#happy 10 years to halo 4

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

The Good Omens Season 2 Soundtrack! 😍❤🎵

The Soundtrack CD has wonderful cover and pics and look at the brilliant booklet! :D When you open it it looks like a box with a fly! :D

Options :):

(best to use the local store of course :), the Silva Screen page is thewebpage of the recording company)

CD:

Silva Screen 15.99 €

Amazon.co.uk £10.99

Amazon.com $30.79

Vinyl:

Silva Screen 39.99 €

Amazon.com $53.99

Digital:

Silva Screen 10.99 €

More digital listening options :) (some free)

Episode description and Track Listing :):

CHAPTER 1: THE ARRIVAL - Retired angel Aziraphale and retired demon Crowley's lives are upended when a visitor arrives on the doorstep of Aziraphale's bookshop, bringing chaos. Local shopkeepers Maggie and Nina get locked in to Nina's coffee shop when Crowley loses his temper. Heaven and Hell are suspicious, and Crowley and Aziraphale have a disagreement.

1. Before the Beginning 2. Good Omens 2 Opening Title 3. Into Soho 4. Something Terrible 5. To The Bookshop 6. Maggie and Nina 7. He’s Smoking 8. Tiny Miracle 9. Heavenly Alarm Bells

CHAPTER 2: THE CLUE featuring the minisode A COMPANION TO OWLS - Heaven and Hell are determined to find the missing angel. An overheard song provides Aziraphale with a Clue. Crowley and Aziraphale visit the pub to discuss ways that humans fall in love. While almost 5,000 years ago Crowley is sent to inflict punishments on the righteous Job, God's favourite person, as Aziraphale learns at first hand about temptation, and what Gabriel will and won't believe.

10. Avaunt! 11. The Song is the Clue 12. It’s What God Wants 13. A Mighty Wind 14. Whales 15. Gabriel Returns 16. His New Children 17. Am I Awful Now? 18. Fallen Angel

CHAPTER 3: I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING featuring the minisode THE RESURRECTIONISTS - Heaven sends the angel Muriel in disguise to spy on Aziraphale and Crowley. Aziraphale drives to Edinburgh in pursuit of his Clue, and learns a little about a lot. The couple's visit to Edinburgh in 1827 involves graverobbery, a statue and an unfortunate encounter with a vial of laudanum. In the present, Crowley is in charge of the bookshop, and is disappointed by human beings and the weather.

19. Police Arrive 20. Scotland 21. We’re Going to Hell 22. People Get a Choice 23. My Car is Not Yellow 24. Beelzebub in Hell 25. The Book 26. The Fly 27. Mr. Dalrymple 28. We Need to Cut 29. I’m Going to Save Her 30. Crowley Goes Large 31. Not Kind 32. Beelzebub Isn’t Happy

CHAPTER 4: THE HITCHHIKER featuring the minisode NAZI ZOMBIE FLESHEATERS - Aziraphale's good deed of picking up a hitchhiker on his way back to Soho proves to be a serious mistake. In 1941 Crowley and Aziraphale encounter some surprising adversaries, old and new, as the Nazi spies who almost entrapped Aziraphale return as zombies from the dead, intent on preventing him from attempting a bullet catch on the West End stage.

33. Hell-O 34. Nazi Zombies 35. March of the Nazi Zombies 36. Crowley Pep Talk 37. The Magic Shop 38. Catch The Bullet 39. Zombies in the Dressing Room

CHAPTER 5: THE BALL - Aziraphale tries to bring Maggie and Nina together by organising a meeting of the Whickber Street Shopkeepers and Street Traders Association. In Hell, Shax is determined to launch a full scale attack on the bookshop, with a legion of demons at her command. Nina's heart is broken, as is a bookshop window. Gabriel has a close encounter with Mrs Sandwich and a small plate of cakes.

40. I’ll Let You Have It 41. We’re Storming a Book Shop 42. Monsieur Azirophale 43. The Candelabra 44. Here Comes Hell 45. Gabriel Gives Himself Up 46. Shax 47. The Circle

CHAPTER 6: EVERY DAY - Crowley becomes a Heavenly bee and learns the truth about the Armageddon sequel. Aziraphale defends his bookshop from Shax's army and reveals his halo, Maggie and Nina become warriors, and Jim the assistant bookseller gets some hot chocolate. Crowley and Aziraphale get to the bottom of the mystery of the Matchbox. The Metatron brings an oat milk latte, along with a final offer.

48. Bin Through the Window 49. Gabriel Leaving Heaven 50. The Halo 51. Gabriel Revealed 52. Gabriel’s Love Story 53. Leaving The Bookshop 54. Gabriel and Beelzebub 55. Crowley and Muriel 56. I Forgive You 57. Don’t Bother 58. The Biggest Decision 59. The End?

The vinyl should look like this :) (damn, it gorgeous toooo! :D):

[mikoyamisheadcanonblog]

New Year Kiss (Ace, Sanji, Shanks)

🔥Ace🔥

Word Count: 337

“10

       9

            8

        7

    6

5

    4

   3

  2 1

HAPPY NEW YEAR,” Whitebeard's crew shouted.

Ace was in the corner holding his breath as he watched his lover count down with Marco and the rest of the crew. He waited for her attention to turn to him.  He wanted her to look at him after all New Year was the time when lovers kissed right when the ball dropped. He heard from Sabo that lovers usually shared a kiss around the ball drop.

She turned to him, her attention to him, he lost his breath, taking in how beautiful she looked. She looked amazing, beautiful, like an angel. As the fireworks behind her created the perfect backdrop, the lights looked like a halo. He noted how her cheeks were tinted pink, she was blushing he assumed she heard the same rumor. Or maybe Sabo planted the idea in both their heads getting tired of waiting.

Ace slowly opened his arms, she understood his request, she understood what he wanted and walked to him capturing his lips. Ace could feel his heart hammering hard in his chest, as he kissed her lips. She tasted exactly how he imagined she would taste, of her favorite fruit. He wrapped his arms around her waist taking in how warm she felt in his arms. His other hand tangled with hair as he was eager to deepen the kiss and hold her close.

How she curved in his body, how warm she felt like the perfect puzzle piece just meant for him. They had to break away for a bit, panting, their breaths mingled together. He smiled at the woman before him, taking in all her features and loving how beautiful she looked. His heart was still hammering hard in his chest.

“Happy Birthday,” she finally said. “And happy New Year, I hope you get everything you want,”

Ace smiled at her as he sat down on a chair and pulled her onto his lap. “I already did,” he told her.

🎩Sanji 🎩

Word Count:257

Sanji was counting down till the ball dropped, he wrapped his arms around her waist holding her close as he kissed her finger. His heart was beating hard in his chest he wanted to share a kiss, a special kiss with the woman he loved the most. New Year was a time for that, a time for sharing and celebrating together. Next to Valentine’s Day, New Year's was his favorite holiday as it was a romantic holiday between lovers.

5

“Are you ready to share a kiss my beautiful swan?” He questioned his lover kissing her fingertips. She had such beautiful hands. The hands he wanted to protect he took how beautiful her features were as she stared at him blushing. She was the most beautiful woman he ever laid eyes on. Most women were goddesses, but she was the most beautiful goddess even before him. 

4

He would pray to her every day, she deity sent from heaven to him, and he wouldn’t want to lose her. He locked fingers with her and glanced away feeling his hot gaze on her. He wrapped his arms around her waist pushing her close to him as everyone was counting down the final seconds of the year.

