#truly the backbone of every fandom

[materialistvampire]

Btw shout out to the one guy on YouTube doing the Caligula Effect Warrior Cats MAPs no one doing it like him tbh

[jerzwriter]

I'm a little late for Day 1, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to send some love to some very special people. I'm not around as much as I used to be, so I feel a little disconnected. I'm sorry and trust me, I miss you all very much! 🩷🩷🩷

@aallotarenunelma - As I said in my reply to you, I hate the rough time you went through, but as someone who tries to find silver linings in dark clouds, I'm so glad that brought us together. You've always been such a bright, positive light in this fandom, and I am so happy we got to know each other. I've missed you here, and seeing your name in my notifications yesterday genuinely made me smile. I hope you're doing well, and I hope you'll pop in from time to time! I've missed you!

@alj4890 - My dear fellow Tobias simp! lol, I'm so glad that luscious little fictional man brought us together, but nowadays, he's definitely secondary to you! I enjoy our talks so much, and as much as I love a notification of a new Tobias x Chris fic, I'm even happier to see a message from you. It's so nice to have people who "get" you and I feel that whenever we talk. I'm so glad you're here for your creativity, and your friendship!

@aria-ashryver - My dear, you have always been such a beacon of light and love and an example of how each of us should be, even if it's difficult to live up to. You've endured so much and do so with a grace, dignity, and beauty that leaves me in awe. I think of you all the time, and I hope you know you have this agnostic praying and sending love and healing your way every day. Thank you for being you, thank you for spreading joy, and I hope you know how important you are not only to me, but to so many others. xoxo

@angelasscribbles - My sister from another mister. Girl, you're not even a fandom friend anymore - you're a friend. Period. It's so important to have people in our lives who "get" us, who we can speak to without fear of judgment, and who we can laugh with or be scared with. People who share our values for a better world and keep believing even in the darkest of days. You're that to me, Angela. Like I said, you're not a fandom friend, but since this little hellhole is where we met, you deserve to be acknowledged here. <3

@storyofmychoices - Sweet, sweet Dani. Where to even begin? You are the backbone of this little world of ours, and you give of yourself so selflessly time and time again. You are probably one of the kindest people I have ever met, and you do your best to see the best in everyone, even when it's very difficult to do. You've known darkness yourself, so it pains you to see others there, and you give so much of yourself to help others see the light. During some of my darkest times - in fandom and real life - you've brought me sunshine and joy when I've needed it most. I know both of us have not been around here as much because... life... but I hope you know how much I treasure you and your friendship. You are truly a rare gem in this world, and I'm so glad you're part of mine. Thanks so much for all that you do for the fandom - but mostly, for being you. xoxo

@icecoffee90 - My lovely, lovely Z. Another person who I have to remind myself I met through the fandom because you're not a fandom friend at all; you're a friend. I have always treasured our goofy talks and our intercontinental viewing parties, and now that we've gotten to SEE each other, we've created such beautiful memories. We've had so many laughs and you've brought joy to my life on days when I found it impossible to see the sun, I probably don't say it often enough - but you mean the world to me and my life is so much better because you're in it. Plus, we shared the world's best pumpkin pie ice cream together - that's a bond nothing can break! Love you to bits, sis! xoxo

@cariantha - Sweet Cari! As the fandom continues to dwindle, I'm so grateful for the people who remain, and I mean it when I say that you are at the top of that list. You've always been such a bright spot here, and your light shines through your work and actions. I always smile when I see a notification or DM from you, and I'm so glad you've stuck around. The fandom is better for it, but selfishly, I'm glad you're still here personally because you're one of the people who has always made this place great - even when it was not so great. Thanks so much for everything through the years, Cari! <3

@lilyoffandoms - Sweet, sweet Lily. Where to even begin. I feel bad because I've been removed from this place lately, and one of the people I miss the most is you. I adore you because you are all things kind and good - and a whole lot of don't fuck with me or what matters to me, too. That's the vibe right there! lol I've treasured our chats, I appreciate you as a person, and I love your giving nature. Seriously, you're someone others can look up to and aspire to be, and count me amongst those who hope to. If all that weren't enough YOUR TALENT! Writing, art... you are amazing and thank you for sharing those talents so generously with all of us. You make this place wonderful. You make it worth coming back to, I'm honored to call you friend. <3

@peonierose - My dear you have always been such a bright spot in this world. Just thinking of you conjures up images of bight pink flowers against a sunny sky. I know that's not how life has been for you as of late, but still, you don't let it change who you are at your core - a kind, beautiful soul. Thank you for being here all these years and for bringing so much joy to so many. We are so lucky to have you! <3

@quixoticdreamer16 - My baseball buddy who somehow got me through this wretched World Series! lol I truly value your support, kindness, and having someone who gets the thrill of victory and agony of defeat from spring through October. Thanks so much for being a valuable part of this fandom and so special to me! xo

@coffeeheartaddict2 My dear Tash. Thank you for helping me through the fall of civilization as we know it! lol, You've become such a dear friend, I almost forgot we met through the fandom, but I'm forever grateful to the fandom for bringing us together. It's good to know that whatever life throws at us, we will still have this crazy little corner to retreat to.

