#I'm still new to Tumblr and am learning some things haha

[ominous-feychild-writes]

“What if we just… quit?” I ask suddenly.

Noah is washing the dirt and plaster off his arms, scrubbing them so hard that what little of his skin isn’t scarred is bright pink. His scars are so faded that they look decades old.

We’re only twenty, but he looks so much older.

“I can’t,” he says simply, not looking at me as he washes the last bit of soap down the sink. His voice barely even broke.

The television host’s voice chatters for us.

“Stormwalker and Supernova: heroes, or no better than the villains?” it says, staticky from poor connection.

Our apartment is on the outskirts of the city—even as government workers, we’re paid far too little to live downtown. Even if it’d make our jobs easier to be there.

“—today the two heroes helped make a record number of arrests, stopping three riots and two villain attacks within one day. But are they any—”

“Why not?” I ask, pushing myself off the stool and moving to put a hand on his shoulder.

He shrugs it off.

“Because it’s the right thing to do.”

He finally turns to look at me, silent resignation written all over his face. He tries to fake a reassuring smile, but I know better.

“—left thousands of dollars in damages and thousands more homeless as—”

That’s their excuse for paying us so little. ‘Because they need it to repair the destruction left in our wake.’ ‘If we want to be paid better, we should do a better job; don’t cause so much damage.’

If it’s so easy, why don’t you do it yourself? Try dodging lasers while saving people, while leading the villains away from populated areas, while trying to take them down! Then—then you can tell us to ‘do a better job!’

“Even if they can’t appreciate it,” Noah finishes defeatedly.

The pain in his eyes makes me want to fly all the way to the reporters, standing out front of the half-destroyed West Bank and talking trash about us, and to punch them so hard they go flying into the wreckage themselves.

Like Noah was when Genesis made him pick between himself and the people trying to flee the streets.

Lasers do an incredible amount of damage, even to people whose skin is hard as rock and bones are hard as steel. Even Noah—Stormwalker himself—couldn’t fight against those.

That kind of force—powerful enough to send a man of steel through stone walls—is strong enough to cause cuts and scrapes and bruises on one of the strongest heroes in the world.

But, yeah. ‘Do better.’

I can’t even step in myself. I have to stand back from afar, watching Noah get bloodied and bruised while reporters salivate at the thought of talking shit about us once the danger is over. I have to wait for Noah to get close enough for me to heal him.

Because that’s all I can do. Heal.

Next to Noah, I feel useless.

I’m just as squishy as everyone else, but I still put myself at risk in order to help the heroes. Well, mostly just Noah. But he and Supernova are the only heroes in this city, so.

‘Do better,’ they say.

I want to spit in all of their faces.

‘It’s the right thing to do, even if they don’t appreciate it,’ Noah says.

“Okay,” I say gently. I fight the urge to cup my hand around his cheek.

Part 2 | Part 3

Divider from @cafekitsune

[vsaintsin]

Writeblr Re-Intro

Yo! I'm V Saintsin. Or V or Vin or Saintsin or whatever you want to call me that sounds right on your tongue. I'm a self-proclaimed Social Media fumbler who got a late start to the party and has never quite figured it out. I hate how hipster and edgy it sounds to say "I'm bad at social media" but like I used to work with some people who actually managed the social media accounts for the business we worked for and there were rules and whatnot and damn, I think online media is just not my medium. That being said, here I am! Hah

I'm an author and general mess who's hoping to be the miracle man (somebody who makes a living writing silly little stories). I do use a pseudonym but please hear me out when I say I didn't realize how edgy it sounds, it just has some sentimental value to my personal life. I'm so sorry that I sound like I'm in my emo phase HAHA

About me -

He/Him Transguy from the American Midwest (arguably the south, depending on who you talk to, but the older people still say "Sodi-pop" and "ope").

I'm dysautonomic, bendy, permanently sleepy, and a survivor of Crappy Doctors Who Suck At Doctoring.

I like DnD, Pathfinder, Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk, Dragon Age, and other things in that vein.

I do make art of my stories and characters (Tablet is currently not working so I'm in a dry spell).

My writing background is predominantly ancient, dusty RPs from as far back as the foopets days and fanfic writing on Quizilla - I am an old and wizened elder of the net.

My formal education was music performance and behavioral neuroscience, I don't really know how I got where I am.

This is not my first rodeo with tumblr but it is the first time I have anything to SAY instead of just lurking.

In the event of malfunction, you can put me outside for 5 minutes and I'll probably factory reset.

My existence as I know it hinges on a massive number of sticky notes plastered throughout my room.

What I'm lookin' for -

Idk, whatever? I'm down for most things. Did you write it? Cool, let me see. I'm not too bent on genre or anything, just fascinated by the art of storytelling.

A bit tentative with fanfiction but that's just because if it's not a fandom I'm familiar with I am rather clueless about what the hell is going on and if it's a fandom I am familiar with I HUNT DOWN THE DEEP LORE.

I like art a whole lot, including fanart. Also art advice, love seeing things from different perspectives and learning something new.

Mutuals, really, for any reason. Building better connections on here, getting to know people. I am hideously bad at this but I try.

What I write -

Science Fiction with heavy subjects that matter to me - trigger warnings on a story-by-story basis.

High Fantasy (eventually books I think?) characters and their backgrounds for DnD and Pathfinder - I have been tempted to share these to help people get ideas or just for free use?

Things that I delete because I have crippling imposter syndrome and publishing makes me nauseous (doin' it tho).

Stories that I hope will make people feel less alone or that people could relate to, stories that I wish I had when life was worse and I was reaching out for anything I could find to keep me afloat, stories that try to be critical of things that SUCK in a way that's any helpful.

Lots of curse words and cussing (that's just how people talk 'round here), dubious science, things that I hope might make you cry but in a good way though.

Character-Driven stories that revolve more around the development of the person and less around the plot itself if that makes sense.

I've put blurb things below for my primary project/series which features a grumpy, queer, 37-year old chain smoking Frenchman and his misadventures with life and love and unbridled rage. If any of that sounds cool stick around and hang out? (This part is a plug bc I did a thing and I'm proud of it) And if my books sounds interesting the first one is 99 cents on Kindle and you just need a phone and a free app to read it!

THE SECRET OF LIFE (Published) - Sci-Fi/Psychological Thriller, Bi M Lead, Lovers to Enemies, AI but the oldschool cool kind not the real world thing that's stealing our future

Carlisle-Trystan Antoinette is a mercenary on a hard road, navigating life and death itself in an infinite cycle started by powers above his understanding. He has one mission - warn The Dianican Space Station of the coming threat and put a stop to a war that would encapsulate the whole of the Sol System before it can ever begin. Unfortunately for Carlisle, reality is a tenuous thing, made up only by our understanding of it. At least, according to his Psychiatrist, who tells him that there is no war, that he was never a mercenary, and that what Carlisle is experiencing is a severe but manageable psychotic break. Stripped of his combat enhancements, his bio monitor, and everything he's every known, Carlisle has a decision to make. Does he give in to the thoughts and memories, so real that he can almost taste them, or does he live a life of comfort and ease, returning to a husband and daughter that he left behind?

TWs: Domestic and War Violence, suicide, rape, medical trauma, grief, drug use

THE SILENCE OF ANGELS (Due 2024, TSoL 2) - Betrayal and Rage, Learning how to love again slow-burn romantic subplot, Learning how to Dad, A general inability for any one thing to just go right

(Quick Rough Blurb that offers no spoilers for TSoL) Making connections isn't easy for somebody who's accustomed to burning bridges. Isolation has always been Carlisle's mantra for surviving his life. Playing a role comes second nature, pretending to be the man that everyone else wants to see in him. When an old friend is murdered Carlisle finds himself as the primary suspect with all evidence pointing to him so clearly that even he calls to question what he is capable of. Unwilling to believe that he could commit such a heinous crime, Carlisle sets off to find the truth of his friend's death - was Carlisle framed or does he truly have the capacity to bring such harm upon those he loves? Old and new bonds will be tested, faith broken, and the future of everyone called into question as lines are drawn and sides are picked.

TWs: Violence, mentions of SA, graphic character death, more grief, more death

I don't know what else to say... Later!

