#particularly if you want star wars without having to think too hard

[nvirskies]

sand - c. la rue

idea taken from one of @star-girl69 's asks about married clarisse and immediately went to think about how the vast majority of greek demigods didn't get to live past their 20's or even teen years... and the survivor's guilt that would come with being one of the few lucky enough to live longer.

warnings: angst, hurt/comfort, traumatic nightmare flashbacks, descriptions of violence, descriptions of blood + war, spoilers for TLO, set after both reader and clarisse leave CHB about 6-8 years into the future, google translated Greek term of endearment, crying, survivor's guilt, platonic RueGard, ooc Clarisse, she's matured more over time and more articulate with her feelings and words

summary: clarisse wakes up from a particularly bad nightmare in the middle of the night, reader comforts her through a breakdown

wife!fem!demigod!reader x wife!clarisse la rue

word count: 2.2k

καρδιά μου (kardiá mou) - my heart

Η καρδιά μου είναι η καρδιά σου (I kardiá mou eínai i kardiá sou) - my heart is your heart

"but you have more pieces of me than than desert has sand, and I have less pieces of you than I can hold in my hand" sand, alchemical: vol. 1, dove cameron

taglist: @lvrue @star-girl69 @azrielsdiary @petitegavotte @b0ok-lover

men, nsfw, non-sapphic, 16-/19+ dni

Greek demigods fell in love hard and fast with an unmatched intensity. They normally didn’t live long enough to even envision themselves in their adult lives, and why would they? Every day was a struggle to stay alive with monsters coming in from all angles and quests most didn’t come back from.

And that was why, as soon as the two of you graduated high school, Clarisse got down on a knee and proposed with the knowledge that you were the one she would want to spend the rest of her life, however long or short, with.

When you two had graduated college, the next thing in the books was to make it official in the courthouse, and that was what you had done. No extravagant party or ceremony, just a quiet day in the courthouse and a night in to celebrate.

But no matter how far the two of you ran from Camp Half-Blood, the nightmares never went away, never got better. As the years passed, more of the people you had considered friends died. One after the other, falling like cursed dominos, helplessly standing by as they all tumbled down.

Soon, the nightmares became more about the people that were lost than the monsters themselves. Nightly plagues of searingly painful memories from watching the life drain from so many demigods’ eyes burned themselves in both of your psyches.

All you could do was hope Charon would be kind enough to ferry them across the Styx without his payment of a silver coin.

And tonight certainly hadn’t been anything out of the ordinary with the two of you and your limbs interlaced in a protective embrace while sleep claimed your minds, as if the both of you could protect each other from the monsters both in and outside.

Your head, nestled into her chest. Her deep, rhythmic breathing made your hair flutter ever so slightly as she exhaled. Her arms, wrapped loosely around your waist, hands not-so-sneakily under the baggy shirt of hers you had stolen to wear as pajamas for the night. It was all perfect. Too perfect.

You would be damned fools to think that peace would last for so long. Demigods didn’t get peace, they didn’t get tranquility, and they especially didn’t get uninterrupted domestic bliss.

Unbeknownst to you, Clarisse’s face contorted into one of distress. Her arms pulled you in closer subconsciously as the all too familiar face of Morpheus greeted her with a sly smirk on his face in her dreams.

In moments, she was transported back to the Battle of Manhattan.

She was seventeen again.

Blood was everywhere. Abandoned weapons lay on the floor, the hands that once gripped them tightly, now loose and limp. Shrill screams echoed throughout the air, all cut short by gut-wrenching sounds of fatal injury. Metal cut through flesh. Acid burnt through metal. Flames licked and greedily consumed anything and everything as fuel.

Her feet felt heavy, her hands numb. She could do nothing but stand and watch it all unfold before her own eyes, forced to relive the carnage and devastation that had ripped through Manhattan on that fateful day.

Morpheus’ voice whispered in her right ear, the sound of it sending an uneasy chill down her spine. “Daughter of Ares. A fitting dream, no? Your father must have been proud of you for the way you fought after… well, I’ll let you relive that, too.” Before she could blink, she was transported to the moment right after Silena had been sprayed by the Lydian Drakon.

Clarisse was too late. She had always been too late.

She was back on her knees, choking and weeping bitterly as Silena lay in her arms, watching as life slowly left her once-lively eyes.

What kind of a warrior even was she? So weak that she couldn’t even protect her friend? Too weak to protect the girl who had adorned her armor and led her siblings into battle?

Just as Clarisse reached out to touch Silena’s face to wipe away the one mark of smudged eyeliner that the Aphrodite girl normally would never have even allowed to happen in the past, she was jerked back to consciousness, eyes flying open and arms almost crushing your sleeping form momentarily as she came to.

No longer was she in Manhattan, instead sheltered in the familiarly adorned walls of your shared bedroom. Upon the walls hung framed pictures of joyous times past and her sword collection, among other things.

Familiar faces stared back at her, some faces that would never age again. Immortalized memories of times that would never happen again. Everyone was dead or scattered across the globe.

A particular picture caught Clarisse’s eye. It was a portrait of Silena that she had commissioned one of the Apollo kids to draw for the daughter of Aphrodite’s seventeenth birthday.

She never lived to see that day.

Her eyes locked with Silena’s in the drawing for a moment, and that moment was one too much as hot tears began to prick in the corners of her eyes.

She had inadvertently woken you up with the way her arms tightened around your waist in a near vice grip, slowly coming to your senses. No longer were her breaths slow and rhythmic, their steadfast pattern replaced by one that was erratic and shallow. The once-steady thumping cadence of her heart as it beat in her chest was now quickened, all of which you could hear with your head having been nestled into her chest.

Craning your head to look up at her, you were greeted with the sight of Clarisse desperately trying to silently blink back tears and control her own breathing.

Hurriedly, you pushed yourself up off her chest and tugged the blankets off the two of you before sitting down on her lap. You took note of the way her hands had never left your waist, holding onto you as if she were drowning and you were the last life ring thrown out.

It wasn’t anything you and Clarisse hadn’t dealt with before. The nightmares had been a part of your lives as far back as you could remember, it just came with the territory of being a demigod. But they never got any easier as time went on.

She watched silently with eyes brimming with unshed tears, pleading wordlessly with you to do something, anything to make it all go away.

“Let’s switch, yeah? You can lay on me and completely cover me if you want, love,” you offered up, a melancholy smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. Wordlessly, she nodded and you slipped off her lap, laying back where she had just been moments ago.

Gently patting your chest, you motioned for her to rest her head on it, knowing that the rest of her body would soon follow, completely engulfing your form with hers. After she had positioned herself, her arms snaked around your waist again as she simply held you for a few moments, her face pressed into your chest as tears slowly soaked into your shirt.

One hand reached out to gently run along the length of her back, the motion meant to soothe. A few beats passed in silence before you spoke in a hushed whisper, the bedroom devoid of sound beyond the two of you breathing in tandem with each other.

“You hear that, love? That’s my heart,” you murmured softly, craning your neck to press a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “It’s beating, beating for you. Η καρδιά μου είναι η καρδιά σου.”

She didn’t respond beyond releasing another shaky sob into your chest and tightening her grip around your body, but you didn’t mind. You didn’t need her to talk just yet.

“You’re also η καρδιά μου, you know that, right? My heart, my wife, my love, my everything. And I’m yours. Entirely yours, and I”m not going anywhere.” You craned your neck again to press another kiss against the crown of her head, hand never stopping its path of running gently along the length of her back.

“I would go down to the depths of Tartarus for you. I would challenge Hades himself to a fight if it meant I had even a glimmer of a chance in getting you back.”

Never once did you try to rush her into talking or shushing her tears. You knew her better than you knew yourself, and giving her time to let everything out was the best thing you could do for her at the moment.

You were her safe space, the one woman that she could let her walls down around. She wasn’t Ares’ star daughter in your arms, she was just Clarisse. No expectations dangling over her head, just open arms and understanding.

After another few quiet moments, she finally spoke up in between half-choked sobs, whispering so quietly that her voice was nearly inaudible, “Silena… Manhattan… should have been able to save her,” before letting her face fall back down onto your chest, releasing another pained cry.

“She’s gone- a-and everyone else too- why me?”

Her question left you speechless, mouth partly opened in an attempt to come up with a reassuring response, but nothing seemed to come to mind immediately. It was rare for this to happen, as you normally had just the right words at the top of your tongue, weaving them as Arachne once wove tapestries on her loom.

“They’re all gone and- and- ”

“Shh, love…” you cut her off, gently pulling her head up to look her in the eyes, your other hand leaving her back to wipe the tears that were still streaming down her cheeks with the pad of your thumb. “Please, don’t go back into that self-sacrificial spiral. Talk to me, tell me what the dream was about?”

She only shook her head in response, unwilling to divulge details of the memory that had shattered your night of otherwise perfect proportions.

Deflating back on top of you, she whispered, “They’re all gone, and we’re one of the only ones remaining. It was like every time another one of them died, that small part of myself that I gave to them died as well.”

Her arms that were wrapped around your waist tightened for a moment before going limp along with the rest of her body as she lay atop you, her head pressed against your chest.

“Love…” you began softly as one of your hands found its way to her head and carded gently through her curls. “You can’t blame yourself for what happened. None of it was your fault. We didn’t ask to be born, to be thrown into this mess of a world and tossed around like pawns in the gods’ game of chess with our lives.”

“We didn’t ask for this life, and we were so young at the time. For fuck’s sake, we were only seventeen- we hadn’t even made out yet. We hadn’t graduated high school yet, there were so many things we couldn’t control.

“None of it was your fault, I promise you. You were so brave, and you did everything you could.” She stayed silent as you spoke, the only sounds coming from her were the soft, shaky breaths as she sniffled and burrowed her face further into your shirt.

“I can’t explain to you why so many things had to happen, that’s up to the Fates. I can’t give you the pieces of yourself back that you lost when we kept losing everyone,” you murmured whilst your hands kept on with their idle motions.

It shattered your heart to give her such an incomplete answer when you knew it was tearing her apart inside to live with it all, but there was nothing you could do beyond offer solace and comfort. “And for that, I am so, so sorry. But the one thing I can do is keep the piece you’ve granted me to keep, safe and sound.”

She only nodded in response, not trusting herself to speak in fear of her own vulnerability. Her tears soaked into your shirt, but you didn’t care. All that was important was that Clarisse was here, in your arms, and slowly calming down.

Clarisse knew just as well as you did that everyone had done the best they could with the circumstances given, and that the loss affected you just as deeply. But she didn’t dig into that, it would be a can of worms to open for another time, another sleepless night where your own troubles caught up with you after running from them for so long.

And so, the rest of the night stretched on into early morning, the two of you half-awake, seeking silent solace in each other until sunlight crept into the bedroom through the cracks of the curtains the next day.

The two of you might have been running from your trauma like runners to a marathon, but at least you were running hand-in-hand with matching strides.

#🖋️ nvir writes #clarisse la rue x reader #clarisse la rue x fem reader #clarisse la rue #clarisse la rue pjo #clarisse larue #clarisse la rue x you #clarisse la rue x y/n #percy jackson and the olympians #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo #pjo tv #im not sorry #maybe i am #no im not

[dystopicjumpsuit]

DJ's Follower Celebration!!!

Hi friends! I recently hit a follower milestone that absolutely blew my mind; I never really expected anyone to be particularly interested in my work, let alone this many of you. I am constantly blown away by your talent, insight, and creativity. I'm so grateful for every single one of you, and I want to celebrate YOU!

With that in mind, I'm going to be opening requests to create Datafiles like the one I made for Cerra for your Star Wars OCs. I've created three different versions: a Grand Army of the Republic Personnel Datafile, a Jedi Archive Member Record Datafile, and an ISB Suspect Datafile. Here are some examples of what they look like:

Transcripts in alt text.

