alastair-spear-carstairs

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

gonna need to go read a rlly good neil/jean friendship fic rn to calm myself down, if anyone has suggestions please lmk

#jean moreau

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

#jean moreau #neil josten

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

I think the most endearing thing about Jean is that he just cares. So fucking much. Not to say that Neil doesn't but Neil had to learn to care and I think it's widely accepted that he cares about a select few people and cares about them fiercely; to the point of kill or be killed.

Jean though? He cares for almost everyone regardless of what they have done to him. He cared for Zane, the man who betrayed him in the most horrifying way for a number, for something Jean had no control over. He cared enough to save his life. He cared for Lucas who brought Jean's abuser right to his gate where he had believed himself to be safe. Not once did he lash out at him because he understood that his actions came from a desperation to know his brother again, the ache of having him near again but not having him at all. He cared for Cody, someone he doesn't even really know; cared enough to ensure they were safe and not being forced into something.

After being beaten down every day, holding on to life out of sheer desperation and perhaps a promise made to a once? friend, Jean still hasn't had his ability to care beaten out of him and it's such a beautiful miracle. He's a little like Andrew in this I think, in that he pretends so desperately to not care under the guise of barbed words and cold shoulders because that's a weakness, a chink in his already dented armour that the monsters can and will exploit with glee. He knows that yet he can't choke that tenderness out of himself.

#neil josten #jean moreau

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

jean moreau came back to himself in pieces

#jean moreau

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

Beneath the clothes were his few personal possessions: namely, postcards and magnets Kevin had bought him while on the road with Riko for press events.

Jean’s favorite, a small wooden bear with a red beret […]

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

rainbows

today’s warmup sketch

#jean moreau #renee walker

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

I didn’t read TSC (yet) and decided to draw Jean before

With that little information we have on him

And I gonna draw him after I read the book and we”ll see if anything changes😏

For now it’s a dark and sad cause all i know about Jean’s life is not gives any good vibes

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

So, Kaul Du Academy and Wie Lon Temple School students start at age 10…. So Anden and Lott have known each other since they were 10?!

At the end of Jade Legacy they are ~45, that’s 35 years of weird tension brooo😭

#jade city #anden emery #jade war #jade legacy #lott jin

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

Rereading Greenbone saga again and omg my heart

#jade legacy #jade city #jade war #anden emery

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

The Twice Lucky from Fonda Lee's Jade City. Modeled in Blender and painted in Photoshop.

This painting is many many months in the making, glad to be finally put the final touches on it and send it out into the world. Please read the Green Bone Saga!!!

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

“all queer media is one dimensional, tropey, mass market, and made for teenagers-” not true. look harder

Memorial: Mike and Benson have been together for a few years and are in the middle of determining if they’re going to stay together when Mike learns that his estranged father is terminally ill, and goes to Japan to reconcile with him before his death. meanwhile Mike’s mother stays with Benson in the US. my favorite part of the novel was the part in Japan, exploring the relationship between Mike and his father (TW for racism and abuse) 

the luminous dead: w/w romance between a spelunker on a mission on an alien planet and the women who hired her for unknown reasons, who’s stationed on the surface and communicates with the mc through her high-tech caving suit. toxic but intriguing romance, killing eve and TMA fans you will enjoy this (TW for graphic descriptions of injury) 

The Vanished Birds: explores a society that was created after the Earth has been environmentally destroyed and humanity has moved onto space stations, and all space travel and commerce is controlled by corporations. queerness isn’t the focus of this book but many of the main characters are queer. beautiful writing, will make you super depressed in the best way (TW for child abuse) 

The Color Purple: Celie is separated from her sister in childhood when she’s forced into an abusive marriage by her father, but she continues to write to her over the years. an important part of the novel is the relationship that develops between Celie and her husband’s lover Shug. what I love about this book is that its an important look at misogynoir and abuse of vulnerable people, but Celie ultimately gets her happy ending. (TW for abuse, racism, sexual assault, incest) 

The Miseducation of Cameron Post: the first half chronicles the early life of Cameron, a closeted lesbian growing up in rural Montana in the 90′s. the second half is about Cameron’s experience in a conversion camp. I love the writing of this book, it’s very atmospheric. I felt like I could picture Cameron’s town in my sleep. (TW for conversion therapy, homophobia, self-harm) 

boys run the riot: manga, a trans boy who wants to work in men’s fashion one day works with two of his classmates to design and create a clothing line. I’ve only read the first volume so I cant speak on the series as a whole. the MC is only out to some people, so he gets misgendered and still wears the girls’ uniform in school. this might be difficult for some people to read, although there isn’t too much overt transphobia if I remember correctly (at least in the first volume)

