#me after mixing up two of the weird cat things in that one dream i had once: ah yes. perfect.

[gardenofdismay]

Cat.

[doiesfav]

=͟͟͞♡Boost your Energy - NCT DREAM ||

''INTO THE NEOVERSE''

MASTERLIST

CHARACTER MENU

Plot: After buying a video game in a not-so-safe vending machine while walking down the streets, you find yourself inside the video game itself and you need to search the way back to the real life.

A/n: This series is only one story but you can choose the member you will end up with (I don't guarantee that all the members are getting a happy ending)

banners and dividers are self-made

''Alright I'm leaving I can't do this anymore'' Your boyfriend said, well now ex-boyfriend. ''Do whatever the fuck you want but don't dare to come back you fucking asshole'' You screamed before the door closed, and there was silence. Something you two never had, a moment of silence except this time it was only you.

You guys were always fighting and it took you very long to realize it was toxic. Your mind was at peace but your heart was a mix of happiness, sadness, and angryness. All the memories you two cherished are now gone, now you two will never see each other again, never cook together, never sing together, and never play video games together. It was all gone.

You wondered if he was feeling like this too, but you were too busy already thinking trying to relax yourself. ''I should probably go out for a walk'' You thought. Since you guys started fighting more frequently, you always went out for a walk and there's no exception right now.

You were walking down the streets at night, today the stars were visible which was weird since you lived in a big city. Some cats were passing by but all you could feel is loneliness around you, this unexplainable feeling that someone who is depressed wants to be free of. ''But some people have it worse, I don't deserve to feel like this because of a breakup'', and the inferiority complex hits. You should feel happy but you didn't.

You just needed a hug, ''how long has it been since someone gave me a sincere hug?'' You wondered, then you couldn't take it anymore and broke to cry sliding down a wall to sit on the ground, ''Buy me something and I'll give you a better life'' A robotic voice made you startled, it was scary because no one else was near you and didn't know where the AI voice came from.

But then you find a weird colorful vending machine just next to you. It didn't sell snacks, instead, it sold weird energy drinks with a videogame, next to it there was a poster saying ''Drink only ONE energy drink before playing the videogame!!'' You've never heard of a game called NEOVERSE before considering you loved playing videogames.

''Weird'' Everything was weird today, since when vending machines are that colorful and sold videogames. ''Is someone here?'' You asked but no one answered, it felt very scary but giving you a better life? You just wanted some comfort and would do anything for it at that moment. The vending machine was shining a lot and it kinda made a signal to hurry up and without noticing my hands went to my pocket to search for coins.

You were desperate for comfort and weren't in your right mind, breaking the rule of making harsh decisions when feeling desperate. You tried to buy the video game because of how cheap it was but it didn't let you, ''Please buy one energy drink before buying the videogame'' That robotic voice spoke again, ''Hello?'' No one answered as you expected. Hoping that you still had some coins, you did and wondered which one you could buy, every drink was different and said different things.

''Please choose your beverage''

-> Press Start - Mark (TBA)

-> Arcade Racer - Renjun (TBA)

-> Loco - Jeno (TBA)

-> Level Up! - Haechan (TBA)

-> The Pink One - Jaemin (TBA)

-> 2127 - Chenle (TBA)

-> Mess, chaos, and disorder - Jisung (TBA)

Thanks for all the support guys. (This series will take a lot of time so please be patient and understanding♡♡) side note: i didnt even start with any members😭

[heavenlytouches]

Maybe a weird one but can I get Joyce Byers mom teaching u to cook? Thank you

Hi love <3 and noo, don't worry it's not weird! It's really really sweet :) I loove Winona Ryder so let's goo ^^ El <3

Joyce Byers- a pinch of love

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

GN��reader

<3 (SFW)

TW-none

MOM! Joyce Byers

my mommy issues TwT istg

Joyce Byers

The aroma of garlic and sautéed onions fills the air in the Byers’ kitchen, mingling with the famous 80’s tune blaring from the old transistor radio that sits on the countertop.

The soft, syrupy notes of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” play a comforting backdrop to the busy scene unfolding in the dimly lit kitchen. You take a moment to lean against the doorframe, watching your mother, Joyce Byers, expertly chop vegetables with a smile that could light up even the darkest of rooms.

“Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to help me make the best lasagna in Hawkins?”

She calls playfully, her voice riddled with laughter and a hint of sarcasm. You can’t help but chuckle to yourself.

"Yes ma'am. Your co-worker is ready for business!"

You say, playfully and smile at your mom, listening to Cyndi filling the kitchen with beautiful positive energy.

This is the kind of moment you live for—just the two of you, no upside-down monsters lurking around, no government experiments to worry about, just a mother and child soaking up the warmth of a shared moment.

You step into the kitchen, your sneakers squeaking against the linoleum flooring. The walls are painted a soothing shade of pale yellow, adorned with sunflowers—Joyce's favorite. The retro appliances hum softly, and you smile, recalling how she often tells stories of their quirky past when she bought each one.

You take your place at the kitchen island, pulling on the apron she handed you—one covered in cartoon cats that always makes you laugh, no matter how many times you wear it.

Joyce gives you a look of approval as she dusts her hands on her apron, the fabric twinkling with bits of flour and an assortment of spices.

“Okay, first things first-”

She says, leaning closer, her eyes twinkling.

“Cooking is like magic, and the kitchen is our world of enchantment. You’ve got to put your heart into every dish.”

With a quick flick of her wrist, she picks up a clove of garlic, handing it to you.

“Can you crush this for me?”

You nod, grabbing a knife and awkwardly trying to replicate what she effortlessly does.

"Am I doing it right?"

You ask as she looks at you, her eyes full of love.

“Don’t smash it like it owes you money.”

She teases, her laughter ringing through the room. It’s infectious, and soon you are both giggling, the tension of the day melting away.

Joyce pulls out a cookbook from a shelf—its spine cracked, pages stained with a bit of sauce and love.

“This is my secret weapon..”

She whispers, as if sharing a grand secret with you.

“The better the recipe, the more you can improvise!”

As you dive deeper into the culinary journey, she shares with you little tidbits about her childhood, her dreams, and how even the most mundane ingredients can bring family together.

You chop, mix, and taste, dodging flour clouds materializing as she playfully throws a pinch at you, exclaiming-

“The more, the merrier!”

Amid the laughter, there’s a moment of seriousness as she lights a cigarette, the smoke curling up like a ghost.

“Never lose your ability to be silly, sweetheart.."

She says thoughtfully, her voice a blend of bravado and vulnerability.

“Life can be tough, but laughter is the best seasoning.”

You nod, absorbed in her words. It’s these little life lessons that cement your bond, making you realize that cooking is more than just about the food—it’s about sharing love through every layer, every flavor.

"You always know how to make me feel better mom."

You add, smiling to her as she takes another drag of her cigarette.

"Also, does Cyndi help while making food?

You smile, Joyce laughing with you. She sees you're just like her.

As the lasagna bubbles away in the oven, Joyce retrieves a couple of glasses from the cupboard, and pours a splash of grape soda for you both—simple pleasures that feel straight out of an adventure movie.

“Did I ever tell you how I used to dance to Prince in the living room while making dinner?”

She asks, her expression mischievous.

“I think I heard that story, like, a hundred times."

You reply with a smile, taking a sip and savoring the sweetness. But you wouldn’t have it any other way.

Each retelling brings you closer to understanding your mom—the woman with a propensity for wild hair and wild dreams.

Before long, the timer dings, and Joyce lifts the lasagna from the oven, its cheesy aroma filling the space like a warm blanket. She turns, her eyes sparkling with pride.

“You ready for the best meal ever?”

You burst out in enthusiastic agreement, your heart swelling. Moments like these turn the chaos of everyday life into treasured memories.

As you sit down to eat, laughter continues to resonate between you, a symphony of flavor and familial bond filling the room.

In this cozy kitchen, surrounded by the essence of the 80’s and the unmistakable warmth of love, you realize that you’re learning more than how to cook; you’re learning about life, connection, and family—one delicious meal at a time.

