#Because at the end of the day making anything creative is ultimately doing it for someone or something you love

[silverquillsideas]

Maybe my writing is totally shit. Maybe it's boring and repetitive. Maybe nobody cares.

But do I care about these characters? Do I care enough to write about them? To tell their story?

Yes. I do.

So I'll continue to write.

Because if I don't tell their story, then who will?

[teaboot]

Forgive me if you’ve already answered something similar but how do you deal with crushing guilt when you did fuck up but there’s not really anything you can do to like make amends or you’ve already done anything you could and still feel guilty?

Like I know the guilt isn’t productive at all, if anything it’s just paralyzing me, and mentally beating myself up over it isn’t actually helping anyone. But I don’t know where to go from there. Idk how to actually forgive myself, or at least be able to move on

CW FOR SELF HARM

Okay, so this is something I've had to work through for a very long time myself, and there's a few different strategies that I've used to cope and process with varying levels of success.

What I used to do was handle the "I've ruined everything and hurt people and am never going to be forgiven" feeling by hurting myself in a number of creative and stupid ways, from physical hurt (Everything you'd expect) to mental hurt (wallowing, speaking badly of myself, going over the bad thing over and over again in my head) to passive hurt (neglecting my health, not eating properly, failing to pursue good living conditions, letting others hurt me, deliberately wandering into risky situations) and despite any short-term relief or peace I got, none of it ultimately fixed anything.

At the end of the day, making myself suffer as retribution or apology didn't fix the thing I'd done and didn't make the guilt go away, and all it gave me was an additional sense of shame and isolation because now not only was I a garbage person, I was a garbage person with something to hide from my loved ones. Zero out of ten, do not recommend.

The stuff that DID help was harder and is going to sound stupid because *I thought it was stupid* until it worked for me.

First: Learn the difference between GUILT and SHAME.

GUILT is how you feel about your choices.

SHAME is how you feel about yourself.

"I was late to a date again, that was inconsiderate": GUILT. The issue can be resolved by analyzing the reason behind the action and planning steps to avoid repeating it in the future. Guilt is productive because it motivates us to improve our choices. Once you've corrected the behaviour, it's over.

A"I was late to a date again, I'm inconsiderate": SHAME. The issue can be resolved by asking ourselves:

What negative thing to I believe about myself?

What other experiences support this belief? What evidence do I have that the bad thing is true?

Do those previous experiences have anything in common? Where they actually proof of a personal lack, or did someone just tell me they were? Were my choices and actions understandable? Did I have a reason? Was I trying to hurt others, or was it a mistake, accident, or learning experience? Have I grown from that experience?

Can I forgive myself for the past? What do I need to do to forgive myself for those past events? Was I really at fault at all, or was it out of my control?

Accept that.

Your present traumas and shames often have roots in beliefs you had about yourself before the new shameful thing occurred. When you dig into resolving the issues that led to today, you can use those conclusions to work through tomorrow. This is something I learned in cognitive behavioral therapy.

There are a number of ways of unpacking these questions, but as I felt I was deliberately avoiding my thoughts and feelings, I chose to jump into them directly, and found it to be effective.

You can write things down, talk to someone, paint something, draw something, whatever. Whatever at all works for you.

My solutions was to find a comfortable place on the floor, sit down, close my eyes, and do box-breathing (in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4) while deliberately thinking about every upsetting memory attached to a specific bad belief that I could recall until I had nothing left to go over.

Judge and jury. Was I a bad person, or did I make a mistake? Did I have malicious intentions, or did someone accuse me of malicious intentions? Am I bad, or have I been conditioned to believe I'm bad? And at the end of it all, am I capable of better? Do I want to be better? And would a truly bad person care?

It was more emotional than I expected the first few times. Cried a lot, actually. But if I can liken it to a common feeling, it was like getting out of a very thorough shower and realizing you didn't know how dirty you were before.

The process sucks ass, no lie, but it's worth it. Like draining pus from a gnarly wound to get it healed up properly.

I'm not an expert, of course, but life has gotten better since I started. I'm better at forgiving myself, at least.

Also: Some people will never forgive others even for tiny things. Sometimes once you've done your best, you've just gotta say "fuck 'em". C'est la vie, mon amie.

Good luck, yeah?

♡

[budgebuttons]

There's a lot of reasonably frustrated but ultimately misdirected psa-style posting about how viewers NEED to start reblogging things rather than just liking them because that is the primary mode of post circulation on this site. The modern manifestation of this sentiment seems to miss the fact that, if you've been here for ~15 years, were here prior to, during, and after the exodus to the bird app, you already know that likes have always been more common than reblogs, that many people simply don't want to put your art on their blog, and that guilting end-users into using a microblogging site A Specific Way absolutely does not work. If it did, the trend would have shifted a decade ago. Because this conversation really is that old. Regardless, the modern discourse of how difficult it is to be Seen specifically on Tumblr isn't productive because I think it ultimately misses the reason being an artist online feels so Bad, now.

The social media era has funneled Looking At Stuff on the Internet into an economy of engagement that encourages end-users to treat everything we/they see as quick, cheap, and disposable. This is just another fun and flirty way that capitalism devalues art. It's nothing new. Trying to force masses of users to behave in a way that is healthier for the circulation of art isn't going to do anything to solve the discontent we all feel when we hurl something into the void and it is ultimately ignored. I swear up and down: A higher notes number won't feel better, either. Popularity is just as demoralizing as radio silence, but it manifests differently. Instead of 4 likes and maybe 1 reblog from Old Faithful Mutual, you get a horde of people who treat you like a content machine. You keep hoping for an impossibly Bigger Number. The notifs on the first Big Number Post haven't even settled, and people are already asking when the follow-up is coming. You get anons, but most of them are trying to passively convince you to give them More Content.

It's really, really hard to make people care about art. If there was a silver bullet for making the average person appreciate the enormity of human effort behind every beautiful thing they encounter, we would have found it centuries ago.

The best thing creatives can do for their lives online is to be friendly, or at least kind, with other creators. "Big" artists don't form in-groups because they're snobs. They find each other because they casually showed each other support, and their mutual appreciation for that Thing that wound them up in the same tag becomes a foundation for connection, and in many cases, the ever-illusive Bigger Audience as they introduce themselves to each others' circles. We get more eyes on our work by building community with each other.

Where does that leave people who are just here to look at things, not post them? I think the answer is almost identical: COMMENT!! Please, comment! The first step to engaging with art on a more meaningful level is to point out something you particularly enjoy about a given work. It can go in the replies, it can go in the tags, doesn't matter!! If you notice some symbolism or make some connection, there is all likelihood that OP put it there because they desperately wanted somebody to notice it. Let them know why you like it!

Reaching for the nebulous, impossible goal of better post circulation isn't going to make being a creator online in 2023 suck less. Meaningfully connecting with each other can, will, and does. You can make someone's day just by passingly letting them know that their effort is worth more than a number.

[marticoresims]

Custom career - Psychologist!

I edited LientebollemeiS2I's Psychologist career, changing nearly everything about it. What stayed are links to uni majors, the icon (which is also a uni major) and some inspiration for chance cards. IMO this career has a strong Maxis vibe, with "start from nothing" first levels, NPC references and silly chance cards.

Each level title has a number added to it, like in this mod.

The 4 skills required for this job are: Logic, Charisma, Cleaning and Creativity.

