#because I’m going to keep posting my stuff for me.

[bots-and-cons]

University complaining, feat Ratchet

A/N: I’ve got a lot of school stuff going on right now and for the next two weeks, but I wanted to post something, so you can read about the reader complaining to Ratchet about how uni sucks

“Hey Ratch?” you called from the couch.

“What is it?” he asked, turning to look at you, instead of his computer screen.

“Do you want to write my last two essays for me? I’ve done so many assignments in the last month that I feel like if I write one more word, I’m gonna explode” you groaned.

“I would like to help you, but I’m not really knowledgeable about your area of study. Besides, you’re the one who’s supposed to be learning the things you need in order to write those essays” Ratchet stated.

“I know, I know, but you can’t fault me for trying. The end of the semester is always super busy and I’m getting annoyed with the amount of exams and assignments” you sighed tiredly.

“You need to remember to rest too. You should take a break”

“I can’t, I have an exam tomorrow, and I need to finish this book for it” you said, raising your tablet you had the ebook on.

“You can take a half an hour break, it’s the late afternoon and you’ve been reading since you got here in the morning. You won’t retain information as well when you’re getting tired"

"I’m not even that tired, I’m more annoyed, and hungry, and my eyes kind of hurt…” you trailed off. “I see your point”

“Good, then you’re going to take a break?” Ratchet inquired.

“On one condition. You’re going to take a break too, you’ve been working since before I even came here, so you definitely need one” you noted.

Ratchet knew you had a hard time taking breaks, and you wanted to just push through it when you had to do something. So he always conceded when you made him take a break too, since that got you to take one too. You also sometimes seemed to forget that you needed to eat and drink. Or that you shouldn’t stare at screens for so long continuously.

“Fine” he rolled his optics.

“Good, now that we’re in agreement, can you take me to get some food? I’m starving”

“Of course” Ratchet smiled.

“Ah, that smile’s gonna keep me going for the rest of the day” you smirked. “And the food is gonna help with that too”

Ratchet rolled his optics with a scoff, but you could see his smile widening. The old bot wasn’t nearly as grumpy as you had thought when you’d first met him. It had been a couple of years since you and the autobots first crossed paths, but it felt like that time had gone by in the blink of an eye. You were finishing your second full year of university, and the decepticon’s activity had been on the quieter side for a few weeks now. You hoped that it would continue that way, because you would still rather be writing essays than trying to dodge decepticons. Getting to spend time with Ratchet was a bonus for hanging around the base. It was also easier for you to get your assignments done, when you had company. You could both just work on your own stuff, while still being together. It was nice. You just hoped the peaceful quiet would continue.

[queen-of-the-avengers]

Goodbye, Peter

Pairing: Tom!Peter Parker x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.7k

Warnings: major fluff

Summary: Football season is upon your college, and everyone gets into the spirit. The football players like to go from dorm room to dorm room getting people excited for the games. Everything changes when Peter knocks on your door.

Square Filled: natasha romanoff for @spider-man-bingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3

x

Your older sister pulls the car next to your dorm building with a sigh. It’s the first day of your sophomore year of college. Since you got to keep the same dorm as last year, all of your things are still inside your room. This time, you only have a few boxes that Natasha helps you with. You walk with her to her car and grab the last few pillows. She looks like she is going to cry, and you have to hold back your eye roll.

At the same time last year, Natasha behaved the exact same way.

“Would you stop? I’ll be fine.”

“College is a big deal. I wish I went.”

“You still can, you know. Age is just a number when it comes to college.”

“It’s too late for me,” she chuckles. “Listen, I’m a phone call away, okay? I’ll steal one of Tony’s suits if I have to. I’ll be here if you need me.”

“I know,” you smile. “Now go save the world and let me try and save my education.”

“Okay.” She pulls you in for a hug. “Be good and don’t do drugs.”

“I won’t,” you laugh. Natasha gets back into the car and drives off soon after. You walk back into your dorm to see your new roommate already on her bed. She wasn’t there when you moved your stuff in. “Oh, hi. My name is Y/N.”

“Sarah. Let me see your school schedule.” You pass it to her. “Ooh! We have two classes together! Awesome!” Her face falls “Oh, you have Mr. Rogers for English 101. Good luck with him. I had him last year so I’ll give you a few tips on how to pass his class.”

