#like not just in the cool-for-tumblr fandom and writer way
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character name reveals!
ive decided i want to ramble about linguistics so im posting updated name reveals for my OCs! this did not take long lol anonymity rip ig. anyways hopefully this makes my prior post make a bit more sense
Sabreia - pronounced sab-REE-uh, this is the updated name for my fmc. she was originally Sabrina but I wanted an update. Depending on particular regional accents, the pronunciation would shift: one character pronounces her name more slowly and deliberately, like saB-bREE-Yuh. technically this uses a diphthong so enunciating would make it sab-bree-ih-uh
Daegan - pronounced DAY-guhn. i love him and anyone who hurts him (its me im the problem its me, me and the narrative) has to answer to me. say it slowly and correctly enough and its nearly three syllables, because of the diphthong, so it would be DAY-ih-gun.
Araen - pronounced ah-RAY-un. its a diphthong, u know the drill. enunciation makes it ah-RAY-uhn while fast speaking makes it ah-rain. his father the shitty lord calls him ah-rie-un, a bit like the name ryan with an a at the beginning, because he's posh like that
isylida - let the y usage begin! this one is ih-ZIE-lih-duh. if you want, you can hint at an extra syllable by elongating the ie sound of the y, making it ih-ZIE-IH-lih-duh
Zandyr - my FAVE. ok listen here me out. Zahn-deer. basically the name Xander but remove the ugly dystopian X from the spelling and elongate what is normally an unstrssed schwa sound. be really emphatic about it and you can turn zahn-dehr into zahn-dee-yer
thats the main cast! if anyone is actually bother to read this shit, lemme know! i can share place names as well
basically i wanted to give them all a slightly otherworldly sense to them by emphasising a few unfamilar vowels. because of how casual speech worls, most of these names would jsut be pronounced with two syllables (daegan, zadnyr, araen) or three (sabreia) or four (isylida). BUT pronouncing diphthongs is cool because that's two long vowels smushed together! making an extra bonus syllable that you CAN enunciate should you choose to do so
#writeblr#writers on tumblr#caitlin writes and yaps abt it#caitlin's original writing#im actually dying to explain the place names but i don't have my notes here so it might have to wait#the way i named places is uh. complicateda#anyways this is so fun#im so scared of sharing shit still but im feeling a bit reckless which translated into a linguistics post#hello everyong if you hadn't notived im actually a Massive Fucking Nerd#like not just in the cool-for-tumblr fandom and writer way#like i actuually Love Academics#sorry team for tricking you#this is a weird fuckin blog mk#the witches wip
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There is a phenomenon happening on Tumblr right now which may be a product of the Twitter exodus or maybe its just modern fandom mentality vehemently rejecting the old, but you guys have GOT to stop being so damn MEAN about fandom.
There are posts circulating on Tumblr right now hating on so many aspects of fandom. Yeah we all know the incorrect quotes format can be cringe and most of the time its the same quotes used for every fandom ever reducing the characters to stereotypes. Yes we know most fandoms scramble to ship the two basic white guys over all the other characters. Yes we know your blorbo probably Does Not Fucking Say That. Yes we know A/B/O is weird AF (especially now its breached containment and found its way into mainstream hetero erotica). Yes we know SuperWhoLock was ridiculous and attempts to make modern shows into a new SuperWhoLock have got old fast.
But do you have to constantly drag these things all the time? Why is it suddenly cool and popular to ridicule and criticise and hate on peoples fun?
Let people be cringe
Let people play in the fandom sandbox
Let people have their fun
Not everything has to be an intellectual critique and it doesn't make you a better person to constantly shit on fandom ON THE FANDOM WEBSITE
Fandoms can be problematic, toxic, and infuriating at times. But all the negativity isn't making things better. Yeah okay some aspects of fandom can be annoying, but must we have so many call out posts go viral on here specifically for hating on parts of fandom culture? Yet people wonder why fandom creators are quitting and there isnt as much art and interaction on here as there used to be.
If you see another negative post shitting on aspects of fandom cross your dash, maybe think before you reblog it. Maybe ask yourself if that post may be hurtful to a mutual? Perhaps youve got a mutual who writers A/B/O or CharacterxReader fanfiction who doesnt wanna see your reblog of the callout post stating reader×character fanfic is gross, or perhaps your mutual creates fun text posts applying quotes to their fave characters and youve just reblogged a 90k+ note post calling them cringy and overdone.
Just THINK please. Its not necessary. We've got to be KINDER to each other. Please don't let this place become like Twitter. Twitter was a toxic cesspool where no one had anything worthwhile to add to the discussion, no one created, everyone was just screaming angry rants into the void. Dont let tumblr become like that, because it will be the death of this place. And where will you go to find fanart and gifsets of your blorbos then?
#fandom#im fed up of seeing these 90k plus posts#that do nothing but shit on core elements of fandom#if you hate fandom that much just fuck off#get off tumblr#its so annoying
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whirlpool's personal MOTA fic recs!
I've actually been dying to put this together for a while now...today is as good an excuse as any! I might not know everyone's tumblrs vs ao3 names so I will NOT be offended if you tell me to correct something!! <3
the big list = going alphabetical order in my folder because YES I do download my favorites, it's like having your own little bookshelf!!
non-clegan fics:
nine mothers' sons by @reallylilyreally (truly beautiful, breathtaking, and **THE** John Brady bible for the fandom so make sure you pray to it every night)
at your heels by @reallylilyreally (this one is Ev Blakely, another really beautiful story that helps you understand just why Crosby's memoir speaks of Blakely with such love and affection)
clegan (or gale-centric, or john-centric) fics:
A Direct Solution by @sweaterkittensahoy (Gale & Marge proposition Bucky...so cute and so hot)
ain't it easy? by @stereobone (dom/sub with john as the dom but ohhh man it's so much more than just that!!!!! this fic is so full of FEELS. and it's also HOTTTT. and also the FEELSSSSS.)
all the rest of what I want with you by @london-cowboy (the level of care that went into writing this fic is insane and impeccable. down to its own internal timeline, little egan kiddos, and the ANGST. but it's all worth it, I promise!!)
back home where you're from, that's the measure of a man by wolfhalls (nice little oneshot of the bucks, I love the back-and-forth of their dialogue in this one, it really does feel like two people who know each other well)
bittersweet between my teeth by @blixabargelds (post-war adjustment...love when the two majors are a little messy and a little sad and also john calls gale the prettiest thing he ever saw so there's that <3)
bluebirds singing a song by ourdarkspirits (Marge jumps Bucky's bones. Then Gale joins. Super fun, super hot!)
Close and Yet Closer by Anonymous (LITERALLY THE MOST!!!!!! FIC OF ALL TIME!!!!!!! Gale is a little bit mean and John is a lot bit sweaty. Like all the time. it's amazing and you should read it and it WILL change your life.)
Corpse Song by birdwif (oof. john is miserable in the stalag he's scratching at the door he's gnawing his own leg off.)
deep breath baby by @defnotanarc (um FISTING. yeah. intense and delicious. side note sometimes the world isn't fair and people who are really talented and amazing at drawing are also really good WRITERS too LIKE WTF!!)
DOG DINNER by @wompire (super interesting writing style, extremely poetic and striking. hits you right in the gut.)
everything and the kitchen sink by @swifty-fox (YEAH THIS ONE WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE TOO. modern au where gale is a professional dom and john is a journalist who hornily consents to both (1) fucking around, and (2) finding out. in top ten fics of the decade in general tbh)
Freed From Desire by @feyd-meowtha (yoooooo such a fun and free and sexy fic!!! such a great writing style and such a cool remix of all the characters we know and love!)
He wears his love around his neck by kasugayamaisforlovers (Gale character study, he tries to run his little gay thoughts away which is always so fun to see)
hold me like a knife by storm_warning (tw: self-harm, this REALLY gets into John's self-destructive stalag spiral and it's super visceral and wet and heart-wrenching and written with such, such care and precision)
Hound Within the Heart by Anonymous (fairy-tale esque, gets super crazy and pushes the limits of reality but in the best ways possible)
I Don't Wanna Be Alone Tonight by @johnslittlespoon (cuddling for warmth <3 and then a little more <3 <3 so sweet and intimate!!)
I Like A Bad Boy by @nicijones (modern college AU and bucky is a fratty fuckboy type & in this fic he DOES punch a guy for Gale and it's all very hot and sweet and a delight to read)
i wish you wouldn't tell me (about your hawaiian party) by @whitetrashjj (when the fuckbuddies thing gets messyyyyyy because gale catches feelingsssssss, so delicious and meaty!!)
if that isn’t love, it’ll have to do by @irregularcollapse (ALWAYS such incredible character reads from this author, never misses. also facefucking. also FACEFUCKING <3)
i'll be seeing you by @puffanities (a quick 1.6k oneshot but still packed with some really great characterization and powerful language!! 'when the numbers of planes don’t match...')
i'll find you before the dust settles by butidontreallycare (a Westworld AU!! super cool)
in our bedroom after the war by @stereobone (one of those fics that's just like. a pillar of the community, y'know? iconic. classic. eternal.)
Into the Unknown by Melanie_Mikaelson (big win for john whump enjoyers. BIG win. like 20+ chapters of winning)
it ain't for meatball by @meyerlansky (Curt/Bucky. Curt puts the dog collar on Bucky....and it's HOTTTT arf arf i'm barking just like bucky is in this fic...)
It's Not Love, but It's Fun by @sweaterkittensahoy (Curt/Bucky, 500 words so it's short and sweet just like Curt ahahahaha, ANYWAY still such an interesting little read regardless!)
judgment by the hounds by @puffanities (PG, very visceral and tender apology after the stalag fight scene <3)
level-off maneuvers by wormringers (sweet little oneshot of the Bucks in London)
little fix by ForASecondThereWedWon (Algeria <3 <3 you just kNOW those two gay pilots were sniffing and huffing and licking each other's sweat.....this author GETS it)
love means nothing (in tennis) by @irregularcollapse (fics that make you go WEEEEEEEE!!!! every word, every physical action that these characters take is SO precise and well-written. truly like wrapping a soft bathrobe around yourself and also the bathrobe is incredibly sexy and also they're sucking each other off post-game but PRE-shower. also gale's dad!! also margie!! truly such a well crafted AU)
make you feel alive by @sig-nifier (really sweet little oneshot of gale being a little protective of john. and i am ALWAYS a sucker for the 'call off your dog' trope... and it's done perfectly here!)
meet me at the chapel by @swifty-fox (still in-progress and SUCH a creative, inventive universe!! outlaw john you will always be famous to me!!!!)
my kingdom for a kiss upon your shoulder by @swifty-fox (swift can really weave a story like no one else. so many lines that pack a punch. and in the end, they make it <3)
my type by @spaceshipkat (this one is SOOOOO well-written, I always go so crazy for the dialogue!!! such a great push-pull dynamic in this fic)
night terror by @antiquitea (hot! and sweet! and HOT! and angsty!!!!! highlights include: gale gives john a literal countdown deadline to get off)
Obligate Mutualism by bowhuntress (Gale-centric story of trying to get John through the stalag, then returning the England without Bucky, a fic very obviously written with a lot of care and love)
obsessions, and other things by @sig-nifier (the Bucks cope. really great pacing and dialogue, and I always love when fics take the care to delve into john's struggle with alcoholism as well)
of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world (he walks into mine) by @whitetrashjj (really fun parallel universe where Buck owns a bar, just a great read all-around!)
