#inspired by RL events

[cyberwhumper]

        Imran feels like he’s training himself just as much as he is Horus.

        He might as well have a goddamn clicker on himself, redirecting every time he catches himself thinking about how much of a failure he is, how much of a disaster Horus is, just how badly everything has gone wrong. He even has little reminders taped up around the house. They’re stupid, trite things from psychology textbooks, but he knows they’re true. Recovery isn’t linear. Slow progress is still progress. Keep moving forward. The time will pass anyways.

        He sighs, dishing out the wet food. WORDS ARE FUN, declares the fridge. He and Horus are still working on that—him spending hours at a time coaxing the animal to speak, rewarding him for each time he uses a word to ask for what he wants or needs, though Imran hasn’t exactly figured out what treat to give him when he says “please don’t hurt me.” Those words are less fun.

        “C’mere, Horus,” he says, keeping his voice light and soft. “Dinner time!”

        The animal pads around the corner, cautious. He doesn’t seem to like the tile floor of the kitchen, too cold and hard on his paws, but Imran keeps encouraging him. Pets eat in the kitchen, and Horus will adapt eventually.

        “Good boy. Good puppy.” He shakes the bowl, wafting hopefully-enticing synthmeat fumes across the room. Horus’s ears flick, nose twitching, and he sits, curled against the fridge, pressing his back into the corner where it meets the cabinets. His eyes are huge and white-rimmed, fixed on Imran as he licks his lips. Imran mostly suppresses another sigh. The body language is infuriating. The licking, is that hunger or anxiety? Is the eye contact obedience or a threat display? He’s making himself small, not hostile, which should mean vulnerability, but will he lunge if Imran gets close and he feels cornered? It’s maddening just how many variables there are at play.

        “Horus, come.” Imran tries adding a little bit more command into his voice. The pet is lower than him in the family hierarchy, so Horus should have to come to him for food. That makes sense.

        Horus doesn’t move except to quiver and lick his lips again.

        Imran doesn’t hold back the sigh this time.

        Recovery isn’t linear.

        Fine.

        He sits down on the tile himself, despite the way his knees protest, with his back to the dishwasher, then sets the bowl down and slides it across the floor to the animal. Horus’s eyes flick down to the bowl, then back to Imran.

        “Well, now that I’m down here, I’m not getting up any time soon,” Imran says, trying to make it a joke. “So you might as well go ahead and eat, puppy.”

        The time will pass anyways.

[Fic by the exceptionally talented @bxtterflystxtches , who I have the honor of collaborating with for this event. Please show him some love!]

[OC INDEX]

COMMISSIONS ARE OPEN!

Tag list: @whumpsday // @demondamage // @squidlife-crisis // @whumpedydump // @cyborg0109 // @whumpfish // @astrowhump // @the-scrapegoat // @whatwhumpcomments // @dustbunnywhump // @why-not-ask-me-a-better-question // @dokidokisadness // @moss-tombstone // @lambofmine // @maracujatangerine // @pinkraindropsfell // @writereleaserepeat // @blood-and-regrets // @littlespacecastle // @snakebites-and-ink // @unforgiven235 // @lonesome--hunter // @atomicsandwichprince // @writereleaserepeat // @whatamidoingherehelpme // @skittles-the-whumpee // @the-blind-one-speaks // @i-eat-worlds // @devourerofcheesecake // @theauthorintraining // @otterfrost // @mommymarichatfurever // @whumpifi // @catnykit // @bitchaknso // @softmutt444 // @yet-another-heathen // @blackbirdsinatrenchcoat // @violent-ultraviolet // @limitlesstrash17 // @inspiral-rl // @mis-graves // @caffeinatedscorpio // @defire // @badluck990 // @unforgivenn // @hunterjumperhoe // @menstrual-blood-feeding // @defire //

If you’re interested in being added to the tag list, please let me know!

[mqstermindswift]

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

✰ nicky ✰ she/her ✰ minor ✰ lover of music & t.s. ✰

↳˗ˏˋbasic infoˊˎ˗ ↴

⇢ ˗ˏˋ my spotify acc

⇢ ˗ˏˋ nicky's sleepover

⇢ ˗ˏˋ nicky's new year's day event

⇢ ˗ˏˋ nicky's cruel summer event

⇢ ˗ˏˋ my pet

⇢ ˗ˏˋ she/her

⇢ ˗ˏˋ minor [bday on december 4] [no creeps please <3]

⇢ ˗ˏˋ greek

⇢ ˗ˏˋ timezone: EET;UTC +02:00

⇢ ˗ˏˋ sagittarius

⇢ ˗ˏˋ professional over-thinker and girl-blogger

⇢ ˗ˏˋ introvert but will never shut up if I'm comfy w/ you

⇢ ˗ˏˋ procrastinator

⇢ ˗ˏˋ the most delusional person ever[I blame love and tumblr for this]

⇢ ˗ˏˋ lover of Christmas and Halloween

⇢ ˗ˏˋ loves a good horror movie but is also a scaredy cat

⇢ ˗ˏˋ if we're mutuals, we're practically best friends[you just don't know it yet]

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

⇢ ˗ˏˋartists:

taylor swift,tate mcrae,katherine li,girli,gayle,ariana grande,bailey spinn,gracie abrams,selena gomez,olivia rodrigo,melanie martinez,jordi,zolita,arctic monkeys,hey violet,sza,sabrina carpenter ,sara kays,emeline,girl in red,maisie peters,hailee steinfield,harry styles,conan gray,billie eilish

⇢ ˗ˏˋ films

movies:barbie,mean girls,little women,the princess diaries,home alone,scream,saw,harry potter,cinderella story and many other movies

shows:the summer I turned pretty,the watcher,miraculous ladybug,nickelodeon's teen shows,mcu series and many more

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

⇢ ˗ˏˋ besties

@skeelly (my croissant <3)

@ur-lil-flo (flo)

@oh-whale13 (Anna <3)

@urgirlnextdoorr (effie <3)

@regisdvmb (reg <3)

@moonlightt444 (mare <3)

@firebrand-witch (val <3)

@iwrote4poem (ste <3)

@what-about-wendy (belle <3)

@chiara-swiftiedreamer13 (chiara)

