#like don't get me wrong. i have also written this

[nikknamed-ink]

What helps me in life, or rather the thing I struggle with most, is pressure.

I had a time during my school days, when I didn't write at all. I only noticed this like a year in, but I simply had no time due to the school pressure and having to learn, and stuff.

I also had a time, maybe it was even the same timeframe but I don't remember fully, when I decided that if I can't finish anything I start I can't start anything new.

This pressure led to me not writing at all for that time.

Maybe situation A caused B, maybe the other way around, but I spent a long long while not writing.

I think what helped me out of it, ultimately,was a) to give it time. And b) to take all the pressure out. Or, as much as I could.

That could look like: only writing down ideas (a habit I rly rly encourage. Write down your ideas every time you get them bc that means you'll get more and it's generally a lot of fun to look at later on). Or... Only writing dialogue. Or something that might help you: if you wanna get back, but you can't get far, set yourself the goal of writing one (1) word per day. Just one. If you feel like more you can write more. But just write one. That's all it takes.

Because I generally find that putting pressure on myself to do it all always super well it... Leads to disappointment and pain when I get a bad day and I get rly hard on myself about it.

Which, also, I wanna talk about: be kind to yourself. Focus on what you did do, not what you didn't.

When you said you managed to write 2 sentences and then faltered, that's two entire sentences! That's amazing. Like, you went from not using those muscles to two sentences. That's infinite improvement.

But I think, what's most important, is listen to your body and brain. If something doesn't work it usually is a clue for the fact that you're going at it wrong. Find different routes. If you wrote a lot of prose (novel-like text for example), then try poetry. If you can't get descriptions down, try dialogue only. Or the reverse. How about movie scripts? Comics? See what strikes your fancy!

I'm currently in a phase where I don't really write much in the "the story moves forward" sense, but I plan a lot. I think about the stories, I try to figure out where the story goes and what the problems are and why this character does that.

Lean into what works, and ignore what doesn’t for now. And look at that in a week or so and try to figure out why.

Also, best tip of mine: grab yourself a buddy and talk with them about your ideas. Brainstorm together. Create ideas that aren't intended to be written down. There's lots of games for this. (or if you don't know any, plushies or making an audio to yourself are great ways to just talk out loud to yourself about the story or characters or whatever it is that actually drives you to the stories you wanna tell.

See what works. Celebrate it. And be proud of what you're doing. Pressure is the enemy of creativity. At least it is for me.

Hi! Lately, I've been trying real hard to start writing again after a break of a couple of years, and it's simply not happening. I took the break to begin with because I figured that I could pick up writing fic again easily when I felt less burned out. But each time I've tried since 2025 started I can barely get the words out. I keep telling myself I need to go slow and build up to it, but my brain blanks after a sentence or two, with or without an outline. I can force myself into a drabble or two, or even a flashfic, but it feels like pulling teeth the entire time. I even tried going back to old drafts and adding to them (unsuccessfully). Nothing works! I'm getting more and more frustrated and angry with myself for taking this long of a break from being creative. Do you have any concrete recommendations for what to do when the ideas/words/characters/whatever just aren't coming? My brain is mush.

(I love this blog. So excited to see you back.)

I'll tell you what I do, but I also want to encourage folks to add their thoughts on the notes. This is very much a situation that can be worked on in a million different ways, so any one particular take might or might not work. Often, frankensteining a bunch together is the better route.

I've currently got two creative hobbies: writing fic and making site skins for AO3. When a site skin isn't working, I just have to drop it. I've been attempting to redo my glowy blue Tron skin from like 4 years ago and every time I go back to it, I just get frustrated and need to stop. I don't have a clear idea of where I want to take it, and so nothing looks "right" because everything feels wrong. For site skins, I need to have a solid idea to latch onto in order to get anywhere with them.

For writing, it's kind of similar. It's a LOT easier to write when I have an idea that really lights a fire under me. However, I've found that I can write even if I just know what the end goal of the story is. Even if my ending is just "and then they bone" at least I know where I need to get my characters in the end, and that guiding principle is really helpful because most of what my characters do in the fic is going to be aimed at that end point.

I don't know if it's just the way that you've phrased it in this ask, but it seems like you can't see the story for the words. If you're focused too much on the act of writing then you might need to back away from that for now and work on just imagining the story first. Spend more time daydreaming or lying in bed staring up at the ceiling and picturing your blorbo in situations. Get into the habit of thinking about the story before you start writing the story. Then the writing part is just transcribing the picture that's already clear in your head.

I well understand the frustration that comes when you've got something in you and no way to get it out. Whatever else is happening, the way you used to go about writing fic doesn't work for you anymore and now you need to discover a new method. Maybe it's handwriting in a notebook instead of typing on a screen. Maybe it's dictating into your notes app. Maybe it's chatting it out with a bestie over coffee or in a DM. Maybe it's something else.

Let's see what other people suggest for you, and then you can cobble together a method of your very own. Good luck, anon! I'm rooting for you ❤️

[seokminfilm]

mine / lee seokmin

⭐ pairing lee seokmin x reader warnings non-idol au, fluff, established relationship, suggestive (??), boyfriend seokmin, possessive seokmin SJLKFS, mentions of jealousy, down bad seokmin, LOTS of kissing (it's a lowkey makeout session), pet names: love (reader's), seok (his), mentions of svt members (specifically seungkwan & hoshi) summary in which you see a side of seokmin you never knew existed. lyr's notes possessive seokmin...sorry not sorry FJSKLEJ anyways undercut seokmin is my roman empire 👏 prepare for me to use these pictures for the next 10 fics thank you and good night!! now playing call out my name / the weeknd word count 613 written for @kstrucknet

seokmin's hands roamed your body as you leaned against the counter, staring at him with starstruck eyes as he glowered into yours.

