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sparrowlucero · 2 months

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Even if a creator is a bad person it's still okay to like their work. People need to mind their own business.

Honestly it's not really that sort of situation. I'll actively defend Steven Moffat here.

There was a huge hate movement for him back in the early 2010s - which, in retrospect, formed largely because he was running 2 of the superwholock shows at once, one of which went through extremely long hiatuses* and the other of which was functionally an adaptation of an already well regarded show**, making him subject to a sort of double ire in the eyes of a lot of fandom people. Notably, his co-showrunner, Mark Gatiss, is rarely mentioned and much of his work is still attributed to Moffat (and yes, this includes that Hbomberguy video. Several of "Steven Moffat's bad writing choices" were not actually written by him, they were Gatiss.)

People caricatured the dude into a sort of malicious, arrogant figure who hated women and was deliberately mismanaging these shows to spite fans, to the point where people who never watched them believe this via cultural osmosis. It became very common to take quotes from him out of context to make them look bad***, to cite him as an example of a showrunner who hated his fans, someone who sabotaged his own work just to get at said fans, someone who was too arrogant to take criticism, despite all of this being basically a collective "headcanon" formed on tumblr. Some if it got especially terrible, like lying about sexual assault (I don't mean people accused him of sexual assault and I think they're making it up, I mean people would say things like "many of his actresses have accused him of sexual assault on set" when no such accusations exist in the first place. This gets passed around en masse and is, in my opinion, absolutely rancid.)

On top of that a ton of the criticism directed at the shows themselves is, personally, just terrible media criticism. So much of it came from assuming a very hostile intent from the writer and just refusing to engage with the text at all past that.

Like some really common threads you see with critique of this writer's work, especially in regards to Doctor Who since that's the one I'm most familiar with:

A general belief that his lead characters were meant to be ever perfect self inserts, and so therefore when they act shitty or arrogant or flawed in any way, that's both reflective of the author and meant to be viewed as positive or aspirational.

An overarching thesis that his characters are "too important" in the narrative due to the writer's arrogance and self obsession

A lot of focus on the writer personally "attacking" the fans or making choices primarily out of spite.

A tendency to treat the show being different to what it's adapting as inherently bad and hostile towards the original

Just generally very little consideration of the themes, intent, etc.

This one's a little more nebulous and doesn't apply to all critique but a lot of it, especially recently, is clearly by people who haven't seen the show in like 10 years and their opinion is largely formed secondhand through like, "discourse nostalgia". Which. you know. bad.

I think these are just weird and nonsensical ways to engage with a work of fiction. I also think it's really sad to see the show boiled down to this because that era of who is, in my opinion, very thematically rich and unique among similar shows, and I hate that it's often dismissed in such a paltry way.

This isn't to say people aren't allowed to critique Steven Moffat or anything, but the context in which he basically became The Devil™ to a large portion of fandom and is still remembered in a poor light is very tied to this perfect storm of fan culture and I just don't agree with a ton of it.

* I'm sure most people have seen the way long running shows and hiatuses will cause people to fall out with a show, with some former fans turning around and joining a sort of "anti fandom" for it while it's still airing. That happened with both these shows. ** Doctor Who will change it's entire writing staff, crew, and cast every few years, and with that comes a change in style, tone, theme - the old show basically ends and is replaced by a new show under the same title. As Steven Moffat's era was the first of these handovers for the majority of audiences, you can imagine this wasn't a well loved move for many fans. *** I know for a fact most people have not sought out the sources for a lot of these quotes to check that they read the same in context because 1) most of them were deleted years ago and are very difficult to find now and 2) many of them do actually make sense in the context of their respective interviews

#and yeah i think the hbomberguy video is kind of bad #I can pull up examples but a lot of what he's saying is very rooted in this sort of critique #maybe most egregiously he sometimes just explains something very poorly or outright incorrectly to make it seem worse or more nonsensical #ex. saying a scene in doctor who 'steals a huge chunk of the plot' when it's less than 30 seconds long #saying two characters randomly start hanging out again while not mentioning the episode entirely dedicated to this #or the way her decision to keep hanging out with him is the emotional turning point of the entire season #etc etc etc.

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yayakoishii · 4 days

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Picture This | Balam Shichirou x Reader

Fandom: Mairimashita Iruma-kun

Pairing: Balam Shichirou x GN! Reader

Word Count: 2.1k

Genre/Tags: Fluff

Summary: You find out about the kind and gentle Balam Shichirou and meet him with a proposition of your own.

A/n: I have known this demon for 3 episodes and I'm in LOVE;; so I basically got possessed by the sudden urge to write something for him. he's the kindest, the sweetest, the BEST TEACHER EVER 😭 I love teachers like him so much, this was very self-indulgent and kinda just me admiring him hehe... I hope you enjoy this short thing I wrote, even though there's a high chance that he might be slightly ooc since I haven't known him for longer than 3 episodes.

also available on ao3!

•✿•

The chatter in the class was a low hum as everyone worked on their own worksheets that you had just printed out. The Apocalypse Test was close and as a new teacher at Babyls, you wanted your first results to reflect well. If the results were not good then that would mean you had to work harder as a teacher.

You were walking amongst the students, listening in on their discussions or aiding them in finding where the answer could be found in the textbook. It was an open book, open discussion worksheet solving session and you were pleased with how well the students seemed to be handling it without making too much noise. The abnormal class could be really serious about studying when they put their mind to it, huh?

The bobbing of a blue head caught your attention and you walked closer to Iruma's seat. As always, he was sitting between Alice and Clara but the three of them were referring to their own books. (Except for Clara; you were pretty sure the book in her hand had nothing to do with studying…) The book in Iruma's hand was one you had never seen before but it looked interesting.

"Iruma-kun?" You stopped in front of his desk and looked down at the book curiously. Said boy startled and looked up in panic until he realised it was just you. "Where did you get this book?"

"Oh!" He gave you a warm smile, the kind that always made you smile in return. "Balam-sensei gave it to me because I was… y'know… struggling to understand."

"Can I see it?" You asked, curiosity taking a hold of you. Iruma handed you the book and you leafed through it. Surprisingly, it was a picture book with really easy explanations. Whoever wrote it had your gratitude; these were the kind of books that made learning enjoyable and less daunting. You closed it and looked at the cover to check the author's name. "Huh? Balam Shichirou…? Balam-sensei wrote this book?"

"Yes!" Iruma beamed at you. "He made some of them especially for me."

"That's wonderful," you felt touched even though you had never met the man. When you had aspired to be a teacher, this was the kind of teacher you were aiming for. Somebody who helped even the students who were struggling to understand, from the basics so they could build a stronger structure of knowledge on it. "Is it easier for you to understand this way?"

"It is," Iruma admitted, shyly scratching the back of his neck. You smiled and lightly patted the top of his head, startling the boy a little.

"I'll keep that in mind for my next class," you said. "And while I'm grateful for Balam-sensei… Why didn't you tell me if you were struggling to understand my teaching, Iruma-kun? I would have adjusted for you."

You pouted at him so he knew you weren't seriously mad at him; just a little upset.

"No, no, no!" The boy panicked and shook his hands in a negating gesture. "That's not it, (y/n)-sensei!! I just didn't want to burden you because I was the only one struggling even with your easy explanations… I guess having it in written form like this just helps to remember what you've already taught."

"It's not a burden, Iruma-kun," you reminded him. "It's my job as a teacher to make sure you understand. If you don't understand something, that's my responsibility. If you're worried about being a bother to the rest of the class, you can always come to me after the classes are over to get a quick personalised lesson."

"Eh?" He looked surprised. "Wouldn't that take up your time, sensei?"

"If it helps my students then it's time well spent!"

•

After your classes for the day were done, you asked around the staffroom for where you could find Balam Shichirou. Kalego gave you the directions and you made your way to his office, curious about what kind of person he must be and how he would look. From whatever Iruma had told you, he already sounded like a kind person and a great teacher. You found the door and knocked on it before looking inside.

"Balam-sensei?" You asked. There was a demon with long white hair sitting on a table, writing something down, who startled at your voice. "Can I come in?"

"O- Oh, yes, please!" He seemed a little confused by your presence but you stepped in and closed the door behind yourself. There was an empty stool across the table so you sat down on it. "Um, (y/n)-sensei, would you like some Hell Grey Tea?"

"Oh!" You hadn't expected him to know your name. Suddenly, it felt embarrassing that you had never heard of him before this. "Yes, thank you for the offer, Balam-sensei."

He nodded and got up to make you some. He worked in silence so you took the time to look around his office. The shelves full of books were eye-catching and your hands were already itching to dig into them and read all the unfamiliar volumes. Your eyes drifted over to the book sitting in front of you that Balam was working on. Your eyes widened when you realised it was another picture book, this one on one of the battles that had occured some centuries ago. Your hands moved to check it before you could even think that it would be rude.

"Here you go– oh, you saw my book," Balam placed the tea just out of the way enough so that you wouldn't accidentally bump it. "Do you… like picture books, (y/n)-sensei?"

"Not particularly," you admitted as you skimmed through what was already drawn and written. "But I like to read so picture books are fun too! I suppose I never got much into them because my home was full of textual books and I liked those just fine so I never had any picture books as a kid. I may not know much about them, but this is really well-written, Balam-sensei! You draw so well too."

"Oh," the other demon pinked at your words as he took his seat. "Thank you. I'm glad you like it. I'm making this one for a student but you could borrow a different one if you're interested."

"Ah! That reminds me why I came here," you beamed at him, gently placing the book back where you had picked it up from. "I saw the picture book you gave Iruma-kun in my class today. Our subjects have a small section that overlaps so he was referring to the book you made for him and I couldn't help noticing it. It was truly so easy to understand and it gave me the idea that such a method would be helpful with other subjects too."

"Really?" He seemed surprised by your words but you could tell that he was also touched. "I would like to share them with all the students too, but for some reason, they keep running away when I try to show them my picture books."

"Ah," you leaned back when you realised that you had accidentally leaned over in your excitement. The other teachers in the staffroom had told you about Balam's reputation amongst the students. "I'm sure they would benefit from it. I could share your books with some of my students if that works for you, Balam-sensei. And, if you would be interested, I wanted to try making a picture book explaining my subject too. It's a huge task and I would compensate you accordingly for your time and efforts–"

"You…" If Balam had seemed shocked before, it was nothing compared to his face now. Although his mouth was covered by a metal mask, you could tell from how wide his eyes had gotten. "You want to… make a picture book… with me?"

"Only if you're interested!" You bit your bottom lip nervously. "I personally really liked your books and I thought it would be a great way to learn for the students who have a weaker or slower grasp of understanding. Since I'm not very familiar with the process, I thought it would be amazing if I could have the aid of your experience. I understand if it's a commitment that you don't have the time for, and there's no guarantee that it will work out but I would love to at least try it with you."

"I would love to," Balam uttered softly and even without seeing his mouth, you could tell that he was gently smiling at you with how his eyes curved just so. The sight made your heart unexpectedly quicken and you fidgeted in your seat, picking up the Hell Grey Tea you had forgotten about. "I didn't think any of the other teachers liked me much but I'm very happy that you thought of me when you wanted to try this out."

"I don't think they dislike you, Balam-sensei," you smiled from behind the cup of tea. "But I suppose people just get so caught up in appearances and assumptions. People who have much to hide seem dangerous at first glance and we don't take time to get to know them if we can help it. I admit I might have fallen prey to the same kind of thinking if I hadn't heard about you from Iruma-kun. I could tell you were a kind and wonderful teacher from the way he spoke about you."

Balam's eyes widened and for a second, you thought his eyes seemed glassy. You blinked and the light was gone but Balam's eyes were still the soft shape. Now that you took the time to study his face, you realised he was quite handsome. The thought made you accidentally slam your tea cup down on the table in panic and the ceramic broke, startling the both of you.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry!!" You were flustered but you hurriedly tried to collect the pieces together without hurting yourself. "I'm so clumsy…"

"It's okay," Balam reassured you, coming over to your side to help you pick up some of the pieces. "I'll take them to the trash. Are you hurt?"

"I don't– oh, just a little it seems," you had a very tiny cut from a sharper piece you had picked up. It didn't hurt. You waved it off as you carefully put the pieces you had collected in Balam's large gloved hands. "Nothing to worry about. It will be healed in a day or two. I really am sorry for troubling you, Balam-sensei!"

"I told you, it's fine."

He carefully threw away the trash then returned to you with an ointment from his desk drawer. You had stuck the finger into your mouth to suck at the blood and stop the flow but it felt embarrassing when you realised that Balam was watching you. You hurriedly removed the finger and tried to find a cloth to wipe it off but Balam crouched in front of you and asked for your hand silently. You ended up placing yours in his and watched him carefully pat it off before putting on the ointment.

"Thank you," you blushed fiercely when he was done and still hadn't let go of your hand. In fact, he was now standing up and holding both your arms in his own; the proximity was making your heart beat unnaturally fast. "Um, Balam-sensei..?"

"Yes?" He asked, blinking down at your comparatively smaller form in his arms.

