#its so fun to have k-9 shorts

[madame-mongoose]

Saw someone talking about K-9 and like. Can we actually? Bc if Marvin is underutilized, K-9 is SEVERELY underutilized. Loyal dog companion that also plays the straight-man to Marvin's more weird personality. A Wallace and Gromit type duo but make it silly aliens. My fav depiction of him is in The Hasty Hare

He and Marvin have such entertaining interactions. Has to be one of my favorite classic shorts bc of their dynamic!! In short give me more K-9

[woodlandwizard77]

A Step by Step Guide to Losing Your D**k

I recently wrote a series of messages to my aunt talking about all the steps I need to do to get bottom surgery, a penile inversion vaginoplasty at Mt. Sinai, in the next year or two. Its a long list. And everytime I added something she had a sort of “wow thats rough” reaction, but to me its just the to do list. So I decided to write them all out.

Start transition DONE

Most insurance companies and surgeons require you to have socially transitioned and have done HRT for at least 1 year at the time of operation

For social transition, this was March of 2024

For HRT it will be January of 2025

Get a referral to a surgeon (I am here)

In my case, Mt. Sinai in Manhattan

My Doctor referred me, but Mt. Sinai takes self referrals

Start laser hair removal

Book a consultation (I am here)

Go to laser frequently enough to satisfy surgeon

Convince Mom and Dad to help out DONE

Get 2 letters

Social Worker (1)

PCP's Office

Social Worker (2)

Mt. Sinai

Get a gender affirmation loan through the local credit union

Work two weeks so I can take in pay stubs

Get a letter from anybody (probably my HRT prescriber

Meet with representative and either open a line of credit or take out a loan

Consultation with Mt. Sinai’s team

Wait 3-6 months (I’m here)

Bring letters

My insurance only requires 2, less than Mt. Sinai thinks insurance will need, and Mt. Sinai provides 1 of them. Meaning the other is through IHS Behavioral

Schedule Social Work pre surgical consult appt

Schedule Mental Health and Medical Clearance with Registrar

Go to NYC for 1-2 nights, maybe for each, hopefully just once

Maybe also for Social Work thing

Consult with Surgeon

Wait until I’ve worked about 12 months to get short term disability

Probably summer (ASAP) and when Mom has time off

Do logistics

Book an airbnb, hotel, etc for recovery

Starting a few days after OR date and lasting a little over a month

Within a 90 minute drive of Mt. Sinai

Rural enough that Mom is comfortable to help and can go home if someone else shows up

Probably New Jersey, maybe Hudson Valley

Has at least 1, preferably 2, separate bedrooms

Has 2 beds

Has ADA accessible entry

Has a kitchen

Has a full bath, preferably and a half

Has internet and preferably a TV

Lodging for Mom + Dad/care team while I’m in OR

Probably 5-7 days

Preferably with a 1-2 day buffer period before OR date (included in the 7 day estimate) so I can enjoy the city

Either within a short walk from Mt. Sinai or on the same subway line as Mt. Sinai

RW, 1, or ACE

Someone to help me get from recovery location to Mt. Sinai while not in NYC

Develop and get list of items needed for recovery

Dilator

Pads

Gowns/loose clothing

Comfort food

Coordinate missing 8-9 weeks of work

Take care with who knows what before I leave

Inform HR, department manager, and work friends whats up

Get cleared for surgery and get an OR date

Probably a 6-12 month date from clearance

Get pre clearance testing through PCP or a lab in hometown

Go to NYC for that if need be

Week Before Surgery

No alcohol, no aspirin, NSAIDs, herbal supplements, or fish oil

Consult for other non aspirin blood thinners (which I am not on)

No alcohol for 3 weeks after as well

Tylenol/Acetaminophen is okay

Go downstate

See friends from NYC?

Bring Mom/Dad?

Do something fun in Manhattan

Get a COVID test

Take an anti-bacterial bath

Day before surgery

Breakfast before 9am

Last meal

Drink Golytely bowel solution around noon

Chemically induced diarrhea

Clear fluids only after golytely

(includes coffee, tea, water, broth, some juices)

Nothing goes in the stomach after midnight

Some medication okay with a sip of water

HRT???

Get surgery (a penile inversion vaginoplasty)

1 to 1+½ days

I’ve heard of as long as three

3-5 day hospital stay

Mom and Dad probably stay in Manhattan then

Go to recovery location

Drive with seat reclined

Stay for 4 weeks, pretty much bedridden

Go to follow ups

Dilate

Go home

Continue recovery for another 2-4 weeks at home

Follow up with PCP

Return to life

[justagalwhowrites]

New in Town - Ch. 9: Second New Year

Ringing in the New Year after you and Joel's first year together. The last chapter of New in Town, found in its entirety on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Best Friend's Dad!Joel Miller x Female Reader

CW: Smut :D. No use of Y/N. Age gap (reader is 35 Joel is 47, not a focus of the fic). Minors DNI, 18+ only

Length: 6.3k

AO3 | First Chapter | Previous Chapter

“Sarah, if you don’t stop fucking with that it’s never going to stay,” you said, glaring at her in the mirror as you drew on eyeliner. 

“It’s driving me insane,” she groaned, leaning so close to the hotel bathroom mirror that she was fogging it with her breath, adjusting the false eyelashes for what had to be the millionth time. 

“Yeah, because you keep fucking with them,” you said. “You have to give yourself time to adjust to them. Or just take them off because I’m not spending half the night fixing them for you, drawing the line in the sand now.” 

“You are absolutely no fun,” she said but she smiled all the same. “It’s New Year’s Eve, I want to look extra good. Plus Nick thinks the long lashes are hot and I am ready for hotel room sex.” 

“I didn’t hear that,” Maria called from the bedroom where she was putting on her dress. 

“Hotel room sex, hotel room sex, hotel room sex!” Sarah called back. 

You laughed, picking up your mascara. 

“I don’t think it works like Beetlejuice where you say it enough times it just shows up.”

Sarah laughed back. 

“Fuck I hope not,” she said. “Really don’t want to manifest hotel room sex in front of my aunt and my mom.” 

She said the last word with a drawn out teasing edge and you had to pull the mascara wand away from your face so you didn’t end up with makeup in your eye from laughing so hard. 

“Swear to God if you don’t stop calling me that I will marry your dad just to spite you,” you said once you calmed down again. 

“You’re basically already married anyway,” Sarah said. “For the record, I would be fine with it.” 

You paused for a second, putting more mascara on the wand and looking at her in the mirror. 

“Yeah?” You asked. 

“Yeah,” she smiled at you in her reflection. “But don’t expect Mother’s Day gifts from me if it ever happens.” 

You snorted, returning to your makeup. 

“Better get a bouquet, box of chocolates, the whole nine for holding your hair when you get drunk.” 

You couldn’t believe it was already New Year’s Eve again. The last year had gone by so fast it didn’t seem like it could have contained quite as much as it did. But you’d spent almost the entire time so blissfully happy that it made sense that the time felt so damn short. 

Things with Joel had been going so well before Sarah found out that it was hard to believe it could really get better, but it did. Not feeling like you were hiding from the most important person in both your lives was like losing a weight you didn’t even know you were carrying. Neither of you were dancing around talking about how you were spending your time now, not being careful about what pictures you sent her and not having to just pretend like a huge part of your life didn’t exist when talking with her. 

When she went back to Seattle after Thanksgiving, the three of you started having weekly FaceTime calls, you and Joel sometimes on your couch or at his kitchen table or even in a hotel room in New Orleans once when you decided to get away for your first trip together as a couple. 

That Christmas had been the best you’d ever had. Not that there was much competition but Joel and Sarah both had completely brought you into all their holiday traditions. The driving around to look at Christmas lights with a thermos of hot cocoa, the annual trip to Mi Tierra in San Antonio so you could properly appreciate the Christmas lights that apparently were up year round. When Sarah came back to town a few days before Christmas, she dragged you and Joel to the mall and made the three of you take a picture with Santa. You got some funny looks in line - three full blown adults with nary a kid in sight - but Sarah whispered something to woman getting ready to take the picture and she smiled and nodded, helping the three of you get arranged for the photo. You sat lightly on one of Santa’s knees, Sarah on the other, Joel leaning against the side of the large chair. Joel insisted on getting the actual printed photo and, when you picked it up, they also handed you a candy cane and a small Santa figurine. You frowned at it for a second.

“First Santa visits should be commemorated,” the woman behind the counter smiled. “Merry Christmas!” 

You looked at Sarah for a second, worried you might cry and she smiled. 

“You have a Christmas decoration now,” she said. “But if you really don’t want it at your place, we can add it to the Christmas village at Dad’s!” 

You just hugged her and she laughed, hugging you back. 

That Christmas, the figurine and the picture sat on the book shelf in your living room, right where you could see them from your couch. The perfect image of the kind of life you’d always wanted to have, one that was filled with people who loved you. 

This year, the figurine and picture were at Joel’s because you were, too. 

Your lease was up in the fall and, by that point, the two of you were having a hard time remembering the last time you’d slept apart. You were wondering how to broach the subject with Joel - did you just ask if you could move into his house? Was not quite a year of knowing each other too soon? Did you just find a new apartment and never mention it? - when he brought it up one night over dinner. 

“Your lease is comin’ up soon, right?” He asked and you froze for a second, a bite of enchilada on your fork half way to your mouth. 

“Yeah,” you said when you remembered how to move and respond again. “Six weeks I think? They want me to decide whether or not I’m staying within the next two…” 

“Have you thought about if you might want to move in with me?” He asked, his jaw tense but his eyes soft. “Only if… you know… you thought you were ready for that. Just figure I’m at yours or you’re at mine most nights anyway and…” 

“Joel,” you smiled, setting your fork down and leaning on the table with your arms crossed in front of you. “Are you asking me to move in with you?” 

“Only if you wanted,” he said quickly. “Not tryin’ to… I dunno… put pressure on you or something. Never tried to do this before so…” 

You pressed your lips together, trying not to laugh. More at yourself than at Joel. Because of course he was thinking what you were thinking. Of course you were in the same place on this. Of course you were both nervous about bringing it up to each other. 

“I’d love to move in with you,” you said once you were sure you had yourself together. “As long as you’re offering because that’s what you really want and not because you think you should.” 

“Oh I want it,” he was smiling now and leaning toward you across the table. “Was considering just taking stuff from your place and moving it to mine, get you in the door before you even knew it was happening.” 

“That what happened to my sexy underwear?” You teased. 

“Nah,” he waved you off. “I stole those to jerk off with when you’re not there because you don’t live with me yet. Can have ‘em back when we unpack the moving truck.” 

You moved in a few weeks later. Joel cleared out most of his closet, his jeans and button downs taking up only a small corner of it to begin with, and built you shelving for your purses and shoes. He made space for your things throughout his home, for your favorite pots and pans in the kitchen, for your decorations in the living room. Setting aside the bits and pieces of his life to make sure it could hold yours, too. If he’d asked you to marry him in that moment, you’d have said yes in a heartbeat. 

“Oh shit,” you sighed, rifling through your makeup bag. “I think I left my fucking lipstick in my room…” 

You went to get your room key from your clutch but Sarah plopped a tube of lipstick in front of you first. 

“Use mine,” she said. “I’m almost ready and I don’t want to waste time with you up down three floors and all the way over to your room before we go to the party. I want cocktails, I want music and I want to flirt with my hot boyfriend while I wear a slutty dress.” 

“Maria is still getting dressed, I’ve got five minutes…” 

“No you don’t!” She called from the bedroom before coming to the bathroom door and turning around. “Zip me?” 

You laughed and obeyed, Maria adjusting the dress a bit before turning back around. 

“Hey sexy mama!” You whooped at her. “That looks like it was made for you.” 

“Right?” She flung her long braids over her shoulder before admiring herself in the full length mirror on the bathroom door. “My pregnancy boobs have shown up but the bump is still in hiding. It’s the perfect dress moment, had to take advantage of it.” 

“Hear that little one?” Sarah said, looking toward Maria’s lower stomach. “You’re making your mom look hot!” 

“Hotter,” you corrected. “They’re making their mom look hotter.” 

You settled for Sarah’s lipstick and the three of you headed for the elevator to go meet up with the guys. 

