#honestly this workshop was SO GOOD and i can't wait for it to become a full show

[lesmiserabelles]

rebecca lock giving a phenomenal performance of 'hurricane' in the workshop for jordan luke gage's new musical redcliffe, via jordan luke gage on instagram

[midnight-bay-if]

Okay, that ask with MC dying in RO's arms. I can't help but reverse-angst any angsty ask I see, so now I HAVE to.

What if despite the MC seemingly dying, the team managed to call an ambulance and for it to arrive fast enough to like manage to restart their heart and ultimately save them? What I'm mostly interested in in this scenario is how would the ROs act during the period of uncertainty of "will they wake up or not", and when MC finally DOES wake up and is fine (cause well, they could have woken up but with all sort of issues due to the lack of oxygen and what not).

I live for hurt-comfort!

(A little bit of hope can go a long way. Let's do this :D)

S: The wait is excruciating. It's a difficult ask for S to set aside their usual cynicism in favour of a more optimistic approach. In the army, it was customary to carry a letter for loved ones should the worst come to pass. S had to deliver more than a few of those letters. They still carry one themselves out of habit. Preparing for the worst like some paranoid doomsayer has become their second skin.

But just this once, they don't want to believe in the worst. They don't want to prepare to break bad news to loved ones, nor imagine the empty space you could leave behind. Perhaps your inability to give up has rubbed off on them. It's a quality of yours they are counting on right now.

Then, the doctor exits the room and smiles, and S knows that their uncommon hope has not been blind after all. You don't wake immediately, but S guards your bedside the entire time. It feels like a lifetime, but when your eyes finally wake, it takes all their strength not to immediately pull you into an air-restricting embrace.

Instead, they grasp your hand in theirs, clutching it tightly against their chest with misty eyes. When you finally speak their name, the tears finally spill freely.

"Thank goodness," they whisper, grasping your hands as if in prayer. I don't know what I would have done if..." They breathe. Deeply. "I fear a very long lecture is teasing the tip of my tongue, but I will do everyone a favour and keep myself gracious instead. Something to look forward to, my darling."

They smile.

Rain: It’s impossible to sit still. Plagued thoughts of pained screams and bloodied hands keep them pacing the length of the waiting room. The others are here too, but for once, Rain doesn’t have enough space inside their head for everyone else.

The pattern sound of their pacing steps keeps them grounded. It’s something else to focus on... because otherwise, the alternative is remembering every sordid detail of what happened to you, and that is too bloody unbearable.

How could they let this happen to you? Are they truly resigned to a life of regret forevermore? Regret was already a heavy enough weight for them to carry as is.

Then, the doctor spills the good news, and Rain rushes into your room, shaking. They didn't think they had tears left to cry, yet they fall freely once more. Red-faced with puffy eyes, they collapse onto their knees beside your bed, tucking their face into the crook of your arm... Honestly, they would be embarrassed if they weren't so happy.

"Perhaps we should consider retirement," they offer once their tears have ceased and they can force a smirk back on their face. "We could settle down by the ocean far away from Albach Bay and grow old together under a canopy of stars. Or we could get on a boat and become pirates. Mind you, the mermaids might pose a threat... Hm, I'll workshop it."

They are only half joking.

Taj: It's easier to be angry. So, as Taj watches the doctors and nurses rushing around as they busy themselves with their work, Taj seethes. They still taste the metal tang of blood in their mouth from the assailant whose throat they ripped out. It taunts them.

'You were too slow', it goads. 'You have always been too slow.'

Taj growls, subconsciously scratching at their own skin as they dig their nails into their arms. Their aggravation must permeate throughout the waiting room because the staff are giving them a wide berth. Sometimes, they'll spot a nurse giving them a pitying look and Taj will dig their claws in deeper.

It's all they can do to prevent clawing at their throats.

They don't understand. Taj has fought tooth and nail to find 'home'. S and Rain came along and provided shelter, but they found a home in you.

Taj would flay the skin of every potential threat before losing that.

All that anger, all that pent-up rage, begins to finally trickle away when the doctors give the good news. It still exists—it's still there—but it softens, as does the self-flagellation.

At your bedside, they wait. When your eyes flicker open, and you whisper their name, they finally breathe. "I always knew you were annoying, Koel, but I never pegged you as cruel."

Pouting, they grasp your hand in theirs and hold it delicately up against their lips. "Thank you," they gasp, barely breathing. "For not leaving me."

N: N is losing what little patience they actually have. It feels like days since they absconded away with you, and there has been no news since. What in Hael do they do here? There may or may not have already been a few incidents of cornering medical staff in a somewhat threatening manner to demand they prioritise you above all others.

It's not like there is anyone of greater importance in this hospital. N knows that to be true, even without knowing who the other patients are.

It's too tempting... to want to reach out to the dark recesses of your mind and pull you back, but then fear takes over. What if they reach out and you aren't there? What if they scream into the void, and all they hear is their echo? It would ruin them.

So, they wait and wait, and finally learn what it means to be patient.

When the doctors, still maintaining a cautious distance, finally break the news N has been so desperately hoping for, N breaks. They rush into the room, practically tripping over their feet in their haste. For a moment, they forget all about their image as a Prince of Hael and choose, instead, to embrace one simple truth; they care.

"Do try not to die in the future, my dear. I would be awfully put out if you did."

Umbra: If it weren't for the others, Umbra would be burning through the very heart of themselves to skulk, watch, and stand vigil in your room as the doctors worked. But it was S who rightfully pointed out that if you were to wake and Umbra had become less of themselves in the meantime, it would only bring you more heartache.

So, instead, they continue to practice trust. They are choosing to trust in your strength, in your stubbornness, in your desire to live. Even as their instinct to fight scratches at the back of their skull, they choose to believe instead. It's hard and getting harder.

Umbra knows if it weren't for the others, they would have already stormed your hospital room with savagery.

When the doctors finally release Umbra from their torment and share the good news of your stability, it's all they can do before Umbra is at your side. God grant mercy to the person who attempts to remove them from that point on.

Overwhelmed with emotion and with their fear no longer gripping their throat, they daringly climb onto the bed next to you. With hushed apologies, they gently rest their head atop yours, listening to you breathe.

"I never noticed before," they whisper, breath shuddering. "You breathe so deeply."

(I'm sorry sorry this took so long! I wanted to do it justice since it feels like a short sequel, lol. It's been a busy few days since we rescued a cat from a family member who had to move house. I may or may not be using them as inspiration for Taj, haha.)

[starlightshadowsworld]

Danganronpa 3 Future Arc episode 7

Thonks

(We're back!)

I find it interesting that people blame Makoto for Junko's death.

I get why because he's the one who defeated her. He's the one who won the final trial, learned the truth and beat her at her own game.

He's Ultimate Hope and she's Ultimate Despair.

However, Junko's death is not Makoto's fault. She's the one who pressed the big red button and had all of this set up.

If anything Makoto was trying to prevent her death.

But of course her followers can't blame her so they pick him.

Man... I'm like barely a minute in and I'm on a rant.

Monaca in a dictator outfit while a bunch of Monokuma's at a bar.

Not a visual I expected.

Well Monaca is definitely embodying Junko, doing a lot of her mannerisms and such.

I do find it ironic that Junko's death gives people such despair, it's what she would have wanted.

And Monaca made herself the heir to Junko rather than Komaru.

Junko Enoshima the 2nd aka Monaca Towa doesn't really roll off the tongue, maybe workshop that.

Ayyy Nagisa!

Okay okay the Warriors of Hope are in on this too and know where Monaca is.

Okay but Nagisa's reflection dead ass looks like Mukuro.

I'm not the only one who's sees it, right?

Awh hell yeah Komaru's blasting Monokuma's with a microphone and taking names.

And Toko is here, trying her best.

I love Komaru's inner monologue of how she was just a normal high-school girl before all of this, while taking out Monokuma's.

Immediately the "hopes not my thing neither is despair" her whole I'm just gonna leave that up to my brother attitude I love it.

Have I mentioned I love the Naegi siblings? Because I absolutely do.

