#i was struggling with a topic for the thread tbh ]]

[vandalizedheart]

a lil late night reminder: no matter how you choose to run your blog, or how you may write your muse, you have a place here. as long as you're having fun and finding joy through having a roleplay blog, that's all that matters in the end. <3

[enrychan]

so I finally beat DATV and I guess I'll write something about it while downloading BG3 (an early Christmas present from my best friend, a couple of days ago <3)

light spoilers under the cut

my main thought at the moment is just "meh". Thankfully DATV isn't a trainwreck like Andromeda, but it never exceeds the 6 or 7 out of 10 that I gave it while I was still playing it. The ending is good, but the results of such world-shaking events feel too rushed and not completely earned.

That's far from my main issue with the game, though. I don't think I can put all my thoughts in order at this time, so I'll just make a list of things that stood out to me, in a semi-random order.

I feel like I'm beating a dead horse at this point, with all the people already talking about it, but this story is completely toothless. In previous games Thedas felt real because of all the different struggles between its factions, and even many in-group rivalries/prejudices. But in Veilguard Rook's allies are all completely devoid of conflicting characteristics or problematic aspects. The Crows are fearless freedom fighters without a trace of all the very dark traits they had in the previous games. The Lords of Fortune are Good Pirates that raid in a 100% culturally conscious way. Even giving Minrathous to the Threads - a literal crime syndicate - has no major impact on anything, not even your own relationship with Neve. You don't even see any trace of slavery in the literal capital of the Tevinter Imperium.

On the other hand, the Wardens still retain at least some of their most "problematic" aspects, for which I was grateful. They were a small pinch of salt on an otherwise very bland meal.

Rook's companions were for the most part treated the same way, devoid of any real conflict whatsoever. I was hoping to see some fights between Lucanis and Davrin, or between Taash and Emmrich. but everything solved itself very easily in the space of like. one conversation, maybe. And I'm not even mad about that, specifically. In Mass Effect, Shepard solved some conflicts by just inserting themselves between the two bickering companions and telling them to shut the fuck up. Rook doesn't have that kind of charisma, though. Luckily for them, their companions apparently don't have strong enough opinions to sustain any kind of serious discussion. I mean, I always thought that one of the most interesting aspects of this series was having strongly opinionated companions, each representing a certain way to see the world and its problems. but maybe I'm wrong.

I'm not saying that the companions were bad. actually they were nice (a little too nice tbh) and sometimes some conversations rang true and heartfelt. Which frustrated me even more! At least I just disliked the Andromeda companions. These though... they had so much potential! Urrgghghghghhh

The Rivaini/Qunari and non-binary stuff about Taash was painful. It was written so badly. I could almost hear Bioware asking if it was politically correct enough from behind the courtains. And I was like. Man idk. Aren't these pirates? Why must you defang and declaw them to this point? It sounds so fake.

Isabela, my beloved, what have they done to you? like 99% of the pirate!Isabela headcanons that you see on tumblr is better than this. I could cry, but I'll just pretend that that was a lookalike. The real Isabela was out there on the sea, pirating with her crew. And a really big hat.

To steal Hbomberguy's words, "it's a smooth and palatable pebble that isn't particularly disagreeable, but slides out the other end completely undigested". He used this phrase for Deus Ex: HR but I think it fits DATV perfectly.

On the same topic, I romanced Lucanis, because of course I did. A dark, deadly, tortured spanitalian assassin abomination? That's basically My Trash(TM). Unfortunately, with the exception of a single moment where the whole thing risked getting almost interesting, for the rest it was a pretty boring romance. Which is INSANE to me. How?? How do you screw up something like that?? Where's the drama?? The passion??? Anders was a sad wet man from the sewers and he managed to be more passionate than this???

Some conversations between him and Rook were still cute, though. I just wish there was more to it.

I loved the environments, in general. They were very beautiful, sometimes even stunning. I didn't particularly like Arlathan, it felt cramped and it was excruciating to explore with all those doors and barriers and magic bridges. But the other maps were lovely. My favorite were the dark and creepy ones, of course. I loved the Grand Necropolis, and also everything relating to the Wardens.

On this note, I loved IN THEORY the idea of bringing back the darkspawn hordes. I've always loved those, they remind me of Origins, which is always a good thing.

I said "in theory" because in practice I HATED the new combat system. I can live with the Mass Effect-like combat, but the fact that the two companions are immortal while the only one to take damage is Rook is just complete bullshit. My squishy mage was constantly bombarded by enemies' attacks on every possible front, to the point that in the tougher fights she could only run around and sometimes give orders on the fly so her companions could maybe kill the creatures in her place (and they were bad at it). I tried for many hours to make it work, and I did get pretty good after a while, but I HATED every single minute of it and in the end I lowered the difficulty level just to get to the end more quickly. Just awful. I'm guessing that's what remains of a previous "live service" version of this game. Ugh.

The music was another complete disappointment. This series had an incredible record of banger after banger ever since Origins, and I'm one of the like. Five people that actually loved most of Inquisition's soundtrack. But this time it's just generic_RPG_music.mp3, apparently. Hans Zimmer my FOOT.

I'm a fan of Hans Zimmer, and that's NOT him. Or maybe it's him when he has 0 ideas head empty idk.

Bioware should have just asked Trevor Morris again. The only times in Veilguard where the music tugged at my heartstrings, it was Inquisition's soundtrack. It's a real shame, because a good soundtrack can really elevate even a mediocre experience.

The result of all these factors, is that in the end I didn't really care much for these characters, so I wasn't that worried to lose them. This version of the "suicide mission" was rather relaxed for me.

(In ME2 I thought I would panic and die IRL at some point)

There were a couple of moments near the end where I actually Felt a lot of Feelings, not because of Veilguard, but because of everything from the previous games. Nevertheless, they added something to a generally dull experience, so those were good.

I loved Assan. I loved griffons in general. They reminded me of my dogs, and i live for my dogs.

Also I loved the hair physics. My Rook had beautiful red curls. And freckles <3

[milli-moi]

I reblogged this as part of a thread on people’s thoughts coming off the Thunderbolts mini comic run but I’ve decided to post it on its own as well. I’m actually not sure how much of this even seems relevant to the original conversation… but I wanted to chime in on the topic as someone who is a reasonably new comic reader.

Tbh I actually still find myself struggling a bit to keep up with writers and story arcs in my head (couldn’t work out what SoL was until right now - sentinel of liberty, right?)

BUT so far I have pretty much exclusively read black widow comics or issues she features in. (I discovered that on the marvel comics website you can search by character and it will give you every issue they are in - sometimes that’s meant she has one line and I am left wondering why the heck I read a whole comic book for that lol)

Personally I have noticed I don’t pay a lot of attention to who has written an issue, but I know I have my favourites. I actually could pin an artist before a writer- Phil Noto is a god amongst all others - but it’s interesting to hear the different thoughts here.

I’ve seen a few posts with people mentioning Nat’s thought process in the Thunderbolts mini run and my ear pricked up. I LOVE writing fanfic that is based on Natasha’s inner thoughts, she is so full of depth. I would definitely think about writing this sort of thing BUT I feel I need to get my source material right in my head.

Basically the tl;dr is this- what should I be reading or re-reading? I think the names and the arcs can make it quite difficult for those getting into comics to understand what they are looking for, and the amount that characters can bounce around between issues and titles makes that even harder. I usually only know what I want to read because tumblr told me…

I know and love the Brubaker and Liu writing but I can’t say I know what the Higgins run was (is this the run following the 2012 end for Winterwidow?)

I just hope that there is more good to come for these two- they need and deserve it.

Please comment anything that might help me in a quest for fanfic thoughts on this, or just generally. Sorry my response was probably a bit of a ramble and may not have all made sense (adhd meds being messed with = brain confusion).

[devastatinglygreen]

Definitely agree that both was the correct answer. What was great about their intimate moments was that it was a seamless combination. I think I would’ve liked a scene where Colin loses himself in enjoying her wit *with* her (not just her letters) and we get to see how much he misses her. That he gets caught up before realizing how sad he is. I love that Pen gives him room to feel his feelings and unlike the fandom doesn’t punish him or push him but we NEEDED more forced proximity moments. Show me Colin’s inner slut for Pen struggle! They were living in that house together, he was sleeping directly outside their bedroom and there was only one late night run in? No middle of the night kitchen runs?? I’m a pretty fervent s3 defender but look the slutty angst possibilities were endless!

