#granted i havent seen much of it on tumblr

[shinobi98]

God forgive me, I'm really shipping the old man.

[end-otw-racism]

End OTW Racism Link Round-up: Week 2!

Our first (hopefully of many) two-week #EndOTWRacism action is over! Check out our post on next steps and how to stay involved if you haven’t already. 

Just like our first week link round-up, here’s a collection of some of the longer-form discussion/analysis that people shared in week two (we're going with posts on tumblr, dreamwidth, and other sites, as well as twitter threads that are longer than three tweets). These are posts that we think would be helpful to consider as fandom engages in the necessary conversations about these issues.

Note: There has been a plethora of information that’s come out about OTW in the past week, particularly from former and current volunteers, which calls into question the way the organization functions and details the harm they have done to their own volunteers. Much of it does not directly reference our campaign or racism, so we won’t be sharing all of that conversation here, but you can find a round-up of that conversation at the dreamwidth account synonymous.

Tumblr

seepunkrun: I haven’t heard back from the OTW on this yet. In fact, I’m still waiting for a reply to the last letter I sent them on this subject. That’s why I’m glad to see increased transparency included in @end-otw-racism’s list of demands [link]

wondersmith-and-sons: if we're gonna be frank about otw's "anti-racism policies"/hiring of diversity consultants/attempt for social change, i'm gonna say that my good faith in them has run out a while ago and that i genuinely don't think they ever had the intention to follow through on tackling racial abuse, like, ever. [link]

elumish: In response to criticism about EndOTWRacism (part 2): one of the main questions that I see a lot about stuff like this is, how do we write policy to keep there it from backfiring or being used for purges? [link]

princeescaluswords: Activism Isn’t a Raincoat [link]

massharp1971: The right want free speech, but only for themselves [link]

Twitter

tea_deviation: this is even further off topic, but I was doing the math here and it boggles my fucking mind that ao3 is not driving towards being endowment funded? [link]

fiercynonym: i mentioned, as an aside in my thread about how OTW appears to have $2.5 MILLION that they are spending on absolutely nothing, that francesca coppa received a fan studies grant from OTW once, but i want to talk about that specific piece a little more [link]

generalfrings: For all the disingenuous raising of "concerns" at #EndOTWRacism over hypothetical volunteers that would hypothetically handle racists in AO3 (+ the dismissal of the real current harm on poc and black fans), I want to see some response for OTW actually traumatizing real volunteers [link]

_impertinence: #EndOTWRacism the way chinese fans have been sidelined and belittled by the org is so fucking disgusting [link]

hydrochaeris3: ok full disclosure this came about bc i was thinking about why i havent seen people be "pro worker" (or in the otw/ao3's case "pro volunteer") more in response to the endotwracism campaign. bc in most leftist circles ik that ppl would use workers rights arguments to push back on [link]

saathi1013: If it's anything I've learned from contemporary activism it's this: it's never "just" racism. [link]

cyrilapologist: worth considering that end otw racism is also a labor issue [link]

hydrochaeris3: stalking IS bad but i do think it's real funny that so many bnfs are coming out of the woodwork to say smthn about how upsetting it is that this white person got stalked instead of literally anything for #EndOTWRacism for the last two whole weeks [link]

aral_was_here: I'm going to keep the pfp and account name for a bit because I'm feeling pissed about how #EndOTWRacism has been dismissed by so many fans as virtue signaling or as a smokescreen for certain people they see as fandom boogeymen lying in wait to take our porn at a moment's notice. [link]

Dreamwidth

beatrice_otter: Signal boost: "Be more democratic, be more autocratic, OTW", by chestnut_pod (with background & highlights) [link]

wistfuljane: Mythical Dragons & Wild Unicorns: A Decade Later [link]

naye: The Glorious 25th of May - #EndOTWRacism [link]

naye: OTW needs a lot more transforming [link]

Other sites

enk-dash-one at fandom.ink: 1/3 Fellow white people, I encourage you to read this thread first: Then, I'd like to add, speaking exclusively to fellow white people who are worried about this: we are already racist. [link] 

Klaudiasays on TikTok: let's get #EndOTWRacism trending [link]

Stitch for Teen Vogue: As #EndOTWRacism Fights for AO3 Policy Changes, Fandom Racism Bubbles to the Surface [link]

We'd love for folks to keep discussing the issues raised during this action! We organizers are probably going to go quiet for a little while to gather ourselves and work on moving forward, but if you send us posts by submitting to our tumblr, tweeting at us, messaging us on dreamwidth, or emailing us at endotwracism [at] gmail [dot], we will consider linking or posting them. We do reserve the right to only share posts that are in line with the intent of the campaign and that we believe are adding to the conversation.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Adulting 101: How Jobs work

I feel like there is a LOT of terrible advice on the internet about getting a job, working a job, and leaving a job. So I am going to give some real advice that will help you out in the long run.

Welcome to Adulting 101

So for this I will be discussing the Core tenants

Getting a Job

Working the Job

Leaving the Job

and

The Farewell

(Note this is mainly for work in the Corporate sector but I can assure that applicable information can be applied to other Job areas.)

Getting a job

So you are fresh out of college, and now you realize those student loans arent gonna be paid by the government after all. So what are you going to do?

The answer is get a Job.

But how are you going to get one?

1. Connections:

-If you havent already, start with creating a Linkedin account and try to connect with every person you have ever met, especially if you are going into the field of work with the individuals.

After that, try searching LinkedIn for every person that is in a high position in the field you want to start your career. Most won’t respond, but some will and that is good for you.

Most people in the corporate world that get interviews for their first job with good companies are usually through connections. Leverage family, friends, old employment, old internships, etc.

-I also recommend staying in touch with your Alma mater, professors are usually people with connections and if they like you can help pull some strings. But if not, the school usually will have some sort of program that will help you get your first job. Though not all colleges have it, but its best to check.

-Always avoid sales jobs. Now some sales jobs are fine and legit, but its usually gonna end with the company taking the list of people you know and selling to them before tossing you aside. It burns your friends and Family’s good will. Thats usually the reason why at least once in your life you will have someone from high school reaching out to you about ‘A product or service’.

-Nurture the network. You want people to like you enough to recommend you for jobs, especially this early on. Your experience is garbage and you have no negotiating power. Unless you are from an Ivy league school and have a 4.0. You have no value in the eyes of the company alone. So your best bet is to lean on people you know.

2. Resume

-For the love of crap, work on your resume. Doesnt matter how good your connections are, if you made your resume out of crayon you are screwed. Take time to format it, look up some how to guides, ask some people you know how they worked their resume. It is not fun, but it is important. Resumes are what get people in the door in a lot of cases. The best resumes on online applications are filtered based on how close they fit the job description.

-Make sure to keep that resume updated and easy to edit so you can alter it to match a job description better. This is a trick to help improve the odds of selection.

-Same thing but with Linkedin, there are recruiters on Linkedin and other sites that search for canidates. Most of them are sales jobs, but some arent and you can leverage them if possible

-Since this is on Tumblr, I’m going to tell you this upfront, don’t put your pronouns in your resume. I was talking with a recruiter and that’s a thing they use to filter out so most online applications won’t see it. Mainly cause it’s seen as Filler and stuff like this will be addressed later.

