#I'm sorry if anything the fandom has done has offended you

[twilightarc-gm]

Why do you like jiang cheng?

At the risk of liking him for the wrong reasons, let me be verbose and annoying about it.

A short anecdote: I finished the donghua before the novel and I liked JC's aesthetic so I was happy to have that imagery in my head for the novel, but mostly I came out of the donghua like "cool story, the ending was frowny face though" and I came out of the novel like I was lost in the IKEA store "there's stuff here but it's not what I want and it's organized in a way that's hard to navigate through." Bit like giving me a puzzle to solve.

Anyway, imagine a cat bapping at a thing trying to get fandom to show me what to do with MDZS (i.e. reading fanfic) and then I come across anti-Jiang Cheng stuff.

//record scratch

I'm sorry what?

Why?

NO.

I started then on Shuangjie reconciliation fic and quickly evolved into Jiang Cheng "Apologist" ((I actually don't think he has anything to apologize for even if he would do so anyway.))

I've been in the xianxia/wuxia sphere of media consumption for a year or so before trying out MDZS and JC just fits so well as the main character of his own story; destined for a position of power through birth, friends with someone in his life that causes conflict, seemingly betrayed by said friend when needing that friend the most, losing and losing and losing as his trust in said friend proves unfounded because the friend walks a path he can't follow, and then he's left with the tragedy that befell the world because--ultimately he trusted this friend too much.

It's a classic story of love and attachment and how good intentions can have massive consequences. Two men entwined by fate and in the end there's a battle on a hill (off screen in this case) where one is forced to "kill" the other.

MDZS could have ended with the past timeline, and I would have liked it more but at least in the present timeline we get Jiujiu and a-Ling.

Anyway: Excerpts and Commentary Below about WHY I LOVE JIANG CHENG, courtesy WANYIN

Of all the clans to offend, you don’t offend the Jiang Clan, and of all the people to offend, you never offend Jiang Cheng.

We stand by a badass mf in this house. The first thing we learn is that he gets credit for killing a big baddy and the second thing we learn is how fierce the rest of his reputation is. He brooks no shit and leaves no quarter. Amazing 💜

Well, I was done for at "gaze like two streaks of cold lightning" so RIP me, I guess. Reminds me of some antis that are like "you only like him because he's hot" which isn't true but it is a nice plus. He's described as inferior to LWJ so like, if it was only about hotness then wouldn't I like LWJ???

“I am his uncle. Do you have any last words?”

At the sound of that voice, every drop of blood in Wei Wuxian’s body seemed to surge to his head but then immediately drained away again. Thankfully, his face was already a mess of ghastly white, so it didn’t look strange when he went a little paler.

A man in purple attire strode over. He was dressed in a narrow-sleeved light robe, with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. A silver bell dangled from his waist, yet there was no sound when he walked.

This young man had fine brows and almond eyes, with a chiseled handsomeness to his features. His eyes were deep and intense with a hint of aggression, his gaze like two streaks of cold lightning. He stopped and stood three meters away from Wei Wuxian. His expression was like that of a nocked arrow on a bow, ready to shoot, and even his composure was suffused with arrogant pride.

Jiang Cheng ruled the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng alone, so it could have been said that he was in a state of isolation.

🥺 Alone?? And he could still afford 400 Immortal Binding Nets? Self-sufficient king 🤩 And like, his reputation is so fierce and he's boiling over with anger in that scene, but still he restrains himself because he did the cost-benefit analysis! And then later he takes a huge risk on WWX, like he always does for WWX, and that doesn't work out for him--like it always does.

Seeing that nothing had happened to Jin Ling, Jiang Cheng was greatly relieved. However, that relief soon turned into a furious reprimand:

Parent behavior. Enough said.

He has a twisted smile when encountering a trigger for his PTSD and then he decides to fight it instead of letting it paralyze him. He's such a doer. Like, every other moment of the day he's carefully calculating pluses and minuses to every choice (valid) but when it comes to facing his personal demons he's ready to throw down. Excellent.

A moment later, Jiang Cheng’s lips pulled into a twisted smile. His left hand subconsciously began stroking that ring once more.

He said softly, “Excellent. Back, are you?”

He let go of his left hand, and a long whip dangled from it.

“Oh? Then please enlighten me, what is your type?”

Walking A-Spec flag very concerned about what the man who might be his shixiong thinks about him, more at eleven!

Wei Wuxian waved him off and then hooked his arm around Jiang Cheng’s shoulders. “Who cares? I’ll tease him a bit more before I go. You’ve already collected my corpse so many times. Once more won’t hurt.”

Okay but big lol that JC doesn't get to collect WWX's corpse that final time. //sounds of sobbing

A smile appeared on his face, but then he immediately humphed.

He's so grumpy and adorable! I love him! pre massacre JC is precious and I just want him to have someone to bring out that smile again.

He literally didn't have to do this. He makes all these excuses how he'll be embarrassed if WWX is rolling around 😂 Perfection. Boy, you are still carrying him and he doesn't want you to stop.

Jiang Cheng, walk slower, you’re gonna throw me off.”

Not only did Jiang Cheng want to throw Wei Wuxian off, but he practically wanted to bash his head into the ground to create a human crater. “So fussy even though I’m carrying you!”

“I didn’t tell you to carry me,” Wei Wuxian reasoned.

Jiang Cheng flew into a rage. “If I didn’t carry you, I think you’d hang out at their ancestral hall all day, rolling around on the floor. I can’t afford this embarrassment! Lan Wangji took fifty more strikes than you, but he walked away on his own, and you’re not embarrassed, pretending to be an invalid? I don’t want to carry you anymore. Get the hell off!”

“No, I’m wounded,” Wei Wuxian said.

Alrighty, like I'm just going through the entire book at this point.

Let me see if I can make this more concise:

Sacrifices himself despite his very dutiful nature that would oppose this. He throws away all his responsibilities for WWX, again and again, carrying on a tradition of favoring WWX over his own health and happiness. Citing: JFM favoring WWX to the detriment of his marriage, JYL dying to save WWX, and JC (exhausted and with little or no power) running into danger to save WWX ala distracting the Wen patrol and 2nd Siege.

Can't be honest in his affections and makes up excuses to do nice things for others.

Loves and understands his sister. She wanted JZX so he made it happen when LLJ had absolutely no reason to reinstate the marriage contract between Xuanli. JGS notes in the CR arc that he didn't want the marriage for his son in the first place and that there were better options than YMJ, and that was before the war! JC helped her get to Yiling to show off her wedding dress! Even though she married out he still felt so attached to her son he couldn't not co-parent Jin Ling.

Yes, he has Zidian, but he also has a second horsewhip that he keeps on him which is very exciting to know.

The narrative hates him but he survives. (He survives because the narrative hates him).

Most BAMF entrance in the novel at the temple scene with the busting the temple doors down and coming in from the rain with an umbrella. Like sure the narrative hates him but small blessings that rule of cool still counts for something.

Mama's boy.

Just some dude, shows up late to treasury room nonsense, knows all the gossip, no one has faith in him including himself, but he keeps going and doing what needs to be done even when he's so so tired and his shixiong shows up 3 months late with a ghoul lady and a latte, or disappears to liberate slave property without warning first and now he's called into a midnight meeting after trying to get some much needed rest and now he's got consequences to deal with. Someone help him!

An expert at sneering. Threats as a show of worry and care. This makes all the little and brief smiles so much more endearing.

Sandu Shengshou is an amazing title, get out of here if you don't agree. Holy Hand of the Three Poisons? Brutal, perfect 💜 It gets used like, ONCE. Crime against me personally.

Link to Blorbo Sheet for JC

He loves, he hates, he wants to hate he's not allowed to love. Zero middle ground, he's all in and there's no way out.

//is shot and dragged off stage

But just as the Wei Wuxian of the past who’d extracted his golden core for Jiang Cheng had been unable to tell him the truth, the Jiang Cheng of the present could no longer bring himself to speak up.

[twopoppies]

I don't want to offend you, I say this respectfully—but it baffles me how you so strongly justify Harry's every move but criticize or mock Louis'. That's also fandom hypocrisy. It is one thing to have a favorite, and another to not have any type of objectivity.

I don't think I've ever mocked Louis. I rarely criticize him, but I have said I have had a very hard time with his more recently adopted persona and his doubling down on babygate over the last couple of years. I'd like to know where you find me mocking him or even criticizing Louis' every move. And I mean that genuinely.

