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bard-llama · 6 months

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20 Question Fic Writer Game

Thanks for tagging me @chickiefoo!

How many works do you have on AO3? Today, 450. Probably will go up in the next few days, though, because I enjoy posting daily when I can and I have some new content (vs new chapters to published stuff)

What is your AO3 word count? 2,177,884 🤯🤯🤯

What fandoms do you write for? Primarily, I write for the Witcher, but I spent the last year writing for Avatar, the Last Airbender. Honestly, I've written for a number of fandoms, but most of it was when I first got an AO3 account in high school and college, before I stopped writing for several years. The Witcher got me back into it, and since then, it's only been that and atla. And maybe possibly the DND movie a little bit, but I don't actually have any words on paper, so I don't think it counts.

What are your top five fics by kudos? 1. Fire and Water (atla) 2. A Second Chance at Family (atla) 3. Five Times Geralt Frotted Against Jaskier's Ass and One Time He Fucked It (TWN) 4. 5 Dinners with the Lioness (Plus 1 with the Lion Cub) (TWN) 5. Death Rites (atla) Kinda funny that I have more Witcher Video Game (esp Iorveth/Roche) fics than any others and yet none make the top 5, but honestly, I think it's just because atla and TWN have bigger fandoms with more people. And technically, I do mostly write a rare pair... (they have 744 works now... but 146 of those are mine...)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I try to, but honestly, I get overwhelmed really easily and I figure people would prefer if I focus my effort on writing vs trying to respond if it's a choice between the two, so...

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Hmmm. See, the thing is, endings are.... not something I get to that often. But the first thing that came to mind was an atla fic where Zuko gets his hands chopped off and his feet fucked up and then has to learn how to recover. In general, though, I have to write endings that are at least hopeful, if not necessarily happy.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Uh. I don't even know how to measure this???? Maybe Bitter Victories (Witcher)? That one starts out really angsty, but ends in the afterlife with a happily ever after (but like, kind of a bittersweet one bc they're alone in their afterlife, all their friends still alive).

Do you get hate on fics? Unfortunately, I had a fic fairly recently that I really did get a lot and that was rough. But also, when I mentioned it in the author's notes, people were really, really sweet and supportive in response. So if you get hate: delete it and seek out validation from people, because you deserve to know that the hate is bullshit. And also, the back button exists and if you're old enough to be on the internet, you're old enough to know how to use it.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I have 103 Explicit fics on AO3, so... yeah. Um. The kinky kind???

Do you write crossovers? Not really? Well, I guess it depends on how you define it. I do a lot of like, crossovers between different Witcher mediums - but it's all still the same universe. I dunno that I'd ever branch into doing a whole different universe (though, just saying, Ciri's power was made for universe hopping).

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge. I hope not?

Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! It's so cool! I had a fic get translated into Russian.

Have you ever cowritten a fic before? Not really. When I was 9 or 10, my bestie and I would write together, but honestly, I like having full control over everything and my muse is unpredictable. It's best to just work alone than to have someone waiting on something I can't promise I'll deliver. That said, my process really depends on being able to talk through and brainstorm ideas with other people. It's very much collaborative, but I - or rather, my muse - has ultimate control.

What's your all-time favourite ship? Probably Iorveth/Roche (Witcher)? I mean, I've written an awful lot of them and they're the kind of characters where even if the story isn't about them, there's still a regard between them, you know?

What's a WIP you'd like to finish but doubt you ever will? I like to believe that I will one day finish ALL my WiPs... as much of a pipe dream as that sometimes seems... (I have over 300 WiPs)

What are your writing strengths? I think I'm pretty good at character voice? And I'm decent at porn. Uh, I guess my muse is really inventive, too? And I certainly have no shortage of ideas.

What are your writing weaknesses? Description is definitely the biggest one. I am not a visual person AT ALL and so I don't really think to describe the scene much??? And I really can only give details if I've actually like, built out the floorplan or made the character design or something. There's a reason I build a lot of settings and characters in the Sims.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I mean, I've done it, I think it can be important for a scene - but I also think it's important for the reader to know what's being said, so I usually put it in brackets next to the other language, so you don't have to jump to footnotes or something.

First fandom you wrote for? BBC Merlin, I think

Favourite fic you've ever written? You expect me to choose ONE!?!?!?! (Honestly, it depends on my mood.)

This was fun! Tagging @lutes-and-dandelions, @moonlights-ordinance, @miahclone, @fantom-flower, @useless-empty-brain, anyone else who wants to???

#tag game #my fics

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archangelmacaron · 10 months

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What's up friends I feel like I was offline for a long time but it was probably only like a week? Idk

anyways:

- you should read Frau Faust (I am rereading it) and then you should talk to me about it. Please. I'm reading on ipad instead of phone and ahh it looks so pretty 🤩

- original content is goin'. I've been busy and it's way easier to draw than write so I've made a lot of art but I just don't cross post it much. I don't think I have writer's block, exactly, I just need discipline to sit down and actually do it and to stop being so motivated by any outside validation. I am like, always thinking about my OCs and now I'm trying to think more on how to reach the people who will love them, too. I don't want to be published or anything like that, I just want people who will like my stuff to have access to it so they can be happy.

- Alice's Warped Wonderland/Alice in Distortionland is very good but it hit some of my weird deeply personal triggers hard, cptsd sucks ass 0/10 do not recommend so takin a little break before hitting up the true ends. I seriously love Ariko & Cheshire's relationship though it's so weirdly sweet. Remember it's free to play, BUT you can buy it outright, too! I need to get the Switch version as well.

- extremely 😬 about the delay in ENG finale for Noel the Mortal Fate, but I'm excited to ask Kanawo-sensei a question on Fanbox! I have so many, but I really really wanna know what a certain character in a certain cut plotline looked like! I haven't decided if that will be what I ask. I think that they would have been revealed in the previous post if they wanted to show them. Also, please, I need more art and fic. Please.

- I once again find myself kind of bored and starved for content that hits my exact tastes but also too tired to create something new. I need inspiration, but it's so hard to find when my brain is fixated on just one flavor! I'm always up for recs

-I might update my icon soon as a head's up!

- if you haven't read my OC or fanfics, great news: I do not write like I do in my musings. It's way clearer. Lol.

Anyways again if you are reading this ILU and hope you have a great day or night or inbetween time.

#macaron musings #feeling so weirdly detached tonight

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youngpettyqueen · 1 year

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✨🌈🎉 for the fic writer game, please!

✨ “What's a fic you've posted you wish you could breathe life into again and have people talking about it? (or simply a fic you wish got more credit)”

Probably leave your roles at the door. I have a lot of love for that fic and compared to some other stuff I’ve written it didn’t get much attention. I get why it didn’t- genfic in general doesn’t do as well as shipfic, and there isn’t really a lot of demand for Margaret and Radar content, but it’s one of my fav things I’ve ever written and I wish it got more attention to reflect that

🌈 “is there a fic that you worked *really fucking hard on* that no one would ever know? maybe a scene/theme you struggled with?”

what remains, which might be surprising cause it’s so short! I really struggled with both the beginning and the ending. I’d been trying to write that one for months, but couldn’t figure out how to get it going. Once I did, I couldn’t figure out how to end it

Originally it was longer. There was a lot more insight into Hawkeye and Radar’s relationship from BJ’s POV, and him thinking on how few people Hawkeye had left from the beginning. It felt very long-winded and tacked on just for angst’s sake, so I ultimately cut a good 500 - 1k out of the fic and ended it at short and sweet. I think the fic is a lot better for it, and works better as a short, insightful scene rather than a longer story proper

🎉 “how often do you celebrate completing & posting a work? how often do you give yourself the credit/validation that you seek from others when you post? (if you don't, you should!)”

I celebrate every single one haha, I’m not shy about giving myself credit and validation. I write all of my fics for me first and everyone else second. I’m very much a “I wrote this for me but you can read it too” type of fic author. It’s why I don’t feel bad if my fics don’t get a lot of attention. I wish some got more, but ultimately I didn’t write them for other people. I wrote them for me, and posted them for fun, and I let the attention boost my ego a bit

At the end of the day, I know I’m a good writer. I’m a published author and I write a lot of original content, including the novel I’m working on. Fic is practice for me to make sure I don’t get caught in ruts and to practice my character writing. It’s all in good fun for me, so every post is a fun little celebration of inflicting my brain rot on everyone else haha

#fic bitching #ty for the ask!!

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awritersreads · 2 years

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(WRITTEN ON: 18 October 2022, published late due to reasons)

Currently Reading: Restore Me by Taherah Mafi

QUESTION: Who is/are your favourite book character/s? And why?

This one is hard, given the way characters just seem to carve a route to my heart and live there rent-free but if I have to choose, I'm happy to say that I do have a list of tenants, though in no particular order at all.

Percy Jackson

I think most people at least go through a phase of having him as a favourite character or a comfort character. In all honesty, Percy is definitely in my top 3 characters, and I simply adore Kelphead.

I love this guy for a multitude of reasons, not only is he super funny, sweet and adorably dorky but Percy's also the perfect example of a positive, boys will be boys.

I found his POV amazing, it was hilarious, light-hearted, fast-paced and so much more.

He was one of my first comfort characters and this guy is honestly one of the main reasons I have such a positive attitude towards my ADHD.

I feel like I did a terrible job explaining why I love Perce so much but I don't know, here's my feeble attempt at explaining my affection for this hyperactive little puppy.

And one last thing to add: while there's nothing wrong with having a crush on Percy, I mean a good chunk of the fandom either does or did, I can truthfully say that for whatever reason I just didn't fall for him and so romantic or physical attraction to him doesn't at all play a part in this affection.

Hermione Granger

I adore Hermione to an unknown, probably never-ending length.