IMPORTANT EDIT: With LientebollemeiS2I's guidance, I also edited the GUID of the career and changed PTO (paid time off) back to default. Now you can use both our careers at the same time! The GUID is: 0xC6A05A9D. In case you need to check if you have something that uses the same one (it was generated, so might repeat).

DOWNLOAD (SFS)

List of levels with descriptions:

Psychology Books Enjoyer Lvl 1 You'll take any book that has anything to do with the topic of psychology and devour it instantly, hoping this knowledge will be useful some day.

Internet Mental Health Advisor Lvl 2 You dive into web forums to find the most interesting psychological cases and comment on them. Your aspirations are high, but you don't have the skills or degrees yet to become a real therapist. One can dream, though!

Social Bunny Lvl 3 You've actually made it to a real mental health institution, and not as a patient, but as an assistant… sort of. Don't forget to be the fluffiest bunny out there because what you're doing here is really helping other Sims. And all you ever wanted was to help others, right?

Therapist in Training Lvl 4 It's been hard, but you've made it to an actual psychology path. Just stay strong and you'll definitely open your own private practice office one day.

Social Worker Lvl 5 Whether it's leaving children home alone for too long, starving them or not dressing them appropriately to the weather… you'll be there to collect them and find more responsible families for them. It's a tough job, but it's something you have to get through in your training.

Private Counselor Lvl 6 You've finally made it! You're officially a therapist and working in your private office. Now, your mission is to care for your clients in the best way that you can. So don't stop educating yourself!

Psychology Researcher Lvl 7 Your passion for psychology is never-ending. You've decided to take it to the next level and do important research to contribute to the science. Good job!

Personality Specialist Lvl 8 During your research, you've grown very interested in the depths of Sims' personality. What can change it? To what extent is it genetic? What's that thing about werewolves?

Clinical Psychologist Lvl 9 Regular therapy practice and deep research were not quite enough for you. Now it's time to make real diagnoses, assist psychiatrists in their work, and make the world a better place. Keep on learning and you might become the ultimate Therapist.

Therapist NPC Lvl 10 It's time to deal with the real Wretched Outcasts and Doddering Deadbeats. In order to do it, you needed to learn teleportation, hypnosis and partial invisibility. If someone is in crisis, you're the Sim they'll always turn to.

As for clothes and cars (or lack thereof 👀), you'll have to see for yourself in game 😎

DOWNLOAD (SFS)

Hope you like it! I've always wanted a therapist-like career in The Sims 2.

Made with Bidou's Career Editor (now part of SimPE).

[hms-no-fun]

What's your opinion on the new HS^2 update? I'm really excited it's back but I'm a little worried. Like, the fandom has had a real problem with pretending all the horrible shit that caused it to end in the first place never happened. Is this just gonna sweep that under the rug even more? Is James Roach heading the project because he's less "problematic"? I love James roach and I'm sure he'll do great but what about all the transphobia? I just hope they finally fulfill the Toblerone Prophesy and make June Egbert cannon.

short version is, i'm cautiously optimistic! but this is a loaded question you've given me on a lot of fronts, so i'm gonna try to take it piece by piece.

to start with, the sudden revival of Homestuck^2 (now minus the squared) took me by surprise because to my knowledge, it was entirely dead in the water. my involvement with anything Official ended at Pesterquest, and pretty much the entire post-canon crew i was friends with in 2019-20 has moved on to greener pastures. i share a similar sentiment with @pochapal in that i would have put money on hs2 staying dead forever. i have, quite frankly, dreaded the inevitable day when official Homestuck media would resume production, because the fandom at large seems quite eager to sweep the ceaseless harassment and transphobia that ended hs2 under the rug and pretend that it just, like you said... never happened. when that california cafe used older Pesterquest-like character designs that omitted short chubby Terezi and black-coded Roxy, however well-intentioned and ultimately harmless that was, it felt like a sign of things to come. that, as you fear, the sharper & more personal queerness that we tried to bring to this series would be erased, in favor of something meant to simultaneously appease both tenderqueers and redditors, two sects of the fandom most responsible for the aforementioned harassment.

luckily, that really doesn't seem to be the case!

to your worry that James Roach was made director because he's "less problematic," i'll just say that's entirely the wrong way to look at it. it's not like WP (such that it even still exists) were cruising to get HS2 back up and running. by all accounts, James is the only reason it's happening again in the first place. i can't stress enough just how small an operation this Homestuck business actually is (or, at least, was when i was involved). this is not a Huge Corporation making cynical cash grab decisions. this is someone who cares about the material pushing to get something made where otherwise there would be nothing. check the new About page, where the principles of the so-called Homestuck Independent Creative Union are laid out in plain terms. this is something the original hs2 team fought for, so for this new version to start from there as square one is huge and a good sign of the possible longevity of the project.

next, let's talk about the question of this new team erasing the legacy of the old one. Kate Mitchell is on the record that she was reached out to about this new hs2, approved it, and declined to be involved. i don't know if the other writers were reached out to, but i have no reason to believe they weren't. this is a tremendously important gesture of good faith and goes a long way towards easing some of these worries.

but let's look at the composition of the team itself. do you remember The Perfectly Generic Podcast? originally hosted by future hs2 writer Kate, pgen became a flashpoint for community discourse, often opening doors between official homestuck and homestuck fandom. what made that show special was that, rather than relying on the imo tired genre of the liveread, pgen focused on a different topic each episode and explored it with one or two qualified guests. Kate's goal with the show was to encourage a more adult and quasi-academic discussion of homestuck, of its successes and its failures. if you weren't there, the weight i'm putting on pgen might seem overblown (not least because you can't find it anywhere anymore except on the internet archive). but it's not! when they decisively criticized the wild contents of the Skaianet debacle in episode 19, Andrew listened and worked to bring a more diverse group of creators into the fold. in the months after the Epilogues were released, Andrew issued a statement through pgen on episode 52 about how the Epilogues are meant to create bridges and offramps for the post-canon fandom. it's an essential piece for understanding the epilogues and their relationship to fanworks! that it wasn't included as the author's introduction to the Epilogues in the book version remains to my mind an astonishing oversight, but whatever. point is, pgen mattered to the folks in charge.

so let's look again at the writing staff of this new crew. James Roach first guested on pgen in episode 7, and would go on to be a regular. Haven, who did the Vriska and Roxy sprites in Pesterquest (and probably more stuff i don't remember), guested in episodes 81 and 87. Miles guested on episode 87 as well (unless it's a different Miles, i'm not familiar with their work and ugh this damnable linkrot). Floral, creator of one of my favorite hs fanworks & huge godfeels influence Liminal Space, first guested on pgen in episode 47, and would go on to be a regular (including once during my tenure as host to talk about Jade). on the technical staff side, Kohi built the hs2 website and has remained a backend mainstay both on the WP side and on Vast Error.

all of which is to say, if you were looking for a crew to cynically erase the past and appease the haters, these probably aren't the folks that'd be at the top of your list. of course, if you *really* wanted to cynically erase the past and appease the haters, you wouldn't bother reviving hs2 in the first place!

and that's the crux of the matter here. what cash is there to grab? what clout could possibly be chased? i struggle to think of a decision less obviously profitable and popular than continuing hs2 with a new crew right where it left off. i have to believe this is happening because the people involved want to make it.

