a lot of flash strategy games and risk and maybe by this point the Total War games

and i come back the next day with like. ok i think its stupid that the offensive line starts there. they should start 30 yards downfield and get a running start and just smash through the defenders in a wedge formation like a cavalry charge. and the center snaps the ball right before they collide.

now it turns out that this is, for about 30 different reasons, extremely illegal. but as I recall it was explained to me that you had to have the linemen stay still and im like aw ok.

so i go back to the drawing board and I'm like alright why don't they just have all the backs line up behind the center and just shove. it's 5v1 the defender doesn't stand a chance. and i think the reply i got was that's very sweet but i think people would just wrap around and tackle the quarterback.

and now the real answer is that pushing the runner wasn't allowed until recently, and the eagles were the first ones to realize and they very nearly won a superbowl off of it

and then i go back to the drawing board and i go alright look why are we going around the line. we should go over them. just... have some teammates boost you and jump over the offensive line and tackle their stupid QB. "idk kaia i think that's one of those things that seems good but once the opponent knows about it, it won't work"

and now while that doesn't work. having your teammates push the long-snapper's head down and leaping over them to block a field goal is absolutely allowed and happens semi-regularly now

anyways. other ideas i remember having that haven't yet panned out, but give it 10 years:

2 people running the same football. that way if only one safety catches up to them they only get to tackle one person

the onside kick is so imba like i understand that it's not but ??? "hello i just scored a touchdown. i would like to have the ball again please at my 45 yard line. and if i fail the only downside is that the other team starts 30 yards closer." how are you not taking that deal at least 20% of the time?? (i am aware abt the new kickoff changes)

literally just throw laterals. when i first saw a lateral i was like THATS ILLEGAL but nope apparently they just haven't figured out it's good yet

[the-s1lly-corner]

JONATHAN AND GN!READER AND THEIR ANTICS !!!!!!!

Antics w/ Jonathan and Reader!

I did a similar post yesterday!! (Linked at the end, hopefully, I'm mobile and sometimes tumblr can be weird)

I'm so so sorry it took my so long to get this request <\\3 I was trying to come up with new ideas so it could be different than the other ask <\3, which I highly recommend checking out! Imma be real I'm not totally confident in how this one turned out so that second post can be like an extra/make up <\3

I wasnt sure if you wanted this to be platonic or have them dating so!! It's mostly written as vague in that department!!

Jonathan doesn't strike me as the person who goes out and does things a lot

Just. Wake up, work, home, sleep, repeat.. he'll sometimes send texts to friends and family to schedule a lunch here and there but

That's about it, hes not very social

So a lot of these antics are really going to be made through you making the plans; with the shenanigans really being unplanned byproducts

Honestly I can totally see Jonathan starting shit with someone, be it accident or on purpose, prompting both of yall having to hightail it out of the area

Reminds me of that part from one of the diary of a wimpy kid movies, where greg n rodrick do that fake puke prank on the guy and have to make a run for it

Actually I can totally see yall subtly being menaces and fucking with people

Maybe not a fake puke prank persay but

Yk?

No crime stuff; I only really see that becoming a thing after he becomes Spot! Both from how he worded his whole "turning to a life of crime" thing and the fact he just

Lacks the experience and confidence

Moving on

Maybe it's just my "let's get silly with the writing" part of me, or it's my need for chaos (arguably the same thing), but

I feel like

Somehow, you guys would accidentally probably maybe kinda sorta

Wreak havoc in ways spot could only dream of (before doing the whole. Bouncing across the multiverse thing)

Yall could probably start the day wanting to go to some food truck and

End it by spending a night in jail

Neither of you are allowed anywhere near food trucks after that /j

No but serious note, Jonathan is basically a hermit, he doesnt like leaving his apartment unless he has to; people are just, so

Eeuuughchk!

So when you two hang out it's either his place or yours

But that's not to say it isnt fun!

Hes got normal stuff people have in their homes, like board games and consoles

And also science doohickies

Yeah people have that in their houses, that's a normal thing

Ngl if you give him any ideas for machines or whatnot hes totally going to give it a try

See previous post with a trans s/o, he would make the transgenderinator if you asked him to

Well now hes just turning into doof

Ykw

I feel like he'd take you to alchemax to show off stuff but like

If you asked nicely

How can he say no to that face?

And also he has no backbone

That's not to say you would pressure him, though! Because that's not cool, dont pressure people. But like, he would cave in the way of "I know it's not that serious and I know they'll probably understand if I say no, but I don't want to ever risk disappointing them ever in my life, so I'm gonna say yes!" Kind of way

He just like me frfr

And this is assuming you even know about alchemax

Which personally, unless you're in some way associated with it, I'm p sure be would have a strong boundary to keep you out of it

This is really just turning into a general ramble <\3

Anyways

I dont have many ideas since I struggle with general hcs like this but!! Yeah!! Definitely recommend the linked post for a better more cohesive (?) List of ideas and hcs!! This post kinda

Made me realize I dont have many hcs for Jonathan outside of making his personality a smart pathetic science man

Gotta fix that , give him some hobbies n stuff in the future

Link to a similar post!

[ughgoaway]

so so obsessed with dilf matty and teacher reader!!!! totally not the right time of year, but imagining the nativity play (extremely british primary school behaviour), matty literally not paying attention to any of the bits annie isn't in because he's too busy looking at reader standing at the side directing the kids and cheering them on lol <3

I'm actually so excited that other people like this au, I'm so obsessed with it so I'm glad that obsession is spreading!!

(once again, no proofreading here. just vibes)

oh, I'm not normally an early Christmas person but this is such a sweet idea. Matty knew the nativity was coming up and was silently desperate for her to get a good role. Well, he was silent to Annie, he didn't want to pressure her but he was definitely not silent to the other people in his life.

