#actually i wrote a bunch of stuff in the tags but theres too much. i have too much to say so im just gonna leave it be

[eggsplice]

whyd you have to do all that man

[sorugao-bandgeek]

Got tagged by @hopeswriting and thought it'd be fun to do. also forgive, my computer is awful slow right now so I am struggling to link stuff

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

i have 21 works

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

431, 934

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Accomodations, We Are Two, you have my love, Inquisitor: I am Not, and Aisle 2

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

Depends on the comment, sometimes i respond, but most times i'm kinda like 'ehhhh I'll do that later' and then i forget

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

i don't think i have a fic with a angsty ending?

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

probably any oneshot with Ushijima :3

7. Do you write crossovers?

yes, currently its a HP/KHR one that I want to finish but i've been lagging it.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I think someone once complained about how I was writing a story and I thought it was pretty rude so I was just like "just exit out? you don't have to read this dude" and then I deleted the comment cause wtf. honestly if yall don't like something just hit that backspace, theres no point in making yourself miserable and then being a dick

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

Yes, its not so descriptive and I try to show feelings more than anything else...so lime? i don't know honestly

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope!

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope!

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

It's from Naruto but ShikaTema is top tier, not that I have openly ever said that, but they belong together forever and always

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

my fear in general is just never finishing my stories, which is a bunch of them on ff.net

15. What are your writing strengths?

fluffy, homey, domestic moments. sweet, tooth rotting stuff. (tbh i just wanna be held so that yearning translates waaaaay to well into my writing)

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

actually sitting down to write. naah but honestly, I think I struggle, especially with my long fics, keeping things tied together? I tend to bounce around too much

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Italics is the way, but only after I write the language but also finding the write translation site to use said language.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

either naruto or bleach

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

jujutsu kaisen, i'm stewing on an idea i have, but it really has to be a oneshot cause long chapter stories, i cannnooottt anymore

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

we are two, it is my pride and joy even though sometimes I wish I can convince myself to delete it off the face of the planet. I'm doing a different version of it though, so I am excited to start posting that

I tag: @what-the-fic-khr, @romancedeldiablo, @sweetcandyliar-writes,

[yeoldontknow]

❧ check in tag

tagged by the sweetest angel @propinqxity to do this little tag. this is such a cute list of questions, and some of these i dont think ive been asked before. thank you so much for the tag and the tumblr crush mention lovely. you truly are a bright spot on this website and i mean that sincerely <333

going under a cut because im certain i will ramble ~

1. Why did you choose this url?

its sort of like a pun between yall dont know and the fact that, hopefully, sincerely, chanyeol does not in fact know that i run this blog lmao i changed to this after a long time of being bread-jinie and i wanted to rebrand. i will, however, do my best to never change URLs again because the masterlist switch over was a complete hassle

2. Any sideblogs? If you have them, name them and why you have them

i have a fic recs blog called @yeoldontknowiread. as to why i have it, i know it hasnt been updated in ages since ive been kind of on hiatus, but i think reading and sharing work on this platform is immensely important. i actually read quite a lot of fanfiction, and i try my best to share the things i read. im very very behind on recs at the moment cause i try my best to write something substantial for every recommendation i make. as a writer, i know exactly the kinds of thoughts and feedback on fics that make my heart soar so i try to put in the same energy to my recs. community is only fostered when there is reciprocation

3. How long have you been on Tumblr?

hmmm since april 2017. i actually had my 4 year anniversary this year and i did have plans for things but i got roped into real life things and couldnt celebrate the way i truly wanted to :(

4. Do you have a queue tag?

no but sometimes i think i should. i view tags as a library on top of my knee jerk response to things. most of my tags are just my initial thoughts or feelings at any given moment, so those take precedence over a specific queue tag

5. Why did you start your blog in the first place?

when i was getting into exo, i was reading fanfiction like crazy. i used to write fanfic quite a lot in other fandoms, but at that time i hadnt written anything in about 2.5 years. exo was the first re-introduction to that feeling of excitement and inspiration. after about 3 weeks of straight reading, i decided i wanted to write again. i wrote the prologue to hero in about two hours and tried logging into AO3 to post it. sadly i forgot all of my log in information because it had been years, and was getting frustrated. i really wanted to put it somewhere out of fear that id lose interest if i didnt do something with it, and everything id read had been on tumblr. so i made a tumblr just to put hero lmao i didnt have any mutuals. it was a blog with straight 0. i hadnt even created an account to interact with writers before that moment, i really thought id be a silent reader forever. but exo woke me back up and for that i am eternally grateful.

