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The current cover art for The Spirit Tale of Fire Lord Ozai.
The 1st attempt before going back to tweak colors (especially on the background gradient) and a second round of highlights.
Clean close up of the crown itself without the foreground flames obscuring it.
A closer-to-canon version of the crown, removing the scorching/scar and embroidery on the band.
I've used this image in a few places now (Royal Road, Spotify, Discord. Should probs add it to AO3 as SToFLO's main home. See below edit.) for SToFLO, but I haven't really talked about it. So, let's do that!
First, white fire is HARD. (Especially in ATLA's style, which doesn't seem to keep to a brightest/hottest flame near the source pattern, so much as a bright spots where they look good until the flame shape abruptly ends method.) It's ridiculously difficult to keep the flames from looking ghostly (adding some yellows and reds buried under the white so they can just barely be seen helped with that) to say nothing of trying to keep them bright without turning them into a blob of white. I kinda hated myself for making that a plot point while I was working on this. Worse, depending on monitor/phone settings, this image can be either blinding or a dingy gray. I eventually had to accept that I could either scrap them (which I clearly did not do) or make my peace with the situation.
I really like how the reflections on the gold came out on my second attempt. I waffled over doing them the first time because the canon images I found for reference (They were surprisingly hard to find. Everything is either an establishing shot too far out for good detail, or a close up on the face that cuts out the crown.) don't seem to put any special shine on the crown at all. Some feedback encouraged me to at least try it to help tie the foreground and subject into a cohesive image. I'm glad I listened! It looks so much better than the first version for that factor alone.
It's not literal to the fic (barring sudden inspiration -- Agni might enjoy tagging along as a tiny sphere cradled in the crown, just because?) but I effectively slapped Zuko's scar on the crown and amused myself thoroughly doing so. I probably should have gone back and tweaked the background colors again to up the contrast between the two elements. (Maybe if there's a third version I'll remember to alter that.)
The band looked very plain as it was, so I added some embroidery. Flames and waves seemed Fire Nation appropriate, so that's what I ended up adding.
The finished piece is by no means perfect, but overall I'm quite chuffed with how it turned out. I learned a good bit making it, that's for sure.
Edit: I tried adding the image to AO3 in a few different ways, but failed to find any I liked. Doubly so when taking into account the differences in display size/dimensions for desktop/mobile. Formatting across systems is a pain.
Rejected options included: in the summary (couldn't make it look nice with AO3's limited HTML -- no float, table was a clunky workaround at best), in the opening notes (crowded, edging toward bloated), and above the text of the first chapter (same crowding problem, but uglier for being below the horizontal break). Oh well. It was a nice thought.
Edit2: Might go back and try adding it to a later (but still early) chapter, if I can find a place it would make sense to insert it. It should be a complementary addition to the story, not a distraction, ya know?
Edit3: Stuck it at the beginning of chapter six. Not totally happy with the placement, but it's the best I've come up with. We'll see if I stick with it.
#commehtating#commehterart#the spirit tale of fire lord ozai#avatar the last airbender#atla#art#fanfiction#fanfic#fire nation#fire lord's crown#fire nation crown#fire nation royal family#fire lord zuko#fire lord ozai
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My first InZOI gameplay photos - Day one (March 28)
Here are the first pictures of my experimental InZOI character, John Robinson. John is my "guinea pig", and I don't plan to start a story with him yet because: 1) The game is still in early access, and I need them to fix the aging options so I don't lose my zois or so they don't age so fast. 2) I already have too many stories underway, I'd like to finish them before starting one more. 3) Like I said, John is a test character only. Believe me though, he's wonderful and I'm already starting to get attached to him, lol.
Anyway, the pictures here below are not edited, tweaked, or reshaded, they are just as I took them in the game. My computers don't meet the maximum requirements, but the graphics on my gamer laptop allows me to play in Ultra, with a modest GeForce RTX 3060, which I appreciate. Now, these first photos are mostly taken on my desktop PC (GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER), so the graphic options are set to Medium. Later I'll post the pictures I took on my laptop, which left me much more satisfied, and like I said, they're just gameplay photos, no editing.
These photos are almost all from John's first day of work at the Surf Shop, a job that turned out to be very boring for a zoi who aspires to a Life of Excitement. As we can tell from the last photo, he got fed up with the job and, of course, he quit. 😂
I may not post more Inzoi on Tumblr for now cause I don't want to invade my Simblr with zois. But it's a fact that this game is here to stay with me, so I'm planning to make myself a special Tumblr account for InZOI soon, I don't know how or when yet, probably when the finished game comes out.
In the meantime, whoever is interested in the life of my zois, you can find posts on my WordPress, in the InZOI Category, or looking for the Today in InZOI tag.

You know, so many times while playing Cyberpunk 2077, which I played from beginning to end and with which I had lots of fun, I thought: "how I wish my sims could live in a world that looked like this". Well, apparently my sims will never do (thanks EA), but my zois will, I got the realism I always wanted for my game, which makes me extremely happy. Yes, I'm having a blast and I'm not gonna apologize for it.
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@fidgetyfawn hi hi so i thought i'd go and give you a very brief tumblr beginner/early intermediate guide since i've also seen some other people around here that may find it useful!!
i'm going to assume you know little to nothing, and this post is good both for people who are just looking to find cool art/fic/whatever, or for people looking to post their own art/fic.
click on the readmore here and i'll give you a bit of a walkthrough for how to get things set up and how to start interacting with people, as well as some basic etiquette!
THIS IS A VERY LONG POST!! pro tip: if you're on desktop, you can use the J key to skip down a post and the K key to skip up. youre welcome
so first things first, when you log in, the first thing you'll see is your dashboard. this is where posts from people you follow will appear.
dashboard management
i can't remember if this is the default or not, but i highly recommend you change your dashboard (almost typed dachshund ATD counter: 1) to chronological order. you can do this by clicking settings on the left, then dashboard (ATD counter: 2) on the right.
personally, i uncheck the 'shorten longer posts' option since it cuts things too short, and further down you'll see the option that says 'best stuff first'. turn that shit off. you'll miss a lot of posts from people you follow if you have it on. actually, everything on that preferences section can get turned off. tumblr is designed to be more curated, and those are all options the staff added trying to emulate things like twitter. they suck. turn em off.
how to find blogs to follow
so now that you've got your dash set up, it's time to get some shit showing up!! you've already started off right by following me, so i can see you know how to do that much. but in case this post breaches containment, i'll put some tips here for people:
if you see people out in the wild that you like who link their tumblrs, go check em out. see if you like what they post. if so, you can follow them. this will put their posts on your dashboard, and they'll get a notification that you've followed if they have those turned on.
once you find someone you like, check out who they're reblogging from. go check out those blogs. see who they're reblogging. go check out those blogs. search for things that you're interested in, and click on the people posting into those tags (more on this later). eventually, you'll be following lots of people who post things that you like, and now you can start really curating your own posting experience.
some people will have a DNI (do not interact) linked somewhere. if they do, it's considered good etiquette to give it a look and make sure you're not gonna step on toes. some people will have a "blank blogs"/"ageless blogs dni" on theirs, or say they'll block you if you're a blank/ageless blog. this is because a lot of bots will have a blank tumblr, so it's a good idea to make some text posts or something saying IM REAL I PROMISE and you can have "i'm an adult"/"18+"/"(your actual age if you're comfortable with it)"/"(an approximation of your age, e.g. 20s, if you arent)" before you get too in the weeds on following people.
sidebar, once you're blocked, it's a bit tacky to go find that person on other platforms or go on anon and ask why they blocked you. just move on and don't take it personally.
how to post shit
these are the buttons that let you post new shit. when you make a new post, you'll get the post editor popping up. it's actually pretty cool, hot take, but here are the important things to know:
put your post in the spot. i'm using the text post one here since i post either fanfic or nattering. you can add links to stuff, change formatting, font colors, all that. i'm not gonna get too into the weeds on that since this is a beginner guide, but there are other guides on how to do it slash you should fuck around with it a bit yourself. i will, however, show you the details of the "post now" button
post now: posts now
add to queue: tumblr has a function where it will automatically post things in your queue. you can find it in your blog detail page, which you get to via account>[click on your blog name]>queue on the right. you can change how many per day go there. a lot of people will have a cutesy queue tag (eg "i love queue" or something punny like that) so your followers will know if it's a queued post or a regular one. this is cute, but not necessary
save as draft: if you want to keep a post for later but not publish it yet, you can save it as a draft. it's in the same place as your queue, but these will stay there until you post it yourself. i do this a lot for posts that i want to keep for their information, or to save art to post for when i'm trying to break up an ocean of asks. very cool feature
post privately: this will make it so that only you can see the post. just a warning though that anything that goes online will be seen by Someone, so i wouldn't put like. deep dark secrets or your ssn here or something. (<- does not use this feature at all hahaha)
schedule: you can have the post drop on a certain time on a certain day. fun for flashbanging yourself later, or reminding yourself of something, etc.
if you put something in your post, it will be "searchable" on tumblr. that means if you have a post saying "i hate tmnt rise" then people who look for "tmnt rise" may be able to see your post. just a heads up. you can make your blog not show up in search results, but if you're someone looking to be found (e.g. a writer trying to post, or someone trying to make friends, etc.) i dont recommend you turn that on. just be aware that if you post things talking shit, you might get some people trolling you. just block them and move on.
if you click into a post, this thing will pop up. this will allow you to add a picture, a gif, a link, an audio file, a video file, a poll, or a readmore break (shortens the post like i did with this one to make it less intrusive on someone's dashboard).
etiquette note: if your post is going to be on the long side, Especially if it's a text post (for me this is around the 650-700 word mark), put it under a readmore. it's really annoying on mobile to scroll through a bunch of text. also, if you're going to post nsfw (which i will remind you, WILL show up in the public tags!) either have some kind of nsfw tag, put it under a readmore, or both.
tags
on the bottom of your post, you will see the option to tag your posts. some people don't use the tag function at all. i use it religiously. tagging serves two functions: organizing your blog, and sharing your content.
on your blog, you can search posts by tag. this is the best way to search your tumblr, which has a notoriously terrible search function. if you ever want to confidently be able to find things again, tag them something you'll remember. i have a list here of tags i use as an example for some ideas.
secondly, tumblr has a function where you can see what everyone is posting under a certain phrase. you can find this by typing a phrase into the "search tumblr" bar in the upper right. this will largely be posts that are tagged by that thing, or have tags that contain that phrase. (e.g. if you search "tmnt" you will find posts that are tagged "tmnt" but also some that are tagged "donnie tmnt"). this is how you can find new people to find, and fun art to reblog, etc. search for things you're interested in, then go through the tag and find who looks cool.
