#this time with WAR and AST

[lucien-aventine]

Tank + Healer

Support Me: Ko-fi | Carrd

[minarcana]

thank u for the birthday wishes i have run out of silly things to say in response so instead im kissing all of u directly, softly, yet still platonically upon the lips

[iron-strangers]

of breakfast and sweet lullabies

Summary: Din Djarin is not an early bird. But there's one way to convince him to be one.

Pairing: The Mandalorian (Din Djarin) x Female Jedi!Reader

Tags: Established Relationship, Mand’alor Din Djarin, Morning Sex, Kitchen Sex, Unprotected p-in-v, Creampie. I mean they are married and she's pregnant already

CW: Pregnancy, No use of Y/N, NSFW MINORS DNI

Length: 1.5k

A/N: This fic is a part of an ongoing series, posted on AO3.

Read this on AO3 : of breakfast and sweet lullabies

Prequel to Aliit

Link to the series on ao3, tumblr

-

As the soft light of dawn filters through the curtains, Din stirs awake from his slumber, the warmth of his bed reluctant to release him. Stretching languidly, he blinks away the remnants of sleep with dismay, frowning when his stretched arm doesn't find the warm body of his riduur. His senses gradually awakened to the familiar sounds of home. A gentle melody wafts through the air, drawing Din from the comfort of his bed. Curiosity wins, he rises from the bed and follows the melodic trail, where his feet lead him toward the heart of his home.

There, standing by the stove, is his beloved riduur.

Your silhouette is illuminated by the soft glow of the morning light. With a gentle sway, you hum a lullaby, your voice a soothing serenade that wraps around Din like an embrace. One hand effortlessly flips eggs with practiced ease while your left hand is raised, manipulating the force, levitating plates and glasses from the cabinets. The tantalizing aroma of freshly brewed caf and breakfast fills the air, mingling with the sweet notes of your song, Din is still watching in awe as you move with grace and tenderness around the kitchen.

“Kandosii sa kyr'am ast, troan teroch jetiise a'den,” you sing softly, caressing your growing bump, singing an old Mandalorian war chant to your baby instead of core-world lullabies. Unable to resist, Din quietly approaches you from behind, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting hiazs chin on your shoulder. You lean back to his bare chest, clearly expecting the embrace, soaking in his warmth. Can't sneak up on a jetii , Din thinks, scratching your shoulder with his stubbles.

“Duraan vi at ara'nov, vode an, kar’ta tor,” Din joins in, both of you singing the last two lines of the chant. You look back at him, your face breaking into a radiant smile before burying your nose into his curls, pressing a sweet kiss to his temple. 

“Morning, mesh’la,” Din smiles, kissing your shoulder, tightening his hug and pulling your body closer to his. “Hey there, ad’ika," Din coos, his voice filled with adoration as he greets his baby. "Are you having a dance party in there? Keeping your momma awake, huh?"

You chuckle, absently tracing circles on Din’s hand. "You know," you tease, "every time you talk to the baby, they kick like crazy. I swear, it's like they’re trying to tell you to pipe down."

Din grins, his gaze softening as he looks at his wife. "But how can I resist talking to our ad'ika?" he replies, his voice laced with affection. 

You roll your eyes playfully, but your heart swells with love at Din’s words. "I know, I know," you huff, unable to hide the smile tugging at the corners of your lips. Din can’t resist the urge to put his hands over your belly once more, whispering sweet nothings to his verd’ika. And true to form, the baby responds with a flurry of kicks and movements, eliciting a groan of mock annoyance from you.

"Oh, see what you have done?" you complain but your tone is teasing as you nudge Din with your elbow. "Now they're all riled up."

Din grins unabashedly, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "I can't help it," he laughs, "I just love them so much already."

Grinning, you lean your head on his shoulder, pressing open-mouthed kisses to Din's jaws. Your bodies sway together from side to side as you finish up making breakfast, setting everything on the dining table with the force. Din smiles against your temple when he feels another kick on his hand. His hands sneak underneath your robes, smirking against your neck when he feels skin and nothing else underneath. He roams your body, massaging your aching breast and trailing his hand down, stopping on your belly, caressing the stretched skin as he nips his marks on your neck. 

You feel him grinding against your thighs and you gasp, feeling the heat of arousal pooling in your center. Whimpering, you grind against his thickening length. You reach back, running your hand over the outline of his cock through the fabric, slipping your hand down the waistband of his pants, teasing and squeezing him with your fingers, smearing his precum all over the tip. Din groans, catching your hand and slips it out, ignoring your disappointed whine to pull his pants down. His cock slaps against his belly, hard and already wet from his precum. He takes your robes off your back, throwing the thin silk down the floor and he bends you towards the counter, still ever so careful with your growing bump.

“Mesh’la,” Din praises, parting your folds with two big fingers. He scoops some of your slick around and spreads his fingers all over your clit. You let out a low protest as his fingers leave you, stroking himself slowly with your arousal before nestling the red, flared tip of his cock between your folds, gathering up the creamy mess.

“Gonna let me fuck you like this, sweet girl?” He grunts low in your ear, giving your clit a well-deserved attention with his swollen, leaking head gliding through you.

“Yes, please- Oh, Din!”

He watches you desperately moan for him, whining needily as he buries all of himself into you in one deep thrust, pushing himself in easily with the slick that’s been pooling from all his teasing. Your cheek squished against the cold tile of your kitchen counter, looking back to meet Din’s eyes as he holds your hips in place and fucks into you. 

“You do, yeah, mesh’la? Always so desperate to take my dick." Din murmurs his praises, hissing when he feels your pussy fluttering around him, struggling to take his girth. He swears when he hears the sloppy squelching sounds of him pounding into your tight heat. He keeps on hitting the spot inside of you that makes you see stars, over and over again. “That’s a good girl, my perfect little riduur. Let me hear you, cyar’ika.”

“Fuck- Din, fuck my pussy so good, daddy-”

Manda. Din knows you know what that word did to him-

Din drapes himself across your back, pressing you down to the counter. He sneaks one hand down, rubbing tight circles on your swollen clit, completely fucking the ability to form any thoughts out from your brain. He’s basking himself with your filthy moans and screams that come from the sharp, long snap of his hips, going as deep as your pussy will allow him. Din feels the sweet clench of your pussy around the base of his cock, familiar with all the signs that his riduur is going to cum hard.

“Want me to fill you up, rid'ika? Want to feel it dripping out of you?” Din asks in a low, rough grunt and you respond with a flurry of desperate nods.

“Yes, fill me up, please, cyare, want your cum inside me!”

“I know, momma, just let it all out. Take what you need, sweet girl. I’ve got you, cum on my cock.”

You seize in his hold as he continues to roll his hips against yours, feeling boneless from the pleasure that hums through every nerve. You cum with an arch of your back followed by a cry of Din’s name and he groans at the flutter of your walls around him, gripping him so tight in your warmth. He can barely get out a handful of thrusts before he's spilling deep inside of you.

“Fuck, that’s my girl,” Din groans in your ear, murmuring sweet praises and sucking his bite marks all over your neck and your shoulder, holding your shivering body up by your hips. “Too rough?”

You shake your head from the counter, too comfortable to even lift it from the cool tile. “So fucking good,” you hum pleasantly, holding your hand up and a towel flies across the room to your waiting palm. Din slowly eases himself out of you and you moan, feeling his load drip out of you. Din groans, scooping his leaking spend from your thighs with his finger and plugging it all back into your fucked out cunt. He plants a deep lingering kiss on your lips and he takes the towel from your hand, wetting it and wiping the shared mess between you two, careful when you start to hiss from over-stimulation.