The 57 bus: nonfiction, follows the stories of an agender teen who experienced a hate crime, and the boy who attacked them. A tough read, but a really important look at the justice system, racism, transphobia, and restorative justice (TW for transphobia and homophobia, violence, depictions of police and the justice system) 

our dreams at dusk: manga series about an LGBT+ center in Japan. follows gay, trans, and asexual characters. an interesting look at queer issues in Japan. also the art is gorgeous (TW for homophobia and transphobia) 

in the dream house: memoire about the author’s experience in an abusive sapphic relationship. super important, as abuse in queer relationships is so seldom talked about. hard to read but the writing is very lyrical and poetic, and beautiful (TW for abuse) 

ask the passengers:  mc is a girl who’s falling in love with another girl, while staying closeted from her gay friends because she’s not sure how to identify. the gimmick of the book is that the mc talks about her problems to airplanes in the sky, and this magically touches the lives of the people in the planes. I felt this part of the book was goofy and honestly I think it would be better without it, but I remember that the journey the mc goes through regarding her sexuality made me feel very seen (TW for homophobia) 

king and the dragonflies: written by the author of Felix Ever After. the rest of his books deserve an equal amount of attention. middlegrade, about a boy dealing with the death of his brother and coming to terms with his sexuality. I liked the relationship between King and his family. they weren’t super homophobic but they also weren’t completely accepting at first either, it felt like a very realistic and healthy depiction of a family (TW for homophobia, racism, child abuse) 

haven’t personally read, on my tbr: Giovanni’s Room, Nevada, Stone Butch Blues, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, My Cat Yugoslavia, My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness 

“queer media is all boring period pieces and people getting divorced and experiencing horrible homophobia and tragedy-” not true. look harder

The Magic Fish: graphic novel, a young Vietnamese-American boy reads fairy tales with his mother to help her practice her english, and searches for a way to come out to her. some of my favorite art in a graphic novel, look it up its stunning

Honeygirl: going through quarter life crises and unsure of what to do after earning her PhD, the mc goes to vegas and ends up getting drunkenly married to a woman she doesnt know. the mc’s relationship with academia was very relatable to me 

whatever: basically just about the mc fucking around with his friends, being in a band, and discovering that hes gay. a lot of fun, love the characters

anything by Alice oseman: Alice Oseman is the only person I trust to write about the fandom experience in YA fiction. my personal fave is iwbft. disclaimer: I haven’t read solitaire, cant say whether its good or gay

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World: middlegrade, Ivy’s family’s home is destroyed by a tornado, and shes also dealing with the fact that she’s realizing she’s a lesbian. some internalized homophobia, but everyone in Ivy’s life is really accepting and its very sweet

my love mix-up: manga, mc has a crush on a girl in his class and asks to borrow her eraser, and sees the name of a different boy written on it (this is a popular love charm in Japan). boy #2 sees the mc holding the eraser, and thinks HE has a crush on HIM. very wholesome and funny, and one of the few times I’ve read a manga that actually allows a character to have crushes on people of multiple genders. it deals with homophobia in some cases, which makes it feel grounded in reality, but all of the mc’s friends are very accepting, and its very cute. 

The Tarot Sequence: urban fantasy set in a modern magical society, mc is the heir to a family of the magical aristocracy, but since his family was killed he’s fallen from grace, is broke, and works as a mercenary for other powerful families. he tries to unravel the mystery of his family’s death on the side. m/m romance and found family. love the characters and the world building, and the author is planning for this to be a NINE book series. next book is coming out May 2022!! (TW for sexual assault) 

In Other Lands: mc gets recruited to go to magical summer camp, except he’s genre-savvy, hates fighting, and misses technology. super funny satire of portal fantasy books, but will also have you aching for the mc? elliot schafer my beloved 

havent personally read, on my tbr: a hero at the end of the world, the poster children, tell me how you really feel, heavy vinyl

we absolutely do have a long way to go in regards to queer representation, but it frustrates me to no end when I see post claiming that queer fiction is all one specific type of story. there are lots of queer creators out there writing unique, thoughtful, beautiful stories who deserve our support! if theres a particular type of queer fiction you would like to see, do a little digging because its likely that SOMETHING similar exists. it just doesnt exist on like disney+

also @lgbtqreads is an incredible resource, if you want to read something gay and have a specific genre or type of story in mind I highly recommend looking around on their blog 

additional recommendations welcome!

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

All cats know that humans are a bad omen!

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

Beautiful things are supposed to hurt.

Londonsonas

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

@Fanfic writers:

My friend send me this link, is a series on a profile on Ao3 (tumblr) that has different tutorials to insert things to fanfics via html code, I thought I would share bc it’s really cool

Lists of tutorials:

How to make images fit in mobile browsers

This is a tutorial/live example on how to make large images fit on mobile browsers but remain normal size on desktop browsers.

