#these 4 words really show how 14 IS going to have different aspects than 10

[davidtennan-t]

I am NOT ready to hear 14 say this out loud

‘I absolutely love her’

oh my god

[cairoscene]

fic writer meme

thanks em @uhuraisgay and lore @megafaunatic for the tag <3

How many works do you have on Ao3?

between my accounts, a nice tame 18 total

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

217,330 lol

3. What fandoms do you write for?

i definitely write for fewer fandoms than i'm in, so in the past it was mxtx danmei novels and now it's batman (current obsessions pending fic...)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

what else is there? (mdzs)

2. you'll know, you'll fall (tgcf)

3. send to all (batfam)

4. one word from you (mdzs)

5. to recollect and long for (mdzs)

the wangxian monopoly....

5. Do you respond to comments?

not anymore :( i used to respond to every comment i got, but it ended up being too much stress. so i read and appreciate every comment i get, but i only really respond if someone asks me a question or needs clarification on something

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i don't really write unadulterated angst and i'm a lover of a happy ending, so i guess it would be bring the ashes to me......... my fic which famously has no ending at all...........and in fact leaves xie lian in a Pretty Bad Place.......... oops

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

probably you'll know, you'll fall, which i briefly reread not too long ago and. well. to those who continue to enjoy it, i treasure you. i will say i tied up every possible loose end in that fic including?? giving xl a job at sqx's hotel management firm????? let's just say i would do it differently now

8. Do you get hate on fics?

honestly no, never, just the occasional rude comment. i delete and move on

9. Do you write smut?

with varying degrees of success, yes. i like to think i've gotten better over time. writing porn is an aspect of craft that really fascinates and interests me, figuring out what i like to read vs what i like to write, balancing titillation with characterization and finding where the two lean in and kiss. half of my private bookmarks are random fics where the sex scenes just worked for me and i must squirrel it away to study under a microscope to figure out Why

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you have written?

not really, and i don't tend to read them, either. i think they're really hard to pull off successfully and generally my brain isn't on board with reconciling irreconcilable world-building aspects just for the fun of it

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i don't think so? there was definitely...... a trend of let's call it Unattributed Inspiration in the mxtx fandoms, where any fic or tweeted idea or headcanon that got passed around would inevitably show up in the tag without attributing it to the originator. i remember reading a fic and enjoying it and then suddenly being like Wait...... why is this familiar? and discovering it was very clearly inspired by one of mine lol. i wouldn't call it plagiarism bc let's just all calm down, but it isn't a phenomenon i've encountered outside mostly mdzs fandom, let's put it that way

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!!!!!! mostly russian and mandarin. i feel like being asked if someone can translate my fic (or podfic it) is the highest possible praise and i'm always very flattered

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

i was going to say no at first but then i remembered that @bluecrystalrainingdaggers helped me write a charity fic back when i wasn't really feeling wangxian but needed to fulfill on the charity raffle we ran. she basically gave me the outline and i wrote it and i would never have survived without her

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

i am a fickle creature, so i don't have one. i have ships i return to over the years when i crave a specific dynamic, like kirk/spock and wolfstar and damen/laurent. in general my ships fulfill a specific need i'm looking for, hualian for the comfort and care, ghostbat for sustainable toxic soulmates, [redacted] for the angst and misunderstandings, vashwood for the doomed clowns etc etc etc

15. What is a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

bring the ashes to me. sorry

16. What are your writing strengths?

i think i can write a good sex scene

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

plot :( dialogue :(((( sitting down to write at all :(((((((((

18. Thoughts of writing dialogue in another language in fics?

i feel like i don't have strong opinions on this front. it seldom bothers me but when it's done well it's a really great element

19. First fandom you wrote for?

on ao3, mdzs. on fanfiction.net the musketeers (2014) and that wizard one

20. Favorite fic you have written?

i'm really very fond of lover be good to me. it's one of my least accessible fics on account of the rarepair but i had a lot of fun writing it and i think the final product is pretty satisfying. i feel like i was able to say and explore everything about the ship i wanted to, which is really fulfilling

tagging @englishsub @vinelark @eggmacguffin @90kon @yuebings @floofyfluff @deadchannelradio and anyone else who wants to do it

[thepodcasthoard]

Pillars to Podcasting Success

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l Part 6 l Part 7 l Part 8 l Part 9 l Part 10 l Part 11 l Part 12 l Part 13 l Part 14 l Part 15 l Part 16 l Part 17 l Part 18 l Part 19 l Part 20 l Part 21 l Part 22 l Part 23

The twenty-fourth article Sydney gave me is by The Podcast Host. This article is all about independent podcasters and some testimonials that help encourage them.

The article opens with a very heartfelt 'letter to the indies' that encourages and defines the spirit of indie podcasters.

Then the article goes into the 'Ten Pillars of Indie Podcasting.' These pillars are backed by real independent podcasters- 1,200 of them, with combined decades of experience.

Pillar One- Indies play the long game

There is no such thing as an 'overnight success,' and those cases that seem to be ones are years in the making.

The article then provides helpful graphs about how many indie podcasters think playing the long game is the most important (35% of them, which is number one in the various categories).

But the article also points out that this process doesn't mean that you don't have fun until you start to be successful- you can pace yourself.

Pillar Two- Indies are driven by their purpose

This is the 'why' that so many guides I've looked at have stressed. The 'why' will drive the independent podcaster through rough spots, and help them keep motivated.

Pillar Three- Indies streamline their workflow

Work smarter, not harder. It's not about who's the flashiest or who spends the most money- it's doing basic tasks differently or well.

Pillar Four- Indies experiment and adapt

Formats are a prime example of this. Solo shows can morph into co hosted or interview ones.

Pillar Five- Indies learn from listeners

This is a conversation, not a lecture. The audience is just as important as the podcaster. Your favorite podcasters want to hear from you, the audience! Unfortunately, there are few ways for them to hear you because nothing is centralized.

Pillar Six- Indies own their content and monetize on their own terms

This is what make indies independent. They aren't held to some company, they are by themselves. They get to choose how they monetize, if they do at all.

Pillar Seven- Indies value individuality and applaud sincerity

The fact that there are so many different podcasts, with that many hosts, formats, genres, and lengths, means that data is all over the map. While this can be frustrating for number crunchers, this also gives freedom- there is no one path, just the one you take.

Pillar Eight- Indies use their passion to overcome challenges and defy the odds

Imposter syndrome is prevalent among prospective and new podcasters, and this article admits that. There will always be someone with more resources and experience than you, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. You are the only one who's lived your life, and you'll bring a new perspective to the podcasting world.

As long as you have a deep 'why,' you'll be able to start.

Pillar Nine- Indies change the way their listeners see the world

The article puts this particular aspect of podcasting in a very interesting way- "Each word a podcaster speaks in our ear colours another tiny pixel on our own lens of reality." The message you bring to the world matters, and it will impact every listener. Who knows, you might just make the listener's world a better place.

Pillar Ten- Indies put purpose and passion ahead of fame and fortune

Obviously, this doesn't apply to every single indie podcaster, but for most of them I imagine. You, by virtue of being independent, will not have a major corporation or really anyone with a massive amount of money backing you. If you go into this thinking that you'll be rich and famous, you are going to disappointed 99.99% of the time. Unless you already have a wide audience on your own, you will start small. Just take those first few steps.

[grug-not-george]

I'm going to do this for my silly, because it seems fun. 1. How does your OC feel about their full name?

Really dislikes when people call her by her full first name, and will make her displeasure very vocal. But otherwise doesn't mind it too much

2. What do strangers notice about them first?

How tall she is, she's 6'11.

3. How does their social personality differ from how they act when they’re alone?

She is far more reserved and quiet in public, and she tries to look as tall as possible by having good posture and even wearing thick soled boots. In private she hunches a lot more, and is a lot more crude and loud. If she's really alone, she might even talk to herself quietly, but only if she's absolutely sure no one's around.

4. How do they act around a crush?

She tends to hunch a bit, ask a lot of questions, and are less quiet than usual. She may do some really stupid shit just to try to get some attention too

5. Do they have a “tell” for when they’re lying?

She stares at the person she's lying to, to the point where it's uncomfortable.

6. What do they smell like?

She smells like normal ig? Idk, nothing notable.

7. What is their hair texture like?

She has no hair. So N/A

8. How much jewelry do they wear, and do they have a favourite or distinguishing piece?

She doesn't wear much jewelry, but does have a necklace that she got from her parents when she was a kid. The pendant is a metal goat

9. Do they have a word or phrase that they tend to overuse?

She really likes the word "discombobulate" and often misuses it.

10. What is a weird quality that they have (ie their hands are always cold, they’re always hungry, they snort when they laugh, etc)?

She does not eat normal food, they only ever eat nutrient paste or other nasty mushy foods. And she tends to make the food as bitter and nasty as possible, just so no one asks for any.

11. What colour do they look strikingly good in?

Purple.

12. How do they show affection to someone they love?

She gets really protective and tends to get as physically close as possible without it being weird. She also tends to be a bit more rough with them than he would a normal friend, pushing them and sometimes even goading them into a fight.

13. Do they make strong/frequent eye contact when they talk to someone?

She does normal amounts of eye contact, except when she's lying, then she's just staring into your soul.

14. What attributes do they have that are inherited from their parents or shared with their siblings/other relatives?

Her family was very rough and would often wrestle, and she would often got into a wrestle with her brothers. This made her both better at fighting, and more rough with the people she likes.

15. Are their greatest flaw and their greatest strength related and in what way? (ie very caring and helpful but a doormat, or very observant and shrewd but often paranoid)

She's very strong and confident, but also very cocky. If she thinks someone is beneath her, then she won't give them much thought until they prove themselves. Often to her detriment

16. How has their childhood affected the way they view an aspect of their life (people, education, society, themselves, etc)?

She grew up in a stable home with loving parents who supported and loved her. Her confidence (and by extension her cockiness) was encourages and she was given the tools to succeed. Her parents really inflated her ego a lot, and made her feel like she was special, which made her a lot more elitist and made her look down on people who she deems underneath her.

This really helped flesh out the character I'm making, I might do another for a different character. Maybe. But anyway, thank you for making this!!

✧ OC Asks! ✧

I compiled a short list of some questions that I hadn’t seen yet to help you (and me) have some fun while developing OCs. Feel free to answer these yourself, or ask someone else!

1. How does your OC feel about their full name?

2. What do strangers notice about them first?

3. How does their social personality differ from how they act when they’re alone?

4. How do they act around a crush?

5. Do they have a “tell” for when they’re lying?

6. What do they smell like?

7. What is their hair texture like?

8. How much jewelry do they wear, and do they have a favorite or distinguishing piece?

9. Do they have a word or phrase that they tend to overuse?

10. What is a weird quality that they have (ie their hands are always cold, they’re always hungry, they snort when they laugh, etc)?

11. What color do they look strikingly good in?

12. How do they show affection to someone they love?

13. Do they make strong/frequent eye contact when they talk to someone?

14. What attributes do they have that are inherited from their parents or shared with their siblings/other relatives?

15. Are their greatest flaw and their greatest strength related and in what way? (ie very caring and helpful but a doormat, or very observant and shrewd but often paranoid)

16. How has their childhood affected the way they view an aspect of their life (people, education, society, themselves, etc)?

