#pinwheel |× interactions ×|

[lgcbaekhyun]

btw, my jiah account was deleted/terminated? for some reason, so i won't be able to reply to anyone there for the time being (let's hope i get it back because it was working just a couple of hours ago)

[lgcbaekhyun]

When you come to think about it, being an idol is so funny. Having an entertainment job is amusing to put it mildly. Getting paid to dance and sing and perform are things he can wrap his head around, because things like that require real effort from his side and many others. Acting is about you pretending to be someone else in pretended situations. Variety is, and maybe that’s why he’s bad at it and not exactly the best pick for it, about having people who show off their best sides to entertain people and make them laugh. Baek lacks in that department the most, it’s even a little funny.

Which maybe is even more praise for Milan, who has managed to make him feel not like awkward dude, and more like an actual person who might be more interesting than just a tall plank of wood. He bows in similar fashion and offers her a perfect salute right after, “leave it to me, miss. I’ll give you an Oscar-worthy performance.”

Baek scoffs good-heartedly and pulls one of his legs up to his chest so he can hug it instead of leaving his hands on his sides. “There should be sillier geese around. I think the world would be a more fun place like that. I’ll take a word from your book some other day,” he clicks his tongue and nods his head affirmatively. “To be honest, Zennies have been so sweet since we joined TZ, I obliged to believe you because there’s nothing to prove the contrary there.”

Just imagining the scenario, they are making up in their minds is enough to make Baek scowl and shake his head in distaste, “no, definitely not. Even more glad now that we were paired up instead.” Because what if he was unlucky enough to get together, he was actually close to, or even worse, someone he’s actually interested in. Baek likes to think he’s a good actor, but he’s certainly not that good, and he’s aware of it. After clinking glasses and putting his down somewhere it wouldn’t spill, Baek then straightens his back and takes one of the sandwiches that smell delicious and caught his eye from the moment she displayed them. He pretended to evaluate it from all sides before taking a generous bite and was not surprised that it actually tasted as good as he had imagined it. He does as he promised though, and Baek’s eyes go a bit too wide as he chews, and he hums pleasantly. He gives her an enthusiastic thumbs up, and once he finishes chewing, he finally says, “Milan, these are amazing! So tasty!”

it's no secret that milan wasn't cast by legacy for her amazing stage talents since she had none when she joined the company. she's also quite skeptical that her visuals have anything to do with it, when there are people line nabi, miyu and nayoung around. no, she's quite average when it comes to looks. no, what got her in was her personality and she's taken on fulfilling the role of variety persona in her group quite seriously. it does help that she adores the concept of variety shows; getting paid to have fun? dream job. and that's why once the worry of being paired with someone she'd have no chemistry with melts away, she manages to take to the premise of the show like a fish in water. minus the flirting of course. to put it nicely; it's not a skill she's gotten much work out in.

seeing baekhyun laugh wholeheartedly makes the girl beam. another thing about variety is that it scratches her itch to make people around her joyous. making the type zero vocalist laugh like this feels her with a sense of accomplishment. milan bows from the waist in mock formality; "thank you, dearest guest" she replies to his promise to give her his best reaction. yes, variety is where she shines.

but baekhyun cannot be outdone himself and if he might take to variety with less ease, he has mastered the art of charm and, therefore, destabilizing her. now a little more comfortable, she can't help but release a soft "kyah!" before hiding her face behind her fingers, eyes peaking between her fingers at him, ears taking a more violent shade of red than ever. "no~" she denies his allegations of being endearing with the most aegyo filled no to exist. "i'm just... a silly goose!" she chuckles, half tempted to 'qwack' to dispell the fluttering of heart he's elliciting inside her. instead, she takes the conversation towards a different direction and confesses: "i've been a type zero fan for a long time, so i think i speak for all your fans right now. trust me." hands falling away from her face, she smiles.

as baekhyun talks about his worries, milan hums and aggrees with him as he goes on. "that's exactly how i was feeling!" the young woman tells him. "picture being paired with someone you are super close with and having to show a romantic side of yours?" she rubs her arms as if getting goosebumps just thinking about the scenario. her mind does drift to one person in particular and she wonders just what levels of awkward the two of them would reach if they ended up on a show like this together. probably would be the catalyst to a second friendpocalypse. "yep, nope!" she says out loud, clearly liking the idea less and less.

she giggles when he plays along with her, clearly happy that her partner isn't turned off by her nonsense. "i love this!" she exclaims when he decides on what to toast to, and after clinking her cup to his, she takes a long sip of her drink, eyes closing to enjoy the taste. definitely a drink made for her very own tastebuds.

