#this is NOT about one being better than the other this is a gifset about celebrating two pairs of ICONS so dont start

[alonetogether]

EMMERDALE - 21 JAN 2016 CORONATION STREET - 20 NOV 2024

[flugame-mp3]

what do you fucking mean that's how charlie dies. THAT'S HOW CHARLIE DIES??? i mean i know the show has a penchant for killing off every character who's not a winchester brother or an angel of thursday but good god. what the fuck. charlie was such a good and enjoyable recurring character, and she had such a fandom impact that i've seen, and she's only around for THREE SEASONS?? (sidebar: it's amazing she has the presence she does for only being around for a couple episodes in the long run!) but: was this necessary? and she just dies offscreen after her skills are utilized to progress the plot of decoding the book of the damned?? oh my god. what in the actual fuck. i'm finding myself getting genuinely very upset at her death. she did not fucking deserve that. and i can absolutely see why the fan response to her death is what it is now. completely fucking unjustified and throwaway and useless.

[lonelier-version-of-you]

"I just feel so..." "Alone?" (S15E20 "Unravelled")

[dontbelasagnax]

I find as fandom has assimilated towards a capitalist mindset of consumption, there has been a larger focus on fanart and fanfiction- both in spaces that view creatives as "content creators" and spaces where creatives are seen as writers and authors but lauded similarly to celebrities or deities for gracing the common people with their creations.

This has produced a side effect wherein fanart and, primarily, fanfiction are seen as the Best Forms Of Transformative Works... which means that any other type of transformative work is thrown by the wayside.

There should be no hierarchy of fanworks - every single work is a labor of love (or spite... I see y'all throwing middle fingers to canon 😉) and should be recognized as such. Fandom is a community. It's not a transactional relationship. Everyone contributes and interacts out of shared passions and interests.

If you make podfics, gifs, photo edits, fanvids, fan binding, metas, fiber arts, jewelry, fanmixes, translate fics to another language, run/contribute to a fan wikia or compile lore and resources in other ways: I see, appreciate, and cherish all the hard, love fueled work you put into your creations.

Not to say that fanfic and digital art are over-appreciated (Since I do see that many people are allergic to pressing reblog. It's a community. We're supposed to share and communicate. Lurkers are valid but for the most part, interaction with like-minded people is what fandom is intended for.) but the pedestal they are placed on needs to be lowered. Your favorite artists and authors are real people with real lives. They piss and shit just like you. They work in retail and healthcare and are unemployed due to disability. There is nothing extraordinary about them and they are wonderful human beings all the same. No one is better than anyone else. We're all equals here on this playground.

That said, I think we need to uplift the underappreciated fanworks and creators and give them more attention so they are on equal footing with fanfic writers and fanartists. Reblog the gifsets and tell the creator you're in love with how they colored the gifs, keyboard smash in the tags when reblogging a plush doll someone crocheted of your blorbo, try listening to a podfic on your commute home instead of an audiobook and remember to leave a comment when you get home.

As a final note, I want to give a warm hug to anyone who has sat refreshing tumblr or ao3 hoping that maybe someone will tell them they did a good job. To anyone who has considered quitting their fandom endeavors because their posts or works never get as much attention and love as the rest of the artworks or fics in the fandom tags, your creations are worth making and sharing. Numbers do not equate to quality, nor can they convey how loved your creations are by a given person. Only you can bring your unique sparkle to fandom and your presence is absolutely welcome no matter how big or small, grandiose or inconsequential, important or worthless you think it is.

[kazoo-world]

okay. i debated not posting this because I was worried I’d get death threats (that says a lot doesn’t it) but it needs to be said, because its upsetting me.

a woman who publicly says she feels very sane and has “never been to therapy” and who breaks up with her boyfriend in part because he can’t just “”get over”” his depression to love her the way she wants/needs does not.

I repeat, does not.

get to use the imagery she did in her fortnight video.

I’ve been seeing gifsets and screenshots all day of her chained to a bed but ~aesthetic~ and being fed a pill after a cheeky side eye and strapped to a glamourfied ECT machine and no one has said anything about it so I will. those images are genuinely triggering for me.

people have been restrained, forcefed pills, and given electroconvulsive therapy or subjected to the electric chair for severe mental illness against their will. these are not fun props anyone gets to throw around to express that they feel depressed or in a “manic phase” or like they were “raised in an asylum.”

she doesn’t know how a real asylum fried my grandmother’s brain or real cops restrained me because I was psychotic and manic. she doesn’t know what it feels like to be dehumanised that way.

do better. demand she do better, too.

edit: I say that this content is triggering to say that it causes real harm. I do still have a responsibility to myself to curate an internet experience for myself. this does not negate her responsibility to avoid replicating harmful tropes in art which is deeply influential. she does not get to co-opt institutionalization or psychiatric violence as a romanticized aesthetic or as a metaphor because real people like myself have suffered greatly under the things she is representing as glamorous or cool. institutionalization silences and violates mentally ill people in a way that marginalizes them, and that experience should be treated with sensitivity and care rather than being commodified to reduce stigma. if she had experienced these things, I might feel differently, but other ableist content on the record and her statements on her life and art indicate otherwise. she is a woman with immense privilege and power and should not be using that privilege and power to punch down on mental illness.

edit 2: I want you all to know I have seen your criticism. I will not edit the post but I do respect that she has had mental health struggles since that outdated quote. That is my mistake, I own that. My apologies.

However, mental health struggles =/ experience with psychiatric violence. Experiences of mental illness are heterogenous. Aestheticizing, romanticizing, and glamourizing mental hospitals is straight up gross regardless of your experience with mental illness. It’s tasteless and offensive.

I do understand metaphors. I think that her calling her life an asylum as a metaphor is in poor taste. I think her representing her relationship struggles with the imagery of a mental institution is insensitive given the impacts that real asylums and mental hospitals have had on my life and the lives of many others like me, so I had to say something about it.

It’s ableist to assume that critics of your fav “can’t read”, “don’t understand a metaphor” or “don’t have brains” when they clearly demonstrate that they are thinking critically. Do better.

[frmulcahy]

Listening to an episode of the @antiquesfreaks podcast where they cover the costuming in The Terror and here are some amazing moments:

"But Ken, are you the only one of us that put themselves through reading the book?" "I did. Because John Bridgens was trapped inside and I had to get him out and if I read the book good enough, perhaps I could save him"

"If you don't tell these men what to wear, they're gonna look like straight up hoochies."

"As we see in the later episodes of The Terror and discipline does break down and Dundy just starts showing up to command meetings with his suspenders out! Slattern that he is!!!

"Victorian Navy: one to one analog to working at present day Target."

"I heard they flog you at Target."

"I was press ganged into working at Target."

"It's Victorian times. Everyone's wicked fucking repressed and they're about to get wicked un-repressed whether they like it or not, and they're going to show that through their clothing."

"a blur of muttonchops"

"I pre-gamed the show for 5 years with gifsets on tumblr to makes sure I would be able to tell at least the major speaking roles apart, and I still could not tell Little and Jopson apart until I figured out they had different eye colors."

"And now I'm Pilkington SpottingTM as a hobby"

calling JFJ a "fashionable boy" with his "nippies out" because he doesn't button up his coat all the way like Franklin and Crozier

The two regular hosts repeatedly comparing themselves to a delinquent class that their guest is stuck substitute teaching

"I think my character would be hitting a fat doobie right about now"

Discussing Jared Harris being obsessed with his own costuming details like all the mending on Crozier's clothes

Jopson's first appearance - "he's normal and they're normal and everyone's having a normal time here on this completely routine expedition." "It's so normal. Do you ever fall in love with your boss???" "It couldn't have been more erotic if they had just had gay sex."

Stanley and McDonald's button grouping on their uniforms to denote rank

THEY TALK ABOUT THE ICONIC JFJ GANSEEEYYY

Also Irving's Sanquhar scarf :')

"the red sweater of tenderness" sobbing screaming throwing up

"I think The Terror would have been improved if all of the marines had Boston accents for no reason"

Also marines vs normal sailors

comparing sailor's clothes to fast fashion because it's not very tailored lmaooo

The canvas overcoats being period inaccurate but still neat because they're referencing later polar expeditions like what we see on the guys in the Shackleton expedition etc

They talk about irl Goodsir's letter about clothes and the many many shirts!

Nive having to wear a cooling vest under her costume since it was real caribou fur and her coat being patched with sail cloth later.

They go into Yup'ik masks which is super cool! As well as have a conversation about the ethics of visuals/information/knowledge about indigenous artwork being shared with folks outside of those communities.

Repeated! Dan! Simmons! Roasting! As! They! Should!!!!!

Reapted! Nive! Nielsen! Praising! As! They! Should!!!!!!!!

Sophia's "oceanic color theme"

"They let the dresses have colors. The dresses have colors. The dresses have bright beautiful colors, and it's great."

"They had invented aniline dyes and they were about to make it everybody's problem!"

Lady Jane in more solids vs Sophia in more patterns

"'A woman could never possibly understand polar exploration' meanwhil Silna's up there doing it better than all of them."

