#NOW IT'S JUST THE BOOKMARKS FOLDER LEFT

[dragons-hoard-of-fandoms]

One of those "your soulmate's first words to you are written on your wrist" AUs where Uzi constantly wonders why she's gonna slap her soulmate when she finds them and N is confused by the concept of someone wanting to be bitten.

[pixelateddragonet]

Currently bulk downloading all 12k of my tiktok bookmarks (favorites) for,, data hoarding reasons but I just realized that the extension I'm doing it with does not copy the username of the poster,,,

[jasminerva]

heya, jas~

i have been rereading sakadays, and nagumo's hair looks longer in the early art style compared to the recent one. ever since then, i can't stop thinking about how nagumo would come to us for help in cutting his hair. the bonus comic where rion cut his hair didn't help either haha. he would use it as an excuse to spend time together with us too, and make up lies like 'i don't feel like going to the salon. too noisy there!' when asked why he didn't go to a salon instead.

for him, it could be one of the rare times where he feels more ease. he would chat (and teasing) with you, but i like to imagine him staying silent most of the time to enjoy the rare times he gets to feel peace and safe in your hands. it's just you, him, and the sound of scissors snipping his hair in the background. even if you mess up his hair a little, he wouldn't mind haha.

(constantly adding these longer-haired Nagumo arts: 2dyongamja, Account_SSAW, kuroiisana, nano099, BByo_chick, DoReMi__2523, kongmn41, sylyaoh, Oeasy_2, KAISEI_10TSUKI)

Yo, Memi~!

It certainly does!!! That's why in ch4 Tenju's comment about how he should get a haircut was a bit of an easter egg XD Maybe he cleaned it up after that huehuehue~

I love rereading SakaDays haha I have a bookmarks folder of all the chapters where Nagumo appears 🙈 FOR RESEARCH! I SWEAR!!!

Omg that bonus / extra was so cute. And showcases how petty Nagumo can be. I can picture it now during their early JCC days.

Thank you for sharing that idea! I loved it so much I wrote something on the fly~

(P.S. I don't know anything about cutting hair. The most I've ever done was cut my own bangs -- badly -- so now I've grown them out lmao.)

Want more? Check out my SakaDays Masterlist!

Comments, reblogs, tags appeachiated~! 🍑

You: A haircut? Didn't Akao give you one a while back? Nagumo: Come on, [f/n]-chan! I need someone more delicate. You: Oh? I see now. You'd rather risk getting your ear cut off than talked off. Nagumo: Ha! You got me there. You: If you want delicate, Tenju's really good. She does all my hair-- Nagumo: No, thanks. With me, I guarantee she'll 'miss' and cut off my head instead. You: Fair enough. (sighs) Fine, what's in it for me though? Nagumo: Brownie points! You: Pass. Nagumo: (pouts) All right, then... a favour! I'll owe you anything! Within reason. You: (narrows eyes) Deal. "Finally, a peaceful haircut," Nagumo muttered under his breath, his body visibly relaxing as your fingers threaded through his hair, the contrasting warmth sending pleasant shivers down his spine. He closed his eyes, leaning back slightly into the chair, allowing you full access. A small sigh escaped Nagumo's lips as he felt your hands working through his hair, the soft snipping of scissors adding to the tranquil atmosphere. He opened his eyes halfway, watching your reflection in the mirror. The sight of your focused expression and the seriousness in your eyes as you concentrated on the task at literal hand stirred something deep within him. As you continued snipping away at his hair, he couldn't resist the urge to tease you. He reached out, his fingers trailing along your wrist. Nagumo retracted his touch as swiftly as he had initiated it, feigning innocence when you shot him a glare through the mirror. Nagumo: (smirks) Careful there, don't wanna end up with bald spots now. You: Don't tempt me. Inwardly, he appreciated that you weren't tempted, instead enjoying the delicate touch of your fingers against his scalp as you worked meticulously.

End note: Can't guarantee how the hair looked afterwards, nor what the favour you end up cashing in is about. It's all up to your...

/ P.S. thanks to @dearsecretlover - I imagine / personally like to think that you / the Reader just left Nagumo's hair out in the wilderness of the JCC campus so birds could make a nest out of it.

Sustainability FTW!

[27dragons]

Hiii I‘ve been loving seeing you more on my dash lately, been following you and reading your fics for like six years now and truly no one else’s works have filled my bookmarks as much as yours (and Tisfans of course).

One of yours was the very first winteriron fic I ever read and it had me fall in love instantly, haven’t found anything else like them since. I love that you found your writing muse again, and I know it’s been a long time and a lot of the fandom has fizzled out. But I just wanted to pop in an ask if maybe one day you could see yourself writing MCU again?

In any case, it’s been a lot of lovely years with your writing and you’ll make (and are making) a lot of other new people incredibly happy with your amazing skill and talent for words, worldbuilding and characterisation <3

Hey there! I'm so delighted that you've enjoyed my fics so much!!! It really means a lot to me.

The tldr is that yes, there's at least a slim chance that I might write winteriron/MCU again one day. There is a whole stack of partially-written WIPs still in my writing folder that I can't bring myself to archive and retire.

I'll admit that my enthusiasm for MCU faded a lot when they killed Tony off. And then a massive surge in my depression (thanks in part to COVID and then tisfan's death and then my mom's) all but extinguished my ability to write. I had a creative burst for about 3 months in 2023 with Sandman and the Dreamling ship that resulted in about a dozen fics, but the one fic that I managed to write in 2024 (which was winteriron!) felt like pulling teeth to finish.

But I'm still reading some winteriron fics (and the occasional stony), so it's not entirely dead to me. (For that matter, I did quite a few winteriron/MCU ficlets with my Countdowns here on tumblr in both '23 and '24 - check my "countdown to 2024" and "countdown to 2025" tags if you missed those.)

It's just that winteriron is closely tied to tisfan for me (even before we were writing together, she was always my beta reader), and it's hard to think about it without her. (Also, I've written SO MUCH winteriron, it's hard to come up with any scenarios that I haven't already done, lol)

The Arcane/Jayvik bug has bitten hard, and it's such a relief to know that I can still write, but I'm still waiting to see if this will fizzle out again after a few months like the Dreamling stuff did.

If I do keep writing, there's a pretty decent chance that I will eventually come back to winteriron, at least occasionally. If nothing else, I'd love to one day finish the fic that tisfan and I were working on when she had her stroke.

But I expect it will take a while. If you asked because you're considering unfollowing/unsubscribing so your inbox and dash aren't cluttered with notifications for a fandom you have no interest in, then I promise I won't be offended if you want to do that and just set yourself a reminder to check back in a year to see what happened. I've made that decision myself a few times, and I know it comes with a sliver of heartbreak and guilt. But I understand that not everyone will want to follow me everywhere that I go, and that in no way diminishes my appreciation for the love you've given my fics in the past, whether you just clicked kudos or left a comment on every chapter.

Thank you again for this very kind note. I'm so happy to have given you something you've enjoyed so much.

❤️💛

[angel-of-the-moons]

A Rose Under The Moon

Moon Knight System (Marc/Steven/Jake) x Fem!Reader

TW/CW: Violence, graphic violence, blood, fighting, human trafficking, mentions of abuse, drug use, child abuse, sex trafficking, angst. So much angst.

MINORS DNI: I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTENT YOU CONSUME

A/N: Whew! I'm proud of this one! Many thanks to my bestest friend, Artemis, who himself has DID and helps me understand this condition and describe them (hopefully) more accurately! His system is a big help in me learning more about this subject! (Extra note: any Spanish spoken in this fic is in italics. As I am not a fluent speaker by any means, it is mostly translated by Google. Have fun!)

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Chapter 2:

Inside Voices

(Steven, no…) Marc's voice groaned out, glaring at him through the shared reflection in the glass door.

"But Marc! I've lived here for ages and didn't know this shop was here!" Steven beamed, smiling widely. Thankfully the wireless headphones he had on made him look like he was on the phone, and not completely off his rocker…

Marc ran his hands through his curly black hair. (You have enough books!)

"But this store might have books I don't have!" He pointed out.

(Just let him look, hermano.) Jake sighed, his reflection staring up at Steven from a puddle on the ground.

"Yes, thank you, Jake. At least somebody encourages my hobby!" Steven huffed indignantly at Marc.

(Jake, stop babying him!)

(Hey, nothing wrong with having a hobby?) The man snorted.

Marc rolled his eyes and slumped his shoulders, he directed a tired glare back at Steven.

(You gonna go in or just stare at the front door?) He finally asked.

Steven grinned like an excited boy going into a candy shop.

Marc really needed to have a talk with Jake about this. Steven already had too many books in their flat!

Steven pulled the headphones out of his ears and shoved them in his pocket as he opened the door, nearly jumping when the bell dinged.

He looked around, rather impressed with how much was inside a small space. Steven almost jumped again when the clerk spoke.

"Hi! Welcome to Here Today Books!" She said cheerfully.

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(I'm just saying, Steven… that's too many fucking books.) Marc said, crossing his arms at Steven through the reflection in the window across from his desk, cluttered with papers, folders, and books on various subjects of the Egyptian religious pantheon, architecture, etcetera.