And Genocider Sho is here. I love how Komaru has befriended both Toko and Sho.

Hmm maybe let's not tell Komaru that Makoto was about to either be locked up for an eternity, or if Munakata had his way, executed.

Nooo not the Byakuya fantasy.

What in the world... Why he look like that? Why she look like that?

Ima skip this...

I feel so bad for real Byakuya who is somehow aware of all of this... Poor guy.

It's cool seeing Byakuya's inner monologue. It's no hangman's gambit but it's interesting to see him think stuff over.

And it is suspicious that the killing game isn't being broadcasted, shows they've got something to hide.

I love how Byakuya isn't even that far up in the Future Foundation but takes control abd everyone's just like yeah sure why not.

"Do not fret, for as long as I draw breath this organisation will not fall. I swear it on the dignity of the Togami name."

Nevermind I see why, he was the ultimate affluent progeny, dude was quite literally born to lead.

And it's nice to see it, especially seeing how he's changed and doing this to help his friends.

Also his name means nothing in this world and yet he makes it mean something, man so cool.

Toko and Sho heading into Monaca's base.

This should be good. I love that Nagisa said they don't have the man power and yet these two are just running inside.

It is highly impossible to be more Junko than Junko.

That's just basic maths.

"You're not gonna lay a hand on my brother!"

... No one let Komaru meet Juzo or Munakata.

Actually... Someone please do.

Wait, she surrendered? Huh...

Oh wow she really did blow this pop stand.

And there's a Monokumamobile.

Monaca be acting like every ex Junko cosplayer.

I kinda like this Monaca, just like oh yeah the whole Junko thing eh that was a phase I was going through.

Just laying down and playing games and eating crisps.

I don't trust it tho.

"I don't get it, how did you become such a lousy excuse for a human being."

WOAH!

Komaru!

Wow Komaru Naegi really gives no fucks. She's so over all of this, can't blame her tho.

I... Forgot about the whole Nagito was their servant thing... Huh.

Honestly going soo far down the road you think you're become a Despair filled Nagito... Yeah that'd make me stop in my tracks too.

Nevermind that is the evil smile.

So there gonna kill one of the previous survivors.

... Please don't, Makoto almost lost it when they fake killed Asahina I don't think he can handle a real one.

And Monaca knows but won't spill.

Wasn't prepared for Monaca to actually go to space.

Sure, why not maybe she'll find Kaito.

... Too soon?

I like how it actually gets to Sho that one of the past survivors could be killed.

Komaru being upset at the idea of losing Toko is so sad and sweet.

Aww Komaru and Makoto video reunion.

.... Komaru! Better ways to phrase it, don't say hey Makoto my dearly traumatised older brother.

Monaca told me someone's gonna die because of you.

Like, I get it we don't have much time but don't rip the plaster off that hard.

He's not gonna take this well.

Especially when he's standing next to a survivor from the first game.

Byakuya's attitude of that's complete bullshit, is my thoughts exactly.

"Somebodies gonna die.. Because of me...."

SEE! What did I say?! Oh man I was already concerned for mental state of Makoto Naegi.

And this is only increasing that concern.

I am stressed.

[turtlemagnum]

so it turns out that the steam version of the sega genesis classics collection has steam workshop support, where apparently you can just... upload roms, into the official steam workshop, and it just works because at its core it's just an emulator that you paid for the right to play them legally. fucking mario 1 is on here. i can't believe i can play mario 1 on steam without any actual piracy on my end, it's fucking amazing. honestly wish nintendo would release their old games on steam, though frankly i can only see that happening if and when someone like me (or just me) becomes a rich asshole with more money than geoff bombos and buys nintendo just so they can force them to actually make their older fucking games available, like jesus christ nintendo just let me buy mario 1 on steam normally i'd pay at least a dollar for it, probably more like 5 dollars given how that shit tends to get priced. let me buy pokemon red and just put up pokemon bank on steam. just have that shit use the standard steam cloud save infrastructure or something, i don't give a shit man. i wanna play ocarina of time on PC and have my saves be backed up online so i can pick up and play from device to device and never lose progress!!! it would make you guys sososososoososososososoooo much money, and yeah it'd technically make piracy easier but piracy of nintendo games is already piss easy, which is why i DEFINITELY DON'T have hundreds of gigabytes worth of nintendo games on my PC, do NOT sue me i believe copyright infringement is a VILE EVIL and everyone who does it is DEFINITELY GOING TO HELL. my copy of ship of harkinnian uses COMPLETELY LEGALLY DUMPED VERSIONS of ocarina of time, and you can't legally prove otherwise. hey did i mention that i've slept about 2 hours in the past day? like from around 5 to 7 this morning i tried to sleep and woke up and went to mcdonalds because i was so fucking hungry, like god dude i was starving by 5 but mcdonalds only opens at 7 on the inside so i had to wait until then. since then i've essentially been running off of my ADHD meds and the moderate amounts of caffeine i've drunk 2day. like me saying "moderate amounts" isn't me doing a little haha funny misnomer i only drank like two full cups of pop today, once at mcdonalds and once at dinner with my grandparents. side note but i'm glad that i had the sense to look up the actual BDS website and see that mcdonalds either stopped being boycotted or never was in the first place, because apparently they're a lot more selective than social media people about that sorta shit, who'd'a thunk. anyways i'm glad because it's the only food place in the area open that early and what i order is relatively inexpensive, at least by modern fast food standards. i'll never understand people who get mcmuffins with egg when the ones with just the sausage are half the goddamn price and the egg is nasty anyways. like i'm not an egg hater or anything i'm just pretty sure fast food eggs are less so Actual Eggs and moreso solidified sulphur given marginal nutritional value. i xhould Fucking sleep. good nigh.....

[palettepainter]

Have you watched Back to the Rock? The reboot of Fraggle Rock? If you make Fraggle Rock content will it be based around the reboot or the og version?

A very good question anon!

Hands down, for me, the original is outstanding. The episodes where fun and entertaining and, honestly, I didn't expect the finale to be as bittersweet as it was. I was genuinely getting a little emotional, especially at that scene where Gobo comes back and finds Doc and Sprocket gone (and the scenes where Doc and Sprocket where just...waiting outside the little hole in the wall hoping Gobo would come back, ouch-)

As for the reboot I haven't seen too many posts discussing it so I have no idea what the general opinion of the show is, but here's mine: Now, this might be because I watched the reboot straight after I finished the original, but the reboot didn't cut it for me the same way the original did (besides the Glow episode, chefs kiss perfect)

It took a while for me to warmup to Doc in the reboot, but when I got like halfway through the episodes I began to like her. She's okay, but original Doc will always have a special place in my heart, his dynamic with Sprocket was brilliant! (I can't remember if this was said in the reboot but I think it'd be cool if Reboot doc was a descendant of original doc. So she'd be his great great grandniece or something. I think this could make for a sweet story where reboot Doc learns that Fraggles exist, and remembers all the silly stories her great grandpa used to tell her about them. Which at the time, she didn't believe)

I also didn't like how clean the workshop looked in the reboot. It just didn't feel like a workshop, and again maybe it's cuz I watched the reboot right after I finished the original and I hadn't finished being emotional over the ending, but the workshop in the original felt like it had so much character to it. It was grimy, dirty and cluttered but Doc's and Sprocket's dynamic still made the place feel homey. As for the Gorgs garden I liked the designs in both of the series! The reboot def made it feel more fancy and royal like

As for any content I do regarding the Fraggle characters or my OC Phoebe, I think I'm gonna explore the idea of reboot Doc being related to original Doc. I also might give reboot Sprocket a slight redesign - cuz if I do explore this idea more it won't make much sense if reboot Doc had a dog that looked exactly like og Sprocket (but I'm super torn about this cuz I LOVE Sprocket! Some of my fav episodes are when him and Gobo are an episodes focus)

Maybe reboot Doc could become eventual friends with Nora and Moog, and she eventually becomes like the bands some what online promoter alongside Hannah?

