#bc i technically learned this like 6 years ago

[owen-not-carvour]

Most interesting fact you know?

these 5 words have me a Lot more stressed than they should Wow- (it’s like all my obscure knowledge goes away when i’m asked)

I gotta make sure I give y’all a good one soooooo

tbh idk here’s one abt my almost hometown that I think is cool though.

in mobile, al there used to be (as in around the time of the founding-early 1700s) these gangs that were basically the unofficial government. like they were lowkey the mafia and what they said went so the Actual gov (or whatever colonial equivalent they had at the time) just had to listen to them otherwise they risked facing their wrath themselves.

however these guys (i think i remember this right…) were actually not that bad! like, as usual, the government Sucked (partially bc it was like. legit incomplete) and if they even Had a police force, as per usual, they also sucked… so. enter These Guys! they would actually track down criminals who were let off and kill/torture/punish/Whatever them instead!

so people were like scared of them but because they were basically the only ones solving legit problems,, they were also respected.

best part, some of them were called the Buckets of Blood (which is a Sick name) and as more time passed and mobile became more developed, these gangs actually deviated and formed what became some of the earliest mardi gras orders and associations! (there was some other Actual History that happened in between this and that but. i don’t remember that much)

anyway that’s probably a lot more than you wanted but. there’s a Fact. :)

[lemonofthevalley]

just dislocated my middle finger while trying to stretch my hands after typing a lot . hooray

[mrfoox]

Wtf is my fascination with this little freak.... Hes just a dude but I'm so intrigued, I'm tired

[dawnquafam]

Get to know me tag game!

Tagged by @goldheartedchaoticdisaster, tysm!

Do you make your bed?

Nope. It gets messed up every night man what is the point

2. Favorite number?

95

3. What’s your job?

Nothing due to chronic illness reasons

4. If you could go back to school, would you?

Absolutely not

5. Can you parallel park?

Technically I did learn how, but it was like eight years ago and the instructor who taught me how traumatized me and I've avoided having to do it ever since (not just bc of the instructor, I just really hate driving), so in practice the answer is certainly no

6. Do you think aliens are real?

Yes, there's no way we're all alone in the universe

7. Can you drive a manual car?

Nope

8. What’s your guilty pleasure?

At this point in my life, it's just eating more carbs than I'm supposed to 😭

9. Tattoos?

Nope, I am way too indecisive for that kind of commitment

10. Favorite color?

Teal my beloved

11. Favorite type of music?

Stuff like Hidden Citizens and Tommee Profitt

12. Do you like puzzles?

Yup

13. Any phobia?

Heights, thunder, and bees (and all similar stinging bugs)

14. Favorite childhood sport?

Horseback riding

15. Do you talk to yourself?

Yup. No one else gets it around here

16. What movies do you adore?

Sci-fi and fantasy my beloveds

17. Coffee or tea?

Soda

18. First thing you wanted to be growing up?

A paleontologist

Tagging (if you want to): @janfraiser, @ramblingsofachristiannerd, @trekkingaroundasgard, @scottishaccentsareawesome, and anyone else who wants to!

[la-principessa-nuova]

OK, time for a more introspective discussion of where I’m at mentally right now.

Basically, about a month ago, I left a job that was very toxic and making my mental health much worse at a time that it really didn’t need any help getting worse, and after that, I immediately felt a tangible boost to my mood and to my general feelings and I felt much less disregulated than I had been, so I was able to focus and get stuff done.

But after a week or two of that, I suddenly started to feel much more disregulated, even though I was still in a much better place, and I overall felt less stressed and less exhausted emotionally.

But it’s almost like the exhaustion of dealing with the past couple years of stress is finally keep catching up with me. Honestly the last time I had a string of a few months that felt completely normal stress-wise was probably either late 2020 or late 2021 depending on whether being in grad school (which I started in 2021) still counts as a normal amount of stress.