3. Certifications and internships

-When you are new in the workforce, you will need ANYTHING to differentiate you from the crowd, having a certification in whatever is needed in your field is always a bonus. Granted these cost cash to get into, so this is more of a last resort when you are looking for your first job.

-Internships after college are often seen as a bit tough to manage since they usually dont pay as much as a real job (depending on the state or country, at all), but if one is unable to get a job, this is a ticket to building a network.

4. The Interview

-All of that work from the previous 3 subjects have led you to this moment, your interview. Now this is a make or break it moment and it is important to understand the following:

*Is this a multiround interview? (Will there be more than one?)

*Who am I interviewing with (The interviewer, the company, and for what job)

*What is the purpose of the interview? (Is this a formality? A job description?)

-Now it is crucial to know your resume inside and out. You need to speak to what you know. So be sure to know it well.

-Always answer in a way that puts you in a more positive light. But dont try the “My greatest weakness is working too hard” they can smell that bulls*** a mile away. If you had to describe a negative, make it seem like you are working to fix it. This demonstrates you can look at yourself objectively and makes it seem like you are more of a genuine person. My go too response is “I have a habit of hyper focusing on a task until it is complete, but I have been working on focusing on what has the highest priority.”

-At the end of the interview, make sure to have questions prepared to ask the interviewer, and dont ask about salary. (Salary is asked after the job is offered, and usually you will usually hear about the salary range before going in, or the official number AFTER they give the offer). My go to question is asking “What are three traits someone would need to have to thrive in this position?” But do try and think of your own

-Dont be nervous, remember that this will likely not be the only interview you will have, especially with how desperate people are to get workers. So you will get a few. Just do your best, you got this.

_______________________________________________________________________

Working the Job

You did it, all that hardwork and dedication had paid off, you got your first job.

Or maybe this is your second job. But most importantly, its work with a salary. The most tedious part is over, next is where the real work begins.

1. Adjusting to work

This period of time will you learning all you can about your job, this is the 30-60-90. AKA, the Trial period.

Show up a bit early and leave a bit later (unless your commute is over an hour. Then you just try to be as close to on time as possible.)

Your first 30 days is you finding out where everything is, how it works, who you interact with to get work done, and find the bathroom. This is where the expectations for you as an employee are at their most lenient. Dont take this as a rest opportunity, You are meant to learn as much as possible about how to do your job. (also connect with all the people on your team on Linkedin)

The next 30 days are your real test. Likely will be given your first real assignment if it wasnt given already. This is where you need to knock it out of the park. Crush that first assignment. Show everyone you are a pleasure to work with, Be compassionate yet driven. This is the ‘Prove yourself phase’

The last 30 days is the “Dealmaker” here is where you get to show your impact on the company. Your work must be consistent and must be solid. You can be allowed some error, but dont focus too much on it. This is where you show what you learned and are a part of the company. After you make it past this stage, you are likely to not have to worry about being fired. That doesnt mean your safe. It just means you are officially a part of the company.

-Now from here on out this is your chance to grow in however you want. Do you have ideas that you think would make things better? Give them a go, try discussing them with your boss, see what he/she thinks of them. You think there is a sector of the company you would work better in, use this position as an opportunity to grow closer and maybe transfer. Just be sure to keep your work consistent

2. Time to excel

So this is where you start career building. You want to make the big money. You want to be strong and independent with the fat stacks? You gotta work bitch.

You gotta take initiative, when there is an opportunity to shine to the higher ups, take it. Not every opportunity will be given. But sometimes there are ones that are gift wrapped.

Do NOT over extend yourself.

This is important, yes you want to stand out, but over extending yourself just to impress can cause your original work to suffer. You need to know your limits. And be willing to ask for help when needed.

Don’t talk smack about your boss, or other coworkers.

In the game of office politics, you never want to give someone an opportunity to make you look bad. Be respectful, and keep any complaints or issues you have with someone objective.

Take responsibility. Don’t try and blame others when something fails. Own up to it and ask for ways to improve. That shows character and in the game of career building, that’s a solid way to show you are capable and bold.

____________________________________________

Leaving a job

So you find yourself working at this job and you realize. I hate it here. Now the first instinct is to quit and figure it out later. Or the term “Quiet Quitting” which is doing the bare minimum required and ride it out. Let me correct this by showing you what to do.

Figure out the Why.

Why do you hate your job now? It’s actually the simplest step. Usually boiling down to the following

1. My boss sucks.

Most employees end up quitting their jobs because of their boss. Either they are critical, take credit for your work, blame you for their mistakes, make you work late. Preventing you from taking vacation. Or insert specific reason here.

If the boss is the only reason you hate the job, then this is where you can start by requesting transfers to other areas of the company. Make an effort to find someone you wouldn’t mind working under, or find a way to show that your boss is violating your rights and agreements. If you can get a recording or emails to show to HR, than you can find ways of dealing with the horrible boss. Though if all else fails, then it’s time to consider leaving.

2. You need higher pay

If your company doesn’t give pay raises, and you find yourself not progressing a more favorable direction, then it’s time to discuss with your boss your concerns. Now if your boss is reasonable and not like a boss from reason 1, they will likely take into account the work you do and try to get you the raise.

But that’s only if you are working hard. Demanding more money but not doing anything more than what the job is asking won’t net you a pay raise unless you are exceeding expectations. In truth most companies would like to not lose workers, so voicing a concern would be a good way to get more cash.

Though if you are working hard and going above and beyond yet still not getting the money you deserve. It’s time to search for a place that will. Don’t quit yet, find the new job first and than leave.

It’s common curtesy to let the company know with a two week notice. That’s mainly so you don’t entirely burn connections. If you don’t care about the company, just quit.

Side note, and THIS IS CRUCIAL

If your company hears you are leaving and tries to match it. DONT take it. It’s a ploy. They will look for your replacement as soon as you accept the deal. They know you are finicky and looking. If you accepted a job offer, DONT BACK OUT.

3. This is not the career I want

You realize that this just isn’t where you want to be for the next couple of years. That’s fine. In fact, good on you for recognizing that you aren’t content with your work. But that begs the question, what Do you want.

At this time, stay working while you do research. No need to quit if you don’t know what it is you want. Maybe you want to be focused on different things but still in the same company. Transfers are more common and it’s easier to move and employee than lose one. So if you like where you work but not what you do, maybe see what other options there are in house before leaving.

But if you really want to go after something then find yourself peeping for that path. And when you are ready to go, then quit. Be polite and cordial. It wasn’t them it’s you. A two week notice would be the polite thing in this case.

The Farewell

Things aren’t working out with your current job and you’ve decided it’s time to leave. Ensure the following.

1. You have another opportunity lined up

2. You connected with everyone worth while

3. You have your letter/email of resignation ready to go

Now if your opportunity has a time before it starts. Great time for quiet quitting. You are basically out the door, you can take it easy. So enjoy these last moments before you leave and get ready for the next step in life.

____________________________________________

Thank you for reading my advice column on how to properly Navigate work.

And if things work out, remember what you read.

Life may not always perfectly line up, but there is a right way of approaching it.