Clowning on how other period pieces never use bonnets and always fuck up in the hair and makeup department

"I found Harry Goodsir's fursuit btw"

"On a scale of Calypso's Birthday to Fitzjames's Carnivale, how's your impromptu nautical drag ball going?"

"It's actually exactly like The Purge." "It's like a little Victorian maritime Purge."

"As far as metaphor and literary analysis and whatever, scurvy understood the fucking assignment."

"I punched in Scorbutic Nostalgia so that I could remember to read about it later." "I have some literature for you if you want." "Yeah fantastic! I love disease"

"CGI bear expensive"

"This episode comes with a heavy caveat of 'go to Terror Camp'" amazing.

THE DRESSTM

Tozer's Hotspur costume and Dundy's Henry VI costume and their relevance

"This is the last we see of Party!Dundy"

(About Little) "Every day he gets emails :("

Bridgler and Apollo/Hyacinthus stuff fuuuuuccckk

"Hodgepodge, my boy"

"Oompa loompa doompity dacticals, don't indulge your morals over your practicals"

"Rip Hickey you would've loved Joker"

Not a silly quote but just a really fantastic one: "That is what the best historical designers do, is they find these nuggets of information that allow them to tell a story with authenticity, both in a way that is historical but authentic to the characters as well." EXAAAACCCTTTLLLYYYYYY

"Whomst among us has not Joplarped to get through the workday?"

[ranchthoughts]

Happy marriage equality Thailand! 🌈

A few months ago, @colourme-feral came to me with the idea of cataloguing as many same-sex Thai QL proposals and weddings as we could. And today, to celebrate the bill passing the Senate (and the first post-bill-passing proposal and wedding), I'd like to share with you all our findings! Even though same-sex marriage has not been legal in Thailand until this year (hopefully things will be official in the fall), there have been quite a few same-sex proposals and weddings in Thai QLs throughout the years.

Big thank you to everyone who assisted on this project in some capacity (@airenyah, @bengiyo, @blmpff, @chickenstrangers, @dribs-and-drabbles, @nieves-de-sugui, @twig-tea, @waitmyturtles, @williamrikers) plus all the gif and fanvid makers whose work was instrumental in helping us double check everything (particular shout out to these gifsets by @apathetic-tortoise (1, 2) and this one by @gunsatthaphan).

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

We found 28 Thai QL shows which featured at least one same-sex proposal (the blue list below) and 15 Thai QL shows which featured at least one same-sex wedding (the green list below).

I was pretty strict with what counted as a proposal or a wedding for the purposes of this project. For example, characters who we know are married but whose wedding we don’t see aren’t counted (like Laws of Attraction’s Maya and Rose, or the unnamed Force and Book characters shown in a “Just Married” car in Vice Versa). There are many shows where there is a ring or someone gets down on one knee but the question is not exactly “popped” (Khun Chai, Star In My Mind Our Skyy 2, etc.), and there are even more shows characters talk at length about commitment and being together forever but there were no mentions of marriage or other details (like rings, etc.) that would specifically suggest it was a proposal (A Boss and a Babe, Ai Long Nhai, Be My Favourite, Cupid's Last Wish, Dark Blue Kiss, Something In My Room, Star in My Mind, Still 2gether, Until We Meet Again, 3 Will Be Free, etc.). Some of these moments might have been intended as a declaration of intent to marry by the characters and the show runners, but they weren’t conclusive enough to be included on this list. Furthermore, I think it’s interesting to see how many shows were, for lack of a better word, explicit in their discussion or portrayal of same-sex marriage (having the characters use the word marriage, showing weddings, etc.), despite being from a time before such a thing was legally possible. 

Note: I've listed the shows with the year they started airing for ease, even though some of them did finish airing in another year.

(see alt text for the full lists)

The Quick Facts

The first proposal and the first wedding in our data set both happened in Grey Rainbow episode 4, which aired on May 7, 2016. (though this is not exactly an auspicious wedding to start with, as those who know know)

12 shows featured at least one proposal and one wedding (Cherry Magic, GAP the Series, Grey Rainbow, Laws of Attraction, Love Syndrome 3, My Secret Love, Naughty Babe, Never Let Me Go, Tharntype Special: The Wedding Day, Two Worlds, Wedding Plan, and the Wedding Plan Special). 

4 shows feature two same-sex proposals (Cherry Magic, Love Syndrome 3, My Secret Love, and Two Worlds). All these shows also feature a same-sex wedding.

None of the shows in our sample had two same-sex weddings.

The Data Over Time

As you can see, generally same-sex proposals and weddings have become more common in Thai QLs over time, though of course there are more Thai Qls being produced now than in the earlier days.

Note: I'm only looking at shows which aired before the marriage equality bill passed the Senate, so the 2024 data does not include Wandee Goodday or OMG! Vampire. It will be interesting to see if and how the number of same-sex proposals and weddings in Thai QLs increases through 2024 and beyond now that it will become a legal reality.

It is also interesting to consider the production companies behind the shows in our sample. This sample includes 7 GMM shows and 5 Mandee/Domundi shows, plus 1-3 series each from other production companies like Idol Factory, MeMindY, Studio Wabi Sabi, Copy A Bangkok, Jinloe Media Work, TV Thunder, and M Flow Entertainment. In other words, GMM shows make up roughly 23% of the sample, Mandee/Domundi shows are another 16%, and other production companies comprise about 61% of the sample.

Main Couples vs Side Couples

There are 28 shows with proposals in the sample but 32 proposals, because four shows have two proposals each. 26 of these 32 proposals (81%) are between the main characters and 6 of them (19%) are between side characters.

Of the 15 weddings in the sample, 12 (80%) are between main couples and 3 (20%) are between side couples.

For interest's sake, I also broke this down for GMM and Mandee/Domundi. GMM has 7 proposals in 6 shows, with 5 main couples and 2 side couples popping the question; and 3 weddings (across 3 shows), in which 2 side couples and 1 main couple got married. Mandee/Domundi has 5 proposals in 4 shows, all between main couples, and 3 weddings (across 3 shows), also all featuring main couples.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

And now here we are, after the bill has passed the Senate. Congratulations to the Thai queer community, and the happy couples Oyei and Cher from Wandee Goodday and Sen and Run from OMG! Vampire who are the first Thai QL couples to propose and to have a wedding (respectively) after Thailand's marriage equality bill passed the Senate! (The bill passed the Senate on June 18, 2024, and episode 8 of Wandee Goodday aired 4 days later on June 22, followed by episode 6 of OMG! Vampire on June 23.)

I can’t wait to see more same-sex engagements and weddings in Thai shows as we move forward.

[rosanna-writer]

if i'm not dancing with you

Summary: Rhys and Feyre share a dance at Rita's on their first night out after Nyx's birth. Word Count: ~1.3k

This is entirely the result of that gifset of Rupert and Taggie from Rivals that's been going around (@popjunkie42 it's my turn with our shared braincell btw) + CUFF IT being on my Feysand playlist, ok?

Read on AO3 or under the cut!

Rhysand's fingers tightened on the stem of the wineglass. I nearly missed it, and the raucous laughter on my other side told me that Mor, Cassian, and Azriel hadn't noticed anything amiss. But I was his mate, more in tune with him than they'd ever be; Rhys's devastating smile was a mask, even if only I could see beneath it.

I considered letting it go. Since Nyx's arrival, the five of us hadn't had a chance to all go out together, but Elain had graciously agreed to take him for the night. We all needed this trip to Rita's, a few hours of drinking and dancing to let off some steam.

After everything, we deserved to feel carefree for a little while.

But if I didn't take care of Rhys, no one would. I didn't bother with the bond—the distant look in our eyes would make it too obvious. I'd flung an arm over his shoulder, so I brushed my thumb lightly along his bicep, a quiet signal.

Rhys said nothing, just raised his wineglass to his lips then set it down. His violet eyes still twinkled with mischief as he made some teasing remark about the laundry hamper Mor had once winnowed into when she'd stumbled home late a few centuries ago. As if on cue, I laughed along with everyone else.

There was a lull in our conversation just as the song that was playing ended, replaced by a slower one. Not the sort of upbeat music that dragged even the most reluctant fae onto the dancefloor, but something more romantic and just a bit sultry. Couples cozied up; hands that resting politely on lower backs slipped down to cup backsides.

Rhys, of course, tugged me out of my seat.

I followed, rising all the way to my tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. He tasted like sea salt and citrus and mate, but not, I noticed, like wine. Odd. I would have expected a hint of what he'd just been drinking. Unless…he hadn't actually taken a sip.

His hand gripped mine just a bit harder than usual as we wound our way through the tables. I brushed his mental shields as gently as I could. In answer, he glanced back over his shoulder and shot me an infuriatingly beautiful smirk. If we didn't have a thread tying together our very souls, I would have fallen for it and believed nothing was amiss.

I slid through the crack he left open for me. What's wrong?

Nothing worth ruining the evening over.

I didn't like that answer. But there was no use in trying to badger him into giving me a better one. I merely let him chart a course through the crowd of dancers until we found an unoccupied spot on the floor.

His other hand settled on my hip, the warmth of his skin seeping through the lace of my dress. I placed mine on his shoulder, letting him lead for once. With so many other dancers around us, we barely had room to do anything besides sway to the music.