But yeah, it’s like suddenly the immediate threat is gone (at least the one the least in my control) and it’s like my body is just like, “OK, now let me rest.”

Most of the day I’m mostly fine, but around like 6-7 PM, my body just crashes, and I can’t motivate myself to do anything. And this then means around 11 PM to 12 AM, I wake up out of this and feel like, “What the heck? I had plans!”

So then I either try to do the plans and stay up later, or I put off going to bed thinking I want to do the plans.

But now twice I’ve laid down “for a second” while waiting for something and then I woke up in my clothes bc I just fell deeply asleep.

And like, I think if I have the right mindset and can adjust my life around this, it’s a good thing. I need the rest. But if I’m not careful it can be bad, and also it means I’m still not able to be creative or get things done or relax. I’ve had episodes of D20 piling up for the past few weeks and every day I say I’m going to watch them and then I don’t but also did nothing.

One thing that is nice now is that since I had a friend over (hi friend if you read this!), that prompted me to clean up all the little messes that were adding up and disregulating me even more, so now at least I’m starting from a good place in terms of the state of my house.

And I’m also doing a lot of cognitive work in fixing my relationship with my parents (i.e. fixing the way they fucked up my brain by learning to ignore their attempts to keep it that way), so that plays into it a little too.

But I’m really hoping that over the next month or so I can get back to a normal healthy place because even though it’s technically fine, i want to make progress on certain things and I just need my brain at least a few more hours a day for that to be possible.

[samwrites99]

1.How many works do you have on AO3?

20 works

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

170,154

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Law and Order SVU and Organized Crime

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

A decade without

Geocache

Bankers box

This is her story

Boarding passes

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

I try to, as much as I can now! I wasn’t too good at it when I first started writing fic about a year ago-ish, but I’ve come to like the interaction with people :)

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

either uncharted (bc it basically was a prequel fic to SVU ROTPS (back door pilot to Organized Crime) OR Purgatory (which basically was EO stuck together in hiding but it’s just them *not talking* featuring an unused shotgun).

Idk I try to end my fics on a happy note bc that’s just the type of person I am.

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

THIS IS HARD — like I said, I really try to end on a positive note because I love to wrap things up in a cutesy little bow but maybe geocache or bankers box since those are coming home stories.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I did once, but I’ve since learned the art of comment moderation 🫡

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

I’m inclined to say no, but that would be a lie. I did in like 1 AU pilots fic. People said they liked it (maybe?) but I also am super uncomfortable writing it. It was a nice challenge to write it and to get out of my comfort zone.

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

SVU/OC live in the same universe, so while technically a crossover, I’m not going to count it here.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of! But I have used Google translate in fic to have dialogue in another language.

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

Yes!

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

Right now, it’s EO bc they’re the ship that got me to dive head first into all things fandom.

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

….. gonna have crickets here…..

it’s not that I don’t like my 2 WIPs, it’s just that I think I bite off more than I can chew with both of them and I have second hand embarrassment from them now.

I also prefer to live in oneshot heaven 😇

16. What are your writing strengths?

Not sure… I like to think I can write a loosely enough connected thread to make a storyline come out of the woodworks… but I also don’t know exactly.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Oh most definitely grammar.

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

I’ve done it! It’s fun and at least for the EO ship, it’s a playground bc it’s a detail that we as fans know but the writers room seems to ignore/not sure how to incorporate it. Live laugh love continuity.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

SVU/OC

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

oh gosh… this feels like a toss up because I have a few I always rec to people… this is her story holds a special place in my heart, but I also ADORE bankers box and geocache. Probably those 3 I feel like best represent my work, but I have little pieces of my heart deposited into all my writing 🫶

Thanks for the tag @somuchwhatever . If you come across this feel free to do it yourself!

