#just focus on your fave and their content because there is plenty of it

[nocanonhere]

Let me get this straight and make a list: Wyll fans asking for bug fixes, more content as was provided to other characters, and a complete storyline is the same as:

- wanting no one else to have content

- wanting other characters removed from the game entirely

- asking for Wyll to have the same writer(s) as other characters (like, huh?)

- being entitled

- being aggressive (hahaaa)

- being ungrateful

- harassment toward Larian

- accosting fans of other characters

- being racist toward other characters (hahaaa)

I could go on, but i won’t because it’s been 84 years and the same fucking people are conflating the same arguments:

Wanting a fair amount of content for Wyll does not mean wanting less for anyone else

[raccoonfallsharder]

When I saw the first guardians film in middle school, my love of our favorite raccoon began. Finding a community of Rocket lovers after keeping it silently inside for so long is special (in a way I can't articulate without sounding goofy bc it's an anthropomorphic raccoon we're talking about here). I graduate from college this weekend and want to thank you for your stories getting me through hard times and motivationless days. It's given me a knew way to enjoy the movies I've watched so many times :) What was the media that got you super into Rocket and inspired your fiction writing? Much love!!

first and foremost, i want to congratulate you. school is not easy, and i swear it gets harder and feels more high-pressure/high-stakes every year. i hope that your time at college has given you more learning experiences than all-nighters, more opportunities than stressors, and more joy than hardship. and i hope that you are able to take everything you’ve earned and enjoy your freedom from university surrounded by good people, with plenty of time and resources to do the things you love. if you haven’t yet, please take time to sit and breathe and really soak up the fact that you did this. be proud of yourself. you fucken deserve it.

secondly, i read this while walking to the parking garage at 11pm after helping at an event for my college students (i work at a university) and i had to sit in my car and wait till i stopped tearing up so i could drive home. this truly made me so happy and im so glad my silly stories made things even just a little easier for you. ♡

so, my falling in love with rocket was a process. (cue me narrating this for three paragraphs like a schoolgirl with her first crush)

when we first saw rocket’s back in gotg1 i was like, oh. he’s in so much pain. between that + his fucken sarcasm, i complained afterward that the movie would’ve been so much better if he was the main character (lol). i started lazily dabbling in comics content then. i hadn’t been big into marvel comics before (more of a dc/image comics kid) but rocket and groot were becoming my faves. i loved gotg2. so much more focus on rocket, and yondu’s arc had me bawling like a baby. gotg2 made me like gotg1 more, which is part of how i judge the quality of a narrative series tbh (and why i think series are so hard to make). when the first gotg3 trailer came out and it was clear this was rocket’s story, i was obsessed. i didnt watch any additional trailers or read any more comics — rare for me. i wanted to go in completely blank. then i went back to the theatre to rewatch it three additional times (i have never before gone to see a movie more than once in the theatre). i was like… almost bursting with love for this stupid raccoon at this point.

then i got around to reading his grounded comic arc, and it was like — the dam burst. i hadn’t written fanfiction since 2017ish, and hadn’t been on tumblr since 2016, but i was like — i have to write about this fucken raccoon. i need to take care of him lol.

so when you ask what media - i guess all of it? in increments? because of course now ive watched most of his various cartoon incarnations, read probably 70% of the comics content, halfway through a stream of the 2021 game, have one of the novels (sitting on the tbr pile) and frankly the love just continues to grow.

now that ive taken up thirty-two years of your life, i just want to say im so glad you found this fandom and this community. he may be an anthropomorphic raccoon but he’s meaningful to people, in so many ways. im so very very glad that he could be that for you, and that you’re here.

congrats again, nonnie. i hope post-graduation life rewards you with supportive people who love and understand you, with joyful new experiences, good health, and everything you need to live happily and fully.

[anangelkatia]

katarina’s lifestyle/diet tips

this is for those who need a guide, who are lost, who are struggling mentally, i’m giving you the real talk.🎀

(here’s one of my faves- you’re welcome💋)

no matter how far you are from your goals, no one deserves to put themselves down or abuse themselves. it’s not needed to achieve your dream. all you need to do is focus on the nutrition and exercise, by putting your attention to the quality of the food your eating, and eating real foods. by what I mean “real”- food an animal would consider food. forget the diet soda’s, junk protein bars, and tasteless depressing rice cakes. no fit and happy person eats like this. nourish your body with foods like this: good quality meats for protein (beef, chicken, turkey), healthy fats (eggs, greek yoghurt, quality cheeses, plain or just salted nuts) and fiber (fruits and veggies in season, organic is best) and also real loaves of bread (not the packaged sugary junk on the selves) and quality pasta’s, potatoes etc. this food with NOURISH and HEAL your body. this is the optimal human diet- plenty of variety and balance and all so good for you. you know that feeling in summer where you have that first sip of water and feel 10x better? yeah, your body will thank you the same way when you start eating real food <3

okay, once we have nutrition down, now we have exercise!

something you can be relieved over: immense tiring cardio won’t give you that fit toned look, because you’re not building any muscle. some lighter cardio, even walking, aerobics, sports, is excellent for your health and fitness, but it can’t tone you up the same as: STRENGTH TRAINING 🎀

This will be your new best friend, do some research on your own to find out your favorite type etc but generally you need to build some muscle to get that toned look of your dreams! A solid plan is this-

• 3 nourishing meals a day (general nice rule is to eat until you’re just full, u could eat a little more but you’re absolutely content. nothing to feel bad about!)

• 3/4x a week strength training- full body weighted (dumbbells!) 30-45mins

• some cardio you like, maybe aerobics, running, sports, anything!

some fun tips for the end:

-average gal needs about 6/7 cups of water a day, you don’t need to drink soooo much!

-it’s one of the most important things in life, sleeping. the most beautiful models sleep a lot, you need it.

-being kind to yourself with words, self-hate might temporarily motivate you but over time you’ll become your own bully </3

i hope someone out there resonates with this and if you wanna talk reach out! 🌸 -katarina xoxo (tags are for exposure)

[94erz]

Trying my best to not do comparisons as I get more into TXT but already there are some glaring things that stand out to me.

Right off the bat, my fave duo already seems to be highly underrated. Fun. Like why is Tyunning unpopular????

I read someone say they're the least popular members in TXT and oh my fucking god here we go again, am I K-pop cursed or what?! I honest to god thought Kai was one of the most popular, like Yeonjun is obviously THE most popular and I had the impression Kai was 2nd but apparently, that's not true???? And I got the feeling Taehyun was not popular 'cause his personality is definitely interesting and I can see him being offputting to K-pop fans because he doesn't play into all the cliches of the industry and idol expectations (which is why I love him). He's very matter-of-fact and not nearly as silly and chaotic as the others (plus he hates aegyo? King shit), but he's got charm and can be really cute when he does show that side of himself which tells me it's genuine. But he's also a magician, so he's not taking life too seriously LOL

But I think so far I find being into TXT easier than being into BTS because the group is so fucking cohesive, like how ALL of the members contribute to the group in ALL aspects. As in, all 5 members contribute to the groups' music in some capacity, there is no glaring difference in contribution from a few members versus the others, which exists in BTS where the VL have coasted on a decade-long career on the RL's writing. And they started EARLY on that shit, so they can only keep growing, plus it's interesting how none of them have done any solo side projects (like mixtapes), which tells me they all feel very satisfied in their group work together and no one is feeling artistically stifled (looking directly at BTS' rap line).

I love watching their choreos and being able to see everyone :) I love how each member gets an opportunity to be central with both lines in songs and in videos :) like even if the fandom has favorites, the content itself is not leading you toward only some members, you can really like all of them, but even if you just wanna focus on your fave, there is plenty of content for each member to do that across the board. Balanced, like all good things should be :))

[musette22]

Realistically I know nothing is gonna happen at the con, 1. Because at the first sign of discomfort they will probably cancel the whole thing and 2. Because if there’s something Chris Evans fans are is a bunch of cowards and clinically insane but that’s another topic.

But the fact that they are very publicly speaking about how they’re gonna confront Chris about his relationship, and attack his girlfriend is absolutely maddening to me. Like it makes me believe that I’m living in an alternate world because there’s absolutely no fucking way people act that way. In the real world? Wild shit.

