#i'll edit in the morning

[redladydeath]

i wrote my first starter!

[iero]

THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985)

+ IMDb trivia | in/sp.

[heartorbit]

find another role, carry on the show

[polepositioned]

ferrari + charles leclerc + classic f1 x detail of the fire + the worm king's lullaby by richard siken (from war of the foxes) / i love you by fontaines d.c / other assorted quotes

articles/image sources: x , x , x , x , x , x

leclerc headline archive here!

[ this is technically an exam-time gift for the lovely @28ms28 <3 ]

additional tags: @sebachal , @leclerclegacy , @leclecrism , @subaru-copilot , @nicaeno , @lleclerc , @starrwrrld , @darlingnemesis , @carbonmono

[royalarchivist]

Tubbo: No no no, Pac– Ok, listen… Have you ever heard of a game called City Skylines? It will change what it means to feel joy.

Pac: Wait wait wait wait– oh my god, you like City Skyline?

Tubbo: Holy sht, I love City Skylines! Have you played City Skylines?

Fit:

Tubbo reminds Pac you don't need drugs to be happy – all you need is City Skylines 2 (and a friend to nerd out with 😅)

[shorthaltsjester]

i’m having normal feelings about tlovm perc’ahlia and (long-standing classic on my perc’ahlia playlist) liar by paramore

[epiphainie]

bucktommy web weavings (2/?) invisible string chains around my demons, wool to brave the seasons, one single thread of gold tied me to you.

invisible string by taylor swift // aristotle & dante discover the secrets of the universe by benjamin alire sáenz // smoke signals by phoebe bridgers // you are a mystery to me by pavana // the sun is also a star by nicola yoon

[literallyjusttoa]

I did a art requests stream on the ToA discord and here are the fruits of my labor!! It was super fun!! To everyone on that server, y'all are the best!

[madcoincidence]

The Bioengineer's Cybertronian Knight

1

Ratchet's younger life was a pretty normal one with only a few small ups and downs. Before all the chaos with the Quintessons, he had been the youngest to finish top of his classes and receive his Bioengineering PhD. He was strongly encouraged to further his education and thanks to his roommate at the time, it wasn't long before he returned to do just that. He had almost lost the dumbass when their apartment's designated research room exploded. He never wanted to relive that feeling of helplessness he had while cradling Jackie's bloody shrapnel dusted face in his lap. Only able to wait for help while trying to keep pressure on the gushing wound from Jackie's thigh, it was a real bad time. After that he worked hard to earn the next step up from Bioengineering. He gained a Biomedical Engineering PhD while soaking up the training needed to do field triage. By the time he had finished everything, Jackie had fully recovered and finished building a much larger lab for them as an apology to Ratchet for destroying all their belongings.

"Level four. Bleeding has stopped and a safe neural link disconnection from the mecha is done. Give him oxygen and keep track of how long it takes for him to regain consciousness." Ratchet motions for his team to move in and lift the pilot out to their transport. Ratchet doesn't join his team, stabilizing and disconnecting the pilot from the mecha suit was just step one of twenty-seven. His focus now shifts to shutting down the Mecha to stop the over heated frame and sparking wires from causing an explosion.

While he works his multitasking brain shifts back to thinking over his life choices, ranting and banter has always helped steady his hands. Jackie was a hazard to limbs but still not the worst to be around. No, that could go to Roddy and his meddling. The menace had tried setting him up with many blind dates. Thanks to him there was one blind date that few know of and wouldn't dare bring up if they value their vocal cords. The ones who do know of it have started calling it ‘the one night-’ Ratchet clicks his tongue with a heavy sigh as electricity and hot sparks fly and pop all around him. It laps against his gloved hands and hits his visor with snapping sizzles. Just as good ol’ Jackie promised, the suit is able to withstand whatever a seriously damaged Mecha can dish out. Unless it's an explosive level of damage, the suit can absorb or dispel the electrical current and heat. Ratchet wrangles a handful of the sparking stripped wires that are swaying above his head as he swipes through the smoking control panel. He forces override codes making the suit start the shutdown protocols as he goes.

He drifts back to mentally ranting while the metal frame around him pings and creaks. Nah, compared to both Jackie and Roddy, Jazz and his mecha suit had to be the biggest migraine starter pack. That maniac tests Ratchet's skills almost daily, on and off the field. How many times has he saved Jazz's life? Too many times. Jazz is a devil of chaos in that mecha suit, always doing down right suicidal stunts anytime an opportunity strikes. Ratchet has personally worked with Jackie on Jazz's mecha to make sure the kid wouldn't end up frying himself or slip further into insanity. Still with all the care put into that mecha, Jazz's sanity is still debatable.

