#PRAYING to write later...

[unlikelyjedi]

Hmmm so today was.... oienfwe;asnoawekflmsd

Had a rehearsal in the morning for this singing gig (paid, finally!!) I'm doing and when I was getting ready, I noticed a big spider on my ceiling. Decided to let it be and not tell my sibling about it (sorry).

But that ruined my writing idea for sitting in the living room (since my mom was going to be gone til the late afternoon) so I sat in a really nice coffee shop!! The only downside about it is it closes way too early (2:30 PM) and it was playing really annoying christian pop. I revised and edited a section and now it feels so much better, but I've still got a long long way to go.

I came home and passed out for a little bit because that was stressful, and then a Tornado Warning went off and I had to hunker down in the hallway as that's one of the only places that doesn't have windows... (again, sorry Xiao)

Now my mother is home, and it's unclear whether she's taken care of the spider or not....

[chiptrillino-art]

something stranger and more wonderful

(ID in ALT text)

my art for @faux-fires (ao3 Link) fic "something stranger and more wonderful"

beta red by @ranilla-bean (ao3 Link) for this years @zukkabigbang2024 event. its truly a beautiful fic. Keeping you on your toes while reading. making you worry about sokka exposed to the whims of nature and zuko, all alone.

big thank you to reikah and rana for all the handholding during this project! And stoping me form overthinking details.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

One Poem a Day: November

"beautiful" words related to November for your next poem/story

November - 11th month of the Gregorian calendar. Its name is derived from novem, Latin for “nine,” an indication of its position in the early Roman calendar; a communications code word for the letter n.

Aeonian - lasting for an immeasurably or indefinitely long period of time

Apotheosis - the perfect form or example of something; quintessence

Bonfire - a large fire built in the open air

Cavalcade - a dramatic sequence or procession; series

Chrysanthemum - any of various composite plants including weeds, ornamentals grown for their brightly colored often double flower heads, and others important as sources of medicinals and insecticides

Cider - fermented apple juice often made sparkling by carbonation or fermentation in a sealed container

Cinnabarine - a deep vivid red

Citrine - resembling a citron or lemon especially in color; a semiprecious yellow stone resembling topaz and formed by heating a black quartz in order to change its color

Claret - a red Bordeaux wine; a dark purplish red

Confiture - preserved or candied fruit; jam

Cotyledon - the first leaf or one of the first pair or whorl of leaves developed by the embryo of a seed plant or of some lower plants (such as ferns)

Cranberry - the red acid berry produced by some plants (such as Vaccinium oxycoccos and V. macrocarpon) of the heath family; a dark red

Eld - old age; archaic: old times; antiquity

Felicific - causing or intended to cause happiness

Firewood - wood used for fuel

Flaxen - resembling flax especially in pale soft strawy color

Foliage - a cluster of leaves, flowers, and branches; leafage

Glissade - a gliding step in ballet

Gramercy - archaic: used to express gratitude or surprise

Kuchen - any of various coffee cakes made from sweet yeast dough

Lionize - to treat as an object of great interest or importance

Petiole - a slender stem that supports the blade of a foliage leaf

Rufescent - reddish

Sempiternity - eternity

Titian - of a brownish-orange color

Topaz - a usually yellow to brownish-yellow transparent mineral topaz used as a gem

Torchère - a tall ornamental stand for a candlestick or candelabra

Torpid - exhibiting or characterized by torpor; dormant

Vermeil - vermilion; gilded silver

Whiffle - to blow unsteadily or in gusts

Sources: 1 2 3 ⚜ More: Word Lists ⚜ Writing Prompts

If any of these words inspire your writing, do tag me or send me a link. I'd love to read your work!

[fungus-no69]

Pc/you and gn school LIs + Great Hawk doing a three legged race

Whitney is tripping you the fuck up I'm so sorry. They are going to make fun of you regardless of if you were outspeeding them or not.

Kylar is tripping you guys because they got too excited that you're that close and their legs were too weak. Carry them. Please. (--- Status btw)

Depending on your physique and athleticism, you are either keeping pace with Sydney or they run too fast and you fall or something. It's funny and they fuss over you after the fact because you could have gotten hurt. The more corrupt they are, the more likely they are to laugh at you before helping.

Robin will try to keep pace with you no matter how fast or slow you are. Please don't outrun them they will make the saddest most sopping wet cat face at you.

Great Hawk is confused, they simply Pick You Up. Goodbye <33

[becauseplot]

Thinking about hg duo----qCellbit and qBad---and relationship imbalance, specifically during their time together in the Wars. (And I know relationship imbalance typically refers to romantic relationships, but it can definitely apply to platonic ones as well. Anyway this isn't the most ACCURATE term but I wasn't sure what else to call it. You'll see what I mean.)

