#did i try to write 29 Feb? YOU KNOW IT BABY. dammit

[1ddiscourseoftheday]

Fri 1 Mar

Liam, sick to death of being pestered about when 1D might reunite, snapped at a tweet joking about his inconsistent answers to the question. He explains things in the clearest possible terms and... people are discoursing about what he might have meant by it. Because of course they are. To paraphrase, he doesn't know and just says whatever guess he has at the time but it isn't up to him, there are three other people that would also have a say in the matter (sorry Ot5 reunion optimists, that's what he said) so please stop asking him and ask them too (hot tip, don't do this either, please). On the upside for reunion hopefuls, he referred to the band in the present tense! I suppose he's having to hear even more about it than usual lately as the Jonas Brothers reunion has stirred up so much 1D talk. Poor Liam. I hope he sees a lot of love for his solo projects in the coming year and gets the respect he deserves, no one deserves recognition for hard work more than our Liam. Aaaand speaking of both hard and work, he posted another sultry workout picture, so look for that, buff Liam enthusiasts. His photographer is truly killing it, these are great looking pictures!

Meanwhile, Two of Us day T- 6: we got lots of social media promo from Arista, bless, and Louis tweeting us about being in rehearsal! With his band! They are getting ready for the Comic Relief show on the 15th, one assumes, but the real question is WHO ARE THE BAND? No clues forthcoming so that will be an interesting surprise. He graciously ignored Australian DJ Smallzy's poor reading comprehension and tweeted him about a possible interview; fans are pleased as he has supported Louis well in the past. There's also a Louis video! Just a short thing about the win a breakfast with Louis thing. He says he can't wait to have breakfast with one of us and a friend and it is... Not convincing. But who can blame him? The fandom is also concerned about who might end up at that thing, the fear that some familiar Sony-friendly face will be selected to win looming large. AND another pic from the HoS shoot was posted! It's beautiful, but it really stirred up the freckle photoshop discourse as they are very very gone. Why do they hate our baby's beauty marks? We just don't know.

Niall posted a pic of an armored car that could be (pretty easily) interpreted as a pro-Irish Police sentiment, but since I don't like cops, I'm going to choose to interpret it as simply, hey that brand name reminds me of a thing from home! Shout out to Ireland! He also channeled most of Tumblr (yet again) by squeeing about the new Hozier album. That's our captain!

And finally, in Harry news but no Harry, a picture of H from back in October in Tokyo cuddling dogs! Two dogs! Nothing to complain about there you'd think, but you'd be wrong, there's always something to complain about; some people don't like Bell the dog's owner posting Harry pics for attention/ to serve a certain narrative about Harry and Tokyo. And from Vogue, an article titled "Harry Styles Will Co-Host The Met Gala, But What Does That Actually Mean?" About time! Inquiring minds want to know! Sadly, the article tells us... pretty much nothing. Like, maybe it means he'll have some say in the place settings, if he chooses to, or maybe he'll do some other stuff, who knows! Okay, that's real illuminating I really feel informed now thanks oodles Vogue ✌️

[pagerunner-j]

Let me begin by being brutally honest: it’s been a terrible year. I know we’re all on the same page with that in a general sense, but personally, too, it’s been a terrible year. All the year-end retrospectives and the prospect of trying to sum up my own past 12 months have not left me in a good place today.

But for whatever little fragment that it’s worth, I posted these fics this year, and I’m kind of amazed I even put five words in a row at any point, let alone that I did this much, considering what I was working around. Only one of these was written before both of my parents landed in the hospital. Things got harder from there.

So if you read any of these this year, shared them, commented, liked, drew something, or were generally just around, thank you. Signal boosts are still appreciated. Also, I’m trying to get several other writing projects off the ground again for next year, so there may be some snippets of that coming. Any support would be very much appreciated.

Lotsa Crit!fic follows, since, well, it is the fandom that ate my brain.

Resolutions (Percy/Vex, M  - 06 Jan 2017) A glimpse at what might have been going on behind closed doors in episode 78. Vex/Percy andPercy/Vex, so to speak, since let's give both of them a chance at being in the driver's seat, shall we?

