#all of these were from various characters’ playlists btw

[fictionkinfessions]

not a confession, but im just curious! mpc, have you ever seen a confession on here that's made you want to get into a certain source?

surprisingly yeah!

homestuck, too dated to read as an adult with a functioning brain in the year idk 2020? ish? I tried the semi official audio book / read along and hated the voice actor sorry couldn't do it. Love the concept but its impenetrable to me. the music is excellent though, I recall spending one full year of listening to nothing but the soundtracks on "repeat 1" for various songs. dance of thorns, eternity served cold, austin Atlantis , creation, violet prince, rex duodecim angelus,, lifdoff, pumpkin party in sea whatevers water apocalypse, THE LORDLING,three in the morning, ok stop typing before you list all the songs!!!

the final fantasy xvi? the one that has ignis and gladiolus, good bird doggies. loved the car 😘

orv, which confused and disgusted me. I dont understand the literary device. it's like explaining a nuclear plant to a bird.

this one childrens horror novel about cursed dolls, cant remember that title sorry. It was ok. I think I'd enjoy it more if I were in the intended age audience for the novel.

the coffin of andy and leyley: amazing story telling about a capitalist hellworld. I can't remember the let's player but def check if it's the latest playthrough since theres been updates.

look outside: fantastic cosmic horror video game btw. dodges stale tropes, no racist lovecraft stuff, as charming as it is repulsive, does not shy away from including child as victims of this horror. I watched this full playthrough commentary. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLANLy0-qcuzTv9L_YAFiHu6edccTsND7J the let's player, CullenDaGaDee, also has a thread on the SA forums which goes into more detail about the game: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=4087411

clair obscur: stunning, sad, didnt care for the fighting parts sorry. hated the one black character died at the start but like. I know how french people are like. 👤

I also almost got into danganronpa, but I've never found a good sslp.  I'm not watching 300 hours of vlp, my brain does not allow that.

sort of related but shout iut to Maeltopia folks. I tried your source, could get into it, and was surprised to see you all popping up here. of all the podcasts, that one?!? most people dont like Horror, unless that's just my attention bias.

oh theres also some niche indie horror video games but I can never find the time to play them or the let's plays for them.

so yeah anyways if you also got into a source via this blog, do share?

[teitpp]

for this ask game you reblogged a bit ago, im wondering what you think for the following:

5. have you ever made a playlist about something you were writing, and if yes drop a link!!!

13. talk about a writing experience that has pleasantly surprised you.

45. name three of your favorite fanfic writers

47. what story are you most proud of?

91. how has your writing style changed over the years?

(btw i AM gonna pick up reading your fics again, life has just been busy as hell!! dw!!!)

THANK YOU

(Also please dont apologize. My fics are not netflix shows. They are more like library books. U can come and go at your leisure. (Please dont bing my 6 figure long fic monstrosities. I feel like that might cause some eye strain condition 😅)

Link to the ask list is here.

5. have you ever made a playlist about something you were writing, and if yes drop a link!!!

I posted them all for another ask! I think u would most enjoy the 3 Aquarius playlists

13. talk about a writing experience that has pleasantly surprised you.

Hmmmmmm...

I wrote the Star Trek fic "Universe to Mend" a couple years ago. I was initially hesitant to dive into it. It was primarily fic for a book, not a show and it had a very niche pairing and so i knew the audience for this was just... so tiny. So so tiny. Holy shit. And this was a concern for me bc i already had experienced how a lack of audience had really slowed my sailor moon writing to a crawl. It was less about needing to write for someone and more that - comments are the most amazing drugs okay. And theyre also a reliable spark of inspiration. I get some of my best ideas for smaller plot twists / scenes off fic discussions in my comments section.

But i also really really wanted to WRITE Universe to Mend. It was something i craved for me that hit all my "this makes me happy" buttons. So i had to try to overcome the daunting "no audience" thing.

I made a more detailed plan for Universe than i had made for any previous fic. (It helped that i had a clear beginning and ending scene for it from the start). I entered it in the WIP Big Bang to have an accountability mechanism. I tried to gamify it for myself with sprints and writeathons and a colorful tracker and i just kinda prayed it would work.

I wrote that motherfucker in 7 months. I still use the spreadsheet and the outline method from it now. It wasn't the same experience as other fics. But it really boosted me up to know i could write to a plan like that and meet a deadline. (Shoutout here to my wonderful friend @pc-corner who drew the cover.)

45. name three of your favorite fanfic writers

I will start with the caveat that i dont get the time to read a lot of fics. So bearing that in mind...

All my various writing friends at the writing center discord. I dont get the chance to read their stuff enough and i cant possibly choose between them or tag them all here (yall know who u r tho). They make writing fun and i am always bemoaning that i have so little time for fic reading these days bc i would like to sit with all of their fics for weeks and immerse myself in them.

Back in my fanfic. Net days there was an author called Whydoyouneedtoknow and she really defined for me the kind of writer i wanted to become. Multiple interconnected long fics. Plot threads that started in the first book that tied up in a beautiful complicated bow by the last book. Easter eggs and 4th wall breaks and a dozen other goodies sprinkled in between. So. Much. Fun. And she was the first person who i had ever seen take a major character / OC pairing and sell it to the reader along with the wrote package in a way that i would be disappointed that canon didnt have that character. I still think about Dangerverse on a routine basis.

AnonFandomBandit is my newest author subscription. Bc holy hell. They are writing some wicked thorough bdsm fic for agatha all along and i wish i could write these characters in smut like this. Its superb. They're superb.

47. what story are you most proud of?

