#thecatwriter

[aresmarked]

For the prompt thing, if you are still doing! A drabble, Muelsyse and Kirsten, Control.

How do you hold to water?

Of course, water's all around, it's in the air, and if you go looking you'll find it somewhere. 

But if I pour some into your hands and say, 'This is your last lifeline', it'd be far more precious, hm? 

Still, it's easy. Even a child will learn after seeing drops slip away: have a loose hold, yet firm seal. And the water that's left your hold will show mercy still, the tracks clinging to the back of your fingers.

Water loves; water holds in return.

But remember: it was never just here for you.

[critter-of-habit]

top 5 video game npcs please :D

Riley Abel  (Last of Us)

Serana  (Skyrim)

Alyx Vance  (Half-Life)

Midna  (Twilight Princess)

Sera (Dragon Age Inquisition) 

[isagrimorie]

From the DW ask, 7, 18, 47 please!

from here

7. Favorite Episodes

Ooh. Okay, this is something to think about...

In no particular order:

- Heaven Sent  - Human Nature/Family of Blood- Impossible Planet/Satan Pit- Midnight (but I seldom watch it)- The Demons of the Punjab - The Doctor's Wife- The Pandorica Opens- Day of the Doctor- Husbands of River Song- Thin Ice- The Magician's Apprentice

- Turn Left 

- Fires of Pompeii

- Flatline

- Mummy on the Orient Express

(I want to say Worlds Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls except I really hated what happened to Bill even though the way the juxtaposition of what happens to Bill together with their intimate discussions on Earth was breathtaking. I also take away points for what actually happens to her. 

I like and hated it both. I’m like an onion, I contain multitudes.) 

18. Favorite Character theme song

Breaking the Wall (The Shepherd’s Boy)

I’m really glad Twelve’s theme changed from ‘Am I A Good Man?’ to this because it fits him so well! 

Thirteen’s theme! I love it, it’s so full of adventure and hope! 

47. Which episode is the scariest?

Hmm... I think I wore Blink out too much and I think the Listen moment with what’s under the bed. Also, truthfully? Rosa. 

I’ve never been so afraid for our Team than that episode. The tension seeped into almost every scene, and what’s worse its still something that happens IRL. 

[ennn]

For the dnd meme, 1, 25, 31 & 33 please!

Referring to this!

1. A favourite character you have played.

Oh ho I think my favourite was Maeve, my lesbian disaster wizard/cleric.

Y’know, after playing D&D for a few years, I’ve come to realise that the character you end up playing is really only partly created by yourself – the rest of it will end up being developed at the table, with the DM and the other players.

For example, when I came up with Maeve I had a general idea in my head. I’d loosely based her off POI’s Root, if you could imagine the Machine as a good deity. Her whole disaster gay schtick came out of her flirting with a female NPC, who flirted back, because the DM I had was cool enough to play it that way. And it kinda… snowballed from there.

There was another fighter/rogue character in the group who made it his thing to always open doors after a couple of incidents caused disaster / hilarity.

25. What have your players done that you never could have planned for?

Hah well I’m not sure about never but very recently my players stumped me by getting themselves arrested after burning down the inn they were staying in. 

I really didn’t plan for that outcome as they were a good-neutral aligned party and the only one who had Fireball was the responsible “dad friend” of the group. 

It turns out that being attacked by creepy ooze monsters and having your mind almost drained makes even the most level-headed character want to burn everything around them down just to be safe!

31. What is your favourite class? Favourite race?

I really enjoy playing around with arcane spells and the possibilities they open up so probably lore bard or wizard? 

Race-wise probably tieflings for the flavour and aesthetic? I just wish they had more cool abilities, mechanically.

Ironically I’ve never actually played a tiefling bard or wizard.

33. How do you write your backstory, or do you even write a backstory?

Oh I definitely do write some sort of backstory for the DM... well, okay 99% of the time I do. There was this one recent group where the DM was so lazy preparing for the game I ended up being too lazy to write out my backstory, although I had an idea of it in my head. 

Nowadays I make a Google Doc and share it with the DM. If I’m feeling more creative or bored, I head on to The Homebrewery to make it pretty. If I’m feeling particularly creative or bored, I make my own backstory document using inDesign.

