#god there is NO fanart for this series and particularly for this ship that was made less than a decade ago i want to throw up

[two-nine-eighteen]

I am married to OgaFuru but HecaFuru will forever be my mistress 🙏😭

[poppitron360]

Ok so in another post I talked about all the reasons why Valzhang is better than Caleo, and I wanted to do one on Valgrace as well (lmk if this should become a series).

Bear in mind I am only on HoH- I haven’t read all of the Caleo bits yet, but I know she ain’t gonna treat him right.

I was originally SUPER sceptical about Valgrace (“I ship them platonically” “Jason is the Token Straight Friend”) and while I don’t think it was ever cannon I 100% THINK IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

Seriously, my eyes have been opened to Valgrace, to the point where the fanfic I’m writing about them currently clocks in at around 5,934 words.

I am OBSESSED. It is a PROBLEM.

And some of the fanarts/fanfics of them are SO CUTE I COULD DIE- it was hard NOT to ship them after reading some of y’all’s stuff. Keep up the good work.

Anyway buckle up ‘cause I’m ‘bouta write a whole dam essay on this.

1. The whole appeal of Jason Grace’s character is that he sees through your insecurities and lifts you up because he is too pure for this world. So narratively speaking, why is he with the most stable character? Yeah, Piper’s got issues, but compared to the others? She’s doing pretty well for herself. I mean, her parents are ALIVE!! Wouldn’t it just make more sense, narratively speaking, to put Jason with the MOST insecure character??? He can support Leo, help him in his arc, and it would give Jason a time to shine by highlighting his best qualities.

2. Throughout most of the books, Jason is the ONLY ONE who actually consistently sees through Leo’s mask. Everyone else’s POV of Leo is “Haha Leo said something funny and goofy and we’re all trying to be serious here, Leo. Gods, he’s soooo annoying!”, whereas Jason’s POV is like “Jason could see that Leo was desperately trying to keep it together for the good of the group, and he thought that was noble and brave and good and kind and awesome.��� Like I said above, he’s able to lift Leo up because he sees him, and knows him. Something Calypso never did. There are several interactions, during TLH particularly, where Jason is just like “Hey, Leo? You are great. You are awesome. You have saved our lives multiple times. Whatever just went wrong, it wasn’t your fault. Stop beating yourself up about everything. You are a valued and respected member of this team. I love and appreciate you.” And Leo still puts up those walls with the jokes and the sarcastic remarks, and Jason is nothing but patient with him. Calypso was never like that.

3. I can’t find the line in the book, but there’s a bit in HoH where Jason’s worrying about the “To Storm or Fire, the World must fall” line in the prophecy, and he says words to the effect of “I like living, but I’d rather I die than Leo, anyway horses-” and seriously?? Rick missed a trick by not making them a couple. There is WAY more potential for angst if there’s that romantic feeling involved, knowing one of them is going to die, and both being willing to sacrifice themselves for one another like this is “Merchant of Venice” or something (I will explain the obscure Shakespeare reference in the comments). Calypso would never give up her LIFE for Leo, and Leo would only give up his because she’s hot.

4. Okay, most of this is copy-pasted from my post about Valzhang, but it still applies, and it applies to them maybe more so. They get so much more time together to establish a meaningful relationship. Their arc carries over all five books, and we get to form connections as a reader to them both, so the payoff is a lot more satisfying. Unlike Calypso, Jason is his own character separately, and not just an add-on to Leo’s arc. Their friendship is a key focus in their chapters, and a key point in their character development, as Jason is the first person Leo ever opens up to about his mom. When Calypso showed up, Leo had already gone through that journey of letting down those walls, so it was a lot less meaningful. They had little to no time to develop a relationship, and we never get a chance to care about Calypso as a person. She’s just kind of a plot point for Leo/Percy’s own development, and never her own character.

5. What separates Leo and Calypso from the other relationships in the series is that they were not written for each other. Frank and Hazel? Written for each other. Jason and Piper? Written for each other. Percy and Annabeth? FUCKING WRITTEN TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER. Cal was brought in during BoTL to cockblock Percabeth, and then Rick realised Leo “needed” a girlfriend, so picked her. But you know what two characters were written to be best friends right from the get-go? Like literally it’s established in the first couple pages of the first book? Jason and Leo. Much like how Valzhang were always meant to be rivals, Jason and Leo were always meant to be best friends.

6. Like I said in the last post, Leo doesn’t NEED a girlfriend. He can heal his trauma with friends and found family, learning to love and accept himself, learning that he doesn’t actually need the attention of a hot girl to be valid. Jason is the best person to help him on that journey, seeing as how his character thrives in uplifting others. The only person who ever loved Leo unconditionally died when he was eight. His blood relatives abandoned him, and he clearly wasn’t treated very well in the foster homes. He constantly feels like he has to work to prove he’s earned his place among the Seven because for him, family has never been a guarantee. Jason cares for Leo even when he’s fucked up, even when he’s a crying mess on the floor, even when he feels most like he doesn’t deserve to be cared for. Leo thinks he needs the attention of a hot girl to give him validation. What he really needs is to find a place among his brethren- and Jason offers him that place.

So, kids, that was it for today’s edition of “Why Literally Any Ship Is Better Than Caleo”. Tune in next time for our fav ✨trauma twinsies✨ Valdangelo!

[romanticatheartt]

I’d like to offer a different perspective on why we see so much ship content during character weeks.

ACOTAR is a romance series. Sure, it takes place in a fantasy setting and has other elements but at its heart it’s a romance.

Most people who become involved in the fandom are people who really enjoy romance.

This is not to say that those same people don’t enjoy all the other aspects of the characters but I don’t think it’s particularly surprising that the fandom for a series that highlights romance has large amount of ship content during fandom events.

I have to respectfully disagree with you.

This just proved to me how people have changed the purpose of these book (and I blame it on tiktok for advertising it as "faerie porn" and completely ignore the heavy topics of depression it talks about). Let's say big part of acotar is about Romance but you know what's more important that the romance? The healing journey and the found family.

Feyre before getting her romance, the focus of her story was her healing, she found people who understood her and then after her heart was healed she started to fall in love with Rhys.

Nesta, even tho she had sex with Cassian the big portion of her book is about her finding her friends and found family, try to help the priestesses and a redemption arc. After we read 3/4 of the Nesta starts to be feel more openly about Cassian (not talking about sex because it all seems to me that they're trying to avoid it and honestly physical communication fits Nessian.)

And if we're going to have an Azriel book then I think the books is going to focus on him individually as much as his romance with another character if not more. He has so many trauma and shit to deal with. Sure Gwyn is there to help and he, her (because Gwyn is a little ahead of him since she had a bit of healing in acosf) but my question is, do people only care about the romance? Because I'm sure as hell the focus of these books are more than JUST the romance of it. Don't care about Azriel as an individual? Because as much everyone telling me these books are about romance they're more and the week was dedicated to Azriel. Like I said romance is part of his story but not all of it.

I checked and honest to God there's 17 Gwynriel fanarts... 17!!! I didn't count the fanfics and other stuff...

Don't you all want to know more than just who he's going to end up with?

I also love the romance but I think each characters being different personality and has life outside of the romance is what I love about these books... But maybe that's just me.

ps: I just woke up please ignore any typo my mind is barely up lmao

[fallloverfic]

ENNEAD tags and finding fanworks and community

If you're looking for fanworks and discussion for ENNEAD by Mojito, the boy's love manhwa about ancient Egyptian gods, here's a collection of things to try on different platforms:

ENNEAD (English) / Ennead (sometimes lowercasing part of it returns different things) / 엔네아드 (Korean) / 九柱神 (Chinese) / エネアド (Japanese) / Эннеада (Russian) / เอนเนด (Thai)

Horuseth (English), HorusxSeth, HorusSeth, HorusxSeth / 호루세트 (Korean) / ホルセト (Japanese) / 繋がらなくてもいいから俺のホルセトを見てくれ (Japanese) / ฮอรัสxเซธ (Thai)

Anuseth (English), Anubis/Seth, AnubisSeth, AnubisxSeth / 아누세트 (Korean) / アヌセト (Japanese) / 繋がらなくてもいいから俺のアヌセトを見てくれ (Japanese)

Osiseth (English), Osiris/Seth, OsirisSeth, OsirisxSeth / 오시세트 (Korean) / オシセト (Japanese) / 繋がらなくてもいいから俺のオシセトを見てくれ (Japanese)

FGSeth (English), FG/Seth, FGxSeth / 이국세트 (Korean = Exotic Set) / 髭セト (Japanese = mustache Set) / 繋がらなくてもいいから俺の髭セトを見てくれ (Japanese)

NephthysSeth (English), Nephthys/Seth, NephthysxSeth / ネフセト (Japanese)

The main ENNEAD tags (just the series name) are all the most populous for stuff, regardless of platform, particularly the English and Japanese. Horuseth is the next most populous.

As a caveat, exploring these tags and communities assumes you are either up to date with the latest episode in Korean or don't care about spoilers. Fans will sometimes spoiler block panels, meta, or fanworks for the latest episode, but usually nothing older than that, and communities are increasingly flooded with panels from the new episode on the day of the update as the community grows bigger. Your best bet if you don't want to be spoiled because you're reading a version that's behind the Korean (e.g., the English, which is usually multiple episodes behind) is to mute the number for the latest Korean episode while browsing. If you'd like to read the Korean, I made a carrd and a Tumblr post to help. If you'd like to share panel screengrabs/screencaps/captures from the comic on socials, please either stick to the previews shared by Witchcomics on their twitter, or 1-2 panels max, at Mojito's request.

In terms of socials, there are active fan communities basically everywhere!

At the moment, twitter is by far the most populous for anything ENNEAD, cross-language, including fanart, sharing fics in a number of languages (or at least links to them, if not also twitter fics), discussion, meta, and cosplay. Japanese fandom in particular is very active there and posts a lot about fandom events. If you'd like good twitters to follow:

RT ENNEAD is a good general trawler of all things ENNEAD. They do all ships and characters, as well as news, and usually update 2-3 times a day

Mojito is also on twitter and posts things sporadically

Witchcomics, one of the official Korean chapter posters, regularly promotes ENNEAD and raffles for merch. They also post previews for new episodes some hours before the episodes go up.

ENNEAD Japan is an official twitter run by b-boy, who manage the Japanese license for ENNEAD. They use the twitter to announce distribution (webcomic updates), publication (physical book updates), and merchandise.

Papyrus Studio/Studio Papyrus is a group of artists who create fanworks for ENNEAD, including phone calendars, and regularly run fandom events

HoruSeth365/365_with_HS, another fangoods collaboration

Following that, pixiv is a very populous site for fanworks, including fanfics (each tag will have its own fanfic hub, just go to the "novels" tab to see if anything is there). Pixiv is free to use, very accessible if you read English (or obviously Japanese since it's a Japanese art site) but easier to use if you have an account (though you don't have to pay for it, and you don't have to post anything). A lot of twitter artists have been mass dumping all their art on pixiv lately, or near-simultaneously publishing there, so if you hate twitter, pixiv is the place to go.

Archive Of Our Own has a fanfic archive for the community across many languages, with English and Mandarin Chinese dominating (followed by Spanish).

