#it shrimply does not work like that

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

one of my most annoying qualities as a human is if the museum has a physics or an astro exhibit i Will walk around the entire thing saying “that’s true!”

i did Not cry in the museum but it was a very near thing

[cringefaecompilation]

the trouble with bias is that you'll always have a blind spot. sometimes it's fine. it’s okay if it's a good bias against bad people. everyone tells you that you're doing the right thing.

(i know they'd be real proud of you.)

but what is a bad person? obviously, it's someone who hurts people for fun. so anyone who does that is bad. unless… they were just defending themselves. then we shouldn't get too caught up in philosophy and semantics!

(his name was cyrus.)

i mean, they're good to you! they listen to you, even when you don't pray! they said they were sorry, right? why else would they listen to a nonbeliever if not out of the kindness of their hearts?

(the only time they've ever spoken to me was the one who tried to fucking kill me less than a week ago)

maybe it's just you. you are a useful weapon. savior blade. melora's chosen. the hag's latest bargain. you know how to fight, how to win, how to strike exactly where it hurts.

(you’re right. why should i rely on a darker power?)

you know that if the time comes, you have plans to take down everyone. but you’d never do it. those are your friends. and you won’t let it get that far. but if it does…

(…i think i hurt her.)

then you let them hit first. it's not right that they're getting hurt, that's not what they signed up for. they're not soldiers! their lives deserve to be more than just power grab after power grab to get ahead! they should have futures to look forward to and be happy with themselves!

(it's good to feel useful.)

but what about you? what do you have left?

(see you soon.)

[andsotheuniverseended]

@queerical replied to your post:

one of the first thoughts i had was, its no wonder NTs tell you to Just Do things, they literally CAN just do things! they just think it and then do it!! instantly! insane!!!! i get to experience this now and i still dont believe it 

now it feels like you’re my spy on the inside sending me covert messages like “they really do mean it when they say ‘just do things’, there is no hidden meaning or anything behind that” and i’m staring at a to-do list written by a neurotypical like its in code

[risaonda]

I am so fucking angry. teehee

[zeldassecretwell]

listen. listen. hear me out.

trans zelda and trans link (of course), HOWEVER (long speculation and gender worldbuilding/headcanon follows):

link, afab and genderfluid. as a child, shrimply does not Care about gender. does not cross her mind (homeschooled and fucks around in the woods too much for it to be relevant to his life). But when they pull the sword, suddenly there's all this attention on them and guess what? The Hero Of Legend is a boy, and so Link must be a boy, always. He doesn't really mind at first, because it isn't like he cared anyways, but it eventually becomes stifling as he realizes that he, as The Hero, is expected to perform a certain kind of masculinity (and only ever perform that kind of masculinity).

zelda, amab and trans, she/her. grows up as aware of gender roles as a child can be (given that those roles are tied to the monarchical power structure that she's born into). Sees that her mother is 1) the one with the divine heritage and 2) I'm going to assume favorite parent since I dislike Rhoam intensely. Is like, yeah sure I'd like to be a girl, sounds neat! Rhoam et al. are like but your roles...no...be a boy... And then her mom dies when she's like 6 and everybody's like well shit The Princess Of Legend is a girl, and Zelda is an only child, so now we will choose to see you as a girl. And at first Zelda doesn't mind because she thought being a girl was neat anyways, but then it becomes stifling as she realizes that she, as The Princess, is expected to perform a certain kind of femininity (and only ever perform that kind of femininity).

I just think it's incredibly interesting how gender can play into the themes of destiny/expectations/personhood/choice/self discovery if you operate off of the assumption that the botw/totk universe has an (even slightly) different system of gender. because most societies do in one way or another. FOR EXAMPLE:

- link starts dressing more fluidly and expressing themself more after he wakes up post amnesia, moving away from rigid, stoic masculinity of pre-calamity

- zelda cuts her hair post botw. she cuts her hair. oh my fucking god! she cuts her goddamn hair! she is louder and more outspoken, and she leans into being a scientist. and she cut her hair!!! because she IS a girl, but not the one that her father wanted her to be.

- and on the topic of how this influences the rhoam-zelda dynamic: you could read an element of rhoam projecting onto zelda (and zelda very much perceiving this) "well, if only you had been 'BORN' a girl, maybe your powers would work sooner" or "well you wanted to be a girl, so why do you complain about the kind of girl that you must be for the good of the kingdom (read: the kind of girl I want you to be)"

- THUS. INTENSE ZELDA LINK BONDING (romantic or platonic doesn't matter) VIS A VIS BEING TRANS AND THE WAY EXPECTATIONS SHAPED THE WAY THEY WERE PERCIEVED AND THE WAY THEY PERCIEVE THEMSELVES. CAN I GET AN AMEN.

- also, last little note - because I'm assuming (as much as one can) that the kingdom of central Hyrule is to some degree imperialistic and subjugating other regions in the country pre-calamity - other societies in hyrule could have gender systems that differ from that of Central Hyrule (and this is sort of present in canon but. you know. in the way that canon is the way it is. well.). ERGO. none of the Champions have to be in line with the central hyrulean concept of a cisgender person. I rest my case.

[infinite-orangepeel]

Without realizing, almost like a magnetic pull, his eyes land on Steve.

Steve, who is staring straight back at him with a look Eddie can only describe as a mix of anger and lust. A silent warning.

Eddie feels himself grow hot under Steve’s gaze.

So he does the only thing he can think of—slowly, never once breaking eye contact, he lifts the apple to his mouth, and takes a huge bite. His teeth tear through the red skin, the juice dripping down his chin and wrist. He chews slowly, deliberately, before swallowing the fruit.

Steve’s eyes are heavy-lidded as he stares at Eddie like a man possessed. Eddie’s head reels from the power he holds. Steve Harrington, wrapped around his finger. It gives him a thought. One he should definitely not give into. But Eddie likes to play with fire, always has.

He sets the apple down on the table, his hand now covered in sticky juice. He licks his fingers one by one, pushing them into his mouth in the dirtiest way he can. He imagines getting down on his knees for Steve—the pretty noises he’d make.

Eddie wants him.

Badly.

He knows he’s being unfair, cruel even. But Steve can’t tear his eyes away. So Eddie takes his fingers out of his mouth and smiles, pausing one last time to lick a long stripe up the side of his wrist.