Yeah… keeping everyone sane and healthy is something that feeds into Ratchet's sleepless nights. He knows better than to think he can save everyone, he was never that naive. Still the harsh reality of how fragile life is hit hard and fast at the beginning of the Quintesson war. Those memories are buried deep down with the first prototypes of mecha suites. Despite everything, Ratchet still refuses to give up on anyone, he'll do everything in his power to save anyone in his care. The small moments during down time, when he catches people smiling, singing, and laughing with friends thought lost to this war, helps make the nightmares just a bit easier to endure.

Ratchet stands up and swipes broken glass off his knees before grabbing the strap to his satchel. With the Mecha safely disabled Ratchet shrugs the strap over a shoulder and starts climbing out of the cockpit to start scanning the area for any more downed pilots. Being in the mecha had muffled the ear splitting screeches and roars of battle. Outside the mecha, everything echoed and rumbled through the hills and gullies, shaking the ground and trees. The trees where the bulk of the fight is happening have caught fire, turning the sky a hazy gray with a reddish orange hue. The fight has fallen closer to city limits but still hasn't reached what the commanders would call a, ‘panic level threat’ to start evacuation efforts. That, like many things, is not something Ratchet agrees with.

From his position on the Mecha's chest, Ratchet narrows his eyes to try and see through the smoke better. He spots specks of red light flickering from a gully to his left. It's close enough to him and his team that he can make out a mecha shaped form at the bottom, “Aid! Fix! With me! Everyone else, start hooking this up to the transport!” Ratchet yells above the noise while he climbs down the Mecha and hops off to the ground when close enough. Satisfied that his team immediately starts moving as soon as he gives orders, Ratchet starts jogging with Aid and Fix right behind him. “We need to move fast. I spotted a downed Mecha past that hill. Don't know how long it's been there. Since we haven't seen any mecha close to us while working, I am going to assume it's been a while.” Ratchet grips the strap to his satchel as he picks up the pace. The lights he saw means the mecha is still functional but no movement tells him the pilot is injured or worse.

- - - - - - - - -

As they catch their breath, Ratchet scans the gully to find the best way down, “Ratchet, sir... this is a really steep climb down. Let's find another way. Trying would be way too risky.” Fix rasps out as he wipes his forehead with his sleeve. Aid makes a wheezing noise while hunched over, hands on his knees. The smoke and soot is not doing their lungs any favors. 

“This thing stretches for miles. Quickest way is to climb down. Don't like it, stay up here.” Ratchet coughs to clear his throat as he squats down to look over the edge. At the bottom of the gully, laying on its side in murky pink tinted water is the damaged mecha. The lights he had spotted from before are coming from what seems to have been a space ship. From what Ratchet can see of the remains, it doesn't resemble a Quintesson transport vessel. Hard to say though since it's scattered everywhere. Some of the shredded debris is embedded into the walls of the gully. Larger pieces are scattered all around the mecha. Ratchet swings his legs over the edge and start climbing down. He ignores Fix's pleas and calls up to Aid, “Call for the mecha transporter. If the mecha is stable enough to be moved, it might be safer to keep the pilot inside the cockpit.”  The two wheeze and mumble above him but he catches the click and static screech of a field radio turning on.

 As Ratchet climbs down he glances over his shoulder now and then trying to see what he's working with. He notices a lot of damage to the plating on the mecha's arms, chest, and back. Possible damage to the cockpit has Ratchet taking the risk of using less sturdier holds for his hands and feet. Ratchet notes that the weird pink color in the water is coming from the deep gashes and holes littering the mecha's frame. The larger pieces of debris that Ratchet thought were from the ship turns out to be chunks of Quintessons. Ratchet exhales, steadying his nerves as he continues the climb down. When he deems it close enough, he clears the rest of the way by sliding down into the water with a splash. Thankfully it's only knee deep.

After fixing his strap and giving a dry cough, Ratchet pulls out his infamous wrench from the satchel and takes a step forward. The muddy bottom sucks his boots back down with every step forward, “Kid better be alive.” Ratchet mutters to himself, not wasting any more time he works his way towards the mecha. His breath catches when he sees how detailed the mecha's face is. Its lips are pulled into a tight thin-lined frown and the eyebrows are pinched together, creasing the area between its closed eyes. Like it can feel the wounds while unconscious, so expressive…. Ratchet shakes off that trail of thought before it can get started, “Pilots skipping face shields and visors for their mecha's now? Is this where the money is being wasted? Mecha used for commercials and toys shouldn't be out on the field. Wait till I get you out kid. If all of this was a stupid publicity stunt, you'll wish the Quintessons finished you off.”