"Oh, hush." Steven hummed, pushing his glasses up his nose as he examined the pages on one of the old books he held in his hand.

(Steven…) Marc sighed, exasperatedly. 

"I know, I know." He sighed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. The stubble there was getting rather coarse. Maybe he could talk Jake out of growing that mustache or goatee he was thinking about…

Steven looked over and picked up the bookmark, sighing deeply as he looked at the gold-tipped rose sealed so lovingly in the plastic. Small vine-luke designs had been penned into the colorful sheet of paper inside the plastic as well.

(Very Beauty and The Beast, no?) Jake mused, his reflection from the mirror on the desk looking at Steven with a cocky grin.

It helped them, they found, to have as many reflective surfaces as possible in their flat; it enabled them to talk to each other simultaneously and "see" one another. Sure they could all talk in the headspace, and when they co-fronted it was almost like they could feel each other; rubbing shoulders, as it were, but sometimes you just needed to see the other person, y'know? Outside of your own head? Shared head? The terms still confused poor Steven, at times.

"I s'pose." He hummed, holding the plastic in his fingers gently, as if it were made of the thinnest glass. Absentmindedly, he pulled the sleeve of his shirt up and looked at the inside of his left wrist.

A mark was there.

A rose, to be precise.

Sometimes it would look like it was wilting, other times it was blooming and vibrant… other times it was closed, not ready to bloom.

Right now, it was somewhere between wilting and blooming. He wasn't sure what it meant. He thought back to Marc's ex-wife, Layla. And how he practically fell head over heels with her when they first met.

He had hoped, with Layla, that she had a corresponding mark… but she didn't. Layla was one of the few who didn't have a mark, or in the very least it hadn't shown up yet. Which isn't entirely implausible… But… something happened. After escaping the Duat, coming back to life, fighting Ammit… finding out about Jake.

They just drifted apart. The sparks that may have been there snuffed out, any hints at romance gone from the equation. They all decided it was better to leave it at that.

Well, at least they were all still on friendly terms, Steven mused. Layla still spoke to he and Marc via phone, or even email. It took Steven forever to convince Marc to ditch that "old dinosaur piece of plastic" he called a phone, and stick with his touch-screen.

Except… Jake. Ah, Jake. Layla never fully trusted him.

(Steven.) Jake said, getting his attention, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Hm?" He hummed, turning the bookmark over and over in his hand thoughtfully, eyes fluttering back to their mark on their wrist.

(It's my turn tonight.) Jake reminded him softly.

"Oh… right." He cringed. "Bollocks, I hate this…"

(I know, hermanito. But it has to be done, or the bad guys roam free…)

"All right, just… don't let me see any of it, yeah?" Steven sighed, placing the bookmark on the table as he put his hands in his lap.

(Of course.) Jake replied.

Marc stayed silent.

Suddenly, eyes flew closed, the jaw clenched; a bit of a sharp pain fluttered briefly through the brain at the sudden switching. They were getting better at seamless transitions, but sometimes some form of discomfort lingered. The body sat, almost like an empty vessel waiting to be filled. Whether it was five minutes or five seconds, it was unsure. 

When the eyes opened again…

Jake was sitting where Steven sat. Steven's reflection wasn't in the mirror as Jake's had been, previously. He was left alone with Marc staring at him from the inky-black reflection in the window.

(I really hate that we have to do that to him.) Marc sighed, shaking his head.

"He's too gentle for our work, Marc." Jake said, clicking his tongue as he stood, walking over to the wardrobe in the corner and reaching out to grab his old leather coat. "He's too… good."

(I know.) Marc's reflection was in the fishtank now, where Gus the Second was swimming alongside… they really should think of a name for the other two.

Jake tugged the old worn garment on and pulled the gloves out of his jacket pockets with a sharp yank, flexing his fingers as they filled out the soft, well broken-in leather. Lastly, he pulled out that golf cap and slid it on his head, and looked at Marc.

(You don't have to see this, either, Marc.) He said to him.

(Somebody's gotta bear the weight with you, brother.) Marc said intently.

"Gracias por eso, hermano." Jake mumbled, twirling the flat's keys in his fingers as he walked to the front door.

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He sat, kneeling on the rooftop, his body hunched in a way that made him look like a gargoyle, unflinching and unmoving in his gaze; the cape gifted to him flared out almost like a long, tattered set of broken wings.

He wasn’t sure why he decided here of all places was a good place to talk. Why here? What drew him here? Was it the lingering joy and comfort Steven felt when he came in earlier that day?

The sign was hand-painted and in need of a new coat. Flecks of it had chipped away, the exposed wood beneath bleached by years of exposure. But… why was the bookshop important enough to stand outside now?

He looked down below, the curtains were pulled back still in the flat above, old lightbulbs casting a soft, orangish glow to everything inside. He could barely see from this vantage point across the street the boxes of books and book stacks lying on a desk in front of the window. Small knick knacks lined the sills, a hanging plant pot on the outside containing flowers of different kinds, slightly wilted from the lack of sun from the past few days, and now the night.

He stirred when he watched the young woman inside walk to the window in the living room and close the curtains; then tracked her movements as she went about her nightly rituals.

She seemed relaxed. Comfortable. Safe.

She didn't need protection tonight.

He felt the air chill around him, seeping through the wrappings of his armor.

“Jake Lockley.”

There it was. The voice he was waiting for. The voice that always knocked him away from his personal thoughts. The voice that told him of his duties during the night.

Khonshu.

“Yes, father?” Jake asked, standing up, turning to see the large imposing silhouette of a gaunt man, enshrouded in ancient, wispy linen wraps, a tattered shawl hanging from his bony shoulders, clenched in his fist; in place of a head was the dessicated and fleshless bone of a bird skull, small web-like tendrils wafting about here or there. Large, eyeless sockets fixed him in a crushing gaze, the skull tilting in an almost inquisitive manner.

(I wish you’d stop calling him that…) Marc grumbled from within. 

“Have you located the evil-doers I sent you after?” Khonshu’s ancient and ethereal voice grated out.

“Yes. I plan on taking them out tonight.” Jake replied dutifully.

Khonshu tilted his head at Jake, and stood from where he sat on the aircon unit. “Now… Why are you here? This is not where you usually prefer to speak with me.”

“I… don’t know.” Jake admitted softly. “Felt like I had to be here.” 

“Hmm.” The god hummed, stopping to stand next to Jake, looking down at the flat below. “Indeed.”

“Was there… anything else, father?” Jake asked, looking up at him.

“No. You can leave. I will issue new orders when our quarry is dead and dealt with.”

“Of course.” Jake bowed his head, pressing his fist over the moon on his chest; sparing one last glance down at the woman before walking away, leaping to another rooftop with superhuman strength.

Khonshu stayed. Observing, just for a moment longer, at the woman inside the safety of her home. 

“Interesting.” He mused to himself, stamping his staff down and vanishing in a haze of mist.

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Jake panted, pulling one of his darts out of the chest of the man who had tried to previously shoot him just now. He sheathed the weapon and approached the shipping container, hesitating for a moment before smashing the lock open with his bare fist and hauling the heavy doors open.

Inside were half a dozen women and young girls, and children. Some of them naked, others half-dressed. Many of them were dirty and half starved, injuries evident on their poor bodies.

He noticed how they all flinched, backing away from him.

“I won’t hurt you.” He said, in a tone as soft as he could possibly manage, trying to ease their worries. “I’m here to save you.” 

Jake leaned down and pulled the jacket off the dead body of the man he had just killed, stepping over the corpse to the young woman nearest to him. 

She was clad only in her underwear, bruises and track marks lining her body. He draped the jacket over her shoulders, zipping it closed for her as he guided her arms through the sleeves. 

“The police are on their way. You’ll all be safe, soon.” He said, his glowing white eyes fixed in the black abyss of his mask immediately zeroed in on three women, clinging their arms around a group of small children.

The youngest couldn’t have been older than three years old. Her eyes cold, far too ancient and haunted for one so young, clouded by the things she’d been forced to endure for the profit of her traffickers; her tiny body already bearing the scars of the abuse and trauma. Jake’s fist balled at his sides as he forced his breathing to try and calm; adrenaline surging through him again, a hot coal of rage dropping deep into the pit of his stomach.

He wished he could kill them all over again. He wished he could make them all suffer in ways they could barely process for the things they’d done. He wanted to–

His cloak was tugged on, snapping him out of his seething.

He looked down, and a small boy, all skin and bones looked up at him. He looked to be about seven. Could be older, as malnourishment can inhibit growth. His big green eyes looked up at Jake as he wrapped the edge of his cloak around his shoulders like a blanket, his dirty and grimy fingers clinging to the blood-soaked material, seeking comfort he so desperately needed. Jake felt his heart crack in two. He looked almost like...

He closed his eyes for a moment and kneeled, getting as eye level with the boy as he could.

“You’re safe now. They can’t hurt you anymore.” Jake said, his voice quiet, almost broken. He reached for a ratty blanket on the ground and covered the little boy with it, the sight of him covered in a bloody cape almost too much for him to bear. 

He felt his breathing hitch when the little boy smiled up at him, gap-toothed and happy. He handed the boy off to a woman who looked to only be maybe nineteen.

“Stay…” He cleared his throat, looking at everyone within the container, standing back to his full imposing height. 