“But George what if she's cast as like ‘piece of hay’?? I can't have my baby be a piece of hay??” he complains to George in the studio as they are sat behind the mixing board. George sighs and takes his headphones fully off, knowing this isn't going to be a short conversation.

“Matty. She isn't going to be cast as a piece of hay. And if for some unknown reason, she is, she'll be the cutest piece of hay ever okay? You know what's not so cute? When Daddy doesn't finish his album on time and suddenly little Annie has no house. So can we please do some work? George says exasperatedly, but still slightly smiling at his best friend's dramatics.

“Right. Yes. smart.” Matty says and spins his chair back to the desk. 10 seconds of silence pass until Matty gasps dramatically.

“What?” George says looking at him confused.

“What if she gets cast as a pig or something? I can't have my baby dress up as a pig.” matty says, leaning back and staring into the distance on the brink of a crisis.

George just sighs and pats his shoulder.

///////

Anyway, the day the kids actually find out their roles Matty completely forgets and isn't picking Annie up today, Adam is. (perhaps little Hann is in the same school but a different class??) But Matty is in the kitchen washing dishes when he hears the door shut and his daughter's voice shouting out. 

“DADDY!! DADDY WHERE ARE YOU?” Annie says running in the door and furiously trying to take off her coat, shoes and backpack.

“I'm just in the kitchen sweetheart, are you okay? Do you need a hand taking off your shoes?” Matty says walking into the hallway with a tea towel over his shoulder and pink rubber gloves on. Annie had just gotten her first shoes with buckles, insisting she was grown up enough for them, so Matty has to help sometimes when she can't quite get them on or off.

“No, but Daddy guess what!! I'm the star!!” Annie says running up to Matty and staring up at him, bouncing on the spot with excitement.

Matty pauses and looks at her questioningly for a second, wondering if this is a reference to a show he hasn't seen. He doesn't think so, he's quite up to date on paw patrol and he doesn't remember any stars in that. But suddenly it clicks and he gets almost as excited as her.

“No way Annie!! You're the north star??” he asks picking her up. He notices her grumpy scrunched-up face and tilts his head questioningly at her.

“Daddy, I know you're excited but your gloves are wet and it feels icky on my back,” she says trying to wriggle out of his arms. Matty quickly puts her down and apologises and they walk into the kitchen together as Annie babbles on.

“So I am the star, which miss y/n said was a very important role, and I get to do my own song and everything!! It'll be like when you do a show, Daddy!!”

Matty at that moment has to fight every instinct in his body to not start aggressively sobbing at the idea his daughter wants to be like him in any way. He takes a shaky breath and gathers himself enough to respond to her. 

“Wow darling that's amazing! I'm so proud of you! I'll help you learn all your lines for the show and we can invite whoever you want to come and see you, hmm?”

Annie nods and then pulls her “thinking face” (her forehead scrunches and she taps her chin with her finger, it is one of Matty's favourite faces she pulls.) 

“I think I just want you Daddy, too many people will make me nervous,” she says looking at Matty as if she's asking for his approval.

Matty's heart once again swells at the fact that she wants him there at all, He is about to say yes when Annie pipes in once more.

“Oh, can nanny come?? I know she lives far away but I want her to see me be a star!!” she says excitedly.

Matty thinks for a second, considering whether his mum will be able to come down. Then he promptly remembers even if she was busy, she would become un-busy very quickly. “Anything for little Annie!” she’d always say. 

So Matty tells Annie he will ask nanny if she can come. By this point in time, they've been speaking about one topic for 5 minutes, so Annie is bored out of her mind and wants to run off and play.

She tells Matty as such and he watches her run off, his little star.

/////

the night of the play Annie is still at the school, having not come home at the usual time so they could do one final run-through before parents arrived.

Matty and Denise are both dressed and ready to leave the house, "right Matthew have you got the keys?" Denise asked as they stood outside the door just about to shut it.

matty sighs, slightly exasperated with his mum's constant doting.

"yes mum I've got-" he starts patting down his trousers, "oh wait. no, I don't. Two secs" Matty says jogging into the house, whilst Denise nods to herself and tries to hide the grin on her face.

the two of them ride together to the nativity, buzzing with energy. mostly to see Annie… maybe a tiny bit to see you.

all the other parents were on a rota to help the kids practice, but Matty was too busy with tour prep to sign up. Not only did that mean he didn't get to see Annie, but he didn't get to see you directing all the kids.

he already told himself not to stare too hard at you tonight, knowing he'd need the mental reminder because otherwise, he'd miss the whole play.

as he walks in Matty immediately scans the room, he looks out to the sea of excited parents. secretly he thinks, "Yeah your kids are fine, but mine is literally the star of the show."

During his scan, Matty spots the one thing he was really looking for, you. Standing in the corner, chatting and laughing with parents, was you. Matty stared for just a few seconds, completely enamoured with your smile.

An announcement came ringing out that the show was starting so parents took their seats and you walked to the front of the stage.

Matty watched as you looked over the crowd as people settled, the two of you locked eyes quickly. You lift your hand and wave, Matty does the same and the smile on his face grows.

Little does he know Denise is next to him, studying this interaction and looking curiously at the pure joy on her son's face.

You somehow manage to pull your eyes away from Matty and start speaking, “Hello family and friends! Welcome to our nativity play! We've all been working so hard on this play, as many of you know, so I hope you enjoy it! Without further adieu, please prepare to watch the annual *school name* nativity!”

The play begins and Matty settles into his chair to watch the kids. And he does. For about 5 min but he can feel his eyes drifting to you off the side of the stage.

How can his attention not be pulled when you're looking like that? You stand there, and the stage lights illuminate your face in what Matty thinks is the most beautiful way. Your simple green dress falls to your mid shin, and Matty stares at the way the neckline shows off your collarbones. But most of all, it's the beaming smile on your face.

