#so like feel free to ask more specific questions

[thebibliosphere]

Hello! Feel free to ignore this ask, I just have a small question: I have joint hypermobility and possible EDS (I'm diagnosed with hypermobility and EDS is just something my doctors suspect) and lately I myself have been suspecting POTS. My reasoning is that every time I measure my pulse and blood pressure, my pulse is significantly elevated and my blood pressure is super low. Like that is something that is *known* about me even by doctors, they all remark that my blood pressure is low, and frequently make jokes that I must be scared to be there because my heartbeat is really fast.

After my friend said that that is bad and that it can be what's causing my chest pains (I had an ultrasound of my heart done when I was 15 due to the chest pains and they found nothing abnormal, and after that they called me a lying drama queen faking it for attention, and ever since then I've never brought the issue up again), I bought a smart watch to monitor my pulse and began to monitor both my blood pressure and pulse at home a lot more often as well, and it seems that whenever I'm lying down, my heartbeat is consistently about 90 (moves between 80-100) and as soon as I stand up it steadily goes up. Immediately after standing up it gets to 110 and if I wait a few additional minutes before measuring it it usually crawls up to 150 (140-155), while my pressure is usually 90/60 at this point. I understand that this is also the main symptom of POTS.

But what I don't get is this: my hands are constantly cold as all hell and I sometimes have to wear gloves in the summer to keep them warm (doctors don't care, I've mentioned this since I was a kid), which checks out, but if the blood was pooling in my legs, shouldn't they be hot? But my feet are constantly cold as all hell as well. Sometimes I experience hot flashes specifically in my feet and hands, but most of the time both my hands and my feet feel like they might freeze to death.

So my question is basically can that happen with POTS?

Oh for sure. There are lots of things that contribute to POTS and circulation problems is one of them, and blood pooling has never felt hot for me.

My feet and legs could be purple from blood pooling and they’ll still be ice cold because the inability to regulate body temperature is also a feature of dysautonomia for a lot of people.

Reynauds is also common in POTS so that could also explain any mottling while you still feel cold.

I’m so sorry the doctors dismissed you like that. You deserved compassionate care. You still do.

[thewertsearch]

Ask Comp 28/04

@worldweary-walker asked: Dad Egbert's genre friction with Homestuck is fun. He is about Serious Business… but he can take a joke! He has the very efficient Wallet Modus, but used a safe to store the note. A man of contrasts. A man of mystery…

Genuinely, the fact that he legitimately was a prankster despite his normie aesthetic is one of my favourite things about the man. Let's hope Dad Crocker is the same.

Anonymous asked: now that you've met her, the final Namco High character is Jane. you still can't play Namco High yet (I think the collection will automatically inform you when it's no longer spoilers) but soon. soon.

The fact that Namco High might actually include plot spoilers for Homestuck is hilarious.

In lieu of evidence to the contrary, I'm going to assume it's the only piece of Homestuck-adjacent media which actually explains the Aspects.

@honestlyvan asked: I hope whatever is going on with you is easygoing, and you don't feel too pressed about this side-project, tbh. I would also rather you take your time with it and enjoy yourself. @marineofthestars asked: 13/04? @gl1tchypyr0 asked: Are you planning anything for 4/13 because Homestuck day? Anonymous asked: so happy you're back! @ramdomartkid asked: Happy 4/13!!!!!!

Thank you - happy to be back!

Don't worry too much about the recent hiatuses - none of them have been prompted by anything serious. Sometimes, I'm just excessively busy, and need to catch my breath a little!

Anonymous asked: rereading your archive, dropping in a couple of my personal miscellaneous voice hc's while im here! John: Abed Nadir (Community) Feferi: Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls) Doc Scratch: The Narrator (The Stanley Parable)

Doc Scratch as the Narrator is inspired, and Mabel fits Feferi surprisingly well.

I've still never seen Community - and, in fact, I'm not sure I even know what it's about. I know about the pizza meme, of course, and I think they play Dungeons and Dragons at one point?

Anonymous asked: Is Sally being introduced to in-fandom memes at the point in the comic where they would have been popular, or are we just going off when they stop being spoilers?

(More the latter. If people want to spread the memes around, then as long as it isn't a spoiler, it gets a pass. And frankly, the two are usually pretty close together. - Vamp)

Yeah, what usually happens with Homestuck's major memes - Pantskat, for example - is that I'll get several asks referencing it immediately after it stops being a spoiler. My spoiler policy being what it is, I'm generally made aware of them during my next ask session after the fact!

@semaphoricwave asked: Hypothetically, if somebody wanted to write a fic about your trollsona's dancestor, would that spark joy or would you rather the hypothetical somebody didn't? The story you've laid out is fascinating and I (I mean, the hypothetical somebody) would really enjoy digging into it, but I also understand if that's not something you'd be interested in people doing with your trollsonas. Also follow-up in case it does spark joy: any other facts about Sahlee Senior that would be of interest to that hypothetical somebody? Either way hope you have a good week!

Absolutely! I'd be thrilled to read any fics involving my OCs. I've DMed you a short character profile on the Hostess that you can use for reference - and if you have any specific questions, feel free to ping me!

Anonymous asked: Just r3ad thr0ugh y0ur liv3bl0g, and I want3d t0 say h0w much I l0v3d r3ading it. Sup3r happy y0u d3cid3d t0 try 0ut th3 3pil0gu3s as well!¡! @heattth asked: I just wanted to say, I've been rereading the whole liveblog and it is a very fun experience. Thank you for having written it.

Thanks a bunch - it's always nice to get messages like this.

Seeing a post's note counter go up is a very abstract way to get feedback. Like, I'm aware that a ton of people are reading (and hopefully, enjoying) the posts, but it's still hard to conceptualize - so asks like this are a great way to make it feel real. I can see irrefutable evidence that people really are having a good time on TheWertsearch dot com, which is all I really ask for.

@mhafanlol2000 asked: Do you think about how Dave and Rose’s prophesied hero’s journeys both ended in suicide. What do you think that says about them? If I have to constantly think about this then so do you.

I think what it says the most is that Sburb loves suicide. It's the default way to achieve the God Tier, after all, and according to Terezi, the game actively wants the children who play it to wrestle with their own mortality.

This, to me, is one of the most explicitly malicious aspects of the game. It's really not necessary to achieve Skaia's stated goals, and I'm unconvinced that traumatizing these children makes them more effective custodians of a universe.

@caliquill asked: dropping in to say - jane is maybe my favourite homestuck character so it brings me great joy to see you cracking at her flaws in a genuine manner. thank you :]

Jane's great so far. She's not a carbon copy of John - and, honestly, she feels like the most unique of the B2 kids so far.

Hussie already had a framework to build on with Dirk, Roxy and Jake, but Nannasprite's main traits were 'grandma', 'ghost', and 'clown', none of which should logically transfer to Jane. She had to be mostly original.

@spiddermen asked: bowman just released a new track for the 16th anniversary! it's awesome and doesnt have any spoilies, it's called on the thirteenth day

Ooh, I'd love to give it a listen!

If anyone can link me a non-spoilery upload of the song, I'd appreciate it. YouTube and Bandcamp are both danger zones, and I'm not sure where else you might find it.

@faggoatquixote asked: “GT: Right o! If a man believes hard enough in imaginary things then i dare say that makes them slightly less fake!” Sounds a lot like talk from another Page boy I know… Rufio anyone?

Which is kind of weird, right?

I assumed Jake's 'belief' schtick was due to him being a Hope Player - but Tavros has said some similar things, and he shares Jake's class, rather than his aspect.

I suppose not every character trait has to be informed by a Player's Title. After all, Jade used to be defined by her clairvoyance, and she's no Seer.

@bellcarved asked: In defense of Jake, he lives alone on an island and has literally run out of people to talk to about this (unless he were to do something like ask Jane to hand her phone to her father and got advice from him)

Oh, for sure. Everything these kids are doing wrong is totally understandable, due to their frankly bizarre home lives - and Jake, in particular, appears to have been living completely alone on that island for some time, which is bound to stunt the guy's social development.

In retrospect, I'm kind of surprised that Jade turned out as well as she did.

@bladekindeyewear asked: And as expected, Kid Bro's hair is ALSO a bird, just a different one than Dave's.

Dirk's just trying to blend in with the local fauna, like his brother before him.

@elkian asked: A fun fandom trend is to give the ectogroups portmanteau names. "Strilondes" was pretty easy, but the Prospit quartet presents some difficulties and is usually an unholy amalgamation along the lines of "Crockerberts" "Harlenglishes" and the ambitious combination of all four like "Harlegbercrockerenglishes" and so on. (I feel like there was a particular one with a lot of staying power but can't recall it exactly.) There's still Reddit threads of the debates around here and there.

This is why I just call 'em the Prospit squad.

I tried to make something that's at least pronounceable, and came up with the Harkersherts. Not a lot of English in there, though.

Anonymous asked: "and I’d bet Boondollars to donuts that Jake and Roxy have 'em too." Come on, 'boondollars to bronuts' was right there.