“Stay here while I make sure it’s safe and I got them all. Someone will be here soon to get you all out of here.”

“Thank you.” One of the women sobbed quietly, clutching onto what looked to be her own child. They looked too similar for them to be anything but related.

Jake turned, his cape flowing out behind him like a white shadow as he stalked into the warehouse beyond, his fists already tight; the spiked knuckles on the back of his hands ready for blows he was all too eager to deliver.

He stepped over bodies, beaten, broken. Lifeless. 

All at his hand. They deserved worse.

The eerie quiet of the cavernous space was only interrupted by the tinkling of chains suspended from the rafters, wind whistling through unseen cracks. 

He could hear the sirens in the distance closing in, but he didn’t relax. He wouldn’t. Not until he was sure.

Not until he knew they were all dead.

Jake’s hands trembled with anticipation as that coal of rage ignited into an inferno, burning hot and low in his belly, sending sparks through his bloodstream. He was so far into that haze of red, he missed the man rushing him with a kabar knife. 

He must have missed that one, the coward was probably hiding the moment the carnage broke out.

The moment he turned, he felt the blade slip easily through the wrappings of his dark armor, piercing the flesh and organs beneath, the pain tearing through his body like a macabre tsunami.

He brought his fist out, slamming the spiked knuckles into the face of the man.

The coppery scent of blood, the crunch of bones and cartilage filled his nose and were deafeningly loud in his ears. He was sure he watched his eyeball dislodge, hanging over the crushed and bloody expanse of his cheek as his body was sent flying into the cargo loader nearby.

The sound of his bones turning almost to powder overpowered the haunting ambience of the dark lair.

Jake marched over to him and gripped him by the shirt, rearing his fist back for another punch, even as his body hung limp in his grasp. 

Only… he couldn’t land the blow. He just couldn’t. It was one thing to kill to protect. But it was another to beat a corpse that he’d already wrought with one blow. His ears picked up the sounds of shouting, sirens, bootfall. A helicopter whirred above, spotlight shining at the carnage below.

He stood, clutching at the knife still sticking out of his side as he dragged his feet, pulling the shell of his body outside, where he was met with armored police officers, wearing what he assumed was some kind of riot gear. The pain in his side was maddening, he almost didn’t hear them demand he kneel. But he did hear a woman cry.

He lifted his gaze to see the woman he’d handed the boy off to; the child still clutched in her arms as they looked over at him, their eyes locking with his.

“He saved us!” She cried.

“Don’t hurt him, please!” Another shouted.

“He’s a nice man!” A child sobbed, clinging to the emergency blanket around her frail body.

Jake felt like he could cry, he felt his heart swell to bursting; not able to tear his gaze away from the innocents he’d saved, that he killed for. Not even when one of the officers approached him, gripping his elbow to keep him steady.

The older man sighed, unable to cuff the man that the human trafficking victims were shouting and crying accolades for. Even if he apparently killed all these monsters bare-handed. “Come on, lad. Let’s get you looked at. We can’t leave that knife in ya.” 

“I’m fine.” Jake mumbled, looking at the ground. His shoulders slumped.

“Like hell you are.” The officer turned and shouted for a medic.

“Perdóname, mi corazón." Jake muttered to himself. To someone else.

But as the man carrying the equipment bag jogged towards him, Jake gripped the handle of the knife and wrenched it free in one tug, blood spurting from the wound.

“Good God!” The officer gasped, reaching out to press his hand over the gushing wound. “Are you insane, boy?”

“Yes.” Jake mumbled, pulling his hand away from him, with gentle care that betrayed the violence his bloody fingers had wrought mere moments ago. He felt the wound close, the magic and blessed armor already performing its duty. Just as he had, so violently.

Jake straightened his posture as the medic and the officers backed away in a strange mixture of fascination, horror, and awe.

“Who… what are you?” The medic breathed.

Jake turned away, his gaze to the sky.

“I’m Moon Knight.”

And with that final goodbye, he leapt up, disappearing into the blackness and depths of the night, his heart heavy but relieved, cloak streaking across the shadows, as if to chase them away.

Chapter 3: Link

[peapodsinspace]

1,2,3, not it!!

Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types

Read on ao3!

Warnings: none

Summary: A small glimpse into the work life of Team Mustang, featuring Havoc being a bit immature and Falman getting the short end of the stick.

Notes: I wrote this before I went to bed a while ago cus I had this gag stuck in my head lol!!

Roy tapped his fingers on his desk, glaring at the phone he’d just put down. Despite being a Colonel now, his superiors still found him to be a suitable errand boy.

Luckily for Roy, he had lots of fine men to delegate tasks to.

Standing from his chair, he grabbed a folder off his desk. It contained a report that wasn’t supposed to be due for several more days- and any team who was less on top of their work wouldn’t even have completed it yet.

(Roy’s team was, unfortunately, not one that was “on top of their work”, so this was simply a very handy but rare instance of responsibility.)

Swinging the doors of his office open, he stood in front of his team who all looked up to meet his gaze.

“I’ve just received a call from general Hakuro. He needs our report yesterday, apparently.” Roy watched a tinge of annoyance take over their expressions.

He tilted his head slightly and shifted his feet, doing his best to appear regretful. “While under normal circumstances I would simply deliver the report to him myself,” Roy lied, “I’m still waiting for a call from General Grumman and will be unable to stray too far from my office until I hear from him.”

His team shared glances with each other, waiting to see who would be the unlucky one.

Havoc sniffed. “Permission to speak freely, sir?”

Roy inclined his head in the Lieutenant’s direction.

“Not it,” Havoc said, quickly followed by Fuery and Breda who repeated the same thing, and Hawkeye a moment later.

Which left only Falman who hadn’t said anything, and instead only looked at Roy with a downcast expression.

“That’s unfortunate,” Roy drawled, walking over to Falman’s desk and handing him the report. “Deliver this to the general.”

“Yessir,” Falman replied after a moment, grabbing the report and shuffling out the door about as slow as humanly possible.

Today might just be his lucky day, Roy thought, as he made his way back to his office. Reaching into the middle drawer of his desk, he pulled out a well loved alchemy book.

Roy reclined in his seat and flipped through to his most recent bookmark.

He wasn’t, for the record, expecting a call from General Grumman. There was unfortunately no such thing, as the man simply called when he felt like it.

[the-wiggler]

If I could stay here, under your idle caress

Ellis tries to cook and plan fails successfully? 

word count: 2.2k

“My love?” A tentative voice calls into the dark room, curtains drawn. What little light filters through, Ellis can see the mountains of clothes on the floor, the layer of dust and the empty cups covering the room. On the bed in the corner, a mound under the heavy blanket shifts minutely, and their heart aches. “Oh, my Gem,” They coo, sitting on the side of the bed, slowly peeling back the blanket to reveal a sallow face, tired and weighed down, smooshed against the pillow. Ellis leans over and presses a soft kiss to their cheek, a hollow stare darting to them in vague recognition, “How are you, my dear?” 

They groan, shifting to bury their head in Ellis’s middle, quietly inhaling their scent. Their hand moves instinctively to stroke Gem’s hair, grounding repetitive motions as they sit in silence for a few minutes before Ellis breaks it, “Are you hungry? Think you can stomach some food?” 

They go to shake their head, instinctively wanting to remain in their bed despite their aching back and stiff legs. Then they register the slow acidic burn spread from their core and absently wonders when they last had a proper meal. “Yeah-could gof’r something.” Stringing together words with what little threads of energy they could muster, their voice hoarse from disuse. 

“Ok,” Ellis smiles, one last comforting stroke of their hair before they pull away, “I’ll get you something to eat, you try your best to get out of bed, ok?” They stand and go to pull the blackout curtains open, revealing a second set of thick daytime curtains, and illuminating the room in a soft light. Reaching behind the curtains, they push open the windows, letting the soft breeze and the noises of traffic below waft in. “Take your time, Gem. I’ll be just outside.” They press a gentle kiss on Gem’s forehead before they leave, and Gem misses them already. 

Outside, Ellis wracks their brain thinking what Gem could eat. They remembered the stacks of snack wrappers on the table and an idea flutters into their head, perhaps they could cook something? Sure, their cooking left much to be desired, but Gem had been giving them lessons (though they often ended up making out on the countertops instead). Their cooking “lessons” meant that Ellis could now, under supervision, make scrambled eggs, grilled cheese and pasta. And heat up soup. 

But their Gem deserved a good, warm, fresh meal, and though they had only “helped” Gem out in the kitchen, Ellis was confident they could handle this. They crack open Gem’s laptop, typing in their password (Ellis’s birthday), and pull up the recipe from a bookmark folder called “Cooking for Ellis”.

‘The perfect food for when I’m feeling sick, Oyakodon is a classic comfort food of Japanese home cooking. Simple, delicious, and utterly comforting, this is the kind of one-bowl meal you can cook in less than 30 minutes!’ The chipper description of this Japanese chicken and egg rice bowl had caught Ellis’s eye. Perfect. 

Firstly, the chicken. They rummage through the freezer until they grasped a small container of already-chopped chicken thigh. But it was still frozen, and Ellis didn’t have the time to sit around waiting for it to defrost. 

