#rvb writers' chat

[sharkface-daydreams]

hello! i come bearing numbers!

for the 2023 fic writer asks: 6, 9, 16? 👀

hello :D

6. What ship(s) captured your heart?

Hmmm probably Caelus/Sampo and Blade/Luocha most notably. those roots sunk in deep and haven't let go hahaha <3

9. What fic meant the most to you to write?

This took a long while to decide .. partly because there's a lot to choose from but also because time doesn't really... exist for me? lol... so I had to filter my AO3 stats and see what I even wrote 'this year'

Liars' Game is probably the thing that sits heaviest in my heart, it's kind of the whole hinge of their relationship dynamic that I have for them. Plus I'm always excited when little things pay off and doing the extra work to embed chat stickers in the text parts of the work made it more fun I think (if people thought it was cringe well. they can get stuffed 😘)

Though that last Love Potions chapter was a roller coaster and I was really excited to get it posted bc there were a lot of things in there I'd had planned out for a while. Only one left to go but all my RvB brain has evaporated at the moment 💀💀💀 so that's going to be a while.

I got an idea for something im real excited to write just on the way home but I don't expect that to be done in any way until next year lol

16. What were your go-to writing songs?

hmm. I did make a couple playlists but to be honest I don't always write to music and sometimes I prefer no music. But I can pick out a song or two that got my head in the game for CaeSam if you like

Wake Up - Coheed and Cambria

Modern Swinger - The Pink Spiders

Drugs and Candy - All Time Low

This Feeling - Chainsmokers/Kelsea Ballerini

schmoop and yearning for them I guess lol

thank u for asking <33333 I'll go pick out some numbers for you next if you like ^^

[in-sufficientdata]

Re: the Red vs. Blue fandom and recent drama

I’ve been struggling over what, if anything, to say about a certain divide that has developed in the fandom and explain my stand on the issues involved. There’s more than one thing going on here, and I don’t believe in vagueing people (more on that in a bit), so I am not going to name the parties involved, but I am going to make my position clear since there seems to be some confusion. The people involved know who they are, and they are going to be linked to this post so that there is no mistake.

I. Someone is wrong on the internet

Fandom spaces are a place for people to enjoy sharing headcanons, meta, fanfiction, art, and other creative works based on their favorite pieces of media. This is not peculiar to the internet--there were zines before there were message boards, for example--but being online has made it much easier for us to share what we create with one another. It’s inevitable that people will bump up against people they disagree with online, though, and there are a lot of areas these disagreements can center around. For the most part, these disagreements are pretty benign. One person will state that a pairing is better than someone else’s favorite pairing, or someone will give reasons their headcanon about a character is better than other headcanons. This is all well and good, and everyone has reasons for preferring the things they prefer.

One thing to keep in mind, though, especially when it comes to issues that seem to have some kind of moral importance, is that you really can’t change someone’s mind in a debate, especially in a space like online fandom. This is known as the backfire effect, which takes place when someone is presented with an opinion that contradicts their own. Occasionally, you may find you’re able to change someone’s mind, but for the most part, arguing against their position will only solidify them in their own position. It’s a fact of human psychology, and it means online debates are pretty pointless.

II. Making drama public

In the incident that prompted this message, someone wrote and linked a controversial post about a specific member of the fandom to a public chatroom. At the top of the post was a screencap of a conversation between two tumblr bloggers, but with their user names obscured. Bringing this issue out into the open in a public chat like this was taken as a blatant attempt to cause people to take sides, and this is exactly what people did. Unfortunately, as the admin of the chat, I spent a long time formulating my response at this point and did not manage to bring a visible response before people began chatting about the issue.

The main problem for me as the admin of the chat was that the post was stirring up drama about people who were not present in the chat. In addition, knowing about the backfire effect (which I detailed in the first bullet point above), I knew discussion about it in the chat was not going to change anyone’s mind. I continued to try to refocus discussion about the incident to what had happened in the chat itself, but the person in question, as well as others, refused to heed my requests.

III. Vagueing 

Vagueing is a form of gossip, and it’s the reason I was so loath to write this post without naming names. That’s why I made it so clear at the outset of this post that everyone involved in the incident will be made aware of what i have to say. 

Gossiping does nothing but stir up bad feelings between people, and vagueing is one of the worst types of gossip. The person posting this type of gossip causes people to go around behind other people’s backs to report the comments, and inevitably leads to people taking sides and defending their friends. It is, frankly, a very rude thing to do. 

IV. The responsibility of adults in a fandom

The only responsibility adults in a fandom have is over their own behavior.

Let me repeat that:  The only responsibility adults in a fandom have is over their own behavior.

What does this mean? It means that adults who are concerned about potential contact with minors in the fandom may choose to mark their blogs 18+ only. They may decide to block minors who follow their blogs. It means they have no obligation to be an example for younger people, especially if they are uncomfortable with finding themselves in this kind of position. They are perfectly within their rights to remove themselves from that sort of situation. The people involved in the situation outlined above, who were vagued about, had both made this choice.

This does mean that if people decide to interact with minors, such as myself, there are other responsibilities which come into play, such as not presenting sexual content to them on an individual basis, and not having NSFW conversations in front of them. For this reason, in the writers’ chat I admin, NSFW conversations are banned. None of the topics discussed in the vaguepost in question had been talked about in the writers’ chat, and the people being vagued about were not present.

V. The responsibility of writers in a fandom

The responsibility of writers in fandom is clear, and the fact that there are warning flags and age limits in place on writing archives such as AO3 makes this fact pretty clear, too. There is no imperative to write morally pure things, or avoid writing things that might offend readers. The onus is on readers to look over the warnings and avoid things that may upset them or be inappropriate for them. This is especially true when the writers in question are making especial efforts to avoid the minors in the fandom.

VI. Conclusion

It may be noted that the topic of the original vaguepost that was brought to the chat has not been tackled in this post. That’s because of my role in this whole situation, which is as the admin of the writers’ chat. My opinion on the original topic is moot for several reasons which I don’t want to get into here. What I’d like for my readers to take away from this are the main points I made which are as follows:

- bringing drama to a public space will automatically lead to people taking sides - vagueposting about other site members is rude as fuck - no one has any responsibility to curate your fandom experience for you

[yuusaris]

4, 17, 37 for the fic writer ask game !

4) Link your three favorite fics right now.

love makes monsters of us all [ygo, Tendershipping]. tw for kidnapping, blackmail, sexual coersion, core/graphic violence and homophobic language but it's all worth it, it's some of the most flawless Bakura writing I've ever read, it's a shitton of fun to hear this feral shadow creature enjoy tortuing Ryou's tormetors. A must-read, tbh.

Yet To Come [rvb, lolix] is a fuuuun fucking time. Hands down. erelis is the master of writing Isaac "Felix Fuckface McScouty" Gates, especially in the context of him as an amoral monster of a human being, while giving the feelings he has weight and a deservingness of your sympathy. Locus is on point. Of all the ways to reconcile these two's very different and distinct perspective of things, this is top tier shit.

