#drawing has now become on my absolute favorite hobbies

[golden--doodler]

This sounds a bit sad, but I'm someone who used to have absolutely zero faith in my artistic abilities. I've been writing my entire life, and haven't had too many self-confidence issues with that (well, I've gotten down on myself about my writing before, but I've gotten a lot better about that). I've always known I have the ability to write, as I've been doing it almost my entire life.

But drawing was a different story. I used to always tell myself "Ha! I just need to stick to writing. I'll never be able to draw. Are you kidding? Look at all of these talented artists. And look at these gorgeous realistic anatomy they can do!! I'll never be able to do that. I have no artistic ability whatsoever. It's just not my thing."

That was really my first mistake, comparing myself to other artists, and judging my ability to draw before I even tried. But another thing that really lowered my confidence in my artistic abilities was this one moment in my English class my Sophomore year of high school. We had this assignment to make a short comic based on the story The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe. I'm sure everyone knows that story. I did mine, and forgot to sign it at first, and my teacher saw. He was always a harsh grader, but he held up my paper, not knowing it was mine, and called it Kindergarten work. In front of the entire class. Needless to say, I was mortified. I immediately redid the assignment, losing almost all of my faith in my own artistic abilities.

But something changed when the Pandemic hit. I got an iPad, which made digital drawing so much easier and more fun. And I just had a lot of time on my hands because of lockdowns. And I thought to myself: Huh. Well, maybe I don't have to draw realistically. Maybe I can practice my drawing skills more by drawing more cartoony art.

And that's exactly what I did. And now I'm proud to say I'm actually confident in my art now!! I sort of have my own style now, which has definitely evolved over the years. I guess that's just what can happen when you practice and try to push aside the self-doubt festering in the back of your mind. It wasn't always easy, but I kept trying to encourage myself instead of just putting myself down.

Now I can proudly say that I've gotten paid for my art, and my clients were all thrilled with the results so far. And I can't wait to keep drawing for people and making them happy. I think I've definitely come a long way from so-called "Kindergarten work".

[lurking-latinist]

How to Suck Less at Summaries

Probably almost anyone who's ever posted a fic to ao3 or a platform with a similar interface has been hit by that moment of panic, breaking in on the euphoria of having finished and polished a fic--"what do I put for the summary?!"

So much so, that "I suck at summaries" in the summary box has become something of a cliche. It's very understandable! You've already put all that work into writing the fic itself, and now you have to write ANOTHER thing with its own set of conventions and expectations? No way!

And I want to start by saying that that's absolutely fine. Fic writing is your hobby, your creative endeavor; you're not obligated to do anything in it that you don't want to. You can leave the summary box completely blank--ao3 will let you--and there's no reason you shouldn't, if that's what you want to do! If you're happy with your summaries, please don't change them. There's no wrong way to do summaries. This is your invitation to ignore the entire rest of this post!

However. My impression is that an awful lot of people aren't happy with their summaries. They would like to have summaries that catch a reader's attention, that fit common patterns, or that give a good representation of the fic; they're just not sure how to accomplish that, or what readers might be expecting. And the good news is that writing various styles of summaries, like other kinds of writing, is a skill you can improve--and that there are some tips and tricks that can help you write the kinds of summaries you may want to write more quickly.

How do I know? Well, on top of having read I don't know how many fics, I've published 200 of my own, with all different kinds of summaries. (In fact, writing this post is my treat to myself to celebrate publishing 200 fics!) So I have a lot of trial and error experience to draw on. I'll be using my own summaries as examples (plus some hypothetical examples), because I don't want to be nitpicking anyone else's!

I'm going to throw in a cut now because this is gonna get long.

What do you want to accomplish with your summary?

That's the first question you might want to ask yourself. And the answer really is up to you! The name "summary" suggests it's supposed to be a sort of short version of your story. That's one option. But summaries are often used to accomplish various other things, too: some of my favorite summaries don't really tell you anything about the plot of the fic, but instead give you a glimpse of the writer's style or lure you in with a question. It can also fill organizational purposes like commemorating the reason the fic was written (although author notes can also be effective for things like this).

Most fundamentally, I tend to think of the summary box as a place to manage your readers' expectations. I want them to have some sense of what the fic they're about to read might be like, and I want to present that in a way that highlights why it might be appealing to them. Of course, what I write won't be appealing to every reader--and an effective summary, plus accurate tags and ratings of course, allows a reader who won't enjoy what I have to offer to quickly keep scrolling and find something that fits their tastes better. But the way I think of them, summaries are really mainly for readers who will enjoy my fic if they decide to open it. A summary for a fic is like a pretty package for a gift: the gift is great in itself, and the nice gift-wrap makes it more eye-catching and more fun to open!

Sidebar: This "managing expectations" thing is, I think, the reason why authors sometimes add notes in the summary like "I'm sorry if this sucks" or "this is my first fic, it's probably terrible." I completely understand where this comes from--you don't want to make your readers expect some kind of genius literature and then only have something to give them that you yourself are still insecure about! But I really do think they're generally counterproductive. On the one hand, that kind of negative self-talk will tend to undermine your own confidence and make you more insecure about your writing, not less; on the other hand, they can subconsciously prime your readers to notice weaknesses and issues that they might otherwise not even have paid attention to! That doesn't mean you have to pretend you think your writing is perfect; very few of us do think what we post on fic archives is perfect. There's nothing wrong, even, with a note like "this is my first fic" or "this one is a bit experimental, I'm not sure how I feel about it" or "this wasn't written in my first language" or even "this is an old fic and I don't think it represents my best work anymore", although I tend to put that kind of commentary on craft in the author's notes rather than the summary, but that's just me; there's no rule. As an example, when I recently published my first fic in the Hornblower fandom, which has a historical setting I wasn't previously very familiar with, I thanked my beta for helping me avoid "historical howlers" and added "any remaining are my own responsibility." That made me feel better about potential mistakes in research by showing that I was aware I might have made some. I put this in an author's note at the end of the story. But, for the sake of you as a writer as well as me as a reader, I'm asking you--please don't start out our reader/writer relationship by telling me it's terrible! Give yourself a chance to shine. Even if there's a lot you're insecure about in your fic, there's something you love--maybe it's the premise, the ship, even one particular line--that makes you want to share it with the world. Use the summary to highlight that. As your reader, that's what I want to know about!

Anyway, now that you've decided what you want your summary to accomplish, there are a couple of very easy ways to fill the summary box that you might want to consider--if they make sense for your fic.

Just quote the prompt

When I write prompt-fic, often very short, I frequently just quote the prompt itself as the summary. An example would be my 3 Sentence Ficathon fic archived on ao3. Since the challenge in this event is to write a complete fic in only three sentences, a summary wouldn't be much shorter than the fic itself! So I just do summaries like

For reeby10's prompt: "Doctor Who, Clara/Twelve, unforgettable."

(Gaps)

This can work outside of prompt memes, too. If you're doing a monthly challenge, for instance, something like

Flufftember day 21, 'breakfast in bed'

might tell your readers all they need to know to be interested in your story and know what to expect.

Set the context

For some fic, the most important thing you want your readers to know going in is something about the fic's context. For instance, with drabbles I sometimes use the summary as a place to sneak in information about setting/what's supposed to be happening that I didn't have room for in the drabble itself. For Susan's Twist, a 100-word drabble, I set the scene in the summary:

Susan is grooving to the latest chart-topper of 1963. But for some reason, the song makes her grandfather uncomfortable.

which meant I didn't have to use any of my 100 words explaining "Susan was listening to the radio, when..." Since Susan's Twist was inspired by someone else's Tumblr post, I could also just have referenced that post in the summary. But in this case, I chose to phrase the premise in my own words in the summary, and cite the Tumblr post in the author's notes (I also tagged the OP when I shared the fic on Tumblr).

Flower Children is an example of a drabble with a not particularly effective summary where I could have used this strategy quite effectively. The summary is just

Neither of them wants to fight.

which is all right, but which doesn't do much to set up the (admittedly cracky) Eighth Doctor/Dalek Oswin pairing that motivates the fic. But then, I've always felt like I didn't have quite as much of an idea as I'd like about what the context for this fic is supposed to be. Maybe I'll write more about them sometime.

Setting the context can also be useful for summaries of AUs. Very often, what draws people into AUs is the AU concept itself.

For instance, the premise of my story te quaerens, Ariadna is that the events of the audio Zagreus go differently and the Doctor remains possessed by/transformed into Zagreus. So that's what I said in the summary:

The Doctor is still Zagreus, but he and Charley find ways to keep going.

