#team 4thbrighteststar

[ijustdontlikepeople]

Eddie Diaz 🌃 Aesthetic as requested by @4thbrighteststar for emoji edits

[caramelcalum]

Join the madness COME ON YOU KNOW YOU WANT TOOOOO

i am tempted but i am Scared 😊😊😊

[allsassnoclass]

for the word game - guitar

hi team! you picked a good word, this is from the fic that i was supposed to finish for the friends to lovers fic fest

guitar

"That's not how the riff goes, honey," Michael says when Calum steals his guitar while they're setting up, incorrectly playing part of No Shame.

send me a word and i'll give you a line from my wip(s) that contains it

[vivitalks]

I KNEW you'd say something about the kitchen post. Let's do it you bring your latest fic I'll bring this song I'm stuck on

i literally just made soup your timing couldnt be more perfect. pull up we'll exchange current favorite songs and have a little dance party

[clumsyclifford]

mr gaskarth cover cruel summer challenge

yeah i mean i would die but what a way to go

[pxrxmoore]

Beth,

happy halloween! I'm so happy to have found you in 5sos and 911 land. I'm dropping some lollipops in your inbox! - @team-118

Team my darling!!!! 🥺 this is so so cute thank you!! 😭 happy halloween!! i hope u had a wonderful evening 🎃👻 so grateful we found each other thru 5sos and now we can experience the 911 brainrot together too 😌🫶

[calumthoodshands]

2022 Writing Evaluation

ah well well well thank u to my dear friends @calumsash,@igarbagecannoteven and @burstingsunrise for tagging me! very intruiged to see what this year's one's gonna reveal.

numbers of stories posted on ao3: 11! therefore a bit more than 2021.

word count for this year: that's a bit tricky bc ao3 counts my unfinished fic into this year as a whole so imma have to calculate a bit... 88 k for the independent fics and 14 chapters which are abt... 50 k for Days in the sun. Ergo 138,000 words! Estimated.

fandoms i wrote for: 5SOS!

pairings: cake! but i do have some muke in the making. (somewhere in the far future.)

story with the most kudos/bookmarks/comments: (leaving dits aside) to my own surprise, the right shade of blue really seemed to resonate with a lot of people (shoutout to luke's makeup you really have power apparently), perfect fit has the most comments and of lovers and friends got bookmarked the most (it has the most hits from these three as well so it figures i guess)

work i'm most proud of: hmmmm. of lovers and friends is one of my angstier works and the one where i think i really conveyed what luke goes through quite well. a different story is perfect fit though. i love that one bc it's so simple and light but so effective. but also shoutout to molly's bday fic the hues of me and you bc i wanted to write that fic for so long and i do like how it turned out despite it being quite different from what i normally write

work i'm least proud of (and why): there's no work i'm not moderately proud of bc i rarely finish fics and only finish them when i really do like them if that makes sense? my biggest problem is still my writing style bc i'm not yet sure i like it. which is probably any writer's problem but especially with english being not my native language i just KNOW i lack a certain... confidence in what i write bc i know it could be better, and could have more flow, and be more natural than it is. i write fics with three translators open, looking up every third word trying to find the one that not only makes sense but also gives it... the right vibe. that's something that bothers me with any fic. this is also a problem with days in the sun bc i post it as i write, and i just know that if i waited to finish it and edited it as a whole and only then posted it i might have done some things differently, but on the other hand, i also know it wouldve never seen the light of day, so... you win some, you lose some.

share or describe a favourite review you received: oh my god okay right yeah. there've been several to be clear but i'll keep it short so. once upon a time team @4thbrighteststar read of lovers and friends (actually, more on that later) and i wasn't thinking abt it too much after it was posted but then. one day i got a message from team, and lo and behold. it was a song. a song that fit the fic. i was SCREAMING on the inside. absolutely screeching. TEAM WROTE THAT SONG AND THEN SENT IT TO ME ALL CASUAL LIKE THATS NOT INCREDIBLE. burned into my brain for all eternity. i could talk abt it much more but this is already getting so long so ILY TEAM THANK U ONCE MORE ILY

a time when writing was really, really hard: can i just say 2022? /hj no but in all honesty... i had a REALLY hard time last year. i had much less time than the year before, and when i did have time, i rarely could get myself to actually sit down and write. and on top of that there is of course not much engagement with my fics anyway so at times i was very discouraged, almost to the point that i wanted to stop writing... so, yeah. i try not to pressure myself as much this year, but we'll see, i guess.

