#:D I'm proud of all of these which is why I'm posting them over here even though some are kinda old :')

[morlock-holmes]

Notice in the post below that the only named task that the OP struggled with is homework?

Now, people diagnosed with ADHD or similar disorders often do struggle with tasks that we might actually want to do, but almost always, the diagnosis is linked in everyone's mind to an inability to do homework.

But homework is fucking bullshit.

I really think it's absurd to ignore that fact when talking about how you complete tasks.

"Gosh, my kid seems to have a lot of trouble focusing on dull make-work which I force him to do for two hours every single day, why could this be?"

I spent literally as little time in school as I could and still graduate. As in, by my junior or senior year the principal sat me down and said, "If you skip anymore school we aren't going to be able to graduate you from High School."

And yet... When I bothered to go, I got good grades. I did generally quite well on tests and did eventually graduate. I'm quite proud of that as an act of self-mastery but it does raise the question:

Why was so much energy spent on trying to get me to go to school for all that time when I was demonstrably able to get the benefits with literal years less work than they wanted me to put in?

Why was so much time spent trying to devote those years to schoolwork when it simply wasn't necessary for me to learn?

Homework is a microcosm of that whole question. I always wanted to know,

"So, if I can skip 60% of the homework and still get an "A" on the test, why do you try to force me to do it?"

And to this day I have never gotten a good answer.

So: I saw no value in most of my homework and that hasn't changed to this day.

So, here's a pop quiz for the people wondering why their kids with diagnoses don't do their homework no matter what planning and techniques adults supply them with:

What would your kid have to do to spend less of their valuable time on homework?

"Well, if they just knuckled down and got it done..."

BZZT! WRONG! You get a "D-" on this test and I really hope you apply yourself more to the next one, you have so much potential...

If they "forget about it" then they have to do even less.

Now, of course that means that your kid is in a state of constant stress from avoidance. They are thinking, "Man, I'm going to get in so much trouble for not doing this, but I just can't seem to force myself to do it, and anyway I don't fucking want to."

You think that they'd be better off spending two stressful hours on their homework and then being able to relax the rest of the time. They feel like they'll be happier not doing it at all and feeling a vague undercurrent of stress as they go about their leisure time.

What's the third option if they want to spend less time on homework?

Oh, nothing? Is it nothing whatsoever until they graduate from school?

This is infuriatingly counter-productive. We spend literal years teaching ADHD kids that avoidance and procrastination are the only ways to exert control over their lives in the face of unpleasant situations imposed from outside.

Now, in point of fact this is absolutely not the case for adult life, which offers a plethora of ways to reduce pointless make-work imposed on you by outside authorities and, in any case, rarely bothers to impose two hours per day of unpaid, unrewarding make-work on people anyway.

How much of the difficulty ADHD people have with cleaning the toilet or whatever is because psychologically, they still think of it as homework? Cleaning the toilet is not homework; it rewards you with a clean toilet at the end and it's entirely possible to defer it, or hire someone else to do it, or find shortcuts. But if the major psychological task of your childhood is homework, maybe it might take quite a long time to think that there could even be anything aside from homework?

[peachpety]

Upon reflecting this past year, I’m reminded of one area as a fandom citizen that i am lacking - reading fic. And so was born an idea to canvas my fandom family and friends to share with me a fic they've written, art they've created, a podfic they've recorded in 2023 of which they are most proud.

This two part 'rec yourself' list is the result.

Part One features Drarry creations (heavily featured since that's my OTP). Part Two (here) includes a kick-ass mix of various HP ships and ships from other fandoms, including Carry On, Check Please!, Good Omens, Teen Wolf, and Stranger Things. Also, and most importantly, each entry presents a smol blurb from the creator about why they chose their particular piece as their 2023 favorite.

For ease in reading, I've also placed all submitted works posted to AO3 into a filterable bookmark collection, Rec Yourself 2023. Be aware that there's a range of ratings and archive/creator tags, so please, take appropriate responsibility for your personal consumption. And please also be sure to shower the creators with kudos and lovely comments.

Y'all. This endeavor has been a fucking blast. One thing's for sure, I am blessed, humbled and honored to know a whole bunch of fantastic, brilliant, fun folks. Big love to you all, and thank you for participating.

So go forth. Indulge and enjoy! xo peach

* * *

✩ @pato-roldnart ✩ Quiet as a mouse HP | Viktor Krum x Ron Weasely | ART | G rating | Unleashed!Fest 2023 I'm quite proud of this one, I don't know how I made it, I had never drawn them before! My mind went full "oh yeah ronvik " Also, I like the idea of them bonding over their pets and Ron seeing that Viktor cares about something else that is not Quidditch.

✩ @tontonguetonks ✩ Coffee and a Croissant HP Next Gen | Scorpius x Albus | 903 FIC | G rating There are parts of myself and my lived experience in every story and character I write—how I socialize, how I take my coffee… I can’t help it. In *Coffee and a Croissant*, I put a lot of myself in my ace and autistic Albus. He is very dear to me in this story, and in my Fizzy Lifting Drinks drabble. The fic is just a toe-dip in the Soulmate waters where Albus grapples with what to do if he is someone’s Soulmate, but they’re not his. Parts 2 and 3 are in the works, but there is no timeline on either of them. Maybe in 2024?

✩ @crazybutgood ✩ I Bloom Pink For You HP | Narcissa Malfoy x Pansy Parkinson | 993 FIC + ORIGAMI COMIC | M rating | HP Bodice Ripper Fest 2023 This whole idea came about because I got so excited to fold a corset for hp bodice ripper fest, realised I couldn't just submit that one thing, and started brainstorming more loose ideas. It all clicked together when I was inspired by a fic by @schmem14, whose writing I adore. I was so grateful and even more excited when Em gave permission to make this. From there started the self-indulgent process of folding fancy things with fancier papers for this origami comic, and I couldn't have done it without Em and my lovely support team.

✩ @seekercass ✩ Something Cosmic HP | Cedric x Draco x Harry | 1.7k FIC | M rating | Polyship Week 2022 A self-rec that I am still extremely proud of is a short fic written for Polyshipping Week 2022 called Something Cosmic. It's a small coda to Something Good to Always Keep, another fic that I wrote for Quidditch Fest 2021 that I cherish very much. Even though writing is still hard for me these days, I often think about this 'verse and what life is like for Harry, Draco and Cedric after they graduated from Oxford. These three and slice of life bring me such joy. I hope to write more of them.

✩ @roseharpermaxwell ✩ Sounds Worth It HP | Hermione x Draco | 5k FIC | T rating | D/Hr Advent 2023 Being nominated for d/hr advent was a sweet surprise. It gave me a good excuse to remember how to write and the nudge I needed to create something this year.

✩ @basicallyahedgehog ✩ (They) Keep Me Warm HP | Hermione x Harry x Ron | 5.8k FIC | E rating | HP Trans Fest 2023 This was my transfest fic - I wrote it as a love letter to all my trans and Enby friends and as a way of processing some of my own feelings. It’s my first (and so far only) foray into poly golden trio and I loved playing with their dynamics with that added layer to their relationship.

✩ @lumosatnight ✩ For I Have Found Salvation HP | Harry x Severus | 7.1k FIC | E rating | Snarry AUctoberfest 2023 Although this is a smut fic at its core, I tried really hard to make the pacing flow, bringing in background characters, and creating memorable imagery. I am very proud of how it turned out. However, this is probably my favorite fic from 2023 simply for the fact that I had the most fun writing it!