6. Why did you choose your icon?

the yours music video is...so stunning? like the colour theory throughout the whole thing is truly so inspiring and gorgeous. and this shot of chanyeol looking at the painting took my breath away, truly. tulips and the color of peach, like do you know how evocative that is? ugh

7. Why did you choose your header

my header was made by @jamaisjoons for my birthday this year because shes literally the most talented person when it comes to graphics. and this was so kind of her to do, i cried a lot

8. What's your post with the most notes?

uhm....either the body through time or truth i cant remember which but i checked recently and its one of those

9. How many mutuals do you have?

honestly at this point im not even sure. i know ive lost a bunch while i was on hiatus because i was basically a dead blog, and some people do dash cleanses. and im certain others have left, too, for their own reasons. still, i have a good core of friends though who are active and that is enough for me

10. How many followers do you have?

more than i probably deserve

11. How many people do you follow?

399

12. Have you ever made a shitpost?

uhm i guess? there was a time when nng was not updated and every wednesday id post the days go by music video in sadness and grief but im not a big shitposter. if i make a text post its usually a life update or me crying about chanyeol, theres no inbetween lmao

13. How often do you use Tumblr every day?

tbh i havent used tumblr that often, not since march i think. i used to use it many times a day, checking in on friends and stuff, but once i started focusing on my phd applications i was only here sporadically. i didnt make an announcement either, just let my blog run on queue so i wasnt totally gone. i think i was checking in twice a week or maybe once every two weeks to refill my queue and check mentions etc. but now that my interviews are done im trying to get back on here daily to reconnect

14. Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once? Who won?

ive had my share of disagreements with people and any details about those situations shall remain as they are meant to: private

15. How do you feel about "you need to reblog this" posts?

in what context? like, you need to reblog this or your wish wont come true? or like, please reblog this to spread the word/spread awareness, etc? in the case for the former, i scroll right by. in the case of the latter, if im around and see someone raising a go fund me or some major event is occurring and i find a post with good sources or charities i will reblog. mostly though, the full extent my activism isnt really on this blog. its my escape from reality. my activism is usually placed on other platforms.

16. Do you like tag games?

i doooo!!! theyre so fun i love learning about my friends

17. do you like ask games?

i love those too! theyre so cute and usually a nice way to have interaction immediacy with people in the community

18. Which of your mutuals do you think is Tumblr famous?

no one. can we please abandon this notion of fame on tumblr? arent we all here to write about some dick and some smut and some fluff and then hang out together and log off? lmao tumblr isnt reality and followers/fame is so arbitrary on this platform, no one has any control over any of it

19. Do you have a crush on a mutual?

i am in love with so many people here. let me name a few:

@yehet-me-up @kyungseokie @jenmyeons @j-pping @jamaisjoons @inkedtae @kookdiaries @yoonia @dulcetvk @kithtaehyung @imdifferentshadesofpurple @ditzymax @sugaurora @sahmbtsficrecs @junghelioseok @yeojaa @augustbutwinter @joonscore @btssavedmylifeblr @cutechim @sunshinekims @kimtaehyunq @ouvuo @delhyun @exo-stentialism @sooibian @softyoongiionly @jinseunie @zibermuda @bratkook @1kook @luffles424 @xjoonchildx

and so many other people and mutuals that i am certainly forgetting. love is such an expansive feeling, and it encompasses platonic ardor and creative desire. i admire every single person listed for so many different reasons, and cherish and treasure them or what they provide to the community. love is such an important and broad experience. truly, i hope they feel adored every single day x

