Reading

Current Mood: accomplished

Entry tags:

fanfiction: dragon age

Fic: Falling Apart (and Being Remade) (Dragon Age)

Falling Apart (and Being Remade) (12000 words) by Settiai, LuckyWizard
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age - All Media Types
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Carver Hawke & Male Hawke
Characters: Bethany Hawke, Carver Hawke, Female Amell (Dragon Age), Leandra Hawke, Male Hawke (Dragon Age), Original Fereldan Character(s)
Additional Tags: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Brothers, Cameos, Complicated Relationships, Darkspawn, Dragon Age Reverse Big Bang, Embedded Images, Family, Fanart, Inspired by Art, Minor Character Death, Ostagar (Dragon Age), Serious Injuries, Violence
Summary: Everything changed at Ostagar, whether the Hawke brothers realized it at the time or not.

HalloWEEEEE!

Posted by Jen

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/halloweeeee-2025

Tonight's the big night, people!

ARE.

YOU.

READY?!?

I'll take that as a yes.

Now, the first thing you need to kick off that Halloween party later is an OFF DA HOOK historical lecture.

I'll start.

Did you know that Halloween was once known in Druidic circles as "Hallsweer?"

It's true!

Ok, not so much. But you should totally make up a bunch of random factoids and see how long it takes your guests to throw you out the window.

Or just wish everyone a happy "Hallawen," and when questioned, insist that's how it's pronounced "in the old country."

"The Ambiguously Scared Trio"

Of course we can't let the night pass without saluting you, Mr. Failing-To-Grasp-The-Concept-of-Eyeballs-Man:

In the face of crippling chocolate eyeball shortages, you step up with something that technically still has eyes on it, AND is circular. Bravo, Mr. Failing-To-Grasp-The-Concept-of-Eyeballs-Man. Bra. VO.

(Srsly, the more you try to imagine the thought process that led up to this, the funnier it gets.)

And finally, to REALLY kick your party off right, just go to your local wreckery and order a cake with a "Halloween look."

I guarantee the result will be terrifying.

Or at least really funny.

(I especially like how they really captured the spirit of "Hallowee" with all that orange, blue, and green.)

Thanks to Courtney M., Dawn K., Michelle L., Cortni C., & Eric F., who I hear is a real whiz when it comes to Hallowee decorations.

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/halloweeeee-2025

Current Mood: excited

Entry tags:

fandom: animal crossing

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Nintendo announced yesterday that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is getting an update in January!

... okay, yes, there was also some news about the new Nintendo Switch 2 edition being released, but I didn't pay much attention to that one. I'm lucky to have a still-working Switch Lite considering just how old it is at this point, and I think it's safe to say that a new system isn't in my budget in the foreseeable future. So I'm much more interested in the update for everyone who already has the game.

ACNH has been my comfort game for over five years now. I'd never played any of the Animal Crossing games before, but one of the players in my Friday D&D group convinced the rest of us to all buy the game after D&D the day it was released back in 2020. The world had just gone into lockdown, and it was a lifesaver then and has continued to be over the years.

It's amazing just how much my mood has been lifted hearing that there's something new coming for it. I honestly didn't think they would be doing another update. 💕

Current Mood: hopeful

Entry tags:

real life: items for sale

For Sale: Nintendo Switch games

I've made this post a few times without any luck, but I wanted to try again just in case. Would anyone be interested in any of the following Nintendo Switch games?

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! (example on Amazon)
Spyro Reignited Trilogy (example on Amazon)
TemTem (example on Amazon)

If you're not interested but know someone who might be, please point them my way. I'm trying to cover the hotel bill due today, and it would help a lot if I could at least sell the Pokémon one since it's worth the most.

For payment, I have CashApp ($Settiai), PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle (nancy.lynn.foster@gmail.com).

Fall Fail

Posted by Jen

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/fall-fail-2025

Yesterday marked the first below-80-degree weather we've had in Orlando in nearly six months! Woohoo!

Which means I can now officially say...

Y'all have GOT to be kidding me.

And now for something completely unrelated…

Boop boop be SWEET LORD IN HEAVEN.