I wasn't sure whether or not I should publish this, but screw it, I'll just reply to this one message just because it's something that's been on my mind as well. I'll put the rest of my reply under the cut since I know a lot of my followers (and actually me too, usually) like to avoid negativity and discourse.

First of all, and I'm sure you know this too, obviously not all Chris Evans fans are deranged. I'm a little weird, sure, but I'm not stalker or harassment levels crazy, and neither are you I'm guessing, and neither are all the lovely people I have come to know here on Tumblr. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of lunatics out there and while I haven't seen much of the vitriol this time around (I learned my lesson after the same thing happend with Sebastian a few years back and decided to steer clear as much as possible), I have seen enough to know that it's pretty bad, and enough to make me genuinely worried about how this con is going to go down.

I hope to god you're right and that the proceedings will be closely monitored, but I find it really hard to believe they'd be able to make sure nothing crazy gets through, and yeah, that makes me nervous. I also don't think anything too bad will happen, but I still don't know what Chris was thinking when he signed up for 3 (!) days of this con as well as a (live streamed) panel, during this particularly turbulent time. He's not naive, he knows roughly what some people are saying and he knows there is a danger of things becoming pretty uncomfortable for him, I have no doubt. So I kind of feel like there must be a specific reason why he signed up for this con (a professional one, I mean), and honestly, I am equally scared about what that might be, considering some of the marvel rumours that have been floating around of late. But maybe I'm worrying about nothing here, and I probably shouldn't jump the gun, and just wait and see what the next couple of weeks bring.

But yeah, I absolutely hate how judgemental and entitled some people are about all of this, especially those who claim to be his fans. If you don't like Chris or don't agree with what he does in his personal life, that's fine. No one says you have to. Just avoid him and focus on people and things you do like, it's that easy. But there is no need to go around badmouthing him just because you don't like him. Don't go out of your way to make him out to be a bad person, or make rash judgements about the people close to him, based on rumours and hearsay and information from people who clearly have an agenda, and don't act like you know what's best for him better than he does himself. That's just stupid. And DEFINITELY don't fucking harass him or his loved ones, whether online or in real life. That is actual, high-level crazy person behaviour and nothing gets me angrier or more disillusioned about the state of fandom than those kind of people (who are giving the rest of us a bad name and also have repeatedly ruined good thing both for their 'faves' and for the rest of us). Wild shit indeed.

Anyway. Let's hope things go smoothly and that overall this con will just be a nice and fun affair that'll give us lovely new Chris content. I won't be watching the live stream lol, but I'll be over here keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best 🤞🏻

[capitano-marina]

I really liked your thoughts about this season. I’m usually a bit more of a casual fan but I ended up really enjoying this season and even trying to go a bit deeper in the fandom and fic. One thing I found interesting is that I see a lot of talk about how the show sees Carina as just Maya’s wife and of course I agree but oddly enough for a soapy show about firefighters with way too many characters I think sometimes they do make an effort and I appreciate it, all those pregnant women everywhere lol (Maybe because I remembered how she was treated in greys so any little effort makes me happy)

What made me really sad was that when I got into this ship I saw that the whole Carina is just Maya’s wife is true for so much of the fandom. I don’t buy that what do you expect when Maya is so much more important on the show because I’ve been in fandom for way too long and I have ships where one character is the main character and the other is very much supporting and there is plenty of focus on that one character. In fact they are like the fandom’s fave with much less backstory than Carina.

Most shippers just love Maya much more, they connect with her, they feel for her, they are more attracted to her, idk, they love Carina as Maya’s wife and long as she is perfect, kind, understanding and super in love with their fave. And it’s absolutely fine, you love who you love, who knows what makes us feel fanish about a character or a ship but for someone who loves both of them but Carina a bit more it’s very disappointing to keep looking for fic/content/discussion somewhat centered on Carina and not finding much of it.

I think about the few moments this season where Carina was allowed to think about her own feelings and be angry like in the roof, or leaving Maya, or going out for drinks or even a stupidly written “then” instead of “and” and it’s “how dare terrible Carina do that to poor Maya, what about her trauma? Her pain? There better be fic and meta on how Carina should feel horrible and go beg forgiveness for being awful” Don’t worry, it will! So yes I can deal with the show treating Carina as less important but when it’s fandom it just makes everything so much less fun to me.

But it’s a great ship and they are fantastic actors! They truly elevate everything about these characters and relationship and it’s lovely to see on the screen.

Oh wow anon went all in….

Thank you for liking my all over the place thoughts, you are very blessed to just be a casual fan tho trust me going deep isn’t good if you don’t find the right people to share it with.

About Carina situation, we all know it’s a firefighter show but this doesn’t mean they can’t give her enough because even Grey’s Anatomy was and still treating her bad, making Jo switch specialists just so they can show more OB without actually showing Carina which is sad, if they can make Room for some political/Mayor storyline they sure can make something for Carina.

Sadly some people do have a different attitude towards Carina, even tho they won't notice or admit it..and I'm pretty sure, from the little we saw, that if they ever showed her as flawed or doing something wrong, it's gonna be chaos, Cause they do see her as perfect (which she is, but you know what I mean) and not as a human most of the time, and i am the biggest Maya Bishop fan you will ever find but when something is wrong it’s wrong and anyone that took sides in this whole drama of s6 is simply not a true shipper of them, they only love the idea of Maya being with Carina and vice versa only when one of them does something right they are all in but with just one little mistake by one of them they hate that character.

I mean she got hated on because she expressed her fears or even didn't trust Maya right away..and no matter how bad I love Maya, Carina's still her own person and her feelings are valid just as much as Maya’s feelings.

And people will see themselves (some already do) in Carina if we see her side of the story more often, they wasted the clinic storyline on Jack getting close to Carina (the whole spermgate storyline of s5), there was potential with Carina working with Ben in the PRT if it wasn’t shut down because of Bob.

Was so happy to be away from twitter during the whole “and” “then” drama because i had enough of this fandom and it’s drama.

As for Danielle and Stefania they are the absolute best and they have ruined watching shows for me because there will never be anyone like them that care this much about the ship and the fans wish the show people understood what they have in their hand is Gold and all the shows look for it but hardly find it.

[neonscandal]

Original Content Creators to Follow: MHA

Not saying any of these are particularly small accounts but some of their videos just have a way of staying with you. Below are some of my favorite creators flush with original ideas, head canons and storylines. While some cosplay, the emphasis here is def on their overall flourish for skits featuring your favorite My Hero Academia characters. See anyone you weren’t already following on this list or have recommendations, let me know because there’s plenty more where these come from!

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: Accounts contain content that is largely spoiler free up to, I believe, chapter 290 (shortly after S5 ends but has a big reveal). Any video linked in green is spoiler free beyond that point and draws from original storylines by these creators. Peruse at your own risk if you're not caught up.

CHECK THEM OUT (if you haven’t already)

peachycub - I’ve shared a video of hers before but when I tell you I stayed up until 4AM on a work day cackling while watching like every. single. one. of her series and videos.. just follow her. The premise of her Denki Facetimes series (currently there are 4 separate storylines but I linked my fave), is largely the relationship between busybody head ass Denki and his increasingly familiar FaceTimes with Dadzawa who you see progresses from “I-don’t-get-paid-enough-for-this” to “spill-the-tea-Denki”. Features appearances from other characters including Denki’s object of affection, Shinsou, in increasingly hilarious/awkward set ups. One of my favorite vids that can be watched as a stand-alone is above for your entertainment.

samsolvethis - you will laugh, you will cry, and the characterization for each character is so. spot. on. 🤣 Plenty of long form series (usually in cosplay) which takes tons of writing and coordination, and probably features your favorite 🏳️‍🌈 pairing. Account is like 96% MHA so worth a follow if you’re a stickler about that.

Bonus: the Confession Quirk series, idk where all the ideas came from for these little confessions but they slayed me. You can stay up all night and ride the emotional rollercoaster of the many storylines available on this account.

sukunasfoot - as the name suggests, you’ll see content from other series like JJK and Haikyuu. Some of these skits seem to be the nonsensical products of fever dreams gone right ✨ which is right up my alley. Unlikes some of the other creators on this list, most of the videos are standalone ideas.