Here's what you need to do to participate:

Submit an Ask with your OC's name and the artwork you'd like me to use. The artwork should have either a plain or a transparent background, and the filesize needs to be smaller than 25MB.

Fill out this form to tell me what information you'd like included in your OC's datafile.

Reblog this post to spread the word so other folks can participate, too.

That's it! Detailed rules are below the cut:

Rules:

Since this is intended to celebrate my followers, this event is only open to folks who follow me. I will be checking.

Each blog can submit a maximum of two requests.

Once I've created the Datafile, I'll answer your Ask with the PNG and the transcript. Feel free to share and repost them elsewhere, but it would be lovely if you could give me credit; I worked hard on these!

Requests will be filled in the order in which they are received; please be patient as it takes time to create the Datafiles.

I will not begin working on a request until I receive BOTH the Tumblr Ask AND the info form response.

By submitting your OC info, you agree to allow me to edit the text if necessary to fit in the template without consulting you ahead of time.

If you use a Picrew or similar to create your OC artwork, please include the link in your ask to credit the creator. By submitting artwork, you affirm that you have a right to share and transform/edit the artwork, and that you are giving me permission to share/edit the artwork as well.

Don't submit inappropriate images, please. I'm a delicate kriffing flower.

Do not submit hateful content.

I reserve the right to ignore a request for any reason.

Tips for success:

Keep it succinct; it's fine to use truncated, abrupt sentences. Sometimes they make it sound more official, and remember, I have limited space in the templates. I'll do my best to accommodate what you submit, but I might need to edit the text to fit (see Rule 6).

Think about whether the organization creating the Datafile would know/care to include the information. Examples of things to include: injuries sustained in battle (particularly if they were severe/debilitating); special/unusual Force abilities; an explanation of why a Jedi padawan switched masters; outstanding warrants. Examples of things that might be less relevant: petty crimes that the ISB wouldn't necessarily investigate (keeping in mind that they're more like the FBI/CIA/NSA than the local PD); minor injuries sustained outside of combat (like a black eye from a barfight at 79's); favorite snack when they were a youngling in the Jedi temple creche (unless they're STILL a youngling in the Jedi temple creche).

Remember that the ISB stands for Imperial Security Bureau, so they wouldn't have a file during the Clone Wars. Similarly, the Jedi Archive and GAR records wouldn't reference the ISB Datafile (though ISB certainly could have access to Jedi and GAR records).

Think about the perspective of the person creating the record; if it's ISB, they might accuse your OC of a serious crime that they didn't commit (or exaggerate a minor crime to look more severe than it actually was) for the sake of propaganda.

Have fun with it! "Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking" is a fantastic trope for a reason!

Thank you all so very much for being such a lovely, welcoming group! I can't wait to celebrate with you!

I used these picrews to create the OC artwork for the examples: GAR; ISB; Jedi Archive.

Ragu list:

@secondaryrealm @sev-on-kamino spicy-clones @wings-and-beskar @523rdrebel @merkitty49 @anxiouspineapple99 @sinfulsalutations @arcsimper5 @starrylothcat @clio3kantarella @cloneloverrrrr @goblininawig @ladytano420 @arctrooper69 @wolffegirlsunite @sunshinesdaydream @mandos-mind-trick @littlemissmanga @stunkbiggu @starqueensthings @clonemedickix @marierg @idontgetanysleep @moonlightwarriorqueen @dudewhynotthis @sleepycreativewriter @tcwmatchmakingau @littlemissbshine @multi-fan-dom-madness @heavenseed76 @wizardofrozz @bobaprint @sweetcream-coldfoam @banksys-rat @skellymom @pickleprickle @trixie2023 @mythical-illustrator @dickarchivist @cw80831 @kimiheartblade @meredithroseg @flyiingsly

#follower celebration #follower appreciation #dystopicjumpsuit's follower celebration #star wars #star wars oc #jedi oc #clone trooper oc

[gffa]

Hi there! I’m someone who’s been following you for Star Wars for a while but I’ve become really interested in your DC comics posting recently, and I was wondering - since the franchise has been going for so long and has so many instalments - what you would say to someone who wants to start reading these comics/watching the shows/movies but doesn’t know where to start? Have a lot of the comics been retconned? Is there a particular order one has to read in? Where does one even find these comics…?

My interest in this franchise was literally sparked by the Jason Todd telephone poll so I’m definitely interested in reading more about him - he seems like a character I’d like - and the rest of like, the… Batfamily, I think they’re called? I just have no idea where to start lol - my knowledge of DC is limited to seeing bits of Teen Titans GO when I walked past my little brother watching TV, and watching the Lego Batman movie with him xD

Also! If I’m correct, after observing the fandom, Talia seems like an interesting, complex female character (with some bad writing), like Padmé or Bo-Katan? I always love those kinds of characters, just wondering if I’d got the right impression of her.

Hi! You've got a solid idea of things so far, so hopefully, this shouldn't be too hard of a climb to get used to the structure! And I'll do my best to explain the structure of comics without getting too lost in the weeds about it. 😂

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW: In my view, comics aren't meant to be a single coherent whole and it's helpful to drop that idea before you get started because otherwise you'll drive yourself around the bend in a fruitless attempt to make everything line up neatly, when it just never will. There is no one single "true" version of the characters, there is no one single creator who is the highest authority on a character, no matter who created the character or even who is most famous for writing them, these are shared characters being written and drawn by a multitude of authors and artists who all have varying takes on them. The characters should stay true to a core personality and traits, but the flexibility of an author to write a character differently from the last person who wrote them is a feature not a bug imo. I like to think of comics as stories being told by different authors playing with action figures and we're in the audience enjoying these stories, regardless of how some authors fit really well together and others completely clash with each other. You can try to make them mesh (sometimes that's fun!) or you can just shrug your shoulders and pick what you like out of the pile of comics that have been handed to you (you'll probably drive yourself less over the edge this way!). Jason is particularly difficult on this aspect, because he often doesn't have a regular book to be written in and his overall place/point in the Batman comics is murky at best somedays and so he is wildly different from author to author. I personally enjoy this, because I think it works for Jason as a character who has some core beliefs, but also is kind of a mess who doesn't really know what he wants, so he veers wildly from one reaction to another. You can read comics in a variety of ways, but I genuinely do not recommend trying to read "in order" because it's a nightmare to try to keep track of everything once it's been a few years and the numbering of these series is the most confusing thing you'll ever meet. Instead, I think it's better to focus on picking up trades (collections of comics that originally came out in single issues, but are put together in a single volume that tells the whole story of that particular run) that sound interesting or come recommended. (And, honestly, it's not even satisfying even if you did do all the work to read them in order. Throw out the idea that comics have a coherent timeline, because they do NOT.)

CONTINUITIES AND DIFFERENT ERAS: The ONLY context I think you need (other than a general sense of the Batfam, we'll get there in a minute) is to understand that there are sort of four "continuities" that you're likely to run into, and this is EXTREMELY simplified/streamlined, so nerds don't come for me on this unless you have a better streamlined and simple version. 😂 - Anything published before 1985-1986 is all "Pre-Crisis" and while reading a lot of the older comics can be super fun, they're generally not super relevant to current comics - In 1985-1986, there was a comics event (an event is where multiple different comic books are all written to be part of a bigger storyline, whereas normally, they don't cross over that much, each book usually has its own self-contained storylines) called "Crisis on Infinite Earths" (which is different from "Infinite Crisis") that was basically a way for DC to streamline all the different versions of the characters running around into one manageable universe. This ran up until about 2011 and I'll often refer to it as the "preboot" or "post-Crisis" continuity. (This is where Jason's death happened, in the storyline "A Death in the Family".) - In 2011, DC wanted to reboot their entire universe with an event called "Flashpoint", with the purpose of creating an all new lineup of 52 comics that new readers could jump right into, which isn't a bad idea in theory. The problem was that people were really attached to the preboot versions of the characters, a lot of the Nu52 comics were really badly written, and there was almost no collaboration. You expect a certain amount of contradiction just by the nature of comics, but there were major issues with "nobody is talking to each other, so everything is a giant mess".

- In 2016, for a variety of reasons (probably including that sales for Nu52 had dipped back down pretty far again), DC rebooted their universe again, with "Rebirth", which is the continuity we're in now. I'm still catching up (I left when Nu52 happened) but I think a lot of preboot events are leaking back into the continuity, but that's not the same as saying it's equal to the preboot continuity in total. This is also the era that I generally talk about the most because I've found it genuinely the most engaging to get back into! Generally, as long as you understand those four eras of continuity, I think you'll be fine in understanding how things are put together. If you want to know where something falls, just check the date and that'll tell you! But, honestly, yeah, background details change all the time, so even within a single continuity there will be retcons--just that there are MASSIVE differences in the Nu52 era that might confuse you if you're unaware of the reboot shenanigans. (Or if you want to understand how Jason returned--like, preboot continuity has the explanation that Superboy Prime (don't ask) punched reality so hard that it shook Jason back to life, even if they never found out about it, that's what happened. I think Nu52 said Talia dug him up and put him in the Lazarus Pit? Don't quote me on that. I flamed out hard on Nu52. Rebirth continuity, they have no idea what the hell happened and I'm not sure there's an explanation. I just assume the Reality Punch leaked back in or something.)

SO, LIKE, WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THESE CHARACTERS? AS SHORT AS I CAN MAKE IT: - Bruce Wayne witnesses his parents being murdered in front of him and this traumatizes him so badly that he withdraws from life to obsess over it, eventually travelling the world for several years to learn every kind of skill he can, until he comes back to Gotham at, like 22 years old or whatever and becomes Batman to fight crime. The only rails on this ride is his butler Alfred who basically raises him from the time he's eight and Alfred is working MIRACLES here, but there's only so much even he can do. He is absolutely Bruce's father figure, even if they rarely frame it in those terms, because Thomas Wayne (Bruce's father) is such an important figure in their lives and because Alfred is extremely British. - Bruce is Batman for a few years, usually depicted as being super grimdark because he's shut his heart against loving anyone ever again because the pain is too much. But then one night he's at a circus performance and there's a terrible "accident" where a little 9 year old boy (shhhh we ignore any other versions than that he was nine, dammit, it's important for the thematic parallels!) witnesses his world-class aerialists parents falling to their deaths. Dick Grayson's grief and loss spark something in Bruce and he takes on this grieving, angry, brilliant little boy as his ward. Now, not even God can stop Dick Grayson, who is going to get justice for his parents' murder, so eventually Bruce reveals that he's Batman and Dick basically barges his way into creating his sidekick persona, Robin. Bruce is not a fan of this, but seriously. He couldn't have stopped that kid, he tried. He could only put a leash on him. Dick brings light and joy back to Wayne Manor and they have the most fascinating relationship--they're father & son, they're brothers, they're best friends, they understand each other like no one else does, they fight like no one else in that family does, they love each other, they're so angry at each other, they're co-dependent and absolutely batshit about each other, they basically raise each other from the time Dick came to Wayne Manor. - Dick eventually grows up and starts clashing with Bruce more, especially as he gains his independence. Different versions happen differently in different continuities, but eventually it hits a boiling point and either Bruce fires him as Robin or Dick quits because he can't deal with this. He goes off to become Nightwing, while Bruce eventually meets another kid who (in the most common version) tries to steal the Batmobile's tires because he needs the money. Circumstances happen, Bruce eventually ends up adopting Jason Todd, who becomes the next Robin. Things are relatively stable for awhile, until Jason learns about his birth mother and runs off to try to reconnect with her, except the Joker's got his sticky fingers all up in this situation, and it results in Jason dying in the exploding building.