"okay, now, onto serious things." he gestures towards the food. "the taste test! remember what i said earlier!" cheekily, she pokes her tongue out a little.

[lgcbaekhyun]

starter for: @lgckai

The tables have turned and Baek was proclaimed as the interim leader of Type Zero. He would laugh at anyone’s face if they told him a year prior that that’s how his life would be, but alas, it’s not like he can’t turn the offer down. It’s not at all what he had ever expected from being part of a boy group, but Baek has never backed away from a challenge, so he opens his arms for this new experience.

Except he wishes his arms weren’t that open to new experiences because he has had at least a dozen mini crisis since he started trying to come up with ideas of what to do for the small, personalized gifts for fans. He’s usually not this dense about things like this, but maybe because it’s his first fanmeeting as a member of TZ, he didn’t want to feel like he didn’t put effort.

That’s how he ends up at Kai’s door, with a defeated expression on his face as he knocks and waits maybe three seconds before peaking inside gingerly, “Kaaaai,” he whines, “do you have a minute?”

[quiltofstars]

The Pinwheel Galaxy (M101, center), NGC 5477 (bottom), and NGC 5474 (right) // Hsms

[lgcbaekhyun]

i was out of town for the past 10 days, but hi, let's plot!

[lgcbaekhyun]

Baek muffles a laugh with his hand while he raises the other one in Hyoseop’s direction, “alright now, we better stop here because if you keep going, I’ll rightfully assume you have feelings for me, and you’ll leave me with no other option but to make a move on you, and dating my bandmate isn’t a thing I was planning to do,” which to be really fair, was actually something Baek considered one night before making his debut, when he was still a trainee in the dorms wondering about random things before finally falling asleep.

Fixing his in-ear piece in the right place, Baek pats Hyoseop’s shoulder and while they weren’t greenlit to go to the stage yet, he knows there are close to Type Zero’s turn by how the staff start running around them. “You’ll be poorer if you keep paying for our meals with those criteria. We’re always awesome.”

lgcbaekhyun

“How can you possibly be more supportive than most of my family members still is a mystery,” which is not exactly something difficult, honestly. Besides his granny and Hyuntae, his parents and relatives never made that much effort to know him anyway, so when the call comes from outside the house, from someone who has known him for less than maybe three years, it hits different. It’s nice. Hyoseop’s statement manages to pull a chuckle out of Baek, and he shakes his head fondly, “I can’t argue with that. You’ve become more handsome, too, since we’ve debuted. Spring Boys Hyoseop and Type Zero Hyoseop hold completely different vibes if you ask me,” which is crazy to think looking back at it. Despite not being close before becoming TZ, their projects have always been entangled for the past year before their debut, and now they are performing splashing water on themselves and the audience in a foreign country. “Do you like me this much to keep staring at me, Hyoseop?” Baek asks him teasingly and throws him a playful glance. “I feel like Kai would be able to eat the whole menu after this. Let’s do well, and treat ourselves after this,” he says patting Hyoseop on the back.

“i’ll support you in anything no matter what” he shows a smile to the other. hyoseop had been lucky when it came to his family, though his parents weren’t completely happy with hyoseop never pursuing further education after high school, they still supported him in his dream of becoming an idol. they’d supported hyoseop, as well as his sister the best they could, making sure the siblings knew that their parents were proud of them, hyoseop was happy he had gotten to debut, that their support wasn’t wasted.

“eh really? is that even possible…? i looked so good during spring boys, how can i be more handsome?” a laugh escapes his lips. “the more i stare at you… the handsomer you get too… maybe i should stop staring before i end up falling for you” he chuckles. “i can’t stop staring at you though, you’re too handsome”. “i won’t mind paying for our food, it can be a thank you gift for my members being so awesome”.

[quiltofstars]

The Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) and its neighbors // Mikolaj Wadowski

[pastafossa]

how long did it take for your fanfiction to start getting some recognition? did you "advertise" it or "promote" it in any way?

i know that people say this doesn't matter, but i feel like even if you love writing the feeling that you're just talking to yourself gets pretty exhausting at some point. so i'm not talking about having thousands of readers but rather like. what's your advice to have readers at least?

