#I didn't even place in the contest this was for but I'm still proud of how it turned out lol

[oweninadaydream]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫 ||𝐇.𝐀𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲

summary : Haymitch finds solace in a friendship with young (Y/N). Now Haymitch is outside, watching. (Y/N) is in the Arena, fighting.

song inspo: "There's no morning glory, it was war, it wasn't fair" - The Great War by Taylor Swift

pairing : Haymitch Abernathy x fem!reader (platonic)

word count : 1.8 k

contains : angst, hurt no comfort, betrayal, found family trope, violence, some gore, death, this story is set way before Katniss and Peeta's games. Also, first time writing for this character so probably a bit OC Haymitch hahaha.

a/n : Here you have my first moodboard !!! I wanted to try and capture the vibes of the story in three images and I'm pretty proud of myself. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story :) PD: shoutout to @sarahisslytherin for being so supportive everytime I have a crisis hahaha. Comments are always appreciated 🩷

“I think it’s time I have another dose of that medicine they've sent'' she said as a cue for him to get up from his spot and hand her the remedy inside the metallic jar. (Y/N) had been sick for a day and a half and, even though it was the boy's fault that they had encountered the monster that had bitten her, she wasn’t holding it against him. She knew she could trust him ; at the end of the day, the male tribute from her district had made an alliance with her and she had been doing everything in her power so that he didn’t die. He stood up and handed her the jar. 

Haymitch had awoken suddenly after falling asleep on the couch while watching the games in the room designated to the mentors. The constant worry was affecting his sleep schedule and his appetite detrimentally. Not for the boy, no ; he didn’t give a shit about that brat who had skipped all the training sessions and had dismissed his mentor every time he tried to give them valuable advice. He was anxiously picking his lips for her, for (Y/N).

People thought Haymitch had met her after the Reaping, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Ever since (Y/N) was little, she roamed the District streets in solitude, as her mother had died and her father was extremely neglectful towards her. A younger Haymitch had recently become the District 12's victor and was beginning to develop a certain addiction to alcohol when, one cold afternoon, he encountered a young child by the gates of Victors Village.

Her sparkly eyes caught his tired gaze and a stare contest began. "I don't have time for this bullshit" he crankly thought while looking away. She asked him his name and that if that big house was his. He turned around and wondered whether he should engage in a conversation with the child who obviously had no better place to be at. He noticed the kid was underfed and didn't wear any winter clothes. The heart that had stopped beating after surviving the Hunger games came back to life , like a phoenix being reborn from its ashes. From that day on a very special bond was created between the two unfortunate souls. He was still very grumpy and had a little problem with drinking, but (Y/N) made him want to do better. She was incredibly smart and her sarcasm was one of the very few things that made the former tribute laugh. Their talks and dinners were a secret to the rest of the world ; he couldn't risk hurting the girl he had grown to love as a daughter.

He soon discovered her birthday was the day after the Reaping. This year she would turn 19 and the panic the Reaping used to cause her would finally end. Just one more year of not getting chosen and she could live a peaceful life, just like she had always dreamed of. The latter year Haymitch had been talking about taking her in as his daughter, as her father had also passed away. But before that could happen, the most disgustingly ironic thing happened.

"(Y/N), (Y/N) (Y/L/N)" 

One day, she only needed one more day. But it seemed useless to whine about something that would not change anyway. The other tribute was a boy nobody really talked to, so neither she nor Haymitch had any idea of what to expect from him. To say that the mentor was devastated was an understatement. But he could not show it, his face impassible as ever instead. 

He was there for every meltdown before the dozens of events, for every doubt she could have about how to make it out of the Arena alive, for every nightmare about what fate had planned for her. Haymitch observed with a worried frown how nobody approached (Y/N) during training week ; she was very astute but her mentor had stressed the importance of making alliances in order to have more chances to survive, and seeing how she was going to be all alone out there compressed his chest with acute pain.

He did everything in his power to prepare her for the multiple dangers she could be facing out there. Still, Haymitch’s mind couldn’t help but explore the darkest scenarios ; optimism was never one of his qualities. In the end, the apathetic boy from 12 decided to make an effort at the end of training season and he turned out to be a magnificent and stealthy climber ; he also started to get close to (Y/N) and they decided to team up. The change of attitude shocked Haymitch but since (Y/N) was much more calm and focused, he didn't put too much thought into it.

The District 12 mentor stared at the bright screen in front of him and watched how (Y/N) was sound asleep. The last 3 hours had been pretty dull on their part of the prefabricated habitat : he had gone out to collect some wood and after he had returned, he lit a fire and offered to watch out for any intruders while she slept. 

Suddenly, Haymitch noticed how the young male had started pacing back and forth in a nervous manner. His instinct of suspecting of everything anyone does kicked in very quickly. The tribute started sobbing heavily as he wielded the dagger he had managed to obtain from the cornucopia a few days earlier. His shaky hands lifted the weapon in the air and, with all the strength the teenager possessed, he stabbed her. 

The blade of his dagger penetrated her back with disturbing ease. He felt as if someone had put him on autopilot and, despite (Y/N) turning to feebly try to defend herself from the unexpected attack, he kept her still against the cold ground and continued to inflict the fatal wounds.

Her shuddering screams reached her assailant's ears like a distant echo. On the television, however, (Y/N)'s last words were perfectly understandable. His name. She was screaming his name. Haymitch couldn't quite detect whether the screams were a conscious call as a hurried form of farewell or a primal instinct in search of comfort triggered by a delusional pain that caused her to abandon all logic or coherent thought. If he had to bet, he would go for the second option, considering how quickly she was bleeding to death and the panicked expression on her face as she realized her life was rapidly coming to an end.

The stabs were becoming significantly weaker and that could only mean that the adrenaline rush that had originally enabled him to act in favor of his secret plan had slowly faded, only to leave him stranded in the tragic reality he had created. The screams stopped quite quickly, as she was choking on her own blood. The lack of cries caught the attention of the aggressor, who looked down and saw how (Y/N) breathed out for the last time. His shirt was a crimson mess. However,  nothing could compare with the bloody puddle that was coming out of her body. 

Leaving no time to mourn or process the scene in front of him, the Careers appeared and found the violent scene already over. Without an ounce of remorse or repulse, one of the District 1 tributes made their way towards the paralyzed teen and the corpse.

“There’s no time to waste. Give us her supplies, we’ll take them to our hidden spot in the skirts of the mountain. Meanwhile, you must go to the Cornucopia and bring some more food and weapons. You’ll join us later” The commanding voice of the male tribute intimidated the boy from 12 who obediently began to hand them what used to be (Y/N)’s : the matching axes, the food she had collected and had determined to be safe to consume, the medicine that was supposed to help her heal from the bites of the venomous creature. 

Haymitch beheld the horrific scene shown on the gigantic TV totally disassociated from reality ; he couldn’t move but the uneasiness crawling up his skin created a tight and uncomfortable feeling that he urgently needed to shake off. How could the boy be so stupid, so naive ? The Careers would kill him after he had completed the tasks they had ordered him to do; he was just a pawn in their master plan to win that hellish competition.

The camera pointed towards the interior of the cave where the body of the young woman laid still. Haymitch could barely recognize the corpse; that could not be the girl that brought light back to his life after living in the dark for so long or the young adult who respected him but also held him accountable when he messed up. No, that was not her. His brain could not assimilate the idea of her dying in such a vile and miserable way. That scum, poor excuse of a man would regret breaking his word, backstabbing his daughter like only a coward would.

He wished him a slow, painful and sanguinolent death. Actually, he wished he could have entered that damned Arena and done the job himself ; if you want something done right do it yourself, right? After a couple of seconds, the sound of the canyon and the image of (Y/N) projected in the sky appeared on the TV and as fast as they came, they disappeared from the screens, moving on to something much more entertaining for the expecting audience. 

He quickly excused himself from the room before anyone could begin to notice the grief in his expression. In the quietness of his private room, he started wailing and throwing everything in his way around, tearing all his belongings to pieces as a way to channelize his pain. After a while, he stopped only to approach the drinks cabinet provided by the generous Capitol, and he poured himself one of the many drinks he would have that night and the days to follow.

His heart began to develop another stone wall around itself, but this time it would never ever be destroyed, not like (Y/N) had managed to all those years ago. This time he would drown all his sorrow and any kind of emotion in all the types of liquors he could find. He would close himself to the world ; nobody would carve him open again, nobody would get so close to the real version of himself. He vowed then and there to abandon all hope and just let the years go by until the arrival of his final day. 

He exited the room only to sit on the balcony floor. While staring at the night sky, he felt a tear rolling down his left cheek ; after releasing a shaky breath, he raised the glass that contained his numbing remedy and murmured : 

" 'till we meet again, sweetheart"

#oweninadaydream #the hunger games #the hunger games x reader #the hunger games fanfiction #haymitch abernathy #haymitch x reader #haymitch abernathy x reader #female reader #fem!reader #the hunger games imagine

[agi-ppangx]

hello, hello, we meet again for a new idea of a ff. (atp I think I deserve an emoji or smth, so you can know it's me bcs get used to me giving you ideas. you write too beautifully to not have requests, I'm sorry. P.S.: js recommended you to a few friends and to my girlfriend and they all congratulated your skills of writing!💕)

anyway, what do you feel about an enemies to lovers trope with lee know? reader's a trainee (dancing is her speciality) and she is the first one to break the trainee record of being the fastest trainee to learn the basic JYP entertainment moves in 4 weeks, which she was very proud of. This until a new trainee comes, Lee minho, who learns the moves in 2 weeks, breaking reader's record. This gets reader annoyed and works even harder to prove the people around that she is a better dancer than him. They never talk, only rarely mocking each other when the other one wasn't around.

Then, it comes the Survival Show (im sorry - not really - but im changing the shows's rules. there will be two teams, FEMALE 2TEAM - made with Yeji, Yuna, Chaeryeong, Ryujin, Somi and reader - and MALE 2TEAM - we already know the contestants for this team- which will create then a group of people who didn't get eliminated. the elimination happens every episode, two people leaving) where the two of them have to work together in order to create the perfect balance for the choreography between the two teams. That's how they start getting along better and actually realize that they could be friends. They still had arguments but never something too big. When it was time for the elimination in episode 4, minho, reader and yuna were om the verge of elimination. However, only reader didn't get eliminated. Tears in everyone's eyes as minho and Yuna leave the set, but reader soon understands that it was minho's place to be in the boy group. She talks to JYP about being a bad idea the fact that it will be a mix group and that she prefers not to be involved in such a drama, in order to get minho back in the team. she succeeds and runs to minho, telling him the situation. (the last few sentences, make it soft like- fluffy? idk??)