[peargor]

Not quite sure if sent the message cause bad internet connection so i'll just paste the whole thing here again incase:

Hey peargor!(donno if you're still using tumblr bt whatever) Let me Congrats ya for your coming completion on Touhou project first (yay恭喜)

Here's the wandering dude from mainland china(typical netizen lol)and randomly clicked into ya website while visiting webrings & link collections.Lotta ideas jump through my head and letme say a few words below: BoTWR's really a good series from my perspective,like,Dispite having gaps when understanding the lore,i still can kinda understand the characters,from core to spirit(Cantonese's partly cognizable for mandarin viewers so it kinda fun when lookin' zoey swearing lol)I guess a variety of mainland audience would like it too.Like,it even inspired me to have a look back into the history and mess 'n hongkong on the "great firewall" and made me sorta think deeply about all these mess……but anyways,here's imaginary non medal stickers：

"Mandarin approved"and

"i concerned for la nation"(just kidding),

and i'll keep focusing on the series(actually the others' quite adorable too,sure it took me a while to realize that you actually deeply involve in internet meme culture,after the shock when i found you do made the pogchamp meme gosh)

Btw Just wondering,did the reading disorder cause you to use more english in written form stuff?

Looking forward for the upcoming new chapters yet a few more words:

1:LIT ' O TOMMIE DESERVES ＢＥＴＴＥＲ Yo

Poor tommy,hope he 'll get a chance to be a man

2:mmm how and what would zoey's dad be…… He's sorta a villain for now but i hope he's just a dude who failed to correct his own fault by force or "internal error"?

3:that color can be some exposure of one's emotion thing.yeah classic "into head" thingy but perhaps it means more deep than what it seems?Maybe Blue represents the sadness,niche thoughts,hopeless rational thinking,Yellow's cheerfully craziness,Red's cruelly dialectical greedin' justice,and BLACK's something unresist-able unless you learn some real floyd's philosophy thing?

You can get some new referencing idea from the old HK's TVB show like "大时代"(The Greed of a man),also some new from mainland that accidentally have more coverage report on hk which apple dailys' doesn't(?),Trust me,gotta be good for setting both character and lore

Whatever,Best wishes on not getting perished by cops!(pretty sure you won't be cause you probably haven't spoke something politically for at least 2 years on the public internet and you won't be caught for drawing "china virus girl?" and political comments too early haha)

PS:Try to get yourself a fan-base besides the old social meida the X,patron,like a mewe,discord group somethin' alike for a better place for talks 'n discussion i suppose?

Hi fellow netizen! I'm sure the mainland would like to read the comics but that really opens up a can of worms that I'm not prepared to deal with yet, so for now I'll refrain from translating the comics.

1: Tommy has the happiest life compared to the rest of the main cast I wouldn't worry too much about him lol

2: mm it's much more complicated, I also think my audience expects a political opinion from me. It ties to my own experiences with asian culture in general. I am very critical, but I think the public expectation to what I'm critical of is kinda skewed at the moment. There's so much nuance to this story I hope people have a healthy discussion over the conclusion of Zoey's arc in the future.

3: Yellow, Blue and Red are the key colours. What they represent is up to your own interpretation. To me yellow is the self/your values, blue is career/ambition, and red is religion/community/family. There's more colours down the road but these are the most important ones. If there's going to be discussions over the story please feel free to create those spaces! I haven't done so because I am the main writer and I would like these things to happen naturally in the future. It feels wrong for me to create a space as someone with complete authority over the story.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on IWBTWR! Sorry it took so long to respond, I've been trying to find the words to convery my thoughts properly.

[suzukiblu]

May I ask how you got people interested in your works? You have so many people who love your writing (rightfully so bc you're awesome) and I just want to find some people who like my writing like you did

ik that I should be writing for myself and everything, and for the most part I am! I write bc I like writing and it makes me happy! But it's just so so discouraging to see my little silly posts that take me 5 minutes to make do fantastic, meanwhile the works that take me weeks of effort get like 3 notes yk?

How do you do it? Did you ever deal with something similar? Any words of wisdom for the struggling noobs?

(This is a genuine question, I'm not trying to be rude in any way shape or form and I'm very sorry if it came off like that) (Also sorry to bother you)

You’re good, I’m not bothered by questions and I don’t think you’re asking anything rude either! I especially don’t mind the “please explain this thing I don’t know much about to me” type of questions, there’s just some shit you can’t effectively google or things that just make more sense coming from someone with direct experience. 

First and foremost: the two cakes meme is law!! No one will ever complain about getting two cakes, no matter if you think someone else already did it better! 

Second and second-most: as a newbie, before you read any of my advice at all, remember that you're currently comparing yourself to someone who’s been writing fic for their entire writing experience and has also been in fandom on and off for pretty much all of that time on multiple sites and through at least a couple major migrations of fandom hubs, and that time has been about twenty-five years now. Like, it has very much been a long-term process, me learning how to find a receptive audience for my stuff. Also I am a grown-ass adult who is currently pushing forty and am pretty self-aware of who I am as a person due to a WHOLE lot of personal introspection and therapy and general life experience. Like, I know how I work at this point in my life, if nothing else.

The long-form answer of my personal fandom process will definitely require a cut at this point, though, haha. Like, this got kind of involved, ngl, but since you’re asking I figure it’s reasonable to go into detail.

So anyway, the “how to find your audience” answer is obviously gonna be different for everybody, but PERSONALLY, I've been in fandom for a long-ass time and just about always been pretty prolific and consistently communicative and available during the times I was around. I have a ton of different fandoms and fics in my history and have run into a lot of different people and written a lot of different things over the years, so I've cast a pretty wide net of options for people to find me through. I've got readers who've followed me through multiple fandoms and even deliberately gotten into new ones because of me just because they like how I write and know me well enough from my other writing to trust that I’ll be respectful of certain things (or at least put in a good-faith effort to be). Your kink is not my kink, but I’m not gonna hate on it; your thing is not my thing, but you have fun over there, you DO your thing!

Being prolific is super-helpful, of course, because that gets people in the habit of checking in on you regularly and keeps you fresh in their minds, but one of the most effective ways I’ve gotten people long-term interested in my work is by being very responsive to readers and very open about what I’m currently working on. Taking requests has helped, asking who wants to see more of what has helped, talking to people in general has helped, and definitely playing “yes, and?” with ideas I’ve been offered has helped. Also I had the benefit of LiveJournal being one of my main fandom hubs for a while, where I met a lot of people and got in the habit of talking to them in a way Tumblr does not necessarily intuitively facilitate, so that’s just a habit for me. 

I definitely still produce stuff that comparatively flops and get bummed about it, it’s just a thing I’ve gotten used to over the years and so I either kill my darlings and move on to the next thing or I decide “naw, I’m still into this idea, I’mma work on it more anyway”. That’s obviously much easier when at least a couple other people are also into said idea, but still, it’s a thing you just gotta decide for yourself either way. Like I’ve DEFINITELY had stuff I slaved over get just about totally ignored while things I only tossed up on a whim off the top of my head or just intended as jokes people adored and resonated with way more, which is part of why I do so many WIP memes where I’m drip-feeding bits and pieces of content more regularly. One of my recent fics didn’t get near as much of a reception or interest on AO3 as I’d hoped it would, but when I was writing it on Tumblr people DID get excited for and enjoy it during the process, so that helped soothe that particular indignity/frustration for me.

Also, I’ve gotten enough people invested in my writing at this point that it’s much easier for me than it is for some writers, because I can do things like ask “hey what do you guys like/want to see more of?” and I’ll pretty much always get an answer, simply because so many people are in the habit of regularly checking on my blog and talking to me now. Polls are very helpful that way too, because it’s a functionally anonymous way for shyer people or people who are just casually scrolling their dash to give you an idea of what they’re enjoying from you without having to disrupt their flow or psych themselves up or anything like that. Like, it’s low-pressure, you know? I have done a LOT of polls since I found out Tumblr has those now.

