#same thing happened to fish when she was first popular | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ignitesthestxrs · 5 months

Text

there's something about the way people talk about john gaius (incl the way the author writes him) that is like. so absent of any connection to te ao māori that it's really discomforting. like even in posts that acknowledge him as not being white, they still talk about him like a white, american leftist guy in a way that makes it clear people just AREN'T perceiving him as a māori man from aotearoa.

and it's just really serves to hammer home how powerful and pervasive whiteness and american hegemony is. because TLT is probably the single most Kiwi series in years to explode on the global stage, and all the things i find fraught about it as a pākehā woman reading a series by a pākehā author are illegible to a greater fandom of americans discoursing about whether or not memes are a valid way of portraying queer love.

idk the part of my brain that lights up every time i see a capital Z printed somewhere because of the New Zealand Mentioned??? instinct will always be proud of these books and muir. but i find myself caught in this midpoint of excitement and validation over my culture finding a place on the global stage, frustration at how kiwi humour and means of conveying emotion is misinterpreted or declared facile by an international audience, frustrated also by how that international audience runs the characters in this book through a filter of american whiteness before it bothers to interpret them, and ESPECIALLY frustrated by how muir has done a pretty middling job of portraying te ao māori and the māoriness of her characters, but tht conversation doesn't circulate in the same way* because a big part of the audience doesn't even realise the conversation is there to be had.

which is not to say that muir has done a huge glaring racism that non-kiwis haven't noticed or anything, but rather that there are very definitely things that she has done well, things that she has done poorly, things that she didn't think about in the first book that she has tacked on or expanded upon in the later books, that are all worthy of discussion and critique that can't happen when the popular posts that float past my dash are about how this indigenous man is 'guy who won't shut up about having gone to oxford'

*to be clear here, i'm not saying these conversations have never happened, just that in terms of like, ambient posts that float round my very dykey dash, the discussions and meta that circulate on this the lesbian social media, are overwhelmingly stripped of any connection to aotearoa in general, let alone te ao māori in specific. and because of the nature of american internet hegemony this just,,,isn't noticed, because how does a fish know it's in the ocean u know? i have seen discussions along these lines come up, and it's there if i specifically go looking for it, but it's not present in the bulk of tlt content that has its own circulatory life and i jut find that grim and a part of why the fandom is difficult to engage with.

#tlt #the locked tomb #i don't really have an answer lmao this is more #an expression of frustration and discomfort #over the way posts about john gaius seem to have very little connection to the background muir actually gave him #like you cant describe him as an educated leftist bisexual man #without INCLUDING that he is māori #that has an impact! that has weight and importance!#that is a background to every decision he makes #from the meat wall to the nuke to his relationship with the earth #and it also has weight and importance in the decisions that muir makes in writing him #it is not a neutral decision that he's known as john gaius lmao #it's not a neutral decision that the empire is explicitly of roman/latin extraction #it's not even neutral that this is a book about necromancy #it's certainly not a neutral fucking decision that john was at one point a māori man living in the bush #when the nz govt decided to send cops in #like that is a thing that happens here! that is a reference to nz cultural and political events that informs john's character and actions #and with the nature of who john is in the story #informs the narrative as a whole #and i think the tiresome part of this experience is that #in general #americans are not well positioned to understand that something might be being written from outside their experience as a default #like obviously many many americans in online leftist & queer spaces are willing to learn and take on new information #but so much of the conversation starts from a place of having to explain that forests exist to fish

903 notes · View notes

ilariyalavorowrites · 1 month

Text

Stalking me, Stalking you(CSI Nick Stokes)

Imagine: You never saw it coming, you never knew he was there until the moment he struck. For months, this individual had stalking you from the shadows, trying to find a way into your life. Never quite able to but in his mind, time was running out and soon enough you would be completely out of reach. This was the moment to act, to ‘rescue’ you and steal you away.

Warnings: Angst with a happy ending, kidnapping, hurt but eventual comfort. Suffering, lots of suffering, slow-moving plot, stalking, obsessive behaviour.

Pairings: Nick Stokes x Reader and Reader x OC (one-sided)

Word count: 2,240 words

Universe: CSI

Reader gender: Female

Part one of ten

Tagged: @just-call-me-the-old-hag @horsedragonllama

Sunday, 10:45 am

With your acquired piping hot morning cup of decaffeinated coffee, confined to the conveniently supplied to-go cup, you were ready to head out, to head back home and get the final chores finished before your mother arrived. Tomorrow could not come soon enough, it had been way too long since your mother last visited a few years back but this would be different.

Dinner reservations had all but been confirmed. You were awaiting the relevant information as soon as your partner had it in his possession as he had insisted on handling this little task himself. This would be the first time your mother and he would be in the same room. It was rather nerve-racking as you hoped that nothing would go wrong and they'd get on like a house on fire.

Lost in your thoughts, as you wandered through the crowded little coffee shop, one that you had regularly visited twice a week over the past four years. You only saw the stranger coming once it was too late to prevent the collision. His shoulder knocked into yours hard enough to send you spinning and before you could react, your coffee flew out of your hand, spilling its dark content all over the tiled floor.

“Damn,” You said, mildly annoyed but knowing the popularity of your favourite coffee shop. There was always a chance that something like this could easily happen. It's just your turn. You would look back and laugh about this later with your mother.

“It’s my fault, sorry about that. Let me buy you another one” An unfamiliar smooth baritone voice spoke, catching her attention. You raised her gaze to meet theirs, ready to politely decline as after all, it was just one cup of coffee nothing to cry over. With a friendly, nonchalant smile upon your lips, you open your mouth to reply…

Monday, 9 am

Evelyn had never been truly comfortable flying but when her daughter had called around two and half months back with an open invitation and her airfare fully paid, she jumped at the chance. After sending one more message to both her daughter and husband, Evelyn boarded the plane.

Driving down had been an option, Evelyn had never been the most confident driver, especially over long distances. On those long lonely straits of road, she would always worry needlessly about every little thing, even if her husband had been along for the ride. Flying had been the only option since her husband was still not back from his fishing trip. An hour and a half was nothing, it would be over before she knew it.

Just before she turned off her phone, Evelyn checked one final time to see if either of them had replied. Her dear Bob had but her daughter had not. This hadn’t been the first message that she hadn’t responded to.

Evelyn had spoken to her the previous morning to confirm what time she would arrive at the airport so that she would be prompt to pick her up but after that, it was utter radio silence. This was hardly unusual due to the nature of her daughter’s job but this felt different. For her daughter was truly a creature of habit, always calling back if she had missed more than one call that day from either parent and replying to text messages by the next morning.

She had done neither of these as Evelyn had tried calling last night and once more before leaving this very morning. She even used the keypad to text carefully a goodnight message and the one before boarding. She preferred to call over using the messaging function on this newer model of phone that had been purchased as a Christmas present. Her family wanted her to try and keep up with the times and have a way of contacting them whenever she left the house.

It had been sweet though but it wouldn’t have been her first choice of present. She knew that her daughter worried about her, but then Evelyn deeply worried about her child’s safety especially since they had not lived in the same state for the last five years.

All she could do was wait until her plane landed safely at Las Vegas Airport and the sight of that ever-infectious smile beaming from just beyond the barrier in the Arrival Hall. The pleasant image would be enough to get through the flight as she laid back in her seat, closing her eyes and relaxed as much as she possibly could.

An hour and a half flew past and Evelyn found herself standing in the right place with a suitcase in one hand and her purse dainty held in the other as her eyes scanned the crowd. She had checked the signage on the walks to ensure that she had gone in the right direction, as it was most definitely possible that the airport had more than one arrival hall in this terminal but this hadn’t been the case.

She had been walking up and down for the last twenty minutes, her eyes passing over each of the many faces staring back at her from the barrier. None of them were the ones that she had been expecting. This was strange as her plane had not been delayed and her trip through security had not taken long. Maybe her daughter had been held up in a traffic jam, yes that had to be it.

Evelyn made her way through the crowd, all whilst looking for a seat to rest and continuing to wait as she was certain that her child wouldn’t be much longer.

Minutes ticked past, soon becoming tens of minutes and before long an hour had passed. Evelyn was concerned as her eyes had remained fixed upon the exit doors, watching as they opened and closed as people flooded in and out but her daughter had never stepped foot across that threshold.

With one hand, she fished out that dreaded mobile phone and swiftly dialled her daughter’s number. It rang for a few moments before being diverted to voicemail. Without hesitation, she spoke knowing that she had few options in a city where knew no one beyond her child.

‘Sweetheart. It’s your mother. I’ve been at the airport for a little while. I know you are on the way and have likely been caught up in some dreadful traffic on the way here so I’ll get a taxi as I do have your address and you head home. I’ll meet you there

She placed the phone back in the depths of her purse before heading outside to find a taxi as seeds of worry and doubt blossomed into life.

Monday, 11:10 pm

Detective Captain Jim Brass had seen it all. There was not much that shook him to the core anymore, after all the years spent with all that he had seen with the ever-loyal team of hardworking CSIs that made up the graveyard shift.

His officers were just as hardy as he was, well maybe a few were still green and somewhat naive but in time, they would be as hard as diamonds on the outside at least. Seated in his office, he was ready to burn the midnight oil when a quick succession of knocks alerted him to the presence of someone at his door.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, to summon them to cross the threshold and enter but this individual did not wait as the door was swiftly pushed open. He frowned, annoyed at this sudden intrusion but as his gaze fell upon the familiar face of Officer Rodriguez of Day Shift, a thousand questions rose erupted within his mind.

Why was he still here? His shift ended hours ago but yet he remained within the department. His pale and drawn face was far from the usual for this stern man who lived for the badge.

“Sir, I’m sorry for just entering but I felt that you needed to hear this” His voice lacked its normal steady tone, it was similar to that of the many terrified fathers that he had encountered over the years. “I’m listening, Rodriguez” He patiently spoke briefly, to allow the man to find the rest of his words.

“My partner and I were called to the scene of a 406, from the information that we had received from dispatch just seemed like a run-of-the-mill job. However, when Sawyer and I rolled up at the address, it was far from ordinary”

Jim watched on silently as the story began to unravel. “A distraught older woman was waiting outside the property for us, and quickly it was established that this was the mother of the individual that owned this unit” It was plain to see the professional nature waning as the officer continued to relay his report.

“The owner was discovered to be one of our own” As he heard the name, the cogs began to turn, as he tried to make sense of what had led to this but yet, he lacked the whole picture as if only a few matching pieces had found and place down upon the table, the jigsaw was slowly coming together.