@dr-colossal-pita - My dear Ren, I feel so badly because I've been MIA due to many factors recently, and I hope that will change. But I hope you know how much you mean not only to this fandom but to me. Our chats, whether they be about fandom nonsense, shake-our-heads family moments, shake-our-head WORLD moments or lifting each other up with the cutest of little animal memes/videos, mean so much to me, just like you mean so much to me. I'm so grateful you're a part of my life. <3

@secretaryunpaid - Cher! You are just one of a kind. I know we have not had as much time to chat, and I miss that so much. But I'll always treasure our talks - the laughs and the deeper moments alike. You are someone that I know I would get into so much trouble with - and I love that! lol We know kindred spirits when they enter our lives. Thank you so much for your kindness and support, not only to me but also to so many here, and thank you for your friendship always! <3

@annoyingmillenialnewbie - My greek sister! Sister of the traveling spanakopita! lol I know we've both been busy and have not had as much time to chat as in the past, but that does not mean you're any less special to me. I'm so glad this little slice of crazy brought us together and I plan to keep you, even when it's long gone. <3 Miss you φίλε μου. xoxo

@genevievemd - My sweet little sister. I don't have to go into great lengths to tell you what you mean to me here, because we know what our friendship is to each other. Knowing we understand each other and have each other's backs on even the darkest of days means more to me than you will ever know. Just this week alone you helped me more than you can know. I love your creativity and what you've given to this fandom, but most of all I value YOU and I'm so glad you're a big part of my life xoxo

@jamespotterthefirst - Amiga, where to begin? The laughs, the mischief, the thirsting, the wellness checks! lol, I know we both have times when we struggle, but it's amazing even when you're struggling, you still manage to make me smile and make me laugh. When times are dark, you remind me that, somehow, we'll make it through. I'm so glad to count you amongst my friends - fuck fandom friends - FRIENDS, and holy shit, the fear of us being on the same coast together! lol I literally cannot wait. Thanks for being a part of my life, my friend, and I will always cherish this place for bringing us together.

@liaromancewriter Mal it looks like we will be amongst the ones to turn the lights out here one day. lol And I'm so grateful for that! Thank you for remaining our queen of fluff and for sharing your talents with us, and thanks SO MUCH for taking over CFWC this year. I know it's a lot of work, and I would have hated to see it go away, it was so much easier "retiring" knowing it was in good hands. Thanks for the laughs, the chats, and helping hold up the fort! I'm not the only one who considers myself lucky to have you here. <3

@potionsprefect - Alice! Another I'm not leaving until I say I'm leaving member of the OH fandom! lol I'm so glad you're still here and we still get to revel in Ethan/Victoria and of course Luke/Lily. I'm so proud of you for all you've accomplished in real life and still love shaking our heads together! (And there is so much to shake at! lol) Thanks for being part of the fandom & part of my world! <3

OK, these five ladies are not around anymore, but I'm mentioning them nonetheless. Fortunately, I'm still in touch with all of them to one degree or another, and they know how much they mean to me. I can't tell you how much I've missed you being here, but we have your old works to remember you by. I'm so glad this crazy place brought us together. @danijimenezv @lucy-268 @writer-ish @bex-la-get @a-crepusculo

Some people have supported my creations for so long, and I want each of you to know how much I appreciate it! Thanks so much for your ongoing support: @mrs-ramsey @onikalover @differenttyphoonwerewolf @kyra75 @custaroonie

@youlookappropriate @kingliam2019 @delmissesryanandcassi

These people help make the fandom a better place just by being in it. Your kindness, support, and positivity do not go unnoticed, and you create a brighter space for all of us. Thank you! 🩷🩷 I've been lucky enough to talk with some of you privately. We've shared lovely conversations and helped lift each other when needed. I hope you all know how precious you are to me!

@ladylamrian @cadybear420 @petalouda85 @rosesnink @dutifullynuttywitch

@lorircreates @moominofthevalley @petiteboheme @cryomyst @princess-geek

@tessa-liam @missameliep @trappedinfanfiction @takeharryandgo @thosehallowedhalls

@crazy-loca-blog @rafasgirl23415 @tveitertotwrites @thefirstcourtesan @sillydg

To some people I've been lucky enough to get to know in the past year. Whether it's been through our creations, playing reblog games, geeking out over music or our MCs, or just sharing in conversation - I'm so glad we've gotten to know each other! 🩷🩷 @renninflight @choices-ceri @brycesgirl @snoopdogcone

I always worry that I've missed someone, and with my Swiss-cheese brain- it's likely I did here. But, I want to send love and appreciation to anyone who has ever crossed my path here.

