#that doesn't mean i can't enjoy new content of the ship i have since i was a child

[sam-crevellari]

Am I blatantly being zutarabaited by the new Netflix's Avatar The Last Airbender? Yes

Will I enjoy any crumb I'm being fed as if it were the most exquisite banquet? OF FUCKING COURSE, YES

[mimimui]

comma after dearest (genshin impact)

wherein (character) reacts a certain way to a grammar mistake you made in your letter (or was it?)

includes: kazuha, ayato, thoma, xiao, zhongli, alhaitham, kaveh, scaramouche

tags: a bit unserious writing, fluff, i am obssessed with "it changed the meaning, did you intend this?" forgive me, not proofread

a/n: not sure if anyone's done this before, but take it as my apology for not having written in a while (╥﹏╥) my fever + colds are killing me & i have a lot of scheduled things to do for school aaaa. maybe i can write this with other fandoms as well ? (and character x character ships hehe) .. enjoy !

kazuha notices it immediately. aside from all the work with the fleet, he spends time reading—or rereading—your letters. written messages aren't uncommon when he's at sea, but this letter was different. had you made a mistake with your punctuation? no, it can't be, you've always opened your letters with "my dearest kazuha".

he blinked at the words, now seeing a comma between the word 'dearest' and his name. as much as he was confused, he was flustered. if this wasn't a mistake, and that you intentionally called him your dearest, then it's a shame you can't see how absolutely smitten he is for you right now.

ayato is busy going through papers and folders when he sees an envelope slide under his door. he chuckles as he reads his name in your writing, carefully picking it up and opening it. you have a habit of writing him letters and sliding it under his door while he works, which ayato finds very endearing.

when he reads "my dearest, ayato", his smile only widens more, finding new motivation to finish his assignments for the day so he can get to you as soon as possible. he knows how much effort you put into writing these short, yet loving, letters when he places this one on his (already full of other letters) pinboard.

thoma takes a while to realize, but when he finally notices it, his heart rate increases by a concerning amount. he loves you so much to the point that when he reads "my dearest, thoma", there's hearts in his eyes. thoma's so much happier after reading your letter, and now he's doing everything smiling.

ayaka told him he looks brighter than usual today, and ayato even asked him if he received good news. of course, he was shy about this, but he told the kamisato siblings it was nothing to worry about. though, he continues to do his work with a little bounce in step.

xiao denies it. he thinks he's read it wrong at first, but when he looks over at it again, it is confirmed that you did write him as your dearest. forgetting about the rest of the contents of the letter, xiao began to contemplate. an error like that was unlikely, especially since you're fond of writing.

the next time you meet, he has a hard time trying to bring up the topic. he knows you meant what you wrote, but he wants you to confirm it. when you tell him, "yes, i mean it." he tries to hold back a smile. keyword: tries.

zhongli adores the salutation. or rather, he adores you. he appreciates the sweet, small detail you added in. zhongli hurriedly, yet carefully, writes you a letter back, addressing you as "my dearest, (y/n)" and replying to the contents you had in yours.

he never really indulged in using endearments, but ever since your letter, he's only even been calling you his 'dearest'. when greeting you, when asking for your attention, when talking about you, whenever. zhongli's never said it outloud, but you know he absolutely loves that nickname now.

alhaitham is amused. he thinks you genuinely made a mistake in your letter, but doesn't address it until he returns to sumeru. when you see him again, he brings it up, expecting to be able to playfully taunt you about it. but he was so wrong.

"but you're my dearest. how is that wrong grammar?" you say, turning the situation around and teasing him instead. alhaitham wanted to tease you so much that he didn't bother to think of other possibilities. he's defeated, and all he can say is, "...i have no reply."

kaveh doesn't know how to react to it. should he be flustered, or correcting you for the mistake? was it even a mistake? he does write you a letter back, but best believe he immediately asks you about it as soon as he comes back home. "did you intend this?" he says, showing you your letter.

when you nod your head, all the shyness and blush that should've came in before came in now. kaveh uses the folded letter to cover his smile, but it's too wide and too bright to even try to. when you tease him about it, he strongly denies having his heart race from it.

scaramouche chooses to ignore it. he knows you wrote that punctuation on purpose, but he doesn't want show that he's thinking about it. this ultimately failed when he doesn't write you back, and you knew something was up with him. once he returns and he acts indifferent, you bring it up.

his eyes widen as he looks away, realizing he forgot to reply to that letter. scaramouche hesitates before quietly apologizing, mumbling something about 'my dearest' and 'running out of paper'.

thanks for reading (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

[byghostface]

//long rambling

There is a vent in the last part (about pro ship:/+ wired shipping + block list) it's naturally negative so reading at your own risk.

So in the new Batman and Robin issue #7 Nika's sister making an appearance, got me thinking of other possibilities for sibling characters to come back.

Mostly I’m thinking about Respawn since he is Joshua Williamson's own character. And He made Respawn appeared in the last issue of Robin(2021), he also brought back Mara in that run too (just some appearance in the later issue).

And now Joshua Williamson is writing Batman and Robin, so naturally he can bring some characters back in this run. He had said in an interview that he might have figured out a way(try) to bring back Maya.

Throwback to 2022 of this old wip/art I made, is about what I think the emo teens of Lazarus squad dynamic would look like.

I imagine Nika and Respaw are irritated/tolerate with each other but would stay for Damian because Nika is Damian's girlfriend and they want to stick together. Meanwhile, Damian likes to include his half-brother in some fun activities (Respawn is acting reluctant bc of his own issues but he actually likes to have friends and feel include).

I haven’t finished this art bc I was going to add more wips (with other characters like Rose and Hawke) to make it a post. I didn't finish this art back then bc I was afraid Talia fans would be mad at me for drawing Respawn.

Trust me, I hate that Talia gets associated with Deathstroke like this, but I think Respawn is a confused/mistreated teen character and Damian (bless his heart and soul) still wants to be his brother regarding the whole mess. I will explain/talk more about my thoughts on Respawn as a character and his situations once I finish these drawings and get ready to post them.

Writing/typing words is harder than drawing for me personally. Drawing is like channeling my energy into a picture and forming an atmosphere and hopefully people will understand what thoughts and feelings I was trying to convey. Writing is using more brain powers to choose the correct and cohesive words, so people would not misunderstand what I'm talking about. Especially when English is not my first language, and even so I normally don't talk(write) much in my mother tongue either…(I'm not a quick thinker, it took me a longer time to think things through, writing literally exhausted me physically and mentally more than drawing.)

It doesn't mean I don't enjoy writing, it's just not my first choice to convey thoughts… but considering I can't draw everything I have in my mind and it takes even longer time to finish any art, I just need to write down things first from now on. Tumblr is the only place I can think of that has this longer text feature blog post and I'm more familiar with this platform format. So I will still be here posting my fan content.

.

(↓Vent, if you want to avoid being block by me then read down below.)

I must say I will forever hate respawn x flatline as ship, cus I know who started this ship and their reasons behind it—Don’t let the new character develop naturally as the story goes, let’s put them in made-up weird situations first so I can prop up my own ship!😍 And get both of the new characters out of the way, since no one would defend them so I can fanon the hell out of them by making them look bad all around!🤞 (What if I stone you first hand🪨🪨💥)

And I will continue to dislike/against any shipping Damian's sibling to Nika. I simply don't like the unnecessary sibling conflict just for romance tropes! So go away boooo I hate you‼️ Not to mention the ignoring of different age range multi-ship hide behind poly… that's straight up proshipping I hate you even more!!👎

Also for people who said Nika should be crush on Damian's mother instead of him… I hate you twisted proshipper rotten smooth brain‼️‼️ She dating a boy her age and has mutual connections with him, why would she crush on her boyfriend's mother instead?? Just because Nika is a big fan of Talia??? So you telling me young ppl can't idolize adults normally without being labeled as romantic nowadays huh??( Not saying you can't crush on adults, but why crush on your boyfriend's mom? ) Your weird ass mind is showing with this ass hc be fr. Again, why would you imagine that? You just wanted to push a fake narrative of Nika being wired so you could have an excuse to make Talia and Damian dislike her (which is not true), but in fact is YOU are the weird one projecting your twist thoughts/hate onto Nika‼️💥🪨🪨

I will start to block ppl who are shipping/liking respawn x flatline (+proshipper) and STILL interact with me, read the room!! My art is not for you weirdos‼️Go away BOOOO💥 🪨🪨🪨💥💥

Can't believe I need to type this all out cuz some of you weirdos will still do these things and think is okay to interact with me and my post/showing in my notifications BOOO👎🪨🪨💥🪳🪳🪳🩴🩴🩴

(sorry for venting about random weirdos/Nika haters again, and thanks for reading.)