✩ @sugareey-makes-stuff ✩ Feel You Breathing Teen Wolf | Derek Hale x Stiles Stilinski | 8.4k TEXTING FIC | E rating | 2023 Year of the OTP This is my fav 2023 piece because I learned how to create a custom text message AO3 skin, stylize things for plain text reading, and I wrote a whole story  that had some plot that was told through text messages. Also, I did not know I could achieve so much spiciness and throw in so many bad pick-up lines through this medium, but hey, the more you know! XD

✩ @schmem14 ✩ Mastermind HP | Harry x Ron; Draco x Harry; Ron x Draco | 10.7k FIC | E rating | Dronarry Fest 2023 This is one of the few times a story just flew out of me. Possessive stalker Draco sets out to win over Ron in this creepy thriller, but there’s a catch: Ron is already in love with Draco’s boyfriend, Harry.

✩ @drwhoisginnyholmes & @fledglinger ✩ Not Bad, For A 6000 Year Old Classic! Good Omens | Aziraphale x Crowley | 11.8k FIC + ART | E rating | DIWS Reverse! Reverse! Mini Bang

✩ @sniperjade ✩ The Sounds of Us HP Marauders | Regulus x Remus | 20.4k FIC | M rating | Remus Lupin Fest 2023; HPFC Spring Fling 2023 I've been thinking about this for a couple of days and whilst I would really love to say it was the drarry I wrote for this fest last year my favourite would have to be this moonseeker I wrote for Remus Lupin Fest last year. It's my favourite because I lived this fic. It became the entirety of my personality for a whole month because I desperately needed to get to the chapter where Regulus was riding on Padfoots back, through the forbidden forest, with only the light of the full moon to guide them, just to try and help Remus. It's also just because it's very musical and I'm very musical so that makes me love it all the more.

✩ @ghaniblue ✩ Sleeping With Ghosts HP | Regulus x Draco x Harry | 21.9k FIC | M rating | Harry Potter Rare Pair Fest IV I posted a Regulus/Harry/Draco fic last month that I'm very fond of. I started writing it more than 1 1/2 years ago, before I ever read a single Regulus fic. It's triad fic, and I'm pretty proud of the way the individual relationships develop. That was important to me, and I think I succeeded. Posting the first fic on ao3 with this triad tag doesn't hurt either.

✩ @celilasart & @wolfspurr ✩ Shifted Teen Wolf | Derek Hale x Stiles Stilinski | 25k FIC + ART | T rating | Sterek Reverse Bang This work was created for sterek reverse bang, a collaboration fest where the artists create first and the writers write second. wolfspurr and I just clicked when we talked about my art and the things that it inspired in their writer brain ;D the result is just an amazingly sweet and wholesome fic, that is still set in the teenwolf universe as we know it. but unlike many other fics which are full of violence and danger, this one starts with a bang and then it is a beautifully woven story of two people who just complete each other. also... the working title for my art was: tiny fox & sour wolf.

✩ @orange-peony ✩ At the speed of light Carry On | Basilton Pitch x Simon Snow | 26.3k FIC | E rating I picked [this fic] because I had a lot of fun writing it! It started off as a drabble and ended up 26k because I just had a blast writing it and the fandom support was so lovely. Last but not least, Pato made an absolutely stunning art piece for this fic, and it was the best present ever.

✩ @wynnyfryd ✩ i don’t know, you figure it out Stranger Things | Steve Harrington x Eddie Munson | 35.4k WIP FIC | E rating bragging about yourself is difficult, but i’ll just say it’s my favorite because i’m proud of myself for sticking to one project for this long, i love all the artwork the fic has inspired, and i just think the line “the river styx must taste like pennies” fucks severely lmao.

✩ @decaflondonfog ✩ growing pains Check Please! | Eric Bittle x Kent Parson | 50k FIC | T rating i am not usually a long fic gal, which i think is in part lack of patience, but also how attached i get to a universe if i’m working on it for a longer period of time. i finished writing this back in june but this fic felt very “me” in many ways and i think about them so often still  so it’s definitely my 2023 creation i’m proudest of!

[watchingblsnowandforever]

We Are Ep. 14: Part 3/3

Hello again!! =D

Part 1 and Part 2

Warning: long post 😊😅 (also, I'm so sorry for the delay, I've been sleep deprived for the last two to three days because my insomnia and depression made comebacks, but I'm better now)

She reminds me so much of my own mom-

My mom adopts my friends, and no one has any say in it, while my dad encourages her 😭👍🏼

I absolutely love her relationship with all of them. While it's given that Peem will talk about Phum, Q has talked about Toey too, and it's quite obvious that Peem and his og group of friends have visited quite often before. She asks no question, and is so comfortable with them that they don't hesitate for a second to introduce their boyfriends. This is maybe not realistic (I'm pretty sure my mom while very similar wouldn't be this accepting) but it's very in line with this show, and I really like it.

GIVE ME MORE ACCEPTING PARENTS IN BL!!!

I am 100% sure that for a moment there, Phum's brain short circuited 😭

I mean, just look at it from his perspective. The boy he's head over heels for talks about him like this to his mom. If it were me, I'd be having an existential crisis right there, he has much more self control than me.

I'll be living here, in this moment for the next 1000 years, thanks for asking.

Listen, I'm a big fan of domestic fluff, BUT THIS???

Also, I don't usually talk about these, but on Phum's t-shirt, it says "ALWAYS FORWARD NO TURNING BACK" which is very relevant here because Peem helps him see a future, and to enjoy the present as it comes back. He's slowly but surely leaving his scarred past behind.

I have so many fic ideas smh

And yet, I don't really see you, complaining, Peem.

He says while sipping from his own glass. Very convincing, Peem.

THIS WAS SO CUTE OH MY GODS 😭😭🫶🏼

Btw, Peem? Phum is calling you "meow" for the rest of your lives. Just like you'll be calling him Puppy Phum. <3

oh-

These few seconds spoke so much.

The realization that this is what a real family is supposed to look like, that he'll probably never have this with his own parents.

But then- then he realizes that now he can have this. He can have Peem, and a family full of love and sit in the midst of his brother and his friends and Peem's friends and be accepted and loved.

Maybe he can't have this with his own parents, but he can have this with Peem, and that for him, is already far more than he could have ever imagined.

I just love that addition 😭😂

Peem is absolutely incapable of not calling Phum some version of "idiot (affectionate)" and I adore him for it. <33

Oho, violent Fang is back.

But seriously, let the others sleep, Pun and Toey 😭

THIS LOOK. ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US??

There's only two eps left (?!!!!!), so I really hope that the next one is when they get together

The small thumb soothing his tummy 🥺🫶🏼

All we got are crumbs of ChainPun throughout and they still managed to make us go insane. Mad respect for their friends who have to deal with them on a daily basis 😭👍🏼

Also, when Peem got up to ask what they were doing and Phum pulled him back to sleep, did y'all see that tiny forehead kiss? My man never misses a chance to kiss Peem, and I am so proud of him.

This reminds me of such a funny story-

So. We went to visit this historical building (note: historical) and the stairs leading up were naturally kind of steep and broken. It was very crowded, so it was four or five teams/families to one guide. We went up slowly, but since the guide was obviously very used to it, he went up faster, and was waiting for us at the landing. So one couple asked how he got there so fast, and he jokingly said "I took the lift" and the man was like "Why didn't you tell us before?? One of us [I don't remember who he said] just had knee surgery!" and the rest of us were just staring at him like ???? are you listening to yourself- 😶

My parents and I laugh about it to this day 😭😂 (this was almost 8 years back OH GODS SAYING THAT MADE ME FEEL SO OLD-)

What next ep looks like:

What I looked like after watching the trailer:

(In that order.)

That's it for ep 14! See y'all in 4 days (I fear for what will become of me after I watch ep 15).