*whines* u want me to choose between my babiessssss

JK - I actually answered this a while ago for this ask. My answer to this question keeps changing. Overall: I'm most proud of the journey ive taken with fic writing. I hope i stay on it for a long long time.

91. how has your writing style changed over the years?

Is it jinxing myself to say i can write shorter now? I still have nightmares about how long Sailor Moon H got in Half Blood Prince. Something ive really worked at since then is tighter plots that I dont get lost in and better fic outlines so i can pick up a story after life gets super busy and know exactly where i left off. I started out pantsing it a lot and ive really enjoyed becoming more of an architect style writer.

Ive also gotten more comfortable putting fics down, writing whats caught my attention, and coming back to the old fics once my attention and time allow it. Before, if i had a new idea but i also had a long wip outstanding it would kinda paralyze me. Id feel this immense guilt over not being able to do the old fic. But it wouldnt change that my attention was on another fic. So the old fic still wouldnt get done and the cycle of feeling shitty about it esp after i would cave and write the new fic, sucked.

So overtime i worked on letting that guilt go. Outlining helped with that. I had more confidence in my ability to pick stories back up. It meant i trusted myself more when i needed to put those stories down.

[thatanimewriter]

LITTLE LOTUS.

➳ request: Can i request a Lie Ren from RWBY just doing cute fluffy things, I don’t mind if you want to add multiple characters too. Btw I love all your rwby fics its hard out here finding rwby fic fr

➳ character/s: lie ren

➳ warnings: mentions of marriage like once, references to ren backstory

➳ notes: omg my husband- i love ren irrationally i will never forget him for being the only one with sanity in atlas, even if he was a bit mean ._. also this is long, because i have a lot to say about this man and i don't think i'll get a ren request for a long time

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 / 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭  / 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 / 𝐰𝐢𝐩 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

── 𝐋𝐈𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐍.

he loves you so muchhhh, but that's for private stuff, he won't express love a lot in public cause he doesn't wanna be annoying

for other people, that is; he doesn't care if he's annoying you to a certain degree

imma be real, if he's dating you, you're probably gonna get married, i don't make the rules

and if you don't want to get married, you're never breaking up, because he's probably liked you for millennia and he's somewhat emotionally constipated

often cooks pancakes for you in the mornings if you're not a morning person or if he wakes up before you (he always does)

butterfly kisses to wake you up because he doesn't want to scare you and you just look too peaceful, he feels bad about ruining it

cups your face and strokes your cheeks with his thumbs and will just stare into your eyes because he feels like it

is probably so down for parallel play, which means he's happy to do his own thing and not talk, and you can do your own thing and not talk, but you're doing your own thing together in the same vicinity

will let you style his hair and put clips in it and stuff if it makes you happy

skincare together 100%, no matter if you do it yourself or not, he'll do it with you

if you don't do it, he'll do it for you when he does his skincare, and if you already have a routine, he'll do it with you

picnic and stargazing dates, probably both at the same time tbh

isn't one for spooning, but if you can like, hug each other instead, that'd be great

acts of service KING, he will do everything for you without question and he also remembers all the little things

he's kinda like a dad in that way

you mentioned you liked that snack one time?? suddenly the pantry is FULL of them

would never tell you "i told you so" because that's condescending to him and he doesn't wanna disrespect you

calls you his little lotus even if you're taller than him, that's just what you are

is lowkey kinda sad that you'll never meet his parents, but he's very happy knowing that they would love you if they were still here

will come with you anywhere, even if it's not his thing, because if you like it and it makes you happy, he'll come with just to see that smile on your face

probably has a playlist of 'your songs' when you're away for various reasons and he misses you

is not infallible to gossip though, if you tell him any tea going on in your life, he wants 103% of the details but no involvement whatsoever

those tiktoks where people pretend to have a gossip session over the phone and the boyfriend tries to eavesdrop and peep

that's ren.

he would probably be in on any friend therapy session, especially with relationships, cause he wants to be aware of any other problems that might happen

so then he can fix it or avoid that issue altogether with you-

also we know man's a chef, so any food you crave at any point in time, he will make it for you

and you can eat in bed together while you watch whatever you want, or just have late night existential conversations

[jaesrri]

Music Hunt

Despite being completely terrible at actually listening to new musics, I'm feeling the desire to collect some. So, if anyone feels like pitching:

-What's your favorite character songs? Ones that make the blorbos go *brrrrr*.

Bonus: tell me about the blorbos

-What's your favorite story song? Either in the sense of the song *tells* a story, or the song *evokes* story vibes

Bonus: storytime

-Wildcard- what songs do you just want to chuck at me for reasons of your own?

Some from me below the cut in fairness:

Blorbo and story vibe songs: many. This is largely how I musics of late, songs attach to OCs or plotlines, playlists grow, and my entire wrapped is pretty much connected to my TTRPG games

Bones by Imagine Dragons is a core song for my changeling enchantment wizard politician antagonist as is Early in the Morning by Rob Thomas, and Immortals by Fall Out Boy is firmly attached to their relationship with their lich necromancer bestie. These two are antagonist/ally/foils for the main party of that campaign.

On the main side of that campaign we've got Walking the Wire by Imagine Dragons and Desert Rose by Sting and Cheb Mami for my Fighter Cleric main character and her bard husband, plus White Flag by Bishop Briggs, Awaken by Valerie Broussard, and Legends are Made by Sam Tinnesz for her more general badass vibes.

The campaign's primary songs are Warbringer by The Fat Rat with Lindsey Sterling and Evan Maxwell (if you only check out one thing make it this it's sooo epic), Glory by Friday Pilots Club, and The Violence by Rise Against.