“Hey, love? Can you help your gooey puddle of a wife up to the chair?” You ask, flashing him your best attempt at puppy eyes. Din smirks, pulling his pants back up before helping you back into your discarded robe, lifting you to the breakfast stool.

“Take a breather, cyar’ika, I’ll go get Grogu,” Din kisses the top of your head and flicks your nose before he goes to wake the child up, smiling to himself when he watches your nose wrinkle. You playfully shoo him as you tie your robes up, huffing about having to disinfect the kitchen after breakfast. 

If every morning started out like this, Din will never complains again for the rest of his life.

-

Song used in this fic: Ka’rta tor by Jesse Harlin

Ka'rta Tor (Heart of Justice)

Mando'a

Kandosii sa kyr'am ast,

Troan teroch jetiise a'den,

Duraan vi at ara'nov.

Vode an, ka'rta tor.

Translation

As ruthless as Death itself,

The pitiless face of The Jedi's wrath,

Let us look down on all who are before us.

Brothers all, one heart of justice.

[thecurioustale]

Worldbuilding: Something I Learned About Planetary Surface Gravity

Last year (hehe; it's always fun to say that at the start of a new year; actual time about 4 months ago), I made a strange discovery!

I won't slow-roll you. Here's the bottom line: In reality, i.e. based on observational data, there appears to be a plateau of surface gravity for planets up to about 500 times more massive than Earth. Most planets between 1 Earth mass and ~500 Earth masses have a surface gravity that is close to our own, i.e. 1 g. So if you're worldbuilding, and need a planet with a surface gravity that is more than a few percentage points higher than Earth's, be careful.

All right, on to the story!

I had need of such a planet for Galaxy Federal. About 125% percent or so, i.e. 1.25 g. And it was in the back of my mind that Neptunian planets often have a "surface" gravity similar to that of Earth's. "Okay," I figured, "that's probably because their giant atmospheres reduce the average planetary density. On a rocky world that wouldn't be an issue. But I'd better check to be safe."

Oh, it is always a good idea to check!

I found a paper which was reporting the plateau that I mentioned in the TL;DR. Here's what it looks like:

Gravity vs mass for Solar System bodies and exoplanets. Ballesteros, Fernando & Luque, Bartolo. (2016). Walking on Exoplanets: Is Star Wars Right?. Astrobiology. 16. 10.1089/ast.2016.1475.

What they found is that Super Earths, i.e. rocky planets with a mass greater than Earth's, did not exhibit the increase in surface gravity seen in smaller celestial bodies. There is this "plateau" where increases in planetary mass and radius are such that the surface gravity essentially levels out for a while.

This isn't something I think you could predict from amateur astronomical principles. What you would predict (certainly, what I predicted) would be what we see on the left side of the above figure, where more mass equals more surface gravity. All of the small rocky bodies in our own Solar System fall onto that left side of the graph. The plateau only really begins in the Earth range of planetary mass. You can see how Venus is included in the plateau almost perfectly, but the much less massive Mars is not.

This is a truly remarkable finding about planetary formation, and has serious implications both for fictional worldbuilding and someday for planetary colonization. That is, if these observations are truly representative of the Universe. This is a pretty big "if" that I don't have the knowledge to be able to check, except to say that there may be some bias unaccounted for because of how we detect exoplanets, such that perhaps the ones we detect are not representative of the ones we do not—so take it all with a grain of salt. This paper is 8 years old but I couldn't find anything newer following up on it.

Fully understanding how it would work is still a question mark for me. I mean, it's a question mark for the professional planetary scientists, too, so there's that, but, in addition to the unknowns that curtail their comprehension, there's a lot I don't know about astronomy that further curtails mine. My understanding is that this isn't really about the intrinsic density of the materials (i.e. substances that are more massive or less massive per mole); it would mainly have to be a consequence of how planets form, how the geological processes change in different planetary mass categories; that sort of thing. But I don't really know! I'm out of my depth.

Anyway, you can download a copy of the full paper on its entry page on ResearchGate; look for the button that says "Download full-text." And the website Centauri Dreams has a nice write-up which is where I originally discovered this.

[shadowdunsparce]

giant oc sheet be upon ye (text under cut)

Arkadiusz Caelum (they/them nb) -Xaela Au Ra from The Azim Steppe -28 -sch/smn -altruistic, charismatic, compassionate -co-wol with Yadokkya until after EW -from the Mol tribe, Temulun's visions of their future started their journey -an accomplished arcanist whose ruby carbuncle is also an emotional support companion (named Cinnamon) -gravely injured at the end of EW, retires

Ophioukhos (they/them agender) -Ancient Ark (Azem) -??? y/o -smn -perfectionist, erratic, imaginative -specialist in reptiles, created lizards and snakes -also studied stars, aetherically tattooed constellations they observed onto their skin -frequented Pandaemonium as their creations were often unfit for the wider world

Yadokkya (they/them trans nb) -Shetona from Shaaloani -40 -mch/smn -cheeky, tactical, reticent -co-wol with Ark until after EW -was primarily a miner, left to collaborate with Ul'Dah's miner guild -collects rocks/ores from places they visit -takes up the primary WoL mantle after Ark retires

B'nyanya Pepper (he/him cis) -Seeker Miqo'te from Southern Thanalan -32 -rdm -flirty, romantic, insecure -terrible at hunting which led him to leave his home, ends up studying conjury -returned to Ul'Dah and learned red magic -a little lost in life, keeps changing jobs

Fjola Sjasaris (she/her cis??) -Viis from Fanow -75 -lnc/gnb -dutiful, curious, cautious -a skilled hunter and lancer -left the woods with the Scions after they returned the night sky, to help them -now travels Norvrandt helping people still in need

Arkja Kisne (she/her cis??) -Veena Viera from Limsa Lominsa -53 -war -bubbly, friendly, stalwart -picked up the axe to protect her friends -worked as a Yellowjacket before branching off to adventuring -loves cute things, especially moogles

Dumplingway (he/him genderqueer) -Rava Viera from Mare Lamentorum -28 -ast/pct -kind, gentle, curious -raised by loporrits, served as an envoy between them and Sharlayan -a gleaner, specializing in strange plants -reincarnation of The Watcher

Astraeus (he/she genderfluid) -Ancient Dumpling -??? -archivist -studious, organized, perceptive -chief archivist at Anamnesis Anyder -close friend to Venat, providing her with whatever knowledge she required -a landscape painter in his free time

Agriópapia (he/him trans) -Ancient Erenville -??? -researcher -inquisitive, pragmatic, diligent -works under Loghrif, observing new creations in Elpis -especially fond of the flying creations -keeps to himself most of the time, often absorbed in his work

Eldgjá (he/him cis??) -Rava Viera from Dravanian Forelands -23 (dead) -hunter -ambitious, foolhardy, eager -traded hunts and stories with the people of Tailfeather -became an adventurer because of their stories (mostly hunting for clients) -joined the Void Ark expedition but was killed

Neit (he/him cis) -Keeper Miqo'te from The Thirteenth -47 (+12000 years since "death") -drk -standoffish, strong-willed, calculating -lived in the forests of the Thirteenth's equivalent of the Shroud -soldier in the Contramemoria, known for his ruthless efficiency -succumbed to the Flood of darkness, became a voidsent