"you don't know what you do to me, love." his voice is heavy as he presses into you, breath tickling your neck as he leans down to brush his lips over your collarbone. seokmin's touch is feather-light on your exposed skin, tracing tiny circles into your body as he studies the way you unravel under him.

soonyoung and seungkwan had habits of making themselves friendly with whoever they were sitting with, and of course, this time had to be you. their hands were on you every few minutes, and when you fell on their shoulders, doubling over in laughter, seokmin felt something inside him break.

seokmin knew his friends were too harmless to do anything to steal you away from him, and also knew both wouldn't do something like that, but seeing you stare up at them with the smile you gave seokmin when you wanted him to devour you made seokmin see stars.

you knew how possessive seokmin was getting, taking note of the hand permanently rested on your lower back and the closeness of seokmin's lips on your ear when he whispered to you. the darkness of his usually honey brown eyes as seungkwan complimented your outfit. the silent urge to want to prove the power he had over everyone in that room.

the lingering feeling of possession was contagious, and it was a surprise to see this darker side of your usual sunshine boyfriend. you didn't remember the last time seokmin had reacted like this.

and so, when seokmin had made an half-assed excuse about how he needed to get you home so you could get your beauty sleep (which wasn't all wrong), and rushed you to the car without saying a word, you knew you had pushed him to his limit.

now, here you were, pressed into the couch as seokmin planted light kisses all over your face. his lips hovered near your mouth, lightly brushing yours as he stared at you through his eyelashes. his nose gently poked your cheek, dragging along your jawline as his kisses trailed up and down your neck.

"you know you're mine, right?" seokmin's voice had softened a little since before, and you nod, arms going around seokmin's neck as you lean into him. "i do."

"all mine? no one else's?" the question in his voice makes your legs go weak, but you nod anyways, smile biting at your lips as you nod. "all yours. no one else's."

"why were you acting like that? letting them touch all over you like that." seokmin had a slight pout to his voice, hand cupping your cheek as his thumb runs over your lips. you let out a small sigh, shaking your head as the words fail to form for a second.

"i wasn't acting like anything. i just...i wanted your attention, seok." you flush a tomato red, and seokmin smiles, a smile that's pure and warm despite the position you two are in.

"all you have to do is ask for my attention, love. i'm all yours. any day, any hour, any moment. just say the words, and i'm yours." seokmin's voice is nothing more than a seductive whisper as he presses another kiss to your trembling lips, promising you everything before he kisses you some more.

and as seokmin lays you down on the couch, bare stomach revealed with seokmin's lavender chapstick staining your warm body, your shallow breath quickening, you realize that he truly meant what he said to you earlier.

you were all his. all his and no one else's.

[olderthannetfic]

Complicated ask to word, but, I personally have found myself in a weird loop of sorts,when it comes to shipping and fandom. I joined fandom spaces back during 2010 or so,and i remember ship wars fondly now,but completely annoying at the time. I did fall in some stuff such as hating a female character for getting in the 'way' of my gay ship. Female characters evoked a great deal of anger in me, as a yet-to-realize nonbinary person, and how they were written poorly overall. Fandom slowly but surely has shifted, back then the counter culture and queer ties to transformative fandom were in shipping gay or lesbian,majorly gay though,and keeping it at that. Then, bisexual headcanons appeared more commonly and even canon bisexuals,both well and poorly done. The evolution was there,and shipping gay stuff was not counter culture,it was the culture. Then the odd...shift happened (the language of saying gay ships were 'sinful' and using the accusation of being homophobic if you preferred het ships ,calling them boring and so on) and this was during the SU critical days,before the voltron fandom hit the fan and antis were given a proper name

Nowadays, it feels like shipping het ships is almost counter culture,i dont care about the fandom's designed gay ship, when theres a well written woman and proper stuff. A ship can be good without turning it gay male, or lesbian (I don't say straight, because i often see queerness in these het ships,but theres also nothing wrong with a full on vanilla het ship)

it's weird. I'm concerned that i come off as homophobic or transphobic,being queer and agender myself. Because actual homophobes back in the day shat on gay shipping like it was the worst sickness in fandom. I still see non-transformative fandom involved people say stuff like it. I do not wish to be lumped with them,but also, I can't help,but be exhausted of how fandom seems vitriolic when i voice this (in personal posts,i do not advocate for harassment,people have the right to headcanon and do whatever they want, regardless of how I feel about it)

--

LOL.

Certainly, I see more annoying proghet types now. AO3's rise has allowed a lot of people to ignore how virulently homophobic plenty of fanfic fans still are and, much more than that, how Default Het 5eva most of the world is without it being malicious.

I agree that annoying children have started to treat AO3 and m/m shipping as The Man™ and pat themselves on the back for rebelling. This is only possible because people don't leave their AO3 bubble.

Ship whatever you want, but if you phrase things like this ask, I'm not surprised it's going over poorly in some quarters.

[a-little-ray-of-fantasy]

I personally feel that Stolas, Fizz, and Angel Dust within the hellaverse (helluverse? Sorry I’m unsure) aren’t very good examples of mlm relationships. I understand your thoughts on Stolas and how much hate you’ve heard about his character so I won’t dive into him as much.  I apologize if I come off as rude I personally would just like to share my feelings on the subject matter. 

I am an mlm person and a historian. I understand that other mlm people enjoy the mlm relationships in vivziepops shows and I’m merely showing my personal experience. 

Many other mlm people I know also have problems with the representation so I am not the only person but I do not speak for us all. 

My main issue is that it feels like the mlm ships cater to fujoshis due to the stereotypes written in as well as how overly sexualized the relationships are compared to wlw relationships and „straight“ relationships (ex: Moxie and Millie, Charlie and Vaggie) 

I feel like the ask is getting long so I’ll respond to you again with more of my thoughts but I feel like the helluverse is fetishizing main mlm relationships (and characters) and it makes me uncomfortable. I would genuinely like to see your thoughts on this and understand why you have your own opinions! :) 

And others instead feel there's nothing wrong with these ships, and feel seen in these characters BECAUSE they're imperfect and controversial.

When it comes to representation, especially the LGBT+ or disabilities kind, I feel like there's this need that the characters involved have to be so perfect and flawless that it won't be demonized by the public and EVERYONE will be able to see themselves in said characters.

The truth is, that's impossible. You can't write a single queer or disabled character that can speak to all queer or disabled people, because they all have different experiences.

And why shouldn't an LGBT+ couple be unproblematic? Just like any straight couple it deserves to have its contradictions and nuance.