And that’s all! Remember to reblog with your answers, I’m genuinely curious to hear about other people’s characters/writing processes!

Part II: https://liliamoon.tumblr.com/post/671647292219097088/oc-asks-part-ii

[mjofficehours]

2023-02-01

This week's take-aways from the Office Hours Discord session. I'm sure I forgot/missed some. Please help fill in the details if you can. TY.

Disclaimer: I am not associated with Midjourney, Discord, or this FB group in any official capacity. I do this because many people can't attend the weekly Office Hours via Discord on Wednesdays at noon Pacific.

Apparently they are publishing office hours notes in Discord now which is lovely but I found them a bit difficult to parse so I will keep producing these for a bit longer but I'm optimistic that documentation will continue to improve and then I'll rest from my labors.

You're welcome.

1. Wider aspect ratios coming soon 2:1, 1:2, 16:9, 9:16 should work much better when it ships. Better composition, less stretching and fewer borders. Going to try to ship it asap. Should be ready. Takes a lot of coordination to implement changes like this so it may be a few days before we see it. He hopes we really like it.

2. They have a good idea of a way to improve the word filter. Hope to ship it out in the next couple weeks

3. v5 looking good but needs testing with full system. Hitting first gate towards release beginning of next week. 2-6 weeks worth of testing after that.

Higher res, sharper, faster, better details, hoping image quality boost is significantly high enough to make people happy. Don’t know how close we are but progress is happening

4. David mentioned v6 several times for the first time I remember.The gist of it was that v5 is going to focus on quality of images and stability of the platform rather than many of the new features that they originally envisioned and v6 will probably be similar. They feel that the most important features of image quality (and other important features such as wider aspect ratios) should be the priority for now. So things like animation and 3D are still in the plans but are probably a ways off.

5. Still working to refine text filter. Refining image filter prompts is still proving difficult with no clear path forward.

6. Might do one more style update for v4 and the style will definitely be different in v5.

7. Still working on search features for website. Working on building social features into search engine to highlight unusual images.

8. They did lots of hiring. If you have a proven track record and completed projects on your resume for coding front end, AI, or video streaming utilities please DM one of the MJ mods on Discord (not FB).

9. Real time tools for artists. Draw and the image swirls around like a magic paint brush. This kind of real time image creation with AI becomes a kind of video streaming. (Not in the sense that your work would be public) it’s what would allow you to change an image in real time via MJ. They don't have anyone on their team with expertise in streaming so if you are a rock star at coding video streaming and have the resume to show it please reach out to one of the MJ mods on Discord (not FB)

10. They are building web and mobile team but it’s lagging due to needing more staff.

11. Still trying to find a way to get free tiers for people without cash. Rating images in exchange for GPU.

12. There’s progress with in-painting and out-painting but it's still not working as well as they want it to.

13. You weren't imagining it. Relax mode gets slower the more you use it until eventually your images always go to the end of the line. This is why your images may show up faster during relax mode if you are prompting when less people are on.

They do this because otherwise the company would go bankrupt providing GPUs to the small percentage of the most active users that make upwards of 100,000 images per month and that are already costing them $1,000.00 a month even with gating relax mode.

14. Gate keeping specific text prompts is silly because they aren't going to be relevant a year from now. Use them and share them now because they will be obsolete this time next year.

[cafeinthemoon]

The Home I Crave - Chapter 14

Title: The Home I Crave

Genre: Fanfiction

Pairing: Tobirama Senju x reader

Rating: teen and up

Word count: 

Chapter: 14/?

Symbols: ⭕ | ➕ | 💛 | ▶️▶️

Read the previous chapters here: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13

Chapter 14 -  Flood

You didn’t think the sounds of the storm outside were so loud inside that room until you turned out the lights and laid down to sleep, but now you were afraid they wouldn’t let you rest. Ironic, you thought; you’ve been wishing for this moment to come since you arrived at the tea house, dirty, soaked and tired as can be, and now that you were ready to have your well deserved night of sleep your eyes were there, open wide, going from one side to another in the darkness, as you wondered how long that roof above you would stand against the violence of the rain. From time to time, a flash of light would invade the tiny space between those four walls, followed by a thunder that would shake them and the windows.

If they were your only problem, you would be good, however. But there was also the fact that you couldn’t even move on that mattress: right beside you, at your left and with his pillow above yours, Tobirama seemed to be in his deepest sleep; he was lying on his back and had his right arm folded and hand under his head, while the left one was upon his stomach, and you had your back turned on him, barely folding your legs to not invade his space. You knew that if he had at least one clean sheet left, he would spread it on the wood floor and would sleep on it, but all of your things were in need of a good wash, so he had to do the same as you and be content with the futon. Now you were using the sheet that you found with it, but it was far from being enough for you two, so you avoided sudden movements as you could.

After minutes without seeing the slightest sign of sleep approach you, your body started aching from keeping the same position for a long time and you were forced to move. You turned to him and passed your arms around yourself but startled when your face touched his side. You moved away immediately, but he didn’t show any reaction. With a sigh of relief, you closed your eyes and waited to see if your body would be finally conquered by tiredness.

***

A thunder exploded in your ears and you startled on your place, holding back a scream. You opened your eyes, now burning, and looked around, but found the same shadows in which the room was already involved; outside the inn, the storm followed its pace. Only after that you understood you fell asleep, but you weren’t sure if you’ve been like this for hours or just a few minutes.

Perhaps the second case was the right one, for you noticed that Tobirama didn’t move beside you – instead, you moved closer to him, so that you had your face resting on his side, almost upon his chest, while your pillow was abandoned under your back. His skin was warm, so you felt the change of temperature when you moved away and adjusted your pillow on its original place. You laid your head on it and folded your legs a little, just enough to hide your feet back under the sheet. This time, there was a reaction from his part: still with his arm folded under his head, he turned to your side, and now you had his other arm over your shoulder, obstructing part of your sight if you looked at your surroundings, and his chest before you. You didn’t even have the time to move away; now, with the weight of his arm upon you, you’d have to find a way to sleep like this until he decided to change his position again. Which you didn’t think it was going to happen so soon.

You swallowed. After minutes like this, with your eyes closed, you found out you were no longer unfamiliar to that situation as you first imagined. You sensed your skin warming up as his body heat reached you; your nostrils didn’t recognize the strong smell they sensed right after he left the bath tub as they got used to it; even your breath, calming down after the fright with the thunder, was adjusting to the rhythm of his own, controlled, regular as everything he did while awake. You would have released a sigh of annoyance if you had more space between you: you were physically and emotionally tired, so your body was supplying both necessities by relaxing in his embrace; there was nothing you could do about this, and you didn’t like to be left without options.

You started to imagine how it would feel like if Tobirama didn’t come after you and you were there all by yourself, arranging everything while worrying about the storm outside, wondering when it would finally stop and how you would find the roads after it the next morning. You had to admit that if you were there alone, you would take longer to reach the tea house, which meant that you’d spend at least some hours in the storm before finding it, and with the mud that would certainly fill the path ahead, the rest of your journey would be even slower. Yes, you could use your Doton to soothe its sinuosity, but how you would preserve your chakra until you found your compound? How would you serve your family if you came to them exhausted, unable to perform any jutsu and possibly hurt?

You tightened your lips with anger. Leaving Konoha the way you did was indeed stupid – nothing that would count in your favor, as a woman, an advisor and a shinobi. Was it your fault? Yes. Was it Tobirama’s fault? Yes. Could you find a different way to fix the situation? Of course, yes: you could look for the Hokage’s advice; you three could sit down and talk openly about the letter and the discomfort it was causing both in your personal and political environment. But was it possible to act this rational when your beloved ones were involved and your intelligence and position were seen with disdain by someone who worked doing exactly the same as you?

And now he was sleeping as if nothing happened, as he didn’t do in days, or at least it seemed to be. How could he, when you were there unable to do the same?

How was it fair?

- Am I smothering you?

Those words, said so close you, made you startle in the dark. So, he was awake. You must have moved abruptly without noticing and thus you woke him up, or the shifts in your mood were sensed by him thanks to his sensory talents. You whispered a “no” back to him, but didn’t move from your place or made any effort to turn that into a conversation. Tobirama didn’t say anything after that as well. Or at least not immediately.

- Are you worried about how we will cross the road after this storm? – he asked after a minute or two, and you started to think that he was really able to read minds.

You sighed.

- There aren’t many trees on this part of the territory that we could use to travel. We will have to walk for most of the time. But the conditions of the soil will delay us in at least an entire day – a ray of light crossed the room from side to side and your eyes turned to the window’s direction, over his shoulder – Using Doton to make things easier for us is an option, but it’s not the smartest thing to waste chakra like that.

- You are right – was his reply – We will have to spend some time looking for the less damaged spots of the road, which will demand additional energy from us. You should try and take some rest now.

You knew he was right. As far as you knew, that was going to be your only chance to sleep under a proper roof until you arrived at your clan’s compound. Still, you were unable to close your eyes or to stop the voice inside your head, babbling in a competition against the noises of the storm.

- As if I could just sleep whenever I want – you moved away from him; after he took his arm off your shoulder you sat on the futon and folded your knees – My head is about to explode, you know?

You sensed a pressure on the mattress the moment he leaned on his right elbow, turned on your side. You heard his voice behind you, lower, free of the demanding tone you were used to notice in it.

- I apologize for this, y/n-san.

You turned to him at the same time you heard that, not hiding your surprise. Tobirama was really admitting his part of the responsibility in the situation you were in? After all you’ve seen since you met him and the incident with the letter, you never thought you would see this man apologizing for something one day. But there he was, speaking about his mistake in that clean and simple manner of his when you least expected. Was there something else in this world that could make you gasp?

- I have a tendency to underestimate the subjectivity of things when I am given enough space – he continued with the same calmness as before – Most of the times, I have my brother to stop this. But that was not the case when we argued because of the letter. Let me tell you that the peaceful circumstances in which our people have been living depended on our unconditional compliance as shinobi. Nothing would stand for too long without proper attachment to the rules. My mistake was ignoring the fact that, as someone who came from a different place, you might not see things the same way, which resulted in this situation. And I am sorry for that.

You observed him for a while before replying. You agreed with him on this: his attachment to laws and rules blinded his judgment to the subjective aspects involved and resulted in an argument that put an entire alliance in risk, and your response to this wasn’t even better. But how could you act differently? You both were what you were, after all.

- We the ... clan know the importance of respecting the laws as much as you do – you commented – But if I’m being honest with you, there are people in my clan, and even among my relatives, that are far better than me in this.

Something in his way told you that what you just said awakened his curiosity. Perhaps there were still many things he needed – and wanted – to know about you and your people. So you just continued to talk.

- My sister, the one who is sick, is the best example of compliance and order I can remember right now. She is two years younger than me, but she has surpassed me in more aspects that I’d like to tell you. Since we were kids, she was always more passionate about our studies than I ever was. She learned all the family jutsu before me and is a better Captain than I will ever be. When it was established that I would be sent to Konoha, she was supposed to occupy my position as our father’s advisor, sometimes working as his bodyguard too. I was more adapted to the diplomatic work, but she could do both with little difficulty.