I try not to spend too much time making a pretty backstory thing now, seeing that the character I start out with is gonna evolve and grow very much beyond my initial idea...

In terms of how to write a backstory, for me it really boils down to answering why this character became an adventurer, how they picked up the skills they have at the beginning of the campaign, as well as their general motivation in life. This could take as little as 3-4 paragraphs.

[miss--sherlock]

Hi there, just want to drop by and say that I really like this blog :D It is definitely a part of how I found the show! All the gifs, hype and meta are also very wonderful to see. Thank you for it :)

Ah omg thank you soo much :D Glad that you found this beautiful show and enjoying it. 

[freaoscanlin]

Regarding the favorite fic thing, there are really too many too chose from! Many happened to be Laurel and Felicity. I also think it was due to you that I started shipping them together? (Like it never occurred to me) Anyways, before I ramble on, I think Present Tense is probably my favorite of them all :) (Oh, and Starling City Witchcraft !!)

Yeah, I’m really sorry about that. I mean, there are some great things in this ship, but they definitely qualify for rarepair status. I was not expecting anybody to say Present Tense: that fic and its half-finished sequel were kind of self-indulgent glurge. For somebody who doesn’t like to read much kidfic, I sure like to write it. Whoops. But it makes my day to hear that somebody likes it!!!! 

But I regularly forget that SCW exists (*jazz hands*). The reason I kind of put that one on the back burner was that I realized it would be a fun original novel idea and kind of began retooling it a little. It would need to start a hell of a lot less in media res, that’s for sure, and Oliver as a character would probably only work as a disapproving older cousin rather than an ex because why even would the Laurel expy even tolerate him? What a tool. Readers would never believe any of the excuses I gave her.

(The way to fix it is to clearly make it a series, turn Sara into a cop and Laurel’s twin, and have the first book be Thea/Roy, the second book be Lauricity, Nyssara, and then a much better Oliver with McKenna)

[thefmo]

thecatwriter replied to your post “My ass landed a job interview after a phone call and i’m both nervous...”

good luck!

Thanks!! I admit I’m getting a bit nervous as the interviews come closer

[thereluctantinquisitor]

Lexie Trevelyan doesn't really flirt per se, but she might be in the habit of challenging people to sparring matches and then just happening to wear something in the ring that shows off her arm muscles really well...

Hanin: Hm. You have my attention...

[thecinematichorse]

@missing-merlin

Bad anime horses are lyfe. They often pair up with bad manga horses. Silver Spoon is one example. And for a while I was reading “Kingdom,” which had.... interesting stylistic choices. 

@thecatwrites

That’s probably more along the lines of Anachronistic Pony as a trope. What’s that from, btw?

@horse-and-hattock

I’ll mark Angry Stallion Noises as a subset of Gratuitous Neighing. I’m actually hearing impaired and haven’t noticed that as a thing!!?? Thanks for pointing that out O:

Only I Can Ride Him

My Mother Died In A Riding Accident and My Dad Won’t Let Me Ride

I’m gonna layer those underneath Troubled Teen, Troubled Horse

@captainbookamir

Adding both to my list, thank you!!

[dirtybiowareconfessions]

@thecatwrites replied to your post “look… i know the blogs been dormant for a lil while but some of yall...”

Might I suggest reaction gifs? Could be even funnier that way!

-takes you gently by the hand- you couldn’t pay me enough to make gif confessions

[indelikatt]

tagged by @fuckyeah-nerdery rules: tag 9 people with excellent taste Colors I’m currently wearing: gray tank, blue and teal and navy workout leggins The last band I saw live: uhhhh linkin park? Last song I listened to: Catapult by 2WEI Lipstick or chapstick: chapstick b/c my lips are always dry Last movie I watched: In the theater? Infinity War. On TV? uhhhhh good question. Maybe Age of Ultron? Last 3 TV shows I watched: South Park, Lucifer, and Star Trek TOS.

tagging @sab39 @misscatholmes @fashion4ducks @fantastimonsy @msmoon @tuesdaytothursday @annacecy @thecatwrites @songinabottle

[aresmarked]

I wonder if Silence could ever figure out Saria holds actual genuine esteem and care for her, Independent of forgiving her. Like given her self-depracative tendencies the opposite is way more likely, but I'm kinda obsessed with the gas tank detonation of their current dynamic being hit with 'yeah no Saria's been mooning over you these whole 3+ years Silence.'