Damn it! I really do need to step up my bro-punning now that our second Strider has entered the story.

@ben-guy asked: (in regards to your theory about B2 Dave having memory leaks possibly making him interested in Con Air) "something about an old friend" Emphasis on the "old" in this timeline lmao

Oh, good point. It is possible that Dave could have met Poppop Crocker at some point, especially if he was in contact with his Seer sister.

Maybe it wasn't his pre-Scratch memories. Maybe he learned about Con Air directly from the source, after all. <3

Anonymous asked: ”Kneel before Cal” Lil’ dude even if you don’t Know. That’s hella ominous yo

Dirk feels like the kind of guy who doesn't realize how foreboding some of his sentences actually are. He'd do numbers on Tumblr, and you know it.

...I guess, technically, he has done numbers on Tumblr. lmao

@elkian asked: Jane-Dirk is genuinely one of my favorite character dynamics in the entire comic so I'm delighted that they're resonating with you, too! Their conversations are so fun.

Yup! As I said, I'm really happy that Jane, in particular, is not just a remix of John. The way she relates to her friends is quite different from anything we've seen from Egbert - or anyone else, for that matter.

I really hope that this friend group doesn't collapse into some sort of nightmare love quadrangle, because I really am enjoying these dynamics, and I want to see more.

Anonymous asked: Do you think that when you are done for the day you could note that? Maybe as a tag or something? Then people would know to stop checking to see if you add another post?

I would, but the problem is that I never really know if I'm actually done for the day - not until the day is already over. See, I usually just liveblog until I get distracted, and often return later in the evening for a second round - that is, if I haven't fallen asleep before I've had the chance. Perils of ADHD, I guess.

I suppose I could add such a tag the day after a liveblogging session, but that sounds like it'd be too late to be useful for your use case. :/

Anonymous asked: Okay, so Lil' Bro gave both Jake the Brobot, and Jane Sebastian. What do you think Roxy's inevitable robo-buddy will be like?

There is absolutely no universe in which it isn't a cat.

Anonymous asked: Sorry about the spoiler! A while ago, I did some testing on YouTube and incognito mode because I was curious, and I found that, unfortunately, Google isn't fooled by it. YouTube's algorithm definitely prioritizes things you watch in normal mode, presumably to be subtle about this, but it also definitely knows what you watch in incognito. The effect becomes more obvious with an account that watches zero or very few videos in normal mode. (I tested this 3-4 years ago, so I can't say for certain that the specifics haven't changed, but I don't see why they'd have stopped doing this since then.)

Targeting algorithms are just too damn good these days. All I can really do is avoid watching Homestuck videos on my main account, employ a VPN, and hope for the best.

Anonymous asked: More like DORK strider

Fuckin' get him!

@mrjocrafter asked: I mean, you did get this three months ago

Those names were listed in order of likelihood - so yes, I expected it to be Dick. I really did.

Dick Strider seemed like exactly the kind of move Hussie would pull...

@library-seraph asked: Fun fact: when Dirk's name hit the comic, people were upset it wasn't Dick. Hussie still used tumblr back then, so they made a post saying that, as a small dagger, dirk is still a dick joke, and they're annoyed people would want them to go for the lowest hanging dick joke Anonymous asked: You're not alone. A significant majority of the fandom at the time also expected "Dick", enough that Hussie actually addressed it by saying that would have been too on-the-nose. IIRC, Hussie also described "Dirk Strider" as sounding more like a male porn star's stage name, while clearly implying that this is a major upside.

...but I suppose that's exactly why they didn't.

Low-hanging fruit is all well and good, but you can't always choose the path of least resistance, or your story will just keep getting flatter.

@shelbybunny asked: remember this post you made when you liveblogged jack: ascend, and how you wished they had a poster of that sburb shot? well good news PS: i’m pretty sure you can take a look at the full store now, but i’d have someone double-check just in case

(The store is, in fact, spoiler-free now. - V)

Oh, hell yeah!

I'm not going to pretend I'm not tempted - and not just by the poster, either. Those captchalogue boards look great, too.

In order to preserve just a little bit of hope for myself, I'm not going to look up the shipping costs to Europe until tomorrow.

@clueless-rarito asked: While Dave rambles fells a lot like a stream of consciousness that just spills out randomly in the middle of conversations, Dirk's fell extremely intentional and precisely deployed, make you fell he meticulously choose each word to be as full of complete bullshit as humanly possible.

Turns out, Rose and Dave's vibes blend together almost seamlessly. I could probably have told you they would beforehand, but it's still great to see it in action!

@sanctferum asked: Heiress Sans Parent could just refer to Jane's ectobiological origins as a true paradox rather than the beta kids who have ectobiological parents. (The alpha kids are clones of themselves, after all.) Well, either a reference to that or a hint that Dad Crocker is secretly a funny skeleton man.

It better be something like that. If Dad dies again, I'm ragequitting.

@aceotaku asked: when it comes to Jane's scepticism, while being a product of the Condesce's subliminal messaging IS a possibility, Dirk raises another one: that Jane simply only believes things if she's seen them with her own eyes directly, if she has direct proof of them. She's seen prospit in her dreams, she has no reason to think anything anyone says about it is wrong. The things she dismisses are things she hasn't seen directly and thus just thinks it's not true for reasons. or maybe I'm wrong XP

Nah, that's a good take. Jane's a bit of a cautionary tale, then, about how stubborn empiricism can severely limit your understanding of a concept or situation.

Sometimes, you really do have to take a leap of faith.

@liliflower137 asked: Hello!! I only just started reading your liveblog and I just want to say I love your commentary SO much, I read it pretty late (just between it ending and it being sold to viz media so the old website was still around) so my FAVORITE part of homestuck was always the mechanics of sburb, the alchemy stuff is just so cool!! So seeing you theorize about things and talk about how data structures work makes me so so happy, I hope you're having lots of fun!!!

Thank you! I really hope we get some post-Scratch alchemy binges - but sadly, I don't think it's guaranteed, as we're unlikely to be rehashing everything we've seen before.

Even so, there's got to be more we can learn about Homestuck's alchemy system... right?

Anonymous asked: congrats on finally reaching the end of one of Homestuck's Biggest Jokes. The Gift Of Gab.

I'm still hyped over those Dialoglogs - not least because it removes the main metabarrier which was preventing these kids from hanging out in person.

Let's fucking go! It's time!

@sashonya asked: Oh yeah, just a small aside as I'm sure you're going to realize in a bit. It's better to say the full "Act 6 Act 1" instead of "Act 6.1" since the intermissions also count as "Act 6.1"

Hmm. Well, it's pretty easy for me to edit my organizational tags retroactively, so I'll see what format works the best for me, going forward.

Generally, I prefer for these tags to be shorter, though - so if Act 6.1 Intermission needs its own tag, I might write it as Act 6.1.I, or something.

@jack-off-valentine asked: When, exactly, did AH pull an Aradiabot?

I initially asked myself the same question - but by now, I've learned to treat Hussie interludes as the breaks from canon they are.

We're probably never going to be told what's up with robo-Hussie, the same way that we'll never learn why Falkor the Luck Dragon has Lord English's cueball eyes. It's just Hussie being Hussie.

@pineapple-temporarily-moving asked: "By now, Jade should know why she arranged for herself to grab the Wall - but she's acting like she only did it because Karkat told her to. Maybe I'm just misinterpreting what she's saying." future jade told karkat to tell past jade to captchalogue the window because she remembered being told that by karkat (and karkat telling her that she told him to tell her that). it is simply one of homestuck's ubiquitous causal loops and it ultimately technically was only because karkat told her to LOL

Oh, god damn it, you're probably right.

Damn stable loops and their originless information. As much as I love time travel stories, this still has to be one of the least satisfying ways you could possibly resolve a plot thread.

@sanctferum asked: So, Jade, who just became a god tier Witch with striped leggings and ruby red shoes, levels up to Sayonara Kansas as she and John embark upon the Yellow Ruler Yard. Her god-tier self was formed from her living self and Jadesprite, a version of herself too cowardly to do anything despite her incredible power. Jadesprite used to be Dream Jade, whose physical counterpart on Earth was, thanks to Grandpa's inventions, a robotic version of Jade rather than Jade herself. A tin woman, one might say. Dream Jade herself was, prior to her death, notably absent-minded in a way no other dream self has shown themselves to be. It seems likely Hussie originally intended all dream selves to be this way while "asleep", but in the end only Jade acted like her brain was sleeping along with her body. And said dream self ended up being stuffed, of course. Do I need to elaborate on who Toto is in this analogy? No, I don't think I do. Original waking Jade is Dorothy. Jade's all of the Oz cast at once!

Even better:

The climax of Dorothy's story is her learning to teleport!

[bluebanistrs]

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪vicious .

franco was the kind of situationship that never had made her sad, just angry and more obsessed.

franco × journalist ! reader

im thinking abt a part 2 for this one (cause its kinda short)

Moving from a small town to study journalism was my biggest dream. In 2023, it finally happened. I moved to an apartment in Monaco with my best friend and started the college I always dreamed of doing.