Talking about said couples: what makes them "fetishes", exactly? Especially considering other LGBT+ people wrote them? Because, as biromantic asexual myself, I'll tell you what I see.

Huskerdusk? It's about the relationship between Angel Dust and Husker. One is a porno star in an abusive contract with a perverted pimp and feels the need to drunk himself to death hoping to finally numb himself to the pain, the other was once a powerful soul owner that ended up with the wrong deal and is now a slave to another Overlord, and grew significantly bitter and cynical as a result.

Both of them are broken souls that were able to see each other and bond over their scars. Husk is the only one that truly sees Angel's need to mask himself, calls him out on it, and tells him "We all suck, but together we can make the best of it." Therefore they'll slowly be able to heal together.

Two scarred people that start opening up thanks to each other. That seems like a positive message, huh?

And what about FizzarOzzie? We've got Fizzarolli that went through a horrific incident inadvertently caused by Blitzø that ruined his career as an entertainer, one that meant the world for a perfectionist with an imposter syndrome like him.

Now disabled, he constantly feels the need to work himself to death to show to himself that he deserves Mammon's attention and Ozzie's love. And then Ozzie comes and says "Why are you so hard on yourself? You don't need to win my love: I love you for you, with all your flaws and virtues".

This is about Fizzarolli that was able to rise from the ashes of the incident and insecurities thanks to people that still believe and love him. Ozzie utterly adores him, and Blitzø could finally go past the trauma and make amends, and is absolutely supportive of him, wishing he'd let go of Mammon's influence that's feeding his insecurities.

It's a story about accepting yourself thanks to the love that comes from people that truly care about you. Again, a positive message that comes from flawed people.

And finally, the piece de resistance! Stolitz, Stolitz, Stolitz.

What can we say about these two walking disaster areas that hasn't been said yet?

Blitzø, the scarred assassin, who got abused by his father, lost his mother in a fire he caused without meaning to, ruined so many relationships out of self sabotage because he's so sure that he's too broken to be loved, despite the fact he craves affection like a moth to a flame.

Stolas, the caged prince, neglected in childhood and abused in a loveless marriage, imprisoned in a system that would always look down on him, his daughter his only light in the dark tunnel that's his life made of depression and numbing medications and wine.

They found each other through dubious means that would benefit one another: sex work, a form of transaction that's very demonized, but Blitzø was fine with it, as he sees his body as his biggest offer, and it's detached enough that he can have Stolas' grimoire without much of a trouble. And Stolas can see his first ever friend again, and finally find some joy again.

And Stolas gets to show his classist views on him, which IS aggravating, don't get me wrong, but it's not born out of malice, as the bird grew up sheltered in a blue blood environment AND, considering he's never formed any kind of relationship, his social skills are abysmal. Still, both let this slide: after all, it's all a transaction, nothing serious.

But then the worst happened: they caught feelings. The transaction went deeper than Blitzø intended, as Stolas truly wanted to know him better, and so... Blitzø does what he knows best: he creates distance, insisting Stolas only wants him for his body. It hurts less to pretend Stolas' love is fake than to admit his feelings are genuine and break him too.

Yet, Stolas was broken already, and his sense of self was starting to heal thanks to Blitzø, so when he sees his beloved create distance, he tries to give it to him, as he figures, why would he want someone who constantly demeaned him? No wonder he doesn't want to see me anymore.

Both completely misread the situation, and ended up hurting each other as a result. These two are able to destroy each other from communication issues, and yet... through a show of total love, AKA willingness to give their life on the line to save the other, are shown they can also build each other up.

Now Blitzø is on a roll, as he's able to be open to show affection and be more confident about people caring about him. While Stolas lost everything from his grand proof of his love for Blitzø, and his depressed state won't allow him to truly believe he's worthy of any kind of love, at this point.

But, they're a work in progress, both of them. As communication starts to improve, so their bond will. One bright and indomitable as light, the other gentle and sentimental like a heart. In all the disasters around and in them, they couldn't be more perfect for each other.

So, again, I only see troubled individuals that are healing thanks to love. I don't see that much "fetishes", here.

Maybe you think M&Ms or Chaggie are less "problematic"? Maybe it's because they're better at communicating, and even then, these couples also go through their hardships.

Moxxie and Millie are a power couple, of course, but one could say they're overly tied to one another, and it's been shown they're not always eye to eye. Which is perfectly fine, not all couples have to be on the same page always. And now that Millie is going through a pregnancy she didn't plan, we'll see how this plays a part in their bond.

And Charlie and Vaggie are also a power couple, but again, they too have their blind spots. Vaggie feels the need to be "of use and support" to Charlie, as she tries her darnest to show the gratitude for saving her after Heaven banished her (something she couldn't reveal to Charlie). And Charlie needed to acknowledge Vaggie's position and opinions. But, again, they're so secure about the love they have for each other that these problems get resolved more quickly.

Really, man, a ship being "problematic" or "consisting of flawed people" isn't a "fetish". We're talking about couples, here: every ship has its perks and flaws. Yes, EVEN LGBT+ ones, and I think these ships showing a rawer side of queer romance is actually a perk of these shows.

We LGBT+ people don't need "sanitized" relationships to be represented, we want realistic, nuanced and even problematic. Because we ARE realistic, nuanced and problematic, because we're people.

And representation only works when there are more examples than one kind of experience.

[fumifooms]

The way they were literally designed and written to contrast with each other and be complementary. The way Jax felt for Ragatha talking about her mom and smoothly changed the topic to break the silence and get the attention away from her obvious hurt. After the stargazing argument, no less. The way Ragatha knew she accidentally hurt Jax somewhere she knows & could see he was fragile and apologized very earnestly— and we could see that apology really did mean something to Jax and touched him.

The way Jax said it felt like all that positivity, affection and closeness she offers unconditionally feels like she's trying to take advantage of you— Because despite everything she does manage to make you feel, sympathy when she vents and a little something when she apologizes. Because he's so lonely and he thinks he's unlovable and can't keep friends, and yet even now she still is making efforts to try to get closer to him and befriend him. The way Ragatha in ep 4 said "I hate you but I don't want you to hate me, is that weird?", recognizing that inconsistency in herself that only Jax could draw out of her. The way he doesn't react, really, probably knew it before she did, couldn't imagine she didn't, told himself she felt that way so he wouldn't be hurt by her 'empty promises of friendship' and his feelings wouldn't be taken advantage of. But he doesn't react, "You're drunk, or something" and moves on. They draw each other's biggest flaws but that leaves room to explore them, both through arguing and fighting and something not quite... A place inbetween getting along and not that is fragile but also the rawest they have, that's surprisingly quiet and empathetic and understanding.

