#I've been able to meet so many nice people in this fandom

[doughguts-art]

Its been a while! Hope your doing good!

Anyways i was always curious what inspired your artstyle, and why did you buy Bandit?

Oh and here are some pictures of my cat Freya

I'm doing well! Thank you for your questions, and your cat is super adorable!!

Style inspiration is difficult to pin down as I'm not quite sure how to define my own style lol. That being said, sirfluff and portablebread have been really big influences, since I really admire their work. I usually point to them with how I draw eyes and sharp teeth. For OFF related stuff specifically, big inspo is Xintestsu, love his stuff and CONFINIUM is freaking goals.

As for the Bandit question, that has a simple answer with a complex explanation:

I bought Bandit because I really like elsens and he was an elsen. I did not know his history in the fandom when I expressed my interest to purchase him, as I was a fan of OFF for just about a year at that point and wasn't aware of the greater fandom/fangames. I really like elsens, and had (still have) a horde of them for personal stories and drawing, so when I saw another cool elsen that seemed to be up for sale, I jumped at the chance to get him. I got him, and THEN played the games/discovered who I exactly got. It wasn't any motivation of "ooh famous elsen! gimme!", really it was just luck and the creator (Driftstar)'s willingness to sell that allowed me to come into ownership of the 'famous' elsen lol. Louis on the other hand was a fully knowledgeable purchase, because I was interested in keeping the two together. In my viewing of the fandom, they've always been associated closely with eachother. They were the only identifiable elsens* that specifically showed up in UNKNOWN. As Driftstar had created Louis, and Louis was removed from Hugginverse canon in 2019 along with Bandit and Charlotte, he was no longer in use (since Drift has pretty much distanced himself from fandom spaces). I recently recognized that, and asked Drift if he'd be willing to sell Louis too. He was kind enough to accept my offer, and that's how I came into Louis' ownership as well. I am excited to continue to develop both of them further!

Hope this was informative, let me know if you have any questions / want any clarifications. I know Louis wasn't a part of the initial ask, but I felt it was an important addition to explain how I got him as well (since, they're linked in other ways anyway haha).

*(aka different facesprites, Ryker and Todd are other named elsens that showed up in later Hugginverse titles, but they did not have unique facesprites)

didn't just want to send out a huge block of text without an image, so here's a drawing Driftstar created of the two dudes

[pyrriax]

ANYWHO goodnight tumblr i'll be back on the art grind tomorrow i think 🙏

[bisonaari]

A love letter to this fandom

I feel mushy as well today hahaha

Like, I have never felt this much at home in a fandom. Genuinely, checking what yall say in the tag are my best moments of the day. I had been feeling a bit blue for the last year. There was a separation between me and some of my previous irl friendship groups, as we just grew up as different people over the decade. So I was feeling quite lonely.

Then before I know it, I start recognizing urls and profile pics on tumblr. I had so many genuine laughs while looking at my phone since march because yall are so fucking funny. You are so talented, I have never been exposed to so much gorgeous art on a daily basis. And it's uplifting art? I never feel like I'm not talented enough, I just want to get better so one day I'll be able to draw like that. Never felt like that in my entire life.

So many of you now genuinely feel like friends. I just feel so full of love when I think about all of you and sometimes it's a bit overwhelming. My dms and notes are full of people that I want nothing more than get them in a bone crushing hug

I've learned so much about other cultures here because you're always enthusiastic about sharing stuff from where you're from. Learning about languages I didn't know getting to tell people about my own language, getting to hear people talk in accents I had never heard before

We share music and videos and art and nice words and selfies and joy and support

I'm so glad we all found each other. I'm so glad Jere came into our lives at the right moment so we got to meet each other.

Thank you everyone, there are only so many ways to tell you how much I love you.

No matter if we're mutuals and talks in dms or if you're just liking my posts from time to time. I love you so, so much

[murderbot-moodboard]

EMDR therapy update (no trauma details, just discussion of recovery strategies): This past week, several days after my latest therapy session, I was able to make myself feel safe while in an actively triggering situation, which I've never done before.

I knew why I was triggered and that my feelings had nothing to do with the danger level of what was currently happening. I used the tools and strategies I've learned in therapy, like noticing what I was feeling in my body, and identifying what I was afraid of happening, and telling myself that I was going to take care of myself, and thinking of specific things I would do to meet my needs if necessary. I then proceeded through the situation as though I felt safe, and I was able to ride out the physical fear reaction until I really did feel safe. After that, I just... completely stopped experiencing the situation as a trigger.

I know this is exactly what I started trauma therapy for, but I'm still finding it hard to believe that I was able to change how my brain and body were reacting in the moment. Usually when my nervous system is in "flight" mode, at best I can compartmentalize and push through what I'm feeling while still feeling it, and at worst I shut down into "freeze" mode. This time, I systematically deactivated the trauma response until my nervous system fully switched into a safe state, and all that was left over were the "residual chemicals," as I think Murderbot calls them. Reaching this point in my recovery is kind of a big deal, and I'm going to figure out something I can do to celebrate.

Also, a couple weeks ago my therapist said that based on my progress, I can probably finish this more intensive weekly therapy by the end of the year, and move to just having maintenance appointments as needed. I've been going to trauma therapy every week (with a break here and there) for almost six months now, and doing EMDR specifically for about a month and a half.

The four months prior to starting EMDR, we worked on polyvagal theory (navigating the fight/flight, freeze, and safe state of the vagus nerve) and constructed awareness (noticing and describing how emotions feel in your body, the sensory data in your environment, and the sensory data in your thoughts and memories). That work was really helpful to do, especially for me as an autistic person who has trouble identifying what I'm feeling (alexythymia). That foundation has given me the tools I've needed to identify what I'm feeling during EMDR, and identify and manage what I'm feeling in daily life as things come up.