~ the jeongin ff anon

💭the right thing

pairing: lee minho x fem!reader

an: im really for the wait but the fic is finally here !! i hope you'll be satisfied with it❤️ also thank you so so much for recommending my blog, it means the world to me🥹 and yes, you do deserve an emoji !! please let me know which one you choose<3

“our dancing queen~” you heard ryujin’s voice which interrupted your conversation with yuna. you looked up at her, curious what was that about. “i have bad news for you,” she added, sitting next to you. you raised your eyebrow - bad news? what kind of bad news? “someone broke your record, yn.”

you weren’t mad at all. were you mad? no, no, you weren’t. it’s okay, it’s just a stupid record. it’s nothing important. it’s okay. it’s not like it was something you’d worked hard your whole life. no. no, it’s fine. you were completely fine- “yn, put the knife down,” yuna said firmly, looking at your dissociated figure. “put it down, did you hear me? you have this weird absent expression on your face and it looks scary.” you slowly put the knife in the sink, sighing loudly, and leaned your hands on the counter. you felt yuna’s arms wrap around you from behind, gently placing her chin on your shoulder. “you know it means absolutely nothing, right? you'll always be our dancing queen,” she whispered, trying to cheer you up a little bit. did it work? no, no it didn’t, but you knew you couldn’t sulk for the rest of your life, so you just nodded weakly and proceeded with your daily routine, trying to forget about everything. after all, you had to prepare for the showcase and you didn’t have time to worry about some random dude you’ll forget in a month anyway.

your next practice was intense to say the least. It all started with just yuna, yeji and you, but then some other trainees decided to join you and after some time almost the whole practice room was filled with people. and among those people was lee minho, dancing at the front next to you. his presence was making you nervous, but motivated you as well. you tried your best for hours, sweat (and some tears) were making its way down your face, muscles hurting and head spinning, but you didn’t slow down. minho noticed your state in the mirror and mumbled something under his nose, smirking, but you didn’t catch it. so, you stopped the dancing and took a step in his direction. “you wanna repeat that?” you asked, your cold piercing gaze was trying to burn holes in his head. but he just looked at you and shook his head. “i don’t know what you’re talking about. go back to practising,” he responded, visibly happy with your annoyance. “you definitely need it more than i do,” he added with an evil smile, much quieter, but that you managed to catch. you scoffed at his words, amused by his exaggerated self-confidence and decided to try ignoring him for the rest of the practice. you had to prove something, not to get into stupid fights with minho.

“you need it more than i do,” you said in a mocking tone when you decided to take a break from practising. you were currently sitting in a convenience store with the girls, fumbling with your noodles and losing your appetite just thinking about minho. you were furious. “who does he think he is, huh?” you rambled on and on, your head hurting from all the negative emotions that were building up inside you. “yn, i love you, but i think you care a bit too much,” chaeryeong said softly, taking a sip of her drink. you looked at her and raised your eyebrow. she noticed your not-so-friendly gaze and spoke again. “don't get me wrong, but it really doesn't matter that he beat the record. there are so many other people who are great dancers without breaking the record, it's just a formality.” you nodded weakly at her words. she was right. of course it didn't matter. “besides,” ryujin started with a mouthful of ramen. “you still can show you're better by debuting sooner than him,” she continued and went straight back to eating. she was also right. the only way to show you were better than him was debuting and that was your goal.

“a mixed group?” you huffed after the showcase was done. you were still in your stage outfit, catching your breath after an exhausting performance. JYP surprised you all, deciding to change the rules a bit and create a mixed group instead of choosing one of your teams to debut. it wouldn’t be anything bad, but since minho was a part of the male group, to say you were mad was an understatement. “yn, look at the positives - we might be able to finally debut. you’ve been here for so long already, you should be celebrating,” yeji said firmly and the rest of the girls nodded with approval. “i am happy, of course i am. and i'm gonna celebrate. i just don’t feel too fancy about the fact that i might end up in one group with lee minho,” you exhaled loudly, sounding more and more defeated with each word. “i mean, nothing’s sure for now. lots of us are gonna be eliminated, so maybe he’ll be one of those people?” ryujin suggested and earned a slap on her arm from yeji. “stop the negativity, no one’s eliminated yet. let’s just go eat something and don’t think about anyone else other than ourselves,” yeji exclaimed, hyping you all up and you decided to drop the topic for the night and enjoy your little success, knowing that there was just gonna be harder with each day.

“no, no, i'm not doing this,” you whined loudly, falling on your bed late at night. your body was aching from the whole day of practising and recording a song JYP asked you to create with the male group. he assigned the composing to chan, changbin and han, while the people who were responsible for choreography were you and minho. and to no one's surprise you weren't happy about this. but you had nothing to say since it was JYP's decision - you had to respect it.

that's how you ended up in the boys' dorm, alone with minho. it was awkward, to say the least. you didn't know how to behave and since minho hadn't really said anything else than “come in” and “you wanna drink something?”you just stood there in silence and looked around a little. the rest of the boys either went to eat or stayed at the company to practise, so it was really quiet there. “chan sent me the finished song,” he finally spoke, his voice soft and steady. you nodded and asked him to play it to you so you could think about the choreography a bit. you closed your eyes when the song started playing and listened intently, paying close attention to certain parts of the chorus. when the song was done, you opened your eyes and noticed that minho was staring at you. you raised your eyebrow and he cleared his throat, converting his gaze at his phone. “so, um… do you have any ideas where we should start?” he asked faintly and you started to share your concept with him.

that's how your little cooperation started. your first choreography was met with a huge enthusiasm from both teams as well as JYP himself. you did well and because of that minho and you were officially in charge of creating a perfect balance in choreographies between both teams. you weren't as mad as before, because you actually kind of enjoyed working with minho - he had different experiences with dancing and therefore he was able to share his unique ideas with you. it wasn't too easy though, because you both had strong characters and you struggled to come to a compromise sometimes, but regardless of your small disagreements you warmed up to him and felt this weird urge to spend more time with him. what was happening to you?

that's why, when episode 4 came and you two were on the verge of elimination alongside yuna, you felt as if your world was going to collapse. you struggled to breathe standing in front of JYP. he had this serious expression and was looking at the three of you. “yn and minho,” you heard his voice and stiffened, your heart speeding and tears welling in your eyes. “you were in charge of the choreography again, but something didn't work this time,” he continued and your hands started shaking. minho noticed it and quietly took your hand in his, squeezing it to reassure you. JYP shared his feedback with yuna as well and you exhaled shakily. you were scared. “yn.” you looked up at JYP again, expecting the worst. “for me your enthusiasm and willingness to work and become even better is clearly seen. and even if this week you and minho didn't do your job properly, i see the most potential in you,” he continued in a serious tone. “that's why you are the one to stay. you can come back to your team.” you stood there in shock, tears now streaming down your face. you bowed clumsily and took a step back, your vision blurry. you didn't really remember the rest of his words, but when he left the set, you rushed to yuna and minho and hugged them tightly, sobbing. “i'm so sorry,” you babbled. “i'm so, so sorry.” “it's okay, it's not your fault,” yuna said shakily. she then smiled at you and went to say goodbye to others. you then hugged minho again, burying your face in his chest. “you should be the one staying here,” you mumbled, sniffling. “i'll fix this,” you added, looking him in the eyes. he only patted your head and smiled softly. “it's okay, we did a great job anyway,” he chuckled. “bye, yn. i liked to work with you even if you hate me” “bye, minho. i don't actually hate you.”

it wasn't right. no. it was his place, he belonged here. you spoke to JYP once, but he brushed you off after a minute. then you spoke to him for the second time, he said no. you tried again, he told you his decision was made. but you didn't want to respect it. it wasn't right. after episode 5 you went to him again. this time, he listened to you, taking in everything you wanted to say about this being a bad idea. “i'm willing to switch places with him, just please bring him back,” you pleaded. but he only said you should go back to your dorm. you cried on your way there. and you cried yourself to sleep that day.

episode 6 and minho came back. you couldn't believe your eyes - JYP brought him back. you didn't really listen to the man when he was explaining everything. you only saw minho - his eyes were so sparkly and when they met yours, you saw him smile widely. then JYP left the practice room to give you some time to reunite and you didn't waste time. you ran to him and immediately wrapped your arms around his neck. you rambled on and on that you were so happy to see him again and explained the whole situation. you must've started crying at some point cause minho had to wipe some tears from your cheeks. “i make you cry a lot, huh?” minho said jokingly when you stopped the ramble. “no wonder you hate me,” he added and your smile faded. “i don't hate you. if i did, i would've choked you instead of hugging you right now,” you giggled, smiling again. “fair point. but if you don't hate me then how do you feel about me?” minho teased, putting a strand of hair behind your ear. “i was hoping you would know by now.” “oh, i do. i just want you to say it out loud,” he said, his face getting closer and closer to yours. but you didn't respond to that, pecking his cheek instead and finally backing off a little to let the rest say hi to him. you were smiling the whole time and you knew you did the right thing.

taglist: @lynlyndoll @iyenbread @flooo71 @skz-streamer @inniescandy-01

let me know if you wanna be added/removed from the taglist🤍

feedback and reblogs highly appreciated🫶🏽

#skz #stray kids #stray kids fluff #stray kids headcanons #stray kids imagines #stray kids x reader #skz au #stray kids scenarios #skz comfort #stray kids comfort #skz lee minho #skz lee know #lee know headcanons #lee know scenarios #lee know fluff #lee know x reader #lee know imagines #lee know comfort

[sl-vega]

✧Sticking to the Script✧-10

⋆｡°✩ 10-action!

"Take five everyone!" you heard Furina yell as you saw her walk by with an ice pack covering her head. Chiori quickly followed her escorting her out of the room.

"What happened?" you asked Lyney, who was helping you run lines. "Some freshman accidentally dropped a sword prop on her head. Thankfully it was one of the lighter ones." he replied.

You watched Furina hold back tears as she left the room, she didn't want to let a minor injury get in the way of the play. "The show must go on!" as per usual.

"So now that we have a break, do you wanna talk about that?" he asked, gesturing to your ring. He grabbed your wrist and inspected the piece of jewelry. "Archons, that's one hell of a ring." he was still admiring the intricate design, observing the way the gems shone in the light.

You giggled, "Yeah, I know." you caught yourself admiring the ring more times than you'd like to admit. "Must've cost your boyfriend a fortune." Lyney joked. "Trust me, it did." you responded.

"How much?"

"$30,000." you winced, not wanting to be too loud, you weren't risking getting robbed.

"30K?!" Lyney shouted, shocked. The two of you got some questioning looks from the other students, before quickly resuming their personal converstions.

"30K?!" Lyney repeated, whisper-shouting. You nodded. "Well it was more like 20k-25k, Xingqiu wasn't sure of the price." you explained fiddling with the piece of jewelry. Lyney's mouth was wide open. "It was more of a present from his dad than from him though." you added.

"Wait-how long have you two known each other?"

"Two and a half weeks..."

Lyney looked at you, his mouth agape.

"Where did you find this guy? He's smart, rich, AND he treats you really well? And he's managed to make sure you know all that in less than a month?" Lyney asked, bombarding you with questions that seemed more like statements.

You chuckled, blushing. "Yeah, he's pretty great." you were grinning like a fool. You forgot that Xingqiu wasn't actually your boyfriend for a moment.