However….Maybe they couldn’t torture Colin anymore, the man’s sanity was barely hanging by a thread seeing her exposed shoulder and a nightgown that showed less titty than her day dresses.

uhm excuse me are you saying that colin shouldn't have to pay for the sins of speaking out of feelings of hurt and betrayal for the rest of his life? penelope gave eloise all the time and space she needed for near a year and we're supposed to believe she wouldn't give colin the same grace when he took less than a month from start to finish? come on, now. imagine being like "that's the love of my life think i oughta run away at the first sign of real trouble." that's not polin at all. that's a very common version of fic polin but canon polin? not so much.

okay off topic but the way colin doesn't run away never gets any credit either? the first time he reassures her that the wedding is on was, yes, done in a childish way trying to pretend it's honor bound when he's later telling eloise to be glad she's never been in love because of how much it can hurt. i actually liked the contrast of being so angry and hurt but still so in love you still can't imagine not being with them (a direct parallel to, say, choosing not to be with someone who lied to you ahem). even after the little show on the street gets interrupted, he's telling her he'll see her at the church. that man was going nowhere.

also my petty ass would be so silent with eloise after that cressida nonsense and penelope was just there waiting for her? penelope you are a saint sometimes.

anyways. oh yeah. fr tho, some more forced proximity would have been fun but colin really was dying as it was and she was just existing. i like that colin got the space he needed to process everything but i also think he needed his own princess moment too. idk what it could be tbh, but i do think there needed to be something meatier to his coming to terms with LW and pen being the same person and what that means to him specifically.

[imaginespazzi]

Bestie bestie bestie!

Hello :) Where to even begin after so much time.. I guess first I'll note that my last anon to you is starred below just so we can follow the thread of last convo somewhat (and honestly just wanted to ensure you knew I at one point wrote in over you hiatuses)..

Ok on to more new stuff: Biggest news is Im off to the wifeys motherland (ironic a bit as I believe shes currently playing in my fatherland). I'll report back on food a day drink 😋 ca va?

Yay Liberty, they did it! 🗽Plenty of kudos to the Lynx as well. Was a great series all around. Even if my nerves barely withstood those overtimes & dramatic endings.

Coaching movement in the W continues to make my head spin. OMG the Thibaults are gone, didnt see that coming tbh! I remain seated for all the hirings/happenings to come. And cant believe we're almost to the lottery selection w still so much upheaval in place 🤯

Hope all is well w you despite lifes busyness. Take care

** Hi hi hi bestie! Yes that anon was me ha. I realized after sending that I left of my emoji signature, but was pretty sure youd connect things, given some hyper specific topics ha. Hope life is treating you alright apart from just being busy!

Im personally just relieved that the Libs managed to even things up last night, while still trying to process the 2nd half & OT of game 1 lol. That one was all just absolutely bonkers. Crazy entertaining, even if it hurt my NY supporting heart at the time.

When it comes to the coaching moves, def in agreement that Indy doesnt deserve good things. What do you make of who the Valks named HC? Seems a good hire to me at a quick glance, but Im also leery of anyone who might be involved w the Aces lawsuit ordeal (tbf Im not super well informed on that, but dont believe Ive ever seen her referenced w that stuff). Yeah objectively I dont feel that a (random) late winning run/playoff push, external circumstances w the standings aside, was worth dropping your odds of getting #1/Paige from like 30 to 10 %. Still struggle to understand why they ended up trying to fight the path that established itself early on. Granted kind of unexpected and extreme circumstances, but still, lemons to lemonade if you will. Im not feeling eager for the draw next month..

Honestly it will be interesting now to see/follow any Liz activity while she hits the offseason as college ball starts up soon. Curious to see if any crumbs or reactions come up at all. W those two seeming to be at an avoidance phase, another college wbb couple needs to step up and provide us w some (non toxic) drama to follow over the season ha! Not you tho Pazzi, you stay lovely/wholesome/stable/healthy

One additional GH note - I obvi live for snark, so wanted to share my fav lines from Ch 10

“Won’t somebody please think about the complications” Jana in full menace mode and so funny. "I mean other than the woman you married as well that is" The fact that Azzi will not ever say her name I just love. I also have this idea that Stephie, when older and knows pretty much everything re her parents history, will continue the she who shall not be named thing in support of her mama. (And Im not entirely discounting the possibility of a bit of real time drama w Olivia that wont help w this whole Azzi grudge).

Wishing you a good start to the week!! -☕️ **

Hi hi lovely I missed you <3

Ah babes that must have gotten lost in my sea of asks because I've been so bad about answering them. It's funny how much has change since whenever you sent that thought because the W has become a revolving door of coaching changes.

I really like the Valks HC choice. She's been very effective with the LVAces and I expect that to continue. Same with the recent news we go today of Tyler Marsh with the Sky. I think LVAces coaching staff in general is so strong and them branching off is good for the league and both the Valks and the Sky with these coaches and a little bit of time for player development should eventually be really good. Ultimately the lawsuit is a front office issue and I don't think these two had much to do with it and so until I see issues in their new respective teams, I don't think we can hold it against them.

LIBERTYYYYYYY. So happy for them and of course props to the Lynx. And honestly thank you to both teams for giving us what I think, despite that one foul, is the greatest W finals we've ever had.

THE THIBAULTS ARE GONE. You were one of the first people I thought of when I saw that news. Honestly I have no idea what to think. I really didn't see it coming and as much as I've done a lot of nepo baby this nepo baby that, I don't necessarily know if this is the right choice but I'll wait to see who they appoint as the head coach to really figure out my thoughts.

Lottery in 2 weeks?? What the actual hell? Like y'all we're likely gonna know where Paige is going before we even see Azzi on the court and that's insane to me.

OOOOH I have some CWBB drama if anyone wants it. Did y'all peep Last-Tear's Poa's shady insta caption she deleted? Her and Sam'yah Smith were a thing and streets are saying maybe she cheated?

Pazzi are being wholesome as always. "Silly girl" - what if I jump off a cliff :)

[hellsbroadcaster]

🔥🔥🔥

Send me a “ 🔥 “ for an unpopular opinion. Bonus points if you include a topic. ( IE. shipping, roleplaying, ect. )

Okay. I struggled to come up with some topics to talk about for a while plus just issues through the entirety of this week. BUT I FIGURED IT OUT.

🔥 - PROMOS. tbh, promo's main use were to help roleplayers find other roleplayers, to spread the word about your blog and find more partners and people to make friends and broaden your experiences with learning about new and exciting fandoms. Now I just find them tedious, and annoying to make. if you aren't a popular blog the odds of your promo being reblogged and spread around is so minimal. it also just feels like clout chasing at this point. and yeah nothing wrong with reblogging your promo and having your friends hype you up, but then ppl wonder why they think the rpc is so alienating? cuz someone else will reblog their promo's expecting the same thing and they don't get it and then they feel left out. but if its just so you can get some nice thrown at you, it just feels like more clutter for my dash especially if I'm already following you. now if you're a NEW blog. if you just joined a fandom, and you want some exposure, I'm down for that because that is what a promo is supposed to be for.

🔥 - Personals. I actually like personals. sometimes personals care more about what I post than my own followers. i get ppl being upset if they reblog their threads, but liking your posts? and maybe reblogging a headcanon or something but idk i guess for me that stuff just doesn't bother me. I love when people reblog my headcanon and they agree. or they add onto it, with their own thoughts. or they tell me how much they love it. makes me feel seen. makes me feel cool. i just think people forget that tumblr is NOT a roleplay site. yes, we found a use to tailor it to our hobby, that doesn't mean everyone who comes across our blogs know that. they arent apart of our community, what makes you think they have to abide our guidelines for it? tbh, roleplayers have just gotten entitled to thinking that tumblr is supposed to bow to our whim. we share a space with non roleplayers. to demand, and just expect ppl are just going to see your rules and read them and respect it rght away?? come on ya'll. we know to look for rules cuz its what we've been doing for years, but you can't expect that from strangers who are likely mobile bound just seeing something you wrote in the tags. its gonna happen. i just dont like the mannerisms some people have with them. you dont gotta be rude about it. if its really bothering you just block them and be done. problem solved. going out of your way to make posts about how annoying they are is just unnecessary.

