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fluentmoviequoter · 2 months

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My Shy (Ex)Valentine

Part 2 of My Shy Valentine

Pairing: Tim Bradford x shy!fem!reader

Summary: Your relationship with Tim is perfect, until he starts pulling away. After he dumps you, you learn why and have to decide whether you can trust him again.

Warnings: angst to fluff, mentions of death threats and injury, quick reference to insecurities.

Word Count: 4.1k+ words

A/N: I am 100% interested in continuing this series!! Also, I think we should name Hughie's dog and I am open to suggestions.😌

Masterlist | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info/Fandom List

Picture from PInterest

You don’t understand how someone so handsome, kind, and loving can do this to you. Hiding your face, you try to ignore Tim.

“What happened?” he asks, tilting his head to catch your eyes.

“You,” you murmur.

Tim hums, moving a hand from your waist to cup your chin. He kisses you softly, and when you move toward him, he clicks his tongue.

“Needy tonight.”

“Tim,” you groan, leaning against him.

“I’m right here.”

Wrapping your arms around his waist, you sigh.

“Sorry,” Tim says, rubbing your back.

“Hughie said you’ve never mean that.”

“Hughie says a lot of things,” Tim grumbles.

“He said you’re grumpy and overbearing, too,” you add, tightening your arms around him.

“And?”

You shrug, smiling as Tim pushes you away gently. He shakes his head before walking around you.

“You’re not with me,” you offer quietly. “But you are with everyone else.”

“You know why,” Tim replies.

Turning away quickly, you walk to the patio door and let Kojo inside. Kneeling to pet him, you ignore Tim’s requests for you to come back.

“People are going to start thinking you like the dog more than me.”

“He’s nicer,” you mumble, ducking your head behind Kojo as he wags his tail.

Tim steps to Kojo’s other side, looking down at you with a pleased smile.

“I love you,” he says brightly.

“Maybe,” you reply slowly, “you could try to show it like a normal boyfriend.”

“But I’m not a normal boyfriend,” Tim replies, squatting beside you. “And you’re not a normal girlfriend.”

You don’t have a chance to reply before Tim sits, pulling you into his lap. Kojo joins you, laying his head between you and Tim.

“I love you.” Running your fingers through Tim’s hair, you look at Kojo rather than Tim and add, “Sorry I didn’t say it before.”

“No need to say it, I can see it,” Tim responds before pulling you down into a kiss.

✯✯✯✯✯

When Tim returns from driving you home, he gets a text from an unknown number.

Leave her, or she’ll leave you.

Rolling his eyes, Tim blocks the number and continues inside. Kojo greets him happily, then looks around his legs to look for you.

“Miss her already? Me too.”

✯✯✯✯✯

When Tim gets to work the following morning, he’s surprised to see an envelope on his desk. Opening it, he reads the same message as the text from a few hours earlier.

“Lopez,” he calls, tipping his head to the side to call her over.

“Yes, Timothy?”

Tim hands her the note, watching her eyebrows pinch as she reads it.

“Where did this come from?”

“It was on my desk when I got here. Someone texted me the same sentence last night.”

“Do you- who are they talking about?”

Looking up quickly, Tim admits, “I didn’t think about that. It has to be-“

Angela says your name with Tim. Nyla walks by, and Angela grabs her arm, pulling her over.

“What?” Nyla asks. She sees Tim’s face and looks at Angela to repeat, “What?”

“Someone threatened my girlfriend,” Tim answers. “And I need your help.”

Closing her eyes, Angela wishes she was hearing that phrase from Tim Bradford for any other reason.

“Of course,” Nyla answers.

“We need the number that texted, and I’ll ask the front desk to look into who delivered the letter,” Angela explains. “And, Tim, we’re here for you and her, okay?”

Tim nods, passing his phone to Angela without looking at your face on the screen.

✯✯✯✯✯

“’Arresting officer: Tim Bradford.’ Let’s see how you like having your life changed in an instant, Sergeant Bradford. That promotion can’t protect you or that pretty thing by your side.”

✯✯✯✯✯

Tim goes on a call with Metro, and when he returns, Angela shakes her head sadly. The message was from an internet number that can’t be traced, a delivery service passed off the envelope, and there are no other leads about who is threatening you, or why.

Clenching his jaw, Tim returns to his office and considers what he can do. Angela and Nyla are working tirelessly, and he can’t interfere in the investigation but can do other things to protect you. Each passing moment increases his stress, and when his phone rings, Tim ignores your call.

More than stressed, Tim is angry and worried at the same time. He has no other ideas than to distance himself from you. If you’re not at his side, whoever this is can’t get to you. They know his phone number and station, so he has to keep you away. Tim knows it will hurt, but losing you forever would hurt far worse.

When Tim’s voicemail picks up, you frown. Tim almost always answers your calls, so he’s either on a call or something else is happening. Refusing to overthink it, you turn your attention to something else. Tim will call when he can, you’re sure.

✯✯✯✯✯

“This is different,” you say, hugging Tim as he meets you outside a restaurant.

“Wanted to try something new,” he answers, no sign of a joke or attempt to make you shy.

Nodding, you take his hand as he leads you inside. When you’re at the table, looking at the menus, he offers to order for you, and you thank him softly.

“Hughie said he has some new treats for Kojo, and he gave them to me because he thinks I’m Kojo’s favorite,” you tell him after he orders for you.

“He’s right, for once.”

You smile at Tim’s teasing, though it doesn’t seem as intentional and well-meaning as before. Tim is acting different, and after a few missed phone calls and the sudden desire to do things in public, you wish you could find the courage to ask what changed.

“Are you okay?” you ask, twisting the napkin in your lap.

“Yeah,” Tim replies, a small smile on his face. “Are you?”

You shrug, then nod as you look down. The night is spent in relative silence before he kisses you on the cheek and ensures you’re safe in your car before leaving.

It hurts, these sudden changes. You always act like you hate Tim’s teasing, but it’s part of what makes you love him so much. Buckling your seatbelt, you take a deep breath as you begin feeling sick to your stomach. You can’t lose Tim, yet don’t know how to pull him close again.

✯✯✯✯✯

Within a few days, Tim isn’t calling anymore. He has sent a single text, just an update that he has to work and can’t meet this week. Now, layered onto the hurt is a deep sadness. Whatever happened, it’s pushing you and Tim apart. You don’t feel comfortable talking to anyone about it, so you sit alone with your pain. As you settle into this new routine without Tim, you can feel your heart breaking, like a Tim-sized hole has been carved into your very being, with nothing to fill it.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Someone left one on my shop!” Tim yells, storming into the bullpen.

Angela and Nyla rise quickly, rushing to his side as his chest heaves with heavy breaths.

“Same message?” Nyla asks.

“No. This one says, ‘push harder or I’ll start pulling.’ What does that even mean?”

“Timothy,” Angela interjects. “Please tell me you didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?”

“Push her away. You’ve told her about this, right?”

Tim’s jaw clenches, and Nyla and Angela sigh together.

“You need to tell her, right now,” Nyla says.

“What did you do?” Angela demands.

“Just- I’m keeping her out of the way. Far from me,” Tim answers, his anger disappearing as he thinks of you. “If she’s not close, whoever this is can’t find her.”

“Tim, we don’t know that. He knows too much about you, so he could know about her too.”

“Don’t say that,” Tim snaps.

“It’s the truth, Bradford.” Nyla shrugs at his anger-filled look before repeating, “You really should tell her. Otherwise, it just looks like you are pushing her away.”

“I will lose her to keep her safe,” Tim expresses. “So, you do your job and find them, and I’ll keep protecting her however I see fit.”

“Tim,” Angela calls. “When’s the last time you saw her?”

“About a week ago.”

“Well, I saw her two days ago and she’s hurting. Anyone can see it, and the only thing that is going to help her is knowing why you’re treating her like this. Tell her that you’re mad, scared, whatever.”

“I am scared,” Tim whispers. “Scared that no matter what happens, she will get hurt. Telling her could get her hurt, Angela.”

Angela nods, patting his shoulder as she reminds him not to lose sight of you while he works to keep you safe.

✯✯✯✯✯

Tim is going to leave you. It’s a constant fear, growing terrified that Tim will finally let go after moving you far enough not to miss you. You feel as though he pushed you to arm’s length, which means it is only a matter of time before he drops you, ready to bring a ‘normal girlfriend’ close. You’ve tried blaming yourself, but Tim reassured you so much in the time you spent together that you can’t even find a reason to do that.

The rift, the growing chasm between you, feels like the Grand Canyon, impossible to cross quickly and easy to get lost in. Lonely nights and the ache of a broken heart are two of the only consistencies in your life, yet you can’t stop loving Tim Bradford.

While you look at a picture of you, Tim, and Kojo, in which you’re kissing Kojo’s head while Tim kisses yours, someone knocks on the door. You still, your mind filled with an image of Tim breaking up with you, saying it’s him, not you.

When you finally open the door, you’re shocked to see Tim.

“Hi,” you breathe out, still half-hidden behind the door.

As open the door, Tim’s mind flashes with an image of you, injured by whoever is sending the threats. Just an hour ago, he received the most detailed of all of them, stating that if he didn’t dump you, someone would be dumping your body. The death threat was enough to make Tim listen.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Tim says. “I’m leaving.”

Tim watches your face fall, then turns on his heel and walks to his truck. He nearly broke at seeing you, wanting nothing more than to pull you into his arms and apologize. Leaving is the only way to make you think he meant it, because he can’t keep this act of not loving you up for much longer.

Pushing the door closed, your breaths grow shorter as you start to cry, sliding down the door to sit on the floor and mourn what you’ve lost, even though you saw it coming.

✯✯✯✯✯

After crying yourself to sleep, you fail to get any rest before getting out of bed again. You want to call someone and talk about what happened, but you’re scared they will see something you don’t, a way you could have saved the relationship. Getting through this alone is the only choice because the only person who can fix your broken heart is the one who broke it.

A loud knock echoes through your house, followed quickly by a bark you’d recognize anywhere. Rushing to the door, you don’t bother putting on a brave face.

“Whoa,” Hughie says, stepping toward you when you open the door. “You haven’t been answering my calls; are you sick?”

You nod, letting him in and turning your attention to his dog.

“I’m going to make you something to eat,” Hughie tells you on his way into your kitchen.

“Um, Hughie?” you ask, looking up with more tears gathering in your eyes (partly because you miss Kojo, if you’re honest with yourself).

“Let me get you something to eat and we’ll talk.”

You let his dog lead you to the couch, where he takes a protective post beside you. The tears begin again, and you cling to him as Hughie works in your kitchen. When he returns to your side, he pulls you into a hug, and you cry in his arms until you feel calm enough to speak.

“Tim,” you begin. “He broke up with me. It started a few weeks ago when he stopped answering my calls and then he acted like he didn’t want to see me. But last night he came over and told me he was leaving. That was it.”

Hughie tries to control his anger as he hugs you again, telling you it’s not your fault and “Tim is a bigger idiot than I realized.”

A wet nose nudges against your arm as you are comforted from both sides and while you appreciate it, you’re not sure it can help.

“You can come back home with me, stay in the guest room. Being alone won’t help you feel better,” Hughie offers.

Shaking your head, you decline.

“Hey, listen,” Hughie says gently. “You’re pale, I can tell you’re not eating. This is making you sick, inside and out. It’s not healthy to live like this.”

“I can’t,” you explain. “Eating makes me sick and I just- I want to know why he did it.”

“You’re crying too much,” Hughie points out. “That would make anyone sick. And as for the why, I wish I knew, because I would make Bradford pay for it, but trust me when I say it’s not your fault.”

You wish you could believe him, but you’re busy being heartbroken and miserable.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Did you go home last night?” Wade asks.

“No,” Tim answers, his eyes scanning the paper again. “Got another threat and I’m trying to help Angela and Nyla. I feel like I should recognize something.”

“Tim, you can’t do this, it’s tearing you apart.”

“I’m doing that on my own,” Tim replies harshly. “This is my fault, Grey. The least I can do is find whoever this is so I know she’s safe. And then, if I’m lucky, I can explain why before I never see the woman I love again.”

“It won’t come to that. Have you heard about how she is?”

“No. I can’t call her and I’m sure Hughie hates me.”

“Yeah, speaking of Hughie, K-9 and Metro have a meeting at nine, so enjoy that. Maybe try to get a few minutes of sleep, you look terrible.”

Wade smiles as Tim chuckles.

“I feel terrible, too.”

As Tim walks into the K-9 unit, he keeps his eyes down. He’s been avoiding you and Hughie, but a big part of him needs to know how you are.

“Hughie!” someone yells.

Tim instinctively looks up, and Hughie’s angry gaze is already on him. The dog at his side bares his teeth at Tim.

“Cap, do I really need to be here for this or can I continue assisting Lopez and Harper?” Tim asks his captain.

“Sure. They can probably use it.”

Tim ducks out, unable to look Hughie in the eye after what he did to you. Tim is guilty and mad enough without having to hear your best friend fight for your honor or interrogate him. He walks to Angela’s desk, making himself comfortable in a chair beside her as they review the facts.

✯✯✯✯✯

“C’mon,” Hughie urges. “Just for a few minutes and then I’ll take you to lunch.”

You appreciate his efforts to make you feel better, but going to the police station seems like a bad idea.

“I can’t eat,” you mumble.

Hughie sighs, laying his hands on your shoulders. “You have to eat. And you need to get out of this house. I’ll be with you the whole time.” He can tell you’re not convinced, so he adds, “And Tim has been avoiding me too.”

Reluctantly, you agree. The dogs are running the obstacle courses, and you sit at the side to watch as Hughie finishes paperwork in a nearby office. His dog is sitting at your feet, protective and loving as always.

You don’t notice the door open until you’re behind an angry dog, his shackles raised as he lowers his head and growls. Grasping for his leash, you pull it tight against your chest before seeing Tim on the other side of the obstacle course.

When Tim notices you, he instinctively steps closer, and you have to fight to keep the dog beside you from racing to Tim and ripping him apart (though Tim personally thinks he deserves it).

“I’m sorry,” Tim whispers.

Though you can’t hear it, you read his lips before he walks away. Hughie returns as the door closes, taking the leash and looking at your teary eyes.

“What happened?” he asks.

“I’m going home,” you whisper before taking one of Tim’s moves and leaving without another word.

✯✯✯✯✯

A few hours after you get home, a florist delivers a bouquet of flowers to your door. You wonder if maybe they’re from Tim, but there isn’t a card, so you’re not sure. A few minutes later, though, someone knocks, and you hope it’s whoever sent you the flowers.

Wearing a mask, a man holding a gun stands on the other side of the door as you open it.