Neit (he/him cis) -Voidsent -~12000??? -drk/vpr -cold, manipulative, cunning -arrived in the Source via a gate opened by the Void Ark -possessing the corpse of Eldgjá -sought to kill Diabolos but Cait Sith beat him to it

Khona'a Relanah (he/him transmasc) -Keeper Miqo'te from North Shroud -35 -mch -kind, bold, impulsive -fond of tinkering with machinery (creates bullets for Zinnia and performs maint on his arm) -can do basic conjury/combat first aid -worked with the Resistance as a scout and mechanic until after Ghimlyt Dark

Zinnia (he/him cis??) -Rava Viera from The Burn -~80 -gnb -stoic, protective, cautious -blind in right eye, prosthetic right arm -struggles to manipulate aether -Garlean conscript but escaped after Ghimlyt Dark -name given to him by Khona'a

Pumpkin Roll (he/they nb) -Rava Viera from around Gelmorra -at least 600 -blm -withdrawn, collected, devoted -can see spirits and ferries them to the aetherial sea (also guides them when the veil is thin around All Saint's Wake) -learned black magic from a Mhachi ghost he met while exploring ruins of Amdapor -took part in the Eureka expedition

[gx-gameon]

Since it never got brought back up again and should have, but the coliseum Tanya has the students build. After Jaden wins he claims it as property of the Slifer Red Dorm since it is now his by right of conquest.

I love this.

One question does Jaden lose it any time he loses? Like when he lost to aster in season 2 does he lose it until he wins it back?

We will think about that later. For now.

Jaden and friends absolutely would schedule their own mini tournaments in there. These kids sneak out every other day and are all obsessed with dueling. And the school tries to make them fill out formal ‘please duel me’ request forms (like I get it. You don’t want kids challenging each other night and day but also you are here to play card games)

No they are having non school sanctioned fight nights.

Crowler kind hates it because it’s slicer red property the moment it is obelisk blue property he’s on board (it will not be obelisk property till Jaden and crew graduate. After the season 2 fiasco with the down situation they all try to keep it in house. I’m not saying Jaden wins every tournament. I’m saying someone from their little crew does and keeps it Slifer red territory)

Their 1st year it’s all out war. Anyone can join in.

Season 2 after the cult has been defeated and they can have fun again they get a little more creative with theme nights (mainly to stop Jaden and Chazz from dominating everyone)

1st year night (they all root for Hasselberry as he dukes it out with his class mates)

2nd year night (Jaden Chazz Alexis and Bastion are having it out)

3rd year night

Some times is just specific dorms (again giving other kids the chance to duel)

Sometimes is specific card types. (Fusion decks only. Beast monster only. Things like that challenging people to create new decks and try out new strategies)

They have a whole list by the end of the year. These started out as under ground matches, they didn’t want the staff to know and shut them down. Crowler knows but he can’t get all the students in trouble he just wants to get some of them. But then they start doing theme nights. And, well, they are challenging the students to push themselves in new ways….

The teachers start showing up and ducking it out with the kids. It’s not every time but it’s enough to keep it fun.

There’s also the added an appeal that if you can beat the current holder you now own the colosseum.

Jaden actually is really good at running the colosseum. They have a colosseum night once a week. He and his friends come up with the themes and spread the word. It’s all in good fun and he grew up watching his family organize tournaments, he kind knows what he needs to do.

The colosseum gets passed around the friend group and who ever currently owns it gets to pick the theme night for that week.

But the time year two is over they have a ton of plans for their 3rd year. They text and plan all summer.

It’s one of the first things Jaden tells Jesse about. Jim as well once they start hanging out. They’re pumped to join in.

But the bio bands, and kids passing out, and viper, and the monster world, and the dark world. So much happens

When Jaden comes back he’s different. He’s not organizing fun duels anymore and no one else feel right doing it as it is his colosseum (most of the time) the transfer kids leave shortly after they all get back, they never got to participate in a tournament in the colosseum.

Season 4 Alexis tries to get Jaden back into running the tournaments and having fun but he’s going through it and handling darkness and doesn’t have the time. There is no colosseum matches their 3rd year.

And that should be the end

But people heal and maybe sometime during the next school year, Jaden and friends go back to visit Hassleberry (maybe he’s playing the school duel and they are supporting him) after everything is done and they are celebrating Jaden leads them down a familiar path. It’s Colosseum time.

They are all there

Jaden

Jesse

Chazz

Alexis

Bastion

Syrus

Jim

Axel

Aster

Zane

Atticus

Hasselberry (it’s his 3rd year)

Blair

Mindy (I need to round out these numbers)

Jazmine (I need to round out these numbers)

And their surprise duelist making it an even number, Crowler.

It’s all out war. They make a lottery bracket and go back to back one match at a time (they could do multiple at a time but this is about having fun and enjoying each others company. They want to watch their friends duel)

It’s the first colosseum match for Blair, Jesse, Axel, and Jim. They had all wanted to do one last year but…. They have a blast.

In the. End Jaden pulls Hasselberry aside and tell him the colosseum is now his, wether he win it or not the crew all decided to give it to Hasselberry officially. He’s pumped, they giving him all the plans they had for last year and Jaden shows him the admin things (how to contact the students ‘without staff knowing’ crowler is pretending not to listen (he half wanted to win the colosseum with the intention to make the colosseum nights school sanctioned but then they wouldn’t be as fun)

Hasselberry runs the ring for the rest of his senior year and hands it off to Blair when he graduates leading to it not being won by combat but handed down from 3rd year to second year at the end of the school year.

[scionshtola]

since the year is almost over, some goals for next year:

ffxiv

finish bozja

whm, ast, pld, war to 100

stb and shb society quests completed

enw and dt role quests completed

creatively

finish island fic

i don’t want to get too specific about wips but i just want to spend more time writing in general bc as the past month has proved to me im happier when im doing that lol. so a few times a week seems doable

that being said. i’d like to write the honey b lovely fic and the shtola enw patches fic

also finish my embroidery i’m working on!

and some other ones!

read 12 books

1 non-fantasy book for every 2 fantasy books bc i need to expand my horizons lol

52 movies new to me

read the fic in my drafts!!!!

maintain my sleep schedule which i’m getting very good about but the weekends get me lol

[inafieldofdaisies]

5 Songs, 3 Outfits | Tagged by @clicheantagonist @marivenah @shellibisshe @onehornedbeast @voidika @nightbloodbix @g0dspeeed @corvosattano @amalkavian @carlosoliveiraa @kyber-infinitygems

Rules: Post 5 songs associated with your OC, followed by 3 outfits they would wear.