In this case, the summary is accomplishing more than one thing; it explains the concept, but it also indicates a bit of the story's tone--it's fairly optimistic given its premise, and it's more about how their relationship evolves than any particular plotty event.

With setting change AUs--especially in familiar AU settings, like a coffeeshop, high school, or fantasy monarchy--often what readers will most want to know is what roles the characters are filling; in other words, how the translation from canon to AU has been made. For instance, my story Warmth is already tagged as a coffeeshop AU with the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan, and Adric, so the summary indicates that it's told from the perspective of Tegan as a new employee:

Unexpectedly stranded in London and looking for work, Tegan finds a place where she just might fit in.

If she had been a longtime employee or a customer, that would have changed the story's dynamics, and I would have wanted the summary to reflect that instead. I could have also added that the Doctor is the shop's manager and Nyssa and Adric are the existing employees, but I decided to let the story itself reveal that in this case.

With someone's planted a bath bomb in the matrix, which is a retail AU inspired by an incorrect quotes tumblr post, I just stuck the whole tumblr post in the summary box:

Romana: When you work at lush and a customer comes in and bites the soap because they think it’s cheese… this happens way more frequently than you think. Leela: If you stopped literally presenting soap as deli food this wouldn't happen. Narvin: Who goes into a bath store and thinks something covered in glitter is cheese? Brax: Who goes to the store and just takes a bite from the cheese? ~incorrectgallifreyquotes.tumblr.com

I might do that a bit differently now--maybe more the way I handled Susan's Twist--maybe something like this in the summary:

An uptight employee and a too-suave customer are making Romana's job managing a bath store way too stressful. Thank goodness--probably--that her best friend works for mall security.

And then I'd have put the tumblr post that inspired it in author's notes.

Thing is, though, that reflects my taste and what I think is effective now, but it doesn't mean I did it wrong the first time. People read and enjoyed the story, and it was fine!

Also I just showed this post to Moki and she said she thinks the first one's more intriguing. So that just goes to show, it's really a matter of taste.

This strategy is also useful for missing scenes and things like that. Something as simple as

While waiting for Z to return from the rendezvous, X and Y have a conversation.

can draw in readers very effectively, especially if X and Y's conversation was kind of obviously a gap in the story that they might already be curious about.

Use a quote

A surprisingly effective and straightforward way to create a summary is just to use a quote from the fic. I've seen tons of great summaries like this that hook me in immediately. I struggle with using it myself, because I want the line I quote to be powerful/impactful/intriguing and give some sense of what the plot is like and make sense out of context, and I don't often seem to be able to find lines like that in my own work. But I did for The Moon by Night:

It could not have been more than a day that we clung to the hull of that station full of troopers.

Since this is a space AU for a historical fiction novel, this line gives some sense of how the events of the story have been translated into space, and also shows the voice I'm writing in (I tried to follow the style of the original, which is first-person, which is unusual for me). If you can find a line like that in your work, it can be a great summary. You can even just put the first couple of lines of the fic, especially if you've already worked to make them an effective hook!

You can also use a quote from another source. Was there a line or moment from canon that inspired the fic? A poem or song that fits its mood? You can use the summary as a sort of epigraph. (I often use author's notes for this as well.) If your readers vibe with the quote that inspired the story, they're likely to vibe with the story as well.

I did something like this with Absent thee from felicity awhile. The title is a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet, and all I put in the summary box was another quote from a couple of lines later:

…to tell my story.

This is so short and contextless, though, that I'm not sure how effective it was. It maybe only works if you recognize the specific Hamlet scene that it's taken from and have thought about that scene in the context of a specific episode of Hornblower. (I promise that, if you do, it's heartbreakingly ironic!) This could have been a good opportunity for me to do a double summary (see below), especially since the story is epistolary and I could've established its context. Although I did kind of like revealing who was reading the letter and when slowly over the course of the story.

Okay, but I do want to explain the plot

Right, so we've established that effective summaries don't have to be in that "back of the book blurb" format. But sometimes you want them to be. Sometimes the thing you're most excited about is the story's plot or events, and you want to communicate that to the reader. But you already wrote the story in order to communicate the plot to the reader; how do you condense it into a sentence or two? Here are some tips that may help.

Are you using familiar tropes? If so, just mentioning them will likely tell your reader not only what the plot is, but that (if they like that trope) they're likely to enjoy it. For instance:

A and B are trapped in a snow cave/ice planet/walk-in freezer and must huddle for warmth.

That particular one will also explain a bit about the setting, if you want.

Relationship status/development is also something that many readers want to know, whether it's a romantic or a gen relationship (e.g. characters becoming friends or realizing they see each other as family). For instance, if A and B admit their romantic feelings for the first time in that huddling for warmth story, you might add:

They get a lot closer than either of them expects...

I rather like ellipses at the end of a summary; I think they imply, sort of, "read the fic to find out the rest." I sometimes use them to soften a summary that feels a bit abrupt. I feel like this might be just me, though? So if you don't like ellipses, nothing wrong with ending that same summary with a period.

If you have a fic where the entire content is some emotional development between characters, the entire summary can easily be that too!

I don't really write smut so I don't have good advice for summarizing it, but I get the feeling this might be a relevant strategy for it?

What changes in the story? This could be a change in characters' attitudes towards each other, in the information they have, in their physical situation, or anything else. A story doesn't have to be about one single major change, but there's almost always at least one. (Or a change fails to happen, but in an interesting way: "five times Lois Lane didn't realize Clark was Superman" would be a perfectly intriguing summary!)

What demands are made of the characters? Many stories involve a character overcoming some kind of challenge or meeting some kind of test. A summary can indicate what that challenge is--and you don't have to indicate whether or how the characters meet it! This can contribute to a feeling of suspense, so that the reader feels they need to read the story to find out how the characters react. For instance, I summarized my story Journey as:

The Doctor and Ace need to stop a dimensional leakage to put a life-sucking entity back where it belongs. But to do so, they'll each need to protect the other in their own way.

What are their own ways? Do they succeed? The reader can probably guess that they do--but how? Their attention is caught, and they'll have to read to find out!

Some notes on format and style

Summary style is as personal as the rest of your writing style, so this is only intended as a mention of a couple of trends I've noticed.

Sometimes summaries are 'in-universe'--i.e. they describe the characters and what they do, without reference to the existence of the fic itself as a textual entity--and sometimes, like the "five times" example I gave above, they refer to the fic's format, characteristics, relationship to canon, etc. in direct terms. (For instance, the example I gave for a missing scene was 'in-universe,' but I could just as well have said "While waiting for Z to return during Episode 3..."). Either of these approaches are fine, although I personally tend to incline more towards the in-universe style unless I have a particular reason to use the other, such as in Differences of Opinion, which took a lot of metatextual explaining:

When I read enough easily-crossed-over stories, such as for instance the Age of Sail books that I have been reading lately and also spaceship stories inspired thereby, what inevitably happens is I end up with a nebulous meta crossover setting where they can all hang out outside of their respective canons. Here's one conversation from that setting.

I keep wondering if something more terse might have been more effective, and I could have put all that in the author's notes. But I really think that for anyone who would enjoy this fic, the metatextual complication is a big part of the appeal. So I put it in the summary.

It's pretty standard to write in-universe-style summaries in the present tense, even if the fic is in the past tense. "The characters do this and that," not "the characters did this and that." You don't have to, but it's what your reader is most likely to be expecting.

It seems to be quite common to have a double summary: one that maybe reflects the style and tone of the fic, and another, more matter-of-fact one that explains the plot. They're frequently joined by "or." I don't typically use it--maybe because I rarely have the problem of having too much summary--but if you do, this could be a great solution.

Spellcheck and proofread your summary extra. Whatever strategies you normally use to make sure the words in your story are the words you actually meant to write, it's a good idea to turn those strategies on the summary with special intensity. After all, this is your first impression on your reader, so you probably want to look as polished as possible!

These are just a few things I've noticed that I tend to think about when staring at that blinking cursor in the summary box. I hope they may help you, too, to feel like you have something to say in that moment!

