#and mental health wise it has helped to be off the dang thing tbh

[aerialaim]

So, if you don’t follow my modblog, I was forced off a med bc my doc wouldn’t renew it unless I came in to pay $300 for a 5min talk and the withdrawals are worse than anticipated. Kinda have random major panic attacks, like owie in the chest my heart is beating so fast kinda ones, and nearly blacking out in the middle of a store, so I’ve been mostly lying down.

I got a commission to do, then I may do a nice reblog/flashback week so I can find a new doc and relax. Nearly a full year of posting new content everyday? I think I need a wee break. I deserve a lil lie down. A nap week if you will.

[thunderheadfred]

Fanfiction Writers Appreciation Day!

TBH I’m just about the flakiest, most inconsistent reader imaginable. As a result, this is going to be a ramshackle and likely incomplete list of writers I admire and appreciate in the Mass Effect fandom, so please please don’t feel neglected/ignored if I didn’t include you - it probably means I’ve got your work on my to-read list, which is… hahaaaa haaaa way too long for comfort right now.

Anyway, in no particular order, here are some peeps whose work (along with their presence in the fandom) has really impacted me… whoooooop:

@theherocomplex - not only are her fics some of the best Shakarian treats anyone could ask for, but the woman herself is a fandom class act, and she has single-handedly done more to support other writers in this fandom than like… anybody else I’ve personally come across. Particularly in the Shakarian corner, which can get so competitive and crazy sometimes, Bee is a positive force and a wonderful friend. Her creativity sprints are pure gold, and she’s a gem gleaming in a sunbeam of her own making; go watch her twinkle, people.

@meggannn - extremely talented, wise beyond her years, and so very obsessed with meta. My chronic mental state ever since meeting her: “I need to read more of her fics ASAP” because every word I’ve read is aces, no joke. Also, if anybody needs somebody to shake up and challenge their fandom biases and preconceptions, read meggann’s work or take a long, self-critical look at her meta posts. When it comes to critical thinking, she’s your gal.

@tarysande - okay. it’s admittedly been a while since I’ve read her fics (and when I DID I was a silent lurker and never left comments) but even so, things like Any Four Walls have always stuck with me. I’ve torn through her writing advice asks and blog posts more than I care to admit, finding lots of resources for improving and thinking about writing more critically. Besides that, she’s one of the most generous, kind-hearted people out there (like a secret big sister in my mind ha haaaa that’s not creepy of me to think at all). But witnessing the way she is constantly helping and encouraging other writers has made me want to be a more positive person, and has (no joke) helped me to make a lot of the positive mental health steps I’ve made this last year - even if I was too shy to tell her that until now… HAHA! Secret’s out!? Plus, it’s largely thanks to tarysande’s advice that I got off my duff and found some part-time work for myself. So I mean, like, she was already cool at that point, but dang. Extra credit much?

@damalur - I think every sentence this woman has ever written is worthy of publication. I have no idea how she does it. Literally, throw a dart at her AO3 page and read anything it lands on. I promise it’ll not only be good, it’ll be unlike anything else you’ve ever read in a fanfic. I vacillate between wild, ravenous reading binges and being so green-eyed with envy that I can’t even look in the same direction as damalur’s writing - it’s just that good.

@orangeflavoryawp - I love all the risks she takes, all the vicious poetic leaps she is willing to make in her many and varied works. She explores so many pairings, so many feelings. And I do mean she explores, bringing to mind this sexy, adventurous, machete-wielding Indiana Jones of fanfic. We’re lucky to have someone who reminds us that writing can be this lovely, lovely experiment, and she always reminds me how much writing can be valued for its own sake. Thank you.

@yourlocalpriestess - it’s been a joy to watch her grow as a writer, and her constant cheerleading of others in the fandom is downright gorgeous to see. Her character-limit-shattering comments on my stories have been enough to make me cry buckets, and I know I’m far from alone there; she spreads positivity like fairy dust. She is - hands down - one of the nicest and most positive people I’ve ever come across, and not only in fandom, but just like… on the planet. She’s like a real-life Usagi Tsukino, and I just need to thank her for existing.