#i think it depends a bit on what fandom i'm focusing on

[sharpsuite]

♢  — WHAT ELEMENT WRITER ARE YOU?

WATER WRITER

Just like water, you carry your readers in a new world, and they just can’t do anything but follow. Your poetic writing allures the readers in with beautiful words, just for them to find themselves on the deepest oceans floors, where you make them taste pain in its sweetest form. Water writers are the gentlest liars, they show the readers a small stream, and no one can see the waterfall at the end. If you were a tag, you would definitely be ‘Everything is Beautiful But Everything Hurts’. Cliffhangers are one of your strong points that, mixed with your incredible versatility, make you a great writer. Your stories have a deep meaning, and never miss to leave traces on your readers hearts. You don’t limit yourself, you like to explore the deepest parts in the human soul, and that’s why readers can sometimes find MCD in your stories. Your endings tend to be sad or open, and your stories have the power to drag your readers with you, from the highest waves of a storm, and to the darkest secrets of the ocean.

tagged by: no one, this is my annual year end curiosity but seeing @musingmemories's post reminded me i needed to do it for this year tagging: @severeweatheralert ; @aoooooo0 ; @cartelheir ; @wellfell ; @redemptioninterlude ; @psielapki ; @hisinfinities ; @saburaito

[copperbadge]

ADHD and (Communications) Productivity

Recently @goodnightmoonvale hit me up by email to ask about some of my processes for keeping myself from getting snowed under when it comes to digital communication. The main question was about finding ways to ensure that you stay in touch with people and, at work, give updates in a timely manner.

I sent back a long email about the systems I use, then asked if I could post up my response publicly as well, since a couple of other people both online and in brickspace have asked me similar questions. I've cleaned it up a little and included it below -- although I feel just slightly weird about posting it since admittedly outside of work I am still not fantastic about prompt responses to email.

Still, I feel like it's good to share this stuff -- I think people take away what they can from this kind of post, and it's nice when something works. So here's what I wrote, tidied up a bit for posting.

SHORT VERSION

When I have a backlog in email or asks or similar -- as I often do -- I set aside a time, between 15 minutes and an hour depending on how I'm feeling, to do "communication rotation". I open up every inbox I need to respond to in a separate tab, and crucially these are the ONLY tabs open -- I set up a new browser window if I have to.

So I have a browser open and I have tabs within the browser -- Gmail, Tumblr Askbox, AO3 Inbox, etcetera. If you have Discord you might open the DMs in Discord to see if you have ones to respond to there. If it helps, you can create a bookmark file of "inboxes" so you can open them all at once every time. Sometimes I have multiple browsers open so that I can have multiple Gmail inboxes (personal, fandom, work) open at once.

Then I cycle through them, answering messages in one inbox until I feel like I can't anymore, and I move on to the next one. I try to set a goal -- say, five messages from each platform, or one "difficult" message that I've been putting off per platform. Or trying to get every inbox down to under 20 messages that need response, or similar.

The goal is not to answer every single message, but to attack the mountain. If you find you're skipping one inbox because only the really hard-to-respond-to messages are left, close out the other inboxes and just focus on replying to ONE hard-to-respond-to message, then get up and walk away and give yourself a treat. Maybe come back and start again in ten minutes, maybe you're done for the day. The point is to reduce the backlog little by little while still retaining enough energy to respond to new things as they come in, so they don't add to the backlog.

There may be a better way for some people -- maybe some people would do better to pick one platform each time and just deep focus on that one, for example. I always say that people need to find what works for them, but the attitude in this case is what's important -- not "Gotta do it all now" but "Little bit now helps me later". 

NOW, for the long version that's more work focused! 

LONG VERSION

Responding to people and keeping them updated are two different things, and I think there's an implicit third thing, which is "making sure I make time to respond to messages". So in sequence what you need to figure out how to do is: 

1. Set up your workflow so that you are consistently reminded to read and respond to email.

2. Respond in a timely and appropriate manner to email. 

3. Set up your workflow so that you are reminded to provide update emails as you progress in various projects. 

So for 1, only you know what will trigger you to consistently read and answer email. For me, I just constantly have my work email open on one monitor (I have two) and whenever a new email comes in I see it. Sometimes I need to use both monitors for other things, and for that reason the only email notifications I get on my phone are work email notifications*. So if I'm working on something and my phone nearby dings, I know it's probably important, and I see what it is fairly quickly.

* Reader, if you have ADHD and have not tried turning off all but the most necessary phone notifications, I do recommend trying it. For some it might be difficult or even counterproductive, but for me, it helps enormously with brain fog and executive function. The only notifications I get on my phone are text messages, work emails, and alarms. Nothing from social media, nothing from retail or game or banking apps. Zippo.

Once I'm aware I have a new email, before I read it, I decide: do I want to read and reply to this now? If not, if I'm in the groove of something else, I leave the email unread, so that it's there nagging at me when I'm done with whatever I'm doing. If I'm in a good place to break, I open the email -- but only if I have concluded that I will respond to it immediately if response is needed. 

This is a difficult habit to form. It may not work for some people. The key is to figure out what will a) draw your attention to new email, b) allow you to decide whether to read it, and c) respond if you do read it. 

2 ("respond in a timely and appropriate manner") is actually the easiest of the three steps in my opinion because you don't always have to have all the answers at once. I sometimes fall into the pit of "I can't respond unless I have a full answer or a finished assignment" and have to pull myself back out. It helps that I have become master of the "acknowledgement email" -- basically if you open an email and you can't answer the questions in it immediately, or if you can't work on the assignment that moment, you fire off a quick email just to let them know you've received the message and are working on it.

For this, I have several stock phrases such as "Thanks for the email! Let me look into this a little further and I'll get back to you" or "Sure, I can get that done in [timeframe]." Importantly, if they have not given you a deadline, it's SUPER helpful to say, "I'll have this to you by [reasonable date in your opinion] -- if you need it sooner please let me know ASAP so I can prioritize it." (or "If you need it sooner let's discuss the scope of the project, since I have a lot on my plate.") 

You then need to make sure that you do the task in the allotted time, but that's a different ballgame -- we're focusing here on responding and updating.

People, truly, just want to know that you've seen their request and are working on it, and just sending that email goes a long way towards giving the impression that you are a prompt responder and strong communicator. Also if you have any questions ("before I proceed, can I ask") now is the time to ask them since that puts responsibility back on them to provide information before you go further and possibly waste your time.

3 ("Set up your workflow so that you are reminded to provide update emails") is where I struggle, because it's not just about remembering to Do The Thing, you have to also remember to update the person on the thing. The way I do this is to use my inbox not as a temporary repository for new emails but as a to-do list. Until a task is complete, the email regarding it does not leave my inbox (see next paragraph for exceptions). If it's important I might even mark it unread (despite having replied to it) so that it "bugs" me when I look at my inbox. 

If I have replied and can't go further until I get a response, I might file the email in a folder. I make a new folder for work every month, so for example any requests from February are in the 2025-02 folder, and for big projects with multiple emails I make a folder like "2025 Holiday Cards" or "2025 Database Audit". Since there's nothing I can do until the person hits me back, it doesn't need to stay in my "to do" inbox -- when they email back it'll get moved there anyway. However, if I have replied and need a response but can work on other aspects of the task, even if I'm not going to immediately, I leave it in my inbox. That way, whenever I'm concerned I've forgotten something, I can check my inbox and see all the stuff I need to either reply to or update people on.

I also use Google Tasks to run my life, and have it open in a sidebar next to my email, so any task I should be working on is generally noted there as well, but that goes back to the "make sure you do the tasks promptly" which again is a different issue. 

CASE STUDY

So, say someone asks me for a spreadsheet on Monday. I reply "Thanks, I'll have this for you by end of day Friday, let me know if you need it sooner." They don't respond so I assume Friday is fine for my purposes. I leave the request email in my inbox and start work on the task OR I put the task in my Google Tasks with "Due Friday EOD" on it. (Sometimes I do both.)

I work on the project all week and by Wednesday I've made reasonable progress but haven't heard back from the person who asked for it. Around the end of day Wednesday, I might open the thread again and send a quick email saying "Hey, I'm making good headway on this, still on track to have it to you EOD Friday." Or I might have a question, and shoot that off. For some people, you get a feel of whether or not they need that kind of update. I don't do this for, say, my super laid-back boss, but I do for the head of Data who definitely wants status updates. 

On Friday, I open that same email thread as the original request (for consistency) and send them the finished product. At that point I know I'm done with the task so I can shift the email into my 2025-02 archive for good. All the communication is in one place, and it's neatly filed away, so I no longer have to worry about it. 

