#tldr: do what you want

[scarapanna]

I liked your art, you won🎉🎉🎉

WE WON NO REDEMPTION WAHOOOOO/silly

I'm still terrified of the redemption route for this clown though hdhghfg, I want his silly self to stay evil and wimsy and goofy and with redemption uhhh

We're like

I dunno I'm sooo scared devsis is gonna take away that aspect which is what makes him just so funnn. Please pretty please let him be god awful and rotten and rude and goofy if you take that route Devisis I want him to keep his funny wimsy qualities. Please please pleaseeee write him well y'all are doing sooo good with him don't fumble by taking the redemption route (And if they do it better be good and he better stay chaotic and goofy and sassy and condescending and all his "rotten rabid thing" qualities)

If they do him (And his fun aspects justice in this dreaded hypotetical) then I may be cool with it. Though the mean ass possum has grown on me so much I'd 100% miss that evil and unhinged part of him TONS, devsis have mercy pretty please/silly

[Longer more insane ramblings are in the tags hsfhfhhv]

[cent-scratchnsniff]

hoptal

[nostalgia-tblr]

okay, so the thing with wishing we could kudos every chapter of a fic.

i get it, we all want to hit the little like button more than once, it's the easiest way to express our approval/enjoyment/gratitude. i am going to address this to a generic 'you' (hello Y/N!) and assume that 'you' has either never posted fic to ao3 or hasn't posted both oneshots and multichapter works.

hits, kudos, comments, bookmarks. every marker of popularity (which many will interpret as quality) on ao3 is inadvertantly weighted in favour of works with more chapters. no, not longer necessarily, but with more chapters. go and sort a few fandoms by any of those stats and you'll probably be able to spot this trend in action right away.

oneshots are only at the top of a tag (by the default date sorting) once, and even if you re-read it you can only leave one kudos on it.

a multichapter can stay near the top of the update-sorted results for months if you time your chapter drops right, and of course every time someone comes back for the next chapter that's another hit, and being seen more it is more likely to end up with more kudos. you can still only leave one per work, though, which limits the effects to some extent. multichapter works still tend to overall outperform oneshots on stats, and the longer they are the more likely that becomes, but you'll still usually see a couple of oneshots on the first page if you sort that list by kudos.

and a lot of people (percentage unknown) do sort by kudos (or some other stat) and works at the top of 'by kudos' will thus attract more readers and more kudos. so there's an incentive to get as many kudos as you can on your fic, and if cutting it up into 250 chapters will help... well it already does, and that's had an effect whether writers will admit to dragging fics out a bit on purpose or not, but imagine if that effect were to become orders of magnitude more intense.

even if you personally prefer longer fics cut into fairly short chapters, you probably don't want to get your 150k epic in chapters of only a 100-300 words, do you? you don't want the oneshot writers to just give up when every page, no matter how they're sorted, is full of 5000-chapter works to the point that readers now riot when asked to read a whole 2000 words in one go. your fave author is now feeling insecure because chapter 12 didn't get as many kudos as the last one did.

and this is why ao3 will never let you leave kudos on every chapter. they're aware that the site already incentivises chaptering works and doing that more than you otherwise might. so you're just going to have to learn to put an emoji heart in the comment box.

[arsenicflame]

It's a time-honoured tradition- every time Sam comes across Izzy (and Ed) in their travels, he asks Izzy to marry him. And every time, Izzy turns him down.

At this point, Sam is asking more for the sake of it than any belief Izzy will ever say yes, a remnant of childhood dedication touched with 30 years of heartbreak and regret- though even now, a small part of him still holds out hope. Sam's promises have only got more extravagant over the years, from a job as his first mate, to a captaincy, a fleet at his command, a whole fucking island if that's what Izzy wants- but he knows it isn't though, not really. If Izzy was ever going to agree to marry him, to leave his life and go with Sam, it wouldn't be for anything Sam could offer him. Izzy never did care for flashy shows of wealth, for a ship or to be captain. The only thing that ever mattered to him was loyalty given, and loyalty shown in return. 

