#on the bright side i AM working on a new edit though

[missxwrites]

new beginnings - tom kazansky

tom 'iceman' kazansky x reader

Summary: Tom finds his pregnant wife in the heart of their shared home, the sight of her simply takes his breath away. Word count: 1,120+ Warnings: fluuuufffff, SERIOUSLY FLUFFY SOFT TOM, pregnancy, afab!reader (still working on gender neutral tone as best I can), assumptions about size (I play into the plus size side of things because I am plus size, but there's no direct mention), no use of y/n (just she/her pronouns) A/N: This is only rough edited by myself, I'm so sorry for any mistakes. (Im rusty as f*ck at fic writing) I've had this fic in my back pocket for months, please enjoy all the fluff. I'm head over heels for val kilmer as a person, and I'm well aware that the gif is not from Top Gun... this is however an aged up version of Commander Kazansky (;

Tom wasn't typically a man of many words, even after Top Gun and becoming a commander... He was still on track to becoming an admiral in a couple years and his stoic ice-cold exterior has carried him far in the Navy. No, there wasn't much that could get in his way now. 

Except for her.

She melted his every icy edge. Especially now that she's 7 months pregnant with his baby. The way she waddled around the sizable estate that he purchased the year they got married. It'd been nearly 7 years since that beautiful day, but Tom and his wife decided to focus on their separate careers before committing to living with little ones under foot. He was nearing his mid-to-late 30's now and with his career excelling, his mind constantly settled on imagining what her beautiful features would be like mixed with his. 

Would they get his ice-like stare or her warm bright irises that see right through to his soul? Would they get his pin straight hair that stuck up in all the wrong places or her beautiful, textured hair that fell beautifully in every light? 

His mind would run rampant every time he looked at her, his eyes never failing to trail up and down her whole figure. He would linger on her face, taking in how absolutely mesmerizing she was in the pregnancy glow before darting down to her ever-changing belly. It was very noticeable now, and the way she braced the underside of the bump softened his stare every time. Even through the literal growing pains of making a human, she looked ethereal. He subconsciously pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. Tom was fully convinced that she could never be more beautiful than she was in this exact moment. 

With a warm but soft chuckle under his breath, he stood slowly and made his way over to her. The book she'd been perusing at the kitchen counter happened to be a cookbook he got her for Christmas in the early years of their relationship. He'd assumed she must be craving something specific by the way she quickly flipped through the pages. He placed his hands over the tops of her shoulders, giving a gentle rub to the tense muscles in her shoulder blades and leaned in to kiss her neck. The smell of her conditioner and body wash from her shower this morning is almost intoxicating. His body was warm, causing her to lean back on his chest.

"You're absolutely radiant dear," Tom stated, a smile forming across his lips. "And absolutely distracting..." He hasn't been able to take his eyes off her since she entered the kitchen adjacent to the doors of his office. He'd been trying to get through some paperwork before finding her to ask what you might want for lunch as she graced her way into the heart of their shared home.

She was one of the only women that could ever truly take his breath away, though many tried. Even in a moment like this... with his wedding band heavy on her finger and growing the fruit of his love for her in her tummy, he still had to remind himself to breathe.

His large arms made their way down her body until they gently embraced her and her bump. He supported her belly gently, the same way the two had learned in the parenting classes Tom insisted on attending once she confirmed her pregnancy. The soft hum that escaped her throat told him that she needed this. Her eyes fluttered closed as he stood there, swaying gently with her in his arms.

“Blueberry.” Was the only thing that snapped the quiet of the moment between the two of them. Her words were soft in his ears. Tom raised an eyebrow in curiosity as he leaned forward to place his chin on her shoulder. The pages of the cookbook landed on a muffin recipe that had been dog-eared and made enough times to sport the stains of baking chaos. 

Another low chuckle reverberated through his chest. “Cravings?” Tom placed another gentle kiss on her neck as he slowly released his childbearing wife to turn to the refrigerator behind him. This recipe was one he was familiar with, having made it several times over the years. He grabbed out the bowl of blueberries, buttermilk, butter and eggs while his wife gathered the remaining dry ingredients. 

A quiet melodic sound filled the kitchen as Tom watched his wife pull up the large glass bowl from the cabinet. The smile spread across his face as he recognized their wedding song falling from her lips. “I wanna know what love is…”

Tom set the cold ingredients out on the counter, crossing the kitchen swiftly to pull her back into his arms. “I want you to show me…” He whispered to her, a hum parting his lips as he twirled her around slowly in the afternoon light of their kitchen. He mirrored her radiant smile as they slowly swayed together, her baby bump separating them a little more than usual but neither of them cared. 

After enjoying the embrace of her husband, Tom’s wife pushed him away gently as she resumed making the muffins lil’ kazansky was craving so badly. The blonde commander only laughed as he kissed her hand before parting their embrace. He too busied himself making muffins again wordlessly as he reached into the bottom drawer of the oven. Grabbing out the old muffin tin, he paused to preheat the oven as he lingered there for a moment.

Tom’s hand immediately found his wife’s lower back as he brought the tin over to the island countertop, using the other to place the white liners in each cup. A devious giggle caught his attention and before he could even blink, she’d managed to touch his nose with a flour-covered hand. His steely eyes closed suddenly as she swiped at his face, unable to hide the slow grin that parted his lips as he dipped his own hand into the bowl of flour. 

He laughed as he pulled her back from the counter slightly, his flour covered hand landing gently over the top of her baby bump. The white handprint was stark on her dark dress. The gasp that escaped from the woman in his arms only made him laugh harder as she rolled her eyes and shook her head at her husband’s antics. 

"What am I going to do with you, Thomas Kazansky? ” She said exasperatedly despite a smile growing on her face.

“Love me.” He said simply, his eyes gazing deeply into hers as he pulled her in close again. “And make muffins with me forever.” She laughed, her heart full, as she accepted his proposal.

[howtofightwrite]

Missing an Eye

So, a weird note, I can't find this ask anymore. I think it might have been deleted. Anyway, that contributed to the delay in getting this live on Tumblr tonight.

EDIT: I just found the ask. I answered this on Monday. I am deeply sorry for reposting the ask again. This has been a hell of a week, and this just goes to show how fried my brain is from the stress.

So, again, mea culpa. I did not mean to spam out this post again.

Hello! Thanks a ton for all the work you guys do! It's been very helpful to read through your blog and adjust how I write action. What would you say is the best weapon for someone with depth perception issues in a pretty straightforward fantasy setting? I've got a character with horrible depth perception, but he's in a position of power/influence where he needs to be armed and can't always have guards around.

Depending on the level of sophistication, I'd say that's a pretty good setup for an enchanted prosthetic eye. Depth perception does effect melee combat, but the loss of peripheral vision is probably the more pressing issue.

Really, the time when depth perception becomes a serious consideration is with ranged weapons, where judging the appropriate fire arc is as important as the horizontal angle.

Intuitively, your audience is more likely to recognize that depth perception is likely to be an issue with polearms, more than blades or axes. Then again, a lot of readers often won't really pick up on a character's loss of depth perception as important (even in situations where it is.)

I suspect that a dagger would be the weapon that suffered the least from a loss of depth perception, if the character is using it as an assassination tool, rather than getting into actual combat. Failing that, a sidesword of some variety would probably be one of their better options if they did find themselves in full on combat, though, as mentioned, the loss of peripheral vision on the side with the missing eye would be a more severe vulnerability, especially in mass melee.

Now, the best weapon for someone missing an eye is a retinue of well trained and loyal soldiers who know that your character's experiences make them more valuable as a leader than as just another fighter. That is somewhat how this visual coding works for characters. So, while it's possible that this is some loner, very often that eye patch doubles as a bad of senority.

Also, it is worth considering that someone may wear an eyepatch specifically to prevent night blindness in that eye, when they expect to transition between bright and dark areas in quick succession. One (possibly apocryphal) example were marines who expected to fight below decks during boarding actions during the Age of Sail. Being able to flip up their eyepatch as they went below decks would help reduce the advantage that defending sailors with acclimated vision would enjoy.

-Starke

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[brights-place]

Hi, could I request a Riff x quiet shy reader?

