#thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee

[lantur]

updates,

Things are finally starting to look up! My boss came back today, and stability and the status quo have been returned to the workplace, so that helps :)

I am so happy to be DONE with my work trip to Ohio last week - traveling for work can be so stressful and exhausting. I had a three hour delay on my flight home :(( and got home at about midnight late on Friday night.

I finished listening to The Library at Mount Char, which @taylor-renee recommended an age ago. This book was definitely one of the most wild and original books I've listened to since the Locked Tomb series. I'm now on book one of the Temeraire series, with His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik, which @roseofbattles recommended. I am SO obsessed with the style, the worldbuilding, and the story overall.

I'm on season four of Insecure, and loving this show more with every season. I wish I had known about it and watched it when it first came out, from 2016-2021. It would have made me feel so much better about my dating misfortunes and bad work-related situations from 2016-2018. Even seeing things like Issa and Molly's appearance and styling would have made me feel so much better when I was in my twenties. Seeing Issa's short natural hair makes me feel more confident with my own when I don't have my wig on, and I love seeing Molly change her hair like I do with my wigs.

Two! Weeks! Until I'm in Maine with @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee and @annespelledwithane!

I bought a seat cushion for my car. :) I'm very, very short, like under 5 feet or 1.5 meters, and that does impact my ability to see super well in my car, even with the seat adjusted. I can see SO much better with that extra 4 inches or so from the cushion.

I'm back to a routine of daily stretching, which I find tedious and un-fun but seems necessary to manage muscle tightness caused by running, lifting, and swimming. :/ It's such a cruel joke of the human body that muscles, joints, and bodies get tight and stiff from overuse/repetitive activity and underuse. It's so hard to find a sweet spot.

Westin the cat had his annual vet visit today and has received a clean bill of health. ❤️

[edierone]

Umm hi I'm a bit new to the txf fandom and while I love Mulder, I'm about 10x more obsessed with (and attracted to) Scully but unfortunately and bafflingly (for me) most of the blogs I've encountered so far (except yours) seem to be more..Mulder-focused?.. Basically I want to follow more people who thirst after Dana Scully, could you recommend anyone? (No offense to Mulder fans, I'm just very gay)

hello, and welcome to this hotel-california-ass fandom! you are for sure among your people 🤗 I think the easiest way to find more simpatico posters is to follow the little breadcrumb trails of posts to find blogs that you like – when I or someone else reblogs a Scully-thirsty post, see who made it (the op), and maybe check out a few of the people who recently rb’d it too; sometimes it was just a one-off from somebody more multi-fandom, but you might find a treasure trove of scully pics/gifs/takes.

meanwhile, i’m trying very hard to come up with some names to recommend – but it’s as if by reading the question, every one of the hundreds of people follow (and have for YEARS) has been completely erased from my brain!!! gaaaahhh. ummmm … @leiascully, @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee, @nimlurks, @iconicscullyoutfits — c’mon Scully gals, raise your hands, help our new-ish gay sister out!!!

[roseofbattles]

Tagged by @fullmetalscullyy (and conveniently on my break at work so perfect excuse to do this right now)

coffee or tea | early bird or night owl | chocolate or vanilla | spring or fall | silver or gold | pop or alternative | freckles or dimples | snakes or sharks | mountains or fields | thunder or lightning | egyptian mythology or greek mythology | ivory or scarlet | flute or lyre | opal or diamond | butterflies or honeybees | macarons or eclairs | typewritten or handwritten | secret garden or secret library | rooftop or balcony | spicy or mild | opera or ballet | london or paris | vincent van gogh or claude monet | denim or leather | potions or spells | ocean or desert | mermaids or sirens | masquerade ball or cocktail party

Tagging @nightofnyx8 @firewoodfigs @lantur @janetfraiser @morganathewitch @littlewitchbee @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee and anyone else<3

[firewoodfigs]

Tagged by the resplendent @roseofbattles :)

TEN GOOD THINGS IN 2023

1. New York / poetry readings — sometime around September, I got to feed an old, ostensibly impractical dream that’s emerged and lurked around since two decades ago. I wrote a poem and got to read it aloud in a wonderful art studio around Chelsea, teeming with so much talent and heart, thanks to the incredible @mirabile---visu. Thank you, dear friend, for giving my poem a home. I will remember this forever and hold dear to heart all the honest conversations we had over pizza, art and wine <3 you are such an inspiration and I can’t wait to see you again! Thank you too to the insanely talented @go-haywire for putting my words into print and allowing them to rest in a well-bound sanctuary — I carried it with me in New York as a lucky charm, and will always be eternally grateful for your generosity and faith.