Elsa xo

@choicesfandomappreciation

[mediumgayitalian]

fic rec friday

hi!! welcome to fic rec friday. every week, i pick five fics i have bookmarked and rec them with a little review. check them out!

let there be light, let me be alright by annaaperson

His words stopped short as he, along with the rest of the cabin, stared in wonder-filled horror at Will. Specifically Will Solace. More specifically, his hands. His hands that were glowing a soft golden light into the night’s bleeding darkness. (aka, 5 times Will freaked people out by cracking his joints and lighting up like a glow stick and the one time he doesn't)

this was very sweet. glowstick will solace is such a funny fucking character trait and it does not have the spotlight it should have. loved the will & lee and will & clarisse. and i am a 5+1 truther why are those fics like actual crack

2. Death Boy by percyspandapillowpet

The three times Nico said he hated the nickname Will gave him and the one time he didn't.

okay full and fair warning i WILL be talking about this author all the time. they carried the pjo fandom in 2016 truly. and this fic is so tooth-rotting!! love fics where nico slowly warms up to having friends as he deserves truly

3. The Thing You Need Most by @wintersky101

When he's finished in the infirmary, when he's finally done all that he can to keep himself distracted, Will staggers into the Apollo cabin and immediately crumples to his knees, tears already springing to his eyes.

no this one is so important bc sometimes i feel like this fandom falls into the repetition of sad-nico-comforting-will and while thats not necessarily bad!! its nice to have some variety. and having nico be there for will when will cant be is so important and lovely to see. this fic does it so well!!

4. I swear by Apollo the physician, and Asclepius, and Hygieia and Panacea and all the gods and goddesses as my witnesses, that, according to my ability and judgement, I will keep this Oath and this contract: by @nicostolemybones

Will breaks the entire Hippocratic Oath.

i read this fic months ago and i literally think about it all the time. the quiet bitterness. the rebellion borne of a deep deep love for everyone around him. the backbone made of steel. william andrew solace i would die for you

5. Beautiful pain by Phantomxlegend

Will can take the pain of others and bear it himself. Half the time it’s not even a conscious decision and he doesn’t even know he did it... until later when the pain hits.

is this a little out there? yeah. a little wumpy?? yeah. but what is the point of fandom otherwise. this fic is exactly what it advertises

thank you for joining me this friday!! happy reading!!

[thenwhatthefukcisthis]

Inception 30 day challenge 2024

day 31: a letter to the Inception fandom 💓

Dearest friends,

I’ve never seen anything like this before.

everyone, no I mean everyone I’ve ever crossed paths with here had been incredibly kind and supportive and very very talented. each and every one of you inspire me and put a smile on my face every time I open this app or travel to ao3. such a lovely gathering of good people. good and crazily talented!

the events year around!, MY GOODNESS! so well thought out and executed, which almost makes us forget that there are working/learning busy real life people doing this for FREE! I have nothing but respect and admiration for all of your behind these events! you guys are the backbone of the fandom, creating safe and encouraging environments for the creators to thrive :D

also something I truly admire is how this fandom doesn’t seek out validation from its creators. yes, a few excited individuals (I’m looking at you joseph), do make remarks time to time, but almost nothing is explicitly confirmed over the years. the fandom does not need anyone to tell what’s canon or not. respecting real human beings is something that everyone here practices and I believe that it’s one of the reasons that it has continued to stand the test of time.

for me, this fandom also has given me some of my firsts; my first time making an ao3 acct, my first time being able to read and actually enjoy smut, my first time venturing in to other ships except the ship I like the most,... in short, my first chance of being unapologetically excited about something I love.

I do a very little here except scream like a banshee when a new fic is posted or a new art is dropped, or obsess over an actor, but despite that, I’ve NEVER felt like I’m too much or unwanted here. As a relatively newbie (been here almost a year now holy shitts), I’ve only ever felt a sense of belonging. and so much of happiness. thank you to all of you for giving me that. i was desperately in need of it.

in summary, all I can say is, that I’m so very glad my co worker decided to randomly mention that she has never watched inception, on a slow mid-week day in august 2023.. I should send her a fruit basket.

with love, Dee

p.s : @inception30daychallenge -last day of the challenge! I’m so proud of myself for completing it :D and congrats on everyone else for participating in it too! thank you for the mod/s behind this acct for this amazing event!

[usoud-tournament]

Welcome To The Tournament!

This blog is exclusively to run the Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny Tournament based on Lemon Demon's song sharing the same name! This post is to straighten out the rules and details to hopefully avoid too many questions.

How the bracket order was picked out:

I did my best to do the pairings based on the order which the character first appears in the song. All of the characters in the song are fighting against each other in the first round with the exception of Monty Python's Black Knight, as we're having a mini-round with him in order to let the two Gandalfs duke it while still keeping the number of brackets enough to make sure everyone has a match. The other exception is Mr. Rogers, as he won in the original song, and I am putting him in the third round to give some other fighters a chance to fight without his interference with the polls.

How the character versions were picked out:

I knew that there would be fights and questions with many of these characters if I left what version was fighting ambiguous, so I looked around for the most well-known versions of these characters, favoring the versions which are most popular in their respective fandoms. Believe it or not, I'm not in every fandom ever, so I apologize if you don't agree with my picks. Similarly, the strengths and weaknesses are gotten from the specific version's character Fandom Wikipedia page. I apologize if I got any strengths and weaknesses wrong. The exception to this 'only one version of the characters' rule is the Power Rangers, as the song specifies "Every Single Power Ranger" Therefore I did not want to exclude any versions. I got the help of a friend to understand the Power Rangers MO and try to balance their strengths and weaknesses to make sure they didn't roll over everyone else in this tournament.