Yaaaaaay women in my requests!! I loved this one so so much. I hope y'all liked it too. I can write anything for any character babes and don't forget- requests are always open and welcome <33

I love you guys so much

El <3

(all images were made by: El via canva & paint)

[aylacavebear]

Stockroom Antics - Chapter 17

Maria had changed jobs numerous times over the last five years, more to keep herself safe than anything else. Her mother had told her she was a fairy but she thought it was just her mom being weird. Honestly, though, she had no other way of explaining what had happened to her that stormy day before she'd gone into a coma for two weeks.

Please don't take my work. I'll post warnings for each chapter. Will probably be 18+ I haven't decided yet!

Word Count: 1502

Pairing eventually Dean Winchester x OC

Warnings: Angst

A/N: This one's written a little differently than my last one. Let me know what you think. It's the first time I've tried this type of writing. Chapters will alternate viewpoints as well. I also looked into an actual area so this one could feel more realistic. This one is taking on a life of it's own in a turn I hadn't anticipated, so adding a new tag.

----------------------------------------- Stockroom Antics Chapter 17

You followed the little dragon to the kitchen. It was really adorable, reminding you of both a puppy and a kitten, but at the same time, something far more intelligent than either.

You could have attempted to create some coffee but wanted it to taste right, so you decided to brew some instead while the little dragon sat on the bench seat at the table.

The dream was still playing out in your mind as you thought over the things Astaria had told you. Soulmates, the word made you roll your eyes again. When the brothers joined you, you kept your answers short. They didn’t need to know the personal stuff; you were just a case, after all.

How the dragon kept looking at Dean made you wonder far too many things, even as you tried your hardest to keep yourself from thinking anything more of him. Again, you reminded yourself that you were their case, not someone they wanted to be friends with. If only you’d remembered to ask Astaria how to grow the bond with the dragon.

Then, when the dragon tilted its head at Dean after you asked Sam if the information would help with the case, you slowly looked up and at Dean. Why did he have to be so damned handsome? Then, there almost seemed to be something else hidden behind his eyes but you didn’t want to read more into it. Relief flooded through you when Sam spoke up again, taking your attention from Dean’s enchanting green eyes.

Explaining anything from your dream was difficult, so you kept it short, deciding only to give them essential information. The last thing you wanted to discuss was the soulmate topic with either of them. You’d often reach down and absentmindedly give the dragon some affection, and it would purr against your hand, which sounded like a mix between a low growl and a cat's purr.

The coffee, at least, was helping you focus, bringing you out of that sleep fog that always followed that dream. It had been a bit worse this time, having interacted with things, which made it so much more real than it ever had before. It was hard to ignore that the dragon kept looking at Dean way more than it was Sam. Although, you missed quite a bit of what the dragon was responding to. 

I’m just a case. Soulmates can’t be real, no matter what Astaria says…

When Dean got up, you glanced at him briefly, realizing you were a bit hungry. You had slept the day away, after all. Whether you’d admit it or not, the view of watching him walk away was just as nice as the front, but you quickly gave Sam your attention, wanting to push your thoughts away.

What you didn’t realize was that Sam had seen how your gaze had lasted longer as you watched Dean. You figured that since the little dragon would be staying, you would offer Sam to at least pet her, and you would have chuckled at his response had it not been for him mentioning other dragons. That was something you hadn’t even considered, so you missed the way the dragon was watching Dean cook.

You almost jumped when the dragon flew over to the center island in the kitchen. For a bit, you just watched it, puzzled at its action, when it went to the far corner so it could see around him. You even stifled a giggle, watching him jump a little when he noticed. 

The dragon seemed to at least like him, more than it liked Sam, or that was what you figured. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Dean was the older of the two, or maybe the fact that he was in charge, at least in your eyes. It couldn’t be anything deeper than that, right? 

When it ate the bacon, you began wondering what kinds of foods the dragon would need to eat. It seemed to like meat, but you wondered what else it might like. At least you could do your best to create whatever it needed, not wanting to burden the brothers with having to spend money on food for your dragon. 

You wanted to be angry at Dean when he said the dragon’s name was Bubbles. You glared at him even if he couldn’t see you. He wouldn’t know what her name was, she wasn’t his familiar, you thought to yourself. Luckily, Sam asked you a question, pulling your attention back to him and away from Dean.

After Dean brought dinner over, it made your stomach grumble even more. You made a plan not to exhaust yourself this particular evening. Sleeping through the entire day had sucked. Before Dean could give your dragon another slice of bacon, you took one from your plate and gave it to her. Something about Dean interacting with your dragon like he was, bothered you. Although, you did your best not to let it appear in your expression.

You managed not to look at Dean very often, reminding yourself that you were just their case, nothing more. So, when dinner was done, you used your powers to clean things up. It was the least you could do to show gratitude for letting you stay with them while they figured out how to keep you safe from Crowley. The thought of the King of Hell wanting you, for whatever reason, made your skin crawl. Astaria’s words replayed in your mind: Unless you’ve recently met your soulmate, and you don’t know it. Sam asking if you still wanted a tour of the place pulled you from your thoughts. You only agreed in hopes that it would take your mind off of everything. However, when the dragon didn’t follow you, you got somewhat annoyed and couldn’t quite figure out why.

The bunker was massive, far larger than you had initially anticipated. Sam explained the rooms, even the ones he didn’t open, and showed you. He also asked that you don’t wander around or touch things. When you gave him a puzzled look, he chuckled, explaining that some of the things in there held certain magic, like curses, and he didn’t want you to accidentally unleash one.

That made plenty of sense, as you would have felt horrible had you accidentally done that. When he brought up drinking that night and getting to know the two of them, you weren’t quite sure how to take that. Then the apology from him was the last thing you’d expected. Thinking of yourself as just a case was easier. You could keep your feelings and questions from showing or coming out. You almost felt nervous when you agreed to have drinks with them.

The two of you made your way back to the war room, finding Dean and your dragon in the library. You felt goosebumps dance down your arms, seeing how he was smiling and interacting with the dragon, who seemed to be enjoying his attention. Sam almost bumped into you when you stopped and watched them.

“Sorry,” you quickly told Sam, who just chuckled, seeing what you were looking at.

“You’re fine. I’ll be right back. You want beer or whiskey?” he asked you.

“Uh, beer, I guess,” you replied, not realizing he had meant drinking now. At least with beer, you wouldn’t get drunk as quickly but planned on keeping track of how much you drank.

You didn’t realize that Dean and the dragon had looked up and over at you, at least not right away. When you turned from Sam, who had headed into the kitchen, you saw them staring at you. 

“What was that all about?” Dean asked as you sat across from him at one of the library tables.

“Oh, well, Sam mentioned having drinks and talking,” you answered, feeling slightly unsure of yourself or how this would go.

“Oh,” Dean stated, although sounding distant, almost like he was upset or something, then he began to get up, “Then I’ll leave you to it.”

At first, you were puzzled, but then you realized how your statement had been taken. “No, no, no, not like that. He meant all three of us,” you quickly tried to clarify.

Dean raised an eyebrow and sat back down just as Sam joined you in the library. He set a beer in front of you, choosing one for himself and bringing whiskey and a glass for Dean. You took a sip of your beer and then a deep breath. The dragon watched you and Dean, although you couldn’t figure out what its expression meant.

You weren’t sure how to feel after what Sam had said earlier, about getting to know each other due to how the case was going and how they were involved. It was so much easier to keep telling yourself that you were just a case. At least during that time, you could push away anything you might have been feeling toward Dean.

----------------------------------------- Chapter 18

Tag List: @djs8891 @deans-spinster-witch

Link to the series Master List

A/N: If you'd like to be tagged in future chapters, leave me a comment, and I'll make sure to tag you.

[askaceattorney]

Dear Anonymous,

Chief Mod Edgeworth: Hee-ho! Hee-ho! Hee-ho! Hee-ha! Hee-ha!

Co-Mod: Heeheeheehohohohohahahahahahaha!!! Is this a Luke Atmey impression contest or something?

Chief Mod Edgeworth: .....

have you never seen Persona 5 Strikers?

Co-Mod: Ah! No, I haven't. Thanks for the clarification.

Mod Zieks: What the hell is a persona, and why are they on strike?

Mod Gregson: Strikers is better than base Persona 5, I will not budge on this.

(Referenced Link)

Co-Mod: Looks interesting. A friend of mine got me into Power Rangers, which I found to be a lot more interesting than I expected for a kid's show, so I can imagine the same being true for this show. That being said, I probably won't have the time to watch it for a while, so that's all the feedback I can give for now.