🔥 - duplicates. this is one is gonna get me fired but oh well. Ya'll we have GOT to love ourselves better. because it is plain and simple insecurity for why people feel they cant talk or write with duplicates. i know it does deeper in some cases, like your current partner leaving you for the shinny new roleplayer of the same muse you write. believe me I've been there. but fuck those people. when are we gonna stop letting others dictate how we feel about ourselves? i hate seeing shit when a new roleplayer pops up with the same muse and suddenly you get the vaguing posts about 'suddenly feeling very doubtful of my portrayal' like its not obvious you are threatened. and in this fandom??? we're i follow like 30 different alastors?? lucifers?? Angels"?? all different, all got something to add and share. i got news for you but your portrayal isnt the only ONE. its not the end all be all. and yes I talk to my ego all the time, cuz there are some muses i write where i'm like I AM THE GOD FATHER OF THIS MUSE. but thats me and my own pride, doesnt mean anyone else who writes this muse is less than me. or i'm suddenly less than them. and there are portrayals i dont fuck with. i simply just do not look their way. but theres always muses i love roleplaying with duplicates cuz its FUN. also being able to talk to people who love this muse as much as you?? learn to stop looking at everything like its a competition and things will not be as stressful. its what makes this hobby unfun when you let those insecurities eat you up. im not saying its not valid, and im not saying you cant be upset, but what does it really do for you? what would happen if you just went and talked to them? imagine it goes well? you make a new friend. dont deny yourself opening a door just because you are scared of what 'might' be behind it. and its something I am learning and teaching myself. our issue is we all wanna be see, and heard. we all wanna be the absolute best. we wanna have the best portrayal like this sort of acknowledgement does anything. cuz while I know ppl love my own portrayals, still doesn't change the fact that i got issues and i cry myself to sleep still. the 'love' i get on here, ain't a fix. and if you think seeking validation on tumblr dot com is gonna fix you? its not. the attention and love we seek on here is just a placeholder, its us using this as a distraction from actually fixing our problems, and turn i still see how so many of us are unhappy. let it go.

[canmom]

Do you find Twitter or Tumblr better for general discussions?

kinda depends who you follow on both tbh?

personally I've pretty much stopped using twitter these days, but I never used it much to begin with. I am... evidently someone who struggles a bit with brevity ^^' twitter threads must be split into pithy chunks and that just didn't suit me at all.

that said, if you wanna talk sakuga or something like that, there's way more people engaged in that sphere on Twitter. only a few of us carrying that torch over here for whatever reason.

honestly, I don't think either site is great for it. both of them create a kind of branching tree structure that's awkward to navigate. to be kinda reductive, the three models you have are the forum model where all messages in a topic are presented linearly; the post + threaded comments model of LJ-derivatives, blogs and Reddit; and the tumblr/twitter reblog model where you copy a thread to your own timeline with additions.

All of these have tradeoffs. The forum thread model encourages longform back and forth, but it gets hard to navigate a long thread and it can quickly devolve into people stubbornly cutting up their interlocutor's message into bite sized chunks to rebut each one.

The threaded comments model creates a hierarchy; the original post has special status. Having branches allows multiple conversations to happen in parallel more easily, but each individual thread looks kind of like the forum. Navigation can still be an issue, since it usually hides comments below a certain depth unless you click, and there's either a sprawling mess if you load the whole tree in one page or a lot of backtracking. Still it's probably the best option in general.

The Tumblr/Twitter model is similar to the branching model but every time you reply you're also effectively inviting your followers to join in, encouraging 'containment break'.

Tumblr's version enables new kinds of expression - a particularly memorable exchange can be isolated without being burdened by all the other replies. But it also puts a limit on longform discussion because you have to post the entire history to your timeline and at some point that will annoy people. that is... arguably a feature? Finding other branches of the conversation in Tumblr is a real pain though - you can open the reblog list and get all the replies chronologically and the only way to figure out what anyone's responding to is to click on it. also, since it's hard to see other branches you get a lot of repetition on popular posts.

Twitter/Mastodon/etc. gives you the reply and the quote tweet. These actions both share a limited excerpt of the original thread to your timeline. You're limited in character count of course, though not as much anymore.

Mostly I just really don't like the prose style that Twitter encourages with a thread lol. Each statement having to stand alone. It's kinda grating when you just wanna say stuff to have to think about the tweet boundaries. And I mean, you see how I post on here, I'm not good at a brief passing thought lmao. So I've never really been able to get used to Twitter/Mastodon/Bluesky/etc. It also feels... somehow more panopticon-like on there. Hard to say why because it's not like people don't jump down your throat on here lmao. But ig it's a matter of demographics and scale.

In any case, on either site having interesting conversations is ofc a matter of finding people you find fun to talk to, and you can find that kinda connection on p much any website.

[tealeavesandthorns]

Name / Alias: Laura (she/they)

Are you over 18? :Yes / No

  – W R I T I N G –

Are you selective about who you write with? : No (anyone) / Semi (most people) / Yes (some people) / Highly (few people) / Private (mutuals only). --

Are you selective about who you follow? : No (anyone) / Semi (most people) / Yes (some people) / Highly (few people).

If your muse is canon, how much do you adhere to canon? : Not at all / A little / Some / Mostly / Strictly / Not Applicable.

What post lengths do you write? : One-Liners / Single-Para / Multi-Para / Novella / All of the aforementioned. (I prefer single/multi-para for general rp and then cracky stuff and the occasional one liner I enjoy).

Do you use icons and/or GIFS? : No / Gifs / Icons / Yes / Sometimes. (Depends on the thread and such)

Do you write on other platforms? : No / Yes (I've tried it, discord and IM makes me uncomfortable so I'm just sticking with tumblr).

What level of plots do you write? : Unplotted / Open-Ended Plots / Semi-Plotted / Fully Plotted Epics / All of the aforementioned - Honestly I really like just having a sort of general idea of what we want and then seeing where it takes us.

How quickly do you usually respond to threads? : Very Slow (more than a month) / Slow (3-4 weeks) / Average (1-2 weeks) / Fast (less than one week) / Very Fast (less than three days) - This depends entirely on how my brain is working, if I'm in a good place and excited and stuff it can be the same day a bunch of times....

What types of themes do you like? : Adventure / Romance / Fluff / Angst / Violence / Tragedy / Domestic / Family / All of the aforementioned - I love everything but I have to say that romance, fluff, adventure are all my favs

What genres do you like? : ( Feel free to add! ) High Fantasy / Supernatural / Science Fiction / Historical / Horror / Comedy / Romantic / Drama / Action / Smut / Adventure / Espionage / Dark / Emotional / All of the aforementioned - it just depends what I'm in the mood for, smut I'm not a huge fan off tbh, I'd rather write drabbles for that.

Are there any themes you’re uncomfortable writing on your blog? : (Not triggers) No / Yes / Sometimes

Do you have any triggers? How do you request it tagged? : I honestly don't think there are many things that I find uncomfortable to write, or read, if the subject is handled well. I do struggle with some things though, and some topics and subject matters.

  – S H I P P I N G –

What types of relationships are you open to? : Romantic / Platonic / Familial / All of the aforementioned

What types of pre-established relationships are you open to? : Romantic / Platonic / Familial / All of the aforementioned

Do you have OTPs? : No / Chemistry Only / Yes

Do you have NOTPS? : No / Yes

What is your muse’s sexual orientation? : Heterosexual / Heteroflexible / Bisexual / Pansexual / Homoflexible / Homosexual / Demisexual / Sapiosexual / Asexual / Still trying to figure it out / Depends on the muse you’re asking

What is your muse’s romantic orientation? : Heteroromantic / Heteroflexible / Biromantic / Homoflexible / Homoromantic / Panromantic / Demiromantic / Sapioromantic / Aromantic / Still trying to figure it out / Depends on the muse you’re asking

Are you comfortable writing smut? : No / Selectively / Yes

How early in a relationship do you ship romantically? : Autoship / During plotting / After a couple IC interactions / Several IC interactions / Slow burn / Plot dependent / Never - It really just entirely depends.