Anyway, just wanted to share a bit about what I'm learning and experiencing while it's still fresh. I'm looking into how to become an advocate for getting people with disabilities (including neurodivergence and chronic illness) more access to trauma therapy, because disability trauma is very common, and based on my own experience, I believe disability trauma contributes a lot to the high levels of depression in many disabled people. So it's been really nice to have this space in the Murderbot fandom community, which is so accepting and supportive, and be able to occasionally share updates with y'all about how trauma therapy is going.

If you've made it to the end, thank you for reading, and I hope you take good care of yourself this week! 💜

[lolotr]

fanfic author 20 questions!

I am late to the party, but i was tagged by @shadowquill17, thanks my love <3 <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

51

2. What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

162,166 total words! Not too shabby

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I've written for a bunch of fandoms, but these days it's mostly Dead Boy Detectives. in theory i have other fandoms, but none that i'm so feral for at the moment

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

all of them are DBD which is kind of astonishing to me, this fandom never ceases to amaze 1. after the insects have laid their claim 2. like breathing 3. terms of endearment 4. a certain step towards falling in love 5. you can throw a party full of everyone you know

5. Do you respond to comments?

yes, every single one, no matter how old the fic is! i might be a little slow or miss one every so often, but i really try hard to respond to every one i get. comments mean the absolute world to me, so i want to thank everyone who takes time out of their day to tell me they enjoyed my work <3 <3 i also LOVE when fanfic writers respond to me, so i assume other people do, too

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i am an angst with a happy ending sort of bitch, but probably one of the fics i wrote during the Nothing Much To Do Radio Silence (TM) when we were all losing our minds with no updates. haven't read those in forever, so maybe Something to Do, Someone to Blame? or maybe it isn't cinema that i wrote for Nothing Like the Sun? or maybe Tropes for Keleidotrope?

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

gosh, so many. again, i write mostly happy ending stuff, so it's hard to pick just one. maybe my fourth favorite public building to visit, if i had to pick one that hasn't been mentioned already. though after the insects have laid their claim has a VERY happy and corny ending that i will forever be proud of haha

8. Do you get hate on fics?

no, thank goodness

9. Do you write smut?

yeah! i'm new to it, but it's a lot of fun

10. Do you write crossovers?

not usually, but i'll stick characters from one universe into a similar universe because something resonates (like Heartstopper Squared or The Quest of the Maddening Mace), but i don't usually write characters meeting or anything like that.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of! *fingers crossed*

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

no, but if anyone wants to do so, just make sure to tag me in it and go right ahead!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

yeah! i have stuff in progress (that we haven't worked on in a while sorry @courfaeriedust) but i've also definitely written collabs that i've published, i think?

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Charles and Edwin from Dead Boy Detectives have such a special place in my heart, and I really hope this hyperfixation doesn't go anywhere, but in terms of pure longevity? Merlin and Arthur from BBC Merlin. I've been reading that shit for a decade. Special shoutout to Alex and Henry from Red, White, and Royal Blue, and Drew and Harrison from Keleidotrope, because I'm still insane about you all too, don't worry.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

THAT IS QUITTER TALK AND I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT. but to give a kind of cutesie answer, i'm not sure i'll ever be done with the libraryverse. there's so much story there, and i keep having ideas for it, so maybe i'll be able to keep playing in it forever. that would be kind of nice.

16. What are your writing strengths?

why are you making me say nice things about myself. why. overall, i think i'm good at dialogue. i actually wrote a whole manuscript in instant messages because i love writing dialogue so much. i'm pretty good at getting into characters' voices, whether they're my own or someone else's, and i find a lot of joy in writing everything from banter to flirting to meaningful conversations (but some of those are easier than others lol)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

action, descriptions, things that aren't dialogue. i also tend to keep my writing kind of short, so i don't always allow for moments to breathe the way they should.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

woooooof the only other language i speak is hebrew (and not amazingly well) so probably not. if i ever got good enough at another language, maybe? but english is my first and by far my strongest language, so I don't think i'd ever be able to express myself well

19. First fandom you wrote for?

as far as i remember, Lord of the Rings. (no you will never find it.)

20. Favorite fics you’ve written?

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE, THEY'RE ALL MY CHILDREN. how about this, you tell ME what your fave stories of mine are, because im tired of linking things. and because i thrive on praise lol

i am too lazy to tag people specifically, so anyone who writes fic is welcome to answer!

[thelordofgifs]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you @sallysavestheday and @grey-gazania! I was eyeing this one and hoping for a tag, some great questions here.

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 51, although one's a podfic.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 250,683. More than half of which is from last year alone!

3. What fandoms do you write for? Currently exclusively the Silmarillion, with the occasional little LoTR ficlet.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? the fairest stars, Inflection, an ancient song, all those that follow, Ilimbë. I'm always surprised by an ancient song's popularity – it was a pretty low-effort ficlet – but a solid list nonetheless!

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes, always! (Glances nervously at the pile I've accumulated in the last couple of weeks of travelling). I love replying to comments, though. It's so nice to be able to engage with all my lovely thoughtful readers and their excellent thoughts!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? ever an anguish that pursued is pretty bleak. before the black gale is also a tragedy of sorts, though I'm not sure that makes it qualify as angsty as such.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Ilimbë ends quite joyfully, although while writing the final scene I did have the shadow of their unhappy future in mind! I think the cleaving's ending is also quite happy, or at the very least cathartic.

8. Do you get hate on fics? No, thankfully! All my readers have been very kind and appreciative <3

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Three fics so far! All of which were gifts for friends, and made me push my boundaries a little. I'm proud of all of them, though! Smut is less scary than I used to think :)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? No, never! If I did, it would probably be more of a retelling/AU than straight-up having characters from different fandoms meet.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Not to my knowledge!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No – I fear I am rather too much of a control freak for this, and would rather not inflict myself and my pedantry on an unsuspecting co-writer.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? Russingon... it's the forbidden romance and the doomed nature of it all and the fact that love wasn't enough to save them :( also the murders, of course.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? boats against the current, the "Maedhros doesn't swear the Oath" AU I blithely started back in 2022, is simply not going anywhere at any sort of speed. Perhaps this is the year! Let's see.