It all comes to a head after Stede left and came back, after Izzy lost a toe, lost his leg. Sam hasn't seen him since before things with Ed started to really slide off the rails, before stress permanently set into the lines of Izzy’s face. So, when he sees a dishevelled man with a hoof for a leg in a no-name port, he doesn't even consider the idea that he might know him. It's only when he turns towards him, and Sam catches a glance at those oh too familiar tattoos, he realises this is Izzy, his Izzy, that stands before him.

Knowing Izzy's discomfort with pity, he doesn't treat him any differently than he would in years gone by, positioning himself in Izzy's line of sight before approaching and sweeping him up into a bone crushing hug. 

“Israel-goddamn-Hands!” he exclaims, as Izzy grumbles back a begrudging “Samuel-fucking-Bellamy”, a tradition almost as old as their friendship itself. Izzy might not hug him back, but he can’t keep the corner of his mouth from twitching, just for a second.

(If Sam holds Izzy a little tighter and a little longer than usual, well. That's his business)

By the time Sam lets go, most of the crew has appeared in the town square, drawn in by the commotion. They may have given Izzy his leg and welcomed him as one of them, but still there’s an underlying tension, with nobody quite ready to set aside everything that happened before the Kraken. Seeing him cosying up to an unknown man sets everyone on edge, unsure whether to come to their first mate’s aid, or to assume that they've been betrayed once again.

When Ed sees that the yelling was Sam, his hand goes tense where it's held in Stede's. He knows the routine, has seen it more times than he can count, but as he watches them part he realises that this is the first time in a long time he's unsure of what Izzy's response will be.

Knowing that something’s different, knowing that Izzy's feeling vulnerable already, Sam doesn't go for the same flashy proposal he’s been giving for years. He doesn't promise Izzy the world, he doesn't cause a scene (or, any more of a scene than he already has, anyway). He looks at the fractured man in front of him, takes his face in his hands, and says the exact same thing to him he said when they were little more than boys. “Israel, I have to ask you. I know what you'll say, but I have to try. Come with me. Marry me and sail away with me. I'll keep you safe”

And Izzy… hesitates. He glances over at Ed, at Stede, and says to Sam “...We’re staying in port for a week. Ask me again then”

That's the moment Sam knows there is something deeply, horribly, wrong. He's not just looking at an Izzy who got seriously injured in a fight and is struggling to cope, this is something so much bigger than that- and that Ed has something to do with it. Izzy wouldn't even be considering leaving if he didn't. Whether it was negligence or something more sinister, Sam doesn't yet know, but he intends to find out.

[royalarchivist]

Jaiden: Cucurucho, you have a lot of power, right?

Cucurucho: ...I don't know. Maybe.

Roier: Ah... Yes, you know, don't act like a dumbass, you have it. You have it, man. Eh?

Jaiden: Is there a way for us to protect all the Eggs? Do you know? I don't want anything to happen to the Eggs that happened to Bobby.

Cucurucho: Ha ha ha

Roier: WHAT? [Smacks Cucurucho]

Jaiden: [Bops him] Headpats.

Cucurucho: Maybe.

Jaiden: [Continues to bop him] Headpats. C'mon, I can get it out of you! Headpats! Chin scratches! Belly rubs!

Roier: [Joins Jaiden in bopping Cucurucho, chuckling and laughs]

Jaiden: Yeah? He's comin' around!

[Jaiden and Roier both laugh]

[unriding]

a … a gift from the talented @kruinka 🥹 thank you so much!! ദ്ദി ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ)

[blueskittlesart]

just wanted to say i enjoy cottontail a lot and can’t wait to buy it when the full graphic novel is available, whenever that may be :)

screenshotting this and sending it to publishers instead of my manuscript

[psychicdisaster]

Alright then, here is my take on the whole shipping discourse in this fandom.

As someone who headcanons that Saiki is aroace with zero romantic or sexual attraction, I think it’s not my job to police anyone who likes to ship him with other characters. I can respect others who do so (and sometimes I find their ideas to be very interesting), and so can you. It’s not like getting angry over this will fix the problem over night.

I do wish less of the fandom was about shipping, because I think that the platonic relationships are the backbone of the series and are worth exploring. Despite that, I absolutely love seeing what people think about different pairings because the fandom is so creative.