You turned to Tobirama and leaned your left hand on the futon, upon the spot where you lying. You took time looking at his figure in the shadows, sometimes alternated with the lights of the rays from outside reflecting on his gray hair, turning it white, and inside the sharp line of his eyes, lighting a fire with their redness. Your face was entirely in heat with what you said next.

- I cannot help thinking that our father should have sent her to Konoha, and not me. She should have sealed the treaty and married you instead of me. She’s younger than me, but I am sure she would have achieved our clans’ goal by now. And if she would ever faced a problem like that one with the letter, she would have found a better solution than this – you shook your hand and your eyes passed upon your surroundings with despise.

You were dominated by tiredness and laid back on your place, but that was not the end of the conversation.

- Our younger sisters adore her because she always had more time for them than I’ve ever had. I wonder how difficult things are being for them right now…

No longer worrying about what he could think and tired of your own judgment, you brought your hands to your face, covering it the moment your eyes started to burn, full of tears. You tried to hold back a sob, but failed: you turned on your side, towards your husband, and passed your arms around yourself to avoid the trembles.

It was when the unexpected happened. In the dark, you felt him pulling back the sheet and lying back on your side, his arm passing around you again, but this time he brought you closer to him. Maybe his embrace was too tight, but that was not something you would care, not in those circumstances; maybe it would bring you the relief you needed, when you were there warmed up by his skin’s heat, breathing against his chest, not holding back your tears.

Moments passed, and the burning in your eyes started to diminish, your breath was coming back to normal, not alternated with sobs, and your body was not shaken by shivers under the sheets. It was as if the knot formed in your throat just came undone and the sleep was coming back to you. Even in that tight hug, you felt free.

When you noticed it, you had your right leg between his, but there was no impulse to pull yours back from his reach. All you wanted was to stay that way until the morning found you sharing a space that wasn’t supposed to be divided for two. You opened your eyes and moved back, just enough to look up to his face, and despite not seeing anything in that dark, you knew he was looking down at you. Both your breaths became heavy, as if a pressure established itself around you two, approaching you before you could react, first your faces, then your lips.

When the kiss happened, a little voice inside your head screamed that you should not let things to be this way, that you should not let him get away with everything just by offering you comfort – which was nothing more than his duty – that you should sleep and be prepared to the difficulties of the next day... but your body found a way to shut it up.

Your hands passed around him, reaching his hair, bringing him close; you almost smiled in the kiss when you noticed it was softer than its aspect suggested, just like his skin, smooth under the cold matter of his armor. Your fingers pressed it, still not confident enough to use your nails, but you knew that the strength applied was going to leave marks anyway. His hands were working on you as much as yours were doing to him: at some point, one of them left its place around your waist and traced a path with its fingertips through your thigh until it found the edges of your gown. They slipped under it, moving the fabric away…

A sequence of desperate punches on the room’s door, coming from the outside, woke you up and you couldn’t hold back a scream, but it was suffocated by the sound of the storm that now seemed to fall with even more violence. So you fell asleep and had one of those quick dreams that came to us when we wander between the sleep and the consciousness.

However you didn’t have time to think of it: when you sat and looked around to understand what was going on, you saw Tobirama walking toward the door and opening it.

The person behind it was another guest of the inn, a man you saw at one of the tea house’s tables when you arrived. You were still sleepy and the variations of light caused by the lightning and the shimmering flame of a candle on his hand could deceive your perception, but the man looked pale, horrified.

You left the futon and wrapped your robe around yourself before going to the door. You only caught half of the conversation, but it was enough for you to see that the guest’s agitation was justified.

- ...We need to leave and go as far as possible! Otherwise, the flood will kill us all!

[clearancecreedwatersurvival]

Really? You really want to start this shit with me? You’re gonna pick a fight on my own fucking post about this?????

Luckily I already wrote an entire essay about how bogus this viewpoint is but I will sum it up quickly since you want to argue:

Adaptations change things. That is a necessary reality. These books are stupid long, so long that book fans have an entire chunk of this series that everyone refers to as The Slog. Slimming down the plot for the adaptation is a GOOD thing.

if you want something that is EXACTLY like the books just read them again! No one is stopping you! But if you’re just gonna be mad that anything at all has been changed then you’re an idiot.

Everything that is being changed so far keeps the core of the character arcs the same while focusing on all the main themes of the books. So far this season they have highlighted the tragedies inherent to channelers, the trauma of being cut off from the source, the horror of having their autonomy and control of the one power seized by someone else, and the tragedies of losing loved ones to time.

And many characters are being handled significantly Better than they were in the books. Min is a vast improvement, Liandrin is way more interesting, speeding up Mat’s healing and Perrin coming to terms with the wolf stuff is a great idea, and the introduction of Selene was fantastic.

Like I’m sooooo sorry they’re cutting all the unnecessary quibbling from Rand’s pov in books I and II but there actually are other characters that matter, and given that they’re adapting a 14 book 4 MILLON word series into only 8 seasons, yeah, they’re gonna have to establish the other power players in this massive geopolitical conflict a lot earlier on, it can’t be the Rand show all the time. Characters getting cut and combined with other characters is a necessary aspect of adaptation, film is an entirely different medium, the minutiae of the plot is also going to have to change to make the story work.

Is it a perfect adaptation? No. There were a lot of issues in the first season that mostly came from Amazon fucking them over and lowering their episode count from 10 to 8 necessitating rewrites to the Emond’s Field arc.

The books certainly aren’t perfect either though! They were written in the 90s, in order to make the story work for a modern audience stuff is going to have to change.

Try to judge the show on the execution of the version of the story it’s actually telling and not just ‘boohoo it’s not exactly the same as the books.’

They are making sure that every character still has all the important beats of their character arcs, and all the main themes of the novels are explored. That’s what matters.

If you’re so determined to hate it then die mad, I’ll keep having a great time watching the fucking amazing acting on the part of every actress involved in this project.

Every time someone asserts that this is a bad adaptation I’m like. Did they not see the first one. Did they not see the original adaptation in fucking 2015 that only made it to a pilot episode because it was so fucking bad. It was utterly unrecognizable and frankly insulting. The winter dragon pilot didn’t even have rand in it! It was 30 minutes of bullshit quarter-assing Lews Therin and Nothing Else.

THAT was a bad adaptation. THIS???? This is fucking GOLD in comparison to that travesty.

I have waited over a decade for a good wot adaptation!!! I will not accept this fucking slander!

Wot on prime is a GODDAMN GIFT everybody shut up and say thank you rafe for the food

[taurealuna]

astrology observations part 4🌼🌷✨

hello loves!! its been a long time since and i kinda miss being on the blog! once again please don’t feel pressured to take my observations as absolute facts and do cater your observations too if any 🧡

1. where virgo lies in your birth chart suggests the area that you may struggle to ‘perfect’ and feels the need to do things perfectly. due to the nature of virgo’s need for simplicity and ‘perfection’ in a way, they may feel that the area of the house is almost impossible to perfect, but they will still strive for it anyway. it is important to learn how to let go sometimes and allow things to flow on its own eg. virgo in the 4th may struggle with expressing their emotions, hyper-fixating on their relationship with their family members and their emotional side

2. on the virgo topic, a reason why virgos are perceived to be ‘perfectionists’ all the time despite that being an over-used stereotype is because virgos have a tendency to work in a linear manner, to balance out their sister sign pisces. however, the world does not always work in a linear fashion which throws virgos off, thus they feel the need to ‘perfect’ or straighten things out. 

3. the house in which the 10th house’s ruler lies in is important for finding out your public identity and ideal working environment as well. a leo midheaven with the sun in the 2nd as opposed to another with a sun in the 9th would differ greatly in the aforementioned ways. sun in the 2nd focuses more on the self identity through stable income, where sun in the 9th focuses more on self expansion and higher learning

4. having a cancer ascendant can tone down the sun & moon of a person greatly, especially if they have a fire sun/moon. the fire placements would still be a core placement to the person, however the cancer ascendant would shift the focus away to seeking a safe and stable relationship with others. 

5. capricorns are extremely emotionally intelligent, and more often than not they have a great intuition as well. they are known as the ‘sage’ after all~ on a side note, please stop undermining their emotional abilities and labeling them as ‘cold’. in fact, every sign has a cold and warm side, and it is important for everyone to express their emotional side. by stereotyping them as emotionally distant or cold is denying their human needs

6. gemini sun, especially females, have a tendency to control their friend groups and often want to have control over other’s thoughts and emotions. while this can be healthy when applied to the right group of people, it can turn obsessive and make them extremely insecure when they feel the slightest lack of control

7. in persona charts, the house of your sun in your ascendant chart can indicate how you present your ascendant naturally eg. libra ascendant with sun in the 3rd house in persona chart = you present your diplomatic and friendly side in an outgoing and verbal manner. you may enjoy chatting and learning more than others

8. you may struggle with being friends with the sign opposite of your 11th house. this is natural as you with opposite signs, you find that your friendship style and personality in a friendship group may differ from the personality of the other person eg. a scorpio in the 11th may struggle with being friends with a taurus sun. although this tension can be fixed, the friendships are often not long-lasting unless there are other placements in common

9. the house/ planet that sagittarius lies in also shows where we are (almost blindly) optimistic. although the house/planet may not always be lucky in that area, they often find little pockets of luck that makes these natives hopeful. more often than not, others may find it hard to understand why these natives often seem so optimistic. however, it is important for these natives to express their optimism and take that leap of faith to get what they want. eg. sagittarius mars =  optimistic attitude towards their passion. they may not always win/ get their way but they will find themselves being the most passionate when they are optimistic about their dreams and follow their instincts

10. earth signs in the 4th house may struggle to relate to their parents or family members. there could be times where these natives do not receive the emotional support they need from their family and feel as though they have to work towards it, even though it may not always be the truth. as a result, they could be more introverted and find comfort through their friends, their tv shows, the internet depending on where their moon and the ruler of the 4th house lies.

11. for people with north node in leo, one of the life lessons that these natives have to learn is to be ‘selfish’ and draw their own boundaries. they could have a tendency to allow others to take advantage of them/ take the attention away from them which brings down their confidence. thus, they have to learn how to assert themselves confidently and learn to accept healthy attention. 

11. sagittarius over the 3rd house may feel that they may offend others easily through their words/humor if aspected harshly or they have a cruder sense of humor. it is important to balance their thoughts with the emotions of others. despite this, such natives are known to be straightforward and enjoy discussions and conversations

12. scorpio placements often start out hopeful and innocent, however life has a tendency to show them the truth of betrayals and realities of life. because of this, they can develop a reclusive and guarded side that others often perceive as harsh and aggressive in some cases. they really want to find reliable people they can trust though

13. for those who believe in past lives, our chart placements and aspects can show how your past life was and how you can achieve your destiny in this lifetime. it is important to read the chart as a whole instead of one individual placement such as eg. sun in the 1st is often interpreted as a ‘positive’ placement that brings an individual confidence and charisma. however, if the individual has a aquarius north node in the 7th, they have to learn how to balance their ego needs with the emotions of others. they may have a tendency to demand excessive attention from their partners, which can be detrimental and prevent them from building healthy relationships. thus in this life, they would have to learn how to balance themself with others and respecting the boundaries of others. 