16. What are your writing strengths? Dialogue and characterisation! I'm good at emotional beats, I think.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Description... I tend to write VERY minimally and then have to go back on edits and add in some descriptive language so that the entire story isn't just two talking heads in an empty room. Always very pleased when people compliment my descriptions for that reason – they take conscious effort!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Fine if it's footnoted, I think. I tend to avoid it on the basis that all the dialogue I write has been "translated" from one of Tolkien's languages anyway; and I don't know any real languages well enough to write fic in them.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Harry Potter, although I've soured on the fandom now for obvious reasons :/ For a while I used to think that I could still enjoy the books I loved so much growing up while separating them from the author, but she's so continually hateful and bigoted that I just... can't gain any enjoyment from the franchise anymore. Which is painful, but I'm glad I have the silm fandom to absorb all my creative energy now!

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? the fairest stars! My weird gremlin baby, I love it so. I never expected to care about this fic as much as I did, but I've poured so much thought and heart into it that it was perhaps inevitable. And it's taught me so much about writing cliffhangers :)

No-pressure tags for @eilinelsghost, @searchingforserendipity25, @welcomingdisaster, @that-angry-noldo, @swanmaids, @echo-bleu, @jouissants, @tanoraqui and anyone else who, like me, was eyeing this one hoping to be tagged – @ me and say I tagged you!

[ekingston]

Love that post you just reblogged. One of my favourite things about fanfiction is that writers don't feel compelled to make every single thing progress the story or make some larger point. You guys give us lots of scenes that just show the characters interacting, or living, or that are just nice or sweet or funny. And we LOVE those. No need for a constant obsession with an overarching plot.

you! you get partial credit for the existence of Wit!

putting characters in a room together & seeing how they interact has always been my #1, no reservations, very favorite thing about fan fic. i don't think there's anything more valuable in this world than what happens between people, and in retrospect, it's probably no accident that the first fandom i wrote & published fic for was for a show that, for a little while at least, prided itself on focusing on 'the science' instead of the chemistry between its characters.*

when i got your ask last week it got me thinking about the type of fic i wrote most back then. we called them vignettes, in that corner of the internet: (usually) short fics made up of a series of snapshot-like, disjointed scenes that showed mainly moments of interaction or introspection, touching on the plot only as lightly as possible.

and i guess i got nostalgic? because here we are a week later, which i spent happily regressing, and that's what Wit became.

and it's funny, because i went on to ramble to my wife about it, and about how i used to think that writing requires a plot, and how so many people i've talked to have been looking for their story, this impossible, unique premise no one else has written yet, believing if they'd just be able to find that, then they would have their book. and i'm fully, 100% like, no. the story doesn't matter. it's how you write, what you choose to highlight. you could write about anything. you could write about two people meeting when they have to report for jury duty, and that's your story right there.

and then i had to write it, naturally.

i love life. and writing. i'm having one of those weeks, and i thank you very much for contributing to that. ❤️

-

*or that many years later i suffered the same fate for a show that very heavily hinted at a character dynamic it never made good on, but, you know.

[doxolove]

Loneliness-

(tw: mental health, trauma)

I started using the Internet at a young age to cure the loneliness around me. My parents were absent, I was incessantly bullied from second to sixth grade in elementary school. Being part of the county's first Spanish immersion program meant my bullies continued to be in my class every year.

The only thing they couldn't bully me over was art. They were nice to me when they wanted a power ranger or a Pokemon drawing– so it became a valuable tool for me to use.

I've used fandom and art most of my life to heal my own volatile attachment wounding. In conjunction to that, I developed severe codependency of anyone who gave me any time of day… It wasn't until I found myself again and again that being a ‘doormat’ for other people was/is exhausting. It wasn't until my best friend at the time said they used that to their advantage on purpose, that I started to feel disgusted at all.

Even after realizing this, I was still suffering from unchecked mental pain and trauma that I wasn't specially aware of. I let myself get into situations where this pain clashed severely against others around me. My pain in turn made me an ugly person.

I started to get help. I finally was diagnosed with depression and type 2 diabetes. The overwhelming exhaustion clouding me all hours of the day wasn't just my own apathy, it was an a1c of eleven, the cusp of a diabetic coma. This shook me to my core. With regular doctor visits and psychiatric evaluation, I finally have been able to regulate my blood sugar and non existent serotonin levels. Doing so shook me out of other things I was still doing. Things that still hurt me and those around me.

Not being aware of how bad I was at coping with my own traumas was a reality hard learned. I've lost so many friends from this negligence… But also? Lost more ‘friends’ when the free ride of using me as a doormat was over. That persons will try to punish you for setting boundaries. That it's your fault they can't cope with their own trauma a more healthy way.

That's fucking bullshit.

Everyone is exhausting. Dealing with yourself and your own traumas? Exhausting. But what came down as a more harsh reality, is that empathy for this doesn't exist in most people. That empathy itself, is something most will never achieve. I've always wondered why not very many want to understand why conflict actually exists, what two sides of an argument look like. What acknowledgement of miscommunication actually is. It's really sad. When things like purity policing, smear campaigning and becoming a flying monkey still exist? Nobody has actually grown out of bullying being a normal fucked up thing humans do to each other instead of communicating properly.

So it's come full circle– but I at least know why it's happening now. Strangers will find any excuse to push their own unchecked pain onto someone else, instead of resolving a core issue. There are people in this world who will never realize their pain will never be relieved from the unhealthy dismissal of responsibility for their own health and how they treat others.