However, this still perplexed Jim, why was a simple burglary being hand-delivered to his door, unless there was more to this than a case of a stranger breaking into the home of a member of law enforcement and taking anything that wasn't nailed down.

A small case that dayshift would need no assistance from either swing or graveyard but this didn’t feel as if they were reaching out for a fresh set of eyes to look over the evidence. He would bite and see where he ended up.

The memory of the morning still fresh lingered at the forefront of Rodriguez’s mind. It was hard to push aside as he relived each step, trying to see if he missed any detail. No matter how miniscule it initially seems could open doors down the line.

“She’s been paid leave for thirty-six hours as her mother was due to arrive this morning. Using a few vacation days left over from last year” He relayed the information readily to the younger man. A basic set of facts that most of the department was already aware of. She had been rather openly vocal about the pending arrival of her beloved mother.

Each shift had been part of the active countdown that drove many mad but much like any other family, they took in on the chin and revelled at the sight of her excitement. Both men remembered the smile that never faded, it didn’t matter which end of her shift they encountered her, there it would be.

The years of service had not yet tarnished and hardened her heart, but it would come eventually. That one case that they could not get past, sleepless nights and a drive to find a way to justice that went above the call of duty. Jim had his, he knew that Rodriguez had his own.

The sight of Conrad Ecklie and the click of his office door closing behind the said man spoke volumes, this was not going to be good news in the slightest. “Sir, The Detective in question never turned up at the airport to pick up her mother and has not been seen since the morning before that”

Monday 11:20 PM

Nick held his phone as he walked through the station’s front doors, his focus transfixed firmly upon the tiny screen of the device. Still no message back but then again he wasn’t expecting her to answer straight away especially now that her mother was in town. He had the breakfast date to look forward to once he finished this graveyard shift.

Tomorrow was going to be his day with his girl, meeting up with her at their regular breakfast joint and then sitting down to dinner with her mother later in the evening. Nick would message her the details later on during his first break of the night.

Nothing could easily railroad this wonderful feeling, for the first time, in a long time things were going swimmingly with his love life. He never knew that these were famous last words, ones that would haunt him in the days to come.

As his eyes rose from his screen, he could not help but notice the scene in Brass’s office. Ecklie was a familiar sight, flitting in and out whenever the need arose but an unfamiliar Officer who should have clocked out hours ago, now that was unusual.

Catherine lingered in the hallway near the locker room, leaning into the wall behind her with her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes trained upon the glass-walled office. “Evening” He greeted his dear old friend as he stiddled up beside her. “Do you know what’s going on?” He enquired curious to know if she had any insight into the strange situation.

“No, but I don’t doubt we’ll be in the dark for long. All I do know is that it’s do with one of the day shift’s newest cases” She replied, her curiosity had been piqued the moment that she entered ten minutes earlier.

In tandem, their phones beeped and the same text message was displayed on each of their devices. What a way to start a shift, Nick knew that he would have to tell about this in the morning.

FAMILY MEETING

42 notes · View notes

anonymoushouseplantfan · 1 year

Text

Episode 4

Royal wedding montage. No, Samantha Cohen didn’t tell you some weird Rainbow Fish story. That did not happen.

Voices of journalists talking about how amazing she is and how she is going to change the family for the better. I guess the royal coverage is good…as long as they say nice things.

“I don’t know how I was so calm.” Drugs, Meghan. It was drugs.

Wedding crowds montage. Same song as Four Weddings and a Funeral because these two think they are living a rom com. Celebrities attending the wedding. International coverage. Amal and George and the Beckhams. Will and Harry. No one mentions that it was Wallis Simpson’s car. She didn’t talk about the “real” wedding three days before.

There was no expectation, Harry. You were supposed to get married in Craithie Kirk because you were a man of the people. That was the first story that came out.

CWK talks about the dress. Doesn’t mention the Commonwealth flowers in the veil. No mention of the tiara drama or the egg debacle either.

Bold choice going with the vampire bride shot. Yes, KC was important to you Meg. He single-handedly saved your train wreck wedding. Lots of discussion about the Kingdom Choir and no one mentions that they perform at all the Commonwealth events.

They sold their wedding pics, just like Peter. They are soooooo tacky. They laugh about cutting the cake with the sword. That wedding cake was truly symbolic, a priceless collection of gold pedestals propping up a mediocre confection. Her mom ditched her for the celebs. That is hilarious. Of course she did.

Interesting that Meghan hasn’t looked happy once during this whole documentary, but she sounds truly joyful when talking about the wedding. That was the highlight of her life.

Kate’s face in the wedding pictures is everything. Says it all. I wonder if Meghan sold a Kate pic. I haven’t seen one yet. Never mind, I just rewound and, sure enough, she did.

Interesting how they are appropriating narratives—she’s a hugger, writing in a new character, modernizing—that were created by the tabloids. Every single word this Archewell guy is saying was written by Camilla Tominey, Andrew Morton, or Valentine Low. He is parroting the royal experts Harry was mocking last episode.

Train trip with the Queen. Why does she wear a necklace in some shots, but not in others? They are splicing different interviews and using filters to make it look line one interview. This section was edited into incomprehensibility after the death of the Queen.

Grenfell. LOL, she makes it sound like she was in the UK when the tragedy happened. Wild. I like the Grenfell ladies but why are they spending time on this and not covering her current charities?

Bitching about Nott Cott, which actually looks super cute. “I don’t know who lived here before.” Your brother, the heir, lived there before, Harry. You know that.

That’s how she decorated it? Pottery Barn circa 2001? No wonder her domestic goddess career never took off. All of this just to upgrade from 2000s Pottery Barn to 2014 Restoration Hardware? But….they weren’t living in Nott Cott. They rented a Cotswolds farmhouse before the wedding and lived there until moving to Frog Cott. That’s why all these pics are of them getting dressed. They were just using Nott Cott to prep for London events.

Wait, did they just bitch about their multi-million cottage in Kensington Palace being too small right after the Grenfell segment? Yes, they did. Wow.

Pregnancy. She sold her sonogram pictures. Australia. You weren’t showing already, Megs. There was no bump. Cue shots with no bump. This is epic gaslight. We can clearly see she’s not showing, but they flat out say she was.

Lol, she wasn’t that popular. Her polls peaked at 41% net approval after the wedding and dropped like rocks. And Australia wasn’t the turning point, Lucy. It was her dad talking to the media all summer long. Isn’t Lucy Harper a pr person? Shouldn’t she be able to interpret polling data? Headlines about how popular she was…including the 2018 Time’s Most Influential List, which is hilarious because they were sandwiched between Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia’s MSB. Yeah, the royals were really jealous of that. OMG, they show Meghan’s covers and its…Woman’s Day and Hello! Canada. One of the headlines is “Freddy Mercury’s Secret Wife.”

Wait, now he’s happy because the media put Meghan on the front pages? They have a very strange relationship with the media. Hold on, he thinks Meghan outshone The Queen? Seriously?????? He thinks the frumpy brocade dress outshone The Queen? I remember calling that a hater cover because Meghan looked so terrible in it. No one thought she overshadowed The Queen. Literally, no one.

Archewell guy speaking again. He seems to think that the royals, who were desperately trying to cover up the epic disaster of the Australian tour—which included insulting the Australian government house, exaggerating an incident with a faulty heater, assaulting an embassy employee, walking out of a United Nations event, making a staffer cry in front of a reporter, wearing jewelry gifted by an allegedly murderous despot, and trolling her father by saying he hadn’t paid for her college—were jealous of how “well” she did in Australia. This is delusional.

Lol, now they are bitching about avocados. It wasn’t the avocados. It was her dad. They just jumped from blaming the royals for the bad press to blaming racism. First The Queen was jealous, then the staff were scared, then the media was racist and giving Kate better press…I’m getting whiplash. Pick a villain, guys! I can’t follow this argument at all. The Queen was upset because Meghan stole her Woman’s Day cover with Freddie Mercury’s secret wife so she leaked stories about Meghan’s favorite perishable fruit and the evil tabloids turned that into the racialized avocados of death? Whaaaaaat????? I love how Harry throws up his hands and says “well, if you can’t see it, I can’t do anything for you.” See what? None of this makes any sense.

BTW, they used the “Hurricane Meghan” headlines even though Meghan told Oprah she hadn’t heard about that. The Oprah interview also implied she never knew about the bump-holding headlines and they used those in the documentary too. Oprah read them to her and Meghan acted as if it was the first time she was hearing about it. The only headlines Meghan, according to their statements during the Oprah interview, was supposedly aware of were the “made Kate cry story” and the avocado story, and she laughed at the avocado story.

Walkabout in Liverpool. A member of the public scolded her about her dad. See? The problem was her dad. Harry and Meghan, however, blame family lies and the tabloids. Her dad was giving interviews right and left, and people were watching him in real time, complaining about how he was treated. No one in the palace was leaking this. No one was lying about it. He was out there, giving interviews to anyone with a couple of bucks because he wanted to explain that he did actually pay for her school. Her sister was doing the same thing.

And here’s the Diana 2.0 stuff. Wait, she was going to kill herself…over the racialized avocados of death? I paused to re-read the transcript of the Oprah interview because I remembered the suicidal ideation story as being a lot more sympathetic than “the Kate story and the avocados made me want to end it all.” In that interview, they start with the tabloid stories, but then Oprah asks her whether she felt lonely and she talks about Harry working all the time and being all alone. She talks about not being able to leave the house and see her friends and also about the tours being exhausting and having to smile through it all. She also claims there were talks about Archie not being a prince and not getting security and how that was stressing her out. Then she talks about people being concerned about Archie’s skin color and then she talks about her suicidal ideation. That kind of emotional build-up is what Oprah brings to the table. That’s why she gets the big bucks. Here, they just jump from “our Australian tour was super successful” to “mean tabloid stories about Kate and avocados” to “I just didn’t want to live anymore,” and it’s not as powerful, particularly since the behind-the-scenes pictures they keep showing us are all happy pictures.

Also, we skipped over the big show of support at Sandringham. And Doria can also do the “one tear, left eye” trick. It must be genetic.

She wasn’t allowed to get help? Girl, they knew you were nuttier than a fruitcake. They would have sent you to a shrink in a hot minute. And they weren’t afraid about how it would make the institution look. Harry admitted to going to therapy and it went fantastic. James Middleton went to therapy too. They put up pics of Megs looking sad…and they are all from events that happened afterwards.

The households separated because of leaks? Bullying isn’t even going to get mentioned? No, it isn’t, and neither is the big social media campaign KP did to support Meghan.