- Bruce is Not Doing Well after this, so in comes our favorite horrible little stalker gremlin Tim Drake, who hunts down Dick Grayson and says, hey, you gotta become Robin again because Batman's going to get himself killed if you don't. Dick is like, no, I fucking do not. Tim responds with, well, guess I gotta do it myself then and basically barges his way into being the next Robin. He bonds with Dick as a brother (who is far and way Tim's favorite, imo), he does his best to be as good of a Robin as he can be. - Things are better after that, they're fairly well into Batfamily territory by this point. Jason comes back and, originally, it was supposed to be a trick, it was a villain pretending to be him, but was later retconned to actually be Jason who came back and... it's complicated. I don't think they really knew what to do with him once he came back, so he kind of ping-pongs around with varying levels of villainy for awhile. - Then we get to the time around Batman R.I.P. where a lot of shit happens all at once, especially for Tim. Bruce dies fighting a Justice League villain, Tim also has his bio-dad die around this time, his relationship with his ex-girlfriend/good friend is kind of going to shit, the boy he's in love with (not canon at the time, but current day storylines basically confirm it was true) also died and it wrecked Tim, like he lost his MIND over Conner Kent's death, there's this annoying little shit Damian Wayne who has showed up as the bio-son of Bruce, and then suddenly Bruce also dies. And Dick has to become Batman because Gotham needs Batman and he's in mourning and dealing with Jason being back and everything OFF THE RAILS as various people are like, "No, I'M going to be Batman now!" and Dick has to shut all that shit down and take up the mantle himself despite that he doesn't want it AND deal with Damian being an emotionally traumatized 11 year old baby assassin who has been abused into being a killer his entire life (I mean, it's comics, don't take it too seriously) and he needs something to hold onto or he's going to leave and go back to killing, so Dick and Alfred give the Robin mantle to Damian, which pisses Tim off because he's not doing well and sees it as a betrayal (while Dick was asking for his help as an ally, that he was ready to graduate to being more than just Batman's sidekick) because he's lost so much. - So we have Dick & Damian as Batman & Robin (THIS ERA WAS SO GOOD), Tim as Red Robin (fandom way overplays Tim and Dick's tension, they come back together after their dramatic few months), and eventually they find Bruce who was lost in the time stream (don't ask) and then, WHAM, Nu52 happens. But basically, that's the Robins timeline. I'm skipping over Steph's turn as Robin because it was so short and it was clearly set up just to knock her down, as well as not touching on Cass much because this is long enough as it is and I'm trying to circle back to focusing on Jason-friendly stuff.

WHERE TO START: Ask a dozen different people where to start and you'll get a dozen different answers! I think starting anywhere is fine and it's going to depend on what you like--for example, I'm personally not that into the animated DC movies (not enough of my Blorbo) but "Batman: Under the Red Hood" is generally very well-regarded as an updated version of Jason's return and is nicely self-contained if you want to watch it without much other context. I also think watching the Justice League animated series from 2001 is fantastic if you want a funny, charismatic, streamlined adaptation of what the Justice League is like. (Batman: The Animated Series was groundbreaking at the time and a really good adaptation, but very dated by this point in time, so I hesitate to recommend it too much, even though it's beloved to me.) The Wayne Family Adventures is an absolutely adorable, delightful webtoon adaptation that is very light-hearted compared to the mainline comics! I like recommending it to new fans because I think it's super easy to start reading without too much extraneous context and gives you an idea of the characters' relationships to each other, so long as you understand that it is EXTREMELY soft and is much in the vein of LEGO Batman content--you're not supposed to take it super seriously, there are times it's deliberately crossing into something like parody territory, but that doesn't mean it's not genuinely funny, charming, and a great read. @fantastic-nonsense has an incredibly thorough list of recommendations for comics by character here, and you can scroll down to the Jason Todd section and start reading there! Or you can check out the "A STARTING POINT: BATMAN IN OTHER MEDIA" section because I pretty much 100% agree with everything she says about the various adaptations. I like recommending "Young Justice" as an introduction to DC, so long as you understand that it's a loose adaptation and that the team compositions and various relationships are not always going to be accurate to comics dynamics. I have my own comics recs tag, but I'm more Dick-focused, so your mileage is going to vary on how useful you might find my recs! But basically, you can't go wrong with starting with "A Death in the Family", then "Under the Red Hood" (movie then comics) and "Red Hood: The Lost Days". Basically, anything by Judd Winick has a good chance of being a solid read for him. It's hard to recommend Jason comics, because so many of them are either not great or require knowledge of the events that are going on around the same time--but, honestly, once you're familiar with the set-up, I do think you can pick up almost any trade and pick up context along the way. I personally also loved "Robins: Being Robin" series, because all five of the Robins working to solve a case together and being unhinged weirdos at each other is my jam. (But I like pretty much anything Tim Seely writes!) I also always recommend the 2016 Nightwing series because Dick is my Blorbo, but I also think "Robin & Batman" by Jeff Lemire is a fantastic story to understand who baby Dick Grayson is and his relationship with Bruce, and both "The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory" are some of the best Batman comics I've ever read, but they can be tough to get through if you don't like Tim Sale's very stylized art.

WHERE TO FIND THESE THINGS TO READ? The movies and animated series should be on HBOMax and/or Netflix, and comics I always recommend hitting up your library to see what they have--so many libraries have a ton of comics available, especially digitally! And, if you have a library card, it's very possible that your library partners with Hoopla, where they have a ton of Batman comics! You can also check out DC Universe, which has almost all DC comics if you get a subscription.

TL;DR: If you want bigger context on how all this stuff works, start with either "Justice League" or "Young Justice", they're really cute, fun adaptations. If you want to get straight to the Jason stuff, start with "A Death in the Family" --> "Under the Red Hood" --> "Red Hood: The Lost Days" --> "Batman: Urban Legends vol. 1". (And, yeah, you have the right impression of Talia! She often gets written as a villain, but she's also often a lot more complex than that, it really depends on who you get to write her. The corner of fandom I hang out in is generally more generous to her, but some of the actual comics can be kind of rough. But she's complex and has a lot of sharp edges, so, you know, I love her, too. 😂)

#lumi.txt #dc #batfam #jason todd #comics recs #long post

[umnitsa]

The Sailor's Knot - 2

Summary: Joel slowly makes things better, even if you don't notice.

A/N: Sorry, guys. I take too long to write, tag and everything, but I'm writing <3 I hope you enjoy this! Banner from @cafekitsune <3

Written with unholy eagerness and no proofreading! No beta, we die like english is my second language (and it is! xD).

Pairing: ADHD!Reader x Joel (Reader is also plus size, it just isn't an issue yet. Reader is about Joel's age.)

CW: Depression lifting by the way of serotonin delivered by a handsome man. Reader is also nerdy. First part is here!

The kids kept coming into your house. They would stay at the door and books would exchange hands as they tried to peek inside, just to get a look of the dog sleeping at the floor.

The dog slept a lot. Often over and around you.

Joel started building the fence as soon as the ground permitted, and you joined him, making holes, hammering poles and encouraging him to take breaks and sit inside, whenever he looked in pain.

Which it was all the time.

So you two spent the days inside, talking quietly about unimportant things.

The fence almost started feeling like an excuse. It felt even more of an excuse when he started joining you on walks for the dog’s necessities, while your talks got more philosophical. More profound.

“I can’t believe you’re actually listening to me.” You said, amusedly, after a particularly entrenched defense you feel you’re experiencing Star Trek, in some way, being in an utopic socialist commune. “Most people find this shit tiring.”

“You’re just a nerd.” Joel scoffed, smirking at you. “I knew it the moment you heard my name and made a Mystery Science Theater 3000 joke.”

“You recognized it! I knew it! And what does it says about say about you now, sir?” You bumped Joel’s arm with your shoulder, laughing. The dog jumped, tail waggling. You crouched to pet the dog, gently tousling his fur. “We need to get him a ball… Or something for a tug of war. I think he’s starting to feel better, and without the fence he can’t run.”

Joel nodded, kicking the ground.

“I like bad movies.” He says, almost shyly. “Cheesy ones. A few tapes reached some friends, and we had some fun.”

“That didn’t made you less cool then and doesn’t make you less cool now, sir.” You say softly, standing up. “And your secret is safe with me.”

Joel laughed.

“I’ll try and get him a rope. And we can make a ball with scraps of old fabric or leather.” He continued breathlessly after his laughter. “I know what you’re doing.”

“Hm?” You ask, absentmindedly walking towards your home.

“You make me stop working when I’m in pain.” He completed, quietly. “You let me rest.”

“I do?” You smirked, leading the dog inside, and holding the door for Joel, silently inviting him inside. “Hm. I hadn’t noticed, I thought it was just being a socialist.”

Joel shook his head, his expression fond, sweet. He stayed at the door, holding the handle.

“I should go back to the fence.” He says, and you can hear the regret in his voice.

“I found a brush.” You say, caressing the dog’s chest. “We should brush him.”

“We?” Joel entered, taking your excuse for him to stay. It made you smile, your chest filling with warmth. You didn’t want him to go, and he didn’t want it either.

“He’s a big dog. It’s better if it’s four arms. Do you have a tshirt on?” You ask, and he looks at his flannel. You could see the undershirt peeking. “It’s hard work, you will get overheated and you will lose whatever you’re wearing for the furstorm, and you will prefer if it is your undershirt.”

“I hope this isn’t some trap to get me half naked.” Joel smirked.

“Don’t tempt me.” You deadpan, which makes Joel chuckle, blushing, and look down. “Also, we need to make him enjoy this, because it’s something he will have done often and it’s better if he agrees to the whole proceedings. I also got good scissors to take care of his beautiful paws.”

“Do you cut hair?” He asked, grunting as he sat on the floor, his hands on the belly of the dog, gently scratching, soothing the animal into a relaxed state.

“Without any style.” You giggle, entering the bedroom, Joel’s chuckle following you. After some rummaging, you came back, in an old, rattled tshirt, holding the brushes. You sat by Joel’s side, crossing your legs and letting the dog sniff the brush. “I just know we have to trim his paws, don’t get excited for a nerdy haircut.”

“He needs a name.” Joel buried his hand on the fur and the dog offered his belly for petting. You started brushing slowly, carefully the dog’s neck and he closed his eyes, relaxed. “We should had thought of that.”

“You’ll hate all my ideas. Damn, I kinda hate my ideas.” you chuckled.

“Tell me.”

“Well…” You hesitated. “First one was Clifford.”

“He isn’t red, but damn he is big.” Joel chuckles.

“Yeah, but he doesn’t look like a Clifford to me. So… Cujo.” You cringe, chuckling. “I thought the irony of calling this sweetheart Cujo would be funny, but with those big eyes? I can’t bring myself to do it.”

“I see that.” Joel chuckled.

“I’ll call him Dog.” You say softly. “After another book.”

“Yeah?” Joel scrunched his face, focused, trying to find the reference.

“Yeah. Walt Longmire. I really liked those books.” You started picking the loose fur and piling it to the side. “Shame I didn’t get to read the last one before... you know.”

“What is it about?” He asked, carefully watching you combing Dog’s neck as he stretched.

“It’s a western neo noir. A detective series.” You nodded, holding Joel’s hand. He stared into your eyes, tense for a moment, as you push the brush on his hand. “He’s the sheriff of a small county in Wyoming. I like that not all the mysteries are murders.”

You held Joel's hand and guide it over Dog, in long brushes. Once you see he got the hang of it, you stand up.

Under Joel's curious and confused stare, you got into your trove of books and picked a small paperback, bringing it to Joel.