Like, I keep imagining Cellbit, this 14ish- or 15ish-year-old kid dropped in the middle of a warzone with no idea if he's going to survive to see tomorrow. He's scrappy, and he's cutthroat because he needs to be to survive out here, but he's still just a kid. He knows he's not very strong, and he knows he's not very big or intimidating, and he doesn't know what he's doing. He's teaching himself (on the fly) how to hunt, how to hide, how to run, how to scavenge, and how to bandage wounds. In desperate moments, he does unspeakable things that shake him to his core. (Standing over a body, a knife in his hands, he's trembling, he hasn't eaten in eight days---)

And then he runs into Bad, who is everything that Cellbit is not: experienced, strong, intimidating, coordinated, methodical. Knowledgeable. Capable. He's been in the Wars much longer than Cellbit. He knows he's lucky that he happens to get on Bad's good side, and he is stupidly fortunate that Bad is letting him tag along.

Bad teaches him everything; Bad helps him refine his skills and shows him things he never would have been able to figure out on his own. Bad shows him how to walk as silent as the night. Bad shows him how to properly grip a knife. Bad shows him how to dress and re-dress wounds. Bad shows him where to hit someone to deal the most damage. Bad shows him the difference between poisonous and edible mushrooms. Bad shows him how to prepare cuts of a body. Bad shows him where to look for clean drinking water, then how to purify it. Bad shows him how to scrub the blood out of his clothes.

And not only that, but Bad is kind. Sure, it's difficult to wrangle an straight answer out of him sometimes, but he's always willing to tell a story. Also, he compliments Cellbit when he manages to do a takedown on his own, he praises Cellbit on his form in a fight. Bad smiles and laughs with him and messes around with him and ruffles his hair and calls him a "rapscallion" and a "muffinhead" and a whole assortment of dumb little nicknames.* Bad isn't a very cuddly guy, per se, but he's a steady presence whenever Cellbit has a nightmare, or in those rare moments after a hunt where he can't seem to stop shaking, or when the taste of blood in his mouth is suddenly just. too. thick.

*(Cellbit doesn't actually have a name at this point. He doesn't remember it. These nicknames are all he has.)

Cellbit looks up to Bad. He admires Bad, and he wants to do right by him. He wants Bad to be proud of him. He cares so, so much about Bad, and he knows he's incredibly goddamn lucky that Bad found him. Bad is, essentially, the only thing keeping him afloat in the Wars.

And Cellbit's memories only stretch back so far before his mind hits that thick black wall of Nothingness. As far as he is aware, there has been nothing but the Wars, and thus the time he's spent in this life is partitioned as Before Bad and After Bad.

To Cellbit, Bad is everything.

Bad, on the other hand? Well, it's not that he doesn't care about Cellbit. It's just...different. Because, no, this isn't Bad's first rodeo. He's walked through his fair share of conflicts, and he's had his fair share of travel companions. Cellbit is one of many---he's not the first, and he's definitely not going to be the last. Bad only helps the kid because he found him trying to carve up a body and come on, he clearly didn't know what he was doing, he was holding the knife all wrong!

And then he invites Cellbit to come with him because why not? Teaching Cellbit those skills he's lacking is a rewarding exercise. Bad recalls showing Cellbit how to throw knives, and the first time Cellbit managed to land the blade deep in the tree trunk, Cellbit looked back at him with this beaming grin---it was actually kind of cute! Plus, Bad didn't realize how much he missed having someone to talk to besides himself; he should really seek out travel companions more often.

Cellbit might be inexperienced and not exactly the strongest, but he's pretty smart, and he's very willing to do what's necessary to make it out here. Bad reckons that Cellbit might actually make it through winter before he dies. Probably of fever. Bad has lost a lot of companions to fever. Mortals get sick so, so easily and so, so quickly. It sucks, but oh well. That's just how it goes.

[themintman]

Day 28!!! (Which I actually did on day 2 cause I couldnt contain myself-)

Does this count as ender dragon? I saw the opportunity to link one of my aus and I COULD NOT OASS IT JP-

Mcsmtober by @bumpkin-bug

[ghostlightfic]

writing is the devil. never forget this

[baeshijima]

okay. so. since i have finished the wuthering waves main story currently available (act vi) as well as jiyan's story quest, i can finally have some thoughts about him to do somewhat of an analysis on his character (bear in mind this will still be quite limited since i don't have access to his voicelines/other character voicelines about him, along with his story since i just pulled him today ;w;)

this, uh, will also be long. like. long. you have been warned :'D !! (also slight geshu lin analysis bc parallels and contradictions and raahh)

for the sake of some spoilers for act vi and his story quest, the rest will be utc !!