3

He moved himself closer to her, their breaths mingling she glanced away shyly. Sanji tilted her head, so she was looking at him he didn’t want his goddess looking away from him. Her eyes should only be on him.

2

“I love you,” he told her. He watched as her eyes widened and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

1

“Happy New Year,” he said kissing her lips.

🍶Shanks🍶

Word Count: 261

The party was great as Shanks was dancing with his beautiful lover holding her close. The beautiful orchestra music played softly in the background as he held her waist, he was grinning from ear to ear and held her close. 

“You know you are the most beautiful woman here,” he told the woman as he spun her around before capturing her hips. He knew the old tale about kissing when the clock changed but it was difficult sometimes when his lover was perfect, she was. He wanted to kiss her every day. He wanted to kiss every night before he went to sleep and start his morning with a simple kiss as well. He couldn’t imagine life without her.

“Are we still going to share a kiss at midnight?” his lover asked shyly and at her titled her back and kissed her temple.

“You already know that I wouldn’t miss a chance to kiss you,” he told her. He wouldn’t even dream of it. She made his heart hammer hard in his chest. He dreamed of going on adventures with her, exploring the world with her.  He wouldn’t let her out of his grasp. 

The bell chimed as they were getting close to midnight Shanks still continued dancing with his beloved as he danced with her slowly his movements becoming slower as moved both hands on her waist and pushed her closer to him.

10

  9

8

 7

6

  5

4

  3

2

 1

“Happy New Year my beloved,” Shanks said kissing her lips gently, “I wish for future adventures together,”

[fullyvisible]

Since I found it helpful for Seasons 1 and 2, I've also made a list of all the songs in Season 3 of Heartstopper, with notes on what's happening while each plays! While I've kept the descriptions relatively brief/vague, there are (obviously) still spoilers below:

1. The Way Things Go - opening, Tori, Charlie rehearsing in the mirror

2. It's Euphoric - arriving at the beach

3. Paradise Calling - Tao and Elle get ice cream

4. Happy, Healthy, Well-Adjusted - sand castles, song in Charlie's headphones

5. A Letter to Myself at 17 - Charlie and Nick in the sea

6. Superinlove (Roll Credits) - Tao cooks for Elle

7. Duet - Charlie looking at pictures and remembering

8. Best Day Of My Life - I love you, kiss under streetlight, Tara and Darcy sleeping, Tao and Elle dinner, end of episode one

9. **It Gets Better - beginning of episode two, Nick leaving for vacation, texting Charlie

10. I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Trying) - exam results

11. Shell - Charlie scrolling insta stories, won't send selfie

12. Abigail - Nick looks at phone and listens to music

13. Vertigo - Darcy unpacks with Tara and Elle

14. My Vine - Nick and his Aunt talk on the beach, end of episode two

15. Car Park - beginning episode three, first day of school

16. Pretty Boy - Nick and Charlie see each other!

17. Genesis - Tao following Elle's every move on social media

18. One That Got Away - zoo!!!

19. complex - Nick goes with Charlie to talk to his parents, end of episode three

20. I Spend Too Much Time In My Room - beginning of episode four, Nick and Tara talk, Nick journals

21. Black Friday -Nick trying to be there for Charlie

22. BLUE - Halloween party, Tao's video

23. I Wanna Know - Halloween party

24. Wide Eyes and Halos - Halloween party

25. Liquer & Cigarettes - Halloween party

26. darkwave sabbat - Halloween party

27. leavemealone - Halloween party

28. Witchcraft - Halloween party

29. Wish on an Eyelash - Visiting Charlie

30. Seratonin - Charlie arrives at treatment

31. That Was the Worst Christmas Ever! - beginning episode 5, Tori waking up and going to Charlie

32. Are You OK? - Christmas montage with the group chat

33. Bruises Off the Peach - Charlie leaves Tori and goes to Nick

34. So Clear - Christmas with Nick's family

35. Too Much Time Together - Nick and Henry getting ready

36. Enjoy Your Life - New Year's house party arrival

37. Rush - New Year's party

38. Devotion - New Year's party (Tao and Elle)

39. Loveher - New Year's party (Tori)

40. In My Head - New Year's party (Imogen and Sahar, Tori and Michael, midnight!), end of episode five

41. I Used to Be Fun - Charlie's birthday

42. A Young Understanding - Charlie's party, tents

43. Just Stay For Once - Charlie's party, drinking

44. good 4 u - Charlie's party, more drinking

45. Sad Disco - Charlie's party, talking future

46. A Running Start - therapy, end of episode six

47. Dive - beginning episode seven, Tara's ballet class, Nick and Charlie heart eyes

48. Pegasus - Tara and Darcy hooking up

49. Heartbreaker - Nick and Charlie in the locker room and rugby pitch, Nick suggests sleepover

50. The Most Beautiful Thing - Tao's movie for Elle

51. Ode to a Conversation Suck In Your Throat - Nick and Charlie hooking up, end of episode seven

52. Love You - Charlie gets to school, montage of Nick and Charlie's exams

53. Right Here, For Now - touring Kent

54. Close One - touring Oxford

55. Joe - Nick and Charlie phone call, Leeds tour

56. A Good Thing - Charlie looking at Head Boy application and choosing outfit for band performance

57. The Outsiders - leaving the fair

58. million little reasons - Nick and Charlie's sleepover, end of season three

[milesluna]

My Favorite Games of 2023.

Hi. Hello. Thanks ever so much for clicking on this page. Happy to have you.

First thing's first: I'm a little freak when it comes to video games. I don't feel the need to beat most games I play. From Software is one of my favorite studios in the industry and I've never finished a single one of their games. This means, fortunately, that I get to play a LOT more games than the average bear.

I've written up some blurbs about my top ten favorite games from 2023, but before that here's the list of every game I remember playing this year that left any sort of lasting impact on me (in no particular order):

Dead Space Remake Resident Evil 4 Remake F-Zero 99 Humanity Dredge Metroid Prime Remastered Anemoiaplois Alan Wake 2 Baldur’s Gate 3 LoZ Tears of the Kingdom Counter Strike 2 Hunt Showdown El Paso Elsewhere Jusant Slay the Princess| Remnant II The Finals Street FIghter 6 Lethal Company BattleBit Remastered Don’t Scream Homebody The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog Pizza Tower World of Horror Super Mario Wonder Mr. Sun’s Hatbox Fifa 23 Sea of Stars (Demo) Half-Life (25th Anniversary Update)

And the games I played that were NOT released in 2023:

Unpacking Persona 4 Golden Picross 7 The Order 1886 Shovel Knight Dig Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Spider-Man: Miles Morales Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Project Zomboid Quake LoZ The Minish Cap Drill Dozer Wario Land 4 Pokemon Pinball Resident Evil Revelations Summer of ‘58 Trackmania TwinCop We Were Here Visage Cursed Halo CE Half-Life 2 (I probably play this once per year) Witch Hunt Red Dead Redemption 2 Cyberpunk 2077 Borderlands 3 Brutal Legend Cultic Slay the Spire PUBG Rez Infinite Batman Arkham City Alan Wake Alan Wake: American Nightmare Max Payne LoZ: Majora’s Mask 3DS Metroid Prime Metroid Prime 2 Tunic Everhood Final Fantasy VII Final Fantasy VII Remake GOODBYE WORLD Yakuza: Like a Dragon Critters for Sale Dome Keeper Phasmophobia Hades Nintendo Switch Sports

Now that you understand the kind of freak you're dealing with…

Let's dive into my top ten favorite games from this objectively fucked up year.

