#theuselesspotoo

[bettydice]

Hello @theuselesspotoo, this is my @masseffectholidaycheer gift for you!

Some music for and inspired by your Astrid Shepard!  (I especially fell in love with this picture of her.) I hope you like it! (you mentioned that you could use a laugh and I’m afraid this is no funny music at all, but I hope it makes you smile anyway?)

[paxveraque]

Holiday Harbinger 2019:  Let Old Ghosts Rest

Hi @theuselesspotoo!  I’m your Holiday Harbinger!  I know I am delinquent in my delivery of this harvesting (I am a bad Reaper and for that I am sorry), but I hope that you enjoy!  I had quite a bit of fun with this.  I’ve never had the opportunity to write any Javik before. Thank you @masseffectholidaycheer​ for organizing!

The Normandy unsettles Javik. It is not simply the friction of this unrecognizable time, or even the folly of allowing an artificial intelligence aboard. No, the ship itself thrums with the energy of those that have come before. It floods him with their memories, no matter how often he washes his hands. Their camaraderie. Their sacrifice. Their pain.

It is all too familiar, and yet, nothing is.  

He confines himself to a room that surges with a cacophony of unyielding war drums, surging pride, and trumpets of sour rage. He does not know the krogan who sang this sordid tune, but it is a variation on the only song Javik has ever known.  

Maybe that is why he rarely questions how easy it is to adjust to this cycle. The primitives have evolved and brought with them unfamiliar and unintelligible customs, but his purpose remains the same. He is the Avatar of Vengeance: the anger of a dead race that refused to be silenced. As long as he is fighting, he is home.

The human Commander seems to understand this purpose, and so Javik stays aboard. The rest of the crew give him a wide berth. All but the asari, that is.  

At first, he thinks he might grow to like her. She is dedicated to the cause and a powerful biotic. She understands much about his cycle, and she tries to make him feel comfortable.  

But she asks many questions, and his answers always seem to disappoint her. She talks about his civilization, as if he has ever known anything but war. She asks about his culture, as if he has ever had a chance to appreciate it. She calls him heartless, as if his heart could have been shaped any other way. It is almost as if she wants him to be someone other than he is, even if only for a moment.

It shows how little she understands.  

There is no winning this war. Not for the Protheans. There is only the trumpeting rage, the final overture of a trillion ghosts demanding their tribute be paid in blood.    

To pause, even for a moment, means their extinction.  

*

Thessia.

Liara hoped she woud never live to see another planet burn. Earth was enough. Palaven was two too many. But Thessia—

She promised them they would be safe. She encouraged asari commandos to rescue human colonies, to help Shepard and the war effort. She spread her resources, her intelligence, too thin.  

She left Thessia vulnerable. She let Thessia burn.  

It is all too much to process. The loss. The guilt. She deserves to be chastised, but the Normandy’s crew offers her only pity.  And before she knows it, she is standing before the one person she knows will not offer her sympathy. The one crew member who will not shy away from reprimanding her naivete. Javik will not mince words. He never has.  

She enters his room brimming with barely leashed biotic energy. She has never wanted to pick a fight before, but here she is, directing her rage toward a man she knows to be incapable of empathy. She is mere seconds from throwing the first punch when he speaks. It totally disarms her.

“Despair is the enemy’s greatest weapon. Do not let them wield it, Liara T’Soni.”  

The biotic subfield that surrounds her subsides. He touches her shoulder, and for the briefest, most impossible of moments, she sees beyond the Avatar of Vengeance to Prothean underneath. Not the rage and ruthlessness, not the fury of a dying people, but the pain. The loss.  

She has asked hundreds of questions about his time and his culture, but she has never bothered to wonder about him. How many planets has Javik watched burn? How many friends has he buried? 

Her feet take her away before she processes what she is doing. Javik. Shepard. Garrus. They all carried on as their planets burned. They kept up the fight despite the odds. And so would she.  

*

Something changes after Thessia.  

The crew has warmed to him. They stop by his quarters and offer him food. They invite him to drinks. It is strange, but not unwelcome.

And the asar—Liara, he remembers—stops by more frequently. But the tenor of her questions has changed. No longer does she ask him to recall a Golden Age that he never experienced. Instead, she asks how Prothean armies waged strategic retreats. How they evacuated occupied planets. Whether they ever found a way to reverse indoctrination.  

They talk for hours, and still, her thirst for information is never sated. He teases that she too is exemplary of her cycle. An Avatar of Curiosity if ever he had met one.  