"Y- You can let go of me now," you mumbled. Your words made him stutter and he let go in a panic.

"I- I'm so sorry, I just tend to do that without thinking!" He was blushing too, embarrassed. Balam didn't want to make you uncomfortable after you had been so nice to him. For once, he was actually getting along with someone new. For that matter, you were the one to approach him first! Not to mention, he had found you really beautiful when he had first seen you in the staffroom, laughing at Dali's joke. You hadn't seen him then, but that brief memory flashed in his mind when you softly giggled.

The sound of your laugh made his heart skip a beat. Balam stared at you as you flashed him a warm smile.

"If you wanted to hold me, you could have just asked, Balam-sensei!" You beamed and opened your arms for a hug. "I don't mind you touching me. I was just surprised."

Oh.

Balam's hands twitched for a second, the same nervousness he felt when Iruma tried to touch him popping up. But this time, it felt a bit different. The nervousness in his stomach felt like those fantastical creatures called butterflies that he had read about. His heart seemed to be thumping louder than usual too.

It was only when his larger frame swallowed yours into a gentle grip that he realised. He could feel the outline of your smile against his bicep.

Ah, this was what they called a crush, huh?

°•❀•°

All likes, comments and reblogs are appreciated! ♡

#welcome to demon school iruma kun #mairimashita! iruma kun #fanfiction #fanfic #balam shichirou #balam sensei #balam shichiro #balam shichiro x reader #balam shichiro x you #balam shichirou x reader #balam shichirou x you #balam x reader #balam x you #fluff #one shot

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iphisesque · 9 months

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can i ask why you ship gojo and megumi? not as wank or as a callout or anything like that, I promise (especially since I'm sure we both ship far more morally reprehensible couples than that lol), I'm just curious as to what you see in them as a ship!

hi anon! love your disclaimer lmao, it's so funny to see people get all up in arms about me "shipping" gofushi when i literally ship like. johndean.

i wouldn't say that i Ship gojo and megumi, or at least not the way people ship like kawoshin or harumichi or whatever other lovely romantic daydream-material ship: i feel like people in contemporary fandom use the word shipping in two ways, to indicate a couple they find healthy and semi-aspirational and cute together (like how people in this fandom ship itafushi or kirakari) or to indicate two characters whose existing dynamic they want to dig into and dissect (like how people "ship" waltjesse or gendo and rei).

me and my friends definitely belong to this second category wrt how we engage with gofushi: their dynamic is foundational not just to the story, but most importantly to understanding gojo and megumi as individual characters at all. gojo canonically kidnapped and groomed megumi after killing his father, bought and indoctrinated him into the jujutsu world as well as his own cult of personality, and demanded he become as strong as him (like geto once was) while deliberately hiding information about megumi's own technique; megumi, on the other hand, has practically never known another "paternal" authority figure besides gojo, they grew together, and as such he sees him as not only the strongest and his teacher the way the other students do, but also as someone he knows personally and whom he consistently relies on to help him (this moreso re: the status quo at the beginning of the story), and as a benefactor who saved his life and to whom he owes a large debt.

granted, none of this is necessarily indicative of a sexual dynamic, just a deeply exploitative and unhealthy mentorship; however, when you couple that with all the countless references to gojo being a creep or sketchy or too-touchy (and the multiple akutami-written jujusanpo where he preys on students, if you consider those to be canon-compliant), as well as akutami's taste in media that inspired jjk (leon the professional, satanic sweet, etc), an implication starts shaping itself pretty clearly and starkly if you have the eye for it, and me and my friends definitely have that eye.

as yall know i don't care for anti/proshipper discourse, i think it's stupid and reductive, but i would say that my little gang approaches gofushi in a way that's antithetical to the proshipper ethos: i have seen how proshippers ship gofushi, and it's mostly "omg aren't they soulmates so cute!! same age au where they kiss and hold hands <3 student teacher romances are adorable!!", while what we say is essentially "gojo abused his power to groom and molest megumi his entire life and nobody in jujutsu society batted an eye". i ship gofushi the way i would ship humbert and dolores, or akio and anthy, or fucking leland and laura, which is to say not at all: all of these are horrible abusive dynamics i like to rotate in my head, and whose "victim" characters i empathize with and dearly love.

#jjk #i hope literally any of this makes sense btw i wrote this in like ten minutes because i couldn't be bothered #but yeah. i don't want gofushi to skip in a grass field holding hands i want megumi to pull a goddamn india stoker on that bitch.#uhhh i was going to say something else in the tags but i forgor. mutuals feel free to chime in!#csa tw

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thephantomcasebook · 11 months

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The Pipe Dream of a Mary Crawley Divorce

I've seen several posts here and on Reddit recently about speculation that Mary and Henry are gonna get a divorce in the next installment of "Downton Abbey".

And, you know, let me get at the head of that line.

But I just don't think it will ever happen.

I'm not sure if anyone remembers or knows about the behind the scenes drama of the "Matthew Goode Incident" but I'm pretty sure that it is a hill that Michelle Dockery will die on and that Fellowes will make sure she dies on.

Basically, cliff notes ...

Dockery got to know Matthew Goode during the shooting of a movie in which she had a bit part as Ryan Reynold's daughter - it's a long story. And later, Allen Leech got really tight with Matthew Goode on "The Imitation Game" and the three started hanging out together a lot.

It was then that someone - I think it was Dockery - got the galaxy brain idea to offer Matthew Goode a job on Downton Abbey, sight unseen ... and without permission or authority to do so. As a favor they wrote Henry Talbot in as a one-time but future prospect suitor in the - then - series finale.

At the time Dockery was pushing for a husband for Mary to close up "Downton Abbey" and Fellowes said no, that Mary was gonna be single and focused on being a mother to George and run the Estate now that Tom was leaving. They went back and forth about it. At the time Downton Abbey was supposed to end at Season 5 and the Christmas Special was written as a series finale. But then they got picked up for a Season 6 and the entire cast had to sign on.

And - allegedly (an urban legend) - Dockery used her Season 6 contract negotiation to force Matthew Goode on the show permanently as her husband. For, really, no other purpose than so that she, Matthew Goode, and Allen Leech could hang out. This went over like a lead balloon and due to the forced hand, Fellowes did the very bare minimum character work for Henry and basically shoe-horned him in at the last moment.

As it was Henry was hated by the fans and was incredibly disliked by Fellowes. Afterward, basically, the backlash was to Jar Jar Binks levels from the fandom that both Matthew Goode and Julian Fellowes want to memory hole the character at this point. However, out of pettiness, the character of Mary is now settled in a bad marriage with an absentee husband that I doubt Fellowes will ever allow Dockery to escape.

Fellowes basically gave Dockery everything she wanted and then drowning her and her character in it. Just like when Laura Carmichael continued to badger him about Gregson coming back, till he wrote his grizzly murder just to make it clear to Carmichael that it was never going to happen.

If you don't believe me ... Dockery admitted to it in a Season 6 PBS interview that has since been unlisted on youtube to erase evidence of the incident. Also, there is a interview with Matthew Goode during "The Offer" premiere in which someone asked him about appearing in "A New Era" and ... let's just say he was very cordial but not entirely shy about expressing his opinion of Downton Abbey at this point. Also ... you notice how throughout the promotion of both movies you never see Michelle Dockery with Julian Fellowes. Not in interviews nor podcasts, or any of his "Fireside Chats"?

Sadly, Mary will be saddled to Henry Talbot for all time as a long and continuous punishment for the very underhanded and arrogant play that Dockery made to get her way.

I can only say that, as a fellow writer, I can only aspire to the level of pettiness that Fellowes has exhibited to people fucking with his narrative.

#Downton Abbey #Michelle Dockery #Matthew Goode #Allen Leech #Julian Fellowes #Mary Crawley #Henry Talbot #Tom Branson

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khorai · 6 months

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This Fandom exhausts me…

I've had more than enough of some (many) of them reducing the characters to a single aspect of their personality and then having the total nerve to complain about it.

I swear to God, if I see one more post about Sakura accusing her of having a personality revolving essentially around Sasuke and then going on to accuse Kishimoto of sexism, I'm going to lose it.

It's certainly not Kishimoto's fault if their messed-up minds have fundamentally reduced a character like Sakura, a young girl with dreams, aspirations, doubts, insecurities, steely determination, and a warrior attitude, to some kind of appetizer for Sasuke.

It's not Kishimoto's fault if they took her insecurities, her pain of always being left out, her low self-esteem, her guilt about her team, her relentless struggle to measure up to her teammates, and minimized it to fit their absolutely absurd headcanon of her.

It's not Kishimoto's fault if they reduced a character like Sakura to her love for Sasuke. It's a part of who she is but by no means all she is.

And it's certainly not his fault if they have fundamentally built a Fanon version of her in their heads that has absolutely nothing to do with her real character. The worst part is that when she doesn't meet their exaggerated expectations, they are the first to scream sexism and bad writing (which always go hand in hand).

The only sexist thing I see here is that they have turned a balanced, credible, and highly interesting character in my opinion into a one-dimensional character who lives only for a guy, and it's more than frustrating.

Sasuke has been the catalyst for Sakura's change, that's an undeniable truth and you'd have to be really stupid to deny it, but so what?

Which important character in Naruto hasn't been influenced by someone at some point?

It's literally one of the themes of the story at this point.

Naruto himself wouldn't have become half of what he is now if it weren't for Sasuke's existence, but apparently when it comes to Sakura fucking Haruno, it becomes "her life revolves around a guy".

I'm sure if it had been Ino (or any other woman for that matter) to whom Sakura had shown such a level of dedication, the tune would have changed.

The Fandom would have been like "aww their love is so beautiful" or "they are so cute" but since Sasuke has a pair of balls, the author is called crappy, sexist, homophobic, and full of other garbage like that because he didn't adhere to their headcanon.

As for Sasuke, it's the same.

The next asshole who talks about Sasuke as a cold, lonely, emotionless individual that half of this damn fandom wants him to be will face my bitchy attitude. Sasuke is not without emotions, on the contrary, he loves too much, feels too much (it's almost a curse for the Uchiha).

And what's with this bullshit about "Sasuke is a bootlicker for Konoha"?!

Because he decided to sacrifice years of his life to keep those he loves safe? (namely his family and his damn best friend?)

Because he didn't meet the screwed-up expectations that some of his fans and antis had/have for him, he's Konoha's dog now?

This fandom has turned Sasuke into at times some kind of non-conformist anti-Konoha rebel, at times into a selfish asshole, abusive and sexist slash shitty father (depends on which part of the Fandom you enter), when he is none of those things. They have removed (trampled on) all the complexity of his character just to advance their own dubious agenda and then have the complete audacity to insult Kishimoto?

Oh yeah, something else…

…In which manga is Sasuke dependent on Naruto? In fact no, in which manga is Sasuke even dependent on anyone…?

At what point is it declared - even implicitly in the manga - that Uchiha fucking Sasuke could be forced to do something he didn't want to do?!

The only person who has managed to manipulate Sasuke, even just a little, is his older brother, but besides him, who else can claim to have this right?

Absolutely no one.

Sasuke is a great character with agency and incredible character development, thank you very much. I don't care about people's ideas about him, I don't care if they ship him with this or that character or if they don't ship him at all, I couldn't care less about their fantasies about his sexuality, I just wish they would keep their personal grudges and their absurd headcanon away from his canon character, in other words his real character.

I don't see why some people are trying to turn his character into something he's not. If they are not satisfied with him as he is, good for them but they should stop twisting the official canon to fit their fantasy.

Sasuke is complex in many ways, but not so complex that it warrants adults to get his character characterization completely wrong. If they really want to overanalyze a manga for 12 year olds, they should at least do it well.

#sakura haruno #sasuke uchiha #anti naruto fandom #naruto shit #pro kishimoto #if you can't be bothered to understand a character then shut the fuck up #they deserve better fandom

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authoralexharvey · 1 year

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INTERVIEW WITH A WRITEBLR — @red-the-dragon-writes

Who You Are:

Red Dragon || Ne/nem/nir

I'm a 22-year-old Queer writer who loves horror. I've been writing stories since I was a little kid and come from a family of aspiring authors (all the way up through my grandparents!) I enjoy working in a deliberately stripped-down style featuring a narratively close third person limited point of view featuring an opinionated narrator, untrustworthy characters, and limited description.

What You Write:

What genres do you write in? What age ranges do you write for?

Action, comedy, fanfic, fantasy, horror, psychological, sci-fi, thriller, tragedy. New adult and adult.

What genre would you write in for the rest of your life, if you could? What about that genre appeals to you?

Can I say "horror fusion" haha? It would have to be horror. I really love getting to pull reactions out of my readers, and horror also lets me push the boundaries of what I've ever seen in fiction before without shying away from how what is new or unusual can also be uniquely unsettling. Plus- no one ever expects horror protagonists to be smart, and I like the lack of pressure required to just write characters being stupid, whereas in a traditional mystery or action story usually the main cast is intended to be smarter and cooler than the reader. I delight in using dramatic irony to build reveals up in such a way that the audience knows before the main characters do, and that works best in horror where it allows me to drive up the tension as well. However, in my actual writing, I like to fuse horror with comedy or mystery or some other genre to make it a little more fun. Horror- in my experience, at least- hits hardest when you can get the reader to laugh a couple times.