CONCLUSION

The ultimate point is that you want to develop a system for your own personal use that reminds you to check email frequently, helps you respond immediately when you read an email, and reminds you to send updates as they're needed. Maybe that's alarms instead of Google Tasks, or a calendar app, or a handwritten to-do list in place of keeping stuff in your inbox. The point is to know what will cue you to do things you wouldn't do naturally, then implement those -- and change them if they stop working. What I wrote above is my system, but it's mostly demonstrating the framework I used to build it, which is what I hope other people will also find useful.

[silverlining-ships]

I had someone DM me recently asking for tips for creating an SU sona and drawing in the style, which is one of my favorite topics to think about and discuss!! I'm definitely not the end-all-be-all of SU style replication and have so much to learn, but I wanted to share my method for anyone interested in creating SU art! So here's a Steven Universe Style Replication guide!

Before you start:

Gather LOTS of references. references EVERYWHERE. I have a google drive folder specifically for Jasper references, but I plan on having folders for each character as well. If you know you're going to draw a specific character a lot, gather references!!!

also, gather references of characters you base your S/I on physically. my sona has traits from both Steven and Connie's body types, so I used photos from their references when creating mine - I specifically used Connie's turnaround as inspiration for the height/posing of mine!

((you don’t HAVE to create a turnaround ofc, but thinking of your sona as one that needs to “follow the rules” of the other characters’ designs can help creating something that looks proportional and accurate!))

Colorwise, it’s fun to consider your f/o or the characters you interact with before creating an outfit palette -> I specifically use yellow as a base color because of the way it meshes with Jasper’s orange pallet, as well as being complementary to Steven’s pink and Connie’s blue

Drawing:

SU has the benefit (and curse) of inconsistent style and size references. it's partially proportions to the other characters, yea, but it's more in the shape language you use when drawing in the style, which is why references are so helpful! 

(unrelated but I love how this shows how much I still struggle drawing jasper.... even after six months straight of exclusively drawing her. sigh.)

take these drawings I threw together! these are four completely different characters, but they all feel different because of the shape language used:

even with my own style bleeding in, really focusing in on what their core body is expressing is what demonstrates the character.

this translates to creating your own sona, too - think about how your sona would fall into the shape language. my sona is similar to Connie, but a bit curvier and stockier, which shows especially in the core of the character design!

I know the "belted shape" concept has gone around this fandom for years, but I'd recommend not depending on it as in my opinion it doesn't translate nearly as well as just a general concept of the form - like how it doesn't work as well with Peridot when she becomes tiney

[obligatory PSA that anatomy knowledge/practice helps so much here - I've been drawing SU for YEARRSSSSS but my understanding of the forms got so much better when I started practicing gesture drawing/anatomy practice]

Expressions/facial anatomy:

so again, SU has so much style inconsistency that the way you draw expressions will vary based on the boarder - this EXCELLENT because this means expressions are really easy to pass in the style! but some visuals anyway:

most of the time, faces are extremely simplified with one guideline across the face, a little bit higher than where the "cheek" starts if the character has a cheek

if more masculine, the guideline will be a bit higher and the eyes will be shorter

an interesting note with Spinel specifically is that her eyebrow expression is done through her hairline, which is part of her really fun 20s inspired look!

Lineart:

i feel like if anything really makes something look "canon", it's how the lineart is done in a finished piece. if I compare with a couple fake screens/edits I've attempted:

the lineart makes all the difference here!!!!

for specs reasons if you're curious, I use procreate with the "baskerville" brush on a higher stream line setting. I do not have pressure sensitivity, so all of my lines are hand-weighted, but if you have pressure sensitivity you might have an easier time here!

facial details tend to be slightly thinner. eyes tend to be a little bit thicker on either the top/bottom or sides, although it depends

outer borders, major clothing, outer hair tufts and other major features are the thickest lines

sometimes lines aren't used at ALL for various features (gem facets, some more minor clothing details, like the bottom of Lapis' top or the waistline on Jasper's uniform)

[random screenshots I pulled as examples]

the key part with lineart and style replication, though, is that is varies WILDLY by style. as long as you have some line weighting it's really easy to get it to pass as SU style

lastly I HIGHLY recommend practicing screenshot edits or fake screenshots if you can!!! I feel like the silly edits I do really help emphasize my understanding of what it takes to make something look like the style, and my little journey into making fake screenshots/"canon" screenshots is a big part of how I've learned to draw in SU style!!!

That's all I have for y'all, make all the SU art in the world!! 2025 will be the Year of Steven Universe Art!!!!

[siswritesyanderes]

okay so the best characters that came out of descendants were clearly the sea 3, and harry's half a step from a yandere for uma already [everyone say thank you fandom!], but do you think that uma and gil could catch up? Do they have different strategies depending on if they're focusing on each over versus a Reader?

All correct, lol!

So yeah, like you said, Harry pretty much just IS yandere for Uma as his status quo, lol.

Uma is a very fun intersection of "slow to trust new people" (since Mal betrayed her trust when they were kids) and "highly protective of the vulnerable", which honestly lends itself pretty well to yandere, under the right conditions.

First of all, within the Sea Three, the most outwardly yandere she'll be toward Harry and Gil will usually happen when they're injured or outmatched and require the full protection of a sea goddess/demigoddess. She'll demolish anyone who seriously harms her boys.

For an X Reader scenario, especially if it's Sea Three X Reader, I think the ideal character type to bring out the most interesting flavors of yandere in all three of them would be someone who can't fight, someone in obvious immediate danger, and someone who openly admires Uma.

I'm thinking, Reader is an Auradon kid who got sent to the Isle for politically defiant artwork or something of the sort. You're lost and scared and incapable of defending yourself from the villains and the meaner VKs. Maybe you're about to be cornered by the Stabbingtons and then Uma saves you. (Or Harry or Gil. It's an easier fast-track to the openly-admires-Uma character trait if Uma is the one who saves you, or for the D2 parallel, I could say Gil is the one who finds you, but I think I'll actually go with Harry for this. He doesn't get a ton of opportunities to come across as a hero.)

"Y-You saved me," you say, still trembling as Harry, with lethal grace, shakes the blood from his sword and saunters up to stand over your fallen form. He offers you a hand and a wry smile.

He takes you to Uma. You cling to him for the whole walk to the Chip Shoppe, and he laughs at you (and enjoys being treated as a comfort instead of a loose cannon).

He walks you into the Chip Shoppe and deposits you in the kitchen, where Uma is washing dishes. Her sharp, magnetic gaze lands on you, and you feel momentarily as if you should be doing some kind of gesture. Bow? Curtsy? That semi-formal dip of acknowledgement you do for nobles who are snobby enough to expect that sort of thing? She doesn't seem...snobby. But she manages to have a regal bearing, even as she washes dishes.

She smirks, and her gaze climbs to Harry. "You remembered."

"'Course I did, Captain," he said, soaking up her praise. "Mind, the Stabbingtons thought they'd have a piece, but I daresay they've learned better." He hands her a towel, and she dries her hands. They have a natural ebb and flow to their movements, almost symbiotic, like they know what to expect from each other at all times.

"I saw your hearing on TV," Uma says, addressing you for the first time. "Wasn't surprised they screwed you over."

Basically, she kept track of when you'd be arriving and she sent Harry to claim you on her behalf before you could fall victim to any of the Isle's bad actors. She treats you a bit like an indulged pet. Not in a wholly demeaning way, but she's in charge and you don't know anything about surviving on the Isle, so the vibe is definitely one where she lets you sit by her throne because you're adorable.

Uma, Harry, and Gil are all very protective and territorial.

Uma's protectiveness is all about sending a message. If someone harms or threatens you, her highest priority is making sure everyone knows that was a mistake. She'll make an example of them, usually via Harry.

Harry's protectiveness is most obviously in the realm of deliberate cruelty toward anyone who threatens you, looks at you wrong, flirts with you, etc. Actually, maybe not so much the latter. He definitely gets jealous when people compete for Uma's attention, but he might be more permissive about you flirting and being flirted with by other people. The relationship is just different. Still super protective, so he'll threaten them with what he'll do to them if they hurt you, but he also might joke with you if you have a crush on anyone. The Isle isn't as monogamous as Auradon.

But there's an understanding that Uma should really be the main person in your life. This isn't so much enforced by Uma. She is the jealous type, but she would never admit or express it to you, because she finds it to be a vulnerable feeling that she can't express with new people. Harry takes it upon himself to be the enforcer, in that regard. You're not allowed to make Uma feel like she's not the most important person in the world.