Like, someone who has a passion for rock like Riff but is too shy to display their talent, but Riff loves them anyway despite their shyness (in fact he finds it cute)

(It can be fluff or Nsfw)

Riff X Introvert! S/O

Pairings: Riff X Reader

Warnings: Fluff, FOR MY FELLOW INTROVERTS!

A/N: Riff is so underrated like PLEASE! look at him he is so VGASJNVHWEHNB anyways I hope you enjoy this one I’m like contemplating my life choices lmaooo

- You and Riff were an iconic pair riff being sleezy and the mellow guy yet still being a little mischievous while you were relaxed, calm and didn't really have that much energy like other rock trolls! - How wrong was everyone! especially riff who thouht you were boring and not really a rock troll - but when he saw the passion you had while playing 'I am a poser' on your guitar he was wide eyed and enjoyed seeing you jam out - You were more introverted and riff would always be the one to speak up and have an arm around your shoulder or waist lazily - literally loves how shy you are but is also flustered at how badass you look when playing your instruments - He loves jamming out with you together as he enjoys seeing that wicked smile on your face as you do the rock n roll sign at the end of every song cheering about how good it was to be able to rock out with riff -Riff knew that even though you don't feel comfortable expressing aaround others that your always happy to just be around with yoru fellow rock trolls quietly headbanging scared that you would scare the other rock trolls - Riff loves to cuddle with you when they're alone and would smooch your cheek

- Only YOU! can wear his beanie and take it off of his face when your alone he enjoys it and would kiss you - Riff likes to tease you but always in a lighthearted way.

- Riff often seeks out your opinion and values your input in some situations because your his partner and wants to know how you would feel about what he does - Riff and you are always finding new bands to listen to and discovering new songs together to jam out too

- Riff loves that you have your very own little record collection full of both of your favorite albums

- Riff tries to help you get better with your social skills and be able to rock out with the others - After awhile though riff showed you how to get better at opening up - when barb and carol walked in on you headbanging and shouting the lyrics to a song riff was smiling that you were acutally rocking out happily - Thing is though riff didn't tell you he brought them over and the fact barb was so excited to see this side of you hell even carol was so happy! - Riff loves your small habit of asking him to drum to random songs you have heard while listening to music together

- Riff always encourages you to practice guitar and helps you with music theory and techniques well the techniques he was given by barb when he first tried to play guitar but failed and instead chose drums

- Both of you are always making your own music together jamming on guitar and drums and coming up with new tunes together happily

- When riff convinced you to jam out in public spaces and preform so he was happy that you accepted that idea after a while of contemplating you both occasionally perform at small live shows or open mic nights and are always have a great time and get a great reception

- He enjoys being with you no matter what and would like to help you be more open so when he succeeds he cheers to himself

reblogs + comments are appreciated ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

©brights-place 2023 — do not repost on another platform, copy, translate or edit my works! if you fit my DNI list please don't interact

[mixsethaddams]

Modern coffee shop Steddie AU

Steve had been trying to talk to his favourite customer for months. Well, beyond the usual “and that’s a medium, right?”, anyway. His hair was the first thing Steve noticed. Big, curly, messy hair that seemed to have a life of it’s own. It had been pulled back into a bun one day and Steve thought he might never recover. He wore sunglasses one particularly bright day, and Steve spent the rest of his shift sulking at not being able to see those giant brown eyes.

Some of Steve’s coworkers thought this guy was a little rude, even though he always said please and thank you. He always wore headphones and only barely pulled one side out when he made his order and paid, putting it right back as soon as the transaction was over, and had started a new habit of leaving his scrunched up receipt at the collection point. Steve didn’t mind though, especially because sometimes when he picked up his drink he’d call Steve ‘sweetheart’.

No one in the cafe knew his name. He would give a fake one every time he came in (a particular favourite of Steve’s had been ‘Gizmo’) and he never accepted an offer to sign up for a loyalty card.

Steve had tried everything to interact with him. He’d offer all of the additional add-ons, he’d ask him about his day, talk about the weather, comment on his tattoos. He had even googled “How to start a conversation” one morning before walking to work. All any of it earned him was a two or three word answer and a small nod as he left.

For a few weeks now Steve had been subtly editing the warning label on the bottom rim of his cups to try and get his attention.

Be careful! The beverage you’re about to enjoy is extremely hot!

But it never worked. Steve deflated a little every time the cup was swiped up off the counter with barely a glance up as he said goodbye for the day.

So much so that one day he didn’t even bother to strikeout half of the warning. He figured it was pointless. There would be no Meet/Cute story that came from the attempts at flirting, no matter how heavy handed or subtle the approach.

Steve was on his own in the almost empty cafe to close up when the man came in and ordered his usual, decaf because it was so late, and took his usual waiting spot. Steve made the coffee with no attempt to strike up a conversation. He called out “Medium decaf latte, oat milk and lavender” and went back to getting his station cleaned up for the night.

“Hey,” came a voice from behind him.

Steve turned slowly to see the man standing at the collection, cup held up.

“Everything ok?” asked Steve.

“You don’t like me anymore or something?” he asked, a strange look on his face.

“I… what?” said Steve, not sure how to respond.

“Am I not hot anymore, sweetheart?”

Steve felt his cheeks flare.

“Didn’t think you noticed,” he mumbled, swatting the balled up receipt into the bin.

“Do you always throw those away?” the man asked, his eyes following the paper to the trash.

“The receipt? Yeah you always scrunch it up, why would we keep it?” said Steve.

“Maybe take a look at that one,” he said with a sigh, sitting his cup back on the counter.

Steve pulled the receipt back out of the garbage and unfurled it. His eyes widened when he saw what was scrawled across it in black pen.

Hope you had a great shift today, handsome!

Steve looked up with his mouth hanging open.

“You… Wrote… Everyday?” Steve couldn’t find the words make his question make sense, but the man smiled anyway.

“Uh, yeah, well ever since you started flirting with me through the medium of a coffee cup, anyway,” he said, wiggling the drink in his hand. “You always look too busy to talk so I thought it was worth a try,”

“But you never even tell me your name,” whined Steve, hating that he’d missed out on weeks worth of notes and the chance to actually talk to his crush.

“It’s Eddie,” he said simply, looking him dead in the eye. “And I always give a fake one because you always laugh at them,”

Eddie finished with a shrug and took a sip of his drink. Steve’s mind was racing.

“I’m not busy now,” he said, pointedly ignoring the fact he still had more than forty-five minutes left on his shift. “Can we talk now?”

Eddie laughed, just as the bell over the door rang and a group of four people talking loudly about a movie they’d just seen came in.

“You are though,” said Eddie, glancing towards them before taking out his phone and handing it to Steve. “But put your number in there. When do you get off?”

“I’ll be out of here in like, an hour,” said Steve checking his watch, fingers shaking as he typed his number in on Eddie’s screen and handed it back.

Steve felt his own phone vibrate in his pocket.

“Now you have mine too,” said Eddie. “I’m going to call you in sixty-three minutes, and maybe we can go grab a drink and talk for a while then?”

“Ok,” said Steve with a shy smile and a nod. The other customers were standing at the register now.

Eddie winked at him and walked towards the door.

“I’ll tell you what all those other notes said, too!” he called over his shoulder.

Steve practically floated over to the register to greet the group of customers, and thought that the next sixty-three minutes would never pass fast enough.

/////////

Find me on ao3 where I write soul crushing angst and occasional fluff! Remember to always read and heed the tags 😉

[notfreetoday]

China's censorship of Justice in the Dark - some FAQ

photo cr @ 白夜飛行家 on weibo

Also known as The Abyss/Mo Du/Silent Reading (link goes to a great carrd made by a Mo Du fan) by Priest, the same author who brought us Guardian. The show was dropped on Youku China on the 18th of February and is now on Youku International (VIP needed from ep 3 onwards). 8 episodes have been released. There is no official release schedule yet, though the rumour is 5 episodes every Saturday at 10am China time. Total of 30 episodes, ending on the 11th of March (Yes rumours are this specific).

The English subs are AI generated, and they are not great. I hope they improve the subs as the show gains traction. (I watch on the China ver of the app, but I'll post any egregarious subbing errors if I come across them)

Changes made from the novel

The title, character names and premise has been changed. The ages of the some of the side characters/victims have also been changed. It's clear that scenes have been re-edited and re-dubbed, because some dialogue doesn't match the lip movements (WOH flashbacks anyone?) This is all to get pass censorship. A lot of the story, including the dialogue, has been preserved, and the changes aren't jarring.