What genre/s will you not write unless you HAVE to? What about that genre turns you off?

I definitely don't like "genre"/happily-ever-after romance. I'm pretty firmly aromantic, and at this point in my life I find romance to be almost painfully boring. I find it really hard to write a romance as my central driver of plot, and even moreso when it's a normal romance without either action-adventure or horror elements.

Who is your target audience? Do you think anyone outside of that would get anything out of your works?

I'm not sure I have a "real" target audience. I primarily write fanfiction at the moment while I overhaul my original work ideas, so that's a start- people who like Transformers. A lot of my work deals with adult topics like sex and abuse or coercion, so my audience is also above the age of 18 and comfortable reading about that, or at least interested in some way. And from there... I'm not sure. Fans of black comedy who like to watch characters experience awful torment, I suppose. I find that a lot of stories in the same general vein as what I do tend to "shy away" from the edge or otherwise try to soften what they're writing about somewhat, and I'd rather lean into whatever I'm writing. Like a car crash, or something. If other people are talking about fenderbenders, I'm going to go the full nine yards and write about totalling both vehicles demolition-derby style. In conclusion, I guess I'm aiming for a specific part of the Transformers fandom, wherein instead of reading light-hearted stories they want something worse, but at the same time hardcore angst where the character never gets a break and it's all very miserable just isn't striking a believable chord, or they want the characters involved to have a little more agency over their life than just being the Character Things Happen To.

What kind of themes do you tend to focus on? What kinds of tropes? What about them appeals to you?

I like themes of power, coercion and control, as well as themes of petty rebellion slowly shaking off the yoke of someone else's coercion or control. I think nearly everyone in their life has experience with some authority figure that wanted them to do things that would have either been harmful or counterproductive, and I'm no different. While I typically turn this up to eleven in my writing, it's definitely coming from a place of personal experience- if not with the topic, then at least with the concept. I also really like themes of family - not necessarily good or bad, but always flawed in some kind of way. And I really enjoy playing with ideas that violate "the sanctity of the mind" in some way, whether it be mind-reading, spells or coding tricks to get into your mind and force you to behave differently, or having to share a body and essentially just be a mind working with multiple people to do anything. I just really like making characters work around problems that real people only vaguely experience, but are close enough to real life that the reader can have a frame of reference for it, and I think that shines through with all my favorite things.

What themes or tropes can you not stand? What about them turn you off?

My least favorite trope is probably bodice-ripper-style "rape as seduction" like you find in classic romance novels and/or a "perfect victim" character that is only ever acted on and never gets a chance to stand up for themself. I understand it's something other people like or want to see, but defiance runs in my veins, and it always comes over as hugely unrealistic to me. At the end of the day, I want to watch characters struggle up toward the light, even if they fail in the end; if they just sit down and die- or, worse, decide they're okay with this after all- I'm always going to walk away unsatisfied. I'm also not fond of fantasy creatures that are inherently evil. From my pen name and username it's pretty clear I like dragons; I'm also fond of snakes, spiders, centipedes, jackals, and wasps. Animals are never inherently evil and people are even less inherently evil, because you're able to much more easily communicate with them. If the fantasy creatures are on the other side of an ideological divide, sure, but I really am not fond of "ogre instead of human" as shorthand for "100% evil villain we can never ever make peace with." If a character is being given the kind of intelligence you'd find on a human and some grasp of speech, I find it really frustrating when they're just Super Evil in search not of some goal that can be discussed but just because Ooh Evil Monster. It feels both lazy and really frustrating to me, and has been the number-one reason I put down fantasy novels since I was ten.

What are you currently working on? How long have you been working on it?

My current original fiction project is technically a genre romance (I know, I said I'd never write those!) that deals more with poisonous ideology, religious intolerance, and genocide than actual romance. I've been working on it since roughly 2017, and at the moment I'm reworking the plot to try to zero in more effectively on what I want to say with it. For a little background context, my whole family is Jewish, and I came up with the idea for this one during the Trump Administration while I was slowly coming to be more aware of politics than I'd been previously. This story deals a lot with the anxieties of being Jewish in a world like today's, so I really want to make sure that the point comes across despite the many layers of abstraction and fantasy I'm filtering it through. It's a story that's close to my heart despite the fact that, frankly, what I -have- written of it not being very good because I wrote it when I was sixteen.

Why do you write? What keeps you writing?

That's a tough question. A large part of what gets me writing is that I have ideas in my head that I desperately want to communicate to other people, but I don't know how to make it work if I only describe them outside of a narrative context. But what definitely keeps me writing is the response I get from other people. I have been working on detangling this for years, but like many other writers on the internet these days, attention really keeps me going. When I was younger I used to print my short stories and show them to all of my relatives; now I post them on Tumblr and ArchiveOfOurOwn and show as many of my online friends as want to read it.

How long have you been writing? What do you think first drew you to it?

I started writing when I was five or six, shortly after I learned to read. I mentioned that I come from a long line of other aspiring authors; my father has been writing novels since before I can even remember. I learned to write because I fell in love with reading and wanted to make my own stories that were nicer to dragons, since I was a little kid and really liked dragons and hadn't yet found anything where they were the real main characters. Both of my parents were very supportive of this, which helped a lot, because otherwise I don't think I would have kept writing my whole life the way I have.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Is that how you got your inspiration for your current project? If not, where did the inspiration come from?

A lot of my inspiration comes from seeing other people fumble some part of a story and being convinced that I can do it better. I don't think this is terribly unusual, but it is a little bit annoying when I'm trying to identify influences or inspiration and all I can point out is things that I think weren't very good, or were good -except- for this one element that I'm actually riffing off of. Outside that... A lot of my more ambitious works in progress actually come from weird dreams with narratively interesting setups that I decide to run with, or random bolts of inspiration that hit when I see some random image and get a "vibe" to capture. For example, the inspiration for my long original project that I'm working on came from a dream; but the inspiration for the Valentine's Day project that I'm currently writing comes from my friend mentioning the movie "My Bloody Valentine 3D" one too many times when I was in a bad mood and making me want to write the worst valentine ever because I thought it would be funny and it had an interesting"vibe" to it.

What works of yours are you most proud of? Why?

Last year, I decided to just write a lot rather than writing things that were good. Turns out that this is a very effective way to write things that are good, but as a result it's all Transformers fanfiction. Regardless, I think the work that I'm actually most proud of is a fairly long epistolary horror told through emails about a character being brought to an alien planet and rapidly discovering that things are not as they should be and the planet is a lot more alive than it seems. It was a really lightweight project that I intended to kind of just take up space while I worked on a different thing, which didn't work out, but it wound up doing a lot of things that I think were, in retrospect, really interesting, and the character writing in it is some of the best I think I've ever done. At the end of the day I think that unusual formats have a lot of potential when it comes to creating stories that have some kind of unusual flavor to them, and I'm always chasing after that feeling of "this is the first time I've ever seen this".

Have you published anything? Do you want to?

I've never professionally published anything, but I would like to.

What part of the publishing process most appeals to you? What part least appeals to you? Why?

To be honest, the part of publishing that most appeals to me is the part where I get paid and can go to my relatives and tell them that I got published by an actual publisher and now I have a real book out. The part that least appeals to me is every other part of publishing. It's always sounded like a major hassle and a giant pain in the ass to me (when I was growing up, my father was constantly sending his books out to publishers, and so far has still never been published) but, at the same time, I'd love to be the first person in my family to have a book published by Tor or Hachette or some other real-deal imprint.

What part of the writing process most appeals to you? What part is least appealing?

The part of the writing process that most appeals to me is the part where I've written something cool and I can show it to other people. I also really like getting to write horror sequences or fight scenes, but my favorite part is basically just asking for a beta or getting to share the finished work. The least appealing part of writing for me is definitely editing. In order to get around my dislike for editing, I've gotten to the point where instead of actually doing regular edits, I literally just rewrite the entire story using the first draft as an outline. This takes forever and it's not very fun either, but it's better than going through line by line and trying to figure out which parts are good and which ones aren't. I have never gotten the chance to work with a professional editor before, and I imagine the experience is different when somebody else is doing the editing for you, but as it stands I hate editing my own work.

Do you have a writing process? Do you have an ideal setup? Do you write in pure chaos? Talk about your process a bit.

I absolutely write in pure chaos. The only thing I need to make sure that I can write is a warm drink - tea or coffee- and music I like playing. I've discovered that one of my favorite places to write is outdoors in the middle of the night over the summer, but I can and will write anywhere. I'll be writing in my college classes later today. Then I'll come home and sit on my bed and write some more. And then, historically speaking, I'll go out and I'll write on my phone while sitting in the back of a bar or something, and I'll come home and write in the kitchen while my dinner's cooking. I pretty much never stop writing when I've got an idea in my head. I write on vacation, while at the grocery store, when I'm supposed to be working, and every other time besides.

Your Thoughts on Writeblr:

How long have you been a writeblr? What inspired you to join the community?

I've been a writeblr for about three or four years these days. I really joined the community around 2020, when during quarantine lockdowns I decided to write an alternate universe take on the backstory of one of the characters that I have in my long-term novel project because I didn't want to work on that. I wound up joining regular so that I had some kind of community to talk about that wip in, and I've stuck around ever since. I've been tangential to writeblr since well before that, though- I love seeing writing on tumblr and I really enjoy original fiction.

Shout out some of your favorite writeblrs. How did you find them and what made you want to follow them?

Natalie Ironside - @natalieironside - writes a lot of trans-focused action stories that appeal to me both as a trans individual and a person who likes action. Her protagonists are often characters who don't necessarily wield a ton of institutional power but fight for what they want and what they deserve regardless. Ezra - @doikayt - another Jewish writer, which I appreciate, but also every part of their writing I've seen is really cool. Speculative fiction is a favorite genre for me, even though it's one I don't often write in myself. Jax Wolff - @blind-the-winds - a writeblr I'm newer to following but really like, they post some really interesting snippets and do a lot of tag games.

What is your favorite part about writeblr?

Definitely the interactive aspect. If you interact with writeblr, writeblr will interact with you. I love attention and I love getting to see other people's writing, so this is perfect for me.

What do you think writeblr could improve on? How do you think we can go about doing so?

Writeblr has a bigotry issue. It happens. In any community where people are showing up to share their creations without someone at the door vetting them when they come through, there will be people who are bigoted or who have biases that they have not vetted. It's something that most marginalized individuals, myself included, have already come to expect from most online communities. However, because writeblr is an interconnected and highly interactive community, when issues of antisemitism or Islamophobia or racism or sexism or homophobia come up, it's almost impossible to avoid seeing it and it's very frustrating that everyone seems to feel the need to jump in and defend their friends if they believe that the bigotry wasn't poorly intended or it was accidental. I don't want to be trapped in and on ending chamber of "hey, look how antisemitic/Islamophobic/racist/homophobic/otherwise hateful this writer is" for however long the issue is being brought up- it's emotionally taxing- and I know that other marginalized writeblrs who do the hard work and speak out against people who are being bigoted tend to see much more aggressive and, frankly, bigoted backlash than the people they're speaking to or about. I don't know how to fix this, because it's an issue basically everywhere, and if there was a fix for it I'm sure someone would have mentioned it already. But I would like to see more support for a: marginalized writers in the writeblr space, and b: those of us who would like to disengage from the topic after a short period of time. At the end of the day, I'd like writeblr to be a space where writers of all stripes can spend their time- not only cis, straight, white, Christian, abled writers. A lot of how people pitched writeblr to me when I was thinking about joining in was on the idea that Tumblr is a place with less of the traditional barriers of entry than traditional publishing, but if the bigotry issue runs unchecked, eventually it will just be a space with the same kind of demographics as traditional publishing.

How do you contribute to the writeblr community? Do you think you could be doing more?

I don't really contribute much. I play tag games sometimes and I occasionally make advice posts after I found something that works for myself. I could certainly be doing more, but honestly, I'm kind of lazy and I don't really have that much to say, so on the advice front I've kind of made all the posts I have to make already, and I'm not terribly well suited for running events or communities. I'm much more happy to be a person in the background and a leader in the forefront here.

What kinds of posts do you most like to interact with?

I like reading short snippets- in the range of 100-1000 words- and I enjoy interacting with interactive games, like a tag games or ask games. I think my favorite kind of post would have to be tag games where we share short snippets of our wips- the best of both worlds.

What kind of posts do you most like to make?

I like to share snippets of my work. This is probably the easiest for me to do, because all I have to do is copy blocks of text and paste them into tumblr.

Finally, anywhere else online we may be able to find you?

My main Tumblr is @bitegore :D

Questions For Fun:

What is your favorite dragon-related story? What makes it your favorite?