They sighed, cracking open the frozen block of meat and hacking away at it with a spoon until they had what they figured was a big enough portion for Gem to eat. Then, they slapped that in the microwave, doused it in sake, and let it sit, feeling very proud of themself. Off to a very positive note. 

Next, the onions. They carefully chopped off the ends of the onions, peeling off the crinkly skin and sliding them off to one side of the cutting board. Then they slice the onion in half, feeling the tears prick their eyes and their vision blur. 

A sudden strong gust of wind sends the loose onion skin flying off the counter like leaves in the sky. Ellis curses silently, eyes burning, and rushes to chase after the onion skin now scattered across the kitchen floor. When they finally collected the bits and deposited them into the bin, the tears in their eyes had yet to subside. 

Frustrated, they rub their eyes, forgetting the onion residue still on their hands. As their pain suddenly escalated, they cursed silently, blindly grasping around to find the sink and turn on the tap. Quietly panicking to avoid alerting their partner, Ellis rushes to wash their hands with soap and rinse their eyes, tears running down their face.

Once they had finally cleared the sulfuric acid from their eyes, they found their vision blurred and their nose running. They glance, a bit despondent, at the remaining onion and curse it out quietly. Through tears and sniffles, they finally cut the onion into slices Gem once termed ‘Julienne’. This time, they make sure to thoroughly wash their hands before scrubbing at their face. 

With a renewed sense of enthusiasm, they gaze proudly at the now conquered pile of onions on the chopping board. Despite this minor hiccup, Ellis felt ever optimistic, grabbing a bowl and mixing the liquid seasonings. 

Now, to start the cooking process. Ellis confidently opened the cupboard where Gem kept all their pots and pans. Having lived alone for so long, Gem only had two pans: a larger one for bigger meals when hosting guests, and a smaller one for personal use. Ellis frowned.

The recipe said one small pan should be enough, but…Ellis sent a distrustful look at the accursed mountain of unevenly cut onion pieces and decided to err on the side of caution. They grabbed the larger pan, dumping the onion and seasonings into it. 

The seasoning…barely covered the bottom of the pan, let alone the onions. 

A quick reference back to the recipe…and…yep, the seasonings should cover the onions. They inwardly grumbled at the idea of having yet another thing to wash and grabbed the smaller pan, pouring the sauce into it. Ellis watched as the liquid in the pan rose and rose until it reached the brim of the pan, forming the meniscus. Ok..too little for the big pan but too much for the smaller pan. 

Great. 

They pour the rest of the sauce down the drain, lamenting the wasted food. They move to dump the onions into the sauce, forgetting completely the rule of displacement. As the onions tumbled into the pan, the sauce flooded over the edge, forming a small pool around it. Ellis fights the urge to collapse into a heap on the ground and instead carefully lifts the already full pan up, spilling more sauce. They messily clean up the majority of the mess; the rest could be cleared up after they deliver this absolute guarantee of a good meal to their partner. 

Having lost a decent chunk of motivation (and seasoning) that they started with, Ellis turns on the stove, waiting for the sauce to come to a simmer. placing a lid over the pan and turning their attention to the mountain of dishes in the sink. 

They quietly hummed a song that reminded them of Gem, mind wandering to thoughts of the bright starry eyes of their partner as Ellis served them the perfect Oyakodon. It wasn’t that Ellis was doing this for the thank-you kisses they might receive…but they would be amiss if they said it wasn’t something of a motive. 

So lost in thought was Ellis that they completely forgot about the simmering, bubbling, and now boiling pan of sauce and onions just a few feet from them. It wasn’t until the metallic rattling of the lid against the pan did Ellis snap out of their daydreams and worriedly glanced over. 

The sauce had bubbled out of the pan, adding to the already large puddle. It was currently dripping over the counter down onto the drawers below, no doubt seeping into the cutlery and crockery that Gem kept there. Completely forgetting about the running tap, they grabbed a cloth and went to wipe at the angry mess on the stove, the hot liquid quickly seeping through the cloth and shooting through Ellis’s hands, making them curse loudly. 

The word rang out in the emptiness of the cosy apartment Gem had and they vaguely heard the soft padding of feet approach them before a quiet voice called out. “Ellis? Is- “Yes, my dear,” They quickly interrupt, rushing to intercept their partner at their bedroom door, “Are you feeling well enough to be up? Perhaps you should take a shower, Gem, freshen up.” They clutched their throbbing hand behind their back, chuckling nervously. 

Gem casts a confused look at Ellis. Their eyes dart from the sweat dripping down Ellis’s forehead to the panicked look in their bloodshot eyes and the hand they were not very inconspicuously hiding. They begin taking hesitant steps towards the kitchen despite Ellis’s weak assurances.

“No- don’t gaze upon my shame, please, I’m begging!” They joke weakly as Gem reaches the kitchen, but it was too late. Gem could only stare in silence as Ellis stood behind them, sheepish and awkward morphing into an overwhelming amount of guilt. The last thing Gem needed right now was more things to worry about, to shoulder Ellis’s burdens along with their own. 

“I-I’m sorry, Gem. I know this is the last thing you need; more things to do.” They sigh, “Look, take a shower, and I promise, once you get out, the mess will be gone. I’ll call up your favourite pizza place, you don’t have to worry about a thing.” Ellis tried to redirect their attention away from the mess, hoping to coax Gem away from the mess they had made. 

“Ellis-I-What…what were you trying to cook?” They whisper, a layer of incredulity concealed under genuine curiosity, their eyes fixated on the angrily rattling pan. 

“Well- I was trying to make an Oyakodon, you know, the one you had saved in your laptop?” Their partner nods wordlessly, “But clearly, I seemed to have overestimated my cooking abilities and I…oh. I forgot to make the rice.” They wring their hands together, watching their partner out the corner of their eye, waiting for the outburst. 

After a quiet sigh that seemed to pierce Ellis, Gem moves into the kitchen, slides the pan off the hot surface of the stove and carefully turns the stove off, leaving the liquid to cool. They turn off the running tap before grabbing another, not soaking wet, cloth and carefully lifting the hot pan lid, wincing at the burnt onions and billow of smoke that angrily escapes its confines. They deposit the pan in the sink and grab a bowl, filling it with ice and cold water and gently guiding Ellis’s throbbing hand into it. 

“Gem I- “Rest.” They quietly order, silencing any meek protests on the edge of Ellis’s tongue. They resign to sit at the dining table, hand submerged in the icey water. Silently, they watch Gem move through the kitchen cleaning up the mess, chewing on their lip nervously. 

Gem was always more on the quiet side, opting to save their energy for acts of service that made Ellis want to smother them in kisses. They talked in quiet smiles and averted gazes, a quiet language that Ellis had slowly become a well-learned expert in. But on days where they could barely manage to leave their bed, they resorted to one-word responses, sometimes just a vague nod, even.  

Ellis could tell, in Gem’s tense shoulders, that their disappointment was palpable- tired and exhausted, they still had to clean up after Ellis’s mess. Ellis had meant well, they didn’t doubt that Gem understood that, that they had only intended to provide a warm meal that Gem loved, but intentions meant little when the outcome directly contradicted it. 

“I really am sorry, my Gem. I…never intended to make more work for you.” They sigh, watching their partner move through the kitchen as they were stuck in the chair. They sighed, “But I did. Regardless of my intention, I…I made a right mess of things, and I can’t express my apologies enough.” They suddenly felt silly for ever thinking they could somehow whip up a meal when they could barely scramble an egg without burning something (or someone). 

A rub on Ellis’s cheek drags them out of their inner criticisms. A hand cupped their cheek gently, and they gazed up from where they were seated to stare at Gem’s eyes. In turn, Ellis turns their head to lay a gentle kiss on the palm of Gem’s hand. 

“You did,” They state matter-of-factly, quiet voice barely reaching Ellis’s ears. “But it’s not all bad. You managed to get me out of bed, didn’t you?” 

Ellis blinks slowly, then laughs, surprised. “I…hadn’t even noticed. I suppose it is a silver lining in all of this.” They place an unburnt hand over Gem’s waist, pulling them in and resting their head on their partner's stomach. “You really are too kind to me, my Gem.” 

“Nonsense.” 

[amelias-zelda-calamity-quintet]

Mark of a Hero | Post-Part 1 Q&A

First of all, thank y'all so much for the support on Mark of a Hero! This is the first fic I've actively been posting to AO3, I was/am previously on Wattpad when I was originally writing Goddess of Secrecy and MoaH, and the welcome here has been fantastic getting back into MoaH. Y'all are amazing. And here we are! Post part 1! So let's get into it.

When will MoaH continue?

Part 2 - Farona will start releasing February 4th with a full release week to get y'all started. I'll leave you with the new MoaH blurb at the bottom of this post as a teaser.

So you really mean it's 9 books long?

Yes, I really mean it's 9 books long. Plus a possible prequel, but I can't talk about that until book 3 is starting to release. You'll understand.

What are the odds you finish a 9 book series?

Considering that, as this is going out, I have just begun book 4 having written everything post the first 23 chapters as of coming back in May '24, pretty good. I will say support goes a long way to boosting those odds. Kudos, hits, bookmarks, visible support that people are enjoying my work enough to recommend it to other people/let me know. A big part I'm writing this for me, but I do also like to watch numbers go up and it gives me a lot of motivation when I hit milestones. And I'm a storyteller! I like to know people are listening, you know?

