#writing contests having

[spacizia]

tfw the man you felt the most comfortable being yourself with is the worst person you could have met

[larix-laricina]

Guys hear me out.,,,,

II x bfb/tpot au where cobs creates the meeple products to find more aliens for him the use.

Basically alien hunter MePhone au. You see where I'm going with this???

He creates the contestants as his students basically, and trains them too. All the normal jazz, things are fun and MePhone's good at what he does.

Until he comes across the algebraliens. A kind of alien he can't beat...

[brie-draws]

MODELU, Season 12, Week 3: Easter Contestant: Campanella "Easter. The time of. Chocolate. I have. Chocolate. Every day... But in rabbit form? That is. Rare. Usually. I am. Pouring chocolate. Drink mix. Into my. Beloved. Husband. Of whom I am married to. Legally. Not for PR. His. Drinks. When he is cleaning. He does not care for this. But I. Know best. " -- Campanella's statement.

[rhiaemrys]

In other news. I am now a ghostmaker fan. BY jove is he funny. He's objectively better at Bruce's job at least 2/3 of the time (by a given metric of better). He doesn't get attachements. He's had two sidekicks and two love interests all of whom are reflective of Batman because he so desperately wants to fill the hole of what he thought he could of had with Bruce but didn't and so now on some level he believes that if he shows Bruce he's truly better at being Batman Bruce will come around. He cannot for the life of him not take a jab at Bruce. He has not stopped thinking of Bruce ever. He was willing to stay in Gotham to help Bruce out despite being a guy plagued by chronic vigilante wanderlust. He is literally a walking ninja cyborg aesthetic post.

Minhkhoa Khan you will always be Him.

[quatregats]

CS Forester once again trying and failing to write this guy in a way that is even remotely heterosexual

[gen-is-gone]

This is perhaps bitchy and uncharitable and certainly almost a year late to really be complaining about but fuck it, we complain anyway.

Yes, I am still unreasonably upset about Sutekh clinging to the side of the TARDIS since The Pyramids of Mars, and upset because I was sort of foolishly hoping we might get some actual characterization fallout from that addressed properly this series, which of course isn't going to happen. And the reason I'm upset about it while it seems fairly few people care all that much is because it's a litmus test for the degree to which any given person sees the TARDIS as a character in her own right. And it's fairly obvious now that rtd doesn't, or at least, only does when it suits him.

Because the thing is, if the TARDIS is a character, is a person, then the manner in which Sutekh uses and usurps her, and the ambiguity in whether it was consensual ('seduction' vs 'coercion') becomes extremely important to the Doctor and the TARDIS's relationship, and the TARDIS's characterization as a whole, both going forward and echoing back. Like bearing in mind that what actually happened is so ambiguous, what Sutekh being 'there the whole time' even fucking means, that trying to pull a point out of it is almost an exercise in futility from the jump, but to borrow some wildly inadequate or perhaps even inappropriate language, it's the difference between whether the TARDIS has been cheating on the Doctor for more than half the length of their entire relationship, or whether she'd been being (sorry) raped that whole time and the Doctor just hadn't noticed.

And yeah, evidently it was too much for me to hope that there would ever be any kind of real emotional or plot-relevant followup about that, because, again, that requires you to see the TARDIS as a character whose choices and emotions and relationships matter beyond their immediate relevance to the plot. And this isn't new by any goddamn means. This isn't actually the usual split between the traditionalist and the avant-garde camps. The TARDIS's sapience and autonomy do not begin with The Doctor's Wife; this is established (more or less) in The Edge of Destruction, the third ever serial in the history of the show, all the way back in nineteen sixty-fucking-four.

