#and also gush over all the beautiful creations people tagged me in!!

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

You know what's really cool about looking through the tag to see what other peoples are posting about your favorite bands?

It's kind of like Pokemon. (Hear me out!)

Every one is someone's favorite.

You see people just absolutely GUSHING about songs that you don't really connect to!

There are some songs for Every band in my Top 10 Favorite Artists Ever list that I could take or leave. But I love seeing people explain why the same songs I'd usually just brush right past mean so much to them!

(I Rambled, so I'll stick a cut here to spare your dashboards. :P )

My very top-favorite #1 Absolutely Love (nearly) Every Single Song band is Evanescence. But you know what's ironic about it? I don't really connect to their two most popular songs. Bring Me to Life is a good song and musically awesome, don't get me wrong! But I never felt it to my SOUL, you know?

And My Immortal? It's pretty, gosh the piano is gorgeous and so is hearing the entire crowd singing the entire song at a concert, but I've never really felt the deep tear-jerking personal connection to it so many of their fans have. Yes, I did almost cry to it ONCE, when grief was overwhelming me. But unless I'm in a Very Particular Mindset, it's kind of just... a regular pretty song to me.

(As an aside, the historian in me appreciates that it was one of their VERY very first songs, as in it's from when they were a garage band back in the 90's, EARLY stuff, and they're still playing it today! And the song has so many versions with so many evolutions it's gone through, and that's beautiful to me as a creator who has also watched xir creations grow and change as my art has grown and changed. But the song itself? It's Just Pretty to me.)

So enter Starset. I liked their music a LOT from the first time I heard it. (My Demons in a demonbirds AMV, because apparently all of my favorite bands have to be discovered that way. /j /j /j ) Pandora figured out very quickly that I like them-- though ironically, My Demons wasn't one of the songs it played for me! I think Antigravity was the first one Pandora played. And then I was head over heels for Ricochet. And I forget which ones were next, but they quickly became a staple of my rock station.

So for awhile, I only heard ones Pandora played via Music Genome matching... and then it started branching out into Other Starset Songs that didn't match the algorithm for song qualities, but matched because "you keep Thumbs Up-ing this artist".

So I started hearing ones that didn't have the same energy/style that I am apparently so predictable about. Because I started hearing some I didn't love Quite as much as the others.

And then eventually I figured out I could watch a long ad to get an hour of Pandora Premium, and then listen to their entire albums!

But even then, my favorites remained my favorites, and some songs didn't connect with me as strongly. I never thought they had a BAD song; musically and artistically, they're SO expressive and they all have such a neat progression, and don't even get me started on the STORIES they tell!

So then, enter this year and I'm using Spotify instead because a friend let me utilize a slot in a family plan, and Starset has the IMMERSION: THE FINAL CHAPTER playlist. I knew I'd be seeing that demonstration! So I listened to it, because when I have a New Favorite Band, I have a long-standing tradition: I learn all the songs on the setlist so I can sing during the show.

(Telekinetic and Frequency were not on that playlist, weren't my Very Favorites so they didn't end up on any of my personal playlist, and thus I didn't know their lyrics at the actual demonstration. {lD;; But I'd still heard them a couple times thanks to Pandora, and they did show the lyrics to the refrains, at least, so I could follow along!)

There were actually songs on the IMMERSION playlist that I didn't know I enjoyed as much as I did when I actually Understood the Lyrics! Like FAULTLINE and INFECTED. I listened to the whole playlist on repeat for like 5 weeks, and contrary to colloquial wisdom, absence ain't all that makes the heart grow fonder. Getting to know the songs gave me more of a feel for their progressions and actual lyrical stories, which are perhaps my favorite parts of Starset.

(Okay, I love so much about Starset's music that I can't really say what's my favorite part. They're very instrumental (ha!) to how much I enjoy them, though!)

Anyway, my point is, there are still some songs that I don't connect with. I like the line in DIVING BELL that goes something like, "there's no room for you in the solitude". I mostly listen to SOMETHING WICKED for DDD feels. Like, there's still Something to Enjoy in all the songs I've heard by them, but not all of them are my FAVORITE TIER. You know?

And in their defense, even Evanescence has songs that aren't my favorite. (Everybody's Fool has a good message, and My Last Breath has pretty imagery, but they don't ~*RESONATE*~ with me as much.)

I think The Phantom Agony by Epica may be a bit too slow and abstract for me.

Some of Shinedown's Sound of Madness album sounds a little same-y to me.

I can't even listen to a certain song by Xandria because it triggers my phobia.

Or Mr. Bright Side, for that matter.

There are actually a lot of songs in my favorite bands and albums and genres that just don't hit that magical sweet spot that stirs up frisson and that sparkly sort of delight that makes my whole soul soar! That reaction is Reserved for Special Occasions, apparently.

But there's beauty in the fact that they're THERE for me!

And I DELIGHT in knowing that other people find catharsis, or beauty, or agonies soothed, or relatability or reassurance or respite in songs that I don't.

Art's cool that way and music is no exception.

[seamayweed]

okay, so here's some more that I missed:

(more underneath the cut)

Firstly, a very unorganized assortment of mctna metas I love: here by an anon & @rain-hat (Seon-ho & Seonrok), here (Seonrok early interactions) + here about the post-ep. 12 opium den scene (Seonhwi) + here about Seon-ho & his scars (Seonrok & Seonhwi) by @hedvig-ulrika, here is more about scars (Hwi's vs. Seon-ho's) by @nichester & @thenotsosecretbits, here @blueberry-cheese-pizza raises a really good question for ep. 7, this Seon-ho blorbo rating by @convenientalias, this feelsy text caption by @lethal-desires under their ep. 12 gifset, this very good web weaving (with a parallel between Banghwi & Seonhwi) by evakant, this one by @tlanwen, this heartfelt appeal for more people to watch mctna by @apocketfullofhobbits, this assessment of the relationships in mctna (love/unrequited love/hate) by @mctna that I find sums it up really well; @fulltimehabibti & @utterlyhooked have a lot of meta in their respective 'my country the new age' tags too.

These hilarious mctna reactions/memes: here by @winteams and here by @devil-breaker. These two by @wizardslizards are a classic! Then there is this Sung-rok one by @bienmoreau, this one by @pendraegon (they also have an 'ellian's mctna lb' liveblog tag), and here is some very funny, well-deserved Nam Jeon hate by @crying-crow and @eight-of-cups.

Rewatches: @winteams did one recently and has an 'mctna rewatch' tag, though most of the posts you'll have to search for in the 'k.txt' tag. @baek1nho did a rewatch two months ago, not sure if she had a tag for that, and @convenientalias did one back in April with very meaty and delicious reviews/thoughts for you to dig your teeth into!

Seon-ho & Yeon meta: I can only recall this post by @navramanan right now... but I'm sure you'll find more by @iskarieot (really entertaining reactions in the tags for 'my country the new age' posts in general) or @rotblut (has a 'you make flowers grow' tag for them) - aside from their respective beautiful graphics & gifsets which you should def check out too - who were/are big shippers of them.

Bang-won meta: here and here by @navramanan, this funny exchange between @navramanan & @afroasiamerican, this rec (of a very sexy Bang-won fanvid) by @drivingsideways with comments/discussions about mctna and other characters like Seon-ho or Hwi in the notes (but be warned, it's rather Hwi-negative). In this post @utterlyhooked and more people are losing their minds over that same fanvid and Bang-won + his fan too, and this post about the historical person is a hilarious must-read for any Bang-won fan!

Lady Min/Queen Wongyeong (Bang-won's historical wife) meta: she did not actually appear in the show, but @bending-sickle would have loved to see her in mctna and shares a few facts about Bang-won & her here, and @rain-hat wove a compelling version of her into an amazing Seon-ho/Bang-won ficlet, sparking an interesting discussion in the notes between @rain-hat & @angryteapott about how Hwi took over parts of Queen Wongyeong's role + how there should have been more women in mctna in general. Also, here are more of @rain-hat 's thoughts about Bang-won & Lady Min + concubinage/polygamy in Goryeo + some comparisons of mctna to Six Flying Dragons.

Bang-won & Seon-ho meta: this exchange between @navramanan & @afroasiamerican, this meta by @navramanan, thoughts about Seon-ho/Bang-won + playful by @convenientalias that I really love to read and reread. I also rediscovered this interesting conversation (most of it in the tags) @eohachu & I had about Bang-won & Seon-ho and how these two aren't the only 'antagonistic soulmates' in mctna. Fatallist saw them as swordmates too (iirc) and def had a lot of good posts/playlists/web weavings about swordmates in general (for mctna & other media), such as this or this (@fulltimehabibti has reblogged most of the other parts of that swordmates series, I think). Also @hedvig-ulrika has this swordmates post (Seonhwi).

I have just gotten in mctna clearly very late to the party. Thank you for all the beautiful gifs. ❤️❤️❤️🍑

I just wanted to know if you knew any meta posts or discussions about the characters out there I can delve into?

Yaaay, welcome, welcome, we are always happy (starved) for fresh blood in the fandom! \o/ 💙💙💙 Ahhh sdjfklsdflsfd thank you for paying attention to my gifs and calling them beautiful!! 🥰 *dances in a circle like an overexcited puppy*

Please beware: these are most likely not spoiler-free!

For the older meta/discussions, @convenientalias and her ‘my country the new age’ tag (starts at page 20) is a good place to start. I remember this Seon-ho meta and also love reading everyone's responses to this mctna list of questions she created. There’s @dangermousie and their ‘my country’ tag (starts at page 11), @hedvig-ulrika has a lot of good meta posts as well, right now I can only think of this one (marketplace scene) and this one (Seonhwi scene towards the end), and this one for Seon-ho & Sung-rok. For Seonrok stuff in general, platonic or otherwise, the ‘seonrok’ tag by @pashminabitch is a treasure trove, @sadviper has great thoughts about them too (and I enjoyed reading their top 5 mctna scenes), @valarinde has meta about this very heart-wrenching scene, and @eohachu has written compelling meta about them too; their ‘seonrok’ and ‘nn meta’ tags are def worth checking out. @strandedchesspiece has an amazing series of mctna meta posts. I really love @the2headedcalf ’s Seonhwi meta (1, 2). @ciriwrites has written this excellent meta that led to an interesting discussion and other meta, @staidwaters has this headcanon about how Seonhwi became best friends, and @rain-hat has a lot of intelligent and eloquent meta in her ‘my country the new age’ tag and got a lot of mctna asks a while ago. You can also read @crayonflop 's very entertaining commentary in their ‘my country’ tag (starts at page 28), then there’s @husberttee with an interesting discussion about Sung-rok and his scar. This funny text post about Sung-rok + Seonhwi by @petekaos always makes me smile. This one is good too - all the Seon-ho feels! @bienmoreau has meta posts like this one about Seon-ho and his brother and @tlanwen has good meta and web weavings too. And @elderflowergin 's description of Bang-won's voice is perfect. There are others like @crithir, @eremin0109, @asena-queenslayer, @monstersqueen, @mctna, @doorhine with a scene comparison here and dozens of others who I remember writing mctna meta, in the tags or otherwise! This anon ask sent to fatallist (who has sadly deactivated) about the water/river symbolism is interesting too. 

For more recent stuff, we have @howlingmusketeers ’s Bang-won meta, @nubreed73 ’s thought-provoking commentary here (you can find more in their ‘meta’ or ‘my country the new age’ tag), @wangkuans here (there's more in their ‘my country the new age’ tag too), @navramanan has this edit/tags-meta and meta, and @itsza recently watched mctna and has made some posts too.

Of course, you can also feel free to check out my ‘mctna meta’ tag or ‘color meta’ tag! :D

I’m sure I missed a lot of the early discussions since I only discovered the fandom a year after mctna was airing... Please forgive me, friends, if I missed anyone /o\

A small caveat: I’m very clearly biased towards Seon-ho who's my fave, and there are some Hwi-resenting meta posts/tags you may encounter on my or other people’s blogs. I started out being quite critical of him, but after many good discussions with some of my friends I’ve come to understand his side of things more. As such, I'm trying to avoid being too harsh on him and am determined to love the boys more equally now!

There are a few critical takes on Seon-ho or Bang-won or Hui-jae too, but I think it’s a sign of what amazing, complex characters they are that they elicit such strong emotions in us and we feel compelled to take sides!