[forthedancingandthethriving]

So I thought about your headcanon for Tulip being into fashion, then decided to make the SMG version of Ash also have some fashion knowledge, partly learned via osmosis since a lot of his friends are into Contests and Contest Equivalents (and in a few cases like Cilan just generally Have Style) and because Team Rocket is Like That, but also partly because becoming the Avatar caused his actually extremely rare crossdressing gag to exaggerate into an actual habit Because Memes.

Then I realized that with how much smaller Lahar's new Girl Form is than their canon Girl Form, none of her alternate costumes actually fit anymore, either literally or in terms of style, so all she's got is her default outfit which is literally just her original form's default outfit with an added bikini top.

And she can't exactly go to her friends back home for help since the SMGs have the exact same (lack of) fashion sense as her, Etna barely wears clothes, Flonne has extremely different tastes, Sicily is Literally A Child and also has similar tastes to Flonne since they're both Angels, they're still working on getting Barbara used to making decisions for herself let alone other people, and she's not really close with anyone else.

So, Tulip and Ash happen to be nearby while she's complaining about this little problem and...well...

Tulip and Ash: *immediately drop what they were doing and give each other a Look before slowly turning towards Laharl with identical big, unsettling grins*

Laharl: Uhhh... *shrinks back slightly from their Gaze* Hi?

Pikachu, realizing what's about to happen: Nope! I'm out. *hops off Ash's shoulder and walks away* Good luck shorty!

Laharl: Good luck with wha- *is suddenly picked up by the arms, Tulip on her left side and Ash on the right* HEY! What's the meaning of this!? As Overlord, I command you to release me!

Tulip, in an exaggeratedly Proper tone: Now now, don't you worry your pretty little head my delightfully devilish friend. We only want to help you, isn't that right Dear Brother?

Ash, adopting the same tone: Oh, absolutely Dear Sister!

Laharl: You do remember you're not actually twins, right?

*they ignore her and continue to wherever it is their going, and through the Power of Scene Transitions they're suddenly in what seems to be one of the many workshops in Tulip's manor, though this one seems to be a cross between a barber shop and a walk-in closet instead of the usual garage or mad science lab*

Laharl, standing on a round, slightly elevated platform near the center of the room: Seriously, what are you doing!?

Tulip, back in her normal voice: *hold up the measuring tape she just had wrapped around her* Uh, checking your waistline? We gotta make sure they actually fit, you know?

Laharl: No, that's-you just-wait, that what fits?

Ash, rummaging through all the clothes: Your new outfits, duh. You were just complaining about not having any options on Girl Days.

Tulip: Like I said, we wanna help.

Laharl: And you couldn't have just offered instead of jumping straight to kidnapping?

Tulip: *levels a flat stare at her* Laharl, you are the single most prideful person I know, including my birth family. Can you honestly tell me that you would've accepted our help willingly instead of being stubborn and telling us off?

Laharl: I...okay, fair. But since when does Ash know anything about fashion? He's worn pretty much the same thing every day since he was ten!

Ash: Hey, you try living out of a backpack in the woods for months on end. Just because I don't have that many opportunities to dress up doesn't mean I don't know how. Plus I know for a fact you've seen some of "Ashley's" outfits.

Laharl, finally realizing she doesn't have any convenient excuse to get out of this: ...Oh, alright. Just don't make me look stupid, got it?

Tulip: Oh don't worry honey, by the time we're through?

You.

Will.

Be.

Fabulous!

THIS IS FUNNY BUT ALSO SO SWEET?

Tulip and Ash both having a fashion sense is great, and them both immediately agreeing that "Yeah let's kidnap Laharl and make her fabulous" because it's so in character?? And Laharl admitting that yeah, her pride would've made it so she wouldn't ask for any help is also sweet? She trusts them enough to not only admit that, but trusts them to make her outfit decisions.

And also the Dear Brother and Dear Sister bit is hilarious. You just know Ash and Tulip have done it on more than one occasion.

[successandethicswithsmita]

WHY PATIENCE?

Hiya! I wanna ask you a few questions? And I

want you to not only ask yourself, these questions, but also ask your near and dear ones? Especially to the current generation, yes, I will repeat that, especially to the current generation.

1) Do you want quick results for anything, and everything you do?

2) Do you hunt for shortcuts to acquire fame and money also success quickly?

3) Do you become restless, angry, irritated, stressed, violent when you don't get whatever you desire quickly or at the time expected?

4) Do you think all these behavioural pattern of yours is actually getting you somewhere, giving you true peace and happiness?

No need to answer me, or maybe tell me anything, answer yourself honestly, and if your heart desires a true solution to these problems, then read my Tumblr post below.

One more thing, entertainment, latest trending music, jokes, dance is all good, and essential to relax, but, it doesn't let you acquire your dream life, so gaining practical knowledge, that would be of aid to you in your day to day life is important, hence do listen, and share my posts as much as possible, because knowledge is true power.

PATIENCE

The definition of patience, for a lot of people, means waiting, but waiting, is only a part of patience, most importantly, people take wrong, or hasty decisions a lot of time, because, they feel that they need to wait, and they don't know the skills needed to wait, and just can't wait, as we all know empty mind and unease is devil's workshop, isn't it?.

Thus patience is the ability to be calm, and control the inner restlessness, that includes negative chattering, and also not to get influenced, by the pessimistic environment around. So first and foremost, let's see what happens when you lack it?

Today's world is definitely a modern, digital and fast world, yes, but yet, patience is a must, as a lot of things, do need time, for instance; people taking decisions, complicated problems being solved, constructions, and many more, isn't it? (181)

Thus if we are impatient, then we will be stressed out over situations beyond our control, and especially the ones where in results obtaining, takes time, and also might be unpredictable.

Not just that, we might rush into something that is not called for, and become an embarrassment for ourselves, prove ourselves unworthy and incapable, speak in frustration, and prove ourselves arrogant, scary, thereby losing our self respect, and letting our nay sayers win over and control the situation, pulling away great opportunities from us, loosing competitions not called for, making a mess of our lives, and also acquire regretful, ashamed and upsetting feeling.

Thus, we are going to get into, or create unhealthy relationships and decisions. We all know very clearly, that patience is undoubtedly a virtue, but, obviously that's not enough, it's most important and more important to know how to do it right? let's see, how to cultivate it.

CULTIVATING PATIENCE:

Firstly, we should and must know how to distract ourselves, while waiting, so; do things that don't make you restless while waiting, it could be listening to music, dancing, singing, playing, reading etc, also one thing won't work, it's not sufficient; we need to definitely have a bucket list.

This bucket list, is like the key to unlock your patience, again, however; just this isn't enough, we also need to have the right mindset. You have to instruct, and control your mind, to actually get yourself involved in these distraction activities, so that you don't loose your calm.

Tell yourself; " I have my list, I am mentally prepared, and I am going to follow and obey the plan, no matter what". Keep repeating this unto yourself, especially, whenever you feel that you are getting off track.

Check your triggers, one of the crucial loophole, is that you want things quickly, however; if you acknowledge the fact that, you might land in a pothole, or in a pit, if you move in a haste, and then imagine the consequences, then you will surely be in control.

Another important triggers are anxiety, anger, and frustration, and also worry. Every problem, has a solution, some problems can be solved quickly, but some especially the bigger ones and the complicated ones need time, and hence patience.

Patience helps you to be resilient and graceful, hence please practice it.

[icy-watch]

From @rainofthetwilight

#ooohhh intresting theories#honestly can't wait to see all this change being touched up on next season#also ayyy congrats on catching up!!! love how we both finished it in the same day lmao 😭😭

Thanks! Yeah, I can't wait to see what else they're gonna do. Ayyy! Good for both of us lol.