I'm very aware that I have difficulty being objective about Harry, but I disagree that I have none. And I think the reason I have a hard time is that I feel like so few people (outside of his nasty fans who just say he's better than everyone else) ever speak up in defense of him while masses of people pick apart everything he does. Whereas, from my perspective, it's Louis whose fans think he does no wrong. He's forgiven for everything, which is fine if that's how you feel. But then don't act as though Harry doesn't also deserve some leeway.

I love Louis, and I think he's worked super hard to achieve everything he has. However, I have issues with some of the things he's done. I'm very upfront about it. I don't have as many problems with Harry because I see him differently than you do. I'm sorry you're so baffled. But I have a feeling you don't actually spend a lot of time on my blog, nor have you ever talked to me personally about any of this. But for some reason, some of you equate not fawning over someone constantly with hating them. Black and white isn't the best way to approach anything.

[alexawynters]

Scarlet Whispers pt 4

Gif not mine

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short. Might upload ch 5 early as an apology. Not super thrilled with how this chapter turned out but after re-writing it a dozen times, I am waiving the white flag.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Female!Reader

Trigger warnings (let me know if I forgot to tag anything): Mentions of past child abuse, ongoing adult child abuse, stalking, horror, dubcon, kidnapping, stockholm syndrome, gaslighting, angst, smut. There will be bits of fluff tho.

Rating: M. Minors DNI

Masterlist with parts 1-3 here

Chapter Four

The next few days pass by for Wanda and Y/N in a manner similar to those that came before. With the humdrum nature of her days bleeding together Y/N finds herself becoming under-stimulated. It's not that she doesn't enjoy the time she spends with Wanda, or the endless stream of video games and media the witch provides for her. It's just that Y/N can only handle so much of the monotony that has recently become her life. Unfortunately, this leads to her becoming agitated, and restless. Unintentionally, her responses to Wanda become terse and short which eventually, such attitude becomes too much for Wanda to handle.

"Is there something you want to tell me, malyshka?" she asks one morning, voice full of exasperation. It's evident that she is frustrated with your behavior, but instead of yelling, Wanda wants to understand where her sweet, well mannered girl had gotten to.

"You're barely eating, you've hardly said anything to me all week, and when you do, it's been borderline rude. I've done everything I can to provide you with almost everything you could ever want. So please, tell me, what's wrong? Why are you pulling away from me? What more must I do, dorogoya?!"

At first, you're startled by her outburst, but you realize that she's right. You haven't been fair to her - Wanda has been generous enough to provide you with almost everything materialistic you could ever want and need. It's not her fault that you weren't communicating your other wants and needs, which don't solely revolve around physical possessions. You have the decency to look sheepish, knowing that you have messed up.

“I’m sorry, Wands,” your voice meek as you cast your eyes to the ground in shame, completely missing how the witch melts at the nickname. “I just.. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m..”

You hesitate as you try to think of how to phrase what you want to convey without coming off as ungrateful for Wanda’s efforts. A vague sense of déjà vu slithers darkly across your thoughts before you quickly shake it off, continuing. "I'm bored."

Dreading what you will find, you raise your eyes to catch Wanda’s and find her staring at you, perplexed, but open, seeking to understand where you are coming from.

“You’re… bored?” She asks you, confirming.

A sharp nod. “I’m just not used to this much free time, I guess?” Shoulders lift and then drop in a helpless shrugging motion. “I love spending time with you, don’t get me wrong,” you reassure her. “But every day it’s the same thing, and I’m used to a little more.. variety, I guess..?”

Wanda remains silent for a few minutes, seemingly considering your words carefully before responding. She takes so long that you start to wonder if you have inadvertently offended her, thinking you have asked too much of her.

“So what you’re saying is that you want a little adventure to break up the routine, is that right, detka?” Her voice is surprisingly light, almost teasing.

Relief floods your body as you realize Wanda isn't upset with you, and the smile you give her in return could be described as blinding. She understands! Before you can ask if you can go to the mall or do something else, Wanda speaks again, her mouth lifting at the corners in thinly veiled amusement.

"You know, Y/N, I am a witch. I could bring your, what do you call them, 'fandoms'? To life with just a wave of my hand, if you would like? Just for a little while, at least." Wanda offers, with a teasing lilt to her voice.

Y/E/C eyes stare at her incredulously, and you can't believe it never occurred to you to even ask her that. Belatedly recalling what your new home used to look like when you first arrived, and you realize that you probably vastly underestimated what the witch was capable of.

“I-um-really?!” you stutter, intelligently.

Wanda can't help but let out a warm, affectionate chuckle at your adorable reaction. Her eyes sparkle with amusement as a pale hand rises, adorned with scarlet wisps that wrap around it. Her eyes flash the same color.

Wanda was thrilled to discover that instead of leaving her behind for your fantasy adventures, you insisted on her accompanying you every single time. Initially she had expected to create your own little world for you and let you explore freely, while she continued working in her garden, occasionally checking on you to ensure you were having fun. However, in reality, as soon as Wanda finished creating whichever environment you had chosen for the week, you would eagerly take her hand and embark on your exploration of the new world together. Throughout the journey, you would excitedly explain every little thing you encountered, clearly intent on sharing the experience with Wanda and wanting her to enjoy it as much as you did.

“So what will it be today, котёнок?”

What truly warmed her heart was that despite knowing that none of her constructs were real and had no capability of harming either of you, you treated every situation as though it were actually happening. The witch enjoyed watching you blossom in your confidence within this safe environment she had created for you. For example, when a storm trooper attempted to fire upon both of you as you crept through the Imperial base, you didn't hesitate to pull Wanda down and cover her body with yours, even though the blaster fire wasn't real. Other times you would lead her, hand in hers, through the mines of Moria, trying to outrun goblins and a Balrog, screaming and laughing the entire way, never letting go even once.

The witch knew that she would love any version of you, but she hadn't anticipated just how charming this version of you would be. Yes, you needed some work on building your confidence, but Wanda was more than willing to support you in exchange for these precious moments together. The way you looked at her, as if she were your entire world, spoke volumes. Though you hadn't expressed it yet, Wanda was fairly confident in your feelings for her, even if you weren't. Progress was slow but steady, and she had already decided she would wait for you indefinitely if necessary. The concept of forever didn't seem so distant when you held onto her at every opportunity.

Like now for instance, both of you are hiding behind a support beam in the cargo bay of the spaceship the Nostromo, waiting for a stalking xenomorph to pass by, hopefully leaving you both unnoticed. While it isn't strictly necessary, your body is pressing Wanda’s back further into the cool metal of a support beam. You yourself aren’t entirely sure if this was primarily to keep both of you hidden from the creepy alien prowling the halls, or because you suddenly craved her warmth. Your thoughts were a jumbled mess, with both wants on a surface level, unintentionally calling out to the witch.

Wanda's warm breaths gently graze your skin, creating a subtle zephyr carrying her comforting essence. The warmth envelops both of you, an intimate cocoon that seems to ignore the danger posed by the xenomorph. Unexpectedly you find yourself wishing to forget the game, as the woman in front of you now holds far more interest than the alien you are hiding from.

The proximity becomes palpable, a tangible bridge between the pair of you navigating the delicate space between friendship and something more. A moment suspended in time, filled with the promise of closeness. Unbeknownst to you, you have begun leaning closer to Wanda. Her lips are a tantalizing temptation, and as you look into her eyes, you are surprised to see them shimmering with what even you could define as longing.

Right before your lips touch, you hear the inhuman screech of a Xenomorph, the sound like metal scraping against bone, coming from a nearby hall. Startled, both of you quickly spring apart from each other, a scream almost tearing itself from your lungs in surprise. Your hand, however, is still holding onto Wanda's.

The moment is ruined, and you can't tell if you're disappointed or relieved. Were you just about to kiss her? Was she about to let you? Your mind is filled with chaos while Wanda's is filled with disappointment. You were so close this time. She could only go at your pace, but gods, this was... You missed the red glare she sent in the direction of the alien as you looked in the same direction in fear. Despite the witch's frequent reassurances that none of the constructs could harm you, it didn't mean you weren't still afraid of all things sharp and pointy.

Still hand in hand, you guide Wanda through the ship towards the end of the game. Each simulation she created for you was unique, with different goals and objectives. In this particular scenario, to make it less frightening for you, Wanda emphasized stealth - your only task is to evade the alien and reach the escape pod without harm. Despite a few intense moments, you ultimately succeed in escaping, and Wanda ends her magic. The two of you laugh and giggle at how you cleverly outsmarted the Xenomorph, counting this as an undeniable win.