[wolfliving]

Meanwhile, in Brickland

Cory Doctorow:

Analog companies can raise their prices, or worsen next year's model of their products. *Digital* businesses can *travel back in time* and raise the price of something you already own, but need to pay a "subscription" fee for. They can reach back in time and remove features you've already paid for. They can even go back in time and take away things you already own. The omniflexible, omnipresent digital tether between a device and its manufacturer creates *so many* urges that they can't resist:

Are you one of 4,000,000 people who built "smart home" products from Wink into your walls, ceiling and foundation slab at any time since they started shipping in 2014? Surprise! Now you have to pay a "subscription" for all of those gadgets or they'll *brick your fucking house*:

Did you buy a "Mellow Sous Vide" gadget? Surprise, it now costs $48/year to use that gadget!

Did you buy an Exogen ultrasound device to stimulate bone growth after a fracture? Surprise, it bricks itself after you've used it 343 times! Enjoy your e-waste, Hopalong!

Did you *buy a Ferrari performance sports-car*? Surprise, it bricks itself if it detects "tampering" - and the only way to un-brick it is to connect it to the internet, so you'd better hope it doesn't brick itself deep in an underground parking garage. Oops!

Did you buy a Peloton treadmill? Surprise, your $3,000 "smart" treadmill no longer works in standalone mode - unless you pay $480/year, that treadmill is now a clothes-drying rack:

Did you buy an Epson printer? Surprise! It will brick itself after you print a certain number of pages, *for your own good*, because otherwise its ink-sponges might leak:

Did you get - no, wait for it - *did you get a neural implant?* Surprise. The company's new owners don't want to continue supporting your implant, and they won't let anyone else do so either. So now, *part of your brain* has been bricked:

This is like a lifetime money-back guarantee - *for companies*. Any company that experience's seller's remorse can cancel or alter the transaction, retroactively. It's as if Darth Vader opened an MBA program whose only lesson was *I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it further":

Darth Vader has the Force. Corporate enshittifiers have something even more powerful: IP law. Companies can cleverly arrange overlapping layers of IP - anticircumvention, trademark, patent, trade secrecy, terms of service, cybersecurity law, contracts - to criminalize otherwise legal activity, like reverse-engineering, jailbreaking, creating alternative clients or third-party parts:

That means that companies know that they can enshittify to their heart's content without fearing a competitor's disenshittification products. Raise the price of ink all you want, because you've figured out how to criminalize generic ink cartridges:

That's a lesson Spotify took to heart. Aaaallll the way back in 2022, Spotify started selling $90 "Car Thing" tablets - little car-vent-mounted gadgets that made it slightly easier to connect your car stereo to your Spotify account. Now that a suitable interval has gone by, Spotify has decided to remotely brick every one of these solid-state devices, no later than December of 2024:

Now, this may seem like a loss to all those Car Thing owners, who are out $90. But consider this: our descendants are *gaining* thousands of pieces of immortal, infinitely toxic e-waste.

So there's that.

Then there's this: Jason Koebler just published a breakdown of a leaked sSamsung repair contract on 404 Media, revealing how Samsung requires its "independent" repair partners to trick you, abuse you, spy on you, and literally destroy your phone:

First: every time you bring a phone to an independent Samsung repair shop, the company has 24 hours to notify Samsung, providing your name, email, phone number, address, the IMEI of your phone, your warranty status and complaint.

Then, the technician is required to inspect your device for any evidence that you have had it serviced by unauthorized technicians or fixed with third-party replacement parts. If they believe you have failed to act in accord with Samsung's shareholders' interests, the technician is required to *immediately destroy your phone* and notify Samsung.

(This is radioactively illegal, and has been since 1975, when Congress passed the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which protects your right to use third-party parts:)

Why does Samsung do this? They can't help themselves. It's in their nature.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Since the Neighborhood are adventurers, I'd like to imagine they travel by sea a fair amount of times too! A nice boat trip while occasionally breaking out into a sea shanty, eh? (And for gits and shiggles, to keep up with the whole.. Eddie in water joke, I imagine the poor guy is clumsy enough to go overboard. He may not be unconscious during it, but it wouldn't make it any less funny with the group desperately trying to pull him back aboard-)

OH OH OH allow to ramble at length about this!!! what an idea!!! i fucking love boats & the ocean & being on the water so this ask is checking all my boxes rn

first i imagine that the length of their trips varies wildly, along with the quality due to the glorious variation in weather & bodies of water. and i'm choosing to believe this universe uses tall ships instead of like... fantasy steam ships. because i fucking love tall ships. the sails, the rigging, the elegance... an absolute bitch to maintain and maneuver <3

i imagine that depending on the ship, captain, and size of the crew, the Neighborhood may be required to help out to earn their keep. especially since they're a crew of nine eight, and some ships are woefully understaffed!

I'd imagine that Poppy sometimes takes the cook's job if the crew is currently lacking one (or if the cook wants a fucking break, jeebus it's a demanding job. there's a reason ship cooks in moves/tv are always stern & serious). Barnaby can probably charm his way into doing nothing but provide music/entertainment (much to Sally's aggravation). everyone else are plain deckhands

of course i imagine that that doesn't always happen! plenty of ships are probably content to just take their coin and tranport them. some of them (Eddie, Poppy) may still wheedle their way into helping out though. they strike me as characters that can't Not help

who i imagine loves their little water journeys: Barnaby, Wally, Sally, Wormie

neutral: Frank, Julie

hates it: Poppy, Howdy, Eddie

allow me to provide reasoning!!

Barnaby's impeccable balance probably means that he's stable as a rock even in choppy waters, and i'm reasoning that he doesn't get seasick either. his vestibular system is as solid as his sea legs! he probably finds the whole experience relaxing as anything. He gets to just recline on the bowsprit's base or wherever he isn't in the way & smoke/play his accordion/nap.

Wally just has such a love of life and new things, so why wouldn't he love being on the water? it's different! it's new every time! there are ample things to learn about and do! Home probably keeps his systems stable so that he doesn't have to deal with seasickness. though it probably takes him a little bit to find his sea legs... catch him stumbling around like a lil newborn lamb. sometimes he is facedown on the deck <3 i imagine he'd enjoy going aloft!

Sally would probably love the inherent romanticism and adventure of it all. Who knows what dangers and glory they may face! I bet she writes up a storm during this time - plenty of story material! food for the imagination! what does Anne say... Scope for the imagination, i believe! i bet she also loves having a captive audience. Literally. they're stuck on this ship with her <3

so many lines for Wormie to climb... so many little places to crawl into... new people to trick into giving her treats... down time where the Neighborhood is relaxing in one place. abundant time for affection!

Frank probably doesn't have strong feelings about it. It's a boring ship with no bugs or things to do. Except when he manages to rope crew members into having a lil impromptu fight club. Or when the Neighborhood is put to work - i wonder if he'd find the maintenance soothing or pleasant... or if he'd relish in the hard work of pulling lines

Julie is likely in a similar boat (ha) as Frank. once the initial "wow! whoah!" wears off, it can get boring! and games are limited - there's only so much you can do on a ship (depending on the size of the ship of course), and there might be strict rules to keep passengers out of the crew's way and to lower risk. She probably entertains herself by "bothering" her friends and the crew & cloudgazing.