“Thanks,” you smile.

In spite of her persistence, you two hit it off. Classes are easy enough (thanks to Sarah’s tips for Mr. Rogers), and the students put the spirit in school spirit. A few weeks after the first day, football season takes off. This school is known for going all out for their teams, and football is no exception. Besides the classrooms, every room has at least some form of football merch to support the team for their away games.

Cheerleaders scour the campus in droves to cheer for their team and spread awareness for the games coming up. They’ve posted the schedules in every dorm and on every student’s dorm door. One of the things that the football players love to do to get people excited for the games is to go around to every dorm, girls and boys combined, knock on their doors, throw a football right when the person opens the door, catch it before the ball can hit them, say something cheesy about the games, and moves onto the next.

They did it last year but you were back home with Natasha so you weren't able to participate in it.

Peter wasn’t sure about the whole college thing since he had to take his GED in order to get in. He would have graduated had Dr. Strange not made everyone on Earth forget Peter Parker existed. He wanted to go back to his friends but they were put in danger because of him, and he couldn’t put them through that again. It was time for him to move on, and college seemed like the perfect place to do so.

He can start fresh and be anyone he wants. He can do anything he wants. Before, he wasn’t able to play sports because then people would know he was Spiderman, but now that’s not a problem. He came into college with those abilities so no one was wiser about it. He joined the football team as soon as he could and has been on the team since freshman year.

Peter and his teammates move on to the next room after pranking the last girl. He knocks on the door and uses his spidey senses to know when someone comes to the door. He nods to his friend who throws the football just as the door opens. The girl flinches back but Peter catches the ball with a huge smile on his face.

“Don’t forget to cheer for us at this week’s upcoming game! I promise, no balls will be thrown at your face.”

The girl laughs and looks at her roommate who is filming it all. Peter and his team do this for the next few doors, earning smiles and laughs. He gets to the last one at the end of the hallway and knocks on it. Peter nods to his friend to throw the ball, which he does. The door opens and Peter catches the ball before it can hit you. He has a cheesy saying on the tip of his tongue, but when he looks into your eyes, it’s like everything goes blank inside his mind.

Your eyes are so… mesmerizing. Your lips are perfectly pink. You have a sort of innocent look to you, and Peter can’t look away from you. You stand there with a slight blush and a shy smile on your face.

“Can I help you?” you finally ask.

Peter stumbles over his words as he tries to think of a response.

“Nothing. I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone.”

“Dude, what are you doing?” one of his teammates asks.

You quietly chuckle and close the door behind you but not before glancing at Peter once more. Peter shakes his head and leaves with his team but only gets as far as the stairs. He quickly turns, jogs back to your dorm, and knocks on the door. You open it seconds later with another shy smile on your face.

“My name is Peter.”

“Okay,” you whisper.

“What’s your name?”

“Goodbye, Peter,” you grin and close the door on him.

Peter can’t get you out of his mind from then out. He even has trouble sleeping because all he can think about is the bright color of your eyes and the way your hair flows down your shoulder blades. He didn't think he’d ever feel this way about someone after MJ yet here he is, thinking of you like how he thought about her.

The next day, Peter heads to your dorm before his class. This time, he doesn’t have his friends with him. He knocks on the door before he can talk himself out of it, and you open it seconds later.

“What are you doing here? This is the girls’ dorm.”

“I know, but I can’t get you out of my head as cliche as that sounds. I have to know your name.”

You smile. “My name is Y/N.”

“Y/N.” Peter breaks out in a cheesy grin and just stares at you. You blush under his gaze and start to close the door. “Goodbye, Peter.”

Like Peter is going to stay away from you. The next day rolls around, and you look at your watch for the fifth time.

“What are you waiting for? You don’t have class today,” Sarah says from her bed.

“No, I don’t.” You smile. “It’s almost three.”

“What’s at three?”

Right at three, someone knocks on the door. You smirk at Sarah and walk to the door before opening it. Standing there is Peter. 

“Hi, Peter.”

“I want, no… I need to ask you out on a date. Will you agree to going out with me? On a date.”

“No,” you chuckle.

Peter’s expression changes but it doesn’t fall in disappointment. “Why not?”

