#yeah this is a 9 year old meme but i just remembered it

[blackbird-brewster]

Doctor Who + BuzzFeed

[kneelingshadowsalome]

If my German ass may give some context to the recent mouse pad post (I just saw it and completely lost it lmao. I need a Tittenmauspad for my desk at the office as well.): The GSG 9 are the special forces of the federal police in Germany. KSK are the military special forces.

And I remember watching a documentary about the KSK a while ago and the doors to the bunks of the operators were all full of pinups (nasty ones from these cheap porn magazines you can buy at the gas station, not the cool vintage ones) and printed out memes. I'm very glad that these are the men who safe me from a terrorist attack, if I should ever get caught up in one. ^^ And I bet 19 year old König "decorated" his bunk in a similar tasteful fashion (maby even grown up König as well).

ASDAFSD NO 😭💀

But to be fair with you I'm not surprised..... Reminds me of my first summer job at this factory full of old dirty men and old dirty jokes and there were porn calendars around every corner lol. And yeah these adorable pookies build our houses and drive our goods and save us from harm! Yay! 🥲

Also German gas stations?? I was forced to visit one at midnight a few years ago and it was a very exotic experience lol I'm sorry but never again 😳😭

[clearlyacollectortragedy]

Hey, how’s everyone doing? So here I am again, like a year later since my last post, because I just need to vent before I lose my mind.

So, the thing is, I was watching 9-1-1 again for like the millionth time, and just so happens that my mom walked by and got curious about what I was watching, so naturally, like the very noisy mom that I have, she decided to sit down and join me. And of course, the episode I was watching just so happened to be the lawsuit one where Eddie and Buck are fighting (iykyk), I don’t remember the exact episode number, but you get the idea.

Anyway, my beautiful yet very old fashioned mother looks directly into my soul with this very serious expression and goes, 'Are you watching a gay show?' Now, my mom isn't homophobic but feels a bit uncomfortable about queernes and all of that, she's kinda having a hard time accepting people but she's not against it, although she's trying her best. So, you can imagine I was shitting my pants a little bit with that one when she came out with that. I was like, 'Uh, yes… but also no?' Then I asked why she thought that, and with a very 'Are you shitting me' look she says, and I quote, 'They’re married, like, they’re literally fighting over custody, right? Talking about lawyers and all that. I did this with your dad so you can't tell me they’re not... Homosexual or whatever you call it these days.'

So yeah... All I did was laugh like a maniac and managed to explain her the situation (sort of) and even showed her bits from other episodes to give her the full picture of Buck and Eddie’s dynamic. And I kid you not, just when I was showing her The kitchen scene™ my sister walked in and got somehow involved, a minute into the conversation she tells me 'Michelle what the fuck are you talking about, those two have to be fucking, look how the guy with the beer is looking at that other dude, is like that meme with the cat and the cookie.' Like I'm not the one who is obsessed with the show, anyways my mom later agreed and in disbelief told me that they've had to fucked at least once. At this point, I was on the floor, either crying from laughter or pure shock because here’s my 'I'm very uncomfortable about gays' mother telling me that the way those two looked at each other was with, and I qoute again: 'Very sex deprived eyes.'

So, to wrap this stupid and totally unnecessary post I’ve come to two conclusions:

1.- My mom may no longer be in the "I'm not homophobic I just don't really like when two boys or girls kiss each other" category because, after all that, she literally started rooting for those two to not only kiss but fuck each other. So... Thanks 9-1-1 I guess?

2.- And two, if MY mom is now convinced that those two Need to be together, or more like belong together in words of my sister, so can ABC. So if Buddie doesn't become canon these season I will personally go down to the ABC studios and force them to make it happen.

That’s all folks, thanks for letting me rant, because I was about to lose it. Have a lovely afternoon or night or whatever you're having. And if you’ve got someone who may be homophobic or is uncomfortable with queerness, maybe tell them about Buck and Eddie. It did worked for my mom after all.

[grapecaseschoices]

OC in 15: Kendis Crawford-Louel

rules: share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using dialogue without other details about the scene, but you're free to include those as well!

I was tagged by @deepinifhell and am woefully delayed in getting on this.

Tagging: @thedeadthree @thee-morrigan @nat-seal-well @nightingalesighs @laufire @lusavors @cypresswrites @thelittlestspider @mt07131 @roxaro @quaxorascal @tuomniia @andthatisnotfake @sunshineandviolets @sapphic-story [tagged fifteen peeps! i think! and as always no pressure!]

Most of the dialogue from old rp stuff repurposed for this meme, some from unposted stuff, and a few I made up for this. (As warning: some cussing)

-----

1] However, strangeness of the situation proves that the metal gates aren’t fully down around the castle, because she bites out, bluntly, “No! No. I’m not okay.” Her breath hitches. “Don’t. D-don’t follow that up with another question. I thought we talked about this.”

By ‘we’ and ‘talked’, she meant the time she summarily shut down his last attempt to dig deeper. It should’ve been obvious by now that Kendis didn’t like accepting what they insisted on dishing out.

-

2] "Yook, Kenny, yook!"

"What'm I lookin' at, teeny tyke? --- Well, now. Look at that! Is that me? In fact, I know that's me. That's the second prettiest person in this entire art of prettiness. And is the one right next to me you? It's got to be 'cause that's definitely the prettiest person in this."

"You siwwy, Kenny. Boys not be pretty!"

"Am I? Well, if you're sayin' that's right then I'll consider it. But being silly doesn't mean I'm wrooooong~. Boys can be very pretty, kiddo. People can be whatever they wanna be so long as they're --- kind, yeah? And you're the kindest, prettiest, most talented teeny tyke, I've ever known. Oh, now you're laughin' at me, huh? Well, Ima show you 'bout that teeny brat."

-

3] "Who invented white allosexuals, like for real? Someone return this woman to sender."

-

4] "We're not even four days into a fucking New Year and this shit stain is stinkin' up the place."

-

5] "And I get that it's different things for different people. But I rather lose a place, than lose the people that matter with it."

-

6] "I know you've probs been lied to lately. But you're really not cute."

-

7] "He obvi picked bad pics on purpose, you Italian booger."

-

8] "I'm like Siri. Except better looking, smarter, much louder, and not an AI slave to a hegemonic hell-hole that stole the name of one of the best fruits. Like ever."

-

9] "Um, excuse you. I'm not reckless. What 'bout me screams the self sacrifice type?"

-

10] "Hey. Hey! Look at me! That's it ... slow breaths. I've got you. Do you -- you're okay, slowly ... Do you remember what I told you last week? Just nod. I've got you. I've got ya. You remember this? That's my pinky. We pinky promised -- the biggest and most bindable way to lock in a promise, yeah? And you may not know this about me, but I don't make promises that I can't see through. I said you're gonna be okay. And I mean that. I'm gonna make it happen, okay? I'll -- I'm here now and I'll be there at the end. Prommy, prommy, prommy, prommy, pro -- oh, a laugh, huh? Ha. That's what I like hearing. Leave the worryin' to me, dude."

-

11] "If this human version of a mutated ingrown armpit hair follicle don't get up off my face in the next 10, 9, 8, 7, …."

-

12] “Ow! Fudging snowcaps! That bitch hur –” They stopped mid-yelling but simply began complaining underneath their breath.

-

13] "I'm --," Kendis gestured sharply with their right hand as if orchestrating their feelings or encouraging Morgan to jump in. Not that they gave her much of a chance when they quickly added, "You know."

"You're?" Morgan smirked, "You know? I don't think I do."

"Yes. You do."

"Nah, nothing's ringing a bell."

"Well, that's probably all the brain damage you got from the last fight."

"Right. I remember that. The fight where I got stabbed instead of you."

Kendis' nostrils flare and their jaw clenches so tightly Morgan almost feels a sympathy twinge in her own teeth.

