#gotta remember to boost my Tag Of Choice

[deanwanddamons]

3K Follower Challenge

Thank you to everyone who has got me to 3K followers. I am so overwhelmed by this! I have had so much love and support since I started; it’s unreal, and I have made some amazing friends along the way ❤️

So to celebrate this milestone, I have created the ‘Three’s a crowd’ challenge!

The idea behind it being that whatever story you create, there has to be an obstacle or ‘third wheel’ that upsets the natural course of things. Whether that be an angsty shooting, a fluffy adorable dog that could choose the worst time to let their owner know they want something, or a ghost that’s determined to keep your pairing apart. Are you ready to get creative?

All you need to do to enter is:

Choose one quote from the list below

&

Choose one troupe from the list below

Send the numbers of your choice to me in an ask, alongside whether you want to write canon or AU, and then I will give you the THIRD part of the challenge.

Yep, to make things more interesting, I’ll be giving you the third wheel! REMEMBER these have to act as a hindrance or a challenge your pairing have to get over within your story.

OR ALTERNATIVELY

If you can’t decide, and/or if you’re feeling daring, send me an ask with the words ‘Sian Special’ and I will provide you with all three; the troupe, the quote and the third wheel.

Sound fun?! I hope so!

All the rules are below the cut:

1. You must be following me to enter.

2. A signal boost would be marvellous.

3. Please send me an ask to let me know your choices and I will respond with the third part of the challenge. I’d rather an ask than a DM as it will be easier to keep track.

4. Your fic can be angsty, smutty, fluffy or all three it’s up to you

5. I would prefer all fics to be reader insert, but OC’s are also welcome.

6. There’s no minimum word count, but there’s a max of 5K.

7. If your fic is more than 500 words please use the keep reading tab.

8. I will accept any and all smut except age play, non con and toilet stuff, so PLEASE tag accordingly.

9. You can write for any SPN character(s) (or actors/actresses) but I would prefer Dean or Sam/Jensen or Jared as the main protagonist. You can, of course, include any of the other characters in the story.

10. Any pairings are welcome.

11. You can include any bingos or other challenges.

Just a few final bits and bobs:

Please tag your work with the hashtag #deanwanddamons3Kfollowerschallenge and tag me in the author’s notes.

There’s no real deadline, but if you want to be included in the masterlist then I’ll be creating this on 1st September 2022, so please post before then.

If I haven’t reblogged your fic within 48 hours please message me. I am very chatty, so if you want to message me at anytime please do 😀

I reserve the right to not reblog any fic I read that I find offensive, does not abide by the rules I have set out here, or does not have adequate warnings.

My ask box and DM’s are always open so if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

LETS GET ON WITH THE QUOTES & TROUPES!

Quotes:

1. You mind doing a little bit of thinking with your upstairs brain, Dean? - @treat-winchesterswith-kindness​, @downanddirtydean​, @jawritter​

2. You’re changing the world, and I want to be a part of it. - @waywardnerd67

3. Rebel a little bit… in a healthy, non-satanic way.

4. Maybe we should know what we’re walking into before we actually walk into it. - @kickingitwithkirk​, @t-k-win​

5. We going to fight or make out, ’cause I’m getting some real mixed signals here. - @princessmisery666​

6. I’m not looking at you like anything. Though I gotta say, you do look like crap. - @smellingofpoetry

7. The universe is trying to tell us something we both should already know. We're stronger together than apart. - @deangirl93​, @blue-lion1​

8. I mean, accidents just don’t happen accidentally - @rizlowwritessortof​, @fightthefairies-1221​

9. We're far from perfect, but we are good - @myloversgone​

10. You're joking, right?! - @chocolateheart​

11. You don't remember me? - @winchest09​

12. All right, look, I know how you feel. - @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior

13. You don’t have to be ruled by fate. You can choose freedom.

14. If we make it out of here alive, we are so breaking up. - @all-alone-he-turns-to-stone​, @sakuwriteshere​

15. This is never the life I wanted for you - @little-diable

16. What’s done is done. All that matters now, all that’s ever mattered, is that we’re together. So shut up, and drink your beer. - @girl-next-door-writes​, @westerneyedwinchester​

17. If you know evil’s out there, how can you not believe good’s out there too? - @myinconnelly1​

18. You know who starts a sentence with ‘truth is’? Liars. - @440mxs-wife​

19. Are you sure you’re ready for this? - @waynes-multiverse​

20. Wait. There’s no such thing as unicorns??

Troupes:

1. Friends to Lovers - @downanddirtydean​, @myloversgone​

2. Secret Dating - @kickingitwithkirk​, @deangirl93​

3. Woke Up Married - @fightthefairies-1221​

4. Fake Dating - @chocolateheart​, @sakuwriteshere​

5. Opposites Attract - @rizlowwritessortof​, @blue-lion1​

6. Friends with benefits - @princessmisery666​

7. Mutual Pining - @girl-next-door-writes​

8. Sharing a secret - @all-alone-he-turns-to-stone​

9. Enemies to Lovers - @little-diable

10. One night stand

11. Working a case - @waynes-multiverse​

12. Only one bed - @treat-winchesterswith-kindness​

13. Embarrassing first meet - @smellingofpoetry

14. Meet Cute

15. Childhood Friend - @waywardnerd67, @winchest09​, @westerneyedwinchester​

16. Soulmates

17. Coffee Shop - @440mxs-wife​

18. Love at first sight - @myinconnelly1​

19. Unrequited Love - @jawritter​

20. First Kiss - @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior, @t-k-win​

Tagging some mutuals and those that may be interested  - @stusbunker / @justagirlinafandomworld / @440mxs-wife / @deanwinchesterswitch / @waywardbaby / @winchest09 / @little-diable / @snowlovespie / @chocolateheart / @jawritter / @downanddirtydean / @charred-angelwings / @xlynnbbyx / @treat-winchesterswith-kindness / @b3autyfuldisast3r / @waynes-multiverse / @msmarvelouswinchester / @katelyn-renee / @janicho88 / @thinkinghardhardlythinkingogblog / @deangirl93 / @akshi8278 / @cockslut-padalecki / @soaringeag1e / @watermelonlipstick / @all-alone-he-turns-to-stone / @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior / @ejlovespie / @avanatural / @libre1rose8 / @smol-and-grumpy / @smellingofpoetry / @waywardnerd67 / @avanatural / @princessmisery666 / @talesmaniac89 / @pink-sparkly-witch / @awkward-and-indecisive / @trektraveler / @wickedinspirations / @myloversgone

#deanwanddamons3kchallenge #3k challenge #supernatural #supernatural fanfiction #dean winchester #sam winchester #Jensen Ackles #Jared Padalecki

[blue-mood-blue]