[alienoresimagines]

Half Of Your Heart Beats In My Chest | Clegan Vampire AU | Part 2

Here's part 2 of the Vampire AU, focused on Gale and John's relationship before Gale is turned (yes, featuring smut (mostly thanks to @johnslittlespoon ngl) at the end so 18+ for this part please)❤️ Part 1 here My other Clegan fics

They start dating, Gale being at John’s place more than in his own dorm

He likes John’s apartment, filled with books and vinyls because John may hate modernity with a passion but he likes all the new different genres of music there is

John only buys vinyl though because listening to them crackle reminds him of when he could feel his heart swaying with the music 

It’s an Experience to slow dance with Buck pressed to his and feeling his heartbeat -one heartbeat for the two of them-

And since John can fly -he’s so glad he hasn’t lost the ability to explore the skies, and often goes for midnight flights- he takes the opportunity to woo Buck by carrying him bridal style through the sky at night, bringing him closer to the stars Gale loves so

Since vampires don’t need to sleep, John often lies awake watching over Gale (with his shift at the hospital in the vampire section, Gale usually sleeps from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. which fits John just fine). And if Gale is too tired but overwhelmed with essays? “You go catch your beauty sleep, doll, I’ll take care of it” Gale doesn’t particularly like it but desperate times call for desperate measures, and John is more than happy to help

They both like history so it’s a common topic between them and never fails to leave Bucky with his sense of time a bit warped

Gale would be talking about something and Bucky would nod, pensive, and say “Yeah, I remember reading that in the newspaper”

He still buys a physical copy of it every morning btw

Gale takes up reading the obituaries every weekend in case someone John mentioned is there, knowing it’d be a hard time for Bucky who still hasn’t come to terms with his immortality

John goes to all of the men of the Hundredth’s funerals, though he stays hidden because he does not want them to know what happened to him

Dog-coded tendencies become worse now that Bucky can actually shapeshift into a dog. Gets extremely whiny and possessive when Buck comes back from his student job at the animal shelter smelling like other dogs. Will absolutely rub his face against the other’s neck before he goes to mark his territory, even if Buck complains afterward that the dogs were too scared to approach him

Whether in human or dog form, he loves cuddling with Gale and following him around when he can

Will shift to his dog form and flop on Gale to keep him in bed longer

Gale petting him is one of his favorite things, and Gale finds it really relaxing too so it's a win for the both of them

John always makes sure to feed a bit before going to see Gale because the smell of him is just so sweet and enticing, John loses control of his fangs a bit and it terrifies him 

Gale doesn’t ask John to turn him, not after John tells him his story but he does wonder

Gale used to play the piano until his father complained about it making too much noise when he was trying to watch his sports and sold the piano without Gale’s consent to have more money for his bets. Heartbroken, Gale throws himself into painting and drawing, the movements helping him relax and think less.

John hasn’t seen himself in years but the first time he does is when he’s stumbling upon Gale’s draft book and sees drawings of himself. The drawing reminds him of the black and white picture of his parents he still has and he’s feeling emotional about it all

Gale keeps a picture of Bucky in the Air Force in his pocket and John takes as many pictures of Gale as he can, photography being one of the few hobbies he’s managed to keep an interest in. It helps a bit for him to cope when he has to turn Gale into a vampire

Whenever they cuddle, John often puts his head on Gale’s chest to hear his heartbeat and delight in how human Gale is. It’s been decades since he felt his own heartbeat and he refuses to think of Gale’s ever stopping

He likes that Gale runs warmer than him and absolutely revels in that warmth, even if it makes his “vampire blood” uncomfortable”

He’s always refused to feed from Gale, getting a bit mad whenever Gale brings it up but one day, something happens, maybe he’s accidentally touched something made of silver and he’s just so weak with no blood bag near and Gale just brings John’s head to his neck, baring it for him and John is so stubborn about not taking from Gale but Gale is very much not having it, hating to see John so weak and in pain

"You're not taking, I'm offering. I'm asking. I want it."

They both discover that Gale gets turned on by it, both by the pain and because his neck is really sensitive

Gale just loves the intimacy that comes with John feeding from him, how much more intimate can you be than giving your own blood for your mate to survive

And since blood is 60% water, he’s literally giving pieces of his humanity back to Bucky because he’s giving him the ability to cry and John almost cries every time at the show of trust Gale baring his neck for him to sink his fangs in is

It ends up with Bucky worshipping Gale before every feeding, kissing his pulse point on his wrist/neck depending on where he’ll sink his fangs, John holding eye contact if he drinks from Gale’s wrist and then lapping at the bite marks after, in a mimicry of eating Gale out to watch Gale squirm

He will kiss Bucky, even if the other still has blood on his teeth and lips, proving to John he's not scared of him, he's not disgusted by what he has to do to live, he'll kiss him with the taste of blood still on his tongue

Still, they don’t do it too often, with Bucky being afraid it’d become a habit and an instinct to feed directly from people, even if Gale isn’t around

Gale starts to leave blood bags with his blood in Bucky’s fridge but he tries to be sneaky and not too pushy about it, knowing it’s a sensitive subject

Eventually, John grows into it and Gale starts leaving little notes with the blood bags and John keeps them all

The sex is mindblowing

One thing John is grateful for now that he’s a vampire is his stamina. He can and will rail Gale to hell and back without effort, going multiple rounds and making Gale come twice as much as he, like the good service top he is. He will go until Gale is writhing on the bed, crying from oversensitivity and overstimulation. Yes, Gale did pass out on him once because of that. Yes, he did freak out and nearly refused to take Gale to bed for an entire week after that

Even if he refuses to feed from Gale, he puts his fangs to good use, dragging them lightly down his chest to his hips, Gale's back arching all pretty into the touch,  th e both of them bathed in moonlight

Just because John can’t see himself in a mirror does not mean mirror sex is out of the picture. No, he’ll have Gale sitting on his lap, his back to John’s chest, John’s legs spreading out Gale’s as he fucks him and Gale only being able to see himself in the mirror. John is having the time of his life watching usually calm and composed Gale Cleven watching himself be fucked, his pretty flush as he tries not to stare. Gale tries to turn his head to look at John because the mirror only showing himself is making him Feel Things but John gently grabs his chin and turns him back to the mirror

“No, baby, want you to watch me ruin you”

Gale finds John’s medals and sheepskin in his apartment once and starts calling John “Major” as a joke but he takes note of the darkening of John’s eyes. Uses it in the bedroom once and John may not have gotten the supernatural speed but Gale has never been pinned to a bed so fast. Will taunt and call John “Major” because he’s very quickly learned it usually means one of the best night of his life. Also he finds it very funny how easy John is to rile up

Gale says he doesn’t like the sheepskin but John has found him more than once wearing it. The first time it happens, the jacket just looks really warm and Gale is cold and maybe wants to see John’s reaction 

"You don't mind if I steal your jacket, major, do you? It's awful cold" and John loses his mind a bit but he’s really appreciative. Despite his possessiveness over the jacket, his clothes really do look good on Gale

"I'll let it slide, only for a doll like you", and is very happy to see Gale blush

For one of their anniversary, he calls John to come to their bedroom and John finds him wearing nothing but his sheepskin and Gale rides him until he physically can’t, and though John hadn’t worn the jacket in decades, now that it smells like them he almost never takes it off

Gale goes lightheaded every time John manhandles him so effortlessly because of his superhuman strength. Holding him up for hours ? No problem. Carrying him away without faltering ? John’s on it

Despite having more than his fair share of experience, John unravels completely under Gale's touch. It just feels so different when it's someone you love and who loves you back that does it, Gale can make John come untouched in no time

They both have insane praise kink and they both feed into each other's kinks

If Gale calls John a "good boy"? Yup, John is a goner

No scientific evidence proving that this is caused by his ability to shapeshift into a dog exists to this day but. Gale has considered the theory

John, despite being so much more powerful than Gale, surrenders himself completely to Gale's voice and touch but will always get Gale back if the other teased him lmao

Just a lot of lovey dovey, kinky, mindblowing love-making to be honest. They trust each other completely and are so in love with each other, it's sickening to write

Let me know your thoughts about this 🤗❤️ And if you have any questions about this AU or HCs, please do share them, I'd love to talk about this AU with y'all 🥰❤️

[cartoonguy08]

So I saw this one board thing a while ago and I thought it’d be fun to do it just cuz, and also so you guys know me a bit better 🤙 (I should probably do that one pinned post where people intro themselves huh?)

More detail if you want, as well as the board I used to do this with 👍

Movie - Hunchback of Notre Dame: Guys this movie is my everything and my childhood I was TERRIFIED of it as a kid but now I watch it and admire every aspect of it every SPEC and crumb of this movie is everything to me. The animation to the soundtrack to the characters to the backgrounds—OMG CAN I MENTION THE BEAUTIFUL BACKGROUNDS FOR THIS MOVIE JESUS—everything, absolutely everything of this movie is beloved by me ESPECIALLY my all time favorite villain Claud Frollo, guys, I LOVE (HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE ABSOLUTELY HATE HIM I WANT TO PUT HIM IN A BLENDER SO BAD OMG YES TAKE HIM TO HELL GUYS I HATE THIS GUY I HATE HIM SO MUCH 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️) him so much you wouldn’t believe I am an absolute SUCKER for characters who are just the shittiest people ever and that are villains and that deserve everything that happens to them because they are massive hypocrites. Did I mention why I love Claud Frollo?