Do I use the Internet to cure my loneliness still? Hell no. Does a vast majority still do? Yes. You can still meet genuine people through it, through community and play– but it's still your responsibility to make sure the way you cope with your own traumas doesn't become someone else's problem.

I no longer use my art to cure loneliness either– probably for the first time since I was very young. I'm unsure if I still want to put additional thoughts out in the open after being bullied off a platform– but I've always put them here. So this will probably be the last time I post them in the void.

I treasure everyone who's taken time to cure my loneliness for any brief moment of time, I still hold that close to my heart. I apologize for the pain miscommunication has caused between some of us, even if it's not my apology to give. So many met me while I was suffering and in a lot of pain… Your kindness gave me hope I'd find means to it's end. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to cope with my own traumas then.

I'm in a far better place now. I'm happy to exist along side people who genuinely love me. People who have proven communication can solve everything and not being afraid to be real and vulnerable. I am so very happy to be alive with them.

I have found value in myself, I've worked so very hard to understand my own traumas and shortcomings. Loving people in my life have taught me much better ways to cope. I'm still growing and learning, that will never stop.

Will I still share art online? Maybe. There's not a big desire to, nor will the urge to join communities ever surface again– generation gaps time and time again have proven so dangerous and disappointing. If I share art it's for the sake of sharing what gives me joy, there's no ulterior purpose anymore.

I would hope everyone will come this far and find healthy ways to cope and be happy, I know we all can do it if we believe we can.

[pinksaphira11]

The Appeal of Linked Universe

Been thinking about this for a little while; why is Linked Universe so well liked? I mean, there's plenty of other 'Links meet' AUs out there, and yet this is the one that got popular. Granted some of the others probably popped up because of LU but still; why? Well, I think I've figured it out.

Adherence to source material.

This is it, the whole thing making everyone love LU more than other AUs. (Probably.) Let me explain; it's fun to put your own spin on things, right? To change things up as you like and tweak things to fit your headcanons. Everyone does it, it's fun and makes things interesting and different. But in the case of these 'Links meet' AUs, I think it's hurting them. Why? Because it's not canon.

Now, I'm not saying adding all your own things is a bad thing. Quite the opposite, I love seeing what other people come up with! The creative ways they take things and the fun ideas they have can add a lot to the fandom and make things even more fun, so I'd like to encourage people to continue to add their own spins! But that doesn't change the fact that it's simply not going to resonate with quite as many people.

This is because they've changed too much. Some people simply won't like those changes, and so they won't read it. That's fine, they can just go read other stories that have the things they do want. But it does mean there will be less readers. That's where Linked Universe shines; it has only the source material, and that's it. Their designs may be a little different, with certain things exaggerated and what not, but that's just to get them to be more recognizable from each other. Besides their redesigns, nothing has changed. They're just Link.

That's the heart of it; all of them are just their respective Links. No added abilities. No added lore. No need to go read an in-depth page of backstory in order to know what's doing on. All you need to know is that the Links have all come together. That's it. You don't even need to know how or why. Heck, that hasn't even been explained yet. It's just more visually distinct Links hanging out for some reason. On some sorta adventure. And you let your imagination run wild from there. The only material that might be nice to know before reading it is it's source material; the games. That's all the context you'll need for why each Link behaves the way they do, and even then you really only need to know one game to be able to enjoy it. That's how I started, although I've since educated myself with more games.

There are SO MANY fics that have been made just based on the base concept alone. At first it was just Jojo doing little snippets too, just for fun, of things that could happen if they were traveling together. It's just, the normal Links from their games meeting. It's as simple as that. Granted a story has now been put into the works for it, but you can still enjoy the basic idea of it without needing to heed the story Jojo has come up with. Because at the end of the day it's just all the protagonists getting to interact and it's so fun getting to compare and contrast them with each other.

There's of course other things going for it; like Jojo's great art, characterization of the Links, and the splendid way it all flows, among other things I'm probably forgetting at the moment because it's getting late. (Late night thoughts strike again!) But I really do feel like the heart of it is that it's simple. Nothing complex or convoluted to the general, basic idea of it. They're just the Links you already love and know from the games. They happen to meet. And then whatever the heck you can imagine can happen, or you could read the story Jojo made for them instead. It's just a good time, particularly with some of the ideas the fandom has come up with for the AU.

That's why I think LU is more appealing than any other 'Links meet' AU out there. It's simple but effective and I think Jojo is doing great with it, she loves treating her fans and always adds little things in the background. Just, Jojo is great and Linked Universe is great and I wouldn't have this going any other way. Thank you Jojo. If you haven't checked out Linked Universe yet and are a Zelda fan, I highly recommend it! Fun to be had for every type of fan, no matter what your favorite game or Link is.

[herefortarlos]

hey desi! it's nice ask week, i hope you're well and don't mind me coming into your inbox :)

what's your favorite lone star episode?

who is your all time comfort character?

what's your favorite song/album right now?

Hello my sweetest, Rachel 💖!! Sweetie, the day I mind you coming into my inbox will be the day I am no longer a pansexual liberal, so not a chance of that ever happening 😂.

Ohh why would you ask me that!! Okay, favorite overall Lone Star episode, and not just for 1 or 2 scenes, has to be 3x13 "Riddle of the Sphynx". That episode just gave us sooo much good Tarlos! We got supportive and jealous/sassy and then understanding Carlos. We got TK attending meetings and doing what he has to do to take care of himself! We got so much tarlos physical affection and that amazing dining table scene!! I recently watched that episode again and that scene blows me away every time, Ronen and Rafa acted their butts off! We get tarlos communicating, even if it's messy communication at first, and so many iconic lines!! "It feels like he's getting pieces of you that I don't" "You don't want those pieces" "I do, I want all of it" "You have all of me, Carlos." Just throw me off a bridge why don't you 🥲, and it's one of the few episodes where I know all the tarlos dialogue word for word. @heartstringsduet are you proud of me 😊. Then TK being affected in the field and being depressed about his own mom, looking at photos telling Carlos, "I'd give anything to feel like that again", and Carlos realizes he is in way over his head and that this isn't about him, it's about TK and what he needs so Carlos gets over that insecurity and reaches out and makes sure TK has the support he needs 🥹 And then the infamous "I love you" with TK "Heart Eyes" Strand and Carlos' understanding "I know." Every tarlos scene in this from beginning to end of episode is amazing and impactful and leaves me an emotional mess every time I watch it 💖

who is your all time comfort character?