sodapopmermaid

I love the image of Jane “ugh I’m exhausted why do I have to climb the stairs pls” and minerva “NOT TO WORRY, JANE NEWTON” and picks her up like she’s nothing and carries her up and Jane is like “BRO LISTEN I KNOW WE JUST MET BUT IM STEALING UR GF”

~~~

It is a constant threat. Constant. How Duck managed to find a catch in West Virginia while Jane was out of the country she doesn’t know, but goddamn. Goddamn, Duck.

“She is a goddess,” Jane Newton says, face completely serious. The way she says it, it almost sounds like a threat.

“She’s also a person, and I love her, so -”

“Duck Newton I swear on our bonds of sibling love and respect, if you fuck one single thing up with Minerva I am swooping in and stealing your girlfriend.”

And okay, so she’s not entirely serious. It’s mostly good-natured ribbing, because it’s obvious Minerva and Duck have something Jane doesn’t completely understand, and she wouldn’t want to ruin their happiness anyway.

But if Duck just looks the slightest bit nervous for a second, well, that’s just Jane fulfilling her sibling duties. And if Minerva keeps offering to carry her up stairs and she doesn’t say no, that’s the perk of having this very strong and incredibly sweet woman as a future sister-in-law.

#taz #taz am #taz spoilers #minduck #gotta remember to boost my Tag Of Choice #jane is having a wonderful time #because she gets to taunt her brother AND get carried up stairs #'little did i know what joys awaited me back home'

[jauneda1]

RWBY

The New War

Jaune's First solo Mission

One year after the initial attacks

War changed Remnant after the attacks one year ago. The kingdoms are all against each other Vacuo in a constant battle with Vale due to the leaders of Vacuo being taken out by the terrorist group know as the Black mask. They instilled a system in there kingdoms laws that makes it impossible for people to go against the military. Innocent men, women, and children are forced to live in poverty. While the men and women who took their nation get to live without a worry. Until the combined forces of Vale and Atlas military tried to invade and save the once beautiful kingdom. The only problem is that there are Grimm new kinds of Grimm no one has ever seen. Not to mention the White Fang are and still are a threat to both sides. They're force had grown exponentially due to their attacking and ultimate destruction of Mistral and the Huntsman Academy of Haven. Even with all this change and destruction of the peace our heros burst forward in hopes of finally ending this conflict.

Desert's of Vacuo

Jaune had just to touched down on a mountain range, from where the two where standing he could see the inner city, all the way up to around the capital. He wouldn't be able to do much just sitting here. Jaune's mission was simple sneak behind enemy lines and escort and evacuate a defecting White Fang lieutenant, her name is Ilia Amitola and she served directly under commander Adam Taurus. She is a valuable asset to say the least.

In Jaune's ear piece he can hear Raven checking in. She being his main mentor for the past year she would be kind of walking him through this mission of his.

Raven: How is it on your end?

Jaune: Clear. How everyone doing up there?

Raven: Don't worry about that you have a mission. Hop to it reminder you have a limited time window.

Raven: Not to mention this is your first solo mission so stay hidden and try not to cause a scene.

Jaune: You know your to serious about this I'll get in get out and be done. By the way what do we call this mission?

Raven: Jaune you have to be serious if your captured that's it. We can't come and save you. You'll be treated as if your acting on your own terms.

Raven: Ruby and Yang are gonna be heart broken if there best friend doesn't come back. Plus Summer will blame me for the rest of my days.

Jaune: Okay okay. Serious

Jaune took this short moment to remember everything he has learned in the past year. Then the people who are counting on him right now. Blake was the one who begged Ozpin to send someone in. He volunteered he was gonna keep his promises to his friend. It's what Arc's do, they'll never go back on there word.

Jaune: (Inhales) (Exhales)

Jaune: Commencing Virtuous mission now.

The Grimm in the surrounding area of Vacuo where a lot different from any of the ones Jaune is used to seeing. But they are still easy to sneak past especially with the gear Jaune has on.

Jaune: I gotta hand it to the tech guys this is supposed to hide my body heat and give me a near invisible camouflage.

Raven: Well not a hundred percent. It's more to give you the look of transparency but really your suit uses the surrounding area to automatically change and conceal you.

Raven: So don't thinking it'll get you out of trouble all the time.

Raven: Again try not to be seen. The target is supposed to meet you on the south west side of the city.

Jaune: Yeah and that means I need to go through the capitol. Should I plant bugs around or just stick to my main objective?

Raven: Stick to the main objective your on a 2 hour time window.

...

...

Raven: Jaune?

Everyone in the observation room back at HQ where shocked Jaune had encountered plain of some type of burial site but some of the people hung up on poles are still breathing they are just dehydrated and starved. There were soldiers, civilians, and children. What shocked everyone even Jaune as he can hear Blake shout out over the mic.

Blake: ILIA!

Jaune looked up to one of the poles to see a naked dehydrated and beaten women Jaune could tell she was alive but he wouldn't be able to fulton extract her, not in this condition. So mission complete he'll just call in a chopper and put her on it and do what needs to be done. Jaune wasn't obligated to do what he has intentions on, but if someone doesn't do something to weaken the Forces of Black Mask and White Fang here in Vacuo then the war to reclaim the kingdom will never come.

Jaune: Send in a chopper and make sure medical is on it.

Raven: You got it, Jaune I know what your thinking. Please don't do what your gonna do. Everyone saw your vitals spike.

Raven: But I've known you since you where a boy. I've been like your second mother please be on that chopper when it arrives back at HQ.

Jaune stayed silent and continue to stay silent as he climbed up the pole to cut down and carry Ilia she wasn't making the trip unless he did so. But the reason Jaune kept quiet wasn't because he was worried about what Raven said. It was because if Ilia was secretly defecting from the Fang why was she out here and for how long who knew she was a mole and was trying to defect.

But the answer was a red laser that pointed at Ilia's head. Jaune instinctively got in front of her and a loud shot rang out as it hit Jaune in the back. Jaune at this point was able to jump down and bring Ilia with him to keep her out of harm's way. This was a trap and Jaune had just been caught in it.

Raven: Jaune! Are you okay?

Jaune: Going dark until I can take out this sniper.

Raven: Jaune no your mission is complete you just need to get out of there.

Ruby: No that sniper could bring down the evac chopper.

Yang: So he's forced to deal with the sniper.

Yang: You've got this Jaune.

Jaune: Mhhm.

Two Minutes later.

The sniper was beginning to feel bored. Questions like how long is he gonna sit behind that rock, or is he still there and if so what is his angle. He's stuck and can't move. She then she had an sudden urge to check behind herself as if something that was life threatening to her was right there about to strike. When she looked there was nothing. But then her semblance hit her hard as she was nearly cut in half, she jumped back with a lot of force because she got hit but her gun took the damage.

Looking now it was the man she thinks was behind the rock. But how could that be he was more then 150 meters away he wouldn't have been able to have got this close to her this fast unless he knew where she was the second the bullet went off. It makes sense now the second the laser of the rifle tagged the traitor he glanced back eyes widen and scanning. Remembering it because it was odd he sensed danger evaluated it and reacted in under a second. Not to mention he took a bullet for her. He has aura does that mean he's a Huntsman.

The sniper had little time to think as Jaune's eyes focused and he rushed forward and was now behind her and chopped her in the back of the head knocking her out. Jaune wasn't going to let her live at first but he wants to send a message. After calling for a chopper. Jaune set the female sniper up on the same pole Ilia was left on. Jaune didn't strip her like they did Ilia but he was sure the Vacuen heat would do enough. If she doesn't return they'll come and find her later.

(Jaune's Mind)

"Make better choices next time cutie."

(Ricky)

"She is a liability, can't just let her go."

Jaune: Huh, Raven did you say something?

Raven: No all's quiet on our end.

Jaune had no idea what that was but he gave it little thought as Ilia's condition was worsening. It's a good thing to chopper 31 showed up right then and there. Jaune was gonna be honest Ilia was cute but he needed to make sure she was safe at HQ.

HQ Time 8PM

Ozpin had spoke to Jaune alone about his mission and the two of them where unreachable for an hour. All the while the rest of JNPR and all of team RWBY where bed side of where Ilia was recovering Blake had her friends hand clutched and hoping begging she would fight through this. Jaune had came into the room and seeing the mood of the room. He was sure that Ilia was fighting for her life. But the Arc had other plans he took a bullet to the back of the head for her. She wasn't gonna just die on him after all this work he put into saving her.

Jaune: Yeah no this mood is just not doing it for me.

Jaune: I didn't go through all that for you to just die infront of me.

Jaune put his hand gently against the side of her face giving her some of his kinetic energy. It was enough to boost her aura levels.

Jaune: So sorry but not sorry, your not dying today.

Everyone looked to Jaune everyone except Blake looked to him as the only thing keeping them all going. Jaune just brings light to the darkness wherever he goes. As Ilia's heart beat grew stronger everyone could hear the faint sobbing from Blake till she jumped up and wrapped her arms around Jaune's neck and cried into his shoulder.

(Yang's mind)

"He may be the reason we all keep fighting, but what is his reason. But what is your reason for fighting on Jaune, I know this all has to be effecting you. You don't even come to me anymore. Maybe Lady Killer doesn't need his Dragon anymore? Yeah no that changes tonight."

Jaune was not aware of how much trouble he is in later on tonight.😁

End of part 6

Teams and they're roles

RWBY: Alpha Team

JNPR: Bravo Team

Spies: Blake, Ren, Jaune, and Yang

Spies are top 4 who have high covert ops training, master's at close range and trained directly under Raven and Qrow Branwen. They're main objective is to be ghost in the shadows gathering info and all around espionage tactics.

Solo ops: Jaune, Yang, Blake, and Ren

Solo ops are simply the same as spies but they have been cleared for solo operation. These ops are espionage and covert only. If they are caught on solo ops they will not be given help from any outside options everything is on them.

Omega: Jaune, Yang, Pyrrha, and Ruby

This team is comprised of High-grades only of given orders to take out an entire compound this team makes sure of it. No matter the difficulty they get shit done. Not even they're friends know there mission details only Ozpin and Ironwood know.

#jaune arc #rwby #team rwby #ilia amitola #may zedong #professor ozpin #raven branwen #summer rose #white fang

[tigerkirby215]

5e Ezreal, the Prodigal Explorer build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Suke “hugehugesword” Su. Made for Riot Games.)

In my constant and continued effort to deny Ezreal’s existence I finally had to get around to building him. Again it’s not that I don’t like him... I mean I don’t. But I kinda forgot what I was going to build him as. Lol.

Dorans & Dragons also made a build for Ezreal back in like... early 2020. Christ that’s before the world went to shit, ain’t it? Well regardless they also made their build before Tasha’s Cauldron came out and I think I can make a build that is different enough to warrant my build existing alongside theirs.

In short: this is an elaborate excuse for me to make another Artificer build.

GOALS

Gawk at this! - We need many a glowing projectile to spam at foes before blowing them up. Ezreal isn’t the type to just autoattack.

I always know a shortcut - Flash on a 15 second cooldown is nice. We’ll need to be able to blink around constantly throughout the entire fight.

Time to show 'em who's best - Nothing’s more dangerous than a well-placed Trueshot Barrage sniping through the entire enemy team.

RACE

Back to good ol’ Variant Human. As a Variant Human you can increase two of your ability scores by 1: increase your Intelligence and your Charisma, to be the hot smart twink you are. You also learn a Language of your choice along with a Skill of choice. You spent plenty of time studying The Void so Abyssal would make sense as a language, and for your skill Perception would help you spot traps or incoming ganks... as long as you remember to ward.

For your feat we’re going to be grabbing Arcane Shift as fast as possible with Fey Touched so you can start Flashing. (Not like that!) You can increase your Intelligence score by 1 and also learn the Misty Step spell. You can also add a Divination or Enchantment spell to your list and a little Heroism never hurt anyone. You can cast both of these spells once without spending a spell slot, and can then spend spell slots on them after the fact.

ABILITY SCORES

15; INTELLIGENCE - Archeology is a lot of history and facts... If you do it the boring way, that is!

14; DEXTERITY - Repeat it after me: “something something Medium armor.”

13; CHARISMA - You’re a pretty boy twink who got at least two girls on the Rift to fall for you.

12; WISDOM - Traveling through ancient temples and traps takes a degree of common sense. Not necessarily common sense you have, but a bit of boost never hurt.

10; CONSTITUTION - You’re an ADC, which means you’re squishy.

8; STRENGTH - Twink.

Feel free to swap Constitution around with another stat for better health but worse roleplay.

BACKGROUND

“Archaeologist” is just the nice way of saying Tomb Raider, which is the mean way of saying Adventurer! You get proficiency with History and Survival (hey you’ve gotta tough it out in the desert sometimes!) You also get proficiency in a language of your choice (I went for Dwarvish because Dwarves seem to have built most ruins) and proficiency in either Navigator’s Tools or Cartographer’s Tools... “Who needs a map?”

You spent enough time in ruins to pick up some Historical Knowledge on ancient dungeons and temples to know who made them. And if you find anything that belongs in a museum you know how much it’s worth to the museum!

(Artwork by Sangsoo Jeong. Made for Riot Games.)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - ARTIFICER 1

Starting off as Artificer to “borrow” a few inventions. But also because you get training in Arcana to know your magical artifacts, Investigation to find said magical artifacts, and Calligrapher’s Tools to slay Ascended and Darkin alike in one blow. You also get Magical Tinkering to wave that gauntlet of yours around on some Tiny objects, making them glow or play sounds or do all sorts of things that Prestidigitation would probably do better. But at least you can play your own theme music too!

But of course the main appeal of being an Artificer is the Spellcasting. You can learn two cantrips from the Artificer list like Message to coordinate with your support and Guidance to help yourself find treasure! (Or help others I guess.) You can prepare a number of spells equal to your Intelligence modifier plus your Artificer level (rounded down.) Cure Wounds will let you summoner spell Heal yourself or your Support. Faerie Fire will serve as a more basic version of your Essence Flux, making an enemy easier to hit (therefor making them take more damage!) And Feather Fall is always useful in a pinch!

Also yes you don’t have your gauntlet yet so you’re going to have to use a Light Crossbow for now. Feel free to take a combat cantrip if you want but you don’t really need it.

LEVEL 2 - ARTIFICER 2

Second level Artificers can make Infusions, special definitely-not-stolen magical treasures that make them more awesome than everyone else. For a little more AD an Enhanced Weapon is useful to have. You can also put those goggles on your head to use by making Goggles of Night to see with your dumb human eyes. A Mind Sharpener may feel like a cheat, but I’m not going to say no to keeping Concentration in check. And for your final infusion? A Rope of Climbing might be useful? Honestly the more impressive stuff comes after you’ve done a bit more exploring.

You can also prepare another spell like Alarm, just in case someone’s planning to steal your... legitimately earned treasure.

LEVEL 3 - ARTIFICER 3

Third level Artificers get to choose their specialty and Armorers don’t have to wear an entire suit of armor; just a gauntlet! Along with proficiency in Smith’s Tools you can turn any suit of armor you find into Arcane Armor. The armor has a variety of benefits: no Strength requirement, the inability to have your armor removed against your will, the ability to take it off or put it on as an action, and some replacement limbs. But notably it works as an Artificer spell focus!

There’s two different Armor Models and we’ll be going for the Infiltrator variant for a Lightning Launcher. This makes your Gauntlet a weapon that deals a d6 of lightning damage, with a regular range of 90 and a long range of 300 in case you want to go for long ranged snipes. Additionally once per turn you can pop Essence Flux to do an extra d6 of damage on hit! And I didn’t even mention the best part: this works off your Intelligence! So no more need for the crossbow.

You also get your boots for Powered Steps, increasing your movement speed by 5 feet. And thanks to your Dampening Field you can hide in bushes with free Stealth advantage! I’d recommend trying to get a Breastplate because that’s the best armor you can get that doesn’t also impose stealth disadvantage, but even with Half Plate you can still be sneaky! Heck, you can even wear Platemail if you want! "And my boots are not waterproof. Fantastic."

Oh and you get some Armorer Spells! Magic Missile will autoaim for you like your Arcane Shift projectile, and Thunderwave is helpful for some self-peel.

LEVEL 4 - ARTIFICER 4

4th level Artificers get an Ability Score Improvement: seeing as we have uneven Intelligence take the Observant feat for +1 Intelligence and a boost to your passive Perception and Investigation to watch the minimap for people to snipe! Additionally you can spy on the bad guys if you want and read their lips to gain knowledge of all their secret plans!

More Intelligence does also usually mean more spells prepared but I’m going to wait for...