you'll also find that some people (<- me) will "talk" in the tags. the op of the post Can See These!!! so don't say anything that's rude or that you wouldn't want them to see!!! but this is a holdover of tumblr etiquette from years ago when it was considered rude to reblog art, let's say, and put your thoughts about something in the reblog as its own reblog. the old school of thought is that it disrupted the "aesthetic" of the post, so you'll see a lot of people put their commentary in the tags instead. it's not as obtrusive, but everyone can still see it. there's a joke that your tags will "pass peer review" if someone screenshots them and puts them on the post while reblogging, but that's usually something you'll see on particularly funny posts or creative posts or that sort of thing.
reblogs vs reposts
you will come across people who have "no reposts" or "don't repost my art" in their description or on their blog or on their art. there's a lot of confusion for new tumblr people on what that means.
reposting means that you are downloading the art/fic/whatever, then using the upload function and creating your own original post.
reblogging is when you take the post that the person made, and clicking on the reblog button (third one here):
reposting things is BAD because it does not give the op original credit and it makes it look like you created the thing. reblogging is GOOD because it shares art/writing/etc with the people who are following you, and encourages community. the double arrows are what keep community alive!!
on that note, likes are functionally useless. that little heart there does nothing for artist engagement. while there is a tumblr algorithm, it's terrible, doesn't really work, and! we've already turned ours off in the beginning, remember? most people will have done this. liking a post doesn't put it on your blog, it doesn't make it so that you can find it later, it doesn't boost the op's engagement. likes do the two things and only the two things:
op knows you saw the post
tumblr puts it into one giant unsearchable pile of things you've liked
that's it! so if you like a post, consider reblogging it. add that fun commentary in the tags we talked about! this is a really good way to make someone's day.
etiquette note; you'll sometimes see people who say "no spam likes". this means that they don't like it when people go through their blog and just hit like on the latest posts over and over and over. it clogs up the notification feed and makes it harder to see the engagement that actually Means something, e.g. reblogs, mentions, replies, etc. i personally don't have an issue with it since you can filter those out if you're looking for something, but if someone asks you not to do it, don't do it. also, if you do it and suddenly find that you're blocked even if you've not done anything wrong, that might be why. some people just don't like it shrug.
how to make friends
tumblr is a social media site, and while it's possible to have a great time on your own just reblogging pretty art and great fics onto your page, a lot of the joy comes from participating in community.
there's a good post here i reblogged the other day for some details, but here are some basic things for a beginner to know:
you can send messages to blogs you like called "asks". you'll find the link to it on the left of the follow button on someone's blog, and a lot of people will have changed the wording. for example, mine is called "request a song." you can send people messages, anonymously if you wish, and tumblr will let you know when the person has answered your message. they may do so publicly (which i always do!), so make sure not to put anything there you wouldn't be okay with all of their followers seeing. don't be rude. but it's the best way to start talking with someone. and most people are very excited to get messages like this!! so don't be intimidated!!
there is a dm system. most people aren't going to have it available except to people they're following, and it has a bit more of an intimate feel than an ask. personally, i only use this function for my mutuals (people whom i follow who are also following me), and i'd be willing to bet that's a common mood about it.
replies: just like you did with the post you started, you can reply to text posts. the op will see it, and you can start talking about a post without having it appear on your blog. it's a nice way to communicate without clogging up your dash/blog, and you did so perfectly!
reblogs: we already went over this, but you can also just reblog posts. the person from whom you reblog will see what you say, and op will see what you say. etiquette here is not to reblog posts if someone asks you not to, and to tag longer posts as "long post" so people on mobile who have that limited don't have to scroll as long
talk to people! be friendly! ask them about their day. if it's an author, tell them your favorite part of their last fic. ask what the inspiration was for this part or that part. i get people sending me songs in that remind them of character moments, and that's fun! draw art of your favorite scene, then tag the author in it! (to tag people, use the @ symbol, then type their username, e.g. @desceros tags me).
find people that are posting the things that you like, follow them, reblog from them, send in asks off anon when they reblog little games asking for them, just. you know. be social. that post i linked has some good ideas if you need help.
if you're coming from ao3, go to the author's profile page. a lot of us have our tumblrs linked there. go to their tumblr. follow them. send in asks about their fics. you'll often find fun fanart, or wips, or that kind of thing!
anyway i think that answered all the questions you had, but you can ask if there's something specific you were looking for i didn't touch. hope this helps!! C:
#text post#i... think that covers most of the basics. fwahh!! anyway welcome to tumblr and i hope you enjoy it! :D
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🌀🌈☔🌪️ pleaseeee 🫶🏼
there you go Cat!! 🫶🏼
🌀Post the fic summary for a fic you haven't written/published yet. It can be hypothetical or something you really plan on releasing…
ok so I do have a fic summary but its very short and not telling much. also I thought I would avoid talking about this fic in this wip ask round 😩😂 since they’re so short I'll share both of them.
The Lunar Mystery
1.09.1975 - 30.06.1978 Hogwarts years. Nadia is a Ravenclaw friend of the marauding gang. Chaos ensues.
It's my OC-focused canon-ish long fic that I am writing. just very slowly. and not in English.
The New Moon’s Eve
20.10.1979 In another life they were given a chance that they didn't think they deserved
It's a sequel to The Lunar Mystery and also an AU where somebody doesn't die and the consequences of that (its a fix-it, that’s what it is)
you can all learn a bit about it here (its my sideblog that I recommend checking out on desktop bc its prettier and actually usable 😂 )
🌪️Sum up a WIP with a few fic tropes/Ao3 tags.
Erasmus AU!! bc surely you still haven't heard enough about it!!
Alternate Universe: Modern Setting - Alternate Universe: College/University - Polish Remus Lupin - British Sirius Black - Italian James Potter - Polish Lily Evans - German Peter Pettigrew - sirius black is the only british character - author regrets everything - meet ugly - getting together - long distance relationship - cat owner remus lupin - implied/referenced child abuse - teenage runaway sirius black - meeting the parents - fear of coming out - coming out - family angst - remus lupin needs a hug - christmas fluff - first christmas together - sirius’s first polish christmas
☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?
I have a doc with half assed outline and 0.6 full sentences of dialogue inspired by this pic:
(This is, this time, full crack) (also, spoilers below)
Remus sometimes goes to house parties where he doesn't know anybody just to get drunk with somebody else’s money. He makes polite conversations, bc he likes to be liked, and it boosts his self esteem. Plus, its easier to talk to random people he doesnt know - no strings attached and all that.
At the entrance he sees a table with different colored cups. He doesnt know which to pick - he doesn't want people to judge him based on his sexual preferences and to be perceived a certain way - especially since he didn't come here to get laid. A man (he later learns his name is Sirius) appears at his side and they strike a conversation - Remus tells him about his house party thing and that he doesn't even know the host. After they finish talking Remus picks the most neutral option and off he goes.
Throughout the night Remus sees Sirius going around the party and striking conversations here and there. At some point Sirius finds Remus in the kitchen. Remus suggests ditching a party but Sirius looks back at the guests and says he isn't keen on the idea - Remus assumes he is involved with the guy (James) he saw him talking to earlier.
In the early morning people start clearing out - Remus walks in on Sirius politely kicking out Fabian and Gideon and starts to realise that Sirius might be the host, so he panics bc of all the things he told him earlier. (He needn’t to, Sirius ask him out on a date ⬇️)
🌈 Share something soft/fluffy from your WIP.
(spoilers for the unnamed house party fic)
“You said you didn't know the host,” said Sirius, “so I thought-” “Yes, and you are the host,” said Remus, going pale with the realisation. “I'm so terribly sorry, I really didn't-” “Can you let me finish a sentence?” he cut him off. “I thought, since we both had a great time – at least, I’m assuming you had a good time – why dont we get to know each other better?” “What?” Remus asked weakly. “I’m trying to ask you out on a date here, Lupin, cooperate.” “I know, I just don’t know why.” “Because we had fun? And because you intrigue me, you little mischievous thing, and I would love to see more of you, hidden under the polite smile and kind words.”
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just rambling and trying to sort my thoughts on some stuff, (you canread it if u want but it's probably boring, this is basically me thinking out loud)
i remember a while ago seeing a comic that showed how it feels having ADHD like this: There are people collecting marbles, and most of them (the people without adhd) had bags or baskets to carry their marbles in, except the adhd person who didn't have one. so they had to carry their marbles in their arms and every time they picked up a new marble, one or more others dropped out of their arms.
and ever since i saw that i can't stop thinking about it because yeah thats exactly what i feel like!!!! i make so many lists and take notes to not forget all the amny many little things but i still can't stay on top of it! even if i dont forget about something, i still have that limited carrying capacity and i keep dropping older marbles if i try to keep up with new ones....... i am fucking overwhelmed literally all the time and its exhausting :(
taking notes does take a little bit of the weight off, like i can stop remembering a thing a million times, cause i know i got it written down somewhere, but it a) isn't fool proof and b) gets very complicated to keep all the notes in some sort of order so they're actually accessible (oh at least i possibly found a way to sort the optional goals out from my daily finch goals now (which was getting unmanageable) so if u also have this problem, maybe making a seperate journey for those tasks and then pausing the journey is the solution? i'll test it and report later) but i might still need to find a good to do-list app cause my 10+ lists in the notes app (google keep) aren't working super great (especially for tasks that repeat and therefore can't just be checked off once, (which finch actually can do, but idk somehow thats not working super well for me either idek why)
Some things i noticed would be helpful (bolded is what keep doesn't have): accessible from desktop and phone, i need to be able to make seperate lists, with subtasks (preferably able to be hidden/ closed), i need to colour code or otherwise differentiate the tasks within a list, setting some tasks to repeat in custom intervalls or at a certain time with notification, (but not all tasks!), icons/thumbnails next to the task would be helpful, being able to access the ticked-off tasks, so i can see what i've done so far - oh and it would be amazing if i could collect a few tasks from different lists into one list of the day, (even better if that doesn't permanently move them off their own lists, like just mark them as #today and you can filter by that tag to see them all in one place, if that makes sense? but they stay on their respective lists) (might get back to this to add more things if more comes up)
god i need to take a nap everything is too much and i haven't even done that many things yet
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"Well, well... I suppose you need an explanation of how all of this works?"
"You should already know who I am, of course- your boss, the one guiding you in your job as the warden of MILGRAM? That's right, I'm the one and only Jackalope. You'll want to listen up, because I'm only going to explain this once..."
