#i hope this isn’t a niche audience???

[squash1]

the lynch brothers x ted lasso on forgiveness & brotherhood

[prefer-to-be-vilified]

See? We aren’t so different 🖤🖤🖤

[bisexualiteaa]

No Life Queen

Alucard X Fem Reader

SMUT! MDNI

CW: vampires, established relationship, secrecy, reader is a vampire, reader has hair, brief mentions of canon typical violence/gore, cursing, pet names, praise, biting, brief mention of alcohol, bl00d drinking, mentions of bl00d, p in v, unprotected seggs, cream 🥧, mention of 0ral (fem receiving), reader works for Hellsing Organization, slight ooc Alucard, smut with fluffy ending, p0rn w/o plot, p0rn with feelings, possible grammar or spelling errors, HEAVILY proof read

A/N: I know this will likely be for a niche audience, but in my opinion there isn’t enough about this lovely man on this app I don’t think. In the spirit of Halloween (and for being down bad for him for an entire decade) I felt it was appropriate! I hope you all enjoy. Happy spooky season to you all! ♥️

The sounds of your joyous laughter and sweet voice could be heard from the dimly lit lair, resonating from deep within the winding depths of the vast Hellsing estate as you laid next to your vampiric lover. Your body lay bare, save for the silk red sheets wrapped around you to afford you a semblance of decency and warmth from the bitterly cold air. He had no need for a bed, he spent so long sleeping in the dank, dark depths of the basement which he calls home, or within the confines of his well built, ornate coffin but it was a luxury you loved, so without hesitation he had one placed there for you. All under the guise of him simply “being curious” as to how modern beds feel. He knew well how they felt, he’d taken on his fair share of lovers in the past, and those nights where he would sneak into your room to be with you during the fleeting beginning stages of your budding romance. So he wasn’t ignorant to how they felt, but he felt it was a good enough excuse to give should anyone dare ask why. Your hair sat pooled against the well-decorated pillowcases for the pillows he only kept around for you, freed from its usual ties whilst on duty. You hummed lightly and happily as your hand rested against his broad chest, looking up at him with all the love in the world as a smile danced across your sweet, kiss swollen lips. You regarded Alucard with your whole heart, and never anything less. You knew well that your lover was a man that possessed unfathomable amounts of power, and harnessed the capabilities to slaughter those whom he wished in the mere blink of an eye. Yet with you, he was anything but those terrible things that others knew him for. With you, the vampire king was no longer the monster others claimed him to be. With you, he was no longer a creature to be feared, no longer a servant to exercise his master’s bidding. With you, it was the closest he’s ever felt to being human again in centuries because in your presence, he was nothing more than a man who was so emphatically in love with the woman that was lying before him. And in your eyes, you could never see him as anything less than perfection, for he’s never afforded you anything less.

He delighted in the sensation of your soft, gentle touch that only you could offer him in such a pleasurable way. Longing to feel your much smaller hands pressed against his cold, pale, and unblemished skin. Yearning for the way your fingers stroked through his long, raven black locks with such affection that left him like putty in your very hands. He enjoyed how your hand, despite its now cold nature compared to the warmth you once held when you were human, would cup his cheek with such gentle serenity. How you would handle him as if he were made of porcelain, as if he was the one that was easy to shatter. No one had ever held him in such a gentle way before, touched his skin with such feather-light placidity, knowing only what it’s like to have held others in such a fashion but never had the sentiment been returned to him in kind until he’d met you. He was downright addicted to the tender caress of your thumb stroking his jaw, as if tracing his edges like he was chiseled from the finest but most fragile stone. You looked upon him like a work of art, as if he were crafted skillfully by the hands of a master artisan then given the gift of life. He was breathtaking, and to think that you were the one lucky enough to have enthralled him, to have captured his heart, was truly remarkable. He would argue however that he was the one truly fortunate enough to have earned your respect, to have earned your love and praise. He needed it from no one else aside from you, anyone else’s thoughts or opinions be damned. His servitude may be to Integra, but his true fealty was to you.

Your crimson eyes stared into his vermillion ones as if he were the man who hung the very stars that freckled the night sky. He cherished you, adored you, worshipped you even. You with your undying love and most pure of affections. You were unreal to him, ethereal almost. Like a goddess who descended the heavens and was somehow captivated by such a pitiful creature such as himself. Granting him such unwavering kindness, such unrelenting generosity that he felt as if he did not deserve. He could hardly believe at times that someone as kind, someone as gentle as you existed in a world that had always proven so cruel, let alone that you could ever fall in love with a fiend like him. Someone who held so much bitterness towards the world, someone with such an affinity for danger, violence and gore. You were polar opposites, yet strikingly similar all the same. He would never take it for granted however, because even on his worst days, you were always there. You were always the comforting light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. The grounding anchor to his ship that sailed an unrelentingly raging sea. You were his peace, his serenity, sitting with your arms outstretched for him to rest between, and ever ready to listen and share in his burdens whatever they may be.

No one knew of the romance you and the vampire king shared, not even Sir Integra herself knew about it. It was a well guarded secret that lay only within the confines of his room, and the rare but fleeting moments you were granted when you were alone and away from any prying eyes or ears. Your meetings always started out the same, and even remained the same to this day. A routine of you sneaking off from your room and into the halls at night, under the guise of delivering to him his meal. No one ever suspected it to be a rouse. Much less an act to allow you to get closer to your lover, using the sanguine nectar as a means to spend time with him where you would have the utmost privacy. In fact, the guards who were normally placed on that duty thanked you for taking their place, unable to bring themselves to make the cold, unsettling trek down to the depths where he resided. Therefore you had no one to send you questioning glances, or overhear any suspicious whispers. To them, you were a vampire who simply wasn’t afraid of him or his capabilities. No one else dared get close to his chambers however, some even going as far to tell tales of those who never made it back alive from the treacherous journey, or of his ravenous hunger to scare anyone who may be new to the estate and don’t quite know of him yet. Many complained that they felt as if there were eyes in the very walls surrounding them, watching as they made their descent into the darkness that was his place of rest, or even just through out the day during their shifts and as they would wander around through the vast hallways. He struck fear into the hearts of many, especially into those of mortal kind, but to you, he was just Alucard.

“You are a most delicious sight like this, Draga mea” he praised as the sheet you lay beneath began to slide down just a tad, revealing some of your bare frame to the frigid air of his den. His eyes raked across your body each time as if it was the first time he was seeing you, making you hum appreciatively at the compliment and the term of endearment spoken in his native tongue. You felt as his large hand began to glide along the curvature of your hip and the dip of your waist with a feather light touch, sending goose flesh to raise along your skin. “If you wish to feed from me, you know you need only ask” you teased with a grin, knowing his compliment came from a genuine place, but your romance was built on humor and trust. He knew better than to think you’d only regard his words in a manipulative manner. “Well if my queen is offering herself to me, how could I say no to such kindness?” He quipped in return, making you chuckle as he placed strategic, searing kisses along the column of your neck, being sure to strum each sensitive spot before kissing down your shoulder and trailing down your arm. You giggled softly as he made his descent, grabbing your hand in his much larger one before turning it over and placing a soft kiss to your wrist just above your pulse point. “Is a whole bottle no longer enough to sate you, my dear? I can have them procure more for you, you need only say the word” You asked, half teasing, half genuine. Your tone filled with concern and playfulness in a harmony that only could ever come so blissfully from you. A melodic language only spoken between the two of you and the two of you alone. “Shall I frighten them with the tales of your insatiable appetite? Perhaps that would persuade them to donate more” you volunteered, making him give a hearty laugh in reply. “How I cherish the thought of you frightening them with such a tale” he responded, making you giggle as you pictured the horrified facial expressions and terrified trembles you would receive in reply. “But in truth, bottle proves nowhere near as appetizing to me when compared to the taste of you at the height of euphoria. The adrenaline coursing through you, the sweetness of its taste is better than any wine could ever offer. Even the most decadent ambrosia pales in comparison to you, Draga mea” He continued, sweet talking you in that deep, baritone voice that always left your heart racing and a fire dwelling within the depths of your core. He always knew just the right words to say, both a blessing and a curse in its own right. His response earned a hum of amusement from you. “I was too caught up in the fire that was in your gaze to have gotten a taste of you. I was afraid should my attention falter, the beast within you would relinquish” he added, his lips finding their way to the column of your neck, his nose brushing against the sensitive spots there to rise gooseflesh to your skin, his lips just barely ghosting where your pulse would typically reside. You tilted your head to the side to allow him better access, allowing him free rein of your throat to do as he pleased. “Suffice to say, our shared feast left me quite…distracted” he finished, laying more searing kisses to your neck, making you hum and moan softly in approval, telling you all of his reasons why you should allow him to feed from you. His eagerness made you giggle as you recalled the way you were seated on his lap just moments ago, warming his cock and soon riding him as you both shared in feeding one another glasses of the sanguine liquid that once filled the now empty bottle. Your hands found their way to the back of his head and neck, keeping him in place as a show to continue his ministrations as your eyes fluttered shut with bliss. “Perhaps I should speak of your insatiable hunger” you teased, making him groan and chuckle into the crook of your neck as he kept himself pressed tightly against you.