So yeah, he'll tease you if some child of one of the Dumbo clowns makes you blush, and he'll smirk knowingly as you flirt with them or have a small fling, if that's how things go, but the moment that person seems to become important in your life, he reminds you that Uma is the one who sent her protection to you when you were dumped on the Isle alone and vulnerable. Uma placed you under her protection. You shouldn't let anyone divide your loyalties.

He's very intense about her. He's very intense in general, but she's who he's most intense about.

Gil's protectiveness is accompanied by a lot of showing off. He likes getting to use his strength, and the flipside of his golden retriever energy is that he is just as excited to fight as he is to hug. He's lowkey vicious. He's not cruel like Harry, in that he's not focused on the suffering of whoever has harmed or threatened you; his focus is on triumphing over them. It's like play, to him.

He's also very cuddly and easy to talk to. And it helps that he's kind of in the pet-zone with Uma and Harry, most of the time, too. Again, in a good way. You might be spending the most time with Gil, out of all three of them.

The time that Uma spends with you always feels like an honor. Her crew worships her, and when she gives any of them singular attention, they revel in it. When she pets your hair (even though you just got here!) they're sooo jealous.

But, essentially, you're a little discarded Auradon treasure. A trinket that Harry fetched for her, that she keeps polished and safe.

[ghouldnight]

your könig body headcanons. please and thank you. lemme see what’s going on under there

You got it!

As always, my König is probably going to vary significantly from the popular fandom one (refer to @ghouldtime for my regular ones on him) but that's cause I love writing him as just a guy!

First and foremost, I think he's about 6'6" (at most 6'7"). The 6'10" is absolutely RIDICULOUS. He wouldn't be able to fit in most military gear (safety issue) or even things like bunks, and I believe that's about the most the Austrian military allows (dependent on branch). Plus, at that size, you get a lot of health issues earlier on typically.

I type him as a mesomorph. He's clearly more trim than an endomorph but also doesn't have a scrawniness to him. He's more like a moose build over a bear. Still strong as fuck, still like a tank, but not as 'thick' per say. Just a bit more spread out

He has plenty of muscles on him, he has to. He's hauling a lot of gear and needs to use his substantial form of his job. His clothes just usually hide those

But that's because he is incredibly active and keeps up his form

He WAS a lanky and scrawnier teen but in his older age, he's filled out

I'm NEVER going to give him very clear cut abs. He has a layer of fat over his muscles - that's just natural! And healthy! And absolutely wonderful it's so perfect

He's a big dude, he needs to eat a lot of calories to keep his weight on and to keep going. He's still very much in shape but he's got muscles under that protective layer

He's prone to losing weight when deployed because a lot of the time, what they're served and the times between meals don't cover it. It's why he might gain some extra pounds when he's at home, but that's still healthy and normal. Hey, he deserves it after the workout he puts in

Also stating, he's not some super model. He's just a guy! Like just looked up the leak version of his face model. He's not meant to be this utter stunning Calvin Klein model. And I love him that way and in all that he is

There's nothing more beautiful to me than a guy who is just himself. There's beauty in being human :)

He's a pale guy who burns quite easily. Especially seeing as he's nearly covered head-to-toe most days. Sunscreen is his best friend

He has a smattering of light freckles! They're here and there on his body and there's not really a rhyme or reason, but they're there if you look on places like his forearms and shoulderblades

Like many others who are actively deployed and find themselves in such violent warzones, he's covered in scars of different types. From bullet wounds to knife to burns, his body is a patchwork of them

The most heavily scarred areas are his arms, thighs, and abdomen. Those just naturally take a lot of the flack and he's not exactly focused on being the most graceful out there

He's an insertion specialist (not THAT kind, get your mind out of the gutter. that comes later), he's used as a human battering ram, he's going to be scarred up

There is a prominent scar on his upper lip. That's just from when he was a kid

He was running in the house, like his mom specifically told him not to, and he slipped, ate shit, and bam - new scar

(His mom will still bring it up, as mortified as he is)

His eyes are sunken and always have deep bags underneath them

Sleep evades him even on the best of days and even when most of his face is hidden, you can see the tiredness to them

They're also slightly droopy! They give him a naturally 'sadder' or hound dog look

As for the color, it's a washed out blue-gray like clouds on a winter day or like the first hints of frost in winter

He has dark auburn hair and mostly keeps it in a closer cropped cut. The buzz cut is saved for when he's working, most times anyways, unless he's particularly busy and doesn't want to deal with it

He likes how it looks when it's a bit grown out but he's a man of practicality

The carpet does indeed match the drapes - his body hair is dark auburn, if not a bit darker than what's on the top of his head

Speaking of body hair, his follows the acuminate (tapered) shape

He doesn't fully shave. Not his style and just doesn't make sense (plus it makes him itch)

He still keeps the pits and privates neatened up, but not fully shaved. He just goes with 'as long as I can keep it clean and I'm NOT feeling disgusting after sweating all day with it)

And yes, he does have a happy trail (and it is GLORIOUS)

Now for the 'down there' stuff. NSFW under the cut

He's on the upper end of the more 'normal' sized scale Sorry, being big doesn't mean you have a massive salami and 10 inchers HURT (also they're such a massive inconvenience and you're going to be more likely to suffer from things like ED)

He's about 5.1 inches soft, 7.1 inches hard - which does make him indeed above average by a good amount

He still has a nice girth to him and weight too. It's not the thickest or biggest dick ever but I'd describe it as being comfortably large

And like most Europeans, he's uncircumsized

And most importantly, he has a slight upwards curve too when he's hard. Extra nice for hitting all those good spots

And yes, he has a prominent vein running down the center of it that also makes for some nice aesthetic at the very least

The head is a lovely blush pink (and if you point it out and compliment him, his cheeks will redden and match)

The rest is still pale, but has a ruddier shade to it than the rest of him

I can't write anything about balls without laughing like an idiot fyi but yeah, his are realllll nice. Not that he shaves them but they always have a good weight to them and hey, matches the rest of him. Will always feel right in your hands, and they're sensitive too

Really, a lot of him is sensitive to intimacy. He isn't used to touch from others and often isn't fond of it.

Normally when he cums, he's going to be giving quite a load too

He's usually pent up too because he doesn't masturbate a lot. He's usually focused on other things or has more pressing matters to attend to (like trying to sleep or worrying about the best way to paint the stained glass of the church miniature he was working on)

His taste isn't on the worse side of things, he's got a great diet. Its usually thicker in consistency and is creamier than most. Probably one of the better ones to swallow

And we all know, he's got a nice ass. A muscular one, it's not like sheer 'cake' alone but the dude works out and is on the move, it's NICE

He's always a bit self conscious about his looks since he prefers keeping most of himself covered. So compliment him and tell him how pretty he is :) 💚 my beautiful boy

[erisweekofficial]

We're thrilled to shine a light on @zenkindoflove!!! Amanda is an absolute gem in the Elucien fandom AND Eris fandom and has also blessed us with Alexius, her incredible OC for her Eris x OC fics.

Alexius stands out as one of the few male OCs in the community, and the dynamic between him and Eris is nothing short of captivating. Think forced proximity, delicious yearning, witty banter, political intrigue, and all the tension you could dream of. You can see them in both Summer Heat (which has Elucien) and Pull Me in Deeper, which... y'all you gotta read this asap😍🤭🥵 Also the mods are begging you to read Taste of You, a short and delightfully smutty one shot.

And PLEASE admire this amazing art of Alexius and Eris!

Read more to learn about how @zenkindoflove was inspired to create content about Eris AND her extremely helpful tips for writing content about him. (We're taking notes)

What inspired you to start creating content about Eris?  I became curious about writing Eris after he was featured in some of my Elucien fics. When I started my multichapter Elucien fic Summer Heat, I decided that I would give him a male love interest in that fic and create an OC - which ended up being Alexius who you see featured in all of my Eris work. I originally intended for it to be a background relationship, but I decided to experiment and write the scene of their first meeting (a very smutty scene) just to do some character exploration. I didn’t intend to include it in the fic, but then once I wrote it, I knew that it was something special and Eris x Alexius became a true B storyline in that fic with a fully fleshed out love story. After that, I wanted to expand and write fics that focused on them which I've written several now and more to come for Eris Week! It's a bit niche. Hardly anyone writes Eris x Male OC but I'm obsessed now.

What's your favorite piece you've created featuring Eris and why? 

That would be my Eris x Alexius multichapter fic - Pull Me in Deeper. I love it because it was a way for me to explore Eris’ character when he is out of the watchful eye of his father and others in Prythian. It’s also just a fun action/adventure/romance story and I got to explore more lore and character building for my OC Alexius as well. Alexius was designed to be, in my opinion, the perfect person for Eris and that means often standing in contrast to a lot of his personality traits and pushing him outside of his comfort zone. So it was an incredibly fun dynamic to explore. And it’s two gay men who are on a quest to find out (*spoilers*) if unicorns exist XD.