“Back up and let me in,” he commands.

You listen, your eyes on the gun as you step backward.

“Get on the floor,” he adds, waiting until your back hits the countertop in your kitchen.

Ducking under the bar top, you curl in on yourself against the cabinets as the man begins looking through your things. Wanting to ask what he is looking for, you wish you could make this go faster, but you’re too scared to speak.

“You see this?” he asks, lifting a picture of you and Tim. “This was a bad idea.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” you whisper.

His gloved hands grab your shoulders as he pulls you up to stand and pushes you against the counter again. Suddenly, a third person knocks. You’re not used to so many visitors but, for once, you’re glad to have an unexpected guest.

“Who is coming over?” the man whispers roughly, pressing the gun against your side.

“No one, no one, I don’t know who that is. I never have visitors,” you explain quickly.

“Open it and get rid of them. And if you try to signal for help, I’ll kill you both.”

Nodding, you catch yourself when he shoves you toward the door. You take a shaky breath before opening it.

✯✯✯✯✯

Tim feels terrible. He saw the look in your eyes when you realized he was there and how you protected him. Deciding that Angela was right, Tim needs to find you. You’re no longer with Hughie, so there is only one other place to look.

The moment you open the door, Tim notices your scared, tear-filled eyes. He grabs your arms roughly, pulling you outside and pushing you away from the door before he enters. You rush off the porch, standing before his truck as you watch the front door.

“LAPD, put down the gun,” Tim yells, his own weapon leveled on the masked man.

“Sergeant Bradford,” he spits. “We meet again.”

“Put down the weapon!”

The man lowers the gun to the floor, sliding it to Tim’s feet before dropping to his knees and ripping his mask off. Tim watches him as he calls dispatch and requests backup.

“This isn’t over,” the man says. “You arrested me once and I got out. Ruined your little girlfriend out there. What makes you think I won’t do it again?”

“Shut up,” Tim demands.

“We got it,” Nolan says, taking over as he and Celina enter the house.

Tim nods his thanks before holstering his gun and exiting the front door to find you. Angela and Nyla will be here soon, but Tim’s attention is on you, sitting on the driveway in front of his truck. As he approaches, he offers you a hand, his heart breaking again when you move away.

He knows you better than he realized, because this isn’t your usual shy reaction. You’re scared, or at least so hurt that you’re scared to trust him again.

“Can I sit down and tell you what happened? Just listen for a few minutes, that’s all I’m asking,” Tim requests. “I know it’s more than I deserve.”

Looking at your hands in your lap, you nod slowly. Tim crosses his legs beneath him as he sits.

“It started the last time you came over to my house. When I got home, I got a text that said, ‘leave her or she’ll leave you.’ I blocked the number, thought it was a prank, but I got the same letter at work the next morning. I- I thought pushing you away would keep you safe. The threats continued, and when I got one that said I had to break up with you…”

“Or what?” you pry.

“They’d kill you,” Tim whispers. “I’m so sorry. Angela kept telling me to tell you, but I truly thought I was helping, protecting you. Then, earlier today, I finally realized she was right. Sorry it took me so long. I, uh, I came straight over after that. Please believe me when I say my feelings haven’t changed, I still love you. This was just a misguided attempt to protect you and I’m sorry.”

As he finishes, your eyes are still down, so he closes his eyes and leans his head back against the truck.

“Did you mean it?”

Tim opens his eyes at your whisper. He shakes his head, promising, “I only did it to protect you. I want this, I want you.”

You look away again, and Tim thinks it’s over, that he ruined his relationship with you. Until you take his hand, look at it, and drag your fingers along his palm.

“I forgive you, Tim, but-“

“You can’t trust me again yet. I get that, but I will do everything in my power to show you that I love you and this will never happen again.”

Licking your lips, you trace the lines on his hands and try not to spur him on.

“Do you want me to like, hire a skywriter? ‘Cause I will; I’ll tell this whole city how much I love you,” Tim continues.

He grins when he sees your smile reappear at his teasing.

“You’re still the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen,” Tim sighs. “Even when you’ve been crying, and you should dump me.”

“You’re being unfair,” you mumble as you turn toward him, dropping your gaze to his waist.

“You don’t have-“ to ask.

Hugging Tim tightly, you don’t care that the concrete is digging into your knees. He returns your hug, dipping his face into the crook of your neck, clinging to you like you’ll disappear (again).

“I love you,” you whisper.

Tim moves, pulling you into his lap and chuckling at your surprised, shy gasp. “I love you,” he replies.

Tim stands with you still in his arms, and you push yourself against him, hiding from him and enjoying his presence simultaneously.

✯✯✯✯✯

“You’re smiling!” Hughie yells, rushing to your side as you enter the K-9 unit. “Did you- is Tim okay?”

You chuckle as you nod, petting his dog as you tell Hughie what happened. He nods and gasps along with your story, and when you stop with Tim’s confession, he presses to know if you kissed.

“Don’t ask her things like that, she’s shy,” Tim calls.

You smile at him; you expected him to come by but you're still glad to see him. Hughie’s dog positions himself between you and Tim.

“Hughie,” Tim says. “I’m sorry for everything I did to her.” He looks at you to add, “And I’m sorry for what I’m about to do.”

He steps toward you, and Hughie’s dog growls. Tim pouts, his complete focus on you as he asks, “Can you please ask Hughie to tell his dog to let me hug you?”

The way he asks makes you want to say no, but you also want a hug, so you oblige him, glancing over at Hughie. He snaps his fingers, muttering a command before the dog trots to his side.

Tim hugs you, whispering that Angela wants to talk to you. He and Hughie watch you walk away, both glad you’re back to yourself.

“Do something like that again and I won’t stop the dog,” Hughie says.

“Noted.”

Tim jogs to catch up to you, ducking his head by your ear to say something. You look away from him quickly, clearly growing shy. Hughie shakes his head before looking at his dog.

“I don’t get it, bud, but at least she’s happy again.”

#tim bradford x reader #my shy valentine #shy!reader #tim bradford x fem!reader #tim bradford fluff #tim bradford imagine #tim bradford #tim bradford the rookie #the rookie #requests #team shy!

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princessbrunette · 24 days

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FAQ ໒꒰ྀི ^ ⸝⸝ ^ ꒱ྀིა

frequently asked questions ♡ i will continue to add to this as more pop up. be sure to check this page before asking something to see if it’s already been answered !!

what is bunny/puppy/kitty/deer!reader?

no, she is not really an animal. the reason they are related to ‘animals’ in their description, is because of the personalities i have picked out for them. bunny!reader is spoiled, prissy, soft, needy — much like a bunny, hence her nickname. kitty!reader is sleepy, often has an attitude, a little weird in nature — like a kitty. puppy!reader is energetic, excitable, loving, sensitive — like a puppy. deer!reader is skittish, easily frightened, curious, intelligent — like a deer. they are 100% human, and although i have no issue with hybrid!readers i just don’t write it! hope this clears things up.

is it okay for me to write for an au you created?

absolutely! i love seeing everyone’s interpretations of the little universes i made up !! it feels like a little fanfic of a fanfic which just blows my mind. however, please give clear credit in your description — and if you want, a lil heads up !! i’m friendly i swear hehe <3

why am i blocked?

the only time i block people — is if i feel they have crossed my boundaries (they’re a minor, blatant copying, asking questions that are way too personal and make me uncomfortable, spamming my asks a crazy amount, you’ve been openly talking badly about me) that, and if you sent me hate. so if you’re blocked unless it’s been a huge misunderstanding it’s likely to stay that way, sorry !!

if my request isn’t answered, can i send it to another writer?

if enough time has passed and you’re pretty sure i either haven’t seen your request / am not going to write it — i have no problem with it at all !! keep in mind that i sometimes save requests to my drafts and they stay there for quite some time — but if that’s the case, it would be on me if you sent it to someone else and i was planning on answering cos i kept it in the vault for so long !!

will you ever write for anakin, leon kennedy, miguel etc again?

probably not unfortunately! writing for them was how this blog started out, but this blog has pretty much turned completely into an obx blog and unless something changes it’s staying like that :) my kinktober with writings for all of those characters is still linked in my navi for nostalgia purposes!

why can’t i claim the 🎀 anon?

as cute as the emoji is and i totally understand the want for it to be your sign off emoji, it’s the emoji i use to tag my personal / random posts with — and because the tumblr tagging system can be total poopoo they’ll probably cross over and it’ll get messy n confusing. there’s lots of other cute emojis !!

do you write for the obx girls?

nope, sorry! though i am bisexual, and the girls in the show are absolutely jaw droppingly gorgeous and i love them a lot — none of them are really my type and i find it difficult to write for characters i’m not personally attracted to!

do you have any other social media’s we can follow?

my three tumblrs are available to follow — this one, @balletbunnie (princess aesthetic blog + occasional personal posts), @brunettebun (porn visual / text post blog) other than that no i’m sorry! there is currently a pinterest account with my username attached, but it’s not me lol.

how can i find out what type of reader i am?

just whatever one you resonate with! i see myself in all the readers, but i identify the most as bunny!reader. i made a quiz to make it easier — check it out right here !!

#faq ♡

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doll-elvis · 7 months

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I’ve seen these photos of Priscilla on Pinterest and she looks so upset, do you know if there’s any back story behind these photos

hello and thank you very much for sending in this ask ꨄ︎!!

I’ve always been too distracted by that absolute unit of strawberry-blonde hair on Priscilla’s head to notice her expression but after closer observation I think you’re completely right in your assessment of her mood- sis was looking like she would rather be anywhere else 😭

after a quick google search and finding out that these photos were taken in April (sometime after the 23rd) of 1966, her expression started to make all the more sense

and not only is the date important for the context of these photos, but that unit of hair could also be very important

just a quick disclaimer: since Priscilla herself hasn’t spoken on these photos anything I say below is merely my own speculation as to why she may have looked upset on that day

To begin, according to Peter Guralnick's "Careless Love”, Elvis had just finished filming for his 22nd picture Spinout, in California, when he returned to Memphis with Priscilla on April 23rd. And so by knowing that they were photographed together in the meditation garden sometime in April, it’s safe to assume it was likely after the 23rd as they were in California for the weeks before

The film Spinout is relevant in this as 1. His costar was Shelley Fabares who he had a crush on 2. One of Elvis’ and Priscilla’s biggest arguments occurred during the filming of Spinout while they were in California and the cause of their argument was reason number one… Shelley Fabares

Both the Memphis Mafia and Shelley herself have confirmed that the relationship never went beyond anything platonic as she was faithful to her partner but nonetheless Elvis and her spent a lot of time together and formed a close bond

Naturally, Priscilla became suspicious that an affair was taking place and so she expressed to Elvis that she wanted to meet Shelley which then led to the first time that he had ever threatened get rid of her ⬇️

(read from left to right + click photos to see full text)

excerpt is from “Elvis and Me” by Priscilla Presley

(I believe this argument will appear in the upcoming film as Jacob Elordi says the line “I don’t have a goddamn thing to hide” in the recently released trailer)

No exact day was given for when this argument took place, it could have been the first week of filming or it could have been the last, but I would imagine having Elvis tell you to get all your things and leave would cause a lasting sort of sadness and have you questioning just how important you were to him even after going back to Memphis/Graceland

And this kind of thing actually happened a few times while they were together. Sonny West once said that Elvis’ greatest defense was offense meaning that if you were to approach him about something i.e Priscilla approaching him about his infidelities, Elvis’ response would be to turn the tables and put the pressure on you i.e telling Priscilla that he wanted her gone ⬇️

excerpt is from “Elvis: What Happened?” By Sonny and Red West, along with Dave Hebler

Another instance ⬇️

excerpt is from “Elvis and the Memphis Mafia” by Alanna Nash

Tbh as much as I love Elvis this is why I do hold a lot of sympathy for the friends and women in his life (even the ones I don’t personally like) because he tended to give ultimatums as a way to get what he wanted

“If you don’t like this, then leave… if you don’t want to do this, then leave…” and he did that because he knew most people would choose to stay

Now, the significance of that unit of strawberry blonde hair is purely speculative, but I'm wondering whether Priscilla started dyeing her hair that color to resemble Ann Margret as Elvis was quite melancholic over the fact that Ann and her boyfriend Roger Smith were spending so much time together during that time, infact, they were engaged just 2 months later in June of 1966

The affair between Ann Margret and Elvis lasted only a year after they met while filming Viva Las Vegas, so it doesn't make much sense that Priscilla would start dying her hair strawberry-blonde 3 years later (although she did try to emulate Ann in 1963) but it could be possible, and knowing that Elvis was still thinking about Ann Margret in April of 1966 would definitely be enough to make her upset at the time

What do y’all think?

#priscilla presley #priscilla #elvis presley #elvisaaronpresley #elvis #elvis history #elvis fans #elvis photos #60s Elvis #elvis asks #elvis and priscilla

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kyokosasagawa · 2 years

Text

HOW TO DRAW RESOURCES

FREE THINGS YOU CAN FIND ON THE INTERNET

Art Fundamentals

https://drawabox.com - Great for art fundamentals and the very start of your art journey. If you stick to it you’ll get a great grasp on the more technical side of art fundamentals, but I’ll be honest, it can be rather boring!! If you just started out, I recommend using Part One and doing your best, because it’ll give you a good control over your choice of media be it pen or tablet pen. If you go further in…honestly, there’s been some great results from it based off of the reddit.

Proko (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClM2LuQ1q5WEc23462tQzBg) - Teaches how to do figure drawing in particular. Pretty much the origin of a lot of beginner artist’s and how they draw figure drawings—in particular, because Proko himself is inspired by great artists such as Glenn Vilppu. Most of the content found in his channel has a “premium” vers, but honestly, you don’t need the premium. It just goes more in depth and more into the technicalities. Of course, if you think you need it, it’s definitely a worthwhile investment!

Digital Painting

https://www.ctrlpaint.com - Seriously, it’s an entire free library on how to digitally paint. Most of this content can be utilized throughout different programs, such as Krita and Medibang and Photoshop. If you’re starting out digitally painting, I recommend utilizing this resource because the artist behind it went into a LOT of detail on different tips and tricks. Need help figuring out your workflow? There’s a video for that. Sketches? There’s a video for that.