[yakultii]

thought about doing a poetry unit somewhere within my degree, cause you know taking 6 months to actually learn the technical aspects of poetry would probably do my writing some good.. but the thing is I’ve always been so hard on myself academically, I was going to say even a 97 doesn’t feel like enough but then I remembered all the times I got 100% and I barely felt satisfied at all because I knew I could do better, so what I’m getting at is I fear it will destroy the newfound love I have for poetry rn (especially based off yr12 literature making me think poetry wasn’t for me all those years ago,despite doing fairly well) and I think considering that writing my shitty little poems are one of the only things keeping me alive, I think it’s probably not worth the risk lol.. THOUGH it would be SO GOOD to improve and KNOW things (cos rn I only call it poetry cos other ppl refer to it as poetry but if y’all hadn’t given me an ego I probably wouldn’t be saying I write poems bc idk what a poem is really) but maybe I’ll just sit with knowing my poems don’t have to be “good”, their newfound function in my life was never about being good! (it was about keeping me good, or at least just somewhat afloat) every time I write a new poem I know it’s not good and I don’t bother to edit them more than once bc a part of me knows they aren’t good (and that they’ll never feel entirely good) but at least they are real, at least they are saving my life? ok idek wot I’m saying just pretend I’m not here lol

[jovialcloudqueenisnotonfire]

15 questions, 15 people

thanks @transboyzuko for tagging me! legit read your post and was like 'aww i wish i got tagged to do stuff like that:(' and then you tagged me! anyways:

1. Are you named after anyone?

My middle name was my mother's middle name, and my initials are the same as my fathers(i think that's where the gender started). Also, I have the same name as a locally famous guy from my hometown, so I used to say all the places named after him were named after me instead lmao

2. When was the last time you cried?

A few days ago while watching a kdrama (rowoon is such a good actor y'all)

3. Do you have kids?

Haha, good one

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

I played tennis for most of my childhood through high school, and was on a pop/cheer dance team for like five years when I was a kid, and I still dance for fun :)

5. Do you use sarcasm?

why would I do that

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

I'm autistic, this is a terrible question.

7. What's your eye color?

Good question. I'll let you know when I figure it out.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings all the way babey! I'm too soft for most scary movies, unless they're fun and thinky

9. Any talents?

Sure, I'm mildly good at languages and artsy stuff. I'm also a bitching (and, technically, professional) whistler

10. Were were you born?

In a hospital(read it and weep, bitches)

11. What are your hobbies?

Learning about languages, linguistics, etc. Some music-y, artsy stuff. Writing. Reading. Picture me as a an artsy gay rich man from the Victorian age, but one who dabbles and doesn't get too good at any of it

12. Do you have any pets?

Yes, my two sweet babies, a purebred husky(inherited) and a little street mutt that's probably some mini schnauzer/Irish wolfhound combo. They're both adorable and have big personalities

13. How tall are you?

Like 5'8" ish, I think it's like 173 cm?(I'm ~American~)

14. Favorite subject in school?

Any foreign language! After that, probably English bcs you get to read and write and talk about it. I know, shocking, right?

15. Dream job?

I do not dream of labor.

But yeah like a cushy bs job with good pay and benefits that can afford me a comfortable lifestyle in which I can pursue my passions in my free time

I, in fact, do not have 15 active mutuals lmao so here are some mutuals/people I follow/people who follow me: @jatersade @aire-bnb @themainbeetleboy @killmongerdreams @negativeginger @theneurospicecabinet @muspellssynir @thisblogiscool @adriannlily @gender-luster @lostmy-waa-aa-aay @cristaldacier @criscrave @fenatics @the-modern-typewriter

[ghoulangerlee]

15 Questions

thanks for the tag @ongreenergrasses, a few days late it's been a wild weekend haha

1. Are you named after anyone?

the name on my birth certificate is that of a cartoon character's name, I was a surprise child after my mom had her tubes tied :o)

2. When was the last time you cried?

Cried a little bit earlier while watching 911 Lonestar haha

3. Do you have kids?

one whole child, yes. he's wonderful and the light of my life

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

I wouldn't say a whole lot, I'm more good at delivering something completely void of emotion ngl