@bejeweled-13 (victoria <3)

@a-beautiful-fool (lou <3)

@wordsarelife (lizzy<3)

@the0nlyallison (allison <3)

@reminiscentreader (jas <3)

@nqds (nads <3)

@urbanflorals (ems <3)

@gracedepp (alina <3)

@foaming-sea (deep <3)

@stop-ur-losing-me (kellie <3)

@isitovrnow (jas <3)

@hiyyihbae (Alex <3)(rl friend)

@deprivedofbraincellsandsleep (zia <3)

@baboland (aria <3)

@sureallavnder (Alex <3)

@doyoujustnotwantto (mihane <3)

@a-wondering-thought (sam <3)

@icantkeepmyplantsalive (Liz <3)

@never-enough-novels (avi <3)

@kozumesphone (skye <3)

@breathed-in-the-smoke(astro<3)

ps.i love all of my moots but I'm *a bit* closer with these people

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

⇢ ˗ˏˋ a/n

this is inspired by @oohhthehorror [ I love you sm]

I'm here if any of you ever need to rant or vent to someone

most likely will reply to texts rlly fast

not rlly gonna be reblogging picrew chains or similar things that take a long time to do 'cause I'm a bit unmotivated and I don't have much time[I'm so sorryyy]

thank you for reading his intro post,have a good day/night!! <3

⇢ ˗ˏˋ dni: homophobes,racists,sexists,transphobes and all the creeps

bye bye <3

[cssns]

WOW!!!!!! Can you believe it? We're done and it's time for the CSSNS23 Roundup!!!

Before we get started, I need to recognize and thank my team of mods, @winterbaby89 @jrob64 @stahlop and @ultraluckycatnd, without whom this event wouldn't have happened this summer! Please join me in giving them all the long distance internet group hugs!!!!

And NOWWWWWWWW... Here we GOOOOO!!!!! Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

@hufflepuffinstorybrooke opened us up this year on July 1 with a wonderful soulmates OS called If You're Lucky, Love Leaves Scars, that I was privileged to make artwork for. The fic left me in tears and melting at the same time!

On July 3, @teamhook posted the first chapter of her fic The Last Witch Hunter, inspired by the Vin Diesel movie of the same name. Only one ch so far, but I'm absolutely captivated and eagerly awaiting more! Very intriguing artwork by herself.

@spartanguard dropped her Killian's evil twin MC on July 5, Sons of Love and Death, with artwork by herself. That artwork, of two incredibly handsome guys shouldn't be as chilling as it is, but IT IS... The fic is completely written and she's been updating weekly, so we're on ch9 of 13. Just sayin, but I'm about ready to use a certain dagger on a certain evil twin.

July 7 @goforlaunchcee posted Smoke and Mirrors, a HOOT of a ghost story, with such lovely artwork by @piinfeathers that perfectly captures CS in this fic. Three chapters are up so far, and I can't wait for more!!!

July 10, @killiansprincss posted her OS A Court of Vines and Shadow inspired by A Court of Thorns and Roses, with absolutely gorgeous artwork by @hollyethecurious. I was not familiar with the source material, so I was completely surprised and delighted with this fic!!!

@athenascarlet posted her merman Killian OS on July 13, The Merman with a wonderful visual on Tumblr 😏 Just a regular night between a sheriff and her merman pirate... Would love to see more of this, but it's staying a OS... for now, she says...

Also on July 13, @anmylica posted the first chapter of Fly With the Black Swan with amazing artwork by @zaharadessert. We have two chs of ten up so far, and I'm sitting on pins and needles waiting for more!!!!

On July 15, @whatevenisthisbloganymore posted the first chapter of Forest View Apartments, a ghost story that has the questions swirling through my mind and eagerly awaiting the next installment! Amazing artwork by @undercaffinatednightmare!

Speaking of @undercaffinatednightmare, real life has been very rude lately and has left her unable to post her two planned fics for this summer, but she has managed to make the artwork for them both that you can find here and here! I love her writing so much and I know whenever RL lets up, both these fics are going to be wonderful!!! *EDITED* The first of her fics, A Charming Curse, has now posted and it promises to be FUN!!!

July 19, @deckerstarblanche posted An Offer She Can't Refuse, with more lovely artwork by @undercaffinatednightmare. Emily only planned two chs for this very hot and sexy Omegaverse fic, but she took it in a very angsty direction in the final scene of ch2, and so has now promised that she'll come back and add one more ch to give us all the happy ending we deserve!

July 22, @zaharadessert posted a very hot demon Killian OS, Sacrificial Lamb that made bloodthirsty Krystal VERY happy. I was once again privileged to make artwork for the fic, with an assist by @motherkatereloyshipper who was responsible for the Emma edit I used.

July 23, @mie779 posted the first chapter of Finding Caldera: The Hidden World of Dragons, with just lovely artwork by @undercaffinatednightmare. The adventure of this fic is just wonderful! We're on ch9 and nearing the end!

On July 25, it was my turn to post for the event! Into the Light was inspired by the 1987 movie The Lost Boys, my very first introduction to vampires and it has never left me! Incredible artwork was created by @motherkatereloyshipper that still just leaves me staring at it slack jawed!

@hollyethecurious posted the first chapter of The Law of Surprise on July 28. Now complete in three parts, this beautiful BEAUTIFUL but also heartbreaking fic was inspired by the law of surprise from The Witcher. Breathtaking artwork was provided by @eastwesthomeisbest and can be found here, here, and here.

@xarandomdreamx posted her CS Practical Magic AU A Crystalline Knowledge of Love and Magic on July 30. Beautiful artwork by @hollyethecurious. Only one chapter so far and my heart is so broken for Emma and Elsa but also completely in love with the story!!!!

Rounding out July, @caught-in-the-filter posted original artwork featuring ghost Emma and vampire Killian that was absolutely CHILLING!!!!

@snowbellewells started Aug off on the 2nd with an incredible one shot, Deluge! Gorgeous artwork by @eastwesthomeisbest. I am so hopeful that Marta will eventually write more of this wonderfully intriguing fic!!!

Then, @eastwesthomeisbest was so inspired by Marta's fic, she made her own original art in the same vein as the art she made for the fic. Absolutely breathtaking!!!

