#<--- i honestly don't know why i use this tag only for non fandom drawings a bit stupid but yeahhh

[suddenly-frankenstein]

good listener - purity - messy eater - false prophet

my little collection of bloody priests because i can't live a year without drawing one :)

[writingjourney]

I’m in need of some advice and kind words. As a fellow writer I’m really struggling to believe people will and want to read my stuff. There’s no real engagement anymore and I’m worried that if I post my long-form fic that no one will give it a chance. It’s really bringing me down because I love it so much but it feels like no matter what I try to do my stuff just doesn’t get seen or liked? I’ve even thought about changing my entire way of how I do things since I don’t think the way I write is working for the masses. How do you keep up the motivation as a popular writer and do you have an advice?

Hello anon!! I feel like this is something many of us currently deal with. And first of all I seriously hope that you do share your story!! ♡

To be completely honest with you the lack of engagement in the fandom has for sure impacted my own motivation which is why I haven't been putting as much time into longer fics (nor the Friday Nights series or IKNBS, I do write but I refuse to force myself). I don't feel any urgency because uploading fics hasn't made me as happy as it used to. It feels like only other active writers are reading fic atm and it creates a lot of pressure on creatives to stay super active.

I'm aware that I'm insanely privileged to have the engagement that I do have, that the type of stories I want to write are also the type of stories that generally seem to appeal. However, engagement tells you NOTHING about the quality of your work, only how many people are active in a fandom or like a specific pairing/character/trope. Your own unique voice matters more than numbers.

I also notice that a lot of people who used to read my works have disappeared which I completely understand. The fixation can ebb away during times of inactivity or when a certain hype dies down. People just don't get that dopamine hit anymore and move on. It's also entirely possible they get tired of a certain style of writing and prefer other writers at times, what do I know. I definitely don't blame anyone for that. First and foremost people should read for their own enjoyment and engage with fandom in a way that makes them happy. It makes no sense to pressure people into engaging. A huge issue right now is people overthinking these things which makes support transactional instead of genuine.

I don't care much about notes but I REALLY miss the feeling of sharing a fic with people who are excited for it, that sense of an active community. BUT the activity will come back – the movie will come out, new music and videos, heck even a whole new Papa!!! That's the natural flow of things. We can't be excited and super active all the time, we need phases of calmness as well (which is an act of rebellion in the capitalist hellscape of overproduction and churned out content. I am honestly glad Ghost is taking it easy).

Now, I recommend you write your story exactly how you want to!!! do NOT change it for the sake of popularity because it will lose its very soul and you will struggle to be happy with it by the end. You know how you want to tell your story and nothing else matters. It will find its readers or you can wait and share it at a later point. I recommend that you approach other writers and readers and intensify that contact, make friends and talk to them about your stories, hype each other up, share snippets. It's even more meaningful to know people you like enjoy what you do. I am currently working on super niche fics for non-Ghost characters and I'm honestly having a great time chasing that dopamine by just writing what I'm really into and sharing it with friends. Fandom is community, fandom is fun and we can work to make it better for everyone.

A few general tips when it comes to making stories accessible: Format them to be readable (paragraphs!!), add a "read more" break, add proper content information and a nice summary to draw people in, add some visual appeal like a banners or stock image edits (like i do for IKNBS) and then tag the fics with relevant tags (and only those). Also make sure to tag the OG post, tags on reblogs do nothing for reach. Engage with the community when you feel like it and it's likely that the community will engage back. Being supportive is worth it, being kind is always worth it even if it amounts to nothing.

[infernothechaosgod]

you know it truly amazes me how you can't do practicly anything on tiktok or search the thing you like without getting absolutley shat on

Like I'm feeling a little in the mood for rottmnt angst A lil bit of that kick in the gut, and I can't go 3 minutes without one of those made in 5 minutes max videos that's just background video and text over it Saying shit like "Yall need to stop with the rottmnt angst it's getting annoying" or "the rottmnt angst artist need to chill out" or even better "The rottmnt fandom needs to stop the angst it's just a show for kids"

First off, if angst isn't your thing, you can block it or just scroll pass it OR you know what if youre feeling like a little shit you can hate read it or whatever but keep the comments TO YOURSELF

Second off I checked what the content of most of these people is And it's always goddamn always those 10 second background videos with text over it

nothing more

I dare these people to even try to draw the shape of leo's head, or write out something more than 40 words I accualy dare them. do it.