But he knows few others will put his information to better use. The answers to her questions save millions of lives. He admires her drive. He envies her empathy. Both, he eventually realizes, are invaluable skills in winning this war. 

Despite himself, he begins to look forward to her visits. Indeed, when her information brokering keeps her away, he even ventures to visit her. He learns that she enjoys warm soup, and that she sometimes needs to be told to take breaks, to rest, even though there is more to do.

During one lengthy visit, she asks about his family. His service history. She wonders whether he ever held a command. Whether his crew was anything like the Normandy. Whether he considered them friends. He talks about them with affection, but he realizes he can no longer remember their faces. Their smiles. The realization haunts him as they prepare for to return to the Commander’s home planet. 

The ghosts of his past drive his purpose. But what happens when that purpose is extinguished? What happens if they manage to do what the Protheans never could: to put an end to the Reapers? What then? Who would he be? How could he be?

He knows the memory shard could tell him of a time before the Reapers. A time when he may have been shaped differently than he was. But there is so much pain in those memories. So much he would have to revisit.

We have a saying, the Commander tells him. Let old ghosts rest.  

It is chillingly simple, but the wisdom rings true. His ghosts have demanded much of him over the last fifty-thousand years. They have driven his purpose, carried him forth into countless battles. But if it came to pass that this purpose was fulfilled-- perhaps they deserved to rest.  

Perhaps he deserves to no longer be haunted by them.  

*

“Dr. T’Soni.” The wrap at her door startles Liara from her work. The war may be over, but the relief effort has only begun.  

Earth has stabilized in the weeks since Shepard activated the crucible. With the relays back up, Liara has been able to coordinate shipments of dextro rations and emergency supplies to the armies that were stranded. Thessia and Palaven have started to rebuild.  

It will take many years, but it is a start.  

“Javik.” She smiles as he enters, not bothering to wonder at the tinge of relief she feels. He has made himself invaluable in the aftermath of the Reaper War. The supply runs are critical, but fraught with raiders. Thankfully, few are able to withstand the fury of a Prothean on a mission to see a galaxy reborn. Still, he is not invulnerable.  

His gaze fixes on her and she cannot help but note the concern in his voice when he adds, “You have not slept.”  

“There is always more to do. Thessia needs massive mineral shipments.  Palaven is nearly out of medical supplies. Armies across the galaxy need to refuel. There is a lot counting on me being awake.”

“Stubborn asari. You are less than useless to the galaxy if you do not take care of yourself.”  

“Says the Prothean who has jumped on every shuttle off of the Citadel since the moment he got medical clearance.”  

He tilts his head in response, as if to note the bitterness behind her words that she did not intend. “I have missed you too, Liara,” he teases. 

Heat rises to her cheeks. She glances away, pretending to busy herself with more work, in the hopes that he does not catch her flush. “I have been thinking about my next mission,” he continues. 

She takes a breath and glances at the screen to the far right. Another mission? She though perhaps he would stay a little longer this time. Hoped it, even. All the same-- “Well, I have a fuel caravan leaving tomorrow at sixteen hundred hours, and another leaving at twenty-three hundred hours. But they are already well guarded and—”

“Yes,” Javik stops her. “That is why I have been thinking.”  His gaze shifts to the floor, and he shuffles quietly, the very picture of uncertainty. “The Reapers are gone.  The raiders have largely been squashed. The supply caravans no longer need my biotic protection.” He takes a deep breath to steady himself. “And, if I am honest, I want to know who I am when I am not fighting. I want my legacy to be more than anger and death. I want—"

He looks up from under heavy lids and something flutters in Liara’s chest. 

“I want to stay here for a while. With you. If you will allow it.” 

The fluttering has become savage. “With me?” She hesitates, hoping her voice does not betray her nerves. 

*

He knows he is rambling. What he does not know, is why he has not stopped. Surely Liara would have answered by now if she understood what he was trying to say. “I mean, I know that you wanted to write that book. A Journey with Protheans. And I think there is a story to be told. The Golden Age of Protheans. How we helped this Cycle to victory, and—”

“Yes.” She says, after far too long.

His head lifts ever so slightly.

“Yes?” He lulls over the word as if it were a strange new discovery. And perhaps it is. There is so much promise in that simple sound. A chance at a different life, a different purpose. A chance at--  “Yes... to... the book?”  

She laughs, and the sound is sweeter than any he can remember. “Yes, you may stay. Yes, to the book. Yes, to all of it.” 