“Have you another problem needing resolved already, my dear? We’ve hardly had enough time to enjoy the afterglow yet” you teased, making him grin as he detached himself from you to defend himself. “I hadn’t heard you complaining whilst you were seated on my tongue, or how quickly things carried on from there after I brought you to such dizzying climax twice from it” he bit back playfully, his fangs peaking from his wide, cocky grin. “And why ever would I? There certainly isn’t anything to complain about” you replied, flashing your fangs in a grin that mirrored his own making him hum in reply, satisfied with your response but amused all the same. How cute those fangs looked nestled into your already gorgeous smile. Something so perfectly wicked entwined with someone so preciously sweet. How it brought him such joy that you now carried a piece of him with you wherever you went, and would for the rest of eternity. Knowing that anyone who dare step to you with harmful intentions, would see a bit of him in you. That they would see his power radiate from you, feel his threatening aura travel along side you like an omniscient deity. He couldn’t help the pride that swelled within him to know that he was not only your lover, but your protector. How it pained him to know that you would have to share in his agony of having to watch those around you that you cared about parish while you remain the same, that you would outlive those who held no super natural persuasion to stop the onward marching of time. Yet a slightly twisted, much darker side that resided deep within him, felt almost prideful in the way that his dark corruption snuck within you, tainting the otherwise pristine purity you usually carried. Like a white dress being stained red from the scarlet shades of blood pooling beneath its fabric, one could argue you were tainted, besmirched, ruined even. He would argue that you were even more beautiful than you were before. His perfect little love.

His no life queen

“You may indulge in me, but only if you ask nicely” you replied playfully, making him grin at your response but he would always heed your word for he never wished to displease you. He was a gentleman after all, where were his manners? “Would you kindly allow me to have my fill of you, dearest?” He asked, making you hum as if you had to actually give it any thought. You never did. The answer would *forever* be yes. “You may” you responded kindly, a giggle leaving you as you leaned closer to him, your noses brushing together before turning your head to allow your lips to intertwine once more. Your hand came to cup his cheek tenderly, in that oh-so-loving manner you always did. He could truly never get enough of you. Your lips danced upon each others with sensual warmth, tongues tangling together, fangs nicking lips with playful bites. Before long, his mouth descended upon your throat once again, his nose ghosting the sensitive skin and catching whiff of your intoxicating aroma before his tongue glided along his favorite spot. You tilted your head back to allow him more access, your eyes falling shut blissfully as you felt his tongue circle the junction between your neck and shoulder. The sheet by now had slipped from you fully, revealing your bare chest to the gelid temperature of his chambers, feeling your pebbled nipples pressed against his bare chest as your hands weaved into his hair. You waited for that moment with bated breath, for the icy prick of his fangs to pierce your skin, but instead were greeted by the distraction of his fingers diving down to your aching cunt. The pad of his finger worked slow, rhythmic circles against your clit, making your eyes roll to the back of your head as a sweet sigh left your lips. “Alucard…” you moaned, making him groan deeply in response, the sound almost feral as it rumbled within his chest. He found himself salivating at the prospect of your flavor, at the overwhelming scent of your arousal mixed with his distinct musk. His hunger was hitting a fever pitch, finding it harder as the moments passed to contain himself and play with you to the full extent he wished to. You are his most delectable treat after all.

He groaned as your nimble fingers tangled within his long black hair, moaning and squirming from the pleasure being brought to you by just one of his fingers alone. It was pathetic almost, the way you were rendered to such madness, such utter hedonism with so little being offered to you, but it was nearly overwhelming all the same. “My precious queen, how deliciously sensitive you are for me” he remarked, a deep chuckle and a grin following his words as you gasped from the feeling of his fingers dipping inside of you. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head once more, mouth agape in a silent wail as the tips of his fingers located your most vulnerable spots with practiced precision. “Alucard…” you sighed blissfully as he leaned down to capture your lips in a sweet, intimate kiss. You moaned into it, your fingers dragging along the sinew of his back leaving behind angry, red marks that you knew would only remain for a very short period of time. He groaned into your shared kiss, working his fingers into you with practiced expertise, being sure to tease that bundle of nerves deep inside of you with the pads of his long, nimble fingers. As his fingers would curl against your walls, his thumb was rubbing tight, methodical circles along your clit to bring you even closer to your release. “Fuck…” you moaned into the kiss, feeling that knot in the pit of your stomach begin to grow tighter with each stroke. Your hips began to buck against his fingers, riding them, chasing the euphoric friction that sent shock waves of pleasure through you. “Doing so well for me, fucking yourself on my fingers” he praised, looking down at the sight of you spread on his digits, listening to the sinful sounds of your slick granting him access to your very core. “Feels…s’ good” you managed to get out, making him chuckle at your pathetic reply. It didn’t take much to reduce you to near delirium, whether it be from his fingers, his tongue, his teeth or his cock, he was quite skilled in the many areas of your pleasure. “Cum for me, Draga mea. Sing for me” he encouraged, his lips once again finding that spot on your neck that always sent you reeling, waiting for the perfect moment to sink his teeth into you. Waiting for the telling signs that bliss was just around the corner for you.

Once his sharp fangs finally sank into the tender flesh of your neck, it was electric, sending you toppling over the edge into the most intense, nearly all-consuming orgasm. Pain and pleasure melded together in a wonderful memory of what it had felt like the first time his fangs pierced your skin, gulping down your sweet essence as he turned you. Electric pulses soared down through your spine, lighting your every nerve ending on fire in a sadistically sensual way that you only craved to feel from him. His eyes rolled beneath shut lids at the taste of you, gulping down your dulcet ichor yet remaining mindful enough to savor its flavor. He groaned into you at the taste, feeling the ache between his legs throb with vigor as your orgasm pulsed through your body. How he craved you so desperately in this moment. To be intertwined with you, lost in you and the woes of passion that entwines you. It appeared that he could wait no longer.

In the blink of an eye, the sheets were ripped from your grasp, exposing your body to his view once more. He needed you, and it was evident by the ever growing wetness in your core that you needed him too.

Once he’d had his fill he released his jaws from you, cleaning up the mess of your shoulder, and his lips, the best that he could with his tongue alone. You watched as his long, almost pointed tongue cleaned the remnants of your blood from his lips, but what he hadn’t noticed was the small trickle that cascaded from the corner of his mouth. Your fingers grasped his chin softly, allowing you to tilt and move his face as you needed. You smiled at him before you leaned up to collect the trail of crimson that dripped from the corner of his mouth onto your tongue. You hummed pleasantly before pulling him into a passionate kiss, wishing to taste more of your sweet decadence from his lips. You felt the grin rise to the corners of his mouth before you could see it, but upon drawing back, you saw the smeared red mess left behind. “How succulent you are” he stated, breaking the silence between you. “Only the finest for you, my king. Would you grant me an indulgence of you in return, dearest?” You asked, lying on your back beneath him now, making him laugh at such a meek question being asked in such a seductive tone. “As if I could ever deny you, my love” he replied, lining himself up to your entrance before slipping in slowly, allowing you to acclimate to his size. He watched your face twist with both pain and pleasure as he sheathed himself within you. It didn’t matter how many times you would share intimacy with him, his sheer size alone always left you with that bittersweet stretch as if it were your first time taking him in. He adored how your hair fell around the pillow beneath your head like a halo, how your chest rose and fell with each labored breath brought about by the pleasure he brought you once a pace was set. You were ethereal. He swore it. Perfect in ways he thought were impossible. Yet here you lay before him, scarlet eyes gazing up at him with wonder and lust but above all else;

Love.