If you're looking for an easy comment thread I'm always interested in reading, I love people diving into theorycrafting and I've left a number of threads for y'all to explore. Easy one here, you all obviously know Farona is book 2 now, but what do you think the order of adventure the rest of the series will be and why? Let me know in the comments and reblogs of this post, or drop it in my ask box!

Will the release schedule stay the same/two chapters a week?

Very likely it will remain 2 chapters a week with the occasional week long release. Right now, the upload schedule gives me a good buffer to get ahead on MoaH without a lot of pressure to write on a "schedule." If I need to take a break, I have a backlog to fall back on. Staying ahead of it serves as its own kind of motivation. It may eventually speed up, but for now, I don't want to get ahead of myself and then fall behind on that backlog. And when I eventually get around to going back to do beta reading/second round edits, it means less chapters will be released having not had that pass. You can see more about my editing process below.

Is Ambrose really a normal old man?

Yes, of course, he's a normal old man.

What do you think of fanworks of MoaH?

Give.

No, but seriously, it's the biggest compliment to hear MoaH has inspired people. That I've already gotten fanart and fanfics of my fanfic is crazy to me. I have resources for most of the cast, and I will absolutely answer any questions y'all have (barring future spoilers). I'm happy to keep it in my folder too if you don't want to post it and cherish it forever on my own.

But to resupport the "how likely am I to finish the book" one of my early readers sent me fanart just like a week ago of the main cast and I cracked out 50k in three days for them because I was so motivated after to finish the arc and book 3 after. Food for thought.

What does your editing process look like?

So my editing process has three general stages: my pass, early readers, and then heavy edits/beta readers. Let's break that down.

First, my pass. This is my writing and editing MoaH on my own. Heavy edits can be a huge momentum killer for me and fic writing for me is primarily a hobby, so this is a pass of light edits for most typos, grammar, and easy worldbuilding catches. All chapters of MoaH get this.

Next is early readers/early book club. This is a process I have open on the Expanding Hyrule Discord if folks are interested (though probably not very many more folks), but it is a slightly more extensive version of the first pass: questions about overall story structure, pacing, and any glaring plot holes, but not really heavy edits. My early readers (shout outs again to @doubtfulloser and @the--voided) get the arcs as I finish writing them, and then give me feedback while I press on with the next arc. And I call it early book club because in big part it's getting to talk to someone about what's actively being written while chapters are so far ahead from what's releasing. They're wrapping up with book 3 right now!

Last, is heavy edits/beta readers. I would like to, eventually, go back through MoaH as I plan to with GoS with a fine tooth comb and really iron it out. But, like I said, heavy edits kill my momentum and I need to get this series drafted first as a whole before I can go back to refine. And a half decent first draft with the chance of support to finish the rest is better than squirreling this story away to myself while I get lost in perfectionism to make it the best thing ever. Right? This process will begin when all of MoaH is written, at current pace, probably when book 3 is releasing. This is also part of why I want the buffer, few chapters that will release without all three passes.

What can I expect from the rest of MoaH?

More adventure, more magic, more monsters! Part 1 ends with the massive quest of traveling seven new nations and tackling their dungeons. But much like entry into the Temple of Inverted Time, this will not be such a simple task. New friends and foes await on the path ahead!

There is also, rest assured, a long-term relationship left to build between our recently proclaimed love birds. More Zelink straight ahead as these two learn to balance their romance between the distance and the responsibility of their new titles. Along with exploring the mysteries of Link's already established party members as the quest tests their friendships! Saddiqah and Ambrose are along for the ride as well.

What would you recommend to tide me over to read while I wait on MoaH?

Oh man, first, big recommendation to anything in @expanding-hyrule if you're looking for more original legend stories like MoaH. I have read a lot of the lists or been recommended on the rest, and I guarantee you'll find something you like in there. Currently something like 50 works on AO3 already, plus some FFN works and some great comics and art projects to check out linked in the art archive on the blog too. And we're looking for more!

If you're looking for more from me, might I recommend diving into the story of the Hero of the Convergence and this Link's Shade with Goddess of Secrecy? This work is complete and being imported over from Wattpad in small bursts every week. While you don't need to read it to understand MoaH, they do share some connected lore, largely in minor nods and references but also in some worldbuilding notes, like the Horned Goddess. Kind of a OoT to TP/WW kind of connection. And maybe some hints on our favorite normal old man buried in there. It also happens to be sitting in Wattpad's top 20 or so most read LoZ fics, so I'm a little proud of it even if it's due some revisions.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mark of a Hero (Updates on Tuesdays & Fridays, 2 of 9)

A new champion draws the Master Sword, and the legend begins anew. But the door beneath the Temple of Time remains sealed, lest the Hero can open it once more. Link Sayre, Saddiqah El Amin, and Ambrose head west to Hyrule's forested neighbor, Farona, to seek out the first of the Sealing Stones. But perhaps their quest is not as secret as they'd like to believe.

[that-was-anticlimactic]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by my beloved @zukkaoru & @lesmiserablol <333

tagging (with no pressure): @beachytablecloth, @fabro-de-omres, & @milf-harrington (so sorry if you've already been tagged!)

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

69 which... is honestly more than i was expecting? i think it helps that my goal is to post a fic once a month mostly bc that's my motivation to keep writing even when i'm busy/stressed!

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

396,183 - omg i am SO CLOSE to 400k ahhhhhhhhh

3. what fandoms do you write for?

uhhhhhhh many??? right now, it's a lot of bsd/bnha, but it's always a plethora of things, haha! my first was prolly ninjago tbh

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

hey, little songbird, give me a song

you never quite say (but i hear)

lost in love and lost in feelings

Deeper Than Words

for a new world to begin, the old one must fall

okay the #1 for that is honestly so real that is one of my absolute favorite things i've written EVER lol, same with #2! the rest are... idk #4 is AWFUL - like one of my first atla fics and also my first time writing a ts fic (i have gotten SO MUCH BETTER AT IT NOW)

*note: i started this in like nov or early dec, and #5 changed! it was the zukka goose fic but now it's actually one of my favorites iugytfyhujiko

5. do you respond to comments

i used to be good at it. then i got stressed bc of school. and then i was suddenly like "uhhhh idk How to respond???" i think the thing that got me was i didn't know how to reply to the distressed comments on my sokka falling fic so i just. accidentally stopped.

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

oh here in the garden (let's play a game) 100% rip to sokka sorry babes ilysm hate to do it to ya, love the angst tho <333 rip to everyone who missed the major character death tag lol. well... that or a spring and summer song, too brief rip to geto in the +1 oops... oh shoot... it could also be take me where my soul can run... hm...

7. what is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

this was hard, but imma go with i was a child and she was a child bc it's based on one of my favorite childhood memories! rip to zuko and his ice cream tho :/ but azula is VIBING the whole time oiuygfcgyhuij

8. do you get hate on fics?

not really? i did once have someone try to correct me and say that i wrote sokka with ocd instead of tourette's but it was in the bookmarks and it made me laugh lol. i also got this comment on my kubokai kaidou with ts fic: ".. the self projection is heavy in this one ... -_-" so idk if that counts lol

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

nope :)

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written?

uhhhh not really? i wrote ninjago equestria girls crossover oneshot in middle school but i never finished it and it SUCKED lol

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of?

12. what's the longest you've spent working on a fic? and the shortest?

uhhh i wrote a 7,600 word fic in three hours while i had covid? that's prolly the shortest? i count that as shorter than anything i may have finished faster bc i had covid lol but longest? ummmm over a year? multiple years? idkkkkkk the jay with ts fic i posted was something i wrote in 2019 and i edited it (a lot) and posted it in 2022 so??? that maybe?

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

uhhh i did with friends in middle/high school, but those never left the docs! also grace and i have. very many much so aus lol

14. what's your all-time favorite ship? from all fandoms?

RARIJACK!!! it was one of my first hardcore ships, and also was my introduction to queer ships!!! renga is a close second, but rarijack just is really important and special to me for sentimental reasons that put it above renga and others! i am also on a seroroki kick right now. it's not my all-time favorite, but the brain rot seems never ending right now lol

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

GOD SO MANY i have a folder in gdocs just for ninjago fics and there are folders within the folder for different types of wips i'll never finish - i have That many: "no substance", "baby girls", "drafts"... etc...

16. what are your writing strengths?

uhhhhhhhhhh ngl i'm in a place right now where i feel like the answer is Nothing (writer's block has been Bad recently), but i think something i'm good at in a very specific way is making readers feel the discomfort of characters? like idk i've been told that the way i write ts and tics (specifically tic attacks) makes the readers feel uncomfortable in like a "wow i didn't know it felt this way" kind of way??? i like to think i'm good at characterization??? idkkkk

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

ummm setting and scenery & connecting parts of a story, especially if they're parts that i'm stuck on/transitions are prolly my biggest ones???

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

i mean go for it as long as it's respectful and like... you tried making sure it's accurate?