A wide grin spreads over your cheeks, and your eyes glow as you look at the kids. every once in a while, your smile falters, but only because you are absentmindedly mouthing along with their lines. Every time a child's eyes fall on you, you beam and give them a thumbs up. Soon, your hand slides up to your chest, and you hold your hand over your heart as you watch the kids you love so much perform on stage.

He can't keep his eyes off of you, the clear love exuding from you emits such a glow mattys eyes can't help but be drawn to you. But soon he hears a little vice he knows all too well come out on stage.

As soon as he sees her, his eyes well up and his hand shoots up over his mouth as he looks out. Annie in her star costume will be burned into his mind forever, her cubby pink cheeks sticking out of the hole as she smiles and sings might just be the cutest thing Matty has ever seen.

Annie does her song and says her lines perfectly, and Matty feels such a deep sense of pride that he's never felt before. As soon as she's off he turns to his mum only to be met with her already looking at him, tears in her eyes also. They smile and exchange a quick hug before realising it's the final song and everyone is back on stage.

Matty focuses on Annie 99% of the time but his eyes can't help but flick over to you every once in a while. The pride Matty is feeling for Annie you are feeling too, just 30x over. He can see the film of tears over your eyes, the way they shimmer in the light is doing very little to hide your emotions.

The play ends and raucous applause and cheers come from the crowd, Matty stands up and other parents follow suit. He watches Annie's eyes flow over the room, desperate to find him, and they light up when they do. She smiles so wide you can see her missing tooth at the back of her mouth. She waves furiously at Matty and Denise and bounces to get off the stage and see them.

Matty and Denise wait out on the playground, Matty with a cigarette in hand despite his mum's scolding. 

“DADDY! NANNY!” Matty immediately turns to the voice and doesn't get too much warning until a small star comes shooting into his arms. 

“Woah!! Hey little superstar! You were amazing up there!!” Matty says before pressing kisses all over her face. She giggles the whole time and both Matty and Denise can't hide their smiles at her laughter.

As soon as Matty finishes Annie starts chattering away to Denise all about her role and how she had to learn lines, Matty was paying attention until he saw you walk out in his periphery.

He watches you chat with parents and soon gets lost, just staring at you. Until he feels Annie being taken out of his arms, then his attention is definitely back as his head shoots around just to see Denise grabbing her. 

“Go on love, go talk to y-” she catches herself before she says your real name in front of Annie, “Miss y/n. I'm sure she wants to talk to you too” She shoots him a wink and begins chatting with Annie.

He nods dumbly and walks over, catching you just as you finish your conversation.

“Matty! Hi!” you say, clearly shocked at his presence.

“Hi! Sorry to come and bother you, but I just wanted to say how great the nativity was. You did an amazing job with them all. Sorry I couldn't help during the week, but I'm sure the play was better off without me!”

You laugh and lightly slap Matty's shoulder, “Don't worry, you're crazy busy being a rockstar. We managed to survive without your acting tips.” you tease. Before your eyes flick behind him briefly, “although we probably could used your mum, the famous Denise Welch? The kids would been on Waterloo Road in no time” you finish with a cheeky smile.

Matty smiles back and is going to retort but before he can Annie shows up, grabbing his hand and dragging him away, saying something about his promise to get fish and chips after the show.

He smiles apologetically at you, and you wave his apology off before actually waving goodbye. A wave he dumbly imitates as he gets dragged by his 5-year-old.

blurb masterlist here!!

[cheeeryos]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

thanks for the tag @clotpolesonly and @transboybuckley!

How many works do you have on ao3?

34

What's your total ao3 word count?

295,670

What fandoms do you write for?

almost exclusively raven cycle. I wrote one fic for the will darling adventures too but that barely counts

Top five fics by kudos:

how to be an ally

combat baby

how to handle rejection

the backup (shocked this is number four!? considering it's my second most recent and the fandom is fully dead these days)

talk to me

Do you respond to comments?

I try to respond to every one, yeah!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

uhh none of them are really that angsty...maybe (miles to go) before we sleep since it runs right up to the edge of niall's death

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

reverse answer to above: most of them have happy endings. I guess the slender present would take top prize because it involves an engagement? but I think my favorite happy ending was in the waters and the wild

Do you get hate on fics?

I've gotten a couple anonymous comments that have taken issue with specific things but nothing that out there and no actual hate. it's a pretty tame fandom and I'm a pretty tame writer

Do you write smut?

I do

Craziest crossover:

I do not, however, write crossovers!

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that I'm aware 👀

Have you ever had a fic translated?

not that I'm aware 👀

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

nope! I've co-brainstormed before. I'm v familiar with working with multiple authors in real life, but not fics

All time favorite ship?

for fic, pynch obviously. when thinking about the wide world of fictional people in love with each other that makes me crazy, lyra and will will probably always take #1

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

love island fic lmao, it was fun while it lasted

What are your writing strengths?

I'm sure everyone likes to believe they're witty but I do think I'm pretty funny. I may not be able to make people cry but I can usually get a smile with some snappy dialogue.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I've gotten compliments on plot before but tbh I don't feel that confident in my ability to plot a story well. I suspect it's more a novelty thing, since most fics are focused more on relationships instead of being driven by an external plot. if I ever wanted to write an actual original story that has action or mystery or whatever, I'd need to do a loooooot of work on executing my random throwaway ideas toward something that is both coherent and believable.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

uhh...what kind of thoughts do you want on the subject? perfectly normal if your characters speak another language, would be bizarre to put in if they do not

First fandom you wrote in?

I wrote a single fic for a book series I will not disclose when I was 14 years old, and it won a contest on a message board, and I promptly retired from fic writing until I read trc during the pandemic and it turned me into a crazy person

Favorite fic you've written?

don't ask me this, it changes all the time. but I've been on a spy/secret agent kick again since I watched slow horses so right now I'm having fond thoughts about nothing like a love song

tag @kelliealtogether and @behindtheatlantic if you're interested

[harrisongslimited]

George Chapter of the Day #6

I Saw Her Standing There

Trigger Warnings: swearing, adult situations, bullying

Chapter 6

"Where the hell have you been?" Allison greeted her.