He tightens his hold on the wrench as he makes it to the chest plates. His heart is pounding just a little faster but he continues to ignore all the red flags saying something is off about this mecha. If there's a chance there's someone in there, then he needs to try to save them. Besides, he has that gut feeling that he's needed here and that gut feeling has never failed him yet, “hot… but not a, going to blow up right now, kind of hot.” Ratchet mumbles as he slowly, barely, ghosts his gloved fingers tips over where the cockpits emergency release panel should be, “Not helpful kid. How am I supposed to get to you if I can't find the medical override..” He swears he saw a clawed finger twitch inside his peripheral vision. The weird muffled whirling noise coming from its chest picks up.

“Ratchet move!!” Aid and Fix scream out from above. Ratchet turns his head towards them then to the heavy thwumps and splashes from behind the mecha's frame. Ratchet curses and waves a hand for them to back away from the ledge and stay down. He grips the wrench in both hands and presses his back into the Mecha's chest plating. Very familiar blood chilling, high pitched chitters and low hisses start surrounding him. Tentacles slide around and on the mecha, moving past the frame closer to Ratchet. He doesn't dare breathe as one comes extremely close to touching his foot.

Many things happen in the next few minutes. Sounds of shifting plates and a whirr chur noise comes from behind him. He ends up falling back into the water as the surface he was pressed against moves away way too fast to follow. Ratchet's cool blue eyes dart up to catch sight of a Quintesson with a mecha sized gun down its throat. Ratchet is barely able to register that before being drenched in muddy water and Quintessons blood as it rains down on him. He scrambles to clear his visor as chunks of the alien continues to hit the water. 

When he can see again he looks to his sides then up. The mecha is crouched above him, one knee had been very close to squishing him. The mecha tosses the gun to the side and this time the knee blocks Ratchet from the splash. Water with the weird pink liquid drizzles off the mecha as it grabs another Quintesson by the tentacles and yanks it towards them. Ratchet scoots back and stumbles to his feet as the mecha doesn't hesitate to sink it's claws into the Quintesson's head and lower jaw. With a stomach flipping roar, the towering being above him rips the jaw off and throws it aside like it did with the gun. Ratchet yells out as he is soaked once again, his suit is well past being comfortable anymore. Burning red eyes land on Ratchet for a split second before growing staticy, the mechanical being gives a sharp wince. The red static quickly becomes a solid but dimmer red as the mecha turns its upper torso to focus on the next charging Quintesson.

- - - - - - - - -

Ratchet definitely can't ignore the ‘this is not a mecha’ warnings anymore. Weird destroyed spaceship, red flag. Weird pink fluid leaking from the mecha, definitely not oil or lubricant, red flag. Mecha vocalizing through a moving mouth and showing hints of pain, big red flag. The moment the Quintessons are dealt with the, not piloted by a human but very much mecha looking being, falls back onto their side. When the shaking from the large being's fall settles Ratchet had finished processing everything. Right now to Ratchet, the only thing that matters is they're hurt and Ratchet may be able to help them. Ratchet trudges through the water towards the mechanical being as they give a static filled rumble, “Hush, you did enough. Thank you.” Ratchet places his palm on their cheek. He rubs the warm metal as he tries to sooth them. He watches as the eye watching him darts to the edge of the gully where his teammates are yelling at him to be careful, “It's ok kid we're getting you out of here. Focus on me. Only me." The rumbles trickle away as the intense red glow shrinks back onto Ratchet. It flickers a few more times, then slowly dims till it's completely off. A lid slides over the eye closing with a soft click, “I've got you.” Ratchet promises switching the pets to a pat. He starts planning out how he'll fit the mecha into his quarters back at base. Jackie can help him move around his sitting area.

*** *** ***

So I realized I didn't start with how Ratchet and Deadlock met in the TF Mecha Universe. I just hopped straight into the mushy stuff. @keferon 's TF Mecha Universe has given me a spark of creativity again. So thank you Keferon for starting this chaos! It's beautiful. I am looking forward to writing this fanfic, it has quickly stolen all of my attention. Anyways, I hope this was enjoyable to read! Keferon has been overflowing with tons of wonderful asks, so I though I could make it a bit easier on them by figuring out how to post this fanfic on here. Let's see what I can do.

[every-sanji]

[lacecap]

something about this seems familiar to you

[kuwdora]

Saturday Morning Vid Recs - Women!