The way the lessons they need to learn for their ideal character arc is mirrored in the other— Ragatha needs to be less of a people pleaser, externalize her negative emotions more, be a little less selfless, and Jax needs to be friendlier and kinder, more open but this time instead of negative emotions it's about others, about others' intentions and feelings, be a little less selfish.

The familiarity there that does mean a lot- there is a certain intimacy that comes from just having history together. A dynamic between them that's still much less hostile than between Jax and Zooble, because Ragatha still tries to change his mind while Zooble has stopped hoping for anything from him, and same with Gangle and Kinger, to different degrees. Jax and Ragatha know each other's deepest weaknesses 1000%, and this episode shows us how much care there is between them in, funnily enough, respecting each others' most important boundaries and hurt feelings. Ragatha scolds him, but she doesn't bring up his most cutting mistakes. I definitely interpreted the "I don't have friends" "well, not anymore" scene as Ragatha meaning the current group, how being mean to everyone is a self-fulfilling prophecy that the others wouldn't like him anymore, but he took it wrong, because of course he would, why would Jax suddenly not be on the defensive and assume the worst of people?

He was genuinely hurt, and then she apologized and he was genuinely touched. Because he knew she was being genuine.

Look, I know it’s perfectly okay to have negative or sad feelings about something you love but does anyone find the recent attitude towards Bunnydoll really depressing? Like you can’t go on YouTube, Tumblr, or TikTok without people claiming the ship is over and all of that.

Like, I understand that their fate may be rocky but everyone’s acting like it’s over after episode 5 when that episode actually revealed SO MUCH MORE of them and actual lore behind their relationship. They went in on their thoughts of each other, genuine concern and care over each other’s feelings, and hinted history. Yes, it involved angst and bickering, but their relationship is actually much more deep after this episode and I feel like tons of people are overlooking that aspect. It’s not always just love and hate. That’s what makes the show feel so human. Even if their dynamic doesn’t go in a perfect and healthy direction (trust me, only Gangle and Zooble are perfectly safe), it doesn’t mean that fans should look down on what they or others enjoy so much. I’m not saying they can’t have concerns or not so optimistic opinions about Jax and Ragatha’s dynamic, but it also doesn’t mean that they should simply view them as something worse than what’s actually there. You should allow yourself to enjoy both positive and negative aspects of the things you love.

I feel like after episode 5, people tend to put Pomni and Jax’s dynamic at a much healthier pedestal while putting Ragatha and Jax at a much more pessimistic pedestal than before, despite both of their dynamics not being as innocent, awful, or black-and-white as some may assume. Goose has also described Pomni and Jax’s dynamic as messy, meaning it isn’t just sunshine and rainbows either because every character dynamic is realistic and has its ups and downs. Hot take but episode 5 actually improved Ragatha and Jax’s dynamic’s overall chemistry and depth, rather than deteriorating what was there.

[coffeegnomee]

No I'm just so obsessed with Spoke talking about his time in his second season, how that was the first season he found what completed him, made him feel whole.

How minutes before he said SPOKE: “i wanted to make sure that there was someone that was gonna [end the season]"

His primary goal, core ideology, is world ender.

And it got solidified in his second season.

I've been talking forever about waiting for the new members to get to the end of their first season, that's no mystery. But I've also been sooo excited and delighted watching the s5 additions take on their second full season and thinking back I actually don't think I've ever written about it, whoops.

They were just getting so comfortable with lifesteal and with themselves. And so much of their ideologies just finally came through in the final weeks. Like unironically I've been excited for s7 since like one month into s6: All the s5 adds on their 3rd season, all the s6 adds on their 2nd. That's the kind of shit that made s4 imo.

And to list them out, Minute, obviously, just posted that video and it's looking like his ideology has solidified into basically what he said that one day early season when Zam asked him his goals MINUTE: "I want two things. I want fun. And I want hearts” 

And backing it up with the theme of the whole video of reconciliation with Clown, and Clown having his own growth moment realizing lifesteal without teammates is really lonely. And that both of them loved hanging out in the finale.

Minute isn't one to be perfectly good, but he isn't one to crave after the evil. He wants fun. With hearts. Friendship and redstone machines and some cool fights and small heavy hitting lore moments.

But destroying spawn, using exploits; that's not him.

But he gets blinded with the goal of hearts, loosing sight on the having fun. Oh my goodness seeing the clip again of him killing Rekrap when Rek was so clearly excited, how much time there was between Rek's excitement and when Minute loaded the cannon. Only realizing after that he regretted it. Offt stab me in the heart bro.

And 4c. In January he said “I feel like deep down i don't trust anyone completely, but i feel like to an extent i choose to trust people anyway. Because on lifesteal i feel like i have more joy of putting myself in those positions of trust because by the end of it you get to see people’s real characters”. And he did that with PRISMS, right until the end though it was a bit scuffed with him not being in the country. And he did it with the tunnel rats. But he will always be the player who puts his trust in others just to see what might happen down the line.

And Jumper, settling quite nicely into the role of psychological tormenter. Like need I say more.

By the end of their second season each one has staked a claim in what they are on lifesteal.

And then Wemmbu, since he banned himself off mid season 6, I count that as completing his first season, since he was added mid season 5. so he begins his second in s7.

Pentar was also mid season s5, so he's at 1.5 seasons and I think we're getting a really interesting look into his mind. I mean for goodness sake did anyone else watch the SB mace video and see him offer Ecorridor as his payment for the mace. What the fuck is wrong with him. But like... no, i don't have thoughts haha. I love him. Taking a separate plot point with Zam and presenting it to SB. like he's too ridiculous /pos I'll probably need 3 full seasons before I understand Pentar.

