#I'm always down for chats

[jtl-fics]

So I was just thinking and this might be kinda embarrassing to admit hence the anon lol but I do this thing where if there are blogs I think are cool that I would like to be better friends with I turn on their notifs and then if I’m scrolling through my dash and a notification that they’ve posted something I want to interact with I’ll scroll back to the top of my dash and refresh it and then like or reblog their post and then a few things after from farther down my dash because that way I get to interact with their post without looking like I’m stalking their blog like oh I came across this post on my dash and thought it was cool and interacted with it and not I think your super cool but I’m to anxious to talk to you so I’m trying to silently convey that I think you’re cool so that maybe you’ll message me first lol and I feel like that’s maybe a kinda FF thing to do lol or maybe it’s just super creepy and I’m weird lol

Well I'll go ahead and say not creepy at all, really cute actually. i love chatting with people so feel free to shoot me a message to chat anon.

Take comfort that like half of FF's insane anxieties are just me reliving my youth.

(tho my grandma was not a good baker / cook and may have in fact given me food poisoned me a couple times. Looking at you egg salad where she didn't consider peeling the eggs before mashing the eggs)

[royalarchivist]

Pac: I wish I had a really nice background story for my- why I'm here. But you know, Felps just crashed the ship and I'm stuck! Fit: You've got an interesting history though, Pac! I mean, look at you escaping that prison! Like, that was not easy for you to do. [...] You've told me lots of stories about yourself and Mike's adventures. You've got a very interesting backstory. Pac: Thank you Fit, thank you. I'm glad to hear that you think it's cool. Fit: I mean– the cannibalism part, that sucks, but it is– It's cool! It's cool.

People keep wondering when Pac's going to tell Fit how he lost his leg, but during their date last week, Fit implied that their characters already had this discussion! Although this could've been an OOC part of their conversation, they've referenced this specific part of Pac's lore in past streams (this is just the most explicit example we've had so far).

[ Full Subtitle Transcript ↓ ]

–

Pac: I wish I had a really nice- um, background story - background story for my- why I'm here. But you know, Felps just crashed the ship and I'm stuck!

Fit: [Chuckles] Well no- you've got an interesting history though, Pac! I mean, look at you escaping that prison! Like, that was not easy for you to do.

Pac: ...No, yeah, you're right.

Fit: You know, and you've been- you have- you've told me lots of stories about yourself and Mike's adventures, like– You've got a very interesting backstory.

Pac: Thank you Fit, thank you. I'm glad to hear that you think it's cool.

Fit: I mean, I mean– the cannibalism part, I mean, that sucks, yeah, but it is– It's cool! It's cool.

Pac: Yeah, right? Yeah- that's- that's not a good part, right? Yeah, I- ugh, yeah, it's a– [He takes a deep breath] Yeah. It's ok.

Fit: Y-yeah, yeah...

Pac: It's ok.

[vampyrekat]

cant believe i forgot about maleficent and her emo boytoy omg thank you for cleansing the timeline🫶

I am so pleased to bless the timeline with a fine vintage ship, come join me in savoring it. I checked out the novelization on a whim (commuting) and I was like, oh right! I forgot this movie and specifically this ship was made in a lab for my brain. So now I've rewatched the film and I'm lost in the sauce.

I love that Maleficent/Diaval is the story of two people accidentally raising a baby into a teenager together and the whole time Maleficent is oblivious (not her fault! she has bigger things going on!) while Diaval is like "that's my wife, she's terrifying. i love her. <3" Even when Aurora meets them properly as a 15 year old, Maleficent is Going Through It™ while Diaval is just so hype to finally introduce himself to his child.

Pictured above: moments that really did a number on me. He raised this kid and now he gets to finally meet her properly and they're both so delighted by it while Maleficent watches from the corner like }:-(

I really feel like the most beautiful and unique part of it is the genuine backtalk; Diaval might start out subservient and he certainly maintains that position but as time goes on he proves himself perfectly willing to correct or backtalk Maleficent. He basically functions as a reminder of her heart and moral compass while she is recovering from her hurt (and subsequent revenge bender) and it's delightful to watch because you rarely see a position where a male character is so open and honest while the woman gets to have the delicious redemption arc. Maleficent is going through an enemies-to-godfamily relationship arc with Aurora while Diaval is patiently waiting for her to realize he's got heart eyes (AND for her to realize she does actually love Aurora, that's another great element, he realizes this LONG before Maleficent does and tries to gently nudge her over to that revelation). But also this:

He really said "I am just pretending to be afraid of you; I know you won't hurt me even if you push me around" and he was right. What a lovely thing to be playing out as the B or maybe C-plot. There's enough insane drama happening, it's nice that there's something a little lighter and more steady in the background of the story.