Power - Missy

Hellhounds howling for the heathens Fire wings, Salem, Madness reasons Taste the blood of the purest treason Hellhounds howling for the heathens Power, witch, so, so, so, so, so much power

Black Gold - Missy

You're like gold, black gold My kinda poison, I would do anything just for you to be mine

Doomsday - Kendra Dantes

When the world's in ashes, lost to all the havoc Raise our swords and fight till doomsday When the earth is severed, we will not surrender In this war, we'll fight till doomsday

Arise - CLANN

Thrown to pieces, ast to the wind From ashes we ascend Harken to me, hang on, this life's your own I'm right here beside you, you're not alone In darkness we shine Now place your hand in mine Arise

American Jesus - Nessa Barrett

Knees down at your altar, please don't fail me now You know all my secrets, American Jesus, baby, won't you take me to heaven tonight? You know you're my weakness, American Jesus, save me You're the greatest love of my life

Velvet World - Shiadanni

Just like the sun, I melt the snow Diva la Catrina, like a diva Strip down yourself, I'll tango with your love I'll be your medicina, your tequil I'll hide in your warm arm in the misty dawn Gentle, treat me like a piece of art

Jungle Type Love - Skylar

He's a psychopath and I like that, made a run for the famous triangle Bermuda Bark and I bite back Couldn't give him all my time, my service required Sun in my veins have all these desires

Daddy Issues - Skylar

Sinner in your shirt, attire illegal Take off that shirt, oh, we could stay for the night, we'll make the sequel Slutty in the satin sheets, then I'II leave you Bit of naked poetry for the people

Bad Bandit - Xana

Now she promised me her best in a bloody satin dress And i could see forever in her golden eyes My baby told me lies, I swear i'm gonna die But i ain't the one biting the dust tonight

Lethal Woman - Dove Cameron

'Cause she walks like a saint, floats like an angel Sharp like a knife under the table

Tagging, @strangefable @socially-awkward-skeleton @adelaidedrubman @aceghosts @la-grosse-patate @dumbassdep @florbelles @cassietrn @purplehairsecretlair @nightbloodbix @theelderhazelnut @josephslittledeputy @josephseedismyfather @trench-rot @wrathfulrook @thesingularityseries @direwombat @simonxriley @the-silver-chronicles @strafethesesinners @gearvmac @captastra and anyone that would like to do the tag <3

[ryehouses]

WIP Folder Game

Rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Tag as many people as you have WIPs. People can send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, then post a little snippet/preview or tell them something about it!

@optionalwarninglabels tagged me in this and I thought it would be fun to excoriate myself on the Internet, so! look upon my WIPS, ye mighty, and despair, bc there are so goddamn many of them and I am never going to catch the fuck up!!

(genuinely thought abt just posting a screenshot of my gdocs homepage, but. there's self-excoriation and then there's whatever that would be, if you all could see how out of control my gdocs really is.)

jor'ika povs (star wars, ast 'verse)

FINAL FIVE BOBA POVS LETS GO (yes the title is in all caps and yes there's seven POVs in it)

blackiron characters (star wars, blackiron 'verse)

a bottle & a glass (star wars, blackiron 'verse)

every good thing (wet hot mandalorian summer au; very dead)

nanami kento's halfway home for jujutsu sorcerers on the run

nkhh edits (the above, but ~revised)

v2 (blank document -- v2 of WHAT???)

meditations (dragon age daemon au; extremely pretentious)

give peace a chance (ast 'verse)

give peace spicy (ast 'verse)

bonus POVs (blank; couldn't tell you)

neither sea nor shore (dishonored daemon au)

the problem with jaskier

as the wind behaves (rank smut; I will not be posting this, ever)

cat!gojō (two sentences)

hotd dragon swap au (that's the legit title)

knuckles 'verse

noble 'verse notes (but no document titled 'noble 'verse, so clearly I got far with that one)

play the way you feel it (across the spiderverse)

pull the sun (one piece)

tiger shrike (jjk wing fic, because I never outgrew 2011 apparently)

sideways (star wars)

untitled document - blank

untitled document - one line of dialogue, I think yet another goddamn coffeeshop-but-not-really au

untitled document - blue eye samurai daemon au, two paragraphs and nothing else

untitled document - blank

heart of a dog (long-abandoned red dead werewolf au)

what's especially funny is that this. is all just the unsorted stuff. I have probably an equal amount of folders-within-folders for specific projects, though a lot of those are original fiction that I think about from time to time and never actually work on. (one day i'll write king sam. one day. )

as for tags, i'll spare all of you except @meyerlansky, because i'm interested in what you're working on!!! if you wanna post what your current projects are, though, feel free to consider yourself tagged.

everybody else, please feel free also to point at me and laugh. I have girlbossed too close to the sun. yeesh.

[ameliacf13]

can you talk more about the ypg and why they're racist/imperialist bc I think a lot of leftists on this website have trouble understanding that

I think a lot of people on this site have trouble understanding what a war crime is. Making this more complicated is the nature of the Syrian conflict. Let me be absolutely clear on this matter: I was with the YPG, I worked with the YPG, I still believe that what I did was not morally wrong (but was a bad decision).

That said

Soldiers within the YPG have done things that contravene things like the Geneva Conventions (sorta obsolete but most of their articles carried into new treaties under the UN). Participating in that group makes me complicit, and so I would say yes I am a war criminal.

THIS DOES NOT MAKE THE YPG RACIST OR IMPERIALIST AND I DO NOT WANT TO IMPLY THAT THEY ARE.

NON-RACIST AND NON-IMPERIALIST PEOPLE CAN STILL DO A WAR CRIME.

THAT IS SEPARATE AND ADDRESSED BELOW.

Regarding the racism/imperialism, it's an ideology I was steeped in at a point in my life that I needed something and that's what was there. THIS WAS MORALLY WRONG AND A BAD DECISION. I have done irreparable harm to both others (by way of the people I supported/promoted/associated myself with) and myself. I have renounced these beliefs, am actively working against them, and trying to make up for what I did. That is an ongoing process.

I also want to say: I am transgender.

THIS DOES NOT IN ANY WAY EXCUSE MY PAST ACTIONS OR BELIEFS. I SAY THIS TO HIGHLIGHT THAT I AM VERY DIFFERENT AND ACTIVELY WORKING TOWARDS POSITIVE CHANGE

If anything at least this incident has taught me I shouldn't be so flippant about things like this. To me they are just part of, well me. As different as I may be, I was still willing to engage with this stuff at that time.

I hope the two people that actually read this understand a bit better

Edited 17 Apr 2024 3:39PM AST (added bit making sure my feelings on the YPG were clearer)

Edited 19 Apr 2024 3:42 AST (corrected the year in the previous edit note that I missed like a fool. Thanks slembas)

[usafphantom2]

In August 1941 an Allied Power Bombed Berlin, but it Might not be Who You Think

July 7, 2024 Military Aviation, Military History DARRICK LEIKER

Berlin raid

DB-3 in flight (Image credit: via grafiq.ru)

The story of a daring and oft forgotten nighttime air raid on the Nazi capital, carried out by the Soviet Navy using near obsolescent torpedo planes, early in the war on the Eastern Front.

The history we see and hear of the bombing of Germany by the Allied forces during World War 2 generally focuses on the efforts of the British and the Americans, but not long after Germany had invaded the Soviet Union, the Nazis bombed the Soviet capital of Moscow on the night of July 21, 1941. The raid caused little damage but it enraged Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin and the Soviets needed a victory however symbolic, as the war up to this point had not been going well for them. Stalin wanted Berlin bombed and soon.

The Petlyakov Pe-8, the only modern four engine heavy bomber in the Soviet inventory in 1941. (Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Dire Straits

The Soviet Union only had one large four engine bomber at the time, the Petlyakov Pe-8. However, it was fairly new with teething problems and only available in very limited numbers. The constant retreating of the Soviet Red Army was also pushing adequate airfields and support units for the big bombers further and further eastward, making it even more difficult for the raid to become a reality because of the distances and logistics. A different plan was needed.