Best of luck

(Note: This does not guarantee that all will go according to plan but it is the building blocks of what Is important)

[slightlyhopefulromantic]

Might be being a little greedy asking another monsters and mommies au question, but I'd love to hear more about Carol and her sexuality journey in this please ❤️

i am so sorry, it is 2:30 am (EDIT: kept getting distracted so its now 3:30 am-) so i am not gonna do a sketch for this HFJKGHKFDHK (for now! i might come back later and reward you with one <3)

but you know me. you've seen my frantic rambling <3 you know i would LOVE to talk about carol's sexuality journey in my au! i very much respect matt's decision to not commit to darryl having internalized homophobia/being closeted, especially considering that it started as a joke, etc. but. but! i am a lesbian and i simply cannot see either of the wilson parents as straight and so yeah, carol's B plot is realizing she is a lesbian

A LOT OF THIS IS GONNA BE FAMILIAR TO YOU ISADORA but i havent talked about it before on tumblr i dont think besides vague implications, so! lets dive in!

of the moms, carol has the most like. baggage, i guess? not necessarily tragic backstory-wise - morgan wins that by a landslide - but she has a lot of small individual things that she has to work through, as opposed to the other moms mostly having to work through one big thing each. carol has issues with emotional vulnerability. carol has issues with internalized misogyny. carol has issues with infidelity. carol has issues with repressed homosexuality. carol has issues with the way she was raised. shes got a lot going on! luckily, all of them are extreeemely tied up in each other, which i think helps to make it so she doesnt have too much compared to the other moms? but it makes it a bit harder to pick out just one thing to talk about LMAO

before the start of the story, carol is already struggling with the fact that she feels like shes unfaithful to darryl because she is attracted, very very badly, to her secretary at work. she also is struggling with the fact that said secretary is a young woman. she never cheats on darryl (well. not in. the main au and definitely never before the forgotten realms-) but she still has severe catholic guilt about being attracted to other people at all. this guilt is pushed muuuch much hard once shes around mercedes and samantha all the time, because she is. painfully. attracted to them. mercedes especially, because mercedes very much encourages carol's attraction to her while sammy is more normal about it. samantha is convinced that carol could fix her marriage, while mercedes is going "dump him! join my polycule!" LMAO

this plotline is, mostly, tied up in carol's emotional vulnerability plotline, as thats her main plot! she has the same arc that darryl does, since theyre veeery similar characters (carol is more ruthless/less emotional internally than he is, but thats just about the only difference i cut between them). so, carol's arc with grant follows the same course as darryl's, except the yeet bigly thing goes. a little bit better! lol. grant is still rejected by yeet, and returns to the locker room very upset about it, etc etc. when carol gets around to talking to him, in contrast to darryl's conversation with grant about frank's death, carol instead talks to grant about the difficulties of being gay and how it can be really hard to be true to yourself.

SHOUT OUT TO @aximili FOR THIS BTW he talked to me about carol for a bit and it put some wind in my sails for the direction that this conversation goes LMAO

I AM a believer in grant coming out before the forgotten realms. however, i waver back and forth a lot on if thats true for this au specifically, because i do like the parallel plot of carol realizing that her son is gay at the same time that she is coming around to her own self-realization. regardless, either way, carol starts the conversation very much focusing on grant, focusing only on his feelings, etc. shes very stiff about it and, eventually, apologizes to grant and tells him that she really hopes that her actions dont make him feel like he has to repress his own homosexuality. grant is a smart little guy, and also sees the way that carol talks to her friends hbghjgbdhjfb and pretty much picks up right away that oh. oh. this is about my mother just as it is about me. he awkwardly prods her about it and for the first time in his life, grant sees his mom cry. he cries too, and they hug, and its emotional, but its good. its healing!

carol gets divorced from darryl post-s1. carol, mercedes and samantha form a silly little polycule. grant, terry jr, and lark all have to either make new friends or compete for nicholas's love because theyre suddenly all sort-of-brothers. nicholas has a crush on their lesbian sister instead and that completely kills their codependent little dating pool. all is good in the world <3 ("the twins literally caused the apocalypse-" all is good in the world <3)

[ghost-and-grimm]

hk rant/ramble. has politics. cw colonization and all that entails

it drives me a little insane that i havent seen anyone really cover the politics in hk. theres so much to unpack especially in regards to colonization and imperial rule and it doesnt...get talked about, from what ive seen so far? it feels surreal to me.

like ive seen ppl joke abt the pale king being british and. thats about as close as ive seen anyone mention the pale king being a colonizer, and a brutal one at that, with a very clear supremacist ideology that's present within all of hallownest. from proclaiming that accepting his rule grants a bug higher mind, calling the bugs ALREADY on the land savages, even the fixation on hallownest being the first civilization on that land (completely erasing mentions of the ancient one) and the visible attempts at expansion (seemingly what it means to make hallownest eternal). it stinks of the same supremacist ideology i learned about that fueled the spanish and american colonization of the philippines, and im sure the british were the same with australia.

also deepnest denizens being referred to as beasts, when they themselves never refer to themselves as that, is pretty fucked up. seems too close to how hallownest denizens refer to "unenlightened bugs" as savages (see: elegy of hallownest). reminds me too much of the spanish and american colonizers calling the local filipinos savages and used their "savagery" as justification for expansion

also also i keep thinking abt kingsoul and how it contains "limitless soul within". we know what souls are, it's confirmed in soul sanctum that souls are extracted from other living beings, specifically bugs, at the cost of their lives. why does the pale king and white lady just have a charm that contains limitless soul? where is the soul coming from? quirrel mentions that the city uses soul, is that something they learned from the pale king? has the pale king led a [insert a very specific very bad violation of a certain convention]. worms eat dead bugs after all.

maybe one day i'll dive into this in tumblr posts or something but honestly im fully expecting some backlash if i do. which frankly i dont wanna deal with.

[randombubblegum]

just. okay. this whole parasocial twitter trashfire is so..... stupid. lol 😐 just the fact that it COULD have been a turning point for how awsten and the fandom interact but he just refuses to learn, refuses to change, and is in fact dedicated to ruining his own life? apparently???

like sure okay all the twitter parxies are going after this one suckup big parxie for being a shitty person, WHICH SHE OBVIOUSLY IS, but theyre completely letting EVERY OTHER PERSON who does the exact same shit as her off the hook?? and even like agreeing with and sucking up to them. these other “big parxies” do the SAMEEE SHIT and just bc theyve turned on their former friend (pretty indicative of what awful ppl they are to gang up on a friend to save their skins but i digress) doesnt mean they havent spent years doing the exact same stupid shit acting like awsten was their friend and overstepping parasocial boundaries and starting fights and drama in the fandom for clout????

and all this started bc awsten expressed negative fan interactions take a toll on him!!! and then what did awsten do immediately after chaos broke out in his little parasocial enclave? thats right, he pretended to give himself a matching tattoo w another “big parxie” who fights for his attention and thinks theyre friends 😐😐😐 like howww HOW do you not see you are causing your own problems!!!! how do you refuse to understand that you should not be close with specific fans and single them out for increased attention from you? do you actually not see that you are fueling these interactions by offering a reward for incessant attempts to get your attention? WHY do you refuse to understand that that is what fuels the toxic parasocial fandom that you claim to hate so much. are you genuinely that fucking brain dead? or are you just unwilling to examine and change your own behavior??????