From @peanut-with-wifi-access

#my ask clarifies what I thinks going on w/ Macaque's magic rn#but in regards to the shadow powers#I think he stole em#need to find someone in actual chinese myth that HAS shadow abilities but I digress#I entirely agree on the whole “Xiangliu was a previous sacrifice” idea why didn't I think of that before#I think the Cage is more metaphorical#didn't release someONE rather someTHING#Nüwa making MK Chaos-based to stop the cycle issue is 100% what happened. I refuse to believe otherwise#she LOVES her creations SO MUCH#she stopped the destruction of the universe in the FIRST PLACE for them!#like you said she didn't fight MK when he went against her#she just went with it#I'm rambling so much I'm sorry I need to puke these thoughts out somewhere b4 they become coherent theories and my rp buddy's asleep#who “he” is and why he's “winning” I have no fucking clue#need to workshop that#ANYWAY SO SORRY FOR RAMBLING IN UR TAGS CAN'T WAIT FOR RISE I HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET 💞

I'll get the ask here in a moment.

It's possible he stole the powers, but the question would be: From who? Yeah, we're all going to have to dig into some myths here for some research. I'd be curious about anyone who did/does have shadow magic.

I'd really like to see if my theory on Xiangliu being a past sacrifice is accurate or just me seeing things that aren't real. It'd be neat if I was right.

Yeah, it's possible that the cage is metaphorical. But with Xiangliu saying "he", I'm thinking a someone was released from something. That or they were let into the world after being kept out for so long.

Nüwa instilling MK with Chaos is really the only thing that makes sense to me.

Ramblings and word vomit is always welcome, lol.

So, Macklebee's shadow powers are actually chaos. Not shadows. Or shadows that developed into chaos? Not exactly clear on that front.

But he made a deal with someone to get these powers. This someone who has been locked in a cage of some sort.

I'm trying to remember who that could be from JttW, but it could honestly just be someone from Chinese myth and legend - especially since Nüwa is now canon to the show.

Maybe the Dragon King? Or the Rhino King? Neither of those feel particularly right, but they're the only characters coming to the surface.

Maybe Gonggong or Zhurong? That's be interesting.

Xiangliu. Something about this episode really makes me thing that he was 1 of the previous sacrifices. It would give him interesting motivation to stop Nüwa from repeating the cycle once again. Altho, it wouldn't give him a good reason to want who ever was caged to be free.

Nüwa created MK to be the Harbinger of Chaos for a reason, and I'm still not sure what that is yet. She really didn't fight MK, she just seemed to kind of... accept that MK was going against what she said.

Like she was testing him.

I'm kind of hoping this gets touched on in s6.

Obviously the next season is going to deal with the fallout of MK not ending the cycle. People - and a dog - have super powers. Please show Bai He. I will riot if she's not included in the next season. I miss the sweetpea. That's going to take up some time to sort out.

Alright, I'm going to need an extra day to organize my correct and incorrect predictions. I promise I'll only take 1 day this time and not the entirety of my break between this show and the next. So keep an eye out for that in the next 24 hours.

AND THE NEXT SHOW! It looks like Rise of the TMNT won the poll. SO! I'm going to take the next 2 days off, and kick off with the first episode. Until then!

[mimisempai]

You wearing my clothes is like you wearing a piece of me

Summary:

5 times where Tony wears one of Steve's clothes and once where Steve wears one of Tony's clothes

Nothing more than my daily dose of fluff.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33103516

1971 words - Rating T

1.

As soon as he left the restaurant, Tony felt the bitter cold of winter on his cheeks as if he had just been slapped. He clung to Steve's arm, enjoying the warmth that emanated from him and muttered, "What an idea to walk here, ah that's romantic!"

Steve laughed softly, "A little fresh air is good for the blood circulation and for digestion after a heavy meal."

"A little fresh air, a little fresh air...that's freezing, yes! That's easy to say when you have a super soldier metabolism."

"That's just it, it gives me a chance to warm you up like this," Steve said, putting an arm around his shoulders.

Tony grumbled while enjoying the warmth of Steve's arm around him.

Steve chuckled and hugged him even tighter.

"I'm sorry you're cold love, but I don't understand why you didn't pick up something warmer."

"Sorry I chose elegance over pragmatism!" growled Tony.

Steve laughed louder, placed a kiss on Tony's hair and whispered, "Yet you know you don't need to impress me right?"

"I always want to impress you darling, it's in my nature."

Steve didn't say anything, and they continued to walk for a few minutes. Tony was a little uncomfortable with the way Steve was holding him, but firstly he was too cold to pull away and secondly, he liked Steve's touch too much to want to let go.

After a few minutes, Tony still couldn't get warm and couldn't stop the chills that ran through him, so much so that his teeth began to chatter. Tony clenched his teeth to hide it, but Steve noticed.

"Tony... no need to hide it from me...", Steve said, stopping so suddenly that Tony almost tripped. He opened his jacket, pulled Toni to him and hugged him tightly, closing the jacket over their two entwined bodies.

Tony revelled in the warmth of Steve's body pressed against his.

After five minutes, Tony had warmed up and began to pull away from Steve.

"It's okay, we'll be home soon."

But Steve looked at him worriedly as Tony rubbed his arms, already feeling the cold creeping up on him again.

Tony started to move forward when he felt a warmth on his shoulders as Steve pulled his jacket over his shoulders.

"No Steve, how about you?"

Steve looked at him with a mischievous smile as he opened his arms, "Capsicle to serve you Mr. Stark, I'm not sensitive to the cold. So zip up the jacket and enjoy the warmth."

"Steve," Tony sighed, "I don't deserve you."

"Honestly, I'm the one who wins," Steve replied, adding at Tony's surprised look, "I think you're incredibly adorable when you're wearing my clothes that are three sizes too big for you." he put his arm around Tony's shoulders again.Tony, hid his slightly flushed cheeks in the collar of the jacket as he slipped his arm around Steve's waist.

The warmth that invaded his chest at that moment, owed nothing to the warmth of Steve's jacket.

2.

Half asleep, contemplating his steaming cup of coffee, Tony felt two arms wrap around him from behind and a voice whispered in his ear, "Clothes thief."

"Caught in the act." Tony admitted, not looking at all sheepish as he turned around in the arms around him, before continuing, "How come you're here, weren't you supposed to be coaching the kids?"

"Flu epidemic at the compound, training is cancelled."

"That's too bad." replied Tony, looking not at all sorry.

Steve ran a finger down the collar of the T-shirt Tony had taken from him, "Do you always drink your coffee in my clothes?"

"I wasn't really awake, I grabbed the first thing that was lying around..."

Steve buried his face in Tony's neck and inhaled sharply then stood up, "What was lying around huh...? Whereas this shirt smells like laundry, like you took it out of the dressing room."

"It was lying around in the dressing room." replied Tony, trying to escape Steve's inquisitive gaze.

"So a folded T-shirt on a shelf is a T-shirt that's lying around for you?"

Tony muttered, "I hadn't had my coffee fix yet."

"Oh, I see," Steve said, his hand coming to rest on Tony's bare thigh and slowly moving up.

"Besides, I haven't drunk it yet," Tony retorted, trying to turn around.

"And I think it can wait," Steve whispered as his hand went even higher up under the shirt, making Tony shiver.

"You know I like hot coffee..." protested Tony in a not at all convinced tone as his breath came in short gasps.

"I promise I'll make you a gallon of coffee just the way you like it." whispered Steve against his ear, as his hand moved to Tony's back and continued his tempting caresses.

"I'll just have to give in then..." sighed Tony, as Steve's mouth captured his in a heated kiss, before running his hands under his butt and pulling him against him. Tony wrapped his arms around Steve's neck and tied his legs around his waist.

And as Steve led him toward their bedroom, Tony completely forgot about the cup of coffee cooling on the kitchen counter.

3.

He had done it again.

Tony was wearing one of Steve's clothes again.

And not just any garment. One of his shirts.

Last night they had gone to a charity event, both dressed in tuxedos, and like every time after that kind of evening, they had been exhausted and had undressed as soon as they entered their room, discarding their clothes, without taking care to fold them and put them away.

And this morning, Tony was there, sitting on the couch, dressed in his shirt, only his shirt, his feet curled up under him, a cup of coffee in one hand and his tablet in the other.

He had rolled up the sleeves too long and the white of the shirt's sides contrasted with the skin of Tony's golden thighs.