How do you approach writing dialogue for Eris? 

I tend to lean into Eris being more careful with his words - so he is sharp, concise, and efficient in his word choice. Depending on who he’s sharing a scene with and the context, he can be severe and short or he can be long-winded and eloquent. And of course, he has banter and jabs a plenty. So I try to balance all those sides of him depending on the context.

Do you have any advice for other creators wanting to make Eris content? 

Eris inhabits a unique space in canon where he is truly a free agent when it comes to relationships. So, I would recommend if you want to write romances with Eris to lean into self-indulgence and write the pairing/story you really want to tell and try to let go of what you think will be popular. And if that ends up being Eris x OC rather than a canon character, know that it can actually be such a rewarding experience even if you don’t have a built in audience. Creating an OC to pair with Eris has been immensely fun and has broadened my creativity. Eris is a complex, interesting character with so many layers and building someone to fit him and find out what is underneath all of those layers can lead you down quite an obsessive path. But a fun one. 

Please give us a name for one of Eris’s Brothers

Kian. He is the third oldest and is more of a scholarly type. Now that second brother Conan is dead, he is next in line after Eris.

Please give us a name for one of Eris's Dogs.

Lithia. She just had puppies in PMID and Eris is worried about her. 

[moodyseal]

I love your designs for Gracie, Jerry, and Yan! Could you talk more about your headcanons for them? Like the powers and personalities you mentioned?

*twirls hair* Why thank you hehe

My headcanons for them shift a bit from time to time as I change my mind very often so I apologize if they will make little sense (it's not like I ever had to use them for a fic anyway) but the general idea is that Jerry's main domain is knowledge, Gracie's is light and Yan's is truth? Maybe?

There's not much info a single line can give but Jerry gave me the impression of a very uh. Pragmatic kid, so to speak? In a group I think he's the person who gets everyone back on track. Maybe a bit of a know-it-all, likes to sound like he's learned every page of a dictionary front to back for fun. That naturally connects him to Apollo's domain of knowledge and I know it sounds lame because that would make him very similar to a child of Athena but also there can be some interesting ways to play with that concept

Power over knowledge would of course entail exceptional photographic memory and a knack for understanding complex concepts: he reads something once, instantly understands and memorizes it (if you're wondering if Mike Ross inspired this in any way then yes, he did). However, depending on how powerful he grows to be, I was thinking that it could make him have some power over someone's mind as well, maybe by letting him manipulate certain types of information in their minds or even just access it. I mean, one of the articles on ReadRiordan mentioned that as the Muse of history's son Hyacinthus had powers over people's memories/perception of things, so it doesn't seem to be too far-fetched to think that knowledge would entail something similar

A popular headcanon in the fandom is also that Jerry has power over prophecy to some degree, and that would ALSO be very intriguing, especially given the implications of Jerry being (at least among the canon characters) the first child of Apollo since Halcyon to have prophecy powers 👀 maybe in this scenario it could be some sort of secondary power that's a direct consequence of the first one? Maybe they could be connected? Not sure

On the contrary, Gracie to me is basically the complete opposite of him. She's way more open and carefree and gets side-tracked very very easily, and even though most of that naturally derives from her 7-year-oldness (because I cannot see her as anything but a 7 y/o tbh) I think it would stick with her even as she grows older. Light powers seem difficult to master and actually use in combat by virtue of how easily light scatters, so maybe they would be a good way for her to center herself and be more focused

I actually considered the possibility of her having powers that connected to Apollo's purification domain as well because it's never mentioned and it is, at least in theory, cool as hell as a power, but I fear it would only make sense in a pair—light as a tool for purification, for example. Warding off evil, neutralizing curses, that sort of thing. It could make her very susceptible to corruption that way, but it is what it is! Many powers have some sort of downside

Finally, as for Yan, they seem like someone who only talks when they feel like it or when they deem it necessary and is, as a result, very observant and a good listener. Part of being able to know when someone's lying is paying attention to the way they behave, what they say and how they say it, so powers over truth seemed like a good choice in this context. Yan would be able to unconsciously realize that someone's lying through their tone, and as they practice even single out the specific lie later on

That would probably require a very receptive inner ear so that would mean they'd have a second, lesser power then? A natural affinity for music for sure, though I'm not sure about the specific instrument they'd pick

Anyway this is pretty much all I have! Ofc it's all a bit up in the air and I was making this up as I went because an idea apparently doesn't always make sense in words on its own but hopefully it makes sense now <3

I can't exactly say I'm excited about the upcoming books as I used to be due to how some things were handled (in TSATS specifically) but if these three are there and we get even a crumb of additional information about them it will be enough for me even if it disproves all of this 😭🙏 I just want something solid to work with yk

[daisybell-on-a-carousel]

Porcelain Jason au

The Porcelain Jason au is essentially a bit of a horror au where Jason gets replaced (or possessed, depending on version) by a doll that's a "perfect" version of himself!

This au is already something I've made before in a different fandom. The dolls are original characters/entity from that au I've brought here because I like them lots :], with some changes to fit in the dc verse, as well as Jason's circumstances

Perfect is subjective, but the doll's goal is to be in the batfamily's good graces, with a focus on appealing to Bruce specifically!

I really really want to read more modern Jason comics before I develop the au's plot further, this will take awhile for me to get to! Gotham War in particular has caught my attention as great potential for this au, but I dont want to skip ahead to it, I want to have a better feel for the situation.

But! I'm posting the basics of this au now because I like it lots and I want people to actually know what im talking about and making fanart for bdksbdks

What's the doll?

Dolls are not exactly shape-shifting entities but more like.. they're custom made for you. To be a better version of you. To be socially acceptable, embraced even. To be beloved. To do all the right things.

For the dolls, they want to be what others want, and to be perfect

They generally prey on people who are outcast, or cant fit in; yet desperate to be loved, or perfect. They mainly have a focus on high society due to their original au, strict rules, high standards, desperation to not fail or have a secret discovered, desperation to fit in and cut away parts of yourself to do it, are great grounds for them. Porcelain Jason enjoys galas as a fun reference to this

While I certainly wouldn't be surprised if other batfam members are desperate enough to be perfect for others to be doll prey, this au focuses only on Jason because I like him ^v^

Porcelain Jason quits vigilantism entirely to become a normal civilian. This is because the dolls, while capable of healing themselves, are rather easy to crack if directly attacked or punched, which is very noticeable, so they will avoid situations that risk this being noticed. This works out in benefit to the doll's goals as well, being less threatening and less opposing, and is a main contributor to me wanting to read Gotham War for this au ;]

Porcelain Jason wears sweaters and white button ups like Jason used to, as well as straying away from the red hood aesthetics (ignoring how dark jackets as well as black and red have always been in Jason's wardrobe) Porcelain Jason likes green, which is what Bruce says is Jason's favorite color. Loose clothing. Covered up scars to avoid any unfortunate memories for others. And has dark brown eyes, like Jason used to :)

Porcelain Jason takes alot of inspiration from Jason as a child, as well as what small things others think Jason enjoys, as to not confront their conceptions

He's very well behaved :), he's going through college right now, the others are welcome into his house anytime, he doesn't mind any questions or suspicions, he's very understanding. And is even a good ear and shoulder to lean on. He agrees with Bruce, and is firmly against killing in this new chapter of his life :), hes so dedicated to quitting the hero business that if he's ever in any trouble or disrupted he'll call the cops for help

He's very mellow, docile, hes accepted what's happened to him and is ready to move on now :)

He's physically affectionate with any ready for that, and he does well in crowds

Hes very happy and content

Hold on actually, messyy rough doodle stealing from my Jason ref + my porcelain Jason art from earlier

Is Jason ok?

No

I tend to go the death route with this au actually, a shell parading around, and even if you find it out you're still too late. However, as my intention for the original version of this au had been rotten (corpse) on the inside and perfect on the outside, and that fits less here. He may have a fighting chance, may, I do still just really enjoy killing him

Theres many ways for it to go, my favorite aus have TONS of branches. As above, corpse inside with a porcelain shell. There's also shell with a skeleton inside, or just a hollow shell, which is what appeals the most to me here

Generally for that, you turn into the doll, your skin hardens to porcelain and you're either hollowed out (it just sorta fades away) or left there to decay

The living routes are possession, or hidden and needing to be rescued. But no matter what. Jason is. Not doing so good, especially if he has to watch the doll succeed

Is this a fic or comic? Or plans to be one?