Even if we aren't together-together, I can still like him as a friend. Can't I? You thought to yourself

"Attention everyone!" the whole crew turned to Chiori who returned to the auditorium. "Furina just needs to rest for a bit, so she put me in charge of you all. We're going to do a brief run through of the prologue, then skip over to Act 1, Scene 5." she explained. Everyone quickly moved to their places on stage.

You and Lyney sat in the front row together watching the chorus recite the prologue together. You glanced at your script a couple times, skimming over your lines.

"So how does Xingqiu feel about this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Us playing a couple on stage. He does know we have to get pretty touchy with each other right?" Lyney asked. You told him that Xingqiu was a great guy, but he wanted to make sure if there were any boundaries he shouldn't cross.

"He hasn't brought it up with me, plus he isn't the jealous type, so we should be fine." you explained. Another thing that reminded you about your actual relationship with Xingqiu. He wasn't your actual boyfriend so he didn't have a reason to be jealous of Lyney.

The prologue finished, Chiori called you and Lyney up to the stage.

This was just another part you needed to play

additional notes:

-yes that furina joke was intentional

-not gonna spoil anything for the canon game

-but if yk yk

-ALSO DOUBLE UPDATE LET'S GO

-not much else that i wanna say abt this chapter

-i'm proud of it

-y'all are gonna get some possessive xingqiu next chapter >:3

-be prepared

masterlist

<prev ll next>

✧Sticking to the Script✧

Pairing: Xingqiu x FEM! Reader

Genre: fake dating, strangers to lovers, slow burn, fluff, angst (?), high school smau, modern smau

⋆｡°✩-Synopsis: Xingqiu just got entered into a special writing contest, the type that's invite only, the theme this year is love, the only problem is that he has zero romantic experience. but he really wants to prove himself as a writer. meanwhile, you just found out that your boyfriend cheated on you, and you need to show him that you're 100% over him, the only problem is that there's no way you can get an actual boyfriend that quickly. clearly, the solution to both of your issues is to fake date each other. it shouldn't be hard for an actor such as yourself, all you need to do is stick to the script.

(OPEN) Taglist: @freyao7, @thatoneswordgirl, @sn1perz, @latay7, @willowcandletree, @nmriki0, @help-whatdoimakemyusername, @httpsrenren, @cupid-spams, @aixaingela, @kaitfae, @luvkvni, @danhenglovebot

#xingqiu x reader #xingqiu x y/n #xingqiu x you #xingqiu #reader insert #x reader #lyney #furina #focalors #chiori #highschool au #high school au #high school #modern au #modern smau #modern social media au #social media au #genshin au #genshin smau #genshin social media au #genshin x reader #genshin impact #genshin fanfic #genshin

[overtheimaginationwall]

Favorite boss(es) in No Straight Roads?

Least favorite?

(Sincere apologies. I've been holding this one for more than a year in my box, so I hope you don't mind a really late reply ^^")

(Also Happy 3rd Anniversary, NSR!! 🎉)

I will tell ya honestly - they all are my favourites!

Tho if to be more specific I decided to set them up by TOP.

1. Sayu

Oh Sayu, my beloved <3

The Best Virtual Idol and The Reason I bought this game in the first place!

Her music and style of battle was the most fun and dancy! I still vibe to it to this day-

Sooo many references to Internet Culture and Digital Art fills my heart with warmth and gives me determination just like her song itself as well!

Funny Useless Fact: She is the only boss I've beaten on Rank B on my first blind playthrough!

2. DK West

He's OUR MAN, He's THE BEST!

My second favorite and at the same time the hardest for me to beat.

I personally didn't adore RAP genre at first and never seen anyone preform it as an actual entertaining battle until he showed up...

HOLLY MOLLY DESPITE ME BREAKING MY THUMBS WHILE GOING THROUGH THE PAINFUL DODGE GAME - HIM AND ZUKE RAPPING FELT LIKE I'M WATCHING DISNEY-

LIKE-

I STILL HAVE IDEA IN MY HEAD TO MAKE A SORT OF ANIMATIC WITH "FIRST ENCOUNTER" ALONE!!

Anyway, despite damaged fingers - 10/10, would fight again!

Funny Useless Fact: When I was drawing him for the first time I listened to his theme on loop for 4 days straight in order not to get myself distracted or lose motivation, so I finish the piece.

3. Yinu

Oh, sweet child...

I love Yinu and her theme lots even if I'm not that big of a fan of Classical Music. And her backstory...Gosh! It made me cry a lot.

And I'm still feel ashamed of breaking the piano ;;-;;

Love the pace of how music goes with the fight and it feels even better when you get into actual rhythm. There were issues that gladly wore off thanks to practice and fighting this boss over and over.

Tho those slamming cords haunt me whenever I listen to the song off-battle-

Funny Useless Fact: I didn't like her Mother at first but when I read more about her and relationship with Yinu my opinion completely changed. And this is why I would nominate No Straight Roads for The Best Storytelling and Character Design.

4. EVE

Two-faced, tall woman.

Used to be one of my favorites but due to some circumstances I can't look at her the same way I used to but I still adore her as a boss!

I honestly love her style of the fight and music that changes depending on who you play.

Tho fighting her is literally like eating a lemon but eventually you kinda just accept your fate and roll with weird artistic antics happening around you.

And EVE herself as a character is so fascinating. Like this is the moment where I started to see that these aren't just bosses, they are actually characters that tie this little but complex story together bit by bit. And this is why I would nominate No Straight Roads for The Best Storytelling and Character Design AGAIN!

Funny Useless Fact: EVE was supposed to be a next character to have a complete and detailed art of but due to my forgetfulness, difficulties with her design (and many other things) - it was never finished but I hope to get that dusty sketch out of WIP folder someday.

5. Tatiana

The Bitch. The Boss.

I don't really like her music and rhythm but I can forgive that since it is kind of fitting for conflict between her and the BBJ.

She tries to hide her true image throughout the story and the fight but ultimately crumbles cause escaping from the past isn't the best option to improve.

I love her design and personality and I wish there were more villains like her. Strict, simple, stoic and yet well-written.

Funny Useless Fact: I've never drawn Tatiana until NSR announced their release on Steam with addition of Fanat Graffiti Contest that I certainly didn't want to miss out on. It was difficult but I did it and ngl, I am still proud of the results.

6. DJ Subatomic Supernova & 1010/Neon J

I can't really say anything much about both of them. Sorry, guys...

Their designs and personalities are fun and well-made but due to one of them being the first you fight as "tutorial" and the other appears only at the end of a fight. (1010 band doesn't count as an actual boss to me more like a part of it) They didn't struck me much as the others did...

I will say this thou: their backstories are interesting. One is an academy astrology teacher with a goal of achieving the stars and other is a war veteran who just wanted everyone to live in peace and he himself despite everything never stopped his passion for doll-making and making people happy.

Just simply, beautiful...

Cool Science Fact: Their VAs are GOLD!

#sofiath ask #thanks for the ask! #no straight roads #nsr #nsr neon j #nsr djss #nsr sayu #nsr tatiana #nsr dk west #nsr 1010 #nsr yinu #opinion #sofiath thoughts

[scary-grace]

fic writer tag game

I got tagged by @mirkwood-hr-department for this game several days ago and at long last I have time to sit down and do it, so --

How many works do you have on Ao3?

Sixty as of Halloween night!

What's your total Ao3 word count?

1,958,061. And we're not even halfway through Kairos. Yikes.

What fandoms do you write for?

The Tolkienverse (namely the Hobbit) and My Hero Academia.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

i ain't changed, but i know i ain't the same -- bnha erasermic hanahaki fic

seeking a friend for the end of the world -- barduil zombie apocalypse au

Kairos -- barduil SLOW burn historical haunted house romance set in 1977

Show Me My Silver Lining -- bagginshield band AU (my first grown-up fanfiction)

more than words can wield the matter -- after the Elves return to their forest at the conclusion of the Battle of the Five Armies, a certain elf starts writing Bard some very questionable letters

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I usually don't respond to them in thread, but I thank everyone for them in the author's note of the next chapter, and I respond to specific questions there or on Tumblr!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Undoubtedly i'll follow you into the dark. For now.

What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Show Me My Silver Lining. For now.

Do you get hate on fics?

I used to get it, back when I was writing on fanfic.net. I get the odd inexplicable comment these days, but so far I've been lucky on Ao3.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I write smut. I think. Mostly it's the nonexplicit variety, but I recently started using the three Cs when needed, so maybe it's explicit now?

Do you write crossovers?

I do not! The closest I've ever come to a crossover is naming all the non-canon background OCs in my BNHA fics after characters from a certain other manga. Nobody's guessed what it is yet.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No to that as well!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! My collaborators include incredible writers like @lonelyheartsmotel, @dogblessyoutascha, and @corndog-patrol!

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Barduil, no contest. The sheer number of words I've put into that pairing is unreal. The fact that I even have another ship is thanks to the sheer power of @corndog-patrol and e-girl!Mic.

What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I intend to finish them all, and am trying to finish at least two this week. But as for unpublished stuff, probably the barduil 'a quiet place' AU. I didn't make it too far, and I definitely lost motivation.

What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm pretty solid at writing plot. Nothing makes me happier than leaving foreshadowing lying around and seeing if readers catch it.

What are your writing weaknesses?

As evidenced by my Ao3 word count, I'm not very concise.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I don't think I've ever tried it. I usually indicate dialogue that's supposed to be in another language with italics.

First fandom you wrote for?

Marvel. On fanfic.net. Dark times.

Favorite fic you've written?

Mm, I think Kairos is still my crowning achievement. But I have to say that I'm really proud of Love Like Ghosts, the first fic I ever wrote entirely in the Notes app on my phone and the first fic where I avoided ever using the main character's name.

I'll go ahead and tag @dogblessyoutascha @phantombstone @sophsiaaa and @melkors-defense-attorney!

#barduil #clown hours

[himbo-klown]

Satisfaction

Warning not prof read, grammar mistakes(naw like i suck at writing lmao), this post is just for fun, i also dont know how to use tumbler so like… this kinda looks ugly lol

Theme warnings!! This post does contain themes of mental illness, cannibalism used as a metaphor for love , violence, disruption of a grave, the main character is not a good person but hes not like… a monster??!. (If yall think i need to add other things then just say so pls!!) THE MAIN CHARACTERS CRINGE PLEASE!!!

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Little bit of context: This story is a submission for a creative writing contest! The theme was Taboo romance and I decided that a horror/thriller would be fun! If you know me irl or recognize this… no you don’t lmao?!?

This story is based off of the intense feelings that i have for my partner that i feel i’m not able to properly explain at times(im in therapy do guys lols) there’s also some refs to things we like lol

October 26th, 2023

It was never hard to tell that I was different from the other boys in school, or anybody for that matter. I was the kid girls would say ‘My homeboy wants you’ to or the kinda guy that was asked out as a joke, it got old after 5th grade but never stopped. Senior year was by far the worst one of them all, his name was Keith, and he wasn’t super pretty or anything like that, he was a nerd who would walk me to my bus stop and ramble on and on about how different Pokémon gods symbolized different things. I honestly liked him and he was cute, but i more than liked him, i wanted him all to myself, i still have a few of his leg hairs lying around; i like to sniff them to try and imagine how he tastes slow cooked like oxtail. 