All at once, he sees Steve’s expression change like he’s been punched in the gut. He looks around frantically, like he’s trying to see if anyone noticed their interaction. Nobody even bats an eye. They’re all too absorbed in eating and enjoying their lunch-time conversations. It’s almost like Steve and Eddie slipped into some space between dimensions—a stolen moment in time. Just for them. Or at least that’s what Eddie is thinking.

Steve clearly has other thoughts, as he stands suddenly, snatching his tray from the table. He gives Eddie a withering glare and turns, dumping the entire tray and its contents into the trash.

Eddie feels his stomach turn as Steve runs from the room. He wants desperately to run after him. To take his hand and tell him everything is ok.

But he stays—frozen to his seat, spit drying on his hand, and shame taking root in his body.

EXCERPT FROM: BLUE ON BLUE (linked below)

currently co-writing this with maya (@itssteddietime) & it would mean the world to us if you’d take a second to check out the first two chapters 🩵

taglist (message me to be added or removed at any time <3): @estrellami-1 @disastardly @ilovecupcakesandtea @the-redthread @asbealthgn @bestofbucky @vampireinthesun @carlyv @shrimply-a-menace @lordrrascal @jjoesjonas @malachitedevil @anxiouseds @gay-little-bitch @jhrc666 @pinkdaisies1998 @mcneen @perseus-notjackson @eiddets @corroded-coffin-groupie @three-possums-playing-human @stevesbipanic @plutoshelm @arkenstoned @indiearr @they-reap-what-we-sow @gleek4twd @bunnyweasley23 @livingoutload @a-little-unsteddie @novelnovella @rugbertgoeshome @neverlandwaitingforme @anglhrts @swiss-cheeze @josephmunsonx

[faunusrights]

murphy's guide to uuuuuh writing objects/places/locations and things (because two whole people asked)

greetings. this guide may or may not help you, as is true of all guides and advice and tips and tricks. but it helped me, and since i'm the protagonist of this blog this is my definitive guide. it shrimply may not be yours. mileage may vary. that said, allow me to give you said advice in the hopes that it does, in fact, aid you,

so when i was a tiny tater tot you know what i hated writing? descriptions. a lot of people really hate it and so did i, because descriptions were just these big blocks of text that got in the way of the FUN STUFF. you know; the plot! the dialogue! the characters! and i see a lot of writers who, to this day, find themselves writing reams and reams of dialogue with no way of knowing where characters are or what they're doing/holding/interacting with, and even if they do explain, it tends to be a few lines like 'they're in the living room' or 'they're sitting on a chair' like we're directing a film.

[INT. CAFE] they are sitting in some chairs by a table. i'll let the props department decide what kind.

the reality is, you are trying to weave a world in which your reader can step into, and a big part of that is writing the uh. the world. and a few years ago i had a revelation that made writing scenes and descriptions so much fun that it's honestly now my favourite part of writing, and a huge part of this realisation comes from my work as a visual artist. so, i'm going to explain The Box.

now, i want to stress that The Box was not my creation. rather, that honour goes to eric hibbeler and his tutorial eric's thoughts on drawing backgrounds and props, which i'll add a link to in a reblog/reply so tumblr doesn't cast this post into the shadow realm (thanks, tumblr!) but the guide he made also applies to writing with just a bit of tweaking, and i'm gonna explain how.

this cardboard box is just a cardboard box, and it's likely the sort of box you're imagining if i say the words a cardboard box. it's nondescript and pretty generic, and in a scene that calls for a cardboard box, it'll do the job! when we write, describing stuff like the chair or the window or the carpet is vague enough that the reader will, usually, just fill in the visual gap with what their interpretation of the chair or the window or the carpet is. for all you know, their mental image of the scene uses the carpet from the shining! but the thing is, YOU, the writer, may have a WILDLY different vision on the carpet (or chair/window/box etc.) and that's where you need to step in and get SPECIFIC about details.

here is a different take on the same box. we've gotten much more specific about the box's history here; it's been used in a move or for storage at some point, it's been kicked around, taped up, taped down, put a in puddle at one point, had a cat give it a few scratches... it's not that many changes, not really, but the box has--say it with me--character.

character, by definition, means the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing. what some writers tend to do, however, is forget this word applies just as much to inanimate objects as it does to the people in their stories. we give characters a lot of, well... character, and forget entirely about the things around them having just as (much if not more) to define them.

in essence, what changed my approach to writing places and locations and backgrounds was the realisation was these are also characters in my scene, with just as much contribution to the plot and the information being provided as any individual person in the same instance. it was only when i realised how important adding such character in visual art was that i realised the same applied to writing!

let's take, for instance, a bedroom in which two characters are holding a conversation. you may be tempted to keep your details sparse except for things that are directly plot relevant because you want to get on with the good bits, i.e. the talk itself, but what you can use the bedroom for is to tell information about the owner or resident without having to outline it in exposition. this is where getting good at giving character to spaces becomes very powerful as a tool.

Velvet's bedroom wasn't much to look at; a double-bed, a desk to edit her photos at, and a few pictures of her family and friends on the walls. Still, she sits down on her bed and invites Blake to do the same.

In this instance, a reader gets the general gist of the location--it's a bedroom with bedroom-typical things in it--but the room lacks any characters or specificity, which sticks out for narrative reasons because velvet is full of character; her bedroom would be the same! so, we have to build on what her bedroom would actually be like in order to build its character and define velvet without directly saying what she's like as a person:

Velvet's bedroom was in disarray, as ever; she hadn't made her bed because she wasn't really expecting guests, and her desk was littered with all her photography gear from SD cards to lenses to all her cleaning supplies. A few last-ditch attempts to make the place look a little more organised took the form of straightening out all her framed pictures of her family and friends that took up all the wall space she could spare, dusting off her big pride flag over her bed before she plopped herself down, straightening out her duvet before inviting Blake to sit next to her with a smile.

now, the bedroom has prominence as its own source of information: we understand that velvet isn't really a tidy person by nature; photography is a big enough part of her life to dominate her personal space; her family and her friends are important to her; her identity is also a large component of her personality; she likes to try and give her guests a better impression even if it's half-assed. and we covered all that without velvet actually having to say any of that information out loud! wow!