10. El Paso Elsewhere Developed by Texas indie studio Strange Scaffold, El Paso Elsewhere is a Max Payne-clone with vampires, an opinionated narrator, and lots and lots of bullet time. As a small studio punching well above their weight class, Strange Scaffold leans into abstract, PlayStation 1 minimalism when it comes to visuals and pairs them with a soundtrack that will make your hands sweat. The vibes are here and they're ready for the end of the world. I'm personally also a big fan of everything this studio stands for.

9. Mr. Sun's Hatbox I want you to imagine Metal Gear Solid V. Now I want you to imagine that game as a 2D, level-based, slapstick platformer you can play with up to three friends. If you think that sounds stupid, you'd be right. And it's beautiful. As you build up a secret army of soldiers with various skills (and disorders), you'll start to develop *favorites*. This game constantly asks if you're willing to send those favorites on a harrowing mission and risk losing them forever… or if you'd rather send an idiot you recently captured who blinks constantly and can't kill anyone without fainting.

8. Dredge Every year I feel like I find one game that falls into the “just one more round” category, and baby… Dredge was it for 2023. As a weary fisherman in strange waters, you'll make the most out of your 12 measly hours of sunlight only for your daily voyages to inevitably pull you into the darkness of night, and night is when things get weird. Rocks emerge from the fog that you swear weren't there before, your equipment malfunctions, and you're pretty sure you just saw something in the water… something big. Despite only containing a small collection of islands, the world of Dredge manages to feel vast - perhaps vast enough to swallow you whole.

7. Resident Evil 4 Remake I was curious to see what sort of changes would be made to the timeless classic and father of modern 3rd person shooters, Resident Evil 4. I wasn't let down. RE4 Remake takes all the things that didn't age well about the original, tossed them out, and replaced them with only good things. And MORE things! It's campy, fun, and better than a game of bingo.

6. Jusant I really feel like this one didn't get the recognition it deserves. Jusant is a rock climbing game that combines the quiet contemplation of Journey with the mechanical specificity of Death Stranding. Unlike Death Standing, though, there is very little story to interrupt your flow. There are plenty of collectible bits to find for those curious to learn more about what happened before the events of the game, but the environmental storytelling does most of the heavy lifting. For me, the joy of the game comes from how it feels. Right trigger controls your right hand grip, and left trigger controls left hand grip. Plan your route, manage your stamina, and climb high above the clouds in search of answers.

5. F-Zero 99 This. Shit. Slaps. I've never been a big F-Zero guy, but this MADE me one. The “battle royale”, 99 player format is the perfect fit for the ruthless, high octane world of the game. Races last about three minutes, and friend, they are the most intense, white-knuckled three minutes of your life. The decision to make your boost meter the same as your health meter started in F-Zero 64 (I believe), and it is so much more HARROWING in this game when another player could side-swipe you mere meters from the finish line and blow you to bits. Sadly it's only playable via Switch Online, but it made me cheer, laugh, and scream enough this year to earn a spot in my top 5.

4. Alan Wake 2 Remedy makes weird games that also manage to exist in the AAA space and for that I will forever love them. Although Alan Wake 2 resembles a 3rd person shooter survival horror, I'd honestly say it's more of a narrative game than anything else. There's sidequests, there's puzzles, there's upgradeable skills, but at the end of the day the characters, world, and story are what kept me playing. If you haven't checked them out recently, you should definitely watch a story recap of the original games before diving into this sequel, but the wild swings for the fences this game takes are well worth that small price of admission. There's a god damn musical number, for Christ's sake.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom I've really got nothing to say about this game that most people don't already know. It's incredible. The fact that Nintendo made a game that redefined an entire genre and then made a SEQUEL to it that ups the ante is remarkable. To be honest, I've only cleared the Rito, Zora, and Goron cities. I got a bit tired of exploring the depths and guiding Koroks to their friends, but I can't deny the sheer level of complexity and polish on display here. I saw someone on TikTok build a functioning Mecha Godzilla in this game. Good God. I've heard that the ending of this game is one of the best in the franchise, and if I'd seen it this year then it may have wound up higher on my list, but for the time being I'll continue picking up this masterpiece from time to time, chipping away at it until the day comes that I can finally smack the tits off thicc Ganondorf.

2. Half-Life (25th Anniversary Update) I know I'm gonna get shit for this, but I don't care. This year was the 25th anniversary of Half-Life and Valve released an update that made playing it (and it's online Death Match) much more accessible. I threw it on my Steam Deck out of curiosity, expecting to play for 20 minutes. I could not put it down. It is unbelievable how modern this game still feels. I simply had so much fun sprinting through the corridors of Black Mesa with a dozen weapons strapped to my back, blasting aliens and military Spec-Op chumps as a 24(?!) year old theoretical physicist.

1. Baldur's Gate III This game is fucked up, man. The sheer amount of writing in this game scares me. We can all talk about how BIG this game is, it deserves it, but the thing BG3 does better than any other role playing game I have ever experienced is actually encourage roleplaying. I've played through Act I four times now, with four different groups of friends, and it has felt fresh every time. I have seen the same events play out in so many different ways that it boggles the mind, but in every one of those play sessions I see players asking themselves “What would my lil guy do here?” rather than "what is the best thing to do here?" The game rewards players constantly for just trying shit and the D&D 5e rule set means playing like the character you said you were from the start leads to frequent Points of Inspiration. Maybe one day I'll see the end of this story (probably not), but I don't have to in order to feel a connection with BG3's world, characters, and most impressively, the characters I made myself.

Honorable Mentions for 2023

5. Dave the Diver 4. Homebody 3. Sea of Stars 2. Humanity 1. Super Mario Wonder

Top 5 Favorites NOT from 2023

5. Metroid Prime 4. Final Fantasy VII Remake 3. Cursed Halo (Halo CE Mod) 2. Red Dead Redemption 2 1. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (3DS)

Games I didn't have a chance to play from 2023 but still want to when I find more time...

Viewfinder Venba Chants of Sennaar Thirsty Suitors Hi-Fi Rush Moonring Armored Core VI Laika Aged Through Blood Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

OKAY THANKS BYE!

[joehawke]

Thinking about how with everything that’s happened with the upside down the last 4 years and his parents always gone to begin with, Steve hasn’t celebrated his birthday since he was maybe 10.

In retrospect, he never really cared for his birthday, but there’s something almost comical about it. He’s turning 20 and he can’t even remember turning 16. In the years before, it was mostly listening to his parents bicker around the dinner table about “what was next for Stephen” as Steve kept quiet around small bites of sheet cake, and then it was years spent alone, a lousy gift his father’s secretary sent to the door, until the upside down when gifts and calls stopped coming completely and Steve never really cared; he had other monsters to deal with.

But now that Steve has nothing to keep his mind occupied, he plans on staying in, maybe renting a movie after his shift at family video and get shitfaced on the couch that never really gets sat on anymore. Maybe he’ll ask Eddie if he has any leftover weed from his sellout days and sit on his roof and light up a joint. Maybe he’ll catch up on the sleep he’s missed. Steve doesn’t know. It’s any other day really.