She was the first character I just felt that click with and she's always been an inspiration to me and has helped me to feel a lot more secure in my own skin and under my crazy curls.

She's also inspired me to speak up in class even when I was embarrassed, she's inspired me to be proud of my nerdiness, to keep trying to do my best, and to be ambitious but work hard to achieve those ambitions.

And she cries all the time. Which I love. This helped me to be more comfortable expressing my own emotions and become more comfortable with vulnerability and not chase after an idealised, stupid version, of strength and intellect.

Hermione also shares the same greatest fear as me; the fear of failure, of never being good enough, as we see in Prisoner of Azkaban. Which I could (and still can) just relate to. It was honestly so wonderful to be able to have that in common with her.

Although the thing that most drew me to Hermione was that she wasn't just perfect.

We see her put in so much effort for her good grades and that was extremely validating for me, the reason being that I already adored Hermione and am super hard on myself about just being smart. Sometimes I used to feel as though if I were truly so smart I should just be able to do everything, just like that, but seeing Hermione working so hard for all of her successes was liberating for moi.

Harry Potter

I just love this guy, okay?

And I also can't count the number of times one of his lines or thoughts made me laugh so hard I choked-often when both laughing and choking were not too great to be doing, like say 1AM when you're re-reading Half-Blood Prince and are supposed to be sleeping.

The HP series are also the books that had a massive impact on me, not only for Harry's amazing sass but because he really helped me to grow as a person, for the better, and he taught me bravery, strength and his point of view, and his story, always has been an escape back home for me.

And also, this boy screws up, all the damn time.

I just can't not love him for that, it helped me get over my perfectionism issues alongside Hermione.

And again, he says stuff like:

‘Yeah,’ said Harry, ‘but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone.’

(Order of The Phoenix)

‘There's no need to call me 'sir', Professor.’

(Half-Blood Prince)

‘Why are they all standing around that manky old boot?’

(Goblet of Fire)

("Listening to the news! Again?") "Well, it changes every day, you see," said Harry.

(Order of The Phoenix)

Cyra Noavek

She is badass, yet sweet. Hard, yet kind. Strong yet weak. Daring yet sly.

When I need to do something that scares me and I need to be strong Cyra's book is the one that's coming with me.

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spacentimecreature · 3 years

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So I saw something from another artist/creator while scrolling through something, and it was about how capitalism makes it so that you can't make anything for... fun, really; it's all about getting better and making more for more money. It was honestly very inspiring, because the artist also said that they make their works to enjoy themselves!

#sorry that just flashed into my mind when i started like. writing smth #i write to enjoy a story that isnt out there yet #and i publish stuff so i can get that sweet sweet validation #but its nice knowing that i dont have to share ALL my stuff despite the fact that i would like too #because its like a doubleedged sword; publish something but it doesnt get much attention and bam instant 'damn. guess no one cares'#kinda mindset #so. yeah.

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nyancatkuroo · 3 years

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Hot Neighbor Sakusa x Y/n

Here it is! My first Miki Mouse Whorehouse collab.

Many first times this time around, my first omi-omi fic ever, first fic published on this blog and it’s all very exciting.

BEWARE THOUGH, this is a dark fic so many TW’s to come.

You can thank @undermattsun for what you’re about to read, my eyes are still very much burning but, huh, enjoy!

Choose who to lewd next, from a selection of many other characters and fandoms. I’m just one of many whores who contributed to this collab!

Pairing: Neighbor Sakusa x Y/N

WC: 1.5k

TW: Deepthroating, spitting, hitting (slight pushes), hair pulling, feet sucking, just a whole lotta sucking my guy, oral sex m! receiving.

A/N: I may or may not have had too much fun talking about crocs and that toe sucking scene may or may not have awakened something in me.

“Fuck! I can’t believe I’m out of eggs too!”

You close the cabinet door and sigh, that’s just like you to be out of just about anything you need to bake some carrot muffins. Sure, you got the carrots, but what about eggs and some flour? As you stand in your kitchen, empty bowls and unpeeled carrots around you, you think of what to do.

The market is a mere 10 minute walk from your apartment but going out at 8pm on a winter night, where the sun is long gone and the cold is colder than ever, is not something you feel like doing. You shiver at the thought and scratch your head, at a loss for ideas when your phone pings, startling you from your thoughts.

You see it’s a message from Sakusa, your next door neighbor, who says to keep it down. You blush as you realize your earlier scream must’ve been louder than you thought, the whole dorm floor might have very well heard you. As you’re typing out a response, you get an idea.

To Sakusucks

Yeah wtv, bring me some eggs I’m all out

From Sakusucks

Not happening.

To Sakusucks

BOOOO

I still have those baby wipes you lent me at school the other day

so fresh

so clean

Before you even have time to send yet another annoying message, you hear your front door opening and see Sakusa in your living room, as much as a dorm room allows you to have one at least.

“This place gets more disgusting every time I come.”

You look around, eyeing the scattered plates and textbooks around the room and - wait, is that a moldy piece of cheese on the floor? How is that even possible, you wonder, before your eyes meet Sakusa’s disgusted face, which happens to also be eyeing the moldy piece of food.

“Yeah anyways, where are my eggs?” You say, hoping it’ll stop the man from commenting on the moldy cheese.

“What?”

“My eggs, you know, that stuff that comes out of a chicken’s butt or whatever.”

At that, Sakusa eyes you from top to bottom, a scrutinizing stare that sends shivers down your spine. You see the dark haired boy walking to meet you and smile innocently his way. What you don’t see coming though, is his finger, until it’s already down your throat. You choke on the foreign object having entered your mouth and feel yourself gag.

Sakusa adds a second finger, then a third, as you suck and choke on the spiker’s hand. You feel yourself blush under Sakusa’s unimpressed stare and remember how you were able to suck on four fingers the last time the boy came over. The thought of Sakusa’s dick in your mouth, for a ‘cleaning session’ the curly-haired man would say, makes a familiar warmth curl its way down your stomach and you feel your mouth going slack.

“You forget your place, you nasty fucking whore,” he berates. You moan and suck harder on Sakusa’s fingers, as he slowly takes them out of your mouth and wipes his hand on your hair before pulling at it, bringing you down on your knees.

Cheeks flushed, breath still ragged from the fingers down your throat, you look up to see Sakusa’s annoyed face. You can’t help the whimper that escapes your lips at his words.

“Look at you, you’re a mess.” He smirks before letting go of your hair, showing you his still wet hand, “see what you did, you dirty slut, how should I punish you for making me dirty?”

You feel the spiker’s hand making its way back to the top of your head and feel a forceful tug that sends your face crashing against the hard floor.

“Take off my shoe.” Your eyes widen as his words sink in, “Or am I gonna have to make you?”

You look down at the feet in front of you, Sakusa’s toes hidden by his sock and sandals. “I can’t believe I’m gonna suck toes for a man who wears crocs with cleaning supplies jibbitz on them,” you find yourself thinking.

Sakusa catches on and mistakes your break in action for hesitancy. “I took a shower 20 minutes ago, not that you should worry about that seeing the state of this place.”

You quickly shake off the crocs’ thought and take off the man’s right shoe and sock. As Sakusa rests his back on your kitchen counter, you take his foot, gulp and start licking his toes, from the big toe to the little one, taking your time to suck between each toe as well. You moan and slurp, quickly getting into it, thinking of it as Sakusa’s bulging shaft, which you see becoming harder and bigger through the fabric of his grey joggers.

You hear Sakusa humming appreciatively and look up, a mouthful of foot deep down your throat. You start nibbling on Sakusa's toes, in an attempt to please him more, which you apparently succeed in doing, going by the moan that escapes his lips.

Back resting against your kitchen counter, you see Sakusa open his eyes, hooded lids searching the distance, an easy smile on his face that is quick to disappear when he catches your eyes. He takes his foot, leaving your mouth feeling weirdly empty, and pushes your face away with the foot that was in your mouth moments ago. He wipes himself on you again, this time on your bare thigh, seeing as you’re wearing some short shorts.

He leaves your side and goes to sit on the couch at the other side of the room. He takes off his remaining footwear before sitting down, his legs spread wide as both a confirmation that he isn’t done playing with you, and for comfort, seeing how his crotch area has visibly tightened.

You bite your lips, eyeing the very desirable man in front of you, and make your way to the sofa. You sit next to Sakusa and firmly press your hand to his crotch. You hear the spiker groan, sending you an aggravated look that only makes you smile as you quickly slide a hand down his pants, taking his already hard cock out of its clothed prison.

You lick your lips at the sight of the pinkish head, ideas already forming in your head, but before you have time to act on any of your dark thoughts, you hear Sakusa call your name. You lock eyes and feel him taking your hand, which he kisses before slowly sucking off every single one of your fingers. You only take your eyes away from the man when you feel him spit in the palm of your hand.

You take that as your cue to start massaging his erection, going up and down his entirety with your hand, pumping faster and playing with the head of his cock until it isn’t enough anymore.

You get off the couch and settle comfortably between the man’s open legs before taking him in your mouth. You feel full again, now that you have something in your mouth to play with, and start sucking Sakusa off, pumping with your hand at the same time.

You hear him whispering some sweet curses at you and moan from the validation. You feel Sakusa gripping at your hair once again, pulling hard to make you face him. He grips your head with his hand and forcefully opens your mouth with his thumb, positioning himself to face you, and then spits in your mouth before shoving your face back on his dick, which you gratefully welcome back into your mouth, this time letting him use you like a ragdoll.

You hear yourself gurgling and gagging at each of Sakusa’s furious thrusts, but never deep enough to make you spill your insides out, the dark-haired boy taking his dick in and out of your orifice to let you have a half second of a moment’s rest before fucking your face anew.

