#i've been in a massive creative funk

[blackinquisitors]

Any good rdr2 fic rec?

ooh yes

my current fav one is The Unreliability of Men's Promises by dazednstoned. abigail centric fic. I'm absolutely in love with it. the writing is phenomenal and they just GET abigail and what her likely dynamic with the gang was. ugh chefs kiss

one that has been my biggest source of inspiration is mine is clouds by ssstrychnine. charthur fic. I cannot tell you how much this inspires me. not even the story, just the writing style. I was in a massive creative funk and couldn't figure out this last chapter of bloom, and I read 1.5 chapters and INSTANTLY understood how to write again. like I had to read this in quarter chapter increments so I didn't steal too many ideas, it was that amazing

this night has opened my eyes by my mutual @pinkysberg REALLY love this. john centric and pinky just GETS him. so if you read this and the first fic i mentioned side by side you have a phd level understanding of the worlds most dysfunctional couple. for a time we were writing this at the same time and were at the same place in rdr2s plot so i felt like we were two random cars driving along together on a highway lol

He Was A Friend Of Mine by biiitchofCambridge. charthur fic. SO GOOD. this was another source of inspo, mostly the dynamic between arthur and charles is what was so good. I've read a lot of fics that tend to soften both of these guys, but this fic really has that 1890s masculinity thing going on, and I appreciate that

no law less than ourselves by CatRoofDance. another source of inspo. I fully stole an entire idea and forgot that it wasn't my own and based arthurs entire character around that. oops! woah I just wrote out a whole thing abt how this was popular and well-loved for good reason, and its not number 1? huh? it should be. the top fics of the charthur tag are cliche garbage. this deserves far more love than it has

Luck and Chance by swampslip. charthur fic. I read this a looong time ago and I barely remember it but it has some of the best charles characterization ive seen. his dialogue is so perfect I can only aspire to it

Let Me Down Gently by reddeaddesolation. smutty mary/arthur fic. again its been a whiiile since I've read this but i remember really enjoying it, particularly the characterization the the dynamic between them

Don't Come Knocking by charlock221. sadie/molly fic. no sorry, THE sadie/molly fic, THE ONLY sadie/molly fic. this is canon as far as I'm concerned. not kidding. it's so well written, it's incredible. everything about it makes sense. I adore it a normal amount. even if this isnt your cup of tea, I still think you should read it

I think thats it. puts all of these on a mantel and stares at them lovingly every day

#rdr2 fic rec #charthur #johnigail #arthur x mary #sadie x molly

[redheadspark]

[ STOP ] sender reaches out and takes receiver’s face into their hands, drawing them away from what they’re doing so they can just look at receiver for a moment.

❝ you’re so strong. and brave—but i wish you knew you don’t always have to be. i’m here, if you’re ever willing to let me help shoulder those burdens. ❞

with Benedict Bridgerton

A/N: This is very Benedict! I hope you like it, anon!

As soon as you walked into the room and saw another paper ball fly into the waste basket, you knew you were walking in on a intense session with your husband. Benedict was a fantastic artist, and you weren't thinking it because he was your spouse. He did have a great eye for art, seeing great paintings and admiring them when you two would go to balls and social events, or even taking a few classes here and there at art school. You supported him in all his endevoures in art and creativity, never wanting him to extinguish that light within him since it made him....him. His wedding present to you as a portrait of you, something you posed for at the very beginning of your courting and he turned it into a portrait without you knowing. You thought it was a masterpiece, a true spec of art that you will cherish for the rest of your life.

But of course he would judge himself when it came to his art.

All artist do, Anthony Bridgerton reassured you that when you went to visit him and Kat at their residence. They both knew that Benedict was passionate and hard working with his craft, reminding you that he meant well with his own criticism. Yet you were still worried, thinking that at times it was a bit much. If he went too far, he would want to place his brush or pencil. That would kill you to see his own spirit killed.

"Hitting a wall, I see," you hummed as you closed the door behind you and walked over to your husband, seeing him hug a bit and place the notepad on the table in almost a plop. He eyed you, giving you a tired smile as you perched yourself on the arm of the chair, rubbing his shoulders as he rubbed his face.

"I'm in need of a good breakthrough," he said to you, and you could hear the tiredness in his tone, "I've been asked to make a showcase at my art class this season,"

"Benny!" You gasped, kissing him on the head with a massive grin on his face, "That's amazing! What an honor, you must be proud to have been picked!"