Poppy... do i need to explain? wooden ship on the ocean, which i understand can be terrifying. who knows what lurks below the waters? if the weather will change on a dime? if one of the flammable things on board catches fire? if the ship hits something? etc. I imagine it's impossible to get her to go above decks. They have to literally push her statue-frozen body onto the ship when they first board

Howdy! honestly i just think it'd be really fucking funny if he gets Violently seasick! like, curled into a ball in his bunk & involuntarily making agonized noises. he sounds like a ghost w/ all the pained moaning. his sea legs suck unless he stances all four at the right distance to anchor himself in place. he's a weak, sickly, fragile little thing, take mercy on him... he doesn't even have the strength left to swindle or sell...

Eddie. now we get to the point of anon's ask - his sea legs would be nonexistent. he's staggering and stumbling all over the place. the ship just barely tilts and he's smacking into a mast or careening across the deck. and of course, hitting the guardrails at precisely the right speed/angle to allow him to tumble overboard. i bet this happens enough that every time the Neighborhood is so much as on a dock, there is at least one person either holding his arm or acting as a barrier between him and the water. as soon as they get on any ship, he's immediately sent below decks. any attempt he makes to come up is instantly blocked.

there's a lot of both comedic and angst potential there. small ship, calm waters? comedic. some neighbors are playing cards, there's on off-screen splash & Frank immediately sighs and gets up all "god damn it, Eddie-". lmao im imagining him floating there and rapid-fire blabbering in fear 'cause there's a shark (it's not a shark. it's a dolphin. everyone on board is so unimpressed.) he's sobbing in fear as they pull him in <3

but angst? imagine there's a storm. imagine it's an all-hands-on-deck situation, every available hand is needed, and Eddie is strong as fuck - he'd be a monster at pulling lines. probably wouldn't even need to sweat them. but a violently rocking ship, slick decks, maybe even waves splashing over the deck... oof i can so easily imagine Eddie slipping & sliding right over the side. maybe while the others watch. maybe they try to grab him, but they're too late. and in such a horrible storm, there's not much they can do - it's dark, the water is incredibly turbulent, the ship can't turn around easily, there's torrential rain. a high stress situation! i'm imagining Frank grabbing a lifebuoy, firmly fastening it to a pin, and then throwing himself overboard after Eddie. something to think about! (i'm imagining that after the storm clears up enough, everyone rushes to the side to check. Eddie & Frank are trailing after the boat, lashed to the buoy and exhausted. maybe a little banged up, but overall fine!)

and then yeah.... oh the shanties Barnaby could lead... the whole ship sings! and then them all in their bunks (or in their hammocks!) in the [insert term for living quarters here, it can vary] when its sleepytime. y'all would not believe the shenanigans that can occur in the fo'c'sle (or the main hold, basically wherever the ship's sleeping quarters are), especially before actual sleep occurs. peak silly time.

there's a lot of potential here, thank you anon!

like now i'm thinking - what about sea monsters? or jobs that Require them to go on the water, as in the job takes place on a ship? ocean battles! ocean searches!

[matan4il]

Hello!

I saw your post where you spoke about the 911's cast and writers being aware of Buddie, and the explicit support from some of the cast for Canon!Buddie.

I am quite new to the fandom and so I was wondering if there were any links you could source for this? I am genuinely curious :)

Funnily enough, I started 911 after loving LS, and saw a lot of buddie content on 911 blogs. I figured it was typical queerbaiting (tumblr 2012 era was ✨️ traumatising ✨️ and so resolved not to ship them.

But then I watched the show and yeah…there were definitely interesting choices made that make Buddie such an intricately beautiful ship. It's a slow burn to rival all slow burns :fire:

Needless to say, I'm now 100% on board!

Hi lovely Nonnie and welcome to the fandom! :D I hope you enjoy everything about it and I am so glad to hear you're on board! *hugs*

Okay, for links... TBH I mostly remember things as they happen, I'm less into saving links, but for you I made the effort, I traced my own steps (who knew I actually remembered where I yelled about certain things two and a half years ago? The power of Buddie), and found the source to the stuff I had in mind when I said Ryan, Oliver, JLH and Gavin have all shown support for Buddie. Her we go...

Let's start with Gavin! Obviously it was explained to him in age-appropriate terms, so take that into account, but still, look at how pure his response is (interview from Oct 2021):

And then they went and they filmed the lasagna scene in 601. You can't tell me that doesn't mean anything!

Now Oliver and Ryan have both expressed support for Buddie more than once, for example you can find my post showing how they were the ones who named our ship! In terms of official interviews, they've mostly given answers that are noncommittal but supportive, stuff along the lines of making sure they don't raise fans' expectations (in case it doesn't happen), but also letting us know they do like the enthusiasm for Buddie, and would be cool if 911 went that way. So most are kind of... let's say diplomatic. I will, however, throw in this live that Ryan did where at first, he had a few answers of that vanilla sort (encouraging the shippers, not promising anything, leaving room for Buddie to happen, but also leaving room for fans who don't want Buddie, and sort off summarizing with, "We'll see what Tim writes"). But then he got a question about Abby and I don't think he could help it, the Buddie shipper just jumped out of him, which I love. I edited and uploaded it to YouTube for you, since stupid Tumblr only allows me to directly upload one vid a post here:

Lastly, but maybe my personal fave, in May 2020, a gay fan of JLH uploaded to his personal IG account a video that he asked her to film with a message for his husband's bday. Here's the relevant part of the vid which I've edited and uploaded for you, where JLH is basically being all of us:

BTW, this is also a reply to the Nonnie who sent this ask:

I know about Ryan, Oliver and JLH but when did Gavin say anything about that?

I hope I managed to answer both of you! Have a great day, and as always, here's my ask tag.

[trickstarbrave]

"this is to say nothing of the grown adults on social media who make discoursing on the "opposite side" their full time hobby when really they are only making the situation worse in an effort to feel morally superior" Lol these are the people who are defending the ability to enjoy things in fiction without being policed. I can't believe you can have such an insight into the problem and then completely miss the point by acting insufferable to the people advocating for just letting people enjoy what they like. You're no better than the people who send death threats honestly since you want to ally with the people who want to police every online space and censor people. They'll come for you next, and none of us will be there to defend you from the antis when they decide your fiction is morally reprehensible

i debated not answering this because you are being rude and annoying and i dont like this kind of pointless arguing, but let me make this clear:

you are not helping address the problem. acting morally superior and righteous in the same brand of obnoxious is just about as much of "activism" as the "pro-shippers" who do it too. all you are doing is picking fights to get high off the rush of anger and dopamine. you are not "advocating" for anything. you are not addressing any of the problems. you are not fundamentally changing anyone's minds.

you are working on a bland, black and white mentality that ignores the complex reasons behind stuff. just by me saying that you have jumped to "so obviously you like sending people death threats and support it and are no better than the people do that" just like how the people who don't like your weird incest ships think you must obviously be an irl abuser.

"anti" means nothing. neither really does "pro-shipper". this us vs them mentality has to die before we see any progress. we cannot just keep using the internet for outrage. instead of arguing with people online and making stupid arguments about how actually your fiction IS moral and is actually better than other people's stuff and that everyone who doesn't think exactly like you do must love sending people death threats, you could try doing something actually fucking productive. push back against censorship online. disrupt algorithms. educate people that engaging with content they don't like on algorithm websites means they will see more of it. create a forum to freely share stuff with less harassment and vitrol. stay educated on what bills have lead to this censorship and push back against them or protest about new ones that keep being introduced.

all i can see from asks and posts like this is: you dont want things to change. you don't really care about the reasons behind it. you are right and other people are wrong because you don't like them. you like arguing online because you get a rush from it. you are doing this because you like fucking "winning". you dont care if you don't change a single person's mind because you enjoy the moral superiority you imagine you have. which are all the reasons the equally obnoxious people you hate and insist you are nothing like keep arguing with you. it is an endless cycle because you all enjoy the cheap thrill of arguing and bitching online that feeds into our worst impulses as human beings. i know im not one to fucking talk because i've also been known to jump into internet arguments, but i can at least recognize the problem and try to address it.

so long as you continue to act like this and act like your behavior is self righteous activism, this kind of shit will create a feedback loop. literally deactivate your fucking discourse blog, stop getting into pointless arguments online, and do literally anything else to address the problem. stop thinking that when i am addressing harmful mentalities online that feed into negativity and bullshit that you are immune to it because you're smarter or better than the people you disagree with. you're not. you're obnoxious.

if you send another anon i will be blocking you. knock it off. grow up.