I also constantly encourage people to both talk to me about and also play with my interpretations and AUs as they so please, and I deliberately cultivate responsive relationships with as many readers as I can. I don’t always have the spoons to answer every ask, but I always try to answer the majority of them and try not to ignore questions. A significant chunk of people have told me that they read tropes and AUs from me that they hate from other writers because they just trust that I’ll write it in a way that they can enjoy. I will include certain things and a certain level of respect that they just would not be comfortable without, and if I don’t have those things in there or there’s a common trigger, I’ll at least have done my best to tag for it. And I listen to people who tell me when I’m fucking up and I either take reasonable accommodations or change my behavior where appropriate. I tag for common triggers, I don’t use terms I’ve been told are insults or slurs, I try not to associate negative connotations with physical characteristics or things people can’t change about themselves, and when I have a reflexive “squick” reaction, I try not to assume shit and try to examine my biases. Or I just back-button and move on, if it comes to it. I also do my best to assume the best of people until they prove that I should not be. I am very much going to de-escalate when and wherever I can. 

I generally consider myself a low-drama blog and a low-drama person to follow, and put in effort to be that as best I can, and at this point I think (or at least hope) people feel relatively confident that they can talk to me without having to worry about immediately getting their head bitten off, which seems to be an increasing fear/concern that some people have in fandom. Therefore, I get people talking to me pretty regularly, because I’ve gone to the effort to be as approachable as I know how to make myself.

Also, yeah: above all else, write what you wanna write! Write your weird and niche dreams! Trust me, somebody out there LOVES your weird and niche dreams and wants all the deets on ‘em. I get the most engagement and interest when I just write what I really wanna see and don’t particularly worry about how goddamn weird I think I’m being. People are actually gonna be EXCITED about how goddamn weird I think I’m being, because a lot of them want it too and they’re not finding it as easily as a lot of the more popular stuff. 

So like . . . hope at least some of that was helpful, feel free to ask follow-up questions if you have any, hah.

[angst-in-space]

2024 Fic Writer End of Year Roundup

Answer and then tag three or more creators to keep the game going!

i was tagged by @zencetera - thanks so much zen! 🥰 i'm planning to do a longer 2024 retrospective including both original work and fic but i thought this would be fun to do too hehe. let's go!!

1. How many words did you publish on AO3 in 2024?

about 26k. a majority of it was fic i wrote in previous years that i just hadn't bothered to post yet lol.

2. How many fics did you complete this year?

one 😅

3. How many in progress or ongoing fics did you start this year?

i thiiiink just two—bsd regency au and the sylvix time loop fic (which was supposed to be for sylvix week but uhhh oops!). i also wrote an entire soukoku oneshot.

4. What was your favorite thing you wrote?

probably the aforementioned soukoku oneshot, "take the dark (and carve me out a home)". either that or the bsd regency au, which is nowhere near complete yet but i've had a lot of fun writing it so far.

5. What piece was your most experimental or different from your usual style?

hm i don't have much to choose from since i didn't work on many things this year haha. but i would say maybe bsd regency since i'm trying to aim for more of a jane austen style/brand of humor. maybe also sylvix time loop fic since it's a lot angstier than what i typically write. 😂

6. Did any fics surprise you - either while writing or their reception?

i would say maybe the soukoku oneshot surprised me the most! it was a fic i just kind of started on a whim, and i was surprised by the way it just kind of flowed out so easily - especially since i think dazai is such a difficult character to write, but i wanted to challenge/push myself with it and i feel like it paid off! i was also pleasantly surprised by the reception since i really didn't expect many people to read it, and i was flattered that so many people commented that they liked the characterization in it since that was the part i was most nervous about.

7. Do you have a fic you wrote and loved that went under the radar? (This is your sign to reblog/repost it!)

hmm perhaps the renga practice kissing fic, "are we going somewhere"! technically i wrote it back in 2021 and have just been really slow to post/update it lol. i posted chapter 3 this year finally, and hope to post the remaining two chapters in 2025. it's gotten a bit less traction than i hoped, but i think that just may be because it's incomplete and has such sporadic updates (sorry lmao).

8. Who is an artist that inspired you?

ooohh there are so many i could name but some that come to mind are @riotb0nes @priintaniere @kaizmos @alciedoodles @iwamimimimi @thornedarrow to name a few!! just admire all their styles so much and the emotion their work evokes 🫶

9. Who is an author that inspired you?

idk if they are all on tumblr but some ao3 authors whose works i found inspiring this year: flipbookorigami, setosdarkness, Snow_Falls, LadyCharity, its_just_me27 💖

10. Who is a new author you discovered?

more or less same answer as above, i was new to reading bsd fic this year and most of those are bsd authors 😂

11. Did you do any collaborations? How did it start?

sort of! by which i mean i am working on a planned collab with @stellalights - it's for the sylvix time loop fic which we originally planned together for sylvix week but then we were both way too busy to complete it in time lol. however we are still planning to finish it eventually... i am currently writing it and ang is gonna do illustrations! :3

12. What accomplishments are you proudest of?

i wrote, finished, and posted a whole oneshot for the first time in a very long time haha. i started the bsd regency au. i posted a couple of old oneshots and updated two of my multichapter fics (including finally posting the last chapter of sylvix dreamscape fic!!!)

13. What did you learn about writing or creating this year?

when it comes to fic, i've been trying to really embrace more spontaneity and be okay with imperfection. in years past i've gotten very hung up on making my fics "perfect" and being anxious to post anything unless i'd edited it a billion times. since i've been focused more on original writing in the past couple years—which involves a LOT of revision and feedback and rejection—i've been trying to allow myself to "let go" a bit more when it comes to my fics. the soukoku oneshot was one of the very few fics i've ever posted unbeta'd very shortly after i finished writing it, and i feel like it taught me that i don't need to agonize over editing my work because people will still enjoy it. it's important to just have fun and write things that make me happy!

14. Any advice you’d like to share with new or aspiring writers?

write what you love! i know it's simple but i truly think it's one of the most important things about creating. it's easy to get caught up in worrying about how others will perceive your work, or that you're not as skilled as you want to be—but at the end of the day it's all about writing something that brings you joy, and others will find joy in your work too. :)

15. What are your creative goals for 2025?

i'm trying not to get too hung up on goals in 2025; i spent most of 2024 painstakingly rewriting my novel which took a lot out of me, so i feel like 2025 is the year i just want to be more spontaneous, write things for fun, and not feel tied down by any particular project.

that said, there are a few fics in particular i plan to keep working on—for example, bsd regency au, sylvix time loop fic, and sylvix pacific rim au. if i happen to finish any of those, that would be great! i'd also like to keep updating some of my multichapter fics... i calculated a few months ago that i have roughly 110k words of unpublished fic lol so i really just need to get more stuff posted and stop worrying too much about perfecting it.

anyway, i will tag: @absolutesilly @oikawapng @starglossie (if you want but no pressure ofc!!) and anyone else who wants to do this 💖

[quillium]

Heya! This isn't really an "ask you"- haha. But I just wanted to write to you- for quite a bit honestly. First of all, I hope you're well. The first piece of work I've read of yours was "Ben & May's". I absolutely loved it. I read it way back in 2020. I was 15 years old, kinda angry at the world lmao. But I found my solace in reading and writing stuff by strangers on the internet. I commented on your story- which in fact was one of the first and only times I ever bothered interacting with someone online. I don't know why, but reading your story made me warm. Warm to the core. And I wanted to share my own story! About how I related to an incident in the fic, because I snuck out of my house with a broken arm to participate in the science fair at school. You responded sometime later and congratulated me and told me to take care of myself. And you said something else too. It might have been in a joking way but you said something along the lines of "You're literally Peter Parker lmao". I don't know why but that really stuck with me. Peter Parker is a character I grew up worshipping, I'd read all the comics and watch every show with him in it with my dad. I've always loved school and learning new things, but it was always hard for me to find confidence. My dad and I are pretty tight but I can't say the same for me and my mom. And for a great chunk of my life, I've had to live with her, which didn't exactly yield the greatest upbringing (which you can probably tell by the way I'm writing to you now haha). So when someone even humouredly made that comparison- I was super taken aback. Super doubtful. But I was awestruck too. I've never been complimented before- in such a meaningful way from anyone other than my dad (that has since changed thankfully, but at the time young me was still recovering from huge life changes). So it really got me to take a good look at my life and actually embrace being who I wanted to be. I started picking up stuff at school again, and I made friends. I started writing. I hung out with my dad more- of course, watched so much Spiderman and read so many comics. I managed to graduate high school early. Now I'm at university. I graduate soon. I took up Biology and Chemical Engineering. And I'm happy. I never really forgot you, or your writing which gave me so much comfort. I logged back on AO3 recently and was super happy to still see you writing. I just knew I had to reach out. Now I apologize if this is like weird, but I just had to put this out there. Thank you, really- thank you for your warm response and the art you put into the world. I don't think you'd even remember my comment on your work or this small interaction, but to me, it made a whole lot of difference. I really hope you're well, and continue to be. I can't believe I made a tumblr account just for this qwq XOXO

BRO I REMEMBER YOU. When your comment came in, I was 17-years-old, living more in the world of my writing than reality, right about to enter university, and even if I was half-joking I was also low-key dead serious that you were literally Peter Parker. I was, and continue to be, incredibly impressed by you. I think I might have told my sister about you in a sort of like, dang, there are some brilliant and crazy people in the world, and they're reading my fics for some reason sort of way.