2. New Zealand — sometime in April, in between jobs, I got to visit the amazing @tsaritsa in NZ, and it was two weeks of peace and great novelty, including but not limited to riding on a horse, feeding penguins, and donning on a firefighter costume! We also walked a ton and talked a lot and gazed upon a blanket of stars. Thank you for all your hospitality and love which I will never forget (and see you in 2024?!)

3. Other travels — I travelled a lot around Asia this year, for work and for fun! I got to see the cherry blossoms for the first time in my life with Japan with my partner. We also got to celebrate his birthday there, and it was an all around lovely trip; I’m really happy he got to have this break because he’s been truly working so hard in 2023. I also ushered in the new year with a dear friend in South Korea; the fireworks were nothing short of spectacular! We got a strawberry shortcake after and returned to our cute little apartment to just wind down and pen down our hopes for 2023 :) I also got to visit Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia for work, which were really exciting experiences!

4. Job switch — sometime in April, I was confronted with this HUGE dilemma of staying here in my hometown or moving to… a tax-free desert… the latter meant I’d at least be able to stay with my previous firm, but after a lot of coffees and deep consideration I decided it was better to move on to someplace else and stay put so I could spend more time with my partner. In hindsight it was probably the best decision I could’ve made; 2023 has been quite emotionally distressing for us and I would’ve hated to see him ensure all of that alone. I was mildly apprehensive at first about the switch, but I’ve been really blessed to have the most wonderful colleagues and bosses and am really excited to see what’s in store next :)

5. Meeting new friends, and in a similar vein, catching up and reuniting with old ones :) New York was a dream, in large part due to meeting some of the most luminous souls I’ve had the serendipitous pleasure of knowing during the pandemic—first over a screen, and then in person, over karaoke, and bagels, and coffee, and ice cream, and of course fried chicken LOL. @x-rainflame-x @roseofbattles @nightofnyx8 @beware-thegemini @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee @annespelledwithane it was so so precious getting to meet you all in New York and I will cherish our time there together forever!

6. Learning a language—I try to learn at least one new word a day, and I’ve also been working on my Japanese since moving into a Japanese firm. It really helps as well to have colleagues that I can practice with—I took classes briefly in college but it sort of just drifted out of my memory after the pandemic because I didn’t speak it regularly, but now that I do it’s been super fun!

7. Getting into Spy x Family — and consequently, getting back into fic writing :) all of this is @nightofnyx8’s fault btw, now I have to pretend I like this stupid fake family a normal amount (when I’m just obsessed an unhealthy amount lmao)

8. Fraud/investigations work — this basically consumed the entirety of my Nov/Dec and there’s not much I can divulge about it (apart from the fact that it pretty much aged me by a decade) but… I felt like Loid Forger and it was fun being a spy for a month. the end

9. Dealing better with anxiety (?)—question mark because my progress is… questionable. On one hand I think I’ve gotten a lot better at regulating (or perhaps suppressing) a lot of associated feelings, but it still gets frightening on occasion when the dam breaks free without much prior warning. Regardless I think it’s a marked improvement from the countless menty bs back in college lmao. To be very frank, having a stable income of sorts has helped a great deal; in college I was constantly plagued with the fear of not having enough to purchase required materials or at times food, and it was just a lot to deal with. It felt like there was no room for failure because I only had myself to rely upon, and success was the only tenable avenue out of poverty, but being able to now obtain necessities and even additional wants has done wonders for my mental health. It’s true that money doesn’t happiness, and I spend a great deal of time daily mulling over capitalism and consumerism and the like, but I cannot deny the sense of security it affords.