Your first New Year’s Eve with Joel had been far more low key. Sarah was in town and Joel invited Tommy and Maria over to watch the ball drop. You’d ordered pizza and gotten drunk and played charades with your boyfriend’s family and, at midnight, kissed Joel so deeply that you could taste the champagne on his tongue. 

This year, you had plenty to celebrate. It was Maria and Tommy’s last one before they became parents - you highly doubted they’d be up until midnight next year. Sarah had gotten promoted and you’d gotten her a job at the Austin branch in August. She had moved back to town just a few months before you moved in with Joel and the three of you had found a comfortable - if unusual - dynamic as a family. And it felt like you had finally found everything you’d ever truly wanted. 

Instead of staying home this New Year’s Eve, you all decided to go to a party at one of the nice hotels in Houston. You’d all gotten hotel rooms so no one had to drive and the boys had all gone on ahead to the rooftop bar to hold a table while the three of you got ready to go. 

“Crap, one sec,” Sarah said, frowning at her phone as the three of you went for the elevator. “Left something in the room, wait for me, OK? I don’t want to try to find them on my own!” 

You and Maria watched her run back to her room - where the three of you had been getting ready - and you frowned as she tottered on her high heels. 

“Is she acting weird?” You asked as Maria leaned against the wall. 

“Sarah?” Maria laughed. “She’s always weird.” 

She came back a few minutes later, tugging her dress down as she went and a little breathless when she got there. 

“OK,” she smiled and took a deep breath. “Now we’re good!” 

You were almost giddy as you rode the elevator up to the party, feeling the thud of music through the elevator doors before they opened. 

It was hard to say why you were just so excited. It wasn’t like you’d never been to a party before - you and Sarah had rung in the New Year at a party a lot like this one that your office had handled the advertising for in Seattle one year - but it felt like something new. Like you were stepping into the first year of your life where everything had finally fallen into place. 

“Hey!” Tommy yelled, standing and waving his arm over his head as he saw the three of you leave the elevator. You could barely hear him over the thud of the bass. “Over here!” 

“How many beers do you think he’s had?” Maria asked conspiratorially and you laughed. 

“Probably the same number mine has,” you replied, smiling at Joel as he craned his neck to get a better look at you. 

“Holy hell woman,” he said, getting out of the round booth as you got to the table. He pressed a kiss to your cheek and dropped his voice low. “Not sure I’m gonna take that dress off you later, might need to leave it on.” 

You smiled as he gave you a squeeze and you sat down, Joel sliding in beside you, one hand of his going below the table to the inside of your thigh. 

One thing that hadn’t changed in the last year was just how insatiable the two of you were for each other. You kept waiting for it to calm down a bit, to stop looking at him and immediately start thinking of how to get him alone and naked as quickly as possible. But Joel was still the single sexiest man you’d ever seen and was still far and away the best in bed. You couldn’t help but want to fuck him all day every day. You were just thankful he seemed to feel the same way about you. 

One of your favorite things about living with Joel was your after work routine. When you managed to make it so you left the office around the same time Joel left his job site, you’d join him in the shower, your hair in a knot on top of your head to keep from getting too soaked, Joel still a little sweaty and dirty from a hard day’s work. Sometimes, you just enjoyed each other. You loved the quiet intimacy of it, of being in such a private space together in just your skin, helping him wash the day from his body before he pulled you against him under the water. Other times, Joel pressed you against the cool tile and fucked into you, hard and fast and eager, making your back arch as your leg wrapped around him, the heat of his mouth and the steam filling you when you kissed him. 

The new routines had just given you more reasons and opportunities to fuck, it seemed, instead of sex getting lost in the monotony of daily life. Sometimes it was in the middle of late night TV when you were both getting tired on the couch. Sometimes it was when you were putting away laundry. Sometimes it was when you were making dinner. 

It was just that, sometimes, it required… additional boundaries. 

Sarah had a key to Joel’s place, of course, but she quickly learned that she needed to announce herself before just coming in the door when she wasn’t expected, her walking in the house without warning when he was deep inside of you while you were draped over the kitchen counter was a little too close for comfort for all three of you. 

“I have literally never wanted to know less about your sex life,” she shuddered a few hours later when you were sitting in Joel’s back yard, fully clothed with a beer in your hand. 

You laughed. 

“Never wanted you to know less about it so that works just fine for me.” 

You, Joel and Sarah all had dinner together at least once a week, another routine you’d come to love, and you got Sarah all to yourself most days over lunch, happy for the chance to laugh with your best friend.

You weren’t sure life could get much better. 

“Oh sweet!” Sarah said as the waitress came by the table, tray of drinks in hand, passing a cosmopolitan to Sarah. “Who knew this was just what I wanted?” 

“Happy to take credit for that,” Nick smiled, kissing her cheek and you smiled at him. He was a relatively new addition to Sarah’s life but he seemed promising. You’d never seen her quite so giddy over a guy before and you were trying not to mention it so you wouldn’t jinx it. 

When she finally owned up to being hung up on the man, though, you were going to start teasing her as relentlessly as she’d been teasing you. You were getting double wedding jokes lined up and ready, waiting for the perfect moment to hit her with it. 

But it was a holiday. You’d take it easy on her for a little while longer. Assuming she stopped calling you Mom. 

Joel had been paying attention too, it seemed, and the server handed you a mojito. Appropriate, since you’d just been lamenting the fact that you didn’t have fresh mint at home just two nights before. 

“How often are you really gonna muddle mint for a drink?” Joel asked, barely contained smile on his face. 

“At least once in a while!” You laughed. “Come on, we could do a whole herb garden in the yard…” 

“You are not gonna keep a garden alive.” 

“Yes I will!” You protested. He raised his eyebrows at you, incredulous. “If I have the motivation of cocktails I will.” 

“Fine,” he sighed but still smiled, kissing your forehead. “In spring I’ll build you a garden and you can kill as many herbs as you want, Beautiful.”

“Is this supposed to bribe me into you not making me a garden?” You teased, taking a sip of the drink. 

“Baby, I will make you whatever makes you smile,” he kissed your exposed shoulder. “But if I’m saving the lives of some poor, innocent plants by ordering you a cocktail…” 

You laughed and kissed him, the scratch of his facial hair on your skin comforting and familiar. 

The party really picked up not long after you got there and you, Sarah and Maria went to dance while the guys hung back to talk for a bit. 

“You don’t think they’re being too hard on him do you?” Sarah asked, watching the table. 

“Oh I’m sure they’re being super nice,” you said. “Joel and Tommy have never been protective of you, not once.” 

“Oh God,” she groaned but she smiled. 

“Wouldn’t worry too much,” you laughed. “It looks like he’s weathering it well.” 

“Hold on,” Maria smiled and shook her head. “We can get him some help…” 

She started waving to Tommy, who clapped Nick on the shoulder and got out of the booth to join his wife on the dance floor. You looked at Joel, eyebrows raised, until he met your gaze and you saw him sigh and smile before heading your way. 

You put your arms around his neck and kissed him, pressing tightly to him and feeling every line of him through your clothes. His hands went to your waist, pulling you closer. 

“You tryin’ to distract me?” He asked when you pulled away. 

“Trying to get you to play nice,” you teased. 

“Always play nice,” he said as you turned around in his hold, your ass going back against his hardening length. He lowered his lips to your ear, his breath hot on your skin. “Except when you ask me not to.” 

You resisted the urge to drag him back to your hotel room right that second. Instead, you pressed yourself harder against him, moving your body in time to the pulsing, thrumming rhythm. His hands slid to your hips and you couldn’t help but think of how they felt on your bare skin. 

But you managed to keep it together for a few songs, dancing until you were breathless and you really couldn’t take it anymore. You draped yourself around Joel again, pressing your lips to his ear. 

“Order me a water and another mojito,” you said, your hand sliding into his pocket, brushing his half hard cock through his jeans, as you grabbed your phone. “And check your texts.” 

You didn’t give him a chance to respond, just meeting his wide eyes for a moment before slipping into the crowd. You went around to the pool area of the rooftop, far quieter than the bar and the dance floor, the lounge chairs all stacked up next to a storage space that looked like it would provide the perfect cover from the dance floor. You took a selfie with just a glimpse of the thudding party in the background and texted it to him. 

“Come find me.” 

It didn’t take him long, coming around the corner while glancing back over his shoulder, looking nervous. You grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him into you, your back against the storage room. 

“You are up to no good,” he said, pressing you back against the wall, his mouth covering yours, his body warm against the cool night air. “Tryin’ to get us kicked out of the damn hotel?” 

His hand went to your breast, anyway.

“We can keep our clothes on,” you panted against him. “Be very well behaved. Like that time in the bathroom.” 

“Fuck, Beautiful,” he groaned, putting his thigh between your legs, your skirt covering part of his jeans. He rocked his hips against you, his hands going to your waist, the outline of his hard cock against your stomach. “Wanna make me come in my pants like a fucking teenager?” 

“Don’t think we’re making it to midnight any other way,” you were needy, aching as you ground your pussy down on the straining muscle of his leg. 

“Still gonna let me fuck you later?” He kissed down your neck, rutting harder against you, your hands on his shoulders, grip tightening. 

“You think I’m starting a new year without you inside me as soon as possible you’re insane.” 

He laughed a little and nipped at your collarbone before pulling you tighter against his leg, making you moan. You started working yourself harder and faster against him, pulling him tighter to you, your wetness soaking your panties. 

“You’re close, aren’t you, Baby?” He asked, voice dark. Your motions stuttered but you nodded frantically against him. “Gonna come all over my fucking leg aren’t you? Come from just riding my fucking thigh?” 

You were close enough that you’d lost the ability to speak. You just nodded again and he kissed you, hard and messy and deep and you pressed yourself firmly against his leg as you fell apart, the tight coil inside yourself snapping as your clit throbbed against him. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He gasped as he pressed his cock hard against you and you felt him throbbing there, spilling into his jeans before slumping against you. His nose brushed yours for a moment and you smiled, kissing him lightly. 

“You’re going to kill me,” he laughed a little breathlessly. “More than a year into this and you still want me to fuck you so bad you’re dragging me away from a party?” 

“That’s nothing,” you teased. “Wait until we’re really old and we’re finding ways to sneak around the nursing home.” 

He laughed and kissed you again. 

“Love you so fuckin’ much.” 

It was easier to focus on the party after that. Tommy gave Joel a look when you made it back to the table and Joel told him to mind his own business and you laughed and drank your mojito. 

By the time midnight rolled around, you’d been pleasantly tipsy for more than an hour, draping yourself over Joel at every opportunity when you weren’t dancing with Sarah and Maria. As the countdown started, the six of you crowded onto the dance floor with everyone else, champagne in hand, Joel’s arm around you as he held you to his side. 

“Three, two, one!” 

Joel turned you to him and kissed you before you’d even had a chance to yell happy New Year and you sank into him, almost forgetting about the drink in your hand until some of it dribbled down your wrist, making you laugh against his lips. 

“Couldn’t let a second of the year go by before I kissed you for the first time,” he said, his lips still close to yours. The knot of heat and wanting that had eased after your antics earlier was back with full force. 

“Good,” you said quietly, drinking in the hungry look in his eyes. 

“It’s supposed to be a toast, you insatiable weirdos,” Sarah laughed and you laughed back, separating from Joel far enough to raise your glasses and toast with your new found family. 

It wasn’t long before all of you made your way to the elevators, piling into one with a handful of strangers, you happy for the excuse to stay pressed tightly against Joel. 

“Good luck!” Tommy said, a teasing edge to his voice when the doors dinged open on your floor. 

You frowned at him, confused, as the doors closed and you laughed a little as Joel led you back to the room. 

“Why do you need luck? Is Tommy under the impression that you have to work to get sex out of me?” You teased. “Because it’s sweet that you’d protect my honor that way but we both know that’s a damn lie.” 

“Tommy’s just a dumbass,” Joel replied. “Ignore him, that’s what I do.” 

You laughed, the tail end of your buzz waning. 

“Thinking we should take full advantage of that jacuzzi tub,” you said as Joel unlocked the hotel room door. “And use it to research the investment of a hot tub in the back yard…” 

“You’re insatiable,” he teased, opening the door for you. 

You laughed and were so busy looking at him - his thick, dark hair that was flecked with gray; his plush lips; his soft eyes - that it took you a second to realize there were roses and petals all over the room, a bottle of wine chilled in a bucket on the small table. 

“Joel?” You looked back at him and he just shrugged, smiling. 