Thank you for the ask and have fun in the mctna fandom!! <333

[carpisuns]

Just wanted to come there quickly and just share some love and appreciation. Way back before I even got my own tumblr yours was one of the ones I would always love to check and go through. I adore you talking in the tags and my favourite thing ever is you rambling in the tags and just the way you gush and fangirl over posts and all the beautiful fanworks. There's just something about seeing that love that just adds so much more to the post idk it's just so lovely to see all that being expressed. And all your creations as well man!!! Your fics and lil rough sketches and comics and fanart they are all so beautiful and you are one of the funniest people for me when it comes to ml I just love the humour you inject into your works! The fic you wrote for my commission just asdfghjkl thank you again from the bottom of my heart. I feel like you've worked so hard and created so much this year alone and I hope you can see that!! I'm in love with pink and in awe of all the chapters. You have made so much and shared so much with us and it has been more than enough. Please don't think that you haven't been contributing as much idk just I get the vibe that you're a bit unhappy with the pace at which you're completing things/the amount you've created over a span of time? And I just wanted to wholeheartedly say please don't be hard on yourself you've made so much and it's all been brilliant. And even if you weren't to make any of your own content for a good while and stepped away I hope you can see you bring so much to the ml fandom and people's tumblr experience regardless. The joy I get from viewing your blog and reading your tags and just getting to see all you share is more than enough it's so precious and brings so much enjoyment. Anyways hope you have a wonderful day and sending you all the love💞💞

honestly I can’t even tell you how much it meant to me to get this ask. it came at a time when I really needed it. I’m super grateful. seriously 😭💖

I don’t want this to be a big vent post but I have been struggling with stress and burnout a lot so this felt very validating 🥺 it’s taken a toll on my general energy level and my ability to create and it’s just tough for me to not be able to be as enthusiastic and involved as I used to be. I’ve had a really hard time with creating, to the point that I’m almost worried I’ve just like lost those skills forever 😭 and I also haven’t had much energy/motivation to consume content and give feedback either which is a bummer and makes me feel frustrated with myself. I really value being part of the fandom and feeling like I’m contributing to the ongoing dialogue among all the fans so it’s hard to feel like I have nothing much to give anymore, on the creator side and the consumer side.

Anyway this message just really hit me and felt like a big hug! Thank you so much for the kind words and for going out of your way to deliver them. I know it took time and energy to do that and it means a lot that you did. You are a really compassionate and thoughtful person 🥺💕 and thanks for commissioning that fic as well! i really enjoyed writing it

[elletao]

Content creator 2021 wrapped tag game

Cut this into what works for you. Want to do only one instead of five? Do it. Tag 2 people? Do it. This game is not your mum or the Apple App store to tell you what to do. But there are a couple of rules:

RULE 1: Review your creations over 2021. Tag some gifmakers/creators, friends and strangers to get them to do the same.

RULE 2: Link to the content, commentary optional.

thank you to @robinsonjudy for tagging me on this! i was hoping to be tagged in something like this so i could gush about how talented my mutuals are hehe <33

5 (or more!) creations from others that made you smash the reblog button hard, closely followed by your ‘insp’ tag or ‘fave tag’. Link to sets that started conversations, outstanding composition, colouring, etc.

this the descent gifset by @bongjoonsho because it’s such a perfect horror edit and everything i aspire to make in terms of big gifs/colouring/quality!!! it looks sooo good and hq and crisp. i normally find it hard to color horror sets properly and i feel like lera did such a great job with this one.

this inej ghafa edit by @oliviarodriog which is not just stunning in terms of blending (all her edits are!!) but also made my heart so happy because the quote fits so well with inej and who she is as a person who doesn’t give up. AND!! the color of inej’s skin is so rich and beautiful?? we don’t know white-washing in this house. and the blue is GORGEOUS.

this kanej set by @milesgmorales has a very special place in my heart because it includes one of my absolute favorite pairings and the most perfect song for them. kanej and tightrope are forever linked for me and i can’t think of one without the other now. the blending is gorgeous, i adore the blue and i really like the fonts rajan chose.

this jesper fahey gifset by @tedlass literally made me cry when i saw it. jesper is probably my favorite bisexual character of all time and i don’t usually see that many sets about his family so this made my heart feel incredibly full. the shots look so pretty and the whole gifset is so soft.

this crows set by @hunterschafer is one of my favorite creations ever!!! the format is soo creative and cool, the crows shots are all so crisp and pretty, the little icons and the fonts are perfect?? i can’t imagine how long this must’ve taken to make and the kind of Big Brain moment it came from.

4 5 creations of which you’re proud. These are goals you scored. Nothing to do with notes.

i'm gonna go ahead and link my 100 female characters in 2021 tag because i was ready to accept defeat (i thought i wouldn’t get to finish before the end of the year) but i managed to gif A LOT during the last month and a half and i'm proud of reaching my goal!

this malina set i made for malina week because i love mitski and i think ‘i will’ fits them really well. i also worked really, really hard on this!

both of these jesper fahey sets x x. the first one because i think jesper’s hands deserve more love. the second because i love how the coloring screams bi rights. 

2 3 creations that stretched you as a creator: style, colouring, blending, text, etc. include the one that should have got more notes.

this malina edit that i truly, deeply love 🥺🥺 maybe the prettiest thing i made this year!! i love it because it was the first time i combined different things such as blending, big gifs, colors and fonts. 

this inej ghafa gifset!!! one of the very first times i experimented with blending too, and i love it because1) it came out much better that i hoped and 2) i could include some of my favorite inej quotes/moments from the books.

1 creation of yours that you find most aesthetically pleasing to the eye and self AND 1 creation that broke and (maybe remade you) as a creator – we all have that one.

again, this malina set!! i’m just really proud of it and think it looks really good.

this inej set was hard for me and took soo long. i know it’s not perfect but i worked on it for hours, trying to get the colors and the fonts right. i wanted something different from the stuff i usually made and i was quite happy with how it turned out.

0 the creation that never was because nothing was working that day.

Overall comment on your creativity year 2021: i’m happy to say that i managed to step out of my comfort zone this year and experiment with new things such as BLENDING!!! which i was really scared of trying. i also like that i came up with the 100 female characters in 2021 idea because it pushed me to make content from different sources (tv, film, books) and it pushed me to not be lazy because i hate to leave things unfinished fdjfg

i’m tagging the people whose sets i linked here and a couple more: (i adore all your wonderful creations too and you’re all really talented; i wish i’d had more time to link more sets because i’m honestly in awe of everything you all make) @bongjoonsho @oliviarodriog @milesgmorales @tedlass @hunterschafer @montygreen @magnusedom @julietmolina @poppywright 

happy 2022 to you all 🥺💕🌻

[jokertrap-ran]

(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Main Story Chapter 1-3: 命运的拐点 Destiny’s Turning Point Translation

“Destiny is like a gust of wind… Red leaves flutter, flying away in the face of it.  And it is when the winds pick up ― That you meet once more…”

“And just where are you running off to now? “

*Light and Night Master-list *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Join the Light & Night Discord (＾▽＾)~ ♪ *Main story tag will be #For Light and Night

Police: Name?

Cindy: My name’s Cindy. My earrings are gone! I’ve spent an entire week on them. Please, you must help me find them!

The girl who was desperate to the brink of tears was none other than Cindy, the oldest contestant amongst us all.

Half an hour ago, Cindy had suggested reporting this to the police seeing as how many of the designers had their accessories go missing. Now, she was the first one to undergo questioning by the police.

Police: Earrings, you say? Alright, I’ve noted it down. Has anyone else lost anything?

Designer A: Me. I lost an Emerald hairpin.

Designer B: My pearl ring is gone too.

MC: I’m (Y/n), my brooch has also gone missing.

Police: I’ve gotten the gist of the situation here. All of your items were found lost after less than half an hour after having been left here.

Police: My colleague went to check the surveillance tapes. There was no one suspicious who entered and left the room during that time frame.

Cindy: How can that be…

Police: But there are blind spots where the surveillance cameras cannot reach. Plus, things don’t simply disappear for no reason at all.

Police: So, I’m asking everyone to think carefully about it again. Did any of you see anyone who was acting suspicious?

MC: A suspicious looking person…

The image of the figure dressed in black and wearing a mask flashed into my mind along with his skull pendant and flickering silver chains.

MC: I saw someone that I didn’t recognize walk out of the room, but I thought that he was a model…

MC: But now that I think about it, no model would come here.

Police: What did this person look like?

MC: He’s very tall and looks to be around 185cm. He wasn’t wearing a staff uniform.

Police: Can you give me a detailed description of his appearance and how he was dressed?

I nodded, trying my hardest to remember what I’d seen in that split-second.

MC: I couldn’t make out his features since he wore a black mask, but I remember his clothes…!

MC: He wore a black leather jacket paired with light grey jeans and a pair of studded boots.

MC: He had a long silver necklace with a skull pendant hanging from it along with a few silver chains hanging from his waist.

MC: His countenance is hard to describe. He appears to give off a very mysterious vibe, but honestly, the design of the pants he wore needs to be optimized…

I continued prattling on, unaware of how the policeman who’d been recording my descriptions down stopped short.

Police: Optimized?

Suddenly realizing what I’d just said, my face flushed in embarrassment.

MC: Sorry, but that’s pretty much all I saw…

Police: Alright. We’ll look further into the matter with this information.

Police: However, considering the large number of people here, the vastness of the venue and the small number of missing items, it’ll be quite difficult to find them.

Police: You’d best be prepared.

Everyone lapsed into collective silence after the police left. The solemness of the atmosphere in here was tangible, like a heavy cloud that hung over all of our heads.

Cindy had already succumbed to despair. She silently squatted down; head buried into the crook of her arm.

★Night Choice: Settle your own problems 

Even though I want to comfort Cindy, I know very well that whatever I do or say will only pale in comparison to how she feels right now.

Why don't we just spend the time to think our next step through, instead of being overwhelmed by negative emotions?

Most of the contestants around her have already recovered from the brief turn of events, returning to their tasks at hand.

The contest was just this cruel. Everyone couldn’t afford to be distracted in this race against time as they all raced to the finish line where the ultimate goal laid.

MC: How about just making another one since the chance of finding it is so slim?

MC: But there are only 3 days left… What if I can't finish it in time…

I subconsciously glanced out the window. The huge poster screen of Sariel greeting my wandering eyes once more.

MC: There's no time to be pondering over this.

MC: If it were Sariel in my shoes, he wouldn’t waste time worrying over things that may or may not happen.

The perplexing feeling of loss and the sadness I felt over this incident disappeared almost immediately as I immersed myself into re-making it. The light of the sunset shines through the glass window, bringing about a tinge of warmth.

☆Light Choice: Comfort Her

I walked up to her, gently patting her back.

MC: Don’t worry, I’m sure the police will be able to help us all find our missing accessories.

Cindy: You guys are all young and talented… you’ll have other things to fall back on if you fail here, so of course you wouldn’t be too worried about it… but such a thing doesn’t exist for me…

Her soft voice was distorted by her sniffling, so much that I could barely distinguish what she was trying to say between sobs.

I’d overheard the others talking about her before. Cindy was originally a white-collar worker who’d eventually resigned and got a loan to study design overseas. It was a do-or-die situation for her, in a way.

I didn’t know what I should say to comfort her, for everything I say right now would only pale in comparison to what she was going through. All I could do was to gently pat her back.

Cindy: Why did this have to happen now…? It took me such painstaking efforts to get this far…

All the doom and gloom that she exuded was contagious, and I soon felt my heart drop along with her worsening mood.

???: What are you crying about?

Wu Yue: Those who whinge and always feel sorry for themselves but do nothing to fix it will never succeed.

This was the first time I’ve ever heard her speak off-stage.

I couldn’t help but to be surprised at the look of dead seriousness on her face.

MC: There’s still another 3 days before the competition, so let’s hurry and start re-doing what we’ve lost.

Gao Cheng: I… I can help everyone fetch the materials they need. You can also ask me for help if any of you need an extra hand…

Designer A: I’ve already long since wanted to change my hairpin design! I’m sure the new one this time will turn out a hundred times better! You guys better watch out!

More contestants started inputting, and the gloomy atmosphere soon dissipated. Cindy had also stopped crying, vigorously rubbing at her eyes.

Cindy: You guys are right. I cannot give up here…

Despite all of us not knowing what results awaited us 3 days later, and despite all of us being fellow competitors, we were all teammates now, working hard with the same goal in mind.

After getting our moods in check, everyone returned to their own working space, making the best out of the remaining time left to continue with their respective creations.

❖☆———————————★❖

The hands on the clock had already moved past the 8 PM mark by the time if gotten up for a good stretch.

MC: The gown’s pretty much good to go, and I’ve also finished drawing out the new brooch design. Everything’s turning out pretty well~

Gao Cheng: Your design’s inspired by the starry skies, right? It’s really pretty…

Gao Cheng’s faze lingered on the draft of my design for a while before he seemingly snapped out of it. He raised his head, frantically waving his hands in front of him with a flustered look on his face.

Gao Cheng: S-Sorry, it wasn’t my intention to peek at your design. I just happened to get attracted to it when I walked past…

MC: Don’t worry about it, you came at a great time. Could you tell me what you think about it?

Gao Cheng: Is the brooch meant to represent the brightest star in the sky?

MC: Yup, it represents the north star.

Gao Cheng: But Polaris isn’t actually all that bright. It shines at 2nd magnitude, so you can use a darker gemstone to represent it.

It was as if he were an entirely different person when it came to the topic of stars. He gushed enthusiastically about it with unrivalled passion and seriousness.

Gao Cheng: Ah, I just like astronomy, so I know about it a little more than others. Please don’t get mad at me…

MC: Why would I be mad? I’m actually extremely thankful for your input!

I’d previously searched up pictures of the starry sky up on the internet to use as reference pictures, but what Gao Cheng said reminded me once again that even though the pictures captured by a camera’s lens turn out beautiful, it still isn’t as real as the real thing.

Nothing beats seeing it with your own eyes and ascertaining it for yourself after all.

MC: Maybe I should go up to the rooftop and check the stars out.

❖☆———————————★❖

The cold air of the night greets me as I push open the doors to the rooftop. The vast night sky was spread out before my eyes, the many little red dots beneath it denoting lights of the thousands of households below.

I held onto the railing with both hands raising my head to inhale deeply.

It was then that my phone rang to life as messages from An'an came pouring in one line after another.