That night, while Wanda was embracing you from behind as she so often did, you couldn't help but think back to the intimate moment you had shared earlier that day. A part of you wanted to ask her about it, to understand her thoughts on the matter. You weren't adept at picking up context clues, and it would put you at ease to know where she stood. Nevertheless, you were quite certain that the expression in her eyes earlier could only be described as raw desire, and the thought sent a shiver down your spine.

Maybe she really did want you the way she wanted your Avenger variant.

Maybe you wanted her to want you that way.

Maybe you wanted her that way too.

You drifted off to sleep happy, if slightly less confused than you had been lately, in her arms.

A/N 2: Please let me know what you think about this, the pacing, the storyline, is it terrible, is it tolerable? Should I just throw it all out and start over?? If you wanna be added to the taglist, just comment here and I will endeavor to add you :3

Taglist: @dorabledewdroop

[tea-with-evan-and-me]

Hi admin. I really don’t want this posted unless you think it’s for the best. I’m extremely anxious right now. I don’t even know what to say. I’m the one who took the pic yesterday at the airport. I bought the event tickets and booked flights a month ago. I didn’t expect to ever see him outside of a public event like at an airport. I didn’t know what to do. Should I bug him and try to talk to him? Or not bother him? I’m too shy and anxious to talk and I’ve seen so many pics of him at airports and coffee shops and I thought Evan fans would like another. I completely regret posting it let alone taking it or even going near him even though I planned on sitting in that area before I even recognized him. I feel terrible that I invaded his privacy and I never had any bad intentions and never would want to upset him. It kills me most that he might be upset right now. I never thought it would blow up like this since others have done the same, but it did. I guess it’s because all I ever posted on Twitter was Evan stuff and nothing personal. That’s because I’m terrified of criticism and too scared to post things. But Evan stuff made me happy so I’d risk any negativity. I went up to watch them film Tron. The outdoor filming locations were public knowledge posted on Twitter and I don’t live far from there. I am weird like you said (the good weird) but I promise I’m not a stalker. I’m sorry to Evan if I offended or hurt him. Hindsight is 20/20 and I would do it all differently if I could. The account is deleted. I will never post or talk about Evan again. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I love your blog. And again, Evan, if you ever read this, I’m sorry.

i am posting this just because i actually do believe it's important for some of our twitter friends who may be reading my blog to get a reality check about this situation. i can promise you, the very same fans who are acting aghast at your airport photo regularly reblog/retweet/post and save photos taken over the past 10+ years of evan at airports, at restaurants, in all sorts of public places.. without his knowledge or consent, including countless paparazzi photos, which seem far more intrusive and inappropriate than a single airport shot. they do it without a second thought or any sort of guilt, but because you had a face and name they could attach to that one particular shot, and it was easy for people to click on your profile and see you had met evan previously and are a big fan of his, unfortunately some people have created a narrative and ran with it. ironic but… doesn't that sound familiar?

i'm not going to let people do this on my blog. you did absolutely nothing wrong or anything that you should be feeling badly about. i know i get on here and unload PLENTY of criticism for the fans who cross boundaries, disrespect evan as a human, and display unstable behavior but this is not one of them. this is about people being ugly and judgmental over someone, you, who paid for tickets to events and behaved as a fan. going to meet & greets you paid for does not make you a stalker. going to a movie set like tons of other people do every day does not make you a stalker. observing an awards show does not make you a stalker. none of these things are indicative of someone who is acting inappropriately or has some sort of delusions they're going to capture evan peters or find a way to enter into his life. and if you're someone outside of fandom, i don't expect you to understand that these things i just named off are extremely common and not some sign that you're going to kidnap your favorite celebrity. but if you're on my blog, i do sort of expect you to understand that people who engage in fandom routinely do meet their favorite celebrities and go to events to see them, and that isn't automatically indicative of anything nefarious. for instance: you know i have been very vocal in my criticism of the weird behavior jackie has exhibited online, but i didn't post any of the numerous messages from people who were speaking about her at the M&G because she paid to be there, and i have not heard she did anything questionable in his presence.. so why should i give a fuck that she stood in line and took photos just like the other tons of fans who did the same? that's an appropriate way to meet a celebrity you admire.

this will make some of you mad, but you need to hear it regardless: evan peters is not our personal friend from missouri. evan peters is a multi-millionaire actor, celebrity and public figure who is not entitled to the same privacy you and i are. no celebrity is - the very concept is contradictory. if you want discretion and privacy, you're not going to get it as a celebrity. period. argue with your mother.

if you believe evan peters is somewhere trembling, deeply traumatized because the 12 millionth candid photo of him has been released to the internet, i'm going to need for you (not literally you) to come to reality with me. he is most certainly fine even if he finds the concept of being photographed in public bothersome. and even as someone who is deeply sensitive to the fact that social anxiety and discomfort can be crippling, please remember that the man is damn near 40 years old and been in this industry for the majority of his life. he knows how to deal with it. i've said this multiple times already, but anyone reading this who disagrees and thinks a celebrity shouldn't be photographed without their knowledge and consent: you're absolutely entitled to your opinion and i respect that. but i'd be a total and complete hypocrite to sit here and tell you, while i'm running an evan peters tea and discussion blog, that i'm just outraged that a fan took a photo in an airport. i am not. we regularly engage in conversation about the darkest, most painful aspects of evan's life while we are actually strangers. why do we even know any of the things that we know? because he is a celebrity, not a private citizen.

please don't beat yourself up over this. even if you are regretful, at the end of the day, it seems like you had absolutely zero ill intentions and did nothing to bother him, or attempt to cross boundaries to be close to him in an inappropriate fashion. i'm sorry that people have taken something that made you happy and hurt no one, and turned it into something ugly. that wasn't necessary. quite frankly, within the fandom i think there are some people who feel envy that you got ''lucky'' and met evan, and that you've met him multiple times, in legitimate ways. people need to save their outrage for the ''fans'' who are quite literally acting atrociously these days and largely going unchecked. this is the last message i'm posting about this incident.

[chaifootsteps]

can this fandom stop doing abuse apologia for two seconds? please?

https://www.tumblr.com/pinkandpurple360/740860437950857216/this-back-and-forth-went-on-for-a-while-and-it?source=share

someone on xitter is claiming Stolas "didn't realize how predatory the deal is and got upset when he figured it out" and that he didn't knowingly do anything wrong, & there's "a difference between doing it knowingly and not realizing you have an unhealthy power dynamic" (and also that it wasn't actually a deal, Blitzo just thought it was?? or something?? I guess using the phrase 'favors for favors' and 'I give you X if you give me Y' somehow isn't a deal now, but idk - contradictory excuses again)

and like, what?? assuming Stolas somehow didn't realize - I mean, he called when Blitzo was getting shot at, kept pressuring him when there were gunshot sounds and Blitzo repeatedly saying he couldn't talk, but let's just entertain the hypothetical for a second: then how is that better?

"I used my power, status and your need to keep your job to coerce you into monthly sex"

vs

"I didn't realize the difference my power, status and your need to keep your job when I totally didn't coerce you into monthly sex and that was just the end result (because I still wanted sex from you and was going to get it one way or another)"

If anything the second possibility is scarier, tbh. The first one is awful but shows a baseline understanding of what it means for Stolas to be a royal and Blitzo to be an imp. He's at least aware on some level that what he's doing is coercive, has rationalized it away until now and while he's still an awful person, he could someday admit what he's done is wrong and not do it again.

The second one suggests a Stolas who has no real understanding of how the world around him actually works, or that it makes a massive difference for him to be a prince and Blitzo and imp. If he made that deal believing Blitzo freely consented to it then he has no understanding of how the lack of money and power dictates the lives of people below him, or how consent even works. He wouldn't be capable of even understanding what he's done wrong because he's incapable of understanding the forces that motivate those around him & he's functionally blind to his own ability to motivate the lower classes to do whatever he wants, even at the cost of their own bodies and time. Also like, ignorance is not an excuse.