Oh, I do, do I? by @defnotanarc (DIRTY TALK, like the most delicious, incredible dirty talk you can imagine, this fic nails it!!)
One of your Girls by @soliloquy-dawn (9k oneshot and it's great all the way through, Gale is jealousssss of John fucking around, don't worry they resolve it <3, definitely captures that innocence of pre-Bremen MOTA episodes)
peacetime like a liminal space by @spaceshipkat (this one is PHENOMENAL. post-war, John goes to New York City and turns out it doesn't fill the emptiness. luckily Gale shows up. <3)
Putting Words to It by @impalachick (YEAH THIS ONE IS REALLY HOT. John is a snoop and reads Gale's letters to Marge <3)
Reunited by Flowersandthings (PG, cute & funny oneshot of the Bucks being reunited after Gale makes it over from Greenland!)
Reverie by @avonne-writes (REALLY creative, well-crafted story. Gale and John are soulmates and can visit each other's dreams since adolescence. INCREDIBLE journey and arc in this story, the stalag part is just wow. truly such a gift to the fandom!!).
Rugire by Anonymous (umm omegaverse-ish but with deer dynamics. messy. and SO good.)
SHOTGUN. by pornogirl (YEAH this one is awesome, it's not safe it's not sane but oh boy it is consensual)
Song of Songs by @swifty-fox (sweaty sex sweaty sex sweaty sex)
Spin, Sit, Roll-Over by @glumbabie (Gale is a little mean to John and it's VERY sexy of him tbh. 'DOGS DON'T TALK'???? 'YOU CAN EAT'???????? yeah. read this.)
the chimneys hardly ever fall down by @redbelles (another Gale/Marge + John, and it's HOT. it's SEXY it's awesome!!)
the hand of a good man by @stereobone (John rewrites Gale's daddy history <3)
the jacket by @dogmetaphors (REALLY great sense of dialogue and characterization even in 1.6k words, also shamelessly horny and SO yummy)
The Major’s Wife by tryingmyhandatwriting (John/Original Female Character but like. give this one a chance, I'm telling you!! I'm always soooo compelled by sex scenes that like. are actually a little bit unhappy. and this one SERVESSSSS.)
this must be the place by @blixabargelds (BIG win for Gale whumpers. broken bone and LOTS of blood and super well-written)
To be alone with you by Damn_Illusive (THIS ONE IS SO, SO SPECIAL AND CREATIVE!! freaky army experimentation gives gale and john telepathic communication. incredible separation arc while gale is in the stalag. really, really unique story that is such a staple in my mind as one of the the most incredible clegan stories ever. I think about this one A LOT!!!)
To the Moon and Back by @rambleonwaywardson (iconic astronaut AU, written with SUCH care and love, it's so obvious!! and BIG win for john whumpers. who said that -)
Tough And Sweet (Like You And Me) by @johnslittlespoon (sooo fun and creative and inventive, Bikeriders-esque!Gale and a sweeter, more innocent John. really well crafted)
trading paper dolls by ForASecondThereWedWon (Alex draws Gale pinup girl style in the stalag.....John swipes it.... super great fic!)
two slow dancers by everywordnotsaid (unrequited love, John for Gale, through their journey. I genuinely, actually sobbed for a long time at the conclusion of this fic. I am always thinking about this fic. I think it really captures something about the experience of watching the show and realizing in that hopeless, lovesick kind of way that there's no way to go back in time and save all of them. I still get teary whenever I think about this story or hear the song. It's one of those fics that's not just good, not just great, but somehow also really fucking IMPORTANT. this story MATTERS. you should absolutely read it and save it and imprint it onto your heart. I know it's imprinted onto mine.)
Un Chant d’Amour by @counting0nit (really intriguing take on the interrogation center time frame!)
unicorns, and other extinct animals by @spaceshipkat (really, really incredible reading experience. something that actually touches other aspects of my life, even now. I see planes overhead and I think about this fic. I see letters on a table and I think about this fic. just. this author GETS IT, you know? just absolutely nails every aspect of this kind of fic: post-war adjustment, the pain, the LOVE. this fic will make you FEEL it. let it happen.)
Up In Our Bedroom by @steeseman (ICONIC. really one of those pillars of the community type fics, y'know? it's funny and it's sweet and it's painful and the hot parts are HOT. clearly written with SO much care, and SO much love, and SO much precision. every single word packs a punch. absolutely one of my top reads of all time, across time, across fandoms)
When the bones are good by @aramblingjay (a really incredible post-war fic, such a beautiful, rich writing style!! isn't afraid to dig at the hard parts - john's relationship with alcohol, their nightmares from the war. stunning visuals -- the author uses setting and place and motion in such a tangible, real way. I can still see the little hideout spot in my mind's eye, even now. one of those fics that's just. such a treasure to the fandom.)
your dreams, whatever they be by @drylite (this one is super new, and it's just SUCH solid writing!)
You're A Dog (I'm Your Man) by @johnslittlespoon (one of those fics that's a pillar of the fandom for SURE!!! definitely a classic)
#mota fic#clegan#john egan#gale cleven#I LOVE U ALL SO MUCH#you're all so talented and creative!!!!!!#post
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I Want You to Want Me
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Pairing: Neil Lewis x F!Reader
Fandom: Watching the Detectives
Summary: Neil receives a frantic call and finds you outside of Gumshoe after a date night gone wrong. Secretly habouring feelings for you ever since the two of you met, he finds you oddly irresistable in your tears and torn fishnets.
Warnings: SMUT, mutual pining, dub-con touching, dryhumping, riding, foreplay, teasing, begging (m), masturbation (m), clothed sex (semi), Neil being a wet paper towel, so just Neil being Neil, pervy Neil, switch!Neil, slight dom but mostly sub!Neil because c'mon guys it's NEIL, slight dom!reader, body worship, public sex (technically?), premature ejaculation (sort of?), angst, some fluff? by my standards anyway lol so take that with a grain of salt -- this ended up being more wholesome than I thought it would be
Inspired by this cover of I Want You To Want Me (the reader's song) and Creep (Neil's song) by Radiohead.
Huge thanks to @your-nanas-house for getting me started with a prompt for this and cheering me on!
Totally nicked the "jock boyfriend" inspo from @cillianmesoftlyyy's fic here; go check that out if you want more spicy Neil content, because it was fantastic!
And thank you and also fuck you to @rysko for dramatically beta reading this in my ear WHILE I WAS TRYING TO MAKE THE HEADER
And now that I'm done thanking every fic writer on tumblr, my parents, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Birds, and Saturn and all of its rings, enjoy your filth!
WC: 4239
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He found you outside the back door of Gumshoe, huddled against the concrete step, the cool air of the spring night nipping at the wet tears that streaked your cheeks, the slight breeze stirring a shiver from one fretful limb to the next. The whites of your eyes burned red beneath the faint glow of the lanterns atop the neighbour’s picket fence. It wasn’t exactly the most incognito place to cry your eyes out, but you didn’t have a key to Neil’s store, and it was nearly three in the morning.
“Hey, I got your call. What’s going on?” A familiar voice broke the pitiful sounds of your sobbing, and the tension of your shoulders eased if only slightly at the mere sound.
You tried to answer past your sobs, but found that your words came only in hiccups, in broken fragments of your splintered heart, and it didn’t take long for him to sweep an arm around your shoulders, lowering himself to sit beside you on the cold step. Instinctively, you found yourself leaning into his touch, trembling against the warmth of his body.
Neil was never really great at these sorts of things to begin with, but it certainly didn’t help that his attention was drawn to the low-cut top where a tear streaked down the groove of your breasts, to the fishnets that you’d torn on your way out the door of your boyfriend’s, to the short skirt that rode up just enough for him to catch a glimpse of the lace hem of your panties.
He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry, and he tried to keep his eyes on the face you so desperately tried to hide with your trembling fingers, for you were ashamed of your unkempt appearance. You must’ve looked like a cheap whore – a mess of one, no less. You couldn’t tell what was more embarrassing: the way you were dressed, like you were begging for attention, or the way your emotions seized you so cruelly that you could scarcely breathe.
“Hey.” His warm, careful touch landed on your wrist, and as you pulled your fingers from your lashes, they came away black with smudged mascara. “I’m here,” your friend said. “Tell me what happened.”
You could still only speak in hiccups and broken vowels.
“Shhh,” Neil soothed you, fingers running up and down your spine, sending tiny shivers through each nerve as the fabric of your shirt bunched and his skin brushed yours. “Shhh. I’m here.”
Resting your head on his shoulder, your hair spilled in sticky threads over the jacket that, judging by the slight musty scent that lingered in the weave of the corduroy, had probably missed one too many washes. But you didn’t care. You’d come to appreciate the little imperfections about him, the details of his scent that made Neil Neil. Like the waxy tinge that seemed to always cling to his fingers after a long shift of rolling back tapes. Like the silk cream and smoke of the vanilla candle you’d gifted him last week. Like the artificial scent of cheap shaving cream and the slightest hint of blood where he’d nicked himself with the razor. The musk of his sweat and skin, buried beneath all these little things that you’d come to know almost as intimately as your own.
But there was something else, something you couldn’t quite pinpoint. And its unfamiliarity unnerved you.
His other hand came to rest on your knee, hot as fire in the cold of night. He thumbed at the tear in your fishnets and looked at you with bright, concerned eyes, but he used this as an excuse to touch you.
“Did he hurt you?” Neil asked. His hand stayed on your knee. In a way, it felt comforting; it grounded you enough so that, finally, after lulled by the rise and fall of his shoulder and the unique blend of his scent, you could speak.
“Is that cologne?” You wrinkled your nose and drew back to look him in the eye, your tangled hair peeling reluctantly from his corduroy jacket.
A rose blush came upon Neil’s cheeks, and he smiled nervously. He’d been sure to spritz himself with a good helping of it before he left, despite his hurried state. He needed to impress you; ever since you’d started dating that jock from across the street, he’d been trying to find more ways to steal your attention back.
“Yeah, it’s new,” he said, a little flustered, in a way that made your stomach flutter. “I wanted to ask for your opinion on what I should get, but you – well…” His voice cracked a bit as a hint of sadness crept into his tone. “… you’ve been pretty busy lately.”
“It’s awful,” you told him, laughing slightly, and your words seemed to cheer him up; his lips tugged into that playful grin of his again, and a deep chuckle rumbled from his throat.