"This blog allows you to send questions to Mahiru Shiina, Prisoner 006. Think of it... like an extended interrogation. You can send them as yourself, or anonymously... whatever you'd like. Put your name on what you say or not, I don't care."
"As with how things work in MILGRAM regularly, what you say to her and how you say it will affect her just like your judgements do. This will help you to better understand the prisoner. After all, I want you to peer into their hearts and minds. It's best if you can truly understand them, in order to make the best judgement you can."
"Oh, and one last thing: this blog is best viewed on its desktop theme, if possible."
"I've also been told to mention that there's 'OOC info' under the cut, whatever that means."
Hiii. This is, as you can probably guess, an ask blog/rp account! Just real quick under the cut, here's a few basics for conduct:
I am an adult, but will not be answering any NSFW asks, and I also reserve the right to not reply to anything that makes me personally uncomfortable. This probably won't happen anyway, but I want to make my stance clear just in case. There's a lot of minors on milgramblr and running similar roleplay blogs, and I want this to be a safe and comfortable blog for everyone to interact with.
For consistency's sake, the current timeline of this blog is set in trial one. This may, and likely will, change at some point. I might jump timelines around later. But, starting out, it'll be trial one.
I try to stick close to canon in my characterization, but might indulge in a few personal headcanons here and there, especially to fill in gaps on things we don't know. If you send "magic anons" and things of that sort, I may or may not reply/go with it, depending- I'd like to stick mostly with the idea that any asks sent here are the "voices" that the prisoners mention hearing (so, not being able to physically do anything)... but I also may decide to indulge for fun. Basically, it's up to personal discretion. Just know it might not get answered.
This is probably going to be more of an ask-blog type thing than it is... a rp blog per-se, but I may dip my toes into roleplaying a bit on here as well! Other Milgram RP blogs can feel free to interact, and Mahiru will respond to any asks from RP blogs as if they were being sent by your character. I'll tag interactions with other prisoners with their number!
(I might do art for some asks as well, depending on motivation...)
Oh, and I'll edit this to put a tag index here whenever I figure out what I'm doing for those. Right now my ooc tag is simply #ooc, and any graphics I've used on the blog are reblogged under #graphics credits, as well as being credited at the bottom of this post.
Please just in general be nice and remember there's a real person running the account, and hopefully we can all have some fun with this!~ I've definitely been inspired by seeing other ask blogs/roleplay blogs pop up for MILGRAM, so I'm excited to jump in!
graphics credits: mobile icon + header by ameyumez and dividers on this post by 74n5n.
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Writer interview game
Tagged by @dithorba a little while ago so sorry about the delay but thank you for the tag! Just took me a bit to get to this.
When did you start writing?
I want to say 2014ish. The oldest fic I still have access too was started in 2014, but I don't remember if it was the first I ever wrote or the first big one I wrote. 2015 was when I started really getting into writing. I didn't post any of my writing to 2016, but I'd written tens of thousands of words by then. That 2014 fic got to 38k before I set it aside! (It was a time travel fic which hadn't even gotten to the time travel part 😅)
Though actually looking at the question again... sure I started writing fic in around 2014, but I actually started writing for fun before that! I had a teacher in elementary school, probably 5th or 6th grade, who encouraged me to write a story. I don't remember why she did, but I probably just liked writing so much that she recommended I have an outlet for that. I started with some original fiction that I want to say was something about people deserted on an island or something. In eighth grade I had another writing assignment that I'm pretty sure ended up being 25 pages long when the requirement was probably something like 5-10. After that I got into fic, and besides two or so original stories that never made it past 5k, I've stuck with it since.
Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write? -
I'm not good at writing romance and don't usually write romance, but I enjoy reading about romances. Generally I still prioritize plot over romance though. Once I got a book that was definitely a romance first novel and let me tell you, I was really annoyed when the MCs decide they wanted to storm out of the conference room to have sex in the hallway when they were in the middle of interrogating the guy who'd killed the POV MC's mother and was plotting the murder of a bunch of other people. There are times and places to do that! Don't do that when we have plot going! Figure it out and then go make out once we've made some progress!!
Other than that... I find body horror fascinating but I'm also not great at it. Unlike romance, body horror is something I would like to get better at writing myself.
(On a related note, the favorite genre of original fiction is fantasy. I looooove high fantasy novels! Give me magic and knights and religion and mythical creatures and I'm sold.)
Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often? -
I don't think I've ever been compared to anyone. I have no idea who or what my writing is like to anyone else.
As for writers I want to emulate... this is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. I've gotten into the habit of screenshotting fics I really enjoy so I can break down what I enjoy and think about how to integrate that into my own writing. I'll sometimes take pictures of books if I have my phone on me while reading, or screenshot ebooks for the same reason. I wouldn't say there's one writer in particular I'm trying to emulate at the moment. I do want to get more flowery in my writing though. It might be a slog for some people, but I adore it, so that's something I want to work on.
Can you tell me a bit about your writing space? -
There are a couple places! Sometimes I'll write at my desktop computer, but I frequently write on my laptop while sitting on my bed. There's a chair by a big open window that I'll also write at from time to time because I like the light. Usually when I'm in my room it's because it's later in the day/night, whereas when I write in the window chair it's because it's earlier and the light streams in the room in a pretty way. I like to change it up a little bit from time to time.
When I was younger I wrote pretty exclusively on my phone. It was either my phone or the family computer, which I did start on, but that was hard because I didn't want to write when anyone was home so...yeah. Now I hardly ever write on my phone. For one, my two main WIPS are over 85k words long so they'll just crash if I try to write on my phone. Beyond that I tend to write when I'm at home, and I'm faster at typing on my laptop than I am on my phone. It's physically more comfortable. But I will use my phone if inspiration strikes when I'm out and I want to jot something down, or if it's the end of the day and I'm in bed and want to knock out a few (hundred) words before I go to sleep. (Occasionally this will turn into a thousand words like a few days ago but. Usually it's for shorter stints!)
What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse? -
Great question. I wish I knew!
I will say that several of my recent fics have been motivated by seeing someone post something that makes little sparks go off in my mind. They'll put out a question or a sentence or three, then my head will go 'ah yes, what if we explored this-' and go deeper. From there it's just a matter of how much I feel like writing. Sometimes there's an idea I enjoy but little motivation to write. Sometimes I really, really want to write but even if the ideas are sitting there, I just can't get the words to flow because none are appealing in that moment. Sometimes I just have to trudge through a hundred words or few before I get in the groove of things and the words start flowing.
I will say that I daydream about things a lot. So sometimes I will daydream about a scenario until it turns into something fic worthy. Other times I'll have a fic, daydream, and then get enough of a foundation that I feel like I can write. It just depends.
Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you? -
Uhhhh. Angst? Pushing characters to emotional limits and seeing how being stretched may make them react? Character studies? If there are recurring themes they're probably unconscious. I like feeling things, I like making characters feel things, and I like examining them when they do.
I will say that a good deal of my recent writing (posted and not) has to deal with unpleasant situations and how people react to having to make a decision when their only options are bad ones, or to people doing unhealthy things. Lots of heavier topics in my recent writing. Does this surprise me? Nah, I enjoy it. Does it perhaps say something about my recent mental state? Well.
Even if they go through hardships they make it through. Are they happy? Well. They're alive. Happiness means something different to everyone. For those of you who've read xxxHolic, if you remember Yuko's quote about Subaru....it's stuck with me for a very long time. That and Subaru's horrible terrible quote about happiness to Kamui in X. Should the takeaway be that you should be okay with not finding happiness because happiness is not for everyone? That not everyone can find happiness and this is a fact of life that we should make peace with? Probably not. You should always strive for more. But whether I and the characters I write about are doing that as much as they probably should... it's fascinating exploring what happiness means to someone, and where the line between contentment and happiness lies, especially in regards to peace and acceptance.
What is your reason for writing? -
It's fun. I like imagining characters in scenarios, and when I write, I preserve a variation of that scenario that I can always come back to and enjoy. Sometimes I'll daydream variants of my own fics that don't happen quite how I wrote them. And that works because I have that base to come back to! Writing also helps me straighten out some of the kinks in these daydream scenarios. It's also fun to improve.
I also write to share my ideas with other people. I love reading what other people write, so I like to share my ideas so they can have a little peace of that happiness too. It also opens the door for discussion, which I absolutely adore. Sometimes even a short comment can get my brain firing all cylinders again, prompting me to think about something in a new or deeper way. I was very chatty in college discussion classes and I miss forums. I love talking about the things I love, I love exploring different themes and motifs and language etc etc, and fic is an excellent way of starting the discussion.
What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer? -
I'm not sure. I would like to say ideas, but even then I don't know. I can write long things? But I feel like that's more my a product of my definite weakness, which is being concise. I really struggle with that. It's something I've tried to work on from time to time, but I still tend to get so wordy I lose steam on fics before they're done. My google drive is the graveyard for dozens of unpublished fics. And when I say dozens, there are definitely over a hundred.
How do you feel about your own writing? -
I think it's on the good side of okay. I'd probably rate it 6.5 or 7 out of 10, with 10 being "this is the most amazing thing I have ever read, get this person an award, I need to talk about this writing," 0 being "this person seriously needs a beta and to look up the fundamentals of writing, I could not finish this." and 5 being "yeah this is readable, was worth my time to read it."
Recently I did some self reflection and have come to terms with the fact that my writing isn't what I want it to be but that's okay. I'm young. I've been writing for 10 years, sure, but for how much of that time have I really been trying to get better as a writer, as opposed to merely writing? How much time have I spent studying other writers? How much time have I spent trying to tweak my writing without giving up? I have time and I have room to grow. I might not be at the top but my stuff is still readable for the most part.
I think I have a better relationship with my writing than I did a year or two ago, when I felt like I was not able to do what I wanted to do and immensely frustrated by it. I'm still a little frustrated, but I don't feel paralyzed like I used to. My two current longfic wips, sitting at 89k and 101k words, are fics that I wrote for plot and and am currently revising. They're both almost done in terms of plot, only needing another ~2 and ~3 chapters respectively, but I'm only ~25% and 5% through revising for writing respectively. By that I mean going back to make them sound pretty. And even more importantly, I'm revising them to make them consistent in terms of style, and for the style to mimic the atmosphere/plot of the fic! I'm trying to work on matching my writing style to the narrator, which can be a bit tricky when the narrator doesn't exactly lend themself to the style I would like to write in, so I've been working on blending the two.