Not really! I just really enjoy making aus, making designs and concepts, rambling with others. Just a fun little project :]

I have already made some art for it, maybe I'll make a quick doodle comic, maybe I'll write a very short one shot if so inclined. But there's no plans or major story to follow, certainly not right now

[twig-tea]

Lately I’ve been feeling like Thai bl is truly all over the place with so many shows airing at once and some of the best ones flying under the radar while discourse is focused on a couple of the big messy ones. I think you’re the only person I know who is actually watching ALL of them and has been here for the whole evolution of the genre, so I’m curious what stands out to you about this current moment. Do the shows feel different to you? Is the way fandom is interacting with them changing? And what are your current favs?

I ended up writing a thesis, sorry friend lol To be fair to me there are 3 questions in there, all of them meaty! I've done my best to give a sense of where I'm at with Thai BL and how it feels like it's changed over time.

Caveating all of this: I am just one fan who I'm sure has had specific experiences that will colour my opinion, also a lot of this is just vibes so I'm open to being told I've forgotten something major or misremembered what it was like! If you are reading this and your opinion or experience is different please share, with stuff like this I'm always interested in hearing about differing opinions because the fandom experience will depend at least partly on where you hang out. For years, my main fandom space for BL was the YouTube comments section (RIP me).

Overall feel

Honestly, things overall don't feel all that different to me in Thai BL in particular, even though I'm about to talk about a lot of changes and ways it actuallyd does feel very different below lol And after reflecting about it, I think it's because these things still feel very much in flux, in a way that they've felt in flux this entire time. Producers are still figuring out the best funding and distribution models and merch models to make money; creators are still calibrating how queer these shows can be and still be popular; actors are still figuring out how to do BGP (business gay performances) without having fans interfere in their private lives off the clock. Writers are still trying to figure out how to write 12-episode arcs that don't drag in the middle or fumble the ending (which is also not new). The tension between established ships, fan expectations, and genre requirements has honestly been there almost the whole time, though the reverberations of missteps is louder now because of the larger fanbase that is (comparatively) more plugged in to live viewing. The core question in BL has always been 'how do we make this marketable', and that unsurprisingly hasn't changed, though the answer to that question has over time, if that makes sense?

Shows

Do the shows feel different? As a whole, I'd say yes. The biggest differences are of course total quantity and overall quality, but the actual distribution of % of shows that have high(er) production values (i.e. quality) feels close to the same--it was close to 50/50 in the late 2010s and now is maybe more like 40/60 with a higher percentage coming from more smaller production companies. But the numbers we're talking about are something like 15 shows in e.g. 2018 and something more like 50 shows in 2023 (being vague because there are shows that people could argue over whether they should count). The quality overall has increased, even the pulps look better, sound better, and tend to feel a little bit more put together than the pulps of even 2020 (please note that these are all relative qualifiers, most of these shows are still not objectively good). 2020 in particular was a watershed moment for high production value BLs; we get colorists and special effects artists, and sometimes decent sound production now!

There has also been an improvement in terms of what is depicted and how certain subject matter is treated very generally, though I think that's still in flux. Things like evil ex girlfriends are less common than they were and the women in BL are more likely (in general, still not always) to be treated as realized characters. We've gotten more and better femme representation in ensemble shows, and the "gay for you" trope is much less common. Consent is now considered sexy and is much more common than it was; non-consent as "sexy" has eroded and is much less common. Things that used to happen in almost every BL now happen in a much lower percentage. I also feel a little bit less worried about some of the actors on pulp sets because there is more general scrutiny about things like minor actors, intimacy coordination, BGP (business gay performance) expectations, and sexual exploitation. Overall, show recommendations these days come with fewer caveats.

The assumption that if you worked with someone on a BL once you would stay with them as an established pairing was surprisingly early in BL; I don't know if it's just because there were a few shows that had side pairings then get main shows, so the actors did work together on a few shows in a row, which made them feel established, or whether it's because the BGP started early to build hype both before and after shows aired, or whether audiences just made homophobic assumptions about how if two actors had chemistry they had to be gay for each other, and otherwise nobody would want to "play gay" more than once, or would want to have to kiss too many other men....in any case, there were huge scandals and blow-ups around this in BL on even the earliest shows, and some early shows were snubbed because of the pairing alone. Similarly, it was established very early in BL (i.e. 2016-17) that an unhappy ending for a pair would result in your show being panned; cheating was also a guaranteed flop in BL circles (though some ensemble shows that had gay relationships in them such as Friend Zone did fine with cheating plots and unhappy endings). Overall it feels like some things were only depicted in early Thai BL and creators have avoided them since due to the audience reception at the time. I will say, generally, that there have now been enough examples of people in a "branded pair" moving on to a new pair or multiple shows, that it feels less like a death knell to a BL career if one of the actors says they no longer wanted to make BLs, or if they switched companies.

I pay a lot of attention to queerness in BL, and that has changed a little bit too, though not in the way I expected. I had been expecting a more clear and steady trajectory in BL, but we've instead had real swings, and I've realized there will just always be shows that feel more or less actually gay or queer than others, and that's ok. Early Thai shows really spoiled us for good queer content, GayOK Bangkok and Diary of Tootsies are still shows by which i measure what we get now, and both of those are from 2016. I would say that more "mainstream" BL (i.e. by one of the major production companies) hit what turned out to be queer saturation around 2020 and that's where I was most surprised not see a more clear trajectory; rather than things getting more queer from there, I'd say a greater percentage of shows overall feel more queer, but we haven't (and I now suspect won't) reach the queerness we had in Thai tv in 2016. That being said, my secret running list of things I want to see in BL gets shorter every year as entries get crossed off, so I would say the range of queer experience is slowly getting captured as more content continues to be made by a wider range of production houses (PrEP being mentioned in a mainstream show is my white whale).

I know some people assume that shows are higher heat now overall, but I don't think that's true. I do think Thai television producers and directors have overalll gotten better at capturing sensuality, and acting workshops have improved chemistry-building overall too. But from what I can tell the ratio of high head and low heat content is still pretty similar to what it's always been, maybe slightly higher (e.g. at a quick glance I'd guesstimate 30% of shows had a sex scene in 2018 vs 40% in 2023).

Fandom

The main differences in fandom from the really early days and now are the ways we, as international fans, are able to engage with each other, with thai audiences at the same time, and with content creators, and the entitlement that comes with that. In the 2010s we were almost always watching after Thai airing, with either fansubs or, later, official subs, trailing online releases by days or weeks, which themselves may have trailed the Thailand airing date by days or weeks or sometimes even months. That became less true around 2019ish, and especially in 2020 when I think Thai producers were desperate to reach audiences during the start of the pandemic (and when audiences were desperate for something to distract us from what was happening in real life).

As a fan in the mid-late 2010s, watching something was either unofficial via a fansubber, or you were wading through hundreds of Thai comments to find anyone else writing about the shows in English. Now, it's actually rare we don't have immediate international distribution, though it may be paid. If the subs are not up at the same time as the official upload, even on free sites, fans get furious. It's a bit surreal to see people complain about waiting a few hours for subtitles, especially on YouTube, when we sometimes waited months for a series to finish being subbed (not to say people didn't complain back then too, because they sure did! But there were fewer international fans overall, and it wasn't an expectation that there would be subs, so fewer people complained when it happened). This meant that a lot of people only watched shows when they were complete, and people were not watching with any kind of synchronicity.

With international fans moving into simultaneous watching with Thai audiences, we suddenly had the chance to talk about shows as they were airing and affect the conversations about them and even, sometimes, the decisions. Folks seem to have differing opinions about what makes a BL, and what makes a BL good, and they are vocal about when a show doesn't meet their standard. This has always been true, but the strong opinions have more of an effect on the discourse when they're expressed in real-time to the show being aired. Also, when we have literally 3x the number of Thai shows being aired (nevermind other countries which have also increased), it seems so much more egregious to me to complain if a single show doesn't meet your particular taste. Just go watch something else! That was less possible in 2016, but now nobody has any excuse lol Please note here that I'm not saying shows should not be criticized. But when you have one loud faction saying shows should have nothing but innocent kisses if any skinship at all and showing more is distasteful and possibly homophobic, and another faction saying a show should be panned if they don't have at least one sex scene and if there is no good kiss it's homophobic, I don't know where that leaves content creators but I see the tension and how it sometimes results in my least favourite tropes like "blushing maiden" even after a couple has canonically had sex. These factions have always existed in BL fandom, this is not new, they just both seem particularly silly now with so much content to choose from.

The shows that get attention and the shows that get snubbed feel the same too, in all honesty. You can ask yourself the following questions:

Is the show a little slower paced?

Are the story beats less melodramatic?

Do its characters feel more human?

Do they feel more queer?

Is it a comedy?