normally, of course, i'd lace that information in a little more subtly and over a few paragraphs rather than in one big dump, but the effect is the same; when a space has character, you can treat it as a character that has just as much importance to a scene as the dialogue or the interactions two people have.

this concept can be applied to a single prop, like a box or a camera or a desk or the like, and can also be applied to a much bigger location, like a park or a school or a house or more. the idea is that often, things are never just in their generic form, but have history that impacts the way it looks or defines the person or people who interact with it.

you wouldn't write these two playgrounds in exactly the same way; they both have a swing, a slide, a bench, a sign, and a tree... but depending on how you write it, one has a kind of character for a setting, narrative, or larger location that's way different to the other! this ends up defining your wider world, too; maybe one playground is nice and new because the council got the funding they asked for, but the other is in an area known for having little investment? in the end, were these two parks humanised, they'd likely be people with very different personalities; that's the sort of approach you should have!

the TL;DR of this whole thing is that description is not the part where you start listing off items in the room or the building or the location just so your reader has a vague idea of where they are, but an opportunity to turn that space into a person who has a whole bunch to say about the people who are frequently present. you can even see this in action by writing the differences between, say, your bedroom and the bedroom of your sibling/parent/friend; chances are, they're VERY different spaces that represent two very different people! this is also true of a kitchen, your home, your school, your campus, or your workplace; the office of someone who works in IT won't look like the office of someone who works in accounting, even if they share a lot of qualities and items.

ultimately, think of the humble Box; sure, a regular cardboard box might suffice to give the reader an idea of what's in a scene, but when we give that Box a personality of its own, suddenly that Box has a lot to say about the person who owns it--and not all of them may be good!

[ladykailitha]

Ser Stephan Of Harring’s Town Extra

This is set after Steve gives Eddie his guitar to look after.

This is also the last thing I have fully completed. But I’ll leave a link to my masterlist that has all my WIPs.

We can do this any of a couple different ways. I can start uploading all of what I have in a mad rush and then just post new parts when they come. I can focus on one in particular (list the one you want in the replies) and then post new parts when they come. Or finish it and post all the parts at once and then move on to the next one, finish it, post all parts, repeat ad nauseum. (Does that make sense??)

*

Eddie walked through the door of his trailer, guitar case in hand. He stopped when he saw his uncle on the sofa, beer in hand.

“Uh...” Eddie murmured, looking around sheepishly, “hi?”

“Watcha got there?” Wayne asked, jutting his jaw at the case in his hand.

“A guitar?” Eddie replied stupidly. He was usually better at thinking on the fly then this, but his brain had gone completely blank.

“Yeah?” Wayne said. “Let’s see then.”

Eddie moved to sit next to his uncle on the sofa. He flipped the clasps and opened the case.

Wayne let out a low whistle. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so pretty. Where did you get her?”

“I’m holding it for a friend,” Eddie murmured. “His dad’s a piece of work and doesn’t know my friend plays.”

“So he’s concerned it’ll get broke if it stays with him?” He held out his hands for the guitar. “May I?”

Eddie paused for a moment and handed it to him. Wayne strummed a couple of strings and looked down impressed at the sound quality. “Shit, son. She sounds as pretty as she looks.”

Eddie blushed.

“Not as pretty as her owner?” Wayne teased and Eddie blushed a darker shade of red.

“It’s not like that,” Eddie mumbled.

“But you’d like it to be, am I right?” Wayne started strumming properly and placed his fingers on the strings moving to play Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash.

“Yeah,” Eddie admitted softly. “There is just so many different facets to him that it’s like holding a crystal to the light.”

“Uh-oh,” Wayne said, pausing mid-strum. “If you’re already waxing poetic, you’re done for, head over heels.”

Eddie ducked his head, his face not being able to get any redder than it already was.

“Sometimes I feel we’re on the edge of something greater,” he said softly. “I’m just waiting to see who takes the first step.”

Wayne put the guitar down next to him. “Who says it can’t be you?”

“I guess I’m too used to being someone’s dirty little secret that I worry I’ll end up another one.”

Wayne pursed his lips. “I could see why that might be a concern especially with this boy’s daddy being a piece shit that would destroy this beautiful instrument instead of letting his boy be happy.”

Eddie sighed. “Yeah. I mean I wasn’t expecting miracles in a town that tried to straight up lynch me, but it would be nice if we were known to someone outside of ourselves.”

“So tell me,” Wayne said. “Even if it’s just one person. It wouldn’t be just the two of you. You could come here and be safe.”

Eddie nodded. “If we do get together, you’ll be first person I tell.”

“Good,” Wayne said, picking the guitar back up. “Let’s find a safe place for her, shall we?”

Eddie stood up and stretched. “I think we should name her.”

Wayne laughed. “Shouldn’t it be his job to name her?”

“Nah! If she hasn’t been named yet,” Eddie said with a grin, “then he’s lost all privileges.”

Wayne shook his head. “All right, then. Go on.”

Eddie tapped his lips with his finger. “Sweet Cherry!”

Wayne’s grin split his face. “Sweet Cherry it is.”

They decided to keep her under Wayne’s bed with the permission to take her out whenever Steve wanted to play her.

Tag List: @chaossmiles @bejeweledbaby @shrimply-a-menace @mightbeasleep @goblin-eddie @gregre369 @idea-less-author @xtkxkrzrizir @azure-and-gold @flanbott @garden-of-gay @tauntedperfume @marvelousforlife @itsfreakingbats

[vertumnanaturalis]

so uh. arts not been arting for me the last few months, lots of complicated issues at play with that, but my exo brainrot is unending and I've taken to designing npcs in the sims when I feel the design need but art is shrimply not happening. These ones are of varying degrees of canon-ness and importance, pretty frequently picked at random or because I previously made a family member or partner of theirs.

I tried to group them together by family or age or work relation but god does Tumblr not like large images so forgive me for the spam. I'll add names/pronouns/relevant ages under them; Strato-side kids closest to Sol's age will have 3 designs, each while Strato-side teenagers between Tammy and Kom's ages will have 2 each.

Under the cut if you dare (warning! Spoilers mentioned & extremely image heavy)

Also uh. you will notice that a few of these people aren't on the current npc list or don't match with it's info. Long story short its getting some refining and that included some new kids and other changes that required a lot of pulling things out from the roots. one of those things playing into why arts not been arting while.