-

14]

“Then why won’t you tell me you love me? Maybe a little reward so I can be brave?”

“‘Cause a face full of kisses wasn’t enough? Wow.”

“Sure,  it was nice but this is a big deal. I think I deserve a bigger reward.”

“Aren’t rewards for after you actually do the stuff?”

“You’re right. How about you say ‘I love you’ just because you do!”

“You look cute when you pout an’ you’re gonna be late.”

“Please, Kendis? We’ve been dating for a while now and … That is – Unless – You don’t.”

“I don’t what?”

“You know you are always avoiding it, saying how you feel about me, and you’ve never come close to saying the words .. and sometimes I’ve wondered … I’ve been very patient the last several months –”

“Then keep on with that.”

“Okay. Okay. Kendis. Do you love me?”

“Can we talk about this later? This ain’t as black an’ white as you’re making it look like.”

“But it is.  It is a very black and white question with a very black and white answer. Do you love me?”

“Austyn. Austyn? Stop that! What’re you doin’?  Don’t. You’re – fuckin’ –”

“These are the notes I wrote you. Look at them. Look how far they reach on your floor. Look!”

“No”

“You never even wrote it back. I kept saying it and writing it and you never gave anything back … B-because … because you don’t.”

“I never gave – We’re not doin’ this right now. Again. Why’re you doin’ this right now? We don’t even have the time to really get into -”

“What is there to get into?  It’s yes or no,  Kendis! If you say that, then it will be all settled.”

“Maybe stop cuttin’ me off an’ let me speak.”

“You cut me off first! And don’t you start raising your voice at me!”

“You started that shit first, yourself! What is with you?”

“Why are you acting like I am overreacting? I’m not! It isn’t wrong to want to know whether or not my best friend is in love with me. It isn’t wrong to know if you really see a future with us together or if you’ve been just tagging along because I’m one of the very few other out girls in school.”

“You called me your best friend.”

“What?” 

“You should know how I feel. You say I don’t give you nothin’ back but that’s a damn lie an’ you know it.”

“Then why don’t you say it? I say it all the time!”

“But are you really meanin’ it?”

“Uh - Wha – EXCUSE ME!?!!” 

“Are you? How can I say those words to someone that's not a sure thing? You talk a lot about a future that ain’t here but what you really got to say for the now.”

“Wow. Asshole.” 

“Takes one.”

“Fine. Don’t love me. I think it’s best if we take some space right now and reconsider our priorities.”

“Austyn. I didn’t mean – Austyn this is silly.”’

“Is it?”

“Why're we even doin’ this right now? What about the formal?” 

“Don’t call me unless I call you.”

“Austyn!”

“Don’t.”

“You know what? Fuck you.”

“Apparently not even in the next few months, asshole.”

-

15]

Kendis narrowed her eyes but forced herself to take a deep breath, “You. Bumped into. Me!” Honestly, that was a generous and kind assessment. If Kendis had been human, she doubted she would’ve been able to stand with only a headache and a bad mood to show for it.

“Yeah, because you slowed down when you weren’t supposed to! I was keeping pace with you, speeding by the way, and then allva sudden –”

“I know you’re not blaming me for any of this, let alone your speeding, you Stranger Things reject.”

“Excuse me?”

Kendis felt that anger again – no, they could almost taste it. It was just wafting off the air from the shifter in front of them. It was churning up their stomach like sick, this anger that wasn’t their rage.

It was restless, like her’s was, but was also too hard, too cold.

Not right, not right. The warning blared in Kendis’ gut. Something was off and they needed to leave.

“Don’t!” They warned when the person reached out to grab at them, clearly making Kendis ready to skedaddle. The sharp yell struck out like a roll of thunder, loud and final enough to make this person hesitate, before Kendis’ voice dropped into a growl, “Don’t. Touch. Me.” [x]

[midnight1nk]

So, this week's remaster...

[Spoilers below cut]

Aha! I've expected as much, they usually release a regular episode or a Remaster. It's been a while since they've done one of these, I honestly thought we were going to get one during the Puzzle Park arc, which of course didn't happen.

Let's see, the OG "Return to Freddy's Spaghettria" episode was...

9 YEARS AGO?!?!?

...time isn't real, guys. I feel old old. Makes sense though, the OG has 44 million views, being one of the most popular videos on the channel. It's a no-brainer. also it was spooky month *does the dance* a few days ago.

Anyway, since it's a remaster, this post is going to be a lot shorter than usual.

(the following is my reaction:)

ah, of course, the updated graphics

and Mario going from his polygonal 64 model to his current one

but also peach's castle.... ahem, let's keep going

"no more saying cuss words guys" oh right, susan is watching over us

[*sigh*] i miss my wife, tails. i miss her a lot, I'll be back

gotta make the reference I'm sorry

go off Mario, show those dance moves

also can I just say, I love how expressive Mario is now. It's one of the things I love about the show

WIZARD ROCK IS BACK!!!! it's been so long

man, i'm old

omg the barney song (listen, I was a PBS Kid and I've indeed watched barney when I was a child soooo I still find it wild to hear that song again.)

"do you like popsicles?" oh hey a spongebob... oh...

....i'm overthinking this i'm overthinking this i'm overthinking this

uh, moving on!

and mario using mr. yeast to barricade the door... [*IGBP flashbacks*]

Welcome, everyone, to "Let's Remind Ink of the Show's Past Arcs and Current Mysteries" :)

"remember the locket :)" "YEAH I KNOW I KNOW"

that camera work tho

cocomelon... WHY AM I GETTING FLASHBACKS

pizza :D

[*claps in terror*]

well, that's new from the OG.... okay, look, I know this purple thing is from something else and not related to anything at all i get that BUT I just got reminded of meme rehab

happy halloween to me specifically ig, thanks Team

DAMN his coin count lowered from 24 coins in the OG to just 14 coins in the remaster

WII SPORTS, I love all the references to it in this episode

"who wants a muffin?" "no" "but I wanna die :D" /ref

the mickey mouse audio.... LEAVE ME ALONE *flachback* AAAH *flashback* AAAAAAHHHHH

SMG4 HIIII :D good to see blue Mario every now and then

and some voice acting wow

RAVE PARTY

hold up, i gonna pull out the crafting table for this one

mario can and will teleport behind you when he wants to

pizza :D

also congrats to ArrowDustt for your art being featured in the credits 🎉

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

Another pleasant episode. It's really fun to see how much the Team has improved over the years while still being the show. It is a remaster so it's pretty much the same storyline, but the animation and editing and voice acting and so much more. Go show some appreciation for the Team!!

As much as I'm here for the loreeeeeeeee, I wouldn't mind if the rest of the year is just filled with silly episodes. it's the silly meme show after all... but Team, was it really necessary to remind me that these characters had trauma from previous episodes? well, guess what? it's day of the dead for me so your plan failed aha!!! /silly

Yeah, I do look too much into stuff sprinkled in the background or the episode in general, it's kinda my thing. Don't mind me overanalyzing the bingo numbers from the last episode. Anyway, it was nice of Ben (the thumbnail artist) to show some of the behind-the-scenes.

Stretchy boi :) Love when the Team does these kinds of things. By the way, if anyone was curious, the WOTFI website is still up. Interesting....

Well, my dear fellows, that's all for now. Curious to know what the next remaster will be, and as always, looking forward to what shenanigans the SMG4 Crew will be up to next week. Hmm, maybe I'll post another episode concept (angst or fluff, no in-between >:] hehehe). Take care, and I'll see you all next time!!! pizza :D

...

BUT ALSO GOOP!FOUR— *green screen explosion*

[captzexx]

2024: The Back 9

In the immortal words of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

I did this earlier in the year around…February? Yeah I believe it was then giving a general update to how the whole mental/spiritual fall apart was going (I refuse to call it a breakdown).

In two words, not good.