And then you both fell into silence, and he looked back to your knee, still thumbing the skin where the fabric had torn.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Neil said.
You swallowed, another lump forming in your throat, and when you looked at him, bottom lip in your teeth, reddened eyes pouting, rimmed by your messed mascara, his heart sped in his chest in both fear and arousal. The thought of James even touching you boiled his blood, made his skin crawl and tightened a noose round his neck, but seeing you like this, baring your soul to him with those tear-brimmed eyes and mournfully upturned brows, it made him want you even more.
If he’d been the one to take you out tonight, he would’ve brought you home to his bed, worshipped each inch of your hallowed skin and made love to you like you were the only woman in the world, splayed his fingers across your thighs and parted them like a sea, dropped to his knees and prayed with the hungered strokes of his tongue and lapped at your holy waters.
He’d started reading poetry lately. It had felt right; it was the only thing that seemed to express just how he felt about you. Echoed the words in private like they were gospel; chanted your name from desperate lips as he palmed himself each night – and morning – to your photographs, to the vanilla of the candle that reminded him so much of you, to the fantasy of your sweat-slicked thighs wrapped around his waist, your walls clenched around him as he bucked his hips against your weight and finally let himself go, spilling himself inside you and hearing you moan so sweetly for him from those heavenly lips, feeling his own cum dampen his stomach as you collapsed over him. He always knew you’d be so tight, that you’d fit so perfect around him.
But sitting here, staring at your shivering, impotent form in your torn fishnets and your skimpy attire, he could barely contain the urge to tear open your knees and fuck you against the concrete. It had been so long since he’d even been this close to you; James took up all of your time nowadays, and gone were the late movie nights and stolen games of basketball on the breaks he took so liberally.
He missed you. So much.
And you knew it. You knew it, deep in your chest where the remnants of your heart twisted, still hearing the words, “You’ve been pretty busy lately.”
You shook your head, choking out another sob as shame crept along your skin, and you shivered at its grotesque touch. “No, he didn’t hurt me… not – not in that way.”
You couldn’t look at him; his pearlescent blue eyes and his sun-kissed freckles and his boyish brown locks all fading into memory as you buried your face in his chest, inhaling once more the faint scent of his laundry detergent and the musk of him beneath the shirt that was flipped inside-out but still outlined the blatant logo of Back to the Future. Whether he hadn’t realised he’d put it on backwards or he’d been shy about it, you couldn’t be sure, but it lightened your heart all the same, your sobs turning to giggles.
Neil pulled you closer, his chin resting along the nape of your neck and his hand running up your thigh; you barely noticed how near his hand was to your panties as you tugged at his shirt, nails sinking past the fabric as if to keep him and never let him go.
You regretted all that time you’d spent with James, when you should have been spending it with him instead. Everything felt so much easier with him; your smiles were broader, your laughter more carefree.
But you wanted more – selfish and lovesick, you wanted more than what he already gave you. You needed more than his attention and his friendship.
You needed him to want you.
“I thought that…” You sniffled. “… I thought that James wanted me. I dressed up all… nice… fucking whorish… and I thought tonight was finally the night and that he would’ve… that he would’ve…”
The words twisted in your throat, and you squeezed your eyes shut. Two hours ago, when you did up your makeup and clothes for your date with James, you’d felt sexy. Powerful, even.
Now, you just felt worthless.
Neil nestled his nose in the crook of your neck, brushed the silk strands of your hair aside, breathed your scent in so deeply that for a moment, the butterflies came back to the pit of your stomach.
“I just want to be wanted,” you admitted, losing it, sobbing uncontrollably into the now-damp shirt that clung to his thin frame. “I just want to be desired. That was the only reason I was with him, Neil. The way he looked at me that day when he came into the store, I…”
With a bitter pang in his chest, Neil remembered that day. The way James had looked at you like you were a piece of meat. The way he’d asked you if had any recommendations on which sports film he should rent and Neil had practically wedged himself between the two of you and started chattering to James about every little piece of trivia he knew about Chariots of Fire and Rocky. How, despite his efforts, James had still gone home with your number as well as the tapes. How you’d come in the next morning with a hickey on your neck and Neil had just known that where James had paused one of the tapes was when your movie night was likely cut short by… things he’d rather not think about ever again.
It should’ve been his couch you’d been curled up on, should’ve been him watching the movie with you. His mark on your neck.
And he would’ve picked something a little more fitting for the mood, too. Something more like Casablanca or Sin City. It was as if James didn’t even have to try to get you drooling over him. What was so special about him, anyway?
I wish I was special, Neil thought.
Neil’s grip on you tightened at the memory, nails digging in to the flesh of your thigh in a way that stirred a little gasp from your lungs, huffing against his collarbone as you tilted your head up to look at him.
“Y/N.” His breath caught in his throat, and he reluctantly pulled from your neck to look you in the eye, locks of messy hair falling across his forehead and his eyes half-lidded. His fingers ghosted up your thigh, and you blinked past the sharp mint of his mouthwash – it burned your eyes slightly, but you didn’t care. You were so close to him, your breaths became one, a few threads of his hair tickling your cheeks and his nose brushing yours.
“Neil,” you breathed, the slightest of smiles tugging at your lip as your heart thudded between your legs, dangerously close to his fingers. Warmth spread across each fevered limb, taking you somewhere past the cold concrete and bitter chill of the wind, somewhere away from the graffiti-painted alley and the reek of broken booze bottles. Somewhere safe, and warm, and thrilling all at once.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.” Neil’s voice cracked around the words, a nervous laugh huffing against your fluttering lashes as his freckled cheeks darkened another shade of red. The hand that wasn’t between your legs played with a lock of your hair, twirling it in his finger but still supporting you beneath a quivering arm.
You couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t believe this was real.
He had to have been playing some sick joke, right?
But the whimper that fell from his lips was very real, as his nails dug into your flesh again and he tugged you closer, his hips arching upward against your outer thigh.
“You look more than nice. You’re so fucking hot in this skirt, in anything you wear. That asshole is fucking blind,” he breathed, fingers grazing your panties and landing over your hipbone, testing the waters more and more as he tried not to rock his growing arousal too obviously against you.
But you noticed. You noticed the way his cock hardened and twitched beneath your weight; you noticed how even despite his body trembling from his attempts to resist his primal urges, his hips still gave little bucks upward, seeking friction. Seeking the heat that flared between your thighs, that ached for him so desperately that it was all you could do not to return the favour.
He couldn’t take it anymore. Staring into those gorgeous, bright eyes. Looking up at him with anything but innocence. So he scooped both hands around your ass, squeezing the flesh and lace and tugging you properly onto his lap with an alluring squeal tearing from your full lips.
“I want you, Y/N.” His hot breath pooled at your collarbone as he trailed wet, sloppy kisses along your jaw, your neck, and your lips parted in another gasp, back arching and thighs clenching around his waist as you ground wet panties against the bulge in his trousers.
“I fucking need you,” he whined, nipping like a needy puppy at the delicate skin of your neck. “Always have.” Another kiss. “Ever since I first saw you. Long before James.” A possessive growl stirred from his throat at that, the flare of dominance sending a jolt through your core.
“Neil, I – oh my God.” A moan broke your words as his fingers moved up your spine and his teeth grazed your collarbone, hovering over your pulse point.
“Fuck, baby. Say that again. Just like that.” His fingers began rolling your shirt up over the lip of your breasts, the sight enough to make him whine again in need. He couldn’t help himself from groping you, squeezing your breasts and rolling one nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Bending his neck to trail more sloppy kisses down your torso, they were his next destination.
“Oh my – Neil. Neil, I – “ You had so much to tell him, so much you needed off your chest, but his hips bucked sharply against you at the sound of his name moaned so beautifully, a low groan in his throat and his cock digging slightly inside your heat, the fabric of your panties scraping almost painfully against your walls.
“Please, Y/N, please don’t make me stop. Please let me keep touching you like this. I wanna worship you.” His hot breath shattered against a pert nipple. “Wanna fucking prove to you how much I want you.”
For a few moments, you were rendered speechless, mind whirring like the wheels on a VHS. Everything was happening so fast, and the warmth of his touch was seeping into you like honey, inundating you in a sort of comforting flame.
He could almost smell the vanilla of the candle wick burning.
You left nail marks down his chest where you clawed at the collar of his shirt, but he didn’t care. He sucked a nipple past his teeth and moaned around the taste of you, the sound so filthy that your eyes nearly rolled back in your skull as your parted lips tipped to the heavens. His name outlined by their perfect shape.
Reality came crashing down around you as you jumped, another squeal leaving your tongue as his teeth bit at your nipple and pain shot along your nerve endings.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed, chest heaving, looking up at you with reverent eyes. “I didn’t mean to, I – “
You cupped his chin in your palm and shook your head. “No, Neil. I’m sorry.” A tear streaked down your cheek, beaded on your jawline. “I’m so, so sorry.” You were beginning to sob again, and his brow furrowed in concern, thumb beginning to trace small circles along your spine. “I’m sorry I abandoned you for James, I didn’t… I shouldn’t have. I didn’t know you felt this way, I – I’m so sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for,” he told you, his words sinking into your skin like a warm tide. With one hand, he brushed the tear from your jaw and wove his fingers into your hair, pulling you closer. “Just let me keep touching you. Please.”
When you didn’t respond for a moment, caught up in the way his blue eyes seemed to hollow with a certain hunger, the way his chest rose and fell beneath the bare flesh of your stomach, he uttered that word again:
“Please.”
You smiled, elated and giddy with joy, blood pounding with arousal, and kissed him, threading your own fingers into the fluffy locks of his hair.
Another tear streaked across your lips as they met his, and you tasted like salt and vanilla, slightly waxy from your chap-stick but the sweetest thing he’d tasted nonetheless. At first, he was embarrassed by the noises he made, the way he’d accidentally called you “baby” because he’d always wanted to do so, but he melted beneath you like butter. Nothing mattered anymore except the fact that you were finally his, that you were in his arms and grinding against his cock.
Neil broke the kiss to pull your shirt over your head, tossing it aside somewhere on the concrete – he would buy you a new one. His hands flattened against your back and pulled you flush to his chest, taking any excuse he could to hear that little squeal you made each time.
“Please, baby, please let me be inside you,” he whined, biting his lip as he stared up at you with those powder-blue eyes. Nails dug into your skin. Hips bucked against yours.
Your heart soared with his words, his worship, his want; you’d never been this ecstatic in your whole life. Part of you wanted to keep teasing him, make him beg, while another part of you ached to feel him buried to the hilt inside you.
“Patience, Neil,” you giggled, as you undid his trousers. You worked them down to his knees and your eyes widened as your hand brushed his cock, bare and springing flush against his stomach. You hadn’t expected him to not wear boxers.
Neil smiled sheepishly up at you, eyes still lidded, mouth still panting out a fevered breath. “I was in a rush getting dressed. I…” His cheeks reddened, and there was something so cute about how pathetic he looked in that moment. “You wanna know how much I want you, Y/N? I was touching myself thinking of you when you called.”