[melforbes]

ask meme. what if. patching up. no I still haven’t seen source material

the way i completely forgot about this ask until i wrote like two paragraphs in this and was like oh shit lmao

the source material is getting an hbo series bb you're in luck also ignore anna whatever as tess yes i respect her as an actress yes she is talented in a bunch of things i have not seen but ms annie wersching is the only tess in my heart and also if i have to endure tess being reduced to a powerbitch stereotype i will start foaming at the mouth. but also i have no feelings about this whatsoever <3

WHAT IF: i will pick an important choice or event in my current project and write three sentences (or more?) about if it’d gone done differently

hmmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMMMm

this is hard because i kind of had a stupid amount of confidence in the decisions i had them make in this and because i have ~a lot of experience~ in flying by the seat of my pants with writing lmaooooo a lot of the time with this ive had some degree of foresight when it comes to certain plot decisions. the only reason i have this in the first place is that with other things ive had kind of sort of plot revelations and then been like "well if i'd set that up three chapters ago it would have a huge impact i think but instead i guess it's just going in this one for a smaller impact" so i think i learned my lesson haha. also because this pairing nowadays has a small and sparse tag i really intentionally put in stuff to make it interesting (maybe the wrong word) to reread. like not Interesting interesting but i wanted there to be certain details that are more relevant on a reread than on an initial read because whenever i read stuff in small tags i tend to read it Multiple Times lmaoooooo and it's like if anyone like me is out there I Will Feed You. I Will Give You Food. you see i have this problem in which im like i dont want to act like i put thought into this because That's Embarrassing and i also dont want to seem like i take this too seriously because That's Embarrassing and also i dont want to act uppity or pompous or something But At The Same Time i do put a lot of thought into certain things and i feel like mentioning that and i dont really want to judge myself for that. it's complicated but also super uncomplicated. where was i going with this

OH right. so most of the plot decisions were made super concretely. like pre breakup arc in the nightmares chapters (which came out so much worse than i intended alkdjksjad;glksjg) when tess and joel talk about ellie Knowing (also legit it is such a trip to me that you dont know the context of that. a trip in a good way) she says we every time and he only ever says i even when she points out that this would affect both of them, and at one point i think he says that tess doesnt understand baseless violence which is 100% untrue, and then there's a bunch of window imagery i put in starting there because im a freak. so like For Once In My Life a lot of this was as planned as it could be. on occasion there's been Plot Revelations that get wedged in (the radio interlude chapter, which was a bit of an inelegant seam between prewritten things that didnt mesh well) but for the most part ive got tits out into every decision. like tess and ellie disagreeing about joel's choice was very planned though i imagine that kind of conversation could be executed many different ways i had my one way and stuck to it. so either way

where was i going with this. did i have a point.

OKAY. let's see. i think one of the big ~emotional beats~ so to speak was the ambush chapter and i think that's the favorite because that's usually where people comment if i remember correctly and initially i wasnt going to go with that tone At All haha. years ago i wrote everyday domestic scenes of mulder and scully from x files and had it all on this blog and it was plotless but largely in the same overarching universe (i say as if it was legit ever That Deep) and after writing this as a oneshot and being like you know? Kind of feel like doing that again. i figured i would just follow the same largely plotless path of legit just domesticity and leave it at that. and i think the first like five chapters are tonally different from the rest because i'd never really intended for it to have plot or really any depth whatsoever. in the end like. How do i say this in a way that wont be interpreted as uppity or something asldkjgalsdgjk like. when i did those mulder scully scenes i was very much a beginner and i think i didnt realize just how inherent that beginner-ness was to the concept itself. which isnt a bad thing! like people had fun with those so far as i remember. bizarrely enough i think people might still read those which. cringe. but you kno!!! but with a few years of distance from that kind of concept i think it was hard for me to Not try something else. especially with this universe in which it's just dense with storytelling opportunity. and also i felt as if the first few chapters were just like super super lighthearted and i wanted some angst factor. which is why in the end the angst factor plot itself is flimsy as fuck. like i did not care WHY they got attacked i just wanted that sweet sweet hurt/comfort cup of tea u feel. and after that i didnt really go for the plot too much But i did edge toward it a lot more. like i mean ultimately this is a romance like it was not intended to be plot heavy ever But it's more plot heavy than it couldve been. had i actually written it as i'd intended from the start i think it wouldve gotten old really fast. like nothing but lighthearted domesticity doesnt make sense in this context. for the first few chapters it doesnt necessarily kill the whole thing imo because like. that's the first few chapters. but after then if there was never any ~deeper thoughts~ i think it wouldve gotten reductive super fast.