You went further into the room and realized that it wasn’t just flowers and wine. There were framed pictures of you and Joel from the last year of your lives together. One of the two of you on Bourbon Street, another from when you decided to actually take those wine tasting classes you’d talked about, one from your second Longhorn’s game. There were at least a dozen, each one making it look so, so obvious that you made each other happy. That you gave each other the lives you wanted. 

You picked up the picture by the bedside, the first selfie you’d ever taken together. You were hiking and you’d held your arm out far enough to try to capture some of the view behind you. You were smiling hugely at the camera, hair grimy with sweat, Joel’s arm around your shoulders. But he wasn’t looking at the camera. Instead, he was looking at you. Looking at you like you were the only thing worth looking at. Looking at you like you made him happier than just about anything else on Earth. 

“What…” You trailed off, looking up from the picture to see Joel, on one knee with a box in his hands at the foot of the bed. 

You gasped and jumped, your hands covering your mouth on instinct, eyes wide. Your feet moved before you really realized what was happening and it seemed sudden that you were right in front of him.

“Joel,” you breathed, trembling hands slowly leaving your face. 

“For a very long time,” he said, his voice assured. “It felt like I’d gotten the only good thing I was going to get out of life. I had Sarah and seemed wrong to ask for more than that so I wasn’t lookin’ for it. Wasn’t lookin’ for you. But then I found you - or you found me, anyway - and I realized just how good life could be as long as I got to live it next to you. 

“You are the single best person I’ve ever met. You’re so smart and funny and creative and kind and the most fun I’ve ever had and I can’t imagine anything better than getting to live the rest of my life with you. Will you make me the happiest man on Earth and marry me?” 

***

Joel wasn’t sure his heart had ever beat this fast. Maybe when Sarah was first born and there were the torturous few seconds of silence before she started crying, not sure how anything about pregnancy or babies worked. Definitely never since. 

But the silence between you seemed to drag on for an eternity even though he knew it could have only been a second or two. That didn’t stop his heart from racing. 

“Yes,” you nodded, your voice thick, tears in your eyes. “Yes, yes, yes, yes yes!” 

You damn near tackled him and he laughed, catching you and holding onto you as he lowered the two of you to the ground on a bed of rose petals. 

Joel, Tommy and Nick had been in here getting everything set up while Sarah and Maria kept you busy in Sarah’s room. There was a brief moment of panic when Sarah texted that the three of you were headed to the party and Joel had to ask her to buy at least two minutes because they were walking to the elevator themselves. 

“I’m so happy for you, man,” Tommy said, clapping Joel on the shoulder as they headed up to the party. “You deserve this, you really fuckin’ do.” 

“She ain’t said yes yet,” Joel said, feeling the nerves all sudden and hot under his skin. “Don’t jinx it.” 

“She’ll say yes,” Tommy said, sounding so confident. “Don’t ask me WHY but that woman adores you. She’s gonna love it.” 

He hoped you did. He hoped you loved the idea at all, that you loved the proposal, that you loved the ring. Sarah had helped pick that part out so he was more confident of that, finding a piece that was elegant without looking dated, something that he hoped you’d like wearing for the rest of your life. 

Because that’s what he wanted. He wanted you, wanted to make you happy, for the rest of your life. 

He slid the ring onto your finger, the diamond catching the light as he did. 

“Are you serious?” You asked, looking from the ring to him. 

“Serious about spending the rest of my life with you?” He asked. “Can’t think of anything better.” 

You threw your arms around his neck and kissed him, hard and needy. He leaned into it for a moment before he pulled back from you. 

“Should move to the bed,” he breathed. “Gotta treat my fiancee right.” 

You just nodded quickly and Joel got up before helping you to your feet. 

He tugged your dress up and over your head - as much as he wanted to fuck you in the sexy little thing you’d been tempting him with all night, the need to feel your skin was too great - and eased you down onto the bed. 

You moved to the middle of it and Joel got undressed, his eyes watching you hungrily, the glint of his ring on your finger making him somehow even harder. You removed your bra and cast it aside before you slipped your panties down your legs and tossed them to the side, leaving you exposed and bare. You were everything it seemed like he’d ever wanted and you were his, the proof of it right there on your hand. He fisted his cock, pumping himself once, twice, as he climbed between your legs. 

He wanted to make this last. He wanted to go down on you and swallow your pleasure until you were screaming with it. He wanted to kiss every inch of your skin. He wanted to tease you with his fingers until you were begging for his cock. But he wasn’t sure he could, not that moment. He had a feeling you wouldn’t be leaving the bed for a few days after this.

“Joel,” you panted, watching him, pupils blown and back arched. He smiled. For some reason, you wanted him like he wanted you. 

“Yes, Mrs. Miller?” He breathed, settling between your open legs, the apex of your thighs hot against his skin. You moaned and rocked your hips up against him, your needy little clit pressing into his skin. 

“Fuck,” you moaned, closing your eyes, fingers gripping his bicep tightly. “Love the sound of that…” 

“You have no idea, Beautiful,” he said, kissing you, grinding his cock against your dripping slit. You moaned, the movement of your hips stuttering for a moment before you adjusted the angle so the tip of him was catching on your entrance with ever pass, just enough for the most sensitive part of him to be enveloped in your tight, wet heat. 

“Need you,” you were almost gasping with it, desperate and wanting. “Please, please, need to feel you, I need…” 

“Always going to give you what you need, Baby,” he said, his cock dipping further into you this time before he pulled back and pushed himself against your clit again. “Always gonna take care of you, always.” 

He pushed into you then, firm but not to fast, your breath catching on your throat as he did. Joel kissed you, trying not to think about how damn good you felt, how it seemed like he belonged right there, deep inside you. 

“Fuck,” your nails dug into him but he held on. “Fuck, you feel so fucking good how do you feel this fucking good?” 

He could only moan in response, fucking into you, feeling you open up to him, your walls gripping him tight. He stayed still inside you for a moment, savoring it, the feeling of you around him while he was over you, the way you held onto him. 

But he couldn’t last that way for long. You - his fiancee. His fiancee, no one else’s, you belonged to no one but him - felt too damn good for him to last too long inside of you and he had to move, he had to. 

So he did, starting a little slower but still firm, pressing his hips into you so your hot little clit was against his skin. 

He could feel you starting to tighten around him, like your body was trying to pull him deeper somehow, your lips messy and desperate when they found his, trialing little kisses over his body when they don’t. 

“That’s it, Beautiful,” he panted into you. “Come for me, can feel how close you are, just let go for me, let me feel you. Need to feel you…” 

You gasped his name and pressed your whole body tight against him as you came around him, your pussy fluttering around him, working his cock, all warm and soft trying to pull him as deep as you could take him. He fucked you through it, hardly able to hold off his own orgasm, the aftershocks of yours still rippling through your tight channel when he emptied himself into you until he didn’t even have the strength to hold himself up anymore, collapsing on you, his head over your shoulder so he could smell your skin and your hair. Fuck, he loved that smell. Fuck, he loved you. 

After a minute, he adjusted the two of you so you were draped over his chest, your arms all soft and pliant, close enough that he could feel your heartbeat on his skin, feel your soft, little breaths on him. You held up your left hand, turning the ring back and forth in the light. 

“You’re sure about this?” You asked, glancing up at him as you fidgeted with the ring. 

“More sure than I’ve ever been about anything,” he said. “Would make you Mrs. Miller tomorrow if you’d let me.” 

You laughed a little at that, putting your hand down on his chest and taking a deep breath. 

“Doesn’t seem fair,” you said softly. 

“What doesn’t?” 

“You’ve given me so much,” you said. “You’ve given me everything I’ve ever wanted - everything. Feels like I’m not holding up my end.” 

“You kiddin’ me?” He scoffed. “You’re so perfect I have to remind myself that you’re real sometimes, that I’m not just imagining you. You make me the luckiest man on Earth every damn day by just breathing in the same room as me. If anything’s not fair, it’s that I got too greedy asking you to marry me. Should know to quit when I’m this far ahead.” 

You laughed and pressed your lips into his chest, looking at the ring again, twisting it this way and that with your thumb. 

“Make you a deal,” you said, adjusting your head so you were looking at him. 

“What’s your proposal?” He asked, teasing. 

“You take care of me,” you said. “Make sure I’m not getting too overwhelmed or overdoing it at work or just getting too in my own head. I’ll take care of you, make sure you take time for yourself, make sure you relax, make sure you know how great you are. Deal?” 

He smiled a little. 

“Deal, Mrs. Miller.” 

You smiled bigger. 

“Excellent, Mr. Miller.” 

He kissed your forehead. 

“Don’t have to change your last name, you know,” he said, giving you a squeeze. “I can always just call you that for my own damn enjoyment without making it official.” 

You laughed a little. 

“No, I want to change it,” you said. “Sarah was right all along. I think I’m going to make a great Miller.” 

A/N: Ahhh! I hope you all loved reading the story of Joel and Sarah's best friend as much as I loved sharing it! These two are so fun and so sweet, I'm so glad I got to give them the happy ending they deserved.

Thank you so so much for being here, for following along with this little story that started as a one shot based on a request that came in after I wrote another one shot as a request. I so appreciate that you're here, that you've spent your time with this fic and these characters and all of your support. This corner of the internet means everything to me and it's because you're a part of it <3 Love you!

Taglist: @fanficismydrug

[twistedtummies2]

Marvin the Martian in the Golden Age - "Least Good" to Best

Recently, I made a list of my favorite Looney Tunes characters. Right at the top of that list was our favorite martian, Marvin. I’m not sure why this little destroyer of worlds is my favorite in the Looney Tunes cast, but he is, and always has been. What’s interesting about Marvin is that he’s actually a lot more prominent today than he was back during the Golden Age of the Looney Tunes, back in their theatrical cartoon days. In that time, out of the hundreds of Looney Tunes made, Marvin only appeared in five cartoon short subjects. But over time, the character evolved, and creators began to use him more in a wide array of projects. This year, not only is Warner Bros. turning one hundred years old, but it marks the 75th anniversary of Marvin, as a character. I therefore thought it would be fun to look at Marvin’s track record onscreen, and talk about some of my favorites of his appearances. And, since it IS a celebration of Marvin, I figured I’d do this in the form of two separate lists: one dedicated to his early Golden Age shorts, and one dedicated to…well…basically everything else. With that said, this countdown is a ranking of the five cartoons Marvin appeared in during the Golden Age of the Looney Tunes. While I personally enjoy all five of these shorts, naturally I like some more or less than others. So, for the first half of this celebration of my favorite Looney Toon, here’s a little ranking I like to call “Marvin the Martian in the Golden Age - Least Good to Best.”

5. Mad as a Mars Hare.

Marvin’s final appearance in the Golden Age. This was, believe it or not, the first Golden Age cartoon with the character I think I ever saw, and it’s not a bad final trumpet sound for the martian to go out on. The story begins with Marvin not planning to DESTROY Earth, but instead simply studying it from his hideaway on Mars. Bugs Bunny is sent rocketing into space (not wholly voluntarily). The mission lands him on Mars (after crashing through Marvin’s observatory). The Martian, believing Bugs to be a threat, proceeds to use a few of his gadgets to try and either destroy the rabbit or transform him into a mind-warped servant. As you can probably guess from the image used here, it doesn’t go the way Marvin anticipated. I love the beginning of this cartoon, as well as the way it ends, and Marvin and Bugs each have some good lines, but I feel the cartoon is a bit too simple for its own good, with a lot less going on through the midsection. This was late into the Golden Age of the Looney Tunes, when the animation department and other creative areas were starting to lose both budget and steam. While it’s still a good cartoon, it does feel somewhat weaker than earlier cartoons that came before it, and perhaps that’s the reason why.

4. Haredevil Hare.

Right on the heels of the Martian’s last outing, we now have Marvin’s very first appearance. It’s an alright character introduction, in my opinion. The plot is pretty simple: Bugs Bunny is sent into space (against his will) for a science experiment, just as would be the case years later in “Mad as a Mars Hare.” Not long after landing on the Moon, however, Marvin the Martian arrives, planning to use an Explosive Space Modulator to blow up the Earth. Bugs steals the device to prevent this, so Marvin sics his alien pet dog, K-9, on the rascally rabbit. Hijinks then ensue. The cartoon established a lot about Marvin; many of the gags and character distinctions in this short would be repeated in later outings with the Martian, and his design would remain largely unchanged through the decades following. However, while this is a solid START for Marvin, that’s also exactly what it feels like: a START. I think a lot of the jokes and elements present here would be expanded and improved upon in some later shorts. Most notably, Marvin’s voice in his first appearance is quite different from his later appearances: instead of a prim, proper, only somewhat nasally performance, Mel Blanc’s first voice for Marvin literally sounds like a stereotypical nerd with a bad cold. You can see why they changed it later on; if Marvin had used this voice for the rest of time, I get the feeling he’d be a lot less beloved.