On Aug 8, @booksteaandtoomuchtv posted the Prologue and ch1 of Witchy Woman. I have sooooo been waiting for this fic and so far, four chs in, it is hitting ALL my buttons! Artwork coming soon from @cocohook38.

On Aug 10, @cs-rylie posted The Journal, a seriously SCARY fic, only 3 chs in, inspired by Native American legend. Artwork by me, again with a much needed assist from @motherkatereloyshipper who was responsible for Milah and the journal itself.

@iamstartraveller776 posted her new fic, To Cleave Destiny on Aug 13. Featuring Demon Killian, just this Prologue has me on the edge of my seat!!! Artwork coming soon from @cocohook38.

@exhaustedpirate posted Parent for Hire on Aug 14. A Mandalorian inspired fic, Caro has melted my Captain Cobra heart so many times already, only four chs in. She also did moodboards to accompany each ch that you can find on each of the Tumblr ch posts x x x and I was also privileged to make a banner for the fic.

On Aug 16, @grimmswan posted the first chs of TWO fabulous fics!!! Dracula in Storybrooke comes from the woefully underutilized Land of Untold Stories arc, and Love Bites (But So Do I) is a supernatural adventure of vampire Emma and werewolf Killian. Artwork coming soon from @cocohook38.

On Aug 18, @snowbellewells posted her second fic of the event, Carolina Moon. A fic inspired by the Nora Roberts novel of the same name, my heart is already, only two chs in, broken for Emma and on the edge of my seat waiting for more! Beautiful artwork again done by @eastwesthomeisbest!

@jrob64 posted Saying Goodbye and Moving On on Aug 20, a DESPERATELY NEEDED and ABSOLUTELY PERFECT fix-it fic from the Underworld arc. I was again privileged to make artwork for it, and I'm just gonna have to accept that I almost can't make picsets anymore without the aid of @motherkatereloyshipper. For this one, she was again responsible for ghost Milah.

Aug 22, @padfootprongslet posted the Prologue for Like Our Love (Falling Down and Over Again). A Mr. and Mrs. Smith inspired fic, my heart was absolutely SHATTERED in this first ch and I can't wait for more! I was again privileged to make a picset for this with @motherkatereloyshipper coming in the clutch entwining the rings.

On Aug 24, @jonesfandomfanatic posted Stolen From Time. Now complete in three parts, this fic was absolutely BRILLIANT!!! @motherkatereloyshipper made a beautiful video to accompany it.

Our final fic by @wyntereyez will post in the next few days. She’s dealing with a hurricane at the moment, so she’s excused! Artwork by spartanguard. Can't wait! *EDITED* the fic and art are both now posted!!! I melted at Kait’s artwork, and I cackled and melted repeatedly reading the fic!!!! AND I am BEYOND EXCITED that Jamie has more to come in this universe, because I NEEEEEEEEEEEED it!!!!!

That's it everyone! Please enjoy all these FABULOUS fics and artworks and be sure to give the authors and artists all the love they deserve!!!

[clawbehavior]

i had this one TDJ fic idea that i never ended up drafting so i lost the plot but the idea still has its claws sunk in me.

the story takes place in a universe with mandatory conscription. gaon is a kpop star who's been in the business since his teens and now has to enlist because of his age. he gets assigned to public service/some kind of politics-office type situation. he meets kyh there and becomes embroiled in kyh's plans to take down the SRF. kyh is a business person with significant but understated power and influence. either gaon ends up working under him or is unknowingly made to spy on kyh. for the duration of his service, they have a very intense but entirely platonic relationship. and then something something happens and they get together.

i really like the idea of gaon being a public figure but sans the protection of the live court which canon version had. he's well known but fame doesn't equate to safety or power in an industry like his. people use his social capital to advance their own political agendas which he's powerless to stop.

couple that with an enigmatic kyh and his initial impression of gaon as just another pretty face celebrity and how that changes when he gets to know the reckless gaon and the dangerous position his attention puts gaon in until kyh is forced to intervene to save gaon from something and in doing so protects him and paints a target on both their backs.

this idea was obvs inspired by rl events as well as the manhwa Payback. it would have been more about political intrigue, corruption and revenge and less light hearted than a typical kpop romance story.

i forgot the gist of the story, which is a shame because i knew what happened from start to finish. sometimes i remember snippets. gaon and yohan in a room with floor to ceiling windows at night with the lights off & the scene is tense but full of longing. the danger gaon is in and how his tried and true method of trusting no one but himself starts to fail against the immense corruption he's up against. his slowly dawning horror that he can't protect himself. and still he doesn't trust kyh.

[purplebass]

I was rereading about the gunpowder plot for my English exam and made me think about how it might have inspired some events in Shades of magic.

The gunpowder plot was an attempted regicide against king James I and it happened on November 5th, 1605. The plot didn't happen because an anonymous letter tipped the royal family about it. This event is commemorated as the bonfire night.

Rhy's birthday is November 4th and from the starting of the series someone has tried to get rid of him and his family. In adsom, on the night of the annual celebrations for his birthday, so Nov. 4/5, Astrid and Athos tried to cause havoc in RL and a lot of people died, including Rhy. November 5 is the day of Rhy's death but also the night Kell bound his life to his and saved him. This event is remembered as the black night.

After Rhy became king, his opponents have tried to attempt on his life even more without success, because we know that Rhy will truly die if Kell dies. The Hand in TFTOP is a Guy Fawkes kind of plot as well and they will try to eradicate the Maresh family several times until they are caught. And I well, I guess we will see more "gunpowder" plots in future Threads books because they all think they have caught the culprit, but they are so wrong. So when the Guy Fawkes of TFTOP strikes again, they won't probably see them coming

[laprimera]

alrighty so after some reflection and getting some outside stuff prioritized Im done some blog housework so I can get comfortable here again.

im still gonna continue my hiatus until november cause the rest of October still has a lot of rl appointments and stuff going on. ill be nuking my ask and drafts to get into maximum turtle plot overdrive and just start things clean, but here's the skinny under cut:

. Ive went and cleaned up my followers list. mostly of inactive blogs, non-mutual or blogs that haven't reached out or interacted at all. I use to think I liked a busier dash but I think trying to keep up with it had been giving me anxiety even if my muses weren't involved in anything plot wise. FOMO has been really killing my vibe more then anything and I need to cut that habit out.

you're a-okay to refollow though! I'll do the same. none of this was done out of malice or a personal dislike, and I get being so busy w/ life and personal plots that you cant interact with everyone in a convenient moment. but if you see this as an opportunity to reach out then by all means! that and I might've accidentally unfollowed one or two of you cause side-blog deal, clumbsy thumbs, and uuh, dont mind me realizing that later down the line-my bad!