“Yes.” He says, this time barely a whisper. Dazed, he takes a seat at her side. Yes to all of it.

And before he has a chance to ask whether she understood the full import of his question, she embraces him. With it comes the flood of her biological imprint: a lilting, evocative melody, unlike any song Javik has ever heard. It is soft, it is fervent, and above all, it is right. Through it, he sees himself through her eyes: a gentler version of himself, one that is free to emerge from the burdens of his ghosts now that he has satisfied their tribute. Full of potential and light and hope. It floods him with a warmth he does not expect, and for the briefest of moments, he believes in the promise behind her yes.

“If you’re staying,” she asks, “will you handle things for me? You are right. I do need to sleep.” 

“Yes.” He answers. “Yes, to the monitors. Yes, to you needing to sleep.” 

Yes to all of it.

[s0me-writer]

Constraints of Failure - Chapter 11

Artwork by @theuselesspotoo​

Update!

[autodiscothings]

Oh look! It’s a happy potoo. Since it’s midnight for me now:

𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓑𝓲𝓻𝓽𝓱𝓭𝓪𝔂 to @theuselesspotoo!

Please get cake!

[crackinglamb]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Mass Effect Trilogy Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian, Female Shepard & Urdnot Wrex Characters: Female Shepard (Mass Effect), Garrus Vakarian, Urdnot Wrex, Original Turian Character(s), Original Asari Character(s), Original Salarian Character(s), Original Human Character(s) Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Destroy Ending, Everybody Lives, Swearing, Alcohol, Humor, Drunken Shenanigans, A Cameo By Everyone's Favorite Primarch Summary:

No, really, humans are just like that.

Humans are incorrigible and unstoppable, as the Council races have discovered. Hilarity ensues.

 Beta'd by Iron_Angel.

@amorphousturtle, @helila and @theuselesspotoo, thank you for basically writing this thing and letting me turn it into a fic!

[inquartata30]

Space Snapchat

Takes place at some point between chapters 9 and 10 in Tessellation. These types of messages are the shit Lexi had to put up with while Thaia was running with Drack. Art done by the awesome @theuselesspotoo​ !

The Remnant Abyssal just wants to be friends, that’s all.

[paperwick]

Dragon Age Tarot Style Guide: Part Two

The second of my at least three part set of tarot tutorials. This sentence will link to the first one on composition if you haven’t seen it. It’s been a four year gap between these, and I apologize for that. To all you who messaged me and reminded me of this project, thank you. You kept me from forgetting and I’m glad. <3

It won’t be another four years until I post the next segment, which will be pattern and texture focused. It’ll hopefully be in the next month or two. 

This is going to be a long post, so I’m putting it under the cut. Apologies to the mobile users! 

As a general disclaimer, this is an unofficial guide, I’ve never worked with Bioware. All of this is based on how I approach tarot design, my inspiration being heavily rooted in Dragon Age Inquisition’s companion card designs. 

Secondly, I know nothing about tarot. I tend to use http://www.ata-tarot.com/resource/cards/ heavily as a resource for my understanding of the cards and their meanings.You don’t need to know anything about tarot to do illustrations, just have as much fun as you can. <3 

So I typically work with a color composition in mind, but for those who are struggling to imagine a color scheme, my best advice for coming up with a palette is to just throw down some colors in this sort of an arrangement.

Your Main is going to be whats forming the base of the card, or it’ll be the most widely used color. Backgrounds usually make up the main, but sometimes it’s a foreground element or the character’s clothing. 

Your Cores are going to be colors that accent the base. You can make these pretty wild to be honest, but complementary colors and triads tend to work best for a balanced color composition. That’s what you’re trying to achieve with these--balance. Think about what’s drawing the most attention. The red in this example I did with the Iron Bull is very strong, and the teal I chose is fighting with it so my last color is something a bit more desaturated that accents the teal instead of picking another aggressive color, like a saturated yellow. 

The Accent or HL color is whatever you’re going to use to add the final focus notes. It will typically be your brightest or your most saturated color, though not always. Sometimes your HL color might be the darkest of the composition because your main and core colors are naturally bright. It should be used sparingly, or if you’re using a lot of it, focused in one area.

You can use more colors than this! For my example card with Bull, you can see I made his pants a sort of subdued yellow and added accents to the background and lit parts of his body in in different colors, But you’ll want to keep your major colors limited to keep it cohesive. If you start losing cohesion, I recommend using a gradient map over your picture set to multiply or soft light (not at 100%) to tone down your most divergent colors, and you can mask out areas where appropriate. 

