#and the question is should I spam here or just give up and create/-or join a sideblog

[obriy]

[genericpuff]

Okay, seriously though, let's talk about what I'm gonna be doing here for the next four months !

Fortunately, this hiatus is coming right at the end of my convention season, so I'm not gonna have as many distractions going on until next year >:3 (unless I get in on Hal-Con or HubCity but currently on the waiting list for both so for now it's a no). And boy howdy, I've got stuff planned.

First of all, Rekindled updates and streams should be more consistent now! ("should" as in I will be trying my best, not just for your sake but for mine as well). Rekindled will continue to update at 8:45 PM EST on Saturdays. If you're not in on my streaming channel yet, go check it out here and give it a follow if you want to be notified of when I go live! I'm usually working on the next episode so it's a fun way to sneak in some previews of what's to come!

Second, in case you were worried about me overdoing it, I now have an assistant! @banshriek is now lending their skills to Rekindled, I'm very excited to be working with them! Here's a lil' preview of what's to come in case you want to know what that looks like:

It's definitely a bit of an adjustment, but we're already learning plenty from one another, so I'm confident it's gonna be a worthwhile team-up! The art quality should not be negatively affected by this in the slightest - rather, I'm aiming to see the art evolve even further with both our efforts combined <3

Third, I'm planning on returning to regularly working on Time Gate, which is part of what will make Banshriek's contributions so helpful. I've been on hiatus with it for several months now, and it's time I get back on my feet with it. If you want to read it, you can check out the landing page here which will get you started! This is my actual main project that I've been working on for over a decade, much of what I've done with it over the years has laid the foundation to make Rekindled possible. So please go give it a read if you'd like, I could use all the support on it right now to help motivate me back into it :' ) (just note that it's a lot more violent than Rekindled currently is!)

That's pretty much it! I do have a loooooot of asks sitting in my inbox rn so I'm gonna try to get to those over the course of the next couple weeks. If I don't get to yours, please feel free to ask again to bump your question closer to the top, just don't spam haha

If you haven't joined the Rekindled Discord yet, please do so! Come say hi and join in on the discussion <3 (don't mind it if you get kicked, the link is temporary membership so you have to accept a role to stay in, it's for bot protection ! )

Finally, thank you all so much for your support over the past year. It's been an amazing time creating this stuff for you, from Rekindled to the essays to the edits. I never imagined that when I started this account it would turn into this. I started out with glow edits, and now here we are - and I couldn't have done it without all your support :' )

Let's have a great summer (｡･∀･)ﾉﾞ

[obsidiannebula]

but when I put my work out there no one gives a shit. even the AI gets more of a reaction out of others, even if its purely negative. admit it, people only started to pretend to care about smaller artists and writers to stick it to the AI techbros

You're experiencing something that every creative on the planet has been struggling with since forever: the crushing disappointment of "I worked really hard on this but nobody even seems to notice it."

We've all been there. It sucks. We tend to feel a need for recognition and validation when we do or make something. Just about every artist or writer on here has experienced that disappointment, and wondered in despair if it's even worth continuing to make and post the things they make. After all, why put in all that effort to make something and share it, when nobody seems to care? Why keep investing so much into something you love, only to share it and find that no one else appreciates it like you do?

Well, if you've been in creative circles for a while, you've actually probably seen some answers to this question. See, we HAVE cared about our fellow small creators since long before """AI""" was really a concern. For years we've been making and sharing posts to help and uplift each other. We've told each other, don't create with the hope of getting fame and adulation, or you'll almost certainly be disappointed. We've told each other, create for your friends, for the 3 people who are as deeply invested in your rarepair or niche fandom as you are, create for yourself, create for the joy of creation. We've spread posts reminding people that a like is nice, but if you really enjoy someone's art, it helps the creator much more to reblog it, because it increases the work's visibility and reach. We have encouraged people to commission artists- and we have actually done so! See my little icon in the corner there? I commissioned that from a friend, who is a small artist themself. (@oriathura here and on the website formerly known as Twitter, in case anyone would like to commission them!)

The creative community has been supporting each other for a long time, whether you were aware of it or not. I've been on Tumblr since 2017, and have been following artists and writers that whole time, and began posting my own art and writing soon after joining. I have seen thousands of posts of the sort I described, trying to help motivate, reassure and uplift other creators. I have seen friends and mutuals get discouraged by the lack of response to their art, and wonder if they should give up. I have seen them carry on anyway, and I have seen them grow and develop as artists. I have posted my own work and gotten silence in response, and I have persisted anyway and continued to improve my craft and make work that I am proud of, regardless of how many people saw it or validated me through praise.

Because I wanted something to exist, and I made it exist, and I deserve to be proud of that. No matter how many people saw it or liked it.

You didn't ask for advice, but I'm going to offer some, and you and any other creatives reading this can take it or leave it, as you like:

*Find community. Follow some creative people, maybe acquire some creative mutuals. Join a Discord server for artists and/or writers. Get involved with a small group of fellow creators and hype each other up!

*Learn how to tag your posts. Don't spam a bunch of unrelated tags, of course, but learn how to add plenty of relevant ones. Lots of people follow tags for characters, fandoms, and even the "my writing" and "fiction" tags- I know I do. That will put your post on the dash of some people who are following those tags. The more people who see it, the more likely it is to reach the people who will enjoy it- because no matter the subject or even quality of the work, there IS an audience for it. Following and posting in these tags may even help you find community!

*Make something with no intention of ever sharing it. If you love to create but find yourself discouraged and frustrated by a lack of positive response when you share your work, make something just for yourself and keep it to yourself. Learn to appreciate creation for creation's sake, for the joy you can bring yourself. If you're feeling really bold, make something and then destroy it. Rip it up, burn it, hit delete. Art is valuable even when it is fleeting.

*Create for an event. One of the best things that ever happened to my writing was participating in TAZ Pride Week 2018. I wrote a new fic every day for 8 days, pushing the limits of my creativity and writing skill. I tagged each work with the event tag, allowing others to find it and the organizer to reblog it to the event blog, which lots of people were following. Many people saw and enjoyed my work as a result. I saw the work of numerous others and was inspired. I even gained my first artsy mutual (aside from my irl friends) because of this event, so this can also help you with building community! People organize art and writing events all the time, especially for fandoms. Seek these out and see how you can get involved!

Sometimes, creating can feel like thankless work. But that doesn't mean it has no value. If it meant something to you, it was important. And it may become important to someone else one day. Some of my works that flopped hardest on publication are the ones that still get the occasional note or AO3 comment here and there months and years later, because they appealed to very few people, but those few people are very excited on the rare occasion they find something that scratches the particular itch they have!

When I was in 7th grade, we read Summer of My German Soldier. I don't know that I'd recommend the book to anyone else; in truth I don't remember much from it, aside from the main character getting a bad perm. But one quote from that book has stuck with me my whole life. It led to me the understanding of creation as a powerful, almost sacred act, regardless of how many people view it. For "there is more nobility in building a chicken coop than in destroying a cathedral."

[squidcourse]

so what are some good system servers that arent like publicly on disboard cause those always get raided. even public ones on tumblr arent that bad w raiding .

I'm not in a lot of system server tbh other than this one which isn't super active. Most of the servers I am on have PluralKit and are accepting of systems, but I'm in a lot more transgender or agere focused servers than system servers.

Also yeah, some servers are just so awful with raids cause a lot of people don't seem to understand how discord works. It is fine if you're just with your friends or whatever, that is one thing. However you basically have to set up some kind of verification system if you have a publicly available way for people to join.

I cannot count the number of times that I have joined a server with the worst possible layout and then seen it get raided. At some point, I just right off the bat go to the suggestions channel (or general if they don't have anywhere to suggest stuff) and point out various things that gotta be updated and how to fix that. I cannot count how many times people have given me admin perms and I just set up or fixed the server. Even if I don't stay on it, I'll usually just fix it up so that there's not raids.

First of all, there is ability to mention all roles. For some reason, Discord usually has this enabled as default, and when you create new roles usually, all new roles copy default permissions. So before you create roles, you have to disable that so that you don't have spammers pinging everyone.

Then, you don't want new users to have access to all channels immediately. The best way to do this is to have all categories and channels set so that you cannot view those channels unless you have a certain role (most people just call it 'verified' but you can call it whatever). The only channels that should be visible without a role is like a channel explaining the rules, or a channel where users can get verified. That is it. Users who have not joined don't need access to anything else (unless you have some other channels with other like informational content, but as always, remember to be able to disable send message perms in channels where its just for reference such as rules or announcements or a role selection channel).

Usually for verification, people will have some questions available to be answered. Doesn't have to be too complicated. A troll will usually not bother to answer the questions, or if they do answer the questions, they will give bad answers. (For example, I run some trans-only servers, and sometimes people will join and not seem to understand what the term means. Occasionally, it is someone who is just confused, but usually if you ask them to clarify, the person with the weird answers is going to end up being a troll. There is some nuance to it but after a while on discord, you start to notice patterns in how trolls will act which is its whole other can of worms. At bare minimum, keep an extra eye on newly-created accounts.)