Seems like there was a lot of uproar regarding the changes?

The show has been trending on weibo every day since it dropped, for good and bad reasons. Many book fans were upset with the changes on Day 1 and didn't bother watching pass the introduction of the premise, and there were complaints about the suitability of the actors' looks. By Day 2 the comments turned to "hey this isn't so bad??" And now everyone is just badgering youku for the next few episodes, cause they've literally released nothing else about the show since they dropped the episodes.

Has the story been sacrificed to pass censorship?

After watching 8 ep, I don't believe so. The novel covers sociopathy and the darkness of humanity - the show uses a "nuclear accident" as a reason for "genetic changes" in 1.3% of the population - causing these people to lose the ability to empathise with others. This is actually a very smart move because by blaming everything on a fictional, genetic mutation, the show can actually get away with showing the darker, more questionable parts of humanity, without having to censor it too much. The first case of the show mentions drugs and even has a short clip that heavily implies someone seizing from an overdose (you'll miss it if you aren't paying attention). There are underaged victims, and if they continue in this vein there will be more trigger warning worthy scenes from the book included. These things just don't get shown or talked about in c dramas - even if we don't talk about the BL, it's pretty crazy they managed to get this stuff out after the recent censorship changes.

Is the BL still.... there?

There are 8 episodes out so far and to me, it's working. We're not talking WOH level of chemistry here, but ep 3 onwards is when our CP starts paying more attention to each other. There is more than enough "candy" to find if you know what you're looking for. That said, it is not and will never be BL, just an adaptation.

Ok what am I looking for?

Glad you asked! Take for example the show's name change - from 深渊 (shen yuan) to 光•渊 (guang • yuan).

深 - deep 渊 - deep (often referring to a pool, so a deep dark pool, like in a cave) Shen Yuan comes from the novel and is translated as The Abyss, and represents Fei Du (Pei Su in the show)

光 - bright light Guang•Yuan is not a proper term by itself - it's a mash up of the words for bright light and deep pool. The light represents Luo Wenzhou (Luo Weizhao in the show), the one beam of light that penetrates Fei Du's darkness. Hence the English name "Justice in the Dark" is a pretty good translation.

The new names of the characters are Pei Su 裴溯 and Luo Weizhao 骆为昭. See the last character of each name? Su has the radical 月, for Moon in it, and Zhao has the radical 日, for Sun in it. The moon is considered Yin, and the sun is Yang. Together, they are Yin and Yang.

Hey maybe you think that's pushing it, but welcome to the life of a BL adaptation fan 🤣🤣

[weenwrites]

Howdy Ween🤠! How goes it? Enjoying the warmer weather I hope! (Edit: Starting writing this in my notes a while ago so I am personally sick of the warm weather now but if you like it then I hope that you're enjoying it! ☀️

I was hoping to request something with a human who enjoys building explosives, doing experiments with different chemicals put into fire: whether they are really productive or not remains to be seen. They don't do it in the base or around the kids for safety so probably out in all that dessert somewhere. Maybe they talk about them or record them for show. When they hear about Wheeljack from Bulkhead & Miko they're excited to meet him but they're nervous of new people. But they still wanna show him there stuff ya know? Bonus points, if you also think it'd be funny and it fits if not you don't have to, if it makes so much of a ruckus since they probably wanna impress Wheeljack that Agent Fowler calls in his traditional Agent Fowler fashion? "PRIME! What is going on down there!?"

I would like the story format but is headcannons works better for you that's fine. If decide you wanna write this, thanks in advance Ween!

(P.S.-I know this is really wordy but I promise when I send in a request it's 50% the story I describe & 50% vibes. It doesn't have to be exactly how I described it😅.)

Summary - Wheeljack and Miko go check out some explosives. Characters - Wheeljack Content - Gen Category - Scenarios Trigger Warnings - None

✎ A/N: I don't mind it if requests are wordy! There's always a chance that what you include in fics may help me come up with more ideas on how to write it.

[ Please do not repost, plagiarize, or use my writing for AI! Translating my work with proper credit is acceptable, but please ask first! ]

They were expecting Miko to show up once the rest of the team were called to assist them with the explosives. It was to be expected after all, Miko without explosives and action wouldn't be like her at all. Though part of them was beyond ecstatic to hear a familiar revving engine and see what looked to be the italian-flag racing towards them in the distance—later turning out to be Wheeljack—they forced all that excitement behind a calm and friendly demeanor once he skidded to a halt in front of them.

”Wheeljack!“ They exclaimed as he reconfigured himself into his rootmode, ”and Miko, too!“ they add as the respective girl stepped out from behind him. ”Thanks for showing up, but there isn't anything for the two of you to do. The team's finished loading all those explosives down there in the quarry, and I just have to do a bit of work on my end to ensure that things run smoothly.”

“That's fine, we came here to watch the show anyway.“ She explained.

”By all means, go right ahead—actually, Miko I'll need you to put these on real quick," and quickly, she was passed a pair of earmuffs and goggles before Y/N turned to the bot next to her. "Ooh, I don't think I have any earmuffs or protective goggles that are your size, Wheeljack." They chuckled.

"Don't worry 'bout me," he flicked his hand, "I've handled my fair share of loud noises before."

"Oh, right, right… You're out on the field alot…" They mumble, taking a clipboard from the trunk of their car, "I'll be detonating the explosives soon, so you won't have to wait long."

With a nod, he placed a hand on his knee and bent lower to look at the crates of supplies off to the side. A few particular crates had caught his attention with the bright yellow warning labels pasted all over the sides.

"What's this over here?" He asked.

Without batting an eye, Y/N responded: "Nondescript explosive materials."

"Gee, really?" Wheeljack deadpanned, "Couldn't tell."

They lowered the board and sighed, "Sorry, I'd rather not tell what it is—not while Miko's around anyway,—“

“Hey!”

”—I could get into a lot of legal trouble if you guys went around making explosives and setting them off without an ATF permit." They pause, "Assuming you guys would rat me out to the police, anyway…"

"D'you really take us for those kinds of people?" He chuckled.

“Just you guys? Specifically? No. Fowler? Absolutely.”

"Could you at least show us how it works?" Miko offered.

With a sigh, Y/N reluctantly continued, "I… Guess it wouldn't hurt as long as you can't get your hands on the specific chemicals themselves—and as long as you don't rat me out, my permit's at stake here..."

"Our lips are sealed." Wheeljack offered, even miming a zipping motion across his mouth.

With a hum, they shuffled past Miko, and over towards Wheeljack beside the crates. And there, they began sifting through some of the bags of chemicals, each plastered with big blocks of small, black text that either detailed warnings or the bag's contents. Curiously, the two had peered over Y/N's shoulder to try and make heads or tails of what they were doing.

"I just need a little bit of this nondescript powder, and if I ignite this tiny speck right here…"

The powder gave a loud very audible pop, leaving a small, black, smoking speck on the cardboard.

"And that's how it's going to go. Except… On a much larger scale. There's about 30 pounds of this stuff all the waaaay over there, each of them in a little water gel sack capsule, spread out across the supposed entrance of the mine."

"30 pounds?" Wheeljack blinked, "doesn't seem like much, and the mine's entrance is pretty deep."

"To you it might not, but just you wait." They smirked, "Appearances can be deceiving… But the explosives aren’t meant to reach the energon in the mine, it’s just supposed to pave the way to the energon since we don't have access to any larger pieces of mining equipment."

"Oh right, you're just loosening the rubble, yeah?"

"Yeah, and then you and the rest of the team will move in to clear it out, and depending on how it looks from there, I may have to plant some more explosives."

"Ya know that some energon veins can be deep-rooted into the soil, so if this mine is as big as everybody makes it out to be, you might have to adjust how many explosives to use and deep they go."

"Ok, ok, I gotcha... Say, you wouldn't be interested in helping me with these explosives, would you?" They offer, "I could really use your expertise."

"Sure thing, don't see why not." he nodded.

"Great! Now, is everyone ready?"

"Yeah, fire in the hole!" Miko exclaimed.