The Plan

That plan was the brainchild of Soviet Naval Air Forces General Semyon F. Zhavoronkov. The idea was for twin engine torpedo plans to fly to Berlin from the Estonian island of Saaremaa (Ösel) in the Baltic Sea. Attacking Berlin from the island was approximately 4 hours flight time, a distance of about 550 miles (900 km) round trip. The raid would be a nighttime attack, with complete radio silence and the planes blacked out the entire trip. The planes would fly in the darkness over mostly water, with no surface features for navigation, and only using the aircraft instruments and dead reckoning to reach their target. Dead reckoning is accomplished by precise accounting of time and distance from a last known position or takeoff point. Very skilled navigators would be needed for this mission.

The mission plan was presented to Admiral Nikolay Kuznetsov, commander of the Soviet Navy. Kuznetsov liked the idea and he and Zhavoronkov met with Premier Stalin and presented the plan on July 26, 1941. Stalin approved of the mission and placed Zhavoronkov in charge of it. The plan was dubbed “Operation B”, and would be surrounded by utmost secrecy.

Zhavoronkov selected the 1st Torpedo Bomber Regiment led by Colonel Preobrazhenskiy to carry out the attack. Although the torpedo unit was created and trained to attack naval targets at sea, the unit had been used heavily in the early part of the war attacking and bombing ground targets. They flew the Ilyushin DB-3T twin engine bombers and the grass and dirt runways at Kagul and Aste airfields on Saaremaa would have to be lengthened to accommodate the larger and heavier planes, as these were originally single engine fighter bases. Engineers quickly converged on the area, lengthening and repairing the runways and taxiways, and constructing individual camouflaged shelters for each aircraft next to Estonian homes and farms, since the Germans were well aware of the Soviet presence on the island. The planes would then be flown to the islands, where the crews were not even informed of what the mission being prepared for was going to be. Bombs, ammunition, and other supplies would be delivered by the Soviet Navy.

By early August everything was in place for the attack, the crews were trained and the aircraft ready. The weather, however, was not cooperating, delaying the mission after a few successful practice runs. Orders to conduct the mission finally came on Aug. 7, after the weather had improved. The planes would take off at 2100 hours.

The Plane

The Ilyushin DB-3 was a twin engine aircraft designed by Sergi V. Ilyushin and first flew in 1936. The aircraft flown by the 1ST Torpedo Bomber Regiment at the time of the raid were mostly the DB-3T model, a naval torpedo variant. Its normal payload consisted of one Type 45 torpedo, but it had a small bomb bay and mounting points under the aircraft for carrying conventional bombs as well. The DB-3T had a top speed of around 270 miles per hour (429 KPH), with a normal payload of around 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg), carried three defensive machine guns, and a crew of 3. The planes flown on this particular mission however had been used intensely since the outbreak of the war, and regularly scheduled maintenance, especially engine overhauls, were not able to be performed. This, coupled with the extreme range of the mission, affected the performance of the aircraft causing it to carry a much lighter bomb load. The planes attacking that night carried only 1,100 pounds (500 kg) of bombs.

Berlin raid

Ilyushin DB-3 on display at the Central Air Force Museum, Monino, Moscow Oblast, Russia. Out of approximately 1,500 built, this is the sole remaining example. (Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)

The aircraft was also used by a few other counties; China in her war with Japan, a handful of examples were captured by the Finns and used against their former owners in the Soviet/Finnish Winter War that began in 1939, and the Germans also captured a few DB-3’s as well.

Eventually, the DB-3 went through extensive modifications in airframe, wings, engines, and an entirely new more aerodynamic and, aesthetically pleasing nose replaced the greyhound bus front end. It was then designated the more familiar IL-4.

The DB-3 morphed into the Ilyushin IL-4 pictured here after extensive modifications and improvements to the airframe, engines, wings, and a new extensively glazed front end. (Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)

The Attack

As the planes droned on towards Berlin, in order to avoid German air defenses and searchlights, they climbed to an altitude of over 21,000 feet. At this height the air temperatures were in the minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit range (-31 Celsius). The cold caused frost to form on goggles, oxygen masks, and canopies. Human skin would freeze to any metal surface it came into contact with. It was difficult to manipulate or operate anything mechanical let alone concentrate on the tasks at hand. Compasses and gauges froze up, a huge problem when flying blindly and in silence. With the planes blacked out, it was difficult to tell where other aircraft were making collisions a danger as clouds were thick and heavy that night. Oxygen was thin at this altitude, and even with a supply, the crews were affected. Breathing became difficult, limbs felt heavy, extremities numbed, ears would bleed, and nausea was common.

Each aircraft was assigned a specific target and secondary targets. As the raiders approached Berlin, they used the lights and landmarks of the city to find their targets, as Berlin was not blacked out and not expecting any air raids. Field Marshal Goering of the German Luftwaffe (Air Force) was confident the enemy would not strike Berlin, in spite of the fact the British already had in 1940. Goering had boasted the Soviet Air Force had already been wiped out as well. The bombs falling on the capital of the Reich told a different story. With an obvious element of surprise to the unprepared and unsuspecting Germans, the planes dropped their payloads and headed home, as air defenses were not at full strength. Still, under orders of radio silence, Colonel Preobrazhenskiy broke it by allowing a short message to be transmitted back with the words “I’m over Berlin. Mission completed. Returning.” This was the first news of the success of the raid causing great celebration back at base. All 15 planes returned to base.

Allied Power Bombed Berlin

German searchlights and anti-aircraft fire light up the night sky as bombs explode during a raid on Berlin in Sep. 1941. (Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)

The Aftermath

The raid caused minor damage and was initially blamed on the British by the Germans, only to discover through Soviet news agencies reporting on subsequent raids it was the Soviets attacking them. The bombing was a surprise slap in the face to the Germans, and a huge morale boost to the Soviet cause. The Germans became resolute, destroying the bases on the island, attacking it with aircraft. The Soviets continued to fly missions against Berlin until the island fell in October to German ground forces. Nine Soviet pilots and navigators received Hero of the Soviet Union awards for their bravery in conducting these raids.

Hero of the Soviet Union Medal.

About Darrick Leiker

FacebookLinkedIn

Darrick Leiker is based out of Goodland, Kansas and is a contributor to TheAviationist. Coming from a military/law enforcement background in the United States Air Force, he graduated Electronics Technology at Northwest Kansas Technical College, is an amateur astronomer, avid scale modeler, and also collects classic automobiles. Darrick has experience in the world of Cryptocurrency, cybersecurity research/intelligence, and also built and managed his own business. An avid reader and history buff, Darrick’s passion is to insure those who went before us and those currently serving are not forgotten. Darrick curates a small private museum of scale models, artifacts, and memorabilia, while working in the wine and spirits industry.

BERLIN

DB-3

GERMANY

ILYUSHIN

JOSEPH STALIN

OPERATION B

SOVIET UNION

WORLD WAR 2

Italian New Typhoons

PREVIOUS

Italy Moves Forward With Plan To Buy 24 New Eurofighter Typhoons

Japan Hypersonic Glide Vehicle

NEXT

Japan Releases Video Of Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Testing In The U.S.