December 15th, 2023

Nevermind he’s a weirdo and it turned out he liked Pokémon in unholy ways[someone check on his dog please], his meat was tainted so I lost interest in him. But my eyes didn't take long to wonder, there was a boy who was Canadian and he seemed rather nice, no he was beyond the kindness that any human should be able to give. He was like taking a bite of my first love [which i didn't know what it felt like, but i was guessing it was nice.] I loved talking to him honestly, he woke up around 8am and went to sleep at 12am but sometimes we went all night. I had no problem risking my sleep for him[it's not like my AP classes would be any better.] He was intoxicating, to say the least.

January 10th, 2024

I wanted him badly, like I wanted to wake up next to him, kiss him, hug him, I wanted to wine and dine him if I ever got the chance . The only problem was that well…he lived in Canada, he always talked of how he had mixed feelings about his country and I always told him that it could be worse. I mean he could be here for all he cares, but I'd never want my meat to be tainted by this land, these people[I'm such a proud American]. So I was going to go to him. I decided to save for the month. It was going to take a few overtime shifts and even snagging a couple of bucks from some buds but I was going to get the money and make it to canada.

February 10th, 2024

 The plane ride was rather boring without being able to text him, and even more so because the woman next to me didn't know social etiquette, like I was supposed to care that she got unlucky with life and contracted chlamydia. There was also this brony, which I found a sin in itself, but he smelled… like bad but it also made me snicker because it just reminds me of keith.

February 11th, 2024 6:27pm

Canada was a beautiful place but I had no reason to stay and admire it when all I cared for was my own appetite. But i couldn't help but let childish implusies pull me into a store full of valentine's day sales, what caught my eyes are the matching trolls cups, i couldn't help but get them wanting to see the response he would give to the gift[I love my adult money privileges].

February 12th-15th[was… busy?]

 I felt bad for him hes so nice and kind, so nice he just took me in without a second thought about how I found him or his home, we took a tour of his room and its nice it was just as nerdish as him, but i came here with a plan and i came here to execute it as such. His skin was nice, so I took some as my own and it hurt a lot. I think I splashed some blood on his favorite blanket, but anywho, why is the human skull so hard ? I thought it was gonna be like a nut and would just take a few hacks to crack it open but noooo he just had to be hard headed. I did get it open[almost breaking my wrist doing so] but I had no plans for a meal, I mean it's not every day you just cook up some brain, but we managed. I ended up using the brain for spaghetti; I mashed it all up to make meat balls and must I say they were delicious. His brain was so tender, it melted like butter, but it also had a slight chew to it, not a taint in sight. The ‘wine’ I had with it was a little thick but it was his so I drank without complaint. I was also quite proud of my cup purchase :D. Poppy was right… trolls do just wanna have fun

???, 2024 2:34 AM

 My head hurt, like a lot, I thought eating my love would make me feel better and full. Yet here I stand before his grave, my arms barely mobile as I dug him out, freeing him from the pits of the afterlife without me. A month he left me alone, a month with this hunger for more of him. His stupid casket was the thing that stood between me and my love, my satisfaction of being full.

There he was, as beautiful as the day I feasted upon him. I took my shirt off to show him that I still kept a piece of him with me. I touched his skin on my chest as I looked at mine on his. Death would never do us part so long as he had me attached to him. I would go through the redemptions of purgatory to see him flutter in the clouds of heaven. It felt like a sin to touch him again, to feel him to embrace him as I laid to rest beside him. Fresh tears poured down my face as I pulled the cover over the casket. This time I am not left behind, this time I am not alone.

“W-why — Why has your body left me so full, so satisfied. Yet I am starved for your love to grace me again.” I murmured softly as I caressed his face.

——————————————————————————————————

I hope you guys liked this… cus um im super proud of it even if it didn’t win!!!

#cannibalistic #horror #tabooromance #creative writing #dont do this shit #i do not condone #pls be nice #idk how tags work

[kazoosandfannypacks]

"Open to Interpretation" by kazoosandfannypacks

Chapter 14/16: Your Heart's Desire Pairing: CaptainSwan Rating: General Word Count: (1K/24K) Summary: Emma Swan is appalled at works by modern artist Killian Jones- until a handsome stranger convinces her otherwise- and after introducing himself as the artist in question, he invites her out on a date. As their relationship develops, they find that they might not be as different from each other as originally though. Chapter Summary: Killian realizes fully where he stands in his father's eyes. Tags: au, fluff, captain swan, modern au Author's notes: n/a Taglist: @zahara @kmomof4 @jonesfandomfanatic @booksteaandtoomuchtv @jrob64 @tiganasummertree @anmylica @teamhook @undercaffinatednightmare @gingerchangeling @lonelyspectator @caught-in-the-filter @ultraluckycatnd @cs-rylie @pirateprincessofpizza @lfh1226-linda @pawshapedheart  [if you'd like to be added to or removed from this list, hmu in my dms or askbox!]

Also on Ao3!

 Killian tried to calm down a little and not spoil the rest of the day. After they'd had some cake and listened to everyone say some nice things about Liam, Killian could make some fake excuse about having to get back to the museum soon for something, then he and Emma could dip out and get away from here.

 "I never should've brought her here," Killian thought, "what kind of selfish idiot am I? I brought her because I knew having her would help me- but I didn't even stop to consider how dear old dad would treat her. I never should've brought her here. How am I ever going to win her heart now that she knows what my family's like?"

 She seemed to have almost forgotten the whole incident by the time they cut into the cake, and seemed to be having a great conversation with Liam and Uncle Nemo about something- Killian wasn't paying much attention to this conversation though, as he and his dad were apparently in a contest to see who could discreetly pass the other the most displeased glare.

 Eventually, Brennan said he'd like to raise a toast to Liam, to congratulate him on his accomplishment.

 "I've never been more proud in my life," he said, "I've always been proud of Liam, but especially today. He's the most thoughtful and witty son a father could ask for, and it's been an unmatched delight to see the man he's become."

 "At least dad has one son he cares about," Killian thought.

 "This summer, Liam's going to begin his apprenticeship with my brother, Nemo," Brennan said, "he'll start doing some real work, helping others and making the world a better place as a contractor."

 The eye contact he gave Killian made it evident those words were meant to slight him. He'd never supported Killian's art career, to this day still thinking he could be doing something better with his life.

 "I hope you know how happy I am that you came into my life, Liam," Brennan said, "you and your mother filled a hole in my heart I never thought could be repaired. I love you more than you'll ever know, and am so proud of you. May the wind fill your sails and the sun rise to meet you, Liam."

 KIllian bit his lip, trying to keep it together, his father's words finally confirming a suspicion he'd always had- he was trying to replace his mom and Lee with Fiona and Liam. He was filling their place in his heart with someone else, like they never mattered to him at all, like he almost thought it'd be better to forget they ever existed.

 But how could he forget his late wife when their son still stood before them? How could he forget Lee when so much of who Killian was was learned from him?

 He couldn't.

 He couldn't fill their space in his life without pushing Killian out of it.

 "No wonder he doesn't want me in his life anymore," Killian thought, "I'm just a reminder of the hole in his heart he thought he couldn't fill."

 His dad walked by, not even looking at Killian, to shake hands with and give a hug to his son, Liam- the only son he had room in his life for.

 Emma pulled out her phone and looked at the time.

 "Oh, Killian," she said, touching his arm to get his attention, "don't we need to be leaving soon? You had that commitment at the museum tonight."

 "I don't remember anything like that," Killian thought, but then saw Emma wink at him.

 "Oh," he laughed, winking at her, "I'd almost forgotten."

 "You have to leave already?" Liam asked.

 "The museum needs me to promote a new work tonight," Killian said, "I'd almost forgotten." He gave Liam a hug and they said their goodbyes, and within three minutes they were in the car on their way back, having had the good sense to reload their belongings in it that morning and telling Fiona she could keep the dish he'd brought the potato salad in until next time he saw them.

---

 Killian browsed all the thoughts in his mind as they left town, trying to find one thought to say that would convey what he wanted. As grateful as he was at Emma's escape plan, he knew what it meant- she was feeling just as uncomfortable as he was.

 "I'm such a jerk," Killian thought, "What kind of idiot would bring someone he loves into this kind of disaster?"

 Emma was like the most precious, exotic, delicate, beautiful flower in the whole world world, and what he'd done, bringing her into this mess- and putting her into a compromising position where she'd be a target for his dad- it was like he'd seen that beautiful flower, repotted it in playground sand in a mayonnaise tub, and then locked it in a dark, moldy closet, just because he thought it was beautiful and foolishly deemed himself worthy of it.

 And so, they drove in silence, Killian unsure what to even begin to say. "No offense," Emma said, using her sharp tongue to break the ice, "but your dad's a creep."

 "None taken," Killian said.

 "I just couldn't stick around there," Emma shook her head.

 "I'm so sorry for bringing you." Killian said, "I didn't expect him to be so unkind to you." 

 "Me?" Emma asked, seeming shocked that he even said that, "I made up that excuse to get you out of there."

 "Me?" Killian asked, surprised and confused, "why?"

 "Your dad pretty much publicly disowned you there after giving you a ride on the guilt trip of your life because of me."

 "I know that, Swan," Kilian said, taking his eyes off the road a moment to try to read her, reminding himself again of how gorgeous she was, "but why did you feel the need to get me out of it? I'm used to my dad." "You shouldn't have to be," Emma said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "You deserve to be treasured."

 He half laughed, but when he looked at Emma, she seemed genuine.

 "Thank you, love," Killian said, wishing he didn't have to have both hands on the steering wheel, "to hear such a beautiful treasure call me a treasure in return is flattering, to say the least."

 Emma's flustered smile returned.

 "Do you wanna grab a bite to eat on the way back?" Killian asked, "my treat?"

 "Sounds great," Emma said, "pizza or chinese?"

 "Your heart's desire," he said, trying to romance her with even his own indecision.

 "Nuh-uh," she said, "you just had the worst day of your life, and you're treating me. We're having your heart's desire."

 "All my heart desires is you," Killian said.

 "Pizza, then?" Emma asked.

 "Sounds perfect."

 "Not as perfect as someone else I know."

 He looked at her and smiled, hoping they came upon a pizza place soon, so that he could stop worrying about driving and give Emma his undivided attention.

#captain swan #once upon a time #killian jones #emma swan #ouat #cs ff #cs fanfiction #cs au #once upon a time season 6 #brennan jones #liam jones ii #captain nemo ouat

[scaryspears]

Johnny: Opinions and Thoughs

These are my thoughts and opinions on Mortal Kombat that a bunch of people probably won't care about, but I thought I should post them here. Now I will be using past games as reference, even though every character's interpretation/counterpart is different, they still play part to the canon storyline.

[Warning: This post is very long. Slight mention of sexual oral practise.]

I think every single character in Mortal Kombat is prideful and egotistical, the best example would be Jade in my opinion. With that being said I think the way they treat Johnny is a bit unfair. A lot of these will fall in line with my Neurodivergent Johnny headcanons and theory post, I suggest checking that out for context. I know the intros aren't canon and are more what if scenarios, but they mean something.

