#and angel loves a challenge that gets David worked up

[free-boundsoul]

I feel like Asher would dare Angel into calling David different things during the pack meetings. And Angel would take those dares every time, to David's growing frustration

[romirola]

Headcanons for the Shaw Pack’s Favorite Activities at a Renaissance Fair

Last weekend, I went to my first Renaissance Fair and had a blast! So many things to do, performances to see, food to eat, and impromptu character interactions to share with actors/fair-goers. My only reasonable next step is to think about the Shaw Pack attending and enjoying a Ren Fair, too. Yes, they all dress up. (Pss- So did I! A censored Ren Fair Romi pic is below the cut. Alt txt included.)

David: Attending the blacksmith demonstration. David is fascinated by solid craftsmanship, and blacksmith work is the epitome of craft. David listens intently, learning all about the historical and cultural significance of the art-science hybrid as the blacksmith molds a blade before David’s eyes. 

Angel: Dragon-egg painting. Angel leans into the fantasy elements of the fair, despite David’s grumbling that there’s nothing Renaissance about dragons. Angel meticulously paints a gorgeous dragon egg that could’ve been professionally made, all while conversing in-character with the dragon-wrangler who staffed the egg-painting station. The dragon-wrangler assures Angel that the dragon will “hatch” will grow into a majestic beast who will be loyal and loving, eternally grateful for the care they showed when the dragon was merely an egg. 

Asher: The bawdy poetry reading. Asher wasn’t super thrilled to discover he read the map wrong and showed up to the bawdy poet’s performance instead of the public shaming scene, but as soon as the poet performed the first poem, he was hooked. Asher couldn’t help but laugh, not only because of the content of the poems, but because of the animated way the poet recited the words, moved about the stage, and even engaged with the audience. 

Babe: Getting chosen to participate in the juggling show. The only thing that amazed Babe more than the performers juggling all sorts of objects (some dangerous, some silly) as they performed acrobatic feats was when the performers invited them on stage to “help” with their next trick of spinning plates. To their surprise and delight, Babe was able to do exactly as the juggler instructed and keep the plate spinning. They took a bow as they audience cheered, Asher screaming over everyone as he celebrated his mate.  

Milo: Ringing the bell at the strongman game. The game is notoriously rigged, but Milo was up to the challenge. As soon as the bell rang out, a few character actors came over to congratulate him and decree him to the strongest man in all the village. They chanted his name and, upon hearing the commotion, the fair’s Queen made her way over to Milo to knight him as Sir Milo the Strong. She also bestowed upon him a handful of food vouchers, which Milo shared with the rest of the pack so they could all feast on all the food the fair had to offer. 

Sweetheart: Watching the jousting tournament. Sweetheart loves how jousting is a blend of so many things they love: theatre, violence, and competition. They cheer as loudly as they can for the knight who fights for their section of the field, eyes glued to the combat. After the joust, even though their knight lost, they made their way to the fence to tell him he fought bravely and that he’d always be a champion in their heart. The knight was so moved by their admission, he let them pet his horse.   

Darling: Watching the falconry show. Darling was in awe as the birds zipped and flew through the air, all while showing off how precise their tracking and hunting skills are. All of the birds of prey were rehabilitated rescues from the wild, which only made Darling respect and support these birds’ message of wildlife conservation and preservation even more. 

Sam: Touring the dungeon museum. Sam was oddly comforted by the fact that no matter how many centuries passed, there were a few universals of humanity that transcended time. Although pain and torture were a constant obsession with humanity, Sam figured, that meant comfort and healing were, too. For as long as there had been people to inflict pain, there were people who eased pain. That thought inspires him.

[azzyangelfish]

Heyyyy how yall doin…? Thought I’d pop on here and offer up some Darlin’, Baabe, Angel, and Sweetheart HCs because they’re besties. (This is my returning to tumblr gift, sorry I’ve been gone for so long):

Darlin and Angel take kickboxing classes together. David has never been more scared of (turned on by) Angel than the time they knocked him on his ass when he spooked them.

Sweetheart and Baabe take yoga classes together and have, on more than one occasion, freaked Asher and Milo out while bending in ways that should not be physically possible. At least to the two wolves. (Yes, this hc does come from @romirola and their hc about SH doing yoga)

Darlin sometimes goes out for lunch with Sweetheart as a way to get Sweetheart away from their work for an hour. They’ll go to the cafe near Sweetheart’s office and pick up some sandwiches and coffees. They sometimes go for a little walk before Sweetheart heads back to work, Darlin can tell how much happier they are as they watch their friend head back to work.

Angel and Baabe are often found curled up around each other at the winter solstice party. They fall asleep together in the couch and Asher and David don’t have the heart to move them. Sweetheart has a folder in their phone dedicated to taking pictures of them, and sends them to Asher and David.

Darlin loves cuddling with all the mates. It took a little bit of time before they felt comfortable enough to do so, but now it’s not an uncommon occurrence to see Darlin cuddling up with Angel, Babe, Sweetheart, or all three of them.

Angel and Baabe both adopted wolf-like mannerisms, largely shaped by ones that Asher and David displayed. Angel has a tendency to make a sort of huffing/growling sound when they’re frustrated, a similar sound to David’s growl. Babe will bare their teeth when they feel like they are being threatened/challenged (not like showing their teeth but will like clench their jaw). When the two realized that they had picked up these mannerisms they burst out laughing.

[heyimdove]

Things of Note at @neil-gaiman ‘s NJPAC talk:

1. Do you people understand that he switches into accents when he reads? Do you people know he does a perfect Michael Sheen impression? did you know it’s also hot

2. He used to cold call publishers/mags to see if they’d publish his work. He’d lie when asked what other magazines he wrote for; they’d think he was more legitimate and would, therefore, be more likely to take him on themselves. “You couldn’t get away with that now” thanks to Google. Also, back then, “we had telephones and we used them,” but today’s publishers would not easily recover if you unexpectedly called them on the phone.

3. It was a personal point of pride for Neil to write for each of the magazines he’d claimed to have written for. He said “I didn’t lie. I was chronologically challenged.”

4. Neil made a deliberate effort to not be boxed in by publishers. He’d interviewed many authors who were unhappily boxed and did everything he could to avoid it, including declining big contracts from prestigious publishers (notably after American Gods). This is why he can write what he likes now. Comics writing spoiled him in this regard, as publishers mistook the medium for a genre, and therefore didn’t care what he wrote (so he wrote all the genres he wanted to in Sandman).

5. He hates Thomas Hardy thanks to being introduced to him in school. Regarding being forced to read Tess of the D’urbervilles, he said “I wouldn’t do that to a dog”. He hopes students, who might have liked him if they found him on their own, don’t encounter his work in school and hate him for it.

6. “The evil characters (you write) don’t possess you, you try to find the little bit of you in them….the little bit of you that is gloriously evil.”

7. “I touched the magic and passed it along” this was a line from Watching from the Shadows that especially moved me.

8. Terry was increasingly upset as the bidding on Good Omens increased (eventually reaching 150,000 - can’t remember if he said $ or £). For his part, when the book finally sold, Neil put on Iggy Pop’s Success and danced.

9. Anansi Boys should be out on Prime by the end of 2024!

10. Described Sandalphon as someone you want to “hit with a large oar”. (The woman next to me, who was extremely stingy with her applause, hooted like an owl at this and clapped til the last).

11. Pronounces Amazon as “Ama-zin” and Los Angeles as “Los Angelese”. This isn’t noteworthy, but I liked it enough to write it down.

12. “Being on a beach in bare feet” was the line that led Neil to realize David Tennant would be perfect for Crowley.

13. He is pictured on the ALA’s poster holding Wind in the Willows because, as a child, “it messed up my head.” He said he is “in love” with a chapter in the middle called The Piper at the Gates of Dawn where the characters meet Pan. It’s often left out of printings, which makes him sad because it is “strange, beautiful, luminous”.

14. TOATEOTL was originally planned to go to Broadway. Then, Covid. They did a “world tour” instead. Now that it’s wrapped, talks about Broadway are happening. He says all of adaptations of his work, this is his favorite.