All time comfort character you ask? 🤔 After thinking about all the fandoms I've enjoyed and been a part of over the years, please don't come at me for saying the obvious of TK 😅. He's the first live action character that I have loved this much, and there are so many reasons for that! One of the biggest being how he has been through so much hardship in his life but he is so unselfish and sees the best in people and still has so much love to give!! He is sunshine personified but he is still very much a real person with flaws and baggage, but he is constantly working to take care of himself and be a better person! I've had similar, not exact of course, experiences in my own life and have come out the other side better for it! It took a lot of time of course and I needed to be in a place where I had the power to make my own decisions and I love that about TK too, that the show constantly shows that his decisions to get better have ultimately been his own! And him being an openly gay character who is proud of his sexuality was primarily what drew me to him and the show in the first place 🥰

what's your favorite song/album right now?

Ohh always love a music question! Haha and probably not what you're expecting but my favorite album lately has been Bo Burnham's "Inside (Deluxe)" edition. It's such a fantastic special and I watched the deleted scenes not too long ago and have not been able to stop listening to "Five Years". The chorus is so damn catchy and I wish it was longer and the line "Everyone's a feminist until there is a spider around" makes me laugh every time 🤣.

[thispatternismine]

ATLA live action impressions part 2

Following on from last night's post, here are my impressions of eps 5-8

Still really loved it. Gonna be tarred & feathered for this but I actually like it better than the animated show

Highlights:

Ozai giving Zuko credit for finding the Avatar. There's this weird idea in the fandom that Ozai never intended to take Zuko back. Even though we saw him do exactly that at the beginning of Book 3. Yes he set an impossible task, but when Zuko (apparently) achieved it, he was like 'ok yeah cool - you have met my standards'. Sure, there's no way Zuko would have continued to meet those standards if he'd stuck around, but Ozai did actually keep his word. The fact that he does it to make sure Azula knows she's overstepped & remind her she's replaceable, is an especially nice touch

Getting to see how Azula is treated by her father. I've seen way too many people try to claim Azula was never abused because she wasn't literally set on fire like he was. Never mind that she avoided that fate only because she was able to meet his standards. And having to constantly strive to meet the standards set by someone who thinks 'find a guy who's been missing for a century' is a suitable task to set his kid is abuse.

Another annoying tendency of the fandom is to flanderise Ozai into some diabolical caricature who spends all his time thinking up new ways to torment poor Zuzu, so having that scene of him banishing Zuko was a nice touch. He genuinely believes he is being a good dad & raising his kid to be strong (note: This isn't me saying Ozai is right - I'm saying he thinks he's right.)

The 41st Division 😭

Iroh & Ozai interacting with each other

Gyatso!

I spy some female soldiers! A problem with the animated show was that it's all well & good deciding that the Fire Nation has female soldiers, but bias is a thing & 99.9% of the time if you ask someone to draw a soldier it'll be a man. Yeah sure they all stayed to guard the Fire Nation that's why we didn't see any till Book 3 suuure

"Anything you need." "It has to do with Koh." "Anything but that." DYING

Aang's whole speech to Zuko about how helpful his notebook was (let's be real Iroh probably sighed & told him it was a waste of time so this was the first time he heard 'Hey good job on the Avatar research!') & the way they bonded before he unwittingly set Zuko off

"Quit it before they think there's something wrong with you. More than there already is."

"The Firelord deems your performance... below average." OOF. Pretty sure that's the worst thing you can possibly say to Azula. She'd much rather be told she sucked outright than just 'meh'

Waterbender Yue

Non-arsehole Hahn

Using Kuruk lore from the Kyoshi books!

I like the changes to the NWT siege. Having the spirits' mortality be an occasional, temporary thing to gain an appreciation of life that occurs during a full moon when the powers of those who will protect them in that state are at their peak, makes more sense than permanent vulnerability that relies on nobody finding out. Also never made sense that a naval officer was stationed in a fucking desert & was able to just take time off to go through a spirit library, so having Zhao find his info from the Fire Sages works better IMO. I do hope we'll still get the spirit library though

Ozai's lil eyetwitch when Azula backtalked him like if you agree

Haven't mentioned yet but I love the costumes in this

Also never mentioned Momo, the Real Hero of ATLA

Sokka continues to be awesome

Lowlights:

June calling Iroh cute & fawning over him. Normally I'd think it's unfair for the live action version of a character to be held accountable for what the animated version did, but this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Like og!Iroh's groping of June being treated like a joke has been called out many times so they fucking had to know what they were doing

Why isn't Azula's fire blue? We got like 1 second of it & that's it. Maybe consistent blue flames are a power up she'll obtain later idk

[idyllic-affections]

a letter from aphelion. ♡

a letter to all the people who have made my year in one way or another. there is no particular order to this post, and some of you may find that i don't have much to say, but all of you who are on this post are here because i can recall times i've enjoyed speaking to you or seeing you in my notifs or just existing within the same space as you. i hope you all have only the best year possible next year—it seems like most of us need and deserve a good year, hm? though i regard myself as quite a gentle and sentimental soul, i struggle with putting it into words. it's ironic, considering i am a writer. i mention this because even if the things i say in this post are quite silly and lighthearted, just know that i earnestly mean what i say and each and every one of you has contributed to my year in a memorable way <3 may we all have a good 2024.