2024 started with me having a really good time with my friends and family, and after the journalist who did the pre and post race interviews randomly decided that he would retire in the middle of the season, my internship manager decided that I would be the best option to replace him, even though I was only in the second year of college.

Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one to get promoted. Franco Colapinto was the newest Williams Racing F1 driver.

Franco was someone I've kissed in a lot of parties. I thought that he wasn't like the other guys, but that was before I really knew him. He is the type of guy that texts you the whole day, pretends to care about you, asks how you're feeling, sends you roses, tells you he spoke about you to his mother in a space of time, and completely ignores you for the next whole month.

If someone asks me about him, I would just say that he's a dickhead and I absolutely hate him. But if he sent me a message saying he feels so sorry for ghosting me, I would forgive and not fight. Why does he gotta be so vicious? I could never be mad at him, even if he was destroying my heart. All my friends just told me that I'm being stupid and should stop talking with him, but they didn't understand me.

✸

Franco was ghosting me for a few days, but he couldn't escape from the pre free-practice interview, specifically in his first time driving an F1 car. He couldn't escape from talking with me, even if it was for professional reasons.

He finished FP1 in 17th place. I've already interviewed his teammate, Alex Albon, and Kimi Antonelli, who sadly crashed George's car.

The Argentinian was in his flirting mood, responding to all my questions with phrases that could be interpreted in another way. I was already angry at him, and the way he was acting was really annoying me.

I was leaving the paddock when I felt someone touching my left shoulder. Of course, it was him.

“You can't just ignore me for weeks and then pretend that you didn't do anything. I can't play your little game anymore.” I almost screamed at him.

“Hermosa, you can't just pretend that you don't like me. Stop being selfish and let me talk to you. Let me explain myself.” He said with that accent that I couldn't hear without getting crazy.

“So you are calling me selfish? Oh, please, Franco. Act like an adult for a second. I don't wanna talk to you."

He just laughed.

“And stop fucking laughing.” said while I started walking faster.

✸

When I got to my hotel room, the first thing I did was block him everywhere. No more Franco, no more stress.

But only an hour later the room phone started to ring.

“Miss y/n, someone left a thing in your name at the reception.”

“I'm going there.” I put my shoes on and left my room.

“It can't be Franco.” I said to myself while waiting for the elevator.

The ‘thing’ someone left to me was an example of my favorite book, My Year of Rest and Relaxation. I told Franco it was my favorite book when we had our only date that wasn't in a club. On this day, we went to a coffee shop and talked there for hours. I think it is my favorite memory with him.

I unblocked and called him.

“You can't just buy me with presents. I said it before, and I'm saying it again. I can't play your little game anymore.”

“This was the only way I found to grab your attention. I tried to talk to you in the paddock, but you just ran away from me. I would call you, but you blocked me. I really feel that I have to explain myself, but I want to do it face to face. Can I go to your room? No second intentions, I just want to talk.”

I stopped for a moment and considered whether I should let him come and talk.

“My room is number 1043. But you better have a good excuse.”

15 minutes later, I heard someone knocking on my door.

“Come in.” I said to him.

We sat on a sofa. He had his elbows on his thighs, his hands under his face.

“I've had a lot of failed relationships, and it was all my fault. I think I just get scared. I'm scared about things just getting wrong again, and I lose you. I don't know why I kept doing it. Treating you like the whole world and then after, completely ignoring you. Y/n, I really like you, and I can't keep treating you like you're nothing. I'm really sorry for everything I've done to you, and it would mean the world to me if I could only get a second chance.”

I knew he wasn't lying. I saw the truth in his eyes.

“I can't give you a second chance because I've already done that. I really like you, Franco, and I wish things weren't that complicated.” I looked him directly in the eyes.

“I know I kept making you more and more upset with me, and I'm really sorry for everything. I would do anything for you to forgive me. Te lo ruego hermosa.”

“Actually, you've never made me really sad. You just made me really angry, but that always went away when we started talking again.”

“I'm so sorry about everything.”

I grabbed his hands.

“You'll have to prove that you really have changed.”

“Anything for you, mi amor." He gave me a soft kiss after saying that

I told him to go back to his room and just went to bed.

That night, I couldn't sleep well. Was he really being honest? How could I be so sure he wasn't lying? What will happen with us? all these thoughts kept me awake for a few hours. But something inside of me said that everything would be fine.

✸

It was the race day. Lando Norris was on pole and Franco placed 18th.

He had never been so sweet to me and I was really happy cheering for him.

After a long race, he finished 12th place, which was a pretty good result considering that it was his first time racing in an F1 car.

He was the third driver I would interview. After I congratulated Leclerc on his win, the Argentinian driver came in.

“Franco, it was your first time racing in F1, and you had such a great result. How are you feeling right now?”

“I'm feeling like a brand new man.” He said with a big smile.

“The car is really good as far as possible, and I'm really excited for the next race. It's all so different from F2, but me and the team are doing a great job.”

“Congrats, Franco.”

“Thank you, Y/n.” He looked at me with shiny eyes and a sweet smile.

[curiositysavesthecat]

*This poll was submitted to us and we simply posted it so people could vote and discuss their opinions on the matter. If you’d like for us to ask the internet a question for you, feel free to drop the poll of your choice in our inbox and we’ll post them anonymously (for more info, please check our pinned post).

[solar-sunnyside-up]

Hi, if it's alright to ask, I wanna know exactly what solarpunk is. I have just come across this and have read some definitions about it, and I kinda get the gist of it, but I still don't fully understand it. I also want to know if it is just a literary thing, or if its an actual punk movement.

So sorry to bother, but I am pretty confused about it and don't know where else to ask

🌱 Hey there Sprout! I'm more then happy to answer dw!

The reason your finding multiple definitions is due to the fact that Solarpunk is as diverse as the values we hold. This is also a kinda a Chicken Or The Egg question.

Life inspires art, Art inspires life. Yk?

A little history lesson though, rising in massive popularity in early 2000s within the literary sphere along side Steampunk as the more hopeful, less gritty first notably showing up within Brazil.

But even as early at 2012 it had taken a life of its own beyond the Sci-fi stories it sprung up from. Websites, tumblrs, fashion, etc.. start going strong.

As of right now, Solarpunk is as baked into the real world as it is within Sci-fi.

Things like guerilla gardening, fiber arts, sticker bombing, mutual aid in the form of thing Libraries (tools, seeds, art commons, etc..) all start to be added into Solarpunk as a genre and as IRL activities for punks to do!

Though I find other social media to make it seem like it's a far off future (glaring at U Instagram...) it is very much alive and well amongst us.

Personally, I am more active in person as I believe in going from my household>neighborhood> city style model of change. But there is something for everyone.

There is even a ranking system now! Solarpunk dawn/noon/dusk to help us rate what is a Today activity/story vs a future beautifully imagined.

If you wanna learn more about specifics feel free to DM *I may be slow to reply due to parenting but I will I promise* I will give you my full arsenal of activities and media to watch/read!!

Hopefully this helps you out Sprout 🌱💕

[rip-cod-brainrot]

So I fed some pigeons and grackles/jackdaws today at the city station. This girl sits down next to me. And she’s apparently upset by the pigeons being near her, judging by the way she kept shooing them away with a frown.

Like. Girl. YOU are the one who sat next to the person obviously feeding pigeons. Who has pigeons literally diving under her feet to grab some peanuts. There are going to be pigeons. Why would you sit here if you do not want pigeon????

Anyways it’s so stupid funny I’m coming up with headcanons about how they (read: cod bois + maybe even perhaps some gals) will react sitting next to you, a stranger. Feeding pigeons

Characters; Price, Gaz, Ghost, Soap, Laswell, Alejandro, Rudy, Graves, Nikolai, Valeria, Makarov

PRICE -He doesn’t understand what you are doing. Aren’t pigeons dirty??? That one specifically looks like it has mange?????? -He is discreetly scooting away. Especially when the pigeons start hopping up to sit next to you on the bench to try and get more peanuts. He might shoo them away, but gently, with only furrowed eyebrows. -Says nothing to you, but also doesn't give you more than one confused look, because he's a gentleman.

GAZ -Yeah, he noticed the pigeons. Oh. Wait - he didn't see that you were feeding them. -He does panic internally - just a bit - when they start swarming your shoes as you drop some food. But then you just... giggle? Because the pigeons are... well, they are kind of cute. -Wait - never mind, one of them is staring at him with those beady red eyes. Never mind, they're more disconcerting than anything. Don't trust those gentle coos... they clearly hide evil pigeon intent

GHOST -??? Yeah there's somebody feeding pigeons, so what? The seat's free, he's gonna sit there. -Oh, the pigeons are starting to come closer to him because he's sitting still? Oh. Well. He doesn't mind that much. He'll just have to wash his clothes real well. Mites and all that. -Doesn't say anything, but he does give you a nod and a grunt when you compliment that they seem to like him. -Next time you're there he's feeding the pigeons too??? Who the fuck is this guy

SOAP -He is not discreet. He's leaning over curiously to try and look closer at the pigeons, eyebrows raised. -It's only a matter of time before he starts asking questions. "How'd you get them to come so close? Do you feed them that every time? How do you know they like it? What else do you feed 'em?" -He is actively excited by this Disney Princess(tm) shit happening in front of him. He might leave you with a torn out page of his sketchbook; a quick drawing of you, surrounded by the birds, smiling.