And honestly? Here's just a list of tenderwulfs YGO writing. All three of them. Fuck it. There's no wrong answer. They're all perfect. They all make me scream and cry. Everything she writes makes me want to eat dirt - it's the only way to soothe whatever w o u n d she decides needs to be opened, in Ryou Bakura's name, on my flesh.

17) How obsessively do you sit and stare at your fic after you’ve just posted and wait for feedback?

The second I post it, I'm staring for a full 24.... 48 hours, or until first non-anon kudos or any comment. Whichever comes first.

In my age, I've learned to accept lack of comments as a facet of life, I write nowadays for a very old fandom, for a ship that's taken a backseat to the numberrrrrrrrr 3? 2? Slot? regarding my faves. But it doesn't stop me. I crave validation. I work hard and I need to be better about my unhealthy attachments to my writing.

Because writing... isn't, like. Content. That's a really bad mindset that I've developed recently, and that's why that compulsion is so strong in me nowadays. I need to unlearn that.

37) Give an update on your current WIP - if you don’t have one, give a sneak peek to a title or idea that you have and would like to write.

Okay, so - I have... a LOT of WIPs. I cycle through them so I never get bored writing.

My chat/shipping VRAINS fics have taken a backseat untiiiilll IIIIII watch more VRAINS. My hybrid Vrains/DM vampire fic "How To Be A Vampire", has taken a MASSIVE backseat for the same reason, and also so I can tighten up how I want the Dm portions to go - it was, after all, originally a DM fic with a Vrains spin-off, but it being a primarily Vrains fic with DM support makes more sense and is better tension. As such, i really have to go through my stuff.

I've got a number of other little fics behind me. I'm working on smaller stuff for TenderWeek aaand I've got a joint lo/lix and tender idea I'm working on, involving serial killers and necromancy.

As for my meat and potatoes stuff, Body/Life is gunna be getting a more general outline - my current way of doing it has not been helpful and Chapter Two continues to be a real thorn in my side - I'm not struggling to make these tsuchinoko work for me, I'm struggling to make the chapter funny, which is important to me cuz I want this to be a comedy. I want that so I can give some levity to the very dangerous, very foolish and very very unhinged and not okay situation Ryou is walking into, to give us a show that he's confident in his choices not only because he's knowledgeable and unique in his approach with them, but to also show he's not looking at this with the lens he probably should be. Bakura's coming along much better, but this is still a struggle. An outline is on my list.

Becaaaauuuse my tender!hanahaki outline is ALMOST DOOOONNNNEEE I'm almost ready to show it off to Tay, get some of the tweaks figured out, and start writing it in full!

But, to give a pitch, Ryou has been coughing up petals recently - which is odd, to him, because he's not in love with anybody. The fic goes through his and Bakura's endeavors to fix his illness, though more Ryou's efforts than Bakura's. The Spirit is not cooperating.

I'm REALLY excited to unveil this one - "Love, The Me That's Killing You", is the title I'm currently going with, as Ijimekko Bully is the PERFECT song for Bakura's vibes throughout it - I've been working REALLY hard on getting my skeleton in order, making sure the re-read is JUST as fun as the first, even if the twist is predictable.

Thank you for these!!!! I love talking about me~

[ryosei-hime]

Writer Tag Game

I got tagged by @ernmark

I’m terrible at tagging people in these so if you see this and want to do it, go for it!

How many works do you have on AO3?

I’m gonna start by saying that I have a larger chunk of fics on FF.net because I wrote more back when I used that instead. I also had a very long hiatus from writing fics at all due to mental health and life stuff.

Also I realized recently that a lot of my RvB fics didn’t end up on AO3 and I just left them here on tumblr which was the last time I was super active with fanfic back in 2014.

So, long way around to say, only 20 that are housed on AO3 specifically.

What's your total AO3 word count?

49,141

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Naptime is Best Time which was my most popular RvB fic. A little humorous Grimmons.

Stolitz Week Oneshots - Some of my most recent work since that event only ended recently. Very specifically I got a lot of those kudos after posting Confession which seems to be well-liked and makes me very happy.

Personal Space which is a HuskerDust chapter fic that deals with Husk’s insecurities regarding his demon form.

Sex and Therapy - An OCxRobo Fizz story in which an imp therapist buys a busted up second hand Fizzarolli Personal Companion with intents to help him professionally but uh. *points at the title* This one was very surprising to me because I don’t expect much if any attention to be given to my OC focused things. So that this one got enough to be on the top five makes me really happy.

Apologies - An Alix/Chat Noir fic that I did for a rare pair exchange. Another one that surprises me. : P Especially as I only watched the first season of Ladybug and often forget I even wrote it.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try to and if the comment is longer, I definitely do. With shorter comments, it depends on my mood. I’m socially awkward and whether or not saying just thank you feels inane and unwanted as a response will vary with how I’m feeling. I definitely appreciate all comments! Even one word comments. : P But responding will vary based on my own mental processes and has nothing to do with the commenter or my appreciation for the comment. Some comments will make me particularly happy and I’ll read them over again but still not respond because I don’t have anything specific to say in response. It’s mostly a series of noises that can’t be conveyed in text.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Oh! That’s definitely Don’t Cry Usagi. A short fic speculating the long term effects of Naru's role as victim in Sailor Moon's crime-fighting life. I don’t do character death a lot but I had this idea and it wouldn’t leave me alone.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

I think I end up with a lot of happy endings. Like there’s probably suffering along the way but in the end things work out more often than not. So, I don’t think that I can say any one fic has a happier ending than another, really.

Do you write crossovers? If so, What is the craziest one you’ve ever written?

I was probably more prone to that when I was younger. I did have one that I never posted anywhere that involved Doctor Drakken from Kim Possible attempting to use a device to access a universe in which he had been successful in taking over the world (I think this was before a Stitch in Time came out) and learn how he did it. But of course the device malfunctions and sort of scatters universes. I used pretty much all the cartoons I was particularly interested in at the time.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I wouldn’t say hate. I’ve definitely received some weird responses though. And all on FF.net.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I only very, very recently starting doing so! Because you can only write a character that’s a sexbot for so long without it coming up. It was important that the second occurrence of full on sex in Sex and Therapy (I fade to blacked the first) actually be written because there was a lot of emotion and bonding involved in it that needed to be shown. Which is why I said fuck it and did the shorter one right before it as well. I had to accept I couldn’t tell that story without sex. It’s in the title! But now I’m more comfortable writing it, so I may be more prone to do so going forward.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I’m pretty sure I had a few snatched up by bots grabbing a bunch all at once. But not by a person that I am aware of.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I’m aware of.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I attempted to do so once with a 9/Labyrinth crossover. I failed you @ernmark​. Forgive me. Actually, there was one other time where I was slightly more successful but it also never got posted anywhere or made it beyond a couple of rough drafts. It was a DBZ fic and I remember a much more talented writer was working with me and I was super grateful for their input and help because this was when I was like *maths* 13? I was super young. We were using yahoo chat to work on it together. And this much better/older writer treated me so nicely and wasn’t condescending at all. It was really nice of them. I will always remember you stranger from yahoo chat.