Steve swallowed. Every time Tony wore one of his clothes, he felt an overwhelming sense of possession.

It was as if Tony was telling him, "I'm yours."

He walked through the kitchen, grabbed himself a cup of coffee before joining Tony on the couch. Absorbed by what he was reading on his tablet, Tony didn't notice him right away. Steve didn't mind, Tony was so engrossed in what he was reading sometimes, that he forgot about the outside world. His genius.

Steve had plenty of time to observe him.

His hair disheveled, even more than usual. His goatee and the stubble on the shaped lines of his chin. The faint blue light emanating through the light white shirt. His thumb, which played whatever music was playing on the tablet.

Steve took a sip of coffee, closing his eyes to savor the burn along his throat.

"Good morning."

When he opened his eyes, Tony had shifted his position and his face was close to his own. He couldn't help but touch it, just to reaffirm the feeling from before. He ran his hand over the back of Tony's neck and tugged him in for a kiss. When Tony pulled back. Steve said just one word, "Mine."

4.

One morning, Tony awoke from a rather traumatic nightmare and was disappointed that Steve was not there. He had become accustomed to his comforting arms around him.

Tony tightened his arms around himself, unable to calm down. He looked around, agitated, when his gaze fell on one of Steve's hoodies lying on a chair.

An old, faded hoodie that Steve used to wear around the house. Tony stood up, took the hoodie in his hands and buried his face in it, the smell of Steve driving away the reminiscent anxiety of his nightmare. Still holding the garment against him, he went back to lie on the bed. It was like being in Steve's arms, without the warmth of his body. He breathed in Steve's scent a few more times and fell back asleep like that, the hoodie tight against him.

As Steve walked through the door of their home, he called softly, "Tony?"

Receiving no answer, he figured Tony must be in his workshop and decided to go to the bathroom to freshen up. He walked past the bedroom and his heart leapt in his chest when he saw Tony, lying on his side in the middle of the bed, sleeping peacefully, with Steve's hoodie pressed against him.

Steve, overwhelmed with emotion, took off his shoes, slowly approached the bed so as not to scare Tony and lay down next to him, his chest against Tony's back and then wrapped his arms around him.

Tony groaned a little, loosened his grip on the hoodie, and slid one of his hands over Steve's locked on his chest. "Steve..."

Steve kissed the back of his neck and whispered, "Go back to sleep my love, I'm here."

As he drifted back to sleep, Tony just thought that nothing could replace the feeling of safety of his lover's arms.

5.

"Tony, you haven't seen m-"

Steve stopped in mid-sentence as he entered the bedroom.

He couldn't hold back a gasp at the sight of Tony in his tank top. And of course Tony chuckled at Steve's reaction, watched with amusement as he grabbed the door frame with his free hand, then let his gaze slide to the way he was biting his lower lip. He approached until they were almost nose to nose, taunting as always. Steve stepped forward as well and couldn't resist, he placed his palms on Tony's chest and slid them over his shoulders and then down his arms highlighted by said tank top.

"You like what you see?"  Tony asked, clearly pleased with himself.

"I like it a lot, to the point where I'm thinking I never want to wear it again, it looks so good on you." Steve slipped his hands under the tank top, tracing the muscles revealed by the piece of fabric with his fingertips.

"Really?" Tony moved even closer until their mouths met and they kissed, forgetting everything else, slowly and simply drinking each other in, basking in the warmth of bodies pressed together. When they separated to catch their breath, Tony pretended to remove the tank top, but Steve shook his head and gently pulled the garment down over his lover's stomach.

"Keep it on. It's like my heart, once it's attached to you, it can't belong to anyone else."

+1

"I'm home!"

Tony closed the door behind him and walked into the living room.

Surprised at not receiving a response, he walked over to the couch and couldn't hold back a tender smile at the scene before him.

Steve was sleeping soundly on the couch, his arms wrapped around him, a sweatshirt of Tony's around him, hugging the sleeves.

Tony murmured with a soft smile, "Adorable."

He walked over to the couch, knelt down next to it, level with Steve's head, and placed his hand on Steve's.

Steve startled before he realized what was happening.

"Tony, you're home."

Tony whispered in his ear, "Looks like it."

Steve let out an appreciative grunt, "Come on." he pulled Tony to lie on top of him.

Tony ran a hand through Steve's hair and asked softly, "You okay Love? It's not often you fall asleep like that on the couch."

Steve turned his head into Tony's hand, which had lingered on his cheek, and kissed its palm.

"Now that you're here it's okay. A few reminders of my time in the ice and my personal heater wasn't there, so I made up for it with his sweater. But nothing can replace the warmth you give me."

Tony placed a tender kiss on Steve's lips before laying his head on his chest, "Now I'm here, you'll never be cold again my love."

__________

As always, bear with me as it is not beta'd and english is not my native language I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless🥰

[bettsfic]

wait so you have to teach classes as part of the phd but aren't paid for that separately? yikes. I imagine this is an australian thing but over here we get ~$28k/year (~20k US) for just the phd and then tutoring (like a TA) is completely separate at maybe ~$32US/hour, though kind of expected and tbh we can't usually do the work in the allotted time. good luck with that though, I guess :( I hope someday you are paid appropriately.

oof, yeah no over here it’s not like that at all. i’m going to address this more thoroughly in case people are curious. 

most grad school in the US isn’t paid for. you have to take out loans. that’s why i couldn’t pursue becoming a therapist, which was what i had wanted to do since i was a kid. i just couldn’t put myself in that much debt. so i did creative writing, because (i love it, obvs, but also) those programs are usually funded. so for people looking to do grad school in writing, look for that phrase: fully funded. this should not be hard to find. programs that are funded are eager to boast about said funding. fully funded means every student that gets accepted receives a tuition reimbursement and living stipend. 

other phrases you might come across are partial funding, fellowship, scholarship, etc. this means you might get accepted into the program, but the funding isn’t guaranteed. you may also see something like “generous financial aid packages.” this means you will be paying off that degree until you’re dead.

english departments are funded by composition classes, which every entering undergrad has to take or pass out of somehow. like, imagine forcing every single college student to take a certain class. that money adds up. so comp funds graduate degrees in english departments, which means that most grad students are accepted on teaching assistantship, and they have to then teach comp in order to receive a stipend. and by TA, i don’t mean helping out a more experienced teacher teach their class. i mean you get maybe 1-2 weeks of training and then you have 20+ of your very own students and a can-do attitude.

(english composition, ftr, is a first-year class where students learn, supposedly, how to write in college. extremely debatable whether or not it does this.)

so there are classes you take (workshop, seminars, practicums) and classes you teach (comp). the classes you take are all charged by credit hour. you’re still billed for tuition. however if your program is fully funded, it means your tuition will be reimbursed (usually excluding fees and whatnot, which ironically get taken out of your paycheck). you earn what’s called a stipend for the classes you teach. you usually get paid monthly, 9 months a year. summer you’re on your own, unless you have a program that offers a summer stipend or teaching opportunities. stipends that i’ve seen range anywhere from $6k per year to $28k. in my mfa, i made $16k and now in the phd (different school) it’s $17k. a lot of people work part-time to supplement their income, but some programs won’t allow you to do that, because you’re there to write, and working eats into writing time.

grad school in english is honestly better than i thought it would be, financially speaking, considering i came from a field (psychology) where i would have had to put myself in significant debt to do what i wanted to do. i won’t pretend $17k is a fair or living wage, but english classes are usually only in the afternoons 4 days a week, and i have health insurance, and i’m being paid to write. 

[lucarioisinthevoid]

Honestly, is it just me, or when I was rereading your fic last night and was reading Nemo's lines, is it weird I heard his lines in the "Angsty Teen" voice mode for the Handunit from SL? I dunno, I just can't read his voice with any other voice anymore--it just fits so perfectly inside my head--

“When I was rereading your fic” >See, that was your FIRST mistake. BUT YES. YOU ARE RIGHT! CONGRATULATION, YOU WIN A PRIZE OF YOUR CHOICE, UP- BUT NOT LIMITED TO- ME DELETING MY WHOLE INTERNET EXISTENCE- Small (big) fun fact!