Y/N nodded and with the simple click of a button, a ground-shaking boom had errupted from the quarry with a mushroom cloud sprouting into the sky to boot. Gradually, the quaking had ceased and as the cloud was barely beginning to clear, Y/N turned to the two with a haughty grin.

"Whatever you mixed up has a pretty impressive blast radius despite the quantity," Wheeljack whistled.

"Oh, the quantity has nothing to do with the explosion, it's actually the concentration of the material that affects the scale of the explosive itself." They explained. "A little goes a long way, as they say."

"I see, mind if I take a closer look? I think if I run out of explosive cores for my grenades, I bet could make something like this work…"

"Well, so long as Fowler won't be on my back for this, then no, I don't mind—it's called ANFO, it's packaged in water gel since it's soluble in water. It's not as sensitive as dynamite but—hey—please be careful!"

"Yeah, don't worry 'bout it chief… Now what's this ANFO stuff made from exactly…?“ Haphazardly, he shoved the lid off the crate, ”A bit of… What's this now?"

"I-I told you to be careful!" They screeched, "If the powder gets between your joints, the friction could cause it to ignite!”

“Right, right… Human things aren't that sturdy…”

[equinoxts2]

Kulo Sena Lorepost: Starband of Fate

Hi Simblr! Kulo Sena is playable again! I've been working on some new lore for the "Level 32 Edition" rebuild, and also fighting a nasty, lingering cold. On the bright side, I tend to get my most creative ideas when I'm either ill or asleep, so have a lorepost! There'll probably be a few of those while I get more lots built.

So, let's talk about time rages. Over the years, I've rebuilt about a zillion times due to various game glitches and computer issues. I like to work these things into my game where possible, so I decided that, in the Senaverse, they are time rages - storms of magical energy that can alter the world of Juvash and even its timeline, albeit in a very small region. For reasons still unknown to my sims, time rages have seemingly been following the Nuidya tribe around and wrecking their encampments since their founding mother (Sena Yuleng, a fragment of the Earth Dragon) died. In other words, for eight or so generations.

Last September, one of my external hard drives - the one containing all my extracted sims, backups of my CC and past saves - got corrupted. Thankfully, my mum was able to recover the data, and it's fine now (knock on wood) - but I knew it had to be part of the story, especially since it's taken me since then to figure out what I want to do with the new rebuild. This, of course, manifested in Juvash as a Time Rage of Epic Proportions - one that affected the entire Senaverse and lasted a full starband (year/month equivalent, roughly 120 days.) There you have it - the Starband of Fate, an excuse for me to alter or retcon whatever I darn well please.

The Nuidya sheltered through the time rage and emerged mostly unaffected, though their territory around Lake Lulla was altered, becoming almost tropical (because I want to use the more colourful and varied Castaway separates instead of the identical fur tunics.) Once the first signs that all was well appeared, they made a start on rebuilding. That's where I am now. I have a lot of things I'm excited to play out in the new iteration, and I'll be sharing more loreposts while I build, but for now I'm off to zzzzz.

[angel-egg-egl]

Wardrobe Post 2023 Part 1: OPs

Mary Magdalene - Tarte Tatin OP - "Classic Beige"

A new purchase, but I'm already in love. I'm hoping I can get the other colourways!

Mary Magdalene - Carlotta OP - "Shell Pink"*

This one was a rescue (yes, it's the WW carlotta) I got for cheap from a pal! It had horrific dye bleed/fading and was missing its bow and neck ties. I decided to dye it red to mimic the Strawberry colourway, and it came out to be basically a perfect match! I used the original waist ties to add gussets to the sides, and then I found some cotton sateen to dye up and used that to replace the neck ties and bow. Im working on replacement waist ties, but haven't finished yet. It's become one of my favourite dresses!

Mary Magdalene - Fleur Antionette OP - "Iris"

This one's another rescue-- when I got it it was stained and altered. I redid the gussets, added lining, and got the stains out. Currently working on replacing the bows!

Victorian Maiden - Chiffon Doll OP - Brown

I got this one at a swap meet and am obsessed with it! The bodice is cotton, so it's very breathable and comfortable, and it's great layered over sweaters and blouses!

Baby the Stars Shine Bright - Sugar Bouquet Shirring OP (2005) - White

One of my favourites! I'm mostly into classic lately, but old school sweet has a place in my heart. I actually prefer this version to the 2023 version-- there's a drawstring in the neckline that makes the shoulder measurement somewhat adjustable to prevent bust gapping. It is a little shorter, though, so bloomers are a must for me!

Baby the Stars Shine Bright - Sugar Bouquet Shirring OP (2023) - "Antique Blue"

The modern edition! I was lucky enough to get this through the preorder lottery-- I kind of regret not getting the ichigo mousse colourway as well. The cut is very comfortable, with lots of stretch, and its long enough to hit at the knee for me. It does have a lot more poof than the 2005 edition, though, and requires multiple petticoats for me.

Alice and the Pirates - Toi et Moi OP - Black x Bordeaux

One of my few remaining polyester dresses! It's actually a cotton-poly blend, and the weave is very breathable, especially since the lining is cotton. It's quite long, too, so very nice for taller people. I really love violet prints, so I couldn't bring myself to let this one go.

Alice and the Pirates - Princess Serenity OP - White (one colour)

This was a dream dress that I actually managed to get BNWT for retail price! It hadn't even been taken out of the original plastic. It's very detailed and lovely, there's several layers of fabric and lots of gold embroidery. It's a little too fancy and rare to wear out often, but I am happy to own it as a sailor moon fan.

[chanbig]

Heyo, saw your open for fanfic question and thought I might ask as well^^;

Do you have some wips you really love and that we can get a sneak peak of? No matter if you plan to write them, are writing them rn or just really love the scenes,^^

im always open for fic questions if you have something you'd like to ask!! or if you want to ask/chat about chanbig or another ship ive written for or whatever else 💗

I have like 48313004 WIPs I swear 😂 but the ones I have outlines for or are working on the most rn right now are:

post-canon chanbig joint vacation with big getting badly sunburned and chan helping him cool down and apply aloe vera and things um escalating from there (inspired by nodt's heatstroke photoshoot). very soft and smutty getting together fic, something emotionally easier than my last fic

chanbig grindr au based on that viral grindr convo - big just moved into a new building and he gets a grindr message from one of his neighbors (chan) asking to borrow a wrench/screwdriver and big offers to help fix the problem (even though he knows jack shit about plumbing) bc chan is like the hottest guy he's seen. feat. wet tshirts and much ogling

follow up to kitty!big fic where big tries to find out why/how he turns into a cat and he and Chan get closer as they share this secret and feelings develop

big coming to work for the theerapanyakuls and going through training and becoming something like friends or master/protégé with chan, covering from pre-canon to post-canon - told from chan's perspective, as he falls in love with big (and big?? well, after he gets over kinn... 😉). I had to stop myself from working on this right after posting my last fic because it's a big project and I need a break haha

ice skating au where big is an elite skater that has lost one of his jumps and his coach brings chan in as a specialist to help him get it back. feat. chan as a hot but hardline coach and a lot of up close and personal training

not chanbig but I am literally soooo soooooo close 🤏 to finishing a follow-up to my pike/boimler fic. boimler comes back to his time and cannot seem to sleep. and because it's trek there is questionable use of the holodeck and the implications/fallout of time travel. I'm literally like 200 words away from posting it and have been for the last six months lmaooo

there's a bunch more that are not even wips really but just ideas that will probably never become more but you never know!

ill put the excerpt from heatstroke!fic below the cut 💗 it hasn't been edited and I'm not anywhere close to done so it might differ from the final fic!

Big woke up to the cold touch of ice on his face. 

Heat surrounded him from all sides, pressing heavily into his limbs and holding him down on the lounge chair. Exhaustion from the sleepless night before and the comforting warmth made it impossible for him to open his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this relaxed, and he didn't want anything to disturb him from it. 

Flinching away from the strange, cold touch, he tried to turn over onto his side, when a familiar voice cut through his fading dream.

"Big, wake up." 

Big frowned, squinting one eye open. 

A shirtless Chan, his broad shoulders gleaming under the bright afternoon sunlight, was kneeling next to him in the sand. In his hands he held two colorful drinks, each with their own flower. A small grin pressed at the corners of his lips, like he was just barely holding back his amusement at something. His eyes were soft and focused right on Big. 