He’s close, you feel it by the way his dick is twitching in your mouth and you scrape your teeth against his shaft to bring him closer to the edge. Sakusa thrusts deeper and faster, fukcing your face numb until he comes inside of you with a grunt. He pushes you off of him and finishes by pumping himself dry, coming on the floor, and before he even commands you to clean it off with your tongue, you find yourself on your knees, licking the ground like a famished dog.

Before you have time to process any new information, you feel the spiker taking you from the floor and placing you on the couch, brushing your hair with his hands and placing a forehead kiss on you, whispering a ‘you did well cleaning me off today’ before getting up to leave. You didn’t even notice him putting his shoes back on, dick nowhere in sight either. You feel your eyes close as you hear Sakusa’s voice.

“Oh and before I forget, I don’t have eggs either.”

The spiker’s words are left hanging in the air, your head still hazy from the cleaning the man just gave you. You want to answer, but your words are lost to fatigue and you barely hear the door of the apartment closing. You may not have gotten what you wanted, but Sakusa didn’t get his baby wipes either. None of that matters though, you think, as you end up falling asleep on your couch, a filfthy fucking mess.

#sakusa x reader #sakusa #king of cleaning (you) out #if you know what I mean #pornhub au #kjgfskjdkaj #wrote this in like 3h and finished at 1am #very much let myself be swayed by the head empty no thoughts mentally #so uh #yeah #here's this #gaby writes #also one last #sakusa x y/n #for the road

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wheredidhiseyebrowsgo · 3 years

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hi! hope you guys are doing well! i'm not sure if you guys already made a post about it and i missed it or tumblr ate my ask, but i was looking for some emotionally mature sterek where they went through therapy or emotional healing first before they get together? or just some really healthy established relationship with good communication and stuff. thankyou in advance! :D

AND

Anonymous said:

Hey I was looking for any sterek fics with healthy communication? Like instead of long arguments about nothing or spirals of self pity and hate and jealousy that some slow burns have, they actually talk to each other? Or like where once they realize that they like the other they tell them honestly? Thanks!

Yeah!

Lost Time, Lost Control by clottedcreamfudge

(1/1 I 2,892 I Mature)

“I don’t even know where to fucking start with that sentence, Stiles.”

“Any normal, good-mannered werewolf would start by renouncing their homophobia so they can support their friend in the pursuit of pastures peen, Derek,” Stiles says primly, standing up and shaking his head forlornly. Derek rubs his hands over his face, which doesn’t help.

Pastures peen, Jesus Christ.

***

Sometimes it’s not so bad to give someone else control.

prince charming is a lie by stilinski

(1/1 I 2,916 I Teen)

"I think it was a mistake to kiss me, that first time."

It takes Stiles half a second to realise Derek's said anything; he's been quiet for a little while, tucked between Stiles and the arm of the couch with Stiles' hand in his lap while Stiles answered emails with the other. Stiles abandons his phone to turn his attention to Derek, who isn't looking at him, continues to play with his Stiles' fingers. A lead weight settles in the pit of Stiles' stomach but he pushes past it.

Complicated but Ridiculously Simple by Ionaonie

(1/1 I 9,882 I General)

Despite what Scott thought, Derek was into him. Stiles knew that. But Derek needed to be comfortable with himself, had to have dealt with all his issues before he’d let anything happen between them. Knowing what he did, Stiles respected that. But if one day Derek decided he only wanted them to be friends, well, Stiles would deal with that if it happened.

Syrup Sweet by thatfizzyfeeling

(2/2 I 13,174 I Explicit)

Just a soft little story about two boys who are really into each other. But not in the way you might assume - cough. Really, it's all very gentle. Right up until you get to the hardcore porn. Then it's...well, then it's just satisfying.

Hot Single Dad Derek Hale by WhoNatural

(1/1 I 13,315 I Explicit)

Wherein Derek is a Hot Single Dad, possibly with a little case of martyrdom, and Stiles is the newest client at his publishing house who really just wants to make him happy. Preferably while they're both naked.

He doesn’t get to talk to Stiles a whole lot - and it’s fine, it’s professional and polite, but there is a little something that lights up in him when he thinks about him, sees him. Derek’s life has been mostly about preschool and Big Hero 6 and extra-curricular activities for so long now that it’s a shock to the system when he finds himself pre-occupied with something so... adult. And there are many, many adult things on his mind where Stiles is concerned.

Intended effects by Fox_Pause

(11/11 I 14,848 I Teen)

Derek's been hiding away for months now. Not just days, or even weeks. Months. He's moved way past healing whatever wounds he thinks validates deserting the pack, and is now heading straight into hermit territory.

Stiles won't let that happen. Not while he's still alive and kicking.

Don’t Take Your Work Home With You by step_lightly_little_wren

(12/12 I 56,083 I Explicit)

Stiles was suddenly reminded of those Choose Your Own Adventure books. He wished he could have looked ahead to see if choosing, “I want to climb you like a tree,” would land him in the sexy sex-beast’s sexy sex-lair or the unemployment line in the mystical Land of Fired-For-Sexually-Harassing-His-Boss.

#teen wolf #sterek #stiles stilinski #derek hale #established relationship #fluff

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what-the-witch-stuff · 3 years

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Allright. Elliott thread that nobody asked for. Part 3

You wonder what’s going on?: Part 1 | Part 2

Where was I....

.....Ah yes: But how else would you know? Because you need to know. Everyone needs to know that he is a real author (and a gentleman of course). You need to know that he has the skill, the education and the dedication to the craft. He is not just anybody, like some fraud who has nothing to show for himself. Oh, The horrors of anybody doubting him! ...oh~ wait a second, that is exactly what this is about, isn’t it? When you first meet him: He has nothing to show for himself.

If I would write angsty insecurity-issues stuff, this is where I would lay the foundation. I am still a tad bit indecisive about how fragile his ego actually is. Like, beneath the facade: How much would Elliott link his level of success to his sense of self worth? How much is his self-expression a form of compensation? Let the fanfics decide! Nevertheless, there is some evidence for Elliott having a real issue when his insinuation clashes with reality, I think. He complaints to the player that back home people doubted him and told him he would never make it as an author. In the end, he does successfully publish a book! His success is, after all, part of the friendship/dating arc. He apparently even goes on a book tour if you marry him (?).

I am at the end of year 1, first time playing this game. I just saw Elliott and things progressed downhill from there. I don't know shit, but how to read more into fictional ppl than what is actually there. So I don't know.

But I guess that, until Elliott is indeed successful in the game, the possibility of his failure is very much apparent to him. He never says so canonically (except when he talks about his money running out). This might be very much just a subconscious thing, though. He, funnily enough, does complain a whole lot, about his living conditions and all annoyances that come with it. Which.(~may I remind you~) He. Deliberately. Chose. For. Himself. BECAUSE ~ladies and gets~ HE IS AN IDIOT. Because Elliott, as much as he wants to pretend otherwise is in actuality a stranger to impulse control. He reflects on his decisions even less, that anyone is giving him credit for.

„Oh, wow, I get criticised? People are doubting me for valid some obscure reasons? My success is not guaranteed and anybody pointing that out triggers that sweet existential dread inside me? Better move the fuck away to someplace where nobody knows me or cares!“ Even better: „Oh, see that little shack at the beach, that does not look like it will give any decent shelter during any other seasons but summer? And that might get flooded or could get damaged during storms? Let's not even think about winter, haha. That little shack where, it is dark, cold and damp inside and sometimes algae grow on the floor? Perfect! Let's move there! You know what: Let's bring the piano too!!!!“

- Author's note - Because we all know that pianos love nothing more than constantly changing temperatures and moisture and shit. The 5th heart event is either fake or a fever dream because that thing would be horribly out of tune by the time Elliot plays his little song. And I highly doubt, that Elliott learned how to tune a piano himself. You really need to know, what you are doing and you need the tools! Not to mention that getting a piano professionally tuned costs. a lot. (Yeah, my piano sounds like shit. Thanks for asking) - Author's note end -

Another thought connected to the piano: When you already have limited savings, what better way to spend them, than on some moving company to transport your piano to some remote village and into a shitty little shack by the beach? Even if he bought the piano afterwards, that would still be one rather bad decision money wise. Hey, little group survey: What are your headcanons, on how Elliot deals with money? Because the longer I think about it, my answer would be: Not great!

No, but really, how much does that man hate himself??? Some of you might have wondered, why the same eerie wind chime music from the community centre, also plays inside the beach hut. And I always thought this might be an indicator for how uncomfortable the hut is. I mean, there is only so much that you can convey through imagery. In itself, you might not immediately think that Elliott's living conditions are too bad. However, I don't think that Elliot is connected to the Junimos in any way, storywise. Even thematically, I do not see a connection, because the hut is not "imbedded into nature" or anything. Therefore, if the wind chimes are not the musical theme of the Junimos themselves, then it could be an ambience track to underline the desolate state of the community building. And this is the same ambience we are confronted with in Elliott's hut. It might be just that bad.

... ...

or ConcernedApe ran out of original tracks...... But where's the fun in that?

__________________________________________

And that’s it for today’s post. For coherency I am going to end it here. Next part, as always, will be linked in an edit, so stay tuned. ________________________________________________ Edit: you waited long enough. And I am here to deliver

Part 4

#stardew valley #stardew valley elliott #sdv elliott #stardew elliott #elliott stardew valley #elliott stardew #elliott sdv #stardew valley headcanons #sdv headcanons #sdv #sdv fanfic

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fieryhonesty · 3 years

Text

“Talked with a friend about how bad bus drivers are where I live and how many times I landed on somebody or somebody has landed on me. Somehow felt like to write a short fic about it, ended up being more from real life than I dare to admit. N-no! it’s not like that!”

Words: 2714

Genre: fluff, modern AU, gn!reader

"-and that's it for today. Don't forget to review, the exam will mostly contain questions based on this topic. The results will gradually affect your grades."