I have a lot of things to say regarding his character, for starters he gets invited to a tournament and sees it as a chance to show people he isn't just some actor but is legit in his martial arts. Good for him, (I've seen posts that demonise this and say it's pretty selfish as if we shouldn't be allowed to be selfish when situations call for it. Bro didn't like that people were calling him a fake and wanted to prove that he wasn't, there's nothing wrong with that.). When he shows up at the tournament half of the contestants are wearing costumes, can't blame the guy for not thinking it was real at first. There's a lady dressed as a hot soldier (I understand that it gets retconned), a bunch of ninjas standing around, and his opponents are wearing alien makeup.

First of all Johnny doesn't know about the existence of other realms, second of all it's the 90s and he's a Hollywood actor meaning he's no stranger to makeup and practical effects not to mention stunts. He probably figured it was something comic con related (as I've said in another post) and while questioning it he went along with it. He had no reason to think that Reptile and Baraka were real creatures.

When Johnny is told to finish his opponent he responds with "Yeah, right.", and I gotta say, it took me years to find out there was a sexual innuendo to that. Dude straight up thought they were demanding him to perform 'you-know-what'. That was just an example of what's to come (I'll be using the word 'example' lot). (Hollywood must be a wild place even in fiction).

First I'll start with his interactions. He's not very good at bonding with people. In mk9 we see a lot of this. I get that Johnny has his problematic moments, but in comparison to the other characters he's an angel. I'm the sort of person to sweep them under the rug, but I have to address them.

Examples:

"And I'm taking you down. I'm taking you down. I'm taking you out. I'm taking you out. And I'm taking you out... for dinner." I genuinely interpreted this as Johnny being playful. To be fair, I first saw this interaction when I was a child (say 7-9) so the fact that I could see myself doing that probably had to do with my immaturity. But everytime I rewatch it I only have fondness and not annoyance because I found it adorable just how proud he was of himself. I also appreciate how open he is about how he feels towards Sonya, I stan an honest man. However, it seems a lot of viewers saw this as him being stupid or something along those lines. If this was any other character they would be told to go to horny jail, but Johnny is met with hostility from most of the fandom.

"Nice hat :)." Johnny to Raiden in mk9. "You should be more respectful of Lord Raiden!" Liu Kang says to Johnny right away. SonicXD commented on this in his mk9 sucks video, I don't need to say anything. Johnny wasn't interested in saving Earthrealm at first, he straight up told Raiden and Liu Kang that they should call the military if Shao Kahn was that much of a threat (he was speaking facts tho). Also, I think he was still questioning what he got himself into, so Raiden and Liu Kang approaching him probably made him think he was surrounded by insane people. And then he finds out that it's all real and that he's not allowed to leave.

There's also when Johnny saved Sonya from Kano. How that went down was that Johnny was trying to escort her. By the way, this is minutes after he realised that he was in a death match and not some comic con related fighting tournament, everyone was waiting for him to kill Baraka and it dawned on him just how serious they were. So Johnny got worried for Sonya's safety by that alone. But it's also understandable on Sonya's end: here comes this guy trying to chat her up (get into her pants) and not getting the hint that she's not interested, and then tries to convince her that he needs to be by her side.

Cyrax got annoyed just by hearing him talk, you can see it on his face. I saw it as friendly banter on Johnny's side but Cyrax didn't. "Not everyone gets to rumble with a celebrity. Ready for a beat down, Sunshine? Here it comes." I think Cyrax was gonna kill him by that alone if it wasn't for Raiden's disapproving dad stares. Every single Lin Kuei is super serious so I think Cyrax didn't take it as banter.

Next is Jax. Johnny Green, Jax Purple: "So what's the deal with you and Sonya anyway? She is smocking hot." "It's not like that. I'm her CO." "Honey like that under my command-" "You'll wanna stop talking now." "...So if it's not like that- Then you won't mind if I-" "That's it!" And then Jax proceeds to beat him up.

Now I understand that Johnny was talking too much, and was a tad bit slimy about his hornyness, but he didn't want to get between her and Jax if they were a thing. He just has no filter. Now following my Neurodivergent headcanons for him this may have an occasion where he wasn't reading the social cues. Jax says "You'll wanna stop talking now." but Johnny has no intentions to stop talking nor does he want to stop talking. Johnny doesn't answer immediately, perhaps confused about the reply and ultimately deciding to ignore it. I too choose the wrong times to start talking to people, and most of the time I don't realise it unless it's pointed out. Happens way often than I'd like to admit.

I know that a lot of the characters call Johnny a clown or see him as a joke (Spawn, Kotal, Shang Tsung) due to how he operates, but I don't see that as the case. There's one specific quote in mk9's story mode that he says to Raiden: "Sure, let's go and ruin someone else's life." This is why I think Johnny was very aware of what was going on. He's also very open about his ego, he doesn't hide it like everyone else, and yes they are hiding it.

Now don't get me wrong, he does randomly antagonise people, but he's in a tournament so he can do that. And it's not like he was getting personal for most of them. I think the only time he says something personal is when he feels like he's being personally attacked.

"We have something in common?" - Johnny

"I too was once young and foolish." - Nightwolf

"But I looked good doing it." - Johnny

What Nightwolf said sounded like a backhanded comment to me. Uncalled for. This is the same guy that intentionally risked the invasion of Earthrealm just to teach Scorpion a lesson or something. Johnny can tell that Nightwolf is like the others, very serious and tolerant, so he's surprised that Nightwolf can even manage to see himself in him.

Relationships: Even in the intros it's shown that he has a better chance at friendships with the villains than with the good guys. It's more like they (good guys) are tolerable of him, especially Jax. I think Sub Zero allowing Johnny to get away with calling him Grandmaster Blueberry Ice is out of respect rather than fondness. This section can extend to interactions, as I think a lot of people misinterpret him as a person, which extends to a lot of things he says such as statements and nicknames.

Johnny asks the other characters if he can make movies based on their stories, meaning he's (in a way) asking for permission. Johnny could've easily made a movie about their lives without asking them, make money, and get away with it because it's not like they would even watch his movies (they hate him), especially non-Earthrealm characters. But he's respectful. So I guess he understands boundaries to a certain degree.

-----

"Heard you gave Cage a shiner." - Young Jax

"He pushes every damn one of my buttons." - Old Jax

"You, me and everyone else." - Young Jax

-----

"Not surprised I have a kid, but you." - Jax

Why can't he have a kid, Jax? He's so condescending about it too.

-----

"Actions speak louder than words." - Liu Kang

"Yeah, that's why I make action movies." - Johnny

"With fake fighting." - Liu Kang

-----

"We come from different worlds, Johnny." - Liu Kang

"Aren't you from Earthrealm too?" - Johnny

"I mean I come from the real world." - Liu Kang

Liu Kang is such a bully.

-----

"The answer remains no." - Scorpion

"But you'll be co-starring with yours truly." - Johnny

"Exactly." - Scorpion

I think a true friend would consider it.

-----

"What kind of name is Kabal?" - Johnny

"Got a better suggestion, Cage?" - Kabal

"For now on you're Carlos." - Johnny

Never change, Johnny. Kabal clearly finds Johnny annoying, but was able to humour him enough to answer with a question of his own, perhaps encouraging Johnny's curiosity.

-----

"Looking forward to a kindler, gentler Outworld." - Johnny

"Why? Because I'm a woman?" - Kitana

"Well that, and you're banging Liu Kang." - Johnny

I have a lot of opinions about this one. On Johnny's part I interpreted this as him giving her a thumbs up on becoming the new Kahn, and since Kitana is supposed to be on the good side she is expected to rule fairly. You know, like a good person. But then Kitana made it about feminism, so Johnny delivered a line to counter it. I honestly think Kitana was reaching at something that wasn't there and Johnny picked up on it. I'm probably making excuses for him, but that's my take. Her response annoyed me so much.

-----

"So you were to defeat Shinnok." - Kitana

"What is with people? Is it so hard to believe?" - Johnny

"Yes." - Kitana

Kitana this is literally you:

-----

"If it's tail you want I can get that." - Kano

"Johnny Cage doesn't pay for it, Kano." - Johnny

"A scrubble? Note the date and time :D." - Kano

Kano is so pleased.

-----

"You stole my face for Ninja Priest!" - Kano

"Art imitates life, Kano." - Johnny

"Taking my cut outta of your hide." - Kano

A call back to what I stated in the relationships, Johnny didn't ask for Kano's permission for inspiration on a character.

-----

"Why a Russian fan club?" - Johnny

"Just going where the fans are." - Kano

"You have a showman's instincts there Kano. :D" - Johnny

-----

"I won't play your lackey, Cage." - Baraka

"Really? 'Cause I'm feeling a BFF vibe here." - Johnny

So this one is pretty wishy washy, but thought it would be beneficial to this post. I would lowkey enjoy a storyline where Johnny is buddy buddy with Baraka, who is reluctant to accept friendship but slowly gets used to it. 

-----

"Oh, dude! I love westerns!" - Johnny

"The bullets are real, Cage" - Erron Black

"So are my fists." - Johnny

I'm pretty sure Johnny was just admiring Erron for what he is, kind of like meeting a nun in real life after years of only hearing about them... something like that. But Erron interpreted it as Johnny not being in the real world and treating everything as a joke.

-----

"Where is your fear?" - Noob Saibot

"Must've left it in my other pants." - Johnny

"We will find it." - Noob Saibot

Aww, Noob Saibot is so nice~ [Delusion] I love how Noob doesn't go out of his way to insult Johnny or belittle him, unlike some other characters.

-----

"Hey there, Tall Dark and Gruesome." - Johnny

"An apt description." - Noob Saibot

"Do you not get I am mocking you?" - Johnny

I headcanoned that Noob/Bi Han would take things literal, but he's also very analytical. I'm sure he was able to pick up on Johnny mocking him but didn't mind it, meaning he might have interpreted it as a nickname, which Johnny gives everyone. Wishful thinking, there could've been a lot of banter between these two.

-----

"You are more smug than usual." - Fujin

"I'm the new assistant thunder God." - Johnny

"Raiden should not have healed you." - Fujin

-----

"You know the evil overlord bit's played out." - Johnny

"What would you suggest?" - Shao Kahn

"Right now it's all anti-heroes." - Johnny

Is that kindness, Shao Kahn?

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

I think they did Johnny dirty in MK11, not gonna lie. To be fair, his storyline also didn't make sense in mkx thanks to discovering his new powers even though he's shown using them in mk9. If he was playable in mk9 story mode and his powers were usable, then the mkx part where he mysteriously saves Sonya because of the green light doesn't make sense. I think he should've been able to always use his green glow, that way Hollywood critics thinking he's fake has another tone to it. His green glow can be spotted in his movies, which is why viewers think he uses special effects, which led him to try to prove himself in the tournament.

I think the problem should've been that he couldn't control it, also as a call back to his mk9 ending. I think it's even referenced in an intro with Raiden. "Seek out the Wu Shi for instruction."