Also the same goes for shipping over there

Let's say you see a legal completly normal ship you don't like Example let's say leo x usagi or raph x mona

What you wanna do is scroll or block it

NOT make up info to make others stop shipping it, I'm sick and tired of people non stop saying that usagi or mona are adults or that their entire characters are being love intrest in the fandom's eyes Because if you look at any of the fanfic's or fan content of those Yeah it's easy to find content where there love intrest's but it is hard to find content where there ONLY love intrest

People love mona so much for the fact that she's a badass warrior who loves her planet and people they often give her more backstory focused stories that explore how she would feel depending on where the writers story will go or already went, I have never seen anyone maker her just a typical love intrest (witch honestly suprised me)

Usagi? People have more free will with his interpretation's so he has many many diffrent faces backstories, personalities but often people make him focused on something in their stories, examples being, getting back home, protecting others, getting over something, fighting in battle nexus and exploring how it would be Etc. Etc. That mixed with being a love intrest

The only times when these two can be seen as just love intrest and nothing more is in

Edit's/tiktok content where everything is short af (and even then sometimes people give em backstories and their own lore it really amazes me sometimes lmao)

short (usualy) tagged as fluff without plot fics on ao3 (witch you can litellary tag out SO easily)

Little comics/some art pices That HAVE VERY STORT LIMITS

also this might suprise you it really might but DRAWING IS HARD AND TAKES ALOT OF TIME SAME GOES FOR MAKING THE IDEA UP

And when it comes to their ages we all know there not adults, littelary where did anyone mention mona being an aduly ever, and the only times when usagi and leo accualy interact is when there in similiar if not the same ages

(in 2003 usagi and leo are close friends and Both teens, in the early comics there both adults when they first meet, even in 1987 version there both shown to be close if not the same age, the ONLY TIME where leo and usagi have very diffrent ages is in 2012 and honestly i have a little theory on why specificly that version had them be you know that but that's for another post)

Seriously what the fuck is tiktok's problem with any form of fanon content? You want the fandom to die? It aint gonna happen, you either get used to some bad stuff existing there and there and ignoring it (reporting then ignoring it if it's really bad) OR you keep quiet OR you will get banned by alot of creators after crying in their comments, then cry when you can't find something they made anymore

Tiktok man, good for daydreaming to the sounds, looking at edits and for some art trends but litellary can't let anything else exist on there or else you'll explode

(Also I bet if some of the fanon angst made it to the accual show they would deepthroat that shit right up and call it writing of ceuntry)

[rockyteriyaki]

fic writer interview

tagged by the lovely @ctimenefic to do this little questionnaire!! i’ll be including some unposted fics in this because y’all…i only have three fics on ao3 😭🫠 i'll tag @adimouze and @newbromantics to grace us with your interviews as well, if you feel so inclined :^)

this might raise more questions than it answers ultimately, but here we go!

What’s your total word count?

on ao3, 18k! so over half of it is Slacken, Tense lolll

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Razor Sharp White Teeth is my top by a good margin, and then Slacken, Tense, and then a little bandom fic i wrote on anon over the pandemic. i really only got into posting fic because of the talented folks in the f1rpf tag, so even though i have a lot of stuff written for other fandoms, none of it is on the internet

Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

yes i do! i think it’s such a great way to spread positivity and i love when people respond to MY comments, so i always try to at least say thank you whenever I can :)

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

both RSWT and Slacken, Tense have sort of ambiguous endings that i guess could be angsty?? moreso RSWT, i think i could see max and daniel’s relationship being sort of strained after the events of that fic. i also have a little snippet written from ausgp that involves max and scotty getting into a literal, physical fight, which (despite it being very silly in the actual fic) is still way more intense than i usually go so i’d consider that angst, kinda!

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

again, not a lot of endings to draw from, but i think the end of this galex tumblr fic was quite sweet :)

Do you write crossovers?

i haven’t yet, and i’m not sure if i would for f1 (unless someone infects me with the motogp virus perhaps?) but if i ever get back into bandom, definitely. crossovers are just about all they do over there.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

if i have, i’ve never seen it 🫣

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

i do! both of my f1 fics are rated e and are M/M, although i’ve written F/M/M (roy/jamie/keeley from ted lasso) and F/M (kaz/inej from six of crows, and roman/gerri from succession) before as well. but overwhelmingly it’s slash i suppose

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge! although honestly, unless it was word for word, i don’t think i would ever accuse someone of stealing a concept 😭 maybe i’m too non-confrontational but i genuinely think i would convince myself out of the idea before i would ever say or do anything about it

Have you ever had a fic translated?

someone offered to translate RSWT but they deleted their comment and i couldn’t track them down :’) anon if you see this please feel free, but i was honored that they even wanted to!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

not properly, but my irl bestie redscarez has let me do some heavy cheerleading on their fics So Real and Favorite Son which are both EXCELLENT and i loved being in the Gdocs for both of them.