1) how others see him

okay, so from what we've seen so far, jiyan is initially presented as a reliable and duty-bound character. he's a general, so of course he has to be responsible and be a certain way, especially when in front of his soldiers, who view him as all these characteristics as well as being relatively stoic and work-focused. this is hinted throughout the quests and through npcs, and in his story quest they're also hesitant to ask jiyan to join their team believing he wouldn't take part in such things like the gulpuff relay race, only for wenshu to say otherwise:

it isn't really a surprise that they wouldn't know jiyan has other sides to him; they're his subordinates. it's also typically what he shows them as "general jiyan", rather than just "jiyan" himself. basically just a line between work and personal life, if that makes it clearer.

the people of jinzhou, and the midnight rangers especially, all respect him. on top of being the youngest appointed general, he is presented as an "invincible warrior no enemy stood a chance against" (from his story: the reason to fight). he is essentially their light and voice of reason.

though this could be due to the fact jiyan tends to keep his troubles and pain to himself to avoid worrying those around him, and to continue performing what is expected of him as a general.

an example is during act vi, after jiyan confronted the geshu lin's phantom from the retroact rain:

this was also seen at the end of act vi, where i believe it was yuehui who commented on the wounded state of jiyan being worse than the majority, but returning to his duties shortly after and seemingly not resting properly to sufficiently recover. (well, jiyan was a medic, so hopefully he did properly tend to himself and have breaks... glares at him...)

all in all for this segment, jiyan is largely viewed as a powerful general whom the public and his soldiers know they can fall back on without worry, as they have full confidence in his abilities to protect.

2) his nature

another thing is that he is a very meticulous character. this is portrayed through his constant check-ups on the midnight rangers, the people, the area, and also through his habit of being very particular about cleanliness. (this was mentioned in his profile reveal, though i'm not sure if it's talked about anywhere in game.)

despite the responsibilities and consequences he faces, he makes sure everyone is looked after in his own way. i think it says a lot about him, and possibly about his family having a history of being in the line of medicine.

taken from his story: [what's inside his gourd?]

jiyan, however, has a tendency to hide his troubles from those around him, instead placing greater emphasis and priority on the current situation(s) or his comrades.

for instance, barely anyone is aware that the deceased soldiers — people whom he failed to save — haunt his nightmares, further pressured by the burden of his position and the fact every action of his can have even the slightest of consequences.

taken from his story: [the reason to fight]

he is resolute in this regard, fully committing to his beliefs and what he deems to be righteous. even despite the risks of overexertion which may follow, jiyan will still see it through to the end regardless of the outcome.

taken from his story: [the unyielding will]

(also, i would just like to say i'm thankful we do get mentions of ability overuse/overexertion confirmed, along with tacet mark sensitivity to a certain degree, since this could be one of the many triggers for overclocking (basically the loss of control of a resonator through a trigger of sorts), and i just want more lore and stuff on what overclock actually is. hopefully we get to see a character go through it in the future, as bad as it sounds, because it's just so fascinating and interesting and !! okay. back to the analysis. sorry.)

this was explicitly demonstrated during the boss fight in act vi, where jiyan jumped in front of us to take and block the attack sent our way, incidentally knocking him down and causing our "awakening", only to then quickly recover and continue supporting us through crucial moments during the fight, even at the cost of his own well-being (read: the injuries he later sustained that were mentioned by yuehui post act vi).

that doesn't mean he isn't sentimental to those around him. in fact, he is probably one of the most caring and (though can be in quite subtle ways) expressive characters we know of so far. in his own, discreet way, he makes sure everyone is tended to and left without worry no matter how trivial the problem, for that is his duty as their general and fellow comrade.

taken from his story: [silent caretaker]

following that, jiyan takes camaraderie very seriously. this is well-established in his story quest, wherein the basis of it surrounds jiyan's insight about his team, his comrades' sacrifice and honouring the dead.

as well as these lines from his trailer, wherein his resolve to save people was seen as futile from the veteran rangers who already lost hope.

and yet, despite their dissuasion, jiyan continued on doing what he can for his people, and to minimise the losses as much as possible going forward.

at the end of the quest in particular we see him at probably his most vulnerable, where he asks us to plant an emortia for him should he die (i won't let him.); the very same flower he has been planting for each passed soldier for who knows how long.

the whole scene gave us a glimpse of the inner workings of his mind where he is just "jiyan" with no title attached to him. in this scene, he is just a man who wishes for his fellow soldiers to be able to rest at ease knowing a new day will come, and that their sacrifice wasn't in vain.