As I tipped my head back to study his face, his nose skimmed my hair. The music drowned out the sound of his inhale, but the breath of Rhys's sigh was warm against the shell of my ear. I shivered anyway.

The hand on my hip traveled upwards until he'd splayed it in the center of my back, right where wings could emerge with a flicker of magic. He pressed me to him until we were chest-to-chest. I melted against him, my head coming to rest on the hollow at the base of his neck.

We'd stopped swaying—stopped even pretending we were dancing, really. I felt as if the music were coming from a long way off as we held each other. We couldn't get any closer if we tried.

The hand that was holding mine unclenched, just a bit.

"What is it?" I breathed, my voice so low only he could hear it.

He answered through the bond, in images and feelings. Bubbles in his wineglass catching the faelights as Mor handed the drink to him. Another goblet he'd held fifty years ago, seconds before disaster. Dread souring his stomach. A shadow on my bare leg, the shape so much like a whorl of body paint. Guilt and horror and anger and violation and pain and fear and—

Rhys, I whispered through the bond. It's alright. You're safe, and so am I. We can go home if it's a bad night.

That's not what I want right now.

Then what?

I expected to hear his answer in my mind, but he tugged on my hand. Gentle, but insistent. He stepped back, and despite my shock at the sudden lack of his heat, I let him guide me through a turn.

Our joined hands landed back at my hip. His other arm crossed my stomach, holding me close again. Rhys's lips were at my ear, his chest at my back, and…his groin at my ass.

A do-over. Dance like you did Under the Mountain, not for me this time. With me.

He punctuated it with a slow roll of his hips, enough that I felt every inch of him against my backside. Half on instinct, I arched against him like a cat in heat. Warm, heady pleasure flooded the bond.

Rhys started to move, small steps from side to side accompanied by a swish of his hips. I followed without missing a beat. As we danced in time with each other, the thread tied to my rib seemed to loosen.

My first trip to Rita's after ten months of pregnancy had called for my shortest dress, the one with cutouts at the waist. And to think I'd almost talked myself into something more comfortable, when the brush of my mate's fingers against the bare skin at the bottom of my ribs damn near set me on fire…

Perhaps it was just my relief that Rhys was alright—or, perhaps, it was the shot I'd knocked back with Cassian when we'd arrived. But regardless of why, my good sense slipped away. I bent forward, torso parallel to the floor, not caring how badly my hem rode up as I drove my ass back towards him.

His laugh was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard, a thing of pure joy. I wiggled my hips in a way that I hoped looked inviting. With a light squeeze to my backside, he turned me around, ducking under my arm with an absurdly graceful movement of his head.

We were face-to-face, dancing properly again. He pulled me close, and my leg ended up between both of his. Braced above my thigh, his entire body rolled in a slow, sensuous wave—head then chest then hips then groin, all in time with the music.

If we hadn't started turning in a slow circle, I might have devoured him right then and there.

I loosened my shields, letting the edges of my mind bleed into his as we writhed and spun. Together, in every sense of the word. We each kept a damper on our power, but his darkness slid against mine just as surely as his hands brushed my skin. Everything else fell away as I lost track of where I ended and he began, and we sank into the rightness of being joined so closely.

By the time the song ended, it felt like an eternity had passed. Or perhaps, just a few seconds. My sense of time had gone a bit fuzzy in the haze of it all. I pulled out of Rhys's mind enough to re-orient myself to the crowded dance hall around us.

"Was that…what you needed?" I whispered, strangely breathless. My gaze traveled upward, from the lapels of his shirt all the way to his face.

Yes, he said though the bond. Sometimes the memories come rushing back, and it gets difficult to remember that despite all of it, you still chose me.

I tightened my fingers around his, and our eyes locked as we began to sway again. We had all night, and I wouldn't let go until sunrise.

[swifty-fox]

honesty - muse a wipes muse b’s tears away from under their eyes 🥺❤️

inspired by this gifset

writing music writing music

accidentally wrote like 1.5k sorry

The loud part of them all being in the Stalag is that Bucky Egan is losing his mind. He's playing baseball with ghosts and lounging around like a man waiting to die or to kill.

The quiet part is that Buck Cleven is not doing much better. He's dropping pounds like a wrestler trying to make weight, face growing tighter and tighter as every day passes, expression drawn cold over his skull that more and more showed off its delicate structure. Never a man of many words, he spoke to John little and the men less unless it was to give orders or encouragement.

Anything that wasn't Major Buck Cleven seemed to be scraped out of him by cold and hunger and sheer desperation.

It's fine, Bucky assured the guys whenever someone mustered the courage to approach him with their concerns, Buck's tough. It's just the cold.

It's just the hunger.

It's just this damned place.

Trust your Majors boys, you know we won't let you down.

Buck's still holding him up more than the other way around, John's man enough to admit that even in his cloudy mind. He knows he's a burden more than a help, sharp and angry and frustrated and bleeding all over the place with a caged animal's need to do something.

John Egan would rather die than spend much longer in here. It's the truth of the matter, it really is.

The realization had hit Buck like a slap to the cheek, John had seen it spread across his face in quiet understanding as they talked. He wanted to apologize, the words on the tip of his tongue. But what would it help? It wouldn't erase the truth of the matter. They weren't naive enough for band-aids.

Bucky knows he's hurtling towards some kind of precipe, he's behind the wheel after all. But Gale's strolling hot on his heels in the same direction. That's the secret of the matter, how similar they were underneath the outward differences. Cut from the same reckless wild cloth.

It's dinner when Buck finally breaks, picking at another watery soup of turnips and potatoes. Hambone had managed to hackle for a chunk of salt, so there was some hint of flavor besides stale vegetable, but Buck picks away at it anyways for several long moments before flinging his spoon down and stalking out of the bunkhouse.

Silence reigns in his wake, nobody quite sure what to do or say in the face of an outburst more suited to Bucky than Buck.

Gale Cleven didn't show his temper, he didn't storm out of a room or turn aside food he encouraged his men to eat with steadfast fervor. They needed the calories. They could be marching any day. They owed it to everyone back home to keep their strength up. This is, Buck Cleven swore, only a temporary sort of suffering.

"It's fine," Bucky tells the assembled men, Brady's pinched frown of concern and Crank's open-faced sadness, "He's fine. Finish your meals I've got him."

"It's going to be curfew soon, Major," Benny says from his spot next to Brady.

"I've got him," John repeats sternly.

There's quiet doubt in their eyes, a touch of nerves that never used to exist following Bucky's orders.

He tries not to think about it.

Night is settling over the camp, bitingly cold and John hisses as ice-filled wind stings his face, turning his cheeks raw in the seconds it takes him to tug his scarf up over his nose. There's precious few milling around; guards with their dogs and men desperate enough for clear air to enjoy their cigarettes, but John can make out fresh tracks in the snow leading to the camp library.

With one last glance at the guards, who eye him warily but make no threats, he shoves his hands in his pockets and steps in every one of Gale's footprints on his way to follow.

He's near frozen by the time he makes the short walk, closing the rickety door behind him and biting his cheek against shivers. For a moment he thinks he's guessed wrong, the chairs round the makeshift table are empty and the bookshelves undisturbed, before spotting a tangle of dirty pale hair slumped against the far wall.

Gale was on the floor, arms crossed over his knees and eyes staring straight ahead unseeingly. Though he was silent, his chest rose and feel rapidly with the force of his breathing. Not a panic attack, but a cornered predator knowing its time was near.

"Buck," John says softly, stepping around the table and settling onto his haunches until they were eye level, "Hey, Buck you with me?"

Gale blinks a couple times, eyes clear but horribly red-rimmed, making the blue of them that much more vibrant and meets John's gaze. His expression is so torn open, so mournful; plus lips turned downwards, cheeks slack with grief, brows pulled together into a furrow, that even John who know this man's body better than his own feels like he's intruding.

"I'm fucking tired, John" Gale rasps, and somehow the cursing is less shocking than Gale Cleven admitting to being less than fine, "We're all dying, you're dying and I've got no idea how to fix it."

While John is still filtering through his shock, trying to find the words, Buck seems to fold in on himself further, sink into his coat like a child trying on his father's clothes and cuts out a laugh that sounds more like a gag.

Makes that awful laughing sound again, then chokes, pressing his knuckles to his mouth and then vicing the other hand over his fist until blood wells up from the clutch of his nails. Lets out a third choking noise, fine trembles wracking his body and John's reaching for him in panic when he realizes it's not some sort of fit.

Gale Cleven is crying.

Eyes welling and spilling over, face screwing up and hands pressing to his mouth as if this entire episode is out of his control, a complete rebellion of his body. He keens, as if in pain and hunches over as another sob wracks through his wasted frame. And another.

Gale Cleven is crying like a child, huddled on the floor of a dirty half-assed library in a prison camp and John is so goddamn helpless he's furious with it. He reaches out to pull Gale towards him but the other man jerks away, elbow coming up defensively so John settles for squeezing a hand over his knee, thumb rubbing across the dirty fabric. He knows Gale isn't rejecting his comfort, not really, just that being coddled will break him worse, break him in ways he might not be able to put back together.

"It's okay, Buck," John says softly, settling down onto the floor in a mirror poser of Gale's position, ankle pressed to thigh, "Just you and me here, nobody else."