Anywho;

Arroyo - he/him - ages 12 / 16 / 19 - The younger son of the Stratospheric's original Chief Steward, a future member of expeditions, a convienient and accidental scape goat for people to reason away Dys's crush on an unseen pretty boy, though they don't actually have any strong opinions on one another

Simplicity "Plic"/"Lis" - she/her - ages 12 / 16 / 19 - Lazy girl born and raised in the creche, supposedly she helps out in the depot, she might "date" Nomi down the line (but by date I mean "we say we're dating but I think we might just be hanging out because neither of us know what to want or expect from a romantic relationship", there's no hard feelings after it ends) if Nomi doesn't end up with Rex or Sol

Peregrine "Penny" - she/her - ages 11 / 15 / 18 - A perfectly nice girl, but fades away in the crowd, she likes to tease the other kids a little too much, one of the passionate romances referenced in the endings where Cal doesn't settle down with Sol Tammy or Anemone, it is not a pretty breakup

Evanescence "Evan" - he/him - ages 11 / 15 / 18 - The spoiled only child of two older parents, a prolific momma's boy in childhood but a heartthrob with a bad reputation later down the line, another one of those passionate romances mentioned in Cal's ending text, with his being the last before Cal settles down with the farmer from the Heliopause

Philosophy "Sully" - they/them - ages 10 / 14 / 17 - The only child of a single father who works in engineering, loves a good game of sportsball but has no interest in the rest of what the garrison offers, the middle of Cal's three passionate romances and the only one to end on good terms

Opulence "Opal" - she/her - ages 14 / 19 - Friendly and absentminded, she can never resist a good piece of gossip, she dreams of starting Vertumna's first offical news source, her oldest child is born about a year after Echinacea (and Sol might even deliver him!)

Vertex "Tex" - he/him - ages 14 / 19 - The older son of the ship's original Chief Steward, a punk who likes to get dangerous with the wildlife and a tendancy to take things too far

Tempest "Pem" - she/her & they/them - ages 13 / 18 - Rebellious older girl whos behaviors only gotten worse since losing a father during the Stratospheric's crash, rude and obnoxious to the adults but always has a soysweet on hand for the kids

Chrysocolla - they/them - ages 13 / 18 - creche-born kid and resident class clown, the smart kid who doesn't put in the effort after seeing the younger geniuses around them, takes a painfully long time to confess to their best friend

Coriander "Cory" - he/him - ages 13 / 18 - Quiet and plain-looking boy who helps out in the kitchens, he struggles to stand out next to his sisters, feeling like the lesser triplet for not being identical

Scallopini "Pina" - she/her - ages 13 / 18 - A cheerful girl who both has more energy than the rest of her family combined while still remaining total chillax, started dying her hair blue so people could tell her and her sister apart

Amaretto "Ame" - she/her - ages 13 / 18 - A meek but passionate girl, she feels like she was born in her sisters contrast, struggles to find her sense of self when the most unique thing about her is that she's got nothing unique at all

Falchion "Kion" - he/him - ages 13 / 18 - Teenager who seems desperate to find his place in life, often making dangerous mistakes in the process

[Left] Hyacinth "Cici" - she/her - age 17 - A young sniper from the Heliopause, the future Chief of Security in timelines where Sol and Anemone are not and Vace hasn't handled his issues yet

[Right] Lunation "Luna" - she/her - age 19 - Previously the Heliopause's current doctor-in-training, a catastrophic brain injury during the crash has drastically changed her life and put her on indefinate medical leave

[Far Left] Champagne "Champ" - he/him - age 9 - a young boy who starts out eager to grow up and become a soldier, but might find a different calling in life with help [Middle Left] Schnapps - he/him - age 40 - A cook from the Helio who takes the culture shock better than most, has a weekly card game with Nomi's dad [Middle] Crocus "Cro" - she/her - 38 - A cook from the Heliopause who prays in secret that her children do not die child soldiers [Middle right] Affogato "Affie" - she/her - age 13 - One of the teenage soldiers who follows Vace around, she's desperate to impress the older kids and will cruelly treat others like stepping stones to do so [Far Right] Meringue "Meri" - she/her - age 6 - The last child born on the Heliopause, she's destined to become a doctor when she grows up, she first gained an interest in medicine during gene therapy like Tangent

[Left] Harpsicord "Harrie" - They/them - 51 - An actual rocket scientist that ensured the rocketship got to Vertumna, Saga's doting wife and Evan's adoring Mada

[Right] Sagacious "Saga" - She/her - 46 - A sweet and loving auntie from geoponics who remains painfully oblivious to most well-known gossip, her casual tendancy to spoil and coddle her son drives Flulu up a wall

[Far left] Hibiscus "Hibi" - she/her - 35 - One of the surveyors in charge of rescues and it's acting emt, a control subject born from the same series of augment tests as Tonin, she's suited more to space than the planet the same way he is, Vertumna terrifies her daily and she fears for the futures of her teenage triplets

[Center left] Rumination "Rumi" - he/him - 46 - A talented guitar player who enjoys lying to children and is in a committed relationship with the bit, works in rescues with Hibi, holds the technical title of "Former Chief Surveyor" as he was the presumed next-in-line when Imbroglio abbruptly retired a decade prior, although he only held it long enough to laugh himself sick and walk out the door, he's the sole reason Utopia's accent is like that

[Center right] Paprika "Prika" - she/her - 37 - Mechanic in charge of expeditions equiptment and transports, has a hair trigger temper with certain subjects and a habit of spraying offending teenagers with the hose, the irony of her student/trainee Thicket being the biological-via-donation child of her partner and later her own biological-via-donation child joining expeditions are both frequent source of jokes for awhile

[Far right] Brassica "Braz" - she/her - 39 - One of the construction workers who had trained for that job specifically, has a lot of pratice mediating problems that her partner's anger issues cause, got on the ship by pretending to be in a relationship with a friend and convieniently "breaking up" once it was clear they were never going to form a family unit

[Far left] Revolutionary "Lulu" - she/her - age 28 - primarily a geoponics farmer, an on and off member of the greater geoponics area wlw polycule, in a queer platonic relationship with Blip

[Middle left] Sorbet - she/her & they/them - age 27 - a steward who primarily works in the kitchens, another on and off member of the greater geoponics area wlw polycule; she was the egg donor and surrogate for Benji (the young doggy boy npc)