[man--eater]

Hi there! I just wanted to reach out and say once again how much I admire your work. I'm also incredibly grateful for the time and energy you invest in supporting other content creators. It's truly heartwarming to see you engage with their work, offer feedback, and provide guidance. Your positivity is a beacon of light in this creative community, and I hope you continue to spread your infectious enthusiasm. I've been wanting to tell you this for a while, but I'm a bit shy.

I'm especially impressed by your ability to create relatable and well-developed characters. It's clear that you put a lot of thought and dedication into your writing, and it's truly inspiring. I always appreciate reading stories with such depth and authenticity. As a woman in my 30s, it can sometimes be challenging to stay engaged in the creative world, especially in a reality where people's feelings and artistic expressions are often invalidated. Your OC is truly incredible and inspiring. I love her personality and how you're developing her. I can't wait to see her growth and learn more from her.

As always, sending you the best wishes.

Oh my god, thank you so much for the kind words. This means so much to me to hear ;-; <3 I try to support other writers and artists whenever I can because whether it's a comment on AO3, or tags/reblogs here, having people engage with my work is seriously one of the best feelings in my otherwise stressful and busy life. It makes getting through the tough spots--the self-doubt, writer's block, demotivation--easier, because I can go back to those comments when I need them. So when I see or read something I enjoy, I do my best to let people know, because I know how precious (and increasingly rare) that kind of engagement is. Thank you!! I do spend a lot of time brainstorming and thinking about my OCs, and my takes on canon characters. Daphne is my absolute beloved, she is so complicated and private and reserved, but has such a simple yearning for things she's never known that makes my heart ache. She's learning so many things--some pleasant, some painful--and has grown a lot since she was created. So happy you like her!! I know exactly what you mean about being in your thirties in fandom--I turn 35 the first week of July, and it can be hard to find people to talk to in fandom. Especially with the resurgence of sex-negativity and antis in many fandoms; there are people who spend an inordinate amount of time seeking out and criticizing other people's ships and work, and it's just so bizarre to me. But I have found some friends, some new and some of whom I've known for several years now, and it doesn't feel quite so lonely to be older in fandom :) Thank you again, this was so lovely to see in my inbox <3 <3 <3

[flecks-of-stardust]

expanding on the shipping thing, especially since i made that shipping tagging request recently, like. i don't have an issue with shipping, whatever that... even really means, because to be honest i don't even fully know what people use it to mean. like seriously, when someone says they're a 'shipper' i literally do not understand what exactly they're referring to, because there are so many ways you can 'ship' something.

romantic relationships between characters can be interesting and incredibly so. artihunter, as an example from rain world, has a lot of interesting directions you can take narratively, irrespective of whether you take it in a romantic direction or in a platonic direction or a familial direction or what have you. the tragedy of loving someone you know you're going to lose; having to confront the idea that despite all your flaws, someone still loves you for who you are; mourning and grieving and ultimately moving on with someone who just Gets It at your side; etc etc etc, artihunter can be so interesting, and it's nice to see when artists tap into that. and the same can be said about a lot of other ships probably, rain world or otherwise.

and this isn't to say that shipping—romantic, platonic, whatever, but let's be real we're mostly talking romantic here—that isn't narratively weighty, ie stuff that's just 'these two characters are invested in each other lives and there's nothing more to it,' that's not Bad. that's not boring. sometimes that too can have narrative weight, and i like it. like, i'm not opposed to shipping, if that's how it comes off sometimes. i just like stories, ones that explore concepts and themes, regardless of what the medium may be. if it's told from the perspective of characters who are romantically invested in each other, sure, cool. i am okay with that. just in general, shipping doesn't have to have. like. story, or narrative significance or whatever to be 'good.'

i just. i don't fucking care for a lot of it. it's not interesting to Me. before i started mass blocking ship tags i would see a lot of art that was kind of just the same thing over and over again, like character A doing some classic romantic thing with character B and it's. that's it. it's not new and there's no story and the point of it is that these two characters are romantically interested in each other and i don't. care. i really, really don't. some people enjoy it! it's really interesting to other people! and that's fine! i can't say i haven't occasionally looked at ship art and smiled at the characters being cute. it was made with care and passion and it shows.

my problem with ship content in general is the oversaturation of ship content in fandom. i can't say how much there is since i have so many tags blocked, but i'd be willing to bet that it's at least 50% of all content made for a particular piece of media. which... is disheartening, you know. especially as an aromantic person. i have to sift through so fucking much shit that doesn't interest me and has no relevance to me to find something that's actually interesting. to an extent it makes me kind of bitter because it feels like most people just run to make romantic headcanons of the characters for the sake of shipping, and then devote their time into doing just that. that's probably a gross exaggeration of how a lot of people are, but at times that's really how it feels. there's so much fandom content, so much community content, that just... is not relevant to me at all. it gets alienating.

i don't really have a point to make with this post, a lot of this is just me rambling because i'm up way too late, but. i dunno. just thoughts. i don't actually mind shipping. i just wish more of the ship content i could see has more. story weight to it i guess. because then i actually have something to be invested in.

it makes me sad having all these tags blocked, honestly. i miss out on so much art. which is part of the problem. do you get it?

[busting-buffers]

I was watching The Unlucky Tugs' video where he ranks the TTTE movies from worst to best and decided to make my own so HERE WE GO!

Tier List maker HERE

14. MIR: I liked this movie as a kid. But I recently rewatched and boy howdy is she BAD. I didn't watch series 11 when Whiff was introduced, so having him in this movie was odd to me because I didn't know who the hell he was! The train racism in this is so overdone and never gets resolved, the logging locos are ANNOYING, and Thomas is just a dick the entire time?? -5/10

13. CAE!: This was one of those that they could have done better. The learning segments make it hard to watch when you're older, but it's for kids so who cares. But again, Train Racism. It gets resolved at the end, sure, but literally just...keeps happening. MIR in point. Also, the random involvement of D10?? And Lady?? who haven't been mentioned since TATMR??? Odd choice. 2/10

12. DotD: They basically rehashed CAE in CGI form, but none of the Train Racism is resolved. The Diesels suck, manipulate Percy, and take over the steamworks. That's it. That's the plot. 2/10

11. BW!BA!: I liked it. The songs were fun, Ace was a cool addition as a bad influence on Thomas, and Nia sure is a girl's engine. It seemed so rushed, though. Like Thomas had this grand idea, Sir Topham jokingly says yes, and like 15 minutes in Thomas is sailing off on a ship to Africa. "Where in the World is Thomas?" is a good ensemble number with cool callbacks to other movies, "Free and Easy" is just catchy as hell, and the other numbers are fun too. It was okay, but not my favorite. 4/10

10. TotB: It's just so, so average, but better than the others ranked lower. I love how James is the antagonist because he's covering up how scared he is in the end, but Percy just seems to baby-like for my taste. His fears are rational, but they really dumbed him down. I do love the introduction of Gator, and his and Percy's friendship is adorable. But it's all downplayed as Thomas didn't comfort Percy, so Percy gets a new BFF and Thomas is upset when Percy wants to leave. I get it, but I don't. 5/10

9. KotR: Ok this was a fun one. We get 1-5-6 buddy-content and it's super cute! I love this pal trio. The Earl and Stephen are such fun characters and I love how they worked them into the series later on. Stephen's characterization is so odd though, but I get it. He's upset he can't be useful like the young engines, and that's all he wants. This movie sets up for some good episodes later. 6/10

8. BMM: This one is so cute! I love the Narrow Gauge engines, and the beginning sequences are action packed and set up the movie well. But it comes back to Train Racism AGAIN. Diesel overhears about Luke and decides he wants him to be sent away, and then Diesel is in the wrong as always. I mean, he is, but we gotta stop making the diesels just bad engines. He did what he thought was right, especially not knowing the context. 6/10

7. HotR: Thomas's first CGI movie was a hit with me. Obviously it set up a rough era but I enjoyed the movie! Hiro's introduction is so fascinating, and Spencer being the antagonist is so so neat to me. This big silver showoff wants to get rid of an antique, but for what. That's why I didn't rank it higher. There's no why as to why Spencer wants to get rid of Hiro. Because he's old? Then why doesn't he hate Eddie?? His actions have no motive. 7/10