Hobby - Drawing: In general, I try and draw as much as I can. I’m pretty busy with school and friends and life in general but I will never pass up a moment to just doodle silly cartoon shit. I love cartoons, they are everything to me, and I will give me life to become in animator holy shit. I love it, I’ve been loving it since I was born dawg 🤙

Animal - Rhino: Literally no explanation for this except I love how majestic and cool asf they are. I went to the zoo once and I couldn’t stop admiring them guys, they’re absolutely gorgeous.

Character - Soldier: No specific Soldier for this cuz I love both of them. I wish he was real because I would die to meet him lol. My entire personality in a nutshell 💀 He is my life, he spins in my head on the daily and he makes me love being American lmao (RIP Rick May, you made such a lovable character, fly high man)

Color - Mustard Yellow: I have a beanie the same color as this and legit it made me love the color. That and I love mustard in general

Place - Quiet library: AND I MEAN QUIET, I love being social with people but sometimes I just wanna be left alone. Dawg, the library at my school is the shit, it’s so quiet in there and I can sit on a sofa and just chill. Great to relax 👍

Season - Winter: Unfortunately for me I live somewhere that does not snow at all. Which kinda sucks- BUT it sprinkle some snow every one and a while. It’s also just not about the snow but the weather, I like the breezy feel, the chilliness of it all. I can wear hoodies and beanies and my kickass baggy pants lol. And the blankets. My grandma got me this one comforter that’s immaculate, very comfortable, very soft. Love my grandma 🤙❤️

Song/Album - Void in Blue: WHERE DO I BEGIN WITH THIS SONG? The feeling I get actually has me ascending bro. The background instrumental the LYRICS THE ECHO, OMG THE ECHO THOUGH- my favorite part of any song is if it has an echoey effect to it, and THIS nails every part in the song. It’s great, please guys give it a listen it’s so good it’s like crack to me I listen to it on the DAILY

Food - Root beer Floats: I know technically it’s a drink but you could still eat it with a spoon, so I’d say it counts 👍 Anyways this shit is the bomb, love Rootbeer in general by FLOATS?? Amazing, I could eat them everyday if I could because they’re so good. Very refreshing. One time I actually went to Denny’s and asked if they had one and a nice waitress made me one lol, very sweet hole she’s going good 🙏 Also fun fact: I tried it in middle school and it became my LIFE

Pretty sure that’s all? Yeah that’s all. Thanks for reading if you wanted to, now you know a bit about me heh. Hope everyone’s having a good day 🤙🤙

[sapphicdib]

Excuse me?? Go on?? I wanna know about those headcanons

Also i appreciate bringing my by now old art back to light ^^

OHHH U WANT HEADCANONS?? [cracks knuckles]

(also ofc dude! u shld thank @/creaturevoiddweller for putting it on my dash tho hehe)

ANYWAYS THE HCS UR DRAWING SPECIFICALLY LINED UP WITH ARE:

Moon being taller/generally bigger than Sig…normally i’m not feral over height differences but god theirs drives me insane

Moon loving the stars. I feel like after her collapse, they were one of the few things that brought her comfort. Within canon I’m pretty sure you can see the stars even during the day (they’re green too!! super cool) so she loves to study them and their movements. The rare occasions when the rain comes after night falls are her favorites, being able to see them more clearly in the dark always excites her. Going on a lil stargazing date would probably melt her heart !!

Sig being fucking whipped for Moon 😭 this is a fucking given but him being distracted and at Moon instead of the sky because she considers her prettier than even the starts makes me. AUGH.

(More general hcs below the cut so this post doesn’t become a million miles long)

Sig learns to knit and makes Moon a scarf and a couple cloaks after her collapse. He actually has a lot of hobbies because he doesn’t think the great problem is solvable, nor does he really care to solve it anyways. He even says he’s got “nothing better to do with my time” when Suns asks him if he’s going to purpose another messenger. Meanwhile Suns says “you have two options, do nothing or work like you’re supposed to” in terms of what to do with your time.

Moon loves picking Sig up/holding her/generally grabbing her n throwing her around because she’s actually quite strong and Sig is smaller than her. Sig does not mind in the slightest.

They’re both interested in bioengineering. Sig more so, but Moon mentons Rivulet’s interesting adaptations and knows a lot about the flora and fauna of the world. I think they bonded over this quite a bit.

Speaking of, Sig was also a more medical-oriented facility. Pebbles mentions that he “was not a medical facility even when the equipment was functioning” to hunter, so the iterators may have had more specialized niches as the generations went on. Therefore, she becomes the sort of defacto “puppet-doctor” of the local group, helping to fix things like broken joints or umbilicals after the ancients disappear. Also just the slag reset keys in general. I have a drawing about this I’m finishing soon so watch out for that hehe

Moon’s kindness absolutely rubbed off on Sig. When he first got put online, she interacted with him a lot as his personality core was still developing, and he picked up on some of her traits. In terms of age I see their group as Moon and Suns (gen 1), Sig and Chasing Wind (mid gen) and Unparalleled Innocence and Pebbles (final gen).

SIG TEACHING MOON STUPID GAMER LINGO AND UWU SPEAK CAUSES A DISASTER IN THE LOCAL GROUP CHATS. The first time she says “poggers” sends everyone into an uproar and Sig gets multiple DMs being like “WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS.”. Sig thinks it’s the funniest shit in the world.

Moon is a lesbian, Sig is a bisexual gender-fluid disaster. I’m sure you can tell from my rambles I use he/she/they/it pronouns for her.

Moon’s nickname for Sig is “doll”. “Little thing” is also a common one, since Sig jokes that his gender is just “thingy”.

I can’t think of any more but thank you so much for the ask!! I love these two so fucking much and getting to ramble about them makes me so happy, especially because I’m absolutely suffering on my period rn and it distracted me from the pain. I love ur art sm!!!!

[synthwayve]

what are your favourite headcanons for micolash? or maybe damian and/or edgar?

Oops, the doodles ended up under the cut lol. Still not sure how formatting works. Thank you so so much for the ask!! Sorry I talk so much as well, from now on I’ll keep asks concise unless asked otherwise!

For Micolash, some of my favorite casual headcanons are;

-He has heterochromia, I like drawing him with this attribute because it compromises on the “are his eyes blue or brown” dilemma

-he ran track at Byrgenwerth/runs as a hobby, I just find the idea hilarious

-He knows Edgar is a spy and has known pretty much instantaneously, and is always using this knowledge to pester/mess with him. Despite this, he is careful not to “out” Edgar’s position to the other scholars so they don’t get hostile towards him.

-I love the idea that he’s actually stronger than he physically looks but ONLY in regards to punching. He’ll get tired from holding a stack of books but will clock a Hunter in the face so hard it leaves a dent in the wall. Very nonsensical, but the thought is super entertaining to me

-while he regularly looks like he’s in his 50’s, he’s actually quite a bit younger than that. This HC is entirely for comedic purposes because I love the idea of him being offended that everybody thinks he’s nearing his deathbed when his face is just like that.

-he’s a dog? Bird? Dog bird? Bird dog? Person.

Some of my favorite serious headcanons are(brace yourself);

-He and Laurence were childhood friends, for some reason I’m really attached to this hc even though I know it lacks substance. I just like the idea that they contrast each other from a young age, with Micolash being a very frail/sickly child who’s often bedridden and is thus visited frequently by an optimistic and curious Laurence, basically the only source of entertainment/companionship for him besides his family and books. Then as they get older, they become academic rivals before just straight up drifting away and disliking each other. I imagine Micolash joined the Choir initially(for like, a day or such) just to witness Laurence’s recklessness turn him into a monster, giving him mixed feelings(mostly terror) since their Byrgenwerth days. I imagine Laurence to think of Micolash as having grown to be a pessimistic heretic, while Micolash sees Laurence to be too starry eyed for his own good and stupidly impulsive. Good ol’ “friends->rivals->good Kos what have you become” pipeline.

-This is more so fan theory territory and I imagine widely unpopular of a belief, but I like to think Micolash did NOT choose to incite the ritual himself. Either the responsibility was pushed on him by the other scholars(consequence for being a leader and all that) or a defector(probably not Antal but it’s fun to imagine lol) shackled him in at the last minute so the School of Mensis could not continue their practices if the ritual failed. This is based PURELY off Micolash being shackled to the chair he’s on, and honestly a more reasonable explanation for that is just that he probably shackled himself in so if he writhed/flinched it wouldn’t disrupt the ritual but what can I say, I like a little moral ambiguity in my unforgivably heinous villains.