a scene or character you wrote that surprised you: actually, a lot of my fics are products of 'i'm just the writer i don't control what happens'. one funnier case though is probably football player luke in the hues of me and you. i never thought to make luke a football player bc it sounds so cliché but... as you can see it happened! and i think that's okay. i think i wrote him well enough.

a favourite excerpt of your writing: there's the hardest questions of them all, ah yes. fine. i'll actually try this time. AH yes okay yk what i got one:

i put more humor than usual into only on thursdays and i really like its lighthearted vibe <3 this isn't necessary my favourite scene but i also can't remember anything i wrote ever so it'll do lol

12. how did you grow as a writer this year? did i? i have no idea. i think i'm getting more confident in my writing with every fic i write, which is good. i've been more determined to work on my fics in terms of editing them after finishing, which i've been lousy with.

13. how do you hope to grow next year? hm... i hope i'll grow more confident. i hope i'll become more satisfied with my work.

14. who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc.)?

@burstingsunrise it would be ridiculous not to mention molly although i technically don't even talk to her about my writing that explicitely. i do however constantly ask her dumb questions and always get a more or less serious answer, i can always come to her for advice or throwing around any and all ideas i ever get. she's also been a real cheerleader to me whenever i'm insecure abt my writing again which i really, really appreciate. on top of the usual amount of appreciation obviously

i also have to mention @the-girl-who-cried-wolf bc she's inspired me lots of times, be it with her moodboards and blog/aesthetic, her own writing or something else. also my biggest cheerleader, love u emma.

dearest team @4thbrighteststar for her support on of lovers and friends. the fic would've never been as good as it is without her.

lastly i have to mention @sophelkopter (/ @sophelkopter on ao3) bc i simply wouldn't have kept going with dits without their comments. eternal gratitude.

15. anything from your real life show up in your writing this year? oh yeah! for sure.

16. any new wisdom you can share with other writers? just keep writing. and write EVERYTHING DOWN. that's all i got but also the most important two rules

17. any projects you're looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year? i finally want to write MUKE and i want to write ballet cake and i'd love to write the stranger things au. most importantly, however: i will finish days in the sun this year. soon. no idea how soon, but soon, and just thinking about it makes me want to cry lol

18. tag some writers whose answers you'd like to read: hm not sure who might've not done it already so this is pure guessing but i'd like to read something from @carouselstars and @the-girl-who-cried-wolf and then anyone else who would like to do this!

[chamaleonsoul]

I am not going to let this flop. 12, 16, 29, and 67 please <3

hello team!!

12. name of your favorite playlist? Answered here

16. most comfortable position to sit in? i don't think i've thought about this jsjsjs with your legs crossed i think? but you can rarely do that in public :l (like the yoga pose i mean, not one leg in top of the other)

29. best way to bond with you? if this is a way of saying u wanna be my friend, i'm in already. I think it's a bit different online but talking is a good way to start? (although i'm a little shy at first and sometimes i suck at replying back,,, sigh), or!! sending me songs (any songs) or pictures of cake (bc... well yes).

67. good luck charms? idk if i consider them good luck charms per se but i rarely go out without my rings, the way i feel truly unprotected without them is slightly concerning jsjs

[merry-the-cookie]

Omg cookie I love this idea!! Will you do ashton in g2 or luke in h3? (You don't have to do the skirt - or anything you're not comfortable with, ofc - I just love that starry mesh top sm). Okay byeee good luck, I hope this breaks your art block, and happy drawing <3

you know what, i too like a starry mesh top 😌 i switched up the fit a little cus uh fhdhHFHDH but i had fun with it, thank u team <3

outfits!

[kaleidoscopeminds]

please write an essay on everything happening there (no pressure of course, but if you feel so inclined <3)

oh team, i should have known you would appear to indulge me.... a short report on the approximately seven seconds of calum touching luke’s wrist:

so first of all the video in question is this one:

View on Twitter

as soon as the tweet mentions luke's tattoos and we cut back to the boys, calum scooches in and reaches right over to poke luke's wrist and tell him to tell everyone about it. he decides to immediately touch him as he leans over his shoulder (who wouldn't take this train of thought when luke's wrists are so nicely on display for us!)