When I first got into fnaf, I actually didn’t work with the characters. I just enjoyed the games and theories, but I decided to add to another, original work of mine a small homage to the fnaf franchise, so I had a family of four- William Afton, the father, Dave Afton, the son, Elizabeth, the robotic daughter and a lost and dead mom. I named the kid Dave Afton, because I wasn’t sure which I wanted to be the killer, ending up with Dave being actually a good boy, but terrified of becoming like his father and sister. He was the angsty teen. So when I made my dsaf story and decided Henry had a wife and child- the wife would go on to become the head of the factory, and the child being the angsty teen that Henry got rid of after failing to groom him into becoming his successor. Well then again, he didn’t try THAT hard. Too easily frustrated with his lack of talents. I meant to call him David, but then though “wait, no, that’s stupid, I don’t want to have a Dave and David around”. … and then dsaf 3 happened. Yeah. Can’t really say I called it, I can only say it was a weird coincidence. Much like me calling that Baby saw her murderer as her father figure. Anyhow, seeing as I don’t know how to really have an in-character answer for this, since Nemo sure as hell isn’t admitting to being a creature made out of forgotten shadows beneath his dad’s basement, made by the dog to be more “efficient” (and more easily controlled) than Old Sport before him- Have I talked about this before? I can’t recall if I only told a friend or if I put it up. It would be really awkward if I already talked about these things before, my memory of this year is pretty damn fuzzy. Anyways, second fun fact! “Hand-unit” or Handy was actually considered to be either of one things: An amalgamation of souls that Henry had gotten into his workshop and experimented on, eventually being taken over by Ethan as main consciousness (who would THEN move on to become Ennard)- Or basically Henry 2.0, a digital copy of Henry’s consciousness- of course much less… Henry… than Henry himself, but y’know how it is with AIs. It was also something I considered for “A Series of Stupid Ideas”, but I kinda reconsidered. I don’t think people would enjoy it. Hand-Unit Henry is still one of my favorite AUs though and I was so lucky as to being able to try it out, due to the kindness of a very sweet person! Anyways, I love hand-unit and he should be a character, do @ me.

[istgimamess]

Label: yg entertainment

Stage name: Barbie

Debut year: 2014 (4yrs active)

Debut concept: sexy, dark, story driven, rap and dance heavy, hip hop/pop track!

Number of members: 1(solo artist)

Group name: you go by your stage name, Barbie!

Fandom name: bb's

Position: main dancer, vocal, rap and visual; basically everything (because you rock!)

Male bestie: Yukhei (NCT)

How you meet: you hurt eachother both physically and emotionally, and then laughed about it. Alot! It was a normal day, you had just returned from dance practice and you were kind of exhausted; so you weren't paying that much attention to your surroundings! And then, let's just say, you hit a wall. Literally! Knees buckling, foreheads banging, elbows stabbing eachother in the stomachs - you struggled to break free. "Oh my freakin- you broke my face!! My face is broken!! What the hell is your forehead made out of?!! Bricks?!" "Well, I wouldn't of had to break your face if you had just watched where you were going, you frat-boy looking douche!" There was a long pause, some intense eye contact and then you both were cracking up; red faced and both clutching your stomachs, you managed to introduce yourselves! You've been attached at the hip ever since! You both have 4D personalities and you both love to make people laugh! You're 100x more extra when you're with eachother! Like Bonnie and Clyde, Tom and Jerry - you have eachothers back but always tease eachother constantly! He quickly becomes one of your best friends! He also gets oddly really protective of you, in a funny way, and his band mates like to tease him to see his reaction! "Hmm, I think my girl crush would have to be Barbie! She's really sexy!" "...(delayed reaction) Wait, what!? (^..gif..^)..who just said that!?? I'll stab you in the eye with a fork!!.." Even though he uses humor to mask how much he dislikes other people talking about you, you know if it came down to it, he would genuinely put someone in their place for you! Your friendship is the sweetest! (*sob*.. my 4D son!)

Female bestie: Lisa (Black Pink)

How you meet: you meet through dance! You had started taking more and more dance classes and workshops after your debut and occasionally you would meet new people in those classes! Long story short, she "accidently" caught you off gaurd after practice one day and you might have turned around and kicked her in the shin in a desperate attempt to "defend" yourself. You apologized over and over again but she just wouldn't stop laughing and take your apology, "hahahahhahahahaha you call that self defense?! You looked like a rabid bunny...I'm sorry hahahhaha...I can't stop laughing...hahaha.." "HA! Hilarious. Laugh it up..." She ends up choking which makes you laugh hysterically, until both of you are just a mess of giggles. You quickly end up bonding over your love for dance and food! And it became kind of a game between you two, on who could sneak up and scare the other more: at award shows, at fan meets, at restaurants; any and everywhere you could possibly think of! You had gotten in couple of good scares, but she was still the reigning queen! Which, she always brags about! "Lisa, you're best friends with Barbie right!?" "Yeah! She's my bestie!" "I hear you like to sneak up and scare eachother! How do you usually do it?!" "Yeah! I get her everytime! Like this...(^.. gif..^).." She's such a fruitloop, but you love her!

Group bestie: NCT Dream

How you meet: it was one of the weirdest encounters you've had in your entire life, to be completely honest. One second you were picking out something to eat at the local 7-11 and then without warning you were surrounded by a pack of fetus looking thugs. "You barbie!?" "We've literally watched every single one of her music videos and all of her interviews. We know what she looks like, why would you ask such a stupid question!?" "I was just trying to act cool!" "Well that's your problem right there! You're a rapper not an actor!" "You want to fight me!?" "Oh look, Canada thinks he can throw down.." "Stop pushing his buttons, Haechan. But on a serious note, we've all seen pictures of her on Lucas' phone sooooo that definitely was a stupid question.." "I swear to go-" "Umm, sorry to interrupt but...what is happening!?" "We're your new best friends, we're here to replace Lucas. Nice to meet you!" "Ummm..I mean..okay, sure.." And just like that, your fate was sealed! (No joke, my brothers football team actually did this to me! Soooo yeah, this legit happened!) You end up not really minding though. They are super supportive, always cheering you on and hyping you up! It's kind of cute, they follow you around like little ducklings; always competing with Lucas for your attention and friendship. "Noona, Yukhei said you prefer atleast one of your bestfriends to be buff so..(^.. gif..^).." You love them!

Ship name: b-min, smiley couple

How you meet: you ran into him at an award show. Literally! You were too busy trying to watch out for Lisa! You knew she was obviously attending the award show, and you knew it was the perfect setting and opportunity for her to sneak up and scare you; so you weren't paying attention to anything! Until you were laying flat on the ground, another human being hovering over you. "Yikes, are you okay!?" "Oh my god! I'm soooo sorry!" You apologize profusely as he tries to help you stand. "It's no problem, I might be short but I'm sturdy- nope, I take that back, you're shorter.." With red cheeks and shaky hands you both stumbled awkwardly through your introductions and from then on, it was history! He ended up asking you out and you jumped at the gun to say yes; you've been together ever since. He really is a great boyfriend, always cuddling you, buying you flowers, taking you out to eat, supporting you. (I'm actually getting kind of jealous lmfao) He's whipped and his band mates tease him about it all the time! "And here we have Park Jimin not paying attention to the camera at all because he's too busy texting Barbie! What a shocker!....(^.. gif..^)..." You're total relationship goals!

Biggest fan: Wooseok (Pentagon) is probably your biggest fan! He's constantly listening to your music, watching your MV's, downloading your songs, watching your TV appearances and talking about you in interviews! "I'm a huge fan of Barbie-noona! She's really talented and she's such a good dancer! I would love to collab with her sometime in the future!" It's the cutest thing; he's such a big fan of everything you do and he's so loyal to your fandom, constantly calling himself a fellow bb! "Wooseok, quick question! Do you think there is anyone in the world that dances better than Barbie?!" "...(^..gif..^)..." It's adorable!