And y'know, yes, it would still be a big deal if Sutekh jumped on in Wild Blue Yonder (as would make way more logical sense) rather than Pyramids; the ambiguity of consent that the show either doesn't care or lacks the stomach to address would still be a blow, but it wouldn't have the unutilized capacity to fundamentally alter the relationship between the two longest-running characters in the franchise if it was the span of a season, rather than thousands of years in-universe and nearly five decades in real life. And not to be conspiratorial or assume categorical bad faith on rtd's part, but yeah, it's hard not see that particular unnecessary detail as a petty response to Moffat and Chibnall's own continuity-and-paradigm-altering retcons, and an attempt to get his own shot in.

And it's just. Never gonna get talked about, huh. 'Cause it doesn't actually matter, right? 'Cause it's not like the TARDIS is really a person, right?

[elizabeth-mitchells]

i'm trying to start writing an original story and feeling !! ← that's it that's the feeling. wish me luck <3

[kris-mage-fics]

Wintersun

A short Shepherds of Haven fic that takes place on Wintersun. Some vague spoilers for Chapter 4 and Blade's 5th day off in the Alpha build. Also there's a reference to this bit of a fic I haven't finished, but it's not necessary to understand what's going on.

| Ao3 | rated G | 628 words | Blade/Kyrahlise | under the cut for very light spoilers mentioned above |

"Happy Wintersun," Kyrahlise said as she handed Blade a slim package not much larger than her hand. Neither of them acknowledged the momentary brush of their fingertips.

The gift was neatly wrapped in paper she'd painted with winter berries and small swirls of gold. All tied off with a thin green ribbon salvaged from one of her old dresses. The design was overly flashy for his taste, but she had been too focused on making it pretty and was short on time to repaint something more austere.

Blade raised an eyebrow ever so slightly. "You didn't need to," he said, yet she could've sworn his face softened as his eyes traced the designs on the paper.

Kyrah smiled having anticipated he'd say something along those lines. "I'm aware. But I wanted to and thought you might enjoy it."

He looked up from the gift to meet her eyes. "Did you paint this?" Of course he remembered she painted. While in The Reach he'd fussed at her plenty to not paint outside. He trusted her judgment enough to promote her to Captain after a month, yet the cold was somehow too much. He made absolutely no sense.

"Yes," she said in a light tone.

"It's nice." Did Blade's compliment make her feel happy in a way it probably shouldn't? Yes. But she'd take that to her grave before admitting it to anyone.

"Thank you, though I hope you like what's inside more."

Blade's eyes went back to the present he held delicately. She ignored the strange little feeling in her chest when he untied the ribbon and slipped it into a pocket before carefully unfolding the paper. Underneath was a small book of poetry. "You remembered, thank you."

An unusual wave of nerves washed over Kyrahlise. What if he'd read this collection before and hated it? Well, there was no use worrying about it now that the book was in his hands. "Yes, by one of my favorite contemporary poets. Are you familiar with her work?"

"I'm not."

Her smile was tinted with relief. "I hope you find her poetry to your taste."

There was a upward tilt to his lips as he nodded. Kyrah gathered he was thanking her again, but reading his subtle expressions was like cracking a code.

Not that she needed to decipher anything to understand Blade's kindness. He'd always been considerate and respectful towards her. A sharp contrast to how many Norms treated her after she left the Circle. Like when he'd been livid because of what happened in that damned cave, it had filled her with so much warmth. She'd almost forgotten what it was like to have anyone care about her well-being. It was the catalyst for certain feelings towards him being stirred up. Feelings she accepted existed then politely ignored.

Though a recent incident in his room made her question if Blade was really as indifferent to her as he so often appeared.

When Kyrahlise glanced back up at Blade, his eyes were so gentle as they met hers it brought an instinctive smile to her lips. The first time he looked at her like that was when she learned black was the warmest color of all. The way his gaze slowly traced over her face almost felt like a sweet caress that seemed to stop briefly at her lips. But she was likely imagining things again.

A slight frown passed over his face as his free hand twitched, then clenched against his side. He looked at her another moment, gave a hint of a nod and another quick 'thank you' before turning and walking away. When he was out of earshot she sighed. Maybe one day she'd figure out what was really going on inside that inscrutable head of his.