What's your all-time favourite ship?

gosh that is HARD. maxiel and galex honestly probably make the all-time leaderboard, recency bias nonwithstanding, but there are a few others that stick out for sure. pete/patrick, in fall out boy rpf. draco/harry was sort of my intro to fandom/subject of my OG exploits on ff.net, so i feel a bit indebted to them as a pairing (not a point of pride, considering you-know-who went off her nut, but oh well). kirk/spock. weirdly, johnny/daniel from the original karate kid have my heart. there are a lot, i think i just love fandom hahahaha

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

so many. so, so many. in particular though i have this abo au where max is a stubborn alpha who doesn’t take suppressants, and daniel is a specialist brought in to regulate his hormones when he’s NOT in rut so that he won’t be as thrown off when he is. it’s basically medically necessary JOI, and in my head it’s so long i get intimidated just looking at the start of it 🫠

What are your writing strengths?

i’d like to think it would be word choice! i have some metaphors (“like a drugged dolphin” from RSWT, for example) that still pop up in my head every once in awhile. in general i just like to throw fun words and phrases at the wall when i’m writing :) i also do enjoy editing and all those boring bits which i’m grateful for hahaha

What are your writing weaknesses?

i’m sooo slowwww! i worked on Slacken, Tense for MONTHS and i still didn’t finish it until the night before the third round deadline. i just have zero writing stamina 🤧

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

i am fully fluent in spanish, so i'm definitely tempted (mostly when i’m writing carlos) to add little phrases and whatnot, but i’m always worried it’ll come across as forced or hard to understand 😞 i never want it to be jarring or tokenizing in that way, so i usually refrain, but as kitty said i do think there’s a huge intimacy aspect that can be achieved with language-switching and i admire when people can pull that off smoothly.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

also harry potter 🫣🥂

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

i chatficced a NORTRELL fic a few days ago which sort of came out of nowhere?? but there are some absolute scholars in that tag, and since lando and i don’t always get along IRL i’ve actually been really liking it as a vehicle for characterizing him in the super-duper specific way that i have in my head. in my head it’s more of a testing ground but who knows, maybe i’ll sit down one day and actually write something out!

What's your favourite fic you've written?

i suppose it would be Razor Sharp White Teeth! i was just so blown away by the love on it and (not to be corny) it made me so appreciative of how lovely the f1rpf space is :’) engagement isn’t everything, but as someone who mostly writes for nobody’s eyes but my own, it was extremely motivating to see the kind reception and i still go back and read some of the comments on it :')))

[little-green-forest]

*★*Welcome Creatures*★*

~You can call me Forestry, Mavrin, Nexis, Trawlli, MePhonie, and/or Clancy. I go by it/spoon/bugger/fool pronouns.

~MePhone4 (II) and Clancy Gilroy (TMG) fictkin

~Asexual, Grey-aromantic, Demiboy

~Diagnosed ADHD, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Severe Anxiety Disorder; suspected Autism

~Spam liking/reblogging is fine and welcome! Just don't be weird about messages

~Requests are open but I only really draw character stuff (check fandom list).

~I use tone tags a lot because I'm terrified of being misread but I won't use them with ppl that state they are uncomfortable with it.

~I tag my all favourite characters on reblogsss

! THE ONLY THING NOT TOLERATED IS INTOLERANCE !

racists/ misogynists/ antisemites/ zionists/ queerphobes/ rad "fems"/ exclusionists/ all identities of prejudice or abuse DNI until you learn what is true and beautiful.

Other, more complex DNI criteria:

-If you identify as proship I don't like you but I don't see most ships as inheritly proship- only if you're interpretation of it romanticises or glorifies abusive/ underage/ incestual behaviours

-I consider anti-lesboys (or anti other "non-valid" identiys) as exclusionists. I find it very weird we have a double-standard when it comes to lesboys bc it's just an identity and it doesn't hurt anyone. (That being said, there is a difference between choosing an identity for oneself and forcing one onto others. I get where the antis are coming from if they think all lesboys are just transphobic or something but this is rarely the case- do your research before blindly invalidateing/harassing ppl)

-I am a minor!! I have no issues with nsfw/kink accounts existing in their own space but don't show or talk about that stuff with me!

List stuff under cut:

Alt accounts:

@little-green-forestart (creative name, ik) Side blog for just my art

(temporarily inactive) @ashfurs-second-wife Warrior cats side blog

(inactive) @freedomblocked Deltarune side blog

Bluesky

(temporary inactive) YouTube

Fandoms:

( *means hyperfixation ★means current)

*Original Characters (OC)/Furry

★*Object Shows (The ones I know in order of favourites: ONEhfj, IVOS, ION, II, Paper Puppets, Search for SMOS, BURNER/5SOS/OBS/BfG ect... (Sacri-verse), OBJECTIFIED, TBO, BfDI, EfAR, LotS, TFMI, ProtOS, TNM, Showvember, Planet Hoppers, TDOS, BfP, Objection, Object Kerfuffle, THANOS, ITft/RftK, Community Venture, Twilight Orchards, PaS, C2bC, Object Fool/Animatic Battle, A is for, OBCity, MOSS, and Object Terror)

★*The Midnight Gospel

*Deltarune

*Undertale

*Steven Universe

Warrior Cats

Giraffe Town

My Little Pony

★*Pokemon

Cult of the Lamb

*Moths (the insect, not a media)

*The Stanley Parable

Sonic the Hedgehog

Animal Crossing

Happy Tree Friends

Camp Camp

Bojack Horseman

Gooseworks/The Amazing Digital Circus

Top Favourite Characters + Notes Bc I need Somewhere to Talk About Them:

Airy (hfjONE)- Me when forever changed by isolation. I relate to and project on him so much I should probably kin him and I'm honestly unsure if/why I don't. I probably do but I have a job so I can't worry about that rn. Also old man boyfailer.