Photographic Resources

https://characterdesignreferences.com - Y'know how pinterest has that same ol aesthetic of some girl pouting up you that you can’t escape no matter how many diverse things you follow? Well, this has far more than that. Character designs, art books, body types, skin colors, film stills, etc etc. Go here first if you’re after non-irl references.

https://line-of-action.com/practice-tools - Has timed classes to practice your gesture drawing, or you can increase the time so that it’s more like a live study. Has figures, animals, hands and feet, expressions, and environmental sections. One of the earliest resources I’ve used. Great in combination with Proko’s lessons.

https://www.adorkastock.com - A very great resource! Stock images done by a group that have been doing this since 2007 and have one goal: get you to draw accurately! You want fantasy art? There’s a fantastical sections! There’s jumping poses! There’s a little bit of everything! Also one of the earliest resources there has been.

PAID RESOURCES:

https://www.3dtotalpublishing.com - Publishes books dealing with art topics. Very indepth. I recommend “Art Fundamentals 2nd edition” and “Art Fundamentals Theory in Practice”—-learn art fundamentals, then critique your own art in the scenario that for whatever reason you can’t find an art group that does it! Caution: the text is rather small for my tastes, but I have notoriously bad eyesight.

https://www.nma.art - NMA is basically for people who want an art school experience but can’t quite afford actual art school. When you enroll, NMA sends you a list to the course guide. There’s multiple different tracks to choose based on what you personally want to learn. Sculptures? How to draw animals? Illustration? If you felt like it you could honestly just learn whatever you personally feel like doing at that minute, but personally I recommend sticking to the course schedule for the sake of structure. Has a lot of famous artists on here—remember that Glenn Vilppu person I mentioned? Well, he’s on here too. He teaches his own courses! Nice! NOTE: NMA is best suited for people interested in traditional and classical art, but they emphasize that you can use whatever media suits you best. If you can adapt the traditional lessons to digital, then more power to ya!

https://www.svslearn.com - A structured approach to learning illustrations, especially children’s illustrations. Great for digital artists, and also has a 30 day free trial if you’re a bit iffy. There’s also a lot more classes other than the curriculum list! It’s a art school designed by a couple of childrens storybook illustrators, so if you’re fascinated by cartoonish drawings I really recommend this site for that path. They also have a podcast that delves into the topic of art!

#art resources

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wotchergiorgia · 5 months

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listen, I’m not here talking about relationship. I’m not asking you to marry me, to be completely committed to me from this day on. I’m not even sure whether I want to start something with you or not, okay? all I’m asking for is a chance. a chance to possibly be what you need and didn’t know about. to pop up to you whenever we feel like it, checking on you because I know I have this right. I just want a chance to show you who I am, who I could be with you and who I am without you. a chance to meet up, get out there in the world together, keeping it casual, keeping it easy and private. I don’t need you to say yes to an engagement proposal, nor do I need you to kneel down to me and propose as if there’s no tomorrow to look at. I’m not desperate. I’m not hopelessly and endlessly in love with you. I can’t even know if I really like you, as I’m waiting for that chance. a chance to quiet down the rest of the world for a moment, forgetting about our friends and family and talk. listen to what we have to say to each other, if we ever have something to share. but I’m sure we have it. a chance to be the best version of myself both for you and for me, for us. a chance to start a new chapter of our lives, experiencing the unexpected and letting things go with the flow. all I’m asking for is a chance to keep talking with you, to keep meeting you on wednesday nights and seeing you smile. my texts, my audios… they’re all attempts to make you understand I want this chance. I’m trying to make it visible, to make it evident that I’m ready to have the chance of being in your life. I don’t know if you’re getting me, if my attempts are having some sort of effect on you. I wish they had. I wish you got me. maybe you’re, maybe you’re not. lots of quotes are popping up on my pinterest home page, stuff like “I wonder what your thoughts are when you hear people say my name” and my mind immediately goes to you. I try to imagine your face, your gorgeous blue eyes in the exact moment my name comes to your ears. would you think of me? would you smile? would you be indifferent? perhaps you know many other girls with the same name as mine, or maybe you don’t. I cannot know what your feelings are when my name enters the same room as you’re in, nor can I exactly tell you what my feelings are as well. I just know that you have a name I’ve always disliked. but that is the same name I reevaluated the same moment I learnt it was yours. I just know that hearing your name would bring a smile on my face, maybe a clumsy and shy one, yes, but it’d always be a smile.

listen, I just want a chance. I’m not expecting anything from you, I’m not even asking you anything. I’m just trying to get my chance. and I’m waiting, I’ll wait. it was you who said that it would be interesting to casually go out some time. I did my move. now I’m waiting for yours with no commitment, no hopes, no expectations. I’m waiting for my chance to be given, for you to make your move. I texted you first, I asked you out first, and you always texted me back. we’re not indifferent to each other, that’s what I care about now. that I can have my chance. that there is no reason for me not to have a chance on you. I’m just asking for this.

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da-proti-toku-grem · 1 month

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*breaks down door* DELIVERY BELONGING 2 ONE JURE N JAN LOVING GIRLY/gn N WONDERFUL WRITER CALLED MACA!! :DD

*🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁*

(Jan/Jure! beach date cuz I miss summer N im running out of ideas 4 the perfect date series + my brain is FRIED from working on moodboards N homeschool stuff all day so there’s no tale 2 be told this time srry 😭) BUT I do feel like putting my friends out of their misery with how much they listen 2 me yapping about our silly pretty lil Slovenians N since were all batshit insane over them here maybe rambling 2 U isn’t a bad idea (U don’t gotta read if It gets super long :3) Jure was my original bby when I first found them almost a whole year ago on my birthday,him N Bojan were the ones that caught my attention when they came on N made me drop a perfectly good slice of leftover birthday cake on the carpet N blush like crazy ☺️.Then once I was pretty familiar with the band I started becoming a Jan girly/gn aswell which started my love 4 the two as a pairing (all the nights I scrolled Pinterest 4 photos of them together N binged a bunch of vids still keep me up 😵‍💫) cuz their so PRETTY N GORGEOUS N SWEET N ADORABLE N SILLY N mmmmmmmhhhhhhhhh *melts into a vaguely Gengar plushie shaped puddle* all the gig footage we’ve been getting has made me fall even harder 4 them both (I’m the reason all those Joker Out edit complications have so many f4n views) but in a way they saved me,not just them but mostly them ykyk b4 I was being homeschooled the one I went 2 was shit N I would always head straight 2 tumblr so I could see my boys once I got home,watching the Carpe diem series N welcome to the backstage eps over N over again cuz just seeing my darlings smile made me giggle N kick my feet N twirl my hair (how could I not when they look like THAT *grabby hands*) I can’t remember how many times I’ve questioned my sexuality over them N the whole band until I finally realised my ass doesn’t just like girls N I’ll always be glad I found them N this crazy lil fandom when I did cuz this place is like a famliy N their our home,4 whoever long we got with them N maybe even forever <33333

Hey!! (About the text) Yeah I totally get you, they were totally what saved me at the end of my last year of high school last year. I discovered them when the stress was starting to become too much and they helped me a lot to keep going. And then when I started uni I felt like shit every day (that's why I ended up dropping out - bc: 1. I didn't like what I was doing, and 2. My mental health was is shit rn and I prefer to focus on that) and the only thing that kept me from going absolutely insane was going on tumblr and talk/see people talking about these silly little slovenian men so... yeah :) this fandom truly feels like home to me too <33

(About the moodboard) I absolutely LOVE IT!!!!!! Like, I saw this yesterday at night when you sent the ask and I loved the idea so much that I ended up writing a little fic 🤭 I was waiting until I finished writing to post the ask and the fic at the same time, but I finished at 2am (oops 😅), so I'm queueing both for the morning :3 🩷

#i'll update with the link as soon as it's posted hehe #take it as a gift for you given that you always send me all these beautiful moodboards :) <33 #joker out #jan peteh #jure maček #jan/jure #the two kitties of joker out <3 #moodboard #ask #mine #maca speaks #q

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wintress2848 · 19 days

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TW: mentions of CSA

Purg1ng when you’ve been s3xually @bused, and how to handle triggers:

At least for me, when it comes to getting triggered from SA during a b/p cycle doesn’t help me purge better, it in fact makes it worse for me, I can no longer purg3 because I’m overwhelmed with memories with such big emotions-or lack thereof-attached to them that I can no longer escape from, and most importantly I feel out of control. which is a huge trigger for me. We all know majority of the time an eating disorder is ab control and when you are triggered you feel like that control has been taken away.

If you are triggered I ALWAYS suggest stopping purging all together. Pushing through can be/is traumatic, but if you are at that point (I’ve been there, you aren’t alone), I don’t suggest physically triggering your gag reflex; at least for that session.

The main reason why we become triggered is because our brains are basically reliving the trauma, and telling our bodies that we are still in danger/being actively abused.

Find a comfortable position, sit on the floor (I usually stand when purging) if you feel like passing out or dissociative. If not, I recommend leaving the bathroom and going to a safe place that doesn’t have anything that may trigger you.

Crossing my arms on my chest and tapping my shoulders slowly always helps me calm down. Focus on the rhythm, the feel of your fingertips pressing against your shoulders, your body pressed against whatever surface you’re on.

Describe what you see around you while you’re reminding yourself that you are safe right now (“I am safe, my shirt is black. I’m in/at [insert location], I’m not in danger. The walls are teal, my lamp is white, I smell my vanilla lotion, I hear my fan whirring, I am safe”).

Smelling something you like is helpful as well: light a candle, spray some perfume or put on some scented lotion you adore, smelling coffee grounds helps me.

Listening to CALMING music, my go to is “Here Comes A Thought” by Steven Universe

Holding ice, it seems stupid but it really fucking works

When you’ve calmed down, and if you still would like to purg3, I suggest watching something really disgusting to where you naturally throw up is most effective for me. That’s the most effective idea of mine, I’ve tried other ways but most aren’t successful. But I’ll update as I go.

When finished, do some self care! Because you absolutely deserve it 💕 here’s some ideas:

Take a hot/warm bath

Make some nice warm tea to sip on, I always add lemon to mine, and Splenda if I really need some sweetness

Take a nap

Get into your pajamas and fuzzy socks! That’s something I find very comfortable

Cuddle up with a warm book

Call/text loved ones

Comfort movies/shows are a must for me!

Drawing/painting

Skincare

Do a new makeup style

Scroll through Pinterest (unless you have boards that have triggering content-> “fashion boards” I know what you really are)

Paint your nails

Go for a walk

Do very light exercises (if this will trigger an intense workout don’t follow this one, no need to push yourself today it’s all about relaxation bc let’s be honest we haven’t been relaxed since 2005)

Listen to comfort playlists on Spotify (or make your own!)

Look at writing prompts and daydream about them

Watch ASMR

Face masks

Write poetry/narratives

Go on Ao3, fanfiction.net, or Wattpad

Meditation

Yoga

Watch a funny video (funny cat/dog videos are my go-to bc they’re more innocent and less likely to have crude humor (after I’ve been triggered by SA I’m typically very sensitive, and ‘childish’ content/things/etc bring a lot of comfort to me)

Live out the childhood you never had (people may call this age regression, but it’s helpful to me and makes me feel safe)

Journal (it takes a while to see the benefits but it’s worth it imo)

I hope this helps and stay safe! <3

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jiiamp · 3 months

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New Pinned Post

[ New Pinned Post ]

Jim / Eon / jiiamp

My gender is all over the place but I’m Transmasc / Transneu and use lots of Xenogenders [1300+]

Aroaceflux and Uranic

I’m a furry and a Satanist / Atheist

Pronouns: He/It/Fluff/They/📀+

Has Anxiety & probably Autism

Flag Info

[ Flag Info ]

Requests Currently: Open

[ Requests Currently: Open ]

I’m a very procrastinatory being however, so consider this a warning

I will do:

[ I will do: ]

⛧ Coining Terms

⛧ Pronoun Flags

⛧ Flag Adjustments [Colors, Aspect Ratios, etc.]

⛧ Plain Text Translations

⛧ Other shit I can’t think of

I won’t do:

[ I won’t do: ]

⛧ Pronoun / Title / Name suggestions

⛧ Terms exclusive to people with identities I don’t experience [DID, NPD, BPD, etc.]

⛧ Terms related to drugs / alcohol or getting high / drunk

⛧ Anything I find offensive or that goes against my DNI list

DNI / Fuck Off List

[ DNI / Fuck Off List ]

This may be subject to change and I am free to block anyone even if they don’t apply to this list

⛧ Transphobes, Homophobes, Aphobes, and any other Queerphobes

⛧ Truscum, Transmed, TERFs, Exclusionists, Anti-Xenos, Anti-Neos, Anti-MOGAI, or Anti-Furries

⛧ Proshippers, any pro-contact harmful paraphiles [MAPs, Necrophiles, Zoophiles, etc.]

⛧ Racist, Anti-BLM, Ableist, Neo-Nazi, Antisemitic, or discriminatory against any non-harmful faith

⛧ Transid, Transx, Trace, Transage, Transabled, Transdisabled, RCTA, along with any other Radqueer / Radshit / PRAT junk

I’m a singlet and have no involvement in system discourse

If anything on this list offends / upsets you, I do not care, just block me and be done with it

Other Info

⛧ Tag me in whatever posts you want [especially if there’s a gender / term I might like] unless I ask you not to

⛧ I don’t mind spam liking / reblogging and stuff

⛧ Please credit if you decide to repost anything I’ve made

⛧ I’m happy with my terms being added to wikis and / or archives, but please don’t repost to Pinterest, I have my own Pinterest account so there’s really no need [link down below]

⛧ I swear a lot, I might say slurs I can reclaim but not sure

⛧ This is a SFW blog but I may allude to or mention NSFW topics for whatever reason

⛧ You can see my gender / term hoard here [link]

⛧ I have a Pinterest account here [link], but I’m a lot more active on Tumblr [and all my flags are posted here first]

⛧ My posts should always have added plain text, and if I have the energy I will try to add my own image IDs, however I’m not very good at describing colors so help is always appreciated

⛧ Messy archival blog is @jims-archive

⛧ Hoarding blog is @jimpure

If you have any questions just send me an Ask!