. unless carefully plotted otherwise, anything outside my own canons, affiliated blogs/mains or plots is no longer canon to my own. any interaction or thread initiated towards my muses will default fall into my lore/verse unless vice versa or its plotted and etc etc. It's no longer just hanging there in the void so to speak. I need to feel more in control of my own narrative I think and trying to puzzle a lot of contradicting outside plots, dash events, etc has been mentally taxing when rp shouldn't be occupying so much space or anxiety to begin with lol.

this isn't to say everything thats happening in the dash or w/ other characters isn't important ofc! and I still want to participate; it'll just fall under a crack/non-canon tag. if things end up lining up p' well with whats going on here then I might take it into canon. This is p' much what I've been doing to begin with, it's just more concrete now and Im being more careful of what Im willing to accept now. Im ofc open to discussing stuff! DMs and disco for those who have it are open always even if I take a moment to get to it!

. Im no longer answering anon asks that are personal in some way, ie, around subject matters that aren't general headcanons asks or 'hey how do you feel about-' sorta deal. I dont feel comfortable taking it to public and while I understand having the fear of being identified, it's not fair if I'm the only one bearing the subject so to speak. If you want to talk to me through DMs you can either tell me your UN (no burners either) so I can bypass permissions here to chat or you can reach me at @shiny-miltank where my IMs are not barred to mutuals only. I don't bite really! and my discord is not public. tbh Im still very anxious about being on disco to begin w/ cause social anxiety flare ups. idk tumblr dms always seemed easier to chat until I know you on a personal basis-its just worked that way.

. making it more strict that you dont? put my geeta in place of plots, events, etc that I havent participated or plotted with, nor can you make assumptions for them based on said events. as slapped on every piece on my about/rules/pinned/etc shes heavily canon-divergent to begin with so no one knows her intentions/actions (save for me ofc) and wont act in what presumed canon-geeta would do or your own version so to speak. easy enough to slap me an IM for "is it okay to-", plotting, or just make a nebulous npc stand-in.

. things that havent changed are the use of my lore and headcanons into your own! I love seeing it integrated or adapted into other lore and seeing just how much it inspires and changes over time!

this all seems rigid but really it's just reiterating whats already in my rules and no one here has been a huge offender at all :' ) this is more for me to follow and I cant thank everyone enough for their patience and creativity for as long as I've been here. Im loosey goosey and go with the flow 90 out of 100 times.

this goes for the rest of my muses, which Ill probably clean up when Im back-but yeah! miss ya'll! hope you've been doin' good! the terrapagos plot will continue then and Ill resume reaching out and leaving details! hopefully in time for dlc ; >

[sineala]

Superheroes and Aging

Meta time! I was asked (on Patreon) to write meta about how Tony Stark might deal with feelings about aging and being surrounded by The Youth. I am reposting it here.

I have to say this has also been on my mind a lot. I will say it's a weird thing growing up being into comics and being a fan of the teenage X-Men because obviously they were the most relatable and then being as old as all the adult superheroes and now being older than all the adult superheroes, who have all been basically the same age for decades as the rest of us move on past them. At least they finally aged up the original crop of teenage heroes and have been replacing them with new ones.

So the thing about superheroes in Marvel Comics, as you probably know, is that they pretty much don't age. Initially, this wasn't really a thing Marvel worried about. It was the sixties and they'd made comics cool and profitable again and kids loved them and I'm pretty sure they weren't thinking that sixty years later people (grown adults, even!) would still be reading and loving and expanding on the universe they made. Because I think if that had been the case they'd have, say, fewer villains that really sound like someone thought of them in about thirty seconds at 5 pm on a Friday and then went home. Big Wheel, a guy who has a... big wheel. Swarm, a guy (I mean, he's not really... human) who is actually a group of bees. Nazi bees. Paste-Pot Pete. You know what I mean.

Anyway, at first Marvel heroes aged, because why wouldn't they? Despite what you would guess if you only watched adaptations, it only took, I think, a couple years for Peter Parker to grow up and leave high school. The original X-Men all stopped being teenagers. Time moved on. Then after about ten years Marvel figured out it was going to be a problem if their beloved heroes were too old to be superheroes and they more or less halted the aging process. And that's how we get the Marvel Sliding Timescale. Broadly stated, the Sliding Timescale is essentially "don't worry about it." Everything you are reading right now happens right now, the beginning (the FF getting their powers) happened about ten or fifteen years ago (I think right now it's closer to 15 and we're at four RL years = one comics year), and everything else that has ever happened in 616 -- because Marvel also doesn't believe in line-wide reboots -- is wedged in somewhere in the time between. As real time passes, the sliding timescale slides events closer and closer together because more events have now happened.

So the effect of this is that heroes don't age. I think this is actually most notable with child characters -- like, ask yourself how old Franklin and Valeria Richards are. Or don't. I think Dani Cage has been a toddler for about fifteen years now. So the founding Avengers started off in their early 20s, are now in their mid-30s, and are going to continue being in their mid-30s for the foreseeable future because Marvel doesn't want its heroes being over 40. I think there have been a couple IM issues where Tony has had "significant" birthdays that they carefully avoided putting a number on -- I think one was Bendis, and I know he had a surprise party in the Gillen issue with the adoption reveal. I want to say that maybe there was also a Fraction one? I'm not sure.

The time references have occasionally been lampshaded -- the most recent Iron Man issue as I write this (#6) has Tony asserting that he doesn't remember things by what year they happened in, but rather by what armor he had at the time. He goes on to tell a story of something that happened while he wore the Silver Centurion armor, throwing in an aside that the shoulder pads were fashionable then -- and, out of the armor, he is given his usual stylish perm; the artist has definitely been inspired by Bob Layton's later Iron Man work -- which for me has the disconcerting effect of making it sound like this is somehow taking place in the 80s and also not in the 80s at the same time. Because now they've invented an extra time for shoulder pads and perms to be fashionable and it's approximately 2015. Time is fake. No, actually. It is.