If you have a channel where you can select roles (this would be done through a bot, but I'm not here to explain every individual bot you can use on Discord that can be used for members to select roles without admin perms) make sure that if unverified users can access it, they cannot select roles which give them permission to see and/or type in other channels. Either put those roles in another channel (like a #more-roles channel or whatever) or go configure the bot that you are using so that you cannot select those roles unless you have the "verified" role. Most bots have a way you can do this. A lot of servers put venting channels behind a role for people who don't want to see it, but make it so that unverified users can access those channels. Bad idea. Trolls will often select as many roles as possible and just click on all those emojis. This is both just to be annoying and just in case any of those roles unlock a channel for them to spam before anyone notices. The worst is if those are sensitive channels, so make sure you have it set it up properly. Also, keep an eye on users who have a lot of conflicting roles. A lot of servers have role options for like "you can dm me" or "ask to dm me" or "do not dm me" so people can select their preferences, and if you see someone who is not yet verified with all of them, usually that ends up being a troll. Or just someone confused by Discord. Its not 100% a way to tell, but its like a symptom. Is this person coughing from a bong hit or covid? Gotta check the temperature and see what else happens.

Ok what else is there. Lemmie see what I got so far.

Disable the ability for anyone but the mods to mention @ everyone

Restrict "see channel" and "send message" permissions as appropriate

Set up some kind of verification with simple questions relevant to the server (ex. where did you find the server? why are you joining? how old are you? are you part of x that is exclusive to the community this server is creating? whatever)

Be careful with role selection abilities.

Oh yeah, if you are using PluralKit on your server or have it available, the @ everyone permission has to have the ability to use external emotes enabled cause otherwise PluralKit users with nitro will not be able to use nitro when they proxy, even if @ verified is able to do so.

I would recommend using some kind of ticket bot for moderation if you're gonna have a big server. Its not that hard to set up, you just use the dashboard. Also a bot that logs various stuff so you can have that for reference. Just make those channels for logging mods-only and mute them until you need them. And something for automoderation and roles and shit or whatever.

Plus when you make your categories, don't name them something too stupid. You want people do find them. Don't use fucking aesthetic symbols as category names cause then you can't find shit. If you have emojis, fucking name them something. If you got your emojis off of emojis.gg or whatever, I swear if you do not rename them, and your server has a bunch of emojis with random numbers in the name, that is so annoying that will never not annoy me please stop with that. Keep it screenreader friendly or at least helpful to navigate.

I'm not currently on any servers that get raided cause I mostly have my own servers and I don't stay on servers without some kind of verification system cause that's a headache to deal with. Like just set up verification, I don't want my phone blown up by some default profile troll spamming slurs and pinging everyone. A lot of my servers I'm just on for emojis cause I'm a nitro slut.

Anyways I hope that was helpful or something.

[911reversebang]

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Reverse Bang?

In a typical fandom big-bang fic is written first and then art is created for the fic.  In a Reverse Bang, the art is created first and the fic then created for the art.  Creators will have up to six months (depending on when they sign up) to create any of the accepted forms of art for fic to be written from!  Once matched, writers will have three months to work with their artists to create a fic with a minimum word count of 5K.

I’m signed up as an artist/creator. Can I create more than one work?

YES! We would love to see people create multiple works! At this time, we’re asking that people limit themselves to four (4) creations. This is partially to make sure we have enough writers to give all our our creators someone to write fic for, and also so you don’t burn yourself out trying to make a bunch of things.

What if I need to drop out? What should I do?

With events like this that last over multiple months, it’s entirely understandable that life circumstances may change between when you signed up and partway through the Bang. This is totally fine, we understand! That being said, out of fairness to your creative partner (whether you’re a creator or an author), the mods ask that you let us know as soon as you determine that you won’t be able to participate any longer. There are no repercussions for dropping out, we just need to know so we can reach out to our pinch hitters with as much time as we can possibly give them.

What is a pinch hitter?

A pinch hitter is someone who volunteers to be a last minute substitute. As excited as people can be to participate in a Bang, sometimes life gets in the way leaving people unable to finish their work. So when someone who initially signed up has to drop out, a pinch hitter is saying that they’re willing to take that person’s place and create/write something with less time than everyone else. This way artists still have fics written based on their works, and fic writers will have completed art pieces if the artist they were working with has to leave.

Do I need to join the Reverse Bang Discord to participate?

Short answer: yes.

We understand that people may not want to learn a new platform, or perhaps you’re already involved in too many servers and don’t want to deal with another one.

That being said, we’ve decided that it’s best for everyone, participants and mods alike, to have centralized communication so we can better inform on updates and reach out to folks. We promise not to spam you with info there; you’ll only ever receive notifications from us for important event info.

I still have a question that hasn’t been answered here. What do I do?

Please send us an ask and we’ll get to you as soon as we can! Asks will be publicly answered unless specifically requested to remain private.

[aesign108]

it came up with a paywall so i grabbed the text content with a select all; here's the article:

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Artificial

Intelligence

Apple Enters A.I. Fray

The Era of the A.I. Smartphone

Meta’s A.I. Scraping

Humane’s A.I. Device Flop

OpenAI’s ‘Reckless’ Culture

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Here’s What Happens When Your Lawyer Uses ChatGPT

A lawyer representing a man who sued an airline relied on artificial intelligence to help prepare a court filing. It did not go well.

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An Avianca plane in flight, with its landing gear down and cirrostratus clouds in the background.

As an Avianca flight approached Kennedy International Airport in New York, a serving cart collision began a legal saga, prompting the question: Is artificial intelligence so smart?Credit...Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto, via Getty Images

Benjamin Weiser

By Benjamin Weiser

May 27, 2023

The lawsuit began like so many others: A man named Roberto Mata sued the airline Avianca, saying he was injured when a metal serving cart struck his knee during a flight to Kennedy International Airport in New York.

When Avianca asked a Manhattan federal judge to toss out the case, Mr. Mata’s lawyers vehemently objected, submitting a 10-page brief that cited more than half a dozen relevant court decisions. There was Martinez v. Delta Air Lines, Zicherman v. Korean Air Lines and, of course, Varghese v. China Southern Airlines, with its learned discussion of federal law and “the tolling effect of the automatic stay on a statute of limitations.”

There was just one hitch: No one — not the airline’s lawyers, not even the judge himself — could find the decisions or the quotations cited and summarized in the brief.

That was because ChatGPT had invented everything.

The lawyer who created the brief, Steven A. Schwartz of the firm Levidow, Levidow & Oberman, threw himself on the mercy of the court on Thursday, saying in an affidavit that he had used the artificial intelligence program to do his legal research — “a source that has revealed itself to be unreliable.”

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Mr. Schwartz, who has practiced law in New York for three decades, told Judge P. Kevin Castel that he had no intent to deceive the court or the airline. Mr. Schwartz said that he had never used ChatGPT, and “therefore was unaware of the possibility that its content could be false.”

He had, he told Judge Castel, even asked the program to verify that the cases were real.

It had said yes.

Benjamin Weiser is a reporter covering the Manhattan federal courts. He has long covered criminal justice, both as a beat and investigative reporter. Before joining The Times in 1997, he worked at The Washington Post. More about Benjamin Weiser

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Explore Our Coverage of Artificial Intelligence

News and Analysis

A facial recognition start-up, accused of invasion of privacy in a class-action lawsuit, has agreed to a settlement, with a twist: Rather than cash payments, it would give a 23% stake in the company to Americans whose faces are in its database.

Elon Musk withdrew his lawsuit against OpenAI, the maker of the online chatbot ChatGPT, a day before a judge was set to consider whether it should be dismissed.

Mistral, a French A.I. start-up, is valued at $6.2 billion, an eye-popping sum for a company founded just one year.

The Age of A.I.

First came “spam.” Now, a new term has emerged to describe dubious A.I.-generated material: “slop.”

BNN Breaking had millions of readers, an international team of journalists and a publishing deal with Microsoft. But it was full of what appeared to be generative A.I. errors.

After some trying years during which Mark Zuckerberg could do little right, many developers and technologists have embraced the Meta chief as their champion of “open-source” A.I.

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[media-geneous1]

What are the most effective ways to promote blogs?

What Are the Most Effective Ways to Promote Blogs?

Real Worries and Questions

Alright, let’s cut to the chase. You’ve put blood, sweat, and tears into your blog, but it feels like you're shouting into the void. You’re asking yourself, “How can I get my blog noticed?” or “Why isn’t anyone reading my posts?” We’ve all been there. It’s a grind. But here’s the good news: promoting your blog effectively isn’t rocket science. Let’s dive into some straightforward strategies to get your content the attention it deserves.

Nail Your SEO

Keywords Matter

First off, SEO. If your blog isn’t optimized for search engines, you’re already losing the game. Keywords are your best friends here. Research and use relevant keywords naturally throughout your posts. Don’t just stuff them in there—Google’s too smart for that. Tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush can help you find the right keywords.

On-Page SEO Tips

Meta Descriptions: Write compelling meta descriptions. This is your pitch to get someone to click on your link.