(Artwork by Xu “Crow God” Cheng. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 5 - ARTIFICER 5

5th level Armorers up their Attack Speed with Rising Spell Force, gaining an Extra Attack with the attack action!

You also get Mirror Image and Shatter added to your list of Armorer Spells, and can prepare spells like Rope Trick for a safe place to rest for awhile, and Heat Metal to really lay in that Essence Flux.

LEVEL 6 - ARTIFICER 6

6th level Artificers get more Infusions which is what I was waiting for! A Radiant Weapon is all the fun of an Enhanced Weapon but it also doubles as a flashlight for your dumb human eyes! And Boots of the Winding Path will let you Arcane Shift back to safety in case you accidentally run into danger.

Feel free to swap some of your old infusions around too. A Lantern of Revealing or Cloak of Elvenkind would be helpful... and Gloves of Thievery never hurt anyone.

And finally you can prepare Aid, as your natural awesomeness rubs off on your allies. "Oh, please, don't die. I can't lose a sidekick. Not again."

LEVEL 7 - WIZARD 1

You didn’t think this would just be a pure Artificer build, did you? Even if that would’ve been stronger I’m legally obligated to needlessly stick multiclass levels into all my builds. And Wizard is definitely a good multiclass for more slots to do Spellcasting! You learn 3 cantrips and six leveled spells as a first level Wizard:

CANTRIPS

To help your allies land their shots take Mind Sliver to weaken an enemy’s saving throws.

Prestidigitation will let you do a bunch of simple magic, and if you want you can have your own hero music too!

Finally Friends is good to make friends you don’t mind losing after they tell you where the ancient ruins are.

SPELLS

I basically just took everything with the Ritual tag. Alarm (yes you have it as an Artificer spell but you can swap that out), Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic, Identify, Tenser’s Floating Disk... and sure why not Find Familiar too? Seeing as you can ritual cast at will most of your early level stuff is going to be reserved for Ritual Casting, as you’re probably going to be spending most of your first level slots on Magic Missile and Faerie Fire anyways.

You also get Arcane Recovery, letting you recover spell slots equal to half your Wizard level (rounded up.) So right now you can get a first level spell slot back at the end of a Short Rest! And later on you can get more!

LEVEL 8 - WIZARD 2

Second level Wizards get to choose the school that their parents left them in before disappearing in the jungle, and the School of Evocation has a surprise tool that will help us later. Along with being an Evocation Savant (allowing you to copy Evocation spells into your spell book with half the time and cost) you can Sculpt Spells so that they only hit the bad guys: when you cast an Evocation spell (from any class, not just Wizard!) you can choose a number creatures equal to the spell’s level + 1. The chosen creatures automatically succeed on their saving throws against the spell, and they take no damage if they would normally take half damage on a successful save. This will be really useful when we get our (pseudo-)Global ultimate; wouldn’t want to fry your pals now would you?

We may as well grab some of those Evocation spells, right? Earth Tremor will let you hit an AoE Mystic Shot because Riot decided that Tiamat should have a cleave I guess, and I mean... Shield is never a bad thing to have?

(Artwork made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 9 - ARTIFICER 7

Back to the big brain plays: 7th level Artificers can make the biggest brain plays thanks to Flash of Genius, letting you boost an ally’s skill check or saving throw with your own natural perfection. The boost is equal to your Intelligence modifier and you can use this reaction a number of times equal to double your Intelligence modifier.

LEVEL 10 - ARTIFICER 8

8th level Artificers get another Ability Score Improvement? Well seeing as Intelligence still controls just about everything we do it would do good to increase that by 2! That does mean you can prepare more spells (both as a Wizard and as an Artificer) but I’m going to wait for...

LEVEL 11 - ARTIFICER 9

Every ADC dreams of being six-slotted; now you can be with Armor Modifications! Your Armorer armor counts as 4 separate items for the sake of your Infusions: the chest piece, boots, helmet, and the armor’s special weapon can all be infused. Far more importantly however you can have two extra infusions! Those infusions have to be on your armor, but you can put the Radiant Weapon (weapon) and Goggles of Night (helmet) onto your armor and save your other infusions for your allies! Or for yourself; yourself works too.

And we can’t forget the third level spells! You get Hypnotic Pattern from your Armorer Spells for an AoE stun, but far more importantly you get Lightning Bolt which will serve as Trueshot Barrage! And since you’re an Evocation Wizard you can shoot past your friends without blowing them to bits. "Oh, a plan. Yeah, I totally have one of those."

You can also prepare spells like Haste for more DPS (just don’t get stunned), Blink for some Duskblade invisibility, and replace Alarm with Revifify... Ya know: just in case.

LEVEL 12 - ARTIFICER 10

As an ADC it would be good to get six-slotted, and Magic Item Adept lets you get your 4th Legendary item! That’s because you can now attune to 4 magic items at once! (And can also craft Common and Uncommon magic items more easily.)

Speaking of Infusions, we can make more of them, such as a Cloak of Protection or Winged Boots! These are just generally useful but not really Ezreal specific; they’re mostly for your allies. "The gauntlet's for show... the talent's all me."

You can also prepare another spell like Fly which is just universally useful, and holy shit you get another cantrip. Take Mage Hand and maybe try to be a little more cautious when tomb raiding?

(Artwork by Bo “chenbowow” Chen. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 13 - ARTIFICER 11

Do you want a lot more Mystic Shots? 11th level Artificers can make a Spell Storing Item and put an Artificer spell of first or second level inside. What’s cool about this is that anyone can use it, allowing them to cast the spell as if they were you!

My recommendation? Give them Mirror Image. It’s an amazing buff that doesn’t require Concentration. Even a low DEX Paladin will appreciate the chance to not be hit, and a high DEX ally can really get value out of Mirror Image. Yeah the Barbarian technically can’t cast while raging, but they can use this before going into a Rage to be very hard to hit!

And speaking of spells you can prepare another one, so how about you grab Create Food and Water to keep yourself sated on longer archeological trips. "Why didn't I eat before I got here...? Ezreal, why?!”

LEVEL 14 - ARITIFCER 12

12th level Artificers get another Ability Score Improvement... we got all we need in terms of stats (Intelligence lol) so now it’s time to really make some impressive trick shots: the Sharpshooter feat will let you attack at long range without disadvantage and ignore cover bonuses, but most importantly you can take a -5 to your attack roll for a whopping +10 to damage! Don’t use this on high AC targets obviously but if you think you’ll hit why not go for the one-shot? "No applause, please. ...Okay, maybe just a bit of thunderous acclaim. ...A little?"

LEVEL 15 - WIZARD 3

I do still want more spell slots, as well as more spells known! Truthfully there isn’t too much I want from second level, so take Locate Object to find hidden treasure and Augry (added to the Wizard spell list thanks to Tasha’s!) to know what to expect in the next dungeon... sorta. "No plan survives first contact with me."

LEVEL 16 - WIZARD 4

4th level Wizards get an Ability Score Improvement: we got all the abilities we wanted really, so why not Get Lucky? The Lucky Feat will give you a bit of anime protagonist power to guarantee that you make the perfect daring escape. Feel free to take Warcaster or just increase your Constitution however; by this point Ability Scores don’t matter too much.

You can also learn two more spells like Melf’s Acid Arrow for another Essence Flux-esque DoT ability and See Invisibility, in case you need a Sweeper Lense to deal with any clowns.

LEVEL 17 - WIZARD 5

Ima be honest I kinda just wanted third level for Thunder Step to get an Arcane Shift that does damage. Artificer 18 / Wizard 2 (or even just Artificer 20) would’ve been a fine build for Ezeal too, if you don’t think this one spell is worth a 5 level class dip.

Anyways you also learn another cantrip and I mean... you may as well take Shocking Grasp for some defense up close? You also get one other spell and I’m gonna suggest Galder’s Tower this time which is like Tiny Hut... but awesome. And really small. This is mostly just a way for me to talk about a fun spell and also recommend my homebrew fix for it.

(Artwork by Alvin Lee. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 18 - ARTIFICER 13

You got third level spells as a Wizard, you can now prepare 4th level spells as an Artificer! Fire Shield and Greater Invisibility are both available as Armorer Spells, one of which is far more useful for you than the other one. Bro imagine how crazy Evelynn would be with Evelynn’s passive. But yeah feel free to swap around your prepared spells a bit for more 4th level spells, since you definitely have the slots to do so.

LEVEL 19 - ARTIFICER 14

14th level Artificers are Magic Item Savants who can attune to 5 magic items at once, meaning that along with your boots which are technically magical but whatever you can finally be properly six-slotted! But far more importantly you can attune to any item, regardless of any class or race restrictions tied to the item!  "I can't get hauled into wizard court again. Technically I don't have a permit for the gauntlet."

Speaking of more attunement: more Infusions. An Amulet of Health will let you boost your bad Constitution from a 10 to a 19, giving you a solid 76 health boost near max level! Other than that more movement speed is never a bad thing, and Boots of Speed may give you more value than your other magic boots.

But holy shit forget all that because you finally get your 4th Artificer cantrip! Grab Mending because somehow we don’t have that yet; gotta keep your outfit in check! Oh and you can get around to preparing another 4th level spell! Truth be told though the 4th level spells for Artificer are kinda... bad? But at least Tasha’s gave us Summon Construct which is a surprisingly strong summon!

"Last time I was in Shurima, I decoded some glyphs. Something about a jackal head... End of times... The usual. All I wanted was this ruby scarab. It looks great on my mantle."

LEVEL 20 - ARTIFICER 15

Our final level is the 15th level of Artificer for the Perfected Armor Armorer capstone. When you shoot an enemy you mark them with Essence Flux, giving them disadvantage to hit you. In addition the next attack (including your own I’m pretty sure!) has Advantage against the enemy while they’re marked with  Essence Flux, and if they’re hit they’ll take an extra d6 of Lightning damage!

FINAL BUILD

PROS

Blast 'em, gauntlet! - With your capstone ability you do 4d6 + 10 damage with your Lightning Launcher, and that’s before using Sharpshooter. Even without your capstone 3d6 + 10 is still really good damage output, especially when you can cast spells for big bursts of damage.

See if you can handle this! - Speaking of spells your slots go all the way up to 7th level, and while you’ll mostly just be upcasting a 12d6 Lightning Bolt is nothing to sneeze at! Not to mention other options like a 7d8 Fire damage Heat Metal or +30 HP Aid.

If anyone asks, I didn't see any of these priceless artifacts for sale - It goes without saying that having two more attunement slots than the average character is massive, especially when you can stick infusions onto your armor to maximize the amount of treasures on your person.

CONS

I wasn't strong enough? - Investing fully in INT gives us maxed out combat stats but it leaves a lot of our other abilities lacking. We’re nowhere near Charismatic enough to sell (somewhat) illegitimately gotten gains, and while Infusions can help augment our health (and even our Strength if you grab a Belt of Giant’s Strength) your Wisdom and even your Dexterity are rather mediocre, which is bad for both skill checks and saving throws.

Impossible comebacks are sorta my specialty - Most of your coolest stuff is tied to spell slots and other Long Rest dependent mechanics, and while you have a lot of spell slots (as well as Arcane Recovery to get some of them back) they are still quite limited. You’re perfectly viable as just an auto-attack and Q spammer, but who doesn’t want to shoot lasers and explosions, ya know?

Never met a problem that I couldn't blast away with magic... that I don't even understand - 5 levels in Wizard give us big spell slots but that’s about it, and yeah a 7d6 Lightning Bolt (that won’t hit your allies) is nothing to sneeze at but for the most part you are more of a Martial character. Just saying that level 18 of Artificer would’ve given you Magic Item Master for a whole 6 attunement slots! And level 20 of Artificer would’ve given you Soul of Artifice, essentially operating as a +6 to all saving throws and a 6 time use Guardian Angel.

But if a teamfight breaks out you’re more than a capable ADC. Artificers are the masters of magic items and it doesn’t matter if you make them yourself or “borrow” them from an ancient tomb; you can be the hero mom and dad always wanted you to be! Just concentrate on your farm in the early game and don’t take unnecessary risks. You may be the perfect man of magic but you’re not immortal, despite what the ADCs I’m forced to support always seem to think.

(Artwork by Jennifer Wuesting. Made for Riot Games.)

#dnd #dnd build #dnd guide #League of Legends #League of Legends Ezreal #you belong in a museum #dnd artificer #dnd wizard #twink

[vintagedolan]

Gone in the Night - Part 6

Schedule & Info || Masterlist

Summary: Panic has set in, and the little girl who terrified the trio may just be the key to everything

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: swearing, a lil spooky

In collaboration with: @babeygray @gothlydolan @dolansficsandpics @baby-grayson @333dolans  @dolanissues @blackpinkdolan​ and @fangdolan 

Tags: @brockdolan @livelaughlolobelle @grxysgxrl @guiltydols @graydolan12 @evergreendolan

“Go, go, Grayson, fucking go!” Ethan yelled, pushing his brother’s back through the doorway. Grayson grabbed onto Y/N, dragging her with him as the three of them hurtled into a new hallway and slammed the door shut behind them. The laughter faded behind them, but the eerie feeling remained as they caught their breath, holding onto each other.

“This is insane. Bro, we’ve gotta get out of here. We need to get downstairs, if we have any chance of finding an actual fucking door out of here before she comes back.”

When had they even gone upstairs? Y/N couldn’t remember, but she didn’t hesitate to head for the large staircase that seemed to appear before them, right on Grayson’s heels as they followed Ethan’s advice, scurrying down the stairs into a narrow hallway. It seemed to have withstood a bit less carnage than the other parts of the house, old portraits framing the walls, though there was still rotting carpet beneath their feet. She felt like the eyes of the painted figures were following her as she walked, and she had no shame in stepping a bit closer to Grayson as they moved. The boys tried each door handle they passed, unsurprised to find them locked.  

“How long have we even been in here? I don’t even remember which way the front door is. I mean, we-”

“Shut the fuck up.” Ethan cut him off.

“Bro, don’t-”

“No, shut the fuck up, listen. I think I hear something.” 

Ethan held up his hand to his twin in an effort to keep him quiet, tilting his ear to the side. Y/N moved with him, trying to pick up on whatever he was hearing.

“Is that… wind?” She asked, looking back at them. Sure, there had been plenty of drafts running through the walls of the old house, the cold spots when they turned the corners, and even the wind before. But this was different, louder than before and much, much closer. 

“If it’s that loud, there’s gotta be at least a window in there. Which means-”

“Outside!” Both the boys spoke at the same time, turning to her with wide eyes. It was the first real sign they’d seen of an escape in hours, and just the thought was enough to have everyone’s nerves buzzing. 

Grayson reached for the handle first, and on instinct her hand shot out to grab his arm. 

“Wait!” 

His hand moved on top of her and he turned back to her, brows furrowed. 

“It’s my turn to open a door. You all tried the last ones, it’s my turn.” 

With the inner workings of the house that they’d discovered so far, there was no telling what was going to happen when, and if, the door even opened. The last few they’d tried down the dingy hallway had been locked, but she had a gut feeling about this one, and so too did the boys it seemed. 

“No.” Grayson’s tone was stiff. “Too dangerous. That girl could be in there.”

“Oh but it’s not too dangerous for you to open it?”

He didn’t have a rebuttal, but he was still in front of her enough to effectively block her. 

“Grayson, just let me do it. I’ll check it out and you guys can wait out here in case we need to go back out, or our phones start acting stupid again or something.”

“If you think I’m letting you go through there by yourself, you’re insane.” He shifted then, moving to block her path even more. The protective tenor in his voice was new, and if she wasn’t trying to convince him of something, it probably would have been flattering. 

“Will somebody just open the damn door so we can get the fuck outta here?” Ethan huffed from behind both of them.

She capitalized on Grayson’s momentary distraction and slid past him to open the door, surprised when the handle actually turned. She looked around for anything dangerous, anything that could pop out at her or the boys. But it was eerily still, only the dingy decor left over from a decade passed there to greet her as she stepped inside.

“The wind stopped,” Ethan mumbled, peeking through the doorway. Grayson was one step behind her, hovering a bit as she made her way into the space, which was filled with an abundance of furniture; an old desk, a few dressers, two couches and a fireplace to the left with small figurines with beady eyes atop a wooden mantle.

“Maybe there's another clue in here. We should start looking in all these drawers.” 

Ethan pulled a harmonica off the mantle with a sly grin.

“Yo Beethoven, can you play this too? Maybe it’s the secret,” he wiggled his fingers in the air and threw Grayson the small rectangle. He caught it with an eye roll.

“Can you be serious for two fucking seconds Ethan? Some of us are actually trying to get out of here.”

“Oh and I’m not? You don’t think I’m going fucking crazy too?”