This Bull card is one I made by picking my colors first then deciding on the content and composition. Color picking can be done first, or second as I’ve done with the rest of my examples. 

Card #1: Rayne Amell   [ @dracoangel​ ]

The Queen of Cups

This card went though several iterations with color, and the end product is less about story and more about atmosphere. The drawn composition reflects more of the story: she conceals her thoughts and feelings, but the world bends around her like water. I wanted to add more purple to this card, considering the character’s preference for it, so I skewed the color scheme in the final to be more purple. The first version probably makes for a more cohesive palette, but it lacks the same depth and drama as the one with purple. I added another core color to the second palette, which is totally okay to do. Sometimes the core palette might be 7 colors, sometimes it’s 2. The idea is to strike a balance. Colors that are super eye catching like the red in the scarf might better serve the composition as a lesser accent, whereas the purple core is a great fill because it’s fairly desaturated and doesn’t demand as much attention.

The HL color takes up a fair amount of this composition, but note that it’s strongest in the top two thirds, and is centered in the top third. The foreground water also cradles it against one of the darkest purples of the card, which helps center focus up top.

Card #2: Valora Lavellan [  @kylorensprettymuchanasshole​ ]

The Devil

This was the most difficult of the palettes, I’m working with two separate light sources in two wildly different locations. On the one side you’re at an ancient elvhen temple, on the other, in a burning chantry. It only made sense to have two different palettes for this composition. Where I really failed here was in not having a color that bridged the two sides. If you can engineer a color to be in between two differing palettes, you’re in a good place. 

With that in mind, I revisited the thumbnail. 

The execution is a little weak, but the idea works. The bridge color could work in either of the palettes and is a midway point between the two most similar values of the core colors. It’s used primarily where the separate palettes meet each other smoothing that transition. In this instance, it also helps to define the figure and double down on where the focus is, since before it was fighting between the top left and bottom right corners. Now the focus works as a diagonal from one corner to the other.

Double palettes are hard, but can make for some truly dynamic color compositions.

Card #3: Iothari Mahariel [ @theuselesspotoo ]

Six of Swords

This card was a struggle for completely different reasons. The palette is pretty homogeneous, primarily purple, with a hint of green. This one could use far more variation, and the challenge is in driving interest with such a limited palette. This is where your values are going to be super important. Your darks vs lights are always hugely apart of composition, but in limited palettes they do the most work in driving interest. Make sure to break up some of your larger and more prominent shapes with value differences, the snow vs the dark stone beneath it.

If that isn’t enough though, there’s a few tricks that can help push focus where you want it without heavily changing the color scheme. 

We have three very distinct planes in this; the sky, the distant mountains and skyhold, and the cliff the figure is standing on. We can push the far mountain plane back by reducing the brightness of it, and we can pull the nearby plane closer by adding stronger highlights to the lit areas. I also brightened up the figure since they were getting lost in the sky a bit. 

In addition, I popped the foreground colors with just a bit more red, to separate that plane from the more bluish purple mountain plane. 

Just those small changes really sharpened up the focus of the composition, and we were able to keep the palette fairly limited. 

Card #4: Tighe Lavellan   [ @queen-scribbles​ ]

Nine of Wands

This palette was a breeze compared to the others. We’re working with complementary colors, reds versus greens, and very little divergence in either direction. The bottom half is primarily reds, the top greens, and they meet in the middle with a soft orange and harsh yellow. Palettes with complementary colors are the easiest to work with, the important part is making sure their balance works with your drawn composition because they like to fight. All of my reds are limited and desaturated because the greens and yellows, by the nature of the composition, are the most demanding elements. 

Card #5:  Lathari Lavellan [ @jisabeau​ ]

The Chariot

I knew what I wanted for this one immediately when I started it. I really wanted the character to be falling into a void, to mirror their emotional crisis when dealing with the deadly white bear of their past. But though this works fairly well as a base palette, it’s really missing the intense horror I wanted when I started. 

So in my edits I pulled them further apart, and pushed the darks even further. The challenge here is having a dual focus, since I don’t really know if either stand out enough from one another at this phase. I have to pick a focus, either the bright whites of the bear or the strong orange/green tones of the character. 

This is probably the strongest focus-wise.

But I enjoy the color notes of this one far more. 