If you got this far, thank you so much for reading! 😊

Here have a croissant 🥐

[tonberry-yoda]

Jailbreak - Dabi

notes: I AM SO PROUD OF THE WAY THIS TURNED OUT OMFG. literally dabi brainrot BAD. this took me two days to write, so i am so glad i got it out today :) literally cannot get over this gorgeous man jesus christ

word count: 2,060

WARNINGS: language. dabi being hot. i didnt proofread this i just wrote it and posted it. sorry if there are mistakes lol

You watched as he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of the back pocket of an officer standing in front of him that you were talking to. He took a single one and slid the pack back in the man's pocket, lighting up the current cigarette he had in his hand with his own quirk, which proved difficult seeing as he was in a pair of handcuffs. He leaned back in a chair and smoked, watching your every move before the officer bid you a farewell, not even noticing that the villain had taken anything from him.

You sat across from Dabi and locked your eyes onto his, which looked like portals, and not to something villainous either. You quickly shook it from your head and pulled out a pen and paper.

"So, what do you want from me, babe?" Dabi blew smoke in your face, but you stayed unwavering.

"Answers." You said, leaning back in your chair a bit.

"You're not gonna get shit outta me." He flicked some ash off of the end of his cigarette.

"And why's that?"

"You're a journalist, right? I don't fuck with journalists." He sat calm, cool, and collected, smoking that cigarette until there was nothing left.

"I'm not a journalist." You kept your voice low, knowing that there were cops listening in on your conversation.

"Then what are you?" Dabi had a mocking tone, but his voice was just as low as yours.

"Curious."

"That right?" He crossed his arms over each other and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, that's right. Now tell me, what's your name?"

"Dabi."

"You're real name."

"Dabi."

"Your full name."

"Hell no. I haven't sat with your pretty face long enough to tell you that kinda shit. I don't even know you're name." He was definitely mocking you. He picked at his ear and stared at the ceiling while you thought. This was going to prove difficult if he was going to be acting like this all the time.

"y/n."

"Sorry?" He sat up in his chair a bit, confused.

"That's my name. y/n."

"Cute. What's next? You gonna ask me to hang out sometime. Want my number, sugar?"

Now it was your turn to roll your eyes. If you knew he was gonna be this much of an ass, you wouldn't have even shown up.

"What are you getting all irritated about?" He asked, rapping his knuckles on the table. "You're not the one in handcuffs, babe."

"Fine," you said, scooping up your stuff. "If you have such a problem with me being here, I'll leave."

"Good." He crossed his arms as guards rushed in the room to help you leave.

"I'll be back though, Dabi. I'll have you know that now."

"Fine. All the more fun for me then. Though, I don't expect to be here much longer, toots."

You were escorted out of the building by two very nice guards who had warned you to beware of people like him, as if you didn't already know. You got in your car and stared at yourself in the rearview mirror. How the hell were you supposed to help him now?

You hated that they made prisons more locked down because of stupid All for One. Ever since All Might retired, your job was getting ten times harder.

You had always empathized with villains. They just lost the life lottery. They were dealt a bad quirk and usually bad parents. You made it your goal to work with villains undercover. Break them out of jail, give them the essentials they needed, even help plan out missions they had. But now being undercover was getting ten times more difficult thanks to the heroes and their stupid ranks. Not only that but villains thought you were just another idiot.

But even so, you had to work hard. Especially for him.

---

Dabi sat in his cell fiddling with the stained sheets on his spring mattress. His whole room was fire proof, which was a pain in his ass.

He couldn't believe he was caught. After everything he's done, he was caught robbing a goddamn convenient store. It made him want to slam his head against the wall.

But his mind never left you. Who were you anyway? And why did you even care about him? He stared at the ceiling thinking about it. Did you work for the league? For someone he knew? A hero? His mind was racing thinking about it. And you would be back? He didn't know what you meant by that. You should know that he wasn't going to tell you anything, but you said you'd be back anyway. Were you going to torture him to tell you anything you wanted to hear? Not like it would hurt him anyway.

Either way, you confused him.

And he kind of wanted you back.

---

"Hey, shithead!" A guard banged on Dabi's cell, making him jump. "You have a visitor."

Dabi sat up in his bed, expecting to be escorted from his cell to the other room, but you were standing right in front of the cell.

"What the-" his words trailed off seeing you again and he tilted his head. "How'd you..."

You placed your hand on the shoulder of the guard standing next to you and he went completely still, his eyes turning to static. Your quirk. It was like you could turn people on and off like a lightbulb. He wouldn't remember a thing when he woke up.

Dabi looked at you with his mouth gaping open. "Holy shit! You're a villain."

You shrugged. "I wouldn't say a villain, but-"

"Who are you working for?"

"Myself." You took the keys from the guard and unlocked his cell. "Ready to get outta here?"

Dabi smirked at you and grabbed your hand that you had outstretched to him. "You gonna take me to dinner?" He asked, all smarmy like.

"I'll think about it." You laughed, walking Dabi out of the prison past hundreds of guards that seemed to be shut off.

"How long are they gonna be like that?" Dabi asked, realizing that his hand was still in yours. He didn't move it.

"Sometimes minutes. Sometimes hours. I guess we'll figure that out when we cross that bridge, won't we?"

"I like you, cupcake."

You rolled your eyes and walked out of the prison, cold air hitting both of your faces. "Just get in the car, Dabi."

"Gladly, though," he held his hands out to you. "Could you get these cuffs off of me?"

You smiled. "Of course." You unlocked the cuffs and he rubbed his wrists which were so raw that they were a bright red. You couldn't believe that they had him in cuffs even in his cell.

"Were you planning on breaking me out that whole time?" Dabi looked at himself in the mirror on the sunblock in your car, giving himself a little kiss.

"Yeah. I didn't want to use my quirk like that because it can be a real pain when they all wake up."

"Well, I think it's cool." He rolled down the window and took a deep breath of fresh air. "Damn it's good to be out. Thanks for that."

You just kept your eyes on the road, a soft smile tugging at your lips.

"So, where do we go after this?"

"My place," you said, rolling down your own window. "The league is off doing their own thing, plus, I know you don't really have a place, so I don't mind if you stay for a couple nights."

"Seriously?! You have like a bed and a fridge and stuff?!" You looked over at him when you stopped at a stop light and he looked like an excited child.

"Seriously." You said with a little chuckle.

"Damn, you are one cool chick, you know that?"

"You think? Well I'm flattered."

"You should be. Cuz damn you're good." Dabi surprised you by leaning over and planting a kiss on your cheek that left it warm for a moment.

For the rest of the ride, he was quiet, letting the wind blow in his hair as he watched the world speed by. You couldn't help but sneak a couple of looks at him.

"You know, Dabi," you said, clutching the steering wheel as you pulled into the parking garage of your apartment. "You're probably the most fun villain I've broken out of jail."

"For real?!" He said all excited like. "You mean that?"

"Of course I mean that." You got out of your car and stretched.

"Well," he opened his door and stepped out, not even caring that he was still in his prison uniform. "You're the most fun person who's ever broken me out."

You grabbed his hand and led him upstairs to your apartment as he winked at a group of drunk girls stumbling to their own room.

When he stepped in the small living space, he stood in the middle, getting his grounds. A smile was spread across his face before he ran to your couch, slumping down on it. "Cozy place."

"Thanks." You grabbed a shopping bag off of your counter and threw it at him.

"What's this?" He asked when he opened it up, pulling out the contents.

"Clean clothes, shampoo, toothbrush, other hygiene stuff. I hope I got your size right."

He looked up at you with light in his eyes. "You didn't have to do all this for me."

You shrugged and started making dinner. "I did."

He smiled and jumped up to run to the bathroom to use any product he could. You cracked an egg over a frying pan and began frying some rice with it. A lazy dinner, but enough to fill you up.

Dabi ran out of the bathroom and jumped back on the couch, finding your cat sitting on the top, which gladly walked over to him to begin to cuddle him.

"I think he likes you," you giggled, bringing Dabi a plate of food. "He's sweet, so you don't have to worry if he'll bite you."

Dabi scratched your cat under his its ears and gladly took the food. "Seriously, you don't have to waste your time on me."

