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#edit: im not making another post on this so i’ll just add it here i also understand that it’s supposed to read as unfair
whitmore · 8 months
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it isn’t that etoiles lost it’s abt HOW he lost, like they really could have just thrown code after code after him for two hours straight and used up all his gapples and potions and he STILL would have lost and it would have been more satisfying; it would have been a long, arduous and well-fought battle that etoiles would have adored every moment of despite the grim ending. but the way he lost was fighting a code whose health bar didn’t even move and who then proceeded to borderline metagame in order to win the fight quickly, taking away two of qetoiles most prized possessions resulting in a hollow victory. narratively i get etoiles needed to lose at some point but it should not have been like that
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compacflt · 7 months
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hey! i was just going through your blog, and i saw a post about ice&carole and mav&goose. i looked a bit more but i couldn't find a post about your take on mav and goose's relationship, so i wanted to ask what it was. if you have answered this, i'm sorry about asking you again. imo i think what they had was wayy deeper than friendship but complex and probably not romantic, but again, i just wanted to know your thoughts on it.
thank you! and this blog has probably been one of the best finds i have ever come across on tumblr, i'll be sad to see you go.
yeah, i was really trying to be suave and subtle and mysterious about it with this parallel
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like, you should be able to figure it out for yourself.
but luckily for you i looooove beating dead horses. to a problematic degree.
the full story of my vision of mavgoose (moose?) is in the completed draft of the extras that are coming out on Saturday. about halfway through. But i want to bring it back to the internal craft-of-writing debate i brought up yesterday—my inability to summarize, or to cut superfluous sections that don’t really matter.
I’ll stick it under the cut for spoiler reasons, but i wanna show the simple first draft of this scene versus the complicated, heavier final draft. And I want to ask any of you, if you’re interested—as a reader, which is more impactful? which should i end up publishing?
the simple first draft:
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then i kept turning it in my head thinking of different ways to edit it to say something slightly different, to get a little more specific, coming up with things to add, and ended up adding like five extra paragraphs. which is this:
about 1/4 of the final draft (by which i mean, this is about 1/4 of the whole final discussion scene, but the goosemav-specific content only goes on for about another graf [omitted bc spoilers]):
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(so to answer your ask explicitly, i actually don’t think they were anything deeper than good friends. imo there’s no evidence that they were anything deeper than good friends, especially with maverick blowing goose/goose’s wishes off soooo many times [‘she’s lost that lovin feelin;’ volleyball; refusing to do the responsible thing at least twice even after goose tells him it puts his & his family’s livelihoods at risk…bro all he does is blow off goose]. see me bitching in the tags for more on this)
obviously in my head the complicated in-depth version ⬆️ is the True version, the version of events that really Happened. i think the writing is in some spots much more compelling. But it just doesn’t make for a particularly good reading experience when it’s surrounded by like 3/4 pages of other discussion of history! sometimes too much of (what i think is) a good thing turns that good thing bad! & this is a major keystone dynamic of my whole series so i just want to get it right, for my own peace of mind. I guess im asking you to be the harsh editor i wish i had sometimes, if ur interested in doing so—this is genuinely a major major problem i have with my writing, i can’t ever just leave well enough alone 😭 please let me know if simpler is better/less is more in this case! do i publish the short vague “the reader fills in the blanks” version or the long boring “here’s EXACTLY how i see it” version?
#crowd sourcing beta readers. let me know.#also.#how many times do i have to say maverick is neither a good person nor a good friend#and the writers of TGM hugely whitewashed and dulled down the original sharpness and thoughtlessness of his character#for the sake of post-50s tom cruise mary-sueifying him#before it sticks?#if it helps you can write out a list of his actions in the original movie.#for instance: > blows off goose to be late to dinner with Charlie anyway#> follows her into the women’s restroom > continues a pattern of dangerous behavior even after#Goose his supposed best friend tells him multiple times it is threatening their jobs#the truck master scene… the locker room scene… the ‘can’t afford to blow this scene’#and then he does it a FOURTH TIME AND KILLS GOOSE HELLO!!!!!#so much for being a good friend like c’mon!!!#if he REALLY respected goose he would have SHOWN HIS RESPECT FOR GOOSE!!!#i am leaving this blog so out come the hot takes!#movies are also woobifying tom cruise lately! how’s that for a hot take#i genuinely felt insulted by TGM’s sexless passionless soft bokeh-light KIND OF half-sex with Penny. that was insulting.#what happened to the savage bitter kid in 1986 top gun? why is he so soft and toothless?#the only time we see him is in the ‘it’s not the plane it’s the pilot’ ‘EXACTLY’ exchange. THATS maverick.#sorry you know me. TGM is not my favorite. i am extremely cynical about it.#i love the IP but the writing choices in the 2nd movie wrt mav especially make me…. 😵‍💫😵‍💫#pete maverick mitchell#nick goose bradshaw#mavgoose#you can ignore me bitching but pls don’t ignore my begging for secondary opinions here
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loife1m · 7 months
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Another rant (important, something related to my books, please read)
hey guys. I am so sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be updating for a while. It’s irresponsible of me and I’m really ashamed, considering I didn’t on the 11th and 12th too, I used Diwali as an excuse but I’ll be honest; the next few chapters of TLEOT and 100% are kinda shit. I know I can do better. I know if I rewrite the chapter and edit that, it’ll be much better. I have trust in those abilities.
Here’s the thing.
As most of you know, I’m in 9th grade. And 9th grade sucks ass. They’re constantly threatening you when you even sort of slip up in tests; “You can’t do that next year or you’re going to fail boards!”
You thought 7th grade was hard? You thought 8th grade was hard? If you survive 9th grade and 10th grade, make sure you live to tell the new batch of 8th grade the story.
in 9th grade, you either survive or die. There is no in between. They really put that pressure on you.
I had a test recently. 47/50. Ha, that’s good right? Wrong I guess. My teacher gave me a whole ass lecture in front of the class. “Silly mistakes” this and “rechecking the paper” that. You really think I can’t do that? You really think I don’t do that? I’m in 9th grade for fucks sake! Of course I do that! Just because by chance I missed that mark, stop lecturing me in front of the class!
I’m literally so tired of how things have been recently. I spend most my time in the two places that make me feel like shit. I’m so scared to go to school and if anything, I only go to school so no one worries about me. I know that Jeremy, our group and lemon dude would be really worried if I told them all this. That’s why I’m not going to. They’ve been put under pressure too. I’d just add to their problems.
I remember a story my teacher told me. What does tea leaves, eggs and carrots do in boiled water? Tea leaves create beautiful tea, eggs turn harder and carrots turn softer. The boiled water is supposed to denote the tough situations we all have.
In this case, I’m none. I’m chilli powder. I’m already crumbling, and when put in boiled water, I’m basically dissolved.
I know. This sucks. Loife’s being her dramatic self, not giving updates because what? Pressure. I bet some people wouldn’t even believe this story. And you know what? Whatever. I’m sick and tired of being criticised for being human and it’s like I’m being expected to be perfect and in which case? IM SORRY. IM SORRY IM NOT. YOU GOT TO SUCK IT UP CUZ THIS IS HOW I AM AND I CANT BE YOUR VISION OF PERFECT. OH WELL.
anyway. I’m really sorry to those who care. To those who really care, to those who read till the end, thank you so so much. I know I’ve been ranting a lot lately, and you must be tired of seeing these long ass posts. Maybe you were expecting updates on lemon dude, or maybe updates on my books. I’m sorry to disappoint you with this news.
thank you all so much.
-Loife
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plussizeed · 3 days
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ABOUT ME POST:
basics: my names megan. she/her pronouns! and im twenty one. im a christian (more about this later in post). i don’t know what else to say under basics…
account related info?: this will be a blog to document my progress with weight loss. it is not typical weight loss and all i will say is do not interact if you are sensitive to or in recovery from disordered eating. while i am not in recovery i do hope others can. you are strong and i believe in you! if you are not in recovery and are just as mentally ill as myself feel free to interact!
i’ve been in this community off and on throughout the years. i think i joined it around 13 though i never had interest in interacting with people consistently. i’m just very shy but i digress. to be honest with myself i have let myself go in more ways than one but this is to focus on loosing weight as i can’t even look at pictures of myself without crying. i’ve been kinda keeping to myself for a few months while i lose weight but i really wanted to join the community again for motivation.
i will not yet disclose my weight in this post since i would like to keep this up for awhile and regardless of if i lose or gain weight i don’t want to have to repost this or edit it. all i will say at the time of making this post (unironically and not being dramatic) clinically fat lol. i’ll be documenting my food like pictures of it and posting if i do work outs and stuff (don’t count on it for awhile. i truly hate working out because i find it to be so boring). and talking about struggles, things i find easy, and most definitely asking for advice lol. i’ll also probably repost things but i will will not be reposting advice unless it safer ways to do thing. i will only post “spo” when it’s something i deeply enjoy but feel free to check out my like posts to see what else i’m enjoying.
other things i have interest in: i really enjoy reading and music as i think most people do? my favorite books are a little life and go ask alice (emo i know…). music i really enjoy is the smiths, the cure, but i enjoy all genres of music anywhere from phonk to rap to country. i also play a few video games though they are the only ones i play… im not much of a gamer tbh but i play genshin impact, hsr, and wuwa. and here’s some shows i enjoy: bridgerton, the walking dead, shameless, and stranger things.
something i find i should add in interests is religion. i’m a christian myself but not only am i very respectful of others but i also love learning about them. i find religion in general to be a beautiful thing and creates wonderful communities for people. so not to worry if you follow another religion or not religious at all… i will not be mean or question you at all because that’s just rude and also not why i’m here. i just know some people are uncomfortable with christian’s due to the way certain sects of my religion act.
dni: 1) people who are in recovery or are sensitive to the subject of this account. this account is not meant to upset anyone… it is simply for me to document my experience and connect with other who are like me. 2) basic dni. i shouldn’t have to expand on this but if you need a list i can add one in the comments. 3) people who are mean for no reason. i’m a very shy person and i don’t do well with people who act like being rude is a personality trait. you just need to take a nap.
anyways thank you for reading. i hope i can connect in this community and find some support in my decision to do this again (not that it’s really up to me?). i thank you all for being understanding. and once again please i am begging you do not interact if you are in recovery or sensitive to this type of content.
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hiddenjam · 1 year
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Some help for my mom - UPDATED
Hello friends, you probably don’t know who I am since I haven’t been active here from years, and I rarely post anything, some of you even messaged me wondering if I was still alive, I'm so sorry if I ever worried anyone, I'm alive! I just don’t have time and motivation to be active these days, thanks a lot for you lovely persons who dmed me tho ♡ this and other reasons are why I regret letting my depression drown me for too long, because I’m feeling so tired right now, so lonely, but I’m also feeling desperate and helpless because I need your help. So my mom has been very sick from some time ago, but just recently, she got diagnosed with a brain tumor, and she needs a surgery urgently, like doctors gave her 2 months if we do nothing, and 1 has already passed, but the cost its high and I don't have enough money to help her.
I know I said before I was going to do commissions, but my time has been shortened since I also work long hours and taking care of my mom at the same time its really tiresome, physically and mentally, not that I complain in helping her tho. So maybe this year, hopefully I’ll make some progress with that. I'm sorry I'm rambling, I'm not very good with words, back at the matter… 
I’m feeling REALLY ashamed to be asking for help, but like I said Im feeling desperate to help my mom, I only live with her and I need her just like she needs me right now, she’s suffering a lot, and the feeling of helpless its horrible because I can’t help her like she needs to. 
So please, please, consider donate to make her surgery, she doesn’t have much time left, even if its a small donation, every cent no matter the amount its important to us, and it will help to do it as soon as possible. 
And if you can’t donate but still wants to help, then share this link to reach to others, really, anything right now its important to me, thank you for reading, and thanks a lot for your help.
Tbh I still don’t know everything about this tumor, but I shared more info and details in the fundraiser link, and even if you need a commission (I mean a drawing for a donation) you can dm me, I've never done a commission before, but I will try my best to do it, really by this point I’d do anything to help my mom. 
Thanks a lot and take care ♡ ♡ ♡ This is the donation page: https://gofund.me/347d39a2
EDIT: My mom survived the surgery with the help of everyone!! Thanks a LOT for all donations & shares! by changing the doctor we managed to give her a second chance in life 🥺 Also the tumor turned out to be benign!