Bonus: Concepts range but I really love the random videos where MHA boys recreate Mina's Makeup routine and pretty sure Bakugo being a bad bitch is canon.

noah.i.c - MHA content ranges from angst due to his stellar emoting to the hilarious reimagining relationship dynamics. In particular, I love the much needed Bakugo and Uraraka besties to my favorite Trans!Bakugo/Trans!Uraraka in the series SPITEBABY. Expect to find some delightful rare pairs on this account. You'll see some non-MHA related content but his acting skills are pretty bewitching so I doubt you'll mind.

leighpeaches - you cannot tell me that she is not Shouta Aizawa and the content doesn't just stop with these brilliant insights into the mind of our favorite parent/teacher combo. She also has a lot of nice soft Dadzawa head canons to rattle off which I love.

Bonus: If you're lucky, you'll catch her when she busts out her Tsuyu voice. But a lot of her class 1a voices are adorably spot on.

happypancake234 - largely comedy skits with great head canons thrown in for razzle dazzle also features additional (but minor if this is a sticking point) videos about JJK, SK8 and other seasonal content.

Bonus: the HatsuIida rare pair series is so bizarrely canon, obsessed.

trixxygirl - the Baku & Deku Squads as Kids series made following a quick decision but there are a few other notable mentions including a focus on Bakugo as a kid/menace to society.

victoriatakami - I am mildly obsessed with this video about the pro heroes and their merch and appreciate that this creator really gives shine to characters (like Miruko!) that a lot of people don’t focus on. Expect additional content from One Piece and reaction vids to other seasonal releases, as well.

livmayacosplay - do you want to be sad? Do you want to hear some really well thought out interpretations of the inner workings of class 1A and what causes them to break? Let’s go.

Bonus: Froppy voice.

YOU’RE PROBABLY ALREADY FOLLOWING (because you absolutely should)

brownbakugo (VA) - the sheer amount of chaos these dubs convey makes sense why they’re frequently illustrated by hella fanimators and why you know Todoroki goes by “IcyThot” on Thursdays. Just impeccable commitment to whatever ideas people throw out including crossover scenarios with other shows. It’s hard to pick a favorite so get lost in this worm hole.

marsmignon (VA) - you’re not on MHA tok if you haven’t heard his dubs and the breadth of characters he’s able to bring to life is masterful as evidenced in this Cotton Eyed Crow video.

bluesbirb - so many hysterical series, it's hard to pick one to share. This is another creator where, upon finding them, I spent all night laughing. I literally have no idea how one person can dream up so much. Expect *much deserved* Endeavor slander with wholesome Todoroki sibling bonding + Hawks and cast crossovers with the likes of Marvel, SK8, etc.

Bonus: Clowning Aizawa during Christian Girl Autumn.

[lucascsinclairs]

Omg, Kaisa!!! The season finale was a RIDE. Are you okay???? Because Lumax nearly destroyed me. Caleb’s performance in the final episode was off the charts (Sadie obviously was brilliant as usual but Caleb’s guttural wailing compromised me). Just wanted to check in my with fave Lumax shipper to make sure you’re okay and see how you’re holding up. That scene where they were writing notes was so cute I wanted to dieeeeee. I can’t wait to see all the content you’re inspired to make from their incredible and heartbreaking season!

Hi Janna! Thank you for the ask, it's always so lovely to hear from you! 💙

And omg it truly was! It was so great but I truly felt like I'd been ran over by a truck when it was all over. And yeah, you guessed right, they really did destroy me! When I asked for more screen time for them post s3, this is not exactly what I had in mind! But they really were incredible this season, despite all the sadness, I'm so happy they got to have proper focus and a more mature, serious storyline after they were just used for comedy in s3. And to find some silver lining in all the heartbreak of the ending, it really truly solidified their endgame status in the canon. After something like that, there's no way that they won't end the series together. And that knowledge of the long-term is what will keep me going through the uncertainty for now.

And you're so right! Caleb absolutely floored me with his performance! Both of them did an amazing job but it was especially great to see him get to show his acting skills in a big way like that, since he hasn't really gotten emotional material like that before. I honestly don't know how Sadie managed to not react in that scene, if I saw my friend I've known for ages deliver that heartbreaking of a performance, I would've burst into tears right there and then. He deserves all the awards and recognition!

And yes the note writing scene! It was just so sweet and amazing and they truly have such great on-screen chemistry! They weren't even speaking and still delivered such a heartwarming and adorable performance! That scene was also really great at showcasing that even though they, and all of the party, have gone through horrible terrible things, they're also still just kids. Their bashful smiles and little smiley faces and stick figure drawings really brought that home, and made such a stark contrast to the absolute heartbreak later in the episode.

Thank you so much for thinking of me, I'm honored to be known as your favorite Lumax fan, I accept that position with honor! (My sister just finished the finale and the first question she asked me was how was I feeling after That scene, so it's good to know I have a recognizable brand shdjjdjs)

I have so many ideas for gifs and fics for them, I've already started some and I'm continuing to jot down ideas and things, so you can look forward to plenty of Lumax content to last us through the upcoming hiatus!

[eisforeidolon]

To the frustrated and tired anon:

Apart from the great advice you already received from eisforeidolon, I'd suggest the following:

Unfollow. Block. Find new, better blogs to follow.

I blocked every single one of the Jared stans you described because I was so sick of them constantly twisting or willfully misinterpreting Jensen's words, of the constant bad faith interpretations of literally everthing he does or says, of them picking every interview or con panel apart to find some tiny, tiny thing they can be outraged about and start drama over. Soon they'll start "criticizing" (because that's what they like to call it, even though it's just stan hysteria, whining and hate) him for the way he breathes. Or maybe next time he'll look at Jared the wrong way somehow, who knows.

But it's ridiculous and obnoxious and I have no time for outrage addicts and drama queens who are determined to paint Jensen as some kind scheming, back-stabbing, narcissistic, egoistical villain, when he is, by all accounts of people who actually know him or have actually worked him (including Jared himself!), a very decent and lovely human being.

The only Jared stans I follow now are either drama-free ones who just focus on Jared/Sam and don't constantly feel the need to drag Jensen or the ones who genuinely like both of J2.

I also ventured out of my usual comfort zone and started following and interacting with people from other parts of the spn fandom (the scary world of "hellers" and "AAs" according to Jared stans, oh no!), and have found some perfectly lovely new blogs to follow there.

Unlike the Jared stans, who spend all their time trashing Jensen instead of focusing on their fave (I just checked some of their blogs and they're still at it, nothing but posts whining about perfectly normal things Jensen said in recent interviews, Jensen's fashion choices, the prequel etc.), the new blogs I follow barely ever mention Jared or do so in a neutral or nice way.

As a result, my dash is now completely free of hate for anyone, and that is very relaxing indeed.

Seriously, people shouldn't be so afraid to step out of their comfort zone.

Just because you've followed someone for a long time doesn't mean you can't unfollow/block them if their content affects you negatively or you don't agree or vibe with them anymore. And the spn fandom is still pretty big, there are plenty of other nice people from all parts of the fandom to follow instead.

Yeah. I personally don't usually go in for blocking, because, well, frankly I'm a bit of a fandom drama rubbernecker sometimes so I like to check in on all the different sides. The problem has been that I got too comfortable with the stans being somewhere vaguely over there, but the fandom landscape has changed.

There are absolutely Jensen stans who I see as the mirror image of the Jared stans in question. Not the genuinely disturbed heller types harassing and threatening the actors, nor the ones who mostly just pretend Jared doesn't exist, but some in the middle who rarely turn down the chance to mock Jared. You generally don't find them unless you go looking for them, though, which is the problem I think we're having. What was previously mostly a reliably J2 space has now fractured into J2 and Jared stans and it's necessary to adjust to that. As with fandom in any sense, I think it's very important to recognize when you aren't having fun anymore and manage your experience. Whatever that means for you as an individual.

That's what I was trying to get at, possibly a little obtusely, with my last paragraph on how I keep my dash wank-free. The last day or so, my dash is, like, 90% Jensen doing The Boys promos and the other 10% is SPN and J2 gifsets, random SPN thoughts/discussion/fanart, and a little bit of Walker. I only get the wank when I go looking for it, or someone brings it to me and I find that a much better experience.

[thisdiscontentedwinter]

I love the book and the movie equally of The Martian, and I like reading fics about Mark's recovery back on earth, not even in a relationship necessarily. But the most fics for the fandom focus on Dr. Beck (Sebastian Stan) and Beth Johansson (Kate Mara), who barely are present at all in either the book or movie. And Mark is interesting.