And the saddest thing? I think the second version of Stolas is closer to the one in canon. Murder Family Stolas might have known exactly what he was doing, but s2 Stolas has been moving more and more towards "this situation is barely my fault at all" - the tweet saying he realized what he did wrong and it made him sad is giving Stolas too much credit, I suspect. imo everything is building towards Stolas letting him go not because he realizes what he did was wrong, but because he now wants something else from Blitzo - his love and affection and the ability to paint over ever having to think of his relationship with Blitzo as having involved coercion on his end. until then all we've seen him do is complain the "relationship" is a "lie", not notice or care that his "lover" is the exact same species as the servants he also exploits and abuses, and send passive-aggressive "I'm sorry if you were offended" type texts

tl:dr; but until Stolas says the words "I was wrong to use your job to get you to make the deal, I'm sorry and I was kidding myself you actually wanted to sleep with me this whole time" or something similar with no weasel-wording and putting the blame on Blitzo, I'm not going to believe he's learnt a damned thing. if anything I think the show is just going to lean more into making Stolas unaware of his flaws and privileges; attempting to make him more pitiable & sympathetic while accidentally making him more abhorrent

(also like, gee. how sad for Stolas. how awful it is for him to have realized he took advantage of someone. sure is nice for the story to focus on the feelings of the rich prince realizing he took advantage of someone instead of his victim coming to terms with that fact and breaking free. honestly, I hope these takes are all coming from the same couple of individuals; I'd hate to think the HB fandom is doing this on a widespread scale)

Sometimes, you've just got to wearily gesture to all of this.

[klbwriting]

Surface Tension

Chapter 2: Landslide

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: none just building some fluff

Summary: The first few months are awkward, but they figure things out

Note: Chapter 2! So excited for this, and I love Orm being both confused but still trying to pretend he knows what's going on! Comments/critiques appreciated! Also, song is 'Landslides by Fleetwood Mac

The first month Y/N and Orm only exchanged pleasantries when they saw each other leaving or entering their homes. A quick hello, or how are you, followed by a hasty exit that left Orm confused, what if he had caused her to dislike him, and Y/N worried, what if he became suspicious of her? Despite their meetings being quick and dismissive both found themselves fascinated by the other. Y/N would often stand in her bathroom upstairs, in the bathtub no less, discreetly watching Orm as he walked the beach, sometimes swimming despite the chill of the autumn weather. She envied him honestly, he must have been on the surface because he wanted to be for some reason. If he were hiding out here he would be too afraid to go into the water like she was. Either that or he was still just as self-centered as he was as king and didn't fear being caught. She hadn't stepped foot in the water for the last decade, afraid that somehow her mother would find her and drag her back for punishment for a crime she had tried to prevent.

Y/N thought she was being discreet but Orm could feel her watch him. What he couldn't figure out was why she wouldn't talk to him. She hurried through any interaction they had, putting as much distance between them as possible. He didn't think he had said or done anything offensive, mostly just tried to smile and be polite. It had worked with other surface dwellers, why not her? Could she sense he didn't belong here somehow? He pondered this while he swam in the shallows of the ocean, receiving strange looks from those walking by. He knew the weather was too cold for humans to be swimming but he needed to be in the water, feel a part of the sea at least for a little while during the day. And today was the day he was finally going to confront Y/N, at least so he could apologize for whatever he had done to make her dislike him.

Orm was just coming in from the beach through the back sliding door of the house when he heard Y/N returning home through the wall splitting the house. He waited for several minutes, getting dried off, before he approached her door, knocking. She peeked out of the peephole and nearly passed out. Why was he here? Had he seen her watching him and wanted to tell her off for being creepy? She took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Hi," she said, trying to hide how nervous she was. Orm swallowed, almost forgetting the words he wanted to say. She looked like she had had a long day, hair in a messy ponytail and clothes wrinkled from whatever job she did. She looked like she had just gotten out of bed and the thought of her in bed almost made him blush.

"Hello, I just, I notice that you seem to run off at the sight of me and I am wondering have I...done something to offend you?" he asked finally, stringing a usable sentence together, much to his surprise. Whatever she had been expecting him to say, this was not it.

"O, um, no, I'm...I'm sorry," she stammered out, trying to think fast about why she was avoiding him. "Its just, strange man moving in next door to me, not the first time I've been polite to a neighbor and he has thought that I was flirting, I didn't want to, I just wanted to make sure you weren't a creep first before being nicer." Was that an explanation? Did those words even work? Orm drew his eyebrows together, thinking over her statement.

"I hope I didn't come off as a creep, I am not one I don't think?" he said, voice unsure. Y/N couldn't fight the smile that appeared, he seemed so sweet and genuine. He wanted her to think he was a good man, not someone to be afraid of. She took a deep breath and decided to give him a chance.

"No, you haven't, you've been perfectly respectful," she said. "I'm sorry for making assumptions but you can never be too careful can you?" Orm agreed and looked at the weather. It was overcast, but not rainy.

"Would you like to take a walk on the beach?" he asked. This was actually surprising. Y/N looked towards the back of the house, thinking about the rocks and the water and then Atlantis. Then she pictured a force arriving on the beach to carry her back to the kingdom for execution. She shook her head.

"No, but how about a walk to the park?" she asked. Orm nodded. "Give me 2 minutes to change my shirt, I just got off work and feel like I smell." She laughed at herself and Orm smiled, nodding.

While he waited he thought about the look she had on her face when she had looked towards the ocean. It wasn't boredom, or even nervousness, it was fear in her eyes. Was she scared of the water? If so, why live in this house where the waves sung him to sleep every night? What was she afraid of? He filed the question away to think about later as the door opened again and she came out in a sweater and her ponytail smoothed out.

"Shall we?" she asked, offering him her elbow. He looked at her for a second before she laughed. "Sorry, its the gentleman's job to offer his arm isn't it?" Orm cocked his head to the side before mirroring her move, sticking his elbow out. Now he wished that he had watched those movies that Arthur had talked about, maybe he would know what was supposed to happen with his arm like this. Then Y/N slid her arm through his and linked them together. Now he understood. And he liked it. They started off towards the small green park that was nearby.

"Its nice today," Y/N said, breaking the silence as they started to circle the fountain at the park entrance. "Cloudy, but the temperature isn't too cold yet. I'll bet we'll have snow soon though." Orm looked up at the sky.

"I've never seen snow before," he said. He knew about the weather pattern, water froze in the air and then fell lightly to the ground in white flakes, but he had never bothered to go see snow. He wondered if he would like it.

"A southern man, I see," Y/N said, stopping by the edge of the community garden. She walked over to the small patch she took care of, grabbing a small bit of weed that had popped up in the last day and tossed it aside. "That's my part of the garden, I grow some vegetables."

"I've never gardened before either," Orm said. As they walked he was realizing he hadn't done a lot despite being on land for almost a full year now and wondered if he should start actually trying to live instead of just hide here. He shook the thought from his head and looked back at his walking partner. "So, you just got off work, where do you work?"

"I own a cafe in town, little place that's open for breakfast and lunch," she explained. "You should come by sometime, could always use more customers." She nudged him with her elbow, making her own heart skip a beat and deciding maybe it wasn't a good idea to walk with him, be this close to him. But he was like a magnet for her and she had spent so much time trying to fight speaking to him, it had been exhausting. They could be friends.

After the walk, for two months they had small talk. Nothing too deep, just general things they liked and disliked, some bland stories from their past that could easily be pulled from almost any surface dwellers memories. They walked in the park a few days a week and despite either of their best interests they were starting to really enjoy each other's company. Y/N loved to hear Orm's laugh and see his smile. Orm liked how the sun made Y/N's eyes a deeper color, but how the rainy days brought out her silly side, splashing in puddles or swinging at the vacant, soaked, playground. These walks were Orm's favorite times of the week, but after tonight he would have another favorite to add.

It was late, after midnight, and Orm was barely dozing, a nightmare waking him over and over. One would think the nightmares he had would be about his imprisonment, or the attempted assassination from his coronation day, but no, the nightmare's were about his father on his 18th birthday. His party had just ended, and it wasn't much of a party, more a show where his father could pretend to be so happy and proud of his soon-to-be king son. They had known his father was sick by then, would be dying within the next few months, so he had thrown Orm a grand bash to remember him by. Orm couldn't recall a single thing about the evening until he was saying goodnight to his father at the door to his room.

"You ate still an embarrassment," Orvax had said, looking Orm over. He was wearing his finest armor but still felt like a child playing knight and his father knew it. "Your reign will be the worst of any of the Atlantian kings and I hate that my child is going to be the greatest disappointment in the history of the sea." Then his father went into his room and died that very night.

Orm had spent the next decade trying to prove his father wrong. He knew he had, he knew now that Arthur being king was the greatest thing that could happen to Atlantis, but there was still a part of him that felt the pang of guilt and shame of being exactly the disappointment his father knew he was going to be. He woke up with the shame swimming in his body, but this time he heard something outside. He stood, throwing on a shirt as he ventured downstairs. The sound wasn't threatening, it was, music. Y/N was outside on the back porch playing...guitar...that was the word, and singing. He thought he recognized the voice but couldn't place where from. He opened the sliding door to the back quietly, wanting to listen. She was seated on a wicker rocking chair facing the ocean, strumming as she sang to the sea.