My writing isn't perfect. I wish it were better. I really, really wish I were better at using literary devices, adding in references, the general 'being flowery', and making these big overarching themes that readers can catch onto. I wish I were better at connecting small thins to the big themes. I love picking apart writing, and I want people to be able to pick apart my writing to find gems too. I need to strike a balance between explaining all my choices in the writing and not explaining them but hoping readers pick up on it. It does not always make sense for the narrator to explain all of the logic to something, because some of that should be innate. But I also don't want things to seem illogical, or for signs to be so obscure no one catches them. It's hard to strike this balance. I'm not very good at it yet.
So when it comes to the art of writing, I think I'm overall only just barely okay. When it comes to the craft or the act, sure I can write. I've written 288k words of fic this year. I can do plots. I can put words on paper (or on screen). But are they works of art? Well...they are, technically, I'm not going to deny that, but are they museum worthy? My current answer is no. If they're going in any museums then it's the city museum at best. It's the filler that people enjoy, but could easily be replaced. It's okay. People enjoy it! I'm proud of it. But I know it could be better.
That's the main thing. I know it could be better.
I want it to be better. I need to get down the patience to make it better. I'm making strides, but I'm not where I want to be yet.
My writing is enjoyable, but again I would place it on the good side of okay. Or the okay side of good. Not the good side of good. It feels childish in a way, compared to some of the greats. Not all writing needs to be chock full of little references and themes and flowery language to be good, but since that's what I want my writing to be, it means I'm not where I want to be and thus that it isn't good at what I want it to be. It's okay at what I want it to be.
We'll see how far I ever manage to get. I have so many words I haven't' published because I feel like they're not "good writing" and it's frustrating me because I want to share. I'm just sitting here hoping someone doesn't get to the topic before I do... because I definitely have stuff in my vaults that I enjoyed but hadn't finished tweaking, only to find someone wrote the same topic but better, causing me to place them in the grave because I can't hope to match that and don't want to be accused of plagiarism, because who's going to believe I wrote my thing first but then left it in my drafts for 3 months?
So...yeah I need to get over myself lol. I can write. I've been writing a long time. What I write is enjoyable. It could just be better. I want to get better at writing as an art. Hone my skills, refine my craft, and all that.
#erurandomness#thank you for the tag! took a while to get to but this was fun to think about#because man do i have a lot to think about#eruwrites#erubabbles#eruanswers#tag meme
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Writing Interview Tag Game
I was tagged by @ra-scheln - thank you! :D
When did you start writing?
A looooooong time ago. Haha. As a kid there was a several year period where I thought I wanted to be an author as a career, and always liked writing even after I moved on to other plans. The stuff I wrote as a kid is mostly lost to time, although I do still have the Google doc of a “novel” I wrote for my senior English project in high school. I haven't had the courage to look at it for a long time because it is uh. Not Good. :P (No judgment on my past self - we become better through trying and learning. But it would probably be unrecognizable compared to my writing now.)
Are there different themes or genres that you enjoy reading than what you write?
Sort of? I like reading scifi and fantasy and the majority of my writing has also been in those genres. But I also like reading things like regency romance, historical fiction, very specific types of horror, etc. that I have no real interest in trying to replicate.
Can you tell me about your writing space?
Sometimes I write on my phone flopped on the couch - that's how I'm writing my answers to these questions in fact! I'm a pretty fast phone typist but it's still a slower process, though, so when I really want to buckle down I usually go to my desktop computer which is in the office. Right now it's a big wooden corner desk but I'd like to replace it with a couple of smaller ones that are more easy to maneuver and put cool rgb lights on for the Gamer Aesthetic. XD
What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?
Lately as I've been trying to write more consistently, I've been having a lot of luck with this web app called 4thewords.com. It's a bit of gamification but the main thing I like about it is you pick an amount of time and a word goal and it sets a timer for you and it has proved REALLY effective for forcing me to just get words down on paper. The first draft is the hardest for me by far and it's been often really useful for getting over that hump. So lately I'll set myself up for 500-1000 words or so per day of “battles” and that gets me the forward momentum that I'm trying to maintain.
That said, I'm also trying to be better about not forcing myself to write when it's just not coming at all. I don't want to burn myself out.
Are there any recurring themes in your writing?
I am sure the answer is yes but it's hard for me to distinctly identify them. (I'd be interested in hearing reader answers to this question.)
Off the top of my head, though - missing scenes, mutual pining, struggles with emotional control. I think one major thing is that, as someone who missed my prime dating years due to the Big Sad, a lot of my characters do have an underlying thread of finding love/fulfillment/connection despite obstacles, later in life, or when they feel they don't deserve it or don't know how to do it.
What is your reason for writing?
The same reason I was almost an actor, the same reason I like making people laugh on my stream. Hell, even the same reason I like programming and making software that improves someone's day.
I like making people feel things. I like seeing their reaction to something I've done and hearing that it evoked something in them. This is the most fundamental human connection in my opinion.
Is there any kind of specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?
Honestly, any time someone takes time out of their day to leave any type of comment at all, it's guaranteed to make my whole week. But in keeping with my previous answer - my favorite comments are ones where I get to hear about how I affected the reader's emotions, or where they mention particular parts that really struck them. Those always make me really happy. c:
How do you want to be thought about by your readers?
Interesting question. I think… as someone who is good with character voices and keeps tight hold of the fundamental core of the characters even when putting them in different situations. Someone who can manage both angst and humor well. Once again, I'd like people to look forward to what I write because they know it's gonna make them feel something that they enjoy.
What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?
Character voices and dialogue. I've been told I've been very good at catching the cadence of different characters, and some of my favorite things to write have been just bouncing those voices off each other and seeing what happens. I think this is really the pillar on which all the rest of my work is able to stand bc the characters feeling like themselves makes the rest have more impact.
How do you feel about your own writing?
This really depends on when you catch me, haha. Some days I'm really proud of it, and some days I have a hard time seeing anything good in it. Currently in a bit of a trough of overthinking it, but I’m lucky to have a couple readers who are v supportive which helps. <3 Overall though I think I do a good job and have some interesting stories out there and in my to-do list. (I also tend to way over-compare myself to other people in the fandom; there are so many incredible writers around here that it's hard to put myself next to them.)
When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?
A mix of both, I suppose? Certainly in picking what I want to write about I am thinking primarily about what I would find fun to write and not about what has a “market” in the fandom per se. But I also am lucky enough to have found other people who do enjoy the same characters as I do and enjoy my take on them, and in that sense I am definitely often more excited about a particular idea because I know one or more of my friends would be excited to read it. :D So both things are definitely a factor.
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Tagging: @writer86 @rhysintherain @bardic-inspo @thedarkstrategist (and anyone else who wants to do this honestly)
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I can't reply to your twitter post because I'm private, but if you can't find any tumblr pros there then I can help with anything you're confused with 👍
for now heres some general tips off the top of my head
this is an ask being sent to your inbox, idk if youve used curiouscat or strawpage on twitter but its like that. people can send you things and you can answer them publicly or privately. also if people are being mean anonymously then you can turn anon asks but youre probably fine keeping them on
most users dont use the algorithmic sorting that tumblr has, so liking posts doesnt do much to boost them, reblogs are how you get people to see things
your follower count is private here and doesnt really mean anything to anyone . no one will ever know unless you share it
you can put anything in the tags of a post or reblog, and it doesnt count as a permanent addition to the post. lots of people use the tags to add their thoughts about the posts theyre sharing!
you can Also use tags to organize your blog. if theres a character that you like, you can tag posts you reblog about them with #[character name], and then you can search the tag on your blog to pull up all instances of it. its like organizing your blog into folders or bookmarks!
many people recommend making your liked posts and followed blogs private. it is entirely up to you if you do this, but it's still very much recommended to do a thorough look into your settings so you can customize your experience to be how you want it - settings like "best stuff first," "include posts liked by the blogs you follow," and "include 'based on your likes'" are usually best turned off - youll want to turn on timestamps, it adds a lot of context to posts - on desktop in your blog settings, enable custom themes!! even if you dont make a custom theme, it can break your blog visibilty on browser sometimes. you want it on. i dont know why tumblr sets it to off by default now
also theres something a queue. sometimes you dont want your blog to be dead when you have period of inactivity... so you can queue posts up! prevents walls of posts when you want to share a lot at once. makes your blog seem active all the time. you really liked a post? queue it and youll see it again later! the queue sends out your reblogs automatically, and you can choose what frequency they come out at. theres like, 200 posts sitting in my queue, and seven of them go out a day atm. most people dont actually use this feature. but a lot of people dont even really know about it! and i think its good to know so you can choose
ok thats all from my brain youve got this
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'll definitely check out all these features then!!! thank you for guiding me :3 also you're my first question yay!
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Also, AO3's Unofficial Browser Tools FAQ lists a few other options to make downloading works on AO3 easier, mainly by adding download links to directly download the works from a work listing pages, so you don't have to open each work on the page to use the download option. It won't save you as much work as the other suggested tools, but a browser tool has the advantage of minimal set-up and working on mobile devices. A bookmarklet (like the AO3 eBook Download Helper) can be easily added to most mobile browsers, while a userscript (like the AO3 Download Buttons script) does require a userscript manager to work, so you need a mobile browser that supports add-ons (AKA Firefox).
@vaguelyabnormal @funny---pics and anyone else who was asking why people are suggesting these tools when AO3 already has a download option built in:
AO3 has a built-in download button, true, but that is a manual option for individual works. If you have hundreds of works you want to save, this would be quite the hassle. AO3's built-in download option is still a great tool; in fact, every option mentioned so far, except FanFicFare, makes use of the built-in download option to function. I'll try to break down the advantages of the different options a bit more.
Built-in AO3 download button: If you aren't bothered by having to download works one-by-one (or if you have been doing this as you go since you started reading fic), then this might work fine. The advantage of this is that it does not require any set up or any outside tools. It would work on any browser and device you can open AO3 on.
Browser tools mentioned in AO3's Unofficial Browser Tools FAQ: This makes the manual download process a little more convenient, in that you only have to visit a work listing page rather than opening each individual work, but you still have to download the works one-by-one. A major advantage of these tools is that they are easily used on mobile devices as well as desktop, and they require very little set-up as compared to the options below.
AO3 Downloader: This downloads works in bulk; you could input one singular URL for a page with a list of works (like your bookmarks or marked-for-later page, a series page, etc.), and it would download all the works in the list.
FanFicFare: This also bulk downloads works from work listing pages, but it can only go page-by-page, so you need to enter new URLs for each page a list takes up (on AO3, this is every 20 works). FanFicFare is the only tool on this list that works for other fanwork sites, and it works for a large quantity of other fanwork sites, including FanFiction.net. The other main advantage of FanFicFare is that it can be used as a plugin for Calibre.