so, yeah, i'm cautiously optimistic. i like this crew, i like the contents of the first upd8, and i'm glad as hell it's not a reboot! i'm grateful that by reviving hs2, the hs:bc crew have instantly yanked the epilogues & the post-canon project back into relevance in the broader community. and i always liked hs2 a lot! i was excited to see where they were going! i'm really looking forward to seeing more YIFFY!!!!!

but the thing is, this won't be the hs2 i wanted. i know that, and i'm not expecting it. my greatest hope for hs:bc, for this crew, is that they get the chance to take up the reins and drive this thing in whatever direction they feel most passionate about. if that winds up looking like the hs2 that was originally planned, great-- but more than anything, i want everyone on this team to feel just as empowered to leave a profound and personal mark on this series as the original team did, as i did working on Pesterquest. i hope the outline changes! i hope they take some really wild swings! i want to be surprised!! i want to be challenged!!!

above all, i want them to have the chance to pick a course, sail it, and see it through to the end regardless of what the public thinks. they deserve the chance that the original crew didn't get.

i have plenty of bitterness and cynicism in my heart over the events and circumstances of 2019-20, but as far as i'm concerned it has no place here today. i would never, ever wish the trauma and stress of that era on anyone. let the fandom at large react in whatever way it will, but i want things to be different this time. this is a second chance-- not just for hs2/hs:bc, but for all of us. even people who hate homestuck post-canon! this is an opportunity for everyone to choose to be better this time, and to push back when others might squander that opportunity. this team is not a group of celebrities, not an abstract fiction on the other side of the world, they are human beings who took a job. they've earned the opportunity to do that job, and they deserve to be treated with the respect and dignity that was so often absent a few years ago.

as to your last point, about june egbert and the toblerone. i've been saying for years that andrew's confirmation of june was less "the granting of a wish" than it was "a spoiler shared without input from the creative team." that there is any doubt about june's providence in hs2 can only be attributed to willful, aggressive ignorance on the part of people who refuse to engage with the written word in any way other than plodding literalism. the original team didn't unveil june ~immediately~ because they didn't think of june as a wish, they thought of her as a character in an ongoing story who needed time to develop naturally. i have never not felt entirely crazy about how thick everyone has been about this!

but will the new team make june canon? obviously i have no way of knowing for sure, but i'm gonna go out on a limb and say that probably the answer is "yes, when they're good and goddamned ready." just, please, for the love of god, don't go after every upd8 like "where's june? where's june? why hasn't june yet????" this was one of the worst results of the toblerone spoiler and it put INSANE pressure on the hs2 team. so just... just let this story be what it is. let this new team make the homestuck continuation they want to make.

and in the meantime, if you're really hungry for june... there's always godfeels :)

[longing-for-rain]

you know what i noticed about kataang shippers is that, they have made multiple blogs (even titled in the url) fully dedicated to bashing zutara. like whole blogs full of nothing but hating zutara and everyone who ships it.

i don't see the reverse. yes, there are zutara blogs with lots of aang/kataang critical posts. but these blogs also have content that's focused on zutara (posting about the ship you actually do like! imagine that!) and most are content creators as well. i can't think of any blogs that are purely anti-kataang or even mostly anti-kataang.

idk to me it just seems like zutara shippers are better about staying in our lane and enjoying what we like instead of devoting *that* much energy to hating ✌️

Oh definitely, I think in the past few years I’ve seen two blogs called something along the lines of “Zutara isn’t canon” and post nothing but angry anons whining about people shipping Zutara. And of course, the “fandom police” guy who is very obviously a right winger poorly applying social justice concepts in an attempt to win ship discourse, and who thinks anything non-canon is stupid.

It’s funny because how do you miss the point of fandom this badly? It’s transformative. There are only so many ways to tell the exact same story. There is a reason why it’s very common for non-canon ships to be more popular among fans than canon. It taps into the creative aspect that so many of us enjoy.

And for Zutara specifically, I’m actually glad it isn’t canon. I like that it’s open-ended and that I’m free to write it however I want, because to be completely honest, I think the creators would have completely botched it if it was canon. I mean, I actually like Maiko quite a bit too but I don’t like how rushed their ending felt. I don’t like how it felt like Mai reappeared to be Zuko’s prize. And given the straight up creepy things I’ve heard the creators say about Zutara over the years, I have no doubt they would have made me hate it via poor writing.

Plus you’re right, at the end of the day, fandom is about enjoying what you want to enjoy. Making entire blogs dedicated to telling people they’re stupid because they don’t adhere to canon as if it’s a religious doctrine doesn’t seem like you’re enjoying yourself too much. Sure, I’ve made posts critical of tropes, characters, relationships, etc. that I don’t like, but ultimately I spend my energy on what I actually do like.

[feyspeaker]

Hi! I made an account just so I could follow your work. Your art is brilliant and honestly and inspiration to where I want to be. I’m an older artist who has all the anxiety when it comes to improving my process. I’m trying to get into digital portraits and I have so many ideas in my head, but it’s frustrating because I’m not where I want to be to make this happen. What are some tricks that help you/software do you use? Of course, you don’t have to share anything that makes you uncomfortable. I currently have procreate and an iPad, but I feel a little lost. Wondering if I need a different writing tablet and photoshop. Not sure. I just eventually want to find that 3D, but also artistic look you are able to achieve.

hey there! thank you so much!!

ultimately, I will sound like a broken record but I always recommend you sign up for local figure drawing or painting classes. have people pose for you at home and sketch with charcoal and paper. go to the zoo and sit down in front on an exhibit for an hour and try to draw the animals in front of you as fast as you can and fill a couple of pages, move on to a new exhibit and do it again!

nothing is more powerful of a tool to learn than whatever writing utensil you have in your purse and the back of a napkin when you see something you'd like to capture. I've spent quite frankly my entire rememberable life doing this. I used to spend every single day in middle school/high school/my brief failed stint in community college with a pack of cheap sharpies and a beat up binder full of old worksheets and homework to draw on the backs of.

drawing/painting from life will teach you better than anything.

I use a very outdated version of Photoshop, and only got a "nice" tablet in the past 7 months.

Also, a huge tip to you and anyone else reading this: do NOT get too focused on a "style" that you want. Obsessing over that just ruined me for years and years. I wanted so, so, so badly to be the next Matsuri Hino when I was a kid. I copied her work religiously and it NEVER looked right. Frustrated me to no end. And you know why my stuff never looked like hers? Because I'm not her! You can't force your art to come out any way that isn't natural, and the sooner you can accept the art your hand wants to create, the happier you'll be and the easier art will get for you.

The past couple of years before I started diving into this more realism based work, I was just shoving myself through trying to make what art I envied of others. Very stylized/textured watercolor comic book style stuff. And I just was NOT getting any better at it. I have always been more inclined toward realism work, but I've hated it and yearned for stylized work. Yoshitaka Amano? God, I just drooled over that artstyle and beat myself up for never being able to capture it in studies or otherwise.

I finally essentially restructured my entire career around making the art that makes me happy instead of what I "wanted" it to look like. I was extremely depressed, my life was falling apart, and I still needed to make art to survive but I couldn't "art" if I was depressed and hated doing it, so I just had to step back and stop worrying so much about what I thought I wanted to make, and started making what felt most natural.

there's no easy way, and art can be a soul destroying path at times, truly. your software and hardware should come very last place compared to practicing from life (it doesn't matter if you want to paint cartoony stuff of realistic stuff, always start from life). naturally you will find what makes your heart sing the most.