We do be having a time of it in that campaign :p

My *other* game is tonally quite different- Triangle Agency is an absolute *delight* with Crazy=Genius by Panic! At the Disco serving as the core song, Pressure by Billy Joel, Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie, and Land of Confusion by Genesis backing it up.

My plant lady first character brought Strangers Like Me by Phil Collins, Wolves by Selena Gomez, and Secrets by One Republic

One of the factions we interacted with was well represented by Heathens by Twenty-one Pilots and People are Strange by the Doors

Clocks by Coldplay was originally brought in for another player's time traveler, but ended up a core song with such lines as

Am I a part of the cure

Or am I part of the disease? 

And

The lights go out and I can't be saved

Tides that I tried to swim against

Have brought me down upon my knees

Which at various points in the story just completely took us out at the knees. Our poor characters were put in *situations*.

On a different note both because tis the season and because the story it tells is *so fucking cute* and the mood of the song is *so goddamn relatable* and people frequently don't seem to know about it, I will also call out Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses. Bail now to avoid excessive burbling about it lol.

It's by FAR my favorite holiday song, partly because of aforementioned vibes and also because it's simply a banger. I mean we got a strong beat, electric guitar, holiday vibes, good energy and then it opens with:

Bah Humbug; now that's too strong! Cause it is my favorite holiday But all this year's been a busy blur Don't think I have the energy

And if that isn't the goddamn vibe of every holiday season since adulthood (granted I wouldn't call it *favorite* but still)

Then they go btw we're telling a love story here:

To add to my already mad rush Just 'cause it's 'tis the season The perfect gift for me would be Completions and connections left from last year Ski shop encounter most interesting Had his number but never the time Most of '81 passed along those lines

Also. Sort of comforting that the damn season's been like this since before I was born.

So deck those halls, trim those trees Raise up cups of Christmas cheer I just need to catch my breath Christmas by myself this year

Vibe. Then we get to hear a little about what lead up to it:

Calendar picture, frozen landscape Chill this room for twenty-four days Evergreens, sparkling snow Get this winter over with! Flash back to spring time saw him again Would have been good to go for lunch Couldn't agree when we were both free We tried, we said we'd keep in touch

Didn't of course 'till summertime Out to the beach to his boat, could I join him? No This time it was me Sunburn in the third degree Now the calendar's just one page Of course I am excited Tonight's the night I've set my mind Not to do too much about it

Like damn. Haven't we all been there.

And the chorus- look I love seeing fam n everything but there hasn't been a year in over a decade where this hasn't spoke for at least part of the leadup

Merry Christmas, merry Christmas But I think I'll miss this one this year

The cute story and intense relatability continues:

Hardly dashing through the snow 'Cause I bundled up too tight Last minute have-to-dos A few cards, a few calls, because it's RSVP No, thanks, no party lights It's Christmas Eve, gonna relax Turn down all of my invites

Last fall I had a night to myself Same guy called, Halloween party Waited all night for him to show This time his car wouldn't go Forget it, it's cold, it's getting late Trudge on home to celebrate In a quiet way unwind Doing Christmas right this time

The perfect frustration in this one gets me, and then we follow it up with the ghost of a dead grocery store and the cutest most adorable and relatable conclusion:

A&P has provided me With the world's smallest turkey Already in the oven, nice and hot Oh damn! Guess what I forgot? So on, with the boots, back out in the snow To the only all-night grocery When what to my wondering eyes should appear In the line is that guy I've been chasing all year

"I'm spending this one alone," he said "Need a break, this year's been crazy" I said, "Me too, but why are you? You mean you forgot cranberries too?" Then suddenly we laughed and laughed Caught on to what was happening That Christmas magic's brought this tale To a very happy ending

Can you handle the cute? I can't. And then it wraps with the transformed chorus

Merry Christmas; Merry Christmas Couldn't miss this one this year.

[parasite-core]

Url Music Tag

Thanks @maraleestuff for the tag 😊

Rules: Make a new post & spell out your URL with song titles, then tag as many people as there are letters in your URL.

P - Prayers for the Damned by Sixx AM

A - Adrenaline by Shinedown

R - Ready to Die by Andrew WK

A - Angel with a Shotgun by The Cab

S - Sweet Hibiscus Tea by Penelope Sweet

I - I Was Just a Kid by Nothing but Thieves

T - Those Were the Days by Mary Hopkin

E - Evelyn by Kim Tillman

C- Circe by Ghost

O- One for the Money by Escape the Fate

R- Rise by Skillet

E- Everything I Wanted by Billie Eilish

I am frankly shocked I was able to think of 12 people.

@scarlet-the-girl (give me your music >:3) @drownedinlight @jazzapples3 @rabbitindisguise @apolloandellipses @ephemeralelysium @waiterwaiterpercolator @rubrinna @mysticdigi @overdueapple @annabelle--cane @history-onyx

[subtlereferencetomyinterests]

Master Post

My Master Post for Sanders Sides fanfiction! These are arranged chronologically from newest to oldest, measured by the date they were completed and uploaded in full, so that will reflect the quality here. (there’s a ton more under the cut btw).

Fast Friends - ao3... (15k Remus-centric intruality, lopsided enemies to friends to lovers, humor and a bit of angst with a happy ending. tw; emetophobes beware!) Patton doesn't like Remus, until one day, he does! Well, Remus isn't buying it. So Remus is not about to be friends with him just because he wants to (no matter how much it maybe, kind of wouldn't mind that).