For my favorite dragon-related story I had to split this question into two parts, because I read so many books with dragons in it that I can't help but differentiate between stories where dragons are people and stories where dragons are very intelligent and scary animals. The first dragon story i want to talk about is the Heartstrikers series by Rachel Aaron, an urban fantasy novel following the Only Nice Dragon after he gets kicked out of his home for being too nice and therefore disappointing the family. It's been a big inspiration for how I write since I first read it when I was fifteen; the idea of a protagonist not taking the two options set out for them but making their own choice, the idea of a world where magic and modern society and technology blend and interact, and different social modes of interaction and how they might not seem as useful as they wind up being (aka; the power of friendship, treated more seriously, lol) all really compel me and I enjoy Aaron's storytelling a lot. The only reason I wouldn't necessarily consider this a "final" answer is because, like a lot of other urban fantasy novels, the dragons in this are shapeshifters and the protagonist spends most of his time in a human form. The other one I could probably talk about would be the Dragonriders of Pern series, which I'm really due for a reread of. Pern is one of those series that I read as a kid that rocked my whole world. Not only is it about dragons, which I love- but it's also one of the early sci-fi fantasy stories where the genre was still finding its feet, and much like other stories in the same vein from the same time, the slow reveal of the sci-fi elements underpinning the fantasy absolutely fascinated me when I was a kid and still do for me now. The things I like about both series are different, but one of my favorite things is when dragons are treated as neutral parts of the world or positive ones, rather than uniquely evil monsters. I think I mentioned that that was a trope I don't like very much, and while it can be done well- Maur from The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley is a great example of a dragon so evil that even killing him doesn't solve the problem, and that's another favorite book of mine- it really delights me when instead dragons are just there, for better or worse. And while the worldbuilding in both books is very different, with enormously different styles and aesthetic trappings and social structures, both put a lot of work into crafting a world that feels believable, which is another thing I really enjoy in my stories and which makes these two beat out a lot of other narratives where dragons are more of a unique rarity or an aberration upon the face of the world they're in. And, finally… I just think they're cool. They're stories that both do things that, at least when I read them, I hadn't seen before. The stylistic trappings of fantasy and science fiction from the late 60s and early 70s, like Pern is, are very different from modern genre conventions, which makes the experience fun and novel for me as someone who was born in the early 2000s, and Heartstrikers- an urban fantasy speculative-fiction novel set in Detroit with an unusual spin on a "standard" magic system and very interesting legal setup- also felt like a breath of fresh air when I first read it.

Who is your favorite Transformer?

My favorite Transformer would have to be Vortex. He's interesting- a violent bad guy character who also manages to be nonchalant and amused almost every time he's on-screen. And, of course, it doesn't hurt that I think his design is really cool. A big robot with swords on his back that he uses to fly with? That's cool and I love it.

What is your favorite piece of horror-flavored media? Why?

It's hard for me to answer this question. My default is to answer with the horror movie I like best- Us by Jordan Peele, a movie so incredibly well-paced I have genuinely never seen the like before or since- but that's just straight-away horror. Down The Rabbit Hole by hypnoticwriter, a work referencing the Mystery Flesh Pit project by Trevor Roberts, is also really good, but the line between thriller and horror is indistinct at best, and usually when I say "horror-flavored", I mean that horror elements have been thrown in for seasoning and spice rather than consuming the tone of the work and changing the genre entirely. I think for this question I'm going to go with Transformers, actually. In terms of genre, the All Hail Megatron story is closer to a disaster survival story with action elements than horror. It tells a story about the Autobots being nearly defeated and the Earth being taken over by the Decepticons. But many scenes are paced and written like horror. Dangerous monsters are hunting the surviving Autobots, fuel is running out... and on Earth, the Decepticons see humans as vermin or playthings. It's a really fun series and one I really enjoy.

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zonerobotnik · 7 months

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While Varian has an intimidating temper and a bad-boy allure, Gideon has always had the ability to bend people to his will, even as a child, and can bring people to their knees with a word with his finely-honed aura of authority. It's not for nothing that he aspired to be King of Gravity Falls as a youth, and while he has since let go of that lofty goal, he still can easily establish control over any situation with his silver tongue and charm. Besides, it's not like Varian's will is strong enough to take much convincing, anyway. Gideon was sure that even Dipper could seduce this people-pleasing pushover into lying down for him. -- Who says Tall Varian has to be a Top? 😏 Anyways, this is probably how I'm going to be doing any Tangled art for a while, crossed over with something else. The Tangled fandom has been…really rough, and I just need another break. I think I've taken more breaks from this fandom in one year than I have of any other fandom over several years, that's how bad it is. I'm going to be bouncing around Gravity Falls, Disney's Descendants, Voltron, Death Note and Danny Phantom for the rest of the year. Hopefully, when I get back, the Tangled fandom will have stopped being so…difficult. So, yeah. I'll still be doing the crossover stuff, but my strictly-Tangled stuff is going on hiatus until January.

#gravity falls #tangled the series #gideon gleeful #varian #crossover #zone kitty is drawing

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oh-hush-its-perfect · 9 months

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okay guys so there's this tv show i started watching recently and it kind of feels like it's queerbaiting but i'm not sure because it's a reality show, so, like, these are real people I'm talking about. the show is called "Make It Big," and it's about aspiring artists. let me describe the parts i think are queerbait-y and y'all can give me your thoughts.

so one of the guys on MIB is named taylor, right? taylor is an author and poet, and sometimes his work is featured on the show. the thing is that he writes a lot of love poems but the gender of the person it's addressed to is usually ambiguous. and taylor has had plenty of female love interests and written stuff about those relationships, but there are other works that almost seem to be about his (ex) friends???

for example, he's got this one former friend— and they had a falling-out, but it happened off-screen so no one's really sure what happened— who is obsessed with Wuthering Heights. Like, he has a tattoo of Catherine and Heathcliff, and his social media accounts have some reference to Wuthering Heights in the url. After the two had their falling out, taylor wrote a poem using Wuthering Heights as a metaphor for a failing relationship?? and like. he even mentions "green eyes" in the poem, and this friend has green eyes? like i know it's nothing solid, but it's just a little suspicious.

but even more, taylor used to have this friend named charlie, and the two of them were SUPER close. like they were roommates at one point. and they too had a falling out (again, off-screen). then taylor wrote a poem that specifically mentioned something that the two did together: "I drew a heart on your wrist in Sharpie." and i'm sitting here like, taylor literally drew a heart on charlie's wrist, like, three episodes ago. there are other things, too, like how the two of them were photographed kissing at a concert?? but the show never brought this up, and never clarified one way or another if they were in a relationship??? there are a bunch of other things in taylor's love poetry and short stories that seem to allude to charlie, too, but nothing is ever direct.

then, like a long time later, taylor performed a slam poem about gay rights while dressed in the bisexual colors (blue jacket, purple shirt, pink pants), but when asked why he chose to do that, he said that he just "respect[ed] the community a lot" without saying whether he was part of it or not. btw, a bunch of the proceeds from that episode went to the Trevor Project.

not long after that episode aired, it was time for a pride episode, and this one famous designer posted a picture of a rainbow suit and captioned the picture something like "you'll never guess who on Make It Big is going to be wearing this in the new episode!" then, when the episode aired, this other character Lainey, who we HAVE KNOWN WAS A LESBIAN SINCE THE EPISODE IN WHICH SHE FIRST APPEARED, was wearing the suit. The problem was that part of the suit was body-colored mesh that would only work with someone who had fair skin. Lainey is black, and the suit didn't fit her properly. Somebody posted a tiktok about the situation a while ago theorizing the outfit had been made for taylor instead, and the guy who designed the suit dueted the tiktok drinking a cup of tea.

there has also been some gender stuff in taylor's poetry? like, for example, he wrote a poem called "The Two of Us are Maidens," in which the speaker was presumably himself. He's also written "from the perspective of women," like in the poem "Tommy," where he waxes poetic about kissing a man.

the nail in the coffin for me was him writing in a poem that he "used to love a friend of Dorothy." for anyone who doesn't know, "friend of Dorothy" is a queer dog whistle meaning "queer person."

but there's been even more questionable stuff. these are just some examples. so, like, I assume he's bi.

Meanwhile, other people in the (small) fandom get really upset at people who think taylor might like guys, saying that it's an invasion of his privacy and assuming anyone's sexuality is weird— even though they all assume he's straight.

what do y'all think? is this queerbaiting?

#so for those of you who didn't catch on #the whole 'reality television' thing?#it's a metaphor #but just as in reality tv #the public narrative around celebrities is one that is carefully constructed #this post was made in part to explain why some people think TS is bisexual #because when i put it in these terms #it doesn't sound so outlandish does it?#gaylor swift #lgbetty

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thespianinthebackcorner · 6 months

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Thespian's Masterpost!

hi! Thought I should make this since it's pretty essential to most blogs.

I'm Thespian, although I go by Mirika on other parts of the internet. I'm an Ao3 author, writing for Genshin Impact, and occasionally dabbles in crossovers with other fandoms with my friend Zhelday there. I live in Australia, so if I take a few hours longer than usual to respond, that'll be why. If I complain about the god-awful heat in December, that's also why.

On here I post about three things: Fandoms, Writing, and occasionally Personal. Okay I used to try and mark my posts with specialised tags but uh I've realised that I cannot remember for the life of me to do that so... sorry. A note, some of my writing posts will include mentions of whump, therefore including subjects of torture, manipulation, and overall pain. If I do talk about my original story, there will also be mentions of dysphoria.

I'm an aspiring Voice Actor and also have a YouTube channel where I make edits! It's quite dry now but I'll have MVs and other things on there later- I'm currently working on a few different videos.

I also have a discord, backcornerwriter. It's a little bland,and I don't have notifs on for it, so sorry in advance. :)

posts I'm pinning for both you guys and my personal reference:

My ongoing conversation with an Ao3 author

Alternate ideas to catboy AUs

Albedo AU I don't have the time for but would love to see if someone else would like to

Side dialogue from my life

My fandoms:

Genshin Impact (my main and what I talk about most!)

Sanders Sides

Splatoon, its manga included

The Amazing Digital Circus (although you won't see much of this until closer to release.)

Symbiosis/Silver Thread (thanks to my good friend @monards)

Hazbin Hotel

Death Palette (if anyone ever wants to hear me)

Cookie Run Kingdom (though I haven't played in a while)

Ghost and Pals/Qualia Automata

ENA

Monster High

Ever After High

Splatoon

The first three Skylanders games

I dabble in Tintin and Star Wars thanks to Zhelday so if I mention Zhel I'll be mentioning them too

My Romantic Ships

Albaether- Albedo/Aether, Genshin Impact

Rhinealice- Rhinedottir/Alice, Genshin Impact

Sucredo- Sucrose/Nigredo (Subject Two), Genshin Impact

Albeula- Albedo/Eula, Genshin Impact (not as much as Albaether but I like the dynamic)

Albemona- Albedo/Mona, Genshin Impact (same as above, I just don't mind the dynamic)

Agent 96- Captain 3/Agent 4/Agent 8, Splatoon

Dove/Magnolia, Symbiosis

Alice/White Lily, Silver Thread

Luminoelle- Lumine/Noelle, Genshin Impact

Lumiya- Lumine/Yoimiya, Genshin Impact

Lumina- Lumine/Furina, Genshin Impact

Kazutomozou- Kazuha/Tomo/Heizou, Genshin Impact

Esclair- Espresso/Eclair, Cookie Run Kingdom (sue me it's cute and has the same dynamic as Albether)

Loceit- Logan/Janus, Sanders Sides

Tintin/Chang, Tintin

Gloves/Half-Rim, Splatoon (I genuinely don't know if this is a thing but the concept draws me)

Charon & Norman, Ghost and Pals

Chris. P/Maika (whatever the girl from Happy Days' name is.), Ghost and Pals

I do ship more, but these are the main ones that I'll write and talk about!!

My Platonic Ships (Family Dynamics mostly)

Alicia & Beaford- Silver Thread

Magnolia & Mint- Symbiosis

Aether & Lumine- Genshin Impact

Matsuro and the Painter- Death Palette

Albedo & Klee- Genshin Impact

Agents 3, 4, 8 & New 3- Splatoon

JENA & Moony- ENA

Jax & Gangle & Kinger- TADC

Callie & Marie- Splatoon

Tamari & Mariyam- Qualia Automata

Arc & Say- Ghost and Pals

there are probably more but I can't remember them rn (æ)

Things you Don't Talk About Around Me

Disney (I have no respect after they ripped off Ever After High and killed it)

Politics (sue me but its boring and I'm not here for reality)

AI (just. No. I'm a writer.)

Not really sure what else to add- I am a minor, so please be careful how you treat me. I will not tolerate disrespect or just general bad treatment. That also means you can't commission me for stories or oneshots just yet, but if you do put in an ask that gives me inspiration you will get yourself a oneshot. I just can't be paid yet.

I do sometimes write fanfics on this site, but not often as I'm not good at tagging them and I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable.

The ask box is open, please come in and talk if you like!

Thank you for getting this far, sorry for the lack of graphics, and have fun!