Are you open to toxic ships? : No / Selectively / Yes / I am not sure (but they must be handled with care and I need the other mun to be open to talking about our muses oc if I have questions. And there must always be to option of dropping the ship if either one had grown uncomfortable with it. - keeping this from Krys' answer because it's so true!)

Are you open to problematic ships? : No / Selectively / Yes / I am not sure

Are you open to polyamory shipping? : No / Selectively / Yes / I am not sure

Are you an exclusive shipper? : Never / Sometimes / Yes - very very rarely do I exclusively ship, I'd rather just be open to stuff and then potentially I sometimes have favourites.....

Does crack shipping ever happen? : Nope / Yes / depends

Stolen from @asoulunbound tagging: YOU!!

[allsassnoclass]

2022 Writing Evaluation

I was tagged by the wonderful Bella @clumsyclifford (thank you for digging this up and tagging me first because i 100% was going to do it anyway lol)

also my pseudonyms are combined on ao3 so although this is my 5sos blog you will be hearing about my other fandom writing as well

1. number of stories posted on ao3: 17!

2. word count posted for this year: 124,269 on ao3, 23,433 for ask box prompts, so a grand total of 147,702!

3. fandoms i wrote for: 5sos, 1d, It (2017 and 2019 movies), Stranger Things, HSMTMTS, Cobra Kai

4. pairings: on ao3 we have some nice crisp muke, lashton, mashton, mashton (friendship version), cashton, cake, malum, narry, lilo (and then also kiaz and caswen (friendship(?) version) and reddie and hellcheer).  adding in the ask box prompts and we also have 5sos ot4, roylum, and lashton (friendship version)

5. story with the most kudos/bookmarks/comments: for all of those it’s technically my hellcheer fic, but for the 5sos ones hits and kudos are The Catch, comment threads is pas de deux! 

6. work i’m most proud of (and why): pas de deux hands down no question.  it’s my longest fic by over 20k!  i wrote it almost constantly from november to december and had a goal to post each chapter on christmas and the four sundays leading up to it and i actually accomplished that goal!!!! i’ve never successfully focused on one particular fic for that long, and it actually worked!!! plus, for such a long fic, i think i did a relatively good job of keeping characterizations consistent and sensical throughout, as well as finding little themes to carry through the entire fic (which i got lucky with tbh, some things that became running pieces of the fic were not planned out before, i just caught them as they were happening).  i haven’t read the fic back since completing it so it’s possible it’s not as cohesive or as good as i think it is, but i’m extremely proud of myself for it nonetheless.

7. work i’m least proud of (and why): right now, it’s probably when i watch the world burn.  i struggled with that one and in the end i don’t think it quite got to where i wanted it to, but i was on a time crunch.  it’s a lot different from what i usually write, but i don’t know if i made that transition to a different story style and topic as smoothly as i would have liked.

8. share or describe a favorite review you received: someone left a very long and gratifying comment on both Puzzle Pieces and its sequel Bedroom Activities back in February.  grey114 if you see this i love you.  it was really gratifying to get a comment on a piece that i love so much that was over a year old at that point, especially since they said it was a reread and they just touched on a lot of things in a really sweet way and that made me feel very happy to have written those fics.

also i know this doesn’t technically count because it got it today but amanda read when i watch the world burn (again, not my proudest work) and said that although this “isn’t her kind of fic” she said that that particular fic is the “biggest proof that it’s the writer more than the content or pairing” because she enjoyed it, which was really nice to hear especially when i’m not feeling the best about it.  it’s also just an insane compliment because i absolutely love amanda’s writing, and every time a writer i love also confirms that they really like my stuff it makes me feel good lol

9. a time when writing was really, really hard: the entire first 3/4 of the year, tbh!  i was in a big writing slump earlier in the year and it seemed to keep going forever, then I was super busy in the summer and simply didn’t have time.  i don’t think i hit my writing stride again until i let myself impulse-write for other fandoms.  i think that’s what i really started to realize exactly what it means to write what you love uninhibited, rather than writing what you think you should.  like. i have 10k of an angsty caswen at college fic in my drive that may never see the light of day because it’d be super long, but letting myself go to town on that with no expectations of necessarily posting it or even completing it was really healthy for me and extremely enjoyable, and it loosened all the writing mechanisms in my brain to get me back in a writing groove.

10. a scene or character you wrote that surprised you: hmmmmm let’s see.  honestly i was most surprised to write anything for hsmtmts or cobra kai, let alone something from johnny’s pov, but for 5sos stuff i was surprised to write so much feldy.  he became a pretty big player in pas de deux and when initially planning that fic i don’t think i realized how much screen time he would have.  ashton’s characterization in when i watch the world burn was also surprising.  i didn’t know when i started writing that he would be like that.

11. a favorite excerpt of your writing:  here’s a little bit of the ending of undeniable you

When Ashton fully wakes up, he can hear spring rain pattering against the roof.  The room is still blanketed in gray, but Michael is still glowing, even if Ashton only has a view of his bedhead from the way they’re cuddled together.  He shifts right before Ashton musters up the willpower to leave the comforting warmth of their bedroom and begin breakfast, as if he can sense that Ashton would rather spend the morning talking with him in appropriately hushed tones than leaving the cozy atmosphere that surrounds them.  His eyes are fuzzy and sleepy when he blinks up at him, but he smiles like he’s never been more sure of his place here.

12. how did you grow as a writer this year? i finally truly understood what it means to write for myself!!!! to write for the enjoyment of writing!!!! to stop holding myself to arbitrary standards of what fics i should be working on and how often!!!!!! this year i really let myself work on what i want when i want, and it really did wonders for me.  also, i discovered that for the most part outlining does genuinely help me

13. how do you hope to grow next year? mostly i want to continue to write what i want to write.  i want to maintain this peace and enjoyment of writing that i’ve found and continue to treat myself with kindness when it comes to this hobby and not let it become unpleasant.  that being said, i do also want to focus on individual projects more.  i think the key to ensuring these two things aren’t mutually exclusive is to find projects that i genuinely love and to add little bits in there for me to enjoy, like all of the minnesota references (and the csi miami reference) in pas de deux.

EDIT: I also want to start replying to comments this year! i might not reply to new comments on old fics just because i’d feel weird not replying to the comments before (and i have fics form 2016, so i feel like it’d be weird if i went back and replied to those) but i’ll at least reply to comments put on pas de deux onwards.

14. who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc)? okay i’m going to list four (4!!!) different people.  bella @clumsyclifford and annie @carouselstars have both been extremely supportive, especially while i’ve been complaining in the club nearly every day for the past two months.  they’re always encouraging me.  i also need to give a big shout out to megs @igarbagecannoteven and gregory @doomeddiabetic for being great sounding boards! pas de deux would not have been completed without megs helping me sort things out in the very beginning, and gregory is willing to talk shop about fandoms they’re not even part of.

15. anything from your real life show up in your writing this year? little things here and there!  it’s most prevalent in pas de deux, where i highkey projected onto both characters and forced them to exist in minneapolis.  i have been to mia and love all of the art pieces i mentioned in chapter 3. my favorite ballet is dances at a gathering.  i, like calum, must always remind people of famous minnesotans.  shayla is my favorite newscaster.  i watch csi miami and ncis when i need something mindless on in the background.  i namedropped my old tech director and ballet teacher in that one.  pas de deux is full of little hazel pieces lol

16. any new wisdom you can share with other writers? find what pleases you!  find what you enjoy, and don’t turn writing into a chore that you have to do, but rather a special treat to enjoy!  this doesn’t mean that it’s going to be sunshine and rainbows all the time, of course.  maybe you’re the type of writer who gets immense satisfaction from finishing a difficult piece, and that far outweighs the frustration and struggles to write it!  everyone is going to be different with figuring out what constitutes enjoyment, but that’s what helped me, at least.

17. any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year? i’m trying not to put too much pressure on myself but i really hope to finish three particular 5sos fics.  i think they could become my new favorites.  i also have a cobra kai fic that i’d love to write!  also, i really want to post at least one chapter of unmute, given that i didn’t do that this year

18. tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read:  @igarbagecannoteven, @carouselstars, @lifewasradical, @jbhmalumm, @lukemichaelcalumashton, @babush-cat if you’d like!