6. TaTMR: Don't come for me. I like this movie! It's whimsical and fun and a cool take on the series. It has it's flaws, obviously, like there's no set up for as to why D10 is there in the first place. But then again, this movie was rewritten I think three times? The original script would have been fun if the movie wasn't made for kids. An evil bastard who hates Burnett Stone because he was in love with Tasha, and wants to destroy the last thing Burnett can remember her by? So fascinating. I would have loved to see the original done as a more adult-ish action take on the franchise. 7/10

5. TAB: This movie is so awesome. Retelling the OG RWS and TV series stories in CGI, giving Thomas an introduction arc, and most importantly, Black Livery James (you know I had to mention it). It's such a great call-back to the original 5(?) stories and episodes, and I thought it was done very well. It holds a special place in my heart, but it's not my favorite. 8/10

4. TGR: I loved the musical take on this AGGHHH. All the musical numbers are so fanciful and catchy. I loved the plot, I love how the characters are set up. But like TUT says in his video, some of it is all marketing ploys. Like Thomas jumping the drawbridge, which I will continue to question why. But if you overlook Mattel's marketing, it's a good movie and it stands up well. 8/10

Also the next three movies are in no particular order so:

JBS: THIS. THIS WAS AN INTERESTING PLOT! James is boasting about how he's the favorite and the best, as always, so Thomas decides to put him in his place. But Thomas, unlike James, doesn't know the mainland well because he has lived on Sodor for probably 99% of his life. He was sent/arrived there in 1915, the same year he was built. He only knew Brighton! The experimental engines have great character, and I wish we got more of them in the series. Frankie and Hurricane are so, so interesting: they butter up Thomas to think he's hot shit, then BOOM! Trapped because they need another engine to work there, and can't do it unless they train-nap them. "Hottest Place in Town" is such a good song and aids to their plans, and it sets up their trickery well. The ending is not the best, but seeing Hurricane almost melt was just top notch to the whole thing. 10/10

SLotLT: This and TGD are so interesting because we see another side of Thomas. He thinks he can do no wrong, causes an accident, and ends up being punished. He does it twice, and winds up in a sort of Boy who Cried Wolf-ish situation after saving Ryan from the dynamite. Sir Topham only saw the part where it seemed Thomas was trying to get rid of Ryan, and gets angry with him again (and uses his full name? Papa was upset.) Ryan and Thomas's dynamic was so, so interesting and I wish we had more. Daisy being reintroduced was something I didn't see coming, and was a great way to tie her in to the series again. Same thing with Donald and Douglas, our beautiful Scots. Sailor John being the first human antagonist is so interesting, and this movie also has it's dark points. John was actually going to try to blow Thomas up aith dynamite! He blew up Sir Topham's office! This movie was great. 10/10

TGD: I had the DVD when I was younger and watched it every night before bed. It was so interesting. The songs are top notch: Racing to the Wharf, Jobs-a-Plenty, and Where, oh, Where is Thomas. The bridge scene is incredible and a great way to set it up. Thomas being insecure after Stanley shows up was something that never really happened, and he despised him so much he tried to essentially decomission him? Devious Thomas is my favorite. Thomas actually regretted how he treated Stanley, and they became good friends. SLotLT and TGD had similar plots in that aspect, but they did it so differently that it's not another DotD and CAE! issue. This was my childhood favorite and it still holds up. 10/10

[luna-melon]

For the ask game lol

Peter

Nebula

Mantis

Phos

Toko

Aoi

Sakura

Papyrus

Sans

Ayyyy thanks for the ask. Been a while since I've filled out one of these memes <3

Answers below.

Peter OTP: Peter/Nebula, of course. If the 100k+ words of fanfiction I've written about them is anything to go by, they are my OTP of all time. <3 I want Peter to move on and find happiness with someone new after vol. 3 and the movie planted the seeds for these two ending up together in the future really well I think. BrOTP: This was the hardest to decide because I love Peter's friendships with all the other Guardians. Gonna go with Mantis here though because I love how she looks out for her bro and tries to steer him in the right direction. Wish we'd gotten to see more of them being siblings after the holiday special 'cause the confirmation that she was Peter's sister made me so happy! TuT OT3: Shipping Peter with Nebula and Gamora at the same time would be really weird so instead I'm gonna go with Nebula/Peter/Thor in like, a V shaped polycule where Peter is dating them both but Nebula and Thor aren't into each other. NOTP: Ro/quill. I don't think I need to explain myself with this one, but shipping the raccoon with the humanoid characters is weird and gross to me.

Nebula OTP: Same as above, I think her implied feelings for Peter in vol. 3 make all the sense in the world. I mean, why wouldn't Nebula fall for the same person as Gamora? That's just how her life is. I think these two being together would fit their arcs well. Nebula learns to accept that she doesn't have to always be competing with Gamora in order to be worthy of love, and Peter gets his shit together enough to see how Nebula stuck by and cared for him and how Gamora was right about how the person he fell for "sounds more like her." BrOTP: I love her friendship with Rocket so much! Two sad cyborgs goin' on adventures together for five years, I'd kill to see more of that. OT3: Same as above as well I guess, but I don't see Nebula being poly. NOTP: I'm fine with all the big Nebula ships really even if I don't consume their content.

Mantis OTP: I used to ship Mantis/Nebula back in the day and I think that's still my fave Mantis ship even if I no longer go there. I also like the idea of her having a crush on Gamora. BrOTP: Mantis and Drax are my favorite duo ever. Just a couple of strange goofballs pranking each other and causing chaos. OT3: Can't think of anything for this one. NOTP: I don't hate Mantis and Drax as a romantic pairing but them just being weird best friends means so much to me. We need more platonic M/F relationships like them.

Phos OTP: I like all the Phos ships but can't deny that Phos/Cinnabar is my favorite. I know you haven't read the manga yet but I reread this one part of it earlier in the week that makes me wanna throw Phos in the trash because we could have had it all!! xD BrOTP: I really enjoyed Phos and Cairngorm's dynamic. OT3: Phos/Cinnabar/Antarc. Idk how it'd work out but all I know is that I want all three of these rocks to be happy. NOTP: I'm not picky with HNK ships but I'm sure some people ship Phos with Aechmea so no thanks to that.

Toko OTP: Toko/Komaru! These two mean the world to me. Seeing Toko end up with an amazing girlfriend who supports and loves her after everything she's been through and the development she underwent in Ultra Despair Girls damn made me cry. BrOTP: I love the interactions between her and Makoto in her Free Time events. The Naegis are the only ones who can tame this girl. OT3: I like the Toko/Sayaka ship so I can imagine an AU where she survives and throuples up with Tokomaru. NOTP: Byakuya. These two are the worst for each other and no one can change my mind.

Aoi OTP: I very much enjoy her and Sakura together. BrOTP: Yuta Asahina deserved better and in my personal headcanon, he survives UDG and gets to see his sis again. OT3: I think Sakura had a boyfriend so sandwich Hina in between them. NOTP: Got no strong negative feelings for any Hina ships.

Sakura OTP: Same as above. Love me a big buff sporty girlfriend and her smol buff sporty girlfriend. BroTP: I really enjoyed her Free Times with Makoto, too. OT3: Same as above. NOTP: Also same as above. It's hard to go wrong with Sakura ships.

Papyrus OTP: I don't ship Papyrus with anyone but I remember liking Papyrus/Mettaton when I was younger. BrOTP: I fucking LOVE his friendship with Undyne. Anyone who doesn't call Papyrus and Undyne in every room in the game to see what weird shit they say is missing out. OT3: I got nothin'. NOTP: Font/cest. Don't understand why this is such a big thing.

Sans OTP: These days I like the idea of Sans being aroace but I remember having a very brief phase of shipping Sans/Asgore xD BrOTP: Him and Papyrus ofc, but I also like him seeing Frisk as a little sibling, too. OT3: Sans/Fries/Ketchup NOTP: Fr/ans. That is a child...