LASWELL -People feed pigeons all the time. Why should she care? She's just going to keep her distance and- -Oh, one of them hopped up next to her, and it's coming towards her. No, Kate doesn't have any feed for this thing, go away- -Actively goes to sit at the far end of the bench, putting her bag between herself and the birds. She does wave at them and wiggle her foot so that they don't come near her.

ALEJANDRO -Feeding the local wildlife? That's sweet. But can't they feed themselves? What the hell do pigeons eat anyways- -May or may not jump and shit himself when one of the pigeons suddenly flaps up to stand on his knee. Absolutely does not hurt the pigeons on purpose!! But if he swats a little too fast at one of them, he ain't missing, and he feels AWFUL about it. -Damn soldier reflexes. Next thing he knows he's holding a pigeon in his hands while you check it over, fussing over the thing even though it's looking around like nothing happened. -(Pigeon is ok btw. Turns out he just kinda... pushed it, and it flew back fast enough to avoid any real harm.)

RUDY -Oh he's absolutely into it, he knows the birds are hopping onto the bench and everything. He noticed it as he was coming up. -If one of them comes next to him or hops up onto his knee, he's smiling. But he does gently nudge them back over to you. "No tengo nada portigo, pajarito. Go to them." -Strikes up a conversation with you about what you're feeding them. You have a clear love for these birds, and he thinks it's wonderful that such love exists in the world.

GRAVES -Didn't even notice you were feeding pigeons. He just knows the damn things go everywhere, wherever they want. -Wait wtf you're feeding them? What are you, an old grandma???? Graves fully believes in the sky rat idea of pigeons. The hell are you doing??? -Jumps up when one of them flies right at him. "What in the hell-" -He has decided to sit somewhere else. Unless you strike him up in conversation and talk him down. (They're just birds, bro calm down)

NIKOLAI -Oh he sat next to you BECAUSE you're feeding birds. This looks like fun. -He asks if he can have a handful of the stuff so he can feed them, too. Or pulls out some spare packet of nuts he had in his pocket. He's enjoying feeding them, look at those little guys go. -He soon strikes up a conversation with you, smiling and laughing over the warm little birds so focused on getting the food that they're swarming around your feet.

VALERIA (because I think she would say smth 'bout it) -Didn't care that you're feeding the pigeons. Whatever. People do stuff like feed the wildlife in the city. Who cares. -Raises an eyebrow when one lands next to her, staring at her expectantly. "Que quieres? No tengo no comida portigo. Ve a tu amigo alli." -She brushes it away, back towards you. "You keep these birds too fat, they're gonna bother everybody, you know?" she hums. "You feed them every day?" -Soon enough, you're bantering back and forth. She likes a small conversation every once in a while, knowing that whatever civilian she's talking to hasn't the slightest idea how easily she could have them wiped from the face of the earth... MAKAROV (because I need more content of This Guy(tm)) -You're just another civilian doing civilian things. Feeding the birds. Yeah, whatever. -Frowns at the pigeons when they try to hop up next to him. Shoos them away, not out of any real malice, but in slight annoyance. -That annoyance does spill over, though. But at you. "Why are you feeding them? These are wild animals, do you think they cannot feed themselves?" -If you're just like 'they're cute', then he scoffs and ignores you for the rest of the time he has to wait. He refuses to move. But if you have a logical reason - "I want to make sure they're eating something that they can actually digest, and the more I feed them, the more often I can check to see if they're sick" - then he's pretty intrigued. Maybe you're not a stupid civilian, at least.

[manias-wordcount]

Haaiii!! I hope ur well and that life is not giving u much trouble! I have a request and I read ur rules so feel free to change/correct me on anything you think is wrong! I really don’t mind, DW.

Basically, Kazuha from Genshin Impact with a reader who is Beidou’s younger sister. Nothing too specific.(of course this is like an Kazuha x reader😭)

I imagine like Beidou teasing both the reader and Kazuha since they are a little secretive about their relationship for a long time.

U can make it smut, angst, fluff anything since I’m really desperate for this trope OML😭😭

I’m sorry if I missed any rules or wrote too much I’m a little nervous tho.

If u have any more questions ask and take ur time🫶🏼also forgive me English is not my first language.

Best Kept Secret (Kazuha Kaedehara x Reader)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝗶 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗸𝗮𝘇𝘂𝗵𝗮 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲 <𝟯 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗦𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗬 𝗜𝗙 𝗜 𝗠𝗔𝗗𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗬𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗢𝗢𝗖 𝗜𝗧𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗔 𝗪𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗜'𝗩𝗘 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗗 </𝟯 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵!

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚?  

Kazuha doesn’t understand why you insist on keeping this a secret.

But to that, you tell him that sometimes, things are a little more fun when you feel like it’s something you’re not supposed to do. He tells you back with kisses to your jaw that to him, you will never feel like something he’s not supposed to do. And his earnest tone and passionate look are almost enough to get you to finally admit that the real reason you don’t want anyone to know is because you made a bet with your sister that the fact that he’s kissing your skin like you’re the only thing he needs in life is evidence enough that you lost the bet and you lost it badly. And you rather go as long as you possibly can without having to pay your sister her money.

But, it’s because of that reluctance you feel to pay your already very wealthy sister her money that everything seems to snap back into focus for you the moment you hear someone knocking at the door.

Seconds before this, there was nothing to distract you. Nothing to pull you out of this state. Because your thoughts had gone all fuzzy and your mind was full of clouds. Because you were so, so lost in your own little world that you barely even registered the change in the way that the boat was swaying. Nor did you register the sounds of birds getting closer and louder while the scent of petrichor started to mix itself with the familiar scent of the open seas. You just couldn’t. 

And that was all thanks to the boy currently hovering over you, of course.

Though really, you couldn’t blame him for everything. The two of you couldn’t seem to keep your hands off of each other lately. What started as casual brushes against each other’s arms in the dark of the night when no one was looking somehow turned into seeking each other out in the middle of the day, just to pull the other in some supply closet or bedroom or office or whatever and take advantage of what little time you two had before someone invariably started calling one of your names. It’s routine at this point. A routine you couldn’t help but adore.

Especially now that this particular time started with you tugging Kazuha away from his perch and dragging him back to his room on the Alcor. He had only half complained about when you started pulling him away. Mumbling something about how it was going to be a real shame missing the view as the boat pulled into Liyue Harbor. But only seconds after you had closed and locked his door, he was already pushing you onto his bed and climbing over you with a heated look in his eyes.

“Minx,” He had called you, a small smile playing at his lips as he leaned ever so closer. “Though I suppose the view I have right now is far more beautiful than the Sea of Clouds could ever be.”

Although, you didn’t exactly let him finish. You were far too busy pushing up as best as you could from the bed and pressing your lips against his. He wasted no time kissing back, pushing you down into his thin mattress, and brushing his tongue against yours. 

What then ensured was a particularly passionate make-out session. One that left you perpetually breathless as your hands went to thread themselves through Kazuha’s hair and your legs began to tangle with his. Every single time you separated to breathe your own air, Kazuha wouldn’t let you get very far before he was swooping back down to capture your lips once again. In fact, your only real solution was the fact that even in between kisses that were undeniably wet and sloppy and needy, he still felt the need to utter words of praise about you. Words about your beauty. Words about your taste. Words about his adoration- his devotion to you. Over and over and over again in that same little hushed tone of his. 

You laughed the first time you heard him do it. After all, who makes haiku about the girl they’re kissing right in the middle of said kiss? Certainly not anyone you knew. At least, no one from Liyue. But now? It only made you love him more than you ever thought possible.  

That’s why it wasn’t surprising when you realized you had completely lost track of time. Being with him does that to you. And when your only tells are just how messy the bed and your clothes and your hair have gotten, it’s hard to judge if the two of you have actually been here for long enough for anyone to notice or if you’ve both just been practically handsy this time around. 

And unfortunately…you’re not sure of the answer to that by the time you hear the knock sounding at Kazuha’s door. 

“Please don’t answer,” You whisper to him, your lips just barely brushing against his as you speak. Kazuha’s eyes are barely focused at the moment. He seems to be stuck- staring down at you with a blissful expression on his face. You wonder if he’s still captured in the same daze that you were in just a couple seconds ago. “Just let them go away…let them think you’re not here.”