“I really think you would like him.” You placed the book over his flannel on the couch, then sat back beside Joel, the pile of fur just getting bigger beside you.

Dog grumbled, stretching.

“Yeah?” Joel asked softly.

“He is also an older, poetic soul, marred by war and loss.” You nod, your hand brushing over his as you pull loose fur. You continued, quietly. “Like us.”

Joel nodded, quietly, extending the brush to you. He held your hand as you pick it, then tugged you forward. He kissed your forehead, his nose pressed against your hair, both his hands around yours. You close your eyes, breathing deeply, willing to stay in that position for as long as he held you.

Dog grumbled and snorted, raising his head.

You felt Dog’s wet, soft tongue on your cheek, moistening the skin. You chuckled.

“Two handsome dangerous-looking gentlemen kissing me. Feels like I’m blessed. No danger shall reach me.”

Joel pulled back, smiling fondly. He caressed your cheek, then patted Dog, who laid down, offering his belly. With a chuckle, he went back to pulling the fur. ***

Joel appeared the next day with Ellie, Maria, Tommy and some others. While Maria checked on the dog, Joel led everybody else to the fence. It was finished that day.

You thanked everybody involved, promised things that didn’t matter. People agreed you looked better. You could see they looked relieved you were alive and looked well.

Something snapped inside your heart the moment you realized Joel would go back to his life and you suddenly had no excuses to keep him around you.

As people said their good byes, Joel stayed back.

“You didn’t get rid of me.” Joel bumped against your arm, jostling you playfully. You turned to him, wide eyed, facing his pleasant grin. “Now we built the headquarters, the meetings start.” You just stared, wide eyed, completely taken by his playful expression.

You had never seen Joel like this.

“I don’t understand.” You said, distracted by his eyes.

“Talked to Dog and we are gonna start the ‘Handsome Dangerous-looking Old Gentlemen Club’.” Joel placed one hand on his pocket, head tilting towards you. “We have daily meetings.”

You laugh, patting his chest.

“Wanna have the first meeting now? I bet Dog would love to fetch his ball in the yard.” You point at the door, Joel nods, following you. “Thank you.”

“I’m just glad you’re coming back to us, Sunshine.” He said softly, holding your shoulder and kissing the top of your head.

#joel miller #joel miller fic #joel miller x you #joel miller x oc #pedro pascal characters #joel miller x reader #joel miller fanfiction #the last of us fanfic #the last of us fanfiction #mayb writes

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 1/30/2024

a good 60% of my brain is screaming in unemployment terror at all times so these will be somewhat abbreviated until that situation resolves itself

listening

sleeping on the ceiling by friday pilots club. this is a song by a five-piece alt-rock band from chicago that could EASILY open for mid-aughts fall out boy. i would like to think it is from the point of view of a freshly-turned vampire. listen this slot isn't about the best song i heard this week it's about the one that got stuck in my head the most

Hey, I swear I'm okay Honey, I been sleepin' on the ceiling all day Yes way, like hey I swear I feel great Looky, looky, love the feeling of being okay Yes way

spotify.

reading

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and the Amulet of Power by Mike Resnick. it was in a dollar book bin and i got it as a joke gift for a friend. mike resnick is a remarkably prolific writer who's done a lot of tie-ins. i don't have anything particularly notable to say about his star wars books but they are a sort of minimum viable product? they feel star warsy and don't annoy me on every page.

this book was published in 2003 and treats the people of the Nile delta and their beliefs with all the delicacy you might expect from a 2003 video game tie in novel. i do think the twist is being telegraphed way too hard. perhaps i should say instead of sending a telegram mr resnick has simply set the telegraph office ablaze as a signal fire. the titular triangle-pointed woman herself ms croft is VERY insistent she's just as good as the boys. this is pretty on par for my experience of 2003 empowering womens' feminism AND my experience in a male-dominated field so i can't really ding it too hard? aside from the racism, in the notably racism-free fields of archaeology and video games and archaeology video games, this book is aging a little strangely overall. i do not know if i will finish it before i mail it out to my friend, but despite its sins it is a very fast read.

watching

watched the four dungeon meshi episodes. it's cute! ProzD was an unexpected delight! it made me want to make something fancy for dinner but alas i still have to go food shopping!

some posts on my dash were talking about how the episode with the mollusks inside the living armor really got them hooked and i have to agree. i also saw the full potential of the show's speculative biology unspooling before me. i don't know if i currently have the brainwidth for the manga but it is going on my reading list for after i finish berserk. which is kind of like saying i'm going to watch chopped after i finish up hannibal

playing

forgot i had an original gen switch, given to me through a complex series in a complex series of friend barters back in uhhhh late '21? early '22? i got through 3/4 of the divine beasts the first time around and then could not crack the camel. it was well past time to create a new switch profile so i could start a new game without losing the old one.

omg twinnsssssssss

i did forget how goddamn big the map is. i have just now unlocked the camera and the memory quests, i have not really. done much more than basic tutorial and beginning of game stuff.

making

anxiously junebugging between a whole bunch of shit. finally figured out the correct charger/extension cord setup for my bedroom. replaced all the fluorescent lightbulbs and took them to be recycled. fixed the hall door enough so it latches closed and an irritated cat can't claw it open. tidied up the balcony and patio and repotted the surviving houseplants.

in textile news, started this cross stitch. this is a Bless This Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy Star Wars themed sampler, i have made two as gifts and had to throw out a mostly-completed one i made for me bc of the moths. but i now know exactly where this will go in this apartment and i already have the frame and i bought all the floss pre-being fired, so might as well? the real bitch of the situation here is backstitching the buildings. it's so start and stop. it's so much tan. i talked about this on the weekly siblingchat facetime and now my brother has requested one lmao. that's his christmas gift settled. i suppose.

i had somehow forgotten how loadbearing textile crimes are for me. i haven't done much of anything since the moth debacle, and that was almost two years ago. last night i found some suspicious holes in a camisole and i'm really really hoping it's just cat claws and not moths or carpet beetles or any other fun things that eat clothes.

#tuesday again #tuesday again no problem #feeling unsettled. feeling petulant.

[ryehouses]

i was tagged in this by @bobafett, who wants to bring back ask box games! this was really fun and really helped drive home the fact that i am maybe a little too wordy!

y'all know the drill. copy, paste, fill in your own answers! feel free to share!

How many works do you have on AO3? impossible for me to say because i have shed ao3 handles like a particularly robust hermit crab, but if i'm just counting everything under iridan, thirteen!

What’s your total AO3 word count? ......1.3 million, as iridan. if we throw in some of my other psueds and the truly awful eragon fanfiction i wrote when i was fourteen, we're probably loking at 2 - 2.5 mil.

What fandoms do you write for? presently, star wars, jujutsu kaisen, star wars again. i have some witcher fic in my gdocs and older projects in rdr2, dishonored, anything that can catch and hold my attention for long enough for my brain to produce a bit of dopamine,

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? all five of them are in the ast 'verse except for lost country

Do you respond to comments? i try to, but it's really hit or miss! i am painfully shy and usually can only go '!!!!!' in thanks

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? of my completed fics, none! i am not really in to the angst ending. if i ever do get around to finishing it, i started a dishonored/his dark materials au that would have ended with corvo going slowly, gently nuts and taking over the outsider's place in the void

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? i like happy endings, so all of them!

Do you get hate on fics? occasionally. i still think about that one commentor on ast who accused me of blaming the jedi for order 66 like, all the time. mostly no, though, everyone is really nice!

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? i've been told that 'wrestling as nasty foreplay' is something of a signature move of mine, so! 1) yes and 2) whatever kind of smut 'wrestling as nasty foreplay' applies as

Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? yes, but almost exclusively his dark materials crossovers. i do have a witcher/temeraire fusion au sitting in my gdocs

Have you ever had a fic stolen? no, not that i'm aware of. i do semi-frequent google searches to see if my shit pops up anywhere.

Have you ever had a fic translated? i don't think so! ast was podfic'd, if that counts.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? i don't think so, because i am a whole idiot and am hard to collaborate with.

What’s your all time favorite ship? of ALL TIME? impossible to say. i am inconsistent and flighty. bobadin hit me pretty good, though

What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? haha too many. i started a jedi!din fic and didn't get far. i've had several WIPs on ao3 sit without an update for years. i have drafted, redrafted, and drafted again a novel that will most likely never see the light of day. finishing even one of those would likely water my crops for several years

What are your writing strengths? i take particular pride in my settings! somebody on ao3 told me last week that i have nice turns of phrase, too, and i am proud of those too

What are your writing weaknesses? i have never once said anything in six words when i could say them in six hundred million billion instead

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? obviously i've experimented in various projects, but i am fundamentally kind of lazy and prefer to sprinkle in a few words here and there instead of spending the time to learn about another language's grammar structure

First fandom you wrote for? the first fandom i published anything in was eragon, way back in the day! the first fandom i wrote for was his dark materials, in a composition notebook in like the fifth or sixth grade!

Favorite fic you’ve written? could not possibly pic! they are all like my children and also my therapist.

i'm tagging @meyerlansky and anybody else who wants to participate! consider yourself invited!

#ask box #ask games #i do miss ask games those were fun

[almost-a-class-act]

choosing violence 1 and 8

The character everyone gets wrong:

Well, it's Hot Roy Summer, so I would be remiss if I didn't talk about Roy Cobb. I would love it if everyone would stop making him a misogynist villain-type who is terrible for no reason in their OC stories. I get the instinct but I think Hanks did this man dirty. Did y'all know that real-life Cobb had been in the army since 1933 and fought in North Africa before he joined the paratroops? On his way home his troop ship was torpedoed but he survived and still went on to put his hand up for the ETO. Genuinely so much more interesting than this guy is a dick for no discernible reason. When he got hit in the plane over Normandy, it's because he switched seats with Luz, who had asked him to switch because he was paranoid about getting hit in the plane. Webster also described him in his book as good-natured. What the fuck, Hanks.

I'll shill for show!Cobb, too. He's obviously super emotionally affected after Market Garden in that scene in the truck with Ramirez(?) and of course, after the patrol in Haguenau. Cobb would've been thirty years old at that point, so imagine you have a bunch of young guys - kids - joining up at your career job and keep getting themselves killed over and over and there's nothing you can do about it. Fucking grim, man.

It's not an excuse but at least it's an explanation for why he's a jerk to those replacements in the bar (see also: the fact that he was wounded in the plane over Normandy and didn't get to jump, the culmination of two years of hard work out the window, for the rest of his life the Guy Who Didn't Fight On D-Day - a part of him feeling like he has to do something to separate himself from these replacements, these other guys who didn't fight). His buddy Hoobler gets it in the Ardennes and then Web skips blithely up, having missed the worst part of the war, and asks about him. Of course he's pissed (notably, so are the other guys). My guy Roy is having a nightmarishly long, brutal, no good very bad war and he's in a shitty mood about it. I would be! I think everyone should consider cutting him some damn slack.

Common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about:

I think Basilone is more interesting than people give him credit for. I know but hear me out. The next time you watch the Pacific, watch his scenes as if you were going to write a character meta about him. I did this a little while ago because I wanted to write more postwar Lena fic and you can't write postwar Lena without acknowledging John and his absence. Yes, he's Tom Hanks' war hero fantasy character but there is substance there. I think the sections where he's training his marines later on in the series are particularly good.

Thanks for the ask, you're a star.

From this post.