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

eyes, I usually notice their eyes and uhh like the tone of voice they use when speaking to me for the first time because that can set precedent to a lot of things

6. What’s your eye color?

it blue

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

I like some scary movies, but typically prefer happy endings bc I'm a baby

8. Any special talents?

I am good at recalling off the wall things someone said months ago. I'm also very good at making people laugh with horrible jokes :)

9. Where were you born?

South Carolina haha

10. What are your hobbies?

I watch a lot of history related videos, uhhh I also like to read articles about techy computery things bc my boss shares them in teams all the time and uhh i hope to pick up knitting/crochet this year now that my hand is all good :)

11. Do you have any pets?

a cat named mango that doesn't live with us bc we have a no pet policy here ):

12. What sports do you play/have you played?

I used to play volleyball in high school and I pitched on my high school baseball team

13. How tall are you?

5'6 (and a half)

14. Favorite subject in school?

Psychology, Forensic Science and History

15. Dream job?

I dunno, I honestly really like what I'm doing now (front office at an IT place), maybe in the future I'd like to learn more things about the technical side and dabble in that? Who knows what the future holds for me :)

tagging: @fornhaus @gholou @sugarchains @callmelittlesanshine @primoscreampie @spcecowboyyy @etanesnil Don't feel obligated to do this haha, just tagging a few people I see on my dash immediately because it feels weird to keep doing these and not tag anyone hahaha

[destinyc1020]

People have such an obsessive need to be right. In general people in Hollywood TEND to be short and petite. Most men don’t want to be on camera with taller women, and so they absolutely cast depending on height. Even Z mentioned this, she was worried about Spider-Man bc she thought she’d be too tall and then they had chairs in the audition room and that wasn’t a factor for them. No one is saying there isn’t tall actors… they just aren’t the standard. All people were saying is that attributing all of JE’s success to his height isn’t a fair point. Why that anon needed to come back with a list of actors above 6 foot is beyond me

Thanks Anon. :) I don't think the other Anon was insisting on being right....I mean, technically, we're ALL right.... Most actors are shorter than avg/or avg height, BUT, there are tall actors out here. You'll usually be able to spot them out though cuz they typically tower over most people, most co-stars, and most fans lol. 😅🤣

But yea, the tall woman syndrome in Hollywood is most definitely a thing. Just ask Zendaya, Nicole Kidman, or any other woman who is pretty tall. It's a thing because most actors are short. And unfortunately, people still have a silly bias against height. As if, someone's height determines their acting talent. 🙄 They can use camera angles and even boxes (I think Natalie Portman had to stand on a box sometimes in some of her scenes with Hayden Christensen ROTFL🤣) in order to hide how short an actor (or actress) is compared to their scene partner. Or, sometimes they'll just make one person sit down, and the other person stand up, so the height difference isn't as noticeable. (I noticed this with Nicole Kidman and her co-star Sean Penn in a film I saw years ago lol)

It's very subtle, but you'll be able to spot it if you know what to look for.

But yea, trying to attribute JE's success to his height is kind of silly, since (IMO) he hasn't even really gotten that far in the industry yet. Like, we just talked about Barry Keoghan... He's an Oscar nominated actor who has worked with some of Hollywood's finest. He may not be at the same fame level as some other actors out here, but compared to JE, I'd say Barry has the more lucrative filmography and career. JE is still very "green" (imo) in the industry. I'm sure he'll get there eventually in the fame and status dept..... But as for right now, he's still learning, growing, and getting some film roles on the big screen under his belt imo.