so now what weve got is the dunces on parx twitter struggling (granted, closer than ive seen them come before) to reach the logical conclusion that everyone with a brain and basic understanding of parasocial relationships (or human interaction in general) has had for years: that awsten should not be singling out specific fans to make them feel like his personal friends because it gives them a god complex and allows them to run rampant in his already insane fandom. and people who see that and want the same attention will suck up to those fans and create this toxic hierarchy among chronically online individuals that then spirals out of control and the blowback then hurts awsten and parx.

and yknow what? it makes being a fan of parx unfun. it sucks!!! even here on tumblr where most of us (most. not all) are sane and understand fan boundaries and why unchecked parasociality is bad, im having a bad time!!! all i do is repeat the same logic, like a broken record in an echo chamber, and bc i refuse to engage w the weirdos causing shit on twitter it never reaches the ppl who need to understand it most. and it sours my view of awsten and quite frankly ruins the enjoyment of engaging w parx?!!??! like how am i supposed to keep writing my silly little fics we all have fun with when i KNOW hes out there on twitter as we speak digging himself a deeper hole. like bitch this is the grave YOU DUG and the fans youve enabled are just the ones to push you in

anyway i dunno its just really sapped my affection towards parx and i like cant enjoy anything they do lately lol :/ like ill see awsten get travis on stage and ill be like “ok cool......... anyway” and it sucks tbh. i want to like parx. i do like parx? but awsten genuinely makes it so hard to be a fan of him and his band lately it is insane -__-

[garrothromeave]

the hell is mystreet season 6??

(warning, long post ahead)

ok so before i start this

1) ive never posted shiiiit on tumblr before so watch me suffer, im just here to talk about stuff that my friends who dont know anything about aphmau have to listen to me rant about for hours on end

2) i havent seen mystreet in like years (except season 3, i watch that frequently since im laurance and shadow knight deprived) so please bear with me because i might be completely wrong on this lol. it’s just like, pointing out things i remember

3) im sure someones already talked about this but who cares

4) im gonna do this stupid thing where i just explain myself a bit at first, if you dont want to read that just skip to the part where you see “the actual thingy:” in bold and italics 

5) mild disclaimer; i am completely aware that jessica is not a professional writer. i know that she did her best to appeal to her fans, and honestly, respect for that. while this post will come off as aggressive and probably look like hate, that’s not my intention in the slightest. it’s just... intense criticism. im sure y’all probably already know that, but yeah, just stating that anyways. i do believe that jess is doing her best, and in no way do i want to dismiss any hard work she’s done. that being said; prepare for a very strongly opinionated post.

haha watch there be 10000+ typos in this making me look like a complete dumbass

ok here we go 

one of the main reasons i stopped watching aphmau back in 2017 was the mess that was season 4. like, in the first few episodes of the emerald secret, i thought “woah!! this is kinda cool, im a sucker for mystery!” because of course i was, it was something new and something exciting. the only problem i had with it at the time was kim, but that’s just because i always found her annoying and out of place. i just didn’t understand why garroth dragged her along and honestly i still don’t to this day BUT, moving on.

anyways, as the season progressed, 13 year old me was of course just “:0!!” the entire time--that is, up until the reveal of the main villain. i remember watching the episode, seeing the reveal of ein, and then stopping. like, just for a quick break, but i was still just overwhelmingly disappointed. like, and this was the time when pdh was airing and ein just got made alpha (i think?) and i had really really liked eins character in pdh. either way, that really sucked and actually opened my eyes to a lot of things.

one of the main things bein’ the fact that this was supposed to be a slice of life kinda series that decided to take a turn to a more edgy kinda approach. which, i guess i regularly wouldnt mind? but seeing as mcd was kinda bein neglected at the time it just didnt sit right with me. BUT WHATEVER, point is i stopped watching mystreet all together at the end of season 4.

like, a whole year later my brother tells me that shit’s getting intense in season 5 + 6 of mystreet, and my brilliant self decided to give it a shot--but i refused to watch all of season 5, so i only stepped in when ein made an appearance. so whenever that was, that’s where i picked up because i didnt care enough to see 

and y’know--i honestly didn’t hate it at first. in fact, i found it oddly cool. it wasn’t enough to get me into aphmau again, but it was enough to where i was intrigued. i dont know why, but i never watched the finale, so i didnt see the ending until just a few weeks ago--but back then, i thought it was neat. looking back on it however... im just so confused. 

side note: only got back into aphmau this time around because of mcd. mainly because like, i adore the first season and the first half of the second season. and being nearly 18 now, im a lot more appreciative of plot and well-written characters n junk. 

the actual thingy:

ok back on track. imma stop spilling out my story of how i got back into aphmau, and lets just skip to what rewatching mcd made me realize of season 6′s plot and shit:

-emmalyn. how the fuck does ghost even remotely exist? if she’s emmalyn as claimed, then why have we already seen emmalyn in the mystreet universe alive? look i get that creators can do whatever they want with their stories but at the same time please provide some sort of explanation good god. and maybe they did and i just havent seen it, so if there is one--let me know. but until that day imma just sit here confused as fuck

-ok so imma just be real, the whole ‘ultima’ thing is just... not great. in my opinion, anyways. like... i saw someone mention this in another post, but if this ultima stuff was like, a really big deal, why isnt it mentioned in mcd? though i suppose since its a curse of sorts, it could be later on past the time period in which mcd takes place--but even then, how did it manage to make its way into aaron’s family bloodline? 

-WHY IS EVERYONE AT STARLIGHT ITS JUST SO CONVINIENT like what happened to this place being the most expensive shit on the planet or whatever, and how the gang happens to run into like, the werewolf trio and blaze and kai and guy and nate all of these people like god damn life doesnt WORK LIKE THAT 

-im sorry but turning people into relics? thats... thats the best you could come up with? plus, like, how does that even work? in mcd it’s established that relics are separate entitles that choose their wielder, based on a ‘personal’ connection (being a descendent of a previous wielder) or if they’re a good match personality and (i think?) moral wise. so the whole turning-people-into-relics doesnt make much sense to be honest. 

-irene really over here using her god powers to only keep her friends alive like god damn not a great god if you ask me 

-can i talk about how incredibly predictable aphmaus death was? like i just kinda sat there waiting for it to happen and when it did i literally went “haha! wonder when she’ll be revived” because god forbid we actually kill off characters 

-when aphmau + demon warlock fought in the irene dimension there was no passage of time whatsoever in the real world whiiiiiiiiich really bothers me because they fought in there for at least a few minutes

-speaking of aphmau and the demon warlocks fight does it bother anyone else that it had to be aaron who took over the fight?? like we get it hes the big protector blah blah blah but god damn it wouldve been cooler if aphmau had fought this battle as her. aaron fighting this battle was so underwhelming

-...love. like, thats the only thing thats needed to break out of a forever potion? love? LIKE YEAH, GOOD GUYS GOTTA WIN SOMEHOW, but its just so cliche and overdoneeee

-oh yeah and also when travis went bonkers and became the demon warlock or whatever, why’d he only take over katelyn and garroth?? like, zane had been influenced by the potions in the past as well? DONT GET ME WRONG--i do love some good brother edge, but uh, the demon warlock was just bein kinda a dumbass by not possessing zane too just sayin’

-can aaron please go to fucking jail for mass murder now like holy shit, he just got sent home on a fuckin boat. also why did blaze forgive him for killing him thats not even remotely realistic. then again, nothing in mystreet has ever been realistic when it comes to characters and motives and personalities, (cough katelyn being actually abusive and travis being an actual pervert) but yknow whatever

-katelyn and kawaii chan literally added nothing to the plot whatsoever. like lets be real, katelyn lost her personality the moment season 5 started and kawaii chan just kinda sits there :I

-ok im sorry this was bound to come up but cmon guys imagine laurances potential if he was in season 6 like god damn this is beyond maddening. AND YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A REALLY REALLY COOL PARRALLEL?? IF IT WAS LAURANCE WHO SNAPPED GARROTH OUT OF HIS MIND CONTROL THING, because it would mimic laurance’s speech to get garroth to snap out of his rage in season 1, episode 100 of minecraft diaries. like how fuckin rad would that have been? missed opportunity 

-also?? why does kim/ghost know magicks?? like, if i remember correctly, emmalyn is a scholar--not someone who knew magicks. i mean, i guess research? study?? but its been established that knowing how magicks works =/= being able to use magicks. i dunno, just doesnt seem right i guess. maybe its explained, i wouldnt know (yes i know that makes me look like a dick leave me alone)

-melissa should have stayed dead. LIKE, NO, ITS NOT AS SIMPLE AS “haha it takes more than a few bullets to kill me”??? look ive got nothing wrong with melissa (cough lie cough) but yknow it would have just been cool a character... stay dead? for once? its just too fuckin cliche that shes alive god damn

-can i also just say the only good thing that came out of season 6 was travis’ dads sacrifice like damn that made me actually sad

-howww was lucinda turned into a relic. or yknow, anyone else? like im sure they explain it better in the actual show i just dont remember, but its just that easy? turning anyone into a relic? granted, a normal person wouldnt be able to produce a good relic, but idk man. IM JUST SAYING; that the only really powerful relics that aphmau should have been able to wield is the one that aaron + zane produced because shad relic and esmund relic moment. lucinda isnt even like, connected to a divine warrior. ALSO, another point, if its seriously that powerful of a relic getting one from just a magic user like lucinda, why go through the trouble? i mean i guess ofc youd want the “all powerful” one that the ultima produces but i mean damn whats the point

-ok this is just going to bother me but in one of the episodes (i think might have been in season 5 actually) where that like, guardian dude was chasing aphmau and zane and at one point they split up and the dude just chuckles at zane diverting paths and goes under his breath “youre not the important one here”, suggesting that aphmau somehow is? first of all, id argue that any ro’meave is significantly more important than aphmau was, especially not knowing much about her other than that shes with aaron. i might be missing some bits an pieces, but if i was that dude id forget about aphmau and go after zane 

-killing off derek for shock factor sucked, and i know the moment was supposed to be really sad because like “oh :( aarons dad is sacrificing himself for his son” but lets be real dereks still was a shitty father and i dont think his reasons for doing what he did was very good at all

-less about plot or more like: why the absolute fuck did the gang bring kim along instead of, oh i dont know, a life-long friend? like, laurance or dante maybe?? im sure its explained, i never saw aphmaus year or most of season 5, but god DAMN id hate to be apart of this friend group AND GOD LIKE, imagine reconnecting with an old friend who ends up getting closer to your best friends and taking priority in their lives over you (cough laurance) like god damn lol

-im just going to preface this one with: i dont remember everything that’s happened, so if im wrong i apologize in advance--but (you actually can correct me if im wrong and please do) didnt like, irene reincarnate her friends in order to give them better lives? I DONT KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE, ITS JUST WHAT I REMEMBER--however, if im correct, then:

a. why the hell would she bring back someone like zane, or gene, or ivy, etc.

b. why the hell do they all have the same exact names? first and last? again, im aware that the whole mystreet+mcd tie wasn’t originally supposed to be there, but i dont think that means such a coincidence can be excused? its just a bit much if you ask me.

c. why the hell is the fact that (as much as i literally hate this) aaron is a decedent of shad being ignored? like, you’d think that something like this would be something thats actually important, or something the demon warlock couldve taken advantage of. or are we completely erasing every other connections to divine warriors besides aphmau + irene? because even if irene did reincarnate them or do whatever it is she did, does she even have the power to sever the connections between them and their ancestors? my guess is, no.

d. speaking of irene why on earth was aphmau able to talk to/see irene, they’re literally the same person are they not? did she like, fuckin reincarnate herself without actually doing it?? BUT--i will give it to them, the demon warlock did refer to aphmau as something along the lines of being “one of the 3 parts of her broken soul” or something like that. however, my point still remains. also what are the other two did i miss that or is it never explained

now; if irene in fact did not ‘reincarnate’ her friends then please ignore that little bit right there :)

but yes, those are a few of the problems i have with season 6 off the top of my head. i would go into like, season 4 and 5 more as well, but i honestly didnt feel like it. at some point i might go into other things, like how important laurance could have been to the plot of these later seasons, or HELL, even dante. i might also go into what could have made season 4, 5, and 6 actually good--maybe... a rewrite? perhaps? but im getting too far ahead of myself, so i just leave you with this for now.

and i know that as soon as i post this 15 more things are just going to pop into my head BUT im going to try and not edit this post because why stress myself with that even more

anyways thank you for coming to my tedtalk 

[uhhholby]

was anybody gonna tell me peggy mitchell discriminated against people living with hiv/aids or was i just supposed to learn that from a tumblr gifset

yes! i was surprised to learn it too. apparently barbara windsor got that storyline after someone else refused it, and she initially didn't like it because she was supportive of ppl with hiv but then they convinced her that the storyline worked for the character and the show as a whole

"mark's hiv reveal" (which is the scene in that gifset, 1996 i think) is kind of set up like... most people are quite ignorant about hiv and didnt understand how it was contracted or passed on. and peggy thinks it's just a disease that drug addicts and gay people get, and she sees herself as a community leader, and spreads this rhetoric as a way of 'protecting the community' from 'scum' or whatever

but then grant (her son, who told her about mark's status) kind of pushes back on it once he's learned about hiv and seen how the stigma is affecting mark. and i havent seen much further on, but i think peggy eventually realises she was wrong.

but yeah obviously there is loads about mark's hiv storyline because it was so huge, and i wasn't expecting peggy to be the prejudiced one but with all the build up and stuff around it, it did really make sense. and i think because she's such an iconic character (like she was landlady at the time) it was good to see her be in the wrong so it was less preachy

[stxrmcatcher]

@redtoomuchintoit​: 🔥 FINE THEN HOW ABOUT COMFORT ZONES IN RP [ACCEPTING]

[while its VERY important that everyone know eachother boundaries, i see al ot of people like. taking for granted that either A) everyone knows what to tag and not to tag (excluding the obvious heavy content, that is) or B) everyone MUST tag it in the same way, and a LOT of people reacting rudely about it.

like... i feel like it’s a no brainer? ask for something to be tagged, and people usually tag it. not spending 2 seconds for adding a quick tw is kinda a douche move and im glad that so far i havent seen anyone pulling a “OH UR A SNOWFLAKE U NEED ME TO TAG THIS” bc thats gross but.

ive seen people asking to tag something that other might not see triggering (such as fandoms and stuff) in the worst possible manners, people vagueposting about others not not tagging stuff but asking to be asked nicely, people lamenting that others are playing something they don’t like but not asking it to be tagged, people throwing a fit if something IS already tagged but they’d have to take  the extra second to copy-paste the tag in the blacklist... you name it it’s a bloody shitshow

i know that Being Rude and thinking that the entire site circles around you its an average tumblr user thing, but people need to understand that THEY control their comfort zone. it’s up to us to make sure to ask people to tag (NICELY) something that make us uncomfortable, have proper conversations as adults if something our friends posted bother us or unfollow people if we don’t care that much about their blog and make us upset. heck, i won’t lie!!! sometimes i blacklisted someone’s specific ship tags or ooc tag for my own mental health sake, and tumblr all of a sudden became a better place! expecting for everyone to bend over and make the dashboard your safe space if you don’t openly talk about your boundaries or are incredibly rude about them will just make you upset and a clown]

[garlique]

ok i just rambled a LOT in the tags but then tumblr wouldnt let me post it so im posting a screenshot of the tags and i will CONTINUE rambling in these tags.

a friend of a friend just invited me to our mutual friend’s birthday party but like. i truly ghosted them when  everyone went home like i STOPPED messaging them. and like granted they didn’t msg me either but like. screem. anyway here r the tags n im sorry this takes up so much dash space.

like i KNOW that most people when they see someone they haven’t talked to in months their response is “holy shit hi i missed u!!!!” but i am projecting my abandonment issues onto him but WHAT if he hates me for not talking to him!!!!! screem!!!!!! i want to go i really do because these r ppl i care abt that i havent seen or talked to in months and like YES they stress me out a little bit but !!! i rly love all of them that i’ve met!!! like. i want to go. i just dont want to make sh unhappy at his bday party!!! i think i am going to send “i wld love to come !! i feel bad abt dropping off the face of the earth tho (emoji)” altho WHAT if i sent “i would love to come !!! n i wld really appreciate a ride (emoji)” just like. dont even acknowledge it at all. just fucking GO for it. NO shame NO anxiety NO nothing just fuckin.... yeah i wld love to see my friends pls!!! is that what an allistic person wld do. im gonna do it. let me know VERY quickly if im royally fucking up!!!

[helen-oftroy]

ENDGAME SPOILERS ALERT ON THE 0.00000003% CHANCE YOU HAVENT SEEN IT

Can I please say something? Thank you. STEVE ROGERS' ENDING WAS WAY OUT OF CHARACTER AND SO STUPID. He left Bucky, his best friend since childhood, a man out of time who had NO concept of the modern world except what he had seen whilst being Hydra'd, and went back to the time he came from because.... he was done fighting? He wanted to get laid? He was grieving? Who the fùck knows but it was out of character and stupid and selfish and dear god can someone slap the bitch that is Steven Grant fűcking candy ass Rogers??

Like I can understand that he might have wanted to go back to Peggy at SOME point but they low key only kissed ONCE. ONE FREAKING KISS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE YEETING ONESELF BACK TO THE PAST TO TRY TO SPEND YOUR LIFE WITH A WOMAN WHO YOU KNOW ALREADY HAS A HUSBAND AND KIDS WHERE YOU ARE FROM. And I love Peggy, really I do. Loved the movie version, totally dug the series, 100% ship her with Cap. But she TOLD HIM, "I have lived a life. My only regret. Is that you didnt get to live yours." He saw a picture of her kids, heard how her husband is someone he saved. He wouldnt screw up her life no matter how much he wanted her.

This is Steven freaking Rogers, a man who would rather die for his friends than risk the possibility of their deaths. A man who devoted his life to being whatever his country needed him to be. A man whose heart is the only thing bigger than his all American beefcake body. Who will do the right thing no matter the personal repercussions. A man who doesn't trade lives. Unless it's his.

And he has had 10 years to move on from Peggy, to build chemistry with Nat, a friendship with Stark, trust with his fellow avengers. He loves Peggy, she will always hold a place in his heart but come on. And the OG Avengers are gone now, and he is heartbroken, but he lost his whole world once and he was heartbroken but he moved on because that is what he does. Steve Rogers is strong, unbreakable. He doesn't give up, that's why he became Captain America, why he was worthy to lift Mjolnir. But everything he just did contradicts his entire personality, the ideas that impacted all of his major decisions in life.

He left every reason he was Steve Rogers: Bucky Barnes's best friend and all around smol bean who needs protection as much as he wants to protect, Captain America: kickass steroid user and all around beefcake, Avenger: respected leader and worthy of Mjolnir's power, he took all the reasons that THAT IS HIM and left it behind. He left the remainder of his family behind, the people his family sacrificed themselves for defenceless. And I am 3000% not ok with it. This is not what Steve Rogers boils down to. So from now on… I shall be a heavy user of fanfiction. See you all on Wattpad, AO3, and Tumblr. Ciao.

[theasiantvshipper-blog]

The Shadowhunters 3x19 “Aku Cinta Kamu” Theories

So apparently, all the reviewers who got their screeners of the episode are already done watching them and have started to answer fan questions on Twitter and on Tumblr and a recently released (but very sketchy) synopsis of 3x21 is out somewhere sending the entire Malec fandom into a frenzy (I'll get into that later). But after having viewed all the possible spoilers and asked all possible no-spoilery questions to the reviewers themselves, here's what I think will go down in 3x19. It's only a few hours away (more like a day, really) before we actually see the episode but I'd like to put my thoughts into writing just in case:let's start with the facts first from 3x18:

Alec broke up with Magnus to get his magic back

Clary is now Dark Clary

Sizzy almost happened

They are still trying to make Maia and Jordan happen (but why?)

Now let's proceed with the spoilers from the reviewers:

Aku Cinta Kamu will only be said in a flashback- we all saw it. Don't your hold your breath on it.

There will be no present time Malec scenes, everything will be flashbacks- because this is supposed to be Magnus' episode, and also because Alec is busy trying to save evil twin Clary with Jace. Now before you brush Alec off and say he's not hurting as much as Magnus, he is. But if we all know how Alec is, he gets himself with work so he doesn't have to confront the pain. Magnus is the opposite and that's why this episode is so character driven because you see both of them back in their old ways, their old habits.

There will be a Madzie scene with Alec and Magnus and they will talk about having kids- go on Twitter, it's already blowing up.

Asmodeus will give Magnus magic back without pretense- as evidenced in the trailer. As to how and what he will tell Magnus for giving his magic back is left to be unknown.

Jem or BZ will be in the episode to erase Alec's memories- but he won't.

Sizzy will happen (finally)- there will be a kiss as per the reviewers

Team Evil- will be in all its glory, for now.

Jace and Clary will be drugged and do things only consenting adults do- You know what it is.

One reviewer said that there is blatant foreshadowing in one of the scenes, she didn't mention what it was, but I'm pretty sure that means world-ending.

Jonathan is jealous of Jace and Clary's relationship. Still gives me the creeps. He still doesn't trust Jace, but whats new?

Asmodeus will "try to be the father" he never was to Magnus, for good and bad reasons. One reviewer said that we will grow to love and hate Asmodeus' role in all of this.

Magnus will cry a lot in this episode, the flashbacks good or bad, won't be of any help either. He is just as devastated the morning after the breakup. Like any regular person would be.

Magnus will be the star of the show. As I expected, an episode titled Aku Cinta Kamu should feature the character who said it, regardless of context and I am glad we are getting more Magnus scenes this episode. He deserves it. It gives his character even more depth, so that we understand what Alec never will. That Magnus' love for Alec is worthy dying for, even without his magic. Someone send Alec a fire message stat!

Now that we got all of the spoilers away, here are my thoughts about what's to come in the episode: First of all, I am pissed. The title of the episode is "Aku Cinta Kamu" an iconic line in the book by Magnus Bane to Alec. And we only get to hear that in a flashback? Someone fire the writer of this episode! Stat! Kidding aside, with the flashbacks confirmed as the only Malec scenes in this episode, only reinforces the level of commitment the show has to these characters. And before you chastise me for saying that, let me say this: this episode we will see Magnus shine, havent we been asking for a Magnus-centric plot ever since? We will see him take his story into his own hands. He will take his narrative back and for a character who went from B-plot to A-plot that means a lot. Magnus has always been "the other half of the Malec" ship, even when he was introduced to us in the first season, he was already being setup to be the other half of Malec. But Magnus is more than that, he's lived for centuries, he's wise, and he's a good character. He is probably my favorite character in the entire TMI series because of the layers that he has. And for us to be seeing that unravel, despite the circumstances, is really beautiful. Granted that we will not like what we see, with Asmodeus in the picture, but if there's anything we can learn from this episode is that the relationship of Asmodeus and Magnus can never be severed. He is his father, and he is his son. A father does not turn his back on his son and this might just be what we see in this episode, albeit Asmodeus ulterior motives to get Magnus back to Edom with him. But one of the reviewers said that he will do something we will hate to love, because as i said, at the end of the day, Asmodeus only wants the best for his son and for him, that is to rule Edom beside him. He doesn't see any more than that, and I can't blame him, he is a Prince of Hell. What do you expect from a manipulative prick right? Now I know what y'all are thinking, but Magnus is so vulnerable right now, with Alec gone his entire world is crushing in on him and fast- think of it this way- when a person hits rock bottom- there's really no other way but up, right? The same applies to Magnus and Alec, they are in their lowest points after the breakup, which means things can only get better from hereon end. And that's more than enough for us to be hopeful about. Remember, this is the shadow world, it always gets worst, before it gets better.,Some would argue that Alec had the better deal, he has his parabatai, his family and the Institute. I can't comment on this without seeing the actual episode but even if there is no indication of him in the episode where he mourns for the loss of Magnus in his life, the reviewers pointed out, he is back to his old Alec ways- keeping himself busy when things go awry. And truth be told, isn't that what we all do when things hit a rough patch? We hope that the craziness of everyday life will save us from the miseries of the night.He is hurting, we just don't get to see it, because it's uncharacteristic of him to show us. This is Alec Lightwood we're talking about. The rest of the episode, as the reviewers have pointed out will be Team Evil, and Sizzy finally happening. Duh. It's about time! This slowburn for Sizzy isn't really doing any good for anyone, I love me some Sizzy but this show has taken forever to build that relationship that I'd say they're a bit too late to the party, but hey, who knows, I might be wrong. As for Team Evil, we all know that they will be out doing some evil stuff somewhere in the world, getting high on drugs and doing things that only adults should be doing in the privacy of their homes, but nope, they decided that part of being Dark Clary means being risque as well. I'm here for it, but please do it tastefully. I have high hopes for this scene. Now, onto more interesting things- as one of writers of the show pointed out, 3x19 is alternately titled "The Betrayal". Now before we jump ship that this is Malec, this could very well be a Clace storyline. Really, people, Malec already had their fair share of angst last episode, I think another betrayal in the horizon would be too low a blow, even for the writers of the show. So this must be a Clace storyline- with Jonathan finding out that Jace has been spying on them for the Shadowhunters. But that's just me being hopeful that there'll be no more angst fest with Malec before 3x20 because we can only take so much before we break. My best guess on how this episode ends would be Magnus asking Jem to erase his memories, Asmodeus swoops in making him a deal he knows Magnus can't refuse and we see Magnus contemplating on it by the end of the episode. I hope Jem talks some sense into Magnus, because a person in his emotional state making decisions, we all know too well how that goes for anyone. The reviewers have already pointed out that Magnus does not end up with Asmodeus in Edom in this episode and he does not find out about the deal in this episode- and there's only one person that knows about this deal next to Alec and Asmodeus- Izzy. She could very well be the key to solving this puzzle next episode. As to how that would happen, is still left to be seen. Let's hope the promo for 3x20 shed some light on that. I haven't seen enough 3x20-3x22 spoilers to formulate my own theories but with the recently released synopsis of 3x21, let's hope the Malec wedding happens in real time and not just in a dream sequence. 

[daggerfall]

just wanted to put this out there to someone: after a week in the dragon age side of tumblr I desperately want to claw my eyes out at the insanity there, a few hours in TESblr and I’m instantly healed, my crops are flourishing, little to no discourse. TES is certified wholesome and incorruptible and has better lore anyway, thank you

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA

list of shit i have seen in the skyrim/tes/the elder scrolls tags

hundreds of big tiddy mod screenshots, some that passed the tiddy prohibition ban, many that did not. various levels of “that is not an adult appearing character” and “that is hardcore porn”

a mod of a lady getting fucked by a falmer

so many instances of dragonfucking erotica

yandere fics bordering on ra///pe

discourse i have seen via people i follow or other popular tes bloggers

forsworn as native american comparisons

comparison of thalmor and stormcloaks to nazis

people being yelled at for not understanding talos lore (which is literally the weirdest goddamn shit that barely anyone even IN tesblr understands)

argonians reverse invading oblivion compared to varies real life wars

so much goddamn astrid discourse (partially instigated by me, and i WILL restart it at a moments notice, just so you know im not innocent in this either)

people trying to actually debate the morality of an assassination guild

serious “skyrim belongs to the ______” debates

people defending the dunmer having slaves because “they have strong cultural ties to family” and that makes them no longer literally slavers first and foremost

ysgramor apologists

bellamont apologists/sympathizers

thalmor sympathizers 

people who want to fuck the thalmor 

the astrid discourse again

the bisexual/playersexual debate regarding how you as the player can marry people regardless of gender, yet you can be the only same sex couple in the entire skyrim game (not counting the dead couple on solstheim, and recognizing that eso is better in representation that skyrim). granted i started this, but in response to someone claiming it was good bisexual representation.

People who act like any criticism of almalexia is misogyny

big tiddy mod discourse

and so, so much more shit, in less than a YEAR of me having this blog.

clearly you're not looking that deep and weren’t around for the days of “Screenshots Of Orc Women With Giant Boobs And Dicks”. im not defending to dragon age fandom, considering people are STILL having anders-discourse to this goddamn DAY, but i havent had nearly as many issues with the dragon age fandom as i have had with tesblr. granted with dragon age, i keep to a small trusted group of people i follow who dont engage in discourse and whose beliefs align with mine, and i dont go seeking out discourse-y character’s tags, and i only go into the tags like once every two weeks really. plus i dont have a dragon age sideblog, but i do post a good amount of it to my main (which is literally a dragon age url)

and really? the lore thing? both tes and dragon age got fucked up lore. at least dragon age doesn’t have three dudes in a trenchcoat mantling the god who made the universe and who then ascended to godhood themselves, oh and literally no one in the universe knows, but we as the player get to despite it having ZERO IMPACT EVER on in-game play. no we just get to date the elvhen trickster god and give him fade tongue.

[bitchesofostwick]

2018 writer review

i was tagged by my dear friend @veridium-bye​ (thank you love!). i really didn’t start writing fic again until about october, so this is really a review of three months out of this year, but i’m still really proud of what i’ve done!

words written in 2018: 73,770

number of short fics/drabbles written in 2018: 39 (thirty-one of these were OC-tober ficlets, four were art trade/gift fics, and the remaining four were miscellaneous stories for my OCs)

number of fic chapters written in 2018: 11 (three for All of My Walls and eight for A World Alone)

number of chaptered fics completed in 2018: just one! All of My Walls, a three-chapter fic of aurelia hawke and fenris spanning the time between the “a bitter pill” quest through the end of the in-game DA2 events. it was really important to me for two reasons: one, aurelia and fenris are a rivalmance pair, but a lot of rivalmance fics i see are basically...just hate sex? and for fenris, and for aurelia, there are so many more layers and personal history that lends itself to their romance and creates these waves of tension and sadness and anger and heartbreak, but never hatred. i tackle the rivalmance in a bit of an easier (and generally humorous) light in their shorter fics, but All of My Walls is much more serious and i’m so proud of both of them for growing into themselves and each other and slowly allowing themselves love and be loved over the course of that fic. the OTHER reason that fic was so important to be is that it’s the first long(er) fic i wrote in a long, long time, and i consider it my way back into writing. i don’t think it reads as seamlessly as fics i’ve written since then do, but i’m still proud of myself for creating it, and i’m thankfully that it brought me back into the writing world.

fandoms: only dragon age this year! i haven’t touched my skyrim fic since 2017, and i toyed around with the idea of a kotor fic in the spring, but it never amounted to anything.

pairings: mainly ellinor trevelyan x cullen, emilia cousland x alistair, and aurelia hawke x fenris; HOWEVER, i’m eternally grateful to @fourletterepithet (velthei lavellan x cullen), @haloneshiral (letheia lavellan x cullen), @frecklef0x (anon trevelyan x dorian), and @gingerbreton (ysabelle dryden x alistair) for granting me the honor of writing about their OCs and letting me explore the dynamics of other pairings/relationships! writing for others is a really great experience to grow and strengthen your own writing, so i’m really glad i got to do those stories.

proudest achievements: i’m honestly just...proud i wrote anything at all? it’s so intimidating to come into a fandom that’s years and years old and put your content out there for people to see, especially when you haven’t written leisurely in a couple years and you’re really self-conscious of your work, like i am. but i took the leap, and people have been so responsive and supportive, and i’m eternally grateful for the very kind mutuals/readers i have that continue to inspire me to keep going and creating. some more minor achievements include

starting art trades. before doing this, i truly, genuinely did not believe that the brilliantly talented artists i see on tumblr every day would ever value their incredible work as equal to a short fic written by me. to me, it seemed like trading down. it turns out, i was wrong, and i’ve so far traded three one shots for three beautiful pieces of artwork, and as i mentioned earlier, it’s so refreshing and also so beneficial (in terms of writing skill and practice) to write for OCs that are not my own, so i’m so glad to have done these!

forcing myself to write action scenes. if you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve probably seen me complain multiple times about how much i hate writing action (i even made a meme about it that somehow went viral within the writeblr community lol joke’s on them it was made as a result of me rage quitting a dragon battle scene). the only thing i hate more than writing action is writing mage action, because none of my OCs are mages and all of my friends’ OCs are mages and i cannot understand the dynamics of mage combat no matter how hard i try. but, you can’t get better at something unless you practice it, so i wrote plenty of action in an attempt to get better. and i think (hope?) i did.

starting A World Alone!! my pride and joy!! my first longfic!! my favorite OC!! it’s a slow burn it’s an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers there’s tension there’s sadness there’s powerful female friendships there will be love eventually and i could go on about it for forever but instead i’ll just shamelessly plug it here because i love it so much and it makes me so happy.

writing goals for 2019

i would really love to join DWC but so far it looks intimidating to me because i’m worried i won’t be able to sit down for a night and keep up. but i’ll probably do it. i have so many good prompt posts saved in my drafts that i want to do.

more art trades! i have three already planned for the new year, and i’m very excited about them!

maybe finish A World Alone? i’m writing it at a good pace so far, so it’s a realistic goal.

more one shots. i love my longfic (obviously, as i blabbed about it relentlessly above), but i think shorter fics are such great opportunities to really focus in on a singular emotion and delve deep into little moments that are so brief in terms of plot but so big in terms of characterization. there are a few in particular i’m really proud of from this year (x, x, x, x, x, x), but i’m looking forward to more.

tagging friends (keeping it to friends who write, even a little!! any amount of writing is good writing!) @inquisitorsmabari @fourletterepithet @dickeybbqpit @trvelyans @a-shakespearean-in-paris @star--nymph @cullenvhenan @daydreamingdragonage @gingerbreton

[teashadephoenix]

Tea Plays the Sims

my brother bought The Sims 4 and I have spent a whole 24 hours (spread across three days) making my OTPs and building them houses and mashing their faces together, which is why I havent been on tumblr much. I haven’t played the Sims since I was in my teens, I forgot how addicting it is!

No pictures, bc I am stupid and didn’t take any. just absurdism

anyway I was trying to keep Matt somewhat in character (because he’s a disaster boy) so I made him Erratic and Jealous (the jealous thing is less jealousy and more “Where’s my husband, I havent seen him in a whileWHEREISHE”) which I thought would be funny (spoilers, it is, but not for why i thought)

but every fucking day when Foggy leaves for work Matt gets Tense and has to have a bath to calm down, and he’s legitimately unhappy if he’s not home, and the Erratic thing means he has weird moodswings and talks to himself, so you know, I got him right at least

except that he spends so much time talking to himself that he is A TERRIBLE PARENT. (yes they have a son. He is called Ace, as in attourney. i am hilarious.) he regularly forgets he has a kid (like he goes into Ace’s room and gasps when he sees him, and the exclamation is a picture of a kid. Granted its probably him being proud of his baby boy growing up but it just looks like he didnt know he was a dad) and I had to tell him to give the crying stank-ass toddler a bath bc he was too preoccupied with eating animal crackers. He also has these weird moments where he just goes and watches Foggy and Ace playing but never says anything and then fucks off to yell at things in an empty room and Im just like???? DID MATT MURDOCK POSSESS MY SIM? why is he like this?!!? xD guys, i am dyying

he also gets flirty for no reason at all i s2g I am having the time of my life

(don’t even get me started on how my Doctor/Donna sims became each others’ best friends in the span of one week and have to see each other every day but still wont make out because every time Donna’s in the mood, he’s not, and when he is, she’s not-- GUYS YOURE FUCKING KILLING ME. PLAY OUT MY FANFICTION, FFS.)

[menthav1ridis]

now granted i havent actually seen any of the morality whinging that the good people of tumblr purport is going on but God. What A Show. in my opinion the reason vampires (ESPECIALLY ricean vamps) are so compelling is their liminality, they are like us and yet Very Much Not, they are our deepest hungers made into a monstrosity, a compulsion. the beauty of the vampire is that they have a completely different relationship to violence and love and pleasure and. Yeah. Yeah!