       dear @lillonvia,

YOU!!!! YOU!!!!! HELLO. HI. MEETING YOU HAS BEEN SUCH AN HONOR AND SUCH A DELIGHTFUL PART OF MY YEAR!!! i love the little silly conversations we often have—i think it's probably a good thing that we share so many random fandoms. it's as if we lived somewhat similar lives growing up despite growing up in such vastly different environments <3 but anyway, i think the fandoms we share are really helpful in being able to have such fun conversations!! we have many things to talk about!!! despite the vast difference in timezones!!!! please go to sleep at normal hours!!!!!!! /lh

       dear @starryshinyskies,

HI AVERY <3 i was literally always so delighted to see you in my inbox back when you were still ⭐️ anon, and i still feel that kind of joy now! you have so many good and fun thoughts to share with me about things i've written and i love that... i hope moral injury ch. 2 will give you that same kind of brainrot again when it does finally come out!!!! if it doesn't that's okay too HAHA but i always love hearing your thoughts on... literally anything ever!! i have some fics of yours that i've been meaning to reblog btw, so maybe watch out for multiple essays in your notifications in the coming weeks LMAO

       dear @aroacenezha,

MAJI I AM SQUISHING YOU LOVINGLY IN MY HANDS or i can just look at you fondly if you don't want to be squished. i am okay with that too <3 i often think about how we met and i think it's both kind of funny and kind of nice. "baizhu would hate dottore" agreed so real so true that post was so correct in so many ways RAAHHH 🤝 the nice part of the way we met being my baizhu series. despite me having NOT updated it any time recently, has brought a lot of people into my inbox and sometimes into my life and i think it's very cool. i love when people feel seen. and furthermore please always send me your oc thoughts and your blorbo thoughts i love them so much 🙏🙏🙏

       dear @soleillunne,

ALYYY MY LOVE MY BELOVED you are so precious and treasured.... i love what you do, i think your writing is beautiful and has such a poetic quality to it. and i love when you appear in my inbox and notifs!!!! though tumblr is very mean to you and always eats your asks.... you are important to me and so many other people and i hope you always know that. genuinely. you are such a kind and wonderful person and you are always loved.

       dear @heiayen,

YOU. *GRABS YOU* *EVILLY* you. you are so. idk but YOU ARE. can't think of a good word. no words, only vibes. you are vibe-y. /lh you're another moot that has the most top tier responses to things, even non-fanfic posts. you just have Things To Say, and in the best way possible. your thoughts are so fun..... i interact with you rather often—more than some people realize, perhaps—and you are a dearly beloved presence in my life 🫶🫶

       dear @zeldadou,

though we haven't talked too much recently, i still think of you often! i love seeing your art and the way it changes and develops... and i love hearimg your thoughts about things or when you send me fun things you think i would like <33 you are a very kind person in my eyes, whether you realize it or not.

       dear @june-again,

i hope life treats you well, always. you don't deserve anything less. i think of you fondly! your kindness is and was very remarkable and treasured especially when i was first adjusting to tumblr and posting my fics and whatnot..... by the time we met, i was still very new, so i appreciated any kind interactions (i still do of course! it's just a bit different when you're new to a website like this haha)!!

       dear @kaixserzz,

I FUCK WITH YOUR THOUGHTS DUDE YOU SEEM TO COME INTO MY INBOX AT THE MOST RANDOM AND UNEXPECTED OF TIMES AND DROP THE MOST HEARTBREAKING ANGST POSSIBLE??????? HELLO?????????? ARE YOU. DOING OKAY??!???!!!! YOU WAKE UP AND CHOOSE VIOLENCE. ESPECIALLY WITH KAVEH. WTF (me too tbh 😇) /lh please always send me any platonic thoughts you have i will entertain all of them fr 💥💥💥 you have such good thoughts in that brain of yours 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

       dear @archonsbane,

i haven't spoken to you much, so forgive me if this seems or comes off as a sudden or jarring tag, but i do enjoy talking to you. fatui moot <3 you GET IT get it about the harbingers' dynamics. i hope we have more opportunities to speak sometime! (and if that sentiment isn't shared, that is totally fine. i would respect it either way 🫶)

       dear @lesanyanyas,

we only became mutuals recently, but i hope you know that i always thought of you as one of the "blorbo from my notes" kinds of people haha!!! i always saw and recognized you whenever you were in my notifications or my inbox and you always have such delightful and fun things to say <33

       dear @umgatochamadopercyval,

CLARA HIII you are such a remarkable person, you know? you've been nothing but kind and understanding, and you have such fun thoughts and ideas!! i love hearing about them sm. even if my responses are delayed, just know that you are always welcome to ramble in my dms about your ocs or your fic ideas and i will never find it to be annoying or anything. it isn't annoying. it never is.

                                                 sincerely,                                                                           aphelion.

there are people who did not make this list, and to those people, i hope we can become closer in 2024! if you aren't on here, it's truly only because i've hardly spoken to you. so... perhaps that is something we can do next year! i think of all my mutuals very fondly. i don't think of any of you as "less than" just because we haven't spoken mwah mwah <3

[yuseirra]

Didn't mention this earlier so I want to in time, thanks for encouraging me when I mentioned I felt a bit unsure about my art (i'm sure everyone who draws or create in general feel that way at some point, it does get to me time to time also) I'm glad there are people who enjoy my art. I believe it when people say they do and I'm really excited! I'm so glad to have met a lot of you and have the opportunity to interact with you through it, for all the time I've been here. That's also one of the reasons why I want to construct and build it in a better way and form, since it's what I can present, I'll be happy if something I make could be intriguing in a positive way! I'm not saying it should though, but I'm excited when it does.