Her doctor talked about her case on facebook !
SO GLAD we found him, the first doctor was charging us 22k while this doc charged us 10k (I put 3k from my saves) and it turned out all good! its amazing the improvement that my mom has shown ever since the 1st day of the surgery. And she's smiling 🥺❤️
Right now the only problem is the radiosurgery, and its another expense 😭 I dont know when this gonna end, but docs say hopefully is the last time, the probability is never 0 but she will need to be checked from time to time. In the meantime I will share the fundraiser for the radiosurgery, yeah I know, its shameless, but I really hope not to be in this position ever again after this. This time, Im no afraid of the outcome, I'm hopeful but need to be patient.
Once again, please, I need your help, I dont know If I should do another post about it, but for the moment I will just add it here in the ogpost: https://gofund.me/da136114
Once again thanks for your consideration <3
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txbbo · 3 years
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I've been debating making this because this is definitely not what my blog is known for and I was worried that people wouldn't want to see it, but with the amount of shit im seeing on twitter it's compelled me to make this because I'm so frustrated.
I feel like I could make 100 posts about 'Cancel Culture' and it wouldn't be enough, so I'm just going to focus on what caused me to write this tonight - the Tommy situation. *Warning for a VERY long post below*
To be clear, Tommy has been in 'hot water' on twitter for the past couple weeks, roughly starting with the KSI collaboration where he made a joke about dream stans.
Last week, when the SBI 'exposing account' got made and twitter hyped it up, someone made a Tommy account and made a thread of things he needed to be '''educated''' on: https://twitter.com/idktommyinnit/status/1379158964148002821?s=20
I'll let you read it for yourself (and come to your own conclusion) but to me.... half of this stuff does not require a twitter thread? Breaking it down accusation by accusation:
1) 'The Mexican accent' - the clips show he is clearly only doing it when copying big Q (who famously exaggerates his own accent) and there is zero malicious intent (Big Q is also IN the 3 clips mentioned in the thread, and obviously didn't tell Tommy it was offensive). There's debates in the comments from people who think it is offensive and people who don't, so I'm not trying to pick a side. To avoid accidentally offending anyone, maybe it is best for him to stop, but the way twitter acts as if he was purposefully doing this to offend people is just not true.
2- 'Making a slave joke' - Even saying that feels wrong, because it suggests Tommy is doing something awful. Instead, they are referring to the 'bit' that Tommy, Techno, Tubbo and Ant were involved in, when Tommy and Techno took Tubbo and Ant as their slave. People are taking this vod and using it to accuse Tommy of being insensitive to Black people, but I think people are just assuming the worst. Slavery existed long before the transatlantic slave trade and still exists today. This is a role-play server - Tommy 'forced' Ant to work for him and used the word slave, which to me is exactly what was happening? People 'murder' others on the SMP, people 'kidnap' on the SMP, people are 'terrorists' on the SMP, and all happen without issue. To add, Ant is a WHITE man. Tommy taking a WHITE man as a slave is not something uber problematic.
3- 'His reply to Techno's 'murder is bad' tweet'. - I get people saying that Techno's initial tweet was insensitive, but saying Tommy's agreement to this from almost over a year ago is something notable and worth addressing is just super nitpicky and is clearly only in there to pad out the thread. It also makes me wonder what other CC's interacted with it and if THEY should be cancelled too (according to twitter).
4 - 'The saying slurs' tweet / jokes about 'whats the worst word you know' - This one I can kinda see how people might not like it. However, it's clearly a 'poke' at his friends, making them seem like bad people. To me, its in the same vein as 'Tubbo is a Tory' or when Tubbo shoots back that 'Tommy is a Nigel Farage fan'. They're obviously not, but its making fun of your friends by saying they are, and mockingly making them out out to be bad people.
5- 'Covid jokes' - People are taking jokes he made about him 'having covid' and saying he shouldn't joke about this, even going as far to linking it to asian hate crimes. I don't even know how to explain that that this is just? not a 'cancellable offence'? I'm sorry but if I hear anyone in my family coughing I make a little joke that 'they better not have covid' and I know other people do. I have someone in my family who is extremely vulnerable to Covid and if they caught it, would quite literally die, but I can understand that jokes like these are harmless. The whole internet had a running joke that we were in a 'panoramic' or 'Panera' or 'insert any word that sounds like pandemic.
This thread got a lot of attention and anything he tweeted afterwards was spammed with the link and there were so many people upset that he hadn't addressed it. I saw so many people say how 'upset' and 'disappointed' they were in him.
Going on to today, this happened: https://twitter.com/khasiid/status/1380611890104139776?s=20
I get it, it looks bad. But for context (which the tweet doesn't give), the reply was only up for less than a minute. It was obvious to me, even BEFORE Tommy addressed it in his stream (clip here: https://twitter.com/cowrpse/status/1380640046202593283?s=20 ) that it was a mistake. In the clip, he clearly acknowledges his mistake and seems embarrassed. To me, this situation should just be laid to rest because a mistake does not need this much attention, but twitter disagrees.
In case it wasn't obvious by now, the tide is turning against Tommy and people are less willing to ignore genuine mistakes and assume the worst.
Today, during his birthday stream people were clearly already waiting for him to mess up. Around half way through, he started saying 'finna' out of context and Tubbo joined in. This led to tons of tweets telling him he was misusing AAVE, and while there were plenty of people willing to be patient and educate, there were also people seeing this as an example of him being a 'bad person' and someone who should be 'without a platform'. I think people forget that not everyone has the same internet upbringing as they do. In general, I think its noted that the misuse of AAVE is something that has just recently been brought to attention. I learned about it through tiktok and stan twitter, and I don't think it's unimaginable that a British 17 year old boy (who is not active on either) has never heard of 'African American Vernacular English'.
Just for a fuller picture, today has also brought about another 'criticism' that I just had to address.
1) 'Tommy made a KKK joke' - Like the 'slavery' point, saying this is extremely misleading. It makes people think the worst. Here's the clip: https://twitter.com/ghostburz/status/1380673589612011522?s=20
Here, Tommy and Tubbo are both joking about Tubbo's 'bit' of naming his alt streams 'aaaaaaaaaa', 'bbbbbbb', 'cccccc', etc and how it would've been bad if it was 'kkkkkkkk' (for obvious reasons). That is literally it. It is a less than 20 second clip. Acknowledging that people woulda thought about the 'KKK' is not him 'not understanding Black issues', its a throwaway joke about the obvious.
Lastly, someone on twitter has made a tommyinnit (address asap) doc - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tZEZtBzikS-EYYkssfFtwVOoFqOwCK0zhStLe6H1wCc/edit
I've basically already covered everything in this document, but I wanted to mention how extremely 'guilt trippy' the whole thing is. I struggled to come up with the perfect word for the situation, and I am open to hearing other peoples opinion, but as I have mentioned none of these things Tommy has been accused of were done with malicious intent, and some I believe don't even need addressed at all.
'slavery is a source of astronomical trauma for black people, and isn’t something to be taken lightly if you’re to look into the horrors of the slave trade."
and "Oftentimes they are the last words we hear before we die and it really is not Tommy’s place to joke about words that affect us so negatively."
Are extremely emotional words for a 17-year-old boy to hear on his birthday, for stuff that I believe has been taken out of context and blown out of proportion.
I really feel bad for him, because such a large proportion of twitter (which ofc is the loudest side of the fanbase) is angry at him and is demanding (as the document says) ''either a stream or twitter thread/twitlonger to addressing this' and 'a long and serious apology instead of a short statement pre-stream'.
We all know how twitter works, and unless his apology is perfect (which to me means apologising for stuff that he should't have to, as explained in the thread), twitter will continue with this weird hyper focus on everything he does, and it's not going to end well.
Twitter's mentality of 'putting everything this person has done that could ever be considered problematic' into one neat little thread is so unhelpful and counter intuitive. I got overwhelmed reading some of the stuff people were saying about him, I can't imagine how he feels.
I feel like I have more to say but at risk of writing an essay longer than my actual work I have to do, I'm going to end here.
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lovebecomeshim · 3 years
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hello! your zutara posting today has finally motivated me to ask this question because I came to atla very late(last year, to be specific) and I Love It Very Much but am 1000% out of the loop as far as why what remains of fandom (at least that I've seen among my friends) is so very strongly zutara. I'm not opposed to it per se I just don't really know what has driven it to apparently be such a popular ship? can you help me understand and maybe convert me a little bit?
Hey!! Your ICON! :D I can try but I’m not sure how coherent I’ll be; however I AM sure someone a lot more competent will be willing to add to this. Either way, I’m glad you asked because my plan was to drag down as many people as possible with me.
*smacks the hood of zutara* this baby can fit so much mutual love and support!
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This got so long, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to put it under a cut on mobile and it already got deleted once so I’m scared to mess with it lol. Moving on.
I’m gonna start this with a disclaimer that im on mobile so formatting is tricky and I’m also really new to atla in that I only completed my first watch through in like 2019??? So some of my info is all just based on what I’ve picked up from Discourse 👀 so anyway the sparknotes version: zutara was wildly popular from the beginning. To the point where the atla crew internally disagreed on which ship should be endgame. (Ex. Bryke [showrunners] asked the writers to rewrite The Southern Raiders to make Zuko seem less ideal for Katara than Aang [which failed, depending on who you ask]; the animation team purposefully created a visual parrallel between Oma and Shu in the Cave of Two Lovers and Zuko and Katara in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se in the Crossroads of Destiny; etc.)
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The ship was popular enough that Bryke actually chose to display zk fanart at a con for the sole purpose of mocking the fans, but that’s neither here nor there. The entire episode Ember Island Players, while a love letter to/parody of the whole show, was an opportunity to address zutara’s viability as a canon pairing (while, again, mocking zutaras for romanticizing that catacombs scene). Point is! It’s always been popular but with it not being endgame, there’s got to be something that’s given it staying power.
And that’s honestly got to do with three things: their dynamic, thematic cohesion, and potential.
(You know what... you know what, it’s four things. The fourth is they’re so aesthetically pleasing together and individually. Like, they’re just good looking people [specifically when they’re grown but they’re also cute kids] and that absolutely doesn’t hurt) (but it’s not the Point, it’s just nice to point out sometimes)
The dynamic is hard to get into without also looking at the canon pairings, but I think I can do that without unnecessary bashing. It’s just that part of the magic of zutara is really highlighted by what they give to each other that their other relationships don’t.
First off, it’s classic enemies to (would be) lovers. The absolute truest form of it. It’s not too different from how CS started out: a rogue antagonist with a job to do—but no personal vendetta against the future love interest—who is deeply and emotionally invested in his personal storyline (revenge/redemption) with little regard for how it effects other people after his entire life and genuine good nature are marred by suffering, and a fierce warrior girl with a strong moral compass and her own personal investment in stopping him (protect her family and save the world doing it). Obviously frustration and animosity grew between them by the nature of them being on opposing sides, but that just lends itself to the sweetness of their later reconciliation.
The thing is that while they’re wildly different on the surface (he’s a hot-headed prince of a fascist regime who is trying to capture the Avatar to please his father; she’s a nurturing daughter of the chief who is trying to protect and train the Avatar in order to topple his father’s throne) they find out that they have so much more in common both in their experiences and their personalities.
(What follows is an excessive use of the word “both” and I’m sorry about that)(I can edit it. I can do that. That IS an option............)
They both have an innate sense of justice that they are determined to see done (zuko, at the war meeting, sticking up for the Earth Kingdom kid when the guards torment his family, choosing not to steal from the pregnant couple despite his circumstances, abiding by his word to leave the SWT should Aang come willingly, etc.; katara, literally.... at any point). They both have pretty one-track minds at accomplishing certain goals once they’ve put their mind to it, regardless of a lack of support in that endeavor (it goes without saying I guess, but zuko’s entire hunt; katara’s determination to get the earth benders to fight back, her determination to absolutely destroy Pakku until he agrees to teach her, etc.). They both lost their mothers at young ages. Their worlds are war-torn and traumatizing to them both, if in different ways, but that ultimately forces them to grow up too quickly to be wholly independent individuals. They both have issues with their fathers (for WILDLY different reasons, but). They both hold extreme prejudices that they need to learn to overcome (which ties into thematic cohesion)(bit like Lizzie and Darcy in that way but magnified by a million). They’re both extremely emotional and empathetic—which can and often does result in loud outbursts. Katara’s a bit better adjusted and can temper her anger for longer than S1 Zuko can, but they both feel that anger deeply and have no compunctions expressing it (Katara is, usually, more justified, particularly in S1. Again, S1 Zuko is severely maladjusted but at the point when they could’ve feasibly become a couple, he’s so much better off with the way he carries himself). They both struggle with feelings of inferiority in their bending abilities when confronted with prodigal benders like Aang and Azula, but have the work ethic required to double down and become two of the most powerful benders in the three remaining nations. This is a little more minor but it is a parrallel that appeals to some shippers that they both have these alter egos in the Painted Lady (notably fire nation coded) and the Blue Spirit (water tribe coded) that are pretty different from who they are day-to-day and are useful in accomplishing a purpose that they as themselves cannot.
