#and it's like 19" long

[hillbillyoracle]

Now is the Time to Start Masking Again

If you stopped paying attention to COVID with the release of vaccines, you've missed a lot.

COVID is airborne.

Long COVID impacts 10% of people infected by COVID (though this is beginning to look like a low estimate). Risk of Long COVID goes up with each reinfection. Long COVID is worse than initially reported.

Bisexual and trans people are more likely to develop Long COVID.

Black and Hispanic folks are more likely than White folks experience more symptoms and health problems from Long COVID.

***COVID and Long COVID has much more in common with HIV and AIDS than the flu (28:19 - 38:30 of linked video)***

The Basics

[WEBSITE] You Have to Live Your Life

[ZINE] What's Up With COVID and How to Protect Yourself - 2024 Edition

[FAQ] r/ZeroCOVIDCommunity's FAQ and Resource List

"This is great and all but it's overwhelming. TL;DR?"

COVID is airborne. Long COVID is much more common (and serious/debilitating) than previously thought.

Mask with an N95 or better in all indoor spaces and outside when close to others. Improve your indoor air quality by opening windows and using fans/air filters.

Rapid tests are prone to false negatives so make sure to retest in 48 hours after exposure and/or when you develop symptoms. Isolate in the meantime. Consider upgrading to a NAAT (PlusLife, Metrix) or PCR (Lucira) if you have the money.

Things for you to do today:

buy some N95s or request some from a local mask bloc

open a window more often and/or buy an air purifier

buy the best COVID tests you can afford

Basics in Video Form

If you have limited time, watch the videos with * first. They will cover the basics in about 20 minutes.

*VIDEO: COVID is Airborne [2:53]

*VIDEO: What the latest research tells us about long COVID's most common symptoms [5:58]

*VIDEO: FDA warns of false negatives with at home COVID Tests [2:19]

*VIDEO: How to Stay Safe(r) at Home [10:35]

--

VIDEO: The Astounding Physics of N95 Mask [6:08]

VIDEO: Mask Fit 101: Seal [4:07]

VIDEO: Mask Fit 101: Qualitative [3:49]

VIDEO: Mask Fit 102: Quantitative [5:04]

VIDEO: How to get [and give] FREE Masks [6:07]

VIDEO: Try this DIY indoor air purifier for cleaner air [4:22]

VIDEO: Why is EVERYONE more SICK [54:55]

Want to Get Involved?

Join your local Mask Bloc

No local Mask Bloc? Consider starting one

Talk to the people in your life about COVID

Print quality zines and spread them in your communities

Push for COVID Conscious changes in your spaces.

[manichewitz]

sitting in bed rn trying not to cry thinking about how i’ve had long COVID for more than a year and i haven’t gotten it checked out until now bc i didn’t know i really could. i thought i’d have to have it for a year before it counted as “long” but its actually only six weeks. i hate that i didn’t know this—information on COVID is so hard to find lately because its not really in the news anymore, and let’s face it the US ‘moved on’ from the pandemic and informing people about the dangers of COVID way too quickly anyway. i know it’s not really my fault but it still sucks.

so anyways if you’re still feeling sick a month or more after getting COVID, go to a doctor. don’t be like me

[misanthropicgardener]

i feel like the thing that really gets to me personally about chara undertale specifically is that at the heart of the story, everything is happening because they were just so loved and nobody (except flowey/asriel) knows about why they died.

toriel visits their grave often, and has never really recovered from losing her children. she took their body and carried it all the way back to the ruins. considering monster customs, this is probably the first time she had ever actually buried someone. it’s grim, but it was out of love.

asgore essentially carries out the remainder of their plan, despite never knowing that there was a plan. he declares war on humanity in the name of both of his children. he has golden flowers everywhere, which only started growing after their death.

literally just. everything about flowey. flowey is the core driving force of the plot, and everything he does essentially comes down go being about his trauma and his grief. this should probably be an entirely separate post

AND ALSO the golden flowers are everywhere and so indicative of them and the grief surrounding that. toriel tries to move on, so you don’t really see many in her home but she visits the grave. asgore has them everywhere and when you get to the throne room, its covered. flowey just straight up IS a golden flower.

the other thing that is interesting is that nobody except flowey (and technically alphys) knows why or how they died. and honestly? it does not really matter. knowing wouldn’t change anything. they’re dead either way. asriel had to carry the burden of that knowledge alone, which is another separate post.

but Yes anyways this is getting Long but the point is that it just makes me insane that chara was just so so loved. it didn’t matter that they were troubled or came from a bad situation, it didn’t matter that maybe they “weren’t the greatest person” or anything. they had a place they belonged, they had it really good for a while and they couldn’t handle that but they were very loved and that is the heart and driving force of the story and i

[faynthearted]

is this a safe space? because I need to have a (positive) rant but I might seem a bit unhinged in the process

but please, for the love of god, if you're a tianshan and/or He brothers fan and you're dying from the lack of 19 days content lately, let me put you on to something.

I've been trying not to talk about it because this show is a guilty (and nostalgic) pleasure of mine, but for the last week or two I've been obsessively rewatching teenage mutant ninja turtles (2012)

HEAR ME OUT. 🫵🏼

it's a nickelodeon show, yes, I know, but please. hear me out before you make a face, lol!

tmnt is one of those shows that had an established fanbase before its release so not only is the quality of the animation excellent, but the voice actors and writers do such an amazing job. the plot is well-planned and intentional, the show gets notably better as it goes on because of its growing success with its audience (it gets very obvious budget increases for each season lol), and the relationships. oh my god the characters' relationships. they're so top tier.

if you know me from my tianshan fics, you know that I'm obsessed with strained, resentful, angsty relationships that slowly improve as the characters learn to trust each other while experiencing strife and mutual trauma. it's practically the foundation of tianshan, and it's also the definition of the brother-brother relationship between raphael and leonardo in tmnt. and it's so fucking delicious every single time.

I don't want to spoil too much in case anyone actually reads this post and decides to watch tmnt for the first time, but basically at the beginning of the show (and in all other adaptations of tmnt, as far as I'm aware) raphael resents the fact that leonardo is made the leader of their team. they butt heads all the time, they can never agree, raph is a stubborn/reckless hothead and leo is (occasionally) an insufferable, self-righteous golden child in their family. they’re literally red vs blue — their dynamic could not be more oppositional.

but at the same time, they're each other's right-hand man??? it's complicated. as the two oldest(?) siblings in the family (as well as the most skilled siblings), they kinda need each other and they hate that they do — at least raph does. and for a while, their relationship goes up and down over and over again until bam — ✨trauma✨. and I won't spoil what the trauma is. but it's so fucking delicious. the cinematography and voice acting of certain scenes in the season finales keep me up at night

for a nickelodeon show, I'm impressed by the depth of the plot and characters. it's very reminiscent of the complexity of atla's plot and characters. and yes, I've only mentioned raph & leo's relationship so far, but that's only because I tend to hyperfixate on two characters in every fandom I'm in, lol. but all the characters are so meaningful and the brothers' relationships with each other make me want to slam my head against concrete because it makes me feel so much. especially raphael and michelangelo's relationship, too. iykyk.

the show is so silly but also so angsty and also so stupid but also so sincere. the vibes really do remind me of 19 days in so many ways. the boys in tmnt are 15 years old, much like the boys in 19 days. michaelangelo is basically jian yi and raphael is basically guan shan. leonardo is kinda like zheng xi, if zheng xi was more assertive and expressive. but no one's like he tian, lol. sorry. he's a beast of his own. (unless, maybe, another character named karai is comparable to him? you tell me).

anyway. whatever the voice actors, writers, and animators were getting paid throughout the show's production wasn't fucking enough. there was clearly so much heart put into the show because tmnt has been a beloved franchise for a long time and nickelodeon was not messing around when they decided to take it on.

another bonus point is that the episodes are only 20ish minutes long, there are 20+ episodes in every season, there are 5 seasons, and the show is completed. you won't be left on a cliff hanger. you can binge to your heart's content like I've been doing. and usually the season finale episodes are longer than the normal ones (they're split into two parts), which always means shit goes down. god it's so fantastic.