I'm doing very well! I've grown closer to my family, built lovely friendships, and am also set to graduate university (perhaps predictably, I'm a literature major). As weird as this might sound in turn, a great deal of my confidence and growth was built by comments like yours. There's nothing half as sweet as the portion of someone's life given to you because they saw a bit of their story in yours, and that glimpse of someone else's reality opens up the possibilities for mine. No matter the wonderful little interaction we had, it has been meaningful and a pleasure for me. You've given me a great deal of warmth as well.

Congratulations on the rebuilt confidence, the new things you've learned, the friends you've made, your seriously incredible academic achievements, and the many other delights that I'm sure you've attained. You really have worked diligently, relaxed peacefully (I hope!), and lived wonderfully. Good job, and I hope you continue to live well <3

[prongsfish]

*blinks* headcanons *blinks*

okay. i am almost a month late to this ask hi @ethanmilo ... sorry about that... and i will be using it to give the barty hcs you asked for over a month before this but the ask expired... sorry about that again... my bad time is scary

but yes barty headcanons. these may end up leaning into bartylus territory because i am So obsessed with them right now but i have no idea what i'm going to write yet so we'll see HAHA

(jumping back here after writing this, most of these are lighthearted but some do get a bit more serious/dark, nothing out of character for what you see scrolling on maraurders tumblr but i just don't want people to be shocked by the tone shift)

he doesn't take day-to-day school life seriously and fucks around in most of the classes he doesn't skip altogether BUT his competitiveness is not to be underestimated. he's barely in class and he never pays attention but he gets away with it because he's so smart that when he started school he was already suuper advanced. he just kept working on his own and so was always way ahead of whatever he was supposed to be learning, so he's super annoying and disruptive during classes but when it comes time to it he's still at the top of all his classes. he and reg are always warring for the number one spot and they're a nightmare to be around during exams because they are SO competitive

he'd give himself those shitty stick and poke tattoos at like age fourteen, if you've seen the videos of kids on tiktok with the ugliest shoddiest tattoos you've ever seen you know what i mean... i just found this image on pinterest and this is Exactly the sort of shit he'd have. i think he'd have always been constantly drawing on his work and skin with a quill/pen and he does not fear permanence. the moment he found a way to give himself tattoos he was doing it.

the absolute biggest shit stirrer you've ever met, everything he does is always in the hopes of pissing someone off. he will lie, he will argue, he will push and shove his way into a confrontation and when someone eventually breaks his nose he just starts laughing

he knows Everyone. he has connections to everyone in whatever city he's in, he constantly "knows a guy" and every time it's the most absurd story that his friends have never heard a single word of but it's 100% true. his lore is infinite. and people expect it to be limited to just where he lives but no, he could go to a whole new country and still be being stopped every 5 minutes by some old friend who's thrilled to see him

related to the above, he is that Coolest Fucking uncle. he's awful with kids but god damn it if he doesn't have the most legendary stories to tell luna as often as she could ever want!!

he knows a shit ton of languages. he started learning them because he was bored and it eventually it just became a Thing and he's fluent in like 4 or 5 but can hold a decent conversation in upwards of 10 others too

he looks like he smells bad. he wouldn't smell bad when he was younger, still too used to certain privileges of his class, but the further he strayed from his father and family, especially into young adulthood, i think he would start to—unless regulus was in his life, in which case he'd better smell like fucking roses if he ever wanted to be seen anywhere even Near him in public

i heavily associate him with nu metal and post industrial music but i also think that when he was younger he would've been suuper into all those whiny indie rock bands that normal people call midwest emo, music nerds crucify you for calling midwest emo, and i have no clue what to call. he'd totally have his own band inspired by them too, and he totally has the voice for it—the voice that's objectively terrible but works perfectly for that style of music

he doesn't talk about how he feels like ever but those close to him have worked out ways to get him what he needs when he needs it. he refuses to ask for help but his friends know him well enough that they don't need him to ask, they can pick up his question in far fewer words, and even though it's still hard for him to even imply that he needs help it's a lot easier when he can talk around the issue rather than having to actually using his words. his friends know that it'd be better if he Did use his words but they also know that if they tried to stop letting him get away with not asking properly he'd just stop trying to ask at all

his favourite film genres are horror and action, the gorier the better. he loooooves all the saw films

he's super messy, his room is a fucking NIGHTMARE. shit EVERYWHERE. clothes strewn all around, dishes stacked in several tall piles, three different rubbish bins that are each around 70% full from the times he's been forced to "clean up" and eventually gotten bored/distracted. regulus despises it and refuses to go anywhere near his room meanwhile evan is so excited because every time he goes into barty's room he discovers a new species of mould. sometimes when he's really lucky barty will kick over a pile of clothes to find something and like eight cockroaches scurry out (evan immediately rushes to grab as many of them as possible before they disappear and then takes them home)

by the time he was a preteen he'd given up on the idea that his father would ever be proud of him, had flipped to doing everything in his power to anger him further, entirely stopped caring about the consequences because if his father would hate him no matter what he did why not make it reflect badly back on him, since he cared so much about his public image as a politician. he never intended to leave though, because he couldn't bear the thought of leaving his mother with him. that was until he pushed too far with his dad, got too sucked into the lifestyles of others who'd given up just like him, fell too deeply into the depression and the anger and the violence, until he crossed a line and his mother was looking at him like she was disappointed, too. he realised that he was trying so hard to stay for his mother but staying was making him a worse person and it wasn't worth it anymore if she could no longer see what he was doing as a sacrifice, and only as surface level "badness". he hated leaving his mother more than he hated his dad but in the end staying was only making things worse for the both of them

he uses humour and stupidity as a defence mechanism, and while he does find it fun to do ridiculous and reckless things he also does it because it gives him a role to fill. he can't stand being genuine because he's terrified of rejection, so he'd rather lean into all the superficial judgements made about him. if when someone shuffles away from him in public transport he bares his teeth at them and when someone expects him to be stupid he purposefully misunderstands a simple concept, then nobody actually knows him and nobody can hurt him in a way that matters. the person they insult isn't actually him so they can't possibly get to him

he is VERY judgemental and he and regulus can spend hours talking shit about anyone from lifelong classmates to complete strangers. it surprises everyone that he actually gets along with remus really well, but it's because remus has a more judge-y side that he hides when with anyone but regulus and, apparently, barty

he and dorcas are the gay man and lesbian best friends duo and people have probably mistaken them as a couple before, which they'd both be mortified by. "have they seen us?!?!"

okay i'm forcing myself to end it there because i have an essay draft to finish and a substantial amount of french homework to do in the next like 4-5 hours (nobody is allowed to say shit about my sleep schedule i don't want to hear it HAHAHA) and i've already been writing this for WELL over an hour so i really should stop giving myself ways to procrastinate, i hope these were enough to make up even slightly for the very long wait <//3 ah barty crouch jr, the one and only love of my life... i would be utterly terrified of you in real life but i would also be very attracted to you from a safe distance which is basically the highest form of compliment i can possibly give a person