I get it, Sebastian Stan and Kate Mara are very charming, attractive humans. But I just want Mark Watney.

It's okay though, because that's what the fandom decided, so it is what it is. It happens occasionally where the MC takes a backseat, and a side character gets to shine in fandom. I'm just happy that people still want to make Martian fanfic.

DW: Sometimes your fave is not the fandom fave, and that's fine!

I think too that sometimes this is a direct result of those characters not being the mains. Sometimes in media, you learn a lot about the main character and you're like "Awesome! That's all great! But what about that guy over there?"

We say fanfic fills a gap, but it fills a lot of different gaps at the same time.

What would the MC be like if their life had gone another way?

How would this story look if the coffee shop barista in that single episode somehow got tangled up in it?

I want to know everything about that mysterious side character!

What if the hero was evil, or the villain was good?

There are plenty of fandoms I don't write for, and even some I don't read in, because, to me, canon is so good that it didn't leave any gaps. For other people though, it still did, and that's great! They get to create and consume all the fandom content!

There are other fandoms where all the components were there for great stories, but canon itself was laughably bad (*cough* Teen Wolf *cough*) and I dive right in and write all the things! Other people are perfectly happy with canon, and don't dive into fanfics.

There are other fandoms that, for whatever reason, just don't grab my interest particularly. That's also fine, because there are plenty of people out there creating content for the fans in those fandoms who want it.

Not all fanfic has to be about my personal tastes, anon, or about yours! We've both figured this out already. And yet there sure are a lot of people out there still struggling with it!

[thisdancingheart]

Remember YFIP?

My Year of Grief and Cancellation

What was I trying to accomplish with my anonymous Tumblr?

By Liat Kaplan Feb. 25, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/25/style/your-fave-is-problematic-tumblr.html

If you were on Tumblr in the early 2010s, you may remember a blog called Your Fave Is Problematic. If not, its content should still sound familiar to you. The posts contained long lists of celebrities’ regrettable (racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, ethnophobic, ableist and so on) statements and actions — the stuff that gets people canceled these days.

That blog was my blog. I spent hours researching each post; as you can probably imagine, my search history was pretty ugly.

Your Fave Is Problematic had around 50,000 followers at its peak, in 2014, when I was a high school senior, but its influence was outsized. I got in a feud with a prominent young adult fiction author over his inclusion. One actor submitted himself, perhaps as a dare (or a plea) to dig up his worst. “Problematic fave” became a well-worn meme; even after I stopped posting, my blog was cited in books, articles, podcasts and think pieces. Through it all, my identity stayed private.

The blog started, as so many anonymous online projects do, as vengeful public shaming masquerading as social criticism. I was fine-tuning my moral compass and coming into my own as a feminist. So when I noticed classmates making sexist jokes on Facebook, including some about me, I started taking screenshots to post on a Tumblr called Calling Out Sexists. My policy was that I would take down a post only if its author publicly apologized.

A group of students brought the blog to the attention of our school’s administrators, who threatened to take legal action if I continued to write about them. Meanwhile, other Tumblr users had begun submitting screenshots featuring statements from minor celebrities. With graduation hanging in the balance, I shifted my focus away from my peers and toward public figures. I rebranded. Money and fame had protected them since time immemorial. What harm could my little blog do?

So I posted photos of Lady Gaga in V magazine with her skin bronzed to an unnatural brown. I pulled out troubling quotes from an essay Lena Dunham had written about a trip to Japan. I noted Taylor Swift’s since-changed homophobic lyric in “Picture to Burn.” My most popular posts tended to be about women — which makes sense, because the celebrity press tends to be more critical of them.

As it turned out, I had bigger things to worry about than dissecting the careers of celebrities I’d never met. On a winter morning, I woke up to the news that my older sister, Tamar, who was studying in Bolivia, had been in a bus crash, and the outlook was not good. I pored over research to escape from what felt like an impossible situation: my sister slowly dying of treatable injuries in a rural area thousands of miles away.

We held a public memorial service for Tamar in our hometown. Some of my classmates showed up, including a few who had written nasty things about me online. I found their shows of kindness insulting now, during what was quickly becoming the worst year of my life.

I tried going back to school after a few weeks, but I found myself picking frequent arguments with classmates and teachers. The school made an arrangement with my parents: I would be placed on “medical leave” for the remainder of the semester. I would graduate on time, but I wouldn’t return to campus.

Stuck at home, I devoted myself to Tumblr. What was I trying to accomplish? Mostly, I was interested in knocking people off their pedestals. I also enjoyed being popular, controversial, discussed. When a comedian I had posted about name-checked my blog on Twitter, I was giddy.

Then I started receiving threats. Someone sent me a screenshot of a house from Google Maps, claiming to have found my IP address. It wasn’t my house, but still. I realized that for every person on Tumblr who looked up to my blog, there were many more, online and offline, who hated it — and me. I started posting less and, eventually, stopped posting at all.

In the years since, I’ve looked back on my blog with shame and regret — about my pettiness, my motivating rage, my hard-and-fast assumptions that people were either good or bad. Who was I to lump together known misogynists with people who got tattoos in languages they didn’t speak? I just wanted to see someone face consequences; no one who’d hurt me ever had.

There’s something almost quaint about it all now: teenage me, teaching myself about social justice on Tumblr while also posturing as an authority on that very subject, thinking I was making a difference while engaging in a bit of schadenfreude. Meanwhile, other movements — local, global, unified in their purposes and rooted in progressive philosophies — were organizing for actual justice. Looking back, I was more of a cop than a social justice warrior, as people on Tumblr had come to think of me.

These days, there’s no shortage of online accountability efforts, the large part of them anonymously run. Some accounts post typically anodyne but occasionally explosive celebrity gossip. Others are explicitly aimed at naming, shaming and punishing people for all kinds of actions and missteps. My own work fell somewhere in the middle, I think; the information I posted was out in the open, but I was cataloging it to make a case against the veneration of the rich and famous.

As many have noted, the coronavirus pandemic has pronounced the distance between celebrities and the rest of us. And their actions have been subject to greater scrutiny — the vacations they’ve gone on, the parties they’ve held, the access they’ve had to testing and care during a health crisis that has taken millions of lives.

But celebrity culture began to crumble long before Covid-19. Mounting accusations of many kinds, whispered between industry professionals, had become too loud to ignore. Social media, which gave celebrities more control over their images and influence over their fans, also opened them up to new kinds of criticism. People have lost jobs and entire careers because of the kinds of errors my blog cited. Others have apologized for work and behavior that, re-examined in a contemporary context, just doesn’t hold up.

For years, I’ve regretted the spotlight I put on other people’s mistakes, as if one day I wouldn’t make plenty of my own. There can be an unsparing purity to growing into one’s social conscience that is often overbroad.

My brain wasn’t ready for nuance. I was angered by hypocrisy and cruelty; what I did about it was apply a level of scrutiny that left no room for error. I’m not saying that I should be canceled for my teenage blog. (Please don't!) I just know what we all should know by now: that no one who has lived publicly, online or off, has a spotless record.