There's nothing to do but bear witness to the other man's pain, crying like it hurt him to do so. John wants to tell him to just breathe, to allow it to happen, he wasn't any less for it. But John remains quiet, holds Gale up not through physical pain but silent vigil.

When the sobs -awful, wracking, hideous fucking choking sobs - finally taper off, John slides forward onto his knees and cups his hands on either side of Gale's face, thumbs swiping under his clumped eyelashes to rub away the salty wet film of tears. For a moment Gale looks like he wants to protest, but then he slumps, making another quiet painful noise and pants through his next words.

"Don't ask me if I'm with you, if you're not with me," he gasps out, chest rattling with the force of his emotion.

It might as well have been a knife between the ribs, John's hands freezing on Gale's face. His blue eyes flicker with regret before he closes them, head thumping back against the wall.

"I'm sorry," he rasps out, "I'm sorry that's not fair-"

"No, it's really fucking fair, actually," John says quietly.

When was the last time they'd been together like this? When had they last touched each other in a way that wasn't the embrace of comrades? They loved each other, there wasn't doubt there. But how long had it been since John and Gale had been able to be anything but their rank?

Pressing forward, leaning into the barely warm cling of Gale's body, John presses his lips to the stumbled curve of Gale's cheek. The skin so thin and delicate he worries it might split and bruise under his touch, presses a kiss to the hinge of his jaw, over his earlobe, in the hidden shadow between his clothes and body.

"I'm with you," John says softly, against the hair around his neck, "I swear Gale, I'm with you."

Long fingers come up to grasp at the back of John's coat, tangle through his hair under his cap and tugs him forward until they're pressed together heartbeat to heartbeat. They don't have long before they need to be back in the bunkhouse, minutes if even that. But it can wait, it can wait until they hold each other for a few more minutes.

[dengswei]

your gifsets are perfect, I'm always in awe of what you can do and you're creativity!!! Could you please explain how you made the broken glass gif with different gif in it on photopea? https://www.tumblr.com/dengswei/754916132337729536/userdramas-creator-bingo-green-asiandramanet?source=share and would it be possible to do something similar with other shapes? Thank you for your lovely creations <33

heyy thanks so much!! and of course! i have to admit the way i do it might be a little bit tedious compared to like everyone else (though i don't know how photoshop users or other photopea users might do it 🤣) okay this is gonna end up being so long because of the way i do it so i'm sorry about that and i hope it makes sense 😭

okay i have to admit i couldn't find the texture i've seen people use for the shattered glass effect so i actually used a photopea default brush from this pack

to download the brush set go to window -> plugins -> brush and then search for wall cracks brush (it's literally the only wall related brush set in photopea so it'll show up the moment you download it)

so for the gif i did above i did my giffing the usual way of creating & colouring for different gifs seperatly and then adding them all to one project (it doesn't have to be 4 gifs i just chose 4 because that's what i wanted to show in this gif)

i've done this twice once for this set and another time for this the blood of youth set and i have to say the most important part of this is keep multiple versions of the brush in the position you want as you can so once you've used it to test it out and you like that version keep it because unless you can manage to position the brush in the exact same place every time you're gonna need to reference those (or even use the magic wand tool for it later) and also you need to keep at least a white on black background version for the outline

in the brush pack the one i used was this one: (3564, crack b 9)

for this part i just say play around with both positioning and sizing of the brush, it automatically opens with the size 3000+ which is fine i think with the tushan jing one (the green gif above) i stuck with that size and just kept clicking around until i got the positioning i wanted (this is another reason why i said what i said in the paragraph above because if the brush size is bigger than 1000 it's doesn't come out in the exact positioning as you expect it too

i decide the positioning of the gifs on the way i like the brick brush looking rather than the other way around, this is the positioning i went with if you're curious & would like to use it if that's easier 🤣

you'll need to keep this as a seperate layer at the top, i had it set to screen and then added a colour fill layer clipped on later so that i had the outline for when i was masking

so to start off i have the base gif which i do nothing to, that stays as it is, with the brush layer above set to screen

next is where you want to position your other gifs it may benefit to figure this out all at first before doing any of the masking so you know which parts you want to erase and which parts you want to keep

so this is what i decided with my positioning looking at where each of the cracks are

now comes the tedious part, in some ways the way i do this is a lot similar to how i do grid but it's not as easy (for grid photopea automatically locks onto the squares making it easier to mask, here you have to do it all manually)

first put a raster mask on all of the other gifs except for the base gif & use the magic wand tool on the brush layer so you get the outline of the brush and you mask that away from your gif (so if you turned off the brush layer it should look a little something like this: (it's not perfect but it won't matter that much because you should have the original turned on at the end anyway) (you don't have to do this step tbh i just did it because i thought it looked better)

so with the brush layer turned on you can use that as a template to which parts of the cracks you want to erase, you can either use the magic wand or the paint brush tool it really depends on how much of a perfectionist you are and whether or not the sharp edges bother you (plus some of the cracks have small openings so it might erase another part you don't want if you use the magic wand tool so it really is another instance of playing around and seeing what you like, and it might also change once you add the other gifs too)

so this is how it looks after i've done that (notice in the middle you can still see the edge of the gif? that won't matter because one of the other 2 gifs i still have yet to mask will cover that) & just repeat the same thing for the other gifs you want to add

this is how my masking folders look if you're curious

& last but not least i added a green colour fill layer clipped to the brush layer and set that to darken to get the green effect (make sure that the brush layer is still set to screen)

& once you've merged all of the gifs together you should get your desired outcome like the gif above (make sure that all the gifs have the same amount of frames too)

when it comes to other shapes i'm sure you can! like i did a tutorial with the grid version here, i guess it'll just be a lot of trial and error & finding a texture or brush with different shapes to try it out with kinda like how i did with both versions of this (i definitely did it a lot better this time around compared to the first version i did of this)

hopefully this wasn't too long or too confusing, if anything is please feel free to ask me again and i'll try and explain it a little better 🤣

[arcanegifs]

On Gifmaking:

So season 2's coming soon, and I wanna reflect on making gifs ever since I came back to Tumblr. I can't believe it's been 2 years of making gifs for this show!!!!! Look at how large my folder is lmao

And those are JUST gifs lol

Anyways, over time, my style has changed, especially how I color edit Arcane gifs. I kind of strayed away from a stylized filter color into just something that looks a lot more "natural" and works with the original scene.

Initially, I thought I'd save time, but I ended up not using my old arcane preset PSDs and resulted to coloring almost every scene manually. So in the end, it takes even longer to make them HAHAHA. It takes around an hour and a half for me to make a 10 gif set, basically. It also helps that I have a photography background, so coloring/editing is a lot simpler for me.

Here's a lil before and after of a dark scene (hiiiii viiiiiii <3)

Arcane is a REALLY dark show, but it goes for most of TV shows. Many of them are darker and harder to bring up the lights to make stuff look nice as gifs. Some people don't like to color their gifs, and that's okay. I personally just like color edited gifs more.

I've started learning how to upscale scenes myself, so that I have a better resolution and leeway to make things look "HD" more.

If you're wondering why my stuff look so "crisp", it's a combination of the scene's lighting, my sharpening settings on Photoshop and knowing how to upscale everything into 4k resolution. Of course, doing this needs an extremely beefy pc, which I am very lucky to own one.

Here's another before and after of a nicely lit scene. These are much, MUCH easier to do than all the darkly lit scenes because of shadows and lighting (caitlyn kiramman truly the rizzler <3)

I've been very lucky to be able to essentially take a nice, long break for like a month doing nothing after being so damn busy for the last year and a half, so it's nice that I was able to make a ton of gifs and be chronically online for a short while LMAO.

It's been so fun! But it's time to go back to reality lmao. I closed reqs for a bit because I was just so swamped with them the last few days, and I wanted to gif scenes that I like this time. I've done like 2 weeks worth of gifs. And you will see Vi a lot bc she's on my mind a lot heehee 🥰what can I say, she's such a babe <3

Here's a lil sneak peek, just look at herrrrrrr 🥰🥰🥰 and yeah, 4k upscaled resolution really helps making these tight crops, it's why i never went back to 1080p lol. It's how I’m able to make zoomed in gifs look decent (like the kirammountains gifset lol)

Thank you so much for all the support, likes, reblogs, and the nice tags you guys give. Yes, I can see and read all of them (both the nice and nasty ones lmao). If you have nothing good to say about the characters or my editing style, or anything related to the edit, please I beg you, just write a separate text post about it <3 If you have nothing nice to say, don't say it in my edits.

Lastly, thank you to the people who share my stuff outside the site and credit the blog and link them back here. I see you and appreciate you <3 You guys don't know how much I appreciate shoutouts and link backs, because people stealing my gifs is something that I've dealt with after making them for like a decade.

Tumblr is sadly not what it used to be in the 2013-2015 era. There’s definitely less activity as time goes by, so I appreciate all the people who credit and link back to this sideblog. Unfortunately, there’s more people who just repost them and it gets wayyy much more traction in other soc med sites. Yeah, ofc I get a lil jealous, but eh what can you do 😞 can’t really stop em.