I’m Not Sorry - ao3... (6k remus-centric intrulogical. continuation of Did You Miss Me. Dead Dove: Do Not Eat.)  Remus just wanted to get home safe to his wonderful, loving boyfriend. If some greaseball guy thinks he can screw that up, then Remus is perfectly willing to let the night take a turn for the vengeful.

Redamancy - ao3... (5k romantic prinxiety, fluffy friends to lovers with a smidgen of misunderstanding.) Virgil is undoubtedly excited about Nico. The thing is, that’s not the only person he’s excited about. 

Did You Miss Me? - ao3... (13k romantic intrulogical, unhealthy relationship and mutual stalking treated light-heartedly. Dead Dove: Do Not Eat). Logan and Remus haven’t spoken in years. But that doesn’t stop them from keeping up with each other, through... various means. 

The Down (and up)-side of Individual Expression - ao3... (8k romantic logince, angst w/ a happy ending, prosey and dealing w/ some kinda touchy subject matter vis a vis body image). As the sides have taken on vastly differing appearances over the years, Roman and Logan find themselves incredibly attracted in body and mind to each other. The issue is, Logan still has some trouble believing it.

Tree Bark and Fresh Fruit - ao3... (Fusion AU part six! romantic royality fusion returns for some prose and a lil bit of h/c). Patron doesn't come around often, getting lost in the excitement of Patton and Roman's new romantic relationship- so when she gets a shot to exist again, he's determined to make the most of it by figuring out just what the heck he's supposed to be. 

Bitter Licorice and Bright-Blue Bubblegum - ao3... (Fusion AU part five! analogical fusion is back!)  Logan and Virgil end up fusing much more regularly, much to Livril's satisfaction at getting to exist, and virtually every other side's chagrin at having to put up with them. Everyone, it seems, but Patton.

Scary Monsters and Family Bonds - ao3... (Fusion AU part four! Platonic anxceitmus with romantic dukeceit, short and mostly meaningless.) Rennet, freshly born like five seconds ago, is desperate to find some people to bother and/or amaze. But instead, Rennet finds an attachment that nobody quite expected to be so intense, but hey, it's not complaining, and neither is Virgil. 

Acceptable Behavior - ao3... Remus is surprisingly concerned about his boyfriend's boundaries. (short & sweet intruality drabble. p/ much just cuddling)

On Truth and Untruth - ao3... Janus is allowed to participate in the group, and that is more than enough for them. Not too bad of a change up, really, and they aren't going to complain about it any time soon. Patton, however, insists on throwing a wrench into their system- their perfectly functioning, if maybe hypothetically a bit lonely, system. (28k word janus-centric romantic moceit and platonic dlampr, lots of angst and lots of yearning, with a happy ending. something of a character study.)

I Taste Honey but I Haven’t Seen the Hive - Chap.1, Chap.2, Chap.3, Chap.4, Chap.5, Chap.6, Chap.7, Chap.8, Chap.9 - ao3... (Finished!) Patton doesn't think of himself as misunderstood. More accurately, he's not very good at explaining himself. Remus explains himself perfectly well, succinct, confident. People are just bad at listening. Patton is lonely. He'd never say it out loud. No one knows. Remus is lonely. He says it in everything he does. No one knows. They're similar. They're different as can be. Contradictory, maybe; complimentary, definitely. They could be good for each other- they just need to explain it right. (hurt/comfort, eventual queer-platonic intruality, a healthy amount of angst).

Sharp Spikes and Glamour - ao3... (part three of my Fusion AU! a little angstier and racier than the others, but that’s thanks to the dukeceit dynamic, and its nothing too bad). Now, just a month ago, Remus could very confidently say that his and Janus’ relationship was perfect. And it still was, really, but that was before Roman and Patton had pulled some cartoon fusion bullshit that exactly no one had known was possible. There was no question. Remus was going to learn to do that.

Squishy, Precious Lil’ Baby! - ao3...  Very short, platonic intruality fluff. Remus turns into a rat for a scare, but Patton is very unafraid of him in the new form.

Black Cloth and Star Systems - ao3...   (Almost 4k fluff, part two of my Fusion AU! Very heavy on the descriptions, and also the Love that these two Have.) After Patton and Roman fuse, Logan can't help but feel desperately curious about this new discovery, and the possibilities of fusion between sides. But, his interest is a little more personal than he could stand to admit... Because what if- what if he could try it, too?

more under the cut

Flare Up - ao3... Human au drabble. Romantic sleepxiety. They are soft and in the rain.

Soft Walls and Roses - ao3... (Part one of my Fusion AU! Fluffy, sweet, and prose-y. Abt 3k.) On a nice, cheery day, Roman and Patton get a little lost in a dance <3.

Communication Issues (Alternative Title: Three Touch-Starved, Insecure, Metaphysical Beings Constantly Misinterpreting Each Other and Yet Somehow Falling in Love)- Chap.1, Chap.2, Chap.3, Chap.4 + Epilogue - ao3... (Finished!)  What do you do when you find someone crying, and it’s all your fault? What do you say when you hear the muffled sobs and frantic words behind the blood-red door? When you know that, no matter how much you never wanted to hurt him- never wanted to hurt anyone- you still did. Is there anything you can do to fix it, when you’ve spent so long pretending that nothing was broken? When you’ve spent so long pretending that you didn’t care if things were broken or not? (Second Person, Present Tense. H/C slowburn. romantic analogince. Note: this is not an ‘x reader’ fic, it’s just 2nd person pov.)

A Study in the Pains of Romance as a Genre - ao3... Logan wasn’t 'insecure', by most measures. Sure, he wasn't exactly in love with himself, but he knew the harm that came of self-deprecation, and was careful to avoid it. At the worst of times, he could solidly be called 'self-neutral'. Therefore, it followed that Logan was being entirely objective when he said that he would not be a good enough romantic partner for Roman. (Friends to Lovers, abt 4k, romantic logince).