10. And finally, falling deeper in love everyday :) it’s easy to think we know a great deal about someone, except we don’t. People may appear simple, but the truth is we’re all a work in progress, and by extension, a continuing story. I could read a million books and write a million poems, but beloved, believe me—you will always be my favourite.

Goodbye 2023, and hello 2024!

[musing-and-music]

I was tagged by @pretty-thief!

last song: Day 2: Isolation by Ayreon

favorite color: blue (that deep blue in zenith of the sky)

last movie/show: Mission: Possible. A Korean action/comedy movie about an agent (intern) of the Chinese special forces teaming up with a PI to stop arms dealers in South Korea. I really enjoyed it, but I had to face the consequences of finishing it around 2am on a work night

sweet/spicy/savory: savory

relationship status: single

last thing i googled: "un mélange avec 3% d'alcool isopropylique est il dangereux" (is a mix with 3% of isopropyl alcohol dangerous). That's for work, to see if it was flammable or not

current obsession(s): This hilarious series about the reasons Ed and Al give people for the loss of their bodies/leg and arm

tag 9 people: @fullmetalscullyy @klainelynch @goneadrift @scienceoftheidiot @theaceofdragons @jedidragonwarriorqueen @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee @vayalda @firewood-figs

[nightofnyx8]

Wow, I'm a lot pickier about my favorite tropes than I thought I was. Thanks @smoothshine for the tag!

Similiar to smoothshine, I love mysteries! Trying to guess where the conclusion is going to take me whilst our two leads are trying to figure out their attraction to each other?!?! Every time! I very much like being put on the edge of my seat as the tension in the plot and the romance builds (actually that reflects my own writing pretty well)

I'm such a sucker for angst with happy endings. Good old hurt/comfort will make me cry, especially if it's written well. As far as AUs go, anything modern is pretty much a go (except high school). One of my favorites is actually Actor AUs! Though one of my least favorite tropes are reincarnation fics--98% of the time, you can tell the story without it (idk maybe i've read too many manhwas).

You can actually convince me to read almost anything if it's written well. There are some authors that I'll read no matter what they write. (aka @jedidragonwarriorqueen's royai vampire fic). And while I like my fluff, I usually need a bit of angst to go along with it or I find it bland.

I also just realized that my top two tiers are basically the plot of spy x family, so go figure 😅 tagging @whateversawesome @wondrousmay @klainelynch @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee and whoever else wants to :)

You can make your own template here!

[harcidian]

ephermal 👀👀 (also ty for tagging me even tho I do not and will not ever write fic LOLOL 💙)

ohmy I never knew! Sorry for the confusion! 😅

ephemeral

adj. lasting a very short time

An almei fic! Compared to edwin royai and lingfan, I think Al and May Chang do not have a shared history. And they need more love 🥺. So I wanted to explore their dynamics and how their relationship might have developed. I think it can be considered as a Character Study (and a relationship study? idk if that’s a real ao3 term lolololol)

Personally, I view Al and May as people who seem too good to be true. Al is the one who always takes care of Ed, even though he’s the younger brother. May had the fate of her entire clan in her hands despite being young. I see both of them as people who loved to help others, but silently wish for someone to help them instead. They wanted someone to take care of them for a change. Until they met each other.

I also wanted to explore the importance of equivalent exchange, not as a function of being insufficient, but in the context of giving too much. Not to mention that kindness is something people always take advantage of. And so, their “perfect image” isn’t as perfect as others might think.

Also, this was originally entitled “ethereal”. But I wanted it to fit the theme of ‘time’ for the sake of the series I’m planning, which includes primordial (royai), perpetual (edwin), fragmental (lingfang), and meridian (post fmab fic).

It needs a lot of world-building, and for simplicity’s sake (and for my sanity), they’ll all be under the same timeline.

P.S. this will take a long-ass time 😆 i��m a writer who looooves planning but I do hope I can make it before (god forbid) I lose interest

list of wips here

[pensbridgerton]

👻👽🍏🎬!