Back in January I told @poetikat that I wanted to share just a fraction of vids I’ve seen since I started vidding in 2007 that I love. Taken me forever to format the links into a post to share. I have several more posts half-finished and may show up on your dashboard in following weeks or months.

I'm reccing vids that are at least 1 year old, but most of these vids are 4 and 8 and 12 years old and sometimes older. These vids feature a variety of sources, characters, genres of music, genres of shows. Each of these vidders have their own style and the way they approach a song or a source. I love these vids, they're fun to watch, they're hot, mesmerizing, engaging, thoughtful, full of love and horniness and BAMFs and joy and struggle. I love. I love.

I give to you 23 vids for this weekend's theme:

Women!!

Learning to Fly by rhoboat. Beautiful Boxer (2004). A movie vid based on trans Thai boxer Nong Toom’s life. This song is so good showing her journey to learning to find herself and fly! Ako Te Reo by bironic. Rūrangi (2020). Ana learning Te Reo Māori. This vid is so wonderful! It's never too late to learn. Come on Feet by JinkyO. Pumzi (2009). The song choice and pacing is incredible for this Kenyan sci-fi film. Something has to keep us moving forward. Black Nails by fightingarrival. A League of their Own (2022). A Max vid that is a great look at her journey on the show. This vid makes me want to rewatch all her scenes all over again. Here, take this L. Damned if She Do by chaila. Borgen. This source is the Danish political drama Borgen. Birgette is so kick-ass and this song is perfect for her. She come alive when she dying. "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Strict Machine by such_heights. Doctor Who. River Song. I’m in love with River Song so of course I have to rec this. I get high on a buzz then a rush when I'm plugged in you. Counting Stars by beccatoria. DC Animated Wonder Woman. Beccatoria has always done such a great job of vidding animated source and WOMEN!!!! Superstar by @heresluck. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A Faith vid. This (one of many) epic Faith vids to come out of vidding fandom over the years. This vid lives rent free in my head. But I would pay this vid to live in my head because I love it so much. Never gonna be the same again.

Down & Dirty by @sweeter-than. Killjoys. A Dutch fanvid! A++ song choice for a character study showing her relationship with the Jacobi brothers and her general awesomeness. Make way. Cut Like a Buffalo by kiki_miserychic. Empire. Cookie Lyon fanvid! Cookie has all the skin in the game and she is so good at music, but damn there’s so much bullshit she has to deal with along the way. Yeah, you know I look like a woman but I / Cut like a buffalo / Stand up like a tower, tall / Then I fall just like a domino. Control: A Monstress Fanvid by garrideb. Based on the comic Monstress. You know this Halsey song + any woman who has been Going Through It is going to be a fucking ride. Great editing, amazing art. Fortunate One by @moocowmoocow The Expanse. CAMINA!!! DRUMMER!!!! A Sleater-Kinney cover of Fortunate Son is 10 million kinds of brilliance here for Camina and this source. I ain't no fortunate one. Celebrity Skin by @some-stars. Black Sails. This is an Eleanor and Max character vid. I repeat: Elenor and Max vid to Courtney Love’s music. Heed the warnings. This vid is so goddamn good. It better be worth it. Double Woman by starlady. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. So much awesomeness packed into this vid. Through the camera lens re-editing history gives imagination to the people. Wu Zetian and Shangguang Jing'er are awesome. Hooray for awesome ladies of the Tang Dynasty! Titanium by giandujakiss. Wonder Woman (the original tv show). She is titanium! Suffering Sappho.

Mirrors by @kuwdora. Snow White and the Huntsman. Queen/Snow. Lots of fantasy imagery and bdsm like themes since the Queen wants to suck the youth from Snow. Sex. Love. Control. Vanity. Lightning Field by bradcpu, a Legend of the Seeker fanvid of Cara/Kahlan. The imagery in this vid is outstanding, the tone the atmosphere. I have rewatched this more times than I can count. Strike me down, Give it everything you've got. Hands Away by chaila and beccatoria. Sarah Connor Chronicles/Fringe. Sarah/Olivia constructed reality fanvid that is constructed really really fucking well that you might forget that these are two different shows. I can't reach you. (Or, two messiahs walk into an alternate reality) Hurricane by @laurashapiro. Farscape and Battlestar Galactica, Starbuck/Aeryn.This vid is so epic and hot and incredible...Hot and sexy and can’t take your eyes off them. Two pilots walk into a bar. I Wanna Go by millylicious, a multi-source action vid Angelia Jolie tribute. This is fun and delightful. Space Girl by charmax. Multi-source space women and girls! My momma told me I should never watch Sci-fi but I did, I did, I did. Celebration by sweetestrain. Pop divas. Madonna, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, etc. Another one of my favorites of favorites. The connected imagery between all of these music videos still blows my mind, but goes to show you how pop music continues to build and evolve from each other. Plus sexy dancing. If it makes you feel good. Your Song by anoel. Multi-fandom. One of the most epic sapphic/wlw vids out there. I don’t wanna hear sad songs anymore, I only wanna hear love songs.

