#SORRY FOR THE RAMBLE

[soos6-8]

Holy. Fucking. Shit. This insight and perspective just re-contextualized countless aspects of our life up until know. This was the undertow we’ve felt, that’s kept us cautious to not get swept up by it, in every social interaction with people we weren’t yet close enough to for them to understand what’s going through our brain in the past I don’t know how many years. To come off as harmless as possible. Because of course we don’t fucking want to come off as potentially dangerous. As worse than the hypothetical bear.

We want to be friends with guys without having to be united against some common enemy; whether it be schoolwork, sports, or some greater cause. We just want friends to love and hang out with. We want to be friends with girls without having to be vetted by the council. We just want friends to love and hang out with. We want to be friends with everybody in between and beyond without having to prove that we don’t despise them for who they are. We just want friends to love and hang out with. To be a safe space for. To not have to worry as much about the undertow around.

But unfortunately that’s not the world we live in. People wear their armor for a DAMN good reason. Boys have been conditioned out of platonic love for one another. And people can’t read minds.

As someone with autism, one of our biggest fears is being perceived as something we’re not because of, for the lack of a better term, a mis-input. Our whole life, social interactions have been equations than can be solved with the right formulas under the right conditions. Our only way of learning those correct formulas was by trial and error. A metric shit ton of error. Every conversation was a question of probability. Probability of success was (and still is) inversely proportional to how familiar we are with the formulas we’re using. Highest probability of success goes to the most reserved, neutral, and calculated-as-being-well-received conversation choices. Needless to say, it’s really fucking hard for us to show platonic affection with people, because being raised as a boy in the ever-so-homophobic south, where you were called a slur for being emotionally vulnerable and publicly incentivized out of platonic boy-girl relationships, we’re not too familiar with those formulas.

One wrong number, one errant word, could spin our attempt to broker a platonic relationship into us just flat out seeming like a creep. And we think we’re smart enough to properly represent ourselves—it’s gotten easier to infer people’s reactions to things and adjust accordingly, and we’ve gotten better at flat-out communicating—but Jesus H Christ does that aforementioned undertow feel like a fucking riptide sometimes.

One silver lining, however, is that finally understanding and being able to externalize those challenges makes the friendships we Have made all the more goddamn special to us. We Do have friends that we can just fucking hang out with. Friends that don’t feel the need to have their guard up around us. Friends that recognize us as a safe space for them to be themselves. And that genuinely means more to us than we will ever be able to tell them in a lifetime.

Still bothered by the US cultural idea that men can only be non-romantically intimate with one another in war-like or competitive circumstances.

[balimaria]

one day, I will set this right

[pupbabyyy]

Spring nostalgia mood board cus it’s starting to get warm n I miss bein a kid in the spring n how fun it was

[jonnywaistcoat]

When writing, did you ever suffer from a fear or underdelivering or misrepresenting a topic? If you did, how did you overcome it? I enjoy writing but rarely bring it to the public out of fear that I am either not doing good enough or badly portraying the themes or aspects of what I write.

Absolutely, and on the one hand it's a very healthy fear - it prompts you to do your research and be thoughtful in how you write. On the other hand you've just got to accept that occasionally it will happen. Inculturation is a hell of a thing, and leaves us all with a thousand kneejerk preconceptions and perceptions of the world, some benign and some downright awful. And sometimes they crop up no matter how thoughtful you try to be. And you gotta understand that when it happens and people call you on it, you just have to take your lumps and learn what you can from it.

It doesn't help, of course, that the words you write are only ever half of what your audience reads: five people reading the same book are reading five different books, each filtering the text through a lifetime of psychology and experience. And they will find themes and problems in there you never even considered, and they will also find resonances and beauty in your work that you could never have foreseen.

At the end of the day, writing stuff thats meaningful to you (hell, writing anything at all) is a messy, bruising business, and anybody who tells you there are simple solutions or clear rules to follow is either lying to you or to themselves.

But you can't let it paralyse you. Its like if you're playing football and you're worried about falling over. It's a reasonable fear and you should do your best to avoid it, but occasionally it's gonna happen, and unless you want to spend the whole game just standing still in a field, you've kinda just got to get on with it. Just try not to be one of those writers who's always taking dives and... screaming for the ref to get a free kick? Hm. That analogy may have gotten away from me. I don't actually know much about football.

Point is, I'm aware that this isn't the most reassuring writing advice I've ever given, but yeah, its a messy, scary business. Just do your best. Be thoughtful. Be kind. And always do your research.