[thebroccolination]

I havent read the novel from between us,but i was suprised seeing youre post about youre fav scene..like the open house one, and that its probably gonna be in the series. like...beeing lgbt isnt really a big deal in bl´s. like homophobie doesnt really exist (what i like, cause its refreshing and a nice change, from the sometimes harsh reality) and most characters in bl´s are queer. like there are more queer then straight characters. 80 % are queer, so its not really a big thing. litteraly kinda everyone is into the same gender (its also the case in between us) so im suprised that there is gonna be such a scene tbh..im genrell curios though, how similar they gonna make it to the novel and what changes and all that. i also read somewhere that win is gonna punch team,after he finds him kinda throwning, is that true?!?! also what is the pool scene so many people talk about? Im curious..

Hi Anon!

Okay so! The thing I love about New as a director is that he's queer himself and outspoken about the kind of stories he wants to tell. He wants to tell multifaceted queer stories (and he loves drama). I imagine that's what drew him to Sheep's writing, because Red Thread is very focused on queer struggle and literal rebirth. Hemp Rope is much lighter by comparison, but it still has some very explicitly queer-oriented scenes and conversations. So the homophobia scene I talked about, the one I'm excited to see, is one of several queer-focused topics in the novel. And Win is canonically bi! Like me! I'm a big, big fan of LazySheep.

As for how similar the series will be to the novel: we don't know, but Sheep tweeted recently to assure people that the series will be very much its own thing and there will be scenes in the series that won't be in the novel. Essentially, it's a true adaptation in that Sheep took elements from her novel and adapted them for the screen. I'm genuinely impressed that she adapted Red Thread into UWMA and Hemp Rope (INCOMPLETE NO LESS) into Between Us. I'm a big, big fan of LazySheep

[SPOILERS FOR THE NOVEL AND THE SERIES] The punch is in the novel. Everyone's mileage will vary on the scene, but I personally didn't mind it. I actually thought it was an interesting character choice since Win is so perpetually calm and composed. The way the novel set up the scene, Team is flippant and almost bratty about the fact that he nearly died, so I interpreted Win punching him as the only moment in Win's life that he actually lost control. Again, it worked for me in the novel. But when they filmed the scene for the pilot teaser last year, Boun decided his version of Win wouldn't do that, so he hugged Prem instead, and New and Sheep both liked the change, and it was received overwhelmingly positively by viewers, so they kept it in the main series as well (you can see the hug in the trailer).

[SPOILERS FOR THE NOVEL AND THE SERIES] The pool scene is the larger event happening around the punch. Team sneaks into the pool after hours when the club is on break because he can't sleep and he's nervous about the upcoming competition. He doesn't stretch first, he swims to exhaustion, his leg cramps up, and he starts to drown. Win is there late doing his vice presidential duties, sees the light on in the pool area, and sees Team at the bottom of the pool. So he saves him. It's probably in the next episode. \:D/

I hope that helps!

[justa-bundleof-confusion]

eh, as long as I'm already talking about queer confusion and being afraid that I'm suppressing parts of myself, why don't I start talking about the gender stuff too!

Because I grew up as a girl.

And because I grew up as a tomboy.

And I don't know how to reconcile those things in what they meant to me. and with what I am now.

When I was a kid, my entire childhood, I would roleplay as fictional characters from the shows we liked growing up with my twin. when divvying up the cast of a new series, by default, we would start by giving me the boys and her the girls. She was Jesse, I was James. She was Katara and Toph, I was Aang and Zuko. I always dressed as a boy for halloween. I had short hair, she had long hair.

It was so easy to slot us into every pair, every set of counterparts I saw in fiction, just by making myself the boy.

the moment I learned the word "tomboy" that's what I was. I knew that was me. It was the first gender label I used. it was my childhood version of "nonbinary" or "trans", maybe, I think. but it was so long ago that I don't actually know.

I saw myself in Rainbow Dash as a kid. my define traits at that point bieng "tomboy" and "energetic" (I was your stereotypical ADHD kid growing up, my family called me "a firecracker" and "Loki" and "spunky" and I loved it, and I was proud of myself for it, and they loved it, and they were proud of me for it). I don't think I ever really saw Rainbowdash as a girl? for a while, when I was that little, I think I thought she and Applejack were both boys. which. yeah there was probably some "kid struggling with gender roles" there, I think. But I think I outgrew it? at least I learned logically they were both girls pretty early, but I think I still saw at least Rainbowdash as nonbinary, tho not by that word, so idk. maybe not.

I do sometimes worry I'm just bad with internalized gender roles and that's all any of this is, tbh. but idk, this stuff is all complicated

anyways, fast forward, I'm fourteen now! I learned what lesbians were two or three years ago, but I have no idea what "transgender" means. my mom is very much not vitriolically homophobic, she thinks gay people shouldn't be subject to bigotry, and she thinks they deserve the legal benefits for living together married-style, but she does also think homosexuality is a sin and it kinda comes through in what she tells us. she also tells us that she would still love us if we were gay, that she would be chill and nice and friendly to our partners, and that she won't come to our weddings. so. mixed bag. lots to sort through

but that's all aside the point, scene setting. At this point in time I'm reading webcomics now, and I'm spending too much time on TV Tropes. One of the webcomics I read has a forums, and in that forums is a thread called "LGBTQ+", and on TV Tropes I find pages about gender-swaps and trans caricatures and so on. And I start figuring out what queerness is and learning about the culture and life experiences and history from the LGBTQ+ thread and TV Tropes, and what queerphobia is and looks like. I also start using YouTube and I find a few trans people and channels about queerness (jammidodger, one topic, noahfinnce, etc)

but the big thing is that I see all the trans people telling their stories of how they knew they were trans. "as a kid I always played with the boys" "the teacher told us to stand on opposite sides of the room depending on gender, and I went to the girls' side" "I told people I was a boy on the playground" "I wanted to wear my sister's dresses as a kid" etc etc

and do you know what my reaction was? "neat! If it turns out I'm trans too, I'll have some great stories for it ^-^" and then I spent the next year having a crisis over if I was a girl, a boy, nonbinary, genderfluid, agender, bigender, demi-gender, on and on and on.

I genuinely didn't think anything was wrong with being trans, I don't think. I just thought it was cool and saw a few ways it could relate to my own experiences. but I did know, or at least was starting to figure out, that it would probably be more complicated for my mom. 'cus I knew she was religious, and I had learned that religious people weren't good at being queer allies.

which is obviously a hugely watered down version of reality, but it wasn't entirely disproven by what subtle queerphobic biases my mom did have, so y'know, still scary

so I spend a year (two?) questioning my queer identity, not so much loosing my faith as realizing I never had it in the first place, and generally having an extended crisis about how the fuck is this going to play out. all while my mom has my twin and I getting ready for "confirmation" where we have a ceremony to say "yeah, I'm religious and I always will be forever and ever and ever and ever". not a fun time

I did eventually figure out the religious part, so it's not relevant for the rest of this. i don't entirely even remember how it went, I think covid came in and bought us time? but at some point we stopped going to youth group and then stopped being religious. doesn't really matter.

what does matter is that I eventually I broke down and came out to my mom as nonbinary, while we were trying to figure out paperwork for college running start and I had to check the box for which gender I was. I'd had plenty of conversations about queerness and the religious morality of it with my mom at this point that I had a good idea how she felt about it, but it was all still so messy

and idk? she had a weird combination of the right and wrong reactions "oh cool, that's fine. do you want to use a different name? pronouns? I'll try my best with them." and "oh btw, you can't wear a binder because it would be weird and deceptive. (and I will comment on how hard they/them pronouns are every time I remember I'm supposed to call you by them)"

and trying to be trans was weird and awkward and I didn't like it because I didn't have anyone to test it out with properly.

so. idk. I don't think I ever really considered myself to be trans man, genderfluid or bigender at most, but I guess I kind of quietly detransition because it was too much work and there were too many feeling tangled up in it. and because being vaguely genderless or gender-werid was a lot easier than being anything else, because that much my mom understood. we'd talked about it a lot, and she was actually pretty similar in a lot of ways. and it was just easier? there's no gender roles for being nonbinary, so I wasn't failing

I didn't need to do surgery, or get a binder, and my pronouns could be whatever I wanted, and I just ignored it all because it was too stressful to think about

and then I was sixteen or seventeen, and suddenly myself, my twin, and my sibling were all out to my mom, and she was trying very hard with our pronouns, and she said she would, actually, come to our weddings if we were gay, and she was just, fully over all her hang ups, and she was supportive and enthusiastic, and I just?? I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me?? even though it was good??