3. The Hasty Hare.

This was Marvin’s second appearance, and in my opinion, it’s the point where the character really got cemented and became the Marvin we know and love best today. (For one thing, this is the cartoon where his now-well-known voice was properly set.) This is sort of funny to me, since I often get the feeling it’s the Golden Age Marvin cartoon least remembered nowadays. In this short, instead of Bugs going into space, this time, it’s the Martian who comes down to Earth. He and K-9 have been given orders to abduct one specimen of Earthling life and bring it back to Mars for analysis; by sheer chance, Bugs Bunny is the first Earth creature the pair come across, and thus the carrot-chomping trickster must find a way to outwit the man from Mars (and his “K-9” companion) and escape. The cartoon gives us a lot more interaction between Marvin and both of his co-stars, and gives us a better understanding of his personality, with more of his classic lines and manners than his first appearance, as well as more of a look at his gadgets, and a better showcase of his infamous temper. It’s simple, but it’s fun, and for me it’s a great example of a second appearance that outmatches the first. FUN FACT: one thing that WASN’T established here was Marvin’s name. He wouldn’t receive his classic name until much later. In this cartoon, he’s referred to as “Commander of Flying Saucer X-2,” and behind the scenes work refers to him “Antwerp.” I think we can all agree “Marvin the Martian” is a much catchier moniker, however.

2. Hare-way to the Stars.

Marvin’s penultimate Golden Age appearance is probably one of his most popular, being the most referenced, quoted, and generally showcased cartoon featuring his feud with Bugs Bunny out there. Once again, Bugs gets shot into space (this time accidentally, rather than him being forced for some sort of scientific purpose). This round, he winds up on a Martian space station, where Marvin seems to be the only lifeform running anything. Just like in “Haredevil Hare,” the little rogue plans to blow up the Earth using “the Illudium PU-36 Explosive Space Modulator.” He claims the planet “obstructs his view of Venus.” Bugs stops and steals the device at the last possible second (“Where’s the kaboom?! There was supposed to be an Earth-shattering kaboom!”), so Marvin creates an army of bird-like “Instant Martians” to chase the rabbit down and get the Space Modulator back. The visuals, gags, and dialogue of this cartoon are all sublime; interestingly, Marvin’s costume in this version is given a different color scheme, with a green jumper and armor that is bronze-hued. This same color scheme would reappear in “Mad as a Mars Hare,” and seems to be unique to these two appearances. While I do prefer Marvin’s traditional red-and-green outfit, this look isn’t too bad, and it’s curious that it was used so rarely; I guess fans never really cottoned to it. No matter.

1. Duck Dodgers in the 24th ½ Century.

It’s funny that, nowadays, Marvin often seems to be considered an arch-nemesis of Daffy Duck, rather than Bugs Bunny. Out of the five Golden Age cartoons made with the character, this is the only one where Daffy and the Martian interact. But, oh, what an interaction it was: “Duck Dodgers in the 24th ½ Century” (a parody of the space fantasy series “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century”) is widely regarded as one of the greatest Looney Tunes cartoons of all time, and along with “Hare-way to the Stars,” is likely Marvin’s most lauded appearance. The cartoon features Daffy as the dunderheaded, over-confident space adventurer Duck Dodgers, who is given a mission to locate the mysterious Planet X and stake a claim for it on the Earth. Unfortunately, at the exact same time, Marvin arrives to claim Planet X for Mars. Declaring “there just ain’t room enough on this planet for the two of us,” Dodgers and Marvin thus proceed to try and destroy each other in increasingly wild ways, till one of them can claim Planet X. This cartoon inspired more spin-offs, reimaginings, and homages than probably any other cartoon either Marvin OR Daffy ever made. In a way, the rivalry between these two makes more sense than Marvin against Bugs: the two are complete antitheses of each other. Marvin is a smoldering ball of destructive rage who carries himself with dignity, while Daffy is a wild whirlwind of chaotic energy. Both have tremendous egos, and both are infamously unwilling to compromise as a result. Seeing these two personalities clash is a delight, and it’s probably why their single encounter is more fondly remembered than almost any of Marvin’s meetings with Bugs Bunny (which, I should point out, are also terrific, obviously). It’s a cartoon as iconic as the Looney Tunes themselves, and for having such recognizable status, it more than earns its place as My Favorite Golden Age Marvin the Martian Cartoon. “Isn’t that lovely, hm?”

[terapsina]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @isagrimorie (thanks, this looks fun 🤩).

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1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

120

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

324,790

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I'll just copy-and-paste from ao3, cuz I'm not writing all that down.

The Vampire Diaries (TV) (25), Legacies (TV 2018) (12), Person of Interest (TV) (9), Once Upon a Time (TV) (9), Leverage (US TV 2008) (7), Shadowhunters (TV) (7), Doctor Who (2005) (5), Arrow (TV 2012) (4), Merlin (TV) (4), Captain Marvel (2019) (3), 苍兰诀 | Love Between Fairy and Devil (TV) (3), Batwoman (TV 2019) (3), The 100 (TV) (3), Willow (TV 2022) (3), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV) (2), The Magicians (TV) (2), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling (2), Supergirl (TV 2015) (2), The Originals (TV) (2), Star Wars - All Media Types (2), The Old Guard (Movie 2020) (2), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types (2), The Good Place (TV) (2), Avatar: Legend of Korra (2), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV) (2), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV) (2), Charmed (TV 2018) (1), Angel: the Series (1), Wednesday (TV 2022) (1), Star Trek: Voyager (1), Teen Wolf (TV) (1), Star Wars: Rebels (1), Sweet/Vicious (TV) (1), Star Trek (1), Star Wars: Ahsoka (TV) (1), Lost Girl (TV) (1), Legend of the Seeker (TV) (1), Hustlers (2019) (1), Stargate SG-1 (1), Revolution (TV) (1), Sanctuary (Canada TV 2008) (1).

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

5 Times The Doctor Talked About River Song With Graham (+1 Time The Fam Finally Met Her) - the 13/River fic where Graham finds the Doctor's missing wedding ring and she gradually opens up about her wife.

“Her name was River Song.” She says once he’s already taken a few steps. He stops, turning around, giving her the opportunity to continue or not as she needs. “She was an archaeologist. And a professor. And a criminal. And she was brilliant and absolutely mad.”

“She must have been. Married you didn’t she?” Graham jokes before he can help himself.

But Doc just grins like she agrees and laughs to herself.

Something uncoils in Graham’s chest at seeing Doc’s face regaining its natural brightness, however tinged with grief. The grief isn’t new either, he’s seen shadows of it in her all along but this is the first moment she doesn’t seem to be trying to hide it. Or maybe the first time she’s not trying to hide from it.

The Suspicious Case of Tribbles - the 13/River fic where River tries to "borrow" the TARDIS for lil'bit.

"Don't mind me. Carry on!" The woman says, dropping a bag of something heavy that sounds like a bag of rocks to the floor and hurrying towards the TARDIS controls. "I'm only here to establish an alibi. A short hop over to the other side of the hemisphere and some 38 planetary hours in the past should do it. I'll send you lot right back to him none the wiser. It'll be our little secret."

She's Come Undone and Set Free - Elejah, Bonbekah, Klaroline and Elena/Caroline/Bonnie/Rebekah friendship story that deals with Elena and Caroline getting to be angry and making Damon pay for what he did to them, as well as supporting each other and beginning to heal. (WIP, but there's only 2 chapters to go).

“I want you to know, that’s not why I will always hate you, Damon.” She strengthened her hold on his face at the look of caution that was surfacing at her words, likely because he’d just now been remembering that not that long ago she’d broken his neck. “I won’t even hate you because of the sire bond. Though I wasn’t lying, it felt like being a slave to your every desire, whether or not you actually voiced them. And the funny thing? I’m not sure I’ll ever know how much me there was when I was making any of the choices that lead to Jeremy dying.”

“What’s your point?” Damon asked and grabbed her hands in a vice-like grip that made it impossible for Elena to try again what she'd done nearly two days ago when she'd regained her humanity. But she'd already known there wasn’t a point trying now that he'd be expecting it, so she didn’t fight to escape him.

“She’s my best friend, Damon. I will never forgive you for what you did to her,” she said and did absolutely nothing as Damon’s eyes widened and he tried to turn around. He wasn’t fast enough. He’d been too consumed by Elena to pay attention to any other heartbeats around them, and despite her age, Caroline had always been an unusually fast vampire.

Morai's Call to Hope - my Star Wars, time travel, Snips and Skyguy fic where Anakin gets pulled into the World Between Worlds three days before his Fall, watches as Darth Vader is about to kill Ahsoka... aaaaaaand jumps forward to stop him. (WIP and I'm very ashamed about it, because I loved writing this story and really hope to get back to it someday)

From behind Anakin there comes again a whisper from a different time: ‘I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka… never…’

But in front of Anakin comes something else.

‘Then you will die,' the Sith says in direct contradiction to everything Anakin has ever promised both aloud and inside his own heart to the closest thing he’s ever had to a little sister or a daughter. And every single cell of his body rebels against a time where he would ever utter those words to Ahsoka. So even as the red lightsaber ignites in the Sith’s hands, Anakin rushes forward and through the fragile line of a portal separating his reality from theirs.

As the Sith’s lightsaber finishes the arch of its blow instead of encountering Ahsoka’s white dual sabers it’s stopped by the intervening block from a blue lightsaber in the hands of the Anakin Skywalker sixteen years out of his time.

You know who you remind me of? - the 13/River fic where the Doctor is in the middle of hiding under a table with Yaz for plot reasons when she hears the sound of her wife's laughter and is immediately distracted from the mission that brought them there.

The laugh is thick with mischief and a galaxy of secrets.

She knows that laugh.

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to. I adore comments and really truly appreciate receiving them, so I do try to respond to them. But sometimes I get into a kind of slump where replying just feels exhausting. And by the time I'm over that, it might have been like two weeks, and then it feels embarrassing to respond.

And sometimes I just don't know WHAT to say.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably Last Words. I do have quite a few angsty fics but I usually end them either happily or with an open ending that's got light at the end of the tunnel. But this once I came up with an idea for soulmate-identifying-last-words and then wrote a Korrasami fic for it.

Asami had known that Korra was her soulmate. And like everyone else she was in no hurry to see it proven. And there she might be counted lucky, because she did not learn it for many years to come. They survived the war with Kuvira, and then returned from their vacation in the spirit world, and survived many more battles beyond that. The Avatar lived a long life.

But Asami Sato lived a longer one.

So that has the saddest ending.

Well, that, or maybe what's the point of greater good, which is my Queliot (with a side of Wickoff) story where Julia talks to Quentin during the time Eliot was possessed by the Monster.

She finds him stubbornly looking through the mountain of books, searching for any and every scrap of information on Enyalius they can get. He looks like he hasn’t slept since the moment weeks ago when Eliot managed to surface for those brief few moments to tell them he was alive. Hope’s a bitch that way.

“We need to stop him Q.” Julia says, from behind him.

Quentin’s shoulders freeze in place and he leans forward, hands clenching the spine of the book he’d just been about to pick up.

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

Like I said, I tend to mostly write happy endings. But if I have to pick what I considered as the happiest one, then here's a story that's full of angst in the middle, which made the ending feel even happier because of the contrast.

6 Times Bellamy Tried to Forget That He Was in Love With Clarke (+1 Time He Couldn’t Anymore) - exactly what it sounds like. My big look into Bellamy's head through most of the seasons. Canon almost to the end, where I sharply switch tracks and give Bellarke the happy ending they goddamn deserved.

The first thing he saw as the delinquents pulled aside the sheets of scrap metal to let their two missing people in was Clarke running in front, scraped up but seemingly uninjured. He wished that the relief that overtook him was entirely selfish, that it had to do with the fact that he had his partner back and he wouldn’t have to carry the burden of their people’s lives all by himself. But that was crap.