[moonlightviigil]

ɢᴇᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴜɴ

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘɪᴄᴋ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴜꜱᴇ(ꜱ) ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ?

(CANON MUSES) - I seem to favor male muses over female muses. Not saying that I won't have female muses; but it seems for canon muses specifically, I stick with the males more. I truly don't know why. Its possible that it could be a good way for me to explore my more masculine side of things? I've also noticed that I tend to lean way more to muses who are sadTM. Its something I heavily relate to, and can (hopefully) make seem believable. Its something I seem to enjoy so 🤷 (OCs) - I'm all over the board. Some evil, some good, some neutral. Male, female, other, etc. I usually try to find an archetype that interests me, and build around it. Mainly based around certain aesthetics. But then there are some that just come up to me with all of their info and just expect to exist rent free in my head.

ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ?

I'm a very flexible person when it comes to writing topics. It doesn't matter to me as long as my partner is all good with it. Of course, some topics are off limits with obvious reasons that I shouldn't have to explain. But that doesn't mean I'm not willing to toe the line with more unsavory things. As long as everyone involved is okay with it, then it should be all good and fun! Though, there is one thing that I tend to stray away from. Mainly one-liners, and completely winged interactions. I have no clue why, but having no plan stresses me out, and one lines don't give me any content to work with (unless its just crack), and that also stresses me out for no reason. I overthink everything...

ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ?

Angst... its a problem lmfao

ʜᴏᴡ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴄᴀɴᴏɴꜱ?

I usually base a lot of them off of my own life and how I'd handle some situations. With more mystical stuff, its all based around the character itself. And then sometimes a random thought just some to me like, yeah, that's Phel-coded.

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ɪɴ ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴏʀ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴍᴜꜱɪᴄ?

I cannot stand silence one bit. I have to be listening to something no matter what I'm doing. When it comes to writing, there are very specific things I do listen to. Mainly like, ASMR type things. These cafe videos I enjoy a lot ( x ). Both for writing, and just to watch sometimes!

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʟᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇꜱ ᴏʀ ᴡɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇᴍ?

I'll read my partners reply and stick it in my drafts to think about how I should respond. Like, of course I want to tryyyyy to stay in character as much as possible. But I know its not possible all the time, which is fine! I'm not super picky about that. But I do like to try to keep it in mind, that the canon muses are not mine, and I need to think about how they would respond. With my OCs for instance, they flow a little more naturally for me. Since they were in my head from day one, their personalities flow better. But that doesn't mean that canon muses don't flow well for me either. I wouldn't be writing canon muses if they didn't click for me to begin with. I'll try new canon muses... as you know, but if they don't click, they don't click and that's fine.

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ꜱʜɪᴘᴘɪɴɢ?

YES I'M A SLUT FOR SHIPS Of course, chemistry is key. I'll try to picture things in my head about certain muses together with mine so I can get the ball rolling if I'm not feeling it right away. But once I think about a certain pair more, I'm sure I won't be able to stop thinking about them. When it comes to random shipping, I struggle with that a bit. Especially for canon league muses. It heavily depends on their backstories and how they can mesh together for me. If there could be a genuine connection, even if its just through them traveling, if that makes sense? Like... I can't imagine Phel with someone from X place just because they'd be cute together. They have to mesh in some way or another for it to be a feasible match for me.

ᴡʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴀʟɪᴀꜱ/ɴᴀᴍᴇ?

Online alias is Cherry. Another name is Riley. It isn't my legal name, but a preferred one. But being called Cherry or Riley online is fine by me!

ᴀɢᴇ?

I recently turned 28... I'm old

ʙɪʀᴛʜᴅᴀʏ?

Month late Christmas present (January 25th)

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀ(ꜱ)?

Green and yellow 💚💛

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ꜱᴏɴɢ(ꜱ)?

Uhhhhhhhhh there's a lot

��ᴀꜱᴛ ᴍᴏᴠɪᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ?

Spirited Away

ʟᴀꜱᴛ ꜱʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ?

Rewatching Death Note........ But also started watching the live action Avatar series

ʟᴀꜱᴛ ꜱᴏɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪꜱᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ?

Eyes - Kaskade

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ?

Orange chicken!!!!!!

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ꜱᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ?

Fall. I am a fall girly. Its chilly, and not hot uwu

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴛᴜᴍʙʟʀ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ?

I don't want to play favorites, so I'll say that anyone who talks to me pretty regularly is a bestie <3

Tagged by: @poisonflowrs <3 Tagging: whoever hasnt done this and is reading this :3c

[starkerhowlter]

Princess Parker -- Chapter 2

Rating: M Ship: starker (tony stark / peter parker) Tags: Minor Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fashion Designer Peter Parker, Engineer Student Tony Stark, slow burn, stolen moments Summary: Tony Stark’s in love.

But not with the conventional. Instead, his soulmate is known for temper tantrums about pink lemonades that are too sour and scuffs on the toe of his Louboutin shoes. He’s materialistic, superficial, and cares way too much about his face.

So why can’t Tony stay away?

Read below or on AO3

Note: all underlined words are links to tumblr-hosted images with added information for the fic –

Hi! It's been 900 years since I last posted for this fic! As always this chapter was beta'd by my favorite human: @cozysafechaotic Shout out as well to my sprinting goblins in the Super Starkers Discord for their support as well and I hope you enjoy this chapter! --

Content warning: this chapter has a brief section about one of the main characters and an ex. It mentions light objectification and brief nondescriptive abuse. Please read with care.

2 -- Seeing Beauty in The Shallow

Tony's secret only lasts him four days before his friend group figures it out. 

"Whatever you're thinking, stop thinking it," Bucky states watching as Tony scrolls the Designer Boy's Instagram showing him the eleventh photo since they sat down for lunch, "He's way out of your league, Stark. Don't even think about it." 

"Don't even think about what?" Steve asks, walking up behind Bucky and kissing his forehead and joining the group.

Through the chatter of his friend group and the ambient hum of the Cafeteria, Tony suddenly hears it. The familiar sound of those Louboutin shoes, tapping on the tile floors, causing his head to shoot up. It takes a mere four seconds for him to find the boy, but when he does, his eyes widen. At the entrance to the cafeteria stands Peter. His hair is perfectly curled, a bomber jacket framing his blush pink crop top, and skinny jeans hug his calves. He looks immaculate. The man sighs dreamily, accidentally dropping his elbow into his mashed potatoes. His friends laugh softly, handing him napkins. He blushes, wiping the food off his arm. 

"I'm guessing you saw him?" Steve asks, looking around the lunchroom. He catches sight of the boy and his entourage and rolls his eyes, "What do you see in shallow people, Tony?" 

"I don't know. He's pretty, he's smart...." Tony sighs, eating his bland food and listening to Clint retell the failure of his last archery practice. He tries listening, really he does, but he can't help but watch the boy eat strawberries and talk to the girls in his group. The way his lips wrap around each piece of fruit, the little bit of juice left behind…

"Where, in his superficial body, do you see an ounce of brain? All I see is plastic, designer clothes, and daddy's money," Sam sighs, “There’s no hope in him wanting someone like you. You have one too many brain cells for his liking. That boy wants a dumb, empty-brained golden retriever to worship his every thought and to tell him he looks pretty.”  

“Sam’s right, T. I’m afraid you are just itching to get your heart broken…” Bruce replies, looking up from his notepad, “I mean, people like him don’t settle down. They skip.”

“They’re right,” Clint interjects, burger grease dripping down his hand, “and you know it.”

Tony tunes their judgemental voices out, taking the last bite of his meal. "That's it. I'm going to the lab." he drops his fork and rises from the table. He picks up his black backpack and walks out of the cafeteria. 

What Tony doesn't see, though, is Peter's eyes following him out of the cafeteria, longing sparkling against the honey in his eyes. 

"Focus, Peter! He's not worth your time. He can't afford you." Loki snaps their manicured fingers in his face and rolls their eyes, "Did you get any of Gucci's new set in the post yet?" 

"Nah, but I got Alexander McQueen's new SS23 collection sent to my Aunt's mansion. It's gorgeous," Peter sighs, "I think I have Extremis's new collection coming next week as well. 

"Which set of theirs?" Natasha asks, leaning against the table.. 