👻: do you believe in ghosts?

yes and I try not to think about it that much :p

👽: do you believe in aliens? 

already answered

🍏: what’s your favorite fruit? 

banana and I also love melon (especially the honeydew) and strawberrys when it’s the season

🎬: what’s your favorite movie?

I used to answer ‘oh I have so many’ but since then I watched The Greatest Showman and it’s definitely my favorite now!

quarantine emoji ask meme!

[bringingglory]

thank you so much for the tags @hanamuri @fullmetalscullyy @megthemighty @nightofnyx8 @tsaritsa !

How many works do you have on AO3? 11! some are botw, one is tdiapt, some are fma, and some are haikyuu! i mostly just write for whatever im interested in at the moment/whichever fandom inspiration strikes for

What's your total AO3 word count? 101,939

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Keep Your Friends Closer But Your Enemies Closer - T: ahhhh my miraculous ladybug fic! ive literally been working on her for FOREVER and i swear to god im going to finish it, i literally know how i want to end it and i know all the events leading up to it. hell, i even have a vague idea of what i want to happen in the middle, i just need to know what order the middle stuff happens in and also i just have to write it. It's an AU where Ladybug and Chat Noir are actually enemies but then Chat Noir accidentally befriends Marinette and then drama etc etc etc.

rain - G: first zelink fic babey! set Pre-Calamity and basically link and zelda get stuck in a cave because of the rain and there's just a lot of quiet pining, etc etc.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Oikawa - T: HAHAHA this was a crack fic inspired by my roommate but then i forgot it was supposed to be a crack fic while writing it and there are accidentally real emotions alkjdfalksdf but anyway it was very fun to write lmao. it was based off this meme and basically it's an AU where Oikawa is Spider-Man and Iwaizumi doesn't know but they still like hang out and stuff. It's a lot of fun, or at least I think it is, haha.

stolen moments - T: first royai fic!!! just a series of "stolen moments" (mic drop) where roy and riza like cant be together but yknow, they try. lots of pining. etc

a secret weapon of sorts - T: 5+1 edwin fic inspired by the Simple People OVA where instead of ed giving winry earrings to get out of trouble, he gives her kisses.

Do you reply to comments, why or why not? Yes! I try really hard to!!! Sometimes I get overwhelmed and I don't respond to comments for a while, but I absolutely do my best to when I remember because I feel like it's my way of saying "thank you" for them reading my fics in the first place, haha.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? Uhhhhh, sleepless I guess? But it's more open-ended/not explicitly positive more than anything, though even then I feel like I've got a hint of hope in there. alkjdfhalsdk idk man I just, I can't write *pure* angst, there's gotta be some light, and thus I could never end anything angstily

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? LMAO most of my fics??? I guess??? bc despite being an anxious piece of shit, I am an optimist by heart

Do you write crossovers? If so, what's the craziest one you've ever written? When I was younger! Idk, I guess the Rise of the Brave Frozen Tangled Dragons fandom??? if anyone remembers what that is lmao

Have you ever received hate on a fic? Not exactly? Maybe some weird comments on KYFCBYEC but even then, it wasn't that often.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? No no no no no no no no. I am telling you, I physically cannot write smut. I don't think I actually have the capacity. Absolute fucking kudos to every single smut writer out there bc it truly is an art form capturing that intimacy and emotion and etc, but I literally get flustered from writing mildly detailed kiss scenes. If I ever wrote smut, I would burst into flames on the spot.

Actually lies, I technically wrote smut once, but it was at the request of my roommates and they wanted me to write a crack smut fic of Y/N x our uni's mascot and I wrote that thing in like 3 hours with so many silly memes to keep myself sane (not like other girls, tongues battled for dominance, etc), did not edit it, and because it was so, like, not serious, I was actually able to get through it. But even then, when I wrote "thrusting" I literally had to put my laptop down for 20 minutes.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Nope!