#masterpost #About OP

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acefaun · 2 years

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Hii!! I hope this request doesn't add any pressure on you. You see, I'm a fanfic writer—I aspire to be a published author one day as well—but lately I've been feeling a little down about my work. I like my writing, but I feel like if someone reads it, they'll puke from the sweetness. (I'm obsessed with poetic descriptions of love and affection. I can't help it. I like them.) So I was wondering how Scorpio would handle that (the whole insecurity thingy) if he was my boyfriend. (I've seen people requesting comfort pieces for Scorpio often, so if you're sick and tired of writing about the same character over and over again, don't push yourself!) And I'm a she/her (female) sooo... Yep :"D Thank you for your time!^^

Scorpio~ Insecurities

Synopsis: Ever since Scorpio first met MC, she was always working hard on something… But she never let him see what it was. Not to mention there were various times where he felt her insecurities seeping through her contact with him. Little did she know her boyfriend had experience with being insecure. Maybe there was some way for him to help her past hers.

✨Masterlist✨

Female goldfish!

A/n: I’ve said this before, but the most important part about being a creator is creating things you enjoy. If you like it, then that’s all that matters. Since you’re aspiring to be a published author, let me offer you some life advice I learned in college! I went to college for art because that was my passion… but my art was different from everyone else's so I felt self-conscious working on projects and presenting them. But in the end, people ended up loving the way I did my art. It’s normal to feel insecure about something you made with your own hands, but there’s always going to be someone out there who’ll love what you do.

And if you need emotional support, you can count on your friendly neighborhood zodiac! The plus side of the SCM fandom is that it’s small and supportive. So, we’ve got your back! 💖 We love you! Scorpio loves you too!

–Word Count: 4,535–

I sighed, the papers shuffling in front of me as I dropped my head onto my pillow. I stared at the printed sheets of writing, but the feeling of discontent was overwhelming in my chest. It wasn’t like I didn’t like what I had written. I mean, I proofread it several times and then additionally read it twice just because I couldn’t get over how well-written it was. I almost couldn’t believe that those words came out of my head and were put together legibly on paper.

But as great as I felt about it, I absolutely couldn’t bring myself to even think about publishing it. It made me frustrated that it was just going to be another useless piece of writing in my binder.

*Click*

My head snapped up at the sound of the doorknob turning and I quickly shoved my arms on top of the binder to hide the word-vomit.

The door flung open, before closing a moment later. Scorpio stood in front of the closed door, his eyes trailing over my still form that hovered over a binder of papers. Still, he didn’t think too hard about it as he greeted, “You been waiting this whole time?”

“Uh, yeah,” I answered, gesturing for him to come closer. He didn’t need to stand at the door like a stranger. “But don’t worry about it. I was entertaining myself while waiting. Krioff told me you were still working in the Heavens soooo… I sort of just invited myself in. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. You're allowed in my room,” he hummed, making his way over to his desk. His eyes glanced back to my arms where I hid my binder underneath. Maybe it was something important that I couldn't share. “You were doing work?” He seated himself at his desk where he still had his own work to get through.

I looked over to the window, wishing he wouldn’t have brought up my project so casually. I didn’t really want to discuss my story—whether I liked it or not; I wasn’t ready for other opinions. Besides, he was a god. I was sure he wouldn’t care for my human word-vomit. Still, I wouldn’t just ignore his question. “Sort of. How about you? I guess you’ve got a bit more papers to go through… considering that enormous pile on your desk.”

He didn’t look too pleased at the reminder that he had his own work to finish. He’d been working all day, only to come to his room on Earth and find me relaxed on his bed doing my own projects. His eyes squinted for a moment before he asked, “Is that comfortable?”

“Huh?” I faltered. “Is what comfortable?”

“Doin’ work in bed.”

I tilted my head, thinking about it for a moment. Work was comfortable in bed when I was typing everything on a laptop. I couldn’t say that writing while in bed was the most practical thing. After all, it was hard to proofread my paper and make corrections with a pen when lying down. But reading in bed was a whole other leisurely task. It was one of my preferred parts of the writing process. “It’s not the most convenient way to work,” I honestly answered him. “But if it’s just papers you’re reading then you can do that anywhere you want. But… from the looks of it, you have quite a bit of writing to do when it comes to your Punishment’s work.”

“Yeah,” he grumbled. He’d rather be doing anything else, but the faster he got through his work, the more time he’d have to spend with me. “It won't take long, but you can go back to whatever you were doing before.”

Scorpio had work to finish, so he couldn’t really pay much attention to me; but I also didn’t want to just pull out my papers and start going through them again. The last thing I wanted was for Scorpio to ask what I was doing—or worse, to read what I was writing. Besides, he was always complaining when I’d touch him and he’d overhear the fluffy thoughts going on in my head. If he saw all the cute crap I wrote then he’d probably spontaneously combust from embarrassment. Maybe someone like Dui or Partheno might appreciate my stories… but there was no way I’d ever really share them!

Besides, who would love the gushy, romantic, star-crossed fluff I wrote? The guys in the mansion would probably just tease me until the day I died… and no humans would be interested in my stories. Whether I wrote in fiction or nonfiction, nothing seemed right enough to publish. If I couldn’t figure something out soon, then I’d miss my opportunity to become an author… I wasn’t sure if I was more upset over people not getting to read my creations, or more terrified at the prospect of people not liking my work. Or was that even the problem at all? Was I just overthinking things?

The entire time Scorpio did his paper-work, I laid there fuming as I stared out of the window. Well, in any case, I decided I couldn't make a decision on an empty stomach. Glancing over to Scorpio, he seemed intensely dedicated to his work. I suppose he had to be, being vice minister and everything. Maybe if I had his kind of determination, then I'd be able to get something done.

Of course, that was all going to wait until after I had a filling snack. Moving myself from the bed, I caught the attention of Scorpio, and I hastened to explain, “I'm going grab something to eat. I'll be right back.”

He muttered a quiet response, though I couldn't quite understand what he said. I took it as an acknowledgement as I left the room. He had quite the amount of work to finish. He deserved a snack for all his hard work as well!

***

If he stared any harder, he was sure to burn holes right through his bed. But Scorpio couldn’t help it. I left my binder unattended on his bed with him in the room. He couldn’t decide if that meant I was okay with him looking through it or not. After all, would I have even left it there in his room in the open if I wasn’t okay with him looking at it? Besides, what could be so bad about what was inside of it?

The corners of his lips drew back in disapproval with himself. What if it was a diary? What if he only found things about himself in there? Would he be able to face me again if he found something he wasn’t supposed to see?

Then again, I also looked endlessly frustrated with the binder and its contents. There was the possibility of it being work-related; work tended to make him frustrated as well. But, on the other hand, there was the occasional time he remembered where he sensed insecurity coming off of me in waves. If he read what was in that binder, would he find out what I was so damn insecure about? Maybe that’s why I looked so frustrated!

Making up his mind, he hesitantly snatched the binder from the bed. He didn’t want to be a nosy boyfriend, but he already convinced himself that he was doing this to help me. Besides, if it was nothing to worry about, then he could just put it back on the bed and pretend nothing ever happened. I didn’t even need to know he touched the darn thing.

The minute he turned to the first page in the binder, his door flung open, making him frantically move to shut the binder. However, in moving to toss it back to its place on the bed, he ended up throwing it out of desperation to not get caught going through my stuff. This, of course, only ended with the prongs of the binder exploding open and scattering my papers across his floor.

He looked at the mess in speechless horror before turning to the door where his eyes narrowed at finding Ichthys standing there. Ichthys didn’t know what he just walked in on, but he felt like he should regret interrupting whatever Scorpio was doing. Scorpio’s hands were shaking in frustration as he shouted, “You stupid problem child! Learn how to knock on a damn door before you just barge in!”

Ichthys was speechless at gaining Scorpio’s ire so quickly today, but his eyes landed on the scattered papers and a smug grin crossed his face. “You were going through (Name)’s stuff.”

“I-” Scorpio faltered. Yeah, he was, but he wouldn’t let Ichthys know that. “I was just moving her stupid book! Get the hell out of my room!” Frantically he moved to pick up the mess. He didn’t need Ichthys seeing anything I had in there.

“Oh, yeah?” Ichthys continued, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. “You’re her boyfriend so I guess you would already know what’s in there, anyway. It’s not like she would show me and not the man she loves so much. After all, most of it’s about you. So, surely you’d already know about it!”

“What the hell,” he snapped, his sharp eyes returning to the childish god who was nonchalantly leaning against his door frame. “She let you read this crap she wrote?”

“Of course, of course.” Ichthys played it off very coolly, as if it were common knowledge—as if I let anyone read what was in the binder. But if it was about Scorpio, then surely he would have heard something by now—he would have at least been allowed to read it. Seeing Scorpio’s open distress when it came to me, Ichthys couldn’t help but prod a bit more, “You would never know how filthy a human’s mind is until she writes about everything her boyfriend does to her.” Ichthys held his breath, trying not to break his charade by laughing at how red Scorpio’s face was getting. “I’ll be on my way. Lots of work to finish!”

“Wait!” Before Scorpio could make Ichthys stop, the damned fish was already escaping down the hall. Grumbling to himself, he swiftly piled up the various papers. None of them looked like they belonged together and he wasn’t sure what order to put them back in. It would take him forever to sort through this. I’d be back long before he could fix this mess. But… while he had this opportunity… he wanted to see what the hell Ichthys was talking about!

He frantically started flipping back and forth through the scattered sheets looking for anything that might have reached the other gods, potentially embarrassing him.

***

I had told Ichthys to go see if Scorpio was still doing his work or not. After all, I didn’t want to interrupt his work with rabbit apples. I knew very well that he’d neglect his work in favor of the snack. But Ichthys was grinning suspiciously when he walked back into the kitchen and my eyes narrowed on him. “Hey, what took you so long?”

Ichthys shrugged his shoulders, acting completely innocent despite the way he was close to cracking up laughing. “It’s just funny to see Scorpio slacking off. Geez, you surely have him all riled up, (Name).”

“I have him riled up?” I glared at him accusingly. “Did you play a prank on him? He was trying to do his work.”

“Don’t be mad,” Ichthys pouted, sitting beside me with a sigh. “Alright, fine. I kinda startled him, but it wasn’t bad. He’s almost as bad a workaholic as Zyg. I bet he went right back to doing his work the minute I left. Oh, after cleaning up that big mess he made. I’ve never seen so many papers fly all over. That gives me a great idea for a new prank!”

I whined, bonking Ichthys on top of the head. “You startled him while he was doing his work? You’re honestly so mean to him. I bet he'll feel better with these rabbit apples. And no, you can't have one.” I knew Ichthys meant well with the other gods, but… he didn’t understand that they didn’t really share the same humor. I just hoped that whatever he did to Scorpio didn’t leave my boyfriend in a completely sour mood.

Knocking gently, I let myself in the room, only pausing at hearing him curse. “Shit…”

My surprised gaze landed on him, realizing that he looked as startled as I suddenly felt at seeing what he was looking through. Why did he have all of my papers scattered all over? “W- What are you doing?!”

Despite looking so startled, he was able to give me a surprisingly clear answer, “The damn binder fell and everything popped out. I was trying to put it back together…”

I sighed. He was a really shitty liar with me, but I wasn’t sure how to tell him that to his face. Instead, I pointed out, “It was on the bed… How did it just fall?”

Still, he had an answer for that as well. “I was moving it when that damn fish came into the room! Obviously, it was on my bed.” Was I suddenly telling him he couldn’t move things in his own room? But being met with the awkward silence, he realized that he clearly made me uncomfortable having overstepped his boundaries. Trying to break the tension, he asked, “You… Uh… You like this crap?” Immediately, his face suggested that those weren’t the words he wanted to use, and he winced. “I mean… you wrote all this?”

Of course, I did. Did it look like anyone else’s book? Besides, his expression told me he wasn’t pleased by what he had seen so far. Knowing he looked inside of my binder was embarrassing enough. I stuttered, “I… I think I forgot something in the kitchen.” I wasn’t lying to him any more than he was lying to me. Besides, why should I be worried about leaving him alone with my writing? He already started reading it. It wasn’t like he could make things worse.

I wasn’t sure who to really blame for this, him or Ichthys. Frustrated, I went straight to the balcony to stew on the situation alone. I didn’t need someone trying to comfort me when they didn’t understand what was going on in my head. But it wasn’t like this was a worst-case-scenario yet. I was just trying to avoid a worst-case-scenario by avoiding Scorpio.

I knew I’d have to see him again eventually and face whatever he had to say. More than likely, he’d be as straight-forward and brusque as usual. As I was right now, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle that. I already felt insecure and self-conscious about my creations. Maybe this path wasn’t for me. Maybe I’d be better off finding a new passion to share with the world. Maybe… something that’d make me more useful. But the major damage was already done. My boyfriend had already gone through my work. Scorpio would probably never look at me the same again…

I groaned, burying my head in my hands. There was unlikely a way to salvage my situation.