-I find it more terrifying to imagine Micolash was actually fully unprepared to meet Mergo and just couldn’t show it, only losing his sanity and going mad after the weight of losing everybody(The other scholars, Rom, and Laurence if we also add the prev. HC) AND meeting a great one really settled in.

For Edgar, my casual headcanons are:

-He was basically brought up in the Church since his teens. Can’t explain this one, just seems appropriate.

-He is a neat freak of sorts and requires everything to be organized, which drives him absolutely up the wall when he’s around Micolash who is a walking tornado of harmonic chaos

-He really hates having to be the most normal person in both the Choir and The School of Mensis. It’s hard work.

My serious headcanons are;

-he knows that Micolash knows who he is, and is constantly afraid this information will be used against him(in a more serious manner than just light teasing). By the time he thinks about abandoning his mission and returning the Choir, he’s in too deep with the School of Mensis and has compromised his values already to bring himself to leave of his own accord.

-By the time the Hunter meets him, he’s already gone a bit loony himself. Who knows how long they’ve been stuck in that nightmare?

-He is close friends with Yurie and she is the strongest tether he has back to returning to the Choir. It’s just not enough for him to actually leave.

For Damian, I only really have casual headcanons because I don’t own the game and thus haven’t had the chance to thoroughly explore every Mensis character on my own(and also I feel like my serious headcanons are a littleeee too atrocious to be shared, haha. Need to smooth them out first);

-He’s Micolash’s voice of reason(Edgar is the irritated sigh/scream of reason) but can only do so much when the Provost is so…eccentric.

-He is always trying to get Micolash to eat/sleep/drink properly and it never works, but that doesn’t deter him.

-He won’t admit it but he’s also very fond of the bird-dogs, even though they get fur and feathers absolutely EVERYWHERE.

-For some reason, and I can’t explain it if I tried, I can so clearly see him being an astrology/literature student. Just the general energy he gives off I guess?

-He’s honestly more concerned with Edgar’s status as a choir intelligencer than Micolash is, and feels the constant need to keep an eye on him as if he were an assassin and not a spy.

-He’s a lot more melancholic than Edgar when frustrated, and is the least likely to lose his temper out of the 3 (at least in Synth’s headcanon land, anyway)

Thank you again so much for the ask! Here’s some doodles to go with it.

[niennawept]

Fifteen Questions for Fifteen Mutuals

Okay - I think a ton of people have tagged me in this one - so I shall finally answer. I do apologize for the delay, but in my defense, the end of the summer has been hectic! Thank you all for the tags: @sonneteer-fool, @theghostinthemargins, @theworldisquietheretooquiet, @slightnettles, @elfscribe, @runawaymun, @metatomatoes, @thesolarangel.

Are you named after anyone? Yes, I'm named after a movie character. My parents liked neither the actress, nor the character she played, but they did want to be like her parents in the movie so ... I'm not fond of this name, tbh.

Do you have kids? No.

Do you use sarcasm a lot? Only when it's completely obvious that I'm joking. Around the house, my partner will ask me to do something and I'm like "Absolutely not" as I have already started the task.

When was the last time you cried? Uh... a couple days ago. Battling perfectionism and trying to change the ways I think about my worth as a person turns out to be difficult, actually.

What’s the first thing you notice about other people? Honestly? Probably clothes. I like fashion. I'm not fashionable or even stylish, but I think clothes are neat.

Eye colour? I have central heterochromia. My eyes have a brown center circle and a green outer circle, but are overall pretty dark. You have to be somewhat physically close to me to notice the color.

What sports do you/have played? Have I played ever? Uh, basketball, tee-ball, soccer, and ran track (was very good at the running long jump). But I stopped playing sports during high school. I wasn't good enough at anything to make the team, except for the aforementioned track event.

Any special talent? Uh? I guess I learn quickly? That counts as a special talent right?

Where were you born? USA

Scary movies or happy endings? I love scary movies and although happy endings are fine, I tend to prefer bittersweet ones. Those endings make me think for longer.

Do you have any pets? Two shelter dogs: Barkimedes and Rear Admiral Grace Pawper (she's named after Grace Hopper, the computer scientist)

How tall are you? 5' 7", which Google says is 170cm

What are your hobbies? Writing fanfic, reading (novels or fanfic, but mostly novels atm), crocheting, sewing (cosplay or general use clothes), embroidery/cross stitching, baking (though this one has kinda taken a backseat for a while), drawing/trying to learn digital art.

Favorite subject in school? Latin. Took four years of it, and have had an enduring love for learning languages ever since (though I'm not fluent in any but English, lmao)

Dream job? Honestly, I'm not sure I have one? Anything that becomes "work" is ultimately bound to suffer in the joy department. So, I guess, I dream of a job that only makes me work 20 hours a week, pays me what my 45 hour a week job pays now, and leaves me with enough energy to pursue doing things I love and spending time with family.

I'm not going to tag anybody directly - since this one went around some time ago. But if you see it and it looks like fun to you, consider this your tag!

[dotster001]

hii can i request a matchup for twst?? i’m an ace female, 5’0 with a skinny figure and mainly a light/dark academia aesthetic. i’m an INTJ 5w6, really introverted and 100% certain i suffer from at least five kinds of anxiety. i’m extremely closed-off but significantly more open online and to my close friends. i value my alone time very much and it pisses me off when ppl don’t respect my personal boundaries. i’m very cynical, sharp-tongued, and naturally stoic which causes a ton of misunderstandings. my humour is also really cursed. i’m self-deprecating, struggle to accept compliments, and have massive trust issues bcs of my past. i’m very ambitious and often neglect my basic needs when i’m too focused on smth. i also have headphones on like 24/7 (similar to haitham) which frustrates some ppl bcs they think i’m not listening to them. my love languages are defo acts of service and quality time

i’ve whaled so much on merch and gacha it’s embarassing. i take pride on my rhythm game skills and despite rarely getting angry there are certain games that bring out the absolute worst in me (ahem overwatch and league). i’ve been berated by my team so much now i’m numb to being insulted. drawing is my other main hobby (i have an art acc), along with reading and just learning in general. i’m a pre-med so i obv like science but i enjoy history, classic lit, and the arts too. travelling is another hobby but unfortunately i can’t do it as often now :(

just refer to me as 🍦 anon. congrats on 1.5k!

Event Closed

(hey 🍦 anon! Thanks for your patience! Just thought I'd share that I too am an Intj 5 w6 who likes to wear headphones. Solidarity! 😂)

I match you with Jade Leech.

It may sound a bit manipulative, but Jade slowly "molds you" into accepting his love and compliments. He's too smart to be stopped by trust issues. He respects your boundaries, he helps remind you to take care of yourself, and gives you hidden compliments until, one day, you love yourself, and him.

When he sees your stress level rising, he'll invite you on a hike to the mountains with him. Neither of you has to talk, you just spend time next to each other, away from a stressful environment. If you want to talk about your problems, though, he'll listen. He's a great listener, and an even better behind the scenes problem solver. Particularly if a person is your problem hee hee

He actually really likes the headphones idea. In fact, he might ask you to make him a playlist he can listen to on his hikes and when he gardens and works on his terrariums. I hc a lot of things about Jade, which I will not go into here, but should the loud noises of everyday life/his brother become too much, he'll quickly realize the headphones can make things less overwhelming. Maybe he'll even make you a playlist of mersongs that tell you how much he loves you.

He's in love with your combined drawing skill and love of science. Would you consider partnering up with him and making/illustrating any of his future books? Stole this idea from a fic but I think it works here

Will 100% fund your merch collection, as long as you let him buy you a shirt that says "Jade's favorite mushroom". Non Negotiable. You make him so happy, that sometimes he gets as excited about you as Floyd is about everything. He hopes you'll join him in experiencing the light hearted moments of life together.

You're gaming, while Jade is laying in your lap, and reading a book.

Suddenly, you get killed by someone on your own team, and you let out a string of curses. You see a flash of teal magic, and feel a tickling feeling under your chin, thoroughly distracting you from your rage.

You looked down to see Jade smirking, as he tickled under your chin with a feather. You scowled.

"Sometimes you take too much after your brother, you know that?"

"You mean with my dazzling good looks?" He said, his grin growing.

"Nah. With your ability to inspire rage."

He sat up, and slotted himself in your lap, a remarkable feat considering how much bigger he was than you. Then he gently strokes your cheek, and leaned in.