Calibre: This is not itself a fanfiction download tool, but an ebook management program which lets you have organized libraries. FanFicFare can be used as a plugin for Calibre, and this will give you something that you can sort/filter pretty similarly to how you would on AO3 itself (though without the benefit of AO3 tag wrangling for synonymous tags and subtags). Calibre is also designed to easily send files to an e-reader, including whatever metadata that e-reader supports (like author, series, language, etc.).
I hope this helps explain the differences between these options a bit more.
#poll#fandom resources#resources#fanfiction resources#ao3#ao3 downloader#calibre ebook management#fanficfare#easy fanfic library#ao3 browser tools#ao3 ebook download helper bookmarklet#ao3 download buttons userscript#ao3 unofficial browser tools
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Spada is a mum
Hammie is so tiny and cute I CANNOT
Maybe I missed out on a lot of Stinger's character development even while jumping around episodes for Kyuranger, but I don't think he was like an obedient puppy of sorts around Hammie 😂😂
#14shyx#14shyx: phone gifs#super sentai#uchuu sentai kyuranger#super sentai ramble#lupato vs kyuuranger#otp: stinger/hammie#i feel like i should tag the gif sets i make on this phone with a new tag...i'll come up with one later on desktop
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—belated; bucky barnes
pairing: mob!bucky barnes x black!reader
word count: 4738
warnings: 18+ ONLY, smut, sex, rough sex, anal sex, biting kink, choking kink, spanking, pain kink, vaginal fingering, mean bucky (my fave), ring kink cuz i love it when boys wear rings
squares filled: @buckybarnesbingo Y3: Birthdays ; @badthingshappenbingo Biting ; @star-spangled-bingo N1: Taking Charge
request: bucky barnes + "pay attention to me or i'll make you" + anal + choking + spanking + biting + pain
author note: it's been foreverrrrr! i'm so sorry! i had to work myself through a little slump! hopefully this makes up for the almost two months we've gone without a fic! this is story #2 for my 5k celebration, all fics will be tagged #5k...holy god. this was formatted in the beta text post editor on desktop, if anything looks weird, that's why :)
gif by @pedropcl ; line divider by @firefly-graphics
James Buchanan Barnes is possessive.
One of those massive hands around the back of your neck as you walk casually through the streets. Fingers wrapped around your wrist, or shoulder, or hip in a tight grip. He pulls you in close— right into his side as shopping bags hang from the tips of his metal fingers.
Bucky Barnes wants every man on the streets of Greece to know that you are his.
Not that you mind; quite the contrary. You just smile and giggle when he throws his heavy arm around your shoulders and hooks the crease of his arm right underneath your chin. Slip your hand into the back pocket of his loose dark jeans (giving that little tush of his a squeeze). Slink your arm around his little waist and breathe in his scent— heavy and woodsy— as the two of you stroll.
After all, he’s just as much yours as you are his.
All of his friends, Sam, Steve, Clint, all see the change in him. The little soft spot for you that blinds him entirely— turns him in a mushy puddle of emotions and puppies and rainbows. Very different from the Bucky they grew up with, but a Bucky that the three of them have come to enjoy. It’s a change of pace from the enforcer they know.
The two of you don’t talk about his work— in fact, it’s the reason why you’re in Greece to begin with. A late birthday present to make up for the fact that his “work” just happened to be the waiter at the restaurant he chose to take you to for your thirty second birthday. Come on babe, he chuckled as you scowled back at him over the rim of your wine glass, watching as he stained his white napkin red with his bloody knuckles, you know what they say, kill two birds with one stone… not funny?
Two weeks, two nonrefundable, open ended tickets, and five grand in bikinis, shorts, and shoes later, you’re getting some much needed Greek sun on your deep brown skin.
He’s even letting you call the shots for a change. Letting you wake him up at the ass crack of dawn to have breakfast— a spread of breads, cheeses and fruits on the balcony of your room as the sun rises. He doesn’t say a word as you drag him through the city, stopping at each little boutique and shoe store. Sits patiently as you try on every dress, every skirt, and every silk top in the entire country it seems.
Bucky even bit his lip as you gazed at engagement rings— hinting that princess cut is your favorite as you held your hand up into the natural sunlight as one adored your finger. Smiling over at him and wiggling your eyebrows all the while as he narrowed his eyes and plastered a fake smile on his face.
Today has been like all the others, a lazy day spent on the beach, a quick nap underneath an umbrella, a concoction of too much sun and too many margaritas going straight to your head. Now, you’re kinda sleepy and kinda drunk, but most importantly hungry— and Mykonos sounds like a great place for dinner. Despite Bucky’s objections (you’re too tired and too drunk to handle a ferry), you’re dressed in a cute little flowery sundress, him in an out-of-character white tank top, open pale blue and green striped button down and khaki chinos— you forbade him from bringing anything black— and you’re flip flops are slapping against the cobblestone street towards the ferry.
“Drop your attitude,” You say, glancing over your shoulder as he pays for your tickets, “You owe me.”
“Yeah, yeah, that excuse is wearing thin, girl.” You stumble a little with the motion of the ferry as you step onto it, having to grab onto the railing to steady yourself before Bucky grabs hold of your wrist, “Water only for the rest of the night.”
His voice is low and borderline threatening as he presses his lips right against your ear, and you know not to press him any further. You like to stick your toes right up against his line and that’s what irritates him most about you (always what he loves most), but you and he both know you’d never dare cross it.
Bucky pulls you behind him, hand around your wrist, that possessive trait rearing its head as male eyes fall on you as the two of you pass by. He finds an empty spot, away from the crowd, and plops down on the bench as you step up on the lower rung of the railing and stare out over the sea.
Within twenty or thirty minutes, the ferry pulls away from the dock and you can’t wipe the smile from your face. The sun sets off in the distance, the bright lights of the city turning into little pinpoints. Small droplets of the cool, salty water splashes up in your face as the wind and the ferry whips it up. You keep glancing down at the phone in your hand as you broadcast your current view to your instagram, laughing softly as hearts and emojis explode on your screen.
You lean forward, tilting your phone and smiling wide, waving into the camera before you shout out how much you love it here. The words are barely out of your mouth before an arm wraps around your middle, a wide, hard chest pressed into your back, “That’s enough,” he reaches with his metal arm, grabbing your phone, ending your live feed, “You’re too drunk to be hanging off the side like that.”
“I am not,” you struggle against him lightly as he sets you on your feet, “What is your problem?”
“I’m annoyed.”
“Well, duh. Why?”
He slips your phone into his pocket and crosses his arms over his chest, sharp blue eyes piercing into yours, “Pay attention to me,” he says low, eyes dropping down your body real slow as he drags his bottom lip between his teeth, “Or I’ll make you.”
So that’s what it’s about. Bucky Barnes feels neglected between all the shopping and beach days and margaritas. Jealousy is cute on him.
The words though, they strike you right to your core— feel them down to your bones. A hard swallow pushes through your throat as your lips part, big brown eyes softening as your breath starts to rush a little harder. You hate to admit— not really— you love this Bucky. This is work Bucky, a man you rarely get to see. Slightly scary, anger brimming just below the surface. Jaw tight, eyes hard, head tilted just a bit. He’s menacing, and it makes your lips twitch into a small smile.
Shrugging defiantly, you cross your arms over your chest, “You didn’t pay much attention to me on my birthday.”
“Not true.”
“Not true?” you nearly shout, eyes going wide, “I ate alone while you beat the hell outta our waiter behind the building! I had to wait two hours for my slice of cake!”
“How is that my fault?”
You scoff, “Oh, I dunno, maybe because our waiter was spitting out his teeth in the alley out back— all thanks to you.”
“I have to work. You know that.”
“Not,” you hiss, “On my fucking birthday.”
He knows he’s wrong for that shit, so he stands there, huffing quick before he cocks his head again and just blinks back at you— unamused. He won’t apologize, it’s just not in his nature, but his usual attempts to make you happy after he’s fucked up aren’t working; so he’s at a loss.
And you’re enjoying that. A little too much if you ask him.
But alas, it’s not fun to fight on vacation, and you have taken far too many liberties when it comes to his tolerance for attitude. It’s been fun— and you’re just drunk enough to push him one last time.
You move slow, walking right up to him, so close that each inhale pushes your tits into his body. The smirk quirked up on your lips grows as you peer up at him, eyes bouncing between his as you place your hands on his forearms still crossed over his chest.
Bucky lifts his eyebrow as you push up on your tiptoes and push your chin forward to bring your lips close to his, “And just how are you gonna make me pay attention to you, James?”
He inhales deep, pushes it out real slow as he tilts his head even further. A smile spreads on his face and you just know that this is the last thing his work sees before he rearranges the bones of their face. This is exactly why his clients pay him as well as they do.
Thick fingers are wrapped around your wrist again, nails digging into your skin as he starts to pull you behind him. He weaves you through bodies, you nearly having to jog to keep up with his strides. Laughter bubbles up in your chest, a little shriek escaping as he pulls you down some stairs to the lower level of the ferry. Once your feet hit the last step, Bucky whips you around his body, sending you spinning and laughing until you bounce into an old, rusty metal barrel.
The smell of salt fills your nose and lungs as you inhale, covering your face with your hands. Your skin is hot, lips slightly numb as you dissolve into laughter again. He’s right, you’re a little too drunk for this.
“I don’t think we’re supposed to be down here.” You mumble, brushing your wild hair out of your face.
“I could give a fuck,” he answers, stepping up to you, grabbing your face in his hands, “You’ve been testing me the entire time we’ve been here all over some stupid shit.”
Another giggle pushes through your lips as you bat your eyes, “I wouldn’t dare, Mr. Barnes.”
Bucky sucks his teeth as he drops his metal hand around your throat and squeezes gently, the rings on his fingers cool against your skin, “I was stupid, okay? But don’t put on that little innocent act, girl. You’re trying me, and I’ve had enough.”
A smile cracks onto your face, teeth sinking into your bottom lip. You wrap both hands around his one wrist and slip them up his arm, feeling the soft metal as you continue to goad him, “You got some proof, big man?”
The tip of his black and gold thumb prods at your lip, pushes just inside. You wrap your tongue around it and suck gently, keeping your eyes on his all the while.
Bucky laughs, deep and earnestly, “Proof, she says. She needs proof.” He glances around before he spins you quick, facing you away from him as he lifts your dress to reveal your pink satin thong.
You squeal loud, pushing and slapping at his hand as he grabs a handful of your ass, “Bucky! There’s people!” you laugh, “Oh my god!”
“Keep your voice down,” he warns, wrapping his metal fingers around your throat again, “Understand?”