[lbhslefttiddie]

not me in my fucking creative writing class going ouggghhhhhh i sure would love to write a study about a character is a Crisis about...... Shen Yuan..,.

[hussyknee]

FYI if you're watching MasterChef Australia, the Sri Lankan Australian contestant Savi is a friend of mine and kind of a stealth idol because everything I seem to be online (a ball-busting, bombastic, proudly brown, unapologetically fat, sexy decolonizer lady) she actually is irl. It's funny because she was a few grades below me and found me intimidating when we were in school and now I'm the one perpetually in awe of her. Do watch if you can and root for her! She's a delight!

[loderlied]

if i started about the recent episodes of doctor who i’d never finish. what a fucking cruel joke to overshadow the first black doctor’s episode with Fan Favourite White Man and then overshadow his regeneration episode with Fan Favourite White Woman

[radley-rambles]

I don't understand people who say things like 'but it doesn't matter if we don't pay artists/writers for their labour, or use free AI programs to replace artists/writers to improve our profits, because in a perfect world everyone would have UBI so it wouldn't matter xxx'

like. yes. but until we reach that perfect world, artists and writers need to eat?

why are you promoting AI replacement of creative people instead of working towards UBI? Until we have UBI, supporting generative AI in the creative field is no different to supporting supermarkets laying off all their till staff to turn to self-check out, or supporting factories who shut down and move overseas to exploit workers in countries with fewer human rights legislations?

Yes, in a perfect world, everyone would receive UBI. Therefore, people across the globe couldn't be exploited by corporations, and artists could create for the joy of it, in whatever way we desire - including with AI!

But we do not live in that perfect world.

Do you seriously expect this move towards generative AI to encourage people to support UBI, as opposed to people being forced into jobs they hate to make ends meet or no longer being able to support themselves financially?

Especially all the disabled people who make a living creating art and writing/editing, because that is, in fact, a career that is often far more available to disabled folks than a regular 9-5 or a retail job where you're expected to be on your feet all day (miss my disabled ass with the 'anti-AI = ableism' stance lmao).

This is not going to create your army of revolutionaries. This is just going to result in more independent creators being crushed under the boot heel of capitalism, as anyone who would've hired them flocks instead to the free alternative, and they're forced back into an incredibly exploitative labour market.

I agree that generative AI by itself is just a tool and is not inherently a problem.

But it is being abused, in ways that hurt creators.

If you support generative AI... what are you doing about that?

[total-drama-brainrot]

TD World Tour Alenoah AU... Where Noah is immune to Alejandro's fake charm... Instead, Noah gets charmed by the true Alejandro's quirks and dorky interests like dinosaurs and puppets... How would Alejandro feel about Noah only liking Alejandro, when Alejandro is being himself?... Especially since Alejandro's family shuns him for being himself? 🦕🦖🦕

Now you're speaking my language.

One of the most common running themes in all/near enough all Alenoah central AUs is having Noah be the first person to see past Alejandro's persona and actually appreciate the person he is, or at the very least prefer the real Alejandro to his mask of perfection. It's one of the draws of the ship itself; the idea that Noah, being the blunt person that he is, can and will wage a war of attrition against the walls Alejandro has built up around himself- not just to keep others out, but also to repress the more authentic aspects of himself to himself- in order to reveal the person beneath.

I touched on this a little bit in a previous post concerning this AU, but Alejandro and Noah both see glimpses of the other that they try so valiantly to hide- in Noah's case, Alejandro sees hints of the scheming mindset he's pretty much supressed under layers of apathy and sloth (as Noah's laziness is one of his biggest character foils, alongside his snarky attitude), and in Alejandro's case he reveals tid bits of information about the Real Alejandro, not the persona he's usually portraying himself as, which is enough to humanise him in Noah's eyes.

They both become People Of Interest in each other's eyes, because they're both puzzles to be solved. Alejandro's curious and competitive to a fault so he'd dedicate himself to unravelling the layers behind Noah's stony exterior, as he'd see Noah's continued distance as a challenge. That's a given. But the topic at hand here is Noah's interest in Alejandro.