Thanks to Myriah L. and Stephanie A. for showing us that Betty Boop really does defy the laws of physics.

*****

P.S. This seems appropriate:

Disney's Nightmare Before Christmas T-Shirt

:)

******

And from my other blog, Epbot:

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/fall-fail-2025

Current Mood: accomplished

Entry tags:

d&d: aurendor

Aurendor D&D: Summary for 10/29 Game

In tonight's game, ( the rest under a cut for those who don't care. )

And that's where we left off.

Current Mood: tired

Entry tags:

fandom: critical role

Critical Role

Now that I've finally made it through last week's episode without a panic attack in the middle, I managed to get caught up on sharing all of the art from the past six days on my side accounts on Bluesky and X. I've gotta admit, it took a lot longer than expected. It's easy not to realize just how much art this fandom produces when you're sharing it constantly throughout the day vs. playing catch-up.

Still, things are slowly getting back to normal. Or, at least, as normal as things can get for me.

The whole mess with last week's episode really threw things off for me more than I realized. I hadn't realized just how bad my brain had gotten until it started shifting back from the brink. It explains why it's felt like I haven't been able to get anything done the last few days, though.

That said, I think it's probably a good thing that there isn't a new episode of Critical Role tomorrow. Well, not a main campaign one. They're doing a one shot, which I don't tend to watch. I think it will help to have a full week off from them after finally watching the episode last night.

But for now? Work ends in about fifteen minutes, and I desperately need a nap before D&D.

No Butts!

Posted by Jen

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/no-butts-2025

You know bakeries are cracking down pretty hard when they feel the need to remove the "ass" from "Associate."

"Oh, thank goodness! Now our children are safe!"

Thanks to Stephen H. & Julie W., who I assume will be assuaged by my assurance that this situation will be assessed by my asstute associates.

Fun Fact: If you add an extra "s" to "astute," it sounds like "ass toot."

You're welcome.

*****

P.S. I found you some additional reading:

Farty Facts: An Illustrated Guide To The Science, History, And Art Of Farting

Yes it's a real book, I can't believe I have to clarify that. A worthy gift for all students of life, or for anyone who has a butt.

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/no-butts-2025

Current Mood: annoyed

Entry tags:

fandom: critical role

Critical Role: Campaign 4, Episode 4

Okay, I have some specific timestamps to avoid, so I'm going to give last week's episode of Critical Role another chance now that I'm spoiled for some things. I'm still not particularly thrilled with the way they handled a certain storyline, especially since they knowingly don't provide content warnings of any type, but we'll see how it goes on attempt #2.

As with previous posts, it's a combination of quotes, random thoughts, and some speculation. And it's obviously full of spoilers (albeit vague ones in places).

( Spoilers under the cut. )

Complicated feelings? Check. But I at least made it through the episode.

Current Mood: surprised

Entry tags:

memes

AO3 Alphabet Meme

Let's have some fun (yoinked from several folks on the Cranky Fandom Olds Discord)

Rules: How many letters of the alphabet have you used for [starting] a fic title? One fic per line, 'A' and 'The' do not count for 'a' and 't'. Post your score out of 26 at the end, along with your total fic count.

Alcatraz PR Dino Thunder (Trent)
Back to the Dugout PR Zeo (Tanya & Billy)
Call and Answer Terminator: The Sara Connor Chronicles (John Connor & Derek Reese)
Dad Troubles PR Dino Thunder(Koda & James Navarro)
Enchanted Glass Epilogue Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones (Aidan, Stache, Andrew)
Fallout PR Dino Thunder (Kira)
Garage Rules PR RPM (Scott, Flynn, & Summer)
Harry Potter Freaks PR Ninja Storm (Team; orginally written in '03)
I Love Bluetooth The Tomorrow People (1992) (Megabyte)
Jeweled Sunset PR: Nina Storm, (Blake & Hunter)
Kamala Khan vs Bears Ms. Marvel comics (who it says on the tin)
Late Night Reversals Firefly (Simon & River)
Melting Snowballs Cozy Grove video game (Captain Snout)
Negotiating with Angels PR: Dino Thunder/Charmed (1998) (Kira, Chris Halliwell)
Of Judoon and Whatevers Doctor Who/Sesame Street/The Muppet Show (David Tennant's Doctor, Grover, Kermit, cameo by Gonzo IIRC)
Pack Christmas Teen Wolf (Derek Hale & Cora Hale)
Queries PR Dino Thunder (Kira Ford)
Reaching for the Stars The Tomorrow People (2013) (Charlotte)
Saving Your Friends Power Rangers (2017) (Billy)
Talking Her Into It PR Dino Charge, (Tyler/Shelby)
Undercover Alpha Tower Prep/Alphas, (Gary)
Vacation Videos Star Trek Discovery (Adira Tal, Hugh Culber/Paul Stamets)
Wallflowers PR Ninja Storm (Team)
(No X)
You Always Spoke to Me PR Dino Thunder/Dino Charge (Sheby & Kira)
(No Z)