"I'm more petrified than anything, darling," He confessed, sounding a bit worried himself as you eyed him, "I need to make something magnificent and stunning and.....I don't think I can,"

"You will though!" You said in earnest, seeing him with you as you gestured to his notepad, "You're going to be amazing at this showcase and everyone will see the genius mind that you have," "But to make great pieces and great art? Not just great...but amazing art that will take their breath away and it feels so...burdensome to make it to their standards," Benedict confessed to you, you hearing the hesitance in that voice again as you kissed his head lightly.

"You’re so strong, and brave—but I wish you knew you don’t always have to be. I’m here, if you’re ever willing to let me help shoulder those burdens." You reminded him, "That's what I vowed to you when we got married two years ago, and I still hold to that promise. I think....and I'm not saying this as you wife...but someone who has always loved your art...you're going to be amazing at this showcase. And if none of your professors see it...they're mad,"

Benedict laughed whole heartedly as he wrapped his arm around you and snuggled into you. You beamed, loving to see him out of his funk and back to his normal self again. Reaching for his notepad, you placed it back in his lap with a plop, eyeing him as he grinned.

"Now, what shall you draw today?" You asked him, seeing him think to himself for a long moment before he eyed you again. This time, with an alluring gaze.

"You," he replied in a low tremor, "Just you."

The End.

#benedict bridgerton x y/n #benedict bridgerton x you #benedict bridgerton x reader #benedict x reader #benedict bridgerton #luke thomspon #bridgerton fanfiction #bridgerton fandom #bridgerton #benedict bridgerton imagine

[nenekiribookwyrm]

CWs: mention of death.

March 2023 Update!

The weather continues to get warmer and my scales are thankful for it. I've had a massive case of cabin fever lately and been itching to go out flying in weather that won't freeze me into a dragon popsicle. Here's the update on what's been going on around the castle this past month.

Firstly, I had a death in the family about halfway through the month that knocked me off-balance in terms of getting things done. Add to that finishing up an intensive project at work and it might not be a surprise that I didn't get much done creatively this month. I'm trying to be patient with myself as I move through the grieving process, but being creative is a big part of how I like to spend my free time. So the last half of March has been a blur and I'm hoping that next month I'll be able to pull myself out of the funk and start making things again.

If you didn't see me talk about it last month, I was recently published in Happy Howlidays: A Furry Short Story Anthology which has a bunch of holiday themed stories and features my story "One Last Winter Ride". I'm pretty proud of how this one turned out and hope that you'll check it out! https://thurstonhowlpub.storenvy.com/products/36440494-happy-howlidays-a-furry-flash-fiction-christmas-anthology

I joined a werewolf themed game jam at the beginning of the month and while I haven't worked on my submission as much as I had anticipated at the beginning of the month, I am still excited to submit whatever I have done. I think I'm going to need to pivot my project into something with a lot smaller scope if I want to submit something complete, but I have a few ideas that might work for that. It's just making sure that I make the time to get those ideas written down. If this sounds cool to you, please check out the list of games once everyone has submitted theirs and play them: https://itch.io/jam/werewolf-jam

The current deadline is April 6th, which is the next full moon, so howl with us as we play some fun indie werewolf experiences.

We're in the middle of Furry Awards Season and the window to vote on your favorite furry books and short stories is closing fast! The Ursa Major Awards close at the end of the month, March 31st and the Coyotl Awards close voting on April 15th. Make sure that you vote and make your voice heard:

https://ursamajorawards.org/Voting.htm

https://coyotlawards.com/2022-coyotl-awards-ballot/

Twitter is going through another death gasp, and with the proposed changes being implemented soon I figured it was a good idea to mention I am other places. You can find me at the links over here: https://nenekiribookwyrm.carrd.co/

It feels like Tumblr and Cohost are going to be the places I post a lot of stuff should Twitter fall, so be sure to check those places if you want to keep up with me on social media.

Contact your representatives! If you live in the United States, there are a ton of anti-trans bills that are being pushed through right now and we need to call our senators and house members to let them know that won't fly. There's also the matter of the Tiktok ban bill, also termed the RESTRICT Act, that is much more than a proposed ban on Tiktok. It has a lot of wide reaching applications that could make privacy on the internet much more difficult in the future. I would recommend reading up on the bill and then calling your reps to let them know how you feel. It's a rough time for LGBTQ+ folks, especially trans people, and we gotta stick together through it.