But there's always time to change and it's definitely not me putting an expiration date of myself just identifying that I may in a lot of trouble like I was a few years ago. I believed that losing weight, moving, dream job, and things going 'Milhouse' were going to fix so many things about me. It did not. And it will not.

Gotta keep going though. To many people are counting on me to be here and if I'm gonna be here I need to focus to get myself doing something. Anything.

So here we go with some basics and major updates to me:

Hi, I'm Zach or Capt Zexx or Mogwai Kraken depending on where we might talk. I'm an old man (40) with the aspirations of being something of a pulp adventure writer a 100 years too late. Being a standard millennial man swords, sorcery, metal, and nostalgia are all things I crave and love to follow but need to remember to temper as I'm not young as I was and definitely have a lot more responsibilities than I did when I first started this hobby of roleplaying. Sometimes I feel like the '84 years' meme when I think about how much of my online life has been pretending to be what I always wanted to be.

I'm deep into 'the Game' again. I'm actually playing. I'm itching to try and get with a group for writing/roleplaying. I'm terrified I'm gonna drop the ball and ruin another group of collaborators as I constantly seem to do. I don't mean to, it's just my brain and heart can't seem to hold hands long enough for us to make anything happen despite the lofty goals my brain sets.

We're gonna try though. I say this every time, but I gotta get up and do it again.

I have too.

So I've tried to rebuild/consolidate as I drag out the oldies with some newbies to try my hand in a bunch of different pots and see what sticks. No more closing blogs though, that really messed my brain up with losing stories and such when I got mad a few years ago. They belong in a museum for me to visit and library to be checked out once in awhile.

THE BLOGS The majority of these are all based out of the World of Warcraft. It's been my home for over 25 years, I can't get away as much as I might try. We're too entwined and I'm tired of fighting it, so I'm gonna embrace it and be comfortable in it.

Embers of the Order ( @embersoftheorder ) This is my main focus for protagonists for my writing and roleplaying. Can you guess who it involves? I can never get away from that wonderful Witcher inspired group of monster hunters from Kul Tiras, the Order of Embers. I love Drustvar so much and the head canon group I built up are always in the back of my mind when I listen to music or try to come up with something to write. But with the old faces like Eld or Cheryl, gonna try to bring some side characters to the front like Rachel or Beld or non-Ember members who can help like Ganus or Ramses. We'll see what happens but it's kind of nice having a heroic blog that I can store and play with them all.

An Unending Gaze ( @anunendinggaze ) As there is a light side of my roleplaying/writing there has to be a dark side. I've wanted for years to stretch my legs and limits to play more sinister types with a dark agenda or plans, but I guess I'm always more inherit-ably the good guy than a villain. But it doesn't mean I don't dream of firing the death star, forging the ring, or body hopping realities with an obsession for the Old Ones within the vastness of the Void. And I am leaning hard into that last one with Oplisca, my old cultist antagonist to my oldest character who I'm trying to mold into some kind of overarching monster. But I can't just have her as other characters have had their run-ins with so many villains. Alfred Klaudin the murderous zealot, the Fredman a roaming Drust serial killer, Kinowin the misplaced power hungry cultist, or Daesyd the money hungry architect. I'm working on them all and very willing to build more even those that aren't cultists or maniacs, the idea of a Light blinded soldier or a corrupted figure all come to mind. I need to work on it and would love if someone could help me or guide me with this menagerie.

Of Bronze and Sage ( @bronzeandsage ) Went ahead and made new blog for my Horde side life, it has been highly productive. I’ve leaned on a couple of old characters from my multiverse to create a base but I’m happy to report I’ve made up a few new ones to help round it out! Relying on my lack of knowledge to make it as much a journey of discovery as a refresh to playing and roleplaying. So join my orc thief Sevlaz as he learns what it is to be a ward of the Bronze and a champion of The Word. For the Horde.

QUIET PLACES A Crow Among Sparrows ( @acrowamongsparrows ) My Witcher OC work, which would be fun to go back into if someone were to poke or want to play around in. Take a peak and let me know what you think.

Conduit Dreams ( @conduitdreams ) Cyberpunk is always been a passion of mine and this was a place to put those neon lit inspirations away until that itch takes me again. Mecha, synths, rain, and dystopia make my heart beat faster.

With An Emerald Eye ( @withanemeraldeye ) Adventures in the pulp fantasy of swords, sorcery, and adventure. I love old Conan stories or Fafhrd and Gray Mouser tales of swords against devilry, I try to put it into my more higher fantasy stuff in Azeroth when I can but I would love to do more with low/weird fantasy stuff. Give me underground cults, jewel thefts, and brave people facing impossible odds. Plus kick ass art.

Sails on a Sea of Fate ( @sailsonaseaoffate ) My quiet retirement home for Zexx Candell and his brood in the astral sea lanes of Spelljammer. I love that setting and it seemed fitting after Shadowlands and the anger I felt when I left Blizzard before to go here with Treasure Planet inspired galleons coasting through the starry cosmos. D&D with Star Wars scope of conflicts, a simple description but I love the idea of it all and would love to touch it again.

Eldridge Candell ( @eldridgecandell ) The original blog for my main Eld Candell, Witch Hunter and Inquisitor of the Order of Embers. He's been transferred mainly over to the Ember of Orders blog, but I'll keep this live as an archive of his old adventures before these days in the War Within. It's a reminder of where I was those years ago and what I want to strive to be again.

THE FUTURE That sums it all up for the back half of 2024, it's not exactly brighter but I'm trying to avoid going darker personally. I want to make this work and get back in the habit of being creative. I need too.

If you wanna play, send me a message here and then we can switch to an alternate platform to collaborate. I'm available on the Discord, In-game, and the shiny new Blue Sky, just let me know where you're comfortable and interested in working.

Anyways, here's Wonderwall.

[27dragons]

Quiz Meme thing for people over 50 - via @gilajames

1. Name one body part that doesn't hurt: my elbow (who gets that reference? but really mine doesn't hurt. at least not today.)

2. Were you able to answer #1 because you have taken ibuprofen recently? Nope, I haven't been able to take ibuprofen at all for a few years now because I'm prone to ulcers. (I also haven't taken any tylenol/paracetamol, because it straight up doesn't work for me for pain relief. It lowers fevers, but that's it.)

3. Name one activity you are greatly relieved you don't do anymore because fuck that shit: change diapers and otherwise deal with any (literal) shit that isn't my own

4. Have you gotten at least eight hours of sleep in the past five days. (Not each night, just total.) Oh yeah, I average about 6.5 hours a night and on the weekends sometimes it stretches to seven!

5. Name one song that is NOT forty years old, what the fuck. The 1980s were, like, twenty years ago. Fuck you, the 80s were like, five years ago at most lol. That said: The Hamilton soundtrack, and also "Panic" by David Ford. Those are only like 10-15 years old.

6. Do you remember the last time you got carded (not counting 'we have to card everyone' places.) If we're not counting "card everyone" places, then I have never been carded. When I bought booze legally for the first time on my 21st birthday, they did not card me. Apparently I radiate an aura of "yeah she's old enough."

7. Name one musician that you keep hearing their name but have no clue what their music is. My Chemical Romance, I guess (I have a general idea what the music is but I don't know that I've actually heard it. I could be wrong about that I suppose but I definitely didn't know it.) I'm not really a music person, this is a lot of music questions for me.

8. Have the celebrities you loved as a kid started dying of old age? A few but not too many yet.

9. Have the celebrities you loved as a teenager started dying of old age? Same.

10. When did you start listening to the Oldies station? Another music question? I mean, I listened to the oldies station when I was in frickin college because I don't care about music and that was the station my boyfriend at the time liked. I really only listen to music in the car, and after I dumped that guy I switched to listening almost exclusively to tapes, CDs, and music downloaded to an iPod/phone.