I Like You, Say It Back. - ao3... Short, sweet, slightly angsty first ‘I Love You’ between Virgil and Remus. romantic dukexiety.

A Misplaced Imbalance of Fear - ao3... almost 7k friends to lovers fastburn, in that this happens in a day. Set during/right after Putting Others First, a little peak into what Virgil and Remus were doing. Hint; being a little sad and very gay. romantic dukexiety.

The Ballroom - ao3... Every side has a room, but they also come with a special domain, completely individualized to each one. Of these Extensions, the only room that no side (other than its owner) has ever seen is Janus’. At least, until he falls head-over-heels for Roman and finally lets him in. (romantic roceit).

Hypothetically, - ao3... Nearly 7k friends to lovers, with a hearty helping of platonic logince. Logan likes to use the Imagination for experiments, but he can’t manage to use it on his own. The solution is obvious. (romantic intrulogical).

No Other Version of Me - ao3... Patton isn’t very happy about his new froggy features, but Janus finds him gorgeous all the same. Hurt/comfort! romantic moceit.

Complexities Unknowable- Chap.1, chap.2, chap.3, chap.4, chap.5, chap.6, chap.7 - ao3... (Finished!) Slowburn with pre-established Dukeceit, rivals to friends to lovers, with Background Analogince (plus some platonic anxceit and Creativitwins thrown in for funsies). romantic deintruality.

I’d Like To Stand By Him - ao3... Roman and Virgil listen to each other’s playlists. romantic prinxiety.

An Open and Honest Conversation About Our Feelings - ao3... hurt/comfort, shamelessly self-indulgent. Patton doesn’t come out of his room all day, so Virgil goes to check up on him. romantic moxiety.

Something to Uplift Us - ao3... Roman-centric (and Remus-centric) DLAMPR (platonic Creativitwins!). Quarantine shenanigans; the boys put on a show for their boyfriends!

Thursday Nights - ao3... Short fluff where Remus and Patton watch a horror flick together and cuddle. romantic intruality.

5 Times Logan Helped His Partners Get Their Shit Together +1 Time They Returned The Favor - ao3... Summary’s in the title on this one, Bud. Logan-centric romantic DLAMPR (platonic p & r), very hurt/comfort.

[raphmarchetti]

(LORENZO ZURZOLO, CISMALE) - RAPHAEL MARCHETTI is in HIS SOPHOMORE year. The POLITICS major is 20 years old & is a CAPRICORN. People say HE is COURTEOUS, INGENIOUS, UNRELIABLE and CAPRICIOUS. Rumors say they’re a member of CALLOWAY SOCIETY. I heard from the gossip blog that HE WAS SENT TO BOARDING SCHOOL AFTER BEING CAUGHT IN A COMPROMISING POSITION WITH HIS STEP-SISTER. 

greetings and salutations!!! it’s been a while since i joined a new group but i’m excited to be here and do all of the plotting. y’all can call me y and this dude here is raphael/raph/whatever.

here is his pinterest board and whenever i finish his playlist i’ll put that up too. not that his board is finished but ya know... that’s too much work or whatever. anyways!

tw: incest i guess????? they’re not blood related whatever! if casey and derek could get away with it so can raph! i’m adding a little spice to this rp ok :~) (btw its like a 2 yr difference we’re into taboo plots but not too taboo ok sdsdfjkg)

raphael was brought into this world on december 22nd and with him he brought death; his mother passing away the same night. because of this, his father was left with the burden of raising him but not without the help of various women whom he married and inevitably divorced. at least until wife number four came along. the pair married when raphael was fifteen and the union grew the marchetti family by three. not only did raphael gain a new step-mother but two siblings: an elder brother and a younger sister.

at first, it was innocent between serena and raphael. whereas raphael was the broody type to find himself lounging in the garden with a book, serena was the complete opposite. she was lively; always smiling and up to no good, constantly having to drag her new step-brother out of whatever corner he’d hidden himself. the more time the two spent together the more smitten he became, and eventually their relationship took an unexpected turn. it was fine though— they both knew how to keep a secret.

SO, son to a sitting member of the senate of the republic of italy (forza italia party), raphael grew up surrounded by everything politics and had to portray a very specific image. it’s why he grew up gallantly and why others may perceive him as shy or stuck up. in reality he is far from shy and more on the aloof side, amused by the little things in life and aware of everything around him. one day it’s going to be him in the senate of the republic, or so his father says anyways. politics? idk her! 

his schooling was typical for a son of a politician, all the best private schools the world had to offer at their disposal. although his home remained in italy, as he grew it became a summer thing: attending his junior high years in new york (and traveling elsewhere if there was time allotted). part of him did it to stay away from serena, but come break time when he’d return home it would just start all over again. ANYWAYS obvs the two got caught one summer and what do you know he was sent to boarding school to finish his high school years and his dad obviously killed the story 

this makes family reunions a little awkward aha (the two don’t talk much nowadays but every now and then they do text. serena even sends him care packages now!!!!) though raphael would never admit it, he did fall for her but views it as a puppy love type of relationship. the two were young and without true parental supervision, and somehow ended up being each other’s first love. gross i know but what can u do!