With those words the professor has left the room. It was the last class of the day and obviously he didn't want to waste any minute. Hurrying to his car not to get caught in traffic.

You were idly sitting at your desk, not even paying attention to others packing their stuff and leaving the classroom. You are slowly the last person in the room. You didn't listen most of the time and had no idea what the professor was talking about. Your mind was drifting everywhere, it's too hard to stay focused on classes. Especially when your mind is overflowing with ideas.

Last night you had talked with one of your friends. You two knew since elementary school and despite choosing different schools and paths you remained in contact. She knew everything about you including the passion for writing. It was just a hobby of yours. You had never planned it to be your career.

In fact not so many knew about it. People around you knew you were writing something in your notebook. But you are a student, probably writing some notes for school or something. And you always hid your writings when somebody was approaching. Even if they asked what you were doing you just said 'rewriting my school notes, hehe.'

Except that one friend nobody has any idea about your passion. Perhaps it's for the best as you are really shy about it. The thought of other people seeing what you write or how you write is kind of terrifying. Publishing your stories never crossed your mind until your friend got fed up one day. Telling you to just go and publish it. There was no room for negotiations.

Your shyness slowly disappeared, at least when it came to publishing your works online. People didn't know you, your name or who you are. They knew you under a nickname and that's it. You felt safe and happy as you got quickly recognized and fans were leaving supportive comments.

Writing is your way to express yourself and your emotions. Talking to people face to face is quite harder. You don't have the time to think it through and usually say the first thing which comes to your mind. Sometimes ending up saying some weird stuff which embarrasses you. That's why you rather don't initiate talk or talk really rarely.

You are most talkative around your best friend and family. Everything else is just giving you anxious feelings. You'd love to start talking with others, especially if they are talking about something you are also interested in. But you are simply not that kind of person who would randomly join in and talk. Sometimes you wish all conversations could happen in written form, that way you would be the star.

You wanted to pull out your notebook and write down some of your thoughts but you realized where you are. Looking around the classroom, it's only you. Sighing for yourself. It will have to wait until you arrive at your apartment. Quickly packing all books into your fancy bag and rushing to your locker.

You were actually sharing the locker with another person but they are sick at the moment. Their half is clean as ever, books neatly folded, cup and coffee hidden in the back part of the locker. They actually made you into the coffee addicted person you are now. At first you didn't like it but eventually fell in love with the bitter flavor.

Sometimes you fetch some latté on your way home, thinking of where you would be without caffeine. It's probably one of the best things which happened to you during your university days. So many sleepless nights as you were studying for exams or writing until early morning.

Changing into your comfy shoes, wrapping a scarf around your neck and dressing into the coat you loved so much. It's so warm and cool looking, makes you feel badass whenever you wear it. One last glance over your stuff in the locker in case you had forgotten about something. All set. Time to catch a bus.

Knowing about you had missed all early buses and will probably get stuck in traffic. Which is fine by you, your earbuds and music is ready. Luckily you didn't have to wait for too long at the bus stop. But it was enough for your cheeks to start freezing. As always you stood at your usual spot. Not feeling like sitting as you do it the whole day at school and home.

Wrapping one arm around the pole, leaning a bit at it. There's not many people with you on the bus and so you can monopolize the pole and the area around it. You put down your bag as it was quite heavy and your shoulder was starting to hurt. Pulling the phone out of your pocket and browsing news.

Not really paying attention, just mindlessly scrolling through articles. Sometimes reading the first few sentences before you go back and keep scrolling.

As expected the bus was moving slowly, the delay was getting worse and worse. Checking the time, you had already spent here over ten minutes. If the bus had moved by a few meters, it's a lot, let's say that. Delays are quite normal at this hour so you don't really sweat it. Looking back to your screen, resuming your news browsing.

After a couple of minutes the bus finally got out of the major traffic and quickly catching up with the delay. As expected the ride was faster than usual, hopefully still within the speed limits. However you won't know this, all you know is the roundabout you will reach soon won't be funny. It's quite a steep one and even if the driver will take it very slowly you will have a hard time balancing yourself.

You are prepared, actually holding tight the pole instead of leaning on it. You have a perfect posture to keep yourself stable. Maybe your grip on the pole is a bit too convulsive. As you feel unpleasant pressure in your wrist. The moment you ease the grip a little, feeling how your feet are sliding. Before you tighten your grip again you fly forward. Trying your best not to crash into the person who was sitting there.

Despite all of your efforts you land on them. You are in shock but more than that you are embarrassed. As you tried to pull back and regain your posture. Feeling hands on your shoulders. Apologies are about to roll out of your lips but they are faster.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Up until now you didn't realize it's a guy you fell on. His long crimson locks tied into a ponytail. At first you thought you had landed on a woman. But his hoarse voice assured you he is anything but a female. You are too close to him for your comfort, his scent already entered your nose. Feeling how heat is rising in your cheeks. This is bad. His crimson eyes were darting around your face, looking for any sign of injury.

'This is embarrassing, say something you idiot!'

"Uh, yea. I... I'm terribly sorry!"

Your voice nearly betrayed you. The last word could be barely heard which made you even more wishing to just be able to vanish. Staring at the male unable to think what to say. Feeling relieved when the bus has stopped as he lets go his hold on you. If you could, you could have dug yourself in a ten meters deep hole and never climb up.

Quickly murmuring out another apology. Grabbing your bag and jumping out of the bus. It doesn't matter if your stop is still far away. You'd rather walk the rest or wait for another bus than stay in that one.

It was already dark outside when you arrived at your place. Freezing and tired. Trying not to think of what happened earlier but you couldn't get the male's scent out of your nose. It was like he is still next to you, the sweet smell of vanilla.

You let it be as you tossed the bag into a corner in your room. You are too hungry to think about anything. Making some quick cup noodles and eating them while going through another writing and editing session.

Days were passing by. Always the same: school, ride home and then either study or write. You had forgotten about what happened a few days ago, not even mentioning it to your close friend who had been hanging out with you here and now in chat.

It's Friday and you are feeling like chugging one quick latté. Perhaps you will sit there for a while and write a bit. You sure do like the atmosphere in café shops especially with playing jazz. Sitting in your corner, peeking at other customers here and now. Just to be sure nobody is approaching you.

You ordered your regular and are waiting for the waitress. In the meantime you pull out your small notebook and read through the latest ideas. You usually write short things there, like drabbles which sometimes turn into much longer stories.

When a cup with your favorite drink landed on the table you looked up and shot a quick smile at the waitress. She answered with the same gesture before checking on other customers.

You fished for a pen in your bag. As soon as the tip of the pen touched the paper, a group of guys entered the shop. You didn't look up to check on them. Why would you anyway? You came here to chill after school, enjoy your drink and possibly write a few lines. Well maybe if you did check, then you would have noticed the redhead from before.

He was dragged here by his friends as they got this stupid idea to look at girls. Starting here at café and moving to other public places. He didn't want to. He is kind of tired after the long week but that's also the reason why he is here. Too tired to search for excuses. And he knew he would need valid ones especially for his little brother whose idea was all of this.

As he sat with them, quite unbothered by their talk about the waitress who just took their order. Pulling out his phone to finish reading something he started during lunch break. He agreed to tag along not join into their jewelry observations as they call it. They could be talking about anything and he wouldn't pay mind to it.

Only to be brought back to reality when Childe snatched his phone away. Grinning at him.

"C'mon Diluc, your social media can wait. Cute girls won't~"

The scarlet haired male rolled eyes at the ginger.

"For your information, reading stories is not the same as browsing twitter."

"Oh? What I am hearing? I didn't know my big bro is into reading inappropriate stories."

Diluc shot a glare at the bluenette. Reconsidering if it's worth his time to argue about it. If anyone is reading smuts here, it's Kaeya. Why is he hanging out with his brother again?

Childe waved with his phone in front of his face in a very taunting manner. But didn't evade when Diluc reached for it, sliding it back into his coat. Looking around the café and then he noticed you. He was not sure if it's really you, the person who fell on him on the bus a few days ago. But when you looked up to take a sip of your latté he saw your face.

Something inside of him felt like to get up and go talk to you. But he can't. Or? Can he talk to you? A total stranger whom he met only once and under strange circumstances? For some reason he really wanted to greet you at least. He resisted the urge for long enough, at least until Kaeya didn't notice where he was looking and said something about it.

Grabbing his cup and slowly approaching you. He didn't know what he was doing or why he was doing it. When he was close enough to your table, clearing his throat, asking if he could join you.

Your eyes shoot up to the not so familiar voice. Widening when you realized it's the same guy from back then. Feeling like your stomach was being squished. Just when you had forgotten about that embarrassing moment.

All what you managed was a nod, observing how he sat at the chair opposite of you. Nervously smiling at him. What should you say? This is awkward.

"Um-"

You both started in unison, exchanging embarrassed looks. You motioned to him to start.

"Hi, uh. Hope I'm not disturbing?"

"No... not at all."

You put your hand over the notebook instinctively. It's a habit of yours, hiding it from anyone's eyes.

"I'm Diluc and you are-"

"That person who landed on you on the bus, yes that’s me."

You deadpanned. Can't help it but smile a little, finding it funny. The guy who you fell at, the one who should be mad at you. He is trying to talk to you and what's better he also seems to be nervous while talking. Feeling a bit relieved as it probably won't be only you embarrassing themselves.

He chuckled a little at your words. Kind of wishing to know you more than just a person who fell on him. When you tried to apologize once again he stopped you, saying it's fine. To change the topic he asked for your name and where were you going back then.

When he found out you are also an university student he felt relieved a bit and more at ease. You had something in common, something you both could relate to. As the talk between you warmed up enough, when the first uneasiness faded. You talked about your hobbies, of course you didn't want to tell him about your big passion and said you are reading.