It was vastly overpowered by the simple joy of seeing that Clarke was alright.

“Hey, we heard an explosion. What happened?” she fired out rapidly as soon as she was in front of him. Face serious and eyes focused entirely on Bellamy, - and it was something that had gotten to be so familiar to him that it almost felt like having her there was akin to getting back a missing limb.

He almost, almost fell to the instinct to pull her into his arms because he was just so damned glad that she was alive that the only thing that saved him was the fact Jasper got there first.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not a lot. But there's been a few occasions where I have gotten some, yes. Mostly the 'this was a waste of my time' variety.

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

Not... really? On a few rare occasions I've written a bit of spice but I don't think that people that read smut would give me more than 2.5⭐ out of 5⭐.

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

Yes. When the idea for one strikes. And I don't know if I'd say it's the craziest one, but definitely a fun one is my Stargate SG-1/Leverage crossover where the Stargate Program needs to recruit some thieves.

The Homeworld Security Job. (incidentally this is also the fic that got me the most amount of hate comments).

“I know, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that no one at SGC can go, you need thieves for this mission. And this is a big planet, you guys must have some good ones between those 7.5 billion people. You get me a few of them and I can teach them how to play a wealthy minor Goa’uld long enough to get in and out. But I can’t teach someone to be a good enough liar to not get caught. Not with the time we have here.”

“What do you want us to do, Vala? Grab a bunch of criminals off the street and hope they don’t decide that stealing a Stargate and selling that to the highest bidder instead would be a more lucrative business plan?” Cameron asks.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I'm aware.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Once. My Lunarry fic the ones that seek and find (six years in the relationship of harry and luna) has a translation into Chinese Mandarin 探寻和发现（哈利与卢娜相处的六年).

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

No. It's always sounded kinda complicated.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I do NOT have a one single favorite ship. But there are a few that I will probably never let go of and those are: Elejah, Swan Queen, Hizzie, Bellarke, Spuffy, Doctor/River, Clizzy, Bering and Wells, Kahlan/Cara, Parker/Hardison, Graylora and DFQC/XLH.

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

All of them 😭.

But especially the Star Wars time travel one I mentioned earlier. I love that one so much. And I want to go back to it and finish it. But the stars aren't looking all that bright.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'd like to think that I'm good at getting into characters' heads. Their inner monologues tend to be the easiest part to write (it's the dialogues and surrounding scenes that trip me up).

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Grammar. English isn't my first language, so the fiddly parts of the grammar is what I've picked up through osmosis while reading, which isn't exactly... a flawless way to do it.

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

I've done it a few times (mostly in my Clizzy fics, because Izzy's character peppers a decent bit of Spanish in her dialogue on the show) and have nearly always kind of regretted it (I've needed to do fixes nearly every time, had to learn that google translate cannot be trusted the hard way).

19. First fandom you wrote for?

If I remember correctly, then I think that was a very terrible attempt at a BtVS/Stargate SG-1 crossover that has been deleted since then.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

This is a very predictable answer but that's She's Come Undone and Set Free, I'm just really proud of this story for a lot of reasons. And though there are a few other of my fics I love more than others, this one is just... my favorite of all of them.

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Tagging: @vorpalmuchness, @jennifersminds, @muse-oleum, @amandamonroe and whoever else wants to.

[tomorrowxtogether]

Tomorrow X Together concludes tour with fun, fiery PH concert

MANILA — The production for Tomorrow X Together’s (TXT) recent concert at the Philippine Arena was nothing short of grand. Pyrotechnics, bursts of confetti and eye-catching backdrops complemented the song-and-dance numbers for a potent feast for the senses.

But more than these embellishments, it was the lighthearted interactions shared by the K-pop stars and their fans that made the concert a truly unforgettable experience.

Donning princely costumes, Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Huening Kai kicked off the evening — the final show for their second world tour “Act: Sweet Mirage” — with a “dance break version” of the euphoric disco single “Blue Hour.” The boys spared no time in getting close to the fans, moving towards the B-stage halfway through the song.

“We’re so happy we can spend time with MOA in Bulacan this year following last year’s concert in Manila. Na-miss namin kayo (We missed you),” Beomgyu said, drawing loud cheers from fans called MOA.

He was referring to TXT’s two-night concert at the Mall of Asia Arena last October 2022, which also marked the final stop of the group’s first tour “Act: Lovesick.”

The 26-piece setlist for “Act: Sweet Mirage” incorporated songs that the boys performed in “Act: Lovesick,” but also drew from TXT’s extensive catalog to include newer performances. It also covered all of the tracks from the extended play “The Name Chapter: Temptation,” the group’s only Korean release in between the two world tours.

After removing their tops onstage to reveal more casual and colorful shirts, the boys continued to dish out fun and catchy tracks, such as “No Rules,” “Cat & Dog” and “9 And Three Quarters (Run Away).”

The group also brought angsty punk and pop-rock offerings “0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You),” “LO$ER=LO♡ER,” and “Dear Sputnik,” and boasted its members’ dreamy vocals in “Anti-Romantic.”

In the genre-shifting “Eternally” — which remained a concert highlight in “Act: Sweet Mirage” despite having been performed in the previous tour — white and blue lights surrounded the boys as they delivered the soothing verses. But the moment the song swerves into its throbbing electro sections, the scene turned just as menacing, amplified by red lights and flames bursting from the stage’s front.

Filipino fans were also treated to a performance of “Do It Like That,” the group’s collaboration single with the Jonas Brothers released just last month.

During the encore, the quintet sang “Blue Spring,” an unreleased song dedicated to MOAs, and capped the show with a surprise performance of fan song “MOA Diary.”

Fan interactions

The Philippine leg of “Act: Sweet Mirage” — which ran for more than three hours and was produced by Live Nation Philippines — was also a testament of TXT’s growth as entertainers. Compared to the previous concert, the members seemed more confident onstage, not only in their performances but also through their interactions with the crowd.

Concerts have always been a way for K-pop stars to strengthen their bonds with their dedicated fan bases and TXT’s show was no different, featuring engaging talk segments that displayed the boys’ cute and goofy sides.

After “Cat & Dog,” which had the crowd barking, the members gave their own canine impressions. They later whipped out their lightsticks and each took turns in leading the audience to doing playful movements.

Before performing “Happy Fools,” the group also taught the song’s choreography and asked audience members to do the dance challenge, which were flashed on the venue’s big screens.

The Bulacan show also took place a day (or just mere hours) before Huening Kai marked his 21st birthday. As a surprise, the crowd chanted his name during “Dear Sputnik” and joined his bandmates in singing to him near the end of the concert.

“Actually, it’s on my wishlist, to have my birthday and concert happen on the same day,” Huening Kai said.

‘Beautiful’ last concert

As the night drew to a close, the boys thanked fans for making the final stop of their tour a memorable one. “Thank you so much for decorating our last concert this beautifully and to the point that we were able to finish this concert very well,” Yeonjun said.

“Last year, we were able to receive a lot of comfort and love from you guys. I’m so thankful that even today as well, you were able to give us a lot of comfort and love,” Beomgyu said.

Taehyun said the local crowd was “the best [in] singing, dancing, cheering and screaming for us,” adding that he was already looking forward to the group’s next performance in the country.

“‘Act: Sweet Mirage’ in Bulacan ends here but we will come back [for] MOA again to show you how much we have grown with the love that we received so please wait for us,” Soobin said.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (20-26 Oct 2024)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 Historically Black Phrases: From "I Ain't One of Your Lil' Friends" to "Who All Gon' Be There?" (jarrett hill & Tre'vell Anderson, authors & narrators) - this has been on the go for a bit, as it's more of a 'dip in & out of between podcasts and stuff' type of book - hilarious and interesting af tho

😍 In A Mirrored Room, Talking To Myself (entanglednow) - 65K, steddie ghost hunter!eddie AU - great characterization, solid plot and legit fucking terrifying!

😍 Pro Deo et Patria (One-EyedBossman (desert000rose), SecretFandomStories) - Differently Okay Local Idiots #14 - 66K, stucky no powers D/s AU - Another great slice of life for these two, Steve gets mad at god and they both are trying so hard and being so resolute to not let the ways they are damaged break what they have together. As always, the writing is so precise and careful and expressive and wonderful. I love this series so, so much.

😊 The Limits of Duty (LeeHan) - stucky bookclub pick - 71K, entertaining stucky fantasy au

💖💖 +126K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

The Magic of His Touch (VelvetPaw) - hockey rpf: sid/geno, 32K - - loved the magic worldbuilding

halloween spirit (wearing_tearing) - stranger things: steddie, 2K - - short & cute with a fun cameo from a real horror movie

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Decoding the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Tombstones With Dr. Nicky Nielsen - Session 1: Ancient Egyptian Afterlife & Hieroglyphics

Spirits, Saints, and Souls: The Secret History of Halloween With Lisa Morton - Session 2: Halloween Comes to America

Seas The Day: Life Lessons From Cephalopods With Dr. Sarah McAnulty - Session 2: Flamboyant, Fun, and Freaky: Learning from a cuttlefish’s approach to life

Handsome - Bob the Drag Queen asks about movie musicals

Handsome - Pretty Little Episode #10

Only Murders In The Building - s4, e5-9

What We Do In The Shadows - s6, e1-3

Gastronauts - s1, e2

Dr. Odyssey - s1, e5

D20: Misfits & Magic 2 - "K's Anatomy" (s23, e5)

D20: Adventuring Party - "How to Save a Life" (s18, e5)

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

The A24 Podcast - A Little Danger with Sebastian Stan & Colman Domingo

The Sporkful - “Super Size Me,” Twenty Years Later

Weekend Edition - Little is known about the striped skunk's smellier, spotted cousin. That's changing

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Bessie Stringfield, Motorcycle Queen of Miami

Weekend Edition - A hidden tomb was found in the ancient Jordanian city of Petra

Big Gay Fiction Podcast - Swordplay, Subterfuge, and Romance with Freya Marske

Death, Sex & Money - Bonus: The New Era of Pop Womanhood

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Aftel Archive of Curious Scents

Pop Culture Happy Hour - We Watch Classic Movies For The First Time

Switched on Pop - The virtuosity of Stevie Wonder

99% Invisible - Spirit Halloween

Vibe Check - That’s the 1, 2 Step

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Woman Of The Hour

NPR's Book of the Day - 'How Women Made Music' reexamines the history of music with women at its center

Short Wave - 'Ghost Genes' Could Help Save The American Red Wolf

Code Switch - Spitting on Andrew Jackson's Grave with Rebecca Nagle

It's Been a Minute - Kylie Minogue's tips for staying on top

⭐ Decoder Ring - The Wrongest Bird in Movie History

Re: Dracula - October 24: Not Yet Reported

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Living on Mars

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The South's Hidden Confessional

Consider This - Emo music gets its flowers at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Morning Edition - Why female pop artists have been screaming in their songs a lot lately

Ologies - Confectionology (CANDY) with Susan Benjamin

Wild Card - Seth Meyers likes being the punchline

Re: Dracula - October 25: To His Doom

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Venom: The Last Dance And What's Making Us Happy

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books - 638. Smart Bitches After Dark - Tara interviews Sarah & Amanda

⭐ Today, Explained - Is there a Dr Pepper in the house?

It's Been a Minute - The Billboard Hot 100's doom loop; Plus, a new kind of true crime story

Hit Parade - The Bridge: All That Bono Can’t Leave Behind

Re: Dracula - October 26: Continue Our Watching

The Sam Sanders Show - Roy Wood Jr: Finding Comedy in Political Chaos

Decoder Ring - The Surprising History of Halloween

Twenty Thousand Hertz+ - The Voices of… BLUEY!!!

⭐ Imaginary Worlds - Who Gets to Survive: The Final Girls of Horror

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Chill Supermix

Presenting Sabrina Carpenter

Rancid

Kylie Minogue

The Hit List

The Original Albums…Plus [Jim Croce] {2011}

[the-writer-of-spells]

What is Numerology?

Numerology is a pretty old technique that uses numbers to assess the character and destiny of any given person. It can also be used to check the nature of a new pet, business, and anything else with a name and/or a start/birth date. This can also be paired with a simple form of astrology for more accurate predictions, or used on its own. A simple search on the Britannica website for ‘numerology’ will give you an extremely short article. But, I pulled the following quote from there: “The theory behind numerology is based on the Pythagorean idea that all things can be expressed in numerical terms because they are ultimately reducible to numbers.” 