[Center left] Habitation "Hab" - he/him - age 26 - one of the ships dedicated creche parents; part of a closed chain polycule of 4 people (no overlap with the greater geoponics area wlw polycule); loves his job but resents ship administration for passing him and his family unit over during the last round of children born in space, yet making him feel pressured into agreeing to surrogate one of the other children

[Center right] Oblivion "Blip" - he/him - age 26 - an engineer in space but shoved into more general work after landing; loves his best friend but her polycule stories scare him a little, you will never see his entire face, but if you did he could easily pass as Dys & Tang's relative despite not being related at all, the fourth youngest person to leave on the Stratospheric

[Middle right] Optimism "Tim" - he/him - age 26 - stuck to janitor duty in space but also shoved into other jobs after landing, one of the few people guaranteed to live to Sol's 20th birthday, the third youngest person to leave on the Stratospheric

[Far right] Jubilation "Jubee" - she/her - age 26 - same deal as Blip; she was the surrogate for the last child born in space (Enigma, the girl with the rainbow hair), and is still recovering physically and emotionally when the game starts; her twin sister Jamboree died before she left, but only one of them was ever going to be picked for the ship, she can't remember her sister's face anymore; the second youngest member of gen 2 after Utopia

[Far left] Coralline "Cora" - she/her - age 28 - the ships fourth dedicated creche parent on paper, she's frequently pulled to help on the farms after landing, a consistant member of the greater geoponics area wlw polycule

[Center left] Pyromania "Sparky" - she/her & they/them - 29 - Originally just a part time security officer, her soldier duties quickly begin outweighing her cultivator ones, she started dying her hair like that when she found out the meaning of her name and keeps it another month every time someone calls it tacky, it's been 12 years; another consistant member of the greater geoponics area wlw polycule

[Center right] Curarine "Curie" - she/her & they/them - 32 - A pharmacology researcher doomed by the narrative, the youngest person on the Stratospheric chosen for her skills rather than genetic diversity, she quickly disapointed Instance with her undriven personality, another consistant member of the greater geoponics area wlw polycule

[Far right] Unity "Nita" - she/her - age 31 - The only one here who exclusively works in geoponics, she was four seperate farming wlw until the latest revamp forced me to compress her down into one, the last consistant member of the greater geoponics area wlw polycule

[Left] Mangosteen "Maggie" - she/her - age 30 - Maggie's death when the Strato lands is unavoidable (as her infant twins Whimsy and Praline fill the role of "orphans from the wormhole crash" during babysitting), once a frequent member of the greater geoponics area wlw polycule but had been avoiding the dating scene after a really messy & very public breakup of her throuple with Yuzu and Cinnamon, she was a creche parent and a hydroponics farmer on the ship

[Right] Yuzu - any pronouns - age 31 - Yuzu doesn't 100% use the term wlw but does work in geoponics and either is currently or has previously been dating the same overlapping circle (though they've also been avoiding dating, but mostly because the rest of the polycule "doesn't want to pick sides"), they avoid Maggie's children like the plague

and that would be it for tonight lads, it is now night'o'clock and my hands are starting to hurt, I think I got all the right info down but if not I'll fix it tomorrow or whenever I notice theres a problem. If you've gotten this far I hope you've had fun looking at some of my little guys

[dragonji]

having a mome

ever since talking about [redacted postcanon events] with charlie ive been musing on what jyt and qyz would call each other and well. tonight its just making me very ill in the head a bit and I shrimply need to get it written out somewhere apologies in advance♡

So to begin. JYT would start with calling QYZ Your Highness/Qi Ying bc ascension is a comparitively new situation for him on top of preexisting social uncomfortableness making him default to referring to people by their titles or ranks whenever appropriate. And QYZ obv doesnt really care about titles so even though he knows JYT has one (General Qing Liu btw) he'd just call them by full name. JYT tries very hard to not let on how happy that makes him and only mostly succeeds [smiles peacefully].

Now (as in later postcanons as of timeline of charlies work as well as beyond) I am rather stuck on how to make their forms of address more intimate without verging into ooc-ness for either of them.... Neither of them are much for overly-sweet petnames I would think. With QYZ I dont think he sees a point in using 'random' words to refer to someone he's affectionate towards; JYT just has a deeply thin face for romance and the aforementioned social anxieties. Despite that I do think JYT would start using nicknames first- hes more liable to playfully or exaggerately use a nickname to test out how QYZ reacts where QYZ would just charge ahead with whatever name he finds fitting if/when he wants to call someone something different.

Some handful of years after theyve been acquainted and have formed their sparring routine JYT would feel safe enough to risk calling QYZ by name too (for the first instance picture end of a sparring session both peacefully laying in the dust catching their breath staring at the sky. JYT gathering themself enough to recklessly give a quick nervous "Thanks for today, Quan Yizhen !" before Bolting. He has to go wander around a forest in the mortal realm for a bit after that one to recover meanwhile QYZ is sitting at the sparring grounds like I wonder what their deal is today?? before shrugging it off. They have a conversation about it the next day where JYT cant stop fidgeting before he apologies for not asking before dropping the title and QYZ tells him it literally doesnt matter he prefers when people use his name anyways. And thats That♡). Eventually (5-15 years later maybe?) they would drop to just given names and likely keep using those for a long time.

All that said the safest option to JYT would be smth along the lines of 阿真 (A-Zhen) esp at first when he's unsure of how it'll be received. But I am Also finding it more and more captivating to maybe have JYT call him 小狼 (Xiao Lang) once in a while mainly while theyre alone if that doesnt sound too unfounded..... JYT likes wolves already and its also personal fulfillment to me as (spoilers for my furry tgcfverse) I have also made QYZ a wolf in all my furry versions���� (Maybe when QYZ asks why JYT chose to call him that they would respond along the lines of "wolves are pretty and strong and cool and loyal just like you... even if people dont understand them well! Plus theyre cute and fluffy *pauses to run his hands through QYZ's hair* so I just thought it might fit^^" and QYZ hums a pleased note in return and they go back to napping all cuddled around each other Ok Moving On we're getting too romantic!!-)

Ahem likewise I've been considering having QYZ call JYT 涛涛 (Taotao) on occassion bc it seems cute and also more likely for QYZ to just double the syllables for a straightforward nickname where applicable. I mean having him call JYT Yongtao is already close enough to a nickname seeing as no one else does but maybe just as extra flavor here n there...... Perhaps something involving JYT's association with rabbits or dragons would be possible too/instead? Or perhaps I am simply projecting my furryisms a bit too on-the-nose there... Honestly could just have it be Tao-xiong if I wanted to keep the subtle are they comrades or yknow comrades vibe lol... in the words of my friend nie huaisang I dont know, I really dont know!!!