I get a lot of messages from people telling me similar stuff "oh your art is EXACTLY what I want to do!" but I promise you that kind of thought process is chasing a dragon that is likely to harm or drag your creative process down. art style is such a deeply personal thing, so of COURSE it's important to find inspiration, but the second looking at someone else's artwork stops inspiring you and starts frustrating you, put it away.

There are some artists who I love, that I do not check up on often because their artwork ignites, like, serious bitter jealousy in me. It's the truth. I get so mad at myself for not being more like them, and it's such a poison. I think more artists should be transparent about this feeling because I KNOW the art community has a lot of jealousy and ugliness in it.

A fact of being an artist is that you will never be completely happy with a piece you make. You are always going to see the flaws, and that doesn't change whether you'd been drawing for 2 months or 20 years. Occasionally, you will get one piece that you are like "how did I make that???" and then get frustrated that you can't recreate it lol! It's a tough beast.

It's just really important to step back and work on yourself and where you are at, because at the end of the day, the way your soul wants to express artwork might be WILDLY different from what your brain wants, and it can be really detrimental to let those two go to war.

I hope this helps. I'm very passionate about this, and when I started out I ALWAYS ignored the artists who gave the same exact tips as above. I thought they were so annoying and unhelpful, but now I /get it/.

[stickthisbig]

Look it was a really fuckin rough day and internet drama is what is keeping me afloat so here's some bullshit about Watcher

I don't want to talk about creative decisions. Creators deserve to be paid and TV costs a lot of money, and whether you think a TV model makes sense and reflects the brand's appeal is ultimately a matter of taste.

I want to talk about how much this fuckin thing costs.

If you are going to make a venture like this survive, you must aim at the money. I am the money. I'm financially independent and old enough to have kids who watch the show but have no income, I am a long-time BFU/Watcher fan who's splashed out for merch and a live show, and I've subbed to multiple similar services (RIP Alpha). I am the boring adult that you must convince, because I am the one who can pay for this without a second thought. You will not make it through this on the empty promises of children.

The closest comp to Watcher is not Dropout; it's Nebula. And trust me on this- they would prefer you to compare it to Dropout, because of how much better it makes them look. Compared on full prices (because you can almost always get a discount), Nebula costs half of what Watcher does, for a much, much larger catalog. I am a huge fan of Nebula. I've watched hundreds of hours on Nebula, because there is loads of varied content from creators who have expressed exactly the same wishes for creative freedom as the Watcher team.

And honestly, if we are gonna talk about comparisons to Dropout, you're never gonna be able to watch BFU on this service, so it's apples to oranges anyway.

I am certain that they will make more money percentage-wise through this service. It's not on me to care about their yield from youtube vs a dedicated streaming service vs a partnered streaming deal. That's not my job; I'm not their accountant or their dad. It's on me to look at value for money. I am not a charity, and when you put yourself up as a commodity, I'm gonna kick the tires and leave if I don't like the price.

I'm not going to pay $60 for this, or $42, or $6/month, because it's a bad value on my end. It is less content for more money. $30 still would have been too high, but there was a price point where I, the person with the intersection of money and interest, would have said yes. That is the trade-off: you can wait around forever for somebody to spend $60 and end up with $0, or you can get three people who balked in for $20 each and end up with $60.

Look, we're all friends here, we know the Watcher crew is not so damn dumb that they didn't look into joining an existing streaming service. It's not a fuckin grand revelation that there were potentially other options, and obviously they must have thought about this for longer than ten minutes. But when your service is MUCH more expensive than its closest comparison (Nebula) and the same price as the well-established competitor you'd like to be compared to (Dropout), why on god's green earth would you think I would buy it if I was anything short of obsessed? Where is your growth plan? How is this sustainable? The absolute best plan for me is to wait until the next series of Ghost Files is over, pay $6 to watch the whole series, then cancel again.

Also you're fuckin leaving money on the table by not having delayed VOD on youtube but at this point, that's none of my business.

If it's worth $60 to you and you've got the money, you do what's right for you. But I'm out. No hard feelings! But also no $60.

(Also I do think 100% saying that the back catalog will stay on youtube is a walkback and not what he said in the video, so like, watch that)

[seyaryminamoto]

Fic-to-Art #38: Ozai carries Azula to the physicians' wing

This has been done for A WHILE now, but I didn't post it because the past days have been chaotic and not just on a personal level. For one thing, I really wasn't eager to drop this when people were losing their shit massively over the liveaction and its recontextualization of Azula and Ozai's dynamics, I didn't look forward to releasing this just to be told that whatever I've done in my story is somehow wrong, sooooooooo... that held me back, for a few days.

Then? The AI-Tumblr deal started to be talked about and I may or may not have freaked out about that too. Sooo... this is the first glazed and nightshaded piece of my creation, as consequence. The original, clean and proper version is available in my Patreon. Is this me being a dick to Tumblr-only people? Unfortunately, it very much isn't, I'm not trying to say that if you want the best iterations of my art, you should pay me for it... this is squarely, entirely, at staff/the CEO's feet. Obviously, there's the insecure side of me that goes "what makes you think they'd steal YOUR art when there are so many better artists out there!" but ultimately? AI is about taking everything en masse. It isn't a matter of developing a criteria about who makes the better art... it's just taking EVERYTHING and trying to repurpose it in whatever twisted way it needs to. Therefore? I think my choice is more of a matter of caution than anything else. Once AI bullshit dies out (and I really hope it does), we may just return to the same level of quality across all my accounts. For now, it is what it is.

ANYWAY! Point is this artwork is very much what my Patrons happened to vote for this month, a very shocking scene where Ozai reacted in the least foreseen way to Azula being attacked. Azula's confusion/terror comes from a place of not knowing what to do and being powerless to stop her father even if she doesn't feel comfortable with his help... but for once, Ozai isn't making a dreadful choice that will only devastate his daughter. He's actually worried about her health... and feeling genuine guilt over what landed her in the situation where she was in danger in the first place. Yes. I like me my complex Ozai who finally learned actions have consequences. He bores me to death otherwise :') if anyone STILL doesn't know that this whole situation is Gladiator-specific, then I shall clarify fully: this is artwork based on my fic. It's about a story that has been developing these characters for ALMOST ELEVEN YEARS now. It has nothing to do with whatever's going on in canon or in the liveaction, the scene in question was written almost two years ago and the artwork proposed and voted for several days before the liveaction aired. Ergo: there is no connection between this and that. Nor am I saying through this piece that Ozai is a good father. He is not. He can still be an interesting character to work with on a narrative level anyway :')

Alright. With that out of the way, hope you guys like this piece! The big one I haven't posted is ALSO finished, also glazed and nightshaded, but I think I might just end up posting it on the 26th if I don't have time to do anything big for our eleventh anniversary... yep, I'm so busy I don't even have a huge project in mind this time. Also? I have a lot to write and I'm finally happily writing it, and I would like to continue doing that...

Anyway! If you would like to be part of the creative process behind this piece, as well as see it in its proper, OG, less color-bleeding clunky version? A $1 Patreon pledge gives you the chance to join in suggesting prompts, voting for them and reading Gladiator snippets 6 days before a new chapter is released!

[idontwannabeyouanymore]

welcome to my blog ♡

-- tw! ee dee shit --

♡ hello to everyone except f4tph0bics and p3d0ph1les! im kate and i'm 21! first things first; if you are a minor, DNI, also i will not follow you back if you are under 18 or don't have your age in your bio or your pinned post!