“You know, some girls might think it’s stalking with the way you keep showing up here uninvited.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Okay.” Peter turns to leave but doesn’t. “Ask me not to come back tomorrow, and I won’t come back and I won’t ask you on a date.”

You can’t do that. You find him charming and cute. There’s something about him that’s pulling you to him, but the last thing you’re going to do is make it easy for him.

“Goodbye, Peter.” You close the door on him and turn to Sarah who has a wide smile on her face. “What are you smiling about?”

“It’s like a Wattpad story come to life. You should have said yes.”

“He’ll be back tomorrow.”

And tomorrow he came. He came the day after that, and the day after that, and the following week after that. He comes at the same time every single day regardless of what he has going on in his life to ask you on a date which you always tell him no. It’s a game you two love playing. You’ll say eventually. You just want to see how hard he’ll work for it.

The first weekend that Peter’s team has an away game comes, and you’re upset you couldn’t go because of exams. You have two this next week so you’re taking this weekend to study for both of them. Sarah is over at her boyfriend’s dorm so you have the place to yourselves. You look at the time and groan from how late it is. 

Someone knocks on the door, and you look at it in confusion. Who could be here at eleven at night? You grab your cardigan and wrap it around yourself before going over to the door. One look through the peephole has you confused.

‘“Peter?” you say as you open the door. “What are you doing here?” Peter pants and holds onto the wall to catch his breath. “You just had a game. You’re supposed to be at ASU.”

“I had to see you,” he says. “We’ve been away all week and I hated not being able to see you.”

“Peter, it’s nearly midnight.”

He rests his arm on your doorframe and leans in. “Tell me not to come back tomorrow and ask you on a date.”

You have to hide your smile when you say this. “Don’t come back, Peter.”

This time, his face falls. “What?”

“I won’t be here.”

He tries not to look disappointed. “Oh, okay,” he nods.

“Yeah, I have this date with this guy who is charming and cute and looks like he ran hundreds of miles just to ask me on a date.”

Suddenly, Peter’s frown turns upside down. “Wait, you’re talking about me?”

“You’re so cute. Yes, I’m talking about you.”

“You’ll go on a date with me?”

“Yes,” you giggle.

“I really want to kiss you right now.” He leans in closer to you. “Tell me not to kiss you right now.”

“Goodbye, Peter,” you grin.

You’re about to close the door on his face when he pushes it back open. He grabs you, pulls you into him, and kisses you.

x

Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[telugu-girl-13]

Hey ummm can you help me make a dni for my blog?

weird people keep following me and it’s kinda creeping me out 😬😬

I don’t know exactly what to put and you’re good at intro posts and stuff like that

also how do you change what your inbox says?

Okay, when it comes to DNIs, I’m not really the best at them because there are just SO many types of horrible people in this world and I wish I could name all of them.

Here is the DNI list in my introduction post:

In the above, I introduced myself and IMMEDIATELY put in my DNI list so people would know to leave before knowing too much about me.

I just put some types of -ists: racists, sexists, and homophobes too; and i also literally just put “haters” because that’s a super wide range. Also, I put adults because I really don’t want to interact with them.

I’ve been reached out to by MULTIPLE sex-related blogs and porn promoters before, so I was sure to include those too. And shippers of pedophilia, because if you’ve been paying attention to my blog, they’ve been interacting with me a little too much recently.

I also asked for people to refer to my intro post and DNI list in my bio.

For the inbox thing, on a laptop, you can click the paint palette button (or whatever the customize button is) on your blog and scroll down to where it says something like “ask button text”. On a mobile device, you can go to setting and I think it’s underneath the main stuff.

PS. I’m not sure if this post is really helpful to yall but if yall want should I link it on my intro post with my guide to making an intro post and guide to making a follower event?

[twizzytalks]

I fucking love comic book posts like this that directly look at a character/story and break it down, and like really take a good look at what’s happening/being expressed. Especially when photos of panels and stuff are added too. Like that is Quality Content right there. This stuff feeds my SOUL.

And this one??? Oooo this is a good one. This person knows what they’re 👏 talking 👏 about. I’m so happy you didn’t only look at the joker war, but also all the other (post-flashpoint) major batman/joker story arcs, and made parallels and connections and all that. Especially the best man story, that one gets overshadowed by the other stories due to how big and spectacular the others are, but the best man had a lot of really interesting dialogue and character stuff going on.