11. Have you told a younger co-worker any form of the phrase "wait until you're my age/older/hit your 40s, then you'll..." Not really, though I've done the "wait until you have kids who are [age] thing to younger co-workers, and commiserated with co-workers of similar age about all the shit that hit us after 40.

12. Do you seek out older co-workers so you can quote something at them that they will get? Nope, because I am a work-from-home introvert. :D

13. Would you rather just stay home? At least 85% of the time, YES.

14. Have you reached the point that for birthdays, other gift-getting events, you say "I just don't need more stuff"? No, because I love getting gifts. When I was young, my mom told me she didn't care what was under the Christmas tree for her, she just loved opening presents. Seriously, one year when I was like 14 I got her a 6-pack of socks and wrapped each pair individually and she LOVED it. I thought she was crazy then, but I get it now. Anyway the only people who get me actual gifts these days are the Things and I'm not going to discourage them because they're so fun.

15. Do you often find yourself saying "I remember when" and you describe something so completely foreign to Life Today that you wonder if you made it up? All the FUCKIGN TIME

16. Did you look at this list at the beginning and hope it was a short quiz because you don't have time for those 50 item lists? Lol no because this counts as social interaction for me these days.

My fellow "old" tumblrs, join in the fun! (Or don't, I'm not the boss of you.)

[glorious-spoon]

9 and any Stranger Things ship for the wrapped meme

Thank you! Number 9 this year was Limelight, by Rush. Here's a bit of pre-relationship Steddie featuring Eddie's complicated feelings about his hometown - I hope you enjoy!

-

title: get on with the fascination [on AO3]

word count: ~1900

-

Fifteen years after the world doesn't end, Eddie Munson returns to Hawkins.

It's a dramatic phrasing, even in his own head; for one thing, this is far from the first time he's been back since the summer of 1986, although the last time was almost a decade ago. He doesn't call it going home. Home is New York, and sometimes Chicago these days, which is as close to Roane County as he usually wants to get. Home, as far as it ever existed for him in Hawkins, was a trailer that got dropped into an alternate dimension along with a good chunk of the town the same night Eddie almost died. Home is the little house over the Illinois border where Wayne has lived since '91. Home sure as shit isn't here.

"You planning on brooding this whole time, or what?" Steve asks from across the booth. The bar they're currently sitting in is no longer called The Hideout; at some point in the last fifteen years, it's been rebranded to On The Rocks Bar And Grill. There's a fresh coat of paint on the walls and a layer of new laminate flooring over the old asbestos tile. Draft taps and an honest-to-god raised stage instead of the grimy corner where the old band used to play. At the turn of the millennium, Hawkins is finally gentrifying.

"I'm not brooding."

"Yeah, man, you totally are. Could we get a couple of refills? Thanks so much," he adds to the waitress who pauses by their table to ask if they need anything. She doesn't seem to recognize Eddie. Too young to remember him from his illustrious youth here, and apparently not into the metal scene, thank fucking Christ. For the most part, he kind of likes it when strangers come up to him in public—two platinum records in and it still hasn't lost its novelty—but not here. Not in Hawkins. This place still feels fucking cursed.

"Are you buying me beer now, Harrington?"

"You're the big-shot rockstar," Steve points out with a shit-eating grin. "You're buying."

"Ugh," Eddie groans, and puts his head down on the table, which doesn't even have the decency to be sticky. "Remind me again why I agreed to this?"

"I don't know. Closure?"

"Next time I decide to do something this shit-stupid, can you do me a favor and just, like, duct tape me to a chair or something?"

"Kinky," Steve says dryly, but he's still smiling when Eddie lifts his head to glare at him. Eddie should probably be less of a dick about this, given that Steve is only here for moral support; he doesn't live in Hawkins either these days. He's up in Chicago with Robin, who would also probably be here if she weren't mired in stacks of midterm papers on film theory from her earnest little freshman ducklings. Steve makes his own hours, so it's not that much of a surprise that he closed up shop and drove down here and didn't bother to call until he'd already crossed the county line, at which point Eddie was winding himself up into a dangerous head of steam and was grateful for any distraction that offered itself.

And Steve is the best kind of distraction. Always has been. Even now, kicked back in a bar booth in all his yuppie glory, sipping the last of his beer and scanning the bar every now and then with a wariness that Eddie hasn't seen from him in a while. Because Eddie isn't the only one who left a headful of ghosts behind in Hawkins, Indiana. He forgets that sometimes.

"Thank you, by the way," he says. "Did I say that yet?"

"Nah. Mostly you've just been, like, bemoaning your life."

"Bemoaning," Eddie repeats, delighted. "We'll make a poet of you yet, Stevie."

"In your dreams," Steve says mildly.

"Oh, every night, baby."

That gets him a scoff, but it's a fond one. The waitress comes back with their drinks, and he leans back out of her way to let her set them down and clear away their empty glasses. Steve thanks her again, and this time Eddie does too, because there's only so much wallowing that Steve will let him get away with and he's probably closing in on that limit quickly. Still, all Steve actually says once she leaves is, "So what's the plan, then? You're meeting the interviewers at, what, three?"

"Yeah," Eddie sighs. "I don't fucking know. They wanted me to, like, walk them around and show them the old sights, which sounded like a great idea when Marleen pitched it, but now it's like, what old sights? Oh, here's where the basketball team tried to kick my skull in. Here's where the football team tried to kick my skull in. Here's the picnic table where I used to sell weed out of my lunch box. Here's where my trailer was before a girl died there and it got sucked into the shadow dimension, except—oops!—can't tell you shit about that because I signed a stack of confidentiality agreements almost as tall as me. But they're still gonna ask." He lets out a long sigh and presses the heels of his hands into his eyes. "They're gonna want me to talk about Chrissy."

"So you tell them to go to hell."

He barks a laugh. "Easy as that, huh?"

"You've never had trouble with it before," Steve says with a shrug.

That's true enough. Eddie sighs again and reaches for his beer. "This place is fucking me up. No, there is actually a plan. We're gonna stop by the high school after it's cleared out and do the interview there, it's all set up. You know they put up a plaque with my name on it outside the drama room?"

Steve laughs. "No shit?"

"Yeah, apparently there was a vicious battle about it on the school board. Real fire and brimstone shit, went on for months. Henderson's mom led the charge on my behalf, I got the whole story from him."

"Jesus," Steve says. And then, "Shit, we should go see her while we're in town."

"You're just hoping she'll feed you."

"Well, yeah," Steve says. "I've been living on my own cooking since…" he waves a hand and makes a face. "You know. Since everything went south with Jerry."

Jerry was the latest in a series of attractive people of varying genders that Steve has dated over the last ten years, since he moved to Chicago and figured his shit out. Eddie kind of hated the guy, but it wasn't personal. He was objectively probably a perfectly fine person, and it wasn't his fault that Eddie fell head over heels for a hot monster-slaying jock in the spring of 1986 and never entirely recovered. Though, as he's now reminded, it's been a long time since he and Steve were both single at the same time, and the last time that happened, he still thought Steve was straight.

He tries to swallow that thought down with a mouthful of beer, but it lingers like a strange spiky shape in the back of his throat. "So, how's all that going, anyway?"

Steve groans dramatically.

"An encouraging response."

"No, it's fine. I'm, like, totally over him at this point. I just… I don't know, I figured I'd be past all this shit by now, you know? Thought I'd settle down, get my life together, find somebody who…" he trails off.

"Who…?" Eddie repeats leadingly.

"I don't know. Somebody who gets it. Somebody I don't have to, like, lie to."

"That's a tall order, my friend."

"Yeah, I guess," Steve mutters. He's looking at his beer, rubbing a thumb against the wedge-shaped scar bisecting his lower lip. He's got a lot of scars, and Eddie knows the story to most of them, even the ones he wasn't personally present for. But he supposes that he can see how it would wear on Steve, inventing explanations for them that aren't about being tortured by Russian spies or eaten alive by interdimensional monsters. Steve's not much of a liar, when it comes down to it. Eddie doesn't mind spinning fantastical stories to obscure the ugly truth, but they're wired differently that way.