[angelmush]

hi molly, you inspire me so much, thank you for being you. im about to move to a new city by myself for the first time and im scared. how did you build your life into one you loved? how do i meet people? i want so many things but sometimes they seem so far out of reach!! anyway, wishing you well and it always makes me happy to come visit your page and see you living life so fully :)

hello sweet anon!! sorry i am just getting to this, i was out of town for a few days and have been pretty offline in general lately. to be honest, i feel really really really underqualified to answer any questions about meeting people and making friends, as it is something that has never come easily to me, but i will do my best because i am SO excited for you!! moving somewhere new can be really healing!! i also want to gently remind you that social media-- even tumbr --is a highlight reel.

building my life into one i loved.

i think it's a few things.

it's a skill to find excitement about small things. delicious meals, nice weather, cute animals. being intentional about noticing and allowing yourself to feel excited about the little stuff does some kind of magic in your brain, and in appreciating your life in general. i am not naturally gifted at this whatsoever, but it's a muscle that takes practice to build, like anything.

i also dedicate a LOT of my free time to hobbies. right now it's mostly knitting, but often it's cooking and training my dog as well. watching movies and talking about them with people. spending time decorating the house. i'm very very very much a homebody, often to my detriment. it is monumentally difficult for me to take the first steps to leave the house to do things, even fun things, but once i do i am almost always better for it.

one sort of silly way i have helped to mitigate this, is that my girlfriend and i have started making seasonal bucket lists and magnetizing them onto our fridge. it turns it into sort of a game i guess, and it makes me feel accomplished to cross things off. we did really really well with ours this summer! we have three sections, small things (make smoothies, try a new dinner recipe, make a playlist), medium things (take the dog to the lake, see a movie in the theater, have drinks on a patio), and large things (go camping, go to pride, celebrate my birthday), etc. we just made our fall/winter one and i'm already sooooo excited for it!! it helped me to have a reason to leave the house while we were still getting our bearings in this new city.

i also have limited my social media time more recently on all apps except tumblr and pinterest to 15 minutes per day total. this helps me feel so much less frantic and it's easier for me to stay present than it used to be.

i also started taking medication! it's been a really big piece of the puzzle for me, personally. it helps my baseline be significantly more resilient and regulated and stable. it isn't a singular fix, but it opens up more space for that joy.

as far as meeting people goes, i will let you know when i figure it out LOL. im someone that needs a lot of quiet alone time to function and so i spend a lot of time with myself. i am still learning how to make the bridge from casual friends to a deeper and more meaningful friendship with the people ive met since moving here last august, and it's been a very clumsy imperfect process.

i'm sure this probably wasn't all that helpful haha it felt disjointed to write, and like i said, i am severely underqualified to give advice on this topic. but these are a handful of things i think have helped me in the last year, so hopefully there's something you can take from it!! wishing you all the luck and joy and wonder on your endeavors!! you can send me an ask anytime!! <33

[jojo-schmo]

Jojo I've been listening to the Kingdom hearts 1 title screen music non-stop because a friend of mine told me that It was good and now I actually want to start playing the entire series like you don't understand. The song just gives off a calming atmosphere and I'm legitimately curious on where to start.

I know that you Played Kingdom hearts before because I see you mention it on your blog multiple times. And I was wondering where you first started on the Kingdom hearts series.

(I know Kirby is your main priority at the moment but I couldn't resist asking this question, also FNAF rules ngl)

OHOHOHO. OHHHHH. These are floodgates I have yet to open on this Tumblr but I am a huge, HUGE Kingdom Hearts fan. I am not currently in a Kingdom Hearts phase (since it’s been a few years since we’ve gotten anything new). But when I am, I am utterly consumed hahaha. It was the first game series I was a truly a fan of. Years and years before I learned about Kirby.

Kingdom Hearts music is INCREDIBLE and I could talk forever about it. I’ve been to three of their World Tour concerts when they came to the US. The OST albums on Spotify consumed my top statistics this year :P with every new game, I always quietly sit and listen to the new version of Dearly Beloved on the main menu for a while before I begin as a personal sentimental tradition. :’)

I started playing Kingdom Hearts almost at the very beginning. I followed the series across all the different platforms it released on over the years. Thankfully it’s easier than ever to play now! If you’re interested, I recommend getting your hands on the “All-In-One Package” for the PlayStation or PC- whatever you happen to have (however I hear the switch version is extremely flawed. I don’t have it but maybe be careful with that one).

Some people would recommend playing them in chronological story order since it can be quite a wild ride. You can look up the chronological order out there. But my personal recommendation is to play the games in the order they released so you get the same experience as the people who followed the series from the beginning like me hehehe. But do whatever you’d like! I love this series very very much, through all of its triumphs, and even for its flaws and the absolutely wild story it has,

…because where else can you have a frame with a realistic looking Orlando Bloom as Will Turner Pirates of the Caribbean, with a cartoonishly bright Goofy staring blankly in the background? Or Yao from Mulan socking Donald Duck in the face?! I love it I love it I love it anyone can talk to me about Kingdom Hearts whenever they want!!

Here’s a condensed version of how I got into the game. Just for fun. :)

Free games?! I already loved my PS1. Now could I pass this opportunity up?! Thanks EJ, for changing my life with your generosity. If you ever see this, hope you’re well. You rock.

Anyway- The life-changing part of the game happened to me almost immediately lol. Like in the opening of the game and the tutorial section haha

I was instantly hooked. It’s been a huge positive influence in my life. 20 years later, I still remember the emotions I had playing each of the games for the first time. I’ve probably played KH2 a few dozen times, just on the PS2! I can’t wait to see where the next game takes us- but if there’s one thing you have to be as a Kingdom Hearts fan…. Is patient! xD

TLDR: I love Kingdom Hearts and I hope you do too.

[iamgonnagetyouback]

alright alright prepare for a little spam because I'm about to order one of each from your autumn picnic my love 😚 first, I wanna get to know you better so I'll pick a lot some questions from your Q/A acorns, hope that's okay 💕💕 here we go:

normal questions

6. favorite movie to watch on repeat? 9. what’s your favorite book or book series? 10. if you could live in any fictional world, which one? 18. if you could learn any language instantly, which one? 21. favorite kind of weather? 38. what’s your dream job?

favourites

4. favorite way to spend a lazy day? 9. favorite thing about fall? 13. favorite video game? 17. favorite flower?

this or that

8. chocolate or vanilla? 12. books or movies? 16. pastels or bold colors?

dreams and wishes

2. if you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go? 5. if you could be any fictional character for a day, who would you choose? 12. what’s one skill you wish you had? 18. if you could be in any movie, which one would it be?

these are a lot so if you don't feel like it just ignore it haha 💕

thank you for participating, bun!! now brace yourself because I’m about to give you a rundown of all these answers!

normal questions:

favorite movie to watch on repeat? dead poets society, hands down! (neil, my beloved ���). but if we’re talking series, new girl has my soul, and yes, I still watch all the harry potter movies like I didn’t just rewatch them last week.

what’s your favorite book or book series? “terms and conditions” by lauren asher. it is permanently tattooed on my heart. as for series, the twisted series is my guilty pleasure, basic answer, i know, but true!

if you could live in any fictional world, which one? the harry potter universe without hesitation, but i’m talking marauders era.

favorite kind of weather? the perfect in-between—where it's not too cold, not too hot. spring and autumn are my jam, but if i have to choose between summer and winter, winters win for sure.

what’s your dream job? i’ve always wanted to own a bookstore! but let’s be real—i’d probably hoard every book and never sell a single one. in reality, though, i’m studying to be an accountant (numbers are my life now, apparently).

favorites:

favorite way to spend a lazy day? Scrolling through tumblr and drowning in ‘x reader’ fics—aka the cheapest therapy available. alternatively, binge-watching the same five shows i’ve seen a million times.

favorite thing about fall? the aesthetic and the vibes, darling. cozy sweaters, warm drinks, and all the fall colors—what’s not to love?

favorite video game? i… don’t play video games much. like, at all. oops?

favorite flower? forever a sucker for daisies and tulips. they just scream “soft girl aesthetic,” and i’m here for it 🌼🌷.

this or that:

chocolate or vanilla? chocolate, no contest. i’d fight someone for the last piece of chocolate cake.

books or movies? books, always. let me live in the world of my imagination, please.

pastels or bold colors? pastels, pastel EVERYTHING! soft, dreamy hues that make you feel like you’re living in a fairytale.

dreams and wishes:

if you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go? new york city, baby! i’ve heard about it so much, and i just want to experience the hustle and bustle firsthand.

if you could be any fictional character for a day, who would you choose? lily evans. BUT make it fanon! i am not dying young, okay? i just want to live a day in my life where james potter is obsessed with me.

what’s one skill you wish you had? swimming! i’m dying to explore the deep ocean and see all its wonders, but sadly, i’m veryyyyy hydrophobic. life is cruel sometimes.

if you could be in any movie, which one would it be? dead poets society. i don’t care if i have to pretend to be a boy—i need to live with those boys .

ilysm, mari <333

[mad-c1oud]

probably a dumb question, but I'm working on a charlie and etoiles fic and i was wondering if i could get some advice on writing them? (or just writing in general)

the current plot of the fic is essentially that etoiles was a tiny (abt 7 centimeters) person but used technology to make himself human sized, until the tech fails and he shrinks again, while charlie is also tiny and he finds and helps etoiles. it has a modern world/political backdrop in a world where tinies and humans live together

repeat after me: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A DUMB QUESTION!!!!!!