"Staying with friends," Joie answered flatly.

"We are supposed to stick together you know," Allison reprimanded.

Joie just smiled. "Well, I'll be staying with some friends periodically. As a matter of fact, we can speak to the chaperone and maybe get you a new roommate."

"Hell no," she shot back. "I like having my own room. I'm gonna land me a Beatle if it's the last thing I do."

"Is that why you came here? To sleep with one of the Beatles?"

Allison waved a hand at her. "Why do you think any of these girls wanted to come? What are you? Stupid? Why the hell did you come?"

"Frankly, to see London..." Joie admitted, then threw in for good measure "and to see some old friends."

"Well have fun, roomie," she said. "I've got a plan I need to work on."

"So who are you after? John? Paul? George, Ringo?"

Allison threw her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "Doesn't matter, does it?"

Joie followed her a moment. "But Allison, they have lives, girlfriends...wives!"

Allison forced a wicked smile and repeated, "Doesn't matter...does it?"

Joie watched her as she followed the group of girls into a dressing room. She was totally out of her element. Yes, she found Paul attractive but it wouldn't go any farther than that. And then peeking in her mind was George. What she felt for him was....was....well, she didn't know what exactly, but she would never try to sleep with any of them. Truth be told, she wasn't ready to sleep with anyone. The farthest she and Charlie got was her battling him to stop trying to unzip her pants. He finally gave up and started dating Sheila Mattes, who boasted about helping boys unzip her pants.

Joie wanted to be in love. She wanted her first time to be something special...not just a quick grope in the back seat of a car during a drive in movie. She wanted flowers and romance and a loving courtship. Like in the romance novels she read or love stories she watched at the movies. Someone to take her away. Someone who would love Jordan and watch football with her dad.

She knew that boy was somewhere. She just needed to be smart and patient. Apparently, very patient.

..........

Victoria Brown was the woman who would show them the ropes at the studio. From what Joie could tell, it would be a lot of standing around, then some running after the boys, then a little screaming. Simple. Except that girls were disappearing at an alarming rate. "Wandering off" they called it. Victoria Brown knew they were trying to get to the Beatles and Victoria also knew the Beatles' wouldn't mind a quick one in the loo before a scene.

They were all instructed as to what to wear, where makeup was, where they were supposed to report and when. It was like a cattle call to Joie, but she didn't care. It was all new to her. Some of these other girls had actually been in movies that had been produced by their fathers, so it was old hat to them. But Joie was amazed at the organization.

By 3:30 they were done. Tuesday was going to be a free day and then Wednesday, they were going to start shooting "B" shots of the girls running, standing...waiting for the Beatles. The last scene, in about 4 weeks, was the concert. Joie couldn't wait for that.

She was getting ready to board the bus to go to the hotel when Victoria pulled her out of line. She instructed the bus driver to leave. Seems Joie was going to have a special driver of her own.

Part of her hoped it was Paul, but another part of her said it wasn't a good idea. She went back into the cavernous studio with Victoria and was told to wait in a small back studio.

And wait she did.

And waited. And waited.

Nothing.

She heard people milling around and finally a man came in questioning why she was there. Joie told him she asked to wait here. She showed him the note Victoria had given her. It said simply, "Wait for me in Studio B, Paul."

The man laughed. "You've been had little one," he said. "Someone pulled a trick on you."

Joie didn't know if she should tell the man that Paul had actually brought her to the studio in the morning...but decided against it. Why embarrass herself further? The man probably wouldn't believe her anyway. So this, apparently, was the way little rich Hollywood girls have their fun and games. Well, fuck you and the horse you rode in on. Their bullshit bothered her as much as a 70° day.

"Can you tell me how I can get a taxi?"

"Where are you going?"

Joie had to think. To Freda's? To the hotel?

She decided on the hotel. It was the easiest place to get to. "Shepparton Inn," she told him.

"I'll drive you."

"That's ok," Joie told him, not wanting to get into the car with a stranger. "I'll manage with a taxi."

The man shook his head. "Look, my name is Dick Lester. I'm directing this movie and I'm safe to get into a car with. Who the hell are you anyway?"

All Joie told him was that she was from California and hired as one of the extras. She added that she had gotten separated from her group.

"I think the group separated you from the sound of that note," he said gently.

She felt foolish and small. All she could think of is going back home and thoughts of home made her weepy. But she wasn't going to cry in front of a stranger. She fought and fought until tears welled in the corner of her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she told him. "I'm just a long way from home."

"For the first time?"

Joie nodded and blinked furiously to dry her tears. She took a deep breath.

"Look," he said sitting down before her. "go your own way. These other girls just want to bang a Beatle and go home. Probably some of them will. Others will make up stories that they did. Just go your own way and you'll be fine."

Joie took another breath and finally smiled. "Thanks Mr. Lester. That really helped."

"And I'll get my assistant to get you a taxi..."

"Thanks again."

"No problem. My pleasure. And don't let those other girls get to you."

"I won't."

Joie waited by the studio gate for a taxi, still not sure of where she was going. She had no way of getting a hold of Freda, who was probably at Brian's office, but Joie didn't know the phone number. The safest bet was to go to the hotel and call Freda later to let her know where she was.

She only waited a few moments when a green mini cooper pulled up beside her inside the gate.

"Need a ride?"

It was George, his dark eyes shining bright as he looked into hers.

Joie smiled in recognition. "You have no idea...."

Joie climbed into the passenger's side and George noticed she seemed to be a bit weepy. "I didn't know where to go."

"Just go to Freda's if anything ever happens or call Brian's office. I'll give you the number to ring."