Orm must have made a noise because the song stopped and she turned, looking at him. He blushed, feeling caught peeking into something he wasn't supposed to see. After a moment though, she smiled and waved him out. He closed the door and moved to sit on the other wicker chair out on her porch.

Oh, mirror in the sky

What is love?

Can the child within my heart rise above?

Can I sail through the changing oceans tides?

Can I handle the seasons of my life?

"I hope I wasn't keeping you awake," she said, still strumming softly. Orm watched her fingers, shaking his head. "I can't sleep either. What's got you awake, if you don't mind me asking."

"My past," he said softly. She nodded, seeming to understand. "You?"

"My past," she mimicked his voice before laughing. Orm chuckled. It must have been the sound of the waves or the sight of the stars because Y/N decided then to trust Orm with a little more of herself. "I was blamed for something that I didn't do, but because of me it was still able to happen. Someone almost died, so I ran. I couldn't live at home anymore, seeing what my foolishness caused so, here I am." Orm looked at her and sighed. "What? Same thing for you?"

"Worse," he said. Her eyebrows shot up. "I also did something foolish, and well, I was high on who I was, the power my name afforded me, and I did hurt people, almost killed my own brother. He forgave me, taught me a hard lesson in the process, and now I just want to figure out who I am without that world, without that power." Y/N reached out her hand and set it gently on his.

"I'm glad we found each other then, maybe we can be friends and help each other be better then we were," she said. Orm smiled, squeezing her hand and sitting back to enjoy the ocean as Y/N pulled back to start playing again, singing him to sleep.

[firecooking]

Hello. Sorry if someone has already asked before, but how many languages do you speak? I’ve been reading through your TUGS series on AO3 and noticed you write dialogue in English, French, and Hebrew. That and using old 1900s slang… it’s such a neat facet of your works—it provides cultural richness and makes the stories and characters feel much more colorful. But it did get me wondering about the author!

Heyo!

Actually no one has asked me about this before!

I actually only 'fluently' speak English [tho that could be contested with my grammar and spelling habits], altho I'm somewhat capable of conversation in German and can do basic exchanges in Spanish. I've completed most of the duolingo course in Esperanto but my recall on it is rusty, and I've spent time learning Welsh, Canadian French, and Klingon lol

Fun fact about me is I had to teach myself to read and write [educational neglect for students with special education plans is VERY real]. All of the grammar and writing knowledge I have is from books I've read and my German classes in high school.

Most of the languages I use in my fics are very carefully translated! I think any successful internet user who wants to interact with non English speaking areas should be able to read up and learn the translation rules for any language you wish to 'speak' with. It makes it very easy to open a translation dictionary and then get the result you want! Other languages don't work like English you have to learn how to get it done.

That even goes for other ways we used to speak English! We used to speak almost a completely different language mechanically 100 years ago. It is a very careful balance of writing accurate dialogue in the fics where you both use the English lexicon of the time period, get the voice of the character across, try not to have the characters say anything out right offensive [altho that's a touchy subject, words I find offensive may not be for others or others might be offended by what I deem safe to write, its a very careful balance], and omitting words that meanings have changed significantly [like awesome was a very common 1920s word, but you can't exactly have Captain Zero saying that, it'd sound wrong to 2020's ears]

I take my historical research very seriously! I am now very disabled and kinda a loser; so I'm home bound and bored a lot of the time. Things like my fic and art are pretty much my full time time occupier, so I absolutely love spending time getting nit pikcey and specific!

I'm so glad you are enjoying my work! I hope that going forwards I can continue to excite and provide good fic, lord knows the TUGS fandom needs it. Feel free to drop a line any time! I love answering questions about my AU and TUGS stuff in general! Hell ask me questions if you need help with your own stuff haha

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Phantom Grin

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam

Summary: Bruce Wayne visits his son's grave on the night of his resurrection. Will it change Jason's fate, or is it all simply inevitable?

Chapters: 11/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain

Relationship(s): Jason Todd/Original Character

Additional Tags: Canon Divergent AU, Jason Todd Has Chronic Pain, Jason Todd is Disabled, Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Resurrected Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne Get Along

Chapter Eleven: Bat or Bird

ason spent the next few weeks at Barbara's because Bruce was out of town following a lead. Barbara didn't mind him training at odd hours. Most days, Jason kept his appointments and said his prayers. Other days, Jason lay in bed with no desire to do anything. Barbara allowed him his space as long as he followed two rules: Make his appointments and answer his phone.

"Jason!" Barbara yelled from the kitchen.

Jason rolled his shoulders and wiped the sweat from his brow. He met her in the kitchen and looked her in the eyes. "Where's your phone?" Barbara questioned. Jason patted himself down to look for his phone, and she held it out for him.

"Sorry, I didn't—."

"Bruce called you an hour ago... He's still free to talk, but you've gotta pay more attention," Barbara chastised him. He nodded and took his phone from her.

Jason apologized and called Bruce back from his room. "Jason, are you—?"

"Hi, Dad. I'm sorry, I didn't have my phone on me," Jason interrupted, "Something wrong?"

"No... I just wanted to check in on you. How've you been?" Bruce asked.

"Honestly? I'm doing alright today... I just have a lot on my mind," Jason whispered, "Dad... Can I ask you something?"

"Okay," Bruce replied.

Jason heard clicking as if Bruce were typing something. "If your gut feeling went against common sense-. Generally speaking... Would you trust your gut or—?"

"Is it something that can be looked into? If it can't, I'd say go with your gut," Bruce whispered, "Do you need me to come back?"

"No, actually, that was the answer I needed... Not the one I wanted, though. What are you doing?" Jason asked. "Are you working?"

"Um, no, I'm just doing a regular search... You know I'll be back in time for your birthday," Bruce reassured him, "Anything special you want me to bring you back?"

"Nothing this time... But maybe consider letting me come with you next time," Jason suggested, "I'm doing better. I really am."

Bruce stayed silent. "Dad, you haven't even seen what I can do yet," Jason whispered. He lay back on the couch. "I need you to trust me. I'm not even asking to be Robin again. I'm just asking to be something."

"You are something. Jason, you're my son. I just don't want—."

"I was Batman's son too," Jason whispered. Bruce sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I've gotta go. I love you, Jason," Bruce replied.

"I love you too," Jason muttered into the phone before hanging up.

"Jason, I wanna talk to you after you get cleaned up," Barbara whispered. Jason nodded, and he showered and washed his hair.

Although he understood Bruce's hesitancy to put him back into the field, Jason felt hurt. He tried not to get angry or offended, but he couldn't help but feel stifled. He got dressed and met Barbara in the living room. "You're bored," she stated.

"It's not your fault. I just want to be useful again," Jason whispered. Barbara took her glasses off and set them on the table. "What?"

"If I let you open your birthday gift, will you promise not to use it until your birthday?" Barbara asked. "I'm serious. You have to promise me because I shouldn't have done this in the first place."

"I promise," Jason whispered. Barbara grabbed a box from behind the couch and handed it to Jason. He carefully removed the wrapping paper while holding eye contact with Barbara. "Before I open this box, how much trouble could you get in if my dad found out?"

"Don't worry about it. Just open it," Barbara whispered. Jason looked down and opened the box. He pulled out a costume and a mask. "I'm not sure if you remembered a conversation we had before you—. I didn't give you two things. I didn't give you a cape, and I didn't give you a symbol. It's time you start to make choices for yourself. It's time you decide who you are, Jason."

"Barbara," Jason smiled as he looked the costume over, "You really—. Thank you, but why would you stick your neck out for me like this?"

"Because I care about you," Barbara answered. She pointed to the top half of his suit. "It's heavy because it's insulated and bulletproof. The utility belt is basically the same, with a few updates... And Jason, please be careful."

Jason smiled faded, and he nodded. "Barbara, what's the catch? I know there's gotta be a catch," Jason questioned.

"I've seen you these past few weeks. I think it's time that we all start giving you your space. You've more than earned it," Barbara explained. Jason folded his costume up neatly and put it back in the box. He walked over to Barbara and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "What's that for?"

"Not asking where I'm going tonight... And for believing in me," Jason whispered.

"I won't ask where you're going, but I will ask you one thing," Barbara whispered, "Jason, are you about to do something dangerous?"

"Nothing dangerous... Just stupid," Jason answered, "Really stupid... But on a scale of one to ten for danger, I'd have to say it's a two." Barbara narrowed her eyes. "I won't be out super late. Actually, I won't be out late at all. I'll be back before eleven."