Creep, some voice in the back of his head hissed.
You bit your lip to suppress a moan, trying to ward off thoughts of Neil stroking himself to you, finishing to the thought of you. Oh, how you wished you could have witnessed the sight.
“Did you come?” you asked, a devious grin pulling at your lips as you took him in your hand, massaging a bead of pre-cum into his sensitive flesh.
His eyes fluttered, and he shook his head, his words coming out as a breathy whine,
“No, I promise. I didn’t come. Not yet.”
“Will you?” You dipped your head to let your words tickle his neck, your grip on him tightening.
“Yes,” he moaned. “Yes, yes, oh God, I will. Fuck, baby. Fuck, gonna come if you don’t stop that, need to come inside you, please, please…”
His mutterings trailed off into a low hiss of a whine, and your movements stilled, dragging him to his peak and letting him teeter at the edge as you both caught your breaths, chest heaving and a cold chill racing down your sweat-slicked back, thighs trembling around him.
“You sure you can handle this?” you purred against his ear before pulling back once more to witness the shivering mess you’d made him, priding yourself in your accomplishment. Lining his cock up with your entrance, the fabric of your panties scraped his tip teasingly as you slotted them to the side.
Neil looked up at you like you were some kind of goddess, his breathing coming laboured, his throat stripped of words. The dazed, blissful look he gave you was all the answer you needed. But you wanted to reap him of every last praise he had.
“Use your words, Neil,” you giggled, smirking.
“Ah…” His lips parted, near soundless. You watched intently as they formed the word “Please”.
You almost felt bad for him.
But it wasn’t pity that brought your hips down around him, slowly, teasingly, savouring the stretch of him against your walls and the fullness in your belly, but rather, your own need.
Neil’s head rolled back against the brick wall, blood welling at his lip where he bit it to keep himself from toppling over his peak; he nearly did it to himself when he bucked his hips upward, burying himself inside you, making you whimper at the pain that blended so sordidly with the pleasure. Your fingers tugged at his hair, and your nails grazed his scalp, and every little sensation sent him into overdrive. He used these little things to ground himself, as you had his tangled scents; he focused on how smooth your stomach felt against his own, his shirt hiking up so that you were skin to skin; he focused on the noises you made, huffing and whimpering, as you began to ride him; he focused on the softness of the breast that he cupped in his hand. Tried not to think about how you felt better than he’d imagined, how you clenched so tightly around his cock that he was almost pushed out each time you elevated your hips, but were so wet for him that he slid back inside so seamlessly each time.
“Neil,” you moaned as you fucked yourself on his cock, breast bouncing beneath his thumb, skirt fluttering around the bareness of his thighs. “Neil, fuck. Fuck.”
“Baby, I’m s—sorry. I’m gonna…”
You yelped again as pain shot deep inside your core, his hips bucking against yours with a violence you hadn’t known sweet Neil from the VHS store to possess, bottoming out inside you as his nails dug into the now-abused skin of your back and pulling you close, so close you were panting over his shoulder and his breath shattered against your ear. The hand that had been cupping your breast shot up to cradle your head, petting your hair.
He held you to him so tight, you didn’t think he’d ever let go. And you couldn’t have been happier.
Warmth spilled around his cock, sticky against your thighs, painting your insides white. You shuddered around him, balling his hair into a fist and digging your own, sharper nails, against his back.
“I didn’t mean it to be over so fast,” he mumbled into your neck. “I just… you’re so… fuck, I’ve been waiting for this for so long.”
“So have I,” you breathed. You practically hugged each other, shivering in the night air but content in each other’s warmth. “Don’t worry.” Pulling away slightly, you smiled down at him, cheeks flushing bright red. “If anything, it… it’s endearing.”
“Really?” he chuffed out a laugh.
“It…” you looked down, unable to meet that crystalline gaze. “It makes me feel wanted.” You pecked a quick kiss to his jaw, and could’ve sworn you saw love in his eyes when you pulled away.
“God, you’re perfect.” His voice broke again as his lips sought yours, and his breath hitched in his chest when the action caused you to rock your hips forward, a new sensation he’d never felt before buzzing along his skin. His mouth hung open and you laid kisses to his lips, his jaw, the Adam’s apple that bobbed along his throat. He felt his cock stiffen again inside you, already eager for Round Two.
“I should take you home,” he murmured, hands running up and down your sides. “You must be so cold.” As if just realising that he still had his jacket on, Neil shrugged it off in haste and wrapped the heavy material around your shoulders. A chill ran down your spine, as the material was damp with sweat – you smiled at how predictably forgettable he was when he had a woman on his lap, just as you’d imagined –, but his scent soothed you.
Though you were cold, it was a small sacrifice to make to stay here, with him buried so deep inside you that you felt dizzy in the head. Depleted of your energy and sinking into his warmth, you smirked, and rested your chin on his shoulder.
“I was thinking of just staying like this a while,” you admitted.
“Whatever makes you happy,” he breathed, hugging you even tighter. “Whatever you want.”
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A.N. Sorry if this was a bit rough, guys. I smashed this one out the other day because I was tired of my writer's block.
I actually laid into some themes that I was planning on using for a Dark!Neil fic based on the song "Creep" which I don't know when I'll get around to writing, but let me know if you guys would like to hear more about the idea for the series or are interested.
MASTERLIST • REQUEST
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Please let me know if you would like to be added/removed to any of my taglists and notified of new works!
Taglist: @emotionalcadaver @zablife @shelbydelrey @look-at-the-soul @brummiereader @mrkdvidal1989 @fiercelittlemouse @ohwellthatslifesstuff @purplesnorlaxplush @henrywintersdearestgirl @goblinjnr @mizzbel @s0urmarvel @onasmoko @elenavampire21 @rysko @chris-seb-marvel @muhahaha303 @novemberschy @thatonesinglefriend @forgottenpeakywriter @youbyradiohead @your-nanas-house @onehornedbeast @kiss-me-cill-me @ilovefictionalpsychopaths @birminghamshelbyboys @sometimes-i-sing
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#neil lewis#neil lewis x reader#neil lewis x you#neil lewis smut#neil lewis imagines#neil lewis fanfic#neil lewis fic#cillian murphy x reader#cillian murphy x you#cillian murphy smut#cillian murphy fanfic#cillian murphy#neil lewis watching the detectives#watching the detectives 2007#watching the detectives#fuck james#all my homies hate james#s: i want you to want me
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This Was Never Meant to Be What It Feels Like
A/N: Hey y'all! I'm not really a writer so this is my first time posting any writing here on Tumblr, but I'm apparently incapable of not thinking about Armando (*Whatta Man by Salt-N-Pepa plays in my head) so this kind of...happened. I figured I'd share ���️ Also, I know Armando thinks Aretas is his dad in the movies but I changed it a bit.
Title is from Satisfaction by SiR (if you haven't heard it do yourself a favor and go listen)
Pairing: Armando Aretas x Original Female Character
Fandom: Bad Boys Movies
Prompt: Shay (OC) wants to get to know Armando better and figures her best bet is to ask when he's...relaxed.
Warnings ⚠️: Uh...complicated parental relationships. Talk of smut, but no actual smut.
“Tell me something.”
“Hm?”
Shay kept her focus on drawing invisible shapes on Armando’s shoulder with her finger. Her blue stiletto shaped nails going down almost to his elbow before finding its way back up to his collar bone. It was something she did often after they had sex and she knew it calmed him much like it was now. His breathing had slowed into something calmer than the frantic breaths of ten minutes ago when he was trying to catch his breath. The open window blew in a decent ocean breeze, adding to the peaceful feeling in her bedroom. She tried to play it cool, like she wasn’t disturbing the moment, wasn’t asking him to do the one thing she knew he hated - opening up.
Shay had been seeing Armando for about three months now, and she knew next to nothing about the man. She knew it was a red flag, hell she knew he probably wasn’t a law abiding citizen, but she couldn’t help it.
There was something so magnetizing, so sensual about his presence. He commanded attention even though she got the feeling he wanted nothing more than to blend in and be lowkey. She couldn’t help but notice the way he held himself, the way he spoke and moved with the confidence of a man who was sure of himself. Don’t get her started on the way he smelled - it was divine and pure man.
The point was basically this - he was a ten but he refused to tell her more about himself.
Shay was determined to get to know him better, because despite playing things close to his chest, she was in love with him. She didn’t know his last name, but she knew he would bring her flowers and food if she was having a bad day just to make her smile. She didn’t know what he did for a living - honestly, part of her was glad for this if it was illegal as she was imagining. Plausible deniability. - but she knew if she needed him to, he would fix anything she needed him to or at least find someone who could. She didn’t know what his crucible entailed that made him like this, but she knew he loved her like she was something precious.
So she was taking the risk that this would blow up in her face. “Tell me something about you that I don’t know.” She kissed his chest, like she was softening the blow of the question. Not that she needed to, it was an open ended question on purpose. The more freedom she gave about the topic, the more likely he was to answer.
He gently shifted her to the pillow as he lifted himself on his elbow, facing her with a suspicious look on his face. “Like what?” God, what she wouldn’t give to take whatever hurt that made him so distrustful of her just wanting to know him away. Who had betrayed him? Who took advantage of his trust and made him so wary of genuine love?
She thought over her answer, a million topics coming to mind but needing to pick one that wouldn’t have him shutting down immediately. Armando had let the conversation start but he could end it if she said the wrong thing.
“Your family.” She could feel him pulling away as if it was physically happening so she quickly explained her choice. “Did you grow up with siblings? Are your parents married?” Bare minimum.
It seemed to have worked he looked at her as if debating what to say, if anything, before laying back down and staring at the ceiling. The relaxed man that was in her bed mere minutes ago, gone. Now he was tense, as if ready for a fight. She slowly and obviously resumed her previous position on his chest, giving him time to tell her no if he needed the space. Her nails went back to their drawings in the hopes of calming him enough to talk. He took a breath before, “I grew up an only child. My mom was my world, she taught me everything I knew.”
Her nails stopped moving. “Was?” It was the word that caught the most of her attention out of everything he just said.
“She passed away a few years ago.” His face was blank, as if he was just stating a fact of life rather than talking about the death of the person that raised him and whom he clearly loved.
Shay rubbed the shoulder she wasn’t laying on in an effort to comfort him.“I’m sorry to hear that.” Armando shrugged it off but she could tell it still hurt him. “What about your dad?”
“Our relationship is…complicated at best. He wasn’t around for most of my life. We were introduced a few months before my mom died. I didn’t even know who he was to me until my mom told me on her deathbed.”
“You never asked your mom about him before?”
“If there was one thing I knew about my father growing up, it was that my mom hated him. She always told me that he left us behind and didn’t look back at all. As a kid I was curious but as I got older, I started to hate him too. I mean he was supposed to love my mom, and he turned on her and left me behind like I was trash. Fuck ‘im. Now I know it wasn’t so black and white.”