(I’m.... I just realized that this could potentially get very long. Should I have made a slide show with bullet points??????)
Anyway, similar. I know there’s more but there’s literally so much to love about zutara that I’ll drive myself a little crazy trying to compile all the ways they’re similar. (Just gonna say that at this exact moment I went back to add more similarities.... so okay then)
Once they’ve reconciled, we see how all of these things only lend themselves to a deeper intimacy together than they share with literally anyone else. There’s a steady partnership that positions them as the mom/dad of the gaang, while also providing the support necessary to allow the other to not have to carry so much responsibility. A lot of zutaras will point out how zuko is actually depicted doing the more domestic chores that are normally relegated to Katara once he joins the gaang, since the others in the group are two 12-year-olds and sokka. The one that sticks out the most is how he makes tea for the group and then serves them, while Katara is able to just relax with her friends around the fire. Fanon expands upon this a lot to Zuko helping with the laundry or the cooking or whatever else needs doing since he, as a once-refugee, is used to doing his own domestic tasks. Before Zuko joined, Katara was the one mothering everyone, sewing for them, cooking for them, etc. She’s always tending to the needs of the group, and that includes emotionally. She does the emotional labor for the gaang 99% of the time, but when she’s the one falling apart, she’s usually doing it alone and without the comfort that she normally provides for others. Until Zuko. And that’s before they’re even friends.
Which is WHY people romanticize the catacombs of Ba Sing Se so much. Katara is verbally attacking Zuko out of her own righteous anger but also her own prejudice when Zuko, surprisingly, chooses to be vulnerable with her. He’s been on a journey that’s opened his eyes a bit, but he’s never actively chosen to expose the rawest parts of his past to anyone. But for some reason he chooses to do that with Katara of all people. While she’s yelling at him. He sees her humanity, and for once can look past his prejudice and empathize with her. And this time, when she breaks down, she gets to be comforted. Katara normally talks about her mother when she’s trying to explain to someone else that she sees and understands they’re pain, as a form of comfort to them. Here, Zuko uses the exact same tactic. He sees her and he understands. And for zuko? He’s not being shut down. He’s allowed to articulate his pain regarding his mother without being ignored and made to internalize it, and he’s allowed to process how he feels about his scar out loud without being told that he deserved it. And then he lets her touch his scar, something we’ve seen him actively avoid before. He’s completely open to her and she’s completely open to him and all it took was one five minute conversation. She was about to use the little bit of Spirit water that she had, that she was saving for something Important, to heal the scar that still daily causes him pain just because they had, somehow, connected.
Plus there’s the whole parallel to the star-crossed lovers forbidden from one another, a war divides their people—
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And then zuko messes up, he regresses, he gets what he wants and he HATES it. And the sense of justice he had as a child has been restored to him against his will and he can’t think of anything he wants to do more than the Right Thing, so he joins team avatar. Before he does that though, we get to see his relationship with Mai, which is where comparison really comes in. And what we see is Zuko, fresh off of his encounter with Katara in the catacombs, trying to be emotionally honest with Mai... and getting shut down and dismissed. Which is just how Mai is and it’s fine, but not for Zuko. Still, he keeps trying, and he keeps getting ignored or scoffed at or yelled at. Which is really a larger symbol for how he doesn’t fit in his old life anymore, but again that’s about thematic cohesion. He tries to articulate his anxieties about returning home, he tries to make romantic gestures, he tries to explain how morally conflicted he’s feeling—and Mai diverts to some kind of physical affection to shut him up and a parting comment that is pretty much always, in essence, “I don’t wanna talk about this.” So they don’t. On the other hand, once zuko and Katara are friends, we see him again emotionally distraught and caught up in his anxieties about facing Iroh, and it’s Katara who comes to him and listens to him and comforts and encourages him.
Similarly, we have Aang clamming up and getting uncomfortable whenever Katara shows any negative emotion, usually resulting in him making excuses or running away. Or, in the case of the Southern Raiders, lecturing her on how she needs to just let go of her anger about her mother’s murder. People have talked this episode to death and usually better than I ever could, so imma... keep it brief. There’s a serious disconnect between Aang and Katara in his ability to empathize with Katara and her needs that has her tamping down her vulnerability and amping up her anger. He tells her that he was able to forgive his people’s genocide and appa’s kidnapping (petnapping? Theft??), which is blatantly not true but also not an entirely equal parrallel to Katara’s situation, and continues making these little remarks throughout the episode. But it’s Zuko that Katara opens up to. It’s with him that she’s able to talk about the most traumatic day of her life, and it’s with him that she’s able to get the closure she needs, cementing their bond as friends and partners. This disagreement between Aang and Katara is then... never resolved. They just never bring it up and hear what the other is saying.
There’s a fic called The Portraits of Ember Island that has a line that so completely sums up the heart of the matter for why people love their dynamic. For context, zuko has woken up early to help Katara with the cooking and they spend the whole time just letting one another talk, and zuko stops to ask why she always just lets him talk. And so she stops to ask why he’s always helping, and it goes as follows:
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There’s just... so much mutual support! Trust! Intimacy!! And it just continues like that from the Southern Raiders on, listening to each other, advising each other, watching each other’s backs! And then! Literally saving each other’s lives!! I will never be over the last Agni kai. Not ever. Zuko may have been willing to jump in front of lightning for anyone, but he actually did it for Katara. And in a show, that’s the thing that really matters. It’s a fulfilled trope usually exclusively applied to romantic pairings, and it ended up applying to Zuko and Katara. And then she ran out into the middle of a fight with tunnel vision just to get to him.
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Also!! Also Zuko pushing Katara out of the way of the falling rocks at the Western Air Temple!! And Katara catching him as he fell from the war balloon that he fought Azula on!! Before they’re even getting along, they’re the ones reaching for each other. They come to this place of equal ground, as partners, who watch each other’s backs, call each other out but still listen attentively and understand, and provide the support that the other has been sorely lacking up until they knew each other (whether that be from lack of effort or lack of understanding from others, or an unwillingness to accept it for themselves).
Then, trailing along under the surface of this, we see the themes of the show totally embodied by Zuko and Katara as individuals and in their relationship to one another. There’s a YouTuber, sneezyreviews, who has a, like, 2-hour explanation on why she not only loves zutara but also believes that their endgame would’ve actually elevated the writing of atla to new levels particularly because of thematic cohesion and resolved character arcs. It’s the zutara dissertation I never knew I needed, and it’s funny and eloquent and effective, so I’m just going to sum up her section on thematic cohesion to the best of my abilities and then link it for whenever you have the time. And I HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you want a full understanding of what makes zutara so great and gives it such longevity.
Guru pathik has a line that goes something like this: separation is an illusion; things that seem different are just two parts of the same whole. Iroh also tells Zuko something similar: balance and strength are achieved when the different nations come together and influence one another and celebrate what makes them each unique. And this lesson is a massive central arc that both Zuko and Katara go through, moving past a black-and-white, good guys-vs-bad guys, us-vs-them mentality and into a greyer, more nuanced view of the world. Zuko sees the fire nation from an entirely new perspective and while he still loves and hopes for his nations future, he surrenders his blind loyalty to them in exchange for an unflinching loyalty to peace and love. Katara too had to come to terms with the fact that cruel people exist in the earth kingdom and water tribes, while some fire nation citizens are just regular, kind people who also need and deserve to have someone speak on their behalf. And this is honed in directly on how they view each other. They grow in their individual journeys to be open to the humanity in the other and then, once they’ve found that, they’re able to grow more in compassion for others in a beautiful feedback loop. And this is all matched in the symbolism repeatedly and intentionally associated with them in canon: sun and moon, fire and water, yin and yang, Oma and Shu who found love despite their warring nations. Their individual arcs are completed in each other and complement the themes of atla beautifully.
The canon pairs... just don’t. Which, again, is fine. But the very things that give atla longevity and popularity are anchored in zutara. Kat@ang doesn’t accomplish this. They’re... nice. Sweet. Especially when you erase a good portion of their interactions in S3. It could’ve been just a sweet love story. (Personally, the dynamic between toph and aang accomplish the same thing that zutara does, with complementary personalities that fulfill the theme of opposites blending in harmony) M@iko, on the other hand, is less sweet but I think wasn’t even supposed to last. Zuko’s relationship with Mai seems to represent his relationship with his old life as a whole. He can’t be emotionally vulnerable, he’s goaded into abusing his privileges, his agency and opinions aren’t respected. They just don’t have common ground with which to discuss anything that matters, so they don’t. As far as themes, the relationship doesn’t fit with atla. It’s zuko returning to and sticking with what is (on the surface) like him, what’s expected. Fire nation with fire nation. Fluid water bender with the flexible air bender. Like with like, separated from what is different and challenging and complementary.
And all of these things combined of course lead to the potential for the ship. I don’t know how familiar you are with the post-atla canon but... well, miss “I will never turn my back on people who need me”, miss “I don’t want to heal! I want to fight!” ends up living quietly in the SWT as a designated healer who turns a blind eye to the water tribe civil war happening right outside her front door. Which can be fine! People change! Some people just wanna stay inside. I just wanna stay inside! But the potential future for zutara is so much more satisfying, with Katara becoming the most unconventional Fire Lady the uppity old cads who are stuck on the old ways have ever seen. Fanon has her serving as a voice for the other nations within a kingdom at the point of its biggest political upheaval, as a confidante to Zuko who can actually help him while he’s trying to figure out how to move forward and make reparations. They have the opportunity, together, to accomplish what they both have set on their hearts to fight for: positive change that lends itself to harmony and balance. And the steambabies! A popular headcanon is that their firstborn daughter, the crown princess, is actually a waterbender, which causes such an uproar among the people who are adamantly clinging to the old ways. It’s just a future full of potential to be forces for good together, full of trust, intimacy, joy. The exact era of peace and love and balance that zuko announces that he intends to ring in with the start of his reign as Fire Lord is, again, magnified by the very personal zutara relationship. And we love to see it.
tl;dr zutara isn’t for everyone. Some people just don’t vibe with it. Some are nostalgic. Some love the canon they grew up with. Some have been disappointed for years. Some just see themselves in other characters and want their happiness instead. Whatever the reason, that’s fine. But for me, I love the way these two, from the moment they give each other a fair chance, are able to lower their walls and prejudices to see the other for the kindred spirits they are. They see each other’s humanity, and their response is to pour out love and support and compassion. I love that they’re a power couple in battle. I love the symbolism and, honestly, soulmatism that colors their every interaction. I love that they embody the whole storyline of atla in their relationship and how it develops, which is notably why their seasonal arcs always culminate in each finale with how they relate to one another. I love that zuko adopting a waterbending move is what actually saves his life and then katara’s. I love the chemistry! And I love the future they could’ve had, instead of the ones they were given.
So, in conclusion: I just think they’re neat and I hope you do too, at least a little bit. Even if it’s just respectfully from a disinterested distance cause you do you. And now here is the video I mentioned. I’m sorry this post got so long and then I gave you an even longer homework assignment, but I can’t recommend it enough. She says it all better than I can.
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thetriggeredhappy · 2 years
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Holy fucking goddamn the sunset poem in Running Blind, huh? "Oh im into tf2 again i should read that fanfic i really liked in 2019 I bet its still fun-"
"…Sometimes, people try to take pictures of sunsets."
"Oh so this is what humanity is all about i see."