And then there's Squiddo, once again running the ring of a handmade hacked client, searching and testing and finding exploits. And in the end embracing it to cause chaos, but not necessarily the end of the season. She's also at 1.5 seasons, and I'm so intrigued where they'll go. She's definitely more teammate focused (lol) and oriented to silly things over anything else.

But then to go down memory lane, like Spoke was saying, his season 2 had him doing everything for his team but in the end he found himself in ending the server.

Planet was added s2, but only logged on at the end, so s3 was his first full season, and s4 his second. In both you see an embracing of being a chungus, 3ht, girl talk, changing the trajectory of player's lives through talking. There was so much subtle talking, so much passion for content that is effective. That changed s5, until he banned himself in the Abyss, and then changed back in s6.

Bacon was added halfway through s3, and you can see how by halfway through s4, which he talked about earlier this season, was the time when he got really really invested into lifesteal and started caring, like, a lot. Bro got passionate about the wormhole. But then it wasn't until season 5 that we really saw Bacon become Bacon, when he really started being the critiquer of plots and did his first patented do my tasks plots, when he got passionate about players caring about the server and and wanting to log on and putting in so much effort to make it happen.

Zam's second season was s3. Running from the PrinceZam Empire to Cleansers to the iconic season 3 finale with Spoke. Establishing he's the one who will repair spawn when nobody else does. Accidentally falling into being the hero and never giving up no matter what.

Rek's second season was also s3 which is when his trap escaping and paranoia really kicked off, as well as his willingness to be involved regardless of the moral tilt of his teammates (the cleansing/decimation). He just has a tilt of wholesome chaos that is very rekrap.

ok so eventually we get too into nuance based on player activity and if they skipped a season or not ect ect. but i love this trend. I love thinking about what shaped the lifestealers into what they are now, i love watching them grow and change. Normally in like normal tv/movie content I'm one to love an origin story, whatever the first movie is in a series or the first season of a show. But on lifesteal it genuinely gets better the longer they're online.

[thetorturedpoetsdepartment]

By far my least favorite antiHaydove argument is "but it's so weird/creepy of 40s-year-old Haymitch to still be in love with his teenage girlfriend!" Like, I don't know HOW you interpreted that epilogue, but you clearly did SOMETHING wrong!

Disliking Haydove because you're not a fan of how the ship/character was written, or because you think we don't have enough on-page interactions between them? I disagree, but at least that's a sound complaint to not enjoy a certain character or dynamic.

Disliking Haydove because you prefer another Haymitch ship? Well, I'm a multishipper, so that could never be me, but again, it is a pretty common thing that we see across all fandoms, so I won't argue as long as you're not trying to erase the epilogue or act like it's a retcon of the trilogy (or, if you DO do those things, that's fine too, as long as you acknowledge that your take is canon-divergent).

But the argument about it being weird that he's still in love with her is so...illogical, frankly. First of all, it's realistic, like it or not. Plenty of people who have lost loved ones wonder what the still-alive, older, version of them would look like in a better world. The lack of a future/present with someone can haunt you just as much (if not more than!) the past can haunt you, and that's what Haydove is. Haymitch imagines his girl aging with him, and he still feels her next to him after all of those years. He's not some creepy old man chasing after a teenager, he is a severely depressed man who never got over the grief and trauma of his girlfriend dying in his arms because of something he did (Obviously I know he didn't actually kill her and that it was all Snow, but, for argument's sake, that's how I'm gonna word it just for this post). I don't know if ANYONE could "move on" or "get over" that.

It is meant to beautifully tragic, heartbreaking, bittersweet, etc. It's obviously not a fluffy happily ever after. But it's also obviously not creepy or weird and it was not intended to be so. I was genuinely shocked when I saw some people interpreting it that way. I have to admit, "being offended that a loverboy is still in love with his girl even long after her death" absolutely wasn't on my fandom-reaction-to-sotr bingo card.

[dracomort]

how do you feel about the down and out style Draco that became a lot more popular in drarry spaces in the late 2010s- early 2020s? ( it’s crazy that I can say early 2020s now. God time just flew these last four years and also dragged like molasses ). I’m going to guess, from the way you write taco and the fandom things you’ve answered and said about Draco, that you’re not very fond of that characterisation lmao. But still, I’d like to know! I like how you frame your thoughts. As for me, I like both! In drarry I much prefer down and out, because honestly the idea of ex wizard nazi Draco Malfoy being continually mean and entitled to somebody who was a previous victim of his racist regime doesn’t really sit well with me ( for context, I joined the fandom through these down and out fics ). It’s one of those things in fiction that, for whatever reason just doesn’t go down my throat all that well. With Tom tho, I’d like him to be as nasty as Draco is possible to be. Tom deserves nothing better /pos

Just answering this like 8 months late...

I guess first to clarify what I have in mind in terms of Down and Out!Draco, it's a Draco who's down on his luck/ousted from wizarding society/destitute/a pariah etc. this tends to go hand in hand with Draco depicted as deeply remorseful/low self-confidence/self-hating etc.

I won't say I dislike the Down and Out trope as many of my favourite Drarry fics do, in fact, feature Draco under these circumstances. It's the accompanying self-hating shrinking violet personality that I kinda get sick of. It's not so much that I have an issue with these fics, as that I would like to see more variety in the characterisations in modern Drarry. I miss the nastiness of late 2000s/early 2010s Draco. Not saying they aren't still being written but it's rarer.

My favourite ships are typically enemies/rivals to lovers and the butting heads, push and pull, challenging of each other's ideology is a major part of the appeal. So much of DAO!Draco operates under the assumption that Draco Malfoy would be deeply remorseful and that he would cast out every single part of his prior personality and beliefs, becoming the perfect boyfriend for Harry. There's usually a massive power imbalance between them which Harry would never abuse, yet exists unchallenged regardless. My opinion is that if you're going to depict Draco Malfoy as someone whose besties with Muggles, despises his parents and wants nothing more than to be friends with Harry & Co., do you even like Draco? And is it really Drarry if you have to change every single thing about Draco for them to possibly be in a relationship?