- someone who hasn't even started writing their ideas yet...

LONG POST INCOMING.

First I want you (and everyone else reading who may be struggling with this) to know I'm absolutely with you and generally think 'it doesn't matter' is a horseshit answer. It's this weird thing we do in fanfic that we generally don't apply to other artforms that I've seen. If you're a painter, a playwriter, a novel writer, and you say, 'I want at least a few people to love my paintings, I want some people to come see my play, I want my novel to be published and do at least ok' we all support them, we nod, we agree, we talk about how they can do that successfully. It's considered normal to want some amount of success. But hold up fanfic instead and it becomes, 'how dare you want that praise, you're being egotistical, you should be writing only for yourself'. I'm not saying you can't do that - there are some who do - but it's definitely this bizarre switchup to say there's this single artform in which we can't want attention on our work and that there's something wrong with us if we do. That can be an absolute creativity killer depending on what kind of writer you are (hi, extrovert writer here who only gets writy writy juice from social interaction - aka comments and discussion. So I totally get it being exhausting just doing this on your own).

So let me say this categorically: you're allowed to want things. You're allowed to want kudos, comments, and hits. You're allowed to want messages and asks. You're allowed to want some readers you can talk with about your story.

You. Are. Allowed.

Ok, now that that's out of the way.

Edit: more below the cut cause I didn't realize the length of this on mobile

TRT definitely didn't get popular overnight. The first four chapters were sporadic, and then I took a hiatus due to life things for a couple years. During that time, it kept slowly ticking up bit by bit on AO3, with occasional comments. Iirc it was hovering somewhere around 700 kudos by the time I came back in Jan 2021 - and that's a awesome! It's big! But it's also a number that was gained over a few years, to put it in perspective. It absolutely took off after I came back though, and over the past 2 years both TRT's popularity and the stats of my one-shots in the fandom have grown. Part of that's just the time frame (TRT's been up about 6 years), but it's also due to a couple things that I think built up TRT's popularity.

Building a tumblr presence was huge. Ironically I didn't really intend to do it for advertising; I just wanted a place readers could ask questions or we could all freak out about Matt or I could post some drabbles or updates on the fic. But considering the fact that AO3 and tumblr are the top fic sites online, I wound up promoting my fics unintentionally just by being a friendly, happy tumblr user and fandom goer. All I did was follow the courtesy rules I knew - post stuff regularly, reblog, comment, make friends with other writers, just be friendly in your neighborhood because you love the lady with the gif flower shop on the corner or the wise old pizza maker who serves hot fandom takes all day long. I built familiarity with my writing and name by posting short fics, and by taking part in challenges and prompt lists and short requests for drabbles if I saw them, though that's something that's hard to do if you don't have time (I've got less time now, but I started this blog in the early pandemic so I had aaaaall the time in the world to write and was using it to stay sane). I tagged religiously because I LOVE tags, but that helped, too. Tumblr's search system is half broken but the half that works means people CAN find your writing even if they aren't following. Doing all this over here got me a huge boost over on AO3.

I will say that if you can have a fandom tiktok presence, there's a lot of fic reviewers, edits, and good stuff that can get your fic some readers (I've had some people do this on tiktok for TRT and it sent a surge over). I personally haven't done anything there yet, in part because while I'm on tiktok I try to keep my actual, real person accounts separate from my fic/fandom accounts and i haven't bothered to make a second account solely dedicated to the Pasta name yet.

Longfics on AO3 have the advantage in fic stats in the sense that every time you add a chapter, it gets bumped to the top of the front page and you get seen again. Eventually a lot of people will click out of curiosity. They may not, however, give you a lot of user subs or add to your other fic stats at first, whereas if you do a bunch of oneshots you're more likely to get user subs but less hits on each fic. This is a decision you'll have to make, and I know folks in both camps who built their followings using different methods on each. Either way, it helps if you're posting regularly, either in a long fic or one-shots. I call this the Stephen King method, who said he just writes a ton and throws it all at the wall, and eventually you get enough good despite the bad that you start building a following.