I also don’t like putting watermarks because it personally looks tacky to me, but I understand why other people do it.

Anyways, if you reached at the end of this lil rambling of mine, thank you! I sadly might be busy during November because that's usually busy season, but I'll try to make time for making gifs of Season 2! Thank you and enjoy your stay on this lil sideblog :)

[sherlockig]

Hello my little grieving friends (aka my CREW!)

I just want to talk about how much our flag means death has given me. I have not had internet friends since i were a teenager. They all kind of disapeared over time in the same way as high school classmates went away. I have been on this blog on tumblr since 2010 and i have never experienced what ofmd has given me. Not even in my very derranged ca 5 year long sherlock-era did i get to befriend and know this many amazing people who live in my phone. Some of you have come and gone and that is life, but some of you are still here and I hope I get to keep you here for a very long time. Max can not stop us and I want to be here with you until tumblr is put down like the beloved rabid pet it is.

I think we are all taking the news very hard and I think it's important to remember what it is all about really. It's about love and family and above all else the crew so i just want to show some love for my beloved mutuals. And i hope maybe some of you will be inspired to do the same because its what we need in these dark times. We need to be a lighthouse guiding each other to shore.

First of all @gentlebeard - Ella💕 my beloved honey 🍯 I can not explain properly or even believe how lucky I am that I found you and that I get a little good morning from you every day. We have been talking every single day since the first message over a year ago and I don't remember or want to remember how i survived before that. I will treasure the time i spent drinking pina coladas on your balcony in the sun forever and i hope i will get some more time on that balcony this summer. I have found a pirate bar in Sweden so we can continue our expensive pirate drinks theme that we started in Berlin. There is no one else i want to spend 6-8 hours talking to over the phone.💕My partner in crime, lasagna partner and floor person or whatever nicknames we have come up with during this time. You are not just the perfect friend to have, you are also funny, sweet, smart and a expert at making fanvideos that make me cry my heart out and laugh my lungs up - sometimes at the same time 💕💕

@blakbonnet - Meow my darling💕 you were the first one i really started to talk to in the fandom and i am so glad i did. You brighten my days and i love talking to you you brilliant humanbeing (i often find myself thinking i have listened to much to cabin pressure because i struggle to use any other word than brilliant to explain things.. the Arthur runs deep in me) also thank you for being my personal skincare guide in life!! Your fics, your art, your edits, your gifs, your meta the whole you make my dash a better place and we are all happy to have you! There is nothing you are not good at and i am both a bit jealus and impressed by you. Its Meows fandom we all just live in it 💕💕

@youshouldseemeinadeerstalker - Nes my dear💕 We may not be talking very often but I know I always have you there. I loved our vacation together and we had so much to talk about that we didn't even realize that the same song kept playing in my car so long that it messed up my spotify wrapped. It was amazing taking naps with you outside ruins of castles and in botanical gardens and living together in the worlds smallest hotel room. I hope we can get lost together in more cities than Hamburg and Copenhagen. (preferably without rain and sickness and maybe with a map) 💕💕

@darkinerry - Marlena 💕 its a pleasure getting weather and work updates from you and i am always interested in knowing what you have been up to and what you have to say. It brightens my day, please never stop!! Your videos and gifsets can make any day better and you are always kind and funny which are two things i appreciate hugely in my friends!! 💕💕 + You have the coolest haircut out of all my mutuals ���

@aha-my-villainous-thoughts - Ash my wife💕 my love💕Nothing can make me scream, blush and giggle as much as your fanart. You have this style of everything you make from fanart to dolls to interior design that is so special and breathtaking. One day we will drink so many lattes in a cosy cafe and then sniff lush products for the rest of the day. 💕 You are always there for me - as a online shoulder to cry on or to motivate me with the smuttiest wips ever. I am happy to be mutual married to you 💕💕

@bizarrelittlemew - Ida 💕- my thirsting for rhys brother in arms. I can not imagine tumblr without your gifs or your posts. I love screaming with you over a picture of rhys darbys bicep. I am so happy i got to meet you this summer and i really hope it will happen again. We are not that far from each other, just some miles and a stupid bridge; we can make it. You are always a sweetheart and an incredible friend who write the hottest fanfiction ever💕💕

@dickfuckk - josh 💕 (who I also thought for a long time was called tyler) I dont know where the fandom would be without your bts blog! its a international treasure and a service to humanity. i don't know how you do it. 💕You always have everything i have ever been looking for and as a bonus you are witty and funny like no one else. I am so happy i got to meet you and spend a whole day in your company! 💕

@izzy-b-hands - Holden my absolute darling!💕 I am so glad I got the chance to get to know you! You are smart, funny and kind and my izzy mutual tm. You are always there for me with kind words and I am still forever shipping izzy and the third badminton brother which I think is the best headcanon I have ever helped coming up with. 💕

@funforahermit - Kristina 💕 Your love for Rhys and your gifs are a staple on tumblr and my dash. I know where to go when i need someone to understand how hot Steve is (even if we have agreed that he is yours and Murray is mine which i still think is a fine deal). I very often make or see a picture of Rhys and my first thought is "I NEED TO SHOW KRISTINA THIS" so you live rentfree in my brain 💕

@rainbowcrowley - Addi 💕If i ever start playing wow again you bet i am gonna be talking your ear off about my little frost mages progress but in the meantime i am happy to have you on my dash and even if we don't talk that much are you a beloved part of my dash and brighten it daily.💕💕

@fandomsmeantheworldtome - Maria💕 You were one of the very first people i found in this fandom and your gifs might have helped my rhys obession taking form. You might be into many things I have never heard of but its a pleasure seeing your excitement over everything. You are always a ray of sunshine and i love that so much💕💕

@tabbystardust - Tabby dear💕 You are the kindest person I know who I always get the strongest need to hug and hold close. Your fanart is beyond this world and i adore it like nothing else. Its always both hot and soft in the best way ever💕 I am always excited to get kitty updates and to hear about your ramen receipts. I hope we can still meet at the con next year! I am game if you are!! 💕💕

@hummingbee-o0o - Humming 💕 (i dont know your name sorry) I am always excited to hear your thoughts and metas about everything ofmd related as well as your beautiful art. 💕 it was a pleasure to scream about season 2 after every watched episode!💕

@xoxoemynn - Emy 💕💕 i am so happy to be mutual with you! 💕You always bring joy to the people who get to be around you and fill my dash with the same. We might not talk often but i know you got my back! That is the kind of person you are!💕

@saltpepperbeard - Jodi💕 No one write tags on tumblr dot com like you. There is nothing that can cheer me up more than see that one of my posts has gotten a whole ass novel written in the tags and then i instinctively know that its you who have left your wonderful mark. You are always excited and such a lovely human to be mutual with. 💕 And on top of that you make incredible gifs that make my heart stop!!! 💕💕

@autumnbois - Kai 💕💕 I hope you are doing okay. We might not talk much right now but you were there for me when i needed it most and you are a good friend to have living in my phone.💕💕 I will think of you whenever i see something related to scream and your love for piccrew always make me smile💕

@edsbacktattoo - Jams, jams jams! 💕 We are never online at the same time because of the damn time differences *shakes fist* but you are a staple in this fandom. Your art is incredible and you are the sweetest cookie in the jar. You are funny and always spread good energy to everyone around you and I love that with my whole heart💕💕

@kiwistede - Sam 💕 Your love for stede and rhys is unmet and i love you for that. You are always a good source for some rhys darby insanity and we all know that is what i treausure most here in life! 💕💕

@stedesearring - Kaitlin💕 You are the sweetest and kindest soul out here always spreading joy and love like the sun of my dash. 💕 I always love seeing you and i am happy to have the pleasure to have you as a friend in my phone! 💕💕

@stedebonnets - Ara 💕 Where would we be without your gifs?? without your joy?? without your blog?? without you?? No one knows! I am so happy to call you a mutual and friend and you always bring a smile to my face. Always!!💕💕

@appleteeth - Liz 💕 No one is quite as normal about rhys darby as you and it a pleasure to watch! Speaking of pleasure.. your fic the slightest touch is an all time favorite of mine and i would be embarrassed to tell you how many times i have read it... you are one of my mutuals that i am baffled that they want to follow me. Its a privilege! 💕

@as-a-creww - Caroline dear 💕 You are a beloved mutual and your blog are a permanent part of my dash and i want to keep it like that! you are the friendliest of the friendliest and what is more important than that?? 💕💕

@nandorisms - Ed dear💕 Your shameless reblogs makes the world go around. You are always sweet and a much needed wwdits addition to my life. I count you as a dear friend living in my heart!💕

@londonlock - Londie! 💕💕 The only sherlock mutual i have left and i am very happy to have kept you! 💕 I might have left those days behind me but you know as well as i that sherlock lives in my soul and seeing some sherlock and john love on a daily basis keep me grounded and on top of that are you such a romantic and beautiful human being! 💕💕

@follovver - Tanya 💕 My fellow Swedish ofmd fan! I am very happy to have found you! its nice to be able do discuss it in my mother tongue and i hope we one day can do it live! its to bad we never met when we went to the same uni (or maybe we did but didn't know) Du är fantastisk!! 💕