Bryce (hfjONE)- Boyfailer again but middleaged edition. I understand, and love to analyse his trauma responses.

MePhone4 (Inanimate Insanity)- I project my period cramps onto him. I think he's genuinely saved my life a couple times bc I remember that if I kms I won't be able to see him again. I am normal and mentally stable! Anyway, escapeism + BPD coated + PDA response + blue hair and pronouns

Blueberry (Inanimate Insanity)- He fucking sucks <3

Clancy Gilroy (The Midnight Gospel)- He's me. He's so chill, open, and understanding, or at least trys to be, but when he does get made it's so strong and blinding that he becomes easily snippy and has to isolate himself to calm down. All he wants to do is observe other people and their perspectives. Moral OCD coated.

[reactivatedrockstar]

EYO! This post is pinned because I can't do pages on mobile! Therefore, it will contain all the information you need to know about my boundaries, this AU, and my portrayal of Bonnie! I know I said to read all of it before following, but HONESTLY you only really need to read the rules unless you plan to have threads. (My headcanon tag is Merchandise {Headcanons} if you want to read up, just don't reblog please.) All that you need is under the

Rules

I am on mobile, so my tags are very minimal.

Do not reblog threads you are not apart of.

I'm lenient about this, but do not reblog art or memes from here, as it clogs up my feed.

Don't poop on the floor

I am a mobile user. Maybe once in a while, I'll pop onto a computer at the library to fine tune posts like this, but it's hard, if not impossible for me to use the site to its full extent. As such, icons will not be used, tags will be scarce, and trimming posts will not be done the way I like.

Trimming posts are a strange area. I have adhd and autism, so the best way for a thread to be trimmed is with the last response still attached. This way I can remember what's going on in the thread, which will lead to an overall better rp experience.

RESPECT MY FUCKING BOUNDARIES. I've had some issues with one individual who sucked me into this Fandom, they refused to take no for an answer, and forced me to rp an incest ship. This has scared me away from the rpc for years. If I say no, it does not mean "convince me," it means no. I have a three strikes your out policy.

I have a full-time job as a daycare teacher. I am not always online. Do not pester me for replies.

I have kept up with the lore moderately well, but if I don't know something, or have forgotten something, do not bully me. I have zero tolerance for it. You respect me, and I respect you.

The AU

Prior to the events of security breach, Monty was a new animatronic that was incredibly jealous of Bonnie. He didn't understand why he got to be on the stage when he played the bass even better than he did!! This resentment eventually lead for Monty to do the unthinkable. He asked to talk to Bonnie, where he threw him against the wall, slashed his torso open, ripped out the wires, and smashed a bowling ball into his head. Once the deed was done, Monty then hid the body away where it was never found.

For a whole year, Bonnie lay there, desperately sending some sort of distress signal that was too weak to get through to most of the animatronics. However, the voiceless wetfloor signs began to act strange, making odd sounds and turning to face just about anyone, as a result of this distress signal.

Then, somehow, Freddy found him, and he begged the human staff to help fix him. While they didn't have the right parts to fix him completely, they were able to fix him enough to where he was functional again. Bonnie had absolute no memory of how he came to be in such a state due to data corruption, but he does remember some things, which will easily agitate him and make him aggressive.

Due to his state, Bonnie is unable to interact with guests and do shows, which he misses, so he tends to loiter around behind the scenes where nobody can see him during the day.

In this AU, Gregory waited for the doors to open at 6 in Freddy's room after seeing Vanny and Moondrop, because he was absolutely terrified, however I am willing to negotiate this upon request. (Well, I'm just about willing to negotiate anything lore-wise.)

Bonnie Bunny

First off, Bonnie is non-binary, and his pronouns are he/him. He honestly loves playing around with makeup and facepaint, and of course, playing music. Glamrock Bonnie was one to prioritize self expression to the kids, be it music, facepainting, drawing, makeup, or what have you, and he, obviously, absolutely loves bowling, and is unbeatable at it. Bonnie also has a sense of adventure, and loves doing something new.

However, he remembers bits and pieces of what happened to him, corrupted memories come and go, they make his head hurt, and he doesn't act like himself, and he can become aggressive if not de-escalated. He was also operating somewhat while he was hidden away, and remembers being "asleep," but active, and being so alone. So afraid. So angry. So sad. It's an awful, all-consuming feeling that he couldn't get rid of. He just knew he'd spend the rest of eternity rotting there, helpless. Unable to even speak out and beg for help.