"Hey," Eddie says. He taps his fingernails against Steve's glass and waits for him to look up. "Listen, I'm sorry I brought it up."

Steve smiles a little. "It's fine. Seriously. Robin says I'm being a sad sack, and she's probably right."

"Mm. Probably, but I am not the sensible Professor Doctor Buckley, am I?"

"God, you know she hates it when you call her that."

"She's the one who decided to get a PhD. Masochism, in my strong opinion."

"Oh, we all know," Steve says. He glances over Eddie's shoulder at the clock, then says, "Probably ought to get going if you want to make your interview on time."

"And Marleen has promised to string me up by my metaphorical balls if I show up late for another one," Eddie sighs. He drains the last of his beer and stands, digging his wallet out.

After they pay and head outside, Steve lingers by the side of the brick building, facing the road. It's a sunny day, breezy and crisp, pale wisps of clouds moving fast across the blue sky, and something about it makes Eddie's chest pinch with a strange nostalgia. Something about the way Steve looks right now, in his stylish yet dorky windbreaker with his hair tossed by the breeze. It's shorter now than he used to wear it but he really doesn't look that different at thirty-four than he did at nineteen. Older, sure, but it suits him.

"After I'm done with all this shit," Eddie says. "You wanna go get high at the quarry? You know, for old times' sake?"

Steve laughs softly, eyes crinkling. "Does it really count if we're not smoking in the back of your van?"

"True. Pretty sure I wouldn't get the deposit back on my rental if I turn it in smelling like grass, either."

"We can take my car," Steve says.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. If you want."

"You wanna crash with me after? So you don't have to drive all the way back home tonight, I mean? The room they booked me is, like, palatial. I didn't even know they had places that nice around here."

Steve glances at him again, rubbing his jaw. It wouldn't be the first time they've shared a hotel room, but there's a different context now. For one thing, they can both afford separate rooms these days. For another, Eddie's got that itch that means he's probably gonna do something reckless, and he's not even sure he wants to try to stop it.

If he and Steve go smoke up by the quarry where they spent the last summer of Eddie's teens, he's going to confess something, he's pretty sure of it. Lay it all on the line for Steve, after all this time. He's starting to think that might not even be the worst idea he's ever had. Steve is here, after all.

"Yeah, okay," Steve says, finally. He bumps his shoulder against Eddie's, and Eddie leans back into the solid warmth of him, and takes a deep breath of cool spring air, and watches the Hawkins traffic pass them by.

Tomorrow, he'll be gone. Maybe, if this doesn't all blow up in his face, he'll go back to Chicago with Steve. Hawkins is a place he's outgrown years ago, and whatever story comes out of this interview is never going to be anything other than a media-crafted shadow of the truth, but honestly, that's never been what mattered in the end.

"It's a date, then," he says, and when he glances over at Steve, he finds him already smiling back.

[crumpet-doodles]

2018-2024 Redraw!!

2018:

2024:

Rant under the cut lmao

OUGHHHHHHHHH *fucking DIES* MANNNN I REMEMBER DRAWING THE OLD ONE- It was at summer camp and this really nice girl tried to teach me her artstyle ToT the perspective is SO OFF but give me a break, I was what- 8??? Anyways-

The ocs themselves are so so so SO old- I made them around the same time as the drawing actually, being inspired by our favorite 2010s "robo kitty" animation memes. You know the ones. (I was an IPad kid, but I was exposed to furries at a younger age than most/silly. I don't think I learned what a furry was until I was like- 9 or 10-)

I don't think I ever named them, they were just Robodog and Cyborg Kitty. It was basically an AU of another one of my ocs, Venus, but if they got captured and sent to a lab (2000s/2010s kids, you know. The fucking neon emo wolf lab shit. The good stuff <33) I absolutely LOVED them. Also, they were nonbinary before I knew what that was. The term I used instead was. Ragingly embarrassing, so I shan't tell what it was.

I found some old drawings, too-

I find it so funny because every single time I drew them their design changed. The last pic was a jungle-themed costume btw.

They were supposed to be a tortoiseshell-calico mix, but I didn't know what either of those looked like, so I improvised lmao.

But yeah. The prompt for the picture was Cy talking about an adventure they had before being kidnapped to the lab, and Robodog listening. (BTW they actually hacked robodog bc he was evil. Yeah. They were so cool <333)

Anyways, this was SO fun to draw, especially because of the fact I improved so much lmfao.

Wait. Wait- 2018 WAS 6 YEARS AGO!?!? HOOOLY SHI-

[grimdarkfandango]

Fandom Peeps to Get to Know Better

got tagged in an ask meme by @saltedpin thank you!!! I love oversharing on the internet!!!

3 Ships you like: god. okay. be cruel then.

Winter/Kitten - yes we're leading with OCs deal with it SOMETIMES you take a beloved archetype pairing, reshape them like silly putty, put them in separate dnd games, and spend four years running continuous RP with a partner in multiple different au variations because they are perfect actually (shout out to @andromeda-reinvented for literally keeping me sane and fed :prayer emoji:)

Kitten is my husband and also my phone lockscreen and has never done anything wrong in his life (the murders are fine)

Songxue - this is the wizard behind the curtain of winter/kitten, but they are different for all that they're the same. otherwise, uh. see above for all other applicable details lmao

Endhawks - the DRAMA the DILFYNESS the LEGEND look all of my pairings need a certain level of unhealthy devotion and self-sacrifice and not to spoil the current manga chapters for anyone but [blood seeps from my mouth as I start screeching incoherently] anyway yeah big man hot little guy feral

Ganlink - hey riley why are you putting an unnecessary fourth pairing, did you think we weren't already very clearly aware of your type here. no. okay. sure. big man hot little guy feral!!!!!

First Ship Ever: oh god bro I don't know if I have the memory details for that. the first ships I remember going and reading fic for were bandom (*nsync, JC/Lance, yes you heard me) or probably good old gundam wing 1x2, despite having seen approximately none of the show lmao

Last song you heard: Nightmares by the sea - jeff buckley when I started / The life I was missing - flannel graph when I finished (all off my Winter playlist. it's 12hrs long)

Favourite childhood book: I was one of those advanced reader kids who turned up my nose at kids books and for many years almost exclusively read sf/f off dad's bookshelf, which is a long way of saying it was the full ten book run of the belgariad and the mallorean, which I would reread twice a year between the ages of 9-16

is it my favourite now? god no. but I cannot deny what shaped me

Currently Reading: I just started the first Dragonlance book so, I guess, some things don't change

Currently Watching: everything currently airing on Dropout, also The Expanse (finally)(slowly)(I like it too much to binge I think)

Currently Craving: D I N N E R

Tagging: HMMMM ok @andromeda-reinvented, @bigneonglitter, @oldcoyote, @prairie-grass, and anyone else who wants to just say I tagged u!!!

[abihastastybeans]

HELLO

5, 10, 13, 15, 18, 19, 21, 29 from here

(i just realised that that's a lot so feel free to skip some/answer selectively if you want to do that!)

CAL HIIIII!!!!