Headings: Use H1, H2, H3 tags properly. It makes your content easier to read and helps search engines understand your structure.

Internal Links: Link to your other posts. It keeps readers on your site longer and helps with SEO.

Alt Text for Images: Describe your images with keywords. It’s good for accessibility and SEO.

Social Media Promotion

Be Where Your Audience Is

Your audience is on social media, so you need to be there too. But don’t just post and ghost. Engage with your audience.

Strategies for Social Media

Share on Multiple Platforms: Share your posts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. Tailor your message for each platform.

Use Eye-Catching Graphics: Visuals grab attention. Use tools like Canva to create stunning images.

Engage: Respond to comments, join relevant groups, and share others’ content too.

Schedule Posts: Use tools like Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule your posts and maintain a consistent presence.

Guest Blogging

Leverage Other Audiences

Guest blogging is a killer way to get exposure. Write for other blogs in your niche. It’s a win-win—you get exposure, and they get fresh content.

How to Do It Right

Research: Find reputable blogs in your niche.

Pitch Well: Write a compelling pitch. Explain why your post will benefit their audience.

Provide Value: Make sure your guest posts are top-notch and packed with value.

Link Back: Include a link back to your blog. It drives traffic and boosts your SEO.

Email Marketing

Build and Nurture Your List

Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to promote your blog. Build an email list and keep your subscribers engaged.

Email Marketing Tips

Offer Incentives: Give away a freebie like an eBook or checklist in exchange for email sign-ups.

Be Consistent: Send regular newsletters with updates, exclusive content, and blog post links.

Personalize: Address your subscribers by name and segment your list to send relevant content.

Collaborations and Influencers

Partner Up

Collaborating with others can give your blog a huge boost. Find influencers in your niche and propose a partnership.

Ways to Collaborate

Interviews: Interview influencers and publish the content on your blog.

Collaborative Posts: Write posts together or exchange guest posts.

Shoutouts: Get influencers to mention your blog in their posts.

FAQs

How often should I promote my blog on social media?

Consistency is key. Aim to share each blog post multiple times across different platforms. Use different headlines and images to keep it fresh.

Is paid advertising worth it for blog promotion?

Yes, if done correctly. Platforms like Facebook and Google Ads can target specific audiences. Start with a small budget and scale up based on results.

Can I promote my blog through forums?

Absolutely. Join forums and online communities related to your niche. Be helpful and share your posts when relevant, but don’t spam.

Real Solutions

If you’re serious about getting your blog the attention it deserves, consider using professional services. One excellent solution is MediaGeneous. They offer comprehensive social media and content marketing services that can take your blog promotion to the next level.

Other websites offering similar services include:

ContentWriters

Brafton

Express Writers

Final Thoughts

Promoting your blog effectively takes time and effort, but the results are worth it. Implement these strategies consistently, and you’ll start seeing more traffic and engagement. Remember, the keyword here is “effective ways to promote blogs.” Keep it real, keep it fresh, and keep it engaging. Now go out there and get your blog noticed!

[askagamedev]

Have you seen Free Guy? Its a film thats focuses a lot on the developers and want to know your thoughts. Thanks for answering!

As a film and a story, it's not bad. Ryan Reynolds is delightful doing his off-the-cuff comedy thing. As a depiction of game development, it's awful. The game, workplace, and even character motivation for Molotov Girl would never work for a variety of reasons. But that’s ok, because the goal of making a movie about this story isn’t to create an accurate depiction of how video games are made but to tell a story about Guy and the rest of the cast in a fictionalized world. These various story elements serve the story and, as such, are necessary - even if they are about as accurate as a someone shooting a gun for the first time. The ideas generally work within the context of the story and the rules they set up for themselves, so I’m more than happy giving them a “creative license” pass. At least it isn’t [Grandma’s Boy].

[Join us on Discord] and/or [Support us on Patreon]

The FANTa Project is being rebooted. [What is the FANTa project?]

Got a burning question you want answered?

Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on Twitter

Long questions: Ask a Game Dev on Tumblr

Frequent Questions: The FAQ

But that’s probably not what you wanted to hear, is it? Ok then, let’s dig into some of the problems with the depictions of game dev in the film. 

Warning: Spoilers for Free Guy (2021)

Here are some of the larger issues I saw in my viewing of this movie.

Administrators mistake NPCs for players. NPCs and Players must be handled differently by the software itself; the only way this could happen is if the admin UI was terrible. 

Administrators cannot kick a player because they are “spoofing”. If this were true, any given game server would be overrun by griefers /shouting the N-word constantly with no way for admins to stop them.

Killing a player in game instead of kicking or banning them as a punishment. This does nothing to stop griefers who don’t care about playing the game. They’ll just respawn or create a new character and continue to spam the N-word.

NPCs don’t follow the same rules as Players. NPCs are treated as completely different entities than players. They generally cannot level up because there is no reason for them to level up - the NPC level is assigned to them at creation. They cannot permanently die unless there’s a reason to support that. For the same reason, we usually have means of despawning and disabling NPCs, like a situation where an NPC is the cause of an exploit like item duping.

Life Itself’s island must exist in Free City. Code and assets are not the same thing. Star Wars Battlefront and Dragon Age Inquisition share the same engine (and therefore a lot of the same code), but that doesn’t mean that Luke Skywalker is hidden somewhere in Thedas.

Rebooting the server was erased Guy’s memory, but bringing everything into a new game (Free Life) did not. Why not just save the AI and restore it between reboots and updates?

Soonami cannot shut down its own servers. How do they do server maintenance and push new patches live? Antwan has to use an axe to turn them off, rather than just unplug them or run a command to shut them down in case of emergencies.

If Keys had taken Antwan’s offer of becoming a programmer, he could have proven Molotov Girl’s lawsuit claims immediately. Programmers need access to code in order to do their job. Keys should be able to recognize Life Itself code since he wrote part of it. As soon as he got access to the Free City code, he could search for any duplicated Life Itself code. Instead, he chose to be some kind of weird customer service rep/game master or the story would resolve too easily.

[writingdotcoffee]

#193: Overnight Success... 10 Years in the Making

Success fascinates people. Rapid success attracts the most attention. A new author appears, seemingly out of nowhere. It gives people hope that if it happened for someone else, it can happen for them too. The subjects of these overnight success stories quickly push back: 'Hang on a minute. I've been writing stories for 10 years. This was no overnight success!'

But what do those 10 years actually look like?

The Early Days

When you first start writing, it's exciting. Everything is new. You're blissfully unaware of how many things you don't know yet. As the initial excitement wears off, you still have an excuse for almost anything — I'm new. I'm just starting out. I will get better over time.

A Few Years In

Time goes by, and you're well aware of the challenge ahead of you. You keep working, but you don't really have much to show for yourself yet. Nothing you'd be proud of.

At this point, you start questioning whether you have any talent for this at all. Maybe you should just do something else instead?

This is where most people give up.

Several Years In

Things get grimmer from there. As you get more years under your belt, you start feeling like a failure. How come you've been writing for five, six, seven years and nobody still wants to read your shit?

You can't go through this phase without genuine passion for the work that you do. That's what keeps you writing when there is no hope left that the whole thing will ever lead to anything.

Just Before Success

You'd've thought that things would pick up from here a little bit, but it gets even worse. You've been writing for 10 years by this point. Where's the money? Where are the worldwide book tours? The TV interviews? The glowing reviews?

You're in your late 20s or early 30s. You have the same crappy job that you had 10 years ago because you pour all your energy into writing instead of climbing the corporate ladder.

It's tough seeing your friends who chose more stable careers getting promotions and buying houses while you're getting dozens and dozens of rejections. You have absolutely no idea whether all your hard work will ever pay off. It might. It might not.

Then It Happens

Then one day, you get a full manuscript request. Three weeks later, you're flying to NYC to sign with an agent. A year on, you're holding a hardback in your hand with a blurb from Neil Gaiman and "No.1 New York Time Bestseller" in your Twitter bio.

An interviewer asks you how it feels seeing so much success so quickly. You take a deep breath and politely explain that you've been writing for the past 10 years.

Success Isn't Linear

There's no clear path to success as a writer. For the most part, you're feeling like a failure. You're trying different things. Nothing seems to work. Until it does.

The best way to find success is to love what you're creating so much that you'd keep doing it as if you had no chance to succeed at all.

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Past Editions

#192: Why Write?, April 2021

#191: The Best Writing Quotes From the Past Year, April 2021

#190: Writing and Snow, April 2021

#189: The Importance of Showing Up, April 2021

#188: The Casual Writer, March 2021

[911bingo]

Frequently Asked Questions (mobile-friendly edition)

What is a Fandom Bingo?

A Fandom Bingo event is where you take a theme (in this case, 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star) and create a grid of prompts in the layout of a bingo board. The goal is to fill the prompts in such a way where you get a traditional bingo (3 or 5 in a row, column, or diagonally), or to go even further and fill out every prompt and get a blackout board. To get your bingo board of prompts, you’ll fill out the sign-up form where you’ll choose from a list of categories to tailor the experience to your interests. From there, you’ll have until March 31st, 2023 to complete as many prompts as you can!