In Confidence (Percy & Keyleth, T - 29 Jan 2017) Percy's evening takes an unexpected turn when Keyleth comes to him for advice. About sex. Oh dear. Set early in Keyleth & Vax's relationship.

Of Oak and Ash and Grasping Thorn (Cassandra, T - 11 Feb 2017) When Cassandra overhears her captors planning against a mysterious new group of rebels intent on reclaiming Whitestone, she finds herself faced with a terrible test of loyalty. A companion story to Green in the Crown.

Green in the Crown (Keyleth & Cassandra, T - 11 Feb 2017) Keyleth's ongoing efforts to heal the Sun Tree may end up helping a friend heal, too. A companion story to Of Oak and Ash and Grasping Thorn.

Five Things Vex Saw in the Whitestone Treasury (And One Thing She Did) (Vex/Percy, M - 21 Feb 2017) Vex goes on Percy's promised tour of the Whitestone treasury, and discovers all sorts of fascinating things in the process. Set during the course of episode 86. Note on the rating: the first five parts of this would be rated T on their own. The M rating only applies to the epilogue, since, let's be honest, we can all guess what (or whom) she did.

Initiations (Tary, Vex, & Percy, T - 19 Mar 2017) Tary's study of Vox Machina's portraits has led him to a few interesting questions. And possibly some misapprehensions. Vex and Percy, as it turns out, might not be the best ones to set him straight. Takes place some time after Pike and Tary's conversation in episode 89 [and with a small edit made later to make it line up better with Tary’s eventual fling with Trish, because author’s privilege, dammit].

A Winter’s Masquerade (Percy/Vex, T - 19 Jul 2017) It's Winter's Crest in Whitestone, a new Grand Mistress of the Grey Hunt must be honored, and a promise must be spoken. A seasonal take on the secret that broke fandom (not to mention the cast), set during the Critical Role timeskip. Spoilers through episode 105. [Also written long before we found out how the wedding actually occurred, so let’s consider it an AU.]

A Handful of Dice (Various, T - last updated 27 Jul 2017) A collection of ficlets, short pieces, and musings about the characters of Critical Role--some dark, some sweet, others somewhere in between.

Respite for the Restless (Percy/Vex, E - 30 Jul 2017) It's been a difficult, troubling day. Sometimes the best you can do is reach for each other. Percy/Vex vignette, set at the mansion after episode 106. (Spoilers, however, are vague, since this fic has other priorities. Ahem.)

At Your Feet (Vex/Percy, E - 22 Aug 2017) When it comes time to christen the bedroom in Vex's new mansion, Percy agrees to let the lady of the house take the reins. It might become a good experience for him for more than one reason. Timeskip fic; no spoilers past episode 94 except for the existence of the house.

After the Hunt (Percy/Vex, M - 08 Sep 2017) After Vex's foiled attempts to find the baby Grey Render, Percy's doing what he can to comfort and distract her--even if a few things about it all are starting to prey on his thoughts, too. Timeskip fic, based on a prompt over on Tumblr.

The Weight of a Shadow (Percy, T - last updated 01 Nov 2017) Percy begins to confront what the Briarwoods have left behind, and what's been left behind in him. A post-Whitestone arc character study.

The Private Games We Play (Vex/Percy, E - 06 Nov 2017) After game night ends, Vex and Percy decide to delve more deeply into what went on during their explorations of a certain tavern cellar. Yes, this means pretty much what you're thinking. Set just after the post-episode-115 one-shot helmed by Grog.

Things Glimpsed Through Open Doors (Tary + Percy/Vex, M - 04 Dec 2017) In his time spent lodging with Vex at her newly constructed manor -- and by extension, lodging with Percy -- Tary had thus far avoided interrupting his hosts during any of their private moments. Until today. It's left him with a lot to think about. Set during the Critical Role timeskip.

A Lesson in Manners (Vex/Percy, E - 27 Dec 2017) Vex may usually be the one to call the shots where intimate matters are concerned, but that isn't to say that Percy doesn't have his own ideas. This one might prove to be especially captivating. (Or: Page sits down to write something with plot, but gets distracted by naughty ideas about certain D&D items again. Oops?) Percy/Vex, spoiler warning for a couple details post-episode 94/early 100s.