(are you kidding ofcourse I'm gonna answer all of that, let's make a game out of it and see how long it takes me)(it's 15:05 when I started answering)

5. Favourite song in your native language

Can't think of one rn😭 The first one that came to mind is Venmadhi Venmadhi from Minnale because some guy was playing that on the bus yesterday. I think it's a lovely song, especially the third verse :)

10. Most enjoyable swear word in your native language

I don't really swear in Tamil😂 I only use words like stupid/wastrel/dog/buffalo... y'know the most common ones lol

But, again, the first swear word that came to mind is *looks around to make sure no one's listening* "watha" - which is basically the Tamil equivalent of fuck - because one of my friends called another friend that this morning lmao

13. Does your country (or family) have any specific superstitions ot traditions that might seem strange to outsiders?

Well there's so many but i generally think that doing rituals/ chanting slokas or vedas must be very strange to outsiders who aren't really used to that! Imagine being a white christian and you encounter a yagna happening with a giant fire, lots of huge shirtless men saying very weird words in their blaring voice, adding all kinds of different things into the fire, while surrounding people watched on... I'd be terrified 😂💀

15. A saying, joke, or hermetic meme that only people from your country will get?

SO BEAUTIFUL. SO ELEGANT. JUST LOOKING LIKE A WOW.

18. Do you speak with a dialect of your native language?

Gosh I speak so many dialects - depending on who I'm talking with. There's what I consider the normal one, there's the one mixed with random English sentences😂, there's the local chennai dialect for when I'm dealing with/in public or local vendors💀, there's the tambrahm (wow it feels weird to say it like that) dialect because that's what I was raised on in mum's side of the family

19. Do you like your country's flag and/or emblem? What about the national anthem?

I've honestly never thought about this before...

Flag - 🇮🇳 It's a good one, I like what it stands for. But no one would forget the struggle it would take when you were 6 years old and were asked to draw the national flag and you wouldn't remember how many spokes are there in the ashoka chakra😭 or even if you remembered, you wouldn't know how to divide them evenly throughout the circle... So much stress. 7/10

Emblem - it's a bit complex if you ask me but eh. It looks cool i guess. I like the phrase 'satyameva jayathe' ("truth alone triumphs" in Sanskrit) so there's that :p 5/10

National Anthem - I love it!! I like the picture it paints, listing out all those places! Only criticism is that it was very difficult for younger abi to sing the beginning because it was so very low and i struggled for a long time😅 9/10

21. If you could send two things from your country into space, what would they be?

Aloo mutter gravy and methi roti👍

29. Does your region/city have a beef with another place in your country?

I was thinking really hard...before i realised🤭

MYSURU. WHY do you do that to your sambar??? It's nice, I'd be lying if I said it's bad, but how?????? How did you come to the decision "oh you know what. I'm gonna make this taste sweet. Yeah."??

We went to Mysore one time and had some sambar and do you know what happened, cal? My cousin threw up, that's what happened.

(it was because of the long uphill travel but the sambar definitely contributed :p)

What you lack in sambar, you make up for it with Udupi rasam so. I forgive you😤

(now the time is 15:55)

"Hi, I'm not from the US" ask set

[faux-fires]

tagged by @ranilla-bean for the 20 questions meme!

1. how many works do you have on ao3? 35

2. what’s your total ao3 word count? 466,309. Hey, that's not too shabby!

3. what fandoms do you write for? Currently NONE. previously: dragon age, tsubasa chronicle, supernatural, fullmetal alchemist, legend of zelda...

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Your Princess is in Another Castle ("Dragons kidnap princesses, everyone knows this… except sometimes, they get it wrong. Or do they? A story about mistakes, misunderstandings, and flower crowns. Also Kurogane's non-stop never-ending suck of a life, and the idiot that causes all that chaos to begin with.")

For Better or for Worse ("A 'five things' fic, featuring five different times Hawke proposed to Anders.")

The Centre of All Things ("Hawke gave Anders a ring, after their first night together, and never quite told him what it meant. As Kirkwall begins to crumble around them, Anders struggles to strike a balance between love and the needs of the mages.")

Adjustment ("A year after the end of Act 2, Anders comes home late, and Hawke missed him.")

Bound ("Anders receives many gifts from Aggressive!Hawke across the years. He's charmed by most of them, surprised by others.")

most of my fics predate ao3 and while i backloaded the TRC ones on, I can't be bothered doing the same for the FMA fic i wrote 20 years ago. and the SPN stuff, uh, well, AO3 kind of did it for me! i woke up one day and an old archive i forgot my fic was on had been ported to the archive, all my spn fics helpfully attached to my account in the process. when i tell you i orphaned them at something like the speed of light -

5. do you respond to comments? Um.... I MEAN to, but.... i'm not great at remembering...? i really cherish every one i receive and i KNOW it's bad of me, i can only offer apologies.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? i literally just write happy endings i can't answer this

7. what is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? how are defining happy??? look mikke takes the piss out of me ALL THE TIME for my definition of fluff, ever since i entered a fluff vs angst competition on the side of team fluff with a story in which one half of the otp was tortured and murdered (he got better)! *i* define a happy ending as one in which, during the course of the story, a character grows and develops. by that metric, an ending where the character loses everything and everyone they love but gains a mindset enabling them to find peace with the loss is a happy ending, TO ME. a sad ending, by contrast, is one in the character does not grow or change, and stays in the same state (or worse!) than they started the story.

so with that in mind, probably through a forest wilderness. people die! anders and hawke are rejected as monstrous by the people they tried to save! but they gained one (1) feral orphan and solved their relationship issues, d'awwww. <3

8. do you get hate on fics? nope

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind? yes, but not in EVERY story. i find smut to require a lot of effort to write! there's complex choreography and emotions to handle... the only thing harder (HEHEHE) is fight scenes for the exact same reason

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written? i'm not interested in crossovers (blorbos from series a meet blorbos from series b) but i love a good fusion fic, where blorbos from series a have always lived in the world of series b. craziest... probs the trc/wow fusion fic i wrote for an audience of three people? idk i've written a lot! i dreamed of a zukka howl's moving castle fusion a few days ago (probably inspired by chiptrillino's gorgeous illustrations she's been sharing recently) so that was pretty fun, as someone who very, very rarely remembers my dreams.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? nope!

12. have you ever had a fic translated? yeah, to russian!

13. have you ever co-written a fic before? yeah, @mikkeneko and i wrote a whole SPACE OPERA. well. half of one, i guess (oops).

14. what’s your all-time favourite ship? whatever i'm shipping at the moment

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? i plead the fifth

16. what are your writing strengths? EMOTIONS. also i think i write humour well?

17. what are your writing weaknesses? starting, continuing and finishing. /sob

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? even if you're fluent in that language, it alienates more people than it impresses, i think. i love using other languages as an easter egg (like rana has a character named with a cantonese pun in the iconoclast) but whole dialogue is like... very hard to pull off, and outright mortifying if you don't actually speak the language and just google translate it.

19. first fandom you wrote for? the legend of zelda! my irl friends and i (aged 13) had a massive shared self-insert 'verse going on. my first steps into fandom PROPER tho was with fullmetal alchemist.

20. favourite fic you’ve written? this is a complex question because how do you define favourite? swift illuminations was probably the most fun to write (anders vs hawke arm wrestling) and i always enjoy getting to write comedy - your princess is in another castle has my favourite lines i've ever written, for example:

"Can I go?" Yuui asked Ashura. Despairing it was, then. At least he wasn't naked. It was a low bar to meet in terms of presentation, but so far two of the six people in this room weren't making it.

these skies are breaking i've always been fond of because it's 35k and i wrote it in two days but the plot is uhhhhhh. missing. ash on the windowsill same sitch, 50k in 36 hours and my first completed multi-chapter fic but i wince at how clumsy it is when i reread it. i'm proud of a lot of my later dragon age fics because they contain better exploration of ideas and characterisation, so... idk. toss up!

but in terms of stuff i'm most satisfied with, probs 'how to love a god' this short character exploration piece i wrote for the anderszine. first time writing second person and because of the zine space limit i had a hard maximum word count too so i agonized over every word choice. i don't really edit my own stuff - i post it pretty much hot off the hoop - but i did actually enjoy doing it that time.

uhhhh so that's me. but i'm tagging.... anyone who wants to do this!

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

I haven't done lists in a while and there's a lot pilling up just this week so it's time to bring it back.