[pigeonkill-pile]

Squirrelflight Squirrelstar

[mint-termsandconditions]

Random subject,

but I need someone to make a video essay about the bastardization of female characters and the woobification of male characters in media/fandom spaces

because I think it’s a really interesting subject that probably stems from biases that plague our society

from

“He’s such a silly little guy.”

to

Literally calling fictional female characters worse than Hitler or something

Like, I feel like people talk about specific characters but not the topic as a broader subject

I feel like there’s so much to talk about

but I don’t have the elegance, critical thinking skills, the experience, or consume enough media to talk about this

So anyone who’s reading this please, please make a video essay about it

Or make one arguing against it idk

I just need a good video essay to watch while doing homework

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

Also. Solar why did you suggest cohering Sun for blackmail first?!?

I miss your compassion man, you used to be cool

Dude, I actually feel so bad for sun after today’s ep

SOPILERS AHEAD

So at the end they just shoved a sponge into his back to fix it????? That sounds like something the US health care system would do/jk

bro they just left him to panic at the end bc THEY WANTED TO WATCH TV???????

although moon getting overprotective over sun when he was powered off was cute

also sun going through all those uhh… phases? Was so funny

I loved how he kinda crashed out about how he takes care of the house, while moon solar annd Monty do nothing, and said “oh what now Monty? You want to ask for my blessing to marry earth?” Or the “you better go clean your ur filth off my sister”

DUDE I feel so bad for him but at the same time I’m worried for what the consequences of having a sponge in his back will be… especially next to something that’s supposed to spread oil around his body? If oil gets in that sponge it’s gonna inflate, prob push the part out of place, and temporarily paralyze him…

[sparrowlucero]

just curious, why oviraptorids for your silurians?

oh I definitely tossed around a few different ideas before the oviraptors, they just ended up feeling the most right to me. here's something that could almost pass for a design process:

The first shot at a silurian I did was this tuatara redesign of the original fish guys; i didn't really like it as it doesn't feel very evocative of the original to me (the fact that they're going for "black lagoon fish man" does not jell with how subsequent designs are lizard people, and I just couldn't marry those two things well here) (also, wow, I hadn't even rewatched surface (2005) at this point, goes to show how much of a throttle that's had on my design sensibilities for the past 20 years)

I think the second was this (sort of) prosauropod, after a friend informed me that the species is canonically meant to be prosauropods (sure jan). This wasn't a super serious design, I drew it in like 5 minutes for my friends (I did consider prosauropods seriously later on, but never drew any concepts past this)

When I was looking through my folders I found this drawing next to the last, where its just the humanoid silurians but with feathers. pretty sure this was just meant to be exactly what you'd expect a feathered design would have been on the bbc in 2011. I don't remember drawing this, but here it is for posterity.

the next (actually somewhat serious) attempt made them weird raptors; at this point I was actively trying to give them a flat, owl-like face so they were evocative of the humanoid designs in the show. I really wanted them to feel like generic spec bio dinosaur people of the 2020s (a tongue in cheek update to them being generic spec bio dinosaur people for the 1970s) and this kind of has that vibe, but I didn't think it looks great; something about it feels very non expressive and kind of forced to me. (The kea-inspired colors stuck around though.)

later I revamped that sketch and added a cassowary-esque crest (you can see the one in the frilly clothes here is just that first design with a crest tacked on).

I also doodled an oviraptorid version in the corner while I had dinosaurs with crests in mind; I ended up really liking how much that looked almost human in profile, so I ended up fleshing that out more:

This looked way more expressive and bespoke to me, and felt the most evocative of the original humanoid designs (somehow), while still looking like a real dinosaur species instead of a totally made up one

so yeah the oviraptors ended up sticking around at that point - they just clicked way more than any of the other attempts!

[sobsel]

Okay but Sirius and Lily who had an extremely close sibling-like bond? Like, full on big brother-little sister dynamic between them.

Sirius and Lily who are mean to each other, calling each other names and picking arguments over the stupidest most insignificant things, only to turn around and be laughing and joking together not even twenty minutes later. People will genuinely think they can't stand each other, but really they're best friends who will always have each others backs no matter what.

Sirius and Lily who can be open and vulnerable with each other in a way they can't be with their other friends, because they're the only ones who know what it's like to watch your relationship with your blood sibling crumble right in front of you. They're the only ones who understand the grief of that, the anger and regret, how it feels to have so much love for someone who won't accept it anymore.