I’m blown away by the fact that all this drama is about a story about bridesmaids’ dresses. The Oprah Winfrey interview was motivated by this one story about making Kate cry. The Archetypes podcast was about the story about making Kate cry. They made a six-hour Netflix documentary about a story about making Kate cry. There is now an entire subgenre of royal coverage based on Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid attire. This one story has been living rent-free in Harry and Meghan’s heads since Fall 2018.

Harry keeps talking about trading stories and not playing the game. He totally planted the Rose Hanbury affair story as revenge for the “made Kate cry” story. Absolutely,

Happy Nott Cott Christmas. She wasn’t allowed to text photos? Lol, you weren’t texting photos bc you were saving them for Netflix.

People Magazine article. I guess these were the friends working with the magazines. Wasn’t their privacy super important? Weren’t they in danger if their identities were revealed? That was the argument that was presented under oath to the court. Now it turns out she was just saving the reveal for the Netflix special. Baby shower. OMG, Amal Clooney making floral arrangements, wtf? Backlash because of course.

They are gifted Frogmore Cottage. Archie’s birth. Vintage footage about royal births. She had a long-standing relationship with her UK doctor? How? Seriously, how? They couldn’t do the photocell at Portland Hospital? Didn’t Fergie do it at Portland? Twice?

Birth announcement drama. The problem wasn’t that you broke protocol, Meghan. The problem was that CBS got the exclusive and you lied to the press about the birth. They bring in academics to say it was about racism because of course.

Archie. They took a picture of the nanny with the baby in a mud cloth carrier, lol.

South Africa with Archie. They couldn’t do a hospital photocall with the baby, but now they are taking him on tour. Doria just said “it’s not the institution’s baby, it’s her baby,” but they are taking him on an official tour. They can’t be expected to serve their child on a silver platter for literally two minutes, but they can take him on a week-long tour. I had to double-back and check the dates because I felt this wasn’t nearly as jarring and contradictory when it happened, and it wasn’t. The tour was several months after the birth and they had already taken the baby (who was supposedly too young to fly to Balmoral for the summer) to Ibiza. They way they presented it in the documentary, however, sounded ridiculous.

BTW, no coverage of the Vogue magazine, Smartworks capsule collection, the summer vacations at Elton’s house, the private planes, etc…. All of these were roundly criticized (well, not the Smartworks capsule) and yet the only story that matters is the Kate story.

Lol, the Archewell guy just admitted the royals were afraid Meghan would cause an international row during this tour. Not afraid that she would embarrass the royal family with her activism, noooooo. Afraid she would cause an international row.

Tutu. Wasn’t this footage intrusive two episodes ago? Make up your minds, guys! Tom Bradby. Is she trying to spin the interview as an oopsie due to exhaustion? Is she saying Tom tricked her? She really thinks people are stupid. Also, she takes no responsibility for anything, not even the Uber-narcissistic “I trusted too much.” She’s not even capable of that.

{Edited: Apparently Harry is doing another interview with Bradby. Guess he didn’t really trick them then.]

Astroturfed supportive hashtag. Guess her huge investment in Twitter bots paid off. LOL, my kid squints at the screen and says “all the tweets have the same timestamp.” Yes, they do.

Oh, the Diana footage is a bad idea. You can tell she was trying to act like Diana during the Africa interview (so much eyeliner). They really do think she’s Diana though, and they planned their tours (Australia, Africa, big meeting with African leader, big tour with baby) to bolster that impression. It’s interesting that worthy projects (Smartworks capsule collection, Vogue, Morocco girls’ meetings Ireland tour, dog shelter) that would make Meghan look good, but don’t support the Diana narrative are simply not mentioned. The India hygiene project is not featured in the documentary, but the Diana-like pictures in traditional dress are.

You Don’t Own Me for closing credits. Hahaha. Harley Quinn music. So appropriate. The music in the last three documentaries is better than the music in the first three.

Husband and group chat both discuss the Diana 2.0 stuff. She really thinks she is Diana and the documentary is trying to present her as Diana. Everyone agrees that she is no Diana. The psychologist thinks she should have worn more eyeliner. The lawyer tells her that eyeliner wasn’t the problem. There isn’t enough eyeliner in the world to turn her into Diana. Everyone thinks the music is good. Much texting about how much the tiny cottage cost. Someone looks it up on Zillow and it’s an insane number. Many “but my palace was sooooo small” jokes. Many comments about a KP cottage, no matter how small, being much classier than a California McMansion. Many comments about the Archewell guy sounding slimy.

On to the next episode.

207 notes · View notes

ezhuthalar · 10 months

Text

Lots of people doing HOO AUs and that sounds fun so I'm hopping on the band wagon. Starting with TLH! (Note, this would mostly be from Jason's pov, with a few chapters from Leo's and Piper's perspectives. ) Edit: I'm calling this The EagleOwl Swap, after the birds closely associated with Zeus and Athena (Also I have seen a fanart with the seven and birds associated with their godly parents, and I was inspired)

Jason wakes up confused, surrounded by his bestfriend Leo and girlfriend Piper, who he doesn't remember. Everything proceeds normally until their teacher turns into a goat and goes zoo-wee-mama, Leo falls to his death till Jason saves him and Piper acts a bit suspicious. Hmmmm.....

The chariot arrives and in it... is not Annabeth. Not Percy either. Nope. It's... Katie Gardener.

Percy and Annabeth had disappeared a few months ago, and getting a bunch of feral demigods to listen is hard if you're not popular. So all the head cabin members are tired, and Jason was apparently the lead they needed to find them, according to their local oracle. Too bad Jason has zero memories

Camp sequence ensues. Leo fits in like a fish to water, while Jason's mopping around being lonely as there's no one else in his cabin. Till he finds Piper moping a bit Piper's Life Hacks 101: If you don't fit in a grp, just pretend you do; maybe then you would find happiness in this cruel world. Jason finds the life hack to be bs, but Piper's too occupied with other things (foreshadowing) to care about being comfortable

They do the quest to save Hera and coach, and the mission is a mess. Leo is pretty much Elsa but with fire powers, Jason has found out throwing water at enemies then electrocuting them is both effective and fun, so now they have to waste time stealing water bottles from stores or else Jason would pout the entire mission, and Piper discovers Charmspeak for the first time, which makes her scary.

We have Leo trauma-dumping with a smile as he talks about the whole 'mom died in a fire thanks to this weird grass-lady' ending that convo with 'everything's fine, I'm fine' when clearly it's not, your friends can see the pain in your eyes, leo stop holding in the pain-

Piper also trauma dumps about how lonely a child of a celebrity's life is, being piled with expectations, forced to not rock the boat at all, people only sucking up to her cuz everyone knows and wants to be friends with THE Tristan Mclean's daughter, pretending to be something she's not

Which is why she and Leo are best friends, cuz boi has no clue what Hollywood is in the first place, (look he had been running for half his life, cut him some slack) and she finds his jokes funny. (the first)

Jason, is an excellent detective no matter what, and gets suspicious of Piper. "Wait, if you're a people pleaser how did you get sent to the Wilderness School. Minors who repeatedly commit offenses goes to prision, and yet you haven't done anything". "Uhhhhh" , a monster attacks them, saving Piper from almost blowing her cover.

Piper questions her sexuality when she meets the hunters, Leo tries to be supportive, but fails. "Hey, I'm an aromantic, and even I can feel the romance between you and Piper" "...Leo. Never flirt. Ever" ( Fun fact, I said the exact same stuff to someone on behalf of my friend; suffice to say it wasn't my proudest moment)

They're both clueless to the angst stuff happening in the cave. Thalia is struggling to keep it together cuz her baby brother is all grown up and she can't celebrate that becuz he doesn't even know her and that's another person she has to add in the list of "loved one she eventually has to see die becuz she's immortal"

Surprise, as they near the place Hera's trapped, Piper gets revealed that's she been working with the giants to get Jason captured when he was least expecting it cause he's a threat. And Piper would sacrifice Jason, a guy she met like a week ago, for her dad whom which they kidnapped like a few months ago and then blackmailed her to be their spy.

Sike, the giants decides to kill Tristan and the trio instead of just Jason, which was not part of the deal, but Gaea hates Aphrodite and all her kids cuz they are Uranus spawns, and Gaea hates her ex-husband a lot. It's also convenient that two thirds of the trio are part of the prophecy of the Seven, so gotta kill them all. (Pokemon theme plays in the background) (Cuz only Hazel, Frank, Jason and Leo were confirmed to be a part of the Seven, and the other three were added later on )

They free Tristan, but Piper gets captured instead. Jason doesn't want to save her, considering she was willing to kill him off a few minutes ago, but Leo knows how Piper feels, considering Gaea screwed him over as well, who he now is 95% sure was that grass lady that killed his mom, and urges Jason to save them. Even if he's miffed by the fact that Piper got to keep her memories thanks to Gaea's interference intact while Jason and Leo's didn't.

"Wait hold up, so Hera and Gaea messed up my memories? So my friendships are all a lie!" "But that doesn't mean I'm not your friend anymore" Leo starts bawling at that, much to Jason surprise, because he has a friend after so long of being alone (poor boy)

Piper meanwhile regrets everything she has ever done, and not for the first time, considers suicide. But after getting riled up by someone from the shadows telling her she's useless, as a daughter of Aphrodite, she gets reminded of her will to live so that she can one day prove that stuck up manager of her father's that she's more than just a pretty face, and she will prove that manager and the rando in the shadows that she's better than them, basically living through sheer spite baby (Poor Piper, the little smolo blorbo)

They arrive at the place where both Piper and Hera are held. Gaea speaks through that mortal from the shadows (we making her more in this au cuz why not), whch is wayyyyyy more creepy then just talking through their dreams and starts egging Leo on being like "Heyyyyy, ya I did murder your mom" before forcing said mortal she was speaking through to kill themselves. We realise that Gaea has just been picking out random mortals and controllling them as she doesn't have a body herself.

Hera gets freed, Leo overcomes his fire trauma,Piper reedeems herself in Jason's books by reviving him back from the dead. Apparently having a pep talk from Leo and the grief from losing Jason, who is legit her best friend now, can get Piper to unlock her full power of charmspeaking. Leo's just happy he has a home again, with two best friends and a fairy godmother through Hera.

Honestly it's funny when you imagine Jason and Piper learning about Hera putting Leo in fire when he was a baby and being horrified, and he's like it wasn't traumatic, it was a learning experience. Also Hera, in the disguise of a babysitter, gave him ice cream for breakfast when he was five, so she's apparently one of his favourite gods.