(Referenced Letter)

Dear Miraz van Nohrr,

Chief Mod Edgeworth:

Have you tried commenting through your computer or safari? See if those work. You will find it right here:

Dear Dawsongfg,

Co-Mod: Congratulations! Meanwhile, I have a cat (or rather, my parents do) that likes to drool on me and everything I own. As much as I love cats, nothing in this world will ever convince me to own one. Not one that drools, anyway.

Mod Gregson: I've got two cats! One is approaching 15 years and is still healthy and playful, one is 6 years old and is a grumpy old lady who refuses to let the older cat befriend her. Mod Zieks: I do as well! We all have our own little gremlins in our life. Mine is also a cat, a little tortie named Charlie. I love her, and she is just the silliest little thing.

Dear Jeffrey,

Chief Mod Edgeworth: Congratulations on the new puppy.

Sorry about the loss of Dylan. I also lost my pet while she was getting spayed. I hope things go well for your new pet.

Co-Mod: Wait... You're saying that's not a real-life Scooby-Doo?

Just kidding. I'm glad he's been a help to you. My family went through a similar experience when our cat died by falling out of a tree during a storm. We missed having a cat in the house so much that we had to get a new one, so we did. Much like Dylan, she's not the same as our previous cat, but still a great source of joy for us.

Mod Gregson: I'm sorry for the loss of your puppy; I know that can be pretty tough. But I'm glad you've found a new friend and family member to help fill the void!

Mod Zieks: Congratulations on the puppy, and I'm sincerely sorry for your loss.

Dear Anonymous,

Chief Mod Edgeworth:

Who knows? Though, that would be weird in my opinion.

Mod Gregson: Am I the only one who finds this a lot funnier than it should be? Imagining Turnabout Trump or Turnabout Succession but the only change is "Kristopher Gavin" is cracking me up. Yes, this is my sense of humor.

Mod Zieks: Based, but not my kind of based. Then again, mixing dreams and ace attorney brought us 'Country Gavin' (@doctorsiren)

Dear Anonymous,

Chief Mod Edgeworth: Miles Edgeworth and Kazuma Asogi! What do you mean Mia or Klavier have better boobs?

Mod Gregson: Neither, I'm more of a legs gal!

Mod Zieks: It's a tie between Max Galactica from the circus cases and Miles Edgeworth.

Chief Mod Edgeworth: Uh-huh and you didn't send me a few previous anonymous letters under different names with the same fakemail.com or the oh so obvious Hotti letters with the same style of writing as you under different emails after sending this mod letter.

Mod Gregson: Oh, I have special words for you later. :)

Dear Miraz van Nohrr,

Chief Mod Edgeworth:

I've visited other states, but not countries. If I did, I'd likely go to Mexico, since my grandparents live at the border. Too bad I need a Passport.

Co-Mod: I visited Matamoros, Mexico once. From what I remember, it was just like being in the U.S., but with everyone speaking Spanish, everything being written in Spanish, and Mexican food tasting like Mexican food (not the Americanized version). Overall, it was pretty enjoyable.

Mod Gregson: I was born in Costa Rica, actually! Moved to the States when I was a young'un. I've gone back there a few times, and... I didn't really like it, but I apparently went to one of the worse parts of it, so maybe I can't judge? Mod Zieks: I've actually never gone out of my home state, and I'd like to change that someday. Preferably, moving from the States and going to the UK. Since their gender-affirming care is paid for by their universal healthcare, and their firearms laws aren't as loose.

- The Mods

[goodluckclove]

WIP Tag Game!

Whoa tagged again by the brilliant @ivaspinoza! Check her out if you're down for what I imagine to be some intense bloodsucking existentialism!

I'll do this for all of Songbird Elegies as a whole. I'm on book two right now - Blind Trust comes out June 20th!

Read below to hear some things about the origins of the series that I haven't actually said yet and probably won't say again.

1. What was the first part of your wip that you created?

Funny story! I hadn't written anything tangible for months since leaving my terrible copyrighting job. I was absolutely miserable. I ended up leaving my second job because of a medication problem and spent a week in bed detoxing off of Seroquel withdrawal - bad bad don't do that if you can help it. After that I fell into recovery and just had no idea what to do with my days.

The turning point was when I sent an email going fully no-contact with my across-the-board abusive parents. They did some awful things across the course of my life and I'm still spending a good chunk of time making up for their ridiculous medical neglect. I might need throat surgery because of them. Not great! But anyways, I sent that email and wrote the first 15 pages of Blind Trust later that day, sitting on the floor while my wife took a nap on the couch. It just came out. Wife said they liked it so I just kept going.

Three months and two data losses later and the first draft was done!

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

I have so many Songbird Elegy playlists oh my God. It's hard to say, and the answer will change, but right now it's "Love Me, Normally" by Will Wood.

3. Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

They're all very important to me for different reasons. Scott is the one I tend to talk about the most because he captures a lot of mania and upbeat romanticism, qualities of myself that I value despite the obvious faults. Edgar is just as important, but they represent a lot of my current struggles and I'm doing a lot of healing and processing through them which is good but less - you know - fun?

Tenzin reminds me of my wife with her quiet stoicism. Katy reminds me of my older sister and everything she sacrificed to keep me and my siblings alive. She's more of a mother to me than my own mother. My sister is actually the first person to finish Blind Trust after I finished it.

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

Disco Elysium maybe? Griffin and Sabine - has anyone else read that? The Witcher, but specifically the novels? Requiem for a Dream for later books. Tales of the City in terms of tone and character focus. Fleet Foxes and Hoizer and early Decemberists?

Good, warm soup. If you like a bowl of good, warm soup, you will enjoy Songbird Elegies.

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

Definitely Edgar's arc. Their experience with their metaphorical (or are they??) inner child and the abuse they've been working to escape and recover from has been hard to look at directly. Especially once I introduced Scott's mother, who's turned into a weird mix of the maternal figure I wish I had and the one I feel I could've been if I chose that path.

Yesterday I found myself writing how I wish it went when my wife met my parents, through Scott and Edgar meeting Scott's mom. The sharing of parental pride and affection despite potential embarrassment. It's a cute scene, but there's a lot of grief in there for me. I wonder if it'll show.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

Wilford Brimley is Katy's pet Persian cat. He is old and weird and a little fucked up. I had to edit his introduction in Blind Trust because it was six (small) paragraphs and Wife told me that was unreasonable (skill issue), but I can include some canon info:

He shoves his paw under the bathroom door while people are in the bathroom

He likes feet

Edgar sometimes shares little bits of cheese with him

Once he fell asleep in Edgar's lap but then peed in his lap and just kept sleeping in the piss

Edgar treat him like a weird cousin he has to make conversation with during holidays

Wilford thinks he's his brother and an equally fucked up cat

7. How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

Cars mostly! Edgar has a shitty used car that's always close to breaking down. Katy has a newer car that's still used, but she takes very good care of it - I think it's a Fiat. I think Tenzin probably uses the car Scott's Dad left behind after he died, which is a vintage Cadillac convertible that Scott's Mom fixed up.

Scott is the only one without a license since he essentially has a magical dissociative disorder and hasn't yet felt safe behind the wheel. In Blind Trust he's taken every form of public transit to cross the country. I think when he was younger he used to skateboard to get around Bluerose.

8. What part of your wip are you working on rn?

I'm close to 40k into book two!

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

I have hopes that people will enjoy the tenderness of it. I'm like a reverse-whump ace writer, in that I've written a series that's aggressively pro-comfort and recovery. People start off in pretty sorry states and then make the difficult effort to put themselves and each other back together.

There's explicit ace representation in Scott and aroace rep in Katy (she doesn't know it yet though shhh). Edgar comes out as Agender and changes pronouns midway into the series, but still keeps presenting as androgynous/masc leaning. There's diversity in body types and gender identities in a way that feels warranted to me - Scott has Klinefelter's and grew up taking T, and he made a best friend that came out so she could take her E with him. Same goes with disabilities in prominent characters, though the main four focus on what I have personal experience in.

As a disabled queer writer I hope to make a series that tells a fantastical story about people like me that doesn't pander specifically to my market.