#asks #hot roy summer #roy cobb #band of brothers #the pacific

[andromedaexists]

The Teras Trials || Lucien Burr

★★★★☆½

TW: HOMOPHOBIA (+ USE OF SLURS), SUBSTANCE USE, ABUSE, CATHOLICISM (+ SACRILEGE), BODY HORROR, BODY DYSMORPHIA, GORE + VIOLENCE, DEATH (GRAPHIC), SUICIDE (GRAPHIC), EXPLICIT SEX

This book is pretty much just a misery fest from start to finish. Things go from bad to worse to somehow worse but instead of resolving things or overcoming them they just... are bad.

Okay, all jokes aside (the prev is a quote from a 1 star review), this book is phenomenal. It follows Cassius Jones through the admission trials he needs to pass in order to enter the University in London and keep his family safe within the walls of the city.

I think it's safe to say that this is how I feel about Cassius Jones:

God, it's so hard to encapsulate everything about this book into words. This book changed me. Legitimately.

I guess before I start rambling, let's talk about why it's getting a 4.5 star and not a 5 start if I love it so much. That's simple: I felt that the book could go through a bit more editing (I found quite a few typos though the text) and I fucking despise Latin and I despise that this book makes me want to like Latin.

Okay, all that aside, time to ramble about what I love about this book!

This is an incredibly dark and bleak book and it does not shy away from that. It does not try to hide that behind a shiny marble veneer of myth. It is also unapologetically queer and I love that with every fiber of my being. Cassius is queer, and i mean that in the very American way (despite the book and I think author being British). Cassius is not only gay, he is queer and he is proud of that fact and nothing stands in the way of him and his inherent queerness.

There is very little hope in this book, it takes a mirror to the monstrosity lying just below the surface of the reader and forces you to confront that. Forces you to acknowledge that if you were in the same situation you would have done the same.

There is a lot of finding beauty in the monstrous here, only the monstrous is humanity. There is a lot of beauty and a lot of horror shown through people in this book and it enraptured me, held me at the edge of me seat the entire time I was reading.

I was crying at multiple times in this book because of the way that monstrosity and beauty is shown. One of the times that really got me (twitter and Rafiq can attest to this) was the line:

God, is it such a sin to wish to be loved?

IN THE MIDDLE OF A SEX SCENE. I was weeping while Cassius was getting his back blown out and I am a better person for it.

Actually, since I brought out a quote, lemme tell you some other ones that got me:

You cannot escape it by wealth or war. No fort will keep it out, no ships outrun it.

I feel the brunt of my grief at that moment. I am my father's queer son. I am not the one he wanted.

I fear being seen; I fear being known.

The admission itself makes us co-conspirators, harbourers of queer desires in a queer little world.

For there is no escape from miasma, no hiding from the gods, no avoiding the judgement that is deserved.

I think my soul is a whore;

"Are you a Godly man?" "For you, I could be."

I also particularly love the conversations in Latin. I can't say too much on them without spoiling it so please skip over this if you don't want potential spoilers, but:

Horresco olfaciens tuum putridam odorem, qui sicut sanginem alterium putet (I shudder to smell your putrid odor, which stinks like the blood of another)

Vivo ut te concelebram et prosequar, quod mihi voluptatem dat (I live to haunt and hound you)

Amore et melle et felle es fecundissimus (You are most prolific in love and pleasant things and poison)

and of course, a Latin quote that I literally have tattooed on my body:

Flectere si nequeo Superos, Acheronta movebo (If I cannot move the Heavens, then I will raise Hell)

And if I can get a little nerdy over here (I'm gonna), the book mentions at one point the Homeric Hymn to Apollo! I know those hymns, they're something I did special research into last year! Specifically here he references Hymn 3, the Pythian Hymn to Apollon, lines 356-374:

ὃς τῇ γ᾽ ἀντιάσειε, φέρεσκέ μιν αἴσιμον ἦμαρ, πρίν γέ οἱ ἰὸν ἐφῆκε ἄναξ ἑκάεργος Ἀπόλλων καρτερόν: ἣ δ᾽ ὀδύνῃσιν ἐρεχθομένη χαλεπῇσι κεῖτο μέγ᾽ ἀσθμαίνουσα κυλινδομένη κατὰ χῶρον. θεσπεσίη δ᾽ ἐνοπὴ γένετ᾽ ἄσπετος: ἣ δὲ καθ᾽ ὕλην πυκνὰ μάλ᾽ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα ἑλίσσετο, λεῖπε δὲ θυμὸν φοινὸν ἀποπνείουσ᾽: ὃ δ᾽ ἐπηύξατο Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων: ἐνταυθοῖ νῦν πύθευ ἐπὶ χθονὶ βωτιανείρῃ: οὐδὲ σύ γε ζώουσα κακὸν δήλημα βροτοῖσιν ἔσσεαι, οἳ γαίης πολυφόρβου καρπὸν ἔδοντες ἐνθάδ᾽ ἀγινήσουσι τεληέσσας ἑκατόμβας: οὐδέ τί τοι θάνατόν γε δυσηλεγέ᾽ οὔτε Τυφωεὺς ἀρκέσει οὔτε Χίμαιρα δυσώνυμος, ἀλλά σέ γ᾽ αὐτοῦ πύσει Γαῖα μέλαινα καὶ ἠλέκτωρ Ὑπερίων. ὣς φάτ᾽ ἐπευχόμενος: τὴν δὲ σκότος ὄσσε κάλυψε. τὴν δ᾽ αὐτοῦ κατέπυσ᾽ ἱερὸν μένος Ἠελίοιο, ἐξ οὗ νῦν Πυθὼ κικλήσκεται: οἳ δὲ ἄνακτα Πύθιον ἀγκαλέουσιν ἐπώνυμον, οὕνεκα κεῖθι αὐτοῦ πῦσε πέλωρ μένος ὀξέος Ἠελίοιο.

Tanslated by Hugh G. Evelyn-White as:

Whosoever met the dragoness, the day of doom would sweep him away, until the lord Apollo, who deals death from afar, shot a strong arrow at her. Then she, rent with bitter pangs, lay drawing great gasps for breath and rolling about that place. An awful noise swelled up unspeakable as she writhed continually this way and that amid the wood: and so she left her life, breathing it forth in blood. Then Phoebus Apollo boasted over her:

“Now rot here upon the soil that feeds man' You at least shall live no more to be a fell bane to men who eat the fruit of the all-nourishing earth, and who will bring hither perfect hecatombs. Against cruel death neither Typhoeus shall avail you nor ill-famed Chimera, but here shall the Earth and shining Hyperion make you rot.”

Thus said Phoebus, exulting over her: and darkness covered her eyes. And the holy strength of Helios made her rot away there; wherefore the place is now called Pytho, and men call the lord Apollo by another name, Pythian; because on that spot the power of piercing Helios made the monster rot away.

This review is getting kind of out of hand at this point, I just don't know if I can whittle down my thoughts into just one post about it. This book has changed me. This book is everything I never knew I needed, it healed a small part of my soul that I had thought was untouchable. I am fully considering my relationship with religion and how that can mesh with the very things that drove me from my faith because of this book. It is beautiful and I highly recommend people read it (while being mindful of the content warnings, of course)

#I'm literally shell shocked #I have a lot to think about in regards to how I view the world and my ex-relationship with Catholicism #It's going on the recommendation shelf for fucking sure #andi reads #book reviews #booklr #bookblr #lgbt books #queer books #queer book directory #Lucien Burr #The Teras Trial #also people need to get on this book so I can peruse fanart and fanfic

[saintsenara]

chewing gum remus lupin/nymphadora tonks teen | 2.1k words

last year, i’d have been right in there, displaying my natural command of bum-related humour (i get that from dad). maybe i’d have given myself a bum-chin, until they were all laughing so hard they had tears streaming down their cheeks.

but unfortunately, the boys’ sides won’t be splitting this afternoon. because i’ve gone and got myself into a mire of unrequited love and now i’ve forgotten how to be fun.

god, i’m pathetic.

an auror walks into a bar and misses a werewolf. no, this isn't a joke. it's nymphadora tonk's bloody life at the minute.

this piece was written for week one of @ladiesofhpfest, which focuses on all the single ladies [you can find the masterlist of the week's fics here].

author's notes under the cut

when i heard that the topic for this week would be single ladies, i knew there was really only one gal i could be thinking about: everyone’s favourite pink-haired auror, tonks.

like many readers, i loved tonks in order of the phoenix - particularly because she felt so markedly different from the other women in the series. she was bolshy and punky and confident. she was allowed, unlike hermione and ginny [who are certainly interesting female characters who defy lots of stereotypes, but still do so in a way which never lets them be too much], to be messy and clumsy and over-the-top. she was allowed, unlike almost every other adult female character, to exist without her relationship to the domestic sphere being placed under the microscope [indeed, she cheerfully handwaves away her own lack of interest in domesticity the moment she meets harry]. if you compare her to someone like molly weasley [tied to the kitchen whether she’s in the burrow or grimmauld place] or minerva mcgonagall [her apparent spinsterhood softened by putting her in the quasi-maternal role of a boarding school teacher] or bellatrix lestrange [whose defiance of a gendered society which seems to require pureblood women to stay at home is treated as an aspect of her villainy], then tonks stands out for how incredibly refreshing she is. she’s an icon.

and then, of course, like many readers, i found her arc in half-blood prince to be a bit of a flop. it’s consistent with the rest of the series’ worldview of love as something you have to suffer and sacrifice for, but it was still really jarring to see a confident, unapologetic woman made so pathetic on account of a man.

chewing gum, then, was written to defend the tonks of half-blood prince. it situates her feeling worn thin within the context of the war, rather than just lupin, and her worries about her job and her relationship with her colleagues and her parents. it examines the fact that she’s only just starting to learn what her mum left behind when she walked out on her family, and how that makes her think about her childhood and her aunts and her lost relationship with sirius. it thinks about how she’s grieving and how that grief is making her unmoored, and how her desire to cling on to remus comes from the other upheavals in her life.

it was also written to defend her from a criticism of remadora which i think is unfair: that tonks’ affection for lupin comes out of nowhere, and that lupin is forced to be in a relationship he doesn’t want by pressure from her and the weasleys. the lupin of chewing gum is - to be frank - a fuckboy, whose attraction to tonks is real and obvious, but who is held back from taking the relationship beyond just sex by the hulking beast of his own self-loathing.

i’ve always thought that tonks - who’s shown to be very emotionally astute - is aware that this self-loathing means that any affection lupin feels for her is only ever going to be partially expressed, and that her devotion to him is only partially reciprocated. she recognises that this is fucked up, she just doesn’t care. and we can all relate.

[the title is a reference to the excellent sitcom of the same name, written by and starring michaela coel. tracey, the chaotic main character coel plays, has immaculate tonks vibes.]

#asenora fics #remadora #nymphadora tonks #fuckboy remus lupin #chewing gum #ladies of hp fest

[pebblysand]

[books of 2022]

this is long overdue (i mean, it's april, but sure look) but i wanted to hop on here and do a little bit of a wrap-up of the books i read last year. i will say this: i am not (at the moment) a "voracious" reader. since the pandemic, i've struggled to find time to read - partly because i used to read whilst traveling, and i didn't do much of that in the past few years, and partly because i've been writing a lot, and i've always found it hard to do both at the same time. i must admit i find the #booktok girlies who read hundreds of books a year particularly unrelatable, but i did get through ten books last year (and DNF-ed three) so, i'll happily talk about those.