♡ i absolutely do not encourage or support 3d's but i understand how having this blog could make it seem as such. im solely here because it is an emotional and somewhat creative outlet for me (a safe space if u will) so I BEG OF U don't ruin this for me

i don't really fw m3ansp0 whatsoever, i don't find it helpful and i want this space to be as positive as it can be (for an e4t1ng d1s0rder blog lmfao).

about meeeee ♡

straight, she/her, pro for me not thee!

im a full-time college student at an SEC school and i'm also a server!

im obssessed with all different genres of music (i dont listen to lana but i understand the lore), i love nature, and i like doing anything im immediately good at? idk

most of the time im like sylvia plath. bella in new moon. idk im just a naturally pensive person and i've always been a deep thinker but my bubbly personality clashes with that so people often refer to me as the fun/funny friend LMAO

stats?

height: 5'7" | 67 in | ~171 cm |

cw: 140 lb (21 yrs)

lowest: 126 lb (20 yrs)

highest: 181 lb (17 yrs)

goal: 125 lb by oct 27 2024

ultimate goal: 119 (the lowest i'll go)

finally i just wanted to say that i do not intend to let this disease/disorder/illness or whatever u wanna call it, k1ll me. i know at the end of the day that me and every single one of u have so much more purpose and worth than we see in ourselves. ana, for me personally, is mostly a result of being put on adderall when i was 17. i now turn to these tactics bc its the fastest way i've ever seen results for myself and it allows me to feel in control and 1,000,000x more confident. i do plan to get better one day but not until i reach my goals!

[thoseyoulove]

So, I see a lot of people worried or freaking out about how about Louis's story arc and how they're gonna use Jacob on season 3... Here are my two cents on it: Louis is a leading character on the series. Jacob is the first name on the credits. He's not going anywhere. He has a contract. I doubt anyone in this fandom that has no ties to him/Rolin/AMC really knows the specifics of his contract. And even if his contract ended and he decided to not renew it, the show would probably be shortened and end sooner because it's written in a way that is totally tied to Louis and Lestat as individuals and a pairing (and usually Claudia and their family dynamic too). They wouldn't suddenly reinvent the story to have another character taking Louis's role on the story and I believe with all my heart they would never dare to recast Jacob.

Sure, there are other characters that are fleshed out, have lives and relationships of their own, but ultimately all roads come back to them. It's built this way. When they map out the beginning, conflict, peak and conclusion of every season, it's always about them in a way. Season 1: the church scene, the fight, the murder attempt, Daniel confronting Louis, the "Armand is the love of my life" moment. Season 2: Louis and Claudia's saga in Europe and his promise to her, Louis being betrayed and kidnapped with Claudia, Lestat's return, the trial that included the three of them, the reunion. It all circles back to them.

There will be flashbacks of Lestat with Armand, Gabrielle, Nicholas, Magnus etc, but there will definitely be some flashbacks with Louis and probably Claudia too. There can be fantasy sequences with Lestat imagining Louis. And obviously there will be things in the present as well. The "I own the night" scene is not an exit moment, Louis is finally acknowledging and coping with his grief and embracing vampirism. That's not a conclusion, if anything, that's a new beginning, a rebirth, a fresh start. And even if Louis and Lestat have completely separated stories, they'll still be connected and build to a big moment for both of their arcs just like season 2. I mean, the new song is totally about Louis and that should be another sign that Louis will always be fundamental to the show.

I know Louis gets sidelined in the books, but that doesn't stop Rolin from using him. There are stories he can take from other characters and give to him and he can write completely new stuff himself. In fact, a lot of writers adapting existing stories love that because they can still come up with something original and surprise people. When you know how a story ends, things can get predictable and boring pretty fast, so many writers love using minor/original characters that allow them to have freedom, use their creativity and keep things fresh.

Jacob making music shouldn't be a problem, because he has balanced his music and acting career before. If anything, I see it as a good sign. He has an acting job he loves, plays a character really close to his heart, that even helps him find catharsis with personal aspects of his life and that job still lets him accommodate his other passion. If he had to dedicate all his waking moments to the show and not be able to do anything else, then chances of him wanting to walk way would probably be higher. But he doesn't have to choose, he gets to do both.

When it comes to the interview people are using as argument, I'm not trying to tell anyone how to feel, but I personally wouldn't take it too literally. They're giving a lot of interviews recently, sometimes they do many on the same day, people can end up expressing themselves poorly, specially if they're tired. And the interview is transcript, so who knows if they transcript exactly what he said with the full context (because I've seen awful and even offensive mistakes with other people before).

And even if he did mean that Jacob will play a supporting role, that doesn't equal being permanently reduced to a supporting role. Lestat temporarily played more of a supporting role on season 2 and he's still a leading character overall, it was just because the story was centering Louis's interview and his time in Paris. With season 3, he's back as a lead and shown for the first time as an actual individual, not the fragmentation of someone's memory. I personally believe Louis will stay as a leading character, but in case he doesn't, he will definitely be a supporting character that remains a key part of the story. And eventually go back to his status as a co-lead. At the end of the show, Louis and Lestat will be the center of the story and Jacob and Sam will be the co-leads with the largest screen time.

ADDING: Just remembered that Smallville, which was an adaptation of the Superman comics, had an original main character (Chloe Sullivan) that stayed for 10/10 seasons. In fact, she was the character that appeared the most after Clark Kent/Superman himself, even more than actual characters from the comics like Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Jimmy Olsen, Zodd etc. Everyone left the show at some point, or was introduced later, but Clark and Chloe were the only constant of the series. If I remember it correctly, the show had 217 episodes and she appeared on 206 of them. It's perfectly possible to work this out. This really shouldn't be a problem at all and I'm sure Rolin is smart and creative enough to pull that off. Other shows and movies have done it before.

[littledigits]

thoughts on the cut episodes and ppls reactions 'n stuff

Since it was confirmed that a few more episodes of Hilda were written but cut, I do think the reaction of people finding this out is really interesting and not just because its fairly common in the industry and isint a sign of anything bad necessarily. I mean heck, in a weird way being behind the scenes and then seeing how people interpret things, what they take as important, what they think is a thread…all of that is interesting. When your job is basically trying to get people to pick up what you're putting down storywise its kind of a neat topic, because everyone communicates in their own way.

BTW before I keep going this is not a post to say dont crit/vent/complain/whatever about whatever the heck you want in hilda or any media, you do you. I think peoples honest takes are fascinating (said in victoria van gale voice) and even just people speaking their mind shows that they are interested and they care so that matters. Also not one singular post triggered this, its just been on my mind as I surface level read things so no stressies.

When It comes to the cut episodes, I'm seeing some people assume that whatever was cut would have fixed some of the crits they may have had about the season..and who knows, maybe yes? But I'd say ultimately probably not. Not because they dont include things that people want to see, or may have some topics people want expanded on ..but because thats just impossible in the grand scheme of things.

I mean this applies to shows in general, not just hilda. Every person who watches a show has their own idea of what the show represents to them. For some of its more of the surface events or characters where as others connect it with a deeper emotion. A lot of people respond to different tones of the episodes, which there are many. Some people prefer the one off adventures that stand alone as their own stories and others want to see more of a stronger through line. Some may see a new character and expect a new arc and thread, while others wonder why we couldn't've used a previously introduced character. Some may read between the lines more and others may take what is presented as very straight forward and literal …and no one is WRONG, because our big wrinkly brain meats all have their own tastes and ways of imputing information.