@wastingyourgum - Al💕(which i always read in my head as artificial intelligence and giggle because it make me feel like you are a robot) My fellow rhys friend. You bring me doses of darby when its most needed and your blog is always on fleek 💕💕

@xray-vex - Xray 💕 100 % one of my funniest mutuals!💕💕 You make hilarious posts that no one else could even dream of coming up with! Always top tier blog content and what more can a girl ask for??💕

@jellybeanium124 - Nina💕 I can not imagine my blog without you! Your posts are always a delight and you are so nice and sweet and funny and incredible (even when you make math mistakes kisses kisses) You bring a honest joy into the fandom that we could not live without! 💕💕

@thunderwingdoomslayer - Nellie 💕 My official rhys darby gif provider who I come to as if i needed a new hit of an illegal substance. I salute you and thank you for your service!💕💕

@forestofsprites - Green my dear 💕You might have gone from ofmd to be the supernatural provider of my dash but that does not stop you from being the kindest forest spirit i know. Your presence is calming in a way i can not explain and i am glad to have you and your love for meg here.💕💕

@cheersmequeers - Kate💕💕 A big puzzle piece to bring my dash together. Always filling it with my favorite gay pirates and i love having you here. Always friendly and full of love.💕💕

@sugashook - Sugaaa💕💕 You know i am in love with your art! Your art is always on top and it bring me back to life every time. I keep the dress i bought from you on the outside of my closet so every morning its the first thing i see and it sets the day right!💕💕 I wear your art on my tshirt to the gym as often as i can hoping to lure in a ofmd fan between the weights but that has not happened yet sadly!! Never stop making your art!! The world would be at loss if that happened 💕💕

@lacefuneral - Jay 💕(should be called YAY because that is what i say when i see a new selfie or fashion post from you) You are a fantastic friend and i love your love for stede and you are always kind and patient in a way that makes me comfortable to ask you questions about something i might not be familiar with. You are forever my moth mutual in my mind 💕💕

@meanmisscharles - Charles 💕 In my head i call you charles but i don't think that is your name but i hope its okay with you! Always friendly and sweet but ready to fight the bullshit the other spread! and such a source for good music recommendations!! 💕💕

@forpiratereasons - Darcy 💕literary no one does it like Darcy! Aways bringing the best ofmd posts to my dash and ensuring i don't miss anything! You are incredible! 💕💕

@blackbeardskneebrace - Miles my dear 💕 You make incredible art both the cute and amazing ofmd art but also the gorgeous historical art you post. Its a pleasure to see you talk about history but also about our beloved gay pirates. Your snoopy ofmd art will live in my heart forever and i think it might be healing me a bit. Maybe even watering my crops and clearing my skin! And those valentine ofmd arts from last year. I am 100 % gonna bring them back this February like beloved decorations you store in the attic. 💕💕💕

@awkward-fallen-angel - Heather 💕 You are one of the sweetest people i have had the pleasure to come across. You bring a big excitement and attention to the things you like and it moves along to everyone near. I mean i have watched long critical role videos just because you spoke so warmly about them and i wanted to know what it meant. I love having you here. 💕💕

@mxmollusca - Mx 💕 (dont know your name so i am just calling you that) I mean you are an incredible writer. I have only managed to read ifwts once because i cried so much that i am scared to open it again because i might just never stop crying. You are creative and funny and absolutely totally normal about rhys darby which in my book is a very good thing to be. And besides that you are a very friendly and nice mutual who is always a pleasure to interact with. 💕💕

@poisonintopositivity - Lilias💕 We have not talked much but we have been mutuals for a very long time and i hope you know that i appreciate you greatly as a mutual and you always but the best posts on my dash!💕💕

@glam-hutchence - Birb 💕💕my dear bird lover! You are a sweet potatoe and i love reading about your love for music and the concerts you go to.💕 Its so nice to take a little part of your life. You are always there for me and i always get happy when i talk to you. You are like a little happy pill! 💕💕

@turtles-on-turts - Turts 💕 Whenever i see a turtle i think about you. Its your brand! You make amazing art! and the ones on canvas always blow me away. 💕💕 Its incredible. You are also so very pretty and i have that picture of you in your depression robe with all the pigeons imprinted in my mind because it such a cute one. You are always very friendly and i love reading your personal posts as well. 💕💕

@vonlipwig - Franky 💕 You bring me lots of normality about rhys darby but these days also a huge bunch of normality about david tennant which i appreciate a lot. You are very nice and i stand by my assesment that you have a very cool aura!💕💕

@haeva - Mar my beloved💕 You bring me my wifes emily and valkyrie and a bunch of amazing posts about everything i can imagine. You are loving and sweet and good at maths which i am always very impressed by. I love being your mutual and doing ask games with you is a pleasure!💕💕

@mykonossalome - Myko💕 When i see moomin i think of you because i know how much you love it. We dont talk as much as i would like but the interactions we have had has meant a lot to me and i love seeing you posting about the things you love! 💕💕

@cottoncandiescupcakes - Cupcake 💕 I love that you are always so excited over our boy the swede and its a pleasure to compare language with you. We can continue fighting if the swede belong to the dutch or the swedes but that is a pleasure!💕💕

@mister-brightside - Andrea my dear💕. Your art is always perfect and whenever i see a picture of izzy giving the middle finger i think about you! Its your brand and its your picture now and no one can change that. You are sweet and caring and a lovely mutual to have. thank you!💕💕

@merryfinches - Kylie 💕 What can i say more than that i ADORE your fanart. The colours the style the softness of it all is exactly what we all need in these times. Every single time it shows up on my dash it makes my heart grows softer and my love grow stronger! I love it so so much. 💕

@ofmd-ann - Ann 💕 You glorious glorious gifmaker! Your gifs are always beautiful and these last days you have saved me with your wrecked edits. As a supplier of rhys darby gifs i love you forever. You are a hero love. 💕💕

@usersukuna - Bia 💕You are a gif magician. Your gifs are perfect and you are also very kind and sweet and i am so glad i can call you a mutual! You light up tumblr like no one else and i am always happy to see you on my dash.💕💕

If you are not in this list it does not mean that i dont love you or have forgotten about you it means that tumblr has put a limit to how many people you can tag which sucks. But if i follow you then it means i love and appreciate you. 💕💕💕 And you know what? We will make it through this hard and trying times of greedy streaming services putting an end to our gay pirates show. I love you all and you know what??

We will make it through as A CREW!

[phonydiaries]

Worse for The Wear, P X Reader

Disclaimer: I've barely progressed past the first miniboss in Lies of P and I don't want to spoil the story for myself so I'm going off of information pretty much exclusively based on gifsets and screenshots,,, so if some of this isn't lore-accurate pls forgive me! it's indulgent fluff. Also if you enjoy this short piece and want to read more from me please tell me! I'd love to interact with this fandom more. Thanks, hope you enjoy!

---

As you kneel under the dank and decrepit streetlights, your knees are dirty, damp, and freezing cold against the pavement of Krat Station. Couldn’t this stranger have chosen a more convenient place to lose consciousness, you wonder. Perhaps he could’ve collapsed in a setting just slightly less dramatic than a torrential downpour? You’ll be sure to ask him as soon as he awakes. If he awakes. God, you hope he does. 

You came upon him by accident really. Weaving your way through alleyways, dimly lit and speckled with decaying automatons. Miraculously you were able to avoid being detected, though the boy now lying in front of you wasn’t so lucky. The sight of him made your heart sink; limbs strewn about on the ground, his face equally obscured by dark soaked locks over his eyes and the wet pavement pressed against his cheek. The poor thing’s once-white shirt was discolored to a near black, smeared with slick tarry oil. Against your better judgment, you stopped to make sure he was alright.

With one arm you reach around the man’s torso and ungracefully heave him into a face-up position. As gently as you can, you adjust so his head is allowed to rest in your lap. The stranger's face, like his clothes, is marred with automaton grease; streaked across the bridge of his nose, caught in his dark angular brows, blotting his delicate mouth. He looks elegant somehow, even in his current state. His lips are slightly parted as he breathes in, shallow. Breath! He is alive! Curious, you ever so slowly bring two fingers to the man’s mouth and carefully wipe away a smear of oil. As you go to inspect the material closer, something closes, steely and cold, around your wrist. Startled, you yelp and your eyes dart to whatever is now clutching your arm. A masterfully crafted hand of pure steel curls its fingers around your wrist. The metal chills you to the bone. Monetarily frozen, you catch a glimpse of brilliant blue glinting in the eyes of the stranger, like sunlight diffused through seaglass. 

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you.” You say, your voice a bit more shrill than you would like. The stranger's eyes narrow momentarily, but quickly soften. His energy is clearly limited, without much to be spent on anything other than remaining conscious. This is clearly evidenced by the immediate loosening of his grip as his head lolls back into your lap. 

“Oh…” You murmur, watching him with some concern. It’s difficult somehow to work up the courage to ask for more details on his injuries. You find yourself somewhat distracted by the beauty radiating from his waifish face. Your hand slides into place, cupping his pale cheek against your palm. His skin is soft, but cold. He can’t stay out in this storm much longer if he’s to have any chance at recovery. He seems to have momentarily slipped back into sleep, and so you take the opportunity to swipe away a lock of dark hair covering one eye.