"I'm not wasting my time, I'm doing my job." You sat next to Dabi and the two of you ate dinner in silence.

Dabi finally spoke up, setting his empty plate down. He sure finished that fast. "Why are you doing this anyway?"

"I know what it's like to feel alone. And lost." Dabi smiled at you.

"You sure are sweet for working with a ton of assholes."

You shrugged. "Not all of them are assholes."

"Just me then? Shit."

You and Dabi both laughed and your cat decided to go sleep in its bed on the ground.

"Well, it's getting late, Dabi. I should be heading off to bed. I'll get you a blow up mattress set up in my room."

Dabi followed you and helped you pull a giant blow up mattress out of your closet. While it was blowing up, you and Dabi talked about stupid stuff. First dates, food, traveling, the outdoors, stuff villains wouldn't talk about. Stuff regular people would talk about.

Dabi sat on the edge of your bed and looked out of the window. "You have a nice view of the sky."

"I do, don't I?" You laid out your pillow in a more comfortable area and laid down.

"What's it like?"

"What's what like?" You asked, seeing his blue eyes glimmering in the moonlight that peeked through the window.

"Having a normal life."

"I don't have a normal life." You tried, but Dabi put his hand up.

"More normal than me. You have running water and food. You should be thankful."

"I am thankful," you said, your voice soft.

"Good." His voice was barely audible.

"You can stay here as long as you want."

"I don't want to intrude."

"But I don't want you to be lonely again. I don't want to be lonely again."

Dabi turned and smiled at you. "Fine. I'll stay. But I have to go eventually, don't I?"

"Not anytime soon." You sat up and pressed a kiss onto his ear.

"No, not anytime soon."