It also would be funny if everyone else was aware of it, but only Johnny wasn't. Like they all assumed he could use the green glow out of choice, but he didn't know or notice that he would go green. The fact that it happened during fights means it would only ignite in stressful situations or on instinct. He was also wearing shades for the majority of mk9 (because he likes shades), in fact he always wears shades so I think he's the only one who didn't notice the glow.

Johnny says "Yeah, those things are real." when referring to Baraka's blades, meaning he didn't feel that they were real. I'm not sure what that means, but it gives insight to his power level. Johnny defeated Shinnok. I get that Johnny 'softens him up' but he still defeated Shinnok, so I think he should've been able to at least handle Sindel. The reason Shao Kahn was defeated in mk9 is because the Elder Gods possessed Raiden which is how Raiden defeated Shao Kahn. They nerfed Johnny's character and I am not happy about that.

Now, with his upbringing and history. I think Johnny had narcissistic parents, and depending on who he got his powers from it was an inherited narcissism (don't know which parent had the powers, someone will probably say his father but let's not assume).

I think there was taught narcissism on Johnny's behalf. The thing about growing up with narcissistic parents is that you grow up thinking that their behaviour is normal, so he must've not seen anything wrong with the behaviour he learned. We also need to take a good look at his personality. He's a bit childish in terms of maturity, and this is common in individuals who grew up with a narcissistic parent. Johnny talks as if he's a teenager rather than the average 25+ year old man. To his credit he doesn't throw tantrums or lash out when his odd behaviours are called out (unless I missed something), but dude is childish. Only lashes out when his face is even slightly ruined and even blindly attacked some Black Dragons for getting a scratch on his face. However he is also very independent, from what I know. And he's a bubbly man, even when he changed, that's a character I can appreciate. I think him and Joey from Friends would be friends, even though I haven't watched Friends to confirm this.

Morality wise Johnny doesn't have wicked intent. In his mk9 story mode he says he's not gonna kill anyone when told to kill Baraka, realising that it's not an everyday tournament. He's okay with fighting people for sport (let's establish that tournaments are basically a sport) but not killing people. The tournament is like a perverted form of kill or be killed, one Johnny was forced into participating in some form (I'm talking about the killing and fighting for Earthrealm part). I don't think Johnny likes killing people or anything dead related. In mkx story mode he rolls a head off the helicopter in a fit of heeby jeebies and disgust.

"Have you killed anyone?" - Terminator

"Yeah, but they were all bad." - Johnny

"Why make that distinction?" - Terminator

Like a rationale of what he's experiencing.

-----

"Discard your jesters mask." - Kotal Kahn

"What you see is what you get, Feather Head." - Johnny

"I thought you merely played the fool." - Kotal Kahn

-----

"You revel in childishness." - Kotal Kahn

"Gotta stay sane somehow." - Johnny

"How are you a warrior?" - Kotal Kahn

----

"He was insufferable. Just like you." says Fujin about Johnny's great-great grandfather. Dude might've been a mega narcissist. Narcissism is taught and learned. Another example would be old Johnny and young Johnny: 

Young Johnny - "Dad always said "Hungry people eat lunch, humble people serve it."

Older Johnny "Dad was an a**hole, Hollywood made us an even bigger one."

So based on those facts alone, Johnny comes from a long generation of egotistical people. Then we have Hollywood. I think Johnny got into Hollywood not just because of creative thinking, but I think there's also a sense of longing there. Narcissistic parents, ignore, abandon and degrade their children. Along with making movies being a hyper fixation, their abandonment played a part in his need for spotlight. Johnny divorcing Sonya for her neglect might be more personal because it was a reminder of his parents.

I heard that there's a lot of narcissists in Hollywood, so with Johnny surrounding himself with people like that...(yikes!) The thing with narcissists is that they are always out for themselves. An autistic person struggles with social interactions, while a narcissist will manipulate the social interaction. Johnny (and Kung Lao) doesn't do that. He very much cares about the people around him and doesn't see them as tools.

Now back to his family.

"Grandma Carlton told you my secret?" - Johnny

"(Snicker) Johnny pee pants?" - Cassie

"I had one accident! One!" - Johnny

Judging from how Johnny both asked the question and responded, I theorise it came from a place of trauma. For his mother to tell Cassie the story as if it's a funny story and give him a nickname is suspicious. I think I already mentioned this in another post but I would like to elaborate. Me personally, I don't think anyone pissing themselves is a laughing matter. People don't piss themselves for no reason, or at least most people don't. Humiliating their child is a narcissist's past time. While his mother may not have played a part in humiliating him, she still found it funny enough to tell Cassie, who also for some reason found it funny.

(I have mixed opinions on Cassie and I might get in on her in another post. I don't know how many of these I'll be making.)

Going back to the interactions between young and older Johnny, I think older Johnny hates his younger self. Movie making is something Johnny loved, cash grab or not creative thinkers like doing creative things. 

I think I mentioned in another post that it's something he learned, so I'll like to continue that theory. Johnny wasn't that much of a bad person, sure he has flaws, but he's not evil or anything. So older Johnny's reaction to his younger self eagerly trying to convince him to make movies and stuff was kind of unnerving. 

It should've been something he could smile fondly at, but instead he reacts as if his passion has been beaten out of him. He finds his younger self annoying, just like everyone else. Everyone else = Sonya, Jax, and pretty much everyone else. As a person who likes coming up with stories and wants those stories to be known, I feel crushed by this conclusion of analysis. Poor Johnny.

Another fact about Neurodivergent people is that no matter what they will always be the same person no matter how much their opinions and belief change overtime, they will still have the same personality. Johnny still likes making his jokes and still gives people nicknames, but he lacks creativity in creating things. I guess applying his need for action into training the Kombat kids and working with the Special Forces counts as a slight change.

I'm coming close to an end so I'll sum it up by saying that Johnny shouldn't have got back together with Sonya. I don't ship them and I'm making it clear that I hate them together. Even before mk11 I thought the ship didn't make sense and it needs to be a character that doesn't tolerate him but actually enjoys his company from the beginning. It took me everything not to write that Johnny is a national treasure that should be protected.

#mortal kombat #mortal komabt 11 #mortal kombat theories #mortal kombat 9 #mortal kombat johnny cage #johnny cage #neurodiversity #neurodivergent johnny cage #criticism #analysis mortal kombat #adhd Johnny Cage

[slava-perunu]

Finding Identity in Purity is a Mistake.

One of the things I've really had to challenge myself on, as somebody who has been pagan for 15 years now, is how insular and venomous some pagan spaces used to be online compared to how they are now, and how much the culture shaped me. At one point I was a member of a very popular Ásatrú (Heathenry as a term really hadn't caught on at the time and the term wasn't as loaded then) group, with maybe five thousand members. I was a teenager, and like most teenagers, I wanted to be accepted. Badly. And this was The Group. It had big, important community members in it. The culture was aggressively reconstructionist. There were Rules, both written and unwritten, and if you followed them you got to dogpile people who didn't. It was incredibly toxic.

This group was very proud of its "Shame Culture." That's not me trying to coin a term to badmouth them, that's literally what they called it. If you stuck out, you were Shamed. There were frequent threads dedicated to mocking members who were bullied out of the group. If you were out of line with the group Opinion, you'd be dogpiled until you lost your cool, and then banned for being angry.

As you can imagine, after a while I quietly left, but that group left its mark. I was out of the community, but I still struggled with its demand of absolute historical purity. Even more so when many of the group's Approved Beliefs began being contested by new research and being less popular. Suddenly well defined pantheons were no longer the law of the land and verboten deities (It's Loki, I'm talking about Loki) were acceptable, and somehow at 20 I felt like an old man yelling at clouds. Those things couldn't be right. Blót meant blood and Loki was made up and there was a perfect historical recreation of Real, Authentic Heathenry that was just waiting to blossom, after all the fake heathens and Wiccatru crazies (labels that were, upon reflection, aimed by group members almost exclusively at women and LGBT+ people) were chased out or shamed into submission. This is not a healthy mindset.

I hope it is obvious that I have not retained these beliefs. I regret ever giving them credence. It's a shame that I fell for them, but I am also not surprised that I did. They prey exactly upon the worst excesses of the feelings that can draw young people (especially young men, I'd say) to paganism in the first place- this idea of a unique, rugged, authentic spirituality hidden behind misinformation that only the brave and intelligent care enough to find. I was an angry, socially isolated young nerd, and that's exactly the thing that angry, socially isolated young nerds desperately want to hear: "Not only are you special, you're special on a cosmic level. You're one of the only guys who worship the True Gods in the Right Way."

I feel like moving towards Slavic Paganism helped me break away from that toxic mindset. First, in that it allowed me to be a beginner again as an adult. No expertise, no seniority, I had to sit down and listen. Second, in what I heard when I did: "We don't know." That was terrifying to hear when I started. What if I did something wrong? What if I messed up? Tearing the bandage off and realizing that those things mattered less than I had believed allowed me to grow.

Third, and probably silliest, was that it's called Slavic Paganism. I know, it's got other names, but those are, uh, complicated. But that second word was important. "Heathenry" lets you be separate. You're not a nut like those eclectic Pagans, you're a real Heathen. You tell somebody in America you're a Rodnover (or whatever other label you might choose) and they ask you what that means, and you mumble back "pagan" as quiet as you can. You have an identity beyond that, but you're not better because of it.

Don't fall for the grift that young me did. Wanting historical authenticity is perfectly fine. I still try and make my practice as historically accurate as I can, and people peddling outright lies as divine truth are still causing harm. But basing your identity on Purity is another story. Don't chase Purity, because you'll never catch it. It's a bald faced lie. The chase is long and fruitless and you hurt people as you pass. If you become obsessed with Purity, it'll eat you from the inside out and turn you cruel. Purity is the white whale of reconstructionist paganism, and it'll drag us all under if we let it.

#slavic pagan #paganism #if you know the group I'm talking about I bet you have stories too #slavic paganism #heathenry

[turanga4]

2022 Roundup

Thanks for the open tag, @sliebman10--I like how this one has a mix of things one did, things one is doing, and things one WISHES to do next year.

Post the top 5 works you're most proud of that you released in 2022 (not necessarily your most popular),

your top 4 current WIPs that you're excited to release in the new year,

your top 3 biggest improvements in your writing over the past year,

your top 2 resolutions (ways you wish to improve your writing/blog) for the new year,

and your number 1 favorite line you've written this year!

Five pieces I am proud of feels like a lot: imma do three.

Accidental Magic This one came so seamlessly to me, once I scrapped all my initial plans to do a more conventional love story for the contest prompt, "pivot." I'm proud because it was a chance for me to trust my instincts, and also to reach out to other writers for advice and thought partnership--I leaned heavily on a brilliant meta from @ashesandhackles and I felt so very brash even asking for permission to do that, but she met me with such amazing kindness and sincere interest in my craft.

Mysteries This one kicked my arse. I drafted and struggled and despaired and tried again, and if @evesaintyves hadn't been there to talk me off the ledge seven different times, it would never have made it to publication. I am proud, because I didn't give up, and now, it's a thing I feel good about sharing.