19. first fandom you wrote for?

uhh rainbow fairy/a-z mysteries... but that was like very briefly on paper. first time like... for Realsies was ninjago

20. favorite fic you've written?

oh 100% hey, little songbird, give me a song. it's just really special to me and writing it helped me cope with a new tic i had. but one that i wrote more recently is fantasies i'm not sure that i'm worthy of which is a ritsu-centric fic and is prolly tied as my favorite fic i wrote in 2023. the other one would be sun comes streaming through the window (& i can't sleep anymore) which is my 21k word kenji-centric fic lol but that one is like... i'm more proud of it than anything, which is what puts it up there.

[necromoonstar]

Below is all done by voice to text because I just need to get out of my head and every time I try to type it on my phone it just gets lost on me and I get disoriented and I don't care I want this out I want to finally post this this is my

I don't know if I'll finally go fully through with it but I am currently trying to seriously plan out my own personal website to have just starting with a NeoCities

this is either the third or fourth time I've tried to plan out something for myself but I'm got papers that I'm writing things out on I got a folder full of stuff and documents full of things bookmarks I feel like I might actually finally go through with it this time

Literally all that changed was I realized that having the main place that I hang out at as a "personal space" being a place that has such negative everything and this constant feeling of they could just pull a trigger and delete everything from me on top of realizing just how racist a lot of the community is and wanting to have a safe space to actually explore and talk and post art

The side blog ideas were wonderful for a bit and I genuinely was starting to get a little more active and that's partially why I'm like no I need to finally go all the way and make this website one way or another and then this these blogs can be a secondary space where I can hang out with people more directly but I don't depend on them for being my spot that anyone could just disrupt that I can pack up and move whenever I want

Honestly the idea is so freeing and it feels so fun I have so many ideas for things I want to do once I get this set up like I want to genuinely finally do these topics of discussion I wanted to make posts on like my first thoughts meeting Peter Pan in Kingdom Hearts and what I thought of him and Hooks story. I want to just have fun like in ways I don't feel like I've actually ever felt comfortable doing because I've seen so many people be harmed when they've tried

The only thing is honestly how hard it feels like it is to get started and that's the reason why I keep giving up is the I don't like doing stuff without making ground work but the groundwork is the hard bit but once I have the groundwork I know I'll be away it's just how do I get started

I found a site layout that I really like so at the very least I won't have to do a ton of coding to have a base to post onto but I don't know what way of setting up pages and the actual site map like the site map is one of my biggest confusions on how do I set this up what do I do how do I organize this I like things organize what do I do

Hell what extra pages do I add what pages do I want to do at all what kind of things do you add to a personal website it feels just so much while a regular old blog you just shove things out you have tags and that's about it but everything's just in one place which sucks but but I'm over speaking freaking out just wanting to finally post that hey I experience actually wanting to do fandom stuff and have fun and draw but also I can't yet because I want to feel like I have a safe place to do it

I am so thankful for the friends I've made who also ended up making websites even put this idea in my head originally way back and I'm so happy to even have some friends now even though things have happened off the internet that have made it harder to be as active and interact as much as I'd like

I want nothing more to enjoy the same fandom experience that I hear used to exist on the internet yes that's still included Your flame Wars your ship Wars but it never sounded like it ever got to this degree of politics and also didn't have this degree of Puritan NSFW it feels like

I have media that I cannot wait to touch I have some stuff I have been touching but I've had stuff that I've purposely left on the back burner that I have wanted nothing more than to dive into but I never wanted to touch it until I knew I could be that loudmouth fan that I know I would be if I actually touch them and I want to finally put in the effort to give myself the space to do that

And with that I hope to finally just be free and start to recover

Really the few friends that I have made on here I'm so happy I have and I can't wait to refresh myself and start basically over and be able to interact with you all again and this time actually have fun instead of constantly suppressing my own voice just to make sure that I'm acceptable to this crowd I'm not even trying to appease just I don't want the attention of

Sorry for putting this long thing on your dash but thanks for being around and hanging with me and I can't wait to have happier days to come

I hope you the happiest days you can be and your own Fresh Starts in recoveries whenever you need them may we all have an improvement in a better life, yeah?

[tea-the-reconstructor]

hehehehehe new TTRPG just got delivered and oh my gosh it's so pretty

Eat the Reich by Rowan, Rook and Decard is genuinely one of the most stylish looking games I've seen in a hot minute, and while I've yet to have a chance to run a game, I'm obsessed with it nonetheless! The basic premise is that it's 1943, Europe is in flames during the 2nd World War, and you are all a part of a crack squadron of vampires being sent to occupied Paris to do one thing and one thing only; Drink all of Hitler's blood. There's a full list of the stuff I got and my thoughts below the cut.

It arrived in this really cool manila folder, like just look at the detail!! like this alone would be such a neat thing to have sitting on my desk just as a prop, but this is only the beginning

The book itself is nothing short of a masterpiece, and honestly the pictures do not do it justice. The title is done with a really nice glossy finish, the cover has an amazing texture along the bottom and back to give the sensation of dried blood. the inside also folds out!! that little slit in the front is a full piece of art, and it really sells the appearance of peering into a coffin. The style of the entire book is genuinely so crunchy and good and I wanna put it in my mouth-

There's also the bookmark, coin, and patches which, once again, are so stylish and feel so high quality. I've been just stimming with the coin since I got it, the patches are so bright and look so pretty, and the bookmark is just fantastic. Pretty much everything from this is something I'd genuinely wanna get tattooed on me. There is one more thing I got, arguably the most important piece from this entire set...

WE GOT PIN-UPS BABY WOOOOOOOOOO! So the game comes with six characters you can play as (there are options to make your own), and there are associated character sheets within the book, but good golly these got me blushin' up a storm so hard that they can all smell the blood in my cheeks. From left to right, top to bottom, we have: - Cosgrave, a hackney necromancer who's on the run from the undead mafia of East London, crooked, charming, and damn lucky. - Nicole, a resistance guerrilla fighter and demolitions expert. Turned by her girlfriend and packing hella heat, she wants to meet a glorious end in battle. - Iryna, the Old Money occultist and the black sheep of her clan, who provides a significant portion of the funding to F.A.N.G. - Chuck, a whole-ass-real-ass corpse eatin' cowpoke. Genuinely a sweetheart, if you can look past that bit. He's on this mission not just to survive, but to earn freedom after eating a county sherrif and half his deputy. - Astrid, an ex-fighter pilot that was bitten by something in the frozen taiga, now bearing the soul of a wild predator within her. - Flint, the half-human half-bat, all nightmare. He's a cave-dwelling hunter who may or may not talk, possibly because he's just shy. Each of the characters have their own unique traits, abilities and stuff and I wanna kiss them all so bad it's not even funny man they're all so goddamn fine I'd let them drink me dry for just a single chance to feel the sweet nip of their lips against my skin, like being granted by a mere glimpse of heaven while still on earth simply by the hand of some foul creature who has not seen the light of God in far too long for simply doing what they must to survive, just. I need help.

Anyway uh. Eat the Reich is a goddamn beautiful game, thank you Rowan, Rook and Decard for making hot nazi-killing vampires that have not paid rent within my mind despite occupying it since like August of last year.

[megglesthegeek]

hiii, hope you’re well! 💖 honestly i would read any/all of your answers to those fic writer Qs so i’m gonna be a little unhinged and send you a bunch, but feel free to just answer whichever you want!

11, 16, 41, 53, and then 75, 76, and 77 for the Run With You universe! 🥰

Oh, I'm going to answer all of your questions. I'm actually really excited to get asked this many! So thank you! This is super exciting for me.

11 - My three favorite fics right now? Ugh, I have to choose? Really? Alright, this was hard, and I even went through my Ao3 bookmarks to help me pick. In no particular order: -"All's Fair in Love and Serial Killing" by @wyvernquill -"What's in a name" by flawedamythyst -"The Sometimes Wife" by @marveliciousfanace

16 - I'm currently properly nurturing 4, though I have 6 kicking about my head when I feel like it. Because of your later questions, I'm going to admit one of them is in the Run With You verse, a Bill era rewrite with a heavier focus on Rose and Missy's friendship. 41 - Do a reread fics? Sometimes. It really depends for me. A LOT of what I read is a one and done, but there are some that stick in my head and I have to revisit. Maybe it was a scene that was so perfectly written or a plot that hit all the right notes. The three that I picked as my current favorites are actually all ones that have lingered in my head recently. 53 - How do I spend my time with fan fic. This one is really, really hard to be certain, but I'm going to guess it's more a reader. Mostly because while I write a lot, when I have a dry spell (Like now, it's been a minute since I've written) I still read a lot. 75 - What scene took the longest with the Run With You series? I'm going to say it was probably the bit in Until The End when Eleven is telling an unconcious Rose what he and Amy have been up to. I originally was going to rewrite the episodes, but so little changed it felt a bit redundent, so I had to come up with a way to make the changes work withing the verse without just repeating the actual episodes. 76 - Was there a scene that didn't make the cut in the series? YES! Because, waaaaay back when I was tempted to rewrite ALL of Twelve. There was something about reworking Moffat that left me disenchanted for a long time, and when I got back to the series five years later, I just focused on a few key bits from his time with Clara. That said, I have the start of Deep Breathe in a folder that has never seen the light of day. In fact, I even forgot it existed until I went searching to answer this question (I'm a word pack rat, I keep everything). 77 - Two favorite scenes off the top of my head: Rose and the Doctor's Wedding, and the dinner scene in the alternate reality where Rose, Donna, and Tim meet the Eighth Doctor.