The point here is, sometimes things aren’t perfect, and that’s also okay. Pick your favorite, or at least pick one, and take that to completion. It’ll occur to you while finishing it what I needs. Which brings us to the final point, similar to that of tutorial part one: 

Final Note: Don’t spend overlong on one thumbnail. I’ve spent days in the thumbnailing stage, that’s fine, but don’t spend more than 1 hour on any one color thumbnail drawing; it’s not worth it. If an idea is good but not great, just start a new thumbnail of something similar, and you’ll stumble onto the right composition.

Remember to explore your own color intuition. My way of doing this might be helpful, but if it’s not, don’t feel compelled to follow it. Everyone has a unique vision, and we’ve got to feel out our own paths. 

If you have any questions, send them to paperwick [at] gmail [dot] com under the heading “Color Tutorial: Questions”, OR comment on this post (I might not see them on a reblog) and I’ll pool them into one area and answer as many as I can in a separate post.

Finally, I’d like to give another shout out to everyone who sent their character breakdowns to me for this. I wish I had time to get to all of them, and I really appreciate you taking the time to put them together! Thank you all so much!

Not making promises on when Part Three will come out, but it WILL be coming out. Thanks for reading through all this, I hope it’s been helpful. 

[helila]

I was tagged by @cdrkateshepard​ to list my 5 favourite shows that give me the sarah tonin

also tagging: @pestopascal​ @theuselesspotoo​ @jinglejanglejango​ @amorphousturtle​ @hoiist​

1. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (obviously)

2. THE GOOD PLACE (I have learned so much)

3. THE MANDALORIAN (do I need to say anything)

4. RUSSIAN DOLL (callout post in cinematic form)

5. DEAD TO ME (just.... just excellent)

[fogsblue]

Get to know the blogger!

tagged by @mrscullensrutherford (forever ago, sorry), @fasterpuddytat and @crackinglamb thanks youuuu

Rules: tag 9 some people who you want to know better/catch up with and then answer these questions, unless you don’t want to in which case cool.

Three ships: Shepard and Garrus (Mass Effect), Sam and Jack (Stargate), Hawke and Varric (Dragon Age)

Last song: The Great Unknown by Miracle of Sound (thanks spotify daily, good choice)

Last movie: uh... oh wait The Old Guard (if you haven’t watched it, you absolutely should!)

Currently reading (book): Tevinter Nights (getting there slowly, books are hard now, stupid brain)

Currently reading(fanfic): a few different ones, uh... shit. you realise I subscribe to fics so I don’t have to remember the titles... oh, Everything Part 2 (Hawke/Varric) so good!

Currently watching: just watched s2 ot the Umbrellla Academy, am sort of but slow as hell rewatching The Good Place

Currently consuming: finished a cup of tea a minute ago

Currently craving: to be able to pick a game to play, or a show to actually watch, or for my brain to just let me DO something!!! NOT EVERYTHING IS THE WRONG THING! *coughs*... and ice cream

tagging, if you’d like: @samcaarter, @samueltanders, @rpgwarrior4824, @greatspacedustbin, @galathea-snb, @angelwingsl3 aaand @theuselesspotoo

[mrscullensrutherford]

WIP WHENEVER!

I want to thank everyone for the tags while I was dealing with the move. Things are starting to wrap up here, though they have taken longer than I thought they would. @pikapeppa​ @dafan7711​ @natsora​ @rpgwarrior4824​ @flamehairedsiren​

This will be for next Sunday’s chapter of, Wrong Side of Heaven. The mission to Mars has just occurred and Altea is not processing it well. James does his best to help her out. 

**************************************************

art by @theuselesspotoo​

Altea took a deep, shaky breath. Kaiden, it seemed, might actually survive. The image of him being slammed against the hull of the shuttle flashed in her mind and she jerked at the image, spilling coffee down her hands and onto her leggings. She tried to wipe it away but only succeeded at making a bigger mess. But, there was James, towel in hand, and taking the steaming mug from her. He patted gently along her thighs to get the beading liquid to sop away and then took her hands in his and wiped away what remained there. 

When her hands were clean, she lifted them to cover her face. “So much death. This is just the beginning and… so much.” Tears slid down her cheeks and she did nothing to stop them. She didn’t want to hold them back anymore. “People around me tend to get hurt or worse. How am I supposed to protect them?” How was she supposed to protect him? 

“Altea.”

She started again at the use of her given name. No Lola, no Commander, not even Shepard. It was almost odd hearing it come from anyone, let alone James. It gave her pause, made her reassess her surroundings. What had happened? She remembered Kaiden but then what? 