Which wasn't that much far from reality but unlike him you didn't read from known authors or big titles. In fact most of your reading were stories from other passionate writers, mixed with random novels here and now.

"Oh, I also happen to read stories posted on the web. Some people are really talented."

He admits and flashes you something that one could describe as a slight smile? But really quick so your brain barely registers it.

"Hey um, I know this will be strange. But I kind of enjoy our talk, it's much more..." He trailed off as he was thinking how to put it without saying anything bad about his companions. Who are probably scheming or coming up with various ideas how to use this against him.

"What I mean is, you act like a person in your age unlike my brother."

You tried not to laugh too much. Giggles escaping your lips. Truth to be told you were also enjoying this little talk between the two of you. This was probably the very first conversation you had with a stranger. And they didn't seem to mind your awkwardness.

It feels like you two understand each other. Both are interested in literature, have to deal with school troubles and have something unique to each of you.

Looking up into his ruby eyes. "Yeah. I'm enjoying this too. Why didn't I fall on you earlier?!"

Both of you laughed at that remark.

"If you don't mind, we could do this more often?"

"You mean me falling on you on the bus or drinking coffee?"

"The latter. If I see you on the same bus I'll make sure you sit."

You two had talked more after this. Way longer than both of you expected. When Diluc checked the table where his companions were sitting before he noticed they are gone. He didn't think of checking his phone. But once he does he will find a message from his brother.

「'Seems like you had found somebody to spent night with, don't worry about your lil bro and enjoy~ 😘 '」

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #diluc x reader #genshin diluc x reader #gn!reader #genshin impact imagines #diluc ragnvindr #i'm a sucker for café shops #but i think i suck at modern AU stories #fiery fic

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sparkys-ec-corner · 3 years

Note

Can you lease enlighten me as to why you ship Amomiche and why you love Amostia so much? Since Amostia is given very little screen time if you will and barely characterized at all it's difficult for me to see why you ship them so much and why you love Amostia so much. Or is it partially because your a hardcore Len x Miku shipper? You can ship whatever you want ofc I just am curious as to what led you to ship it and stuff. Plus I'm more of a Gumi x Gammon shipper (#NemesisxNyozeForLIFE!!!) who barely ships Miku or Len or Rin with anybody and when I do ship them it's more often Miku x Rin (I'm trash for girlxgirl ok) sooo. And yes that goes for in Evillious as well I barely ship any of the Mikus with anybody (minus Michaela x Clarith) and same goes for any of the Lens. So oof

dw!! i understand your points and im aware of how unusual it is for me to love a character like amostia and ship something so unexpected like amomiche (i already apologize since this is long,,, oops,,,)

i would be lying if i said that the fact im a diehard lenmiku shipper didnt affect my decision in bringing amomiche into existence, but it's mostly due to this specific extensive au that serves as amostia's characterization arc and the hcs involving both amostia and michelle.

as for why i love amostia, it's because i thought he was a character with a lot of potential that was shoved to the side as a simple plot device + i was incredibly salty over why amostia is the only irregular who doesnt appear in motheavenly novel at all. since ma was given some characterization that culminated in her "i'm going to destroy the universe to confirm my existence" goal at the end of the novel, i wondered, "what about the Punishment boy? doesnt he get a chance to appear since he's an irregular too? where is he?"

heck, even irregular in scap short story gets a personality, however extremely barebones and single-minded it is, and he's called a boy without an ego since he died right after being born. despite this, he still had the desire of meet his mother.

around 2018, i began writing what would be amostia's backstory because i thought he deserved one. he deserved a personality. he deserved to be cared about. i was ready from the start to be that one weirdo who likes an obscure character no one cares about (i never finished that fic, btw. my hcs changed overtime and my prose back then was kinda ew, so i deleted it)

i never intended to love him as much as i do now. i just wanted to give him a personality and a backstory, but the more i thought about what might had happened to him in lunaca labora and during his time as Punishment the weapon and what would be his personality, the more i wished him to be seen as a person rather than "the weapon nemesis used to blow up the world".

i joined an ec discord server for no other reason but to find other fans, and rather hesitantly shared my hcs of him and fanart in the channels. as i said before, i knew it was weird for me to be attached to a character no one cared about, but i nevertheless persisted on.

before i knew, i was changing everybody's perception of amostia, turning him from a simple plot device into an actual character to the eyes of the fandom.

to be honest, i still do not believe how much everything has changed all thanks to me, only because i cared enough to share what i thought of him. i didnt... expect my hcs to be received so warmly. i made him starkly different from your typical ec len — he's angry, explosive and rude; nothing like the dimwitted and enthusiastically chaotic hansel, much less like the loyal and stoic allen — but maybe the fact he was so different was why people liked him so much. he's like a bright red dot on a canvas of soft colors. im really happy that people liked and accepted my hcs, even after Outlaw & Lychgate was published.

as for amomiche, here's where the extensive au comes in — before Outlaw & Lychgate was published, i had a thought that amostia wandered around the dead world before being found by meta and pretty much adopted by her. this characterization arc of his is meant to be a "coming to age" type of story, exploring his past and making him learn how to be a better person — an actual person with dreams and purpose instead of a weapon merely to be used by others.

initially, i intended michelle to be amostia's friend since they both have a link through nemesis. they would kinda bond through that since michelle wanted to know a bit about nemesis despite amostia himself not knowing much, after amostia finding michelle lost in a snowy night and bringing her back home.

one time, i received a m/a ask in amostia askblog about "len" and "miku" being a couple for some asks. since michelle was the closest "miku" to amostia, i obviously were to bring her in. tbh i was already slightly struggling with keeping them as friends since i found them to be really sweet together and my dumb lenmiku ass bothering tf outta me, and that m/a broke me definitely. i gave in. (although i took a time to answer the m/a itself, admittedly. by the time i answered it, i was already doodling some amomiche stuff)

again, i was ready to be seen as weird, to be the only person in the entire fandom to ship them together. i never hid the fact it is a crackship. i knew i would possibly be cast out as lenmiku trash for it. regardless, i kept doodling them and talking about them simply because i liked them (hell, they stay as friends for a long time in the au before romantic feelings blossom. sue me for liking friends-to-lovers trope with a self-improvement undertone)

and then, my surprise when it was accepted by the fandom despite its status as crackship. gosh, even people who arent into evillious had doodled amomiche!! someone who was into ec actually thought it was canon!! and was saddened to discover that it wasnt because they thought it was really sweet!! and they didnt even ship lenmiku normally!! i swear this still makes me die inside, seriously 😂

so you can say it's a combination of everything that eventually brought amomiche into existence, including my own love for amostia. i dont blame anyone for being confused with it since amostia as a character is so underdeveloped in canon and amomiche is a crackship. it's okay, really. im just vibing here. im not here looking for validation for them nor am i hoping for official crumbs.

all of this is self-indulgent, simply because i want amostia to be more popular, even if slightly. amostia will never become as popular as hansel or allen, im aware, but as long as someone appreciates him as a person, then i think my job is done here. all i want is people to appreciate him. if someone comes to like amomiche too, then it also makes me extremely happy! if someone likes amostia but not amomiche, that's fine too! i don't mind different hcs. if one respects my own, then i respect theirs.

so. yeah. it might not make sense to some people, but that's basically it. i am but a humble artist doodling stuff for a character who she wants to give the happiness and the characterization he didnt get in canon. if someone likes them, then im happy!! 💖

#answered asks #amostia #amomiche #oh god i spent HOURS on this #this is a fucking essay. oh god.. whyyyyyyyyy

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bisluthq · 3 years

Note

i hate how you don't know how to interpret things and just say that shit, she didn't say he taught politics but he showed that it was important for her to express her publisher, not unlike the shit you're congratulating harry for doing, remember? that you said you think it's great that he doesn't express himself

Okay bitches let’s go.

Let us address Harry before those weaned at the milky tit of Insta infographics call me a misogynist. Harry Styles is… how do I put this nicely… a himbo. If we laugh about the fact that Joseph had to like fuck politics into Taylor, we need to laugh double as hard at the fact that model Camille Rowe had to teach Harry to read. You think I joke, but no, he was literally like “I didn’t read but my ex did so I had to make an effort.” We could think this was Harry exaggerating, but evidence says not because she made him read her favorite wanky dystopia and the entirety of his takeaway was “hehe pussy.” Harry Styles makes Taylor’s media interpretation seem PhD level.

He’s also… kinda not promising to be anything else lmao he’s a sweet little himbo who’s having fun dancing around stage singing about bananas and making eyes at his girlfriend. He’s like “wouldn’t it be better if we treated people with kindness?” and dances around with flags and hires marginalized people onto his staff and is nice to them and gives them opportunities.

That’s the bar for Harry - he’s said he’s not baiting, he’s not an activist, he’s just a himbo having fun and entertaining people and he’s not, you know, an asshole.

In a Miss Americana and Lover era free world, all this could apply to Taylor (except you know bimbo not himbo and better at reading). But Taylor made a movie that contained the following plot line: I was a young girl in the industry, it chewed me up and tried to spit me out, but I got through it and what I realize now is it’s the job of entertainers to spotlight social issues and politics. Let’s get something straight: THAT IS NOT THE JOB OF ENTERTAINERS. Entertainers need to entertain. We can enjoy art made by anyone on the political spectrum, from like left to apolitical to kinda basic conservative (I mean don’t consume like… art from Nazis but y’know like Carrie Underwood’s fine). But TAYLOR said “I realize this is my job here”.

She also put out an album and an era so… gay… the internet thought she was coming out. And she’d said you know “gay pride makes me me” so like to her that was reflective of the era and in fact she thinks it’s a core identity. If she’s straight that… makes her stupid, and a bad ally, there’s no other words to describe it. We’ve been through this stuff before let’s not rehash it.