ANYWAYS!!! boarding school years were... a mess. this were the years raphael broke out of his shell and began to explore his own persona outside of the marchetti name and its expectations. so you have your usual drug use, the beginning of a slight drinking problem, girls girls and more girls. he also took up fencing??? like ok.. sounds about white my dude, but yeah he took up fencing and is actually quite good at it good for him. 

he of course did not do any of his school work and paid for his grades like every rich white dude can and blah blah graduated and decided to go to yates!!!

plot wise i dont care i will do anything!!!! give me angst!! give me more fucked up shit to add cause i love hurting my characters!! girls he’s slept with??? bros from boarding school??? an ex mayhaps?? hell, bring the sister i dont’ care just plot with me !!!

in conclusion i offer a stereotypical white boy with a slight drinking problem who likes to read, will one day say ‘it’s not my dream dad, it’s yours!!!!, and has an incestual(?) past sdjgbfg .

[justanotherdaylikeanyother-blog1]

You can't stop writing! You wrote the only abo fic I ever finished. And I'm rereading Thrown for a Loop, one of my favorites. I wish Pacat had more interest in talking about CP, because it seems like the fandom is just dying. :(

Thanks anon! Thrown for a Loop and The Veretian Flytrap (I assume that’s what you’re referring to, but it’s kind of hilarious to realise that I have multiple fics/series that are ‘abo fics’, so I guess it could be one of the other ones) are two of my fics that I particularly love even though the breakneck pace of writing them killed me a little. So I’m glad you enjoyed them as well. I wouldn’t worry too much, though. I’m just in a bit of a funk currently, I think. It happens. It’ll likely pass soon once I get my head straight again (and readjust my expectations of myself yet again).

As for the fandom dying, I’m sorry but I’m going to go off on a tangent here. And please note that this is a general statement rather than an indictment against you, anon. But you sort of brought it up, and this is something that’s been bothering me lately, so I might as well take the opportunity to say it now.

It’s strange to me how much we expect creators to be involved with or provide direction or drive for fandoms. It might just be because I was part of various fandoms long before things like twitter existed, so the ability to engage directly with creators was a lot more limited when my expectations of the fandom experience were formed. But I’ve really always seen fandom as ideally being its own thing, quite separate from the creator of the thing that the fandom is based on, unless the creator voluntarily goes out of their way to get involved with it (and even then, there should be limits). If the source material goes in a direction you didn’t like, complain to other fans as much as you want, but don’t complain directly to the creator that they ruined your experience; it’s not actually their job to satisfy you individually. If you want to see your OTP end up together, write fic or draw art of them (or moodboards and playlists and whatever other content your heart desires), but don’t tweet at the creator that they’re a terrible person if they don’t make it happen in canon or acknowledge it in interviews or whatever (looking at you at the moment, Good Omens fandom); again, it’s their creation to do with as they please and it’s not their responsibility to cater to your specific desires. Similarly, if the fandom is dying down after canon ended, that’s ultimately on us, not on the creator; it’s not the creator’s responsibility to keep us interested in something they’ve already mostly moved on from. 

I’ve seen fandoms get a second life years after canon ended just because a couple of really enthusiastic authors or artists jumped into that fandom late and started pumping out content (Inception is one that springs prominently to mind, but there have been others as well). And while new canon or new adaptations of canon are certainly things that bring new people to the fandom, the author just talking about their existing canon isn’t particularly likely to do that (which is probably part of the reason why Pacat doesn’t do it much). Mostly what that kind of engagement really does is just sparks conversations for those people who are already part of the fandom. And honestly, why do we need the creator to do that for us? Can’t the same thing be achieved by sharing headcanons? Why does the author need to confirm something for us in order for us to just collectively run with it, or at least to have fun debating about it? And I mean, imagine if Pacat answered questions about things like the length of all the characters’ hair. Half the ongoing conversations in this fandom would stop. 

I appreciate that not everyone takes the ‘death of the author’ concept as far as I do, where I don’t honestly care what the creator says after the fact because it’s not any more canon to me than my own headcanons are. But still. Fandoms were going strong long before we could tweet our questions directly at the author. Fandom builds on itself just as much as it builds on canon. If the fandom isn’t as active as we’d like, we really need to do something about it ourselves rather than waiting for someone else like the creator to take responsibility for it. Write stories. Run an exchange. Send prompts to other writers or take prompts yourself. Whatever interests you, just keep doing it, or do more of it. That’s how closed fandoms stay alive. And yeah, there’s still going to be attrition over time in terms of how many people are involved. But that doesn’t have to mean it’s not still active.

And yes, I know this probably sounds a little hypocritical, because I’ve been known to voice my sadness that there isn’t a lot of interaction going on with my fics compared to a year or two ago, and to have lapses in motivation as a result, because the extrinsic motivation isn’t always there. But once I’ve gotten that frustration out of my system by posting about it here (and gotten over myself, let’s be honest), I also do tend to put my big girl pants on and decide to go write some more fic and take prompts and occasionally write meta when someone throws a topic my way (which you’re always welcome to do, btw). That’s the role I’ve chosen to take in this fandom. And ultimately, as long as I do what I want to do personally, there’s not much point in complaining about what anyone else or the fandom as a whole is doing, because at least I’m being active in a way that works for me.