Hope you like these recs! Follow the tags to keep up #saturday morning vid recs and/or #kuwdora recs

EDITING TO ADD: How to Leave Feedback on Fanvids

[rottmnt-residuum]

I know you didn't win the au comp, but since you said send in bonus comic ideas, would you still be interested in showing us what happened when Donnie first woke up in the facility?

If not that's ok!

i always get hung up on the 'when he first woke up' part, as he woke up multiple times before he got to the facility. But when he woke up at the facility itself was quite literally right before that first scene in the comic.

what i was considering as spoilers here was the fact he woke up before he got to the facility

[rederiswrites]

Conversations with Lace

[now up on AO3]

“So you’re gonna go with ‘Rook’, huh?” Lace said it through a mouthful of brown bread and cheese.

“Sure.” Arden scooped another glob of polishing compound up and started buffing out the wing of his knee armor. There was a dent he’d need to have seen next time they were in a big town. The smell of linseed oil and tallow was familiar and grounding.

“You don’t have to. Varric gives everyone nicknames. You can ignore it.”

“No, I uh…I like it.” He scowled down at his work. “Kaffas. This strap is going to break, soon. I think I’m out of replacements.”

“Fine then. Rook.” Lace grinned.

They sat for a minute in companionable silence, Lace finishing her roll, Arden rubbing the polishing cloth in practiced circles over his armor. They’d gotten close quickly over the last couple months, and not just because they were together nearly every day. Both had open, friendly natures, and as they crisscrossed northern Thedas, they’d whiled away the leagues in talk and laughter. 

They’d been staggering drunk together in Starkhaven, crawling from bar to bar while Varric took care of business in the palace, and surprised the shit out of would-be muggers. They’d hung upside down in snares together for two hours once after an encounter with one of Solas’s agents. They’d pretended to be Carta thugs for a few days once, while Varric tried to wheedle information out of a provincial Altus landowner, and mocked each other’s acting for weeks. 

“Never had a nickname before,” Arden said abruptly.

“What, never? Really?”

“I mean, basic name-calling stuff from the other boys as a kid, but I don’t think that’s the same idea.”

Lace looked surprised. “Your parents didn’t call you something? Like my ma calls me Sweet Pea, that sort of thing?”

“Nope. Just Arden. Young Master Mercar or Arden Maximus if I was about to be in trouble.”

“Wait. Your middle name is Maximus?” A positively evil grin was starting to spread across Lace’s freckled face.

Arden rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, go ahead. I’m well aware it’s incredibly pretentious.”

“Maximus!” By now she was giggling madly.

“Welcome to my childhood.”

“Maker!” Lace giggled at Arden’s disapproving look. “Alright, then, I’ll use Rook. Maximus.”

….

“Do you think they’re real fish?” Arden asked.

They stood side by side, staring into the fish tank. It was beautiful, but Arden found it unsettling. The glass and water distorted the light and made distances strange, but Arden couldn’t decide if he could see a back wall to the tank.

“I mean, I don’t know, but that one’s a Calenhad sunfish. I’ve caught plenty of them. Stupid little wastes of bait.”

“Yeah but what I mean is, is it a real Calenhad sunfish or whatever, or just…I don’t know, like a magic picture of one?”

“No idea. This place is weird.”

“I mean,” Arden went on, “if they’re real, what do they eat? There’s not even a place to put food in.”

Lace glanced up at the corners of the room. “Huh. You’re right. Maybe they’re real, but they live on magic. I dunno.” She left Arden scowling at the fish, and left to poke around the rest of the room. “You thinking of setting up your stuff in here?”

“What? No! Why would I do that?” Arden sounded startled.

“I thought maybe the fish would remind you of the coast.”

“Yeah, a nice seaside vacation at Marnus Pell inside a fish tank. No, I’ll find a nice little room with no windows and no weirdly endless fish tanks and pretend I’m somewhere normal.”

Lace shrugged. “Suit yourself. I like the old sunroom or whatever it was. The dirt makes me feel better.”

Arden grunted an acknowledgement, still frowning at the darting fish.

….