Jason was apparently taken from the roman camp in an effort to combine the two camps together after centuries of bloodshed and fighting cuz they need to beat Gaea. So yay, Jason finds out atleast one thing about himself. Hera does promise that he will regain his memories when he finds the roman camp, which she doesn't disclose the location of.

Also piper was never intended to be part of the seven in the first place, but becuz she tagged along and put herself within Hera's radar and has a pretty nice power that would be very helpful, she gets put in the prophecy as well, so yay, she finally feels included for the first time in a very looooong time

Also at the begging of Leo, who is Hera's favoruite, decides to be a bit more helpful and give one more info: Annabeth's at the roman camp, and she also reveals that she intially took Percy first to represent the greeks, but he went missing after two days for some reason, so she took annabeth.

Oh in this au Piper and Leo do not become cabin heads, cause they are too busy saving the world to try to lead a cabin, also Piper finally fits in camp cuz she goes against her hollywood teachings and talks back at Drew, showing her true self after a long time. Hephastus cabin does not have that curse of not taking things able to work, but they do find the secret cabin. And they start preparing to go to the roman camp.

Next Part -> Son of Neptune Au

#the lost hero #heroes of olympus #hoo #tlh trio #percy jackson #piper mclean #jason grace #leo valdez #clarisse la rue #rachel elizabeth dare #thalia grace #katie gardener #pjo #hoo au #drew tanaka #The EagleOwl Swap

64 notes · View notes

flannelepicurean · 9 months

Text

Yo, hey, also, if you're an anxious and/or stressed LGBTQ+ person like myself, and like little games about tasks, like Stardew Valley or My Time at Portia or stuff like that, check out Hokko Life.

It's one of those cute little "do things" games, and there are some things about it that I really, really love:

In a lot of these games, there's a set town structure and cast of characters. In Hokko, there are some keystone elements. But each save file has a different "town area" map that you get to build and expand your little town into. There are two residents to begin with, other than you and the shopkeepers in the main town area (separate), and THOSE COULD BE DIFFERENT. From what I can tell, there are at least 4 possible starter residents, and you can get different combinations per save file.

The days are looooooooooong. This is different from Stardew, for example, where you can feel really pressed to "get everything done" in one day. In Hokko, you have PLENTY of time. And you have the option to take a li'l nap at your house if you want to, so you can skip 2 hours or 6 hours without losing the whole damn day. Or just...take a lil nap.

There are NO GENDER OPTIONS in character creator. You start with the same starter outfit, and have 100% of the starter customization options. Everyone calls you "they/them." A good number of the residents are "they/them." You are just...nonbinary/gender neutral/agender. Periodt.

You are the only humanoid. Everyone else is basically stuffed animals. The first folks you meet are a pink elephant who looks like she maybe has vitiligo and a giraffe with a general store who has extremely Dad Jokes Energy. There are all kinds of other interesting animal folks with different personalities. My game has a green emo/skater pig who seems like they might be a stoner and possibly vegan. Definitely cares about their carbon footprint.

Everything is SO CHILL. There's not really energy to manage or anything, you don't get hungry, you don't have to run around making sure you talk to everybody enough so you don't get less popular. Even if you fail a task for a resident...nothing bad happens. Or at least, that I can tell so far. Just like, whoops. Couldn't find that fish. Oh well. I can make you that paint, though. No worries. All good.

When you DO complete tasks, you get clothing items. And like...the first one I got was a "striped skirt" or something. And I was like, "Oh, that looks kinda-sorta-almost like a nonbinary pride flag. Cool." And then I got some yellow shoes, and a red jacket. And then a "Happy Knit Sweater," which was DEFINITELY ABSOLUTELY a trans pride flag pattern! And then a tee shirt with rainbow sleeves and a rainbow pocket? So like...THEY GIVE YOU LGBTQ+ PRIDE MERCH FOR YOUR LI'L NONBINARY PAL. And then I realized I very much had trans flag wallpaper in my house. 😂 I freaking love this.

You can MAKE YOUR OWN FURNITURE. There's a whole subset of customization and item creation where you can just...design your own furniture and decorative items from almost scratch. You unlock sets of shapes for the crafting & design table, and then you can go into a 3D design space and just...put some wooden spheres together however you want! Add a leaf shape! Put a brass "7" on it! Go crazy! And then you get to save your design and you can craft it again later if you want to make more, or sell them. It just...becomes an item in your game.

The music is super chill. Because of course.

The fishing system is good, for the way I like to play. It's very easy to see the fish, it's very easy to know when you need to "hook/catch," and following the system to reel in is easy to understand. It requires a little effort, it's not an auto-catch, but it's not stressful. It's a TASK, but not a HEADACHE. And you can do it without bait and still be fine.

There's a whole entire thing around catching butterflies. You can just frolic around all day in your pride-wear catching butterflies if you want. It's lovely.

You can save and exit at any point. SUPER IMPORTANT. Can't tell you how many times I've felt some stress about like, "AAAARRRGGGHHH, I have to get to a good spot to stop this Stardew day, or just start over again..." Nah. Hokko, you just hit escape, "Save & Exit." When you load up again, you'll be in your house, with the same stuff on hand/in your backpack.

I actually kinda also like that there doesn't seem to be a romance component? Like, that's neat and all when it is available, but I don't always want the townsfolk coming onto me just because I've given them sufficient eggs or whatever. I might have needed to do those quests to advance the plot, or get a new shovel or something. And maybe I'm not actually down to clown, homie.

Anyway, I'm thoroughly enjoying this game. Got it in the Steam Sale. I think it's not crazy expensive even regular price? My one issue that I'm running into is that the wiki for it is like...zero content. Or just not much in-depth stuff beyond the very bare basics for some of it. So when I want info or hit a snag, I been using Duck Duck Go on that biz, or hitting the Steam Forums. Not the worst thing in the world.

38 notes · View notes

nostalgicamerica · 1 year

Text

True story:

It doesn't take an Einstein to see that things are different today than they were in the middle of the last century. Not better or worse - just different.

The last time my wife and I visited our daughter she had to order her kids from their technology and come out of their rooms to say, "Hi." to Grandma and Gramps. Wait until they see their Christmas presents next December. Socks and underwear. That'll teach 'em.

My grandkids have choices that weren't available to me when I was a teenager; computers, streaming, smart phones, etc. Don't misunderstand - I would have been all over those things, too, were they available when I was growing up. I absolutely believe kids today are no different than when I was a kid. There is nothing 'wrong' with the up and coming generation that wasn't 'wrong' with those who came of age in the 50s.

There may be something wrong with the education system, or the culture, or with present day parenting, but not with the kids. The kids today will rise or fall to meet expectations, just as we did, and they would likely behave precisely the same as my friends and I did, if they were raised in the mid-fifties.

When I was a boy, we didn't have the options kids have today, so we had to make our own entertainment.

Throwing rocks at trees was always good healthy fun; we had plenty of rocks and more trees than rocks.

Standing on the trestle as trains from the mines or the sawmills rolled by underneath and pouring buckets of water down into the smokestack was great entertainment - that could keep us entertained for hours.

On occasion, If we were really feeling frisky, we would traipse over to the local golf course where the more affluent people rubbed elbows. We'd furtively sneak onto the greens and poop in the cups, smear it around with a stick, and then hide in the rough between the fairways. We learned many new and exotic words from the hackers. As an aside, it is my belief that the ladies were far more vocal and profane than their male counterparts.

But we all had individual hobbies. My real 'hobbies' were fishing in summer and hockey in winter, and every spare moment in between would find me reading. My younger brother and partner in crime was (and is) a talented musician and was all about his guitar and banjo year-round.

Some friends dabbled in shooting sports, some worked on cars or motorcycles, some joined me on the rivers, and some were engrossed with the arts in one form or another. We were as varied in our interests as we could be, given our options.

My friend Jussi was all about things aeronautic and aviation. He was always building World War II era model airplanes, both plastic and balsa, flying and static, which all hung from the ceiling in his room. He had rockets, and kites, and all the tools he would ever need to construct the models. He was the 'scientist' of our group and was always tinkering with anything mechanical. The family toaster malfunctioned; Jussi can fix it. The radio blew a tube; where's Jussi.

Jussi's room always smelled of modeling glue and model aircraft dope, even though his window was always open.

So often during the summer months, if the weather was right, we'd all gather in a field to watch the launch of his latest rocket, or first flight of whatever plane he had just finished. It was always great fun and I could always see Jussi's pride as his rockets arched skyward, a trail of smoke following behind, before seeming to pause at it's apogee and then begin falling. At that moment, the nose cone would pop off and a fabric parachute would eject and gently lower the rocket to where we waited below.

Unless, of course, the wind happened to be blowing aloft and carried the rocket downwind. Then we'd have to go on a hunt. There was more than one occasion when we couldn't find the rocket at all.

The summer we turned 14, Jussi happened to read an article in one of his many science magazines (Popular Science , maybe, or Science and Mechanics, or the ubiquitous Popular Mechanics and Science and Physics and Knitting) on a new sport; hang gliding. At least the sport was new to us.

More precisely, the article was about how to build a hang glider. It was complete with schematics and a supply list. It was detailed. It was easy to understand, even to young teenagers. It was obviously written for somebody with more scratch than we had.

When Jussi first suggested building the glider to the group of four friends who were enjoying homemade Popsicles on his back porch, we all enthusiastically agreed. Why not? What else did we have to do on a hot July afternoon?

We pooled our financial resources and discovered we collectively had $1.73. We weren't going to be able to buy the materials we'd need.

I'm a bit ashamed that I came up with the idea to use our mother's sheets. I suggested the five of us go to our respective homes and steal one from their mother's linen closet. King-sized, if they were available. My brother and I would swipe two, if we could.

Afterwards, we'd hike to Pelki's Junkyard to see if we could pinch something with which we could construct a frame and cross pieces.

We were all starting to get excited, especially Jussi. I could see the gleam in his eyes at the thought of soaring high above our town, waving at pedestrians, and dropping water balloon bombs.

At the time it didn't cross my mind that, other than gently sloped hills, which, by the way, were covered in pine and maple and oak trees, our town was surrounded by pretty flat terrain. I vaguely recall Skunk pointing it out, but that wasn't important at the time.

An hour or so later, we all met in Jussi's backyard and stowed the sheets in a Nehi box and set out for the junk yard.

Pelki's Junkyard was, just as the name might imply, a junkyard. But not just any junkyard. It was a junkyard's junkyard. The Pelki family had been in the junk business since before World War I. It had been filled with abandoned automobiles and household appliances from several surrounding communities over several decades.

If you needed a windshield for a 1925 Ford Model T, chances are Pelki's would be able to help you out. Need a door for a 1934 GE Monitor Top Refrigerator? Check with Pelki's.