10. What are your hopes for your wip?

I hope people read it. I hope they like it. It'd be cool if I could talk to people about it. I've been pretty deep in the Songbird Elegy fandom for some time now haha.

On a more serious note I hope there's a market for non-sexualized romances that are still hyper intimate. I know I'm into it but I'm still not sure if other people are. I'd like to create more media about positive and fulfilling ace relationships, both romantic and platonic. I'm tired of people seeing that type of life as a loss. Any healthy companionship is not a loss.

I want people to read Songbird Elegies and think about the love in their lives and in themselves. All of it, in every way. Yeah.

I tag @ryns-ramblings! I wanna hear about your thing!

[aevyk-ing]

Rambling about the Ghibli movies I’ve seen Part 2

Read part 1 here.

11. Tales of Earthsea

This one was... weird? Just boring? I really liked the designs for the mosaics and the city, but the rest needed a lot of work. I was intrigued about the main character and found myself thinking how the books are probably better. I had some problems with the character designs and the story was all over the place. 

12. Only Yesterday

A little too long, dragging in the middle, but really cute. I loved the way it depicted the country life, the softness of the scenes in the past and the fantasy bits. I also have the feeling I should live somewhere else since I was little (I love nature and forests) and I’ve been remembering a lot of stuff (well, that’s a side effect of going to therapy, I guess). Anyway, I enjoyed the little story and the way some moments were animated and I wasn’t expecting to hear castanets in a Ghibli movie. 

13. Porco Rosso

Em... this one was pretty, but the story was weird. The scenery, music and flight scenes are really good. I was interested in the transformation part, but then it started saying things like: “Sorry only women are going to build the plane.” and then making a 17 years-old fell in love with a 36 years-old. Yikes. Just yikes. Then the ending is rushed. Started out good, ended up... meh.

14. When Marnie Was There

I really liked this one. The story got me hooked, I related a lot to the main character and everything was so beautiful (just look at that house!). It can be a little confusing sometimes, especially during the middle part, but once it starts explaining things... oh, boy. My only complain is that I only knew it was the story about two girls and, once Anna started blushing I started shipping them... SPOILER it didn’t end up well. 

15. The Wind Rises

So beautiful... and also sad. Miyazaki sure loves aeroplanes and that sort of stuff, huh? But I can’t complain: his flying sequences are always amazing. I also really liked the cinematography in this one, there’s a lot of interesting angles and uses of animation. It can also be funny sometimes (I still think that German guy ate a decorative plant) and I’m glad it didn’t dwell too much in the sad parts, even though I would have liked to see a little more after Nahoko leaves and before the dream sequence. Talking about dream sequences, that’s yet another thing Miyazaki excels at. BTW, I was ready for the sad ending, but still got me. 

16. The Cat Returns

Utterly bizarre at the beginning, took an interesting turn midway where it reminded me of morning cartoons. It’s a cute story, although I’d have preferred something a little deeper or more nuanced. But it’s nice. Not the best one but fine enough for spending some free time. And yes, I’m well aware this one was made for small kids (maybe it’s the only one so far). Also, didn’t like how they teased out that Haru and the Baron are in a relationship. I still ship him with the other cat statue from A Whisper of the Heart, thank you.

17. Grave of the Fireflies

There are some movies you can just watch once... but even though, you’re glad you watched them. This movie was a ride and I was getting ready mentally to watch it, thinking that I could never find the perfect moment. However, something happened that hurt my soul so I was at the right place. It was painful, with exquisite music, but it hurt a lot. Just like Life is Beautiful... I won’t be rewatching soon... but I’ll thank it for what it is.

18. The Boy and the Heron

Proof that we still need fairytales! Have to say it was strange to go from the last movie to the beginning of this one because SPOILERS, I immediately knew what was going on. I loved the take on trauma and mixing past and present in a fantasy world that also looked an awful lot like a limbo (thanks, Over the Garden Wall). Overall, while it reminded me of other stories, it had enough heart and stuff going on to keep you hooked. You can tell it’s the result of a lifetime telling stories and my only complain is the creepiness. It was the least thing I liked from Chihiro and while I get why it has to be done, it doesn’t make it less disturbing. 

19. Tale of Princess Kaguya

(disgruntled noises) I loved the first part. Cute animation, interesting style and adorable characters. I was having such a great time. Cut to the palace bit and the escape after the party and the story starts dragging on and totally changes genres. It went from fluffy and uplifting to depressing and sad. Why? Just why? If I had seen this movie when I was a kid, I would have never wanted to watch it again. Sigh. 

[allergic-to-semen]

15 questions, 15 people

I greatly appreciate @kinslayersadvocate for tagging me; I also really enjoyed reading your responses (o´▽`o)

×××

are you named after anyone? Yes, my great great something or other, Alexander. I have the feminized version of his name, Alexandra. My parents are big on family names. But no one ever calls me by my full name, not really.

when was the last time you cried? I can't remember. I think I cried all of my tears as a child. Now as an adult, it's really hard to cry, even when I really want to.

do you have kids? No and I likely won't ever... I'm at peace with that.

do you use sarcasm a lot? Good heavens no! Most sarcasm goes completely over my head and I take it literally.

what’s the first thing you notice about people? Noses, teeth, or hands, or any quirks like beauty marks or wrinkles or the like. In art school when I was learning portraiture I always liked when a model sitting for us had something a bit unconventional to their appearance. It looks so beautifully lived in.

what’s your eye color? Hazel. I have my grandad's eyes, my mom says.

scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings all the way! I have always been too much of a weenie to tolerate scary movies. I used to be ashamed of this, but eh, now I think life is a bit too short to sit through things you find intolerable.

any special talents? I consider myself a jack of all trades. But as the saying goes, "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes is better than a master of one." I know a little this and a little that, but I'd rather have a semi-shallow interdisciplinary knowledge of the world than a super deep understanding of one particular subject.

where are you born? About an hour away from my hometown, because my rural little village did not have a hospital. (It does now, all these years later. Things have changed).

what are your hobbies? I read quite a lot. Books, comics, fanfiction, newspapers, anything. I also enjoy TV, though not as much as I used to (I find the amount of shows and streaming services too overwhelming). I also garden a little, and write when I can.

do you have any pets? I have two cats, Bulgogi and Granite. They are terrors. But I love them. Here is a pic of them if you want to see them. Bulgogi is the black one and Granite is the tabby. I found them in the street. They are my lil baby gremlins.

what sports do you/have you played? I absolutely do consider dance a sport, as it involved pushing your body to your limits. I did that for a few years, and I also tried hapkido and fencing and softball and gymnastics and competitive shooting (yes, with guns. although I did try my hand at archery as well). Uhhhh quite a weird mixed bag of activities. My parents really wanted me to have better coordination by any means possible and also believed sport improved socialization.

how tall are you? 5'1", but for the rest of the world that's roughly 158 centimeters I think.

favourite subject in school? I was such a nerd, I really enjoyed most of my classes. But I'd have to say the classes that had the most impact on my life were my art history classes. Really changed the way I think about art and the world.

dream job? Even as a child, I did not dream of labor. When adults asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, I shrugged and said I didn't know. And now, I am a stay at home spouse, and I would say that truly is the dream job. I no longer contribute to capital for a corporation- instead I am the boss of my own domain. I have leisure time, which is something I never had when working a 9-to-5.

×××

Tagging is always a little awkward because I don't know if you guys like it, so no pressure to play:

@bluesey-182 @clarascuro @elon-musks-disrespectful-nipples @idkaguyorsomething @uzazi

Anyone who is not tagged is welcome to play! This is me tagging @everyone @mutuals @all @followers

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

About Me: Favorite Albums

Music isn't something I talk much about here on my blog, mostly because I don't feel like I'm qualified enough to talk about these sorts of things. I know movies like the back of my hand, but I'm definitely not smart enough to dissect what makes music good beyond "I like how it sounds."

But hey, I'm trying to help you get to know me, so here are thirty albums I like the sound of from a variety of artists. My big rule is I have to like at least five songs on any given album for it to qualify. I've listed my top three from each here, so the other two I'll leave to your imaginations (except for my #1 favorite, for which you'll get all of my top 5).