[jawbonejoe]

I’ll bite!!! I’ve read in your tags about the spineless roommate who folded over everything (the most recent one). Was there a big moment or breaking point for the fallout or was it several small things that built up until it was like a river breaking the levee?

Thank you for the opportunity to be shady (and for reading my tags to know I would cherish this opportunity!)

So my most recent roommate fallout was between myself and a friend I had had since middle school. We wrote together since we were kids and so when I moved back to Bmore it made sense to move in together. While things were fine in the beginning it soon became very clear that we were vastly different people than we had been as kids.

The breaking point came when we were moving into my current spot and I did 100% of the moving work. That included house hunting, arranging applications, touring spaces, then organizing the move, packing everything, loading everything between both places (with the help of their mother, we have to wonder why people who mom does everything for them don't do anything for themselves or others...), carrying all our belongings up a three story 5 stairway walk up. The physical labor of the move took four days total and then I planned and paid for movers to bring up the big stuff. By the end of the whole endeavor I was covered in bruises, out of patience, and had spent a cool $600 to get the furniture moved in.

Then, after a few days in the new place, Roommate simply stopped engaging with me. I could tell things were off, due to the extremely turgid vibes, so I asked that we talk about it. They resoundingly refused and proceeded to ghost me. Ghosting me while living in my home.

In that time I asked repeatedly for us to talk, both in person and over text, and went so far as knocking on the door to their room and asking if we could even talk through the damn door. It was a waste. They were so committed to avoiding me that more than once I heard them hurrying to finish their laundry and run back in their room before I opened the front door. Once, in one of the last times I ever saw them, I called after them as they ran out the door 'When can we talk?!'

After SIX MONTHS of this it all ended when I left for a vacation and on day one of vacay they sent me a long message over discord about how they intended to move out and would I contact our landlord about it? (other bangers from that include 'would [I] lower the rent?' and 'sorry I sent this while you were on vacation but I was afraid you would come and knock on my door.')

In all it was a painful and stupid situation, and one that has helped crystalize my resolve to never deal with Featherweight Millennials. Dysfunction in a housing situation is natural but refusing every avenue to communicate, and then pussing out in the stupidest manner possible, is shrimply not the answer.

The bright side is they dumb ass left their air fryer and are too cowardly to come back for it so I now have a fuckin free air fryer!

[meeravandaseera]

Shello, fellow... this is me - and I wish, I came from the sea!

Welcome to these uncharted waters, fellow!

One shall have alread-sea seen my short description on who I am, but here I shall properly introduce myself. Oh, one can sea that I use many water-related puns, fin-tastic, ain't it?

I primarily go by Meera, a name of which one of its meanings is "sea" or "ocean". The other name is Seera, meaning "light" and it is the version of Meera beginning with S-, my favorite letter, especially because it resembles a wave. In the past, I had chosen the name Meera by adding a- to "Meer" in German, meaning "ocean", yet its origin is rooted in the Sanskrit "meer" what means "ocean" alongside. Seera also has "See" in it, meaning "sea" or "lake" in German. My complete title tends to be Meera Van Da Seera and it does sound like a wizard's spell meanwhile sounding fluid to read in a wave-like tone. It also ryhmes and can be read as "Meera from the Seera". It mostly reflects the name Meera with Seera, yet it could mean "Meera from the light" while I originally thought it would be neat that it could mean "Meera from the sea". In regards to that, "Van" tends to be a preposition meaning "of" or "from" while "da" sometimes is used as an informal spoken slang for "the", yet it can also be the preposition "of" or "from", thus perhaps… "Meera from from Light/Sea". In spite of that, the name is supposed to be read similarly to something like, for example, Henry van de Velde, an art nouveau artist who lived from 1863 to 1957. Originally, I was just shrimply called "Meera Da Seera", then "Meera Van Seera" and then like how it is now, "Meera Van Da Seera". One can use the first or second option alongside the third one.

I mostly swim by she/they, but any pronouns do work for me. What I identify as is non-binary because, to my mind, it feels the most balanced and fitting for myself. Deep down in the abyss of my soul I feel like that.

What my persona or I, myself, wear has some symbolism alongside. The grimace long-nose Venetian mask is called "Scaramouche", named after a clown from the Commedia dell'arte. Its actors were said to wear such masks while entertaining. It makes sense since here I technically just - at least to some extent - attempt to entertain.

This detail from the "The Garden of Earthly Delights" by Hieronymus Bosch (ca. 1450–1516) on the left panel was one of my inspirations too. That waterperson is even reading a book like I do. I have this detail as a profile picture on my channel because of that. It also reminds me of the nose of a goblin shark and a blue marlin, both of them are some of my favorite water creatures. Other than that, all those plague doctor masks inspired me alongside. Birds appeal to me, especially budgerigars of whom some have lived with me. The mask's long nose reminds me of the beak of a bird and the seirenes or sirens of Greek mythology were half-bird. This mask thus may resemble them in some tide for me. They symbolize for me the connection between the shore and the sea and this makes sense to me. I am a shore soul, yet long to be a sea soul. Anyhow, I mostly write about waterfolk from around the world because I would yearn to be a waterperson.

I am an avid hobbyist researcher on the so-called waterfolk like mermaids and mermen. I designate myself as a so-called not-too-sea-rious waterfolkologist. It's the biggest thought wave in the sea of mine as I have dedicated lots of research on the topic itself.

Furthermore, it is one of the major special interests of mine. They are a comparative mythology, appearing all over the entire world ever since the first established civilizations. I shall primarily write about "waterfolkology". The term is something I conjured up myself, inspired by the term "mermaidology" that some use to refer to the "study of mermaids". My term thus refers to the "study of waterfolk".