An arial view of Pelki's Junkyard, a mile south of town, would have shown mountains of bed frames, barrels, engine blocks, tangles of wire, and stoves. It also had piles of pipes of all lengths and diameters, which is what we were after.

We weren't worried about security at the yard, as there was none. No junk yard dogs or even locked fences. More importantly, Elmer Pelki, the proprietor of the establishment, 80+ years-old with about four yellowed teeth in his head, knew us kids all by name and was always happy to let take whatever junk we might need so long as we didn't mess up his piles too badly.

We always treated Elmer with genuine respect and let him know if we took anything. He was a poor boy's supplier.

I'm sure the Popular Mechanics and Science and Physics and Knitting article didn't anticipate putting together a hang glider using the components we had available to us. It listed nylon and aluminum and brackets and specific nuts, bolts, and washers in it's assembly instructions.

We had none of those.

When we headed back to Jussi's place, we were hauling eight, fifteen- to twenty-foot lengths of conduit (not aluminum) of slightly varying diameters, several shorter pieces, and some leather straps we thought we might be able to use. We had no nuts, bolts, or washers, and Pelki's had apparently had experienced a run and was sold out of nylon of any sort.

The slog back to Jussi's seemed much longer, loaded down as we were. By the time we offloaded the components of our flying machine behind Jussi's barn, it was dinner time and we were done in.

Confident the hard part was in the rearview mirror, we all agreed to meet back at Jussi's the next day after our chores were done to construct our aerodynamic masterpiece.

'Masterpiece,' it would seem, is a relative term.

The following day, just before noon, all five us were in back of Jussi's place, laying out the rough frame of our glider and trying to map out the best approach in the assembly.

Immediately, those of us not completely brain dead (namely Jussi and Spud) pointed out that we had a problem. Configured as it was with two similar-sized pipes in a straight line, and two at an angle that met in the center, our kite was going to have a wingspan roughly 35 feet from tip to tip. We would have needed to empty our mother's linen closets, plus some of our neighbor's clotheslines to obtain enough fabric to cover the wings.

To solve the problem, we cut the pipes in half (a job that was back-breaking given that the Jussi's dad's hacksaw was dull and chewed up and the blade had a tendency to pop off every so often). The result was a much smaller, tighter wingspan.

We were still doubtful at the massive size of the beginnings of our hang glider, but Spud was confident. He and Jussi attacked the task of fastening the members of the wings together while the rest of us were given the job of sewing our sheet wing coverings together.

We spread our stolen bedding on the ground and I just shook my head. We had two, snow-white and pristine sheets (one king- and one queen-sized), a fitted queen that had once been lavender in hue, another sheet that might have once been king-sized that was a striped blue and white and full of holes and completely frayed at the bottom, and a small fitted sheet that not only seemed like it was designed for a toddler's bed, but also looked as if it had been urinated on. Often and recently.

As it was, there was no way we could cover the mammoth glider's wings. Jussi solved the problem and told my brother to get the tarp that was under his dad's workbench. When my brother came out of the garage he was staggering under the weight of a huge, folded, 20 by 20 canvas tarpaulin that he could barely carry. Jussi nodded and assured us his father wouldn't mind as he continued his task of drilling holes in the pipes.

We folded the tarp in half and cut it down the middle. We folded the halves in half and cut them on a diagonal to approximate the shape of our wings. With two boys punching holes every six inches with an awl, and me tying the edges with a spool of heavy jute we fashioned two enormous envelopes that would cover the frame wings completely, if not exactly neatly.

By the time we were done sewing the covering, Jussi and Spud were finishing up fastening the frame. They had sewn the pipes together using baling wire and, using a similar technique, inserted four crosspieces to provide stability. The center was a rough square with two wobbly handles the 'pilot' could hang onto during flight.

They used baling wire to fasten leather straps on the top and bottoms of the wings from one side to the other to provide wing stability.

Whatever else it was, the structure was sturdy. Jussi and I lifted it by the wing tips and gave the frame a vigorous shake. Only one piece came loose. I remember thinking that it seemed heavy for something that was going to soar through the air.

We then slid our canvas skin onto the frame, one side at a time and 'sewed' the two wide sides together. Spud and my brother cut slots in the fabric and threaded a twelve foot leather strap in a loop that met beneath the monstrosity.

Several hours after we started, the group lounged on the porch mouthing the ersatz Popsicles and 'admiring' our 'handiwork.' it was clear to all of us that the sprawling hirviö wasn't anything like the photos in the magazine.

It looked like a drunken and slovenly pterodactyl that had passed out. One side was longer than the other, and it listed to the left. To say I was dubious would be greatly overstating what I thought, but it was still awesome.

After the frozen treats were gone and the brain freeze had waned, four of us lifted the glider over our heads and gently pushed it off into the wind. I have to admit my surprise when it actually caught the breeze and 'sailed' about six feet before landing relatively softly in the weeds.

The next task we faced was trying to figure out from where we could launch our craft.

The highest point in our neck of the woods were The Cliffs overlooking Cutoff Road. The Cliffs were six miles away as the crow flies, and about half again as far if we manhandled the brown bomber by road.

To a man, every one of us said there was no helvetin way we were going to haul the thing to The Cliffs by hand. Besides, I am fairly certain had we hauled the thing to The Cliffs, not one of us had big enough kiveksets to strap themselves in and jump from 75 feet up.

Skunk pointed to Jussi's dad's garage as a possible test for the glider. At it's peak it was maybe 20 feet high. Perfect.

Fortunately, Jussi's parents were out grocery shopping or some such, because I am pretty sure they would have put the lopettaa to the idea if they saw us wrestling the gargantuan kite up onto the garage roof.

That's exactly what we did. Two ladders on either side of the front of the garage, one boy on each wingtip, two in the middle, and one pulling from the rooftop, we inched the 'glider' upwards. By the time we got it up onto the roof, I was confident the stupid thing wasn't a glider at all, but rather an anchor. And I was sure it would fly about as well.

Finally, the moment of truth: who was going to be the test pilot?

We all feigned interest in the opportunity and argued good-naturedly back and forth as if we truly wanted the honor.

The matter was settled the way we often settled disputes: shooting fingers. Two boys faced each other, one called odd, the other even and on the count of three 'shot' out one or two fingers. The number of fingers, even or odd determined the winner.

One by one the boys fell to superior fingers, until it was between my brother and me. He called even, leaving me the odd man out. I could see fear in his eyes as we stood next to the kite. I knew he didn't really want to be the pilot.

I also knew he always shot one finger. On the count of three I shot two and was left standing the 'winner.' My brother tried to act disappointed even as relief was painted all over his face. I'm not going to pretend I wasn't scared.

Even as the others lifted the glider up to allow me to crawl into the middle and literally tie the leather straps around my waist, I was terrified and I could feel my legs quaking beneath me. Looking over the edge of the roof, it seemed impossibly high.

"What's the worst that could happen?" I recall thinking to myself. I also recall thinking, "Paska, this thing is heavy."

That was the moment I should have backed out and let one of the others take the trip. The wing tied to my back seemed impossibly heavy and not at all aerodynamic, and the wings drooped terribly. But there was no turning back.

Like a gunfighter in the old west, a boy in my time couldn't show cowardice or it could follow him through his entire adulthood thereby limiting his earning potential and likely his choice of mates. My nickname would be changed from 'Orava' (Finnish for 'Squirrel') to 'Ei Kiveksia' (Look it up). Dad would have to hang his head in public and probably come to wish I had been born a girl.

No, I was stuck, so I silently repeated the question, "What's the worst that could happen?"

Spud and Jussi both suggested waiting for a strong gust of wind before I jumped (as if I could have jumped with the behemoth strapped to my back). I used mental duct tape to silence the voice in my head, and I forced myself towards the edge of the roof by pushing up and out as hard as I was able and literally fell off the edge. The glider caught the breeze and seemed to float away in slow motion from where my friends were cheering.

"It's going to work!" I exulted in my head as I floated from the garage. Two feet. Three feet. I was free from gravity! I was flying! Five feet. I was the next Lindbergh! Parades and stuffy speeches from politicians lauding my greatness were in my future!

Then a moderately strong gust caught the wings of the glider.

Jussi was at least a decade away from earning his mechanical engineering degree from MTU and so he had a few things yet to learn, namely, the stabilizing leather straps (or, more accurately, the tensile strength of the baling wire with which they were tied) weren't sufficient to keep the wings from folding up like a sheet of writing paper, which, when the baling wire snapped, is exactly what they proceeded to do

The two massive spans lifted up and met high in the sky above my head and the contraption plummeted to the ground like an anvil, taking me with it.

As they say, it isn't the fall that hurts you...

When the dust settled and my four compatriots extricated me from the broken albatross, they had to do so gingerly, after cutting the strap from around my waist, because I couldn't move my left leg, and my left wrist was rapidly swelling. One of the pipes had wacked the side of my head and blood was leaking from my right ear and my eyes were staring in different directions.

Spud somehow kept his wits about him and ran to Jussi's neighbor who carried me to his truck, laid me in the back, and drove me to the clinic two blocks away, and then called my mother.

It turned out that while my wrist was broken, my left knee and ankle were merely sprained, and I had a concussion. The other bruises and scrapes were inconsequential.

Mom, to her credit, did not offer to kill me on the spot. She didn't even do so when the sawbones gave her the diagnosis. She did, however, dress me down a bit as she ferried me and my brother home in her DeSoto. As she pulled into the drive she leveled her big guns. "Just wait until your father gets home!" It was the most severe and frequent admonishment Mom ever used with me and my siblings.

I'm sure Mom and Dad were relieved that I'd survived but they tried to use me to set an example for the rest of their brood.

While they read us the riot act and grounded me and my brother for the remainder of July, I couldn't help think how loved we were. Even as they were doling out their harsh discipline I could see through Mom's tears and Dad's sternness. I could see they were only concerned for their sprouts.

Late that night I lay in bed reviewing the day waiting for sleep to claim me. I could hear Mom's and Dad's voices discussing their sons coming up from the kitchen through the vent. Mom was sure they were being too soft and that we were going to drive her to drink, but Dad was laughing and telling her that's what kids do. They get bumps and bruises, pick themselves up and hopefully learn lessons along the way. By the time I drifted off to sleep, they were both laughing.

I did learn a lesson from my brief flight, and no, it wasn't to always listen to that quiet voice in my head that suggested caution. I would continue to mostly ignore that voice for many more years until the falls and bumps and scrapes beat me into a state of reasonableness.