[h00nerz]

15 questions !! tagged by @yeonjunszn

are you named after anyone?

technically daphne isn’t my Rea name it’s a pen name i chose like 4 years ago but as far as my real bake i was named after the daughter of one of my parents’ friends who died young

when was the last time you cried?

omg a few hours ago when i saw that soobin was crying at the comeback showcase

do you have any kids?

no 😍

do you use sarcasm?

yes and an excessive amount of it. it is bad how sarcastic i am.

what’s the first thing you notice about someone?

the way they act towards others i guess? i work as a receptionist so i get to meet lots of people, and i always take notice of how they talk to me and talk to others as well

what’s your eye color?

blue/green/grey it changes color

scary movies or happy endings? both?

happy endings ig? i don’t mind scary movies but i don’t watch a lot of them

any special talents?

umm i can recite the entirety of all too well ten minute version and i can whistle really good and i can tell you all the fnaf lore 😍😍

what are your hobbies?

writing, reading, listening to music, and playing video games (only the sims and minecraft)

where were you born?

western usa 💪

do you have any pets?

i have 2 dogs and 2 cats! we have a yorkie named rosco, and we have a mixed breed dog we don’t rly know what she is named rey (after star wars). our orange tabby is named hux (also after star wars bc he is orange), and our gray tabby is named gertie (short for gertrude, after jersey girl i think?)

what sports do you play/have played?

i did competitive dance for 6/7 years and that was it LOL i kind of wish i had done more

how tall are you?

5’6” 😍

favorite subject in school?

foreign language! in spanish i did spanish & now i’m doing japanese and i just love learning new languages it’s so cool, english is a close second tho

dream job?

i would either really like to be a teacher, elementary education is my major rn, but also doing journalism and getting to interview celebrities sounds rly cool too.

tagging @ttyunz @jakeshands @therealhyunjingf 💕💕

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

15 questions, 15 mutuals

Thank you for the tag, @steddieas-shegoes 😘

1. Are you named after anyone?

Technically no. My middle name is the same as that of a great-aunt (my grandpa’s sister) who died as a child, but I’m told that was coincidental rather than on purpose. 

2. When was the last time you cried? 

I cry a lot, it’s honestly embarrassing. It’s my default reaction to any kind of strong emotion, be it anger, happiness, sadness or anything in between, so this kind of question always makes me think very long and very hard. I think the last time was about 2 weeks ago during a fight with my husband. 

3. Do you have kids? 

Yes, one girl. She’ll be five in September and entering school next year in summer. Time flies, it’s crazy! 

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot? 

So much and with such a deadpan expression that people who don’t know me that well often do a double take and ask if I’m serious. 😂

5. What sports do you play/have you played?

I’ve always been a clumsy couch potato, I literally had to take physiotherapy as a kid bc I used to trip over my own feet!

I did Judo for a few years as a teen, but the only reason I ever won any medals was bc I was a shrimp and the only one in my weight category. I had a very intense hyperfixation on fitness some 10 years back and was at the gym practically every day. I’d love to have that body back!

Nowadays, I just run after the kid. 

6. What’s the first thing you notice about people? 

Their sense of humor.

7. What’s your eye color? 

Hazel.

8. Scary movies or happy endings? 

Oh, I’m a sucker for happy endings, but I also won't say no to a good scary movie! 

9. Any special talents? 

I have an elephant memory, especially for words and languages. Once that stuff is in my head, it’s hard to get it back out. I still remember the very first poem they had us learn by heart in first grade, and it’s the same with lullabies, song lyrics, you name it. 

10. Where were you born? 

Lüdinghausen, which is a lovely little town with 25k or so inhabitants in west Germany. 

11. What are your hobbies? 

Reading, writing, drawing/doodling, crafting, a bit of photography, used to be really into knitting - if it’s by any degree creative, I’ve probably tried it. 

12. Do you have pets? 

For cats named Arya, Lyanna, Aegon (Egg) and Dany. One cockatiel named Mathilda. 

13. How tall are you? 

172 cm (you can convert this yourself, I’m European and bad at math!) 

14. Favorite subjects in school? 

ALL THE LANGUAGES!!!

15. Dream job? 

I’m pretty happy with the one I have. I work in internal communications and manage an intranet for roughly 3,500 employees, so I get to do a ton of text creation and always hear the hottest gossip! 