For these reasons, I’ve thought about deleting my Tumblr. But doing that would mean erasing my own errors of judgment. I almost feel like I need to leave it up to punish myself for having made it in the first place. That, and I know someone could (and probably would) just pull it up on Wayback Machine. The internet, after all, never forgets.

~~~~~~~

[travellvogue]

Honeymoon Coast- Anyone You Like

it’s a long one, and one of my faves. i hope you love it (wordcount: 4.1k)

He’s trying his best not to stare, the dress you had on complimenting your skin tone so well. Body glowing under the rays of the sun, his own little ray of sunshine sat right next to him. The delicate pattern of his thumb brushing strokes back and forth over your hand painted a perfect picture of tranquility. 

“Y’know, the view over there is better” you whisper gently with a side smile, nodding towards the staggered chocolate box buildings, painted in an array of blush pinks, dusty yellows and cotton creams. The rolling waves a vibrant blue against the calmness of the sand. 

“No it’s not” he answers so effortlessly, a flirtatious wink making you giggle and blush under his compliment. “My views much better” he hums, twisting his fork around a clump of spaghetti, scooping it into his mouth, tongue wiggling around to beckon the stray piece that flops out of his mouth. 

Two glasses of white wine twinkle under the sunlight, tracing your finger round the rim of the glass over and over again, picking at the olives in your salad, regretting eating all the mozzarella balls already. Knowing you should have gone for the pizza, but your breakfast of croissants and fresh fruit filled you up this morning. Smiling at the recent memory, how you laid in bed, tangled under the crisp white sheets, his naked body next to yours feeding you strawberries and chunks of melon, giggling when he leaned forward to kitten lick the fruit juices off your chin that had dropped down from your mouth. 

It was the perfect start to your honeymoon. He’d remembered how you told him you’d love to get married in Italy and travel around after your wedding day. So he made it happen. First stop was Positano, where the two of you sat right now. A quaint little café tucked away in the peaks of the hillsides, a lemon tree hanging over your heads shading you from the afternoon sun. The calming noise of the waves rippling into shore partnered with the locals deep in conversation. Fresh plates of pasta and pizza filling the air with the most gorgeous aroma. The strings of a guitar being strung somewhere in the far distance playing a relaxing tune. 

Yet, all you could focus on was him, how his hair was supporting natural highlights from the sun's rays, the tip of his nose slightly sunburn despite you packing factor fifty on his face every morning, “stops you getting wrinkles” you’d tell him every time he complained about the stickiness. He’s dressed in loose navy swim shorts, the toggles hanging unevenly, a thin white shirt thrown over his sun kissed torso, the top four buttons undone so you can admire his muscular chest, dark rimmed Ray-Ban glasses pushed onto his hair, droplets of salt water staining the lenses. 

“What time is the boat ride?” you ask gently, leaning over the small circular table, stabbing your fork into his bowl of pasta, helping yourself to a mouthful as he giggles, well aware that the salad just wasn’t cutting it for you. He’d planned a boat ride for the two of you today, something you’d both desperately been looking forward to since you arrived in this perfect location. Wanting to sail around and explore the surrounding beauty. 

“Two o’clock I believe madam” he answers playfully, tapping the screen of his phone to check the time. Quarter to twelve, plenty of time to head down to the dock. With a few more mouthfuls of food the two of you were stuffed. Laid back on the wooden chairs comparing your food babies. Laughing when the waiter comes over and gives you an odd glance. 

“No don’t pay baby, my treat” you insist, grabbing at his hand before he puts his card on the table, unable to hide your smile when you feel the cold metal of his wedding ring against your palm. It was yet to sink in that you officially shared the same surname as him, for years he’d introduced you to people as ‘the missus or ‘my girlfriend’, now you held the title of his wife loud and proud. 

The wedding had been very small, only fifty guests. An abundance of florals, pampas grass and bubbling champagne, and as the sun went down you fell asleep to the sound of waves greeting the Italian sand. 

As you snap out of your daydream he’s already paying for lunch, giggling when you give him a harsh stare, unable to stay mad at that dimpled smile for long. He takes your hand and leads you out of the cafe, waving goodbye with a joyful ‘grazie’ to the staff. The warm air hits you instantly, a muggy breeze fluttering the bottom of your dress. Now away from the breeze of the sea front the temperature had seemed to pick up, his hand growing clammy in yours. Arms swinging back and forth in unison as you carefully walk down the steep roads towards the peninsular, the uneven cobbled roads under your sandals let you feel every rock and grain of transported sand from the nearby beach.

“I know we’ve just eaten but…” he holds his hand up to point at the shop you’re approaching. A quiet bakery hidden between a grand hotel and a small beach shop selling the usual ‘tourist tat’ as he likes to call it. The smell of warm freshly-baked bread billowing from its grand wooden doors, painted neatly with golden details. Newly bloomed bougainvillea flowers creating an arch over the entrance. 

“How can I say no to that?” you smile. Squeezing his hand once, twice, three times. Your sandals slap against the tiled floor of the bakery, overwhelmed with the amount of choice, smiling widely when you’re greeted with a friendly “Ciao!”. The two of you opting for a baguette and a loaf of ciabatta. He stands behind you, arms wrapped around your body, pressing a kiss to your cheek whilst you wait for them to package it up in crinkly brown paper bags. And once again he uses his rusty Italian skills to bid them farewell. Reaching for your hand instinctively and squeezing it gently, unable to wipe the smile off his face. He’d never felt happiness like this- of course on your wedding day his happiness was unmatchable- but the sense of complete contentment and tranquility was so overwhelming.

***

“Where are you taking me?” you giggle, holding his hand tightly as he leads you along a rickety old boat dock, the wood swaying slightly with each gentle wave that washed into shore. “Was this your plan all along?” you laugh, “To marry me and then drown me in the sea” he chuckles and shakes his head at your ludicrous imagination.

“You gotta stop watching all those murder mystery youtubers babe” a blush appears on your cheeks at his words, remembering how you made him watch endless videos with you on the plane journey out here, secretly you knew he was enjoying himself, the way he gripped your leg as he told you a theory he had about where one of the missing people might be. “We’re here baby” the snap back into reality couldn’t be more perfect, almost feeling like you were dreaming as he holds an arm out to beckon to the large yacht docked up in front of the both of you. The sea twinkling around it and the staff giving you a welcoming wave, offering you a hand to help you onto deck. 

“Are you serious?” you breath, walking onto the ship. When he mentioned a boat ride this morning you didn’t realise he meant a million pound yacht, something for someone in your position to just drool over as you pointed them out whilst your feet stayed firmly on the sand of the beach. But now your feet touched the decking, every step becoming completely overwhelming, not only was there two floors to this boat, there were several seating areas, your very own private chef, and a hot tub at the very front, giving you the perfect views of the bobbing ocean. “My love, this is insane! I thought you meant like… a little dingy” you giggle, pinching your fingers together to explain how small you thought the boat would be. All he can do is smile and shake his head. Something he’d always loved about you was the way you always stayed so grounded, cherishing every penny of your own and of his, never wanting any gifts or treats- despite him buying you quite a few over the years- you were happy with a chinese takeaway and a movie night, never expecting anything from him other then love and honesty, money would, and could, never buy your emotions. So a yacht, this was certainly something you’d never dreamed off. 

“You deserve this, my wife” he whispers gently, coming up behind you as you look out to the sea, the cool breeze blowing a strand of your hair against his jawline, gently leaning back against him, feeling his arms wrap tightly around you. The way he referred to you as his wife still hadn’t sunk in yet, the butterflies still coming to life every time he used your new title. “Plus…” his voice drops to a whisper, leaning in closer so his lips brush against your ear, “you’ve always wanted to have sex on a boat” despite not seeing his face you can picture his smug smirk, of course there was a deeper reasoning to such an extravagant choice of boat. You shake your head playfully and push against him, probably not the best choice of action because he can’t help but let out a little groan at the feeling of your ass brushing against his crotch. 

He manages to control himself for the majority of the boat road, smiling proudly as he watches you take pictures of the beautiful settings you sail past. Your beauty still shocked him, even after years together and a big diamond ring on your finger, watching your hair blow in the salty air, sun kissed skin and lips painted with your strawberry lip balm- that quite frankly he can’t stop himself from wanting to taste- he finds that he’s falling in love with you even more in that moment. He’d never realised home could be a person until you held him in your arms. 

“We should come here every year” you whisper gently, cuddled up on the sofa-like sunbeds at the top of the boat, the air slightly cooler now the sun was setting, half empty plates of fruit and nibbled at bread resting beside you, the sea still holding the same glimmer and shine it had this morning, reflecting the orange and pink hues off the waves. You’d thrown one of his shirts over your bikini, the thin white material rustling in the breeze, tickling at your bare skin, your hair fluttering into his face every so often, wafting the familiar smell of your apple scented shampoo into his nostrils. 