and I that's when realized that I really hated being an eldest sibling

It's all been good since then, I've forgiven my mom at this point, fought with all the messy feelings of being let down by a parent, I think I am genuinely I'm mostly over it, but I've started realizing it probably effected my relationship with my gender a lot and idk how to figure it out any more

I've been considering myself genderless and genderqueer and nonbinary if I had to for so long that I don't even know how to deal with having a gender any more

but I started leaving the house to go grocery shopping with my dad, and suddenly I felt like a girl, like his daughter, and it was really really nice, but it made me have to think about my gender again

because I'm not nonbinary if I'm a girl, now am I? I have been pointedly not calling myself trans for a long time now, so at least I didn't have to stop calling myself trans, and yes yes yes, I know you can be a nonbinary girl or nonbinary woman, but what if I was just a cis girl?

but I didn't always feel like a girl. so. maybe 15 year old me was right. maybe I am genderfluid. and that would be okay? but it's been so long it feels weird now, I don't know how to reconnect with my gender anymore. and I'm a little scared that if I try, I'll either realize I'm cis, realize I'm a trans man, or force myself into performing genderfluidity in some way, idk

last halloween I re-used half my Technoblade costume from the year before, went as a king. and it was nice. I hadn't had the chance to feel like a boy in a while, not properly. and sure, when people weren't saying "your majesty"/"your highness" they did call me a queen, not a king, but it was nice! I liked it! and feeling the disconnect of being called "queen" was nice too, in its own way, 'cus it meant I was a boy

I like that cloaks give me gender euphoria, make me feel like a boy. there was a time when we were all still kids when my twin, little sibling, and I all had our own fancy cloaks with a hood, and we pretended to be two princesses and their body guard, who was me, and a boy. and it was nice to remember that. I like remembering my childhood, because my transition out of it was messy and unpleasant and made me wish I'd never been born, and it's been hard figuring it all out again, and going back to what made me happy then makes me want to live for the rest of my life

I don't know what my gender is, but I think I like being nonbinary when I'm on my own, being a girl when I'm hanging out with people out of the house, and being a boy when I'm playing and being someone else. At least for now, I think that's what I'm gonna try out first. not sure yet who I'll be if/when I'm an employee at a job, but I'll figure that out too when it comes to it

And if these categories fall apart, and I start being random genders whenever, or if I become one gender for the rest of my life at some point, or anything like that, then I guess I'll try and just roll with it, 'cus I don't think trying to force things has ever gone well for me

but I think this is a good starting point, jut to give myself an idea where to start, so that I even can figure this out at all

[thaumatology]

- About/Rules -

About the Writer:

Nate, 27, Any pronouns. Autistic. 10+ years of rping experience. Currently living in California. I love talking to new people: DMs are open to everyone, Discord is available to mutuals on request.

About the Blog:

This is a hybrid IC/para rp blog for a freelance magic user from an original urban fantasy setting. A lot of my posts are blogging in character as Colin, which is distinguished by tags, but I also use it for paragraph style in person threads (And would love the opportunity to do more tbh) and occasionally solo narrative posts as well. It also serves as the main for my various side blogs featuring other characters in the same setting.

Rules:

This blog is 18+. Any serious and in depth discussion of nsfw topics will be placed under a read more, but there will still be general mentions of/jokes about sex and sexual topics and It's just overall not going to be a minor friendly space.

I'm a little selective with who I write with. Usually if I can bend Colin's view of the universe to include your character I'll give them a shot but some characters just break his world too much to easily write him coexisting with them without drastically changing his behavior. Its not a judgement on your character its just something I struggle to write.

IC =/= OOC. Colin's views do not automatically reflect mine, especially his opinions of other characters.

If you want your character to do something to Colin, please reach out first. Chances are I'll be down for it! but I like to know in advance so we can work out specific details.

Additional guidelines:

Some of the themes discussed on this blog will likely be triggering. I'll do my best to tag things, but my memory is not great and I can't guarantee that I'll never slip up. If that seems like it could be an issue you probably shouldn't follow me, sorry.

I deeply value OOC communication, both positive and negative. If I'm doing something you don't like and you want me to stop or if I've otherwise upset you in some way, feel free to tell me. I promise I won't be upset about it, my goal here is to keep this fun for everyone involved.

while not strictly single verse, I usually run Colin along a loose 'primary' timeline, with small alterations here and there for things that might conflict (E.g. Interacting with multiple versions of a single character, etc.) if you would prefer anything we write not be considered part of that, just lemme know and I'll treat those events as fully independent from his main verse.

Tags: #ic - posts meant to be read as being posted online by Colin himself. #f2f - in person threads between Colin and someone else's character. #narrative - in person or action posts that are not part of an extended thread and involving only characters written by me. #[private] - means an in character post is only viewable by other characters involved in the post. #on timeline - means that the events depicted are happening in or close to the present in terms of Colin's ongoing story. #off timeline - means that the events depicted are not happening at the current time, such as in a flashback or flash forward.

[perfectlovepoison]

thoughts about spring emerald 2024 (sekaiichi hatsukoi ritsu no baai act 38 & junjou romantica act 60(!!)) and other random thoughts nobody asked for

[SIH act 38]

wew...actually I was surprised that the chapter went as it did. It felt actually kind of cliché to introduce a character in this chapter, have her confess, and use that as a way to have ritsu confess. I feel like...it almost felt dare I say it rushed?? considering all the build up to this moment, why did it have to be done in that way? I feel like it was meant to build up to the climax but particular aspect didnt quite land for me. And it may partially be because of all of the hype leading up to this chapter, my expectations may have been impossibly high...

that said...that's not to say I didn't enjoy this chapter. In fact, I really did. I appreciated all of the callbacks...the rain, takano handing ritsu the coffee, ritsu's phrasing 'I'm the one who loves you the most in the world', firstly it was like a title drop, I was like He Said The Words!!! also the phrasing being kinda like 'I'm the one who loves you the most', like it's not just that Takano is his number one, it's that his love For takano is the number one in the world, that wording actually caught me by surprise a little bit. But yeah, it's that kind of careful wording that I appreciate from nakamura-sensei.

Admittedly takaritsu are not my favourite couple, but I have come to appreciate them more. I understand their popularity, and as i've reread sih in the past year or so and caught up, I have genuinely enjoyed their story bc I always like the flow of nakamura-sensei's stories and gags even when they are a little bit cliché. When ritsu confessed, from that point onwards I did feel happy and relieved, maybe my heart did flutter a little bit???? I am happy for takaritsu fans but I'm also happy for them. Please just move in together god damn. tbh, I am more excited to see where they go next now they are 'together'. we can call them together now, right???? we still dont know what they are calling their relationship lol. but I think it's good enough

also I think that the sex scene was pretty sexy, i like that onodera seems to be enjoying giving takano blowjobs recently (thumbs up) thanks for coming to my ted talk

[JR act 60 (bruh 60??????? 60 acts really?????)]

And ofc sih is the biggest topic right now but I'm also curious about where JR is going to go. It actually felt like a very important chapter solidifying usami-mama is standing against usami-papa. (Actually I'm getting very confused with all of the complex usami family business but I, /think/ I'm following)

even if usagi did not really accept misaki's words in this chapter. The way Misaki was ruminating over the situation, it felt like we were gearing up for Misaki to somehow solve this whole issue, Somehow, just by being himself, and having some kind of outburst in front of all the family members probably. Honestly I don't even know, but now I guess we have team usami-mama vs team usami-papa. And usami-mama doesn't hate her son, but was just trying to protect him and/or just failing at being a emotionally-involved mother(???) tbh I don't envy misaki, because I really struggle to follow what the Heck is going on here...anyway we stan toudou's muscles.

I am looking forward to where the story goes next, but even as I feel that the story is gearing towards Something, it does feel somewhat slow, so I'm not feeling a sense of urgency here. so that said...

[overall random thoughts about jr/sih ending]

It does kinda feel like JR/SIH are gearing up for the end but by gearing up I mean it feels like we are really only just heading for the end. Obviously, it's super hard to tell what the end looks like because none of the stories in JR/SIH have really ever ended?????? How many plot threads can we expect to tie up here?