What’s your all-time favourite ship?

That definitely depends on the fandom. Since these are the two fandoms I’m active in right now: Stolitz is my favorite Helluva Boss ship and HuskerDust is my favorite Hazbin Hotel ship.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Okay, there are two fics I started a million years ago that I think about rewriting and finishing constantly. I even started to rewrite one of them more recently before Helluva/Hazbin took over my brain. One was Foutley’s Phone Buddies which was an As Told By Ginger fic focused on aged up Carl/Blake. The other Was Crouching Tigger, Hidden Rabbit which was a Tigger/Rabbit fic. That’s right. I ship the fuck out of Tigger and Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh.

What are your writing strengths?

Characters and dialogue. I’m someone with very low self-esteem or it used to be very low. I guess it’s gotten better but it’s still hard to say outright nice things about myself. But I’ve never had a problem saying I’m good at characters. Confessions is kind of a point of pride for me right now with that because of how much attention it’s received for being in character.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Plot and structure. I write primarily by instinct. And my instinct is primarily character driven. What makes it easy for me to just churn out character interactions without thinking makes it difficult for me when I have to stop and slow down long enough to figure out what’s actually supposed to be happening in the story and in what order for the best pacing. The more my wheels have to actually turn, the harder it is for me.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’ll do it poorly with flagrant disregard for poor native speakers. I’m so sorry native speakers. I used bacha galupe for Angel in one recently. I didn’t even think about it. I just did it. And I’m pretty sure I learned that from the Golden Girls so how accurate it is or if it’s even spelled right is beyond me. But it’s out there now. I really only do this for words here and there though. If someone’s gonna do more than that, I’ll just write that they speak in the language.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The Animorphs! I typed up Animorphs fic in like comic sans size fucking 30 or something and printed it out. I’ll never forget. That was in the late 1990s and my grandfather had just moved up from the printer that had the edges you had to tear off. So it was on this impressive pure white straight sheet of paper. So fancy and it had my giant ass fic on it. Only the best for my Andalite OC.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

I’m still very fond of Naptime is Best Time after all these years. I think Sex and Therapy is gonna be special to me for being one of the longest chapter fics I’ve ever finished (I’ma finish it) because I’ve always been more of a oneshot person until recently. And Confessions will probably stay a favorite for a long time. So, yeah, I’ve just been happier with my recent stuff and being able to write fanfic again after so many years.

[fishyfod]

RvB Reactions (4/?)

Excerpts from my chat with @tumblingxelian about RvB (S10- S11). [1 2 3 4 5]

At least Carolina is maybe an actual main character? Remains to be seen

[...]

CAROLINA MY DARLING

fishyfod: Delta being the real Alpha is quite the curveball

tumblingxelian: Uuuuum, how did you reach that conclusion? 

fishyfod: OH now I get it... they're brainwashing the AI to think they're separate beings

tumblingxelian: That's an interesting take.

...

fishyfod: "I think I just got dumped by Caboose. This is un-fucking-believable." "Yeah it's - it's not me. It's you."

...

fishyfod: "Sync!" "Refrigerator!"

tumblingxelian: Pfft, poor Sync users, they suffer so much. 

...

fishyfod: Past-Wash is just Church

tumblingxelian: Really? I thought he was more like Caboose.

fishyfod: Past-Wash is the Caboose of the group with Church's personality

tumblingxelian: Hahaha, that's not entirely unfair, though I think he's less grouchy XD

...

fishyfod: I forgot to comment on the space laser battle shooty-shooty so here's *pew-pew* something something Star Wars

tumblingxelian: I forgot there were booty shots *pew-pew* *pew-pew*

...

fishyfod: It's nice having more women on the cast, I just wish South, Carolina and CT didn't all feel like different flavors of Tex. At least Carolina is maybe an actual main character? Remains to be seen

tumblingxelian: Oh I think you'll like Carolina eventually. Also CT has her reasons

...

fishyfod: WYOMING LITERALLY HAS AN IMPERIAL MUSTACHE I'M DONE

...

fishyfod: Yeah I guessed CT would die the moment I remembered she wasn't voiced by a woman the first time we met her

...

fishyfod: "Operation point my gun at Doc was just a code phrase for Operation point my gun at Grif." "Drat!"

tumblingxelian: Oh Sarge, he changed so quick and then so quickly changed back XD

...

fishyfod: Carolina is the Director and Alison's daughter, did I get that right? Which technically makes Church and Tex her parents, if you think about it too long...

tumblingxelian: XD Hehehehehehe, yep you got it in one Carolina: Of course I'm fucked up, those are my parents! (Points to a mad scientist, a dead woman and an ever growing horde of renegade AI's)

...

fishyfod: RvB S11: it's just bloodgulch all over again

...

fishyfod: Caboose built Rickles *freckles Oh my god of course he called the robot frickles

tumblingxelian: Freckle's is precious!

...

fishyfod: No literally, Donut and Doc are back. Wash is a stand in for Church

tumblingxelian: (Smiles mysteriously)

...

fishyfod:

tumblingxelian: Pfft oh my gosh Simmons XD

...

fishyfod: Why did they make Caboose leaving Freckles behind look like a coming-of-age movie

tumblingxelian: I mean, it is Caboose.

...

fishyfod: Plot??? Maybe? Next episode??? Please???

tumblingxelian: Hehehehehe, (Smirks devilishly)

...

fishyfod: Okay, I maaaaaaaaaaaay have been spoiled on Felix, but just in case don't tell me if I'm right but I'm fairly certain he's really bad

tumblingxelian: Well Felix is a mercenary so he's inherently compromised morally speaking but there's more going on than you know behind the scenes.

...

fishyfod: FRECKLES NO Poor Lopez Tucker??? Actually? Competent???

tumblingxelian: Poor Freckles! And yes Poor Lopez, he suffers so much. Right? its weird, but also kinda amusing XD

...

fishyfod: Their new battles are really good? I know they're not nearly as good as the animated stuff Monty did (I'm pretty sure this was made past his death), but it's not bad

Also if this was made in 2013 then I guess Monty was just busy with RWBY/other stuff

tumblingxelian: Mhm, not sure, I think he was still alive then but only worked on specific duels. Regardless, yeah they do a good job making the fights seem workablke.

...

fishyfod: LINDSAY JONES LINDSAY JONES

tumblingxelian: Lindsay Jones!

fishyfod: FELIX IS MILES HOW DID I NOT NOTICE

tumblingxelian: He has impressive range.

...

fishyfod: I also noticed Miles is the only writer and director, and in previous seasons they were three? One of them was Church's VA

tumblingxelian: I have seen the Chorus Trilogy generally attribute to Miles so that makes sense, its one of the reasons I think he has solid writing chops.

...

fishyfod: CAROLINA MY DARLING

tumblingxelian: Sheeeee's back!