14. last but not least, it is crucial not to force yourself to change how you express your chart placements. your chart placements are natural indicators to your personality, and if you struggle with them it could be due to aspects and placements that makes you struggle with it. only by accepting and expressing yourself fully can you unlock your full potential in yourself. however this does not excuse toxic and bad behaviour that can arise from traumatic experiences or biased opinions

[chinaaesthetic]

Great Apps for Learning Mandarin Chinese

“...I saw your post about learning Chinese and wondered if you have any recommendations on apps for learning Mandarin that don’t suck?”

大家好！As requested, this is a master-post of apps that I think are good for learning Chinese (not in any particular order). Apps have ! beside them while teaching companies/HSK have * beside them.

You can refer to my post here about good Chinese translation apps too!

1. Duolingo !

This is the most common one. There are so many good things about this app:

- it’s free, shows your progress, easy-to-use, allows you to asks questions in a forum, provides pinyin and pronunciation, gives definition of the characters, and has great customer support. You can engage in Duolingo on their app or in a web browser.

It has quick and detailed lessons, and in my opinion, makes things easy to remember. I also believe they have a good system as well. They also send out reminders to your phone and email, and I especially love the motivating messages it gives you once you complete a lesson.

2. Drops !

This app is used by a lot of people wanting to learn Korean, but it also has a Mandarin option. It can be downloaded as an app on your phone, or it can be started in a web browser. It is free, but you can get more access with their premium option.

This app emphasizes learning the characters individually as well as their pronunciation and meaning. Instead of a Duolingo format, it has a matching-game format. I think it’s great if you’re super busy and need a quick practice!

3. Quizlet and Memrise *

Sites like quizlet and memrise can actually be very productive. It’s free and allows you to access people’s Chinese vocabulary/journey through their sets. Not only that, but it also helps you practice with little games and tests. Memrise also has a translation option! Just be careful, some sets may not be fully correct. (I thought about making some sets on these sites if you guys are interested).

4. HSK *

HSK is the Chinese proficiency test. If you are interested in going to college in China, most of them require an HSK score of at least 4. There is an HSK website which is generic teaching and supports HSK standards. There are also plenty of videos on YouTube that can teach you Chinese according to the HSK guidelines. This is the official HSK website that will help you learn.

Here is a list of websites that also offer HSK teaching as well as other services:

1

2

3

4

5. Coursera *

Coursera is a website that can help you learn many things other than languages like humanities or computer science. On this site, there are plenty of courses where you can enroll and be taught Chinese by Chinese teachers. These courses feature lectures, activities, interactive games, etc.

6. Chengtsui *

I love Chengtsui! Chengtsui is more of a program than an app. This company creates a community centered around Asian and Middle Eastern culture. They make very good textbooks that makes learning Chinese easy. They also release catalogs with Chinese traditions and mythology as well as famous Chinese celebrities like Jay Chou and Jeremy Lin. This is not free, however, if you do buy one of their textbooks, it is a great resource.

7. FluentU !

FluentU is similar to Duolingo and Drops. It has many languages you can choose from and creates an easy and immersive learning environment. They have cool videos that you can watch to help you learn Chinese as well as pictures, pinyin, pronunciation, and a translation feature. However, FluentU is not free after 14 days. Many people recommend this source though.

8. HelloChinese !

Hello Chinese is an app that has become increasingly popular. It is very colorful, playful, and immersive. It has speech recognition, fun games to play, and teaches you how to write Chinese characters. This is a great app if you’re a beginner.

9. LingoDeer !

LingoDeer is another app that has become increasingly popular. It is very similar to HelloChinese and Duolingo. It has over 10 million learners and has a rating of 4.8 out of 5. It is almost entirely free and offers a premium option (which is on sale sometimes).

10. Skritter !

Skritter is an app that teaches you Chinese by showing you how to write Chinese (or Japanese) characters. There are over 9,000 lists to study and practice writing from that helps you learn daily words. It’s very good for learning characters, and this app also includes a flashcard tool and handwriting recognition.

11. The Chairman’s Bao *

The Chairman’s Bao is actually a very interesting and helpful resource that will help you use your skills outside of a learning app. This website/app helps you learn Chinese by making you read news articles about the happenings in China. It has many different levels, so whether you’re just starting out or if you’ve been practicing for a few years, it’s a very good source! Another good thing about it is that it follows the HSK guidelines and standards. It is not free, but it allows you to pick certain plans that benefit you.

12. Ninchanese !

Ninchanese is an app that has more of a cute, game concept which makes learning very fun - the characters in this app come with a cute backstory (ft. cats). It is free, but it offers many premium options as well. One thing I like about this app is that it teaches about the aspects and traditions of Chinese culture too.

13. ChineseClass101 *

This is a website/app with Chinese teachers that teach you Mandarin through pictures, audio clips, and short videos. They have great study tools and also teach some cultural aspects, and you also get to have your own teacher! This website/app is paired with their YouTube channel, so you can also watch their more detailed videos. It is mostly free and offers some premium options.

14. Chinese Skill !

This app helps you learn in a cute and systematic way with an adorable panda character! It is free and is similar to apps like Ninchanese, Duolingo, HelloChinese, and LingoDeer.

15. Standard Mandarin *

This app/website really emphasizes learning the pinyin and tone, and you should know that tone while speaking Chinese is the most important thing. It is free, but it also offers some premium options. What I like about this is that it also helps you learn Chinese idioms (chengyyu)!

16. Zizzle

Zissle is similar to Skritter. This app helps you learn to write Chinese characters. It is has a free trial, and then students must buy a monthly subscription. What is good about this is that is corresponds to HSK levels.

17. ChinesePod !

ChinesePod is a website/app that has been around for 15 years. It is centered around video and podcast learning. It helps learners go at their own pace with self-teaching methods and provides an immersive environment by teaching the culture as well. This website/app also has a corresponding YouTube channel like ChineseClass101, and their plans also include flashcards, vocabulary lists, and grammar tips. They have several different plans you can choose from.

18. Pimsleur !

This is a very renowned app and has a lot of good reviews. It offers many languages to learn and guarantees fast learning.

Other great apps:

Daily Chinese - words and idioms: teaches you idioms, tracks your progress, gives you several topics to choose from

Chineasy - Learn Chinese easily: a cute graphic app with mini lessons, stoke orders, and pictures that show you how the characters were created

Du Chinese - Mandarin Study: good reading practice, short videos, emphasizes pronunciation

Trainchinese: dictionary, has several topics to choose from, audio recognition

Chinese stroke order: simple app that helps you write Chinese characters

Learn Mandarin- ed wonderland: colorful app, many topics and scenes to choose from, corresponds with HSK levels

Word Match - learn Mandarin: match the picture with the character, good for review, practice, and beginners

[kaypeace21]

I believe that byler is an endgame

but why would they spend 3 seasons winding up with mileven?

People REALLY need to pay attention to the shows the Duffers cited as huge inspirations to them. Cheers,dawsons creek, freak &geeks did exactly what the Duffers are doing (and the Duffers said these shows inspired them)

. Cheers for over 5 seasons built up the pairing of sam and Dianne- had them break up in the s5 finale and then in the last 2 eps of the 11th season have them get back together and once again break up explaining for the 100th time they were wrong for each other and brought out the worst in eachother . Cheers would build up multiple pairings (Frasier /Lilith (s4-11/broke up in s11) , sam/Dianne (s 1-11, broke up in s11 permanently) , rebecca /sam (s8-10) Rebecca/robin (s8-9) -these pairings lasted for multiple seasons and they all broke up! They built pairings up for multiple seasons but showed throughout the show why those pairing in cheers could never work out in the long term. The same Thing happened with almost every pairing in Dawson’s creek (they’d build up multiple pairings up -sometimes for multiple seasons- sprinkle in good but also dysfunctional aspects of those relationships- and then break them apart for good ).

Also in Dawson’s creek 2 characters (a rich girl and poor guy with daddy issues) date and breakup- but both of their gay brothers get together and are endgame instead of them (cough jancy vs byler). One of the gay guys (the rich one with the book smart sis) even dated the main girl (Joey) for a while before admitting he was gay and that he was in denial (while dating the main girl for more than a season ). In D.C even the main guy(Dawson) / girl (Joey) don’t end up being endgame (despite teasing it for all 5 seasons) . They did this with a lot of couples in the show. Honestly, the Duffers pretty much borrowed this idea of showing pairings with issues and breaking them up -but toned down how long they’d bait them . Like 11seasons of showing dysfunctional couples date -ick. And Dawson’s creek ... my god it had a literal love octogon/ love webs (so many love squares/pentagons/ and on and off relationships). The 1 adult couple broke up and I’m not exaggeration 4 times, and Dawson got back with 2 of his girlfriends like so many times. And ugh I’d say each (of the 4-5) main characters dated at least 4 people -and each of those relationships lasted for like 20+ eps each... and then after all that build up -break up ). That’s not even including the people the main 5 or so characters would date for like 5-6 eps . Thank god it was toned down compared to Dawson’s creek or cheers. i can’t imagine the frustration watching those shows during its airing 😂

Freaks & geeks (set in the 80s)was also inspo.14 y old Sam who is bullied and called “homo” “queer” etc throughout the whole series - he also obsesses over a cheerleader girl for the whole series and in the second to last ep of the series- they finally start dating  and he realizes they have nothing in common and says “it’s boring. all we ever do is makeout.She likes nothing i like. We can’t talk to eachother. We never have fun.” And he admits he only keeps dating her cause everyone would call him “crazy” to not date her. sam and her are also said to be “from different planets” and “different species”  just like mileven in s3 lol.  The gf of  sam also says before they dated she saw him ‘like a sister’ (like El asking mike if he’d be her brother in s1, before they date). And after this sibling comment various characters -encouraged the couple and said they would be good together (before they dated-like what we’ve seen in st with mileven and other ships ).Sam eventually decides to not cave to peer pressure- and breaks up with her. Meanwhile sam’s sis (is a straight A student, who is initially into a popular guy and starts hanging with the cool kids).  After getting over the first (popular) guy, she later dates another guy- a music-obsessed-stoner-guy  with a cruddy dad...and she breaks up with him (like jancy?). That couple was even called ‘romeo & juliet’ before they broke up-similar to mileven being called “romeo & juliet’ before their breakup. plus r&j were never in love... just like mileven.

All 3 shows had the main guy/girl date but not end up with eachother in the end . And both shows -would build up several pairings that looked like endgame but would show faults in those relationships and would have them breakup (because those pairings were never that healthy together). Which I believe is what they’re doing with jancy, jopper, mileven and lumax (explained in my analysis here all the evidence for why I don’t think they don’t end up together). I mean there’s many reasons I listed in the analysis but you think it’s a coincidence - jancy, lumax, mileven , and Steve/rando girl who rejected him in s3-all incorportated spying on their love interest ? you think the duffers think that’s good to have all these romantic pairings spy on eachother? When in the show they canonically have the us gov (villains) spy via phone taps, and hidden recorders, and cameras? Brenner used El as a spy for his own gain ? they even call the mf a ‘spy’ (which the characters perceive as the  main villain)... i don’t think the mf is  actually villainous but that’s off topic).The point is narratively equating spying as something ‘wrong’ by characters our main cast of heroes is against. But having that same cast of heroes partaking in spying themselves … specifically on to their romantic partners- and not also showing it as a negative. But romanticizing it? Would be quite hypocritical. And a HUGE narrative oversight.