However, numerology was practiced in Ancient India (in the Vedas) and China (in the I Ching) which were, coincidentally, before Pythagoras/the Pythagorean Brotherhood’s time. But, since the way Pythagoras taught his method of using numerology seemed to have truly stuck with most other cultures around the world, this way of numerology is the most accessible. The ancient Greeks, Romans, and Hebrews also used number systems based on the letters of their alphabet; but the numbers we have today came from the Arabs.

Let’s get to the fun part!

How do I use Numerology?

So, Numerology in my opinion, is the absolute easiest form of divination. Just remember to take notes as you go, and you’ll be fine! 

Or, you can reach out for help from someone you trust that knows numerology; or you can reach out to literally anyone on the internet willing to teach this, but be careful with that one… I believe knowledge should be free, but that’s not the case with a few other people, I’ve heard. So if they ask for a payment, make sure you’ve truly looked at their blog/page. If their vibe doesn’t sit right with you, don’t do it. Money can make good people funny. And not in a good way.

Okay! Let’s get back to this topic. How do I/you use numerology? Super easy. There are two SUPER common types of numbers, and they are usually the first thought in people’s head when they think about Numerology as a whole. They are the Destiny and Life Path numbers!

The difference between these numbers is that the Destiny number shows your life’s purpose and the pattern by which you’ll achieve that, and the Life’s Path number is usually used to make forecasts about one's future. 

I’ll make a separate post on what the numbers 1—9 mean, because that’s what we’re going to be working with for right now; but in the meantime, let me explain what you’ll need to figure out your numbers!!

Materials:

Your Full Name

Your Date of Birth

Pen/pencil

Paper

Calculator (optional)

It’s not a super complex mathematical formula that we’ll be using, just some basic addition!

Also!! If you are transgender, or nonbinary; or you’ve changed your name for any reason—PLEASE use the name YOU HAVE CHOSEN for yourself! If you’re comfortable with it too, you can also use the old/dead name to compare the potential outcomes of your life! If you’re not too comfortable with that, don’t sweat it!

Okay, so you’ve got your materials; cool beans, now what? You’re now going to assign the letters of the alphabet numbers!

Instructions: 

Write the numbers 1—9 across the width of the paper. So you’re going to write out:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9, making sure they’re spaced out enough to write in columns beneath them and not have things overlapping. For ease of reading!

Put the letters beneath the numbers in the order I have listed:

A,J,S under 1.

B,K,T under 2

C,L,U under 3

D,M,V under 4

E,N,V under 5

F,O,X under 6

G,P,Y under 7

H,Q,Z under 8

I,R under 9.

Now, spell out your FULL NAME!! 1st, middle (if you have it), last and anything after that! You’re now going to add up the numbers! I like to keep my number in three separate rows, so my first name has one, middle the second, and last the third line.. Just for the sake of keeping things readable/not too overwhelming.

My numbers, just because I don’t want to give my full name out on the internet; are:

24, 29, 29. But! We need one number between 1 and 9. If you do 24+29(2)=82, you can then simplify my numbers to: 8+2=10, 1+0=1.

What we did here was we found our Destiny number. Pretty neat right?

Let’s do our life path number as well.

Get your birthday written out, it doesn't matter if you use the UK, US, or any other style of writing out dates, because they will always add up to the same number!

Mine is: 12/20/2003. I’ve got it pretty easy, because there’s a bunch of 0’s in mine and I’m working with small numbers.

1+2+2+0+2+0+0+3=10, 1+0=1. And BOOM! We have our life path number as well. 

So, before this post gets crazy long; I hope you have a wonderful day, and I’ll be posting the meanings of the numbers 1—9 with three posts; because I have a lot to say! Bye!!

Further Reading/my Sources:

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "numerology". Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 May. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/numerology. Accessed 1 October 2023.

[firebatvillain]

20 questions for fic writers!

As seen on @givereadersahug (x)!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I currently have 59 works on AO3, though some of those are unrevealed or anonymous, so the visible work count is a bit lower.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

105k! Wow. Over half of that has been in the last two years, when I've been doing a lot more writing and taking part in exchanges.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Naruto (7) Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling (7) Original Work (7) Warhammer 40.000 (3) Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms (2) Stellaris (Video Game) (2) From there we get into a lot of one-offs that I wrote for exchanges. House MD, Gundam Wing, Good Omens, The Order of the Stick, and many others. Most of the Original Work fics are for particular exchange prompts, some of which are quite fun.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Greatest Weasley [Harry Potter, Ron-Centric, incomplete] - this WIP is my white whale! Ron gets sorted into Slytherin. Only a couple chapters, I should return to it sometime...

Harry Potter and the Independent Path [Harry Potter, parody, one-shot] - This very short parody fic is fun and I'm glad people like it. I actually look back fondly on this genre even if I poke fun at it.

Five Times Sakura Heard the Voice, and One Time It Faded [Naruto, Sakura-centric, one-shot, 2.9k] - This was an fest fic for Fest No Jutsu 2022! I really enjoyed writing this one.

If You Won’t Wait for Me, I’ll Find My Own Path [Naruto, Sakura-centric, drabble] - Wrote this one based on the fandom opinions of my friend @xenosimp. Surprised at its popularity.

Liana and the Labyrinth’s Core [Original Work, Explicit, Het, 2.3k] - I wrote this very explicit fic for an exchange, and had a lot of fun with it! Minotaur/Sacrifice, make sure to read the tags/warnings.

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

For exchange fics, almost always. Otherwise, I do sometimes. It's fun to chat with other fandom people and let them know I appreciate their comments, or answer their questions.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't usually write angsty endings, but The Rules of Reintegration [OW drabble, prompt: military android masquerading as a human] is angsty.

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

I'd say Four Times Toph Beifong Triumphed [ATLA, Toph-centric, 2.5k words] would be it. It's generally fun! 

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not often, though I got one very baffling comment on a fic where someone questioned the realism of it. I'm not in the big fandoms where there's lots of drama though.

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

Yes, often for exchanges. It typically tends to be straightforward steamy sex. I've got some more kinky stuff posted to anon that I won't share here, heh.

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

I've written one, but it's not usually my style for writing, since it's a challenge for me. I love reading them though!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, and I hope it never happens. I don't think anything I've written is popular enough for that 😅

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

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

My fandom friend and I co-wrote Mist and Shadow, a WH40k AU fic about Eldar escaping the fall of the Eldar empire. After about 12k words, we set it down, but we may return someday.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

This is a tough one! All-time, I'm not sure. But at the moment, I'm basically chewing on Durge/Enver Gortash (BG3) and having a great time with it.

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

Oof, this is a tough one! There's a very old Naruto fic that I don't think I'll ever get back to... Lost Root. I can't really recommend it in its current state, but it was one of my first plot bunnies.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm pretty decent at paragraph-to-paragraph rhythm, and I am unafraid to try new things.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Sometimes I repeat certain phrases without realizing it, and pacing scenes can be difficult for me. I also have a tendency to write excessively long sentences. Trying to improve on that last one!

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

Seems like a hard sell for both writer and reader.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

StarCraft pro gamer RPF. No, you won't find the fic on my AO3 profile.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I'm still in love with Roonil Wazlib and the Goblet of Fire, a 2.8k word Harry Potter crackfic I wrote for Bad Bang V. Is it bad? Yes, oh yes. And it's fun, and so are the comments.

Tagging (no pressure): @xenosimp @vanyalanthirielofmana @chacusha @vampiremonday @uozlulu @miss-ingno @verecunda

[arwainian]

Reading This Week 2024 #9-19: catching up on the past few months

Hm. Well. I'm not judging myself because I fell behind on tracking my reading for a reason. School got intense! And I'm back to trying to track my reading now because I turned in my last project of the semester, and I should get this out of the way before I start up a summer job. Because this is going to be a long one I'm going to break my own formatting a bit and start with my ongoing/current reads and my thoughts on them. Then I'm going to put the as-exhaustive-as-I-can-tolerate list of completed reading under a readmore so I don't completely kill your dash

Current/Ongoing Reads:

True Biz by Sara Nović I'm over halfway through this and I'm having trouble not blazing through it at lightspeed because the chapters are short and readable. It's basically about three people at a school for the Deaf in Ohio, two students, one new, one very entrenched, and then also the headmistress. I'm endeared by the characters. I find the interludes between narrative chapters that are essentially fun fact sheets on ASL and Deaf culture interesting, especially in a book where a lot of the dialogue is translated and transliterated ASL, but honestly it feels jarring! It makes it feel like its trying really hard to be a Good and Informative book about Deaf people for a hearing reader, instead of letting itself exist as a good and relatable book for and about Deaf people, as written by a Deaf author. I am reading this for the Queer Lit book club that I attend.

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, audiobook narrated by Rachel Dulude Very early on in the audiobook for this. Reading for my SFF bookclub. One of the people there apparently really dislikes this book which will make for an interesting discussion. Off the top of my head thoughts it has that tone that's really endemic to current SFF that I don't really like, so we'll see if this book gets past that for me once plot and character arcs start kicking in

Reading plans:

as the above indicates I'm trying to keep up with my local monthly SFF and Queer Lit bookclubs! I'm also going to be trying to read along with Shelved by Genre's Junji Ito unit like I did for their readthrough of Earthsea, gonna dip my toes into some horror. I'm going to try finishing Living Alone by Stella Benson which I was supposed to read for a class earlier this year but I read half of and then abandoned. A friend has recommended I check out The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu so I've gotten that out from the library, and I have a whole bunch of books on my book shelf that I actually own and need to start getting through now that I'm not in classes everyday

The last 2 and a half months of reading I did:

Read: "Scientific Racism and the Emergence of the Homosexual Body" by Siobhan Somerville The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, audiobook narrated by Rob Inglis The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, audiobook narrated by Rob Inglis Ch. 1, 13-14 of Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis, audiobook narrated by Derek Jacobi excerpt from Bored of the Rings "The Hero is a Hobbit" by W.H. Auden On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong The Way of the House Husband, Vol. 10 by Kousuke Oono Race and the Education of Desire: Foucault's History of Sexuality and the Colonial Order of Things by Ann Laura Stoler "Sovereignty" by Joanne Barker "The Sovereignty of Critique" by Audra Simpson "The Uses of the Erotic: the Erotic as Power" by Audre Lorde "Stolen from Our Bodies: First Nations Two-Spirits/Queers and the Journey to a Sovereign Erotic" by Qwo-Li Driskill "Why I couldn't resist buying Monkman's notorious 'Hanky Panky'" by Howard A. Levitt "The Provocations of Kent Monkman" by Nick Martin "'Indians on Top': Kent Monkman's Sovereign Erotics" by June Scuduler "'A Particular Kind of Romantic Entanglement': Kent Monkman's Nation to Nation (2020) and the Limits of Canadian Political Pornography" by Eric Weichel "Our Coming In Stories: Cree Identity, Body Sovereignty, and Gender Self Determination" by Alex Wilson Intimacies by Katie Kitamura "Naturalism, Humanitarianism, and the Fiction of War" by Eleni Coundouriotis several essays by Barbara Godard on translation "Sexual Violence as a Tool of Genocide" by Andrea Smith Introduction, Chapters 1 & 4 and Conclusion of View from the Bottom: Asian American Masculinity and Sexual Representation by Nguyen Tan Hoang A Kiss that Stains the Innocence by Emu Soutome Dark Princess by W.E.B. Du Bois Justin Chin: Selected Works edited by Jennifer Joseph I Think Our Son Is Gay, Vol. 5 by Okura "Games, Storytelling, and Breaking the String" by Greg Costiyan sections of "Of Dice and Men" by David Ewalt sections of "Dungeons and Desktops" The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, audiobook narrated by Robin Miles "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin "The Ones Who Stay and FIght" by N.K. Jemisin "'The Ones who Stay and Fight': NK Jemisin's Afrofuturist Variation on a Theme by Ursula K. Le Guin" by Mark A. Tabone Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi "Naturally Queer" by Myra J. Hird "Animal Trans" by Myra J. Hird "Biophilia, Creative Involution, and the Ecological Future of Queer Desire" by Dianne Chisholm "Non-white Reproduction and Same-sex Eroticism: Queer Acts against Nature" by Andil Gosine "Polluted Politics? Confronting Toxic Discourse, Sex Panic, and EcoNormativity" by Giovanna Di Chiro Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin Tales from Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo When Rain Clouds Gather by Bessie Head The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin "Decolonization" by Hokulani K. Aikau "Decolonization is Not a Metaphor" by Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang Luke & Billy Finally Get a Clue by Cat Sebastian Severance by Ling Ma "The Scale of Realism in the Global novel" by Debjani Ganguly "Genderfuck: The Law of the Dildo" by June L. Reich "Fighting Bodies, Fighting Words: A theory and Politics of Rape Prevention" by Sharon Marcus Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree Tales of Nevèrÿon by Samuel R. Delany Public Rape: Representing Violation in Fiction and Film by Tanya Horeck sections of Fantasy and Mimesis by Kathryn Hume The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter The Daughter of Odren by Ursula K. Le Guin