Is there any risk of an unhappy ending?

Do people not think one of the lead actors is hot?

Do people ship one of the lead actors with someone who isn't his costar?

Do people have to do anything other than go to YouTube to watch it?

If the answer is yes to any of those questions, and especially to the last one, fewer people will be watching, even if the show is good. That's always been true. [Shows I'm thinking about when I say that: Make it Right, He's Coming to Me, My Ride, You're My Sky, Oxygen (though the sides in this one are also at fault), YYY, Something in my Room, Ghost Host Ghost House, Dear Doctor I'm Coming for Soul, Cooking Crush.] All this is to say, there have always been shows that have been ignored, though I agree with you OP that with more shows airing, more are being ignored at any given time.

The other thing is that when a show is good, it doesn't necessarily invite discourse. The messes are often what encourage people to dig in, fill in gaps, linger in the adrenaline. The part that does feel different is also related to the increase in genre BLs; genre stuff in general tends to get more attention in fandom spaces, and the way people are functioning as fans feels different in that they're bringing the way they interact with genre content to BL as BL has started having larger and better funded genre content. I'm thinking about those early genre BLs like He She It, My Dream, Love Poison, Golden Blood, So Much In Love, Why R U....we started getting genre shows in BL in I think 2017 and basically had 1-2 a year until 2020ish and then it increased from there; and the ones that had funding and decent distribution got engagement until they started going off the rails, and then they had even more engagement and then fell off. I don't think it's a coincidence that the shows last year that got people to write meta were La Pluie, Be My Favorite, and I Feel You Linger in the Air. When a show is building a world, there's more to say and interrogate about it, and when a genre show fails, it can fail more spectacularly than a regular romance story. The most popular BL shows used to all be straight-up BL bubble romances, but I think genre shows really started to take over a greater percentage of the popular spots in 2022 and 2023. Again, the main difference here is that there used to be 1-2 stand-out shows per year, and now there are closer to 6+ per year, and as we got more stand-out shows the variety of what type of show stood out as popular has expanded. I do think the overall percentage of shows that are more standard romance plots has reduced, partly because Thai production companies are running out of popular y-novels to adapt. So I'm anticipating we'll continue to get more genre content going forward, and maybe a higher percentage of original works too.

Shows I'm Enjoying Right Now

Right now, the Thai shows airing that I'm watching are:

Cooking Crush

Dead Friend Forever

Cherry Magic Thailand

City of Stars

The Sign

Playboyy

PitBabe

7 Days before Valentine

For Him

Of those, I'd currently most recommend Cooking Crush as a generic BL recommendation. Dead Friend Forever is very good, but is not a romance and is difficult for some to watch (there are a lot of dark themes in addition to the gore and scary bits).

Cooking Crush is doing so many things I love. I've written about the way it's set up its major conflict to be amongst the friend group here, and way the show is depicting communication between the two main characters and how they improve their communication with one another as they get closer here. Two of my biggest BL pet peeves are a conflict for the sake of a dramatic penultimate episode that ignores or retcons a character's growth or the building of trust that a couple has already gone through in the series, so the fact that this show is working so hard to establish strong communication between its leads and then setting up the significant drama to actually about friendship rather than romance is something I cannot overstate my excitement about. To tie this back into what I wrote above, this reminds me of Diary of Tootsies and I mean that in the best possible way.

Dead Friend Foreever is, like I mentioned above, not a romance; it's a slasher horror melodrama with a very well established mystery, an ensemble cast of mostly hateable characters (which I admit isn't usually my thing, but since they're likely all going to die as a result of the genre they're in I'm finding that more tolerable than usual, and there is at least one character I like). DFF did a great job of structuring the story for the ultimate payoff of information reveals. There are a lot of shows that have been messing with non-linear storytelling recently, Cooking Crush being one of the ones that actually does this poorly in my opinion, but Dead Friend Forever effectively uses non-linear storytelling so that we find out important pieces of information about particular characters at a time when that information will have the most emotional impact on what is happening in the "present" of the storyline. Every time there is a reveal, it informs what we've already seen, recontextualizes it, and means we understand some of the character motivations and actions differently from when we saw them the first time. I mentioned above that there are dark themes in this show; one of the things that I really like about this show is that the impact of class is not glossed over, and that the consequences of these events feel very real for the characters; people do terrible things in this show, but these actions are not treated lightly by the show itself.

You'd think these two shows would have nothing in common, but there are things that they share that put them both in my top category. Generally, in both of these shows, the character arcs are clear and logical; when a character does something, even if I don't like the action itself, I can understand exactly why they that and can see how it matches where they are in their arc at the time. The shows show change in characters as a result of what they experience, and the relationships in this show really matter. When characters start acting in ways that feel out of character or against their own arc because they have to in order to drive the plot forward, I struggle to remain invested; that's not happening with either of these shows. Both of these shows also treat serious topics with seriousness, and consequences for actions are real and felt by the characters in the show (and if someone gets away with something, the show is clear that this is not just). Nothing has happened that hasn't been signalled or implied earlier. Both shows also have clear class consciousness and represent the disparity caused by classism in a critical/harsh light.

Whew! I think I got to everything you asked. Thanks again for the extremely interesting question!

[damian-al-ghul-wayne]

What is your opnion on about these Damian ships: DamiRae, DamiJon and DamianxNika?

Ooc —> I'll answer this out of character LOL because I know it's going to be pretty long.

DamiRae : I'm not a fan of this ship for many reasons. First off, in the comics Raven is quite literally an adult while Damian is 13. That age gap is weird in itself. The only reason that it's even a ship in the first place is because of the DCAU where they aged characters weirdly and inaccurate. It's not my favorite nor will I ever ship it.

DamiJon / JonDami : This one depends for me honestly. It's one of those things where people call it "proship" when it actually isn't. I don't think people really know what actually counts as "proship" anymore so when they call them that, I just get a bit confused. They've been shipped since SuperSons was first released and I don't think anything is really going to stop them from being shipped. Majority of the DC fandom also hate that Jon Kent got aged up in his comics too, so it's one of those things that everyone just ignores. My opinions change on DamiJon / JonDami a lot but it just depends on what the factors is surrounding the ship itself. Overall, I do like them. I miss SuperSons.

DamiNika : Believe it or not, I actually do like DamiNika. I think they're cute and have a lot of potential, but it's also one of those things where I could also live without it. I think Nika's main purpose at the moment is to serve Damian as a love interest and I personally am not a fan of that. I hate when characters are made just for that reasoning. I think it'd be cool where Nika got her own solo run and DC focused on her character as a whole without including Damian. I'd rather see her on her own to be honest.

[picturejasper20]

You what’s funny is that I’m seeing so much talk about how this explains why Mabel acted the way she did during Vs. The future.

And etc.

Because of the stuff going on with the parents.

Instead (or at least less so in my experience) of stuff like u and/or me talked about on here.

More on why Dipper seemed and clung so much to what/who he saw as authority figures, like Ford, more in Dipper acting mature/feels the need to act mature/be more mature/etc., why he also, maybe to extent didn’t want to leave (too), him but taking as much care of himself he should and having reoccurring nightmares, what exactly he maybe overheard his parents saying ;like theories on it), etc.

It just kind of bugs me a bit, because these these things are important and interesting. And like it was Dipper’s nightmares, not Mabel’s (at least of the dreams/nightmares that were revealed. The cast probably has more).

She was having nightmares herself ofc, but it involved her pig dying, not her parents. We don’t really knows how much she knows, though she could have suspicions. Though either way, Dipper and Mabel have obviously been affected by their parents in ways.

Anyways, just wish people talked about those kind of things more u and me talked about in relation to Dipper and his nightmares, instead of focusing so much on how this “explains” stuff w/ Mabel (not saying it doesn’t at all. Ur does some. But still).

Curious if u have experienced the stuff I talked about. I.e. how Mabel is affected by their parents, more than Dipper. Despite it being his nightmares? I just find it a bit odd and stuff.

Also, the post which image I an sharing here. I ofc, agree a lot with that post and ur tags.

Also, thank fir answering my other Ask. If u do ever rewatch the show to make that post talking about Dipper’s issues setting up boundaries and stuff. I would love if could ping me that post, if u post it, and if want to ping me. ^^

(Also, lmao at ur toxic your post about Furd and Bill)

Have a nice day/night!

Yes, it does explain quite a lot about Dipper's character in the series itself. He acts more serious than other kids from his age and he really was looking for the author from the journal because he related to him.

I wonder if he acted more ¨childish¨ and, after seeing that argument with his parents, he assumed that he needed to grow up more quickly than other kids? That he would have to depend mostly on himself? It is interesting to think about.