"At least I'm the only one of the two of us you love."

You would have given him a snarky response, if his lips didn't cover yours.

After a moment though, you felt the feather tickling the back of your neck.

You snatched it, and chucked it as Jade giggled.

[hypnified]

Hi there! I’m here for the clone oc ship!! Ahhh my first one of these🥴

My name is Stitch, and I’m 5’5” with brown hair and blue eyes. I love to draw, write, listen to music, play music (I play the cello), and cruise for hours in my car. I’m what the kids call an “emo” but I prefer punk/emo combo!

Dad jokes are my favorite jokes, and I always am trying to get people to laugh. I’m shy even with that though. Kindness is greatness, and I live by that.

Hope you’re having a great day/night!!!🥰

Ooh, bet here we go!

Including a lil menace, Erix! But I'll include a few others just in case he isn't for you!

You are gonna make Erix laugh so fast and he's gonna do everything in his power to do the same. You're about to draw? He's encouraging you, you're so cool like you're amazing! You play music? Erix is in awe he could listen for hours! He admires you oh so much, he doesn't think there's anyone cooler out there's. If anything he's probably your biggest fan.

If you're having a really bad day this chaotic menace is gonna do everything in his power to make your day better, even a little! If Erix has to make a fool of himself to do so he absolutely will without a doubt. He's an absolute sweetheart, who's kinda just a sarcastic dork!

-

Now Glowstick there's not much to say about him, but I don't know.

I've already talked about his glowstick collection, whenever you see him you're definitely gonna end up with more of them. If you ever tell him a dad joke I can guarantee you're gonna have him laughing and crying. He's a sweetheart, a menace kind of unhinged. Your hobbies will slowly become his hobbies, he's gonna do so much research and he's gonna tell you everything that he's learnt. Glowstick is just so happy, plus he gets to spend time with you and that's everything to him. Quality time is everything to him.

He would absolutely make you a playlist dedicated to you, it's gonna have all your favourite songs, and also songs that remind him of you. Just like Bear, he'd have a tattoo dedicated to you. Whenever he gets the chance he's going to remind you that you're important to him!

[ardent-fox]

Tag Game Masterpost

Got tagged by some wonderful humans, including @celestialmickey, @energievie, @creepkinginc, @metalheadmickey and @look-i-love-u to complete these fun tag games, thank you and spring blossoms to each of you! 💐💙

********

✨️ Tag Game Tuesday Wednesday ✨️

Name: Lyds ⚘️

Age: 34 for another 4 weeks or so 🗓

Where in the world are you? Europe, middle of nowhere📍

The meaning behind your URL: 'Ardent' is one of my favorite words, husband calls me Foxxy cause of my red hair, also it sounds like 'ardent fucks' together so cheeky win 🍑

Your second favorite color: Dusty pink 💕

Any pets? Jasper the bun 🐇

Favorite season: Spring, I feel as if I'm in love with the whole world during it, it kicked in earlier this year and I'm absolutely fine with that 🌸

Last thing you read: Galladrabbles. My brain has been doing its cute thing where it can't focus on reading or writing anything longer than that for the past few weeks 🙃

Last song you listened to: I played the Crazy Ex Girlfriend soundtrack while getting ready to go out, so Gettin' Bi (which has become an anthem of mine ngl) 🎵

What are you wearing right now? A hoodie with a crumbling print of a tattooed and pierced out princess Jasmine taking a selfie, black sweatpants and socks with chihuahuas wearing Santa hats on them, my go-to sexy at home look 😅

A hobby of yours: Writing fanfiction and planning our home makeover, both usually taking place only in my head 💭

Your comfort show or movie: Got several, going with Pride and Prejudice (the 1995 BBC miniseries) this time 📜

And finally, what are you up to today? Had a monthly supply of hay delivered to me this morning, went to a job interview that went surprisingly well, did some chores and now I'm chilling here 😎

********

✨️ Tag Game Fandom Edition ✨️

Your name: Lyds 🌸

Your age: Still 34 😅

Your first fandom(s): Not sure what qualifies, but probably House M.D. 🩺

Your current fandom(s): Though my hyperfixations are always changing, Shameless/Gallavich is the only fandom I actively engage in ��🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏻

How did you first get into fandom? I was part of a Tim Burton/Johnny Depp RPG message board where I played 3 characters and we also used to write what I now realize was fanfiction on the spot over MSN. A bunch of us were obsessed with House M.D. and someone must have mentioned fanfiction.net to me cause I got hooked on reading Hilson and Huddy stories around the same time 👀

How long have you been engaging with fandom spaces? The RPG/House era started in 2008, but I didn't become active on Tumblr and AO3 until getting involved in the Shameless fandom as of April 2022 🗓

How often do you read fanfics? When my brain is in the right place, I'd say a couple stories a week 📱

Top 3 characters from your current fandom(s): Ian gallagher, Mickey Milkovich, Castiel (still going through Supernatural and loving every bit of it) 💙

Have you ever written a fic for a fandom? If so, shout it out! Yes, still at one completed ficlet and a Galladrabble collection on my AO3, not counting the 5-6 WIPs I have in my docs 📂

Have you ever drawn fanart for a fandom? Nope, can't draw to save my life 🙃

Share a personal headcanon that you feel very strongly about: Probably not the most original one, but Mickey never liked his full name until Ian stated he thought it was beautiful. Him using it in his wedding vows is symbolic of him reconciling with the darkest parts of himself and accepting them before offering his whole self to Ian, a declaration of love for both of them in his own way. The fact that it somewhat mirrors the act of him apprehensively coming out in front of his own hostile audience, only to confidently show his self-acceptance and love for Ian in front of their favorite people 6 years later is just icing on the (wedding) cake 💖

You’re trying to convince a friend to get into your current fandom(s) with you. What episode, clip, or scene are you showing them? The "I can explain this" scene when Mickey gets shot in the ass and the social worker appears at the Gallagher house, it's peak Shameless madness 😄

And finally, what does fandom mean to you? A sanctuary of creativity and comfort where we can all be, make and enjoy whatever we want, the closest thing to utopia there is 🫶

Tagging @ian-galagher, @sickness-health-all-that-shit, @gallawitchxx, @gardenerian, @squidyyy23, @juliakayyy, @whatwouldmickeydo, @auds-and-evens, @thisdivorce, @sleepyfacetoughguy and whoever sees this and would like to play! ✨️

[justagalwhowrites]

No pressure if you don’t want to share, but I’m so curious what you do for a living and/or what your educational background is. I’m so impressed with your storytelling skills that I feel like it cannot be accidental. I have a fair amount of experience as a reader/writer (though not professional) and have a college level writing/English degree and again I’m just so impressed. I wish I had the patience like some to bullet out specifics within a chapter but it’s like moment to moment you just don’t miss.

The exchange with Tommy and Joel in this chapter was superb. The way you write sometimes there isn’t much explanation needed, you do a beautiful job of showing vs telling. You let details unfold in such a subtle but very intentional way. I never feel like, “Oh, here’s the exposition”.

Beskar Doll and Lavender have been two of my absolute favorites and truthfully the initial plot around Yearling didn’t interest me but I trusted you based on the others. It’s becoming my favorite of the three. Like I don’t even care if it gets smutty (and… I usually want that), the story and character development are enough.

Anyway none of this to say skip the smut 😂 But please you how talented you are, especially considering your writing speed. You’re cranking shit out fast and nothing ever feels rushed or unintentional❤️

OMG Hi Bestie!

I totally don't mind sharing! I work in communications now (I write a lot of emails and blog posts, the occasional journal article, etc.) but I was a journalist for a decade before I sold my soul to the PR gods. I have a degree in journalism so my background is definitely all writing! And I have always done creative writing for fun. My mom went through boxes of my elementary school stuff like a year or two ago and found a little novella I wrote when I was like seven lol. I started writing my first novel (it's very bad though I did finish it) when I was 11 and writing novels has been my primary hobby ever since, really. When I got into fan fic earlier this year, I just kind of picked up what I do in novel planning and whatnot and plopped it into the fic space. It means so much that you think it's high quality work! I'm so glad you've enjoyed it!

And OMG this is so exciting about Yearling lol. Yearling has made me so nervous from the start? It was a story I really wanted to tell - trauma, recovery, finding home and family, forgiveness, growth - but it was the first fic I started writing that I thought people might be reading from the beginning and I didn't want to disappoint anyone. Every other fic I started writing thinking no one would read it so the stakes were INCREDIBLY low lol it was just for me! It's a little different now because so many kind, wonderful people have read these stories. Yearling is obviously a slow burn, which I know isn't what people always go for, and there's a LOT of plot - again, not always what draws people into fic! - so I'm thrilled that people have connected with it. I'm extra happy that you're a convert to it!! That made my day, for real!