15. “Disney’s Aladdin plays four times a day in Hell”

16. His favorite question of the night was “WHY did you think of the Other Mother?” He was tickled by the word choice of “why”

17. Asked the library in Sussex “What have you got in the way of really good horror for four year olds?” Obviously none existed so he wrote Coraline.

18. Talked about going viral for being in a falafel, seemed to marvel at the progression of the meme’s meaning.

19. “Tumblr is its own madness”

20. “Stephen King has fabulous stories about meeting fans in toilets, including being passed a book under the stall”

21. Read “The Day the Saucers Came” which I misheard initially as Sauces. Saucers is definitely better.

22. “You want to see me doing Dickens?” I laughed inappropriately at this. I was the only one.

23. I don’t want to say what pieces he read because I want you to buy tickets to his events. But it was very nice to be read to by Neil Gaiman.

It’s very worth it to go. I flew out from San Diego for this and would do it again in a heartbeat!

[kitheking]

toxic traits i think redacted audio characters have/used to have: listener edition!

angel - pessimistic + perfectionism, especially when it comes to the pack. They feel slightly inferior because they’re human, so when it comes to planning events like the Solstice, they want everything to be perfect but they can’t help but imagine the absolute worst. I think they also begin to spiral a little when it comes to David + the pack and them working specific events, this is bc of the Inversion.

baabe - a massive people pleaser. similarly to angel, they feel inferior to the pack because they’re human, so when asher first introduced them to the pack, baabe altered basically everything about themselves from their interests to their humor in attempt to fit in. they’re like this with other humans too. They’re a lot better now that they’ve got roots in the pack, though.

sweetheart - major workaholic + defensive. the department obviously demands a lot from its employees, so sweetheart is definitely running on a few hours of sleep and caffeine, but instead of taking breaks they can sit at a desk and do paperwork all day. they often fail to realize how damaging it is and they get snappy when people try to help them. they usually apologize afterwards cause they’re cool like that.

smartass - inflexible + slightly aggressive. they are sooo stubborn and they don’t like trying new things at ALL. They also tend to get pretty feisty when somebody challenges them on anything and they’re quick to dish out insults. and i mean they go for the JUGULAR. they’ll insult your appearance, your grammar, they’ll find your whole family tree on facebook and bring up your family issues if it means they’ll win an argument.

lovely - they’re a little too confident and they overestimate themself. lovely is tough, don’t get me wrong BUT they tend to automatically assume they can do anything. the type of person to watch ultimate ninja warrior or some shit and be like “i could do that” but they most definitely could not. i still can’t get over how vincent warned them on that mountain or whatever and they decided not to listen and immediately got their shit rocked.

bright eyes - they used to be very impulsive. they get the urge to do something? they ARE going to do it. zero forethought. after the Quinn incident, they try to think before acting more often.

honey - they used to be very dismissive. they did not prioritize closeness, affection, or intimacy in their relationships because they didn’t know how to channel those emotions. ever since being with Guy, he’s helped them a lot.

darlin/tank - oh boyyy. they’ve definitely picked up on some extreme negativity in their life, but i think one of their worst traits was their recklessness. we know darlin has a habit at throwing themself into danger head on like they’re invincible, which results in them severely injured and needing somebody to take care of them. Part of me also thinks that they struggle with empathy. in the “Confronted by Your Pack Alpha” video, darlin seemed to have a hard time understanding how David + the pack felt about them running off to go vampire hunting and they were fully convinced that they were doing the right thing by trying to “protect” everyone.

i purposely left out some listeners, like lasko’s, antons, and james’ because i have no clue what theirs would be. I also left out Cutie because we all know what their toxic trait is… oh boy.

[agentplutonium]

David/Angel cooking for your prompt practice ^^

Okay, so we're about to make a deal. I will write this BUT you can't be too mean /j. Actually /hj because I don't really write this pairing and ur like THE David/Angel enjoyer in my head. But I will try for the sake of science (practice). Plus I always like expanding my abilities and this will be a fun challenge.

Pairing: David/Angel

WC: 897

Rating: Gen.

Aether is talking about this post.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

David won't admit it, but he does enjoy cooking with Angel. Occasionally.

They're a pain to deal with, but there's something about seeing them focus on something that they're both working on that gets to him. Not to mention that during these times he was grateful for the help.

It was another solstice. The pack was coming over for their usual party, and Angel had insisted on helping out this time, claiming that David would need it since they were bulk-making a lot of food (completely ignoring the fact that he's done it previously.) David, having seen what they could do by themselves when he was bringing over Asher, Milo, Tank, and their mates, decided that they'll give it a try this year. He warned them that things had to happen a certain way though, since he was used to doing it like that. Angel said that they could handle it. They've watched him before, they knew the drill.

So, they got to work.

Angel wasn't good at cooking for themselves, but when it came to bigger meals they suddenly became a five-star chef. David didn't even have to delegate tasks, it was like the two of them were performing a dance that only they knew. There was only occasionally he would have to ask for something, but it was always at the ready. The two were done prep in no time, and the only thing left was to supervise the cooking. David leaned against the counter, drying dishes as Angel washed them. He couldn't stop watching them for some reason.

"Take a picture it will last longer," Angel teased, a small grin flitting their lips.

"Why now?" David asked suddenly.

"Why now... what?" Angel giggled.

"Why help now? Why let me cook for you all these years?"

Angel's smile softened a bit. They shrugged in that way that always (affectionately) irked him, looking up to him. "Wanted to."

"Wanted to?" David repeated.

"Yeah. There was never really anyone that... did that for me. I was always so used to making big meals with my mom, and then when I moved out it was... hard to adjust. Does that make sense? I was on my own, and I never made anything more than a simple dish for myself before when I got peckish. So, those habits stuck around. And then you came along, and..." Angel looked away, smile widening even more. They distracted themself with the dishes. "And here we are."

David didn't have an answer right away. He was expecting some witty, light-hearted, hell even flirty answer. Not this. He didn't mind this, not in the slightest, but--

"And not to mention that you look sexy while you're cooking."

He spoke too soon.

"You liked watching me cook," David clarified.

"Partly, yes. It was also partly because it made me feel loved. It's also partly because I know its how you show love, so..." They trailed off, shrugging again before handing him the next dish. "Win-win."

"Win-win," David light-heartedly mocked, rolling his eyes.

Angel flicked water at him in retaliation, giggling. "It is! You like cooking, I like watching you cook, we both get a meal out of it--both metaphorically and physically--there's love in every aspect. There's not much more I could ask for, Davey."

David thought about the ring that was currently sitting in his nightstand. He was sure there was something more they could ask for. He shook his head to clear it, refocusing as another dish was handed to him.

"Maybe I should get you doing dishes more if it has you like this," he said. "You're actually romantic right now."

Angel scoffed in mock offence. "What does that mean? I'm always romantic!"

"With a lot of innuendos, and flirty comments, and--"

"Well, I'm sorry," Angel interrupted, "It is not everyday I am able to flirt to my heart's content with probably the hottest guy I've ever dated."

"Not the hottest guy you've ever seen?"

"No. Because you are not Tom Hiddleston. Unfortunetly."

"Unfortunately?" David asked with a chuckle.

Angel sighed dreamily. "I'd probably leave you in a heartbeat if that man asked," They teased.

David laughed. "Uh-huh. Okay."

Angel giggled. "You laugh now, but it's a possibility. You might wake up one day with a note beside you. It would say," they put on a dramatic voice, "'eloped with Tom. You were a great fuck, but I can't deny my true desires. Sucks to suck, I guess.' Except the 'I guess' would just be the letters I-G."

David shook his head in amusement, grinning. "Would you really leave me for him?"

Angel pulled the plug from the sink, rinsing off their hands, with another sigh. "No. Probably not. You're too good to me to do that."

David put the last dish away. "Right. That's reassuring."

"You think I'm hot enough to pull Tom?"

David pulled them into a kiss when the tap turned off. "I think you're hot enough to pull anybody you wanted, Angel. It's why I'm lucky you decided to keep me around."