24 out of 182 stories.

Current Mood: surprised

Entry tags:

website: neopets

Neopets

Oh, hey! My Neopets account has officially turned 25 and 1/2 years old! My profile shield updated yesterday without me noticing!

... on that note, fuck, those are words that I never thought I'd ever say. I feel very, very, very old right now.

Current Mood: thoughtful

Entry tags:

ficathon: yuletide

Once more with Yuletide...

The last of the IPHs has been picked up, so

yuletide_admin opened up requests for everyone to see earlier today.

I pulled them up in the app and have bookmarked anything and everything that I feel as if I could even potentially try to write a treat for. It's... a lot. Which isn't unexpected considering the ridiculous number of offers I made sight unseen, but still.

Seriously, it's 240. And these are just the ones that I really felt that I could write without trouble. There were definitely more if I'd added the ones that I felt a bit iffy on.

I'm going to do my best to get my assignment(s) posted early so that I can A. pick up some later pinch hits (as the odds are high at least something that I could write will show up) and B. try to pull off some treats. We'll see how that plan plays out. I wrote 10 fics for Yuletide in 2023, and I'd love to try to beat that number.

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: The Proclaimers - Over And Done With (Whole Lot of Roadies Accoustic)

Entry tags:

And Now For Some Light Relief

Rules: How many letters of the alphabet have you used for starting a fic title? One fic per line, ‘A’ and 'The’ do not count for 'a’ and ’t’. Post your score out of 26 at the end, along with your total fic count.

I pinched this one from

thisbluespirit (though I've seen it since all across the f-list) and started from my most recent fic and worked backwards snagging the first instance of each letter.

A - Another Day, Another Disaster (Good Omens, Aziraphale & Crowley, Adam & The Them)
B - Between Stimulation and Reaction (Leverage, Eliot Spencer/Parker/Alex Hardison, Eliot Spencer/Sophie Deveraux, Eliot Spencer/Others)
C - Cola, Bleach and Other Dangerous Chemicals (Birds of Prey, Harley Quinn, Cassie Cain, Joker)
D - Done Deal (Leverage, Eliot Spencer/Parker/Alec Hardison)
E - Eilean a 'Cheo (Rivers of London, Beverley Brook/Peter Grant, Abdul Haqq Walid, OCs)
F - Four Meals (Good Omens, Aziraphale/Crowley)
G - Gold Standard(The Thing in the Tunnels Wants Rather More) (The Thing In The Walls Wants Your Spare Change, Caro, Aly, Dragons)
H - Hiding in Plain Sight (Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers/Maria Rambeau)
I - If Wishes Were Spaceships (Wolf 359, Doug Eiffel/Hera)
J - Joined By The Westering Wind (Pacific Rim, Rayleigh/Mako)
K - Knives Out of Context (Leverage, Parker/Alec Hardison)
L - Like the Arms of the Ocean (Birds of Prey, Cassandra Cain & Harleen Quinzel)
M - Midnight Special (Leverage, Eliot Spencer/Mr Quinn)
N - No Happy Ending (Forest 404, Pan/Daria)
O - Of Salt and Candles (Good Omens, Aziraphale & Crowley)
P - Practical Arrangements and Practical Jokes (Ghostbusters, Jillian Holtzman/Abby Yates)
Q -
R - Robots Need Hugs Too (Wolf 359, Doug Eiffel, Hera, Alana Maxwell)
S - Someone You Couldn't Lose (Ocean's Eight, Daphne Kluger/Debbie Ocean/Lou Miller)
T - Taking The Shine Off The Stars (The Mummy, Ardeth Bay/Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Rick O'Connell)
U - The Universe Is Drifting Apart (Ghostbusters, Jillian Holtzmann/Patty Tolan)
V - A Voice From The Stars (Wolf 359, Doug Eiffel, Hera, Mr Cutter)
W - Weapon of Choice (James Bond Movies, Bond/M, Bond/Q, Bond & Moneypenny)
X -
Y - You Wear It Well (Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers/Maria Rambeau)
Z -