The two of you accidently fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms, leaving a lone blow up mattress strewn on the floor.

~~~~~

mha masterlist | pinned post @tonberry-yoda

[izicodes]

Anonymous ask came through | My story

I accidently deleted their ask, so I'll answer it here

Someone messaged anonymously me saying I was privileged to get the apprenticeship and that I shouldn't be sharing tips on my blog about Junior Developer roles since I’m “experienced” (I've only worked for 1 year and 5 months which my apprenticeship lasted for one year).

The anonymous person mentioned they have been studying for 6 months and still haven't found a tech job or the job they wanted. They mentioned that I shouldn't be making posts and share tips because I'm at a privalge position coming from attending an apprenticeship and I don't relate to what they're struggling with - to that I'm sorry it's been hard for you, I wouldn't wish that for anyone studying entirely on their own. please keep trying, don't give up.

But what the anonymous person doesn't know is how hard things were for me and my family for many years to even get me to where I am today.

I am privileged to be in the UK to be able attend school, privileged to get accepted into an apprenticeship after doing two exams for it but:

I come from a family who were classed as "very low income" by the government for many years and only recently we broke out of that.

I learnt HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Python on my own before the apprenticeship gave lessons on it and by then I already knew the topics.

The apprenticeship didn’t teach me Git or GitHub or how to set up VS Code or Visual Studio - I taught myself online.

I learnt SQL and C# from YouTube because the teacher was so bad at explaining things.

I only passed the two required exams for the apprenticeship after failing 3 times - which I posted about it on my blog.

I taught myself the tech I use today, the apprenticeship did was secure me a job and having a Lead Web Developer to shadow, though he had his own projects he was busy on.

When I realised the apprenticeship wasn’t going to teach me everything I needed to learn for my tech career, I joined and completed a free online night coding bootcamp from the government and studied for 16 weeks whilst having the apprenticeship and work to attend to.

All I do on my blog, my little tiny corner of the internet, is share my progress, tips through tutorials, write posts about a topic I learnt recently and share information I get from attending those career masterclasses that free for people to join in the UK. I want to help people, not to flaunt my success. I’ve failed lots of times and posted about them on here - exams, work projects and even my own personal projects.

I may not be a self-taught with no experience and suddenly got a great tech job that the anonymous messenger wanted me to, but I’m still going to share my experience and tips that might help people out their own their own coding journey (that’s why I end some of my posts with “I hope this helps someone out there”). If you’re looking for someone that is self-taught and got a successful tech job from no previous experience, I don't think I am that person for you to follow, there would be no point following my blog because I got the role through an apprenticeship - the job was not secure though as I had to pass or they would have fired me.

So, I apologise to the anonymous person who messaged me who looked at my blog and was upset with me sharing tips on coding and it seemed like I came from that specific background they wanted me to be. However, I won’t stop sharing posts, beacuse someone out there might appreciate them and if no one does, that’s 100% a-okay! My blog is also a record of my coding journey and I’m not going to stop! :D

All I do is to make my Dad proud. Through things didn't go well for him over the years, I hope that when he sees me, he's proud and felt like after everything, I was worth it.

My family consisted of a single dad with two daughters since late 2000s UK. Mother left because she didn’t want the responsibility of looking after me and my sister. My father gave up everything to solely look after us - that meant not getting a job. We were in the benefits system for years after years, only in 2021 did we end it completely, so basically two years ago. I didn’t have much growing up and I mean the bare minimum. The only games I had were The Sims 3 base game and games on my Nokia brick.

The benefits money he got, he tried to get me and my sister to a private school just for us to see what it was like, but it only lasted a year before he realised the money was not enough. Dad made me and my sister really study hard to get into an all-girls independent school - a school where you have to take exams to get in. I took those exams and got into the school in 2013. When dad saw the confirmation letter, he cried. All his hard work was paying off. That inspired him to try university out, doing computer science.

It was when I finished secondary school I got my first iPhone in 2018 from Dad as a “well done for completing your GCSEs” gift. However, I didn’t do good enough to do the subjects I wanted to go and do medicine, so I had to switch my course from Biology, Chemistry and Maths to English Language, Combined Science and Economics. I’m grateful for economics, made me understand the government and the world a bit more (and understand what the hell news was talking about most of the time)!

I was failing. Miserably. I was pressured from my school to retake the year, so my dad advised me to quit and join a community college instead. In there they let me to my 3 subjects to do Medicine at university. However, I was failing again, had health issues which lead to me having to quit school early. I never completed my A-Levels. I was stuck for months doing nothing when I decided to get a call centre job. Liked it but last for only 3 months. I was inspired to learn programming again but properly so I can get a job. I realised how hard for self-taught beginner programmers to get a job, and I knew I would be in the mix but my dad was already struggling at home and I needed money fast to help him.

I started looking for apprenticeships even if it doesn’t pay similarliy to a full time job, it’s something to help dad. I was still of age to apply to the ones I kept seeing so I applied to a bunch. No answer. I kept learning Python and JavaScript and applied more. Then one came back saying they wanted an interview. They didn’t tell me the first interview was going to be an exam?! Last an hour and a half and then they talked to me afterwards. Got another interview with them - exam. And the last was talking to one of the partners of the company.

When I told my Dad I got the apprenticeship, he cried again. I knew he felt like I was failing left right and centre and he was a little bit losing hope on me, but for everything he’s done for me and my sister, I couldn’t let him down. And guess what my Dad did when I told him I completed my apprenticeship last month? Yep, he cried.

And I thank the gods and the universe everyday for the opportunity I was given to have done an apprenticeship because I can help my family more as I do have people here and around the world who depend on me and want me to suceed, so I will take every chance and opportunity I can get.

Dad said "If you're entitled to it, grab it. Any opportunty, grab it. You never know when it'll come back to greet you again"

[la-galaxie-langblr]

Positivity post, 22nd January - 11th February

Cooking new things and them turning out fairly well (most notable is the enoki and udon stir fry I made, absolutely delicious)

Soup leftovers

Submitting an exam I'm fairly proud of with plenty of time to spare

I got access to my phonology class on Blackboard!!! So unbelievably hyped for this semester

Calls with my uni bestie, at the time of first writing she isn't back yet but she will be soon <3

Getting more comfortable watching Instagram reels in French (ik ik but it's a start!!)

Green spaces on campus are very emotionally supportive

I've started playing geography games which is pretty fun - matching countries and capitals, naming countries on every continent, click where this country is etc. I'm not very good yet but it's fun to learn new things :)

One of my flatmates came back today, it's nice not having the flat be eerily quiet all the time

Countdown to fun events happening very soon!!

Waking up cosy and more rested day by day, classes are gonna hit me like a bus next week so I'm taking it while I can lol

Talking lots with a class friend about our exams (no collusion here dw) and bonding over our dislike of our history and culture modules, I'm hoping we can go for coffee after a seminar some day :)

Update my class friend said yes to going out for coffee and I can't wait!!!!

The sheer relief of submitting all my exams :D

I visited my friend for their birthday and we played loads of stardew valley

My uni bestie came back!! :D

Spoons and giggles with friends

A new class routine to get started with, my modules this semester are already looking to be much more interesting than last semester :D

The tumble dryer in uni actually dried my clothes for once!!!

Restful nights' sleep

Finalising accommodation for the Squad Holiday in summer and it looks so good considering the price we paid :D

Endless late nights chatting and laughing until we cry

The crocuses are in bloom at the local park and it's gorgeous!!!!

Visiting 2 friends in Scotland over the weekend, so much love <333

Podcast episodes my beloved

Seeing a different side to my uni friends over a game of Catan in a fun way (so much yelling 💀💀💀💀💀 but the insults were incredibly creative)

Clean sheets and clean room

Spoons cookie crunch with strawberries my beloved

Orange juice is absolutely delicious and I should really buy it more often

Getting back into reading and discussing books with friends <3

As an extension to the above: reading a book given to you by a friend and their annotations are all there <333

I recorded half a podcast episode on a night I felt really anxious and it calmed me down and sparked some creativity in me

The joy of learning new things, I'm loving my phonology class atm

Slowly developing a stronger sense of self, in the words of Marina and the Diamonds "I know exactly what I want and who I want to be" well not with that amount of certainty but still

Every year or so I reread Anne of Green Gables and every year I'm reminded of why it's my favourite book ever

[indigowallbreaker]

Does "I'm so proud of you." for Bernadetta/Ferdinand/Claude works? :D

What a trio!! I hope you enjoy my take on them. This is set post-canon/post-war but I was vague on the location, so feel free to imagine wherever you want!

[prompt rules]

[more Beagles stories]

"I'm so proud of you."

--

The serene melody of Ferdinand's study-- a teacup landing softly against its saucer, papers fluttering as he closed a book, the creak of his desk chair-- came to an abrupt end when the door banged open. Ferdinand jumped, causing a large splat of ink to cover his latest letter to Lorenz. The glare he aimed over his shoulder turned into an affectionate eyeroll as he saw his visitors. "My loves, what have I said about knocking?"

"S-Sorry," Bernadetta said in that automatic way Ferdinand still couldn't convince her to drop. "This is important though!"