He only hums in response, leaning in to take the chunk of pineapple you were offering him into his mouth, too caught up in absorbing the beauty in front of him, with both the view of you and the never ending waves it was an overwhelming sense of content and happiness. “You don't want to?” you ask gently, not convinced by his response. A frown and a quick shake of the head convinces you a bit more.

“Of course I do” he whispers, lips pressed to your temple. “But I also wanna make love to you all over the world” he smirks, watching you playfully roll your eyes and desperately try to hide your giddy smile. 

His fingers trace the side of your jaw, angling your head so he’s got perfect access to your lips, the moon seeming to match the mood of the moment, the sky becoming a thick pink, waves gently crashing against the boat, rocking your bodies unwilling against the sun beds. “Why don’t we start now?” you almost whimper against his lips, trying not to sound like a desperate beg but it was hard when all you’d been thinking about since stepping foot on the boat was the thought of him fucking you to the view of the rolling waves. 

“Hmm right here?” he smirks, “I knew you were naughty but to have me fuck you whilst anyone could see… my wife’s a little minx huh?” he teases, brushing his hand down the side of your body, already getting to work with pushing off the oversized shirt you had on, the material falling off one shoulder, exposing your bare skin for his lips to attack. 

“Everyone’s below deck” you whimper, aware that he wouldn’t care either way, there was no way he wasn’t going to make love to you on a private yacht to the view of the Amalfi Coast- no one could pass up that opportunity. “Plus… you’re little friend seems to like the idea” your thigh pushes against the growing bulge of his shorts. Your giggle splinters off into a moan as he bucks against you, continuing to suck and nip at the skin of your neck. The wet patch in your bikini bottoms continues to grow, pawing at him desperately for something more. 

“Open up” he taps two fingers at your lips, doing as you’re told you part your swollen lips to welcome him, he watches your hooded lustful eyes whilst you suck on his digits, tongue skillfully twisting and licking. His other hand cupping firmly at the mound of your ass, helping you rub yourself against his thigh, slowly moving towards the front of your body. “Take ‘em off” he instructs, pushing at the material of your bikini bottoms.

“So demanding” you tease, humming around his fingers, a trail of spit connecting your lips to them as he pulls away, watching intently as you shuffle out of your bikini, pussy growing sensitive at the exposure to the cool air. Of course he wastes no time pushing his fingers against your entrance, skillfully tracing both digits along your folds, gathering your arousal at the tips. “Baby please” you whine, not wanting to be teased today, not when someone could walk up to the top deck and interrupt the moment. You cling on to him tighter, feeling his fingers push into you, slow and steady, your tight wet walls snug around him. You seem to clench around him in time with the waves rocking against the boat, the cool breeze helping control your body temperature, not wanting to leave sweat marks along the sun beds to give away what the two of you are up to. 

“Wetter than the ocean” he teases, scissoring his fingers inside of you, your arousal dripping against him, curling his digits upwards to brush against the spot inside you that has you squirming against him. He rests his forehead against yours, noting how your body heat radiates onto his skin, your cheeks flushed, steady whimpers falling from your lips. “Moan for me baby, let the whole of Italy know who’s making you feel good”.

An orgasm was quickly approaching you, a pinch-me moment overtaking your body as you look out to the shore line, sandy beach only entertaining the last few remaining people of the night, the orange glow of lights gleaming through the windows of the chocolate box houses, praying none of them are owners of binoculars or take a keen interest in boats- because they’d certainly get an eyeful if they wanted to examine the one you were currently laid on (or getting laid on to be more accurate.) 

“Cum on my hand” his words seem to resonate with you, your body obeying to his instructions. Legs becoming jelly-like as the knot bursts in your stomach. And the moan that was trapped in your throat pings into the air of the night, loud enough to make the staff downstairs freeze and listen out for a call, wondering if you were calling them for extra champaign. All you needed right now was right in front of you, poking you in the thigh. Whimpering at the empty feeling when he pulls his fingers out of you, clenching around the vacancy. 

The wind picks up a little, brushing through your hair and rocking the boat to the right. Both of you bracing for the captain to rush to the top deck, blowing your cover. Giggling a little when the boat straightens out and the rocking stops. “Fucking cockblock” he groans, making you laugh, tucking your head into his neck. Your blushed cheeks would certainly blow your cover. “Gotta be quick” he whispers, “Wanna fuck on the Mediterranean sea”. The ocean seems to talk back to him, a large splash and spraying droplets of water falling against your calves. 

He leans forward to catch your lips in a messy, clumsy kiss. Pushing himself out of his swim shorts, cock slapping against his toned torso, freckled tanned skin pressed against yours, your fingers drawing little hearts against his back, the outlines seeming to freeze when the tip of his hard cock brushes against your entrance, easily slicked with your arousal that stills lingers from your previous orgasm. His body hovers over yours, slightly leaning to the side to both keep his balance and to try and make it less obvious that he’s making love to you on top of a boat. Your hand wraps around his length, guiding him in the right position as if he hasn’t done it thousands of times before, but he can’t complain at the sight, something so beautiful yet filthy about your wedding ring sparkling in the light as you pump your hand up and down his cock. “That ring looks great whilst you wank me off” he moans, smirking when you let out a shocked gasp at his vulgar words. 

He can’t quite believe his luck when he sinks into you, in that moment he thanks god, his lucky stars, and everything in between. His beautiful wife, the love of his life, moaning his name in the middle of the Mediterranean sea. A dream brought to life. “God you feel good... every- fuck- everytime” he praises the feel of your tight walls wrapped around him, warm and wet, just like how they always are for him. No time is wasted, his hips moving in a perfect rhythm, you’re quite impressed that he can keep himself balanced with the boat swaying in unison with the waves. His cock was enough to make you a moaning mess, reminding yourself you can’t be too loud due to the company downstairs. Instead sinking your teeth into his shoulder to try and silence yourself. 

Pain is always something that turned him on, having a kink for anything involving spanking, choking, and hair pulling. So it’s no surprise when he throws his head back in ecstasy at the feel of your teeth grazing his skin, certain he’ll have a mark in the morning to remember the moment. It’s like you’ve read his mind, fingers pushing through his hair and grabbing a fistful, tugging at the roots with each thrust. With the pent up feeling of you wrapped around him as well as the added nipping and tugging he could nearly cum right there and then. But he’s learnt over the years of being together how to control himself, wanting to elongate sex with you, rinsing every second of being inside you.  

“Cum for me again baby, give me another one” he encourages, watching you feebly mutter something inaudible, pleasure messing with your words, sweat growing on your collar bone, rising up the skin of your neck and painting your cheeks a darker red. The rapid clenching of your pussy tells him you’re approaching your second high, thighs slick with arousal, painting his skin damp with each thrust. “You’re boobs look great” he says under his breath, hearing you let out a little giggle and whisper “so romantic”, quick to change that when his mouth trails down to your right boob, leaving a wet trail of kisses to your breasts, nipping one of your nipples between his teeth and grazing it gently. Against your boobs you hear him whisper; “you’re close, I can feel it baby, c’mon” with three harsh thrusts, shaking your body with each one. 

And just like that, with a loud whine and a cry you’re giving in to his words, pussy convulsing around his length, squeezing him towards his own high. His hand clamps over your mouth before you can scream his name for the whole of Positano to know, surely by now the captain and the staff must have an inkling about what you’re up to, they’d seen the eyes you were giving each other all day. The little slaps to your ass from him as you prepared to dive into the emerald sea, or how you sat on his lap whilst he fed you watermelon, his tongue licking playfully at your chin to capture the juices. 

Now his favourite juices soaked his cock, his baby scratching lines into his back- far less innocent than the hearts that were drawn on his skin earlier. Your bikini bottoms on the floor and your bikini top flooded by your boobs and they hang over the edge of the material. In that moment you’re both so free, nature housing such pleasure. 

He’s not far behind you, he couldn’t possibly be when your pussy grips at him with such force, dirty words encouraging him to coat your walls with his seed. “Cum for me hubby” it’s more the new title that does it for him. This was his life, married to a filthy little goddess, making love to you where anyone could see, yet in this moment it was only you and him- just like it’ll be for the rest of your lives. 

He frantically slaps his hips against yours, the overwhelming sensation to cum washes over him quickly, feeling the fire in this pit of his tummy grow bigger then it ever had before. “I’m gonna cum baby” he chokes out, the grip on yur hips becoming tighter, thrusting into you as he rapidly chases his high, “it’s gonna be so much, it’s- fuck- oh god” you can’t seem to string a sentence together, stuttering and shaking with each word. 