***

Scorpio didn’t know how to handle my sudden escape. He knew it was completely his fault. Besides, with everything he read so far, he sincerely doubted Ichthys was even telling the truth earlier. In fact, based on my reaction to him, Scorpio doubted I ever let Ichthys lay his grubby hands on this binder. He was just caught going through my belongings like some sort of untrusting loser of a partner. Not to mention, he’d ordinarily punish anyone else for trying this kind of thing.

He couldn’t find anything in my writings to help enlighten him on how I was feeling, but doing a quick sweep of the mansion, he found me sitting out on the balcony, my head buried in my hands. He briefly wondered if I was crying, guilt tearing him up on the inside. He had to comfort me and make me feel better, but he was the reason I was feeling like this. How did he fix this kind of situation? He wasn’t sure, but maybe I’d give him a hint or two—or maybe I’d yell at him. He would prefer that to me ignoring him, at least.

“Hey,” he called out quietly. The slight jump in my shoulders told him I heard him just fine. “I’m sorry for goin’ through your stuff. I shouldn’t’ve been snooping while you were gone. It wasn’t… private or anything… was it?” After all… I did leave it with him. Unless… I just really trusted him not to touch it. But I didn’t make that clear, so how was this his fault?!

“It’s nothing important,” I quietly responded, not betraying how important it was to me.

Scorpio sighed, feeling bad for internally trying to push the blame onto me. He knew better. He knew me better. He walked out onto the balcony, taking a seat beside me on the bench. “You can pull that crap with the others. But that binder’s important to you. You wouldn’t be writing in it all the time for nothing. What’s it for?”

Silence filled the space between us, and for a moment Scorpio wondered if he was pushing my limits. Was he moving too fast? But to his relief, I answered, “It’s just some stuff I wrote. It’s not like I was writing for anyone else to read them.” Turning my head away from him, I added as a whisper, “Not like I wanna become an author…”

“Why?” Silence answered him. He pursed his lips, wondering if he should address the common-occurring emotions that welled in me. His fingers were barely brushing over mine, but he could feel the insecurities swarming in my head now more than ever. “It’s not that you don’t want others to read your work… You’re afraid to let them read it.” My sharp inhale told him he was right, considering he wasn’t usually the most emotionally observational person. “You seem like you really enjoy it. And it’s not bad,” He admitted his feelings on the matter. “I’m sure there would be other humans that’d like it as much as you do.”

I scoffed, not believing him for one second. He was just pulling this stuff out of thin air to comfort me. “How’d you know? It’s not like you know what humans like.”

“Your work is original,” he snipped back, though it wasn’t quite as sharp as the jab that I had just given him. “It’s not like you know what those greedy humans wouldn’t like. They could love your shit, but you’d never know because you don’t share it.”

I fell silent again. I didn’t think he’d be so passionate about my writing… It made me feel vaguely warm inside to know that he cared so much about something that I should have considered a hobby instead of a career choice. Still, I wasn’t putting my defenses down just yet. I wanted more information. “Why do you care so much about me sharing my writing? You don’t even like it.”

“No,” he quickly denied that statement. Sure, it wasn’t something he would usually spare time to read, but it wasn’t bad. He may have been biased, but he appreciated my writing. “You made it yourself; why shouldn’t I like it?”

“Who made it is irrelevant. What if I published it anonymously? Would you be saying these same things if I just happened to be collecting writings I liked, and that binder wasn’t filled with a single original thing from me?”

“Tch,” he scoffed, getting fed up with this back and forth arguing. Besides, I only seemed to be getting as fired up as he was. “You think I’m lying to you for the hell of it? I’d tell you it was shit if I felt like it was shit. But your writing is good, regardless of if you think there's more you need to learn or not.” His words grew sharper, emphasizing his point. “Why do you hate it so much?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to him for a moment. I didn’t hate it. In fact, I loved it so much that I didn’t want other people to make me hate it. I was afraid that it might become something I’d despise. What if I loved my work so much that I couldn’t see the fault in it? I was even more biased than Scorpio… But I had more reason to be afraid than Scorpio did. It was my work, not his.

Seeing me struggling, Scorpio sighed. “I know… It’s hard to overcome self-doubt and insecurities that you can’t put a name to.”

“Then why are you trying to push me?”

“Because sometimes we need to be pushed.” His hand wrapped gently around mine, as I glanced over at him. He sounded familiar with this… and it drew my curiosity as he started explaining, “I didn’t think I’d make it as a god. I was always used to taking orders and doing things in a structured way… Kind of like how you humans do things at schools and then are automatically expected to integrate into a completely different adult-human world.”

I muttered, “Why is that accurate…?”

“Zyglavis pushed me until I realized I was good at my job and I became his vice minister.” His eyes trailed over me, hanging onto his every word like a valuable life lesson. “You seem uncertain, like me… and I thought reading your stuff would help.”

“Did it?”

“No.” He grumbled, upset that he found nothing useful to help me. But here, holding hands with me, he figured a few things out. “I can read you better than some book. But there are some things I can’t figure out even through touching your hand or reading your stuff. I wanna know what you’re looking for.”

I paused. “Looking for?” That’s such a vague question.

“What do you want?” He tried to reword his troublesome question. He’d give me the world if that’s what I wanted, but he knew my desires were more simple than that. There was something I wanted that I was afraid to reach for and he at least wanted to try and get me where I wanted to go. “You think insecurity is all I feel from you? You have some kind of ambition behind it.” His eyes were glued to me, waiting for my response.

My eyes flitted back to him for a moment. He wasn’t staring me down, which probably made it easier to answer him. “I want to write… I want to be an author. I want people to read my writing and like it. I just…”

“I know.” He didn’t need me to repeat how self-conscious I was about my work. He knew that much. “I can help you.”

“Huh?” Instantly I was alarmed at the suggestion. “No way! I can’t use your powers for this. If you use your powers, then it’ll be like I cheated. You- We can’t-”

“Who said I was using my powers?” He watched as I tried to calculate his meaning in my head. “If you’re not feeling confident to publish anything, why don’t you let us read them first and give our feedback?”

“But you guys are old!” I clammed up after my sudden exclamation. “I mean- You’re not old old. Just… Older… Uh…” I faltered. “It’s just that you guys have been alive for so long. And gods like Hue read all the time. So… I can’t help but think that my writing would be underwhelming for gods who have been reading for hundreds of thousands of centuries.”

“You think there’s any one right way to do something?” His eyebrows furrowed together. He had a point… “I don’t do punishments the same as Zyg but that doesn’t mean I’m not any better at my job. Your writing is different because it’s yours.” He felt like he was just repeating himself over and over… But I looked like I was genuinely considering his words. If this was my dream, then he’d do his best to make sure I could accomplish it. He’d take down any obstacles in my way—even if it meant he needed to rope in those other guys.

One thing I was certain of… was the fact that Scorpio was sticking firmly to his beliefs. Still, it’d take me a bit more time before I was ready to handle discussing my work with another person. I let out a sigh, coming to a hesitant decision. “Scorpio…” He waited patiently for my decision with bated breath. Though, I wasn’t ready to agree or disagree with him. “Can you help me fix my binder first?”

His lips curled up into a rare smile. I didn’t immediately reject his idea, and it seemed like I was giving it some thought. Letting him help me fix my binder was already a step in the right direction. “Sure, I’ll help.”

#star crossed myth #star crossed myth fanfic #scm scorpio #department of punishments #voltage inc fanfic #star crossed myth imagines #fanfic

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sinsiriuslyemo · 7 months

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Oh my god I want a directors commentary on everything you've ever written lol but maybe something from making an agent or the lawyer and the piano bar?

Making An Agent

What made me want to write this?

I think I mentioned in the author's notes that I got the idea for this series from a very similar series that I wrote for back when I was in the Vin Diesel fandom. It was a really cool concept that I thought would be interesting with the characters that Raúl Esparza has on his resume. So I thought, who is the most likely to be involved in an organization like R.A.U.L? Nevada and Rafael both came to mind, but I had been writing Nevada in Cuba v DR for so long that I worried I would bring a lot of that Nevada into this story, and I wanted it to be differenr. I also wanted to play around with what I knew could be a hilarious dynamic with Rafael being pulled into this organization.

Making an Agent specifically allowed me to show Rafael becoming an actual secret agent, but also gave me a chance to flush out Headquarters, which would be a permanent fixture in the series. Making an Agent was more of a fun, laid back story that was mainly for worldbuilding and character development.

Where did I get the idea for Charlie?

I was heavily influenced by Nancy Botwin (Mary Louise Parker's character from the show, Weeds) for Charlie's personality, specifically for her humor. The rest was me wanting to give her some baggage so that her interactions with Rafael would be more interesting and there would be more potential depth for explore. Her code name is actually based on a tattoo that Nancy gets later in the series, but I had it mean something completely different for Charlie. For Nancy, it was a reminder of the first man she killed. For Charlie, however, it was a reminder that anyone can turn their life around, no matter how far gone they may seem.

I chose Mary Louise Parker as my face claim for Charlie because I thought she would look good paired with Rafael and because I hadn't seen anyone use her as a face claim for any other story.

The Lawyer and the Piano Bar

What made me want to write this?

This story came about from me wanting to write a mlm story with Rafael but not wanting it to be a Barisi story. Don't get me wrong, I love Barisi to pieces, but I wanted to explore a gay relationship with Rafael and a character outside of the context of SVU. It all started with the banner I made with Scott Caan and Raúl Esparza. From there, I started imaging what their relationship might look like.

I knew I didn't want the story to focus too heavily on the procedural aspect of Rafael's character, though I did incorporate a subplot where Rafael asks Liv for help in trying to solve the murder of Sebastian's mom. But I wanted this story to be primarily a romance story about two men who fall in love.

Where did I get the idea for Sebastian?

Scott is very artsy in real life as far as how he dressed and some of his hobbies so I incorporated some of his personal style and his love of the arts into the character of Sebastian. I chose to make him an aspiring composer because I knew it would be a good fit for Rafael love of the theatre and because it would give me the opportunity to explore a male character who leans into his emotions, as they are essentially his bread and butter.

I wanted to create a juxtaposition between Rafael's very organized lifestyle and that of a disorganized musician. I figured they could find common ground in that they both experienced life-altering events in their childhood that heavily influenced who they became as adults.

Another fun part of dreaming up Sebastian was imagining the people in his life. I wanted to give him his own world because in many ways, he exists solely for Rafael, but I didn't want him to actually solely exist for Rafael, if that makes sense. I wanted to give him his own dreams, his own cherished relationships, especially since I plan to explore Rafael's relationship with Liv in this fic

I'm not sure what else I could put in a director's commentary, but feel free to ask questions if you have them, and thank you so much for this ask! It was fun to think about these answers ❤️

#rafael barba #law and order svu #raul esparza #writing #raul spies #rabastian

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tackytigerfic · 3 years

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hi, tacky! you're one of my favourite creators within the drarry fandom. your style is gloriously individual. if you wouldn't mind sharing, what are three drarry works that you either think are inspirational or important reads? not universally or fandom-wide, but just according to you?

Hello Anon. I've thoroughly enjoyed seeing other people's responses to this ask, and I thank you most sincerely for such kind words about my writing. And for the opportunity to answer this brilliant ask!

I've chosen to think about which fics inspire me as a writer, and make me want to be better. The fics I wish I could have written!

That said, I found this a really interesting exercise because I think all three fics I've chosen are very different from anything I write (not by choice, mind you - I'd kill to be able to write like any of these authors). I have worked very hard to find my writing style, but the fics I find inspiring and aspirational are fics I could probably never write, no matter how hard I work at it. I wonder what that says about me 😂

Also please note the wordcount on each fic - the longest one of these is under 30k, and the shortest is 2k. I think this proves my abiding and oft-professed love for shorter fics!

First up is And Save Me From Bloody Men by @blamebrampton.

This is one of the first fics I read on my return to fandom as a reader, and I have reread it more times than I can remember since then. It's a masterwork of tight plotting and incisive characterisation. I use this as a benchmark when I'm thinking about how to approach big plotlines, because blamebrampton packs so much action and character development into such a short word count, and with such a light touch. It reads effortlessly, and the emotional resonance hits hardest through the detailwork of the every day (brushing teeth and getting drunk and writing in notebooks and wearing anoraks), but the emotional arc of the plotline is epic in scale. I don't know how bb did it, but I'll spend my days trying to work it out!

Next is I, Ferret by @curiouslyfic.

I find this fic so inspiring, stylistically. It is so strong in terms of its pacing, its flow, its narrative voice. There are at most a handful of sentences devoted to each little interlude, and yet it draws us through an entire lifetime of love in 2k. I have a tendency to plod, to describe, to detail. But what I really want to be able to do is convey things in this same sharp, bright, pacey way. I tried to capture that same relentless sense of momentum in my latest fic, but sadly came nowhere near what I wanted to do with it. I'll just have to keep trying (and in the meantime reread I, Ferret every so often when I want to make myself breathless with admiration).

And finally I've chosen In the Hand by aideomai (coming as absolutely no surprise whatsoever to anyone who's ever spoken to me on here).