In any other instance, she may have interfered, or at least thought about it. But the boy’s jeers didn’t meet her ears. Instead, she focused on what she had found, in the left corner of the room. Hidden in the shadows above was a loft of sorts, in decent shape it seemed apart from the short ladder that only had one wrung left. 

“Hey.”

The bickering continued, somehow evolving to something involving her name.

“Hey!”

Both boys turned to her with wide eyes, looking more like twins than she’d ever realized.

“I think we need to get up there. Can you all boost me?”

Their eyes somehow got wider as they looked up at the loft and then back at her.

“Boost you? You think we’re just gonna send you up there by yourself?” Grayson’s voice was incredulous, amazed she’d even suggested it. 

“You got a better idea?”

“Uh how about you, I don’t know, not getting attacked by a little demon girl while we’re down here being useless? Besides, we don’t even know if there’s a clue up there.” Ethan mused.

“Well there sure as hell isn’t one down here. Just let me see what’s up there, and if anything happens I’ll just come to the edge and… I dunno, jump?” 

“Jump,” Ethan scoffed, at the same time that Grayson said “I’ll catch you.”

Still reluctant, but seeing no other option, the boys moved beside her, squatting down and moving to lift her with her standing in their cupped hands. She hoisted herself up, needing the help of them pushing her feet up to get a leg over and gain her bearings. 

“You good?” Grayson called, breathing out a relief when she responded, standing up and dusting off her pants.

“See anything? Any clues?”

“Not yet,” she mumbled, but something caught her eye. To the right, pushed back against the wall stood something tall, covered by a white sheet. She reached for it on instinct, coughing in the dust that rained down around her as she pulled it down, revealing an antique mirror. The reflection was crystal clear, untouched by time or the elements, golden frame still shiny. 

And in the reflection stood a girl.

She was young, 7 at the oldest, in a simple blue dress, a matching ribbon tied nicely at the end of her braided brown hair. Y/N didn’t have to think - she knew it was the same girl that they’d heard in the last room, but she didn’t feel threatened by her. If anything, her maternal instincts took over, and she wanted to help her in any way that she could. 

“Do you want to go?” Her voice was small, tinkling like bells. 

“Do I want to go where?

Below, Grayson stopped chewing his lip, perking an ear up towards the direction that Y/N had disappeared out of view.

“Y/N? You say something?”

“I want you to go with me. I need to show you something,” the girl spoke again, turning to look over her shoulder. It was only then that Y/N realized that the mirror was no longer showing any of the room around her, but instead, a new hallway. It was normal, a spitting image of what the house looked like 100 years ago, with its pristine walls and its colorful carpets. 

“I can’t go with you, I can’t leave my friends here,” she said.

“Y/N? Hey, who are you talking to? Come over here where we can see you!” Grayson was truly beginning to panic now, and Ethan was just as worried, unsure of what to do but stand close to his brother. 

“If you go with me, I’ll bring you back. And I’ll show you how to get out. I promise. But you have to go with me. You have to see.”

“Y/N! Talk to me dammit!” Grayson’s voice was dangerously loud now.

She wanted to run to the edge, to look down at her friends and tell them what she was doing, but it would be no use. They’d just try to stop her, and she knew deep down that the girl wouldn’t trust anyone but her. 

“Okay. Show me.”

“You must stay quiet.”

The girl reached her hand out, and suddenly Y/N was falling. 

It was split second of limbo, and then she was on her feet again, only this time the floor below her didn’t creak, and the carpet was soft beneath her sneakers. It didn’t smell putrid anymore, but instead the remnants of a meal cooked in the kitchen warmed her nose. 

“Charlotte! Come quickly darling.” A voice called out, and to her disbelief Y/N realized she was in the mirror, in a different time, or dimension, or universe. She had no choice but to follow the young girl - Charlotte, it seemed - through the corridors until they made it to a living room of sorts, where a piano sat in the corner. It was vaguely familiar to her, but she didn’t have long to analyze it.

“That’s Papa.” Charlotte spoke out, pointing over to a chair on the other side of the room. Within it sat a tall man with a full face, a nicely groomed beard adorning his chin, and a warm smile.

If it wasn’t for the outfit, Y/N wouldn’t have been able to place him. But the ghost of it was there in his features, and her stomach tightened as she recognized the vest top, with the stripes and the white shirt beneath it. 

She was staring right at the man who’d gotten them into this mess - the one with the tickets - only it was a version of him tucked away in time, however many years ago.

“You had to see that he means well. All he ever wanted was to be entertained. That’s why he brings people here. Why he always has.” 

Y/N looked then, at the other people in the room. She’d hardly noticed them before, but as she scanned them over she caught up on details, snippets of conversation. A man with a large sword he was prepared to swallow, a pianist with sheet music tucked under his elbow. Another man who swore to be a vampire - the kind who could turn into a bat, in particular - and a woman who could tell you any line of any book without having to open the front cover. An artist with paint smudges on her hands, who swore her paintings could come to life.

The clues. She began to piece it together slowly, looking down at Charlotte. 

“Papa is a good person. Please don’t think too harshly of him, it’s all he knows how to do.”

“Charlotte. I’d like to go back now.”

Suddenly, every set of eyes in the room were on her. She’d spoken, and that had been a terrible mistake. She knew she had to run, but she didn’t know where to go, how to get back to the mirror she’d come from. They were chasing her, no doubt, and she didn’t have the guts to look back. 

“Grayson! Ethan!” She screamed their names, a faint hope that maybe, somewhere, they could hear her.

Little did she know that the boys back in her own time had managed to drag an old table into the room, giving Grayson just enough leverage to get up to the loft, where he tried to ignore the tears prickling in his eyes at the realization that she was no longer there with him. 

She ran as fast as her feet would take her, trying to retrace her steps as best she could remember. Somehow, her ears registered the sound of an odd melody, a harsh tune played out by an unfamiliar instrument.

A harmonica. 

Thank god for Ethan Dolan’s foolish nature.

She sprinted towards the sound, relieved to find a familiar enough door to barrel through. She didn’t care that someone was in there - all she cared about was getting back up to the loft and back to the mirror, the portal, whatever it was. To her relief the frame stood tall and still where she’d last seen it and she threw herself at it without a hesitation.

And then, she was in Grayson’s arms. 

“Woah, woah, what the fuck? Hey, you’re okay, it’s okay, where the fuck did you just come from?” The string of disbeliefs continued to fall from his lips but all she could do was cling to his neck and bury her face in his chest. 

“I was - and there was - and - oh god, Grayson, we’ve gotta get outta here. You’ve gotta get me out of here.”

“Okay, hey, you’re safe now, I’ve got you. Just breathe, I’m right here,” he said, holding her tighter to him, beyond relieved to have her back in his sights. In the back of her mind as she started to process that she was safe again, she ran through what she had seen, what she’d told herself to remember. The one person whose clue they hadn’t run into yet.

The woman with the paint on her hands.

“The portraits. We’ve gotta go to the portraits.”

-------------------------------------------------------

check out part 7 tomorrow, posted by @dolanissues !

#dolan twins #dolan twins series #dolan twins fanfiction #halloween fanfiction #grayson dolan #ethan dolan #THIS WAS SO FUN TO WRITE

[sole-cuore-amore-e-droga]

Bulgaria brings a mentally reassuring anthem to Rotterdam 2021

I’ve said so that VICTORIA herself sort of agreed to have done “Tears Getting Sober” if she was allowed to, but for one I have to thank that EBU said that the artists can’t have their 2020 songs back? You’ll see why when I get to the review after two boring paragraphs of text with technical info, for the country that is Bulgaria!

ARTIST & ENTRY INFO

Victoria Georgieva (or VICTORIA, but I can’t be arsed to continuously capitalize her name so I’ll just say Victoria from now on) was born a singer, for she started to sing at the age 11, went to a specific school of angel voices (no really that’s what it was called), and tried to go to the X Factor while a liiiiiittle too young until realizing that she needed to wait for a few years, and wait a few years she did, and went on to the X Factor again.

She didn’t win, but she still got to sign a contract and sing some stuff in Bulgarian before she decided to rebrand, started singing in English, and completely decided that ballads is her style. She cannot really do upbeat most of the time. So you can’t really have a bop from her in the future. (Well except that there’s a couple of songs in her discography that I personally classify as “bops” but they’re more like... idek sad bops?? but they can be danced to, but I get her, she doesn’t do anything that’s more loud and upbeat and clubby and summery kind of - in short, nothing you can go “YAAASSSS QUEEEEEN” over to.)

The entry she ended up singing, “Growing Up Is Getting Old”, is what I can describe to be about overcoming the emotional twists and turns inside of you as you grow older, because as it turns out, it ain’t what you thought it would be - but if you push just a little further, you realize that if you’re growing up, maybe the life isn’t so bad, afterall - you are able to get up. Somehow. It was written as part of Boris-Milanov-led songwriting camp held during summer, and a lot of people seemed to be a part of it because multiple different folk have songwriting credits on the potential Bulgarian entries this year.

REVIEW

Let’s get this out of the way immediately. I prefer “Growing Up Is Getting Old” to “Tears Getting Sober”. The former sounds a lot less irritatingly underwhelming and a lot more positively overwhelming you with warm emotions and sunglow. “Tears Getting Sober” was a song I could never really connect with - maaaaybe the last chorus is much better on there, but it doesn’t do much for me either, I guess.

Their 2021 forray however is a much different kind of thing - once again, going for lyrical non-cliches, Victoria tells a tale about her inner turmoils and continuing in life, in a way that’s personal to her and also kind of relatable to all of us. We all have these moments of fear and anxiety and nervous systems aching. If only there was someone who’d tell us that we’re worth saving... thanks a lot Victoria, you’re the MVP. Filling in the void that Netherlands from last year had brought us but not anymore - another personal song about getting old and having those kind of feelings inside - and doing a great job at taking the baton in the right way (even with featuring the word “grow” in both of the titles, neat coincidence).

Not only the lyrics feel like a hug, the song just emulates ray of sunshine and golden glitter coming down from the sky, Molly Sanden style. The violins in the G major key playing so precisely, building up momentum throughout the entire song, slowly but surely - starting with the ticking clock in the first verse that may have subtle violin in there; and the first chorus is just so simple piano, and then the second chorus has a tinge of electronic something, and the last chorus goes full in with the backing vocals boosting the song, after Victoria performs the quite magnificent bridge... now I don’t have synesthesia but I associate music keys with colors, and to me G major would always come across as something yellow or orange - “Growing Up Is Getting Old” is a perfect example of why’s that for me. And obviously, Victoria’s love for harmony-humming (even if there’s just one instance of it after she sings “star crossed soul”) complements the song to a T.

And it turned out to be a much better choice than last year’s. Maybe finally a female ballad I am getting behind.

Now I wanna know why the bookies don’t appreciate THIS entry as much as last year?

Granted, now it’s 2021 and the environment is so much different, and the songs have changed, and the dynamics have changed, and now there’s suddenly more competition at stake. And for Bulgaria it fares quite much more underwhelmingly - well, at this moment they’re like 6th, which isn’t bad, but there’s a lack of sung praises coming its way, not quite a feat that “Tears Getting Sober” actually achieved, being the bookies fave right before the cancellation of last year. In general the year has been pretty dry for the previous winner picks like Iceland, Lithuania and this, but I can’t say that the previous winner bets from 2020 are all that dead either? Though I gotta say that Bulgaria wasn’t gonna win 2020 anyway, so it’s a lose-lose in this case.

Also I just can’t at that music video being a little dramatic at the beginning, with the cancellation of Eurovision being presented as if it were a worldwide disaster during which we all shall lock ourselves into bunkers and wait until the better days, eventhough the panini is not war and war supplies kit is not just enough to survive it. But it seems like that the world is quite literally falling apart, as evidenced by Victoria going through all kinds of pathways away from her living room, meeting a  (presumably) mini version of her somewhere in between, and literally surrounded by the shaking environment by the last moments of the song

before we realize it was just reality recursing from the TV’s point of view that Victoria was watching all along, and then she leaves the living room again, but in her world, everything is normal and she could just go wherever she wants by car. Even I can’t come up with a storyline ending that’s somewhat intertwined and all plot-twisty and more confusing than that. But props to her team I guess

Approval factor: Let’s say I somewhat approve this message. Follow-up factor: For the sake of argument let me just say that Bulgaria is moving on a great path, eventhough the former entry leaves me cold, at least the current entry keeps me warm at all times, like a cup of cocoa and a good blanket. Please Bulgaria, never run out of sponsors. Qualification factor: I’ve seen one or two people throw around the “surprise NQ” tag for this song and I don’t get why??? There’s no way that the tense atmosphere of semifinal 2 would sure-fire-ly kill Bulgaria, even if they have a lot less chances to win this year than they had the last one. There can be some shock NQs indeed though, and if there are, I am paging... uhhhhh Finland? Idk why but you might see what I mean if I ever get around to reviewing “Dark Side”. Bulgaria? Never. It may not win the semi but it will cradle around the top 7 somehow.

INTERNAL NF CORNER

That’s right, Bulgaria managed to do both.

At the time when one other of Bulgaria’s songs got released, within the *Special* Eurovision September 1st-onwards range, people naturally succumbed to their primal instinct of asking whether that’s her Eurovision song... only for Vic to probably announce this early on that no, it’s just *one* of potential ESC entries she’s harbouring. And the remaining potential ones were all on her debut EP. Who actually got a more well-orchestrated schedule for everyone to follow, and yet, people were much more keen to cling on the first EP song out of the gate, “Imaginary Friend”. Now I get that the fans of that song were super upset at the revelation that IF is not going, but it is a technically strong song for the sake of being a technically strong song, and I don’t want to think that Victoria is only forced to choose the songs that can win for her, so she’s such a sweetheart for gravitating towards a song she could dearly care about. So props to her team saving the initial winner for last to be revealed, lol.

Though wasn’t her personal favourite a Billie-Eilish-lite-upbeat-kinda-track Phantom Pain?

Which was also my personal favourite?

Look, I know that favouring the only non-ballad in the whole lineup (well “Ugly Cry” is also not quite a ballad but its beat is kinda so-so, so I tend to ignore it) is kinda sus, also, y’all are sick to death to Billie Eilish comparisons, but I do believe that Billie would never be able to do an “Imaginary Friend” while Victoria could do a “Lovely”. This makes me remember the cover art of Billie’s debut album where she sits on her bed, dressed in white, and so is Victoria on this very MV, with strange shit going on behind her in the mirror. To the mirror, her reflection acts creepy, back again.

The other 2 I don’t feel like caring about enough, sure they got their cred, sure there’s one entry properly crediting Milanov (who seems to not have an actual entry this year that’s purely attributed to *him*, as opposed to 3 last year, 2 of which were performed by acts that returned this year????), sure there’s the funny thing about having a funeral song where out of this and Finland only Austria managed to send a quote unquote “funeral” song, but I think the funeral song would’ve sounded better if the pre-section of it on the “Phantom Pain” video was THE “funeral” song itself, and not whatever was that other funeral song.

In between there was a public sort of survey where people could submit feedback and positive words to Vic’s choices to help her decide - I didn’t get to vote but I feel fine with the winner eitherway, and that counts for something! And the end result was revealed at the very end of Victoria’s very own rooftop concert.

The colors on the circle thingy of this, they were meant to symbolize all Bulgarian entries up to Victoria’s 2nd one, in pictograms that kind of reminded me of Coldplay attributing every song on ‘Mylo Xyloto’ its own little symbol.

The concert was not only full of music and also adverts for the inaugural sponsor iCard (that also included some element of foreshadow in between the suspense, you’ll see why), but also the Bulgarian folk talking before each song, saying all the positive nice words they can for Vic; that she’s talented, and that they were so excited that Bulgaria was doing well in the odds last year prior to cancellation, bla bla bla... also some people were proud of voting for Bulgaria outside Bulgaia, and they made puns about the forthcoming songs on the concert that they were introducing, and so on, and there was also someone called Dara, whom I really want to be sent by Bulgaria one day to show off that they’re not afraid of doing trashy-esque bops that don’t necessarily win

Also they reminded me that Lucy from No Angels (aka the sole reason Bulgaria 12′d Germany in 2008) still exists.

Also Azis.