Blue, like electricity. A flash and then the AI was off of her feet. Shit, shit, shit, she thought. She had used her biotics. And she’d used them in front of James. Kaiden, Jack, they had nothing to say on that front because they were biotic themselves. Had she just shown the man she was starting to care for her true self? That she was a freak?

**************************************************

Tagging: @mythicaitt​ @flamehairedsiren​ @pikapeppa​ @obvidalous​ @rpgwarrior4824​ @natsora​ @smolbiotic​ @n0rmandysr1​ @kittleskittle​ @helila​

[anunquenchableflame]

I’m pretty sure I’ve done a variation of this for Rani before but some of my ideas have changed so here we go again. And apparently I cannot do these things without adding notes because I always want to expand on the answers. I also get caught up on what point in their narrative I should be answering for! Things change and I need to explaaain!

Tagged by @theuselesspotoo​! If you are seeing this and thinking it looks fun to do for one of your OCs, please do! I never know who to tag.

PLACE IN SOCIETY

✖ FINANCIAL – wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty

✖ MEDICAL – fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged (Though post-war she’s somewhat disabled, and she’s always had pretty shitty mental health)

✖ CLASS OR CASTE – upper / lower / middle / working / unsure (though technically she's kshatriya caste, her more noble ancestors are a long long way in the past)

✖ EDUCATION – qualified / unqualified / studying (Her education is all over the place; she’s smart but easily bored and she skived off a lot of school because getting into trouble was more interesting. She went through NCT while she was just a corporal and via her N7 status she dodged a lot of the usual hoops for becoming an officer and doesn’t actually have a degree as is usual.)

FAMILY

✖ MARITAL STATUS – married, happily / married, unhappily / engaged / partnered / divorced / widow or widower / separated / single / it’s complicated (She does marry Kaidan in the end, quite happily)

✖ CHILDREN – has children / no children / wants children / adopted children (She does have a kid with Kaidan eventually, but she never really considered kids an option until well after she’s resigned. Her own mother chose her military career over her daughter and she didn’t want to follow in those footsteps.)

✖ FAMILY – close with sibling / not close with siblings / has no siblings / siblings are deceased / it’s complicated  

✖ AFFILIATION – orphaned / (unofficially) adopted / disowned / raised by parents (Her mother is still alive but was barely involved in her life after the age of 5, and she was never formally adopted by her aunt and uncle who did raise her.)

TRAITS & TENDENCIES  

✖ disorganized / organised / in between  (She’s extremely organised in her professional life but her personal stuff tends to be a mess. There’s a definite line in her quarters where the military precision of her work area meets the chaos of her living space.)

✖ close-minded / open-minded / in between

✖ cautious / reckless / in between

✖ patient / impatient / in between

✖ outspoken / reserved / in between  

✖ leader / follower / in between

✖ sympathetic / unsympathetic / in between

✖ optimistic / pessimistic / in between (She would say she’s realistic)

✖ hardworking / lazy / in between

✖ cultured / uncultured / in between

✖ loyal / disloyal / in between

✖ faithful / unfaithful / in between

SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION

✖ SEXUALITY – heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual / omnisexual / demisexual (She is so so newly aware of her bi-ness though, she’s always thought herself straight, it’s Kaidan who’s finally like “Honey, there is no heterosexual explanation for the way Aria T’loak riles you up, I have accepted that you’re horny for her, I need you to accept it too” and suddenly a bunch of other things had non-heterosexual explanations too.)

✖ SEX – sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable

✖ ROMANCE – romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable (She is secretly an extremely soppy romantic and very embarassed about it.)

✖ SEXUALLY – sexually adventurous / sexually experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious / uninterested

ABILITIES

✖ COMBAT SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✖ LITERACY SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✖ ARTISTIC SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none (She can sing pretty well but that’s the full extent of her artistic abilities)

✖ TECHNICAL SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

[s0me-writer]

Chapters: 3/? Fandom: Mass Effect Trilogy Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Tarquin Victus/Original Character(s), C-Sec Turian Officer & Teenaged Refugee Girl Characters: Original Turian Character(s), Nellus Tragen, Tarquin Victus, Chellick, Original Krogan Character(s), Original Asari Character(s), Female Shepard (Mass Effect), Garrus Vakarian, Adrien Victus Additional Tags: Minor Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian, Established Shepard/Garrus Vakarian, The Reaper War, Mass Effect 3, Turians, References to Depression, Social Anxiety, Guardian-Ward Relationship, Mild Language, Platonic Female/Male Relationships Series: Part 4 of Turian Machinations of Spectres and Primarchs Summary:

Summary: Wake up, go to work, sleep. It wasn't exactly the life C-Sec officer Nellus Tragen wanted but it's the one he's got. Docking bay D-24 might as well be his second home for as much time as he spends there. Of course, finding himself guardian and protector to a teenaged human girl utterly alone in the hell that is the Reaper War has a way of changing things up a bit.