"Very important. Here." Claude held out a leather bound manuscript, grinning in that way Ferdinand still couldn't help but match with his own.

Ferdinand took the manuscript. "Am I about to discover what you two have been working on in secret all week?"

Bernadetta beamed and Claude winked, which was enough answer. Chuckling, Ferdinand opened the manuscript, unsurprised to find it was a book. It took a few lines for Ferdinand to realize the true surprise. "This is written in Almyran!"

"We translated Assuaging Waters into Almyran!" Bernadetta declared outright, hugging Claude around the middle with glee. "Claude said my first book would really resonate with Almyrans so we went line by line to make it as accurate as possible!"

Claude was practically bouncing on his toes. "We had to change one or two names but otherwise it's faithful to the original!"

Ferdinand turned back to the title page. He still couldn't read Almyran-- he had a conversational grasp and knew a few choice words learned from Claude during their... private moments, but the written word was lost on him. Even so, Ferdinand could recognize the title, and Bernadetta's name was still written in Fódlandi underneath it. He ran his fingers over Claude's familiar handwriting.

A hand lightly grasped his chin and Ferdinand's attention was pulled upwards. Furrowed brows creased Claude's previously excited face. "You're not upset, are you?" Claude asked softly. "We didn't mean to exclude you from this. It's just--"

Ferdinand took Claude's hand, shaking his head. "I would not have been any help whatsoever." He kissed those knuckles. "We three do not have to share every little thing. I am glad we have reached a point in our lives where we can accomplish such things as this." Putting the manuscript on his desk, Ferdinand held out his other hand to Bernadetta, who crossed the room to take it. Ferdinand kissed her hand as well. "I am so proud of you. Both of you. What a wonderful way to tie our worlds together."

The melody of Ferdinand's study soon changed into a beautiful cacophony. Claude read bits of the book aloud in fluent Almyran, Bernadetta cut in with why they chose this or that translation, and Ferdinand prepared tea and listened intently to the fruits of their labor. Never had he been so pleased at his work being interrupted.

Once the book made it to the printing presses, Ferdinand would be sure to make both his loves sign his copy, and keep it in his study to peruse whenever he missed their music.

[bathsaltsmcgee]

My thoughts on HH and some other stuff, too

Wow, y'all. Just... just Wow.

Okay, first off, I just wanted to say that I am absolutely blown away by the sheer amount and scope of all the attention that I've gotten this past week or so regarding my story BtM. I was truly not expecting that, and for my readership to explode exponentially since the last time I posted, it's amazing to me the number of followers I've gained, the people who've stopped by to say hello, the messages, the comments, the subscriptions and favorites, the everything else, and I just wanted to say thank you.

Reading everyone's reactions and seeing them get so excited and hyped up about something that I truly care about really makes writing worth it.

So, I'm thrilled that everyone's having so much fun. :D I know I am!

Anyway, I've had a couple people reach out to me, requesting my thoughts regarding the first season of Hazbin Hotel, and I thought to myself, 'Oh, why not?'

So, here we are.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed it. The animation was crisp and pretty to look at, the songs were absolute bops, as was the background soundtrack, the overarching narrative was interesting, and the characters, barring a few notable exceptions here and there- *cough* icky moth man who needs squished flat with a metal cleat and the world's first grandiose malignant narcissist- were quite enjoyable.

They were all well written, of course, but, good Lord, some of them were just truly heinous people.

I think, out of that of all of the new characters to which we were introduced in the series that didn't hold speaking roles in the pilot, I think my favorite was a tie between Rosie and Emily. Rosie was exactly who I hoped she'd be, Dolly Levi with a dash of Mary Poppins- she even gave out her business card to that one cannibal lady like Dolly did all the time in 'Hello Dolly'- and Emily was such an adorable little bean. We need more of both those ladies in the future.

The biggest surprise out of the whole show for me, though, was finding out that the hotel actually worked. I genuinely was not expecting that, and I suspect that the exercises that Charlie was making everyone do didn't really do that much, but the situations in which the characters found themselves and how they chose to react to those situations because of their experiences at the hotel were what really clinched it in the end.

I'm very proud of Pen, though. Good for you, man. Goin' out like a champ and getting into Heaven by total accident. Well done.

Mind you, I did have a few gripes here and there, such as the rushed nature of the pacing, but I doubt that I'm alone in that particular camp. The pacing of the overarching narrative was a bit rushed for my taste, and when I'm watching a show, I would prefer not to feel at the end of it like I was in the middle of a caffeine bender.

If I'm going to do that, I'll drink two pots of coffee, follow it up with a latte, and see where it goes from there.

It was almost like deciding to make soup, but not adding any water to the condensed can, so it ended up way too thick and not nearly as smooth as it could've been, had the water been included.

Had they taken the same amount of plot and spread it out over twelve episodes, instead of just eight, it would've been a bit more evenly balanced, and we might have gotten more character moments and interactions to really sell the growing bonds between the main cast, which would've made the other narrative points that much more powerful, such as Pen's noble sacrifice.

However, the number of episodes was probably down to studio constraints and the bigwigs decision to keep the series compressed because money, so I won't hold that against the production team.

That's just business. It happens. No big deal.

So, all in all, it was a fun little romp. Alastor is still my favorite character, because he's just so interesting and multifaceted, and by the end of the season, I had far more questions about him than I did answers.

This is a good thing, though.

I'd be disappointed if he were too easy a character to read.

There's a lot going on there with him, and his morality is too grey and muddled with far too many unknown factors to make a definitive take on him just yet. I still think that my initial understanding of him is on the right track, such as his MO, but I am curious to see where this goes in the official narrative.

So, yes, I will be staying tuned for the next season.

However... just curious here.

Are we really going to have to wait another two years for the next season?!

Because I heard a rumor circulating that that was the case, and I'm kind of hoping that's not accurate.

[quincyhorst]

Misc Trivia: Julio Del Bosque

(Original info post here)

When it comes to family, he has a younger sister, named Mirta, which has followed him into Liocott. She often comes to visit, but she isn't interested on the team her brother coaches. At least she'll gladly offer to be an entretainer at any party RM might plan together.

As Julio is very openly proud of Spanish traditions, he'll gladly support anything related to them that his boys partake in.

He's quite extravagant when it comes to trainings, every choice of him bringing a side of controversy yet with the excuse of all being "for a greater good".

Para cualquier hispanohablante leyendo esto, básicamente es el Mark/Endou de Rangugamer pero cuarentón, alcohólico y en vez de camiones usa toros (?)

His most known one is the use of animals, unfortunately :( Using a bull(fighting bull) to train had been one of his plans for a long time, but given the circumstances (And the actual age of his boys) he had to be conformed with a younger calf. Nonetheless the animal became key to train, both on the home matches in the Euro League and also during the qualifiers. Well, sort of. With the presence of the Toro Blanco, Julio had to rely on the poor animal less and less. And qualifying to Liocott pretty much forced him to toss the idea away. The spanish press might be willing to defend his ass, but not the international one...

A replacement he found was on the spanish area itself at least, in the form of a robo-bull used on the tiny bullring. His original (german) owner seemed surprisingly eager to lend it, however...

Regarding other Euro B coaches: With zero experience on previous german coaches and barely any info about the current Gretchen, for a long time Julio relied on what came on his mind when reading her title "The Witch of Walpurgis". But when getting to see her appearance on TV and realize how beautiful she was... Yeah, a new reason to qualify for Liocott. Unfortunately for him once they actually met he was found with the reality that it wasn't meant to be. He was pretty stubborn, he did all he could to impress her, but... By the time her team had defeated his, he knew it was all over. A shame...

That being said, he IS familiar with François, the french coach, given he enjoys watching the french adult league every so often. When they first met on the Euroleague Julio was slightly nervous, but he still tried to appear cool and make a first impression. "Hey, Mr. Fransuá, a please to meet ya! I'm a big fan!" Though, the french man replied to him with the driest "Thanks" ever, at least on his POV.

Overall their relationship is also a formal rivarly, although Julio does deep down see François as nothing more than a "soccer nerd". "He might know all about the ball, but he'd NEVER know the field as close as I! ~"

For the most part, he's chill. Very chill. At least until someone mentions the name Pepe. That one thing alone is able to make his own blood boil and lose his temper. His resentment towards Banderas is enough to have followed him into adulthood, it seems... Alcohol is the only thing that can help him calm down.

Yes, he's the one that designed the emblem AND who chose the name of 'Red Matador'. And he's NOT changing anything, no matter how annoying both the animalists and the Toro Blanco act.

Btw, I'd like to develop a bit more Julio and Davi(d)'s relationship. Back on his club days he was pretty chill, but the whole Aliea deal and the Community Cup saw a huge change on him, making Davi more exigent and demanding of his teammates' skills; sometimes even more than the laid-back Julio. This led to many fights that only the old man was able to stop.

When choosing RM's lineup, Julio put more emphasis on being diverse with his selection than depending too much on the winning teams of Navarre and Madrid. This is why he went too straightforward, choosing the best of both (Querardo, Samuel, and Davi respectively) and focusing on the best player of the other teams, even those who didn't go too far on the cup. Other times he chose based on their potential alone, such as Federico or Donato (OC, the original 12 of RM). Sometimes it worked (former), but at times his judgement became incorrent (latter, poor Dona).