There was also an intermission where Eurovision 2021 acts could say all the nice words to Victoria on their own part. And several artists chose to... how shall I put it... use up their several seconds rather interestingly. Like how The Roop would say something real quick only to delve into more of their usual “let’s dance, let’s discoteque! *hand scissors* ;P” self-promo, and Senhit carelessly being allowed to say whatever she wants in Italian without subtitles <3 Sorry sis, they’re only given to people from another white-green-red flag-color country.

About the iCard foreshadow... so there’s their advert about Victoria waiting in the line to get something in the Soft Vocals Store, and people ahead of her giving her money the standard oldfashioned way, and the old lady at the counter is... slow, to say the least. After a good amount of time spent waffling around, Victoria finally pulls out the iCard application and pays for the imaginary items she wants, then narrates some stuff about said application, and a Eurovision entry of hers plays when the old lady is at home, spending time in front of TV enjoying the music. Before the concert, the song that played was “Tears Getting Sober”. The advert played once more before Victoria’s big entry decision and entry MV reveal, and in place of the 2020 entry, “Growing Up Is Getting Old” was the one that sounded out loud... Now you may think that there were attempts at some sort of spoilage here, but after that ad before the concert EP NF result, there was this other advert starring Victoria that played “Imaginary Friend” at the end, a last-ditch effort to trick viewers into going “see? just because that ad played the chosen song doesn’t mean it’s the chosen song!! this song could as well be a chosen song as well!!” yeah no shut up GUIGO IS the chosen song kthxbyebye.

ANY LAST WORDS?

Having said all that praise, I actually have “Growing Up Is Getting Old” fairly low on my ranking. It’s just because the year is so damn good and I have a lot more songs to care about more than this, but I appreciate the gesture that this singer is sending very much. Good luck on your road to conquer Europe, Victory-ia, I’m sure you get the best of the experience and all, because you would deserve it.

#eurovision #eurovision 2021 #rotterdam 2021 reviews #bulgaria #victoria georgieva #victoria #growing up is getting old #i was planning to publish this review on the same day as borisbubbles dropped his review of bulgaria #but my timing is lazier than his i gotta admit #so yeah #gif

[keelywolfe]

FIC: A Pressing Engagement ch2 (Not baon AU)

Summary: Brotherly bonding, by way of felonies. 

Tags:  Spicyhoney, Fluff and Angst, Dating, Developing Relationship, Humor

Chapter 1

~~*~~

Read it on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

“Brother,” Blue sighed as he pulled his car up to curb two houses down from the Fell brother’s home. “I’ve known you for a long time.”

Stretch gave him a sideways look. “we’re brothers, i was literally there when you were born.”

Blue ignored that. “And I know we’ve discussed that shortcutting around is rude, but in this situation, I feel as though you could simply pop into Edge’s garage, look for the ring, and we can be back home in time for the new Napstaton special.”

“oh, that’d be too easy for my life,” Stretch grumbled as he pulled a dark knit ski mask over his skull, drawing it down over his face for maximum espionage. The last thing he needed was his white-ass noggin out there bobbing around like a second moon. “i can’t shortcut in. red rigged up some kinda anti-teleportation field around their house, ever since sans stashed all that nitrogen-frozen shaving cream in red’s room.” He tried to flash Blue a grin before he remembered the damn mask. “can’t blame him even if it was funny as hell. i doubt his room has been that clean before or since.”

“Yes, I remember that. Edge wasn’t as amused.”

“that’s ‘cause his sense of humor is atrophied from disuse, we’re working on it. so if shortcuts are out, we gotta be discreet. which is why you should’ve changed when i asked!" Stretch said accusingly. He glared at Blue's bright pink She-Ra t-shirt, showcasing Catra and Adora in a loving embrace. The sentiment was appreciated, the color, not so much, his bro was gonna stand out like an adorably affectionate beacon.

“My apologies for not owning any cat burglar gear, I missed out on auditioning for the remake of Ocean’s 11. Really, brother, we’re breaking into one garage, not a casino vault.” Blue sighed again and turned off the car. “I really don’t think this is a good idea.”

“none of this was a good idea, but here i am.” Should’ve known it was a mistake the second he walked into the jewelry store, could’ve wasted a lot less time if he’d probed Edge for marriage opinions before he opened his wallet. But there wasn’t time (heh) for him to work out his own version of ‘Back to the Future’, so they were gonna have to stick with heist movie.

Stretch got out of the car and skulked closer, inspecting their surroundings, Blue following reluctantly behind. The sidewalks were empty, everyone else was sensibly inside watching their preferred nighttime entertainment since it was dark except for the bright streetlamps positioned evenly down the length of the block.

Stretch paused outside the ring of light by the Fell home, summoning a small, sharpened bone. At his elbow, Blue asked worriedly, “What are you doing?”

“i’m gonna break the streetlamp so no one can see us.”

Blue grabbed his hand, hissing, “You are not! I did not sign on for destruction of property! Unscrew the bulb and we can tighten it again when we leave!”

Okay, to be fair that was a much better idea, even if it took a lot more concentration and a quick mental ‘righty tighty, lefty loosey’. With a little effort, Stretch managed to coax the oversized bulb loose and the light went abruptly dark. Perfect.

The two of them crept closer to the house and if Blue was humming the ‘mission impossible’ theme song under his breath, Stretch couldn’t exactly gripe at him. He’d had it blaring nonstop in the back of his head since they’d left the apartments. They paused by the well-trimmed shrubs that ran alongside the garage while Stretch considered the plan.

Opening the main garage door was out. Even if Stretch could clip the house alarm, there was no way one of the Fell brothers wouldn’t hear that grinding its way open. Reconnaissance was supposed to happen before the damned heist, every movie Stretch ever saw taught him that, but they were working in a time crunch and wasn’t it a shame that the only room in the Fell house that he knew with any real detail was Edge’s bedroom. Also the shower, but neither of those options were real useful right now.

He looked around, squinting through the dimness, hell, they should’ve done this before he killed the streetlight. To his relief, he could see the outline of window in the shadows, up high on garage wall. He gestured to it, whispering to Blue, “give me up boost up.”

Blue gulped visibly and reached out, the faintest glow rising in his fingers. There was a soft ting as his magic enveloped Stretch’s soul, lifting him off his feet and towards the window. Or more like sending him on an increasingly wobbly flight through the air, limbs dangling as he slowly rose. Stretch bit back a squawk as the grip on his soul twisted him nearly sideways, then hastily overcompensated in the other direction to almost send him careening into the building.

“careful!” Stretch whispered furiously, biting back a curse as he shoved away from the wall. “seriously, what have you been learning with all that training you do!”

“I’m terribly sorry, Alphys never covered breaking and entering!” Blue hissed. Sweat was visibly standing out on his skull, glimmering in the moonlight. Another minute of unstable and slightly painful antigravity later and Stretch was hovering outside the window.

His black hoodie was a better choice for more than the color. Its pockets zipped securely shut, holding his tiny collection of burglary tools safe and sound. If Stretch’d been wearing this one earlier, none of this would be happening and wasn’t hindsight a nosy bitch. He dug out his tools, flicking on a penlight to inspect what the paranoid goblin had going for home security. There was an alarm, to be expected, but it looked like a simple wire job. All Stretch needed was five minutes and a pair of wire snips and he’d be inside.

“Oh!” his brother’s voice suddenly carried through the quiet, too loud and verging on a panicked cheer, “Good evening, Mrs. Gerson!”

Stretch’s head whipped around to see an elderly turtle Monster gradually walking up to Blue, cane in hand and waving with dreamy slowness. He couldn’t hear what she said to Blue, but his brother’s voice came loud and clear, “Yes, working on my stretching exercises! I do them for a few minutes every day. Trying to hurry up with it today, it’s later than I thought!”

Not exactly what he’d call discreet, yeah, but Stretch sure as hell got the message.

Frantically, Stretch got to work on the wires, clipping and twisting them into a messy sort of bypass. There was no time to be tidy, not while he was dangling here like a bargain basement Spider-man as Blue tried to keep Mrs. Doubtfire distracted over there. A muffled grunt escaped as Stretch suddenly listed to one side, hanging horizontally in the air. Another twist sent him face-first into the wall and Stretch tried to brace himself against the siding, biting off a yelp as he was dragged noisily upward.

“Whoops,” Blue called in a loud, nervous chuckle, hopefully covering the rattle of bones whacking into the side of a damn wall, “I think I still need to hold that stretch for another couple of minutes.” From this angle, Stretch had no idea what Mrs. Gerson was making of the washboard sound of him lurching up and down the siding like mysterious jug band traveling through the night, “Goodness, not sure how much longer I manage!”

Whatever calisthenics Blue was doing finally bent him in a direction that was close enough to the window for him to reach. Stretch grabbed on, hauling himself upright and holding on frantically with one hand as he clipped the last wire. He shoved up the windowpane, wincing as it screeched ominously the way windows only did in the middle of the damn night when someone was trying to sneak through it. He didn’t wait for Blue to try breaking out in song to cover it up, diving through the narrow panel and nearly tumbled straight to the concrete floor as his brother’s magic released, barely managing to catch himself and drop clumsily to his feet.

Okay, that went well.

Damn good thing he was breaking into Edge’s garage; the entire thing was pin-neat, no suspicious stack of paint cans to knock over or a pile of trash bags to fall into. Only tools on the wall, a clean workbench, and the pristine shape of his car precisely in its place, gleaming metallic cherry-red beneath the narrow beam of the penlight.

Now all Stretch had to do was get into it. A slim jim tool was out, for several reasons. One, despite watching several youtube videos on his way over, Stretch was not confident he could do it, two, it might damage Edge’s car and that was right out.

There was also the small matter that Stretch didn’t have a slim jim, so that left trying to hack into Edge’s Onstar account to wirelessly unlock it.

That he could probably manage and he spent a long, sweaty ten minutes on his phone, wrangling through firewalls and password detectors, searching and fruitlessly guessing, getting more frantic by the second as he silently cursed paranoid fucking Fells and it was only when despair was setting in that it occurred to him to try the door.

It opened easily under his tentative touch and the amount and variety of swearing that went through his mind right then would have sent Blue sprinting to the nearest grocery store for their entire stock of soap.

Okay, no more time for distractions, the finish line was in sight. Stretch crawled inside, penlight flashing as he searched frantically through the interior.

Not that there was much to see, Edge kept his car painfully clean. Even the mats were glossy black, not a speck of dust on the control panel, no stray fries or pennies caught in-between the seats. His panic was hitting all new highs when the light caught on dark velvet wedged in between the passenger seat and the door.

It must’ve fallen when he got out and Stretch picked it up, his knees watery-weak with relief as he opened it to look at the rings which, stupid, what was he afraid he got the wrong velvet box?

Time to get out of here, rescue Blue from Granny Mcgee and get the fuck out for the celebratory fist bump, and he barely had time to even think it when the overhead light came on at the same moment a much harsher blue magic than his brother’s took hold of his soul and slammed him painfully into the garage door. It knocked the breath out of him and Stretch hung there, wheezing, the box clutched tightly in his fingers as the last voice he wanted to hear echoed coldly through the garage.

“Stop struggling.”

Fearfully, Stretch lifted his head to see Edge strolling in through the doorway and it was honestly impressive how imposing he could be in a pair of silk pajamas and slippers.

“I’m afraid you’ve chosen the wrong car to steal, thief, I’m rather fond of it, I—” Edge stopped, his eye sockets narrowing and Stretch cringed as he reached out and roughly tore the ski mask off. His sockets widened in disbelief. “Stretch?”

“um. hey.” Stretch waved feebly with his empty hand.

“What the hell are you doing,” Edge sputtered out, cold anger melting into clear upset, “I could have hurt you!”

Yeah and sweat was running down his tailbone just thinking about it. Good thing it was Edge and not Red who found him, the gremlin might’ve dusted first and felt a micron of guilt later.

Stretch waggled his feet in the empty air. “um. gonna let me down?”

Edge’s gaze narrowed. “I’ll consider it. What are you doing here and if I hear the words shaving cream, I’ll—"

“no! no, nothing like that,” Stretch blurted in automatic denial and regretted it immediately. Shit, mistake, probably should’ve let Edge believe it was a prank of some sort, let him get mad and yell. He would’ve gotten over it eventually and they could’ve gotten back to their non-dates and twice weekly sexytimes with the occasional overnight thrown in for extra flavor. Except, Stretch didn’t like it when Edge was mad at him and not just mad, he would’ve been disappointed, even hurt, because any prank that involved his car was taking it up to a level of cruel. Edge’s car was his baby and Stretch wouldn’t do that to him, never never ever.

Didn’t matter, he’d sort of lost his chance to go with prank when he denied it was one, so there was nothing left but some version of the truth. Stretch took a deep breath and went with the basics, “i left something in your car, is all. didn’t want to bug you to get it, not after begging off on you. stupid, i know.”

“Very stupid,” Edge agreed, “considering that we have motion sensors in the garage.”

Of course he fucking did. “yeah, um, sorry.” Now that a portion of the truth was out there, time for a distraction. Hanging on the wall like a modern art installation probably wasn’t giving off the sexiest vibes, but Stretch gave it a shot, calling up what he hoped passed for an enticing smile, running his tongue lightly across his teeth, “’m feeling a lot better now, though, could head upstairs if you want, make up for a little lost time…?”

Edge raised a silencing hand and Stretch reluctantly obeyed, ah, fuck, he was too late, Edge was thinking about it, shit, and proved it by saying, slowly, “Let me see if I understand. You left something in my car and decided you needed to break into my home, bypass the alarm, pick the locks, and skulk through my garage to get it instead of simply asking me?" Edge crossed his arms over his chest and the intensity of his glare went up a notch, "No."

"no?" Stretch parroted, confused.

"No, that goes beyond the bounds of suspending my disbelief, so you're lying." Edge’s sockets narrowed and Stretch flinched from the true anger he could see there, "I do not like liars or thieves, so show me what you took."

His grip tightened around the velvet box. “but i don’t—”

“Show me,” Edge barked out.

Humiliating tears started welling, fuck, this wasn’t the time for it, all his earlier disappointment rising back up chokingly painful in his soul as Stretch whispered brokenly, "please don't make me."

Edge’s grip on his soul wavered, sending him sliding down an inch as that anger faded into bewilderment, "What…you broke into my garage, why are you—just show me!"

Miserably, Stretch held out the velvet box, let Edge snatch it away. From his continued confusion, he still didn't get it, not until he popped it open. The bands gleamed garishly in the overhead lights, carbon tungsten because the salesman assured him that it was extremely durable, with a twined color strip woven through the black metal of orange and red. Their colors joined together the way Stretch had hoped, stupidly, that their lives would.

Dawning realization as Edge looked from the rings to Stretch and back, again, and once more for good measure.

"Oh," Edge said blankly.

"yeah,” Stretch said, tiredly. “can you put me down now?"

Hastily, he did. "Stretch--" Edge began, all awkward gentleness now, the ring box still open in his hand like a mockery of Stretch’s hopeful daydreams and wasn’t that just typical of his life?

And Stretch just couldn’t. He couldn’t listen to the pity he could already see in Edge’s eye lights, he couldn’t, not right now with what felt like his entire soul choking in his throat. Red’s little shortcut blocker worked for going in, but not out and now that Edge didn’t have him pinned, Stretch was fucking gone. Stumbling out onto the sidewalk outside and almost went to his knees right where Blue was still chatting awkwardly with Mrs. Gerson.

“we need to go,” Stretch blurted. “right now!” And when Blue didn’t move fast enough, Stretch grabbed him around the waist and yanked him off his feet. Let someone else get dragged around for a change tonight, Stretch was sick of it, felt bruised inside and out as he dashed over to the car.

“Oof, bro-oth-er!” Blue yelped as he was all but bowled into the driver’s seat while Stretch scrambled over to the passenger side “What on earth is going on?!”

“go!” Stretch pleaded, “just go, i’ll explain at home.”

Blue probably would’ve put up more of a fight, sure as hell would with any other brotherly manhandling, but he caught sight of tears starting to boil down Stretch’s cheek bones and instead fumbled for his keys. “All right, we’re going.”

The engine started and he began to pull away…right into a massive cage of bones grinding up around the car from the ground, chunks of asphalt falling from the jagged tips. Directly in front of them was Edge, both hands flung out and his roused magic surrounding him in a fiery aura. His crimson eye lights blazed as he forcibly held them back in a glorious depiction of viciously controlled power even while he was still in those damn silk pajamas and slippers.

Really, it was damned impressive. He was fucking gorgeous and Stretch hated himself for noticing, for even thinking it.