Until it’s not.

Until there’s a knock on the door the minute Steve throws a microwaveable lasagna in the microwave.

Steve’s heart races as he pauses in the kitchen. His parents haven’t contacted him in weeks and they aren’t supposed to be home for a few more months. Reluctantly, Steve pads his sock clad feet over to the door, unlocking it and swinging it open to reveal a frazzled looking Eddie.

“Eddie? What are doing here?” Steve asks, taking in Eddie’s frizzy curls halo-ing his head in the dim porch lights.

“Hey to you too Stevie. What are you doing right now?” Eddie asks almost out of breath, picking anxiously and jittery at his fingernails. Steve can’t help but smile at it.

“Um. Nothing -“ Steve starts, before Eddie cuts him off excitedly.

“Perfect! I’ll be right back stay there” and he’s gone, disappearing behind the neatly cut hedges (because of course his parents would still pay for a gardener for the house they hardly live in).

Steve stands there confused before a clamber of noise starts making its way around the brick wall. He can hear whispered arguing and bickering before a loud “SHHH” cuts the sound off. Steve is about to step out and look for himself when Eddie returns around the corner, the kids, Robin, Jonathan, Argyle, Nancy, Joyce, Hopper, and and even Claudia Henderson and Wayne Munson following him in tow.

“What the -“ Steve starts, a chorus of “Happy birthday Steve’s” cutting him off completely as the party (along with Hopper, Joyce, Claudia and Wayne) step aside Steve and make their way inside the house. An array of “where should we put this” is heard from inside, as Steve turns around watching as everyone gets to work on setting up plates of food and party decorations on the counter. Steve doesn’t know what to do or say before he feels someone standing in front of him.

“I’m glad you didn’t have company or weren’t home or whatever, would’ve been awkward if so” Eddie says shyly, twisting his hands together anxiously. And Steve just stares at him in utter awe and confusion because huh??

“What - how - I don’t —“ Steve stutters out at loss of words.

“We just had an idea —“ Eddie starts before Robin cuts him off from the doorway.

“Correction: Eddie had the idea” she says conspicuously before turning away to help Nancy plate up a dish of some kind of casserole. Steve just laughs at his best friend before turning back to Eddie whose face is cherry red. Eddie opens his mouth before closing it again, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

“I hope you don’t mind” Eddie goes for, licking his lips and looking down at his boots.

“This is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.” Steve says, tears threatening to fall. Eddie’s eyes widen at the sight of the tears dancing on Steve’s waterline. Eddie goes to open his mouth, but before he can Steve is crashing into him with full force, digging his face into the crook of Eddie’s neck and gripping fiercely into his jacket. It takes eddie a moment to realize what’s happening before he’s gripping back.

“Thank you” Steve whispers out, squeezing tighter. And it feels like there’s more to be said within, but before Steve or eddie can say or do anything else, Dustin is dragging Steve back inside the house, rambling something about a cake and how Mike was “no help”. Steve laughs to himself before giving Eddie one last smile, Eddie winking in reply as he watches Steve get pulled into the kitchen around bubbling laughter and chatter.

And if steve falls asleep that night with hope clasped between his fingertips about a new year, well, no one has to know.

[bengiyo]

15 people, 15 questions

I got tagged by quite a few of o you over the last few weeks, including at least @telomeke. Sorry this took a while, but I've been distracted.

1. Are you named after anyone?

Technically yes. I have my father's name as one of my middle names because my mom said we didn't make enough money for me to be a IV.

2. When was the last time you cried?

WATCHING GOBLIN TWO DAYS AGO OVER THAT DOG.

3. Do you have kids?

No, but I'm not opposed. It's just something I view as part of a partnership and I don't have one yet.

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

I played baseball as a kid, but everyone around me knows how to play basketball, football, and soccer.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

Yes, but mostly to make highly-referential jokes for queer people.

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

Generally their mood. I find myself reading body language to see what kind of interaction I'm about to have.

7. What’s your eye color?

Dark brown. I'm melanated.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings. I am Black and gay. I get enough real moments where my fight or flight instincts get triggered without seeking that out for fun.

9. Any talents?

Maybe? I seem to remember the years that films came out pretty quickly. I generally have a pretty good memory, am a solid communicator, and feel like I'm pretty quick at problem solving. I am also a very good warthog driver in Halo.

10. Where were you born?

This is a security question, but I'm from the US Gulf Coast.

11. What are your hobbies

I love D&D, and have moved to Pathfinder 2e recently. I'm still having a ton of fun with the hobby. I like building stories with my friends and having those stories evolve out of the drama of adventuring. I'm also a queer cinephile and avid BL fan. Other than that, I'm a fan of cities. I spend a lot of time thinking about urban flood adaptation.

12. Do you have any pets?

My roommate has a cat. His name is Bahamut. He can be rather loud.

13. How tall are you?

I'm a short king! I'm 5'5"

14. Favorite subject in school?

Math and history. I like problems with mostly clear solutions and I like knowing where we came from. I'm kind of obsessed with the Bronze Age Collapse.

15. Dream job?

I don't dream of work, but I would like to devote my energy into sustainable urbanism. It'd be nice if I could make a living doing that and also enjoy my hobbies.

I think most folks have done this by now, but tag back if you do it after seeing mine!

[lovelyladyabsinthewrites]

A Mouse in a Lion’s Den Pt.12

A Mouse in a Lion’s Den Pt.12

Pairing(s): Rhaegar Targaryen x Lannister!Reader, implied Rhaegar Targaryen x Lyanna Stark, Jaime Lannister x Cersei Lannister, one sided!Jaime Lannister x Lannister!Reader Warnings: none Words: 1807 Summary: A blessing comes into your life Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5  Part 6  Part 7  Part 8  Part 9  Part 10  Part 11  Part 13  Part 14  Part 15  Part 16  Part 17  Part 18

Book One of Heir of Ash and Fire

Staring in horror at the mess you had made in the courtyard, Thalina hurries to your side; her face becoming a bit pale when she looks at your breakfast that you had just thrown up.

“My lady. . . You’re unwell! We must get you to bed straight away.” She cups you by the elbows and tries to help you back up from your knees. Your legs wobbled when you tried to make them move, knees buckling inward and your head growing warm as your body swayed. Thalina yelps, forcing all of your body weight against her. Sick to your stomach, you take deep breaths to try and push back the next wave that rises up your throat. You hear your little brother Tyrion calling for help mixed with Thalina’s own worried cries.

You have no clue as to what could’ve possibly made you so ill. You were fine but moments ago.

A memory from years ago is called upon. One that involved your mother in a similar situation. In her beginning stages of pregnancy with your brother Tyrion she would throw up without any notice. She’d be fine one moment then be expelling her previous meal all over the floor.

No. . .

It couldn’t be possible. Well, you supposed it could with how often you and Rhaegar would join together as man and wife.

So soon though? You had only been married for a month.

A baby?

As they escorted you back to your room you felt utterly conflicted about the thought. You guess you were somewhat happy to have a child with Rhaegar. That was your duty after all as his wife; provide him heirs to continue the Targaryen legacy. But. . .

Lyanna.

*

Joanna grins from ear to ear, her hands placed on her bulging belly. “Another boy or girl? What do you think Tywin?” Even though they already had the perfect family with Cersei and Jaime, Joanna was overjoyed to be pregnant with a third child.

