#I'm a beginner. :)

[cafecxonmilk]

Hexsquad Bodies Practice!

[gojostan-doodles]

🩷 *Talks a lot*

💜 *Likes to listen*

[blakbonnet]

my queers in christ we must fight homogeneity in fandom; it's evil and the death of creativity and a brain killer, we do not want to be smooth uniform identical shiny rocks, reading the same characterisations over and over again, we do not want to reiterate the same takes or the same fics, we want the creepiest weirdos coming up with shit so fantastical that it becomes fantastic, that is the point of it all

[midnightrings]

MATT BOMER and JONATHAN BAILEY as HAWKINS FULLER and TIM LAUGHLIN

-> FELLOW TRAVELERS 1.02: 'Bulletproof'

[feedthefandomfest]

Comment Bingo for Beginners

Very simple rules: connect 5 squares in a line by completing the task in each square

Very simple goals: encourage newbie or nervous commenters; encourage fandom writers to KEEP WRITING

STEPS:

Download Bingo Card HERE (png) or HERE (jpg) or HERE (pdf)

Complete the tasks on the card, marking off each as you go, until you've completed 5 in a line (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal; NO double-dipping; kudos ♥️ is a free space)

POST your winning card (or list your filled squares) and tag @feedthefandomfest! Glory in your victory.

REWARD:

✨ victory badge ✨

Tag me when you earn a bingo (or double, triple, quadruple... FULL CARD bingo) and I'll reblog a shiny badge with your name on it to commemorate the win.

FAQ:

Can I comment on tumblr or only on AO3?

Either one is great! Some squares are more designed with AO3 in mind, but most can be adjusted to suit tumblr as well, so I say go for it. Tumblr fics deserve love, too.

Can one comment count toward multiple squares if the fic fits more than one category?

Since the goal is for as many fics to receive comments as possible, try to comment on a different fic for each square.

Is there a time limit?

Nope! Take your time or set your own deadline, whatever works for you. This blog is still in its early experimental stage, so feedback welcome. Play around and let me know what you like and what might be added/changed—including ideas for squares on future cards!

Do I have to record progress on the actual card?

Nope! If it’s easier to keep track in a different way, that’s fine. This is all very honor system, so if you say you earned a Bingo, we’ll call it a win 🎉

Some people have been tracking not just completed tasks, but the fics they read along the way, so that when they post a bingo, they can also promote the fics/authors in a little rec list. Not required, but definitely cool to see!

Can I adjust the task in a particular square to suit my comfort level?

Of course! If you deliver something in the spirit of the task, then it’s all good. Use your best judgement in constructing a comment that will make the author smile, and you can consider it a job well done.

In general, so long as each square has produced at least one comment, you’re golden and I salute you 🫡

Happy commenting!!

[breelandwalker]

Weekly reminder that it's not okay to illegally download and distribute free copies of recently-published books from a niche market where the authors depend directly on monthly royalties to pay their bills.

Books are a luxury and if you can't afford a title, save your pennies or check out a copy from your local library. There are plenty of free resources and public domain texts available in the meantime.

It's worth mentioning that plenty of authors in the witchcraft and pagan markets make a point of providing free resources and advice to the community on a regular basis, myself included. To take that information and then turn around and steal from us on top of it is not only petty, it's cruel, especially considering the financial hardship we're all facing in the current economy.

Download overpriced textbooks and public domain titles, not witch books.

[the-one-who-lambs]

suddenly remembered I do digital art sometimes but only for evil

[the-ace-with-spades]

From the just hold my hand scenes that (probably) won't be written

Ice can't talk, he hasn't been able to for a while, not long after the diagnosis even, but since his last surgery, he knows he will never be able to again.

He and Mav learned sign language as soon as this became a possibility — they attended lessons together, sometimes online, and they practiced with each other, until they became fluent enough to communicate daily using sign. It became faster than Ice writing whatever he wanted to say and so it became primarily how they talk if it's just the two of them — by the time Bradley enters their life again and brings in a whole new husband and four (and counting) kids into it, they use sign language every day casually.

Bradley and Jake's middle daughter, Ronnie — Ice is her favorite, has been since the day they've met. Mostly due to his calm and soothing demeanor and just the aura of safety he has to him, but also because she's a quiet kid who doesn't talk much — she has a bit of a speech development problem that isn't too worrying at her age but has to have an eye kept on it — and often gets buried under the hyperactivity of her older sisters who talk a mile a minute or under her baby brother who craves attention and often gets it because he's cute as a button when he's clingy. But Ice always took the time to pay attention to her even if she was quiet or if she was not doing anything, even if it was just sitting next to her or holding her or basically looking at her expecting her to show him what she was doing or what she liked. People outside of her basic family (her parents and her memaw) rarely get her as much as he does.

So she's maybe a little clingy about Ice.

And you know, when it kind of settles that Mav and Ice are going to be in their life, Bradley promised himself he'd at least try to learn sign. He's terrible at it, he's always been not that good at languages and despite having the finger flexibility that a lot of learners struggle with, he just doesn't have the muscle memory that lets him have a smooth learning.

When Ronnie sees him practicing at home and asks why he looks like grandpa Mav when he talks to grandpa Ice and he explains that it's how Ice speaks (which Ronnie never thought about because she's a kid and she thought grandpa Mav could just understand Ice so well without speaking out loud because he loves him so much, the same way her parents did with her), she gets obsessed.