A jolt of electricity flashes through you as you wiggle in his grasp. He tightens his grip around your neck as you wrap your fingers around the edge of the barrel, swallowing hard.
“That requires an answer, honey.”
The chill in his voice, added with the slow circles and soft tickles of fingertips against the back of your naked thigh sends a pang through your belly, “I understand.”
He chuckles soft and with a quick peck on the cheek whispers, “Good girl.”
Bucky curls his left arm around your chest, hooking your chin in the crease of his arm as he grips your right shoulder. You grab on to it with both hands, out of instinct, eyes wide and skirting around for any signs of other human presence down here. Bucky turns, moving you with him to eye the steps quickly again before that flesh hand sweeps around to the front.
The soft material of your dress falls over his hand as he rubs your stomach— his rings catching and snagging your skin. That hand pushes downward, over your thighs, gripping and kneading the soft flesh before he grabs the hem of your dress and pulls it upward, exposing those expensive panties again.
“Bucky,” you hum, his name trembling on your lips with the vibrations of your excitement, “Baby.”
He rucks your dress right up— right up around your waist and pulls the slack behind you, pressing his body into yours to keep it in place. The dark stubble adorning his cheeks and chin cuts into the side of your face as he nuzzles in, humming to himself soft before he kisses the corner of your mouth.
Those fingertips start to trace the hem of your thong— slowly. Back and forth, back and forth. From hip to hip. Your eyes flutter. Fingers grip the soft black metal of his arm a little harder. Legs go to jelly as another hard swallow passes through your throat.
“Ain’t got all that mouth now, do you?” He whispers, fingers slipping just inside the silk of your panties to tease the delicate skin underneath.
When he slips his hand in— all the way in— cupping hot skin, fingers dancing between folds and teasing a wet slit, an influx of air fills your lungs. A gasp, small and clipped sounds in the back of your throat as his fingers start a rhythm. You melt into him, head resting on his shoulder as your hips push forward to meet greedy fingers.
A naughty finger pushes in quick, and then a second— all the way to the black and silver rings dressed on them. His arm tightens around your neck as he presses his lips right against your ear, “You need to apologize.”
He fucks his fingers into you, withdrawing slow, and then pushing back in— each time the edges of his rings stopping him from going deeper. You can’t help but purr as you continue to grip his arm with both of your hands.
“I don’t think—“
“All I want to hear,” his words clip yours, each one slow and drawn and deep, “Is I’m sorry for testing your patience. I won’t do it again.” He curls his fingers, the pads stroking that sweet little spongey spot, making you clamp your legs closed around his hand, “Let me hear you.”
You can’t. You won’t. Too stubborn and too drunk to give in to him, wanting to win just this once.
If there’s one thing James Buchanan Barnes does not like, it’s hesitation. It’s dangerous, he always says. You think too long, you get hurt. Predators don’t hesitate.
Well, you like being his prey.
Only a few seconds pass before Bucky tuts in your ear, seemingly disappointed in your obstinate behavior, but you both know it’s just the opposite. His cock pressing into your ass tells you so.
The fingers disappear. The arm choking you just right pulls away and your dress falls back around the middle of your thighs. You huff, wiping quick at your forehead and pushing your wild, curly hair out of your face again.
Your hands find your hips in irritation but he slaps them away quick as he sucks his teeth, “You must really want this spanking, girl. Keep it up.”
That you do— keep it up. Huffing again. Crossing your arms over your chest like a petulant child. Brown eyes cut back at him over your shoulder to find sharp blues already on you. A smirk on his face.
Metal fingers curl around the back of your neck, pushing you forward gently until your thighs press against the old metal barrel again.
“Lean forward, kitten.”
Voice as smooth as silk while you do so, gripping the rusted edges for balance. Your dress is yanked up again— rough this time— and twisted around his Vibranium hand. Then there’s warm, the warmth of skin against yours. Gentle brushes of fingers and a palm rubbing slow circles, then pinching and grabbing soft— prepping your skin for what’s to come.
He pauses for just a second, no doubt to scan your surroundings and then pulls his hand away. You lung forward with the slap he levels to your behind within a fraction of a second— the sound sharp and heavy.
There’s another, and then a third in quick succession before he’s massaging your skin again. Real soft and sweet. Tears burn at the back of your eyes at the sting that radiates through, all the way to your bones but the molten heat deep in your belly spreads like a fire. Each breath is hard and shaky, heart thumping against your chest but it’s so good.
Bucky switches to the other cheek, skilled fingers sweeping over your canvas of skin before he cracks you— one, two, three.
You squeal with each one. The thud of those heavy rings around his fingers send a quick, new shockwave every time, building on the one before it. The tips of your fingers go red from holding on to the rusty old barrel as tight as you are, but your brain? She’s fuzzy and warm, and drifting up into the clouds with each swift slap.
Bucky is a methodical man. Three for the right cheek, three for the left, three right in the middle. His hand sneaks around your hip, giving it a squeeze before it comes back around and drops to the inside of your thigh. Grabs the meat of it— digs his fingernails in just to hear you yelp. Cups your cunt in his palm, feeling the heat and the wet— makes him groan all low and dirty.
He bunches your hair in his hand, tugs you up by it. Spins you around to face him before hoisting you up and settling you on top of the barrel.
“You want me to fuck you so bad, don’t you?” He growls, ripping at the button and zipper of his jeans.
You just hum in response, wrapping your legs around his waist and throwing your arms over his shoulders.
Bucky grabs your chin, forcing it up before he squeezes your cheeks, “Huh? Answer me.”
Damp eyelashes flutter as hot air escapes from parted, hot lips. He leans in real close, cock pushing right at your slit and kisses you hard as he slips his arm around your waist. He breaks away quick, sloppy and loud before pecking your lips once, twice, three times again.
“You want me to fuck you, girl?”
The weight of his words are felt right down to your core, a shiver passing between the two of you. You let your heavy head fall back and your eyes close as Bucky nuzzles into the side of your face, his pretty white teeth skipping along your neck, nipping and nibbling.
“I want you to fuck me,” you whisper after mere seconds, finally submitting in this cat and mouse game, “Bucky, please.”
That’s all he needs— all he wants. For you to submit, after letting you have the reins for one day too long. He sinks into you slow, spreading you open with each inch, biting down into the side of your neck as he bottoms out. His teeth dig in a little deeper, a little harder as he starts to move, rocking back and forth almost succinct with the waves of the water.
You’re moving with him too, meeting each of his thrusts with your hips. You keep your legs tight around his waist, feet dangling and bouncing against the back of his thighs. A trail of hot kisses are pressed along your neck and down your shoulder before traipsing back up— teeth grazing along your jaw.
Long fingers skip up your side and between your bouncing tits to only wrap around your neck again. They squeeze, gently, as his pace starts to pick up, hips shoving harder and faster— that old barrel starting to scrape against the wood floor.
The force makes you louder, moaning with abandon as if the two of you are all alone on this little ferry. Bucky makes quick work of you, shoving metal fingers into your mouth— giving you something to suck on to keep you quiet.
“That’s a good girl.” he growls, voice gritty and low.
He’s punishing after that. Each snap of his hips thrusting you backward, the barrel you’re on top of tipping back and then slapping down on the floor. You yelp with each one, your mouth going slack around his digits as your hands fall to the edges of the barrel for some semblance of balance.
It’s obscene, the way you can hear your fuck. The wet of your cunt. The squeak of his cock plunging into tight, slick muscles. The heavy thud of his hips pounding into yours. The slap of your flip flops falling to the wood floor as he’s quite literally fucked them right off of your feet. It’s filthy— crude— and so very Bucky.
You’re back on your feet before you know it— before you realize it. Spun back around, Bucky’s hard chest and stomach pressed into your back. He grabs both of your hands and places them back on the barrel, his metal hand staying on top of yours, fingers gripping fingers.
Eager hips wiggle back into his as you hiss and sink your teeth into your bottom lip, groaning low. Your head drops when you feel his cock push through your ass cheeks— wet cockhead pressing against your hot rim.
He starts to fumble around behind you, each passing second making you more and more impatient. There’s a soft click, and then a light suction sound— something squeezing.
“Bucky,” you hiss, pushing back into him again, “Hur—”
The word breaks off right in the middle as he levels a quick smack against your hip— a warning. Then your ass cheeks are pulled apart, wet, slimy fingers sliding and prodding at your quivering rim. He brushes slow strokes, circling, pressing his fingers gently as he preps your little hole for what’s to come.
“What kind of freak brings lube to dinner?” you smile, gasping as he pinches the inside of your thigh.
You lurch forward when he grabs the back of your neck and yanks you back into him, lips right against your cheek, “The kinda freak that was gonna fuck you in an alley after dinner. Now shut that mouth.”
He’s pressing again, this time harder, his cockhead popping into you with force. You grunt with the initial intrusion, Bucky stopping his assault to allow you time to adjust to him— but that doesn’t last long. Your mouth goes slack again. Eyes slam shut, head falls forward as he slips in, deeper and deeper and deeper until his stomach is flush with your ass.
He wiggles— so you can feel him, feel him tickling the deepest part of you. Slaps at your ass again, quick, fingers glancing off your skin and leaving behind a hell of a sting. Then he’s fucking you again, slower this time, savoring the tight, glove-like hold your body provides.
Metal fingers grab at the hem of your dress again, tugging it up before they push back into your panties, finding a swollen, hot nub. Pinching and rubbing smooth circles against it, flicking and thrashing at the bundle of nerves before he shoves his fingers back into your cunt. They curl, those fingers, and pet your insides with surgical precision— only James Buchanan Barnes knows how to fuck you like this.
The heel of his palm slams against your clit as he fingers you rough and fucks your ass with gusto. Sleazy sounds gurgle up in your throat, the slapping of skin and the waves crashing against the side of the ferry, the rush of the wind filling your ears. Bucky pulls you flush against him and slithers his tongue just beneath your ear before his teeth grab a hold, tugging soft.
Teeth keep nipping— along your jaw, your cheeks, ears, neck. He fucks into you hard as he shoves his flesh hand into the neckline of your dress, gripping your tits. Pinching and kneading hard, thick nipples, mumbling sweet nothings all the while.
Your stomach churns, muscles tensing and flexing as synapses start to fire off in quick succession. Quick goosebumps pop up along your skin as your stomach tightens and you can taste it it’s so close. Bucky knows it, feels it as your walls constrict around his fingers, your asshole tightening around him. Vibranium fingers keep rubbing, keep fucking into your pussy hard, palm slapping against your clit, adding more and more pressure until the coil snaps.