At that, Kazuha nods, but you’re not quite sure he hears you. For good measure, you lean up and give him a quick peck on his lips. Something short. Something sweet. Something that can act as a wake-up call even. Unfortunately for you, it ends up working a little too well. Because right as go in for the peck, he’s back to pressing his lips against yours as a low, quiet moan bubbles up from the back of his throat.

Knock, knock, knock.

The two of you are almost immediately interrupted by another knock, this one more pressing than before. Luckily enough, it seems to snap Kazuha out of it. Because a second later, he leaning far- far back away from you and being very, very still and quiet as he looks to the door. You spend the time counting the seconds that pass in your head, waiting for the figure who is currently lingering just outside the door to pass. You imagine Kazuha is spending his time doing the same as he narrows his eyes at the intruder hidden behind the wood. 

You suppose he doesn’t really appreciate being interrupted. At least, interrupted by people who aren’t you.

But as the seconds stretch into minutes, you both start to come to the realization that whoever is out there already knows someone is in here. Maybe they saw you both. Maybe they heard you both. Or maybe they’re just sure that you both- or at least one of you is inside right now.

Kazuha peaks at you from the corner of his eye, waiting for you to finish going over the options in your head before he makes his next move. You couldn’t really tell who it was just by the knocking, but judging by the shadows you’re able to see peeking out from just below the door, it’s clearly someone who has time to wait around. Odds are, it could be someone who’s good at keeping secrets- especially minor ones that do nothing but save you the inevitable embarrassment you’ll have to face when you end up giving your sister a pocket full of mora. But even bigger odds tell you that it’s someone who is more than willing to rat you out to big sister Beidou because the loyalties of the crew are always gonna be with her and not you.

But then again…you could always try buying someone’s silence. It’d be less embarrassing than paying your sister back. And it’ll at least be a bit cheaper than-

“You in there Kazuha?”

The moment you hear your sister’s voice, all hope you had vanished all at once. You toss your head back on the mattress and mutter a curse under your breath as Kazuha slips you with an amused smile. You just shoot him and glare, close your eyes, and turn over on your side- facing away from him. He chuckles in response, but for a second, you hear soft footsteps heading in the direction of the door. He’s merciful enough that he doesn’t open the door and let your sister in- let alone look inside. Instead, he just stands a little closer and finally responds to the very last person you would like to see right now.

“I am,” He calls back to your sister in a light, conversational tone as you begin trying to recall where you last left your wallet. You don’t exactly need to carry money when most of your days are spent on the Alcor. But it’s still a damn shame to have to spend some of your own cash. Especially all because of some stupid bet about some stupidly cute boy. “Is there something you need?”

“Just wanted to let you know we’ll be docking soon,” Beidou informs him from the other side of the wood, her voice a little muffled. But as you process her words, you start to perk up. Just a little bit, at least. Maybe she doesn’t know you’re here? It’s possible. The two of you have been careful all this time. You might have been a teensy bit more forward than you usually are today. But perhaps there’s still a chance?  Perhaps there’s still a chance to hold onto this secret just a little bit longer. “Come up whenever you’re ready.”

At this point, you can only hold onto hope. So you do. You really, really do.

“I see,”  Kazuha responds as you quietly sit back up on the bed and face his direction. He’s nodding his head absently at her words, and you want to point out the fact that only you can see him do that right now. Instead, you opt for silence, hoping that if you hold your breath and count the second once more, Beidou will end this conversation with Kazuha and disappear before she even thinks about going searching for you too. “Will do.”

“‘Course.” 

And just like that- and just exactly as you hoped- it happens. She ends the conversation with a final word of acknowledgment. She steps back from the door. You even hear her footsteps start to get a little softer as she begins to walk away. Could this be it? Could you really have slipped through the jaws of fate so easily? Could you have bested your sister and kept a secret on her ship? Are you really going to-

“Oh, and you better be gentle with my sister.” 

And just like that, the hope you once had is squeezed right out of you as the sound of your sister’s knowing laughter fills the hallway right outside the door. You collapse back onto Kazuha’s bed with a loud, dramatic huff. One that makes your sister laugh even louder and harder as your very new and very confused lover looks between you and the door that separates the both of you from your sister at the moment. 

You suppose this was bound to happen eventually. And you suppose you’re going to have to explain things to Kazuha too, as doesn’t seem to be getting any luck with getting your sister to stop laughing long enough to let him in on the joke. 

But really? Right now? All you wanna do is go back to laying in bed and making out with your boyfriend. Stealing kisses like they’re oxygen. Listening to him speak your name over and over again like it’s poetry. And forgetting everyone else- forgetting the whole entire world exists. Just you and Kazuha. Kazuha and you. And the little world that exists between the two of you. That’s what you want right now. That’s what you want more than anything right now. But realistically?

You’re going to have to find your wallet first. You know the mighty Captain Beidou won’t let you know peace until you do. 

[otiksimr]

My daily question. (s) (Questions) (Sorry I couldn't help myself)

Feel free to put this off or ignore it or whatever else I've been asking a lot of questions-

Do the space creatures (World Eaters, Abyss Children, all of them) have their own language(s)? I believe there's a Bob sketch that has [humpback whale cry] in the corner, so do World Eaters sound like Whales?

If they do, (have languages, I mean) how complex/simple are their languages? Is it like animals, where they just have general sounds that mean stuff like "need food", "come here", "I'm scared", and such, or would it be as complex as human languages?

If they don't, how do they communicate? Or would it be like, since they're so few and far between, they don't need to?

Since the Abyss Children are 'gods', would their language, if they have one, be more complex than World Eater language, (if they have one) and human languages?

Speaking of, how intelligent are the Abyss Children? I've asked about the World Eaters, but are the Abyss Children more "God via being nigh all-powerful" or "God via being nigh omniscient" (by omniscient I just meant incredibly intelligent, not purely all-knowing, though would they be-)

The names! "Ebrietas" "Xerxees" and their son, "Bob". Where did they get their names? Whether behind the scenes or in-universe,

If they do have their own languages; the Abyss Children and the World Eaters and such, would they be difficult/impossible for humans to imitate? Do the Abyss Children even know/care about humans, or are humans too small and insignificant in the grand plot of the universe for them to even notice?

Man this is a lot of ifs.

Oh oh oh oh oh- also, also also also!

I saw a c h a r t. On the "Children of The Abyss." It mentioned something above them(/maybe that created them?) called "Primordials." I am very very very curious about that as well.

Honestly I'm curious about all of this. Everything. Is there something to call this world or just, like, Otiksimr-verse? Otiksimr-oc-verse? just Otiksimrs OCs? OTIKSIMR LORE.

I know I said one question a day but like- technically this is one question, right? If it's all in one ask? (I'm sorry.)

I wouldn’t call it a language. Like, you know how animals can communicate via noises, scent and overall body language? It’s like that. World Eaters sound like whales yes, I describe Bob to sound specifically as a humpback whale mainly because he’s young, and humpback are pretty high pitched. Which would fit his age. Adults would be like deeper blue whales. Blue whales are already low frequency, imagine it being even lower frequency than that.

World Eaters rarely meet eachother yes, so they rarely communicate. To them whenever they do meet eachother it’s more like just a nod of acknowledgement than anything. Maybe a little rumble and they’re off on their separate ways. Usually though, they just make a lot of noise just to give smaller (which is basically all space animals) creatures a chance to get out of they way before they run into them. Like a warning, basically.

In World Eater language it would just be a series of clicks and rumbles, not a true name. So, what’s there is the closest ‘translation’ there is for whatever that is. Bob named himself. He was nameless up to that point, he heard a human say it and he repeated it for himself. Boom. Bob is now named.

Yes it would be impossible for humans to imitate World Eater language. It’s just too low frequency to be picked up by anything we currently have.

Abyss Children/Children of the Abyss/Gods (all of those describe the same thing) are. Weird. They don’t have a language. I think it would be better if I just gave a simple run down on their lore here.

They are beings born from bits of abyss that gained a conscious and split of from the greater body (Primordial Cosmos/Abyss/Void <- mean the same thing.). Most don’t make it out of this stage and get reabsorbed back into the Abyss. Their true form is just mist, a moving piece of void that just gets larger over time. The grand majority of them stay like this, the ones that I give designs are the ones that meet other species. The void is vast and ever expanding, the ones who meet others are considered the ‘lucky ones.’ From there they learn the language of whatever species they end up latching onto, and they usually take on the form of the species they get attached to as well, like a very attached fan. That make sense?

Now. Back to the ‘bit of abyss that split from the larger body’. Some of them get ‘pulled out’ by a third party. Yes that is possible, it’s what happened to Rahuul, Yhtraah, Zyanth, and Xercxes. The difference between ones that are helped and ones that aren’t? Ones that are helped are weaker but have a more stable mimicry/form, because they latch onto whatever helped them and therefore have better language too. Ones that arent (Haruna and Yoru) are rougher in their mimicry and language, but they are stronger than ones that are helped. 

That being said. No matter how they came into being they all have the same want for that kind of connection with a ‘parental’ figure.