Honorable mentions: Pinkerton - Weezer, Under the Covers, Vol. II - Ninja Sex Party, Montero - Lil Nas X, Poodle Hat - Weird Al, Bad Hair Day - Weird Al, Master of Puppets - Metallica, License to Ill - Beastie Boys, Thriller - Michael Jackson, Purple Rain - Prince, Teenage Dream - Katy Perry, and the so bad it’s good masterpiece Angelic 2 the Core - Corey Feldman. I also didn't include the soundtracks to stage musicals, but the 90s version of Cats and the 80s version of Starlight Express are also some of my favorites.

30. The Hazards of Love - The Decemberists

A tale of a tragic romance told in the form of a concept album, this would almost certainly make the list even if it didn't have some of the best villain songs I've ever heard.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Won’t Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)”

2. “The Queen’s Rebuke/The Crossing”

1. “The Rake’s Song”

29. Youthanasia - Megadeth

Quite simply, a fantastic metal album. Not much more to say than that!

Favorite Songs:

3. “Youthanasia”

2. “A Tout le Monde”

1. “Family Tree”

28. In the Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson

Even if it was just the semi-title track that I loved, this album would probably make the list. It's prog rock perfection.

Favorite Songs:

3. "Moonchild"

2. "21st Century Schizoid Man"

1. "The Court of the Crimson King"

27. Saturday Night Fever - Various Artists

The Bee Gees obviously are the stars of the show on this soundtrack album, but it also has one of my favorite things: Disco remixes of classical music.

Favorite Songs:

3. “A Fifth of Beethoven”

2. “Night on Disco Mountain”

1. “Stayin’ Alive”

26. The Marshal Mathers LP 2 - Eminem

While the original album is a classic in its own right and nothing on this one is as immediately iconic as "The Real Slim Shady" or "Stan," I do think that this older, more mature Eminem reflecting back on his career and flexing his skills is overall the better package. This was a real comeback for him, after multiple less-than-impressive comebacks, and it is glorious.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Love Game”

2. “The Monster”

1. “So Far…”

25. McCartney II - Paul McCartney

This is what happens when you let a beloved rock star get really weird. It’s so experimental and quirky; only a Beatle could get this bizarre.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Frozen Jap”

2. “Coming Up”

1. “Temporary Secretary”

24. Painkiller - Judas Priest

One of those rare times where the songs on a metal album are actually, genuinely as fucking awesome as the album cover art.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Night Crawler”

2. “Painkiller”

1. “A Touch of Evil”

23. Songs for the Deaf - Queens of the Stone Age

With the assistance of Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age really put their best foot forward for their breakout album. As hard as most of the tracks go, my absolute favorite is the eerier, slower hidden track about cannibalism.

Favorite Songs:

3. “You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire”

2. “First It Giveth”

1. “Mosquito Song”

22. Crash Twinsanity - Spiralmouth

The day I found out this entire soundtrack was a capella, my mind was blown. You mean to tell me this whole album is just mouth noises? It really does have the Crash vibe down.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Worm Chase”

2. “Rusty Walrus Chase”

1. “The Evil Twins”

21. Awesome Mix Vol. 2 - Various Artists

Every Guardians movie soundtrack is great, but out of the three it’s the second movie’s soundtrack that reigns supreme. It kicks off with ELO, scores the climactic final battle with Fleetwood Mac, and features a groovy disco remix of the Guardians theme music with vocals provided by David Hasselhoff over the credits. It’s all killer, no filler.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Guardians Inferno”

2. “Mr. Blue Sky”

1. “The Chain”

20. Mouth Dreams - Neil Cicierega

The way the songs flow into each other, the subtle jokes scattered throughout… Really, the only thing holding this back is some songs are just a bit too weak to justify bumping it above its predecessor.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Closerflies”

2. “Ribs”

1. “Fredhammer”

19. Mouth Moods - Neil Cicierega

From fantastic mashups that combine a dozen songs into one coherent whole to remixes that alter a single song and completely warp the premise to the point of absurdity, this is absolutely the highest point of the Mouth series.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Annoyed Grunt”

2. “Shit”

1. “Wow Wow”

18. Ten - Pearl Jam

Homelessness. Suicide. Incest. Murder. This might be one of the single darkest albums of the grunge era, and it firmly cemented Pearl Jam as a force to be reckoned with. Eddie Vedder’s unique vocals really are what makes these songs stand out from the crowd.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Alive”

2. “Jeremy”

1. “Even Flow”

17. The Symbol Remains - Blue Öyster Cult

You wouldn’t think a 70s rock band that loves singing about weird occult stuff could drop anything good five decades into their career, but BOC ain’t any old rock band. Only they could take a silly, memetic concept like the stereotypical “Florida Man” and turn it into a song that has enough weird and mystic vibes that it can easily sit alongside songs about aliens, eldritch horrors, vampires, and zombie Joan Crawford in their discography.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Tainted Blood”

2. “Florida Man”

1. “Box in My Head”

16. Impera - Ghost

One of Ghost's most solid albums to date. It has a few low points ("Twenties") but the highs are so high they easily eclipse those few lesser tracks.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Spillways”

2. “Hunter’s Moon”

1. “Call Me Little Sunshine”

15. The Presidents of the United States of America – The Presidents of the United States of America

I have very fond memories of listening to this in the car growing up. It’s such a charming piece of 90s rock, with the band foretelling their ultimate fate with the track “We Are Not Going To Make It.” Oh well, they manage to make it onto this list at least.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Kitty”

2. “Lump”

1. “Peaches”

14. Born This Way – Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga has fallen from the lofty heights she once stood upon, not quite being as massive as her heyday... But with an album that gets you this high, there's really nowhere to go but down. This album has a song for everyone, and for someone with taste as weird as my own, it had a load of great tracks.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Bad Kids”

2. “Bloody Mary”

1. “Judas”

13. In Utero - Nirvana

You can definitely tell that Nevermind was a more polished, commercial album when you listen to this one. The songs here are so much more raw than on their more famous album, with so much more bite to them. It can be a bit off-putting for sure, but this is definitely the short-lived band's best work (if not my favorite).

Favorite Songs:

3. “Dumb”

2. “Rape Me”

1. “Pennyroyal Tea”

12. Undertale Soundtrack – Toby Fox

Easily my favorite instrumental soundtrack of all time—and considering all the fantastic game soundtracks I’ve heard in my time, this is saying something. Every single track is a fantastic and fitting tune for wherever they’re used in-game, and even if my favorite track is the obvious pick, even I’ll admit that it’s not the best one (that would probably be #2).

Favorite Songs:

3. “Death By Glamour”

2. “Battle Against a True Hero”

1. “Megalovania”

11. Metal Gear Rising Soundtrack – Various artists

A game as insane and metal as Rising needs a soundtrack to match, and to say this one delivered is an understatement. Every song is one of the most badass things you will ever hear, with a good chunk of them elaborating on the motivations and personalities of the bosses. It says a lot that the weakest song is Blade Wolf's, and even that's just "okay" as opposed to "awful."

Favorite Songs:

3. “Red Sun”

2. “A Stranger I Remain”

1. “It Has to be This Way”

10. Seven Inches of Satanic Panic - Ghost

I don’t think this is better than their full albums, but I definitely think this is one of the best musical one-two punches I’ve ever heard. “Mary on a Cross” and “Kiss the Go-Goat” are two of Ghost’s finest songs, and this is where they came from

9. I Get Wet – Andrew W.K.

In the proud tradition of AC/DC, pretty much every song on this album sounds the same—and none of the songs rock any less for it. It’s a collection of awesomely stupid anthems about partying, hot girls, and NYC that goes harder than it has any need to.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Ready to Die”

2. “She is Beautiful”

1. “I Get Wet”

8. Running With Scissors – Weird Al

This was a big turning point in Al’s career—it’s when he debuted his new look, sans glasses and with his hair grown out—and for me at least it’s the album where I feel like he put all the lessons he learned over the 90s to good use. It’s true that there’s a few lines that haven’t aged well but the overall package is strong enough that it overshadows the blemishes. It has his strongest “movie recap” parody song, his best polka medley, and his funniest and most iconic epic-length song; how can it not make my top ten?

Favorite Songs:

3. “The Saga Begins”

2. “Polka Power!”