His hips pistoned into you as he lowered himself to hover just above you, his large hands splayed out by the sides of your head. He watched you litter his skin with feather light kisses as you ascended up his arm to his neck, soon hovering over the same spot that he enjoyed feeding from you so often. His hips seemed to roll on their own, almost desperate, accord as your tongue dragged along the favored spot, leaving him to shiver with anticipation of when you would take from him. Much like Alucard, you had a tendency towards playfulness, enjoying the delightful shivers, and hedonistic groans as you would tease him, working him up to the blissful moment. One might say you like to play with your food. Your eyes flit to his own that rest behind shut lids, basking in the tightness and wet feel of your cunt wrapped so snuggly around him. You gave a grin before finally you sank your teeth into him, feeling his girth twitch and throb within you at the sounds you made as you fed from him. “That’s it, take from me. Take from me everything you need, my love. I am yours as you are mine” he rambled through his groans of pleasure, rutting into you deeply and reaching those spots within you that left your head spinning. He groaned at the mix or your moans that lay in harmony with the feral sounds of you feeding from him only working to further turn him on. The searing pain of your sharp fangs buried into his neck, mixing with the pleasure of your delicious cunt wrapped around him so perfectly left him nearly delirious.

Once you had finally detached yourself from him, he understood the appeal of the sight he had graced you with before, finding himself following your previous actions. His tongue traced the small stream of his blood that leaked from the corner of your lips, collecting it all before tangling his tongue with your own in a frenzied kiss. His hand grabbed at your thigh, propping your leg up against his hip to reach deeper within you. As if he wasn’t deep enough already, his tip bullying the apex of your cervix with each thrust. Had you a fertile human womb still, you’d worry about leaving his chambers pregnant from just how often you found yourselves tangled together within his sheets. “Draga mea…” he whispered lovingly against your lips as you gasped and moaned, your mind hazed and nearly blank as the sound of skin slapping against skin filled the depths of his chambers. He watched as you writhed beneath him in ecstasy, how your breasts bounced in time with his thrusts. He simply couldn’t get enough of you. “You are perfection, my sweet” he praised, making you whimper as the familiar feeling in the pit of your stomach began to grow tight, already so sensitive and worked up from him playing with you before. “Cum for me, my love. Delight me with your ecstasy” he cooed, watching you bite your lip and your face contort as you reached closer and closer to your breaking point. It was as his fingers reached down to toy with your clit, rubbing circles into the sensitive bundle of nerves that pushed you over the edge. Your body arched against his, a cry of bliss leaving your lips as your climax washed over you mercilessly. Your every nerve ending wrecked and body alight from the pleasure as you dug your nails into his back with a cry of his name. “How delicious you are” he replied, watching as your breaths grew labored, your chest rising and falling in tandem with each deep inhale then exhale as you made your descent from cloud nine. His movements began to lose their rhythm, signaling to you that his release was just around the corner. You smiled up at him, hand resting delicately on his cheek as he looked down upon you. “I love you” you whispered in declaration, earning a smile from him before causing him to lean down and take your lips in a heated kiss. He groaned into it as his seed painted your walls with each thrust, his hips moving with much more softness now than they had before, much slower, as he worked to bury every last drop within you, effectively marking you his. “I love you too, my queen” he replied, making you giggle happily as you shared in the intimate moment and passion filled kiss. You wrapped your arms around your vampiric lover, keeping him as close to you as possible, wishing to revel in the sacchar of your still conjoined bodies.

You couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled from deep within you as he collapsed on top of you, his full weight baring down on you. You wriggled and fought to free yourself of his weight, yet try as you might, you also couldn’t help but find comfort in it. Peace in knowing that he felt safe with you to be this way, that he could be vulnerable and playful with you in ways he has never shared with anyone else. You ran your delicate fingers up and down the expanse of his back, effectively granting him a moment of much welcomed tranquility in your arms. If there was one thing in this entire world that he wished for most, he wished only to spend the rest of eternity this way, with love in his heart, and you to share it all with. With you, forever no longer felt so bleak. With you, eternal life felt as vivacious as mortal life, and he wouldn’t dare to dream of it any other way now that he had you beside him.

[secretmellowblog]

I hope tumblr doesn’t die because No other social media site is as good for long, thoughtful, nuanced analyses of media. Yeah tumblr is also full of dumb shallow hot takes and shitposts, but you can make dumb shallow hot takes and shitposts anywhere —-there are no other popular social media sites that let you easily format and share long essays on the media you enjoy, and then have conversations around those long essays.

Fandom on all the other big social websites just seems so utterly …shallow. And it’s not because people on other websites aren’t thoughtful or don’t have deep things to say, but because these sites’ formats do not allow for any kind of long nuanced conversations.

Tiktok? Things have to be crammed into a super short video with an attention grabbing headline, and you can’t hyperlink sources. Instagram? Everything has to be in an image format with strict limits on length, and nothing will be shown to your followers anyway because of how Instagram’s algorithm works, and also no hyperlinks. Twitter? Strict character limits, and if you split it into threads it means someone can retweet a part of your essay completely out of context, and also very little freedom with formatting.

It frustrates me so much. If I go into the Tumblr Les Mis fandom I’ll find really compelling long essays on the original novel (including essays being written for the ongoing book club) on the story’s historical context, or the parallels between different characters and their narrative foils, or the way the politics were defanged for certain adaptations, or the way Victor Hugo’s personal life and failings affected the novel. But on tiktok I’ll get the same five shallow stale jokes from 2013 over and over, or maybe the same “DID U KNO THAT IN THE MUSICAL JAVERT AND VALJEAN SING THE SAME LEITMOTIF” style of basic Intro To Les Mis 101 For Babies media analysis (which is what Tiktok considers deep media analysis), or stale “LOL JAVERT ACTS GAY” style jokes as if we’re living in the early 2000s and calling a character gay is still a funny punchline. And it’s impossible to have any kind of deeper thoughtful discussions than “DID U KNOW <x Kool Fact>” or “lol <shallow observational joke>” on tiktok because the platform just isn’t built for building niche communities around in depth conversations. it’s built to churn out bland generic content for as wide an audience as possible, which means pointing out a small detail like an Easter egg and calling it “cool” is deep media analysis, because you cant have longer more in depth conversations without alienating people. And I hate it. Bc like, it’s not because there aren’t smart clever thoughtful people on Tiktok— there are—it’s because Tiktok isn’t built for these conversations, and anyone who wants to have them has to really fight against the things the website encourages or prioritizes!

Or like, if I go into the LOTR fandom on Tumblr, I’ll find tons of extremely long analysis and fanfic, and analysis of queer readings of the story. On Instagram people will still shriek in terror if you suggest the characters are gay, and most of the popular lotr posts are stale memes recycled from like 2007. There’s really no room for thoughtful media analysis, and even if you did create it, instagram’s algorithm would make sure no one saw your post anyway.

And everyone’s going to say “the algorithm shows you what you’ve seen before so maybe it’s your fault ~” or whatever but i do look for things I want! I do! “The algorithm” doesn’t know me or what I want or value or care about beyond this meaningless surface level.

The only thing that was worthwhile about these sites was the great visual art people were creating, but now the websites are overwhelmed with meaningless soulless machine-generated AI glurge, and it sucks. It just really, really sucks.