Abyss Children are extremely intelligent. But they are ignorant. Which kind of balances the intelligence out? They’re stupid but they’re not stupid, lmao. They don’t understand morality, they have no morals. They don’t know/care about right or wrong, they know want but not need. Things that make something ‘alive’ they do not understand but they definitely want it. 

I don’t like calling them ‘gods’ but it’s just easier to say than ‘The closest thing to god’. They’re immortal and all powerful but they are so. So. Stupid. Emotionally.

I think Abyss Children would have an. Inane. Fascination with humans. With how I build they’re lore they have a near extreme desire for familial bonds. I mean, I have ‘children’ in the species name for a reason, you know? So creatures that have a familial structure they are immensely interested in. Which humans, which have such a wide range of kinds of families and ideas of ‘what a family is’ they would be extremely interested in.

Also ‘plot of the universe’ is a foreign concept for them. I just want to set in the point that they aren’t gods in the traditional sense. No omnipotence here. Lol. They are worshiped though, I guess? I mean. If you saw a giant amalgamation of animals suddenly grow your dead crops in the middle of winter, you’d start worshiping that shit too. Lmao.

Alright. Primordials. They’re the foundation of the universe. In a basic sense. The Cosmos, Time (Epoch), Reality, and Creation. There are only four of them. That being said, they are also their opposite concept. Cosmos is also Nothingness (The Cosmos is everything, the opposite of everything is nothing). You following me so far? Time is suanimous with Stagnation (Time is evermoving, backwards or forwards, so the opposite it for it to stay stagnant, stopping). Reality and illusions (obvious), Creation and ruin (also obvious).

They’re two sets of twins. Lol. (Cosmos + Time), (Reality + Creation). I usually have them as the… ‘most insane’ out of all my characters. It was just the four of them for practically all of eternity. In their time scale, life has only just started popping up. So they’re being raving over that ever since it happened.

Also I’ve already said this but the Abyss Children came from the body of Cosmos specifically.

Uh. I’ve just. Been calling it lore. I don’t have an overarching story or anything. Just a bunch of smaller stories that are all apart of the same lore branch.

And. Thank you, for the questions. It is a joy. Hehe.

[whitenoisefanfiction]

Interview with a Preacher Boy (An IWTV/Sinners crossover fic)

Got a brainworm after seeing Sinners in theatre the other day and then worked on a new chapter of my current IWTV Fic and it wouldn't leave me alone. So, I quickly wrote down the start of it because I could. Enjoy.

Warning. This is set after the mid-credit scene so possible spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.

-------

Chicago, 1996

Night had long since set as Daniel Molloy drove his car down the street and towards the old building. 

He had been in Chicago for the last few days, conducting a few interviews and generally trying to ignore the divorce papers Alice had served on him before he left New York last. 

Alice was leaving and taking the girls with her. 

Daniel knew he should be depressed, irate or even suicidal. And yet, all he could feel was relief. 

It was disturbing, the feeling and one Daniel didn’t want to face just yet. Why, in the face of losing everything he had worked for, did he feel so happy? Like he was being set free?

So, when his agent had called, asking if he wanted to go to Chicago for a few assignments, Daniel had jumped at the chance. 

Alice would leave, whether he was home or not and if he was there, there were more chances for them to fall into fights. Daniel didn’t want his daughters to remember the last days their family was whole being nothing but fights. They were still so young, still willing to see the good in their father, even if he didn’t believe it was there himself. 

Besides, he was a Pulitzer winner. Which meant he could go just about anywhere he wanted. And he had wanted a quick out. 

Chicago, so far, had been quiet. A few interviews with a few prominent politicians, a few sports stars. Nothing special but enough to keep his mind busy. 

He had been ready to pack up and leave, his hotel bill settled, and flight booked, when he had received a call. 

A famous Bluegrass singer had announced he was ready to give his final interview, and he had called, asking Daniel to be the one to do it. 

Daniel didn’t know much about Sammie Moore but an extra night away from home was enough of a draw for him to dive into research. 

As far as he could tell from his not really thorough searching, this Sammie Moore was a very prominent figure in the music scene, famous for his soulful voice and mastery of lyrics. One of his songs, called ‘I lied to You’ had put him on the map and Daniel had managed to secure a CD of his music, playing it on repeat as he drafted his questions and primed his tape recorder. 

Technology was advancing fast, but Daniel was still a fan of the old, reliable technology. It had gotten him through many difficult situations, recording his talks with doctors and the dying, Dictators and cult leaders, good and bad people. He tried not to think of one specific interview, where his tapes and recorder had not survived. That thought would only make him edgy, feeling like eyes were on him and make his neck tense, the scar tissue burning with phantom pain. 

So, at the designated time, Daniel packed a small satchel of his things, placed them in his rental car and drove through the bustling streets of Chicago to a club called Pearline. 

The place was buzzing, people lining out the door as Daniel parked and exited his vehicle. Music washed out into the streets, the patrons waiting to get in, swaying with the beat and spelling excitedly. 

Walking into the sidewalk, Daniel hesitated briefly. He didn’t know if he should join the queue and hope to be let in unchallenged or approach the doorman, cutting in line and possibly upsetting the crowd. Despite being invited here, he had learnt that some artists got very upset if he didn’t at least pretend to be a fan. 

His musing was cut short as a voice called behind him. 

“Daniel Molloy?” It asked. 

Daniel turned and saw a heavy-set man, the black t-shirt stamped with the word ‘Security’ across his chest. 

“Yes.” He replied.

“Nice to meet ya. Sammie said you was coming tonight and to look out for ya.” The man said, thrusting his hand out to shake.  

Daniel shook the man's hand. 

“Come on in. The sets almost over but you can watch the rest of it before you talk with him.” The man continued. 

Releasing his hand, the security guard turned and pushed through the crowd and towards the door. The door man nodded and stood aside, ushering him in as Daniel followed in his wake, trying to ignore the envious eyes on his back. 

Inside, the club was homely, lit with soft yellow lights. A stage was at one end, a bar at the other. 

A crowd of people swayed and danced on what Daniel could only guess was the dance floor as on the stage, an elderly African American man played guitar with considerable skill.

Daniel glanced at the musician. This must be Sammie Moore. 

The man looked good for someone pushing 80 but in the soft light, Daniel could see four jagged scars on the side of his face. They looked old. And nasty. It must have been a hell of an injury. 

Daniel had not read anything about these injuries during his hurried research of the musician, but he was man enough to admit, he may have missed something. Oh well, Sammie had asked he be here, not the other way around. Hopefully the older man would be willing to open up about them when asked or this interview was going to be very awkward. 

“Here.” The security guard said, indicating an empty seat at the bar.

Daniel sat as bidden as the security guard flagged down a bartender.

“This is Sammie’s guest. The boss said to give him whatever he asks for. On the house.”

Daniel’s eyebrows shot up at that. 

“Generous of him.” He commented.

The guard turned to glance at him.

“Boss is a fan of your work. He’s been hoping to get an interview with you for a while now, I think.” The guard replied. “Anyway, I gotta go. He will be with you soon.”

Daniel couldn’t think of anything else to say as the big man turned his back and disappeared into the crowd again, going off to do whatever the hell he was employed to do. 

“What will you have?” the bartender asked, raising his voice to speak over the music.

“A martini.” Daniel replied absentmindedly as the song ended, and loud applause filled the room. 

The bartender nodded and stepped away. On stage, Sammie announced he was about to play his last song. The crowd groaned in disappointment, but it soon turned to cheering as the man strummed the guitar. 

Daniel didn’t know many songs but even he recognised ‘This Little Light of Mine’.

The reporter couldn't help but stare as the music filled the room once again. The man’s voice was truly impressive. Daniel had interviewed a few rock stars in his time, but no one had ever had a voice close to this one. 

Finally, as the last notes played and the musician stepped off the stage and disappeared out the back, Daniel pulled his attention back to his work. Opening his bag, he pulled out his tape recorder and notebook, trying to make space for them on the bar counter. Opening the book to a blank page, he jotted down the time, date and place. Although he would record the conversation, it still paid to write notes. 

The bartender appeared again, placing a martini down on the bar, careful of Daniel’s property. Then he placed a plate down next to it. Daniel looked up from his writing and frowned at the scent of hot garlic bread filling his nose. 

“I didn’t order this.” He said as the bartender placed down some napkins beside the plate. 

“On the house. Boss’s compliments.” The bartender replied before bustling off, leaving Daniel no room to argue. 

Daniel glanced at the plate for a moment. This whole night was turning stranger and stranger by the moment. After a few seconds, he shrugged to himself and picked up a piece of bread. He wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth and a free meal was a free meal after all. 

Around him, the crowd was dispersing, some of them choosing to remain and continue drinking but a vast majority making their way to the exit, humming or even singing as they went. The atmosphere of the crowd was light, joyful. 

Daniel continued to work, writing a few more details down as he worked his way through the garlic bread and martini. 

Finally, the room was almost empty, the bartender quietly cleaning away some of his tools as the last stranglers left. 