Freddy is his best friend in the whole world. In his programmed backstory, Bonnie was bullied a lot until Freddy started hanging out with him. In turn, Freddy soon started being made fun of in his adolescent years, and Bonnie chased them off as well. According to their backstory, it was them against the world, and they've been an unstoppable duo from the beginning, forming a band and singing duets together. Bonnie could never imagine life without Freddy, and he doesn't want to.

One day, according to his programmed backstory, Freddy and Bonnie were performing, when a pizza-loving chicken had asked if she could take up the mic. They let her, and were absolutely blown away, and added Glamrock Chica to their band. Bonnie deeply cares about Chica, as all friends do, and while he doesn't judge her for her love of junkfood and exercise... he does judge her for eating it out of the garbage. He's pretty sure it's a programming glitch that can't be fixed, but he's gotten damaged prior to the incident trying to stop her in the past. Bonnie means no offense, and doesn't love Chica any less, but he can't stand to watch her eat trash. He and the girls would often do each other's hair, "nails" and make-up just for fun for special events, like Halloween, Christmas, and Saint Patrick's Day, to name a few.

Roxy and Bonnie are chaotic together, but they have some good laughs. Roxy was added as an animatronic in the Pizzaplex at a later time, so he has no programmed backstory pertaining to her, but he still accepts her as one of the band members, and is sometimes even compelled to impress her. He does, sometimes, get afraid of her when she's angry, but he knows that if she ever DID hurt him, it would only be an accident. He's seen the loving and caring side of her, and he loves her for it.

Bonnie has nothing but respect for Monty. He's a cool guy, and he was certain that he'd appeal to teenagers better than he would. He welcomed Monty into the group with open arms, accepting him almost as quickly as Freddy did. And yet... Bonnie gets so afraid of him when he's angry. He'll let him win if it means he won't be angry.... but he would never hurt him... right?

Mun

Honestly, I'm not too sure what I can say about myself. I'm 25+ years old, I work at a daycare, I'm bisexual, she/her pronouns. I am an extremely anxious individual who's terrified of stepping over boundaries or hurting feelings. Since this is a side blog, I can't like starters, so I'll send them to you via dms instead, and if you have anons turned off, I can't send asks either. I'm sory of trying to hide from that person who forced me to rp an incestual ship that made me really uncomfortable, so I'm not using my usual alias. Rest assured that I am following you if I'm sending asks or dming you, I'm always interested. If I'm following you but haven't reached out yet, its probably because I don't have any ideas for interactions. Call me Twoie, if you have to call me anything.

[twopoppies]

Hi there, your fic recs are amazing, thank you so much! I was just wondering if you had done one for age difference fics, AU or non AU but like with a sizable age difference? Please don't feel obligated to do one quickly if you haven't xx

Hi darling! So glad you’re liking the fic recs! And no, I haven’t done a rec like that. But there are some really good ones!

babydoll blues by devilinmybrain / @thedevilinmybrain​ (E, 112K) At last, the full-fledged, dirty, sugar baby fic we needed. Harry's character is so layered and so beautifully drawn, I just fell in love with him. Louis is sexy and powerful and also tender and sweet, just how I imagine the actual Louis to be. This author wrote one of my favorite fics of 2021, so I was really excited to dive into this one. They really know how to set a scene and draw you in to their characters. Scorching smut scenes, excellent use of side characters, and some angst that fully made me cry. Definitely worth a read!

Hike Up Your Skirt (And Show Your World To Me) by Anonymous (E, 18K) make sure you read the tags on this one because it’s not exactly “romance” and Louis is definitely super manipulative. But if you like the idea of secretary Harry in lingerie, CEO Louis, copious amounts of dirty talk, some power imbalance, and exhibitionism… this could be for you. Harry is 25, Louis is in his 40s.

Jaerie's Kinktober: Self-cest by @jaerie​ Oh, I loved this, it has a beautiful subtlety to it. The hints of how Harry would grow into his body and his gender, the hints towards monogamy, and the hint towards the pain involved with closeting was all wrapped up in the subtlety of how different Harry at 27 is from how he is at 19. It's only 2K, but it felt like so much more.  

may we all have a vision now and then by momentofclarity / @gaycousinlarry (M, 4K) This author is one of my favorite writers in this fandom and everything they do is infused with so much delicacy and tenderness. I literally cried through this fic because of how wounded Harry’s character feels. Read it and then treat yourself to their whole AO3 catalogue. (Harry is in his 60s, Louis is much younger but his age isn’t specified)

gathered on wings by Brooklyn_Babylon / @twopoppies (E, 33K). This one is mine, Louis is 33, Harry is 26, and here’s the summary:

What Harry Styles wanted was to be taken seriously as an artist.

What he needed was a new sugar daddy to pave the way.

Louis Tomlinson is an artist who isn’t what Harry is looking for.

Somehow he still manages to turn Harry's world upside down.