Also build up?

S1- mileven kiss right after el asks if he’ll be her “friend” or “brother”. Has others compare el to mike’s sibling /cousin. Hint Will is gay . Have hints mike is queer too/ and cares deeply about Will. Constantly mention how el physically resembles Will/a boy. Parallel mileven to ted/Karen who were “never in love”. Have Nancy and mike verbally compare the jancy/stancy love triangle to mileven/byler . And at the end of the season mike writes a story for Will that likens the 2 to han/leia. Flo says about jancy/Jon “ only love makes you that crazy and that damn stupid”. (Which flo wasn’t entirely right about since jon punched Steve for insulting his family- for Jon it was familial love -not romantic love. But put a pin in that phrase)

S2- was pretty much byler season (and mileven barely interact that season). Byler say they’d go “crazy together”. But el’s new catchphrase is she’s “not stupid.” They Compare mileven to luke/leia (siblings that kissed) . Ref ghostbusters and parallel byler to the romantic pairing of Dana /venkman (but have el just be a ghost and mike a ghost buster which isn’t romantic but the opposite) .parallel mileven to hopper/el. Have el spy on mike, el hurt a stranger cause of unhealthy jealousy, have mileven dance to a song about a possessive spying/Stalking ex gf . Throw in mileven burns like “they’re not in love they’re not even from the same planet.” (El being et ref) . Have mike say annoyed “a bond ?! (Scoff) cause you shared nougat?! “ (egos like s1 ) “. Mike saying after knowing max for a week “hate you? I don’t even know you?” (He knew el for a week too so no way he loves her -cause he doesn’t know el , just like max ) . mike even criticizes his friends’ instant attraction to max saying “you haven’t even spoken a word to her.”Dustin saying “ I don’t have to . I mean -look at her.” Which makes it even more suspicious that mike was into a girl who multiple characters said looked like a boy (specifically Will) in s1. Have El watch a soap opera (all my children) and mimic the scene of  erica kane and her love interest michael. Which in the soap opera-isn’t endgame, and ended with some stalking after their breakup.

S3- mileven is finally dating : multiple characters (lucas, Will, Hopper, dustin,Max, etc) in the show dislike and verbally complain about them together . In cheers all of sam’s friends hated him dating Dianne and would vocally complain about it (similar to joyce they even clapped/cheered after 1 of their many breakups) . Mike is horrified by the spying(that mileven fans romanticized in s2) , el is happier single and neither is heartbroken over the breakup. They date for 2 eps and then breakup . Mileven being together inhibits El’s character arc from s2 (aka she went from wanting to explore the world and leave the cabin in s2 to see her friends, to ignoring her friends and cutting herself off from the world in order to stay in the cabin all day to make out with mike for 6 months - she would literally lie to her friends about curfew to return to the cabin and kiss mike -going against her ‘friends don’t lie’ mantra from the past 2 seasons too ). Mike canonically doesn’t trust her / doesn’t believe in her ability to make decisions and lies to her and never apologizes for lying. And el doesn’t apologize for spying . They throw in more gay hints of mike & Will. Mileven is called “bullshit” like s2 stancy . And Both pairings in the show kissed a bunch and said “I love you” (but they weren’t endgame). They also contrast s3 mileven scenes to s2 byler scenes and have byler win out. And once again parallel mileven to hopper/el and Karen/ted. As well as paralleling and likening Mileven to stancy in numerous other ways (besides the “bullshit “ line) . They also parallel mileven to stobin (both are straight baits) .They parallel the stobin confession to the mileven one -both confessions have them sitting on the floor, both girls have bandages on their legs, and both confessions are interrupted by dustin. Also both Steve/mike use the terms “crazy & stupid ” to confess to robin/el. But unlike Will who agrees to be “crazy “ with mike .El confused , asks “ what makes you crazy?” And robin says she didn’t have a crush on his “stupid hair”. el even says in reference to mike “there’s more to life than stupid boys.” Showing how el/robin don’t have romantic feelings for the boys-like the flo phrase of s1. Unlike Will who after fighting with mike calls himself “stupid” over and over and rips up the photo of him and mike where they promised to go “crazy together.” Even Steve says in s2 stancy should should “pretend to be stupid teenagers” in love. Emphasis on “pretend”. And when el says she loves mike “the first I love you” plays -the only other time that song plays in s3 is when robin rejects Steve (cause she’s gay.) cough cause mike is gay too.

There’s a lot more in each season (that illustrates mileven was built up -but not as a positive couple but a problematic one that was never was in love to begin with ). But I’m trying to keep this short . You can read this post here where I go in more depth about all of this .

S1-2 builds up the problematic ships (but showed good and bad aspects of their dynamic) . like the spying of jancy, lumax, and mileven or the jealousy. of Hopper in s2. In the s2 finalie they have them kiss or hug/exchange romantic glances. And in S3 we see the after math of this with all the couples officially dating - and they show all the couples issues at the forefront . I already talked about mileven. But, Lumax broke up 6 times (they dated for 6 months- and every month they dated max dumped him ). Jancy fight in the opening of ep 1 and don’t understand each others issues (sexism/poverty-and Jon’s issues with his dad) . And neither supports the other in their passions of journalism & photography.Nancy is also called “nancy drew” who in 1986 (year of s4) before going to college dumps her long term highschool bf (who helped her in many of her past mysteries/novels ). Their relationship was also shown as complex and somewhat dysfunctional because of both parties -before nancy drew dumps him. And (even if not dating like the other pairings) jopper almost go on a date in s3. Joyce was trying to hide the fact she was moving, Hopper was horribly jealous, and all they did was yell and argue.Murray says to joyce regarding hopper “he’s a brute... probably reminds you of a bad relationship” (aka lonnie/Joyce) . They even have Joyce watch a cheers ep- which directly compares jopper to (dianne/Frasier) who weren’t endgame in cheers but a rebound .  Hopper /fraiser both drink chianti . Fraiser asks dianne to marry him/Hopper asks Joyce on a date-both women stand them up. Or when Joyce asks Hopper out she calls her self ‘detective byers ‘and Hopper name drops miami vice. Which had an on and off again relationship for several seasons- of the male /female detectives.The relationship faded out as Gina realized they mainly got together when one or both needed someone. Crockett was very protective of Gina, and had some jealousy when Gina was involved in relationships , but was the first one to be there for her when things went wrong. And they realized it was better to not be together romantically. Heck seems like all these couples have negative film/tv parallels... lucas in s2 mentions not liking winston in ghost busters cause he came ‘super late’ (like Max). in s1 disses michael myers (which Max dressed as). And at the end of s3- lumax dress identically to eric/donna from a ep of that 70s shows (in the ep  eric/donna were broken up).

 (s3 was marketed as the “summer of love” and “summer love” is a euphemism for flings that don’t last.) s4-5 Will probably show good healthy ships/break up the problematic ones from past seasons .

So first 2 seasons focus on the unhealthy ships / and the last 2 seasons focus on healthy ships. S3 the middle season would be considered the turning point -and why none of the popular ships (assumed to be endgame) came off looking that great (compared to how they were presented in s1-2) .

[adventuresindolls]

May Photo Challenge!!

Our next photo challenge, #Daisies and Daffodolls, will begin on May 1st! It’s a creative, for fun, non-competitive daily challenge for you to share pictures of your doll(s). There will be a new prompt each day, listed below to give you a month to prepare, and you can participate in as many or as few days as you’re interested in. There is no judgement whatsoever, so please share regardless of how complex your props are, and don’t worry about posting a prompt late.

First of all, thank you so much to @desertdollranch��� for helping with the prompts, especially those surrounding AG birthdays and holidays, and for getting this whole photo challenge thing started back in September! And a huge thank you to @lesbianelizabethcole​ for designing all 5 banners!

The ground rules are the same as in October and December, but I’ll reiterate them for anyone that might be new. Tag all of your prompt posts with #daisies and daffodolls - all three words, complete with spaces. This will allow us to better find and share each other’s posts. You can organize your own posts however you want, but I recommend including the day’s prompt somewhere for context. Also feel free to post on other social medias if you want.

This is not a competition, and there are no prizes, but it should be a lot of fun. Feel free to use any size and brand of doll that you have! American Girl is very popular on doll tumblr, but all other types are welcome as well, including both established (historical or modern) characters and OCs. This could range from 18-inch dolls to Barbies to handmade dolls or porcelain dolls or even paper dolls.

I’ll reblog this post weekly until the beginning of May, and then begin each week of May with the prompt list for that week. Please find a list of all prompts below the cut.

5/1: The first day of each photo challenge is traditionally for seasonal fashion. Does your doll have a favorite spring outfit? Is it cool and light, or are they still bundled in a sweater for the chilly mornings?

5/2: Spring is all about new beginnings. Is your doll learning a new skill or trying a new activity this spring? Or maybe they just met a new person who became important in their life?

5/3: Today is National Textiles Day. Kirsten’s friends gave her a quilt they made after she missed school to help her family. Does your doll have any clothes or other items that are handmade? If not, do they make any textile items themselves? This could be something sewn, knitted, crocheted, or quilted.

5/4: May the 4th be with you! Does your doll like Star Wars? Who is their favorite character? What about other stories? Pick a hero from any movie, show, or book that your doll loves and have them act out a scene as that character.

5/5: Friends are forever. Who are your doll’s closest friends and what do they do together? Maybe they like to play board games or go to the mall or play pretend. Or maybe your doll is planning something special for their friend.

5/6: As the weather gets warmer, it’s the perfect time to head outside. Does your doll play sports, or do they prefer casual games with their friends? Maybe they like picnics or quiet hikes through the woods.

5/7: Happy birthday, Maryellen! Maryellen often feels overlooked in her large family, and she works hard to stand out and show her unique personality. What makes your doll special and unique?

5/8: It’s career day! What does your doll want to do when they grow up? Show them dressed up for and/or acting out their dream job.

5/9: Happy Mother’s Day! Addy and her mother escaped to freedom together, Caroline’s mother ran a shipyard, and Kirsten’s mother encouraged her not to lose heart. Does your doll have a special bond with their mother? How do they celebrate Mother’s Day? If they don’t have a mother or don’t have a good relationship with her, consider today a free space to show us something you really want to but that isn’t included in these prompts.

5/10:  Bugs are everywhere! We might avoid some of them, but others are welcomed. Lightning bugs, ladybugs, bumble bees, and dragonflies are a few happy spring bugs. Show your doll doing something bug-themed. They might take a net out to catch bugs or draw a picture of a bug or hold a ladybug they found. Be creative!

5/11: Parties are always fun! Is your doll going to any birthday parties or sleepovers this spring? Maybe they’re attending a wedding or some other celebration? What are their favorite party activities?