if you decide to watch tmnt and know nothing about it, I recommend you do not seek out spoilers. because there are many spoilers and plot twists. push through the cringe and silly moments (much like we sometimes have to do with 19 days lol) and eventually you'll get to the heart of the characters/plot. and my god, it's so worth it!

tmnt was the first fandom I ever wrote fanfic for, over a decade ago. I was watching it as episodes were being actively released on a weekly basis. and it's been so long since I've touched the tmnt fandom, so it feels like I'm watching the show for the first time again. I only have vague memories of significant plot points/scenes, so it's been such a ride to slowly remember how everything plays out. and I'm kicking myself for not rewatching tmnt sooner, because I clearly forgot how special it was to me at a certain point in my life!

the show is so feel-good and relaxing (but it does have its stressful moments, don't get me wrong). if you've got time to spare, give it a shot and let me know what you think! I'm only at the beginning of season 3, so I'm still working through the episodes myself! :)

if you want to know where you can watch it for free, DM me! <3

[anghraine]

It feels weird and almost trivial to complain about what I'm not sure even merits the term long COVID, but still kind of sucks. I don't seem to have any direct symptoms of COVID itself anymore—even the final lingering symptoms of getting very easily tired and struggling with exertion and lying down have pretty much gone away.

But.

After my mid-twenties, my very severe childhood asthma pretty much stabilized. I only really needed a rescue inhaler for (quite infrequent) emergencies, and low-dosage Advair or Wixela during the summers. Smoke from PNW wildfires along with my allergies to basically all organic life aggravate my asthma enough to call for maintenance medication for a couple of months out of the year, and even that was usually just to bring me from "less than ideal but manageable" symptoms to "feeling completely fine" except a couple times when the fires were really bad. This is over ten years of mostly not needing any medication outside of specific predictable occasions.

AFAIK I only got COVID for the first time last August (less surprising than it may seem because of how incredibly secluded I was during that time). It sucked in its own right, but also hit my asthma like a truck. Eventually everything seemed to get better except the asthma. It's not even that bad—if I take my Wixela and loratadine, I'm usually fine. I'd just gotten used to feeling okay without a daily asthma regimen most of the time, rather than feeling like I'm being struck down by the gods for hubris if I don't take it morning and night.

I know I'm lucky that I have access to medication that can control it. I had really good graduate student insurance before I graduated, and decided to get my money out of it by ordering as much as I could of any prescription I might conceivably need and which the student health doctors would authorize. So I ended up getting a good supply of Wixela, albuterol, nebulizer medications, etc even though I didn't expect I'd actually need them. I'm really glad I did that now, but ... I'd gotten used to not needing them at all in autumn (the best season for me!), and now it's a little scary that my breathing gets so bad without them, even if I don't go outside or encounter triggers beyond "I had COVID two months ago."

0/10, would not recommend >_>

[epersonae]

I got tagged by @piratecaptainscaptainpirates to share my favorite fics, and I think everything that's in my pinned post is probably a favorite, but this is what came to mind when I thought about that question:

I think I spit on your grave is one of the most cathartic things I've ever written, it was a scene I needed desperately to exist. There's a reason it was the first thing I wrote after breaking my leg, when I was just barely getting back my writing energy.

Commit to the Bit is my OFMD-flavored love letter to Ryn and their proposal and our wedding. It's very important to me.

I still love one of my very first OFMD fic: I have begun to long for you, a "mutiny against Izzy succeeds" canon-divergence AU. I think it plays out in a way that works with canon, and also I put a lot of grief experience into it.

And then there's the Stede POV canon retelling that took forever and had so much process to write: Hungry for love, ready to drown. Many of the things that I've seen addressed as metas come up in this fic as story, and many of the metas I read in the course of writing are folded into it as well.

I was going to say "outside of OFMD" about this one, but BOY THAT'S PART OF THE WHOLE THING ABOUT IT: for the benefit of all the broken hearts is still as far as I'm concerned the best thing I've written in any medium for any reason.

And then actually outside of OFMD, if you are a TAZ person, allow me to point you to my and Ryn's masterwork The Reckoning Arrives. It is a post-canon adventure in which Lucretia, Taako, Merle, and Carey find Kalen. It is both personally extremely meaningful (basically how I got myself out of my first marriage) and also I think a damn good story.

I'm gonna tag a few people, no pressure but would love to hype y'all's writing, even/especially if it's from a while ago: @oatmilktruther, @emi--rose, @chaotic-neutral-knitter, @mxmollusca, @yerbamansa

[kacievvbbbb]

Idk why I find the fact Mihawk writes Y/N Reader inserts so funny but so true and I have reader inserts blocked on here like I hate them but oh my god so in character for him.

And he does not give a shit. Absolutely go king and getting fantasy dicked down by all the hot guys in one piece world I support! Also him being a sengoku shipper iconic. I was say maybe he thinks about Kuzan but I think he’s out off by his general laziness and apathy and not in a fun apathetic way like Barsolino in a depression way. ( he’s looking in a mirror and does not like it.) but if he learns Dragon used to be a marine and friends with Akainu he’s making the most toxic relationship of them friends to enemies to nemesis type shit.

He’ll write a new book and it will be a sensation and no matter the fact he changed the names everyone with a brain cell will be able to figure out who it’s about.

Sorry this took so long to reply! but

YES YES YES!!! I don't really like self insert stuff either but it's so in-character for him I'm so obsessed.

And yeah it really is just the adventures of reader as they travel across the grand line getting dicked down is definitely one of his most beloved and acclaimed series. Shanks goes hot and cold on that series a lot because while the idea of watching mihawk getting dicked down by another man is very hot Shanks is also a jealous man and he is very jealous of these "fictional" men. He tries to find out if mihawk has ever fucked any of them in real life and maybe 👀.

Also yeah I just threw in the marine thing because I thought it was funny but I'm glad it stuck out! 😂. I don't think he self ships with any of the marines (maybe in his GILF era sengoku or fujitoro) I think because none of the really strong marines appeal to him but he would fuck smoker if he was stronger. and just because I remembered dude and I think it would be so funny imagine if his only self x marine ship is with Ryokugyu (the tree admiral) I think he'd hate him in life but he's not blind. I think this realllllly pisses shanks off because he does not like him and honestly its a bit of a snake eating his own tail because a lot of the reason he doesn't like him is because of Mihawk's fanfiction of him.

I think Mihawk's natural reaction (mostly because it's mine) is to ship Sengoku with Garp but he hates Garp and even the thought of picturing him in that way is enough to make him want to pour his ears to bleach his brain. I think it be funny if during one of his lackadaisical checking out marine headquarters rooms (because realistically who is going to stop him) he stumbles upon and old picture of Garp Sengoku and Tsuru when they were young and he is very intrigued by thetwo hot young men then he notices that one of them is Garp and he almost throws up, the thought wont leave him alone tho.

Also yes i don't think Mihawk actually knows dragon but he has definitely heard of him and being Garps son is enough cause for pettitness in his eyes. Dragon's identity is a little harder to parse out I the books but Akainu's is so fucking obvious. And it is a loved and well-cherished series. Anytime that Mihawk attends a warlord meeting or just genuinely has an unpleasant interaction with akainu (which is every interaction) he puts pen to paper. It'd be funny if this was the most "tame" series though more focused on the fictional romace which confuses dragon and pisses akainu off even more because what? do they think he can't take it? and mihawk is very pleased with himself. he drops a new edition right before he goes to any warlord meeting so he can watch akainu seethe in real time as the new talk of the town takes root (this series specifically is very popular in marine towns)

as for the real life identities. I think he definitely makes it a bit hard not to protect anyone. Still, because he thinks it's fun to make people guess and adds to the mystery so there is definitely a fan club (which Shanks leads) dedicated to putting the clues together on just who all the different men are (shanks needs this for....research purposes 👀) some of them are obvious if you're in the know like the Benn ones or Crocodile while others are just plain obvious because the Red Haired Emperor is definitely shanks like if you know shanks you know its him there is only two people with hair that red. It's not kidd( it does give both kidd and shanks a bit of a reputation of some islands because his book counterpart is infinitely more dashing and "masculine" that shanks' bum and kid's manica energies) and I think he makes the Akianu ones very obvious to anybody that literally even if you've just ever heard of him you know its him just to fuck with him.