Also, I suffer from Smooth Brain, so a lot of times I don’t really pick up the deeper meaning of story arcs as I read them. When I’m reading stories like these, with really impressive art and crazy things going on, I breeze through the stories because I just want to keep going and see more, and by the time the story is over and I’m done reading, if it’s my first read there’s a good chance I wouldn’t even be able to explain the true conflict or meaning lol. It takes me a good few reads of a story, or like a good YouTube breakdown, to truly get what’s going on beyond the key events.

This doesn’t really add to the original post, I just really wanted to share how much I liked this post ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Joker's motivations in Joker War

Now idk if I was the only one initially confused by wtf Joker's actual intentions were in Joker War. Maybe I'm just a bit schewpid and everyone else got it but regardless here's my attempt to piece together what's going on in his weird little mind.

Imho, the first lines we get about Joker's underlying intentions are here:

It's extremely important that he was aware of Bruce's intentions to redesign the city. That was definitely the catalyst for the whole thing.

Speaking of Bruce's plans to redesign the city:

He mentions multiple times that his goal is to build a city that doesn't need a Batman.

Regardless of whether he actually mentioned something like this at a press conference or something, I'm sure Joker would be able to pick up on it anyway.

And it's very well-established that Joker needs Batman. The Best Man arc has this whole beautiful monologue about it:

Joker NEEDS Batman. A city without Batman is a city with no place for Joker.

The whole Best Man arc takes during the same year (year 17) as Joker War (prior to it, obviously).

The Batcat engagement took place in year 16. (In which Batman also had Joker locked up in his basement. And he deliberately tracked down amnesiac!Joker and made him Normal Joker again so he could get information. Yowza! Not cool, Bats.)

Additionally, the events of Endgame took place on year 15 and Death of the Family in year 14.

Joker reveals more of his motivations in the final fight scene between him and Batman:

Very interesting that Joker initially chooses to stab Batman in the back. Hmm I wonder if that has any deeper meaning or reveals anything about Joker's own feelings in this situation /sar.

Also very, very, very significant that Joker chooses to battle Batman in that particular suit, after he essentially desecrates it:

So, by now, it's apparent that Joker's direct intention with Joker War was to essentially destroy the possibility of Bruce's vision of Gotham:

He even directly says that all of this was about them.

Hm... I don't think he's just talking about the city, here...

And then we have this:

There's been a recurring theme since Death of the Family, that Bruce isn't being the Batman that Joker wants him to be.

To me, this line feels like "okay, Batman is ruined irreparably, let's just destroy him and start over from scratch."

Then we have this panel. Whew. I think this might be one of the most revealing panels in the entirety of Joker War, largely because of how Joker is depicted in it.

He doesn't look angry, he looks genuinely distraught.

And I didn't notice this until someone else pointed it out but if you zoom in, it definitely looks like he's crying.

I don't think this is just an artistic thing, largely because of this panel from a few issues back:

So those are definitely tears of laughter. But it looks roughly the same. Except based on the context and his expression, I don't think those are tears of laughter in Joker War. At the very least, he's hysterical.

Somewhat of a tangent but it's important to tie everything together: Joker War reminds me very much of DOTF and Endgame in that Joker is depicted (or tries to portray himself) as this terrifying, ruthless, inhuman thing, but if you actually look into his motivations, he's being driven by his emotions, particularly his feelings about Batman, which are almost inarguably the most human part of him.

In DOTF he talks about how Batman isn't being the Batman he wants him to be and yadda yadda, but then in the tie-ins, we have this section, which I think does a beautiful job of explaining his real motivations:

It's jealousy. Jealousy and fear. He's terrified of losing Batman.

And then there's a similar thing in Endgame.

Initially, he says this:

"Haha yeah I'm just bored of you lol."

But then in the final scene we get this:

He's not bored, he's heartbroken. He's genuinely hurt by Batman (in his perception) rejecting him, and he's lashing out in a major way.

I think it's definitely similar in Joker War, except he's not as afraid of losing Batman to the Batfam, more so he's afraid that Bruce's new design for the city will eliminate the need for a Batman, although the Batcat almost-wedding and Bruce's growing family definitely play a role in his motivations.