But it's not just Takaritsu and Usamisa I'm talking about, but also

Yukisa – Kisa suddenly meeting Yukina's family in act 12 just recently, I mean Yukina buying them a ticket to Hokkaido out of nowhere and just going straight there?? and the narrative flirting with the idea of them coming out to Yukina's parents (even if they ultimately didn't) I think this is not the first time this has been somewhat brought up but I was surprised at how close they got, I honestly thought they might do that in this chapter

Miyashino – of course I can't not mention it............in the previous junjou mix, Shinobu just casually throwing out there that he's sick of lying and they should just tell his parents...like, it's a gag but it isn't because you know how serious he is. Plus in the same chapter he also brings up how he knows he might be getting in Miyagi's way and that their relationship would not be seen as acceptable to most of society, but he still has no intention of breaking up anyway. Which are like, all obvious things to the reader but actually shows Shinobu's maturity in comparison to the past, the fact that he can acknowledge all of those things whilst keeping (relatively) calm...anyway, they are my otp, I could write entire posts just about them but that wasn't the point...I just feel like in lieu of getting junjou terrorist chapters we are just getting these like...plot points??? thrown into junjou mix chapters

Nowahiro have also had this thread with Hiroki's parents going for literally years (irl...& maybe in universe??? how long has it been???) they are just two working adults who are 100% comfortable with each other but navigating the troubles of busy working lives together, in this case as well I feel that coming out to Hiroki's parents would be the main thing which would provide some kind of tension & character growth, unless there are other things I'm not thinking of, (there could be, I'm not an expert on them)...Asaisa also kinda similar they are just two adults living their lives but they have their standing to consider in terms of family and also business...like they Could go that route but is it the goal??

>>I mainly ended up talking about JR because I'm not really caught up with all the SIH novels so idk where torichia and kiriyoko kinda stand in all this (cough I can read japanese but I forgot where I got to and I can't even remember which novels I physically own so idk which ones I should buy or not man it's a whole thing

Kiriyoko should really just be a happy family.................

[conclusion (maybe)]

anyway my main point was........that there is just So much to think about...would all these stories really get tied up? There is so much to consider lol. Like in a few years time, I think it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I've been reading/watching jr/sih for half of my life, so it's very hard to imagine it not being there. I just wonder if the end will feel sudden or not, and to what extent every side story will receive a conclusion. I wonder if nakamura-sensei (& including fujisaki-sensei for the novels, though I guess it was nakamura-sensei who created the characters) thought about endings when she started all of these millions of stories? But I guess for some of them, it's a bit like we just see a window into their world, so how does it 'end'?

I think considering nakamura-sensei's track record, things won't get tied up that succinctly, and even (an) ending(s) would take a long time with many many chapters, which will in itself span multiple years due to the nature of emerald's release schedule...but then again, like with ritsu no baai act 38, things can also be suddenly tied up very quickly, unexpectedly...

plot points that I didn't expect to happen for various couples, suddenly happened...so things could happen more suddenly than I expect.....

anyway those were really just my gut feelings after reading those chapters, not everything may be accurate and so on!!!!!!

[fluffycity]

Hii :)

So this isn‘t really a ask but I just wanted to thank you for this thread https://www.tumblr.com/agaybird/658382916202725376/big-tw-transphobia-terfs-violence-and-assault

I really have no idea how old it is 😭 or when this whole discussion reached it‘s peak on tumblr but I didn’t even heard of it till now. I just started my research because I have read stone butch blues and was absolutely fascinated by it especially because I can really see myself in butch femme culture and never thought I would find a place where I’d feel like I belong as a lesbian. But other than that the trans representation 😩 chefs kiss.. but that‘s also wanted specifically wanted to talk about because when I started researching more about the book I found people that were saying all of it just glorifies SA and the protagonist „r@pes“ someone.. I was really confused by that but I‘m talking about a scene where the protagonist who is a genderfluid butch lesbian in 60‘s (at the time passing as a man because of testosterone and because of the safety aspect) sleeps with a assumed to be straight cis women who has no idea that the protagonist uses a str@p on and doesn’t have an actual pen!s.. which people were so goddam quick to call „r@pe by deception“.. even though the women consented from the beginning and there was no risk of getting std, pregnant, etc.. while I really do not understand all the people being so angry about that, I didn’t know that it was such a big deal asking a question about that topic on Reddit and tumblr, turns out I was wrong.. cause now there‘s still people mad about me asking 😭

So I’m just happy that I saw your post because it really helped to understand it better at the moment. But for some reason I‘m always really struggling to not let that get to me because yk it‘s my favourite book and I‘m very quick to overthink this whole situation.. but now people literally pulling out all damn sorts of things to prove to me it was SA and suddenly wanna talk about this topic in really life (the book is mostly fiction) so I‘m really confused about how now people literally send me photos of the stonewall website and how stonewall are trying to stop this whole „deception by r@pe “ topic and I really don‘t know how to respond because the whole point of it was originally to not let r@pists get away with them not telling women that they’re not wearing a condom or have std‘s while having sex with them and more.. right?? So tbh. I‘m very new to all of this but I also don‘t know what to answer .. because ofc „r@pe by deception“ exist but it‘s mostly when it comes to the topics I just mentioned and most definitely not when it comes to trans people…

God I‘m sorry this is so long.. it just really bothered me that I couldn’t talk to anyone about it but then your post really helped me

So if it‘s okay for you, could please tell me some of your thoughts on my „question“ ?

oh my, that is pretty old now. the original post stated that if you don't know a person is trans and have sex with them anyways, it's not rape. that post was the reason TERFS harrassed me for almost a year on my old blog ^^;

as stated in that old post, it is my personal belief that it isn't rape. you consented as an adult to have sex with someone, and quite frankly i don't understand the fuss about it being a strap instead of a real penis. but it's also an old issue at this point as far as i can tell and requires some nuance.

also, engaging in media that is important in queer culture doesn't mean you have to agree with all of it either! if i did consider that to be sexual assault, stone butch blues is still incredibly important and influential on queer culture and you can't erase that. but you don't have to agree with what the protagonist did

sorry if this is a bit rambly, i haven't approached this topic in quite some time. not tagging this significantly so that terfs don't find me again

[chaoticnerdsstuff]

1. Number of stories posted to Ao3: 14!! (there of different fandoms)

2. Word count in 2022:  31,877

3. Fandoms I wrote for: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Steven Universe,  Avatar the Last Air Bender, The Owl house, Amphibia, Wednesday/ Addams Family, and Supergirl!! 

4. Pairings: Lilith Clawthorne/Camila Noceda, Lin Beifong/Izumi,  Lin Beifong/Izumi/Kya II, Lapis/Pearl, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Wednesday Addams/Ajax Petropolus(THIS WAS A JOKE), Wednesday Addams/Bianca Barclay, Wednesday Addams/Enid Sinclair, Morticia Addams/Larissa Weems, Azula/Yue, Azula/Katara, and Luz Noceda/Sasha Waybright

5. Stories with the most:

Kudos: They wear it with pride, (Wenclair)

Bookmarks: They wear it with pride, (Wenclair)

Comment threads:  Mechita, (Gothbee, Wenclay)

Word count: I sing songs until the break of dawn (Pearlapis)

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why): 

It would be “She’s real pretty, you know?” 

Since that work was genuinely my first attempt to writing something cute and romantic, it was cute and I still enjoy reading it from time to time.

7.   Work I’m least proud of (and why): Most of my works are, not gonna lie but I am so fucking mad the most popular one is “They wear it with pride” my first wenclair fic, I wrote that in an hour, sleep deprived and sick, I clearly didn’t try in writing it but it’s my most popular work.

8.   Share or describe a favorite review you received: Oh this one is recent, it’s @spooky-donut-ghost-house ’s comment on my recent fic, *SCREAMS LIKE A BANSHEE AND GOBBLES THE FIC UP LIKE A DERANGED CHICKEN ON CRACK*

9.   A time when writing was really, really hard: I think recently it’s been harder? I mean I always struggle in trying to like my work but recently I’m starting to question my own morals when I write certain stories, and writing topics that are draining my mental health.

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: I think in my recent fic, Eda, the fic is going to show her more... morbid and dark with my recent decisions for other characters, she’s more upfront about her anger, and I genuinely didn’t think I would go that route but it’s interesting since it’s in Lilith’s perspective.  