Instagram is the next most populous site for fanworks, mostly just fanart and cosplay, though it's pretty heavily censored, so people just mention their work is on twitter or somewhere else. Also be wary, IG is full of art reposters and folks sharing scanlations. They've also gotten rid of chronological search, so it's hard to browse anything but what came out years ago.

Tumblr also has a lovely archive of art if you want to browse.

If you'd like a Discord, many are locked or dead, but I have an adult Discord open if folks would like to join, where I try to do regular news and event updates on different platforms, as well as share links to fanworks and resources on different platforms, and there are lots of channels to talk about the story, the mythology, and fanworks.

(if the link is down, reply and/or DM me and I'll send you/post a new one!)

There is a growing but still somewhat small Blue Sky Social community.

There is also a very small pillowfort community.

There are some locked communities on Facebook, and some artists apparently do well there, though there is also a lot of art theft and scanlation there.

I would not recommend using sites like Pinterest, as it's almost entirely stolen and reposted art, without credit. A few artists actually post their art directly there, but by and large, it's the worst place for art theft. TikTok and YouTube are also full of art theft, scanlations, and vitriol.

However, there are a couple of YouTube accounts I'd recommend:

Mojito has a YouTube account, where Mojito rarely posts videos

Papyrus Studio/Studio Papyrus has made collaborative AMVs for the series

There is a subreddit, enneadmanhwa, which is very quiet.

There are fics on Wattpad, but most of them use stolen fanart, or include scanlations. There's a lot there if you want to check them out, just be wary, and please support actual artists, not reposters. There is also a collection of Thai fanfics on readawrite (but again be wary as a lot of them also use stolen fanart).

For information on characters, side comics, physical releases, locations, etc., the ENNEAD fanwiki on FANDOM exists, though it's still under heavy construction. I also have a tumblr post about side comics and extra art by Mojito.

I will update this post as I find more tags and sites.

[deathbyoctopi]

making a rec list so I don’t forget

It’s more or less a year since I got started in the Chinese series, and I want to share Opinions with y’all!! 😁😁

I’ll place them more or less in preference order, with tiers and whatnot, so of COURSE we have to start with:

GOD TIER (aka. The absolute best) 

The Untamed. Amazing. Can’t say much without rambling for six hours, so I’ll just say this was a wonderfully addictive thing to discover. Saw the series and donghua, read the manhua and the books, got me hearing some bits of the audiobook too and I’m going insane with the fanfics and fanart. Dead evil overlord resuscitates and meets childhood classmate, they solve mysteries and go on adventures together, which both isn’t and is an euphemism. 

---

DEMI-GOD TIER (because there’s really only one untamed):  

Heaven Official’s Blessing. Going with the books here, bc the gods immortal know when (If!) we’re getting a series of that one. But the story is interesting, the characters very likable, the main ship is downright adorable... And what little donghua we’ve got so far was delightful (praying for that one not to be discontinued, plzzz). Twink God with the worst luck imaginable meets piss-your-pants-scary Ghost King and they go on adventures together. Still an euphemism. 

The Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun: Another book/manhua rec, bc I’m looking just as forward to get the series, and who knows... This one has a base concept that comes straight from fanfic dreamland!!! In the best way possible, too! Reccomending this having read only 2 books so far, but it feels warranted. Evil overlord goes back in time to his youth and decides not to repeat the mistakes of his first life. The mistakes follow him, tho. Also, he’s so horny for his shizun, who he Hates™ very much. 

Word of honor. A series so bent on showing everything they can of the main characters relationship without showing it that it may have changed the gears in censorship ^^U I found the story a bit confusing, with a myriad sects and intrigues, but the character dynamics are so fascinating!!! (Speaking only for the series, haven’t read the book). Angsty repentant master spy with a Mysterious Past wants to go die in peace, but handsome leech with a Mysterious Past says otherwise. 

---

MUST TIER (Very recommendable! I’d force-feed all those to you if I knew where you live)

Blood of youth. A series (maybe a book and manhua, idk) about a dumbass young hero that wants to prove himself in the martial art world, a mysterious youth obsessed with money and a handsome (and also mysterious) monk with almost godlike powers entangled in a conspiracy that reaches deep in the Imperial palace... Engaging story and characters, particularly the supporting roles, because even though they’re not the focus, they’re memorable enough to feel relevant. 

Scum Villain Self-Saving System. Books (NEVER mind the very short, strangely paced digital art donghua) about a man transmigrated to the martial art world from a trash webnovel he loves to complain about. He’s the villain there, and doesn’t want to be for the life of him precisely because it will kill him unless he can get in the main character’s good graces. And he does that. All too well XD

Sleuth of the Ming dynasty. A series (is there a book? I’d like to read it) about an official of the Imperial Government who solves cases. No world-breaking powers, no flying swords, just very real crime and clues and palace intrigues (the Imperial family are recurring characters). The main two characters are an absolute delight: the Detective, who is brilliant and socially clumsy, and nevertheless manages to leech off the Soldier to the point that gets in his house and manages to get a lifelong loyalty out of him. 

Thousand autumns. There’s a donghua, which is as weird and uncanny as the svsss one, but since the books got recently translated I’m going more with those. Handsome Horrible Man Extraordinaire harasses, gaslights, bullies and almost kidnaps Pretty-Faced Frail Twink, and they end up invariably together. I can barely remember the story, something something Book Of Martial Arts Awesomeness that everyone and their mother wants, but that’s irrelevant. The story is worth it just because of those two idiots. 

---

OK TIER (Recommend if you’re bored and want something entertaining, but not life-changing)

Birth of the drama king. A half-serious, half-silly series about two warring sects that sic spies on each other. One might be too successful, almost getting attached to the other sect’s leader, because (presumably) they are long-lost brothers. The story is decent, but an absolute point on its favour is the (very handsome, if only a bit lackluster) role of Song Jiyang as doctor Yan. And the fact that he’s so serious, while being the Universe’s punchbag. Seriously, he gets hilariously abused in almost every episode. Love it.  

Till the end of the moon. A long, epic battle between good an evil with a romance so strong that can (well, ought to) defy destiny and the will of the gods. If it wasn’t for all the miscommunication!!!! >:3  This one was very difficult for me to place in this list, because what is good about this series is marvelous, and what is bad (boring or frustrating) is almost painful to sit through. Of the latter, the aforementioned lack of talking skills of these two endlessly suffering dumbasses and the epic battles, which do nothing for me, though might be great for other people. And the good things... if the whole series had been like the first ten or so episodes, this would be now in the demi-god tier. The premise!!! The execution!!!! The acting!!!!! Give me the whole early stage of Tantai Jin and Ye Xiwu’s marriage, up to that new year, and nothing else!!! After that, it’s a slow but sure decline.

Stick to the script. An extremely self-aware comedy sketch show with the transmigration premise and an almost surreal beat. The main point is of course Wang Haoxuan, but it also has good puns, quick humor and at least a couple scenes so absurd I had to laugh out loud. But the episodes are so short!!! I found that very distracting, they last only 2-3 minutes each. I enjoyed it MUCH MORE finding a compilation on youtube. It lasts 2 hours in total, so it’s very manageable like that :)

Be my cat. Another series with an absurd premise, and amusingly self-aware, but sweet and occasionally fun enough to be worth a watch. The plot is about a girl who receives from her cultivator brother (who’s gone missing) a sphere with a yao cat, that escapes and possesses the dying body of a young general. The resulting human-shaped cat forms a reluctant bond with her, and she enlists his help to find her brother and the other three lost animal spheres, with their respective yao that wreck havoc. 

Dance of the phoenix. A series about a young cultivator girl whose powers and memories are stolen, so she has to fend for herself while attracting an alarming number of suitors, old rivals and admirers. The plot is serviceable at best, and the characters not very interesting... but the effects are quite good, and damn my weakness, it has Wang Haoxuan too!! The ending was mightily confusing, tho. I have no idea what that was about.  

---

PASS TIER (Watching that wasn’t technically a mistake, but... ugh) 

Immortal Samsara. Yess, it’s well-made and well-acted, but the story is soooo slow!!! And soooooo boring!!!!! The character’s actions don’t make sense more often than not, she subtleties of their behaviour clashes with some very drastic and unreasonable course of action, the lack of communication in this one is downright painful to behold... Only the second third gets a bit interesting, the stakes are higher and the characters finally less stiff and more enjoyable, but bloody hell... It’s not worth it, not at all. 

[caddy-crystal-queen]

So apparently I need to bring this series back even though house of the dragon won't have another season until 2024. But....

On today's episode of who in the game of thrones/House of the Dragon Fandom need to be slapped is.....

MILITANT DAEMYRA SHIPPERS!!!!!!

Oh I already know I'm not gonna make any friends with this rant so I'm gonna put a quick disclaimer

This is not me bashing the ship, nor am I promoting any others. This is my opinion about people who have made shipping this their entire life/existence here on this site. I'm also not promoting other ships here, I'll probably briefly touch that on a later date if the interest is there.

Oh Daemyra...the ship of Rhanerya and Daemon Targaryen. In real life its a disgusting scenario, especially as someone who actually was molested by their uncle growing up. It's a special kind of awkward.

My problem doesn't lie with the ship however, at least not today. It's all you crazy ass motherfuckers who decide to make it your entire existence to defend this ship, all the while being absolute douche camels to anyone else who, gods forbid, dares to ship anything different from you.

"Oh but Daemyra is the best ship ever on the show and-"

*WHACK*

No!

No!

No it isn't.

There are no healthy relationships in this show. Not even the one I ship the hardest, Corlys/Rhaenys, is completely healthy. You assholes just seem to act like your ship is soooooo much better than everyone else's, and you crap on other peoples fan works, theories, and headcanons just to prove how much of an inconsiderate asshole you are.

I kid you not. I saw someone post an ask about a fanart someone made of Rhaenicent and they were super ugly about it just because they don't ship Rhaenicent. This...this is bullshit.

"Oh my god my eyes!!!!"

Dude...all you had to do was delete the ask and go about your life! But no...you had to sit there and make a big ass deal about it. Oh but you don't wanna down the artist? Motherfucker, what do you think you JUST DID?!

Seriously whatever happened to "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything, or better yet compliment them on something else"?! Nothing stopped this individual from simply deleting the ask in regards to someone else's artwork. This really got under my skin personally, as it served to remind me why I quit Fandom interaction.

You guys are such assholes to other shippers. God forbid anyone ships both daemyra and Rhaenicent in your presence, you attack them. I feel really bad for those folks, because they get attacked by every goddamn body I imagine. No one deserves to get shit on because they ship something different from you.

Their artwork shouldn't be bashed.

Their theories should be left the hell alone.

Their headcanons you can simply ignore.

Is it really that fucking hard to not be an asshole to people, particularly content creators, because they make content for a ship you don't like?

This shit here is why fan content is dying. It's not lack of appreciation, reblogs, or what the fuck ever, it's goddamn militant Fandom bullshit like this.

Oh and before anyone comes after me, I'm not a Rhaenicent shipper. I'm actually kinda neutral the whole Rhaenicent thing. I feel the idea for it in the show was there, but at the same time...if it was Canon there wouldn't have been a story so...yeah.