How to mimic letters, fliers, and stationery without using images

This is a tutorial/live example on how to mimic the look of letters, fliers, and stationery (as well as other forms of written media) without using images. For all your epistolary fic needs.

How to make a “choose your own adventure” Fic

This is a tutorial/live example on how to create a "Choose Your Own Adventure" fic. While this has been explained before (see here), this particular tutorial shows you how to use a work skin to hide the next parts from the reader until they click through to get to them.

How to make linked footnotes on Ao3

This is a live example of how an author can create linked footnotes in their work with only a little bit of HTML and no workskins required. This is best viewed by clicking "Entire Work". While I've included the actual coding in bold and italic once you click "Hide Creator's Style", there's a more detailed explanation here.

How to change text on Ao3 when the cursor is hovering over it (or clicked on mobile)

This a tutorial/live example on how to have text change or appear once a cursor is hovering over it. Helpful for pop-up spoilers, language translations, quick author's notes, etc.

How to mimic author’s notes and Kudos/Comment buttons

Anonymous on tumblr: do you have a skin that would mimic the author’s notes and review/kudos buttons section from the end of a fic? the desired effect being that the fic could go on after the “end” of the fic, so after the author’s notes and review/kudos buttons

Here's a tutorial/live example to do just that, with some of the buttons actually functioning. I'll explain more inside!

How to wrap text around images

This is a tutorial/live example on how to align images to the left or right of the screen and have text wrap around them.

How to mimic email windows

This is a tutorial/live example on how to mimic email windows on AO3 without the need to use images.

How to make ios text messages on Ao3

This is a tutorial/live example on how to mimic iOS text messages on AO3 without the need to use images. There's also a chapter on how to have emojis displayed on AO3 as well.

How to make Customized page deviders

Bored with the default page dividers? This is a tutorial/live example on how customize your page dividers with no images needed (though I do show you how you could use images if you wanted to do such a thing).

How to make invisible text (That can be highlighted)

This is a live example how to make invisible text that can only be seen by highlighting the text. Tutorial is included in text, and you can always leave comments about questions you may have.

MOBILE USERS: Sadly, this probably won't work for you, since highlighting in a mobile browser is different than web. I've tried correcting this, but have yet to find a solution.

How to make a rounded playlist

Original coding and design is from layouttest. I make no claims for it, just tweaked it so it will work on AO3.

How to create notebook lined paper on Ao3

This is a live example of my AO3 skin that allows the author to recreate the look of lined notebook paper in their work. To learn more about it, you can find the tutorial here.

Sticky notes on Ao3 without using images

This is a live example of my AO3 skin that allows the author to recreate the look of sticky notes (aka Post-Its) in their fic. To learn more about it, you can find the tutorial here.

How to make deadpool’s thinking thinking boxes on Ao3

This is a live example of my AO3 skin that allows the author to recreate the look of Deadpool's thinking boxes in their fic. To learn more about it, you can find the tutorial here.

How to make newspaper articles on Ao3

This is a live example of my AO3 skin that allows the author to recreate the look of a newspaper article in their work. To learn more about it, you can find the tutorial here.

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

my favorite things about andreil, an extensive list because i need to talk about them:

- this bone deep understanding they have for each other. this is something neither of them have been able to achieve with anyone else. andrew sees right through neil's lies, and neil figures out the truth about andrew's supposed sociopathic tendencies when his even his own cousin didn't. neil knows when not to push andrew, and andrew knows how to bring neil down. they will be able to understand the meaning behind the other's words, the way neil understood the percentages and the 'i hate you's'. they just get each other in a way i've never seen before in a ship, ever, and i think it's beautiful.

- the amount of trust they have for each other. not just in the content way, bcs that gets a whole other section, but just. the trust. neil trusts andrew with his life, he trusts andrew to keep him safe and he trusts andrew with his secrets. neil has never done this before, ever. he was trained to never trust anyone, so to see him give up bits of his soul for andrew? there's something really special about that. andrew in turn, trusts neil to never push too hard, trusts neil to know when to stop asking, and they trust each other so much it- *sobs*

- the yes or nos. the consent. this was really beautiful to read, especially now, in 2020, when explicit consent is seen as an overreaction or being too dramatic. it was refreshing to see neil accepting these yes or nos without question, and answering them everytime even if the answer was always gonna be yes. andrew refusing to kiss neil again until he gets an explicit yes, because "i won't be like them. i won't let you let me be." neil only ever wants to learn andrew's boundaries so he won't ever go too far. andrew is okay with their relationship because neil listens to nos.