I’m honestly confused about why people don’t use tumblr….There’s no character limits! You have freedom with post formatting, and can insert images throughout textposts to illustrate specific points you’re making beneath the paragraphs where they’re necessary! You can add hyperlinks, linking to your sources! People can reblog your entire essay and share it, and then add on with commentary that then becomes part of a larger conversation! People can find your stuff through the tagging system! Reblogging means posts stay in circulation for years instead of being dead 30 minutes after they’re uploaded! If you want to have genuinely interesting text conversations about a piece of media, there really isn’t a better social media website for it anywhere.

To be clear, I’m definitely not saying Tumblr media analysis is *always* clever and thoughtful or etc etc. there are shitposts and nonsense here too (plenty of which I’ve created lol.) I’m saying that Tumblr gives people the tools for in-depth insightful analysis to happen. Whether people choose to do it or not is their own decision XD. But the reason lengthy in-depth conversations and book clubs are even possible here is because Tumblr is built for allowing these conversations to happen, in a way other sites simply aren’t.

It’d really suck if it died, because it’d be a huge blow to…being able to easily find long insightful in-depth media analysis written by fans. I currently don’t think there’s anything that could replace it.

[physalian]

On "immersion" in narrative

I should be relaxing today taking a victory lap because my book is finally live on sale, woo!

But I have this to say first, in the realm of “you can’t please everyone”. I am not a reader who enjoys extremely fluffy narrative, not “fluff” as in “feel good cotton candy stuff” but as in “300 words of describing the layout of a bedroom” fluff. I don’t like when the pacing moves as slow as molasses, not for introspection, but for telling about every little thing that happens in the story no matter how irrelevant it is to the story or its characters.

I had a beta reader for ENNS who left at least 20 comments across my narrative asking for all this extra material because my book felt too lean. I had a birthday party for a side character’s newborn daughter, when the side character herself was never even named. The plot takes place in a castle, and, shocker, the castle isn’t only populated by Main Characters.

It was just the inciting incident of the chapter that got my characters staged in the right location and the right mindset (happy fun birthday party, sourpuss self-saboteur protagonist is really missing out).

But she’d left me a comment asking for probably at least an extra 500-700 words of details about this party. She wanted to know about the food that was served, what everybody was wearing, what music they were listening to. She wanted to have actual dialogue between the new mother and some important character, some comment about life and death and parallels, and wanted all these details about a three-day-old newborn baby.

I deleted that comment. And every other comment like it.

Why? She is not my target audience and was my only beta with such notes, but also, even if this was that kind of book, she failed to understand what, I think, counts as meaningful to the narrative. That baby only showed up maybe twice in the book. The mother, like I said, never named.

The point of the party was simply “hey happy times exist in this place that you hate, Protagonist”. Spending paragraphs upon paragraphs on a little narration side quest to give you irrelevant details that don’t advance either the plot, the worldbuilding (there were other parties where I described the clothes and food and music), the important characters’ thoughts, feelings, goals, or conflicts, at the cost of keeping the pacing more consistent would have been superfluous.

And that party in of itself was fluff. I was following through on the set up of a pending newborn, spent time describing how a castle full of immortal vampires who don’t have to sleep can crochet baby clothes for a week straight and now this baby has far more clothes than she could ever hope to wear before she grows out of them. I had my narrator, a vampire, comment on how much he likes these events because new life is so rare in this bleak setting. I spent a few sentences describing the baby herself, and then he left to continue the story, taking talk of the party to the pissy protagonist and going “buddy you are allowed to have fun and meet the baby and your attitude is really getting old.”.

500 words might not sound like a lot, but she had asked for these extra paragraphs constantly. She argued it was for immersion.

The thing is.

I don’t like superfluous fluff, but I do like fluff in moderation. I don’t think any one element that takes up more than two sentences or so should exist for one sole, niche purpose. Meaning: You want to toss in a detail about a supporting character’s woodturning hobby? Great! You want to spend two whole paragraphs going on a tangent about this hobby that never comes up again and isn’t actually that important to the character? Why?

This is not to say that I think all books should be lean, this is just what I like. I don’t have the attention span to sit around waiting for the plot the author forgot about so I can read a whole page about the kingdom’s irrelevant potato farming practices. I do have time for a couple sentences about the irrelevant potatoes. I do have time to read a whole page about the kingdom’s potatoes if it’s setup for a potato famine.

There are ways to be immersive without overkill. All this counts as exposition—establishing details that set up your world and your story—and what she was asking for was a series of exposition dumps, several of which were redundant.

As a writer, I work very hard to give expository details as they become necessary. I won’t describe the dresses at a party until my narrator has time to thoughtfully comment on said dresses at said party—which he did. He came from a place that didn’t have dresses, much less lavish parties, and criticized the castle’s hedonistic opulence. He wasn’t plotting his escape, stopping mid-thought to tell the reader about the costumes, and then carrying on.

I could have waxed poetic all day as well-constructed and seamlessly as I could to work in those details to try and make them matter, but a) that would be rehashing the ‘hedonistic opulence’ and b) it really, truly, did not matter.

Would a reader like her enjoy my book? Eh, probably not. Would a reader like me enjoy her book? Eh, probably not.

There is plenty of room in libraries and on bookstore shelves for “lazy river” style books where the whole point is reading about as many details as the author can cram between the pages and there really isn’t a plot, it’s more about the setting and the relationships. Can’t mess up the pacing with an exposition dump if there is no pacing. Not my kind of story.

Doesn’t make either of us bad writers. She will have her audience and I have mine. I only argue for details that serve a purpose, and if that purpose is a solitary and weak one, then that’s not enough for me.

[good-beanswrites]

I’m going to hell for this request but Mikoto as a SoundCloud rapper and he gets jumped by the prisoners for his SoundCloud song

LMAO your requests always get me -- out of all the possible milgram prompts I have to say, "soundclous rapper Mikoto" was not on my radar but it was so fun 😂 I hope you enjoy haha!

To say Mikoto was stressed would be an understatement. His interrogation was coming up in a few weeks. He still had no idea what he was doing here in the first place, or what he was supposed to do once in front of the warden. The two prisoners he asked about it had broken into tears and charged at him swinging, respectively. If that was how the little girls reacted, he was confident he’d get nothing short of a punch to the face if he asked any of the stronger adults.

So, trapped between uncertainty and danger, Mikoto did what any normal person would do in his shoes. He blew very loud raspberries, made wailing siren sounds, and sang tongue twisters into the echoing panopticon.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Fuuta banged open the cell door.

“My scales.”

“No shit. Why?”

“I’m warming up.”

“How come?”

“So my voice is ready.”

The look on his face told Mikoto he was still in danger of getting punched. “What. Are. You. Warming. Up. For.”

“Oh! My interrogation is coming up, right? Since we’ll be singing to the warden, I really want to be prepared. I always do these leading up to a performance.”

“No, you idiot, we don’t –”

“A performance~?” Mahiru peered her head into the room. She, too, let herself in. “Are you a singer, Mikoto-kun?”

He lifted his chin. The earlier stress in his chest melted away, now replaced with a wave of pride. “Well actually, yes, I happen to have made a name for myself.”

“Really?” Her squeals of excitement attracted a few onlookers to the cell. (Well, maybe they were still curious from hearing his vocal warmups.) “To think, we have a real singer here with us!”

Haruka’s eyes were wide. “Are y-you like. Um! Are you f-famous? I’m sorry I-I didn’t recognize you...”

Mikoto laughed, waving his hand to dismiss the thought. “No, no, it’s not like that.” He placed the palm on his chest, trying to appear modest. It was about time he got to finally talk about his identity. “Although, I’d like to say I’ve gathered a solid listening audience.”

“Yeah?”

“I mean, I was kind of surprised no one here recognized my voice. But then again, I create for a pretty niche and artistic corner of the art form… I guess you’re all pretty mainstream…”

Fuuta scowled even as the other prisoners gathered around the entryway to hear about their superstar cellmate. “I’ve never once heard of you, and trust me, I’m into some pretty niche circles. I think you’re just fucking with us.”