It’s hard, and sudden— your body freezing as your orgasm consumes you. Bucky clamps a wet hand over your mouth as you mewl and bite into his palm, your hips thrusting forward with each wave of your release. He pulls his fingers from you to slap at your jumping clit, pressing the pads into it before he rubs quick little circles and then slaps at it again.
He drops his hand to your chin, yanking it up as you nearly cry, mewling and trembling with your release to kiss you hard and sloppy as you come. He kneads your tits with his mammoth hand as aftershocks flash through you, your used body jerking at random. Within seconds, there's a cloud of warmth in your ass. Rough grunts in your ear, growing louder with each spurt of his cock, your hot muscles milking him.
You let him use you, let him fill you up full of his silk. Grab his hands and lace your fingers with his as he empties long ribbons in you. Pull his arms around your waist and hold them there as he rides it out, his head falling to your shoulder. The two of you stand there, resting against that old barrel, breathing hard, skin sticky and balmy. Salt from the ocean in your nose.
Bucky’s the first to pull away, glancing back at the stairs before he pulls himself gingerly from you, leaving your body empty, a dribble of his come slipping out with him. He catches it with his fingers, drags them up the back of your thigh and between your ass cheeks before he shrugs out of his collared shirt and white tank top.
He cleans you up sweet with the tank top. Keeps his arm around your waist to steady you as he wipes at your thighs and your hot, sticky, puffy cunt, shushing you soft when you jump and whimper at the contact. He flings the messy tank top over the side of the ferry and rubs your hips and stomach real slow, murmuring into your ear all the while.
Diligent fingers then rearrange your thong— and cop a little feel, cupping your sensitive, swollen sex, giving it a little pinch so he can laugh when you shiver and squeak. Bucky pulls your dress, tugging lightly to get it back straight around your waist before smoothing it over your ass and thighs— even pulls at the top, making sure your tits are sitting pretty.
You can’t even open your eyes, overcome by alcohol and sleepiness and a post sex high. He fumbles with your fingers as your head lulls on his shoulder, a soft hum vibrating in your throat in your murky haze. Bucky lifts your arm by the elbow, sliding his hand up your forearm until he’s cupping your hand in his.
“Open your eyes, baby.” You groan in protest, causing a chuckle to rumble through his chest, “Come on.”
So you do. You always do whatever this man wants you to do— and there, right on your finger sits that big princess cut engagement ring you teased him with days before.
“How about we skip dinner and find a church, huh?” he whispers, kissing your cheek soft and sweet.
You glance at him over your shoulder, eyes wet as a smirk tugs at the corners of your mouth, “And if I say no?”
“You just can’t help yourself, can you?” He laughs as you adjust in his arms, pushing up on your tiptoes to cup his handsome face and kiss him on those pretty pink lips, “Then I guess I’ll have to fuck some sense into that pretty mouth of yours, won’t I birthday girl?”
#bad things happen bingo#buckybarnesbingo2021#ssb2021#bucky barnes#bucky barnes x black!reader#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes x you#bucky barnes smut#bucky barnes fanfiction#5k...holy god
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For the fanfic writer questions (tho feel free to sub art if you prefer): ❤️🏷💕🥳🦈📗💭😎💘🚦🤩🤖🎨
God, that's like ⅓ of them... feel free to skip any you don't like, otherwise I'm all ears!! :) <3
omg this is a lot and idk if i'll be able to answer them properly so it's all going under the cut :))) (if read thru mobile some of the answers get cut off. idk why this is but it works fine on desktop lol. 🙃)
❤️ - what is your favorite line that you've written in a fic? it's definitely one of the evans!severus ones. this au is quite personal for me so everything i write or draw for it has a basis on something that i've experienced irl. it's a coping mechanism of sorts, and a way for me to understand certain things that happened in the past. my favorite lines are from the ficlet i did titled Hello World [ad infinitum] and it's:
You are ready to crawl out of your skin, jump out of your bones, and enter your child’s bloodstream. Hold him nerve for nerve. Calm the exploding suns in his mind. He births universes at least once a week. You all are surrounded by the ghosts of galaxies.
This was a fic that forced me to get into the headspace of parents forced into a near-impossible situation, but one which they powered through if only via sheer will and determination. i think the lines captured not only how the condition [epilepsy] itself manifests in the physical sense, but also the ephemerality and intangibility of it all. i was pretty chuffed too that i didn't have to think too hard about these lines; they just came to me! 🏷 - is there a tag you like to search for when looking for fanfics to read? this applies more to a03. i don't really search tags unless i'm in a specific mood for something, like specific characters, certain pairings, or "______'s A+ parenting". :)) i grew up reading untagged fics on forums and later on livejournal, so tend to ignore tags when searching a lot of the time. i mostly depend on summaries. when on ff dot net (which is actually my preferred platform over a03 because of the amount of old fics on there), i filter by genre, usually sticking to drama, angst, hurt/comfort, adventure.
💕 - what is your favorite fic that you've written? ohhh, for hp definitely the first one i ever wrote for this fandom, which is with friends like these. i love how lucius is characterized here, and how he's just a step from the edge. the desperation and the intense level of his grief interspersed with guilt was so satisfying to write and to read over and over. i also like how i had written other people's treatment of him, as though he's a bomb set to explode. he's in disgrace, but he's still managed to keep the last shreds of his dignity intact, and is still capable of doing harm when pushed.
🥳 - why did you start writing fanfic? purely for my own indulgence, like most people! :)) i like imagining what-if scenarios but also still sticking to canon for a lot of other things. i also use it for catharsis.
🦈 - which character is the toughest to write? ooooooh i'd have to say eileen prince, mostly because i cannot for the life of me decide how i want her to be. i hate the idea of her being submissive. it doesn't sit well for me at all and not something i particularly want to read and write about. i want her to have a stronger personality but can't figure out what her exact story is, apart from having had an ambiguous past with abraxas malfoy (vague hints of a previous relationship which was cut short) and tom riddle (were they friends? rivals? both?). i'm not keen on the abused wife trope mostly because it's so overused and not something i like. i'd rather have her be apathetic and neglectful than be abused (because why? why would a witch allow for it? i can't find a reason for i, especially if you have another world you can escape into), but really haven't figured out the nuts and bolts of it.
📗 - do you want to write something outside of fanfiction? if so, what about? i used to want to, when i was younger. i used to want to be a writer! for the time being, i don't want to write any original fiction. i work in a very rigorous and mentally- and emotionally-draining industry which involves a lot of strategizing and diplomatic hoo-hah. life is far stranger than fiction, and anything i can write will pale in comparison, i think. :)) i'll let life unravel first and see where i end up.
💭 - what inspires you and your writing? my basis for writing is a lot of complex emotions - mostly grief and loss - that i want to sort through, and this shows up a lot in my work. some people have said that i create too many angsty pieces but hey, i create for me. :)) i find the act of creation very satisfying and is something that helps me figure out how to deal with things. alas, my blorbos suffer for it (and i'm not sorry). it also helps that i have plenty of enabler friends! >:)
😎 - what fics do you prefer on a scale of canon compliant to wildly original? oooooh, i like both! it depends on the plot tbh. i've read so many fics that were so au the entire world was practically rebuilt, and other worlds were created for the characters to traverse through. i love those! especially if the lore was thought through really well. some fic writers could honestly give tolkien a run for his money.
on the other hand, i also love canon-compliant fics because those present its own set of challenges. imagine creating your own world within a world that's already created? fanfic-writing is so great because it stretches the limits of creation and co-creation. i love how creative people can get while working with canon and never breaking its rules. i'm always in awe of what comes out of it.
one thing i love is when people incorporate something that they know about really, really well and make that the center of the fic. it can be a hobby, a culture, a language, a sport, etc. you can always tell when an author is knowledgeable or passionate about the topic because it shines through and i love that! if i like the writing style, these types of works can make me read about anything, even about things that i normally wouldn't be interested in in real life.
💘 - is it easier to write angst or fluff? definitely angst. these are emotions that are readily accessible for me because i internalize a lot and like to figure out why i felt x when y happened. usually that involves a lot of angst. not to say that i never experience any happiness irl but happiness/fluff is also not something i think too deeply about, and therefore not something i find satisfaction writing about. it's an itch that already gets scratched enough, but soothing angst irl is not something that happens, so i do it via fic.
🚦 - what sort of endings do you prefer to write: ambiguous, bad, happily ever after, etc..? ambiguous! i like it when readers figure out for themselves what happens. i like the act of co-creation that happens in writing, specifically when the reader will have different interpretations of endings or events, and it's usually a reflection of their own experiences and thoughts. given the choice though between doing a good and bad ending, it really depends on the characters and what takes place in the plot. i normally don't have an ending figured out when i start writing. i'm more interested in the journey of growth that happens in between. my normal route is i plot that (the journey/change), then let the characters make their own way. i decide what type of ending they should have once we get there.
🤩 - what led to your interest in the fandom? i've been an hp fan for a long, long time but did not get involved in the fandoms outside of forums and various lj communities. even then i kept my distance, because i was still in school and didn't want it taking over my life lol. i couldn't afford to be on the family computer every day after school; i had to study and stuff, y'know? i was in varsity teams, orchestra, student council, etc on top of everything else so getting completely immersed in the fandom was not an option. the last few books were released while i was in university and the only fandom i could really get involved in then was the one among rl friends where we knew who was fans of which characters and we'd discuss the plot over lunch and thingss. apart from that, we were too busy to get involved in the internet wars that happened then ahahaha.
i only got really involved in fandom during COVID. i needed a space to just forget about the real world for a while and being in the snapedom worked. i got to writing again and started drawing digitally. i don't regret it at all!
🤖 - are non-fandom friends aware that you write fanfic? hahahahaha NO. i think one or two suspect it but they've never asked. these are friends i've had since childhood and who know i read fanfic (they do too), but we've never revealed whether or not we create fanworks ourselves. they know what fandoms i'm in however, and we share some of them, so i guess not knowing is the best arrangement. we like that we're able to keep our fan lives private, and are able to vent anonymously.
🎨 - if someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see? idk to be honest! it would be interesting to see a DTIYS (draw this in your style) based on my snape. or even the hcs i have of them, a fave being catholic!snape. i have many imagined works based on catholic!snape but i'm not brave enough to attempt them, mostly because it would involve a lot of rigorous and detailed work :))) i want to draw him in a huge empty cathedral sitting on one of the last pews, while looking up at the altar in front. the idea of the altar alone is enough to put me off the entire thing. my wrist already hurts just thinking about it. :))
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I have a new desktop PC. (It's not really a tower though I'm going to keep using that as my tag.) I mentioned the death of the other one to my brother during the weekly family zoom at the time and, because one of his hobbies is building more PCs than he knows what to do with, he offered me one of his spares.