I just love aideomai's writing, and I'm not entirely sure what it is specifically that gets me right in the heart... I just find her writing really evocative, with such a strong emotional resonance. Reading her work is like sinking inexorably into the feeling of the fic, and that distinct and evocative creation of a mood is hugely inspirational to me. I could have chosen many of aideomai's works for this, to be honest, but I picked this fic because I love how complicated it is. It should be confusing, with all these timelines and versions of Harry and Draco converging, but instead each small separate storyline is so bright and convincing and distinctive. Now that is skill.

#drarry fic rec #drarry rec list #drarry squad #drarry #i queue #rowing recs #rowing and chatting #asked and answered #this fandom life

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boxesandrings · 3 years

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Hello!! I just recently got into the stardew fandom and I'm notice a severe lack of Elliot content ;-; could I please get something fluffy and/or explicit with him and an afab or gender neutral farmer?? Hope you have a good day!!

Hello! It took me a while to decide if I wanted to do a smut or a fluff, but ultimately I decided a fluff, just because I love Elliott so much and wanted to see his soft and lovey side (also, I just published a smut of him on my AO3, and if you want to read it you can click here). Hope you enjoy!

Title: Dedicated

Rating: G

Summary: Elliott dedicated his novel to the Farmer, but the Farmer gets confused and thinks it's for someone else. Reassuring fluff ensues.

Characters: Elliott, nb!Farmer, Leah, Maru, Lewis, Gunther

Words: 2741

Elliott was not a nervous person. There never really was a reason for him to be— things tended to work out for him. School came naturally to him, and any poor grades were often changed for him after pleading his case to his teachers. Elliott only applied to his dream school and was accepted easily, and excelled within his program. He slept with the people he wanted, because they always wanted to sleep with him too, and when he decided on a whim to move to Pelican Town, the breezy seaside town he frequented on vacations as a child, the cabin was already there, almost as if waiting for him. Things worked out.

The Farmer, however, made him nervous. They arrived a little over a year after he did, and Elliott couldn’t help but find the newcomer intimidating. They’d spend long days out in the sun, tilling the earth or wrangling chickens. Elliott would often step out of his cabin early in the morning to enjoy the stillness of the beach, only to find the Farmer already there, holding a fishing pole. They were non-stop, powerful. Elliott couldn’t help but feel inadequate around them, his stomach fluttered every time he spoke to the new Farmer.

Their short, shoulder length golden hair and long, muscular legs didn’t make anything easier either. The first summer after the Farmer had moved to town, Elliott had been so mesmerized by the way the Farmer’s back muscles looked as they helped Willy move some barrels on the dock that he hadn’t noticed the firepit in front of his house and tripped on the rocks, breaking his wrist.

He’d never had trouble flirting with other people before; Elliott knew he looked good and drew people in with his artistic vibe, and who would be able to resist his 10,000 megawatt smile? But for some reason the Farmer was different. He’d get flustered anytime the Farmer spoke to him, but for some reason the Farmer kept coming back.

He kissed the Farmer almost two months ago now, their stomachs both burning and heads dizzy from the homemade pomegranate wine the Farmer had made. Elliott had been bold and messy, and instantly had regretted how he had pulled the Farmer in, but they just smiled and kissed him again, over and over until the night sky grew bright. Elliott had bought a proper bouquet the next day, and the relationship had been going well since.

Elliott scanned the museum now, looking for his partner. After his book had been picked up and published by a proper agency a month ago, Mayor Lewis had insisted upon a proper book reading and signing event. The Mayor had told Elliott it was to honor his accomplishments, to celebrate Pelican Town’s first proper author, but Elliott had the feeling it was more about the potential revenue the tourists might bring in.

The Farmer walked into the museum, their arms linked between both Maru and Leah’s, the three of them laughing as they shuffled in. Elliott waved, and the Farmer waved back, face beaming with pride. The group slipped toward the back of the crowd, leaning against the display shelves. As if on cue, the Mayor walked up to the microphone on the makeshift stage Gunther had set up in the museum and addressed the crowd, introducing Elliott and reminding the tourists of all Pelican Town’s many amenities. Elliott rolled his eyes at the Farmer who giggled with their friends, and made his way up behind Lewis.

“Thank you all, for coming today. It truly is so exciting to see that in the short time my novel has been out how many people it resonated with, how many of you traveled to see me.” He bit his lip and scanned the room, attempting to gauge the interest of the crowd. A young woman up front threw him a look Elliott could describe as bedroom eyes, and he coughed, quickly looking away.

“Well, I’m certainly excited to start this, as I’m sure you all are.” A small laugh from the crowd, agreement. “The book, as some of you may know, is Camellia Station, a romance about a stewardess who falls in love with a travelling architect, and the great distances each would go for their love.” He picked up the book. “Shall we begin?

The crowd let out a small cheer, and just from listening, Elliott could tell it was mostly from his friends in town. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ears, and cracked open the cover.

“Camellia Station.” A small smattering of cheers, this time from a larger section of the crowd. He flipped the page, his breath hitching.

To My Love.

He had forgotten he had written that, almost eight months ago when he had sent in the final draft of his manuscript. The love in question, of course, was the Farmer, who hadn’t known how maddeningly in love he was with them at the time, and still hadn’t heard the words from Elliott himself. It was so quick, and they had only been on a few proper dates.

Elliott realized he had been silent staring at the page. Only for three, maybe five seconds, but long enough. He looked up, flashing a sheeping smile. “Sorry, it’s just hard to believe this is finally happening.” Some members of the crowd laughed, and Elliott cleared his throat.

“To my love.” He flipped the page quickly, and heard the young woman in the front row sigh dreamily. “Chapter One. 'Your ticket, sir?' Ticket collector Gozman extended a gloved hand towards the young commuter. 'Ah, yes. I have it right here,' he replied, reaching into his coat pocket. Mortified, he discovered that the ticket was missing..."

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

The rest of the reading went off without a hitch. At the end of the second chapter, Elliott closed the novel and looked up at the crowd, a playful smile on his lips. “As much as I’d love to continue, we must return the museum back to its generous owner, who provided us the space to conduct this event. Thank you all so much for coming to listen and share this day with me.”

The audience began to clap, some more enthusiastically than others, and Elliott blushed as he heard the Farmer’s group being especially rowdy from the back. People began to line up to purchase copies of his book or to have him sign ones they already owned. After 20 or so minutes of signatures and well wishes, Elliott looked up to see Maru, Leah, and the Farmer smiling back down at him.

“Ellie! I’m so proud of you!” Leah practically leapt over the desk to get to him, pulling him into a hug much tighter than he would have ever expected.

“Leah! Thank you. I’m so glad you all came.” He wiggled his way out of her arms and smiled at Maru. “I’m glad you were able to make it.” Maru smiled back at him and nodded.

“Of course! Wouldn’t miss it.” Maru had been a surprising addition to their friend group. Before the Farmer, it had been just him and Leah, two aspiring artists against the world. It wasn’t that they didn’t like or get along with her, they just didn’t run in the same circles. The Farmer had quickly bonded with Maru after arriving, though, and as they moved their way into Elliott and Leah’s lives, Maru came along for the ride. Now, Elliott could barely picture the group without her.

“Congrats, El.” The Farmer walked behind the table now and wrapped their arms around him, planting a kiss on his cheek. Elliott smiled, wrapping an arm around his partner.

“Were you hoping to get an autograph as well?” The Farmer pursed their lips and looked up, a pantomime of thought.

“Actually, I know the author, so I think I can just get one whenever I want.” Elliott laughed.

“Certainly.” He looked back up at the two women. “Seriously, though, I’m so glad you were all able to come today. It really means a lot to me.” Maru nodded, but Leah came right back up to the couple and wrapped them both in her arms.

“Of course! I wouldn’t have missed it for anything!” Leah brought the couple into her, her arms around both, tears in her eyes. “I love you all so much! Maru, you too! Get in here.”

Maru sighed behind them but smiled and made her way into the huddle, Leah’s arms encompassing her as well. She stood for a moment, humming quietly as she held her friends.

“Leah? Not to be the buzzkill, but almost everyone has left and Gunther is staring directly at us.” Elliott shuffled uncomfortably as the rest of the group spotted the curator. Leah let go of her friends, and began to make her way toward the door, apologizing as she went. Maru followed quickly after, and the Farmer and Elliott made their way out hand in hand.

“Yeah! I think it went super. You sounded really good up there.” Elliott stepped ahead, opening the door for the Farmer.

“Do you think it went well?” Elliott looked down at his partner. The Farmer nodded, looking at Elliott through the corner of their eye.

“Thanks.” Elliott appreciated the praise, but something had seemed off in the Farmer’s tone. Was it not actually good? Did they hate the book? Elliott felt nervous.

“Everything okay?” The Farmer paused, then turned to face Elliott, a weary smile on their face.

“Yeah! I just had to get up a little earlier this morning to make sure I had everything taken care of before the reading.” Elliott nodded, but the pit in the bottom of his stomach remained. “Are you still down for dinner at mine tonight?”

Elliott cheered up almost instantly. How could he have forgotten dinner?

“Of course! Let’s go, straight away!” He grabbed the Farmer’s hand and began to strut, his chest puffed out in a caricature of strength. The Farmer laughed, almost tripping as they tried to keep up with Elliott’s stride.

Once at the Farmer’s home, Elliott pulled up his hair and began the task of preparing dinner. Without a proper kitchen in his cabin, Elliott’s culinary prowess was wasted. In the Farmer’s renovated kitchen, however, he relished any chance to show off his skills. The Farmer opted for a shower while he prepared their meal, claiming to be covered in grime from the morning on the farm, but something in Elliott’s stomach twisted again, unsure if his partner’s words were true.

Lost in his thoughts, Elliott didn’t notice when the Farmer appeared behind him, wrapping their arms around his stomach as they peaked around his shoulders to watch the action on the stove. “Whatchya cooking?” Elliott twisted to kiss the Farmer’s head and inhaled deeply, promising to commit the smell of the Farmer’s shampoo, cedar and smoke, to memory.

“I’m just putting the sear on some snapper that I bought from Willy this morning, would you be a dear and get the wine from the fridge?” The Farmer nodded, and their arms slipped away as they padded to the fridge. Elliott heard the pour behind him; the ting of the neck of the bottle against the glasses. The Farmer walked back up beside him, holding one glass between them.

“Do you want a taste?” Elliott nodded, expecting the Farmer to hand him the glass, but was surprised when the Farmer lifted the glass to his lips, a serious and intent look in their eyes. Elliott drank from the glass without breaking eye contact, attempting to play it cool, even as he gripped the handle of the pan tighter. He felt another tinge in his stomach, but this one wasn’t from nerves.

“Why darling,” he said, his voice dangerously low, “it’s not yet time for dessert.” The Farmer smiled, their lips still pressed together and kissed Elliott’s cheek and turned, making their way to the table. Elliott turned his attention back to the fish and turned off the burner and began to plate, unsure now if the meal would be eaten right away after all.

As he carried the plates over to the table, the Farmer smiled and scratched their head. “I feel bad, I really should have cooked tonight. It’s your big day after all.” Elliot sat next to the Farmer, kissing their forehead quickly on his way.

“Nonsense. I love to cook, and any day I get the opportunity to only makes the day better.” The Farmer smiled, but Elliott noticed that their leg continued to bounce quickly underneath the table. He bit his lip. “Darling-”

“El, did I— oh.” The couple paused, eyeing each other.

“I just wanted to ask if everything was okay.” Elliott pursed his lips. The Farmer chuckled nervously and ran a hand through their damp hair.

Elliott blinked and set down his fork, confused. “What?” The Farmer leaned forward, regret in their eyes.ing your reading today, did I… was I the other person, like did my presence impact your last relationship?”

Elliott blinked and set down his fork, confused. “What?” The Farmer leaned forward, regret in their eyes.

“I’m not saying something happened or that you cheated or anything, I would never imply that, but I know when I came here I was kinda flirty and obviously you were into that but I thought you were single.” The Farmer was animated as they rambled, their hands waving about. “And I mean I’m happy to be with you, I prefer it this way, but I’d feel terrible if I somehow caused stress in your relationships at all—”

Elliott grabbed the Farmer’s hands and pulled them in toward him, drawing their attention back in. He shook his head, confused.

“Darling, I don’t— What are you talking about?” The Farmer bit their lip and looked down again.

“At the reading, the dedication… I mean, it was sweet, but you sent in the final draft, what, almost a year ago now? And the story was very good, you know I think that, but I couldn’t help but think about that and how… if I was some kind of topic of stress in whatever… you know.” The Farmer looked back up, eyes misty.

Elliott laughed. He couldn’t help it. This is what the Farmer had been stressed about? He could understand if, certainly, but their own nerves almost seemed silly compared to his. The Farmer tilted their head, waiting for Elliott to answer.

When he finally calmed down, Elliott shook his head and picked his fork back up, studying his food as he cut off a piece of the fish. “No, it’s been… my last true relationship was many, many years ago, long before I came to the valley.”