“Fill me up baby” you whisper, scratching at the back of his neck, “Drown me” you can’t help but let out a little giggle, “pardon the pun” he scoffs at your attempt of linking being on the sea with your pussy ‘drowning’ in his cum. Trying to hide his smirk, tongue licking his top teeth as he shakes his head. 

“Still making stupid puns whilst I’m balls deep inside ya… I married an idiot” he laughs, pulling you even closer to him, soon to choke on his own moans, hitting his high and spilling his seed sloppily inside of you, the sensation making your walls clench, draining him of every last drop of cum he can give you. Riding out his high with a few more lazy thrusts, pushing his cum deep into you, his rhythm faltered by the rocking boat, nearly losing balance when his wobbly legs push himself off of you. 

Now you’re a sight to behold, breathless, glowing with that freshly fucked look. Eyes watching him intently as he pushes himself into his shorts and lazily looks for your bottoms, knowing if his cum dripped out of you there would be a hefty fee for leaving ‘bodily fluids’ on the sun lounger. 

***

The stars start to poke through the dark sky, sailing back to shore in a comfortable silence, chests still rising and falling in a quicker manner then usual, regaining the normality of not being caught up in each other's bodies. His finger plays with your ring, yours plays with his. How a simple gold band could look so flawless on his hand. 

As the waves say one last goodbye, now twinkling under the light of the moon, the boat moors into the dock. Hand in hand walking back to land, still feel the rocking sensation as you get used to the solid floor beneath your feet.

“So…” he whispers, aware it’s late at night, a buzz of nightlife coming from the restaurant nearby, your arms swinging in unison.  “This time again next year?” he smirks, this certainly couldn’t be a one time thing.

 “See you then” you wink playfully, voice laced with sleep, ready to head back to the villa and be held in his arms for the rest of the night.

[llendrinall]

I love crossover fics.

For instance there's this good fic that Detroit: Become Human that is a crossover with Batman.

The worst part of loving crossover fics is when you get a thought like "Omg what if Jaskier was Maleficent and Diavals kid" and then actually looking it up and finding nothing. Kinda sucks.

Sorry for the random thought.

Oh, don’t apologize for your thoughts. The ask box is open :)

I usually stay away from crossovers because they make me wary. They require twice as much familiarity/knowledge with the original content, double the investment when reading the story but with no promise of double reward. Plus, I guess I have come across too many fics where the only premise was What if set A of characters met and befriended set B? Haha, wouldn’t that be fun?

No, it’s not very fun.

That said, I have read some gorgeous crossover fics. There was a Supernatural/Criminal Minds story that worked extremely well (The FBI division for weird cases following the Winchesters). There are also a few short fics in which Q from the Craig 007 movies is a young Holmes brother. Those are fantastic because Ben Whishaw’s Q does resemble Cumberbatch’s Sherlock, and he is both a genius and a government worker so he is a nice mixture of the canonical Holmes brothers. Very good.

Crossovers work best when they are unbalanced. Set A of characters is in Universe B, but set B of characters is only mentioned in passing. (Ex: your faves go to Hogwarts, there is no mention of Harry Potter at all except in a Quidditch context). Or set A and B share a universe, but the focus is on A’s storyline.

Now I have got all that exposition out, let me say, Anon, what in the nine heavens and thirteen hells was that thought? What, what– it’s in my mind now! What if The Witcher’s Jaskier was Maleficent’s and Diaval’s kid?

It’s not that I can’t see Maleficent and her pet human crow having a romantic and sexual relationship. I’m sure they would be fantastically goth together and make each other very happy. Or that they wouldn’t blend well with The Witcher, because that setting admits all kind of supernatural beings. Maleficent wouldn’t even stand out at all.

It’s that Jaskier is a viscount. An aristocrat. A nobleman. And even though it’s barely mentioned, it’s a very important aspect of his character. It explains a lot of his psychological make-up. Jaskier is a noble. This means that at some point either one if his parents received a title (Why? What did they do?) from a king (which one? Certainly not Radovid. Was it Foltest?) and, instead of shrugging it off and flying away, they kept the title and all the trappings associated with it.

There is a huge story in there, Anon. I don’t think Maleficent respects human kings enough to want to be involved with them ever again. So, was it Diaval? What did he do? Or was it Maleficent after all who asked for a title and land because even though she doesn’t care she knows that humans do? Maybe she just wanted the land, a nice haunted forest for her and her family, and the title was an afterthought so humans would respect her authority.

And just what happened that a king saw it fit to handle a title? Each time a king grants a title his position weakens, so he has to give it to someone who is both loyal, powerful and not a threat. Now, this I can believe because The Witcher is quite good at reflecting the real political nonsense of late medieval times. And Maleficent got tangled on it somehow. Sure. Maybe there was a little princess in danger and she is a sucker for those.

But why did she keep it? Was it for Jaskier’s benefit? Because she wanted him to have all the best opportunities and make plenty of little humans friends?

Does Jaskier know he is not entirely human? I bet he doesn’t. I bet he hasn’t realized he is not aging as he should. I bet he can fly but doesn’t because the air is very cold and it’s bad for his voice, plus his hair is enough of a mess. I bet his dad calls him “my sweet song bird”.

What a question anon. Come on. Go on and write us the fic in which Vesemir finds out Jaskier can fly and, after a short but intense internal freak out, he decides not to say a word to Geralt because he deserves to be completely gobsmacked by it. Please and thank you. Five Times Someone Learned Something of Jaskier’s Origins and One Time He Explained It All Himself.

The one time he is talking to Emperor Emhyr.

[gnostic-heretic]

Hi! I'd love for you to respond to this, but ONLY if you're comfortable! I'm planning on writing a hetalia fanfic with a trans character. I researched a bit, but I feel that my fic could be read as problematic: my trans character (MTF) is introduced as her assigned gender with a different name, only to be uncovered later. She dates pre transition, but get back together. Is this realistic? You've written fic w/ trans characters before, so can you give any tips of advice? Thank you for reading!

hey dear, thank you for reaching out! i’m more than comfortable giving advice but remember that i’m just one trans person, so this does not represent a consensus- i encourage you to reach out to a trans friend to do a sensitivity reading, if you and your friend are comfortable with that! 

i say this because a lot of people would say this scenario of portraying someone pre- and post-transition is a no-no, but i think it’s doable (i’ve done it myself!) if approached in a sensible way. 

and yes i do think it’s possible for a character to date someone, break up for unrelated reasons, transition and then meet that person again and fall in love again. it’s a sweet idea! it’d be lovely to see your character grow and be more content and confident and finally *herself*, and find love as herself :)  plus at least in my experience, a lot of cis partners of trans people do a lot of serious questioning and self exploration when their partner comes out so it can be interesting from the other character’s perspective as well. i’ve seen for example many gfs/wives of trans women realize they’re wlw when they previously never questioned their sexuality. so it can be an interesting journey for both characters to go on and for you as a writer to explore! 

my first bit of advice is to read read and read. read what trans people have to say on the subject of writing- i know there’s more than one post floating around on tumblr with advice for cis people on how to write a trans character. and read the experiences of trans people, how they talk about their own “egg cracking” (if you don’t know, i’d start by searching what “cracking your egg” means- and hint: it’s not always “i played with dolls as a child”), transition and their own past present or their future plans.  and as you read remember that there is no singular standard “trans experience”- transition is not linear, and there’s no such thing as a transition that is “complete” or “incomplete”. some trans people feel really intense dysphoria, others don’t and are mostly fine with the body they have. some trans people want to start hrt asap and to have every medical procedure available, for others, coming out is enough, in many cases they might want to have surgeries, but hormones are the only thing that’s accessible because of the cost of surgeries and long waiting lists. 

keep in mind that everyone experiences gender in their own unique way, so a trans female character doesn’t have to be hyper feminine, and a trans male character doesn’t have to be super masculine to be “good representation”. 

also i’d say to read up on harmful tropes to avoid as well, i’m gonna tell you some just off the top of my head and offer advice on how to handle tricky subjects - portraying trans people especially trans women as violent or predatory/creepy is a big NO (i know this might be obvious to you, but this is also for everyone else reading this out there). there’s nothing wrong with writing negative or morally grey characters but this is a damaging and dehumanizing trope with a long history of being used as propaganda against us. 

- on the same note i’d say to avoid portraying your character as easily offended, overly sensitive, quick to anger etc etc. another (more modern) trope used to mock and ultimately harm trans people is to paint us as “special snowflakes”