No, the lesson I learned is that there is no idea so stupid that someone, somewhere won't look at it and say, "Why not?"

34 notes · View notes

realmeganamram · 7 months

Text

NEPO BABY

Hey, guys! There’s been a lot of discussion going on lately and I just wanted to clear the air. I totally understand that people think I got my job because of my dad, but I definitely would have still been the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ even if my dad wasn’t God. Everyone says I would have been the Son of God even if I weren’t the son of God.

Just because my dad is famous, it doesn’t mean I don’t have merits of my own. I am a very good listener, and nice, and I have a bag that has seven million fish in it. I’m pretty embarrassed by D-d—I don’t even really like telling people my last name. When people find out that my last name is Of Nazareth, it just shuts down any conversation. How do they know it’s the same Of Nazareth? What if my dad was, like, Bill Of Nazareth, just, like, a guy with a truck and a snake? Not everyone in my family is famous. What about my mom? She’s a prude and a nobody! Her last name, Mary, isn’t well known at all! Her last name is Mary and her first name is Virgin.

You have no idea—it actually really sucks to have a famous parent. No one believes that I healed those lepers on my own. But now we’ll never know if I could have cured leprosy without the leg up my dad gave me, which is that I am magic and have the gorgeous hair of a horse you hope breeds with all the other horses. Sure, I got all this myrrh as a kid, but that myrrh lasts you only so long. And then you have to work for your own myrrh. And I worked for every inch of myrrh I ever got. Every cubic centimetre of myrrh. Every cup of it. What is myrrh?

I toiled really hard to get where I am. I went to four years of carpenter school. And, no, I don’t have student loans, because, yes, my dad invented wood, but it was still hard. I have hammered my thumbs so many times. One time, I even drove a nail all the way through my hand. It hurt so bad, and I was, like, I hope that never happens again, but then it did! I totally acknowledge my privilege, but let’s not act like other people don’t have privilege, too. I can turn water into wine, but my buddy Eric can turn water into piss. Why aren’t people obsessed with Eric’s dad?

I started from the bottom—I was born and immediately put in a manger. You’d imagine that soft hay would be in there, but no. Do you know what was in there? Four scorpions. Worse than a normal bed. I don’t even technically have my own birthday! I share it with Santa, which is antisemitic.

I’m a really good sport about things. Every time I walk into a Catholic church, there’s a good chance I’ll see myself on the Cross, being crucified. Obsessed with me much? And everyone is obsessed with drinking my blood and eating my body. It makes me feel faint. We have to talk about something else before I fall off this horse. And, before you comment about my having a fancy horse, just know that a lot of people’s dads make them horses for their sixteenth birthday.

I don’t want anyone to feel too sorry for me, but the nepo-baby thing makes me really insecure. People are just so ready to tear you down and say, “You don’t even deserve to have a really popular book about you.” I struggled with impostor syndrome for so long, but then I was able to cure it, because I can cure any disease, because I am magic, because of my dad.

All I can hope for is that, by keeping my head down and just doing the work, my legacy will finally be separate from D-d’s. At the end of my career as the Lamb of God, no one is going to think about my dad. They’ll just be, like, That’s some guy who is a really hard worker and always has, like, a hundred loaves of bread with him for some reason.

Ultimately, it boils down to talent. And I will rest easy knowing that the haters are just jealous. But I will love them anyway. Because I am the most humble person of all time.

14 notes · View notes

brutal-nemesis · 7 months

Text

Goretober II: Hook, Line, and Sarcasm

Continuing to explore my stupid probably unrealistic ideas via @coyotehusk's goretober✨

←Previous - Castys Masterlist - Goretober Masterlist - Next→

Ingredients: hooks of different sizes piercing into a guy, suspension, eye whump/gore, inhuman whumper

Castys was not a fan of the tentacles.

He didn’t even like eating them when it was like an octopus or something, the texture always weirded him out, but Kuro’s tentacles were a whole other thing. That was the darkness lady’s name, Kuro, but it’s not like knowing her name made any of this any better. She’d let him off of the stupid table, but her tentacles were more than enough to keep him from trying to escape, wrapping around his wrists and neck snugly, pulling him towards…a big hook.

“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not actually a fish.” Castys was glad she’d pulled that nail out of his mouth and killed him when she’d let him up so he could at least talk again.

“Oh, this hook isn’t for fish. It’s for meat!” Castys opened his mouth, but he couldn’t exactly argue that he wasn’t meat. Kuro reached out and pulled the hook a little lower, using her tentacles to force Castys to turn around.

He knew exactly what was about to happen, but he really wanted to believe that he was wrong. “Change your mind? Are you gonna take me back to the cozy little table?”

Kuro laughed. “No, but maybe I’ll put you back on there later. I want to try this first.” One of her tentacles snaked behind him, the clink of the chain his only warning before-Castys couldn’t help but wince as the sharp point of the hook pierced his back, shivering as it scraped against his bones.

“I-I’m not sure if this is-agh.” Castys decided to keep his mouth shut as Kuro turned a crank in the wall, pulling the chain attached to the hook upwards. She finally let go of him when his feet no longer touched the ground, but by then it was too late for him to do much besides wiggle. He couldn’t reach the hook now lodged in his back, and even if he could, there was no way he’d be able to pull it out.

“There! You look kinda funny, hanging like that.”

“I always look funny.”

Kuro might’ve smiled at that, but there was no way to tell, unfortunately. He was just going to assume from here on that all of his jokes landed all of the time because that was the only form of consolation he ever really got. At some point while he was thinking about things, Kuro had produced a small box, and now she was pulling out a little shiny…fish hook.

Of course.

“You’re really hooked on those things, huh?”

“I think you’re hooked more than I am.” Okay, playing along, good, she probably thought he was a little bit funny. But that wasn’t his biggest problem anymore, and also was really never his biggest problem because he still had a giant hook in his back that hurt very very much because all of his weight was on it. And now Kuro had poked a fish hook through one of his wrists, in and out so it looped under his skin. When she reached for his other arm, he tried to jerk it away, but since she basically had six hands he lost that battle pretty quickly. In and out with the same fish hook, and now his wrists were, like, pierced together, and while it wasn’t super painful, it was annoying and also kind of dumb. He had to actively keep his wrists together or the fish hook would just tear through the skin since it wasn’t in very deep.

“Hmm, what do you think, should I add some more so you’re more comfortable?” Kuro mused.

“I think I would be most comfortable if you added less, but that’s just my opinion.” As usual, Castys’s opinion was promptly ignored, and before he knew it, there were already like five or six more hooks keeping his arms together. Kuro worked fast, holding him with her tentacles and saving the more delicate work for her hands. After she’d put in enough that he could relax and let the tension of the metal pierced through his skin hold his arms together, she stepped back, crossing her arms as she looked him over.

“I still feel like you’re missing something…”

“I could go for some cake. Alternatively, you could take something away, like these hooks.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Kuro laughed, pulling out another fish hook, this one with string attached. “Maybe I should take something away.”

“Hey, uh, I was just kidding, you don’t have to-uh, hi, that’s my fa-” Her grip on his chin shifted, covering his mouth now, too, so he could only watch as the point of the hook came towards his eye, piercing it with ease. She shoved it in deep as he screamed into her hand, and as much as he wanted to jerk away he couldn’t or he’d only make things worse, but it ended up not mattering as Kuro wound the string around her fingers and started to pull, awful, painful pressure building up in his eye as it bulged further and further out of its socket, his vision already fucked and getting worse by the second, and there it was that annoyingly familiar pop of his eye coming out, flopping against his cheek as Kuro laughed.

“I think I’ll take this, if you don’t mind. I think I’d like to keep it.” Castys, very stupidly, shrugged, which is a terrible idea when there is a large metal hook under your shoulder blade. Kuro took her hand off of his mouth, grabbing the stringy bit that attached his eyeball to the inside of his head and giving it a harsh tug, enough to rip it out completely, which was honestly up there with the most awful feelings ever. In his screaming and thrashing in pain, Castys tugged hard enough at the fish hooks in his arms that they ripped free, which caused him to scream and thrash more, which made the hook digging into his back hurt even more, which caused-

When he had settled the fuck down, he noticed Kuro swinging his eyeball around like the world’s worst keychain as she laughed, which was a little rude. “You ruined all of my hard work, Castys.”

“Well you…you ruined all of my hard work to…to have two eyes.” Wow, great comeback, you totally don’t deserve to keep hanging here on a hook like a pig about to be butchered. Kuro laughed again anyway, but it was probably because he was stupid.

“No matter. I’ll just leave you there to bleed out and we’ll try again later.”

“Can you please stab me so I bleed out faster?”

“Mm…no.”

Well, it was worth a shot. Nothing left for him to do now but hang out.

…Yeah, he probably deserved this.

Castys Cult: @as-a-matter-of-whump @blackrosesandwhump @fanmanga1357-blog @thehopelessopus @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @hearse-song @muddy-swamp-bitch @whumpasaurus101 @yet-another-heathen @galaxywhump @starnight-whump @his-unspoken-words @misspelledwitch @suspicious-whumping-egg @pumpkin-spice-whump @painsandconfusion @i-can-even-burn-salad @befuddled-calico-whump @whumpinggrounds @whump-queen @whumpedydump

#i wrote something #castys #kuro #immortal whumpee #hooks #suspension #gore #goretober 2023 #eye whump #eye gore #castys continues to be His Special Self in here #uh yeah as you can tell i made kuro when i was younger hence the lazy-ass name lmao #hooks just make me think of one of the death scenes in until dawn that shit fucks 😩😩 guy gets a hook through his lower jaw #i didnt wanna do exactly that since i wanted to try the dbd-style meathooking for fun #not that i play it but my brother and one of my friends love it so i know things #and yeah i wanted to yank out an eyeball via fish hook. what of it

14 notes · View notes

tucadooftime · 4 months

Text

Continuing my Tsukasa Yugi Au(Tbhk)

(Basically an au from Tsukasa's perspective with a few twist) So basically int his au, rumors make the supernaturals and wonders stronger because they're less forgotten and the more spread, the better for the supernatural, but it does mean the supernatural has to comply to the rumor. I purpose that in this moment it becomes harder for Hanako, Nene, and Kou to track down who originally made all the rumors since it has become more popular for students to make rumors; the students have made a club dedicated to this that isn't known to the public but at the same time, a popular club nonetheless. The rumor spreading group challenge each other into who can make the scariest rumor and who can make it to most popular which ultimately makes it way harder for the trio to actually take down the wonders. I Imagine even Sakura, Natsuhiko, and Tsukasa are curious and dumbfounded as to who this group is. The fish scale that Tsukasa had accidentally eaten that was in the left out bento would connect his faith with Nene but the scales don't only affect Nene to become a fish, but when she does, it gives Tsukasa fish Giles that make it harder for him to breath and give Nene a time limit on how long she can be a fish for. In a turn of events, Kou, Hanako, and Nene have found themselves cornered and actually needing help for the first time. Tsukasa being naive now and having the mentality of when he was 4, would do anything to help Hanako whilst at the same time, if Nene died so would he. Tsukasa not being possessed anymore would give him benefits but back when he was possessed, he made enemies with ultimately too many people and things which is also a big con. He doesn't know the full extent to his power and he himself wants to figure out what happened between his other self and Amane. Nene too has a similar goal to Tsukasa and their lives now being linked, have become nothing short of good friends. Meanwhile, Natsuhiko and Sakura and trying to figure out where this rumor making club is, the club itself seems like a rumor but its very real. They wouldn't have had a problem with this strange group if it didn't interfere with their own plans and rumors. This club has also given a ton of work to the exorcist alike which gives them all a common enemy.