Another thing I was musing on through the book and film -- as much as I adore found family and platonic love, it's nice to see a story where a victim of what is clearly coded as sexual assault and is at least intimate partner violence finds love again. I know Maleficent & Diaval isn't technically 'canon', but again, the film was juggling enough relationship arcs with Maleficent & Aurora and Maleficent & Stefan. It's okay, in my eyes, for the romance element to be subtext, when it's clearly still important and given some narrative space and weight.

I had a more coherent thought but finally found a gif of just this moment (thank you, @raainstorms, you spoil us all) so instead you get this. I love it. Maleficent really said "go defend our kid who I haven't realized yet is our kid" and Diaval said "understood". Never proposed but nevertheless they've been married for years.

"Who fell first vs. who fell harder" is defunct. "Which one is the evil minion who adopted the baby on sight and who is the Evil Empress who had to slowly realize they love the baby" is the vintage yardstick everything else has to measure up to. I will read 100,000 fanfics of Maleficent only belatedly realizing that somewhere in the process of acquiring her goddaughter she also acquired a husband. Maybe she acquired the husband first, she certainly does not know. Diaval understands this and is okay with it, Aurora probably doesn't understand in the slightest how her godmother did not pick up on anything.

And the sequel! I realized after reading some other posts that I did NOT remember the sequel correctly because my memories are "fairy genocide and also Diaval and Maleficent are co-parenting". Apparently somewhere in there Maleficent is shoved into a love triangle with two men who are not her long-term boytoy/coparent/external moral compass, which is ridiculous, because the film ends with them attending their daughter's wedding in matching outfits.

If Maleficent 3 (boo hiss at Disney, make something new, cowards) isn't about Aurora parent trapping them I am going to riot in the street.

TL;DR: My roommate described maleval as this post and I have not been able to shake it from my mind because it really, really fits:

[elvenbeard]

Glitter and Gold

upcoming masc underwear by winks uwu

[merakiui]

hey!! u should totes look into hsr men(and women.. mm), i think you'll like them~ they have soo much potential if you brainroted abt them, i know since your mind produces the most yummiest, brain-itching ideas tht makes me and ur readers ;) fed well.

thank u for your hard work, and keep your head up high! luv uu <3

-🐁 anon

*skidaddles away*

Hi hiii, 🐁 anon!!!!! I actually play hsr!! :D I want to catch up in the main story a little more before I develop any thoughts, but there are so many wonderful characters to brain rot about!! >w< I'm certain my brain will cook some yummy ramblings about them, but if anyone ever wants to discuss my life, my light, my love Gepard Landau I am always ready. <3

[wizardnuke]

working in a grocery store as a stocker/picker other non-customer service job and then getting pulled away from your actual ffucking job by a customer who can't find the whole entire chip aisle is like accidentally triggering a cutscene that you dont give a shit about amd Can't Fucking Skip and if you choose a dialogue option that's even a little bit mean it starts a combat that yojre not allowed to win. you get game over. no save files.Fired

[loghainmactirs-archive]

my biggest flex is that my only blockable trait is liking loghain

[motherhenna]

yoooo ok that last job turning out to be bullshit might actually be a blessing in disguise because I just landed an interview for an after school theater teacher gig that pays way better~ I went to theater camp every year from ages 12 to 17 and always loved the idea of being a counselor for a program like that, and did backstage / dramaturg work for a play at UCSB back in pre-pandemic 2020 so I might actually have a shot at this. Wish me luck!

[rowanoftheunknown]

one of the worst parts about being a watcher fan rn is that in theory I think having paywalled series isn't that bad and people are being needlessly eat the rich about it, but on a personal level the two series I don't like and don't watch are ghost files and dish granted, and they're the most expensive shows to produce....... Like I'm seeing a potential solution here

[magentagalaxies]

get someone who looks at you the way scott thompson looks over at me while i'm filming behind the scenes for the buddy cole documentary

[chiropteracupola]

salutations. would you like to explain the deal wktb the moth and compass guys they look very polite

moth and compass! the project I've been working on with @natdrinkstea this year-and-some!!