Television animation is rife with factors that actually futz with the quality and ability of the team to make a beautiful, amazing product like EVERY DAY. The script process and what goes into production is just one. The team is made up of many creatives all with their own varied experiences and voices just like the audience. In order for people to have their own voices and say, you are going to end up with some things that hit better then others, especially if the team is allowed to grow and experiment and play a little. Hilda has always been a show where we've been able to have a lot of creative say, and i think that sincerity comes through ! but with the sincerity and that humanity, it also means that there are going to be things that arnt going to make sense in the grand scheme of things lol. Even the writers and creators and producers have differing opinions on what to explore and dive into, probably more so then fandoms haha. Having more episodes may scratch some itches but not all, HECK, those episodes being cut could have re-allocated resources to other areas that helped elevate your fav ep of the season ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ who knows! Schrodinger's episodes! (also ngl I was having cold sweats over the scope of some of them as cool as they were. The season may have been shorter but it was intense..it takes a long time to do stuff that looks that clean and crisp)

Imperfect art is very human! Do the best you can at the time with the factors you have. I was given so much trust and freedom on my episodes, and I was just happy to do something fun that allowed me and my team to grow and learn. I was fucking STOKED to get a one off story because it was way less pressure for me to take my next step directing cuz just doing the thing is a feat. Any sincerity you feel cant come through if that means we're afraid that we cant make mistakes, or do a story choice ppl wont vibe with. All you can do is do the best you can, see if people are picking up what you're putting down, and grow from it for next time.

Anyway, just a thought ramble. Its not to say do or dont do this or think this way blah blah. I just love that storytelling is messy and complex and everyones gonna take it a lil differently, especially if you have a team where you allow lots of voices to have input. It is all just a big experiment to see if people leave with a particular experience by putting your resources into the things you have that matter, and try you best to distract from burnt edges or patched up holes that happened throughout the process of making the dang thing lol.

[harryscherrypie]

Confessions

CEO!Harry Styles x reader

summary - after a year of friendship, you found yourself having feelings for your quite older friend. Everything changes at his birthday party.

wordcount - 2,7k

warnings - age gap (not much, Harry is 32 and the reader is 25)

a/n - I fucking hate the tumblr tags, this is like the 7th time I'm posting this and it's not showing up in the tags.

This is something like a prequel/sequel to my other CEO harry fic, so for some clarity, please read that one as well, you can find it in my masterlist.

Enjoy, like, and please, please reblog, because it helps the blog very much.

---

Harry’s 32nd birthday was approaching quickly. You have been friends for about a year at this point and you were already sure you were falling in love with him. You thought it would take a bit longer to get over Adam, but Harry had made it very hard. You have thought very hard and long as to what gift you were going to gift him on his birthday but came up with nothing. What can you give to a person who could have anything with the snap of their finger? His seemingly never-ending wallet became quite a problem when picking a gift for him.

After consulting with his friends Mitch and Sarah, as well as your friend Rachel, you decided to dust off your knitting needles and knit him something. You thought about it the first time you started looking into gifts for him, but ultimately decided against it, when you realized that was also something he could get for himself. However, after the talk with your friends, you decided to do it after all. Their supporting smiles gave you enough courage to buy a few balls of chunky yarn, and long knitting needles, and start on Harry’s birthday present.

You remembered it clearly. It was almost 4 months ago when you were at his place for your end-of-a-week dinner. He had just gotten a new apartment because his old one had shitty neighbors. He had bought a new couch for his apartment and spent the whole night complaining about how cold he was, and how he couldn’t find a good-looking, but also cuddly blanket anywhere.

So when you were on your way to buy the yarn, you knew what you were making. You were going to knit him a blanket.

You have been a very creative person since you were a little kid, quickly mastering all of the crafts before you started high school. Embroidery, crochet, knitting, name whatever, and there is almost a 100% chance you had it mastered. Unfortunately, you had to put your hobbies to the back when you started college and didn’t have any time to make things.

The feeling of uncertainty when you pulled the yarn and needles out of the paper bag crashed over you. You haven’t held knitting needles in almost 5 years and suddenly became self-conscious. What if you didn’t make it in time? What if it looked like shit and Harry didn’t like it? These thoughts didn’t last long, because as soon as you started to knit, you fell into the all-familiar calm feeling as you watched your favorite show, and slowly knitted the blanket. Over the next few days, you fell in love with the craft for the second time. At first, you thought one blanket would be enough, but as soon as you finished it, you started on pillowcases for his couch and a large duvet for his king-sized bed.

And just like that, you knitted a full bedding set for his home in just under a week. You packed each of the pieces into separate boxes, tying them with bows of different colors, excited to finally have a present, but also to see his reaction.

The persistent scratches of Daisy’s claws against the door rang through the quiet hallway as you tried your best to slip into Harry’s apartment quietly. His cat was a very perceptive one, knowing you were behind the door before you even made the move to put your spare key into the lock. With your shoes in front of his main door, you walked into the apartment, making beeline for the kitchen and placing his birthday breakfast along with your coffee on the counter.

Daisy, who clearly just woke up, meowed lowly, indicating she was hungry. It was quite a bit past her meal time, but considering Harry came back from Paris just late last night, he was probably too tired to wake up to his cat’s incessant meowing. You put some of her food into her bowl and let her eat in peace, as you started to move Harry’s gifts from the hallway to the living room. You even got a little bouquet of flowers on your way to his place, which you placed in a vase you found in his kitchen.

“Good morning, pretty girl,” you heard Harry’s groggy voice behind you talking to his cat. He was crouched down in front of her, gently stroking her face. She meowed happily and keened into his touch, clearly trying to catch up on the missed affection from the last week.

“She missed you, always kept meowing at the door, and looked super disappointed when I came through the door, and not you,” you chuckled and moved towards them.

“Hi,” he grinned up at you. As Daisy plopped down on her back, playfully scratching at Harry’s hand, you sat down beside Harry, who also sat down on the floor.

“Was she good for you? I know that she gives trouble to people the first time,”

“Don’t worry, she was sweet, I also slept on your couch one night because it started to rain a lot, so I stayed, I hope you don’t mind,” you acted nonchalant, but you felt the opposite.

Before going on his Paris work trip, Harry asked you to take care of his cat. She didn’t like a lot of people and the two of you seemed to get along quite well, from what he had seen. Daisy usually kept to herself, and he would’ve asked Mitch to do it. But he was worried to leave her all alone, mainly because she still wasn’t fully comfortable in the new apartment. It broke his heart a little when he imagined her meowing at the front door the whole week, begging for him to come back to her.

He thought that if you were tasked to take care of her, the two of you liked each other enough for you to stay around the apartment for a little more than Mitch, who Daisy doesn’t really like, and keep the cat company. Even for a little while.

“That’s fine, I’m actually glad you did. Wouldn’t want you driving in bad weather,” he answered.

“When did you come back?” You questioned curiously.

“Today at about 3:20,”

The deep circles around his eyes could’ve told you that themselves. He looked so tired and you almost wanted to send him back to bed. Almost.

“Well, how about we eat breakfast, I got some on the way here, considering today’s date,” you wiggled your eyebrows and stood up, before helping him up as well.

“You shouldn’t have, but thank you, I’m starving,” he grinned and his stomach rumbled as if on cue.