What age are they?

Some of these characters are still living or quite old, and some characters' ages fluctuate throughout their media. Because of this, I am making a blanket statement that all of these characters are fighting during the prime of their careers.

Where are they?

Based on the opening line of the song, all of the characters will be fighting in Tokyo City Earth, they are allowed to leave this starting location as much as they are able.

Motivation?

There is no specific motivation for all of these characters, other than they were placed in Tokyo and have sufficient incentive to fight each other. For example, Superman could think that his opponent is a threat to Earth, Terminator could think his opponent is trying to stop his mission to kill Sarah, etc. However, characters with moral backbones will still follow their moral codes, and a character wins a fight if either A. They kill the other character or B. They convince the other character to not fight.

Poll Logistics

I know it will be impossible to make these fights truly unbiased, but I want for as many people as possible, for them to vote based on who they think would win in a fight, not who they like most. Otherwise, the final results will be based on who has the biggest fandom. What I want from this tournament is silly arguments about how these characters would fight each other, not a survey on who people like more. Every poll will last a day and each round will happen with every pairing going up against each other in the same day. However, the next round may not happen immediately after the last one. I'll try my best to be on top of it, communicate if and when the next round will be, etc. But I'm just a humble college student and I don't want to make this tournament a part-time job

Bias

I am not in all of these fandoms, but I am in some, and I also want to engage with people in the comments. However, I do not want to skew results. So I am not going to reblog posts encouraging people to vote for one character or the other, but if any cool fanart comes out I will be reblogging that. I will also be chatting with people in the notes, but not reblogging anyone to chat so it doesn't show up on the blog page.

Finally, every poll will be tagged with the characters in them, which means this poll will be showing up in a lot of different fandoms. It is not my intention to annoy people by popping up in their feeds when they just want to look at fanart or fan posts. Therefore I'm tagging every post of mine #USOUD Tournament and #Ultimate Showdown of ultimate destiny. If you don't want to see me ever again, block those tags.

Happy fighting!

[thesquirrelqueer]

how to say goodbye. I don't even know where to begin. how to dance in ohio has been such a surreal experience for me. i’ve always been open about my love for musicals, they’ve always been a huge part of my life. but this show was the first time I truly felt that love reflected back at me through the people working on it. i’ve heard ashley say so many times about how autistic people are the backbone of fandom, especially fandoms for broadway shows. and none is more true than the fans of htdio. this show was us autistic broadway fans finally getting our flowers.

I have been lucky enough to be able to see this show 5 times over its short run and every time I see it, I find new things to love and new things to sob over. and I wish I could keep finding those little things and keep seeing the show for forever. but wishes don’t always come true. although htdio wasn’t here long, I feel as though its impact on fans and on broadway itself will be everlasting.

[marleysfinest]

i have love to share muvva

@drivemysoul my cherished snk swiftie pal. it was so delightful to watch u liveblog it truly unspoiled since i'm also quite the latecomer too and i feel very Affirmed in my own reading and feelings!! they are so damn smart and funny and full of love and deserve the world. i also feel like we're in a weird exchange program every time they quietly like my nick cave posts as a real life australian meanwhile taylor swift is practically my neighbor

@felineverdure my doppelwife down to name and possibly ethnicity whose art i LOVE (big shout out to skin tones and melinated jean, impeccable hair and noses and jawlines, contributing to the tumbleweeds of the hitchannie tag), we have the same taste in old men, responsible for More More Chefs AU. if i get my shit together for RJW halloween the bit of flojean is for her, that's how powerful kat is. every day i'm more alarmed by how hard our interests overlap (asoiaf, buzzfeed unsolved, (g)i-dle)

@avellanaslesbianas the backbone of kenuri micronation who tolerates my depravity. we've both projected loser 80s rock musicians who've aged into conservatism (morissey and cave) onto this man. her art can make me chuckle til the cows come home AND fall to my knees. besides snk i feel like a bit of a minority in this corner of tumblr as someone whose weab lifetime has mostly been in (mahou) shoujo and josei and yuri so avellana is also my bud on that front

@daryascurse OH our pedantic ass philosophical speculation about selfshipping into AoT while not white!! i feel very giddy when darya asks about katken and i count her as another shoujo comrade, furuba and bssm especially. darya also has Quite juicy music taste and vibes i just imprinted on immediately idk!!!

@strawberrystepmom my pisces brother let's run an astrology consultating business out of a houseboat

@myrtlesandasphodels is very precious for our ASOIAF shared wavelength that i *think* translates to having good robust thoughts on the women of snk. i am neglecting our girl annie so much lately but rest assured she is not forgotten. every donut i eat brings me back to carly stratmann

i will always count @oxygenbefore1775 and my NIECE @fromriches-tosin as my first friends in this fandom because i entered quite truly like, a month before RJW 2024, and i admire their writing so hard. they inspire most to keep up canon x canon writing!! i'm so behind on just reading let alone writing fanfiction but their shit is top of my damn queue. i live for all of mae's art but especially mikasa my god

@pisspope is the reason i selfship to begin with you damn witch (gn) and i do think we met on the streets of ********* five years ago and fractured the universe. i love our kink venn diagram and holding down this side of the pond together. i scroll up to our entirely spoilered boot discussion to laugh periodically. i think we will meet physically and that's a threat

@marleysfinest just that This is ur milestone event and the liveliness of your inbox every damn day shows you have a big ol heart and are so good at gathering people, it's so very moon-jupiter trine of you

MORE LOVE IN THE WORLD!!!!!!! Kat ily behind words kiss kiss mwah mwah

spread the love for muvva’s feel good 500!