3) geshu lin parallels sorry. i couldn't help myself. (i'm not sorry.)

also, i think another aspect i find interesting is the parallel between the current general jiyan, and the former general geshu lin. by this i mean geshu lin in both jiyan's trailer and the beginning-ish of act vi was depicted as someone ruthless in the way he is okay with there being sacrifices if it means they will achieve victory, and essentially sees avoiding that to be cowardly.

meanwhile, jiyan, as we have seen in the section prior, does his utmost to avoid as many casualties as he possibly can. a major part of his character is built around the notion of camaraderie and fighting for what he believes is right, which clashes with geshu lin's own thoughts.

even so, geshu lin notes how they are inherently similar, if not the same in a couple of instances:

jiyan's trailer also had geshu lin say this:

which could have a lot of implications, one of which being that they both want to save everyone and keep the peace of huanglong, yet their principles and how they go about it diverge in spite of their shared wish.

where geshu lin has little reservations (well, at least that we know about from this small snippet) about having to sacrifice his soldiers if it means achieving his end goal, jiyan will plan and plan and plan to do his utmost to reduce the number of casualties as possible while also maintaining efficiency, even if it means he alone has to go to the forefront to clear the way.

tldr: we love jiyan. he is the beloved. the best man who probably needs someone to constantly make sure he is prioritising himself despite his previous medic status. but we love him anyway. 🫶

[piningpercussionist]

transfem scott getting lots of support from ramona and kim in the early 2000's when shit's very taboo but they all 3 have a fire forged bond and lord if they aren't going to make sure they're all as happy as they can be because they've come this far and I dunno it just makes me happy all three of them

YES YES YES

It makes me very happy as well,,

Like I've said before. General Trans Scott enthusiast here- I love the idea of their little support network *violent coughing* I (we?) mean polycule *violent coughing* so fucking much.

Ramona I think has a bit of a more gentle hand with reassuring Scott with gender issues, but sometimes she just can't help herself from some pointed banter or teasing- how could you with someone so dense? (Said w affection)

And then Kim I think is more blunt. But like, in a good way mostly, you know? The kinda blunt that makes you snap to attention and go "Oh. Yeah that was silly of me." And if Ramona's started some sort of banter? Kim is SO piling on. Maybe sometimes she's a bit TOO blunt with it- but it's only because she's so firm in her support. She wants Scott to Get It Together- and be happier for it. So if some ribbing now and again is in order, then goddamnit she will do so! Anything to crack that shell.

And ohhh can you imagine how they would react to some transphobic bullshit?? Unholy terror would be driven into the offender before they walk off with an absurd amount of coins between them. I can feel it in my bones. Scott doesn't even have to lift a finger (if the transphobe is even noticed/processed at all, bc I honestly can see Scott just. Not realizing someone's being transphobic.) Kim giving someone a lashing with her tongue as distraction and then Ramona coming in with the hammer- BAM! Free Money! Paying literally with your life for your transphobia. A Better And Just World.

And of course (transfem Scott more specifically, here,) the way Scott would start to flourish under their support... cagey and maybe a little (perhaps a lot-) resistant to start- but Kim's blunt affirmations and no nonsense attitude for bullshit (which is what Scott insisting on "being cis" would be, c'mon now,) and Ramona's also low bullshit tolerance but less Stabby (bc I won't lie, that's probably how Kim's comments would feel,) assurances? Ough... My Heart... Be Still-

I would Kill for them, Your Honor-

(Ran out of tags so putting this in the body of the post- I am SO tired someone pls sound off if this isn't as coherent as I am hoping this is. I WAS trying to nap and get the extra sleep I desperately needed but the writing bug... it Bit Me.... only a little but enough to stop that process-)

[topnotchquark]

In the spirit of this quaint men-on-motorcycles-enthusiast blog I went to watch The Bikeriders and had my heart quietly broken by a slow but softly luminous movie. Something about men's expansive lives and how movement is ultimately the seed from which all freedom grows. When you see Tom Hardy's Johnny slowly strain and crack under the realization that something he created out of simpler desires is now turning into a hydra headed problem he can't seem to solve, you understand something about existing in a world where your need for belonging is a vulnerability that eventually gets you.