The grinding of stone shifting against stone was deafening for a few seconds. As the last echoes died away, Arden and Lace grinned at each other.

“I did it, Rook!”

“Maferath’s ass, that’s amazing.”

“What about that one? Can you move that one? If it was just a little taller, we could skip up to the next turn of the path.”

Lace concentrated for a second.

“I don’t think so,” she said. “Doesn’t feel right.” Arden gave her a quizzical look. “Don’t ask me to explain. I don’t know. There’s just…a feeling. Like some stone talks to me and some is just…stone, I guess.”

Arden shrugged. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“Give me a second,” Lace said. She moved slowly along the base of the hill, eyes narrowed in concentration. Arden trotted after her, keeping an eye on the woods. Nowhere was completely safe in Arlathan, in his experience.

“Wait! Here!” Lace held out her hands and scowled fiercely, and just ahead of them, a series of rocks rumbled and groaned into motion. When they finally stopped, there was a rough giant’s staircase up to the next turning of the path. “I did it!”

“Fuck yes you did!” Arden’s smile crinkled his eyes up and pulled in the scar on his cheek. “That’s amazing, Lace!” He put out an elbow, leaning on her head in what had become a habitual gesture of teasing affection. “Oh! Uh–” Arden let out something between a whoop and a yelp and staggered sideways.

Lace reached for him, grabbing his arm before he could fall. 

“Nope–whup!” Arden listed a couple steps forward, then barely caught himself before falling backwards. “I don’t–” His eyes rolled up in his head, and he keeled over. Spongy wood chips and rollie pollies scattered in a tiny explosion where his head hit a rotten log.

“Rook! Maker’s breath, Rook!” Lace rushed to kneel next to him, grabbing his shoulder. This time, though, she saw the ghostly lines of blue spreading from her hands. She jerked them back as if burned, scrambling away from Arden on hands and knees. “Maker’s breath!”

“Fine! I’m…fine,” Arden said, very unconvincingly. “Hoooo…gimme…second…” On the third try, he managed to roll up on an elbow. “Kaffas. Vishante kaffas.”

“Lyrium! It’s like I’m infused with lyrium! Oh, Maker, he’s lyrium addled. What if it’s permanent! What have I done?”

“Noo I’m betting. Bettering. Getting…better. Getting better! See?” Arden managed to push himself up until he was sitting. “Vishante kaffas,” he repeated, cradling his head in his hands. “‘S like I’m drunk.”

“Sweet Andraste, you scared the shit out of me,” Lace breathed, clutching the ground at her knees.

Arden snorted. “Pretty funny, though.”

“No, it is not! I could have really hurt you! Lyrium is dangerous, Rook!”

“Come on. Li’l bit funny. Ass over teakettle…lookit–lookit these poor bugs.” He gestured to the scattering of spongy orange wood and insects around him. “Like a Titan. Fall on their city–boom!” Arden giggled, ending on a loud snort.

“How in Thedas am I going to get you home?” Lace moaned. “Can’t even touch you. Andraste, give me strength.” She sat back, resigned to waiting it out. 

Arden’s head lolled to the side, and he snapped it back upright, wheezing with quiet laughter.

….

“You’re staring,” Lace said quietly.

Arden turned his head away from the other corner of the great hall, where Lucanis was cooking, to look down at her. “I’m not allowed? He’s gorgeous.”

“Yeah? Bellara’s gorgeous. Neve’s gorgeous. I know you like girls, too.”

“Sure. You’re gorgeous. What’s your point?”

“My point is–wait, I’m–oh gosh, no, I’m not–nope! Nope, I’m not letting you distract me like that! My point is that you’re staring at him specifically. Not just because he’s gorgeous.”

“Maybe so.” Arden returned his attention to Lucanis, who was busy chopping vegetables with hypnotic skill.

“Rook, he’s possessed! He’s a possessed assassin!”

“I know. And he’s mourning his grandmother, or at least I’m pretty sure he is. You kind of have to guess, with him. And he’s just been imprisoned and tortured for a year, and now he’s living in our pantry like a rat terrier. And also I’m kind of his boss? Or his employer. That isn’t actually paying him.” Arden pulled a wry face. “Don’t worry. I’m just enjoying looking.”

“I’m not convinced,” Lace said. “Plus, he’s looking, too.”

“He–” Arden sat up suddenly, banging his shin against the little table between them. “Kaffas!” He grabbed his leg, rubbing vigorously. “He’s looking?”

Lace sighed. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, you should say more. Really?”

“Mmmmm. Yes, he’s looking at you, sometimes. Why do you care, hmm? I thought you were just enjoying the aesthetics?”