[haltandcatchfiretothemax]

FEMSLASH FEBRUARY 2019 #10 & #11: the Cameron and Donna mini-playlists

Last month for my Fun a Day project, I wanted to make fun of how consistently terribly male fiction writers describe women, so I wrote excessively generous and (hopefully) lovingly observant flash fiction about various women, some real, some original characters, and some favorite book and film characters. I also made mini playlists for them because mixes are another good way to tell a story, and because it gave me something to listen to while I wrote. I eventually stopped writing about other people’s fictional characters because it felt too easy, but I obviously had to write about both Cameron and Donna before that:

Donna’s playlist:

The Au Pairs “It’s Obvious”

Kate Bush “Running Up That Hill”

The Go-Gos “Get Up and Go”

Bush Tetras “Can’t Be Funky”

The Slits “Spend, Spend, Spend”

Stevie Nicks “Stand Back”

Prince “Take Me With U”

EXCERPT: 

It didn’t feel like an overstatement to call her perfect, the perfect daughter, the perfect girlfriend, the perfect wife and mom. She’d been a model student, and grown up to be a model employee and (effective) head of household. Academic work came easily to her, and music and science in particular held her attention. She easily and enthusiastically earned straight As, and then admission to and a degree from one of the most prestigious computer science programs in the country. She was cute, and also incredibly pretty, in the non-threatening way so many men seemed to prefer, she liked to socialize (read: drink and smoke), she was surprisingly wild in bed. She was sensitive, attentive, a practical and consistent partner and parent. She made balancing it all look effortless.

Cameron’s playlist:

Big Boys “Security”

Bush Tetras “Too Many Creeps”

Sleater-Kinney “Start Together”

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers “Refugee”

The Breeders “Do You Love Me Now?”

Hüsker Dü “Back from Somewhere”

Prince “I Would Die 4 U”

EXCERPT:

It was easy to be enthralled by her, by her face, by the economy of her brusque body language, by the impassioned and uncompromising way she talked about computers and coding and what mattered to her as an engineer; she would never really understand this, and found it baffling when people responded to her in a somewhat positive way. She wasn’t warm or inviting or approachable, she was skittish, seemingly always vibrating with nervous, slightly suspicious energy. She was brilliant, but her belief in her own genius wasn’t vanity or arrogance, it was how she survived, the tool she used to desperately try to carve out some kind of niche in this world for herself.

Now, for some fun notes for my fellow geeks! 

I think the actually funnest thing about these two playlists was trying to make them talk back and forth to each other, which was both easier and harder than I thought it would be. You’ll note: 

Both playlists feature Bush Tetras and Prince. The Slits, who appear on Donna’s playlist, were supposed to be on Cameron’s playlist too (“Shoplifting,” ha), but I couldn’t find a video that would work on the playlist because UMG won’t let playmoss play its videos, FML

Donna’s playlist features “It’s Obvious”, which was covered by Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney, who appears on Donna’s playlist, on one of Tucker’s first solo tours

Stevie Nicks is on Donna’s playlist, and Tom Petty is on Cameron’s. Nicks and Petty were long-time collaborators who famously denied that they were ever a couple — except for that one time that Petty apparently admitted to a journalist, “We had our times.”

I don’t think the whole dialogue thing worked all that well, with the exception of how “Get Up and Go” and “Start Together” talk to each other. Also, I guess “Take Me With U” and “I Would Die 4 U” work together that way (which, btw, how much do you love “I Would Die 4 U” and that “I am not a woman/I am not a man/I am something that you’ll never understand” lyric for Cameron? See also, “I’m not your lover/I’m not your friend/I’m something that you’ll never comprehend”.) But that’s also kind of okay because, they’re two separate people with two individual stories, even if their stories intersect.

For all of my complaining about not being able to use The Slits on Cameron’s playlist, what came out of it is that I went looking for and found the p e r f e c t Big Boys track. Which led to me having an even more intense appreciation for the show’s soundtrack supervisor, who really knew what the fvck he was doing when he used two songs by them in s1. See also: his use of Hüsker Dü. I wasn’t planning to use anything from the show’s soundtrack (it felt like a cop out), but I’m so glad that I searched for and found “Back From Somewhere,” which is truly devastating when heard in context of Cameron and Donna’s estrangement and eventual reunion.

Anyways though, please enjoy friends, and feel free to join me in obsessing just slightly about the fine art and subtle science of film and tv soundtracking while rewatching both this and all your other favorite tv shows!

[haroldgross]

New Post has been published on Harold Gross: The 5a.m. Critic

New Post has been published on http://literaryends.com/hgblog/mid-winterish-tv/

Mid Winter(ish) TV

I’ve not written up some of the new and returning shows over the last few months, so dropping them together in a bunch here. More will be coming in the next few weeks, but this was getting long enough already…

Call Me Kat This odd offering by Mayim Bialik (Big Bang Theory) is a unique and not entirely comfortable show. It may eventually find it’s feet, but it’s best to think of it as a sketch show or comedy half-hour rather than a story so far. And the abuse of the great Swoosie Kurtz is near criminal. By way of context, this show is based on the UK’s Miranda, adopting the quasi-stand-up nature of the original but trying to push it more toward ensemble…. BTW, if you haven’t caught Miranda, it’s a fascinating to compare the two and it boasts Tom Ellis (Lucifer) in the wish-he-were-my-boyfriend role.

Mr. Mayor If you loved The Office, this is probably a show for you. I didn’t and it isn’t for me. It’s just too broad and full of, well, stupid people who aren’t supposed to be stupid or, worse, couldn’t be that stupid and be where they are in life. Given the talent involved in this show, it’s a real shame.

Call Your Mother This is a show on the bubble. Kyra Sedgwick (Ten Days in the Valley) manages to walk the line between very broad humor and honest emotion. Whether the writing can keep up with that challenge and create storylines we care about long term…the jury’s still way out on that one, but I’ll give it some more time.

B Positive Oh, god, just no. Awful, unbelievable, absurd, insulting, frustrating, and painful.