Footsteps approached and Daniel glanced up from his book as the subject of this interview finally approached. 

“Sammie Moore, I presume?” He asked, rising from the bar seat, holding out his hand in greeting. 

Sammie glanced down at the bar, ignoring the offered hand and for a moment, Daniel swore, his dark eyes were fixated on the almost completely devoured plate of garlic bread. Then he looked up and smiled. 

“Daniel Molloy.” He replied in a warm voice, reaching up and accepting the handshake. “I am a fan of your writing,”

Daniel knew he shouldn’t poke the bear. He had been invited here after all. But still….

“A fan of geo-political scandals? Since that’s mostly what I cover these days.”

Sammie laughed. It was a warm, amused laugh. 

“My lord no.” He replied. “That is far too depressing for me.”

Daniel frowned. He felt on the backfoot here. Unsure why he had been invited. 

“I think I should warn you; I don’t write puff pieces. I write what I hear and it's not always flattering so if you are looking for something fluffy, some legacy piece, you may want to reconsider this interview.”

Sammie laughed again. 

“Please sit.” He said, indicating the vacated seat. 

Daniel did. Well, he had warned him, and the man seemed keen to continue. Hopefully that won't change. He sat down and pressed a button on his tape recorder. 

“So…” He said, flipping through the book until he landed on the pages of questions he had prepared. “Tell me about how you got into Bluegrass.”

Sammie smiled and pulled out the seat next to him, sitting down.

“Mr. Molloy, can I call you Daniel?” He asked. 

Daniel nodded. He knew when people tried to take control of the interview. Knew when people tried to deflect and avoid. He was good at working with unreceptive people. He could allow this man to control the interview for the first few minutes. Let him feel comfortable before he got into the meat of the story. 

“Daniel. I feel I must tell you; I am not looking for a ‘puff piece’ as you put it. Rather, I wanted to talk to you because I think you are one of the few people alive who can understand my story. Since I have reason to believe you have danced with the devil just as I have. After all, like me, you wear his mark.”

Daniel started, taken aback at the comment. Then he realised Sammie’s dark eyes were not fixed on his face like most people, but on his neck. Specifically, where the collar of his shirt failed to hide the bite scar. 

Sammie knew what it was. 

Daniel stared at the man for a long moment, his eyes drawn to the scars on the man's face. Belatedly, he realised that the spacing between cuts was odd. Jagged in a way that a blade could not make and yet, Daniel could not think of any animal which could leave a mark like that. The spacing was wide, almost…. human.

A thought crossed his mind. A memory of strong, human-like hands with razor sharp nails. Strong enough to tear through flesh and muscle. As strong as teeth….

Daniel tore his eyes away from the marks.

Sammie was no longer staring at the scar on his neck. Instead, he was looking at Daniel, black eyes meeting blue. 

“Yes Daniel. I think you now understand the story I wish to tell.”

-------

Welp, there you go. I know Sammie is probably completely OOC since I have only seen the movie once, but I thought it would be cool if Daniel interviewed him, so I had to write it. I do have more planned, but I needed to get this out before I exploded and finding the time in RL to write is hard.

[relaxxattack]

every time someone calls moirallegience just an alien qpr i wilt a lil like YEAH thats more or less the CLOSEST human thing but its also Literally Not That. like a qpr is fundanmentally not romantic and thats not even going into moirails whole Actual Purpose of calming ppl down. its just. aughhhhh pisses me off i see the confusion but, as aformentioned, aughhhhh

OH MY GOD THIS HAS BEEN BOTHERING ME TOO.... but i don't want to get petty at the people in my notes always saying "moirails are QPRs!" because in some ways that is the closest human thing so it's hard to be mad...

i think there's definitely some overlap in some ways. but NOT because moirallegiance and qprs are the same at all really, but INSTEAD because both relationships can be outside of popular human norms.

you know... like any relationship.

like the only reason the two really have overlap is because they are both committed emotional partnerships that aren't required to involve sex? that should be true for all romance, even if it's not the norm right now.

they're both just romances* that are unconventional to human norms, which makes people view them as the same thing when they're not.

i think the REAL issue here is that humans insist on using human words to understand things that are just, fundamentally, alien. can't we just appreciate alien romance for being... alien romance?

no, moirallegiance is not platonic, it's romantic. it's just romantic in a way you don't understand, is all. that doesn't invalidate that romance.

*in generalization, most QPRs are not romantic, because they are made up of aroaces who are life partners in a non-romantic way. however i want to disagree with you that none of them are romantic, because that is up to the partners in question.

[moonshine-nightlight]

Any advice for writting longform stories like NWWD?

@honoikazuchis

thanks for this ask!

thats a pretty open ended question and my answer will inherently be relatively specific to me and the way i write, but i'm happy to share my advice!

I will link a few other posts where i answered some other writing asks:

worldbuilding [x] editing/exposition [x] writer's block/POV [x] plotting vs pantsing [x] how long does it take me to write stuff [x] my writing process [x] writing spicy scenes [x]

otherwise, see below for me rambling way too long about writing.

disclaimer: this is just my opinion and how i do things, obviously there's a lot of variety and nuance for everyone's writing process.

firstly, is that personally, i'm inclined to writing longform stories so thats a bit of a built in strength of mine. generally speaking my story ideas come with lots of lore (see above for my love of worldbuilding) and i like relationships that are deeper/longer, with slow burn being a favorite of mine (why basically all my short stories have the two people involved having met prior to the story starting). that being said, technically the main character in 'Nothing's Wrong with Dale' doesnt meet demon!Dale until the flashback of chapter 2 and why is part of why that story is so long/has a built in arranged marriage premise. Of my two potential long form stories i'm going to do next: one they already know each other (and are basically already in love just being pining idiots about it) or two the story takes place over several months/high stress situations and does not end with marriage etc. But thats more of a concern if you're writing romance.

in general, my advice for longform stories is to already have a relatively complete, high level view of the story when you start. some people can just improvise the entire story as they go--I cannot. i think its very helpful to know where ur story is going to end, more crucially when it is long and you'll be taking a while to get there. by this i primarily mean the setup for the story, then general ending, and vaguely what sort of metaphorical journey they take to get there. you do not need to know every scene and detail in the middle--and plot points/characters can and will evolve as you write and think more on everything--but having the broad brushstrokes figured out asap is critical, in my opinion.

I also, as a side note, don't set out with a story length in mind. i can generally get a good handle on how long a story will be by the idea and outline, but i dont try to make it long. if anything, i did try to challenge myself to write shorter stories, like my novellas, when i started this blog/posting original writing here. that was not only because i do tend to get very complicated/long original ideas, but also because i think it was important to me to actually finish some original work, which i had never done before.

shorter stories tend to have more straightforward plots. not that you can't boil down longer stories to simpler summaries, but generally longer story ideas have more stops along the way so to speak that come to me when i'm developing the idea because i want to cover more with the story. the main character in dale having had childhood illness, dale raised by his grandparents, there being tournament stuff and assassins stuff and uncomfortable parties and most importantly MC figuring out dale was a demon immediately and dale not knowing the MC knew that were all things i came up with (loosely) very soon after i started working on it.

which leads into my next piece of advice: write everything you brainstorm down - you will forget and you will remember there's something u've forgotten and it will annoy the hell out of you. write your notes, write your what ifs, write down possible character names, write down cool ideas for scenes--heck write some of the scenes up then, evn if its for chapter 24 of 35. dont save what ur most excited for as like a carrot on a stick, i find that it doesnt help and that having part of my story that i love existing already is a much better motivator to write the rest

i'm also a big outliner and planner. i think some people think what that means is that u should b able to write a plan once for a story and then never change or deviate from it--but no! change the plan as you go; scrap things that dont work out and add new ideas when they come to you. however, i do think having something down that covers the whole story, lets you get a good idea of the shape of the story, and reminds you of your end goal, are all incredibly helpful. i also keep multiple worldbuilding notes docs; character and location lists; picture inspiration; etc to support the longform idea

i think u also hav to hav confidence/delusion that you will in fact finished. i hav started multiple longform original writing ideas in the past. none of them are done except dale. and part of it was not taking some of my own advice up top, but i think i also just wasnt as committed? lik it'd get lost in worldbuilding, or writing other projects, or life happening (which is all absolutely fine) but dale was the first longform idea where i like, really believed i could write it all and where i was dedicated to putting in the time i'd need to finish it. i knew i would need to take breaks and it would take more than a year (which i did and it did) but i still believed i'd get to where i am now, with a finished draft which i think was really key.

also, practice, i've been writing for years and year; i've been reading for even longer; and i've been writing and posting fanfic for years as well. some of my longer fanfics were such good practice for how to plot a long story without having to generate all the lore myself and having guardrails on for the story/characters in general. aside from dale, my next five pieces of longest writing are all fanfic.