I think that might be where his whole idea of making Batman start over with nothing came from. Because when Bruce started, he didn't really have anyone except for Alfred, and later Dick.

I think that Joker could tolerate him having a few allies but he can't handle the idea of Batman having an actual family. Both because he doesn't want to share Batman's attention, and because he doesn't have a family, so why does Batman get to have one? Why does Batman get to connect with people when the only person he's truly connected to is Batman? He wants Bats to be as dependent on him as he is on Bats.

So, that's just my Hot Take (read: mediocre interpretation) of Joker War. I wasn't too fond of the storyline until I kinda pieced everything together and it's still not my favorite arc but I definitely like it better than I did initially.

[ravenlly]

TSAMS, LAES, and EAPS Celestials As Pokemon Types

I got the idea to post this OVER A MONTH AGO but was too lazy. Anyway I thought it would be fun to go over what Pokemon types I think the TSBS celestials would be if they were Pokemon. I’ll explain my points! I’m thinking of making another about what existing Pokemon species they’d be, what teams they’d have in their party, or what training type they’d specialize in! Anyway, enough yapping, enjoy!

Sun: Normal/Fire- I chose normal for Sun because he isn't someone who wants to be powerful and is one of the more down-to-earth characters who doesn't see himself as ultra-powerful. However, he does mess with magic and he has the ability to use it to shoot fireballs so I decided to give him fire typing as well. Plus that also suits him considering he is an animatronic sun.

Moon: Dark- I just think the dark-type suits him due to him being a night-themed animatronic. Plus he is intelligent and perceptive and dark-type Pokemon are also often perceptive.

Lunar: Electric/Fairy- Fairy because of how he looks and his innocent appearance and electric due to his abilities. He has the ability to control all weather but obviously lightning is the one he chooses to use the most. I was considering adding dark due to him due to him recently acquiring negative star power but I decided to keep it as electric/fairy instead.

Earth: Grass/Fairy- Grass because of her being a nature-themed animatronic who also loves nature. You would think I'd choose water given that part of her planet design has water but I chose fairy because of her pretty appearance and kind personality. Plus she likes fairies and stuff like that so it really does suit her.

Solar: Normal- I decided to put normal since he's one of the characters who is the most sane and levelheaded out of the entire shows. I was considering making him a ghost type or adding that to him since he did die but this makes more sense to me. I also briefly considered fire due to him being sun-themed and orange and because of his canon arm but that didn't make sense to me since I don't want to base it off appearance for the most part and he no longer has the canon arm.

Nexus: Dark/Poison- Another one that's pretty obvious. Dark due to his personality, his usage of dark star power, and because he is a night-themed animatronic. Poison also because of negative star power essentially being a poisonous substance.

Eclipse: Dark/Ghost- Pretty straightforward. Dark due to his grouchy, lonesome personality and ghost because he has died and come back to life so many times.

Ruin: Psychic- This was a tough one. I didn't know whether to make him dark or psychic and I thought combining the two wasn't probably the best idea. I would've chosen dark due to all the trauma he has gone through and the dark things he's done for the greater good but I decided to go with psychic instead! He's extremely intelligent and aware of what's going on around him a lot of the time. He is also perceptive of emotions and he seems to know how things are going to go a lot of the time. I thought psychic was suitable for him! Plus we already have so many dark types here lol.

Jack: Fighting/Steel- I chose fighting for him because he is super protective, loves to fight, loves weapons, and was ultimately made to be a weapon. I chose steel because he has steel claws and other steel body parts that count as weapons.

Dazzle: Ghost/Fairy- Dazzle's is pretty straightforward as well! Ghost because she is a dead child. Fairy because she is a very adorable little thing and fairy Pokemon are known for being the most cutesy type.

Bloodmoon: Dark/Fighting- This one is pretty straightforward. Dark because his interest is very dark and evil. Fighting because he loves to fight everything. It was pretty easy to choose a type for them.

Dark Sun: Dark/Dragon- Even though he sees himself as a normal Sun, his interests and personality say otherwise. I chose dark because his thoughts and the things he has done are very, very dark. Dragon because he has a big wither dragon he seems to have control over (it's obvious what trainer type I'll assign to him when I post that lol).