Excerpt: “Stop!” Nellus Tragen shouted from the confines of his bed before rolling over, desperately clinging to the silence as long as he still could, knowing it was just a matter of time before-

His discarded alarm started to beep, the sound steadily progressing in volume until it was buzzing insistently against the wall it had hit.

Same shit, different day... with the ever-so-subtle addition of Reapers, that is.

[autodiscothings]

Iothari Mahariel for @theuselesspotoo ! 

[crackinglamb]

Get to know me

Tagged by @natsora, thank you!

Tagging @fogsblue, @amorphousturtle, @bitterotter, @theuselesspotoo, @modernagesomniari and @st0nergh0ul.  No pressure!

Rules: bold everything that applies to you and tag people you’d like to get to know better

appearance

I’m over 5’5” // I wear glasses // contacts  // I have blonde hair // I prefer loose clothing to tight clothing // I have one or more piercings // I have at least one tattoo // I have blue eyes // I have dyed or highlighted my hair // I have gotten plastic surgery // I have or had braces // I sunburn easily // I have freckles // I paint my nails // I typically wear makeup // I don’t often smile // I am pleased with how I look // I prefer Nike to Adidas // I wear baseball hats backward

hobbies & talents

I play a sport // I can play an instrument // I am artistic // I know more than one language // I have won a trophy in some sort of competition // I can cook or bake without a recipe // I know how to swim // I enjoy writing // I can do origami // I prefer movies to TV shows // I can execute a perfect somersault // I enjoy singing // I could survive in the wild on my own // I have read a new book series this year // I enjoy spending time with friends // I travel during school or work breaks // I can do a handstand

relationships

I am in a relationship // I have been single for over a year // I have a crush // I have a best friend I have known for ten years // My parents are together // I have dated my best friend // I am adopted // My crush has confessed to me // I have a long-distance relationship // I am an only child // I give advice to my friends // I have made an online friend  // I met up with someone I have met online

aesthetic

I have heard the ocean in a conch shell // I have watched the sunrise // I enjoy rainy days // I have slept under the stars // I meditate outside // The sound of chirping calms me // I enjoy the smell of the beach // I know what snow tastes like // I listen to music to fall asleep // I enjoy thunderstorms // I enjoy cloud watching // I have attended a bonfire // I pay close attention to colors // I find mystery in the ocean // I enjoy hiking on nature paths // Autumn is my favorite season

misc.

I can fall asleep in a moving vehicle // I am the mum friend // I live by a certain quote(s) // I like the smell of sharpies // I am involved in extracurricular activities // I enjoy Mexican food // I can drive a stick-shift // I believe in true love // I make up scenarios to fall asleep // I sing in the shower // I wish I lived in a video game// I have a canopy above my bed // I am multiracial // I am a redhead // I own at least three dogs // I have a cat

[n0rmandysr1]

What is your character’s DnD class?

tagged by @natsora thanks! tagging @smolbiotic @autodiscothings @blueboxness @blueteaparty @mrscullensrutherford​ @smolbiotic​ no pressure!

art by @theuselesspotoo​

Emilia Shepard

Rules: Bold what definitely applies, italicize what sometimes applies.

𝙱𝙰𝚁𝙱𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙰𝙽 »   toothy grins, stories around the campfire, clothes covered in pet hair, hot temper, old jeans, heartbeat in head, potatoes and steak, beaded jewelry, bruises like galaxies, mementos, backpack stuffed full, craigslist furniture, spontaneous road trips, air ripped from lungs

𝙱𝙰𝚁𝙳 »   homemade bread, white lies, easily excited, trying on hats, band geek, pep talks, no impulse control, sunsets, vintage fashion, long showers, selfies, following dreams, rosy cheeks, song mash-ups, pink lemonade with tequila, loves easily, animated storyteller, full of comebacks

𝙲𝙻𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙲  »   list of wishes, biting their tongue, band-aids and neosporin, shoulder to cry on, morning sun, necklaces, trial and error, homemade quilts, formal clothing, astrology fan, messages in bottles, pleated braids, speaking up for friends, feathers, motivational quotes, vivid dreams