An'an (SMS): I’ve gotten my hands on the guest list!

An'an (SMS): You won’t believe how elaborate this guest line-up is! Osborn’s actually coming, you know!? His club’s going to be collaborating with the Warson Group!

MC: …Osborn?

An'an (SMS): Please tell me you still remember him. I’ve shown you a picture of him before! He’s my favourite R1 racer who has won 4 consecutive championships!

I hadn’t yet had the chance to truly think back on it when I suddenly heard a faint noise. It was the familiar sound of metallic chains clinking against each other.

There had been no one here when I came up to the rooftop.

My heart leapt to my throat as I unwittingly headed towards the direction of the sound.

There was someone hidden within the shadows, standing silently in one of the corners where the moonlight never reached.

Seemingly having noticed my gaze, the person moved forwards, stepping out of the shadows.

❖☆———————————★❖

I finally managed to vaguely make out his appearance. He was tall and intimidating even from a distance away. He wore a black jacket across his shoulders, the moonlight glinting off the skull necklace that rested upon his chest.

MC: That’s the guy I saw back in the corridor!

I hadn’t yet recovered from the initial surprise of seeing him here when I suddenly noticed that he was holding a red earring between his fingers.

Cindy’s Earrings! So, he really WAS the thief!

The clouds blocked off the moonlight, darkening the skies as my heart raced, pounding loudly in my ears. Did I interrupt him in the middle of something? Am I going to be “silenced”?

All hesitation flew out the window the moment my thoughts stopped there. I immediately turned and made a dash for the exit.

However, just as I was about to pull the door open and make my escape, a well-defined hand pressed against the door, blocking off my escape.

??: And just where are you running off to now?

❖☆————— ⊹ For Light & Night⊹ —————★❖

Previous Part: (Chapter 1-1) | Next Part: (Chapter 1-5)

[legendrarryficrecs]

Faint Indirections

Author: ignatiustrout

Rating: G

Word Count: 29,793

Tags:

Wizarding World of the United States of America, Post-War, Librarian Harry Potter, Parselmouth Harry Potter, College Student Draco Malfoy, Halloween parties, EWE, Romance, Anxiety, Angst, Internalized Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Homophobia. 

Summary:

Draco Malfoy is the last person Harry expects to turn up in Boston, Massachussetts. But now he's here, and he won't stop requesting books from the library where Harry works.

Excerpt: 

“I don’t fancy Malfoy!” says Harry.

Ron and Hermione exchange a look. Harry hates when they do this—when they look at each other like they are his parents, like they know better than him, but they’re not going to tell him yet. He chafes at the pity of it, at the condescension of it.

“I’m going home,” says Harry, setting off down their street to where he’s parked Sirius’ bike.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” says Ron.

“Ron’s being an idiot, Harry!” Hermione calls after him.

“Oh, thanks,” says Ron.

“I think you’re being a good person,” Hermione continues.

“I’ll see you at Thanksgiving,” says Harry.

He probably roars off a bit too fast. He also doesn’t put his helmet on, and Hermione’s sure to corner him about it next time he sees her.

When he gets to a red light in front of Hermione’s usual CVS and is forced to sit for a minute, he is also forced to consider that he may have overreacted.

As he sits there, Malfoy exits the CVS. Merlin, is he just fucking everywhere? He’s still holding the bag from Zaftig’s, and as he walks out, he’s sticking an enormous bottle of ibuprofen in it. They make eye contact—again—and Malfoy, despite having seen Harry minutes ago, takes in the whole picture, his eyes flicking over Harry and the bike, and looks like he’s going to go into cardiac arrest.

Harry waves.

Malfoy keeps on staring.

The light changes and Harry speeds off, wishing everyone wasn’t being so fucking weird.

Rec Notes:

Ohh my god...ohh my GOD… OHH MY FUCKING G — I just have lods of feelings regarding this story okay?! How can something be this beautiful? I am at loss... 

I am a salve for atmospheric fics. Stories that radiate aesthetics and vividness is my jam and this story, this glorious story came in and swept me off my feet, just to drop me in the middle of Boston of all places!

Everything was just so 'delicate'. Like the first ray of sunlight that peaks into your room every dawn, this fic screams delicacy and fineness from the first line to the last. It's the type of story you want to wrap a blanket around and feed hot chocolate to,(I'm serious! Really!) because it's just that S O F T.  I should've expected this from ignatiustrout who is the master of delicacy in general, but still, what a beautiful little surprise this fic was, I was breathlessly in love. 

Harry was written with such care and love in this, and I found myself constantly wanting to drown in his stellar inner monologues that spoke of development as the story moved forward. He was a sight to behold!

And Draco..ohh my god Draco... I know I already babbled way too much about delicacy at this point but that was just what he was! If you have a thing for a soft Draco Malfoy then this is the fic for you! He was just beautiful. I wanted to hug him and never let go!(and maybe cry a little while petting his head because my little baby!!) He was perfect! Perfect perfect!    

Just give this story a read, alright? I honestly can't gush enough about it and I need other people to come cry with me. Besides, it's set around Autumn and halloween! What more do you want?! 

It's because of @gameofdrarry that I went fic hunting in the first place and stumbled across this beautiful creation. Thank you Wizards Hearts! 💜💜

Read on AO3

[realityhelixcreates]

Lasabrjotr Chapter 79: The Rites of Blood and Knowledge

Chapters: 79/?

Fandom: Thor (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: pg 13(Blood)

Relationships: Loki x Reader

Characters: Loki (Marvel),Thor(Marvel) Wanda Maximoff, vision, Bruce Banner

Additional Tags: Post-Endgame: Best Possible Ending (Canon-Divergent), Party Time, In Reference To Blood Mixing Mentioned In The Eddas

Summary:  The great ceremonies begin.

The dreams were powerful that night, whisking you off to far away places, off to the increasingly familiar form of the gargantuan space artist. There was a strange nostalgia out here that you were slowly coming to recognize as being not your own. How could it be? You had never physically been here, only visited in dreams.

With green and blue sparkling at your right and left, you drifted along in their orbit, yet another asteroid in a primordial star system.

First Wielder.

The concept filtered through your mind, trailing a warm and wistful longing behind it.

Peace. Eternity. Creation.

Before battle. Before separation. Before imprisonment.

Before all.

The star system was strange: every time you came here, the sun was a little different. A variable star, its brightness oscillating, it was still young and new.

There was only one planet in this system, located fairly close to the star. The presence of the colossal giant perturbed the asteroids and gas around the star, but their great mass prevented them from coalescing.

Comets formed in great numbers from the gas and ice beyond them, whizzing past them, inspiring new drawings. Asteroids clumped up against them; a brush of their great hand sent them flying, to collide into one another, to spin away from their unstable orbit, and join the comets on their cross-system journey, to crash into the singular planet.

The colossus watched with the patience of true immortality, as the planet burned and erupted, filled up with water, and clouds, and sky.

Thoughtfully, they regarded an asteroid they held in one hand, then, with their color-stained fingers, they began to draw.

The wistfulness and regret reached their peak, and you woke up in the empty bathtub, with a thought ringing in your head.

The Wielders always came to a bad end.

                                                                            ******

Loki was somewhat disgruntled to discover that you'd been having these dreams without him. He didn't scold, but his concern was clear. You described them in as much detail as you could, but, to your dismay, he didn't have any explanation for what you'd been seeing while you slept.

It would just have to remain a mystery. The upcoming day was going to be far too busy to dwell on it.

Both you and Loki had dressed in your absolute finest, your armor polished bright, your skirt covered in embroidery, your chest and neck festooned in beads of carved gold and pearl. You still felt a little bit like you were so buried in finery that you became invisible, but you tried to carry it with pride. All of this had been put together especially for you, and that hard work deserved to be shown off.

Loki was so magnificent in his fur-trimmed cloak, and elaborate helmet, you had to firmly tell yourself not to spend the whole day just staring at him all moon-eyed.

Maybe just a few hours.

Today, the Second Feast, was really the main event, as far as this Buridag was concerned. At noon, you would participate in the Blood Taking ceremony, wherin you would 'mingle blood' with the royal brothers, in order to be formally adopted into Asgardian high society. This would cement your status as high enough to advise Loki as one of the most important members of his personal entourage. And before the evening feast, you would perform the ritual that would confirm you as an official Seidkona.

But before that, you would have the time to run around and enjoy the festival.

It was set up like a combination job fair and reenactment fest. Stalls lined the streets and filled courtyards, peopled by the crafters of Asgard. Smiths, armorers, and carpenters, goldsmiths, lapidaries, scrimshanders, and glassblowers. Weavers, spinners, leatherworkers, and dyemakers, artists, musicians, chefs, academics, mages, stonemasons, construction workers, scribes, dancers, and cheesemongers. All the sights, and sounds, and scents, and flavors that made up Asgard were being demonstrated and celebrated.

Your Father and Tara joined you in the streets, and Loki reluctantly released you into their care, having some preparation left to do.

Tara, flouncing around in an apron dress and domed brooches very much like your usual style, gushed over how beautiful you looked, and your father, rather sheepishly dressed in an Asgardian greatcoat and cowl, agreed openly.

“You look like a princess.” he said. “A real one. You...You walk different now. Talk different. You look so strong.”

“Is it me, or are all these people following us?” Tara asked, not very quietly. A few chagrined people in the crowd that flowed in your wake down the street peeled away, and wandered in different directions. The rest either had less shame, or had orders to keep watch over you.

You spared the group a glance. There appeared to be a solid mix of Asgardians and humans, several of which had their phones out. You surmised there would be a new wave of photos of you on the internet over the next few days.

“Keep your cowl up dad.” You advised.

“Want me to run them off?” he offered.

“Nah. I don't really mind if they take pictures of me. Can't really hurt anything.”

“Wasn't so great last time.” Tara pointed out. “I spent a lot of time stanning for you.”

“Well, last time was sensationalized bullcrap. This time is a nice festival. I mean, check out that guy!”

That Guy was a glassblower in his stall, spinning a huge, bubble thin amphora of rose pink glass. You had seen its like before, but never seen one made.

“Oh, they age crystal mead in those! The pink lets in the right wavelengths of light that give it it's shimmering quality.”

“What's crystal mead?” your father asked.

“Don't try more than a few sips, if anyone offers.” you warned. “Asgardians have iron guts. Their booze is way too strong.”

“Yeah, they warned us about that on the plane.” Tara said. “And yesterday, it looked like they had everything divided up by species, so no one got the wrong thing.”

You took them around to various demonstrations: spinners spinning yarn, brewers preparing several of Asgards many alcoholic beverages, apothecaries showing how basic medicines were made, a cobbler putting together a nice pair of boots.

“So, Asgard's really advanced, right?” Tara asked. “Why is everything like Ye Olden Times?”

“Asgard's never had that big a population, even at it height. There just isn't that much demand for mass production. Most things are bespoke, or self-made. Quality depends entirely on the maker, so that, of course, becomes a competition. And that, in turn, becomes a matter of cultural pride. Also, they have thousands of years to get good at what they do, so Asgardian made goods are super high quality, and they judge personal worth by that. I don't think they'll ever automate; it would go against a lot of what they stand for.”

You snagged the three of you a traditional Asgardian snack; fat sausages, wrapped in savory pastry. You thought it might be good to have something else in your stomach before the first ceremony.

Tara called them Asgardian corn dogs, which you couldn't wait to share with Loki, if only to watch his nose wrinkle with disdain over the undignified term.

“So when do we have to let you go?” Tara asked.

You checked your phone for the time, stuffing the last of your sausage into your mouth.

“Eh, I've got a few minutes left. Better start heading over though.”

Your winding path through the courtyards took you past minstrels, impromptu dances, and games, to a large, tall dais that had been put together as a temporary mirror to the throne room. It towered over the City Hall courtyard like a ziggurat. You'd be up there soon enough, but currently...

“Who's that?” your father asked, pointing at a man standing at the top. “Doesn't look like Thor.”

You squinted up at the figure, his bright armor shining in the rarefied sunlight.

“Ah, That's Heimdall. He's the Guardian of Asgard, and god of...uh, sight? I think? Vigilance? It's not quite that neat and simple, you know? The whole 'God Of' thing is a bit more complicated than that.”

“So that's a god?” your father asked. “How can you tell? Are they all gods? What does that even mean?”

“All good questions. Mostly because they are very hard to answer.”

Your father and Tara jerked at the sudden new voice, and, not for the first time, you found yourself amazed at how easily a man of the sheer size and importance as the king of Asgard could sneak up on people.

“Your Majesty.” you said calmly, inclining your head. Your father and Tara dipped into awkward bows, a little awed by the mythical figure before them. Thor didn't necessarily demand obeisance, but he didn't exactly discourage it either; he let people act as they felt appropriate.

“Not every Asgardian is a god.” Thor explained. “Those that are go by the term 'Aesir', a common name through most of the realms for beings of that type. You are born Aesir; you cannot become one by outside influences. However, Aesir nature doesn't always become apparent at birth, it often doesn't manifest until adolescence. As for what it means to be Aesir...that doesn't have so straightforward an answer. I leave it to the philosophers, who, incidentally, are in booth seventy-eight.

Anyway, I have come to collect your daughter for the ceremony. There isn't much time left, so we'd all better get in place. If you go through those two poles there right now, you can get very good seats.”