[freelancerfeels]

Damn, an original post? On this blog? Is this real life?? Thoughts on Zero below, there are some spoilers so be warned. This was meant to be my attempt at a critique but honestly it just turned into a long winded rant full of stuff other people have probably complained about already. I apologize in advance for the overall negative tone, but after watching the first 2 episodes twice I’m a little disheartened at the moment.

Alright, so I guess the good things first? The warthog racing scene aside, the visuals are pretty good! The fight scenes, especially involving the villains look impressive. The characters movements are smooth, the physics don’t seem too wild (depending on how you feel about teleportation); so overall I like it.  It’s good to see Wash and Lina again, it seems like the former made a full recovery despite his injuries which I’m a big fan of. Shotgun wielding Carolina in Ep 1 is certified BDE, and my boy copped a sweet promotion to Major in the offseason. So far I’m enjoying our antagonists; they look fuggin sweet, the dynamic between Phase and Diesel is amusing, and Zero gives off a mysterious leader vibe I can get behind. I’m sorry to say that’s about where it ends for me though. I have a laundry list of complaints so if you’re not interested in that I would stop reading here.  

I’m fairly indifferent towards Shatter Squad. The rivalry between East and One just feels like Carolina and Tex all over again, only with less animosity. Axel is the cliche team dad, Raymond is the awkward yet-to-prove-himself rookie, and West is the gritty, battle hardened team leader who doesn’t take any lip but cares deep down blah blah blah. It honestly feels like the writers have forgotten what made RvB so good in the first place. The first five seasons were literally just some idiots fucking around in a canyon with the occasionally plot line thrown in. It wasn’t the most visually impressive thing, but the characters were endearing and that made up for it.  The new cast just feels kind of cheesy and stereotypical, maybe that’s just me though.

Some of things I really hate? How about Wash immediately getting fucked up, tortured, and kidnapped. The poor dude literally just got over a TBI from the last season and they’re already using his suffering to advance the plot again. I’m really worried that we’re going to see either him or Lina get killed off and that would just wreck me. How about the complete absence of the Reds and Blues? I understand that some of the VA’s are gone and the others are busy running the company, but at least mention them. They’re the reason the show has made it this far; to just completely ignore them, especially after the character development Donut went through in S17, is mind boggling. There’s also not even a single whisper about Locus, Kimball, Dylan Andrews, Jax, or the cosmic powers we’ve just spent multiple seasons getting to know. They had so many options to bring back characters people really liked and they just dropped the ball. Like where the fuck is Huggins???

 Another thing that bothers me is the seemingly complete departure from the Halo universe. Have we just completely forgotten about the UNSC? You know, that one organization that PFL and Charon Industries were specifically shown as having ties to for like 11 seasons. What the fuck is AOD? At what point were Wash and Lina recruited into this new super secret squirrel program? There’s no continuity from previous seasons, which is fine if you want to take the show in a new direction, but then why use 2 characters who have been around for the past 12 and 9 seasons respectively? There’s armor, monsters, and weapons that have never existed in the Halo universe suddenly appearing from thin air. For some reason Agent East is able to move at inhuman speeds, not from armor enhancements like Carolina, but due to some unspecified experiments performed on her by some unmentioned till now organization only known as Starlight Laboratories. The  disregard for previously established canon details is just aggravating, and the way they just dumped these new things on us without any explanation feels cheap.

My last gripe for today is about the appearance and movements of the characters when they’re not fighting. The head movements when speaking are stilted and jerky, which didn’t seem to be an issue in previous seasons. One would think that with the fluidity of the fight scenes two characters simply chatting wouldn’t look so stiff and unnatural. The shadows and saturation in some scenes (warthog race) just look awful as well. Not to mention the appearance of the regular “soldiers” in the first episode. ACU-esque digital camouflages were out of style in the 2000′s, let alone the 2500′s.The voice acting also doesn’t really do it for me either, especially for Shatter Squad. In their defense, even Shannon and Jen seem a little off this season. The only characters I’ve enjoyed listening to so far have been Phase and Zero, the rest just don’t seem to mesh with their characters. 

To close this massive bitchfest I guess I’d just like to say it doesn’t feel like RvB anymore. Maybe it’s because RT has grown into such a giant soulless shell of what it once was. Maybe it’s because the people in charge of the show have forgotten where it’s come from and what we as fans enjoyed about it. Maybe it’s because all good things must eventually come to an end. Or maybe it’s just because I’m jaded.  What I do know is that I miss the Reds and Blues, I miss the dynamics that have been established over the past 17 seasons, and I miss how Wash and Lina had become members of their fucked up little family. Part of me wishes they had just pulled the plug and given all of them a happy ending in S17. I’d like to believe that the issue here is just me being cynical about the show going a direction I don’t agree with and that things will get better. At the end of the day, I’m just one salty person behind a keyboard and I hope that you guys are enjoying this season more than I am. 

Also, I still miss CT.

[agent-murica]

For the fic ask meme: 1, 14, 17, 23, and 24?

1. Favorite fic you wrote this year

Oh, that’s definitely gotta be The Messages That Never Sent. I dunno, I just love time travel fics and history, and especially dicking around in both of those genres, so that fic was just so much fun to write, haha. Also, for something that’s pretty angsty all things considered, the fact that my friend who only reads fluff and crack fics (@supergal128) not only read it without me telling her I posted it, but that she actually loved it, is like my greatest achievement so far, lmao.

14.  A fic you didn’t expect to write

Oh, hm, perhaps, A Memory of Lips Pressed Against Mine? I’ve been a fan of Kimi no Na Wa ever since I first saw it, however long ago that was, and my friend and I (the one mentioned above) always joke around about making grimmons AU's for movies that we watch. So when someone mentioned making an au for it on this Instagram group chat that I’m in, I guess I kinda just latched on as an excuse to go ahead and make a fic for it? It took a lot of research/reading/and figuring out how to translate things into the two different cultures/locations, plus I remember just writing it straight for three days, haha, so it was a lot of work but I think it came out good!

17.  Fics you’ll continue next year

I already feel really shitty for having gotten the worst case of writer’s block since forever, so by obligation, I have to continue Hourglass, Pyrrhic, and Anthology. That’s about all I have planned so far.

23.  Fics you wanted to write but didn’t

I had a whole Final Hours sequel planned that I had been holding off on writing until both s16 and s17 were finished, but... I won’t lie. Season 17 killed off so much inspiration for me, and I don’t think I’ve really recovered my energy values since? I don’t know. I haven’t been able to get inspired for new fics or continue ideas ever since.

24.  Favorite fic you read this year

Oh man, I am so bad at reading fics when compared to writing them lol! Hm, I’m going through my history now and wow I actually read way more for my cartoon fandoms than rvb, whoops. Perhaps, as a whole, The Carolina the Teenage Witch series by @cinaed ? I don’t know, it’s just a whole lot of fun and I enjoy each new segment that comes out. It’s probably one of the few series that I go out of my way to check if there’s a new update for.

[stickynotedoodler]

Due to tumblrs recent update and many people looking for alternative platforms, I want to invite artists and writers of the RvB fandom to an 18+ Discord server called 'The Beehive'. This server will be a place to chat with other fans, share resources, and show off completed/wip works!