“Turn off the car,” Edge said, loudly, and Blue did, sitting mutely as Edge let his magic fade. He walked over the passenger side and opened the door, leaning in as he said evenly, “I think we need to talk, don’t you?”

Stretch buried his face into his hands and wondered if he could get away with a ‘fuck, no.’

He dared to look out and from the expression on Edge’s face, fleeing was only gonna lead to a wild hunt through the city and Blue already said he didn’t want any property damage.

Might as well get it over with. Stretch nodded and impatiently wiped his face on his sleeves as he got out of the car. He couldn’t even be insulted when Edge firmly grabbed his elbow and held on, leading him towards the house despite the way Stretch’s sneakers dragged through the crumbled remains of the road.

Mrs. Gerson smiled and nodded as they walked past, waving as she croaked out, “Have a good night, boys!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Gerson,” they said in unison, Edge crisply polite and Stretch a dismal mutter.

Edge unlocked the front door, pushing Stretch through it and he didn’t look up, not at Red who was on sofa, sitting up from his slouch with a genuinely startled, “what the fuck…?” and not at Edge, who ignored his brother to guide him up the stairs to his bedroom.

He closed the door and firmly set Stretch in the desk chair while Edge sat across from him on the bed.

“All right,” Edge said. He held out the ring box, blessedly closed, hiding the contents that Stretch was pretty sure he never wanted to see again; he’d rather toss them in the trash than try to return them at this point, “Now. Start from the beginning.”

tbc

Read Chapter 3

#spicyhoney #papcest #keelywolfe #underfell #underswap #underfell papyrus #underswap papyrus

[thorsthot]

♡thorsthot’s writing challenge♡ 5k edition

yooo! so the first time I did this, I was at 2.5k followers back in 2018. 2020 we at 5k baby!!! but no deadass, I'm very grateful, especially for the people who have still been here even when I'm being an asshole. 

I found it really fun when I first did this. I got to read fics that I normally would never read. Even though I don’t read fanfic now, I still want to show appreciation whenever I get the chance. And what better way than to host a writing challenge?? under the cut you’ll find the rules, and the various prompts to choose from!

Deadass, just have fun! (and lets hope this doesn’t flop lol) if there’s any questions, feel free to ask :) reblog this to boost, if you’d like

♡ rules ♡

gotta be following me - let me know if you’re posting from a side blog

YOU CAN WRITE FOR ANY CHARACTER IN MY GUIDELINES :)) - (It does not have to only be mcu characters but yes, you can write for Tony, Loki, Nat, Wanda, etc)

I suggest writing outside of the mcu; but it is your choice

no, you cannot write Peter Parker smut, idc whether or not he’s 18

if you're writing smut PLS BE 18+ baby 

also, no dark!fics, non-con, in*est, etc

two people per prompt so first come first serve - each person can have at most 2 prompts but it’s not required.

if you’d like to write more than one fic, you can!

word minimum is 700 words; there is no word or chapter maximum 

has to be a reader insert

♡ formatting + tags ♡

fics should include, a word count, warnings, and your prompt

if you’d like, you can add a summary (it’ll help me when making the masterlist)

for the love of all things holy, please, add the ‘read more’ function to the fics. 

must tag me in the fic + use the tag #thorsthotfive and #thorsthotchallenge (so that I can find it if it gets lost in my notifs!)

♡ how to + what happens when you enter ♡

send me a message or ask highlighting which prompt(s) you’re going to use and the character you’re writing about

for example; “movie dialogue #4 w/ wade wilson” or, “situational #7 w/ bucky”, etc

when you enter: you’ll get a reblog (likely more than one) + a paragraph of feedback that highlights what I love about what you wrote

you’ll also be on the special 5k writing challenge masterlist placed within my own masterlists.

send me a link as well, if I don’t reblog/notice the fic!

there's no deadline to enter, but there's a deadline to post

deadline - March 16st 2020

♡ prompts ♡

situational (au/trope) -

Oh No! There’s Only ONE Bed! 

Stranger In a Coffee Shop

‘Damsel in Distress’ 

Enemies to Lovers (@yournonlocalpoc w/ Jason Todd + d.4)

Friends to Lovers (@tonictransistor w/ Stephen Strange + md.4)

Soulmate AU (@the-wordsmiths-fabrications w/ Thor)

Fake Dating (@I-jus-wanna-writehappy w/ Arthur Curry + d.5)

Noir Detective AU

Apocalypse AU (@thortopia w/ Thor + d.6)

Wow! The Scary Man in the Woods is actually a Sweetheart (@pruemania w/ Thor)

Vampire AU

Bodyguard AU

Character Death

Monster/Alien Fuck Fest

dialogue - 

“Do you love him?” (@sidehowriting w/ Thor)

“You’re the love and light of my life and I can’t wait to spend eternity with you.”

“At least take me out to dinner first.”

“Will you stay awake with me? I can’t sleep.”(@yournonlocalpoc w/ Jason Todd + s.4)

“You trust me? Don’t you?” (@I-jus-wanna-writehappy w/ Arthur Curry + s.7)

“We’re gonna have a baby.” (@thortopia w/ Thor + s.6)

“Yes, my lord.”

“Do you believe in aliens?”

“It’s not what it looks like!”

“It’s all your fault.”

“I’ve never been scared a day in my life.”

“I don’t love you anymore.”

“Don’t argue with me today.”

“Do you ever shut up?”

movie dialogue - 

“It's fucking over, us, this is no joke. I don't think we should see each other any more.”

“Now take me to jail.”

“I didn’t want to get blood on your floor.”

“You met me at a very strange time in my life.” (@tonictransistor w/ Stephen Strange + md.4)

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“How can you go through life pretending that you’re happy?” (@daydreams-and-shortattentionspan w/ Steve Rogers)

“But this is life. This isn’t a movie”

“They say it hurts less if it’s a surprise.”

“We make a good team. Right?”

“They’ll kill you for helping me.”

“I’ve been a bad, bad girl.”

“Now, you start opening up your personal life to me and tell me your husband/wife won't be home for hours.”

“Are we getting married tomorrow?”

“I gave you everything. You gave it all away.”

song prompts -

Candyman - Christina Aguilera

The Way - Ariana Grande ft. Mac Miller

Do U Dirty - Kehlani

One Night Only (Disco Ver.) - Dreamgirls Soundtrack

Gambit Rogue Delight - Sylar

Dance For You - Beyonce

Whore - In This Moment

Playing Games - Summer Walker ft. Bryson Tiller

You Know I’m No Good - Amy Winehouse (@daydreams-and-shortattentionspan w/ Bucky Barnes)

Cyber Sex - Doja Cat

Love Song - Lana Del Rey

Eyelids - PVRIS

Baby - Clean Bandit ft. Marina & Luis Fonsi

Ma Chérie - Palace Royale ft. Kellin Quinn

#tiy speaks #thorsthotchallenge #thorsthotfive #writing challenge

[mlovesstories]

A Family Attitude Part 5

Warnings, low self-esteem, language maybe, strong Ally

Word Count 1600

Jensen x daughter!reader

Ally!nanny x platonic!child reader 

Summary: YN has a boost of self-esteem.  

A Family Attitude Series

Tag List

Ask Box

Masterlist of Masterlists

“Hey, Daddy!” YN squealed when she saw Jensen come home on a Thursday night.

“Hey, sweetheart! I missed you.”  He walked further into the living room and watched as his daughter ran into his arms. “You doing good?”

“Yep!” She beamed. “You didn’t have to come home for me, Dad. I’m fine.”

“It was my choice. You don’t need to worry, okay?” He squeezed her tightly and spoke quietly into her ear.

“Okay,” she whispered back.

“You have the day off tomorrow, right?” He leaned back to see her face.

“Yeah, it’s grading day for teachers.”

Jensen grabbed her hand and guided her to the couch and tucked her in next to him. She leaned against his left side.

“I’m assuming you are on top of your homework already. You and me are going to go out and have some fun tonight and then hang out tomorrow. Sound good?”

“Yes.” She calmly smiled.

“When I’m done with you, you’ll see how awesome you are, okay?” He rubbed her back.

“Okay,” she sighed, indifferent.

——-

The next morning they went to their favorite breakfast spot. YN excitedly ordered the largest plate she could, her dad’s eyes growing wide.

“What? I’m hungry. Dean isn’t the only hungry one in this family,” she smiled. “Besides, I can take home the leftovers and eat it again tomorrow!” YN laughed.

“Okay, okay. I judged too quickly. I’m sorry,” he put his hands up and giggled. Once the waitress had disappeared around the corner, he said,” You’re beautiful. You’re funny and so smart. You’re so driven, and I’m so glad you don’t procrastinate like I do. You definitely got that from your mom,” Jensen grinned, remembering his wife. “She’d be so proud of you, sweetheart.”

“Dad, don’t bring her into this please.” YN took her hand away from her father and looked elsewhere.

“I just- you’re amazing, and I want you to know that.”

————

“Come here, YN.” Jensen motioned with his fingers.

They had walked through the door and dropped their things when her father called for her.

“Yeah?” She didn’t move, missing his wanting her to follow him.

“Come on.” Jensen stuck his head out of the bathroom. She walked slowly, recognizing that he was acting strangely. “Face the mirror and-“ YN recognizes his tactics and backed up.

“Dad, I don’t need a confidence lesson.” She stopped outside of the restroom and crossed her arms. Jensen followed her sadly. “Why can’t you see how awesome you are?  I called someone…”

“Dad- what did you do?”

“Ally!” Jensen called for his nanny.  She came down the stairs. “Please do what I asked of you earlier.” She nodded, walked past Jensen, and grabbed YN’s hand.

“What are you doing here? My dad is home, you have the day off.” YN confusedly inquired as she was dragged in front of the mirror in the hall.

“Your dad needed assistance. Mr. Ackles, get over here. You need this too.”

Jensen laughed at her sternness.

Only she can get away with that and be my employee.

“Coming!” He called back.  Jensen walked into the hall.  

“Now you, young lady, are going to listen to me. No running.” She took a beat.  “Look at yourself.” Ally commanded.  YN huffed and gave in.  She looked at her figure staring back at her.  Ally had her hands on YN’s shoulders just in case she tried to leave. Jensen walked in front of the mirror next to Ally.  

“I want you to tell me what features you like about yourself.”  Ally prompted.

“Ally-”

“Shut it, YN.  Tell me.”

“I can’t,” she admitted.

“Ackles, you’re up.  What do you like about yourself?”  Ally asked Jensen.  He was taken aback by her question.

I thought this was about YN.  

“I like my freckles, the color of my hair, and how tall I am,”  he said answered after a few seconds of thinking.  He took over for Ally and tried to give YN some momentum.  “I like your smile.  I love your laugh.  And you have your mom’s nose.”  Jensen grinned as he complimented his daughter.  “Your turn.”

“Umm…” she played with her fingers.

“Okay, hold on.”  Jensen started.  “Look in the mirror, sweetheart.”  He broke down her assignment even more.  Blankly, she followed instructions.  “Do you agree with me?”  He lifted her chin so that they made eye contact via the mirror.  YN shook her head.  “One thing, then.”

“I like my eyes.  They’re exactly like yours,” she said, emotionless.  

“You know what I like?”  Ally asked.  YN looked at her. “I like that you’re taller than me. It makes me laugh because i am the one that is supposed to be taller.  Beyond that, you’re sweet and respectful.  You try and attempt everything at least once.  You listen to me even though I know you want your dad here.  I appreciate that,” Ally said with a kiss on YN’s cheek.  “You will tell each other one thing you like about yourselves every day for a week.” She pointed between both Ackles’.  “Now, I need to go on a hot date, so I’ll leave her in your capable hands, Mr. Ackles.”  Ally concluded.  

“Thank you,” YN whispered.  Ally wouldn’t have heard it for the fact she was right next to her.  The nanny wrapped her arms around YN from behind her.  “I love you,” she said.

“I love you too,” Ally spoke softly.  “Be nice to yourself.  I’ll tell you about my date on Monday, okay?” She knew YN would want all the details.

“Okay.” YN grinned and wiped a tear from her eye.  “I need a minute, Dad.  I’m going to my room for a sec.”  With that, she walked into her room.  

“Thank you, Ally.”  Jensen nodded toward YN’s room.  His shoulders relaxed.

“You need to get ahold of this, Ackles.  I love her, but she is your kid.  She wants you.”

“I know.  Thanks for saving me.” He walked her out.  

“You owe me, Ackles.”  Ally beamed.  “You can pay me back with a spoiler for the new season.”  She crossed her arms ready for a playful power struggle.

“No!  You have to wait.  I’ll pay for your hot date tonight.  Here.”  He handed her some cash with a chuckle.  

“I was kidding.  I don’t need anything,” she put it on the entry table.  “I came over because you two mean the world to me.  Now it’s your turn.  Compliment her qualities, she needs it.  She needs a personality boost.  Have a good night, Ackles.”  Ally left the Austin home with a wave.  

———

“No.”

“Mom, it’s my life.” Jensen defended.

“You are not ready. And you just had an intervention with Ally from what I heard from her earlier.  Do not put me in a position where I have to fix YN because you messed her up. Wait to take your relationship with Danneel to the next level until they truly get along.  If you don’t, it will only get worse.  Go ask Jared. I’m sure he has read some article on this or something.”

Jensen rolled his eyes as he spoke to his mother via a voice call.

“Don’t you dare roll your eyes at me, boy.”

“How-“

“I love you, but don’t do this until YN is ready. Please.”

“Fine, Ma. I won’t. I love you.” He hung up the phone as YN walked in and crashed against him on the couch. “You do know that there is like ten feet of couch over there, right? You practically landed on top of me.” He laughed. She snuggled into him without a response. “You’re only quiet when something’s wrong. What’s up?” YN curled into him even more and pulled his blanket over her own body. .

“I just want you.”

“I want you too… what’s going on?” He tried to look at her face but she hid, burying her face in his cotton T-shirt.

“I’m tired. I’m so tired,” she mumbled through the material.

“I’m so sorry. You want to go to bed?” He tried to see her face again but no luck.

“No, I want you.”

“Honey, I’m confused.”

“I want my dad. I want you to tell me I’m fine.”

“Wait, what?  Is something wrong?” Jensen grew more than concerned.

“School is so hard right now. I just want you to tell me it’s okay.”

“Of course. You’re a fantastic student and you will push through because you are dedicated and you care.” He rubbed her back.

“And I want to go to UT.” YN looked up at him.

“Wha- huh?” He looked at her blankly. “You’re fifteen, we don’t have to worry about what school you go to til you’re a senior.”

“I know, but I want to. I have to do good now to get in.” She said, stressed .

“I’m very proud of you, but it’s not worth killing yourself over when you already do well anyway. You gotta pace yourself.” He calmed her. She lied her head back down against his chest.

“No time, gotta do well to-“ she started to stand from the couch.

“Shhh. Come here. Are you done with everything due Monday?” He asked as he pulled her to him.

“Yes, but I have extra credit due Wednes-“

“No. Stay here with me so we can watch some horrible TV.” Jensen joked.

“Dad, I have-“

“I said no, come on, sweetheart. You’ll make yourself sick. Plus I have tons of conventions coming up. I won’t see you as much and I’ll miss you. Just be here with me right now, okay?” She saw the pleading expression on his face.

“Okay, Daddy.” She have a small smile.

A Family Attitude Series

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#mlovesstoriesrpf #mlovesstoriesafamilyattitude #afamilyattitudemasterlist #supernaturalrpf #supernatural #jensen ackles x daughter #jensen x daughter!reader

[teawithbucky]

Sunflowers and Roses

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1066

Warnings: swearing, light-hearted death jokes, and lots of fluff

Summary: College!AU. Knowing it’s your special day and you’re flooded with exams and assignments, your boyfriend, Bucky, picks out something special for his favourite flower.

A/N: This is my first time writing fanfics ever so please bare with me. I would love to be suggested tips to help me improve my writing!  (pictures not mine)

You were truly a sight to see. Your dorm’s only source of light came from the illumination of your laptop. An hour long video of odd tapping noises played softly in the background, and your head lay on the crumpled papers covering your tiny desk, pen ink probably transferring onto your skin. Your half eaten bowl of cup noodles threatened to fall off the edge of your desk and spill its contents onto your carpeted floor.

“Love? Are you okay?” Bucky’s voice startled you awake. You took a sharp breath through your nose while rubbing your eyes.

Your boyfriend, Bucky, visited you from time to time at your dorm to make sure you’re still alive and breathing after all the studying you’ve been doing. He hasn’t seen you leave your quarters in weeks, and your meals consisted of instant noodles, coffee, 5 hour energy, and tea. He takes it upon himself to deliver you healthy food before you spontaneously combust onto the floor from all the junk you’ve been consuming.

“Shit,” you grumbled, lifting your head slightly from your desk, revealing a neon pink sticky note plastered onto your forehead. “I tried to watch those ASMR studying videos and I knocked the fuck out.”

Bucky stood beside you, chuckling at how disheveled you looked. He brushed stray strands of hair that frames your face and tucked them behind your ear. He replaced the sticky note stuck on your head with a kiss. You smiled lazily, and started to become more aware of your surroundings. There was always sense of security and peace whenever you were around him, but that feeling didn’t last long when you decided to check your phone.

“Fuck its 11:34 pm, I didn’t even study anything, end me,” as you threw your phone across the room onto your bed and slammed your head onto your textbook.

“Hey, look at me,” Bucky whispered, and you placed your head onto his stomach instead. It was more comfortable anyway. “Are you so swamped with exams that you don’t even remember what’s happening tomorrow?”

“I rather not think about it,” you mumbled, burying your head into the soft material of his grey sweater. “I’ve accepted the fact that I’m going to fail and become homeless. At this point, my birthday is just an indication of how much closer I am to dying.”

Your boyfriend laughed wholeheartedly, the vibrations from his chest causing you to smile against his stomach and your head to buzz.

“Says the girl who got accepted into her first choice university with a million scholarships,” he stated, threading his fingers through your knotted hair. “You’ve been studying so much that I haven’t seen you leave your dorm in literally two weeks, Y/N.” How ‘bout we have a movie and fort night as an early celebration?”