You nodded toward the paper bag on the counter and his eyes lit up.

“Oh you know me so well, this was what I wanted,”

As he started eating his breakfast burrito from an expensive downtown cafe, you sneakily lit up a candle on a cupcake from the same cafe.

“Happy birthday,” you smiled as you revealed the little treat.

“Thank you, darling,” he smiled brightly. This was his first birthday you were spending together, so it put quite a lot of weight on your shoulders because of that.

“I wanted to bake a cake, but I didn’t have much time,” you scratched the back of your neck, suddenly feeling as if you could’ve done more for him on his special day. He shook his head.

“nonsense, this is everything I could ever want, thank you,” he pulled you closer to his chair, and wrapped his arms around your waist, resting his chin on your stomach.

“Eat the cupcake, so you can open your gifts,” you ruffled his hair and pulled away from him.

“You didn’t have to get me anything, you know,” he plopped a piece of the cupcake into his mouth, savoring the taste of the cake.

“But I wanted to, it’s not anything big,” you waved your hand.

“Although it is big in volume, so it might look that way when you see it, I couldn’t package it properly,” you pointed out.

Soon after he had finished eating, you moved to the living room, where he got the first glance at the huge boxes taking up most of the space in front of his living room couch, and gave you a ‘what the fuck’ glance which made you laugh with how comical it was.

“As I said, it is big in volume, doesn’t mean it is big or I spent a lot of money on it,” you shrugged as you plopped down on the couch. He looked at the boxes in front of him, as if contemplating what to do next.

“Which should I start with?” he finally asked. You thought about it for a moment.

“Considering that the original idea of this gift was this,” you nodded towards the second largest box.

“I think you should start with that one,” You pointed toward the one with a sparkly pink bow wrapped around it.

Harry gently raised it from the floor to the couch, and immediately started to work on untying the prettily tied bow.

“No fucking way,” he gasped when he pulled the blanket out of the box, spreading it on his lap. His eyes sparkled with wonder as he ran his fingers along the chunky pattern of the blanket.

“Do you like it?” You asked nervously as you bit on your bottom lip.

“Are you kidding me? I love it,” he grinned and ushered you to come closer to him. You maneuvered around the boxes sitting on the floor and plopped to the space beside him. He didn’t waste any time and immediately wrapped his arms around you in a bear hug, tucking his face into your neck.

“You made these?” He asked, his eyes full of wonder.

“Yeah, I dusted off my sloppy knitting skills from high school, turns out I actually still have it in me,” you joked.

“This is one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten, hands down,” he kissed your cheek softly, making your face heat up.

“Open the next one, you can pick the order,” you redirected him to look at the gifts, desperately trying to hide your bashfulness.

He ended up loving all of his gifts, immediately placing them around his home. With his pillows wrapped in soft wool covers, a blanket thrown on the back of his couch, and the duvet placed on his bed, it was time for lunch.

“Let’s get some lunch,” Harry suggested as he sipped on his coffee, watching you play with Daisy.

“Okay, but make it quick, I have to get ready for your party later,” you agreed. You didn’t have anything to do until the start of his party later that evening, at around 7 pm.

You ordered Harry’s favorite Chinese takeout from 3 blocks away. He always whined that the restaurant ruined any other Chinese food for the rest of his life, it was that good. As the two of you waited, the conversation between you flowed naturally. You caught up on how you’ve been, how Daisy acted while he was away, and if you got the photos he sent you when he was away.

It didn’t take long for the Chinese to arrive, and you dived into it, already hungry from the small breakfast you had.

You didn’t stay for very long after that, excusing yourself because you had to get your nails done for the party.

You kissed Harry’s cheek as a goodbye before you slipped out of his apartment, a wide smile playing on your lips

You walked out to the balcony, still hearing the base of the music a wall away. You breathed in the cold February city air as you wrapped your arms around yourself. As much as you liked to celebrate with Harry, this really wasn’t your scene. You scrolled on your phone for a bit, before you were interrupted by the sliding doors opening.

“Hey, why are you out here, aren’t you cold?” Harry called out, his speech slurred with the amount of alcohol he had drunk. He came up towards you and pulled you into a hug, a pitiful attempt to keep you from getting cold.

“Just wanted to take a breather, this is not really my scene, Sarah already made me drink much more than I usually do, so I feel the buzz” you chuckled in your tipsy daze, arms sneaking around his waist.

“Can I tell you a secret?” He asked quietly. You only nodded, amused at his drunken slurs.

“It’s not my scene either, I hate clubs, but I never told anyone because I like to see them happy during the party. Birthdays are the only reason to go to a club for them because, and I quote ‘we are too old’, so I let them do this every year and eventually enjoy it when I get enough alcohol in my system,” he whisper shouted, making you grin.

“You are a good friend Harry,” you murmured and tightened your arms around him.

“You think so?” He questioned, head falling to your shoulder, breathing in your scent.

“Yeah, I’ve never met anyone who does so much for their friends,”

“I try,”

“I know,”

You stayed on the balcony for a while longer, swaying to soft imaginary music in your heads, completely disregarding the rough beat just a few steps away from you.

“I missed you this week,” you murmured, squeezing his waist a bit tighter.

“I missed you too, not being able to call you killed me,” he kissed the top of your head.

You looked out to the city, only humming in acknowledgment quickly getting lost in your thoughts.

Today, being all about Harry, made you even more aware of your feelings for him. After your ex-boyfriend, you were determined to wait a few years until your next relationship, wanting to truly get together mentally. But Harry was making it super fucking hard.

“What are you thinking about, hm?” He placed his finger under your chin, making you look at him.

“Nothing, jus’ feelings,” you slurred, getting lost in his touch on your skin.

“Feelings?” He asked, trying to coax something more out of you. Some sort of emotion flashed in his eyes.

“Yeah, they are sort of unwanted, I didn’t want to feel this way for at least a few years, not after Adam,” you murmured looking into his eyes.

Harry shifted on his feet, looking blankly behind you.

“So, who’s the lucky person?” He gritted out. Despite the alcohol running through your veins, you quickly realized that something was wrong.

“Hey, what’s wrong,” you placed a hand on his cheek, making him look at you this time.

He shook his head, stepping away from you with what looked like a sad expression.

“Nothing, I should get back though,” he whispered and turned around to get back inside.

You grasped his wrist.

“I didn’t get to tell you who it was,” you murmured, pulling him in and wrapping your arms around his waist once again.

“Forget it,”

“No!”

“I want to get this off my chest, it has been a few months since I’ve felt this way,” you ran your hands up his chest, making him shiver and gasp lowly.

Looking up at him, you stood on your tip toes, the bottoms of your feet hurting from the uncomfortable heels you were wearing.

“It’s you,” you whispered into the air, hooking your arms around his neck, your fingers tangling into the stray hairs at the nape of his neck.

Harry looked at you, eyes full of emotion, as he cradled your face in his palms, thumbs rubbing your cheeks lovingly.

“You mean it? It’s truly me?” He asked, a smile forming on his handsome face.

You couldn’t get any words out, only managing to nod your head repeatedly.

“You warmed your way into my heart, deeper than anyone has ever been,” you sighed, nuzzling your cheek against the palm of his hand.

“I’m glad, I’m so glad,” he breathed out, pressing his forehead against yours, gazing into your eyes lovingly.

“Me too,” you mumbled before you moved closer, connecting your lips in a soft, but long-awaited kiss.