Angel smiled at him, eyes crinkling a bit. David went to kiss them again but got stopped by their wet hands running through his hair and over his face. He leaned back to the sound of Angel's giggles.

"Why you--"

They wiggled out of his grip, taking off. David started after them, chuckling himself as he went.

-END-

[nerdygaymormon]

LDS LGBTQ Anniversaries for 2023

For 8 years I’ve been in charge of creating my stake’s calendar. In addition to stake meetings & activities, I include holidays and significant LDS anniversaries like when it was the 175th anniversary of the founding of Sunday School or 40 years ago priesthood and temple blessings were restored to members of African descent. 

This year there's only 1 significant anniversary I put on the calendar: Sept 21st will be 200 years since the angel Moroni first appeared to Joseph Smith.

For readers of this blog, here’s a few anniversaries this year that may be of interest:

75 years ago

April 1948 - Gay BYU students Kent Goodridge and Richard Snow met with church president George Albert Smith. They were in love and wanted to get a clarification of their ‘status.’ President Smith treated them with great kindness and told them to "live their lives as best they could" in their companionship. They had gambled making this appointment and worried they could be excommunicated on the spot, instead they left feeling loved and valued. 

Unfortunately, this live-and-let-live attitude didn’t last long as President Smith's successor, David O. McKay, felt homosexuals "should be excommunicated without any doubt, that the homosexual has no right to membership in the Church."

30 years ago

May 18, 1993 - Apostle Boyd K. Packer gave an address to the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, and the Presiding Bishopric, in which he stated there are three great threats to the LDS Church: the gay/lesbian challenge, the feminist movement, and scholars 

September - The September Six are excommunicated for publishing scholarly work against or criticizing church doctrine or leadership. This was widely reported in national press and resulted in a chilling effect on academics challenging approved church narratives

25 years ago

October - Mormon-raised Russell Henderson and his friend Aaron McKinney tortured Matthew Shepard and left him for dead in Wyoming. The shocking crime made international news. The outrage over this crime eventually lead to the Matthew Shepard Act in 2009 which expanded the federal law’s definition of “hate crime” to include sexual orientation and gender identity. In 2018, Matthew's ashes were moved to the Washington National Cathedral

15 years ago

Chieko Okazaki, the first person of color to serve in an LDS Church general organization presidency, was first counselor in the General Relief Society President when she published a book in which she wrote “A family with a gay child is not a failed family. It's a family with a member who needs special love and understanding and who has love and understanding to give back.”

California’s Prop 8 - Church leadership heavily encouraged members donate time and money to pass Prop 8 which would ban same-sex marriage in California. About 1/2 of the money raised for its passage came from Mormons. The proposition passed and immediately there were protests at temples in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, and the church received a lot of negative exposure. Since then the church has preferred behind-the-scenes roles in its efforts to combat queer rights

10 years ago

Dec 20, 2013 - Same-sex marriages became legally recognized in Utah. Seth Anderson & Michael Ferguson, both former Mormons, are the first gay couple to get married in Utah 

5 years ago 

January 2018 - The documentary "Believer" featuring Imagine Dragon's lead singer Dan Reynolds premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Reynolds discussed the intersection of LGBTQ people in the Mormon community. Later in the year he appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and spoke of LGBTQ Mormons and suicides

January 2018 - Josh Weed, the most famous LDS gay man in a mixed-orientation marriage, announces that he & his wife will get a divorce. They apologize to everyone who ever had their story held up as an example that gay people can get married and stay in the Church.

February 2018 - Church-run Family Services states it no longer provides reparative therapy or sexual orientation change efforts

February 2018 - Richard Ostler starts a podcast called “Listen, Learn, and Love,” which has LGBTQ members/former members share their stories

March 2018 -  BYU sponsors its first LGBT campus event, a panel of four students--Kaitlynn Wright, Ben Schilaty, Sarah Langford and Gabriel Cano–answer student-submitted questions

As president of the LGBTQAI+ and Allies Club, Jill Stevenson worked with administration at Southern Virginia University, a predominantly-LDS liberal arts college, to get the university to officially recognize the club, and to allow same-gender dancing on campus

June 2018 - The Church’s Family Search website starts allowing same-sex marriages to be recorded

July 2018 - The Provo Freedom Festival allows LGBTQ groups to participate in the parade due to a contract it had signed with the city of Provo which included a non-discrimination clause.

Dec 2018 - Stacey Harkey, a cast member on BYUTV’s popular show Studio C, comes out as gay

[invisibleicewands]

Michael Sheen says 'it fills my heart' in passionate message about Wales that will give you goosebumps

Michael Sheen has been reflecting on what it is he loves about Wales ahead of his debut as Aneurin Bevan in new stage drama Nye - and his passionate message is enough to give you goosebumps.

Speaking to WalesOnline ahead of the play’s Cardiff run, Sheen opened up about why he keeps coming back to Wales and indeed now lives here again, even though his work takes him all over the world. “It’s my home,” he says. “It's where my family are, where my friends are, where I grew up. It's the country whose history is closest to my heart, whose people I care about the most, the communities that I care about the most. It is what shaped me, informed me, and what continues to shape and form me.

“Aside from anything to do with the natural beauty of the country, the warmth of the people, the history of the communities, how we grew up here, the challenges that we've had in the past and that we still face and that have shaped who we are now and why we are the way we are now and what our aspirations are, all of those things. [Wales is] what fills my head and fills my heart.”

The Newport-born, Port Talbot raised actor is recognised for his ability to transform into his characters, notably real life people like former Prime Minister Tony Blair, broadcaster David Frost, and controversial football manager Brian Clough.

Sheen, 55, who has more recently played Chris Tarrant in ITV drama Quiz and the angel Aziraphale in Good Omens opposite David Tennant, is now looking forward to starring in the title role of Nye, a co-production between the Wales Millennium Centre and the National Theatre, which sees the actor portray the founder of the National Health Service.

Interestingly, Nye will be the first time that Sheen performs on stage in his home country. Despite his groundbreaking performance as Jesus Christ in National Theatre Wales' The Passion which was staged on location across Port Talbot during Easter weekend in 2011, the actor revealed he's never actually fronted a show at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.

“To be able to do this play and tell this story about this man on that stage is really exciting,” Sheen commented. “When we got there to start doing the tech and just stepped out onto the stage, it was really exciting. You could feel the whole company getting really excited and just looking out into that beautiful auditorium and just thinking about it being full of people coming to watch this play.

“The fact that we're telling this story, which is such a Welsh story about a Welsh legend, has been exciting from the very beginning. When we first started rehearsing, knowing that we'd be coming to Wales at the end of it, everyone was incredibly excited about that. To now actually be here and be just days away from starting the performance is quite thrilling.”

Sheen said that, perhaps for the first time in his career, he knew ‘everything’ about the man he was playing. A new play written by Tim Price, a synopsis for Nye reads: “Confronted with death, Nye's deepest memories lead him on a mind-bending journey back through his life; from childhood to mining underground, parliament and fights with Churchill in an epic Welsh fantasia.”

Sheen said of playing Bevan: “In the last 10 years I've come to really appreciate who [Aneurin Bevan] was and what he did and what he achieved. This was an opportunity to be able to put everything I knew and felt about him into a piece on stage.

“It’s a very particular challenge playing a real person who is very well known by the audience. That brings all kinds of unique challenges that you wouldn't normally get if you're playing a fictional character, obviously, or a real life person that people don't really know that well. And with playing Nye as well, it feels like a huge responsibility. I mean, it's a privilege to play him and to tell his story, but it's also a massive responsibility because there have been very few things out there about him, and it's such an important story.

“I already had such a strong feeling about him, a strong relationship to him and what he achieved. I know people who feel incredibly passionate about him and what he did. That brings an even greater level of responsibility to it. It was a great relief to know that once we started performing the play, people were accepting of me playing the part and were enjoying it and felt that it portrayed Bevan in a way that did him justice.”