5/12:  Spring weather can be a relief after the cold and darkness of winter. What is the weather like where your doll is? Foggy? Rainy? Bright and sunny? Show your doll interacting with their local spring weather.

5/13: Everyone needs mentors and heroes. Who does your doll look up to? What have they learned from them or how do they honor them?

5/14: It’s the last day of the school year. What’s your doll’s favorite extracurricular activity or aspect of school that they’ll miss until next fall?

5/15: Happy birthday, Luciana! Luciana loves learning about space and wants to be an astronaut and go to Mars one day. Getting to space involves studying many different things, particularly various fields of science. Show your doll doing something related to space or science.

5/16: Today is National Do Something Nice for your Neighbor Day. What does your doll do that helps others or makes the world a better place?

5/17: Let’s try something different today! If your (OC or non-AG) doll had their own American Girl-style book series, what would be the central theme? What sort of things would happen to them? Show us at least one scene from this hypothetical series.

5/18: Beaches and swimming are iconic activities as the weather gets warmer and people have more free time. Rebecca and her family went to Coney Island for a picnic. Does your doll enjoy picnics, sunbathing, or sandcastles on the beach? Maybe they like to swim for exercise or hang out at the pool with friends? (I do not recommend putting your doll in a public chlorine pool)

5/19: Happy Birthday, Kit! Growing up seeing the effects of the Great Depression on people around her, Kit is determined to report on important things happening to real people. How does your doll relate to current events? Are they involved in activism or spreading awareness? Is there an important social issue that affects them personally or that they feel is very important? Or is there something good happening in the world that they like to think about?

5/20: Spring is a great time for tea parties. What’s in your doll’s teacup? Maybe they’re drinking a fancy tea, or maybe they prefer a refreshing glass of juice.

5/21: Spring is full of baby animals. Show your doll interacting with some sort of baby animal. (Safely! Please don’t grab a real squirrel or bunny!)

5/22: In December we celebrated Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day. I’d like to reprise that, but with a twist: this time, we’re headed into the future! The amount of time and what your doll finds in the future is completely up to you. What do they do while there?

5/23: Cakes and pies and ice cream, oh my! What is your doll’s favorite dessert?

5/24: There may be fewer holidays in spring than in December, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to celebrate! Does your doll celebrate Passover or Easter? Or maybe they prefer a more obscure spring holiday to liven things up? Show them participating in whatever celebration you like.

5/25: Yellow is the color of flowers and sunny days and ducklings. Show your doll wearing or using something yellow.

5/26: Happy birthday, Samantha! After her birthday party, Samantha hears Aunt Cornelia speak at a suffragette meeting in New York City. What is a cause that is important to your doll? Show them with a sign supporting or protesting something close to their heart. As an added challenge, use a cause unrelated to the current events prompt.

5/27: It’s summer vacation! What are some of your doll’s favorite activities now that they’re free from school? Alternatively, what are some of their favorite hobbies to do anytime?

5/28: Happy birthday, Cecile! For her birthday, Cecile’s brother Armand gave her a beautiful porcelain doll that looked like her. Does your doll have a favorite doll or toy?

5/29: Late spring and early summer is a great time to go on a road trip or vacation. Where is your doll traveling to, and what are they doing there? Or maybe their family chose a staycation this year - what new fun new things are they discovering close to home?

5/30: Today is National Water a Flower Day. Show your doll interacting with flowers or other plants.

5/31: What is your doll planning for this fall? What are they looking forward to when school starts again? Is a big change approaching as the seasons and leaves turn? What does the future hold for them?

[vancilocs]

Can i get a uu plains and vesper?

writing on phone bc cant be arsed to get the laptop

1. How does your OC feel about their full name?

It's very. Plain. *wheeze* but no it's just him, he is plains, nothing special to it

They like their first name, picked it themselves hundreds of years ago to strengthen their own identity

2. What do strangers notice about them first?

Big boy no matter the form, humanoid form also has the fur shawl so that's an eyecatcher

Tall, fairly striking with the red eyes and white skin, facial tattoos

3. How does their social personality differ from how they act when they’re alone?

He's quiet in general but alone even more so and more focused on naps and berries (especially if there's not a Forest to pummel)

They're quite outgoing and witty and sarcastic in company, and active even when alone, doesn't sit still much

4. How do they act around a crush?

Fairly normally, is just more attentive and more physically affectionate

Gets closer, laughs louder, more physical contact like punching them in the arm

5. Do they have a “tell” for when they’re lying?

Ears go flat. Never lies though

No, they don't lie much but when they do they do so with a completely straight face

6. What do they smell like?

Grass, leaves, petrichor, fresh air, soil, some flowers

Lovely scented deodorant, sweat, laundry stuff they wash their clothes with

7. What is their hair texture like?

Softer than the bear fur, but still on the rougher side

Silken smooth

8. How much jewelry do they wear, and do they have a favorite or distinguishing piece?

Doesn't wear jewelry apart from the occasional flower

Doesn't really wear jewelry, kept Orion's engagement ring for a while but ended up selling it

9. Do they have a word or phrase that they tend to overuse?

MOM

Swears like a sailor

10. What is a weird quality that they have (ie their hands are always cold, they’re always hungry, they snort when they laugh, etc)?

Sleeping for 4-5 months a year is one thing, leaves claw marks on trees sometimes just for fun and to show where he was

Cannot sit straight, always lifting legs on table, sitting on counters, sprawled over couches and people, manspreads

11. What color do they look strikingly good in?

I think brown and green are his colours. Some yellow could be nice

Any colour tbh but red would compliment their eyes

12. How do they show affection to someone they love?

Cuddles and other affectionate touch, scratches their back, makes some flowers, brings snacks, chats.

Throws self on them basically, kisses, lighthearted teasing, asking about day, bites if you're not careful

13. Do they make strong/frequent eye contact when they talk to someone?

Not strong, but occasional

Very strong and intimidating

14. What attributes do they have that are inherited from their parents or shared with their siblings/other relatives?

Well his mom is Earth, so nature and godly powers are very strong in him. But also being lovable and kind and good-natured are things she gave him and his brothers. Plains is especially calm and tranquil (lazy) of the three.

Both their parents made them extremely stubborn, competetive and honestly kinda toxic, has affected their relationships a Lot. Always has to "win" any argument. Has worked for a long time to get better and while they still are fairly confrontational can actually admit that they're wrong/this shouldn't even be an argument because both are right

15. Are their greatest flaw and their greatest strength related and in what way? (ie very caring and helpful but a doormat, or very observant and shrewd but often paranoid)

His weakness is being passive and lazy but it doesn't hurt him or nature, everyone thrives

Good at reading people, good at jumping to conclusions and needlessly poking at weak spots.

16. How has their childhood affected the way they view an aspect of their life (people, education, society, themselves, etc)

His childhood is hard to compare to regular ones, if anything it makes it so people who disrespect or don't understand nature make him sad

Don't trust anyone, don't trust institutions, nobody has your best interests in mind and aim to use you for their own gain

[romanceboys]