Just...leave. each. Other. The fuck. Alone! Someone sends you fanart of a ship you don't like, delete it and have a nice day. Acknowledge you saw it, but don't bash the art or the artist because that's wrong just because it's content is something you don't like.

Daemyra shippers...seriously...do fucking better.

Holy tap dancing horus.

[meruz]

once again i am answering asks in a big compilation post. included is... gotham, patrick stump, tips about drawing backgrounds, tips about drawing in general, links to my faq, and infinity train

like.... the tv series? No... I’ve drawn dc comics fanart before, though. But it’s been years since I’ve been really into it. I like jumped ship like 10 years ago when the New 52 happened LOL.

AFJHDSLKGH I’m sorry I (probably) won’t do it again??

Actually full disclosure I have a truly cringe amount of p stump drawings/photo studies in my sketchbook right now LOL. He’s just fun to draw... hats, glasses, guitar, a good shape... but I don’t think I’ll rly post those until I can hide them in another big sketchbook pdf.. probably Jan 2022. Stay tuned........ (ominous) 

(ominous preview)

These are all sort of related to backgrounds/painting so I grouped them together even though they’re pretty much entirely separate questions.... ANYWAYS

a) How is it working as a BG artist? Is it hard? What show are you drawing for?

I think you’re the first person to ever ask me about my job! Being a background artist is great. It’s definitely labor intensive but I think that could describe pretty much any art job (If something were rote or easy to automate, you wouldn’t hire an artist to do it) and I hesitate to say whether its harder or easier than any other role in the animation pipeline. Plus, so much of what truly makes a job difficult varies from one production to the next, schedule, working environment, co-workers etc. But I will say that I think while BGs are generally a lot of work on the upfront, I think they’re subject to less scrutiny/revisions than something like character/props/effects design and you don’t have to pitch them to a room like boards. So I guess it’s good if you don’t like to talk to people? LOL

A lot of my previous projects + the show I’ve worked on the longest aren’t public yet so I can’t talk about em (but I assure you if/when the news does break I won’t shut up about it). But I’m currently working on Archer Season 12 LOL. I’m like 90% sure I’m allowed to say that.

b) ~~~THANK YOU!! ~~~

c) What exactly do you like to draw most [in a background]?

@kaitomiury​ Lots of stuff! I really like to draw clutter! Because it’s a great opportunity for environmental storytelling and also you can be kind of messy with it because the sheer mass will supersede any details LOL. 

I like to draw clouds... I like to draw grass but not trees lol,,, I like to draw anything that sells perspective really easily like tiled floors and ceilings, shelves, lamp posts on a street etc.

d) Do you have any tips on how to paint (observational)?

god there’s so much to say. painting is really a whole ass discipline like someone can paint their whole life and still discover new things about it. I guess if you’re really just starting out my best advice is that habit is more important than product. especially with traditional plein air painting, I find that the procedure of going outside and setting up your paints is almost harder than the actual painting. There’s a lot of artists who say “I want to do plein air sometime!!” and then never actually get around to doing it. A lot of people just end up working from google streetview or photos on their computer.

But going outside to paint is a really good challenge because it forces you to make and commit to lighting and composition decisions really quickly. And to work through your mistakes instead of against them via undo button.

My last tip is to check out James Gurney’s youtube channel because hes probably the best and most consistent resource on observational painting out there rn. There’s lots other artists doing the same thing (off the top of my head I know a lot of the Warrior Painters group has people regularly posting plein air stuff and lightbox expo had a Jesse Schmidt lecture abt it last year) but Gurney’s probably the most prolific poster and one of the best at explaining the more technical stuff - his books are great too.

e) Do you have tips for drawing cleanly on heavypaint?

@marigoldfool​ UMM LOL I LIKE ONLY USE THE FILL TOOL so maybe use the fill tool? Fill and rectangle are good for edge control as opposed to the rest of the heavy paint tools which can get sort of muddles. And also I use a stylus so maybe if you’re using your finger, find a stylus that works with your device instead. That’s all I’ve got, frankly I don’t think my drawings are particularly clean lol.

f) Tips on improving backgrounds/scenes making them more dynamic practicing etc?

Ive given some tips about backgrounds/scenes before so I’m not gonna re-tread those but here’s another thing that might be helpful...

I think a good way to approach backgrounds is to think of the specific story or even mood you want to convey with the background first. Thinking “I just need to put something behind this character” is going to lead you to drawing like... a green screen tourist photo backdrop. But if you think “I need this bg to make the characters feel small” or “I need this bg to make the world feel colorful” then it gives you requirements and cues to work off of.

If I know a character needs to feel overwhelmed and small, then I know I need to create environment elements that will cage them in and corner them. If a character needs to feel triumphant/on top of the world then I know I need to let the environment open up around them. etc. If I know my focal point/ where I want to draw attention, I can build the background around that.

Also, backgrounds like figure compositions will have focal points of their own and you can draw attention to it/ the relationship the characters have with the bg element via scale or directionality or color, any number of cues. I think of it almost as a second/third character in a scene.

Not every composition is gonna have something so obvious like this but it helps me to think about these because then the characters feel connected and integrated with the environment.

Some more general art questions

a) Do you have any process/tips to start drawing character/bodies/heads?

I tried to kind of draw something to answer this but honestly this is difficult for me to answer because I don’t think I’m that great at drawing characters LOL. Ok, I think I have two tips.

1) flip your canvas often. A lot about what makes human bodies look correct and believable is symmetry and balance. Even if someone has asymmetrical features, the body will often pull and push in a way to counterbalance it. we often have inherent biases to one side or another like dominant hands dominant eyes etc. you know how right-handed artists will often favor drawing characters facing 45 degrees facing (the artist’s) left? that’s part of it. so viewing your drawing flipped even just to evaluate it helps compensate for that bias and makes you more aware of balance.

2) draw the whole figure often. I feel like a lot of beginner artists (myself included for a long time) defer to just drawing headshots or busts because it’s easier, you dont have to think about posing limbs etc. But drawing a full body allows you to better gauge proportion, perspective, body language, everything that makes a character look believable and grounded.

Like if you (me) have that issue where you draw the head too big and then have to resize it to fit the proportions of the rest of the body, it’s probably because you (I) drew the head first and are treating the body as an afterthought/attachment. Sketching out the whole figure first or even just quick drawing guides for it will help you think of it more holistically. I learned this figure drawing in charcoal at art school LOL.

oh. third mini tip - try to draw people from life often! its the best study. if you can get into a figure drawing/nude drawing class EVEN BETTER and if you have a local college/art space/museum that hosts those for free TREASURE IT AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT, that’s a huge boon that a lot of artists (me again) wish they had. though if youre not so lucky and youre sitting in a park trying to creeper draw people and they keep moving.. don’t let that stop you! that’s good practice because it’s forcing you to work fast to get the important stuff down LOL. its a challenge!

b) I’ve been pretty out of energy and have had no inspiration to draw but I have the desire to. Any advice?

Dude, take a walk or something.... Or a nap? Low energy is going to effect everything else so you gotta hit that problem at its source.

If you’re looking for inspiration though, I’d recommend stuff like watching a movie, reading a book, playing video games etc. Fill up your idea bank with content and then give yourself time/space to gestate it into new concepts. Sometimes looking at other art works but sometimes it can work against you because it’s too close. 

Also something that helps me is remembering that art doesn’t always have to be groundbreaking... like it’s okay to make something shitty and stupid that you don’t post online and only show to your friend. That’s all part of the process imo. If you want to hit a home run you gotta warm up first, right? Sports.

I should probably compile everytime i give tips on stuff like this but that’s getting dangerously close to being a social media artist who makes stupid boiled down art tutorials for clout which is the last thing i want to be... the thing I want to stress is that art is a whole visual language and there are widely agreed upon rules and customs but they exist in large part to be broken. Like there's an infinite number of ways to reach an infinite number of solutions and that’s actually what makes it really cool and personal for both the artist and the viewer. So when you make work you like or you find someone else’s work you like, take a step back and ask yourself what about it speaks for you, what about it works for you, what makes it effective, how to recreate that effect and how to break that effect completely, etc. And have a good time with it or else what’s the point.

for the first 2, I direct you to my FAQ

For the last one, I don’t actually believe I’ve ever addressed artwork as insp for stories/rp but I’ll say here and now yeah go ahead! As long as you’re not making profit or taking credit for my work then I’m normally ok with it. Especially anything thats private and purely recreational, that’s generally 100% green light go. I only ask that if you post it anywhere public that you please credit me.

(and I reserve the right to ask you to take it down if I see it and don’t approve of it’s use but I think that case is pretty rare.)

a) @lemuelzero101 Thank you!!! I haven’t played Life is Strange but actually  that series’ vis dev artist Edouard Caplain is one of my bigger art inspirations lately so that’s a really high compliment lol. And yeah I hope we get 5-8 too...!

b) Thank you for sticking around! I’ve been thinking about Digimon and Infinity Train in tandem lately, actually. They’re a little similar? Enter a dangerous alternate world and have wacky adventures with monsters/inanimate objects that have weird powers... there’s like weird engineers and mechanisms behind the scenes... also frontier literally starts with them getting on a train. Anyways if anyone else followed me for digimon... maybe you’d like Infinity Train? LOL

c) @king-wens-king I’M GLAD MY ART JUST HAS PINOY VIBES LOL I hope you are having a good day too :^)

a, b, c, d) yessss my Watch Infinity Train agenda is working....

e) aw thank you!! i think you should watch infinity train :)

[captainclickycat]

Discworld for the fandom ask game if you want!

Thanks!

o The first character I ever fell in love with:

Magrat, I think. She resonated with me because I was thirteen and dorky and also owned a lot of essential oils and the like. 

o A character that I used to love/like, but now do not:

Nobody really, although Magrat is now somewhat less compelling to me? Her syrupyness in the early books can legitimately get a bit grating at times. Took my hat off to “limp what?” though. 

o A ship that I used to love/like, but now do not:

I’m less fussed about Carrot/Angua than I initially was. It’s fine, but the whole “werewolf = dog” thing is a bit off-putting and some of the conflicts between them never really get resolved. Again, it’s fine, but imo “fine” is sort of all it is, really. 

o My ultimate favourite character[tm]:

Oh god no. Let’s go with top five

1) Nanny Ogg! She’s so funny and good-humoured but has this steely edge underneath it. I want to be like her when I’m 80. 

2) Sgt Jackrum. I love the way he takes care of his soldiers, but doesn’t coddle them or sugarcoat what they’ll have to deal with. And his climactic entrance (”I notes you have my little lads before you, sir! I’m hearing they are in a spot of bother, sir!” makes me well up every time. It’s just perfect. 

For the record I headcanon him as a trans guy. It’s really not my place to try and weigh in on where he fits into the whole Representation debate, but there you have it. 

3) Death. He likes cats and has weird dad hobbies, what’s not to like? Also his confusion about human stuff is endearing. 

4) Moist von Lipwig. I love his energy and cheekiness and crazy schemes. Probably the most fun character, alongside Nanny 

5) Commander Vimes. Bit of a surly bastard in a lot of ways, but generally does his best to be morally upstanding. Highlights include his kindly interrogation of the palace maid in Feet of Clay and, of course, “WHERE’S MY COW???”

o Prettiest character:

Oo this one’s interesting, given the medium but also the fact that we’ve got a smorgasbord of official illustrations, fanart and the odd film adaptation to go with. 