Visit Proud of my last piece, because it shows I'm still creating stuff, and also because I used it to try a very new thing--second person pov. I'm proud of the fact that I am always learning and stretching: it's first and foremost a credit to the people who are so generous with their support, inspiration, and encouragement, but it is also a credit, I think, to me.

2. FOUR current WIPs? Nah.

I'm working on one thing for a festival, so must be Way Secret. I am also working on a story centering Neville after the War--my conceit is weaving together his relationship with himself and his parents with the Muggle concept of using principles of improv comedy to work with dementia patients. I only have the title (Yes And) and a couple hundred words, but I'm looking forward to crafting it fully next year.

3. Biggest Improvements this year? Everything? I just started fan fic writing this year, and I started out ROUGH. I think craft-wise, I've gained the most in my ability to use point of view, and in my use of actions and descriptions to gird my dialogue: I used to pretty much just drop the characters in the middle of a conversation and not do anything other than the 'script' to help the reader understand time, place, or mood. Metacognitively, I've gained confidence, although I still have further to go with this--a willingness to see what I'm doing as both worth doing for myself and worth sharing with others.

4. Two Resolutions I shall break the 3000 words mark, and I shall learn how to Plot, which is something that I genuinely have not needed to fuck with until now.

5. One Favorite Line: From Accidental Magic, a summary of sorts of Harry's arc as he moves from what he needed to be around the Dursleys towards who he is meant to be:

He hides cake under the floorboards and buries love in a place deep enough within himself that for years it sparks out hot and feral, beyond conscious volition, an accidental magic that he has to learn to tame.

It has been such a joy to have found fan fic and the lovely, lovely humans I am blessed to know within this special space. I wish you all a creative and wondrous new year!

#ask game #new year new fic new goals #fan fiction community #harry potter fan fiction

[earthdeep]

it's been several years now since I finished writing the honorary gavin, and honestly I'm still very proud of it. it was definitely an important benchmark work for me, and it mostly holds up exceedingly well.

that said, I think with the benefit of hindsight and more years of longform writing, I can see its weakpoints with more clarity. I was never truly satisfied with parts of its ending, with how the final crime was stopped. back then, it made perfect sense and was congruent with the background plot while I was planning it out, but when it came to writing it, the limited narrator had no way of actually expressing any of that so the entire thing got lost. instead apollo got away by coincidence, and the final irony of kristoph's actions are disjointed from the rest of the case.

of course, it's been half a decade since then, and I've become a lot more practised at plotting with a limited narrator in mind. and now have a much better idea of how to fix it up. I'm putting the rest of this under a cut for both length and also spoilers. (if you're newer here, you may have not read my most popular work, so I am going to shamelessly shill it here, lol.)

so we're picking up late into the story, in chapter 38. apollo has gone to gavin law after hours to investigate kristoph's stalking, only to be caught by the man and knocked the fuck out. as far as I'm concerned, this is fine. he's drugged and shoved into a car boot, and kristoph drives him off. fun stuff.

now for how I would do it now.

apollo comes to, on the blurry edge of death, just in time to experience the vehicle he's in pulling to a stop, jostling him as it's parked partially on the curb. something is clearly wrong, as he can't quite wake himself up even with the help of the harsh motion.

the boot opens, and he's dragged out of the car like a sack of potatoes. kristoph doesn't say anything, but apollo can tell it's him, even with his hazy mind and the low light of background streetlights.

kristoph struggles to heft him down the street - short as he is, he's still a full grown man - but in his current state there's not much he can do to escape. he can barely interpret his surroundings, where his boss is taking him. ...people park?

but then, just as the threshold is crossed, apollo's is dazzled by a sudden burst of light. he slumps out of kristoph's grip and onto the floor as the man turns in surprise.

the gateway to the kitaki mansion is thrown open, light from the house spilling out around the silhouetted figures of the kitakis themselves. and they have god damn swords (which, for the record, are decorative antiques, officer, and perfectly legal to own thank you very much).

kristoph is on his own, unable to do shit as more minor Family members traipse out into the open, pissed from being woken by an alarm being raised. apollo is picked up, and the last thing he sees before the sleeping pills get the better of him is the cute fox logo of the kitaki bakery's company van.

apollo wakes up in hospital, to learn the equally unnerving facts that kristoph gavin has been admitted into police custody, and that he apparently threw up in the bakery van on the way over.

it's clear in court that kristoph can do little in his defence but attempt to discredit the kitakis via their shady past. but he can't hide how much he underestimated the family, and how they genuinely care for their own. so unlike his own regard for them as lucrative customers.

he completes the pattern. the pattern of failing to frame the kitakis for murder, and the pattern of apollo's victory. even if he didn't manage to put together the perfect case, the evidence snatched from his fingers by his assailant, he is safe now. and he has people who have his back.

coda. apollo's first case as an ex-member of gavin law is contesting the speeding fine big wins picked up while driving him to the hospital. it goes nowhere. the world of traffic law is a cold and unforgiving place.

#earthdeep does life #earthdeep does fanfiction #sonic lawyer adventures

[memento-morri-writes]

Happy STS Morri!!! I hope you are having a good day/night!

@ink-fireplace-coffee here, so get ready to answer some questions if you don't mind me asking...

If you could only eat one (1) dish or food from All the Queen's Horses, which one and (if its a dish) what is it made of? why would you choose that one?

Do you have any alternative titles for ATQH??? Were you deciding in between more options?

Is there a favorite deleted scene you can show us?

Tells us about a time when you were proud of yourself bc of your writing

Give us 3 (or more) songs that you associate with Duncan

If Nora was a color/place/object/food/element, she would be...?

If you could insert any of your characters in any other universe (think books, series, movies, whatever) which character would you choose, in which universe and, would they be happy there?

tell us about the Moment (tm) when you decided to start writing! Not just this wip but ✨writing✨

Oooh, okay!!! This is fun!! Thank you so much for all the questions, Carmen!!

If you could only eat one (1) dish or food from All the Queen's Horses, which one and (if its a dish) what is it made of? why would you choose that one?

Hmmm... I honestly have no idea. There's these straberry jam pastries that Fallon loves, but doesn't eat much because they remind her of her mom, but the problem is...... I don't like strawberries. So, maybe I'd just want some very fresh hommemade bread, because I fucking love bread.

the rest under the cut!

2. Do you have any alternative titles for ATQH??? Were you deciding in between more options?

I am 100% sold on the title ATQH. I'm never going back. But, when I started writing it, it had a horrible, horrible temporary title that was abbreviated RTQ. (Romancing the Queen) I only even named it that temporarily because I needed to call it something other than "that story in my head", and all I knew was it was going to be a romance. Although I very quickly stopped thinking of it as anything other than RTQ, and sometimes I forget that RTQ actually stood for something, ajsda.

3. Is there a favorite deleted scene you can show us?

Not a deleted scene, but oneshots that take place in the wrong timeframe to be included! I actually have two!! HERE and HERE.

4. Tells us about a time when you were proud of yourself bc of your writing.

There was this short story that I wrote in 9th grade that I entered into a short story contest. My teacher (who was a harsh critic) said it should be in the top 10 for the contest. It didn't make it, but I'm still pretty damn proud of it! Maybe I should revisit it and post it on here... It was a really kind of strange experimental short story about aliens finding Earth, but all the humans are gone, and what they assume about us based on what we left behind.

5. Give us 3 (or more) songs that you associate with Duncan

Oh god, I don't know. I actually don't have a single song I associate with him. It's sad, but I'm really picky about my songs. They have to be spot on perfect or else I won't associate them to anything. I have songs for Fallon and Kris, and for the whole story/certain scenes, but none for Duncan. Which is TRAGIC. I love Duncan. He deserves better.

6. If Nora was a color/place/object/food/element, she would be...?

Nora is definitely purple. I associate her very vividly with the color purple. All of my characters have A Color, and hers is purple, adsjak. As for an element, I'm thinking water, since yk, she's a pirate, and also because water can look calm on the surface, but have very strong currents.

7. If you could insert any of your characters in any other universe (think books, series, movies, whatever) which character would you choose, in which universe and, would they be happy there?

Can I say our universe?? I really just want to bring Kris here and give him a hug, or Fallon and have her be my badass older cousin. Fallon would absolutely rock a pantsuit, btw. I think if she were here, it would be very freeing for her to not have the weight of being Queen on her shoulders. She'd find a way to make herself be able to do something though. Maybe she'd run for office, maybe she'd be a businesswoman, maybe she'd start a charity, I don't know. But she would do something, because she can't do nothing. And Kris would just be happy to be where Fallon is, and also he'd be happy to be out of Oryn.

8. tell us about the Moment (tm) when you decided to start writing! Not just this wip but ✨writing✨

Carmen, I'm going to be honest and say I don't remember. I've been writng my whole life. When I was in 3rd grade, I wrote 42 pages about the Titanic. When I was in 7th grade, I wrote an epilogue to a book we read in class and successfully predicted the plots of the next two books in the seires. When I was in 9th grade, I wrote that short story. But I was never able to get more than a few pages into something until ATQH. Before ATQH the only projects I had ever finished were short stories that were for class. Because I never was this invested. I don't remember learning to read (I taught myself and was reading road signs by 3.), and I don't remember starting to write. I've always done it, even if it was just making up random stuff in my head. When I was a kid, all my toys had to have plots. The lego girls knew a secret portal into the dinosaur world. The little animal figurines had very complicated politics. Everything had a story, I just didn't write them down.

Thank you so much for the ask!! And I'm sorry I don't have good answers for some of these.

#Morrigan replies #storyteller saturday #Carmen ☕ #ink-fireplace-coffee

[kai-wanted-doa]

my cousins bf invited my friend and I into his nonprofit organizatoin I guess it's very small and he said they were holding a logo design contest which we were told about like 4 days before the due date. He said no one has even sent anything in and it'll be easy prize money at this rate. like the day before it was due, my friend tells me he submitted an entry and I was like WHATTTT!!! apparently his was first 🤣🤣 I mean he already told me he was gonna do it (he likes this artsy stuff!!) And I was thinking about it too, but knowing me I'd deep dive in if I was seriously thinking about submitting. So yeah, the day before the due day I decided I wanted to submit one too so I quickly researched a bit about graphic designing and like the basic stuff you should consider and then I searched for several other similar nonprofit organizations and what their logos look like and wahhlahhh I eventually got an idea down and sent it in. A total of 13 entries were up!!! One person had the ability to submit as many logos as they wanted. I made 4, but I narrowed it down to one which I felt best captured the mission. Plus I didn't have enough time to mess with the other ones (because I wanted to include a description explaining the emblem for each). But truly, the other 3 didn't quite hit like the one I chose.