10 notes · View notes

halfagone · 7 months

Note

Hello! :-D

Quick Question: What is your headcanon on why some ghosts are just crazy strong and others more or less ordinary people?

Not talking about the Ancients, but, like, Technus, Ember, Johnny 13, heck, even the Lunch Lady kind of. And ordinary people... hm, the people in Dorathea's kingdom?

Love your work, btw! I'm always blown away by your writing! Literally makes my day better! Wish you the best! <3

Hello! X3

First off, thank you so much!! I'm always happy to hear people enjoy my writing~ And I hope you know you've brightened my day up too. <3

As for your question, I will begin with a general warning: This response will include discussions about MULTIPLE CHARACTER DEATHS. Please proceed with caution!

There are a lot of headcanons in the fandom in general about this one, but I think the most general response for this would be: how powerful a ghost is directly correlates to their death. So things like: How did they die? When did they die? Thoughts/emotions during their death, etc. This also ties into headcanons about cores and Obsessions and the like.

I'll use your example of Ember. A lot of people headcanon that she died in a house fire and that's why she has flaming hair. Most often I see the explanation that she had been home alone after being stood up by a crush when her house caught on fire and she perished within, forgotten. Hence why her popular song has her chanting "Remember". I actually have a similar but different rendition of this headcanon where she did indeed die in a house fire because her parents had been out on date night and- despite her mother's reminders- she forgot to turn off the oven and slept right through the alarm. And by the time she woke up, it was too late.

In this context, I would say because she was cognizant before her death, she had time to realize what was about to happen to her, which made her impression on ectoplasm much stronger, hence creator a stronger ghost.

This also ties into let's say... Box Ghost. For Box Ghost, I headcanon that he worked in a warehouse while he was alive. There's backstory to this idea too; his coworkers had been considering unionizing and going on strike because of the poor pay and dangerous working conditions. Boxy might have even gone with them... had he not been killed due to those very same working conditions.

His death is unexpected. He's crushed by heavy machinery and/or equipment. He has no time to rationalize what's going on, but his last thoughts are about living a better life, which helps create his ghost... But because there's no strong imprint, his ghost has a very basic rendition or memory of what his life used to be. He died holding a box, he remembers that the box is important to him. His ghost builds and grows of that basic impression. You get the idea.

There are also headcanons about natives of the Ghost Zone. Like Frostbite. Different people have different names for it, I usually use terms like ectoplasmic entities, since 'ghosts' typically imply they had lived at one point. Whereas these people had never been mortal, but are still living their own lives. Yeah, it's complicated. 😅

Dora's citizens, or the people of Mattingly, could be that entity type. I don't remember if it was ever confirmed if Dora and Aragorn were ghosts or not, since the show always insisted that ghosts were essentially aliens from another world (despite giving Desiree a backstory where she died??? They really did not try hard to convince us otherwise.). A Glitch in Time seems to imply that they were ghosts though, which could lend credit to another idea:

Where you live in the Ghost Zone can make you more powerful. I know I talk about Marsalias a lot, but they really do have wonderful worldbuilding for the GZ. I recommend their Kingdoms of Fish series to get an idea of some possibilities out there.

I myself wrote the Ghost Zone to have similarities to the ocean. In the Trench, the ectoplasm is thicker and more congealed, if you will, which means anything that lurks or lives there is typically more dangerous, because their bodies must be stronger/hardier to move through the thicker ectoplasm.

Maybe the kingdom of Mattingly lives in an area of the Zone that's more suited for dragons, but also means that its citizens either have to be stronger to keep up or! If you headcanon that ghosts have different core elements, then they aren't suited for the area but stay because they can't or don't want to leave. Which would make them weaker.

There's also concepts that the stronger ghosts absorb more ectoplasm, leaving only crumbs for others. Aragorn could be consuming more ectoplasm, or maybe the amulet is a natural magnet for it. This would keep his people subjugated and deferential to him, while also maintaining homeostasis for his powers.

Lots of different options available for you if you wanted them. I use whatever suits my purposes, although I generally like the headcanon that it's a case-by-case situation, because then I don't have to make convoluted rules for myself. I can just say, "That's how [insert character here] works." And I've saved myself three weeks of insanity.

I hope this answered your question? lol I do have some other examples, but I hope this gave you a general idea, because if it gets any longer we would be here forever. XD

#halfagone replies #danny phantom headcanon

9 notes · View notes

sassyfrassboss · 2 years

Note

The sun also reported that Meghan and harry would be on the balcony for the jubilee and that the queen met and took a photo with lily, that the queen met with both of them back in February during their stop over, and finally that the sussex would be gifted a different property in Windsor.

This is just Meghan desperate for her children to be called prince and princess, it's not going to happened. They live in the states and they won't ever be working royals. AT best I see the royals continue to refer to them as master and lady and deny any request for comment as they are private citizens in a different country. The website will never be updated. Meghan just wants the media to catch on and do the work for her but they won't because the attachment to those children is non existent.

Meghan is up in arms over back to back blows, first Catherine become princess of Wales 24 hours following the death of her majesty, second news of them moving into Windsor castle sometime in the next year or so, and thirdly the jewelry Catherine is wearing that is her homage to the late queen. These are all things she can't compete. It's a desperate attempt but I think at its core is her lashing out again that the plan for the monarchy will move ahead with or without them. They are small fish in a big pond. She does this when shes told no but thinks she popular enough with the people to change the minds of those in charge. and her attempts haven't worked once. thats not going to change now.

Yep. She has the same pattern.

They were told "NO Balcony" a statement was even released to the effect, and Meghan still went to The Sun saying that they could still appear.

She always does this. She is told no, so she leaks to the press thinking the public will get angry and demand titles for her kids. She fails to understand the UK public hates her and titles mean nothing in the States.

55 notes · View notes

red-hemlock · 22 days

Note

"Love Story with Eddie" @question-marked

Send “love story with ____” for my muse’s reaction on finding a romantic fanfiction about themselves paired with that character @question-marked

Her daughter said it was something called 'Wattpad'. A website, filled with stories crafted by scores of faceless someones from all across the Internet vast. Not really a thing that would catch River's attention normally, but when Dagny mentioned there were a bunch of them dedicated to Gotham's Rogues? Well, hook meet fish.

Granted, her kid obtained this info via a classmate telephoned from said classmate's older sibling, but-... How could she not check it out all the same?

Thus was how River spent her afternoon that day, neck-deep in the literary trenches of Wattpad's finest, and saving all the funniest ones to Airdrop everyone when they least expected; and my was it one addicting blackhole to cannonball into. Eddie would just die over it, which was why she had to look him up... His tag did seem to be quite the popular one after all, the thing was just an endless scroll! But that innocent perusal halts, when River's eyes happen upon a tale that also seems to star her of all people?

First one she's seen. Only one chapter too, but she never really fancied herself on the same 'level' as the rest of them anyway; and it was never wise to look a gift horse in the mouth. However-

"...What's a lemon?" The strange little moniker was listed on a few stories skipped-over. River didn't really 'get it', but there wasn't any time like the present to learn, as she clicked that link and began to read. 'Luckily' she's a fast reader.

"GOOD HEAVENS!" Chucking the poor phone to the other end of the couch, River draws her knees to her chest as if a mouse had just scurried across her toes. One: wow. Two: Dagny was not allowed on this site until age twenty-five at least; And three? WOW.

"I can't believe there are people out there who think he'd be the one on top out of the two of us, my word." Face flushed, a narrow-eyed stare fixates upon that 'mockingly' lit screen.

And before long, that phone is snatched right back into her clutches. If there's one, there has to be more.

#question-marked #(Gotta love a good badly-written Wattpad crack-lemon surprise haha! xD)#(PFFFFT River's already harlequin romance trash she'd be ALL OVER fanfic lemons let's be real.)

3 notes · View notes

olivieraa · 1 month

Text

In my attempt to do a spoiler-free review...

If I'm being honest... If I could go back in time... I'd tell myself not to watch this anime, which looks crazy since I was freaking out through most of it

Now it ticked lots of boxes before I went into it, but for it to tick even more when the anime already seemed perfect was incredible. So it ticked an extra three boxes. One of the before I watched it moments being that, I literally had only just made a rant about BL and how that label should be removed from animes and like, y'know, let us be surprised if the main character ends up in a same-sex relationship. Don't spoil it with the BL tag. But I'd made the Banana Fish post a month before that rant. I'd listed the Banana Fish genres, already hyped at it being a shoujo, made by a woman, with the delinquent/crime/psychological genres.

1. And so therefore, I did not go into this knowing that... it would end up being a BL. And anyone that tries to deny it was a BL is actually insane. The author could try and tell me this gay as fuck anime wasn't a BL and I wouldn't believe it (whether she has or not idk). Fucking heart emojis coming outta these fuckers eyes whenever they're in the vicinity of each other. I didn't screenshot the majority of it bc I'd too many screenshots. So yeah, this anime basically... did the exact thing I wanted in my rant. It's honestly the weirdest and most perfect timing. Legit shocked at the gay that happened in an anime not labelled as BL. I'm still not over it

Takahiro Kagami was the key animator. The animation director most known for YGO's signature style. YGO at its most beautiful. The guy who created Joey's chin. The animator they called back to animate DSOD and gave Joey his most perfect look

So I learn just before watching this anime that made me think of Joey in the first place, that Joey's key animator was working on this show? Incredible.

Joey's S!0 VA comes in as our main dudes trainer/mentor, who taught him how to fight and shoot. Like, I been comparing him to Joey the whole time and Joey appears?? What sorcery is this??????