[bandzboy]

I've been a stay for 6 years, I've seen all the bad and the good things, and skz have been a really important part of my life. With everything that was going on, I decided to take a break from skz until this whole lose my breath era was over. Now I wanted to come back for their new album, but it just doesn't feel the same anymore. It's been months yet nothing has changed, they haven't apologized or addressed any of the concerns, they are still working with zionists. Their lyrics seems so meaningless now, this is from their new song "Head above the clouds, stand tall for the hell of it. Tower over crowds, don't pause 'cause I'm lovin' it. Heavy and I'm proud, backbone never suffering". In the past I would loved this song, but now them saying this while being silent about a genocide and happily working with zionists, just feels wrong. I know that one person leaving won't change anything, but I don't think I can support them anymore. As much as it hurts, it's time to admit that they really don't stand for what they used to.

anon i'm honestly on the same boat as you and tbh your feelings are valid if you decide to unstan it's truly okay bc i get you! truly i've been following everything going on and it's insanely sad that so many stays have been trying their hardest to make them know but all we get is silence. it doesn't help that jype is also trying to silence people too but you know it just sucks because there's no way they haven't seen it at this point there's no way they don't know their fandom is so divided over this ever since the lmb release. i wanna believe they are good people but it just so crazy they keep being tied to zionists or hanging out with them and it feels like a slap in the face every time i am not gonna lie and unfortunately, they aren't the only group that is silent rn and it truly makes me question all the people i stan at the moment and what their intentions are... like i truly sit here and think to myself what the really reality is! i can't be excited about things anymore because of how everything is looking rn. i knew i wasn't gonna tune in for this next skz comeback when the lmb fiasco happened because unfortunately it tainted everything for me and it's sad! i don't know what i'll exactly do either but since i'm so dead set on making things right and to keep pushing it i am sticking around for that because my interest in kpop is kinda slowly going away and it's sad. even tho i want idols to have better working rights and it's something that i will always bring up and, i'm very passionate about you could say, it's hard for me to stay knowing that these people are so comfortable being silent and it hurts to know this was probably the plan all along. the way when people started to bring up celebrities speaking up, people were already not including kpop idols with everyone else like... the group of people that should speak up and i think that was the moment that i realized how wrong everything is like how we expect them to essentially do nothing and not gaf about anything and that's messed up ESPECIALLY coming from groups like skz that have lyrics that are very much about rebellion and fighting back oppressive things and so on and it makes you really think that yeah maybe this whole shit was just a concept to them and they don't bring that into their real life. it just sucks atp i'm just venting i could go on because i have SO MUCH TO SAY i'm just now realizing i've been bottling this all up almost but yeah all of this to say that i truly truly get it and just know you aren't alone when it comes to feeling like this towards groups you stan because it's happening to a lot of people atm

[555-95472]

so two different people have asked me about #18. Favorite Beta troll? and it was already getting long, so. here we go 🎉

i won't sugarcoat my garbage opinions here: its eridan fuckin' ampora. welcome to my ted talk on why i love this terrible idiot.

so for context. i read homestuck when i was 14 and it like 6-12 months before my egg would crack. i was starting to be drawn toward male characters in a way i had never before. and my favorite types of characters were (still are?) under-discussed secondary characters with big "i can fix him" energy. so, naturally, eridan really caught my eye.

i liked the contrast between his tactical skill and his interpersonal ineptitude. b/t being kinda badass and being truly pathetic. b/t his attitude of supremacy and his endlessly deep self-loathing. and, yes, i definitely woobified him Big Time back then.

now coming back to the fandom like 13 years later, i see something more? those contrasts still draw me, but now i think about him in terms 1. what it means to be Villain in homestuck (both in his actions and his beliefs), and 2. erisolsprite

since this became an Essay, im putting the rest below the cut

tldr: examining eridan as a villain shows that some Really interesting choices were made in his creation and show how effectively he fills his narrative role. while erisolsprite forcibly hands someone else's perspective to an endlessly self-centered character.

with regards to villainy, in 2011 we had a totally different perspective on timelines and doom and free will and shit? looking back. and its so clear that eridan Had to be what he was, both narratively and meta-narratively?

what got me thinking about it was actually kanaya's sylladex releasing the matriorb? her fetch modus only releases objects when its The Right Time. and The Right Time was for eridan to fucking destroy it. and i realized that shit would've probably been pretty fucked if they got to the condesce with the matriob (something she wants Badly) and feferi (the heiress she was meant to kill).

narratively, eridan was predestined to destroy the matriob, and had he done anything differently, it would have doomed them. and i know this is the case for literally every decision, but idk something about that perspective hits different for eridan, who acts on his worst impulses and almost never has a positive impact on anything

like, goddamn, his classpect is prince of hope, and his planet is wrath and angels. people talk about whether or not he fulfilled his mythical arc or whatever? but it seems like LOWAA was meant to push him to that place of furious tension and volatile fear. it needed to happen and his planet made it so.