So getting some positive compliments really helped me, I love seeing tags when I get'em and I love all the kind asks I get (it's been taking me more time to get back to them lately) and of course I appreciate the likes and reblogs. None of it's been taken for granted you know? It's something that's came out of free will like how my art is for me. No pressure on any of you, but I'd like to say it really does make a difference when you express how much you like something when you do to those responsible for said thing. They might not be so revealing about it, but it'll surely be their drive. I feel that way all the time! So thanks for being someone's boost and energy. You're always doing something for someone by existing. And I hope you have a nice day. I'm not sure if I'll end up being that super cool artist that everyone admires and all (I think that has its ups and downs because in that case, I feel I'll have to become even more careful with my words and stress more about wanting to meet people's expectations and stuff but wouldn't that be really cool all the same!)but you make me want to do better in general! Makes me think 'oh, this can't be my limit, I'll be able to make prettier things to share to everyone'

interacting with something matters. I've been getting them and I'm grateful for what I have. I'll remember about that. I've liked so many things in my life, it's impossible to predict what I'll be excited about the future (I'll still love the things I've loved but I mean the new fandoms I'll get into) but wherever I go and whatever I got into, I always felt so welcomed. I'd like to make something that feels welcoming as well if that makes any sense. Sure, I might experiment with something dark (I actually want to try drawing some stuff with different tones) or mature themes? maybe..? but I'd still like it for people to be able to enjoy it. I draw what I like, and I don't intentionally draw to please(perhaps I may have improved faster if I worked with that mindset), but.. it'll be great if it could.

So see you all around! :) I'll keep having fun. If you ever care to share me good things you feel about my art, you're always welcome! It adds another year to my life, I get happy so easily you'll be surprised how elated I get! That's how I felt the other day.

[shannonsketches]

Can I just say I love how you can be somewhat critical about certain things about totk without completely and unnecessarily trashing it and even adding humor. I wish more people were like that.

Aw, thank you! I'm just trying to make sure folks feel safe to enjoy things here (as long as, yknow, the respect goes both ways).

I definitely used to be someone who would trash stuff unnecessarily, and I'll always credit a mutual (although I did forget their handle,,,I'm so sorry) I had at the time for just letting me go on a long rant about why something bothered me and went, "That sounds really personal, but that got nothing to do with this." And all at once I realized I'd been projecting my needs/wants/expectations onto other peoples work (commercial or otherwise), and holding strangers responsible for serving me, specifically! Which is an absurd thing to expect from anyone!!

And sometimes I still forget the world doesn't revolve around me, glorious me, and I have to go back and apologize and do my mental health homework to figure out why I reacted a certain way, and why I took something so personally. But it's been really helpful to try and do the homework first, or type that whole salty take up and delete it or draft and review it again in the morning, before you make a stranger (or a friend!) feel bad or unsafe with you for the crime of enjoying something you didn't (which I have done, many times, and feel very bad about).

Plus, I've learned that if you're someone who is always analyzing and critiquing things, those moments can be really good practice for (respectfully! privately! in your own space! not on that stranger's post! not in that poor dev's DMs!) considering what you might have done differently, assuming you had the same parameters and resources available. I find this is especially good practice if you plan on entering a creative field! I promise you get a lot more sympathetic with how things turn out when you force yourself to dream within a budget and a deadline.

(also being nice to professionals is good practice! Some of them are jerks, true, but 99% of devs artists designers directors etc are just doing their best under a ton of stress and pressure to make everyone happy, and they're usually really proud of what they're able to accomplish, and they are absolutely not getting paid enough to deal with the comment section)

Once you let go of that need to be Correct and have control over stuff that isn't about you, you end up having a lot more fun and a lot less limitations for playing in the sandbox, and with other creatives! Plus you learn about yourself, and what your priorities and tastes are. You become a better story teller and collaborator when you can not only find but actively look for the good in things you may have completely dismissed as a kneejerk reaction to not liking something about it.

And again, I'm definitely still an ass, a lot more often than I'd like to be. I still struggle with that need to be Correct and to have complete control over my sandbox. I still get defensive and have to navigate rejection sensitivity when someone's idea contradicts mine. I definitely understand the reactivity when something means a lot to us, and it takes practice to share when you're used to being protective! But it's so, so worth it.

You meet such amazing people and find such wonderful, supportive communities when you embrace two cake theory. I highly recommend making an effort to expand your perspective and be a part of that support.

Supportive Community Pro-Tips from a Fandom Old Guy:

You don't have to adopt a theory to enjoy or appreciate it!

If someone's takes upset you, just block them. It's okay.

Don't critique someone's work unless they ask for critique

Don't RB someone's work with negative/contradictory comments, just make your own post

DO freak out in the tags/comments/inbox if you like something

Obviously don't wish harm over ships/headcanons/etc, just block!

Remember someone else's work is not about you

Remember someone else's work is Not About You

Are they experiencing a thing? Are they sharing their experience with you? That's a gift! Treat it like one!

Elitism is a mind killer. Newer ≠ Lesser, Older ≠ Greater. We all have stuff to offer and we all have stuff to learn.

and if I may impart the most important thing I've ever learned in fandom:

BE NICE TO EACH OTHER, WE'RE ALL JUST MAKING STUFF UP!

Thank you for the lovely message and for letting me ramble I'm!! Sorry this got so long and preachy, haha

[lej222]

Aslfua new chapters just dropped last night. Share us your theories, ideas and premonitions about what may happen next from this.. Also make your posts looooongerrre cause I love reading your writings for hours♡

Wow, you're so nice! I've been really busy lately, so I quickly skimmed the chapters. I really believe now everything depends on what the author wants to convey with the story. There are a lot of ominous signs for Cheol and Miae, Iike Miae losing the name tag Cheol gave her, how Cheol still didn't give her back the hairpin, a third person warning Miae that it's too late. There's also the fact that Miae really wants a picture with Cheol to have, but the one Cheol's dad took is not with her, and now they were interrupted again so there's still no photograph. I feel like this could be significant if the creator wants a bittersweet ending with them, like the one picture she can finally have might be their last one and a memory for her later on. If not, it might just be a conflict in the story, who knows, I still have this strong feeling that the story will mostly be about their middle school days because every interaction they have feel fleeting if that makes sense, especially the latest chapters. It's like recalling your younger days as an adult that were once important to you. I actually expected them still running away from each other, but I hope that there will be some resolution to their feelings, the outcome doesn't matter as long as they can learn from their experiences.