ALSO AHHHH THE SILLIES!!!! So glad to see someone else writing :333

I’m gonna try to give some advice but take everything I say with a grain of salt. I’m just a lil dude with no formal training or “practice”. Idk how I do what I do tbh

All advice under the cut so I don’t take up anyones dashboards!!

For characters, esp mcyt, I’ve found that comilation vids on YouTube are a really great resource!! Heres one I like for Étoiles: X

There’s also this amazing masterpost from echotunes with tons of mcyters AND the eggs: materpost here

Don’t always trust my depiction of characters since I myself am not immune to the oocification of them at times. Plus, my guys get shaped by the narratives I’ve forced them into for several chapters so they are not exactly like their cc or q counterparts. But the beauty of fanfiction is that I can play dolls however I please!

One thing I didn’t do in the beginning that I try to watch now is vocabulary for certain characters. For Étoiles, English is his second or even third language. There are certain words native English speakers use that he probably wouldn’t, same for phrases or sentence structure. Earlier, I wrote him a little too… neat and clean with his words. Even his internal monologue was off bc of that. Here’s an example I remember from fingers-

Og: “Please, treat yourself with the same kindness that you afford others.”

Edited: “Please, treat yourself with the same kindness you give others.”

Even now that sounds stilted, I would probably change it to: “Slime, give yourself some… understanding. Be nice to you just like you are nice to everyone else.”

He wouldn’t casually use the word “afford” like I might, and his English might be a little more jilted or awkward. Though don’t always make that assumption- Étoiles is fluent, just consider how learning a new language affects how you use it compared to a native speaker. I still slip up and definitely say things he wouldn’t but I’m learning as I go too!

I wish I had better resources for Charlie but I’ve been watching him for so long now that his character is easier for me, thought I’m not perfect.

When writing starcicle- the biggest thing to note this that they both love their bits. Someone said they get into a recursive feedback loop until one of them dies or logs off and it’s true. They goof off and Charlie flirts with Étoiles, which is sometimes reciprocated jokingly. I wish I had a video of all their interactions, they’re just so good. But yeah they feed off each others silly while having genuinely nice moments like when Étoiles complimented Charlie’s ability to make people smile and the election dinner. I use their separate personalities and the few interactions they’ve had to build on and expand their relationship in fanfics. Kind of like an informed understanding??? Idk it’s fanfiction. You can write them however you please tbh. I wanted my progression in immi to seem a little more natural but it’s still not exactly them and that’s okay! I’m just here to have fun and so should you!!

As for writing in general- dig through related tags on tumblr!! There are some great resources on tumblr and buried in peoples blogs. Look to see if people are tagging posts for personal sorting and then stalk their blog to see what else they find useful haha. I do it all the time… I wish I had a masterpost for this but sadly not yet. I’m trying to build my own tag for references but it’s slow going. Just yesterday I saw a great text ref for writing fight scenes on tiktok so you’ll keep finding new resources all the time. Start your own collection of posts and resources since there is no gigantic one available.

I will say a few things: outlines, no matter how do you them, are great. Jumping off of that- when creating a world like you are, write down all your rules and world building first so as you write, you can reference it and make sure you are staying within the guidelines of the world you created. I do this for hybrids like Charlie so I don’t say one thing and change it a few chapters later.

-Never fully delete anything you write unless it’s minor edits. Remove it from the doc sure, but save it somewhere else. You never know where it might work better.

-Read. Read others work, read books, read articles, read anything creative. I think the only way I can write the way I do is bc I’ve spent the last 10 or so years obsessively reading lmao. I was not a good writing when I tried back in 2011, and I’m still learning now, but just reading so much other material really helped I think. Don’t stay in your own bubble.

-Write for yourself first. You can write to share with others but always write for you too. It’s easy to get caught up in needing “approval” or validation, I do too, but love what you make as well.

-read your work aloud to yourself. This is great for proofreading and also awkward sentence structure/placement.

-when you want something to happen, don’t just flippantly make it happen. That’s how you get ooc moments and actions. Want something to happen and then look at your characters, understand where they need to be in order for that thing to occur. Not just in a physical sense but also a character sense. You can bypass this by letting the audience know if there’s an established dynamic already so you don’t have to build one, but you still need text to support and uplift it.

I have a lot of thoughts and ideas on writing but also I’m not always right. Like I said, look at other creative work, look at other resources. Practice!!! I’m practicing too still

Sorry if this was too brief or too long haha, I wanted to answer the ask properly but nit be too long winded.

Good luck on the fic!!!!! Cant wait to read if you decide to post it, but also take your time. Don’t rush

Cheers!!

[ominous-feychild-writes]

Check out Parts 1 and 2 first!

Death stands before me.

And before you ask, no, I do not mean metaphorically.

A being dressed head-to-toe in black and red robes towers over me, every bit as intimidating as you’d think when imagining Death before you.

A little cliche, but maybe that’s for a reason.

“Alina Jones,” Death begins—

I don’t let it finish.

“Please!” I beg, trying to step forward. I can’t move. I’m frozen in place, eyes burning without tears, as I try to bargain with Death. “I can’t be dead, I can’t die! He needs me—NOAH NEEDS ME!”

I can’t see it, but I know Death is grinning underneath its black hood.

“Why,” it begins—

I try to scream more pleas, but nothing comes out.

“Silence,” Death commands. After a moment, it continues slowly: “Why, Alina, do you think I would take a single soul when, through sparing it, I could claim countless more instead?”

What… do you mean? I want to ask.

Before I can, a flash of light sweeps over me like a barreling train.

I’m amidst rubble, bleeding but not injured, as fighting continues above me. Noah lays a few feet away, the glider much further.

I don’t feel his life force.

Time drags as I tear myself from the rubble, crawl to him, and reach for his pulse.

It’s not there.

Death may have spared me, but it didn’t spare Noah.

I hadn’t understood what Death meant by its words of sparing me to ‘claim more instead.’

Now I do.

My power isn’t just healing—it’s aging.

And I am not as kind as Noah.

Without him, there’s nothing stopping me from getting revenge on all those who’ve hurt us—starting with the thing that killed him.

Part 1 | Part 2

Divider from @cafekitsune

[e40536]

I don't know how often you use Tumblr, but I saw what you posted on Twitter. I was going to post this to your strawpage but it's too long.

So to keep it anonymous, l'll just leave what I wrote for you here.

Take it how you will, I didn't intend for it to come across as rude or offensive. I'm sorry if it does.

But here

This might not be accurate but I'll just say this

For most people, we do things that we love, we feed off leisure. We spend our time developing skills based on those principles, some learn guitar, some start collections, some learn to draw, and others do a myriad of other things.

But, something about leisure, and having hobbies; is that in due time, no matter how hard we try. We lose fulfillment In what we do, some things just aren't enough anymore, the passion is dying down or at least hiding somewhere in your brain.

It's always unpleasant, to feel like you're losing yourself.

But, you're still creating who you are, you're still finding new parts of yourself in everything you love, in every song, in every book, in every movie, and in your everyday life. You find mediums to express yourself- you maintain them and you have your whole life, no matter where you are no matter what you do, you'll be doing something that you love weather you're aware of it or not.