“Eh? Of course not! Tell you what, I’ll request an ipod this week, and prove it to you. I always go by a stage name, anyway.”

“What is it, then?”

Mikoto’s lips curled into a smile. “My fans call me Yamada Taro.”

“That is the lamest name I have ever –”

“So cool~!”

—

The panopticon was abuzz with excitement after that. The prisoners double checked, triple checked, and then checked again that Mikoto had actually asked for the device when request day came. As much as they asked him to sing for them, he refused any “spoilers” beforehand. Even after they explained that no singing would be involved at the interrogation, some of the prisoners joined him for random sessions of warmups.

When requests finally arrived, the group huddled around him with anticipation. Es, too, lingered in the corner of the common room, pretending not to be interested. The prisoners leaned over Mikoto’s shoulder, shushing each other as he started looking through it.

“Just search up a song!”

“I’m trying… my stuff isn’t really on the major streaming apps…”

“Oh?” A few faces fell.

“Oi, don’t judge soundcloud! Lot’s of famous rappers get their start there.”

“Excuse me?” Fuuta pinched the bridge of his nose. “This whole week, you didn’t think to mention you’re a fucking soundcloud rapper?”

Mikoto chuckled. “Cool, huh? I thought it’d make a good surprise. I didn’t want you guys fawning over me all week long…”

And, somehow, despite it all, Mikoto still ended up with a punch to the face.

[comfyhome]

// cw: mentions of nsfw, cannibalism, and if this escapes my target audience, vore ofc

hey! sorry for the long hiatus, but I’d just like to say something.

if you don’t understand sfw vore, that’s ok!! there’s no need to interact, and you can block me as you wish. but sending hateful anonymous accusations in my inbox .. really sucks? you don’t know anything abt me or my interests??

I’m sorry that this is how I return to this account, but jesus christ. it’s insane how everyone online has begun to romanticize stuff like cannibalism recently and they can recognize it’s fantasy + they know for some people it’s sexual and for others it isn’t, but when it comes to more taboo interests, vore is totally shunned.

this is the same stuff they did w that infamous asexual vore blog lol. this person was asexual and said their stuff was sfw and people still got on their ass about it. it sucks! especially when people refuse to have an open mind and instead resort to harassment.

I’m happy to talk to anyone who doesn’t understand my interests. explaining this stuff to anyone curious has become natural to me. I’m not hurting anyone — I haven’t even spoken to anyone on this account — and there’s large enough of a community of people online who enjoy this interest nonsexually that it’s just ignorant to say it’s a sex thing.

I’ve been interested in this stuff since I was a little kid. it’s really comforting and it’s gotten me through a lot of tough spots, even if that sounds silly. anyone’s free to enjoy my posts, and even if I let anyone interact, it’s incredibly rare that I’ll interact back anyways.

sorry for writing this whole thing. it’s just really bothersome that there are so many real threats out here on the internet and people still choose to target accounts who haven’t done anything at all. this account was made because I was comforted finding a space where there were people like me who enjoy this interest nonsexually like I do; trying to fit myself into the sexual side of it never felt right, and I grappled with that struggle a lot growing up until I realized this niche of the community existed.

thanks for reading and I hope anyone who did has a good rest of their day. feel free to dm or send an ask if you have any questions or inputs! :]

[prettyboykatsuki]

you can totally ignore this but how do you reconcile your need for your creation to be seen with the disappointment that comes with the lack of engagement? and i mean that in any capacity - regardless of what that entails or signifies for you. i strictly post on ao3 and i find myself caring too much about whether or not people like my work. and sure, i do enjoy the process of writing, but it does sting when the things i post are not received the way i want them to be. i know authors talk about creating stuff for themselves, but that can't be all there is to it. even if you tell yourself that you're the only audience, and that any extra eyes are nothing but a bonus, you can't help but expect something else. something more

i know this is probably not the answer you are hoping for but my honest answer is that you have to learn to get past it or writing will become a deeply miserable experience for you rip

it sounds unempathetic but there’s not any like. special tactic or way of thinking that circumvents the process of simply learning to do it over and over again. i understand the disappointment but truthfully that is all there is to it

i never post anything with regards to other people unless they are paying me to do so. everything else is mine. if i wrote for an audience or spent time letting people infringe or my writing or self expression i wouldn’t post again

it helps to be aware of things like scope and popularity to deal with those things. like i know intrinsically any post about gojo will get a truly underserving amount of attention ahsjfns. and me writing about ochako and my sock fetish will be pretty niche etc

but in general you really do have to practice letting go of your expectations. i don’t expect anything from people when i post. i have accumulated a following over some time and i talk a lot so things get notes but i never harbor any expectation they will which is why im thankful for it no matter size or number.

engagement isn’t symbolic of anything. it’s not even symbolic of peoples interest 100%. so much goes into who engaged a work which is why it’s best to simply write For You. and it’s especially not symbolic of things like quality or passion.

i truly don’t expect anything when i post. i don’t think people even perceive me, so im always pleasantly surprised when followers or ppl express interest. if i worried about it i dont think i could be here as like,, earnestly as i am. i know it sucks and i get the feeling of disappointment but its just one of those pesky things that you must work through with time 🥲

it doesn’t make it any less hard but it really is all that u can do to manage it. no way out but through sort of thing. and it’s even more true in a climate where writers are generally treated like a commodity 🥲

i wish u best of luck in the journey. im always willing to talk more about it but yeah it does suck ass and i feel for the struggle. but it gets better w practice

[justbackgroundnoise]

Women's Hockey is unfortunately more niche than NWSL and WNBA and to act like because it worked for more successful and profitable leagues means it will work the PWHL is spurious at best.

Like I can go to NWSL game and find multiple sports bars carrying their game during the season in my city, but only the lesbian sports bar that does not make very much money carried PWHL games. They probably can afford TSN but what if they choose not to pay for another channel when they have what they need to stream most women's sports?

I hope it works out for the PWHL but we can't pretend wanting to charge money is the same thing as a guarantee that people will pay.

Of course it’s more niche, I don’t disagree with you there at all, but at the end of the day these leagues are businesses 🤷‍♀️ I didn’t say the PWHL would be raking in millions of dollars because of these new broadcast partners, no shot haha, I simply used the NWSL and the WNBA as examples for how other women’s professional leagues have reached a place where they’re in a position to make that much money from media because their popularity has grown year over year. Those leagues have also been around for ages now and likely made very little in the beginning but they did have broadcast deals to help with that growth. Let’s not forget how the NWSL as a league basically failed in some of its older formats before it finally became the success it’s now grown into, and the CWHL folded as well because it wasn’t given the financial backing it deserved but things are different now and that’s great!

I won’t fault the PWHL for trying to make money and taking advantage of this buzz heading into season two and maybe, one day, they’ll also get to a point where their deals for media are huge, because we know right now it isn’t anywhere even close to those other sports league but it’s a start!

And it’s a direction the league has to move in if they want a broader audience to actually develop an interest. So if an opportunity arises that allows financial growth, even if it’s small, through broadcast partnerships, I’m not sure why the league would choose to do it any other way. The audience is growing and I know it’s great to just turn on youtube and boom the games are all there, I myself loved that last season but as someone who wants to see the league grow in a more financially successful way, even having interest from big networks to become broadcast partners is important because let’s face it, free for all on youtube doesn’t pay the bills. The reality is that the modern sports media industry operates this way, across multiple platforms, and the hard and fast of it all is that women’s professional sports won’t make money/be successful if people always expect the product to be free. Just because it’s young, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t have a $ value and people will either pay to watch the product or they won’t.

[lifenconcepts]

Here's that List of Names I talked about.

Please tell me If you can't read something, also Ignore the shitty Sebastian ((Yes, me and the Roblox Fish Guy share a Name)) Sketch In the Corner.

I LOVE YOUR HANDWRITING AND I LOVE THE FISH GUY AND I LOVE YOU AND I LOVE THIS ACTIVITY! Hope this helps :3 I tried to define it as best I could but I just translate the names into “yeah that totally fits the character” and not actually expressing it in words 😿 (also this litterally is just my assumptions from the names and it would be scewed if you said what sort of character you were going for so I guess this is as genuine as it gets, feel free to go off this if you need to).