Sirius and Lily who give that love to each other instead. Who help each other move on, who listen to each others thoughts — no matter how cruel or selfish they might sound — without judgement. Who remind each other that it's okay to hate them, or miss them, or wish they'd never been brothers/sisters at all.

Sirius and Lily who both understand that blood isn't always thicker than water. Sirius and Lily who help each other learn to be okay with that, because chosen family can be more loyal than the one you're born into.

[wild-fleurs]

This may be an unpopular opinion but I don’t think Shawn should have ever told Juliet he wasn’t psychic if I was Shawn maybe I’d triple down on the lie or explain it away somehow eg ‘my visions were cloudy so I had to get more information to confirm the hazy things I was seeing’ ect

I’d never actually admit it even/especially to Juliet

(I get it IRL it’s terrible to keep such a secret but IRL there’s no coming back from two people with that level of foundational lie & reveal/fallout - IRL Juliet would have either turned him in or transferred out IMO)

I haven’t rewatched in a while but I was thinking about it & I truly think when it get a down to it Juliet was partly so hurt because she truly believed he was psychic

Nobody but Juliet believes him even if they play along & I think she was more hurt to find out that she was wrong/that everyone else knew & would then feel embarrassed for believing

Gus: actively helps sell the lie/deception - he’s a co-conspirator/accomplice lol

Henry: knows he’s not & disapproves but part of him is proud he’s at least using the skills he taught him, he helps investigatively not ‘psychically’ so to speak

Chief Vick: 100% knows he’s not but pretends to buy it because she wants plausible deniability & wants to use his skills to her advantage to solve cases & can only do that by “believing”

Lassiter: not just a sceptic/knows he’s not & for a while actively tries to expose Shawn & arrest him but comes to respect his insight even though he hates his antics & wishes they didn’t need Shawn so much because of how much he values his job & the rules of his job which Shawn & psychics in general don’t

Also I want to point out Abigail while not a main character is the only other real love interest Shawn had (from what I remember? I need a rewatch) & she didn’t seem to believe truly he was psychic but was impressed with his party trick stuff/personality but not his ‘powers’ + she knew him before his psychic detective career & the psychic part of his psychic detective career wasn’t an issue for them lol

Apart from the female front desk cop in the pilot Juliet is the only one who truly believes Shawn is a psychic I don’t even think Lucinda (Lassiter’s ex girlfriend/ex partner from the pilot) believed he was psychic even when she was in the ‘Juliet role’ so to speak

I think she just saw Shawn had insights/info they could use & was more receptive to help in general even if from a ‘psychic’ than Lassie

Buzz might have truly believed but he also might just go with the flow & isn’t a main character like Juliet is

But for real when was Shawn supposed to tell Juliet? There was never a good outcome

She met him when he was already working as an established psychic consultant for SBPD

Does he tell her pre dating? When she’s just started a new job & her partner doesn’t like him & she’d be more likely to turn him in to cement the important bond with her partner over the consultant who flirts with her? Not smart

If I was Juliet & Shawn had said ‘hey I’m the psychic consultant at your new job also I think you’re hot we should date by the way I’m a fake psychic’ I’d be freaked out/turned off & turn him in or avoid him

& it’s not first date conversation with all their build up to get to a date just to throw it away with ‘hey I’m not psychic?’

Imagine it while the waiter is bringing your food out all of a sudden you ruin the date/relationship/your career/open yourself up to criminal charges & drag your BFF down too because then what? No second date & no job

Anytime after that once the relationship is solid the problem of the relationship being built on a lie & waiting too long is in play

If Juliet didn’t believe the reveal wouldn’t have been such a big problem or not in the same way/intensity IMO

[rileymorph]

Blue & Vio duo and Green & Red duo are sooooo good and amazing cuz like

Blue & Vio is unstoppable force (Blue) vs immovable object (Vio), which is like so many good rivals to bffs moments. I think they both mask haaarddd too, just very differently. they actually share a lot of similar insecurities & emotional struggles. So it makes them more empathetic & open towards each other. they argue way more in front of others cuz their masks clash, but when they are alone, they're actually a bit more intimate cuz they can more easily drop those masks

Green & Red is so super good for kinda opposite reasons. they kinda have a positive loop dynamic. they are constantly encouraging and reassuring towards each other, which obv encourages and reassures the other. if Red is down, Green will cheer him up. if Green is frustrated, Red will listen to him vent. they are more comfortable with their own emotions which makes it easier for them to communicate. plus I think they also rlly appreciate each other's warmer demeanors (look who they have to deal with)

[fangswbenefits]

Occasionally, I'll remember I've read masterpieces written by fanfic authors that I will forever carry with me and that have shaped me into the writer I am today.