“This could get a bit weird.” You warned. “It's a ceremony more ancient than any recorded human practices, so it's probably going to seem archaic.”

“Oh, it's not so bad.” Thor said. “It's been updated and refined over all those years. For instance, everyone remains clothed now, and there are at least seventy percent fewer entrails used.”

Your father coughed, and you rolled your eyes. Thor's sense of humor was difficult for you to understand, considering how serious he was about everything. The thing about Thor's jokes was that he might have been joking about something that had really happened, or he might have been joking about something he'd completely made up, but he would never specify which.

“On that note, I've got to go.” you said. “Entrails to sort, and all that.”

Your father coughed again, Tara patting him compassionately on the back.

“Good luck!” she called to your receding back.

                                                                                ******

“Now, you've been fully briefed on what will happen during this ceremony, correct?” Thor asked, as the two of you loitered near the back stairs of the temporary dais. People were filtering in to seats and standing room around the courtyard, waiting for things to start.

“I think so.” you said. “If I've got this right, there's going to be a special dance-”

“The Alignment of the Celestial and Worldly bodies, yes.” Thor said. “It symbolizes everything that must come together to bring the 'adoptee' to the greater 'family'. In this case, it will tell the story of how you came here to join our family.”

A soft warmth crept up your neck, and heated your ears beneath your helmet. You knew it was all socio-symbolism, but the notion of 'joining the family' hit differently now that you were on intimate terms with Loki.

“And then all the braziers will have some kind of incense thrown in, and in the smoke, we'll all go up the stairs like we're magically appearing. Honestly, it sounds like it'll look really cool.”

“All ceremonies contain a bit of theatrics.” Thor agreed. “Perhaps that is the most important part. Or that's the part that makes it important. I wish we still had some of the traditional ceremonial incense, but we just don't have access to the materials anymore. You would have liked it; it was much more floral than most of what you have here. We did manage to get some lavender though. That should be nice.”

“Maybe one day, when the Bifrost is more stable.” You said. It did sound very nice. “Loki said that you, and he, and Heimdall will sing a blessing song?”

“Yes, a divine blessing from a trio of Aesir. It's got to be three. And then...”

“Yeah. And then.” Loki had told you about the bloodletting. He had been very frank about it. “I know. I'm nervous, but not afraid.”

Thor nodded. “Sometimes there are unforeseen effects, but never anything bad. You'll be perfectly safe.”

“I know. The nervousness just comes from knowing it'll hurt. Even if just for a short time.”

You buckled under Thor's hand when it came down on your shoulder, enveloping the whole thing.

“Loki would rather slice out his own guts than draw your blood, trust me. He's been trying to figure out how to get around it for weeks. Unfortunately, the blood is the most important part of the magic. It carries all of the power. It's very old magic: according to him, this is practically the only part of the ritual that has remained unchanged from the beginning.”

“Did there really used to be entrails and naked people, or was that a joke?”

“Ehhh, well, yes and no. This ceremony originated with the Vanir, and they are not opposed to nakedness under certain circumstances. In this case, everyone who attended was expected to leave the clothes they came in at the door, and wear a special loincloth instead. This was actually to prevent violence, by barring hidden weaponry from being brought to ceremony grounds. So rather than pure nudity, everyone was dressed as scantily as was possible.

As for entrails...unfortunately yes, that was also a part of it. A seer would perform a divination using the entrails of a slaughtered animal. That practice was going out of fashion, even before the war, and I don't think anyone today even remembers how it was done.”

You shuddered. Yes, it was a different culture, and a long time ago, but it still grossed you out.

“I'll have to remember to thank Loki for trying to get me out of it, even if he wasn't successful.” You said. He really did put in a lot of effort behind the scenes. If only he were more open about some of that effort, so you could appreciate it more.

“He was adamant about the bull.” Thor said. “Demanded a private ritual the night before. Put your helmet up on the pillar, then sacrificed and butchered the beast himself. Insisted on it. Did our ancestors proud, but you know he knows his way around a knife.”

“I wish he'd told me. I was really stressed about that whole thing. I'm glad, in the end, that he was thinking of me, but I really wish I'd known. I wouldn't have lost so much sleep!”

“It was a little last minute.” Thor admitted. “I approved it the instant he explained, but we had to do it pretty much immediately afterwards. He really should have told you, but I fear my brother is usually more invested in the making of plans, rather than what to do once they come to fruition. I feel you will be a positive influence on him, though.”

Even though he was wearing his eyepatch, rather than the mismatched prosthetic, his one blue eye was open and sincere.

“I think so too.” you said. You already were influencing each other. It was impossible to live so close, to sleep in the same bed, without doing so. But Loki did have a bad habit of assuming things, a by-product of his upbringing as a leader, you supposed. You would simply have to speak up more.

Perhaps you had gotten too comfortable. But perhaps you wanted to be too comfortable. It might be a holdover from your year of struggle, but having someone who wanted to do so much for you was very tempting. You knew it would be better to strive for a balance, but you also knew that, unless Loki somehow diminished himself severely, the two of you would never truly be equals.

But you admired that greatness, and somehow, those all too common flaws in him made him easier for you to love. They made him so real.

An ambling drum beat started up, accompanied by the brassy ting of zills, and a flute. Loki joined you and Thor in peeking out around the dais, just as a group of dancers spread out around the courtyard.

You'd been told that the dancers represented personages from history and legend. You were pretty sure that the three women who orbited the dance stage equidistant from one another must be the Norns, and you assumed the cluster of people standing beneath a glittering tree branch and clanging their zills were probably meant to be the ancestors of the royal family.

The dance told a story of a woman dressed like you, and a man dressed like Loki, wearing silver bells at their wrists and ankles that jingled with every step. They made everything look so much more graceful and sensual than it really had been: Holding hands like the rune branding had been on purpose, dancing circles with each other, like everything had been friendly and not at all awkward from the very beginning. How elegantly 'you' swooned into 'his' arms, while the assassin was caught. How triumphantly 'you' defended 'him' against the Huldra. And how beautifully 'he' clasped 'you' in a romantic, yet properly chaste embrace.

There was none of the blood, none of the fear, or anger, or petulance, or confusion. No loss, or loneliness, or uncertainty.

But that was how it worked, wasn't it? None of those things could be shown to the general public. This was ceremony. This was spectacle! This was what would be remembered.

The pair danced away, out of sight, the ancestors retreated, and the Norns raised their arms in unison. All around the courtyard, attendants dumped incense into the torches and braziers, sending thick smoke and mysterious perfume wafting over the entire area.

“Show's on, darling.” Loki said, grasping your shoulders, and leading you up the stairs. A new wave of anxiety washed over you as you rose above the sweet smelling clouds like a legend. Heimdall stepped aside to let you pass, Loki and Thor leading you right up to the edge of the elevated platform, where waited a podium, upon which rested a brass bowl. An unfamiliar rune was stamped on its bottom. So that was where the magic would happen.

Thor held his hand out over an unlit brazier just in front of the podium and concentrated. Scarcely a moment later sparks danced between his fingers and jumped to ignite the fuel. The light illuminated the clouds of incense, obscuring the audience. Cut off thus from every other person out there, you didn't flinch as the trio of gods each placed a hand on you, and began to sing.

You couldn't help but wonder if they had done this before. It was a complex song, with rising and falling harmonies, parts layered over one another, something that couldn't have been easy to learn. As their voices dipped and flowed, you felt the power rising, just like out in the camp, months ago. Why could you sense divine power? Was it because of your magic? Was there anyone out in the crowd that could feel it too?

Thor's good eye had begun to sparkle with crackling white energy, the power of the blessing he was singing into you. You assumed Heimdall, behind you, was lighting up orange, and when you turned your head to glance at Loki, you were suffused with the gentle glow of the blue light from your dreams.

All of the anxiety drained out of you at the touch of that light, your arms dropping to your sides as relaxation took over.

Everything was all right. Loki was right beside you. Thor and Heimdall were with you, their voices reverberating through you, their blessing upon you. The rare winter sun filtered down over you like a blanket, as the last notes of the Aesir's song filled your head.

Loki gently took your hand, gazing earnestly into your face as the calming light faded from his eyes.

“Forgive me, my love.” he whispered.

A sudden, painful jab, ripped you out of your cocoon of sunny calm. With a sharp cry, you turned to stare at your fingertip, pierced deeply by the tip of one of Loki's knives.

Loki held your hand over the brass bowl, letting the blood drip, enough to cover the rune at the bottom. Then he tenderly bandaged the tiny wound, lines of regret around his eyes. Thor held his hand out for a slash, and then Loki turned the blade on himself. Blood slowly filled the little bowl, as a light throbbing started in your head. Every drop that rippled its surface was like a giant heartbeat within you.

Once it was full, Thor and Loki began singing again, lifting the small bowl between them. They held it up to the sun, and then poured it onto the burning brazier. The fire sputtered, sizzling, sending a huge cloud of smoke directly into your face. You gagged on the scent of burning blood, practically bathed in it, a layer of death-scent on your skin. The song cut through it, thrumming in your ears, an echoing promise of cherishment and fidelity.

The blood burned down into nothing, the smoke slowly clearing. All of the people in the courtyard came back into view, the upturned faces solemn. The dancers below picked up the chorus.

And you understood them.

Loki took your hand and lifted it up, flourishing to the crowd. They cheered, while you stood there, stunned. You understood what they were saying, their enthusiastic calls, their songs. The blood smell lingered in your nose, the throbbing swiftly receding from your head.

He led you to the stairs down as you wobbled, but you never made it all the way down. Dizziness overcame you, and you collapsed into Loki's arms.

[randombtsprincessa]

Content Creator Year in Review

Tagged by: @yoonia​ Thank you sweets!!

First creation and most recent creation of 2020:

The start of 2020 also saw the start of BADLANDS. And I’d say it was fitting because 2020 quickly became Bad from there lol. Anyway, it’s still only a one chapter out fic but I’m going to start working on my list of series from next year. I’m hoping to finish it by then. 

The most recentfic is Bed Bereft and even as I slogged through that monster, I have to say I enjoyed it. It was Nano when I was working on it and while in progress the plotline changed MAJORLY. (There was definitely no romance in it when it was conceptualized, just plain old smut with no strings.) But I am a sucker for feels so.

One of your favourite creations from 2020: 

Be My Teacher! It’s common knowledge in at least my private circle that JK is the one person that torments me the most but that’s not a story for this time. But he is also the person that,close to Yoongi, I find the most easy to characterise. He is just so malleable! But this time I kept him simple. And I have a lot of ideas for that fic and I hope to continue writing for that pair in the future.

A creation you’re really proud of: 

That would be Blackthorn Creek. Its based on one of my favorite fairy tales - Beauty and Beast. But I worked on giving it a spin so I made the beast the girl and Jimin the “Prince”. I am actually surprised by how well Jimin and his personality worked into the story, I didn’t have to change him in anyway and it worked seamlessly. There was absolutely no hiccups in that story from it’s building block stages to when it was put up. Also I think it was a good idea to put the girl in the shoes of the beast. We face a lot of insecurities in our everyday life and I wanted to deal with those with the work. Instead of giving the usual line of how girls haveto learn to love the monster, it was aimed to show that anyone can be the monster and learning to love them should not be a given for anyone. Which is why I introduced Hyebin’s character in the work.  

A creation that took you forever: 

I think the most stumbles were in Best of Me. I was torn between the type of MC i wanted to show for the fic and the kind of dynamic I wanted her to have with Jin. Also I was severely lazy and spread out the WC over WEEKS. So Yeah, it was a nightmare to finish because I was being a terrible writer to it.

A creation from 2020 that received the most notes: 

Be My Teacher got around 500 notes!

A creation you think deserved more notes: 

I messed up Bed Bereft by adding a bunch of links to the playlist. I don’t think it appears in the search bar. So now it’s sitting desolate.

A new fandom you joined and a creation you made for it: 

I am probably not going to use this platform for many fics outside of BTS. Maybe in the future, who knows. I did use Sehun as one of my major characters in Aberrations but it was way back when.

A creation you made that breaks your heart: 

Achilles Heart. It’s still in three chapters but I want to pace it out, I guess. The premise isn’t very new but it’s also not done a lot so I keep playing with a lot of ideas for it’s future and none of them make me dance with joy as of yet.

A ‘simple’ creation that you really love: 

I ADORED writing Blackout. It’s domesticated but softly dominant and I honestly couldn’t have hoped to have it turn out as nicely as it did.

A creation that was inspired by another one:

By the Book was inspired by @pasteljeon​ fic Shadows. The concept of Venom! Joon was going to remain as a snippet of fic that I wrote for them as a valentine’s present but she wanted more and I delivered. 

A favourite creation created by someone else: 

I am going to embarrass myself and say there’s a TON. All I did this month was read fics, which you will find in my fic recs. But my Absolute faves from this month would be: Inner Needs by @avveh​ , almost anything written (Blurred Lines) by @yoonia​ (yes, yes, I’m whipped), Made Up Love Song by @floralseokjin​ , Warm Hands and Moonlit Throne by @hobidreams​ 

Some of your favorite content creators from the year: 

I just want to say that along with my fave content creators, they are also wonderful and amazing people and their presence in my life makes it loads better. Starting to gush now about: @btssmutgalore​ @avveh​ @yoonia​ @serooks​ @floralseokjin​ @pasteljeon​ @softyoongiionly​ @johobi​ @cuziloveyou7​ @my-astral-wanderlust​ @hobidreams​ @ot7always​ @mind-of-a-hardstan​ @taeken-my-heart​ @noona-la-la-la​

And for good measure, another couple more creations of yours that you love: 

Self promo ahead! 