“Oh.” The Farmer nodded, but Elliot could hear the confused tone in their voice.

“The dedication was for you.” He looked back up at the Farmer, smiling. The Farmer blinked and opened their mouth to speak, but Elliott cut them off. “I know, but… in all honesty, I truly think I’ve been in love with you for a long time, dear.” The Farmer smiled now, the misty look returning to their eyes.

“Oh, El.” They giggled and moved their chair closer to his, and slid a hand around the back of his neck.

“I really do believe from the moment I first saw you, I fell for you,” Elliott continued. “You had my heart.” The Farmer let out another small giggle and leaned forward, pulling Elliott’s head in toward theirs for a kiss, deep and soft and tender.

When they pulled away, the Farmer leaned their forehead against his. “I love you too, Elliott.” They chuckled and bit their lip, eyes scanning his. “I know I don’t have some grand gesture or… beautiful speech to tell you with, but I do.” Elliott nodded, and kissed his partner again.

Elliott stood up, his arms still around the Farmer, pulling them up with him. He pulled the Farmer in flush against him, their bodies pressed together as he tried to continue to kiss them, unable to maintain the connection as he fought his smile.

“That’s alright darling, your love is grand enough.” The Farmer laughed as Elliott tried to pull them into an even tighter embrace..

“My Love.” The Farmer smiled as they studied Elliot’s face. Elliott’s hand made its way to the Farmer’s cheek, stroking the skin with his thumb.

“My love.”

#elliott sdv #sdv elliott #stardew elliott #sdv fic #fic request #requests open #sdv requests #stardew fluff

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the-bloody-masquerade · 3 years

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End of Year ask! So I'm playing Amanda, the Ventrue PC in Coteries. It's my first time playing a Ventrue, and I never realized how difficult their bane is. What's the most difficult Ventrue bane you as a player have taken on, and/or given one of original Ventrue characters?

Also from baddass-at-cuddling: Second end of year ask is what do you think LaCroix's Ventrue bane is? Maybe he can only feed from handsome mobsters like Mercurio? 🤔 [I’m gonna throw both your asks in one because the second answer is gonna have a lot to do with my first answer.] And heads up trigger warning for mention of rape and slavery as I discuss a couple of White Wolfs more *edgy* character arcs. How about post-first-week-of-the-year ask. That’s about all the quicker I move with these asks. 😅 So! The Ventrue! I love them so much and they are my favorite clan. A lot of people with project their frustrations of the real-world “top 1%” onto the Ventrue and tend to treat them scornfully, or worse yet, project those frustrations onto the people who like the Ventrue. Its just make believe folks! There are numerous reasons to be fond of the vampire aristocracy and not all of them automatically equate “I want to lick the boots of harmful capitalists in real life.” Anyway, the Ventrue bane can be tricky but I think it is also one of the more appealing aspects of the clan due to how it is springboard for creativity and character development. There is no official “rhyme or reason” to why a certain Ventrue gets a certain Bane but I wanna take a little time to explain my personal pitch for how a Ventrue gets their Bane. Its not really a singular cohesive idea but I cannot fathom not making a Ventrue character’s Bane relevant to their personality or backstory. Something that explores some aspect of their psyche. Maybe constructs that sense of “personal horror” that vtm says it so loves to cultivate.

I actually know of very few canonical ventrue banes and a lot of them are... dicey. 😬

On the completely innocuous end of the spectrum you have characters like Victor Temple from LA by Night who’s preference appears to be people who “know who he is” ie recognize his fame. Its simple, and not at all difficult as long as he stays in LA or its culture sphere where he as a music industry mogul and social media personality is well known. Pretty easy to tie this to Victor psychologically, he craves recognition and maybe a human aspiration was transformed by supernatural Ventrue ambition upon his embrace. Sure would be an interesting challenge for Victor to travel to an area of the world where his music empire wasn’t well known...

Then there’s Alexander of Paris who’s blood preference only allowed him to feed from women who were in love (but not married). Devilishly specific, perhaps tricky, perhaps not if the Toreador-level-pretty Alexander could just make his blood dolls fall in love with him. I don’t know enough about this character to say if this is backstory-relavant to him.

On the dicey side you have things like our dear Jan Pieterzoon’s canonical blood restriction to only feed from rape survivors. Sort of recently I’ve seen people tossing about the headcanon that this could be made less stereotypically “White Wolf edgy dark shock value bullshit” if this was a reflection Pieterzoon being a survivor himself, and then exploring the aspects of a “personal horror” how having a blood restriction that reflects that. Because as far as I know, canon never does that, his restriction is just that way in canon to be edgy. On the other hand, yet another canonical Ventrue with a... squicky blood preference would be Andrew Seneca, a former black American slave who found out after his embrace that his blood preference was in fact, slaves. 😬I am not equipped to parse out the handling of this storyline so I won’t try but he’s got a listing on the white wolf wiki if you want to know. Without getting into it, his backstory and blood preference certainly seem to be made for a very hardcore impactful case of “personal horror,” especially regarding what he was going to do as the ages marched on, but again, I can’t really speak to how it was handled.

So by now you’ve figured out that I have a preference for Ventrue whos blood preferences speak to something intrinsic to their backstory or character arcs. I actually have something of a mini-dynasty of Ventrue OCs who’s blood preferences I’ve put a lot of thought into. I’d love to go into that but I’d prefer to do it on my personal project blog. So I’ll do that and tag you in it, okay Badass? But I will answer the question of my speculation on LaCroix’s blood preference here (finally, lol). I’ve seen a few people in fandom take a pass at it and many of them do wrap it into psychological aspects of LaCroix that they’ve explored in their own works.

I have seen a version of LaCroix where his blood preference is blood that is laced with alcohol and/or opium, ‘old timey comfort drugs’ speaking to his 19th century wartime backstory.

I’ve also seen a take in which LaCroix’s blood preference is dominant women, setting up an accidental embrace and romance that the author wanted to explore. The take that I use for my own fics is that LaCroix’s blood preference is real down to earth kind of people. Peasants, working class, to put it one way, but not because it contrasts with LaCroix’s presumed aristocracy. No, in my version LaCroix was born a common citizen into a family with only fair means. His vampiric blood preference for low-born hardworking folk is a reflection of almost all the people who surrounded him in life, family, hometown friends and soldier buddies. The kinds of people he remembers fondly from life. And our favorite even-tempered salt of the earth smuggler Mercurio fits that bill for LaCroix. Another thing I’ve always pondered is if a Ventrue’s ghouls are necessarily a “tell” as to their blood preference. I think for young Ventrue it would be, since traditionally you gotta feed on the person you’re going to ghoul to ghoul them so they have to fit their blood preference. That and one of the primary purposes for a ghoul is a quick easy snack. I suppose older Ventrue could acquire ghouls who aren’t their preference by going out of their way. To make a ghoul you just gotta exsanguinate them, you don’t necessarily have to drink it. [Edit, I mixed this up, the only difference between a ghoul and embracing a new vampire is a ghoul drinks vampire blood while in a state of good health, a new vampire is created when they drink blood while having barely any other blood in their system, ie being exsanguinated. I ALWAYS get the methods of ghouling/embrace confused] So yeah, there’s a whole big barf of my thoughts and ideas about Ventrue. I just kinda tend to do that, take a relatively simple ask and be like “WANNA SEE HOW LONG I CAN TYPE???” When I get there I’ll post about my Ventrue OCs’ blood preferences on my personal project blog. Until then thanks for reading!

#asks #badass-at-cuddling #ventrue #vampire the masquerade #vtm #blood preference

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theyilinglaozus · 3 years

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I'm definitely joining you in the XXC/SL bubble haha. The cultivator event was so much fun!! I'm really going to miss it as well! And I've yet to listen to Blackpink's album, been putting this off for too long😂 Vinyls are so great!! My dad has a vinyl player and lots of old (80s/90s) vinyls and to me, listening to them is just comfort, comfort, comfort! I've actually given him some of my favourite albums on vinyl, too, but mostly I listen to his W.A.S.P./Warlock/Steeler/Accept etc. stuff -✨

Even though my top Spotify band of 2020 was one of my oldest favourites, I've discovered so much new stuff this year! My favourite releases (albums) would have to be HUMAN:||:NATURE by Nightwish, Folkesange by Myrkur and folklore by Taylor Swift. As for songs, I really loved Endlessness by Nightwish, Abyss of Time - Countdown to Singularity by Epica, exile by Taylor Swift, God's Menu by Stray Kids and Zombie by Day6. There are lots more of course, but those are the top ones! -✨

As for books, I actually only just got a little spark for reading back, too, I really didn't read a lot this year unfortunately. My top 3 books I read were The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse (compulsory school lecture) and The Child's First Life by Jun Cai, which I actually haven't even finished but oh well. I aspire to read a lot more (and MDZS) next year, though! -✨

Now that the year is almost over, I'd like to ask you to list the good things that happened! It's been quite the tough year but still (or maybe especially because of that) it makes me very happy to find out more about the good things that happened to others! -✨

There’s just something so cosy about listening to music playing on a record player, isn’t there? 🥰 My Mum’s always been a huge music lover, so she has a rather large collection of vinyl’s she brought when she was younger. She likes to listen to some of the vinyl’s I have too, especially since it means she’s found a few new singers she likes like Florence Welch and Lana Del Rey. My Dad mostly likes listening to movie soundtracks he has through them, which is always super nice! 💕

Reading this year has just felt so difficult to do, hasn’t it? 😫 Here’s hoping 2021 will be better for kicking us out of our reading slumps! I have the Night Circus in my too read pile as well, so I must get to that at some point! I also have the authors newer book too, The Starless Sea. I’m a little anxious to start it though since I’m not sure if I’ll like it or not since reviews for it seemed a little mixed, but I’ll never know if I don’t try it 😊

Oh gosh, that’s a really good question CC! Lemme see ...

After a tough 2019, sticking to my 2020 promise to myself and trying to focus more on my own happiness rather than constantly pleasing others helped a lot with my mental health. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary to do and even though this year has been tough and isolating in general for everyone I’ve felt a lot better in myself knowing I’m not going to let certain things bother me anymore.

In a weird way, I feel like I’ve connected more with some of my friends this year despite seeing so little of them? Whether that’s down to reaching out and communicating through other ways or not, it’s been really nice! 😊 I kinda feel that things like all the lockdowns have also had this weird way of strengthening some connections just through how creative we’ve all had to get with keeping in touch with our friends and loved ones, and although I miss the friends and family I can’t see like I usually do, at least we’ve kept in contact!

This one’s going to sound a bit mushy - but finding a real comfort in a fandom circle again. I’ve been on tumblr for a little over ten years now, and I’ve never really felt like I’ve been a part of a fandom, despite having been involved in a number of other fandoms. The Untamed / MDZS fandom has honestly and truly been the loveliest, most inviting fandom, and I absolutely love how connected it feels. Being a part of it has given me the confidence to take part in fandom events and wanting to return to making graphics properly for the first time in years, and I now find it really relaxing to return to. The community built here is honestly so lovely, and I’m so glad I get to be a part of it 💖

Finding the Untamed, and it reigniting so many of my old loves. A love of creating content, a pull out of a long writing slump, a return to loving dramas after so long. It’s a story I know I’m going to be thankful for for a long time, because it’s just brought me so much happiness in a year that’s just been difficult for everyone. It’s given me the drive once again to explore and learn more about Chinese traditions and cultures, so much so that it sparked me buying other novels that I’m eager to enjoy.

Some of the video games I’ve played have honestly been little pockets of happiness throughout the year. I got to fall in love with Final Fantasy VII all over again through remake, which is honestly such a dream in and of itself as I never thought we’d see such a stunning game get to shine with a remake. Animal Crossing has been a godsend, and I’m so thankful for it being there as both a relaxing escape and a way to keep in contact and connect with others. I have friends at work that play it now, and it’s brought us so much closer! Games like Ghost of Tsushima and Jedi: Fallen Order reminded me why I love single player games as much as I do, and despite the disappointments of some titles I was looking forward to, I’m really happy I got to find new (and old!) favourites through what I got to play this year.

Seeing a childhood favourite character return into the Star Wars universe. Again, it sounds sappy, but it can mean a lot to see a character you’ve grown up with and loved so much finally come back in a way that revives that little child in you for a few moments 🥺

And finally, all the lovely new friends I’ve had the pleasure to make this year. The lovely people I’ve been able to speak to through this little fandom, the older friends from before Tumblr days that I’ve been able to speak with more due to our timezones finally matching somewhat in these crazy times.

Thank you, CC, for being such a bright spark throughout my December ☀️ It has honestly been such a joy speaking and getting to know you throughout this month. You’ve asked such incredibly interesting questions, really made me think about things in MDZS in a way I haven’t before and might not have done so otherwise, and you’ve made me laugh and smile along the way. If you’d like to keep in contact after reveal still, I’d be more than happy to! 💖 I wish you a very happy New Year, and I hope 2021 treats you and your loved ones well!

#replies #anonymous #classified cultivator ✨#mdzsnetcc

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