Joie proceeded to tell him how the girls had tricked her with a note from Paul. And how she thought the note was really from Paul since he had picked her up.

George knew that the note was probably meant to do exactly what it did -- embarrass Joie, with a hug and kiss from the jealous extras in the peanut gallery, but he remained mute.

"How about dinner?" George suddenly asked. "there's a restaurant by our place where we won't be bothered."

"Our place?"

"Ringo's and mine. We live together for now until we find our own places. I'm looking out towards Esher. Ringo likes living in town."

"Is Esher far?"

"An hour outside London," he explained. "Not too far from John and Cyn's."

"We'll stop by my house to see if Ringo wants to come with us. Maybe Mo too."

[thisapplepielife]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

I'm very belated for this, but thanks for the tag @hbyrde36!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

18! But a lot of those are in the Wildflowers series. (Maybe it should have been chaptered? I still don't know what the right answer was, lol.)

So, I basically have 3 things to read, if you count the two parts of the Jagged Little Pill series as one, and I always do. Wildflowers is for those that wanted more of Tuesday's, and not that many people wanted to read Tuesday's in the first place, haha. So it's a niche of a niche. But I hold it close to my heart, and it makes me happy that a few of you have been so on board with it, too. ❤️

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

487,289. Which is kind of crazy. I just looked, and I started writing You Oughta Know on July 30th, 2022. From then until today, that's 457 days. That's averaging over 1,000 words a day. That seems wild. (And I've got a lot of unpublished words still in the chamber, haha.)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Just Stranger Things right now, but I'm not opposed to branching out as the mood strikes. I think I'd love to take on David/Patrick of Schitt's Creek someday.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Take the Money and Run (by a country mile, lol)

You Oughta Know

I'm Brave, But I'm Chicken Shit

Tuesday's Gone With the Wind

You Don't Know How It Feels (I didn't realize it had overtaken the first part of Wildflowers, so that's fun! More readers must have enjoyed the look at the Corroded Coffin boys, and I dig it.)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I definitely try to respond to them all. Sometimes I'm a little slow about it though, sorry!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I like a happy ending. But Time to Move On, I guess? It's just a part of a series, so it's not like the ending is permanently sad, but that one does end at a sad point in their lives.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of them are pretty happy, but I'm partial to the epilogue ending of Take the Money and Run. That will always have my heart. ❤️

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I've gotten a very little, so I feel pretty lucky.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, and I write what fits the larger story, I hope. I've written M/M and F/M, so far. I haven't done a full PWP, though some of the parts of Wildflowers were supposed to be that, but the dang plot kept getting in the way. Whoops.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Just little brief ones, so far. There's a couple in Take the Money and Run that I find fun, but if you don't get them, I don't think they detract from the story.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, and I'm not sure it'd work for most of my stuff, with all the mixed media.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, I'm not sure how good I'd be at that. I write by jumping all over the place. That'd probably be annoying for someone else to deal with, lol!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

All time? Man, that's hard. I'm obviously deep in a Steddie hole at the moment. But I'll go with my first. Pacey and Joey of Dawson's Creek. They brought me into fandom, into fic, so they get the gold star. (For more current ships, definitely Steddie and David & Patrick of Schitt's Creek.)

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I don't really post anything I'm not basically finished with. But from my private stash, I like the idea of Here You Come Again, but I just have been writing other stuff. I'm going to take on my other Steddie (Untitled, But Not Really) WIP during NaNoWriMo. I've never done that before, so I thought might be fun, since I saw you can go rogue and write 50,000 words on something that isn't brand spanking new. So, even if that fic doesn't need 50,000 words to finish (and I'm not sure it does) it might give me the push to try to finish it up. I've been sitting on my hands on it since I decided to sign up, which is fine, I needed to finish up Wildflowers. (And get ahead on my Steddie Holiday Drabbles: I've finished 8 of the 30 so far.)

16. What are your writing strengths?

From the comments, I'm going to go with that I can make readers laugh from time to time, which makes me so happy. I also like to dig into the research.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Um, also the research, lol. Sometimes I'll be researching until I'm just wasting time. Some things really don't matter in the big picture. (But they do to me!!) And I need to learn to let them go.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

That's not something I've done, I don't think. But I have tried to respond to comments that were written in a different language using Google Translate.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Dawson's Creek. Many, many moons ago. At the turn of the millennium. (That's fun to say, ha!)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Unpopular opinion time! I know Take the Money and Run is more popular. By, well, a lot. And I do love it. It gave me the bug to write long fic again. But I have big feelings for Tuesday's Gone With the Wind. It was such an undertaking. All the mixed media. The endless research. And I fell in love with those characters in the process.

It wasn't as popular as TtMaR, but that's okay. It makes me very happy that it reached even as many people as it did. I know that author's note was enough to scare anyone away, haha. Add in the CNTW and it's amazing anyone read it at all. Thanks to those of you that did! You've made me so happy. ❤️

I'm so late for this, I'm not gonna tag, but if you haven't done it and want to, please do!!

[writinglittlebeasts]

nine people tag

tagged by @rickie-the-storyteller

RULEZ: Answer these questions and then tag 9 people to play too!

i will tag (gently; that's a lot of people): @unhingednovelist @rmgrey-author @tabswrites @karolinarodrigueswrites @void-botanist @outpost51 @camillenrose @moonluringfrost @at-thezenith

and i am. Rambling. in this tag game, so i'm gonna throw it under a cut lol

Three Ships

see, when i'm not thinking about these things they fall right out the back of my skull, so i have nooooo idea. ... and you know what that means !!! 🤪🤪🤪

quentin + eliot from the magicians! they are my everything; they invented love and when i think about them i want to scream and cry and throw up. don't have any other details, if you know you know if you don't get well soon

julia and kady and penny from the magicians! the arrangement doesn't matter! i also have a fun au where both pennys are alive at once and in the same polycule, and initially it's super weird but they get over it. julia and kady have everything, they were forced together but stayed together on purpose, their history is so tumultuous but they care so much about each-other. kady and penny's romance feels rushed but when they decided they were doing it they were great and i was totally on board (+ rewatches have made a lot of the rushed-ness make sense in character

fen and margo from......... the magicians! this show was sooo committed to making fen an accessory character to margeliot (i refer to margo and eliot together this way because it feels wrong to separate them) that they crushed her character into a little box and still, Somehow, she and margo have like Allll of the chemistry, it's ridiculous. i think about the scene where margo tells fen that if eliot dies she'll take care of her every day. i languish under the knowledge that fen's destiny being textually intertwined with margo's was never romantic to the writers the way it was romantic to me. the king's wife and the queen who also happens to be the king's best friend slash qp??? it's sooooooo good.