Because he's going through some meds shit and work shit right now, it took him awhile to get it into the mail. I'd also told him there was no rush. I'd done without the other one long enough by now to have come up with an alternate backup routine. (The weekly offsite backup flashdrive was promoted to realtime backup, and I ordered another flashdrive to become the weekly offsite backup, which turned out to be a package of two so now I have more flashdrives than I know what to do with.)
Once I got it, it took me awhile to set it up. And at first it didn't work because, when I got out the monitor that had been on the other tower, it wouldn't come on. I had been certain that the problem with the old tower was the CPU not the monitor, though I don't remember now why I was certain; but now it looks like that was wrong, or at least the monitor's bad too. I'll have to try putting a new monitor on the old tower sometime to see what happens but I may have more towers than I know what to do with.
Then it took me awhile to get a new monitor. I kept debating whether I should order it delivered or just go to the Buy Big because that'd be quicker, and a week or two later I just ordered it delivered and got next day delivery free. I also ordered an HDMI cable because the other trouble I had hooking up the old monitor to the new tower was that the new tower had no monitor port but an HDMI port and I didn't have an HDMI cable.
Then when I unpacked the new monitor I found it came with an HDMI cable, which I probably could have found out at order time if I'd just looked, which I did in fact think of, but first I noticed that under people also bought was an HDMI cable, so I thought that meant the monitor didn't come with one. So now I have more HDMI cables than I know what to do with.
I almost have enough hardware to set up both towers but I don't have room for two.
Anyway the new tower is set up and working now, with my file directory and my music files copied over, and its place in weekly my backup routine decided upon. It'll be nice if I can figure out how to set permissions for the laptop and the tower to read/write each other over the LAN but it's not required. Now I just have to remember all the routines I used the other tower for
today the antenna broke off the radio i got ... four weeks ago? three?
i thought "oh well, i was thinking i shoulda got a clock radio*. now's my chance"
... it brings in the classic hits station more consistently without the antenna
*i got the radio because one of the three things i most used the dead desk tower for was as a music player. the other things i used it as were a file backup (i did get a second usb drive to cover that, as discussed in the linked post) and desk clock, because the lockscreen time display was big enough for me to see from bed without glasses. i can lock the work laptop for that when i got to bed at night, now that the tower's dead, but i don't usually remember to do that if i'm just lying down for a nap, plus it's just nice to have a desk clock
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congrats on making a public inquiry on a line of interest situated in the middle of a venn diagram of like four things i've been thinking about a lot lately, your prize is this ask that is so long that in the time spent writing it and checking info someone less annoying may have directed you to some of it! this is all like easy enough to google but just in case it feels less uuhh to have someone with an approximate knowledge on some things offer you some pointers: here are some pointers
(i AM ALSO a thousands of CD's type of guy, but i've not done any big digital management of them since the last time i was regularly using ipods in the 2000s, n i am kinda Prepping for big digital management around my current standing main hyperfixation (participants of a season of an old korean idol reality competition show, a collection of Too Many Gotdamn People who have made Too Much Gotdamn Music) but i don't actually currently own a lot of the physical media there, so none of this are pointer from like. oh here is a workflow i am using etc, but)
answers to your two questions are 1) file sizes really depend on lots of factors but rule of thumb is that in a collection of 'normal song' mp3 file size averages out to 5-7MB a song, and a 3-4min mp3 file being >10MB is surprising
and 2) re: storage prices, 1TB (~1,000,000MB, so probably ~166,666MB 3min mp3's) in external harddrive will run at about £50 in western digital brands atm (western digital is what i've been occasionally looking at for my data management thing bc i've seen it mentioned specifically as more reliable than seagate, which i have had issues with; anecdotally, my mum's WD elements has lasted her about a year longer than her seagates kick the bucket). prices atm on curry's stack up at £80 for 2TB, £108 for 4TB, £180 for 8TB
refurbished is an option when it's 'rectified' and sold by the company itself; for WD, those prices atm stack up at £30 for 1TB, £35 for 2TB, £55-60 for 4TB (their page for these are https://www.westerndigital.com/en-gb/products/recertified) (i do not know enough about this area and would wanna look up specific reviews on a company's rectifying track record before purchasing myself, so obv do the same)
answers to questions you DID NOT ask but may have later on if you do set out on the CD Digitization Project that i have answered preemptively bc i am ANNOYING:
tagging music with correct info is often the most time-consuming part of this shit, so a tagger is your friend. the musicbrainz database should have a lot of stuff covered, so their tagger picard might well do (https://picard.musicbrainz.org/, also has some good plugins for like formating multi-disc albums etc if you wanna scan through those), but tagscanner (https://www.xdlab.ru/en/index.htm) can also pull from discogs if needed, though you may still need a discogs account + to make an api key do use that
i was like. spike will probably appreciate it if i provided ways in which their dad could still be autistic about music in a digital format, but i'm having a hard time pulling up music players that meet my vision / make it clear if they do re: you can see cd booklet, and also this info seems to not typically be in databases. i'll carry on looking for players in this area bc i ALSO want this, but suggested desktop windows players other than windows media player / grooveshark / vlc (which are all fine, but imo none are the most intuitive for regular heavy listening) are my best friend foobar2000 (https://www.foobar2000.org/, also has a tagger that pulls from musicbrainz and maybe discogs?), musicbee (https://getmusicbee.com/, tagger plugins available), and aimp (https://www.aimp.ru/); deadbeef (https://deadbeef.sourceforge.io/) is created more to get your hands into with the technical stuff, but it's got custom metadata fields. really after you've looked to see if you think your dad would want a particular feature, unless space is a major consideration then it is just well what looks nicest.
file backup! backblaze (https://www.backblaze.com/) allows an external hard drive to be added in an image backup of a machine, which is the only good way to do a (pseudo-)sync backup without paying for cloud subscription or setting up a NAS etc; at $70/year it is obviously A Cost but way less than premium cloud drive subscription, so if it feels useful to know,
if the NAS mention / video at the end of that post wrt turning an old computer or laptop into a media server (so thing that is plugged into a wall that has files on it + a media player --> other computers / phones / etc on the same network (which can be outside the home too) can connect to that player and files) was interesting lmk bc i've also been looking into that a lot mostly as like, storage nerd aspirations, it's just a whole other thing that's irrelevant if you're more interested in just bunging stuff on an external drive (i've send this as an ask with the intent for you to keep it On File, so sent me another or a dm to lmk!)
you are not at ALL annoying you are a godsend!!!!
the thing abt my father is he is actually better at tech stuff than me (he ran his school's website & also michael's website, in the 00s, when that meant he built them from scratch) (he's still a little bitter abt his school outsourcing their website to whatever service every school uses nowadays. he used to add little falling snowflakes in the winter n april fools jokes n such), so yes i was very much anticipating saying to him like. find a backup storage method you like and i will do the legwork of actually ripping n sorting everything
i did NOT know taggers even existed but holy shit yes i will definitely need one. i do not anticipate him ever actually getting rid of his physical copies – smth he has already done is buy a ton of plastic wallets n move the CDs & booklets into them so instead of ur standard plastic jewel case taking up all that space it's effectively as thin as the actual CD – & also he no longer has a computer (i do not get this decision either. he just uses his phone????) so i doubt he'll need music player software. my thought is really 'he needs backups spare CDs and a CD writer so if any die they can be replaced'
however i will definitely look into the music player software, and maybe also forward this info to my brother (if it's even news to him, he's the kind of music autistic who has a £200 pair of headphones). thank you SO much <3
edit: just saw ur second ask n shdgdhd yeah i am gonna bookmark this post, my askbox is a pit things vanish into forever
#asks#fixion#long post#when i actually have disposable income again i am gonna buy myself a decent mp3 player#and then put on it the three dozen albums i listen to on repeat and also the murderbot audiobooks#and. well realistically continue to use spotify. but at least use less of my phone's battery on playing music
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About Me - Commit #1 - NameBoy and Homepage
I've gotten to grinding out the code for my About Me page design, which I've decided to call the NameBoy. The challenging part was building in responsiveness where Bootstrap's features weren't helpful. This happened a lot because I was making a design that does not look like a Bootstrap app. Maybe I need to learn Tailwind.
Here's what it looks like!
Desktop:
Mobile:
The left and right D-Pad keys work! They switch between the pages. I'll show ya how.
The HTML:
First we have a pretty basic head tag but we cdn Bootstrap and add a font.
Our NameBoy consists of 2 main parts: the screen and the controls. The screen is a bootstrap carousel with controls mapped to the virtual d-pad.
Within the screen, we've written a home screen with centered headings and a flexbox containing my list of titles and a picture of my Stardew Valley character. We use justify-content-around so that it spaces well on all sizes of NameBoy screen.
The navhint at the bottom of the "homepage" has a class because the custom CSS there will be used later-on as well.
The controls are mapped using the relevant bootstrap classes and targeting the #NameBoyScreen. The data-bs-slide attribute tells it what direction to move the carousel.
The middle, A, and B button are just cosmetic.
And, of course, we have our Bootstrap script.
Now time for the fun part
The CSS:
First, our basic font will be white Press Start 2P. It's retro, fun, and free.
Our background color is blue, like the GameBoy color I would emulate on my $20 android phone when I was younger.
Our screen is positioned Absolute, so that it's children can be too. A small margin on top, with a fixed-pixel height and width based on our Figma ratios. A non-jarring black color is used for the background of the screen.
We use inheritance so we can pass that fixed pixel size down through the carousel for convenience with absolute positioning.
The home screen has some basic text formatting. The yellow is a kind of Pac-Man yellow.
The image of my SV avatar has a fixed pixel size as well.
Our navhints will be absolutely positioned near the corner of the screen.
The controls were fun to figure out. They're positioned with fixed positioning on the edges of the screen. The next and back buttons are 60px wide and 35 pixels tall.
They are overriden to be opaque because BS wants their controls to be translucent but I disagree in this situation.
The middle button is a plain rectangle positioned toward the middle of the actual, functional, sideways controls.
The A and B buttons are circles (border-radius: 50%) positioned with the same technique as the other controls and set up so that the text labeling them will center.
Our query changes button positioning, font-sizes, and screen sizes to turn our NameBoy Color into a NameBoy Advance when the controls move too far to the sides of our NameBoy's screen.
Conclusion:
I love when I have a fun idea, and it works. It's been happening more lately with CSS. I also feel that this is a very cumulative project of last semester's skills. I'm excited for it.
The github repo for the project is here, if you wanna look: https://github.com/Xacheri/aboutme
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