He looked, for lack of a better word, like a dream. Big's dream. 

Heat muddling his mind, Big felt his hand rising up to touch Chan's face, before his thoughts kicked back in. 

Both eyes flashing open, Big inhaled sharply and jerked back, the lounge chair creaking uncertainly underneath him. His heart leapt and set off racing under his skin. 

Immediately, Chan leaned back. The amusement dropped from his face, concern taking its place. 

"Big, it's okay," he said. "It's just me."

Big hurriedly sat up, burning embarrassment and remnants of strange arousal making a mess of his head. His vision blurred and refocused in a way that made him feel sick. He felt overly warm now, his skin prickling every time he moved. 

"We're in [location]," Chan continued. Though his low voice was nothing more than factual, as if he were speaking about the weather, it was soothing. "Nothing's wrong. You're safe." 

Big shook his head, trying to clear it. His tongue felt glued to the roof of his mouth, thirst drawing his throat tight. 

Vacation. The beach. Chan. Not a dream. 

The ideas coalesced into the present, reminding him of where he was and–crucially–that he was not allowed to touch Chan like that.

Like they were lovers. 

He ignored the sharp drop of his heart at the thought, a feeling that was already all-too-familiar. He should have been used to it, after months of this painful, deepening kind of yearning that had cropped up in the wake of their shared recovery. He should have been better than this. 

A cool hand wrapping around his wrist pulled him out of his thoughts, grounding him to the present. 

"Are you going to throw up?" Chan asked, dipping his head to catch Big's eye. 

Big's voice was strangely hoarse when he could finally make himself reply. "No."

"Good. Take a drink of this," Chan said, as he folded Big's hand around one of the brightly-colored drinks. 

Big was already lifting the straw to his lips on autopilot before the thought hit him and he paused. "Does this have alcohol?"

A grin tucked itself into the corner of Chan's lips and Big could have sworn he looked amused—and perhaps, proud. 

"No. But good on you for asking. Alcohol wouldn't be good for you if you were dehydrated." 

Big could have blamed the overwhelming sunlight for the heat that spread across his face at the softly-spoken compliment, but he knew it wasn't the source. It was Chan, so close, watching him carefully.

He couldn't return the gaze. Not with his thoughts like this.

Instead, Big turned away and sipped at the sweet, cool drink, trying to keep in mind the treatment rules for dehydration and heat exhaustion Chan had drilled into all the bodyguards' heads all those years ago. Even though the first taste made him want to chug the whole drink in one go, he made himself take small sips. The last thing he wanted was to actually throw up all over Chan. 

The relief was near-immediate. He closed his eyes, breathing slowly and trying to bring his heart rate back down. 

Chan didn't say anything, and didn't move, either, as Big continued to drink. Big tried not to think of how close Chan was, how intense his gaze would be if Big opened his eyes. 

"Big, did you put on sunscreen?" Chan asked.

Big opened his eyes, frowning. "Yeah. Why?"

He wasn't expecting the brush of Chan's hand along his collarbone. His skin was strangely sensitive, the touch ten times more intense than usual. Not that Chan touched him much outside of the occasional adjustment of his form while they trained, or a friendly-ish clap on the shoulder sometimes. 

But this was far different from those. Chan slipped his fingers under the strap of Big's tank top and slowly pulled it down over his shoulder, as if he were trying to undress Big. The tips of his fingers dragged against Big's skin, still cool from where they had held the iced drink, a small relief from the overwhelming heat. 

The visual of Chan undressing him was so shocking that at first Big didn't realize what was wrong.

It was only when Chan's thumb shifted over his skin and pressed that Big snapped out of it. Sharp, electric pain lanced across his skin from where Chan had pressed and Big jerked back automatically. 

"Ow, what–?" 

"That's a bad burn," Chan said, letting go of Big's shirt and finally lifting his hand away.

[blade-liger-4ever]

Introducing Boza Eldar, heir to House Eldar!

(Sorry, I got a little editing-happy with some of them.)

Now, regarding his clothing style, since Boza's a Mandalorian, I knew from the get-go that designing him in armor wasn't going to work. However, when I came across the options I used above, I realized that I could easily try and show him in a "body glove", though I had to make do with the gloves and shoes. The belt...actually fits on its own. I chose this pose to give the idea of Boza working out in the early morning, and I tried to show in his expression that he's a rather smiley fellow who isn't easily ruffled even in mock combat. As for his given name, well, let me explain that before attempting to whip up his backstory:

Boza was named, and made in honor of, Chadwick Boseman.

Four years ago, Mr. Boseman was sadly taken from the world. Many were left heartbroken and sad, most of all his family. Unbeknownst to the public until his passing, Mr. Boseman had been suffering from cancer since the late stages of Captain America: Civil War's finishing production, at least. He did not share it with anyone outside of his family, and fought it just as hard as the Black Panther would have.

On a more personal note about the late actor, I want to extend my thanks to him in this tribute. Long before he was cast in the role, the Black Panther, also known as Prince/King T'Challa, was always a favorite character of mine. I briefly saw him in Avengers: Earth's Mightest Heroes, and then sporadically in Avengers Assemble. However, my greatest introduction to the character and his backstory was brought to life by Mr. Boseman. Truly, watching him in the theater as Black Panther felt like watching my favorite side Avenger come to life and step into the real world. Mr. Boseman played the character just as poised, regal, ferocious, and honorable as I had come to know and expect of the character. In hindsight, his part of the film riveted my attention almost as much, if not to the same degree, as the story of Cap and Bucky. I was much happier for his portrayal of T'Challa than I would have guessed, and perhaps more than I realize now. And for that, I am eternally grateful he was offered and accepted the role, for without him, my experience with both the film and the character would be much duller, and my memories of the old MCU would not be nearly as bright.

Rest in peace, Chadwick Boseman. You have earned it, and may you continue your adventures as the Black Panther in Heaven.

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

Boza Eldar was born the sole heir to his House in the Mandalore System. The Eldars are renowned for their prowess in martial arts, and their ability to use their words as weapons in the political games of the galaxy. As the only direct heir to the House, Boza studied across the System to learn battle strategy, martial arts, languages, politics, technology, the arts, and much more. However, during his studies, he became more and more suspicious of the Empire's motives, causing him to dig into their works in his off time - which he did not often have. Realizing the true nature of the Empire, Boza was prepared to take the matter up with his parents about pushing back when news of Sabine Wren blowing the whistle on the Empire after her tenure in the Academy spread through the System. Not long after, Sabine was accused of being a traitor to Mandalorian society, and a coward for running from her people and "justice".

Despite the people's distaste for the "runaway Wren", Boza, impressed by her courage to say anything against the Empire, was inspired to slowly build up a secretive group of Mandalorians to combat the Empire someday. His parents helped him set up the network, though it was mostly conducted through intelligence gathering and occasional "heists" that disrupted the Empire's work and transports. Despite this, the atmosphere was still tense, which grew worse as rumors of a rogue Mandalorian outside the System was wrecking havoc and combating the Empire grew - and that she was a Jedi. Although Gar Saxon insisted the rumors were Rebel propaganda and censored all information regarding his work into recent Mandalorian "traitors", Boza knew this was no coincidence.

Although he had no particular love for the Jedi, Boza's studies of history involved Tarre Vizsla, and how the Mandalorian Jedi brought peace and unified the Clans and made them the powerful Sector that they now are. There were no Jedi from his line or any other in three thousand years, and yet now, not only has a member of a prominent Clan taken a stand against the Empire, but the first Mandalorian Jedi since Tarre has appeared, standing against the Emperor by her sheer existence. If the rumors about her were true, and if she and Sabine Wren were both working for this "Rebel Alliance", then that could only mean one thing:

The Mandalore System must go to war against the Empire.

Boza's family has their own religious view of what the Jedi call the Force, and he is certain that the appearance of a Jedi Mandalorian is a sign that they must unite once again, lest they be crushed. He, Sabine, and this rogue are children, but they can lead in a firefight, or inspire others to take up arms and combat the Empire. They must grow into these roles, for their people depend on them.