Don't worry, smut is coming soon in Yearling lol! Smut is never the point in my fics, more just sprinkled in for spice (not that there's anything wrong with PWP!! I love that! I'm just AWFUL at writing it) but I love having it. I may not be as explicit when I write books but I find stories for and about adults unrealistic if it doesn't include sex or romance as some kind of driver (unless the characters are aro/ace) so it's a safe bet you'll find smut in my work! Also love that you think I'm writing fast lol I feel like I'm going so slow compared to Lavender but I really needed to have better balance between life and fic writing this time. While it's not written yet, I do have the whole fic story mapped so there's a plan for every major plot point. It's definitely intentional! I hope it keeps coming off that way and that you keep enjoying it!

Thank you so so so much for reaching out and for spending your time reading these fics. I loved reading your thoughts!! Love you!!

[winterfireice]

Kotlc Secret Santa 2022

I got @the-one-and-only-aroace so this is for you

Hope you enjoy! 💙💜💙💜💙💜💙

Link to my ao3 for ease

@song-tam thank you so much for hosting this was a lot of fun

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh, why is it that the entire day I've been thinking about my book with almost nothing else in mind but the minute I get home and actually have time to write my brain goes blank!” I push back in my chair exasperatedly throwing my head back so it's facing the ceiling. “I don't know inspiration strikes at random times I guess.” My little sister Amy says while writing in one of her music journals. My older sister Jolie is laying on my bed doing homework with earbuds in she probably doesn't even know we're talking, these two are some of the only people in my life that know that I write.

I've been writing a book for almost a year now and it's still nowhere near the end, it has all the things I love about fantasy, elves, goblins, ogres I've been thinking about adding gnomes too but haven't figured out how to incorporate them yet. It's taken an annoyingly long time mostly because of classes and the fact that I've been suffering from some major writer's block for the last couple of months.

Jolie rolls over taking her earbuds off and asks what we're talking about, “Sophie is struggling to actually participate in her favorite hobby.” Amy says not looking up, while I have been having trouble with writing my sister has been in a rush of inspiration. Amy has loved writing music since she got her first special notebook when she was seven and it had purple glitter on it. Over the last eight years, she has gotten much better and I couldn't be more proud. She even has created songs for my characters, one of the best birthday presents I've gotten, along with the drawings of them from Jolie.

Sitting here is doing absolutely nothing so I suggest we all go to the ice cream place down the street “I could use a break from my English paper.” Jolie replies closing her book. “I'm really getting into the groove here I don't want to mess it up, but I’ll come next time.” Amy says taking her eyes off her pencil for the first time in hours. “Ok,” I tell her “do you want us to bring you anything?” “Vanilla with Carmel and mini marshmallows please” Amy gives me her iconic aren't I the best little sister even though she's not doing anything. ”You got it.” I say as Jolie grabs her car keys and purse from across the hall.

The ice cream place has only been here for about a year but it’s become a regular spot for us, it's great for study breaks or a meet-up place, plus has some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted.

We order and sit down at a table by the window, my biggest problem right now is that my story doesn't really have a plot or a main goal, I have a feeling for what I want it to be. As stupid as that sounds but it’s the only way I can explain it. And I know I shouldn't be rushing the creative process but I want to write so badly I just can't. I find it extremely infuriating. “Hey sis what's up, your face is super scrunched up and you look like you want to remove all of your eyelashes.” Jolie says reaching over to remove my hand from my eyes. “Talk to me” she straitens her back like she's about to go into an interview.

“I don't know I guess it's nothing, I'm just getting tired of being blocked all the time,” I tell her looking out the window. “Hey don't say it's nothing this is something important to you and it's bothering you. You have been working on this book for a really long time, I should know I hear you grumbling to yourself at all hours of the day about it” She says the last part with a look of possible annoyance. “I just feel like I don't know my brain is working against me.” I explain “like it's betraying you?” Jolie adds “Exactly! That's the best way to explain it-” I trail off thinking and then jump up excitedly “Thank you, thank you that's actually perfect, major help” I start hurrying to the door and I hear Jolie say something to the waiter about getting to go containers.

We drove to the ice cream place but our house is close enough that with running I get home within ten minutes and run to my room barely saying anything to my parents. “Wow that didn't take long at all, do you have my food?” Amy looks up a bit surprised because of my quick reappearance. “I love you but I need you to be quiet for a little while if you're in my room, also I think Jolie will be back soon with your ice cream.” I'm putting in my password and opening my writing software “I guess inspiration struck” Amy says while grabbing her stuff and closing my door while she leaves with a smile on her face.

When Jolie talked about betrayal I thought about how interesting it would be if my main character ends up betraying everyone to save the world ending up sacrificing herself and no one ever knows.

I end up passing out around six am with a mostly finished book and end up writing the ending after I get some actual sleep and start editing it.

My sisters come in around ten am both sitting on the bed not even saying anything just falling into a familiar routine, Jolie starts to sketch and Amy is humming a new song, and every once and a while she writes down a new line in her notebook.

“Thanks, you guys.” I say to them. “For what?” they both ask at the same time “For you two helping with my book, which I've almost finished now but also for just being great sisters.” Jolie and Amy look at each other before tackling me in a hug “Your also an amazing sister” Amy says “Now can we please read your book?” Jolie asks when I nod they both push my rolly chair out of the way so they can see my computer better, I laugh to myself while I wait for them to tell me their thoughts.

[seradyn]

15 questions

I got tagged by @blossom-adventures to answer some questions, so here you go :)

I’ll tag @ticklemycucumber @sillylittlevulpine and @broteinshake69 if they’d like to do it too 💕

1. Are you named after anyone? Nope, my name was a spur of the moment thing. I was meant to have a different name. When my mom gave birth to me, she saw me and said “That looks like a Serafina” (yes that’s my real name and I don’t mind sharing :)) A similar thing happened with my sister, who also has an S name.

2. When was the last time you cried? It was either Tuesday or Wednesday night. I got hit with a very intense depressive episode, and ended up crying myself to sleep.

3. Do you have kids? In this America? Not a chance. I’m hoping to get a hysterectomy at some point soon too, so none of that for me.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot? I used to, but not as much anymore. I’ve learned it can be hard to tell when people are being sarcastic or not, so I don’t do it unless it’s extremely obvious.

5. What sports do you/have you played? I’m not an athletic person, but I was on my high school’s Dragon Boat team. I loved it, and I wish there was something at University like it. We have a rowing team, but it’s not the same. The city I grew up in has a big river flowing through it, so we got to spend an hour on the water rowing through downtown. We also participated in a festival that the city holds every year, doing dragon boat races. It was so fun, and we even won gold one year. I still have the medal.

6. What’s the first thing you notice about other people? Probably their style of speech, the way they talk. I use it to gauge what kind of person they are, and how I should act around them.

7. Eye color? Blue.

8. Scary movies or happy endings? Both. Both is good. I’m a big horror person, my favorite movie is 1979 Alien, followed closely by the 1986 sequel, Aliens. My Dad and I have bonded over watching horror movies together, we’ve watched The Shining, The Exorcist, and other classic horror films. The Shining is also quite excellent, and it was filmed in my home state.

9. Any special talents? I used to draw, but I don’t do it so much anymore. Writing is more my speed now, and I’ve been doing it since middle school. That 186 page book me and my friend wrote will never see the light of day, though 😂

10. Where were you born? Oregon, USA.

11. What are your hobbies? Gaming, reading, writing, music. You can almost always find me engaging in one of these.

12. Do you have any pets? She’s not technically mine, but my roommate’s cat, Peaches, acts like I’m her human 😂 Recently she’s really embraced being a lap cat, and she screams all the time. I love her little meows

Cat tax:

13. How tall are you? 5’4”

14. Favorite subject in school? Japanese

15. Dream job? I absolutely despise this term. I do not dream of labor, of being a corporate slave. However, I’m hoping to someday move to Japan and become a citizen, either teaching English, or working with business executives to translate between English and Japanese companies.

[ideasatemynights]

15 Questions for 15 Mutuals

I was tagged by the wonderful @dakotawritesif (check out their games!!) and forgot to check the notification until now because it’s been one of those weeks

1. Are you named after anyone?

No, my parents just happened to find my name in a book of old Welsh baby names, but I was almost named Nerys after Kira Nerys from Star Trek: Deep Space 9!