1. I'm revisting Old Hollywood again now that I've watched most of the films nominated for Oscar this year. The Be Kind Rewind youtube channel has been sort of the trigger for going back to the past and for that I have to thank @shimako for the recommendation 🩷 I've watched the 2 hour and a half video essays on the Valley of The Dolls and the behind the scenes story is far more interesting that the film itself.

Not to say that the themes addressed in the film wouldn't be, like disillusionment in Hollywood, personal grievances, what it means to be an actress and especially not a really succesful one. It reminded me of Didion's Play It As It Lays (which I think it's a better piece of literature although the film adaption seems to have turned into a failure?)

2. Anyway, that made me go down the rabbit hole and watch other essays on Ruth Gordon (amazing woman) and Katharine Hepburn.

3 . Speaking of Hepburn, I realized yesterday that I've only seen her paired on screen with Cary Grant and not with Spencer Tracy (I know!). So I rectified that mistake and I watched Adam's Rib (George Cukor, 1949) and I finally understood what all the fuss was about and I have some sort of theory. Grant and Hepburn together are like this very performative version of a couple in which the constant bickering takes center stage, but even when they do get together, it lacks something. A bit of authenticity. But with the Hepburn-Tracy duo, you can almost feel it. It's right there in the small, natural gestures. Instant chemistry and love. They work so well together. I guess the off screen affair of 26 years helped that as well.

3. I love Mommy Dearest and Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford. The screaming, the crying, the makeup, "No wire hangers!". Poor baby Christina. It's a shame though that Faye Dunaway distanced herself from it because of how "bad" it turned out, but I understand why she felt she had to do it.

But I also couldn't help but think of DeNiro in Cape Fear and his own campy performance in a very 90s ridiculous film that allowed Scorsese to try his hand at that type of thriller. DeNiro's career didn't suffer because of it, as opposed to Dunaway's version of camp, which I prefer actually. It may have been hated at that time, but Mommie Dearest is a cult classic.

*Bonus: Currently listening to another You Must Remember This podcast series. It's Gossip Girls: Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper, aka the famous old Hollywood gossip columnists.

Now, for some ridiculous internet & showbiz drama:

4. People going conspiracy mode over Kate Middleton? Some of us lived months without any sign from Jimin. They could learn from that. But love the memes.

5. I feel sorry for those kids in Glasgow. They really experienced the effects of AI used by assholes who wanted to make some money. The lady in green hair has been all over twitter and whilst funny for us, it is shitty to be in her shoes. The Unknown! 🤦‍♀️

6. Who was an ass to Rebecca Ferguson on set? The consensus is that Jake Gyllenhaal was the culprit and I wouldn't be surprised. But it needs more investigating.

7. Over in K-Pop Land Karina gets a boyfriend, her fans are devasted and Koreaboo is pumping "articles" by the minute. What else is new?

8. Stans of all types are stanning and fighting. One day 🐥 girlies, the next day 🐰 girlies and all the other crazies all week long, no break. I do read the stuff in my inbox, but I'm really not in a mood to comment on every shitty thing that happens so often. I know that once I do it, then I just invite more and it's just pointless. There's no actual JM and JK which is frustrating enough and no travel show on the horizon and it's just too bleak at this point.

We're waiting, clock is ticking. At least release a travel show as a summer content, ok?

9. I did see that Billboard kpop 100 top. Yeah, I don't understand the logic of including individual artists if they haven't charted on their own. Don't these people have editors to point out the flaws in the listicles? It's just dumb.

[quitefair]

WIP Ask: 9, 13, 14, 16, 21 :)

thanks for asking!!! (questions are from this ask meme!)

i'm going to answer this for The Dragon Age Fic because... well. That's the only things I've really been working on all these years.

Under a cut because it got Long. As usual.

9. What is your favorite dialogue you’ve written so far?

Here's the deal - I think I'm not good at dialogue. I struggle to write it, and what comes out often always needs editing. But this bit was the first that came to mind. For context: this is in reference to An Unexpected Engagement. Tashak is my Inquisitor and Sekhara is her younger sister.

tw: alcohol.

___________________________________

“Was gonna offer you this,” she ran a finger along the rim of the tankard she took from Bull. “But you seem to have taken care of yourself already.”

Tashak grunted. “Still not as drunk as I should be.”

“Well lucky I got here when I did, because from what I recall, you wanted to talk to me. Let’s do that before you get completely shitfaced, yeah?”

“Need another drink first.” Tashak waved down one of the serving lads, carrying a massive tray of tankards. Two full mugs were set down on the table, and within seconds one of them was half gone.

“You done?” Sekhara said drily as Tashak leaned against the table, head in her hand.

“Not quite. Still feel like shit.”

“Okay you’ve gotta start talking before you pass out because I am not going to carry you back to your room if you do, alright?” Tashak continued to stare intently at the table. Sekhara groaned and took a drink of maaras-lok. The fizzling in her veins turned into actual flame. “Besides, what are you doing here anyway? You’re usually cozied up with Josephine by now.”

That was evidently the wrong thing to say, judging from the way Tashak’s face twisted into something that made even Sekhara uncomfortable. The fingers around the tankard were now gripped so tight that the knuckles were turning white.

“Fuck, what’s wrong now? Did you go and fuck up something between the two of you again?”

“No.” The word seemed forced through gritted teeth. Tashak’s eyes were unfocused, staring into the distance. “It wasn’t me this time.”

“Tashak, for all that is good in this world, snap out of it and tell me what the fuck…”

“Josephine is engaged.”

There was a pause. The sound of wood cracking, a man swearing loudly before a fist connected with bone, the loud off-kilter singing, filled the space around and between them.

Sekhara blinked once. Blinked again.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Didn’t think you had it in you.” She leaned back in her chair, grinning at Tashak. “And to think you wanted to tell me first…”

“Wait what?” Tashak’s eyes widened. “No, no, no! What the fuck? I didn’t pro…”

She looked around, suddenly aware that her voice was carrying. Turning towards Sekhara she continued in an angry whisper, “… I didn’t propose.”

Sekhara’s brows creased. “Then who the fuck is Josephine engaged to?”

There was another pause.

“Please don’t tell me she’s in love with somebody else now.”

Tashak groaned and held a hand up but Sekhara was already standing up.

“I swear to all the fucking Old Gods, if she’s up and gone and dumped you after everything you’ve been through, I am going to punt her across the mountains so hard she reaches bloody Kirkwall…”

“Sit down, Sekhara.”

Sekhara sat down. There was no arguing with that voice.

____________________________________________

13. What common trope(s) do you feel are used in this chapter/fic?

I only remember very few tropes off the top of my head, and all of them are ship related. Let's just say this is a slow-burn, mutual pining, friends-to-lovers sorta deal. Also something something racism/generational trauma/discrimination and a whole lot of other stuff that I need to make a note of honestly.

14. What have you been finding frustrating with writing this chapter/fic?

Oh god where do I begin. I'm doing something horrible, which is a) rewriting an entire game, b) fixing what I feel is broken and c) adding to what's already there with my own characters and my own spin on a romance. It's Really Hard. And to top it all off, I have a very demanding day job and am starting my masters on top of that. AND also have very severe anxiety over my writing/posting things online.

So yeah.

16. Write the next 5 sentences and share.

This is most likely going to be part of Chapter 2. I need to fuckin sort out everything I've written.

____________________________________________

Her skin was a smooth grey, her hair an iridescent black. Two curling horns emerged from her forehead; their tips lost in the shadow surrounding them. In the candlelight, Josephine could not clearly catch the expression on her face, though she noticed the downcast eyes and the deep furrow in her brow.

She did not look up at either Josephine or the commander. But she shifted the arms that were in front of her, and the heavy jangle of the shackles around her wrist caught Josephine’s attention.