"The Winter '22 set." 

"But that isn't out yet!" Loki shouts, "How did you get a hold of a pass for that?!"

"It pays to know people, sweetheart," Peter smirks, turning his lavender-coloured laptop around to show off the email from Extremis Enterprises, congratulating him on being selected for exclusive access. "And I know Mr Keener himself. He's an... old friend of mine." 

'Old friend is an understatement,' Peter thinks.

*****

Everything Peter is now is based on what Harley provided him. The training, the clothing, the finances, the education... It's all Harley. 

The two had known each other since middle school, having met under the tree on the playground where Peter sat every day with his PB&J on wheat and sketched dress after dress. He'd always loved fashion and the idea that anyone could create outfits like the ones he saw at Paris Fashion Week when his mother took him for her job. 

Harley saw him drawing one day and asked what he was doing, and with that, the two became inseparable. 

After graduation though is when things got too real. 

Harley came into some money from an unknown source and wanted to supply Peter with his dreams. 

So they came to an agreement -- a sort of benefactor relationship where Harley could take care of and protect him while clothing him in the finest fabrics money could buy, ensuring Peter's reliance on Harley. The relationship was good… at first. They had agreed from the start, Peter was exclusively arm candy... No sex, no dating, no exclusivity. Then Harley introduced Peter as "That’s my boyfriend, Peter Parker." and everything they’d built up came to crashing halt.

Words were shouted, shoes were thrown, and lines were crossed. Everything became about sex between them. If Peter wanted a new outfit, Harley demanded compensation. He made Peter pay for what he wanted, not with money, but with the cost of his body.

It only spiralled more from there. The two began fighting over everything from the colour of the thread to who paid for dinner. Peter decided it was best to cut ties and go back to his home in Queens and abandon the life of luxury Harley had built for him. He feared that Harley wouldn't allow him to have the clothing and items that had become staples of his life, but before being his Sugar daddy, Harley was his friend. 

"I think we should just be friends. This benefactor thing isn't working, Harls. I feel like we're just falling apart and losing our love for each other and for the art of fashion." 

Smiling through the obvious pain in his heart, Harley replied, "I agree. But I want you to take the clothes I bought you. Please keep living luxuriously, Princess. Just because you hate me now,  doesn't mean you should go back to mundanity and throw away everything I’ve done for you. You're worth more than that. You and I both know that." The two kissed one last time before they packed the thousands of clothes into boxes. Harley paid his university bills and sent him on his way. 

****

"An old friend?" Loki asks, "Surely you aren't talking about..." 

"Loki Laufeyson, I swear to gods if you do not shut up, I won't allow you to borrow any of my Tiffany jewellery for the spring gala."

Loki, ever the diva, slapped their hands over their mouth, eyes wide as they nodded. "Okay, I'll shut up" Loki replies, hand covering their mouth dramatically.

"What are you guys talking about?" Gwen tilts her head, blonde hair covering half of her face. 

Loki removes their hand, prodding Peter’s side, "You wanna tell them?" 

"I told you to shut up about it!" Peter shouts, voice high and whiny, hands slamming onto the table. The people seated at the next three tables glance in his direction, and a few of the girls serve him unimpressed looks. He rolls his eyes, people can be so dramatic sometimes. This was a life-or-death situation!

"Alright, alright!" Pepper tries, her attempt at diffusing the situation falling on deaf ears. “Natasha, do you still have my limited edition lilac 2005 Lady Dior handbag?” 

“I do, but honestly. I don’t want to give it back!” Natasha laughs, explaining her plans for the purse. conversation Peter can be tuning out?”

He huffs, unzipping his backpack and pulling out the latest edition of Vogue and opening to a dog-eared page. He picks up his pink lemonade and takes a delicate sip, ignoring the people around him. 

A few days later, Peter walks into the classroom and was momentarily caught off guard, though he hid his shock well as he settled into his seat. Sat on top of the dark wood was a Strawberries & Cream Frappe with dried strawberries on top; his name was written clearly and perfectly on the side and a small ring of condensation gathered on the desk beneath it. He smirked to himself as he pulled his stationary from his bag, glancing at the cup occasionally.

Tony stares nervously, hoping that the boy liked the surprise. 

His outfit looks like sin itself. Dressed in a flowy pink blouse, black dress shorts hugging his hips, and a crisscross of fishnet thread leading from underneath them to the tops of those damn boots. Gods, Tony would kill to see trace those strings all the way up his legs.  The heels of his designer ankle boots click against the tile in the classroom as the boy crosses his desk, he glances at the cup before sitting down and seemingly ignoring it. Tony wonders if he should have put his name on it as well so the boy wouldn’t have to worry if it was laced. He blushes slightly at the smile on the boy's face, knowing he's the one that put it there. 

"Hey, Peter!" Peter smiles at Pepper and Gwen, as they sit at the desks next to him. "Where did that come from?" 

"I don't know it was here when I arrived." Peter shrugs nonchalantly, "Probably from someone who thinks they have a chance. You can have it if you want.”

"Peter, you are out of your mind if you think for one moment that I am going to drink a random nondescript drink from someone that was left on your desk.”

“Seriously Peter! It could be laced or poisoned or ew! What if some boy did something, even worse to it” Gwen shuddered as she looked away from the drink.

"Fair. But I am not going to throw it away until after we leave," He murmurs.

Their conversation is cut off when the teacher walks in, and Tony sighs longingly, 'what will it take for him to love me?'

-_–_-_

Thank you so much for reading!! Comments and likes are much appreciated!!

[light-lanterne]

(to clarify: I am not that previous anon) The cannibal!will fandom is a really interesting phenomenon to me since it's being introduced to a fandom that's so very against anything 'out there' or 'nsfw' in any capacity, and since it's something that a lot of people are uncomfortable with (but I also see a lot of defense for it) it's getting a lot of push back. Stranger things is relatively gory and is still technically a horror/thriller (even if it's real silly sometimes) so to me it makes sense to lean into that as a fandom, but they also definitely have sexually charged scenes/hints of sex without making it too explicate for their audience and it's just like, basic, expected, normal sexually active human stuffs. Nothing crazy, nothing kinky. Just. Sex basically (pretty common in these types of shows esp teen thrillers, and even though it's there I appreciate they don't go overboard the way a lot of teen dramas try to play it up and that's always been weird to me, I digress) but even though it's there (just like the horror/gore/thriller aspect is canon and very real themes in the show) for some reason nsfw is still very frowned upon (I'm specifically talking about consensual relationships/aged up characters/adults content here that's still getting a ton of hate) to the point nsfw artists/writers are pushed out of the fandom as a whole, and it kinda feels like people are trying to do that in the instance of cannibal/will as well. It's really disheartening and I guess I'm a little jealous of the nice little pocket of 'freaks' /pos you've helped curate. Purity culture has destroyed curiosity and experimenting in a safe space such as fandom and it's weird af. Fandoms have been pivotal to a lot of people finding themselves and trying new things in safe spaces and I just don't understand how the Stranger Things community is this really weird staunchly anti-sex community, esp when the show itself is just. Not that? Never has been that? ISN'T that. (which I guess with how people be out here viewing Mike the way they do, what can I expect) This isn't a 'kids show' and I GET that there's a lot of kids in the fandom (but it's also definitely not just kids pushing people out of the fandom) but there's no age limit to this show and there are tons of people in different age brackets consuming this show and it's just weird how violently against curating your own content and consuming what YOU want to consume is so frowned upon. Sort of like... Just cause I'm in the Stranger Things fandom doesn't mean I want to see all the ships so I can just. Block them! People tag for a reason. There's no reason people should be dictating what can and can't be put on someone else's blogs, and people are so rude, and make uncalled for comments as if they have any right to tell you how to participate in fandom how YOU want to on YOUR OWN BLOG. It drives me crazy. This fandom is so very uppity and act like if you don't like exactly what they do then you're wrong and should feel bad and aren't allowed to be a part of the fandom at all, and I'm just tired of it. Sorry for the long rant. This isn't like... sorry if this comes off wrong. I'm not trying to attack you at all lmao I know how you feel about nsfw so sorry to come to you about it. It's just you always are so respectful and understanding that it's like, not your thing! And that it's ok to not want to view certain things! And I appreciate that a lot. Everyone is in their right to not want to consume certain content and that's totally understandable (esp when it doesn't line up with your personal beliefs or sexuality or anything like that) but you're not out here going to peoples blogs calling people shitty things for enjoying their fandom the way they want to. If people would just... Live and let live, it'd only be for the better. Probably best not to respond to this since I don't wanna start shit on your blog. I just. Wanted to rant but also say good on you for being you and keep doing it. Fuck everybody else. Fandoms are here to be creative/have fun and it's ok to share morally ambiguous content!