It refers to researching anything waterfolk-related like the folklore, mythology, and the effect it has on society. This also dives into more treacherous topics like cryptozoology, basically the waterfolk sightings which have surfaced over the tide of time. Such entries will tend to be more "sea-rious". Of course I'm not a scholar, therefore one can take it with a grain of sea salt. I just used sources which are available to me, all of which shall be stated in the same post for any that one shall be reading!

Sometimes these waters tend to be more rough and the topics may be disputable in some tide for whatever reason. The blog is kind of like the Enūma eliš where Abzu and Tiamat's waters were mixed together and how it all began from chaos according to the myth. The blog shall also be as calm, yet as free as the sea.

Anyhow, I also shall post stuff about my projects like my art, for example, yet also my thoughts on anything that is part of my interests. Such posts are taken to be part of the shallow and care-free sea, basically not "sea-rious".

Some of my favorite videogames include Endless Ocean, Abzû, Journey, Aquaria, Star Stable, Friday Night Funkin', and others. My favorite movies and series include Creatue from the Black Lagoon, Siren aka Mysterious Mermaids, Man from Atlantis, H2O: Just Add Water and Mako Mermaids, The Shape of Water, Luca, and much more :>

What I reblog has the same criteria: primarily something waterfolk-related which I want to share. I highly suggest you to check out the respective author/s of anything that gets reblogged.

Topics are searchable via these tags: #waterfolkology for any analysis or post regarding sea-rious waterfolk studies #my artwork for all of my art on here.

If one has any inquiries, questions, submissions or whatever, feel free to reach out to me. I'm not far out on the sea!

I have an inquiry alongside: If one wants to use or repost my work, namely exclusively my work that I solely made entirely by myself like my art or texts elsewhere aside from a reblog here on this site, please read this in the first tide. I am fine with using my artwork for profile pictures for instance, but give credit to me or cite me. Many authors have shipwrecked in the waves, never to be found again by other landlocked fellows. I do not condone republishing essays or articles I wrote aside from quotations. In general, sharing my work helps others to see it, but not when I am not mentioned at all. Redistributing without crediting the author or artist is not very neat. I license only most of own works under CC BY-SA which means that one can redistribute and create derivative works of my own work as long as one properly credits or attributes me and licenses the repost or derivative work under the same terms as mine. I do not condone using my own work for commercial purposes unless it's for education, parody, review or critique. For example, I am fine with if one uses quotations of my works in a book about mermaids or something else with proper citation. Reviews for instance are gladly appreciated as it helps me improve. I do sound dry, but it is good to be said. Anyhow, asking for permission is always good too!

I encourage one to save anything you like on my blog, by the tide. For example, by taking screenshots or something else.

I'm also on reddit where I had originally published some stuff and on Youtube alongside.

May Oannes guide you through any stormy seas.

h

[septemberskye]

20 questions for fic writers!

tagged by @aevallare, ty bestie<3

i'll tag @again-please and @jaynovz and @narastories (i know this'll work its way around to the rest of the Sunder City gang if i tag you two lol)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

four. wow. why does that get so huge if i just do the number

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 

113,782. more than i thought!

3. What fandoms do you write for? 

Dishonored, Black Sails, and Horizon: Forbidden West have all gotten varying amounts committed to the page. Stargate: SG-1 has plans but no actual fic

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? 

let’s just not worry about this

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

yeah, i really like to, but i suffer from forgetfulness disease so i don’t always manage it. i’ve made friends in the comments! 

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

the planned ending of No Worms, for sure. the only non-canon upsides are that Vane and Abigail Ashe survive to the end. they will be desperately miserable but live to see another day

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? 

a kind of peace that might even last. i sidestep all the sadness of DH1 by making some things happen eight years ahead of schedule :) 

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

i’ve never gotten hate, but there was a person reading Potential Merits that kept leaving comments about how genuinely, personally upset they were at the narrative choices i was making that really contributed to me burning out on that one :/ 

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? 

yeah, sure! as for what kind… i’m quite sure i have not written enough to establish a brand 

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? 

nah

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? 

not that i know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

not so far

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? 

i've co-planned a couple! @neosatsuma and i worked together on the Stargate fic (it slaps btw), and @donotfeedthewildauthor and i have a very light and silly Dishonored modern au

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

i shrimply cannot answer this. i have so many beloveds. 

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Potential Merits. the thought of trying to go back over all 86,000 words of it and make it into something i could be proud of again is way too daunting. 

16. What are your writing strengths?

i like to think that my characterization is strong, and that i’m good at leaving breadcrumbs. i always know the end i’m working toward, too 

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

banter. good god i do not know how to banter. there’s a reason i’m writing a poorly-adjusted ranger in my BG3 fic instead of, say, a bard. i’m never as poetic as i’d like to be, either

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? 

i wouldn’t do it unless i had someone fluent in the language helping me, i’d be too worried about making mistakes. i really enjoy reading it in others’ work, though. 

19. First fandom you wrote for? 

PotC, all the way back in 2nd grade

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

a kind of peace! i think my humor lands, it’s fun, i met all the goals i had for it.

[sighonaraa]

🚀 for the Fanfic Ask Meme :)

🚀 Do you like to outline your fic first or create as you go?

i am very much a by-the-seat-of-my-pants writer. here's what happens.

i get an Idea. i scream about it on here for eternity. i open a doc and type out like. a vague sentence or two about what i want from this story. i have crippling anxiety about writing the first sentence. I WRITE THE FIRST SENTENCE!!!!! i forget about the doc for a week and finally return to it. i bang out 10k words all at once in a trance and come on here to scream about it again. i stare at the cursor for days. somehow...... somehow the fic gets finished. I CELEBRATE!!!! i nit-pick it for hours. I POST!!!!!

i don't think i've ever written an actual outline in my life. i have mad respect for y'all who do (you know who you are) but my brain shrimply. does not work that way. the mom city fix it had absolutely no outline beyond a couple of bullet points in my notes app that were entirely unhinged:

[infinite-orangepeel]

just a little hurt/comfort steddie snippet from the next chapter of it's rotten work (bc it's still not done and i want to give you something in the meantime, lmk what you think--comments are always so helpful !!)

context: steve's having a panic attack about the whole 'russian torture' situation from s3. thankfully, eddie notices and is right there to help him through it.