“How so?”
“The few times my mom spoke about him, she always heavily implied that he knew she was pregnant with me and left anyway. Looking back, she never said the words. When I confronted my father about it, he said they were a doomed couple that wasn’t ever going to last. They were both too selfish. Said he didn’t even know she had been pregnant until we met.”
“Sounds like he cares. I mean if he knew do you think he would have been around?”
“There’s no doubt in my mind he would have been there, raised me. I know he loves me, that he just wants what’s best for me, but I’m just having a hard time accepting it. I spent so much time hating him that reconciling this truth with this perception I’ve always had of him is hard.”
“Not to mention it means confronting that you didn’t know your mom as well as you thought you did. The woman she was to you isn’t the woman she was to others.”
“And she’s not here to explain it, which just makes me mad all over again. He’s usually the target of my anger.”
“Makes sense to me.” She shrugged in response to his questioning look. “He’s here. Add in the fact that he wasn’t there for so long its easy to blame him for a lot.”
“Yeah,” he agreed.
Like a flip had been switched, he once again moves her onto the bed and hovers over her.
“Enough about them. Talking is not exactly what I had in mind for us tonight,” he pleads.
She could see the desperation and fear in his eyes. She had a feeling that being that honest with her scared him. He wasn’t exactly the vulnerable type and telling her all this put him on display in the most raw way, an unknown for him. It also meant he had to be honest with himself about he felt, something she didn’t think happened a lot. He wanted to escape the real hurt he was feeling about it all, he didn’t want to face what the truth might mean for his memory of his mother. If a reprieve is what he needed, she could do that for him. She would do that for him.
She bit her bottom lip, looking at him through her lashes, feeling herself get wet at his suggestive tone and slight touches. “What did you have in mind?”
❤️🔥❤️🔥
The next morning she woke up alone, his side of the bed cold. This wasn’t an unusual occurrence as he often left before she woke. She was used to him leaving and coming back randomly, sometimes being gone for days. After their conversation and the way he seemed to just need her last night, she figured this was coming. Something told her him leaving was different this time, that she had pushed him too far. She had the sickening feeling that he wasn’t coming back.
Round two had been fast and rough, needy in a way. Round three had been teasing and playful, like he was apologizing for being so rough before. Round four was…slow and passionate, reverent almost.
It felt like a goodbye.
A/N: 🫣So how'd I do? Let me know in the comments. Likes and reblogs are always appreciated! OH AND HOW SHOULD I TAG THIS?! Anything I should add to get more people to see it?
Part 2 Part 3
#armando aretas#armando lowrey#Armando x oc#armando aretas fanfic#Armando aretas x oc#Bad boys#original female character#fanfiction#baby's first fanfic post#jacob scipio#celebrity#imagine#bad boys ride or die#bad boys for life#minors dni
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Special thanks to our mod @penguinsledder for making this year's banner!
What is Kataang Week?
Kataang Week is when we, as a corner of the fandom, celebrate the ship Kataang on Tumblr! The prompts for Kataang Week 2024 were selected through five rounds of voting over the last few weeks and all prompts were submitted by Kataangers.
Cool, when is it?
Summer Kataang Week 2024 starts on Monday, July 29th - a little over seven weeks from today - and ends on Monday, August 5th.
Who is the founder of Tumblr's Kataang Week?
@secretsecrettunnel revived Kataang Week in the summer of 2013 a few years after Avatar: The Last Airbender ended and when the fandom was itching for more Kataang during The Legend of Korra’s run.
Who are the mods?
@airbender-dacyon AKA Mod Dan: A Kataang fanfic writer who prefers fluff, but also loves some drama and angst. Mod Dan started writing Kataang stories in 2013 and has helped organize Kataang Week since 2016.
@penguinsledder AKA Mod Atarah: A writer, gif maker, and musician–she enjoys fluffy young adult Kataang and all the ways they complement and parallel each other. She first joined Tumblr for Kataang Week 10 years ago, and started helping out with writing posts and making banners as a mod since 2016!
@itsmoonpeaches AKA Mod Belle: An avid Kataanger with a penchant for angst and mild violence who likes writing. Mod Belle has been a mod since 2021 and helps write posts and social media.
@chocomd AKA Mod Celes: Fanfic writer who adores Kataang for their fun and flirty side but also their bond forged through grief and loss. Mod Celes joined in 2023 and helps with a little bit of everything - whatever needs to be done!
How do I participate?
The most common ways to participate are by creating art or writing a fic and posting it online. Some people try and create something for every day while others only fill one or two prompts.
As always, we want to reassure you that it’s perfectly okay not to do every prompt! We just hope to have lovely pieces to share on each day.
But I can’t draw or write!
That’s totally fine - there are more ways to participate! You can sing a song, create a graphic, write a poem - just about anything really. You can also show your support by reblogging and liking other people’s contributions.
What are the prompts?
The following will be the running order for Kataang Week 2024:
Cultural Exchange/Culture Sharing/Revival of Traditions - Monday, July 29th
Protectiveness/Bodyguard - Tuesday, July 30th
Parenting/First-Time Parents - Wednesday, July 31st
Post-Battle Reunion - Thursday, August 1st
Disguise - Friday, August 2nd
Jealousy - Saturday, August 3rd
Proposal - Sunday, August 4th
Free Day - Monday, August 5th
* As a reminder, Cultural Exchange/Culture Sharing/Revival of Traditions, Protectiveness/Bodyguard, and Parenting/First-Time Parents were combined during voting as they were very similar prompts. You can interpret them as singular or separate prompts and incorporate one or both for each day.
** And as always, there is a Free Day at the end of the week. You can use this day to post anything you’d like! It can be a prompt that didn’t receive enough votes or something you’ve been wanting to work on, anything goes!
*** Kataang Week is also being hosted by @dailykataang on Twitter this year! In addition, @dailykataang will be extending Kataang Week by another week, exclusively on Twitter. Please see this post for more details on how to participate on Twitter.
How should I tag my work?
The easiest way for us to find your work so we can reblog it to this blog is by using the tag “kataang week”. Using “kataang” and “kataangtag” also help. You must tag one of the three in your first five tags otherwise it doesn’t appear in the search. It is also helpful to tag us directly with @kataang-week.
Sometimes even properly tagged posts may not appear when we search the tags, so if you do not see your content reblogged, please let us know.
Once we’ve reblogged it to this blog we add our own tags (a prompt tag and a user tag) for easy organization. This means we can find all the work for one prompt or all the work from one user in one easy click (this also means that if you have changed your username since participating last year you need to let us know so we can update your tag!).
Can I post my stuff other places online too?
Of course you can!
For those of you who will be posting your works on AO3, feel free to add your fic to our AO3 collection.
Why seven weeks? Is that enough time?
Traditionally, we like to provide our content creators seven to eight weeks to create quality content. Kataang Week is also traditionally held in the last week of July.
If you are unable to complete a prompt in time, please do not fret. You can alert this blog by mentioning it in your post (ex. @kataang-week) or messaging one of the mods and your content will still be shared even if it is a week (or a month - or sometimes more!) late.
We also like to post WIP for Kataang Week and encourage everyone else to do so as well - we reblog it here for motivation!
As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don’t hesitate to send an ask. Don’t forget to reblog this as well to help spread the word!
Good luck, Kataangers, and happy content creating! 😊
- The Mods
#kataang week#kataang#kataangtag#kataang week 2024#kataang tag#aang#katara#atla#avatar the last airbender
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if trop producers are smart, they will give us sauron and galadriel relationship focus in s3.
i insist that it doesn't even matter if the dynamic is explicitly romantic or not, we already saw with s2 that people can read between the lines.
as long as the focus is on their relationship, as long as they interact, and as long as the writers continue doing a great job, people will be invested and more people will join the fandom.
and it's not about shipping for the shipping's sake. mirdania was galadriel's stand-in for sauron, but no one shipped them, people just wanted this whole "flirtation" between the two to be over with.
the point here is that people are invested in the established relationships that they already care about and want to see develop. the show will neither keep the existing fanbase, nor amass the new audiences by abandoning what people are intrigued by the most.
i've heard that a survey was done by amazon, asking random people what they liked and didn't like about s2. but this is not the way to find out what the general audiences would be captured with, and the show needs the mass normie viewership for survival.
the nerds may be demanding some cool magic scene or canon accuracy or a character introduction, but the general audiences want soapy drama, romance, intrigue.
sauron x galadriel is what truly captivates loyal and broad audiences in trop. it would be downright stupid to abandon one of the strongest viewer-attractors of your show.
i doubt that the prime video pays attention to what folks on tumblr say, so plz repeat this on twitter (bc reddit is hostile so we shouldn't risk starting a discourse) until the renewal announcement, make haladriel edits for yt/tiktok/ig, and keep interacting with haladriel-related content.
like, a few days ago the official account reblogged literal haladriel fanart which is good for us, but it would be better if instead of just hearting, more people reblogged it, so that the interaction is higher.
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Joining in on the @alliwantforchristmasislou event with a donation to the Trevor Project.
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Before April I had barely heard of 911 and never thought to watch it. When I started seeing gifs and pictures of Buck and Tommy I just thought oh that’s cool, I’m so happy for that fandom!
But having it on my dash led to curiosity, which led to watching those scenes, then those episodes, then the whole of series 7 and then going back to the beginning and watching the whole lot in about 3 weeks 😆
I fell in love with Buck immediately but I don’t think any character really impacted me as much as Tommy. I know we say they accidentally created the perfect blorbo but god they really did. I basically can’t stop writing about him lol - and that would never have happened if Lou didn’t put as much into him as he did.
Before 911 came along I had writers block for about 5 years. In that time I wrote a handful of things but I had lost my spark and the enjoyment of writing that I used to have. These ships brought that rushing back. But also this time I found myself reaching out to other writers and fans on here and for the first time not treating tumblr like a corner I could hide in at parties but like an actual party with people I felt comfortable with.
I have made so many amazing and genuine friends who I love so much through this show - it feels like a community in the best way, with support and comfort and cheerleading and it has helped my writing exponentially. I love you guys so much ❤️❤️❤️
Here’s to Lou, (and Oliver and Gino) and everyone who has contributed so much to this show.
@rdng1230 @bucksbignaturals @hardly-an-escape @littlepaws9 @louisferrignojr @peppermintquartz
@nine-one-wanton @bangpop91 @judymarch15 @herrmannhalsteadproduction @weewookinard
@girlwonder-writes @may-i-have-loops @wikiangela @thecarrott @desert--moonchild
@typicalopposite @lavenderleahy @theotherbuckley @rubydaiquiri @merrylou-mas @sunnywithachanceofbi
@thatmexisaurusrex @30somethingautisticteacher @rosyhoneydew @thepinkcrayon @aplaceinme @kinley-cafe @leashybebes
@bugboybuck @apartmentsmoke @donevanrocker @al-the-remix @alchemistc @newtkelly @rcmclachlan
I guarantee I have forgotten some people but basically ily all 💖
Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!!!