My Tags

[ My Tags ]

☾ ✮ 𝚊 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌 𝚐𝚒𝚏𝚝 ✮ ☽ Coining Posts

☾ ✮ 𝚊 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 ✮ ☽ Term / Flag Reblogs

☾ ✮ 𝚊 𝚍𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 ✮ ☽ Term / Flag Reposts

☾ ✮ 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 ✮ ☽ Adjusting Flags

☾ ✮ 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚕 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗 ✮ ☽ Requests / Asks

☾ ✮ 𝚜𝚊𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚌 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 ✮ ☽ Plain Text Tranlastions

☾ ✮ 𝚙𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚘𝚜 ✮ ☽ Random Posts

☾ ✮ 𝚙𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚘𝚜 ✮ ☽ Random Reblogs

☾ ✮ 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 ✮ ☽ Negative Rants / Reblogs

☾ ✮ 𝚎𝚌𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 ✮ ☽ Positive Rants / Reblogs

☾ ✮ 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚢... ✮ ☽ Promotion / Events

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bloggirl8842 · 7 months

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My chest’s been hurting + I’ve been feeling weak the past few days idk what’s going on. I think it could partially be iron deficiency because I’ve just got the first hints of my period and the blood loss there would totally correspond w my recent weak spells but the chest pain idk. Actually I’m gonna write out every physical symptom which bothers me. I’ve lost lots of hair. These past two nights I’ve had trouble sleeping bc suddenly I get very sensorily aware like I can feel the uneven weight of my comforter and my skin touching itself and my breathing on my arm and whenever this has happened the solution for whatever reason has been eating a full meal + maybe putting on socks. I am hungry so often. have pain in my shoulder that I keep using tiger balm for even though it offers no lasting help simply bc I like the feeling and the smell. One of my boobs feels very dense and it’s one that’s been causing me problems since I was 17, I used to get ultrasounds done on it bc I had cysts with an unknown liquid inside and they didn’t grow so I stopped going but I almost feel like a hook feeling in it. Like it feels hooked onto me in a way that the other one doesn’t and I hate it. I always want to just clean it out and put in an implant which matches my other boob because not only is this one dense and prone to giving me health scares— it’s SMALLER than my good one. The thing is most of these symptoms don’t consistently exist, like, most of the time I’m fine, but right now I’m being hit w all of it and I’m annoyed. Also the tattoo artist I like hasn’t texted me back since I asked for her venmo (so I could pay the security deposit) but I think that’s more of a “Sundays are a social media/work-free day” type thing, I don’t blame her. Really excited about it though so I’m feeling impatient about securing the slot. Also, I wish it would just fucking cool down. I remember when autumn in SF meant looking at the frost on passing plants as my parents drove me to school.

Good things though: I’m knitting myself two sweaters for the winter, I’m still working on my more personal painting (and I have ideas for subsequent works— I want a little sketchbook or notebook to properly plan them out in but I hate all the sketch and notebooks I own), I like my job a whole lot. Knitting plans include finishing my sweaters (I might stop knitting my more intricate one when I leave the house because it means that people watch me and talk to me and I’m not into that), making my friend Somer a beanie, finishing my friend Janice’s legwarmer, making Janice and I matching tops, figuring out how to copy this gorgeous hand knit dress I saw on tiktok. I also plan to try finishing this crochet blanket I made 1/12 squares for a year ago so I can give it to my parents to “christen” their new house. I’ve been reminding myself more and more often lately to live instead of retreating into fantasy and self absorption. I’ve been better at talking to people. I’m allowing myself to properly be mildly sad about my failed relationship; like, not sobbing screaming heartbroken but moments of very mild grief. I’m better at breaking myself out of emotional slumps by getting productive (when I don’t feel sick, that is). I’m better at pacing myself when it comes to productivity so I don’t burn out and quit for months-years. I really like my psychologist. I loooove Pinterest. I’m looking forward to my tattoo, my birthday— I’m actually going to host a get together for the first time in yearsss— my best friend’s birthday, getting to a good place w these fucking asshole kids I work with (some of them are actually entirely lovely), my ravelry idea, my art ideas, and whatever else is going to happen in the next few months.

#stream of consciousness thoughts abt health and good things

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serendipitous-magic · 3 years

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What is your writing advice for young people who want to write fanfiction and original stories in the near future?

If this is just Way Too Much, skip to the end (#16). My most important piece of advice is there. I also happen to think #5 is pretty good.

-_-_-_-

1) Literally just write. Write whatever you want, and do a lot of it.

_-_

2) You don’t have to post everything. In fact you don’t have to post anything. You can, don’t get me wrong, but it can be intimidating to sit down and think “I will now write something that other people will see and read and judge with their eyeballs.” Because that’s probably gonna lead to nerves and writer's block. Just write down the ideas that you have, the things you want to write, whatever’s in your brain that you want to explore and expand upon and make into something. And then if you want to, share it. Or don’t share it. I have plenty of half-baked ideas and documents and random story chapters and shit hidden away on my Google Drive that will never see the light of day, for a whole number of reasons. I wanted to write it but it wasn’t ~Spicy~ enough to warrant posting, or it’s only like an eighth of a good idea, or it’s like one scene with no story around it, or it’s just something incredibly self-indulgent I just wanted to write for my own enjoyment.

Point being, don’t write for other people. Don’t write so that other people can read it; write what you want, write for yourself, and then if you want to share it, do.

_-_

3) You can pretty much ignore any and all of these for fanfiction. In fact, you can ignore pretty much any rules or guidelines you want for fanfiction. Fanfic is a sandbox. You don’t have to be a “professional writer” to post fic. No one expects you to be Stephen King or Margaret Atwood. Fanfic is just for playing in a fandom and having fun. If you wanna write a 50 chapter slow burn with very little plot aside from the OTP slowly getting to know each other, and no real stakes or central conflict, I guarantee people would read that. Really, fanfiction is the Old West of writing: lawless, wild, unpredictable, and free.

However, here are the rules you must follow:

-Separate your paragraphs. (I’m sure you know this already, but I’m gonna say it anyway just in case.) Do not post one big block of text. Make a paragraph break when someone new is talking, when the characters are in a new place, when a new event occurs that changes the scene, when a chunk of time has passed, and when there’s a major change in subject.

-I know it’s obvious, but... grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. They exist to make writing easy for readers to read, and more people will read your stuff if they don’t have to stop and try to figure out what you meant.

-Use tags and labels, as is possible with whatever site you’re using. Especially if you include possibly triggering content in your story. Again, I know it’s obvious, but it’s common courtesy. Bonus: tagging the themes and content of your story helps readers find it and read it :)

-If possible, limit the use of all-caps and exclamation marks / question marks. 99% of the time, one ! or one ? will do. If you overload the page with a lot of all-caps and long rows of exclamation marks or question marks, it hampers readability.

... That’s literally all I can think of. And, like I said, it’s all pretty basic stuff. You were probably rolling your eyes like, “Uh, yeah, Gwen, I know.” But that’s literally it. You can pretty much do whatever you want in fanfic.

That being said, here’s my advice for both fanfiction and original work...

_-_

4) A quick and dirty rule for coming up with a plot, starting a story, keeping up pacing, or maintaining tension: figure out what dreams, desires, and goals are nearest and dearest to your main character’s heart (see #16). Then set up the main conflict to be directly in opposition to that goal. It doesn’t have to be in a tangible way, though it could be. But, if your main character wants more than anything to reach the ships on the southern coast of your world and sail to a new life, make sure the main conflict immediately prevents them from doing that - in fact, make sure to send them north. If your main character just wants to keep their loved ones safe, kidnap the loved ones. If your main character just wants to date their best-friend-turned-crush, make sure they think they have no chance - or, make them cocky about it, and make sure it makes Person B determined not to ever like them. You get it. Figure out what your character most wants, and then keep them from having that. Boom - your conflict now ties in with your character's motivation. It's like instant yeast for plots.

_-_

5) If you’re anything like me, you want your first draft to be Good, despite all that advice about how the first draft doesn’t have to be good and it’s just to get words on the page, yadda yadda. And if you’re somewhat of a perfectionist (like myself), it’s easy to get stuck looking at a blank page because you don’t have The Perfect Words, and you want what you write to be Good the first time.

Here’s how I cheat that:

Instead of trying to write a Good First Draft from a blank page, hit the enter key a few times, skip a little down on the page, change your ink to red (or blue, or whatever - just something immediately identifiable as Not Black) and just thought vomit. Write whatever the hell you’re thinking, exactly as you think it. Don’t worry about it being readable, don’t worry about narrative flow for now, don’t worry about covering all the details, don’t worry about anything except either a) getting all the details of your idea out onto the page, whether that’s a lot or whether it’s just a sentence or two, or b) if you don’t have an idea yet, finding your way there.

Because this method is also very good for finding your way to ideas when you’re stuck in writer’s block.

Because of how human brains work, getting this stuff out onto the page - in all its messy, stream-of-consciousness glory - will likely spark more thoughts. As you write your original idea about the scene, it’ll likely spark more ideas. Creation begets creation. If you just start thought-vomiting your ideas onto the page, chances are you’ll think of more things as you go, and you’ll start filling out description or dialogue or tone or action or whatever, and pretty soon the scene starts writing itself.

Not sure where you’re going with the scene or which ideas you wanna use? Use a lot of ambivalent language in your “thought-vomit draft.” My pre-writing notes are chock-full of the words “maybe,” “perhaps,” and the phrases, “At some point...” and “...or something like that.” In this way, I don’t tie myself down to one idea; it’s just an idea, and I’m keeping it on the page in case I use it, but I might chuck it in the trash or change it or whatever.

And then, once your ideas for the scene (or story, or chapter, or whatever) are on the page, then go back to the top and start translating them into a “real” first draft. Use black ink, and start copy-pasting chunks of the thought-vomit up into the top part of the document and translating them into Draft 1. Separate out paragraphs where paragraph breaks should be. Add the correct punctuation and whatnot. Change “describe the lobby here - include potted plants, fancy carpet, blood stain, etc.” into an actual description of the lobby. Flesh it out, or condense, or whatever it needs. And if you’re still stuck, change back to red ink and ramble some more until you find a path that feels right, then plug that in. This keeps you from looking at a blank page, and it allows you to generate a kind of Draft 0.5, somewhere between a plan and a first draft.

You don’t have to use every idea. Like I said, jot down whatever comes to mind, put a “maybe” before or after it, and keep working. If the idea grabs you and you wanna keep expanding on it and exploring it, cool. If you just wanna jot it down so you don’t forget it and then move on, also cool. Red-ink draft / “thought-vomit draft” is your time to jump around in the timeline, add or finesse details at whatever point your brain moves to, etc. Don’t try to do it exactly in story order, because you will get tangential thoughts and ideas, and you will not remember to write them down five pages later when you finally get to taking notes on that scene. Trust me. On that note...

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6) Write everything down the moment you think of it. Seriously.

“I’ll remember it when I get around to writing that scene in a couple days / weeks / months (/years).”

You won’t.

Write it down.

Phone, journal, google docs - hell, my family regularly laughs at me for grabbing a napkin during dinner and scribbling thoughts down alongside pasta sauce stains.

And then, once you have it written down somewhere...

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7) Consolidate your writing ideas in one place.

Maybe this isn’t really your style, and that’s totally chill.

Buuuut, if you’re Type-A like me - or if you tend to be somewhat unorganized and you know you’ll lose track of your writing notes if they’re scattered across multiple notebooks, journals, napkins, phone notes, etc. - having one consolidated document of notes is a life saver. I keep mine on Google Docs so I can access it, add to it, and look through it for inspiration anywhere at any time. When I have one of those Shower Thoughts that I jot down on my phone or on a napkin during dinner, I set myself a reminder on my phone to type it up in my Story Ideas document later.

(Or, if the idea I had was for a story of mine that I’ve already started planning / drafting / whatever, I put it in the document for that story instead of the Big Random Story Ideas doc. You get it.)

_-_

8) Have other ways to collect and save writing ideas, besides just writing stuff down. If you like Pinterest, make pinterest boards of your characters or stories or settings or whatever. If you’re big into playlists, make a playlist for your character / setting / story / etc. Or both. Or something else. I’m not good at drawing, but maybe you are, and maybe you like to draw your ideas. Whatever form it takes, having another way to save ideas and think about your stories is invaluable.

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9) Some writers can just start writing with no idea where the story is going, and they just kind of figure it out as they go. I envy those writers. And I do that sometimes for fanfiction, where the stakes are somewhat lower and the audience is reading more for scene-to-scene enjoyment (and to see their OTP kiss) than for a Driving And Compelling Narrative.

But here’s the thing: especially if you’re just kind of starting out, writing without some sort of plan is really, really hard, and will likely lead you into a slow, meandering narrative that will likely frustrate you.

Even if you think you’re someone that just can’t write with a plan (and again, I have the highest respect for pansters out there - I don’t know how you do it, you crazy bastards, but you keep doing you) - even if you think “I can’t work with plans, they’re too prescriptive, I just want to write and see what happens -”

Try at least making the most skeletal of plans.

Even if you have no clue what 90% of the story is, yet. That’s fine. But you need to have some idea of what you’re building to, even if that’s nothing more specific than a feeling, or a turning point for your character. Even if your entire plan for everything beyond Chapter 1 is, “At some point, Charlie needs to realize that Ed was lying to her.”

This is where those Draft 0.5 notes come in handy. Because, more than likely, working on your current scene that way will spark ideas for later scenes, which you can put down at the bottom of the document and save for when they become relevant. In my experience, the line between planning ahead and making a Draft 0.5 is exceptionally thin. One can quickly turn into the other.

If you’re really, really resistant to the idea of planning ahead, that’s okay. It’s not everybody’s style. But for the love of all that is holy, write down your ideas for future scenes, even if you’re a person that doesn’t like to plan and writes only in story order, because you will not remember that idea once you get to that scene.

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10) You don’t have to write in order.

Here’s the thing: I’m a person that can only do my Draft 1 in story order (meaning, chronological order). I just have to be in that flow; I need to write in story order for me to best channel where the character is at from scene to scene, both narratively and emotionally.

But my Thought Vomit Draft is another thing entirely. By using the brain hack of putting my notes in red (or another color, it doesn’t matter) and going down to the bottom of the document / page and taking notes there, and then integrating them into whatever plan I have, and then translating them into Draft 1 once I get there in the story - by doing that, I can get my good ideas onto the page (and expound upon them and let my muse carry me and ride that momentum while I’m in the moment of inspiration) without writing out of order.

Maybe that’s just me. But if you’re a person who really prefers to write in story order, that could be hugely helpful to you. It is to me.

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11) Emotion and motivation will do more for your story than technicalities of plot.

If your characters really care about something, and their journey through the (shaky or weak) plot is emotionally engaging, it will be a much more compelling story than a story with a “perfect” plot and unrelatable or unmotivated characters.

If your characters care about what they’re doing, and it means something to them, and their goals and actions are driven by dreams or fears or emotions that are integral to who they are, your audience will care too. If you have a perfectly crafted plot that hits all the right beats and has high stakes and fast pacing and drama - but your characters don’t connect with what’s happening in a way that’s deeply meaningful or emotional for them? You’re gonna have a hard time engaging readers.

When in doubt, prioritize character emotion and motivation over plot. Emotion is what drives story.