Learn learn learn. This is standard fic advice I always give, but it's still relevant. I think one of the reasons imo TRT has done so well is that I've spent a lot of time over the years learning how to write and edit - I read a ton of books (sometimes just to figure out HOW good authors structure their stories), I took a lot of English classes, I've taken some creative writing courses in my spare time. That two year hiatus was heavily spent doing a lot of research and practice around an original novel I want published one day. And I used ALL of that in TRT, just to see what it was like to put it all together. Be hungry for knowledge, be hungry to learn. The more you learn, the better your fic will be, and the more people that will click.

That learning also includes a looooong string of fanfics that started at a very novice level (hello 12 year old me), to fics that were ok and did moderately well but weren't anything huge. Hell, I had a tumblr account for my previous fandoms before I wandered over to Pastafossa, and while those fics did decently, I never had the huge reaction I've gotten here. But I used each and every one of those fics to learn and grow and adapt. Treat your own fics the same way. If it doesn't get hits, try to learn from it before moving on to the next idea a little wiser and a slightly better writer than before. There will always be people who start to follow you along the way.

A small one, but important: I swear to god, do not shit-talk yourself. Not in the summary, not in the tags, not in the A/Ns. I'm not talking, 'this is my first fic!' That's fine. I mean trashing your own work. Shit like, 'ha ha this sucks, it's terrible but oh well' will absolutely lower your stats, because people will believe you and will ditch your fic. On top of that, it's just mean to yourself, and as I said above, you want to be a good person in the fandom neighborhood. That means not breaking the windows of your own house.

People generally think of summaries as a side note, but a shitty summary can absolutely tank your stats. Treat it like the rest of your fic - this is the trailer before the movie, and it's a huge element of what gets people interested in the first place.

Lastly, like I said at the top, the biggest factor is time. There are people who post one fic and explode in popularity, absolutely. But far, far more little followings are built on the bones of time, of abandoned fics, of muttering and highlighting phrases in books in the middle of the night, of trying and trying and trying until we have at last have a breakthrough and then drag that breakthrough forward with us to the next fic. TRT is absolutely one part lightning in a bottle - the biggest success I've ever had anywhere with my writing, a confluence of fandom factors and world events that gave people (and me!) time to write and read. But it's also standing on the back of whole lot of fics I wrote that look like everyone else's: ones with no comments, low interaction, insults; ones where I had precisely zero idea of what I was doing, but wanted to try anyway. And the way I got through that, as a writer who needs interaction in order to create, was by building friendships in fandom so that even when a fic didn't do all that well, I still had friends I could talk to about the characters, the world, the fandom itself. I asked friends to look them over and give advice. I had friends being my cheerleaders. And if you're an extrovert like me, or just a writer who needs that to create, then those connections are vital as you build up a following.

That's a lot of what I've done. I know there are other ways to build a following, but this is generally what I've done, what I've learned to do, and it seems to have worked. Just remember that there are no bad fics - just learning opportunities. Learn something, and that fic's a success, and work as hard as you can to make those fandom connections to carry you through the process.

I absolutely hope to see your work around one day, so that I can be on of those followers!

[rollinpinwheel]

4d and 10a

- your spouse strikes again

100 Faces Art Meme || Accepting

4D 🤡

10A ♡

[lgcbaekhyun]

Mind you, Baek isn’t exactly the funniest wittiest person around. He was for sure one of the least fun people to have because, as a matter of fact, cracking jokes and making people laugh weren’t priorities growing up. Being poised was the default. So, whenever he gets the chance to make someone laugh, in front of the camera or otherwise, he takes it as a win. Baek takes joy in being able to elicit those sounds from people.

It doesn’t matter that Parker is a naturally easy-going person. If anything, it makes it even better that Baek has managed to make his teammate crack like that. He finally let the façade drop and his smile makes an appearance for the first time as he shoves Parker’s shoulder lightly, “you’re no fun! I thought we would go further than that,” he says with no real heat at all. “No wonder people like you so much, it’s endearing.”

Baek’s comment makes it hard not to laugh. Damnit, why is he so easy to make a laugh?! Clearly this is a personal problem, though his groupmate's tone is entirely perfect to make anyone break. The fingers of his free hand curl into his fist, and he uses his blunt nails to drive into his palm and counteract his response. He thinks he can make it to the end, but there seems to be a very good chance /he/ will be the one to lose in the end. He hates it but clearly, Beak has an advantage. 

He’s proven correct when Beak makes a comment after reading his compliment, and Parker /needs/ to bite down on his lip and take in a sharp breath through his nose to prevent himself from laughing. He will not. He will succeed! Driven by sheer will, he attempts to open his mouth to reply, but the moment he does he locks eyes with Baekhyun and that’s it. He breaks. 