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ATTENTION ALL PERSONNEL!
ATTENTION ALL PERSONNEL! The M*A*S*H fanfiction community has been approved! actually it was approved two weeks ago but i was on vacation
This community is open to any and all fans of M*A*S*H fic. Whether you're a writer, a reader, or a total newbie, this space is for you! You can talk about fics you've loved, ask for advice about a sticky plot point in your latest WIP, ask for recommendations for a ship you like, share an AO3 link to your latest fic, or share snippets from your work; the world is your oyster!
>> LINK <<
(As of 6.21.2024, communities don't let you generate an invite link yet, so just like/reply to this post if you want an invitation! This post will be updated with a proper invitation link once that feature is implemented.)
RULES (May be subject to change, but probably not that much change, lol.)
Be nice. Duh. Any bigotry or unkind behavior will not be tolerated. Welcome everyone with open arms and open hearts, and be ready to make new connections.
18+ only. Go nuts. Show nuts. Whatever.
No gory or sexually explicit images. Most of these go against tumblr's TOS, and we don't want the community to get deleted.
Keep things on topic. We're joining this community to talk about fic, so let's make sure we keep our posts fic-related! General discussions about M*A*S*H are fun, but not what this community is intended for.
If you don't like something, scroll past. We all like different things, and that's what makes the world interesting. If someone shares a fic that isn't to your tastes, you don't have to read it. Leaving a rude comment on anybody's post will get you kicked. (If you're concerned that somebody is posting bigoted or hateful material, let me know, but I honestly don't anticipate this being an issue at this time.)
Use read mores for long posts or NSFW material. This makes navigating the dash easier, and helps prevent people from getting jumpscared by lovingly detailed descriptions of oral sex on the subway, something that has of course never happened to me.
Tagging or using content notes for your writing is encouraged. This is the best way to find your audience. People who aren't interested in a particular subject can skip over, and you'll also be able to draw in the people who are enthusiastically interested! If you think a particular topic might be especially sensitive, a read more is never a bad idea.
Only give concrit (constructive criticism) when asked. This is a somewhat contentious topic in fandom as a whole, so we're keeping it simple and asking that members don't give criticism on fic posts unless the author specifically requests it.
And one final note:
Small groups and communities can easily become cliquish. Few things feel worse than joining a group, hoping to find like-minded people, only to find yourself surrounded by what feels like an impenetrable friend group with no interest in talking to you. Nobody wants to feel alone in a crowd.
So when you join this group, don't just talk to people you already know. That defeats the point of joining this kind of community, anyway! Make an effort to talk to someone new. Leave a gushing comment about a stranger's fic excerpt. Tag someone who you think has a really cool interpretation of a character you like. Reply to a post that hasn't gotten any attention. Include people who seem a little shy. Be open and friendly and welcoming.
#text post#mash#m*a*s*h#m*a*s*h 4077#mashblr#mash fanfiction#mash fandom#community#tumblr community#fanfiction community#hawkeye pierce#trapper mcintyre#margaret houlihan#bj hunnicutt#promo post#GOOD GRIEF. OKAY. think i got everything down.
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New ask game! Please recommend at least three of your favorite BuckTommy fic authors, artists, meta writers, gif makers, or edit makers. Maybe sing their praises a bit if you'd like. And if you want to, send this to a few other people and spread the good vibes 🥰
@thatmexisaurusrex thanks for the ask!
BuckTommy Fan Work Recs
Fic Authors:
(obviously this isn't a comprehensive list, but a collection of fics I've read recently and really enjoyed)
all the vices i can't give up by @starryeyedjanai - this one is so fun and hot, I love sexting/identity porn fics so obviously I clicked right away. I also really enjoy this author's Buck pov; just funny, horny, zero impulse control Evan Buckly and his dick pics against the world.
one way trip to the sun by @newtkelly - this fic felt like a special treat crafted specifically for me. Zombies are my all time favourite movie monster and I'm a big George Romero junkie so finding a bucktommy/dawn of the dead mashup was like striking gold. I also just really loved this version of Tommy and also the narrative structure of the fic. Some really cool stuff done here.
You’ve Got Me Up in a Frenzy by @emphasisonthehomo - Trans!Tommy. Trans!Tommy with bottom surgery, how I love you so. This is so sweet and hot and nuanced and also fun. 10/10.
bright as the morning, soft as the rain. series by @milominderbindered - these were some of the first buck/tommy fics I read and I really loved this version of an alternate first meeting. Buck and Tommy's dynamic here is so cute and fun and flirty, I enjoyed reading Buck's slower realization here that, yes, this man in flirting with him, and oh boy is he into it. Also, there's just something about this version of tommy that really gets me, it's like I can see through the screen how much of an absolute catch he is.
1-800-DAYBREAK by @epiphainie - (ngl I love all your fics) but this one especially. I just really enjoyed seeing a younger Tommy and Buck here where their dynamic is flipped--Tommy being the one unsure of himself and Buck reassuring him that what he wants is okay-- it was also very hot and sweet. I'm a big sucker for phone sex operator fics, so this just reeled me right in instantly.
Goon by @alchemistc - I did not foresee my venture outside of hrpf to end up with me reading hrpf... This has everything I love about the genre and it's best tropes: hotel escapades, and locker room intimacy, and the hero worship to sexuality realization pipeline (...and Sidney Crosby haunting the narrative). Looking forward to seeing how it ends!
Paint Me in Neon and Make Me Glow by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels - Fun, sexy, caring, D/s kink-discovery. I love how out of his mind horny Buck is for Tommy in this, and for being watched, and specifically getting watched WITH Tommy. I loved every section of this fic and how the author kept upping the stakes as they built towards the climax (ha) of the fic, which I wont spoil but you should definitely got find out for yourself.
take guesses on exits, one has to be right series by @queermccoy - The trucker!Tommy / lot lizard!Buck AU I didn't know I needed but am now eagerly awaiting the next instalment of. This was surprisingly cute and as well as scorchingly hot.
bottom tommy pleasures series by winterbucky (WinterLadyy) (if anyone knows their tumblr @ i'll tag them) - Just what it says on the tin! Bottom!Tommy I love you 😌
Artists:
@kinardsboy - Their art is always so fun and cute! I love all the buck/tommy memes they make.
@blue-arts-stuff - Their art is both sweet and also manages to hit me in the feels every time.
@lazybakerart - All of their art is beautiful, but I especially love what they've done for the @kinley-cafe!
(And of course Kinley Cafe itself for doing an amazing job spreading positivity and engagement within the fandom.)
Gif Makers/Editors:
@lengthofropes - their gifs are all so gorgeous, I don't understand how they manage half the stuff they do, but I love staring at it an inch away from my face like brightly coloured visual candy.
@sunglassesmish - my Tommy Kinard / LFJ gif dealer and has provided me with enough images of the man to construct a 3D model in my mind to rotate while painting.
@xofemeraldstars - I always look forward to their daily kinley posts! My obsession is being enabled and i'm okay with that.
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Comment Bingo (Original Edition)
Very simple rules: connect 5 squares in a line by completing the task in each square
Very simple goals: encourage readers to comment on fics; encourage fandom writers to KEEP WRITING
(reposted so a cleaned up version links back here rather than my main blog)
STEPS:
Download Bingo Card HERE (png) or HERE (jpg) or HERE (pdf)
Complete the tasks on the card, marking off each as you go, until you've completed 5 in a line (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal; NO double-dipping; kudos ♥️ is a free space)
POST your winning card (or list your filled squares) and tag @feedthefandomfest! Glory in your victory.
REWARD:
✨ victory badges ✨
Tag me when you earn a bingo (or double, triple, quadruple... FULL CARD bingo) and I'll reblog a shiny badge with your name on it to commemorate the win.
FAQ:
Can I comment on tumblr or only on AO3?
Either one is great! The tags are drawn from AO3, but most can be adjusted to suit tumblr as well, so I say go for it. Tumblr fics deserve love, too.
Can one comment count toward multiple squares if the fic fits more than one category?
Since the goal is for as many fics to receive comments as possible, try to comment on a different fic for each square.
Is there a time limit?
Nope! Take your time or set your own deadline, whatever works for you. This blog is still in its early experimental stage, so feedback welcome. Play around and let me know what you like and what might be added/changed—including ideas for squares on future cards!
Do I have to record progress on the actual card?
Nope! If it’s easier to keep track in a different way, that’s fine. This is all very honor system, so if you say you earned a Bingo, we’ll call it a win 🎉
Some people have been tracking not just completed tasks, but the fics they read along the way, so that when they post a bingo, they can also promote the fics/authors in a little rec list. Not required, but definitely cool to see!
Can I adjust the task in a particular square to suit my comfort level?
Of course! If you deliver something in the spirit of the task, then it’s all good. Use your best judgement in constructing a comment that will make the author smile, and you can consider it a job well done.
In general, so long as each square has produced at least one comment, you’re golden and I salute you 🫡
Happy commenting!!
#been meaning to do this for ages#only card that was posted on my main rather than here#NOT A NEW CARD SORRY#just tidied up version of original post#comment bingo#feed the fandom fest
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A formal greetings from me, hello welcome to my blog.
I'm Howl-arnon / my art signature is CCB || My work contains Horror , Blood, Nudity(?) and GORE sometimes
This is definitely NOT a SFW blog, so a heads up for all of you.
I'm an artist and an animator ( only as a hobby ) | Repost my work is ok (But do not impersonate me) w/ Credits would be appreciated
About me: I followed a lot of analog horror, lots of game.. lots of animation. I don't do fanart much but sometimes I might in the fandom I really like. 🥺🥺🥺 very rare
My YT: https://youtube.com/@ccb_bigg?si=apt0YoyEr4CiQKv8
Also my comms are open! You can check them out here ( you can pay via paypal )
To be honest I mostly draw OCS, some characters in some fandom might be an exception but still I am an oc artists so if I stop drawing characters from fandom I hope you understand why.
Currently I'm working on my own project. " Cult in the church "
Yes I have my own project, and I am currently doing a world setting for it. I'm not a writer by any means.. but! I'd like to share some of the prologue.
They say ignorance is a sin. If that’s true, you’re already teetering on the edge of damnation, having ignored every warning sign along the way. It’s a flaw in human nature—this insatiable curiosity, always chasing what they can’t comprehend. But it’s that very curiosity, fueled by arrogance, that will be your downfall.
I appreciate every one that read this blog till now.
I've been wanting to do stuff in tumblr since... 2019 I just have the chance now.
PS. What I allowed in terms of using my art pieces (without permission) all of this with credit will be highly appreciated
- Reposting
- Used for pfp/bg photo on social media platforms etc.
- Use as a reference/learning tools
What I don't ALLOW/or you need to ask for permission from me first.