But When We Kiss... by @indiaalphawhiskey (E, 8K) Sugar baby Harry (30) and silver fox sugar daddy Louis (56) star in this super sexy, really beautifully written fic. I just love everything about it, except that it’s only 8K and I could really read at least 50K more!

maybe by momentofclarity / @gaycousinlarry (GA, 2K) I adore this short little fic. It’s gentle and moving and makes me feel so much. This author writes beautifully. Always. But not nearly often enough. Ages aren’t specified, but Harry guesses Louis to be around 30, while he himself is much older.

a million roses (bathed in rock n’ roll) by deLILah (NR, 30K) 19-year old Harry, 27-year old Louis. This was the first of this author’s fics I read, and once I was done I devoured the rest. I love their writing. This one is just super sexy and well done. In fact, I think I’m going to re-read it tonight! BTW, not sure why it has the NR rating because there’s definitely smut!

ain’t had none like you in a while by istajmaal (E, 12K) read the tags on this one because it may not be your speed. Part one of the Time Travel Daddy series. This fic is basically older Harry and Louis (28 and 30) travel back in time and teach younger versions of themselves (16 and 18) how it’s done. It’s basically crack, but it’s really hot (no surprise from this author) and honestly pretty funny — older Louis constantly rolling his eyes at his younger self cracks me up.

sweet, where you lay by @infinitelymint (E, 27K) 20-year old model Harry and 28-year old actor Louis. I read this one so long ago and my notes only say it’s sweet and sexy, but this author has written a few things I really liked, so I’m trusting past me on this one!

(take you back where you belong) this could be our favorite song by orphan_account (E, 71K) 35-year old Louis, 18-year old Harry. Another one I read long ago and only remember really Iiking it, that it was smutty and angst-y. Fingers crossed that it’s as good as I recall. There’s a very short 2nd part to the series that wraps it all up after the angst.

Breathe Me In (You Won’t Release) by LoadedGunn (E, 95K) probably the OG age difference fic in this fandom. Read the tags. This one isn’t for everyone. I happen to think it’s really well written, great pacing, great characterizations, and super sexy. Harry is 17, Louis is 26

But I’ll Still Take You Home by LoadedGunn (E, 9K) basically just a Uni PWP with 17-year old Harry and 22-year old Louis. But, as with this author, it’s a very well written, hot PWP.

my heart is breathing for this moment in time by usedtothebeach (E, 160K) this might be my all time favorite fic. It’s based on the time traveler’s wife, so Louis and Harry are all different ages thought the fic, sometimes very far apart in age, sometimes close in age. It’s gorgeously written, impossible to put down, and so moving. There’s also an 18K companion piece that rounds the story out perfectly.

Saved Tonight by objectlesson (E, 31K) 23-year old Harry, 31-year old Louis. This author always writes great characterizations and sexy smut. This one also includes some mutual pinning and a particularly good deep discussion of art and fandom and queer representation. (Link is to a download)

I Won’t Let You Forget by graceling_in_a_suit / @graceling-in-a-suit (T, 7K) 18-year old Louis and 26-year old Harry. But only for part of the fic. It’s time travel, so Louis eventually catches up. I love the writing in this one. It’s one of those fics that has that kind of melancholic, dreamy feel to it that I really enjoy. Plus, it has a “no matter what, I would find you in any lifetime” vibe. So good.

[tthael]

Hi, english is not my first language so if I don't make any sense you know why. I'm sorry if i gave you the wrong impression with my ask.I've never read the book so "the shape" of these characters for me personally comes from the movie where Richie is gay. I've recently found out that people that read the book consider him bi. That's why when i read a fic where it's not explicitly stated i always wonder. I saw that you have a tumblr so i was like why not ask.

Hi nonny! Thank you for coming back to clarify, I’m sorry for the defensive tone of my response. Thank you very much for reading my stuff. Nothing about the phrasing of your question was what made me respond that way, just the topic, because I know it’s a hot button issue in fandom at the moment. Nobody wants to be responsible for erasing a sexual minority or a canonical sexual identity--and while in the book Richie’s sexuality is only coded, I’ve been told that André Muschietti explicitly stated that the film portrayal of Richie is gay. So of course, I think that film!Richie is portrayed as gay, and if I were to write Richie based on the film alone, I most likely would write him as gay.

The thing is, I don’t really write exclusively film!Richie. I think that there’s a very rich vein of characterization to be found in the book, which is of course door-stoppingly long, and compared to the limited amount of screentime the movies could spend on each of the Losers, not to mention the changes to their backgrounds the films made (looking at you, tween!Ben who suddenly morphs into adult!Mike), I like to pull from the greatest evidence pool available. That’s why I like to include the teenage werewolf, I like to include Stan’s bird book of North America, I like to include Eddie’s fascination with cars and trains and other mechanical transportation, I like to include Bev’s mother as having been alive during Bev’s childhood, I like to include Ben’s outrunning the track team out of spite, I like to include Bill’s uncanny charisma and his compelling nature, and I like to include Mike with a kinder more curious childhood than he’s allowed in the film. Also, I studied literature in college and I’m just more comfortable with analyzing that than I am analyzing film.