Have you ever had a fic translated? Not yet! Someone commented on Your Friendly Neighborhood Oikawa and asked if they could translate it and I said yes! They haven't gotten around to it yet, but I would love to see it if they do!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Not yet!

What’s your all-time favourite ship? Bro it changes day to day. You can't ask me this lmao. The current ship I'm most fixated on is Iwaoi, but I wouldn't say they're my all-time favorite.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? I'm not answering this energy. On god, I'm going to finish things. I want to.

What are your writing strengths? uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh very good question lmao. I don't really like thinking about "strengths" in my writing bc who am I to say? akjdslakfjdf idk, instead, I'm just gonna say some things I like/try to do in my writing, which are: conversational prose/having a lot of voice in the narration, I try to add humor wherever I can, and recently I've gotten better and metaphors and describing things bc I picked up writing poetry a year ago!

What are your writing weaknesses? hmmm, a thing I dislike about my writing/the writing process is that I'm slow to publish things and slow to finish things because I'm such a messy first drafter and I also take forever to edit. I would like to uhhhhh get things out faster. Also I tend to repeat myself a lot bc I forget the details of things I write sometimes lmao.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? Hmmm, I dunno, I guess I don't have any strong thoughts? The only other language I know is Mandarin but even then, I suck ass at that, so I'll prolly never write dialogue in another language simply bc I like to try to portray things semi-realistically and I don't think I have a good enough grasp on any other language the same way I do in English to produce authentic enough dialogue.

What was the first fandom you wrote for? Fablehaven I guess? But Idk I was in fourth grade an didn't even know what fandom was yet. Rise of the Guardians, maybe?

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

AHHHH idk??? maybe hold your hand out in the dark because i really experimented with my writing on that one and im sort of proud of the result, just like the fact that i wanted to try something new and it turned out alright. that or Sunset Wheeling which is an iwaoi fic where they just skate, and like it's prolly one of the most self-indulgent things i've ever written because it's silly and they just. skate. but aljdfalsjd idk i loved it and i churned it out in 6 days and it was a lot of fun lol

ahhh a bunch of people have been tagged already, so sorry if im tagging you again, but for now im just gonna tag @niconiconina @notkorras @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee @firewoodfigs and anyone else who wants do it!

[fullmetalscullyy]

tagged by @tsaritsa @firewoodfigs and @waddiwasiwitch to share my lockscreen, last song listened to, and last photo in my camera roll. ty my beloveds ilysm <333

featuring: a. my happy place b. the song i sang along to as i drove to work this morning to psych myself up and stop myself from freaking out sm LMAO and c. the lunch i treated myself to yesterday bc oof did i deserve a treat

i've been mia recently for various reasons, mainly due to being left woefully unprepared and messed around re today (which in some aspects couldn't be helped. but. like. adequate training for a new position? who's she?) but!! (i think so anyway) i fucking smashed it team. i'm currently terrified i've missed something out while locking up and probs have. i also probs won't be able to sleep tonight bc of it HAHA but. we're dealing. and one look at that lockscreen and listening to good chill music has helped a lot these past two weeks, along w the support given by some v amazing people who i love dearly and am so pleased and grateful i can call them friends 💖

tagging @vadeofspades @bringingglory @megthemighty @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee @hanamuri <33 ofc no pressure as always!

[later-slayer]

tagged by @rizsa​, thank you so much!

[I did add my [shortened] answers to the text for better accessability]

Who are you and how do you pronounce your username? My name is Sam and my username is later slayer

Where are you from? (okay to not answer!!) I am from the United States

Give us a fun fact about yourself. I honestly couldn’t think of one, although I do have tattoos which is kinda fun

What got you through 2020? Still coming to terms with the fact that it is December! I was fortunate enough that my job stayed open so I had that consistency. The fandom, too! You guys are all so kind and wonderful!

What's your favourite medium of Fullmetal Alchemist (Manga, 03, Brotherhood, Live Action) Brotherhood, for sure!