[guildtree]

8. If you had to write an entire story without either action or dialogue, which would you choose and how would it go?

21. Could you ever quit writing? Do you ever wish you could? Why or why not?

31. Write a short love letter to your readers.

8. No dialogue. Just fight. Honestly though, I think both could be a fun challenge but pure action would be more interesting to me. You could have a lot of fun setting it up too: maybe it's a scene between animals? Maybe they don't speak the same language? Magic zone of silence? Would be a good test of writing body language and subtext to tell an actual story with nobody spelling it out.

21. I really don't think I could. I've been writing for as long as I can remember; when I got bored in elementary school, I drew terrible comics and then transcribed them into prose. I doodled on my math tests and wrote fanfic into the backs of my English notebooks. Writing, and creativity in general, is a huge part of my life and one of the main things that brings me joy. While I've regretted certain things I've made, I've never regretted having the ability to make them. Giving up "writing" would be giving up a lot more than just words on a page: it's also my ability to string plots together in an interesting way, put ideas into a reader's mind, and make someone feel what I want them to. You're telling me I can't make comics with a plot anymore? I can't tell stories, or set up jokes that make my friends laugh? No way am I giving all that up.

On a slightly darker note, I have actually lost the ability to write prose before, and it was when I was seriously depressed. I couldn't focus enough to write nonfiction and I didn't have the emotional bandwidth for fiction. One of the biggest signs that I was recovering from that was I started writing again, and it helped me heal. Now that I'm in a better place, suddenly stopping writing for no reason would be a sign of something much worse on the horizon, so I really don't want to lose that.

31. Warning: Cheesiness Below

Dear readers,

If you'll give me a moment of your time, I'd like to tell you a story.

When I posted my first piece of writing, I expected silence. I posted a big fic in a smallish fandom while having no preexisting audience. Somehow, despite that, two people left me a total of thirteen comments, which still blows my mind to this day, and it motivated me then to keep posting my writing. I would not be posting things now if it weren't for those two people, and nowadays if not for the many more who regularly read my work.

So thank you to the readers who leave paragraph-long comments and to those who send me two heart emojis. Thank you to those who kudos every work and to those who bookmark only a select few they enjoy. Thank you to those who put their name behind a guest comment, and to those who simply lurk. Thank you fellow authors for providing me ask games and reading my WIPs and posting your own stories, thank you fellow fans for screaming excitedly with me over a game we both enjoy, thank you fellow readers for telling me how my work affected you. Your comments and kudos and keysmashes matter; in fact, they bring me so much joy I have a dedicated email folder full of them. You help keep me writing, and I am so very grateful for all of you.

If you'll keep giving me your time, I'd love to keep telling you stories.

[stewardofningishzida]

Chapter 8: Trial and Error

It was slightly delayed, but there we are! Chapter 8 of the meta fic, straight ahead!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*It’s around 2 in the afternoon now and we’re both looking through Laer’s folder and cross-indexing the sources via the internet.  I’ve given Stephen my login info for the university library.  Then, something pops into my head.*

Me (facepalming):  Oh, I’m dumb!  

Stephen (raising an eyebrow):  What?

Me:  To be more effective in our communications and info sharing, you should have a phone!  I’ll be right back.  I’m getting you a rental phone so it’s temporary.  I’ll return it when you’re back in your home universe.  That way, the group can keep you in the loop, offer additional information, and help if something hits the fan.  

Stephen:  Fine.  Sounds reasonable.  I’ll stay here and continue reading.

Me:  Gotcha.  I’ll be back.

*I leave the house, lock it, and jump in the car.  Meanwhile, Stephen cross-checks Laer’s research and comes across a ritual to try.  He reads through it carefully.  After an hour, I’m back and give him his phone.  It has everyone’s contacts on it so he can call or text any of us.*

Stephen:  Thanks…By the way, I found a ritual worth trying in Laer’s papers.  

Me:  Okay…Do you need anything for it or can you simply do it?

Stephen:  It seems that I can just do it.  Some method of “reality shifting”.

Me:  All right.  Let’s see if it works.  If it does, then do you have anything left to say to us?  *I’m hopeful on his behalf.  Though, admittedly, I’m quite sad to potentially see him go.  However, I hide it behind my usual stoic demeanor.  Since he’s desperate to get home, none of us knows how much damage his absence left behind, and he’s been stuck here for almost 2 days; I opt to just let him go as soon as he can.  If he succeeds, I’ll tell the group what happened.  I’m trying to be responsible.*

Stephen (sincere):  Thank you, all of you, for your kindness.  

*I nod.*

Me:  All right.  Let’s see.  In case I can’t say it later; goodbye, Stephen.  It was a pleasure to have you here, even if it was just an accident.  *I smirk slightly to hide my mixed emotions.*  Now, go on.  Shoo.  *I tease a bit.*  

*He curls his lip, amused.  Stephen has some bittersweet feelings on the matter as well.  After all, he didn’t get this kind of recognition in his home universe and these people really do seem to admire him.  However, he needs to get back home and do damage control.  So, he reads the ritual one more time and prepares himself before performing the incantation.  It starts off with absolutely nothing before a few golden sparks appear, but it looks more like a magical short-circuit than anything functional. It ends rather anticlimactically with both of us looking at each other awkwardly.*

Me:  …Erm…Sorry…Are there any more rituals to try in that folder?  Otherwise, you can look through my section of our family library.  It has most of our mythology books, some references on various legends, religious rites from different cultures, and a few occult pieces.  I’m really into mythology, legends, cryptids, philosophy, and studying different cultures on the side despite being a scientist. Though the occult stuff kinda freaks out some of my more superstitious friends.  So, I keep it in my room to avoid bothering them.  I DID mess with a bit of it just to prove a point that this stuff didn’t work to one of my friends before.  Though that’s about it.  I just read about it and occasionally study it because I like tracing the origins of stories.  Maybe one of these books actually has something that’ll work for you?

*Stephen sighs, feeling deflated.*

Stephen:  Okay…Let me finish Laer’s suggestions and then I’ll look through your books.  

*I grab any books that seem appropriate and put them next to him, bookmarking relevant passages.  Stephen tries a different ritual, borrowing some of the crystals from my rock collection in an attempt to channel cosmic energy and magnify his abilities…This doesn’t work either.  At most, it emits a few more sparks and leaves behind a distinctive smell…Something not perceived in our universe before.  It’s similar to ozone, but not quite.  Almost a greasy-feeling scent in the air, yet kind of warm and spicy.  More of a concept than anything concrete.  Unfortunately, I cannot smell thanks to my nasal passages being damaged from some accidents I had in my past.  At one point, a stack of books slips from my arms and I almost fall down the stairs, but the Cloak reacts quickly enough to help me.*

Me (catching my breath):  Thank you, Levi.  I owe you one.  *I gently pet its collar after setting the books down.  It ripples in appreciation before going back to Stephen.*

Stephen:  Are you okay?

Me:  Yeah.

Stephen (scolding out of concern):  Be more careful.  Getting me home isn’t worth a broken neck.

*I look sheepish and sit for a while to put him back at ease.  He tries a few other rituals.  Some have inscriptions/glyphs, others involve more crystals, a couple use meditation, et cetera.  So far, Laer’s folder and my library have been a bust.  It’s getting late.*

Me:  Unfortunately, I have work tomorrow.  Do you want to stay here or come with?

Stephen:  …Despite how little desire I have to be stuck in the car again, the university library may have better material.  I’ll come with you.

Me:  All right.  Do you have any requests or suggestions to be more comfortable?

Stephen:  …Just drive carefully and don’t crash.  *He’s not happy about this, but will do it to access more resources.*

Me:  Okay.  Here’s my login info.  *I hand him a slip of paper with it written down.  He memorizes it and then magically burns it away from between his fingers.  I watch.  Despite the situation, I’m still mesmerized every time he does magic or performs a ritual.  Stephen is mildly amused by this.*

Stephen (teasing):  Easily entertained?  

Me (slightly red, being sarcastic):  Ha ha ha…You’re so very witty.

Stephen:  I like to think so.  By the way, you enabled speech-to-text on my phone, right?  

Me:  Yeah.  You’re good.

*It’s around 11 pm.  I notice the clock.*

Me:  I need to be up by 6 to get to the university by 8.  So, let’s call it a night.

Stephen:  Okay.  I’ll probably get some rest too in a bit.

Me:  Don’t pull an all-nighter.  *I give him a look.*

Stephen:  I won’t.  Good night.

Me:  Good night. 

*I go upstairs to my room for the night.  Meanwhile, Stephen does some more research for a while before eventually going to bed in his guest room.*

***To be continued***

Note: If you spotted the subtle Discworld reference, gold star for you!

Answer for the curious: It was the reference to how magic/traces of magic feel/smell greasy and unlike anything else.

[havnblog]

App Defaults and Home Screen Update – January 2025

I wrote a bit more in-depth about it in my original post here – but here’s my update at the beginning of 2025! A bunch of these are paid apps I probably wouldn’t prioritise if I didn’t already subscribe to Setapp 🖇️ – so keep that in mind.