If Davi struggled a lot to understand Julio's choices, then the rest of Gran Madrid were infiurated, not being able to understand why he would reduce the Madrid pool to just one player. In Julio's argument, he admits that despite the winning capacities of Madrid locally, having won for so long had gotten the player's skills too comfortable, which led to their defeat at the hands of fresh talent (Navarre). Although truth be told... The less Madrid players on the team, the less fights there would be; that was also his mindset when choosing.

Julio's original plan on the FFI was to experiment a bit with his picks, and if things failed, he was willing to kick anyone and bring the Navarre/Madrid players in (Something that almost happened after the USA defeat). However, by the time Julio was willing to start off clean for the FFI, his attachment to the RM players had gotten so big, he decided to give them one last chance.

[theimaginatrix27]

It's August In Australia, so Let's Talk AUs!

I'm honestly kinda bad at keeping up with things like this, but I thought I'd natter on about some Star Trek: Deep Space Nine AUs that have been spooling out in my head over the past year.

Yes, this will include ones I've already started posting, because fuck it, they're on my mind and I love them.

So let's start with Family Defiant! AKA, the one where most of the main cast of DS9 is an adventuring found family in a setting where the Fae are real and fairy tales sometimes happen. Not like the Five Hundred Kingdoms does it, though—I did derive some inspiration from those books, among others, but it's my own tapestry of folklore and canon references.

Here's the series link, to start with!

There are two fics in the series so far, with more prequels and sequels to come. But it started with Seven for a Secret, which I was inspired to write after reading another fairy tale flavoured fic called Innate Conditions, by the lovely and talented @tokidokifish (Thank you again, my dear. Sorry I have not done the podfic of IC I promised yet, I had to Braille it up and also practice reading aloud, and I have been writing my own things as well, but I have not forgotten! And there's more fic for you to read now than there was before! :D )

Secret is based on one of my favourite fairy tales, The Wild Swans, but with a found family and only two out of the seven being swans for reasons explained in the author's notes of the fic. We're nearly 60k words in and still have not gotten to the beginning of the Garashir I promised with tags when I posted it, because I have tribbles in my head instead of plot bunnies, and they love to worldbuild even when it isn't strictly necessary, so even a fic someone, (like, say, Tokidokifish) can write up a similar fic and get all the finer points wrapped up in about 8k words, I, a notorious rambler and overthinker, end up making the setting more and more intricate, coming up with backstories for everyone (hence the themed prequels) and whole secondary plots that will need their own sequels to resolve), and more ideas just keep coming. And I used to wonder why it kept taking me so long to get any original work ready for publishing. I'm a chronic worldbuilder and the curse of the longform writer be upon me.

So among other things, the Prophets are Fae, which makes Ben half-Fae, and there is a whole B-plot in Secret about Ben which has only just gotten properly started as of currently-posted chapters, but which is also being built up in the prequel fic, One For Sorrow, two chapters of which have now been posted. And I'm sure there's gonna be more juicy stuff added that I don't even know about yet! And some I do know but won't spoil.

Anyways, I'm very proud of this AU, so go read it if you haven't already! Those who have really seem to like it, for some reason! :P

[innamorament0]

20 questions game

Thank you, @luthordamnvers, for the tag <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

At this moment 9, though most of them are on hold and 1 is an art

2. What’s your total AO3 words count?

206 916 at the moment

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Exclusively Supercorp with a dash of Dansen, Brainia and Rojarias as side pairings. No other pair had this much grip over me, so I would start writing fics for them. =D

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

how to interrupt the spellcasting (Explicit, smut 1 shot) When you move, I'm moved (Explicit, Ice Dance AU, non-trad a/b/o, multichapter, ongoing) Cold never bothered me anyway (Explicit, smut 1 shot) When those walls come tumbling down (Mature (for now) post-season 6 canon compliant, my first work that I intend to rewrite because it's a mess) I hope you're the end of my story (Mature (for now) Cowboy Kara AU, non-trad a/b/o, on hold now, but I will finish it!)

yeah.... people like smut XD

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always reply! It may take me a day or two especially when I am busy at work but I read them and try to answer something more or less meaningful <3

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I am terrible at writing angst and all my fics ends well because I am a fluff-loving bitch =D

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

All of them have happy endings, but I think, the most satisfying is in I slithered here from Eden . Or I am just biased. But it's most domestic and hopeful.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Got some nasty comments, from some famous haters in a SC fandom

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

oh yes, that's my speciality XD Most of my fic contains explicit smut.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Nope, not yet but I never say never!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so? I am not so popular too

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not officially, no, but I ran fics through the translator to read it many years ago when my English was worse.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Not in the full meaning of this word, but I count my Beta as my co-writer because he does a lot of work to make it readable, because English is not my native language and the raw text is... terrifying not gonna lie.

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Supercorp, I think they overshade all my previous favourite ships. But I can't say I love my other ships less, so <3 you Xena/Gabrielle, Sylvaina and Pharmercy!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I want to finish all my WIP's, I had a writing draught for a year because of an illness and now coming back to it and focusing on one/two at a time with the occasional 1-shot in the middle

16. What are your writing strengths?

I guess I am good at writing adventures ( thus I focus on action-heavy AU's) and smut. To be honest I needed to write smut first but I try not to seem too thirsty XD

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Angst. Idk, I just don't have a mental capacity for it I guess

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

If we dismiss the fact that English is not my first or even second language, yes, I thought that when I will write Red Daughter I would write her dialogue in Russian ( which is another language I freely speak)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I never wrote for fandoms before, so my first texts were about my OC's

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

I would say that it is From Eden . First of all it is full of action and I love writing combat scenes and adventures, second of all it was for SCBB and I never participated in anything like that so it added to the fun. And last - it is my only finished long work so I am kinda sorta proud of it =D

I think all writers I know are already tagged so I spread it to anyone who wants to fill it up! <3

[k-s-morgan]

Hi, Katrin! I hope you and your family are in good health. We haven't heard from you in a long time, and I'm worried.

Other asks: 

Katrin, give some sign of life please, I beg you, I'm getting sick with worry 😭 

hi, i haven’t seen you on here in a few days and i hope you’re safe and ok! 💛💛

Hi queen, I hope you are ok!!!

Katrin tell me you're ok please😭😭

Are you safe? You didn’t post anything this week, so I’m a little worried.

-----------------------------------

Hello! Ooh, thank you all so much for thinking and worrying about me! It was such a touching surprise when I opened my Tumblr. 

I’m doing okay. Ruzzians bombed us twice on the New Year and then again on January 1. I took the afternoon bombing of the 31st really hard: there were over ten explosions somewhere in the vicinity, I lost hours of time I needed to clean up my room and add New Year decorations, and I felt at the end of my rope in general. Just, everything finally caught up with me, so I just burst into tears and spent almost the entire air raid crying. 

But I felt invigorated after it, so the next bombings didn’t affect me much. I still managed to complete tidying up my room and have a great celebration with my family. The next day, we visited friends nearby, which is our yearly tradition, and had lots of fun. 

When there were explosions on the New Year night, my fellow citizens sang our anthem, screamed in support of our military and cursed Putin right through the windows :D You can see one example here - the song mixed with the explosion.

Ruzzian terrorists didn’t manage to steal our electricity during the holidays, so we spent them normally - minus the bombings, of course. I’m so proud of our people.

I finally reunited with my Dad properly! Which is why I haven’t been online. Almost a year  passed since we really spent time together, and now I went to him at last and we’ve been having some wonderful days (together with our cat Tom). This is a wonderful gift.

Oh, and I got a new pigeon. I managed to capture it right on the New Year day. It’s a poor baby with a seriously damaged leg, pneumonia, and a disfigured beak. But she’s doing more or less ok, and I hope she’ll make full recovery. 

Thank you all so much for supporting me and sending me so many wonderful words! They breathe strength into me like few other things do. I hope all of you who celebrated New Year had a great day, and that the euphoria from celebrations hasn’t faded entirely yet! 

[howlingmoonrise]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤

thank you so much for thinking of me anon! <3 <3 <3

(i also got tagged on this on my main blog, so if it looks familiar to anyone that's why!)

okay, this is a hard one. let's see!

cinq d'epées (the princess and the frog, charlotte la bouff/dr facilier)

in which charlotte needs to turn to the shadowman to save big daddy, and then finds herself coming back. again and again and again.

honestly this one is like. a HUGE underdog, and yet possibly my fave. people always go for the barbie/dracula due to powerhouse popularity and sleep on this one. the first couple scenes or so are a bit awkward but then it really hits its stride.

--

2. a spun sugar night's dream (the nutcracker & the mouse king, nutcracker/marie stahlbaum)

Sometimes, her prince is too perfect.Godfather Drosselmeier's single dark eye is not unlike those of his nephew. But in the right light, in the right mood, her beloved’s could have been perfect black circles painted over wood, glossed over in a steady toymaker’s hand.

*throws vibes around like glitter* a fest of candy-related words with an undertone of fae creepiness, just the way i like it. post-fairytale exploration my beloved.