Scandal: it's not a secret that you're a dancing dancer who loves to dance, and it's definitely not a secret that EXO's Kim Jongin is one of the best dancers out there, in your opinion! (It's a total FACT!) So given that he's actually one of your closest friends, even an older brother at times; always willing to practice with you and give you advice! You use this to your benefit! Often! That's why dispatch has photographs of you and Jongin together on multiple nights! "New romance between Solo Artist Barbie and EXO's Kai?!" "Ken and Barbie?! More like Kai and Barbie! New hott couple alert!" You both end up laughing until you're curled up in a ball on the floor. "Really?! A Barbie and Ken joke!? That's what they're leading with?" "You're a bit too vertically challenged to be a Barbie, but honestly I'm killing it in the Ken department.." "Jongin, are you actually trying to fight me right now?!" It's really ridiculous!

Other activities: sure, you're a singer and a rapper but dancing is and always will be your number one! It's your passion, it's what you went to school for and it's what you live to do! So when yg suggests that you start trying to broaden your fan base with some type of variety show or competition like 'Hit the Stage' you freaked out! (Girllllllll, so would I!)You were so excited but also very nervous to showcase more of your dancing skills on such a big platform but it turned out to be one of the funnest experiences! You ended up feeling right at home amongst the other dancers, made some new friends, learned more about dance as a craft and even made some new fans! "It was just sooo fun! I was definitely nervous but I pulled though! I knew I had it in me!" "Ohhhh wow, so you're just not going to give me credit at all!? I mean, its not like I went through another dating scandal just to help you practice or anything, right?! How rude of you, midget." "Oh my god, Jongin, I swear I will push you down a flight of stairs..." It was awesome!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

@kbabie heyyyy sooooo yeahhh, thank you so much for your patience! I know it takes me hella long to do idol ships, because I kind of overdo it. But thank you so much for the request, I hope you like it! Please feel free to let me know what you think! 😅

[nicholasbickford]

Let's just ignore the fact more than six months have passed since I last published a post on this site. Let's also not talk about the numerous post ideas I have listed in my notebook that haven't seen the light of day. Let's instead focus on how we came up with the design for this extension of ours (which, despite six months later is still three roof sheets short of being watertight from above! It's been... well it was all good until last month when the rain didn't stop and we had no roof. But that is a story for another day... Not six months away though, promise!) 

So. When we were house hunting four years ago we had a few musts: it needed to be a fixer-upper because we wanted to make our own stamp on it. Location was important - we wanted to be close to the water. It had to have good light, good structural bones, a decent yard and the potential for us to add to it. We found the ugliest house in the best street with water views and snapped it up. The good thing about it being an ugly house was there was no history or architectural details which we had to work around which is often the case with old houses. This was fibro. It had plain walls, plain windows, plain cornices, plain everything. It was essentially a blank canvas (and I hate using that term, but it's true). Our last home had pretty cornices, timber windows and a real cottage-y feel to it we tried to keep while modernising it. Our first house was a historical semi we didn't dare touch aside from paint in tones true to its style. This house had nothing really. It gave us freedom to do what we wanted without feeling guilty about veering away from its "style" or stripping it of character. I believe in working with what you have and if it had any redeeming features, we'd definitely have worked with them in the design process. As it happened, we ended up creating the story of our house once work started - we recycled parts of the old roof into stair treads, changed the floor direction in the extension and kept a few original parts like the old knocker and house numbers. We have piles of hardwood from the roof that will become a bar top and library shelves. We reused the huge beams as heads above doorways and windows, moved some windows around and recycled doors. It's nice to have a kind-of-cool answer for the "why is that like that..." questions that might come.

But before we even got to creating a story, we had to create a plan. And while it's tempting to look at magazines and Pinterest and blogs and imagine yourself in that space, there are so many more factors to consider aside from loving something because it looks pretty. Captain Obvious, right? Well yes and no because despite all my constant writing about this stuff, it's easy to get swept away imagining something when the reality is likely to be very different. And know that it's not just a matter of things being different due to your tastes or location, but it's to the rules of YOUR property - and they might be different to your immediate neighbour's. It's the way you live your life. It's your actual home's ability to handle the changes you wish to make. It's your budget. And weather patterns. It's your personal needs and those of every person who lives there. The list of things that can affect your home's design is endless, so by all means look to others for inspiration, but be sure to design the best space for you and your family, taking into consideration all the musts/have-tos and can'ts along the way. After a few harsh realities from Steve (who rolled his eyes every time I showed him an all-white Swedish space and explained "something like this!"), I wondered how close to the mark we would get in terms of creating a home perfect for us. While we've not finished or been able to use our space completely, so far, I can't see much I'd change if I had free reign. Which makes me think the long, long design path was the right road to take. If you're looking at taking yourself on a similar renovation journey, here are a few things we learnt along the way.

Resist the urge to get renovating immediately 

Any magazine article on renovating will tell you to live in your space before you do anything major to it. There is a good reason for this - because it helps you make better decisions. If you can do a full year, do it - because honestly, your home is so different throughout the seasons and you want to ensure you know it back to front. The light falls differently in winter to summer - we discovered the afternoon sun bounces off the verandah of the house across the street from us and rebounds into our bedroom in summer and lights up the south side of the home in winter. We know the afternoon sun is unbearable in summer at the back of our house (which faces West) but that the sea breeze cools things down most days too. We know how the yard floods and where the shade falls for prime planting. We've worked out where we have mould problems, where we like to dump our wallets and keys, how we don't walk down the driveway but across the middle of the lawn to the front door, which way the weather usually comes from and where the rain affects us most. Putting up with all the annoyances that come with an unrenovated house is worthwhile because you work out what annoys you, what you like, how you live, what you need to make living better - knowing all these things is essential for good design. 

Create a wishlist

For us, we needed more space - we had a tiny three-bedroom, one-bathroom home. It had a living room, kitchen/dining and that was it. All up, it was 80sqm. We weren't after a huge house, but with four kids, we definitely needed more space! We renovated the bathroom and kitchen spaces with an extension in mind - we decided we could just extend from the back out so worked out a way to do just that so whenever the time came, the existing house shouldn't require much work. And then we planned and planned. We worked out what we wanted exactly: some kind of loft space, raked ceilings, two living spaces and a fireplace. We wanted at least four bedrooms, but five would be better so everyone could have their own room if they wished (I am now DYING for them to all be in their own rooms because I'm over the bed-swapping, whinging, kicking and meltdowns over who gets to stay up later and who doesn't...). I wanted lots of storage because the house had none. So we incorporated a dedicated storeroom into the plans. It turned out that Steve changed careers while waiting for council approval and so the storeroom has been renamed his workshop for all his tools. It will be the world's tiniest workshop but still! Luckily I still had large storage areas planned for the roof - having a high-pitched roof means the unusable areas can be walled off and used to store alllll sorts of things!

Get drawing

I've been a lover of floorpans forever! I'd draw my dream homes all the time complete with indoor pools, ballrooms, sweeping staircases and libraries. Being able to draw up a more realistic one for my family that we would actually build was so exciting! Several variations were drawn up - the first was turning one of the bedrooms into a staircase and adding a whole second storey to take advantage of the water views. Then I thought maybe not the whole hog and just a really high-pitched roof so we can have an attic bedroom. Another version had a master bedroom at the back next to second living space. Another kept our master where it was but stole the bedroom next to it for an ensuite and wardrobe and added two smaller rooms to the back. Yet another plan extended to the side of the house over the driveway. But I kept coming back to the attic idea - why couldn't we just make one big room out the back with a staircase up to a loft bedroom in a new roof? Sounded pretty easy to me, so I called in the draftsman...