[bestworstcase]

looks up. i regret to inform you all that i’ve seen another post today. the faunus woman who led vacuo during the great war was not a queen and almost certainly not of royal descent as the asturias family claims to be: it is stated repeatedly in the CFVY novels that the last time vacuo had any kings or queens was centuries ago and that very little of the historical record has been preserved (with 9.11 reiterating the novels’ point that this is a consequence of colonial occupation in the intervening centuries).

and from the world of remnant episodes pertaining to vacuo and the great war, we know that modern-day vacuo did not have a formal government until after the great war; it was not a state, it was an occupied territory under mistrali control. the faunus woman who led vacuo’s forces was the leader of the vacuan movement for independent statehood and likely became a member of the ruling council established after the war—which is now defunct and has been de facto replaced by shade academy.

please. BLEASE. the great war began about ninety years ago it has not even been a century. the vacuan monarchy is “ancient history.” finn talks about his mother—who would have been a contemporary of nicholas schnee, who was born right after the great war—and her mother, who would have lived through the great war, and his grandmother’s father, and his grandmother’s grandfather, and his grandmother’s grandfather’s mother. rumpole—who is an actual historian—flat out states that it was so long ago, and war and colonization so thoroughly degraded the historical record, that all that remains is legends and uncertain guesswork.

the asturiases having no blood relation to the faunus woman who led vacuo in the great war doesn’t prove or disprove anything because even if she did style herself a queen and claim royal descent the vacuan monarchy ended so long ago that her claim would have been unverifiable mythmaking too.

[goliig68]

19 days fic rec pt.2

Making pt.2 cuz I couldn't add all of my favourite fics here( again, with no particular order )

Mark My Love by ria_green

( E | 12,525 | 9/? )

He Tian gently holds Mo Guanshan by the neck, thumb pressing into where a bond bite might one day appear.

Shivering, Mo Guanshan shoves him away. "Go do that with an omega, idiot."

Note: a funny omegaverse story. Don't let the omegaverse title put you off it's seriously very funny and cute. I love the interactions between guan shan and jian yi😂 he tian and zhen xi too! I swear they all have weirdest dynamics!

*

It will come back by mgsdays (regencyaus)

( E | 44,417 | 12/12 )

He Tian leaving on self-protection, after Jian Yi's disappearance, makes Mo scared enough to make a move. They stumble into something together just as He Tian leaves the country, and they have to figure things out long-distance while waiting for He Tian to come back.

--

Mo's known the gist of it since the dawn of his puberty. Water's wet, sky is blue, Mo's sexual desires are intertwined with his complicated feelings for He Tian. Big deal.

But the reality of it is- something else. This is something else entirely.

Did you miss me? – H

Barely noticed. - MGS

...did you? - MGS

Every minute of every day. - H

How the fuck does He Tian just say those things? Doesn't he feel embarrassed? Mo thinks he's feeling embarrassed for him, and he didn't even write it. He stares at the words until his phone light goes out, and then he turns it on again and stares some more.

Note: an amazing reunion au. I think author did a great job at handling tianshan's long-distance relationship and all of that mafia stuff. I think this fic has to be In everyone's "to read" list👌

*

nothing fucks with my baby by figglypudding

( E | 23,897 | 3/3 )

unexpectedly, and in the most unlikely of places, mo stumbles upon a reunion he'd long given up on.

but how can he heal when he's only just begun to acknowledge the hurt?

Note: another reunion au. But angstier and so much sadder😭 but it's happy ending, so all of that sadness was worth going through.

*

swimming in the blood by powerandpathos

( M | 29,455 | 1/1 )

Guan Shan’s nose wrinkles. ‘I sing like I mean it. I don’t sing it ‘cause I want everyone else to hear. That’s Jian Yi’s thing.’

’And what’s your thing?’

He Tian holds his gaze. Street lamps and car headlights are mirrored in the amber surface of Guan Shan’s eyes, and He Tian can see his own shadowed silhouette in his irises, a blocky shape of darkness with no detail. For some reason, that bothers him.

‘Still figurin’ that out,’ Guan Shan says.

Note: rock band au. Sex, drama and rock 'n roll. No drugs lol. This fic in in my top 10 favourite 19 days fics, And it is so underrated!! Go read it, it's truly wonderful!

*

nail House by powerandpathos

( M | 13,309 | 1/1 )

‘God,’ Guan Shan mutters. He pushes himself up onto his elbows. His thighs are still trembling, and he rolls his ankles. ‘You fuckin’ love control, don’t you?’

He Tian sits back on his haunches. ‘Have you seen my family?’

‘I don’t wanna talk about your family right now.’ Guan Shan huffs. ‘Bet you can’t fuckin’ stand that I have to drive you about, right?’

‘I got used to it. It’s a shame the car isn’t a manual. I’ve enjoyed seeing your hand around the gear stick.’

Note: Triad au/driver!Guan shan. One of my favourite aus! I really enjoyed reading it, so I read it 3 more time.

*

hook, line, and sinker by fayre

( Gen | 3,673 | 1/1 )

“So everything that happened,” Guan Shan says, trying and failing to keep a steady tone, “The shopping, the barbeque — everything was just because you didn’t want to go home alone? That's pretty damn convoluted if you ask me.”

He Tian huffs, amused. “Not exactly. I had nothing planned; no expectations. I just wanted to be with you.”

a post-chapter 292 drabble (the day after the BBQ/sleepover at the He family estate.)

Note: i loved all of the calm feelings I got from this fic. The descriptions of atmosphere and everything around them was so detailed that I literally could feel them too. It was very gentle and pure you know?

*

allergy season by fayre

( T | 6,506 | 1/1 )

“You know, they say that sneezing a lot means you’re on someone’s mind.”

“Yeah?” Guan Shan says a bit drily, sniffing hard. “Then what a fuckin’ shame.”

He Tian watches him. “For you?”

“For the bastard unfortunate enough to have gotten me on their mind,” Guan Shan answers, walking again. He hates how nasally and gross his voice sounds, and the back of his throat feels sore. “If someone’s thinkin’ of me this fuckin’ much, it can’t be good news for either of us. Trust me.”

“Ah,” He Tian says, and then nothing more.

a post-chapter 348 oneshot (the He Tian & dog chapter).

Note: man...i remember reading this fic hoping that one day, we get a love confession and kiss scene between he tian and guan shan (and now we fucking have it)

*

Knee high, stage fright (even if you're alright) by fayre

( Gen | 5,383 | 1/1 )

It’s no longer about what He Tian thinks; it’s about what he knows. And he knows Guan Shan — at least on a foundational level — and he knows how Guan Shan doesn’t just ask when he needs. He knows how Guan Shan doesn’t talk but doesn’t listen, either. He knows that Guan Shan doesn’t always think rationally but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t think, and he knows how his body goes on autopilot before his thoughts cause him to malfunction and crash and burn.

He knows.

After all, it's the little things that add up. He Tian can only pray that they won't come crashing back down.

(or: no matter how hard he may try, guan shan can't hide all his problems. fluff ensues.)

Note: a soft and cute tianshan oneshot, with a little bit of angst but it's mostly fluff. I loved the ending, it melted my heart and brought smile to my lips🫠❤

*

singing in red by starlightstarshine

( T | 27,204 | 6/6 )

In which He Tian is the bassist for the most popular band in the world and Guan Shan is only doing modelling so that he could get enough money to pay for his next meal (based on that art by Old Xian).

Note: I love the fics where guan is head over heels for He tian haha😆

*

Tell Me On A Sunday by Llybian

( T | 1,501 | 1/1 )

He’d begun, with great difficulty, to accept all of this in his heart. But he still could do nothing. What was he supposed to do? Confess his feelings like a pathetic little schoolgirl? Not a chance.