And building on that, I think the effect of that is that mostly they don't seem to have characters like Tony dealing with aging. He doesn't really seem to worry about it, probably because there can't be any narrative payoff if he's simply never allowed to age. (Steve gets it even more weirdly, because a lot of times fandom assumes the serum is just going to halt or slow aging -- as it does in people like Natasha who have serum variants -- but then in universes where significant time actually passes, like House of M, Steve is visibly older, and he definitely is meant to have the serum. Or Bullet Points, where Steve, minus the serum, is actually dealing with aging as he comes out of retirement for one last mission. Which kills him, because it turns out he probably was too old to do this safely. But then in 616 we're expected to believe that Steve can lose the serum and also be mostly combat-ready at age 95. Aaanyway.)

So what if Tony did worry about getting older? Based on how he interacts with the kids these days, I think mostly his worry actually wouldn't involve other people.

For all that intelligence in Marvel seems to be a single invariant and quantifiable statistic that can be accurately measured (which isn't the case in reality but work with me here) and that Tony is a genius but not The Smartest Genius in the Universe, he doesn't ever seem to display any ill will toward anyone ranking higher than him on the list -- say, Reed -- and he is in fact definitely willing to take on the younger geniuses, like Riri, as proteges, and he seems happy to mentor them. He doesn't seem to feel at all threatened by the idea that some of these people are definitely smarter than him -- say, Moon Girl -- and will someday succeed him. Or at least will if Marvel ever lets them age out, which again seems unlikely. Theoretically he also ought to be drawing on a lot more lived experience than Riri that he can use to advise her, but one of the bizarre things that Cantwell's run has left us with is Tony believing that giving the Mandarin's Rings to Riri to study with zero oversight is absolutely the right thing to do; Rhodey congratulates him on his great decision-making. I guess we'll see how that turns out.

(This is in contrast to a character like Doctor Doom, who clearly can't stand the idea that Reed might ever be smarter than him.)

Given that Tony is a character who often has execrable self-esteem, it actually seems a little odd that it doesn't bother him that he isn't the smartest, but it really doesn't seem to. He seems fine with that. He's enough of a genius to do what he needs to do, I guess, and that's good enough for him. Even in Cantwell's run, which was, uh, not a run I would call particularly in-character for Tony in many ways, the thing he decides to do with the Power Cosmic is make everyone in New York as smart as he is. I think this was a fairly poor storyline for a large number of reasons, but I think it does actually show that he has good intentions, in a sense -- he wants everyone else to benefit from the intelligence he has, the same way they can benefit from his philanthropy. He wants to give people the advantages he has. So he seems like someone who wouldn't resent the up-and-coming heroes and geniuses; he seems like he'd be honestly happy that there would be more people out there on his level.

I think, really, as long as he knows he's good to go, he knows he's good enough to do the things he wants to do -- even if sometimes he just hates himself as a human being -- and he probably looks around at all the kids and knows they have to train them up, because even if they're going to be good they're not as good as he currently is, just because they don't have the benefits of years of experience. I mean, maybe they could have some kind of superhero Registration or something. The joke he made to Steve at the end of Empyre wasn't entirely wrong.

(I feel like I should probably also read Young Avengers, for more on how the Avengers deal with The Youth, but I haven't gotten around to that yet.)

Since Tony often blames himself for, well, everything he can possibly blame himself for, including the deaths of people he feels he should have been able to save, I feel like his worries about aging would probably involve his ability to continually successfully be a superhero. We haven't really seen much of this worry since his Extremis/Bleeding Edge days but there was definitely a period of time where his main concern seemed to be the ability to compete with the people he's fighting -- and this seems like it might be where he's heading again in his confrontation with Feilong, who, I should point out, does actually attempt to make fun of him for being old. Tony doesn't seem to take it personally, but he does seem very upset that he's not on Feilong's level, technologically. So I think the thing that would bother Tony wouldn't be the idea that he couldn't keep up with the heroes, but rather that he couldn't keep up with the villains.

So, yeah, that's my take.

[dolconfessionsss]

Hello! I'd like to confess something quite personal.. this would get very long & uncomfortable fast so I really completely understand if you don't publish it! I.. just really wanted to share this somewhere. (TW for rl SA, misogyny & religious trauma)

so I was raised in a very strict religious household in a very hm let's just say a third world country where the mention of feminism (or even sex education and mental health so i never went to therapists about this) is still so very taboo, the belief that "women are worthless if they're not clueless virgins before marriage" is hammered on me since little by my family and teachers, i even developed a phobia of male contact when i was in middle school, bursting to tears when i accidentally bump into a male classmate because I'm so afraid of not being "pure" anymore, i was so horrified that my life would be over if I can't bleed for a hypothetical man that would one day "buy" me with dowry (i'm better now, i still can't look men in the eye though).

When I was in high school i unfortunately went through a traumatic event that troubled my life from all aspects for a couple of years. No where & no one to vent i started turning into explicit fictional media to cope, because at least i have control there, i can always give the characters happy endings, and if things don't go well, it's ultimately not real and won't actually hurt me. I used to be so sex repulsed, after the incident I'm not sure if i developed some sort of (fictional? i can't imagine being intimate w anyone ever irl) hypersexuality or something. So.. you'd expect a game like dol would be super extra triggering for me, but weirdly enough it's.. soothing? It's like, my pc can go through the most unimaginable harrowing shit ever and lose "purity" yet can still have a life, smiling, be loved, develop skills, excelling studies and do big things. It's.. very cathartic... Yes i don't know if the game ever meant to be that inspirational or uplifting, but it somewhat helps me convince myself that I can still do better after all. I apologize if all this sounds ridiculous and stupid, but it's just how i feel.. I'm sorry if there's weird wording. Thank you for reading!