READ:

enfant de salaud by sorj chalandon (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) [fiction]: this isn't in english i know no one on here will read it, but sorj chalandon is and will always be one of my favourite writers in the world, and honestly the only french writer whose books i actually read voluntarily. i think what i like about sorj chalandon is that he's not only a fantastic fiction writer (his style - omg! his style ❤️), he's also a war reporter. as such, there's always a lot of "wars" in his books, either figurative or literal, which is obviously a topic i find incredibly interesting. this book is set in the 80s and centres on a reporter who is covering the klaus barbie trial in france, as well as coming to terms with his relationship with his father, who is a pathological liar. i really liked both aspects of the book. the klaus barbie trial story gave me a lot of food for thought for castles at a time when i was planning/writing the wizarding war trials, and the personal story was super interesting. i gave this a four-star because it's not my favourite book of his (retour a killybegs is) but i thoroughly enjoyed this.

au guet-apens by maître mô (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) [non-fiction]: another french book (sorry ^^) but this one was probably my favourite read of 2022. it made me laugh, it made me cry. maître mô was a french lawyer specialising in criminal law who got somewhat "twitter famous" in the 2010s for talking about the reality of his criminal law practice (the good, the bad, the ugly) - always with a lot of empathy, humour, and humanity. he passed away from lung cancer in 2020 and a compilation of his best blog (he also had a blog) posts was published, and i was very glad to be able to read it. there are so many funny and tragic human stories in there, and a beauty in the idea that everyone (yes everyone) is owed a criminal defence. i would so very much recommend it to anyone who has ever wanted to ask the question: 'how can you defend them?' the writing is gorgeous and i think it's the kind of book that strangely gives you faith in humanity again.

men explain things to me by rebecca solnit (⭐️) [non-fiction]: i hated this book so much i wrote a tumblr rant about it. i'm still angry i wasted my precious time skimming through it until the end. i refuse to give it another minute of my time. the one star is for the quality of the paper it was printed on.

none of this is serious by catherine prasifka (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) [fiction]: i picked this up in the shop a bit at random, but i really, really liked this book. it's a bit of a concept (the main character never speaks out loud, all you ever get is her internal monologue), but it's a concept that works. it also tackles very well that awkward time between finishing university and getting your first job, and how powerless and scary it all feels. minor tw for sexual assault there, but i truly enjoyed this. the writing style was very much my jam (present tense and not trying too hard) and again, i really loved the concept. i do feel like it could have done without the sci-fi element but i liked how chronically online the main character was (#relatable). i loved how there's just so much talk around her, and while you always know what she thinks, you never know what she actually says. would definitely recommend!

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) [fiction]: i've spoken about this book on here a lot already but again, i really, really loved it. this was probably my runner-up favourite, the only thing i have against it is that it felt Too Damn Short. broadly, the book is about the tech world and particularly the job of content moderators, which is a massive ethical can of worms. as someone who works in tech and in the "trust and safety" space (although i've never worked in content moderation myself), i found the book very faithful to reality, very well-researched, and deeply fascinating. the characters are incredible and the end twist was... a twist, to say the least. absolutely loved this.

an american marriage by tayari jones (⭐️⭐️) [fiction]: it took me three years to finally finish this book. i should have DNF-ed it. i kept picking it up and putting it back down again. i think i stuck with it because everyone said it was an Important Book about the mass incarceration of black people in america, but honestly, it wasn't really a book about that. it's a book about three people who are all equally unbearable and cannot make decisions to save their lives, and the fact that one of them happens to be in prison for a crime he didn't commit is, frankly, secondary. i really want to read a good book about racial issues in america, particularly regarding the justice system (if anyone has recs, please hit me up!) but this was not it.

bullshit jobs by david graeber (⭐️⭐️⭐️) [non-fiction]: this was both incredibly funny and incredibly triggering. really makes you realise how much of the corporate world is just bullshit, and i definitely include my own job in this category. most of us just serve zero purpose lol. that man is dead right. giving this three stars because while fine, the writing wasn't mind-blowing, but honestly, i'm glad i read this.

vox by christina dalcher (⭐️⭐️⭐️) [fiction]: like, idk. this was fine. i read this on the beach and had a good time. the romance was a bit nonsensical and the end a bit "blah" but i liked the premise. basically follows the life of a woman in a society where women are limited to saying 100 words a day. it was trying a bit too hard to surf on the handmaid's tale mania in the same way we had all these vampire books after twilight, but still, it was good. a fine summer beach read.

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) [fiction]: everyone and their cousin has read this book and recommended it so i'm not going to reinvent the wheel. i promise, it is a great read. i very much enjoyed it. someone sent me an ask about it a few months ago, in which i shared a few more thoughts, if you want to head over there to find out more.

station eleven by emily st john mandel (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) [fiction]: this is a fantastic book. it's a masterpiece. it also fucked up with my mental health so badly i considered going to therapy again and totally messed with my brain for months. i think i'm on the tail end of it now. but, if you're an artist who has anxiety about dying before you manage to finish whatever it is you're working on, don't read this. honestly.

DID NOT FINISH:

i had a whole period of my life where i thought I Must Finish All Books, but that is no more. as that fake german heiress said: 'i do not have time for this, i do not have time for you'.

a brief history of the future by stephen clarke: it pains me to say because i really loved the merde series, but i've been dragging this book around for years, trying to finish it, and i think it's time to say goodbye. i just couldn't even tell you what the plot is, or what the point of the whole teleportation machine was... i'm just ... confused. i suppose one cannot write great books 100% of the time.

1984 by george orwell: look, i tried. but i think the issue with this book is that while it was the first in its genre, it was far from the last, and as a result of having read a lot of the dystopia that came after it, this just felt boring and stilted. the misogyny is also rather off-putting. i have read 100 pages and that was sufficient.

la peste (the plague) by albert camus: fuck, i love camus. i really, really do. the stranger is the only book that was assigned to me in school that i actually read. and, having now lived through a pandemic, la peste is strangely prescient. probably too prescient. i think the reason why i gave up on this is because 1) i "read" it as an audiobook and i think i'm just not an audiobook person and 2) i started this in the middle of the pandemic and it was just too much. the bubonic plague lockdown in the middle of the covid lockdown was hard to handle. so i just stopped listening to this on my walks and began listening to music instead. i don't think it's abandoned forever (i'll probably pick it up in book format again some day) but at the moment i just can't lol. no need to repeat the station eleven experience lol.

#book recs #2022 round up

[whump-captain]

Whump Challenge

I got tagged by @sasuga-whump to do this great challenge! Ill put it under a readmore bc it's quite long but i had a blast (◡‿◡)

I'll tag @deepwoundsandfadedscars @thatsgonnaleaveamark @set-phasers-to-whump @crash-bump-bring-the-whump @whumpapalooza @whump-side @justwhumpythings @radioactiveartz and anyone who sees this on desktop rather than mobile

1. Favorite whump trope(s)?

I do love anything to do with knives - stabbing, carving, knives to throats, etc. Impaling is up there too, and fractures of all kinds.

2. Least favorite whump trope(s)?

I'm not into dehumanisation in any way, or humiliation, they're squicks in fact. Anything with conditioning is also very much not for me.

3. Top 3 whump scenes and why?

Ohhhhhh good question. Recent faves are:

A scene in Resident Evil: Village where the protagonist is strung up from the ceiling by hooks stabbed through his hands. He then has to free himself by ripping the hooks out, making the wounds worse. Not much in way of consequences because of the game's slasher-horror conventions but very good still

Hard to describe without spoilers lol but in a book i just read, there is a character who's a clairvoyant and can remember things before they happen. When another character wants to hit them with a glass bottle, they experience the pain even though the hit never actually lands - the intention is enough to hurt them. It later gets used to torture them, too. It's very unique and very fun (◡‿◡)

There's a whole sequence in the webcomic Shiloh where a character loses a fight to a mantis-like monster, ends up severely injured and thrown off a cliff into a river. His colleagues find him half-dead and rush him to a hospital.

4. Top 3 characters to whump and why?

I whump my OCs 95% of the time so i don't have many fandom faves lol. I have been enjoying some horror protagonists though - Ethan Winters from Resident Evil and Murphy Pendleton from Silent Hill: Downpour both are very hurtable and get roughed up nicely in their stories.

5. Favorite fandom for whump (show, series, etc)?

Again im not much of a fandom whumper but it's usually whatever im into at the moment - recently Silent Hill

6. Do you prefer written or watchable whump?

Oooh that's hard, i think i lean every so slightly towards watchable. They both have their wonderful parts (◡‿◡)

7. Do you also like hurt/comfort?

Yes! I always prefer the hurt lol but im also very into some good comfort

8. What do you think the difference between hurt/comfort and whump is?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ To me, whump means "the hurt part of hurt/comfort" but tbh the terms are pretty interchangeable to me. H/c is a more well-known term so i find that it tends to end up being used towards more fics, even ones that only feature it briefly.

9. How would you explain whump to someone who’s not familiar with it?

Depending on how familiar with fandom terms they are, i suppose. Either "the hurt in hurt/comfort", or "like angst, but often about the physical side", or "stories where the point is for the characters to get injured". Probably add something about exploration of vulnerability, in case they want a deeper explanation.

10. Is there any old whump you particularly enjoy? (say, pre 2000?)

Hmmmmm im sure there are some Star Wars books ive read that are from the 90s and have some good whump but i genuinely don't remember lol

11. Why do you think you like whump?

Now that's the big question, isn't it lol. There's definitely catharsis there - seeing characters allowed to express their suffering and then having it validated and soothed. It's an outlet for emotion, too, especially anger which i struggle with and can channel in a safe and controlled way onto Fictional Character Stabbings lol. I also just like the aesthetics of the kind of exaggerated violence that whump tends to feature, there's a darkly melodramatic thrill to it that im really drawn to.

12. When did you realize you liked whump?

Literally as early as i remember lol. I was under 6 wishing characters in cartoons would be put into peril, i was always into it

13. Favorite posts with whump (gifsets, picspams, etc)

I do love gifsete with my whole heart, im so constantly in awe of the amazing gifmakers we have in this community bc they let us experience the best of whump from all over the world. I also like prompt posts, @injuryprompts never fails to get my creative gears turning

14. Are you “out” to people in real life?

Absolutely Not lmao and for a bunch of reasons. Mostly because whump is something quite personal to me and wouldn't want it to be misunderstood but at the same time i don't think i could properly explain it. I also don't want people to think it's a sexual thing - which again is something commonly understood in the community but probably not so much outside of it.

15. How did you find the whump community?

I was on one of my periodic searching-for-hurt/comfort-fics sprees when i was reminded of the term by the tags - i've been aware of it as a fandom thing but always forgot about it. Then i had the idea of searching it on tumblr and then it all began lol. I was so stunned to see a whole section of the website so dedicated to it and i can't believe how long i've managed without it (◡‿◡)

16. Any unusual mediums you like for whump (plays, music, vlogs, etc)?

Hmmmmm i very much like video game whump - both actual scenes and just the natural way a character gets beat up throughout the gameplay. An unusal niche of it is, i would say, point-and-click puzzle games. It feels weird because they never have an actual protagonist lol but the plot always involves being trapped, or captive, or escaping, and that just always gets my whump imagination going lol. I like imagining a character for them, scared and injured, struggling to puzzle out their freedom.

17. Any meta about whump you’ve been dying to share?

It's mostly just an observation but im utterly fascinated by the fact that so many people are into whump from very early in life. There was a poll about it going around recently and the most picked answer was "6 and younger" and it just. blows my mind. What a strangely specific thing to be born with. I would love to study this in some way but i wouldn't even know where to start.

18. Whump fic(s) you’d love to see?

There are a bunch of writers here whose fics i would love to see continued but i'm nervous to tag them bc i don't wanna pressure them lol. In general im also always on a lookout for strong platonic friendships in stories and creative magical whump, especially with a horror twist.