At this time there are 17 members in the group and all are welcomed!

Only two things to keep in mind:

1. This is an 18+ server and no minors will be allowed. Anyone found lying of their age will be banned permanently.

2. There will be no posted links to join freely. To get a link you must send me a ask or dm me on tumblr/discord for a invite link.

[ratchet-says-i-needed-that]

I was tagged @energon-goodies

Rules: answer 20 questions so your followers can get to know you better, and tag 20 other people you’d like to know better.

Name: Brittany

Nickname: Bird or Brit or even Ratchet i get called a lot, i prefer them over my full

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Height: 5'10

Languages spoken: English

Nationality: Canadian

Favorite fruit: pineapples

Favorite season: fall or summer

Favorite scent: maybe lilac or citrus 

Favorite color: purple

Favorite animal: maybe dogs and cats are good too and birds

Favorite fictional character: Ratchet, uhhh Drift, Starscream, Rodimus, Arcee, Jotaro Kujo (jjba), Tex and Church (RVB), Deku and Todoroki (bnha)

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: I like all but coffee.

Number of blankets you sleep with: 2

When was your blog created: I guess this is going on....what 4 years now

Favorite subject: writing or psych

Currently watching: Adventure Time cause bubbline, also robots in disguise 2001, and eventually Headmasters

Favorite band: uh lots i guess, Marina and the diamonds, linkin park, lots of old rock, ghost

Instruments played: none now. I played the clarinet for a year. and does the weird ukulele lessons in elementary school 

Favorite book: oh man i wished i read more. idk

I was tagged by @cpt-frigid for another thing but it has a lot of similar questions, so i’ll just answer the different ones jmiorbjmjir

Favourite Candy: chocolate and sour candy

Dream Trip: uh idk never really wanna thought about it. i wanna go to new england to see my friend again

The last movie I’ve seen: Uhhhh...Idk,I think it was a horror movie

Songs I’ve Had on Repeat: dance macabre by Ghost, Hot Stuff by Donna Summer and make me feel by janelle monae 

Favorite Holiday: Halloween

Favorite Thing to Do: writing,voice chatting with friends, watching stuff. 

Dream Job: writer

Dream City to Live in: right here in Victoria, I wouldn’t really want to leave

@robotforest @softimus @meteorcab @jesteresque @goodladdie @somethings-never-change@agent-kinkster @optimusprime4life  @roboroundup@bethesdakin @meepmoopbop  don’t have to do it if you don’t want to

[luxofrivia]

So now that RWBY 6 is decently close now. I suppose I’ll make a post about what I’d like to see this volume. Here it is!

As most of my followers will probably guess, I am highly anticipating a talk between Blake and Yang, something I think we should have got before Volume 5 ended. I want Blake to finally tell Yang why she Vale, and I want Yang to tell Blake just how much it hurt that she left. What would be even better is if Blake’s parents, Sun and Ilia got to hear what Yang did for Blake, since the writers seem to avoid having Blake tell anyone what happened.

Another thing I’d like to see, is some kind of long story for STRQ. Maybe even a flashback? I’m hoping like Sister in RvB, Raven will join the main cast in the fight against the baddies. ALSO WE STILL DO NOT KNOW SPECIFICALLY WHY SHE ABANDONED YANG.

I’d also like to see more of Weiss’s character growth. We are returning to Atlas after all.

Since we are going to Atlas, I would LOVE if the crew had to attend a dance, making a parallel with the Beacon dance. Think about it, Weiss can dance with Jaune. Sun and Ilia could talk about Blake in the background, Ruby watching her reunited team actually enjoying themselves and being happen like they were before the fall of Beacon. This could also be the perfect time to do a parallel with Yang and Blake in Burning the Candle, this could be where they have their talk.

To my surprise, I’ve actually decided that I don’t think Yang and Blake should face Adam this Volume. I think their reunion talk and readjusting is the perfect amount of development these two need. Then save the Adam confrontation next Volume.

One of my big ones, I really really REALLY want Yang’s PTSD to actually go somewhere. I think it would be awesome if someone actually noticed it and mentioned it.

Maybe the casts clothes can be updated yet again, this time to accommodate Atla’s possible cold weather.

I’d also like Qrow to FINALLY get a new outfit, I mean you have to admit it’s getting kinda old.

Another thing that would be cool is if we see more training scenes, like the one in volume 5 with Oscar/Ozpin and RNJR. This would be a great time to have RWBY readjust and reintroduce their teammoves! There’s potential for a small plot with them having to learn to work with each other again (Especialy Yang and Blake.)

It would be great for everyone to have another sit down and chat, Blake can tell the gang about what happened in Menagerie. Speaking of Blake. A scene like this would definitely help catch the Faunus and her friends up to speed on Salem, the relics and the Maidens.

Speaking of the relics, wouldn’t it be great if the actual power of the relics is revealed. I already have a theory on what the lantern could possibly do.

And finally, I would just like this Volume to be as awesome as I thought Volume 5 was.

Thanks for listening my friends.

-Lux (:

[riathedreamer]

What is my favorite fic writers favorite fanfiction? (What's your favorite)

Okay, to be clear there are so many incredible fics in this fandom that has stolen my heart and they are all amazing, but “The Red and Blue Home for Fat Lost Kids” by ShadyJane has a special place in my heart. It was the first RvB fic I ever read, and when I began to chat with the author, she was the one who supported my idea of beginning a fic myself. Without her and her fic, I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to begin writing myself. Anyway, this fic is close to be done after almost two years (heck, I can measure the time I’ve been in this fandom with how old this fic is) and it’s just so good. It has Grif as a main character but everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) gets to play a role and their dialogue is just so freaking perfect, I could imagine it being an actual episode (except the fact that they take their helmets off. A lot). It’s a perfect mix of humor and drama and angst, and I’m amazed by ShadeJane’s descriptions and dialogue. It’s a pure gen fic so no grimmons, but I honestly prefer perfectly written friendship (which this story has) over too fluffy romance, so this fic is everything for me. If you wanna know the crazy adventure of what happens when Grif enters a weird temple and ends up thinking he’s 16 year old and kidnapped - go read this now.(Also, thank you for calling me your fave writer! I’m so honored

[yawaribleubear]

RvB Secret Santa Gift

Hello, this was a secret santa gift for @sroloc--elbisivni for the @redvsbluesecretsanta event this year! I hope you enjoy!

Summary: Tucker and Wash meet in a cafe one Christmas evening. A writer meeting a barista is bound to go well.

Pairing: Tuckington

“One Caffe Americano with two extra shots of espresso ready for action!”

It was an extremely busy day at the coffee shop. Tucker was busting out drinks like crazy while York was helping guests at the register and Carolina was serving guests at their tables. The holidays seemed to get a little crazy, but hey, it made the small shop money. They’re not really going to complain.

“Two Caramel Macchiatos and one Eggnog Latte with no whipped cream coming up!” Tucker slid the drinks on the counter as Carolina placed them on her tray.