“So what no-” Harry started before he was interrupted by the sound of his name being called by his friends.

You quickly kissed him again.

“Go, we will talk tomorrow, when we are sober,” you smiled and he nodded sheepishly, before he stumbled back inside, making you smile.

---

Lord have mercy on me. I posted this one like 6 times and it didn't show up in the tags so hopefully, this time it works. Please reblog in case it didn't so this gets to people who don't follow my blog.

Thanks, xx

Take care <3

[the-wip-project]

40k in 42 days, day 11

The ultimate writing advice!

Hello writerly friends!

I take in a lot of writing advice from all over. Posts, books, videos, I eat that all up. So, after years of accumulating all the advice I can, I hereby give you the three most common pieces of advice for writing consistently every day:

Set small goals

Set a timer

Write in the morning

There you have it, all problems solved. 

Now, I'm with you for setting small or realistic goals. I also can vouch for the effectiveness of setting a timer for a writing sprint. But writing in the morning? Really?

I have to admit, I never tried writing in the morning because it goes against everything I know about myself. I'm not a morning person. I get up early, yes, because I get everyone started here. But my higher brain functions are limited to making coffee, settling with said coffee on the couch, and looking at Tumblr. The idea to do anything creatively is far, far out there.

But I also have to admit that I don't get as much writing done as I planned to. Somehow, at the end of the day, the time just disappears. Could writing in the morning be the solution to that problem? How will I know, if I never try?

So, tomorrow morning, instead of settling on the couch, I'm going to try that writing in the morning thing. I'll report back how it goes. I'm gonna be so pissed if it actually works.

When do you guys get most of your writing done? Are you a morning writer?

[yannisdesk]

I am simultaneously reading The Iliad and The Song of Achilles. It is quite a wild trip, though I am thoroughly enjoying both; but, I want to say something...

I feel like a lot the debate surrounding TSoA is the result of people misunderstanding it's intentions.

I would understand some of the opinions towards TSoA in regards to Iliad accuracy if Madeline Miller did the thing that a lot of Greek Mythology retelling/reworking authors did back in the day, and pretended as if her version of the story was more "accurate" or the "true" version of the myth. But (as far as I can tell) that isn't the case. She's pretty upfront about the fact that this is just another version of Achilles' story using her creative license as an author to create a different take on the narrative using the knowledge she obtained while pursuing her classics degree.

I absolutely do think it's a problem when members of the TSoA fandom try to claim that is the end-all-be-all of Achilles' story, because it isn't. For example, TSoA portrays Achilles as being monogamous-leaning and pretty straightforwardly homosexual (using modern terms here for convenience, I know this is not how Ancient Greeks actually thought about sexuality.) While in mythology, Achilles is more along the lines of bisexual and non-monogamous. Though, the nature of mythology, especially Greek Mythology, is that there is no absolute canon and everything is up for interpretation, so again, that doesn't make TSoA bad by default.

I tend to look at TSoA primarily as a love story before anything else. Honestly, it's a love story about Achilles x Patroclus before it's even an Iliad retelling, half of the book takes place before the war even starts. The tropes and logic of romance novels are going to be present over others that would be expected of an Iliad narrative. I've seen a lot of criticism pointed towards TSoA because it focuses "too much" on Patrochilles and not enough on other characters, but that should be expected, because it's ultimately about the love shared between Achilles and Patroclus. It's kind of like the difference between reading a romance that takes place during medieval Europe, and reading A Song of Ice & Fire. War may happen in the romance, and ASOIAF may have elements of romance in it, but at the end of the day, you're reading them for very different reasons.

Now one thing that can and should be criticized is its treatment of female characters. Thetis and Deidamia are done so fucking dirty and its honestly infuriating. I hear Circe is done better in this regard and I hope so.

[pascalpvnk]

glimpse of us

pairing: sarah miller & joel miller & ellie williams

summary: sarah was his sun. ellie was his moon. both equally beautiful in their own ways, one more sought out than the other in the darkness of joel’s mind.

word count: 647

warnings: angst, major major spoilers for tlou part II/season two, survivors guilt, mentions of insecurity, mentions of alcoholism, mentions of religion, possibly ooc, very open for interpretation.

a/n: joel's thoughts are italicized. i'm sorry for the pain this may cause. self beta'd, all mistakes are my own. based on 'glimpse of us' by joji. dividers by @saradika-graphics

She’s written in the walls. Swirls of pink and purple paint contrasts the similarly beige hue that matched his living room back in Austin. Joel’s eyes must’a been deceiving him. 

The remnants of a solo movie night shifted to his similar ones with his sweet girl, every one of them ending with her curled up in his lap. She would murmur in her sleep, her accent heavier than she typically allowed. 

Joel feels immense guilt for surviving this long without her. Looking down at his lap, there isn’t a mane of curls covering her beautiful face. It’s just the denim of the jeans he fell asleep in the night prior. The dark leather of his watch feels tighter on his wrist for a moment. 

His arm timidly turns. The glare of the late morning sunshine’s reflection pierces his vision. Pointed glass shards attempt to cover the battered, rusted, stilled clock hands. The battery gave out over a decade ago, but he can still hear it tick tick tick, another constant reminder of his beloved.

I’m not her, you know.

But he also feels the weighted guilt that he cannot let go and give his kiddo the father she needs. The honest, do good dad that doesn’t have to watch her from afar, doing anything in her power to be away from him. Not that he deserves more with all he’s done for himself all these years. 

Her deep greens and red splatters taint the pretty pastels on his walls. They’re not the same person, he constantly has to remind himself. The part that comes with more difficulty some nights being and that’s okay.

How can he have screwed up this bad? His first was attached to his hip, goofing around with him, gave him the time of day and then some. But she was fourteen.

He doesn’t know how to conquer mid to late teens. It doesn’t make him feel any less of a failure. Because this may be new for him, but he damn well knows this distance is abnormal. Naively, he’s still hopeful that she’ll forgive him. He’s hopeful for a second chance at what he lost rather than to accept it and move forward. 

We’re done.

Little by little, Joel’s whiskey migrates away from his coffee corner. He lets himself enjoy the natural, full boldness of his mug, lets himself live awake rather than his comforting numbness. Yet still punishing himself with the headaches he endures when his vice slips into his nightly routine instead. Failure. Failure. Failure. 

Nights when he slips back into his lost faith, kneeling and silently whispering to his fallen angel above. Begging for her guidance, her love once more.

I miss you, babygirl. 

He yearns for her wit, her sarcasm, creativity and passion used for what she loved. He finds in a different form with her, this time being used against him.

Her once genuine laughter turned to pitiful chuckles and ultimately to nothing. Multiple conversations with his sister-in-law ending with everything’s fine, it’s just a phase. But she sees him lying through his teeth, the dull heartbreak his eyes hold. Everyone does. 

Everyone witnesses his soul crumple and turn to dust in the church. Pushed away by her once more but only this time verbally. He feels the burning gazes watching his defeated form, tail between his legs as he retreats to his home, finding comfort and solidarity in his hand painted mug. Pure black coffee. He deserves to feel this weight. Deserves to stay up all night with this pain.

He expects her to yell at him once more as he sees her come into the dim light, porch rail creaking as she finds herself a spot near him, not next to him. 

“I would like to try.”

Tears flood his vision. Joel got his dying wish. Another chance to have a glimpse of her once more.

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