Sheen added that the NHS itself has “always” been there for him throughout his life, citing moments in which he has lost family members and friends, as well as caring for his two children with Swedish actress partner Anna Lundberg, Lyra and Mabli. “It's not just one moment, it's a lifetime, lifelong relationship.”

Another relationship that Sheen has developed in recent years is with Doctor Who star David Tennant. The pair have been firm friends since appearing in both Staged and Good Omens with each other – both of which were hugely successful. Of his friendship with Tennant, Sheen jokes: “David and I will keep working together as long as we don't fall out!” While he ruled out more episodes of Staged, Sheen will reunite with Tennant when the third and final series of Good Omens enters production next year. When asked whether he knows what the future holds for his character, the actor said: “I know what's going to happen in the entire story but I'm not going to tell anyone.”

Before then Sheen will take on another real life role, playing Prince Andrew in a new series about the infamous Newsnight interview the royal did with Emily Maitlis. The story was adapted into Netflix film Scoop earlier this year: “I thought Rufus was fantastic,” Sheen said of Rufus Sewell’s performance as Prince Andrew in Scoop. “I thought he was brilliant as Andrew, he was much better than me. He was more a supporting character in that though. Our story is about Prince Andrew and Emily, it's much more they are the lead characters. It's a different focus and requires a different approach to the character. I was having to look at, as I'm sure Rufus did, the interview in particular. When we were working on it I was listening and watching the interview multiple times a day, every day for months.”

Reflecting on playing the divisive member of the Royal Family, Sheen said: “The level of controversy in that story brings an extra layer as well. The fact that for whatever all our personal opinions might be about what did or didn't happen, or what he did or didn't do, we don't know for definite. There's been no actual court case. We don't know exactly what happened.

"That requires a real level of sensitivity in how you deal with the story, apart from anything else because of legalities and that stuff, but when I read the script I thought that was handled really well. I thought it was a very clever way of allowing the audience to have a satisfying dramatic experience, but still keeping a level of ambiguity, which I thought was done very well on the script. Playing that character was challenging in all kinds of ways, as it is with every real-life character, but I also had to make certain choices and decisions about what was going on for him in my version.”

2024 has already been a busy year for Sheen as a few months ago, his directing debut The Way was released on BBC One – to mixed reviews. Reflecting on the project, which was shot in Wales, he said: “It was quite extraordinary to be attacked by Conservative ministers in the press on the day that it came out, and then to have right-wing newspapers having a concerted plan to try and smear it.

"We didn't expect that just before it came out the news would come out from the steelworks. It was a huge shock and obviously affected the way people perceive the story of the drama. It was never intended to be a socio-documentary about what was going on at the steelworks. It was my first time directing something and to be able to tell that story and film it around south Wales with an amazing Welsh cast was such a brilliant experience.”

[stolasbuckzo]

♥️ ♠️ Husk ♥️ ♠️

VO(s):

Mick Lauer (Pilot)

Keith David (series)

Theme songs:

Canon:

AU:

Fave quote(s):

“STOP! Fucking Christ! You can cut the act already. It's never gonna work on me. So all you're doing is makin' an ass outta yourself with this fake bullshit."

―Husk, after Angel flirts with him in episode 1x04

TBD

Basics:

Zodiac sign: Leo ♌️ (HC)

<> It just makes sense 1. Because he’s a cat and it would be funny 🤭 and 2. The way he and Angel (who is an Aries and a fire sign) can argue heatedly

Year of Death: 1970s

Age: 60s-70s (biological)

Sex: Male

Sexuality: Pansexual

Height: -5'2

Bed type: Dominant (softdom 🤭)

Species:

• Human being (formerly)

• Sinner Demon (cat)

Occupation(s):

• Overlord (formerly)

• Concierge & bartender of the Hazbin Hotel

Nationality:

• American (Las Vegas) 🇺🇸

• Part Russian 🇷🇺

<> Accent: Yat (New Orleans)

Likes:

• Angel Dust

• Drinking

• Magic shows

• Smoking

• Gambling

• Authenticity

• Massages

<> Especially on his back

AU:

• Dropping lore out of nowhere 🤣😂

• Angel Dust’s Italian surname 🤭

Dislikes:

• Angel Dust ignoring boundaries 😂

• People being fake

• Angel Dust regressing

• Being a cat

• Alastor (partially)

<> Alastor involving him in his schemes

<> Alastor’s wrath

• Mimzy bringing trouble

• Valentino

• Niffty being overly honest about her interests

<> Niffty’s interest in BDSM

AU:

• Kat playing dramatic music (ie Jaws theme song) in the midst of an argument between Husk and Angel

• People who might negatively disrupt Angel’s progress

<> Husk initially saw Cherri as a bad influence on Angel's path of redemption and advises her not to get high during their night out. He defends Angel from Cherri's criticism about how the hotel was changing him. After the battle against the Exorcists, Husk is happy for Cherri's survival, whom he begins to respect after the fight.

Flaws:

• Alcoholic

• Incapable of love

• Gambler

• Emotional intelligence 😂

• Lost his soul in a game of cards

AU:

• Fuss over Angel Dust about physical contact (even after consented 🤣)

Strengths:

• Strength (physically)

• Observation - Husk can tell the sorts of people who are fake from those who are genuine which can be seen in “Masquerade” when he calls bullshit on Angel Dust’s porno persona

• Sympathy (selective) - Husk may not have a very high EQ (emotional intelligence) but is willing to listen to one’s problems and even give back by being knowledgeable about certain topics, depending what the subject is about

• Confrontation - Husk, similar to above, isn’t afraid to stand up for himself (or someone else) and ready to call “bullshit”

• Self-actualisation

<> Ever since losing to Alastor in a game of cards; it’s implied with Husk saying to Angel Dust “You regret the choices you make” means at some point in his life he’s actually self actualised his actions and regretted them — thus making him become “the wise old bartender who’s seen it all” — and coming to terms with the fact that he’s a loser at heart.

For examples:

<> Husk shamelessly was ready to call Angel Dust fake even after he was challenged 'to do it one more time' in the episode “Masquerade”

<> Another scenario is where he was quite content to confront Cherri Bomb about the hotel not being a problem in Angel Dust’s life

Affiliations:

• Hazbin Hotel (resident and employee)

• The Black Dot (1x04)

• Consent (1x06)

Romantic Interest:

Angel Dust Anthony (canon)

Family:

(surrogate) Daughter: Niffty

(surrogate) Daughter: Crymini (allegedly)

<> Crymini's character was still in development at the time, but Vivziepop has described Husk and Crymini's relationship as akin to a father and daughter during later development streams for the pilot, and has implied that Husk will eventually begin to try and take responsibility for her.

She described their relationship as reminding her of that of Ron and April from Parks and Rec.

AU:

Father-in-law: Henroin (estranged)

Sister-in-law: Molly

Brother-in-law: Arackniss

(surrogate) Sister-in-law: Snow Dust (OC)

(bio) Daughter 1#: Katya Dust (OC)

(Future) Daughter-in-law: T.J. Buckzo (OC)

(bio) Daughter 2#: Luster Dust (OC)

Alias/nicknames:

• Whiskers (by Angel Dust)

<> Babycakes

• Husker (by Alastor & Mimzy)

• Furball (by Mimzy)

<> Pussycat

• The Kitty (by Angel Dust)

• Captain Buzzkill (by Cherri Bomb)

• Porn Critic (by Angel Dust)

AU:

• Sensei (by Angel Dust)

<> Shadowman 🤭

<> Old Man

<> Husky

<> Barkeep

<> Tiny Bartender/ Short-stack 🤣

• Daddy (by Kat)

• Dad (by Luster)

• King of Consent (self-proclaimed)

• Sherlock/Detective (by Kat)

• Henry (AU birthname)

<> Harry

• Grumpy Cat (self proclaimed)

Friends:

• Sir Pentious (former enemy)

• Niffty

• Angel Dust (best friend— TBA)

<> Vivziepop has previously described Husk as Angel's "best friend" during later development streams for the pilot, suggesting that their relationship may be planned to greatly improve

<> In the episode "Masquerade", after Angel opens up about his situation. It is apparent that Husk is expressing more interest in Angel Dust, after seeing that he isn't as shallow as he appears to be. Angel and Husk have formed a special bond through being vulnerable and honest with each other.