There weren’t many things that made Tywin Lannister smile so genuinely. His wife earned that honor. Gazing at her now as she glowed in a motherly halo, Tywin’s stiff lips turn up in a gentle grin. There was no one else he loved more in the world than his beloved wife. Oh he loved his children to an extent but never as much as he loved Joanna.

“It doesn’t matter.” Tywin tells her honestly. He had everything he needed.

“Pregnant?”

“Yes Lord Tywin. Pregnant.”

She always did complicate things. Ever since she was born (y/n) had made Tywin’s life difficult. And now that she was pregnant with Rhaegar’s child it was bound to complicate his plans.

With a click of his teeth he waves his attendant away. Joanna crosses his mind at the moment. Beautiful Joanna that enamored everyone she met, much like his Cersei. (y/n) never was like her mother or sister. She had been much of a disappointment. Joanna’s pregnancy with (y/n) had been a difficult one, unlike when she carried the twins. Plagued with nightmares and pains, Tywin had begun to worry about her very much as she spoke of the prophecies she foresaw in her dreams. Great aspirations she had for their yet to be born child. A queen, she had said. (y/n) was destined to be a queen. At the time Tywin indulged and listened to her, thinking how unlikely it would be and that Cersei would be the better choice for such hopes. She was first born after all. Now Joanna’s words haunt him. (y/n)’s way to being queen was much closer than he ever expected or anticipated. He didn’t much believe in prophecies, but there was just something so eerie about this one.

What was so special about her? Joanna had been forced to stay in her bed for weeks after giving birth to an unremarkable baby (y/n). She had been weak for months after that. It must’ve been her birth that caused the defect of Tyrion and thus the death of Joanna.

He hated denying Joanna anything. The Lannister beauty had been so thrilled imagening (y/n) as a queen.

“Those were just dreams.” Tywin whispers to himself. Pale green eyes lift from the map on his desk and drift to the window that let in the slightest bit of light. “I’m going to put someone better suited on the throne, dear Joanna.”

*

He was still in awe.

Rhaegar was laying next to you in bed, his hands caress your stomach despite there not being any sign of your pregnancy as of yet. His smile was pure and beautiful.

“A little prince or princess?” Rhaegar murmurs in wonder.

“Surely you want a prince.”

Shaking his head, Rhaegar leans back against his pillows and turns to you. “It would be nice to have a boy right away to ensure the Targaryen legacy, but to be honest I could care less. As long as it’s happy and healthy. To think, our child will find a playmate in my soon-to-be sibling.”

That’s right. Rhaella was still heavy with child, ready to pop at any minute. “I hope she’ll be alright. Your mother told me her pregnancies have always been. . . stressful.” It made you worry about your own impending pregnancy. You had heard Joanna had had difficulty carrying you. Maybe it was hereditary. Maybe. . .

Maybe you would perish too.

The thought stuck with you, making your fingers curl against your stomach. What if this child were to be your doom?

Rhaegar continued to talk as your mind spiraled out of control. In through one ear and out the other. Ever since that morning when you found out you were pregnant you were definitely conflicted about the situation. You had never imagined yourself as a mother. Especially a mother to the child of the future king of Westeros. There was still so much you had to deal with. Your family. Lyanna. Could you deal with a baby too?

“Are you alright (y/n)?”

A cool hand to your cheek snaps you out of your reverie. His brows furrow with concern. “You feel very warm. Shall I go get the maester?”

“I’ll be fine.” You try to muster up a smile. “It’s because everyone’s fussing over me. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.”

Lilac pools search you for a lie, but all he finds are fevered (e/c) ones returning his gaze. “Of course they’re fussing over you. You’re carrying my baby. A future prince or princess. The pride of the Targaryen family.” Rhaegar’s smile returns as he closes his face toward your own, nose against nose.

Not knowing why, tears burn at your eyes and sorrow fills you. Since meeting Rhaegar your life had changed so quickly. Once your mother died you had lost all kind of loving warmth. Your family had torn you down completely. But Rhaegar. . . He built you back up. His love for Lyanna was a damaging blow, that was true, but you could tell that he did genuinely love you. And maybe it would turn into something romantic like what he felt for the northern lady.

“Our baby.” You whisper.

Rhaegar’s lips part, about to say something but there’s an unceremonious knock at the door. Rhaegar closes his eyes, annoyed that someone has ruined the moment.

“Come in.”

A servant meekly enters, cowering underneath the magnificence of the Silver Prince. “Your Grace, your father has instructed me to inform you about a celebratory feast in honor of the news of your child.”

Mistrust misted his eyes as he nods, letting the paige know that he could leave now.

“I’m surprised your father would do that for us.” You murmur out his doubt. You were already aware that Aerys didn’t care much for his elder son. So why would he throw a special celebration for the news of a grandchild reared by Rhaegar?

“As am I.” A hollowness in his voice makes your stomach flop, or maybe that was due to your pregnancy. You lean over your bed unceremoniously to once again expel the food from your stomach. You dare not look down at the basin.

Cool fingers pull back thick strands of your hair and kiss the hot skin on the back of your neck.

“I should stay with you.”

Stiffly you shake your head, not wanting another wave a nausea to cripple you. You knew you already must appear unpleasant. You would rather Rhaegar leave than witness you in such an unappealing state. “No. Griff would be upset if you missed a meeting with him.”

“He’ll understand.” Rhaegar murmurs soothingly while rubbing your back. “He knows how important our child is to me.”

Oh, no doubt about that. Yet the look you had seen on Jon Connington’s face when he escorted Rhaegar to your chambers was anything but congratulatory. The red headed lord of Griffin’s Roost was most likely repulsed by the idea of a Lannister carrying the child of his Silver Prince. You wondered if Griff ever went home to his land. Since you were brought back from Dragonstone to marry Rhaegar, Jon had plagued the halls of the Red Keep, scowling at every Lannister that stepped foot into the castle. Would he have preferred Lyanna as Rhaegar’s bride? Surely, in his view, anyone was better than a Lannister. But you weren’t like the rest of your family. Shouldn’t that be enough? Why should he condemn you based on the actions of your father; a father that you did not even care for. Jaime did nothing to help their family’s name. He was arrogant, even though he had good reason to be.

If Jon knew about Jaime and Cersei. . . He would use that no doubt to use against you.

Rhaegar, being so intuitive as he is, seems to already read your thoughts. He purses his lips and exalts a weary sigh. “Jon has never been subtle about how he feels. I’ve spoken to him about it many times.”

“I don’t blame him. Even if I am not much like the rest of my family, I am a Lannister nonetheless. Tywin’s blood pumps through my veins.” Your gaze drifts to the soft skin of your inner forearm as if you could see into your veins at the lion’s blood that kept you alive; that made you everyone’s enemy.

Your husband nods in agreement. “Grudges against family name is a longstanding tradition in Westeros it seems. But you are my wife. He knows that I hold you near and dear to my heart. Lord Connington needs to put those stupid notions aside about the Lannister family. You are nothing like your father. Besides, you’re a Targaryen now and you carry my heir inside of you.”

You wondered if that would be enough to keep you safe. The game of thrones spared no one.