It’s important to note that although Saiki says he has no interest in romance, he is written to be an unreliable narrator, meaning it’s hard to tell whether he is explicitly aroace coded or not. I like to think he is, but I don’t think others are wrong for disagreeing.

However, I do understand why someone would be upset with all of this. It is a bit frustrating to see a character you see as aroace be shipped left and right. In that case, it’s best to block users/tags that you are not interested in. Blocking something really isn’t serious, it’s simply a way to make this platform more enjoyable to you.

Anyway, I think this discourse is a bit useless. Let people see the character how they’d like. There’s no use arguing with each other. I think we can learn to respect different opinions.

[thegreatyin]

regarding the caeru callout post. i- how. i am flabbergastered. how do you people write this shit??? i've been playing three bleeding years and all i have is a skeleton who pretends to be a genius but is in fact a buffoon who has no idea what he's doing, a gay whore of an author who throws elaborate and incredibly illegal parties at his lavish townhouse whenever he's not in exile or prison... and then there's just blackbeard the pirate sitting in the corner. what am i doing wrong pls help

genuine answer: do absolutely deranged roleplaying with your friends and it will all spawn naturally over time (trust me i have like. a decade of experience with this exact phenomenon. all rp inevitably evolves into kingdom hearts and/or homestuck levels of complicated interwoven plot if you give it enough time and blorboing)

equally genuine answer: be absolutely shameless and do whatever you think is coolest. hype yourself up. be your own biggest fan. kill the part of you that cringes. if you make (to use a completely hypothetical example) a semi-immortal homunculus who's made in the image of a man that died years ago and from his perspective has been resurrected against his will you have to Own That Shit. you can't turn around and mock yourself/put yourself down about it. you gotta be earnest and shameless and confident. eventually you'll fool everyone else into thinking you actually are all of those things. i don't know how else to express that besides It Really Just Works

also practice. lots and lots of writing practice and writing experience. but that's the obvious advice you hear from every creative ever

[entriprises]

happy new year! if you haven't filled it out yet, here's my interest tracker! now that i've gotten my drafts under wraps, i will be replying to everyone who filled this out & prioritizing plotting going forward!

i've found that plotting, even if in little bits has done wonders for my ability to write and overall generated more excitement when writing - plus i get to know so many of you more than i ever have and i'm so thankful to everyone i got to know so much more last year!

plotting does not have to be anything monumental, plotting is just talking about our muses and sharing in excitement, however small. it's an exchange of ideas!! if you feel scared or nervous about your plotting abilities, know that i'm right there with you, but we're here to make friends and to write so let's do that together! let's do it scared! throw me your thoughts, your ideas, a photo, a meme!

[pandora15]

it's kinda annoying that i can't apply to manager level positions because i don't have managerial experience

and the reason i don't have managerial experience is because i've never been promoted! love that for me :)

[starleska]

OKAY NOW IT'S AIRED I CAN SHARE SOME INCOHERENT FIFTEEN-CENTRIC RAMBLINGS ABOUT THE NEW EPISODE

spoilers for the Doctor Who episode Boom! 👀🔥

Ncuti Gatwa you absolute LEGEND oh my godddd????? can we TALK about the range of emotion this man managed to show while standing in one place for almost an entire episode?! the tears running down his cheeks, the trembling, the determination, the self-soothing to keep his adrenaline down...it was all so amazingly acted. honestly Fifteen has quickly jumped up to one of my favourite Doctor incarnations but ohhhh this cemented it 😳😳😳 i think most intriguing were those little pockets of rage, the clenched-jaw, 'i could say something much worse but i am holding myself back' moments. that is what i love in a Doctor (looking at my favourites - Six and Eleven - it's no surprise 🙈) and i am delighted to see it in Fifteen, who so far has been deliriously sweet and charming and fluffy. yesssss let's give our favourite Time Lord a touch of that trademark anger 😉 just, oooooh. every Doctor has some level of cockiness, arrogance, superiority, but the ways in which each incarnation shows it makes for hugely differing personalities...and these little moments of nastiness (the 'do you get-get-get it?' and 'faith gyal' to Mundy) have killed me dead. after The Church on Ruby Road, Space Babies and The Devil's Chord i would never have expected that Fifteen could be a scathing incarnation...but i'm loving it. more please 😳💖