I'm tagging @becomingfoxes, @devilfella, @messessentialist, @peachypurr, @renaissan-vvitch, @sourw0lfs, @transmascsteveharrington, @wynnyfryd, @wormdebut and anyone who feels like doing this. ❤️

[prince-simon]

hi hi!

i just wanted to tell you that your spanish is amazing!! i meant to say this earlier but i forgot! i'm so sorry!

are you comfortable sharing your journey with this language? like why spanish? and how long have you been studying it? i'm so curious!!

love u <3

hiiii <3

omg thank you???

yeah sure i can talk about that hahah. well i first started learning it like agesssss ago idk i think i was probably sixteen or something? when i started attending a course with my mom and we did like three or four courses of that i think? so i had very basic knowledge when i started doing my apprenticeship as a trilingual assistant where one foreign language besides english was required, so i also chose spanish instead of french. so i did that for two years, actually learning business spanish as well (that was from ages 16-18) then after returning from a year abroad in the states i went back to school to do my a-levels, again, one foreign language besides english was required so i did spanish again bc at that point i was technically fluent (more so in writing than speaking unfortunately) and that was my chance to brush up on it. unfortunately after those two years of school, i haven't had more chances to speak spanish and actually use the language so i think i forgot a lot of things

i think in total, with actual teachers i studied spanish for about 6/7 years?

these days i'm just doing duolingo lessons, and for fics i rely on what i remember of my knowledge, google translate and the good souls who help me out if i don't trust google translate lolol

i can't even really tell you why spanish. i think my mom one day was just like. would you be interested in learning spanish with me? and i was like heck yeah lesssgooo and honestly i'm so glad i did bc spanish is such a beautiful language

i was actually thinking recently that i should watch more shows or youtube videos in spanish bc that played a big part in learning english. so if anyone has any suggestions (with subs available or i'll die jddj) let me know!!! i also wouldn't be opposed to book recs! (idk if that won't be too hard though. maybe i should start with books i have actually read in english before)

anyway love you thank you for telling me that and asking!! <3

[revengeofthelobotomyladies]

In England there's a theory test app, half the test is multiple choice on road safety/rules/signs etc and half on hazard perception

It's pretty easy to get a theory tests and you have up to 2 years after passing to get your license before you have to take it so most get it done straight away

The DVLA reckon it takes an average of 45 hours of practice with an instructor (at anywhere between £30-40 an hour) and 22 hours of private practice in your own car to pass with an average 48% pass rate (so technically you can be taught by a random but it's not reccomended lol)

It's near impossible to get a test for at least 7 months in the future (bc of covid and bots) so if you manage to get an official one it'll cost £62, otherwise you need to get a cancellation which can cost upwards of £120

Then your actual test is like 40+ minutes, 20 of independent driving (either using sat nav or road signs, they say on the day) and 20 minutes of instructed driving which involves pulling up on the left & setting off safely at least 6 times and then one of the 4 main manoeuvers (reverse into a bay/drive into a bay/parallel park or pull up on the right & reverse for 2 car lengths) but they can also ask you to do an emergency stop or a hill start on top of that

also 2 "show me, tell me" questions about general car things like how to check the tyre pressure, clean the front windscreen etc

Plus they have hundreds to test routes and it's randomised so you could end up with really good conditions and a great route or shitty conditions and a shitty route which balls you up

You're allowed 0 serious faults and up to 15 minor faults but you fail if you get more than 3 of the same fault, you can fail for all sorts like not driving in a bus lane when it's open etc (a lot is ridiculous stuff that normal drivers do)

Then insurance premiums are sky high when you pass and a lot won't insure you or want millions depending on the type of car

Plus you're very restricted in some senses lile you need separate tests for basically every type of vehicle now and if you learn automatic you have to do the test again if you wanna drive manual etc

so it's definitely not encouraging 😂

So I agree with the anon that says it's about time and money, thats definitely a major problem but they definitely do discourage you by making it so difficult to learn and pass, at least here they do idk about the rest of europe