So I tend to fancast Moist as a Casanova-era David Tennant, so he’s definitely a contender. Adora Belle tends to look like Christine Addams in my head (watch the Bitches episode of Pushing Daisies, you’ll get it) so same goes. 

In terms of film/TV adaptation characters, Michelle Dockery’s Susan wins absolutely hands down.  

In terms of the Kidby illustrations, probably Miss Alice Band

o My most hated character:

Strappi. There’s a lot of unpleasant characters knocking about, but he’s unpleasant in a particularly gross, visceral, slimy way. 

o My OTP:

Has to be Vimes/Sybil, I think. You don’t often get to see middle-aged characters fall in love and then get to follow their story, and the subtle little ways they show their affection throughout the series are really lovely. 

o My NOTP:

I saw a thing about Susan/Teatime once which nearly scarred me for life. In terms of canon(ish) relationships, I was never all that sold on Susan/Lobsang. It just felt a little too convenient, and I didn’t see much chemistry between them. More of a “nah” than a notp though. 

o Favourite episode book:

1) Feet of Clay

2) Going Postal

3) Hogfather

4) Witches Abroad 

5) Monstrous Regiment

o Saddest Death:

The usual guy. He gets pretty sad sometimes. 

o Favourite season/least favourite season:

Let’s say favourite division, shall we?

Or maybe not because it’s haaaaaaard. Like the witch books deserve a mention because they got me into the series and the characters are so compelling, but then there’s Moist, and the Watch, and the Death books... aargh. 

Least favourite is easy though: I never really got into the Rincewind ones. 

o Character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but I hate:

Nobody stands out. Maybe Rincewind. Hate’s a strong word, but his books... just never really been for me. 

o My ‘you’re a piece of trash, but you’re still my fave’ fave:

Nobby is really the epitome of this, right? he’s a filthy gross little devil but he’s our filthy gross little devil. 

o My ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave:

Probably Agnes Nitt. She sort of just gets jostled around without much say in the matter a lot of the time, which has got to be frustrating as hell. 

o My ‘they’re kind of cute, and I lowkey ship them, but I’m not too invested’ ship:

Polly/Maladict. They’re a compelling pair, and I can see their relationship going somewhere post-MR canon, but I’m not majorly invested. 

[tangled-cl0wn-core]

Where, besides Tumblr, can people find you doing fannish things? (Obviously only mention sites and usernames you actually want to be found at. Don’t expose your secret identities on my account.)

What other names have you gone by on these platforms, including Tumblr, if any?

When did you join the IT fandom? And what got you into fandom, to begin with?

What are your favorite ships, or characters, if any, and why? What do they mean to you?

In what ways do you participate in fandom? (ex. Posting memes, reblogging/commenting on content, writing fanfic, making fanart, creating fanmixes, etc.)

Do you have any in-fandom inspirations? Other members of the community that drive you? (And if you have the time/energy, in what ways do they inspire you?)

Name and link some of your favorite works, please!

Do you have any works of your own that you feel particularly proud of, or wish more people would’ve consumed? Please provide links if possible.

Have you ever participated in a fannish event (ie. IT Week, a fic Big Bang) or applied to be a part of a fanzine? If so, which ones, and can you please link them?

Without any form of bashing or lashing out, what is something you feel this fandom is missing?

 HI!! since you asked before sending it, I knew this was coming but my First Cool Guy Tumblr Ask is so neat,, anyway!!

This is my only IT-specific account, but I post almost everything I draw on my instagram, https://www.instagram.com/fabricsofteners/ (I don't know how people make links cool on tumblr aaa) I also have an AO3, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangledheadphonecord , where I might post this one really long fic I’m working on (maybe not, as it’s super lame but God am I putting in work)? But mostly it’s just really old stuff atm, and no IT content right now - just some random drabbles from past hyperfixations tbh.

I used to be ‘fabricsofteners’ everywhere besides here - tangledheadphonecord is a username I used for my tumblr because I want a change from the fabricsofteners brand, as I've had it for quite a few years and have just grown kind of bored - just waiting a bit to change my instagram user. I also used to be ‘unbrandedmarkers’ like, three years ago on instagram? but, that era ended fast. I think I might have an old Tumblr under some variation of ‘fabric softener’ but honestly even if anything is up on it I’d probably be embarassed to look at it now.

I watched IT for the first time in 2019, I believe, but wasn’t really in the fandom until actually like, April of this year. I entered the fandom and developed a hyperfixation (sobs) by complete mistake - I read all the fics for michael mell/rich goranski on ao3, and was on a camping trip and wanted to read some Homosexual Fanfiction and literally remembered IT on a whim (rich-to-richie association) and read a bunch of Reddie fics, and it was all down (up?) hill from there.

Unshockingly, I’m sure, Reddie is my number one favourite IT ship. I’m also an enjoyer of Benverly, as well as Stanley/Patty - IT is like, the only fandom where I actually like the canon ships. I do also think Streddie/Stozier is really cute and Bill/Mike (unsure of the shipname?) is nice when I see it!! I think Reddis is cute because I am a total sucker for best-friends-to-lovers, as well asthe  ‘I tease everyone but mostly you’ and the ‘I’m so tired of you bullying me but if you ever stop I’ll cry’ and... just, the entire dynamic that they have. Stanley/Patty - there is no reasoning, I just want Stanley to be happy. Benverly - the way they were each other’s first Meaningful Interactions in so like?? agony, they’re so cute. They both deserve to be happy, and I’m so happy they find that happiness in each other. 

As for characters - Richie is absolutely my favourite. I (unfortunately /hj) kin and relate to him on so many levels it hurts. Having a character that feels that fear of their sexuality because of a horrible environment is painfully real. covering up struggles with humour and all that?? yeah, mood (also, crushing on your best friend-). What he means to me, in a sense, isn’t really canon - I read strictly fix-it fics, because I want to feel that hope that like fanon Richie, I don’t have to hide forever. I can be myself and be happy. Obviously I can’t much look to the movies or anything for that but hey - what’re Andy or Stephen gonna do, tell me to stop reading fics? 

I also really like Stanley!! I don’t,, have a reason. I just think he’s adorable and I love his dynamic with the other Losers a lot. Stanley breathed like, once, and instantly became a comfort character and not even I know why at this point, he just is. Eddie & Bev are up there, too - honestly, Bill is the only Loser I don’t have a strong attachment too. And honestly, he’s growing on me rapidly.

I mostly draw whatever my goblin hyperfixated brain can think of, as well as rebloging just about every post that I see and like (art, jokes, edits, fics, etc.) - I start and stop a lot of fics, maybe one day I’ll finish one but as of yet I have not... Sigh.

I honestly don’t think I do have anyone to tag for inspiration? I follow IT blogs but none I would go to for inspiration (no offense to any mutuals-) inspiration for me is mostly just seeing a pose and going ‘okay’ and suddenly I have a drawing - I have no clue what happens in between.

So, my current all-time favourite IT fic atm is https://archiveofourown.org/works/18213215/chapters/43087232, though I will say it’s a really heavy fic and to read with caution. Going away from Angst, any ‘famous Reddie’ AUs are amazing, but I constantly reread the entire https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560019 series. It’s cute and funny and I THRIVE for domestic Reddie content. 

Actually not Reddie, I throughly enjoyed https://archiveofourown.org/works/23201011 for giving me the Mike content the movies have robbed me of for too long, as well as https://archiveofourown.org/works/25262698 which is pure stanlon greatness and made my heart flutter for the boys more than once.

I don’t really have any IT fics up of my own creation, and honestly my reception in way of Tumblr notes is far better than I expected so honestly, I have none to link lol. As long as I get minimun interaction I will thrive.

I wish I could say I’ve been in anything like a zine or anything, but I have not! I’m relatively new to the fandom (and having a social media dedicated to one thing) so I wouldn’t even know where to begin to join or be qualified for one, y’know? I’ve done art weeks in the past and found them incredibly fun but haven’t seen any for IT - but if anyone does happen to know of any... Feel free to send them my way-

As for the last question - other than like, hyping up Chosen and Jeremy just as much as we do the other IT kids (which, honestly I’m not even sure if is still a problem - I’ve just seen posts about it and it’s made me wary), I’m not sure? I’ve honestly not encountered anything in the fandom I find awful and honestly, for a fandom about a movie that is... Well, IT, I’ve really just kind of enjoyed my time in the fandom thus far?

(I will say we need 200% more attention being drawn to 1990s adult Eddie Kaspbrak, who is one of the most beautiful men I have ever seen - but I also feel that way about James Ransone, so I’m not mad.)

(Also, we should be calling out the 1990s IT more, I watched it recently and it’s so bad /lh)

Anyway!! I feel like this answer was incredibly long and I am so sorry!! But like, thank you so much for asking me anything at all fihabsfhbafb I thrive at any chance to talk about the dumb clown movie. (Also, i’m sorry I say ‘honestly’ so much-)

[lightwormlol]

ACOFAS REVIEW -INC SPOILERS

4.5 stars.