Austin - reminds me of some teen who keeps to themselves and yet has a never ending hand in some very obscure topic, like, you’d never come across an Austin but randomly in some odd town you’ll come across one and they have an official job in something like UFO engineering or frog marriage or science of fire or something.

Aaron - Reminds me of Orion :3 (in the nicest way possible, it’s my favourite constellation), but also seems to belong to a very specific sort of character, possibly to a competitive guy who peaked in high school. At first thought it said Auron lol!

Andrew - I expect this to belong to someone who is either soft spoken or loves debates, doesn’t seem to anger easily but can stand up for themselves, possibly even having a niche interest without an audience (like what I wrote for Austin) but in a more creative sphere, like making mosaics or origami or maybe art from trash. (Also funny how a single word can change something, like trash art vs art trash vs art of trash vs art from trash)

Arie (I think I read it right) - Seems very sweet, almost like a cosmic child, and has a very calm atmosphere to it :) would be fitting for someone who has a connection to something mystical or fantastical!

Cade - gives me cyberpunk/steampunk vibes for some reason and I’m not entirely sure why.

Caiden - bwuhhh.. reminds me of big guy. Gentle giant. Would bite the ankles of.

Casey - Mixed feelings about this and i can’t exactly tell you why. Seems like it’d belong to one of those “popular girls” at school who’d act all nice and then talk rudely about you behind your back.

Clyde - Cloud. Muahahhaha! No but a very nice name, I’d even assume them to be well-mannered and formal sometimes while also having something usually not thought about as a hobby but somewhat respectable, like training birds of preys like hawks and facons or fixing up motorcycles or hosting a game show. Very nice in my opinion.

Prince - oh hey that’s me! XD but has plenty of different connotations depending on who you ask. For me, seems to be very similar to the stuff i put for Andrew. A somewhat soft person yet one who isn’t afraid to defend what is right or weaker. Would expect them to have a certain theme driving them forward but what it is varies from individual to individual. Possibly a bearer of some unfathomable trauma but I guess that’s up to how merciful you are to them.

Quin - Nonbinary real estate 🔥. But reminds me of a very young yet mature person who probably expressed themselves through unappealing to the public eye but is actually a sweetheart at heart.

Quincey - Makes me think of a ferret for some reason. A ferret personified. Just like a fucked up cat running on human somewhere. Charming yet orange cat coded. Bro runs around the room like a trapped horse.

Reed - Gives me such big detective-like feelings, I would trust them with my court case and yet hold almost no hope in them making my name innocent. Rather, they’re so damn hilarious in how desperately they try to announce someone not guilty that they accidentally do the opposite, and that’s entertaining enough to go to jail for. “Your honour!!! My client is INNOCENT because Even though they did some bad things and own a gun tHEY WOULD NEVER harm anyone! They own a very cute German Shepherd and spend lots of time with it bevause they love it and- th.. the suspect died from a dog bite? … ah- well I meant to say- ..”

Rhett - Bro sounds like an airplane company. No but very interesting although it bares the kind of vibe as some sort of folklore creature youd only hear about in stories then come across in a swamp like “what the fuck.. - it’s real?!”. Quite nice.

Fran - isn’t there an old lady snack that’s named something of the sort? Similar to flapjack? But basically is awesome and gives me that badass grandma vibe of seeing an elder in a sports car and thinking “you go, gram-gram!”

felix - the god tier of all names. Litterally fits everyone and anyone without even trying yeahg!!

Francis - was my grandma’s cat name :,) .. he was an absolutely sweetheart and a very nice gentleman.

innocent - quite ironic if the character is fucked up. But has a good ring to it, although seems a bit too “out there”, you know?

Lance - God tier name. Makes me think of a protagonist of some bad ass action movie, would follow the story of, probably disappears from home for weeks or months before looking at a picture of his family sadly like “ah.. I’ve never seen my child grow, I’m practically a stranger to her..”

Lawrence - Probably a hard worker and yet at the same time slacks off, somehow managed to get a promotion but every time you see them they’re doing jack-shit, probably has a good understanding of marketing just because he spends so much on his phone. But seems like the guy to carry around a cute little dog in a handbag.

Layne - aaarrggghhhhh amazing it reminds me of a road in the middle of the night and as if they’re that shadow that moves beside the car/bus that I can’t seem to lay my eyes upon and yet know they’re there. Probably into space exploration or Atleast the museums.

Lewis - the name’s tainted by a loser from my school in the past. But it’s a nice name. Reminds me of a toad stuck in a pool to be fair.

Lowis - petah, the horse is here. Lovely name.

May - Very sweet, probably super kind and constantly makes others gifts or cakes, likes has a garden they tend to often, probably owns a cat, likes to sit in the garden and look at the sun’s warmth.

Maxie - A dragon lover, has a dog, likes mist and fog, probably dances in the rain, probably wants a cat, loves king car rides, had cool headphones, would wag their tail if they had one.

Mc Kinley - Is bro from a child’s story? This is a compliment. Makes it seem like he’s about to lead someone into a barn before revealing some horrible secret and is like a father figure to some guests.

Jody - Probably likes some sort of sport like basketball or volleyball, sweetly competitive, unassuming but probably quite smart.

Sage - Gives a very flowery/herb loving feeling and that they’d live in a Cottage, like a vintage nature loving presence, maybe even a ghost.

Serton - Very much giving Butler vibes, like he’s about to greet me at a mansion and welcome me warmly before offering me homemade bakeries despite having a rough looking exterior.

Silas - this fits you! Has a very few sea underwater creature feeling to it, makes me think the character has some underlying secret to them that could make or break the entire world or something.

Sincere - Would fit a personal in the business field, I’d say. Soren - Eye of Sauron frfr (the sun except it’s burning harshly)

Starling - BIRD AND SPIES YAYAYAYYYY ahem I mean it’s a very professional sounding name which also has soft connotations which I adore.

Sylvian - like a silver goddess beckoning the swans to bask in the moonlight beside a bridge in France, purring sweet lullabies of tea and peace into the air.

Taylor - I really like this name, it’s quite calm but also reminds me of America specifically those massive stores which sell cotton.

Terrance - has a good ring to it, but reminds me of a reclusive individual, one that may find comfort within themselves and take on something akin to a security job before they get dragged into something they could have never expected.

Trace - Bro likes tattoos and disapear ring without a trace (not meant as a play on words but just so happened to be). Probably have beat up shoes and hand-dyed jacket with patches they made.

Tristan - Bro probably goes to rooftops to get a break from life but then finds a friend there who’s doing the same and slowly but surely get a connection and create a platonic bond for life.

Tuna (?) - fish go 🍣 :))

Vincent - Very professional version of this and my personal favoruite. Not a neccesity but could assume for a fictional character that they have some deformity or maybe a golden tooth here or there and maybe some implant in their spine or something, maybe a missing finger. Probably tall and holds alot of experience in life but is haunted by certain decisions they made.

Vin - Short, to the point. Probably has a short complex and tries to make up for that with big,loud cars and being loud & obnoxious, like those untrained shitheads of chihuahuas. Has at some point broken a bone. Probably has a lot of metalic decorations in their home.

Vince - probably is a butcher or atleast own a carnivore. Have tried yoga at some point wether it be teaching or learning. Likes colouring but looks like an individual whose main source of excersize is chasing people off their property with a gun.

walter - has a verrryyy specific style to them that you only find in the duty free zone of airports, like you look at them just chilling - probably on their laptop or watching their gate and think “yeah, that’s a Walter”. They also probably have live television at home and happily watch the ads and just whatever show is currently on, while trying to defend “7 princess vs a million toads” is a great show to watch and deserves the 80 episodes each 1 hour long it has.

winston - Similar to the below :3

Winto - likely lives in some Scandinavian or Canadian city and has a knack for knowing random bits and pieces of street smarts/life. Probably has no clue how to deal with a glitching TV but definetely has gotten out a possum from their car engine or put anti-skid tires on their bicycle. Probably has lots of small lights around their home (like little ones outside, some lamps on pedestals inside, maybe a lava lamp here and there, maybe a soft-lit chandelier in their living room or bedroom, probably also barely opens their curtains but is very welcoming of people).

zac - Probably had a “I’m a gangster” phase before they realised that it was just a cover to not look soft when they infact like some characteristically “feminine/weak” activity such as knitting. Prolly likes to go for joyrides every other day and goes for walks without informing others.