lastly, find at least one person you can talk to about your story. i really think that helped me stay excited and motivated about my longform story in particular. i of course like talking about shorter stories too, but i dont think i felt as compelled to keep talking about them during the process of writing them as i did for my longform stories (even my longer fanfics i talked with other ppl in the big bang about or other writers on discord). and i dont just mean posting the rough drafts as u go like i did, but friends, irl or online, that either are also writers or are just interested in what story you want to make. i think it helps make it more real to you, it gives you ways to talk through issues that come up, its a way to get excited because they're excited, and it makes someone besides you ask how everythings going. the longer stories ideas i had but never got finished are also ones i primarily kept to myself, because i dont think i'd realized how helpful it could be to share them and also because i was still sure that in order to justify telling someone or evn for someone to care, it would hav to already be written, but it doesnt! and in retrospect, i wish i had because maybe those stories would exist--or maybe i'll dig up those notes and talk to someone about them and then find myself back to writing about them (rip to Aftermath, that corrupted external hard drive did u dirty and killed my motivation).

i think getting to understand and figure out your own process, to really look at yourself and see what works and what doesnt (as honestly as you can) is extremely helpful. u'll also figure stuff out along the way--dont hesitate to try to new strategies or drop one that are really not working for you. its all a learning process. be nice to yourself! give yourself the grace to make mistakes (or tell a friend so they can bully you into to cutting urself some damn slack when u can't stick to a weekly upload schedule u made up for urself).

whatever longform story you've got in ur head is one worth sharing and seeing through to completion--and then inflicting on everyone else lol OUR problem now ;)

[lesbiansayaishii]

thoughts on the greys s19 finales? s19 kinda underwhelmed me (marina is cute but the baby thing bores me to no end which in turns makes them as a ship dull to me sacrilege i know lol but it’s the truth) and i never got super into yasuda/helm but im kinda loving the possibility of yasuda/jules? idk what’s going on there but the chemistry>>>

ohh boy. so i have a lot of thoughts on the finales LOL. it got really really long and it only aired yesterday so spoilers are under the cut for those that haven't seen!

grey's:

sooo. i hated it. as a writer, as a viewer, i fucking hated it. honestly, i should have come into the fandom earlier because this season being my first to watch live sucked ASS and was more losing than winning. narratively speaking, the vast majority of the writing choices made ZERO sense. not winston/monica (AFTER ALL THE MONMELIA BUILD UP??), not julesmika (sorry, i love them, but they make no narrative sense. unless they're trying for a mertina type relationship which im not sure i entirely like either), and not whatever bullshit was going on with catherine. i know she has played big bad boss lady in the past but honestly this season the writing for her was very... flat? one dimensional? it was almost like she could ONLY be the antagonist and she wasn't allowed to have any other role in this season. i don't think we saw her outside of the hospital at all in the whole 10 episodes. while i DO understand they had to make some necessary cuts because of the shortened length of the season... was it really worth keeping catherine fox in this season if they were going to ruin her?? because i do NOT think so. and what was UP with her firing half the hospital in one episode??? fuck that??

to be completely honest lol, i'm tired of this show and the way they hate their gays. helmika breakup, no monmelia ANYTHING -- making monica hook up with winston after zero build up?? if you want to write a bisexual character this is NOT the way to do it -- schmitt leaving next season, trying to build up the julesmika relationship when midori is leaving in the next season?? i admit they're cute, but there's no way the relationship is sustainable. and it makes me so sad.

and... oh my god don't get me started on mernick. to preface everything i say about them: i think they're cute! genuinely i do! i don't hate them at all, which makes it so much harder when i have to say that they make no sense together long term. meredith is very clearly not as in love with him as he is with her (he said he wanted to marry her, walked out, and she had. zero reaction. to any of it. if anything she kind of treats him like a child?😭) and she only really fights for him when it looks like he's going to leave. she'll only fight for her stability if there's a real threat of losing it. in a way, i suppose it's not surprising. they mirror merder but only in all the bad ways, the way that merder was starry eyed intern x dreamy neurosurgeon turns into the way that mernick is essentially idol x fan. there's no way either of those relationships could have lasted in the long run -- BECAUSE of their foundations. and it makes me so sad bc why is meredith doing the same fucking things after 20 SEASONS. she of ALL the characters deserves to have some character development after all this time.

station 19:

loved it. cried so many times. the episode ended and i walked around feeling so empty. i will admit i have only seen marina spoilers and have not watched any of the seasons until season 7, so my view might be a bit skewed. cried with the marina family (maya's development from season 1 to season 7? 🥹), cried when travis went with vic (someone finally choosing to put first the Put Everyone Else First Person??? hello tears). the flashes forward and back were so interesting, definitely kept me engaged. i was so scared tho when they kept showing the burning gear when andy was missing 😭 i was like they BETTER NOT have killed her. and then all was well <3 more or less.

overall for station 19, i think they really did the best they possibly could have with how many episodes they were given to wrap up the series if it doesn't end up getting picked up. i liked it a lot more than grey's, for sure :)

[ghostlynimbus]

Send me a character and one of my aus/fics and I will talk about that character! It can be a headcanon, a fun fact, a small paragraph of backstory- anything!

Alternately: send me just a character and i'll decide the au/fic or vice versa.

[chatlote]

Please. Share more info about the maruki adopts akechi au. IM INVESTED

Anything about the PT in this au? Would Akechi meet them? (Drama? Romance?)

Thank you sm for being interested! Theres SO MUCH I can say that I wouldnt be sure where to start so I will focus on the ones you did ask!

The phantom thieves are very much in this universe as well. And Akechi will join them eventually, he approaches them himself when he realizes that maybe Maruki isn't following through their cause properly. He requests them to change Maruki heart along with him for the sake of making sure the world the envision will truly be good. (Obviously this will all blow up into Akechi breaking out of brainwashing as they explore the palace)

I will copy a snippet of my notes about the fact that he is part of Shujin academy as well and how he Joker first meet! And reply to the romance question under cut!

"Akechi would be the vice president of the student council and has a general reputation of being approachable and kind and that venting about your problems to him always helps. He doesn't always use his powers it's just a general he Helps just by listening. The entire school is rumors of how kind and pretty is the counselor and his son. They might not look alike but everyone is like they are so similar it's so true this school will always be at peace with them. Then akiren charges in. And it's not like he brainwashed the whole school so rumors start, it's unpleasant and akechi won't have that its not their goal. He changes the person who started the rumors but that doesn't stop it and they can't make their plans too obvious he can't change everyone so he approaches akiren with the goal of knowing how he is doing if he should just change him into someone 'calm' and maybe the rumors would go away on their own. But he realizes akiren is … harmless and kind? There's nothing there to even rumor about. Maybe it's because akechi is there and he is pretending? He decides he wants to keep in contact he wants akiren to keep in touch to know if he will adjust well if he can give names if someone does something to him and funny enough akiren agrees in a similar reason of, tell me if there seems to be a big person that the students are worried about (so the thieves can change them) Basically they are each other new source of info for side quests. Also joker figures it out after kamoshida because the entire school seems to be Too Calm and Too Okay with what just happened. Something akechi slipped with Morgana there makes him realize Akechi has some powers too and maybe that's why."

As for romance, I'm obviously a shuake fan if you have glanced at my blog. Basically there would indeed be a endgame with the two of them but things are a bit more complicated than that. Because for Akechi to heal and accept himself after Maruki brainwash breaks, he needs Joker to not have loved his pleasant self. Unlike canon it's not like that's a version of him he was just pretending to be, it's a version of him that existed out of his control.

So basically while they have feelings for each other before it a bit, even though Maruki says he shouldnt (making this one of the few things Akechi has picked out of his own free will) and Joker mostly likes him as a friend. Their relationship mostly develops as in a similar way to Sumire Rank5-10, Joker spends time with Akechi figuring out together what 'Akechi' even is as a person, its been all 4 years since he has been under control, and now all he has is Anger and Sadness at his manipulation and forgotten memories that came back. Joker is the one who introduces him to competitive games like darts and shogi this time around. The most validating thing Joker does for Akechi is loving his anger more than his politeness in the end.

[chiropteracupola]

salutations. would you like to explain the deal wktb the moth and compass guys they look very polite

moth and compass! the project I've been working on with @natdrinkstea this year-and-some!!

I believe I've introduced our dramatis personae — Moth, an Inquisitive Young Protagonist; Goodfellow, a Ghost; Luna, a Lighthouse-Keeper; and Peregrine, an Ordinary Cat — a few times before, but I still don't think we've every really talked about the story!

and that is because it has taken. quite some time to actually figure out what Goeth On in moth and compass proper. it's a mystery-fantasy, that'll probably be best told as a scrapbook or a puzzle game or a thing along those lines*, and a somewhat purposefully-nostalgic ghost story. it's everyday magic and the haunted sea and learning to look beyond what you think is there and bubblegum pop road trips and creepy creatures in the shadows and the kind of navigational equipment that, if you use it just right, might take you places you'd never otherwise be able to see...

[getosugurusbangs]

How’s the hq reading going? Since you’re not too far off from chapter 200

it’s going good 👍 i’m having plenty of fun lol