When Lady Bo-Katan Kryze returns with her own army of Mandalorians and wielding the Darksaber, Boza wastes no time in bringing his forces to supply her lost troops. Working with her, he finds himself assigned as a field commander alongside none other than Sabine Wren herself. Despite her still stained image in Mandalorian society, Boza cannot help but find her intriguing. They fight well together, are evenly matched in a fight (though they each have a tendency to "lose" a match to the other), and understand their respective interests in art. Where Sabine is colorful and expressive with her artwork (both with and without explosives involved), Boza prefers sculpting. He likes to work with his hands, and it helps calm nerves and distracts from the severity of the war. Although it is joked about often, others pointing to Boza allowing Sabine to paint his sculptures and figurines as the moment she fell in love with him has much evidence going for it.

When the war is over and Mandalore has been freed from the Empire, Tristan has assumed his birthright as the new Count Wren while Sabine's younger twin sister, Sacha, has joined Fenn Rau's new Proctectors. However, both Boza and Sabine realize that even with her courage and loyalty to Mandalore being proven, most men will still avoid her due to old political wounds, not helped by the fact that even now, Tristan is arranging a marriage for himself to earn some additional support, as Clan Wren is still persona non grata, both from their time with Death Watch and Sabine's past actions reflecting on them. Despite that, Boza knows one man who doesn't care for that part of her past, and asks Sabine if she would accept his hand in marriage, offering Clan Wren the support and protection of House Eldar as a wedding gift as well.

Zeb swears the marriage was one of the biggest, and definitely the most colorful, that he's ever attended.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's all, folks! Almost all of this is original on my end, save the name Eldar; although they're only known as Clan Eldar in the canon Star Wars universe, I decided to promote them to a House's standing in my take. I see Boza and Sabine having three kids, though I don't think either of them would mind a fourth - or even be unhappy with just two. I didn't have a place to put this, but I envision Boza having a pet "wolf cat". It's an actual named animal in Star Wars, though it has no official art - but I'm willing to imagine House/Clan Eldar's sigil is one....

Thank you for reading, and may the Force be with you!

[ashland-frost]

My Frost meeting the Twins, she has already met Ominis at several pure-blood events.

I'm pretty sure I need to edit this again, but here you go. Not that many people read my shit but yeah...

Might write more on Frost's journey through hogwarts not sure.

The Fairy, the Blind snake, and the Twin foxes

Train station

Ashland felt a surge of relief as she boarded the train, finally free from her mother's presence for the next few months. The promise of this temporary escape nearly brought tears to her eyes, though her overall discomfort with people dampened her joy. Searching for an empty compartment, she was surprised to find one already occupied. A boy with a slightly crooked nose, yet undeniably attractive, sat inside. Recognizing him, she greeted him with a soft smile, though he couldn't perceive it.

"Oh, if it isn't the little blind snake. I see we meet again," she remarked, taking a seat beside him.

The boy turned his head, a devilish grin playing on his lips. "And what a pleasure to meet the snow-covered raven."

She giggled, recalling that he had met Ominis several times when she followed her grandmother to parties. Just like herself, he was slated to be an heir, yet he was born blind, his iris irreparably broken.

"Mmh? So how's the new wand working for you?"

"It helps. I don't need anyone assisting me around. I hate feeling like an invalid. And you? Do you like your wand?"

"It's okay. I prefer wandless magic."

"Of course, that doesn't surprise me. Ah, we have more people joining."

They both turned their attention to the cabin door, hearing voices.

"Sebastian, wait!" a girl's voice sounded out, the was a small twitch on Ominis face.

“what is it?” Frost voice was low.

“her voice sounds like a belle” said answered.

"Hold on, I'm sure I saw her," he demanded as a boys voice rang out, popping his head at the door, his eyes locking onto Frost, oh she's seen him before, the little sunflower, his smile bright with rosy cheeks.

"I told you, Anne, I found her. See? I told you she was real. It's a Sith," he added, glancing at the girl behind him. Twins, both with unruly brown hair and freckles, though the boy's face bore far more freckles than his sister's.

“A Sith?” both Ashland and Ominis spoke simultaneously, and then Ashland laughed. “Are you talking about me?” she smiled, while the boy's face turned slightly red, and he scratched his head. “You look like a snow fairy,” his eyes not leaving hers.

“That's a first. Well, thank you... Are you two going to sit?”

They both nodded and settled in front of her, with Ominis sitting next to Ashland. His eyes were partially closed, facing the window with a smile. “Snow fairy, it fits her well.”

“Hush, little snake. You can't even see,” she hissed, making Ominis laugh.

The twins stared at them, or more specifically, Sebastian stared at his little snow fairy, and Anne at the blind snake. The banter between the two stopped.

“Do forgive me, my manners seem to have escaped. I am Ominis Gaunt, and this snowy owl is Ashland Frost,” Ominis introduced them to the twins, while Frost rolled her eyes.

“I'm Sebastian Sallow, and my twin sister Anne Sallow.”

Anne smiled next to her brother, her prettiness accentuated by a lovely smile. Frost observed as Anne stared at Ominis, finding it cute. However, the intensity with which Sebastian looked at her sparked a different feeling. She became intrigued by him.

“Is anything wrong, little Sunflower?” she looked at Sebastian, Ominis's smile disappearing from his face as he knew she only called people nicknames when she was interested in the person. Frost didn't notice this but Anne did and wondered what there relationship was.

“Is my brother the sunflower?” Anne teased nudged her brother side

“Anne..stop” the boy squirmed,he doesn't look used to such compliments.

“you know she means you look at your face you have more freckles than i do”

“ i know you don't have to remind me”

Frost giggles “ freckles are cute, your chubby cheeks too”

“oh look Seb the snow fairy likes you” teasing her brother more “ oh shall we be friends snow fairy i'm sure my brother would like that, he's not shut up about you since he saw you in diagon alley, i thought he was joking at first but, you do look like a fairy”

“it'd be great to have friends, i just have this moody little snake for company”

“Who's moody? i have you know this is just my wonderful personality you are witnessing” Ominis turns his head in the direction of the twins, they both looked at each other seeing that Ominis was indeed blind”

“your eyes are pretty” says the twins in unison, making Ominis blush slightly and Frost laughing “ look at that, you two have won him over already, thats impressive. see i told you your eyes are pretty, don't listen to others''

“You three are ridiculous!” he folds his arms and pouts, he's very bad at hiding his emotions and his facial expressions are so fresh to gaze at. As thy all laugh together to trolley lady selling sweets stops and asked if they want any, the twins look at each other “ no thank you”

they voices sounded like they wanted it though,but they didn't have money for that, just enough pocket money for things they might really need.

“I'll take four of everything please,” Frost smiled, handing the lady gold coins.the lady took the coins and left them with sweets, Frost sharing them out. “mmh? do you not want any?”

“no It's just thank you” said Anne

“ thank you” Sebastian's voice was smaller

“ for a minute i thought you were going to get the whole trolley” voice came in to stop the awkwardness

“ don't tempt me, i haven't eaten in days but that many sweets would do more harm than good”

“ah she still treats you like that even when you're the next head of the family how disrespectful” he rested his head on his hand. Frost opened the sherbert lemon for Ominis and handed it to him. “ I can do it myself you know” popping the candy in his mouth.

“yes yes i’m aware” she looked up at the twins staring.

Anne was the first to speak up, her curiosity evident in her voice. "You both give off that pureblood aura, don't you? Sorry, it's just something I noticed."

Ominis, with a hint of pride, responded, "Is it a bad thing? But yes, we are purebloods. I am Ominis Gaunt, the last descendant of Salazar Slytherin and the heir to the Gaunt house. And Miss Frost here, well, I'm not at liberty to discuss her family, but she is also a pureblood and an heir. Our families are quite distinguished, although I must admit, mine can be quite overwhelming."

Anne quickly clarified, "I didn't mean anything negative by it. We are purebloods too, just not as... prominent, I suppose."

Ominis reassured her, "Ah, it doesn't matter if you have money or not. You are from the Sallow family, right? I've heard your family has a fondness for Muggle things and prefers to avoid high society. There's nothing wrong with that. High society can be quite..."

"A pain in the fucking arse!" Frost interjected, causing a momentary shock among the group.

"Language, Ash! Merlin's beard!" Ominis scolded, though a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

The twins burst into laughter, finding Ash's blunt honesty amusing.

"But it's true!" Frost defended, unapologetic.