What is a 3x3 board vs. a 5x5 board?

These are the different sized boards you can sign up for. A 3x3 board will give you 8 prompts and 1 free space, and a 5x5 board will give you 24 prompts and 1 free space. The only difference between the two is the amount of prompts you want to be given.

What can I create for the “free space”?

Anything you want! So long as it fits the Prompt Fill Requirements outlined in the Rules and it’s related to 9-1-1 and/or 9-1-1: Lone Star, then you’re good to go! The main restriction is that it must be something you’ve created during the Bingo period; you cannot go to a previously posted creation and retroactively claim that it fills your Free Space.

Are crossovers okay?

Yes! So long as 9-1-1 and/or 9-1-1: Lone Star are involved, you can cross over with any other fandom.

I’m participating in another Bingo/Event, can I use a Bingo fill from here and also count it towards another event?

Yes, so long as you have permission from the other event and it doesn’t violate any of their rules.

I have a prompt fill idea that covers two different prompts on my board, can I count it for both?

No. You must have a unique fill for each square on your card.

I finished my first board and I’d like a second board, but it’s after the sign-up closing date. Is that okay?

Yes! Since we’ll be using the information from your initial form to create your second board, there’s no need to fill out the sign-up again. Just contact a mod to request a second board (likely the person who gave you your board in the first place, but it can be any of us if necessary), and they’ll get you set up!

Do I need to join the 118 Discord to participate?

Short answer: no.

We understand that people may not want to learn a new platform, or perhaps you’re already involved in too many servers and don’t want to deal with another one. That’s totally fine! All of the 9-1-1 Bingo information and updates will be available on this blog, and you can contact the mods through Tumblr as well.

That being said, if you’re looking for a community to chat about 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star with, we would welcome you with open arms!

I signed up over 72 hours ago, where’s my bingo card?

If it’s only a couple hours past 72, please be patient with us. In last year’s event we had over 90 submissions in just the first week of sign-ups, and there aren’t many of us working this event. We might just be backlogged! So long as you received email confirmation of your sign-up submission, we received your form.

If it’s been a whole day past 72 hours and you haven’t heard from us, that might be for a few different reasons:

‣ If you provided a Discord username, this is probably because we can’t contact you through DM. You may have forgotten to include your 4 digit #tag, or more likely, your privacy settings are set to receive messages from friends only or mutual servers only. ‣ If you provided a Tumblr username, you may be unable to receive media messages or may be unable to receive IMs from non-mutuals. ‣ If you gave us an email address, please check your spam/junk folder. The email should be coming from 118discord@gmail.com. ‣ All: Check your confirmation email to make sure you spelled your username/email correctly.

In any case, please send us an ask off anonymous so we know who you are and we’ll get you sorted out.

I still have a question that hasn’t been answered here. What do I do?

Please send us an ask and we’ll get to you as soon as we can! Asks will be publicly answered unless specifically requested to remain private.

[taleasnewastime]

Animal Crossing

Taehyung x reader genre: fluff word count: 1.1k

a/n: I have been obsessed with Animal Crossing for the past few months, and I am super proud of my island so this is just a short story based off that fact. Hope you enjoy!!

You take your switch out of its holder and head over to where Tae is sat on the sofa. Switch in hand he is already loading up his game. Crossing your legs under you, you start to load up your Animal Crossing game, smashing A as Isabelle rambles on about some TV show she watched last night.  

“No exciting news today, we get it Isabelle,” you sigh at the introduction.  

“I have Redd at mine today,” Tae boasts next to you.  

“Good job I’m visiting your island then,” you stick your tongue out at him.  

“I’m coming to yours first anyway, hurry up and open your gates,” he sticks his foot out enough to poke you.  

“Give me a second to get there,” you pout at him. “And don’t forget the roses, I really want to try and get some gold roses.”

“They’re already in my pockets,” he says.  

Whilst you make your character run to the airport to open your gates Tae gets his phone out. Spamming A again as you talk to Orville you ask him to open up your gates so that all your friends can enter. Telling Tae the gates are open he finishes typing something on his phone before picking up his Switch.  

A message appears on your screen showing that Tae from The Isle of the Storm is entering your island. Then your airport comes up onto the screen showing a boy with bright blue hair and a smart suit for his top and bright pink trousers on the bottom, flip flops finishing off the outfit.  

“Nice look,” you joke.

“Thought it made my eyes pop,” Tae says back just as sarcastically.  

“This time can you please not be a dick and plant trees all over my island,” you say as Tae is allowed to start running freely round your island.  

“Who do you think I am? I would never,” he pouts at you, eyes on his screen.

“Last time you came to my island you dug holes everywhere.”

“That wasn’t me, that was Jungkook.”

“I had to spend 10 minutes filling them all in, it was not funny.”

“And I helped you fill them in,” he tries to reason.

“No you didn’t, you just laughed and watched.”

“Proves the point that I didn’t create them.”  

“Whatever, just plant the roses over here,” you get him to follow you to an empty spot and he places the roses there. “And get whatever you want from Nooks, I’ve got all I want for today.”  

You follow him around as he runs round your island, smiling as he compliments some of the areas you had created. Occasionally he asks if you could buy and send him an item, which you happily agree to. Just before you enter Nooks however an announcement comes across your screen.  

JK from Lanayru Bay is entering your island.  

“No,” you whine extending the o sound, eyes shooting to a guilty looking Tae. “I didn’t invite him,” you pout at him.

“Not my fault if you opened your island to everyone,” he tries to supress his smile, but eventually a big boxy grin is on his face.  

Looking back down you see a boy enter your airport, paper bag on his head, the rest of his outfit all black.  

“If this is some sort of joke about him being stealthy and me not being able to tell who he is, then I am going to kill him,” the boxy grin remains on Taes face as you start to get angry.  

As soon as Jungkook has entered however another announcement shoots across your screen. Jimin from Busan is entering your island.  

You groan out, head falling backwards, hands that are holding you Switch falling into your lap. Looking back at the screen you see just in time that Jimins character is dressed exactly the same as Jungkooks. Pouting you look up to Tae.  

“I’ve worked so hard on my island, I don’t want them to ruin it,” you whine.

“They won’t,” Tae feels slightly bad looking at you in that situation, praying that the boys don’t do anything too bad.  

In the meantime, you had run to your airport as quickly as possible, yet it was still not fast enough, both of the boys having disappeared.  

You almost throw the game onto your lap, “my island is going to be ruined,” you whine.  

“It won’t,” Tae says sternly, in a way that shows he won’t let them do anything. “I’ll help you find them, I’m sure that they are just admiring your amazing island. They’ll be jealous they don’t have as good an island.”

“They aren’t just planning on looking at my island dressed like that,” you pout at him.

“Let's just go see,” he says picking up your game for you, shoving it into your hands. He was starting to feel really guilty for telling the boys that you were opening your gates.  

Following Tae in the game, you set off on a search for the two boys in question. For the vast majority of things you passed nothing had changed, however as you started to near your house you whined out.  

“They’re planting trees all around my house.”  

Tae puts his switch down onto his lap and you are unsure what he is doing until he picks up his phone and puts it to his ear.  

“Can you stop messing around,” he says to you assume either Jimin or Jungkook. You don’t hear their reply but Tae responds, “I did but I regret it. Can you just look around nicely or leave.”  

You can’t help but smile at the man trying to stand up for you. You knew you were being silly and whiney, it was only a game after all, but you had put so many hours into making the island perfect, so you really appreciated that Taehyung was standing up for you.

“Just follow Y/N around, she wants to show you what she’s done,” he glances at you giving you your favourite boxy smile. “And you both could definitely use the tips, I’ve seen your islands and they look like shit,” and with that he hangs up on them giving no chance for them to respond.  

“They’re going to put it back to how it was,” he says. ”And they are expecting a full tour.”  

“Thanks Tae, you didn’t have to.”  

“It was my fault. I should have thought before I asked them to join,” he apologises.  

You smile at the man. He could be dumb sometimes, but he was the most thoughtful person you knew. Helping you out and sticking by your side even when you knew you were being annoying and immature.  

“You can also tell them that they better enjoy this tour because this is the last time they will ever be able to see it,” you say.  

“I’ll be sure to pass the message on,” Tae laughs, as you start your island tour.  

[calicorn]

My experience with WeLoveFine/ForFansByFans as an artist.