(plus i think there's some really interesting post-canon au stuff to explore with eridan learning to redefine prince of hope from "i destroy with my conviction" (meaning "i kill with magic/science") to "i destroy my conviction" (meaning "i deconstruct the things i once considered my core beliefs"))

and meta-narratively, eridan is Useful and also pretty interesting? imo there needed to be some representation of what the expected hemocaste beliefs of alternia were like. specifically someone representing the intersection of hyperviolence and bigotry that forms that backbone of their culture. eridan, as a war-tactic-obsessed seadweller, does a really good job of that.

but what twists him into something more is his role as an orphaner. in homestuck, eridan is the voice of his society's most violent and genocidal beliefs, and he is uniquely placed in a position to enact them. but he doesn't.

if eridan's bigotry is thought about as a narrative necessity for the arcs of other trolls (♋, ♉, ♐, etc.), it becomes more clear that some really clever choices were made to show a complex version of that (while still not overshadowing how Terrible he is). eridan is meta-narratively given infinite opportunities to do unspeakable violence that he Does Not Take. which serves to both undermine how dangerous he is, and to call into question the depth of those beliefs.

and with all that in mind: holy shit erisolsprite. eridan joined in mind and memory with sollux, a powerfully psionic goldblood who grew up in the shadow of helmsmanship. erisolsprite is so united in their self-loathing that they find unshakable common ground (as opposed to sprite-sploding like others do). its arguably The most stable relationship we see eridan have and the most stable sprite made of 2 trolls, and thats so wonderfully fucked up.

for eridan specifically, who is almost defined by being self-centered, he suddenly has the full memory of growing as sollux, who lived his life in the shadow of his own doom and was endlessly willing to sacrifice himself for others. eridan is literally is shoved into sollux's shoes and given memories of every previous step, all while sollux is still wearing those same shoes.

and while being erisolsprite definitely Sucks Ass, i can't stop thinking about how much that would affect eridan (Positively) if he ever got out of the sprite. tbh im also curious what sollux would walk away from erisolsprite with, but thats a post for a different time. i could go on, but it would probably just turn into a fanfic about it

ok my eridan rant is over. i hope this made sense. thank you for coming. here's a little bonus lowres eridan 💚

(also i havent played pesterquest yet so idk anything about that. ive been meaning to but its dubiously canon so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

[anonymityisfunwriter]

Hey there! I'm planning to do a 'Weaving Wonderful Writers.' I am putting together an appreciation post, a shoutout to wonderful writers like you. 'Coz, you bloody deserve it!

Also, from Navy's All Tricks No Treats:

🍭 - Ask a creator about one of their favorite creations.

And, if you were to pick one of your favorite stories near and dear to you, are you okay with me mentioning you and your fav fic in the 'Weaving Wonderful Writers' post?

I'm fairly new to the Tumblr block, and I've done more writing than reading. I thought this would be a good start for me to read and simultaneously share your work for others to enjoy. :)

Can I just say, people who do all of this, are quite literally the backbone of fandom community? I’m so introverted and socially anxious that I have such a hard time making friends, but you guys are just so sweet and so welcoming. Brb, currently crying.

Okay, I’m back.

🍭 - I think my favorite creation is The Grumpy x Sunshine Universe. Every once in a while, it occurs to me that I really just created an entire fanfic universe for funsies. I don’t know whether I should be scared or impressed with my commitment. I really just love that series. I could talk about it forever. It’s so fun to write and get to live with you guys. 💛

And I am absolutely okay with you mentioning one of my fics! I’m honored that you thought of me! It’s hard to pick a favorite, but if I really had to it would, of course, be Two Sides of the Same Coin. I will forever love that story with all my heart. Truly a lightning in a bottle moment with all the readers and the timing and momentum of it all. I never be able to explain it tbh.

Anyway, I’ve yapped for too long, but thank you so much for the ask and thank you for including me! 💛

[erikahenningsen]

i feel proud every time i remember that I kind of started the SPF tradition. i was so deprived of cadina content, collecting anything I could find from authors, and i couldn’t wait for an update. i asked if i could get a sneak peek of your WIP, and now Sneak Peek Friday has become an ongoing event 🥹

thank you for your mind (and angie’s too); you guys are truly one of the backbones of the cadina fandom 🤍

A celebrity in my inbox! I remember the first time you (or maybe it was someone else who had caught on, idk) said "it's sneak peek Friday!" I was like wait what and went back through my answered asks and saw that the previous couple of sneak peek requests had been on Fridays and I just like. died laughing. The funniest thing is when I get the asks when it's still Thursday in my time zone.