But then again, what did he really suppose would happen if he told He Tian he “liked” him? Well, the world would end, for one. That was just a given. But beyond that, they’d probably just make out. There was really no chance of He Tian shooting him down or saying this was all just some long con.

Despite that. He just couldn’t.

Note: I think by summary everyone can get a brief foresight that what this fic is about. In my opinion, this fic is very real and in character.

*

Bites by Asfodel

( M | 24,263 | 7/? )

Turning to look at the black sky, he let his mind wander to a place he tried not to visit too often. To the last words Guan Shan heard He Tian say in that dim corridor.

« I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I love you, I’ll fix it, I’m sorry. »

Like a mantra.

or a rewrite of their reunion a few years after high school, basically disregarding the Christmas chapters. Side of ZhengYi, angsty but with a healthy dose of fluff, tags will be updated as the story goes.

Note: reunion au. It's such a beautiful but heartbreaking story. I love author's writing style, it captures feelings perfectly👌

*

A dog by Alien_Kitsune

( E | 50,000 | 10/10 )

Mo Guanshan and He Tian didn't meet in the school and each went his own way. Several years passed and Mo became a criminal. But on the verge of death destiny surprises him.

Two broken men who are still trying to find themselves in this world were always fated to find each other.

Note: mafia au. Thanks to @maruuzen for recommending me this fic!❤ I really loved the process of tianshan's relationship development. I'm sure that's how their relationship would go if they didn't meet at middle school, and/or he tian joined his family business, just like how it's stated in fic, fate brought them together. also it's angsty (of course) so be warned.

*

Dawn Rising by powerandpathos

( E | 78,968 | 13/? )

An Historical Fantasy AU—A poisoning; a death; a thief. A prince struggling to be a prince. A guard trying to stop one from getting killed. And everyone else on the sidelines. It has never been so hard to navigate the court of an empire when not everyone can survive.

Note: my favourite historical fantasy au, the plot, the drama, the characters it's just_ugh👌💞 unfortunately, this fic is probably abandoned, but don't let that stop you from reading it, even though it's unfinished, I think this fic is still amazing.

*

Cold On The Inside by incorrect19days

( E | 4,879 | 6/6 )

‘Look at me.’

He Tian instructed softly.

He took a deep shuddering breath and opened his eyes.

Note: a short and oh-so-beautiful story. It's a little bit sad but it's happy end, or hopeful ending better to say.

[roseworth]

hi tumblr user roseworth im desperately trying to figure out how old rose and eddie were by the end of their tenures in tt03 / how long they knew each other and it is... difficult especially because sooo much happened dc-event-wise during tt03. do you have any canon sources or noncanon thoughts on their ages beyond eddie being 17 in part of tt03 and rose being 14(?) when lilli dies ^_^

hiiiiii <3 unfortunately i dont have a great answer for this bc. comic timelines. but ill do my very best

so for rose the only time we get anything about her age in tt03 is in issue #0.5 (when she gets taken by slade) when it says that lili and slade met 18 years ago

so i assume that makes rose ~17 when she join slade (since lili would've been pregnant for 9 months after this)

we also get this panel saying that lili died 18 months before rose joins slade, putting her at around 15 or 16 when lili dies. iirc she was 14 when wintergreen sees her for the first time, so we can assume a year went by between wintergreen meeting lili and lili's death (if tt03 is to be believed! but deathstroke 1991 (annual #4) mentions that shes 14 when her mom dies)

anyways this also means that roy hired her as a live-in nanny when she was 16 years old which is really funny to me. but none of that matters; point is she was 17ish at the start of tt03

this is just my personal headcanon but i assume that the time between titans/yj graduation day -> infinite crisis is around a year, and if rose joins up with slade a little after graduation day then shes with him for just under a year

HOWEVER if we go by what slade says in nightwing #112, rose has only been with him for a few months

so based on that, rose is 17 (probably closer to 18) when she leaves slade

then infinite crisis happens and we skip to a year later! so shes 18/19 now. we dont get any specifics on her age but just for funsies we can assume that shes at least 18 since shes smoking and cyborg doesnt have a problem with it (he confiscates her alcohol but not her cigarettes), and the tobacco age in california in 2006 was 18

THEN it gets complicated. i dont have a source for this but i think theres supposed to be a year between oyl -> final crisis, making rose 19/20 by fresh hell (the secret reason she got kicked off the teen titans was because she wasnt a teen #adulthood)

also in fresh hell, she orders alcohol at a bar in canada (in the northwest territories where the drinking age is 19) so theoretically that makes her at least 19. though she never actually gets the drinks because she gets in a fight 2 seconds after this so she doesnt get carded so who knows!

from there. i dont have much. i assume that a full year doesnt go by from fresh hell to the end of the universe (if anyone knows how long bart & kon were dead for that might change things, but i assume we're not given any exact info on how long it was), so i would put rose at ~20 right before the new 52 happens!!

as for eddie, ill use the same tt03 timeline that i used for rose

like you mentioned, hes 17 in tt03 #42 (for reference rose is 18/19 at this time)

he didnt join the teen titans that long before this, we see him asking to join in 52 #51, which is like a week or two before tt03 #34 (the first tt issue after oyl) so its safe to assume that eddie is 17 when he joins the team

anyways after #42, i dont think we get any mention of his age? which is honestly kinda weird since his age is Very Important given that hes selling his soul to neron at 20. we should have an eddie's age tracker at all times

if we assume that hes 17 when he joins the teen titans and oyl -> final crisis is 1 year, then hes right around 18 or 19 when he dies

when he loses his powers then tries to make another contract to get them back in tt03 #68, kid eternity mentions that he'd have "a few years of superheroing," so him being 18 around this time makes sense

then he dies in #74 </3 no mention of his age anywhere but id say hes right around 18 when he dies

take all of this with a grain of salt bc a lot of this is just me making up timelines. but i personally think rose is 15 when her mom dies, 17 when slade takes her, 18 when she leaves slade, and 19 as of tt03 #34 (oyl). and eddie is 17 when he joins the team and 18 when he dies!

[jmflowers]

From a filmmaking standpoint do you think Greys is better than Station 19? You can split greys up into the first 10 seasons if you want because 20 years is a lot lol. I liked Station better in the first 3 years when it started compared to Greys at the time, but the first 11 seasons of Grace are so much more compelling to me than Station 19 overall from a writing and acting standpoint. But I always wanted to know what someone in the industry thought 

I meant to answer this like a week ago, and thus had to scroll soooooo far to re-find the posts I've made in the past talking about Grey's Anatomy and Station 19 from a 'film standpoint'.

A previous post about my opinion on the differences between the productions from a technical standpoint can be found here. My answer to an ask about whether Grey's will ever end is here. And, my thoughts on the changes in Station from season 1/2 to 3 are here.

Onto your question... is one better than the other? God, art is so subjective (and TV is art) so I'm very, very glad you asked for my answer to this from a film-making standpoint.

Grey's has survived as long as it has because the formula is so solid. The sets are consistent and always will be. There aren't a lot of really elaborate stunts, save for a couple of big episodes every season. A large amount of the actors held on for a really long time (in production years), garnering a lot of love from fans. Like, it came into the world at the precise right time to be really, really successful, and it has maintained the quality without needing to have the massive production budget that we're seeing in many other shows these days.

Station, on the other hand, was birthed as a spin-off. That, in itself, is a challenge: it was forced to draw viewers from Grey's with its connection while also trying to be somewhat of a standalone in its own right. We've all talked about how that changed things from season 1/2 to 3, when it swapped showrunner hands. The formula altered at that time and it wasn't necessarily for the better.

What made Grey's strong in the beginning was the love story of Meredith and Derek. Say what you will about that relationship, it was the heart of the show. And a lot of shows from that era had that precise concoction that pulled fans back in: the desire to see the characters they loved, who loved each other, finally end up together.

I think where Station faltered is... they never had that. There was never a core relationship that you were rooting for, because the show was centred around Ben starting a new career, and him and Miranda Bailey were already together. Sure, we ended up with great couples like Maya and Carina, who were ultimately endgame, but if the arc of the series had been Jack trying to win Andy back after her rebuttal of his proposal in the pilot, or Ryan and Andy finally falling in love and being together... it would've been a very different show.