This in regards to the Act 6/7 Tarot Project, which occurred from 2017 to 2018. I also want to thank @aryll for the chance to participate in such a project, and thank you for doing what you could with the group and what occurred. I realize this is a few years late, however, but it’s been bothering me ever since it occurred, and I only chose to speak my mind about it. But to summarize, the project started out as unofficial, however we were approached by FFBF in February of 2018. They were willing to sell the deck as official merchandise on their store. I have my own opinions on the company, as it’s known they underpay artists severely for their work despite selling most items for extremely high prices. A similar payment issue occurred with the Official Homestuck Zine, and one of the artists of the Tarot Project posted this in the comments:     “Can relate OP. I did work for the new tarot deck (using my throwaway account for that reason lol) but we aren’t being paid at all. No money. The only compensation we are getting is a free deck and an exclusive enamel pin which is pennies compared to what they’ll be making off us. One might argue that the project wasn’t supposed to be printed so I should be grateful it’s even happening but I expected a big company like WLF to y’know, pay artists... The only reason I agreed to letting them use my art was to get a free deck. I also honestly dislike WLF’s artist compensation policy. My art has been selected from the Fan Forge before and the idea of being able to sell my HS art was so appealing, but the execution is so poor. They don’t pay us until we sell $100 worth of shirts, but that is so difficult in a market that is so oversaturated. I wish they like, cycled designs in and out. Instead, they just keep adding more and more designs, drowning out old ones and just flooding the entire market. Plus, they get to withhold money from artists until every hundred-dollar mark. I can’t imagine how much they’ve made off of small time artists that get their design accepted and sell maybe 3 shirts since it happens so often.” So. What exactly happened? I’ll explain under the cut given there’s a decent amount to go through. Though to summarize; WeLoveFine/ForFansByFans is an extremely egregious company that does not value their artists whatsoever and will do what they can to pay them as little as possible. Please support said artists on sites that actually do give them fair pay, or support them via commissions.

There were a few bumps during the tarot project, though overall it went extremely smoothly and we released our art to the Tumblr blog. FFBF approached us during this time, and we were all given the option to agree to continue working or the project or decline. However, this is what was an important piece to the initial email sent out by the Tarot Project team;      • Each participating artist will get a full finalized copy of the deck, COMPLETELY free. This includes packaging and free shipping of the deck.      • Each participating artist will get an enamel pin commemorating the project, EXCLUSIVE to the artists of this project only, with a custom design as chosen/designed by us. What will most likely occur is that everyone who wishes to submit a design for the pin can do so, and as a group, we will vote on which one we would like to submit as our final design choice!     • Each participating artist will receive FULL COMMISSION on any further usage of their artwork by What Pumpkin or For Fans By Fans. For example, if they release a mini-print, wallet, etc. with your design on it, you will be paid in commission for the usage of your work. (If you have ANY questions about how this would work, please don’t hesitate to ask and I will hook you up ASAP with a For fans By Fans representative who can go over the details with you further.)     • Each participating artist will have a window in which they will be able to make updates or revisions to their illustration(s) before the project is released. This means that if something is bugging you about your work, or you feel that it does not reflect your current level of skill, you will be allowed to resubmit a new version before the project officially goes up as merchandise! So, the majority of us agreed to continue forward with the project and retouch our cards. From there, things continued, and we were emailed by a FFBF representative on occasion to discuss how the process went, as well as various other things that required discussion, plus asked to assist in the promotion of the 4/13/18 celebration on their website. This is where the issues began and would continue through the entire project, with it still being seen post-release of the cards. We were sent an email in April of 2018 requiring information to be provided in the  accompanying booklet of the deck, as well as being asked to answer various interview questions that would be posted to FFBF’s Tumblr, and most importantly; the Commission Agreement form. So what did it entail? This was the form I was sent. My interview was never posted. I have looked multiple times and never seen evidence it ever was, either. And this was also included in the email;    • We are going to be hosting a pre-order bonus promotion surrounding the new tarot set, starting 413. Anyone who pre-orders the set will be entered into a drawing to win a commissioned art piece from a random artist who worked on the tarot. You will be paid by us, FFBF, for this commission work in the amount of $50.  So we had to draw more art with a very close deadline date to obtain a payment  for art we had already created, both of which should have easily been worth more than $50 total. I signed without thinking, which looking back on, was incredibly idiotic, despite my own worries over the fact that even at the time, $50 did not seem like a lot. Progress continued. An exclusive pin was designed and created for the artists, though the production and delivery dates would be delayed to September of 2018. During this time, we were also invited to join FFBF’s Discord server as well, which I am still in, though am not active in. And eventually, we were provided a Commission Schedule. I do not know if I’m missing an email between the enamel pin shipment and this schedule post, however I cannot find any trace of it. This is the Commission Schedule email, and what it consists of. Of course I found it strange, because looking at the schedule, I could never find any sign of myself having been added. Obviously I should have replied then and there due to that, but I didn’t, and that is my own fault. But that rolled into October of 2018, when I did finally email back and asked about why I hadn’t been added. I was sent back this; “Hi Calicorn! I’m sorry I misinterpreted your response as not wanting to proceed:“3)  I am completely willing to sign up for being one of the artists for the commission raffle event, though I must say $50 would be underpaying considering most artists’ base prices for commissions tend to be $50 or more.” Then I sent “If you do not want to be part of the give-away, that’s totally ok. We are offering $50 for these commissions but if that price is not within your comfort, there’s no pressure!” You never came back with anything so I didn’t want to proceed since it seemed like you were uncomfortable with the amount we were offering – I’m really sorry if I misunderstood! The giveaway is actually over I’m sorry to say but I appreciate you following up about this. I wonder why the message went into spam.. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you Thanks!” And one of the most glaring issues popped up in October as well. When we finally received our decks in the mail, our project’s Discord group began to discuss the fact that our emails had been printed in the pamphlet without our permission. Mind you, this was also a project that included minors in it, and our emails had now been given away without our knowledge. Another issue with the pamphlets is the fact that FFBF had reused the same text from the Homestuck Kickstarter Tarot Deck, as seen on the New Booklet/Old Booklet, and here/here. FFBF then decided to remove the booklet from every outgoing tarot that gets ordered, with customers receiving a corrected digital PDF that was coordinated in its creation by Aryll. And apparently previous customers would receive this PDF via emails, as well as a link to download it on the product page. Thankfully FFBF seemed to have at least posted the PDF on the product page, however this seems extremely lazy compared to simply including the newly reprinted booklet. Though this may not be the last of issues, as I stumbled across the Amazon product page for our tarot deck earlier before typing this all up. To say the least, it is extremely infuriating, especially given the quality of the cards and how many people of complained about them on both Amazon and FFBF’s websites. Of course we, the artists, were never alerted to this development, nor were we paid for such.

But overall, we were hardly paid for our time and effort during this project, which is a massive disappointment, but perhaps that much should have been expected from WeloveFine/ForFansByFans, who are notorious for underpaying artists and overpricing products. Their actions are inexcusable, and I am still both disappointed and furious with this company as a whole. But thank you for reading, and please spread the word, as I do not want FFBF’s actions to go unnoticed.

[azerothpeacecouncil]

When: October 10th, 5:00 PM ST Where: OOCly Duskwood (ICly a safe far off corner of Tirisfal)

A curious thing has reached your ears...an even more curious notice was posted in a place only those who need it will see. A gathering in a far off corner of Tirisfal, untouched by the toxic blight, is happening soon.

Here, we come together to as Forsaken, for Forsaken, to remember all that has been lost. Not just their beloved city, but much much more. Home. Trust. Friends. Even hope. But not all is lost, no. Where things we believed in may have shown betrayal...is now when we must join together most of all and find the trust in each other, and see to the future. All may come to honor what Undercity stood for. What it still stands for. For what was. For what is. For the Forsaken. ~~ After many ups and downs, rescheduling and change of plans. Azeroth Peace Council happily presents our mirror event to Honoring of Teldrassil: Remembrance of Undercity. One that has changed greatly in meaning since it’s loss.

Here this event is not just to mourn a city that has meant so much to so many people, but to also reflect now on all that the Forsaken,  and allies, endured and felt during this recent war, and the things that led up to it. The feeling of betrayal. The feeling of loss. Friends and families ripped apart and a leader they thought would stand as their ray of hope. Much is lost. But now we seek to gather what can be gained. A time of remembrance, togetherness and a show of care to a people who deserve it. This is for all the Forsaken who are hurt, confused and need a time to express and allow themselves a moment to grieve, for the Horde who support and fight along side their friends in their unlife, and for the others... who may have family who look different now, but still love them. Join us, the Azeroth Peace Council and friends, to see these people honored and given the space express their grief and heartache, even if it beats slower or not at all. We welcome you...to the Remembrance of Undercity. -- Below is important info on: Schedule, Rules , Location and Questions ---- Something in advance, please make sure you have either the pets: (Preferred!) Lost of Lordaeron, Wicked Soul or Tiny Apparition.

The rest of the information will be located beneath the Read More, please read thoroughly, as it holds very important things to know. Especially information for those who might not be Horde (Alliance).

Schedule: 

All times are subject to change and fluctuate due to the nature of participation and role play. These are just estimates.

5:00 PM Server Time

The time to start showing up.

5:30- Thoughtful Souls

Here, you will have a chance to speak on your feelings. On what was lost. On what ...or who you lost. What this time means for you as Forsaken, and what it means over all. Undercity. Sylvanas. The divide. Anything...now is the time, to speak of mourning. Love. Grief. Anger.

I will be taking speakers before hand, please PM. The first few speakers will be given priority to Forsaken. After scheduled speakers, those from the group will go should time permit. You will have 8 minutes to speak. Pre-written if possible would be good here!