I've been catching up on reading and as such, I'm posting reviews over to my Goodreads account: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/97223644-nenekiri-bookwyrm

Of note this month was Rafts, the debut book from Utunu which I enjoyed quite a lot. A very sweet gay love story that touched me.

That's about everything I have to share for this month. Here's to healing and a better state of mind the next time I speak to y'all.

Curl up with a good book and be kind to yourself

#monthly updates

[orphyd]

Was feeling a little cinematic decorating The Singles’ kitchen...

#i've been in a massive creative funk #so this kitchen was extremely satisfying to put together on the first try #ugh alpha cc how i missed you #ts4 #ts4 edit #ts4 interior #the sims 4 #the sims 4 edit #the sims 4 interior #sims 4 #sims 4 edit #sims 4 interior #*premades #extras #alpha cc and black cinema bars??? #what is this 2018 ivory-shell

[talkfastromance4]

supportive baby//poly!cashton oneshot

the photo below stirred a little bit of something and I owe my thanks to @in-superbloom and @polycashton so thank you for giving me a small nudge to write something. this is for you🥰😘

a/n: this is also written in a 'you' format which is swaying from my usual poly!5sos writings (usually used in third person and pronouns of she/her) but it seemed to fit better this way with the idea I had. I'm sorry if I fluctuate a lot between the two but...yeah. I hope you enjoy. This is the first semi-decent thing I've written in a while.

****

Ashton always floats with an air of confidence, it's evident in his posture and the aura he puts off. So it isn't too abnormal for his confidence to waver, everyone has bad days, but when it knocks him down a peg or two, it's very noticeable and makes you and Calum sad. You hate seeing him doubt himself and you've picked up on the signs where his confidence sinks.

He constantly runs his fingers through his hair, tucks the strands behind his ears or places a curl in front of his eyes, and checks how it looks in the reflection of his phone. He changes his outfit a dozen times, shirts are tossed about the room, pants landing atop the dresser until his side of the closet is nearly bare. Stripped away of all things that make Ashton Ashton and he's left with more discouragement. When it comes to picking out shoes, you usually find him sat in the middle of the closet staring at the shoe rack.

When he announces he's going to practice his drums, you and Calum are met with radio silence for hours on end. Knowing better than to try and get him out of a creative funk, you leave him be until he's ready to discuss and process what he's going through or for the music to start if he comes to the conclusion on his own.

His actions are no different now that the album is nearly finished and they're going to be playing live together as a band this weekend. Calum is stressed about it as well, Ashton's emotions radiating onto him and he's constantly air playing his bass, his fingers moving along the fake strings. He's worried he's forgotten to play all of their songs.

You try to be as helpful as you can be for the both of them but you feel out of your limit because they process their hang-ups differently and yet it feels similar. Because they're similar. Ashton and Calum are a cohesive unit, not just the rhythmic backbone of the band, but also within your relationship.

So when they're off kilter, you're off kilter.

The night before they're supposed to go to band rehearsal to prepare for playing the first time this Saturday, Ashton sighs heavily before plopping next to you on the couch. You're looking up new soup recipes to try this fall on your tablet and then Ashton's face is in your lap.

"Hi," you smile down at him, your fingers immediately carding through his hair.

"Will you come to rehearsal tomorrow?" he asks, hazel eyes imploring up at you.

"Really? I can see you practice?" You sit up a little straighter at the notion, you've always wanted to see them rehearse but didn't want to be in the way or something.

"Yeah. You'll...I'll feel better with you there. I think Cal will, too."

"I'd love to," you grin. "What time do we have to be there?"

"Eleven."

**

It's the morning of rehearsal and Ashton dipped out of bed quietly, but not before giving you and Calum a swift kiss on the cheek, so he can meditate. You and Calum are currently watching him from the sliding door window as he sits in the center of the patio on a blanket in the sunshine. He's taking deep, shallow breaths.

"How're you feeling today, babe?" you ask Calum.

"Better. Once we're all together I'm hoping things will just flow...hopefully Ash's meditating will help him, too," he nods towards your love.

You both stare at him for a few moments and then you're struck with an idea.