When he asks Austin Butler's Benny about taking over the gang from him he's submitting himself to someone he trusts. Their faces slowly coming together, closer and closer, in the dark with just the incandescent glow of the streetlamps on the edge of their faces, like burning paper. How Benny is too stubborn to understand that its not a favor being asked of him, but a declaration of something deeper from Johnny. What a beautiful narrative choice it was to have a woman recollect this entire story of this rag-tag group of men, who herself was affected by the atmosphere she found herself unable to get out of. I love that it works like a non-judgemental narration of how quickly boyhood bluster breaks down when real life circumstances get rough. How difficult it was for Johnny to keep the community together because he didn't expect it to be anything more than a quaint cosplay when he started it to escape boredom. At the end where Benny finally gets the news of Johnny's murder, something done to usurp his frayed authority, and he returns to Chicago and breaks down on Kathy's stoop, I found myself crying alongside him.

The movie was clearly a labour of love from someone who had deep fascination with the lives of these men and with motorcycles. Wild that a two wheeled liquid fuel powered machine has been the site of so many meditations on masculinity and rebellion and anger and power and authority. I don't know if I want to revisit it but I am glad I got to watch it in the time period of my life that my deep fascination with bikes and men's lives makes it so much more valuable to me.

[franollie]

pulling this out every time dana pops up in a comic with a certain someone

[summerpearlgirl]

Her fingertips grazed the deep, rich crimson of his velvet trousers. The velvet was smooth as satin, yet with a subtle texture, like a thousand tiny kisses against her hand. As she traced the seam of the trousers upwards she felt the promise of the heat growing within, arousing a sense of anticipation. With a mischievous tug, she loosened the drawstring, the velvet fabric sliding down to reveal a tantalising glimpse of…

[blueskittlesart]

POST MORE SWORD OF FATE PLS IM BEGGING

i have very little in terms of actual art LMAO but i CAN explain the sword thing because i checked and i did in fact never make this plot point public. i struggled for a while with creating a villain for this story until i realized that. i put "sword" in the title of the game. of course it has to be about the fucking sword. DUH.

so i want SOF to deal very heavily with religion, specifically the way in which hyrule's religion forms post-sksw but pre-reincarnation. i've placed it on the timeline directly after sksw, making it the first actual reincarnation in hyrule. what this means is that there's no actual proof yet that the reincarnation thing is real and not just an insane bluff on demise's part, and so several key characters including link and zelda barely believe in hylia or demise at all when the story starts. my thought with this setting's version of ganon is that he's the polar opposite of the nonbelievers. The gerudo don't really exist as of now, but he DOES come from the desert region of hyrule--specifically, he was raised in a cultlike offshoot of the sheikah religion which interpreted the hylia/demise myth completely literally and believes that a doomsday is coming, heralded by the foretold return of demise. Because of this, he knows more about the cycle and how to set it in motion than basically any other character. Crucially, he and his people are some of the only ones at this point aware of the existence of the master sword.

ganon finds. a sword. a sword which he THINKS is the master sword. and this theory is only reinforced when the sword begins to speak to him about his destiny and the salvation of hyrule. unfortunately it is not the master sword and he ends up basically a pawn in the greater plans of what's left of demise & ghirahim within that sword, manipulated into attempting to revive demise and destroy the reincarnated hero and princess. he remains in denial until basically the very end of the final battle, completely convinced that he is the true savior of hyrule and LINK is the one being misled. ghirahim is a very good manipulator lol

[stoportotouch]

my self control unfortunately did not win out on this one (by which i mean that i was going to wait until friday to post the next chapter) but hey.

[gothsuguru]

MAKING HEADWAY ON “PREMONITION OF LOVE” 🫡

[clumsy-words-again]

I cried so so hard reading your tags you rlly made all my childhood poet dreams come true bc rlky to me they’re not fully real or not fully breathing until someone shares them and you gave that to me thank you so so much I love you <3333 (literally writing through my tears rn bc HOW CAN I EVER THANK YOU AKSJSJDJ)

every time you're in my notifs i get so excited and you truly are one of the sweetest people ever thank you so much for existing I love you and one day if you publish a poetry book or a book on foraging or a book of Adventures of Lovergirl lore (love that tag) i'm gonna go crazy and get a hundred copies to hand out to people on the streets and some elders often tell me that the world is a cruel place and everyone has to struggle and In Real Life everyone will try to push me down and that I'm immature and too weak and too soft. and all that sometimes really messes with my head and then I remember you and I think. hell no. i'm gonna be kind to everyone despite everything and it's gonna be okay. people like you are the reason I could never believe the Everyone is Selfish and Evil stuff.

I hope you have the bestest life ever <333