Not enough love is given to fanfic writers.

We do it all for free, and we get to touch so many hearts and make someone's day better with words.

So when people complain when we ask for engagement and feedback, try to remember that the written word carries a power that is seldom matched.

Ask yourself why you're reading fanfiction in the first place.

To feel.

To love a character through the words of someone else who is able to bring them to life in a way that allows them to take root in your heart and feel an immense sense of gratification and passion.

They live through you because someone out there decided to sit down, click their pen and put into words how much that character means to them.

And they will mean so much more to you because of that.

And that is fucking powerful and priceless.

[alienaee]

Happy pride month! 🧡💛🤍🩵💙

Happy pride :)

[hellbubu]

There's something so funny (at least to me and not in a haha way but in damn) about the fact that Brocedes still lives in the same building. Especially post-2016.

Imagine this:

You're coming back home from a bad race (maybe the car isn't good or maybe the pit time wasn't good or whatever), and you're in a bad mood, and the elevator dings and out comes your best friend. No, your former best friend. Your former rival. Your former anything but a lover.

From the other perspective, you want to go for a walk. Maybe a deal fell through. Maybe you're feeling lonely. And the elevator opens to reveal your ex-best friend. Your always best friend. Your anything but a lover. And you want to say hi. But it'll feel weird to just try to talk to him after that whole shit-show. But also, just walking past would be rude. So you decide to act like you didn't see him and he does the same.

Imagine swimming— because it's hot, because you want to relax, because it reminds you of someone— and you feel a gaze on your back. You know who it is, how couldn't you? But you don't dare try to even look in that direction because it'll hurt. It always does.

Imagine sitting on your balcony, watching your ex-friend— but he isn't, because you'll always be friends in your heart —swim. It reminds you of back when you used to talk. Of back when you were friends. It reminds you of simpler times when you both still had each other.

[creativesplat]

A doodle of Link and Mipha defeating a Lynel from @only-by-the-stars wonderful fic Song of a Champion!

So this battle was beautifully fluid and the description of the two working perfectly in sync was just breathtaking. I decided to try and illustrate the scene, and I really enjoyed it, (it gave me an awesome excuse to read the scene very carefully and with an eye to the visual which I only really do if I'm going to draw it, and its always so fun to do)!

I couldn't get this image of Link parrying to open a space for Mipha to attack out of my brain because of the fluidity with which they both fought together just felt like that probably happened. I don't know about you, but I just saw them fighting as though they were in a dance, even though Mipha is so firm on her lack of ability and Link's superior skill, I bet he was entranced by her too!

Link's outfit is the stripped back version of the Soldier's Armour Set from BoTW, as though he took off the particularly intense or cumbersome pieces before coming to meet with Mipha, which I thought might be a good nod both his desire for familiarity with Mipha and to Mipha's concern for his safety and frustration with perceived arrogance. He's not even properly equipped and yet he says he can and will fight this Lynel alone.

on Mipha's end, I decided to go for a yellow glow, to not only pin her as the most key character in this scene - she is the central protagonist after all - but also to show that she is actually 100 years in the future, and this is her sinking back into the past, in her memory.

In the beautiful way only-by-the-stars creates a story, I fell into this memory description as well, and I love the conflict and emotion in this, so yeah, just a little note on the writing, but honest to goodness, give this a read!

Other composition ideas:

the original idea was to have something a little more like this:

with a more fluid attack from Mipha and I think overall this would have served the scene better now that I've finished 😅, but I also wanted the impression that it was Mipha's memory, you're seeing this through her eyes, so having her facing away from you connects you more I think, it feels more like she's witnessing it if its from her perspective.

so this, from Mipha's perspective, whilst a little less easy to understand visually, would have given the whole thing the fluidity I wanted the piece to have originally.

Anyway that's my two pence, and I hope you go and read Star's fic!

[itsahotminuteinbetween]

I'm so sorry the first thought that came into my head when I saw the snakes was sewing tiny hats for each of them. I think they'd certainly appreciate the sentiment :)

Gorgon!Eclipse is by @naffeclipse!