"He's been feeling down and out about his art, right?" you ask out loud.

"Yeah, which is insane. Knucklehead," Calum scoffs but you can sense the loving tone beneath it.

"I have an idea. Come on," you take his hand leading him to your bedroom and into the massive closet you all share. "Which is your favorite of his merch shirts?"

"Umm...this one, I guess," he points to the long sleeved shirt. "Why?"

"Put it on," you take it off the rack and riffle through his t-shirts until you find your favorite electric blue shirt of his.

You and Calum remove your shirts to pull on Ashton's and you smile as soon as the fabric covers you. It smells like Ashton and you feel surrounded by his presence.

"I love wearing his clothes but how is this going to help him, baby?" Calum asks confused.

"He's feeling down and out about his art, he needs to be reminded that what he creates is genuine and wonderful."

"Cal! Y/N! We better get going!" Ashton calls up from the kitchen.

You and Calum rush down the stairs, Ashton is gathering his phone, wallet, and keys in his pockets before pulling on his pink button up. He glances up at you and Calum then does a quick double take at your shirts of choice.

"What are you two up to?" he asks.

"Nothing," you and Calum say simultaneously.

"We don't want to be late," you smile and kiss Ashton's cheek.

***

The three of you are the first to arrive so they take the time to set up their instruments. You're sat near the door on a stool watching them and waiting for Luke and Michael to arrive. Ashton and Calum talk quietly amongst themselves then sit in front of Ashton's drum set, Calum has his bass in his lap.

You can hear the faint chords from his plucking, Ashton nodding his head along and murmuring what you're sure are words of encouragement. The love and respect is evident between them, especially when they're in their music element.

You're anxious to see them play, it's been so long, and then Ashton is scrolling through his phone. Calum stops playing and they converse a bit more, their eyes flickering to you every so often.

Ashton pockets his phone, squeezes Calum's wrist and leans over to give him a quick kiss. Then he stands up and makes his way towards you. Before you can speak, he's pulled you against his chest in a tight, warm hug. He kisses the top of your head.

"Cal told me your idea about my shirts," he murmurs. "You're such a sweetheart, thank you."

"You're welcome," you squeeze his waist tightly, loving the softness of his body and the warmth radiating from it. "You're an amazing artist and an even more amazing human being."

Ashton leans back so he can look at you, there's a slight blush to his cheeks. You frame his cheeks in your hand smiling up at him and you press your lips to his delicately.

"See? Beautiful art."

***

Taglist: @calumance  @in-superbloom @calpalirwin @karajaynetoday @wiiildflowerrr @sunshineeeluke @littledrummeraussie @suchalonelysunflower @hoodhoran @Fobodob @thew0rldneedsmcreycghurt @sunshineeashton @ashtonsunflower​ @mymindwide​ @itjustkindahappenedreally @seanna313 @fivesecondsofonedirection24 @mulletcal @pandaxnienke

#poly!cashton #poly!cashton fluff #poly!cashton oneshot #cashton fluff

[happymetalgirl]

Devin Townsend - Empath

I had just been talking about trying to streamline these bad boys (these posts) by trimming my introductory paragraphs, but Devin Townsend is a character in the world of heavy metal that simply refuses to let discussion around him and his music go easily, both in his artistic expression and in his discussion of his artistic motives. Since my discovery of Strapping Young Lad and subsequently Devin’s other solo projects, I have always appreciated how unrestrained he is with following his artistic drives honestly: diverting to different styles before even the hint of staleness creeps in, ending projects that he feels have run their course. Sure, it might be easy to simply reduce him to metal’s answer to Frank Zappa, but despite all Devin’s influences, he doesn’t just come off as simply a rip-off of Zappa with metal as a means to complicate their similarities. Devin has never let his projects’ identities, his influences, or his perceived identity define him, and I've never gotten the sense that he's trying to fit some kind of image of himself that he or other's have constructed.