Next time Bradley takes the kids for some playtime with their grandpas (while Jake and Bradley have some me-time together...), Ronnie gets all shy when Bradley says the well-known phrase of, "Go say hi to your grandpa," and she signs to Ice.

It's just a little clumsy "Hello, grandpa," the simple wave of a hand looks a bit too much like a salute and maybe she adds a third tiny arch as the sign for grandpa finishes but Ice gets it and it gets everyone — especially Ice — a little teary-eyed as well.

[Also, sign language often has the same kind of insider linguistic slang families have when using spoken languages (you know, your sister once calls the terrace door windwoor when she's five and your whole family still calls it that even though she has kids of her own and a corpo job now... this but with hand signs) and I love the idea of Ice encouraging her to make those mistakes and then having them become only their inside vocabulary that no one else gets]

[fakemichaelsheen]

-1941-

crowley, shaking his head: I can't believe you made me shoot you

aziraphale, waves a hand: nonsense. you handled it superbly

crowley, shudders: still. I don't want to do that again anytime soon

aziraphale, smiling: oh I don't know. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve *leans closer* there is a rather challenging one involving a pair of handcuffs I wish to try, if you'd care to indulge me

crowley: ...

aziraphale, concerned: crowley? are you alright?

crowley, blinking: yeah. just give me a minute

[chiropteracupola]

"Are you finished with my portrait yet? Show me!" "Cipacton, I can't draw you if you keep moving!"

[draconym]

We went to the roller disco tonight

[portraitoftheoddity]

Beginner Hikers: Trail Etiquette

@somesuchnonsense added some EXCELLENT info in the tags on my beginner gear post about Hiking Etiquette, and frankly, it deserves its own post:

While you might be going out hiking to get away from other people, odds are good you're still going to encounter a few other folks doing the same, and some basic politeness and understanding of trail etiquette can keep you from being that guy.

So!

How to Not Be An Asshole Hiker:

Acknowledge Other Hikers. You don't have to have a whole conversation -- most people don't want you to -- but making eye contact with a brief nod or 'hello' as you cross paths is considered polite.

Respect the Right of Way. While you're going one way on the trail, someone else may be coming the other way. If the trail is narrow, one of you is going to have to step to the side. The general rule is that hikers going uphill have the right of way, and hikers going downhill should yield. That being said, if you have the right of way but notice that you have a better spot to step off to the side of the trail safely than the other person or party, it's polite to do so. Also, if you are hiking solo and there's a large group coming through the other way, it's polite to let them pass since it's easier for one person to move aside than a whole troupe. It's also polite to acknowledge people going the same way as you at a slower pace that you may be passing, and give them a chance to step aside before you pass them.

Stay On The Trail. Apart from stepping aside to the edge of the trail to let others pass, you should stick to the blazed trail and avoid bushwhacking. This is important for your safety so you don't get lost, and also for the ecosystem -- you could be damaging protected plant life or increasing erosion by trying to make your own shortcut. (Reasonable excuses to leave the trail are if you need to relieve yourself, or if there is a tree down or rock slide across the trail that you need to circumvent for safety)

Leave No Trace. On the topic of not damaging the ecosystem -- If you're gonna have a picnic, bring a bag for your garbage (or any toilet paper if you had to use some), and be sure to clean up after yourself, and erase any signs you were there. Everyone else wants to enjoy the scenic beauty of nature too, so leave it as pristine as you found it. [Side note: Leave the rocks alone, do not stack them into cairns, but also do not mess with existing cairns by adding or removing rocks if you see any -- these are often built by trail maintainers as trail markers in places above tree line where blazes may be obscured by snow and are important to keep folks from getting lost]

No One Wants to Hear Your Music. So you have a cool little Bluetooth speaker so you can blast your favorite tunes with your friends? Cool! Keep it at home! If you want to listen to music when you hike, wear headphones. Don't make your noise everyone else's problem. Enjoy the sounds of nature, and respect that other hikers may be out here for the serenity of the wild, and not your spotify playlist.

Look Out For Other Hikers. If you see another hiker in distress, see if they need help. If there's a problem on the trail up ahead or conditions they should be aware of for safety, give other hikers a heads up. Step up to be a good samaritan where one is needed if you are able. Some of the kindest strangers I've had the honor of meeting, I've encountered on a trail. It can be a really wonderful community!!!

[spockandawe]

I've been very quiet! I've been... very overwhelmed by a combination of work and personal life pressures. I haven't yet finished dealing with all of those, but I coped (as you do) largely by shutting down contact with the external world and picking up a new hobby!

SO. PAINTING! Oh man. I still barely know what I'm doing, and anything representational I've done is the result of opening a youtube video and trying desperately to keep up, but I'm learning! I'm getting more comfortable with the tools and the process and the way the material handles, and I'm having an incredible time. This isn't everything yet, the abstract pieces are going to get their own post, but my parents have a new house with so many blank walls, and baby, you KNOW that having a way to offload my earliest efforts with a new hobby is the fastest way to my heart

[soupforsoup]

The vision for this edit entered my brain and possessed my waking thoughts and wouldn't let me rest until she was realised so here I guess everybody cheer

I hated every goddamn second of learning how to make this, the only thing that felt worse than learning to edit was not working on this mediocre edit the app crashed so many times jesus christ where's that defunctland reddit post clap for the boy or I'm blowing this whole fucking building up

[hiimtheproblem87times]

Training

Lesson 1 : "Mining While Fighting"

Red told Second to Come over to see him train

[cazabaranca]

Giving him the princess treatment he deserves🥰😌