Currently Listening

in the interest of naming a song instead of just saying i've got reads with rachel running in the background, lp's lost on you but specifically this version is one of my most listened tracks this year i think. it's like, right underneath francesca, it's so good

Last Movie

i watched nimona a couple of days ago and puss in boots: the last wish this morning <3 i read nimona aaaaaages ago (ought to read it again) and i was so excited for the movie. i'm still thinking about it. nimona my friend nimona. puss in boots was fucking gorgeous, also, it was So pretty

Currently Reading

i FINALLY finished paris daillencourt (my beloathed) so i guess i'm back to reading ninth house and house of leaves alternately. though i might bounce around a little and read whitesmile instead because baccano! is one of my favorite series and it's just been sitting on my shelf, driving me nuts because i didn't want to add another book to my, like, (at the time) 3 current reads

Currently Watching

i'd say the rain but i really don't like it so it doesn't count lol . i've been catching episodes of sailor moon while my roommate has been watching them, though, and i've been enjoying that!

Currently Consuming

basically just arizona green tea. it never stops (the arizona green tea)

Currently Craving

absolutely nothing lmao . inspiration for original stories.

[jinn-mori]

20 Questions For Writers

@pencilofawesomeness Doing this because why not

How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 17 works as of this post. There is a good chance that there will be many more. Pencil, I envy you and all your brainchildren.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

I am at a grand total of... 119,898 words. Holy cow! I'm willing to bet most of that came from AHC.

3. What fandoms do I write for?

Whatever piece of media I'm hyperfixating on at that point in time, though I do try to keep myself from writing too many multi-chapters. My main fandoms are Bleach, Fairy Tail, and Jujutsu Kaisen with what I write though I do plan on writing some stuff for NNT and Hellsing.

4. What are your top fics by kudos?

5. Apocrypha (Bleach) - 98 kudos

4. Dear God (Bleach) - 121 kudos

3. Just In Case (Bleach) - 204 kudos

2. A Hollow Crown (Bleach) - 413 kudos

A Wisteria To Our Eternity (Jujutsu Kaisen) - 581 kudos

Three of my top five fics are AiIchi. Wasn't surprised that AHC would be up there since it's kind of my HTTYDS.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. There are times where I can't figure out how to respond to a comment to I just kinda leave it be. Other times, I could respond because I want to know the audience's thoughts on a chapter or they mention liking this or that and I want to know why. To me, what helps improve writing is understanding not only how something works but why it works. For example, why do so many people like my characterization of Aizen in A Hollow Crown? What about his characterization makes people like him? Or I go to the comments when I need ideas and running around in my own head doesn't do the trick. Hell, I'll even leave it in the author's notes if I'm having trouble with a plot point and could use some audience feedback.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I'd say Ich bin verlore since it was a one-shot about longing for something you'd never have and wondering if what you did have was the real thing or not. Also, it's a Berserk fic so angst is inevitable.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

If we only include multi-chapters, then it could only go to A Hollow Crown since it's my only completed multichapter. And I'd say is a quiet sort of happiness, setting up for events to come and giving some characters a sense of hope. If we include one-shots, then I'd give that one to Dear God since it's an ending on a hopeful note where things can only really go up.

8. Do you get any hate on fics?

Nope! Hasn't happened to me.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

It's all yaoi smut. I tend to keep things from going into dub-con territory as smut where the consent isn't exactly clear is a squick for me. Any smut I write is between two or more adults, as I find writing smut of underage characters to be... ew.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I plan to write some. I've got an NNT x TOH fic I'm debating writing, one that's a big ol' fandom crossover inspired by Fear and Hunger 2: Termina. Another one I have in mind to write is this Bleach x Seven Deadly Sins that's moreso the world of NNT with the characters of Bleach (like pencil's Genshin x NNT fic).

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope, and I hope I never get one stolen.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, though I'd love to take a crack at translating my own fics. Gotta get in that translation practice somehow!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

I do have a lot of ships, but I wouldn't quite say I have a favorite. I've written the most for AiIchi but I'd love to write for some others. Also, I'm someone who is more on board for found family fics or fics just focusing on the bonds between people.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Someday, I will return to my WIPs and finish them! Or I'd like to. To be honest, I have sooo many in my head that I need to put to paper.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'd say character analysis. Several people have said that I'm good at breaking down a character and seeing what makes them work and then putting them into a fic.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

This is more of a personal nitpick with myself, but I feel like I struggle with making my chapters long enough. How do I get myself to write longer chapters? I wanna write longer chapters, dammit.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

You're asking this from the world languages major! I love adding that in... well, when it makes sense. If I can use it to add some spice to a character or give hints about them *cough* AHC!Grimmjow *cough* then I'll go right ahead. Ya just need to do it in a way that makes sense both in and out of the story to where readers can get the gist of it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Fairy Tail! Demons x Dragonslayers is my oldest fic and first wrote it on Wattpad but started its rewrite on when I started cross-posting it on AO3.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

It'd have to be A Hollow Crown and by extension its series Hollow Moon . Yes, DxD is what started my fanfic journey but it was A Hollow Crown that really kicked it off. It also started my obsession of 'what if Aizen but good but he was still Aizen'.