“How much longer until the rush is over?” She put the tray down and adjusted her ponytail before picking it back up.

“Probably another hour.” Tucker groaned. “My hands are getting tired from making all of these drinks.”

“No kidding. My feet are starting to kill me.”

“Enough chit chat, guys! And lady. We got some guests to finish serving,” York called out from his register.

“Then how about you do it, Mr. I’m-Suave-And-Better-At-Making-Coffee?” Tucker raised an eyebrow and dared him to take the challenge.

“I think I will.” York finished up and switched spots with Tucker, throwing on his apron and settling in for work.

Carolina just rolled her eyes and walked away. She’ll never really understand why they tend to compete the way they do, but it works. With one foot after the other, she set about the cafe and got to work.

Meanwhile Tucker was settling behind the register, apron off and smooth smile ready. “And what can I get for you lovely women this afternoon?”

The two girls swooned at his voice, his eyes inviting them to spend their money and buy a very expensive coffee. Tucker knew exactly how to go about customer service, especially with the ladies. They promptly ordered their drinks and he rang them up. Another sale for the shop.

~~~~~~

“Finally, the rush is done.” Tucker took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair carefully. It wasn’t that the rush was bad- they know how to deal with rush hour. It was the fact that it was Christmas Eve and they were all ready to go home to their families. York and Carolina had planned to head home and spend Christmas with their families, while Tucker was going to hang out with Church for a little bit before heading home for the evening. Christmas was nice and all, but visiting his family in Texas was difficult as it is. He opted out of this year, but promised to visit for New Year’s instead. His little nieces and nephews were going to be excited about the gifts he sent them this year.

“Excuse me, sir?”

Tucker turned around to see a man whose aura screamed at him. Blonde hair with gray streaks, a scar going down his right eye and several scattered on his nose, and a blue sweater and muscly arms decorated his upper body.. His eyes were a lovely shade of grey with specks of gold here and there. He looked to be Tucker’s age, maybe a little older. Whatever the case may be, he appeared to be tired.

“Hi there.” Tucker felt speechless. For the first time, he was speechless. This man, he was beautiful. More beautiful than all of the women he had ever saw in his life, more beautiful than the men he usually hung out with.

“Hey. Can I get an iced latte with two shots of espresso, extra whipped cream, and a shot of caramel and chocolate?”

He had a sweet tooth. Tucker wrote down his order on the cup. “Sure thing. Anything else?”

“Hmm… I’ll take that breakfast sandwich you guys have.”

He loved savory items to balance out the sweetness. “Which one? We have the…” Tucker droned on about the kinds of breakfast sandwiches they had, hoping to keep him in his life for just a little longer.

“That sounds amazing. I’ll take two of the bacon, gouda, and egg sandwich.” The man smiled sweetly at him. “And I’ll also take some of that classic coffee cake.”

“Warmed up?”

“Yes, please.”

Tucker rang him up at the register. “Coffee cake’s on the house, okay?”

The man was pulling out his card when he looked back up at Tucker. “You sure?”

“Absolutely.” Okay Tucker, you can do this.

“Anything for a gorgeous man like you.”

The man couldn’t help but blush, coughing a little as he placed his card into the reader. “U-Uh, thank you very much.”

“No no, thank you! Can I get your name, please?”

“Washington.” He pulled his card out a few seconds later and placed it back into his wallet.

“Washington. I really like that name.” He wrote it down and slid the cup towards York. “We’ll deliver your drink and food to your table shortly.”

“Thanks.” Washington smiled and walked away, heading to his table to sit and check his laptop. Did the barista really just flirt with him?

“Carol, mind switching with me?” Tucker had finished warming up Wash’s food as York called out the drink.

“About time my feet get to rest.” She happily switched with him and rested behind the counter. At least there was a stool, so she could sit for a while.

“You can thank me later.” He grinned and placed his order on the tray. Tucker swiftly made his way to Wash’s table and placed everything down in front of him.

“Alright, here’s your latte, your two sandwiches, and that coffee cake. Anything else you’d like?”

For Tucker to sit with him. “I think I’m good. What’s your name?”

“Name’s Tucker. Most people call me-”

“No we don’t!” Carolina called from the register with a smug grin on her face. Tucker was going to get her back for that someday.

“Anyway, nice meeting you Wash. Let me know if you need anything else, okay?”

“Actually- I have one request.”

Tucker placed the tray under his arm and nodded. “Alright, shoot.”

“Do you mind sitting with me for a while?” He had a look of pure innocence in his eyes. It tugged at Tucker’s heart.

“Sure thing. Lemme put this tray back.” Tucker quickly walked over to York and slid the tray to him. “I’m on break for eternity.”

“I had a feeling.” York chuckled and handed him a drink. “That’s for you. Carol suggested I make it as a surprise.”

“Thanks, man. I’ll see you two in a bit.” Tucker walked back over to Washington’s table and sat down in front of him.

“Welcome back.” Wash moved his laptop aside and placed his dinner in front of him.

“Thank you. Just curious- what are you working on right now?”

“On my laptop?” Wash took a sip of his latte.

“Yeah.” Tucker took a sip of his mystery drink as well. It was hot chocolate with peppermint in it. Not bad, York.

“Oh. I’m a writer, so I work on my books when I swing by here.” He flipped his laptop around for Tucker to see. “Wanna read something I’m working on?”

Tucker put his drink down and paid 100% attention to Wash and his work. “I’d be more than happy to.”

His eyes set to work on reading, the words on the screen slowly being processed by his mind. Wash had a way with words, more than he ever will. Unlike Tucker, Washington made the words into art. They danced along his screen with ease, his sentences were hand-crafted with love and passion behind it all, and the way his characters were coming to life was nothing like he had seen before. Tucker was amazed when he finished reading a few minutes later. He took a sip of his hot chocolate and turned back to Washington, who was anxiously waiting for a response.

“Wash… that was fucking good.” Listen, he had a comprehensible sentence in mind before he put it into practice.

“Thank you. I’ve spent weeks working on this chapter. I think it’s just about done, actually.”

“How much more do you plan on writing?”

“About two more should do it.” Wash took a bite of his sandwich and moaned in delight. “This is mouth-watering. Do you guys make this every morning?”

“Pretty much. Our chef in the back makes them before we come in for work, so we package it and have it ready for customers by the time we open up.” Tucker will have to thank Donut for his cooking skills later before he leaves.

“You guys are really good at your job, that’s for sure. No wonder you’re very popular in town.”

Tucker smiled at him. “Why thank you very much. We’re always trying to make sure the place gives off a good vibe, ya know?”

“Indeed it does.” The two men sat in silence for a minute before Tucker spoke once more.

“Hey Wash, are you doing anything tonight?”

“Not really. I was planning on heading home and writing the rest of the evening. Why do you ask?”

“I was wondering…” Tucker, don’t fuck this up. “Do you wanna spend Christmas with me? I was just going to head back home too, but I figured we can get to know each other a lot more that way. Consider it a gift from me to you.”

Washington was ecstatic. He couldn’t see his family this year due to his schedule, but at least he can spend it with someone he thoroughly enjoyed being around. “I’m in.”

“Great! I’m off my shift in about 20 minutes, sound good to you?”

“Perfect. I can get this done in that same amount of time.” His eyes lit up with a fire Tucker hadn’t seen when he first walked into the cafe. He now had a personal mission to show Washington a good time this Christmas Eve.

“Great. I’ll get back to work now. See you in 20 minutes.”