--------

TAGLIST:

@esposadomd

@ladybug0095

[curator-on-ao3]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you so much for tagging me, @divinemissem13! ❤️

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 127

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 660,997

3. What fandoms do you write for? Star Treks, mostly Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, Picard, and Voyager.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Tuvok’s Secret (G): Tuvok has a secret — and he trusts only one person onboard to keep it. (Kathryn Janeway & Tuvok)

Feet on the Ground (G): Something solid slams into Kathryn’s back. She stumbles forward, bumping Mark, who in turn careens into someone else. Kathryn turns to glare at the probably inebriated party-goer who didn’t watch where they were going. But, instead, she looks up to achingly familiar dark eyes and the curves and lines of a tattoo that Kathryn spent the last eighteen months telling herself she didn’t miss. (Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway)

The Halo Effect (M): Tom Paris and Kathryn Janeway didn’t intend to fall in love. (Kathryn Janeway/Tom Paris)

Fly Me to the Moon (E): Kathryn Janeway and Tom Paris never met each other years before Voyager. Never served on a covert mission together. Never fell in love. Never planned a future together. Nope, never happened. Because a secret like that could lead to some … complex dichotomies. (Kathryn Janeway/Tom Paris)

Bad Ensign (T): Harry Kim finds out he missed out on an important part of the Starfleet Academy experience. Hilarity and dirty jokes ensue. (ensemble, friendship fic)

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes. If someone was kind enough to leave a comment, I’m going to thank them.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I used to not know how to answer this question, but I recently got a kudos on Honey, I’m Home and while that story definitely isn’t “sit down crying” angst, I feel like maybe it qualifies? (Though In the Doorway might also fit under that criteria? Both stories are Kathryn Janeway/Tom Paris, but they only get together in one of them.)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Either Feet on the Ground or Youthful Exuberance (Some Kind of Love). Feet on the Ground has Janeway and Chakotay finding their way together after their Delta Quadrant trauma (note: Chakotay is afraid to leave the Sol system for fear of getting pulled into the Delta Quadrant again — Prodigy!Chakotay didn’t exist yet when I wrote that but, from what I’ve heard, he could possibly relate). Youthful Exuberance lets our heroes, Christopher Pike and Una Chin-Riley, have all manner of ups and downs, but the tags promise a 100 percent happy ending and I was determined to deliver.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not that I’m aware of, usually.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes. Vanilla because I find that interesting to write. (I’ll read all sorts of stuff.)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I write crossovers within the Trekverse. The two craziest allowed Tuvok and Geordi LaForge to have tea together (Asunder [T] Kathryn Janeway/Tom Paris) and Shannon O’Donnell Janeway to tell Benny Russell how much his writing has meant to her (Meeting of the Minds [G] Shannon O’Donnell Janeway & Benny Russell, Kathryn Janeway & Benjamin Sisko).

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Other than by ChatGPT, not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes, In the Doorway was translated into Russian.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes, and am doing so again.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? NCC 1701

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? There’s one I technically finished about Tom Paris and Owen Paris in the aftermath of Owen’s beta canon torture by the Cardassians. But it’s really dark and I don’t know if I’ll ever edit or post it.

16. What are your writing strengths? Adaptability (to prompts), brevity, details.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I’m having trouble lately with voice and lack of vocabulary variety.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? If necessary, a beta fluent in the language can be very helpful.

19. First fandom you wrote for? I consider that to be Voyager, but recently reflected on an even earlier fandom for me.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? My most recent fic always holds a place in my heart, so Disarmed (Mirror Una Chin-Riley/Mirror Christopher Pike) is special to me, and also was an interesting mental stretch because I’d never before written sex that the characters think is good but I think isn’t good. But my all-time favorite? Youthful Exuberance (Some Kind of Love). It’s my novel length love letter to Chris and Una, and it means a lot to me.

Tagging: Tumblr has been doing this fun thing lately where I don’t see posts from people I follow. So, if you actually see this, please consider yourself tagged with no pressure. Also, in addition to the wonderful people tagged by @divinemissem13, I’m tagging @grissomesque @fiadorable @emilie786 @genius2mania @lorcaswhisky @enterprise-come-in @marymoss1971 @sun-lit-roses @kejsarinna @iamstartraveller776 @isagrimorie @emonydeborah and the fantastic folks I’m not thinking of right now because I have tag anxiety.

[lokisgoodgirl]

once you receive this lovely bouquet of flowers you have to mention five things you love, publicly, and send it to 10 of your favorite followers if you want. SPREAD POSITIVITY! ⛅️

Awwshssh thanks @mrs-illyrian-baby!! Real talk - and you know I don't like moaning on main - but I'm having a right day. I'm in so much pain, emergency dentist trip with no real relief, and the next week could potentially be very Urgh so I need this timely reminder of gratitude and positivity! ❤️😊

Things I love:

1. My dog. She is the sweetest little malteser eyed pushkin and I love her more than anything in the whole world.

2. My plans for this year - I think it's a solid year! Lots of things dotted out to look forward to of varying scales.

3. My parents. Husband (who I also love, but he gets shout outs all the time so..) had the car at work today, and I needed an emergency appt after he'd left. My dad came out to drive me there and take me to the pharmacy after. We popped by their house and my mum had bought me some flowers and a little cake to try to make my Monday a bit brighter🥺

4. My Halo blackout sleep mask. It's like £10 on amazon, I'm not lying when I say it will change your life.

5. DUNE!! I'm so hyped for the new movie. I'm seeing the 2021 one for the 63636th time in imax on Friday night and I'm so happy. To prep, I've been listening to all my fave Gom Jabbar episodes, re read the second half of book one, google searched my 2nd tier boyfriend Chalamet a whole bunch. I'm so hyped. Like I cannot oversell how much I love Dune and all the lore and Herberts magnificence, any secret Dune lads please come nerd out with me freely anytime.

xxx

[mlgssy]

List 5 things that make you happy, then send this question to the last 10 people who liked/reblogged one of your posts.

1. Feeling the presence of God and knowing that He loves me

2. Reading awesome sci-fi books (like Halo, Star Wars)

3. Being with my family

4. A good coffee 🥹

5. Being with my best friend ( I only see her once a year)

[krastbannert]

Tagged by @noexoozes

20 Questions for Fic Writers

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 69 (nice) on my main account, with 5 on another account. And then there's a few here and there I've deleted over the years.

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 188,387 words.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: The Legend of Korra, Tron: Legacy, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Dragon Prince, Mass Effect, Destiny, and Horizon (as in Horizon: Zero Dawn and Forbidden West). At one point I had a Halo fic but that's been deleted. And then I've got a few original works.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

to that loyal heart (you're forever sixteen) - Zuko and the 41st Division, and what it means to those who will never forget what Zuko did.

Twin Flames - Azula-centric, post redemption, where she meets her niece, Izumi, for the first time, and finds that they have something in common.

those stories written in your skin - Zuko and his various tattoos, and the story of a journey around the world.

Lonely - Fire Hazard Siblings-centric, a small, quiet moment on Ember Island where both, for the first time, feel safe.

Wash These Stones - sequel to to that loyal heart (you're forever sixteen), about Chit Sang, the 41st Division, the loss of a child, and the healing that comes years later.