- Using my artwork for AI generators ( please fuck off )
- Using my artwork in whatever project you are doing without my knowledge (whether it's fanfic, character ai anything that is to your beneficial gain.)
- Tracing my work.
- Using ANY of my characters ( would be best to ask for permission for any projects )
- Using ANY of my artwork for commercial purposes ( I do not and will not allow this )
Although I don't actually care if you wrote a fanfic or make any creative art of them please feel free to do so,
but I rather no one alter the character in ways that change its core identity and I just rather someone tell me so I'll know when anyone makes cool stuff with my ocs
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#digital art#artists on tumblr#artwork#horror art#horror artist#oc artist#digital drawing#introduction#intro post#howl arnon still don't fkin know how tumblr works#creepy aesthetic#my bbys cute#horror oc
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I usually do a bit of a tumblr love letter on new years so allow me my soapbox... thank you to EVERYONE for supporting my work and silly ideas this year. I've been flitting through a few different fandoms so it's nice to know that hasn't purged all of my followers in the process lol.
this year, i did one or two things i suppose!! thank youuu to all my dear mutuals and followers and even the ppl I follow who won't see this post.. all of you are great.. this might be long, but allow me to mention some..
@possuminnit thank you for liking my art even when it's completely out of your ball field and for asking me to draw a character as an opossum bc opossum!geed is one of my fave drawings now. @churchydragon thank you for being one of my first ultraman mutuals as well as just a creature enthusiast in general!! @stickers-on-a-laptop I love the fics ive read so far from you and I'm very surprised that we became mutuals.. theres something about fic writers that makes me think they're too cool for me (I realize I am one). speaking of writers, thank you @lucksea for being very nice to me too!! I loved your art and thought you were an amazing taro understander and somehow it turns out you like my things too... I honestly still can't get over that.
@forbiddenpondrocks @shapeofallcosmos @miragethecat thank you for being powerful opponents during the boop wars.. I have not forgotten your ferocity... @akq96618 and @lovewhump thank you for liking my silly ultra drawings and comics.. my silly tregears and taros especially 😭 thank you @mrfartpowered for supporting my rc9gn stage, I still love seeing rc9gn on my dash, I had so much fun posting my art (honestly mostly for your reaction lol).
@lepidopteragirl my loyal mutual i will always honor you even if we are posting completely different things. @atthebell ive really enjoyed your posts, your writing and the way you articulate yourself is always so cool to read. and i love your fiber art works they're always so cute. @bandy-andy I KNOW WE HAVENT SPOKEN MUCH... whoops. but andy I'll never forget you man, you're number one!!
so many other people who i havent spoken with as much and haven't interacted with a ton but still so cool and such a joy to see on the dash. @belanova @unsat-and-strange @routeriver and @rachelsquill and others I wish I could name and scroll through my following list for but. it's so long 😭 I LOVE YALL THOUGH.. I love my mutuals and the regulars in my notes and my followers and the folks I follow.. i dont care if youre tagged or not, yall are the greatest.
I suppose I'll end this long ramble with a feliz año nuevo!! I'm glad we all got through this year :]
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I think the actual issue is the fact that the writers acknowledged that the sudden shift was sudden. They said in the official commentary for Volume 8 that they wrote Ironwood the way he was in Volume 8 because a majority of the audience sided with him by the end of Volume 7 at the time. They wrote a character that, from a genuinely technical writing and story analytical standpoint, would be considered morally grey. And in the following season they made him cartoonish level evil just because they didn't intend to write him morally grey, instead of adapting their writing to properly incorporate what they wrote.
Once word of that got out, most of the fandom really started to leave in droves because it felt like they were being talked down to and treated like idiots for thinking that RT and CRWBY were trying to write something actually cool and thought provoking, and instead were punished for it.
They also admited they don't actually go back and rewatch what they originally made for RWBY before making the next season/spinnoff. So basically, nothing in RWBY beyond the most recent season should be considered canon, by the writers own admissions. Meaning that RWBY volume 9 is the most canon volume, and the rest of Volumes 1-8 aren't.
While it's fair to point all of that out, my post was about something else.
I was confused as to why a large subsection of the rwby fans on tumblr seem to think that Ironwood was like. Ever a clean-cut good guy. Brothers and sisters, he was always a dictator. Of a state that allows slavery.
#rwde#ironwood wasn't cartoonishly evil the whole time but I did not trust him in volume 2#like when i first watched it in high school?
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Meltdown and hate in the Astarion fandom. Where do the haters come from?
Hello everyone! If you love Astarion as much as I do and would prefer to see the sunshine-vampire happy in your game - free from the torment of hunger, with the opportunity to enjoy the sun he loves so much, the tastes and all the joys of life, the reflection in the mirror, if you are sick of the idea of “fixing” and taunting your beloved character, if you respect his personality and want him to be himself, doing what he wants, you help him Ascend. If you want a cool and fun “evil playthrough” (Astarion is “evil and fun” as his author, Stephen Rooney, said of him), if you're used to operating with logic and facts and take the gaslighting about how remaining a spawn forever can somehow unfathomably be a “good ending” for him as obvious nonsense and lies, you're doing the same thing. And then…
Suddenly you discover that love and empathy for a character is a “fetish of power”. Turns out that's what “gooners” do (yes, I too was sure that “gooners” usually focus on something else, especially considering the fact that the most vile and twisted “arts” with Astarion - it's all done to UA. If you've been looking for arts with him, your mood has probably sometimes fallen from seeing abominations on one resource or another). For example, you can find such a characterization of players wishing for happy passing with Astarion on Tumblr:
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Post a video about Ascended Astarion on your YouTube channel, made with love for the character, write the words “Ascended Astarion” and “love” in the same sentence, and you have a good chance of seeing an amazing circus of “sexualizations” in your comments, “cycles of abuse”, "media literacy" joyful demonstrations of the only Latin word (“delulu”) learned by another young simplicitium, and other “pleasures” of this fandom. Astarion is sometimes hated so fiercely (while calling themselves his fans and often having a romance with him) that they are ready to jump out of their pants just to make fewer people in their game do him a favor. Still, it's interesting to try to understand where this strange attitude of treating choosing a happy “evil path” as something to do with sex came from in the first place.
In September 2023, Discord comments from Baudelaire Welch (at that time the romance feature lead in Larian) concerning Astarion and his 'bad' ending got into the gaming media. Baldur's Gate 3 writer's explanation of Astarion's 'bad' ending is a wake-up call for players lusting over RPG characters.
Baudelaire Welch writes:
“I feel with the bad ending, it's very much exactly that one sentence he says to you when you read his mind. He will always see you as degrading yourself if you continue to be with him, but that's perhaps what you like. It's ultimately reducing your relationship with him back to being a kink/form of gratification. Which is a fine thing to enjoy as a fantasy, but it's very much admitting that you failed to think of him beyond a sex object, and care about more than that. You're so attracted to him, you'd also turn yourself into one.
I think it's perfectly nice to fantasise about that, hell, I wrote the incubus scene where you can essentially make an irreversible sex-pact, and I think that's sexy. But it isn't something that I think is a lesson for real life. And I wanted the bad ending to really make you feel I failed to see this video game character beyond my own fantasies. The game was more real than I ever expected it to be.”
“He will always see you as degrading yourself if you continue to be with him, but that's perhaps what you like.”- This is the only check in the entire game, passing which does not provide any additional line or interaction. One can interpret this in many different ways, and it could be a topic for a separate discussion. But the fact is that this is concrete rails, absolute novelization and the imposition of “authorial will” in the simplest way possible - stripping the player of agency and the ability to react to it in any way, which is a violation of the basic principles of RPG games. Combined with the inability to do anything about it (it's really the only such check in the game), we're trapped. We have to validate this self-perception of his, while simultaneously allowing the author to stigmatize ourselves and fit us to her narrative, as in the tale of the Little Mermaid who gives her voice to the Witch in order to save the prince. In doing so, the character's IP is not violated. Plus it makes it possible for inconsiderate people (or those who want to impose it on others) to take that line as if Astarion sees Tav as beneath himself. And "it's very much admitting that you failed to think of him beyond a sex object, and care about more than that." It's hard for me to understand (I'm not a screenwriter after all) how the story rails in a game can elicit this kind of recognition from the player, but what it does look a lot like, though, is the equally "rails" and poorly scripted dialogue scene after the Ascension. Where there's a line that says, “I want your body.” And the naive player can poke at it with a sigh. Because all the other lines in that scene suck. Or it's also naive to think that since the game is so “progressive”, a lot of sex content, “threesomes”, brothels, bears, illithids, etc., it's probably so fashionable and “progressive” nowadays to say “I want your body” instead of the normal “I love you”, and the author just didn't take Astarion's trauma into account in her “progressiveness”. It's hardly possible to guess, without knowing the context of the story, that it turns out she did take it into account, it's just that you're the one who's supposed to be “ew what a sexualizer”. That's where the “sexualizers” with “gooners” come from, because what “media literacy” is in the inverted minds of “progressive” agenda lovers (no, it's not the ability to navigate the media space, distinguishing common sense and facts from bullshit and propaganda, you're wrong) - it means that when there is written on the fence/magazine who are the “gooners”, that's how you should call them. I hope those who were offended to hear that about themselves felt at least a little better, after all, an NPC who managed to read the woke author's opinion in a game magazine isn't the worst thing that can happen in life, is it? And we shouldn't blame the author, she doesn't work in Larian anymore, nothing bad will happen to Astarion in BG3 anymore, and it's not a fact that she really wanted to insult someone. She did a pretty good job of labeling her fandom, too:
«So, take the bear scene from Baldur's Gate 3. Why did it make such an impact? This is what it meant to me while I was involved with pitching it.
Look, this was not in the depths of my subconscious when I was pitching it. A sort of shit-eating grin was on my face when I was pitching it. But this is what it culturally means to me. It feels like a watershed moment in gaming history, where the fanfiction community felt like we were not a subculture within a fandom, but the majority audience that the game was catering to.
Just in perhaps one scene or, you know, in a series of scenes, but still the majority audience. Players in the fan fiction communities had been joking for years post-Early Access about the different degenerate things they wanted to do with Druid Daddy Halsin, and we gave them an incredibly silly scene which takes an identity moniker from the gay community literally. The gay bear becomes the gay bear.
And we gave them something which feels like it's from the tradition of CrackFic and present it as if it's a mainstream game feature. And then you feel like all the time you spent horny queer shitposting with your friends in your Discord is validated. It is real. It is a wonderful way of engaging with the game. It's seen. And how many other games on this sort of scale have made you feel that way?»
(quote from her lecture at Nordic Game, now it's also in gaming magazines).