calum leans back for a second, but as soon as luke carries on talking about it, he's back in to touch luke's wrists again. the act of this in itself is such a testament to how casually they touch each other. oh! luke's talking about his tattoos! oh! i should touch them! it’s like we’re watching them have their own little moment with no one else there

he starts by hovering over his wrist but then he goes for a an initial hesitant little touch as luke points. then he slowly runs his index finger over it, his finger kind of sliding off luke's skin. it's very gentle, just a light brush, but also incredibly lingering. it's kind of slow and tender as he just strokes luke’s wrist??? what’s that about????

but that's not all! because after his finger slides over luke's skin, he then goes back in to hold his wrist between his thumb and forefinger. he stops for a second, like he's considering he can get a better grip on luke's wrist, and stretches his forefinger out as if he's going to loop it around to encircle it.

he seems like he's going to hold onto luke’s wrist to get a better look, or just to hold it for a moment. luke moves his hand away, almost unconsciously, as he points at his other wrist, but calum's hand is still there. and as luke moves away, calum’s hand drifts towards it as if he can catch Luke back in his grip. his hand hovers there a little questioningly for a moment before he draws back, like he can possibly keep luke there, or his arm will fall back into calum’s grip. then he just rests his hand back on his own knee.

we also get a split second where calum goes back in for another point right at the end. because he can't get enough! it gets cut too quickly to see if he makes contact, but we know he’s going for it.

the way this tells us so much about how these boys are with each other, delicate little touches just because they can, an automatic response to be in contact, calum’s unconscious movement to chase luke when he moves away from him, the inherent intimacy of these tiny touches. them<3333

[ijustdontlikepeople]

annie all my coworkers are super pumped because there's a Canadian team in the hockey finals and I wanna hear your takes

Hello lovely!

Sorry it took me a few days to answer I’m travelling! But!!!

I am not Canadian so I’m not like chomping at the bit for a Canadian team to take home the Cup, however, a Canadian team (of which there are 7 in the league) has not won a cup in 31 years so it would definitely be cool.

Currently, the Edmonton Oilers just beat the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals to secure their spot in the Stanley Cup Finals (last round!!)

I was rooting for the Oilers over the Stars because I like these two guys above, Captain Connor McDavid and Alternate Leon Draisaitl-inarguably, two of the best players in the world. They are also best friends and I was of the opinion before playoffs started that if they didn’t at least reach the Conference Finals-a milestone the team has not reached since the early 2000s well before McDavid and Draisaitl were on the roster-Draisaitl would not be likely return to Edmonton. Now I think there’s a good chance he re-signs.

Now in terms of their opponent, they’ll be playing the Florida Panthers. This is the second year in a row that the Panthers have made it to the Cup Finals after a historic and unexpected run last year, and this year, seemingly, (and knock on wood) they are less encumbered by injuries.

I watched one of their two regular seasons games earlier this year and think they’re fairly evenly matched. The Panthers have an incredible goalie in Bobrovsky while the Oilers’s goalie, Skinner, has struggled a few points this season though his finals performance has been stronger than his prior work. The Panthers have one of the strongest two-way centers in the league in Barkov. Meanwhile, the Oilers have Connor McDavid who is the best hockey player in the world. When McDavid is on, he can walk through guys like it’s Sunday stroll and score like popping champagne. In terms of depth, which previously has been a significant issue for the Oilers, the teams aren’t too far off. Obviously, McDavid and Draisaitl for the Oilers but also Zach Hyman has had a huge year and Bouchard has stepped up as well. The Panthers have big help in Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, and Carter Verhaeghe. Both teams have excellent special teams and Matthew Tkachuk’s scrumming inducing is an art.

The Oilers had a slow, painful start to the year to the point some people started counting them out in November for the postseason. I’m glad those guys were wrong.

In terms of who I think will win, honestly I’m kind of up in the air about it. I haven’t seen too much of the Oilers post season but do I think they have a shot? Absolutely! Sports reporters seem to be favoring the Panthers slightly, and on paper I agree but I also can’t shake the image of McDavid with the Cup over his head.

Now if you would like a less analytical section and an explanation of why this is a Narratively Interesting match up, I would be happy to explain the fascinating history and connections of Matthew Tkachuk, Leon Draisaitl, and Connor McDavid.

POST SCRIPT: also just for it to be noted love Matthew Tkachuk, Leon Draisaitl, and Connor McDavid and want to shake them like glow sticks after cracking. Also think the panthers head coach is hilarious.