I resonated with you a lot, anon! My background have some similarites growing up, so I can understand what you meant. I think you describe it best, it is very soothing and cathartic. People cope with their trauma is so many different way, and I'm happy to hear that you seemed to have found yours too with this game, anon ❤

[wuxiaphoenix]

On Writing: Finding the End

I’ll start this with a caveat: different writing advice works for different people. Most people know about the plotter vs. pantser split, but another useful division is methodological (you have a plan!) vs. intuitive (Plan? What plan?)

(My roommate and I have annoyed each other for years trying to trade writing advice. Turns out she’s an intuitive plotter while I’m a methodological pantser. Our ways of getting Story out of Brain and down into Words are completely different. Now we just toss “this is interesting reference material” at each other.)

If you saw methodological and thought neat and organized... hahaha no. For me a book in progress is an explosion in a reference library; accumulated books, papers, internet snippets, scribbled notes and of course the draft-in-progress. Some bits of which I’m usually loosely editing even as I’m writing other bits.

Instead, methodological means I have a more-or-less set strategy for how to write, what tools I need to keep the plotbunnies from whining (Bic Crystal pens fit my grip best), and specifically, what parts of the story I have to have figured out before I start writing the story, or the whole thing’s going to spin out dramatically and leave me in a fiery, bruised pile of a writer with Unfinished Fic.

...Yeah, that hurts.

So. What I need is first, a good idea of the setting. Second, a good grasp on the characters, both heroes and villains. Third, a beginning scene of Shiny. How do I kick this adventure off? Last, and critically important, I need an End Scene. Heroes vs. Bad Guys. What does the final clash look like?

This end scene doesn’t have to be exact. I even came up with a final scene for Colors and wrote most of it before realizing said End Scene actually belonged in a much later story; while a fight scene before it was the real Final Battle of the book.

(Also note that these are not foolproof. I have end scenes for Track of the Apocalypse and scene ideas for a follow-up, but writing ran headlong into traumatic RL events and it jammed. I want to finish it, but my brain just won’t until I get some more stability into my life. Bleeping inflation....)

Right now, as I hack my way through filling in holes in Colors, I’m trying to figure out what would be the best end scene for Druid vs. Zombies. I’ve got a dungeon maze, a demonic sword (I think), an angry necromancer, a lot of zombies, and a rag-tag party including the Druid who mostly aren’t really fighters.

They’re just the only ones the quarrytown has who can try.

I think part of what I’m stuck on is the tone of the story. The original inspiration was partly Scooby-Doo (“and I would have gotten away with it, too - if it weren’t for you peasants and that druid!”)

But, zombies; and not as friendly as those on Zombie Island. Plus Resident Evil 2 vibes; characters in sudden zpoc trying to survive. So fighting the necromancer has to be more serious.

The classic would be going down into the maze to face off with the necromancer before he can grab the Evil Artifact. But our heroes know they’re outmatched. Go into a dungeon maze filled with traps, monsters, and now necromancer-led zombies? That has bad idea written all over it.

So... I need to know if they think the necromancer has to come out the way he came in, or if they have reason to believe he can just teleport out when he grabs what he wants. Hmm...

[cyberwhumper]

Whiskey was almost feeling maybe kind of okay. The goons had left him alone for a while, fucking off to go get high and vandalize garbage bins or whatever it is that Baxter and his tiny dick do, and despite the pain and the cold and the general paranoia, Whiskey had actually managed to fall asleep.

Of course it doesn’t last.

Whiskey wakes up gagging and choking, the sole of Baxter’s boot pressing into his throat, pinching the delicate skin against the metal collar bolted around his neck. He grabs Baxter’s ankle on reflex, struggling weakly to try and ease up the pressure as his vision starts going gray. It does get Baxter to let up on his trachea, which is nice, but earns him a swift kick to the temple instead, which is less nice.

“Fuck d’you think you’re doin’, mutt?” Baxter drawls. He’s drunk. Awesome. “Y’having a nice nap?”

“Fuck you,” Whiskey rasps, then squeezes his eyes shut in well-timed anticipation of Baxter’s spit hitting his cheek. Jesus. He’s trained. Dirty mutt, through and through.

Somewhere above him, Baxter cackles. Whiskey keeps his eyes closed, riding out the waves of spinning. If he ignores the splitting pain in his head and his ankle and his everything, he can almost pretend this is all just a bad trip. He can pretend he’s sacked out on the couch in Marky’s basement, ripping dabs and listening to music and staring at the blacklight posters blurring like wet paint across the walls. Real glory days. God, Whiskey’s life is fucking pathetic.

He opens his eyes.

Baxter howls with laughter at the way Whiskey recoils from the fact that the guy is bent over him, ugly face and foul breath an inch away from Whiskey’s nose. “Aww, did I scare ya? Christ, you’re jumpy.” He wraps black metal fingers around one of Whiskey’s tusks and yanks hard, eliciting an involuntary groan. “Were ya dreamin’, mutt?”

“Yeah. ‘Bout you havin’ an appointment with the inside of a wood chipper.”

“Bitch.” There’s not even any heat in it, but Baxter’s boot connects with his ribs just the same, and Whiskey curls up on himself as much as he can between the chains, gasping. It doesn’t make a difference. Baxter kicks his knees apart next, making the eye bolt grate against his ankle bones, but Whiskey would rather go a dozen more rounds with the drill than have the wandering sole of the boot plant itself against his crotch. “Bet you were dreamin’ about rutting.” The boot presses firmer, and Whiskey feels himself splinter a little on the inside, soul fracturing like Mark’s stupid posters used to around 2 am. “Nasty fuckin’ animal. Got yerself a little morning wood, eh?”

“Stop,” he whispers.

Baxter laughs again, snapping a sloppy kick into Whiskey’s inner thigh. Whiskey barely even feels it. He’s floating somewhere far away, a lake made of mirrors, his own stupid face.

This time, he doesn’t manage to close his eyes before the spit hits.

[Fic by the exceptionally talented @bxtterflystxtches , who I have the honor of collaborating with for this event. Please show him some love!]

[OC INDEX]

COMMISSIONS ARE OPEN!