(interview) w korea september issue 2020 — reptile

1. i was surprised to learn that this is your 13th year since debut. within a company, the years almost reflect the experience of a vice department head. that’s right. though there are things i’m seeing for the first time at this point, i think there’s a lot that has remained the same. shall i tell you something funny? early in the year, i transformed into my debut appearance from when i was 16 with a bowl haircut and had my picture taken. i put it up on instagram and as i watched my fans briefly mistake it for an old picture, i thought to myself ‘well at least my face hasn’t aged much yet.’ haha. 2. today, i get to meet one of the personalities i’ve been very curious about personally. how should i put it, you seem like a person who possesses a perfect narrative. oh my, thank you. 3. maturing steadily after debuting with shinee in middle school, you broke away from your image as the group’s youngest and instead donned the clothes of a solo musician. all 5 of your solo albums have been recorded as hits. now you are a member of superm that has gone global. even a narrative within a coming-of-age novel could not be as sturdy as this.  when i look back on my life, i find it quite fascinating. i entered the company at the age of 13, and this year i turned 28. i’ve lived half of my life as a singer, i realise this when i think ‘i’ve run along the same path for a long time’. i think... i’ve been very greedy. it was through this greed that i was able to debut in a team called shinee, and consequently receive solo plans. once, producer lee sooman told me to bring him a recording of any pop song. wondering ‘what’s going on?’ i prepared for it and submitted, and soon after my solo album was released. thinking back, it must’ve been a test. i felt a sense of accomplishment in these things. that too very deeply, of course luck was on my side too. 4. a methodical company like sm couldn’t have proposed a solo career so lightly. there were a couple of tell-tale signs as far as i could tell. my singing parts were little during debut. after all taemin had the image of the one in charge of dancing. then my parts started to increase gradually, this could’ve been one of the signs. back in the day i used to stay back in the practice room till dawn. the employees working late would see me and the word probably went around. they must have felt sorry for me. a skinny boy practising by himself till dawn (laughs). 5. were you the type to stay back later than the rest in the practice room? i would go to the practice room as soon as we wrapped up our schedule. i’d practice till sunrise then return to the dorm and prepare for the next schedule immediately, i spent a long time doing this. 6. it was at the time of ‘sherlock’ in 2012 that your stage presence started to shine in shinee’s stages. thereafter, it seemed that you enjoyed your time on stage thoroughly. when did you begin to realise that only you were in command of your own stage? there were a couple of times... sherlock was one of them. sherlock was an album that came out when i was 20, right after becoming an adult, it was then my attitude towards performance changed. in those days i challenged myself to ‘not to do what was expected/fixed.’ usually our gestures at certain sections of the song are fixed beforehand, from sherlock onwards however i tried my hand at different things without reserve. it was my way of approaching the audience with sincerity, and my way of improving in the future. back then i would notice variations (in my performance) everyday when i monitored myself. 7. frankly, isn’t it difficult for someone to have made such a prominent leap? i think it might have been because of the long hiatus before sherlock. i was able to prepare well so my growth was likely more obvious when i stood on stage after a long time. how should i put it, my members were very stimulating for me. since the hyungs aren’t ordinary people (laughs). this is something i’m confident about, even if you say that most of the shinee members are main vocalists, none of us is inferior to the other, everyone is so talented. with these thoughts verbatim ‘i must survive in here,’ ‘i need to finish what i started,’ i practiced. i couldn’t not have made the leap with such stimulation and not to mention my greedy nature (laughs). spending time together with the members made me realise that we started to resemble each other in some aspects, thanks to them i was able to broaden my perspective and become aware of my undiscovered talents. 8. the prologue single ‘2 kids’ of your third album ‘never gonna dance again’ released in august. as i was listening to the song, i suddenly became curious about the lyricist and looked them up. my impression was that the language of the lyrics was raw and honest. the lyricist turned out to be you. my intention was to include everyday, colloquial speech. i’ve written poetic and abstract lyrics before, but while working on ‘2 kids’ i wanted the listeners to easily grasp the emotions at once. since i’ve released many songs like ‘danger’ with vivid concepts and sensual performances, i expected there to be some distance between me and the public. i found that i shouldn’t stray too far. in any case, i’m a pop singer. i thought to myself let’s meet the public halfway, and the result was the lyrics for ‘2 kids.’ it’s the brightest of all my title tracks (laughs). 9. i find two interesting points here. first, you are completely aware of your identity as a pop singer, second, to do that you work hard to keep close to the public. of course there are times when it doesn’t work out (laughs). for instance, when we’re deciding on the title track for a shinee album, my opinions always diverge from the members’. after listening to our fourth album title track ‘view,’ i said ‘no way, it can never be this!’ (laughs). what i’m after is, how shall i put it... there is a side to me that wants to experience things profoundly. for example, if i were to express love, instead of depicting it one-dimensionally, i’d prefer to do it maniacally. i like taking it one step further to appear twisted.  10. that’s amusing. it’s probably because i’ve seen your easy-going appearance on tv a lot, i would have never guessed for you to approach things ‘deeply’. profound people tend to be like that. ‘multi’ people are able to do several things at once, i can’t do that. i have to dig into things deeply at a time. that’s why when my members and i receive the same schedule notice, i’m the only one who always forgets it (laughs). 11. oho, this makes me curious about your taste in pop culture.  i really like the british drama <black mirror>. i get hooked on the unusual. like mind-boggling things? i used to watch movies that weren’t popular because such movies are less likely to repeat contents that have already been consumed. but then i slowly began to enjoy light films as well. these days i leave a movie running in the background while i do other things. back when i would look for an independent film or thriller of my liking, i’d get extremely exhausted after watching it. they require so much focus that they sap my energy. 12. we were talking about lyrics but somehow ended up here (laughs). if you were given the opportunity to write lyrics again, what kind of story do you want the lyrics to convey? i like philosophical lyrics. for instance, a song called ‘soldier’ from my solo album deals with religious content, it varies from time to time of course but well if i were to write again... i think about this a lot these days. i want to change myself, i want to shake off my image uptil now and be reborn again. 13. why is that? i want a colour that is more concentrated and unique. as if i'm debuting again, i want to show something completely new that i had not before. 14. but aren’t your comebacks always novel? a musician like you who does diverse and experimental concepts is rare. is that so? sure the concepts are always new but... these days i think about how i want to change myself as a person from the very inside. instead of putting a facade on display, i have a thirst for wanting to show a more humane, genuine appearance. all humans experience moments of weakness and dysfunction. i think these moments definitely hold some beauty in them. the moment a person breaks down. it’s the only way one can get up and overcome difficulties again, i believe showing these sides of me, all of me, unabashedly is a path i need to walk as an artist now. 15. honestly, i’m excited for your third album because i heard this album reflects your ideas the most. what aspects of the production were different this time? firstly, i personally cast and liaised with the music video director. i thought it was important to work with the director one-on-one by keeping mediators to a minimum. through several meetings we mulled over every single thing like concept, outfit, hair and makeup. i offered my opinions too: ‘because i’m thinking of leaving a connecting link in the prologue, since there are two albums that would release following ‘2 kids,’ i want to drop certain keywords in the music video.’ fans usually call this a ‘bait’ (laughs). 16. the choreography stood out the most in the ‘2 kids’ music video. you weren’t simply moving to the rhythm, rather weren’t you moving your body guided by emotions? actually there were barely any plans to include dancing scenes. but i thought you never know so i quickly prepared a choreography the day before i left for paris. initially, i had a ‘dramatised’ (borrowing elements from drama) choreography in mind, but the director was expecting something modern. in the end, we expressed it well with a choreography that the director and i came up with after finding the perfect common ground. 17. personally i think a dramatised choreography would have been quite alright because ‘2 kids’ is a universal love song. i told the director i wanted to look miserable and pathetic through and through, like falling into a bottomless pit, wrecked, to be found waking up in the middle of the street, that would do too. why did i want to be that wrecked? i don’t know. there’s just a lot that exists within me. and i might have wanted to express that.... 18. with your first solo mini album <ace> you proved your grit as a solo musician to the public, and i believe your second album <move> reified your colour. i think taemin is a musician who doesn’t need to prove himself anymore. having reached this status, you’re releasing your next album <never gonna dance again>. did you ever think that this album could be it? rather, i hope that this album can be my ‘turning point.’ just as how it was during sherlock, i hope this time it changes my identity completely, as an individual and as a performer. people might like this album or find it mediocre, but i try not to care about these things now. 19. were you the type to stress over feedback? yes. because there are many people who are uncomfortable with change. but then i realised we’d never be able to free ourselves from within if we continued to be tied down. so now i’m trying to notice these things less. 20. have you ever had this thought? that looking back, the experimental has always revolved around you. as i said before, i think there is a lot of something within me (laughs). people have recognized that, there’s a lot i want to do. there is a greed for wanting to be different from others. it’s not that i want to ‘appear’ different but truly be different. 21. do you think there is an aspect of you that others can’t follow? i can’t seem to figure it out. i’m looking for it. however, my satisfaction level with myself tends to be low. and it’s something that has been guiding me till now. 22. what helps you recharge the most? i like lower-body bathing so much (laughs). as soon as i get into the bath, i automatically end up going ‘euu’ ‘aah.’ i soak my body completely, light up a scented candle, then let my body warm up like this. 23. while watching your vlog-like youtube content taem-log, i wondered ‘does he have an affinity for household goods?’ since the camera often captured your surroundings, i noticed pretty glasses and a colourful coffee machine adorning your cupboard. not at all. my mother did all of that (laughs). she’d say ‘this would suit taemin~’ then set it up prettily for display on the shelves. sometimes i do think i’d like to furnish my house with antiques if i were to move in the future. this is a bit funny but i find the houses in old horror movies so pretty. 24. i saw a bottle of moët & chandon in your refrigerator, is champagne your regular choice of alcohol? i rarely drink. i usually receive gifted alcohol quite a lot, it all goes to my father (laughs). my mother brought the moët & chandon and left it in there. i asked her to leave a pretty bottle in there at least for decoration purposes, so she probably brought it just for that? (laughs). 25. what kind of a person is 28-year-old taemin? i sort of want to set things ablaze. i want to put up a spectacular finale of the opening act. 26. how do you want to be remembered as a musician? as a great person. i say this knowing it sounds a bit grandiose but it’s my mission.  27. i can see it. the bigger you become the larger the impact you can have on society. i will become that person. so that many people can hear the message i want to convey.

translated by romanceboys — take out with full credit (source)

[jacaranda-bloom]

FIC WRITER QUESTIONS

Thank you to the lovely @allwaswell16 @runaway-train-works @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed @uhoh-but-yeah-alright and @evilovesyou for tagging me to answer some questions about my writing.

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

47

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

901,445 (Hoping to hit the Magic Million by the end of the year!)

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

1 (One Direction)

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

When Tomorrow Comes 1155

The Baby Whisperer 950

Love, Ever After 898

Harry Poppins 856

Play Me A Memory 760

More under the cut…

5) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oh gosh. Uhm. I don’t really write angsty endings? All my fics have Happy Endings and most have epilogues to round them out and tie them up in a bow. Perhaps I’d say If You’re Out There (I’ll Find You Somehow) purely because (spoiler ahead) the epilogue is written 100 years into the future so they’ve both passed.

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Interestingly, I would actually say the answer is the same as above, If You’re Out There (I’ll Find You Somehow). The epilogue is so uplifting and I cry happy tears every time I re-read it. It’s written from the POV of their granddaughter and you get to see the world they had a hand in changing for the better through her eyes, so you get a sense of how impactful their lives were on the rest of society. Oof, tearing up right now just thinking about it.

7) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

Yeah, I have actually. I really enjoy doing new takes on an existing universes, although they aren’t always the easiest thing to pull off tbh. I’m not sure which I would say is the craziest, but the hardest to write was definitely The Peter Pan/Hook AU.

Harry Poppins - Loosely based on the book/movie Mary Poppins, but without any magical aspects.

Playing To Win - Set in the Big Brother house.

The Pirate and The Piper - A Peter Pan/Hook AU which I took a lot of liberties with.

In The Still Of The Night - My Dirty Dancing AU.

A Hungry Heart - This is a Great British Bake Off AU that is due out in September for the Cliche Fic Fest!

8) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Whoa Nelly. Yeah, I do. All the time. Every fic actually. There’s only one, Exposed, the only fic I’ve published that’s not rated Explicit and doesn’t have smut. But, to be fair, the challenge was to write exactly 666 words and I still managed to get the implication in there. Plus, Louis was naked and Harry was applying body paint for the majority of the story, so like, I think I can get a free pass on that one - I tried!

In terms of what type of smut, I guess it varies depending on the story. I tend not to push the boat out too far, but I do dabble in BDSM in quite a few of my fics. A recurring theme in the comments I receive is that my smut scenes are well constructed and detailed, without being too tedious or drawn out, which is lovely feedback to get because they can be challenging to write.

9) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Absolutely. Every single one.

10) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not often, people are usually so kind, but there have been a couple.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of!

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah, quite a lot, particularly on Wattpad, all with my full consent. That said, I’m thinking of stopping this because it’s getting a bit out of hand and I’ve been feeling uncomfortable about it recently for various reasons that I won’t bore you with here. 

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope! I don’t think it’s really my thing tbh. I get very in my head about writing and struggle even to brainstorm or share too much until I’m well into a story.

14) What’s your all time favorite ship?

Of the 47 fics I’ve written, there are 45 Larry, 1 Narry, and 1 Louis/Dermot O’Leary (I think mine is still the only fic with this ship hahahaa), so that’s probably a good indication of my fave writing ship.

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

I have one lonely WIP sitting on AO3 from 2018. I keep promising myself I’ll finish it and it’s on my schedule every year, then I get distracted by other fics/fests and it gets pushed back. Plus, it needs a complete rewrite because my style has developed so much since I started it, so it’ll be a big job. Based on that, I think that the fic, in its current form, won’t ever be finished as the rewrite will completely wipe out what it was, although the underlying plot will still be there.

16) What are your writing strengths?

World building (or so I’m often told). I write very visually and people often say they can imagine the scene exactly, or that it’s like a movie, or that they think it’s actually a real place I’m describing, when most of the time it absolutely isn’t, it’s just something I’ve created in my weird brain.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue (although my lovely beta disagrees) and telling rather than showing. They’re both things I’m actively working on.

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

I’ve never really considered it. It’s not something I’d shy away from necessarily, but it’s just never come up.

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

One Direction. First and only.

20) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Wow. This is really tough because it changes over time. I find that once I’ve finished a fic I don’t want to revisit it for a few months because I’m kind of over it. But I find comfort in them after a while, like I get to go back to that happy place and immerse myself in that world and the characters again, similar to catching up with an old friend. It’s familiar. I think I also like different stories for different reasons and I’m drawn to various ones depending on my mood. My top 3 (although, ask me next week and the list will probably be completely different!) would probably be:

1. If You’re Out There (I’ll Find You Somehow). Written for the hybrid fic fest (a fest I created just for this fic lol). It’s not everyone’s cup of tea due to the hybrid aspect, but it’s one of the stories I feel is the most rounded from a character development perspective and the world building was pretty epic, if I can be so bold as to throw that out there myself!

2. No Going Back. One of my Big Bangs from 2020. I adore the way their relationship develops in this fic and the setting (as remote lighthouse keepers) was such a lot of fun to write. Plus I got to collaborate with an amazing artist who created an entire website as an accompanying travel blog which was truly wonderful.