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing:  

From my only Linzumi up on a03, this by far was my favorite thing to write in a while.

“You’re hurting yourself, Izumi, why can’t you see that? You're driving yourself to an early grave” Although her voice didn’t raise it was enough to silence Izumi entirely. Izumi didn’t say anything, her face bearing what Lin dubbed as “The Fire Lord” persona. Lin’s worried eyes widened. Lin’s eyes searched for something in her eyes, anything. She didn’t find anything, only met with the cold gaze of a woman too wise for this lifetime. It felt as if staring in a mirror.

“You want that,” Lin muttered, in a state of shock.

Izumi looked down, her eyes lifeless.

“Believe it or not, Lin. I am a tired woman.” She revealed. Her hand grazed the woman’s cheek with her knuckle,”Even if the war is over, Lin, I’ve seen firsthand the reparations needed for this nation to thrive again. I know what is expected of me, and my Father taught me well how to handle most if not all situations. Every moment with him was a lesson, he loves me dearly but I know I served a greater purpose for him. It would’ve taken centuries for the Fire Nation to be where it is today, the world while hesitant doesn’t outwardly hate or fear us as it used to. My Father and I managed that. He needed me to serve and I did and will continue to do so until I die. It is my job. I don’t get a break nor will I be offered one. I get luxury and in turn, I give my life to my people. Father taught me that, to die ruling is the only way to achieve an honorable death. He’s no longer Fire Lord but he still serves alongside me, willing to do the same.”

12. How did you grow as a writer this year: I didn’t delete all my works so that’s a win tbh

13. How do you hope to grow next year: ooh hopefully in describing places better and writing longer stories, and sticking with them.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

Easy it would be @calchexxis and @YuriKah their writings inspire me to continue with my stories and bettering my writing, but @spooky-donut-ghost-house helped me be confident about my works!!

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:

THE MOMMY ISSUES BYE- Um mental illness I mean, I write most of them from personal experience with Depression and Anxiety.

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

Write the shit you wanna write, if you want to take five years to write then do so. Don’t feel pressured by assholes to do what you enjoy.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: 

Um finishing Pearlapis fic and my Lilith fic, oh as well as starting my Skyrim Oc’s story!

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read:

I do not know eighteen writers... and If I do I have terrible memory ngl- UHHHH ANYONE WHO WISHES TO JOIN!! :DDDD

Year in review (eventually)

Thanks go out to @itsmoonpeaches for suggesting I give this a shot.

1. Number of stories posted to Ao3: 14, total, all LOK-based.

2. Word count in 2022: 96,206

3. Fandoms I wrote for: Avatar: The Legend of Korra

4. Pairings: Lin Beifong/Kya II (3); Lin Beifong/Reader (1); Lin Beifong/Pema/Tenzin (9); Other (1 - shorts with various pairs, if any)

5. Stories with the most:

Kudos: Lin’s Interview, part 4 of Give Us Your Hand (Pemlinzin)

Bookmarks: Two Pairs of Eyes, (Kyalin)

Comment threads:  Elemental Changes, Lin Beifong-centric multi-chapter

Word count: Elemental Changes 

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why):  I’m sure it’s cheating, but I have 3 answers. 

1: Elemental Changes: This started with an image in my mind, and I wrote the whole thing before I published any of it. And the art I commissioned from @slowdissolve kickstarted a whole new experience for us both.

2: The In-Between Years: I managed to take all 30 prompts from Angstpril 2022 and string them into a mostly coherent story, writing no more than 1000 words at a time. Not every day is a gem, but I am happy with the progress of the story from high angst to an amicable resolution.

3. Give Us Your Hand: What started as a 507-word @flashfictionfridayofficial prompt blossomed into a 46K-word, 9-part series (so far).

7.   Work I’m least proud of (and why): This is ‘least’ proud in a set of stories I’m really pretty happy with. I’m going to throw Now Is Not the Time under the bus, because in retrospect, it’s kind of a rewrite of I’m Sorry I Need You.

8.   Share or describe a favorite review you received: This isn’t quite what the question asks, but having @slowdissolve say she would have done my commission for free was right up there in the highlight reel. And those three little hearts from @mjsharizai are always an absolute treat.

9.   A time when writing was really, really hard: I’m still very new on the writing wagon, having just started writing for a hobby in early 2021. Thankfully, I’m old enough that when it’s hard, I just set it aside and come back when the ideas are ready.

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: I just can’t answer the questions the right way tonight. Here, I’m going with the whole Pemlinzin ship. How little goody-goody two-shoes me wound up writing polyamory is something I should think through at some point in my life.

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing:  

This feels very odd to describe as a favorite. It engendered my first negative review which was so mean-spirited that it was, in its own way, the fire that helped me write the next seven entries in the series. From Mistakes (Give Us Your Hand, part 2):

[Tenzin] sighed. “About a week before he died, she came to visit. She was being Toph, trying to pretend it wasn’t that bad, that he wasn’t dying. Mom left them alone to talk and went to lay down for a little while.”

He shivered. “I wasn’t with them. I just heard Mom shouting. When I got to Dad’s room, Mom was healing him, and Toph was crying. She had punched him like always. But this time, her punch knocked him into the wall and he hit his head. It wasn’t terrible, Mom got him comfortable, but Toph didn’t come back after that. I know she and Mom saw each other at the memorial, and I know they basically made up. But then I hurt you.”

He squeezed Lin closer.

“They were best friends for over forty years. But one argument broke their relationship.”

12. How did you grow as a writer this year: This is a question I think will be easier to answer in retrospect. I was able to complete a couple of larger projects, even after I got so far into them that I kinda didn’t know what to do. I’m just so new at this I mostly can only see my weaknesses.

13. How do you hope to grow next year: Differentiating speaking styles and speech patterns between characters is a sore spot for me re-reading my own writing. I also know I’m not great at describing the interiority of characters. And starting fewer sentences with ‘and,’ ‘so,’ or an adverbial phrase {not an English major, I forget what the technical term is}.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

I think that should be obvious by now. I owe @slowdissolvee a lot of credit.

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: 

I’ve been married for 25 years and have 2 kids. There’s a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and memory in what I write.

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: 

Be where you are. Sure, your readers are interested in seeing your updates, but your life comes first. #YourAudienceAwaits - and the patient ones are worth listening to. 

I’m going to offer a slightly different perspective than @itsmoonpeachessmoonpeaches, who was so kind as to suggest I take on this exercise. All while not disagreeing with her here:

Don’t be afraid to break out of your comfort zone. You will never grow as a writer if you continue to write the same things over and over again. If you have an idea for something very different, go for it! It takes a lot of effort and time to do something you don’t normally do, but you will end up being better after it.

I know I’ve already written the same story at least twice (see above), but it served me to write both of those stories. I clearly had some thinking to do on the topic.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: I cannot put into words how much fun I’m having on Red Jade. Between working with Slowdissolve and getting to read the other Linzolt writers’ stories, I have been grinning for months.

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read:

All in fun, friends. If it’s not fun, leave it be: @slowdissolve @orangepanic @master-sass-blast @pamplemousseparadox @superliz6 @chaoticnerdsstuff @wishingforatypewriter

And anyone else who wants to!

[rkyooa]

one step, two step.

as much as shiah didn’t want to use training as a crutch to deal with everything going on and distract herself from... all of her emotions and feelings and junk, here she was, throwing herself hardcore into dance training. if anything was a safe haven, it was dance. it was her strongest skill as a performer, and the easiest thing for her to fall into as a safety net when things went rough. 

it was pretty expected for shiah to find lisa in the dance studios. she had noticed the other was working on her dance skills, and honestly? lisa was a pretty damn good dancer. their relationship hadn’t been the smoothest, but shiah had held a respect for her work ethic the entire time she had known her, and it only grew each time she saw her or worked with her. 

she shoots the other girl a friendly smile as she walks into the studio. “hey, what’re you working on?” it was casual, slightly curious. shiah didn’t want to come as desperate for a distraction. what she was dealing with right now wasn’t lisa’s problem. if anything, shiah was just hoping for a nice, pleasant time with a fellow trainee. they had collaborated before too, so shiah was genuinely interested to see what lisa had been cooking up recently for dance training. 

@rklisa