Grey's was able to hook an audience from the get-go with fans rooting for Meredith. And she stuck it out for so, so long that I think many fans, at this point, will remain for eternity out of loyalty to her. (Even if a lot did jump ship when (spoilers!) Derek died. Just as plenty stopped watching when various other characters were offed.) Her longevity, and the longevity of so many of the other original characters, is a really defining factor of the show's success.

And sure, Station had probably an equivalent number of deaths in their time as Grey's did from their core cast... but they occurred so much earlier in the show's run. It was season two that we were watching Vic's great love story, only for Chief Ripley to be dead just a few episodes later. Grey's had similar with Denny, also in season two, but the first core character death on Grey's was George in the premiere of season six. (And then like 10 million more characters by the end of that season...) The first core character death on Station 19? Ryan Tanner in season three. There were two more deaths that season, too, one of which was Captain Pruitt Herrera. Just imagine how different Grey's would feel if one of the core 5 from the pilot had been dead by season three. There would've been riots in the street.

In so many ways, Station 19 was doomed from the start. Just from a cost standpoint, fire on a set is expensive to do. And ultimately, that would've been a huge factor in cancelling it. They needed elaborate stunts to continue being viable to audiences and there is no network on earth that wants to throw as much money at a production as they need to function. Especially in this day and age.

Grey's has always been the spark that lit a fire. Shonda Rhimes knew from the get-go what she wanted and the show being entrusted to her showrunning until 2015 is what made it what it is. Honestly, I think it's really important to have the creator of a piece stay on it as long as possible. (Just look at Gilmore Girls and how it faltered when they tried to function without Amy Sherman-Palladino.) Shonda birthed something that was extremely viable, that was relatively cheap to make, that was easy to consume and love, and which had the space within itself to grow and evolve as the times did.

And if you want to see for yourself how solid Shonda's voice was from the very beginning, have a look at the pilot script of Grey's and compare it to literally any other pilot script. The first scene of any show should set the entire thing up - and like I said above, the heart of it has always been Meredith and Derek. Grey's Anatomy set that stage from the get-go and it's tight, it's compelling, and it works.

There may never again be anything quite like Grey's.

[blametheeditor]

Day 19 | Out Of Reach

Gt July Prompt List

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When stranded on an uncharted underwater planet, alone and surrounded by hostile lifeforms, there are only two possible outcomes: adapt and survive, or die trying.

Spoilers: For the game Subnautica

Content Warnings: Mentions of death and violence. Mentions of drowning and suffocation. Mentions and thoughts of isolation. Darker themes.

________________________

A soft 'wow' has Fritz jumping in surprise, turning to see Scott giving an apologetic smile from where he stands on the ladder leading up to the designated locker room. 

The man then gestures at every inch of the walls covered in lockers. "I'm impressed."

Fritz can't help straightening up from the praise. Not that he doesn't appreciate it when David makes a similar comment when a newly fabricated item is presented. It still amazes him that anyone, none the less someone so massive would ever be interested in what he's doing. If anything, it means more when the leviathan demands to see what's being done, because he doesn't know why it's important or understand all the words being said. But he still asks. 

Coming from someone who knows exactly what it means to have this much material on hand, though? Who knows he wouldn't have the blueprints on hand for everything in this seabase and needed to work for it? It gives him a boost of confidence. That he's accomplished things someone with a higher ranking appreciates. 

And, he has to admit, he was a little worried Scott would be someone who only saw him as a teenager to be ordered around. Maybe even become angry a kid who doesn't know what he's doing got hold of information he shouldn't have in the first place. Being commended rather than scolded tells him the man is nothing like his manager on the Aurora. 

"I can't take all the credit," Fritz grins. "Vincent helped me stockpile a ton of quartz and titanium." 

Scott gives an unhappy look at the mention of the purple leviathan. "You deserve the credit. Especially for getting a leviathan to help you." 

Fritz beams from the words. "His favorite fish is hoopfish, by the way, if you ever need to ask him for a favor." 

"Never going to happen," Scott huffs. 

That makes the teenager crumble a little, the confirmation Vincent left a bad first impression on the man. Which he's not blaming anyone for! He's well aware how terrifying being chased down can be. And even though the leviathan could've clarified things a little more, it'd be hard to convince someone you're not going to hurt them in that kind of situation. 

At least Scott doesn't seem too upset. His annoyance vanishes as Fritz walks toward the ladder with titanium in hand, even offers to take them after he climbed down so the teenager can follow without issues. 

Once they're both standing in the dedicated 'work' room, Fritz takes the rocks back after selecting the blueprint for a coffee machine. Watches with fascination as it seemingly materializes from thin air onto the wall. 

Grins up at Scott, only to see a scowl on the man’s face. “What’s wrong?” 

“It’s decaffeinated.” 

Oh. He hadn’t thought to check what kind of blueprints he was scanning. Now he’s worried he missed other fragments thinking he got them all. At least when it comes to ‘unnecessary’ additions. 

Scott suddenly holds his hand out. “Mind if I borrow the habitat builder?” 

Fritz immediately passes the tool over. Watches at it registers to the other’s PDA, staring at the long list of options available to be chosen. Before he can offer to grab the needed materials, the lackluster machine is deconstructed, and in it’s place a larger one appears. 

“Do you have every blueprint?” he asks. 

“I do, actually.” The habitat builder’s given a look before Scott takes out his own PDA, unlocking it before offering it to be taken. “Want to take a look?” 

Fritz takes the tablet automatically, seamlessly falling back into his habits on the Aurora when he took whatever was handed to him. He stares down at the screen for a moment when it fully registers what just happened. Looks up at Scott with panic at having full access, staring at the fact the man had walked away. Just like that. Trusting him to navigate through potential sensitive information without supervision. 

“What did you do?” 

David’s voice scares both of them, Scott cursing when he nearly spills the hot drink in his hand. He then sends a scathing glare up at the leviathan watching them through the windows, earning a surprised look before it turns into one of amusement. 

“Did you forget about us?” 

“Why does an overgrown fish just invite himself to join in our conversation.” 

Fritz hesitates as David tilts his head in a silent request for a translation, not really wanting to give an answer. “Um-m, what do you mean what did I do?” 

The leviathan huffs to state he’ll allow a fight to be avoided just this once. “You look like you did something.” 

“Oh! Scott just let me look at his PDA,” the teenager explains, tapping on said tablet as he lifts it up to show. “Surprised me.” 

“Do humans not usually share?” 

“Depends,” Vincent pipes up from further away. Thankfully he doesn’t make Scott jump again. “Some are ‘stingy’ and ‘selfish’. Like you.” 

“I am not.” 

“You rarely share the ship.” 

“You don’t deserve a turn with it.” 

“So this is a normal occurrence,” Scott grumbles under his breath. 

That’s when Fritz slowly realizes it’s going to be a while before everyone gets used to each other. The fights between Vincent and David. There being the possibility of leviathans joining conversations. The guarantee they’ll be watched as they move through the seabase. He’s not looking forward to the arguments that could possibly start between Scott and David, maybe even Vincent. 

Fritz opens his mouth to say something, hesitating at the man looking out a window void of leviathans, silently staring out at the calm water. Decides he’ll offer a quite place to sit where eyes as big as their head can’t watch. 

Instead, he starts tapping at the PDA. Pauses at the sight of an empty database regarding local fauna and flora, making a note to share his own tablet later. Switches over to the available blueprints, his eyes growing wide at the options. 

Modifications for the seamoth, modifications for a cyclops. There’s even a thermal reactor and a scanner room. That would make finding materials so much easier! He almost forgot the Aurora had that technology. Especially because that was his favorite part, being able to interact with the maps of the solar system. 

...what’s a growbed? 

“What’s a growbed?” he asks before he can remember he was trying to give Scott time to himself. 

The man doesn’t seem upset at Fritz interrupting him. In fact, he looks more joyful than anything. “I completely forgot about that. Do you have the material for it on hand?” 