I also really liked the film casting for the adult Losers! It’s very shallow of me but I like how they look, I think they’re all very attractive, and I’m more interested in writing with their physicalities in mind than I am in, say, the actors for the 1990s miniseries. This is a personal preference, just because I myself do not enjoy Bill’s ponytail or Richie’s mustache or Bev as a brunette. I’ve also only ever seen clips of the miniseries. And honestly, I like Bill Hader as Richie in glasses, despite book!Richie wanting to wear contacts as an adult; I find without glasses I have difficulty perceiving him as the character. So I can’t claim to be a book purist--I like writing about the 2016 setting and those are mostly the faces of the Losers I see in my head. I tweak them sometimes--I don’t think I’ve written Richie with blue eyes yet, for example.

So I blend the canons when I decide what to draw on for the fic. That means that, for me, unless it’s explicitly stated, I probably don’t have an intention one way or the other when I write Richie’s sexuality. So far I’ve always written him as a man who loves men, and always as involved and in love with Eddie. I know that for some people that won’t be good enough, that for some people it’s very important to them to see their characters explicitly identify as one label or the other, but I’m afraid that just isn’t a priority for me in my portrayals.

This is informed by 2 things: 1) I like to write the Losers as 40-year-old adults in 2016, and we know that Richie produces a host of problematic content in his career. This of course shouldn’t mean that my portrayal of Richie /should/ be problematic and that’s not my intention--instead, I’m suggesting that when I write Richie, I write a lot about self-loathing and internalized homophobia, and so I focus a lot more on his attraction to men, which in my fic he’s usually not comfortable with, than any potential/past attraction to women. Of course I don’t feel that self-loathing is the necessary response to same-sex attraction, but I also think of the Losers as adults of a certain age who might not always be accurate or thoughtful in discussing the changing world of sexual identities (finding words for them specifically, filling the lexical gap).

I wrote a scene in Things That Happen After Eddie Lives where Richie runs across a gender non-conforming person and initially reads them as female, but then during the conversation remembers that isn’t always the case these days and switch to trying to avoid pronouns for them or trying to refer to them with gender neutral pronouns. But Richie and Eddie still call Jordan and Sarah lesbians, without asking whether they’re a romantic pairing of two bisexual people, or without considering that Jordan might be a man. Richie even wonders if “girlfriend” is being used romantically or platonically the way that women of previous generations do. I have a bead on Jordan’s and Sarah’s identity--but only because Jordan’s me! I think that, as a man born in 1976, growing up extremely closeted, and never engaging in the wider discussion around LGBTQ culture in a constructive way, Richie might be prone to simplification. This, of course, doesn’t mean I’m opposed to a Richie who openly identifies as strictly gay or strictly bi!

2) The second thing that informs the ambiguity of my portrayal of Richie’s sexuality is my own experience with my sexuality and gender. I am closeted in real life. In recent years I have tried a number of identities that, at the time, I believed to fit, but the labels were never clear-cut for me. I am coming to accept, slowly, that in the same way the physical body doesn’t grow to exact neat clean specifications, I might never be able to describe myself accurately and totally in one term. That’s all that I’m willing to share about my experience at this time. My personal philosophy is much like the one Eddie professes when he comes out in Indelicate: it doesn’t seem important to me that people know my preferences unless I’m a) sleeping with them or b) actively dating and trying to put myself out there.

Again, some people have completely different experiences! For some people being closeted is intolerable and having an identity--a word for what they are--really helps them self-actualize and live their truth! For some people, they’re very excited about their identity and participate in Pride events and take joy in asserting that this is who they are to the world! For some people, they never have the awareness that this or that idle feeling might mean they actually /don’t/ fit with how the world sees them. And while I’m a great advocate of self-exploration (comes of being vain as I am), some people don’t do that, and that’s fine!

I know that ambiguity is not a neutral answer when it comes to these questions. In the summer of 2019 when the Good Omens miniseries was released, many fans reached out to author Neil Gaiman asking for confirmation that the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley were gay. Gaiman said, “Theirs is a love story.” He said, “They’re not human and I can’t ascribe human sexual identity to them.” He said, “My coauthor is deceased and I can’t make such confirmations without him.” (These are not direct quotes and I don’t have sources, I’m sorry, it’s been a year.) This was not satisfactory to all parties. For some people explicit confirmation of that gender identity is important. And why shouldn’t it be? Their own is important to them.