[caramelcalum]

Jules,

Happy halloween! My dumb ass wasn't following you until now and I am so sorry. I love talking to you in the club! Dropping some smarties in your inbox.

team!! Hello love 💕💕 no worries at all - welcome to the chaos 😎😎😎

Omg i haven't had smarties in an AGE. tysm 🎃🎃✨

[allsassnoclass]

ok for the ship asks if ur still doing them a little quieter this time: bucktommy? and for funsies also cake <3

hi team i will be a little quieter this time

bucktommy: ehhhhhh makes sense and doesn't compel me. and I will say that it only makes sense to me as it is right now: a pretty casual, low-stakes relationship. i don't like tommy, unfortunately. there just isn't really anything that i find interesting or appealing about him at the moment, and i don't like that he calls buck evan all the time. did buck introduce himself as evan to him???? he must have, right? because why else would this guy be calling him by a name that literally no one else but his parents (bleh) and sometimes his sister call him. if he did introduce himself as buck then that's just. i don't like that at all. like, that's genuinely my biggest ick about their relationship. i try not to outright hate on them as a pairing and i'm glad that buck is having fun and tommy is fine i guess but yeah i don't see the appeal and i would prefer that they aren't endgame or anything like that. i'm not sure that i've seen enough of them for them to make sense long-term for me.

cake: makes sense and doesn't compel me. i'm sorry!!!!! i wish they compelled me i don't know why they don't but they're the only 5sos duo that i just. i don't have inspiration to write for or desire to read for. i know they love each other i know they have a lot of cute moments to draw from but they just do not tickle my brain at all

[redrattlers]

Em!! This is so cool!! Congrats on 1k, that's insane! Can I ask for a song that reminds you of me and a moodboard for it? Mwah congrats again <3

hi team! you can find the moodboard here! the song that reminds me of you is undeniably ghost of you, and thus a ghost of you x purple moodboard was born! hope you like it <3

[clumsyclifford]

Bella,

happy halloween, my love. I love you so bad, you're one of my best friends. Dropping some cotton candy in your inbox!

happy halloween back honey, i freaking adore you. uno reverse on the best friend title. i love you to death. thank you for the cotton candy ill trade you some kit kats

[bandsanitizer]

hi alison I'm asking you about akdnak what you think and how you feel about the tally marks

hi shal!! thank you for asking hdkahfkhrkd sorry this is such a delayed response for someone who asked to be asked about the topic 🤦🏻‍♀️

also answers to this anon and team @4thbrighteststar

DISCLAIMER: tattoos can be extremely personal and this post is not me claiming to know or understand why they do or do not have the tally mark tattoo or the meanings behind that. I respect however they do feel on it. this is simply why I think it reflects them—essentially what I’d write if say I did a fic centered on them getting the tally mark tattoo. again, idk them irl nor the actual meanings so this is no attempt to push it onto them nor to convey some fact

and the actual answer below because it’s going to be a long post

Starting with the facts—Ashton got his in the summer of 2014 (probably early June) before the release of self-titled. The original instagram post with the first picture of it is gone because Ashton archived his posts for SB but here’s the earliest pic on the band account. Additionally, Ashton’s tally mark tattoo is the only one that resembles the actual tally mark logo.

Starting with the facts—Ashton got his in the summer of 2014 (probably early June) before the release of self-titled. The original instagram post with the first picture of it is gone because Ashton archived his posts for SB but here’s the earliest pic on the band account. Additionally, Ashton’s tally mark tattoo is the only one that resembles the actual tally mark logo.

June 2014 would be at this place of peak SLSP promo and the moment right before self-titled—this is essentially a moment of change. It’s where the band is seeing their dreams actualized but right before any of that hits. So, to me, it’s—in a way—memorializing the band before things change, before things go big and they debut their first album etc etc. in hindsight, this feels more true given the logo changes etc. It’s taking who they were and making it permanent—keeping a reminder of it. idk them personally but I think staying grounded was something important to Ashton—especially sort of being the face of the band and being the one to post and interact with media and fans—like that dude has been running their social media for years lol

I just think Ashton having the official tally marks tattooed and getting it when he did speaks to the ways I think Ashton works to not lose himself in everything they experience and that goes on. In the tattoo interview they did for GQ in YB era, he talked about the tattoo and saying that “it’s our band” and “it’s special” and for Ashton, especially now, being the least tactile of the band—it’s a very Ashton way of expressing his love for them, the band, and their journey. he’s also been in other bands so I think it’s recognition of how special the band is to 5sos that expresses it much more than he might be able to verbally to his band or in daily sort of small actions. also regarding the GQ interview and how the rest of them chickened out of getting it—I think it’s very Ashton to be the one with it.