- andrew is perfect for neil. andrew doesn't shy away from the harsher parts of neil's life, he doesn't get scared or disgusted when neil talks about his father or his life on the run. andrew accepts this, andrew takes these parts of neil and moves on. andrew's brand of caring, the harsh, blunt way he approaches neil's panic attacks and breakdowns is exactly what neil needs. he doesn't trust kindness, and andrew isn't kind.

- neil is perfect for andrew. neil is someone who took the time to try and figure andrew out, even when the rest of the team brushed him off as a monster. neil learned the way andrew viewed the world, the way andrew views other people and himself, before anyone else did. i already talked about it, but the way neil understands andrew is something that keeps me up at night. neil knows andrew better than anyone ever will, not because andrew let's him but because neil tries and succeeds in learning him himself.

- their WORDPLAY. andrew doesn't ever say things clearly, or at least when he's talking to neil he doesn't. neil takes andrew's words and remembers them, just so he can throw them back at andrew later on. they remember these things, these words and phrases that everyone else would file away as unnecessary and keep them close to their hearts. that's a terrible way of explaining it but yeah, their wordplay is the best.

- the way they view each other. neither of them believe that the other can fix them, neither of them believe that the other can make them whole. they are enough for each other, they provide distraction when necessary and listen when it's important. they know that this thing, whatever it is, is not going to be able to heal them and give them their happy ending, but it's important enough that it makes both of them want to try. try to heal, try to grow, try to get their happy ending.

- their communication! they don't shy away from telling each other the truth, they don't try to soften the blows of harsh words and they tell each other exactly what they need and what they're thinking. they don't hide behind softer phrases and expect the other to figure it out for themselves. they do the wordplay and the banter but they don't try and hide their own personal issues from each other. they might not talk about feelings constantly, but communication is one of the biggest aspects in andreil's relationship and it's a lot of the reason why neil stuck with it, i think at least.

- bouncing off of that, their silent communication. they know each other SO WELL. neil can, for the most part, tell what andrew is thinking from just looking at him a little closer than everyone else. he notices andrew. andrew reads neil like an open book, which is impressive considering neil is really good at hiding what he is thinking and feeling. they don't need words.

- the fact that these two are actually really fucking soft, just not in the way anyone would expect them to be. they talked for 3 hours on the bus on the way to birminghamton. neil stares at andrew in a way that makes andrew tell him to 'stop staring'. andrew makes neil smile. they steal each others cigarettes. they have matching coats. they have matching phones. they have matching ARMBANDS for fucks sake. andrew kisses neil like the world and stops and starts with his mouth. they will follow each other without question. they sit on the fucking rooftop and look out at the sky. neil watches andrew on flights to make sure he's okay. andrew holds the back of neil's neck and tells him he's real.

- they don't say i love you. they don't get married. i don't hate when fics or hcs say they do these things, bcs some people can actually find a way to go about it without trying to change them completely and shove them into a stereotype of them being a happy couple and bash nora for the fun of it, but i personally like it. them not saying i love you literally just means they find thousands of other ways to express how much they mean to each other. they hold hands, they tell each other secrets, they have cats, they have an apartment together. andrew let's neil push him down, and when neil reaches for a gun he finds andrew's arm instead. they trust each other and that, i think, means more to them more than any i love you or marriage certificate ever will.

these two are soulmates in every sense of the word, and i can't believe i was lucky enough to find them.

(alternatively: all the reasons why andreil isn't overhyped and you just have no reading comprehension skills)

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

Not to be a bitch, but saying “just because the author didn’t write about X doesn’t mean X wasn’t there!” is super funny to me. You’re having me fill in the writing gaps for CC in my head? So she can perfectly write like 5 descriptions of someone’s tongue going inside another’s mouth but not a few, poignant paragraphs?

The point is, it’s literally the author’s job to SHOW and at the very least TELL the readers the aftermath of the a supposedly super relevant character’s death. And I don’t mean the sobbing and shock, I’m talking about what goes inside the head and heart.

(Especially if said death was *thematically* a bad choice and foreshadowing and death flags were pointing to another death.)

Your “at the end of the third book” argument is counterproductive because of this. It’s just cheap to kill off a major supportive cast that wasn’t developed at all when there’s little page time left. And then just go on focusing on wrapping things up with a bow. It’s underwhelming, lazy writing.

Media literacy is dead? Lmao be serious

some of y'all can't cope with the canon deviating from your headcanons and it's really affecting how you consume and process media

#the last hours #tlh #the shadowhunter chronicles #cassandra clare #cassie clare #chain of thorns #chain of thorns spoilers

[alastair-spear-carstairs]

I LOVE how you think

Hear me out, Thomas and Alastair are going to be the trope, one-fell-first-but-the-other-fell-harder. 

#thomas lightwood #alastair carstairs #thomastair #the last hours #chain of gold #chain of iron #chain of thorns #tlh