Others:

Employees of the Hazbin Hotel (co-workers):

<> Charlie Morningstar (boss)

<> Vaggie

<> Niffty

<> Alastor (owner; former fellow Overlord)

• Egg Boiz (former enemies)

• Cherri Bomb (acquainted)

• Mimzy (acquainted)

• Lucifer Morningstar (acquainted)

Enemies:

• Valentino (one-sided)

• Exorcists

Abilities:

• Multilingualism (more than one or two languages)

<> Italian 🇮🇹

<> Russian 🇷🇺

<> German 🇩🇪

<> Mandarin

<> Chinese 🇨🇳

<> Spanish 🇪🇸

<> Japanese 🇯🇵

• Flight

• Sleight-of-hand

• Agility

• Musical talent

<> Singing

<> Playing the Saxophone (stated by Viv as a fact, but not actually canonically shown yet)

• Molecular Acceleration

• Skilled combat

• Mixology (cocktail-making)

• Intellect 🤭

Appearance & Personality:

Husk is an anthropomorphic avian cat demon. His look is evocative of a magician, paired with a casino referencing playing-card theme. The sclera of his eyes are black, with yellow irises and slitted pupils. He has long, red eyebrows with black vertical stripes near the tips, and a small black heart above each eyebrow.

His fur is taupe-colored, overlayed with white on his face, torso, feet, and upper arms. The insides of his ears are white with a red tip at the point and red heart in the center. A black tuff of fluff protrudes from each, creating the appearance of small hearts.

He has a darker shade of taupe encircling his ankles, mimicking spats. His tail is taupe and long, ending with a large spray of "plume-like" fur or feathers, which are dark pink with black and white stripes. He has yellow-orange hearts underneath the paws on his hands.

His wings are large and red, with dark taupe on the undersides. The undersides of his wings are decorated with black stripes which feature red and white roulette wheel dot markings. His outside of his wings are decorated with more black stripes, which wrap around the joints and run around a row of white roulette wheel dots.

Husk wears black pants with black suspenders over his shoulders and a red bowtie. He also wears a black top hat that has a red hat band and a golden button-like decoration.

How would you describe Husk’s personality?

• Mature

• Knowledgeable

• Apathetic

• Intelligent (psychologically)

• Sarcastic

• Alert

• Short-tempered

• Private

• Confrontational

• Lazy

• Resolute

<> Seen when he would constantly turn down every one of Angel’s sexual remarks

• Patient

Other (rarely):

• Fearful

<> Despite Husk’s apathetic nature (most of the time) he’s actually quite terrified of the fact that Alastor literally has his soul in his hands

• Sympathetic

<> Seen when Husk tried to make Angel Dust feel better shortly after his meltdown about being fake (and before Loser Baby starts)

• Respectful

<> During the song “Loser, Baby” Husk always offered Angel Dust �� multiple times— his hand and never physically forced him to do something he didn’t want to (unlike Valentino 🤮)

• Playful (1x08)

• Protective

<> Seen when in 1x06 after Valentino backhanded Angel; Husk was ready to attack him

• Loyal

• Flirtatious (1x08)

<> You cannot tell me Husk wasn’t flirting with Angel in the last episode 🤭

As an overlord (formerly):

• Greedy

• Respected (determinant)

• Arrogant

• Power-hungry

Trivia:

• Husk is falling in love with Anthony not his persona as Angel Dust

• Both Husk & Angel acted like Niffty’s parents

• Husk is seen flying (for the first time since the series started) in episode 1x08 “The Show Must Go On”

<> Hopefully we’ll get more of this in S2 🤭

• Husk would have been 12 years older than Angel Dust (putting them roughly around the same age) if the latter hadn’t died at the age of 30 years old

<> However down in Hell Angel is actually older than Husk (because he died first before him)

• Husk’s voice deepens (more than usual) when he’s flirting with someone *coughs Angel coughs*

• Vivziepop mentioned that Husk's love-heart motif was in part a reference to the fact he is something of a softy on the inside, and "kinda sweet" deep down.

<> She stated that Husk is a cuddler and "a very fluffy, cuddly animal", but, that it's not something that just anyone gets to see, and that ultimately the only person who would get to experience that about him would be a significant other

• Husk is great with children

• Husk is described as the "protective, grumpy, drunk, angry uncle of the group", who loves gambling and cigars. He is a gambling addict and an alcoholic, who is described as actively fighting his gambling addiction in Hell.

• Although, Husk initially appears very distanced from those around him and no longer interested in meaningful relationships beyond his usual bottle of booze, he is shown to be forming a connection to the residents at the hotel. Particularly with Angel and the two can often be seen with each other at the hotel after resolving their tension in the episode "Masquerade". Vivziepop has described Husk as Angel's "best friend" during her later development streams for the pilot. She also implied that Husk may begin to take responsibility for the younger and more delinquent members of the hotel in the future.

References:

Scrolls down to the bottom his relationship with “Cherri Bomb”

[spearxwind]

been thinking a lot about my different oc worlds recently. ive said before ive got four, but technically it's five if you count extinction.

im gonna put all my thoughts under a readmore bc once again this got insanely long jkllkjjkf. i be rambling

most of my attention has definitely been going into challenger deep the past year (and will likely continue), recently i refurbished hollowridge as well and have had a lot of fun with it (even if i havent drawn much to show for it...)

the other two of the set of four i originally posted about are my agony drive and broken horizon settings. Broken horizon is more of a personal headworld where ive set my dragon ocs, but I have not really been successful with it in terms of like. worldbuilding and crafting a story for it, mostly because there are very few characters in it currently and i struggle with it. But it's the world where cercerion and my sona dima (as an oc) exist. i would love to actually do a better job with it sometime but it currently isnt a huge priority because ive been focused on the other two main ones (but again since its just a personal headworld it literally is just some place i like to mentally hang out and fly around in, im not super bothered by it being undeveloped.)

However we have the two troublemaker worlds now

the agony drive setting has been driving me more than a little nuts because of its whole situation with it. i absolutely adore the characters i have in it, but i have no idea what to do with the world itself. it used to be a joint project so i was extremely limited in the way i could develop it bc i depended on the other individual enjoying the ideas and i did my best to keep it afloat almost being the sole contributor to it, so now that its liberated i just didnt know what to do with it. i do like a bunch of the lore bits i came up with but some part of me is like 'idk if i enjoy this as a world' bc it still feels limited in some way? Another issue is that while hollowridge (previously my horror and slapstick gore setting with demons/angels/magic vibes) was dead in the water, i channeled that violence slapstick demon/magic vibe through TAD, but getting a focus back on hollowridge has kinda just. straight up deleted a bunch of TAD's reason to exist? i dont know if that makes sense

HR isnt really that much slapstick violence because death is final, and TAD is more cartoony in that sense bc death ISNT final which is its main reason to exist (unlimited violent major character death for the funnies), but theres a weird overlap that is keeping me from focusing correctly because it makes my brain go 'you are doing the same thing twice'

I would really really love to actually turn it into something fun and unique (separate from my other worlds) but i really havent been sure how to go about it because of that overlap. i genuinely think its just a problem of 'you have to actually develop the setting to have fun in it' and i just havent been able to do that yet bc i cant decide what i want it to BE. TAD has also never really had a lot of story to begin with so it makes things harder bc the story is the vehicle to explore the world with. its pretty frustrating bc midas set and david are some of my fav ocs ive made and i miss them but god dammit if it isnt hard to actually work with the whole thing....