RELATED ARTICLES

F-15EX pilots

The F-15EX’s Delivery To Portland ANGB As Seen By Pilots

These Photos Provide a Size Comparison Between the New AIM-174B and AIM-120 Missiles

Presidential call

Rare Glimpse Into Presidential Communications On Board Air Force One Shown in First Phone Call Between President Biden and Prime Minister Starmer

STAY CONNECTED

Facebook

Twitter

youtube

instagram

linkedin

[impossible-rat-babies]

— B A S I C S

name: eyrie kisne nicknames: none. they inherited the title "the ephemeral shepherd" after the end of the pandaemonium raids age: 150~ years old nameday: 22nd sun of the 4th astral moon (07/22) race: veena + rava viera gender: nonbinary orientation: do not particularly care profession: adventurer + craftsman

— P H Y S I C A L     A S P E C T

hair: reddish brown with streaks of pale blonde + a few grey hairs at their temples and near their ears. there are a few bald spots near the base of their ears from an intense trichotillomania flare up ~15 years ago eyes: warm dark brown skin: well worn and lightly tanned with copious amounts of sun spots, freckles and moles. a section of bleached white skin runs the length of their spin, spreading out across their shoulders and lower back. tattoos/scars: light brown tattoos of the same design as their maternal grandmother decorate their fingers and hands. their hands and forearms bleached to a pale white—almost marble like to the touch. they have too many scars to dare count them, but a notably large scar stretches from just below their sternum to right above their belly button from a reaper scythe through their chest.

— F A M I L Y

parents: their mother--yelva--is alive and well back in the forest. tending to her great grand children and her goats. their father, azmi, died in an accident during the later parts of eyrie’s wood warder training. siblings: two older sisters named lilja and brita, and one fraternal twin brother named odvirn, all of whom are alive grandparents: deceased/unknown in laws and other: none they are close with. they do have copious amounts of nieces and nephews from their sisters, but their brother has no living children. they also have seven children of their own. pets: cricket (a ferret familiar, unknowingly summoned) + flower (a carbuncle inherited upon the death of the first WoL in the coils of bahamut) + gingko (their chocobo who chose them once they finished their paladin training)

— S K I L L S

abilities: brd + smn + war/drk + ast. also trained in the tradition of the disgraced paladins of ishgard. they have some small talent in conjury, but refuse to pursue the matter further on account of “personal issues” hobbies: whittling, landscape drawing, playing various instruments (lute and pan pipes), gardening, sewing + embroidery + mending clothes

— T R A I T S

most positive traits: selfless, compassionate, loving, paternal

most negative traits: selfless, quiet, liar, shameful and guilty, vindictive, patronizing

— L I K E S

colours: russet brown, maroon, olive green, ivory, pale gold smells: oil pastels, aether, chamomile, blood textures: linen, feathers, homemade paper, oil, silky fur and rough wool drinks: mead, mulled wine, fermented sheep's milk

— O T H E R    D E T A I L S

smokes: briefly and socially some 25 years ago. they have some fleeting happy memories associated with the smell of garlean cigarettes. drinks: very occasionally and only socially with familiar company drugs: mild relaxants to help them sleep when the terrors get really bad + occasional pain meds to ease chronic pains mount issuance: "this note just says you can do what you want." been arrested: yes, several times by the brass blades in ul'dah after the calamity. mostly for petty crimes, but also inciting violence + bar fights + violence against members of the brass blades. (to which that was mostly violence in defense of the poor and the refugees the brass blades took for easy targets. they didn’t kill anyone though)

--

@redwayfarers and @galpalaven tagged me in this meme ages ago and i finally got around to doing it! im gonna tag: @fourteenthz, @gatheredfates, @hinganskies, @aethergazing and whomever else!

[woltourney]

ROUND 6 / THE FINALS

Chuchu Chura (@spaceace144) v. Huge Beef (@isayoldbean)

Chuchu Chura:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. Chuchu Chura (she/they)

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Lalafell

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. PLD, WHM, RDM, DNC, and most importantly, FSH

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. Adamantoise

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. This is Chuchu! She's a mute lala who became my reason for living when I started playing during covid. When I made her I want to make the least intimidating tank, so I made the smallest (yes she is min height), pinkest tank I could! She doesn't really have a lot of lore that I've come up with, but she's definitely lawful good, loves adventuring with her wolf pup, capybara, and Nigel her chocobo, and adores fishing.

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. :^) *waves* *lalafell dances* *dotes* *giggles*

q. Anything else you wanna add? a. She's just brought me so much joy over the past few years and if someone else can get a little joy from seeing her in this tournament, then that's enough for me. Of course I hope she still does well! I've spent hours in gpose getting pictures of her to be my wallpapers, I've gotten commissions of her, I'm even trying to crochet an amigurumi of her. I just love her so much! Good luck, Chuchu!!!

Huge Beef:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. Huge Beef, she/her

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Sea Wolf Roegadyn

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. WAR, MCH, NIN, RDM, AST, FSH (Note from submitter: CUL)

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. Crystal Malboro

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. Beef was a fearsome pirate captain who was mortally wounded in an ambush and presumed dead. Hydaelyn intervened to ensure her survival, but the tremendous burst of aether she expended in doing so accidentally wiped Beef's brain completely clean and left her with total amnesia. With nothing but her axe and a talent for busting heads, she decided to set forth and become an adventurer. It turns out that it's a great way to get into fights without getting in trouble with the law, earn fame and money, and get the ladies swooning, so she couldn't be happier with her chosen line of work. In her free time she works on fishing boats, seeks out gourmet recipes, and works her charms on as many beautiful maidens as she can.

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. "What kind of question is that? Why WOULDN'T I win? Have you seen me?"

q. Anything else you wanna add? a. hi this is my wol she's a terrible person but she's incredibly sexy so it's fine i guess. also her name is huge beef. because she's huge and beefy. ok thank you for perceiving her

And now I'll ask for the final time...

[miqojak]

About Me/People I'd Like to Know Better

Last song: Really, I've been listening to a lot of Fallout songs, I don't know that there's a 'last one' because even out of game, I've got Fallout playlists on! But Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall has been stuck in my head, in particular, as well as Mighty Mighty Man. I love jazz, though - swing always makes me want to get up and move! So...Fallout music really hits a sweet spot for me.

Favorite color: Green! Most shades of it, though I have a fondness for lime green!

Currently reading: Not actively reading at present, I stopped in the middle of one of the Padme Amidala books a bit back, though - and I was loving reading about her pre-movies! It really puts into perspective what a badass she was, and why she was never a damsel in distress. She had a squad of highly trained assassin hand-maids around her and a contingency for everything, PLUS she was a woman of the people! Her books have made her one of my top favorite characters in the whole of the Star Wars universe - I'd have loved to see what she would have accomplished in the rebellion!

Currently watching: I just finished the new Fallout show, and I'm planning on catching up on Bad Batch here soon.

Sweet/savoury/spicy?: I have a notorious sweet tooth, but I'm also a huge fan of spicy - but as you get older, your body HATES spicy stuff...so enjoy it while you can!

Relationship status: Living with a platonic partner of 10 years

Last thing you googled: An image editor! I was trying to make the mayqo'te prompt list look more pretty than...just a list of words on a tumblr post.

Current obsession: Fallout 76 and SWTOR! After furiously charging through the whole SWTOR MSQ, I'm really swept up in a galaxy far, far away and how good the writing is and how much I love the branching choices that matter, and are remembered in the MSQ! (Plus there's free character housing on the 'battlepass' this time around, and it's one of the best ones yet...) Fallout 76 is free until May 15th, with Amazon Prime...so I picked up a code on the 76 Reddit and I have been LOVING it! The players are super nice, and it's just...fun? Making guns, armor, wandering the wasteland...building a joint house + roadside convenience store out in the world wherever I want! It has really sucked me in. @ungrateful-cyborg and @briar-ffxiv tagged me in very similar things, so I combined them, since only about 2 things were different!