hi anon ! i don't have much to say about anything you said since, as an aroace guy, sexual content is something i never quite interact with. even some making out in fanfics can make me all squirmy and uncomfy ! :S

just know that i'm glad you felt comfortable enough to share your frustrations with me, and please be assured that i'll never harass or attack anyone who produces / enjoys that type of fanworks !!

it is,,, a very nuanced topic. and while i do understand why there's a lot of debate surrounding the topic and i do respect a lot of the arguments for and against the concept, i think the main takeaway from all you said —from all the conversations i've ever seen about it— is that newer fandom members need to learn to curate their online experience.

the tools are there. they're not that hard to use. if seeing something sexual is upsetting to someone, it is relatively easy to avoid it both in ao3 and in here. if someone wishes such content didn't exist, it is quite easy to mute some words and blogs and voilà, it's like it actually doesn't exist !! there's no need to make big posts condemning the morality of content tropes one doesn't enjoy in fandom spaces, and there is absolutely no reason to go attack people who do engage with such content and are just doing their thing (which is a thousand percent worse than anyone creating anything "weird" >:\ ).

live and let live, as you said anon.

and the same goes for the dark stuff i enjoy (like cannibalism and all that). if someone doesn't like it they're free to block me,,, or if they don't want to do that but still don't want to see it, they can just block out certain words or my handy "dark byler agenda" tag. it's easy, it's there, and people need to remember to utilise such tools to cater the stuff they see to their taste ~

(and if they really wish it didn't exist, they could also drown it out by supporting stuff that doesn't have such tropes via reblogging and actually engaging with things, which the fandom as a whole often forgets to do -_- )

anyway, i better cut myself off here before this gets too long x.x once again, thank you for considering me safe to open up about this !! hope you have a great day / night anon, and that this fandom treats you kindly as you enjoy it the way you've chosen to :]

[darthkvznblogs]

How did you like Revelation? And what about the other new He-Man show, have you checked that one out yet? Speaking of LWA, too bad that the magic system doesn’t really fit into the Kryptonverse, because that would be an interesting inclusion. Am I correct in assuming that you are a fan of a certain ship from that series, BTW?

I really liked it! I found it fascinating that they took this silly children's cartoon and made a sequel that took those ridiculous elements and played them straight by modern cartoon storytelling standards. What if those adventures had happened as they did? And what if one of them went terribly wrong? What if these colorful, silly characters were to be met with grief, death in battle, the consequences of failure, and the horrible truths of the universe?

It's kinda like Steven Universe Future in what it attempts, though while very good, I didn't enjoy SUF much. I think it's because I was so invested in SU's characters, and robbing them of their happy ending ultimately just made me too sad and bitter to fully appreciate it. I had no such attachment to the He-Man cast, so I had no problems there.

(I am attached now, though hahaha)

It wasn't perfect, but I thought it handled most of those topics very well, and the action ranged from pretty good to masterful. Really glad I finally watched through it! Also, Mark Hamill as Skeletor is perfection - he makes groan-worthy puns every two lines and kills people without a care and somehow he makes it work. Amazing.

I did watch a few episodes of the CGI He-Man show; I won't lie, I'm not really vibing with the look of it, but I did find it entertaining enough to keep watching later. I'll have more of an opinion to share when it really gets going, I'm sure.

I may or may not be rewatching LWA precisely to figure out if it can be adapted into the Kverse without losing too much of its identity. The unfortunate reality is that I'm not really comfortable writing HP content, for obvious reasons, so while I'm sticking with my decision not to go back and axe it outright (too many knots to untangle, not enough time), since I don't expect these circumstances to change in the foreseeable future, I likely won't be writing any more HP content in the Kverse. This means I have to look for an alternative magic school setting or something to that effect that can fill that niche.

I don't know if LWA is gonna be that "replacement", but it's a candidate, at least. I'd be willing to hear other suggestions, too - though bear in mind, I can't afford to read lengthy book series or watch huge shows with dozens of episodes.

(I mean, yeah, it's kinda hard not to. Blue/Red couple, big WhiteRose vibes, lots of good fics about them. I actually kind of like Akko with Andrew, too, but he and Diana hate each other's guts and Akko doesn't have the attention span for a poly relationship LOL)

[birklurks]

I’m kinda confused by your recent posts. I’m sorry if I missed something but are you planning to leave fandom entirely? This blog has been a great resource for fics. I understand if it’s just too much work and upkeep to be active because it’s hard to keep track of everything but I’m not sure what this commenting on fics debate is about. I understand literally what it’s about but I guess I just don’t understand why you’ve gone inactive as a result unless it’s just general frustration w the fandom

Hi there anon 👋🏻,

Why would I leave fandom?? I've gone inactive? Says who?? 😂

I'm on Tumblr just as much as I've ever been, and I've been reading fics as voraciously as I ever have (wait, that's not accurate - I'm actually ripping through more fanfics than ever because I'm not wasting minutes of my time here and there to leave written feedback for the stories I enjoy). I don't even bother clicking the kudos button anymore, it's great!!

It's not hard to "keep track of everything", not at all. It's been 1000000% fun fun fun fun fun fun fun consumption for me while putting in literally zero effort of any kind (I LOVE these kinds of "communities"!!)

As for the "commenting on fics debate": not sure what you're referring to, but as far as I'm concerned, since I've been wondrously reformed - there is no debate.

I admit that before September of this year, I used to think that the feelings and morale of our fanfic writers and fan artists actually mattered, because they are the ones doing all of the hard work and heavy lifting to create the content that makes fandom so much fun... and I spent the last four years listening to new writers and veteran writers across a broad range of ships and reading their countless demoralized pleas for written feedback, reblogs and other forms of substantive engagement from the masses who blindly and voraciously consume their work product for free. (I know, so stupid right?? 🤪)

I used to take their concerns to heart, and vowed to use my tiny little corner of our fandom sandbox to try and keep their concerns at the forefront, support their tireless work via kofi's, commissions and signal boosts, and do whatever I could to encourage silent readers in our fandom to leave our writers notes of gratitude and encouragement every once in a while if they enjoyed a story - something, anything, whether it was long or short, in whatever language they felt most comfortable with.

But, I finally learned that all of that was a massive waste of time and money because I was recently informed by a superior and virtuous individual here that I could take the concerns expressed by so many writers in our fandom "with a grain of salt", and that expecting the occasional reader engagement in any specific form (like written feedback, which costs zero money to offer and takes maybe a minute or two of a reader's time) is an improper form of "entitlement".

I mean.... WHAT A REVELATION. 😱

Since then, I realized I don't have to give a shit about the concerns of our fic writers who feel unseen, unappreciated and demoralized by the dire lack of substantive reader engagement in our fandom.

Fandom has taught me that nobody owes anyone anything, and if these whiners were "better" writers and "kinder", more "empathetic" people (like the virtuous author who generously took the time to "educate" me 😇), they would write solely for themselves and their own fulfillment instead of being gross and harassing innocent readers for the occasional crumb of feedback. 😡

I mean really, these writers are so entitled - HOW DARE THEY ask for basic common courtesies from people who enjoy their work product for free?!?!? 😤

Anyways, that's why I'm exclusively a silent reader now. And as I've been repeatedly lectured over the years, just because I'm a lurker doesn't mean I'm not "part of" fandom. If people can't read my mind and gauge my love and enthusiasm for fanworks through my radio silence, that's on them - not me. 

Obviously, they need to get with the program and learn telepathy for my convenience!! 😠

Hope this helps clear things up anon, happy thanksgiving!!🦃❤️