(It's really interesting to see those videos where seasoned drivers try a modern driving test because they nearly always fail lol)

I would 100% fail there lmao

Here you can get your learners permit by studying on your own or in class. I got mine in high school at age 15 but I think you can attempt the test as early as age 14. You have to get 80% on the learners written test to obtain a learners license. Then you do the 6 (or more I don’t remember, I got my learners 15 years ago🫣) drives with the driver trainer. They give you a little card saying you’ve completed training and you present that when you go for the final road test. If you’re in high school you have to wait until you’re 16 to try, I can’t remember if there’s a wait time if you’re an adult. You’re supposed to be going on practice drives with a licensed driver in this time.

I had a horrible driver trainer who would scream at me and she really scared me out of driving and also no one had the time or energy to practice with me. So, I sat on my learners for 10 years before I went for my road test. It was kind of embarrassing because my training card was dated from like 2010 or something but it was still good I guess. You can practice as long as you need to. I pretty much just taught myself to drive. 😬

It only costs $55 dollars to go for the road test and there is a cancellation fee. If you fail you have to wait a little while before you can try again. It used to be even cheaper a few years ago at $22. Absolutely crazy.

Once you pass there are restrictions for about two years. If you have no incidents in the two years you’re good to go.

I think I’m a good driver compared to a lot of people here. Like it’s really bad here. But the province is like YOLO I guess… 😅😳

[six-of-ravens]

Vague list of albums I loved in 2023:

(long story short this year I've gotten a little bit into the habit of listening to albums all the way through, which I want to do more of because it's interesting and it's relaxing to just listen to something and not have to skip through my shuffled liked songs all the time? ANYWAY. spotify doesn't necessarily show you every album you listened to in a year so I will probably miss some. but here's some)

Lovage by Timber Timbre. I've had Like a Mountain in my liked songs ever since hearing it on a "southern gothic" 8tracks playlist in like 2014 (hilarious in hindsight bc this guy is very Ontario Gothic, like, specifically) but a couple months ago I finally started looking into his other music. Lovage came out in October of this year and I genuinely love it. It's spooky and fun and also some songs will hit you right in the emojis.

2. 1989 (Taylor's Version). Okay this was when I got into Taylor Swift lol. This album hit right when I was looking for something to fight of the Seasonal Depression/Time Change Madness (same thing happened with Blackpink last year tbh). This album was just....perfect. I listened to it on repeat for like 2 weeks before expanding to Midnights and then Lover. Anyway I still haven't listened to most of Swift's music (getting into it slowly means always having a nice surprise when I need it) and I wouldn't consider myself a true swiftie or anything but. This album is so good. It hits Perfectly this year idk why.

3. The Sunset Tree by The Mountain Goats. LOVE this album, technically I started listening to it in 2022 because it was perfect for a writing project I was tinkering with, but the love persists! It's the kind of album I listen to only sometimes now, and always all the way through, for the Catharsis. Also its a Dean Album(TM) for sure lol.

4. Let it Be by The Replacements. First heard of this band on the No Dogs in Space music history podcast and I fkn love them now. My favourite song is actually Alex Chilton which is on a different album, but Sunset Records had Let it Be (probably got reprinted bc I Will Dare is on the GotG3 soundtrack) so I got it and it's on my record player fairly often. Next time I go to a real record store I will have to try and find more of their stuff.

5. The Twin Peaks soundtrack. Another one I got on vinyl on a whim. Probably shouldn't have bc it was pricey, but it sounds sooooo good on the record player, so 10/10 worth it. Very good for writing music!

6. The Velvet Underground by The Velvet Underground. Just started to listen to this one in full recently (though I learned about them on No Dogs in Space over the summer) but ye gods. What it does to me. Psychologically. Lou Reed is a mother cat scruffing my disobedient brain. I can't describe it otherwise. SO GOOD.