Okay, so! This was the first book I was able to finish in 2021. I've kinda been in a reading slump, and struggling to get past the 30-50% of books. I think its because I took essentially 3 months off my normal (daily) reading schedule and have been prioritising other things (health, fitness, job applications etc) - I think it's a testament to how addicted I was to this that I finished and consumed this at the rate I did! I recently went back and added some things to my ACOWAR review. To briefly summarise, I feel that, at the time I read it, it kind of gave me what I needed, but it definitely isn't getting a re read - my love for feysand has definitely lessened over time, but honestly i'm not that mad at sarah for this, as I find that whenever I've passed the sexual tension part of relationships in books, I tend to get bored of the domestic bliss. Like, leave that shit for an epilogue and keep it at that? As someone generally averse to relationships, but there is definitely a grace period for how long I can actively be smitten with a couple... before it becomes sickly. Taking all this into account, I honestly was nervous for this book, its release date totally took me by surprise, and I read it on a whim. As a Nessian shipper (I mean we didn't really have a choice after acomaf but to delve into the world of fanfic to keep us going) - this book gave me most of what I wanted and needed from them! I think,(some) kudos to SJM, for not disappointing in their relationship. This was definitely a character > plot driven story. In terms of the plot, I wasn't really invested until around the 38% mark? I'm not sure if I was adjusting to the writing style (lots of dramatic. sentences. that. are. so. abrupt. Nesta Archeron. Death etc) - or if it was bc I hadn't read an SJM book since the novella, which I basically skimmed. I was obviously reading for Nessian, but I didn't really feel intrigued by the wider plot (death gods, the human queens? Given I had lost my previous obsession with the world/ have outgrown 'fandom' culture, that made me actively update my knowledge, I couldn't remember a lot!) I think its clear that SJM excels character driven stories, but I think her worldbuilding and execution is significantly better in the throne of glass franchise. Now, I did say this was a character driven story. This is mostly regarding Nesta, Cassian and Azriel. I loved pretty much any interaction they had! I love a good training montage. Ngl though, I think, unless you possess an ardent love for Nessian, you're not going to be particularly wowed by this, if you've read heir of fire, or even acomaf. I obviously am never going to be able to be objective, because I've loved nessian so much from 2017-now, but I loved the dynamic those two (and three - friendship wise between nes/cass/az). One of the highlights of ACOWAR for me was the snippets of Az, showing tenderness, and opening up to the newer members of the inner circle (and i'm excluding any hint of an Elriel ship because FUCK THAT LOL) For me, the tip with SJM books is: once you outgrow them/the particular mode of narrative style, is to not anticipate anything other than a character driven story, albeit one riddled with smut. I personally am a romance heavy reader, so I'm honestly deconditioned to it at this point, (like, when I see reviewers scandalised I'm like... wow, the amount of trash I have consumed in the last five years loool.) While I disagree with the fact SJM marketed this series as y/a (or maybe it wasn't her per se, but the key booksellers definitely did this for her) - I think its clear enough now she's descended into the adult/borderline erotica genre.(very mild imo). I personally like to adopt a policy of skimming sex scenes when I find the dialogue cringy (most the time it is lets be honest any talking is v second hand embarrassment). Cassian and Nesta were definitely better than Rhys and Feyre post chapter 55 though! I was so glad there weren't a million moments of Cass/Nesta betraying their arousal with their scents, in front of everyone (like feysand, the voyeuristic pda pricks they are). I found the slowburn ish nature of their relationship great, and I actually think if you're a virgo/emotionally stunted reader, you will be happy with their relationship dynamic. It contrasts with the daemati sexual snark of acomaf, but it felt right, and authentic. This book was a journey of personal growth, for Nesta. It is clear SJM loves books about strong women, and maybe thats what makes me love this book so much. I think, out of all the archeron sisters, I love Nesta the most. This is for my Rose Calloway fans, my misunderstood, somewhat cold/left out girls, who are less receptive to being vulnerable. If you're a slowburn fan, it's not Mariana Zapata levels of slowburn, imo it's the perfect combo. Addictive enough that I don't want to put it down, but not so fast moving that I couldn't believe it. I loved the sex without emotion relationship they had!! This is honestly never done in mainstream n/a fantasy, unless its a caricature of a 'slut' that normally rivals the main character, lmao. Even if their inner conflict was p transparent, this gave me everything I needed! I know this is vapid lol but I also love the physical dynamic between the two, they just look so good together, the amount of fanart I'm going to reacquaint myself with after this review!! I adored seeing Nesta grow, (even if towards the end I kind of resented her sudden acceptance into the inner circle, i get SJM loves her and just wanted a fluffy ending, but, as a Nesta like character, it's awkward and stilted on her end to adjust to the inner circle like this - i mean, hugging rhys, really??)

I think, if I had to compare this to any other SJM book, I would say Chaols book (though I obviously preferred this). That being said, I felt less attached to new characters in this book than I was in even Chaols book (and even then ngl I remember nothing?) Obviously I loved what it represented, as a trio of traumatised women. I just, didn't love this the way I loved other inner circle members! I get that they gave Nesta exactly what they needed, a family that doesn't hold the history of her sisters, who she doesn't have to worry about holding preconceived notions of disappointment. I loved this for her! Even then.. I just wasn't attached to either of them. I found their interactions cute - but boring. Towards the end, when their stories/pasts are revealed, I couldn't help but cringe slightly, I can't put my finger on why, but I just didn't buy it. Maybe it's the brit in me but I couldn't be moved by this slightly forced bonding moment.. which was so anticlimactic. My 'aww how cute' tolerance is defo deserved for characters whose tropes I love. Maybe they just didn't fit into this list. Maybe I'm just being a cow here?

Now, let's speak about the real star of the show.... A FUCKING MAGICAL HOUSE FRIEND??? YESSSSSSS. IF YOU ARE AN ILONA ANDREWS INNKEEPERS CHRONICLES FAN, U WILL LOVE! How was the animation of this somehow more touching than all of nesta's other friendships combined? Exactly what I ordered, thank you. This trope somehow touches more than any material bonding!! The cute witch x house dynamic (also maybe howls moving castle vibes?) I loved the trying to reach the target of 10,000 steps (a little Celaena HOF). I think this, heir of fire and acomaf are my favourite SJM books for this reason. Gripes: I definitely had some personal gripes with how other members of the inner circle treated Nesta (rhys i'm looking at you. Disappointed doesn't even cover it.) I inherently take offence to any elain scene, as i'm so over bland characters whose existence is reduced to wanting to fucking plant flowers?? like?? really? To go from moriel to that is such a downgrade, even if I fell out of love with Mor due to the way she snubbed Nesta (you're a 500 year old being and you can't see someone is clearly traumatised?). I adore Az so much, but if it aint polyamorous, I cannot see any pairing with Elain making me happy. (wouldn’t mind gwyn though) I think the whole mating bond that I do not want is a good dynamic, but I really hate that everyone has to be mates in this world. I don't think we were that surprised, but it would've been nice if the somehow, idk, developed a strong bond over time, without it being preordained? Like, even if they do not all actively stay with their mate, given how disproportionate mates are among the general population, what's the likelihood 6 members of the inner circle (including lucien) have mates?

My advice? Read this book if you love nessian and the acotar world in general, but don't expect the world building to be consistent with greater fantasy series'. This style of story is obviously what to expect. She writes what she likes, and if her fantasy is this - then who are we, as readers, to expect otherwise?

Final rating: 4.5 (no, i'm not objective, but objectivity does not exist if you are a real, human being, lol)

Original Characters: 5/5 (nessian/az/house wise) 1/5 (feysand - really over how they essentially take over the very end of the book - ugh, I wanted nesta's arc to be wholly separate from them) Writing style: 3.5 Cringe Scale: Low, with the exception of some dialogue. New Characters: 2 Plot: I went into it with a 2 and came out with a 4. Not in terms of complexity, but in terms of how addictive and enjoyable this reading experience was! (less)

[spikeymarshmallows]

new followers?

....Okay, so I somehow have managed to gain a bunch of followers in the last 72 hours. Like, not just one or two, but like, more in 72 hours than I have in the history of this blog...

First of all: are you lost? I promise, I do not post much quality content.

I wonder if I should make a “Before You Follow”.....

I think I’m gonna make this my “before you follow” lololol.

Anyway, if you’re not lost! Welcome to my blog!

I’m Spikey, but because we’re friends, you can call me Spikey.

I am a ~mixture~ of things. I love TUA, and specifically ship Kliego. But I’m also a dirty, filthy multishipper and love me some Horrance, Even Trio, among other things. But the important bit to know is: I ship the TUA siblings together. If that is a squick, or a trigger, please, just unfollow. I don’t mind.

If you are only interested in my writing, maybe this is the blog for you! It’s 99% fic updates, and the occasional thing that reminds me of my fics.

I’ve also started a misc “hippy/witchy stuff” blog. It’s pretty disorganised rn.

But if you’re here for other stuff, I have....

An ADHD infodump + an ADHD tag

A “lol” tag

Stuff on asexuality

And then some politics kinda thing.... like “eat the rich”

I have been on the interwebz since I was Too Young, and am a big fan of “curating your own experience”. As such, I believe in liberal blocking of people. If you’re blocked by me, and you’re wondering why, it’s probably because you posted something anti-like, or reblogged a lot of anti-posts. Soz brah.

I have a background in psychology/sociology/anthropology, and am a dirty filthy liberal who supports controversial ideas such as “universal healthcare”, “free education”, and even “universal basic income”. I don’t hate all of capitalism, and I think that arguments conservatives make about lefty’s are bullshit, but I try not to get into that in what is meant to be, overall, my happy place.

Despite the crippling depression and sometimes very sad posts, I am a firm believer in aggressive positivity and think that, unless they’re nazis, you should always choose to be fucking kind.

I think a nice way to welcome people to this blog is to share some love with other people and their fanworks!

So, here! Have a few recs!

UnrememberedSkies’ “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”. Honestly, I cannot rec Rem’s writing enough. I put off reading this series because it listed horror, but honestly, I’m a fucking baby about anything remotely scary and I adore this series. I want to shove it in my mouth and keep it there forever.

sweetstuff’s “The Fools’ Journey”. Okay, so I haven’t read this (YET), but I know sweetstuff and without even having read this yet, I know it’s going to be spectacular. The only reason I haven’t gobbled this fic up yet is that I’m very trapped in depression and also writing my own epic rn.

achilleees is someone everyone in the Kliego fandom probably knows about, and their fics are *chefs kiss*. But if you feel like trying something new, their Five/Diego fics introduced me to a whole new world. [Please note--Five is aged up!]. My favourite is definitely “a win-win proposition”.

achilleees may have gotten me interested in aged-up!Five/Diego, but Electra-XT kept the flame going. I am particularly fond of “Need a Vacation” because it has some glorious wit and snark, but it also has this one particular scene with Five that I have maybe sent to numerous people with a series of keyboard smashes. I won’t spoil it. You’ll know it when you see it.

If you’re interested in meta, and also salt, rappaccini is where I suggest you look! I’ve never known anyone to notice things like she does, or to think about things in the way she does. I am constantly blown away by her mind. Also, she’s a neato writer! She writes a lot for Fiveya, but “family feud” will forever be one of my favourites.

sarkywoman also has some amazing fics! “The Price of Parenthood” destroyed me. She’s also an incredibly lovely, lovely person and I enjoy our interactions and her blog a bunch!!

c0ffeebee does some of the most beautiful fanart I’ve ever seen. Also, turns out we used to run in the same fandom many years ago! How neat is that???

I’m certain I’ve forgotten some amazing people....

Some other Good Eggs are:

freshgratednutmeg | god-shuffled-his-feet | weareinastormoffuck | ativanpire | acespacepilot | punknatch | letsbakethatcake | cultleaderklaus

Anyway. Thanks to all the new people for the follow. But uh, yeah! If you’re an anti... or a minor... or just hate harcest....... this is probs not the blog for you!

[nobody-knose--archive]

well i feel i ought to do a blog introduction of sorts

if you’re interested in following me for any of the following fandoms, read this post real quick. why not.

Fandoms I Frequently Post/Reblog Posts About:

HLVRAI, or Half-Life But The AI is Self-Aware. this fandoms decently new and active and i love it quite a lot. i’ll rb fanart mostly and some text posts as well i supose.

Lemon Demon and Neil Cicierega’s other musical works, particularly his Deporitaz pieces. i’m especially fond of his first 4 albums (of Lemon Demon and Deporitaz) and they’re what i post about the most often. i’ll also rb posts (it’s usually fanart but that’s just what the fandom’s most into) relatively often.

Tally Hall, the only other band i listen to. there’s not a lot of activity in this fandom but i’ll rb it anyway. maybe make a post or two who knows. this is the kind of fandom where i feel too cowardly to express my thoughts about anything but who knows. that could change.

Doctor Who, specifically the 8th doctor more than anything (i’m writing a fic about them!) and occasionally whatever good 9/10 content i can get. will also bring up any other classic/eu content i find palatable, which usually ends up being general intro/retrospectives.

Fandoms I Am Still Into Just Don’t Make A Habit Out Of Making/Reblogging Posts Of: if you’re into these then i’d be glad to follow you, i just wouldn’t think of me as a reliable source of content.

The Adventure Zone Balance- the only one i’ve fully listened to. i don’t do much with the fandom because everyone’s obsessed with the big main ships and i’m too aromantic for all that. a lot of the fanart is still nice though and who am i to pass up a good meme.