So, when something does become tedious when it doesn't drive you the way it used to, you will continue on, you will start a new Whether you mean to or not.

You deserve a passion, an image, a voice, a story, you deserve to want to know who you are. Fight with yourself, and learn about yourself. Make things and do things, love things.

No matter what you decide to do, you'll be here [here as in Alive, not wherever you currently are]. And the people you love will hopefully be there too.

I can't claim to know how you feel, especially since I don't completely remember every point you made in your original tweet? But if you want a break, if you want to try something new. I think you should, no matter how scary, you deserve to develop and development takes change.

That's how you got here and that's how you'll get to wherever else you're headed.

That's all, goodbye, see you later

~☆*

no offense to you or anything but when i get lengthy asks i skim through them to see if its a bot or a person and i had to do a double take for this one because i read “some learn guitar” i thought this was an ad and then i looked a little closer HAHA…. Anyway, my actual response under the cut im about to go on a ramble:

First of all, i want to thank you for taking the time to write this and find a way to send it to me. This didn’t come off as offensive in any way at all! I like keeping the anon option on because while it does allow for nasty people to hide behind it, there are kind people like you who just prefer to stay hidden (i am one of these people, so i understand). And thank you again for reading what i originally wrote.

i deleted it not out of shame or embarrassment for being vulnerable on the internet, i want to share that side of myself to followers from time to time. I did it cause i thought what i said mightve sounded too incoherent, i was in a mood. I have been in one for quite some time and while ive managed to have quick escapes from it, it always comes back. To say im just miserable would be an understatement. And my deteriorating mental state reflects how i think about my social media presence, posting/sharing things, & creating them. I screenshotted everything with plans to rewrite (or just repost) what i said… I posted that in hopes of letting other people know how much i appreciate their viewing of my content. Even if they’re a silent follower. And also because i wanted to share my own perspective on the whole posting for likes or posting for love of art. I hoped that how i ended it came off a little optimistic. While i am sad, I still do believe things will turn out fine in the end..

It feels… weird (in a good way dont worry, im kinda in disbelief at the moment haha) to see people say that i deserve a voice, passion, story or image, because i just kind of mindlessly post things. I don’t think very hard about how others might perceive it. I don’t really think of myself as anything really. Not in a total self deprecating way its just like euuuhhh? me? artist? an inspiration? I know i inspire some because they have told me, but it never truly clicked for me that like, oh yeah this person actively thinks about the things i make or write when they want to be inspired. And like i said in the tweets, my drive is different from others… i have no overwhelming desire to be KNOWN and PRAISED, although i get why others do, that shit is addicting, haha. i just post for the people who i know like to see what i make. I feel accomplished as an artist in that sense, that ive left a mark on someone, one person at least. I have always been in the background of projects rather than be in the front of them. You see my name in various credits, in fact most of my audience came from other people mentioning me in their works. I used to really struggle and even cry over this (i still kinda do), but then i learned to be fine with it… proud of it even in a sense cause its great to be apart of things. Its just the way other people treat me is where it gets me. I dont like being treated like someone’s shadow haha.

Earlier last year i struggled with what to do with my life (career wise) and i am… still struggling. The road im currently on leads to a career that has nothing to do with art but still something i want to do, have wanted to do since i was small. But i feel like i am betraying the other me, the kid me who did have dreams of being an artist, they did not have huge aspirations of making an original show or comic or anything, but they did want to be apart of things, help others realize those aspirations. We will see though, who knows, maybe the road will throw me a curve ball and ill be in a class learning the skills to try to master something ive been doing for years.

as for posting art, i dont intend on taking a break dont worry, im all good over here. I want to keep sharing the stuff i make, haha. That was supposed to be what everyone shouldve taken away from my closing statement on that tweet. That im going to continue creating & putting stuff out for the people who do care to see it. Numbers are irrelevant, as long as there’s someone out there its worth sharing.

thank you again, this made me tear up a little bit… I really appreciate this, more than you know. Like i mentioned in the tweet i revisited some of the nice things people have said to me regarding my work/person to help my mood, it is nice to receive something new to read… i really needed this. Thank you <3

[okayigetitifuckedup]

My Beauty/Skincare/Fragrance favorites, in no particular order:

I guess this is kind of a list of my holy grail products? Do people still say that or am I showing my age? Whatever.

I see a lot of people talk about this stuff, but hardly anyone ever mentions some of my absolute favorites so I wanted to give them what little love I can from Tumblr, haha.

There is going to be a large amount of price difference between these products because price is not the end all, be all of quality. Some lower-priced brands produce products that wow me, specifically in skincare, though I have my high-end vices as well, as you will see. I won't say don't splurge, I would say be particular about what you splurge on. That's the trick. Figure out what you want from the product, then look at what each price point promises. As a general rule, more high-end, or luxury brands have been leaning into a more natural look, so I tend to find myself gravitating to cheaper mascaras, or eyeliners because I like my eye makeup to be a bit heavier. At the same time, most highlighters I use are very expensive, because it is hard to find a cheap highlighter that looks as natural as I prefer.

I will also say that for the skincare portion, I have sensitive, or reactive skin, in combination with minor oiliness in the T-zone, and across my jawline, with very minor dryness on the cheeks. I have tried two-dollar cleansers, and fifty-dollar cleansers, and the lesson I have learned is trial and error is your friend. Don't be afraid to try new products, as the only way to truly know how a product affects your skin is to try it. I recommend looking out for samples, and trial sizes. They are your friend! Anyway, My personal favorites are below the cut.

Cleanser:

La Roche-Posay: Toleriane Purifying Foaming Facial Wash

This cleanser is life-changing for me. One pump of product is enough for my entire face and neck, so the bottle lasts ages, the product is extremely gentle, something that is harder to find when you have sensitive and oily skin. In my experience, I usually have to choose between feeling clean, and not irritating my skin. This is the first one I've found that does both, for me.

Toner:

THAYERS: ROSE PETAL FACIAL MIST

I don't know if this does anything, but it's pretty cheap, feels nice, smells good, and I like it. It has witch hazel in it, so, maybe? But also, it can't hurt, and life is short, you deserve to spray yourself with nice things just because you like it.

All-Over Body Exfoliator:

Frank Body: Express-O Coffee Scrub

This isn't the only product from this brand on the list. I love Frank Body, and honestly, all of their scrubs are top-notch. This one is my favorite, only because I think it's a lot easier to work with, and less mess to clean up when I'm done, but with all the same great benefits of their other products. I would say it's beginner-friendly, I guess, haha. Honorable mention for their illuminator, which does not make my list, but is a fantastic, natural, buildable highlight.

Moisturizer:

Kiehls: Ultra Facial Oil-Free Refillable Moisturizer

This one was a close race, between this one and the Bobbi Brown hydrating moisturizer, but what threw me over the line is that I only ever heard anyone talk about this brand for their other moisturizer, one that I sampled, and found entirely too heavy for my skin, but would do well for someone with a more dry skin type. I wanted to let people with my skin type know that this brand has thought of us as well, and this product is just as good, for our skin! And it's like thirty dollars less than the Bobbi Brown one!

Lip Balm:

Frank Body: Lip Balm

This is another hard one. I have been a lip balm addict since I was a child, and the question then became, do I pick the one I use most often, (The Softlips one I mention below) or the one that is actually my favorite. I chose the better product. RIP to the cherry version that blew this one out of the water. I prefer a petroleum-free lip balm, but mostly due to texture preferences, not for any added benefits. Also, if you aren't a lip balm addict, or looking for something that REALLY softens your lips, you don't NEED this, you can get a much cheaper one, this is the best, but please don't let someone tell you not to buy Vaseline lip balms, they work fine and are cheap as hell. 'Rosy lips' in the mini jar is my preference for that one. Softlips in the pearl tint is also a great brand that no one talks about. It was my mother's favorite, and it became my regular lip balm as I got older. It works, it's cheap, it's pretty, and it's at every dollar store, or Walmart checkout I've ever been in.