"Okay," Barbara whispered, "Do you want me to order anything special for dinner tonight?" Jason shook his head.

"No, I'll find something out there," Jason replied as he slipped on his shoes and took his keys off the hook on the wall. It was nice to have his own little secret, but something told him that he was about to make a huge mistake.

[not-so-lost-after-all]

I saw some of your posts about how the game implemented the poly thing in regards to Astarion and I have to agree with you, the lack of dialogue in which Tav can tell him that he's enough, that they don't need another person in their relationship is glaring! I suppose they didn't include it because they didn't want to offend the fans who are for the arrangement, in case Astarion would've reacted too happily at the player telling him he's enough (realistically he would be VERY happy)? Either way, it's stupid. The whole thing is very badly done and I think the fandom should stop pretending Larian wrote this well and act like it's good poly representation. They didn't and it isn't. Yeah, some people will be offended if you tell them the truth, but this doesn't mean the rest of us should sweep the bad writing under the rug so we don't hurt some feelings. Clearly Larian intended to portray a healthy polyamory relationship in which all parties enthusiastically consented but I think in their desire to do so, they overwrote it inadvertently portrayed the type in which a partner agrees to this type of arrangement not for their own sake, but for their partner's. Oh and I love how these people guilt trip other fans, saying they're infantilizing Astarion for questioning how genuine he was about it or for not liking how the devs implemented poly, or accusations of hating real poly people, poly erasure and so on. If Larian wrote this well, most of the discourse surrounding this issue wouldn't exist.

Fans of this choice will chide you for having doubts and tell "it's normal for him to have insecurities, you just have to reassure him and it's all fine" and will also point to the dev notes saying Astarion is genuine about it except…you can even CONFIRM that his insecurities are true, that you have a problem with him NOT fucking you and he's still fine with it. What the fuck, Larian? Maybe I'm getting something wrong, but him accepting this kind of disrespect from his partner who outright tells him they care more about sex than him as a person is either a red flag which confirms he still has problems setting up his boundaries or again…bad writing. Not sure which is worse. Personally, I tend to believe it's both and after the new Mizora datamined lines in which the player CAN still manipulate him into forgiving the cheating I have to say it's quite clear that he can still be taken advantage of. Sorry, but a person who can healthily establish a boundary won't forgive his partner cheating on him, let's not pretend otherwise. It's GREAT that he's still confronting the player about what they had done, but it's not a good sign that he can forgive a cheater. Oh and let's not forget how before the datamined dialogue for the Mizora cheating many people used the fact that Astarion was seemingly okay with it and didn't have any disparaging reaction as proof of him being open minded about allowing the player to have casual sex with anyone…

Also, why the confidence about believing that Halsin will keep it at sex only when it's clear it's also about feelings for him. Yeah, he has prior experience with this, but is it really enough? It creates the impression that Tav is either lying to Astarion that their relationship with the druid will only be about sex or that Tav is lying to Halsin, therefore using him for sex only when clearly it's more than that for him since feelings are also involved on his part. Again, Larian didn't really think this through. Oh and it gets worse when nothing in the game suggests that Astarion even likes Halsin, if anything he talks about finding him annoying…

It's fucked up that that the Halsin conversation ends up with him agreeing with it no matter what you're going to say. People will probably say "well, Astarion is polyamorous, that's why he simply agrees with it"… well, for someone who's supposedly been written as poly from the beginning, he never brings it up on his own! It's always the player the one who does it. Since communication is so important, we should've had the option to discuss such matters at some point. What type of relationship he prefers to have with the player? Is it fine if the player only wants him? Maybe he would've told us he doesn't want to be in a monogamous relationship and that at some point he will seek out other partners on his own. Or I guess only Tav is allowed to have others on the side?

Now post-Cazador the whole thing feels less bad, but not by much. His impersonation of Halsin, the exaggerated laugh, the 'it's okay if things between us change' lines…sorry, it just puts you off. Not to mention it just doesn't fit into his romance arc, especially when he remains a spawn. He's in his first real relationship with a person he just confessed his love for and very importantly, he's just began to learn that sex can also be about having a loving, intimate connection with his loved one, and more than what he was forced to do, more than scratching an itch and you just prove the opposite by doing whatever you can to have sex with others. It's just bad. (and to ask bluntly, why do people act as if Tav will die if they go on without having sex for a while? oh the horrors!! Not everything has to be about sex all the time)

To argue that well, actually going poly is GREAT for Astarion and that he must be likely relieved about Tav having someone else to have sex with because it takes the pressure from him in the relationship to perform and now he has time to figure himself out…yeah, just stop. This is just coping and headcanon lol. He doesn't need his lover to fuck other people in order for him to figure what he likes, get real. Now I could be persuaded into thinking that in the future when he will have had more actual experience about what being in an actual relationship entails, he could be truly open to trying poly, but right now, to open the first and ONLY real relationship (that's a few months old!!) he has to poly seems a bit cruel from Tav's part. Had HE been the one initiating this, maybe it would've felt different. The only one getting anything positive out of this is Tav. I think it's silly to pretend otherwise. The same goes for the orgy as well (yes, he does consent to both, I'm not saying otherwise), it's bothering me a lot how a lot of people in the fandom think you NEED to take him to the brothel and have an orgy for him because, apparently, they say it's essential to his healing journey. I had someone tell me I'm a bad partner for not doing this with him, that I'm intantilizing and taking away his agency and freedom to choose…so, yeah. This is the BG3 fandom for you.

Regardless, people should of course feel free to do anything they like in the game without being judged or called a bad person, but those of us who feel uncomfortable about certain things shouldn't be dismissed as mere haters or bigots. Our criticism is still valid. It's funny how you can criticize the writers for pretty much everything you want except the horny parts of the game…now that's when people get really angry and come for your head.

Now this ask got so incredibly long, sorry about it! I'll just end this by saying I like your blog and agree with your takes about Astarion (oh and yes checking Astarion's tag on tumblr is a challenge in itself, sone of the stuff you can find there...ugh). It's just nice finding fans out there who aren't insane about him in a bad way and who don't praise every writing decision the devs made just for the sake of it.

Nonnie, yeah, it was long but it was apparently important for you to vent 🙂 I'm sorry if the sex positive crowd left a bad taste in your mind. I honestly prefer to stay in my small corner of the fandom and usually don't bother to argue or correct anymore. I've said many things you have mentioned myself and I'm probably done with this topic. It's pointless to be upset about what some people do with their barbies - but you should hold you ground when someone says something idiotic like that the brothel experience is "healing" and you should defo do it for him. The poly thing is so badly done I'm not even sure why he'd dismiss that option with Shadowheart in Act 3 if he's poly, to be honest.

[holly-fixation]

🧃 ⇢ share some personal lore you never posted about before

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

🧃 ⇢ share some personal lore you never posted about before

Does personal lore mean it has to be about me?? I'm gonna assume yes?? I can't tell what this question wants. My personal lore is that I hated reading for most of my life. I mean more than 80% of my life. Ironic, I know. It's still incredibly difficult for me to pick up a book and just read! Somehow this did not transfer to fanfic. It's one of the few things I can read without getting fatigue.

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairing

Let's stick with good old Zack and Sephiroth for this one. I head Canon Zack is very good at brushing Sephiroth's hair. HOWEVER, in the wing AUs where Sephiroth's wing appears while he's still sane, Zack is garbage at preening. It takes too long! It's not intentional that he gets impatient and less and less careful. This has lead to tearing multiple chunks of feathers from brushing too fast.

The biggest problem is accidentally ripping a feather out from its root. Sephiroth's instincts kick in and he suddenly attacks the offender, no matter who it is. He only injures Zack once before having enough control to stop himself. Zack never holds it against him. It becomes a quiet night of the two being close until Sephiroth no longer feels overwhelming guilt for what he's done.

Sorry, got a little carried away. A well known bit of personal lore: everything I write becomes angst.

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

Hojo is incredibly interesting. Yes the man is a complete sociopath, but I cannot deny the steps to his madness and how it grew throughout the game and fascinating to me.

I really don't have many unpopular opinions (at least not with the Tumblr crowd). Ships though? Different story.

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

So in The Last Straw, I came up with this completely bullshit idea: a child with a significantly higher concentration of Jenova cells cannot absorb any nutrients except meat based protein (or the lab made equivalent). This is based off the fact that Jenova in that world survives on the lifestreams of planets, and if you look at a food chain and think of the planet as one more link, Her species is Always a predator.

I realize now, after writing all of this, that the question does ask for backstory. Woops.