Fritz clicks on the unfamiliar item to see it’s only two titanium. “I’ve got enough to make more than twenty.” 

Scott grins. “Mind if we make two?” 

The teenager shakes his head. Hands the PDA back before climbing back up to the locker room and grabbing a handful of titanium to toss into his pack, keeping eight in hand as he returns. Passes them over to Scott. 

“Do you have a room you’re not using?” 

Fritz points toward the opposite wall. “Down that ladder is an empty room.” 

He doesn’t say it’s because it’s against the cliff, the windows perfect for seeing if Vincent or David are swimming through the open water, but he can never stay for more than a few minutes. Hopefully it can work for whatever Scott’s trying to do. 

They climb down into the empty room, Fritz trying to stay as far from the windows as possible. Focusing on the man flipping through the options with the habitat builder instead of the fact there’s nothing but open water directly beneath them. 

Two squares materialize next to each other. Scott then kneels down in front of them as he takes off his own pack. Searches until he pulls out- 

“Is that a plant?” Fritz breathes, kneeling down beside the man before he realized what he was doing. His fear of accidentally annoying Scott turns into shock as it’s immediately offered. Finds himself holding delicate leaves growing from a purple seed. 

...no, not a seed. He’s holding some kind of root. 

“It’s a potato,” Scott explains as he pulls out an almost identical one. Proceeds to carefully burry it in the dirt synthesized for the growbed. “I also have fruit we can plant. By this time tomorrow, we’ll have our own reliable food source.” 

A memory of watching someone cook surges forward. The one person who didn’t mind when he asked questions while working for the Aurora. There being a promise to show him how to make a proper meal instead of relying on synthesizers. 

The ship crashed before it could happen. 

“Do you know how to cook?” 

Scott’s eyes widen. “No, I’ve just been eating them raw. Do you?” 

Fritz shakes his head, giving a smile. “Just curious.” 

The man softens as he opens his mouth, only to jump when something seems to catch his eye. The teenager follows his gaze, grinning at the sight of David passing by. Winces when he spots a look of betrayal. Whoops. 

“You can’t go anywhere without them, can you?” Scott asks. 

Fritz’s eyes lock onto the potato in his hand. “They like to be included.” 

A hand suddenly ruffles his hair, the teenager sputtering as he gives his own look of betrayal as Scott only grins. “Want to show them the potato?” 

Right! They’ve never seen one before! 

Fritz jumps to his feet, waving at the leviathan to gain his attention, pointing up toward the ladder once he’s spotted. David doesn’t hesitate to swim up and back toward his designated window, the teenager quickly climbing and running to join. 

“Scott found a potato!” 

“A what?” David rumbles as he lies completely flat on the ground to try and see the small root being presented. 

“A what?” Vincent repeats as he swims closer. 

“Well isn’t today a ’special’ day. Not even the ’know it all’ has seen it before.” 

“I’m an ‘expert’ on humans, David, not their things.” 

“It’s a plant,” Fritz pipes up to delay the inevitable. “And it grows on land- uh, dry places. You eat it!” 

Vincent manages to worm his way in directly beside David as he tries to see the new discovery. Hums his approval. 

David narrows his eyes. “Why does it look like Vincent?” 

“What did you just say?” 

Fritz can’t stop himself from laughing when, for the first time, it’s the purple leviathan getting upset from a comment. One that wasn’t even intended to be an insult. Not with the shocked expression. 

“It’s purple,” seals David’s fate as Vincent lunges with a roar. 

There’s a moment of struggling as one leviathan tries to escape while the other tries to keep him pinned, earning a yell from Fritz when the floor shakes from the two massive beings fighting. It’s not too long before both are darting away into open water. And this time it’s David frantically swimming away as Vincent yells after him. 

Fritz races toward the work room as soon as the tremors disappear, wanting to get a better view of the chase because he did not want to miss this. When he rounds a corner, though, he’s greeted by Scott. Skids to a stop right before he crashes into the man. 

His wide smile falls when he sees nothing but fear instead of curiosity. “What happened?” 

Quilt floods Fritz’s heart. Because he’s used to the leviathans getting into physical fights. Scott isn’t, though. Doesn’t even know the rumbling language to at the very least realize it’s not serious. 

If Scott’s been patience hasn’t run out yet, this might be what does it. “David called Vincent a potato.” 

The last thing Fritz expected was to get a smile. Scott’s quick to try and hide it, but it’s impossible to miss the amusement. He won’t tease the man, though, preferring anything over anger, even if it’s justified. “Did I hear that correctly?” 

“You did,” the teenager smiles tentatively. “He, um, claimed it’s because they’re both purple.” 

“I see,” Scott murmurs. Wipes a hand over his face with a sigh. “There’s never a dull moment around here, is there?” 

“Not really,” Fritz admits softly, reminded all over again that it’s going to be a while before everyone gets used to each other. 

...or maybe they don’t. He’s realized that Scott likes the quiet, happy to be by himself for a while. And even though Fritz needs the calm to sleep, he can’t handle the silence for too long. If it’s too quiet, if he isn’t focused on any tasks, then he’s only left with his thoughts. 

Thoughts about home, of never going back. Thoughts of another leviathan finding him, or getting attacked by any predator. What if he’s really the only survivor. What if the Aurora explodes again. What if David and Vincent leave him behind. What if he’s left all alone. 

“Fritz?” 

He blinks. Looks up at Scott watching him with concern. “Yes, Scott?” 

“You okay?” 

He stops himself before asking if the man promises to stay. “Sorry. Just thinking.” 

Scott smiles. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t know how much longer I can stay standing.” 

Fritz looks out at the world growing dimmer, David and Vincent becoming shadows as they swim through the water, the confirmation night’s approaching. 

It takes a moment to register the fact he’s exhausted. So much happened within such a short amount of  time. He can’t imagine how Scott feels if his own limbs are shaking. 

Wait he doesn’t have a bed for Scott! 

Fritz turns to race toward the only room without windows before remembering who currently has the tool he needs. “May I have the habitat builder?” 

It’s immediately handed over. Now he runs to the dedicated bedroom- he forgot the fiber mesh. 

Fritz darts back down the hallway, past a surprised Scott that had been following at a slower pace. “Be right back!” 

It’s only a few seconds to climb up the ladder, grab the necessary material, and sprint back to the room. Gestures toward the fabricated bed as Scott carefully peers through the doorway. 

The man laughs. “You didn’t have to sprint for my sake, I wouldn’t mind waiting.” 

“I run whenever I get the chance,” Fritz reassures. Looks at the bed he’s standing next to, and the one on the opposite wall with the covers thrown across it. Only then does he think about the fact he silently declared they’d be sharing a room without asking for preference. 

Which he wouldn’t mind if Scott wants a room all to himself! Even though it’s getting dark, it’s still light enough to swim out and fabricate another area. But, then the man would be out of reach. Fritz would be alone. 

He pushes the thought away as he motions toward his own bed. “Do you, um, mind sharing a room?” 

Scott shakes his head. “I’ve shared a cabin before.” 

Fritz feels a weight lift off his shoulders. “I’ll be right back!” 

David’s waiting for him at the window closest to the bedroom. This time, Vincent’s flopped on top of the leviathan and looking like he won’t be moving anytime soon. 

Well, it’s clear who won regarding if Vincent looked like a potato. Before he can make a comment, though, there’s a warning growl. “Not a word.” 

Fritz grins. “Scott and I are going to sleep.” 

The leviathan huffs. ”I was wondering when you’d finally run out of energy.” 

“I don’t think he ever really does,” Vincent says, his voice muffled by his arms. “He’d swim circles around you if he had fins.” 

“Well he doesn’t so shut up.” The leviathan then lies his head down, eyes closing. “Night, Fritz.” 

“Night.” 

When he walks back into the room, Scott’s already buried under the covers turned away from the door. In case the man’s already asleep, Fritz flips the switch to turn the lights off before quietly climbing into his own bed. Turns so he’s facing the hallway where he can see Vincent’s purple glow and David’s red bioluminescence. 