Frost couldn't help but giggle at Ominis' comment. "Speaking your mind can be quite dangerous, you know."

As the conversation carried on, the atmosphere was filled with joy and a strong sense of camaraderie. The four of them were growing closer during their journey to Hogwarts, taking the opportunity to get to know each other better. It became apparent that the twins had lost their parents a few years ago and were now living with their uncle. Although they didn't have to take the train, they wanted to experience meeting new people since they resided in the nearby village of Feldcoft. Ominis even opened up about his own family, feeling a sense of relaxation that he hadn't felt before. They all shared bits and pieces about themselves, but the twins noticed that Frost remained silent about her own family. However, it was evident from her initial comment about not eating for days that she had experienced abuse at home, and Ominis seemed to be aware of this too, skillfully diverting the conversation when necessary. The twins were wise enough not to pry into someone's personal life without invitation. Finally, the train came to a halt, marking the end of their journey and beginning for something more.

[eri-blogs-life]

Today officially marks my 5-year anniversary of starting gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy! It's been a real good five years, overall. A mixed bag at times, for sure, with my old shitty job and then me losing my job and getting into extreme debt, but on the bright side I'm in a great relationship, I've got some fantastic friends, and I feel like I am my own person now and all that good stuff's got a lot to do with my transition.

Anyway, to celebrate I decided to take a whole day off work and play a bunch of video games! Quick impressions on like the half-dozen games I played at least an hour or so of today, in no particular order other than the order I played them in today:

Lego: Lord of the Rings

I'll be real, I was not the biggest fan from my first impression. I grew up with Lego Star Wars, and still love that game to this day, but a new Lego game for me...? The gameplay is pretty simple, which is fine but not necessarily the most engaging.

Worst of all though is adding voice acting. One of the best aspects of the Lego Star Wars games was that they had to get creative with how they told the story, focus only on the really important details, and come up with unique ways for characters to express themselves. By ripping the dialogue straight out of the Lord of the Rings movies instead, it cuts a lot of the Lego charm that I loved so much in those games growing up.

Probably not going to play much more of this one

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun

RIP AND TEAR

Holy shit, this game slaps. Like, I'd heard lots of good things, but now that I've played it I can really feel just how good it is. The pixel art intro is amazing (though a little long-winded for my taste I feel), the graphics of the core gameplay are absolutely beautiful, the music and sound feels so good to the ears, the shooting feels so clunky and satisfying... All around, an absolutely awesome experience.

I am definitely going to be beating this one at LEAST once through.

Lethal Company

Far from my first time playing Lethal Company, but yeah, this is a real fun game. The mix of horror and goofing off with friends just makes for a real fun experience. Once you start learning the creatures' behaviors and they stop being so scary, it really does become just a fun, goofy, silly time with friends in which you ocassionally get extremely freaked out by something suddenly killing you when you don't expect it.

Absolutely playing more, of course.

Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin Edition

I've written about this game before on my blog, it is one of my favorite games of all time and I absolutely adore it. I didn't play for a whole lot today, mostly just booted it up and played until I died, but that made for a satisfying little taste of the game again. Without the social aspect of me playing this game with my friend Jon back in college, though, it definitely doesn't have quite the same appeal.

I don't know if I'm going to play more DS2 anytime soon. I played so, so many hours of this game and explored nearly all its secrets, I don't know how much more playtime I've got in me.

XCOM 2

I've been playing this game for the past few weeks, actually, and fucking loving it. I adored the original reboot XCOM and played it tons, and I picked up XCOM 2 shortly after its release, but I didn't actually give it a real good playing until recently. It's fantastic, but man is it rough to play. You lose a couple of good soldiers on one mision and it feels like everything starts chain-reacting til you've lost the whole run.

Definitely going to be playing more. I want to see this game's ending at least once.

Slay the Spire

Quite possibly my favorite game of all time, I love Slay the Spire's everything. Its game loop, its art, its music, the whole package is absolutely fantastic.

Absolutely I'm playing this game more. I also cannot wait for StS 2.

Cube Escape Collection

Alright, so my first exposure to this series was my neice playing a Cube Escape game on her ipad in, like, 2014, and then I didn't think about it again for a really long time. It was just some weird little puzzle game for mobile apps for kids or whatever. But then I saw this game on steam one time on sale, thought the name sounded familiar, and decided to pick it up. So far in first little experience, it's chill. I do enjoy me a good little escape room puzzle, for sure.

Probably going to play more, but it might be a while before I pick it up again

Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp

I loved Monster Prom - its fun characters and silly setting make for a really entertaining time. I finally got around to trying out the sequel. It's good, though mechanically it felt like largely the same core loop. It's not a bad loop by any means, and of course the real appeal is in the new romanceable characters, but I didn't find myself really falling too hard for any of them on an initial runthrough like I did with Polly in Monster Prom.

I might play more. Might try at least one run to date Aaravi cause they seemed fun.

Highschool Romance

Holy shit this made me feel things. The premise of a boy has to crossdress to fit in at an all-girls school feels kinda silly at first blush, but it really feels like the game takes it seriously. I dunno, when the game put me in a situation where I had to make a decision between revealing my identity to the girl I was interested in or keeping it a secret, I had to just pause the game and step away for a few minutes. The game really got me in to feeling like I was there in the character's shoes, caught in the headlights of a near impossible decision between trying to keep my secret a little longer or coming out when I didn't know how she'd take it. I tried keeping it a secret, but it didn't exactly end up working out, and she found out. But she was cool about it. And she even wanted to kiss me, which was pretty hot.

I'm absolutely about to play the fuck out of this game.

Ocean's Heart

Didn't play this game for long, but I got just enough of a taste to say it seems really promising. Got a lot of the 2D Zelda genes in it and from my short time with it, it feels pretty fun to play.

Definitely going to play more of it, but I think it's going to go back onto the backlog for now while I focus on other games.

[putschki1969]

「Butterfly Dream」Digital Release

In advance of Wakana’s 3rd album release, the lead track “Butterfly Dream” has been made available in digital format to stream and download.

Download link: https://jvcmusic.lnk.to/Wakana_ButterflyDream Wakana Butterfly Dream ℗ Victor Entertainment Released on: 2023-05-10 Composer: Yuki Kishida |  Lyricist: Wakana

Thoughts: Ughhh, I really wanted to adore this but I am having a very hard time getting into the song, especially without the gorgeous visuals of the MV. I really hope and pray that they didn’t choose “Butterfly Dream” as the leading promo track because they thought it was the best track. That wouldn’t bode well for the rest of the album...This might be a personal preference but this isn’t exactly my favourite singing style for Wakana, it’s not particularly flattering imo and it doesn’t help that they are adding additional layers of her vocals on top of her singing. When we first got a few snippets of the MV I actually thought it was an issue with the audio but they obviously did that on purpose :P Melody-wise, neither the verse nor chorus do anything for me but I might have to give the track a few more listens to warm up to it. Not sure what they were trying to attempt by adding that directionless ending part though, that really doesn’t add anything to the song. On a side note, they could have at least tried to put a little bit more effort into that cover XD Then again, the spotty lights kinda match the weird sound effects that are used during the song [Edit: I am surprised to find out that they used actual lights instead of a random filter :P]

On May 10 at 21:00 JST the music video of "Butterfly Dream" will premiere on Wakana's Official YouTube Channel. Ayumi Sakamoto, an up-and-coming female creator was in charge of directing the “Butterfly Dream" music video. It was shot on location at the Oya stone quarry in Utsunomiya City.  The video is an impressive work featuring a dark fantasy worldview with a light waltz rhythm within a mystical atmosphere. Among all of this, Wakana draws attention to herself by being dressed in a bright red outfit. One of the highlights of the MV is the scene where Wakana sits on a steep cliff and sings, please pay attention to that! (Source)

Wakana「Butterfly Dream」Music Video Premiere

Don’t forget to tune in tomorrow!

Wakana  New Album『Sono Saki e』 Rapid-Fire Full Album Listening Event

Right before the premiere of the MV, Wakana will be live-streaming a “Rapid-Fire Full Album Listening Event” on her Official YouTube Channel. It was Wakana’s wish to listen to all the songs together with the fans. The event will be moderated by Takumi Fujita. While listening to the 11 songs recorded for the album, Wakana will share her thoughts and a few anecdotes from the recording process. Please be sure to tune in when all tracks get unveiled for the first time!