Calum:

He got his tattoo somewhere between december 2015 and early january 2016. This (tw: roy and calum aren’t wearing shirts in the pic) is earliest pic I can find, but I’m not entirely sure of the specific date. Main point here is that it was after SGFG was released, after they had to change logos because of copyright, and presumedly during their Bali trip.

Calum doesn’t really get tattoos for aesthetic-only purposes, like I’m pretty sure the bicep one is the only one. The bird, thistle, leaf, roman numberals, R, etc etc all have some ties to important people or events in Calum’s life—so does the tallies. I don’t recall him ever really talking about them (but then again my memory is only slightly better than this band’s) but the fact that he got the tallies—next to where he has tattoos for his family no less—is something I read as Calum saying this band and his bandmates are important to him. this coming around the time of the Bali trip sort of emphasizes that to me because that trip did a lot for them individually and as friends (despite as turmoulous winter 2015-16 was).

Especially with all we’ve learned about where the band was at regarding label and management in reaction to SGFG and how it did commercially and all that stuff, I guess if Ashton got his tally mark tattoos in a time of change then so did Calum. what speaks to me also is the design of the tallies. It’s a scratchy sort of design rather than the actual tallies. Idk the real reason behind it but given Calum writes some of their rawest lyrics and is introspective etc—I think it reflects his personality and what it means to create art and be in a band. It’s far from clean or ease or smooth—there are hardships and difficulties and sometimes art feels like prying yourself open. That’s the sort of vibe I get from his version of the tallies. Something reflective of all they’ve been through and will go through but still them.

Luke:

Luke’s tattoos came after YB in September 2019 (probably). Earliest pic I can find is this one and I’m pretty sure he got his tallies along with his parents’ birthdays and the bird on his bicep. This dates the tattoo as after teeth and easier releases, as well, and while they were on the WWJ tour.

I will say that I think Luke’s tally mark tattoo was probably the most spontaneous—more of a “ooo opportunity to get a tattoo finally” as opposed to “this is a really important time to get a tattoo”. Again, idk them so I could be wrong there—but even in the GQ interview it sounded like Luke was waiting for the chance to rather than one specific moment. However, given it was on the WWJ tour which would’ve been their first time supporting on tour since 1D was an exploration for them to different audiences, along with following easier and teeth releases (both notably somewhat different in sound from previous stuff)

Luke’s tallies are also very minimalistic—which I’d say kind of matches the aesthetic of his other tattoos and how he… is? Idk. like he wears flashy things like gold boots and gold shirts and gold eyeshadow but he’s also not one to wear prints the way Michael does. I do think it takes time for Luke to figure out the confidence to be as fully expressive in his appearances. And for the tattoo—as the person least likely to get all verbally sappy about the band, it feels natural that he gets tallies that look the least like the tally logo—like only relation is that it is a set of 5 tallies. it’s a way of conveying what the band is to him in a way that doesn’t outwardly or boldly put it out there. and given as the frontman and what that demands he gives the audience etc, I think it’s kind of cool cos the outward minimalism of it—while knowing that the band does mean a lot of luke—is kind of like, the tattoo is for him. he knows what it means and how much it means. that’s what matters. idk how to explain it better

Michael:

As of now, Michael is the only one the in band without tallies. And, as anon mentioned, it’s interesting given Michael isn’t very reserved about getting tattoos. I don’t think it’s about reservations for it, but the tallies don’t seem like something Michael would get because they don’t match with the more aesthetic vibes of the bands or the calf tattoo, but also not along the levels of personal like the X or the home symbol on his arm. Granted, as mentioned, I don’t know anything really or can or should judge but I think it sort of speaks to how Michael is always such a big advocate of the band?

Michael was the one vouching for them when they wanted to pursue the band seriously in the beginning. Michael was the one like “yeah we can record all the tracks/layers for the Killer Queen cover.” I don’t think Michael needs a 5sos tattoo to show himself or anyone else what the band means to him and granted—they all don’t need to—but unlike Calum who gets a lot of tattoos that are about the people and things and moments important to him and Ashton gets them as reminders to himself (at least that’s how I interpret his explainations behind them), I think for Michael—especially given the band doesn’t use them anymore—he doesn’t have one because it’s not like he needs it to show how important the band is because he lives that. He knows that.

Maybe down the road he might? I wouldn’t say he would never get it, but I think it would be something for later in their careers or after the band is done. Something that’s like “look at what we did”.