“Degenerate things they wanted” and “horny queer shitposting” is what Welch herself says about the “majority audience that the game was catering to” - that is, her fanbase, which is supposed to catch and spread the “author's narrative” (which they do). The saddest part of this story is that the “kissing” scenes of patch 6, which traumatized people and provoked PTSD in some players, were also apparently written with “a sort of shit-eating grin” on her face and also for the pleasure of the shitposters. The shitposters got really pleased after patch 6, stepped up, started bullying survivors and all AA fans online, demanding more insults from Larian. Great fanbase:
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In patch 6, these “kisses” with the mimicry of a rape victim, almost completely duplicating similar victim mimicry in sadistic 3D porn and “Rape Day” type games, were repetitive scenes of sexual violence, which violated the ESRB game rating rules (BG3 is rated M, and such scenes can only be contained in AO rated games). In patch 7, Larian fixed this abomination, and the game now features D/s kissing scenes as romance for the Ascended Astarion. Whether the fact that the player character in the Larian game is canonically submissive is a good thing, well, it can be viewed in different ways - for those who like that dynamic it's a great gift, for those who don't - another violation of player agency and deprivation of roleplay in RPGs (not Astarion is categorically dominant, but Tav is a priori submissive. Tav can't tell Astarion she doesn't want to play the role, there are no such lines. Astarion sees Tav submissive in front of him, who really likes it and behaves accordingly). How much it's even okay for a player's character to have canonically prescribed sexual tastes is a separate issue, but there are wonderful mods that can give you your roleplay in the game. But of course, a proper approach to this topic would have to have two lines, one for D/s and one for classic romance.
Fans of rape, fans of the agenda with the “toxic white male”, who must apologize and burn in the finale, and the “strong and independent woman” can only condescend to this “comic character”, become his mentor, or she is the “wrong”, the “gooner”, obliged to “make mistakes”, “want freedom”, whine and suffer - really wanted to bring back “their roleplay”. Non-con fans had it, made their mods and settled down. The “aggressive-progressive” fans of ruining people's games - not really. And, friends, before you get upset about the insults of such “representatives of fandom”, just answer yourself a question - why do they do it? For one simple reason - because you are normal. Normal person, normal player, AA fans are a smaller (in this game) but still part of that very real majority of gamers who want a happy, comfortable and immersive gaming experience, without any attempt to “preach” to them and shove their activism into romance. In the entire industry right now, games that try to “preach” anything are failing en masse, and only a very loud minority are struggling to defend their agenda. Hence the cries of “you're rewriting the character”. Which is another lie, since all the AA fans' demands came down to THEIR characters - Tav's facial expressions appropriate to the romantic scenes, adequate lines to choose from, the addition of a kiss in the epilogue. “A slave being grabbed by the throat and forced to kiss their abuser would terrify them?” - nobody is going to pay 70 bucks to have a slave suddenly appear in their game for the sake of someone's perverted “abuser” fantasies, and also this “slave” turns out to be in the place of their cool character in non-con scenes. Please, separately, in their games for non-con, woke, abusers, gay bears, shitposters, whoever you want, but not at the expense of the normal, ordinary customer, in AAA-class RPGs.
And Astarion was not going to be rewritten by anyone but these activists. Astarion is beautiful - his lines, his looks, his smiles and movements, everything about him is wonderful. Only his haters “rewrite” him in their headcanons, making up nonsense about “loss of soul” (the ritual did nothing to his soul, all their headcanons are based on one line Karlach said to UA “He could've had it all, but he kept his soul”), “cycle of abuse” (there is no such thing anywhere in the game at all, there is only UA's line about “breaking the cycle of power and terror”, no other “cycles” were found), “desire to break up” (the problem of a particular fool Tav, who thought that “Forever” meant “until Thursday” or “until the epilogue”), cruel and insensitive lines for Tav (like “You're like Cazador”), to which Astarion reacts with anger and pain, but completely adequately. They try to use Astarion as a social propaganda tool to “indoctrinate” the audience that the “right” choice is to not love someone like Astarion at all. It is permissible to “like” him, but by no means, to love him. You can use him, get the “cute vampire boy,” sigh at the end, “oh my poor baby, how bittersweet and dramatic!”. Or better yet, realize that he's “dangerous to the world” and shouldn't get powers.
It looks like the point of all this garbage is to show how someone like Astarion needs to be kept “on a leash”. For the sake of it, they also praise the “burning ending” calling it “dramatic” and “bittersweet”. For these characters who call themselves “fans”, Astarion should exactly suffer and be “on a leash”, “forced to conform to the rules of society”. Even a real good ending, instead of what is in the game, would spoil their “agenda”. Well, and to stroke their ego, in reality a guy like Astarion would never spit in their direction, and here the game allows them to “keep him on a leash” while using him as a sexual object. And the fantasy of a certain “stalker” who “obsesses” on them (necessarily physically attractive), and they can kick him, etc., and he will suffer, this can also be characteristic of those who in reality no one needs.
Is it worth getting upset about their hatred? I don't think this category of persons deserves any emotion towards them other than irony.
#astarion#baldurs gate 3#ascended astarion#bg3#astarion ancunin#baldur's gate 3#bg3 astarion#baldurs gate astarion#ascendant#ascendent
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Hi, do you have any advices for budding writers on AO3 or here?
Hey! :)
I've given this some thought and compiled what I hope might be some helpful pointers, but if there's anything else or anything specific you want to hear more about, feel free to ask again. Also I'm assuming this is about the amazing craft of fanfic and not, uh, building a platform or whatever (I wouldn't be very helpful with that, I'm a nobody x)).
Share what you feel comfortable sharing.
So since you're asking about budding writers on AO3 and Tumblr, I take it you're at a point where you feel comfortable sharing your writing online, which is amazing. Nevertheless, I feel the need to once again mention (just for anyone who may be in the same or a similar situation) that it's completely alright not to be comfortable with it (yet) or not to share everything you write. I share almost everything simply because I'm annoying and it makes me feel accomplished and since I've grown pretty comfortable with it, I might as well; but not everyone feels that way and feelings also change. It's completely alright to write just for yourself or a small circle of friends.
Don't worry too much about "being good".
I will be the first to admit that I deeply relate to struggling with perfectionism when it comes to writing (and other creative pursuits). However, as someone who's been reading fic for many years, tends to be into quite niche and obscure things sometimes and is rarely spoiled by big fandoms' abundance of food, I want all writers, especially new ones, to know that you don't have to write the most amazing, perfect, publishing-ready pieces. What matters is your passion and creativity, which will show in your writing regardless of skill level. Not to mention that fic is free and in fact a tool for many to experiment.
That's not to say you can't strive to improve or be good - by all means, I find it admirable if you want to hone your craft and make progress as you continue to write. Just don't let perfectionism ruin your fun and stifle your creativity.
How to get better without trying overly hard.
Aside from just writing, writing and writing (that is the most important part though), how do you improve without making it a point to do so? Well, if it works for you to read/watch guides or you enjoy specific writing exercises, that's great, but one thing that I find gets overlooked a lot in writing spaces is simply: Reading. Just reading for fun.
I find that I often discover little things in other people's writing that I really like and then I think to myself "wow, that's really neat how they did that, maybe I could take a page out of their book" (pun intended) and make it a point to pay attention to these things when I write. Essentially, it's like creating a nice patchwork blanket which is your style, made up of your own voice and preferences as a writer and cool stuff you picked up on the road.
Let me just name some examples, which, yes, are also an excuse to shamelessly blow some writer friends of mine a well-deserved kiss of appreciation. @sauron-kraut writes incredibly polished short stories with beautiful wording and atmosphere that have a lot of little hidden things to discover and dissect, and I want to steal her ability to set the stage and hide those easter eggs. @a-world-of-whimsy-5 is an absolute legend when it comes to writing medieval and medieval-adjacent stuff, and I learned so much from her fics. @i-did-not-mean-to has a way of writing with such esprit and wit that I always end up in a good mood after, a style of narrative voice I've adored for over a decade, and I've greatly improved my humorous writing in particular thanks to her. @crackinthecup has the marvelous ability to craft extremely emotionally evocative scenes, which have encouraged me to be more courageous and experimental in my sentence melody and structure. @tragedybunny has a way of writing that reminds me of coming home to a warm and comfy place, and I will find out how she did it and how I can do it as well.
So as you can see, it can be super helpful to compare notes with your fellow writers. Never be discouraged by someone else's ability; instead learn and expand your own.
Feedback, criticism and community.
Let me just get one thing out of the way: You don't have to take criticism from everyone. Or at all. As far as I understand, the fanfic community has come to to agree that we're doing this for fun and don't give criticism unprompted/when we aren't sure it's wanted or welcome. As a general rule: Take criticism from those you would also seek advice from. Ask for feedback if you feel comfortable, and if not, that's a valid boundary to have and I will gently smack anyone who presumes to pick apart writing that was made for fun and generously shared with the community for free.
The community aspect, however, should be taken into account on other fronts. While I won't tell anyone they have to interact and believe that, in an ideal world, everyone's writing would just speak for itself, it is helpful to engage with the community. Things you can do (both on Tumblr and AO3 if also applicable/possible) include: Respond to people interacting with your works, interacting with other people's works (for example while you're doing your reading sessions and looking at other writers' styles) and just overall being present, being talkative, going with the flow.
Again, this is not a must. But I will say that pretty much all of us want positive responses and interactions on their work and that just won't work if you expect everyone to show up for you all the time and never show up for anyone else. Engagement, passion and community are our "currency" in the absence of money and reciprocity is an important element of that. A lot of friction and complaints in the fanfic community regarding lack of interaction or entitlement are rooted in misunderstandings of this fundamental principle.
But don't take this in a cynical manner. Seek out what you enjoy, share the joy and passion and you'll make friends just accidentally - which is the part that I find makes fandom on AO3 and Tumblr so much fun! (I don't even want to be a "traditional" author anymore, I want this instead😁)
Find your groove and groove along.
Lastly, make sure your writing is fun for you or else it'll become a chore and eventually get ruined for you as a hobby. This is unfortunately a continuous task as your needs and interests shift - for example you might be in the mood to do an entire drabble challenge one month and during another month you feel so drained that you couldn't do another one. Or you might want to write something different for a change. Or whatever it may be.
Either way, one recent lesson I've learned is that I got too tied up in obligations and it left no space for spontaneous inspiration, so I never got to write what I wanted to write in the moment and it pushed me quite close to burnout. Do yourself a favor and always hold that space for yourself. In practice, this could for example mean that you do one event and on the side write this cool new idea you had, instead of doing three events - which is fun and games until it starts getting too much and you don't have time for your passion projects.
Finding your groove also includes the whole technical aspect, such as which writing programs you use, which device (or none at all), where you write, how to make yourself comfortable, how to get in the right headspace for things. I would also like to encourage all of you to be a bit crazy and whimsical about this: For example I've gone to the perfume store, picked out a scent for a specific character in a specific scene and sniffed it while writing the description several times now. Do what it takes. And say goodbye to your squeaky clean search history - you will research some weird stuff just to get that one line right.
So yeah, these are just my random thoughts on fic writing and what has been helpful in order for me to have lots of fun with this hobby. Happy writing!
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