In said album she included MAAHBP which is a beautiful love story but again isn’t very clever as a political commentary because similar to what I was saying before in other comments like… what the fuck does her Heartbreak Prince have to do with her social awareness or sadness about politics? And she’s linking him in directly to the official political song. Homeboy can’t even vote in your country how’s he painting the town blue with you?

It’s perfectly valid to say - talking to people changed my mind on politics. Chelsea Peretti says openly that Jordan taught her half the shit she knows and she’s gonna have to keep learning for her kid(s). I understand that. Lena Dunham - ffs - says openly that her sibling and now like Tommy have educated her on gay and trans issues. I understand that. What I don’t understand is how Joseph Matthew Alwyn of Crouch End, a sweet and well meaning and decently read (I suspect better in fiction than theory tho) man who did not know about Harriet Tubman until he was sent the script for the movie, was educating Taylor on American politics. I hear some people going “NO SHE JUST TALKED TO HIM ABOUT IT!!!” but do you see how STUPID that is? What would he say that would like profoundly impact one’s point to such a degree that you’d feel you need to be an activist now?

Anyway, Taylor put out Lover and MA and Only The Young and the VF interview when she thought she was going to the Oscars and then she went back to singing pretty bops and winning at capitalism and fudging Grammy rules.

And I’m sorry but that’s… kinda shitty. And I still think she’s a nice person and a sweet person and a kind person and an extraordinarily talented person but what I’ve outline above goes beyond being sheltered. Dudes, she made YNTCD with two straight white men. You know why she made the VMAs give everyone awards? Because otherwise it would have been two straight/“straight” white people on stage being like “yay gays we gave you your rights!!!” You don’t have to go to college to understand that if you’re gonna make a gay song you should involve gay songwriters and producers and directors. That should be like step one.

But here’s also the case - feelings about someone can be complicated. I can be like “🙄🙄 dumbass” and still enjoy the person’s music and public persona even which is the case here but ffs nothing in her brain besides music and making money sometimes like dudes fr.

And no faves are above reproach - again, if you don’t like Harry’s whole deal because it doesn’t really go anywhere that’s fair. If you don’t like Carrie Underwood because she’s, you know, a right leaning anti-masker lol, that’s fair. My issue with Taylor versus the two of them is Harry and Carrie know who they are and Taylor didn’t seem to. And yeah maybe it’s her whole aging out of order and she had her college era “YES POLITICS” thing that a lot of us go through on main in front of millions and at 30 but like you’d hope someone around her would have suggested steering clear of that idk.

#nat talks tay’s politics #nat talks miss americana

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takerfoxx · 3 years

Text

In response to JK Rowling and Joss Whedon, my (former) idols

I really didn’t want to have to do this.

So in addition to…=gestures vaguely=…all of that, the last few months have been kind of sucky when it comes to learning some really unpleasant things about artists that I looked up to, admired, and was in fact inspired by. I’ve already spoken about the Speaking Out movement revealing a lot of ugly behavior from various wrestlers, some of which I was big fans of, and then later we got Chris Jericho being a full-on MAGA. Yeah, that all sucked. But those were just performers whose work I enjoyed watching. The one that really hurt were writers who I deeply admired, whose stories I love, and who I was heavily influenced by.

The first, of course, was finding out that JK Rowling, the author of perhaps the single biggest YA fantasy series of all time Harry Potter, is a TERF. This really sucked for a number of reasons. Firstly, I really like Harry Potter! I mean, I’m not a super fan or anything. I came into it when things were kind of dying down, like the whole book series had already been released and there were only a few movies left, but I still really enjoyed it, have all the books and movies and a fair amount of merchandise swag, including a nifty wand I got at Universal Studios. Shit, I got two replicas of the Sword of Griffyindor, thanks to them screwing up my order in my favor and sending me a duplicate! They’re on my wall right across from me as I type this!

But in addition to writing a book series I really liked, JK Rowling was supposed to be one the good guys. She’s been vocally progressive, often openly comes down on British right-wing nonsense, has supported various persecuted minorities, and is on record as being one of the few self-made billionaires to actually stop being a billionaire for a time because she donated so much money to charity. And while we mock it now, her revealing Dumbledore as gay was a huge deal at the time. Plus, she cultivated this reputation as Auntie Jo, that cool, supportive aunt we all wanted.

But for a while her stock has been dropping. Her preference for confirming “representation” via tweets instead of explicitly putting it in the text of her stories has raised the question of queer-baiting, especially with a whole-ass movie with a young Dumbledore and Grindelwald to make their relationship explicit but failing to do so. The whole Nagini thing from the latest Fantastic Beasts movie was pretty gross. And re-examination of various problematic elements from the original novels has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Now, none of these really looked to be intentionally malicious, of course. Just about everyone’s early work will have problematic elements; that’s just how people work. And the later stuff smacked more of ignorance than anything. But after all this time, it’s like, c’mon. You should know better by now.

But the biggie came when her transphobic views finally came to light. Now, this one had been brewing for a while, due to some questionable likes and statements on her twitter. But then she decided to just go public and published what essentially amounts to a TERF manifesto, one with a very “love the sinner, hate the sin” condescending attitude and had a real persecution complex air to it.

Now, I’m not going to go into detail about what the manifesto was about, what the circumstances surrounding it were, or how wrong it was. It’s already been raked over the coals, dissected, answered, and debunked in detail by people far more qualified than me, so odds are, you’re already well aware of its contents and the subsequent rebuttals. But the gist of it comes down to her basically believing that transwomen are actually cis men claiming to be trans so as to infiltrate and invade female-only spaces.

Yeah.

Okay, that’s gross, but…why? Why is someone so noted for being progressive and wanting to foster an inclusive environment making this the hill of exclusion that she wants to die on?

Well, that’s where things get tricky. She mentions that prior to Harry Potter, her first marriage was highly physically and sexually abusive, and when she escaped from that, she had no place to go, leading her to be homeless for a time.

Oh.

Well, that makes sense. Someone goes through a highly traumatic experience with a member of the opposite sex, has no support structure when she escapes it, is left to fend for herself, only to suddenly get rocketed into fame, fortune, and influence, which in turn leads to a Never Again mentality. She was hurt, no one was there to help her, and now she’s afraid of men invading women-only spaces to victimize others like she was victimized. So…literally transphobic. Literally a Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist.

Guys, this is so fucked up. Like, how do you even approach something like this? She’s a victim in every sense of the word, so of course she’s going to have physiological damage and a warped view of things. I mean, if I found out that a close friend of mine went through the same thing and had the same prejudices, I would be nothing but sympathetic! I mean, I’d still do what I can to convince her to overcome those prejudices, but I’d still show sympathy and support for what she went through.

Abuse warps people. There’s a reason why so many abusers are abuse survivors themselves. It makes you terrified of being hurt again and often causes people to adopt toxic behaviors, beliefs, and reactions to protect themselves. I’ve already talked about it at length while discussing She-Ra and its own handling of the cycle of abuse, which included franks discussions of Catra’s horrible behavior, why she was the way she was, while never losing sympathy for her and rooting for her to overcome it. So if JK Rowling is an abuse survivor, is it really right to come down on her for having warped views because of that abuse?

But that’s the problem. See, she isn’t your troubled friend that you’re trying to help. She isn’t your cousin Leslie who’s a really sweet person but unfortunately adopted some bad ideals due to trauma suffered. She JK freakin’ ROWLING, one of the most famous, wealthy, and influential women in the world. She has a platform of millions, if not billions, which means her voice lends credibility to her bigoted beliefs. Alt-righters and other TERFs have already swooped upon this for giving validation to their awful beliefs, which puts trans people even more at risk. And as horrible as Rowling’s experiences might have been, the trans community is often the victim of far worse, and they don’t have a mountain of money and an army of defenders to protect them like she does. I’ve said it time and time again: just because you’re a victim, that doesn’t give you the right to victimize others! And bringing things back to Catra, as much as I loved her redemption in the final season, she was still a TERRIBLE PERSON for a huge chunk of the show, one that needed to be stood up to and stopped.

So yeah. That’s the messiness that is JK Rowling.

Now, let’s talk about the one that really hurts. Let’s talk about Joss Whedon.

I’ve made no secret of what a huge Whedon fan I am. Unlike Rowling, I was a HUUUUUGE superfan. Seeing Serenity for the first time in theaters was akin to a religious awakening to me as a storyteller, making it one of my top three movies of all time. Firefly is my favorite show ever. And I adored Buffy, Angel, and Dollhouse as well. I love Cabin in the Woods and The Avengers. The very first fanfic I ever wrote was a Firefly fanfic that disappeared along with my old laptop. I know his style isn’t for everyone, but I cannot understate how much of a personal inspiration he is to me as a writer.

And like Rowling, Joss was supposed to be one of the good guys! Buffy was monumental in pushing the needle when it came to female empowerment. Will and Tara were groundbreaking as a gay couple. He’s been outspoken for years about his feminist views and beliefs and was seen as one of the most prominent and influential feminist voices in Hollywood!

And then things started to go bad.

One day he was on top of the world, the mastermind behind the first two Avenger movies. And the next, it seemed like he was in freefall. It’s hard to really pinpoint exactly when the change took place. Some would say him being brought in as a last-minute substitute for Zack Snyder to take over on Justice League after Snyder had to leave due to family tragedy, and the subsequent awful critical reception to that film tarnishing his image, even if those were very unique circumstances that couldn’t really be blamed on him. Others might point to Age of Ultron’s less than stellar reception, as well as criticism of some questionable jokes and certain creative decisions regarding the character of Black Widow, which then led to a more critical examination of how Whedon continues to write female characters, as while his work might have been revolutionary in the 90’s, his failure to evolve with the times had meant that many of his portrayals are now woefully outdated and problematic, with his vision for a Batgirl movie getting hit with a lot of backlash as a result.