23/26 from 200 fics on AO3. Unsurprisingly no Q, X or Z - I did wonder if I might have a Q somewhere, but if I do it must be a drabble or comment fic that never got archived. I thought it was going to be a much worse turn out as after a strong start there was a lot of repetition in first letters but my Wolf 359 fic did me a solid with I, R and V after nearly two pages of nothing but Cs, Ls, Ms, Ss and Ts it felt like.

Putting the "Ha!" in Halloween

Posted by Jen

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/putting-the-ha-in-halloween-2025

You guys, this Friday is Halloween! And you know what that means, right?

Yep: Time to get our hands on some cake.

Finger-licking bad.

Or I suppose we could sink our teeth into some...er...

[blinking]

...never mind.

Just keep your eyes off this pumpkin cake, if you please:

Thank you.

I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around this design:

Ow.

Oh, I know! Maybe it's a window pane!

*gigglesnort*

Ahem.

I did wonder why Frank there had no nose, but then I realized:

That's why.

Yep, you could say it's as plain as the dong on his face.

Come to think of it, this bakery really should reevaluate their staff:

'Cuz that's one broomstick that should be swept under the rug.
You know, for being too hard to handle.
Not to mention stick-y.

And so, my friends, in conclusion:

Haa!

And...

EEN!!

Thanks to A.F., C.C., Linda L., Donna S., Patrick M., Dana, Jeremy C., & Kelsey N. for the tricky treats.

*****

P.S. Here's a (hilarious) reminder that English is almost as confusing as these cakes:

P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/putting-the-ha-in-halloween-2025

Current Mood: drained

Entry tags:

Fannish Stuff

I managed to get my fic for the Dragon Age Reverse Bang posted by the deadline last night, if just barely. All approximately 12,000 words of it. So, you know, that counts as accomplishing something, I think. It doesn't go live until Friday, so I'm probably going to tweak things a bit here and there throughout the week. It's properly finished, though, so "yay!" for that.

One thing down, a million to go.

I'd originally thought about trying to watch last week's Critical Role after work today now that I have some timestamps to avoid, but I was exhausted by the time I made it back to the hotel. So instead I'm going to try to go to bed early tonight, get a proper night's sleep, and then plan on watching it after work tomorrow. We'll see how it goes?

Yuletide is going to require me to do some fandom re-familiarizing before I start properly writing anything, so I'm going to hold off on starting that until at least the weekend. I have the source(s) at least, so that helps, but finding both the time and the headspace to re-[redacted] everything that I need to re-[redacted] will probably need to wait at least a little while.

Deep Breaths

Posted by Jen

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/deep-breaths-2025

Hey, you know what? I think we could all use a nice, relaxing post. Something safe, easy, and appetizing. Something that brings to mind happy places...

...and happy things.

So clear your minds, my friends, and let's think about happy little butterflies...

And cheeky little monkeys...

And sleepy little kittens...

And warm, friendly faces...

And, of course, giant, chocolate-dipped beetles:

See? All better.

Thanks to Claudia D., Dawna Z., Kimberly S., Tiffany, Lisa H., Brittany J., & D.L. for the breather.

*****

P.S., Speaking of relaxing things, remember when fidget spinners were a thing? Because I found the upgraded, double-duty version:

Stainless Steel Spinner Ring Set

You get all 3 of these pretty spinner rings for $12, and the reviews say they're especially great for teens. These are an awesome way to keep your hands busy without being super obvious.