𝙳𝚁𝚄𝙸𝙳   »   bird watching, shy kid, wind chimes, trying to whistle, summer camp, apple orchards, lost in their head, glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, hoodies, thrift shopping, saving worms off the sidewalk, pig latin, bare feet, thunderstorms, numb fingers, braided hair, naming potted plants

𝙵𝙸𝙶����𝚃𝙴𝚁   »   goosebumps, leather jackets, adventure, chewing nails, cares deeply but can’t show it, bronze locks, no sleep, taste of iron, netflix binges, never forgets, combat boots, stories behind scars, table for one, official soundtracks, sore calves, trusts themselves the most

𝙼𝙾𝙽𝙺   »   always trying to be better, wanderlust, meditation, sweat pants, old photographs, yoga, sleeping in hammocks, nostalgia, minimalist design, a breath of fresh air, baby animals, volunteering, perfectionist, doesn’t care about fashion, healthy snacks, noticing the little things

𝙿𝙰𝙻𝙰𝙳𝙸𝙽   »   school uniforms, thick jackets, sleeping with the windows open, logical advice, scrapbooking, compasses, i fight for my friends, sculpture gardens, cold morning air, big soul, likes routine, secret romantic, last to get jokes, sunflowers, practical presents, misty weather

𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙶𝙴𝚁   »   herbal tea, smell of rain, blinking away tears, camping trips, collecting bones, swiss army knives, first impressions, anxious thoughts, bobby pins, burnt marshmallows, too competitive, clothes lines, messenger bags, holding grudges, gets along better with animals than people

𝚁𝙾𝙶𝚄𝙴   »   flirtatious sarcasm, candid photos, lost phone chargers, adrenaline rush, picking dirt out from beneath their nails, social chameleon, clashing clothes, self-deprecating jokes, claw machines, sits in chairs wrong, smudged eyeliner, has too many sunglasses, eats nothing or everything

𝚂𝙾𝚁𝙲𝙴𝚁𝙴𝚁   » infectious laugh, family trees, shivers down their spine, lipstick and roses, mood swings, clumsy, believing in destiny, high expectations, sleeping in darkness, collection of nail polish, passionate, good grades but never studies, poetry books, blowing kisses, not knowing their own strength

𝚆𝙰𝚁𝙻𝙾𝙲𝙺   »   knowing everyone’s secrets, backpack covered in pins, envy, being in walmart late at night, earl grey, selective memory, conspiracy theories and cryptids, key smashing, need to know basis, can’t cook, bags under eyes, experimental art, flickering bulbs, black clothing all year long

𝚆𝙸𝚉𝙰𝚁𝙳   »   piles of textbooks, cat in lap, keeping a diary, indecision, scented candles, studying alone in a café, lingering touches, museum dates, unanswered questions, taking on too much responsibility, collections, chalk dust, comfy robes, unnecessary apologies, coming home after a long day

[natsora]

Get To Know Meme/20 Questions

Tagged by @rpgwarrior4824 Thank you!

Tagging @blueboxness @yes-this-is-sam @lauraemoriarty @theherocomplex @secrettheoristofwhump @sky-ham @neolithicprophet @theuselesspotoo @myrddinderwydd @smolbiotic @musically-magic @fogsblue @helila @shepardluvsgarrus @autodiscothings @ballofbitter @briarfox13 @aban-asaara @blueteaparty @inquartata30 No obligations

Rules: Answer 20 questions, then tag 20 bloggers you want to get to know better.

Name: Natsora

Nicknames: Nat

Zodiac Sign: Gemini.

Height: 1.60 m.

Languages: English, Chinese, some Hokkien, some Cantonese, some Japanese

Nationality: Singaporean

Favorite Season: Fall, but I don’t get it here

Favorite Flower: Hmmm... nothing in particular really Orchid?

Favorite Scent: Vanilla.

Favorite Color: Orange and black.

Favorite Animal: Fox, I really like the dog familiy

Favorite Fictional Character: Cassandra Pentaghast :D

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: Tea for sure

Average Sleep Hours: Nowadays? 6 hours?

Dog or Cat person: Dog.

Number of Blankets Slept With: One

Dream Trip: USA, I want to see the Grand Canyon.

Blog Established: August 2017

Followers: 497

Random Fact: Lefty, ace and aro

Bonus: Got a fountain pen sword tattoo