Headers with * have some changes.

Mac dock

I use an automatic shortcut, activated with Shortery, to switch between the dock being “hidden at the bottom” (on the laptop screen) and “shown to the left” (on my 27" monitor).

Here’s what it looks like by default:

The stacks to the right are Apps, Setapp, and my Downloads folder

iPhone home (and lock) screens

My home screens, and backgrounds, change with my Focus modes – but I wouldn’t say I’m great at maintaining these modes. I’ll often use different variants of the same background, for instance from Wallaroo. Some of my modes have traces of this – but I’ll also mix it up, like I have now, with things like photos of my wife.

I always use just one home screen – so I always have one swipe to the Today View and the App Library.

Today View and App Library

No mode

Do Not Disturb

Work

Chill

Sleep (lock screen not relevant)

Driving (home screen not relevant)

Systems and productivity

📓 Notes, tasks, and writing*

Most of this happens in a folder of Markdown files, which I access both through Paper, NotePlan, and Ulysses. At the same time, I just love using Bike (and always think in outlines), so I use that a bit as well. But it’s a big con that I can only access those files on the Mac for now…

I’ve been dabbling with Godspeed 🖇️ for tasks – and I can recommend it, even though I just don’t need a separate task manager.

I’m also using Obsidian for my band, and Notes.app for stuff I share with my wife.

📖 Journaling*

I’ve switched from Everlog to Diarly because the latter is included in Setapp. But I still don’t journal a lot, and I’d say they’re about equally good.

🛒 Shopping list

My wife and I are using Bring.

📅 Calendar

Still using, and liking, BusyCal.

🌦️ Weather app

The free (because it’s run, and paid for, by the Norwegian state 👌🏻) weather service and app Yr is great, and a true hidden gem (for people outside of Norway).

📮 Mail server

Fastmail 🖇️ still works great!

📨 Mail client

Mail.app is still aggressively fine.

💬 Chat app

I don’t love the people behind it, and I don’t use the more “social media”-like features of it at all. But as a simple chat/call app for friends and family, nothing beats Telegram. And the fact that it’s cross-platform is great, as my social circle is that as well.

🌐 Browser

Even though it’s an Alpha product, I’ve used Zen as my main browser for the last couple of months. And I really like it, and the fact that I can use (and enjoy) a Gecko browser.

I currently use Quiche Browser on iOS, and Safari on iPadOS.

🔎 Search Engine

Kagi is still one of my favourite tech products. Luckily, I don’t know what people are talking about when they’re discussing how web search has become bad…

🔖 Bookmarks

Anybox is my box for anything.

🔐 Password management

I strongly believe that it’s a good idea to store your passwords (etc.) in a third-party manager. And I like 1Password – especially as it works great to use with my family.

📶 RSS backend

I still use Feedbin – but I’m looking at the possibility of hosting in on my new Mac Mini!

📰 RSS reader

Lire is still my favourite here. 👌🏻

📁 Cloud File Storage

I try not to use services from the absolute largest companies if I can help it. So that’s one reason why I’m mostly using Dropbox – and I quite like it as well. But I’m fearing that Apple is forcing me to pay for more iCloud storage as well…

🌅 Photo storage and management

I just use Photos.app.

📷 Camera app

I think I would’ve liked something like Obscura or Halide if I had a better mobile camera. But as I’m still rocking my iPhone 13 Mini, Camera.app works OK.

⏲️ Time tracking

Timemator works perfectly for my use.

Tools and utilities

🤖 Automation and settings

The trifecta of Keyboard Maestro, BetterTouchTool, and Karabiner-Elements makes every other Mac seem broken. PopClip, Hazel, and SoundSource also contributes.

🔩 Text Editor*

I mostly use Nova – but occasionally (including now) I try to run Zed as my main. Nova is more feature-rich, (arguably) prettier, and noob-friendly.1 But Zed is faster and more minimal!

📟 Terminal*

There’s a similar story here: I’ve mostly used Warp 🖇️ recently – and I love how noob-friendly it is! Especially how it handles text like a normal frickin program! (Instead of doing it in the special terminal-way.) But I’m currently trying Ghostty, which is more sleek and less bloated.

📦 Package manager

I just love installing (and uninstalling) apps with HomeBrew. So I always use that if I can.

🧮 Calculator

On the Mac, I’m using the launcher or Soulver. And on the iPhone, I can’t recommend the weirdly named SC-323PU enough! Take it from a maths teacher: It’s the best – even for simple calculations.

🖼️ Screenshots (and screen recordings)

Cleanshot is just so good. 👌🏻

🚀 Launcher (and more)

I still use, and love, Raycast 🖇️ – both as my launcher, and general LLM interface. It’s really fast, and I love how I can set hotkeys to everything. For instance, I have hotkeys to open numerous apps, different AI commands, running shortcuts, and searching Anybox.

I’ve bought a license for the (even more) indie alternative Monarch – to support the development. The dev is working on the ability to Bring Your Own Key (AI) and support for (Raycast) extensions – and I’ll be interested to see if it can replace Raycast at some point.

🪟 Window management

I mostly use Raycast, combined with Apple’s default actions. (Here’s a post on how I set up the hotkeys, and here’s a post on how I manage windows.)

I also use Lasso when I need something more specific.

📋 Clipboard manager

Paste is terrific.

📄 PDF tool

Nitro PDF is a perfect example of a nice “better default” I would never pay for, but am glad I have access to through Setapp.

🗜️ Zip tool

Archiver is another little Setapp gem.

🍸 Menu bar organiser

I’m interested in the development of something like Ice – but I’m currently happy with Bartender. Especially how it can change dynamically (both when things change, like battery status, and depending on whether I’m using an external screen.)

🗑️ Uninstaller

PearCleaner is great when HomeBrew can’t be used.

🌍 VPN

I don’t use this a lot – but ClearVPN (through Setapp) works well enough.

🖌️ Design tools

Still liking the Affinity suite!

Entertainment

⚽ Football scores

If you follow football, no matter the league, I highly recommend (the Norwegian app) FotMob.

🎬 Media player and server*

Another enjoyable “Setapp default” is Elmedia Player, which I use for local music and video files.

A new addition is me running a Jellyfin server on my Mac Mini, and watching stuff there through the great Infuse player.

🎤 Podcast player

Overcast got (temporarily) worse just after the recent rewrite – but now we’re into the phase where it’s better than it was before, and where the developer is (and thus we are as well) reaping the rewards of going through with it.

🐘 Mastodon client

Mastodon is my social media of choice, and there are so many great apps for it out there! But my favourite, is Mona.

👥 Reddit client

It’s not as good as Apollo was (RIP) – but Narwhal 2 is pretty good.

🎵 Music

I’m still on Tidal, after being on Spotify for a decade. Still don’t like it as much – but it’s OK.

That’s it!

My absolute favourite parts about Apple’s platforms isn’t stuff they do – but all the great software available for it. (Even though I know some of the things I’ve mentioned are cross-platform!) It’s almost like, sometimes, the work of others gives them more business – and not just the other way around…

Regarding noob-friendly-ness: My favourite things in Nova here is, a git pane (but I’ve now graduated to doing it in the terminal 💪🏻), rainbow brackets (but Zed has gotten some colour coded indent lines that does some of the same), minimap, and code structure headings (when you scroll down, where you “are” in the code sticks to the top). ↩︎

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

110 of 2024

Created by sho33

Look to your left. What do you see?

My husband lol.

Open up your internet bookmarks. What site is the fifth from the top?

KiwiSDR 40 Poland. I use it to track Polish number stations.

Are you wearing shoes?

Not right now.

Close your eyes and type the first letter you hit on the keyboard.

n

Turn on the radio. What song is on?

DCF77. No, it's not a song.

Are there dirty dishes in your kitchen sink?

No, we washed them yesterday. Besides, we never leave the dishes in the sink.

Are you drunk right now?

I'm not even allowed to drink alcohol for health reasons, so nope, I'm not.

Do you have pictures on your refrigerator?

No, only magnets.

If so, what are they of?

N/A.

What color is your underwear?

Black.

Are you on a laptop or a PC?

Laptop. I don't have my own PC anymore.

What are you going to do after you complete this?

Going to another city to pick my stepson up from his football training.

Name two things sitting on your desk.

I don't have a desk.

Are you daydreaming about anything?

Not right now.

Do you remember your dream from last night? What was it about?

My work lol. The train moving platform was chasing me.

Ever had a dream where you were flying?

No, but I had a dream when I was a kid, in which I was floating above the ground.

Are you chatting via IM right now?

Nope. Anyone still uses such services in 2024?

What's your screen name?

The same as my IRL nickname.

Do you use Internet Explorer or Firefox?

Lol does anyone still use IE at all? Anyway, I use Opera.

Did you check your email today?

Yes, a few times. I got an email from the boss of our labour union and three notifications about packages.

Anyone write you?

...what? I don't understand this question.

In your email box, who is the third message from?

Streaming service.

In your Spam/Bulk email folder, what's the first message subject say?

Probably some scammers. I never open such emails, just delete them straight away.

Are you hungry right now?

Not much anymore.

Did you take this survey because you had nothing better to do?

No. I actually have things to do, they're just not that urgent.