“Sir,” you say softly “Can you stand? I’ll help you out of this rain if you’re able.” 

He stirs then. His lids flutter, heavy, as if each time he blinks it becomes harder to keep his eyes open. Your heart jumps a bit at the sight of it. 

“Please,” You trace the line of his sharp cheekbone “I’d be happy to get us both out of this mess.”

The stranger says nothing, but nods, and leans forward in an attempt at becoming upright once again. You preemptively hold your arms open, and he falls somewhat awkwardly into your chest. He’s heavier than you expected for someone with such a slight build! Although the mechanized arm probably accounts for most of it. With a bit of strain on your knees, you’re able to hoist him up into a standing -albeit hunched- position, his arm slung haphazardly around your shoulders. You swear a whimper escapes his lips as his chin dips into the nape of your neck. You try to focus on the task at hand, but have to admit to yourself that the feeling of his breath on your skin is electrifying. 

“Where -um- which way did you come from?” 

The stranger lifts his head just barely and looks around, obviously dazed. His gaze settles ahead and he raises his mechanical arm in a weak gesture towards a structure in the distance. You recognize it as Hotel Krat, a place you know of, but have never actually been. 

“There?” You ask, and the weary boy nods. In preparation for the journey ahead, you adjust your stance slightly. “Onwards and upwards then…” You mutter; and the two of you stumble forward stepping on each other's toes occasionally. Slowly but surely, you head towards shelter. 

The interior of the hotel is lit warmly, inviting and decorated beautifully. Under better circumstances you would’ve taken ample time to admire the whole place, but as soon as you step through the doors your companion collapses against the wall. He sucks in a sharp breath of air at his shoulders collision with the wall. Quickly you come to his aid, holding him steady at the waist and offering up your shoulder once again for him to lean on. Through a thick curtain of thoroughly drenched dark hair he looks at you, appreciative. 

“Thank you.” 

And the words are so soft, so melodic, you have to wonder if you only imagined it. Stunned, you respond simply,

“You’re welcome.”

You feel those striking blue eyes dance across your face, making it wildly difficult to think straight, much less speak. A sudden realization comes upon you; that in this moment you want nothing more in the world than to stay here, even freezing cold and soaked to the bone, taking in the sight of this man. 

You notice just above his brow there’s still remnants of that black liquid. Absent-mindedly, you move your hand from your companion’s waist to wipe it away, leaning in ever so slightly to get a closer look. The boy catches your hand halfway. At first you think he’s swatting it away, but instead he stares at it with undivided attention, as if it were some rare treasure. Silently he intertwines his fingers with yours. For a moment, you’re frozen again, a jolt of blue lightning shooting up your spine at the quiet intimacy of the gesture. The mysterious boy inches closer, his nose grazing yours as he places a tender, appreciative kiss on your lips. You feel your face flush and reflexively tighten your grip on his hand. This seems to startle him and he stumbles out of the kiss. Your hand, however, is still holding tight to his, and so the two of you take a short sweet tumble onto the glossy floor. 

Quickly you attempt to readjust, but you’ve landed conveniently head first against the boy's chest, so close you can hear a mechanical whirring beneath his skin. Your companion lifts your face with his human hand and inspects it carefully for injury. He squints, but seems satisfied that the only thing bruised by the fall is your ego. Carefully, the boy stands, pulling you up with him. His mouth curls into a kind smile, which becomes a melodic laugh gracefully escaping his lips. 

We’re even now, you think to yourself.

 Now we’ve both helped each other up. 

---

[unreal-unearthed]

https://www.tumblr.com/bangelism/762929927623507968 when did they prove it? /gen not looking for trouble lol 🙏

reference for everyone: post being referred to read "i sleep so well knowing buffy and angel are canon soulmates."

sure! i can go into a into a lot of evidence as to why i think this, but i’ll just point out some of the key things that stand out to me. (fair warning, i can ramble about them for a long time so... apologies...)

first of all, i think it's important to establish what a soulmate is. i understand everyone may have their own perspective on what this means, but to me, a soulmate is a deep mutual love (romantic or platonic) and thus, an intense connection between two souls. soulmates understand and accept each other, help each other grow, support one another, and of course, love each other.

so using that as a reference, here is why i believe buffy and angel are soulmates, and how the shows canon supports that:

1] their lives mirror each other. even when they're apart, buffy and angel's stories continue to mirror and parallel one another. a great example of this is connor and dawn. both buffy and angel had these (different) roles of caregiver thrust onto them unexpectedly, but find themselves in these new roles they've been given. angel as a single dad, buffy as a sister and dawn's primary caregiver after joyce passes; both go through ups and downs in this journey, but the audience sees they wouldn't trade it for the world. then, they lose them through a portal, both fall to the ground instantly and shortly or immediately after fall into a catatonic state. this is not the only example of their lives mirroring each other, but i think it's one of the more profound, easy to see ones, that changes their lives and perspectives forever.

(screenshot of a beautiful gifset by @charmedslayer)

2] the continual references to one another throughout the series. buffy and angel often reference how much their relationship meant to each other, post breakup, either through actual words or actions/subtle references. a very important buffy quote outlines this really well: “i loved him more than i will ever love anything in this life.” to me this shows this is a relationship more important than any other, one they cannot simply just "move on" from. it changed them fundamentally, and has stuck with them no matter what.

3] they help each other grow. without buffy, angel would have never gotten out of that alleyway. that is just fact. buffy gave angel a purpose. even when they are apart, even when she is dead, it is keeping that purpose she gave him alive that animates him. they both made each other stronger and better people. this is seen all throughout their relationship and beyond; from the little pep talks they give each other, the way they train and fight side by side, the way they give purpose to each others missions.

screenshot of a gifset that shows this perfectly by @buffysummers

4] their emotional connection. whilst in a relationship, we see angel being buffy's emotional confidant on numerous occasions and vice versa. they give each other new perspective (also another example of how they help each other grow), like in 'ted' (btvs 2x11). angel is the only person in that episode to listen to buffy's complaints, acknowledge them, but then gently offer her a different perspective; maybe her mother is simply, lonely. even post breakup, in 'forever' (btvs 5x17), angel is the one person she fully confides in about her grief. they are able to be fully vulnerable with one another, both emotionally and physically. protecting each other in both ways and fighting many both physical and mental battles “shoulder to shoulder" even when they're apart.

5] they accept one another. 'what's my line' (2x9-10) shows this the best, as well as expands on how they can be fully vulnerable with each other. first emotionally - angel listens to and acknowledges buffy's frustrations about career week, and supports her through that (feelings that are dismissed by everyone else around her), encouraging her to talk about her feelings. then, in accepting both her 'slayer' and 'buffy' persona as one, asks her on an ice-skating date to learn more about the buffy he never knew, accepting even the parts of her people might disregard. then, we see buffy accept both aspects of angel; his vampiric and human side, when she kisses his vampire face and is one of the only people throughout the shows canon that accepts these two sides of angel, represented by his 'true' face. then physically - when buffy is worried about her safety she goes to angel's apartment, curls up in his bed, just a space that reminds her of him is enough to make her feel safer. and then angel is rescued by her at the end of the episode. she cradles him in her arms, and we see him clearly and physically relax in her embrace.

—

i fear i could go on, and on, and then on a little more. but that's just a little taste of my perspective on why i believe the canon supports the idea that buffy and angel are soulmates. …let alone all the shared dreams, countless parallels (even more meta ones like how their theme songs reflect each other) and then the love they have for each other which is stated time and time again.

[twig-tea]

Communication styles, mirroring, and new relationship growing pains in Cooking Crush

In Cooking Crush ep7 we get a lot of really cute moments and really wonderful plot arcs that fly in the face of BL tropes (Nobly ghosting your crush because you think their life is better without you? Breaking up rather than simply agreeing to take time apart to focus or be in different places? Not clarifying your feelings? Making assumptions about your partner's physical comfort levels? Ten said not today, Satan!).

And! We also got a lot of more subtle goodness that I want to take a second to highlight around the feeling out of their relationship that happens between Ten and Prem in this episode. They each try out ways of showing affection, and of communicating, and it sometimes lands and sometimes doesn't, and they also take turns trying out one another's methods on each other! They slowly start to use more of each other's styles, and they get better and better at understanding one another as a result. I'm mildly obsessed, so let's break it down.

First, after Ten blocks Prem from leaving (communicating that he needs an explanation--first with his actions and then with words), we get Prem trying out the cute nuzzle-y apology in the grocery store, and then going in for a peck kiss (and Ten meeting him immediately and then getting flustered, loved this!). This was such a good moment because Prem uses the kiss in place of words, to indicate his feelings (he says "do you know now? you're not the only one" but doesn't specify he's talking about his feelings). This theme comes back in the episode later.

[gif by @gunsatthaphan; full set here]

At the cafe, Ten lies about having eaten and then not having eaten to appease Prem, and Prem immediately noticing and pinching him about it--this white lie for Prem's peace of mind clearly did not land well.

And then Ten tries to make up with him by mirroring the way Prem did to him in the grocery store (the cute nuzzling). And this seems to land better; Prem eventually gets flustered but tells him it was cute. And then Ten goes to get Prem food, because feeding one another is already an established-effective form of communication for them. Ten comes back and makes a really cheesy pun about sweet food/soulmates and it does not land and he sits a bit ashamedly back down.