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/deep-breaths-2025

Current Mood: thoughtful

Entry tags:

ficathon: yuletide

Yuletide Assignment

As did everyone participating, I got my Yuletide assignment this morning, and I'm very interested in seeing how this goes.

I had no idea what to expect, so it caught me a little by surprise, but that's definitely not a bad thing. That's part of why I tend to offer a ridiculous number of fandoms for this exchange so that I have no way of knowing what I'm going to get for my assignment. I managed to trim it down a little from the 111 fandoms that I was originally going to offer, but the number didn't go down all that much.

It's one of the many, many, many fandoms that I threw in my bucket list because knew I'd be able to write almost anything for it but would definitely need a canon review first, as it's been a while. So, you know, it looks like that's going to be something I need to do in the next few weeks.

Current Mood: confused
Current Music: Chappel Roan - Subway

Entry tags:

October Kind of Disappeared on Me

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Sunday TREATS: Halloween

Posted by Lindsey

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/sunday-treats-halloween-2025

You know when you go to a haunted house, how there's the usual super scary corpse-undertaker-chasing-you-with-a-blood-covered-chainsaw section? And across the parking lot there's the happy-hayride-pumpkin-patch-and-face-painting-with-the-kids section? That's where you'll find today's Halloween Sweets. Today there's nothing to be scared about, except overdosing on cuteness!

Not to mention sweetness.

By Rebecca of Sugar Creations

A cake covered in candy? I can handle that.

How luscious is this caramel apple cake? It looks so real I'm tempted to take a bite just for authenticity's sake.

By Andrea's SweetCakes

I'm trying to be scared by this spooky graveyard cake, but ... nope! Too cute! See the wee little jack-o-lantern?

By Crafty Confections

Hmmm, speaking of jack-o-lanterns maybe I'll try to carve all of mine out of cake this year, because a) smaller odds of accidentally stabbing myself again, and b) tastier leftovers!

By The Ladygloom

Now this is a happy cake!

Made by Cake Central member preciouspjs

These monsters don't want to eat your entrails, they just want to see you smile! Love the different textures of 'fur.'

Ok, this next cake is by far the absolute cutest thing I've seen all day:

By Jen's Cakery

And that includes those newborn hedgehog pictures that are going around the internet and also my own children.

If some awesome person delivered these amazing cookies to my house, I would ban everyone from eating them, and display them as decorations instead. All year long.

By East Coast Cookies

It's never too soon to introduce the kids to Halloween, and not just because that means more free candy for you! (No, actually that's a good enough reason.)

By SugarRush Treats

SO CUTE! Look at the tiny droplets of blood on the vampire's fangs!

Now, if you are not delighted by this cake and its vivid colors, bats silhouetted by the moon and baby grand piano, you might be a Halloween Scrooge.

By The Well Dressed Cake

(Coincidentally, if you are looking for a great Halloween movie, rent A Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey, because that was the scariest shiz I've ever seen.)

The more I look at this cake, the more I'm floored by the details:

By Andrea's SweetCakes

Tiny bones and fallen leaves. Itty bitty bats with fangs! Haphazardly hanging shutters! And so well-done too. I've never seen skeletons and gravestones looks so gosh darn adorable.

And finally, can you make it past the fearful fondling tentacles and eerie eyeballs of this cake? Beyond the ghostly guardian, over the circular sentinels, through the clingy cobwebs and up the slimy staircase to the haunted mansion?

By Good Gracious Cakes

Go on, try it. I double dare you.

Yeah, you go on ahead...

I'll uh, just be over here getting my face painted.

Happy Sunday!

*****

P.S. Are you making Halloween Treat bags this year? Because I found the cutest set:

Halloween Goody Bag Set: 40 Bags & Stickers

I love the designs, especially the cat & the skull!

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/sunday-treats-halloween-2025

Database maintenance

Good morning, afternoon, and evening!

We're doing some database and other light server maintenance this weekend (upgrading the version of MySQL we use in particular, but also probably doing some CDN work.)

I expect all of this to be pretty invisible except for some small "couple of minute" blips as we switch between machines, but there's a chance you will notice something untoward. I'll keep an eye on comments as per usual.

Ta for now!