You lifted your head up to meet his cerulean eyes, which contrasted your (Y/E/C) ones that showed clear signs of sleep deprivation. You noticed that his never dulled when he was with you.

“I have two exams tomorrow and you’re telling me to play fortnite with you?” you scoffed.

Bucky squeezed his eyes shut and pinched his temples. “Wha- doll no, I meant a blanket fort and movies night,” he elaborated.

“Ohhhhh,” you answered, slightly embarrassed by your poor interpretation of his idea.

“I’ll set it up, love. Go shower and do whatever you gotta do to relax a bit,” he said, rubbing your shoulders. He was aware of how bad your shoulders were before you two even started dating, and he knew studying and being sleep deprived only made your shoulders worse.

You hummed in response and stood up from your seat, slightly nudging your head on Bucky’s chest. He smiled and kissed your cheek. You gathered your necessities and left your dorm to use the shared shower facility. Bucky placed your laptop in the fort and pulled down the fairy lights strung on your walls to make it look, as you would say to describe anything you thought was pretty, “aesthetic.”

Wrapped like a burrito in multiple blankets, the rest of the night consisted of cuddling up to Bucky. You couldn’t remember how many times you thanked him for setting all of this up. It was everything you needed: your head resting on the crook of his neck, stealing kisses from each other’s lips, and his arms tightly coiled around your waist. Occasionally, he would press his face to hair to inhale the green apple shampoo he adored.  

Both of you collectively screamed at your laptop screen, frustrated at how stupid everyone in The Purge was. Your eyes drifted shut halfway through the movie, despite it being a “thriller.” Bucky carried you to bed and stayed with you through the night. Far away thumps of bass boosted trap music from other dorms contrasted with light rainfall on the campus grounds. He pulled you close and drifted off soon after, his lips pressed to your forehead.

*

Your most despised song blasted into your ear just when the sun peeked behind your curtains. Groggily prying your eyes open, you realized the spot beside you was empty and cold. You got of bed to brush your teeth, dreading yet another study session before your exams start in a couple hours. All the sleep from your eyes melted away as they widened at the stunning arrangement of sunflowers and roses on your desk. Tears of happiness pricked your eyes, knowing exactly who got you these. You’ve only showed him a picture of a replica of this bouquet once when you were scrolling on Pinterest.

A handwritten note was stuck with blue washi tape onto the floral sleeve, the colour exactly matching his eyes that you admired so much.

“Happy birthday love,” it read. “Sorry that I couldn’t wake up next to you, (class schedules suck). Cheers to another year spent of you learning new things, transforming into a beautiful grown woman (even though you act like an actual 7 year old), and supporting and loving me unconditionally. I am forever grateful to get to experience life changes with you. I know how much you love sunflowers and roses, so here are a bunch of flowers for my favourite flower. <3 I love you more than you can ever imagine. I hope to see you later tonight. You’ll ace those exams!”

P.S: Btw, don’t worry. This isn't my only present for you! ;)

Love,

B.B

Tags:

Please send an ask if you want to be tagged in future works! 

#bucky imagine #bucky x reader #bucky fluff #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes college au #bucky barnes fluff #bucky x you #fluff #sebastian stan #college au

[hilunawrites]

Meet the Writer III, IV, V, and VI

Thanks so much for the tags @whataremetaphor​, @allisonaldridge​, @killer-badass​, and @swaynewrites​! 

Rules: Answer the 10 questions, write 10 questions, then tag 10 people. ** From @whataremetaphor​: 1.)    Who are some of your favorite authors?  JK Rowling, Perry Moore, Audrey Niffenegger, Alex Sanchez, Julie Anne Peters, Nancy Garden, John Green…  2.)    Pen and paper or typing?  Honestly typing. My handwriting is illegible and I type really fast.  3.)    What’s your character development process?  I mostly have an idea for a character already in mind and I let them loose into the story. They usually figure themselves out on the way, but if I feel they need a little boost or more details to make them seem more rounded, I’ll fill out little character development questionnaires or free-write about them for a while. 4.)    Favorite words?  English: silly, serendipitous, onomatopoeia, plethora…(mostly coz they feel nice in the mouth to say. There’s probably way more).   German: gumpendorfer, ausgezeichnet, Eichhörnchen, frühstücken  5.)    Do you have a “type” for characters (either ones you write or ones you like? If so, what is it?   Hmm… I guess I tend to write characters that are slowly figuring out who they are and how the world works. So characters who are coming-of-age.  6.)    Music or no music while writing? If so, what kinds?  Sometimes, sometimes not. If I do listen, it’s whatever YouTube spits out at me.  7.)    What first got you into writing?  Kindergarten. My teacher said my story of the day was good enough to “publish.” We wrapped a piece of colored construction paper around it, stapled the sides and I made a cover for it. I was ecstatic XD  For those interested, my story way: “Today I walked up the driveway to the mailbox and got the mail.” A literary genius at five years old hahahaha.  8.)    Vampires of werewolves? (or magical creature of your choice?)  Vampires  9.)    Where did you get the inspiration for your current WIP?  Augh, don’t hate me. I originally started my WIP as a gay Twilight Fanfiction…  10.)  Most difficult part of writing?   Keeping up motivation and self-confidence.

** From @allisonaldridge​: 1.)    What is your favorite writing snack? I don’t eat a lot when I’m writing. If I do, it’s junk food. Pringles (sour cream and onion) Oreos or other cookies.  2.)    Would you want to visit the place or world you created for your WIP?  The world is basically ours with a little fantasy twist. So yeah, totally.  3.)    If you were stuck in a room with one of your OCs, who would you choose?  Hmm..tricky…Probably Teresa because we have the most in common.  4.)    What movie would you relate closest to your WIP?  Twilight, Love Simon.  5.)    Do you watch any Authortubers on Youtube? I watch a bit of John Green, does that count? I gotta check out more of these Authortuber people apparently..  6.)    Traditional publishing or independent?  Hopefully traditional. I might publish some things independently though.  7.)    What is your main OC’s fashion sense? Basic hahaha. Jeans and a shirt.  8.)    Where do you keep all your story ideas stored?  In my head or on a file on the computer.  9.)    Are you working on more than one WIP right now?  Not currently. I want to get the first draft of this one finally finished (been working on it for years) before I write anything new.   10.)   Coffee or Tea? It is very important. I have to say both, I love them both. ** From @killer-badass​: 1.)    What is the cutest couple in your current WIP?  The only couple in my WIP: Daniel/Vaughn. This WIP has been dubbed my Daniel/Vaughn story since 2007 :P They are beautiful.   2.)    Would you rather have your WIP made into a movie or a TV show?  Hmm…probably a movie at this point.  3.)    Who would you want to direct said movie or TV show?  God, I dunno…I would like it to feel like Love, Simon so maybe Greg Berlanti? And also Chris Columbus or David Yates for the fantasy parts. 4.)    What TV show character would your protagonist of your current WIP be?  These questions are hard for me, I don’t know why! Maybe…Marco from Degrassi.  5.)    What is your favorite song to write to?  Don’t really have one…I usually put on something like “Castle on a Hill” first and just let the YouTube algorithm do its thing.  6.)    What is your protagonist’s theme song?  Oh jeez, I haven’t thought about any of this. Perhaps “Brave” by Sara Bareilles. 

7.)    What marvel character is our protagonist like the most?  Spiderman 8.)    Your favorite movie?  The Princess Bride  9.)    Your favorite TV Show?  So many. Right now, Brooklyn 99.  10.)   What genre is your current WIP?  Realistic fiction mixed with fantasy. ** From @swaynewrites​: 1.)    What is your favorite book, and your favorite author?  Harry Potter, JK Rowling. This series has affected me so much, how can I not still answer this question like this?   2.)    What’s the longest time you’ve spent working on a WIP?  hahahaha, current WIP I’ve been working on since 2007.  3.)    What’s your favorite character that you have ever created?  Hmm I actually have a lot of feels about Ariel from my short story “My Life with Ariel.” Strange I didn’t choose someone from my main WIP, but there you go. 4.)    Have you ever based a character on someone you know? (family, friend, coworker, etc.)  I always take bits and pieces of personality from people I know and add them to my characters.  5.)    What is your favorite WIP you’ve written?  Completed WIP that would be “My Life with Ariel.” We’ll see if I make it into a novel or try to publish as is.  6.)    What’s the best response you’ve had to one of your WIPs?  One person told me they literally stopped breathing during one scene they were so enraptured by what was going on. This compliment felt so good, because it’s always what I’m going for! 7.)    What’s the best film/television show you’ve seen based on a book?  The first two Harry Potter movies. Hmm.. Though some things were changed from Love, Simon I felt the atmosphere of the book was captured so well.  8.)    Have you ever written something as a joint project with a friend or a fellow writeblr? If you haven’t, would you want to?  I don’t think so…but I would absolutely love to! HIT ME UP PEOPLE, LET’S DO THIS!  9.)    If you could change something about a popular book series, what series would you change and what would the change be?  Twilight. I would eliminate all the abuse in her relationships with Edward and Jacob.  10.)   For the Harry Potter fans out there, what is your favorite character/spell/scene? (If you haven’t read or seen Harry Potter, I’d recommend it. LUNAWRITES NOTE: I don’t just recommend it, I demand it hahahaha) Favorite character(s): Draco, Luna Favorite spell: Accio, Not a spell but also Apparition Scene: The chapter in book 6 where Harry confronts Draco in the bathroom and then later has his first kiss with Ginny in the common room. ** My questions for YOU: 1.)    Who are three writeblrs you love? 2.)    What book has made you cry? 3.)    What’s the first book you remember being read as a child? 4.)    Where do you read fiction the most? (magazines, journals, books, tumblr, archive of our own) 5.)    How do you feel about new novels that remind readers of other popular books? 6.)    What are three things you look for in a good novel? 7.)    How much of your week do you spend writing? 8.)    If you’re imagining publishing your current WIP, being accepted by a publisher, what does that feel like? 9.)    What are your three greatest fears about writing? 10.)  How can you fight those fears?  Tagging: @theouterdark, @damnwrites, @crucioandcoffee , @jess---writes @theaberrantwritergirl, @somnambulant-directives @wondersofwriting00, @smile-everything-is-alright, @greenandwords @rainbowsaw

#tag game #writing tag #about me #authorbio #writeblr #writing #amwriting #writers on tumblr #writing positivity #lunawritesoriginal

[waywarddaughterwrites]

Rehab For An Angel, pt.7

A/N: Hey beauties! So, this is a bit longer of a chapter and a bit different as you’ll see. This Original Character is based upon, and the chapter is dedicated to, my wonderful real-life best friend and faithful beta reader, @kissofthebadwolf. I love them both dearly, and I’m sure you guys will too! As always, if you would like to be tagged in upcoming chapters, let me know! We have a few more until the end of our journey with our favorite golden-haired angel. Thank you all, again, for the outpouring of love and support for this story. My tiny little writing blog has gained over a hundred followers over the course of a week, which is mind-blowing to me. The fact that you all love my writing so much is so incredibly humbling and confidence-boosting. I love you all so much!! Much love and chocolates, dearies. <3

Read Me on AO3:

http://archiveofourown.org/works/13687962/chapters/31591086

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4   Part 5   Part 6   Part 8

Tag List:

@kissofthebadwolf @the-chick-with-the-best-fandom @eurusholmmes @speight-is-great @the-writer-in-blue @ourloveisforthelovely @thewinterhunter @cipherwheeldecoder @the-kryomancer @total-fandom-imagines @creativelyquestioninglife @becausefeelsthatswhy @tardy-bee @spnimpalaimagines @nobodys-baby-now @sumara62 @universallyvoidcandy @li-ssu @sebastianstanslefteyebrow

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

As the days passed, it seemed Gabriel was slowly, slowly, returning toward a version of himself he was before. He was still choosey with whom he spoke to and how much he said, but it was starting to come across as an active choice whether or not to speak, whether he felt like giving the time, versus whether or not he could. His eyes maintained a quiet, haunted look when his guard was down and he thought you weren't looking, but more often they were holding a shadow of the spark they once held of mischievousness. His pallor was back to normal and his complexion was clear of any remnants of his time in the cell. His wings had gotten most of their color back. They were still a muted version of the golden splendor they used to be, but they didn't hang lifelessly from his back any longer. He'd put on some more weight and was seen more and more often in the common rooms (if that's where you were, that is) and was even taking to snapping in small items, proving that his grace had almost completed its task of healing his vessel and was focused now on simply replenishing itself. In short, he was trying. Things were starting to look up, starting to edge the dial ever so closer to normal. Of course, that's naturally when life had to throw you a curve-ball.

Sam and Dean were in the library looking into lore about alternate universes and you were on the couch, strumming random snippets of chords and melodies on your guitar. Gabriel was on the couch beside you, your legs across his lap, a book he was reading resting upon them. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door to the bunker.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at each other. In no time you and the brothers were on your feet, the boys unsheathing their guns from the backs of their jeans and you had pulled the small knife you kept strapped to your ankle out of its holster. Gabriel stood as you stood and watched you closely as you, closest to the stairs, made your way toward the door. Whomever it was knocked again before you reached the lock. Slowly, you unlocked the door and eased it open a crack.

"No fucking way."

You opened the door fully and a mane of strawberry blonde hair engulfed you, making you drop your knife. Chuckling, you hugged its owner before pushing them back, your hands on their shoulders.

"How in fuck did you find me here?"

You moved to the side as you spoke, revealing a small woman about your age with long strawberry blonde hair, big blue eyes, and a face full of freckles. Her eyes were lined to a sharp point and her lips were a bright, blood red. She was dressed in hunter gear, a leather jacket buttoned over a blue flannel and snug jeans with a holster strapped to her hip. She was a strange combination of the most innocent and unassuming woman with the blatant capability to be lethal. She had a spark in her eyes that showed off her spitfire potential and you knew she could kill a man with a paper clip and chewing gum if she so wished without a single hair falling out of place (you'd seen it). She was more than a hunter, she was an assassin.

"Y/N, you can try as hard as you wish, but I'll always find you," she replied, her voice laced with amusement. You knew her words could be a true threat if she wished for them to be.

"I'll keep trying, but I hope to always fail," you said with affection. This woman had been the closest thing to a best friend you'd had for the last few years, after you'd separated yourself from the brothers. Your paths crossed on a hunt and kept crossing until you eventually sought each other out on purpose. Occasional hunting partner became occasional bar buddy became late-night confidant and friend. You owed her your life, several times over. In all truth, though, she could say the same about you.

A throat cleared from below you, alerting you to your forgotten audience. You ushered your friend inside and turned toward the three men standing in the living area.

"Gentlemen, this is my dear friend, Kaylee. She's a badass and will snap you in half if you cross her so look out," you laughed. The men were looking at you, confusion evident on each of their faces. You amended, "she's a hunter, but she's also an assassin. I owe her my life, and she seems insistent on collecting because I can't escape her, evidently." She giggled beside you, looking ever the most unintimidating creature. You turned back to her, "seriously, though. How did you find me here?"

She rolled her eyes at you, "Y/N, come on. I've known you for almost a decade, have a little faith. Also the GPS on your phone is still turned on." She patted your shoulder and started down the stairs as you blushed.

"So this is the infamous Men of Letters bunker," she said as she looked around appraisingly.

You followed behind her and stopped beside her as she paused to survey the men in front of her. A contemplative look on her face, she chewed her lip for a second, before pointing at Dean.

"You have to be Dean. I've heard enough about you that I feel like I practically know you already." She turned to Sam, and her eyebrows shot up as she obviously checked him out, her eyes raking up and down his frame, making him shift a little uncomfortably. "You, gigantor, must be Sam. I've heard about you but I must say, Y/N here didn't quite do you justice." She winked at him, making him flush and visibly swallow. You laughed to yourself at your friend's brazenness, knowing she was teasing him just because she could. She turned to Gabriel and her brow cinched in slight confusion.

"You...I'm not sure who you are."

You stepped in before Gabriel could answer. You weren't sure if he would, anyway. "Uhm, Kaylee," you cleared your throat and she turned to you. "That's, uh, that's Gabriel."

Her playful smile dropped from her face and her eyes hardened in concern. "What?" She said sharply, turning to look at the named man. By her reaction, it was obvious to the three men that she knew who Gabriel was. She turned back to you, eyebrows raised in obvious demand for an explanation. You chewed your lip in anxiety before taking her arm and saying in a rush, "We have a lot of catching up to do--"

"You're damn right we do--"

"--so let me show you to my room and we can talk, okay?" You gave her a meaningful look. With another look toward the angel, she nodded and started to follow you out of the room.