Yo-Kai Watch but only the first 3 games and blasters because i can’t dream of getting into the extensive amount of japan-exclusive content, especially the anime(s). god do i love these games though, too much fun to be had would recommend to my friends so many times they get sick of hearing it.

Fire Emblem Fates, Awakening, and Echoes are the ones i’ve played along with Heroes, ive moved on from that though (not f2p friendly at all). shame fates was so bad and i’m generally not fond of situations where people can and do ship a blank slate main character with everyone there is for the aforementioned aromanticism. the games were pretty good and fun yknow.

Rhythm Heaven, which i feel similarly towards the ships, except combined with a little cheerful incredulity considering there’s so much content for characters with no plot whatsoever to drive their romance together. i love the games and will occasionally rb a meme or fanart or both.

Vocaloid Producer GHOST ok listen i know nothing about their real old work i got into their stuff like a couple years ago but i think their songs slap and that’s it.

Personas 3-5, sorry i haven’t played the first 2 games, but i do think they’re good fun games with good fun concepts and characters. not much more too it than that, the fandom doesn’t have a lot of the stuff i look for other than some good old fanart.

Puyo Puyo, though i haven’t actually played any of the games i have seen a playthrough of a handful of games and am fond of the whole cast of characters. however i am more into the memes than anything else here.

Danganronpa, specifically the 3 games as i haven’t read the mangas or seen the full animes. once more much of the fandom just ships 24/7, among other things, but the fanart is still nice and i have a lot of respect for these games in general. 2 is the best game.

Fandoms I Am Not Honestly Part Of But I Do Know The Source Material And Liked It So If You Do Too That’s Cool: basically i read/watched/listened to this a while ago and had a good time but won’t go and check out it’s content so if you’re into this and follow me that’s real cool

A Series of Unfortunate Events & the All The Wrong Questions spin-off, the former of which i haven’t seen the netflix/movie adaptations of because am poor and uninterested. these books sometimes set up shop in my head and i can’t be bothered to actively evict them.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, and the Heroes of Olympus but not all of the Trials of Apollo (i could’ve just summarized this as riordanverse but i had to specify). from what i’ve heard there’s discourse in them there (fandom) hills so while i read and enjoyed the books i won’t go out and bother with them as much anymore. they were a nice part of my youth but i’ve mostly moved on now is all.

Earthbound is a game i am currently going through so expect mentions of it sporadically for a while and then nothing at all. i’m having a great time so far but can’t provide anything on the other games of the series.

[crouton-knight]

Creator Tag Game

Thanks for tagging me @mismagireve!

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Syntax did fic too but I did a pretty ridiculous amount of art this year (this month alone I’ve got like six things to post on posting day, ouch) so I’ll just do fics as well bc I’m also pretty proud of what I’ve written this year.

And I wrote less, so it’ll be easier.

I tag: @lpsunnybunny @classpectanon @silver-tongues-blog @sorceressassassin

Works below the cut, in order of earliest to latest. Please be aware of ratings and read content warnings on the actual pages.

“I’ll No More Go A-Roaming, an Alternian sea shanty” Genfic, poetry (435 words), no ship

A tribute to one of my favorite fics and favorite filks in the fandom since I’ve started, Lost Teeth Like White Jewels and particularly I’ll No More Go A-Roaming (Feferi’s song). The chorus isn’t mine, but I added most of the new stanzas, and it was fun figuring out the stories that would be told while maintaining a similar meter to the chorus bits.

Try singing it out loud, it’s a lot of fun! I went with the tune presented here.

###

“Let's (Not) Try This Again“ Mature, short story (1260 words), Dave/Karkat

This one I’m not actually all that fond of from a writing standpoint, but I’m happy that I managed to crank it out in about an hour AND get such an emotional response when I did! It was nice to just do something on the fly again after all this time, since most of my writing takes a painfully long time to get done. 

###

“gods and sinners” Explicit, short story (6490 words), Equius/Karkat

This one was meant to be just smut but then I ended up constructing an entire religion to justify the setting and kinks involved. So it was also an exercise in worldbuilding, an I’m surprised it holds up as much as it does! Still kind of silly of course, but in a fun way.

Please note the warning tags. This is one of my least emotionally troubling works, but it should still be taken with some caution.

###

“The Spanish Moss Motel” Explicit, short story (6096 words), Dave/Karkat

Pretty much the opposite of Let’s (Not) Try This Again, I’m proud of this one because it just took so damn long to get it out there. I’d actually had the idea shortly after writing the first in the series, but couldn’t ever get it formulated in a way that I liked. Mostly because at the time, the mythology of the setting was so vague.

Turns out the answer was more worldbuilding, as it usually is with me. Now I have material to continue with, too! So I’m happy with just the amount of creativity this one’s spawned, especially as I got a bunch of fanart for it, too. Way to my heart and all.

Contains like, honestly some of my most “socially questionable” character interpretations of Karkat and Dave. Not as bad as the next entry, but more painful in the modern day.

###

“Crowned, Collared, Chained” Mature, chaptered story (31177 words), various pairings and characters involved

This is it, this is the big one, this is the fic that not only took most of the year and then some to finish but actually did finish at 30k words, somehow without the consequence of my creativity burning out on it. I gained a lot of lovely friends and followers from this fic, and I put a lot of work into the setting, customs, and character interpretations within. I have more planned for the setting, too, because it just sprawled too big to contain in one story.

The POVs are all over the place, quite literally, and it was a highly experimental experience for me, but overall a positive one that I think I’ll carry into the sequel if that ever gets written.

(I really want it to get written, of course, and I want to write it, but if anyone wants to take up their own ideas for a continuation, I’d love to see that.)

[bluemiilks]

Random takes on IT

Since i seem to be staying in this fandom for quite a bit still, i wanted to ramble about personal headcanons, favorites and highlights etc !

IT is a nostalgic remnant of my time in middle school ! Back then, me and my friends were oddly fascinated / traumatized by Stephen King's works (Pet Sematary and Carrie in particular)

Georgie's death in the 90s TV mini series haunted me for a long time

i only managed to read the childhood part of the book, it was simply too long for me to finish back then. i borrowed IT from a friend and she got a bit angry at me because i accidentally bent the book's cover, oops haha

i remember i liked Stan the most in the book ! i was devastated when i found out what happened to him later on in the story

Speaking of the new adaptation, Bill has become my favorite though. This is mostly due to Jaeden Martell's superb performance and portrayal, but i definitely relate to this character on a very personal level, too

What i love a lot about the movies are the little easter eggs and details. For example, in Chapter 1, they hinted that Bill's "shine" is particularly strong: he was able to counter It's scary doors illusion, and later he shot It through the head even when Mike said the gun wasn't loaded

My favorite reference was when they were playing at the quarry and they notice something in the water, and Bill goes: "It's a turtle" (we wanted to see the Turtle™ !)

i liked James McAvoy as Adult Bill and mostly what he did with the character, but i was a bit sad that it didn't quite connect to Jaeden's performance imo. i enjoyed Adult Bill's big chaotic energy e.g. when he was tripping at Mike's home or when he almost got run over by a car lmao, but IT 2017 Bill was the closest to how i would characterize him in my headcanon

i love love love that Young Bill seems to enjoy drawing in the movie ! i almost wish he would have pursued an artist career rather than becoming an author

i like and accept all Losers Club ships, but my real favorites are the 99% confirmed ones from the movies: Reddie, Benverly and Hanbrough

With that being said, i think Stan and Bill's relationship could have been the most profound in between the lines. And their dynamic is so tragic, like i bet Bill would have done anything to keep Stan safe and alive, and maybe Stan wanted to believe that Bill could, but he was just too scared to truly believe it

Sadly i didn't like the climax in Chapter 2. i think the way they defeated It was too easy, and literally just "clowning" It felt really unworthy for a finale. Facing It as adults should have been 1000000x more terrifying, especially when they realize that It is something like an eldritch horror cosmic entity that completely exceeds the boundaries of human comprehension. They're not naive and blissfully ignorant like they were as kids, like they should be overwhelmed and deeply shaken by the possibility that maybe there is no way to kill It

But other than that, i really liked how they translated their new adult fears and how they were so tangible: Richie was afraid of coming to terms with his sexuality, Ben was scared of dying alone, Beverly's fear was never escaping that cycle of abuse throughout her life, and Bill was terrified of confronting his guilt over Georgie's (and Stan's) death

The moment i cried in theater was when Ben and Beverly called out to and reached each other during their "trials". i swear to god it was one of the most emotional scenes i've ever seen

Didn't anyone else think Adult Bill should have hugged Young Bill when they had their confrontation? Somehow i expected / wished for that

Lastly i hope people don't take the Pennywise part in my latest fanart too seriously lmao ! i just notice It has a weird rivalry with Bill going on, and when It torments the Losers in Chapter 2, It seems just super petty when it comes to Bill, like damn chill my dude !

[mia-cooper]

Fanfiction Questions

from here

Fandom Questions

1. What was the first fandom you got involved in?

Involved as in ‘frantically read every book I could get my hands on, daydreamed about being part of that universe and wrote stories/made art inspired by the books, if not actual fanfiction’? Mm, probably The Chronicles of Narnia when I was six or seven. The next great obsession was The Silver Brumby when I went through my horse stage around age 12, and then Sweet Valley High when I was 15. Hahaha.

2. What is your latest fandom?

Marvel! I’m not into comics and I’m definitely not interested in consuming every last bit of canon material or memorising the variations of every universe, but I love (most of) the movies and Agents of SHIELD is pretty cool.

3. What is the best fandom you’ve ever been involved in?

Star Trek Voyager. No contest. I venture to suggest that the older fandoms, the ones that are all about defunct shows, are a hell of a lot more chilled. Maybe because we’ve come to terms with our shitty canon endings and learned that liking the ship you hate doesn’t make someone problematic, unlike some newer fandoms I could name (Yes I’m talking about you, Game of Thrones fans. What the fuck.)

4. Do you regret getting involved in any fandoms?

I’ve dipped a toe into one or two fandoms for shows or books I’ve really enjoyed and backed the fuck out when the vibe gets weird (oh hey, it’s GoT again), but nope. No regrets.

5. Which fandoms have you written fanfiction for?

All the Star Treks except TOS, and a Trek/MCU crossover. I’d like to write more for MCU someday. Plus I’ve written longhand entire notebooks full of teen romance shit that bore an uncanny similarity to SVH, and my first short story was a fantasy fic that featured a girl whose guardian was a wise talking lion who led her into mystical secret worlds, which is kind of familiar.

6. List your OTP from each fandom you’ve been involved in.

Wow. I’m going to define ‘involved in’ as ‘cared enough about to have an OTP’, but I’m guaranteed to forget a ton. In no particular order:

Voyager: Janeway x anyone who can get her off

Discovery: Lorca x Cornwell or Pike x Tyler x Burnham (or any combination of)

DS9: Kira x Jadzia Dax

TNG: Picard x Vash, I guess? I don’t really have any TNG ships

ENT: T’Pol x Trip x Hoshi (or any variation therein)

MCU: Cap x Widow

AoS: Coulson x Skye... no May... no Skye... I don’t know

CAOS: Madam Satan x Zelda

Timeless: Garcy

The Good Place: Eleanor x Tahani

The 100 (shut up): toss up between Clarke x Bellamy and Kane x Abby

Veronica Mars: Veronica x Leo (first run), Veronica x Logan (s4)

Orphan Black: Cosima x Delphine

BSG: Apollo x Starbuck

SG1: Sam x Jack

Arrow: Olicity (so over the show now though)

This Life: Milly x Egg

Yeah you know what... I’m drawing a blank. I can’t think of any other shows where I’ve been invested in The Romance that much.