Solar Flare: Fire/Steel- I wasn't going to make any based on their looks alone, I swear, but Solar Flare's "rays" look more like fire. It looks more like a hairstyle than the rays actual Daycare Attendant models have (sorry, Sun). But yeah it looks so much like fire I can't ignore it. As for the steel type, I basically gave him this type because he is one of the most robotic characters in the series since he didn't get to grow and develop much before his death so I thought that type fits him.

Killcode: Dark/Grass- I think KC would be a dark-type because he was originally made to, you know, kill things which is a pretty dark thing to do and makes him fit right into that category. I think post-death-loving KC would be a grass type as well because of how connected he was to nature and kindness (which go hand-in-hand a lot in stories if you think about it).

Lord Eclipse: Psychic- This is an Eclipse that got a star that gave him the ability to do anything and see everything in his universe. It only makes sense for him to be a psychic-type!

Servant Sun: Ghost- I bet I surprised you with this one, didn’t I? It's basically because Lord Eclipse had the habit of killing him and bringing him back to life over and over again. He's much different than normal (our canon) Sun is at the moment so that's why he isn't a normal-type. He is a shell of his former self and he's been killed and brought back to life a lot so that's my reasoning for him being a ghost-type!

[hyperions-light]

ssssshhhhh this is a reference post for future me bc I have 12 billion ideas a day and my brain is filled with bees + some wasps

- The Lore did not change in VG at all, what in the world is everyone talking about

- It’s all one blood magic ritual, guys, trust me

- Solas, Bellara, and the arrogance of self-blame

- the one about how I never want to revisit the mage-Templar conflict ever again

- My fucking husband Zevran Arainai and why we’ll probably never see him again =(

- Just a list of references in this game to the past ones, since everyone keeps saying it’s ’not a real DA game’

- Another, more helpful list of all the NPCs whose dialogue will change if you bring specific companions to them

- Posting things I love about Bellara, because she’s not getting enough adoration

- Posting things I love about Harding, since she isn’t either

- Posting about Taash + their arc, since people don’t like it

- Posting about how I love the stuff Rook can say to Solas in the ending because I’m obsessed with the last 10-ish min of the game

- Posting about all the ways the game characterizes Rook, since people are mad about that too

-Posting about Emmrich’s arc and how like… it’s fun but really it’s also very serious and thematically relevant

- Posting about how Veilguard confronts and deals with death

- Posting about Neve in a more coherent way lol (after I try saving Minrathous)

- Spite and the Ossuary, since people hate that too I guess

- Posting abt how BW games have almost always just offered the illusion of carrying choices over and I’m glad they stopped lying about it (NOTIFS OFF)

- The Crows in VG (notifs off again)

- Countering some specific complaints about the LoF w/ regards to how they relate to Isabela (notifs REALLY off)

- Do I seriously need to discuss Isseya a third time

- something about how Davrin is like… he’s like good Ghilan’nain or something… he cares about them… idk

- What’s going on with Rook de Riva and Vi (after I finish this playthrough)

- those elven pantomime mask mementos… fascinating

- Paragon Wintersbreath?????

- love how normal everyone in Minrathous is

- Confused about the anger towards [im redacting this] when Dorian codex, Viper, etc, + other games never discussed anyway??

- How specific criticisms of DAI clearly shaped this game and it’s funny bc now everyone is mad that they listened to the criticisms (only if I’m feeling confrontational)

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is:  @alwaysurvalentine! alwaysurvalentine has 11 fics in the Stranger Things fandom on AO3 and all of them are in the Steddie tag!

@dame-zoom-a-lot recommends the following works by @alwaysurvalentine:

bad days were meant to be shared

three strikes and you're out!

aquariums and sweethearts

"If I had to put an image to their fics… I'd say a warm blanket and a piece of cake.

Their slices of life fics get cooked with so much care and thought. A lot of them are my go-to when I'm feeling kind of off or lonely. They approach conflict with so much empathy and realism. No one's just shitty out of the blue with zero reason, and characters talk things out in a way that feels like how real people would talk. There's rarely clear villains or clean-cut forever happy-ending type resolutions in real life, and their fics shine at showing the beauty of that." -- @dame-zoom-a-lot

Below the cut, @alwaysurvalentine answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

Honestly, I just really vibe with both of them as characters. It’s easy to draw some of my own parallels with how Eddie sees the world and Steve’s fall from grace within my personal life - so it’s nice to play around with characters who I can understand. Plus I love taking the “protectors” from the narrative and forcing them to allow others to care for them.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

I’m a sucker for any type of soulmate au, the ones with soulmarks are my guilty pleasures. Just something about knowing there’s someone out there destined to care about you makes me feel all warm and fuzzy

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

Anything slice of life or found family - I just love getting to give characters all the love and care they deserve. Especially when canon has put them through the ringer!!