2. When was the last time you cried?

I don't cry very much, so I think the last time was a couple months ago?? My emotions were feeling really pent up, so to purposefully make myself cry, I put on the Smiths, laid face down on my bed, and sobbed. I honestly felt really really good afterwards, so I wish I could cry more often!

3. Do you have kids?

Nope, though I do regularly confuse people by referring to my cats as my twin sons. I do want to adopt kids from foster care someday though!

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Oh yeah definitely. Combine that with the fact that I tend to be very deadpan about most things and my regular voice sounds very sarcastic and I've uhhhhh accidentally mislead people a lot before.

5. What sports have you played?

I've played pick up games of most things, but formally I've done archery, horseback riding, and fencing, all of which I'm good at it, and cross country and swimming, both of which I was exceptionally slow at. I also almost joined varsity bowling in HS, but I couldn't make the time commitment because of marching band.

6. What's the first thing you notice about someone?

Probably just their general vibes?? Like do they seem kind, approachable, etc. Physically though, I definitely notice people's hair first.

7. Eye color?

Gray!

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Probably a mix of both? My favorite stories are ones where things get really dark and kind of fucked up, but because people care about each other and are willing to put in the effort to make things better, they manage to earn their happy ending.

9. Any special talents?

I'm not really sure what qualifies as a special talent, but I can fit my entire fist in my mouth?? I've also been told I have an unusually good memory, though I'm not sure that's really a talent.

10. Where were you born?

I was born in Ohio in the US (yes, I am corn boy 😔)

11. What are your hobbies?

I like reading and writing a lot, I play video games with my sister, I draw pretty regularly even though I'm not any good at it, and I really like going down random research rabbit holes!

12. Do you have any pets?

Yep, I have my two cats, Bingo and Bongo! They're a bonded pair from the same litter and absolutely act like human terrible twins. I also live with my sister and she has a cat too!

13. How tall are you?

5′4″!

14. Favorite subject in school?

It really depended on the year because despite loving learning, I hated school so much. I consistently liked band though and I had some good years in English and History! I also really liked my forensic science and neuropsychology classes even if the uhhhh teachers weren't amazing.

15. Dream job?

My dream job is becoming a xeno-anthropologist, but given that that's literally only possible in dreams, I would love to become some kind of storyteller (author, scriptwriter, game dev, etc) eventually!

[gone-with-the-twist]

Twisted Wonderland Oc form. I have nine characters of my own, so... Au mixed studying.

Here will be my drawings. I'm not a very good artist, but I tried. I'm sorry if this is going to be bad.

(Also, there may be mistakes here, because English is not my first language). Have fun!~

Song for entourage:

Name: Yaran

Occupation: Student of Scarabia dorm

Age: 16

Birthday: 16 August

Zodiac sign: Leo

Height: 169 cm

Dominant Hand: left hand

Homeland: Scalding Sands

Family:

Unnamed parents

Iris – older sister

Yacir – twin brother

Amira – younger sister

Other Names:

Parrot fish-chan – Floyd

Mademoiselle sarcasme – Rook

Grade: 1 year

Class: 1-B.

Club: Track and field club

Best Subject: Flight

Hobbies: Watching soap operas, manicure

Pet Peeves: Extra work

Favorite Food: Lemon

Least Favorite Food: Bakery products

Talent: Slackening off from work

Appearance:

Yaran is a bright girl. Her dark-skinned skin makes her short scarlet hair with dyed blue strands stand out brightly. Her lemon eyes also stand out well. But Yaran's most distinctive feature is her hunched nose.

Personality:

Yaran has become Scarabia's main and only drama queen in a short space of time. She is not the most reliable person and can change her mind quickly. She is a sarcastic, loud-mouthed girl. She has a difficult time keeping her negative comments to herself and has a habit of hollering and ranting on about her aggravations whenever things don't go as planned.

She had hoped to go to Savanaclow, but something went wrong. Now Yaran finds it amusing to piss off Kalim(!) and Jamil by talking about it forever.

Growing up with two sisters and a brother, Yaran is always trying to stand out. Not always in the right ways, though. She can be reliable, honestly... But only to some people...

Signature spell

"Hear me" - Yaran can imitate the voice of absolutely anyone she has ever heard. It's not a complete transformation into another person, only a half.

Fun facts:

~ Yaran is based on Iago, Jafar's parrot.

~ She's in a completely disgusting relationship with Jamil after his overblot. She helped him kick Kalim out. But Yaran quickly changed her mind about Kalim when things got really bad.

~ She loves to chat and could talk for hours without stopping. She's a chatterbox.

~ No one knows how the fair and right Jack became date with Yaran.

~ Her name is a man's name. Yaran likes to talk about how her mother gave her the name.

~ Jack is the only person who can shut up Yaran.

My sketches and character's aesthetic:

Thanks for reading💖

[unluckyuncle]

canon questionare \ @nobully \ still accepting!

nobully asked: 1, 2, 7, 8, 12

7 & 8 answered here but I have many good and bad things I love about the canon that I could talk for ages about LOL

1.  What made you pick up this character?

I'd say that there are very few canon characters that ping-pong in my head quite like Donald Duck. Generally speaking, I'm someone who tended to make/write for O.Cs for no other reason than it never occurred to me that I could do neat things with the canons too.

Honestly, this is like, the first proper canon character that I have written this long for. I was in the Sugar Rush/WIR fandom for a while and sometimes wrote stuff, but my primary fandom experience is drawing for the most part and even then I wrote my O.Cs.

I'm glad I started with Gyess still just to get used to how Tumblr works, but she can be a little limited in the types of interactions she can have (vaguely. She's mostly just, not emotionally mature to do stuff that I love writing about) I actually did almost start with Donald, but I was intimidated by writing for canon (and I needed time to finish watching the show LOL)

I just think Donald is real neat, and I just want to provide myself some justice for how the show treats him at times. I also like that he can swing from emotional depth to absolutely chaotic so I never really get bored writing him if that makes sense.

2.  How did you get into this franchise/fandom?

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh, I like Ducks LOL

No seriously though, before the show came out Donald Duck was still my favorite Disney character. I'm a bit of a Disney nerd when it comes to this sort of thing. He's just been a long-standing interest of mine. Something about him just clicked with me when I was younger, and my obsession has only gotten worse LOL

When the remake was announced, I feel like I was excited, though I've never watched the original DuckTales show. I should really check it out though lol I just don't know if I ever thought too deeply about it?? I was just like "Oh cool! New animated show! I love those"

I would say I wasn't ever in the fandom of DuckTales. I don't have much history of like, being involved in fandom. Interacting with people online, talking about a show or characters. I don't even know if I really made fan art for this show actually.

I just know I got invested in it pretty quickly, at least Donald's side of it (I lowkey, mostly just watched the show for Donald LOL) and saw posts about it on my pintrest boards from tumblr occasionally.

IDK I'm super weird about this stuff, but at least now that I'm older and more into writing as a hobby and such, I have more awareness about this type of stuff like character development, voices, portrayals etc. But I don't have a grandiose story or anything ^^ legit, I just love these ducks.

12 What would you say is the most unique trait about your character?

That is an excellent question LOL I mean, if we're comparing him to like other characters in animation then I'd say there's quite a lot in the realm of the obvious.

Besides being a duck, he talks funny, has a short fuse, is a sailor man, and is ridiculously unlucky. All four of those traits definitely exist in other characters, but I don't know if I've ever seen another character who has all of these, plus a very kind and gentle side.

I think though, what makes Donald specifically in DuckTales a unique character in all media is that he's an adult father figure who bettered himself. I've talked about it a little bit already, but I think just the fact he went to therapy at all in the show is absolutely the most unique thing about him AND for just Donald media in general.

Dad characters in most media get shafted to be the stupid ones who like love their family but generally, cause problems and then don't really do anything or change. (Homer and Peter are the ones I'm thinking of, but I know there are others)

Of course, Donald is in a unique position of not only becoming a father at 25 but specifically a father of three kids that aren't even his while also simultaneously grieving the sister he lost WHO'S KIDS HE HAS TO RAISE!!!!!

But Donalds a dad who has sacrificed so much for the kids recognized his flaws and went to better himself because of his love for his family. He could have easily been written to be a goofball dad who doesn't really care or is so bitter about his sister and the burden of raising kids that he gets worse as a person... BUT THEY DIDN'T DO THAT!!

Anyways yeah. If there's anything I desperately wanted from the show, is just an Episode of Donald finding his moment where he broke down from the weight of everything that was dumped onto him, and then rising above it for himself and the kids especially. It's so sad that it's implied off-screen, but hey I'll take that over what they could have done LOL