6:35~ (Depending how the speeches go/last) The Ceremony of Embers and Spirit

Here, a ceremony will be had symbolic for all. A great fire will be made, and after the introduction and speech for it, will let all step forth and cast items into the fire. These items are to be a symbolic chance for your characters to get rid of the things they thought they could trust, things they do not stand for, things they want to forget.

Think about what your character may wish to cast in the fire (Be it old weapons, tabards, insignia, momentos of war ect). Things that they can be satisfied in seeing gone from their life, to move forward together with all. Please note: You do not have to throw everything in, there will be an important reminder about history and relics of the past.

And after...we will have a time to remember. To reflect. To honor and then to see restless spirits put at ease....

(This ceremony is for Forsaken and Horde)

-7:45-8:00 A Feast for the Weary and Hopeful

A special selection of food has been prepared for the Forsaken who can, would like to or benefit from eating. There will be a selection foods made from

pork blood and meat, mushrooms and forsaken nutritious molds and insects.

And that’s it...please don’t ask for alternative.

There will also be foods for the rest, of kodo stews, plainstrider haunches, blood sausage, fruit pies and why not... You also get some safe insect meals. Fried spider fritters and snail. At this point, all will sit and feast and relax. And should any...non Horde wish to express their feelings here, they may (If none were allowed to during the Thoughtful Souls)

Rules:

- Absolutely no trolling, griefing or over the top OOC and toy spam. If you do not intend to come to participate, do not come at all. 

-If you are not in the position of speaking or giving a speech, please do not over do it with multi paragraphs. Due to crowd based RP, that can make it hard for people keep up. Please be courteous.

- Please behave ICly as well. Gotosh has hired specifically Death Knights for this as well as those volunteered from his Council, and he would prefer they didn’t have to enforce too much. Let this be a time of rest and remembrance, and no party antics.

- And a special note for Alliance who do show up to show support. Absolutely under any circumstance, please do not push it OOC or IC if a character in RP expresses distaste with you being close. The nature of this event is a little different then our Teldrassil event, and while you are not going to be shooed off, please respect the space of these characters and listen to security if they ask to make room. We want this event to be a realistic mesh of majority Forsaken and Horde, but with the allowance of Alliance who understand it’s nature. Forsaken were (are) human after all, and many wish to see their loved ones. This much, is very canon. 

Questions:

Wait did you say...Alliance? Why would they BE at this, they shouldn't be allowed!: While this is a Horde and Forsaken focused event, the Alliance who do want to show up, I am going to strictly say you better be Alliance who are here to support. Antagonistic behavior will not be allowed, dealt with and 100% not be put up with. But Alliance who wish to come somberly support will not be shunned, and we do not want you to either. It wouldn’t be fair to our first event, which was a Horde event where Alliance were allowed to come and see, if we did not allow this again. While the nature of Forsaken is different then Teldrassil, we want to create a realistic atmosphere. Even if its just a few Alliance, this should be a safe place for human relatives, grieving human relatives, and Alliance who have friendships with Horde and Forsaken. But please know, we understand the nature of the situation, and I hope this doesn’t deter you from showing. All privileges and focus will go to Forsaken and Horde first and foremost. I ask if you’re inviting friends, to please let them know of this so they do not try and take matters into their own hands. Security will be there after all.

Is there a dress code?:

Dark, forsaken inspired, things that are meaningful for your character to wear at an occasion like this. 

Why wasn’t this held in Tirisfal?

We were noticing a lot strange things with Tirisfal phasing, even on the low level side. Duskwood has a quick and easy way of being accessed through the south, it’s low level and the area fits the mood aesthetically. Plus, it looks visually similar to our first event. ICly this is Tirisfal, in an area far off where the blight did not reach. This would also allow , should any sympathetic Alliance wish to show, they can so safely.

LOCATION

(Inky Black Potion for this event will enhance it! Yeah, Duskwood is dark...but you’ll see.)

Additional questions? Shoot us a message! 

[leerongrong]

of princesses and amortentia.

Pairing: Lee Jeno x Reader

Word Count: 2.4k

Summary: In which you’re Slytherin’s princess and you get paired up with Gryffindor’s golden boy, Lee Jeno, for potions class. [Hogwarts AU]

Requested: yes!! Can I ask for a promt pleasee. 2. 2. 2/5/19/38 The boy is up for your choice, thank you ♥️♥️ 

Note: @neoculturalshit​ i stressed over this for 2 days ahgshash. i present to you, for her highness’ late birthday gift ♡ also yes, this time both nana and hyuck make an appearance,, dont drag me for it😤

Cracking fire with mixed in enchantment spells are the main sounds coming from the common room while hallways are silent, littered with nothing but the sounds of Madam Filtch’s meowing cat. The courtyard is filled to the brim with spectators from all houses, suspense in the air as two houses battle against each other for victory.

Slytherin is up against Gryffindor today. The final match of the season being the spectacle for other students to watch, rooting for their houses and making bets on who would win while you’re prancing in the Slytherin chamber, hands wrapped so tightly around your wand it would break. Your brother, Jaemin, is slumped on the couch, eyes following you with a smirk painted on his lips. He’s in nothing but his common clothes, having ditched all his classes for the day in favor of “very important work,” which so happens to be sleeping on the couch while listening to the venomous words dripping down your lips.

”Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck this shit. Fuck.”

“Ooh, careful princess.” Jaemin’s words are playfully sweet in contrast to the deep voice he has, the thing that has all of Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors alike down on their knees for him, his infamous charms even rivaling that of his parseltongue. “You’re going to put me and our great, great, great grandpa Salazar Slytherin to shame.”

“Besides,“ Jaemin fake pouts, “Shouldn’t princesses be sweet, charming and dignified? I expect the same from Slytherin’s own princess.”

Spells come flying out from your wands onto each other, harmless enough to not put you into too much trouble yet scorching when one hits the skin. The screams from outside are hard to ignore and one rattles your concentration, a rogue spell barreling towards Jaemin, one which he happens to avoid just in time for it to only burn of a bit of his hair. Fireworks go off in the air as you turn your head to see Gryffindor’s star quidditch player, Lee Jeno, with a Golden Snitch in his hand.

“You should’ve played.“ You scoff at Jaemin when you see the boy with a mischievous smile on his face, hands flying to the back of his head, a satisfying smack coming from it when your palm lands on its target. “We would’ve won if Slytherin’s ‘star player’ had played.”

Your eyes are back on the field, teeth clenching when you catch sight of Jeno, the boy smiling and being tossed into the air by his team while they celebrate a win. Lee Jeno is Gryffindor’s golden boy, a direct descendant from one of the most brilliant wizards of the time, Godric Gryffindor. You’ve never met the boy in person but from the start of the school year, people have put you and his friend circles against each other, causing a natural brewing competitiveness and although you’d never say it out loud, you wondered what it would be like to be friends with them.

Lee Jeno’s circle of friends are those of an odd pack; with Mark lee, the naturally clumsy but brave senior. Huang Renjun, the hot headed and fire spitting dragon trainer and Park Jisung, the shy but incredibly talented quidditch junior who’s expected to take over for Jeno. Then comes Lee Jeno himself, excelling at charms, potions, ancient runes, and especially, quidditch. Talents clear as day as he does have Gryffindor’s blood running in his veins.

Then there’s you and Jaemin. Slytherin’s prince and princess, named after your ancestor and for the blood that is running in your veins. All your life, you’ve been branded as special and different, your parents strictly raising you both to be valued heirs of your family, something you nor Jaemin wanted. Even from the start of your year, the two of you had been famous, other Slytherins coming to tag for a spot in your circle, until Lee Donghyuck came in. Cunning, Quick witted, Resourceful and very talented in Dark Arts, the epitome of what a Slytherin truly is.

“You good for nothing, always looking for trouble- Na Jaemin!”

The roaring crowds from outside fades into the background when the room’s gigantic double gates burst open to reveal a steaming Donghyuck with his hands still wrapped around his broomstick, a sign he came running over after the game finished.

“What’s up, pal?” Jaemin’s hands are raised in mock defeat the moment Donghyuck grabs him by his collar, a scream pulled out of his throat when Donghyuck raises his broomstick and whacks Jaemin’s head with it. It’s always a pleasure to watch the two quarrel, something that always brings a smile to your face ever since the two first met. The bond the three of you have is unique, something you didn’t think you’d find in Hogwarts.

“You have the emotional capacity of a brick!” Donghyuck is sheeting, his normally tidy uniform is a wreck and his hair looks windswept from his previous game. “I told you to be there for the game! And what do you do? Laze around in the common room instead?”

“Hyuckie, I need you to calm down.” You’re smiling as you see him take deep breaths, joining in with him to shake off your own ongoing nerves. “That’s much better.”

The moment the words leave your lips, Donghyuck is smiling back at you, pulling in to give you a hug. Somewhere behind you a gagging is heard and you’re rolling your eyes, hands grabbing at the broomstick still in Donghyuck’s hand and swinging it at Jaemin’s head, glaring when he ducks from the blow.