For Jin -  Base to Base For Yoongi -  Behind the Stick For Jimin - Agent Provocateur Bells and Roses For Tae -  Adulation For Jungkook -  Azaleas

Tagging: All the creators mentioned above and anyone else who wants to do this!

[0ffgun]

The whole point of valentines day is to yell about how much you love someone (at least that’s how I see it) so that’s exactly what I intend to do! I haven’t had this blog for very long but already I’ve met so many incredible people who have all made this place a home for me! I spend a lot of (too much) time on the internet so honestly?? You guys are basically a huge chunk of my life and this is just my way of saying thank you. So here goes -- beware! Lots of messily written and emotional love notes under the cut!

In alphabetical order:

@1akorn​: TOP QUALITY TOP QUALITY EVERYWHERE!! Your blog is one of my all-time favourites and I love the fact that we watch a lot of the same shows! Your gifs are amazing and I also love reading through your text posts or your replies on your blog to see your opinions on things. I know we’ve never talked much but I basically just wanted to say I think you’re super cool sghdjs

@akingyouniverse​: Hi hi hi! Okay so we’ve never talked but I think you’re fun and I love reading the tags on your posts (I also love seeing Trinity posts on your blog bc there isn’t much content of them around and it makes me so happy!!!!) Anyway yes hi I LOVE YOU hope you have a great day *throws roses through all your windows*

@bldramagalore​: Cindy!! Wow can’t believe that if we both weren’t so damn gay we’d already be married by now! Seriously thank you though, we talk most days and you’re always there when I want to talk to you (usually it’s just to scream about Mark or uwma but still!) Ngl I can’t really remember how we first became friends because it just feels like I’ve known you FOREVER and that’s so comfy and wholesome. My favourite part of my week is when we yell about shows together - even better when we watch them together ofc! - and I just KNOW that we’ll be friends for the longest time so knowing I’ll get to do that a lot in the future too makes me so happy. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE YOU!!!! I’m so in love with you and your gorgeous face and beautiful hair and your stellar makeup skills *KISS KISS*

@blueskycafe​: Hey there!! Sorry if this is super random but you’re a blog that I see in my notes and on my dashboard a lot, and it’s always so nice when I do! Your blog is definitely one of my favourites I adore you fdjgdf I hope you have the best valentines day!

@chaeunwoo​: Your gifs are so pretty 😭😭😭 I love the content you post and seeing you enjoying the shows that you’re watching! We’ve never talked but damn maybe we should - I should send you a random friendly message sometime (if you don’t mind of course dhsjghs) but yes happy valentines day, I hope you have a good one!

@chaoticallytate​: HELLO!!! You randomly message me sometimes and it always puts a smile on my face when your little notification pops up. I don’t know you all that well but I already feel super protective over you (I’m adopting you as my little brother OKAY) and idk you just seem really down to earth and it’s so pleasant. I hope you have the absolute loveliest valentines day!

@doctorbeam​: Hello hello hello you’re lovely just LOVELY omg did I tell you that you’re lovely?? We’ve only talked a little (I’m still so happy about the time you sent me those Mark pics!!) You’re ridiculously cute and I really can’t wait to watch Ossan’s Love so that I can tell you what I think about it! Have the best valentines day you amazing person!

@dollopheadsandclotpoles​: Yeah okay maybe following you has made me get one step closer to drowning in the Merlin fandom as each day goes by I CAN’T DENY IT I’ve barely ever watched the show and yet I somehow already love it just because you do hdkjgd. Also your love for Jaylerr?? That’s my fave! You’re just a really cool person and I just... ugh I super duper appreciate you 💖 Also?? Hope this doesn’t sound weird but you post a bunch of stuff about being aro/ace and seriously I never really knew much on the subject so it’s really nice to see stuff on your blog and get a little more educated every time. Please always keep throwing Merlin onto my dashboard, it feels weird now when you’re not online and there’s no Merlin dhgdskjg 

@earthpodd​: Hey Vic!! I know you’ve probably been crazy busy these days and haven’t been online much, but I really hope you’re doing well! It’s always nice to see you when you’re around and your opinions on stuff are always interesting to see 👀 happy valentines day to my favourite tumblr crush, hope you have a great day!

@gmmtvmother​: jfghjgdhfd no idea what to say because you messaged me today and I near enough burst into flames with joy but hi! I think your blog is one of the first few that I followed, and I’m still shook by the quality. Your content is GREAT and I love it when you make funny posts like your incorrect quotes gifsets, they’re the best! We watch a lot of similar shows so it’s always nice when I get a notification that you’ve posted something and I know in advance that I’m going to absolutely LOVE it!

@idontevenwatchbl​: Hey Millie!! I love seeing you post stuff as you’re watching shows, it’s always so fun and entertaining to see hdsjghjks I’m always excited when you start watching a new show because I know I have those screenshots and funny comments to look forward to! I hope you’re having the very BEST day and I can’t wait to see what you’ll watch next!

@iplann​: sdjghjs hi hello hi!!! First of all thank you so much for always blessing my dashboard with that quality content of Plan - I love him but I can’t always keep up with his activities so heck you’re brilliant for helping me know what’s going on! And second of all I love your blog and your content, it’s fun seeing what videogames you’re into, especially when it’s ones I like too (I’m a TOTAL sucker for Dragon Age ngl.) SO yeah I just wanted to say have a nice day and always stay amazing!

@inkorns​: Oh daaaaamn if it isn’t the creator of the prettiest gifs I HAVE EVER SEEN. You’re super talented at editing okay (don’t even t r y and deny it Ada pls) and I love your blog so much. You’re fun to talk to and I’ve decided that we’re good friends and you are extremely stuck with me forever 😈 I’m gonna spend the rest of my days complimenting your gifs and you can’t stop me!!! Seriously though, talking to you is so nice and honestly?? You’re really cool and funny what the heck. You better have the best valentines day ever or else I’m gonna come over and throw heart shaped stuff at you until you have a good time 😈

@loveisactivated​: Your blog is so extreme super quality I don’t even feel worthy of just LOOKING at your gifsets because damn they look so good. You seem like a really chill person and it’s always nice when we’re watching the same shows and I get to see your amazing content! But yeah hi I think you’re really cool, happy valentines day jfdhdhfdh

@mingskit​: FRIEND FRIEND FRIEEENNDDDD!!!! (I love this “friend” thing we have going on can we do this forever please - I can’t believe we’ve never really directly talked much but we already have a cute friendship thing BLESS) Your gifs? Incredible. You? Even more incredible!! I adore the content you post, especially when you focus on the underrated girls in bl shows. You seem like such a sweet person and I like to think that maybe someday we’ll become good pals! Happy valentines day you wonderful angel 💙 

@nazaaqat​: Faiza!! Okay so yeah we’ve never talked (apart from occasional yelling in tags) but I just wanted to say hi!! You’re one of the absolute most friendliest people I’ve seen on tumblr and it’s always such a pleasure to see you replying to asks in the softest way and your gifs... ugh YES that top quality I’m pretty much addicted to your content at this point. You have so many friends and this is probably really random but I low key (high key okay it’s totally high key) adore you and hope you have a nice valentines day!

@ohbabycupcakes​: Damn you’re one of the first blogs I ever followed and you’ve always been someone who I’ve admired from afar - you’re so good at keeping your followers up to date with stuff that’s happening and you put so much time and energy into your blog and that’s just straight-up awesome. Your language skills are also so good! It’s so exciting to see how much you love learning Thai and honestly you’re so ridiculously talented, I really hope that someday I could be on your level, you’re such an inspiration really. Anyway before I gush for like 6 more paragraphs... I think you’re great and I hope you’re having a good day!!

@perthtanapon​: Pretty edits!! Pretty edits EVERYWHERE!!!! Honestly I really love your content and you post a lot of my faves which just makes me love it even more wow. Your Mark edits literally have me on the floor in a sobbing mess I hope you know that jkghjfkdgfd. I think you’re really chill and it’s nice to message you from time to time, I know we haven’t talked very much but it already feels like we’re good friends! Happy valentines day buddy 💕

@piningbisexuals​: A X E L L E 💕 You’re the first friend I made on here, I remember how excited I was when you first started following me! Your enthusiasm for the things you love is so contagious, half the time I watch new stuff just because I see you enjoy it so much. We have the loveliest most wholesome friendship where we just compliment and hype each other up all the time and I live for it. Can’t wait until the day we both achieve our dreams and can meet up in Thailand to drink some pink milk together!

@priceofwarmclothes​: Erm alright so seriously?? Your gifs are so nice please don’t ever stop gifting my dashboard with your glorious creations. We’ve never talked but you seem like a really fun and talkative person so hopefully someday we’ll have the chance to talk and become buddies! Can’t wait to see more of the gorgeous content you’ll post in the future 💚  

@purnotas​: Hello!!! I see you in my notes a lot and you send me helpful asks from time to time.. thank you so much for that!! You seem so lovely and your blog is full of great content! Please have an absolutely WONDERFUL valentines day! 💛

@rosa-leche​: Hello friend, hope you’re still doing well and that things are much less exhausting for you now that you’re done with your midterms! You always have the nicest things to say and when you leave nice comments in the tags it makes my heart so warm! Wow can’t believe you’re the sweetest person ever 💛💙💜 happy valentines day!

@rosiedaes​: One of the coolest blogs I follow okay.. you’re so chill and I always love your edits so much 😭😭😭 Ngl I’ve been following you for as long as I can remember - when I used to run a kpop blog your main was one of my faves so I was so excited when I made my new blog and I realised that you also have a drama blog!! Always stay amazing and I’ll always be looking forward to seeing what you’ll post next! 

@seoinsguk​: Okay so Alexa... we’re both seriously so BAD at replying to messages (I literally just checked and it’s been forever since I replied oh my god shsk) but really?? I love that! There’s no pressure or stress to our cute little friendship that we have like we can reply to messages weeks apart but it’ll still just feel like a normal conversation 🤣 Also THANK YOU for fuelling my kdrama needs, I don’t follow many blogs that post Korean content so it’s the best when I see you getting excited over a kdrama you’re watching because then I instantly know what to start watching next. Also can I just say... you’re so lovely thank you for being so lovely.

@thaitheseries​: One of the first thai-based blogs I followed and seriously one of the best tbh. You’re so active and I see you on my dashboard all the time and it’s so NICE (probably 90% of the things I reblog are from your blog whoops.) I love reading your tags when you reblog my content and we have similar tastes in shows which is always great! I remember when I was having a rough day and you reblogged some Mark content for me to see... and that was seriously so nice of you and it made me so happy! You’re one of my favourite people and you probably don’t even know about it djsgsfhd happy valentines day!

Wow can’t believe I’m so madly in love with all of you!! And if we’ve never talked... my inbox is always open, let’s be best friends 💕 Hope you all have a great valentines day!

[kveom]

hi! i've seen several blog promo posts and i was wondering if you could suggest some blogs to follow! i'd really appreciate if they're at least 50% carat, 50% anything else~

hello anon!!! i can definitely do that for you!!! i’ve been waiting for this day :’))warning: i’m going to use this as an appreciation post sorry skdhfdkfn

(also i don’t really follow people unless they post at least 50% svt so you should be good!)

@kristian-do, @cheolshu - you probably already know them but it’s not a svt rec list without them, so!!!! they give us updates, gifs, just random things to laugh about (idk, i woke up this morning and saw a post about jeremy) and i honestly think they’re such an integral part of our fandom

@hannies, @juunshua - both make amazing creations but what i love most is that they just always seem to keep it real. love them for it thank u

@hoshees - every!! single!!! creation!!!! is amazing..so smooth and beautiful, especially love the colouring ALWAYS. i have 10x my body weight respect for her

@sooncheolie - loves svt and sooncheol but also provides 90% of my day6 content LMAO and i love belle for it + beautiful gifs and edits

@hearttoshu - jess churns out gifs so fast AND THEY’RE HIGH QUALITY TOO…they literally glow *-*

@pledisanti - nom is soooo sweet and cool and creates such BEAUTIFUL gifs. exhibit a wtf

@17hateblog - always ends up on my rec lists bc TAGS

@jeonghney - wanted 2 cry over their latest jeonghan gifset but also FELLOW SEOKHAN ENTHUSIAST!!!!!!! one of the only ones i know 😭😭

@moonsjun - qarina is super cool and nice and loves junhao a lot a lot!!! also makes smooth af gifs with amazing colouring *-*

time for my treasured list of seok stans (i kno u didn’t say you’re a seok stan but i love my seok mutuals!!!!). all of these ppl are sweet n amazing n funny and they’re the ones who are there to like my ‘SLFJNSDOFNSEOKSFDMIN!!!!!!’ text posts and also scream with me about him getting a part in a musical. they’re sunshiney and have lots of love, just like seok, so ofc i have a soft spot for them :(

@sunnie-dk - i remember going onto amy’s blog for the first time and looking at her tags and thinking ‘wait….i swear…i swear those are my thoughts’. honestly, her tags on dk and dino posts especially are SUCH A MOOD. pls don’t get me started on her edits. she has a style that i love- it’s just so cleaaan and i love the colours and the typography and the shots useddd and i just feel so refreshed when one of her edits comes on my dash!!! if u want an example, this is probably the most iconic one. oh, and she also keeps it real. i hear you asking is this a call out post for amy being so amazing??? yes, yes it is.