~~~~~~

Truth be told, Tucker grabbed his stuff and wished York and Carolina a “Happy Holidays” before leaving for the evening. He walked over to Wash, who was typing away at his laptop, and gently tapped on his shoulder. “Hey man, ready to head out?”

Wash looked up slightly startled and nodded. “Yeah, lemme just pack up and we can get going.”

“No need to rush. I got all the time in the world.” Tucker watched as he packed his laptop and leftover food into his bag, throwing his cup away as they walked out of the cafe and into the cold night air. He wrapped his scarf around his neck as they caught a bus back to his house.

Washington was tired and leaned his head against Tucker’s shoulder, his eyes closing as he rested for a little bit. Tucker allowed him to do so, a feeling in his gut telling him that he’s had long nights working on his masterpiece. Overall, it was a nice time. He eventually woke him up once they reached his stop, helping him off the bus as they walked inside his small home and turned on the heater.

“How do you feel about chicken alfredo for dinner?” Tucker hung his coat and placed his bag on the couch.

“Sounds great. Need any help with cooking?” Wash placed his bag on the floor next to the couch.

“If you want.” Tucker shrugged and made his way into the kitchen.

“I’d love to help you out.”

Wash and Tucker listen to some music while making dinner for the night, Wash poking fun at his playlist while Tucker made fun of how he cut chicken (“What do you mean I’m not cutting it right?!”). They cooked up the pasta and sat in the dining room for their dinner tonight.

“So, Wash, tell me more about yourself.”

Wash was in the middle of chewing on a piece of chicken when he quickly swallowed. “Well, I’m a writer, that much you know. I’m going to be a proud owner of a cat soon, I was in the military for a few years, got my degree in Creative Writing, and now I live in this city pursuing my dream. And I can cook some mean pasta.”

Tucker chuckled at the last part. “It definitely proves well. Tastes much better than what I usually make.”

“Why thank you.” He smiled softly. “What about you, Tucker?”

“Oh, me? I just run the cafe with my friends, dabble in dancing, and take care of my dog who’s sleeping in his bed right now.”

“So I didn’t imagine that dog when I walked in here?” Wash took a sip of his water.

“Nope. Freckles is pretty old, but he can fend for himself when I’m down at the shop.” He took another bite of his pasta. “Seriously, this is some good shit, how do you do it?”

“Lots of practice.” The two continued their small banter throughout dinner, the night seeming to fly away as they spent the rest of Christmas Eve watching old movies on the couch and eventually sleeping together on said couch around two in the morning. Luckily, the cafe was closed for the entire day, so Tucker didn’t have to leave his side. Now all he has to do is ask for his number before he leaves his house after Christmas, but Tucker can figure that out later.

[a-taller-tale]

Part of my private hell while recovering from the 14 month severe depressive episode was very very slowly regaining the ability to read, write, and communicate through writing. 

The biggest strides were in the summer of 2015, when I was able to write a 500 word one shot for RvB, and then in April 2016, when I was able to reread it enough and was encouraged to post it. 

I had been slowly regaining the ability to read and process what I was reading in the meantime, although it was still hard to form thoughts and then write those thoughts out. Fanfiction was easier for me to read because so many people posted chapters in short chunks, and one shots were the easiest. Spring 2016 was also when I began to practice commenting again and that really helped with learning how to directly communicate again. Then came chat groups. I still get quiet sometimes, but that helped so much.  

Fanfic and fandom were integral to a lot of my recovery. This was a battle a lot of my family didn’t understand, and something I couldn’t talk about on any social media with coworkers connected. 

One of my remaining weaknesses was that it was hard for me to retain the concentration to read longer works, and even when I started critiquing again last year it was hard if it was much longer than 2k. But thanks to the lovely crit partners that kept coming back to me, I was able to work up to reading and critiqueing 5k, then 9k (if I took breaks).

The whole reason for this ramble: I am happy to report that I voluntarily finished reading a novel yesterday. 

I can’t overstate how big that is. I haven’t been able to read books in forever, and even when I could, I could only read a chapter or two and then abandon them because of the nature of what my brain was going through. I have always identified myself as a reader and a writer, so this has been the most difficult period of my life so far. And I want to thank fandom for getting me through it. 

❤️ ❤️ ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️  ❤️ ❤️

(As a side note, my muses are starting to peek out from wherever they were hiding too, so I’m looking forward to getting back into production.)

[kaedeichinose]

got banned fro mthe rtx sydney twitch chat lads

i said i wanted the current rvb writer to talk about it and they got mad 

[piratelynlyn]

As an artist who's starting to do RvB content finally (long time fan just never made stuff for it) I'm feeling extremely discouraged because apparently I have a rare pair and I'm just nervous and honestly already a little depressed by how much I see of other stuff but not so much of my pairing. And just worried no one will care about my project/fic. Any tips for how to get over this seemingly dark creative depression mood.

Hey anon! Disclaimer: my advice might seem counter intuitive and a “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” type of thing, but this is coming from a personal standpoint of things that have worked.

The big thing is to see if you can find just ONE person that is into your rare pair. Then you would have someone to bounce ideas off of and to discuss it with and have someone to talk about it with! If you’re part of any chat groups, maybe see if anyone is interested in them? I can’t tell you how many times my friends have gone “no hear me out!” and got me sucked into different rare and crack ships. I personally found out some of them were into the same rare ships I was when I brought up ones that I liked. Also try looking through tumblr tags and, if you find someone and  they seem nice, message them! Just talking might help you get going and create something! I know there’s stuff I’ve made that doesn’t make it to my social media pages because I just send it directly to friends. 

If it inspires you by seeing more content, maybe see about doing an art/writing trade or commissioning another writer or artist to make something for that pairing? Most people don’t mind doing commissions for other pairings! 

BUT the easiest (and at the same time the hardest) way to find people that are interested and to inspire others to create stuff for your pairing is create something for it. I know that’s probably sucky advice especially if you’re feeling discouraged, but I’ve found that’s been a great way to see more content you’re interested in and to find others that are interested in the same thing you are.

Like because of the last bit of advice, that’s how I met my 2 of my best friends. Because one of them wrote a thing that inspired the other friend to make art and then their art inspired me and A LOT of other people to make more of that content. I also found other friends and people that were interested in a certain pairing and got me interested in that pairing because THEY created that content. I know there’s some stuff I don’t post to social media at all and just share with friends because I know it’s something they like and they’ll appreciate.