This power is highly exploitable. (Just look at pulp novels and shitty but entertaining movies.) You can even use it to glaze over plot holes or reinvigorate a limp narrative. Use it that way sparingly, though. It’s a band-aid, not a surgery.

_-_

12) Evil villains are hard to write - mostly because there are very few truly evil people in the world. (There are a few. Billionaires and several big name politicians come to mind.) But by and large, there aren’t that many evil people. There are plenty of bad people, but bad people have some good in them, somewhere in there. Trying to write an evil villain is hard, because they often turn very cartoony.

Here’s a tip: it’s much easier to write antagonists who aren’t evil. Even if they’re bad people. Of course, there’s no reason you can’t write a villain that’s just truly evil - a serial killer, or an abuser, or a billionaire, or someone who legit just wants to hurt people or blow up the earth or stay in control of an oppressed population, or whatever. But chances are, it’s gonna be really hard to make them feel real, and even harder to create a plot around them that doesn’t feel forced or contrived.

Instead, try writing an antagonist / villain whose motivations and goals directly clash with your protagonist’s - but not because they want to take over the world or see people suffer. Write an antagonist who’s chaotic good, but whose perception of the situation is completely opposite from your hero’s. Write an antagonist whose only desire is to save people, and who will do anything to achieve that goal - anything. Write an antagonist who believes in the letter of the law, and will hinder and oppose the hero’s methods even if they agree with the hero’s motivation. Write an antagonist who got in way over their head and did some things they regret, and now they don’t know how to get out, and they’re doing their best but whatever they set in motion is too powerful for them to stop now.

Write villains who are human. Write a killer who thought they were doing the right thing by taking their victim out of the equation, who vomits at the sight of the body and sobs over the grave they dig. Write a government leader who truly believes she’s doing what’s best for her people in the long-term, even if it might hurt them in the short term, and is willing to endure the hatred and belligerence of the masses if it means securing what she thinks is a better future for her people. Write a teenage bully that thinks they’re the one being picked on by the world, and they’re just fighting back, standing their ground. Write a scientist who will break any code of ethics and hurt anyone he needs to - in order to bring back his baby sister from the grave, because he promised her he’d protect her and he failed. Write an antagonist who is selfish and self-centered and capricious - because in order to survive they had to look out for Number One, and that habit ain’t about to break anytime soon.

Write villains who aren’t even villains. Write antagonists who oppose the hero because of moral differences. Write antagonists who are trying to do the right thing. Write antagonists who treat the heroes with kindness and dignity and respect and gentleness.

They don’t have to be good. They don’t have to be Misunderstood Sweethearts who “deserve” a redemption arc. They can be cruel and nasty and dismissive and callous and violent and etc. etc.

Just hesitate before you make them Evil-with-a-capital-E. Because evil is hard to write, and honestly, boring to read. Flawed human beings with goals and motivations that directly oppose the main characters’ are much easier to write and much more interesting to read.

Ask why. Why is your villain trying to take over the world? What does that even mean? Are they trying to create a Star-Trek-like post-capitalism utopia, but they know that won’t happen in a million lifetimes, so they’re trying to do it by force? Are they actually super in favor of human rights, but they got very impatient waiting for the world to do anything about poverty and war, so they decided to take it into their own hands? Are they determined to fix the world - no matter the cost? Are they terrified and overwhelmed, but committed to see it through to the end? Or - maybe they’re just doing it on a dare. Maybe they don’t really give a shit about world domination, they were just a mediocre rich white guy who decided to fuck around and find out, and now he’s kind of curious how far he can take this thing. And now he’s kind of an internationally-wanted criminal, so he’s kind of stuck living on his hidden private island in his multi-billion dollar secret base, strapping lasers to sharks’ heads for the hell of it. Gross, selfish, uncaring, and dangerous? For sure. Evil? Depends on your definition. See, now we’re getting somewhere.

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13) It’s tempting to let the plot control the characters. It’s easy to drop your characters into a situation and see how they react. But here’s the thing: that doesn’t drive plot. In fact, it bogs down pacing. Instead, try to build you plot off of your characters’ actions and decisions. Let your character build their own situation. Not to say it should go they way they wanted it to go; in fact, usually, their grand plans should go to hell very quickly. But having the characters take action and make decisions, and letting the plot develop based on that, is much easier to make compelling than making a rigid series of events and then trying to herd your characters into them.

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14) Having trouble justifying a character’s actions? Consider having them make the opposite decision, or having them approach the situation in a different way. For example: you need your character to go meet the bad guy, for plot reasons, even though there’s no way it’s not a trap. If the character goes, readers are gonna be groaning with their head in their hands, because c’mon man, that was really fucking stupid. But he’s gotta go, because the plot needs that. Two ways you might handle this: a) He knows it’s probably a trap. He decides not to go. The plot conspires to get him near the villain anyway. Or, b) He knows it’s a trap. But he needs to go, for (insert reasons here). So, he approaches it in an unexpected way. He brings backup, recruiting a side character we met earlier in the story. Or he arrives on the back of a dragon, because ain’t nobody gonna fuck with a dude on a dragon. Or he goes - early, and ambushes the villain. It may work, it may not. He may get himself kidnapped anyway. But it moves the plot along without having Stupid Hero Syndrome.

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15) This is a legit piece of advice: if all of this sounds overwhelming, literally just ignore it and write what you want. For real. Writing should be fun, and every single writer operates differently. If you’re sitting here like “I’m getting stressed just reading this,” just flip me a good-natured bird and get on with your life. I promise I won’t take it personally. Same goes for literally any other writing advice you see. Lots of rules and guidelines can very quickly make anything thoroughly un-fun. Just write. If you’re passionate about it and you do it for long enough, you’ll start figuring out the tips and tricks on your own.

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16) Here’s the best piece of advice I can give you: know your characters. More importantly, know what’s important to them. Build their personality and decisions off of that, and build your plot off of their decisions.

I see a lot of character building sheets that ask a shit-ton of questions like “What’s their most prized possession?” “Do they like their family?” “What’s their favorite food?”

And while these are good questions, my problem with this type of character building is that if you start there, with the little stuff, you’re building on nothing. IMO, to make a truly strong character (not strong like Inner Strength, strong like effective), you need a strong foundation.

Here are the things you must know about your character:

a) What are their greatest fears / deepest insecurities? And I don’t mean “wasps” or “heights.” I mean the deep shit. I mean fears like “living a meaningless life,” or “turning out just like their parents,” or “that no one will ever love them,” or “being powerless.” You may say, “But they’re really scared of wasps! They fall into a wasp nest when they were little and got stung so much they almost died!” Great! That’s a fantastic bit of backstory. They should absolutely be afraid of wasps, and that should absolutely be an impediment later in the story. But dig deeper. What about that event actually scarred them? Was it the helplessness? Stumbling around, swatting at the air, not being able to do a single thing to stop what was happening to them? Was it that they were alone, and no matter how loud they screamed, no one was coming? Was it the bodily horror of feeling themself turn into an inhuman creature as they swelled up from the stings, unable to move their fingers or face normally anymore?

And don’t forget insecurities, because those factor in, too. Are they deeply insecure about their identity? Do they believe, deep down, that they’re ugly? Did they grow up poor and they’ve always been really touchy about that? Why? Dig deep. Figure out what really, really bothers them.

b) What are their hopes and dreams? What do they truly want out of life? What do they consider the most valuable to their experience here in this thing called life? Is it the freedom to forge their own path and be independent? Is it the approval of their family or peers? Is it a home? Is it knowledge, or understanding? Spiritual fulfillment? Is it deeply important to them that they contribute to their community, or protect those they love? What do they need in order to feel truly and deeply fulfilled in life?

Figure out those two things (each one encompasses several things, btw, you don’t have to stop at just one for each), and then use that to inform how they behave and the types of decisions they make within the story.

It also informs character behavior and personality.

Let’s say we have a character who’s afraid of helplessness. They’re probably gonna be the person that always wants to do something, try something, no matter how hopeless the situation seems. They’d despise just sitting and waiting, probably, because it makes them feel powerless. They might even be the person that makes rash decisions and acts impulsively and puts themself in danger unnecessarily, because in their mind it’s better than being at the mercy of fate. This is one way you could use a character’s personality to inform their decisions, which in turn helps to inform plot.

Or, let’s say we have a character whose greatest fear is being left behind or forgotten. We may have a chatterbox on our hands. They might be obnoxious. They might love the spotlight, constantly vying for attention no matter the situation, because deep down they’re so afraid that they’d be forgotten otherwise. Or, it may go the opposite way. They may be so afraid of people leaving them that they’re terrified of bothering people. They don’t want to do anything that could annoy people, anything that might give people a reason to leave them. They might be exceedingly polite, quiet, accommodating. A push-over, really.

These are two nearly opposite types of personalities, both stemming from the same core fear/insecurity. You can go a lot of different ways with it. But if you build on that strong foundation, you’ll have a strong character, and a stronger plot.

Likewise, the structure of your story can and should inform the design of these character traits. If you need your characters to team up near the end, it may be impactful if you give your main character a deep fear of commitment, an insecurity about being unwanted or left behind, and make them highly value independence and freedom. That could make their team-up for the final battle very meaningful. Conversely, you can use your character’s deepest fears and desires to help design the plot. Is your character deeply insecure about voicing their opinions or taking a stand, because of trauma they faced in the past? Make them face that. Build that into the climactic third act. Give them the big inspirational speech where they stand up and talk about what they believe to be important, what they think the group should do. And then design that character arc to run through the story, giving you more handholds and stepping stones, more pieces of foundation on which to design the plot.

In this way, character should inform story as much as story informs character. It’s a feedback loop.

Bonus: if you build your character and your plot off of each other in this way, it automatically starts to build in the foundations of that emotional investment I mentioned earlier. If your character’s decisions are based on what they most want and do not want in life, you basically have your character motivation and stakes pre-built.

Note: you need to know these things about your villain, too.

-_-_-

I’m genuinely sorry about the length of this, lmao. But you did ask.

Best of luck!

Edit: I forgot an important one:

17) Start when the scene starts and end when the scene ends.

What do I mean by that?

If your notes say “Danny asks Nicole out after school and majorly flubs it,” start the scene when Danny approaches Nicole after school. Better yet, cold-open the scene on “I was wondering if, you know, you’d wanna. You know. Hang out some time?”

Don’t start that morning when Danny goes to school, unless you’re gonna cover the school day in like one or two sentences. Don’t spend whole paragraphs going through the school day, unless it’s to cover other plot points first (in which case apply these same guidelines there), or if the paragraphs are there for a specific reason, like to illustrate how stressed he is and how it seems like every little thing is going wrong. Even then, trim the fat as much as possible. Expounding and describing everything Moment-to-moment is for the meat of the scenes, not the leading-up-to and coming-away-from.

Here’s my rule of thumb: study how and when movies cut from scene to scene. Movies have exceptionally strict, limited time for storytelling; they’re excellent examples of starting a scene when the plot point starts and ending when it’s over. If you can’t picture a movie showing everything you showed, start the scene later and end it earlier.

#asks #anon #writing advice #writing tips #writing #fanfic writing #fanfiction #character creation #plot development #character development #my advice #original writing

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mittensmorgul · 3 years

Text

For anyone interested in long-term residence in the supernatural fandom, please have some observations I’ve made over the decade I’ve been here. Take it or leave it as you will, but I’ve found all of this info useful over the years I’ve been here.

I wrote this yesterday, and it achieved its mission of identifying the sort of folks who would react negatively to it (i.e. a lot of block lists have been updated), so now that it’s been edited for content, it’s going under a cut (because that is how we do things on tumblr in general, unless we have a deliberate purpose for annoying readers with excessively long text posts) for the sake of people who actually do care about the fandom and its history. If that’s not you or your reason for being here, then keep on keeping on with your own thing, I guess. For those who are interested, there’s a lot of fandom resources some of us have been building for years that you might enjoy knowing about.

First off, I’ve been informed by a few friends who’ve read through this for coherency’s sake that it sort of reads like a *shakes cane from porch* fandom grandma complaint, but honestly... I earned this rocking chair and goshdangit imma rock now. So apologies for any “back in my day” vibes or faint aroma of tiger balm this post might give off. Then again, it’s loosely based on a similar post from 2012 so like... time is a flat circle anyway I guess.

1. There is no such thing as “tumblr famous,” unless you’re referring to the hilarious and delightful fic of the same name (please go read it, you will cackle). Posting Hot Takes for imaginary Clout™ on this site is kind of pointless in the long run. Sure you can post solely for the sake of stirring shit and getting notes, but the majority of the folks who do aren’t long term residents of the fandom. They’re just tourists moving through our little beach town for spring break. If you’re actually intent on moving to this corner of the fandom for an extended stay, please bother to really feel out the permanent residents and understand the culture and general mood of the neighborhood. It bears no resemblance to whatever’s going on across town where all the bars and beach parities are happening, and those loud, drunken revelers are, again, gonna disappear back to their regular lives or on to the next party eventually. That doesn’t mean the fandom is dying, it’s just evolving.

(funny how I had several comments implying that I’m just trying to keep the fandom from evolving with this post, because I sincerely do want the fandom to continue on for years to come, and that is impossible without evolution. We can evolve without self-immolating, though. mostly i included point 1 for an excuse to push ancient but hilarious fanfic on you.)

2. Once you post something here, it’s been unleashed to the fandom winds. You never know where it will end up, or who will comment on it or add to it. Remember that time Misha tweeted the link to the Epic Cockles Love Story post? No? It was wild. That was 2012. They all know we’re here, and how to find us if they want to. Please don’t take it to their doorsteps.

Obviously if someone is being a dick on your posts, please feel free to block them, but the whole entire point of this site is to engage people with your posts. Being big mad that someone reblogged your post with comments or supporting evidence, or happy headcanons or “HECK THIS IS GREAT BECAUSE (insert personal story about their experience or whatever else made them Feel Things about your post)” is frankly ridiculous. If your goal is to avoid any sort of engagement with your posts, then maybe try instagram instead. From what I understand, there is a SPN fandom presence there, and nobody can tarnish your original posts with unwanted commentary. But the ability to reblog with additional commentary is a FEATURE of tumblr that builds community through conversation. Otherwise we’re all just talking to ourselves in a vacuum, and that’s what actually kills fandoms.

(and for the folks who just want to blog how they want to blog and don’t want people to engage on their posts at all, please feel free to block anyone you want, as well... nobody wants to step on your toes, but most of us also don’t want to walk on eggshells wondering if this post is one of the “do not add comments for any reason” sorts of posts, either. This is a huge fandom and most people can’t even begin to keep track of every creator and their url du jour, and what their personal rules might be regarding interaction with their content. Including a “please don’t add comments” note at the bottom of your posts-- and not in your tags that won’t even show up on reblogs, but in the actual body of the post-- would sincerely help avoid any awkward or unwanted interactions, too. At the end of the day, you are in control of your own fandom experience and the block button exists.