[Ignore the two caption formatting styles, that was me being too lazy to go back to WeTV but wanting more screenshots so getting them from YouTube.]

He tries physical touch again instead, by reaching out with his foot. And again, it doesn't land, Prem confusedly asks him what he's doing. And then Prem accidentally (?) reciprocates--awkwardly because he doesn't really get it. And so Ten explains that this was supposed to be a signal that they should kiss some more. He decides to use words, and this works! Prem nods and goes with him to make out against some very unstable bookshelves lol

Ten asks Prem if he wants to continue--using words because that's what has worked best so far--and Prem gives him the green light nod again.

And so they try again, and again get interrupted, and Ten gives up. But this time Prem uses Ten's method--words--to ask if he wants to continue, and Ten gives him the green-light nod back! Again, they continue to mirror one another's styles of communication when they see it works.

[Both this and the previous gif above done by @tenprems, with full gifset of this exchange and the mirrored nods available here]

This next tiny moment was cut from the YouTube version, but in the car, Prem gives Ten another one of the now-established-as-effective green light nods before jumping into his lap lol Loved these continuous check-ins and establishing of mutual interest!

Back in the cafe after giving up on making out--and how much do I love the frustration about not just being able to kiss all the time, and not having a good place to go because they both live with their families, this was so relatable--Ten says his feelings outright (this is the Ten way) and tries cuddling in again, because Prem said he thought it was cute before, and Prem responds positively by verbally saying he feels the same, which gets Ten to pop back up in excitement because this is the first time Prem has said aloud he has feelings!

I love this moment that follows because it establishes just how differently the two of them think about communication. Ten, until now, was unsure about Prem's feelings because Prem never said them aloud. Now that he has, Ten takes that as a signal to ask if they can move to the talking/hitting-on stage. Prem looks at him like he's ridiculous, because they just made out in three separate locations lol and points out that obviously they're already past that stage. To Prem, his actions should have been clear enough to communicate enough of his feelings to Ten. Again, like in the grocery store, Prem thinks actions are explicit and clear, while Ten finds them ambiguous and wants clear and explicit words. And as they continue testing and mirroring communication methods on these dates, Prem starts to use more words and Ten uses more actions, and they understand one another better.

[gif by @gunsatthaphan full set here]

Later in the episode, Prem brings Ten food, because as mentioned this is an established as effective communication method for them. He overhears the fight with Ten and his father, and leaves, because that conversation underscored his worst fears about his relationship with Ten--that he'd make Ten's life worse by being in it. Prem defaults back to his usual methods of communication--avoidance and action--and Ten holds him back and uses his words to describe his feelings. And Prem goes back to meeting him halfway and responds with words! He explains exactly how he feels to Ten.

And in response, Ten goes for action to comfort Prem--he knows this speaks to Prem more by this point.

And then he goes back to words and explains his plan to Prem to stay apart for now so that they can be together in future. Later, Prem runs into Ten at the cafe, and goes to touch him--again, action being his primary language of communication. He goes to leave and Ten asks him to stay, and explains with words that he'll be out of town for the mid-semester break. He asks Prem for a lunchbox for the trip--again, asking for their tried-and-true food in order to get reassurance of Prem's feelings for while they're apart. And Prem, in response, uses his words to confirm that he knows he's in Ten's heart. He then asks Ten for physical affection in return ("recharge my battery").

I love this moment in particular because it does three things:

Establishes that Prem is more interested in Ten's love than his money

Combines their communication styles by both being physical and verbal since Prem explained verbally that this hug was important to him

Confirms in Prem's style (non-verbal communication) that he's still open to physical affection even given their slightly ambiguous status.

And Ten immediately acknolwedges receipt of this message by kissing Prem--again using Prem's preferred communication method and mirroring his actions in the grocery store at the start of the episode--and then following it up with a verbal explanation (because he's Ten).

In the final scene of the episode, Prem brings Ten the food as promised, but explains he also included a written note with the food (more explicit communication!). And Ten responds to that by offering a hug. Every time one of them tries to meet the other halfway, the other does too, and it gives me LIFE.

Prem pulls away, and Ten checks in verbally, but Prem doesn't run off like usual. He stays to explain, because he's learned now that Ten needs that verbal reassurance around what's going on with him. And Ten responds physically, by wiping away Prem's tears.

He then tries this cheesy thing with the glasses as a metaphor, and it does not land, Prem is too practical.

[gif by @gunsatthaphan, full set here]

But he does make another metaphor about seeing only him--again, meeting Ten halfway. And then he tries to make a joke about how he, Prem, would flirt around while Ten is away, and again it does not land lol. He immediately backtracks and instead makes a cheesy pun, mirroring the one that Ten made in the cafe that did not land at all for Prem, and for Ten it clearly lands, he looks quietly really charmed by this. I loved this so much, there's something extra sweet about someone who hates puns making a pun for you because they know you love them.

And then Prem says explicitly and clearly in words, "I promise I will wait for you".

Ten starts his journey and opens the lunchbox, and reads the note from Prem. Unlike the previous (often partially failed) attempts that Prem has made to communicate his feelings through food without explaining what he was trying to say (I'm thinking of when he made that lunchbox full of things that turned out to be food Ten doesn't like, or when he made all of Ten's favourite foods and brought it to school pretending it was leftovers but the fact that Ten had read Prem's deleted text message made Ten understand that it was actually for him), this time Prem has explained with words exactly what he was trying to express with his choice in food.

These forays into feeling out one another's communication styles, styles of humour, finding one another's hard lines (don't lie to make me feel better; don't joke about cheating on me) and just getting a sense of what works and what the other needs, this is bread and butter early relationship stuff, and the show is quietly depicting it so well. I had such a great time watching Ten and Prem not just fall in love, but learn how to effectively be in a relationship with each other this episode!

Huge thanks to the giffers @gunsatthaphan and @tenprems being fast enough to make gifs that I could include in this meta! If anyone gifs any of these other scenes I described, especially the battery recharge and Ten popping up excitedly hearing Prem use his words, please tag me!~

[sansaorgana]

It's not caused by any recent situation, I've been thinking about it for a long time now but I have some things to say about fic writing.

Being a fic writer in a fandom might be the most ungrateful "job" in the community. I have lots of gif maker friends and I make mediocre gifs myself so I will compare these two a lot but I want to make it clear I don't want to say fic writers are more important or suffer more or anything like that because I value gif makers more than you can imagine.

– First of all, the whole cringe status around fic writing – especially x reader fanfics – is awful. I often see posts that whine about the fact that these fics even exist. People don't think twice, they just hit "post" and in result they are shaming other people for having innocent and creative hobbies. We spend real time of our real lives writing fics we love for ourselves but also for other people's enjoyment. For free. I really don't want to see posts about how cringe and silly fic writers are just because someone thinks they're superior in a fandom. It's a fucking Tumblr. Also, would you say the same about a person drawing fan art? I don't think so.

– I know there are some gifsets that take literally weeks to make but in most cases fic writing takes more time to create and at the same time it takes more time to consume. It's easy to hit a like or a reblog button under a gifset that you consumed in under a minute just like it's easy to ignore a fanfic because consuming it would take you more time. It's understandable but at the same time, if you read fanfics, reblog them at least. Leave some sort of feedback. Even one word or a reaction image. It really means a lot... And, once again, the lack of reblogs bothers gif makers as well, but I think in the case of fic writing it's mostly caused because y'all ashamed of admitting that you read these fics. Like who the fuck cares? It's not Facebook, no one here knows who you really are, who the fuck cares?

– Speaking of reactions under fics. Being like "Part Two" is considered to be extremely rude. We are not AI bots and we certainly won't force ourselves to write a second part because you demanded it without even commenting on the work itself or hitting a reblog button. If "Part Two" is all you have to say, then it's better to stay quiet.

– Also, readers who comment rudely under fics written for free like ??? So what he's out of character? So what he's a sad little meow meow in the movie but a ray of sunshine in this fic? You are not being forced to read it and there's a whole community of people preferring fluff to angst. If some fic is not your type, just ignore it. I guarantee you, there are other fics that are your type and if there are not, you're welcome to start writing yourself. I've also seen people starting dramas about some details in the smut fics. Like Jesus fucking Christ... Go touch some grass.

– What hurts the most is the prejudice from other content makers. I've seen some posts hating on/mocking fic writers that are coming from gif makers themselves. We're all on the same boat, we create fan art for the media we love. Why do we have to bring each other down? I am aware of the problem of gif stealing in the fic writing community but it mostly is caused by the fact these people don't know how to properly credit gifs with the gif tool. Believe me, most of the fic writers have a huge respect for the gif makers and I wish it went the other way around as well, even if you don't read fanfics, you don't have to be rude about people who do.

– Fan fiction writers are not desperate ugly teenagers locked in their parents' basement. Some of them are mothers, some of them have PhDs, some of them are doctors, some of them are just simple people who want to relax after a stressful day. The same things y'all be thinking of fic writers can be said about any content maker on this site because they also spend hours in front of a computer making fan arts or gifs of their favorite characters.