[ahalliance]

how do i turn qantoine’s spontaneous marriage proposal to qetoiles into evidence of his early-days fear of qfrench drifing away and keeping secrets from one another

[mosstrades]

im someone who stuggles not to let his curiosity and drive sometimes (often) cross over into an overwhelming and maladaptive need for answers, for explanation, for certainty. someone who, historically, sees making art as a primarily intellectual exercise. this is not inherently a bad thing, we all have our temperaments and this kind of attention can be a strength. but, you know that artist who makes a painting, and then only wants to show it while explaining it to you? thats me, sometimes, more often than i like. every story i used to write had another hundred page document behind it, explicating every single choice -- often i would simply read that, instead of ever actually write the story itself. the explanation precedes everything. the answers alone are the experience.

david lynch's work and philosphy has been and is a vital foothold in my efforts to learn to love the questions as our breath. learn to appreciate intuition and dreams, trust them instead of fear them. learn to see that the world has so much confusing, uncertain, strange beauty, that can be terrifying but turns sublime when you cease rejecting it from fear. when you embrace the unknown and dont try to immediately & anxiously explicate it all away, a whole new world opens up to you. that you need the darkness in order to dream, and you need dreams in order to live fully immersed in what the world has to offer. a foothold in learning to be okay with abstraction, with imperfect subjectivity, with uncertainty. to know it is not anthitetical to truth and meaning. know that to skillfully make ideas come alive into a work *is* to rationally pin them down, but that you cannot lose sight of the intuition they were born as.

his artistic intuition reminds me of what i need to have -- the trust and humility for experiencing the inexplicable and understanding that to be enough. a devotion to ideas and their realisation. a balancing force, for my endless inquiry -- to not forget to live the question in my the search for an answer. to allow some thing to go without clear or universal explanation, allow for some things to remain unresolved, allow for others to have that be their resolution. it's why his work equal parts captivates me and disturbs me -- i am very bad at this. but feel in my heart a need to get better at it. to be a better artist, a better thinker, a better searcher, a better person. you need to feel it, intuitively, quiet your endless noisy need for an answer and simply let it fill you up, let it resonate intuitively, and find in that how life makes sense to you and you alone. mediation, mindfulness, humility to sit with abstraction without trying to pin it down. more and more i try to understand this. some things don't need to make perfect sense. some things dont need answers, or their answers are not the point. some things dont need anything but to be experienced as they enter you -- like dreams do. that can lead you to the answer, and that can also be enough in itself. that can be just an intrinsic value in being alive to experience it. and so often, it is all in conversation with the search for joy. it's why he feels so captivating, so unique, so tremendously alive. why people use the word "visionary" when talking about him. because he knew how to use his medium in all the potential he could see, so that it let you live in the strangeness and questions. he understood them as sublime, he understood them as enough, he understood them as a joy. he understood them as beautiful. and his memory will remind me to do the same; always to seek the space to dream.

[royalarchivist]

[A sad violin song plays over an image of a sad hamster]

Pac: This doesn't have anything to do with me – I wear a blue sweatshirt, you're crazy, this mouse doesn't even have a sweatshirt, this hamster! [Reading chat] Am I a depressed hamster?

[ Transcript continued ↓ ]*

–

Pac: Actually– that's fine! I embrace that idea – of course I'm going to be depressed, are you crazy? [He hits his desk, then starts counting off people on his fingers] Fit is gone, Richarlyson is gone, Ramon is gone, Bagi and Empanada who were always there when we were there are also gone, I haven't seen them! It's just me and Tubbo, and sometimes Philza shows up.

Pac: I lost Chume Labs, I lost the Favela, I lost Murder Mystery, I lost Ilha Chume Labs, it's crazy! Look at how much I've lost, and I've gained nothing! Of course I'm going to be depressed, are you crazy?! How am I supposed to be happy?!

Pac: [Reading chat] "You have us Pac," that's true, thank you. No, that's true, sorry.

* NOTE: Please note that this is an incomplete transcript, as I was primarily relying on Aypierre's translation mod at the time and if I am not confident of the translation, I do not include it. As always, please feel free to add on translations or message me corrections.

[lovinggreeniehours]

um. i think the fated enemies missed each other idk. just a gut feeling