Get tagged bozos: @johannepetereric , @averiina , @skullywullypully , @backwardshirt

[pluvicor]

Zion is by far one of my favorite OCs and the one whose story I spend the most time trying to continue despite not actively writing him that much anymore.

Some of the reason for it is how I, admittedly, became close minded and skeptical about collaborative work on this side of the RPC. But that's for another post (or none at all), I'm here to lay out the things I've established for him, either through development over Discord, ideas that came and stuck with me but were never shared, or a secret third thing, lest I forget and punch more holes into his storyline:

Personal life:

Leads a married life (not on paper yet) with Rickon. It's a very fulfilling relationship, Rickon is the exception to Zion's compromise to never resort to violence and/or dirty tricks, should anyone do anything to harm him. Given Zion's current state in life, that is not to be taken as lightly as it once could, as I'll touch on more down this post;

He's also in a relationship with Samael, though he's still conflicted about putting a name to it, given his aversion to the idea of having multiple partners. In fact, he is Zion and Rickon's boyfriend, that makes it easier alongside the fact Samael is a literal god and doesn't seem to mind how Zion navigates this new state of affairs between them, as long as it's good for everyone;

He's in therapy, has been for a while. His therapist is not human but I haven't decided what or who they are yet. Zion never felt he'd be safe with a regular professional, seeing as his problems stem from very unnatural events - he concluded he wouldn't be taken seriously at all, with less than pleasant consequences and the actual assistance he needs;

Zion has something going on with his mental health, he's on mood stabilizers and some antis;

His blood is haunted. In all seriousness, a regular doctor can no longer provide reliable diagnosis for any ailments he may have, as his body has been permanently affected by years of consecutive and direct exposition to demonic essence. Would an exorcism work? I don't know, maybe not, maybe it'd kill him. Remains to be decided;

And he's still mortal, though;

He no longer lives in an apartment with Rickon, they're sharing a house and have ??? cats;

Business:

The petting zoo that became a ranch then became an inn and is now large enough to be considered a district? Yes;

It's giving him a bit of legal trouble for that. It's expansion is partly due to his impulsivity;

It has over 100 rooms for guests and a sizable staff. He's the owner and head manager, has many sub managers for each department (cuisine, reception, maintenance, accounting, legal, etc etc);

It's no longer in the stock market and he's put an end to contracts with sponsors as means to avoid too much meddling from external parties;

🆕 It has an alchemy department! Cool, yeah?;

The lake is alive and she is moody. She has recently learned to assume a form of her own made of pure water but isn't fond of it and uses it exclusively for communication (when she wants to talk). Skip stones in her and she'll beat you up, try to go for a dive and she'll recede enough so you hit the bottom instead. She didn't quite like Zion at first, he doesn't know why, but now they're on friendly terms;

The animals in its rehabilitation center are no longer exclusively earthlings or from his universe. Guests have started to leave them there for care;

Same with his plants (garden and greenhouse);

Alair, the concierge, is no longer the only Boto working there. Hide your wives when visiting;

It has a growing system for people who want help for any activity, a "help wanted" board that he totally did not take inspiration from Stardew Valley, and if you imply as much he will laugh and deny despite everything. It's loosely supervised by a moderation team just to make sure nothing against the place's rules is posted;

It doesn't run exclusively on regular currency, any item can be evaluated at the exchange office to have its value assessed;

I'll add more as I remember it.

[notjustyourhealers]

Cat's Go-To Cozy Games

Screenshot by the author.

I'm one of those people that might best be referred to as "high-strung." I'm constantly obsessing about my work, my chores, my family, and all the other moving parts of my life, to the point that it gets a bit difficult to relax.

So, of course, I turn to video games. Specifically, I tend to play a lot of cozy games - sims, worldbuilding, low-stakes survival, that kind of thing. It makes me happy to create a little virtual life with low-stakes adventures I can enjoy at my leisure without the pressure of competition or timed events.

If you, like me, are looking for a way to wind down, I've got a couple of recommendations.

Stardew Valley

Screenshot by the author.

Stardew Valley is the classic cozy game. It's got everything: cutesy retro graphics, a little town, a customizable farm, cute animals that you can name and pet, magic and mystery, and sprinklings of romance.

I've played well over 300 hours of this game in the last few years and I'll happily play 300 more. I still haven't found every secret! On top of that, this game has one of the most helpful and welcoming communities on the internet, which is lovely.

Slime Rancher (1 & 2)

If you're a fan of self-guided adventures with adorable characters, Slime Rancher (both the original and the sequel, which is currently in early access) should be your go-to. It's a game all about taking care of precious little blob creatures with different themes. The soundtrack is incredibly relaxing, the story is bittersweet and relies on exploration, and the mechanics of the game are simple to pick up and consistent across games.

My personal favorite character is bOb, and no, I will not elaborate beyond saying that he likes chickens and that's the best thing ever.

Minecraft

Image from Mojang.

Yes, it's a meme. Yes, it's totally worth it. There's something ridiculously relaxing about wandering through a cuboidal world, making a little house, interacting with villagers, digging through caves, getting pet cats, and seeing what else the game has to offer.

For the ultimate relaxing experience, I recommend playing in peaceful mode and simply building a massive farm.

Travellers Rest

Screenshot by the author.

Love the idea of a business sim, but make it fantasy? Then Travellers Rest is the best possible game for you. It's a low-stakes fantasy game where you run the tavern that adventurers go to between adventures. You can cook food, brew drinks, rent out bedrooms, and craft interesting new furniture to make your tavern even better. And there's a cat!

The game is still being updated and created in early access, so if you jump in now, you get to influence how the game is created, which is just awesome.

Armello

Image from League of Geeks.