Call in the experts

The thing with major renovations is this: there are SO MANY DIFFERENT ANNOYING RULES AND ASPECTS TO THE PROCESS. And you don't really know about any of them until you're at that stage. First up for us was the biggest bummer of all: we had to do a full development application for council. Many renovations and extensions won't require this - you can go through a private certifier and they can have your plans approved within a few weeks. But if you live in a flood or bushfire zone, you most likely won't be that lucky. We live in a flood zone and so straight up we had bonus conditions - the biggest being we had to raise the floor height by 60cm. This meant the nice walk-straight-out-of-your-living-room-onto-your-deck-onto-the-grass moments and easy view of the kids playing in the yard from anywhere in one side of your home wasn't going to happen. It would be about a metre or so off the actual ground. Having to step up the extension means a split level to the ground floor, which means extra materials in height (more bricks for footings/longer pieces of wood) extra precautions in stabilising the building and a more difficult build as it's higher off the ground (we had to lay a subfloor so the builders didn't just rely on standing on bearers and joists - this was an extra couple of thousand dollars immediately). The huge pitched ceiling I wanted with a bedroom in it? Couldn't quite do as I wanted - did you know habitable rooms (living/bedroom) require your ceiling height to be at a certain height (for memory it is 1.8m but I could be wrong there) for 2/3 of the volume of the room? We wanted the angled ceiling to just hit the floor, so in the end, knee walls had to be built to decrease the size of the room so our master bedroom won't quite be as we imagined it at first, but the library can be. There are also height restrictions (we just snuck in for how high our house can be), light-to-dark ratios through use of windows and doors, shading requirements (we need little awnings on our east-facing bedroom to shade them) and so. many. other. annoying. things. The draftsman/architect/builder who designs knows these tricky little things and will outline your options. In the end, our draftsman discovered if we submitted the second story as an "attic bedroom" rather than a second storey, we had a little more freedom with our plans. One thing I suggest is to give your draftsman/builder/architect a ball park figure of what you want to spend - underestimate it, though. Because if you give them no budget to work to, they will design just design to all your whims and you might end up with a house you actually can't afford to build! And never feel you have to do EVERYTHING all at once. It is a good idea to design your home and submit everything in one application with a view to doing it in stages as budget/time/circumstances allow. We never planned to complete our extension in one hit. We wanted to do it in two to three stages with our master bedroom and ensuite being the last thing. If you have plans to put in a pool or garage or separate studio down the track, consider doing it all as one DA and get the approval now. It will save you in extra drafting and application fees later on.

Draftsman vs architect vs builder vs carpenter Depending on the scale of your works you might not need a draftsman or architect. Many builders are able to draw up and submit plans on your behalf and if it's less complicated works to a place that doesn't change the footprint of your home, a carpenter might be all you need. We knew we needed plans drawn up but as we had a good idea of what we wanted, we knew a draftsman was all we needed. If you're stuck for ideas about what you want, I'd still start with a builder who can at least point you in the right direction of an architect if they believe one is required. 

Make all your changes at this stage

Every time I got a draft plan from the draftsman I printed it out and got out my trusty red pen for changes - because there were always changes. I lived and breathed these plans - even dreamt about them sometimes! But that is the good thing about drafting plans - they are drafts and can be changed. And you should change them at the planning stage because it will cost you a lot more time, effort, money, patience and possibly relationships if you change them once the build begins! For me, I'd use the printouts to just see what it might look like if I moved the wall a little more this way. Or if I moved the door layout or added an extra room. Always sit on the current draft for a while and get a feel for what it might be like. Measure things out - I would use string and mark up the walls/doors/windows on the grass so I could physically see the floorplan in the right scale. Get a feel for the space in terms of size and look for things like views from windows and doors, door swings and potential furniture placement. There is often a little wiggle room for small changes once construction begins such as window size and placement, but nothing too drastic, so get it right now. We took our time with our plans - probably waaaay too long but there were a fair few delays on both sides of the process and in the end, we're glad there was a wait because we love our plans. We were also lucky in that our draftsman had a fixed price so it didn't matter how many changes we made, our $3000-odd fee for the measuring/drafting/submitting didn't budge. Spoiler alert: the engineering fees were a surprise $5000 we weren't expecting! 

Turn negatives into positives

There are going to be restrictions but it's what you do with them... We had to raise our floor level which brought a few headaches for the builders and extra costs for us, but we started to see the advantages of having this split level. For one, it broke up the extra-long space and created two distinct living areas. It allows us to see the water views from the back room and has created a large under-house space where we will able to store our water tanks, excess building materials, kids bikes and surfboards etc. The fact we have to apply builder's bracing (which is essentially thin plywood sheets made from hardwood at $35 a sheet) to all of our existing interior walls killed me (and here I was thinking we wouldn't have to touch the existing house too much!) but it meant we were able to insulate them as well, meaning the bedrooms on either side of the bathroom are now a little more soundproof. It also got rid of the wallpaper that had been painted over and often bubbled up during wet periods and means our Gyprock walls will be nice and straight and new. The engineer's obsession with bracing, particularly expensive materials and extra strengthening requirements means our house is the strongest, well-built thing in town. It's not going anywhere! 

Be realistic with your choices

Sometimes I would look at our plans and wish for larger expanses of glass by way of bifold doors from the family room onto the back deck. And then I remembered the heat in the middle of summer. And the bugs. And the sand and crap that would fall in the rails of the bifolds. And that I love French doors more... We went against the norm because it doesn't work for us. Realistically we knew we needed a decent size door opening but also windows on either side of them that could be open all night long if we wanted for safe, mozzie-free breezes and airflow. We knew as much as a big deck sounds great in theory, it would encroach too much into the backyard, which was more important. And we're not big entertainers anyway. We know pretty pendant lights are going to have to take a backseat to ceiling fans. And timber windows or louvres everywhere were just going to eat too much into the budget. Getting the right mix of practicality and aesthetics is hard and if you really want to live in a place, aesthetics will most of the time lose out to practicalities in a battle of the wits. Like my whitewashed floors. I love them to bits but we're going with a mid-range natural colour for floorboards because we're a rough and tumble family and that's the best colour to mask wear and tear and the inevitable dirt that comes with living with children. (Though Steve is still A-OK with my painting our eventual master bedroom floor pure white. It will have to be a no-shoe zone!) Think honestly about how you live, what your budget is and what is important to you and plan your home around them. 

Expect delays and to pay a lot upfront 

Dear God did we have delays... The whole process has had delays! And they will happen at one stage or another. For us it was just getting the plans right, then not pushing the draftsman to get them back to us as quickly as we should have. Then it was council approving our plans (after a couple of months) but not noticing we had asked for a one-metre extension to the existing house (four square metres in total) at the existing floor height to give the dining room a little more space before the floor level rose. So it was back to council for another six or so weeks as they had to start all over again. Then it was a matter of organising a certifier who couldn't give you a construction certificate to start works until you had waded through their list of things: engineer's report, home builder's course etc. In the end we forked out close to around the $15,000 mark before we even bought any materials or began labour. Here are some approximate figures for you because I honestly can't recall exact amounts and I am too lazy to sift through my disorganised paperwork to find them (sorry!)

Draftsman: $3300

Engineer: $5000

Council fees: $2000

Certifier: $3000

Surveyor: $200

Home owner/builder course and white card: $250

Long-service builder's levy: $500

In short, an architect told me when I wrote the Real Living Renovations magazine to never sign up and start building if all you have is the dollars the builder quoted you. Because it will ALWAYS cost you more, somewhere along the line. And it's usually before the builder even begins! 

I hope this was somewhat helpful. Because frankly I haven't typed this much in a while and my fingers hurt (Kidding. I still write a fair bit; just not here!). If you're about to renovate, you can track down a copy of the reno magazine here or at your newsagent if they still have them in stock. Otherwise I did find a lot of what I wrote has been uploaded to the Homes to Love website. It's not everything, but it's a fair bit. I've linked to a few of the sections below.

Guide to hiring an expert

Choosing the right team

Researching and shopping

Surviving the construction stage

8 steps to a well-designed home 

Kitchen design

Bathroom renovation

The owner/builder: what you need to know

The power of paint

Spotting the warning signs

Where your money goes

Renovating sourcebook

And for more of my Reno Files posts...

{The reno files} A real-life renovation guide: introduction

Our house plans: spending big to live small(ish)

A very exciting renovation update

A real, hopefully helpful and honest guide to renovating your bathroom