I believe I've introduced our dramatis personae — Moth, an Inquisitive Young Protagonist; Goodfellow, a Ghost; Luna, a Lighthouse-Keeper; and Peregrine, an Ordinary Cat — a few times before, but I still don't think we've every really talked about the story!

and that is because it has taken. quite some time to actually figure out what Goeth On in moth and compass proper. it's a mystery-fantasy, that'll probably be best told as a scrapbook or a puzzle game or a thing along those lines*, and a somewhat purposefully-nostalgic ghost story. it's everyday magic and the haunted sea and learning to look beyond what you think is there and bubblegum pop road trips and creepy creatures in the shadows and the kind of navigational equipment that, if you use it just right, might take you places you'd never otherwise be able to see...

[nerdiests]

Hihihihi I'm a random person you don't know but I just discovered LU podfics last night and I've been listening through them and I just listened to Bluebloods just now and it was AMAZING I loved the story and your voice acting was sooo good. Just wanted to say thanks for making podfics, you've done a great service for our fandom, and I know it's been almost a year since you were on tumblr and I don't know if you're ever coming back but thanks again and I hope you're out there somewhere living your best life. Okay byeee

for my first post in probably over a year, this is definitely something to come back with!

first off - thank you so much??? podficcing was a big passion for me for a while, and i know that if i ever had the time again, i probably would because i enjoy it just that much. perhaps one day i might podfic something again - maybe it would be an LU fic, maybe it would be something completely different! i'd love to, one of these days :)

second off - i don't know if i ever will come back to tumblr, simply because i have become an extremely busy person doing extremely busy things! i finished school (for now) and now my time is filled with So Many Things, but i think i'm living my best life as well as i can lol

yet again, thank you so much! i appreciate this a lot :)

[touchlikethesun]

it actually is so funny talking to non-linguists about prescriptivism. i say "there is nothing inherently more or less correct about any linguistic token," and they say "um yes there is, it's just called common sense," and so i have to say "what we call common sense is just ideology enforced from above, you've not actually proved anything," and then they say "well you're just stupid, i'm not listening to you." and they continue on their way harassing people for the way they speak. and i get to have this conversation all over again with the next non-linguist prescriptivist bootlicker :))

[pettyprocrastination]

TJ I hope you're well!! I had a quick question. How did you get into weight training? Ive been wanting to get more into it (i have noodle arms RIP me), but i. Literally have no idea where to start. Any advice? I'm not sure if I should like. Do a gym membership thing or start with home weights?? There's so much stuff out there and I have no idea where to go with it :') Anyway, i hope you have a lovely day!! 💖💖

Hey love!! I’m doing well, this year has been a bit of a whirlwind but ive got my head on straight haha.  I hope you’ve been doing well!

So here comes a very long winded explanation of my fitness journey and some advice coming in!

I started consistently working out in about september/august when I was still in college and had a built in membership in my tuition. There was a womens weightlifting club at my university that helped me get myself comfortable with weightlifting terms/finding some gym buddies until i felt comfortable to start going with myself. I’m now going relatively consistently on my own, my usual routine was 5 days a week but finding the energy to get there while doing my 9 to 5 has been a bit of a time management shift that im trying to get myself back into. 

Funny enough you reach out because I’m currently writing up a new routine for me to follow for the next two months to get more lower body strength training because I signed up for a deadlift competition for charity in june! (absolutely terrified for it because my lower body strength is still pretty light however this is my chance to get my feet on the ground in terms of getting some experience in powerlifting so! Here’s to trying new things lmao)

 I had played around with using some at home weights in the past multiple times but the issue with using a home weight set is that if you’re following a plan of progressive overload (following a weight training regime that consists of increasing weight over time) you’ll  eventually come to a flat stall unless you have a full weight set from 20-50’s with a bench which can be a pretty penny to get. I only had dumbbells that went from 10 to 20s so after i hit that for certain workouts I couldn’t go up. 

However- that being said! At home workouts can be a great place to start to get yourself used to the movements and following a consistent routine so that if you shift into getting a gym membership you already have a bit of a plan you’ve been working with. 

All-in-all, if you’re like me and you have some gym-anxiety I’d maybe start off with working at home, getting yourself comfortable with body weight and beginner weight workouts before shifting into getting a gym membership so when you go in you have the “okay, I know what im doing and what I want to hit” mentality while also working yourself into using the machines over time. 