And it doesn’t have to be huge either. You can start small to see if the responses to something small are enough to get you through a bigger project. Another way to look at this as well is that you have a unique voice and a unique story to tell and someone will read and appreciate it. There’s been a huge push for people to comment on fics and art, but sometimes people just read or look and don’t respond, but that doesn’t mean that it didn’t effect someone or they don’t find it interesting.

Hopefully there’s something in there that helps anon? I really hope you create it!

[pastdefined-a]

I’ve taken some time to digest The Situation and ultimately, I refuse to let this be a moment that bothers me, upsets me or turns me away from doing something I enjoy. I’m nearly 30 years old, for once in my life I am happy with where I am, I have accepted my struggles and my own personal issues; I am not about to let a child with a victim complex try and destroy me.

Was my initial message to Cade after the other night “grow the fuck up”? Yes, I will admit that. It was a knee-jerk anger moment. I have a temper. You can ask the men from last night’s mosh pit that you don’t push me. But then I took the time to message her...

"Yeah, you know what, I have one problematic ship. I don’t condone it. And I write it, wrote it actually. With one partner for multiple years. I don’t promo my Bella blog, I write in a very closed circle. You went out of your way to dredge that up, after months. Not that it’s any of your business: but I haven’t been writing that ship, that blog, or any blogs, because I’ve been dealing with my own depression. Wait, I’m an ableist, right, so how could I possibly have depression? I haven’t been on Tumblr in months. I lost my grandfather, I tried to kill myself immediately after. Are you happy to hear that? Are you happy to know that while I was trying everything I could to help you with your discomfort with the group, literally trying my hardest to mend the situation in a way that wouldn’t require you leaving, and while I was on vacation, my grandfather was in the hospital dying? We’re not bad people, Cade. We just don’t have the same opinions as you. And I tried. I’m sorry you blame us for everything. But I haven’t bad mouthed you once. I haven’t mentioned you since you left. I would never stoop so low as to drag your name through the mud. You can have your problems with us, you can reflect how you want. I know this isn’t the first time you’ve said nasty things about us, about me. You’ve vagued about us. You blame us. That’s fine. I’m sorry things didn’t work out."

Their response? To block me, on any blog I tried to reach out to them on, post that I should “take a hint” and then say that we were all giving them anxiety. I never wanted Cade to leave the group, but things were getting out of hand. I have been role playing for longer than most of you have been alive. I have been around the block multiple times, I have been a moderator, admin, storyteller and dungeon master many times over. The sad fact is, if a player is continuously a problem and you have exhausted your avenues of corrective action, you need to let a player go. I wanted Cade to be successful. I urged them to reach out to people, but they continuously felt ignored because messages may not have been answered in a timely manner, or answered at all. 

At the time, three of us were all working full time jobs with varying hours. At least one of those people are the people Cade reached out to. I can’t tell you how many times it’s taken me a week to realize I have notifications. Cade felt that we were all talking about them behind their back, and that wasn’t true. There were no secret groups. There was one sub server created as place where a few of us could one on one do IC texts, but that was it. I had provided multiple channels in the main server to engage in active RP. It wasn’t helping. 

Cade approached me at one point asking to bring on another muse. My concern with how they were struggling to connect with muns and drive their own personal storylines and growth that the addition of another muse wouldn’t be helpful and they would only get more upset and stressed out. I told them no, for that very reason.

One repetitive issue was topics would be brought up in “the dumpster”, our ooc channel, that would grow heated. Cade became argumentative and when people attempted to have a conversation, or voice their own opinion, Cade would immediately back down, or waffled. It frustrated a lot of players. The boiling point was when I was on vacation and unable to moderate the chat actively. IIRC it was regarding the portrayal of South within RVB and things got out of hand. Cade left the server and I was furious. Frankly, I was furious at everyone. It was my first time off of work in 7 months, my grandfather was hospitalized, I had a lot on my mind. I spoke with Cade and told them they needed to decide what they wanted to do. A few days later they approached me to tell me that they wanted to remain in the verse but not on the server. The only problem was that at this time 90% of our activity was taking place on Discord. We were all becoming less and less inclined to be on Tumblr. I expressed to Cade my concern, once again, that they would be unhappy and unable to actively participate in the verse if they weren’t on the server and that I would advise them to come back on but ignore the OOC chatter.

There was a conversation regarding RT hiring animators. A byline on the application was applicants have a sense of humor, and one member made the comment “lmao i feel like that's the equivalent of putting: "tumblr need not apply"” Cade’s response was “but a lot of their fans are on tumblr?” and that’s when “the joke, cat, the joke” happened. Up until this point, we all knew Cade as Cat. None of us had been approached or made aware of Cat being Cade’s deadname. If we had, it never would have happened. Yes, Katie came to me and told me what happened. She told me what happened because she chose not to respond to Cade’s message and it wouldn’t be the first time Cade would mention to me that people were ignoring her messages. The number one rule of my verse had always been “don’t be a dick”. And if I believe someone was being mean, out of line, needed reminded, I handled it. I spoke with more than one person about such behavior while we were active. What irked me wasn’t Cade’s request, but how they chose to go about it. It was what upset Katie as well. There had been a continual issue of Cade not being able to conduct conversations with simple manners, a please a thank you or even a genuine apology. And this was just the end of it. 

When Cade left, we didn’t talk about them. But I know we were vagued about or brought up multiple times. None of us messaged her. We just went our separate ways. 

On June 14 my grandfather died. Yes, I attempted suicide when I got home from his funeral. I realized that I just needed to be the person he wanted me to be, and I got my shit together. I got a new job, one that makes me extremely happy and I notified my followers on all my blogs that my activity was going to waver. I have barely been on Tumblr. So I missed the big July 1 call out post about me and all of us from two of Cade’s blogs. They were only brought to my attention the other night when Nova flipped out on our server. None of us had seen the anon messages. And honestly, there were varying degrees of caring.

I’m not transphobic or ableist. Full stop. Now as for the incest: I write Bellatrix Black. Please, take a moment to look at the Black family tree. I previously had one partner that I wrote Bella and Sirius in a romantic relationship with. It stemmed from a shared head canon that up until Sirius left, Bella and Sirius would have been arranged to be married and also that the amount of hate they had for one another came from somewhere deeper than just being related. That’s it. I’m not going to fall on my sword for that. It was in my rules so people would be aware of it. 

The truth is, looking back, I should have known from the beginning that Cade wasn’t going to be happy in my group. Cade and their sister had intended to join as North and South together. Flash came to me asking to join as North and it was becoming apparent that Cade’s sister wasn’t going to be making North. I felt bad, but I wasn’t going to turn down another writer because of it. But it was always an underlying problem.

I’ve made my peace with this issue, I’ve moved on. I’ve hoped Cade would find their peace as well, especially since they’ve claimed to have left the fandom. I tried apologizing, because I never wanted anything like this to happen. But I don’t accept the blame that people want to place on me. I don’t blame my own actions or decisions on anyone but myself, and I don’t think anyone else should.

Now, if anyone would like to discuss this, I’m here to talk but you can not message me anonymously. I won’t let you hid behind a wall if you want to say hateful things to me. You get to own your actions or say nothing at all.