Anyway, I was trying to BS a name for this condition. Then I found the significantly less severe condition of malabsorption. On a surface level, it's a condition where the body does not absorb nutrients/absorb them properly. So because this was so different than anything else I've researched, it sticks out.

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

The blond landed on the vehicle and Strife swiftly removed the blade. Every second they wasted on this transition meant more firepower on the truck. Cloud grabbed the handlebars with his left hand and the Buster Sword with his right. Together they swept through Shinra's ground forces, men knocked off their vehicles and onto the unforgiving pavement.

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

@altocat - always kind and let's me steal her ideas

@prismaticpichu - a font of kindness who always has a Fluffy idea cooking. Great when I need some joy.

@winter-doggo - his art always makes me smile. And he still leaves great comments on my fics despite my sudden lack of online interaction.

And you! Yes you, @shadowbanshee , because you're one of the only people that's left me asks like the ones I see for everyone else I follow. I still see likes for the "CC Sephiroth finds CCTV footage of Lucrecia" from December!

I'm not saying there aren't others. I just don't want this post to be any bigger lol. Know if I didn't mention you, I still appreciate you!

[jadehaven]

Hello! I hope I'm not coming across as rude or anything, but I notice that a lot of people are upset because negative stuff about Celeborn is being accidentally tagged and it shows up in his tumblr tag. I'm of the belief that we are free to ship and dislike whatever we want, but I don't think it's a good idea to put negative stuff about him in his own tag. I'm Elondriel myself, and I know we hate seeing negative stuff about it in our own tags too. Could I ask you to please not write 'celeborn' as a whole word, but to break it into parts like cele/born or even 'cele born' when you're mentioning him in your tags so it doesn't look like we're intentionally putting hate into his own tag? Again, sorry for the weird ask, I just want shippers to be respectful of each other and create a peaceful environment for everyone!

Hello, thanks for clarifying your intentions, I appreciate it.

*Ahem*

I went back and forth on how to answer this tbh. There’s some things to be said here that maybe the whole fandom should pay attention to, so let’s get into it…

First things first, I am ship and let ship. Do I strongly disagree with some? Yeah. That doesn’t change the fact that if I follow the tag “Rings of Power”, I’m going to see those ships that I dislike come up on my feed. When I see those posts, I quickly and respectfully scroll on by. Because “ship and let ship” also means to let other people have a voice, and as long as it’s not active hate speech, I can respect without agreeing or even paying any attention.

Secondly, we need to remember that this is a fictional world, and Celeborn currently doesn’t have an actor in Ring of Power. Therefore, I’ve said nothing to offend a real person, even if it offends his fans. We are all allowed to have individual opinions about created things. That’s what art is supposed to be, up to the viewer’s interpretation.

Thirdly (sorry to be annoying by starting my paragraphs this way lol), we need to remember that the internet is a VERY diverse place. There are certain things that should under no circumstances be tolerated. That being said, I think that some folks have become a little bit sensitive about certain subjects, such as fandoms and fictional characters. I’m NOT talking about actors, or real people.

Thing is, I personally don’t mind if people come for Elrondriel. I don’t mind if they hate it with every fibre of their being, and I don’t mind that they post on it either. If someone has criticism about it, writes a well thought out post addressing their problems with it and tags Elrondriel, I will not care. Will I read it? Likely no. But their post is literally on that topic. I can’t go around dictating whether or not their post will be received by the right audience or not.

I think this all weighs in to remind us that we shouldn’t need to walk on eggshells when it comes to certain subjects. I’m sorry if my post offended anyone, but respectfully, it was not a “hate post” or “hate speech” regarding the character. It was an it was a critical observation if anything. Had this not been the case, your request would be more than valid. I expect to see all kinds of opinions when I come online, and it’s my personal duty to guard my heart when it comes to the things I love. But even despite this, there will be things that pop up that I will strongly disagree with and will have to make my peace with. It’s not easy, but it’s real life.

My final point is this: how folks judge my content is solely up to them. They can decide if they think I’m being petty or not, though I never intend to be. If they see my content and tags and discern that it’s being done out of spite, then that is on them. In this particular situation, it would be a different case had I tagged “haladriel” or “celadriel” because I specially wanted to ruffle feathers in the other ships. If some folks still interpret me tagging Celeborn as spiteful, then there’s nothing more I can do other than clarify that it was not my intention.

In lieu of your request, I will make sure to not tag Celeborn in any outright blasphemous posts about him, should I ever make any. But as for now, I will continue to tag the subjects that I write on and leave it up to viewers to either show their support, or scroll past. I hope you can understand.

Thanks for reading, sorry it’s so controversial lol.

xo Jade

[p-artsypants]

Blurb #22

I'm going to try to share 70 blurbs from my WIPs and unfinished fics to celebrate reaching 70 posted fics! To help with this endeavor, please feel free to send me a word or a fandom you know I write for, and I'll share the blurb. IDK if I'll get 70 prompts, but let's try it! Send as many as you want!

“Heads up!”

Adrien stopped the cannon ball as it rolled to him.

“Sorry about that! Slippery little buggers!”

“Oh, it’s no problem.” Then he went to lift it, only not able to even lift it off the floor.

“My, you’re a feeble one, aren’t you?”

“Um, excuse me?” Chloe interjected. “Who do you think you’re talking to? This is Prince Adrien!”

The assembled crew giggled, trying to pretend they hadn’t been watching.

Marinette blinked, then easily picked the cannon ball up. “Forgive me. You’re a feeble Prince, aren’t you, Your Highness?”

Adrien blushed wildly, not used to being talked to this way.

“Caline!” A shrill voice called over to the Third Mate. The voice belonged to the quartermaster, a girl with brunette hair in two low ponytails hanging down by her face. “The Powder Monkey dropped a cannon ball and it almost hit the Prince!”

“What!?”

“She has a name, you know!” Called another woman with auburn hair by the helm.

“Yes,” the quartermaster drawled. “I know. But that’s Captain’s orders, Alya, use someone’s rank when they’ve done something wrong. And since everything Powder Monkey does is a mistake, I have forgotten her name.”

The Powder Monkey blushed hotly, partly in embarrassment, and partly in rage.

“So what do you say, Caline? What’s the punishment for nearly taking off someone’s foot?”

“I say she is removed from the ship.” Spoke the cold voice of the duke. “I will not tolerate someone speaking to the Prince so casually, especially not some ship rat.”

“Father,” the Prince warned. “She was just teasing me. I wasn’t offended. Can we not throw someone out for minor offenses?”

“I’d rather get rid of the riff-raff before we set sail, so no provisions are wasted on her.”

“Yes!” Chloe agreed. “It’s high time we rid ourselves of the useless Powder Monkey!”

“Enough!” The voice of Captain Bourgeois silenced the argument. “We haven’t even left harbor and you girls are already squabbling!”

Chloe and the quartermaster bowed their heads.

“Despite the slip ups, our Powder Monkey knows the inside and outside of this ship better than I do. She was born and raised on it, and no one can replace her. Her job is the most dangerous, and most vital.”

The girl seemed to glow at the praise.

“That being said, Powder Monkey, be wise to keep your mouth shut and your eyes on your work. Any more problems, and this will be your last job. I don’t care who your family is. Understood?”

“Yes sir!”

“Good, get back to work…whatever your name is!”

The girl hurried off with the cannonball.

Adrien, born of noble birth and blood, had rarely spent time with the so called ‘riff-raff’. This girl had arrived like a breath of fresh air. She hadn’t fallen all over herself to impress him. In fact, she didn’t try to do anything. Just a little tease, a little jest. It was nice. She was nice.

He felt extremely sorry for her.

The most dangerous job on the ship? What on earth was she doing? And why voluntarily?

This was more thought then he should have paid to the girl. Certainly his interactions with her to come would be limited.

----

This fic is called 'Stardust' and I've talked about it a few times. It connects to Blurb #15. I like to day dream about it. I have some more blurbs I'll share later, along with concept art if anyone is interested.

Despite not really being in the ML fandom anymore, I like this AU enough, I might write it all someday...maybe...