Skimmed: excerpts from History of Sexuality by Michel Foucault "Sex, Power, and the Politics of Identity" by Michel Foucault "Right of Death" by Michel Foucault "Ooo, Those Awful Orcs" by Edmund Wilson "Epic Pooh" by Michael Moorcook "The Hobbit" and "Tolkien's Lord of the Rings"from On Stories by C.S. Lewis "Child and the Shadow" by Ursula K. Le Guin "Tolkien and Modernity" by Anna Vaninskaya Prismatic Reader by Nayoung Kim Introduction to Reclaiming Power and Place: the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigneous Women and Girls excerpts of MMIWG2SLGBTTQIA+ National Action: Final Report by Lezard et al. Introduction and Ch. 1 of Epistemology of the Closet by Eve Sedgwick "The Future is Kid Stuff" from No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive by Lee Edelman "Low Theory (Introduction)" from The Queer Art of Failure by Jack Halberstam "Introduction: Beginning with Stigma" from Underdogs: Social Deviance and Queer Theory by Heather Love Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law by Dean Spade "Erotic Autonomy as a Politics of Decolonization" by M. Jacqui Alexander "The Erotics of Sovereignty" by Mark Rifkin "Race, Caste, and Nation" by Nico Slate excerpt of Ready Player One by E. Cline excerpt of Quag Keep by Andre Norton "I'm in love with someone that doesn't exist" by Annika Waern "What If: Planet Earth as an Actor" by Mathias Thaler "Trans-Corporeal Feminisms and the Ethical Space of Nature" by Stacey Alaimo Conflict Bodies: The Politics of Rape Representation in the Francophone Imaginary by Régine Michelle Jean-Charles "Reclaiming Indigenous Sexual Being: Sovereignty and Decolonization Through Sexuality" by Madeline Burns Introduction and "Aloha in Drag" from Defiant Indigeneity: The Politics of Hawaiian Performance by Stephanie Nohelani Teves Introduction to Indigenous Performances: Upsetting the Terrains of Settler Colonialism by Mishuana Goeman "Xoq'it-ch'iswa:l On her - They Beat Time, a Flower Dance Is Held for Her: Revitalization of the Hupa Women's Coming-of-Age Ceremony" from We are Dancing for You: Native Feminisms and the Revitalization of Women's Coming-of-Age Ceremonies by Cutcha Risling Baldy "The Soveriegnty of Indigenous Peoples' Bodies" by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson "The Project of Feminist Epistemology: Perspectives from a Non Western Feminist" by Uma Narayan "Black Feminist Epistemology" by Patricia Hill Collins "From Truth/Reality to Knowledge/Power: Taking a Feminist Standpoint" by Caroline Ramazanoglu "Escape from Epistemology?: The Impact of Postmodern Thought on Feminist Methodology" by Caroline Ramazanoglu "Re-imagining Feminist Theory: Transgender Identity, Feminism, and the Law" by Graham Mayeda "A Black Feminist Statement" from the Combahee River Collective "Critical What What? A theoretical systematic review of 15 years of Critical Race Theory Research in Social Studies Education" by Christopher L. Busey, Kristen E Duncan, and Tianna Dowie-Chin "The Marginalization of Harriet's Daughters: Perpetual Crisis, Misdirected Blame, and the Enduring Urgency of INtersectionality" by Kimberle Crenshaw "Colorblind Intersectionality" by Devon Barbado "Toward a Field of Intersectionality Studies: Theory, Applications, and Praxis" by Sumi Cho, Kimberle Crenshaw, and Leslie McCall "Sick Woman Theory" by Johanna Hedva "The Project of Ableism" by Fiona Kuman Campbell "Disability and the Normal Body of the (Native) Citizen" by Suan Schweik "Freaks and Queers" by Eli Clare "The Challenge of Prison Abolition: A conversation" by Angela Y. davis and Dylan Rodrguez "Carceral feminisms: the abolitionist project and undoing dominant feminisms" by Elizabeth Whalley & Colleen Hackett "The Deadly Fight over Feelings" by Rebecca Wanzo "Disband, Disempower, and Disarm: Amplifying the theory and practice of Police Abolition" by Meghan G. McDowell and Luis A Fernandez Introduction to Rape and Representation edited by Lynn A Higgins & Brenda R. Silver "The Word of Unbinding" by Ursula K. Le Guin "The Rule of Names" by Ursula K. Le Guin

if you made it through all that you deserve a cookie

[chiptunepacifist]

ITS SO INSANE ITS SO INSANE ITS SO INSANE

*sniffs line of cocaine*

MORTY STARTS OFF AND CONTINUES TO HAVE A CRUSH ON JESSICA

THROUGH HIS EXPERIENCE IN RICK POTION #9 HE LEARNS THE CONSEQUENCES OF VIEWING HER THROUGH THE NARROW LENSE OF A TROPHY TO BE WON AND STARTS TO SEE HER AS THE ACTUAL PERSON SHE IS

AS HE BECOMES MORE CONFIDENT IN HIMSELF HES ABLE TO INTRODUCE HER TO HIS WORLD AND SHE FINDS HIM GENUINELY INTERESTING AS A CONTRAST TO HER GROUP OF POPULAR FRIENDS

JESSICA HERSELF SEEMS TO ADMIRE MORTY MORE WHEN HE TAKES THE INITIATIVE TO COMMUNICATE WITH HER WHILE ALSO FINDING HIS WALLFLOWER ATTRIBUTES IN HIGH ESTEEM

^ her referring to her exhaustive relationship with brad

^ her seeing that morty is more confident and makes

^ her discomfort when she doesn’t recognize the things she admires about morty

BY THE WAAAYYYY WHILE THE CANONICITY OF THE COMICS IS UP TO DEBATE I THINK THIS SHORT WHERE JESSICA DREAMS ABOUT HER AND MORTY BECOMING AN ITEM IS REALLY CUTE AND HINTS THAT SHE ALSO HAS A CRUSH ON HIM

THERES ALSO THIS CUT OUT BIT FROM THE COLD OPEN OF MORT DINNER RICK ANDRE WHERE JESSICA OPENS UP ABOUT THIS DYNAMIC BETWEEN THE TWO- WHICH LEADS TO THEM FINALLY ARRANGING A DATE

[ok i ran out of the amt of images i can use so lemme wrap this up skbdejbdnr]

ULTIMATELY THE TWO END UP K I S S I N G- BUT THE PROSPECT OF THEM STARTING TO PROPERLY DATE IS HALTED WHEN JESSICA IS FROZEN IN TIME OR SOMETHING AND NOTICES HOW SHES LACKED PROPER AGENCY IN HER OWN LIFE

WHILE SHE SAYS THAT HER AND MORTY SHOULD STAY FRIENDS FOR NOW I LOWKEY THINK EVERYTHING THEY HAVE SET UP IS A FUN BACKGROUND STORY FOR MORTY AND JESSICA’S RELATIONSHIP BUT AS METATEXTUALLY CALLED OUT BY HER LAST APPEARANCE IN THE SHOW AS OF WRITING THIS, SHES NARRATIVELY BEEN SOMETHING FOR MORTY TO OBTAIN THAN A PROPER CHARACTER AND I THINK GIVING HER CHARACTER SOME FOCUS WOULD MAKE A POTENTIAL ENDGAME MORTY JESSICA SHIP A LOT MORE ENGAGING

long story short i really like mortessica- is that the ship name? can it be the ship name? i love these stupid kids akbrksbsk theyre my babiesss

[ciaossu-imagines]

'TAKE A BREAK' EVENT

So, this is going to be another BIG event, just because I will be away from the blog for quite a bit, just to finish up commissions and to give myself some time to work on fics I’ve been really excited to start. Having this event going on, with everything all queued to post for it, means that the blog stays active, hopefully you guys remain having fun, and, when I do come back, I’ll have plenty of great asks to answer! Like all of my other big events, the event will stretch across multiple days, with each day having its own theme and prompts! Once the day is over, I stop accepting requests for the previous day and move onto the next day, though everyone will have at least one, if not multiple days, after the event is over to send in any questions they didn’t manage to get in on the previous days, so if you miss a day, don’t worry!

The event will be laid out as per the below!

DAY ONE & TWO, january 28 & 29: We’re kicking off the event in a nicely spicy way, with the first two days being dedicated to smut in all it's forms! The first day will be dedicated to smutty asks for the major fandoms here on Ciaossu-Imagines - KHR and K Project. The second day will be dedicated to smutty asks for the lesser loved fandoms here on Ciaossu-Imagines. A reminder my full fandom list can be found here!

DAY THREE, january 30: The third day of the event is dedicated to character reactions, either headcanons or very short drabbles, for all of my fandoms!

DAY FOUR, january 31: The fourth day of the event is dedicated to angst! All things sad, angsty, tragic! These can be headcanons or scenario requests. Please note that while there will be prompts, I will ultimately choose the post format for the requests. I'll always try to do a scenario whenever asked, but if I honestly cannot get a solid idea to do something, you might get lengthy headcanons on how I could see the story going, and this goes for all days.

DAY FIVE & SIX, february 1 & 2: The fifth and sixth days of the event are dedicated to AU requests! As with how the smut days played out, the first days is dedicated to AU requests for the major fandoms on here, and the second day is dedicated to the lesser loved fandoms on here!

DAY SEVEN, february 3: The seventh day of the event is dedicated to reader appreciation! This is when I'll be doing requests that really focus on personalized things like match-ups, self-shipping headcanons, and things along those lines.

DAY EIGHT & NINE, february 4 & 5: The eighth and ninth days are dedicated to polyships! As with other multi-day themes, the first day will be polyships for the major fandoms, and the second day is polyships for the lesser loved fandoms on here!

DAY TEN, february 6: The tenth day of the event is dedicated to holidays! Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, Halloween, New Year's....any type of special celebration, really! I am a sucker for holidays and big celebrations so I love getting asked based around them!

DAY ELEVEN, february 7: The eleventh day of the event is dedicated to pure fluff! This can be cute and fluffy headcanon or scenario requests, for any of the fandoms I write for on here!

DAY TWELVE, february 8: The twelfth day of the event is dedicated to character aesthetic requests! I make it clear I have no graphic skills, so all aesthetics are written! There will be a few prompts that can be used for any of the fandoms on here!

DAY THIRTEEN, february 9: The thirteenth day of the event is dedicated to overall fandom asks! There will be prompts, of course, but you can also ask for headcanons for things like how different characters interact, which character would be better at something among a fandom or such things.

DAY FOURTEEN, february 10: The theme of the day is slice of life! These can be scenario requests or headcanon requests, all based around the charmingly everyday moments, the domestic, the little things!

DAY FIFTEEN, february 11: The theme of the fifteenth day is music! These are requests based around music or for music mixes. These can be for characters in general, canon character ships, OC x character ships (please let me know about your OC in the ask), your OC's themselves, groups of characters, or themed for characters!

DAY SIXTEEN & SEVENTEEN, february 12 & 13: The theme for these two days is headcanons! These can be character specific headcanon requests, requests for themed headcanons, headcanons for character relationships in canon, or headcanons for the character and OC's or readers! As with the other multi-day themes, the first day will be focused around headcanon requests for the main fandoms here on the blog, and the second day will be for the lesser loved fandoms on the blog!

DAY EIGHTEEN, february 14: The theme for the day is anything Disney related! These can be headcanons and requests for Disney characters, requests asking what the characters favourite Disney things would be, requests related to the characters and the Disney theme parks, etc.