 --> a good thing to remember is that anger can be portrayed as righteous, as it is in this situation, and assertive so that would be a good place to start if you have to write about the character being rightfully angry and sad, upset at discrimination she might experience. 

- avoid the dramatic scene in which a character is found out to be trans by undressing them and “revealing” something about their body. also tied to transphobic ideas (trans people “trick” people into thinking they are their gender) and to trans panic defense that legitimizes the murder of trans people. 

 --> a good way to reveal that your character is trans is... simply to make her come out. have a talk! there’s so many possibilities from it being heavy and awkward, to light hearted and heartwarming :) 

- this one is a more complicated thing to handle, because i know some will disagree with me on it... but i’d advise you to steer away or ask for a second opinion/sensitivity reader if you’re gonna write The Sad Mirror Scene TM in which a trans person gazes at their own body in the mirror (or even without the mirror tbh) and points out everything that is “male/female” about it. personally i think it’s bad but in a more subtle way... the focus on our bodies and everything that is considered “wrong” with it can have creepy or outright transphobic implications. also it’s way overdone js 

 --> instead of the long gazing scene i’d mention those things in passing and incorporate them into her daily life, because it is something we live with every day and not just in all-at-once intense dysphoria sessions: maybe she has broad shoulders, so she wears a cute blouse with a lot of ruffles to conceal that a bit; or maybe she’s out and about, on the way to her laser hair removal appointment, and feels awkward about having a bit of shadow (so she treats herself to buying a new concealer on the way home);

 --> also don’t forget about small moments of gender euphoria and trans joy!!! so maybe she gets a new haircut after growing her hair out for a long time, or takes her estrogen for the first time and cries of happiness, or she tries on her fave bra and notices that her breasts have grown a little bit or they feel sore which is a good sign!. etc etc. these are just examples so don’t sweat it :D  but showing the happiness that comes with being trans and not just the sadness of it is really important imo for everyone thinking about writing a trans-centric story 

- in general i’d be careful for anything that implies trans people aren’t “really” the gender they are, or that deep down we’ll always be our assigned gender. sometimes it’s not the outright essentialist statements but the more subtle things that can go undetected to cis people, but we see them. stuff like: the character deadnaming/misgendering themselves (so for example, when she comes out, no “remember deadname?”, or, “i used to be a man”) equating genitals with gender (even as a joke), or making the cis experience out to be universal (that feel when pms, am i right ladies? :) <-- this kind of statement even in good intentioned fun can feel exclusionary and should be perceived as such by your character), body shaming or implying certain non-conforming characteristics (ex: a strong jawline, broad shoulders, narrow hips, small breasts on a woman) are inherently “bad” or inherent to trans people only (plenty of cis women have all of those above listed things). 

 --> i know that dysphoria can make these last things appear to be inherently negative to the person, but you might counterbalance this by making her confident about other aspects of her personality, and making your other characters compliment her and paint her insecurities in a new light. for example she might feel self conscious about her height, but maybe her love interest loves her beautiful, long legs; or maybe more simply unrelated to anything she’s insecure about, she’s smart and hard working, she’s a science genius, she’s the best of her judo class and could kick your ass, she has really nice hair, or really striking eyes, or a very pretty color of very chipped nail polish. details are the key!!! and remember that value and beauty are subjective!!!! 

and last but most important of all... please write your character as HUMAN!! we trans people are just regular people, like anyone else in the world.  we aren’t just defined by transness, we have lives and passions and talents and our own problems completely unrelated to being trans.  so please keep that in mind while writing your gal! and don’t let everything i’ve typed above intimidate you, most of it is obvious stuff and i’m sure you’ll be fine! good luck with your story!

[askaealsbabes]

Have not seen you around lately. Are you ok? If it's just one of your blogging breaks that's ok, just making sure the pandemic didn't get you. This is one of my fave blogs.

Mun: Sorry I’ve been missing here, I’ve actually been posting more on my main blog. XDD  My main focus has been on my short(ish) original story that I’ve been posting there, Rizen. But I also just keep getting distracted by endless other things. |D Oops. 

I feel a bit bad for saying this, but the pandemic has actually had minimal impact on my life. |D Other than make my work even more unpredictable, make doctor appointments more difficult and annoying to schedule, and made me refuse to buy new clothes since I can’t try them on. I work for a warehouse that processes online orders, so instead of being quarantined we just got overtime |D And I’m extremely introverted and never went out anyway so I really can’t complain about anything.

The bigger reasons that I haven’t been posting on this blog is because I hit burnout between like november 2020 to february 2021, and that was a struggle to get through. |D And then just the usual health issues that make it extremely hard for me to have energy. That’s my only complaint really. I’m so done with feeling tired allll the time. |D

Also in the passed like year and a half or so? maybe longer? I’ve started having..... ehhhhhh... like more intense ADHD symptoms??? I dunno. >.> I never had a problem before when I was a kid, but recently I just cannot focus properly and sometimes I’ll have like 3 different sound sources going on just so I can settle my brain down enough to focus. And I tell my mom about it and she’s like “oh yeah, that sounds like ADHD”, which she has, but it’s kinda new for me??? I dunno. It’s weird |D And adding that to the like 6 other issues I have and it’s just been weird getting used to X’DD

I am content though 8′D Like I said, the only complaint I have is I’m tired all the time. Other than that my job is great, I’ve got plenty of hobbies, finances are great. I’m doing good. =u=

Thanks for checking up XD I hope all of you are doing well too~ Or as well as you can be =3=

[babyybitchhh]

No. I haven't heard of the anime/ manga. Is it good? -💅🏾

Yes! It’s actually one of my favorite titles and tbh I’ve never seen anything quite like it before. Noda, the mangaka, is completely off his shits and I’m honestly surprised by some of the stuff he gets away with. I think a lot of people overlook it because the art style isn’t your typical pretty boy bishonen squeaky clean look but if adult men are your thing ... 😎👌

I’ll show you some of my faves but fair warning, the eyebrows and facial hair can be WILD at times but that’s part of the appeal. You won’t find these character designs anywhere else and I respect that creativity tbh.

This is Tanigaki 🥰 big beefy bear of a man with ass for days. Very hairy. Very soft. Went from sociopathic asshole to baby over the course of a single arc. Love him.

This is Kantarou, my token Shikamaru look alike boo thang. Lol He’s really sweet, actually, and a Leo like me!! 🎉 I love my fellow Leo kings and queens! Unfortunately he hasn’t gotten to play a very big role in the story but he’s definitely there and I AM looking. 👀

My man Usami 🤪 this dude is clinically insane and I live for it. Like. He’s actually certifiably out of his mind. Totally off his rocker. I want him to fuck me up but also fuck up shit WITH him. Our love for Tsurumi will bring us together. 🥰

Speaking of Tsurumi, here he is. 😍 So sexy. So gallant. So charming. This is actually from a flashback and he doesn’t look quite like this in the main storyline but ... I didn’t want to scare you guys. 😅 He has a major head injury and is also off his shits, but in a “I’m scared yet also aroused” way. Lmao

I’ll go ahead and shout out Kiroranke too because he’s another beefy, hairy man who also happens to be a father and he likes his women THICC, which I respect. He’s got this very ... fatherly/uncle vibe to him that just hits all my buttons. I’d like for him to take me out in the woods and ... teach me a few things. 😏💦

Ogata is an honorable mention because, while he’s not at the top of MY list, he’s by and large the fan favorite. Basically everyone wants a piece of this bastard cat. He’s got his fair share of loose screws (almost everyone in this series does 😂) and he’s a certain kind of vile, but god is he fucking hot. PHEW.

So anyway yeah, there are plenty of other dudes I didn’t even mention. Tsukishima is VERY attractive to me, for example, but this post is already long enough. Lol I’ll just say that regardless of your preferences, whether it’s old men or sneaky bastards or rugged outdoors types or sociopathic murderers or dads or military men, this series will probably have you covered. If you do decide to check it out, I’d suggest going with the manga. It’s much better than the anime, which skipped some arcs and censored some of the more ... gruesome stuff. 😅 Also the art is just better, the first two seasons of the anime were kind of low budget but the third season is looking pretty good now.

Also fair warning, there IS quite a bit of uh triggering content involving animals. I’m sensitive af when it comes to animals and I was very upset at the start of the series but luckily it kind of shifted focus and scenes like that only pop up occasionally now. It’s a damn good story, I’m just a big baby when it comes to our furry friends. 🥺 There’s a lot of hunting and living off the land going on here, so while it’s not like ... technically animal abuse, it still made me sad. And since I know some people care about this I’ll also mention that there isn’t really any female fanservice but the dudes DEFINITELY get their money shots in. 🥴