“Is there a reason my favorite set of siblings didn’t come to watch me play?”

Donghyuck is swinging his feet over the couch, planting himself in the corner whilst Jaemin sits down at the other side of the couch, creating a space in the middle just enough for you to fit in between the two. “Did you have another date with that Hufflepuff girl, Jaems?”

“She was cute, “ Jaemin shrugs, “But I think I would rather eat expired spam.”

“Ha!” You’re halfway to sitting down when Donghyuck raises a finger to point at Jaemin, successfully hitting your cheek in the process of it. The glare you send does nothing to him, the boy throwing an arm around your shoulder while still focused on humiliating your brother, “Suck on that! You aren’t as attractive as you thought, huh?”

“Yeah, whatever,” Jaemin’s waving his hand in the air for a moment, before he’s pointing his finger at you, redirecting all of Donghyuck’s attention onto you. “Besides, you should be more interested in our own princess’ date.”

“A date, as in where two people get together to get to know each other, to see if they’re compatible?” Donghyuck frowns, “Since when have you been interested in boys?”

“Jaemin,” You groan, “Partnering up with Jeno for potions isn’t a date.”

“Jeno? As in Lee Jeno!?” Donghyuck’s scream catches the attention of multiple people coming into the room after watching the match, some looking at you peculiarly while others don’t even spare a glance. It hasn’t even reached midday and you’re already tired from all the drama your two friends are causing, wishing the day would come to an end soon.

“The professor just wanted us to pair up because we’re the only ones who could rival each other.” You glare at Jaemin. “Not because he wants us to go on a date.”

Hushed whispers cut off the flow of conversation, some students cocking their heads to the door while you could feel the other bunch have their eyes on you. Both Jaemin and Donghyuck are craning their necks over multiple heads and Donghyuck’s the first one to come back to his original position, a sickeningly sweet smile on his face which is duplicated by Jaemin. “Well princess, I think it’s time to leave. Your prince charming has arrived.”

A Gryffindor peeking his head into the Slytherin common room isn’t a usual sight to see and you, yourself wouldn’t believe it if you weren’t seeing it with your own eyes, especially if said Gryffindor in question is golden boy, Lee Jeno himself. You’re watching with peek curiosity as Jeno peeks inside the room, his eyes darting everywhere as if he’s searching for someone. You have to admit that it would take bravery only a Gryffindor possesses, after all it would scare the living daylights out of anyone else but him.

His eyes narrow in on you and you’re checking if he’s staring at anyone else until a smile pops on his face and he’s screaming your name for everyone to hear. Gasps and murmurs break out but are silenced, not even seconds later, when Donghyuck lets out a laugh, his voice echoing through the otherwise silent room. Your brother nods his head to Jeno’s direction, a smirk resting on his face as you get up to meet Jeno. The fast steps you take are enough to reach him in a few seconds and the ongoing watchers disappear with a look from you, leaving you and Jeno with some privacy, except from your brother and friend.

“Lee Jeno, what a surprise.” You force out a smile, “A pleasure to see you, of course. But may I ask, what in Slytherin’s name are you doing here?”

Your nose scrunches when Jeno lifts his hand to scratch at the back of his neck. Lee Jeno smells of sweat, grass and a little bit of catnip, something you find odd since for all the years you’ve been in Hogwarts, you’ve never seen catnip grow anywhere near. Lee Jeno is everything you’ve heard of him to be; muscular, tall and looks as if he belongs on the field.

‘I never knew he would be this cute up close.’

A head shake dissipates all your thoughts, choosing to focus solely on the boy in front of you, who seems to be in a world of his own. Patience is not something you have, annoyance starting to bite at the back of your neck like a three headed snake. “Well?”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry.” Jeno’s ears are painted with a shade of red, cheeks in a similar condition. “I thought we could revise a bit before potions. Since the professor has high expectations on us and all.”

You’re pondering for a moment, listing off all the things you needed to do by tonight, ears pricking up when the sound of Jaemin’s laughter fills the room behind you. You decide that as much as you would enjoy working on ancient runes with Jaemin, you’d enjoy working on poyions a little bit more.

“Sure,” You nodded, “Lead the way.”

­-

“So are you sure we can use this place?” Jeno’s pace is a bit too quick for you to handle, forcing you to take bigger and quicker steps so that you’re walking side by side with each other. In the short amount of time you walked with Jeno, you realized he’s not one to speak. He prefers to keep quiet and let you do all the talking, he spews out a few questions here and there to keep the conversation going, and you suppose it’s a good difference than when you’re with Donghyuck and Jaemin.

“Yes, I asked professor Slughorn beforehand if you’re worried.”

The air is silent for a while, both you and Jeno hard at work on collecting the few necessities for your potion, with Jeno grabbing the books by the professor’s desk and you collecting the herbs to brew. The potions room is nothing special, decked out with chairs and tables in the middle for students to experiment on, a brewing pot stacked on each and every one of those desks. “So what’re we making?”

“Amortentia.” Jeno looks almost different in the dim light, almost as if he’s a different person than the one you’ve seen all these years. The way his arm moves as he’s stirring the potion, the way he’s squinting his eyes as if the potion would disappear if he looked away. You almost hear yourself say he looks magical with the mist that’s starting to float around, a telltale sign that the potion you’re working on is almost complete, “With a little bit of a twist.”

“A twist?” You’re positive the mist swirling around the room has gotten into your head, twisting your mind into thinking nonsense, and almost scoffing when the thought of smelling what Jeno smells like in the Amortentia appears. “A twist how?”

“Well,” The mist around you is changing in colors; one moment you’re seeing a hint of green, something that reminds you of Donghyuck. Another moment you’re seeing pink, something that you’ve associated with your brother your entire life. You even started seeing a hint of blue, something that vaguely reminds you of you, although you didn’t expect to see the patches of red and gold. You didn’t expect to see the two specific colors that reminds you all too much of Gryffindor, all too much of Jeno. “We know that Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world and that it smells different to each person, according to what attracts them.”

“So I thought,” Jeno mumbles, “Why not create something that foretells who you’ll be attracted to?”

The potion itself turns from a darkened ink blue into one of a mother-of-pearl sheen, the color briefly catching your eye before it puffs out more mist, some enhancing into spirals while others turn into odd shapes. Your eyes are drawn to a perfectly shaped lion pup playing with its siblings, then darting around to lock onto what seems like a kitten playing with a golden snitch in its paws. Swirling spirals of mist encase both you and Jeno, said boy looking to the edge of the room where he sees a little girl, one that looks exactly like you, playing with a golden snake.

“I’d hate to pry.” Your eyes catch onto the sight of a little boy on a broomstick, flying around above meadows of flowers and your heart beats a little faster when you realize the child looks a little too similar to Jeno for your liking. “But what does it smell like to you?”

“It smells like crackling fire, vanilla, and ancient runes.” Jeno’s looking around in bewilderment, trying to find the little girl in the room only to find you standing, looking dazed but straight at him. His heart is beating hard and fast, mind racing with a billion thoughts while he tries to figure out the last time he’s caught a sniff of vanilla or ancient runes, finding it seldom that he encounters those objects. His mind clicks into place when he realizes the only time he’s smelt a whiff of vanilla, being earlier when he went into the Slytherin common room to see you. “What about you?”

“It smells like freshly mowed grass, new parchment,” Your eyes flick onto Jeno, finding it hard to see him in the midst of Red and Gold clouding your vision, while Jeno’s sight is filled with nothing but Green and Silver, “..and catnip.”

“My head understands things that my heart is not yet willing to accept.”

[theglowingchrysanthemum]

Welcome to the Glowing Chrysanthemum Ask Blog!

Warning: Mentions of Dr*gs, Violence, Death, etc.

What exactly is the Glowing Chrysanthemum, you might ask? To put it simply, it’s a gang made in the quaint town of Qualiforius, intent on creating a peaceful environment for those who live there. They fight against their greatest enemy, the Devilish Angel, learning the importance of help, love, and freedom along the way. 

~General Backstory~

The story of the Chrysanthemum started off with a young Gnome, who went by the name of Nyx. A part of the recently fallen gang, the Golden Rose, she spent her days protecting Qualiforius from the Artera Lotus. Bumping into the runaway Axis on the streets, she began to form a bond with him over time, becoming each others’ only friends in a terrifying world. Finding the Golden Rose wasn’t all it was made out to be, the two decided to make a new gang: a safe place for those who had no options, no family, no other reason to live. The Glowing Chrysanthemum was born, and shortly after, two new members were found. Both pets for the Artera Lotus, Crimson and Tone were saved by Nyx and Axis, who welcomed them into their new gang, promising a better future. Only from there did they grow. 