Because Noah's not exactly competitive, so why would he be so interested in unveiling the real Alejandro? That's simple; Noah values authenticity. Look at his friendship group, it consists of people who are unapologetically themselves. Noah is also unapologetically himself, in all of his sarcastic glory. So of course he's see flickers of the real, authentic Alejandro and his natural inquisitiveness would be piqued- a novelty for him, as Noah's staunch apathy generally tends to override any semblance of curiosity.

So Noah goes out of his way to make notes of the small interests Alejandro offhandedly mentions at one point or another, like palaeontology or puppetry or even his fifteen-step skincare routine- things that Alejandro shows genuine excitement or passion over that shines through the cracks of his perfect persona. He sees the dorky giddiness Alejandro experiences when Noah lets him ramble on about how Jurassic Park was incredibly inaccurate from a scientific standpoint but monumental for people's interest in palaeontology (or something along those lines, I don't know I'm not a dinosaur nerd) and suddenly the annoyingly flirtatious faker he's spent the better half of his time on the jet is A Whole Ass Person with interests and passions and a sense of depth he's been so bereft of until now. Suddenly Alejandro's more than just the antagonist of the show Noah's working on, he's an interesting person that the bookworm finds himself wanting to know more about. And, perhaps, he finds himself growing genuinely fond of the person behind the mask.

And he uses those notes to prompt Alejandro into sharing more of himself, the real authentic Alejandro, in the privacy of their interactions.

At first, Alejandro's fairly oblivious to what Noah's doing, since he's so caught up in his own enjoyment of Noah's company plans to essentially do the same to Noah that he barely notices his own tricks being used against him.

Of course, he's also just elated at being able to infodump to someone who isn't outright penalising him for doing so; not that I think Alejandro is even aware that what he's doing is infodumping, nor the fact that he's so obviously autistic, because his family is a particular brand of awful that would never let him get a proper diagnoses and in all likelihood forced him to mask/supress his symptoms.

It isn't until Alejandro realises that he's shared a lot of information about himself that he (as a Burromuerto) is expected to keep close to his chest, and he sees the glimmers of satisfaction in Noah's intelligent eyes, that the archvillain catches on to the fact that he's been played. But the thing that really catches him off-guard isn't the trickery, it's the fact that Noah's done nothing with the uncharacteristic displays of vulnerability.

Alejandro can't understand why Noah hasn't taken advantage of his "weakness" yet. Inevitably leading to him confronting the assistant, as Alejandro isn't the type to "let sleeping dogs lie" so to speak, and he's still very much so in the one-track mindset of winning the competition- thus he assumes that any show of vulnerability can and will lead to his untimely elimination. But when he practically demands that Noah reveal what he's been planning, why he's been sneakily collecting information on him, all Noah can do is shrug his shoulders and say;

"I guess I just like seeing the real you. That's all."

And Alejandro doesn't know how to respond to that. No one's ever wanted the real him, he's always had to play the role of the perfect son, the perfect brother. He doesn't understand.

And like most people when they're faced with a foreign concept they have no basis of behaviour for, he lashes out.

[deathbygummybears]

I like how you tagged do you think he’ll talk about the trans stuff next season because I just wrote 2500 words about The Rehearsal and gender

That's a lot of words! You are doing very important work!!

I have always thought Nathan did some interesting things with gender in his stuff. I think when you create comedy focused on subverting social norms, a good comedian will also subvert gender norms just as much since they are socially constructed.

I think that it is super interesting how often he performs as a woman to try and understand/embody a social ideal (Mara'D and Remy's mom). I think it is also interesting how his social awkwardness leads to people attacking his masculinity (the PI making fun of him for wearing a pink shirt while calling him the wizard of loneliness).