5. Do you respond to comments? I try to respond to all of them, but I kinda...lost track and stopped around 8 or 9 months ago. I recently responded to a lot of them, finally.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? The multishipping discord kinda hated for Hey, Pretty Boy, my modern AU Yuekka oneshot told from Yue's perspective. They thought that was really angsty. And the Taangst Week pieces I did were, to the other Taang fans, pretty scaring (still waiting for Taangst Week II: Electric Boogaloo). But I think the angstiest fic I've ever written is either The Abyss or Escaping the Shells - both have no happiness, no comfort, no catharsis. They're just about what's left when the battle is over, and the hollow shells of people that the fighting leaves behind.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Probably Across That Glimmering Sea, the story I wrote for the Fire Nation Recovery Zine - about the world letting out its breath after the war, and learning to live again - or maybe Go For Broke, the true story of a real-life hero. If planned endings are counted, probably either Brave Soldier Girl or not with a whimper (but a roar like thunder).

8. Do you get hate on fics? Ehhhh depends on your definition of hate. I haven't gotten any of the classic hate comments that a lot of my friends have gotten, but Brave Soldier Girl has gotten some pretty heated negative comments on the last two chapters.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I have, but I've written so little that I don't really think I have a type, per say. I have written any in a while.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I have not written a crossover. Thought about it, years ago, but haven't.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Not to my knowledge.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I've been a beta reader, but that's it.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh honestly, I have no idea. I love a lot of ships for a lot of reasons, so it's really hard to pick.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? At this point? All of them. Realistically, tamehegane (my swordsmith!Azula AU) and hold you like a hand grenade (Azula & Ursa, companion to Brave Soldier Girl).

16. What are your writing strengths? Recurring motifs to represent characters and the story, and digging into the thoughts and feelings of characters so they feel real.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? The act of writing. Not kidding. I suck at actually sitting down and writing. Also, general confidence in my writing (hard to feel like you're actually a good writer when almost no one reads the majority of what you've written in the last two years). Those are probably linked together in a way I don't really feel like examining too closely.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I've tried it; something about it doesn't feel right, probably because I only speak English fluently.

19. First fandom you wrote for? The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? Oh, man. Neither are finished, but probably Brave Soldier Girl or not with a whimper (but a roar like thunder). So much I have planned for both, so much research for both, so much work and emotion that I'm trying to put into each one. It's hard to say which one is realistically my favorite.

Tagging @authorjoydragon @thiscryptidischronicallyyours @mycomfortblanket @nyamadermont and whoever else wants to consider themselves tagged!

[mangatxt]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @creativenicocorner; thanks nico!!

tagging @kreauxlighe @tomezeme @mosshook @carriecmoney and anyone else who wants to do this. no pressure!

answers under the cut

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

23

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

489k. i want that half-million by year's end.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

currently, i only write mp100 fics. my ao3 has some older fics from hq!! and a couple other fandoms I used to write for.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

i'm not gonna list them out because they're all older stuff i'm less enthusiastic about recommending now. the top four are daisuga (hq!!) fics I wrote in college, and the fifth is an inukoko fic I wrote before tokrev ended.

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

I try to keep up with them. It means a lot to me when people take time out of their day to send me their thoughts, and I've made a lot of friends from it! But I get overwhelmed and behind on it sometimes, and then I'm like... I probably shouldn't respond to this until I post a new chapter. oops.

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

hands down, weekly consultation (mp100, gen, mcd).

second place goes to the one for the road (tr, kokoinu), which ends in a breakup.

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

most of my fics have happy endings.

the parachute candidate (mp100, serirei) has a pretty happy ending. so do halo effect (mp100, serirei) and phototropic (mp100, gen).

but i think the happiest ending is probably the twelfth annual rising sun spiritual union holiday decoration contest (mp100, serirei), because reigen wins money instead of more time with roshuuto.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

i've been super lucky to have overwhelmingly positive reception to my fics. i didn't love all the foot commentary on that one tokrev fic, but it is what it is.

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

i do. very serious smut only, like dick hanahaki and schrödinger's office smut and slow-motion trainwreck sex column

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

i wrote a short haikyuu!! x fullmetal alchemist fic for daisuga week a long time ago. that's probably the craziest one.

in medias res (mp100, gen) is the little match girl isekai, so that probably counts too. reigen literally crosses over.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

a few offers, but i'm not sure if they were completed

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

i have been responsible for the prose output of all of my fics, but i've had a lot of help for various plots. for example, i feel that half the blame credit for bringing flora obscura into being should go to @crownorclover

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

serirei (mp100). it has two characters i adore individually, a setting with so much canonical room for shenanigans, and a lot of open-endedness to the development of the relationship that makes it fun to speculate over.

i'm still partial to kokoinu (tokrev) too. both kokoinu and serirei have that bodyguard/loyalty trope to them and are often written within a greater found family. it's good stuff.

i also like the inherent appalling messiness of reishuuto but it's not that serious

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

that novelist!hawks fic i started once. rip.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i like an off-the-wall premise, and i am incredibly committed to the bit.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i tend to overwrite things. need to work on brevity.

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

for the manga series i write for, i try to write in scanlation/fansub language for the most part. that's how i interacted with them originally, so that's how the character voices sound in my head. not everything in one language has a 1:1 translation into another.

mp100 has a lot of cultural/wordplay jokes that don't translate well into english. i have a lot of wordplay in my fics to match the tone, but i've only managed to make a wordplay joke that translates both ways once. so much respect for translators who figure out how to make that work on a regular basis.

i try to do as much research as possible to get things right, but i know i'll make mistakes. for that reason, i really appreciate people who beta read for me, who put together writing resources and other research materials, or who are kind enough to leave constructive feedback.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

pokémon.

i can't find it anymore but at one point, my 12-year-old ass wrote a fic where gym leader chuck's wife is like "chuck you spend all your time with the waterfall. i want a divorce." laksjdlkasj

i'd totally write it again.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

the parachute candidate.

(i think i'll like sage advice a lot more when i finish it)

[tomorrowxtogether]

TOMORROW X TOGETHER and Jonas Brothers Team on Pop-Spectacular ‘Do It Like That’: Watch

The fresh cut continues another bountiful year for both acts.

K-pop meets JoBro pop on “Do It Like That,” the new collaborative recording that unites the talents of TOMORROW X TOGETHER with the Jonas Brothers.

Produced by Ryan Tedder, the prolific creative behind such hits as OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars” and Beyoncé’s “Halo,” “Do It Like That” is the first team-up by TXT and the U.S. sibling trio.

“Do It Like That” splashed at midnight across digital music platforms, and it’s accompanied by a bouncy music video. Helmed by Yongsoo Kwon, the clip opens with the bros singing, grooving and jamming on instruments, before TXT gets into the swing of things for a great, big poptastica party.

In January, TXT earned its first Billboard 200 No. 1 project with The Name Chapter: Temptation (EP), the K-pop stars’ third consecutive title to reach the chart’s top 10 and seventh entry on the tally. The EP became the longest-charting K-pop album released in 2023 on the Billboard 200.

With that first chart crown, TXT topped Billboard’s Artist 100, and stopped by The Late Late Show With James Corden for a performance of “Sugar Rush Ride,” lifted from TEMPTATION, for their U.S. late night TV debut.

TXT’s Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai will release their second full-length album in Japanese, SWEET, via UMe on Aug. 4, 2023.

Meanwhile, the bros Kevin, Joe and Nick recently notched their fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart with The Album. It peaked at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, and is one of their seven top 10 albums on the main tally, a list that includes three leaders — 2008’s A Little Bit Longer, 2009’s Lines, Vines and Trying Times and 2019’s Happiness Begins.

Watch the music video for “Do It Like That” below.