The third person narrating is super interesting, though, because we have no idea who that is. It could be the stone deity Miae made a wish to in the countryside to be friends with Cheol. It also could be the universe itself who looks after Miae (and everyone for that, but Miae is the main protagonist of the story). Looks like past and present will reaaaaally intertwine in this season, because we have two pairs who were thrown together again by the universe - Cheol&Miae and Jisu&Miae. They parallel each other in lots of ways, like how Cheol was Miae's hero as a kid, and how Miae was Jisu's. Miae was the catalyst to Cheol's growth, Jisu seems to be Miae's. Miae met Jisu in the city and knew him for some time as her classmate, but doesn't remember him (probably important plot point of the season). Miae met Cheol in the countryside for a few days, but she remembered him. Jisu transferred in spring after moving around, Cheol did the same in the autumn semester. Cheol is judged because of how he looks (his height, his scar), but he's actually super awkward. Jisu was probably bullied because he was born different (probably neurodivergent as I theorized here like many other readers). Cheol keeps running away from his feelings, Jisu is super blunt about what he thinks. Miae is the bridge between them- she's from the city, but has been in the countryside, she's been bullied because of her appearance, but she also seems to have ADHD. She probably had to meet these two boys again because they had to learn from each other and still have unfinished business together. I think we will soon get all the answers, like Miae's last memory from the countryside trip (we have seen every other countryside memory except that one), Jisu's own memories and how they are tied to Miae's, and the outcome of Miae's relationship with Cheol, how it's connected to the stone tower wish and maybe the airplanes.

Side note, readers who keep hating on a 14-year-old boy just because he has a role in the story, grow up please. It's so annoying how people keep coming after Jisu no matter what he does in the story. I really don't care about who ends up with whom, I'm here for the growth story, but if I get more messages about grown up adults bullying a teenager I guess it will be a sign to leave this fandom for good. Anon, your message was really kind, thank you for reading my posts, I hope that I will be able to write more in the upcoming weeks once more chapters drop.

Edit:: I forgot to mention but now I'm 99% sure Jisu is neurodivergent. In the new chapters it's really obvious how he avoids eye contact, and he freezes up after he tells his thoughts again to Miae, looking right at her, and he looks away again. And notice how his mouth is almost always slightly open when he has to react emotionally, I guess now this theory seems proven (not sure if it will be addressed because of the time period of the story). And I loved Cheol running away awkwardly, poor boy is going through it, but it's part of growing up so Cheol - hang in there!✨ Miae also looked so happy when she was told she looked good with the lipstick😭 they are just kids, I hope they can keep their inner children as they grow up

[mooifyourecows]

Can I ask your top favorite fics that you've written (feel free how much that you want to list)? Why they're special to you? Is there a specific inspiration when you wrote them? Thanks....

Hmmmm let's see... I'll do top five. Generally I like ALL the fics that I've written (I wouldn't post something I didn't like, tbh)(even though some have been started and then completely abandoned RIP sorry to them) so it's kinda difficult to rank them, but here's my best whack at it:

Summer Rain- I really enjoy writing this fic. I love the massive cast and all the little storylines happening all at once. I know it's kinda on hiatus at the moment but I really do look forward to when I get back to writing it because I love thinking about how everything will eventually coalesce into the climax. Dropping off on cliffhangers is also a special indulgence of mine, even if it makes people angry 😈I started this one based off of an OLD original story idea i had once upon a time. I realized that it had a better chance of getting written if it was a daisuga fic, so here it is! Though it definitely went completely off the rails from the original plan.... (in a good way)

and the Emi goes to...- The DaiSuga dynamic in this one is probably one of my favorites. At this point everyone should know I LOVE slow burns and this one takes its sweet ass time. And as someone who hates the idea of being a parent myself, it's nice being able to live vicariously through the characters to get my fill of parenthood without ever having to have a kid lmao. My inspiration was "I want to write a single parent AU" and poof, there it was.

Let it Ride- Man I don't even know what it is about this fic but I adore it. I think Daisuga's relationship in it is just so... 😘👌 The childhood best friends who know everything about each other and are willing do to ANYTHING for one another, even give up the opportunity of a lifetime... just the sentiment of loving someone so much that you'd be happy struggling with them really takes me out, you know? It's about love but it's about like, too. They LIKE each other so much, what a pair! I got the idea to write it because I LOVE fake relationship AUs and I LOVE LOVE when the stakes are set at the highest setting, AKA Marriage.

Hard Times- Another fake dating AU because as previously mentioned I LOVE them. This one just checks so many boxes for me. Revenge? Crime? Sex? Comedy? Drama? More revenge? Closure? Catholicism? Sign me up! (as the writer I think I'm automatically signed up, but ya know.) I had a lot of fun writing it. And Radish made beautiful art for it so really, what's not to like? I don't remember what inspired it... I think I just wanted to write another fake dating scenario with a funny meet cute.

Open Tab- I feel like I'm obligated to put Open Tab on any list when it comes to my writing because it's the OG, ya know? It's the first fic that got me deep into the Haikyuu fandom and I gotta appreciate it for that reason alone. We've been through a lot together, me and good ol OT. The only hate mail I ever got was on Open Tab. The thrill of it all... I had so much fun writing it. And while right now it's definitely a bit of a pain in my ass, trying to get the motivation to continue it, I can't erase all the good times we had together. I owe it a lot! Someday it will finally be over and I'm both dreading and looking forward to that day. My inspiration was alcoholism. Drink responsibly, kids.