and last but not least... the fifth one. extinction. a lot of you probably know this one from my comic. if youve been here since like... 2014-2015 (which would be insane) you might remember me beginning to develop that story until it eventually became the comic that is currently sitting unfinished and feels like a huge weight on my shoulders just out of sheer shame

the issue with extinction is that it was a lot of characters that i deeply loved (and still i still deeply love!!) all with fun plotlines, backstories, and a lot of fun tidbits to em that i ended up bending and breaking dozens of times just for the purpose of fitting them into a relatively short story that i could draw out and finish. and more importantly into something i hoped would be handleable instead of spiralling out of control like it had happened before

but what i didnt realize is that by doing so, i "locked" their lore in place into these very small boxes that would fit into a story, and thus i would remove what i had loved about those characters and their interactions that i had come up with years and years ago and a lot of my very very cool ideas for them simply went out the window in favor of .... well i dont. know. but off it went

i live in complete shame for not being able to finish the comic. it genuinely is a huge and extremely heavy weight on my shoulders and this whole thing has prevented me from even thinking of said ocs for years now even though they are some of my oldest and most beloved. saying all of this is not something i take lightly in the least as well

so recently I have been thinking about bringing them back as well... maybe (to the extent that i can... i have a lot of ocs and you guys know i have a lot of bias when drawing faves. so i cant guarantee content but at least i would be able to think about them again).

essentially the same way that i rewrote and got back my old concepts for hollowridge that slapped hard i want to get back my original ideas for extinction that i thought were really cool and just wasnt able to fit into a comic narrative

obviously this would come with a lot of retconning and i know a lot of people will probably not like it if i do it and i think thats something i have to face and learn to live with

but yeah anyways. TLDR is i really want to actually do something proper for TAD but have been having a lot of trouble with it unfortunately, but im working on it. and ive also been feeling rly nostalgic about extinction so you might see the characters again, albeit different in terms of story from what you probably know

[poke-bon]

Hello! I'm doing a rewatch of Supernatural! I started this halfway through season 9 and it's the first time I've done this. I've seen the first 6 seasons multiple times over the 18ish years but never caught up so I'm doing that now and having a wonderful show. I would honestly watch these two idiots do anything! Hope you enjoy the ramblings!

- deans boys home episode fucking had me crying. John Winchester I will fight you

- Kevin and Miss Tran is the most tragic story in this show to date.

- Kevin: just be nice to each to each other, yeah? Sam: yeah, promise. *Walks away*

- we're going to need snorkels, we'll be swimming in so much p-

- Not Moose.....hah

- Crowley's Winchester Intervention. This show is a comedy

- oh no, deans on the hooch again

- Shirley McLain??

- Gabriel!!! I knew they'd bring him back somehow

- wait that's not Gabriel is it

- why is he sacrificing himself again when he wants to be the king of heaven? Why is he pushing Castiel? Why is everyone pushing Cass?

- There it is....

- How fucking deep has Metatron gone??!!

- lmao Metatron burdening Cass with the knowledge of Fandom

- for a person who loves vampires, I really find the vampire eps in Supernatural so fking boring. I don't know what it is.

- look at me, bitch - I know between this and stabbing #thinman it's heralding Dean turning dark(er) but why was that kinda.....????

- Sammy sit down babe, you have no blood

- Taylor Swift reference last ep and now this ep, please let it end there

- I could go into detail but I'm not going to - is something I'm going to adapt into my life

- I love it when the boys aren't the main stars of the episode, it's so much fun

- David and Ennis buddy show when?

- I've always wanted to see more day-to-day monster life, this is cool. Real urban fantasy hours.

- I do feel like I'm watching a soap opera episode tho. What's gonna happen with the monster mob??

- oof seeya Abaddon

- I am a big fan of Crowley and I am an even bigger fan of seeing Crowley struggle with humanity

- did Dean just wake Sam up like George McFly?

- Dean claiming his fine about the blade.... Winchesters be honest with each other challenge

- Agent Spears and Aguilera LOL

- Metatron thankyou for gracing us with Castiel pop culture references

- Metatron with all due respect - you suck

- Castiel's Angels HQ

- I honestly love Castiel the Angel after he's experienced humanity too. Its so interesting.

- I didn't really get Samstiel before this season but now I do. I like the private moments between Sam and Cass, it's like they understand each other on a level they don't see elsewhere.

- jesus christ Metatron is such a slug (no hate to slugs)

- "a nerd trying to be one of the popular kids" NAILED IT

- ooof, Winchester toxic masculinity. They are doing alot of work on themselves but it still shines through every now and again

- Tessa Tessa??!!!

- Tessa!!!!

- oh no, she's in the cult

- I truly was hoping that Metatron would lose the bowling game. Suck shit loser.

- I'm very pop culture savvy now - AND I LOVE IT

- Dean Winchester does not like rules....I am concerned

- Indiana Jones trials bitch!!!!!!!

- this is a dictatorship - jesus Dean, did the spirit of you father just fly out of your mouth or did you mean to say that?

- ooof gadreel came in peace. not hot anymore, just gross. Dean get help.

- CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON

- good lord, these boys will just throw themselves at anything that solves a short term problem forgetting down the track it will ALWAYS come back to haunt them

- is this Cain and Abel thing going to be prophetic of things to come I wonder

- I hate Metatron so much. Flame. Flames! Flames....down the side of my face. Breathing. Breathless. Heavy breaths.

- Sam is going to be so pissed when he wakes up

- okay, Metatron is cooking with the god doesn't care spiel...like I get it but there had to be another way bro

- Use the force Dean

- oh shit

- wake up buddy 😭😭😭😭

- Just a hunch, considering there's going to be 6 more seasons...I think he'll be right

- what did they do to my boy??!

End of season!! Hope you enjoyed. Will probably do this again.

[romirola]

Hi!! I hope you don’t mind a random anon. I’m reading your princess bride au right now and I love it so much!! Could you share a little bit about how you chose which characters would play which roles? Thank you so much

(〜^∇^)〜

Hi, Anon! Mind? MIND!? I love and welcome asks! Thank you so much for reaching out, and for reading The Prince Shifter! I'm thrilled to hear you are enjoying the story. I cannot believe there is only one chapter left to post!! I could ramble ALL DAY LONG about this or any other fics. I'm afraid I never mastered the art of shutting up. One of the most challenging (and most fun) part of setting the Redactedverse up in the The Princess Bride world was selecting which character would align with which role. A lot of thought went into it, and I'm beyond grateful you've given me the chance to share more about that process.

Under a cut for length and spoilers!

David as Buttercup: I felt like Buttercup's practicality, grief, and sense of duty best suited David. He's not someone who went looking for adventure or even love, but it just happened. David is a romantic, despite his reservations. Not only that, but I feel like putting David in this role offered some redemption to Buttercup, too? Look, this film is one of my favorites of all time, but even I roll my eyes at Buttercup sometimes (though I think some poor writing is to blame.) I like that David can highlight that he's an equal to Angel. He is rescued AND he rescues his mate right back every time he gets the chance. TWUE WUV!!!

Angel as Westley: Angel just had to take on this dashing, daring role! They've got the swag to pull it off. Someone who fights for love no matter the odds, someone who overcomes expectations, someone who is quick on their feet but stands their ground when their loved ones are in danger. Total Angel vibes.

Asher as Fezzik: Who else but Asher could fill the shoes of such a wonderful, caring, strong, loyal character? Fezzik is so wise, so sensitive, and so strong. It felt like a natural fit for Asher. The traumatic backstory helped bring out the complexities inherent to that role. Plus, giving him the chance to fall in love with Babe as he heals from his own past? Yes, please!

Babe as NEW CHARACTER: They were made to be David's cousin and get kidnapped right along with him! I felt like that Babe is someone who goes toe-to-toe with David, so it helped to have them there so David could play off them a bit. Fezzik doesn't have a love interest in the film, but it felt sad not to include them, for their own sake and Asher's!

Milo as Inigo: Milo with a sword seeking revenge? Sign me right up for that! Milo and Inigo share a deep passion for doing right by the people they love, for setting wrongs right, and for doing so in a way with a little bit of flash. He deserves his big moment. And he gets it. It was a heartbreaker to kill Marie, but she's always with Milo. That raw passion is him.