Anyway, the other designs made by the contestants were seriously awesome!! There was one in particular that i saw that made me go, "aw nah, this is the one" hahaha. The members of the organization, including my friend and i, were the ones who voted on which deserved 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. So yeah, I wrote this long post about this whole experience to say: I won!!!! 🥳🥲😭😭😭😭😭😭 it had been like a whole 2 weeks since this contest closed and I hadn't heard anything so I was like yeaaaah okkkkkkkkayyyy I getttt itttttt LOLL but yeah it came eventually. The email mentioned that I won with more than half of the votes!! 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 OTL clutching my chest wailing vomiting thrashing

It was a small thing, but I am very proud of myself. I am proud I put quality effort into it. Even if I didn't place at all, I would still say I am proud of my quality effort and that this is what I love about myself. That when it's something I'm genuinely interested in, I can definitely put in a grind. Such a different feeling than what I would do in my current career path. If I had to do anything for my current career, it feels like an assignment for a class I couldn't care about. I'll still do thorough research and get to the bottom of things, but without passion.

[risingshards]

Big Writing Week Update 4

I wasn't sure if I could get these done today with the holiday and all but!!! In another late night update on this, I got three big chapters of Reborn done! Which means rough drafts on Reborn Vol 1 are DOOOOONE. The bulk of the work on my contest entry is finished!!!

A few months ago when I heard about the Tapas romance contest, I didn't know if I'd be able to do anything extra. I wasn't sure I could make the time for that and Rising Shards. I was thinking I'd rewrite some old fanfics and instead got 49,564 words on a totally new project! Well, a few chapters of that were old from two different projects that I couldn't find a place for and various bits of the overall outline I've had rumbling around my head for a while, but for the most part this has been new! Even if I don't win the contest, I can be proud of myself for giving it my all and for making a new story. If I don't win, I still intend on finishing Reborn (I did write a bit of its ending already and have the story pretty well outlined). I'm so glad I kept up with Rising Shards too.

Now all that's left is a chunk of Evy & Stella chapters which shouldn't be too bad, and then some uploading, some banner and thumbnail making, and some proofing, and then it will be time for WRITING VACATIONNNN.

Reborn 5.4 Reborn 5.5 Reborn 6.1 Reborn 6.2 Reborn 6.3 Reborn 6.4 Reborn 6.5 RS 12.7 RS 12.8 RS DFF.5 RS Evy & Stella 67 RS Evy & Stella 68 RS Evy & Stella 69 RS Evy & Stella 70

#chiral writes #chiral big writing week #LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IM SO HYPE RN #sleepy but hype!!!! #rising shards #riafgwmr #reborn in a fighting game with my rival #i'm gonna look back at everything i wrote in 2023 at some point #and be like wow i did a lot despite the Depression™ being super bad

[wanderinglotus7]

A Round of Applause

It's okay to reflect and speak upon your successes and achievements while still remaining humble. This concept has been a struggle of mine for a long time. It's okay for me to talk about what I've been able to accomplish because I put in the work and made the sacrifices to get where I am today. Unlike some folks, I never forget where I came from, and I never forgot about the people who helped me along the way. I'm not coming from an ego feed mindset. I'm coming from a place of gratitude. On a spiritual level I give the glory to the Lord for guiding me even during the times when I drifted away from my path.

Compiling this list, I will probably forget a few things, but this is really just my gratitude list. Above all else, I'm proud of myself for taking risks. Whether labeled as a success or failure, if I never took any risks, I probably would've the life I have now.

Despite the odds I spent 6 months studying abroad in Thailand.

Since kindergarten, I've been on A or A/B honor roll.

In middle school I stepped out of my comfort zone and played a season of field hockey.

I surprised a few people and did what's best for me and decided not to play basketball my last two years of high school.

For the W.E.B. Dubois Honor Society, I was the secretary and vice president.

Being new to the world of Public Speaking, I competed in the local American Legion public speaking contest and came in 2nd place.

It was a long shot, but I tried to run and get elected to be the junior queen for Homecoming (GHS) (it didn't happen).

Even though I got a few Ds in my psychology classes, I still graduated with my bachelor's degree in psychology.

I took it upon myself and self-published my first poetry collection.

Though I didn't spend many years cheerleading, I did my best and tried out for Bridgewater College's cheer team (I ended up cheering all 4 years).

Because of my hard work, my first year of undergraduate school was paid for.

It was difficult, yet, I had a heart-to-heart conversation with my distant father (for the first time I spoke my truth).

At the time, I was the first sophomore psych major to receive an internship at Bridgewater.

In my freshman year of high school, I stopped snorting pills and cutting myself.

I received a scholarship to attend Boston College for graduate school.

I was scared to shit, but I took a risk and told a close friend of mine that I was interested in him (that was a complicated situation but we're good).

I said I was gonna maintain a 3.5 or 3.6 GPA during my MSW program and I did it!

I didn't drop out my first semester of graduate school.

Very surprised, I ended up spending my first-year internship with Amirah which was my first choice.

Feeling discouraged after 5 rejections for my second-year internship, on my 6th interview I got a paid in-home therapy internship (kind of regret lol).

I didn't let the pandemic and my first "Karen" experience make me quit my job at Chipotle.

Though my romantic life hasn't been the greatest, I haven't given up on love and allow disappointment to turn me bitter.

Two or Three months before I graduated BC, I already had three post-grad job offers (and these organizations really wanted me).

Not realizing that they rejected my application the first time, I am a social work advocate for the human trafficking program Adelante.

Bridgewater did a magazine story on my study abroad experience along with my experiences at Bridgewater College & Boston College.

I passed my ASWB Master exam (licensure exam) on my first attempt.

I never gave up on therapy!

It was nerve wracking, but I used social media to be open with my eating disorder.

I found the courage to tell my mother about my sexual assault that happened in college.

I didn't commit suicide (there's been plenty of times that I've thought about it).

I graduated high school at the top of my class with a 4.6 GPA.

I can cross off attending a Chris Brown concert off my bucket list.

I've been to Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Costa Rica.

In my darkest moments, I didn't lose my relationship with God.

#graditude #blessed #thankful

[allinmycorner]

I think Halloween is probably the most popular theme week after Disney Night for DWTS. And this year's Halloween night did not disappoint. Monsters of all kinds descended on the ballroom floor for individual dances and then returned for the dance-a-thon. The nine couples took to the floor to dance both the hustle and then the Charleston for some extra points. It's always fun to watch and this time was no different.

Of course Sasha was in his glory and we got the traditional package about him scaring everyone. Most of the dancers knew it was him and they would yell his name. But he then sat down on a couch and got scared by Alyson. So someone finally got Sasha.

There was also a guest judge for this show. Former contestant Niecy Nash joined Carrie Ann, Derek and Bruno to help judge our stars' Halloween routines. It was pretty fun to have her back.

So who was the star of this monster's ball and who got chased off by the villagers? Let's take a look!

Mauricio and Emma: This was a bit surprising. Mauricio has been an apparent crowd favorite and his scores have also been on the rise. I was starting to suspect he could be the dark horse but I guess the audience had other plans. While his matador-inspired Argentine tango wasn't as smooth as other stars who have performed this dance, it was still fun to watch. He and Emma had good chemistry and it really helped elevate this routine. I'm going to miss him in the upcoming weeks but I think he should be proud for making it this far.

Xochitl and Val: Xochitl and Val topped the leaderboard again with a powerful contemporary dance. Val's superhero resurrected Xochitl with his powers and throughout the dance she grew more and more powerful, realizing she was alive again. They performed some amazing tricks, including one where it looked like Xochitl was flying. At some point, it seems she got hurt as Val was carrying her around for the rest of the show but she didn't seem interested in talking about it. And it didn't stop her from winning the dance-a-thon either. Hopefully she recovers and comes back next week to wow us again.

Ariana and Pasha: I'm not sure what exactly Ariana was supposed to be other than some mythological creature but honestly, it doesn't matter. Her Argentine tango was flawless. I know Carrie Ann said that Charity's contemporary last week would be the most memorable dance this season but I honestly believe it will be this Argentine tango. It was like watching two pros and I was mesmerized. Ariana handled every move perfectly. I encourage everyone to watch it if you haven't yet. And she also made it to second place in the dance-a-thon, which is just as impressive.

Jason and Daniella: Jason and Daniella also danced a contemporary routine where they were zombies fighting with each other. It was probably the most serious Jason has been throughout the competition and he rose to the challenge. His dance was appropriately spooky and he executed the moves without breaking character. He continues to prove why he is the best male star this season. And he even made it to the Charleston portion of the dance-a-thon to finish in fourth place. Not bad at all.

Charity and Artem: I'd say the dance-a-thon hurt Charity and Artem but it didn't really. All it did was solidify their finish in 4th place for this week. What hurt them was that Niecy gave their skeleton jive an 8. While still a high score, it still likely stung as both Xochitl and Ariana had 10s in their scores and Jason had earned all 9s. Their jive was fun and Charity still handled it well but I think it's subject hurt her forward momentum after last week's emotional breakthrough. Maybe she can regain it again next week.

Lele and Brandon: Lele was a black widow spider luring Brandon into her web as they danced the paso doble. I don't know why her scores aren't higher. She's fun to watch and is just as good as Charity or Jason. Something is holding her back and I hope she figures it out because I certainly can't. I just know I don't want her to be the next surprise elimination.

Barry and Peta: Barry is so fun to watch. Is he the best dancer out there? No, not really. But he's giving it his all and he's really charismatic, which is why I think people are still voting for him. Watching him be the Big Bad Wolf to Peta's Red Riding Hood was more entertaining than their Viennese waltz but he still managed to pull off most of the choreography. So that's certainly impressive. I still don't think he'll win but I'll enjoy watching him while he's still around.

Alyson and Sasha: Unsurprisingly, Alyson was assigned to be a vampire. I wonder why? Anyway, I think the teeth threw off her face a bit because she looked more awkward. And she was a bit awkward moving from the cape action on the top of the stairs to the main part of the paso doble on the dance floor. But once she and Sasha started dancing together, it looked very good. They were perfectly in sync and show that they are a great team. Alyson just needs to refine her movements more and she might be able to challenge Lele and get out of the bottom three.

Harry and Rylee: Harry is feeling disheartened due to online comments about him. Oh, Harry, never read the comments. That includes mine, though I try to be more positive than negative. Ultimately, the only comments you need to listen to are the judges'. They will help you improve. Because Harry has promise but he's just been a little too inconsistent this season. However, he did recover with his and Rylee's alien-inspired Argentine tango. It wasn't as smooth as it could've been but it had good content he was able to pull off after a little help from Lindsay. And while it must hurt to be in the bottom three two weeks in a row, it seems the audience likes him enough to keep him around. So he should take some comfort with that.

So that was Halloween night! We have about a month until a new winner is crowned and gets to hoist the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy and I'm happy it could be anyone's game. It could be Xochitl or Ariana. Jason could sneak past them to win it all in the end. Bachelor Nation could push Charity across the finish line or the audience could send Barry there instead. And Lele could be the surprise winner. Maybe Alyson or Harry will make it as well, though I doubt it at this time.

But only time will tell.

Next time, Paula Abdul will join the panel as a guest judge while the remaining stars pay tribute to some of the best music videos of all time. And we'll have the team dances! See you then!

#dancing with the stars #abc #season 32 #mauricio umansky #emma slater