7. List your NoTPs from each fandom you’ve been in.

I’m too tired to do every fandom, and besides, I can come around to almost any ship if the headcanons (or fics) are convincing enough. I do have a few hard no-gos, but they might be someone else’s OTP so I’ll shut up about them.

8. How did you get involved in your latest fandom?

Reluctantly. The MCU movies are not something I ever thought I’d enjoy beyond a dull evening’s entertainment. I never expected to get attached to the characters. And yet.

9. What are the best things about your current fandom?

Voyager is my forever fandom and the only one where I’ve really interacted with other fans. The best things about it? In general, everyone is just cool, accepting, open and basically awesome. And talented. I love my Party Bus people.

10.  Is there a fandom you read fic from but don’t write in?

Sure. The 100, Veronica Mars and Agents of SHIELD are the ones I’d dip into more frequently. I really enjoy crossovers between Trek and BSG or the Stargate variants, too.

Ship Questions for your Current Fandom

11. Who is your current OTP?

Janeway x Chakotay.

12. Who is your current OT3?

Janeway x Chakotay x Paris.

13. Any NoTPs?

A few.

14. Go on, who are your BroTPs?

Janeway & Tuvok! Also Torres & Chakotay, and I’d have killed for more Janeway & Torres in canon. (If they kissed sometimes that would be okay too)

15. Is there an obscure ship which you love?

Yeah. Paris x Seven. There are like two fics in existence, and yet ... the potential! (Sorry, B’Elanna)

16. Are there any popular ships in your fandom which you dislike?

Nope.

17. Who was your first OTP and are they still your favourite?

Janeway x Paris. And they’re still way up there, but not quite at the top.

18. What ship have you written the most about?

84% of my fics feature Janeway x Chakotay as either the primary or secondary pairing... holy shit.

19. Is there a ship which you wished you could get behind, but you just don’t feel them?

Paris x Torres. I mean, I feel them. I just don’t generally feel the need to write about them.

20. Any ships which you surprised yourself by liking?

Chakotay x Seven. In another universe, it could’ve been beautiful.

Author Questions

21. What was the first fanfic you ever wrote?

Actual story that was clearly fanfic? A farcical drunken romp told in the 24th century equivalent of email format called PADDemonium (see what I did there?)

22. Is there anything you regret writing?

Lol, a few things that should probably have never seen the light of day for various reasons, some of them leola related. But I’ve only deleted two fics that I can recall.

23. Name a fic you’ve written that you’re especially fond of & explain why you like it.

Relieved. It’s a 30k AU Chakotay moral dilemma backstory that brings in DS9 characters, Section 31 and his longstanding history with AU Janeway. I did so much research for it (way back in the days before memory alpha and chakoteya.net) and I’m really proud of how I wound in canon stuff across series but changed a few key bits and pieces. Only problem is, it’s a sequel to ...

24. What fic do you desperately need to rewrite or edit?

... Pressure, which I can’t even read without cringing. My characterisation of Janeway, even Angry Maquis AU Janeway, is way over the top and there are moments that verge on Mills and Boon and give me first, second and third hand embarrassment. God, I’d love to rewrite it. Actually, that’s a lie. I want someone else to rewrite it so I can read it without covering my eyes and moaning.

25. What’s your most popular fanfic?

Desperate Measures, by about 70,000 light years, lol. Although Fragile Things beats it on bookmarks.

26. How do you come up with your fanfic titles?

You know what? A fair percentage of the time, I think of the title first and come up with a plot second. Aside from that, I prefer shorter, punchier titles that clearly tie into the story (Flight Risk, Speechless), though sometimes it’s song lyrics (Burn Our Horizons, your body like a searchlight) or a literary quote (Required to Bear, All the Devils are Here) or a turn of phrase from the story itself (The Prisons You Inhabit). Hey that was fun. Thanks for letting me pimp the shit out of my stories.

27. What do you hate more: Coming up with titles or writing summaries?

Ugh, it depends on the day. Summaries are harder, I think. I never want to give away too much of the plot, but there has to be enough there for people to know whether they’ll bother clicking. Funny story: I actually ran the stats on this a few months back. Here they are for your edification:

Fics with a one line plot summary = 54%

With two or three line plot summary = 18%

With a short snippet directly from the fic = 16%

With a snippet + a one line explanation = 3%

With a one line plot summary plus a line to date the fic (eg "set in season 3", “episode tag to Worst Case Scenario") or the fic prompt = 7%

And finally, a quote from something other than the fic = 2% (that's only 3 fics).

28. If someone were to draw a piece of fanart for your story, which story would it be and what would the picture be of?

Ooh. I’ll say the final scene in Explosive.

29. Do you have a beta reader? Why/Why not?

I used to regularly ask @jhelenoftrek​ and @littleobsessions90 to beta for me, and both of them are brilliant at it. Lately I’ve been posting without sending my stuff off for editing. This is partly because I’m impatient to get stuff out there, partly because I don’t have as much time to write/edit, and partly because I’m a little less focused on improving my writing and more on enjoying it for its own sake.

30. What inspires you to write?

Little bits of episode dialogue I haven’t noticed before, other people’s fanfiction, stray conversations, fic prompts, song lyrics, random headcanons, fever dreams, dares ...

31. What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing?

I’ve been really lucky with comments on my fic. The least helpful comment I’ve ever received was on one of my early 30k fics and all it said was “Did you have to take the name of the lord in vain?” Which is kind of funny. The nicest thing anyone’s ever said? I’m very partial to the feedback that starts “I don’t even like this pairing/genre/trope/show but you made me love it”, and particularly “I’ll read anything you write, I don’t care what it’s about.” But all comments are gold. The little heart button is cool too.

32. Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band or genre of music does it for you?

I’m not someone who can tune out music I love, or leave it in the background to inspire me. If it’s on, I’m fully invested in it. I’m that annoying person in the car who flips radio stations every three seconds until I find something I like and then it’s on 11 and I’m singing along to it. I’m also really picky but extremely eclectic, although there are genres I can’t stand (anything with autotune makes me stabby). That said, sometimes I find a song that I can’t stop listening to for weeks and often that perfect combination of music and lyrics will inspire me to write a fic. For example, I just plotted out an entire J/C story because of this song.

33. Do you write oneshots, multi-chapter fics or huuuuuge epics?

All of the above. Although I’m not sure if my longest epic is huuuuuge or just huuuge.

34. What’s the word count on your longest fic?

101,467.

35. Do you write drabbles? If so, what do you normally write them about?

I have two drabble collections. One is all J/C, full of responses to random prompts and I add to it sporadically. The other is episode additions set on Kathryn Janeway’s birthday (May 20) and added to annually.

36. What’s your favourite genre to write?

Angst, definitely. Sometimes it’s smutty angst or fluffy angst or hurt/comfort angst, but often it’s just fucking unrelenting angst. And I’m okay with that.

37. First person or third person - what do you write in and why?

I did the stats on this once, too, haha. Pretty sure I came out fairly even on first and third person with a smattering of second person in there. I’m probably even-ish on present vs past tense, too. I make it a point to mix it up to avoid my writing getting stale or same-y. And sometimes a fic doesn’t really click for me until I try it in a different POV or tense or from a different character’s perspective.

38. Do you use established canon characters or do you create OCs?

I mostly write for canon characters - the fun is in all the different ways you can interpret and imagine them - but I’ve been known to throw in the odd OC, or focus on a character who only got a brief cameo appearance, or write about someone who only appears in beta canon, or who only rates a mention on screen.

39. What is your greatest strength as a writer?

Oh, wow. I’m not sure. I guess the thing I value most about my own writing is my willingness to try different styles, characters, pairings and so on. The thing I strive for most is characterisation that feels true, and I really love it when I get comments on that. Exploring a character in a way that rings true with a reader is the best thing ever.

40. What do you struggle the most with in your writing?

Overly long sentences and adverb abuse, haha. No, truthfully, there comes a point in most of my fics, particularly the longer ones, when I really just want to scrap it because in my heart I know it’s dreadful. Usually that passes once I slog through the ‘I don’t wanna’ stage because I’m a bloody-minded bitch, but sometimes fics do get left in the dust half-written. Honestly, though, they’re the ones that probably should stay there.

Fanfiction Questions

41. List and link to 5 fanfics you are currently reading:

This is hilarious because I was just talking on discord about my problematic ‘to read’ pile. My unread AO3 subscription emails currently number 29 and my phone browser has 71 tabs open. So here are 5 random picks from that list of exactly 100 fics I should be reading:

Sex on the Beach (E, Janeway/Chakotay) by @traccigaryn​

The Ruby Ring (T, Janeway/Chakotay, Janeway/Tighe) by @trinfinity2001​

Earth is But an Idea (T, Janeway/Chakotay, Carter/O’Neill) by @caladeniablue​

Home (E, Janeway/Chakotay) by Cassatt

Wise Up (E, Janeway/Chakotay) by KimJ

42. List and link to 5 fanfiction authors who are amazing:

Only five? Shit. Okay. In no particular order, these are five of the writers I keep coming back to:

quantumsilver (also here)

northernexposure

LittleObsessions

Helen8462

Cheshire

But there are so many others. My chosen fandom is chock full of amazing talent.

43. Is there anyone in your fandom who really inspires you?

All of the authors above for various reasons, but also august because her writing is so spare and delicate and devastating, and runawaymetaphor because she writes the most delicious Janeway/Paris, and @seperis​ because I read In the Space of Seven Days literally 20 years ago and I still haven’t recovered, and I could be here all night raving on this topic but there are still many questions to get through.

44. What ship do you feel needs more attention?

Janeway x Paris. I’m so happy there’s been a little bit of a resurgence in J/P fics lately. Thanks, @curator-on-ao3​, you’re doing the lord’s work.

I’ll also take Janeway x Johnson content any day of the week.

45. What is your all time favourite fanfic?

What the hell? I can’t pick just one! Ugh!

... but okay, here’s the first one that came to mind when I tried to think about this: if you came this way by tree. I’m not sure I’d call it my favourite, but it’s one I revisit often. Ugh, there are so many other fics I’m thinking of now that I really want to list.

46. If someone was to read one of your fanfics, which fic would you recommend to them and why?

Oh, that’s hard. I should probably pick an angsty smutty J/C because that’s a fair proportion of what I write and it’s good to let a new reader know what they can expect. But honestly, I think the best fic I’ve written is The Uncharted Sea. (It’s safe for work. Maybe not for makeup.)

47. Archive Of Our Own, Fanfiction.net or Tumblr - where do you prefer to post and why?

The Archive, of course. Where else can I find ad-free hosting on a stunningly user-friendly interface with absolutely no moralising content restrictions and the world’s best tagging system? That Hugo award is well deserved.