@littleight - i said it on her promo post already but carrie loves seokhao a lotttttt and makes beautiful gifs and is so funny!!! (and the whole screaming about seok becoming a musical actor thing- yeah, that’s carrie :(( 💖💖)

@visualteen, @soonseokboos (i’ve always seen you as a seok stan anyway…), @arthurkyeom, @ageekofart - all make amazing gifs and i get so happy seeing them on my dash :((

@vocalunits - loves seok a lot :(( and makes such relatable posts :((( and runs another fave blog of mine @dokyeomlq

ok i still have so many more to rec but i am emotionally drained from writing all that ^ skdfnkjdf so i’m going to list the rest (but if you want me to gush about them, let me know and i’d be happy to oblige!!..in a day or two LMAO)

but for now i’ll say that these are all talented, cool, funny people who i genuinely enjoy seeing on my dash- whether it be with edits/gifs, shitposts or just them talking about nothing (those are my fave posts!!!). they love svt a lot and they’re just good people and i’m comforted by the fact that i’m on this seventeen journey with them, so i hope you will be too!!

@ihavetoomanydistractions, @cafewoozi, @17dad, @verngyu, @chiwoopsie, @softwonwoo, @je0nghans , @joshuahong, @shuuvee

[j2madhatters]

Why Padalecki marriage annoys me - non Tinhat perspective

I can safely say that never before has a marriage annoyed me as much as the Padalecki marriage.  Even the Ackles’ behavior is reasonable.  They don’t kiss and make out public because Jensen is not an exhibitionist sort.  I have never respect PDAs.  In my opinion, it is inappropriate.  But remember, I am not a tinhat so you can draw your own conclusions about why the Ackles don’t “display” their love in public.  There is nothing wrong with theorizing. 

Genevieve, and Jared [when he is in husband mode] just irritate me.  They oversell it.  In the beginning, I thought she was so lucky to have a husband like him.  He is so beautiful.  He’s so sensitive.  He earns well.  He is respected in his field.  Plus he cried on their wedding day.  How beautiful is that?  For years afterwards, he would gush over her during his panels.  At first, I smirked, then I became poker faced, then I became mildly annoyed and then one day [I even remember the panel] it just got too noticeably exhibitionist.  It was the last question.  Timothy Omundson was called on stage, pretending to be the last question.  And he comically fangirled uncontrollably before perching himself on the designated chair.  His question was “who is your favourite guest star, and why is it Timothy Omundsom?’‘  It was a funny question, and Jensen went with it, saying that he was a fan of Omundson’s beard, which caused Robbie to throw a faux hissy fit because he had a beard too, darn it.  But Jensen pointed out that his beard was pathetic because it was short and he couldn’t braid it.  After the laugh fest, Jared gave his answer:  ’'My favorite guest star is Gen, because she’s my wife and the mother of my children”. 

For some reason, that is pissed me right off.  It was a funny question.  It didn’t warrant a serious, gushy husband reply.  Some witless creature made a mistake of pointing this out, in the comment section.  The entire page converged on her.  Even people who had initially agreed with her, backtracked.  I felt angry at this fandom's self-censoring.  I realized she was over loved, not because of any personal merit, but because she married Jared.  They were calling her a queen.  Seriously?  A queen.  For what?  So I went on the internet to see if I was the only weird person who couldn’t detect her monarchical merits. 

That was last year-ish.  How do you think I stumbled onto tinhats.  I like most hats because it seems they don't conform to the politically correct norm of ’'treat the wives like gold’’.  And they don’t ask tinhat questions during panels.  Unlike the leeches who love destiel and Misha Collins.  Jared was becoming too extra when it came to Genevieve.  And I noticed he inserted an obligatory Gen mention at least once, in every single panel.  Even after seven years, he was far too “in love”.  And eventually, instead of being happy for their happiness, I started feel like they were rubbing their domestic bliss in everyone’s face.  “look at what we’ve got, nyah nyah nyah.’'  My polite and genuine [but not over the top] respect for their marriage dissipated.

You know who he reminded me off.  He reminded me of Tom Cruise when he was a guest on Oprah and was over pushing the epic love he had for Katie Holmes, jumping on the couch and fist pumping the air.  That incident, I found humorous and embarrassing.  This was plain irritating.  I noticed he’s slowed down now.  The unnecessary wife mentions sometimes don’t even make an appearance, for which I am thankful.  I wonder why though.  Unless he is telling a story that she is a part of, like the Highway story, he doesn’t mention her anymore.  My non tinhat guess is that he was aware that fans were getting pissed off, especially since, he had mentioned something about her in a panel recently [I don’t remember which one], and someone in the front row said:  We know! 

Another thing I don’t like about this relationship is Genevieve intruding on fan space.  If people are paying bucket loads to see their favorite actor, unless they specifically ask for a guest appearance by the actor’s wife, don’t intrude.  Once, Genevieve appeared on stage, during a J2 panel, to contribute something unnecessary to the story they were recounting.  I think it was the highway story.  Then she made sure she kissed him before leaving, while the crowd watched.  Why?  She added nothing fresh to the story, and couldn’t she wait to leave the stage, to kiss her husband.  She isn’t paying to see her husband.  The fans are.  Don’t take that precious time away from them. 

And I noticed, she usually sits at the side of the stage, overseeing the whole exchange.  As far as I know, Danneel hasn’t done that yet.  Why the need to loom over the proceedings?  Does she love to hear him talk?  That reminds me of the livestream they did, where he was talking and she mouthed ’'blah blah blah’' while making a mocking hand gesture, because apparently he was talking too much.  So obviously Jared’s yammering doesn’t entertain her.  

Then at Jib, she got to join the panel.  I didn’t fault her for attending because apparently the previous year, he had gotten sick and didn’t make the con.  I assumed she was there for moral support.  I am a non hatter so that is my analysis.  You cant of course, explain your perspective.  But that doesn’t mean she needs to be on stage.  For what?  Its not like she did something spectacular whilst there.  Rob, Rich and Jared had to take over the discussion because she was so dull.  Eventually even Jensen joined in, revved the crowd up even further, and left.  One of her fan girls complained that the boys ’'didn’t even let her speak”.  Thank goodness they didn’t.  

She is inserting herself between Jared and the fan, and now people are forced to be enthusiastic about her.  Its so unfair.  It almost seems like Genevieve wants shared custody of the fans.  That is not how fame works.  You earn it.  You don’t inherit it.  I started to get more and more annoyed with being forced, [by all of fandom, I thought] to go crazy over some woman, I could care less for.  She wasn’t impressive as fake Ruby.  And I was not the only one who thought so.  Cassidy was a bland actor, in my humble opinion.  Genevieve was worse. 

The only reason she didn’t fade into oblivion, like all the other female actors, is because she married Jared.  There was a blog called anti-Genevieve on Tumblr, that received a lawyers letter to cease and desist, because of defamation of character.  Its her right to safeguard her reputation, so no problem there, especially if the blog is over malicious without proof or facts.  I did visit the site.  But I don’t remember seeing anything horrible other than her being called a beard.  But it has been a while so maybe I just forgot.  

However,  there is another blog called Supernatural Snark.  Almost the entire blog bashes Jared for everything that comes out of his mouth.  One day, an ask about Jensen’s weird behavior at Jibcon, illicited an odd response from the blogger.  The asker said that Jensen’s breakdown was Misha, Jared and the destiheller’s fault because Misha queerbaits his fans, Jared teases destiel and the fans abused Jensen on Twitter after Jaxcon.  She said Jensen was trying to pacify the fans.  The blogger said that it didn’t make sense for Jensen to wait six months to pacify the fans.  Then she disabled the comment so the asker couldn’t respond.  Of course, even I know he waited six months, because he shares no other panel with Misha.  That’s when I realized that Supernatural Snark is a heller blog. 

How come Genevieve doesn’t send a cease and desist lawyer’s letter to this witch.  I think I know why.  She only looked for anti stuff about herself on the net and that’s how she found this page.  If she was looking for anti Jared blogs, she would have found Supernatural Snark.  The Minute Maid commercial and her words in it were a little incentive.  She said she was making so many sacrifices.  Well missy, bundle up your babies and buzz off to Vancouver.  You husband is not gone off to war.  You are sacrificing nothing. 

She doesn’t seem to care for him.  She doesn’t care about his campaign.  She never tags AFK for anything.  She tags Random Acts, though.  The thing that makes my blood boil, on a personal level, is that she claims that she also suffers from depression.  As a bipolar sufferer myself, the one trend I noticed is that when people are impatient with me, and I point out that I have bipolar disorder, they quickly say that they also suffer from depression, so they don’t look bad.  Since when does she have depression.  Because if she did, she wouldn’t ignore her husband’s campaign that is supposed to help people like her.  Is she sharing in her husband’s sympathy the same way she is sharing his fame? 

She has diehard fans on Instagram.  One of them is Ivana.  Ivana gushily asked Genevieve to sign her name so that Ivana could have it tattooed.  I was surprised.  When did Gen become a rockstar?  Then I realized that Ivana has her own SM page where she says she is ITK and best buds with Genevieve.  So she knows that Jared abuses his wife and neglects his children.  Ivana is a heller.  Her best friend Lua James [@Poptivist on Twitter], led a smear campaign against J2 for the Nolacon joke.  Her followers are the ones that made this problem reach MSM.  And J2 had to apologize, publicly, for nothing.  That is ok, because what Lua and gang were initially hoping for was for separates for the boys' panels, so that Jared wouldn’t be near Jensen.  Genevieve is making herself the whip with which hellers can beat Jared.

And both Ivana and Lua cornered Danneel at one con to tell her how everyone hated her, except them.  That was their snide contribution to tinhat hate.  Danneel signed Poptivist’s SPN magazine, with the caption:  “He is mine, bitches”… something inappropriate like that.  Danneel was wrong for writing that.  I noticed she fights with Jensen’s fans a lot.  Ungracious.  Lua is so toxic that she needs a guard at the cons, supplied by Creation to keep an eye on her.  WTF!!!  I always wondered why she wasn’t just excluded, but I think it’s because she is friends with a Creation staff member who also happens to be Misha’s relative.  And because she is a Misha fan girl, she gets to stay. 

That’s why Misha’s face appears on the main posters with J2, despite him not being a lead.  Because he is related to staff.    The wives have no fans, but I think Genevieve’s ego is in denial.  Her intellect isn’t, which is why Jared’s appears in her vlogs.  He is the deal sealer for her.  One day this pompousness is going to backfire on Gen.  I hope she figures that out one day. 

APOLOGIES FOR ANOTHER LONG POST.  I HOPE YOU DONT MIND.

Thank you for your submission, I’ve always wondered what non-hats make of the OTT parade and the wife stanning.

[granger--danger]

Happy BFSN! 💖 I have to drop this and run because this afternoon is crazy busy, but here’s a quick gratitude post because as long and hellish as this hiatus has been, it’s brought me to meet so many wonderful people and run across tons of incredible blogs throughout this fandom. Forever grateful for all of the love and positivity on my dash each time I log on; it’s been a rough year irl but seeing your faces/posts/creations/etc never fails to make me smile. Love y’all more than you could ever know. ☺️

Won’t get a chance to look at posts until after meetings/labs this evening, but thanks to @sly2o @nightbleeder @carrieeve @endlesslyfangirl-ing @malecbellarke @great-wanheda for tagging me, can’t wait to look at your pictures! 💕 I’ll also tag @the-most-beautiful-broom @blueshirtbell @mieczyslaw-stiles-stilinski @frecklessbellamy @freckldbellamy @ravenfuckinreyes @bellarkyy @clarkeseden @aspeckof-stardust @bellamys-kru @camhumphrey @nvermindiseeyou @vintage-bellarke @as-inevitable-as-morning @griffinnblake @bel-ami-blake (I know I’m missing people, I’m so sorry, my brain is totally scattered right now. You should still do this and tag me so I can share all of my love and gush over your beauty!!!) 

[cmbynreviews]

A boy's own desire in "Call Me by Your Name"

You don't just watch Luca Guadagnino's movies, you swoon into them. His best-known titles, I Am Love and A Bigger Splash, feature beautiful people with impeccable taste experiencing haute-bourgeois life intensely. Passion and drama upend those lives, but what's most striking about these movies is their extraordinary palpable quality. In Mr. Guadagnino's work, passion and drama are expressed in words, deeds and surging music but also in the vibrant, visceral textures that envelop his characters – the cool marble, succulent fruit, shadow and light, sheens of sweat. These are movies that turn your gaze into near-touch, inviting you to see and almost caress their sun-warmed bodies.

Mr. Guadagnino's latest, Call Me by Your Name, is another ravishment of the senses, though this time there's a strong narrative tethering all the churning feelings and sensuous surfaces. Like the 2007 novel by André Aciman on which it's based, the story turns on an affair between Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), a coltish 17-year-old American-Italian, and Oliver (Armie Hammer), an American in his 20s. Elio lives with his father (a tremendous Michael Stuhlbarg) and mother (Amira Casar) in a villa in northern Italy. Each summer the father, a professor of Greco-Roman culture, invites a student to work with him and stay with his family; this year it's Oliver who moves in.