“Alright. There might be a little, tiny crush.”

“I knew it!”

Lucanis glanced over at Lace’s outburst, and she waved him away, smiling unconvincingly. He watched them for a moment longer before turning back to his cooking.

“I knew it,” she hissed again, quieter this time. “Rook, you can’t seriously be thinking of…of whatever.”

“No, I know. I know, Lace. That’s why I’m just looking.”

[amywritesthings]

SILVER UNDERGROUND will officially return with an update ( Chapter 23 ) on Friday, August 16, 2024 ✨

[burninface]

Hi Face, my video game loving friend!

Do you have any thoughts about the Gallaghers and Milkoviches playing Mario Kart? What do you think their go to characters would be?

Hi Sarah!! Thanks for the ask and omg I finally answered your ask! Sorry for the super delay…>< here I am!!

And yes I always have lots of thoughts about their gaming characters! But I only played mario kart on wii back when I was still in primary school and had played mario kart 8 on my bestie’s switch once or twice, and I don’t know the most of game terms in English, so I watched some videos and checked up wiki for reference. Hope I didn’t get anything wrong😵!

Ok so first, I tend to think that the first mario kart game for milkoviches will be Mario Kart: Super Circuit, cause teen Jaime or Colin would steal a GBA for fun (which was soon pawned by Terry, the younger siblings only got to watch them play). But for the Gallaghers it is more likely to be Mario Kart Wii, when Lip and Ian became teenagers and they got one from some dead people’s house. And of course they’ll play mario kart 8 for family entertainment after season11 hehe

And for their go to characters and in game personalities, here’s my thoughts:

Fiona: I don’t think she was very interested in video games nor she had time to play? But she’d join her siblings occasionally. She usually just picked a random character and played it as a driving game, using items once she got them and just vaguely knew what can they do.

Lip: He is definitely the kind of player who plays to win. And he’s also the only one who will change vehicles depends on the maps and pay attention to the stats of characters and vehicles. He knows a lot of game tricks and shortcuts, and will change his strategy to better counter his siblings (and later mickey, but at the time he would be too busy to deal with parenting and had no time to study the game like he used to do). His favorite character would be Donkey Kong, because he’s kinda meta in both mkw and mk8 (ok, I’m actually not very sure about this). And later for mk8 he liked Waluigi too, for the same reason. And sure, he prefers bikes than karts (his favorite bike is Flame Runner).

Debbie: She didn’t play video games much but different from Fiona, Debs has a gift in gaming. She figured out the best combo of characters and vehicles naturally, and found the playing tricks without playing much. She even won Lip sometimes, but her permanent enemy number one is Carl. Her game skills were better than him, but not her luck on items, especially when she was countering Carl. They keep recording the score between them from mkw to mk8 (it’s really close). Debbie’s favorite characters are Peach and Toadette, after Franny was born, she started to like Baby Daisy too, ‘cause she looks exactly like her baby girl.

Franny: Her favorite character is Dry Bones (She thinks they are cute), Yoshi (just like her uncle) and Inkling Girl (she plays Splatoon too!). And after watching The Super Mario Bros. Movie, she thought Peach is really cool too. Her uncle Mickey suggested she choose Tanooki Mario (raccoon suit Mario) to chase her uncle Ian once, they giggled together the whole game.

Carl: When Carl was younger, he thought Mario Kart was a game about speeding and crashing, so his to go character was Bowser. He liked to crash his siblings’ karts but soon found that he couldn’t touch them if he always fell behind. So, in order to crash more karts, he began to study how to drive faster. Then he found many shortcuts to facilitate him to chase up, and also found the fun of using items to attack others. And his favorite character became Wario and King Boo. Dry Bowser was cool to him, too. Carl’s a lucky player who always got nice items, but his game skill was not that good (he is more like a fps/fighting game player to me). And yes he seems Debbie as his biggest enemy in Mario Kart as well. Carl was also the best Gallagher in the ballon battle mode.

Liam: Liam is the one who always deliberately falls behind at first to get better items and prevent clashes, but suddenly boosts up at the last round and becomes one of the top 3. Just when you see the finish line and think you are winning, Liam will come from behind and silently drive past you. Liam is also the only one who will search for gaming tips as reference (Lip was too proud to do that). He always chooses Toad as character but his favorite one is Shy Guy, sometimes he uses his mii character too. He plays splatoon too!