You fuckinf went off huh. Oh my god. The voice of god just spoke through you where did that come from. Im so MAD at you for putting that in tf2 fanfiction because i now want to record myself reading specifically that part of the story and how will i tell my friends "also this is from tf2 fanfic that made me cry at 2am" look what youce done to me!!! Oh my god. Oh my god. Genuinely beautiful literature genuinely outstanding prose genuinely overtaking emotions and depiction of human experience and beauty in the world and how humans every single day rediscover the same beauty and are still unable to conceptualize it for even a moment but we hate fleeting moments and want to immortalize them because they make us feel so much and honestly me wanting to record myself reading that part of the story is innately an aspect of me wanting to internalize those paragraphs and capture the emotion they made me feel, and the emotion they made me feel in 2019 that i forgot about, but ultimately all i can do is try to remember to read it again 2024 to feel it again because good fucking god.
WHY DID YOU PUT IN TF2 FANFICTION DJDJDJDJB. This is probably a nonsensical anon bcuz you probably haven't read that story in quite some time yourself. But just it. Do you have any fucking idea. Do you have any fucking idea what youve done to me a poor innocent man. That is one of the most lovely pieces of literature ive ever read. The entire story actually is incredibly lovely (i left a very long comment on it the first time i read it, i rmemeber.) And the paragraphs in chapter 16 only add to it, and strengthen the emotional bond between the two and their story together. But specifically just. Oh my god sunsets r changed for ever for me. Goddamn.
yeah i dunno what happened either if i’m being honest i wrote some of the last chapters including that one in like, a 14-hour, like, supreme-hyperfocus-to-the-point-of-dissociation-type-episode. like i basically blacked out and came out on the other side with about 10k words and that entire monologue and then i edited for spelling and posted it a few days later i have no idea what happened. i mean i did think to myself “wow this is in a tf2 fanfiction” but what else can you expect from a monologue about the transient human experience and how fleeting and extremely contextual every moment of our lives is, like. i liked tf2 right then. in that moment i was writing a tf2 fanfiction for fun. contextually that was important just then. and like maybe there’s something to be said about the fact that every sunset is beautiful and to some degree there’s this grief at not being able to express that but also there’s this faith, right, in recognizing this as a pattern in human behavior, and to some degree that means we recognize that this beauty is something we know will happen again. like maybe my next great monologue will be in a piece of original fiction, or maybe it’ll be in another fanwork. i have no idea, but odds are it’s gonna happen again. like i’m not gonna grieve over it as something that’s lost or wasted, i guess, because sunsets aren’t either. we like them, and then the sun goes down. and then it comes up again tomorrow. and like, in my brain i guess it’s not super important what context it’s in, if you’re in your car in traffic or if you’re like, getting proposed to. i dunno where i’m going with this honestly maybe if god breaks my brain over one knee again i’ll be able to word it right
also i absolutely did read running blind again recently i actually did a live reading of it as like a fun thing. the part with the sunset monologue is over here if you don’t wanna put up with the hassle of recording it yourself. it’s like portioned out and stuff
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washymylifeaway · 3 years
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Haikyuu fanfic recs for ones I liked hehe
EDIT: I made a pt 2
Anyway, as the title suggests, I am recommending some fanfics for popular(ish) ships that I personally really enjoyed! I’m only doing one or two fics per ship (which in hindsight is KILLING me so I’m just putting the first fics I find and am like I really liked that one LOL) because I wanted to do a shorter fic rec list (tho watch this become super long LOL). I also may or may not be procrastinating finishing a couple other long posts, so there’s that hehe. For the (kinda but not really) public consensus for best fics per ship (by kudo count) check out some of my other posts. Also I’m putting some ships I don’t actually read much of (OOPS LOL) so if you think that there’s a fic that fits my type (if I even have a consistent type) better, pls tell me LOL. Otherwise, pls continue heh :)
As always, pls check WARNINGS, TAGS, and SUMMARIES for fics before reading to make sure you’re taking care of yourselves (since mental health is key!) and stay healthy!
IwaOI:
The Loyalty of a Traitor by DeathBelle (E) 76.9k // ok so does me liking this fic make me basic cause I feel basic LOL. I really love mafia fics, and the way the story line developed was SO good, like IN LOVE with this story. This is a fic where you should read WARNINGS, TAGS, and SUMMARY before diving in, but if the length scares you, don’t be. It’s so easy to fall in and get lost in the writing!
the courtship ritual of the hercules beetle by kittebasu (chanyeol) (T) 66.3k // again, basic? Probably LOL but it’s good so I have no shame ;) Again, pls don’t let the word count scare you (cause it scared me LOL), you get really into it after like 2 paragraphs, so just make sure you have enough time to finish hehe.
KuroKen:
Thicker Than Blood by kylar (M) 91.4k // are you surprised that there is another mafia one? You really shouldn’t be LOL. Anyway, I’ll just be here pushing my mafia fanfic agenda while you read this monster of a fic hehe :) Definitely read WARNINGS, TAGS, and SUMMARY because there is some very sensitive topics involved! I also adore the oibokuroo friendship headcannon, so more reasons to read, right?
Liked, Commented and Subscribed by Royal Society of Pandas (Abarcelos) (T) 45.7k // this fic is SO funny omg. I read it and I had to stop so many times just to laugh because I could not stop sometimes LOL. However, there IS angst towards the end, it gets resolved, but it’s still there... But honestly, it just adds such depth and flavor to the fic, so pls read it!
BokuAka:
bang! now we're even by Authoress (M) 11.9k // so I’ll be honest, I don’t read a lot of BokuAka (...oops?) and so I wouldn’t consider myself as the best person to be recommending fics for this ship (in general too LOL).... ANyway, I love myself some good spy AUs (was gonna put that IwaOi spy AU but the LIMIT), and Akaashi in a dress? Like the tags might state, what more do you need? The characters are done beautifully, and the story development is SO good, so I give you all my humble BokuAka rec.
Crisis Converted by valiantarmor (M) 60k // man do I really love fighting in my fics LOL. This was super good and the plot itself kept me really engaged (what a twist omg). It does talk a bit about mental health issues, but it’s done so well, and they really did this AU justice!
DaiSuga:
How to Manage by SuggestiveScribe (E) 39.3k // ok so yea yea we established, I’m basic, BUT can you blame me? This might’ve been one of the first DaiSuga’s I’ve read and I have no regrets. Literally, this fic series is one of my favorites, so OF COURSE I had to add it somewhere :D Honestly, I don’t even think you need to read the first one to understand what’s going on, but I would just cause it has some funny DaiSuga moments too ;) This is explicit for PWP, so proceed with caution~~
Add New Contact by booksong (G) 8.5k // this one! It’s so cute and poor Daichi LOL. He really out here doing the most,,, Anyway, we love tech Suga, and a nice dash of snarky tsukki (LOL is he salt, yes yes he is). It’s very fluff and pine, so if you want to read Daichi having gay panic like 24/7, go right ahead LOL. 
SakuAtsu:
Burden of Blame by DeathBelle (E) 91.2k // ummmm, haha what, another mafia AU? Me, predictable? Noooo, never..... Anyway, this one was so freakin’ good like, love it so much! It’s one of my favorite mafia AU fics, and I love the story line progression. Poor Atsumu being dragged into this mess, but it’s okay because THEY are IN LOVE. Honestly, this fic is Atsumu best boy like he is the best boy. BEST BOY.
Notte Stellata by awkwardedgeworth (T) 20.9k // I ignored all of the other fics I LOVE in this ship (like the pain I’m in rn), but I love this fic with my whole heart. Like I have reread this fic multiple multiple times because I love it so much (tho I might’ve skipped the angst a couple of times cause I didn’t want the pain okay?). I keep coming back, and the second fic in this series is SO funny and cute and I love it here. Please read it, it’s so FREAKING good, angst and ALL.
KyouHaba:
Team Mom by All_My_Characters_Are_Dead (T) 2.7k // so as I was going through this tag (because that’s what I do LOL), I remembered this fic and I love it. Like yes Yahaba is the fear factor and yes Kyoutani is the DAD. I really like the team dynamics in this one, and the first years make me laugh pls.
Camellias by kiyala (T) 1.9k // IK you’re all like, you’re missing such great fics, like no I’m not I just made myself hate myself by limiting fics to two per,,, I love this fic and when I starting looking for this ship, it was the first one I thought of hehe. I really love magic and their interactions are so cute and the PLANTS ARE DOING THE MOST. Pls read both in the series, cause domestic KyouHaba is best KyouHaba ngl LOL. I love the plants, and if you read the second one, someone tell the trees to stop bullying Yahaba.
MatsuHana:
This gets annoying fast, Makki by Ink_stained_quills (G) 2.3k // IM IN LOVE WITH THIS FIC PLS I COULD NOT STOP CRYING TEARS OF LAUGHTER. This AU needs more fics PLEASE. It was SO freakin’ funny and the other teams KILLED ME. Like how they all approached the problem differently and how some of them (KUROO) asked for help LOL. Please this is so freaking funny go read it.
boiled frogs by reginagalaxia (E) 91.5k // I told myself I was gonna put my most angsty fics on another post (which I will for my other favorite MatsuHana angst fic which I love), but this fic. Omg I saw it and I was like I have to. Literally I have to. I hate angst, but read it. It, the, plot, omg, I jjfnsfknalkjdnf ljksan. Like I’m not sure you understand. This fic. asjfjfsadnldjb. I never thought I could hate a character SO MUCH,,,, like SO MUCH. READ TAGS, WARNINGS, AND SUMMARIES because some serious stuff really goes down. Bless Iwa-chan.
SunaOsa:
Accidentally in Love by pancake_surprise (T) 19.6k // JOSE CUERVO strikes. I love this fic and all the chaos in it. The way they were supposed to be the responsible couple (of friends LOL),,, sike. This one is only a slight angst and it’s mostly love and fun :) Also technically this is no longer the first fic in the series, but I’m still putting this one cause the other one is SakuAtsu orientated hehe :)
Spring Secrets by DeathBelle (T) 3.8k // Seasons might be one of my favorite (as all things also seem to be) series of all times. I don’t like rerecommending fics I’ve already said to read, which is why I’m not yelling at you to go read a certain other fic (which is my life and blood). Anyway, this fic series is all fluff barely angst (maybe that’s why I like it) but it’s so freakin good pls read it all ahhhhhh.
Komori/Suna (what is their ship name):
I wish to live in a world by hatsuna (T) 24.8k // ok ngl this fic was so sad and relatable? Like I was like wtf why are you making me cry rn even though like I shouldn’t be? My heart? Pain. (Hotel? Trivago.) Technically, this is END GAME but the main pairing is kinda SakuAtsu???? Something of the sort, but also their relationship (Komori and Sakusa) is written so well and idk guys I think you need to read this fic rn.
Ah the two fic limit hurt me, but fear not I am making ship specific rec posts (LOL I’m so dramatic), so if you wanted more of a ship,,,, its a coming hehe. And yes I did say I’m making an angsty fic rec post, but we’ll see if it gets finished before I side-track with posts like these LOL.
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antihero-writings · 3 years
Text
Before it Kills You Too (Ch2 Snippets 1, 2 & 3)
Fandom: Lore Olympus
Chapter Summary: When Hera gets into a car accident after a fight, Zeus has a moment to ruminate on their relationship. Written using the song “Wait” by Maroon 5 as a prompt.
Character Focus: Zeus
Please note!! This is the previous Ch2 snippets I posted + a new snippet (the new snippet starts with “I would venture to guess she was driving too fast.”)
I’ve been having trouble with this chapter for a very long time, so I’ve decided to post it snippet-by-snippet, because that seems like the only way I’ll successfully finish this fic. 
While this should be as close to the final version as it can be, anything in this snippet is subject to change when the full chapter comes out. (And, hey, to that end, if there’s anything you think needs to be edited here, please kindly let me know!!)
Im really excited about this snippet!! Definitely one of my favorite parts of the chapter!!
Thanks again SO much to those who support this fic and want to read more!! The fact that you want to read more really does mean the world to me!! I appreciate your kind comments so much!!
I’d really appreciate it if you could leave a comment and/or reblog!!! I’m not kidding when I say that makes my week!!
Tagging some folks who’ve shown interest!! @jayyy007 @autumnmoon21 @sunsetsofanemoia, @lynnie51 @what-the-fuckaroni @masquejj
And please do let me know if you’d like me to add you to a taglist for this fic, or message you when new snippets/the next chapter come/s out!!
Chapter 2 Snippets 1, 2 & 3:
Hera was standing in the crowded meadow, surrounded by her friends, laughing that girly little giggle full of sunshine that just about made Zeus’ heart ooze in a puddle out of his chest.
Her blue dress made her eyes look like two shimmering sapphires.