For the record, I block zero fandom blogs (which is why I posted this, I wanted it to reach a wide scope... refer to the opening paragraphs as to why).

3. Since this post was partly inspired by a tag I left on that post going around about how “previous tags” mean fuckall on this site (which you can read here), just a reminder that if you like someone’s tags or feel they add value to the post, part of the Peer Review structure of tumblr encourages you to PASTE THEM INTO A REBLOG. If you do this, then at least credit the person who actually wrote the tags! Don’t just copy someone else’s tags into your tags on your reblog of the post without credit either. They were not YOUR tags. (I have had this happen to tag rambles I wrote and someone else got credited with them on a subsequent reblog and it is FRUSTRATING). Just... don’t even bother to write “previous tags” because WHAT PREVIOUS TAGS?! Nobody is gonna bother to chase back the chain of reblogs trying to find where the mystery tags came from, friendos. That way lies madness.

(for the record, since some folks seemed to focus on this point solely, writing “previous tags” on a post isn’t inherently a BAD thing, but for anyone who actually is here for more than one-off shitposting, then it’s sort of a pointless thing in the long run. This wasn’t intended to suggest people who ARE here for one-off shitposting are bad or “doing it wrong,” but for people who might actually want to preserve that hilarious joke or insightful comment. People delete posts and entire blogs all the time around here. Links break. I get that the upcoming generation just shrugs at that and moves on with their lives, but heck... you don’t have to accept that all entertainment is disposable if you don’t want to. There’s a bizarre sort of nihilism plaguing us all about the impermanence of pretty much everything that feels like something we should be fighting against rather than buying into wholesale, even in our escapist entertainment. I’m just exhausted by the complete loss of joy in community.

*shouts from the peanut gallery* IT AIN’T THAT DEEP, JUST GET SOME FRESH AIR AND LOOK AT A PUPPY OR SOMETHING

Yes... yes it isn’t really that deep, but bigger picture in the state of reality we’re all entirely disillusioned with, are we supposed to just give up on everything, including the things we cling to because they bring us a tiny spark of hope that we’re not all just trapped in this dystopian nightmare and things might actually be worth living for?

*peanut gallery clinging to burnt husks of peanuts in a barren peanut field* but this is how we have chosen to cope

Okay... you do you... I feel bad for you but if that’s the case then this post is NOT FOR YOU. AND THAT’S FINE. I honestly do not care if you don’t care! I mean, I’m sorry anyone has to live in a world that drives them to that mindset, but I understand. This post is for anyone who might look at their lives and their choices and think “no wait, I unironically enjoy this and want more from the experience of that enjoyment than I’m currently feeling.” Everyone else can continue with their lives as usual.)

4. CONTENT THEFT IS NEVER OKAY. PERIOD. Things like “credit to the artist” or tagging gifs or images you found on pinterest as “not mine” isn’t actually credit. If you can’t source an image or gif set, DO NOT POST IT! We don’t REPOST (i.e. save an image and then create a new post with it as if it was our own creation). We REBLOG (click the little square arrows and reblog from the actual creator). That goes for gif sets, fanvids, screencaps, meta, fic... everything.

(hopefully everyone here already understands this one, but I felt compelled to include some “these are stupidly obvious” reminders anyway, since this is ostensibly some sort of advice column. This is the equivalent of the warning label on your toaster reminding you not to use it in the bath. Like... duh...)

5. Close kin of item 4 is SOURCE YOUR SHIT.

(for 100% disclosure purposes, I specifically discussed this one in this specific way because of an influx of anon ask messages I received in the wake of the finale. Literally the inciting incident for creating this entire post was what I can only assume was a joking ask about a comment Misha made at a con years ago. Someone actually bothered to take the time to type out those sentences to me. I have no idea what they were expecting in reply, or what could possibly motivate them to send this comment about something so entirely random from, again, several years ago. Just a joke? No idea, but whatever... it got me thinking that there might actually be people who are new to the fandom who MIGHT actually care about the fandom history, and maybe they just don’t know where to go for that info, or how to even begin searching through 16 years of history for things they might actually find enjoyment in, rather than just hauling random out of context garbage out on main and pointing and laughing about it now. People are actually allowed to care about things. It’s not cringeworthy to actually care about things, and you are not alone in actually caring, and there’s this whole big room over here full of people who are thrilled to share in that with you. This post is intended FOR THOSE PEOPLE SPECIFICALLY, so if that is not you, please just continue walking by.)

Yes, I know lots of y’all are new around here right now, but dredging up stuff from years ago that fandom has completely debunked and presenting it as TRU FAX again is just exhausting. We’re not trying to be party poopers, but seriously, we have seen it all and are mostly done with extinguishing bags of flaming dog poop on our front porches for the umpteenth year in a row. I’ve seen a lot of posts that have the same tone as “I saw Goody Proctor dancing with the devil” or “I heard kylo ren has an eight pack” and just... the information is there for anyone who cares enough to find it.

This goes double for “why is nobody talking about this thing I just discovered while watching the show for the first time?!” And, oh hon, we have talked it all into the ground over the last fifteen years. We’re happy you’re discovering it again, but I promise we talked about it plenty when the episodes originally aired. We have such a rich meta history that lots of us have worked really hard to preserve. I encourage you to seek it out, if nothing else than as historical artifacts. The way we have discussed the show has been a 16-year evolution. People have written literal doctoral dissertations on this show. Your shitposts are fun! We love reliving our own experience through fresh eyes, and seeing your wonder at experiencing it all again for the first time! But y’all didn’t invent this fandom in the last six months, either.

Meta Sources and Minerals provided by our friendly neighborhood fandom archivist, @lets-steal-an-archive

Academic books and articles about SPN

A collection of Meta Essays going back to s1 and organized by topic (all of this has happened before, all of it will happen again)

SPN Heavy Meta Archive (s1-3)

Mel’s Dreamwidth archive of meta (s1-12)

Oranges8hands Dreamwidth archive of meta (s1-15, with many similar entries to Mel’s... though ymmv on viewpoint in a lot of these too)

Anyone remember Fandom Wank? Not the concept but the actual LJ... No? Okay have a link to SPN topics that ended up there. Through 2013. We have seen so much... including several fandom containment breaches.

for all your art sourcing needs, please see @theroadsofararchive, the repository for so much fandom art.

need to find a gif of something? canonspngifs is a vast repository of gifsets of the entire series. If the gif you want to use in your post happens to be the first gif in the gifset, in the tumblr gif finder thingy just paste the permalink to that post from canonspngifs (which is easily searchable by episode, character, location, situation, quotes, and sometimes even color and clothing items the actors are wearing... it’s really well organized, especially for tumblr >.>) and the first gif will be automatically linked with credit to the gif creator attached. It makes life easy that way. It’s also convenient when trying to remember something specific but can’t remember what episode it’s from. I’ve used the site to jog my memory before going to the superwiki armed with more specific search results to find episode quotes and references. Or sometimes I just scroll through all the nice gifs for fun, too.

Need a screencap of something and know exactly which episode it’s from? Try Home of the Nutty. You might not find the exact screencap you’re looking for, but they have a complete set of caps of every episode, and it’s an incredibly useful resource for quick reference checks and the like. Just give pages a chance to fully load before clicking on the next one. The site is easily overloaded, but it’s still free to use (and again, with credit... Pretty much every screencap on my entire blog is from HotN unless otherwise credited).

As you can see, this is a fandom built on preserving our history. You absolutely are not required to engage with any of this if that’s not of interest to you, but I can only assume that there are people who would be interested in it if only they knew it existed and how to find it. Well, now they do.

6. A few more notes on tags, and how they work on tumblr. The first 20 tags on your ORIGINAL posts are searchable sitewide, so if you want to be able to find something again, tag that thing first before going on general tag rambles. The only place tags on reblogs are searchable is on your own blog. So you don’t have to put 50 tags trying to get a post seen if it’s a reblog. You’re just spitting into the wind at that point. If you have a filing system for finding things again, then by all means add those tags (again, in the first 20, so they’re searchable), but you don’t need to tag a reblog “destiel” and “deancas” and “dean” and “cas” and “dean x cas” or whatever. Pick one for your personal blog’s filing system, that’s all you need.

(this was only added because tagging and searching on this site is so very broken... I get that a lot of folks don’t care about ever searching their own blogs again for anything, so this one only really applies if you do often find yourself trying to find old posts. If not, then it’s not really relevant. It took me years to work out a decent tagging system, and at the beginning of my time here I never thought I’d end up camping out here for a decade and falling this deep into the fandom, and I regretted my lack of consistent tags only years later when I realized I actually wanted to be able to go back and find specific old posts again. So... for anyone who wants to err on the side of caution, working out a sensible tagging system really helps if you’re here for the long term. I personally tag content by episode, because some of my other general tags are so large as to be practically useless as a search term. But whatever system you choose to file stuff on your own blog, it really only has to make sense to you. And again, if this is pointless advice for someone who has no intention of settling here for the long term. Please feel free to ignore it. I just wish someone had explained it this way to me ten years ago and saved me the hassle of retroactively tagging something like 30k posts... especially now that using the mass tag replacer is the fastest way to get your entire blog deleted... oops? so yeah, don’t use the mass tag replacer either >.>)

7. Tags on Tumblr DO NOT WORK LIKE TAGS ON TWITTER. If you @ someone in the body of the post, it will show up in their notifications (if they’re the sort of person who even checks their notifications... not all of us do. For the record, I generally don’t...), but putting actor or ship names in the tags on a tumblr post does absolutely nothing. It’s not the same as tagging the actor’s twitter account in a tweet. Nobody’s getting notifications about you tagging a post about Jensen here as “Jensen Ackles.” There is a difference. Please learn it. (and don’t take headcanons and ESPECIALLY RPF or otherwise explicit art or fic from tumblr to twitter and tag the actors in it. That’s just... not okay.)

(I have seen the pearl clutchers getting all in a huff about the mere existence of RPF or even explicit content of fictional characters if it doesn’t meet their purity standards, but tagging those things allows people who don’t want to see it to actively avoid that content here. Nobody has a right to tell people their fictional content shouldn’t exist at all, or that creators of that fictional content somehow deserve harassment or threats for having dared to create such “immoral” content, won’t somebody PLEASE think of the children... and no... you do not do that here. Don’t be the problematic behavior you wish to ban from the world. Learn to use tags to protect yourself from, as i have attempted to emphasize here, fictional content you are personally upset by. That’s a you problem, not a problem for the creators of potentially upsetting content that they tag appropriately for.)

8. General formatting stuff: If you’re writing long text posts, visually break them up so people aren’t faced with one long wall of text. The enter key is your friend. Also, if you put long text posts under a Read More break and send people to your blog to finish reading, please ensure that your blog is actually visually accessible (tiny text, or light grey text on a dark grey background, or a visually busy background might be aesthetically pleasing to you but nobody can actually read it. Loads of folks won’t even try. Which is great if you don’t actually care whether people are able to appreciate your content or not, but something to at least consider if you *do* actively want to encourage engagement with your work. Confirm how your blog looks on both mobile and desktop and make sure it’s actually functional in both, too).

And since I mentioned that most of my experience on fandom tumblr has been in the SPN fandom, here’s a bit of a reminder for folks who are new around here. With the reminder that I have been here more than a decade and still feel like a newbie myself sometimes...

This is an OLD FANDOM. There are many, many people who have been at this longer than some of you have been alive. The average age for creators in this fandom is older than you think (I think of my friends in their 30′s as young’ins okay? okay). With that understood, you are responsible for the content you consume and are exposed to. Curate your experience. Ship and let ship. YKINMKATOK. Don’t deliberately expose yourself to content you find upsetting for whatever reason. Tags and warnings are your friends, not targets for you to attack in some sort of purity war. People will ship things you do not like (or in specific ways you do not like), will say things you do not agree with, and will find their happiness in things you abhor. That is not your concern. Find what you do like, and support and engage with it, and ignore (or block, or unfollow) the rest. Tumblr has a feature that lets you blacklist tags so the content you’re trying to avoid won’t appear on your dash.

Remember the paradox of tolerance.

It is not your job in fandom to police how other people enjoy the fandom. It’s not *my* job to police how *you* enjoy the fandom, UNLESS your enjoyment is in actively harming other real human beings in the fandom. If you don’t like their take on the character or the show or the plotlines or their ships or anything else, you don’t need to engage with their posts at all! The necessary corollary to this is that clarifying misunderstandings or correcting factual misinformation is not “policing.”

(this is where the peanut gallery reminds me it ain’t that deep, and I plead with them to put down the social media and find just one (1) thing to actually believe in in this godforsaken life, find something other than disdain and cynicism and spite to live for. If those things motivate you to find a larger cause for yourself, then great, use them to your advantage, but use them to find something that makes you a better person or brings you a modicum of joy and connection to your fellow human beings despite living in a dystopian hellscape of a world)

I have seen a lot of posts lately that are founded on the sort of authority that comes with “I watched through tumblr for a few months and then watched the last three episodes of the series” and as such are just... missing the larger context of the entire show, and are unfounded entirely in canon. I 100% appreciate the new enthusiasm for the fandom that we’ve been living in here for years, and it’s wonderful to see new people enjoying the thing we love. Your headcanons are valid, you are valid, but recognize that your headcanons aren’t canon. All of us finale denialists have accepted this in some measure, so we feel you. We truly, truly feel you. But regarding actual canon, we have a resource for that: the Superwiki. Learn it, live it, love it, as Metatron would say.

(which you could discover he said in 10.17 Inside Man, thanks to the superwiki! accept no substitutes!)

(and again, there have been people who have been involved in fandom for years who haven’t engaged with canon in years, either! You can play in this universe however you choose, BUT FOR PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT CANON AT ALL, WHICH I AM AGAIN POINTEDLY SAYING MIGHT NOT BE YOU, READER, AND I’M NOT SUGGESTING YOU ARE WRONG FOR NOT WANTING TO ACTUALLY ENGAGE WITH CANON, but if you DO want to engage with canon, please have some useful resources. Why do people feel personally attacked by being presented a list of helpful resources? Absolutely baffling.)