DAY NINETEEN, february 15: The theme for the nineteenth day is scenarios! This is the day you can send in requests for drabbles and scenarios for characters from any of the fandoms I write for on here! This is the only day where I won't allow myself to change any requests received on this day to headcanons and will try to deliver (though some might take some time) at least a very short fic for you!

DAY TWENTY, february 16: And to wrap up this event, we'll have a good old-fashioned 'sleepover', where all you lovelies just kind of chill with me. Talk about fandom with me, rant about your favourite characters, send in unpopular opinions, tell me about your own headcanons or story ideas. Tell me about yourself or ask me questions about myself! Tell me about your day, your pets, ask me for advice! Play little games like this or that, fuck marry or kill, anything really - this is just a fun and relaxed day to wrap everything up!

A reminder that, after the event is finished and for up until you see the post saying the event is fully closed, you can request for any days you missed, my lovelies!

[you-remind-me-of-the-babe]

Top 10 vs. Personal Top 10

Thank you for the tags @captain-aralias, @facewithoutheart and @aroace-genderfluid-sheep! It is fun to read these!

Rules: list your top 10 most kudos’d fics on AO3, followed by your own personal top 10. Here we go!

AO3 Top 10:

1. Plus One [T, 9.8 K] co-written with @fatalfangirl

2. Shield Me [T, 21k]

3. Rose-Colored Glasses [T, 7k] Speckyfest collab with art by @mostlymaudlin

4. Archery 101 [M, 13k] co-written with @whatevertheweather

5. How to Avoid a Scandal [T, WIP, currently at 33k and 6/8 chapters] CORB collab with art by xivz

6. Truth (The Dare Remix) [T, 4.6k] a remix of Dare written by @mostlymaudlin

7. The Rule of Three (Doesn’t Apply to You) [T, 9k]

8. Depth of Reason [M, WIP, currently at 31k and 5/10 chapters] COBB collab with art by @toonysart

9. Birthday Man [E, 39k] co-written by several authors from the CO discord

10. You Are My Favorite Part [E, 9k] sequel to Rose Colored Glasses

My personal top 10:

1. Rose-Colored Glasses

2. The Rule of Three (Doesn’t Apply to You)

3. A Burning Hunger [E, 17k]

4. A Prickly Disposition [T, 1.8k]

5. Flowers, Cake and Filthy DMs [T, 1.8k]

6. Shield Me

7. Beastly [T, 49k]

8. Trapped [T, 11k] CORB collab with art by @takenabackbytuesdays

9. You Are My Favorite Part

10. Truth (The Dare Remix)

Interesting results! I didn’t include any collabs in my personal top 10, even though they are all great and I’d recommend them. I just feel weird about putting them up as my best work because other people contributed heavily to them! (Although, Plus One has one of my fave kissing scenes I ever wrote.) I also didn’t include my WIPs because…they aren’t done. I wouldn’t be surprised if either of them end up in my personal top 10 someday. Especially Depth of Reason which I love very much.

Anywho! The results! About half of my personal faves also happen to be in my AO3 top 10. I think I tend to questions myself and get validation/affirmation from comments/engagement so its not a surprise I agree with many of these. Some of my lesser kudos’d fics on my personal top 10 also have lovely engagement that validates me and probably contributes to my choices. 😂 But seriously, if I think about why I like these fics, all of my personal top 10 fics have interesting concepts or memorable scenes or lines that I like so I guess that affirms why I, personally, like them.

A Prickly Disposition and Flowers, Cake and Filthy DMs are short but complete AUs with a nice get together that I have returned to read again and again. I just used my new screen reader app to listen to them both this weekend. (Thanks Natural Ryan of Natural Reader.) These fics are both so cute.

A Burning Hunger is probably the best smutty fic I’ve ever written, but I am not at all surprised it isn’t widely read. If you’re interested in a Snowbaz/aged-up Humdrum threesome then you will love it! LOL.

My dear Trapped, my Shep/Penny canon-divergence get together fic. It is my least kudos’d fic. I like it a lot. It’s fun and creative. But, you know, no Snowbaz.

And Beastly, my very first fic. EVER. Snowbaz, Beauty and the Beast AU (but also very different than Beauty and the Beast). I’m sure my writing has improved loads since then. The beginning scene drags a bit. But again, I liked the concept and plot, and the way it turns lots of fairy tale themes on its head a la Carry On turning Chosen One tropes on their heads. Also, I usually have a hard time with titles but I still love this one. I like short titles but then sometimes I chose quite long ones. Idk.

Tagging anyone above who would like to play plus @artsyunderstudy @johnwgrey @aristocratic-otter @martsonmars and anyone else who sees this and wants to give it a go. Tag me back so I can read your analysis 💛

[ibrokeeverything]

I posted 36,220 times in 2022

81 posts created (0%)

36,139 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@several-sleepless-nights

@thegay0taku

@hiddeninmyhoodie

@darknessyournewfriend

@sabellart

I tagged 651 of my posts in 2022

#prev tags - 16 posts

#star wars - 15 posts

#disney - 11 posts

#the clone wars - 9 posts

#fanart - 7 posts

#screaming crying throwing up - 6 posts

#tangled the series - 5 posts

#the owl house - 5 posts

#moon knight - 5 posts

#marvel - 5 posts

Longest Tag: 136 characters

#i struggle with it because its great and people are enjoying the serious tone but i don't want this to become the standard for star wars

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Keyleth redraw while listening to critical role because I'm wholeheartedly obsessed now 😍

101 notes - Posted February 4, 2022

#4

Kevin can f**k himself blows me away at every turn. I could rant for years about all the things this show does well: the characters, the acting, the depth, the nuance, the relationships, the presentation, the critique on sitcoms, and so, so much more. But that's another post for another time.

This show is so impressive to me because of what it does. This could've been a fun, campy romp about a sitcom wife on the verge of a breakdown going murder happy after the final straw on the camel's back. It could've been good, serviceable television that was engaging, easy to watch, and appealed to a moderately broad audience.

But, that's not what we got.

We got a show about so much more. It's this deconstruction of a wildly popular genre, pointing out how problematic it can be. At times, it's a realistic and grounded character study of a woman who just can't take it anymore. It's about an incredibly deep, layered, and complicated relationship between two women who've known each other for 15 years, yet only just actually found each other. It's about people trying to get by in a society that's actively working against them every step of the way. It's smart and witty and trusts the audience to think for themselves. It makes silent, fleeting looks feel like the most significant events to ever grace screens. It's super private and personal, while also being endlessly entertaining.

To make a long story short, this show is so much more than I ever could have expected, and I'm so thrilled that the team behind it managed to bring something so wonderful to television.

114 notes - Posted September 6, 2022

#3

Fear street really said homophobia is the root of all evil and they were right

182 notes - Posted July 26, 2022

#2

the amount of joy I get from children's cartoons is frankly incomparable

206 notes - Posted February 13, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

syril obnoxiously slurping his cereal milk to drown out the sound of this mother's voice is the funniest thing I've seen all week

248 notes - Posted November 2, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[loganinjapan]

Day 4 ACTIVITES:

Today was like a fast-paced sprint and not a full-length marathon. Not too bad, but it had its moments. Imperial Palace: A lot of walking. Damn damn damn. But it was very very very beautiful. We walked through the gardens and went through a bunch of nature. I ended sitting on a bench and just taking in as much high quality fresh air as possible for 30 minutes. It was absolutely divine. I could have used more electrolyte drinks though (and *actual* Pocari Sweat this time, please...). There were these super steep inclines that absolutely cranked and tweaked my hip. Still nursing it while writing this. Overall, the nature was heavenly, but the walking was hell.

Yasakuni Shrine: I'll be blunt - this was a bit of a forgettable stop for the day. I can dive into the lore a lot more deeper on the academics post as this is a very historic and controversial spot in Japan. I didn't pray at the shrine out of personal reasons, but I did cleanse my hands and mouth before going in. I was honestly more focused on hopping on the taxi and getting food and electrolytes into my system. Lunch: I'm back at Takadanobaba Station to finally try Yuragi, the white katsu curry that evaded me on Day 1. I headed inside the restaurant with one of my fellow groupmates and after figuring out the ticket machine, I waited for my order. It was a small shop operated by one guy and I got to sit at the counter and watch him cook up a masterpiece. I won't mince any words. THIS was the best meal I've had in Japan so far. The tonkatsu was super crispy yet moist and the curry was addictive. The cheese on top added texture and taste that just boosted this dish to a whole new level. Forget the hamburg steak. When I die, bury me in a giant crockpot of white curry. Absolute 10/10. Even better than wagyu steak. Akihabara: Short and simple, I got my first anime figure - Ritsu Tainaka from K-On! She's one of my favorite characters. Lot of interesting-looking people in those Akihabara stores, by the way... TeamLab Borderless: Honestly, this was a bit of an underwhelming tourist trap. Don't let the social media posts fool you - there are only maybe 3-5 cool exhibits and everything else is just pretty crap projected onto a black wall. At $40 a person just to take photos in an overcrowded digital art museum, this was a bit of a miss. I did get some cool photos though and the music sounded good. But I probably could have spent more time at Akihabara instead. Dinner: Logan's first Tomahawk Steak. My goodness. We went to a place called Cedar Chop House Bar & Grill. I ordered clam chowder, me and my groupmate split a medium rate tomahawk steak, and I had some key lime pie for dessert. Everything was really delicious, but I'm taking a point off for the wait time - two whole hours. Bleh. 9/10. Pretty fun day. Doing some farming stuff tomorrow!

[affinitystoryblog]

👦, 🙊 and 📝 for Sinie and Csilla?

🧑 Talk about your OC's name. Does it have a special meaning or reason behind it?

yes!! so Sinie's name comes from the very very veeeeery first idea of affinity when it was kinda greek inspired, (hence calliope and urania, two names of the muses. this was originally because csilla had 9 caretaker sisters who were essentially the muses. but that idea was scrapped quickly and only urania survived for a long time, then i ended up creating calliope for the rewrite in 2020) csilla's name was actually Mnemosyne (again, scrapped very quickly so i took the pronunciation of "syne" and made Sinie! now, i could be pronouncing mnymosyne wayyy wrong but sinie's name stuck and its just sinie now :D

for csilla, when i scrapped the greek mythos inspo and went with something more original for me i went to look up some pretty cosmic sounding names and i stumbled upon the hungarian name, Csilla (pronounced 'k-silla') meaning 'star'. of course, i pronounced it WAYYY wrong all these years and had been pronouncing it as 'sheila' LMAO so yeah csilla's name is sheila if anyone is curious about how to pronounce it.

🙊 What is your OC's worst flaw? is there a time this flaw has challenged them or caused them to fail?

Sinie

GOD THIS GIRL HAS FLAWS!! she's too quick to act, she doesnt think before she speaks, she's naive and tends not to question someone's intentions, she is relatively a weak magical girl and is very much carried by her team YET still has a hero complex and sees herself as the leader, even above csilla of all people.

her biggest flaw tho??? definitely overcompensation. she overcompensates all the time for her depressed or negative emotions by being overly positive so much that its toxic, she makes big, flashy moves when she fights to get one big hit out because she has no actual strategy or plan, she acts as if she's the only one in the world who understands agitha and yet she knows she doesn't have a damn clue what's going on with that girl. sinie is a goddamn MESS and i ADORE HER!!!!!

Csilla

gosh this one is FUN because i dont explore csilla's flaws as much, but lets be real, she has no backbone. she's shy and she was picked on for being 'weird' in a prissy private all girls academy. and you know how girls bully, that shit is so psychological. so she has no words to say for herself, she lets her mother control every aspect of her life despite being extremely neglectful of her daughter, she considers her cat her best friend, she is lonely yet despite being in a new school, if it weren't for sinie, csilla wouldn't have any friends. she is so willful about fixing herself too, she doesnt see a way out because she has no backbone!! so!! she relies on sinie to "save" her and then even everett! everett brings flavor and rebellion to her life so that starts to make her act out and i can actually see her getting arrogant for a bit.

in short, my girls are a mess ✌✌

📝 What's your favorite thing about writing your OC? What kind of situations do you like writing them in best?

its the most fun when sinie and csilla are interacting for me. at least so far, since im still getting into it all. i only have barely 4 chapters written and one of them is chapter 3 part 2 so...LOL

i love writing sinie and csilla being close and learning to depend on each other while still finding themselves.

oc ask meme