This isn't all DAO!Draco fic, but this is what I dislike in the trope. I've always called it the Cinderella trope and thought of it as something done to Draco because there would be no need for Harry to come in and sweep him off his feet if he had the power, wealth and agency that he has in Canon. Instead of Harry being attracted to the idea of saving Draco and Draco being attracted to the idea of being saved they might actually have to... tolerate each other's personalities! Oh, the horrors.

At the end of the day, what i want from Drarry is to see them change each other. Harry challenges Draco to shift his cruel, selfish, bigoted ideology and Draco challenges Harry to question his own black and white morality. What would Harry do in Draco's shoes? In Canon he has never been put in a position where he has to choose between doing the right thing and staying loyal to those he loves. The answers aren't so simple for Draco. Don't get me wrong, Draco needs to do a lot more changing, but if there isn't compromise it just isn't interesting to me.

[jane-writes-stuff]

"I'm Just a Bartender" - Luke Hughes Imagine

A/N: Welcome to my blog. It's been years since I've last written an imagine. I had major writer's block and personal issues going on. I'm back but I don't really know for how long. Pairing: Luke Hughes x afab!reader Warnings: insecurities about self-esteem, ...

"Yo, [Y/N]! Pass me the prosecco please!", you heard your co-worker Trent shout to you. You quickly passed him the bottle while finishing the drink you were preparing for the customer in front of you.

Suddenly you heard a few shouts coming in from the direction of the door. You had the subconscious reaction to roll your eyes. Trent laughed at you because he knew why. Some NHL players whom are regulars at the bar you work at. You lowkey despised them because they were always rowdy and would stay late if they didn't have practice in the morning. Which annoyed you, a lot - especially when you wanted to be home on time for your cat, Oreo.

Your little fluffball has terrible separation anxiety after being left for dead on the street before you saved him. After a few weeks he got to know your schedule and when you would come home late he would ignore you for a couple of days. You, of course didn't want that because he wouldn't eat the food you'd serve him. Such a stubborn little kitten you had.

When you looked at the stampede of hockey players - one stuck out like a sore thumb like always, Luke Hughes. With his 6'2" stature, you were able to pick him out of every type of crowd that frequented the bar. His good looks definitely had nothing to do with it. Definitely not. You undoubtedly didn't have a little teeny tiny crush on him because of his beautiful hazel(?) eyes or his nice smile or possibly not because of his charismatic but nerdy aura he gives off every time he orders. Because you know, Trent certainly hasn't hinted to you that he only wants to order with you when you're working. You would roll your eyes every damn time Trent would mention it. You'd think someone like Luke Hughes would be into someone ordinary like you. You had no special or striking features that would make men drop their jaws to the floor. You don't have an extraordinary body like the models you see on TV or in magazines. You were regular old Plain Jane. You were also 'definitely' not insecure about your body and/or face. You were just a Bartender, doing your job every time you had to come in.

"Hey, [Y/N]! It's always lovely to see you working.", you heard one curly headed guy say to you. You looked up to see Luke, of course, you would recognize his voice everywhere. "Hey Luke, totally not long time no see.", you said with a chuckle. Luke and his teammates, but certainly his brother Jack would frequent the bar a lot. Especially because you offered a place to dine as well - the food was good but surely not that good. You tried it some time and it did not sit well with your stomach and intestines. Maybe it was a wrong batch that time. He chuckled as well and winked at you. "Can I... get 8 beers and 3 soda waters, please?", he asked while turning around and counting the heads of his teammates. "Sure, will be coming right up.", you put in his order, stuck out your hand for his card and you quickly felt his hand brushing yours while he put his card in your palm. You felt a little shiver going down your spine when he did that. He definitely saw you do it because he gave you a small smile. Your cheeks blushed a little red but you quickly turned around hopeful he didn't see it.

When you were done with his order you put it on a tray so he could take it back to his table. As you handed him the tray his hand would brush yours yet again. You'd think it would've been on purpose and as you looked him in the face - that just confirmed it because he was smirking at you. That damn smile. You would always swoon about it, but silently. You gave him a stern look but it just made him smile more at you. As he turned around to finally go back to his table you let out a visible sigh, slumping down your shoulders. Which made your co-worker Trent turn towards you. "Was the little shit flirting again?", he asked. Even though he would joke about them or tease you about Luke, he had a aversion for hockey players because he got hurt by one and other co-workers had as well. He didn't want you to get hurt but he had an inkling Luke wasn't like those other players, who were well players. He had mentioned that Luke's aura feels like one that is looking for a long-term and steady relationship. He was an empath and all that. You would roll your eyes every time he mentioned it.

The night flew by like nothing. The NHL players were pretty tame tonight, even though they had won their game that had happened the same night. They would always get rowdy and let loose of their worries which would always concern you. But lately they have been calm and just chilling at their booth. You weren't asking for them to be rowdy, you were just appreciating the calm atmosphere going on at the bar. They had ordered a lot of drinks and each time Luke was the one getting the drinks. That too has been a common occurrence going on. Him joining you at the bar, sometimes flirt with you - sometimes use a random pick-up line he definitely asked ChatGPT about. It would make you blush, involuntary giggle or even roll your eyes at him. You wondered were the courage came from because usually he would just be friendly or even quiet when waiting for the drinks.

At the end of the night, pretty close to your closing time. He came up one last time, of course to handle the bill but he also did something else. He asked you out. He did what??? You were wondering if you actually heard him right?

"You said what?", you asked him astonished. He rolled his eyes at you and repeated himself with a chuckle. "I was wondering if you wanted to get some coffee with me some time.", he smiled at you while leaning on the bar you just wiped down. You stayed quiet in shock for almost a minute which made him awkwardly swing from side to side. You shook your head at first before answering. "But, I'm just a bartender.", you said with hesitation. He frowned at you. "What makes you say that?", turning his head down to the side, looking at you like a little puppy. You cleared your throat before answering. "I'm just some girl working here. Of course I have to be nice to you otherwise you wouldn't come back. I'm also just some plain chick from around town.", you said shrugging your shoulders. He frowned just even more which makes him really adorable but you gotta stay serious for the situation going on. "Why are you being like this, [Y/N]?", he asked truthfully. "I've seen you around town, yes. In the grocery store helping some old lady. At the park with your friends enjoying a picnic. I've seen you and I am seeing you right now. You are not just some plain chick or just a bartender. You are a lovely and certainly a pretty girl, I've had my eye on for weeks." He paused for a second, pretty desperately adding the next. "I just want to ask you at to get to know you in a romantic way. So please, go out with me." He added with a sigh, almost flopping down on the bar with his head and shoulders.