19. Whump you’re looking forward to? (Maybe something teased or something you haven’t seen yet?)

I've been reading Witch Hat Atelier and recently there have been theories that some visual symbolism is foreshadowing my favourite character getting hurt in an upcoming fight. I don't want to get my hopes up too much cause it's all guesswork lol but i would very much like that (◡‿◡) Similar thing with Wilde Life, a webcomic, in which the protagonist is currently held at gunpoint - in that story, however, not much injury happens at all lol so again not holding my breath.

20. Top 3 favorite whump fics?

Hhhhhh just three???? i need some kind of bookmark system for real because i can't remember half of the stuff i read lol so these aren't my Top top 3, just things i really like

In The Woods Somewhere by @knivestothroats has to be on here because it's honestly the pinnacle of my writing goals - the flow and pacing are impeccable, it escalates the stakes so smoothly that i put it down, and it's just such a brilliant self-contained story with characters that stick with you and some scenes that i still think about, years since i've read it.

@whumpapalooza 's Space Interns also have a very warm place in my heart bc i just love the characters so much and it's not often that i want whump for Every Single Member Of The Cast but here we are

and most recently i've loved this BHTB fill by @crash-bump-bring-the-whump and its lovely prose and the ability to get me hooked on brand new characters in a single work

21. Tropes you think are overdone?

Conditioned/"broken" whumpees, to me it always seems like the same few tropes and phrases cycled around in new costumes. But i will admit that i also just dislike the trope all in all lol so im not being entirely objective here. Creepy whumpers also usually come off as cheesy, i think, because they always use the same set of kinda stereotypical and, well, overused lines. It seems like it's a go-to "default" whumper for prompts/short fics but imo it's actually very difficult to do well. Just my opinion tho

22. Tropes you think we could use more of?

Hmmmmmmmmm it would be cool to see some cool horror/magic themed whump, with strange creatures and eldritch threats. I'm also always in the market for more unique character dynamics, they can keep even the most basic of tropes fresh.

23. Favorite sites/archives for consuming whump? (question by @dammittmarie )

Honestly just tumblr lol. And ao3 sometimes if i want fanfics since it's very easy to find things there

24. Have your whump preferences changed recently? If so, why? (question by @fyeahvulnerablemen​)

I've been leaning more towards horror recently as i get more into the genre! But within it im still into the same kind of whumpees i believe lol even though they're getting less gunfights and more possessions

#whumpchallenge #tag game #not sure if i was meant to do this all at once or one daily lol but still

[samspenandsword]

Sam💙💜💗😊 can I please have a ship request!? Man in any era is ok! But preferably prequels/TCW era. NSFW content is ok, but only if you’re comfortable bby 😊

about me: julie, she/her, 26. I’m a fiery, bold, intense short Italian girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes. I’m outspoken, passionate and fight tirelessly for what’s right. I’m also a bit of a sexpot I can’t help it ok 😂 I have an iced coffee/cold brew addiction, my favorite season is summer, I love indie pop and pop punk music and my favorite foods are pizza and pasta. My aesthetic is a weird mix between sexy, sporty, grungey and like urban street wear. My favorite Star Wars planet is probably Onderon or Felucia bc I love all the plants!! I’m so excited to see who you come up with and absolutely congrats on your 300 followers!!! Here’s to 300 more for my talented friend🥰

JULIE BABE!!!! Okay I love you and I was so excited to write this!! I ship you so hard with Rex (as everyone should lol), but I wanted to write about someone else, cause you're such an amazing person and you are a hot fucking commodity! You would have guys lining up to be with you! I hope February has been going okay for you so far! ❤️

Sam's Pen and Sword 300 Follower Celebration (Closed)

JULIE'S FOLLOWER CELEBRATION REQUEST

Warnings: 18+ (minors gtfo): implied smut, aftercare, afterglow, tooth-rotting, heart-pounding fluff and sweet nothings and confessions.

Ship request 👄

When I was thinking of your request and what I know about you, I really couldn't help but think of our beloved Commander Wolffe. The first time he saw you, you were wearing washed out black skinny jeans, a red crop top with lips to match, your hair in loose waves looking perfect for gripping, and to say Wolffe's eyes were glued to you is an under-fucking-statement. I see Wolffe as someone who in theory would love to have a partner, a companion, but in practice is just far more comfortable with a physical relationship that develops into something more. So you guys would have hot fucking sex to start, and slowly, over time, you would see more and more of Wolffe's golden heart showing. Our commander eyeroll doesn't open up his heart to others easily, but once he does, you can't help but cherish it. I like to think that you'd be the one to introduce Wolffe to the gift that is pizza and pasta and good carbs. He's particularly fond of spicy sausage pizza, homemade lasagna, and a good brown wheat bread, like the kind you'd get at space-Cheesecake Factory. I also think you would be the one to introduce him to cold brew, and though he prefers just regular, black drip coffee, he does find himself occasionally liking the mellower, smoother flavor of cold brew. He's also become quite adept at making your blends and iced coffees in the mornings, both of you a little grumbly until the caffeine fully hits.

Wolffe could feel his heart calm as he came down from his climax. He'd never realized how simultaneously fun and intense and passionate sex could be until you came into his life. And he had quickly become addicted to the feeling of you around him, surrounding him, on top of him, beneath him. He simply became addicted to you. In the same way you always (semi-jokingly) said you couldn't live without your morning iced coffee, he had come to realize that you were simply essential. Essential to his life and his heart. Essential to him. You were curled up into his side, leg thrown over his, dark hair a spectacular mess he proudly owned up to. Your skin was slightly tacky, still slightly slickened from the aftermath of your activities. But Wolffe found he didn't mind, hand smoothing down the curve of your spine. You simply wiggled closer, sighing happily, and Wolffe knew he'd do anything to hear that little sigh as often as possible. For it, too, felt essential. "Comfortable, cyar'ika?" Wolffe's tone had a hint of his normal, dry humor in it, but was overwhelmingly fond. He dropped a slow kiss to your crown. "Mmm." "Should get you cleaned up," Wolffe rumbled, not making any effort to get up and do so. You didn't move either. "Mhmm." Several minutes passed, nothing but content silence and loving touch passing between the two of you. And then, as if in sync, you lifted your head from where it lay on his shoulder and he dipped down. The kiss was sated, slow, and contained a rare tenderness for the two of you. Wolffe instantly knew he wanted to kiss you like this more often. "Come on, mesh'la. I'll make coffee after we shower." The speed at which you leapt up and bounded into the fresher made Wolffe chuckle. Forty minutes, and another pair of orgasms later, you were perched on the kitchen counter, smiling as Wolffe set down a glass of iced coffee, straw curled into a fun little twist. You sipped it happily and Wolffe smiled fondly at you, raising his own steaming mug to his lips. Your heart skipped a beat at the sight of the gentle, content curl of his lips, just as it always did. "Come here," you said, reaching forward to cradle the back of his neck. Wolffe leaned forward, returning your kiss. He tasted heady and of coffee, and it made your head spin. "Thanks." Your voice was quiet, barely a whisper against his lips. You weren't just thanking him for the coffee, but you weren't sure you had the courage to speak your heart quite yet. But Wolffe didn't need you to. Your words were confession enough for him. "Anytime, cyar'ika," he murmured back, pressing your lips together once more. "Anytime." And his words were confession enough for you, too.

#samspenandsword follower celebration #samspenandsword 300 follower celebration #300 follower celebration #300 followers #follower celebration #commander wolffe #cc 3636 #ship request #star wars ship requests #rexxdjarin #julie my beloved

[aimmyarrowshigh]

For the WIP meme. You knew I would zero in on this one...

Star Wars - Damerey.docx (This is In Screaming Color)

Of course! :P

First off, if you haven't read what's been posted yet -- it's here on AO3.

I'm not going to lie, the main reason that I stopped working on it, and stepped away from SW/Damerey as a whole, is because the Damerey fandom became an especially toxic mudhole in a particularly toxic fandom. I still love this story, and I have a lot more written than is posted, but

a) I don't write longfic in chronological order, so I can't post what I have without writing the in-between bits that aren't as interesting to me, and

b) I stopped particularly wanting to give Damerey fandom nice things because it stopped being a place of people who deserved nice things.

The mass bullying of my bb @dracosollicitus in particular, who BUILT that ship on her BACK p much, was my kind of last straw, and at the same time, TLJ/ROS didn't follow through on the goodness of TFA, and also WandaVision came out, so my brain was just like, "I GUESS WE'RE A MARVEL NOW INSTEAD."

But, like I said, I DO still love this story and man, I have a lot of it already written and it doesn't totally suck, so I do intend to SOMEDAY finish it. But I literally mean "someday." Like, it may well be for The Force Awakens' 30th Anniversary Rerelease With The Poe/Rey Hug Scene, or something. It definitely isn't on my immediate TBW pile. But it IS still in the WIP folder and not the WIP Amnesty pile.

Here's a clip of the unposted-yet stuff:

“You,” Poe says, setting his tray down beside Rey’s, “Need to have a talk with your droid.” Rey looks up from her bowl of porridge. She’s covered it with so much sugar that it looks like Hoth in a bowl. “I don’t have a droid, Poe.” “Artoo,” Poe says. He takes the sugar shaker from her scavenger cache and tips some into his caf. “It’s corrupting Beebee-Ate!” Rey actually stops chewing at that, and she wipes her mouth first on the back of her wrist, and belatedly, a napkin. She’s learning. “Is Beebee-Ate alright? I didn’t even think about bugs when Artoo came back online, but do you know, I don’t think it’s been defragged since before the Clone Wars. I’ll take a look through its databank and give it a good wipe as soon as I’ve finished eating. Beebee, too, if you like?” “No, not—really, the Clone Wars?” Poe shakes his head. “Not corrupt like programming. Corrupt like—like—” Poe leans down towards his tray and starts to maim his toast with butter. “It is exposing Beebee-Ate to concepts that Beebee is too young for.” “Beebee-Ate’s much newer than Artoo.” Rey still sounds baffled. “If anything, wouldn’t Beebee-Ate expose Artoo to new material and concepts? Especially after so long in hibernation?” Poe stabs the joganfruit jam. It oozes satisfyingly. “I mean that Beebee-Ate is a child and Artoo is being inappropriate with it.” Rey makes a very strange sound. When Poe looks over, she is very kindly hiding her laughter in her knuckles, but her eyes are bright. “Poe… I don’t think droids work that way. Beebee-Ate’s got a cute little personality, but it’s not actually—” “I don’t want Beebee-Ate to swear and know about—merging programming,” Poe huffs. Of course Rey doesn’t understand this; she’s couldn’t possibly feel the same kind of compunction to protect vulnerable little star-bright things from the shameful, dirty realities of being an old, battered veteran. Like R2D2. (The kriffing Clone Wars, and it’s never been defragged? No wonder it went offline so long.) “Oh,” says Rey, sitting back in her hard plastic chair. “So that explains why Beebee-Ate rolled straight for Threepio this morning.” “What?” Poe half-stands to crane his neck and look around the mess. “I thought Beebee was in the hangar!” “No, they’re right over there.” Rey points to the far corner of the mess. Poe can just barely hear the words “parts assembly” and “motherboard,” and then BB-8 gives a surprised [beep!] and rolls back a half-measure. Its dome swivels in a circle that looks embarrassed, or maybe like the droid’s concept of ‘self’ has changed, which is entirely likely. Poe raises his eyebrows at it when Beebee’s optical finds him. He mouths, “You’re in trouble, buddy.”