Armello is a digital board game with a cool fantasy premise: you're playing to take the throne from a king corrupted by evil magic called Rot. You play as a variety of cute (and sometimes a bit spooky) animals from various houses each with different abilities and powers in the game.

It's low-stakes even when playing against your friends, the music is beautiful, the art style reminds me of the Redwall books, and it's perfect for people who love board games in person.

Cozy Games Rule

I know there's a stigma about girls only playing "cute" games, but the truth is they're perfect for anyone and everyone who wants to take a little time to chill. Cozy games are meant to be comforting, so why not let anyone enjoy them if they want to? I think we could all use a little comfort nowadays.

[oasis-makcr]

what is a boarding school like?

Oh, hi!! I'll try my best to give the most unbiased answer I can, but. I do definitely have to say that I definitely prefer attending a boarding school! Not that I... have a lot of experience with anything else, I was homeschooled before this, but!!

Oh, by the way, I wasn't sure what to go into detail on, so. I did my best but if you want to ask me anything more specific, you're more than welcome to!! I'd be happy to answer as best I can!!

Okay, so, first of all with NRC, most of the students here are here full-time (aside from holidays). Unless you're a senior, in which case you're usually out shadowing and apprenticing, or at least getting an education off-campus. There aren't any day students; we live on a more remote island and going back and forth would be a pain for everyone involved, but I'm pretty sure that's a more normal thing for other boarding schools.

If you're a boarding student, you'll get sorted into a House of some sort; here at NRC, you're sorted by the mirror (but can transfer), but probably for non-magical schools you'll be sorted at random? The houses compete, and sometimes it gets a little serious, but mostly it's motivation to study harder. At least at NRC, there isn't a single student here who doesn't like the idea of pulling one over on somebody and getting to go "I'M BETTER", but... we're also notorious for being uncooperative and ready to pick a fight.

I will say that living at a boarding school can be really difficult though, especially if you aren't very used to being independent. That was a problem I had when I went to my first boarding school before I transferred to NRC; it wasn't that I couldn't take care of myself, because I could, but... it was kind of rough. I personally grew up very used to-- well. I come from an obscenely rich merchant family. We have servants. I did my best to be independent, but there was always the threat of punishment if they let me do things on my own...

But if you're already used to being independent, it's probably not as difficult a transition? It's not like you're totally alone; when you first enroll, you'll share a dorm room with a few other students, usually more than one, but the further along you are, the more likely you are to have your own private room or just have a roommate.

Something else to be aware of is that if you become a boarding student, you might run the risk of becoming strangers with your family because you aren't going to see them often. This was fine for me, because things are complicated anyway, but it might not be the right thing for you, you know? I mean a more general you saying this, but still.

Which brings me to another thing: personally, I like just about everyone in Scarabia, but the downside is that you're going to be with the same group of people for however many years, and it can be as much of a blessing as it is a curse. Other schools (hopefully) have counselors and therapists you can go to, but that isn't necessarily going to fix everything, you know? It's a decent opportunity to learn how to problem solve, but if someone's treating you badly, it's not exactly like you can just... problem solve your way out of that.

Ooh, you will want to be prepared for having a uniform. NRC has a lot of uniforms, we have... let's see... regular student uniform, labcoat, PE uniform, dorm uniform, ceremonial robes, there's summer uniforms, specific coats for if you're around in the winter... you'll probably be expected to maintain those uniforms yourself while you have them.

What else should I go into. Umm. You will be expected to be pretty responsible, which I sort of suck at, but it usually isn't a big problem for me. You just have to keep on top of all your classwork.

Something that I enjoy about boarding school here is that we have a lot of school events! Here they're typically mandatory so if you aren't into that, it might suck, but I really like it more than a lot of the students who attend here do.

You are allowed to go off-campus though! Here you don't need any kind of permission, you can just wander off, but I think there's technically a curfew?

I feel like classes are... I'm not sure how much to explain there, but I feel like here you get graded just as much for having interesting thoughts as you do for getting things right.

[mythos-writes]

1K Celebration!!

To be honest, I never thought I would get 500 but now my page has 1K followers. I just want to thank everyone who has followed me over the years and anyone who had liked or reblogged one of my stories.

I liked the idea from @runnning-outof-time K's 'Halfway to 2k' Celebration and I'm going to see if I can pull something similar off. Whether you create a mood board or a fic, or as for a request, it doesn't matter to me :)

I would say keep your word count under 1500 words, easy writing and easy reading :) If anyone isn’t comfortable writing anything, send in a request and I could write it :)

Please stay within these fandoms; Formula 1, Peaky Blinders and Stranger Things (Billy mostly)

Writing prompts:

Place a kiss on your lover's neck after taking off their necklace

“You fucking idiot- would it kill you to be careful so I don’t have to worry about your safety all the time!?”

“Don’t touch her. Lay one finger on her and I swear to whatever gods you worship, you’ll meet your ancestors in Hell... and in total shame,”

Confessing their love when (Y/N) is asleep (or vice versa)

cuddling when it's raining

helping them clean themselves up after they get hurt

Slow dancing in the living room

Being there for them when they win/lose (F1 prompt)

Songs up for grabs: Here's a playlist of them all

Adore You- Harry Styles

As It Was - Harry Styles

Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene- Hozier

Like Real People Do- Hozier

Royals - Lorde

Mad Sounds - Arctic Monkeys

Run the Credits- Oliver Sim

Rosyln - Bon Iver

Sinners- Barns Courtney

Hellfire- Barns Courtney

Evermore- Dan Stevens

Run Away to Mars- TALK

Anti-Hero - Taylor Swift

Love It If We Made It- The 1975

I'm In Love With You- The 1975

Not mandatory to join in: @zablife @fandom-puff @theshelbyclan @danielfuckingricciardo @runnning-outof-time

And anyone else who wants to join :)

Have fun!!

-Liz