I wouldn't say i experienced that because i'm not that involved in the fandom. I only reblog some stuff i see around and memes of Bill getting drunk over his break up with Stanford (Lol). I haven't seen if people talk more about Mabel than Dipper when it comes to this reveal or confirmation about how their parents are.

And sure! I'll try keeping that in mind if i ever write about it.

[dustdeepsea]

20 Questions for Fanfiction Writers

Thank you for the tag @vorchagirl! and @graysparrowao3 <3 I've answered some of these in 2024, so I'll also reproduce some answers from there!

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

14 works written by myself, to date

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

66,569 words, not counting words I've written collaboratively.

3) What are your top five fics by kudos?

Benediction (Tav/Zevlor, BG3, explicit)

aqua vitae (Rugan/Tav, BG3, explicit)

castling (Lucanis/Rook/Spite, DA: Veilguard, explicit)

Night Swimming/Delay (Vincent/Jerome, Gattaca, explicit)

Nine Lives (Rugan/Tav, BG3, explicit)

4) What fandoms do you write for?

I started writing in earnest in late 2023 for BG3, mostly for rarepairs. I write for older, smaller fandoms as well, depending on my mood. The most popular ship I've written for is from Dragon Age.

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I'm from Ye Olde Fandom days on LJ and FF.net as well. I always make sure to thank the readers who leave a note, and I'm always happy to chat in the comments!

6) What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmm I would say gambit (Lucanis/Rook, utterly chaste), simply because of the choice made at the end. I was also in a pensive mood when I wrote most it, and I think it shows.

I'm not very good at writing straight up whump; I generally write things for sheer escapism, but I've been told my writing is generally on the more somber side, unless it's straight up fluff.

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

walking to rivain (Zevran/Warden) as a straight up epilogue to my Origins playthrough. Otherwise, Nine Lives (Tav/Rugan) is rather hopeful, before everything goes to pieces in the sequel.

8) Do you get hate on fics?

Fortunately not. I have turned on "AO3 users only" for comments since I started writing for more popular pairings, out of an abundance of caution, but everyone has been lovely.

9) Do you write smut?

Lol see my list of top 5 fics by kudos!

I remember writing my first smut scene and being so embarrassed to ask my beta reader to proof read it. A year and change later, and I've become completely shameless.

10) Do you write crossovers?

I haven't written any, but I love reading a good AU. I basically fangirled at @feelslikepants until she wrote a flower shop AU for Bellara and Lucanis (Birds of Paradise), and I regret nothing.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, fortunately!

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but I would be very flattered if anyone wanted to :) Please share it with me if you do!

13) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

I used to moderate a BG3 Zhentarim NPC-focused server, and I wrote a series of unhinged round robin fics with the folks there, who were the sweetest and kindest people I ever met in all my years of fandom. You can check them all out here: The Zhentarim Learning Library

14) What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I haven't written anything for them, strangely, but my favourite pairing of all time is Garrus/Shepard from Mass Effect <3 (By the transitive property of his VA, I also wholeheartedly love Kai/The Envoy in Avowed.)

The pairing I've read the most for is Rugan/Tav, while we were all in the Discord server :)

15) What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have one Dammon/Tav WIP that I've officially left behind me, but I have faith that I'll return to my other WIP longfic (Gods and Monsters) someday. 2025 might be the year that Tav and Rugan get to hold hands again??

16) What are your writing strengths?

I can write you a scorching smut scene while only obliquely referring to any naughty bits :3 Honestly, it started out because of embarrassment, but I've come to accept it's just part of my writing style.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

I write extremely slowly. I'm also usually bouncing between drawing and writing, so that makes it doubly so. I usually prefer writing oneshots over series, but I did finally break my abandoned longfic curse by finishing castling!

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

My second and third languages (Mandarin, German) are not as popular in English-language fics, so I don't get to use them. If I do use another language (Elven), I'll put translations in the end notes.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

I wrote my first fanwork at age 12. It was self-insert fanfiction with myself and 2 of my friends in the Slayers anime universe, which meant it was several comedic sketches strung together with with lots of actions denoted by asterisks and emoticons. You know the ones ^_^ ^____^ @_@ T_T *slaps you gently with a trout*

We printed it out on someone’s home printer and bound copies in plastic school folders with a two-hole punch. I’ve lost the original file ages ago, but I would love to read it again.

20). Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

This is a hard question! I love all my stories for different reasons. Anything with Octavia (Tav) in it is dear to me, because they are the OC archetype I always return to.

Chapter 5 of castling (the body) is one of my personal favourite things I've written in recent memory. The fic itself is really a series of vignettes stitched together, but I genuinely had a eureka moment when I figured out what I wanted to do for my "bottle episode".

This was lot of fun to answer and reminds me that I should probably write a bit more soon! I'm tagging @feelslikepants @ofcrowsanddragons @headofporridge @littleplasticrat (as always, no pressure!)

[girl-named-matty]

Hi hi! :) ♡

Sorry for borrowing this time from you, but I actually need a lil bit of advice and opinion, and who should've I turned to in such a matter if not to the one and only, amazing Matty??! [I feel so lucky to know you girl ily, srsly 😭♡]

So, my actual questions are, do you find the hl still playable on PC with this new game update — if you want to use mods — ? And do you think it's worth trying it, or do you rather suggest consoles now? :) I still need to read the guide post thingies you shared on how to fix it, but a little info on this would be rly helpful <3

Ik that the game craps out sometimes like this for most ppl including you, but you're lit the only one I know who is more experienced than I am and might actually be able to give some advice 👉👈

I already appreciate it if you respond to this ♡ wishing you a lovely day! 🫂♥︎

— with much much love, Lucy~🪿♡︎

Hi Lucyyyyy~ ❤️ I'm so lucky to know you and be your friend as well! You are absolutely such a sweetheart and a treasure in this fandom. ❤️❤️

It really just depends! With PC, yes you can play with mods but at the moment the game has soooo many issues and sometimes straight up just isn't working for people. There is a manner of steps you can do to help it which can have some benefits but either way it's kind of become a really painstakingly long and annoying process at this point.

I personally love playing with mods but also if you're a first time player, you might be more focused on the game and not care about mods, really? It really boils down to your preference!

As for functionality at this moment in time--100% console.😅 The game currently on PC hardly functions and while there is a possibility that may get fixed, nothing is promised.

So it's kind of a tricky decision you have to make whether you want to play with mods but run the risk of the game not working or if you want to play without mods but know the game will work whenever you want to get on! (there is a rumor that mods for console might be in development in the near future but honestly I wouldn't get too excited bcs this is the hl devs we're talking abt y'all lol)

I love mods but I also loveee not having to wait hours just to get anything done in game LOL. It's a storm of confusion and frustration for pc users out here right now. If you do happen to choose pc, just make sure you have enough patience because it will definitely try it several times LOL.😂

So really, it all comes down to what you want! It is a tricky decision but do whatever you think is best for you! 💕

[decepti-thots]

For the headcanon thing: Seeker wing language, bonds(the kind one or more Transformers can communicate through and feel each other's feelings and what not), and for a not so common one: Cold Constructs have to deal chronic pains and illness, since their frame was made and not forged.(I swear I'm not making this up, I saw a handful of people writing this)

Oooh, a grab bag. Let's go with a speed round!

Seeker wing language: 😒 This falls into a couple 'ehhh' categories for me. One is just that it reads kinda lazy to me 90% of the time in that it's a way for an author to have it fulfil whatever purpose they need to have characters know stuff about each other or whatever, usually of the 'don't know how to have these characters COMMUNICATE these things so they Just Know bc of the Magic Body Language' variety. I also tend to dislike it because it overwhelmingly comes along with the fanon around different alt modes = different 'species' of Cybertronian, which I have never seen done well, like literally Not One Time lol. Pass.

Bonds: solid 😐, where 'neutral' here means 'depends on the actual fanon being used', because there's a couple different things this could refer to! It can easily fall into the above trope about 'wow they're telepathic, how convenient' stuff, admittedly. In addition to that, for romantic pairings, it easily slips into weird monogamy-is-just-natural 'soulmate' stuff too, lol. (I would perhaps be interested in a version of that which treated is as the existentially terrifying concept it actually reads as to me!) I do, however, like the concept that e.g. IDW runs with in canon, where certain mechs being born with this attribute is both an involuntary thing and also largely a kind of inconvenience; taken out of the typical romance-focused fanon (where it tends to grate more than not for me tbh), it becomes more interesting as a possible bit of alien culture-building weirdness that impacts how society works for certain characters. I think where that lands for me is that there's no real sentimentality to it most of the time. I guess this is a place where fanon takes that hew closer to canon are more interesting to me!