[papabirdurskeks]

4 and 44 of the OC meme? 😁

4. A character you rarely talk about? (44 will be answered under the read more!)

Oh goodness, this one is a toughie because I have so many OCs I barely talk about because I always go from one to another (aka, me forgetting about them while paying more attention to others and repeating the cycle each time). However, they often do get their turn to see the light of day even if small!

Yet, if I were to go to territories in which I have never ever talked about certain OCs, one of them would be Zigor!

This guy I never spoke of to anyone aside from my brother because he predated internet socializing days and I never got around to really fleshing him out aside from the stories my brother and I made up together.

But once upon a time, I used to be very avid in the Halo fandom and instantly fell in love with the franchise to the point I made several different OCs actually. Zigor just happened to come in much later when we finally got to know the Forerunners a bit more! And so, Zigor was born!

He himself is Forerunner with a rather...pessimistic agenda when it comes to doing his job and tends to view the world and life in about the same life. In fact, he's what one would call the brooding type but its not because he's had a hard life but just has very little hope for things to get better in the times that he was alive and saw calamity arise when the Flood began to surface. Ideals of hope and revival were bleak in his mind and eyes, but he did as he was told and tried his best to save what he could before things ultimately went to shit.

Long story short, he had somehow managed to survive this calamity and lived off his days sort of plotting and planning for an ultimate end to things. He was sort of like one of the big bads that my brother and my main OCs went against in some big fight.

And here he is now! Completely revamped and seeing the light of day after almost 10 plus years x') I still very much love him and am glad to finally show him off! c:

44. Something you like about your OCs in general

I think one thing I really love about my OCs in general is being able to give them life through both design and story telling! Nothing brings me so much happiness then to actually be able to show them off in this way because it gives them life and shares their stories to anyone who is willing to listen and is interested as well! I love being able to share their stories, the art they are in and just be able to bring them to life and interact with people who want to know about them!

That life itself is just so much fun and enjoyable to give that it feels good to know that even if one person likes them, I know that I am doing something right in the long run x')

[euryalex]

15Qs / 15 Mutuals

Tagged by the super amazing @shadowsofrose hiii i love u <3

Tagging: @nonbineraryitinerary @cobb-vanthss @captastra @roofgeese @detectivelokis @softbutchesbian @pyreios @mangosteine @fadedjacket @swingxilly @aavara @the-halo-of-my-memory @strangefable @ziorre @autisticbisexualemaskye

1. Are you named after anyone?

For the longest time, I didn't think so because my mom said she heard the name in movies and TV shows a lot and liked it, but apparently I am named after a lady in the nursing home my mom worked at!

2. When was the last time you cried?

Uhhh I think I had a mental breakdown earlier this week?

3. Do you have kids?

I am kids

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't? I swear, my speech pattern changes in phases. Sometimes I use more sarcasm and sometimes I don't use any at all!

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

I am one oblivious bitch. I don't notice ANYTHING. At most I notice whether or not there's an instant connection.

6. What’s your eye color?

Grey

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Scary movies WITH happy endings

8. Any special talents?

Uhm. Not exactly a talent but I Sense things. For example if I'm about to receive an e-mail. It's a gut feeling, y'know? Like when I'm commissioning someone I'll have a gut feeling they're about to send me an update and 99% of the time it's right - if it's not, it's a friend of mine who got an update xD

9. Where were you born?

Belgium

10. What are your hobbies?

Video games, art, writing, reading

11. Have you any pets?

No :( Although there's a silverfish in the bathroom who refuses to leave - does he count?

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

... Pretty much none? I used to dance (professionally) for a year and a half when I was 8. If I wasn't depressed and mentally ill, I probably would've done badminton or hockey professionally.

13. How tall are you?

5'8" I think.

14. Favorite subject in school?

I'm a high school dropout for a reason :/ (jk it was English and Art first, then Math, and now I really love the web design class I'm taking!)

15. Dream job?

Video game design! I'd love to do concept art stuff but there's only one college nearby that teaches video game design. I'm also kinda scared because what if I'm not good enough, what if it's not the right job for me? Plus nightmare stories you hear from people who do art professionally :///

[h0n3yk1tt3n]

7 8 10

Ahhh the joys of reblogging multiple ask games with numbered questions within a day and not being able to tell which one is the current subject <3 (this just means you're getting the answers to six questions instead of three! Plus I'm bored and I don't mind lol)

7. Share a line or paragraph that you don't think will ever actually be posted in anything! (Or, if you don't hoard cut sentences and paragraphs like I do, share anything you want that has yet to see the light of day!)

Prefacing this by saying I know that Jake is implicitly an only child in canon. Counter argument, shut up /j oldest child syndrome made worse by absent parents. My defense:

Alana kept her voice as level as she could, despite her frustration. "Can you be an adult for just a couple minutes, please?"

A fist hit the table. "I've had to be the adult since I was thirteen!"

Alana startled at the harsh constriction in Jake's voice, his once casual and flippant demeanor turning so fast that it just about gave her whiplash.

A mirthless laugh choked Jake as he threw a hand out. "Criminal parents fucking off to who knows where all the time meant that someone needed to grow up! Someone needed to be responsible and make sure that the kids were happy and safe! And sometimes-"

His voice wavered, breath shaking as he looked off at the wall instead of at Alana.

"Maybe sometimes I just wanna be a kid. Get excited about Kiddie Land. Go down a Giant Slide. Just," he gave a hopeless shrug, "pretend things aren't so fucked up, at least for a little while. Long enough to not... burn out on being the adult, right when I really need to be."

—Tales From the Lagniappe

This is really rough atm but hopefully it gets the point across dbdjebdh

8. Is there a story idea that you would love if it could appear fully realized but that you do not think you'll ever write yourself?

Halo au would be fun. I say, as if I have a real Story in mind for it besides a couple scenes and Vibes lmao. I have so many Concept stories that I just never actually touch in any meaningful way, hell it's a miracle if I ever doodle anything for them.

10. If you could banish a single trope to live at the bottom of the ocean, never to be seen by any human eyes (or at least your own), which trope would that be?

The simple fact that I don't know by virtue of not reading super often goes to show that I don't feel strong negative emotions about any particular trope (and that im not adventurous lmao /hj.) Anything can be executed beautifully or terribly.

I once criticized coffee shop and adjacent aus for being nothing burgers by (generally, i can think of at least one exception) ending after character A gives B their number, but like? I don't have enough vitriol to cast such aus into the ocean lol, they can stay

7. A fic of yours you think is underrated?

Besides my 4 year old coping-with-quarantine project that spiraled into almost 330k words of length and became So Personal, probably Joyride. I blame its lack of attention on the fact that I just shat out a one-sentence summary and assumed that would be enough for those that had already read Weakness lol (hi becca)

8. What's the best summary you've come up with?

The fact that the L2C summary was so long that it wouldn't fit into ao3's character limit (but that it wasn't long enough/was too summarizey to be its own chapter or part of the prologue) and had to be broken into the summary and beginning notes goes to show how much I cared about making it Perfect™️ lol

10. Do you read your own fics for fun?

Not super often but yeah! Usually as a post-upload riding the high ya know? Swallow Up Your Heart of Gold actually keeps popping into my brain and I gotta get a hit of that sweet sweet hurt/comfort <3

In fact I would often reread rps that a friend and I did so get that same hit

I'm lonely and touch starved I bet you couldn't tell