As prepared as anyone knowing Devin’s catalog is for the uninhibited nuttiness that he brings once again, it’s hard to be cynical about it because it’s clearly just Devin being himself as he always has. He knows his fans love his heavy Ziltoid shit, his groovy and massive Ocean Machine stuff, and that they would all jump at the chance for him to reunite Strapping Young Lad. Yet his fans, myself included, stick around to see what he’ll do next because he doesn’t just give the people what they want. Despite knowing what would more universally please his audience, Devin does what his artistic drive leads him to do, and that liberated creativity has produced so many one-of-a-kind albums, from the fucking weird ambiance and noise of Devlab, to the soothing chamber folk of Casualties of Cool, to the conceptual prog metallic madness of Deconstruction. Devin is the kind of artist whose vocal and compositional talent has allowed him to branch out into all these odd ventures with the rotating staff of instrumentalists he directs to produce more than just novelty albums, and after over two decades of musical adventure, it seems very natural that Devin decide to finally make a “fuck it” album and smash all his various influences and artistic twinges together into one glorious Frankenstein monster of an album, the prospect of which is the kind of thing that makes one lean back a bit to brace for like an impending crash. But if there’s anyone I would entrust to make an album like Empath, it’s Devy.

The soothing sounds of echo-y guitar and angelic choir over cawing sea gulls and gently crashing waves of the introductory track, “Castaway”, leads smoothly into the 75-minute-long guessing game of unpredictable structural shifts of Devin’s seminal work that begins with the gratuitous symphonic cat dance metal of the lead single "Genesis". I enjoyed the song when I first heard it for its big metallic chorus, its constant back-and-forth between grandiose and dancy, and its samples of cats, cows, and other weird shit that only Devin Townsend or Igorrr would utilize, and I enjoy it additionally as an opening ceremony to usher one through the gates of the Wonka factory of metal that the album is. Once inside, it certainly is a chocolate-y wonderland of sounds too colorful to describe piece-by-piece, which would simply spoil it anyway.

Devin gives us a gorgeous uplifting choir hearkening back to Epicloud on the andante glory of “Spirits Will Collide”, what feels like a metallic Christmas anthem on “Evermore”, and mashes death growls and into similarly jingly, carol-y orchestration on “Why?”, which begs and leaves that question wonderfully unanswered. Devin makes a lot of sudden stylistic shifts perhaps for the mere surprise factor of it all, even though at this point I’d be more surprised to hear Devin say something is off-limits, but he could definitely be accused of just trying to be quirky.

But on “Hear Me”, the proggiest piece on the album, Devin in his experienced proficiency brings together thrash palm-muting, blast beats, Dream-Theater-esque dynamics, and a glorious raspy chorus to make perhaps the most Devin Townsend song ever. Similarly proggy is the 11-minute epic “Borderlands”, which opens with a rooster’s cock-a-doodle-doo and blends Devin’s eccentricity with his expert orchestration in the most obnoxious way on the entire album, but he pulls it off. Les Claypool-like vocal sytlings, an airhorn sample, synth lines Jordan Rudess would be thrilled with, and even a jazz sax solo all decorate the dance-y funk of a choir-supported rock guitar riff until the song comes down from its explosive elemental climax and transitions into the interluding choral segment of “Requiem” before the album’s real centerpiece: the six-part “Singularity” suite. For the album’s massive prog opus, Devin drops the kookiness and wraps up the last 23 minutes of the album in a patient, comprehensive exposition of his metallic, progressive, and ambient tendencies across six focused, grounded sections. 

Empath definitely has the power to just push away the hard-hearted or those completely unfamiliar with Devin’s work, but this album was never for them. Despite Devin never intentionally catering to fan impulses, Empath is very much an album made for the hardcore fan, the fan who has stuck with Devin through all the weird twists and turns and enjoyed them. And this should certainly feel like a gratifying reward for all their listening dedication as well. Where to go from here, who the hell knows? While such an exhaustive expelling of Devin’s creative bank into one album might suggest that he’s emptying it all out at once to relieve himself and put an end to the nagging of countless musical ideas in his head and be free of it, I think Devin is the kind of person who cannot help but constantly find inspiration to put into his idea box. I think a big emptying of built-up inspiration will only make the creative voices in his head clearer as they accumulate more ideas. And who’s to say this even did the trick? There could still be plenty more Devin feels he needs to do, and being that forming a certain career arc seems to be no concern of his, I don’t think this will be the end of Devin’s creativity, not at all. Based on what I have seen from him, I don’t think there ever will be. And while that may seem like sentenced artistic servitude, albums like Empath make it seem like it’s a blessing of a flowing wellspring of purpose.

Devy/10

#devin townsend #empath #progressive metal #progressive rock #metal #heavy metal #heavy devy #new music #new album #album review