How did you discover Fullmetal Alchemist? I caught a mix of 03 and Brotherhood back in the day, the I did not see it properly until a few months ago

Do you create any Fullmetal Alchemist content? YES. Mostly fanfics, but also gifs, art, and other crafts

What's your favourite scene/arc in the series? Briggs, I love the way the snow was animated, and how the story progressed (as well as the outfit changes!)

Where would you wanna travel to in Amestris? Probably just the countryside and small towns, Central has too much going on

What's a favourite headcanon? (crack is allowed and encouraged!!) That Roy and Riza love each other, that they know they love each other, but that they still do not get together

What are some of your favourite tropes in fan-created Fullmetal Alchemist content? That Roy is an idiot. He is an extremely intelligent man, but he is a dumbass and I will bully him for all eternity

Give us your unpopular Fullmetal Alchemist opinion I don’t think Roy should have cananically gotten his sight back by use of the Philosopher’s Stone. Even with the goals that he has, with all the Ishvalans he slaughterd I do not believe he should use the stone for what would involve his own gain. I also do not feel that he as a character would use it for himself.

What kind of alchemist would you be? Would you enrol in the State Alchemy Program? Alkahestry and NO WAY

What's your favourite quote from the series?  That sometimes simple changes only need simple reasons (or something like that)

tagging @meridianheroine @x-rainflame-x @firewoodfigs @lonepiper5758 @fullmetal-hellmouthchemist @borkthemork @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee and whoever else wants to do it!

[lantur]

Hey as someone who is also from a fandom background but writing original fiction at the moment, how did you stay motivated through writing your whole book? I know you released delicate bit by bit, and I think you were writing as you released so it wasn't all stockpiled ... I imagine the kudos and comments along the way were a big motivator. So when you're writing original fiction and don't have the community around you so much, what helped you persevere? How long did you have to push through to write it?

Making the transition from writing fanfiction, which was so interactive and supportive and motivating from chapter to chapter thanks to the fantastic readers - to writing a whole novel in one go, without sharing any of it publicly, was a difficult one.

The community in the process of writing A Box Full of Darkness was a smaller one, but it kept me going. My husband was a great support in helping me persevere when I felt frustrated and wanted to give up, telling him that nobody would read my novel. I think the key is really having someone who cares about your story, who is passionate about it, and excited about it. My editor @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee was that for me. I shared new scenes and chapters with her as they were being written. She gave me valuable developmental feedback, and just as importantly, her excitement for the story and Tessa and Ryan helped keep me motivated to finish telling their story. I couldn't have done it without her.

I started the first outlines of the novel in November 2022 and finished work in roughly January 2024, so it was just over a year of work.

Best of luck with your writing ❤️

[klainelynch]

Tag nine people you’d like like catch up with or get to know better

Thank you for tagging me @kisahawklin !!

Fave color: teal

Currently reading: nothing, because apparently my brain won’t allow me to multitask rn, and I’m so close to finishing the first draft of this Spiritfarer AU

Last song: Max LL just released the official sheet music to What Will You Leave Behind, aka the Spiritfarer end credits song (and it will actually be the title of my fic, though because I’m lazy, I will keep referring to it with the shorthand). 

Last movie: A Bug’s Life, which we watched because we were watching Pixar shorts, which we were watching because we watched Soul (had never seen it before, and my friend was amused that we were crying, but like, how are you gonna show that to two teachers and expect dry eyes????)

Last series: Never Have I Ever season 2 (an entire mess, but I loved it so much) (and if I rewatch Heroes because of Sendhil Ramamurthy, don’t look at me)

Tea or coffee: coffee

Currently playing: because I am an absolute parody of myself and have NO idea how to do anything in moderation... I’m currently replaying Spiritfarer 

Tagging: @brianwilly @fullmetalscullyy @hanamuri @whycellothurr @dragonifyoudare @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee @minnarr @peartato @niconiconina

[roseofbattles]

This has become something of a tradition at this point so ten good things that have happened this year/things I'm proud of!

Greatest Hits of 2023

1. TRAVEL. I went a lot of cool places this year which after the last few years felt like a big deal. Highlights were a trip to Boston with a group of old friends, and a trip to NYC with a group of new friends 💗

2. I got a lot closer to my reading goal with 41 books this year - if I finish the book I'm currently reading before the end of the year. I really loved reading The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.