I dunno who hasn't done it, so I'll toss a few names out that are in my notifs - do it if you want, and forgive me if you've been tagged already!! @wpip-raham @xmimiteh @uldahstreetrat @illia-ast @why-raven @littlestcreampuff @hares-and-hounds @cosmicharm @dragonsongmakhali @thedawnforged @starforger @selnyam @madalyn-maeve

[avaritia-ffxiv]

V proud of myself for daring into leveling roulette as tank for once (just WAR but still), 'cause I don't usually have the bravery to q for that as anything other than deeps. DPS bonus can be a bit hard to come by tho, but there was a tank bonus, so I queued real quick before my courage gave out. If it hadn't been an instant pop I would've unqueued, knowing myself, but it was, leaving me with no choice but to go tank. Wheeee lord help.

Somewhat disappointingly and relief-fully it was just Stone Vigil, but alright, at least I know how to tank that 'cause I've tanked the ARR dungeons a fuckmillion times. Noticed the AST's gear looked a bit... Hm, so as per standard procedure, I took a peek at what they were wearing.

Shit is what they were wearing. No larger than double pulls then. Also the sprout machinist's gear probably wasn't that good either, or else they just didn't know how to play machinist (very likely since they used leg and foot graze on the bosses, as if those are any use there), or a combination of both, 'cause our overall dps was kinda low-ish. The monk was pulling most of the weight but our pulls were still over half a minute.

But because I know exactly where the enemies are in that dungeon from having done it so many times, I timed my mitigations so well that with the slower pace I kept, I was only without mits active when there were two or three close to death enemies left, and had something available for each and every pull. The AST healed for peanuts but they timed their heals well so it was chill going. I still didn't pull more though because I did not trust their gear to be good enough for them to physically keep up if I pulled enough to need constant healing, especially since they couldn't have contributed to the dps at all and we needed all the dps we could get lmaooooooooo. Had a couple of instances where I had my finger hovering over Holmgang anyway, but didn't end up needing it.

Commed the monk 'cause the AST and MCH didn't say their hellos or their ggs, even though I don't usually comm mentors 'cause what do they need comms for, and the monk was a combat mentor. At least they behaved themselves and didn't try to run ahead or anything like that, even though they were probably Suffering from how slow and low level the content was.

But yeah went well! Still kinda might've wished it would've been something higher level, 'cause I do have DRK, WAR, and GNB all geared to do all normal content in the game atm so that wouldn't have been a concern. One of my fondest dungeon memories is that one time I tanked Tower of Babil (as a WAR, again, though back when I was still leveling it) with a healer and both dps that didn't know/remember the dungeon at all, and healer and one dps presumably didn't read the chat, and healer didn't heed my jumping and the other dps didn't always either. One dps at least responded to my instructions in chat and followed my hopping to perform the mechanics correctly lmfao.

So the healer in particular kept dying, poor thing, but the feeling of absolutely needing to use my full kit to get us through that was so good. Like, doing my best to keep as much weight off the healer as I possibly could at every point, and then when they inevitably died at bosses despite my efforts, a couple of times I made the call to just finish the boss off since its health was low enough that I could keep myself and the dps standing to the end and it wouldn't take too long. Another few times we intentionally wiped though 'cause the other dps also did the floor hug, and finishing the boss with just a tank and one dps would've taken boringly long even if it would've been doable, and been pretty unfair towards the other two that wouldn't have gotten to play at all.

So I was kinda balancing letting the healer especially actually play, and getting us out of the dungeon within the next hour instead of getting stuck wiping 'cause the healer couldn't manage. But god needing to toss Nascent Flash on someone any time it was off cooldown was such a good feeling. Having to manage my mits so tightly was such a good feeling. Having to try to maximize my dps output to make the fights go by even a little faster was such a good feeling.

Idk man it was just super good fun, as things tend to be when you really gotta focus instead of just breezing through stuff.

[bluntforcefem]

2k24 writing in review: would you believe it. sauces again

author's note

doing my author's note BEFORE the main text of the thing this year, because: damn, it really is all sauces. i posted a sum total of two (2) things to ao3 this year, both for pretty niche medias, and while i'm very proud of them both (i hope we live to tell the tale is the longest thing i've written this year!!) i really hit my stride this year with original fiction, again. many characters featured in this year's writing-in-review belong to the lovely friends i play toys with - thanks to the beloveds for letting me knock around their guys for funsies, per usual!!

some fun statistics for the people at home: i wrote 52 fics for sauces that i would consider 'full-length' (or full-length adjacent) - 22 canonverse fics, 13 alternate universe fics, and 17 spectre-after-dark fics because this is the year that i got into writing erotica lmao. my sauces wordcount, not including a myriad of worldbuilding documents, comes out to about 91,237 words this year! that's fucking crazy. my total wordcount? 108,376. ALSO fucking crazy. i've already mentioned my longest fic this year, but my longest sauces piece (EVER!) was written this year: I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING, written in september, which finished at 6375 words. lots of big achievements this year!!

i've been considering uploading my original fiction to my neocities page on-and-off through this whole year. a side project i've been rotating is a wikipedia-style fansite for sauces (so that we can inflict our years-long improv rp series on other people) but even without that, i'd like to start getting my favorites out into the world one way or another (and i'd like for there to be SOME place to get context for them. sauceswiki one day maybe). no idea how much interest there'd be for that, but i digress! let's get onto the monthly highlights, which i'm putting below a cut because damn! they're long.

JANUARY

“la-ast time i ca-ame i brought eli, and we ha-ad to leave the aqua-rium part ear-ly! ‘cause li-ittle bi-ird was looki-ing at the fi-ish like they do the on-nes in the ri-iver at home and they di-idn’t wanna cau-use an incident.” if evan’s hunch about briar rose is right, he’s pretty sure declan’s middle name is incident, but he sidesteps that thought easily as they walk into the first exhibit. “i’m sure eli has more self-control than that,” he says instead, torn between amusement and resignation at the thought of eli perching on one of the exhibits and sticking a whole hand in. “ba-arely. they cau-ught a sal-mon when they go-ot home and ate it who-ole!” declan gestures with both hands, a sort-of this big motion. it is, he thinks, entirely too big to fit in eli’s mouth, but they look so genuine he believes it anyway. “i thi-ink we were bo-oth just hun-gry though. let me kno-ow if you wan-na get snacks!” 

excerpted from JAWS!, a sauces season two story about evan and dec going to the aquarium together

FEBRUARY

when they can’t sleep they go out to the hangar overlook and lean against the railing in the dim warehouse light. they haven’t seen retribution in full since the day the program shut down, but when they stand still and watch the dark, they can see the shape of it twitching, shifting, moving, the synchronized patterns of partners sleeping, scattered across the continent.

excerpted from so i'll take the night shift, a sauces pacrim au fic about declan in the five years between one war and the next

MARCH

he’s not sure what he’s expecting, when eli tells him they’re ready to explain and then takes him out on a flight. even with the snow blurring the sharp slopes of it, the crater is huge, the site of a meteor strike or the pit of a volcano. deep, too; about halfway down the snow gets sparse and then vanishes, inexplicable, and declan wonders if its warmer down there or if its something else, some side effect of the murky blotch of darkness where he figures bedrock must be. eli flies in a lazy circle around the perimeter and then glides towards the middle, landing on a stretch of mostly-clear stone pocked with sturdy lichens. declan follows, stumbles a little on the landing and shoots eli a half-smile when they catch him. “a hi-ike, huh!” “a good day for it,” they answer, matching his smile with their own, gesturing with their folded-up cane. “in more ways than one- but, y’know, can’t be too careful. would’ve gotten us out here yesterday, but i figured neither of us wanted to deal with flying in a snowstorm.”