Elio and Oliver's affair begins slowly with each circling the other at a distance, conveying the kind of nonchalance that's a shield for interest. Oliver proves far better at this part of the game; he knows more than to look too long and too hard. Elio's furtive, ducking glances, by contrast, tend to linger, hovering in the air like questions. He's increasingly curious about this new guest, but soon inexplicably (to Elio, at least) irked by him as well, leading Elio to complain to his parents about Oliver's standard signoff ("later"). But when Elio scribbles a private rebuke in a notebook, chastising himself for responding harshly toward Oliver, it's as if he were writing an apologetic love letter.

Mr. Guadagnino is very good at catching the indolent drift of long summer days, with their sleepiness and bared limbs. Everyone seems to move in slow motion at the villa, except perhaps the family's hard-working maid. This languor fits the tempo of Elio and Oliver's relationship, which evolves over meals, drowsy idylls, a little work and a spontaneous piano recital that becomes an overture to seduction. A gifted musician, Elio easily moves from piano to guitar (much as his family shifts from speaking Italian to French to English), talent that makes him seem at one with the villa's miles of bookshelves, its velvet sofas, scattered Oriental rugs and tastefully arranged antiques.

It's an alluring milieu – charming, civilized and perfectly, if a shade too flawlessly, arranged. Here, even a busy breakfast table and the fruit on a tree can seem art directed. Mr. Guadagnino almost can't help making everything look intoxicating, yet he also makes you believe in this family's reality. The grand piano isn't for show and neither are the books or the open affection and respect with which Elio and his parents treat one another. (The movie reminds you how rarely characters read for pleasure, much less listen to classical music.) Call Me by Your Name is set in 1983, so no one is staring into a smartphone. And the time frame means that AIDS doesn't figure in the story, though there's a suggestion that the closet does.

The story primarily unfolds through Elio's point of view. The restless camera tags alongside him, showing you what he sees, his erotic reveries and yearning. And it's Elio who initiates the affair, at least overtly, though Oliver later admits to playing his part in what the story frames as a mutual seduction. Mr. Guadagnino avoids directly engaging the difference in Elio and Oliver's ages, which might have forced him to explore the underside of his sumptuous surfaces to greater, messier effect. Instead, Mr. Guadagnino leans on beauty, as when Elio's father poetically speaks to an increasingly agitated Oliver about the "ageless ambiguity" of some male statues ("as if they're daring you to desire them").

Written by James Ivory (the director of films like Maurice), Call Me by Your Name progresses through evasions and encounters, with Elio advancing, Oliver receding and their circling narrowing. The two don't (can't, won't) always say what they mean. So Mr. Guadagnino speaks for them by eroticizing their world, making desire visible in the luxuriousness of the setting, in the green enveloping the villa, the gushing waters of a pool and the graceful lines of male statues. When Oliver hungrily eats a soft-boiled egg, cracking the shell and causing the yolk to messily spurt, Mr. Guadagnino's lyricism slides into comedy; it's hard to know just how self-mocking the moment is meant to be.

Even so, the lyricism seduces as does fragile, ecstatic Elio. Call Me by Your Name is less a coming-of-age story, a tale of innocence and loss, than one about coming into sensibility. In that way, it is about the creation of a new man who, the story suggests, is liberated by pleasure that doesn't necessarily establish sexual identity. It's important that Elio and Oliver have relationships with women, though for seemingly different reasons: the overheated Elio sleeps with a girlfriend (Esther Garrel), while Oliver carries on a more performative affair with a local (Victoire Du Bois). The women are not treated with much kindness, but these affairs further complicate the movie's vision of pleasure's fluidity.

There are moments when Mr. Guadagnino's visual choices seem unintentionally in competition with the quieter, intricate emotions that his actors put across so movingly. He can be discreet to the point of coyness (bodies sweat but don't necessarily grunt), but it is finally the insistent delicacy and depth of emotion that makes these characters so heart-skippingly tender. The charismatic Mr. Chalamet, Mr. Hammer and Mr. Stuhlbarg – whose brilliant delivery of a tricky speech pierces the heart and, crucially, the movie's lustrous patina – transform beauty into feeling. In one alive, vulnerable and life-altering summer, Elio's desire finds its purpose. He loves, and in loving, he becomes.

MANOHLA DARGIS | THE NEW YORK TIMES | 22 Nov 2017 

[darling-red-blog1]

GETTING  TO  KNOW  THE  MUN :

NICKNAME :   Oompa!  But sometimes I throw my real name out there too -- Meg! FACECLAIM :    No, you can’t have it, it’s mine!  I really don’t use one for myself, honestly! HEIGHT :    5′5″ish? BIRTHDAY :   February 18th! AESTHETIC :  I tend to go for the more neutral and natural themed things, and I tend to keep things gloomy.  I’m all too happy when it rains (and the heavier the better)!  I also tend to go for the abstract or surreal sorts of arts. LAST  SONG  YOU  LISTENED  TO :   Twin Shadow: To the Top.  It’ssogood. FAVORITE  MUSE (S)  YOU’VE  WRITTEN :   I’ve roleplayed a TON of characters through the years -- and I have to say Red is certainly one of them (which I’ll detail in the questions to come).  I also enjoyed roleplaying a very minor character named Serina from a very obscure PS2 RPG known as Magna Carta: Tears of Blood.  I’ve also had my fair share of OC’s, but my favorite of those was a neurotic teenager that flails and bends reality ( and mostly uses that to form weird rubber duckies ) named Emere.  I should revive that character blog because I miss her.

GETTING  TO  KNOW  THE  ACCOUNT :

WHAT  INSPIRED  YOU  TO  TAKE  ON  THIS  MUSE :  When I was recently watching a play-through of Transistor ( which if you haven’t played it, PLEASE DO SOMEDAY ), I noticed that Red takes the role of silent protagonist -- but not in any traditional way.  She calls out for help over social media after she’s attacked, and later shows concern over the safety of people when more issues pop up.  Red does so many little things that makes her so full of personality.  She turns left on the highway when her lover says not to, so they can skip town; no, she wants answers, they’re staying.  When Red leaves her apartment after resting, she locks herself out of it deliberately because she knows she’s not coming back.  She frolics and spins around with the Transistor for no reason, other than the fact that she just can.  Through these actions you, the player, just get to see that she’s a beautiful and varied individual, and she doesn’t even have to say a single word.  And I wanted to try and write that.

WHAT  ARE  YOUR  FAVORITE  ASPECTS  OF  YOUR  CURRENT  MUSE :  Aside from her personality that I just gushed about, I think my favorite part is how she seems to get along with almost everybody.  So far, she’s had great interactions with characters, and because of her, I just can’t get over that damn Monkey x Red ship ( @slave-949, here’s lookin’ at you, boo ).  That and she’s both easy and difficult to roleplay because of her mute aspect from time to time -- it makes me think on how to write actions, body language, expressions, and the like! WHAT’S  YOUR  BIGGEST  INSPIRATION  WHEN  IT  COMES  TO  WRITING :  This is a hard question to answer -- but the easiest answer I can think of is roleplay and just creation in general is what inspires me.  I lay in bed at night, thinking of plot ideas, or hypothetical situations and results in threads, or situations I want to write my characters through someday.  That, and I.  Love.  Collaboration.  And when plans are put into place, I get stupidly excited and sit at the edge of my seat to see how things unfold.

HAVE I TOLD YOU I LOVE ROLEPLAYING?  BECAUSE, BITCHES, I LOVE PLAYING PRETEND.

FAVORITE  TYPES  OF  THREADS :   I’m good with just about any!  However, I have a fondness for romance or dangerous situations that spiral into dealing with heavy injury or having to fight tooth and nail to get out of.  But on the same token, I do enjoy me some supernatural (not the show) or horror themed threads too! BIGGEST  STRUGGLE  IN  REGARDS  TO  YOUR  CURRENT  MUSE :  The biggest struggle that I’ve encountered so far is the fact that Transistor is an indie game that, while it did well, a lot of people still don’t know it.  Which is a shame.  The problem this presents is that not a lot of people know about Red, or her weird freaking sword-boyfriend-situation-thing ( which I tend to leave out, and just say the sword is weird instead ).  As of right now, there’s a few Transistor themed roleplay blogs, but they’ve been abandoned for at least a year -- which means threads based on the game are gonna be low in number, and it’s gonna be a bunch of crossovers for me.

That’s okay.  This chick loves crossovers of all kinds.

TAGGED  BY : @ameasureofpower [ Thank you for the tag! ] TAGGING : @positronicminds, @ancientofaeons, @fated-fateless, @byetiye

[jokertrap-ran]

(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Main Story Chapter 1-3: 命运的拐点 Destiny’s Turning Point Translation [3rd Beta Test]

*Light and Night Master-list is under WIP *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Game is slated for release this summer! (Estimated to be 8/8/21) *Beta Test’s main story tag will be #Dreams of Light and Night

Police: Name?

Cindy: My name's Cindy. My earrings are gone! I've spent an entire week on them. Please, you must help me find them!

The girl who was desperate to the brink of tears was none other than Cindy, the oldest contestant amongst us all.

Half an hour ago, Cindy had suggested reporting this to the police seeing as how many of the designers had their accessories go missing. Now, she was the first one to undergo questioning by the police.

Police: Earrings, you say? Alright, I've noted it down. Has anyone else lost anything?

Designer A: Me. I lost an Emerald hairpin.

Designer B: My pearl necklace is gone too.

MC: I'm (Y/n), my brooch has also gone missing.

Police: I've gotten the gist of the situation here. All of your items were found lost after less than half an hour after having been left here.

Police: My colleague went to check the surveillance tapes. There was no one suspicious who entered and left the room during that time frame.

Cindy: How can that be...

Police: But there are blind spots where the surveillance cameras cannot reach. Plus, things don't simply disappear for no reason at all.

Police: So, I'm asking everyone to think carefully about it again. Did any of you see anyone who was acting suspicious?

MC: A suspicious looking person…

The image of the figure dressed in black and wearing a mask flashed into my mind along with his skull pendant and flickering silver chains.

MC: I saw someone that I didn't recognize walk out of the room, but I thought that he was a model…

MC: But now that I think about it, no model would come here.

Police: What did this person look like?

MC: He’s very tall and looks to be around 185cm. He wasn’t wearing a staff uniform. 

Police: Can you give me a detailed description of his appearance and how he was dressed?

I nodded, trying my hardest to remember what I’d seen in that split-second.

MC: I couldn’t make out his features since he wore a black mask, but I remember his clothes…!

MC: He wore a black leather jacket paired with light grey jeans and a pair of studded boots.

MC: He had a long silver necklace with a skull pendant hanging from it along with a few silver chains hanging from his waist.

MC: His countenance is hard to describe. He appears to give off a very mysterious vibe, but honestly, the design of the pants he wore needs to be optimized...

I continued prattling on, unaware of how the policeman who’d been recording my descriptions down stopped short.

Police: Optimized?

Suddenly realizing what I'd just said, my face flushed in embarrassment.

MC: Sorry, but that's pretty much all I saw…

Police: Alright. We'll look further into the matter with this information.

Police: However, considering the large number of people here, the vastness of the venue and the small number of missing items, it’ll be quite difficult to find them.

Police: You'd best be prepared.

Everyone lapsed into collective silence after the police left. The solemness of the atmosphere in here was tangible, like a heavy cloud that hung over all of our heads.

Cindy had already succumbed to despair. She silently squatted down; head buried into the crook of her arm.

★Night Choice: Settle your own problems (Didn't select)

☆Light Choice: Comfort Her

I walked up to her, gently patting her back.

MC: Don't worry, I'm sure the police will be able to help us all find our missing accessories.

Cindy: You guys are all young and talented… you'll have other ways to spring back if you fail here, so of course you wouldn't be too worried about it… but such a thing doesn't exist for me…

Her soft voice was distorted by her sniffling, so much that I could barely distinguish what she was trying to say between sobs.

I'd overheard the others talking about her before. Cindy was originally a white-collar worker who'd eventually resigned and got a loan to study design overseas. It was a do-or-die situation for her, in a way.

I didn't know what I should say to comfort her, for everything I say right now would only pale in comparison to what she was going through. All I could do was to gently pat her back.

Cindy: Why did this have to happen now…? It took me such painstaking efforts to get this far…

All the doom and gloom that she exuded was contagious, and I soon felt my heart drop along with her worsening mood.

???: What are you crying about?

No one actually expected Wu Yue, of all people, to be saying something this harsh. She strode out of the crowd under everyone's surprised gazes, walking in front of Cindy and pulling her back upright. Her expression was a tad savage.

Wu Yue: If you don't want to let all your previous effort go to waste, then you'd jolly well shut your trap and redo it. Do you really think it was all so easy for everyone to get this far!

Wu Yue: Those who whinge and always feel sorry for themselves but do nothing to fix it will never succeed.

This was the first time I've ever heard her speak off-stage.

I couldn't help but to be surprised at the look of dead seriousness on her face.

MC: There's still another 3 days before the competition, so let's hurry and start re-doing what we've lost.

Gao Cheng: I... I can help everyone fetch the materials they need. You can also ask me for help if any of you need an extra hand...

Designer A: I've already long since wanted to change my hairpin design! I'm sure the new one this time will turn out a hundred times better! You guys better watch out!

More contestants started inputting, and the gloomy atmosphere soon dissipated. Cindy had also stopped crying, vigorously rubbing at her eyes.