Tag list: @whumpsday // @demondamage // @squidlife-crisis // @whumpedydump // @cyborg0109 // @whumpfish // @astrowhump // @the-scrapegoat // @whatwhumpcomments // @dustbunnywhump // @why-not-ask-me-a-better-question // @dokidokisadness // @moss-tombstone // @lambofmine // @maracujatangerine // @pinkraindropsfell // @writereleaserepeat // @blood-and-regrets // @littlespacecastle // @snakebites-and-ink // @unforgiven235 // @lonesome--hunter // @atomicsandwichprince // @writereleaserepeat // @whatamidoingherehelpme // @skittles-the-whumpee // @the-blind-one-speaks // @i-eat-worlds // @devourerofcheesecake // @theauthorintraining // @otterfrost // @mommymarichatfurever // @whumpifi // @catnykit // @bitchaknso // @softmutt444 // @yet-another-heathen // @blackbirdsinatrenchcoat // @violent-ultraviolet // @limitlesstrash17 // @inspiral-rl // @mis-graves // @caffeinatedscorpio // @defire // @badluck990 // @unforgivenn // @hunterjumperhoe // @menstrual-blood-feeding //

If you’re interested in being added to the tag list, please let me know!

[snarrybang]

Snarry BANG! is coming - get ready!

Signups will open formally mid-April and will close at the end of May, although of course you can already start thinking about plot bunnies :D

Snarry BANG! aims at offering Snarry creators the chance to pair up - writer and podficcer, artist and ficcer, etc - and collaborate on the same project!

What are Signups for? They allow you to participate in one, two, or even three different ways! 1/ You already have the Severus to your Harry? The happy spouses team members each sign up to let me know you're not participating in claims for this specific project since you're already married matched. You can of course still participate in the other ways if you so choose!

2/ You can claim one or more slides (art slides and/or fic slides). You do not have to submit in order to claim, but you do have to sign up.

3/ You can submit your own slide, aka fic or art that has never been published, but it doesn't have to be finished at this point.

If you do not sign up, you won't be able to claim a slide (this means seeing the fic and art projects participants have submitted, and choosing which one(s) inspires you and that you'd like to work on). If you sign up but don't claim, i promise i will not come to your house and Crucio you into claiming - RL happens, no harm done. Signing up will means all options are open, and not signing up means all doors are closed! You know what to do in April/May ;-)

Claims will happen once signups close, and once claims are over matches will be sent. Final posting will be around Harry's birthday!

Questions about length, what kind of art, AO3...? Check out the FAQ on Tumblr (open link in a browser window) or DW!

There will be no Discord server for the event; all major info will be sent by email. However, i will also be available via Tumblr DM and Discord DM and can contact you via these. Anon asks are open on Tumblr if you have a question and no Tumblr blog or if you want to stay anon.

Want to make sure you don't miss the Snarry BANG! ?

Follow this blog!

Banner by the super-talented @flymetosnarryland ! ID in Alt Text

[mqstermindswift]

.•° ✿ °•. nicky’s cruel summer event °•. ✿ .•°

my intro post

thank you sm for 350 followers.i don’t think i even know this many ppl in rl nor did i know that this many ppl liked my rants,but like thank you so much for staying.im so grateful for all of you.enjoy this summer-y vibes event!!(out of season ik but summer is and will always be superior)

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

☀️- ask me anything (p.s. won’t be sharing person info such as address,phone number,etc.)

🥥- i’ll make a moodboard of any song/album/character/anything rlly

🎧- i’ll make you a 15 song playlist based on wtv u want (on spotify only)

🍿 - i’ll recommend a/some movies (please specify the genre/time period)

🎵- give me a song to listen to and i’ll give u my opinion on it

💕 - i’ll give you a list of things + a song + a quote that reminds me of you

🧣- i’ll give you an outfit that i think matches your vibes using pinterest

💫- recommend me a movie/show/song/etc

🐚- i’ll tell you a story (please be specific but totally fine if u don’t specify what kind of story)

💋- ask for advice about anything

🫂 - anonymously (or not) tell me a secret you want to get off your chest

✈️- i plan my dream vacation id go with you

🤪- i’ll design you a room using pinterest

🌴- i’ll make you a (small) pinterest board

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

THIS EVENT IS OPEN FOR EVERYONE!MOOTS,FOLLOWERS,PPL WHO DONT KNOW ME!

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌rules:

→ request as many things/times as you want but please keep it two per ask

→ all posts related to this event under that tag #nicky’s cruel summer event

→ event ending on february 25(will only be lasting a week sorry,might change the date tho,we’ll see)

→ if i take time,im not ignoring you it’s just that im busy or unmotivated!!

→ all posts here

→ this is inspired by @myster3y and @in-the-sweet-november-rain

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌tagging some moots:

@baboland @reminiscentreader @nqds @dinocam13 @a-wondering-thought @skeelly @sophiesonlinediary @doyoujustnotwantto @foaming-sea @stars-over-ice-cream @sureallavnder @never-enough-novels @urbanflorals @lost-in-reveriie @the0nlyallison @gergthecat @my-mind-is-frozen @deprivedofbraincellsandsleep @a-beautiful-fool @whoishana @mayalovestay13 + all my other moots

again thank you so much

-nicky <3

[angelic-hellraiser]

Check out Linger!

Main Inspirations:

True Detective S1

Rust Cohle

Se7en

Silent Hill

Taking Lives

Voldemort Wins / War Times / Nihilistic!Hermione Granger / Sleeping Beauty!Draco Malfoy / Anti-Hero!Theodore Nott / Astrology Junky!Luna Lovegood / Morally Grey to Full-on DARK

Author Note: Please read the warnings! This story will be an exploration of deep character growth. In hermetic belief, soul growth is not linear, but a spiral. I'd like readers to consider that belief while reading this story. I'm also a sucker for crime thrillers and the murderer hunting/stalking our protagonist. Voldemort has plans for Hermione... and he's just getting started.

** The story is not posted yet, but it will be soon! I'm currently mapping out the chapters! Due to RL events, I won't be able to post until May. If you are interested in this story follow my tumblr for personal thoughts and updates on the brainstorming.