“Have I seen her in a dress that color?” Zeus inquired excitedly from behind the bushes.
“How can we know what you’ve seen?” Aidoneus muttered. “With you creeping around, you might have seen her naked for all we know.”
Zeus punched him in the arm, (lightly).
“I don’t think she’s worn a dress that color!” Posiedon bubbled.
“Thank you, Posiedon. At least someone can answer a question.”
“I think she looks like the sea on summer day.” He put his hands on his face, them sliding slowly.
Zeus eyed him. “Alright, keep it in your toga, Little Green Man.”
“Should we really be here?” Aidoneus muttered. “We weren’t invited.”
“Oh come on,” Zeus stood up, putting his hands on his hips. “Who wouldn’t want to see the King of the gods here?”
Poseidon grinned and stood up behind his brother. “No one!”
“Hestia, Demeter… assorted sane people.” Hades muttered as he stood to follow.
“If that’s sanity I’m glad I’m insane.” Zeus trilled as he strutted up to the entrance.
A cute pink nymph—(rather well endowed in the chestal region—not that he noticed!)—greeted them at the archway.
“Oh! Zeus!” She flushed and bowed. “It’s an honor. Welcome!”
“Why it’s an honor to meet you, my lady.” He kissed her hand, and she giggled. “See?” he turned to his brothers. “They’re delighted to have us.”
“I’ve got a bad feeling.” Hades muttered.
Hera was closer now; she smelled like summer, and she looked like it too. Poseidon was right about the ocean thing; she practically shimmered as she spoke with her friends.
“I’m gonna go talk to her.”
“Wait—!” Hades was soon swallowed by the crowd.
Zeus scooched behind her at lightning speed. One by one her friends began to take notice, their eyes widening.
Hera took a step back and would have tripped in surprise if he hadn’t caught her.
“Careful there, you might fall, Birthday Girl.”
“Oh, Zeus!” She looked up at him, the back of her head hitting his chest, “hi!”
That golden smile.
“I made you something!” As she spun to face him, he produced a little carving of a bird from his pocket. (And, no, he didn’t make it).
“Oh!” She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, gently taking it from him, “It’s beautiful!”
All his responsibilities and stresses melted away with the sight of that smile, and he forgot there was anyone else at the party…in the world.
(…He wished he saw that smile anymore.)
Zeus’ chair was spinning empty at his desk before his assistant could say another word—
And Olympus wept, distant peals of thunder rending the sky into pieces.
Lightning crackled and cackled through his hair, creating violet tracks through the air, as Zeus sped through the sky.
It was freezing, and people were staring, but he didn’t care.
All that mattered was getting to his wife.
“My you look stunning.” Zeus sidled up behind his wife, running his fingers gently along her arm. “Is that a new dress?”
“New as that girlfriend of yours.” Hera grunted.
His eyes widened with shock, his voice with an indignant undertone to it. “Is something wrong?”
She paused a moment. He could see words fluttering behind her lips—(like they did so often, too often)—the words Yes you did something wrong, how can you not know?
He knew she wouldn’t believe him when he said he didn’t mean to hurt her.
“You weren’t invited,” she said softly.
“Not invited? Me?” He put his hand to his chest, like the thought of him ever not being welcome to somewhere was absurd. “To what?”
“The party, you nitwit!” She whirled around, her hair nearly whipping him in the face. “You just came barging in like you owned the place!”
“Well…to be fair—”
He stopped short at the look in her eyes, like two blue-hot flames.
He knew it was taking her a great amount of effort not to slap him.
“Do you know how long I’d been preparing for that?! How long it took me to get everything just right? I told you, but you never even listened, did you? And then you just barged right in!”
“Why are you so upset? What’s so important about a party?!”
“They were my friends.” Her gaze softened, and her tone became more serious. “They were—” Until she cut herself off, and her expression hardened as she whirled around, her hair billowing behind her.
“Bunny, wait!” His tone was softer too.
He wished she’d just turn around. That he could say sorry.
Was it really so hard? He should have started there.
Had he ever apologized for that?
He was always doing that; barging in where he wasn’t welcome. The world was his, yes but…he had to concede there were some parts of it he ought not just barge in on.
When he burst into the hospital, however, they wouldn’t dare tell him he wasn’t invited, wouldn’t dare tell him he couldn’t see her.
“Where. is my. wife?” Lightning slammed into a lamppost just outside the front door, shattering its glass box, and making the light spark, the rain pounding at the window like rabid dogs.
The desk clerk looked like she was about to pee out of sheer fear.
“Sh-sh-she’s not out of surgery yet, your majesty...I understand you want to see her, but I can’t let you…until-until they’re finished.” She was practically vibrating. “I assure you the moment she gets out, we’ll notify you.”
Surgery? He wanted to demand. She’s the queen of the gods, how could she be in surgery?
Electricity sparked in his eyes, trailing throughout his hair. He could say I demand you let me see her. He could say I don’t care! She’s my wife, and I’m not waiting! She’s fine! She’s the queen—she’s my queen—she won’t be hurt from a little car accident!
But there were some places he ought not just barge in on… and the surgeons room was probably one of them.
The lightning let out a sighing crackle, before he closed his eyes, his hair falling back upon his shoulders. It was then that he noticed he was dripping wet from head to toe. He sighed himself before muttering something like a garbled “I understand, thank you.” And turning to sit in the lobby. Behind him the desk clerk’s coworker held her to keep her from fainting.
He snapped his fingers, drying off, so as not to get their nice, barf-colored carpet all wet. Once he sat down in a chair—(the cushions didn’t have any cush to them)—a kid in the chair across from him scooched away.
He could have that kid lightly charred if he wanted.
Instead he settled for a nice glare, and reached over to pick up last month’s—(or maybe it was a few months ago)—issue of  “Goddess weekly” listening to the rain die down to a drum.
The same old gossip. Usually if he picked one of these up he’d check for any news he ought to be aware of. You know, as the king. Not to mention the ladies weren’t unappealing. Now he flicked through without seeing any of it.
Speaking of ladies, there was a nymph sitting across the room from him, her skin blue, her ears down, and a cute little half smile. She surely wasn’t in here for anything serious. She kept glancing from her own magazine to him—but not in a nervous way. If he wasn’t mistaken, she wouldn’t be opposed to a session of hide-the-German-sausage.
If he wanted he could take her there in a darkened closet in the hallway. It wouldn’t take long—(if it didn’t need to…or it could take all night). That would be a nice way to relieve the stress bubbling in his body.
—Someone was laying next to him, her skin smooth, practically glowing. There was rather a lot of it exposed.
She turned over, her eyes fluttering open, a small smile creasing her features as she rolled onto his chest, tickling his chin with her fingers.
“I had a wonderful time,” she twittered, and he practically purred, staring into those big blue eyes, glittering like river stones.
He pushed her green hair behind her ear.
“Is that all? I’d like to think a night with the King of the gods would be more than merely ‘wonderful.’”
She giggled. “No no, it was much more than wonderful! It was spectacular! Mind-blowing!” She threw her arms in the air.
“That’s more like it.” He grinned—
When was that again? Two years ago, or two days ago?
It could have been either.
Had he apologized for that?
Would it have mattered if he had? Would she have forgiven him? Would he have stopped?—
Bile rose in his throat, and he dove his nose so hard into the magazine he almost smacked himself with it.
His wife was bruised and bleeding, and potentially worse in a nearby room, at the mercy of some quack holding a scalpel and a few comforting words…and here he was thinking of betraying her for the…
How many times had it been now?
He threw the magazine back on the table and sank in the chair till his head was nearly on the bottom cushion, his lip flapping his he blew out a breath, making his hair fly up a little.
The kid and his mom got called, and seemed glad of a reason to leave.
After a healthy dose of moping he pulled out his phone. After checking fatesbook and playing a few games he decided it was time to open his messages.
He didn’t want to be alone. He wanted some sensible and non-conjugal company.
He scrolled through and clicked on a name.
A number of old conversations sprinkled the page, often detailing Zeus asking about getting together and the correspondent saying they were busy.
He thought a moment about what to say—(a rare occurrence for him)—before deciding any vague requests would probably get ignored, so he simply decided the boldfaced truth:
Hera’s been in a car accident. She’s in surgery.
“WHAT?!” The word was spoken aloud—and very loudly at that.
Hades was standing in front of him. If the king being here wasn’t enough reason for weird looks, this outburst had sent more than a few eyes their way.
Zeus did a finger wave at the nymph, before he grabbed his brother’s arm, whisking him off to a less crowded hallway.
The only thing here was a vending machine, and a few overly picturesque pictures of trees.
“How did this happen?!”  Hades shout-whispered.
“I would venture to guess she was driving too fast.”
“I could have gathered that myself, thank you very much!” Hades was clearly trying not to shout. “What was she doing?! Where was she going?!”
Zeus rolled folded his arms. “Does it matter?”
“Sure it matters! Well at least it’d be good to know!”
“…I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?! What do you mean you don’t know?! She’s your wife—!”
“I said I don’t know!” he kicked the vending machine.
The air shattered and reformed itself.
Zeus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, his voice softening. “I…I don’t know.”
Two sides of him warred. One wanted to shout at Hades. He expected him to know where she was at all times? Oh yeah, that would go over well with her. What kind of helicopter husband would he be then?
And yet, it felt wrong for him not to know. Like some sort of failure. She was his wife. Shouldn’t he? Shouldn’t he have asked? Shouldn’t he care?
Hades’ gaze softened.
“I upset her.” Zeus murmured. “We got into a fight.”
Hades leaned against the wall. He was probably resisting the urge to say he could have gathered that too.
Zeus leaned his head forward onto the glass of the vending machine, his hair falling to the side, his reflection vaguely eyeing him.
“We got into a fight and she…I hadn’t even realized she went for a drive.” He paused, observing the chocolate and chips sitting in neat rows in the machine. “Do you think she liked Twyx?”
“Huh?”
“Do you think she liked Twyx?”
Hades pondered it a moment. “Probably. She tends to like things with caramel in them.”
Zeus smiled wryly. “See? I didn’t even know that.”
“I’m sure you’ll be able to ask her all your burning questions about her favorite candy flavors very soon.”
“That’s not the point.” Zeus whispered.
Zeus was feeling a little off-kilter.
He nearly fell into a three-thousand drachma vase.
Okay, make that a lot.
The sound of heels on the staircase. The white one they’d painted for that one event…what had they been celebrating again?
His hazy gaze made her glitter even more than usual.
“Have I ever told you that you’re like the sea on a summer’s day?” Zeus’ voice came out blurry. He put his hand in his hair, trying to look sexy, you know, like the kind of guy you’d wanna forgive.
This was met by her hair slapping him in the face as she walked by him. She paused a few steps below him, turning.
“Is that alcohol I smell on your breath?”
“I may have had one—“ He hiccuped, “or five, appletinis.”
“And this is what? An intelligent conversation you’re trying to have?” She folded her arms over her chest.
“Actually,” he held up a finger. The action made him feel off-balance so he leaned against the railing, trying to land in a sexy pose. “There is something I wanted to say.”
“You’re barely coherent when you’re sober, at least spare me until then.”
He rolled his eyes—(and made himself feel even dizzier).
She turned to go back up the stairs.
“Wait!” He shouted.
She stopped, looked over her shoulder, eyes narrow as a cat’s. “What?”
“I-hic!” He covered his mouth as if embarrassed. Clearly emotion was dangerous. “I wasn’t trying to get wasted! I just-hic!-needed more than three or four to say this.”
“Oh yeah? Spit it out Grape Sorbet.” She folded her arms over her chest.
“I’m…” he held on to the railing for support. “I’m sorry.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”
“You…You were right.” He took a step closer.
“About what?” Her breath bated.
“I just…I didn’t want to admit it. I couldn’t…” He looked away. “I couldn’t tell you sober.”
“About what?” The words had a rough edge to them, her chest heaving with breath.
Ah. She knew. She knew what he was going to say, even before he said it.
“I…I did cheat on you.”
“Wh-What?” Her eyes tinted red…but there was so much hurt in the word.
Fear and shame rose in tandem like ocean waves, threatening to bowl him over, and he realized that the truth wasn’t going to help at all. But all he could do was let it pour out of him.
“You-hic-You asked if I was with-hic—”
“Stop.” She covered her mouth as if to keep the worst words from spilling out, tears welling in her eyes.