Sweetheart as (modified) Vizzini: Sweetheart is the character I self-insert, and you best believe that if I'm writing an AU of my favorite film, I'm damn well including myself, I'm going to survive to see the end. I took some of Vizzini's fun qualities, but also gave Sweetheart some righteous morals so they could fit better into the story and be an asset to the plot as it unfolded.

Alexis as Prince Humperdink: She wants what she wants when she wants it how she wants it. That's Humperdink to a T, I think. And to give her the royal power to act on those desires?

Quinn as Count Ruegan: Someone who says his life's work is dedicated to the study of pain? Someone who literally runs a torture chamber? How could this one not be Quinn?

Were you wondering about any other characters I didn't mention? Let me know! And please, always feel free to reach out!

I've also just gotta say, thank you again for reaching out, Anon. With the exception for a few (very beloved) friends who have given me such kind, enthusiastic support for this story, it's been one that was not at all popular. It honestly felt like no one else (minus those kind friends) was reading it. Which is totally fine! I always have and always will write for myself, and whatever comes of that comes of it. Suffice to say, your ask brightened my whole day. I know that it's getter less and less common for people to connect with authors/artists, but I'm so grateful you made the choice to connect with me today. It really meant a lot. So thank you!!

[shadowbunnydragon]

To Bailey, Lily, and Russell: Since you’re dating a predator, what kind of relationship challenges do you face? I’m only asking because I’m a guy and I’ve had a male wolf friend recently come to me and ask me out

Russell, his ears turning pink: "Uh... w-well..."

Baily: "You do have to remember that us humans are omnivores, making us predators as well. Granted, our lack of claws or sharp teeth kinda make that a bit hard to believe for some mammals..."

He reaches into his coat pocket to pull out his buzzing phone, accidentally swiping up and hitting the speaker option.

Leodore: "Hey there, Barney! Just calling to let you know that I've mulled it over, and I still find it silly that you guys are predators. No offense, but you kinda look more like how we'd make a felt puppet mascot for a show to teach very young mammals tolerance and understanding and all that nonsense towards predators. Basically you're predator lite, if you catch my meaning. Also wanted to let you know that I'm gunna be kinda late for our next card reading session, things did NOT work out in the waste disposal union like I had thought it would. Seriously, you make one, or several, jokes about organized crime connections, and suddenly everyone gets up into a tizzy... oh great, it looks like I'm getting pulled over now. I probably shouldn't be talking on my phone while driving, but this is just getting ridiculous. Anyways, see you in maybe an hour."

The phone goes silent, the three humans staring wide-eyed at it in silence.

Lily: "Anyways... it's true that there have been some challenges. Like smaller herbivorous mammals sometimes being nervous around us and giving us side-eyed looks and wide berths."

Russell: "Patricia and David told me that it was a lot worse towards predators a few years ago, but that it's gotten better. The specism towards predators in general, I mean. But then there's also... some members of Jackson's pack aren't too happy with him not dating another jackal, or at the very least, another canid... and sometimes, despite the brave face he puts on... you can see that it does in fact hurt him from time to time..."

Lily: "Some of Renato's family has voiced similar concerns... with his great-grandmother suggesting that we are some kind of evil spirits that have started appearing to work a dark mischief... whatever that means."

Baily, rubbing the back of his head: "I might be kinda lucky in that regard. I'm sure some members of Sophia's pride might not be too happy with her bringing in a human... especially one who was, until very recently, homeless. But thanks to a 'certain someone' and their increasingly embarrassing antics, I guess I'm looking golden in comparison..."

His phone buzzes again and, after receiving now somewhat amused nods from the other two, Baily swipes up and enables the speaker function yet again.

Leodore: "No, officer, you've got this all wrong! That wad of money just fell out of my pocket! It was not a bribe! Speeding and talking on my phone when driving is around $150 here, I've gotten enough tickets for that to know by now; so why would I try to give you $400 when I can just bite the bullet and pay this fine?! OOF!" A loud slamming sound followed by a muffled voice speaking. "Oh, uh, Basil, we're gunna need to have a rain check for that reading. Apparently someone needs to FILL A QUOTA!"

The call ends.

Lily: "... Anywho, opening your heart to someone can be scary, and each time there will be their own sets of challenges. But, there's the chance that you could find someone who makes your heart sing... ahem, and whom you get on with wonderfully. Ultimately, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love my big fluffy Marshmallow."

Baily: "I never thought I could feel the way I do about Sophia. Sometimes I wonder if she isn't an angel..."

Russell: "And I'm really glad that I said yes to Jackson! I don't know how things will go down the road, but I'm really happy here and now!"

Lily: "I think that it's safe to say that all three of us here wish you the best of luck with this wolf boy!"

[aviandtheseals]

The Rowntrees Ultimate Decades Challenge - 1360

content warning: mention of death (as always lol)

1359 was a difficult year for the Rowntrees due to the deaths of Arthur and Alexandria. However, for Kymmie there was one point of light in the darkness: she was now the head of the household. When Kymmie first married David Rowntree, Arthur and Sarah's father, she was ignored by the others in the house. Now, as the mother of future heir Finnian and the only adult, Kymmie saw a bright future for the first time: running her own farm and family. She started woodworking, which she always loved, and her little statues made most of the money for the family. She knew in order to keep this freedom she could never marry again, but that was okay. She could still have other close relationships, like with Touilda. Kymmie was starting to realize she wanted something different than a regular friendship with her, and she tried to get the courage to talk to her friend about it.

But then terrible news arrived: a fire started in the Bridgford home, and while the rest of the family was fine, Touilda was badly burned and died from the injuries. This death was very sudden, and especially affected Kymmie. She managed to push through Arthur and Alexandria's deaths, but now her only friend was gone? She kept imagining a future with Touilda, a future she could barely think of without waves of shame washing over her, a future that was now impossible. Kymmie spent the rest of the year dealing with the waves of anger and sadness constantly hitting her.

Meanwhile, the kids continued to grow. Ursula was a healthy baby and survived the first few months of life, aging up to an infant. Being the only adult around meant that caring for little Ursula and Jacquette fell to Kymmie. But she was happy to take care of these little angels. The children were the main points of happiness in her life, the only distraction from her sorrows.

Little Finnian also started helping out more with the farm. He enjoyed the work. As a hot-headed sim, Finnian often got frustrated easily by small problems, and getting to run around the farm doing various chores and switching up activities kept him happy. He was glad to grow up and have responsibilities rather than just staying home all day.

Jacquette was also happy. While she was sad to lose her mother, time moved fast for a little toddler. She quickly got used to being taken care of by Kymmie and Sarah, and was happy to play on her own and explore the house as long as there was an adult around.

Fifteen-year-old Sarah was not doing as well as her younger brother and nieces. She had to step up and help take care of the children. While she spent a lot of her childhood fishing to make ends meet, Sarah wasn't used to being in charge of taking care of kids or cleaning the house. Sarah found these tasks very frustrating and was completely miserable at the end of each day. But she kept being the good girl the family needed her to be, and never complained.

To relax, Sarah took to playing the lute that Alexandria loved to play. She started playing to feel closer to Alexandria, but then found she enjoyed it.

Sarah thought the lute would be her one refuge from the daily grind for the next few years, but during the fall of 1360, a miracle walked into her life. She went to visit the Hedgeford family along with Kymmie to trade, and was re-introduced to Gilbert, their son about her age who she used to play with when they were little. Gilbert had grown up to be a handsome and responsible young man, and Sarah was immediately attracted to him. They got along great and Sarah felt more comfortable talking to him than anyone else she knew. Gilbert was also an orphan, and the middle child in his family. They both knew what it was like to be forgotten, to feel lonely. Sarah missed him as soon as they went back home.

Soon after, they ran into each other while collecting berries in the forest. Things quickly turned romantic - he told her how beautiful she was and they held hands. Sarah was over the moon. She couldn't stop herself from smiling. Gilbert was more subdued, but Sarah could tell he was enjoying himself as well.

For the first time in years, Sarah was blissful. The usual wall she locked her feelings behind, the voice in her head that told her to be good and agreeable, the expectation to work tirelessly for the family just to be ignored -- these were all gone. There was just her and the trees and a gorgeous boy. So she planted a kiss on Gilbert's lips.