...I apologise ahead of time if this turns into 'unedited essay' ahead of time because I'm going to stream of consciousness this.

In the Rhine manhua, there's A Lot going on that frankly, you could write multiple analytical essays on, but for this the most relevant is probably the theme of perception, both of the self and others, and how that affects one's relationships. For example, how Ifrit perceives Saria and Silence still as the people who will protect her pushes the narrative of her being the factor that reconciles them, even if only in stages, currently.

With regards to Saria and Silence... in my opinion, Silence understanding and believing in Saria's regard for her? At the very least openness on the truths Saria is still keeping to herself would be needed, and the conditions for that.... Consider how Parvis talks to Silence here:

Here we see how Parvis perceives Silence, a researcher still growing, hard-working... and 'blinkered' by things like, oh, caring about the suffering Ifrit and others experience now, for the sake of scientific progress.

This is the doubt that besets Silence now. How far does Saria's care for her and Ifrit (honestly, mainly Ifrit) go? What does Saria see her as? Silence knows, from the referenced chapter, how Parvis and Control see her and Ifrit... and she has very little reason to think Saria thinks that differently. After all, while Saria stated there were powerful people to be wary of, when warning Silence she couldn't speak of what happened, she never made it explicit it was Control. Had Saria at any point expressed anything about the divide between her and Kirsten... I think it's safe to say the relationship outcomes would be very different.

Saria, in trying to keep Silence and Ifrit safe, damns herself in Silence's eyes because how she acts makes Silence fear that Saria condones/approves Control and Parvis' actions. Proper recognition's also hindered by how Saria tends not to be highly expressive with her care—or in other words, how difficult it can be for people to perceive her caring. She carries devotion, deep and true, but it's not loud, for it's in every step of hers... and it's easy to glance over what is always present.

Saria also never divorces herself from Kirsten's actions, and Rhine's as a whole. Because she perceives those failings to be hers, or at least to have her hand on them, because she swore to protect and watch over Rhine, and she still claims it as her own. Consider how she tells the Tin Man she will handle the situation at Rhine, rather than 'ask' the Maylander Foundation to do it. She wants Rhine to be better, to do what she can to guide it back on the correct path, because she refuses to wash her hands of what has been done in its name—because if she did, she would lose the chances she had to restore it.

All that said! I discussed this with @thecatwriter once, but in the manhua's last chapter (non-epilogue stuff), Silence chooses to come to Saria, to express her determination. And to give her half a candy but if I think too long on how that gesture has carried forward I won't be semi-focused anymore so, re-centring: her choosing to come to Saria shows she still cares about Saria's perception. Which may be strange to call a relief, given she said she still couldn't forgive Saria, Control, and Rhine, but as they say, the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference.

Saria expressing her belief in her, that she can be the one to help Joyce and Ifrit and the other Infected of Terra, does matter to Silence. So in a sense the belief in Saria is there, but only to a point. It will take time and a few important reveals for Silence to see all that Saria has done to try and keep all she cares about safe/salvageable... but I do think when that happens, I think that yes, Silence would properly appreciate everything Saria's done... even the things that Saria undervalues, or dismisses as just, what had to be done.

[zennie-fic]

I was tagged by @fictorium, so here goes:

Post the last sentence you wrote in a WIP and tag as many people as there are words in the sentence

“Alex jerked upright, and Maggie didn’t have to turn to see the glare directed at her back. “Aren’t you just a bundle of joy today.”

From an unseen as of yet by anyone angsty pre-relationship Sanvers story I’m working on. 

Tagging:  @bridgetteirish @life-in--a--beautiful-light  @brinshannara @performativezippers @agent-dvnvers @thecatwriter @inspectorboxer (Ok, I cheated and added the wife who was already tagged by fictorium, but maybe she’ll do two sentences?)