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

With no cross to bear (these words just come out) by hitlikehammers https://archiveofourown.org/works/45052120/chapters/113340064 I come back to this fic again and again. Love their Eddie POV and all of the reactions from the party feel authentic and I just love a fic that really shows how much everyone cares about Steve (even if he doesn’t see it).

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

I’ve had a big idea about a possession type fic starring Eddie. It’s gonna be a big project though so it may be workshopped and shelved for another time while I work on some other stuff!

What is your writing process like?

Music is my biggest inspiration and I listen to Spotify all of the time (my spotify wrapped is about to be WILD), but usually I’ll get a spark of an idea from a song, scribble down a quick interaction I can see, and then once I get home it’s getting it all out on a doc. It usually takes me a few days to a week for me to get a fic where I want it, especially when the characters take things into their own hands for the narrative (I’m looking at Eddie and Robin here)

Do you have any writing quirks?

I actually write everything in red text until I decide I like the section. I have so many documents that have different colored text based on how I feel about it. Black means it’s ready to be proofread/don’t change, purple or blue for things I want to rewrite, and then red for what I’ve gotten down but isn’t edited/reviewed yet. Besides that I also go in thinking I’m going to keep it short and sweet and then I blink and we’re 2k in - but it’s been fun nonetheless!

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

If I’m doing a prompt challenge usually it’s as soon as I’m done (totally not because I finish the day of…totally not that) but other than that I have a personal schedule to have certain things done by, otherwise I’ll nitpick forever.

Which fic are you most proud of?

Three Strikes and You’re Out! It was super fun to play around with connecting baseball terms to DnD in a way that still made sense and wasn’t just a block of info text.

How did you get the idea for aquariums and sweethearts?

It was actually a little followup I did for another fic, where Eddie visited the aquarium with Uncle Wayne but wasn’t able to get the souvenir he wanted. And I wanted Steve to kinda complete that circle, plus I wanted them to have a moment where they could kinda be kids again.

When writing aquariums and sweethearts, what was something you didn’t expect?

I honestly didn’t expect it to be so long, I was just going to write a tiny follow up but got carried away with my own aquarium memories and research so I just kept wanting to add more and more

What inspired three strikes and you're out!?

I feel like I’ve seen a lot of fics where Steve meets Eddie halfway with his interests and I wanted to see the opposite. Like it’s one thing for Eddie to concede that being a jock isn’t so bad, but it’s another for him to go out and learn about a sport/something that doesn’t interest him at all, ya know?

What was your favorite part to write from three strikes and you're out!?

Oooh! Such a hard question, for me it’s a tie between the conversation Eddie has with Lucas and his conversation with Uncle Wayne. I just liked putting Eddie in a situation where he was the one learning, instead of being the one in charge/control.

How do/did you feel writing bad days were meant to be shared?

It was a little hard starting out, I knew a couple things I wanted to happen but besides that I really went in kinda blind. Once I got into the groove though, it felt like it just wrote itself. Steve knew what he was feeling and just guided me along.

What was the most difficult part of writing bad days were meant to be shared?

So fun fact, I actually wrote the first draft completely from Eddie's point of view. I was trying to find his voice (still feel like I’m working on this but progress is progress) but it just wasn’t flowing right and Dame-Zoom-A-Lot actually helped beta for me. They’re the one who suggested the point of view switch and it worked so well!!

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

A favorite scene I’ve written has to be in aquariums and sweethearts when Eddie and the Mime gang up on Steve to poke fun at him, it just felt like something Eddie would play along with and enjoy.  These couple of lines from Three Strikes and You’re Out! Make me really happy, like sent my friends a dorky screenshot because I liked them so much: “Eddie’s world narrows to the smell of Steve’s cologne, something that smells like rain on freshly cut grass and a hint of vanilla. Just as soon as Steve leaned in, he leans away, the sun painting orange and pink highlights in his hair when he tilts his head grinning.”