(also: words have definitions. “Canon” is a specific thing, meaning in this case “the finished media product that aired on television.” Anything beyond those limits is secondary canon (think: john’s journal, which is not canon but canon adjacent at best...), word of god (i.e stuff said by the writers and showrunners), or headcanon (which includes actor commentary-- they may have helped create the show with their acting choices and whatever, but they are not in control of the story overall). If there’s something you dislike about actual canon, you can reject it and supplement it with your own theories or preferred outcomes-- that’s basically what fanfic is-- but that doesn’t make your theories canon (much to all our dismay, that’s just not how any of this works. This is not to invalidate how anyone engages with the show or the fandom, just trying to clarify what seems to have been a source of unintentional misunderstandings. Your theories do not have to be “canon” to be legitimate interpretations.)

***I am setting this section apart, and did make a separate post of just this following information, because this is where we go from being relatively chill about different parts of fandom choosing to interact in different ways and you do you and blog however you want, to “hey can everybody please understand that the way you are interacting with this specific material might be harmful for specific legal reasons, and stating that you do not care about the consequences of your actions does actively make you the asshole here...” Okay, now that we have that understood:

The spnscripthunt collective has been steadily acquiring new scripts (which are posted in full on the superwiki for everyone to enjoy, for free). The language around how some folks are talking about these scripts is... concerning. For very real legal reasons, actually, and not because we’re feeling precious about the collection and don’t wike it when meanies use them in shitposts.

-First off, these scripts are not “leaks.” They are all verified and legally purchased (or gifted, in some cases, but still acquired entirely above board. we didn’t whack anyone over the head in a back alley for these scripts, or swipe them out of someone’s trailer on set).

(in case anyone was unaware, these scripts are the copywritten protected property of Warner Brothers. So yes, how we use them and share them with the fandom could have legal repercussions. We present them as a collected resource of fandom history which SHOULD fall under Fair Use doctrine, but this is untested legal water. Insinuating that the scripts are somehow not entirely legally obtained, or that posting them for public access involved less than 100% transparent and entirely legal transactions is incredibly concerning.

Once again for the peanut gallery, if you don’t care about any of that and are just having a good time with it, at least be mindful of the work and expense a large group of people have gone through to acquire and present the content you’re all too eager to exploit for cheap thrills. Some of us do actually care and are not exactly comfortable with the fact that others don’t seem to care about burning it all to the ground. We can’t force you to listen or behave as we’d hope you might, but at least be aware of the potential consequences of your actions. All we’re asking is for you to not be the douchebag who sets the whole neighborhood on fire with your illegal fireworks display. Is that too much to ask for? more on that in a second, first... a psa)

-If you see a script for sale and are unsure if it’s legit (or believe it might already be freely available in our collection), please feel free to ask us for advice. Our goal is to make as much of our fandom history available to the entire fandom, and we absolutely do not want anyone shelling out money for stuff you can already find for free.

(seriously, we’ve seen a bunch of resellers cropping up selling printed versions of the scripts we bought and uploaded for everyone to enjoy free of charge, or scripts that are otherwise of dubious origin. We’ve been at this for years now and know what’s actually out there. We don’t want anyone to fall for a scam if we can help it)

-Also, the usual reminder that the scripts we acquire ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE FINAL SHOOTING DRAFTS. In fact, the majority of scripts in our collection are NOT. Changes are made daily to scripts, even during filming. Comparing a Production Draft (white pages, effectively the first “final draft” of what usually becomes a series of drafts before filming wraps) to a much later revision (say... green or goldenrod revisions, several of which we DO have in our collection for comparison) and how those earlier drafts often differ wildly from the aired version versus how similar a much later green draft is to the aired version, for example, can teach you a lot about the television writing process. The link above to the superwiki scripts page has a nice little explainer about how this process works.

Differences between our posted scripts (many of which are white drafts, aka FIRST complete drafts, which will likely go through multiple rounds of revisions before filming even begins) and the aired version of the show are not all “acting choices” or a director or editor just cutting whole scenes on a whim. It’s insulting to everyone involved in production to suggest that’s the case.

(and yeah, fine... whatever, make any sort of posts you like regarding how those changes came about, but at the very least understand that it’s not actually the truth about how any of this works. Don’t care that that’s not the truth and want to make the posts anyway because shitposting is fun and that’s the extent of your sense of humor? FINE! You’re entitled to do that! But at least you DO know the truth now, and hopefully so do the people who engage with your posts. Deliberate ignorance isn’t cute, smooth lions notwithstanding)

There’s probably a whole other post to be made on fandom tagging etiquette, but again I don’t really use the tags enough to know what’s going on with that whole situation. I’ve also probably left a lot of stuff out, so please feel free to add things I’ve overlooked.

Thanks also to @trisscar368 and @thayerkerbasy for help compiling this, too. They were kind enough to escort me through the park to feed these pigeons. Now I need to take them out for ice cream. :’D

So I guess welcome to the neighborhood. Make yourself at home, but like... try not to trash the place while you’re here. Some of us live here by choice, lol.

#this blue hellsite (affectionate)#fandom problems #kinda wish i'd made this post six months ago but here we are i guess lol #long post #now edited for the people who are actually personally invested in the fandom #thanks for participating in this little experiment and I hope this version is actually informative to those who are interested #meaning there's a lot more links to stuff and explainers and whatnot...#and one last reminder that for folks just swinging through for laughs absolutely none of this applies to you #if you are legit interested in fandom history and preservation as we move to the post-canon world then hopefully this is useful to you

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samuel-de-champagne-problems · 3 years

Text

49%

Title: 49%

Summary: If there’s one thing that Spencer hates more than rejection, it’s spontaneity. But sometimes the things (and people) we love outweigh the things that we hate. AKA a series of events leading up to a weekend wedding between the BAU’s finest Dr. Spencer Reid and his partner in crime, Y/N.

Word Count: 1365

Warnings: none

Author’s Note: I hope that you enjoy reading this! I really appreciate all of the support and kind words :)

49%

Spencer Reid is terrified. Nothing could compare for the pure fear that courses through his veins in this moment. Not even the times he’d run into hostage situations without wearing a Kevlar vest or even in the most lonely parts of his life. He figures that he’s terrified because he has so much to lose. Never in his life did he have someone that loves him as much as Y/N does. And that terrifies him. Somehow, when Spencer is with Y/N he’s simultaneously a man numb with love and a little boy shaking with fear. He knows that he should have gotten over this fear of rejection years ago. He knows that Y/N would never intentionally hurt him. He knows that she loves him more than anything.

So why? Why is he so terrified to ask her to marry him? Logically, there’s no reason for her to say no. They’ve been together for 3 years, which is long enough at their age to enter into an engagement. It’s not like she doesn’t want to get married; he’s seen her Pinterest wedding moodboard. She talks about their children, almost like they're already here. She wants to get married and she wants to have kids, but the question that bounces around in Spencer’s mind is does she want that with him?

“Next!” the barista calls Spencer forward to the counter to order.

“Hi, I’ll have an extra large black coffee with 6 Splendas, and uh, a large iced green tea with honey,” Spencer orders, pulling out his credit card to pay for the drinks. Coffee is probably not the wisest choice, but what can Spencer say the heart wants what the heart wants.

Spencer awkwardly waits for his drinks, trying to ignore the small box that burns a whole in his pocket. He’d bought the ring a couple of months ago, right after a case that both of them almost didn’t come home, or worse almost came home in a casket.

“Two drinks for Spencer!” a barista from behind the counter calls, telling him that his drinks are ready. Spencer takes a sip of his coffee, the sweet liquid burning his tongue. Taking a look at the time on his watch, Spencer decides that it’s time to head to the park.

It’s a short walk to the park, but it seems like it’s the longest walk of his life. Maybe if he wasn’t so nervous or terrified, he'd be able to enjoy how beautiful was. Spencer might be a complete ball of nerves, but he’s a romantic at heart. He wants this to be a perfect start to their perfect life. He finds the park bench that he told Y/N to meet him at. He sits there, waiting for her to show up and waiting for their life to start.

Spencer’s leg bounces up and down. He should have worn a different pair of shoes. These Converse are so old and ratty, he thinks. He thinks he looks ridiculous in his cardigan and corduroy pants, what was he thinking? He can’t actually expect that she’s going to yes to him.

While his thoughts are occupied by the constant inner commentary of rejection and ridicule, he fails to her the leaves crunch behind him. His vision goes black when his eyes are covered by a pair of familiar feeling hands. Y/N’s laugh gives it away instantly, but Spencer’s constant vigilance does cause him to yelp in a high pitched squeal.

“Spencer! It’s me honey,” Y/N says, wrapping her arms around his neck and peppering his cheek with quick kisses. It’s the kind of kisses that say “I’m happy to see you” and “You’re the only one I want to see”. It’s at times like these that he doubts his doubts; maybe he can have faith and hope and lean into the romantic side of himself. The side of himself that sees them walking in the park with a baby stroller, playing on the playset with their children, teaching their kids how to drive in the parking lot and sitting on this bench when their backs hurt all the time and their faces have a few more wrinkles.

“I’d know that laugh anywhere, Y/N” Spencer says, watching her move to sit next to him on the bench.

“Ohh, thanks for the iced tea!” She says, taking a sip of the cold drink. Even though it’s barely winter, Spencer still can’t believe that she can drink iced beverages in any kind of weather below 50 degrees. He nods and kisses her on her cheek, which causes a small giggle to emerge. Spencer is still kind of surprised that his affections can elicit such happy responses from her.

“So,” Y/N starts. “Why did you leave our house at 7:00 AM and text me to meet you here?”

“Umm,” Spencer says, the nerves bubbling to the surface. You can do this, Spencer, he thinks. You can do this, she’s not going to say no. She can’t say no. At this moment, Spencer is really wishing he had his passport with him and a getaway car to jump in, just in case Y/N says no.

“Did you know that only 3% of weddings happen in a courthouse?” Y/N asks at a completely stunned Spencer.

“Yeah,” Spencer says timidly, not entirely sure where this is panning out, but grateful to listen to his girlfriend. It beats the alternative, him saying something stupid and her laughing at him; him fleeing the state and ending up a magician in a Las Vegas casino.

“Yes, courthouse weddings are a great alternative, they’re affordable and efficient for couples who just want to get married without all that fuss,” Y/N adds, looking at Spencer.

She’s profiling you, Spencer thinks. Don’t make eye contact. He knows (and she knows) that the moment he looks into her eyes, he’s done for. Las Vegas here he comes….

“And 51% of marriages end in divorce,” Spencer tells her, before he can even think about what he’s saying. Great he thinks, the day that he’s supposed to propose to her, he’s talking about divorce statistics.

“You know that I failed statistics in college, Spence?” Y/N asks him.

“I think I remember you mentioning that,” Spencer says, now thoroughly confused as to where this is going.

“I have an evil plan to seek revenge against statistics, so I think that it’s my life mission to prove them wrong,” Y/N finishes, pulling something out from her bag.

Spencer can feel his heart beating in his chest. He’s even more terrified than he was before. Suddenly all those songs that Y/N made him dance to late in the middle of the night make complete sense.

“But, I also think that it’s my life mission to spend the rest of my life with you, Spence. So, I know that it’s not alway the case for the girl to propose marriage, but I think that you deserve someone to propose to you,” Y/N says, very quickly.

Spencer sits there on the bench with Y/N sitting right next to him, utterly speechless. Did she just….

“You want to marry me?” Spencer says, dumbly.

“Of course I do, Spencer! Give me your hand, I got you an engagement ring and-”

Spencer, suddenly fearless, cups her face in his hands, effectively making her quiet. He works on the surge of confidence, leaning in and kisses Y/N on the lips. It’s like he’s kissing her for the first time in his life. It’s like his first kiss ever, but it’s the first kiss of all the kisses of the rest of their life.

“So I’ll take that as a yes,” Y/N says, breaking apart from Spencer.

Spencer lets out a laugh, completely forgetting why on Earth he was so scared to propose.

“So you’re not the only one who had this idea, Y/N” Spencer tells her, reaching into his cardigan pocket. He hands her the velvet box and reveals the vintage ring that he picked out from the second hand jewelry store.

“Spencer? Is this why you told me to come here? Oh God, I ruined your proposal!” Y/N says, embarrassed that she messed with Spencer’s plans, knowing how nervous he can get.

“On the contrary Y/N, I’m sure that this is the best possible proposal,” Spencer tells her, as she lays her head against his shoulder.

“Spencer,” Y/N says, suddenly serious.

“Yes, fiance?” Spencer teases.

“How would you like to be in the 3% of marriages? Like as soon as possible. Like tomorrow? I don’t think I can wait another second not being married to you,” she confesses.

“As long as we’re in the 49%, I’ll do anything you want.”

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x reader fluff #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid #dr spencer reid #spencer reid x you #spencer reid fic #criminal minds fic #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x fem!reader #spencer reid deserved a happy ending #spencer reid fluff #criminal minds self insert #criminal minds #spencer reid x y/n fluff #spencer reid gets a happy ending #mgg

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maddgicalgirl · 3 years

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Paracosm Resources <3

Need help bringing your paracosm to life? Try these free resources!

⚠️ Updates always pending! Suggestions always welcome! Feel free to message me any tips or questions <3 ⚠️

(Cont. below cut, or with real time updates on this google doc!)

Art Programs

FireAlpaca - 2D Art Program, Animation. Where I make most of my digital art, and paint the frames for my animations :) It is free to use, and easy to learn and use! It can make basic animations as well, such as gifs. It requires download.

Krita - 2D Art Program. Professional, free digital paint software :) I have not used it before, though I have heard good things.

GIMP - 2D Art Program, Photo Manipulation. It's free to use, but I do not like it/recommend it highly. But! If FireAlpaca and Krita don't float your stoat, try Gimp! For 2D art, but also able to emulate Photoshop to a degree ^^

Inkscape - 2D Art Program. Free to use digital illustration software. Makes 2D art :)

Of course, who can forget classics like good old MS Paint, and the new and exciting 3D MS Paint, which can both be used to create some really neat things! Classic MS Paint is available here in browser form! If you need that. I just think it's neat!

Art AI

Petalica Paint - Coloring Software. An in browser, watercolor manga style coloring software, which can (almost) effortlessly color in any of your line art pieces! I've played around with it for my Thorn illustration style piece, and enjoyed it! It is free to use, and can take user input to make the colorations more precise.

ArtBreeder - 3D Realism Software. Using Artbreeder, you can create lifelike images of your paras, planets, or potentially even fursona, using the intricate AI they let you work with for free! A premium version exists, but most functions are fully usable without - though I recommend donating ^^ You can randomly generate, or prune and shape what you make until its perfect! Slow to use and get the hang of, but very worth it! Artbreeder is also pioneering an intriguing animation software to go alongside their product! Browser based.

3D Software

Blender - 3D Modeling, Animation. The best (in my opinion) free 3D modelling software.