~Gang Info~

Leaders (Tabby Cats): Nyx (Asteraceae), Axis (Aphrodite)

Second-in-Command (Jackalopes): Tone (Chanetii), Crimson (Pacificum)

Hummingbirds: Fennel (Pellitory), Evna (Crassum)

Sheep: Riil (Indicum) 

Dragons: Silver (Arcticum), Inferno (Kelleri) (Former)

Koalas: Kahla (Konoanum), Ruby (Rubellum) 

Lynxes: Owl (Achillea), Hetacate (Morii)

Chameleons: Eintity (Ornatum)

Foxes: Øctave (Parvifolium)

Vultures: Sage (Segetum), Ilna (Lineare)

Spiders: Ethan (Hardy)

Bats: Nessie (Nitidum), ‘D’ (Dendranthema)

Peafowls: Drew ( Decaisneanum), Ryder (Arisanense) 

(Though the blog will mostly be around the Tabby Cats and Jackalopes, I figured I’d list the others in case they came up!) 

Their main enemy is the Devilish Angel, a drug-dealing gang that has control of over four towns. So far, they’ve taken down two out of nine Angels that roam the town. 

~Rules of the Blog~

No NSFW Asks!! This blog may be about gangs, but it involves and is led by minors, so we request you don’t give us NSFW asks!! 

No spamming or harassment! We have our own lives and sometimes we forget or can’t answer an ask--at the same time, we do not need to answer every ask we get!! So please, just move on if we don’t get to something! 

Be kind and respectful!!! This should go without saying, but us mods (and our characters) have feelings too! We’re all doing our best here! Please, treat us how you want to be treated (and, we apologize for our characters’ salt levels. They can be snappy sometimes.) 

From broken homes, families, lives, and other things, the Chrysanthemums all share a common goal: Safety. 

There’s only one last question. 

Are you ready to join them? 

[crowdedimagines]

It’s Just PR - Shawn Mendes

ft. Harry Styles;)

“You know that this wasn’t my choice.” Shawn tries to reassure, his hand reaching up to brush against my cheekbone.

“I know, that doesn’t mean that this doesn’t suck.” I roll my eyes.

Shawn has just informed me that for Senorita they need to do press together and act like a couple, without ever fully confirming the relationship.  

“Please, don’t be mad.” He presses kisses to my cheek.

Shawn and I have been dating for nearly two years, but we’ve never come out to the public. Between the two of our jobs in the public eye, neither of our managers thought it was the right time. Shawn has always had the single boy persona to attract more fans, I’ve never really questioned it. This is the first time they want him to be in a relationship. Unfortunately, not his real one.

“What do you want me to be then?” I get up from the couch

“Not mad at me.” He runs a hand through his curls.

“This isn’t fair.”

“I know.” He reaches out his hand for me to rejoin him on the couch. He knows I would never be able to say no to his big brown eyes.

“We’ve been waiting so long to be able to come out to the fans, and now this is just going to be pushed back even later. We’ll never be able to just be free and be us.”

“It’ll only be for the summer. After that, we’ll give it a little time, and then we can come out and I’ll tell everyone how you’re the woman I love.”

I can’t help but smile at his words.

“We’ll get through it, I promise.” He presses a reassuring kiss to my temple.

The past three months have to be the longest ones I’ve ever experienced. Time after time of Shawn canceling because the have paparazzi sessions planned, or they need to get photographed making out on the beach. I never thought it would get to this point. I never thought Shawn would let it go so far.

It all became too much when Shawn told me he was performing with her at the VMA’s, an event that we would usually sit next to each other for. An event that now he has to perform with her, sit with her, and most likely walk the carpet with.

“Are you kidding me?” I groan.

“This should be the last time! Summer is almost over and after that we can just fade to the background. Then one of us will talk about the breakup in an interview. We’re almost there!” Shawn says, obviously trying to be optimistic.

“That’s so much time already! You know that they are going to drag this out and milk is as long as they can.” I get up from his dining room table. He had cooked supper for once, which I should’ve caught immediately as a sign he had bad news.

“This is it, this is the last time. After the VMA’s I don’t have to see Camilla again. Just a little bit more time with her. It’s just PR.” Shawn follows me as I pick up my items from around his house.

“I just don’t get why it’s been going on for so long.” I turn around to face him as I put on my shoes, “It still didn’t make it to number one on the charts. The fans know that this is fake, they aren’t stupid. Why are you guys still even trying?”

I finally look up and catch the look in his eyes. Anger.

“Really? How can you be so selfish?” He yells, any sense of him trying to comfort or ease me is gone now.

“Me being selfish? Are you serious right now? You think that I’m being the selfish one?” I throw open his front door, unlocking my car with the keys in my hand.

“Wait-” He follows me, “That’s not what I meant.”

Shawn places his hand on my door so I can’t shut it.

“Please don’t leave on terms like this.” He frowns.

I shake my head and a humorless smile graces my face.

“I need to, I can’t be here right now.”

I reach out a hand to place on his cheek and he leans into the touch. It makes me long for the days when this was so common.

“I just need some space right now.”

Only a few days later I was reminded of the VMA’s at the final fitting for my outfit.

“And you’re sure I can’t just back out of this?” I groan.

“No, you know how good publicity is for this! Plus you’re nominated for an award, you should be excited to go.” Joan, my manager insists.

“I just don’t want to see the performances.” I roll my eyes. “I just know that they have to be all over each other and I just have to sit there by myself and watch. Act like nothing's wrong for the cameras. It’s bullshit.”

“It’s one night.” She smiles, “And, what if you brought a date?”

“What?” I laugh and turn to face her, making the woman altering my dress let out an angry huff.

“You have friends in the industry, just ask someone to come with. Walk the carpet with you, sit at your side. It could be fun!”

Joan’s words stick with me all the way through the night. While sitting on my kitchen counter desperately debating back and forth. I shouldn’t feel guilty, Shawn has been doing way more than this for months, and most times unapologetically.

“No, there’s no way.” I say to myself and slide off the counter. I reach out to my phone, the first thing I come across on Twitter is new paparazzi shots of Shawn and Camila. His arms wrapped around her waist, whispering god knows what in her ear. Not even an hour ago he was spamming my phone with messages trying to talk to me, and this is what he’s been up to.

“Fuck that.” I grumble.

I close out of Twitter and start dialing before I can think twice.

“Y/n? Uh, hey, it’s been a while.”

“Hey, I need a favor.”

It didn’t take much convincing to get Harry to do me this favor. We aren’t the closest of friends anymore, but in our years in the public eye we’ve always managed to check in on each other. We’ve nearly crossed the line of friendship a few times, but ultimately decided that we didn’t want to lose each other because the media could just ruin it.

“Oh my god, are you Harry Styles?” I tease, running up to him for a hug. He lets out a loud laugh and rolls his eyes.

“You look absolutely smashing.” Harry grins, he reaches out a hand to spin me around. He’s successful in making me laugh.

“Thank you.” I grin, “I have to say, you look handsome as ever.”

His dimples grace his face and he turns us towards the car before I can see if he’s blushing.

The ride from the hotel we got ready at isn’t far at all to the VMA’s. Harry gets out first to offer his hand and usher me out of the car. The fans get louder and the camera flashes almost start instantly.

The woman running the event is giving us directions on where to go. We take our first few steps onto the carpet and start posing. It takes Harry pinching my side to pull my attention from smiling softly towards the camera.

“I think you’ve caught his attention, love.” He whispers.

I glance over Harry’s shoulder and he’s right. Shawn is by himself on the carpet, which is surprising, and he’s glaring in our direction. His jaw is clenched tight, I break eye contact before I can stair any longer.

“That’s not all this was about.” I reassure, “I wanted to go with you and have someone by my side. To actually have someone’s support. Pissing him off is just a nice bonus along with the nice PR.”

We finish the rest of the carpet together, ignoring all of the questions about dating and focusing on maintaining a polite smile. More people guide us to where our seats are. We are close to the stage which is unsettling knowing the acts that are to come.

Harry and I walk towards our row, which is the second from the front.

“So what awards are you up for tonight?” Harry asks, pausing before sitting down so we have a moment to stand before sitting for the next couple hours.

“I-”

“Y/n, I need to talk to you.” Shawn suddenly comes up to where we’re standing. I don’t even know where he came from, he should probably be back stage or something.

“I don’t think that is a good idea.” I keep my eyes away from him, hoping to avoid whatever drama he is about to create.

“It’s been three days and you don’t return any of my messages or calls. This is the only time you can’t just ignore me.” He persists yet again.

“Mate, maybe later-”

“And what the fuck are you doing here with him? Are you kidding me? You’re mad at me so you find some other dude to fuck?” Shawn interrupts Harry without even a second of hesitation. People around us are staring, starting to listen to hear whatever is going on. Shawn’s voice is far from quiet at this point.

“Harry, I am so sorry for the way Shawn is acting right now.” I turn to look at Harry, completely ignoring the temper tantrum Shawn is throwing. Harry nods understandingly and being perfectly him. I take my cue to look at Shawn, “I think it would be best if you get the fuck away from me because I am not going to maintain this nice persona because people are around much longer.”

I motion for Harry to take his seat and I join him. Shawn just continues to stand in the isle, debating saying something.

“I’m sorry. It’s just-” He lets out a loud breath of air.

“What? Hard seeing me here with someone else?” He nods solemnly and I lean in closer before whispering, “Well, why don’t you go find your girlfriend.”

~

part two?? harry as a new love interest?? give me feedback:)