The Expanse (series 5) Twenty years ago, the end of the first season of Farscape was termed “the multipart cliffhanger from hell” by its creator. And it was…and it took a good part of the next season to resolve and cover what happened. The current season of The Expanse reminds me a lot of that structure. After bringing things to a huge climactic pause at the end of the previous season, the various characters are scattered across the solar system pursuing various storylines that will, by necessity, be intertwined and eventually bring them back together. As the show preps for its final season, this is level-setting and putting all the pieces in place for the final confrontations to come. A good season with revelations and some resolutions, especially for Dominique Tipper’s (Mindgamers) Naomi and Wes Chatham’s (Escape Plan 2) Amos, but mostly it serves as set-up for the end.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (series 2) After its heart-rending and brilliant opening season, I was worried the magic wouldn’t last. It has. And the show, at least so far, continues to build on its characters and conceit. If you’ve yet to try this one out, you absolutely must…and start at the beginning. Yes, it gets heavy, but it builds to one of the most beautiful finales you’ll ever see. And it never loses its sense of humor or love of its characters.

[onwardintolight]

Writer Q & A

Thanks a lot to @lajulie24 for tagging me! ❤️

Rules: Answer the questions and tag ten writers.

1. What made you start writing the first time?

I decided to write my first story somewhere around the age of 5. It was dictated to (I think) my mom and it was a paragraph about a girl named Linda who was sad, and then something happened and she wasn’t sad anymore (if I remember right). Over the next few years, I became an avid reader, which I’m sure inspired me in my writing. At age 7, I started journaling, something I’d continue for the rest of my life. At age 8, I had a dream that left me with so much feeling and inspiration that I spent the entire next day writing my own book, with chapters, illustration, and all. By age 13 I had discovered the joy of poetry and simultaneously delved even deeper and more honestly into my journaling.

Also, at age 12-13, I wrote my first fanfic. TPM had just come out, and being a journaler myself, I absolutely loved the Scholastic “journals” of various Star Wars characters that were being released. Amidala’s Journal was my favorite, and since I was really into the handmaidens, I decided to write Rabé’s Journal. I worked on it meticulously, trying to echo the tone of the other books, editing it ruthlessly with my mom’s help at times. I think I had an idea that maybe I could get it published — I was young and naive enough to think it was possible, though I eventually realized that it wasn’t going to happen. I wasn’t too disappointed, though. I published it instead on the TFN Jedi Council forums, where I was becoming involved with the fanfic community. I was overjoyed to get feedback from people who loved the story, and I was soon writing more. (Btw, I don’t know why I’m saying this bc now people may go read it, but I just did a search to see if it was still there... and it is, though in a garbled form with some chapters truncated due to the ever-changing monster known as the internet. Maybe someday I’ll publish it on FFN or Ao3. It’s surprisingly not all that embarrassing. Though the extra bits I added for TFN are exceptions, haha.)

Even though I didn’t keep writing fanfic through my teens, I’ve continued to journal and write poetry, and over the past year or so I’ve really enjoyed delving into fiction again, discovering a new love for it.

I’m already going long but I realized I haven’t answered the question of why. What was it that made me start writing? Honestly, I don’t know — it’s been a part of my life for so long! I think I’ve always felt the need for self-expression. I’ve always been drawn to creative endeavors, and to words.  I’ve found more and more over the years that writing helps me sort through my thoughts and emotions. It helps me come to terms with the struggles of my life and savor the joys. I write because I need to. I write because it’s my way of turning pain into beauty, and of spinning beauty into gold.

2. If you could only write about the ocean, the forest, or the desert for the rest of your life, which one would you pick?

My heart wants to say the ocean, because it calls to me always. But, my mind says the forest, because it’s versatile, and I can keep all the action on land. I don’t know how to find a truce between those two.

3. Would you ever write a memoir?

I guess I already am in a way, with my 30 Years of Songs series. The Opening and my fanfic is somewhat of a personal journey I’m telling through fiction, too. And I suppose journaling has served the purpose of a memoir for years, though it’s primarily for my own eyes. Again, I feel like writing helps me to process things deeply, so it would be helpful for me. Moreover, I feel like sharing my story with others has the potential to help others going through similar struggles. I am continuing to learn the beauty, strength and power of vulnerability. So, why not?

4. Do you like writing by hand or writing with a computer?

I like both, though for different things. I almost always journal by hand, where my thoughts can come naturally and honestly. I write fanfic on the computer, where I have greater freedom to move things around and edit with ease. Poetry can go either way.

5. Would you rather be popular among many readers, or unpopular, but loved by critics?

That’s hard. I don’t mind being popular among a few, especially if I admire and respect those few. But if the critics we’re talking about are critics in the general sense, and not people I personally admire, I frankly don’t care much. I suppose if that’s the case, I’d rather be popular among many (which would be nice no matter what).

6. Do you listen to music while you write? What is the best writing music?

Surprisingly, no. I say surprisingly because I listen to music constantly otherwise, and I even found it helped me focus while studying growing up. It does not help me focus when actively writing, sadly. I need my mind to be a blank canvas. That doesn’t mean that music doesn’t heavily inspire my writing, though — it very much does. I have a number of my own playlists for Han x Leia, Alderaan, The Opening, etc, and I’ll often listen to a song or two before I begin writing to get myself in the right frame of mind.

7. Do people you’ve met find their way into your writing?

I guess so, in that I put a lot of myself into my writing, especially when it comes to Leia, since I relate to her so much and all my writing is basically born out of my need for self-expression. I also put a little of my husband into how I write Han. :)

Tags: Let’s see....

@graciecatfamilyband @mandatheginger @erindarroch @jhgraham @alderaanallday @cicatrick @knightedrogue @asmoonlightthroughthepines @jediofgrace @weary-hearted-queen and anyone else who wants to do it!