“But I—”
“I said stop!” Her voice rang through the room like something shattering.
Maybe something was.
Her heels against the stairs, fast and sharp, and away.
“Wait!”
Turn around please, let me apologize, let me explain, I won’t do it again.
He threw up in the vase.
“Daddy? What was that all about?” The small voice made his blood run cold. “What did you cheat at? Were you playing a game?”
Zeus turned, horrified, to see Ares, hiding behind a crack in the door.
“I shouldn’t have yelled at her.” He breathed. “It was stupid, really.”
Hades put a dollar in the vending machine and punched in a number.
“People say all kinds of things when they’re angry. Doesn’t mean you’re bad, just means you’re people. Which…” Hades looked him up and down, adding under his breath, “I wonder about sometimes.”
“...You must think I’m a terrible husband.”
Hades grabbed two chocolate bars and handed one to his brother.
“I think you need something sweet, maybe a little hydration, and some rest.”
Zeus unwrapped the bar and took a bite, not really tasting anything.
After a moment Hades sighed.
“It’s not so simple as that.” Hades said between bites, “I don’t necessarily think there’s such a thing as a ‘terrible husband’ or ‘the best husband.’ I…I don’t even think there’s such a thing as good and bad people. There’s just…people. There’s just husbands. But there are rules that come with being a person, and/or being a husband and…” he paused, trying to choose his words carefully, “you don’t always follow those rules.”
Zeus fell back against the wall, looking at the floor, denials dying in his throat.
It was raining.
No, actually it was pouring. And thundering. The lightning was like cracks in a collapsing sky, and Zeus’s gut was twisting like the snakes on the head of a gorgon.
“What? You-you think you can just undo this?!” Hera’s words were biting. “It’s done!” Her laugh was wry and sardonic, like an ache in her throat, red tainting the blue of her eyes. “You can’t just fix something like that! Once someone cheats at the game no one else just keeps playing!”
“It was a mistake! One stupid night!”
“One stupid night, huh?! Then how do you explain this?!” She held up his phone. The pictures. The…Oh Gaia.
The snakes in his gut bit down, and he bit his lip looking away. He hadn’t known she knew about that.
“You’ve got it all wrong! That was just—!”
“I thought you were different!” She bit off his excuse, the anger cracked, and the pain was bleeding through, and he wasn’t the only one making it rain: A tear fell down her face, then another, her mascara running black along her cheeks. “You made me smile, you made me laugh! You saved your brothers from your father. And I thought we could make a kingdom—a world—together!” She shook her head, grimacing, trying and failing to keep more tears from falling. “I thought we could be something!”
“We are! We have! I just made a mistake! I—!”
“No, Zeus.” There was a finality to her tone.
Tears streamed down her face now. He hated it when she cried. She didn’t do it often, and whenever she did he was ready to smite whoever hurt her but…he’d hurt her worst of all.
“I thought you were different. But you’re—“ the words were like an antique vase, riddled with cracks. “You’re just another bad guy.” She punched him in the arm, and the vase broke, the defiance into pain. She punched him in the arm…but it was weak and far too soft, and that’s how he knew she was really hurt; she could bring the sky down on him if she wanted.
She looked down at her hand, twisting her wedding ring with a finger.
“I’m staying with a friend tonight.”
Her wedding ring tinkled on the floor.
As she turned and walked away the word rang out like he was hoping his voice alone could rewrite his sins and bring her back:
“Wait!”
She didn’t stop, didn’t turn, didn’t make any indication she’d even heard him.
“Please…Please just wait.” These were soft.
He fell to his knees on the marble, scooping up her wedding ring and enclosing it in his fingers, holding it to his forehead, and trying not to bring the sky down upon himself.
He’d seen her angry. He’d seen her sad. But this? Seeing her break for him…was so much worse.
It reminded him too much of another time. Of a scar on her stomach. How she broke herself just to be his.
—(And he wondered, for a fleeting moment, if it would have been better if he had been the one to break.)—
“There you are!” Said a voice. “You can come see her now,”—a cleared throat— “your Majesty.”
*
Notes: Aright, so this chapter had a few things I was unsure about I thought I’d ask about here!
1. Does anyone have any other clever play-on-words for candy brands? I feel like Zeus would know that she likes caramel in general, so it’d make more sense if Hades said “she likes [X similar candy] so she’d probably like Twyx.” But Twyx is all my brain came up with and I don’t even know that it’s all that good XD
2. I’m aware that the gods don’t call each other “people” they call each other “beings.” However, Hades’ lines don’t have as much impact with “beings.” Did the fact that I used “people” stick out too much? Should I change it to “beings”?
3. I know Ancient Greek wedding ceremonies are different from ours, and they might not even have wedding rings. But that image was so impactful for me I decided to use it. Should I remove it? Or did you find it impactful?
Please let me know if there’s anything you felt was inaccurate to their characters!!
Thanks so much for reading!! 💕💕
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specttral · 3 years
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HOW I MADE ICONS LIKE THESE PT. 1
I go reeeaally in depth in this one but it's very well described!!
you can find the icons here! part 2 is here!
requested by @g0thyongs
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hi! this is the first part of how i usually edit my icons :) im doing this in multiple parts because you can only attach ten images to a post so i can't fit them all in one 😓
this part is about the lia and chaeryeong icons, they're edited similarly!
I used picsart for the entire thing, it's best to start out with a transparant image (you can find it by scrolling down all the way and clicking the checkered-grey block), this isn't necessary.. it just makes it easier.
STEP 1. PICK N CUT
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Pick out the pictures you want to use and add them, it's best to pick a picture of a headshot with a clear outline of the person you're editing. do what you want though im not your mom
you then either erase the background of the pic of the person you're editing or erase the background around the person you're editing. If it looks weird, you can try lowering the opacity of the top image just a little bit. It just looks a bit better that way.
Don't worry too much about it being perfect, it's not gonna be noticeable when you add the effects trust me.
STEP 2. STICKEERZZZZ
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Just add the stickers you like (and fit with the image of course, unless you're going for the messy look, then go wild). I already picked a pretty busy background so i didn't add too much. If you want cool stickers you can go to my account on picsart (@/4ngelspit) and go through my saved ones (they’re nicely sorted  ( •̀ ̫•́ ))
Here are also some good keywords : drain, draincore, softcore, angelcore, sanriocore, hello kitty, ...
STEP. 3 KIRA!
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Here you just add some sparkles, I usually use the same two, answered here. I also use the third more spiky sparkle to accentuate the eye highlight. When I’m feeling extra i’ll add some under the eyes becuz it looks cute  ₍ˆ‧  ̫‧ˆ₎ 
You can be very extra during this step, i was a bit minimal here but do what you like. again, im not your mom.
STEP. 4 FX N COLOURS
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This is my fav step because you can see everything come together. The left picture is still in picsart. Click on fx and start playing around.
Here are my most used effects : motion blur, pixelize, brightness, blur (i used to use smart blur but i’ve become more of a normal blur person), halftone dots (i use this EVERY TIME IDK WHY IT DOESN’T EVEN DO THAT MUCH)
The right image is after I changed the colours in the SNOW app (🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮 Im sorry i don’t have another app like dis okay???) You can see how it’s a little more vibrant and glowy, i think it looks better. I basically just lowered the saturation, made the image cooler, made the image brighter, raised the contrast and voila ~~
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Exchange Posting Guide
Hello, friends and frenemies! We are less than three days away from the collection opening, which means I have a tension headache every morning I wake up and remember that I have to finish my exchange fic. The no-fault defaulting deadline has passed, but if you realise you will not be able to finish on time please, please let us know ASAP anyway so we can get a knight writer to write your recipient a gift.
On the other hand, if you have completed your exchange fic draft, please remember to tell us before the 1st! About a third of the participants already confirmed they’ve finished their fic, and we say:
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Okay, now with the collection opening soon, here’s some FAQ on posting!
First off, how dare you?
Honestly, I ask myself that all the time, and the answer is there is no answer. We knew what an exchange would be like. Chances are, you did too when you signed up because many of you were here last year. We have no one else to blame but ourselves.
How does posting work?
The exchange portal will open on August 1st at 12pm AEST. Once it opens, use AO3 to upload your fic as usual:
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Most of the upload process will be exactly the same as usual, but you need to fill in the following two fields:
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Fill in the first with “JaimeBrienneFicExchange2021” (It should autofill, but please be careful to select the right collection! This one is the one we're using. Alternatively, you can go straight to that collection and click the “Post to Collection” button on the top right under the banner once the collection is open.)
Type in your recipient’s AO3 name in the second field. Double check your original prompt to ensure you have the correct name. A few people have different tumblr/AO3 names and we don’t want any fics to go awry.
If you've already made an AO3 draft before the 1st, make sure you add it to the collection and put in your recipient's username in the fields we mentioned above, and make sure you change the date when posting (or your fic will be buried). Be aware it can cause some shenanigans where the fic may not appear at the top of the page.
After that, it’s as simple as clicking post! Your fic will be submitted to the exchange and automatically be made anonymous. As the author, when you open your own fic, it will say ‘YourUsername (Anonymous)’, but to other users it will simply say ‘Anonymous’. Author’s names will not be revealed until August 21st, when we click the button to reveal them.
Feel free to reply to comments during that week. As long as you are logged into the account that posted the fic, all of your comments will also be anonymised.
If any of this process is confusing to you, PLEASE reach out to one of the organisers (nire-the-mithridatist/slipsthrufingers/firesign23/samirant/im-auntie-social)! We’re happy to hold your hand through the process 🤗
What about Lil’ Oathkeepers?
I’m glad you asked, imaginary exchange participant that’s totally not me talking to myself! A Lil’ Oathkeeper is a gift that can be any size and shape. It can be art! A video edit! A moodboard! A fic shorter than 1000 words! Or… a fic longer than a 1000 words, but you probably know that. Anyone (you don’t even have to be signed up to the exchange) can make and gift a Lil’ Oathkeeper. We’ll be releasing the prompt spreadsheet and posting instructions on the 1st!
Why is the exchange opening a day earlier than you said?
Because Slips has set the time on the exchange to suit her own timezone. She has to stay up till after midnight to watch F1 cars go vroom vroom and had to deal with being spoiled for every single episode of Game of Thrones on Tumblr and Twitter because it aired in the US while she was at work. This is her own petty little vengeance and she will not apologise for that.
Also it’s easier for her to keep everything straight in her head this way. Mathematics is not her strength. We’re kindly moderators though, so here’s a handy timezone conversion for you.
Why do I need to let you know by the 1st that I’ve finished my fic if I can post it anytime during the following week?
So we can find a knight writer ASAP. The sooner we know that you won’t be able to complete your fic, the sooner we can find someone to fill in for you. We don’t want anyone to be disappointed.
Do I have to post ON the 1st of August? I’ll be AFK for the day because my cat has a piano recital!
No, you can post it anytime between the 1st and the 7th. If you can’t or don’t want to post it on Sunday, then you can absolutely wait until later. We anticipate that the bulk of fics will be posted over the weekend, but if you want to post it on the 6th, then that’s absolutely your choice. Just be mindful that your recipient may be worrying why they haven’t received one.
Also tell your cat we’re rooting for them!
I really overshot the 1k limit and need to post multiple chapters. Should I post them together and drop my 40k prompt fill in the tag all at once, or can I stagger it throughout the week?
You must have a complete posted story by the 7th of August, unless you have reached out to us to make alternate arrangements. If you want to post your story over the week, you can. If you want to post it all at once, you can. As long as your prompter gets a completed fic in the posting window, we don’t mind.
(Also, look at your life, look at your choices! It was a 1k minimum!!! Buncha overachievers in this fandom, I swear 😂😂😂)
Can I thank my beta in the notes of my story?
Absolutely you can! The betas of the fandom be working HARD this week, they definitely deserve recognition. Just be mindful of including anything in your notes that might reveal who you are. You could choose to name your beta, or just thank them generally and add their name after authors have been revealed.
What if I don’t receive a story?
It might be because your author hasn’t posted it yet - they have the full week from the 1st to the 7th to post their story. It also might be because your fic needed a knight writer to write it. If this is the case, know that your knight is probably working very diligently to complete it, but might not be able to complete it within the window. If it looks like your fic will be significantly delayed (like until after authors are revealed) we will contact you directly to let you know what’s up.
What’s the etiquette around thanking my author?