As usual- I’m always happy to talk more and if you want to chat about workouts/form/or anything under the sun I’d be pleased as punch for it babes <3

[hecckyeah]

#3, 4, 15, 24 for the fic ask game!!

Hii!!! Thanks so much for the ask <3

3. Are there any specific themes you enjoy exploring in your fics?

Ooh, this is such a good question but I feel like my answer is going to be sort of vague. It really really REALLY depends on the themes I'm going with for each individual fic. I do love LOVE playing with the found family trope and all its facets and nuances, but I don't get to it all that often. But a theme that keeps cropping up (and I probably do this subconsciously) is fighting with the unknown, if that makes sense. In which my characters are making peace with something beyond their control. Hmm I wonder if my writing is reflecting my own psyche or something. Weird

4. How do you channel characters' voices and personalities?

HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS OF CONSUMING THEIR CONTENT. Oh my gosh I swear I've single-handedly kept the Youtube scene compilation people in business. I'll literally watch them over and over and over again until I'm thinking in their voices and I can't get rid of it, and that's when my best dialogue happens. I absolutely suck at dialogue unless I've been living and breathing those characters for days on end. If I can't hear the physical voices in my mind's ear (is that a thing?) then I basically can't write them. Same with their personalities and physical quirks. I need to be able to see and visualize each movement, or it feels off and foreign and I end up trashing whatever I write. Basically I have to play out the scene I'm writing in my mind like it's a movie, and if I can imagine that scene in the show/movie/book it came from, then I know I'm probably on the right track.

15. Do you plan your fics or prefer to let the story unfold as you write?

Hah, yeah I'm a write-as-you-go kinda gal. It works out well for one-shots, since the format lends itself to a wandering, thoughtful kind of style, but that's definitely why I struggle with longform multi-chapter fics, since my characters always make decisions they didn't clear with me first, and I'm usually sitting here rolling my eyes and trying to get the story back on track as they go do their own thing. Even the couple of times I did plan the fic out from beginning to end, I still ended up making changes on the fly and it ended in a totally different place than I'd imagined. Basically I just write in a direction that makes sense, and then I edit afterward to make it look like I planned it all from the beginning. Not always, because sometimes my brain cooperates and everything comes together without any need for post-editing, and I love it when that happens :)))

24. What advice would you give to someone who wants to start writing fanfiction?

I would definitely say, try out a few styles of writing and see what sticks!! If you hate longform or can't wrap your mind around first person perspective, then don't push it! Stick to what feels right and then hone that skill. Don't worry about what other fanfiction writers are doing, because having a unique style is a good thing. If you sound like every other author, that's how people will see you -- as just one of the masses. Write in the style you enjoy, and people will notice your passion and love for your craft.

If you haven't written a lot in general and are just starting out with writing altogether, READ A LOT, all the time. Read good literature, like the old classics. Read YA fantasy. Read graphic novels. Read everything. You can't write if you haven't read first, even if what you're writing for is a movie or show. It's like deciding to paint a picture of a shark, even though the only description you've ever heard of it is that it has sharp teeth and is long and bluish-gray with fins. Yeah, you might end up with a blob-type shape that maybe could be interpreted as an abstract shark, but in order to paint a realistic shark you need to have examined all its sides and colors and shapes and movements. You have to know the shark like the back of your hand. You can't learn anything about writing by watching movies. You need to know how stories are structured in a word format before trying to put it all together yourself.

And if you've written a lot before but are just starting out in the fanfiction world, I would just say that fandom is a totally weird and different beast altogether. Post small things, post big projects, and realize that not everything is going to be popular. Find the joy in the craft itself and see the recognition as the cherry on top.

Find a niche and explore it!! Dig into a couple of key moments of the piece of media you're creating for, and really expand and explore the themes there.

And in the end, just write because you love the media, and nothing else. If you fall out of love with the book/movie/show, it's OKAY to stop writing for it. You are NOT a failure for putting a fanfic on hiatus for a long time. You're not getting paid for it, and fans are not entitled to you slapping together a halfhearted ending to something you don't feel passionate about anymore. Leave the door open to finish it the right way in case you come back to the fandom and want to pick up where you left off. We're all just human, and obsessions come and go.

Write because you love to write, and try not to worry about the nitty gritty of it all.

---

questions for fic writers

[grassbreads]

Hey btw I'm gonna try and take a break from tumblr for a while to focus on some irl projects. Y'all have full license to yell at me if you see me online lmao