Again, I’m not going to go into too much detail, as this is all public knowledge and can be easily looked up, but overall it seemed that Whedon entered into a period where he was getting criticized more than he was celebrated, and his image of a guaranteed hit maker was now in doubt.

But all of this wasn’t the big problem. All creators go through rises and slumps, and everyone hits points where they get hit with a barrage of criticism; that’s just part of being a public creative figure, especially a progressive one. And had nothing happened after, it would have probably faded, got forgotten, and Whedon would have moved onto the next project with no fuss.

But as it turned out, it wasn’t just a minor slump in his career. Instead, it was the priming of the pump.

In 2016, Whedon divorced his wife of sixteen years, Kai Cole, and in an open letter, Kai Cole accused him of being a serial cheater, who would have affairs with a great many women, from co-workers, to actresses, to friends, to even his fans. And in addition to raising questions of him possibly abusing his position as showrunner to elicit sex from those working on his projects, there also is the ugly question of how could someone who speaks so highly of women then go and backstab the person who was supposed to be the most important woman in his life, as well as lying to her and denying her the autonomy of deciding whether or not she even wanted to continue to have a relationship with him?

Furthermore, Whedon himself has not explicitly denied these accusations, and comments made by him seem only to confirm them.

Now if you’ll recall, I reacted publicly to this news, and despite my admiration of Whedon’s work, I came down on Kai Cole’s side, and stated that while things like marriage issues and infidelity were no one’s business but that of the couple’s, it did raise a lot of uncomfortable questions about how Whedon treated the women in his life and he really needed to get his shit in order.

But hey, a messy private life and a guy falling into temptation isn’t that big of a deal, right? Plenty of creators also go through multiple marriages and have problems staying faithful and still continue making great art. We’re all human, it’s a stressful job, and this shit just happens, right? Sure, it’s gross and a shitty thing to do, but ain’t no business of ours, right?

In late 2020, actor Ray Fisher, who played the role of Cyborg in Justice League, openly accused Joss Whedon of fostering a hostile work environment, claiming that the director’s behavior was abusive and unprofessional, and that Whedon in turn was protected by DC executives.

DC and Warner Bros. came down against Fisher, claiming they had done an internal investigation that turned up no evidence of wrongdoing (yeah, sure they did), and soon Fisher was out as Cyborg, apparently for rocking the boat.

But then Charisma Carpenter, noted for her important role as Cordelia Chase in both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, then spoke up, claiming to be inspired by Fisher in doing so. She described Whedon did indeed foster a hostile work environment on his projects, that his often acted in a toxic manner, from asking incredibly invasive and inappropriate questions regarding her pregnancy to insulting her on set. She said that she made excuses for him for years, but after undergoing a lot of therapy and reading what Ray Fisher had to say, she felt compelled to speak out.

And this just open the floodgates. Other actors and actresses also came forward, some with stories of their own, others to offer support. Even Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, confirmed Carpenter’s stories and said that she no longer wanted to be associated with Whedon. Michelle Trachtenberg, who played the character of Dawn, stated that she also experienced toxic treatment from Whedon despite her being a minor at the time, and says that the set had a rule that Whedon wasn’t allowed to be alone with her again, which really raises some sickening questions of what happened the first time. Even male stars have spoken out, from words of support and apologies for not speaking up earlier from Anthony Stewart Head and David Boreanaz, to an earlier interview with James Marsters, in which he described being terrified of Whedon, mainly due to an instance when Whedon was frustrated with the popularity of Marsters’s character of Spike messing with his plans and physically and verbally taking it out on the actor. There have been many corroborating stories of Whedon being casually cruel on set, on seemingly taking delight in making his fellow show writers cry, and even the man himself admitting to enjoying fostering a hostile work environment during his director commentary of the Avengers. We’ve joked about Whedon’s supposed sadism for years, but that was in regards to how he treated the characters in his stories, not the people helping him make them!

So yeah. That’s the problem with Joss Whedon.

So, do I think that Joss Whedon is somehow some kind of sociopath who lied about his feminist principles and deliberately put on a progressive façade specifically to get into a position of power so he could torment people? No, of course not. I think he was sincere about his beliefs, and I do think he didn’t realize the wrongness of his behavior. But that’s kind of the problem. See, it’s one thing to have kind of a trollishness to your nature, a sort of sadistic side. No one can help that. But when someone with that quality gets put into a position of power in which they are protected by both the higher-ups and their legions of fans, they are allowed to mistreat and continue to mistreat people. And by never suffering any consequences, that sort of toxic behavior becomes internalized, becomes a habit, becomes their moda operandi. And when you’re constantly getting praised as a creative genius and a wonderful feminist voice, any self-criticism just gets wiped away, and you think yourself above reproach, leading to what Joss Whedon became and went on being.

And you know what scares me the most about this particular issue? It’s not that I am a fan of his stories. It’s that I can so easily see myself turning out the same way.

Look, I’ll be upfront about it: I’m kind of a sadist myself. You’ve seen it in my stories, you’ve seen me gloating after a particularly dark plot twist makes my readers freak out. That sort of stuff is fun to me. There’s a reason why I have a much easier time in the dark and violent scenes, because I’m channeling something ugly within me. We all have a dark side, and this is mine.

But UNLIKE Whedon, that doesn’t carry over to how I treat people in real life (unless Monopoly or Mario Party are involved, then it’s fair game). Maybe it’s because I wasn’t given the sort of power and praise he did so early, and I was always taught to be considerate of other people’s feelings, but if I ever find out that I hurt another person or went too fair, I feel TERRIBLE, and it just throws me off all day until I apologize. Even if I don’t notice right away that what I said or did wasn’t cool (autistic, remember?), when it’s pointed out to me and I have some time to think on it, yeah, the guilt is on and I make a point to apologize to whoever I’ve hurt. I’ve even made a point to apologize to members of my family for inconsiderate stuff I said years ago as a little punk kid because it wouldn’t stop bugging me.

So maybe Whedon got too big, too fast. Maybe putting people on these sorts of pedestals, especially progressive ones, is ultimately a bad thing.

So where does this leave us? How are we to treat JK Rowling and Joss Whedon, one who developed a lot of transphobia due to abuse suffered while the other became a toxic individual due to unchecked control and a lack of consequences? Can we still enjoy their stories despite them now being colored by their creators’ falls from grace? Can we separate the art from the artist, or do we have to do a clean split?

Honestly, I feel that has to come down to the individual. I can’t remove the influence Rowling and Whedon have had on me as a storyteller, and I still highly respect both of their talents despite taking major issue with their problems as people. And I’m not going go throw away all of my Harry Potter or Firefly stuff. Because that’s my stuff. It has value to me, it doesn’t represent the issues with their creators, and a lot of it was gifts from people who are dear to me. Though I do think it’ll be a long time before I return to either of their work, as I just don’t have the stomach for it now.

But I will be avoiding any projects they have in the future. I don’t want to put money in their pockets that might go on to support their toxic beliefs or behavior. And as for royalties for their past work that would also support the cast and crew of the Harry Potter films or those who worked on Whedon’s shows who do not deserve to lose money because we don’t want any of that money going to the creators? Er, that question is a little above my paygrade. I don’t know. You’ll have to all decide for yourselves. As for me, I still have a lot of thinking to do.

Regardless though, if I or anyone else is still able to enjoy their work, then it’s important to not divorce what these people said or did from the art they created, even if it makes enjoying that art less fun. It’s important to be critical about what we enjoy, to acknowledge the bad aspects along with the good, and open up discussion of those elements, because that’s what mature adults are supposed to do.

And as for JK Rowling and Joss Whedon, whose stories I love, whose talent I admire, and whose past good work I’ll happily acknowledge, I do hope they both experience some sort of realization and enter into a period of self-examination that leads to them getting help for their issues, for Rowling to get help in coming to terms with her trauma and realizing that she’s wrong about the trans community and a full apology, and for Whedon to also come to terms with his toxic behavior and how he treats people, for him to make no excuse for what he did and sincerely apologize to those he hurt and work on bettering himself, as well as them both examining some of the more problematic tropes still present in their works. Because despite everything, I do feel that they can still be a creative force of good, and it would be a shame if they let themselves self-destruct.

But if not, then if it comes down to choosing between Rowling and the protecting the trans community, if it comes down between choosing between letting Whedon continue to make shows and protecting actors and writers from his abusive behavior, then I know who I’m siding with, and it ain’t the two individuals this whole essay is about. No story, no matter how good, no matter how creative, is worth letting sacrificing vulnerable people in order for it to be made.

#jk rowling #joss whedon #harry potter #Buffy The Vampire Slayer #angel #firefly #justice league #ray fisher #charisma carpenter #kai cole #transphobia tw #abuse tw #toxicity tw #TERF tw #rant #TERFs don't interact I do not want to talk to you #same for abuse apologists

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davidmann95 · 3 years

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Thoughts (if any) on DC's April 2021 solicitations?

Let’s take ‘em in order! I should be able to muster up a comment on just about everything one way or another.

Green Lantern #1: Oh this is gonna be bad. Heard only the worst about Thorne’s Future State: Green Lantern, and I assume Jo Mullein’s DCU debut will be wasted here to either function as some kind of ridiculous ‘popularity contest’ with Teen Lantern for who gets the bigger push, or as a way to put TL over with a few “good work kid, you got a future” comments. Also, and granted I don’t know how Morrison will end or this will begin, is the New Guardians angle being immediately dropped?

Robin #1: Dope suit, art, and premise, but it’s Williamson so I don’t care.

Batman: The Dark Knight #1: I’ll read this and I expect to like it, but between this being Kubert’s first big Batman project since Master Race, the ‘old but not quite retirement age yet’ angle, and the title, I’m concerned the shock ending here is that it’s actually a stealth DKR prequel.