You looked at him astonished yet again. "I never would've guessed you feeling like that about me..." But quickly added the next. "And I would love to get to know more about it next Wednesday" This made him perk up at that. You quickly wrote down your number on the receipt he had lying in front of you and handed it to him. He stood up straight and made a little jump when he picked up his receipt which made his brother - you certainly hadn't noticed - holler at Luke. The two of them made their exit, but before the door closed on them, Luke made a quick turnaround and gave you a little wave. You quickly waved back before returning to your closing duties. Trent left an hour before this so you were glad you were alone at the bar. Only left with Chelsea in the back, who was cleaning up the kitchen as your bar's cook.

As you were laying in bed, you suddenly got a message from an unknown number. Guessing it was Luke you opened it.

I'm looking forward to next week! Let me know where you want to go and I'll make some space in my agenda. x Luke

You smiled at the message and quickly typed one back.

I'm looking forward to it as well. I'll think about it tomorrow and will let you know when and where. But the next date it will be definitely your choice! x [Y/N]

You got a next message in only thirty seconds.

Oh so there are already plans for second dates. I like your vision you have going on, keep that going! x Luke

You rolled your eyes, maybe you shouldn't have mentioned it as of now but yet you only dreamed about an opportunity like this.

Goodnight Lukey x [Y/N]

Goodnight Peach. Sweet dreams xx

You liked the nickname he gave you as you turned on your side to finally get some winks in.

[freyafrida]

rilla of ingleside, chapter nine

Ironically, many actual German Canadians at the time were Mennonites and pacifists. (Not that that helped them -- even if their pacifism proved that Germans weren't inherently violent and militaristic, people's suspicion that they were loyal to the Kaiser was amplified by their refusal to enlist and prove their loyalty to Canada/Britain instead.) The anti-German sentiment in this book -- and WWI in general -- is like...morbidly compelling to me, probs bc my mom is Japanese-American and being classed as enemy aliens and interned is the defining Thing that happened to everyone's older relatives growing up, so I'm v. fascinated to see it happen from the other perspective here -- the characters very quickly and casually start thinking of Germans as like, a concept; they fret over Canada becoming Germanized seemingly without knowing that there are already Germans there and what they're actually like; Canada would be interning people (mostly Ukrainians bc they were from the Austro-Hungarian empire, and some Germans) as well, not that it ever comes up. In total fairness, not that Susan would probs ever meet a German person in her life -- although Halifax historically had a decent German population, I think that's as close as it would get to PEI?

Catholicism mentioned \o/ Also legitimately dickish behavior from Whiskers unrelated to his pacifism, but again, he's so obviously contrived to be Wrong About Everything that it's hard to take seriously, you know?

Assuming she heard it from Jane, but the idea of Anne even knowing what Billy Andrews is up to is killing me. Fascinating that all of Anne's friends ended up so far away from each other!

God, just...gutted for Mrs. Anderson :( I don't think I ever thought much of Jim Anderson upon initial readings, but this is really driving home that he was the worst.

“Rilla was presiding over Jims’ afternoon siesta upstairs”

I know siestas have been around for ages, but referring to a nap as a "siesta" sounds so modern to me that I had to pause for a moment.

also ngl the first few times I read the book I actually skimmed the part with Doc and didn't get it 😭 I wanted to get to the character/war stuff and it wasn't until like my fourth reread that I was like "wait. the cat has his head stuck in a can." Absolutely amazing.

glossary! Mainly did not know that "hydrophobia" meant rabies:

Readying Rilla bits:

It was originally written that the old Rilla would have rushed "upstairs" instead of "off to Rainbow Valley" to cry.

The pudding Susan is going to make is originally mentioned to be Jem's favorite -- I want to say that's replaced with another food later in the book?

Cut line from Susan saying "As long as I can handle a pitchfork" after she says it will take more than that to make a German of her. Am curious if she's like...suggesting she'd make a final stand with a pitchfork?

"keep a cat" is replaced by "keep a Satanic animal" lmaooo.

[penny-anna]

fanfiction writers when a character is remotely non-human

[lgbtlunaverse]

How I feel about this and next week's dungeon meshi episodes

I'm already seeing people going at it and it's gonna get SO much worse next week when The Fight™ happens. I am so tired. I just wanna stare at my and marcille's hot dragon chicken wife. Is that too much to ask?

[asparkinhereyes]

i’m ngl, whenever i see any of those angsty tim fics where the drakes are depicted as being much worse than they were in canon, which leads tim into joining the batfamily earlier, the more those fics give off the exact same vibes of those “my evil parents sold me to [insert famous person] to pay off their debts!” wattpad fanfics to me.

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

Im curious - how long have you known Qiqi was gonna be the one to drop the g-word to the gang? was that planned since the beginning or did that happen whilst writing the chapter? it was such an amazing speech i loved it, imo it was the perfect was to reveal it, because lets be real Zhongli is too modest to list off all his titles like that.

ALSO her being like “dont call him Morax its rude >:(“ was just so ahhhh!!!

that was planned from the start yeah, i usually have a couple of scenes written ahead of time and either work up to them or find somewhere to slot them in, depending on what's going on. the qiqi rex lapis rant was of the bunch that had its space reserved so to speak

[twosides--samecoin]

Being a Logistically and Materially Sound post-apocalypse has never been one of Fallout's goals, even going back to the Interplay games. It's fun to look at Fallout with a "wait how would this work in the real world" lens (I did this when figuring out how much fuel a vertibird would need if it were crossing North America, also for research into much work would be needed to recover irradiated soil vs the "plants fruit 3 days after planting!" Fallout 4 gardening system, because I was curious about figuring those things out) but sometimes I think it's useful to remember that this is also the game series where aliens and a dude that became a tree is canon. Sometimes you gotta throw your hands up and be like "yeah this universe contains 0% realism sometimes and it's fine". Nobody ever asks about the veracity and logistic possibility of the Prydwen or Robobrains or aliens with pew pew guns or disembodied talking brains floating in formaldehyde because we can all suspend disbelief for those things, but point at the Unrealism of the Armoured Exoskeleton which is like. One of the more plausible aspects of this entire game series and the crowd goes wild. People approach me to consult about Fallout worldbuilding for their mod and fanfic writing and even as the "here's how I would think this Fallout Thing would work in the real world" person even I'm like "yeah sure go figure it out if you want but it's ok if you don't, not everything needs an answer"