I think theres something also to be considered about the stereotype of jewish men being effeminate and how that could add another layer to the disconnect nathan feels with other men/masculinity and be a source of insecurity that he overcompensates for especially with how both seasons of the rehearsal have now talked about antisemitism and his jewish identity.

He's said in the past that the character he plays is heavily informed by his adolescence and the awkwardness that came with interacting with girls. So i feel like this gives all of his work themes of insecurity, identity forming, and trying to fit in typical of coming of age stuff. I think those themes lend themselves really well to looking at his work through a trans lens in regards to gender identity formation and trying to pass or be stealth.

There's a lot to talk about there with the rehearsal and gender! I would love to hear your thoughts. I think I've seen some of your posts about it in the tags so I'll have to go and look at them again. Thanks for give me an excuse to share my thoughts on this too lol!!

[artofapeach]

Hi friend! Hope doing this in asks is okay, I saw your post about needing some Thoughts on Funger characters for your comic so I wanted to help out :3 I'm sure you already know about all my feelings on Pav and Karin so instead I'll yap about Marina and Daan if that's cool! I just find it interesting how their views on religion contrast each other (with Marina being an occultist and Daan's past with Sylvian) and as Daan goes on about how he dislikes it (in the church I believe) he says the line 'If your happiness relies on the shoulders of others, then you're screwed', in which Marina goes quiet afterwards. And while it could mean nothing, to me that gives me the impression that she took it personally. Maybe she's a people pleaser and she felt called out? Who knows! Also adding to Daan's dislike of the Gods/Sylvian, when they're at Sylvian's Square and Abella tries to bring up how suggestive the fountain looks, he gets very short with her ('Yes. We get your point'). Usually he has something sarcastic or witty to say, so to be that blunt to someone as nice as Abella tells me that he was VERY uncomfortable and eager to leave. Idk, I just thought that stuck out to me. Meanwhile while Marina is at the square she's just like 'oh yeah fun fact there used to be a brothel here lol' completely unbothered, what a queen haha

HI SAM THANKS FOR REACHING OUT :D

Okay okay okay but Daan and Marina (and O’saa, but this ain’t about him) are my religious trauma family fr fr!!!!

I’m so invested in how they both grew up in super religious households and how they deal with the effects of that differently. Because while Daan is very obviously negative when it comes to religion, especially sexually religion (for obvious reasons), Marina is cheerful but insults it at the same time, almost like a coping mechanism?

Plus, Marina is especially interesting because she’s literally in school studying magic and religion. She probably feels trapped, like who would she without the church and Alll-mer? And and and when looking at a photo of her dad, she mentions how the lineage has to end, but she doesn’t make any comments about what she’ll do instead.

I think that could also tie in with what you said in Daan mentioning “If you’re happiness relies on the shoulders of others”—I wonder if she’s thinking of the idea of letting go of religion even then 🤔

SEGUE-WAY INTO DAAN

Daan cutting Abella off coldly at the statue is actually not the only time he does it! He also does it at the mall, with all the people hanging on the ceiling!

Levi mentions that it seems like the people there are enjoying it (which Daan agrees to), suggesting that the whole thing might be a sexual religious act.

When they go back down and Daan and Abella are there, we get this dialogue:

Those two instances just feel…so similar to me. It’s also interesting that they’re both triggered by Abella djndjfnjsjdnf

Also, while looking for the above pic, I also came across dialogue where he mentioned he’s done enough camping for a lifetime because of his parents, which I admittedly didn’t think about. Religious trauma even ruined camping for him :(

Daan’s the opposite of Marina—instead of leaning into it and making fun (like most of the Termina contestants tbh), he avoids anything relating to the Bunnymasks as much as possible.

It does make me wonder if he could help Marina let go of her past and find something new to strive for—he was able to do it with the kindness of the von Dutches so maybe he can do the same for Marina!—but that’s just me being obsessed with found family at that point 😆

[elizabeth-mitchells]

if anyone knows any tricks to add one or perhaps 10 extra hours to every day uh please let me know