This is usually when he stays awake for another hour, unable to close his eyes in fear for of the nightmares waiting for him. Even though his limbs feel heavy and the only thing he wants is to have a dreamless sleep. 

But it feels different this time. Peaceful rather than foreboding. It lets him close his eyes knowing he won’t be alone when he wakes up instead of shaking at the thought of everyone being gone in the morning. 

“Night, Scott.” 

“Night.” 

[tapir-boy]

hi! first time making an original post in like years. anyways

this is my canon timeline for dragon age, written out in prep for veilguard's release :> larger versions of the busts, plus assorted rambling, below the cut.

eventually, i am probably going to cave and post some stuff about these bastards on ao3 - if you are interested, this is where to look: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tapir_boy/works

SARRELAN TABRIS: as im writing this post my partner looked over, saw sarrelan, and went "thats my fuckign WIFE". so shes highly reviewed

Sarrelan is the Warden-Commander and Hero of Ferelden, the woman who killed the Archdemon, ended the Fifth Blight, Arlessa of Amaranthine, and winner of Vigil's Keep's Biggest Bitch award twenty-two years and counting. she is full to the brim with autism, which is part of the reason she looks so. mad. all of the time. she doesn't mean to, she just does not Emote well and so comes off as being more aggressive than she actually is. now don't get her wrong, she is also full of rage and kind of jumps to violence as a first resort, but she is capable of listening to people and generally does like people, like she thinks good people deserve things and wants to give them good things. she just never looks like she does.

she's got kind of an immediate bond with Alistair, something to be said about him being basically the first human man who's ever treated her with respect and actually listened to her when she takes control of a situation. ive seen interesting commentary out there about how alistair immediately turns control of the situation over to the HoF and how that can be really disorienting/frustrating/upsetting for some characters, but its kind of the opposite for sarrelan. shes had almost two decades of experience getting into shit with her cousins, shes used to taking charge and she likes having that control, and its a relief that alistair doesn't try to fight her on it.

zevran is a little more rough-going to start as they're both very different people - zevran is used to reading more into people's body language, and sarrelan's body language is very disassociated from her actual emotions, so he does spend a good while thinking he's in like Imminent Danger while sarrelan's in the corner trying to figure out if she actually Likes this guy flirting with her. (she does).

zevran semi-accidentially insinuates himself in alistair and sarrelan's relationship right after it starts, half-jokingly offering to have a threesome to help them both get over their nerves of losing their virginity, and then oops oh no they all caught feelings and no one knows how to deal with it. they only figure their shit out a few days before the battle of denerim and it's as sarrelan is On Top of the archdemon, getting ready to kill it, still unsure if Morrigan's ritual will work and if she'll even survive this, that she's able to tell them she loves them.

zevran's earring is the only piercing she has, and she treasures it greatly. she's a two handed warrior and has a sword bigger than herself. shes also gone 1v1 with an orge alpha and survived. canonically. id say i have video proof but i dont. just trust me bro

(TW FOR SA, NOT GRAPHICALLY DESCRIBED)

CONNOR HAWKE: local man made of 20 different types of trauma in a cool chestplate

connor is actually adopted into the hawke family! long story short, he was born in kirkwall and was taken to the circle there, and only left because his enchanters conspired to smuggle him out after one of the templars assaulted him. he fled to ferelden where he came across the hawke family, who took him and his daughter in and helped him fake a new identity with them. he's not happy to be back in kirkwall, but the city is a part of him whether he likes it or not - it's eating him alive but without it, he doesn't feel like himself. he's a very dedicated and loyal person, usually to his detriment, but he feels like he can't keep running from the threat of the templars anymore, he has to do something to fix this makerdamned city now.

(TW IS OVER)

he's got Something going on with the whole kirkwall crew, it just never really expands into anything for years because he's basically married to the job. but his life has been intertwined with these people's since he met them, and at a certain point all of those feelings mesh together and he's sitting there at wicked grace night and realizes he might be In Love with all of them, and then he has to make a hasty exit before he has a complete and total breakdown over it. during the timespan of DA2, anders is really the only person he has a romantic relationship with, because justice is getting tired of anders holding himself back from maybe the one other man in kirkwall who would support him no matter what, and kisses connor like the day before he has to leave on a longer quest to the sundermount. connor makes them discuss their feelings afterwards and they end up figuring it out, although the rest of the kirkcule are like. still fucking each other and are by no means exclusive at this point. the rest of them just never talk about it, because things go downhill in act 2 FAST. like, within a month he loses his mother, almost gets dragged back to the circle, has to fake his daughter's death, completely destroys his relationship with carver, and almost dies fighting the arishok.

the connor hawke of reality and the Champion of Kirkwall that gets immortalized by varric are two very different people - basically by the time that connor gets the name of Champion, he's already been working on maintaining a public persona that he just calls Hawke, and after everything with his daughter being sent away, he never lets that mask down again. he really considers Hawke to be a completely different person to Connor, and varric tries to help cement that difference in the Tale of the Champion. Hawke's story is that he was always Ferelden, his daughter was adopted and really did die, and he had no idea anders was getting so radical until the moment the chantry exploded - connor's story is that from the moment he sent Lila away, he was planning to find some way to take down Meredith.

he and anders spend a lot of time inbetween acts 2-3 trying to figure out more peaceful ways to address the chantry and bring some - any - oversight to the circles, but when all of that fails, they finally resort to plan dynamite. when all is said and done, they go to amaranthine to be reunited with lila, and then go on the run trying to help the mages break out of the circles and evade the templars. when he hears that varric was kidnapped by cassandra and that she's looking for him to speak at the conclave, he sees it as an opportunity to make a case for the rebel mages, and goes despite all the warnings not to. he survives in the fade up until the questline where the Herald goes into the fade, finds him alive, and drags him back home to see his daughter again. then he stays in skyhold to basically act as an advisor to her, and when the rest of the kirkcule get their hands on him, it kind of spurs him on to finally address his relationship to the rest of them.

connor is a force mage by default, but given how long he spent in Ferelden living on the run from the templars, he mastered both casting without a staff and fighting without magic. he's both tall and strong, but he manages to avoid scaring people off through sheer Dad energy.

LILA HAWKE: hey look theres that daughter we've been talking about

Lila is very much her father's daughter, but she doesn't have his same talent for acting calm or friendly, if she doesn't like you she Will tell you to your face and she will not work with you. (cullen.) after hawke's "death" at the conclave, she kind of becomes the defacto leader of the rebel mages, which is definitely a normal amount of responsibility for a twenty-one year old struggling with ongoing mental health issues and overwhelming grief to handle. shes doing great

(slight detour: to address some of the weirdness with DAI's timelines im having there be basically 3 factions of mages in the rebellion: the Circle mages, who want to remain under the circles with the exact same setup as before; the College mages, who like the idea of having their own spaces and want some oversight, but also some oversight of the oversight to address the rampant abuses of powers; and the Hawkes, the rebel mages who want no circles and no templars and the ability to live their lives in the same communities as non-mages. the Circle mages mostly look to Vivienne for leadership, the College mages are rallied behind Fiona, and the Hawkes were roaming the continent with Connor, now working loosely with the Inquisition with Lila.)

she's got some health issues - she's shorter than varric by a few inches despite being a human, she has moderate asthma, and semi-regular psychotic episodes, mostly auditory/visual hallucinations and paranoid episodes. bubba, the family mabari, acts as a service dog for her when he isn't doing the same for connor, and i imagine at some point between inquisition and veilguard, she has her own mabari who works full-time as her service dog.

she is one of the co-inquisitors for DAI, but she is not the herald of Andraste; she wasn't actually at the conclave when it exploded, she was down in haven with varric and anders, but she kind of gets roped into everything because cassandra says "youre a hawke, you're going to get involved anyways" and lila... can't really argue with that, she's just mad that cassandra was right. arisas is the diplomatic one, she's the more experienced one, and they honestly balance each other out really well. it frustrates her to no end that arisas is almost literally twice her height.

lila kind of regards her time in amaranthine as the best of a really, really shitty situation - she hates that she lost so much time with her father, that her teenage years were so tumultuous and that she had so many milestones of her life and she couldn't talk to her father about them, she never got to introduce her first girlfriend to him, she had to come out to him over letters, and while she has a lot of respect for the wardens in amaranthine and appreciates them for taking her in with no questions asked, she hates that she lives in a world where that had to happen in the first place. sarrelan is the person who made her realize she might be kind of butch, and zevran taught her how to actually fight instead of just using her magic for experimentation. connor never kept a grimoire after fleeing kirkwall (too obvious and too much evidence, especially if it got lost or stolen), but she does, and it's filled to the brim with notes and homebrewed spells.