Zachary - Bro probably wears specially tailored clothes for themselves. Also likely owns or owned a bird. Probably secretly keeps flowers on their table or in their garden as it makes them feel loved. Mommy issues? Likes snacking.

Zehe - probably traumatised, that’s all I got to say.

my suggestion is to try come up with a “Mr. -so and so-“ name, it has so many potential!! Like “Mr. Basil” for example, or “Mr. Trison.” Or “Mr, Wrapper” or or or “Mr. Sheep” or “Mr, Ear.”

[spookyscarycreepydollgirl]

I deleted your comment because it made me so mad, but I need to explain why so you don't keep doing this. You shouldn't make queer characters straight, but it's fine to make straight characters queer because they are not a marginalised group. They are not an underrepresented group. HC-ing straight people queer is not the same as HC-ing ace people allosexual. Asexual people are ridiculed and ignored within their own community, so when we get canon representation, that needs to be respected. When the media is as saturated with ace rep as it is straight rep, we can revisit this conversation, but until then if you like the dynamic of two characters there's no reason why you can't take that and make something new with it. You don't need to erase ace characters in the process. Hope this helps

That’s a dumb thing to think, and I think you know it. Characters from marginalised groups requiring protectionist double standards I mean. They’re fictional characters, they exist to entertain. They aren’t real or worth protecting, no matter what their sexual orientation or lack there of is. I literally kill my OCs in the name of fetishisation on my blog. You don’t protect fictional characters, they’re tools, they exist to be used and exploited no matter who they represent.

That’s not even getting into the fact that you aren’t even talking about media representation, you’re talking about fanfiction. A niche close knit form of media that the majority of people will never even see. If you’re trying to influence how others think on a societal or systemic level, fanfiction is a laughable way to do it. You can’t dictate how an audience reacts to a character. You can’t control who people will ship with who or what they write about. Fanfiction is a hobby, it’s done for fun, out of dedication and passion. You should be grateful that people like the same characters you like and the same stories you like enough to want to invent new stories for them, being picky about those stories in an artistic sense is fine, but pretending it’s a question of morality? That’s just self-righteous. It’s just bossing people around and shaming them cause you think you know better.

I ship Gale X Astarion X Tav even though Gale isn’t poly and Astarion has some definite sexual trauma in his past. I ship Yuugi/Atem even though Yuugi is canonically straight. I ship tons of other things that are not even remotely canon. It’s not wrong or evil it’s creative license and it’s fun.

I should clarify that the post they’re so mad about they deleted was me essentially saying: “I ship Yuugi/Yami no Yuugi, even though Yuugi is canonically into pussy, I’m not sparing the straights, so why would I spare the asexuals?” I forget the actual wording, I don’t think I mentioned pussy in so many words. So just think of this version as a slightly more crass and dramatic reenactment.

Anyway I don’t even feel offended by being deleted this time because I’m too taken back by the need of OP to correct my supposed bad behaviour.

I’mma be honest guys, while I told this person I would lance the sacred cow of canonical queerness. I don’t actually have that many fanfiction OTPs I can think of that are straight despite being canonically queer. (Does Pomni X Caine count? An AI could be assumed to be canonically asexual right? But then the Moon is implied to get frisky so…yeah I don’t think I can determine this with just a pilot episode)

So not only am I sex repulsed IRL and thus the last person who needs to be told that life is tough for folk on the ace spectrum but the supposed “horrible” thing this person NEEDS to stop me doing I’m not entirely sure I’ve actually done. (I’ve read ALOT of fanfiction in my life though so I could just be misremembering.)

If anyone’s wondering why I’m so passionate about this though. It’s cause I want to be a proper writer one day and fictional characters as tools to be exploited is an inalienable right for writers. Does this mean I think getting attached to or empathising with characters is bad if you’re a writer? Hell no! But you gotta treat them like Sims characters and drown them in the pool without a second thought. I like my Sims, I empathise with my Sims and I still wouldn’t fucking hesitate to murder them in cold blood. And THAT my friends is the ideal attitude we should all aspire to when writing.

[georgiapeach30513]

I saw a tweet and comments made by some critics online that severely annoyed me again so I’m here to rant about it 🙈😆.

Chris filmed three movies this year. All three of these movies are smaller scale, most of them probably aren’t even on the industry radar in terms of anticipated. They’re not being lauded as such either. They’re smaller and more niche and also interesting. Critics ignore this and continue to harp on R1 over and over and I’m like…girl who hurt you???

Chris’s career outside the MCU has mostly been about doing smaller scale indie projects. Outside of lightyear, he hasn’t joined any existing franchise sequels, IPs, or even any reboot franchises.

Gray man was a one off. (Well with hopes to be something more but again, that’s a Russos Netflix and Ryan gosling thing to worry about. Chris’s character died onscreen so obviously he wasn’t doing it to be added onto to a franchise)

Pain hustlers was a one off.

Ghosted a one off.

Fly me to the moon was supposed to be his role but got transitioned to Channing Tatum.

Red one was an original story with hopes to expand potentially but still a new story with no existing IP to draw from. The franchise talk would have been for the rock and maybe JK, not Chris.

Yet this Twitter account and some fans and critics are acting like Chris is only choosing roles that he thinks can make him money via a big paycheck and not paying attention to art. I’m like…have you seen the rest of this industry? Every single big movie this year is a sequel or existing IP or remake. wtf do you mean then??

I am tired. Chris has every right to choose the projects he desires and he does not owe anyone an explanation for why he does not seem to go for “awards bait” or serious films with Oscar potential.

And let’s be honest, the projects he has chosen that HAD award potential have historically gone ignored or been paid dust.

So he is doing what he wants. How is doing a smaller scale indie film with a new director (Romain) mean he has nowhere to go but marvel? How are these criticisms fair?

I’ve been POed at the industry hate for red one and it’s been bothering me like no other because the Rock too has been ridiculed for months and the industry won’t seem to let him and Chris (by a lesser extension) forget it. Like we get it. You hate the movie and you’re mad it got made. But talk to seven bucks and Amazon about it. Talk to every big studio that continues to fund these projects and ignore the smaller indie films with quality and then we can talk. Blaming Chris for existing isn’t going to help small films get made and popcorn BS stop getting made.

FWIW, Red One is STILL making money. The audiences are generally loving it and it got an A minus cinema score and people are actually still showing up despite the critics bashing and the fact they have Moana 2, Gladiator, wicked, and now fifty other films to choose from. Just because somebody didn’t like this film does not mean it’s a complete failure and that makes it Chris’s fault.

Also…returning to marvel. Okay, so everyone else is allowed to return to marvel and continue to work with marvel but Chris. Is that it? Was he supposed to just leave after endgame and then go on and win awards and that was his only option?? Why isn’t he doing better or where he should be? Well why does the industry always ignore him for virtually everything he has done? He did just as much to create the MCU legacy as RDJ. But RDJ is the one they wanted to treat like a king. Chris is always tossed to the side and you want people to wonder why he doesn’t try harder to make himself be seen differently? Scott pilgrim takes off won a critics choice award. It’s a smaller project but it was a passion project for both Edgar, the creators, and the live action cast. It paid off for everyone and the fans and they don’t want to milk it more so no plans to do a season 2. The same thing for Defending Jacob. Chris has always shown he’s passionate about things that interest him and if he’s allowed to make some extra cash, why not?

Most of these people don’t even think he’s capable of awards anyway so why are so many always whining about how he’s not doing things that can get him awards? Calling him lazy and worthless when literally he’s done three movies this year and he was promoting red one at the same time.

It’s so ridiculous to me.