3. My garden has done great this year - that's the best part of where I live in California 100% is that I can grow things year round. I picked more tomatoes this week and am growing so many other things.

4. A lot of writing happened this year - less fanfic and a lot more original work. I'm hoping to finish the first draft of my novel in 2024. I'm really proud of what I've accomplished with it so far - it's my longest piece so far at ~75k words

5. I tried a lot of new recipes this year with a lot of success! Cooking is something I love but struggle to do for myself so it's been really helpful cooking virtually with a friend every other week. Favorites included: 20 minute creamy sausage and gnocchi and coconut curry chicken meatballs I also made Yor's stew which was delicious!

6. I sent a lot of letters this year! I've always loved to but I made a concerted effort to send more this year. It's always a joy to hear when someone gets one, or getting one back. (If anyone wants a pen pal lmk ;))

7. My Spanish has improved! I knew virtually no Spanish when I moved to California but I'm able to have basic conversation with my coworkers now which is very exciting. Learning a second language has been a goal of mine for a long time and being around people who speak another language every day is definitely helping me practice.

8. Saw two new musicals: Le Mis and Hadestown (I know I'm one hundred years late to Le Mis) but I had forgotten how nice it was to see live performances like that. Both were incredible

9. Lots of time with new friends and old this year was a highlight; having people visit from out of state and also over to play board games

10. Survived a lot of bad things! Including a terrible roommate and a lot of stress related to that. That's been a huge improvement.

Bonus: something I'm hoping 2024 brings is more rest, and more time with the people I love 💞 This year has been simultaneously endless and over in a blink and it's been a very exhausting one, emotionally and mentally. I'm very grateful for all of my friends and family and also my cat, who is the best cat

Tagging anyone who would like to participate and also @lantur @firewoodfigs @nightofnyx8 @x-rainflame-x @fullmetalscullyy @janetfraiser @possumsinatrenchcoat @smoothshine @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee @musing-and-music and @littlewitchbee if any of you would like!

[firewoodfigs]

get to know me better tag

ty for the tag my beloved emma @fullmetalscullyy (can't believe it's been a year since we met up?!?!? I MISS HANGING OUT WITH YOU)

three ships: twiyor, royai, minakushi 💞

first ever ship: minakushi 🥰 they canonically got married had a kid and d-worded

last song: twenty-three, IU 🕺

last movie: are you there god? it's me, margaret (my bff and i were bawling very loudly in the corner lmao)

currently reading: contempt by alberto moravia + all of @silvershiner's old fics

currently watching: spy x family!! wakuwaku!!

currently consuming: leftovers... my diet rn closely resembles pre-loid forger twilight LMAO. except i probably consume 17263786x the amount of rice that he does

currently craving: another coffee would be nice about now... and fried chicken (this is a permanent craving and no i did not eat ten chicken sandwiches in nyc)

tagging: @nightofnyx8 @roseofbattles @x-rainflame-x @beware-thegemini @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee @annespelledwithane @tsaritsa @megthemighty @lantur @sometimesiship @yortakeme @aerequets and anyone who wants to do this :)

[musing-and-music]

List 10 songs with 10 names in the titles that I like, and then tag 10 people.

Thanks @pretty-thief for the tag!

Elanor - Howard Shore

Dear Theodosia - Lin-Manuel Miranda

Roméo kiffe Juliette - Grand Corps Malade

Loreley - Blackmore's Night

Song for Denise - Piano Fantasy

Song of Durin - Clamavi De Profundis

La Jument de Michao - Tri Yann

Aline - Christophe

Mon ancêtre Gurdil - Pen of Chaos et le Naheulband

Luthien's Lament - Eurielle

Yes, I know three of them are inspired by the Lord of the Ring!

Tagging @klainelynch @goneadrift @vayalda @wind-on-the-panes @fullmetalscullyy @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee @thatonehoneywhiskeyanon @firewoodfigs @atomic-bobo @villainousmiss