ARISAS ADAAR: please help him he is too young for this

arisas is by far the youngest person to get involved in a major political conflict in my canon - he turns 16 during the events of DAI - and he is trying so hard to keep people from learning that information. he grew up in tevinter, taken there from par vollen as a very young child, and doesn't have the greatest grasp of southern mage/templar politics and is very confused by everything happening at the start of the game. he joined with a mercenary company as his first job, and was only with them for a few weeks before they got hired for the conclave, and he was Not getting paid enough to get a crash course in the differences between southern mages and tevinter mages.

ari is a lot more hesitant / cautious than lila is, partially because he has an anxiety disorder, and partially because he just knows a lot less about the south than she does. if it were up to him, he would not be in charge of this mess, but he's the one with the Anchor so he kind of has to be. he takes to the diplomacy pretty well, and he at least always finishes the paperwork that josephine sets in front of him (unlike liia, who will get distracted and go do something else halfway through). it does mean that he is constantly sleep deprived

inquisition is probably his first big exposure to a lot of queer people in very close proximity to him - between lila, leliana, dorian, and bull, it's the first time that he's really considered that people could be queer, much less trans, and it starts to make him question some things that he really doesn't have time to question. and, as the game continues, it doesnt really seem like questioning it will do him any good, as the inquisition continues to erase him and fill in the blanks with the Herald of Andraste, so he basically goes "even if i am queer, looking into it now will do me no good, because no one here is going to listen or respect that" and continues on like normal. (post canon he does figure some shit out, although he still uses he/him pronouns).

ari looks up to bull a lot, at first because he's a qunari who actually follows the qun, and ari is very curious and kind of wants bull to take him under his wing and become a father figure to him; but when bull becomes tal-vashoth and leaves the qun, ari tries to reassure him that he's the same man regardless of the identity he ties himself to, and that there's no shame in acting outside of the qun if it means protecting the people he cares about. bull in turn tries to help ari come out of his shell and maintain his sense of self in the midst of everything that comes with being the herald.

he struggles a LOT with having his identity erased by the inquisition, being both revered and reviled and rewritten with every step he takes. it makes him feel just thorougly inhuman and alone, and causes a mental breakdown after trespasser. he tries to stay in politics for a few years post canon, tries to help dorian with reforming tevinter with all this newfound influence he has, but being in the spotlight so much is detrimental to his heath, and he ends up having an early retirement in his mid-20s. he moves to kirkwall and raises nugs. this is the greatest his life has ever been.

[losttranslator]

to avoid going on a pages long rant i'll just say rvb s19 kept trying to give us closure on stuff that already had closure (so much closure in fact, even before Chorus) (the blues and reds learning to fight together, epsilon, tex ffs) and that it feels like three times reheated leftovers.

[blackhazefanblog]

BH remake ch 15-22

I've missed too many chapters while I was away so imma roll everything into one post to make things easier for everyone

More of the comedy is back yaassssss 🎉

Looks like we did get the chase scene and the part where Rood knocks Chevel off the balcony like everyone wanted!! 🎊

Finally saw Professor Khaaannnn

I would like to note that his outfit seems different from before? He used wear a longer top, but now it seems he sometimes (?) wears a normal shirt. I liked how the old design better presented how he wasn't really built or ready for combat, but the new design makes his gender more clear so that's good (I kid not I was in doubt for quite some time before until I finally checked on the character info post-).

Tess in a ponytail has me deceased with her beauty

If I was in any of her classes I would not be able to concentrate 100% (and given what she teaches I'd probably be dead lol).

I'm personally overjoyed that we FINALLY got the scene of Ruby trio demons HQ... it was so late that I was worried it was removed altogether! But I'm glad we got it, with events going exactly like the old version with Elze trying to act cute for Rubymonter (but the part beforehand where he says "I don't know who'd take her" is absent? Along with Shic not personally smashing Tess into a wall and pulling her up by the hair the new version seems a bit nicer to the girls somehow lol).

I'm so happy we finally got to see Elzeble's design for the remake; he looks mostly the same which is good bc his design was definitely one of the better ones that didn't need much rework.

There seems to be a new line where Elze comments Ruby seems to like the human world (?). I'm not crying thinking of her father I'm not crying thinking of her father I'm not- I feel like in the old version Elze was implied to find humans and their world the most fun so this is certainly new. In the old version in her first appearance Ruby goes out of her way to diss humans, finding books more interesting. But now it seems more like her interest in books is an extension of her interest in human things. (It was already missing but I'd like to mention the lines implying Ruby had discovered books for the first time during their initial appearance also means the subsequent strong foreshadowing that she later introduced them to Gamode for him to like them and become a bookworm too is gone nooo ok so I'm just like them finding books more interesting than people and would prefer to stay indoors reading them is the sole reason I am upset, there is absolutely no plot reason for this rant at all.)

Looking at it now, I see why the author decided to delay the scene with the demons. We saw a lot of Heil clearly being very suspicious if not outright a villain by now, so when we are shown that the demons seem to have an associate in the school we are inclined to think it is him. Even more so, when this demons scene is immediately followed by yet another scene of Heil being a sussy baka.

A major change I'm seeing from the old storyline is Rood's deeper interest in uncovering what went down in the past between Lidusis and Chevel. In the first version Rood was dedicated solely to accomplishing his "mission" which involved him fixing Lidusis' bad life in the present and giving him a brighter future. Whatever happened in Lidusis' past was never a concern for him as Lidusis never mentioned it himself, and so long as the problem was solved Rood presumably didn't see it his place to pry. (Though as a particularly curious person myself, Rood's absolute disinterest in whatever major stuff that turned such childhood friends into worst enemies when he was personally hired to solve that very mess always baffled me lol.) It did eventually grow on me that it was different from other shounens where the main character always seems to be in everyone else's business and needs to know every little detail about all his friends... which wasn't as realistic compared to BH where he helps his friend in the present even if he never knew everything.

But in the remake Rood seems to take it upon himself to find out exactly what happened in Lidusis' past. I think this is to build future set up for him to be more greatly impacted upon eventually finding out what really went down back then and who is truly responsible for causing it all to happen. In which case I approve, but this has arguably been the most significant story change affecting the overall narrative so far. Will be interesting to see where it goes.

Gotta love how unsubtle Master is in this version with wanting Rood to make some friends. "Why don't you make some FRIENDS or get some FRIENDS or maybe find some FRIENDS-" He really do be trying to get Rood everything he didn't have *cries*

I would also like to mention that as of chapter 16, the remake is now one full chapter behind the old version (so the events of new version's chapter 16 correspond to old version's chapter 15)... and counting, as of chapter 22 the remake is 1.5 chapters behind the events of the first version.

[asfodelle]

New chapter of Bites coming out most likely later this week and even though the story is fully planned out, the reason it's taking a minute is because I'm doing the classic thing of thinking about too many projects at once. Like, the pendulum of focus won't settle, it's an issue.

I'm writing a long one shot exploring a future where He Tian only reappears a couple weeks at a time while they're stuck in an angsty situationship, it's currently sitting at 20k words but no clue where it'll be when I'm done with it, some parts are still pretty unfinished.

I also have started two fics that make me kick my feet in excitement, one being a long enemies to lovers mafia AU with spying and skyscrapers climbing, the other being a babyfic that I'd love to dive into whenever I have the time.

I might want to add a ZhengYi counterpart to Tangerines too, I'll see where the pendulum takes me.