[isagrimorie]

[January Meme] - Which season is your favorite in regards to the 12th Doctor?

“Which season is your favourite with regards to the 12th doctor?” For @thecatwriter

Series 10!

I liked some episodes in series 8 (Deep Breath, Time Heist, Mummy On the Orient Express, Flatline) and I thought series 9 was a step up in terms of Twelve’s characterization (The Magician’s Apprentice/The Witch’s Familiar, Zygon Inversion/Invasion, Heaven Sent/Hell Bent) with the magnificent, magnificent best in class episode in Heaven Sent.

Husbands of River Song was really really fun but it’s series 10, I think where Twelve as a Doctor has coalesced into the Doctor he’s meant to be. He’s not trying too much in either direction (Am I a Good Man? / And acting like a Teenager) Twelve is finally settled in himself. The 24 years with River and the 70 years with Missy and being around humans seems to have really help calm down.

And one of the best elements of series 10 is Bill Potts and her relationship with the Doctor, it’s a shame Bill’s story gets muddled into Twelve’s ending story and Missy’s redemption arc. But before it happened Bill Potts was amazing and Pearl Mackie had such great chemistry and dynamic with Peter Capaldi. I’m forever mourning Bill is a one season Companion, I would love for Bill to meet Thirteen.

I love how Twelve was with Bill, and I love that Bill questioned Twelve about his ‘if a person has a gun to his head, you have no time to mourn’ mentality to everything. Bill truly felt like Twelve’s student and a sort of parallel to Susan.

I will always remember the touching bittersweet scene in Twice Upon a Time :

Bill: I hope we talk about it loads. I hope we spend years laughing about it. Come back alive. 

Twelve: Be here when I do.

My heart. Then, of course, there’s Missy and her arc with Twelve, who at that point of her many lives is also making more than an effort to be friend Twelve. What started was a long con turned into something that slowly started to change her, only to be set back once again by her past self (Simm!Master) and unknowingly influence her past self by killing Simm!Master the way she did: Thinking of the Doctor and among Cybermen, which would explain Missy’s Cybermen plot in series 8. Bootstrap Paradox.

Twelve himself, who has gone a long, long way from where he started from in Deep Breath to The Doctor Falls (‘Just be kind’).

Peter Capaldi’s run was such a wild ride for me: I adored his initial casting, because, CAPALDI! And then was slowly disillusioned with his mean treatment of Journey, Danny, and Courtney. I stopped for a couple of years and then learned about his character arc.

I love a great character arc, it’s like a siren song to me, so I tentatively dipped my toe in with Husbands of River Song, loved it and then dove head long into a rewatch starting from Time of the Doctor. A terrible episode send off for Matt Smith, IMO but a great set-up to Twelve’s post-war trauma and just fell in love with, deliberately skipping the episodes that made me drop the run in the first place, and circled back to them until after ‘Heaven Sent/Hell Bent’ and building up a lot of good will. The Caretaker still felt like it was a rusty steel wool scrub over my skin, adding Kill the Moon to that mix, which was really unpleasant. They wasted Hermione Norris (HOW DARE THEY) Twelve’s continuous mistreatment of Courtney (his last minute compliments to Courtney were that, last minute and an after thought), and the way he was so condescending to Clara.

The only one and great thing about Kill the Moon was Clara’s scorching tongue lashing of Twelve, finally shaking him off that high horse and his ‘she’s my carer so I don’t have to’ attitude.

Then the brilliant Death in Heaven moment between Clara and Twelve and we finally see how much Twelve truly cares for Clara, once he, again, stops being so into his head.

Series 9 had all the fantastic episodes, culminating in series 10 with Twelve’s characterization making its completed run. I just honestly love how it all comes together. There are stumbles, of course: the Lie of the Land fan bait with the regeneration. Clara, Donna, and River needed to appear and give Twelve slaps because wow, was that cruel and undeserved.

(Unfortunately, much as I love series 10, I also feel like it gave Bill the cruelest thing to happen to a Companion ever. Sure she got her happy ending, what happened to her getting there? Yeah, I can’t forgive or forget that.)