The Next Batman: Second Son #1: So they really are committing here, though weird that this kinda makes Ridley’s Future State book basically a longform teaser for this. And I’ll get it as it comes out since it turns out this won’t be in that John Ridley’s Batman collection after all - sorry Dustin Nguyen, I love your stuff but I won’t buy an entire trade of material I otherwise already own just for one new story by you.

The Batman & Scooby Doo Mysteries #1: I got that whole great-looking Scooby Doo Team-Up run by Fisch for free on Comixology, I should read that sometime and see if this’ll be worth getting too as well, because it sounds like a hoot.

Challenge of the Super Sons #1: Glad people who want it are getting it, I do not care.

RWBY/Justice League #1: WILL BE GETTING A POST ALL ITS OWN

Action Comics #1030: His powers waning definitely won’t help the standard pre-run fuming by a lot of Superman fandom, but it’s an interesting pairing with PKJ apparently doing mainly cosmic Superman adventures so I’m curious where he’ll go with it. That it’s particularly cited as being tied to Death Metal might validate my suspicion that the new ‘everyone remembers their entire mainstream publishing histories’ thing will play into Johnson’s description of Clark really feeling his age at the start of the run. And Janin on covers even before he gets in on the book proper! And that Midnighter description!

Superman #30: This sounds like where Johnson’s gonna start with that worldbuilding he touted, and I’m curious; definitely reads in this instance like him shoving Clark and Jon into some swords-and-sorcery-esque territory he’s familiar with.

American Vampire 1976 #7: Not reading, don’t care.

Batman #107: I assume ‘the events at Arkham Asylum’ are the ‘A-Day’ ominously brought up in Future State solicits. Tynion Batman, Jimenez as the regular artist now, whatever the Unsanity Collective is, all entirely my shit. More importantly than any of that though, GHOSTMAKER BACKUPS. And drawn by Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, artist on Steve Orlando’s excellent The Pull! Dope!

Batman: Black & White #5: Any other issue and ‘Jamal Campbell doing a life story of Nightwing’ would probably be the highlight, but in case you somehow hadn’t heard Gillen/McKelvie are making their DC debut on a Batman vs. Riddler story here, absolutely wild.

Batman: Urban Legends #2: Even more excited for this now that I’m onboard for the Grifter and Outsiders stuff given how much those features pleasantly surprised me in Future State.

Batman/Superman #17: Injecting it isn’t enough anymore, I need to be on some kind of constant IV drip with this book. I was wondering whether it’d take the premise to further generational riffs or follow a history of mass-media Supermen and Batmen, but instead it’s veering off in a direction I never could have guessed and I couldn’t be more excited.

Batman vs. Ra’s Al Ghul #6: NOTHING CAN STOP THE ADAMSVERSE. NONE MAY DARE TRY.

Batman/Catwoman #5: Wondering how this Harley involvement plays in - I don’t imagine it’s quite what it seems given how King’s written her before. And love that Joker by Mann on the cover, major Clown at Midnight vibes.

Catwoman #30: No reason to assume this run won’t continue to rule.

Crime Syndicate #2: Dammit, I don’t think this book is going to be good, but I’m kinda tempted.

Detective Comics #1035: Wouldn’t be psyched, but Dark Detective was another pleasant surprise so I’ll give this a chance.

The Dreaming: Waking Hours #9: Again, not reading.

Far Sector #11: Sucks a little knowing we’ll never see that little ‘Young Animal’ label in the corner again after this wraps. At least it’s going out on its highest note.

The Flash #769: In a vacuum this would sound dope but I have less than no faith in this, and goddamn that’s a terrible cover.

Harley Quinn #2: I’m sure it’ll be fine, no interest.

The Joker #2: I wanna believe Tynion will be able to make this work, he keeps talking like he has more freedom on this than he has some other books, but everything about this reads like the price he has to pay for relative post-Joker War freedom on Batman.

Justice League #60: It’s Bendis/Marquez on Justice League, lots of people will complain but I’ll mostly dig it. More interested in Ram V briefly getting to write the main crew in the JLD backup.

Man-Bat #3: I’d ask why this exists - and as a matter of fact I still do - but checking out some of DC’s digital-first output recently I see Dave Wielgosz has something on the ball, so maybe he’ll be able to make this work? Perhaps I’ll check it out in trade someday if worth-of-mouth is on its side.

Nightwing #79: I maintain, this is gonna be huge. And clever move to make for how to justify Nightwing keeping up his standard way of business after Bruce loses most of his money.

Rorschach #7: A comic I will purchase and let’s continue leaving it at that.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #109: DC’s highest-numbered comic (that hasn’t gone through an interim renumbering), astonishing. Not getting it myself, but respect.

Sensational Wonder Woman #2: Can’t say this sounds like my thing.

Suicide Squad #2: I’ve been swayed into checking out the Future State debut, but that’d have to really blow me away for me to follow into the main book.

Superman: Red & Blue #2: Sadly if unsurprisingly DC’s clearly not stacking this with AAA attention-grabbing names in the same way as this latest version of Batman: Black & White, but there do seem to be some interesting names from outside the usual big two roster here. And the main and Bolland cover may disappoint but holy cow that David Choe variant.

The Swamp Thing #2: I have no doubt it’ll be incredible but time and again I learn I simply don’t have it in me to care about Swamp Thing regardless of the objective quality of the effort put into him.

Sweet Tooth: The Return #6: Another one I’m not interested in.

Titans Academy #2: Oh lord so this is where they stuck Billy Batson.

Truth & Justice #3: I continue to have no idea what if anything the unifying idea of this anthology is supposed to be.

Wonder Woman #771: Wonder Woman as troubleshooter for mythological mishaps isn’t a permanently sustainable or desirable status quo but I’m down for it for as long as it lasts if it’s any good (though that Immortal Wonder Woman preview...concerned me, in spite of Jen Bartel’s jaw-dropping art).

So that’s 19-23 out of 37 I’ll be getting - if DC’s standard for success with Infinite Frontier is the proportion of their line people will be checking out, I guess it’s winning with me.

#DC Comics #DC: Infinite Frontier #Opinion

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monster-bait · 4 years

Note

That last post really called me out! I'm that person who reads my favorite fics over and over again and wishes there was the way I could let the author know. Can I ask if it's not offensive, how you like to be shown support for your wonderful writing?

Hello! Thanks for the compliment, I appreciate it!

Soooooo, I’m going to answer this as two different questions, because that’s what you (unwittingly) asked. If you’re a person who reads and re-reads your favorite fanfic or original fic or Mandalorian meets the Hobbit gang and they all wind up backstage at a Harry Styles concert doing jello shots with Hozier fic or Monster Romance stuff, and you’re wondering how you can better support the creator of your favorite work, YOWZERS have I got great news for you!

...you just did it! You saw my post, clicked my inbox, and sent me a message. It’s really that easy. Do it on anon, do it in the comment section of AO3, shout your name loud and proud if you want, write an epic mutlti-paragraph review or just a keyboard smash. Send a little note saying “I love this.” That’s it! That’s all it takes!

(My normal caveats attach, as always: don’t do things that make you uncomfortable, take care of your own mental health, etc etc infinity. If you don’t have the emotional energy to leave a comment, take care of yourself. I am, however, going to verrrrry gently remind you that the person who created the thing you love so much has their own well of emotional well-being to keep up. Creation comes at a cost, and if they’re not in a position to refill that depleted well on their own, they’re going to be hoping for an outside bucketful. If those buckets dry up, the creative well may run dry.)

The comment culture on sites like AO3 and its ilk can really run a writer down. It’s very easy for people to become addicted to that sweet, sweet validation, and watching your hits climb and the kudos and comments remain stagnant can be gutting. I totally get that sometimes you just want to scroll to your favorite hurt/comfort fic and indulge without feeling like you need to write some effusive praise. That’s fine. Enjoy the content however you want, however you’re able. But if you can, send the creator a message or leave a comment when you’re feeling up to it.

When I reblog posts like the one to which you responded, I’m doing it to pay it forward to my fellow writers who ARE posting on comment-driven sites like AO3 and FFN. I was there once, and I get the frustration that can come with watching your hit count go up and your comments stay empty. I sound like a broken record, but: support the things you love, in whatever way you’re able. Leave a kudos, leave a comment (any comment!) reblog, send a message...lots of ways to show support!

Now...if you’re asking to support *me* personally? I don’t post my work on sites other than my Tumblr and now Patreon. I don’t really care if you guys leave comments on my work. If you do – wonderful! But it’s not something I’m losing sleep over or staying up until the wee hours of night to obsessively read and re-read. (I do check out the tags on reblogs because sometimes you guys are fucking hilarious.)

Honestly, the best way you can support *me* right now is simply by following me on other channels and signing up for my publication alerts. I’m going to be putting Girl’s Weekend up for pre-sale soon, and making an author profile on Amazon & Goodreads, and believe me, y’all are gonna hear about it. You guys can like my author page on Facebook and join the reader group there (once it launches) and follow me on Instagram. My inbox here is always open, and I love getting your wacky/hilarious/insightful asks.

In general, the best way to support creators on *this* platform is to reblog their work.

If you’re in a financial position to subscribe to Patreon or give a ko-fi, awesome, thank you, I appreciate it. If not, that’s fine too. I lost my job in July and my industry is in complete shambles right now, so believe me, I get it. (which is why the work I publish on Patreon will be exclusive to Patreon—I appreciate the support and that’s my way of making it worthwhile for my patrons.)

The ways you can support the creators of the content you love are myriad and plentiful. Just remember that it’s creator content to which most of us turn in times of distress—art, music, comics, fiction, poetry, movies, etc.

Support the things you love so that the things you love stick around.

#support content creators #support each other #support writers #support artists #Anonymous

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