"Wait," you heard Sam call to you both. You and Kaylee both stopped and turned toward him. Looking sheepish, he continued, "you said she's a hunter *and* an assassin?"

A wry grin spread across Kaylee's face as she replied, "the best, for a price. Not everyone wants to commit credit card fraud."

"So you kill people instead?" Dean replied.

Kaylee's expression took on an undertone of danger as she turned her eyes to him and replied, "hey, a girl's gotta eat. The people I kill have it coming. When you really look at it, the two professions aren't too different. Both are about killing monsters."

With that, she strode ahead of you down the hall, leaving you to shrug your shoulders in a 'what can you do?' sort of way before catching up to her.

"Seriously, Y/N, when was the last time you even touched a makeup brush, let alone a flat iron?"

You laughed at her pretend annoyance as she swept the rouge across your cheeks. One of the best things about "catching up" with Kaylee? They almost always turned into juvenile-like sleepovers with makeovers and gossip. Although, you couldn't remember any of your sleepovers in junior high including sharing newly learned assassin combat moves and ways to hide various weapons in your clothes that made them virtually unnoticeable.

She put the brush down and gestured to the mirror for you to look at yourself. Another plus to Kaylee sleepovers? Her makeup skills were incomparable. She had contoured your face with such precision you felt you could cut a man with your cheekbones or your eyeliner, one. You hadn't seen your face so done-up in ages. You hardly recognized yourself and couldn't stop yourself from turning your head side to side, admiring her work.

"Yeah? You're hot, bitch. Get used to it," she teased. Rolling your eyes you got up and walked to your dresser, pulling out tshirts and shorts for the both of you. You were a bit bigger of a person than her, taller and more broad-shouldered, which made your clothes make her look even tinier than she was. You tossed her the clothes as you pulled your choices on for yourself.

"Are you hungry?" You asked her.

"Starved," she replied as she began to change into the clothes you'd given her. You left the room and walked toward the kitchen, intent on bringing as much snack food as you could carry with you. Kaylee had tastefully not brought up the angel-in-the-room, waiting for you to do so yourself, which you appreciated. You knew you owed her an explanation, not only for that situation, but for disappearing out of the blue for two months without contact. You knew you'd worried her.

Your thoughts were so full of the conversation you were going to have soon with your friend, you didn't realize the kitchen wasn't empty when you entered. Gabriel was standing by the sink, having obviously just gotten himself a glass of water. You walked in and he turned at your entrance. Your eyes met and his mouth fell open slightly at your appearance, eyes widening slightly.

Shyly, you ran your hand through your newly coiffed hair before clearing your throat and greeting the angel who was not-so-subtly looking you over.

"Um, hey Gabriel." You noticed his eyes lingering on your front and you were tempted to make a "my eyes are up here" joke when he spoke.

"Is that...my shirt?"

Your eyes widened and you looked down to realize the oversized shirt you were wearing was, indeed, a shirt you'd stolen from him months before he'd died. It had become one of your favorites and was well-worn due to the last decade of sleeping in it. It was perhaps thinner now than it used to be, which you were suddenly acutely aware of. You swallowed nervously.

"Um, yeah, I think so. Did you...did you want it back?" You cringed in your head at your words, knowing how they must sound. The old Gabriel wouldn't have missed the opportunity to crack an innuendo joke, and as you met his eyes, you could tell this Gabriel was considering it. The next time he spoke, however, his voice was strangely hoarse.

"Um, no. No, that's okay. You...you can keep it. It uh, looks better on you anyway than it ever did on me." He cleared his throat once, twice. "Have um, a good night, Y/N," and with that, he strode from the room, as if desperate to get back to his own room, glass of water forgotten on the counter. You watched him go, eyes lingering on the doorway from the kitchen where he'd disappeared for a moment longer before turning away and remembering your quest for food.

You heard a small cough from behind you and you whipped around to see Kaylee leaning against the opening in the wall behind you, her eyebrow raised and her expression one of bemusement. "So he is *that* Gabriel, then. Interesting. Tell me, is it all just eye-fucking and slow-burn, or have you climbed into his pants yet?"

Your eyes widened and chin dropped in shock, "Kaylee!"

She laughed, "you know I'm teasing you. You're too easy, sometimes. I was beginning to wonder where the hell you were with the food, I'm rather glad I came to investigate."

"How much of that did you see?"

"Enough to know your angel buddy is probably off to either take an icy cold shower or rub one out at the image of you all dolled up and lounging around in his clothes." You blushed deeply and swatted at her, making her laugh again. "Seriously, though, you've gotta tell me how he's even alive to do it. He's the one who died and broke your heart, right? What, did he actually not-die?"

You sighed as you started loading her outstretched arms with chip bags and sodas. "I...don't have the answer to that. There's a lot we don't know. He hasn't spoken about it much and I'm not going to push it. I've been through shit barely a fraction as intense as he's been through and I hate talking about it, I can't imagine he would want to drag up those memories. If he ever does want to talk, he knows I'm here for him. He's come a long way over the past couple of months. You'd hardly recognize him, he barely looked at anyone, let alone spoke. He's opened up a lot and I'm not going to ask for more than he's willing to give, you know?"

You turned back to Kaylee, your own arms full with cookies you'd baked the day before and a tub of cheese puffs. She was watching you with a soft smile. You raised an eyebrow at her, questioning.

"You're still in love with him."

It wasn't a question. You glanced toward the hallway where he'd gone, hoping he had his angel ears focused elsewhere. You lowered your voice.

"It's...a bit more complicated than that. Apparently, and don't you breathe a word to him because he doesn't know, but according to Castiel, we're, um...soul mates."

"Soul mates? Like cheesy rom-com, destined to be together?"

"Um, kinda, but with less cheese and more divine influence."

"How do you know?" The two of you started back toward your room.

"Well, I didn't know until I made an offhand comment about his wings to Castiel. Apparently, being able to see them is not a common skill."

She stopped in her tracks. "Wait. You can see his wings? Like, big, flappy, birdy, angel wings?" You shrugged and nodded.

She let out a low whistle. "Girl, and I thought my love life was complicated. Speaking of, I don't mean to change the subject, but what is Goliath's deal? Hmm? 'Cause goddamn I'd climb that like a tree."

You laughed and followed her into your room. It was going to be a long night, but a good night.

#waywarddaughterwrites #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural #supernatural fic #gabriel supernatural #gabriel #gabriel fic #gabriel x reader #gabriel reader insert #reader insert #dean friendship #dean winchester #sam friendship #sam winchester #castiel frienship #wingfic #wing!fic #soulmates #original character

[goodguidanceptc]

Race Report: Ironman Arizona Race Date: November 19, 2017

2017 started with the mantra, “Make the Kona choice.” I used this to plan and execute training, diet, meal timing and portions, as well as social activities, bedtime, even reading materials. As training data and assessments coalesced, I tweaked it to a more intrinsic, “Make the sub-10 choice.”

Why sub-10? According to www.coachcox.co.uk (which I highly recommend for robust IM data analysis), over the last ten years, the Average KQ time for AG males, 45-49 at IMAZ is a vicious 9:34. In fact, to even sniff at KQ at any Ironman, sub-10 only sometimes gets you in the running.

As volume and intensity of rides and runs increased over months of training, “Make the sub-10 choice” was truncated even further to: “1-5-4,″ an oversimplified shorthand for my expected S/B/R splits. Aggressive? Sure. Mistake? Maybe. But “Aggressive Mistakes” could be the tag line for every middle age endurance athlete. I wanted to redeem a terrible 2015 IMOO, be one of the guys at the pointy end of the bell curve, and with a healthy injection of luck, maybe earn a Kona Qualification.

To help make rides and runs (and lifting sessions) fun, like most folks, I built a playlist library. As I shuffled new songs in and out, the playlists became a mish-mash of blues, hard rock, EDM, classical and funk. Fun. Odd. Me.

I’ll save you some time (ha!)... I didn't get anywhere near sub-10. I made great strides in fitness, learned quite a bit and had some big fun doing it. Falling well short of a 10 hour Ironman has generated a mixed bag of emotions. So, not unlike my playlists, now that IMAZ is done, I’m all over the place. Here’s my race report.

Day Before and Race Day

In light of the result, one very small detail stands out from the day before: as a light snack at about 3:30, I had some corn chips and approx.1/2c guacamole.

Race day: All good. Proper fueling, proper timing, proper execution. 

Lesson: I’m well prepped on race day. Very little anxiety or stress; I planned the race and I’ll race the plan (mostly). But remember that guac snack.

Swim (1:08:32)

Tempe Town Lake is basically a giant, unfiltered pool, murky but calm, a Lake Michigan Lite. Two challenging aspects of the course are 1) officials make it very tough to preview actual course and 2) about 400 yards of swimming directly towards a 7:02 sunrise.

The new self-seeding race start works fine for me, I’m no mass start purist and I’m happy to navigate fewer dolts over the first couple hundred yards. I’d been in this water twice over the past 30 days and shaded goggles got me through.

In candor, while there’s always room for improvement, my Garmin indicated 1:26/100 avg. over 2.58mi and mapped very close to where Ironman says the buoys were placed. So in terms of efficiency, the extra .18miles could be attributed to race-start procedures/location, where I hit my T1 button as well as some normal jostling.

Lesson: better sighting and overall technique will help improve time.

T1 (5:14)

Smooth. Almost half the time my coach thought I’d take. I don’t fuck around in transition.

Bike (5:41:43; 19.7mph avg)

My plan was simple: “Front side strong side, back side fast side.” I’d muscle uphill to the Shea Road turnaround (strong side) and let gravity and aero deliver high speeds back into town (fast side) for three loops. This also fits my general race strategy of “take what it gives you.”

Furthermore, even the windiest rides I’d taken over the month that I lived in Tempe to train, the gusts rarely got above 15mph. So 5-10mph wind forecast was manageable. I had a solid, tested nutrition plan. I’d rented a small profile front wheel and disk back (practiced on during my stay) and a respectable 289 FTP. I made my race weight goal of 162lbs (74kg).

But Ironman is a bitchy trickster.

Because on race day, that bitch wind that usually hits at Beeline Highway, was already in everybody’s face at McKellips Road, a full 10 miles earlier (per loop), than any practice ride. However, logic indicates that if it’s that nasty outbound, it’s at my back inbound! Sure enough, IM tracker data supports this over first and second loops, essentially indicating 17mph outbound, 26mph inbound, though less dramatically on third loop data (16mph out/19mph in).

To stay conservative, I deliberately turned down watts to manage the additional 30miles of headwind on McKellips. Garmin says: 183 avg watts (63% FTP) overall. This may indicate I left some power out there, or(!) that good technique and aerodynamics on the “fast side” kept watts down despite high avg mph.

On the front side of the second loop, lots of “47″ and “46″ male calves passed me. I really hate getting passed. IMAZ results say I ranked 39th out of the water but 60th off the bike. So you just gotta believe me when I say that I let a lot of people go. Is that a positive step in my evolution as a competitor? Or was that concession to windy course conditions? All I know is that I took too long on the bike and there was a lot of conflicting chatter in my head.

To compound the problem, every time I peed, i had to gear up/mash hard in order to coast long enough to straighten a leg as I went. And if a few guys got past me as I peed, I had to catch them. Was that racing my plan? Yes and no. Yes I’d always planned to pee on the bike, but the wattage spikes to regain momentum may have caused problems later. On the other hand, 183 avg watts! So it’s a circular conundrum.

Two other items of note. 

I ate one Clif Bar within the first hour, as planned.

As is my habit, I thank volunteers as well as first responders (police, EMTs, Firefighters) as I go.

Lesson: trust the training. A good plan, well executed, will get it done.

T2 (2:49)

Again, smooth. No issues. I’d gotten all my nutrition and hydration in on the bike and my full body scan was all good. Even gave Susan a quick peck as I went by.

Run (4:21:26 or 9:58/mi)

Ten. Minute. Miles. Criminal. A heinous crime.

What happened? Started slowly--as planned-- and knew the course. Everything for the first two miles was A-OK! I wasn’t pushing. What happened? No problems on second loop whatsoever, I had the legs and the stomach was fine. Cola provided a great boost around mile 24. I ran the last two miles at sub-8:00 pace but did not negative split. I didn't get anywhere near my expected average pace of 8:30s or better. What happened?

One. Bad. GI moment. At Mile 2, forced porta-pottie stop to release the terrible pressure. 

So let’s Tarantino this crime... let’s go back... rewind... maybe you already know where I’m going...

IF I had started cola earlier (mile 16?), I could have negative split...

IF I had not had a brief but sudden bout of diarrhea at the second aid station (symptoms started bubbling at first aid station)...

IF only I hadn’t over-reacted in FEAR, slowing at every aid station to ensure that I was never too far from a port-pottie.

Did I need to walk every aid station? Absolutely not! 

In other words, despite near perfect race day plan and execution, that one  single, sudden burst of diarrhea blew up the whole run. Because once it started, that fear of it becoming a serial killer dominated my race management. Now, in the court of my post-race opinion, where does the blame belong? 

Infinite formula? Both bike and run formulas were used extensively during training. Verdict: Innocent.

That Cliff Bar early on the bike? Circumstantial evidence does point to this suspect, given IMOO results and frequent immediate distress after some(!) training bricks, but the timing doesn’t seem right and, again, used plenty in training. Verdict: Innocent.

Heat? It reached mid-80s. But I never felt that oppressive burn (or other symptoms) of being overheated AND I’d been training in it for over a month AND I did not cramp up afterwards. Verdict: Innocent.

Loss of Confidence? I don’t think of myself as a runner despite having completed multiple 70.3s and lots of long training runs, not to mention the friggin’ Chicago Marathon, sub-4 in 90+ degree heat. Verdict: GUILTY, Aiding and Abetting.

Guacamole? Forgive my grossness here but this suspect matches the volume and consistency of evidence left in the second aid station porta-pottie. Timing fits, too. Verdict: GUILTY.

Lesson: sometimes “take what it gives you” is not the right move. Sometimes fortune favors the bold. Should have and could have run harder and let the poops fall where they may.

OVERALL RACE TIME: 11:19:26

OVERALL RACE GRADE: B-

I had faster time expectations in all three phases, especially the Run. Honestly though, it is somewhat disingenuous to suggest that 11:19 is not impressive. It is. Especially given that this was only my second ever full 140.6 race.

Did I redeem a terrible 2015 IMOO? Unequivocal YES.

Am I one of the guys at the pointy end of the bell curve? SORT OF, depending on how pointy #48 out of 495 ranks in my AG (largest AG at IMAZ).

Did I KQ? Unequivocal NO. Not even close.

Furthermore, I admit that 1-5-4 was a stretch goal from the very start, especially given my limited time in the sport. I also have to admit that there was never any data to support the kinds of power or paces I know to be required for sub-10 results, including but not limited to:

1-5-4 does not account for 10-15 minutes of transition

A 5 hour bike split indicates a 22.4mph average speed

3.2 - 3.4 w/kg is well below elite ratios of 4.0+w/kg

A sub-4 standalone marathon does not project to a sub-4 IM marathon

A 5-hour 70.3 does not project to a 10-hour full

SWIM: A-

Could reasonably trim 7-8 minutes, or about :10-:15 seconds/100.

BIKE: B+

Wind. But also, could have managed/reduced surges better. Could reasonably trim :30 minutes with a few extra watts.

RUN: C

That initial shock of FEAR so early in the run created a tactical overreaction predicated on a lack of faith in my own abilities. I’ve just got to start thinking of myself as a runner. Then, run.

Finishing / Post Race

I’m very grateful to my lovely wife Susan and my wonderful kids, Peter and Veronica for their support. Susan, you are my salvation.

I’m grateful to have the expert professionals Coach K and Coach Sharone and the entire Well-Fit staff who share their wisdom. 

I’m grateful to my inspiring and impressive training partners, including but not limited to the TriFam (Adam, Anjelica, Bernie, David, Kelly, Lauren, Megan, Sach), the Well-Fit Elite Team (too many bad-asses to list) and other triathlete rockstars like AJ, Jeremy, Kristin D., Laura B., Thomas, Tony, and all the Pauls and Mikes.

Special gratitude to Tatsu, Jeremy and Paul Z who were involved, but thankfully not harmed, with my training ride crash. Tatsu was especially gracious and understanding. Thank you.

I’m very grateful to anybody willing to excuse my terrible smell, deplorable language and barbaric sounds during FTP tests.

Maximum gratitude to Well-Fit, FFC, UIC, Whitney Young, Get-A-Grip, Live Grit, Fleet Feet, the Lakeshore path, Joliet Bicycle Club, PSHS and the pros at Moxie Multi-sport in Tempe.

I’m grateful for Crushing Iron (C26), Matt Fitzgerald, Joe Friel, Training Peaks, Scott brand bikes, Garmin, Apple, Chipotle, Lifetime Fitness, Ironman.

Thank you to all the on-course maniacs cheering and making signs and wearing all sorts of crazy outfits to show love and support. 

Special thanks and appreciation to Matt Dryden, Rob Lemons and Bernie Mc for the most amazing on course support--with special Top Marks to Bernie the Leprechaun!

I’m grateful that I’m able to race triathlons.