7. Max's Kansas City: 1976 & Beyond (Parts 1 & 2). An album full of the acts that used to play at New York's iconic music venue, Max's Kansas City (apparently the queer-er equivalent of CBGB's). I haven't listened to all of this one all the way through yet, but I'm enjoying it quite a bit. There are some popular musicians on here, but it's mainly smaller acts that have been lost to time.

[krys-loves-otome]

For the OC ask meme: 1, 4 & 6?

OC Number Asks!

Your Oldest OC

Technically it's a group that expanded from my RP days when I was a teenager. (This piece in particular is from 2005 so apologizes as it is quite old).

I used to self-insert a lot in RPs and stories at the time and at some point, my self-insert (featured here leaning(?) forward with her long sleeves and tiny boots on the left) needed family members (since I refused to recreate my own rl family in my fictional sandbox, thank you very much). The two tall figures in the background are my self-insert's parents, mom Arianna on the left and dad Takashi on the right with the cape. In front of Takashi is my cis-swapped self that I liked so much, I just kept him around and he just became my twin brother. His name is Telenor (called Tele for short). In the middle of everyone is my self-insert's little brother Tobias, because I felt she needed another brother at some point, idk.

Arianna and Takashi have gone on to have their own story (forever in WIP hell, naturally) but they have been around ever since my teenage years a million eons ago, but they are my oldest OCs, technically speaking.

4) Any Villain OCs?

Last time I got these asks, I talked about Takashi's half-brother, Haiiro, also stating that he's more of antagonist than an actual villain.

This is a trend with me.

Meet Jagger, another antagonist of mine.

Along with Takashi and Arianna's story, I also had another original work I was working on at the same time called Bullet Train, which was technically a high school romance with a B Plot involving magic being basically illegal and Jagger being a person that hunts down individuals that practice magic and punishes/kills them. He's also the cousin of the MC's love interest bc Drama™. Also had a big theme of Magic vs Science, so that was fun.

Overall, Jagger, while an antagonist to my MC bc her family practices magic and is harboring magical creatures (her uncle (a wizard) is in a polycule with a vampire and a humanoid dragon), but he learns the errors of his ways, eventually, and comes to MC's aid (more so for the Love Interest bc he cares about the kid, baka), but still an antagonist nonetheless.

Will talk about this more in the next section, but he was also one of the first characters where I tried to figure out how tattoos work, first with the Axel von Kingdom Hearts style face tattoos to getting snakes up and down both arms. Still need to work on anatomy so I can get Jagger's arms where I want them to be, so I can give him the full sleeves he deserves.

6) Describe Your Character Creation Process

"See a need, fill a need."

No, really. That's all it really it takes for me to get an idea for an OC. My self-insert needed parents? Takashi and Arianna.

Need antagonists? Haiiro for Takashi and Arianna, and Jagger for Bullet Train.

I'm also a big fan of 'hey, this would be a neat idea."

My self-insert needs a horse? She gets a horse, and he's blue and he talks and he gets a pink unicorn girlfriend.

Cis-swapping spell gone on too long? We split apart and he's his own person now.

Need more lady managers for my favorite Haikyuu teams that don't have one? Meet Nanami and Sawako, the mom friend of Aoba Johsai and the socially awkward teeny girl that acts like a cat sometimes in Nekoma, respectively.

Wanna learn how to draw tattoos? Jagger has tattoos now.

How about piercings outside of the ears? Lizzy's got you covered.

Hey, this indie game that you liked is stuck in development hell and the MCs you created in the demo are still pretty solid, let's bring them to another game: Houki and Ophelia.

IkeVamp needs more historical dress: Thea

Black Army boys keep making fun of Sirius for being 30 and I don't like that: Maddie, who is also 30 and a magical girl.

Hey, this dress up avatar looks neat, I should make a character from this: Maddie, Abby, and Clara

So, anyway, that's how I come up with characters. Seemingly random but they moreso fulfill an itch at their beginnings and then just develop from there.

Thanks for the ask!