And ahh thank you! ❤️ We're so lucky to have @emilyjunk

[pucksandpower]

hi natalia! i hope life has been treating you well and that you're doing amazing. i wanted to say, i love your account so very much! everytime i go through the f1 tags on here i'm alway searching for your username among the fics and safe to say is you have never ever disappointed me. when i first got into the fandom you were definitely one of the blogs that really hooked me in. oh girl you don't know how ecstatic i was going through your masterlist, i literally felt like i was camping in that one post going through everything in one night. still, even now i love going back and reading it again because that little spark of joy i feel clicking the links to every au is the reason i love to be on tumblr!

you never fail to deliver an insanely good level of world building like this is kind of surreal to me, because you give us such a fresh and wonderfully blissful take on social media au's. it's super cool to see you explore all types of medias like articles, blogs, twitter, instagram, youtube videos—i feel like you've used EVERYTHING girl. all your posts are sooo long and idt people realize how much work you have to put in to make a cohesive story like that?? + using all sorts of outlets ur an actual beast at this wow. and it's not just the way you deliver it, it's also all the ideas that you have. i'm a huge sucker for the deep lore ones that are like the ones involving racing teams and stuff. it's so great to see your takes on real time events and how it could've been if this or that happens. the readers are also of so much variety, i hope you keep doing that bc it adds a lot of potential and spice into the story. royal au is also sooo good! your account to me is basically girlhood personified. i'm always so immersed in it that i forget i'm reading an au... that really shows your effort in the work you put out. i can tell the time you spent crafting these pieces i mean WHO goes this far and wide if not pucksandpower?? ur the backbone of my mental health i would've gone in the trenches if it weren't for you... that's my mother ya'll. there is not one fic of yours that does not have me at the toes of my feet, all giddy to click the "keep reading" button. i wish for you to know that i, and i'm sure many others who follow you, really appreciate all the work you put in! i'm lowkey like suspicious with how real and professional some of the articles you make are bc how is that not something that would come out of an actual blog? 😭

AND OHHHMYGOOOD you are doing god's work for feeding my delusions on giving charles leclerc the team that he deserves. seeing the newey reader fic, that was when i knew you were ON to something like this girl is special she's doing all the research.. babe you could be the new damn chief tech officer if you wanted to i mean. you are operating in levels that we can't even comprehend?? one step ahead in everything. when i read your cl stuff in my heart i'm rooting for this man so bad and like if this isn't happening irl at least pucksandpower got my back like... you know what they say about delusions=manifestations so if we keep this up yall i believe it can be real trust me i've seen it in my head....

i'm sure there's a lot more that i want to say but anyways, i'm really glad that i ever found your blog and i look forward to future works you're gonna put out! cheering for you always and please take care of yourself, xx ❤️

Hi, my love! Thank you so much. I totally teared up reading this and I am not the slightest bit ashamed to admit it. Every single thing I post is crafted with love — I do it because I love working on them and because I love being able to make my fellow fans happy through my work. There truly is no more rewarding feeling. I have posted a whopping 119 fics/imagines/AUs on here and typing that number out really made me realize how crazy that is and how far I have come since I started this blog back in November

I can’t lie, sometimes the research and time I put into each of my works can feel overwhelming at first but I am always proud of the end product and especially happy to share it with you all. Some are lighthearted fun and I can have them completed in a few hours while others run deeper and can take me days upon days to finish. I truly want to build a mini immersive world through each of my AUs and I am so happy that you have been able to get that experience through them

Also I like to say that delusions make the world go round (and help keep us sports fans semi-sane) so I am more than happy to contribute on that end

Thank you again because your words mean so much to me! I can’t wait to share more work with you. Have an amazing day 🫶

[jerzwriter]

When I saw the event announced, I had the very best of intentions. I was going to share my favorite fics/art, masterlists, and send personal messages to many that I hold near and dear. Unfortunately, the event coincided with the wedding of my nephew/godson/other child, and I was far too busy to do much at all. But hey, kindness is an ongoing event, right? So I'll try to do some of those things after the fact; I'm sure no one will mind. 😊

But I wanted to take a moment to send a shout-out to everyone who does their part to help keep the fandom alive and strong and who takes the time to build each other up rather than tear them down. Fandoms exist as a place where we can create, find commonality, and escape. We need more things like this in our increasingly troubled world, a safe haven... that's what this should be.

Choices was always a niche fandom, but we're so tiny now, but you can see the passion in those who remain and we're always eager to welcome newcomers who still arrive! (We ain't dead, people! lol) So...

To the creators: Thank you for continuing to share your gifts with us. You may not always know it, but your art can help someone through a rough day, bring a smile when needed, or elicit emotion that the consumer didn't even know they needed to release. Thanks for making us think, laugh, cry, lust, and fall in love with our little blorbos. You really are the best!

To the givers: Those who run events to keep this little place of ours going. To those who see someone is having a bad day and take action - it could be sending a DM, a cute ask, a funny little gif, a new creation for one of their beloved characters, or simply offering a hug and an ear - YOU are truly the backbone of the fandom and an example of what we all should be in every aspect of our lives. THANK YOU for that.