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

I’m working on a Steve Harrington ���character study’ from Hopper’s point of view currently and might be starting on an Anastasia AU starring Chrissy as Anya and Robin as Dimitri - super stoked for both of these!

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

Endless thanks to my nominator!! I just started posting for Steddie this August and it’s been unreal. So thankful for all of my new friends and can’t wait to share some more of my little ideas and chat with other people about their art and stories! <3

Thank you to our author, @alwaysurvalentine, and our nominator, @dame-zoom-a-lot ! See more of alwaysurvalentine's works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[lunar-years]

https://www.tumblr.com/lunar-years/764543744379944960/i-miss-my-mom-so-deeply-all-day-i-just-collect?source=share

I know this will be hard to hear, maybe not kind of me to send, but all your posts about your mom's passing and your grief... I keep feeling like I need to tell you that you are so lucky to feel this way. You're so lucky to have loved your mother and that she loved you. My mother is also dead, she died by suicide when I was a teen and before that she was very abusive to me. She had post party after my birth and it has been confirmed to me by multiple people - not doing it cruelly - that she never loved me. I would not say I loved her either. I have no good memories of her. You are so, so, so lucky in your heartfelt loving grief.

I’m very sorry that you’ve been through that and you did not have a good relationship with your mom. That must be very very hard. Sending you love and wishing you peace.

edited: I'm back because I'm realizing I actually found this ask upsetting. I very much realize how lucky I am to have loved and been loved by my mom. There hasn't been a moment where I didn't think she and her love for me were anything but fucking exceptional. And I DO appreciate that everyone is not lucky enough to have that, very much so. Forgive me, however, if I do think watching her slowly die over three years from rare fucking cancer that gradually stripped her of dignity, joy, and wellbeing, nor my grief at losing her too soon, is "lucky." Especially not when it's been less than a week since she died.

I do think/hope you were well meaning here, but since you've stated you were thinking "hey this will be hard for this grieving person to hear AND maybe it's not kind of me to send this"...maybe you could have...just not sent it! Because it really wasn't helpful at all on the day I put my favorite person in the ground.

[electronicmail]

Firefox-official vs electronicmail

Hydrogen bomb vs coughing baby

okay come up with a better idea then. firefox-official is gone asshole it’s electronicmail or nothing

[sugarpasteltmnt]

(whispers) hey friends I appreciate your excitement but gentle reminder it’s not very polite to ask fanfic writers when the next chapter is gunna come out

[hplonesomeart]

Hey. Sorry about the inactivity, but pretty sure no one cared that much anyways lol. Been a looooong time since I kept that distant from Tumblr…at least now I know I’m able to survive without checking posts every day/being chronically online! I’ve got an intense love-hate relationship with this lifestyle I’ve dug myself into. Think I’m getting a little bit better with the balance even if school isn’t really giving me an option. Got a load of work I need to keep catching up on if I don’t want to disappoint my professors. We’ll survive somehow. Here take a quick batch of Puzzle doodles k bye

[kyouka-supremacy]

Why are you tagging posts with dates from last year? Did you queue them last year?

… I did.

[gottarunfromthelaw]

Not to sound like a sore loser but I feel art doesn’t always need to improve or have steady permanent growth. Especially if you are a hobbyist and have no desire to pursue it professionally. It can be more satisfying to constantly be improving but. To be fair. Sometimes you are at a level where you are fine where you at. You have the skills to draw what you want. And sometimes there’s no more drive than that. Or sometimes a lack of growth is because you don’t have time to put love into your hobby because you gotta pay bills. Or hell even disability’s both physical and mental can be a huge road block to get growth that some would say is required with the amount of time you put in it. Anyways yeah. Sorry.

[alaskan-wallflower]

(vent in the tags and under the cut. don’t read if you don’t want.)

sometimes i wonder if people would care if i was gone. there’s just no point anymore tbh.

[mazzy-rockstar]

Monday blues are hitting me hard today

[a-writing-otter]

I wanna post something from WIP Wednesday from the current chapter I’m working on, but it’s kind of spoilers for Chapter 8

If I post it, do you promise you’ll still pretend to be surprised when the big reveal happens in Chapter 8? ;-;