--

3. beloved, beloved (hold on to the world) (petshop of horrors, leon orcot/count d)

D's kind is not easy to hold on to.

*banging pots and pans* tam lin au!!! tam lin au!!! also an underappreciated fic, even in the midst of all my petshop of horrors works. it reads very poetically and, well. it is a tam lin au. it was bound to be a winner.

--

this is where is starts getting hard. i'm VERY picky and i turn my nose at most of my own writing, especially older stuff, so these last two are less faves in terms of enjoying them as a written piece and more "i had a lot of fun writing them way back when" sort of self-recs.

4. In the Woods Somewhere (ever after high, daring charming/cerise hood)

AU where Milton Grimm discovered Red and Badwolf's affair and went to great lengths to silence it. Years later, Daring Charming finds a girl in the woods. Or, Daring Charming accidentally becomes the next Red Riding Hood.

basically a role reversal, but if their initial roles were more or less the same? i wrote the first 12k of it non-stop in a fugue state after watching thronecoming, that's how many brainworms it gave me. i feel like the writing is a bit dated (this is from... 2016? oh wow) but i'm still pretty proud of the work i did regarding daring's characterization here!

--

5. hearteater (howl's moving castle, howl jenkins/sophie hatter)

It was a joke, at first. A quip thrown this way and that when they call him a rake, a rogue, a ravisher. You just go around stealing hearts, they say, sometimes accusing, sometimes sad, and he can’t stomach any sort of seriousness so he replies with a winking and I eat them, too. But this is the land of Ingary, where things such as giants and fire demons and seven-league boots exist. And so, it becomes true.

in which the whole heart-eating thing becomes a loooooot more literal. written originally as a gift for sandmancircus, my beloved

thank you so much for the ask!!! <3

[thereareeyesinsidethetrees]

ask game here

we just removed any we didn't want to answer

Which labels do you use?

we listed them in categories to be more organized (not including alterhuman/disablity labels)

transmasc, transneutral, agender, ageab

aromantic, romance-repulsed, possibly quoiromantic and/or nebularomantic

asexual, sex-repulsed, aegosexual

polyam, queerplatonic, bi, enbian4enbian, t4t, monster4monster, weirdo4weirdo/freak4freak, nonhuman4nonhuman. i will never achieve my ideal qpr :[

Do you like to use the term queer for yourself? Or just LGBT, etc?

i use both! queer and lgbtqia+

Which pronouns do you use?

it/its

Describe your gender without using any words traditionally related to gender:

nothing. nonexistent. zero, nada, zilch.

When did you realize you weren't cishet?

stan voice: kid i've always known

Favorite (or just one you love) piece of LGBT media?

if it counts, undertale/deltarune, if it doesn't, the girl by the sea by...i don't remember...it's a graphic novel about a girl falling in love with a selkie

Name some queer artists/bands or songs you like most:

BLACK DRESSES

in terms of songs, i really really really really like transgender by crystal castles and build-a-bear by maggie brewer

oh, and noahfinnce is a trans music artist that makes a lot of really good songs!

Do you choose to reclaim slurs, why or why not?

yes! there's just something about it that makes me feel >:D y'know?

How has your identity changed over time?

used to identify as lesbian (as in. romantically). that could not be further from the truth nowadays, so yeah, we've changed a bit. also according to some notes i found from when i was still figuring out my gender, i used to be multigender??? i don't. remember that but i figured i'd throw it in anyway

Do you attend Pride in person every year?

i've never been to pride. i want to so bad

Do you feel safe and accepted in your local community?

no

Do you feel like you "fit in" with the queer/Pride community overall?

depends which side of the community we're talking about. for the most part, no, not really

How do you usually celebrate Pride month?

i'm just significantly louder about being queer for the month. i make characters with the colors of pride flags, i add even more queer identities to my knowledge hoard than usual, i talk about/make references to queer character headcanons more than usual, i reblog queer based posts more often, stuff like that

Do you prefer loud parties or quiet?

quiet. loud noises are hhhhhHHHHHHH

How do you feel about the term partner rather than husband/girlfriend/etc?

mwah mwah love it

What gender-neutral terms for yourself or others do you use (i.e. joyfriend)?

enbyfriend, mx, folks (this one bonuses as being more inclusive towards alterhuman folks), i still think 'my liege' is a really fun alternative to 'mister' or 'ma'am' or 'king' or 'queen', beloved, dearest, darling, etc.

Are you currently partnered, or if not are you interested in having partner(s)?

no partners. would be interested in having queerplatonic partners

Are you monogamous or polyamorous?

polyam!

What about your LGBT identity do you feel proud of/ want to recognize/celebrate?

can i say all of it?? sure, the gears don't grind quite right in our mind, but a broken machine can still be profound and beautiful, can't it?

What are you needing most right now (what would make your life easier or more fulfilling in regards to existing as queer)?

top surgery. please. PLEASE

[astranite]

Fanfic self-rec!!

So a while ago I got tagged by @forest-falcon (im 99% sure), and I didn't get to it at the time, but I really wanted to do it! So here it is, very belatedly and based entirely off my memory of the post because I don't have the energy to conduct an archaelogical excavation of my blog as I can only hope I tagged it well.

~very paraphrased~ rec five(?) of your works and why you are proud of them. Then tag x amount of people. (I think it was also for art not just writing?)

Probably the most chaotic way of answering this. Also turned into a bit of me reflecting and musing over my writing.

But in no particular order as I'm proud of them for different reasons :)

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Blue Skies- tumblr Ao3 Scott and Bereznik with Gordon too. Very whumpy, then hurt/comforty. I am extremely proud of this one, like so so proud. There is a massive amount of emotion in it, written all in one go and I stayed up to 1 am to finish it. It is a lot about trauma and honestly a lot of putting feelings onto paper. But all the details, the parts I think i did a really good job of viscerally showing instead of telling, the blue skies theme. It's intense and there are many awful, painful things, but there is also hope. That's definitely a main theme of my writing: no matter what I put them through, they will come out of it and there will be hope again.

Bruised- tumblr Ao3 Earth and Sky. Hurt/comfort. Some Virgil worrying over Scott, a bit of classic Scott-angsting, then lots of brotherly affection between them. The end is very Soft. Everyone gets a hug and then to sleeeep.

Squid Hug- tumblr Ao3 FishTanky fluff with lots of cuddles. Makes a good comfort read, with a bit funny, a little silly, and a good dose of hurt/comfort leaning heavily to the comfort. Did I mention the hugs?

As Sure As The Stars- tumblr Ao3 trans Alan! A realisation of it, and a coming out. And Alan and John together stargazing and a conversation on the roof. I poured alot of growing up queer experiences into it for myself and it also seemed to resonate with others too.

Pride Paint And Rainbow Pins- tumblr Ao3 My first Thunderbirds fic and for Thunderpride too!! Its short, fluffy and sweet! Some artist!Virgil plus a few puns. (And I really wish I had all of those pride pins, because I made the designs of nearly all of them up and I love them). And the pride themes! It really makes me happy in itself. But as well for being my jumping off point in Thunderfam. It has many of my queer headcanons for everyone when I'd been too shy (and anxious about being welcome) to make them into my own post.

Bonus points to the numerous WIPS I am working on that are as yet unfinished but I am still very proud of and can't wait till I do!

The Blue Blanket Fic!! I can't not mention it! I'm working on turning it into a full fic, which the first part of is here. But look at what @edutainer2022 and I already wrote. There be feelings, there be Scott whump, there be the blue comfort blanket!

:D

[lazarguy]

HEY SO I FINALLY WANNA PRESENT AN OC INTO TUMBLR

I've had this set up for like.. atleast a month so far, the reference drawn [even if i'm not proud of how the legs turned out in retrospect but I mean hey, it could have been a worse attempt at drawing both Mewtwo legs and digitigrade legs, right?], the google doc on them made, an entire playlist on youtube for em [which I will actually make viewable to friends once I get a pfp that i'm proud enough of to make a channel with lol], EVERYTHING

But like.. idk what made me take so long to actually make this! Especially since I was so excited to present the oc into this thing, so why mull over it any further! Time to present this damn Mewtwo oc already! Just read down below to see the reference on them since I don't wanna bloat the post further

Say hello to Oblitus! Just an amnesiac fellow and such! [I really should have drawn alt outfits of their attire lol]

Also.. doc here, since I mentioned it up above lol, this is basically a doc I have on everything for Oblitus so far, lore, personality, hobbies they can get, so on and so forth, even stuff before they became a PMD oc!.. With some unexplained info since me and a friend do rps together with our ocs and all, but I did get their lore presented! If you have any questions, ask in an ask box, dm me, or just ask me on stuff in general, character or not! I'm even chill with people asking about the rp stuff :D

Read that all or read what you wanted to at your own pace? Glad to hear! Then I'll clear some stuff up down below here!

Their hands look how they do in the art [with the fingertips and such] and they got fluff on their tail only because of the merging with a human bodypart thing, it changed their body structure reallly slightly to have more humanoid looking hands than... whatever Mewtwo's got going on with their paws and such, and their tail fluff too! Which is sorta like human hair in all but the structure and stuff, which acts more like fluff.

Oh, and their eyes don't glow when they use psychic abilities yet, that's really only when they get emotionally overwhelmed/unstable, mentally distressed/unstable, or pushing themselves as much as they can due to a situation of distress and all... or if their amnesia wears off through remembering enough or experiencing enough familiar feelings on memories to remember stuff and such

They did/do have some.. well, troubles with using the full strength of their psychic abilities due to forgetting all of them from how severe the amnesia is, but they can get them back by just remembering how to use them, and getting back to being more used to em! [I swear I could explain more properly if asked specifics lol]

ANYWAYS, RAMBLING HOUR OVER! I hope anyone who gets through this absolute slog of a post thinks Oblitus is cool, and I would love to hear your thoughts on em! It's my first time actually presenting an oc into Tumblr, so i'm kinda nervous about it, but here's to hoping it all goes well!