A kudos and a comment is pretty standard. It’s up to you how long your comment is; we don’t write comments with our heads, we write them with our hearts. Just keep in mind that a person out there spent time working on something just for you and make sure you show your appreciation, even if the story isn’t exactly what you expected!
Can I promote my story?
Please don’t do this until authors have been revealed through the collection.
Can I rec my gift story?
Absolutely! Share the love! You can choose to rec it while it’s still anonymous, or wait until the authors are revealed. It’s up to you.
I’m not participating in the exchange, but I want to get into the spirit of the week. What can I do?!
Well firstly, read any of the 102 fics we expect to be posted that week! Read them and enjoy them! Leave a kudos! Leave a comment! Leave ten comments! Write rec lists and share them on Tumblr or Discord or TikTok, wherever it is that the cool kids hang these days!
What’s for dinner, nire?
Chicken, seasoned with my own tears.
I have another question that hasn’t been answered in the FAQs
Either send us a message through tumblr, or get in touch with one of the organisers privately. We’ll get back to you ASAP!
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uglifish · 3 years
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How do you write long multi-chapter fics without losing steam or motivation?
Hey guys!
Been a while since I made a post answering all the FAQ’s in my inbox, and this is the one I get the most, so here goes my answer/advice:
▽ structure and continuity 
(and i still struggle with this lmao its an uphill climb)
1) outline or map out your story path. if it drags and you find yourself getting BORED with your writing or where the story is going, its time to stop, step back, and evaluate.
completely write out the storyline in short-hand nonsense as fast as possible, because its for you only, so go back to fill in the details later. if you want to see what MY outlines look like...... -embarassmentttttt-
Here’s a screencap from underwater chrysalis.
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if you’ve read that story, you can probably recognize this scene was an entire chapter, but it was 5 nonsense sentences in my outline.
2) if you can sit down for X hours and write out the outline from start to end (yes, end of the story) then you have a solid skeleton to polish up :D
3) don’t worry about chapter splitting just yet. get it all out first
▽ Marathon time
1) set aside time for yourself to write it out. Find time for it at least once a week or once a day if you can manage that! DON’T leave it sitting for 2+ weeks--unless that’s your creative process--and if it is, and you recognize you get stuck here, leaving the fic alone for more than 2 weeks = abandoning the fic?? then proceed to this step→
go back to it and read it over and over, right up until the point where you stopped, ask yourself questions about where the characters are going (refer to your outline)/ why the characters are doing X scene ...etc (is there tension? is this part boring? why have you stopped writing? tired? take a nap:)
2) know when to ignore (writing) advice. and i wish someone had told me this when i first started marathon fic-writing. advice is great but its not a cure-all and maybe you’re exhausted from trying everyone’s suggestions. literally you do you, but keep an open mind to learn along the way.
3) if you run into a problem, like wanting to change an ENTIRE scene that will  affect the ending of your story, stop writing and go back to your outline. you’re wasting your own time this way. write to get to an ending.
4) know that there are formulas to long, captivating stories. its like a curve that goes up and down. (find a formula that works for you!) for me, it’s: scene start tension scene escalating tension resolve tension but then another conflict + 2 conflict + 1 romance = long 3 chapter scene :D scene resolving 1 conflict, romance + 3 yay! scene adding to conflicts and romance above tension resolution? another tension or romance resolve? which slowly helps taper to an end (which i still struggle with)
5) have fun! you’re exploring this character, this universe, don’t get too stuck up your own ass about stuff and let things go. if you finished a scene and re-read it, hate it, don’t give yourself crap about it. if you’re happy with it one day and unhappy with it another day, figure out why or just let it go. Your goal is to write as much as possible to finish your story to the outline you wrote. if you get hung up on the stuff in the middle, you’ll never reach the finish line.
▽ I’ve finished my multi-chapter my pile of crap. Now what?
1) don’t look at it, don’t even think about it. congratulate yourself and go to the beach :D get yourself a coffee and socially-distance-hang-out with your friends
2) 1 - 3 weeks later, re-read it ALL with fresh eyes. don’t tell your friends about it, don’t link it anywhere for feedback. it’s still ALL YOU right now.
3) re-read it round 1: edit it grammatically and for bulk. if you still hate that random interaction you added in, delete it entirely and set it aside. fix all grammar issues and add to more descriptions if some are lacking.
4) re-read it round 2: a week later with your own fresh eyes, make sure everything flows. did you say character X had a green shirt in ch 3 but in ch 4 they were wearing a blue shirt? fix that :O might be a genuine mistake, either you forgot or got up to leave your fic for 4 days and (forgot)
5) re-read again round 3: a week after that, read it again and find it for more errors, add more flow if some scenes have a choppy transition, and start to split it into chapters. Find natural breaks in your writing (or cliff hangers!) and cut them there. 6) recruit a friend! Ask someone you’re ok with baring your soul to and make them read your slightly less steaming pile of crap, which is now a polished turd. hopefully your friend will tell you it IS a polished turd and is OK for posting, or that you still mentioned green shirt character is wearing a blue shirt (again) in ch 56 and you missed it :P
7) post and run, or save it to re-read again 6 months later
i’ve been doing the post and run thing for a while if im medium-proud of my shiny turd, or if im really insecure about it, i’ll sit on it for even a YEAR before i even breathe about it. its not that i hate it, its that i feel it could be better and if i’m continuously writing during that time, I can go back to look at it with fresh(er) eyes.
▽ things to think about / stuff to ask yourself while writing:
- why am i tired (of this, of it?) know yourself and know your limits. if you’re tired (physically, of writing) learn to differentiate that from being mentally tired.
- who are you writing for? a friend’s bday gift fic? submission into Fanfic Award-Winning Novel Writers Club? A novel manuscript to Random House? Nanowrimo? your fandom rare-pair discord server? ....yourself?? and then figure out your motivations for the tone of your writing :D
- i suck at writing X (a violent action scene, smut, small-talk in elevator scene), so i’ll just skip it... no. if you think your story needs it, make your best attempt at writing it and then go back to edit it. you’ll be happy you pushed yourself to write it.
- i’ve never done X (been to a hotspring in Japan, gone hiking in extreme weather, gone on a blind date) how would i know what it feels like? Try your best to envision it or use the wonders of the internet to learn about it. Research is your best friend to express realism in your writing :D
aaaaaaaaaaaand that’s all i got for now :O
*btw you know what works for you as a creative mind, this is all stuff that works for me and I hope you found it helpful!
thank you for reading this super long post, and feel free to PM me if you need a “get me unstuck” buddy in your writing process :D
xooxxo Ugli
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ink-the-artist · 4 years
Note
Its a lot harder to do with traditional art but I'd love to see progress shots of your colored pencil stuff its so neat
I wanted to wait until I had progress shots to show before answering this and I took some as soon as I was starting a new colored pencil illustration, which was the Pepto Bismol one I just posted. Gonna put a keep reading cut here bc this’ll probably be a bit of a long post lol. 
I don’t have any kind of strict process I always follow, I just do whatever works best for each specific drawing, so I kind of just took a pic whenever I finished anything that felt like it could be it’s own “step.” Also keep in mind I worked on this during different days, different times of day, and different locations, so the lighting will be pretty different throughout the pics here which will affect how the colors look and the overall quality of the photos, I did the best I could with the changing lighting.
First step is the graphite sketch. Since I’m focusing on the colored pencil part of the process I didn’t document the process of sketching, just the final outcome
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I go over the sketch with a colored pencil, I usually use a lighter color so that the lines you’ll see in the next step are lighter and not going to be noticeable when the drawing is all done, and I’ll go with a color that would be found in the illustration so that it doesn’t look unnatural wherever it may show through (I chose pink because, Pepto Bismol)
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then I go over the whole thing with an eraser, only the graphite erases completely while the colored pencil stays, even though it dulls a bit. This is so I can still have a sort of outline to color in without having to worry about graphite mixing with the lighter color pencil colors and muddying everything up (it also just cleans up the sketch a lot which makes everything easier to work with)
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then I start putting some of the colors down while also adding some basic detail that I’ll color and shade along later. I also go over the lines again just to make sure everything is shaped correctly, but I’m using the base colors of whatever the object is because I don’t actually want things to have outlines later on
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I’m kind of mapping out the colors now as well as shadows
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(also I finally found a use for this super bright neon pink colored pencil I have lol)
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I’m basically just continuously layering on more color and detail, making sure to go light to dark. I mostly work on everything evenly rather than meticulously finishing one area after another but I was a bit more meticulous with the pepto bismol tablets just because they were the most detailed part of the illustration
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I pretty much color the borzoi last because it’s the one white thing in this image and I want it to sort of “reflect” all the colors that will be around it and you can see I’m still adding new colors to the background as I go along
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adding some green, Im basically trying to get a black without using black by layering opposing (is that the right word?) colors over each other, it makes it so that the black still looks like a natural part of the image because it’s made up of the colors in it, and it gradients toward the foreground better. I’m also doing the same for the nose and lips of the borzoi
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finally putting some more color down on the borzoi, both giving it a base color and making the shading more defined
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added the pepto splash before I layer any more color on the background. Also in just about every step here I’m continuously touching up the pepto bismol tablets, maybe a bit too obsessively
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adding more colors from the background to the borzoi as well as shading it some more
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adding more green (and some dark blue) to the background and floor to darken it some more, and again to the borzoi
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I blend some of the lighter areas with orange-yellow, dunno if this is a real technique I just like the kind of glow effect it has and I do it a lot in my drawings (basically layering light colors over dark ones and sort of pressing harder with the strokes to blend/smooth everything together while giving it an almost glowing undertone of that light color)
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still layering colors to darken everything up
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Only at the very end I use a white colored pencil, I haven’t used it at all so far. I give the borzoi it’s fur texture + its whiskers, basically using the same method as earlier when I blended the yellow into darker colors by pressing harder with the strokes, here the strokes are just fur-shaped. I also add some highlights to the metal bowls, the splash of pepto bismol, and the nose and mouth of the borzoi with white colored pencil and a tiiiiny bit of white gel pen (a really tiny bit, basically a few little dots here and there)
oh and I added the “Pepto Bismol” writing to the pepto bismol tablets (or as close to writing as I could get)
also at some point in this step a mysterious black line appeared on the drawing that I couldn’t get rid of :( but its ok I just removed it in photoshop later lol
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then I just take as good a pic as I can and touch it up in photoshop, this is for getting rid of flaws like that weird black line as well as to make the photo resemble what the drawing looks like irl as closely as possible, I’ll usually have the drawing next to me so I can reference it while editing the photo to make sure it looks like the real thing. 
also in this step I usually crop the image both to hide the messy edges and to give it a better composition.
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you can see how different all these pics look from each other (in terms of lighting and quality) let alone from the final piece, which is why the editing step is important lol
hope this is helpful!
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fandomcelery · 3 years
Text
I saw this prompt post and had an idea for it so, here you go.
Disclaimer: not Beta read, so if you see spelling/grammar mistakes, um, no you don't :D
Prompt (not word for word from the post): A Superhero lives with the Supervillain, and because being a hero doesn't pay well they can't afford rent without them.
Characters: Kurt Hummel, Sebastian Smythe, Rachel Berry, Blaine Anderson
Word Count: 1,031
Ao3 link *** Kurt unlocks the door to his apartment and walks in. He sets his bag down on a stool next to the kitchen counter and gets a mug from the cupboard. Being in college and being a Superhero means less and less relaxation time, and sleep, which catches up with him fairly quickly. He pours enough water for one cup into a kettle and sets it on the stovetop, turning on the flame.
The door opens and Sebastian steps into the room, looking over at Kurt.
"Are you making tea?"
Kurt nods in response.
"Can you make me some?" Sebastian asks, sitting down on one of the open stools on the other side of the kitchen.
"Do I have to?" Kurt sighs, sliding the stool his stuff is on closer to him.
"No, but it'd be the nice thing to do. Isn't that what you're supposed to do, Mr. Hero?" Sebastian sneers.
Kurt shakes his head, adding water to the kettle. "If I could afford a New York apartment by myself, I would've gotten rid of you by now."
"Right back at you," Sebastian takes a step loudly towards Kurt, knowing he'd stiffen up.
Ever since they both found out who they really were Kurt's been on edge, even though he knows Sebastian wouldn't do anything.
For rent reasons, of course.
And if Kurt's being honest, he hates that he found out. He had been growing fond of Sebastian, and him being a Supervillain that puts people's lives in danger just to taunt him ruins that.