[corvis-crimson]

Let me discuss irons I have in the fire…

I have three books currently going though the final stages of editing and publishing through Amazon!

Code Word Alpha: 17+ A suspense, comedy, frenemies, style mystery following retired private eye Zachariah Ravenwood and his nemesis William Weaver as they are forced to work together! Travel along the Mississippi River to New Orleans in search of Ravenwoods files as they hide from both sides of the law! This is book one in my Code Word Alpha series which I plan to make a trilogy!

Heal your mind book: 6+ A poetry book about finding yourself and taking care of your mental health! This book will discuss mental illness and is meant to help children or younger adults feel safe enough to express their emotions to trusted adults!

Poems from the Inkwell: 13+ A collection of poems surrounding Love, Loss, and Rebirth. Book one of what will be a larger collection of writings as I write poetry often…almost daily!

Books I am currently in the process of writing! I like to mix it up and focus on multiple projects at once as to not burn out on one project or another! [Titles up for debate as of right now]

The Ballad of Owen and Leo: 17+ A true story of Owen a Southern born and raised trans man who finds the sense of belonging he had been trying to find his entire life in an older Trans man named Leo. Follow both Leo and Owen throughout their lives as they struggle to find themselves and find each other! Read on how Owen leaves behind everything he has ever known to know Leo. A story of self discovery and long distance love based on my life and my fiancé’s life!

Vampires of Soho: 18+ NSFW romance about a human who falls for both a vampire and a werewolf who have secretly been friends for centuries! Bubbly and bright vampire who breaks stereotypes and a werewolf who stands by their side through it all! What will happen when this human meets this ray of sunshine and hope and their grumpy and standoffish werewolf counterpart? Only time will tell!

Prehistoric Pandemonium: 13+ A Love letter to Michael Critchton! Taking place in the late 90s a team of paleontologists find a mysterious object buried next to a skeleton! However, before they can figure out what the mystery object is they are recruited for an experimental government program. They are sent back in time but something goes wrong…will they manage to re-unite before the asteroid strikes and destroys all their data? Or will they die trying? Featuring niche references to Michael Critchton books and accurate depictions of dinosaurs the time travel world if sorely lacking!

Virgin Mathew: 17+ What’s worse than being the only boy in your high school friend group who hasn’t lost his virginity? A zombie apocalypse of course! A comedy coming of age story with lots of laughs and thrilling moments! What’s a better way to impress your crush after all than to save her from a hungry hoard of zombies?

[notsocheezy]

Brain Curd #53

Brain Curds are lightly edited flash fiction - practically first drafts - posted daily and sometimes written with the express intention of being terrible… but, you know, in an endearing way. Please enjoy.

Roger sat at the kitchen table opposite his wife, as he drank coffee and read his newspaper. Ethel also drank coffee, but used a straw to avoid messing up her bright red lipstick.

“Some weather we’re having,” Roger said, by reflex. There really wasn’t much weather at all down in the bomb shelter, and it was unlikely there was any up above either. He folded up the newspaper - which was now over a year old - and set it next to his coffee.

All of a sudden, the earth shook and a deluge of rocks and dirt came from the ceiling, collapsing the table and dividing it right through the middle. The couple was separated.

Roger took a sip of his coffee and called out for his wife. “Ethel, are you alright over there?”

“Yes, I’m quite fine, Roger. And you?”

“Can’t complain, really.”

“That’s good.”

He walked up to the pile of rubble and poked at it. “I really don’t see these rocks moving, frankly.”

“Can you try?”

He examined the wall of boulders up and down. “No.”

“How disappointing.”

“It’s just as well, though, isn’t it? Very convenient that this happened to split us up into even halves of the bunker. You’ve all the food you need, as do I. Same goes for water.”

“Yes, that is fortuitous.”

“It hardly seems worth the effort to move these things. Now that I think of it - how many of the kids do you have over there?”

She yelled out. “Petey, Clarissa, Filbert?” Two children walked into the room from the doorway behind her. “Two of them.”

“That’s good,” Roger replied. “Looks like I have Petey over here. Not entirely an even split, but he’s the oldest and I do have the dog as well.”

“This is going splendidly.”

“Agreed, my dear. Next I think we should discuss finances.”

“Finances?”

“Yes, I’m not quite sure money is worth anything at this point, but we ought to cover all our bases.”

“Half and half seems fair.”

“Agreed. I’ll ask my attorney to draw up the papers and fax them over. Oh -” he snapped his fingers. “Shoot. You don’t have a fax machine on that side.”

“No trouble, I’ve found a hole I can fit my arm through.” She stuck her arm in the hole and waved at Roger.

“You can’t see me, but I am waving back,” Roger said while lighting a cigarette.

“No you aren’t, I also found a hole that I can see through.”

“Please, Ethel, please, we shouldn’t argue in front of the kids.”

“Oh, you’re right, Roger.”

“Hmmm…” he paced about the room. “You know, we’ve only been separated for about two minutes at this point. Perhaps divorce is premature.”

“I hardly think so,” Ethel replied. “To be honest with you, Roger, I’ve already found someone else.”

“You have?”

“That’s right.”

“Who is he?”

“Your attorney, of course.”

“Right. I forgot he was staying over. Unfortunately, this would seem to be a conflict of interest. I’ll need to find a new attorney.” Roger looked at the son he’d be retaining custody of. “Petey, what was it that you’ve been studying?”

“Family law.”

“Perfect. Ethel, I’ve found new representation, but the divorce will have to wait until he can pass the bar exam.”

“I can wait.”

“Good, good. Well, I suppose this is all working out fairly well.” He went to put out his cigarette, but realized something was missing. “Damn. Do you happen to have the ashtray on your side?”

“I do.”

“Pass it over, will you?”

Ethel picked it up from the table and tried to fit it through her arm hole, but it was too big. She sighed, said “just a moment,” and walked out of the dining room. She walked for a minute around the corner and set it on the table in front of Roger.

“Thank you, dear.”

“Don’t mention it.”

[onigiri-dorkk]

Two nights ago I started writing TwiYor smut 🤭 I also outlined a CloTi (Cloud x Tifa) reunion one shot last night. These are two pairings I’ve been DYING to write but have been waiting for a right time to delve in. I still don’t have as much emotional attachment to either compared to Rivamika; RM will forever be my OTP I’ll always primarily write for. But I’m excited to try out these new couples and open up my creativity a little more!

So far, angsty/serious Twilight feels very similar to Levi, without Levi’s attitude lol! I didn’t plan on making it angsty but that’s where it’s headed so far. I’ve never really written a character like Yor who is a bit more… aloof? LOL. Kinda airheady but sweet and loving. I’ve always felt like she’s like if Tohru Honda was an assassin. But I think as long as I stay in that realm of Tohru’s serious side — still loving, still thinking of others, most committed to protecting and loving her close ones — I think I can get it right. Splash a bit of innocence in.

The Cloud Tifa thing isn’t written yet, only outlined, but it’ll be in Tifa’s POV and will also have angsty undertones despite the reunion. I think Cloud/Tifa will be super easy for me to write because Rivamika in Microcosmos I think was subconsciously written like them; Mikasa was a little more emotional and sweet and bright eyed like Tifa, and Levi and Cloud are both easily the brooding soldiers hehe. What has intimidated me writing for the FFVII world, though, is quite literally writing the world 🤯 I haven’t played or read to the end yet—mainly to keep the second half of FFVIIR game a surprise when I do play it. But I’ve always loved them and they give me such Rivamika vibes. While Aerith was a love of Cloud’s life, who arrives and vanishes, Tifa is the constant and who is with him and fights for him and keeps him steady, and he realizes this over time. I am only limited in the time eras… But I’ll brush up on their childhood backstory to make sure I get things right.

That said, I’ve really only written Rivamika/AOT so far. Those of you who write for multiple fandoms and series, do you keep all your works on one account? Or do you prefer separating them?

Maybe that’s a question for readers too! If you subscribe to a writer for their AOT work and get alerts from them, do you get annoyed if you get alerted for a different series? Lol

P.S. I’ve been focusing most of my time post-trip editing my travel photos and writing up the #onigiritravels blog posts! If you haven’t checked it out, please do! 🤍