#fanfiction ask meme #fandom #fanfiction #my fic #in screaming color

[less-than-three-3]

spiderman remastered is amazing

before going on a ramble I should say I have not played the DLC (I will soon, but I just really wanted to write about this game!) or Miles Morales (purchased and raring to go) and will probably write about both later if there is anything particularly interesting to write about. I’ll start off without spoilers

let me get this out of the way first: this game does make you feel like spiderman. this is probably something that a million other people have said, but I swear I’ll add something interesting! let’s step back and look at another game that I loved: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (review here)

probably one of my favorite things about fallen order was that it felt like a star wars movie through and through while still being like a game. the music, the presentation, the “cinematography”, the dialogue. it’s interactive, you play as cal for sure, and it feels really fluid, but the overall game presentation feels cinematic

spiderman is... sort of different? the music is very marvel but it doesn’t feel like a movie bgm, it feels like the bgm of swinging through new york, which you are. you don’t get those wide establishing shots or as many of those tense standoffs, but you do get a lot of spidey action and peter parker... action? this sounds kind of like a poor tradeoff but where I think it really shines (besides in gameplay, which I’ll talk about later) is in the character moments. without getting into spoilers, it adds a layer of personal connection that I think is incredibly central to the progression of the plot and everyone’s arcs, peter’s connection with may, martin li, MJ, dr. octavius. it also helps that the VA’s give an A+ job, especially aunt may and otto, and without all of this I think the conflict and resolution would not have hit nearly as hard as it did, but it did, and as a result the story is probably one of my favorites in all of gaming.

of course, yeah, you are spiderman swinging through nyc. that’s fucking awesome. I really don’t think it can be understated how cool swinging is, and how even the minor upgrades you get to movement add to how fun it is. I would actively not use fast travel to just swing around and listen to JJJ’s podcast (which is hilarious, btw) on my way to do things. I really think this is the biggest and most obvious gameplay highlight. it’s spiderman, that’s what he does.

the combat also has spiderman flair, with a variety of gadgets, combos, and throws to weave together. figuring out different ways to use the gadgets and powers mid-fight is pretty satisfying. this is kind of where the compliments end for this though, since by the end of the game it does feel kind of worn out because it’s still fairly simplistic (I am on that platinum games brainrot), and enemy variety does not improve too much. having different challenges and stealth helps, but not enough by the endgame that I just kind of ended up skipping side challenges to just complete the main story (I unlocked what I wanted then just beelined the msq). there’s definitely plenty to do between challenges, research, side combat missions, though, don’t get me wrong. it just gets a little worn thin by the end, if that makes sense?

speaking of low points, I just kind of really did not care too much for MJ and miles sections. just kind of boring stealth that I just ended up ungabunga hold forward and getting through. maybe I just wanted to get back to being spiderman but I just really thought they weren’t necessary. they aren’t very frequent but when they do happen I do roll my eyes.

last negative point I promise, and this one’s a nitpick, and really no one will care, but I just kind of laugh any time an enemy speaks chinese because it’s noticeably “chinese american” pronounciation. maybe all of the goons are 2nd gen or later lol. I think the voice cast for them is probably chinese american based on credits (feel free to check me on this, I have been wrong about this before :x ) so nothing against them. just something I’ve noticed also being 2nd gen.

oh another nitpick is just that it’s really funny as a chemist to hear video game characters basically spew out science word salad talking about things. not a bad thing, just kinda amusing. not gonna be That Guy lol

anyways time to get into spoiler stuff. 

I really have no complaints with pretty much any story beat until maybe the very end. it was incredibly compelling from beginning to end. like I said before, every single character connection felt super meaningful and only makes the tragic clashing of the final confrontation and peter’s decisions all the more gut wrenching. I won’t summarize the story obviously but I’ll mention the highlights.

my one complaint is really that I empathize far too much with doc ock and martin- they have very legitimate beef with osborn and I feel like spiderman’s “killing is bad, actually” kind of lets osborn get off scot free. I really wished to see, yknow, repercussions, for the person who essentially started every single conflict in the entire damn plot. but I am going to guess that will be addressed more in miles morales, and the sequel(s). just felt kind of empty to let him go. I get spiderman’s anti-vengeance spin but I don’t know how justified it is at the very end. we’ll see for the future I guess.

but like god fucking damn what a tragedy these character arcs are. martin’s farewell letter and backstory and otto’s treatment of peter and expressed vision and talents really humanize these characters. the other supervillains yeah whatever. even going in knowing these turns are going to happen (despite not really being a comic nerd) because yeah martin li and otto octavius oh boy I wonder what’s gonna happen to them, their confrontations with peter are built up excellently and just so damn good. I would be lying if I said I did not tear up at his final dialogue with doc after the final fight.

speaking of tearing up, aunt may is a fucking treasure. her VA fucking killed it and every time peter goes to FEAST it’s a joy. which makes her rapid demise to the devil’s breath and peter’s decision to save the antidote at the end so heart breaking. 

I’m really looking forward to digging into the DLC and miles morales, from what I understand the former is kind of just “more spiderman” and I actually don’t know too much about miles morales beside it being relatively short compared to main game. Like I said if they’re interesting to write about maybe I’ll do another mind dump. but for now, wow. what a great game. 

19/20. (November 2022)

#spider-man remastered

[kingmaker-a]

Disappointed by the lack of Dami in the poll 👀 Nah, I'm joking, I know you've got something great cooking for my birthday 😉 No pressure, though, but I've throughly loved everything you've put out recently. It's definitely given me some inspiration in my break from writing. 🫣

To add something thought-provoking, what's your current favorite fic(s) from the Paladins? I've given you some flack by adding an option for multiple because there are many, many great options.

I also humbly ask for more Star Wars AU crumbs 🙏 , but I understand if you are tired of or don't want to work on the series. I've mentioned this previously to you, but that series has seriously changed how I've thought about writing, in both terms of fanfiction and in realistic writing like essays and such.

I'm going to cut myself off here because I lack the ability to stay on topic for more than one paragraph, but I hope you're well! Love you, King. You're a kick-ass boomer, and I hope the retirement home is treating you well. ❤️😆

I mean I do definitely have some ideas on the backburner, but you know me the real question is if it's finished for your birthday. But I'm glad that I can inspire you in a positive manner for once 😂 instead of being a role model for what not to do.

Though I will leave you with some hints on what I'm thinking about in regards to your birthday. One idea was a sequel to a beloved oneshot AU, another superhero piece set in the same universe as the Kazuha one and finally a Hogwarts piece.

Oh, that's an interesting one, though my answers will be based on emotional response rather than which fic from a technical standpoint was the best.

@panda-writes-kpop - It was a tough fight between Nervous Eyes Never Tell Lies and Sweet Piña Colada and while I'm a huge sucker for the tropes, reader being a Slytherin and Yoohyeon in general. But Sweet Piña Colada has my heart in a chokehold because it's not often I receive a gift for birthday <3 @foolish-sparrow - Of Lyre's and Thieves without a question though it is a lot of bias, since it's based on elements from our superhero rpg sessions. In a weird way it's almost like someone writing fanfiction about your story. Plus it made me realise I could be an asshole and make Sparrow make extra masterlists if I tried hard enough <3

@sanccharine - I'll be real, this one was pretty hard, because I wanna say bassist!Yoohyeon even though it's tauntingly short, but possibly due to Under The Radar, I love the shit out Stay, the vibes are super immaculate and I always love people turning randomly in the dead of night, rain or blood-soaked optional but preferred. <3

While Neon hasn't posted in awhile, my favourite fic is the one he enjoyed writing the most.

I am curious to what your answer is though since mine are clouded with heavy bias.

I didn't realize it had the effect because I'll be real with you it was supposed to be just the Jiu one-shot and then it just ballooned from there, I don't know when or if I'll get back to it since I have a bad habit of starting things and never finishing things. It also became super bloat because of all the ideas I had... that and I don't particularly enjoy writing fight scenes anymore, which as a result of the AU means there was gonna be a lot.

I am super-interested in how and what shifted in your thoughts towards fanfiction and I suppose writing as a whole.

I am willing to maybe meet you halfway, assuming I make decent headway on my backlog. But I'm willing to share some of notes/ideas I had for the series and actually writing the moments you and/or I found interesting. Though I'm pretty sure it'll mostly be anything Dami related 😂

Love you too bud, I hope life is treating you good as well <3

#The ever wonderful Katie <3 #kingmaker and the paladins #Kingmaker answers

[slade-neko]

Been reading up on some things about Sims and Maxis... seems they've hit a new low lately with their new pack. Not talking about sales, but low in terms of overall "fan happiness."

{mediocrely ranty}

TL;DR Latest update SUCKS and I NEED NPCC back before I can play seriously.

Lotta people upset with the new pack in terms of quality content. I already came to the conclusion that I don't care about the whole school system so I'll be dropping all of my teen sims out of that mess. They'll just have to do online school. The rest of the new world "looks" cool, but I've barely got to experience it as I'm still recovering from everything that's broken.

This update has seriously messed with a lot of things in my game. My save game is a very meticulously crafted piece of work that I've shaped into my own PERFECT world. I have rules, regulations, and strict standards put in place to keep this world perfect. Many of the mods I used that enforced those standards are quite broken now leaving my world in a bit of chaos. To put this in perspective, I have yet to make a serious hard save to my game since updating about a week and a half ago as I keep finding things going wrong in my game that are detrimental to my overall world. So its safe to say my previous version I backed up is looking awfully enticing to rollback. Though I prefer to stick it out and push forward, y'know my thing, KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

My biggest problem now is waiting for NPCC to update. I knew it was an important mod in my game, but didn't realize how important until I saw this freakazoid showed up to be my club's DJ and not Hatsune Miku or Sonic the Hedgehog or any of my radically cool set DJs.

As if I haven't said it enough times before, but I HATE townies. They're a blight upon the game and must be purged. NPCC kept my town clean of their filth, but without it all of my set sims have lost their roles and the infestation as started. DJs, mailmen, vendors, mixologists, waiters, etc. all monstrosities. I'm scared to send my sims out of their houses because it might generate more. I've been keeping my sims quarantined on The Island Bluffs majority of the time, the last bastion of safety.

I've seen alternative mods for NPCC, but none function exactly the same. Particularly how NPCC allows households to still be played is extremely useful. Alternative mods still require the sims to be evicted and un-played to work. Examples like how with NPCC I could still play as my Mario Bros. household and them still be set as service role repairmen. And Tenya Iida could still be my mailman with my MHA Boys household marked as played too. That was incredibly useful and I kinda can't live without it.

So I can't really work on my world now. I'm still making new sims since I can easily paste them into an old save if I need to, but its annoying not being able to confidently save my game progress after a play session knowing there's a good chance I will have to revert back because something stupid happened to my sims or the world. What kind of things you might wonder? Well worst case scenarios would be my sims' having their body shapes altered (Star Wars Stormtroopers did that to me), having my sims' outfits being altered (Discover University did that too), or random traits/ preferences get assigned (happened a few times before, typically NPC roles, so doubtful it'd be a problem now.) You might not think those to be too big a deal, but if it were to happen in mass to my sims population as a whole, WELL lets just say I wouldn't want to go through and fix 800-900 sims... that's why I'm overly cautious with my save game.

I was building up a pseudo side world to play in, but realized the obvious problem to that solution is that whatever I do in that world won't be real as it didn't happen in my main save. Meaning I edit lots, sims, whatever I'll have to re-save them to my bin to transfer into my real world eventually giving myself more work to do OR I scrap all those ideas and just throw caution to the wind and play my main save with reckless abandon and simply "fix" whatever issues that show up later down the line no matter how dire or time consuming they might be. (i.e. it would be future me's problem.)

Do I play it safe in a secondary world and give myself more work later syncing save files or do I "reckless abandon" my main save and live for the now? Hmmm, choices choices... leaning more towards reckless abandon now because I just want to play my game lol.

#dumb #The Sims 4 #TS4 #rant alert #dang I need NPCC #playing updated Sims is akin to using a Nightly version of an app #its untested unstable and unreliable