____________________________________________

21. Share 3 songs that would belong on a playlist for this chapter/fic. 

I'll do you one better and link my Tashak/Josephine playlist. I cry over them on a daily basis.

[nicos-w101-liveblog]

Had too many classes and too much homework today so have some Nico ask game answers because I don't wanna wait for people to ask.

1. what is their song?

I may have to say "The Seed" by AURORA. I've been obsessed with her Sky: Children of the Light concert, recently, and that song goes hard lol.

2. what is their cafe order?

Something simple, like hot chocolate with whipped cream and some peppermint. If it's really hot out, though, they'd go for any sort of lemonade. They really like Blue Raspberry flavor.

3. what is their color palette? or what colors do you associate with them?

Purple and Black, and only when it's those two colors together. Otherwise, as a single color, they are so very red. A burgundy, maybe.

4. do they have a favorite food or drink?

Anything chocolate. Except cake/cupcakes. They don't like the texture. They do love a good muffin, though.

5. name a time of day that reminds you of them.

Dusk. As the moon is rising and the sun is setting.

6. sun, moon, or stars?

Stars. They shine and burn. They are admired, but eternally imploding.

7. what other universes would you like to see them in?

My current hyperfixations, obviously. Stardew Valley, where they could heal. Sky: Children of the Light, where they'd get their childhood back. Gravity Falls, maybe. The Owl House. They can fit into many situations.

8. do you ship your oc with canon characters? why or why not?

No. Not only is Nico a child for a good chunk of their story, but they're also very AroAce.

9. do you like to ship your oc with other ocs? or are you open to it?

Also no. They're AroAce. But if someone else thinks their OC and Nico would click well, they can be friends or in a qpp.

10. does your oc have a scent specific to them?

Autumn. Warm and crisp, pumpkin and spice.

11. name 3-5 things that you associate your oc with.

Heavy rain storms (no lightning/thunder) | A flame that you cannot tell whether it's a Pyre or a Bonfire | A peace-tied rapier or scimitar | The galaxy itself | A flower crown.

12. do you have a playlist for your oc?

Not yet, but I'm gonna get started on one sooner rather than later.

13. is there a saying or quote you associate with your oc?

"An eye for an eye and the world goes blind" -Mahatama Gandhi

14. what would their favorite movie be?

They greatly prefer books over movies, because they can read while they walk. But probably something by Studio Ghibli. Like Kiki's Delivery Service.

15. how long have you had them?

I've only had Nico for a day and a half but if anything happened to them I will kill everybody on this site and then myself /reference (it's me, I make the things happen)

16. do you make memes for or of your oc?

Not yet. I do eventually plan to put Nico's name in an incorrect quotes generator.

17. if they don't have one, would your oc have a pet? if so, what kind of pet?

They already have their Familiar, a Blaze Fox. His name is Remy, after their favorite fandom-named character (it's not the rat). Anyone who guesses who it is gets my approval.

18. is your oc afraid of anything?

Not really. Theyre just tired. Bugs/Spiders give them the creeps, though.

19. does your oc have siblings?

They do! A pair of younger twins, five years younger. They were seven when Nico disappeared. I wonder if they even remember their older sibling?

20. is your oc like you in any way?

I kinda base all OCs around myself, so yeah. I imagine we have the same body type and the same life experience up until Nico was summoned to the Spiral.

21. how many ocs do you got?

One for just about every fandom, if not multiple per. So... a lot. Possibly uncountable.

22. do you have an all-time favorite oc or a current favorite?

Obviously, my current favorite is my son Nico.

23. do you have a mood board or a pinterest board for your oc?

Unfortunately, no. And I likely never will.

24. does your oc have a favorite color?

Purple. After so much time, they still love purple.

25. what is their comfort item?

An old jacket that came to the Spiral with them from home. Its a comforting texture and covers their arms when their robe doesn't.

26. do they have a comfort place?

Mortis and Blossom let Nico rest in their branches. They ask for permission every time even though the trees insist they don't need to. Nico also enjoys sitting on the roof of their House and staring into the stars.

27. do you have any AUs for your oc?

My other Death Wizard, Moira. They're the result of being born earlier, and thus being given more time to find themself. They're a high school graduate when Ambrose summons them to Ravenwood. They're able to shoulder the responsibility of holding the fate of the Spiral in their hands. Not that Nico was incapable. But Nico's a child. They never learned healthy coping mechanisms. Basically, Moira is able to keep smiling, while Nico gave up on it.

28. is there an aesthetic for your oc?

Enderman from Minecraft lol.

But on the pseudo-official list, Dark Academia, Alternative (that is, if they weren't basically a celebrity and created fashion trends), Cryptidcore, and other similar ones.

29. does your oc have a self-care routine?

The only self care they perform is knocking back a potion when they're injured. Other than basic hygiene and some magic tricks they learned to prevent acne, they are the worst at taking care of themself.

The only self-care practice they have is reading a book in Mortis' branches

30. what is your favorite thing about your oc?

I've never written a cynical character before. Theyre always optimistic, chaotic and proud, and ever-smiling. I'm excited to try and write a child's whimsical imagination turn into exhaustion and pessimism lol

Credit: oc asks by @justbeingbuck

[helifreds]

For the music ask game🎵: 2, 10, 12, 16, 18, 28 e 59

I numeri a disposizione erano parecchi devo dire XD quindi la mia lista é lunghetta ma non sentirti obbligat a farli tutti

Thanks for the asks💛💗:D

2 - Top 10 favorite songs at the moment (not in order of importance)

1. If I had a gun by Noah Gallagher

2. It won't always be like this by Inhaler

3. Sky by Renoir

4. Homesick by Noah Kahan

5. Brighter Side by WILD

6. Have a nice day by Bon Jovi

7. Siamo qui by Vasco Rossi

8. Full of life by Christine and the Queens

9. Where is my love by SYML

10. With or without you by U2

10 - 3 songs that make you happy

1. Dragostea din tei by O-Zone (I know, I know, it's a pure meme but it really got the vides XD)

2. Preacher by OneRepublic

3. To the sky by Owl City

12 - 3 songs that make you nostalgic

1. The funeral by Band of Horses

2. Where is my love by SYML

3. Still I fly by Spencer Lee

16 - 2 songs that hold meaning for you

1. Eve of destruction by Barry McGuire - I knew this song from the A-Team "Sound of thunder" episode, so thanks also for this A-Team :')

2. Seven wonders by Fleetwood Mac - gosh, I got such memories of this song👀 I heard it on the radio less than 15 minutes before my first flight and geez everything in my life changed after that, so yeah, it gots a very great meaning to me

18 - First vocalist you remember being a fan of

John Lennon P:

I had this teacher in primary school which made us often hear Beatles songs during some english lessons and I didnt knew pretty anything about music... and I really liked them👀 so yep, that's how it started

28 - Favorite soundtrack

"Nemo Egg" from Finding Nemo

Absolutely onorable mentions to "Define Dancing" from Wall E, "McQueen and Sally" from Cars and "Starwaves" from Oblivion

59 - Bands/Artists you still wish to see live?

Pretending that I can go everywhere I want and I just robbed a bank, I'd like to see these three

1. OneRepublic - but most of the songs of them I like were made 10-15 years ago... so idk exactly if they'll ever do a remake of old concerts lol; a 'greatest hits' concert would be perfect though XD

2. Bon Jovi - YES, YES AND MORE YES

3. Vasco Rossi - ah... ok, I've actually "seen" his concert a couple of weeks ago and even if it was from outsite of the stadium we all could hear everything perfectly well

This was the first ever concert I saw and I have to say that wow I really liked it👀 I wasn't really a fan of his songs, I only heard them when they passed on radio... but now, after being there and listened at some very great musical pieces I'd really like to see him Live again (but this time from inside the stadium XD)

Bonus:

4th way too expensive dream - Finding Nemo Orchestra on "Pixar in concert" at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles