#honestly sometimes i feel like this new generation of fans are almost afraid of content any darker than one-off sadness and anger

[bvckbiter]

[bonks pjo fandom on the head] stop being repressed. be freaky. put the characters in Situations™️. thunder bring her thru the wringer. the fandom ecosystem is severely lacking demigods being unhinged freaks.

[autistichalsin]

A fic writer's guide to leaving comments

I'm sure you've seen posts from fic writers expressing dismay at the death of feedback culture, and especially lamenting the phenomenon of people making private Discord servers to share fic recs, so that instead of having a chance to stumble on nice comments in the wild on Tumblr, Twitter, etc, fic writers are increasingly less likely to see good comments left about their work.

I also see the comments on those same posts flooded with people with concerns about commenting, so I am writing this as a guide for those new or unsure.

Firstly: some of you are probably asking, "why do fanfic writers need feedback at all? Shouldn't they be writing just for themselves?"

Well... No. Not really. People can and should create things for themself, yes, but that doesn't mean "continue to post content when no one seems to be engaging." Imagine cooking for someone who eats in utter silence and never says a single word about the meal. Imagine putting on a concert and receiving not a single applause, a cheer, nothing at all. It sounds utterly horrifying, doesn't it? Maybe even humiliating?

Writing for oneself means that positive reviews shouldn't be the sole factor in deciding whether to write/post/continue a story, not that a writer should feel obligated to write thousands of words for a story no one really reacts to in any way, especially when the writer sees creators of similar content (edits, fanarts, fanvids, fansongs, etc) get praised effusively for their work without this expectation being placed on them. It is very rare that artists are told they should draw for themselves the way fic writers are.

Further, and this may be a hot take, but I actually don't think it's inherently wrong to make positive reviews the main or even sole reason for writing or making art to begin with. People like being praised for things they do well. It's one of the most basic parts of human psychology. Human beings want to be praised, encouraged, validated, and celebrated sometimes; why do you think we celebrate birthdays? It's not egotistical. It might, perhaps, be setting oneself up for disappointment, but there's nothing inherently wrong with it, anyway.

Basically, all that to say: it's nice to tip your Uber drivers and baristas. It's nice to thank/compliment your spouse when they make you dinner. And it's nice to thank fan artists and fanfic writers when they make arts/fics that you enjoy.

Moving on: I also know some of you have some specific things you worry or are confused about, and those things might be stopping you from leaving feedback. So here is an FAQ of sorts:

Q: What if the story has a lot of chapters/the author has written many stories? Won't it be weird to go and leave so many comments on them?

A: You definitely can review only the latest chapter/fic and future installments if you so choose, but for the record, fanfics aren't like Instagram/Facebook; mass-commenting and kudosing old stories and chapters isn't seen as stalkerish. It's seen as a sign you're enjoying the content we made. Think of it this way: if a new Star Wars came out, and you were new to Star Wars, it would only make sense for you to go and watch (and post about) the previous movies, right?

Q: What if I don't know what to say?

A: That's perfectly okay! I have a guide at the bottom of this post if you need some ideas. But honestly, writers would rather a single ♥️ than nothing at all, so if you really can't think of anything, that's a good last resort.

Q: I'm afraid of saying the wrong thing and upsetting the writer.

A: There is almost no chance that you will say the wrong thing, unless you are giving unasked-for criticism (see below).

Q: What if I don't like the fic? Should I still comment?

A: No, it's definitely better to silently move on when you didn't enjoy it at all.

Note that while in the past, giving criticism was common practice, this has generally become less of something authors enjoy over time (perhaps tied in with the general lack of feedback; getting fewer comments in general can make it far more frustrating to get critical ones). If you are close to the writer, or if the criticism is just a SPAG issue, you can try asking the writer if they'd like to hear it, but otherwise, leave it be unless the author has indicated somewhere they're open to it. But please be nice. Anything you wouldn't say to an artist, don't do to a writer, please.

Q: In the past, I commented and the writer got mad at me.

A: If you weren't leaving unasked-for criticism, then likely the problem was that particular author. Don't let it deter you from commenting on others. Every group of people has assholes, including writers.

Q: I saw an author who requested no comments on their fic/turned off comments on their fic.

A: Not every writer ultimately DOES want comments, though the majority do. Likely that person was having anxiety, or had recently been harassed/received rude comments and didn't want to bother with it.

Q: An author limited comments to registered users only.

A: See above; likely they did this either as a harassment mitigation member or to prevent minors from reading their fics, especially if it was an NSFW work.

Q: I saw a note that a writer had "enabled comment moderation" on their story. Does that mean they don't want me to comment?

A: Not at all! It means they likely have been harassed/received rude comments, or have reason to fear they will (I.E. have recently posted a story dealing controversial themes, or have received such comments on other sites), and are activating a setting where you can comment, but they need to manually approve the comment before it shows up, which will prevent nasty comments from being read. In these cases, a nice comment might actually mean even more to them, because it shows they have support- so by all means, show them some extra love!

Q: Are there any cases where I shouldn't comment?

A: Yes, but these are mostly individual cases, not a hard rule. In addition to the circumstances listed above (author preference or leaving a negative comment), please do not comment if you are a minor and the fic is rated higher than teen (you shouldn't be reading these to begin with, but if you are, please don't make it obvious you did so), or conversely, if you write higher-than-teen-rated fics and the fic is written by a minor. Also, if the author has blocked you on other platforms, do not comment, as this is block evasion.

Q: Is it okay to comment just to ask for an update/to prompt another fic?

A: It depends largely on context, tone, etc. "I hope this updates soon" is 100% fine. Guilt trippy messages, like "it's been two years, I know you have been going through a lot but you have an obligation to your readers" are NEVER okay. Similarly, with prompts, saying "I hope you explore (thing) one day" is fine, especially if you know the author, but if your first comment to them ever is requesting a fic for a completely different scenario, ship, etc than they wrote, with little or nothing about the actual fic you're replying to, it will come across as rude.

Q: Is it okay to ask an author for permission to translate the fic into another language or make another derivative work?

A: Absolutely, but not every author will want this to be done, and you need to be prepared to respect their no if they give one. Think of it like asking a restaurant for one of their recipes. Some will happily give it out, others consider it a personal/guarded secret.

That said, do not even dare ask about feeding the work to an AI. Fanfic writers DO NOT want AI touching their work. Same for artists. Yes, this includes trying to make an ending for an abandoned fic. Do not do it.

Q: The author of this fic has held their story "hostage" by refusing to update until they get a certain number of reviews. What should I do?

A: This is a hard one. Of course, no one owes an author reviews, and this sort of thing is considered cringey, and endlessly mocked, for a reason. However, please try to do some perspective-taking and practicing empathy here. Authors are having to put out PSAs on this site and others just to try and get people to engage with their content. Imagine being a musician, getting on stage, performing song after song, and being met with silence, or maybe a single courtesy golf clap here or there. You'd start to doubt yourself, wouldn't you? You might feel inclined to stop playing unless you start getting an indication people actually care about your music, because performing to utter silence is absolutely humiliating. The manner of doing so is all wrong in this case, but try to show a bit of compassion, and imagine how awful, how utterly crushed the author must have been to do this in the first place.

It is definitely your right to not engage with the fic/author anymore, especially if you had been reviewing before the fic got taken 'hostage' and felt the author wasn't grateful for your comments. But if you wanted to be especially kind, you could take some time to try and lift the author up instead, and show them that even if others are not leaving comments, the fic ultimately does mean something to you. It just might be enough for the author to rethink their position.

Q: Why isn't a kudos enough?

A: It's not that a kudos isn't enough, per se: we all enjoy getting likes. But to continue my metaphor above, well... when you perform music, a cheer does feel very different than a courtesy golf clap, you know? You appreciate the golf claps, they are very kind and always welcome, but cheers, "YEAH!"s, and such are what you really live for. And a standing ovation? That could literally change your entire opinion on your art.

Q: I want to leave a comment, but I'm really scared/don't know how/don't know what to say.

A: That's totally okay. Below, I give some ideas of what to say, but keep in mind that if you really don't know what to say, emoji are totally fine! A ♥️ is still really great and will make us smile. Put some keysmashes! Put in just a ton of exclamation points and nothing else! "AHHH OMG!" Those are all perfectly fine!

BUT, if you want to leave something a little more in-depth, here are some great places to start! Trust me, fanfic writers LOVE all of these and would be delighted to get these comments.

ASK QUESTIONS! "Does this mean x?" or "I'm curious, when x said y, is that a sign that z is at play?"

Tell us how you felt while reading the story/chapter. If we made you cry in a particularly sad scene, PLEASE TELL US FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! WE LOVE THAT!

If you are in a Discord or other space that's talking about the story, tell us what you/your mutuals/your friends are saying about it. This is a great idea for if you don't know what to say! Even just a "we never shut up about this fic in the Discord" is wonderful to hear.

Tell us what drew you in to the fic (did you like the summary? Was it recced somewhere?) and what made you stay.

Say something you found unique/intriguing about the fic. Maybe you liked the characterization, or the author did a really good job of setting the scene. Let them know!

Make a personal connection to the text, especially if the author wrote something that felt very real to your lived experience.

YELL IN ALL CAPS THAT YOU WANT TO HURT THE VILLAIN OR HUG THE SUFFERING WOOBIE OR SMACK THE MAIN PAIRING FOR BEING OBLIVIOUS ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS!

If this story has changed something for you, tell us. If it changed how you see a character, made you ship a ship you never thought of before, changed how you see canon, opened your eyes to a societal issue, gave you a line you think about a lot- please tell us!

Indulgently play along with our cliffhangers. Pretend you don't know that the character will be fine. Pretend that we would actually do it and you're SO SCARED RN for this character.

Wanna know a secret? Wanna know a writer's catnip? Want to know an instant way to make a writer print out your comment for motivation to read later? Quote/paraphrase/reference a bit of text that you loved and tell us your exact thoughts and emotions on it, why you loved it, etc. Quote half the damn chapter back at us in the comments and we will probably propose marriage to you on the spot tbh.

Remember, if you truly can't think of anything to say, just a single emoji still does wonders!!

Hope this guide helps! Happy commenting!

[gb-patch]

Ask Answers: July 10th

I really let asks get away from me lately. I was super focused on working on that Patreon Moment. With that done I can finally think about doing other things, so here’s a new collection of answers!

Thank you for sending in questions everyone ^^.

For the new Patreon moment, will you be able to reference it in step 4? Or just like a tiny nod to it if you pick certain choices?

There won’t be. I’m sorry if you were hoping for that! The Patreon moment is meant to be entirely optional, it’s not something that gets you extra content in the main game.

Is the new CG artist the main one now? :0 I’ve noticed theres been a difference in the art style recently. Is the old CG artist still going to make art for the game? :0

The original artist still makes CGs for the game sometimes, but he mainly focuses on character sprites.

Are you going to put the NSFW our life moment on a website other than patreon? I would love to get it but I can't use patreon atm.

I don’t know. I'm afraid we can't release the Patreon Moment on a normal game storefront because we can't mix 18+ content with our family friendly game. If there's some other place similar to Patreon where it's not the normal type of full-scale public content releases we'd consider using that, but I’m not sure if there is another site that’s better than Patreon in that regard. I'm sorry.

Out of curiosity, in all of your games so far, which characters in each were the most fun to write? They obviously don't have to be your favorite characters!

Buffalo Seer in AFA, really everyone in XOD/XOBD is pretty equally entertaining to write, The Guide in LoV, and Cove in OL!

idk if you accept "personal" questions, but is there anything you've been watching/ listening to lately

Mostly, I’ve been watching/listening to Authortube videos as of late! It’s people who talk generally about the process of how books become traditionally published and/or share their own experience as they attempt to be published. I don’t have an interest in writing normal text based books, but it’s really interesting to hear about that world. I’m listening to a video about royalties right now as I answer these asks.

Will one of the desserts we get to pick be fudge? That'd be such a cute reference! 

Haha, yeah, it should. Unless I completely blank on it and forget when trying to include the various referential food options.

I don't know if this has been asked previously but what would be the approximate heights for the presets MC can choose from Step 2 ~ 4? Are there any measurement you had in mind? Sorry if I didn't make myself clear kk I've been struggling with my English lately 💀 

I don’t know, ahah. I didn’t have any numbers in mind for that. So it’s whatever you imagine it is!

I noticed a bug with the Patreon moment when it comes to what your character wears. When Jamie and Cove are kissing while my character only had dresses selected, I had both the option to remove the dress or to remove the shirt... Picking one of the options to interact with Cove, after he removed his shirt, it had Jamie remove their shirt followed by ther pants despite only having dresses picked. 

Thank you for reporting ^^

I keep refreshing steam to see when the new doc for xobd will be released. I noticed you haven't posted anything about it in quite some time. Would it be possible to ask about a timeline/potential date? (If it's even this year—) I know you and your team are probably working super hard, I'm just super curious! ~Thank you!~ 

There are more stories done, I just haven’t gotten around to publicly releasing them. Hopefully I will have a chance to spend the time on that sooner rather than later!

hello!! i’m not sure if it’s an update but i’ve just replayed our life and at the end i can’t propose to cove anymore? :(( i’ve actually tried playing twice but the options are not there anymore, did you guys remove the options? i’m sorry if you’ve answered this before!! thank you and have a good one :) 

I’m afraid things haven’t been changed or removed, so I think you might’ve accidentally picked the wrong things somewhere along the way and locked yourself out of being able to propose by mistake. Sometimes you meant to say you want to get married but instead you mis-click and have it so the MC isn’t thinking about marriage or something. All I can suggest is starting from the beginning of Step 3 and making sure to follow the steps listed in the FAQ. I’m sorry for that.

Did yall remove some of the options for when youre making out with Cove in the charity moment? I could've sworn you could grab his bonkadonk and its not there anymore 

This is the same situation as the above. We didn’t remove things and you’re not wrong that there are sometimes those options. But there are various choices you have to make to get those options and it sounds like you accidentally missed something. If your relationship isn’t long-term, you can’t do it for example.

HI IM SO EXCITED I CAN FINALLY GET THE STEP 3 DLC 

Thank you for getting it!

Is Shiloh super totally straight bc I’m very gay and a huge Shiloh fan, would my man make an exception?😩

Sadly, he is one of our super straight characters. I’m sorry.

Hi, I have a very dumb question. In Step 2 does Cove not wanna share his drink with us at the mall (or rather why he stops drinking it) because it's an indirect kiss? Or is it like ...weird to him to share? Because if I remember right he eats off our spoon in the birthday scene right? 

Yeah, he’s awkward about it because he likes the MC and it feels very personal to share a straw with his crush.

Hi! If you don't mind me asking, who is the artist for OL2? Their style is so pretty! 

Thank you for saying so! This is her Twitter- https://twitter.com/redridingheart

Do Beginnings & Always and Now & Forever exist in the same universe? 

Yep! XOXO Droplets also exists in the same universe. It’s one big GB Patch world, haha.

Do Pran's parents regret the way they raised him? Do they feel ashamed of it?

No. They’re the type of people best cut out because they’re not gonna change. Which is why Pran does go very limited contact when he’s an adult.

Hi! I just wrapped up my second playthrough of Our Life, and I absolutely adore it, but I had a question. I went to the gallery and found I was missing 2 CGS (specifically Step 1-3 and 2-3) and I had no clue where they would've shown up. Which moments are those found in? 

You get it by telling Cove about his dad offering you money to be his friend in Step 1 and Step 2. You can’t get both in one playthrough, since you can only tell Cove the truth once. I’m really glad you liked it!

Hi hi! Please, how tall is Baxter and Derek? Love the game so much and I can't wait to see more! 

I don’t know, aha. I think Baxter was around 5′10 and Derek was like 5′8/5′9, maybe. I really am not one who has specific heights for things in mind.

is adult cove a bottom, top, or switch? 

A switch, though would choose the top if he had to pick.

I was wondering if there is a way to transfer save data? Even if through the game files. I wanted to be able to transfer my save data from my desktop over to my laptop so that I could continue playing right where I left off from but I'm not entirely sure how to go about that. 

If you save the save folder/persistent data of the game from your desktop and put it into the game folder on your other device, that could work.

Hi! Is it possible for us to know the date when our life: now and forever comes out on steam? Sorry if you've mentioned it before but I haven't seen it and I'm looking foward to that happening and just wanted to know :) 

It’s gonna be a long time, I’m afraid. There’s no estimate right now.

I started playing Our Life with my sister a while ago, and I think you guys should know that we discovered your secret. >:)

L from death note and Cove are clearly the same person, and this whole game is just an origin story!!

I’ve never seen that show so I’m sorry to say I don’t understand the connection/reference you’re trying to make. I’m pretty out of the loop when it comes to media. I don’t watch movies or TV.

Will OL2 have options for disabled MCs?

I understand if it's too complicated, just curious

Unfortunately, it’s not really something we have a plan for. We couldn’t finish the game if we tried to include every disability and have it be meaningful. It’d just be too much content to create. But if we decide to only include a few, how would we choose which disabilities get to be represented and which are left out? I don’t know. It’ll probably have to be something we don’t include as an option again, sadly. I’m sorry.

playing our life > anything else 

Haha, I’m glad you’re enjoying it.

Honestly, I would like to thank Our Life for helping me come to terms with my sexuality. Before, I never would've actually thought that it was possible to like boys romantically and still be asexual. Almost all of the BL visual novels I've read had unskippable sexual content in them and it honestly just didn't click with what I feel. I'm glad I found Our Life. I love the game, the developers, and this fandom so much. Now, I can safely come out as homoromantic AND asexual (at least anonymously here anyway; my parents are still huge homophobes 😂). 

Aw, it’s great to hear you felt comfortable being yourself in the game! That’s wonderful. I’m really sorry about your parents, though.

Will the demo for OL2 be on android? Really not sure if I could wait any longer than I have to aha 

Yeah, it’ll be available for Android once we eventually release a demo!

Do all these reveals perhaps mean development is progressing ahead of schedule? Please let that be the case I'm already obsessed with Qiu 

No, sorry, aha. Art comes along much faster than script/programming-work for us. It’s gonna be a long time before the game is a finished thing you can actually play. But at least we can look at the beautiful images.

Hey! First of all I wanna say I reallllllyyyyy loooovvveeee Our Life and XOXO Droplets! I have over 300 hours of playtime on Our Life… Anyways, I was just wondering, are the Derek and Baxter DLCs going to come out at the same time? If not, which one do you plan to release first? :3 

They will come out separately and Derek will be first! Glad you like the game.

I keep replaying Our Life to get every possible iteration and I am loving it <3 I was wondering if Cove gets locked out of his confession because MC was talking to Lee, would it be possible to confess to him in step 4? 

Yeah, you can avoid the confession in Step 3 and then get it in Step 4.

Hi, my Cove wears bracelets through step 2 and 3 but I still don't get an option to give him a bracelet? I didn't even know that was possible until I seen someone else ask about it lol 

Hm, did you use the Cove creator? Maybe there’s a bug where using the creator to add bracelets doesn’t fulfill the requirement to give Cove a bracelet in Step 3.

Wait, I'm dense, when does Baxter appear in step 2? Is it from big park firework? I feel so bad since i really love Baxter and waiting to buy his dlc. 

It’s in the Soiree Moment. You have to be just friends with Cove, indifferent, or crushing but not ask Cove to the dance at all. Then while there you can find someone new to dance with. But if you bring Cove to the dance while crushing, the MC won’t wanna dance with anyone else so you can’t get the scene.

In step 2 when we go to the soiree I made my mc go alone and baxter chooses the mc to dance, i'm curious, why did he pick the mc? sorry if this has been asked before! 

Because the MC looked to be around his age, seemed to also be searching for a partner, and had nice legs. A perfect option for him.

I read some of the FAQs, and I saw that we could tell Baxter about the condo that he rented there was previously the mean old grandparents. how do we get the mc to tell him that? 

It happens in the DLC Moment “Late Shift”. If you don’t have a job you instead get a longer scene with Baxter.

I don’t know if you’ve addressed this or not, but are you planning on paying voice actors for our life: now and forever? 

Yeah, we pay our VAs in all our projects.

hey can i ask how you did the moments thing in ol? im trying to get into making visual novels and while im VERY sure its out of my comfort zone and all that atm i kinda wanna know just for the future, bc im p sure it would work well for something i wanna do :O but its also fine if you cant say for other reasons :> 

I’m afraid I’m not sure what you mean. Are you asking how we programmed the screen or something script related? Adding Moments like that is pretty straightforward, though. You just have buttons that open to different labels and then the scripts are essentially individual short stories/vignettes. Good luck with your VN!

Since Autumn becomes gender fluid later in the game, will there be a character who remains as he/him to romance in game? 

OL1 has the he/him LIs, OL2 is all about other genders.

I don't want to impose on your creative plans, but a parrot could possibly make a good pet in an OL-type game? They're pretty long-lived and likely to still be thriving by the end even if the MC got them back in step 1. 

I do appreciate the suggestion, but I’m afraid it’s not likely going to happen. I understand there are technically some animals that could theoretically live long enough to last the whole game that or we could have the MC only get a pet after some years have already passed. But the many things that would have to be considered/accommodated for makes it just something we probably can’t manage adding. I’m sorry.

As time passes will we be able to see Qiu and Tamarack's other stage arts as well?

They are both so cute i can't wait to be friends with them!

Yeah, we’ll show content from other Steps in the future. It’ll be a little while from now, though.

Can you date Cove and still have your family comfort you in the car?

You can’t get Cove’s Step 3 confession scene if you have the family comfort you in the car. But that’s not the only way to date him. You can get together with him earlier in the game or later on in Step 4.

Is Mc always going to be the one walking down the aisle or could Cove do it? Also could you choose to have one of your moms walk you? 

No. Cove wouldn’t want to walk down the aisle like that and the MC automatically respects that. And the MC also gets to have their preferences respected, so it’s up to you whether they want to do an aisle walk or not. You also can pick who, if anyone, walks with you.

Once step 4 is out, will you be able to go the whole game on crush/love without either of you confessing? 

Yes, as long as you tell the game you don’t want to progress the relationship. Even in Step 4 it won’t force you to officially get together.

Howdy, so in Step 4, there will be any Romance with Derek that is not part of any dlc? 

He’s only a friend unless you get his romance story.

Will the step 4 in OL2 be one big step or are you considering moments? 

Step 4 is just an epilogue in both games.

hi kind of a weird question but!! we know tht cliff doesn't start dating again but. wht abt flings? like does he ever do 1 night stands or anything? thank u!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Nope. Cliff has a very small interest in sex. If he’s not in a real relationship with a partner he’s crazy about it simply isn’t something he feels a need for, so one night stands wouldn’t even cross his mind.

sorry if you've already answered this, but i was wondering if there were plans for there to be bonus love interests in OL2 like how we have derek and baxter in OL1.

Maybe! There are side characters who could be given romance stories, but whether or not it will happen depends on funding and how long everything else takes to finish.

I don't know if i'm allowed to ask about ol2 here yet, if not u can ignore this or answer it later. My question is can you date one of them and be good friends with the other? I don't want to be strangers with the other bcs i love them both a lot :<

Yes you can!

what patreon level do i have to be to unlock the nsfw moment? im on the $5 one right now, will that give me access to the moment, or just access to the moment progress? 

That’ll give you access! Tier 2 and anything higher allows the player to download it.

[moonstarinfinity]

✨TXT Group Astrological Chart Analysis✨

What is TXT like as a group? How does their group astrology affect their music, their relationships within the group as a whole, and how they harness success and popularity?

Lets explore their group chart, and find out!

💫 Chart Patterns

First their chart patterns: TXT has a bundle chart concentrated in the Western Hemisphere of their chart and basically this means that they have a very focused and intense energy around them. This energy is likely felt when they perform on stage and helps them attract opportunities for their group. They tend to be exceptionally resourceful and talented, and reap a lot of awards. This can be seen in things like being the highest charting debut group at their time of debut, and their exceptional amount of award nominations and wins as a rookie group. Most recently their comeback is scheduled for May 31st, 2021 and it was reported that they sold more than 520,000 pre-orders for their new album within just 6 days of it being announced. No doubt they will continue to reap rewards and be successful based on their chart patterns alone.

💫 Personal Planets

Sun in Pisces - 6th House

Let me preface this with: Holy heck this placement makes a ton of sense. TXT has a tendency to create other worlds and they are fantastic story tellers. They use metaphors and imagery to connect to their fans, and Pisces Suns are all about being in the world, but not necessarily of this world.

They literally have a song about imagination called "Blue Hour" and Pisces is all about imagination. This placement is the heart of TXT and you can see it's influence heavily in their music and concepts.

Pisces Suns tend to connect to alternate dimensions and explore them to bring back information and understanding. This allows them to connect and help humanity heal, and I know this is more on the metaphysical side of astrology, but I agree that TXT uses their bring colors, stories, and imagination to help people feel understood and to help others see things in a different way.

Now Sun in the 6th is all about routine and health, and this placement displays in their desire to improve the world around them. Pisces is a very nurturing energy in this space, and the Sun is about illumination. It's a very selfless placement and can indicate a massive desire to help others and is also seen as a spiritual placement. One could say they connect to people on a spiritual or soul level through their music.

Within the group this placement helps them to work together well and they all are very caring and helpful with each other. It helps to form a stronger bond between members, and they often times help each other heal while performing and creating. It's a very team oriented placement, and very selfless, which is great for a group. They tend to put work first, which makes sense...because this is a chart for their group.

Moon in Aquarius - 5th House

UNIQUE. That is the definition of an Aquarius. In the 5th house this is especially noticeable because this is the placement that expresses their uniqueness. There's just something about TXT that makes them seem so different...and this placement is part of that.

Aquarius in the 5th can be a rebel, and often times is not afraid to do what feels right for them, even if it feels out of the norm, or is somewhat of a risk. We can see this in TXT's unique sound and dualistic approach to their music.

The 5th house is also about creativity, and there is ZERO lack of creativity for TXT. The Moon being here allows for them to use creativity to express their emotions, as well as help others feel their emotions that are placed into these creative outlets.

The moon in Aquarius loves to be around friends. There is nurturing in feeling a part of the team for each member of TXT, and this is a tight knit friend group that is much more than just coworkers. They feel free and comfortable amongst each other, and this vibe also makes their fans feel cared for like they are their best friends.

This placement can be seen as a trailblazing and independent placement that allows for freedom of expression and emotions in unique and vibrant ways. It creates that friendly, bring, and sometimes even hilarious nature to TXT as a whole.

Ascendant in Virgo - 1st House

Organized. Reliable. Grounded. This is how the group operates. They tend to be very good about making sure that they are doing what is needed, when it is needed. They also are a support system. Not only for their fans, but amongst themselves as well. This creates a really strong foundation. Virgo generally rules the 6th house of routine, health, and coworkers. This really helps ground and bring a down to earth vibe to the team. With their high energy and placements that can tend to be in the clouds a lot, this helps to bring their ideas back down to the ground.

Sometimes the group can have a hard time with trying to maintain their expectations of perfection with this placement. Virgo tends to be perfectionistic and almost too structured when it's in the first house. Thankfully their sun and moon placements DEFINITELY balance this out. They often times have to lean more into those placements to offset the stress that this ascendant can bring.

They are likely VERY hard on themselves when schedules don't go as planned, mistakes are made, or they are in a rut. Time is really important to this placement, but thankfully it also helps them create plans and stick to their schedule.

They are honest and extremely stable because of this placement, which sets them up to be around for a long time. Which is exactly what we like to hear and see when we look at group placements. They also LOVE to work with this placement, and because they are living their passions it's a very harmonious placement as a group.

Observant, intelligent, and love to share knowledge and wisdom. This displays in their music. They are clever with their lyrics, concepts, and sound. This placement really supports their Moon's need to create new things, and creates a stable feeling when experimenting.

Mercury in Pisces - 7th House

This is the placement that shows what their content is about and how they like to communicate, and what they like to communicate about. First of all let me just say this is the 7th house. Mercury in the 7th is all about communicating love, commitment, partnership, and beauty.

Mercury in Pisces as a group expresses through lyrics and sounds that are soulful, deep, intuitive, and compassionate. In this case extremely compassionate.

Pisces is DEEP and it's usually about your inner world, so as a group they have a deep understanding of the inner workings when it comes to relationships, love, and beauty.

This is a naturally artistic placement and is SUPER conductive for art and music. It's like a supercharge for their sound. This creates melodies, lyrics, and visuals (music videos, concepts, art, etc.) that are extremely attractive. Think about how "Runaway" was so catchy right out the gate and how the music video was super aesthetically pleasing.

This is why their music videos and concepts are so visually stunning. This is why their songs are so catchy. This is why you can listen to the same song over and over.

As a group they also may be less likely to be direct with their lyrics (hence why they use storytelling and metaphor) because Mercury is technically muted in Pisces. I don't really see this as a negative for a musical group though, because honestly it just makes them that much more magnetic.

Venus in Aquarius - 5th House

ENERGY. This is a placement that exudes energy, and we can see this reflected in their upbeat and catchy music style. They love to make songs that are high energy, and that you can dance to.

This is a very good placement for love and in Aquarius this is the love of a team, of the group, and a love for their fans. It's all about love and living life to the fullest.

They have a HUGE desire to create ultimate happiness. They use their music as a way to spread positive vibes, and to help people feel pumped up, or cared for.

This also brings a very playful nature to the group. This placement can be seen in songs such as "Cat & Dog." Bright colors, childlike wonder, humor. It's all a part of this placement.

They love to work as a team, and they find that in their team they are more inspired and create more freely than when they are on their own. It brings them energy and drive and passion to work together.

This placement also makes sense with how young they all were at debut, and even as they get older, their music will continue to draw in people that are younger than them. They are fresh and playful. Think the flirting with a crush vibe, and that's what this placement is for them.

Mars in Taurus - 8th House

Mars in Taurus is all about strength and stability. But in the 8th house this can almost come off as overly aggressive. Sometimes their passion can be very strong and this can cause there to be a lot of fire under them.

This is actually good for the most part because it can help them be expressive, and they actually have a great outlet for all of their passion. It simply means that as a while they have a lot of passion and as long as they channel it into their music and art, then it's a powerhouse placement.

They do need to make sure they are keeping any materialism and greed in check, but thankfully it's not really just their choice as a group when it comes to what they do. Ultimately since this is a group placement they are less likely to give in to the shadow sides of this placement.

It can actually benefit them to communicate about struggles with materialism, drama, and their outspoken nature through their music. They generally HAVE to share these things, and they will find that the more that they grow the more that they transform, and this is something that they find is necessary to communicate.

They can be influenced by those around them, so pressure from society or other groups can be a little hard to navigate at times, so there is a challenge to stay true to themselves, and to let go of styles, and people that aren't meant for them.

This is another HIGHLY spiritual placement. They love to explore the occult, mysteries, puzzles, paranormal, and the spiritual world. Just look at their entire collection as a whole and you can see these influences playing a HUGE part in their work.

They are led to follow their instincts, and their instincts are usually right. Their purpose as a group is to live authentically as themselves and to use their power as a way to live their fullest potential. To follow their passions and to let themselves transform as a group over time. This is what will keep them going and will give them the greatest success as a whole.

Jupiter in Sagittarius - 4th House

This is so lucky. Like I'm jealous of this group placement honestly. Jupiter is at home in Sagittarius and it is the planet of luck, abundance, and expansion. Think BIG. They attract luck, opportunities, and abundance.

Confidence, positivity, enthusiasm, optimism. This brings all of those things too. Yet another placement that helps them with that energetic, upbeat sound.

The 4th house is all about family, and this means that they value family and with this being Jupiter and Sagittarius they see the whole world as home. They see their fans as their family, and their music as their creations.

Speaking of creations they are aspected to have a LOT of creations. They probably are constantly creating, even when they are not having a comeback. These creations tend to also continually bring more and more people to them.

This placement makes them appealing among a worldwide scale and for large crowds because they make people feel like they are a part of their family. They love seeking the largest scale of possibilities for outreach, and this is part of why they are recognized around the world.

They have boundless energy, and this is wonderful for them, but they also need to make sure that at times they are taking a step back and looking at the big picture. They need to respond to their intuition, but they also need to make sure they are taking calculated risks.

Saturn in Capricorn - 4th House

This is all about ambition and making your mark. Saturn is not necessarily happy in the 4th house, and it can feel overbearing sometimes for the group to go the traditional route.

This placement directly conflicts with their needs and desires to go against the grain and be unique. It can be very difficult for them at times to ignore what other people expect of them, and they may feel like the weight is on their shoulders as a group sometimes.

This is a challenge in the sense that they often have to break away from making things appealing based on what they already know. They need to challenge this placement and be nurturing towards their creations. At times they may find that they are drawn to play it safe when it comes to emotions and their stability.

A challenge for them is definitely to go with the flow, and to not give in to their perfectionistic ways when it comes to safety. Things in life constantly change, and playing it safe will often times make them feel trapped or uninspired if they let it.

Saturn is helping them to build maturity, a foundation, and a "family" with their fans slowly over time. We will see their music develop and mature as they get older, along with them as people.

They will always have a sense of responsibility, and they need to make sure they don't take that feeling too seriously. It's about learning to be responsible, while still staying nurturing and loving as a group.

All of this development is also seen on a global scale, as far as they will continue to grow in fan base size, and this will increase their feelings of responsibility, and continue to challenge them as a group. (This is due to Jupiter being here.) Thankfully they have so many lighthearted and loving placements to lean into, that this is a beneficial grounding force for them as a whole.

One piece of advice for TXT: You are already loved and appreciated and successful. Allow yourselves to be children at heart. Keep expressing your inner children in your music, and know that your fans are here to support you. You are not responsible for the world, or for everyone else. Find happiness and fulfillment by continuing to express your hopes, fears, dreams, and emotions through your creations.

💫 Transpersonal Planets:

Uranus in Aries - 8th House

This is a boss placement! This is the placement that drives them to go where nobody has gone before. They are visionaries as a group. They are instigators of change, and they love to blaze their own path as a group. They may partake in using new technologies, diving into projects that have never been seen before, and creating new ways of doing things.

They NEED their freedom. They are courages, brave, daring as a group. They don't fear much when it comes to change and being different.

They have strong view points as a group and sometimes can be a little stubborn when challenged, but ultimately it's because they are meant to go their own way and be different. They are meant to defy tradition and go against the grain.

They may at times break taboos or traditions, and this can be a challenge for them if they either let their Saturn placement stifle them, or on the other end, if they don't observe before acting. Their impatience could potentially cause them to jump too soon, or to do things in a rush, so they need to make sure to slow down sometimes, but to continue to chase the new.

Neptune in Pisces - 6th House

"'Cause imagination, in that moment. Can you feel the rush? Freeze this moment." - Blue Hour. This is exactly what this placement is about.

Neptune in Pisces blurs the lines between imagination and reality. They have a way of bringing dreams and imagination to life. Really this is their entire chart basically. Like it's just part of who they are.

This is what brings the magic to their music. It allows them to really infuse their music and work with imagination and dreams. It's an ideal placement for working in art, music, emotions, and the subconscious. It's another spiritual placement, so again they may speak on metaphysical things or show imagery related to the spiritual side of life and the inner world.

They will not likely create music that has to do with normal life things. They don't generally do the "normal" stuff and their topics will always be very deep and transformational.

As a group when relating to their careers as a whole, they need to make sure that they take care of the practical stuff sometimes. Thankfully they have managers and staff that help them with this, so they have a lot of freedom and less challenges when it comes to the more difficult parts of this placement.

Pluto in Capricorn - 4th House

This is a beautiful placement honestly. It gives them the drive to be efficient and bring their ideas to life. This is the placement of determination and achievement. This is resourceful and will give them an organized approach to success.

The downside is that they may tend to clash with authority and control. They may need to find ways to slow down, and build over time instead of trying to do everything at once. They need to be careful not to cut corners, and they need to make sure they are doing things one step at a time, instead of trying to rush to the finish line on projects.

They can find that they have exceptional focus and are able to harness their ideas and energies and emotions and use them to propel their group. They have always, and will continue to, skyrocket in success, especially if they can continue to ground their ideas while allowing themselves to be creatively and emotionally free.

Their music will help people break free from societal norms when it comes to control and power. It encourages people to be free, childlike, and to express their own viewpoints and feelings.

💫 Aspects:

Cancer North Node - 11th House

For group astrology this tells us the group's impact on the world and what the purpose of the group is.

This placement tells us that TXT has a destiny to nurture themselves and their fans and to help people to trust their intuition. To express their emotions and dreams, and to find a place within themselves that feels like home.

Let go of control and know that the earth is still beneath your feet, even when you allow yourself to fly. Believe in wonder and imagination, encourage your inner children and don't always try to be the responsible one.

They encourage people to soften and be playful and loving. That's their ultimate purpose. To create a safe space and help people heal and connect to themselves emotionally, and to be their own home regardless of what is going on in the world.

Finally they teach the world about loving, and authentic friendships, about what real community is, and how to find your tribe of people.

Aries Chiron - 7th House

Basically with this chiron placement the group gives people a place to feel a sense of inclusion. They help people feel as thought they have a purpose. To make those who feel like outcasts, feel like they belong. As a whole the group is inclusive and has a childlike energy. This energy attracts the inner children. This can attract other people with Chiron in Aries in order to help them heal. This is how they use this placement to their advantage.

Now as a group they may also seek approval at all costs, and they rely a lot on MOA to support them. They are very sensitive to bad feedback and criticism and would have a hard time if their group took a hit in any way via media. They may get discouraged sometimes as a group if they don't feel like they performed well, and this can cause tension within the group, but if they channel this into their music it will give them the boost they need to move forward.

Aries is very upbeat, so their music is naturally upbeat to offset the Aries and 7th house Chiron wounds that they attract. This can help people by getting them to dance and expend energy that is no longer needed, and their lyrics are usually about growing up and fitting in, while learning how to be yourself, which is exactly what the Aries Chiron needs.

They also have Chiron in the 7th house which means that they attract the energy of people who feel like something is missing. Which means that TXT as a group treats their fans like their best friends or relationship. MOA literally is TXT's significant other. that's what completes them and allows them to continue making music and helping others heal these wounds.

They have a strong focus on friendship (see North Node in the 11th, and their Aquarius placements in the 5th) and this can also help those with the 7th house Chiron to feel included and to fill the void they feel just a little because it shows that someone else understands them, and their need to feel included in a personal relationship.

Midheaven (MC) - Gemini

It should come as ZERO shock that this placement indicates a career in public influence.

They are meant to drive others and inspire passion when it comes to their world views and interests. They are meant to communicate their thoughts and feelings and emotions on a large, public scale.

Global change through their music. Their lyrics, sound, and aesthetics reach on a global scale in order to inspire and change the world.

💫 SUMMARY:

Hopefully this gives you an idea of who TXT is as a whole. They are a transformative, upbeat, passionate, and impactful group. They connect to childlike, playful, and energetic personalities. It's their purpose to help people become inspired, imaginative, and to connect to their inner worlds on an emotional and transformational level. They are extremely talented and lucky as a whole, and as long as they keep following their passions and hearts they will continue to grow and be a game changing group. We've attached their group natal chart below for anyone who is curious as to what it looks like.

Now go Stan TXT, listen to all of their albums, and enjoy their new comeback: "0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You.)"

🎶✨💜

[popculturebuffet]

Amphibia Reviewcaps: The Dinner/Battle of the Bands “It’s You”

Hello all you happy people! And i’m almost to the finish line.  6 months (subtracting the ones where there were no new episodes) worth of weekly coverage and with next week i’ll have completed my second full season of reivews of a show as they came out, and my first full season of amphibia. If you’d like to see season 1 it’s up high on my stretch goals at 45 with reviews of Disney movies based on shows (The Proud Family, Recess and Kim Possible), Gravity Falls and more along the way if your curious. Check it out HERE. I’m also doing exclusive reviews eveyr month now with the coasional one thrown in randomly so check that out. New period starts in a week so please join before then.

So naturally with the big finale and all the tensions in amphibia close to reaching a boil next week, this week’s a bit more low key. Still not unimportant, with some massively good character work and in fact The Dinner is easily one of my faviorites of the season, but still nothing to move the plot too far forward. Just some nice character stuff to help inch us towards the climax next week. The calm before my heart is stillbeatingly ripped out of my chest. Which I will grant the show, having my heart ripped out Mola Ram style by some combination of Brenda Song and Keith David is how I wanted to go, i’m just not ready yet. So while I steel myself for the utter heartbreak of next week, I have my throughts on this weeks episodes under the cut!

The Dinner: 

I did tip my hand a bit by saying this was one of my faviorties of the season.. and I stand by that. This one was excellent. It was rife with tension while still somehow being a fun breather episode before hell arrives. 

As the title suggest the Plantars are having Grime and Sasha over for a fancy dinner, followed by games and such. Only Annearcy are happy about this though, Marcy still not getting quite how bad Sasha has gotten during her stay here and Anne hoping she has changed.  The Plantars, Sprig in paticular, still resent them for the whole toad tower fiasco, which is fair. You don’t forget someone trying to murder you over night, let alone your whole town. Hop Pop is using Frobo as the Grill by the way which is just visually fucktacular I gotta admit. He does get some more use these episodes, being used as a Grill here and as the fog machine and Polly’ sminon next episode. Good work boy. That’s my robot frog soldier builder whatever you are. 

Sasha and Grime are likewise not enthused. Sasha isn’t because her friends expect her to “Ugh” change and grow and stuff and isn’t happy about it and is confident she can return to rulling over them once her plan is done. Dude.. that’s not how a healthy throuple works. Or a healthy anything. Grime is more worried about her blowing it with her anger and control issues, but feels. this is VITAL to convincing the plantars to trust them long enough for their plan to go off. He even demands she remove her sword and all her knives... and she has a lot of them. Evne in her boot “How do you even walk?” Good question grime. 

My answer?

So what follows is about 8 minutes of the most hilariously awkward dinner since that time Micheal Scott decided to have a dinner party even though his relationship was horribly crumbling, as everyone but Anne and Marcy shoves their foot in their mouth at some point or makes some sort of screw up. Oh and Polly I guess she’s more content to just watch the show. Seriously i’m not usually a fan of cringe comedy.. but the series makes it work here as our heroes attempt to interact with thier old eneimeis and vice versa. 

For starters we have our guests arrvial, where Grime and Sasha both look objectively terrifying before things cool down. Then we have dinner itself where both Hop Pop and Grime prove to be the racist kind of grandpa as Grime asks what frogs they subjigated to get these turnips and Hop Pop makes an awkward lightbulb joke about Toads that Grime finds hilarious but everyone else was rightfully afraid would get the old man gutted by the other more violent old man. I imagine this happened a lot on the Lost Light once Megatron took over co captiancy. You just don’t fight a guy for a good hundered years without being nervous he’s going to blast you to fucking pieces. 

Sprig dosen’t help before all this by taking a seat next to anne and marcy specifically to piss her off, and out of all of them is the most openly hostile to her. Given Anne’s his best friend and Sasha did a LOT of emotional damage to her.. yeah fair enough. 

Things only esclate when it comes to frog pictionary. Suprisingly Hop Pop gets Grime’s Drawins and Sasha gets his, with both her and sprig trading escalating barbs and her barely containing her rage when Anne calls her on it since unlike her, Sprig has a reason to still be upset with her. This reaches a breaking point when Sasha attempts things, trying to desperatly win her friends back with the old times now they have their ownt imes apart.. only for Sprig to accidnetlay mock Sasha’s near sucicide,s aying she “slipped”.. granted I do think he geninely just can’t forgive her.. but it’s very clear she did not.. she let herself go to save them, and he’s just as in denial about it as Sasha and just as much a dick about it. 

Sasha flips out at him, and gets penalized for talking which only pisses her off MORE and understandably so. Anne leaps to the plantar’s defense but honestly.. both sides are understandabliy angry here. The Plantars are right to still not trust her after everything especially since she hasn’t outright apologized to them and her and Grime’s general response to the incident is “One Time!”... which works for say, taking the last slice of pizza without asking or slamming their face in a car door, but not so much “Trying to murder all of you for personal and stupid reasons.”. But at the same time Sprig DID cross the line really bad when she saved his fucking life. It dosen’t automaitcally erase the bad things she did but it dosen’t give him lisence to mock her. WHile I get he’s 10 and dosen’t get it was part suicide, he still is blantaly ignoring her trying to do something selfless because he can’t admit there’s any good in Sasha. Sasha is not a GREAT person.. but there IS good in her. She just has to WANT to seek that out instead of her inherent seflishness and need for control and Anne and Marcy are absolutely right for trying to help her instead of just slamming the door in her face. 

But soon eveyroen gets distracted by the cake which floods the room with molten lava. Hop Pop assumes it was some sort of trick.. but hilariously turns out no, Grime really was trying to be nice. That’s just how this works and it’s delcious once it hardens.. assuming you survivie the hornets, with fighting them being the best part of it. And yes hornets shoot out of the cake. Are you suprised at this point? They also paralize grime leaving our heroes without the one person among them who knows what their doing. 

SO our heroines are forced to fight some hornets, with Sasha trying to take lead.. only for Anne to do so and succeed at it, figuring out that while weapons can’t pierce them their own stingers might and having Marcy use her crossbow to launch the stinger in grime at them, and then has Sasha distract the rest to take them out. 

So our heroines reconcile with Sasha admitting she might not want to change and Anne admitting that’s okay.. she just has to accept things have changed with THEM and that her friends HAVE. And genuinely or not Sasha agrees to that, while Grime is bummed he missed the party and the lava hardens into chocolate, with eveyrone enjoying some cake and dead insects. As you do

Final Thoughts on The Dinner: As I said, this is one of the best episodes of the season> The tension is paltable, and it dosen’t fully resolve it, rightly as we still have one final season to go for that. More than that.. it’s hilarious. All the jokes land, and there were far too many to get into here. 

Battle of the Bands:

Now this is a classic breather episode, our last chance to rest and get all slice of lifey before things go up in flames next week. 

With the town all nervous because of Sasha and Grime’s presence, Mayor Toadstool decides to spin the wheel of fun to decide on an activity. I can’t remember if this is a new thing or not but I loves it. It lands on Battle of the Bands so the girls decide to get their old band Sasha and the Sharks back together. As for the rest of the cast, Hop Pop and Sprig join a Jug band and Grime has his own musical domination to plot out, so that just leaves us with the thropule, Poly and Frobo for an episode. 

The group have fun... until Anne unveils her heartfelt song based on her time here. Well okay only Sasha isn’t having fun and quickly tries to take over, as you’d expect and Anne pushes back as you’d expect. Sasha takes her ball and goes home as.. you get it by now> The plot here is not very complex or unique.

But as with all the Sasha episodes this season including the last one, we get a deeper sense of her character. Here she outright admits she dosen’t know what to do when she’s not in control. She needs to be in charge of the situation. It also explains why unlike Marcy and Anne she didn’t change for the better: Her need for control shuts out any possiblity of self reflection and thus self improvment. Self Improvment, and I know this from experince, requires you to admit your flaws and face them. It’s something I can admit to struggling with as I fall back into old patterns often. Admitting flaws would be admitting a loss of Control and Sasha.. can’t. She honestly can’t. 

Of all people i’ts TOADIE who convinces her sometimes i’ts better to let someone else take the lead and that it’s better to support the ones you love than subjugate them. Granted Toadie himself is too far in the opposite direction, but he makes a valid point.. something I never thought i’d say. Sometimes you just have to let someone do what they want.. and watching her two girlfriends perform up on stage.

I also will say I love a good talent show, battle of the bands what have you episode. One of my faviorite movies, True Stories, climaxes in one. 

And yes that was John Goodman and yes he does indeed sing...

Seriously watch this movie. It’s fucking amazing. And yes that was the Talking Heads David Byrne, he wrote this movie and there’s two talking heads songs in it. Watch it. 

Point is we get a great one, paticuarlly chuck. 

He grows SINGIN tulips just a fun one.. but i’ts that finale with the girls that really makes it with Sasha realizing that them being HAPPY is better than her being in control..and they didn’t grow PAST HER or leave her behind just because they grew.. they simply should be free to be themselves. And that maybe trying to conquer a country just to do that ain’t right. IT’s really sweet

So she runs in to do the guitar solo, and its aweosme and they only don’t win because it turns out Grime is fucking MAJESTIC on a harp. But Sasha finally grows a bit admitting that having fun is what mattered... 

And it’s abotu to burst as Mayor Toadstool, in a show of how far he’s come, points out Anne is leaving soon and Anne gives a heartfelt goodbye to everyone.. that said.... someone clearly has other plans.. and for once i’ts NOT Sasha. 

There’s nothing but foreshadowing in that face. That’s a face that says “Uh.. about that”. And again SASHA is showing emotinal vunerablity and hapiness.. but it’s Marcy, whose pretty open emotiionally whose visably worried and clearly knows Andrias has other plans.. other plans he talked her into. Gratned he probably didn’t tell her said plans involve The Watcher with a Thousand Eyes, but she still KNOWS she’s plottingthings.. and know’s she’s about to betray the people closest to her. 

Before we move on though those outfits ar esharp. Just damn. Especially Sasha’s punk look. The songs this episode are also both excellent and I had no idea Brenda Song and Anna Akana could sking like that. God damn. 

So with Anne leaving for home she gets one last group photo. It’s majestic and we’re out. 

Final Thoughts: This one is pretty good. Not a lot to talk about outside of Sasha but a really fun episode that both moves her foward and moves us toward the finale. ANd it’s nice to see the three just happy together... before the hell that’s about to arrive. 

Next Week: War Were Declared, our heroes prepare to fight bravely against the hoard of toads... and both Sasha and Marcy come to the crossroads of destiny Tommorow ON This Blog:

So it’s up to Jean Grey and Emma Frost to go in and sort it out.. and then fight off the full might of an alien empire. No pressure. 

Until the next rainbow it’s been a pleasure

[imo-chan-imagines]

『 Their best sexual characteristic | Haikyuu!! Headcanons 』

Part 4/?

Characters: female!reader, Kageyama Tobio, Nishinoya Yuu, Tendou Satori

Tags/warnings: Haikyuu!! (anime), 18+, explicit descriptions of sex, headcanons, imagines

Attention: All characters in this series are aged up to be at least 18+

⚠️ 18+ CONTENT! MINORS: PLEASE DO NOT INTERACT ⚠️

A/N: I've noticed that the more I do these, the longer they get, and now I feel bad that some of the others might have been neglected T^T

Oh, and I got a new phone, and now the emojis don't look the same... Please tell me if any of them look weird or don't fit the ~vibe~. Previous parts are linked at the bottom ♡ Thanks for reading! Please enjoy! Imo~

Kageyama Tobio

» How vocal he is

Kageyama can't help it, but he moans, groans, and growls with every second of pleasure those deep thrusts have him singinggg 👅

It's such a desperate, stimulating sound that falls from his lips

It turns you on no end hnng

Gets your pussy dripping, which drives him insane

It didn't used to be like that, though

At first he used to stifle his sounds because he was embarrassed

He had heard somewhere stupid that it was 'unmanly' to moan during sex, and became self conscious about it my poor, sweet baby 😭

Like, who even thought if that?! Shame on you!! >:(

But it didn't take long for you to realise something was wrong he had to be so focused just to hold it in, so it was kind of obvious something was up

So one time, when he was buried inside you, clearly struggling to stifle the sounds in his throat, you pulled his head down to your lips and whispered in his ear how much you wanted to hear him moan for you

He was a little taken aback at first, wondering if it was really okay he looked so innocent right then

But you stroked his hair and reassured him that you wanted every part of him, and he didn't have to hold back or hide anything from you like, please. Guys' moans are so hot 💦

As he eased into it, getting used to allowing the sounds to flow, his thrusts got deeper and faster, the blush on his cheeks reddening with every inch further inside you so freaking adorable

He was pressed down on top of you with his hips flush with yours, his desperate sounds filling your ears, pushing you closer to the edge

It was mind-numbing how erotic it was to finally hear just how much he wanted you – how good it felt inside you

And when he came with a whimpering moan of relief, you toppled over the edge, spasming around him please, omg

You had a soft heart-to-heart about it after, curled up in bed together, making sure he felt comfortable with things and LOVED, DAMN IT

Lots of hand holding, hair stroking, and forehead and shoulder kisses by both of you 💋

Now he never hides it from you as it should be

It's brought you much closer as lovers, deepening the connection between you. You're both much happier now it's too cute, I fucking can't

Though the neighbours aren't so appreciative 🤭

I literally love Kageyama. Please cherish him with your entire soul

Nishinoya Yuu

» His spontaneity

There's no such thing a dull sex routine with this hyperactive firecracker 💥

Or any kind of routine, for that matter lmao

Anything romantic or sexual always happens spur of the moment, keeping it fresh and interesting and damn hot *fans self*

Now, Noya isn't massive in the dick department, no third leg, I'm afraid, ladies

But he's actually really decently sized, and as it turns out, the perfect size and shape for quickies which you most definitely do a lot of

Noya definitely isn't afraid of sex in public places kinda turns him on, tbh

Places you've boned, given him a blowjob, dry humped, or he's fingered you include: the park (behind some trees), in the car, in the stall of a restaurant toilet, and at the beach never again, omg, the FREAKING SAND

All this spontaneity, however, means that you're sometimes caught without a condom which will either turn you on more or make you think again depending on the circumstances

Noya is all too happy to go in raw if you're cool with it, but he does try to remember to keep a fresh rubber in his pants or wallet

He buys the extra thin-feel condoms because the sensation inside you drives him literally feral

They sometimes fall out when he's getting something out of his pocket, and it's always at the absolute worst times

Like that time he got his phone out to show your parents a some cute vacay pics, and then BAM, there it was, on the floor between you all hahahaaa, omg. You wanted to die

But it's not just about getting it on in dangerous or compromising places, though

He's just as spontaneous at home, like on the couch while watching Netflix, on the counter top while you're in the middle of cooking don't worry, you turned the stove off first, in the middle of the night when neither of you can sleep, or when you're collapsed in a giggling heap together after a short and decisive pillow fight I'll let you decide who won

It's not about specifically when or where for Noya, but about when if feels right. When that connection is there mah heart

He also tries his absolute best to talk with you about what you do and don't like, what you'd be willing to try, etc. in your free time or in make out sessions, because he's aware his spontaneity can make it hard to talk about those things and that's not his intention at all

But one thing is for sure: it's never, ever boring with Noya

He'd be like this even if y'all got married 💍

Like, you don't have to worry about a dull, routinely or (God forbid) sexless marriage. That's not his style at ALL

Tendou Satori

» His goofiness

This lanky bean can't get enough of your laugh, your smile, your giggles just you in general

He thinks it's when you're at your prettiest

So it follows that he does everything he can to see it, especially when he's trying to make the both of you cum

Smile like that when he's inside you and he'll probably shoot his loud prematurely, lmao

His naturally wacky personality really lends to it, sending you into laughing fits on a regular basis you literally get stitches in your sides

He does all sorts of things on a regular basis in order to see that beautiful smile of yours, like blowing raspberries on your neck and stomach,

~doing stupid impressions,

~having pillow fights,

~giving you piggybacks around the shopping mall at top speed like a madman,

~tickling you in that spot that only he knows about that always makes you giggle and squirm

so freaking adorable!!

He tones down the silliness a little when you're having sex because he knows it's important and not a joke, but sometimes he just can't help himself it's his natural state, after all

And honestly, it's a blessing to have a boyfriend who can make you laugh out of bed AND in it

Awkward moments, like queefs, accidentally breaking bed slats, or getting leg cramps, are always immediately dissipated by his easy going, fun loving attitude a Godsend, honestly

But he normally knows when not to turn things into a joke, making for a pretty healthy, balanced attitude

It makes for such a warm, comforting atmosphere where you feel completely at ease and at home

You feel like you can tell him anything – and you do

Sex is literally so fun with him, but it doesn't detract for the moment at all it's still hawt

He's all down to try new positions and keep it fresh, especially if the position looks fun wheelbarrow, anyone? Lmfao

Spooning!! It's so fun a squishy, and he's a but of a clingy boy

He loves nuzzling the nape of your neck, and sometimes it turns into ✨spooning sex✨

His cock's really long with a nice curve to it, so he can get a great angle like that, ayyee

It sometimes seems like sex is almost too fun for Tendou it's pretty much his favourite past time

But not in a creepy way. This goofy baby is absolutely adorable

please love this man

♡°☆°♡°☆°♡

Part 1: Oikawa, Daichi, Kuroo

Part 2: Ushijima, Suga, Bokuto

Part 3: Iwaizumi, Akaashi, Asahi

© imo-chan-imagines 2020

[b-and-willie]

Let’s Try This Again( with the completed post this time) Complications of Loathing What You Need

I know, I disappeared, and most likely will again. Serious interaction on blogs (re mine) seems to be severely lacking so there seems to be very little reason to plug on and share intimate posts publicly.

So why now? Well actually I write this post almost 2 years ago, and life has a funny way of putting us back in places we need to fix over and over again until we get it right. To be frank I highly doubt I could compose a post these days. I'm rusty in so many areas.  Covid life has put a hit on our dynamic yet it shouldn't because we have more time together- too bad our minds seem to have a constant drum in the background that seems to drown out much of our desires at the moment....

Anyway I read in a comment about a month ago something to the affect of " I read blogs sometimes and think of how sad people's lives are".  I am sure the person commenting didn't mean it as a damaging comment.  I want to point out before I continue trying to resurrect my morning's post in my mind again a few things.  I would hope that no one reads my posts and feels sad for me.  I will say that despite the struggles Barney and I have encounter since and even because of starting ttwd,  it has changed me in ways I will never ever be sorry for.  I will admit at times it seems to have caused strife between the two of us, but as I have said before, ttwd is more of a magnifier of issues that already exist more than it is a problem unto itself.  Ttwd has allowed me to unearth myself;my true, authentic self, and even in the future if for some reason we can no longer live this lifestyle that knowledge and feeling will never be taken away.

Yes it has bettered our marriage but often not in ways I read about here and there.  Sure sex is more frequent and more creative.  But honestly that is a byproduct of me being less guarded and allowing intimacy into our lives.  Anyway, that isn't why I wrote this morning.  I wrote this morning because of a few things I was reflecting on in the past 24 hours.

The first being....

Loathing What You Need

Such an ominous title right?  Here's the thing, I do LOATHE what I need.  This isn't a post about questioning my need for submission ( though one might argue it could be one questioning my sanity).  I don't fault anyone out there that is currently questioning their need for submission, I have been there countless times, but thankfully that ship has sailed! One LESS complication in my life.

No I mean I loathe the things I have to do to cultivate and maintain my submissive heartset.  Do I enjoy being spanked? HELL NO!  I mean not even a reset-though slower to start therefore easier to take in the long run it isn't a fun adventure.  Barney has and will employ BDSM tactics(?) to achieve a certain level of resetting as well.  And while I endure and my body often betrays me to indicate I enjoy it, it isn't something I crave. ( Though I am not a huge fan of 'vanilla' sex...I am more referring to the slight torture aspect lol). What I do crave is the power exchange that is created in both of these scenarios.  Do I find it 'yummy' to be told to get on my knees, or kneel- nope.  Do I find it enjoyable to wearing a plug while vacuuming, kneeling on pebbles in a freezing corner, being told to get off the computer, eat this, don't eat that, wear this, phone me if you want to have a drink/buy something/leave the house ...blah, blah, blah....Can't say I do.  No doubt my face generally indicates that as well.  BUT what I do enjoy is the benefits of doing these things- um more than the relief that I might be punished if I don't.  The benefit of, for whatever crazy reason, keeping  me unguarded.  The benefit of being constantly in my husband's 'cross hairs'.  The intimacy that is created because I have submitted to his wants, especially because I don't WANT to do them.

This isn't to say that when life is grand in the Submissive World of Willie, that I can't enjoy some aspects of submissive acts.  Some things, chore lists etc, actually become more meaningful for me.  Some days that meaning might just be that I accomplished them despite myself! lol . It also doesn't mean that I don't anticipate the needs of my husband without prompting as I do enjoy that but to me that isn't submission.

Do I have thoughts during the day like, " Well I wish he'd just ....."  yes, yes I do.  Now how confusing is that? I loath doing it, but please tell me to do it.  (Of course it goes without saying the fact that he SAYS those 'things' need to be done is a large part of the process as well)  Those of you out there that can follow my crazy rant here would probably understand it for what it is.  For me it is the end goal feeling, not the things I need to do to get me there that is the reason for the submissive acts.  I understand that there are subs out there that LOVE and Crave the acts themselves, for what they are. And I am generally a people pleaser so there is that too. But I mean  they love it, and I say "Good on you!"  I think sometimes life would be so much better and easier for Barney if I did just gleefully spring into action EVERY TIME.  I don't.  As Barney said, " You are 100% submissive - 95% of the time". It is the 5% that he tends to see now.

(Here is the don't feel sorry or 'sad' for me portion of the post )

The last month has probably been one of, if not the most difficult months in my entire life.  I know it has been THE most difficult month in the last 21 years.  There are a number of factors which have contributed to this outstanding statement,but in truth the hows or whys really aren't important.  It will be a very long time for some factors to be removed, and IF other factors can be fixed they will take a long while with a lot of work as well.  I am generally not one who can sit by and wait for life to work itself out, or to watch on the sidelines- sadly some of these situations require just that.

The one thing I can actively work on is our relationship.  It has taken a direct hit, and in some ways there was no avoiding it as focus had to be put in other areas emotionally.  However in doing so it created a situation where my submissive self became barricaded deep inside.  The dial was switched to Personal Survivor Mode.  See the big issue there?  PERSONAL....not exactly a great word to use in conjunction with ttwd dynamic.  So locked was this dial on the Personal Survivor Mode station, things Barney used to see as indications that I wasn't where I needed to be became a bone of contention.  Resentment.  The dreaded word of any relationship! Why didn't I JUST DO IT??? Were his thoughts.  It is my need after all why don't I just do it?

I was talking to a dear OLD friend last night.  We  often discuss various things but last night was a different kind of conversation, probably due to sheer emotional exhaustion on both our parts. We started discussing our submission in a way perhaps we haven't in a while.  One thing she mentioned to me in reference to something else was, the fact of how fortunate we were to " have experienced the benefits and beauty of submission".  A light went off in my head this morning thinking of that (yeah I'm a bit slow these days).  That is what has been missing these past few months.  Right before the house of cards started crumbling down around us, we had had a pretty wonderful week.  Unfortunately the pressure one felt coupled with and because of  the fulfillment of the other, seemed to cause issues immediately after said week.  I felt deeply during that week.  I felt free and myself again, even though I did screw up, and question myself as to why.  I felt it.  I felt the benefits and beauty of it.  I was once again A submissive not merely BEING submissive (and that is okay if you identify as the latter- I don't mean to put a public hierarchy on it, I am only referring to my personal feelings of self).

For the last while,and again somewhat due to life circumstances, I haven't felt fulfilled in or with my submission.   This morning I was punished, sigh AGAIN, which you know is part of the deal right? It was physically a challenging punishment to take as I had been severely punished yesterday and that had yet to leave me.  The severity wasn't due to  my act that got me punished but because of my 'act' WHILE being punished.  If you are new here or you know forgot- I tend to be a bit of a hard head which later in the day after my bravado wears off and my butt thaws is NEVER a good thing.  After my punishment I was told to reflect on how I was currently feeling and tell Barney when he asked.

Okay ladies and gents this is generally NOT a good thing for us! LOL.  At least not of late.  Barney should really know by now that he shouldn't ask questions he doesn't really want to hear the answer too! My response was I felt resentful.  I was punished and I deserved to be based on our dynamic.  I am not denying that.  I felt resentful because I feel like maybe he is putting me in a position to force his hand- literally.  He is trying to get us back on track.  He is being consistent with punishments, but for me, the punishment is a result of something else not working, or being acknowledged.  Please don't take this for me BLAMING Barney for my actions....though I suppose it does sound like that doesn't it? These are actually  his words from the not so distant past.  These punishments are isolated incidents.  Without his active dominance after, there is a void.

I never tested Barney when we started ttwd.  I know I have mentioned that countless times.  I am no saint.  I just didn't do it because he said if he ever thought I was testing him, he would end our dynamic.  I guess that stuck with me.  Have I 'poked the bear'?  Yup.  And as I have also said, I didn't test him because I was afraid that he would 'fail' and then where would I be?  In addition to that, for years I loved just doing what was required of me.  That along with self analysis was enough to help me discover who I was deep down.  But as life changes, and discoveries are made complications arise.  We are all organic in nature as are our relationships.  Those who choose not to continually adapt may eventually fail.  ( If you are married to a pain in the butt like me )

In the past, though not often with a grand amount of consistency, red flags would go up if I was being punished.  Honestly I am an emotional creature (shut it) and punishments often are not a deterrent for me.  What I mean to say is 'in the moment' I tend to forget that my butt is going to fry, or I will be unplugged (electronically) because of my words or actions.  Naturally over time Barney began to see punishments as being a failure on his part because to him I am not fearful of them (ask me right before on day two and see how NOT fearful I am of them).  I now fear the red flags are not being seen, just the red ass.  The building on dominance from the ultimate dominant situation, has been missing. (Save today, but I had already started to write, so just go with me on this one).

As I stated earlier, when situations arise and we find ourselves where we currently are, I tend to see things as isolated events.  One event not really connecting to another.  Barney tends to fixate on one 'type' of dominance during these times.  For example punishments and reactions. However, when things are running as smoothly as they can here

(pretty much as smoothly as this)

Barney can multitask in his domination.  Though punishments are rare in that 'euphoric' state...lol

Here's the thing....there are so many conflicting messages being transmitted out by me...even 5 years in.  

I need this, but I hate aspects of  it

I want you to make me, but I don't want to do it...but I will because I want to.

Make it your own, but don't forget how it affects me

Consistency with punishment is required for effective results- but it isn't all about reacting and punishments

Cultivate but ....

And when we are in a good place, these messages don't seem to be so loud, but when we go off course, everything seems to cause hurt, frustration, and the world's worst secondary emotion- anger!

All of these things of course can be talked about.  The issue really becomes not only putting it into practice, but a practice that BOTH can see.

The issue with 'falling off of the wagon' is the interpretation of the past.  What if one is clinging to the successes while one is clinging to the failures?  What if the one clinging to the successes is also affected deeply by the failures, and is holding back moving forward because of it, yet indicates that the other SHOULD just push through?

YUP....clear as mud.

We are fine (yes the dreaded word).  Barney is holding true to what he currently can.  To be honest it is me.  I am the issue.  I can go on and on as to the whys I believe I am the hold out but I'm not entirely sure that would be helpful.  After all it would only be my interpretation of events.  So the whys to me (for once in my life) aren't as important.  I have to just put one foot in front of the other and follow along- doing the best that I personally can.  But there is the issue, can/ want/ need....sigh what if some of it I loathe and after so long of not believing it mattered if I did or didn't-( you know "If a tree falls in a forest..." )how do I convince myself I should; that it will matter? At the very least to me once again?

[incorrect-ikevamp-quotes]

Yes I'd love to know your take on all the characters too!

Haha sure thing! Forgive me if this is a bit long, I just wrote whatever first came to mind about each of them! Feel free to let me know what you guys think too, I’m certainly not the end-all-be-all!

Under the cut for length, a continuation of this post:

Number four is our illustrious cad, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I must admit I haven’t read all that much of his content personally, since I have trouble on a personal level. But given the tangential things I’ve seen and his appearances in other routes, I like the complexity of his character composition. He’s incredibly hedonistic and lives in the moment; he doesn’t seem to care one bit in regards to the potential consequences of his actions, and every second is something to think about as a writer—if he’s not teasing Isaac within a hairsbreadth of a stroke.

In truth, I don’t think that surface level interpretation actually encompasses every facet of who he is. Because he also has remarkable moments of insight and deduction (though wrongly attributed to him because of the Sherlock books), and he does have odd moments of compassion for people/the MC. They ring a little hollow for me, but I can appreciate that he cares in a way that makes sense to him. I think a lot of his behavior speaks to his negligence of self; I have to wonder if his devil-may-care attitude is a means to communicate to others that he doesn’t deserve to be cared for (if he won’t ‘take them seriously’, then neither will they in regards to him, no?).

Granted, I’m sure his route will prove to have equal depth to the ones we’ve seen before, but my own preferences preclude a pretty resolute lack of interest.

Tl;dr: Probably has some level of narrative depth, but given the content I’ve seen he’s a little too aggressive and selfish for me to appreciate or enjoy it. Rated T for possible big trauma/turning point buried underneath all that, as well as big feels when he chooses you by the end.

Also if it’s no trouble, I would like to offer a trigger warning to any who wish to do his route when it does come out. I don’t know if his MS has any traces of assault/molestation, but I have read a few ES’s in which he does things to the MC that she does not seem to want/does not consent to. It was a very unpleasant surprise for me, so I understand if anyone would rather avoid it.

Number five is our sunshine painter, Vincent van Gogh. Needless to say, given that he appears to be a fan favorite, he’s another suitor that’s just so easy to love. He’s sweet and gentle no matter the situation, and has a remarkable ability to lighten a room simply by being there. But don’t let that quiet and shy disposition fool you; he’s actually a lot sharper than he looks.

He’s among my bias favorites, and the reason why is more simple than you’d think. I’m sure I don’t need to explain that he’s incredibly compassionate. He’s always thinking about what he can do to ease people’s hearts, always meets others with warmth and a beaming smile. But he’s not an airhead. He’s not kind because he doesn’t know any other way to be; near every second of it is a choice that he voluntarily makes. There are moments where this strength shines all too true, and he proves he’s much more than a pretty, sweet face. When the stakes rise, he rises with them.

Though—and do forgive me, Vincent—I’m inclined to agree a bit with his brother, Theodorus. He can be a little too yielding to the more negative forces in his life, a little too compassionate towards people that are frankly threatening. But he insists that he’s willing to work hard for his happiness, that he has no intention of waiting for someone to hand it to him—he’s ready to make sacrifices and work. And I think that sentiment, that fortitude after such a difficult life, is what makes him so admirable. He’s not just generous, he’s strong enough to give all that he can and thrive at the same time. He has such a remarkable capacity for hope given everything he’s been through, and it’s something that I love about him—I can’t help but respect it, even if I’m a bit more cynical lmao

Tl;dr: Absolutely the softest and goodest boy I have ever seen in my life, 11/10 would marry and cherish forever—die mad about it Theo. Much more intriguing than what a first glance offers, I invite you to do his route even if you have doubts; I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. I live for his surprising moments of sass and seriousness, and if I’m honest he and his MC seem to have some of the best chemistry in the game because of how directly he addresses any miscommunication/confusion between them. (He also loves hanky panky, as our esteemed Sebastian puts it, so jot that down).

Speaking of, “if anyone so much as looks at Vincent the wrong way I’m killing everyone in this room, including myself”, number seven is Theodorus van Gogh (number six is Isaac in the game’s main story order, but transitioning—you know how it is). I…truly don’t know how to encompass him in a few words, but I’ll do my best!

Everyone’s probably more than aware at this point, but he lives with the single-minded goal of protecting his brother and promoting new talent. A workaholic and fiercely protective of the only family he has left, he tends to be pretty terse and harsh with other people—abrasive. But he has such distinct moments of warmth (even if they’re still coarse as hell), and he gets down to the truth of a situation in milliseconds; wit as sharp as any knife. Unlike his brother, he is totally fine with violence if he deems it warranted, and he has a much harder time granting forgiveness. It goes without saying that he has a much, much harder time sharing what’s in his heart and healing as compared to Vincent.

I think my favorite thing about Theodorus is just how multi-faceted he is. At any given moment his range of emotion or reactivity varies, and I actually think it’s very natural? I think he’s just someone that responds to a situation after carefully measuring just how comfortable he is showing his own cards—and sometimes he reacts without thinking at all because he’s too overwhelmed with emotion to care (unsurprisingly, the opposite of his brother, who’s generally more placid/visibly unresponsive). One wonders—though I think it’s likely the case—whether or not he’s much more expressive by comparison precisely because Vincent was unable to express himself with such unfettered honesty.

Overall, he tends to keep his distance from people. And yet, even if his admiration for someone is a rare thing, when he does admire them he well and truly means it to the core. Equally put, if he loves somebody he loves them with every fiber of his being—to the point where he will give up near everything important to him to preserve their happiness. If I were to describe it in a word, I suppose I would say that he’s incredibly volatile. He lives, to an extent, in extremes; even if he’s still able to see traces of the gray in-betweens. I fully expected to find him and his route forgettable/unpleasant, but he grew on me before I even realized it! 

Also just gonna put it out there, his interactions with Vincent are friggen ADORABLE. This big, looming, scowling swagger on legs seconds from tears whenever Vincent looks after him. Or how he hesitates and droops when Vincent scolds him. I just can’t they’re too much! For a guy that calls us dog in the Japanese version of the game he sure follows Vincent like an adorable puppy 😂

Tl;dr: Despite his frigid countenance, he’s a lot more bark than he is bite (yes I did that on purpose, do your worst fangface). Once you dig deeeeep deep under all that acerbic tongue-lashing (not the fun sort, unfortunately) you will find somebody that’s surprisingly soulful, and much kinder than he’ll ever let on. I very rarely know just what to expect from him, and while he can be a bit domineering, his heart is almost always in the right place.

Boomeranging back to number six is our adorable apple and baby of the house, Sir Isaac Newton. I’ve honestly been really happy to see how much love he’s been getting in this first route release for the big three, given that he’s such a sweetheart. Consumed with anxiety and very, very socially awkward; our boy is doing his best despite being big confused a lot. He likes to stick to math and physics where things make sense, and I can’t really blame him. He presumably asked to be given new life to do more studying—and if that doesn’t say anything about how isolated and lonely this man has been, I’m not really sure what does.

He’s also a bit of a mixed bag, like Theo. He seems to have a self-esteem located at the bottom of the Marianna’s Trench; and yet, has oddly courageous moments when he’s trying to help others (most especially Jeanne). While he can appear to be contrarian and bitterly defensive, he’s more brittle and nervous than anything else upon closer inspection. He’s too quiet and painfully shy to involve himself in conversation, to the point where he literally enjoys being teased about apples in the house—because at least he feels like he’s involved/belongs, that way. He’s distant and reserved, but isn’t lacking in warmth or compassion—he just expresses it in roundabout ways (I mean good lord, the boy felt bad waking up his own coachman). It can be hard to describe, but it seems like he’s always battling against his social anxiety—and sometimes it wins, sometimes he does.

I think what I love best about Isaac is how hard he tries, despite it all. Despite everything he’s lost, despite the droves of people that assumed the worst of him in life—he keeps trying, against all hope, to understand and be understood. Even when he’s afraid of being hated, even when he fully expects to fail, he picks himself back up and reaches out—no matter how difficult it is for him. All he ever asks of the MC is to bear with him while he tries to find those answers and meet her halfway, and honestly I think that’s the sweetest thing ever.

Tl;dr: Lost on the path of life but doing his best, all he’s ever really wanted is someone to call friend (girlfriend, if you’re so inclined). A little fragile and a little timid, all he needs is a gentle nudge in the right direction.

Next up, number eight, is the renowned veteran Jeanne D’Arc. Another bias boy (my list is endless for this game, lord) his route is my second favorite right behind Leonardo’s. Superbly written and paced, every moment of romancing him was raw and heartfelt.

Without giving too much away, he is taciturn and reclusive to the extreme—I’m talking hermit levels. But I loved that personally; it makes total sense that a man born literally four hundred years ago is going to be confused and overwhelmed by the level of stimuli present in the turn of the 20th century. And given how, much like Isaac, he has enormous levels of social anxiety—it makes for a very difficult way of life. The other men do their best to accommodate him, but there are other reasons why he avoids getting too close to people, no matter their good intentions (that part is a route spoiler so I’ll leave it to your imagination c:).

I think what I loved best about his route was how much it was about helping each other heal. And while some otomes can fall into trap of MC becoming his therapist (I’m not naming names—Mysme) it doesn’t feel that way at all, at least not to me. Granted, she does a lot to get him out of his shell, but it’s more because she wants to get along with him than some odd belief that he needs her help (also bc of wingmen Mozart and Sebastian—yes it was as amazing as it sounds). Not unlike Leonardo’s route, they both recognize the beauty that dwells deep within each other, and they fall in love without even having to think about it. They become just what the other wants and needs, without even trying—truly as natural as falling.

Which brings me to the other thing I love so, so much about Jeanne: his kindness. Despite everything he’s been through, despite decades filled with loneliness and pain and trauma—he’s no less gentle for it. He’s always putting MC before himself, always telling her to look after herself first and insisting he’s nothing but a nuisance. He treats her with all the tenderness in the world, and even jokes around with her in his moe, silly way. He’s charming and delightful and sweet, even if he can’t see it.

Tl;dr: One of my favorite otome routes to date. Falling in love with him felt as natural and as easy as breathing, and every single time I see him those feelings come rushing back. What he lacks in worldliness, he makes up for in pure passion and fierce consideration for the people he holds close to his heart.

At number nine lies our Monsieur Guillaume, better known as William Shakespeare. Where on earth do I begin with this one, I have no idea. He’s…a wild card to say the least, though a strangely methodical one? Jeanne’s Japanese route only served to confuse me all the more, to say nothing of Vincent’s route. Part of me wonders if he suffers from the narrative confusion that often results from making a suitor a primary antagonist at the same time. (Though I will admit, the fact that he barely even tries in Leonardo’s route bc: 1. Everyone’s terrified of Le Comte’s/Leonardo’s legitimate wrath 2. He deadass says LEONARDO CLOWNS HIMSELF HARD ENOUGH AND MAKES HIMSELF SO MISERABLE HE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE TO TRY. WHAT KIND OF GOD TIER, ACCURATE ROAST. I’m sorry I just needed to come clean about that one, I’ve been laughing about it for years).

From what I understand he only really operates in two modes: extremely obsessive (and violent) or a complete lack of interest. Le Comte explains it much better than I do, but Shakespeare is a bit of a perfectionist; he wants an impeccable performance from a perfect, naturally acting cast. But MC tempers this with the correct analysis that he also has a very, very dark lack of compassion for other people. He truly does seem to have fae blood in that way; created for the sole purpose of dangerous mischief and dissembling. His poetic speech feels a little over the top, but it makes sense that he would speak in a flowery, distracting, and elaborate way if his goal is to keep his distance.

I find it…borderline terrifying that he gets along with Vincent because of the aftermath of Vincent’s trauma. As a result of the eldest van Gogh’s backstory, he tends to be “doll-like.” That is to say, as I mentioned, he very rarely expresses any depth of emotion. Shakespeare states that it lessens his temptation to want to make his life a tragedy like everyone else’s, and I suspect there is a level of envy hidden there. Shakespeare hates seeing other people express themselves openly; especially in terms of hope or love, because it is something he doesn’t feel he can have or because he believes it is fated to end in tragedy (or both?). His reasons seem to get pretty convoluted and can vary given the narrative goal, so I may only be partially correct here.

Tl;dr: If I’m honest, I don’t really feel anything for Shakespeare that’s positive—though I admit I do wonder about his intentions and what his route will amount to (sheer, morbid curiosity lol). I think he may have the potential to be redeemed—given that there are clear mentions of people going wrong from the turning process. But in general I find much of his behavior to be kind of appalling. At least it’s fun to watch le Comte punt kick him around when he’s done horrible things, lol (forgive me Shakespeare-lovers, it’s a bit cathartic for me)

Diez for our favorite (H)osamu Dazai, accomplice and enabler of Arthur’s thottery. He’s much simpler and somehow just as confusing as Shakespeare to get a handle on, and his content is pretty limited, but I’ll do my best to encompass what I understand!

Honestly, I find him a little fascinating in that he truly seems to believe that he’s good at keeping his distance; evading contact with MC, constantly calling her by the wrong name, and teasing her with his dramatic digressions—on the surface level, the implication is there. The game is very subtle about his moments of genuine unrequited feeling and adoration; if you blink it’s easy to miss. When a crisis hits, he uses her given name. When he’s frustrated that she’s not being treated as she deserves, he speaks out. He even tries the whole big brother schtick, though she brushes it aside (he was shooketh). Perhaps the abundance of third person narration makes it easier to tell (than it might be for MC) but I find he’s less convincing than he is stalling/avoiding the truth. Which begs the question. Why is he trying so hard if it seems half-hearted/forced?

The possibilities are, admittedly, myriad. My best guess is that he yearns for company even if he avoids/fears the commitment. I imagine a big part of his route will be getting him to accept the concept of companionship—no matter how much the idea scares him. I find it a little ironic, though, that for a man so desperate to die he says it wasn’t as fun as he thought it might be. Are the limitations his mental illness placed on him among his considerable regrets, enough that he felt compelled to try again in a new life? Only time will tell, I suppose.

Tl;dr: A little scatter-brained and a lot flighty, he’s lacking in conviction but not in compassion—and he may be a lot sharper than he first lets on. Rife with some sort of emotional/mental hardships, be prepared for a long, difficult ride if he’s among your favorites! It makes me wonder if MC will be reason enough for him to find meaning and peace in life for once, not unlike Jeanne’s rt. A girl can hope~

Ah yes, we arrive at another deeply beloved bias, Le Comte de Saint-Germain. I very much doubt there are words to encompass how much I love this man, but I will do my very best for your sake—and for his (it’s what he deserves).

Le Comte is a mystery to all but Leonardo, it would appear; right down to his alias. And in intriguing accordance with that fact, he is at times the epitome of a genteel nobleman—until he’s ready to unleash a flagrant can of whoopass to protect people. I think what I love best about him is that he’s quite literally a walking contradiction, in many senses of the word. He’s a gentleman with the heart of a punk/delinquent, only civil until a dispute carries too far. Saint Germain is the definition of a brittle character (something I have always been incredibly fond of in stories); I can never quite get a read on him. My best guess would be to say that while he’s patient, he’s also unpredictable. It’s not always clear how affected he’ll be by something or what he’s feeling. But when it becomes too much for him to bury within, you better believe everyone in a five mile radius can feel the aftermath. You’ll all come to understand what I mean, hopefully, but it’s the precise reason Leonardo becomes friends with le Comte—and why he continues to fascinate me.

And as odd as it sounds, I love how simple he is too, to some extent? No matter how convoluted the specifics of a situation get or blame is thrown around, he always cuts to the core of the issue—and doesn’t let anyone sidetrack that. He’s cautious, but not entirely incapable of being forthright; just choosy about when, where, and how. Which begs the question. Why does he always hold back so distinctly with MC? Side stories in the Japanese version suggest some very deeply rooted, agonizing fear that makes him avoid getting close to her no matter how much he likes her. I have theories, but nothing solid quite yet. All I know for now is that he is slightly shady, very benevolent, and a whole lot lonely.

Tl;dr: He’s literally the definition of the meme “aren’t you tired of being nice? don’t you just wanna go apeshit.“ Works to be gentle and understanding, but the second he deems somebody has gone too far he will act with surprising, swift, and deadly vehemence. He’s very sweet and surprisingly possessive/direct about his affections—though he often plays it off like a joke. I always find it funny though, when some of the residents—especially Arthur/Shakespeare—know they’ve gone too far and they just look up to his dark, saccharine smile like FUCK. 11/10 I’ve been waiting centuries for this man Cybird, pls set me free And last, but certainly not least, we have our distinguished butler, Sebastian. I love this big ol' nerd but can't deny that he does me a bit of a frighten. He can do...literally anything on the domestic front, and frankly its a bit alarming 😂😂

Just as the little question mark next to his description as stoic indicates, he goes for the whole unruffled English butler vibe and nails it for the most part. He's even got the witty banter down! But he's also pretty direct and unapologetic about his love for historical figures--and the stalkerish lengths he'll go to to observe them all. (I mean come on, this fool literally overshares about himself in milliseconds if you let him). Granted I can't fault the man for doing what makes him happy. Like Isaac, I just have to resist the urge to gently shove him into a locker sometimes lmaoAs for his romantic potential, I think the possibilities really range. From what little I've seen, I think he might be a bit like Mozart? He seems very unaccustomed to social interaction--and given his backstory he was more interested in books and people long dead than the ones beside him. He also has a bit of that fastidiousness to him, a bit stern and awkward despite moments of warmth. I think he can be more preoccupied with cutting straight to the truth sometimes than he is about figuring out how a person needs to be spoken to (re: what is tact?). And that's charming in it's own way, though the result can be hilarious inadvertent moments of callousness--quite literally photo taken seconds before disaster lmfao. (I think my favorite instance of this was when he was trying to reassure MC once and totally fucks it up, only to see her start panicking and go "Oh shit, I stepped on a verbal landmine, didn't I" and then Comte comes to the rescue) Tl;dr: Honestly, I think he'll be a really cute love interest even if I am all about the vampires in the game. He's his own kind of genius, even if he doesn't see it, and deserves just as many hugs! And I think he severely underestimates how sexy it is for a man to willingly share in the responsibilities required of a household. Get you a man as capable and sharp as Sebas LOL

[ofxwordsxandxletters]

You and Me, Always

Series: Wynonna Earp

Disclaimer: The Plot and pairing are mine and the characters are borrowed in this work of fan-made fiction.

Pairing: Levi/Ambrose

Rating: PG-13

Since I ignore canon to suit my own needs; I am most certainly changing Levi's fate from Season One. Why? Because I want to and honestly that's all the reason I really need. So Canon, whomst? I do not know her.

Carry on.

*~*~*~*

You and Me, Always

It would be the next morning that he'd feel himself dragged back to the right side of the line. Eyes squeezed shut tight and feeling a rush of relief as the burning stops, Levi doesn't dare move too afraid that another misstep will get him pitched right back.

He's very aware when the shackle around his ankle is removed and struggles with the want to tighten into as small a form as he can manage. “Here's a good idea for you while you are unable to argue with me; do not ever do that again because if you do and I am forced to make another example of you it's going to be Ambrose that pays the price.”

He feels himself flinch knowing that it was not an idle threat and definitely not wanting Bobo Del Rey anywhere in Fish’s general vicinity if he was angry. “Good,” the male continues clearly feeling his response, “Since we understand each other now know that I do not want to have to do this again.”

Of course he leaves him there to finish healing, not that anything was that much of a threat which is both blessing and curse because that means anyone of the others could, in theory, come there. He just doubts after the spectacle their boss had made of him that no one was very desiring of crossing him in any way.

So he tells himself to just rest and get back to the trailer hopefully before someone else told Ambrose about this. He doubted his partner would do anything stupid: Fish was far more cautious in his dealings than Levi and tended to be careful. Levi could be strong-willed and throw himself headfirst into things even ones that weren’t good for him. It was something that hadn’t changed from their past.

And he almost manages something akin to sleep, his body needing to conserve energy to repair the burnt flesh when he makes out the distinct sound of footsteps. He can’t bring himself to look and hopes that it’s not more trouble. “Why is it that I’m never surprised anymore?”

Fish’s voice is quieter than his normal playful tone and Levi wants to reassure him that it was fine, that he would be fine because he would but he hasn’t the energy for that. “I want so badly to just punch him for this. There was no reason even to secure Doc’s promise of loyalty...which by now we all know is garbage. He’s going to side with Wynonna in the end. She’s an Earp. It’s damn near inevitable.”

He tries to speak but his throat is too hoarse from screaming so he merely manages to open his eyes and gaze up at the other. Ambrose’s expression is pained but tender. “Honestly, Trouble,” he murmurs as he kneels down, “You need to be more careful with things.”

He closes his eyes again as Ambrose reaches and lightly threads his fingers through his hair. “I know what you’re going to say though,” he remarks, “You’ll point out that it wasn’t much of a choice at this point and if things aren’t made clear about our Boss’s ability to follow through on threats he’s going to have a hell of a time reigning in some of the Revs. I know that. I just...could he pick someone else to make an example out of?”

Levi is sure he probably could; too many of the Revenants seemed ill-disposed towards doing anything useful at this stage but he knew also that Bobo Del Rey was a man of forward thinking. He could see the big picture better than anyone and so Levi had to trust he knew what he was doing. Trust and keep his nose out of things better. But they were all so goddamn tired of the curse and dealing with each new Heir. Some peace would be nice at this point that wasn’t hell.

Ambrose soon goes silent and Levi wonders what his lover was considering before he feels the light weight of a sheet drawn over him. “No sense in moving you right now,” he murmurs, “So guess we’re sleeping under the stars tonight. If we’re lucky you’ll be healed by the morning.” And if there was a more clear punishment for idiocy it was the fact that he cannot enjoy the feel of the other making himself comfortable against him.

Ambrose’s words would ring true as Levi stirs at daybreak. Awakening, he finds most of the burns have all but vanished and the rest would be gone by that evening. He watches Ambrose sleep curled into him content and peaceful. Levi smiles at the sight he makes like that. Of all the things in the world; that he had Ambrose was his most cherished blessing. While this curse wasn’t something he would wish on anyone, having the one man he loved most with him made it bearable.

It’s not long before his partner stirs, eyes blinking open slowly before he’d smile. “Well, there you are. Feel like getting into less trouble going forward?”

“To be fair...that wasn’t exactly the plan here,” he manages.

Ambrose chuckles as he sits up before leaning and kissing his nose. “Ah huh. You get into trouble without even looking for it. I can’t say as I don’t worry but...sometimes it just doesn't do any good to work oneself up. Besides, I think the others are going to finally get into line with that little show. If someone like Doc Holliday will do as he’s told...they might want to stay on the Boss’s good side.”

“We need to get the Heir to do something else with her time that isn’t chasing us down.”

“Maybe,” Ambrose agrees, “but for now we need to just stay out of the boss’s way and let him handle things. I’d prefer if you’d stay close and out of his hair for a bit.”

Levi slowly pulls him closer before murmuring, “For you? Anything.”

Ambrose chuckles before cupping his face and kissing him softly, sweetly. “I love you, you troublesome thing. Now c’mon and let’s get you showered.”

[spnfanficpond]

November 2019 Pond LiveChat Recap

We had a great time chatting with @tricia-16, today! Thank you so much for joining us and giving us your thoughts!

We had a great time today chatting about keeping characters true to what we’re used to seeing on screen, even when we’re writing them into an AU. How do you decide what traits are sacred and what you can or should change when you take our beloved boys out of the hunting life and into other worlds? A rundown of the chat, as well as general Pond new, is below the cut!

For those who don’t know her, Tricia is not (yet - I’m gonna work on her!) a member of the Pond, but she is a popular Destiel writer on AO3, and a force for good in the fandom on Twitter. Most of her stories are AUs, with a couple of canon stories, so she has experience in both types. Her current WIP is called Light Me Up, and it’s based around Dean and Cas discovering that Lisa had a child after a fateful night with the two of them. Lisa has recently passed, and gave joint custody of her son, Liam, to Dean and Cas together. The prequel, Why’s It Feel So Good? is simply hot, Hot, HOT, and shouldn’t be skipped! She updates every Monday, which helps to fight off the Garfield in all of us and make Mondays something to look forward to.

We started off talking about side characters.

Q: (@loudenswainfangirl​ (Michelle H.) How do you create that AU version when you don't have a lot of canon content to draw from? For instance, Donna. Canon gives us some in sight to her character but there is also a lot we don’t know. I've been working on a fic with Donna as the main and I'm having a difficult time putting my own interpretation on her. Inner thoughts, hang ups, struggles, that sort of thing.

Tricia: Michelle, I have no idea how you do that with the side characters who don't have a lot to go on. I think that's why in my stories they tend to focus more completely on Cas/Dean than the surrounding characters. I think in a lot of cases they end up more like an original character with a familiar character's face, in my head. If you're talking AU, I'd create almost an entire new character with Donna's personality. Write down how she grew up, her likes/dislikes, her personality flaws and strengths. You'll get an idea of who she is, which should help influence her dialogue and motivations behind why she acts how she does within the story.

Q: Have you gotten any backlash for side characters not sounding right or being OOC?

Tricia: I don't think many people read my stories for the side characters, so I haven't gotten a ton of feedback on them. I know people didn't like Charlie's big mouth in Start of Something Good, but I think she'd be super forward like that to try to help Dean so it didn't bother me.

Q: Which do you find easier, AU or canon?

Tricia: AU, without a doubt. And it's for the simple reason that I think there's more wiggle room when it comes to keeping them in character that way. While a lot of the big character traits will remain the same, there's wiggle room to change some things up depending on the world I create. A big one is family life. If Dean grew up with both parents in a loving home, I find it easy to believe he wouldn't be quite as emotionally unavailable as he is on the show, for example. @katehuntington​ (Kate): I get that, I can relate to that. I find both comfortable, but with AU’s I feel like I need to establish where I wanna go first, and then think how Dean (for instance) would get there and how it would affect him. AUs also create situation that wouldn’t be possible in canon, like certain side characters interacting with each other. That’s what I like about it. Michelle H.: That's what I love about AU, Tricia. Creating a different background opens up so many possibilities. An AU is, essentially, your world. I feel more people will be more critical and have higher expectations with canon based fic.

Q: What do you do when you're afraid you've maybe taken a character too far outside of their usual character?

Kate: Say their lines out loud if it’s dialogue, checking if I can hear that character say that. And it depends on the background. I’m honestly not worried that often. Guess with two or three betas on board who would tell me if it’s OOC, you build that kind of confidence. So what was said earlier: if Sam or Dean for instance grew up in a stable environment, they would respond differently than they would canon. @mrswhozeewhatsis​ (Mrs. Michelle): Betas help a LOT. Talking it out with other fans is HUGE, sometimes. (If you’re looking for a beta, check out this list of betas here!) Kate: Going over scenarios with people who know your story, your style, etc, is really helpful! Michelle H: You think so? Because that's what I want to do and have so far but I'm afraid of backlash. Mrs. Michelle: Never be afraid of backlash. If someone else doesn't like your interpretation, they don't have to read it. And if they're rude enough to comment, they're just RUDE. Michelle H: Good point. I guess because I write rare pairs I have so little exposure and I'm afraid to chase away those I do have. Tricia: If you can explain WHY your character is the way that she is (even within the story or outside of it in comments, etc) you shouldn't face much backlash. They might not like the choices you make, but that's on them, not you.

Q: What are the easiest and hardest parts of staying true to SPN characters when writing AUs for you?

Tricia: Easiest is the big things. Dean loves pie, drives his car, loves rock music. Sam's a nerd, Cas doesn't know much about pop culture/doesn't get a lot of jokes. Those are the things I feel should stay the same in any universe. (Imagine a world where Dean doesn't like his car? WHO IS HE?) Hardest is getting Dean to talk about his feelings. We know him to be closed off and anti-emotion, so to make him open up enough to fall in love while still remaining in character is always a struggle. That's why so many of my fics are from Dean's POV. Without access to his inner thoughts, he'd come across completely different than he does with them. Kate: Easiest parts for me is taking there personality traits, analyse where they come from and if you can, use those traits in favor of your story. Hardest part for me is when you wanna make certain changes for the sake of the AU, but feel like it’s not in character. That’s the hiccup I experience most. For instance (for the people who know Ride With Me) Dean on the show can’t really play guitar and his singing isn’t great either. For my country boy/cowboy AU, I added that, even though it’s not of significant importance to the story line. It just felt good. I go on gut feeling a lot personally.

Q: What changes to their character might you first consider when you're coming up with a new story line? Are there any traits that you immediately considering changing without question, and conversely, are there any traits that are sacred? For example, you've already discussed how Dean is different when he's had a stable family. Is that a common starting point for you, or does it depend on the story?

Tricia: This might seem like an obvious answer, but Dean and Cas's sexuality is always a big one. Do they know they're attracted to men when they meet? Are they purely attracted to men, bi, do they think they're straight? Dean "getting around" sexually is almost always part of my stories. I can't imagine a prude-ish version of Dean. Kate: For me Dean’s self worth (or the lack of it) and his kindness for the people who need it, are traits that I won’t ever let go of.

Q: Besides pie and Baby, are there any other traits of Dean and Cas that you feel are sacred and shouldn't be touched?

Tricia: Dean's fierce protectiveness of Sam is the first thing that comes to mind. I think I tend to write Cas as seeing Dean as almost... perfect. He refuses to give up on him, forgives him even when he shouldn't, and that's all based on who he is on the show, too. 

Q: Has there ever been a story line or story element that you've loved, but ultimately decided to ditch because it was too OOC, even for an AU?

Tricia: When I wrote Molting Expectations, there's a scene where Cas was basically going into "angel heat" and I actually wrote Dean giving into temptation and something physical happening between them when Cas clearly didn't know what he was asking for. And once I wrote it, I read it over, and immediately went, "Nope. Dean's stronger than that." And I ditched the whole scene.

Q: On those occasions where you wrote in canon, you obviously have to be more strict about changing things. How do you decide what's sacred and what can be shifted? Basically, what’s your barometer for “I’ve gone too far this time”?

Tricia: I think for me, it comes down to my interpretation of the characters. Some die hard fans would tell you that Dean is 100% straight and nothing can convince them otherwise. I believe there are moments of episodes that imply he's not 100% straight, so I feel justified in making that more explicit in my stories. Dean admitting he likes chick flicks makes me think maybe he's a bit softer inside than he wants to present a lot of the time, so I can almost exploit that about him in canon fic, for example. But more than anything, I think, it's the dialogue that I struggle with in canon fic, and after reading it back, it's a gut feeling. There's a lot of tweaking individual words, changing the way I make my characters talk to the way Dean/Cas actually talk. I do that by looking at transcripts of episodes. That's actually how I wrote Donna's dialogue in Light Me Up, even though it isn't canon, because I haven't written her character very much. I looked at the words she repeats in all of the episodes she's in to get a sense for how she spoke. I wrote a big love confession from Dean during Don't, and then scrapped it all because I couldn't see him actually saying that out loud. (And it frustrated me because it was SO GOOD and all things Dean was thinking, but I knew in my gut they were words he'd never say out loud.) Mrs. Michelle: I've noticed that the characters in this show we love really don't talk much. Any time I've written a long paragraph of one of TFW talking, I've always cut it down to a third of it. They rarely make speeches. @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish​ (Kaisha): Those are Winchesters for you, as few words as possible!  Tricia: They also use each other's names 100 times more than regular people in regular conversation! LOL Kate: I go on gut when it comes to taking a character too far. And also remember that it’s your story. If you believe that Dean or Sam would respond a certain way under these circumstances, then write it.

Q: Dean and smoking: In character or not? And why or why not?

Tricia: Smoking seems self-destructive enough (with the benefit of soothing nerves, or so I've heard) that I could see Dean smoking. The only reason I can think of why in canon it wouldn't be in character is because of the cost. Especially when the Winchesters didn't have the bunker, would Dean always have the money to buy a pack of smokes? I would guess probably not. Michelle H: I would think he'd rather use the funds for whiskey. Mrs. Michelle: I could see Dean stealing smokes. Like, back in the olden days when they weren’t kept locked up. Of course, the first time he got winded, and therefore injured by a monster, he might decide to quit.

To wrap up, we all kind of agreed that when we’re questioning if a character is OOC or not, we try to imagine the character in canon doing or saying what we’ve written and we go with our gut. If we’re still unsure, we ask friends and beta readers for help. As always, Betas make everything betta!!

Next month we’re going to talk about structuring long plots with @jhoomwrites​ on 12/7/19 at 5PM Eastern time! Mark your calendars!

General Pond Updates and Reminders

What we’ve got cooking up next: Not much, at the moment, since everyone is busy, so we’re just trying to keep up with the day-to-day at the moment! Our to do list is still long, though, and will not be neglected forever! Next up is organizing the tagging system on the blog to make it easier for readers to find the stories they’re interesting in and for writers to find the help they’re looking for!

Reminders:

Angel Fish Award nominations are accepted all month long! No need to wait to tell us how much you liked a fellow Fish’s work!  IF YOU HAVE SENT IN A NOMINATION, BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A PRIVATE MESSAGE CONFIRMING WE RECEIVED IT, WE DIDN’T GET IT. Be sure to use Submit instead of Ask!

Don’t forget to submit your stories to be posted to the blog! When your stories are on the blog, then they are easier to nominate for Angel Fish Awards!

Say hi to October’s New Members! (If we missed someone, let us know!)

Check the Pond CALENDAR to see when Big Fish will be in the Skype chat room/discord general channel and other Pond and SPN events are happening! Know of something that’s not on the calendar, send us an ask or submission with the deets info details!  The calendar offers a lot of features, such as showing you when things are in your own timezone! Since we’re an international group, that’s a definite plus!! 

We’re looking for a guest speaker for January to talk about RPF! If you know of an RPF writer that you’d like to hear from, let us know!!

[olicitysecretsanta]

Worth Fighting For

This fluffy semi-canon fic is for you Liz @trippin-over-my-fandoms by @tangled23works!

It’s been a pleasure to write this story even though I’m sure it’s not exactly what you had in mind. I promise, however, there is a method to my madness. Hope you’ll enjoy it! Merry Christmas!

Summary : Oliver has a devious plan in order to charm his wife after a stupid fight. Meanwhile, Felicity may have been blind to the obvious.

Rating : Teen and Up Audiences

Word count : 2217

***

The fight had started innocently enough. Oliver had made a rather self-deprecating comment which Felicity now couldn’t even remember and she had exploded like a bomb. A year’s worth of repressed emotions and negative thoughts had violently burst out of her like a swollen river. She had blamed him for things that he had honestly thought they had put behind them with all the drama that happened last year. She had accused him of having one foot out the door, always thinking of ways to leave her like her father. That comparison had hurt him more than anything else. In other words, she had had a major freakout. In her loud voice. 

To top it all off, she had banished her poor husband out of the room. Oliver for his part had accepted her decision, looking stoic as always. His eyes, however, his beautiful, blue eyes that never failed to pull her in had given away his inner turmoil. In a calm and collected manner, he had obeyed her wishes and slept on the couch. 

The morning after, Felicity had woken up on the verge of tears. The huge Christmas tree in the empty living room seemed to mock her. William was still in Cambridge and she missed him terribly.

Feeling desolate and alone, she had made a cup of coffee and had been considering the best way to apologize to Oliver when her phone beeped. Sighing, she unlocked the screen thinking that it would probably be her husband checking on her when she noticed that he had sent her not a message but an email with an attached photo. Intrigued, she downloaded the attachment while shaking her head at the fact that Oliver was incapable of using imessage or messenger or any other app more advanced that good ol’ regular gmail. 

At first she couldn’t make sense of what she was seeing. Did Oliver send her spam?

The moment she turned the device sideways, however, she figured it out. The sneaky vigilante knew that she had a thing for his arms so he had sent her a picture of him flexing his biceps. She couldn’t see his face but she figured out that he was training at the Foundry 2.0, shirtless. It took a few minutes of daydreaming about her husband’s arms around her, caging her in, protecting her before she realized what the photo meant. Oliver was fighting for her, for them, in his own weird way.

Felicity sighed again - a much more satisfied sigh this time - and poured her awful coffee down the sink. The thing had tasted like dirt. Well, she had actually never eaten dirt on purpose but the coffee was dry and stale, hence the dirt analogy. She looked into the empty mug, worriedly. It was as if someone had drowned a cigarette in there. The thought upset her stomach so much that she made sure to stay out of the kitchen and as far away from coffee as possible for the rest of the morning.

At 2 pm, her phone beeped again. Felicity almost tripped in her haste to reach it. Feeling restless and on edge, she opened the attachment and moaned out loud. Her devious husband was shirtless and glistening with sweat on this one. Granted, all she could see was his glorious, scarred back and muscular shoulders but it was enough to make her flush all over. She bit her lip and felt the need to literally fan herself. If he was trying to woo her he was doing a damn good job of it. She ended up woolgathering for a ridiculous amount of time considering that she usually had the actual man in front of her and could stare to her heart’s content, before an unwelcome thought hit her. She furiously typed one simple question.

Who took this picture Oliver? 

His reply came a few seconds later, though it felt like an eternity to her.

Dig. I promised that we would never EVER mention it to anyone. 

Felicity giggled like a freaking schoolgirl at the thought of big, mean Spartan taking candid photos of the fearsome Green Arrow to help him win his wife over.

I also had to give him my precious Starling Rockets vs New York Yankees tickets. 

Aww, you must really love me.

She added several heart emojis to the last message just to tease him. Oliver didn’t reply but she could picture him grumbling to Dig, complaining about her inability to share his love for the Rockets and baseball in general. Happy to miss the diatribe that would surely follow - her husband was surprisingly eloquent when it came to sports - Felicity focused on writing the algorithm for her new and improved security system. It had been a month since the last update and she had work to do.

She had created the system last year after the Lizard’s attack (she refused to call him the Dragon, it was a matter of principle) and she was proud of it. Apart from providing protection for her family, the system had made her famous among tech companies. Several of the biggest names in the tech world had hired her and decided to trust her technology in the months that followed. Including a certain Mr. Dennis, current CEO of PalmerTech, but Felicity had graciously declined that offer. 

She was deeply engrossed in coding the next time the phone beeped. Felicity took a deep breath and refused to hurry, stretching instead to relieve the pressure from her sore back. Let Oliver worry for a few minutes. He wanted to break her resistance but she would not give in that easily. He had to work harder to change her mind. Although to be honest if he was naked in this one, she would definitely fold like a cheap deck of cards. But there was no way that her husband would risk sending a naked pic online. Not with all the Green Arrow media frenzy that followed his every move. Surely she had taught him better than that. Right? Right? 

Okay, now she was officially freaking out.

Felicity grabbed the phone and considered it for a moment. This thing was a bigger threat to her sanity than evil doppelgangers from Earth X. It was more potent than any guilty pleasure she could ever dream of. More potent than molten lava chocolate cake, more compelling than Oliver’s authentic Italian tiramisu, more powerful than creamy raspberry cheesecake… Trying to focus, she stared at the damn device as if it was the enemy.

Felicity huffed in annoyance. She was being utterly ridiculous and it was all her husband’s fault. She proceeded to download the photo and reminded herself that she was made of stronger stuff. She would not cave no matter what. 

“Oh my God!”

The good news was that Oliver was not naked. The bad news was that it was worse. Way worse. He was actually standing in front of the mirror, wearing his tuxedo (including the jacket and an unraveled bow tie) but he had left the shirt unbuttoned all the way down. The suspenders were hanging down making the whole outfit more sexy if that was possible. Adding insult to injury, he had taken a selfie. Not of his face. That would have been too kind. Of his gorgeous abs. 

Felicity enlarged the photo, staring at it, slack-jawed. The sight of his out of this world eight-pack abs caused her toes to curl like they described in romance novels.

“That’s it. I’m gonna kill him this time.”

She heard the front door open before she could finish plotting her nefarious revenge schemes. She couldn’t hear a sound but she knew who it was. There was only one person in Star City who could be so stealthy, moving silently like a ninja.

Felicity turned towards him steeling her spine. As soon as she came face to face with the source of her frustration though she felt her resolution crumble. He looked good enough to eat. Pun intended.

“You’re still wearing your tux!” she accused in a high-pitched voice.

“I know.”

He took one tiny step forward.

“I’m still mad at you.”

“I know.”

Another step.

“Even if I’m not sure why.”

“I know.”

Another step.

“Oliver, I have no idea what’s going on with me. First, I get so mad that I want to throw stuff at you. Then, I get so horny I want to jump you as soon as you get home. And now, I feel…”

“What? Tell me, Felicity.”

He had almost reached her when he paused, waiting for her answer.

“I feel like crying. Which is unfair because I don’t know why I feel that way. And my coffee tastes like dirt and my back hurts and I’m miserable all the time,” she whined.

Felicity narrowed her eyes when she noticed her husband’s sly smile. “Why are you laughing?”

“I’m smiling,” he corrected, “because I know what’s wrong with you.”

“You do?” she asked, surprised.

He nodded and another softer smile adorned his stupidly handsome face.

“Care to elaborate?”

“I’m considering it.”

“Why?”

“Because the moment I tell you, you’re gonna freak out. Because I’m worried you’re not ready for this. Felicity, I’m afraid I’m gonna lose you.”

It was her who covered the remaining distance in the end. 

“Oh, Oliver,” she whispered. “You’re not gonna lose me.”

He looked down, avoiding her gaze.

Felicity took his arms and placed them around her waist. She had to stand on her toes and lean her head back to meet his eyes but it was worth it.

“Hey, what’s wrong? I know I’m behaving like a hormone-crazed teenager at the moment but I swear that you’re not gonna lose me. No matter what.”

He shrugged and didn’t comment.

Felicity put her lips against his. Not kissing him, just that silly thing they sometimes did where they whispered their thoughts against each other’s lips.

“I’m glue, baby. Remember?”

His eyes lit up brighter than their Christmas tree at the reminder. 

“Hi,” he whispered, tenderly.

Felicity caressed the back of his neck adoring the way his scruff felt against her face. They had been through so much and they would probably go through a lot more in the future. But it was okay as long as they had each other. 

“Oliver?” she murmured.

He gave her a slow, wicked smile.

“Why are you wearing your tux? Is it because I got mad at you?”

“No.”

“Because it’s Christmas and you thought that I deserve a present?” she asked hopefully.

“You deserve all the presents. But no.”

“Then why? Are we celebrating anything today?”

She played with his hair while he mulled over his reply.

“Felicity,” he said at last, sounding gentle and unsure, “I think that you’re going to give me the best present of my life in a few months.”

Her eyes which had previously closed because of the safety of his warm embrace, flew open.

“No,” she denied.

Oliver stroked her back smoothly.

“Really?” she asked, unnerved.

“Yes.” 

“How can you know?” To say that she was feeling overwhelmed by the idea would be an understatement.

“Trust me. I know.”

The look in his eyes… In that moment, Felicity would have done anything to keep him looking at her like this forever. Like she was the one constant in his life that would never change. Like she was his anchor. Like she had wrapped the world and offered it to him as a gift.

And that was the thought that broke through her panic. Because Oliver was her anchor as well. He had given her the world from the first moment he had walked in her cubicle and trusted her with his life as the Hood. She might have doubted many things during the past year but she had never, not once, doubted his love for her. And she knew unequivocally, deep in her bones that he would always cherish their child.

“I trust you,” she breathed. 

To an outsider it might have seemed like she was replying to his earlier comment but Oliver understood. She was giving him back something she had kept locked since he had first lied to her about his son. She was giving him back a piece of her heart that she had desperately tried to keep safe.

They got lost in each other for a while, both misty-eyed but beaming.

“Do you think we’ll be good parents?” he said out of the blue. “I mean, William is already a teenager but with the life we lead, it might not always be possible for us to be there for this little one.”

“Then our child will grow up knowing that we did everything we could to protect him. He’ll know that his parents loved him even if we’re not there to show him.”

“Her,” he corrected.

Felicity tried to raise an eyebrow and failed.

“Her?”

“She’s a girl,” he announced in what Felicity called ‘his mayoral voice’. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

She shook her head in amusement. Girl or boy she had no doubt that her child would grow up loved.

“Best Christmas ever,” she declared, feeling happiness suffuse every molecule of her being.

And as Felicity rested her head on her husband’s chest, she realized that they were slow dancing without music.

[cajunroe]

♫ + one for Ron Speirs, Carwood Lipton, Brad Colbert, Nate Fick, what can I say, I'm greedy :))) as a bonus Ron+Carwood and Brad+Nate, if you feel generous *puppy eyes*

well damn i never back down from a challenge let’s do this

ron speirs:blood on my name - the brothers bright - how could i not do a total dark banger for sparky??? like this man enjoy the thrill of a fight and there’s something somewhat dark that lurks behind his eyes, insidious and not always present but willing to show its face when necessary; there something ruthless about the way he holds himself and it’s almost scary if you don’t trust him or know him; and i think a lot of ron’s personality and insecurities and fault are consumed and hidden away by this thirst for the fight; like i can imagine him in any war ancient or modern or anywhere in between because the way he handles himself is something that kind of transcends circumstance and i just really need to compile all my character studies on speirs into a paper or something; like i realize the way i’m describing him sounds almost non-human but there is something about his bravery that is a little deeper and darker than on the surface; the way this song progress and darkens and heightens from beginning to end just hit his character in the best way possible because there’s something about speirs that borders on a death wish and accepting one’s own mortality and that if you can’t outrun death forever, you might as well get your hands dirty in the process. 

carwood lipton:against the grain - city & colour - if anything stuck out to me about lip it’s his compassion and this song just...idk i can imagine him softly talking to one of the men having a hard time or even a stranger having a bad day, to follow their heart, and god this song just hits me everytime because it’s so beautiful and the lyrics are so real and so raw that i just break down; when you listen to it, just picture lip and you’ll see what i see; his compassion came from a genuine place not because he needed people to go on or do their jobs, the concern was real and his compassion was real and the communicates through his character; the songs reminds the listener that it’s okay to just live sometimes and not search for answers in everything, not everything has meaning and sometime shitty things happen, the worse things in life can happen without any answers and we have to go on without them; “you need not to reach for the stars when life becomes so dark and when the wind does blow against the grain, you must follow your heart.”; even if you have answers, they’re not always enough, trust yourself and your instincts more than anything; lip had an amazing sense of sympathy and empathy for everyone and took care of everyone around him before himself; selflessness and compassion are two traits that are invaluable and he had them both in spades; and the line, “you need not to find a cure for everything that makes you weak” just gives me so much hope during my dark times because it reminds me that i am allowed to have faults and that i can be weak and strong at the same time and that what i’m going through it okay so long as i trust myself to follow my instincts when it gets too be too much and that will always scream lipton to me

please, send me a ♫ + a character’s name or a ship and i will respond with a song that reminds me of them

this is a long post, so the rest are under the cut!

brad colbert:bad habits - fidlar - this song is a bit “showy” for brad but it’s such an absolute “i fucking do what i want and your opinion isn’t needed or wanted or should even be thought” type song; his issues are his own and brad is unapologetic about not opening up or sharing anything and it isn’t from a scared position or anything else, he has emotions and he’s not afraid of being vulnerable because he knows it’s not a weakness or a fault, he’s just genuinely so private that only those closest to him see the real him; he has his bad habits but they’re HIS, no one else’s and he doesn’t need help or anyone to chime in on them because he’s at least acknowledging the fact that they’re there; he knows that anyone who truly loves him will stick around and support him despite these bad habits and they do; anyone else who “can’t handle it” wouldn’t be someone he’d want in his life anyway; the line “i don't care if i'm damaged, honestly, i just think i'm bored” hit me because i always see brad as someone who feels like he should always be doing more and “reaching his full potential” for no other reason than the fact that he likes to keep busy and enjoys all that life has to offer; so bad habits are easy to pick up because he gets bored easy and “idle hands” and all that; not the song i think describes brad perfectly but one that makes me think of him...and ray, every damn time. 

nate fick:seein’ red - unwritten law - there’s something that always stuck with me in gen kill and it was leadership, like it was a main consistency running throughout the whole thing; and nate’s leadership especially was a big point for me because they’re adults but they’re also still relatively young and something about their leading just will always remain impressive to me; especially nate’s and this song is just a real anthem for him and never fails to make me think of the “don’t fuck with my men” scene and i get chills; but it also reminds me of nate always feeling like he had to play catch up or that he was failing even when it wasn’t his fault or when he wasn’t failing, which i think we can all relate to;  like “i confess, i don't know what to make from all this mess. don't have much time for sympathy, but it never happened to me. so follow the leader now.” there’s something about gen kill that forces you to see them as superficial and emotionless until they’re in the thick of it and the reality comes through and all nate wants is to get his men home alive because that’s what leaders do

speirton:life me up - mree - okay so...i like to think that there’s two speirs; pre-lip and post-lip and while he’s still the same, there are significant differences between the two because i really feel like ron “death wish” speirs unconsciously (or consciously) does have a real (small??) death wish before he meets lip and while his recklessness is just as much brave as it is illogical, there’s one person who isn’t scared or him or in awe of him and that’s lip; he jokes with ron and no one “jokes” with ron, he’s easy to talk to and understands the severity and harsh realities or war but unlike ron he doesn’t let them diminish the soft parts of his personality, if anything lip’s compassion and dedication thrives because it is a scarce but highly needed resource in the war and lip gives it freely and without question and ron is in deep before he knows it; lips softens him and you see a lot of ron’s hard line dissapate the more he’s around lip, he wouldn’t have given two shit is someone was sick or about promotions but lip had both and ron was happy for the promotion but worried about the pneumonia because anything could kill them out here and ron would die just to find lip and yell at him for dying from pneumonia; okay i digress but post-war when all is said and done, ron finds himself in a new world, he’d gotten so used to houses with singed wallpaper and missing roofs, that when they’re in a warm home, wrapped up in one another, with only the sound of a ceiling fan and the crickets outside that ron feels like he’s missed a step somewhere; lip came in and changed his entire world and ron didn’t even notice and tbh he can’t even be upset because he’s never felt so content and settled and happy in his life before; lip lifts him up and ron can only try to do the same for him for as long as they’re together

icefick: past lives by børns - something about icefick that always makes me think of them is not realizing you’re in love or being surprised to find that you’re in love and for these two that is on mf POINT.; like they’re so oblivious but in tune with one another that it isn’t until they’re deep in love with one another that they realize what’s going on and by then it’s way too late to do anything about it; they’ve lived so many lives between there and her where they are now and now that they think about it, it was only a matter of time but it’s still surprising and they find all these different moments where it couldn’t have been anymore obvious that they were supposed to be together but they missed it completely; i especially love the lines “past lives couldn't ever hold me down. lost love is sweeter when it's finally found. i've got the strangest feeling, this isn't our first time around.”; like they’ve been circling one another for so long that it’s almost comically it took them so long, but it’s so much sweeter that they discovered it so late because it gave them more time to know one another so intimately and intricately that it’s impossible to part

[blackpinkofficial]

[BLACKPINK’S INTERVIEW FOR COSMOPOLITAN]

Source: cosmopolitan.co.kr Translation by @meloncreme of YGDreamers

As soon as you made a comeback, you have landed a spot on the US Billboard making you the highest-charting Kpop girl group of all time. Along with Billboard, your name is also seen rising in UK’s Official Chart and Japan’s Oricon which are considered to be 3 of the major music charts in the world. How does it feel to be called the first and the best only 3 years after your debut?

Rosé: It feels too much. I don’t think I’ll get used to hearing those words that easily. Jennie: It’s been a year since our comeback and we didn’t really think about the rankings while preparing (for our comeback) so it really is a great honor. We were worried since we’re doing a concept that was stronger than the ones we’ve done before but it’s a relief that the people liked it which makes us feel happy. It also gave us the courage to ‘do something new again next time’.

Does this make it a little bit more fun? Or does it make you feel pressured?

Jennie: I think when the promotion started, we were able to let go of the pressure and the tension. We also had that “loosen up and just enjoy” atmosphere among us because the people will enjoy it when they see us doing great on something that we like. We feel that we are all having a great time recently.

You guys have also been appearing on variety shows which you haven’t been on before.

Jennie: We don’t really feel so scared to show ourselves to everyone now. We know that it’s best to show our true image. Rosé: As time passes by, we tend to enjoy a little bit more even though we still tremble at times. And Lisa’s Korean skills have improved so she can now talk more on shows. Haha.

You’ve been living together for 7 years since trainee days. There must be some ways that you get motivation from each other.

Rosé: Recently, we got inspired seeing Jennie unnie taking good care of her health. We’ve only thought about it but we haven’t done any actions yet. Haha. Jennie: Ah, when we’re not promoting, I workout a lot and watch what I eat. I pay even more attention especially when promotions are just about to start. Even when they’re eating something delicious, I just eat porridge since I’m on a no-salt diet because I tend to swell when I eat a lot of salty food. Haha. They do feel sorry for me since I’m being more careful when we have to film a music video or do a photoshoot like the one we had today. Lisa: I felt it when we were preparing for our comeback. We spend hours practicing our choreography until everyone is tired but Chaeyoung (Rosé) stays behind to practice some more and it’s really…

Is there anything that the other members do that inspires you, Jennie?

Jennie: The good thing about the younger members is that… when we’re having a busy schedule like nowadays, we spend more time waiting or preparing in the waiting room than we do on stage. During those times, they always use almost 120% of their energy to cheer us up even though all of us are already exhausted. Everytime we feel worn out, they’d grab us from both sides and say “Unnie! Cheer up!” and that kind of positive energy inspires me.

Is there any workout or diet that you guys do separately?

Jennie: I’ve been working out continuously. I tend to get tired of doing just one type of workout. I’ve been doing flying yoga for quite some time but I’ve also been doing pilates recently. I also eat healthy food after working out. I like avocados so I eat avocado salad together with a glass of detox juice everyday. I make an effort to eat food with less strong taste for dinner in order for me to be able to eat one hearty meal. Everyone can enjoy and maintain a diet for a long time once they find their our pattern. Lisa: When I see the other members working out, I always say I’d workout together with them but I always fail. However, I still make sure to drink detox juice everyday. Just like Jennie unnie.  Rosé: I’ve started doing pilates as well. I’m trying to do it once every two days. I’m not particular about food and I tend to eat a lot but I think it helps that the food I like are vegetables such as bell pepper and carrots. As for snacks, I eat more fruits than things such as chips. Jisoo: I’m the type that gains weight easily but as I spent time with the members, I think my body has changed a bit. I no longer gain weight that easily. I don’t do workout and I think doing dance practice will do. Since we have an upcoming concert, I think we’ve taken our workout up a notch to prepare for it… Haha.

What are the little things that make each of you certainly happy?

Lisa: The phone conversation that my mom and I have everyday! My mom is always happy seeing me working hard these days. It makes me happy and gives me strength to see her in that state. Rosé: I like searching and watching videos on Youtube. I enjoy watching videos of interviews of my favorite artists or songs that I like ever since I was a trainee. It’s like a healing for me. Jennie: Nowadays, the thing I enjoy the most is spending time with the dogs in our dorm. Jisoo: It’s the book I’m reading called <The Flying Trapeze> by Okuda Hideo. I enjoy reading books.

If there’s something you’re longing for nowadays, what would it be?

Jennie: Umm… the next comeback? Haha. We had our first mini album. We used to just release single tracks and now that we’ve released a mini album with 4 tracks included in it, I feel good when someone says “I like this song in the album”. It was also our first time to shoot photos for the album cover and since we’ve experienced the joy of pouring our heart and soul into creating an album, the four of us have this longing to prepare and release a full album soon.

It is said that being an artist is like having to find the balance between the people’s reaction and one’s personal satisfaction. As an artist that creates songs and shows performances, which one is your priority: the public’s opinion or your own personal satisfaction?

Jennie: I think it has always been a dilemma. The things that the public or the fans want from us are all different. Our concept this time leans a lot closer to that powerful black side and since it has a strong image, we weren’t even sure how satisfied the people will be. Just like the question, we take a lot of consideration about the public’s opinion and our own personal satisfaction as well. The members and I discuss about it a lot and we always end up with the conclusion that ‘it’s better to do things we like and enjoy doing’. We could lose our own colors if we try to keep up with someone else’s criteria and there’s also the possiblity that other people will feel like we ‘just keep on doing the exact same thing’. I think a great synergy will come out when we work hard to be good at the things we want to do.

BLACKPINK is a group that is certain about their own colors. Personally, what kind of image do you have in mind that you think is very ‘BLACKPINK’-like?

Jennie: Umm… I think it’s already obvious but whatever we do, we turn it into something that is BLACKPINK’s? Idols have more activities other than stage performances like appearing on variety shows or doing photoshoots like today. When doing a photoshoot, we turn into cool models. When doing variety shows, it really makes us happy when people think that we are ‘really fun and cute’. It makes me feel like ‘I’m doing well as a BLACKPINK member’ when I can adapt well on any image I’m trying to portray. Rosé: Each of the members has many things that we want to do. We have great desires and we tend to be very strict on ourselves. Come to think of it, I think it’s very BLACKPINK-like when we show that we are always ready to take on anything. Jisoo: We always have something to talk about everytime we do a comeback. We say a lot of things such as “I’d like to take on a new challenge”, “I’m not afraid”. I think those are the exact words that describes us. The thing that makes us BLACKPINK-like is we challenge and overcome our fears.

You guys are still in your early 20s. How do you see yourself in your 30s?

Rosé: Personally, I hope I’d still be doing music even though I’m not too sure on what type (of music) it would be. Lisa: I’d like to take on a new challenge. Since I like to take pictures, maybe I’d be taking pictures while travelling the world? Jennie: Umm… I think it’d be nice if I would be a step closer to being happy. In that time, I’m hoping I’d be able to find the happiness that I’ve been dreaming of and stay close to it. Jisoo: I would be happy if I would be living with good health. Everyone: I agree. That’s the best one. Haha.

You guys are becoming icons who represent the millenial generation. What words would you like to impart to women who are in their 20s?

Rosé: I hope you don’t let go of your dreams. We all have dreams that we’ve had ever since we were young but there will be times when things may be a little vague and sometimes we have to give up because of some circumstances. But don’t ever lose hope and wouldn’t it make you happy just being able to go through the process of working hard to get closer to the things you want? Hwaiting! We are all growing together. Lisa: That’s right. I think it’s good if we give it a few tries and take a lot of challenges. Jennie: I hope you learn how to believe in yourself. Honestly, there are lots of times when I feel uncertain. There also times when I’m being too hard on myself, when I’m not contented, when I monitor my performance. But I think I was able to move on to the next stage after giving myself some slack and learning how to be contented with myself. When I’m at a fansigning event, a lot of people would ask me “I want to do this but I don’t have confidence. What would you suggest for me to do?” and after thinking of what to say, the thought that enters my mind is that just having a heart that wants to try out things is already a start. From there, you should find out the things you’re good at and if you really enjoy doing that process, isn’t that enough? Don’t just be too hard on yourself, give yourself a pat on the back too. Jisoo: I think everything that’s been said is all important. Anyway, you own your life so don’t be swayed by other things and forget about things that really matters. And above all, focus on yourself!

[winteriron-trash]

About Me/FAQ

Hey, welcome to my blog! This is my -well, usually- Marvel-centric blog that has everything WinterIron, Bucky Barnes, and Tony Stark, as well as some general shitposts of my own wild adventures. I figured it’s best to keep up this trend of updating my ‘About Me’ page every follower milestone. So thank you all so much for over 3,000 followers, I never expected to break that many followers, let alone in less than a year on Tumblr. I appreciate each and everyone one of you, so really, thank you for sticking around with my bullshit.

Per the usual, I don’t do drama, I don’t do discourse. If you have a serious problem with me or anything I’ve written/done on this blog, please take it up with me personally. I will delete anon hate (if I get any, I haven’t gotten any yet…) and I think it’s all just pointless. I can be salty and derpy sometimes, but I will never purposely say something malicious. I’m not here for that negativity.

Now, to the FAQs.

Do you have an Ao3/Pillowfort/other social media?

I do have an Ao3, you can find me at Gothic_Lolita. I don’t cross-post everything, and a lot of my stuff on Ao3 isn’t WinterIron or even Bucky or Tony-centric, so if you’d like to see some other stuff I write, feel free to check over there. I don’t have a Pillowfort, nor do I plan on getting one. It took me forever to get this platform right, I’m not in the place to bother learning how to navigate a new one. I don’t do Snapchat or Instagram or Twitter because I am not nearly basic or cool enough for that stuff. The only social media I use is Tumblr and Pinterest, and trust me, my Pinterest is nothing interesting enough to be worth linking.

Do you have a tagging system?

I’m… trying, honestly. I’m trying to adjust my tags and systems because of the… wildness Tumblr is having with blocking and purging certain tags. I try to be funny in my tags, and I swear a lot, and apparently ‘fuck’ is being filtered out of the tag search, so that’s fun and completely screwed me over. As it stands, the important tags are ‘winteriron-trash writes’ (my writing tag), ‘shitposting with becca’ (any wild shitposts of my own sad creation), ‘not about marvel’ (any posts that are my general bullshittery and not Marvel related), ‘becca gives mediocre writing advice’ (a new tag I’m trying to use that’ll tag any post that I give writing advice on), ‘becca spills the tea’ (a tag for whenever I post my metas or opinions on Marvel characters, plots, etc), and the citrus scale which I explain in a post here

Do you write original fiction?

Yes, but I rarely, if ever, post it. I think I have all of one poem on Tumblr, any absolutely nothing original on Ao3. I write original works all the time, especially poetry and novels, but I’m super shy about being vulnerable and putting my stuff out there. I do wanna post my original writing somehow, but considering a fandom blog and Ao3 aren’t really the place for it, I’ll just keep it all hidden inside of me, and one day I’ll die. You’re more than welcome to ask me about any of my original writings, trust me, I am always willing to ramble about the shit I write, it’s pathetic.

What type of fanfiction do you write?

For this blog, mostly WinterIron fics or gen fics focused on Bucky or Tony. I do write about OT3s on here occasionally, but they usually include WinterIron in some way. Most of the time. I’ve somehow gotten to writing some weird stuff lately, to be honest. I’ll work with MCU, Sony Venom, and Spiderverse characters and canon, with the occasionally comic canon shoved in there. I have occasionally written crossover content with DC characters, but that usually relies on comic versions -or at least my own remixes of them- rather than the DCEU. On my masterlist, you can check out all the things I’ve written!

What are your ships besides WinterIron? NOTPs?

I’ll ship almost anything, and I’m a huge fan of rarepairs/interesting relationships simply to explore the possibilities of it, particularly when they include Bucky or Tony. My top OTPs besides WinterIron are currently Phlint, FalconShield, and BlackPepper. As for NOTPs, I strongly dislike Stucky, Stuckony, Thorki, and Staron for reasons of just not being able to see those characters together romantically. Feel free to send me the wildest rarepair your mind can think of, chances are I’ve probably already thought of it myself so I’d love the chance to ramble about/write for it. I’m a big fan of weird OT3s as well, just see the weird shit on my masterlist.

Are you in any fandoms besides Marvel?

I’m into DC, Star Trek, classic literature, Percy Jackson/HoO/Kane Chronicles, She-Ra, Carmen Sandiego, indie gaming, Supernatural, vulture culture, HYDRA Trash Party, and musicals. Yes, I’m aware I was born to be a geek. Trust me, I’ve grown very used to it.

Do you take prompts?

Honestly, sending me a prompt/headcanon/idea is a shot in the dark. I have prompts sitting in my inbox that has been there for about a year that I’ve been meaning to write. Chances are if you send me a prompt yes I’ve seen it, yes I think it’s lovely, but god I do not have the time. Occasionally a prompt will really grab my eye and I’ll just have to write something for it, but sometimes even that can take months to finish. Don’t be surprised if you send me a prompt and I randomly fill it seven months later. I’m prone to doing so. I love being tagged in existing prompt/headcanon posts and asked to write it (as I have a bad habit of hijacking posts to write stuff for them to begin with…) just know that once again the chances of me writing it are about a 50/50. Also, make sure the OP is okay with you asking me to write it, it’s never my intention to steal someone else’s spotlight, I just want to take cool ideas and throw my two cents in.

Is there anything you won’t write?

Drugs and alcohol are hard nos for me. They’re personal triggers that if you really want to know more about, you can send me an ask or message about. If I’ve listed something as a NOTP, I will not write anything with it. I strongly dislike writing kid fics, mundane AUs, damsel in distress Tony fics, and A/B/O, but I’m willing to work with an idea if it’s good enough. It really depends on the situation.

Do you offer writing advice/reviews?

Yep! I’m down to answer any questions on writing fanfic or just writing in general. I love talking about writing and all that. Seriously, I like talking about writing almost as much as I like talking about Marvel. I’m more than open to reading a few chapters of your fic or book or whatever and telling you my honest thoughts, but I probably won’t have time to read all of it if it’s more than 5k long, because I’m just a busy person. And I will be honest because I want to be helpful. Don’t ask me for my honest opinion if you just want your ego stroked.

Can I ask your opinion on [insert topic here]?

Always. I am always open to sharing my honest opinions, regardless of backlash I’ll receive for it. I’d rather be my honest self online -the one place I can be my honest self- then a fake mask made to please others. Whether it be fandom ships, in-universe meta, or non-fandom related topics, feel free to ask me. I love talking meta, or just general thoughts and opinions on random stuff. Trust me, I’m far too opinionated for my own good. Ask literally anyone who’s met me.

How long have you been writing?

All seventeen years of my sad, sad life. I loved writing stupid little stories when I was a kid, that slowly morphed into shitty “books”, then I went through a poetry phase in junior high, and when I was about 14 I wrote my first fanfiction. I posted my first fanfic when I was 15, and have been posting fanfiction for over a year and a half now. I started Tumblr in late February but didn’t start writing fics here until about March because I am a shy bitch.

Aaaaaaand now for some stupid shit about me you didn’t ask for.

My name is Becca, or Winter, or Dumbass, whatever you prefer, and I’m a dumbfuck 17 yr old lesbian from upstate New York. (The ‘upstate’ part is important. Don’t ask me if I live in NYC. Just don’t.) I’m a junior in high school and planning to study English and Marketing in college, to hopefully become an editor. Hopefully. I’m actually a pretty boring and dumb bitch, which makes it all the more concerning that I am steadily gaining popularity on this hellsite. Someone help me.

I mentioned some of my interests above, but some other stuff I’m into includes knitting, playing piano, tea, collecting (hoarding) notebooks, photography, editing, music, and being a general idiot. I’m a wild child in ripped jeans and a leather jacket, which should not fool you because I’m far too shy and afraid of everything to be cool like that. I sound a lot cooler online because I’ve gotten so used to online interactions from making friends and running my own Discord server, but in real life I am unrecognizable. I’ve been in a grade of 60 people with the same people since kindergarten and some of them still don’t know my name.

I’m mentally ill and all that, but we’re working on getting… better. Writing schedules are a mess from me and sometimes I’m falling apart so, that’s fun. It doesn’t usually affect my blog because I internalize that shit, but occasionally the self-deprecating humor can get to be a little too close to the truth. And just the general spastic nature of my blog reflects the utter chaos of my mind.

So anyway, that’s me, please be my friend. Also, because this seems to come up more and more. Please don’t be afraid of me/intimidated by me. I know I look all cool and popular, but I am literally a hot mess just like the rest of us. If you want to climb your way into my messages and just,,,, scream at me about something you think I’d like, or just scream in general, go ahead. I really won’t mind, I promise. I need… friends, or so my therapist tells me.

Oh, and here’s a face reveal.

Yes, I am that absolute idiot of a person, lying splat in the middle of my elementary playground field for,,,, reasons???? I don’t really remember the story behind that picture tbh, but it’s my entire personality in a single picture, so I dig it.

And here’s my actual face, with a cheap ring in my mouth and a fox filter because I thought I looked cute, okay? Leave me be.

Tadah.

I swear I’m funny and talented sometimes, please like me.

As always, feel free to send me an ask or a message about anything you’d like. 

Check out my Masterlist if you want, and join my Discord Server.

[levyfiles]

what this fandom has become honestly... not even being able to post an ask about one of the boys' past content in fear of creating some discourse etc. precision: nothing against you. i'm making an observation.

If we’re in the book of making observations, here’s one that holds hands with yours. There is a distinct mood that comes when a smallish community starts to get new members but people don’t have perspective on just how scattered said community is. In our case we have instagram, tumblr, twitter, and youtube as circles of fan and different platforms carry different moods; sometimes people are only on one and sometimes people are involved in every single medium. In today’s social climate where many of us are nearly obssessed with being Good and doing Right, it’s in bed with wanting to fit in with everyone else and the moment someone says ‘Not everyone in this community is like we are; not everyone is Good. It’s THESE kinds of people who are Bad,” and that’s when people get defensive because the generalisation puts them in a category they don’t like. Suddenly everyone immediately forgets that the fandom doesn’t simply exist on tumblr.

THEN there is an immediate haul of polarising posts that don’t necessarily start discourse (not really discourse because each posts has its detractors and supporters and some of the detractors decide its appropriate to send angry dehumanising messages to people who disagree with them) and then the blocking/unfollowing/vagueing begins. When all of this happens in large spurts, it shakes and affects everyone because what follows is a funny phenomenon which I call the poltician phase because people hit their anonymous buttons and start asking every blogger they follow for their stances on The Issues because there’s nothing more terrifying to someone with a black and white view of How To Be Good that they’d be nice to someone who doesn’t embody every single one of of their principles. There’s no conversation about it to be had because you’re either Bad or Good. 

Now imagine a reductive social culture of this calibre existing at its full energy in such a concentrated tight-knit community and one person starts saying loudly and frequently. “Look at what Ryan/Shane said x years/months ago. He supports x. Buzzfeed unsolved fans support x for not calling him out about this. Unfollow me if you’re a Buzzfeed Unsolved fan.” To reference real events, only months ago an angry blogger claiming to Fix the fandom saw that Ryan liked a movie with subject matter they disliked and felt uncomfortable with, their response was to begin calling anyone who didn’t feel the same way pedophiles and worse, referring to Ryan as a supporter. It’s like disgusting, reductive clockwork and it’s terrifying in and of itself. So ultimately with that scope of a view on how fandoms work, until the fandom itself gets big enough that antis become a bitter background murmur and no longer some of the loudest people in the tag, there is almost every reason for us to be afraid of posting publicly about how far Ryan or Shane have come as people. 

Because to a person who might not even like BFU, growth means nothing; if there is any chance they can connect the hard working people behind our favourite piece of media with something that isn’t Good, then that’s when a small community like this, scattered as it is, stops being half as fun. 

So yeah, what this fandom has become is what happens to any fandom as it grows. The key way to survive it is listening to yourself before you listen to a loud blogger. That includes me. For all the noisy mass of words in the tag and on our dashboards, you’re the voice you sit alone with when you’re watching the show so figure out how to enjoy it your way. Reminder that I use the word ‘you’ as a general you for anyone reading this, and you can decide that every medium has its Good and Bad parts so you’re not meant to find some sort of alignment for being respectful of others, consuming content, making it, and celebrating the parts that really resonate with you. 

[xxfanfiction-emo-trinityxx]

Backstage - Pete Wentz x Reader

Request: can you do a Pete x reader fan fic but like at a concert back stage kinda thing?

Word count: 1 860

You had your arms crossed in front of your chest as music was pulsating through your body. From backstage you had a perfect view on the stage while being hidden from the crowd, but the cheers and shouts and the clapping and singing of the audience was still audible. A wide smile was plastered on your face as you watched Fall Out Boy perform for the last time on this tour.

It had been five months on the road. Originally you were not supposed to join the band, but their manager had gotten very sick the day before the tour started and had asked you to take their place. You had not even thought twice about the answer before saying yes. And since you got along with the guys, you had decided to finish the tour together with them, much to the relief of their manager, so they could take their time with getting better. Now five months of sharing a cramped tour bus came to an end.

Your eyes wandered over the musicians. You had liked Patrick from the beginning. He was always kind and respectful and made sure to be no trouble for you.

Andy was not much different, even though he sometimes liked to break one rule or the other. But he made up for it with kindness.

Joe was different. More than once you had sent out the others to find Joe. He loved to get to know people and usually he forgot the time over making new friends. You understood that he was interested in other peoples’ mindsets, especially other musicians’, but he had delayed the takeoff of the tour bus at least two dozen times. He usually came running to the bus, all red in the face and excusing himself endlessly over your strict and punitive stares.

And then there was Pete. He was a troublemaker. If there was a rule that he was able to break, he would break it. Be it getting drunk during weekdays or being late to the bus, letting his stuff lay around the bus or as simple things as taking other peoples’ food from the fridge. He stuck to no rule and he liked to play pranks, which annoyed you to death during the first few weeks. You had never been managing a band as big as Fall Out Boy on tour before and Pete made sure to make your life difficult. But with time it got better. You found ways to get Pete to behave. You made sure he got no alcohol during weekdays, you paired him up with Patrick for after the shows, so Patrick would make sure they were back at the bus on time, you once collected all his stuff that was laying around and put it into a garbage bag to leave it at the next stop. Pete had only noticed half a minute before the bus took off again, that most of his things were missing and quickly got out to grab the bag. He had learned that lesson. And once, you mixed the little remains of your strawberry jam (from which Pete liked to steal) with chili sauce. Needless to say that he stopped stealing your food after that.

And then, one day, things changed. It was after a show and the guys were out while you relaxed on the bus. Suddenly Pete walked in and asked if he could talk to you. Of course you said yes, one of your jobs was to make sure the guys were in good physical and mental conditions.

That evening Pete opened up to you. He told you all about his hopes and dreams and worries and fears. Under the mask of carelessness he always looked out for his friends. He was afraid to let them down, to let the fans down if he should be unable to write good texts, or messed up a show. He worried the guys were under too much pressure from all the shows and how he could help them. He worried you were under too much pressure. In general, he constantly worried about everyone on the bus. You listened patiently, sometimes asking questions to understand him better. You calmed him down and made sure he understood that he was not responsible for everyone.

That evening was the first of many. He often came to search your advice after that night. He tried to get you to talk about yourself as well, but there was not much to say. You were single, had no pets, no houseplants, but a loving family that supported your job as a manager on tour. So you spent hours and hours talking about music and life and the world. And without noticing, you fell in love with him. It had only accrued to you a few weeks ago. You had woken up and suddenly you realized that all the butterflies and hitching breaths and weak knees were because you were in love with Pete. And there was no chance that it would ever be more than unrequited feelings.

Your eyes rested on the bassist. He was jumping to the music, his hair bouncing up and down. His hands skillfully wandered over the strings of his instrument. With light steps he strode to the edge of the stage, playing close to the audience. After a few seconds he turned around and walked back to his microphone. On his way back his eyes met yours and he smiled even wider than he already did. You gave him a short wave, watching as he continued playing. You loved watching him. But for the sake of professionality you refrained from doing it usually. The only time you allowed it to yourself was during concerts. When no one but the band could see you standing backstage. You sighed deeply, relaxing to the familiar tunes of the loud music and the well-known vibrations of the bass. This was the last show of the tour, the last night with the band, the last night with Pete, before your ways parted and god knows when you would see him again. You were torn between being glad and sad about the end of tour. Glad, because you would finally be able to sleep in your own bed again. Sad, because you would be missing Pete and the boys terribly.

Your eyes followed Pete around the stage. You lost yourself in his hair, his fingers on the bass, the smile on his face.

And before you knew it, the last note of the final song echoed through the venue and the lights turned off.

Andy was the first one to get backstage. He was shirtless, wearing shorts as always, barefooted. He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into his sweaty body, but you did not mind. You were used to being hugged by the sweaty band members after the show.

“How were we,” he asked after letting go of you. A wide smile was plastered on his face and he was vibrating with adrenaline and excitement after the last song.

“Phenomenal,” you told him smiling, patting his shoulder, making him giggle.

The next one to approach you was Joe. He had a smug grin on his face before he dumped the contents of a water bottle on your head. You let out a surprised shriek before starting to laugh. It actually felt good, being cooled down from the hot summer night air. Both Joe and you giggled gleefully before Patrick approached you. He quickly hugged you as well, pressing you against his sweaty shirt.

“How did you like it,” he asked. He always liked to be given feedback after a show, even when it was the final one, and you were always glad to give it to him.

“I loved it,” you smiled.

“What did you think about that transition from Arms Race into I Don’t Care?”

“It was the best one you did so far. Honestly, I think this was the best concert so far,” you admitted.

Patrick’s face lit up at your words. “You really think so?”

“Yes! You had such an electrifying energy, you made everything vibrate with your music!”

“And the crowd was really amazing,” Patrick added.

“True, but you really, really rocked it,” you patted his shoulder.

Suddenly his eyes grew wide at something he spotted behind you. Curious you turned around. Surprised you tried to make a step back because Pete was walking straight to you, almost running. He was already so close that you were afraid he’d run you over. But before you were able to get out of his way, he grabbed your shoulders and pulled you into him, crashing his lips into yours.

You did not even think before you kissed back. You had been longing for this for so long. You wrapped your fingers into his hair and pressed yourself closer to him. His body was hot from the heat and the performance on stage. His hair was sweat soaked and you were wet from the water Joe had dropped on you. But neither of you cared. You were too caught up with Pete’s lips against yours, his skin against yours, your hands wrapped in his hair, his hands sneaking around your waist, holding you as close as possible. The sound of the cheering fans outside was drained out by the rushing of the blood in your ears. You felt dizzy and euphoric, your knees got weak and you clung to Pete for support. Kissing Pete was like oxygen after almost suffocating, like cool water before almost dying of thirst. You could not get enough and it felt far too early when he pulled away for air.

Your eyes flickered open, ghosting over his face. His cheeks were dusted over with a hint of pink, his dark hair fell into his forehead, his lips were red and looked so kissable, and when his eyes slowly opened, his dark brown orbs glanced lovingly at you. Just then you really comprehended what happened. You felt your face burning up from embarrassment. Pete had kissed you and you had kissed back. Before you could worry any further, Pete chuckled.

“Wow,” he smiled, still breathing heavily. “I really should have done that earlier.”

Confused you blinked at him.

Pete chuckled again. “Kissed you, I mean. I wanted that from the moment I first saw you.”

Unbelieving you shook your head, before you leant it against his shoulder. You took a deep breath, inhaling his scent. You felt dizzy at being so close to him.

“I hope you didn’t mind,” Pete whispered.

“I could never,” you answered, smiling against his neck.

For a while you stood there, hugging each other, enjoying each other’s company. When your attention finally extended back to the room, you noticed you were alone with Pete.

“Where is everybody,” you wondered.

“The others? Probably giving us some space. At least that was the plan,” Pete mumbled.

“What plan,” you asked curiously.

“Do you really think I would’ve had the courage to kiss you, if Patrick, Joe and Andy wouldn’t have convinced me you liked me?”

You giggled at Pete’s confession.

“Thank god they did.”