Ian: idk why but my first impression is Ian will always move his whole body when playing video games, so for mkw, he always keeps tilt controls on while playing games and tilt his upper trunk sharply every time his kart drift. His favorite character is Yoshi, cause the cute dinosaur seems friendly and is easy to play. And later for mk8, he likes to use Villager (‘cause he seems like an Animal Crossing player) and mii with Mickey’s appearance (by pie @gallapiech) too. He knows the common tricks of the game and some of the shortcuts (learned from Lip) by experiences. Somehow Ian was always attacked by others unexpectedly (mainly by Carl and Mickey, sometimes Debbie when they trying to crash the other player, and by everyone when they use items trying to take down another player). His favorite item is Bullet Bill and every time he falls behind, he’ll keep praying for one in low voice (and he’s kinda jealous that Carl always got one). He is also the only one who will slow down a little to safely dodge all the obstacles on the track (that’s how he found that his crush and later his boyfriend and ex and husband looks exactly like a goomba).

It's another story when he plays against with Mickey though. They’ll physically harass each other, and since Mickey will always find him among all the players and use items on him deliberately, Ian has to become more aggressive to fight back. They always got place 11th and 12th in multiplayers game due to it (they still like to compete for the 11th tho, and winning the other one def feels better than be the winner of the game). Not only once Ian said they better play separately but the family love when gallavich play as a duo because that means easy win to them.

Mickey: Mickey’s favorite character would be Wario and Dry Bowser, because duh, he loves being a big bad guy (and Bowser looks a little dumb in his opinion). And later when he found out that Ian isn’t good with raccoon, he liked to use Tanooki Mario too. From all the Gallaghers and Milkoviches, Mickey is the best at using items. He was good at aiming other players, prejudging their movement, as well as calculating when to use boosting items to make the best use of them. He was also good at remembering shortcuts and mastered stealing others’ items (he mastered stealing in Ballon Battle too). But compared to winning the whole game, Mickey was always focusing at winning one people. Just, not letting someone to win is more fun to him.

While playing against Ian, his favorite things to do is waiting for him in front of items and driving sideways to eat all items up when Ian arrives, and bumping into him from time to time (in game and out game). He’ll use all the items on Ian (and he always accidently steps on the banana he set before because he is too focus on his lover). But every time when Lip is in game too, the highest priority will become “not letting Lip win” (and if Ian wins Lip, "that counts my win too ‘cause we are fuckin’ husbands").

Mandy: When Mandy was younger, she’s a Toadette/Daisy player, but later her favorite character had changed to Mario and Luigi (‘cause they are man with big nose?). Mandy’s gaming skills are quite alike to Ian, which makes them a perfect gaming duo. Her favorite item is super star (since all his brothers like to use items on others). She like to use physical harassment while gaming just like all the Milkoviches. Later for mk8, she got her love for Daisy back because she’s comfy to use. She also likes Link (“yeah he’s def the most handsome one”) and Isabelle (she plays Animal Crossing too, but not much as Ian, they often visit each other’s island).

Iggy: Surprisingly, unlike on other things, Iggy really have brain for video games, even Mickey had learned tricks from him. Iggy is the kind of player who can’t explain why he’s this good at the game, but he’s just good. He’s also lucky in game (and he believes the unluckier he was irl the luckier he will be in games), always gets the good items and dodges the attack from others. His to go character must be Waluigi, and he was one of the members who voted Waluigi to appear in the Super Smash Bros. He also loved Rosalina, she’s his first video game crush. But he’s too afraid to let Terry found out he’s using female characters in game so he never played as her back then (and he’s still confused about how’s that ”faggy” if you like a female character so you play as her just to gaib her more screem time). After mk8 came out, his favorite character became to Iggy (“Yo losers, none of you can play as yourself in game except me”).

And a little bonus about Sandy: I think she’s kinda like Debbie, has a gift for Mario Kart but not really interested in this kind of game, and unfortunately, she had never played against with Debbie in games (they didn't have time to). She likes to play fps games better and duos with Mickey sometimes (they play fps irl too lol).

Another bonus: young Milkoviches playing Mario Kart Wii!! (yeah I know mkw was released in 2008. But I just want chibi Milkoviches to play together🥺

Bonus after bonus that kinda digress: while I was writing the answer, Mario Kart Toys were back at McDonald's. I ordered happy meals for the toys and then started to think… Mickey is likely to be one who order happy if the toy in it is really cool to him. But he doesn’t want others to know he orders happy meal (even when he was kid) and he really doesn’t like the milk in it (other things are okay), so he always found another one to order happy meal for him and to steal their coke…

At last… sorry for let you waiting for so long Sarah…! Thanks for the ask again and hope you like the answer<3 I really love to imagine them playing video games🥰