Let’s focus on the awesome stuff tho: Twelve’s character arc, Bill! Missy, and the almost TARDIS team we got with them (and Nardole). Too bad they all kind of died on the first outing. Um, Team Disaster Go?

[ennn]

Ooo, this gaming ask looks fun, there were way too many numbers that I feel like asking. But to start, 25, 28, 52, 59 please!

From this list – I’m going to assume by gaming this generally refers to video gaming as opposed to other kinds of gaming!

25. Proudest accomplishment in gaming?

Oh wow, I don’t think one single accomplishment comes to mind really. 

I’m quite proud of my Destiny raid accomplishments because fuck jeebus those aren’t easy, especially the King’s Fall raid on heroic. Gaming raid achievements I’m always fond of since they have to done as a well-coordinated team.

Well there is this other thing that I’m sorta proud and embarrassed about… that one university break I spent grinding for Commander rank in vanilla WoW battlegrounds for the then super exclusive epic mount. 

I think I gamed from like 10pm to 3pm every day because of US time zones. It was a crazy time and I only endured because I had a RL friend who was doing it alongside me. The whole thing lasted over a month. I was so tired by the end of it, I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

Am I proud of it? Uhhh I’d say it’s complicated and I certainly wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

28. Who got YOU into gaming?

Hm, I don’t think anyone got me into gaming really. I come from a small family, none of whom care about gaming, and none of the friends I had in school growing up played video games.

I’d say it was the small group of friends I made in uni that really got me into gaming. My first group of geeky friends. I remember how this the club meeting we were having was winding them, as people were leaving they were setting up Xboxes to play Halo in the classroom and I thought “Oh my people!”

I did love reading Choose Your Own Adventure books when I was a kid so it’s no wonder I fell in love with RPGs.

52. A game you will always stand behind, and support no matter what?

Dragon Age 2 because it gets a lot of hate even though its companion characters and story are my favourite of the series. 

I wish they’d release a remastered version of it with better gameplay because yes, that was lacking but the story.

Also fem!Hawke and Isabella. That’s my jam.

59. A game you are looking forward to this year?

Bioware’s Anthem! Because I support Bioware with my whole dumb heart.

I mean yes, it totally rips off Destiny and anyone who goes in expecting a game of a different archetype is going to be disappointed. It’s designed as a multiplayer game with a loot grind. Adjust those expectations people!

But hell yeah, let’s hoping Anthem is fun and keeps me distracted through 2019. If any of you are getting it on PC, feel free to hit me up!

[kauriart]

Portrait OCs, Gifts & Commissions

Look at all these (mostly) Dragon Age babies! It was such a joy and pleasure to draw these, and I’m so happy to finally have enough to consolidate into a single post!

@feynites‘ Curiosity \ @shlara‘s Maia Lavellan \ @snakebitcat‘s Whisper Lavellan 

@kirathegelfling‘s Kora Lavellan \ @coffeeandbiotics’s Arden \ @deliciouscrabmeat‘s Pierrot Lavellan @sewluscious‘ Cressida Trevelyan \ @rhizunis‘ Catrista Locke \ @leanarutherford‘s Léana Lavellan

*

My Gabriel Hawke \ @thestewards‘ Sabel Trevelyan \ @ruantrevelyan‘s Iseheris \

@stardustlings‘ Adelaide Trevelyan \ @head-bitch-inquisitor‘s Ariya Lavellan \ @thecatwrites‘ Lexie Trevelyan

@musicalheart168‘s Elizabeth Trevelyan \ @wanderbarding‘s Fawkes Trevelyan Pavus \ @kaleidoscopegirl‘s Moira Lavellan Theirin

*

@picchar‘s Rythlen Cousland \  @your-shield-of-love's Reid Lavellan \ @hella-flawless-amythyst’s Sparks 

Rythlen’s ridiculous hair \  @pandursprose’s    Lyny Viresse  \ @ellstersmash‘s Athi Lavellan 

@cedarmoons‘  Ziah \ @buttsonthebeach‘s Ellana Lavellan \ @free-smarcher‘s Katia Cadash