Eddie must notice him slipping into the past, because he’s suddenly tugging at the soft, honey tendrils that hang at the nape of Steve’s neck. Pulling ever so slightly at the root–not enough for anyone to really notice, not enough to read as punishment. 

He delivers the perfect amount of sensation to dangle the rope back to reality just in front of Steve’s lidded eyes. To stick an oxygen mask on him and rub that earthy smelling salve onto his skin. Lavender, beeswax, and pine. Elements of the great big world–everything far and beyond Hawkins–condensed into a mason jar. Rubbed onto his wounds, into all of the places where hurt has brought rot and decay. 

“No one’s ever gonna hurt you, again. Not on my watch. You’re safe, baby. Daddy’s got you,” Eddie whispers into his ear, breath tickling like a warm summer breeze. Conjuring the lick of the lake against Steve’s ankles, blue jays squawking songs from the trees, droplets of lemonade missing his mouth. Eddie changes the scene and grabs his hand atop the throw pillow, “Be good for me and squeeze down as hard as you can. You won’t hurt me, sunshine. Take whatever you need. I’ll give you anything.”

Steve melts into him, transfers the pain from his palm to Eddie’s. Follows the instructions, does what he’s been told like a good boy–Eddie’s good boy–and holds on. Gaze trapping on their intertwined hands as the kids rally playful arguments back and forth. Bouncing off the walls like they’re meant to–like all kids are meant to, like Steve never had the opportunity to. 

“Harder, babydoll. You won’t break me,” Eddie encourages, nosing at his neck; drawing a line to his ear, but Steve’s distracted–eyes locked onto the kids just in case they need something or notice what’s going on between the two, “Hush, hush. Your babies are fine, Mama,” he nips at his cheek teasingly, “Daddy’s keeping an eye out for danger–don’t you worry. C’mon, be good. Push all that pain away, put it right into my hand, let me carry it for you. I don’t mind.”

taglist (if you'd like to be added or removed lmk <3): @asbealthgn, @madigoround, @malachitedevil, @thered-thread, @estrellami-1, @ilovecupcakesandtea, @bestofbucky, @vampireinthesun, @carlyv, @shrimply-a-menace, @jjoesjonas, @anxiouseds

[vampirebutterflies]

15 Questions!

tagged by the shrimply fantastic @not-nervous-jester (ꈍᴗꈍ)ε｀*)

1. Were you named after anyone?

…my first name is partially after a dog. yeah.

A show dog that my paternal grandparents bred and showed, so not just some random pet, but still. A dog. At least my full first name slaps so it’s not that bad.

I share a middle name with my paternal grandma not the biggest fan but I digress and I’ll be changing that to one of my chosen names (Asteroid) to keep the initial but also make it Mine yk? Orig just is Not the vibe for me. And also I keep forgetting if it’s spelled with or without an e (it’s without lmao)

2. When was the last time you cried?

Two days ago! I absolutely fucking hate crying and it’s taken me until the last few months to really. Be able to more freely. ‘Cause I’d repressed it all so heavily that I just straight up couldn’t 😌 My beloved beef is very patient and very kind in helping me though

3. Do you have kids?

Nope and absolutely never thanku very much

4. Do you use sarcasm?

Me? Sarcastic? Never! Can’t believe you’d ever think that

(……/s)

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Honestly? Visual appearance, I’m very quick to pick up on anything interesting like tattoos or piercings or what they’re wearing or their hair or eyes / mouth / makeup or jewellery etc etc. Not in a judgemental way at all, I just really like looking at people ??? that sounds weird. it is a lil weird. that’s fine it’s not mean or gross weird. I’m very much a complimenter too so if there’s something I like about you or what you’re wearing or if you’re just. really really pretty etc I’ll just. Say it

Online is probably things like your own lil spelling and grammar things (like u or you or if you capitalise stuff) and if you come across as kind / kinda dickish. Also your ✨aesthetic✨ if there’s one available to be perceived

6. What’s your eye colour?

Dark green?? Green-hazel?? Not to be that annoying person but truly struggled answering this for my photo ID card— asking four people got four different responses from dark blue to brown and they’re absolutely Neither of those so like. Shrug. Whatever you wanna call this one

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

I’m an absolute lily livered pussy assed lil baby WIMP so scary things can be very very good and very fun HOWEVER I’ll be making distressed noises and hiding behind a pillow and jumping and flap stimming when it gets even a lil too much

8. Any special talents?

god I wish uhhhhh floristry maybe? Not to toot my own doot but some of the pieces I turned out were fucking BANGERS

9. Where were you born?

I fell to this planet during a meteor shower, I was barely formed with no one but the worms and beetles for company until my parents unearthed me from the dirt after the fae requested their assistance in finding me

jk I was evicted in a hospital about half an hour away from here

10. What are your hobbies?

uhhhhhh running my damn mouth, thrifting and upcycling, amateur photography, silly lil outfits and makeup looks(? Does that count?) I’m trying to get back into art as well??

11. Do you have any pets?

Yes!! Technically Diva’s the only one who’s Mine tm everyone else is family owned but two cats (Brave— 3yo rescue fluff, and Diva— 11yo Burmese), two dogs (Tripp and Chia) and a yellow budgerigar called Chicken or Special Budgie

12. What sports do you play / have you played?

*horrified noises*

I played volleyball and netball in school though that wasn’t the worst

13. How tall are you?

5’2. on a good day. 🥺

14. Favourite subject in school?

English, science and art (specifically visual art and wearable art in highschool)

15. Dream job?

Is “pretty twunky femboy faggot living the dream with lots of people adoring me and giving me lots and lots of money just for looking pretty and being fun” an option? If so how do I get there and where do I sign up

That aside. I’d absolutely fucking love to work at the museum doing science communication and conservation work!!!! Particularly I’d love to specialise in the space / minerals / animals / plants / natural sciences sections. Absolute dream absolute goal

also because I’m not necessarily like smart enough to actually Work In Those Research Fields and that’s fine!! I’m glad about that because it means far less Huge Gigantic Super Smart Studying but there’ll always be a need for conserving and protecting materials and communicating all the super smart shit into Normal People Understanding yk??

Tagging: @chupacactus @nofeelingisfinall @turtles-on-turts @eye-scream-girls @blackbeardskneebrace @cononeills @ipomoea-batatas @enbiosaur no obligation as always 💕💕