But I’m from a school of literary analysis where I welcome different interpretations of my works, which are in this case of course derivative and dependent on evidence from the canons I draw on. I write Richie in love with Eddie, and that’s enough for me. If it’s not for the reader, either I feel there’s ample room to interpret my Richie the way they prefer--not just limited to gay or bi! After the first sex scene in TTHAEL Richie is stunned by how he enjoyed that far more than any other sexual encounter he’s ever had, and I think that’s welcome to interpretations of Richie with demisexuality /or/ Richie just finally having fulfilling sex with a man because he’s gay or bi /OR/ Richie has had good sex before but this was just WAY better because he likes sex better when he’s in love with his partner. And every portrayal of Richie I write is slightly different, so Richie from Indelicate might have different sexual attraction/orientation than Richie from Automatic - Mechanical - Pneumatic or Richie from TTHAEL. BUT I don’t want to say that my interpretation is the only valid one--just know that when I write Richie, I write him as a man in love with another man. If I were to write a story about Richie involved with someone other than Eddie, I would tag for it up front.

Again, I know this is a very long answer and probably not as concise or clear as you might like it to be. Thank you so much for coming back around to explain your logic, I apologize for my wariness the first time around, thank you for asking these questions in good faith. “Why not ask” is of course the simplest way to settle an issue and I don’t want to discourage anyone from asking me questions about my fic. If there are other things you have questions about, please don’t hesitate to ask, either here or by sending me a private message, I  don’t mind either way.

[pencopanko]

Rules: Choose any three fandoms (in random order) and answer the questions, then tag 10 people you want to know better

Tagged by @im-fairly-whitty, @slusheeduck, and @alreadyinmotion!!!

Three fandoms:

Coco

Love Live! Sunshine!!

Undertale

The first character you loved:

Miguel

Chika

Toriel

The character you never expected to love so much

Imelda and Rosa. For the former because I legit thought she was going to be a main antagonist (she kinda was, at first) but then La Llorona blew my socks off. She is officially my Queen. Also because she is a top tier non-anime tsundere. Rosa, on the other hand, is due to me developing her more as a character in my writing. I've always liked the image of a super reliable smart cookie and that's how I see her.

Kanan. At first I thought her voice was a bit weird but the more I watch the anime and the more I play the game, the more I come to love her.

Papyrus. I thought he was going to be this snobbish character but I was proven wrong. His antiques and chemistry with Sans are just so fun to watch onscreen and his theme, Bonetrousle is easily one of my favourite tracks in the game!

The character you relate to the most

When it comes to Coco, I can't really pick just one character because I relate to all of them in different ways, safe for Ernesto. Like Héctor, I tend to not have a plan and just wing it most of the time. Like Miguel, I also have a problem with my passion and my family because not everyone supports me my father often asks me when I will stop drawing and wants me to enter an office job instead or something idk. Like Elena and Imelda, despite me having good intentions I do have the tendency to hurt those around me if I get too strict.

Hanamaru and Ruby both speak to me on a spiritual level. Much like the former, sometimes I think I'm better off backstage (and also because we both like to eat) but like the latter I want to do something big despite me being rather shy and anxious at the mere thought of me being in the spotlight.

I think I can relate to Sans a lot. I like puns and I would rather do the minimum amount of effort to do something. But I also relate to Frisk because there will be times that I have no idea what I'm doing college but I'm just going to stay determined and wing it.

The character you'd slap

Ernesto de La Cruz. YOU COULD HAVE HAD IT ALL BUT YOU HAD TO BE DRAMATIC. Oh and maybe Gustavo too but mOSTLY ERNESTO

Nobody. Besides, Mari was already slapped by Kanan. But srsly I don't want to slap anyone.

Jerry. I hate Jerry.

Three favourite characters

Miguel, Héctor, and Imelda. Plus Rosita!

Chika, Kanan, and Dia

Frisk, Toriel, and Sans

A character you liked at first but don’t anymore didn’t think of much at first but grew on you as time goes on:

Papá Julio. At first I honestly was rather indifferent towards him. But the backstage fight scene changed everything. I mean, how my man can fight! He basically makes use of his size to kick a bodyguard twice his size and probably half his age and succeeded. That is arguably one of the most badass moments in Disney history, hands down.

Riko. At first I didn't think much of her but then the more I watch the anime the more I realize... she is such a dork. I fricking love her and her reactions to basically everything the other members say. I like that despite her being a Cool girl, she can also do silly things like leaping off from Chika's balcony to her own balcony because who does that and her diamond mouth like why is she so cute.

Asgore. I wasn't a big fan of him prior to playing the game but then I watched a playthrough before buying the game and I fell in love with his theme and just his story overall. He's such a tragic character and I only want the best for him, even if it means living without his wife.

Three OTPs

Imector and basically every single canon ship in the movie plus Marrosa and Rafita.

Aqours and happiness because my girls deserve the best (I don't ship anyone in the franchise but I do like the chemistry between Kanan and Mari)

Soriel! This ship is actually the very thing that got me into the game.

Now let's tag...

@calliopesquill @dreamstormdragon @now-make-it-gayer @babycharmander @petalsandguitars @imjuanita @upperstories @spiritonadventure @loudgrito and @odd-cinderella!!