His shy laughter is loud and genuine, and all he can really do is fall forward, smacking his forehead on the tabletop. 

“Dang it!” he mutters with a smile, his voice muffled slightly from the position but definitely caught by his mic. At least it was fun.

[lgcbaekhyun]

starter for: @lgckai

2024 might be Baek's year. Not that 2023 was bad. He had a lot of work and was busy for most of the year, but back then, he had no perspective of what the future had stored for him. Now, with his career starting with Type Zero, things are looking up. One of his goals for the new year was to have a solo photoshoot for a magazine for example, and not even two months in, he's already being given the chance to appear on the cover of ELLE. Of course, it's not a solo thing since Hyoseop and Kai are also working with him on this, but it still is an accomplishment. And if he's honest, Baek is glad they are around.

"I used to think magazine pictorials were the most boring thing someone could take part in," Baek comments to Kai as the staff leaves the room to get them more accessories for the shot. Baek likes it when he's given rings to use for fidgeting purposes, and he's glad he has been given quite few today, "and now look at me. I don't even mind being dressed up to take pictures. You're looking great, by the way."

[onioneyez]

You guys I am happy yet again!!!!! HELL yes

[quiltofstars]

The Pinwheel Galaxy (M101, center), NGC 5477 (bottom) and NGC 5474 (lower right) // Jeremiah Poole

[lgcbaekhyun]

Baekhyun hates to the person to brings the mood down. Before debuting, that wouldn’t be much of a problem because well, he didn’t care, but after debuting, he felt this invisible force pushing him towards the more amiable direction. He still says though, “It’s not a head start. I’m falling behind,” he tries not to sigh, but his smile comes out a little bit strained. “I was supposed to graduate this year, but I got a bit busy with everything.”

Baek thinks he knows the vibes he’s getting because he’s not slow in that sense. Maybe a little out of touch since it has been a while, but not naïve to think Zoe might not be interested. The fingers brushing thing? He played that trick before. He withdrawals his hands to rest on his lap. “Nothing much really. Talking about the shift in the entertainment business and rise in popularity abroad,” he shrugs with a smile. It’s an interesting enough paper, but not exactly groundbreaking.

“My secret talent, you say. I don’t think I have one. As of recently, I surprised myself for working well enough with four hours of sleep, but I don’t really recommend that at all,” he makes a face and shakes his head in distaste. Baek will definitely sleep full 12 hours once he has the chance to, “but what a non-arts faculty member is doing on this side of the campus, may I ask?”

— 🐰 »

Zoe's pulse quickened as she found herself seated next to Baek, his smile casting a spell that left her breathless. Her heart thudded like the bass drum at a rock concert, excitement, and curiosity mingling within her.

"Exams approaching already?" Zoe feigned nonchalance, her voice carrying a hint of flirtatiousness as she leaned in slightly, her gaze fixed on Baekhyun. "I guess it's smart of you to get a headstart."

She reached for the papers he had been reading, her fingers brushing against his momentarily. "So, what's the scoop on this article?" Her tone was light, but her eyes sparkled with genuine interest as she scanned the pages, stealing glances at Baekhyun whenever she could.

"Not exactly part of the arts faculty," Zoe confessed with a coy smile. "But I do have a knack for the creative side of things. And you, Baek? What's your hidden talent?" Her question was light-hearted, yet tinged with intrigue, as she awaited his response, eager to uncover more about the enigmatic guy beside her.

[rollinpinwheel]

❃ "PEOPLE REE-ALLY TALKING DIRTY ON A WEDNESDAY? You're disgusting."

[lgcbaekhyun]

.. starter for: @leolgc

It's funny to think that as a trainee, Baek doesn't remember ever having to look this ridiculous in front of cameras. He has had his fair share of awkward and disastrous moments when only a handful of people were present, but these moments wouldn't be eternalized on the internet. Now that he's a debuted idol, he doesn't think his track will remain intact for much longer.

Especially when he's covered in flour when Leo looks almost spotless. Baek stopped trying to clean himself from the mess they'd made a while ago, but once he was close enough to Leo, he dusted off some of the flour on the older's sleeve, "How does it feel to be the most privileged of the bunch, hyung?", he teases with a smile, "being old has its perks, huh?"