Gilbert smiled afterwards, but he was a bit awkward, and quickly ran away. Sarah didn't care though. This was the best day of her life. She now had hope for a future she'd never imagined for herself before: one where she would be taken care of.

[shetestifythetruth]

Life Lately | January Bliss

Hello! How has life been for you after the holiday celebrations? For me, it’s back to work and back to the hustle and bustle of everyday life. There are moments when I find myself longing for the peaceful, slow-paced lifestyle of the province—especially after getting used to it. But of course, we all have responsibilities, and we know that opportunities for stable income can be more limited in rural areas.

Still, despite the challenges, there’s always so much to be grateful for. God continues to provide for our daily needs, and His blessings come in ways we sometimes don’t expect. So even as we dive back into our busy routines, let’s take a moment to appreciate the grace and provision that carry us through each day.

God has truly been good to me and my husband. Despite our busy schedules, we always manage to find time to serve Him. Our work never becomes a hindrance to doing God’s work, and for that, I am deeply grateful.

Now, it’s back to reality after a refreshing two-week vacation in Bacolod. This month, my school celebrated Bible Month, and as part of the activities, I encouraged parents to create DIY Bible character costumes for their children. Of course, I also gave them the option to have their kids wear their PE uniforms if making a costume wasn’t possible. Some parents went all out, and it was wonderful to see students dressed as Angels, Pontius Pilate, Moses, Queen Esther, and Eve!

We also had a fun coloring activity centered on the story of David and Goliath. I took the opportunity to remind my students about David’s unwavering faith—that he faced the giant without fear, fully trusting in God’s power. It was a simple yet meaningful way to teach them that no challenge is too big when we rely on Him.

This month has been filled with so many blessings, and one of the things I’m most grateful for is having more time to bond with my mom. She came over to visit, and we spent a lovely day together at Festival Mall. We started with coffee—one of our favorite things to do—and then wandered around, window shopping and just enjoying each other’s company. We ended up at Nitori, which is like a Japanese version of IKEA. It has a lot of nice home items, but I found most of them a bit pricey, so I only bought the essentials—some ziplocks and kitchen towels. My mom, on the other hand, was drawn to the stuffed toys and ended up buying some! Haha, classic mom moment.

Aside from that, I also helped Teacher Pia with her accreditation reports. I still have a few documents left to print since she needs them soon. I actually don’t mind doing tasks like this—I love being productive and feeling like I’m contributing in some way. There’s something about being busy that gives me energy, and I’m just grateful that God continues to give me the strength to handle everything.

Another highlight of this month was our dental activity at school for my students. This was actually our second session, and the dentist applied fluoride to their teeth again. Some of the kids got really scared and even started crying because they thought their teeth were going to be pulled out! Haha. It made me wonder—why are kids always so terrified of the dentist? It’s such a common fear, but it was also a little funny seeing their reactions. At least now they’re learning about the importance of taking care of their teeth!

I also had a great time catching up with my college friends! They came over to our condo to celebrate Kim’s post-birthday, but to be honest, it was more of an excuse for a mini photoshoot. Haha! Kim wanted new pictures to upload, so we spent time taking lots of shots around the place. But of course, the best part for me was the food! I finally got to try Beyond the Crust pizza, which Kim highly recommended. It’s a mix between a pizza and a burger, and let me tell you—it did not disappoint! The servings were huge, totally worth it.

Another thing that made me really happy was visiting my brother’s new business, 99 Silog, which is located beside City Hall. Seeing him start his own venture made me so proud! This is truly God’s blessing at work. I know how much effort he has put into making this happen, and I’m just excited to see where it goes. Lord, thank You for Your continuous provision and for blessing my brother with this opportunity!

And then, last Sunday, I tried a new restaurant called K-Street, which was recommended by my church friend, Jezelis. We ordered their Samgyeopsal To-Go Overload, and wow—I wasn’t expecting such a generous serving! It was packed with meat and so flavorful. This coming Sunday, I’m definitely convincing my husband again to eat there with me.

Looking back, this month has been filled with so much love and joy. I feel incredibly blessed to be surrounded by people who support and uplift me. Sometimes, we don’t even realize how much of an impact certain people have on us, but I truly believe that God places them in our lives for a reason.

I’ve also had quite a few realizations lately—things I want to reflect on and share, but I think I’ll save that for another blog post. So stay tuned for that! For now, this is all. God bless everyone!

[grandsonoflightike]

New Rebel Angel Leader Appears Chapter 1

David The Writer: Welcome To The First Branders Series which is in Group Of Series 28. It is called "New Rebel Angel Leader Appears". A new Rebel Angel appears and sends Gates Of Souls connected to Random Games Of The BU after the Branders. The Branders decide to deal with these Gates Of Souls. The thing is Light Ike The Light Brands The Gates Of Souls Of This Chapter which is a Super Mario World Connected Gate Of Souls. This is only after being defeated and come back does he Shame, Then Brand, and Make This First Gate Of Souls A Overlord in The Gate Of Souls Community.

Light Mia The Light: Wow that is badass.

Light Knight Captain #1: Yeah but risky.

Light Knight Captain #2: Maybe that is why he does it.

Light Knight Captain #1: It is going to take multiple chapters to get this Super Mario World Connected Gate Of Souls to Overlord.

Dark Sonic The Shadow: That may be the case but we will do it.

Pit Of Light: So we will.

New Rebel Angel Leader: I can't believe the first gates of souls under a overlord go under the first Gate Of Souls with the Overlord being branded.

Endless Pit: So you're the New Rebel Angel Leader?

New Rebel Angel Leader: Yes, my name is revealed in chapter 2.

Light Marth The Light: All Branders Versions Of Characters © tAll3Shyguy On DA, tAll3Shyguy Skull Land on Fan-Fiction/Youtube, @skulkerman on tumblr, tAll3Shyguy_Skull_Land on Archive Of Our Own, DavidTWr On Nintendo Network, or KalligLegacy On Discord. @grandsonoflightike is a side blog of @skulkerman where he creates Branders fictions and roleplays.

David The Writer: Thanks for The Disclaimer, Light Marth The Light. Background song is Hurricane by 30 Seconds To Mars. Now On With The Story.

New Rebel Angel Appears

Chapter 1

The Branders love their new ways of living.  Suddenly Gates of Souls Open Up All Over Writer’s Earth.

“What the-?” Pit of Light Says.

Enemies From All Over the BU Past Games pour out of the Gates Of Souls.

David The Writer says "There is a new Rebel Angel Leader."

Endless Pit says “Then We will just have to take care of these Gates Of Souls and this Rebel Angel Leader.”

David The Writer says “The Rebel Angel Leader Must Live Until Year 300 of this timeline.”

Pit says "So the Writer Family Has Ordered, so it shall be. Let's get to work closing these Gate Of Souls."

Light Ike The Light says "Hmm, I wonder."

They head out. They find the first gate of souls is a Super Mario World Gate Of Souls. They start battling The Minions Around it. Light Ike the Light battles toward the actual Gate of Souls though.

Light Knight Captain #1 says "What Is Light Ike The Light doing?"

Light Ike The Light Jumps up and Lands On The Super Mario World Gate Of Souls to first Shame it.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE WRITERS?!" Light Knight Captain #2 Shouts.

Light Ike The Light then Brands the Super Mario World Gate Of Souls to His Command.

The Rebel Angel named Saezus is seen at his area and says "What has happened?"

On his board of Gate Of Souls, A Sonic '06 Gate Of Souls is seen approaching the Branders to Aid The Super Mario World Gate Of Souls. He Smiles at this.

"This is Bad." Dark Sonic The Shadow says.

Suddenly The Super Mario World Gate Of Souls Challenges The Sonic '06 Gate Of Souls To A Fight and It wins advancing up in the community.

Pit and Saezus Says "What the Satonic?"

A Ludwig minion exits the Gate Of Souls and Bows to Light Ike The Light.

Light Ike The Light Says "Heh, That worked."

TBC…