You know I've had this conversation a lot recently. I really want to know why Chris is held to an impossible standard when it comes to his movie roles. People act as if he has the cure to cancer, and refuses to let anyone have it, and he's just acting. We don't know why he chooses the roles he does, nor is it our business. Chris is carving out his career.

He's never struck me as someone who wanted to make mostly award bait movies. There's nothing wrong with an actor who does choose to do that, just like there's nothing wrong with Chris' career path. As someone who is a Sebastian AND Chris fan, I can acknowledge the vast differences between these actors, even though too many want to pit them against each other. I've also said that I find Chris' movies to be a bit easier to rewatch than Seb's. And that's not taking away from his talent. I think Seb is probably one of the best actors of his generation. But I don't have a strong urge to rewatch Fresh or The Devil All the Time.

I don't see too many people criticizing Tom Cruise's movie choices, and how he always returns to Mission Impossible. How many failed movies has he had? What about Channing Tatum? Or even Ryan Reynolds? Are all his movies the best movie of the year? And yest constantly Chris is held to this standard that nobody could sustain. It's weird. And I promise you, Red One is not the worst movie of the year. Not by a long shot. But hey, sometimes it takes talent to have actual lines of dialogue.

[jerzwriter]

as a writer, when you put in all that hard effort into creating this massive story with so much thought and research, it just gets swept away and with people more inclined towards reading one shots and Tumblr's own interface designed for blog posts and not longform fiction like say, in ao3, it is unsurprising to find people gravitate towards fluff and stuff that gets wrapped up in 1k-2k words.

There isn't really a lot of interest in people wanting to read something that gravitates away from romance in the slightest. People want the engagement stories, the days leading up to it, they want the cute dates and that's perfectly fine too, but there really isn't any point complaining about engagement anymore because the fandom has just shrunk exponentially and it only makes sense to support each other's work because you like the author and you hope they keep writing time after time.

I don't know if I'm making sense lol, this is just my two cents on the situation and many random shovels of thoughts.

I do hope we get a fandom renaissance or something but that would require people to share, reblog and actively be a patron for people's works and not everyone has the time for that in this post-covid era, which is totally understandable too. I just hope we find a middle ground so people of all niches can be accepted and they can reach their audience.

While fandom events do encourage people to create; as a catalyst, the readers always play the primary part in making sure that encouragement sustains enough for authors to create. After a while it gets pointless to just shout out things into the void and you're left wondering if the stuff you create really matters or not; even if you think you're writing for yourself and you matter, it gets tedious 😭😭

OMG THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS!!!!!!

THIS!!!!!

Not going to lie… there are days lately I am like “It is time to just hang it up”, bit it still brings me some joy in a world that isn’t always so great. So I do it. But the desire to produce isn’t always there, and when it is, it is more likely to be short, simple, and like you said, that’s fine too. But I miss delving into deeper, more substantial content. But who is going to take the time to do it if … as you said… you are screamed into a void.

We always talked of “silent readers”. Well, I think a lot of them are even gone now, but I am sure some remain. But at this point if we don’t encourage one another, I think we will have very little outside of occasional shared screenshots within a year.

A year ago, the fandom was smaller, but I couldn’t have imagined hanging it up. Now, I think, “after I tell this… chances are I have nothing left to give.” And thats from someone who always has a new idea. Hey, that hyperactive mind fucks me enough, I am grateful for the good things it gives me too! lol But even for my Tobias and Casey, which are truly my heart, I can see an end. Today, it is all day by day.

Thank you for this… this post says it ALL.

[woundlingus]

I think that "if Cas has been a woman, Destiel would have been canon" means that watchers would have been more enclined to read their relationship as romantic without question, not so much that some wouldn't have dislike it and that some fans wouldn't have pressured the showrunners to take fem!Cas out of the show for this reason; it doesn't mean either that Dean and Cas would be a couple, but that (that's how I interpret the quote) they would be a "will they won't they" for the majority of viewer, even if Cas only stayed one season. Also, while there're similarities between Anna and Cas, there're not the same, neither is their relationship with Dean. Even in season 4. Btw, I really like both Anna/Dean and Annastiel. I wish she (and many other women characters) had stayed a lot longer.

You know, this is the first respectful ask I’ve gotten over that post so I’m going to say this one last time and address that post.

It was made for a niche audience of five people who knew the context behind the post, it was specifically about ONE really rancid take I saw by someone saying things like heterosexual relationships were favoured and things akin to women being respected by the fandom and the show as a whole, who I then blocked and moved in from. This post was never about Anna or Jo, though I did layer make jokes implying I had, it was about one persons misogyny that I was making to my friends.

If you saw this post and went “I don’t think this way” then congratulations, I am not talking about you! Believe it or not, I don’t know any of the two THOUSAND people who have interacted to either support a statement I didn’t make, or berate me for a statement I also didn’t make, so for so many of you to reach out to me and tell me I’m wrong for calling you a misogynist I’m sorry but frankly you’re fucking crazy, I don’t know you, and you’re right this post isn’t about you so please move in with your life. Destiel isn’t real, they’re not going to fuck you.

I’m sorry you to specifically anon for coming with what I assume in good faith is you wanting to have a discussion about something that is a very interesting topic of conversation, and you’ve been the undeserving doormat for me to lay my feelings out on here instead, but with love I truly am not interested enough in fandom wank or destiel to engage in it any further, especially considering my post garnered another 1k post turning off reblogs. I’m ready for this to die now, I hope you respect that.

I hope you have a good evening, and may your posts never break containment as mine have <3

[cosmiccinnabun]

Taking A Break

Hi everyone :)! I will be taking another little break from Tumblr for the foreseeable. I just feel like my energy to try and make content just isn’t up to par with what I actually want to make. It’s harder to do for a niche audience but I appreciate all of you who have loved my blog so far! I’ll probably be back soon after I’ve sorted out how I want to approach making stuff, but I hope to see you all then!

[aquabuggy]

was wondering if the rising attention surrounding 'lost media' has impacted your documentary/archival efforts into something this niche? as someone with a similar interest it's definitely given me a more universal concept to compare my own work to, I'd also just be interested in hearing more about your process in general. Sorry if this worded too pretentiously lol

Oh it’s not pretentious at all, don’t worry.

I will say the rise in popularity surrounding lost media as well as the stressed importance of archival has done a lot to motivate me. I was interested in preserving toy history before lost media got popularized, but it did wonders to convince me just how many people can be fascinated by the simple stories of things they might not even be interested in usually. Of course media should be preserved regardless if you have an audience or not to see/care about it, but it doesn’t hurt to know people really are out there that do. More attention also is a great tool for more vigorously combing the internet for information that could’ve easily been missed, as people love a good mystery, especially one they themselves can possibly help solve. It’s definitely one of the big reasons I started this blog.

In around 3 years, the original Wonderful Waterfuls will turn 50 years old. 50 years. That’s half a century. The exact creator of Waterful Ringtoss still isn’t widely available information. I don’t know their name. They may not be around anymore. I hope they are, when I find them I have so much I’d like to ask them.

Back when Netflix put up the first batch of The Toys That Made Us, I was curious if an episode on Waterfuls would ever drop. But after all my time researching these things, I don’t know if one ever will. Because despite being in several generations of peoples childhoods in some form or fashion, there’s very, very minimal information about them. There is no comprehensive list just showing every game that was released. There’s next to nothing, almost all information you have to search for through secondhand listings and infer through context. The most popular line of these games there is, and we’re missing very basic details about them. That’s part of my duty, I feel. To fill in as many missing details as I’m able with the information I’ve gathered and intend to keep gathering.

And the longer I’m in this hobby, the more stories I infer from the things I find. Unspoken tales and series of events that honestly likely have never been recorded to any degree. What do I mean? I’ve been somewhat haunted lately by a series of water games made by a company trying to get in on the craze, and how they really truly tried to create something original, but their new ideas kept failing in the final products, to the point they eventually caved in to the typical design conventions of the time (Waterful-ification, if you will). I’m still collecting for that, I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

I don’t feel I’ll run out of content anytime soon.