[discluded]

inspired by your post, i scrolled through that YSL collection and the thought of Apo in the silk cummerbund shirt will haunt me forever. it was made for his waist and we'll never see him in one, pure devastation. anyway, if boc saw the light and hired you as MA's stylist, who else would you dress them in?

lol remember when our biggest problem with how ugly that Dior fashion show outfit was. oh to go back to the devastating problems of... 2 days ago 🤣

I'm a little afraid to answer with my fashion brand thoughts since the last time I did it, I mentioned this Celine jacket for Mile (on Sept 4), and I'm a bit worried I manifested it (vs. Vogue gala Sept 21) at the expense of Cannes, but like...at this point literally what worse thing can happen? Them wearing a sexy shirt that I think would fit their style!? Going to another fancy event dressed up all sexy?! Going to another international film festival that's not Cannes?!

I think Celine and Tom Ford are great classics choices. To the second anon, they do look good in Ralph Lauren too!

RL is kind of preppy for my taste (as someone who had to suffer going to high school in America with people who were dressed in preppy RL clothes), but I think they look great in them. I think an equiv is probably Burberry which they did for their Central Embassy video shoot

One unexpected choice I'd love to see is Versace! @nattaphum was skeptical when I mentioned that when we chatted about it in Sept (and as an Italian who has to look at Versace ... they do have a reputation!) But the way they dressed Apo was so lovely and bold for NewGen Fashion Awards. I'd love to see Mile in some color, and while I can't say I want to wear Versace, I appreciate their continuous choices in bold textures, patterns, and materials.

In terms of just styling, I thought that of LVMH's properties, alongside Celine, Givenchy was a good fit for them style-wise. However, Givenchy is a lot lower of a profile brand than Dior or LV, LVMH's main two fashion houses...so financially Dior was the better offer.

Another designer I would love to see them collaborate with is Nagara, who is considered the preeminent Thai haute couture designer and has designed pieces for the Thai royal family. Apo has actually walked in a number of his shows.

Nagara is also one of those curates-follows kind of IG user, and he follows Apo back! Definitely more than 200 models have walked for him, so you know how special our boys are, always winning the hearts of the professionals around them 🥺

Nagara's specialty is Thai silks and bold patterns. I actually think he does bold patterns more elegantly than any of the top western fashion houses, which are both wearable and visionary.

I really enjoyed this write-up about his work that's now almost 8 years old! I came across it the first time I was doing research about Apo's time as a runway model and had noticed he walked in a number of Nagara shows and that the artistic vision of those shows were top-notch!

Anyway, Dior has...won my good graces back for now, but lord I do not like Kim Jones' Dior.

thank you to the closet wizard for the IDs!

[bnhaomegaverseweek]

BnHA Omegaverse Event Announcement!

Starting Today: May 17th is an open invitation to the My Hero Academia Omegaverse Event!! It will start and go through the entire month of August!

In previous years the event has always taken place during the month of July in lieu of Deku's birthday. However, this year I had some unexpected RL issues (two unplanned surgeries) that caused the planning to fall by the wayside.

Also, instead of posting a poll to get everyone's opinion on what AU's they'd like to see, I'm going to open up the entire Master List to draw from. I've noticed a pattern with every survey the same 6-7 AUs were chosen every time. So I've decided instead of the same thing again, why not just offer the whole list of AUs and Extra prompts instead?

This will give everyone a larger selection of ideas to hopefully draw/write from. It'll also give more time to create such work.

Master List of AUs and Prompts

FAQ:

What is an AU? : AU stands for Alternate Universe. For example, the Coffee shop AU, or Florist, or Royal.

What is a Keyword prompt? : Extra ideas based on keywords used in the omegaverse world-building. For example, scenting. When an alpha scents their omega by rubbing their scent glands together.

Do we have to use both? : No. You can choose just one AU and run with it. You can use just one Keyword prompt and stay in Canon. How you get inspired is totally up to you!

What works are allowed? : All works. Written, Art. As long as it's omegaverse related!

Can I submit early? : Of course!

Can I submit late? (After August): Absolutely! I'll be looking for submissions all year long!

Where do I submit too? : If you're writing, you can submit your stories to the Ao3 collection. : BnHA Omegeverse Collection

For artwork, you can tag it #BnHAOmegaverse, and I'll find it and reblog it.

What if I am on other websites? : There is a BnHA Omegevese Twitter, and I will gladly create an account on other social media platforms for all the reblogging!! Please just send me an ask to let me know where to go!!

If there are any other questions, PLEASE send me an ask, and I will answer them promptly.

Thank you!

~Diamond

[thekristen999]

AO3 in Review

I had a lot going on in RL this year which impacted my writing. But I feel good about what I was able to publish :) I had a few people tag me for this. Thank you.

Works Published: 6

Word Count:  45k

Hits:  13,700

Bookmarks:  353

Most Popular by Kudos: Whatever It Takes To Find You 

I never knew this would be my most popular fic. I was itching to find a way to dive into Eddie’s rescue when his chopper was shot down.  It was fun to write pararescuemen! Buck and it gave me the opportunity to write an intense rescue mission with all the drama and medical detail I desired.

Most Hits: Whatever It Takes To Find You  :)

Longest:  The Shape Of Water

I enjoyed exploring the impact of water on Buck’s life. Plus, I got to write him and Eddie in trapped a flooded vehicle.

Shortest: We're In This Together Now 

4k words if short for me. Hee. Meth lab explosion.

Most Comments: Whatever It Takes To Find You  

Fic that made me cry:

Hold the Pain, Release Me This was my favorite fic this year. Eddie explores art therapy to help with his PTSD.

Fic that made me smile:

Misadventures In The Great Outdoors   The camping trip from hell. It was so much fun to write something humorous. :)

Gifts: I wrote for several friends this year.

 The Shape Of Water For @amandagaelic

 We're In This Together Now  for @the-wandering-whumper 

 Misadventures In The Great Outdoors  for  @homerforsure

Collaborations: No collaborations.

Events: I  started a BTHB card though and I've done three stories thus far.

Underrated: I wanted to the a moment to shout out to a fic that I really enjoyed writing, but I knew would be very niche in fandom. Hand Covers Bruise explores Eddie’s backstory with boxing and MMA and how it influenced his life.

Coming in 2023:

I’m 20k words into an S3 AU that I’ve been working on for an over a month. I’m not sure what might inspire me after that.

I have no idea who has done this.  Tagging @mellaithwen @renecdote @jacksadventuresinwriting @ajunerose @shortsighted-owl @mickdonald @tawaifeddiediaz @megslovesbooks