Kurt grabs another mug from the cupboard and puts two tea bags into the mugs. He glances over at Sebastian, who's leaning against the counter on his phone.
It's moments like these where he wishes Sebastian wasn't a bad guy because he so badly wants to kiss him. He wants to have a relationship with him, even if he gets on Kurt's nerves so often.
But he can't, and probably never will.
The whistling of the kettle snaps Kurt out of his thoughts. He lifts it off of the burner--turning it off in the process--and pours them into the mugs equally. Setting it back down on the counter, he turns to grab the milk from the fridge, but Sebastian is standing directly behind him holding it so he runs right into him.
"God, why were you standing so close?" Kurt asks, grabbing the milk from his hand, their fingers brushing against one another, and sets it down on the counter. Sebastian just shrugs and opens another cupboard to grab the sugar.
Kurt slides Sebastian's mug over to him and pours his milk and sugar into his own mug. They drink their tea in silence, neither of them speaking to one another like they used to. Normal roommates wouldn't have a reason to hate each other, like Rachel and Blaine.
The two of them had met Kurt in their dance class and the three of them hit it off instantly. They all bonded over the fact that they were in high school Glee clubs--Kurt was in New Directions, Blaine was a Warbler, and Rachel was in Vocal Adrenaline--and competed a few times against one another, and their love and appreciation for musicals. The two of them listen to Kurt when he goes on rants about Sebastian and what he does around the apartment, and Kurt listens in amusement to the two of them talk and obsess over his Superhero identity.
Neither of them knows about Kurt--his dad, stepmom, and stepbrother don't even know--so he has no one to rant to about Sebastian and the Supervillain issue.
But boy have they heard him rant before. *** "Gah, he's just so irritating!" Kurt grumbles.
Rachel and Blaine share a look to one another, and Kurt doesn't miss it.
"What was that about?" Kurt asks, taking a drink from the coffee he had just gotten from the coffee shop they're sitting down at.
"Kurt, we-" Blaine starts.
"Know you have a crush on him!" Rachel announces.
Kurt looks to the two of them flabbergasted. "You seriously cannot think I even remotely like him."
"Oh come on, you talk about him all the time," Rachel remarks.
"Yeah, negatively," Kurt responds.
"Not all the time," Blaine adds, taking a drink of his coffee.
Kurt stares at his friends. "I'm not having this conversation," he takes a drink of his coffee.
"You aren't denying it," Rachel comments.
"Hmph." Kurt grabs the blueberry muffin Rachel had bought him and takes a bite of it to avoid talking about it.
Has Kurt stared at glanced over at Sebastian one time when he had gotten out of the shower and passed the kitchen, yeah. And has Kurt wanted to kiss Sebastian to get him to shut up, sure. And of course, there's the fact that he wants to cuddle with him at night, but none of this means he has a-
Oh shit, maybe it does.
Kurt looks up at Rachel and Blaine, who are in the middle of a conversation.
"I might have a crush," He mumbles.
"What was that?" Blaine asks.
"I.. fuck I think you're right. I have a crush on him." Kurt admits, finally looking up at them. Rachel's smiling widely and Blaine's smiling, too.
"We told you!" Rachel squeals.
"Yeah, yeah I know," he smiles at her. Blaine grabs a cronut that he had paid for and takes a bite of it.
"...What am I going to do about it?" Kurt whispers, the realization finally hitting him that he, Kurt Hummel wants to date Sebastian Smythe.
"Tell him?" Rachel suggests.
After Blaine swallows the bite he comments, "you two went the first three months on campus not talking, can't get more awkward than that."
Kurt nods and plans to tell Sebastian that night after he gets home. They finally were at a place where they were talking regularly, unlike when they first met. He could ask him out on a date--hope that there are no crimes that happen--and they could go from there.
And of course that night he finds out why he can't have a relationship with him. ***
(End of writing.) So there's that. It was originally going to end at the end of the tea part, but i wanted to write Rachel and Blaine into this, and now that I've added more I kind of want to write an entire thing for this, like give them superhero/supervillain names, and have an entire enemies to lovers story.
i just started writing, apart of two challenges that i don't/barely have things for, and i want to write an entire story with a bunch of chapters and entire plot i-
if this does good then i'll write more for it.
okay im done rambling, thank you for reading!
edit: it's now on ao3!
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aelin-world-walker · 3 years
Text
Some headcanons I have post-ACOSF
(don’t ask where this comes from i’m just aching because i finished rereading acosf and thinking headcanons is my coping mechanism)
(i wrote “some” in the title but they are like a million????)
(like now this is a master list of headcanons i have...)
BE AWARE OF ACOSF SPOILERS!!!
*Probably I’ll edit it pretty often because headcanons come whenever they like.
*i’ll probably add feysand headcanons in the future but not now because there’re A LOT out here but know I have some like feysand beign parents is too cute to ignore.
*sorry if there are some spelling errors, English is not my first language.
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The cabin headcanons
(yes the cabin has its own subtitle)
Cassian takes Nesta to the cabin after their mating bond ceremony and then happens chapter 55 but Nesta adapted. There’s no soup but a biscuit.
When Nyx is a little older he starts participating in the snowball fight. Rhys, Cassian and Az let him win.
In one of her visits, Feyre paints her sisters and Nyx’s eyes beside the IC ones, because they are now part of the Court of Dreams (this one made me cry a little honestly)
Whenever one of the IC’s couples wants to take a break they go to the cabin. Sometimes Az goes too to play chaperone. Spoiler: it doesn’t work (especially NOT with Nessian) (this one made me laugh)
Nesta likes the cabin’s vibes to read, so she goes often. Sometimes Cassian joins her but he bores to death so he wouldn’t let her read (if you get what i mean)
I can imagine the IC visiting it, long nights bonding in front of a fire and playing board games. Rhys, Nesta and Azriel are so competitive that stay awake til one of them wins. (actually Rhys and Azriel competitive spirit over board games is canon) (i just imagine Nesta playing the courtier to win) (then she loses and is cranky for a day). Meanwhile, Mor and Cassian drink themselves silly, and Feyre and Elain play with Nyx. Amren just purrs sitting in Varian’s lap. (Amren as the house cat)
The girls decide to do their own snowball fight honestly i don’t know why this is not canon yet. One year they decide to do girls vs. boys. The girls win and the boys don’t want to play against them again.
Nyx and his cousins learning to fly in a summer vacation there. (yeah because nessian’s children are happening in the future and they are in some of my headcanons sorry)
Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie go there sometimes (not so often because they prefer staying with the House please never forget they are all friends) and go hiking.
When Nyx and Nessian’s children are older and misbehave their parents send them to the cabin. Then whoever of them didn’t got to be grounded slips alcohol to the ones inside. (Actually i can see them doing this??? Rhys and Mor did the same. Also I can see Nyx and his cousins having a relationship similar to Rhys and Mor’s and Aelin and Aedion’s)
Inner Circle couples and the sauna. Not gonna say anything else, but just know it’s hella weird there’re no scenes in there...
The House of Wind headcanons
(big house deserved its own headcanons)
Nesta installs a dance studio in there and whenever she can she goes and dance for hours.
Nesta, Gwyn, Emerie and the House start a monthly sleep-over in the private library. The House always conjures the miniature pegasus without being asked.
Can we talk about the fact that in the future the House of Wind will have a nursery???? because i have to talk about it. don’t know if i’ll be able to do so without crying but just- nessian’s babies nation
When Nessian’s children are born the House would conjure anything just to please them and will protect them at all costs. The House as a babysitter and mother-hen.
The House starts talking to Cassian and recommends him smut books. He reads them and find them pretty interesting. He also recommends the House books but as they are of warfare the House finds them boring.
When Cassian and Nesta fight the House would be angry with Cassian for some days and would serve his food cold.
The House of Wind is Nyx’s favorite place in the city. Cassian and Nesta even give him a room when he is older. He loves it for the same reason Rhys did: flying. He also likes asking the House ridiculous things -the House loves his petitions-
Azriel keeps his room of course, but playing the chaperone is useless now (it always was)
Mor befriends the house and together they plan jokes to Cassian.
Feyre loves going to the House because it reminds her that her sister is happy and will never be alone.
Nessian headcanons
(of course there are nessian’s headcanons)
While sleeping, Cassian is very restless while Nesta sleeps in a ball, but they make it work. Also, Cassian takes all the blankets so Nesta ends up beside him and his wings.
The two of them loves sleeping in. Cassian would never admit it because he would never hear the end of it from the ic. (i know he said in acomaf that daylight is precious but now that he has found his mate he has change a liiitle his opinion about that. like now wake up beside his love is more precious than anything!!!!!)
I think it’s not fair we didn’t got a smut scene in the bathtub.
And in Windhaven.
Aaaaand in the cabin.
When Nesta has a nightmare, Cassian would hug her and comfort her while remind her it was a dream, and now she got out, and is loved and cherished by a lot of people.
Nesta loves that Cassian strokes her head, more when her hair is down. (i really like that nesta prefers updo hairstyles tho)
Nesta sitting on Cassian’s lap. That’s all I need for a next book. (i also need more domestic scenes between them like the one in Winter Solstice when Nesta hangs their coats) (also i need to read nessian from another pov i want to know how they look like from outside their pov)
Nessian dancing into the darkest hours, losing themselves into the music and their embrace. (i need a slow dancing fanfic thx)
Nesta is still a little uncomfortable to venture into Velaris so she asks Cassian to fly her over the city whenever she needs to go out and doesnt want to tangle in the multitude.
Cassian reading an Illyrian report while Nesta reads a romance book. Domestic mates part one hundred.
Nesta loves flying (WHY THIS IS NOT CANON SARAH) (like i would have been awesome to read nesta liking flying after that scene with rhys in acowar)
I love that is canon they like chocolate cake idk just wanted to say that.
Nesta headcanons
(my daughter deserves them)
Every Starfall, Nesta would take the stairs down and up just to remind herself the way up is long but by the end she would find happiness.
She is really protective over the House. She wouldn’t let anyone spill anything or mess around.
She starts taking dancing lessons again, even though she doesn’t need them. It’s her favorite part of the week. I can imagine Gwyn joining her. Emerie prefers watching them and smirk while drinking tea.
She visits her father’s tomb more than her sisters, and tells him every aspect of her life because she didn’t do it when he was alive.
She doesn’t like the Court of Nightmares, but the Winter Solstice ball in there is one of her favorites events of the year.
She goes back to being a courtier/emmisary for the Night Court and loves tormenting the people she has to deal with. (just imagine Nesta in Vallahan, they would sign the treaty in a second)
She continues working in the Library because she is still healing and the Library is such a big part of that. She continues fighting with Merrill too (gwyn is please of that)
Also she starts practicing with Amren to use her powers, even if there is not a lot to master (tho i think she is still very powerful but let’s wait for the next book to confirm this)
ALSO Nesta as a mother: she gives her children a lot of love because she remembers how it is to have a cold mother and doesn’t want to repeat the story.
Nessian’s children headcanon
(tho i imagine they have at least a daughter so she is gonna appear a lot in my hc sorry)
I can imagine them having an unexpected pregnancy idk why they would be very happy tho (like chaolene’s) (not so soon after acosf, they would enjoy some free-of-babies-years)
Now I want a fanfic about nessian finding out they are pregnant please writers do it
Tho I can imagine its during training.
Nessian’s baby would sleep between them. Cassian loves that and even though Nesta says the contrary, privately she loves it too.
Nesta teaching their daughter to dance, while Cassian teaches her to fly. Together, they teach her to fight. Their daughter wants to be a Valkyrie like her mom and aunts.
Also Nesta reading her daughter to bed and then getting asleep. Cassian would find the two of them sleeping and would cover them with a quilt.
Their daughter loves to hear the stories about Nessian’s Blood Rites, and would ask everyone about them.
Their daughter is their number 1 fan im crying in softness
She also wants to hear the stories of her uncles and aunts even though some are sad, because she knows they are happy and together now.
I can see Nessian wanting another baby tbh but let’s stop in one until Sarah shows us the contrary.
But just imagine Nessian’s children + Nyx playing hide-and-seek on the House of the Wind and the House helping them hide.
Nessian’s daugther loves hearing Gwyn sing, and is particularly obsessed with Emerie because she sees herself in Emerie (like they are both Illyrians i’m crying nessian’s daughter doesnt understand why her aunt can’t fly).
She has spring allergies too.
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