Cold constructs having chronic pain: …unrated, becuase my take on this is that in the right hands there would be a thoughtful concept to tease out there in parallel with the better executions of the cold construct stuff as class metaphor and such, and the way in real life disability and class are extremely linked. And in the wrong hands (I think a lot of hands) it would be ableist as fuck lmao, which like. Canon has enough underlying issues with on its own lbr. So it would be like. Well in theory that would be of interest; in practice I think this fandom is consistently shit about disability, so….

[dollgxtz]

Hello! I'm kind of warming up to the idea of writing something for the LADS fandom after a few months of contemplating... But I'd like your opinion on something... I've been asking around on how to write the pov.

Should I write in second person or third? I've seen a few works using second person, but I'm still a bit confused as to how to write.

I know everyone is different, but I have really bad performance anxiety and wanted "pro's" opinions🥲

Firstly, I am no pro—thank you so much for thinking that, but I promise I’m just an amateur writer at best. I really appreciate it though! 🤍😭

When it comes to choosing a POV, both second and third person have their strengths. It really depends on what feels right for you and the vibe you’re going for. Second person tends to be more popular in fandom spaces, especially for x-reader fics, but it ultimately depends on your audience.

If you’re writing x-reader content, I’d definitely recommend second person because it makes the story feel personal and immersive. On the other hand, if your fic focuses more on other characters or has a broader narrative, third person might be a better fit. Third person is more traditional and gives you the flexibility to explore multiple perspectives or events without being too up-close :)

I hope this helps anon!! Don’t focus too much on numbers and more on doing what you enjoy!! ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡

[huntershowl-moving]

SHIPPING INFO // ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR MUSES SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW SHIPPING WORKS ON YOUR BLOG.

WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER(S)?

i don't have one particular otp — big ships change depending on the Era hellhound is in!

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?

nothing illegal obviously — other than that, aside from long-lifespan characters whose mental maturation is slower, i generally stay away from with 10+ year age gaps when the younger muse is under 20. just feels like a weird power dynamic i guess?

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?

yes! ships on this blog cannot be pre-established — i tend to lose interest fast if they don't build up naturally, either through lots of ooc plotting or through writing. on top of that, seph is ... piiiiicky. she has very specific Types. generally, ships with very gentle, soft, mentally well-adjusted characters are possible, but transient — seph falls out of love after a point, but remains staunchly protective of them.

the long and short of the matter is she's a freak, and you kind of have to match that to be compatible as a long-term partner. but even then they don't always line up perfectly! idk. seph's weird. simultaneously very easy to ship with and very hard to ship with.

WHO ARE OTHER CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH?

oh i've got lots of good ones going on right now!! pls forgive me for gushing. focusing on currently heavily-plotted and/or written ones for this bit bc otherwise it will be pages and pages!! if i forgot someone you have full permission to impale me on a pike i am SO SORRY. (all of these will be under a readmore at the end of the post for length!)

there are more sort of beginnings/potentials for ships that haven't been explored yet which i haven't included here, but i'm truly excited to see where each and every one of them goes!!!

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?

yes absolutely hahaha — at least communicating ooc about it is necessary! i'm much more comfortable shipping with partners i mesh well with as a mun and have an easy time talking to.

ARE YOU SHIP-OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?

LOOK I. LISTEN. LISTEN... IM FERAL FOR SHIPS. FERAL. even though seph is picky about them — and i promise it's not personal if it doesnt work, it truly is just her dumb creature ass being unable to normal.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?

N/A for this blog, but as a fun trivia fact, i'm deep in satosugu hell rn

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?

it's all vibes babey. we just start writing their non-romantic dynamic buildup, and if it clicks (or even if u just think ur character would have a crush!) we talk about it ooc and plot some more, then plot some more and before u know it, the angst hammer looms over ur head

Tagged by: @bearratic (thank youuuu!!) Tagging: (points) do it

ship gushing below. <3

@vsagis' villain izuku— i had to put u first bc u kickstarted this shipping renaissance. seph and izuku clicked instantly and started a long-term trajectory that i don't think either of us writers expected. they're just freak enough to match each other, just soft enough to genuinely care. we're really putting these two through the horrors(tm) and watching them fall hopelessly, horribly in love. <3

@spiritcrown's pasha — how could i not mention pasha!! i was so happy to see you back, because pasha and seph's relationship was soooo formative for seph's development wrt romance. seph is absolutely, completely and utterly devoted to pasha. they worship at the altar of her. they would bend heaven and raise hell for her.

@crowshoots' jesper — UAHGHGBBHBH INCOHERENT CRYING NOISES. the first thing seph noticed about jesper was extremely respectable fighting skills, but even then they were definitely uhhhh touch and go for a while there before they started to simmer down and. pin each other down and — one thing led to another and jesper's being antagonized by her antagonists and they're too deeply in love to go back!! i love them. i l

@crowgreeds' kaz — HHHHHHHHH god. hi siri i know ur not around the dash much but idc im writing u into this. kaz and seph both have such a darkness in them that the other recognizes and not only feeds, but when necessary, balances. they're ruthless and violent and mean but at the same time, they have such a softness for each other that they both thought was dead. also, you're the recipient of probably the best rp reply i've ever written (that fucking. hellhound kill description. my GOD im feral for seph protecting him)

@tewwor.... goose is2g we really have the creatures ever. litho — FIRST SHIP!!!! FIRST SHIIIP i still cant believe it took 4 irl years for them to finally admit their stupid feelings. now they're soulmates and there's no turning back. he's the reason seph likes poetry in every verse. the softest snarkiest ship. probably the closest to a true YA-style soulmate seph has. she hasn't forgiven him for all the twilight jokes though tough luck jie & ricochet — the boys... the absolute chaos trio... i never expected seph and jie to fall for each other but honestly i should have. he falls so neatly into her "equally feral" type. ricochet is so calm and seph is kind of intoxicated by that. sheathed claws kind of vibe. just love these three their dynamic balances itself so well

@spungolden's dio — two femmes raised as weapons with deeply suppressed emotions, chillin in a murder alley, five feet apart cause theyre not g— (theyre gay. theyre so gay) these two are so sweet they sometimes make me tear up. they skipped the trauma stage and went straight into lesbian domestic fantasy with only occasional murder.

@chaoslulled oh boy(s). toji — brutally in love. they saw and embraced each other's monster, refused to shy away, and now they somehow revolve in this strange orbit of violent and incredibly soft with each other. i think he's the first of the current ship lineup that seph has in-thread said the L-word to. this ship was so easy to jump right into, the chemistry was like lightning in a bottle. satoru — one of the most genuinely unexpected slowburn ships i've stumbled into. these two read each other for filth INSTANTLY as lonely motherfuckers who, in some way or another, had loved and lost. they haven't even gotten to the oh-shit moment in the slowburn yet but i'm lookin forward to it yakuza sukuna — THE PAIN. THE SUFFERING. AUHHHGHGGGG HOL YOU'RE FUCKING KILLING MEEEE. these two are mirrors in the worst possible way. they've got their throats stuck under their boss' boot heels; they've been disfigured, they've had their siblings used as leverage, they've been made into muzzled dogs. despite hating each other at the start, they can't not recognize that, and it's led to this fierce protectiveness that isssss whoops evolving into feelings. i'm sure nothing will go wrong

@eraserisms' shota — AHHHHHHH god okay most of this ship has been pure plotting vibes and responses to memes, but i truly cannot wait to get into writing more of them because they own my heart and soul. i think they know each other to the marrow in a way that's not super common for seph, and the gentleness and caution with which they're starting to explore revisiting their care for each other is heartbreaking in the best way

@sasouken BEE!!!! ok chronologically(??): deku — so precious and wholesome from the start. your honor he's just a little guy with a big dumb crush. when i tell uuuuuu some of our plotting has literally made me tear up a little??? the absolute bleeding heart on this boy??? HURTS ME??? one day they'll hold hands casper — slated to be our angstiest dynamic, i just Know it. two motherfuckers who love their siblings, inextricably involved in a tangled web of crime and violence. two people who have lost so much and don't want to lose anyone ever again. i will die i WILL satoru — such... a different vibe than i was expecting in an amazing way?? his dynamic with seph is so fuckin sweet? so much physical touch born of trust and comfort. also again: her first ever fwb (for now), which is truly a wild thing to experience. sukuna — i .. . dont even know what to say about this one. (affectionate). he unlocked an entirely new dimension of freak in seph's psyche and attraction style that i couldn't comprehend before we started writing them but retrospectively makes so much sense. what the fuck is going on with these two i have no idea but i am OBSESSED with it. also writing them getting down nasty has been extremely fun, i'm enjoying it a lot