1. “Albuquerque”

7. Doolittle - Pixies

It’s genuinely tough picking between this and Surfer Rosa, but when it comes right down to it Doolittle is the one that has more tracks I like. I don’t think anything here is quite as good as “Where is My Mind?” from the latter album, but that album doesn’t have “Mr. Grieves” on it.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Here Comes Your Man”

2. “Wave of Mutilation”

1. “Monkey Gone to Heaven”

6. Invisible Touch - Genesis

I think Invisible Touch is Genesis’s undisputed masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums. Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and Rutherford. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism. Take the lyrics to “Land of Confusion.” In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority. “In Too Deep” is the most moving pop song of the 1980s, about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. Their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as anything I’ve heard in rock.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Domino”

2. “Land of Confusion”

1. “Invisible Touch”

5. Mandatory Fun – Weird Al

As of 2023 this is Al’s last album, and if he never makes another it’s hard to argue that he didn’t go out on top. The style parodies are some of his best ever, the polka medley is fantastic, and the parodies here are all leagues better than the songs they’re spoofing. “Foil” in particular is worth singling g out for being a hilarious subversion of the stereotypical food-related parodies Al was known for back in the day.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Foil”

2. “Handy”

1. “Jackson Park Express”

4. ABBA Gold - ABBA

Is it cheating to put a greatest hits compilation on this list? Well, since it's my list, the answer is no! An album like this is all bangers, no filler, every song I love in one place one after the other. The omission of “Tiger” is the only flaw.

3. Nevermind - Nirvana

It's pretty inarguable that this is a more polished and commercial grunge album than In Utero, but no matter what Kurt or the other band members say this is still one of the best albums ever made. My only gripe with it is that the song that gets the most attention, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," overshadows a lot of songs better than it. "In Bloom" is the best track in my opinion, with its lyrics abut fans with zero media literacy still very relevant even to this day.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Polly”

2. “Come as You Are”

1. “In Bloom”

2. The Number of the Beast – Iron Maiden

From the band with the greatest album covers of all time comes a metal album featuring the hard rock version of "Roxanne," an epic seven minute track, and the greatest song condemning the actions of colonizers. Oh, and the title track is pretty awesome too. Considering how lukewarm the first two albums are, this might be one of the greatest glow ups in metal history, going from a decent but not spectacular act to one of the greatest bands of all time.

Favorite Songs:

3. “22 Acacia Avenue”

2. “Hallowed be Thy Name”

1. “Run to the Hills”

1. Spirit Phone – Lemon Demon

Maybe I'm just a basic bitch for calling this my favorite album ever, but the fact of the matter is that this whole album is basically tailor made for my interests. Songs about conspiracy theories? Songs about urban legends like Gef and Polybius? Songs that make fun of Reaganomics? I genuinely could not imagine a better set of songs than this if I tried.

Favorite Songs:

5. “Reaganomics”

4. “Touch-Tone Telephone”

3. “When He Died”

2. “Sweet Bod”

1. “Cabinet Man”

[theemergencymachete]

Tagged by: @adelidae and @saranios!!! Ty <3

1. Are you named after anyone? Yes, although I have mixed feelings about it

2. When was the last time you cried? I don't really remember. A few months ago? A year ago? Somewhere in there

3. Do you have kids? Nope

4. What sports do you play / have you played? I ran cross country in high school. Haven't in a while, but I've been meaning to pick up running again. Maybe when it gets less cold

5. Do you use sarcasm? Occasionally. Not often

6. What's the first thing you notice about people? That's a hard one. I feel like I don't notice things? In general? Physically probably hair, I like to pay attention to peoples' hair styles.

7. What's your eye color? Blue

8. Scary movies or happy endings? Yes. Both.

9. Any talents? Theoretically many, but I have trouble ever thinking of them. This is going to sound overconfident on the bad reading comprehension website, but I think I'm genuinely good at media analysis. I love looking at a story and picking apart all its pieces and seeing what makes it tick.

10. Where were you born? An excellent question that I will not answer

11. What are your hobbies? Reading, video games, and I've been meaning to learn more about sewing and clothes mending. Partly out of necessity

12. Do you have any pets? Two cats and a dog!

13. How tall are you? 5'10"

14. Favorite subject in school? What little philosophy I took in college fascinated me. Unfortunately some of it was mixed with economics so it was a mixed bag

15. Dream job? Something that doesn't drive me insane. In a perfect world I think I would be a weird bad short film creator

Tagging: @bigfishthemusical @satteredhunter @stormcoast @hollowslantern @saltyfinalboss @whobringshadow @mlmushroomism @roundaboutsandwashing-lines @pimpa only if you want to!

[anonymousmothman]

I had another weird dream surrounding star trek (this time with jackie chan and thundercat???)

So basically I won this thing (idk if it was a giveaway or something) to hang out with thundercat. We were walking around chicago and he kept talking about being a werewolf and that was weird cuz . You know... cat is in his name. But then he turned into a werewolf and tried to hunt me.

Then I went to this star trek convention but for some reason star trek was real? And I got to talk to worf and ezri they were really nice. Some other stuff happened but I legitimately remember none of it. I then was watching a jackie chan movie with the ferengi (basically all the guys from the magnificent ferengi episode) and suddenly got transported back in time to when rush hour got released. I was sitting in the audience just minding my buisness then Quark started to film the movie cuz yay piracy! But he was horrible at hiding his camera and everybody kept staring at him because they knew. His camera didn't have a zoom feature so Brunt gave him this can you were supposed to put in place of the lens and it'd act as a zoom for you. But then, of course, everyone was like 'wtf are they doing with a can' so Quark gave the empty one to me and I had to pretend like it was Tuna I was eating. I was really bad at it. Then, at the end of the movie, a cardassian was playing with his baby (throwing her up in the air and stuff) and a founder took it from him while he was doing that then dangled it over the side of the railing (idk the seats in the theatre were high) and said "a sacrifice to the founders..." but then everyone started booing them and throwing popcorn at them so they gave the baby back.

After that, I went to this weird renaissance fair mixed with comic con thing (still in the past atp). A dude dressed up as an ensign knocked down this stand of books and I helped him to pick it up. Then, I wanted to buy one, so I was looking through them and eliminating options and was gonna buy something on dinosaurs? Idk it was weird it looked like a dork diaries book though. But another one caught my eye and it had medieval paintings on the front despite the fact it was a book about mesopotamian chemistry. So I went to buy it, but I got tied up in (honestly I forgot what happened) so had to leave it for the time being. When I came back though, a lot of people were bidding and arguing over who should get it. The only way you could buy it was by messaging the shop owner on discord so I tried to text them but I kept misspelling 'shop' as 'Schofield' so none of the messages would go through (there was a bot that prevented you from sending a message unless it had the word shop). I don't think I was ever able to get it, or maybe I was, also sort of forgot this part....

Then it cut to my backyard where Picard was stuck in my garage. He kept asking to be let out but when I let him out there were two animals on leashes in there. One was Porthos so I let him off, but another was those klingon dogs.. I forgot what they're called. Picard kept telling me to let that one off it's leash and I said "but its your pet :(" and he said hed pay me 30 coins so I did it. Then I finally let Picard out of my garage and it cut yet again to another scene.

I was on ds9 laying down to go to bed when Damar and Keevan entered and Damar was like "you weren't at Quarks" and I said "I had a really long day today man..." so they layed down with me and we cuddled YAYYYY but then I woke up BOOOOO

[merlyn-bane]

15 People, 15 Questions

Thanks for the tag, @lttrsfrmlnrrgby!

1. Are you named after anyone? Do fictional people count? My mom named me after the little girl in a weird old movie she really likes. I'm pretty sure she gets kidnapped?? Idk. But I was a much less sweet and pleasant child than the one she named me after.

2. When was the last time you cried? Uh idk, maybe last week?? My sense of time is Fucked but @foreverchangingfandomsao3 got me with one of their whumptober prompts. I also got, like, weirdly strongly homesick a few weeks ago out of nowhere when a song came on that reminded me of my mom and I was already extremely emotionally exhausted so it kind of just sent me over.

3. Do you have kids? Absolutely not. I have a dog and two cats and they are more than close enough for me.

4. What sports do you play/have played? I wasn't awful the few times we played volleyball in gym class but I am a very far thing from a jock. I did do a season of color guard though

5. Do you use sarcasm? It's basically a second language in my family. I don't think I use it quite as much as I used to, though. Mostly it's my facial expressions that get me in trouble now.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people? I don't know. Tone, maybe?? If someone seems rude or like otherwise disinterested in having a productive interaction I tend to disengage really quickly.