3. From The Heart. This is a series I wrote for wordplay back in 2019. I had no idea that what I was doing was so unusual and so meta by having Louis essentially write for the equivalent of wordplay in the fic. It was such an fun way to share my writing process and challenges I encounter (exactly how many synonyms tabs do I have open at any one time?!) and I thoroughly enjoyed the outcome (although getting there was definitely a struggle).

~

This was really fun and thanks to anyone who made it this far! Writing brings me so much joy and is a wonderful outlet for all the imaginings in my head, so I appreciate everyone who supports me and joins me on that journey.

~

I’m pretty late with this and I’m not sure who has already done it but I’ll tag @fallinglikethis @homosociallyyours @lululawrence @reminiscingintherain and @beau-soleil-louis if they’d like to do this and haven’t already.

[bluegarners]

fanfic writer 20 questions

tagged by the wonderful and lovely @biromantic-nerd 

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 18! 

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

171089 words! that’s crazy tbh considering one fic comprises of 46% of that number

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

on ao3, I’ve published for only two fandoms: DC/Batman and Marvel/Spider-Man~ it used to be three, but i ended up discontinuing (maybe?? idk it’s been over three years dkjfhskjdfb) a Naruto fic. honestly, it should just be one since 17 out of 18 fics published are for DC lgjslfjdfs

4) What are your top five fics by kudos?

a storge for you ~ 670 kudos (DC)

Tomorrow Is Not Tonight ~ 344 (DC)

mainstay ~ 304 (DC)

Enmity ~ 264 (DC)

even atlas crumbled beneath the weight (but i won’t) ~ 245 (Marvel)

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

yes!! i make it a point to respond to every comment i get because it means the absolute world to me that people read my stuff and even take the time to tell me that they liked it! personally, i get so excited whenever an author responds to one of my own comments, so i like to do the same!

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

oof, tough one.... i think it’s a toss up between Natural Disaster and approbation for the dead since both of them are largely surrounding how Dick dealt with the news of Jason’s death. honestly though, i have been told that most of my ending are angsty (true) so it could really be any fic alfhslkdjf

7) Do you write crossovers?

nope! i’m just not into enough fandoms to actively want to write a cross-over and publish it. a couple years ago when i was super into Naruto and Marvel, i had a lot of wips for a crossover between those two but never got around to fleshing them out

8) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

hmmm once or twice? when i was on ffn more, and i was still actively publishing for that Naruto fic i more-or-less shelved completely, i would get a few harsh criticisms, but it wasn’t really hate. i hadn’t gotten any on ao3 until about a week or two ago where someone commented and basically complained about the premise of the fic (of which i am 100% sure they either didn’t read or just skimmed through) but i wouldn’t really call it hate

9) Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

nope! i am not comfortable writing sex related things, at least not to the point where it’s called “smut” and i don’t think i ever will be

10) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i’ve come across!

11) Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope! i think it’d be really cool if it happened one day though... just the idea that someone liked the fic enough to want to spread it around in another language so someone else could read it is soooo amazing

12) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

nope! honestly, i am very exact with what i want to happen in a fic, so i don’t think i’d be a very good collaborate concerning that... i did used to beta a lot back in 2018 and 2019 though, and the main person i beta-ed for did a lot of world building and i helped them with that, so i am going to say, yesn’t

13) What’s your all-time favourite ship?

hmm i’m not too big into shipping but i do adore Dick/Kori. i’ve seen them across so many different forms of media and their dynamic is sooo good every time. i feel like they are just made for each other, their relationship is so beautiful

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

ahhh there are so many, but i started writing a Banana Fish fic and i have an entire plot on my phone, but i just don’t think i’ll ever have the time to actually get anything down for it even though i would really love to

15) What are your writing strengths?

i’d say emotion? or maybe characterizations? i really love getting down and dirty into the minds of the characters i write, and since my plots are typically very angsty and hurt/comfort, i have been told quite a few times that the characterizations make people tear up (in a good way!) and that they can see said character actually doing/saying the things i’ve written for them

16) What are your writing weaknesses?

getting to the point, probably. i get long winded with the fics i write because i focus so heavily on character rather than actual plot. so, fics that shouldn’t have been longer than 2k are 7k or more, and my biggest example for that weakness is a storge for you. the average chapter length is about 9.8k and i know for a fact that what was supposed to be a single chapter somehow evolved into a 50 page mess, so i had to split it into two

17) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

when it’s done well, and i think a lot of @/dustorange’s fics do this wonderfully, it is so brilliant and heartfelt to read. when it’s done for the sake of shoving “hey look this character is bilingual” in your face, it honestly feels a bit cluttered and unnecessary. i don’t really mix languages together in my fics because i don’t really know much else other than English and Latin, so i don’t want to be disrespectful by throwing words of a language i don’t speak into random dialogue

18) What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Naruto! i absolutely hated that Sakura got nerfed so hard in the show/was portrayed as really weak because she was compared to people with literal *hacks* in their genes, so i was obsessed with bamf sakura fics. and then i got bored after reading all of them and decided to write my own kjdfhskhfd i really liked the time-travel aspect of Naruto fics, so i decided to incorporate that too but then the plot got wayyy too big for me to handle, and that’s one of the reasons i kind of.... dropped it. and because i keep hinting at it, here’s the fic: War Happened

19) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

it’s gotta be a storge for you. it is my literal baby and i have sooo many plans for it. i’ve been pretty pleased with the way it’s going and how it’s been received so that makes me love it a lot more! i think The Call is a very, very close second though because it was the first fic i ever published for DC and it holds a very special place in my heart

20) Who do you tag?

i would love to tag:

@daringyounggrayson & @newsical & @ckbookish

[fire-lady-ilah]

Thank you to @theboyfrommakapu for the tag! Post under the read more.

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

26 total (although I think I have 2 or 3 that I either orphaned or deleted, can’t remember) on uhmeduh.

Oh, and 2 on another account I made specifically for my bad 10 year old me’s fanfics. No, you don’t get that one.

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

126 862. Which is, frankly, more than I thought. I think it’s grown quite a bit in 2021, to be fair.

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

7, according to AO3. One is an original work, so I guess 6? Except Far Cry 4 and 5 are considered different by AO3, as are Persona 2 and 5. I personally consider it like 4 or 5 fandoms.

A:TLA— 20 fics

Persona 2 & 5— 1 fic (crossover between the two)

Far Cry 4 & 5— 1 fic (crossover between the two)

PJO and related fandoms— 3 fics

Original Work— 1 fic

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Silence is a Virtue — 191 kudos

2. sometimes you’re born evil (sometimes you’re not) — 149 kudos

3. In Which Ajay Just Wants a Vacation — 91 kudos

4. musings of a common man — 75 kudos

5. Lost. [tied with] undercurrent — 37 kudos each

Silence is a Virtue and IWAJWAV are both multi chapter fics at 23.6k and 19.2k, respectively. sybe (syn), moacm, and undercurrent are all part of the same series of short fics and range from 4.4k (unfinished) to 7k. Lost. is a theoretical first chapter of a multi chapter fic. 4/6 fics are ATLA, 1 is Far Cry, 1 is PJO.

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yeah! I used to not because I’m incredibly awkward about it, but when I started commenting on fics myself and realized how nice it is when the author replies, I started doing it myself. I really enjoy recognizing regular commenters. I just need to stop talking so much about worldbuilding and hinting at stuff in my replies, I think ^^’.

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hm. Probably either what is a legacy to a dead man (it is worth far more to those still living) or Shattered Porcelain. The former is most likely more angsty to readers, but the latter holds a special place in my mind because I know my OCs intimately well.

7) What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Most of them, to be honest. I am, at my core, a fluff writer, even if I also enjoy throwing in sprinkles of angst every so often. The entire the dragon king series is going to end pretty happy if it goes according to plan. If I had to pick a finished fic then probably Apricot Blossoms— it’s just sweet kids in love, you barely notice the darkness on the horizon.

8) Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

Kinda? Sorta? Not really? Two of my published fics are crossovers but they’re like, crossovers within the same extended fandom.

Oh, wait, that one fic I wrote and published when I was 11 was a weird Harry Potter and mild Avengers crossover. So yeah, I guess.

9) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not really, no. I occupy a pretty niche area in all the fandoms I write in, so you kind of have to search out the content I make. I’m also not popular at all in the grand scheme of things, which I’m mildly thankful for. I have some popular fic writers as friends and I see some of their commenters sometimes.

10) Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I guess? It’s not something I make a habit of, I just in general am not that horny, but I have one published smutfic on AO3 and a ficlet on Tumblr that, if it isn’t really classified as smutc definitely is close. The smut I write is pretty soft and loving and is exclusively LuZhao so far.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope. If someone wants to I’m all for it, and theoretically I could translate my own fics into two other languages, but if there isn’t a demand there wouldn’t be much purpose other than me practicing. Who knows though, maybe one of my fics on my account will show up translated into French or Norwegian by me. Or maybe Russian, but that would be an effort. My Russian... isn’t great.

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Currently (kinda, fixing my laptop has made it take a hot second) co-writing an OC centric fic with @theboyfrommakapu. I also betaread two of @izzymrdb’s fics, and she called me their coauthor in a comment once so... I guess that counts? I also had plans to make a massive crossover with my own fic and two of my friends but then I fell out of PJO and into ATLA pretty hard.

14) What’s your all-time favorite ship?

LuZhao, definitely. I’ve just created enough stuff around it to make it my favourite. I’m also quite fond of Jastavian in the realm of PJO.

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

I fully intend to finish my two main multichapter fics eventually, but I doubt I’ll ever finish Butterfly Kisses. Especially to the extent I have it in my mind.

16) What are your writing strengths?

Uh... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Maybe worldbuilding within an established world? I actually prefer AUs to canon compliance, but when I want something to be canon compliant then I will make sure that it is as fully canon compliant as possible (or, to the extent that canon doesn’t contradict itself). For example, at the moment all of my OCs are completely canon compliant. If I somehow were asked to publish them, they would not contradict any existing work. I put a lot of work into my OCs and worldbuilding and it definitely shows.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

If you asked my girlfriend? My paragraphs are too long and I don’t know how to use commas. She’s right about that, of course.

If you asked me? I’d probably say something a little more vague. I’m bad at the whole “communicating just enough” aspect of writing (and of life). I tend to get absorbed by my worldbuilding and want to tell everyone every little detail, which makes no sense because you don’t need to know it for the fic’s promises.

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

So long as a translation is provided, I see no issue if it’s accurate. One of my first fandoms was Hetalia so... yeah.

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I’m not sure if it was Harry Potter, Sherlock, or Hetalia. But it was definitely one of those three and I was about 10 when I wrote it.

20) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Surprisingly I haven’t mentioned it so far, but solntse moye / luna moya. Azulon and Ilah have a relationship I really like, and they both have such distinct inner voices.

Tagging:

@percabeth4life @izzymrdb @crookedmouth-mountainbones @ohmygodtheywereparabatai (I know you write on Tumblr so this would be hard, but consider it another request for you to post your stuff on AO3 ❤️) @thetruecthulhu9 @ariya-167