As a greater critique of Gaming CritiqueTM, I think ludonarrative issues in games is a fascinating topic, but I also think ludonarrative dissonance is a term that's often misunderstood & misused to illustrate someone's dislike of a mechanic or whatever, rather than being accurately used to describe moments where ludonarrative issues are happening. I'm gonna say that staring at an empty power armour shell and saying "but WHERE'S my TEAM OF ENGINEERS and MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX and IS THE STEEL HAND-POURED OR RECYCLED" isn't one. Something not having an answer in-universe doesn't make it a ludonarrative problem! It's just an unanswered detail! Like sometimes video games can't be built to address every plausible explanation for every possible worldbuilding question the player's gonna come up with; this makes worse media when creators start trying to stay ahead of fans like that. Also, fuck, there are fanfic writers who have written stories about the Brotherhood of Steel that has plausible logistics/resources planned out. It's ok that the answer isn't contained in the game with a neat lil bow on top u feel me

[necrotic-nephilim]

i think stephcass could have been potentially interesting if fandom let steph be herself and not ultimate uwu girl boss erasing all her negative traits. where is her jealousy? unhealthy obsession with her crush and complete lack of understanding of the concept of boundaries ESPECIALLY if that person is already dating someone? where is her almost manic urge to push away other potential love interests (and at this point i realized she would NOT have been so chill with ives if tim had come out much earlier yikes)

BIG AGREE OH MY GOD YOU PUT IT INTO WORDS.

because i love TimSteph for the reasons you listed!! there's something very unhealthy and teen girl-ish in the way Steph approaches relationships. she's angrily jealous and she thinks about Tim in a possessive way. like she is just so consumed by him and it's meant to be male comic writers writing how they think teen girls write about boys in their diaries- but it comes off as incredibly toxic. it's one of her deepest character flaws and what endears me so much to 90s Steph. she throws herself so deeply into romance when she has it, like she's afraid if she lets go of it for even a second it's going to leave her. and god forbid you be the person she falls for bc you will never maintain a healthy relationship with someone she views as competition, she *will* sabotage it. and to me these are all pros of her character. i *like* seeing how vigilantes struggle to maintain normal relationships- *especially* teenage vigilantes. Steph struggles to balance her "regular" life with being Spoiler and what things deserve a Stephanie Brown reaction and what things deserve a Spoiler reaction. and when she's dating, it's almost *always* going to be a Spoiler reaction and she shades her relationships through that lense. it's why civilian partners for Steph never really interest me. (besides the fact they always feel forced and clunky, like Steph's recent think with Maps' older brother?) it doesn't explore the way Steph loves to her fullest extent and how far she goes when she's into someone. there's no sweet puppy love for Steph, when she's all in, she's *all* in. she will do what she thinks is best for Tim oftentimes by her own will without his knowledge or approval, and sometimes massively fucks things up for him. bc she's just so wrapped up in what she believes is best, consequences are secondary.

and sure, she maintains healthy friendships. bc most fodder with StephCass is very healthy and soft. bc it's a *friendship*. and it changes radically when Steph is involved romantically. it's why there's such a difference in how Steph regards Tim when they're just friends as to when they were dating. she loves him and he's always going to be important, but that obsessive passion isn't what drives them anymore. so it's something you have to consider with *any* Steph ship in which it's a character she's had a friendship with- that how she interacts with them as a friend doesn't necessarily inform how she'd regard them as a lover. and that's the issue with StephCass. even the StephCass content that *is* comics informed (tho, a lot of it isn't and while i don't think fanon needs to be based on the comics to be good, i do think Steph and Cass are difficult characters to tackle if you aren't at least semi-familiar with their canon content bc of how warped they are in the fandom-) comes off with such a rose-colored lense that sours it for me. hell, even on Cass' side, things she's *canonically* done have been weird and obsessive about Steph. but that's never explored.

(tbh dare i say it's something to do with the phenomena in fandom that yuri is morally pure and perfect and yaoi is always dirty and bad- there's this almost sanitizing of sapphic ships sometimes to make them perfect and cute together and while i'm not here to yuck someone else's yum, i do think it's *telling* that women in fandom never get to explore the complex depths of unhealthy and toxic love in the way men do bc if you make a woman evil, it's misogyny. if you sexualize a woman too much it's misogyny. if you write her doing morally fucked up things even with the understanding it is her canon character, it's misogyny and you're villainizing her. i can sit here and say Tim is canonically shitty at relationships and ppl will not. if i say the same about Steph, then i'm critiquing a woman and holding her to an unfair standard. it's exhausting. it feels like StephCass only ever exists to depict Steph and Cass as morally pure and in love angels kissing in the background while the men get to do complex and nuanced and fun things in the foreground. this thought has probably been far more explored by others with more developed nuance on it, but i just wanted to point it out bc it's a very real thing i keep seeing *especially* in the Batfam fandom-)

and equally i think Cass' reaction to this intensity and obsession from Steph could be interesting. Cass historically has had poor reactions to knowing everyone is attracted to her and thinking about her, so that level of intensity i think could cause some negative reactions out of Cass that would add some very layered conflict to the ship. some of Steph's most negative traits *do* clash with Cass' wants and needs. it makes the ship more fun! it puts Steph's flaws on display as well as Cass' flaws and her internal issues surrounding romance. StephCass could be so weird and fucked up. but it's been defanged by this fandom in a way that turns me off to it. i love both Steph and Cass and i love exploring sapphic Batfam ships, so it *should* work for me. but the irony of it being popular in anti spaces combined with no one being able to acknowledge the flaws either of these characters have for the sake of making them kiss just. bores me and it's sucked any interest i could have out of it. bc god forbid women just be a little fucked up. </3