7. What’s your eye color? Brown.

8. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings. Media is, for me, first and foremost about escapism. I also like being able to sleep at night and already have issues with anxiety and hypervigilance.

9. Any talents? If you give me like 20-30 minutes and resources (manuals, youtube, etc) I can figure out how to do most things with my hands--which is how I've ended up with so many goddamn hobbies. I've done most of the work on my house myself, though, to include the kitchen backsplash. I can also make very cute robot lamps that have functioning outlets!

10. Where were you born? Coastal North Carolina

11. What are your hobbies? Writing, reading, digital art, painting, crocheting, knitting, cross stitch, home improvement. Probably some more things not coming to me right now. Making shit, basically. I have had to be all but physically restrained for like a year to keep me from playing with stained glass next. I'm autistic and I cannot be stopped. If I'm left unattended long enough I'll probably pick up another one.

12. Do you have any pets? I have a pittie/dogo argentino (mastiff) mix named Ziggy Stardust, a calico pain in my ass (cat) named Princess Jellybean of Doom (often shortened to Jellybean, or JB, or Brat), and a massive black and white cat named Captain Ravioli. A black cat and another 'dog' also live here courtesy of my roommates.

13. How tall are you? 5'3". 5'4" on a good day with a kind measure.

14. Favorite subject in school? I loved the sciences and English courses. I love history too but I didn't like it as a class in school because of the whole growing up in rural North Carolina thing.

15. Dream job? Recently, the only thing I have wanted is to be paid to make shit in a sunlit studio all day. I am exhausted with the concept of 'job'. Paleontology would be sick though.

I think I'm going to do open tags, to be honest, because my brain is not firing on enough cylinders right now. Play if you want!:)

[shadowthestoryteller]

So, while it may NEVER actually curse Wattpad, I still like this little snippet from my TF2 series “Murder Uncle Mayhem”. The basic premise is that between the events on Umbara and the final fight with Palpatine, Shadow and Trevor both jump into the TF2 universe while dreaming so Shadow can get some last training. I really wanna start posting more bits, but I don’t know how they’ll be received so I guess this is also a tester ✨

Enjoy the first meeting between Shads and RED Snipes!

A death gasp sounded behind him, and Sniper spun to see the BLU Spy with blood gushing from his mouth. A figure in dark black and red armor stood behind him, a full-faced cat-eared helmet hiding their features. A multicolored tail swished behind their legs, the lower portion of which were also furred, as the attacker yanked some type of wrist blade from the back of BLU Spy’s neck. They watched as BLU Spy slumped to the ground, sheathing their blade with a jerk of their arm.

Heart pounding, Sniper’s fingers inched toward his kukri blade. Humans and even beasts were easy kills for him. Years spent in the bush saw to that, and he wasn’t one of the top nine deadliest men on the planet for no reason. But a mix of human and animal? A different issue entirely. 

“Right then, mate,” he said cautiously. “Who ya playin’ for?”

He could see the insignia of a skull and two identical symbols beneath it on their shoulder pads, as well as a modified one on the face of their helmet, but he hadn’t the faintest clue what they stood for. 

Their ears twitched, proving the ear sleeves on the helmet weren’t simply cosmetic. “Ain’t playin’ for no one but myself, mate.”

Female? Male? He honestly couldn’t tell.

Slowly picking up the kukri, watching the tail for signs of agitation, Sniper gestured at the extra limb with the blade. “Some kinda mutated bloke?”

“I ain’t human if that’s what gotcher panties in a twist.” 

An American judging by that accent.

But what kind of American had a bloody tail? Even if their accent was familiar, similar to Engineer’s, their body was not and that was reason enough to treat them with utmost caution. 

A straight stab to the chest or back was out of the question thanks to their armor, and with that hidden blade plus two weapons of unknown damage on their belt he didn’t want to risk aiming at their neck and missing. They stood taller than him as well, with broad shoulders and an extra heavy limb to aid in fighting. The last thing he wanted was to enter a physical altercation, which was sure to end badly for himself. Not to mention if they were part cat, their hands hid some nasty claws. He’d dealt with claws before, but not claws guided by a human or human-like mind. 

“If it helps,” they said slowly, crossing their arms and pointing at the kukri. “No, that blade won’t cut through my armor and no, you won’t win at close range.”

Sniper blinked. “Who said I was plannin’ on attackin’ ya?”

They chuckled. “I ain’t stupid,” they said, tapping their helmet. “I see you sizin’ me up. You think this gear is for civvies?” They gestured at themselves. “I didn’t survive the last six months in active warzones by bein’ an easy target who couldn’t tell when someone had it out for ‘em.”

Warzone? What warzone? Aside from Teufort’s conflict, Sniper didn’t know of any wars nearby. And certainly none fought by weird blokes with a tail. 

“That warzone bein’?” he asked, weight still on his toes. 

“You ain’t got the mental capacity for that yet, Snipes.” They flicked their tail. “But don’t worry, I ain’t after you anyway. Think of me as a good luck charm. Or a rattlesnake that likes you and therefore won’t bite ya in the ass.”

A good luck charm, huh? Well, in his line of work, he certainly wouldn’t turn it down. Not to mention they could have killed him already if they wanted to, since they must have been hanging around for a while to catch BLU Spy sneaking in. That alone gave him reason enough to trust them, or at least not keep a weapon always pointed at them.  

Sniper grunted, glancing down at BLU Spy. “Then thanks for the save, mate,” he said, kicking his corpse with his boot. ”Figure I owe ya one.”

“Anytime, Snipes,” they chuckled, giving him a two-fingered salute.

“Wait,” Sniper called as they turned to leave. “Who’re ya?”

They stopped and faced him again. “Some folks call me Scar. You can, too.”

“Well, Scar. I’ll be sure to repay the favor if I see you around.” 

They bowed. “Can’t wait.” 

[insideous-beez]

Shout out to my WEIRD ASS DREAMS

TW: Planetary body horror, normal body horror, gore, fire, bullying, cheating, homelessness, zombies. None of these were distressing because it's all just story that my brain randomly generated.

Gonna try to be brief otherwise I might write a novel.

My dream last night included, in this order:

Me as a homeless child living in a grocery store where a mad scientist worked and his two sons of similar age to me bullied me by setting whole sections of the store on FIRE to trap me inside. Somehow none of the adults ever saw the evidence of bullying and assumed I was making things up when I told them.

Skip to different part of the dream where I am suddenly an adult (separate from the prior scenario, aka not the same person somehow but still me?). Zombie virus except it works by the rules of "if you don't move or speak they can't see you..." kind of. It takes a long time for them to process so if something else is moving that is not a zombie, it'll go after that first. The zombie part of the dream started in a hospital where I was trying to help my mom get to a recovery room after surgery (yes, unrealistic) but suddenly she didn't exist anymore and some dude handed out a ton of guns and we got to zombie survival.

Zombies suddenly didn't matter anymore because Uta from One Piece Film Red was holding a concert?

Another scenario change where zombies aren't an issue anymore and I'm heading into a mix of the Akademia with modern corporate skyscraper building vibes. Zhongli (from Genshin) is my husband, which made me happy until my brain was like "oh actually, backstory time, he is cheating on u." -_- k.

While one version of me is trying to figure out where TF Zhongli went when he suddenly started acting sus and sprinted up the fire escape (to meet with some lady he was cheating on me with) a completely different version of me is in outer space altering the fabric of reality by trying to identify and merge whole ass planets

Akademia!Me decides she wants to pet some dogs and cats to de-stress over being cheated on. Yes the animals are casually in the Akademia. It is here where I learn that, apparently, my dream just gave me the same backstory as Alhaitham and decided that was good enough. I accidentally release a dog from the little therapy kennel area and a fire drill begins so I use the chaos to sprint up the stairs and go to find Zhongli, who I apparently care about finding again? This is the last time you will see Akademia!Me. The rest of the dream is from Space!Me's perspective observing the fallout of merging planets.