Mascara:

Thrive Cosmetics: Liquid Lash™ Extensions Mascara

This one went viral for a little bit, I think, but then fizzled out and everyone went back to better than sex, which is a damn shame because not only is this stuff fantastic, (thickening, lengthening, volumizing, and long-lasting!) but the brand gives to charity for every purchase! Why not buy it!? I've been meaning to look at some of their other products, but haven't had a chance yet. I will say, remove it in the shower. It's easier. Steam helps.

Body Moisturizer:

L' Occitane: Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Cream

This stuff is high-end and knows it. A little goes a long way, so use sparingly. They have other body moisturizers, including an almond-scented one, but I like this one better, it's gentle, and deeply moisturizing without irritating my reactive skin, and I find that the scent blends with whatever perfume I use nicely.

Daytime Fragrance:

L' Occitane: Néroli & Orchidée Eau De Toilette

I know, I know! We just went over this brand, but I swear, this perfume is so light, floral, and pretty. It isn't overpowering but does make an impact. It's a secret weapon for a first impression, honestly.

Fragrance Notes of orange, mandarin, neroli, lily of the valley, fig milk, and peach, with a base or orchid, iris, and musk.

Nighttime fragrance: BLACK OPIUM EAU DE PARFUM

No one talks about this perfume anymore, and they should. It is approachably sexy, and intriguing. This is a perfect date night perfume and my personal favorite that is currently on the market.

Fragrance notes of: Coffee, pink pepper, orange blossom, jasmine, vanilla, patchouli, and cedar.

Now, a moment of silence for three products I can no longer recommend, but would have made the list if they hadn't been discontinued:

Physicians Formula: Va Va Voom Mascara

If this was still on the market it would be the only mascara I use. It's sultry, it's sexy, it's thick, it's.. it's EVERYTHING I want in a mascara. This stuff is worth its weight in gold to me.

Pacifica: Alight oil-free Foundation

Hands down the best foundation I've ever used. Oil-free, but non-drying, natural finish, has medium-light coverage, is buildable, and feels like nothing on the skin. I've paid more than 50 dollars for foundation before, so believe me when I tell you it brings me no joy to tell you that not only was the best of them like 8 dollars, but it's also gone now. You can still find some shades online at second-hand resellers, but my shade is gone forever. Heartbreaking.

Wet N' Wild: Megacushion Foundation

I know- divisive, especially with oily skin, but this was more of a touchup product than a regular foundation. It would work to help any areas where my foundation begins to sweat off. It's light and compact, and because of how easy it is to apply, I could carry it in my purse. I know there are other cushion foundations, so maybe this trick could work with them as well, but I have yet to try them, so I cannot in good conscience recommend them.

Please please please, like and reblog in you enjoyed, or if you'd like to see more of my useless knowledge on this crap. Also if you have any questions about any of it, I'd be happy to help! My ask box and messages are always open, and I'm happy to make use of my years of wasting money, haha.

[vox-multimedia]

(a message for the mod, if you need it :D)

i am so sorry if i manage to bother you with this ask, mod. it's completely fine if you don't answer this. and i know that my words can't really do or worth much to anyone who happens to be on the other side of the screen, but that doesn't stop me from spreading the positivity and appreciation that i feel to all of the RP blogs, so i'll send this in, mod :D. there could be a better way of doing this, which i have learned is through the art of tagging (yes i'm slowly learning my way through Tumblr because i, myself, am still a huge Tumblr newbie, lol), and i'm too nervous and shy to do something like that haha, so here's a personalized positivity ask in your ask box :D.

i love seeing how your Vox interact with everyone (anon or not). even if they happen to slightly be different, i still like it because it was made by you. because you added your own twists and spin to his character :D. interacting have really been a blast and i'm sure everyone have fun with your characterization of Vox. seeing new posts from you brings a smile to my face because i just love it so much.

i do hope that those anons/people would stop sending everyone hate because frankly those people have no clue what they're talking about >:(. again, sorry i'm bothering you with this rather man, i didn't expect it to be this long ask.

and that i hope that you have a wonderful day/night/whenever you manage to read this ask. don't feel the need to respond if you don't want to, just wanted to send this positivity ask in :D.

you might be able to tell who this is, but in case you don't, i wouldn't want to expose myself, so i hope you understand this being on an account with literally nothing but a tracker of who i've been to already (yes, i made an account just to do this but without any identifiable information on this account :P).

luv you and all that you do for this community :D.

you do what you do best so keep on doing it, mod :3.

-spreading positivity anon :D (the anon that only interacts with mods unless the characters are in need to raising their spirit :3)

(yes i see the contradictory notion of me having this sign off, lol, but i'll be around the other RP blogs and try to spread some positivity with the same sign-off as an attempt to fight off the unnecessary hate that seems to be thrown around :D. and i will become a virus which spreads positivity if i need to >:3. don't test me on this claim. i have enough positivity for everyone >:3.)

Oh my.. Thank you SO much for this, I don't know when it was sent, and I'm so so so sorry that I did not see this sooner, I genuinely am so grateful for this and it really brignted my mood, you really don't know how bad I needed this right now. I have been super unactive on tumbler and I haven't posted on this blog for over 6 months, but I was just taking a look through my inbox and saw this. I clicked immediately to respond and I feel super bad for not seeing it for so long.

I am genuinely so thankful for this and I want you to know your efforts have NOT gone unnoticed, you took time out of your life and out of your day to write all that for me and I am so thankful.

My life has been very hectic and a lot of things have happened over the last 6 months, if I'm being honest I have been in a pretty bad place but this means so much to me and I want you to know how much this really impacted me.

I wish I had seen this as soon as it was sent and I want to apologize to not only you but all my followers for being so inactive. I'm also sorry to all the others that have asks in my inbox that where not answered!

Anyways, Thank you for your support and you have my utmost gratitude. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[guppygiggles]

hello ! (sorry if this sent twice! Tumblr glitched!)

Thank you for replying to my asks at all- I appreciate any form of contact in reply!

If I maybe said or expressed anything that was off putting about things in expressing ideas about Avery & all- Im so sorry!! I may be overthinking or misreading things (a good part bc im still burnout and a bit stressed probably😅) but wanna make

sure you know that if anything did come across like that- you know im being sincere and listening to you!!

That's all super interesting about the world Avery came from and the life forms it may/may not have!!

The little creature is adorable and anything you create from these ocs are super interesting to hear about! I love hearing about the new characters and info you post! So thank you for telling me more so l can also understand more! It's nice to learn! ...and maybe learn how to send more affective teases to see if they'd fluster a certain Cloud or better yet...a Casp-Lee, if you will- {sorry for the silly play on words lol} ehehe)

I hope you are doing okay though!! I keep contemplating making a blog to talk more as me/my OC & actually DM’ing you directly!! but I worry I would be bugging you and the whole little tickly tumblr community a bit! But I hope you’re having a good day and getting some more down time since it seems like you’ve been working so hard/ busy!! Lots of good vibes and silly teases sent your way~✨

-Firefly Lee 🎇

No no, don't apologize! 💙 Nothing wrong with your ask at all, I just can't help infodumping about Avery and his world... haha. //// I'm so glad you liked the little critter, though!

Geee! //// Trust me, your teases are... plenty effective on me. 😵‍💫 If there's anything you DON'T need to apologize for when it comes to me, it's a play on words... 💙

WAAAAAA!!! 💙

Not forced, obviously, but I'd be thrilled to interact with you and chat if you wanted to!! You wouldn't be a bother to me at all!! I obviously can't speak for the whole community, but I personally say the more the merrier when it comes to people expressing themselves through art or writing! I'd love to have you, I'm sure we all would!

Yes, I am still very busy, sadly! 😵‍💫

I actually decided to stop doing tickletober for that reason... I probably should've made a formal announcement, but I guess this is as good a time as any. I had so much fun with it, but the main thing I really wanted to challenge myself to do was complete a sketch every day... and then I realized that even before tickletober, I was pretty much already doing that, haha. I don't see that stopping any time soon, either... I still have more ideas than I can even draw, especially now that Damon is here, and I'm getting ready to bring in another OC soon! I wish I had time to draw my lore stuff and do tickletober, but unfortunately I don't have time for both.

Anyway:

Thank you so much for this ask, happy Monday, I hope you had a great weekend, and feel free to message me any time!! 💙