So with the boxes out of the way, I'll list the positives outside of that:

Voice acting was fine, but the MC has risen up the ranks for me and this is my second time hearing him as a main character. Before that he was a side character in animes I barely remember. Actually I just finished Starmyu again and I think he was one of the less memorable characters (ok just checked and yes, also he was a little gay in that, he's always gay that's crazy). But he was fantastic, a scene stealer.

The animation was stunning (as expected). And it being set in New York added so much to that appeal. The action scenes... yes.

And for 24 eps it had a decent pace, I had a few days off so just binged it but took a lot of breaks (even tho it may not look like it lmao).

I had some good ass laughs.

Onto the negatives...

Now... this anime is rated an 8.5 and its very popular.

I rated it a 7.

So I decided on the 8 rating about a third of the way into the anime. It had the potential to be higher but... the anime got sloppy and repetitive. Super repetitive. And it drags, quite a bit. But bc of all the positives, I was like "ah... its going downhill a little but I'll still give it an 8."

Then something happened. And I... just couldn't give it that 8 anymore. What happened infuriated me. There's animes that can do what happened well, and I'll be upset but like, get it. Not in this one. I had to pause and breathe for about 3 mins before pressing play again.

Others may rate this anime low due to how triggering it can get. It didn't trigger me in any way but I can see how it could. The MC goes through a lot. I just wanted to protect him.

But uh, yeah. Due to the thing that happened I'd honestly rather have not watched this show. It kinda erased all the joyous, positive things that happened throughout, in a way. Idk. I need more time to sit on it.

Yeah... idk what else to say. I'm in limbo right now

#/currently/ I wish I'd never seen it #niece watches banana fish #niece watches anime

2 notes · View notes

veryferaldistributions · 1 year

Text

3. For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?

Fish Hooks: Mr. Baldwin (duh!).

I enjoy the challenge of this character. Mainly because his struggle in my stories is that he’s pregnant and about to be a dad and instead of being excited about it, he doesn’t really know what to feel. So I got to write his journey as he goes through the different emotions that he has about this process.

I also really enjoy writing the version of Ms. Lips I have in my work. She’s a much gentler, more emotionally-intelligent, and wittier character than the show’s version. She’s a much better partner for Baldwin, and he deserves good things! I also really loved exploring how she’d feel about becoming a mom to someone else’s kids.

I also just loved making Coach Salmons even gayer than he was on the show. (He flirts with Baldwin to annoy him.)

Penny Dreadful: Victor Frankenstein.

Granted, my fic features only him and Caliban, but I really enjoyed taking his paternal joy that he showered on Proteus, and exploring what might happen if he showed Caliban that same kindness. I loved getting to write him so soft, and have this AU where Caliban’s re-birth is something wonderful and celebrated instead of being a traumatic nightmare for both of them.

MamaBoy: Ditto. (No, seriously, that’s his name.)

I’m not certain how many people have seen this movie, but basically Ditto is the wingman of the main character, Kelly (who is also a boy, just for clarification). He is one of the WEIRDEST characters I’ve seen in anything ever. He wears the gaudiest clothing, is so nerdy and ADHD and socially awkward, yet somehow is best friends with the most popular guy in school and is BURSTING with self-confidence. (And is also played by Sinjin from “Victorious.”)

He is also a genuinely supportive, kind hearted friend who is in a heterosexual-marriage with his BFF. And flirts with him constantly. (But I couldn’t end up shipping them! I like them better as friends, tbh! Possibly the first/only time that’s happened to me.)

He is the perfect “Leah” to Kelly’s “Juno.” I love him, and loved writing him. (This movie is not good, btw, but Ditto IS.)

Good Omens: I’m sorry, this one is a copout, because I loved writing both Aziraphale AND Crowley too much to pick between them. I enjoyed writing Zira’s fussy, fretting, and uptight dialogue, but then also Crowley’s more laid-back relaxed parts. I also enjoyed just writing them very domestic and warm-fuzzy, then to have them kinda thrown into a panic when this baby (a girl) gets dumped on their doorstep…who happens to be the second coming of Jesus. 😂

The Neighbors: Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

For two reasons. First reason is the dialogue pattern of the aliens in this show. It was a fun challenge to stay in character with them without feeling like I was completely copying from the show. (For instance, they use their full names like a first name, or their pet-name for their significant other is just “husband” or “wife.”)

Second reason is that this fic focused on the cliffhanger ending of the show, where we find out the leader of the aliens, Larry Bird (Jackie’s husband) is pregnant with his third child, and then he and his family stay behind on earth when their whole colony goes back to their home planet. (The show got canceled after season two, so the plot was never resolved.)

It was fun to focus on a woman/man mpreg story, specifically when writing about Jackie’s envy of her husband’s ability to carry the children, she feels like he has this special relationship with them. So in this rare moment of kindness from Larry (he’s kind of an ass in the show), he helps her connect with their baby.

Re-Animator: (Do I even need to say it?) Herbert West.

I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed writing Herbert. He is an enigma all his own. I’ve mainly enjoy writing him because:

1. He is VERY autistic.

2. I get to do another Frankenstein story. (I’ve also done original work that mimics Frankenstein.)

3. This is my first time writing a trans character.

I am autistic, so I’ve enjoyed using him as my first exploration of writing an autistic character (even though some of my original characters have autistic tendencies). He’s just got this quirky yet dark sense of humor, but he’s also a workaholic “reagent” addict, and he’s completely full of himself. But he’s also, at least in my fic/Combs’ headcanon, asexual. Which is nice, because I am greysexual, so I don’t feel forced to write sex scenes in this fic! 😄

He’s also a MAJOR asshole! But that’s part of the fun of writing him; he says everything I could if I had no filter or common courtesy.

Also, yes, in my fic (and MANY others) Herbert is a trans man. This is admittedly hard for me to know if I get right, because I am not a trans man myself (I am, however, genderqueer/questioning) and while his transness is not the central focus of the story, it does play a big role in it. So it’s been interesting to walk this tightrope of investing some story in this side of the character, while also keeping Herbert, well, Herbert.

Equally hard tightrope is writing him as much of an ass as in the movies, while also trying to show enough of a reason for Dan Cain to want to be married to him. 😂

#30 days of fanfic #fish hooks #mpreg #penny dreadful #the neighbors #good omens #reanimator #mamaboy #fanfic #fanfiction #mpreg fanfiction #cw mpreg

7 notes · View notes

the-martyrfication-of-the-matron · 2 years

Note

Can you pls Share some Zianna HCs??

Of course!

Most of these are MyS but hush.

Also, tw for abuse.

She’s a v tall lady, being a merfolk and all. She’s around 7foot with legs, much taller when she has a tail.

Her and Zane look alike but her and Vylad are near identical. The only thing that makes them look different is their hair colour/texture, he’s got a slightly flatter nose and their skin colours. They have almost the exact same face, it’s spooky.

She was an actress pre-MyS, a really popular one as well, she’s a gorgeous lady and she’s just incredibly skilled. When her and Garte got married, he asked her to be in a whole bunch of his films and she did and her popularity boomed from there, but then she got pregnant with garroth and he wanted her to quite acting as a whole. She agreed to stop whilst Garroth was a baby, but once he was old enough to be left with a babysitter, she would go back to work. She ended up knocked up again and she fully quit once zane was born because he was Ill constantly and she felt like she needed to be home to look after him all the time.

Milf

She loves gardening, something she does with Sylvanna on the occasion. She mostly grows flowers and sends some gorgeous bouquets to her friends sometimes.

She adores Travis and Aphmau as if they were her own children. They’re over often enough for them to basically be her kids anyways.

She paints her nails red a lot. She just likes the colour. Same with her lipstick.

She’s quite forgetful at times, but because of her overall ditzy and quirky personality, people just laugh at it and have a whole ‘oh you know what she’s like’ moment.

She suffers from near-constant joint pains and sickness a lot because she’s a little merlady so being on land can be a bit harsh on her. She is usually able to push through but she has a cane anyways for days it gets really bad. Zane suffers from the same thing, though his is certainly a lot worse.

She smokes. Probably not great to do when she finds it hard enough to breathe air as it is, but it helps her de stress.

Red wine is her favourite drink. She let Zane have his first sip when he was nine because he was nagging her. He didn’t like it much, but he’s rather fond of it now.

She’s a pescatarian. No meat, just fish.

She’s very good at dealing with bruises and scrapes. Being in the marriage she was in and raising a child as fragil as Zane, she got a lot of practice. Not to mention the injuries garroth would get playing rugby and the falls Vylad would take when trying on her heels.

She’s very supportive of her sons, and she adores them with her whole heart, but she can be very strict on them, especially when it comes to relationships. She has made sure they’re respectful and considerate and that they never even think of being violent towards their partners. Because she will not raise a Garte. She refuses to.

In MCD, she has her own pool room. Just like a room the same size as the castles dining hall, but it just has a massive pool. She needs it to remain hydrated and all.

Vylad is the daughter she never had. I won’t elaborate.

She had some funky cravings when she was pregnant. Garte drew the line at her craving chalk, though, he would let her down bottles of hot sauce and munch on paper but chalk was too far.

She has Asian flush. So her glasses of wine are few and far between.

She doesn’t really talk to her parents often, she’s not fond of them. But she adores Garte’s parents, they’re so sweet to her and they love their grandsons. She doesn’t like them very much for how they treat Vylad but she doesn’t really say anything because she knows how they are and she doesn’t want to risk her other two kids no longer having their grandparents because she made them upset.

Zianna knows all of the drama happening O’Khasis all the time. She’s got her own little web of gossips and they tell eachother everything. It’s mostly great for her, it keeps her entertained, but that’s also how everyone found out about her affair… so…

Her and Vylad have movie nights together where they just watch final girl horrors and good for her movies. Or anything with Florence Pugh.

She occasionally goes down to Phoenix drop to make sure Zane is doing okay. She makes sure he’s taking his medications, and he’s staying out of trouble, because she trusts aphmau to tell the truth when she calls her and asks, but she doesn’t trust Zane to tell aphmau the truth. So she just needs to do her own check ups.

She’s quite fond of Aaron. She doesn’t know about him and Garroth dating just yet, nor him and Aphmau (despite aphmau’s daughter being identical to him) but she likes him. She just likes how quiet he is, and how he listens. It’s good to have company like that sometimes. Also he has nice arms. Zianna can appreciate nice arms.

#aphmau #aphverse #rewrite #aphblr #minecraft diaries #mcd #mystreet #amaranth #zianna ro'meave

26 notes · View notes