Back to Space!Me. So, most of these planets are gas giants and some are like Earth but with more land and less water. For some reason, with my fancy technology, I've identified that there is a single "anti-virus" planet and the rest are "viruses." No, I don't know what this means. Space!Me apparently does and decides to merge them all to cure the "virus." One of these planets had the Akademia on it.

What happens when planets are merged? Apparently, they become flesh.

Giant flesh planet. Thankfully with an outer crust that is still mostly dirt for a little less trauma.

The visual that occurred was layers forming within the hollow planet the Akademia was on until it became a solid planet like ours, except, oh yeah, it's made out of muscle and flesh. Some of the flesh slivers broke out through the crust of the planet and pierced through people. Some craters in the planet suddenly got filled with flesh and earth. Anyone standing in these craters got their legs merged into the planet.

Space!Me, who is an unobservable third party, is cringing as she observes the kind of injuries that have occurred as a result of people being run through by spears of flesh and muscle. Some of them are alive and definitely shouldn't be.

The Akademia has a weirdly chipper and unaffected student council leader who sets up a white board and decides to continue lessons in front of the whole student body that is standing in the evacuation field, pierced bodies and all.

Then I wake up! WOW! WEIRD SHIT!

This wasn't even the full dream, I just think the earlier parts weren't interesting enough to describe. I wanted to show y'all the weird shit I dream up.

[feu-eau]

Dream Journal 18/10/24

These past few days I've been having wild dreams.

So the first dream was two nights ago, I don't remember much at this point tbh but it still stuck with me and you'll see why lol

So, I was in some kind of party. My friends and family were there but there was a lot of strangers too. It seemed like a birthday party? I don't quite remember.

The thing is that at some point, between the chairs and tables I spotted a basin on the floor, and splashing on it was....

A baby nurse shark (please don't sing the song).

Thankfully it was alive and well, somehow this shark was able to breathe both under and out of the water (dream logic).

The thing is that the little thing acted like a mix of a puppy and a cat and we immediately loved each other 🤣 I held her (yes, somehow I knew it was a female shark) like a baby and the little shark snuggled me 😭 unfathomable levels of adorable and odd at the same time 🤣

So, yes, I immediately loved this tiny shark and she loved me back but I knew I had to return her to the sea. Thankfully, the beach was pretty close, the day was sunny but it was past afternoon so the sun wasn't harsh or blinding.

I slowly lowered the shark into the water and the little guy immediately looked more comfortable, swimming circles around my legs. I petted her under the water but eventually I had to get out of the water. But, the baby kept chasing me and breaching the water to nose at my legs and torso. I just started bawling and explained to the shark that I had to go (I'm actually surprised I didn't cry irl too 🤣) and I kept crying as I walked backwards to the dry sand.

When I woke up, my first thought was that I would name that shark Dolores 🤣🤣🤣 Why Dolores? I don't know but I would die for her, my shark child 😭🤣

--

The other wild dream I've had was last night.

I was supposedly walking around New York (it looked more like Bs. As. but anyway) with a couple of friends. We kind of tresspassed and got into an abandoned warehouse, it was full of grafitti, abandoned stuff and overgrowth.

I don't remember why we were there and I don't think I can fully describe the atmosphere or weird architecture of that place so I'll leave it at that, but it was very atmospheric and very liminal space creepy, even if it was broad daylight.

So we got out of there and suddenly we were riding bikes (I don't know how to ride a bike).

As we were riding I spotted one single cream colored mushroom sitting on the sidewalk, since we were on bikes we rode fast past it but we commented how odd but cute it was.

I don't remember if it was me or some of my friends that commented that if we were going to see mushrooms, then they wanted to see proper, big clusters, I clealrly remember the exclamation "Where's the mycelia huh?" 🤣🤣🤣

Immediately after though, we started to pass by bigger and bigger clusters of mushrooms, and of different kinds too. My friends were cheering and cackling with laugher but I was very freaked out. in the end, the dream jumped without any conclusion at what awaited us on the end of the fungi road 🤣🤣🤣

A bonus dream: After the dream jumped, lots of other stuff happened but a guy asked me to pass him a water bottle with the label "Heavy Water" on it, I passed it to him and after he drank I got curious and tried it too, what did "heavy water" meant in the first place? It turned out that it was spiked water, it tasted like rum mixed with dirt, absolutely gross lol but it was perfectly transparent still.

(Btw, I know that "heavy water" is something that exists in chemistry, but in my dream it was clearly, something else entirely lol).

[bookdragonwrites]

Thanks for the tag, @lanirawhoney! (Where's yours? >.>)

Named after anyone?

Nope. My parents discussed naming their kids after family members but were stumped at the sheer horrificness of most of their names, so that went nowhere, thank goodness. I no longer use my birth name, but I did always appreciate being named after myself.

2. Last time I cried?

I don't remember. Probably while watching something, that's when I do 90% of my crying. The last time I teared up was while I was working on a Very Sad Scene in a new fic the other day.

3. Kids?

That would be a terrible idea. No.

4. Sports I play/have played?

I rode dressage from age 9 until 20. I was bad at it, but I loved it and it taught me important life skills.

I can't play sports at the moment, but if it ever became an option again, I'd like to go back to horsey pursuits if I can afford it, or else maybe archery. In an ideal world I'd give volleyball a go (damn you, Haikyuu, you make it look such fun), but sadly my depth perception is too screwy for that. Also I can't jump for shit. :(

5. Do I use sarcasm?

Not like it's my favourite way to make jokes or anything.

6. First thing I notice about people?

'Would you look at that, a person.' (In all seriousness, I don't know. Just... their appearance? Clothing style? *shrug*)

7. Eye colour?

Blue.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings. I have mixed feelings about sad ones, though a well-crafted open ending can be amazing.

9. Any talents?

Reciting random facts of questionable relevance to the conversation. (Did you know dugongs are far more closely related to elephants than they are to whales?)

Does 'being weird in an amusing and/or endearing way' count as a talent? Because then I have two whole talents.

10. Where was I born?

Mainland Europe. I'm going to be vague about this one, sorry.

11. Hobbies?

You'd better sit down for this one.

Crochet, studying Japanese, reading (general fiction and manga (in Japanese, because I refuse to pay through the nose for translations I'd zip through in 20 minutes)), writing, watching anime and the odd live action, playing around with paint (I refuse to call it art, because I'm Bad At It), er... I think that covers the ones I'm fairly consistent with.

12. Pets?

I wish.

If I could have pets, I would get two or three cats, a crested gecko or a colony of mourning geckoes, and a hognose snake if they came in a vegetarian version (I don't fancy dead mice in the freezer, sorry hoggos).

13. How tall am I?

Somewhere between 170 and 175 cm. I forget. I believe that translates to 5'7"ish?

14. Favourite school subject?

Biology and English.

15. Dream job?

Children's author. Middle grade is my jam.

Alternatively, collecting undergrad degrees in every field of study that interests me (there are many). I hear the pay isn't great, though. :(

*. Tags (as if I'd have fifteen whole mutuals, you big internet sillies): @queenbananya @callilemon @lordmushroomkat (no pressure as always)

15 Questions 15 Mutuals

The rules are: Answer the 15 questions and tag 15 of your mutuals.

ty @trvbblemaker for the tag :D

Are you named after anyone?

not that i know of

2. When was the last time you cried?

like last week after the orthodontist lmao

3. Do you have kids?

i have plants

4. What sports do you play/have played?

i did gymnastics and dance now i do nothing~

5. Do you use sarcasm?

it's somewhat of a coping mechanism

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

how they dress/their hair

7. What's your eye color?

hell if i know

8. Scary movies or Happy endings

happy endings :]

9. Any talents?

i'm rlly good at overthinking and ignoring problems (like genuinely tho ig i'm good at art)

10. Where were you born?

america 🇺🇸 (i hate it here)

11. What are your hobbies?

crocheting, watching shows, drawing

12. Do you have any pets?

cat named otis <3

13. How tall are you?

i think technically 5'4 1/2"

14. Favorite subject in school

art

15. Dream Job?

something i don't hate hopefully in an art field

no pressure tags: @newtness532 @lirdgorl @rainysaturdayafternoon @justkeepwalkingnothinghere @snek-amiga @deusetco @crayonssmellgood @arshemelsoe @lizvi @bbreaddog @noworneverphantom + open tag