To the readers and art lovers: Your likes, comments and reblogs are the fuel that help creators going when they feel they have nothing more to give. You have no idea how much they mean and how much they are appreciated. You are part of the puzzle that makes a fandom whole, you are seen and you are appreciated!

Personally, I'd like to thank so many people, and I will in my own way in the weeks to come. Some of you have been a source of support, kindness, and inspiration that have lifted me through some difficult times this year. I only hope I was able to return that to you in the smallest of ways. I'm not naming names only because I'm always so worried that I'll forget someone and hurt their feelings, but I try to express how I feel in the moment, so I hope you know who you are, and I hope you know how much you're appreciated.

@choicesfandomappreciation Thank you so much for hosting this and other events and doing your best to make this place special for all. You are appreciated beyond words! 🩷

[cleo-serotonin]

fanfic writers are truly the backbone of every fandom

[jung-koook]

Sky I was travelling and I didn't have data so after I reached my hotel I immediately connected to the wifi and went straight for ur blog to check for any updates and to my devastation I wasn't able to find your blog at all like I searched every possible tag and wasn't able to find ur blog and I was close to tears bc I thought u deleted ur blog or smth or smth was wrong with my acc but I saw some other acc posting abt how ur acc got terminated and I didn't know what to do or how to help u and by the time I did send the email to the staff I think ur blog was already back? ANYWAYS I'm so relieved you r back, u r such a huge part of the bangtan fam almost like the backbone of the fandom and I really fucking hope this doesn't happen to you or anyone ever again. Genuinely felt like a nightmare sjdjdidjjddb😭😭 here's a huge hug from me and a pat for staying strong thro this terrifying experience💞🫂🫂

omg did you go straight to my blog? LKASLKALSLALS for a few minutes I became the joker because I swear I laughed like a lunatic when I saw the message saying that my blog had been deleted. I thought to myself "this has to be a bad joke" 😭then I came to my senses and omg, I burst into tears. It was truly a nightmare that I hope never happens to anyone else ever again. tumblr needs to stop deleting blogs for no reason and start focusing on blogs that keep making and sending hate to other blogs. thank you so much ♡🫂

[kiaratheronappreciationweek]

(The brains behind this wonderful video is our lovely co-host @sazanes!!)

Our second edition of KTAW has just come to a close, and it has been an incredible experience to see the kind of work our Kiara fans have come up with, and the way they view her! It's been equally amazing to see the love people have for her - besides participants, so many blogs and fans promoted the event.

This video is a small token of our appreciation from us, an acknowledgement of the kind of love and positivity you've given to this character! Whether it was by sharing works that featured and focused on her, or promoting this event and encouraging other stans to see it and participate - we are truly grateful for helping us celebrate Kiara Theron and remember all that we love about her!

Our CONTRIBUTORS dazzled us this year with their entries. Riveting stories, gorgeous artwork and edits, thought-provoking headcanons, even a very accurate character appreciation post! Your work is the backbone of our weeks. We love each and every entry sent to us, and cannot wait for the rest of fandom to see and enjoy all your work!!

@angelasscribbles, @bebepac, @cassiopeiacorvus, @dcbbw, @mand-delemonde, @lizzybeth1986, @sazanes, @storyofmychoices and @twinkleallnight!!

Many, many FAN CONTENT BLOGS consistently promoted our events this time around. The dedication and excitement to share all kinds of fan content on a regular basis is immensely inspiring, and we will always be grateful to these blogs not only for the work they do, but for how often and how tirelessly they promoted KTAW. Thank you all, so much for helping get this wonderful response!

@choicesficwriterscreations, @choicesmonthlychallenge , @choices-february2023, @choicespride, @choicesprompts, @choicesholidays, @maxwell-beaumont-appreciation and @drake-walker-appreciation

And last but definitely not the least - our SIGNAL BOOSTERS!! Who have promoted our event with full enthusiasm and joy, and have made us feel proud that there are many people who still love Kiara and are happy to see content dedicated to her! Without your love and encouragement, this appreciation week would not have been possible!

@ao719, @delmissesryan, @dragonknightofsummerset, @grapecaseschoices, @inlocusmads, @harleybeaumont, @karahalloway, @kyra75, @lorirwritesfanfic, @missameliep, @noesapphic, @secretaryunpaid, @tessa-liam, @thecapturedafrique

A final shoutout to our amazing host, @sazanes, who made the creatives and put together this video! She is such an amazing person and artist, and just brimming with positivity and encouragement for everyone she comes into contact with. A sincere thank you to her for making this week so beautiful and lively 😊😊

We know some of you struggled in the midst of IRL with getting your entries out. The avenue to sending entries in will still be open to you...just tag us on whichever day you meant the content for, and we will adjust it accordingly in the masterlist.

The masterlist for KTAW 2023 is already ready, and will be up by tomorrow morning. It's got some really incredible fics, art, edits, headcanons and character appreciation!! We are super excited for you all to see it and we really hope you read and appreciate each and every piece - each one is brimming with love and appreciation for this fantastic character we call Kiara Theron!!

We plan to celebrate our next Kiara Theron Appreciation Week, next year, same time - on the International Mother Language Day, 21st Feb. Hope to see you all there 😃