Cindy: You guys are right. I cannot give up here…

Despite all of us not knowing what results awaited us 3 days later, and despite all of us being fellow competitors, we were all teammates now, working hard with the same goal in mind.

After getting our moods in check, everyone returned to their own working space, making the best out of the remaining time left to continue with their respective creations.

❖☆———————————★❖

The hands on the clock had already moved past the 8 PM mark by the time if gotten up for a good stretch.

MC: The gown's pretty much good to go, and I've also finished drawing out the new brooch design. Everything's turning out pretty well~

Gao Cheng: Your design's inspired by the starry skies, right? It's really pretty…

Gao Cheng's faze lingered on the draft of my design for a while before he seemingly snapped out of it. He raised his head, frantically waving his hands in front of him with a flustered look on his face.

Gao Cheng: S-Sorry, it wasn't my intention to peek at your design. I just happened to get attracted to it when I walked past…

MC: Don't worry about it, you came at a great time. Could you tell me what you think about it?

Gao Cheng: Is the brooch meant to represent the brightest star in the sky?

MC: Yup, it represents the north star.

Gao Cheng: But Polaris isn't actually all that bright. It shines at 2nd magnitude, so you can use a darker gemstone to represent it.

It was as if he were an entirely different person when it came to the topic of stars. He gushed enthusiastically about it with unrivalled passion and seriousness.

Gao Cheng: Ah, I just like astronomy, so I know about it a little more than others. Please don't get mad at me... 

MC: Why would I be mad? I'm actually extremely thankful for your input!

I'd previously searched up pictures of the starry sky up on the internet to use as reference pictures, but what Gao Cheng said reminded me once again that even though the pictures captured by a camera's lens turn out beautiful, it still isn't as real as the real thing.

Nothing beats seeing it with your own eyes and ascertaining it for yourself after all.

MC: Maybe I should go up to the rooftop and check the stars out.

❖☆———————————★❖

The cold air of the night greets me as I push open the doors to the rooftop. The vast night sky was spread out before my eyes, the many little red dots beneath it denoting lights of the thousands of households below.

I held onto the railing with both hands raising my head to inhale deeply.

It was then that my phone rang to life as messages from An'an came pouring in one line after another.

An'an (SMS): I've gotten my hands on the guest list!

An'an (SMS): You won't believe how elaborate this guest line-up is! Osborn's actually coming, you know!? His club's going to be collaborating with the Warson Group!

MC: ...Osborn?

An'an (SMS): Please tell me you still remember him. I've shown you a picture of him before! He's my favourite R1 racer who has won 4 consecutive championships!

I hadn't yet had the chance to truly think back on it when I suddenly heard a faint noise. It was the familiar sound of metallic chains clinking against each other.

There had been no one here when I came up to the rooftop.

My heart leapt to my throat as I unwittingly headed towards the direction of the sound.

There was someone hidden within the shadows, standing silently in one of the corners where the moonlight never reached.

Seemingly having noticed my gaze, the person moved forwards, stepping out of the shadows.

❖☆———————————★❖

I finally managed to vaguely make out his appearance. He was tall and intimidating even from a distance away. He wore a black jacket across his shoulders, the moonlight glinting off the skull necklace that rested upon his chest.

MC: That's the guy I saw back in the corridor!

I hadn't yet recovered from the initial surprise of seeing him here when I suddenly noticed that he was holding a red earring between his fingers.

Cindy's Earrings! So, he really WAS the thief!

The clouds blocked off the moonlight, darkening the skies as my heart raced, pounding loudly in my ears. Did I interrupt him in the middle of something? Am I going to be "silenced"?

All hesitation flew out the window the moment my thoughts stopped there. I immediately turned and made a dash for the exit.

However, just as I was about to pull the door open and make my escape, a well-defined hand pressed against the door, blocking off my escape.

??: And just where are you running off to now?

❖☆————— ⊹ Dreams of Light & Night⊹ —————★❖

Previous Part: (Chapter 1-1) | Next Part: (Chapter 1-5)

[cerealmonster15]

3, 6, and 8 for the artist ask!!!

3 answered here!

6. tag your favorite artists/inspirations!

hell yes i love an excuse to gush over friends and mutuals and people i admire that i’ve never spoken to outside of leaving tags in their posts, he l l o :

@gdipalomo first of all, loving wonderful friend and extremely talented individual!! her art fascinates me with how much detail goes into every piece, and especially the backgrounds- those are GOALS. i love how everything she makes has depth and looks like it’s had a great amount of time and care put into it all. shes also incredibly supportive towards me about my life and my art and i adore her c’:

im counting writing as art and my pal @kidzbopmallcop is excellent at writing The Fanfics and does a good job with staying close to characterization and making sure each aspect of the story is well thought out and considered when putting it together. VERY COOL and shes a GREAT BUD

@mercuryblacksleg is so talented and lovely and has the best design ideas for characters!!!! he draws the cutest tiny old man sarge and merle,,, his red team art is a+ and also hes a great friend and i love him

@fandomescapades keeps making me  CRY every damned time they post things, omfg. such a beautiful art style- i looove how they draw facial expressions and faces in general. their use of color is also just absolutely gorgeous and i want to stare at each art post for like 50 years….

@artsyorangeykay has really cool au ideas and draws them out beautifully!!!! they have a cool art style that reminds me of a cartoony kind of comic book, and they have lovely and well thought out looking character designs for their facecanons of rvb characters, and i love seeing the little comics they make  to fit aus or people’s prompts!! their passion for their aus and how excited they get when people are talkin about the mermaid au with them is so refreshing and it’s always nice seeing new art from them. 

@happyfunballxd has the CUTEST style of chibis. sometimes i remember their rvb baby au and i just. cry. the only thing cuter than chibis is baby chibis. then i remember their taz babies and i cry even more because THIER DRAWINGS OF BABY ANGO IS THE CUTEST THING YOU’LL EVER LAY EYES ON. i aspire to be that good at drawing cuties one day

@peteor is another bro who’s art style reminds me of cartoony comics and i love it! he draws great facial expressions, especially on babies. have you ever seen his grumpy baby drawings??? if not, youre missin out, bud. theyre seriously the best pudgey pouts and it’s absolutely beautiful

@cyborg-sabi has SUCH a cute art style with like, such soft wonderful features on everyone they draw. they have one of those art styles that feels safe and comforting to look at and makes me feel at home to see?? i cant really explain why, but i really like it

surprise another fic one but @mistevieous has such good writing and explores less popular characters and pairings in their works sometimes, and always inspires me to write more and work harder on what i’m doing when i read their stuff

and speaking of fics, @comefeedtherainn has the power to giveth and also taketh away, holy shit. they write characterization SO WELL it practically feels canon. there’s funny parts, sweet fluffy parts, and absolutely heart wrenching feelings-destruction angst. i still like to go back and reread certain doc/donut and church/donut stuff they’ve done, and every time i’m filled with so many good feelings. the angst hits right where it hurts, tho, so don’t let the fluffier ones fool you: they are powerful with writing fics and you have been Warned.

@amvial is such a wonderful delight of a human and always has such a gorgeous unique art style. i feel like every piece they draw is better than the last and i cri seeing their fun ideas put to picture. they also have a really unique way of working with color that works SO WELL and i want to learn the Secrets bc everything they make is absolutely mesmerizing and fills me with those Good Feelings

@washingtonsthrussy i still want to duel them for changing their url to that, bUT theyre still an excellent artist with a crisp beautiful art style. i love how they draw faces  [especially them noses?? i love the noses. so cute] and i always wanna ruffle the hair of whoever they draw bc it looks so soft and Good

 @epsilon-washington has SUCH  a cute and wonderful art style that is always getting better and that ever increasing skill still AMAZES me !! it’s unique and so pleasing to look at- they have a good strong use of color and draw faces and heads overall really well, like i’m always re looking back at their art bc i cant stop staring at how skilled they are at drawing people’s faces and make everyone look so GOOD!!! i wanna learn that kind of skill ;0

@docdufresne scares me with how fuckin incredible they are at painting that goddamed halo armor and making it look so flawless, and even prettier than it does in the show?? beautiful use of colors and lighting, makin things look shiny and lively. and i LOVE how they draw faces too?? everyone is so cute in the little cartoon-esque doodles, and then the more realistic looking paintings just blow my mind.

@captainkonot HBHGBHBGHBH every time i read their blog title i wanna jam out to rocky horror lmfao. but omg anyway the art!! THE COMICS!!!! THE COMICS MAKE ME SCREAM theyre so fucking funny and good and creative and FUN TO READ i die. especially their rvb art omfg, i love love absolutely everything, the characters are so dynamic and expressive and full of life and personality and love and i ADORE IT!!!!!! looking through their drawings always makes me wanna go draw something and work on my techniques more bc im just so amazed at what they can do and how happy they make other people / me feel with their art. i wanna get to that level where i’m also inspiring people and making people happy like how their stuff makes me feel!! it’s an amazing feeling and i feel like there’s really some thing special with that kind of art! every so often i remember their drawings of caboose trying to hug sarge and felix and i DIE theyre the best things ever. also they make really cool original art here and there that’s always interesting to see!! it’s all very good and fun. go to their blog. experience the magic. 

jfjjbjgjb a lot of people that inspire me are mutuals and/or friends lolol but there are also a ton i admire from afar

@papanorth also has like, phenomenal really interesting au snippets!! i’ve been super into that gym teacher wash au bc, as i’ve said, i LOVE au with kiddos bein kiddos. i love their art style, ranging from cute cartoony doodles to like, absolutely gorgeous paintings (do u call it painting if it’s digital? it looks like a painting.. imma call it a painting lol) with like, stunning use of colors and lighting that fills me with all kinds of emotions. im super inspired by their technical skill with how well they can draw people at an extensive range of emotions and have such like,,, Great Detail with facial features and anatomy and all that fun stuff. theyre very creative and filled with so many cool ideas, it’s awesome.

@toastyhat , ,, oh my god how could i almost forget toastyhat???? one of my absolute Favorite artsts like, EVER. p sure i followed them back in the homestuck days and was SO EXCITED when i’d gotten into rvb ~2 years ago to see that they were into that too. they draw for a lot of things i’m not familiar with but i always love seeing it anyway bc holy shit that SKILL is UNREAL. this is another one of the cases of “i love everything about how they draw faces and heads in general and i want to absorb this artwork through my face i cant stop staring at it” kind of scenarios. it’s beautiful and like, top level aspiration art goals, hoo boy. they also have really helpful advice tags and posts that i’ve gone creepin thru a few times and just, i love their blog, you guys.

i’ve been taken with @randomdraggon ‘s art since i got into rvb and found their wonderful donut/lopez art. SO GOOD to see such STELLAR ART for my FAVE RED BOYS and such a rare pair ;w; they have incredibly unique and GORGEOUS facecanons for donut and lopez and many others, and it’s cool seeing their overwatch art too. i’ve seen people using their 3D models for rvb animations, and as someone who’s finally started 3D modeling/animation classes in college, i’ve found that really cool and inspiring to see such neato burrito creations like that. i’m so mesmerized with their cool and creative art style and i dream of being half that creative and skilled one day.

i think @powerfulpomegranate drew a picture of like, a super strechy simmons and squash grif and it was like, the best thing i’d ever seen i laughed so much. they’re yet another person that absolutely astounds me with what a wide range of amazing skill they have with like, cartoony yet beautifully done doodles, to like, incredibley detailed digital paintings. i LOVE the wild facial expressions they can draw sometimes, and there’s also like, this soft sweet gif of animation they did once of tucker in the car with i think wash, caboose, and maybe junior was there? like, drivin late at night with a light flashing by and it was just. it was so gorgeous, yall.  every time i stumble upon it i stare at it so long thinking about how every aspect of that was put together and how much time it must’ve taken, even for just a few seconds. it’s so soft and calming and comforting to watch, so Peaceful and beautiful. i love it and i love their art…also im pretty sure theyre the person who’s FC of smith made me think of gordon from thomas the tank engine and i’ve literally never been able to forget that LOL (it’s really good tho) (i love it)

okokok i think i should stop here bc im sure there are like 5000 people i could think of, but i went with the ones i see most often and think about a lot, but i assure yall i know of SO MANY MORE talented people and these are just the first billion of wonderful beautiful super skilled individuals that come to mind.

…anyway. other question.

8. show us at least 2-3 drawings from 1-2 years ago.

…CRIES. CRIIIEEESSSSS oh my god lol. i’m glad my older sketchbooks are at home bc there are some MESSY MESSES in there but heyooo, i can show you the firstish digital drawing i did of donut (like, when i first tried drawing with a tablet) from 2 years ago next month, and then the redraw i did a year later 

oct 23, 2015, about a month into me finding rvb

and the alt version, hnk-

[fuckin weeps oh my god] [im so sorry]

then the next year, sept 14 2016 [the one year anniversary of me starting rvb]

hes not great but hes a hell of a lot better lmfao. part of it was finding a sharp pen tool in medibang/firealpaca, but also i just needed to Learn lmfao

and yknow. i was gonna wait a little more before redrawing this but since the hurricane may come and wreck our shit i might as well REDRAW HIM RIGHT NOOWWWW [sept 5, 2017]

i still have ages to go but im GETTING THEEERREE [im gonna make a separate post bc IMPROVEMENT]

lol sorry for such a long reply omfg, but thank u for asking!!

[x]