Tumblr is good for headcanons and meta and gifsets and a few other formats that I’m less likely to post on AO3 because I’d feel like I was pissing off people who subscribe to me by giving them some random garbage.

I also have my own website, but I’m not really sure why. Sometimes I post fic there that doesn’t make it to tumblr or AO3.

48. Do you leave reviews when you read fanfiction? Why/Why not?

I try to. Honestly I do. I love it when I get reviews, so I figure paying it forward is the least I can do. I’m less scrupulous about leaving comments when I’m busy or reading on my phone.

49. Do you care if people comment/reblog your writing? Why/why not?

I mean, I love it when people reblog, but I certainly don’t expect it. @arcadia1995​ is amazing for reblogging stuff *blows kisses*

Nobody owes fanfic writers shit, but I feel like there’s a tacit agreement that if you like what you just read for free and you’re on a platform that makes it easy to do so, you leave a review or at least a kudos, because I’m not gonna lie, posting a fic you’ve worked super hard on and seeing it get very few kudos or comments is a bit deflating. I’m sure a lot of us have been there.

50. How did you get into reading and/or writing fanfiction?

During Voyager’s original run I was trawling the internet for Endgame spoilers (I don’t know why; I usually love surprises) and I guess I googled (or whatever the 2001 equivalent of googling was) something like “how does voyager get home” and somehow I stumbled across Revisionist History. At first I had no idea what I was reading - was this a lost story pitch that somehow got leaked? A professional novella commissioned by the showrunners?

Then I started following links and discovered yahoo groups and webrings and Trekiverse and fanfiction.net and all sorts of incredible things I’d never guessed at, including the now defunct ‘archipelago of angst’, a collection of Voyager writers who focused mainly on a darker Janeway than most of the other fic writers I was encountering, and I was hooked. So I wrote a few of my own pieces, and then I lost interest for 15 years. I’m still not sure how I got dragged back in.

51. Rant or Gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go!

Honestly, in what other way can I indulge my obsessions, hone my skills and talk about it endlessly with like-minded people? Where else can I instantly find a plethora of fiction about the exact topic I feel like reading about on my mobile device and for free? Fanfiction is fucking amazing and I’m so glad it exists in my life.

[astharoshebarvon]

Ship Game

I was tagged by  @eb-byestelle . Thank you dear !

First of all, why? I can’t just choose ten pairings. I feel as if I am betraying my other favourite pairings. I love them as much as the ones I’ve mentioned. But nothing I can do about it.

Well, here we go.

Shipping and Fandom Ask

Embrace your inner shipper! Answer questions about your favorite ships or fandoms. Reblog to participate and let your ship flag fly!

1.What are your top 10 manga/anime ships of all time?

Top 10 anime/manga:

1. Maria sama ga miteru / Marimite/ Maria watches over us : Shimako and Sei 

2. Inuyasha : Inuyasha and Kagome Higurashi

3. Tsubasa reservoir chronicles : Sakura and Syaoran Li /Clone Sakura and Syaoran

4. Tokyo Babylon, X   : Seishirou and Subaru

5. X : Kamui and Fuuma

6. Cardcaptor sakura / TRC : Yukito and Touya

7. Junjou romantica : Nowaki and Hiroki

8.  JR : Misaki and akihiko

9. Akatsuki no Yona : Yona and Hak

Vampire Knight : Kaname and Yuuki

3.What gif or screenshot most sums up your ship?

Well, I choose yume for this and the above two images represent their relationship pretty well. They are my favourite illustrations and one can actually see the love they both have for each other. It’s like no one else matters. You can actually see the tenderness in their eyes, how much they care for each other.

4. Describe your favorite ship in seven words or less. 

InuKag : they were born for each other.

Sei and Shimako : sensitive couple. Adorable and sweet.

Sakura and Syaoran : love that transcends time and space.

Touya and Yukito : meant to be together in every world.

Seishirou and Subaru : they are meant to fall for each other.

Kamui and fuuma : just admit you love each other.

Akihiko and Misaki : meant to be together.

Nowaki and Hiroki : sometimes second love is true love.

Yona and Hak : always there for each other.

Kaname and Yuuki : eternal lovers.

6.What’s your go-to episode or scene when you need ship feels?

Well, this one is difficult because there are tons of scenes which I love but I’ll do my best. 

Inuyasha and Kagome :

When Naraku reveals who he is for the first time in ep 21. Any episode with Koga, that really shows inuyasha’s jealousy. The movies…god. First and second movie. All scenes I guess.

Sei and Shimako :

Season two episode 6. Though there are scenes in many episodes of season 1 too.

Sakura and Syaoran :

When Yuuko gives them new bodies and real syaoran is born. In the beginning when sakura is planning to tell she loves him but in the end couldn’t. When syaoran fights kamui. When Syaoran is killed by his son and his greatest regret is that he couldn’t hear those words. I guess I should stop. At this rate I am going to end up with an essay.

Touya and Yukito/Yue :

When touya gives his power to yue. I ship yue and touya and yukito and touya. The last scene in original cardcaptor sakura manga where they are together in the kitchen. When touya corners yukito in school, he knows something is up.

Seishirou and Subaru :

Of course the scene in which seishirou dies. Goddammit. I can’ t think about it. Subaru loses his senses [ in Tokyo Babylon] when seishirou’s eye is gouged out. This is getting too painful for me. I’ll stop.

This pairing reduces me to tears. They belong together. They should’ve been together with hokuto and kakyou.

Kamui and Fuuma :

Little fuuma helping little kamui in one of the extras. Well, just read X. The whole thing is unresolved sexual tension between the two. The creators said it themselves they are soulmates, I mean even in TRC one can see there is something going on between them. Subaru and seishirou is blatantly obvious.

Misaki and Akihiko :

When haruhiko kidnaps misaki, when akihiko comes to pick up misaki from his brother’s house, the train scene. There are many scenes especially the ones with Ijuiin Kyou.

Nowaki and Hiroki :

Again, there are many scenes. The library scene. Goddammit. It reduces me to tears every time. When hiroki spies on nowaki, then sends him flowers. Aww. Just remembering them brings a stupid smile to my face.

Yona and Hak :

Episode 24 of the anime, in manga when that festival happened in one of the villages and yona danced in the village garb. There are many scenes throughout the manga.

Kaname and Yuuki :

Well, volume 11 and 12 scenes. Then the scenes after yuuki sees kaname’s past, end of volume 13 and beginning of volume 14, all the scenes in which yuuki says she needs to go to her kaname. When yuuki takes kaname’s blood after being awakened. There are many scenes.

7.What song or songs remind you of your favorite fandom, character or ship?

Hmm, as such no song in particular.

I did read a fanfiction though which had, “I am watching you” for seishirou and Subaru and I couldn’t help but find it hilarious.

And I think, A Thousand Years by Christina Perri suits yume. It’s true after all.

  8. If the creators of your favorite fandom asked you to write the ship canon-confirmation episode, what will you write/how will it happen? 

Hmm. Well, I hope yuuki gets reincarnated somehow and she and kaname live a long happy life together. Maybe kaname is going somewhere and he bumps into a girl, who has long brown hair and when they look at each other he realizes it’s the girl from his memories. And that’s it. After that kaname never sees the butterfly familiar because yuuki is with him now.

X is never gonna end but I always had a feeling that both fuuma and kamui would die. Because fuuma said that only kamui can grant his wish. They both die.

Then they are shown together in another alternate universe.

I always thought fuuma and kamui suffered equally. You cannot weigh their suffering. Fuuma lost everything because kamui made one choice. Their story is too tragic. 

I’ll come back to this question later.

9.Do you prefer to indulge in (consume or create) fanart or fanfic of your favorite ship? 

Sometimes I sketch and I create edits for my favourite series. And I enjoy seeing fanarts and manga colourings. I write fanfictions too. I love reading fanfictions.

10.Smut or fluff? (VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION xD) 

Both. Both. I love both.

11.What ship are you embarrassed to admit you like? 

Not one. They are all great ships. Nothing to be embarrassed about. 

12.What task are you most likely to procrastinate so you can indulge in your ship or fandom? 

I sacrifice my sleep sometimes. That’s about it. 

13.How many hours of the day do you spend reading fanfic or looking at fanart or other media? 

When there is nothing to do, quite a lot of hours. But when exams are there, I see how the preparation is. But I usually spend quite a lot of time on it.

14.How many memorabilia’s do you own of your favorite fandom or ship (clothes, plushies, etc.)? 

Well, I’ve got lots of volumes of each series and artbooks too. And I’ve also got drama CD’s of some series and magazines. 

15.If you could own one authentic item from your favorite fandom world, what would it be? 

Hmm. Not anything in particular.

16.What fandom have you found to be too toxic to deal with?   

Ah. The best question. Well, I haven’t been in inuyasha fandom but I know it’s pretty weird because for some bullshit reason kagome is shipped with sesshoumaru and inuyasha is portrayed as a person who violates her. Yikes.

Now, I have got nothing against shipping characters who aren’t together. I do that a lot but when the same people come onto inuyasha/kagome and sesshoumaru/kikyo fanarts and spout shit, well I get angry then. Because I adore sesshoumaru and kikyo. It doesn’t happen but I still like it and it has the most gorgeous fanarts ever.

If sesskag and rinsess, which is weird no matter how it’s cut, shippers come and say this would’ve been better if it was sesshkag  fanart / fiction, well I get angry then. Sesshoumaru is my favourite character ever and I really don’t like seeing people think he only belongs with sesskag shippers. What the hell?

He is no one’s property. The only character he remotely showed something for was Kagura. And I am not gonna open Sesshoumaru and Rin thing. That is....well. Let’s just leave it.

Clamp fandom. I dunno…I am not particularly in it but I read some comments on some sites and it’s pretty annoying when some people say you must acknowledge kotori and kamui thing.

Sorry, there was no thing.

Kotori was obsessed with kamui. Did she deserve to die. Hell no. But kotori and kamui just doesn’t exist. I mean the creators themselves said : don’t call kamui and fuuma brothers. No. They are soulmates. Fuuma is all what kamui thinks about. Even in colour illustrations which shows the group, Kotori is always seen glomping kamui like some weird obsessed fangirl. It’s disconcerting. Kamui is always shocked or surprised. Well, whatever kamui and fuuma belong together.

And now the most toxic fandom. Vampire knight. I stopped posting in the tags quite a while back because I am just tired.  I’ve had enough.

Zeki shippers : unable to accept yuuki loved kaname way more than she loved zero. It’s blatantly obvious if you read the manga. But the shippers are not only rude but they also get personal and insult the blogger. They mock the other shippers and keep on ranting and raving about abuse and whatever nonsense that was prevalent in the forums between  2010-2014. Now the same thing happens here on tumblr.

Zeki shippers are unable to accept that not everyone worships zero’s character. Honestly, I never hated zero. I was always like, I want kaname and yuuki together, zero can be with someone else. But his fans and shippers are just nasty. I’ve never encountered a single decent member of this ship. They are rude and insulting and love to send anon messages.

18.Do you have or would you consider getting a tattoo depicting your favorite ship or fandom? 

Nope. Not fond of tattoos.

19.What is the strangest thing you’ve done to honor your favorite fandom, ship or character?

Nothing.