excerpted from come with me to the mad stone, a sauces season two story about eli introducing declan to the void

APRIL

but more keep coming. eli cocks their head to the side, slides on a patch of sloughed flesh and catches themself on the wall. “where’s the spawner?” close your eyes. follow. but it’s packed. you’re not going to be able to break it. “i can handle a few zombie bites,” eli snarls, but the way vee stills around their neck makes them hesitate. “a few. how packed is packed?” [...] packed is packed. there’s only a moment’s hesitation before the mass of bodies throws itself at them, green fading into black into the hints of pale blue, fabric sewn together that doesn’t match, limbs fused and flesh melting together. it doesn’t look like individual zombies at all, anymore - just some kind of amalgamation, bleeding so thickly onto the cobblestone that eli’s steps splash. eli doesn’t have a moment to doubt that the void will handle the spawner in the center, doesn’t have a moment to recognize anyone in the crowd beyond recognizing it. they clutch the hilts of their swords tighter and let the magic run its course, flesh popping and disintegrating as they work through the horde. a sturdy heap of scaled limbs gets too close, screaming in static, and eli’s head knocks into the ceiling as they launch themself up, talons tearing at the heads and shoulders of everything below them before they land too-heavy on the spawner itself. 

excerpted from the ground needs to be fed, a sauces season two fic about eli & the void handling a broken zombie spawner

MAY

the old man gives them a name. gives them declan shepherd, princess of hyrule, and echo still can’t remember a thing, doesn’t know how they’ll fight the apparent calamity, still just putting one foot in front of the other and tripping every once in a while. but it’s like muscle memory, really. they’ll get to him. they’ll get back to him.

excerpted from and i'll always believe in you, endlessly, a sauces breath of the wild au fic about echo remembering declan. author's note: i have been feeling endlessly shrimp about this one in particular lately

JUNE

“... swallow.” her voice gets quieter, almost uncertain, before she lifts her head and snaps again. “and i don’t actually have any answers for you, loser. i have no idea why your stupid number is a timer, or whatever. like i said, it doesn’t work like that anymore.” she draws out the no, waving one hand dismissively. “and it doesn’t work like that here. shouldn’t. i’m not even really a reaper. i don’t know what to tell you.” neku watches her, but she doesn’t say anything else. “okay,” he says, after a pause. swallow looks at him, squinting. “yeah, i believe you.” “idiot,” she says again, under her breath. neku snorts.

excerpted from i see it swallow my time, a post-canon interstitial infinity fic about neku from between twewy & neo on the infinity train, and also mirror shoka (<3)

JULY

“but you’re not my type.”  his first lie, though he’d honestly expect someone else if they truly were a figment—a strange facsimile of 10, perhaps, or even something like the shepherd. it makes them laugh again, at least, loud and echoing against the stone, and it lights up their whole face. very much a lie, echo thinks, looking them up and down again.  “i could be,” they retort, clearly playing up their offense. their voice is still tinged with laughter, cheeks flushed as they wave a hand at him. “is this an interrogation or a dream, your highness?”

excerpted from show me my silver lining, a sauces royalty au fic about echo and eli meeting in a dream. author's note again: july truly was the month of the weird echo/eli fics

AUGUST

time to play, then. they lean back as best they can in their chair, the very face of unconcerned. “and who do i owe my timely rescue to, then?” “just your favorite kidnapping victim,” a familiar voice chirps. rose stills, and she laughs, nudging the hench with a boot to make sure they’re out before she circles over. “i’ve gotten pretty good at keeping my ear to the ground in the warehouse department! and who else do i find but my dearly beloved rescuer?” “‘dearly beloved’? high compliments, shep. i didn’t even think i was your second favorite.” shepherd snorts. she sets her rifle aside and stalks forward, confidence rolling off her in waves. “only by technicality,” she assures them airily.

excerpted from and iii get a little bit genghis khan, a sauces season two story about shepherd repaying the favor of rescuing echo's supervillain persona from a kidnapping

SEPTEMBER

Shepherd has the same dream every night. It’s been the same dream from the moment she crash-landed on Spectre. The water rises as she climbs a spiral staircase in unbroken darkness, lapping at her heels, always a little faster than her. There’s no escape even if she manages to beat it, she knows – the wailing gets louder as she climbs, unbearable – but she keeps climbing. The void rises. It overtakes her before she can see what’s become of the sun. Tonight – a red light cuts through the murk. She reaches for it as her lungs fill and wakes settled, steady, her hand wrapped around cold iron.

excerpted from I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING, a sauces season two story about shepherd accidentally picking up an artifact that pushes her to act on her worst impulses, and trying to kill declan about it.

OCTOBER

lucille shakes her head again, taking a step back. she loosens her grip, lets her hands fall to her sides, holding the axe in just one. “this is mine now,” she tells him, “and you can’t have it back. i don’t owe you anything.” “good,” echo answers, sharp. she stares. “you don’t owe them anything, either. not anyone.” there’s a tension in his shoulders, a distance to the way he looks at her—like he’s looking through her, talking to someone else. she doesn’t know what to say, so she just nods and turns away. he doesn’t stop her when she starts to walk home, her pace deliberate, carefully controlled. his gaze on her back itches. she doesn’t look back.

excerpted from take care, take care, a sauces canon divergence fic that asks, what if echo became a single father?, among other things

NOVEMBER

the void reaches out a hand and wipes off his cheek. its thumb comes away, coated in a mix of blood and tears. you’re starting to lose yourself, it says, and it sounds like eli, now, their voice from a facsimile of his throat. he shivers. careful, now. we were made from ghosts. the world is always hungry for another memory. declan reaches up, grabs its wrist, stares up at it unblinkingly. blood drips from his temple, his heart, stains his overalls and mars the embroidery, pools on the ground and disappears. his grip tightens. “i’m no-ot goi-i-ing any-where.” slowly, it wraps its fingers back around his. lips pull back. the shadow gains too many expanse-white teeth, a skeleton grin. aren’t you? he opens his mouth and the void floods in.

excerpted from i alone will make wrongs right, a sauces season two story about declan in a bad place trying to talk to the void while eli is out of commission

DECEMBER

shepherd unearths her face from the couch and turns to him, eyes bleary and ears flat against her head. fur climbs up her neck and the sides of her face, a patch across her forehead and down the bridge of her nose. in her boxers, he can see the rest of it, grown in thick across her body, almost complete coverage. “it’s ba-ad, huh,” declan murmurs sympathetically. “where’d yo-ou even ca-atch it?” “the crossroads,” she says. when he reaches out and pets a hand across her head, she shoves her whole face into it, the fur soft under his palm. “i didn’t know they even had it here, star, it sucks. so bad! i haven’t caught it since i was–” “fifteen?” declan laughs. shepherd blinks before she snorts and smiles back, lopsided. “go-od, that di-id suck.”

excerpted from the fever pitch, a goofy sauces season two story about catpeople catching a fever that makes them grow fur like kittens do again

FINAL NOTE

if you've read this far: thanks, first of all, i appreciate it!! second of all, there's definitely a lot i'm proud of that didn't make it onto this review (or we'd be here all day). if you want to know more about my guys or sauces in general or any of the fics these are excerpted from, i'm always down to talk shop. here's to another year of writing!!