[kimtaegis]

„Because I feel like I'm getting less and less interested in anything and everything he's doing and it's making me so frustrated because I did like him as a person and his music as well.” „because I feel like I still like him,” But go off anon I guess. People like you are the reason why I left twitter because you make such a big deal about loving every member no matter what. I do love all of them. But I still have opinions and I can’t like everything. I’m open to what they are doing, I’m open to new music, photoshoots, brand deals, you name it. But I don’t have to and I can’t like everything all the time. And sorry if me voicing my frustration about something that has been bothering me for months and asking if anyone else feels the same way personally offended you. „I still don't think anon is army” well if that makes you sleep better then okay. But you know what, I’m going to tell you something: you are not obligated to like everything. Forcing yourself to say „omg it’s a hit” to every single song they release just so you can be called a true army is not how being a fan should be. Guess what, even if people tweet about every single release and how they love it and it’s a hit and all that, 50% of those people could secretly dislike that song. Because we have opinions. And maybe you didn’t have bad intentions but you really came across as someone who just blindly supports everything they do and you force yourself to like everything. And the fandom has shifted so much and everyone acts like if you don’t like absolutely everything they do then you can’t even like them because you’re not a fan. Believe me, if I could, I’d simply snap my fingers and go back to feeling the same way I felt a few months ago, but I can’t. And that’s what’s frustrating because he hasn’t done anything bad for me to like him less. But thanks for basically stating I’m not a fan just because my interest levels are not the same.

Thank you annie for your answer, and I'm sorry for even bringing this up. I didn't want to turn this into a discourse. I won’t send another ask again.

I hope it’s okay if I don’t go further into anything you said since it was mostly directed at the other person, and let me just end this by saying something about you and me: you don’t have to ever apologise to me for speaking up about what worries you, okay? with hindsight I maybe should’ve just not answered their message and spare you having to read it as well, I don’t know… I was upset too and wanted to make some things clear from my side. I understood what you wanted to express and I’m sorry I let this go as far as you having to justify your feelings to some other stranger.

lastly, because I don’t want any of you to get my text post wrong – you can ALWAYS come here and talk to me about your thoughts and feelings, okay? I said it before but I love that my blog can be this space for you, I happily try to comfort and help you in any way I can, I really do. I’m just not immune to the ‘heaviness’ some of these topics bring with them, and now that I’m much busier with work and my own priorities (have to) shift, it can get more difficult and exhausting than usual to try to find the time, headspace and right words to reply the way I want to you. I hope you can understand that when you talk to me about these kind of things, I start to worry (about you), too, and sometimes it can get overwhelming. just as for everyone else probably, a little light or silly or sweet conversation in between all those heavy topics would do me some good, especially these days. that’s all I wanted to express, really

[makethatelevenrings]

Also funny you’re literally on your high horse about people writing for white characters when you yourself write for Jason Todd, who is white. Sorry but no one owes you anything. “Why don’t you write for Sam Wilson” because maybe they don’t want to. Stop making a fuss and just take steps to curate the content you wanna see like everyone else. It’s not a race thing it’s just how fandom works. If you can’t handle that, don’t be a part of it.

I know this comes from the same person so I just want to address this:

I am white. I benefit from the racial systems of oppression that dominate society and, therefore, it is my duty to work constantly to unlearn the systematic racism and prejudice that has been instilled in me. I have always seen myself on screen, in books, as superheroes, in history books, etc. I have never had to doubt my place in society because society has been built to cater to my race. My writing will at times reflect my race because I do fall into the same patterns of thought that I was raised with. But I will always welcome and encourage people to call me out if I fail to diversify my writing.

When we are writing works of fiction that are supposed to include everyone and we fail to recognize or include BIPOC, we have continued to uphold the societal norms of racial oppression. Fiction is a representation of our life and society and we, as white people, must make a conscious effort to consistently educate ourselves about unlearning our biases, being anti-racist, and amplifying the voices of activists who have already said these things.

This conversation is nothing new in fandoms. It is been said in every fandom space I have ever been in and I have been in fandom spaces for over a decade now. You state that "It’s not a race thing it’s just how fandom works" in response to me pointing out how people amplify a white character in a black character's tag. You failed to see the point of my argument and for that, I regret that I haven't done more work to educate my fellow white writers enough. It is not the duty of BIPOC creators to constantly have these conversations with you. They do not deserve the extra emotional labor and time you are asking of them. There are hundreds of resources out there and yet you refuse to engage with them, simply because of your pride and refusal to acknowledge the structures of power that exist in everything, yes, even in fanfiction.

I will not block the tag because, if requested, I will write Sam Wilson. I love Sam. I think he is a fucking amazing character with such a strong moral code and driven determination. I think he is an excellent Captain America and I'm very excited to see what future projects will include him. I regret that you have not been able to view him as the incredibly nuanced and deeply rich character that he is. I hope, in the future, instead of becoming reactive and offended by someone calling you out on your privilege, you pause for a moment and consider how you have upheld the power structures in place and, instead of lashing out, you seek to educate yourself.

And if you don't like it, you can always just block me <3

[timetravellingkitty]

The problem is, most of the stans that didn't blindly follow him left. A lot of fans are very casual fans, and if you've ever been to a concert, there is definitely a faction there because it's cool, not because they know the songs...and thus don't know all the shit he's done.

I'm a former stan that left ages ago, around the time of the George Floyd tweet, but I still have two stan friends. One has pretty much stopped following them as of the original airing of the podcast. The other goes back and forth.

I think the only thing that will make him take true accountability is if the casuals stop showing up to take insta photos and make tiktoks. I don't know what else it would take to get through to the most hard-core followers. It's like a cult where they will defend, defend and defend no matter what he does. But they don't make up a majority of the audience at venues.

Honestly, I've seen one complain Matty's relationship with Taylor is making The 1975 "not cool". As if the casual misogynistic comments, making fun of accents, religion, insulting other artists and etc wasn't enough to make them "not cool." Oh, and firing/rehiring a videographer that was inappropriate with underage fans, only to have to fire him again when he got caught...again.

Would love to see Swifites call him out at festivals tbh.

Ok firstly thank you so much anon some of this is stuff I did NOT know cause I've never followed the 1975 outside of the music, nor have i interacted much with the fandom, so i didnt know about the george floyd tweet until like, maybe 2 months ago (I did not know about the videographer what the actual FUCK)

I don't really know what to add, except that i agree. I just wish white artists weren't like this it's so infuriating. And fans really need stop doing mental gymnastics for their faves. It's one thing to not be perfect and make mistakes, it's another thing to say and do the shit matty does. Hell, he said that he was sorry ice spice was OFFENDED by what they said, not for the shit they actually said so i don't expect any accountability from him in the near future. The group is not uncool cause he's dating taylor, it's uncool cause of him and his enablers

I'm considering reducing my following I really don't know, at the very least I want him to be publicly shamed into hiding. Side note: i haven't really seen anything about his bandmates' association with him

[identity-theft-101]

hi i love you're art and i'm also a fan of creepypastas too. i would love to be friends with you, but that's only if you want too, i'm sorry if you don't. Hope you have a good day or night.

Hello!

You seem like a new Tumblr user! I am ok with being acquaintances but I would like to know a few things for your safety and my own.

I see you do not have a posted age or something to signify that! ie: a tag line that says [__ years old] or [Minor] or [Not a Minor]. I would like to know whether or not you are a Minor so I can keep my topics age appropriate. I do not want to accidentally traumatize a 14 year old or something.

You have no pronouns or preferred name listed! What is your preferred name and how should I address you?

I do not tolerate Transphobia, Pedophilia or Racism! I also feel strongly about mental health as someone who has had experiences with several issues AND is studying psychology. Please Respect People.

If you have triggers please let me know so I can avoid them

No Amrican politics. I'm American and Everything with politics Sucks.

Mary-Gary Sues/Sparkly Dog Ocs kinda annoy me. They're cool I suppose, but I also like the realism of people not having god powers

Creepypasta specific: I don't do the Whole TOBY LIKES WAFFLES and MASKY LIKES CHEESECAKE thing. I find it annoying. ALSO: I categorize Marble Hornets as not technically creepypasta, but it was adopted by the creepypasta fandom.

I have next to no ability to read social interactions and have trouble with understanding things sometimes. If I seem passive aggressive or rude, I am probably not intentionally being that way. If I ask you to say something differently, please understand that my brain is not processing the way that you previously said it.

I HAVE forgotten that people exist. Please Don't feel offended if I don't respond to you for a while, I probably forgot and may need a reminder. General rule of thumb is a reminder after 72 hours.

If you are mad, tell me. If you hate me, block me. I don't do the he said she said stuff. It irritates me and I'm done with social media smear campaigns. I've dealt with that and refuse to deal with it again.

If you are an older person: NO, I am not interested in onlyfans, having a sugar mommy/daddy or whatever. Do not contact me about hook ups or pictures or anything of the sort! I find people being attracted to me mildly disturbing, actually.

TL:DR I am bad at socializing, I don't wanna tramatize you (Please tell me if you are a Minor; you have no age posted), and please Respect people and don't be horrible/ support horrible stuff!