MagicaVoxel - 3D Pixel Art. Free to use! Could be interesting :)

MikuMikuDance - 3D Rigging. Anime style rigging and animation software, free to use, and certified internet artefact! Has stood the test of time, and is still used and loved today. Can support ports of many kinds of assets, including, I believe, those from Blender, and of course those that are downloaded. DA has a bunch of old MMD communities you can raid for assets!

Animaze - Face Rigger. Use 3D models and a webcam to watch your paras talk! Models can be made in Blender, downloaded online, or even from CHARAT V, CHARAT GENESIS sister app!

Character Creators

CHARAT GENESIS - 2D Character Creator. Browser based anime style character creator, with multiple crops and poses, and infinitely customizable options. It is legitimately insane. Has a 3D function called CHARAT V which can apparently convert characters made in CHARAT GENESIS into 3D models compatible with Face Rig and Animaze!

V-Katsu - 3D Character Creator. Free on steam! Anime style, intensive character creator, by the same people who made Koikatsu, and Koikatsu Party, two amazingly detailed 3D hentai makers. While V-Katsu is a SFW VTuber maker, if you're looking for NSFW anime content, you could always spend roughly $70 on the full NSFW versions. V-Katsu requires a translation mod (free online as well) which you have to install, or the ability to read Kanji <3 Works with VR tech.

V-Roid Studios - 3D Character Creator. Free on steam! Anime style, fairly in depth character creator, that allows for some degree of digital 3D hand sculpting, particularly with their amazing hair engine, to get your paras looks perfect!

And, of course, Picrew has thousands of character creators of various styles and quality uploaded by the artists who made them! Also, honestly I think we as a society should embrace making dinky chibis in Gacha Life. IDK why everyone is mean to the gacha kids, like we weren't all cringe at some point,

World Design

HomeStyler - 3D and 2D Room Designer. Make a model of an interior for a home or building, using real 1:1 furniture of IRL brands! Apparently this is free to use, though there is a premium version, and it offers 3D and 2D models.

Map to World - 3D Planet Maker. Turn your fantasy world into a 3D model of the planet. Put maps directly on, or design the surface and textures of your world. Takes a lot of getting used to, but it is AMAZING. Free to use, and browser based!

PlanetMaker - 3D Planet Maker. Make a customized 3D planet! Free to use browser site! I have never used this, but I would love to mess around with it sometime! Allows you to add orbital rings, change textures, and more at the click of a mouse.

If on sale, I also recommend snagging a copy of the Sims, particularly 3 or 4, for character creation and world design. Maybe not the best gameplay without mods, but it's also a load of fun, and very easy to add custom content to! Minecraft also. But you just need Minecraft, in general. Beyond its ability to fairly faithfully recreate structures from your paracosms, it's just Good.

Game Creators

Maybe you wanna turn your paracosm into a cool game idk, just thought I'd put these here!

Construct 3 - 2D Game Creator. Beginner level game making :) Drag-and-drop if/then style programming.

GameSalad - Codeless 2D Game Creator. Drag and drop style/no coding, beginner friendly. Free version available!

Solpeo - 2D Game Creator. HTML5 based game engine for 2D and isometric game development. Some programming knowledge needed. Platforms supported: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer 9+. Free version available.

Stencyl - Codeless 2D Game Creator. Drag and drop style building/no coding skills needed. Has editable templates!

Scratch - 2D Game Creator. Very easy to use and totally free, though relatively basic!

Unity - 3D, 2D, and VR Game Creator. Make games with 3D software. Import your own assets (Blender compatible) or download free options, or buy the rights to models. Works for 3D and 2D games. Free version available, and now works with VR tech!

Unreal Engine - 3D Game Creator. Extremely advanced 3D game developer. Highly customizable. Free to use!

Twine - Text-based Game Creator. Use a map to make a branching paths text-based story game. Free to use.

Squiffy - Text-based Game Creator. have used Squiffy and it can make some really, truly incredible things. Can take a while to pick up, and learn how to use to its full potential. Free to use! Has an online and offline library of player creations you can get inspiration from!

Quest - Text-based Game Creator. I've never used this, but it seems cool! Use it to make interactive text-based DND game adventures in browser.

Ren'Py - Visual Novel Creator. Visual novel engine, that is well acclaimed, and of course, free to use!

Companion AI

Replika - 3D Companion.

Kajiwoto - Chatbot Companion. Customizable, learning AI you can shape into a personality. Communicates via Discord like chat box.

Organization

Toyhou.se - Character Gallery. A customizable library where you can upload all of your paras and characters for the public to view! Free to use, but requires a premium member to invite you!

Refsheet - Character Gallery. I haven't used it before, but I've heard good things, and that it's a suitable alternative to toyhou.se if you can't get an invite!

Notebook.AI - Character Gallery. I haven't used it before, but I've heard good things, and that it's a suitable alternative to toyhou.se if you can't get an invite!

World Anvil - World Building Toolset. Like character galleries, but for worlds and their lore :)

Scabard - World Building Toolset. Aimed at DnD campaigners, but I reckon it'll be useful for many!

YARPS - World Building Toolset. More focused around story and lore than Scabard or World Anvil, and looks beautiful! Still in its prototype stage, however.

Pinterest - Photo Organizer. Look at, collect, and sort images into boards. Personalizes your feed based on that, and is free to use and join! However, unlike their myriad of wonderful recipes, DIY tutorials, and the likes - a lot of the images are uploaded by second parties and not credited, so be careful reuploading anything you find! Also great for finding outfits and art inspo for your paras!

Generators

Fantasy Name Generator - Name Generators. Does what it says on the tin! Generates fantasy names. Is a lovely website, run by a purportedly lovely woman.

Fantasy Map Generator - Map Generator. Randomly generates a fictional map, which you can view in 2D or 3D.

Donjon RPG Generator - Multiple Generators. Can make maps, weapons, items, etc.

Seventh Sanctum - Multiple Generators. One of my favorites from high school! Does all kinds of things - the standard items, spells, and names - but also prompts, backstories, characters, and even comedy generators!

ShindanMaker - Multiple Generators. User created and uploaded, any kind of generator you can imagine, of varying complexity. And when I say any generator? I mean ANY generator.

Audio

Audacity - Record and Edit Audio. What can't Audacity do? I love Audacity to death. At surface level, it records audio. I've used it to record voices for my paras, and get audio for animations and games I've worked on. I cannot recommend it enough. Comprehensive editing, and with some investigation, it can do so, so much more than just record simple dialogue.

FL Studios - Compose. Compose music with an unlimited free trial. Upgrades available for purchase!

Indie Game Music - Royalty Free Music Library. Free to use Indie Game Music. What it says on the box!

AudioJungle - Royalty Free Music and Audio Library. Thousands of free to use audio clips!

Online Piano - Someone could use this, for recording, or just messing around. I've seen plenty of paras who play piano, this could just be used for fun!

Online Guitar - Same reasons as above, but this site looks kinda sketchy. Use at your own risk or reward! Audio

For real, if you ever need music, sound effects, or really any MP3 clips that can be used without infringing on copyright laws, just search 'royalty free' (music/audio/insert thing here) same applies for photos! Make sure the source is reputable, however.

Tutorials

W3Schools - Coding. Learn the basics of coding, for free, online!

Miscellaneous

Debut Video Capture - Screen Recorder. Record game footage and let's plays for free! Professional and home versions. I see a few of our community members have paras who run YouTube channels, and I thought these might help! It could be a nice way to connect your parames. YouTube quality <3

Pixton - Comic Maker. Comic making website. I have no experience with this at all, but some may find it useful!

Picfont - Image Editor. Puts customizable text on an image. I used these for @paraesthetics paracosm header edits <3 It has a premium version (???) but the free version has all functions, but it crashes regularly (honestly seems timed :/) but once you get it down, it's a very quick process, and you won't have to worry about that at all.

Itch.io - Publishing. You can publish your self made games here :)

Korsakow - ??? Described as, "The Future of Storytelling" and is apparently a way to create interactive films. I *just* found out about this, but thought I should include it for someone who may know how to use and appreciate it! Free? Unknown, at the moment.

Tips and Tricks

Animation Done Easy

Our forefather's of internet animation used MS Paint, Windows Movie Maker, and Audacity. All of these, or their equivalents, are free on standard computers. I, personally, use FireAlpaca - which works just as well, if not better, than MS Paint for animation - but takes longer, and definitely lacks that retro feeling. I also use my trackpad to draw and animate everything, so its doable, but probably not totally comfortable, to animate like this for most people :)

⚠️ Updates always pending! Suggestions always welcome! Feel free to message me any tips or questions <3 ⚠️

#immersive daydreaming #paraportal #paracosm #paracosms #paracosmonaut #madd art #art resources #masterpost #free resources

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elriell · 3 years

Text

Okay! So after reading this post about the 8th court and Elain restoring it and this one about the sisters, I wanted to go back through SJM pinterest and see what little nuggets I could find... And something came up a few times that was interesting to me and that was the Moirai.

In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Moirai (also spelled Moirae or Mœræ; Ancient Greek: Μοῖραι, "lots, destinies, apportioners"), often known in English as the Fates (Latin: Fata),

Their number became fixed at three: Clotho ("spinner"), Lachesis ("allotter") and Atropos ("the unturnable", a metaphor for death).

If you haven’t read the post already about why everything in ACOTAR seems to come in THREES, and how that is interesting go ahead.

We have been having a lot more conversations recently about fate and the cauldron and whether everything is happening for a reason, so stumbling across this on her board was interesting to me.

According to Hesiod's Theogony, Clotho and her sisters (Atropos and Lachesis) were the daughters of Erebus (Darkness) and Nyx (Night), though later in the same work (ll. 901-906) they are said to have been born of Zeus and Themis.

Of course I don’t think it is directly tied to Nyx herself but I think it is an interesting tie between the two, on top of the name Clotho who we know is also a current ACOTAR character. I find it hard to believe that besides pinning these images she did not look further in to the Moirai.

Clotho

Clotho (/ˈkloʊθoʊ/; Greek: Κλωθώ) is a mythological figure. She is the one of the Three Fates or Moirai who spins the thread of human life; the other two draw out (Lachesis) and cut (Atropos) in ancient Greek mythology. Her Roman equivalent is Nona. She also made major decisions, such as when a person was born, thus in effect controlling people's lives. This power enabled her not only to choose who was born, but also to decide when gods or mortals were to be saved or put to death. For example, Clotho brought Pelops back to life when his father killed him.

Feyre. We definitely associate her with Re-birth and becoming anew so this very well could parallel her story, also as a side mention as seen below, Nona was associated with being the Goddess of pregnancy. Not a massive thing but Fae are not suppose to procreate easily, it is suppose to be a rare occurrence and yet Feysand did so in a matter of years.

Nona was one of the Parcae, the three personifications of destiny in Roman mythology (the Moirai in Greek mythology and in Germanic mythology, the Norns), and the Roman goddess of pregnancy. ... Nona, whose name means "ninth", was called upon by pregnant women in their ninth month when the child was due to be born.

Atropos

Atropos was the oldest of the Three Fates, and was known as "the Inflexible One." It was Atropos who chose the manner of death and ended the life of mortals by cutting their threads. She worked along with her two sisters, Clotho, who spun the thread, and Lachesis, who measured the length. Atropos has been featured in several stories such as Atalanta and Achilles.

This seems very on the money with Nesta and her power being Death. She is also the oldest of the sisters. She is also not really know for having a very flexible personality throughout the series.

Lachesis (/ˈlækɪsɪs/; Greek: Λάχεσις, Lakhesis, "disposer of lots", from λαγχάνω, lanchano, "to obtain by lot, by fate, or by the will of the gods"), in ancient Greek religion, was the second of the Three Fates, or Moirai: Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. Normally seen clothed in white, Lachesis is the measurer of the thread spun on Clotho's spindle, and in some texts, determines Destiny, or thread of life. Lachesis was the apportioner, deciding how much time for life was to be allowed for each person or being. She measured the thread of life with her rod. She is also said to choose a person's destiny after a thread was measured.

Elain. She is the second sister, doesn’t wear white per say but she is seen to be the purer of the bunch generally speaking... We have all theorised for years that while Nesta’s gift is Death it is very likely Elain’s would be Life. This is a pretty well discussed topic and though it isn’t fact it seems very plausible.

“To obtain by lot, by fate, by the will of the gods.”

Could this be her mating bond? She obtained the bond through will of the gods (which throughout my reading of the Moirai it is occasionally believed Zeus ultimately was in control of choosing), though text is not entirely clear for sure.

Perhaps a god choose her fate for her but she will ultimately determine her own destiny by going against their choice, and setting her own destiny as she is suppose to do for others... I don’t know, food for thought.

They controlled the mother thread of life of every mortal from birth to death. They were independent, at the helm of necessity, directed fate, and watched that the fate assigned to every being by eternal laws might take its course without obstruction.

Imagine Elain fucking Archeron going directly against fate and defying the gods, in the ultimate show of choice and asserting her agency, it would be the most epic ARC yet.

Listen Fates, who sit nearest of gods to the throne of Zeus,

and weave with shuttles of adamant,

inescapable devices for councels of every kind beyond counting,

Atropos, Clotho and Lachesis, fine-armed daughters of Night,

hearken to our prayers, all-terrible goddesses, of sky and earth.

Send us rose-bosomed Lawfulness, and her sisters on glittering thrones.

I am by no mean saying they are the fates but I definitely think inspiration was taken from them and could be keys to their future stories. A few other interesting tid-bits;

In Roman mythology the three Moirai are the Parcae or Fata, plural of "fatum" meaning prophetic declaration, oracle, or destiny. The English words fate (native wyrd) and fairy ("magic, enchantment"), are both derived from "fata", "fatum".

Right and crowned Peace, and make this city forget the misfortunes which lie heavily on her heart. The appearance of the gods and the Moirai may be related to the fairy tale motif, which is common in many Indo-European sagas and also in Greek folklore. The fairies appear beside the cradle of the newborn child and bring gifts to him.

These are smaller observations but a lot of references to Fairy, Wyrd *coughs* TOG, and oracles. When we know that Elain is a Seer. Not to mention because I am obsessed with the idea of a Sleeping Beauty retelling next, guess who else had three fairies present gifts to them as a newborn? Aurora. Yet another tie in with Elain.

I found so many more pins about SB on her pinterest I had missed on my quick browse. I don’t know, could be nothing, but considering SJM said she has been planning since ACOMAF it is very possible she tied something like this in early on.

#elain archeron #elriel #acosf spoilers #nesta archeron #feyre archeron #archeron sisters #ACOTAR #theories #myacotar #mymeta

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