hmmm what else. Because i am deciding to talk too much on the internet now.

oh in theory the whole breakup arc couldve been omitted and now in retrospect im like it's hilarious that like the next chapter after they got married i immediately peppered in hints that they would break up lkajsdglaksjgdlkj like wow. That lasted a long time. but like i mean i think with them it fits that they would do something like get married before they even said that they loved each other. like i can see them doing a massive workaround instead of doing a small and simple but vulnerable thing. makes sense 2 me. and like they definitely couldve stuck together in the end but 1 theres interesting storytelling in how maybe joel was too stubborn or maybe they grew apart in certain ways or blah blah blah and 2 I JUST LOVE A GOOD BREAKUP AND THEN RETURNING TO EACH OTHER ARC OKAAAAAAAAAY. legit. favorite trope. if i ever experienced that in real life i would claw my eyes out but in fiction it makes me FERALLLL. and also like i mean i lov these two for their dumb quirks but also like it would be a lil wrong to say there wouldnt be consequences for like. Not communicating haha. also again like the world this game is put in is so full of storytelling opportunities and im like Must Take Them All. like joel is stubborn as hell and shuts down when he's overwhelmed and there is growth in the first game (and in the second too but thats not really shown as much and is more left for the player to fill in the gaps i think) but also i think it would be super easy to regress in that sense and i had fun with putting him in those situations. and it's also super fun to have an additional person for the joel and ellie plots to bounce off of. like joel and ellie are two very stubborn people and having an extra person there to be like You Blithering Idiots has been a good time. im getting sidetracked. like it was fun to answer the question of how these two in a marriage neither of them can fully substantiate would communicate in hard times and the answer i personally found was that they both would end up breaking things. which was fun to write!!!!!!!!! but in theory couldve been prevented. maybe i just cant imagine this a different way haha. like Joel And Tess Learn Healthy Communication Skills Over Time. am i mean for saying that doesnt sound probable aldskjgalskdjgslkgj

OH LMAO THE MARRIAGE PART. that was also a big decision i guess. i wouldnt make it go differently alksdjglasdjg like. i definitely couldve written the context around that many different ways bc again this whole is full of opportunity But a frankly premature wedding just feels right to me. especially with like going from being stuck on survival to being safe for the first time in decades. and then having that sense of safety get boring and wondering why there was that super fast wedding in the first place. cant really imagine it going differently

there is later unposted stuff that could def have gone many different ways and that i tried to make go different ways but that would not be right to talk about akldsjaslkgdjsg so.

this got too long sorry <3

[supercantaloupe]

tagged by @mordredmanor​ for a WIP meme! tysm!!

Rules: Below are the names of all the files in my WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. If you send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you, I’ll post a little snippet or tell you something about it!

i have a bunch of different folders for different fandoms:

kiddos (fantasy high) - let’s just ignore the fact that literally everything fh-related i’ve written or planned so far is abernant-centric, shall we

“no name for this yet” - aka a flat out lie, because it’s now called “The Disappearance of Adaine Abernant” and i currently have 9 chapters up on ao3 and never updated the google doc title lol. i plan on finishing this one very soon!!

“let's ignore the other wip i have to finish for now shall we” - aka the first chapter i wrote for a concept au in which adaine is discovered as the oracle at the beginning of freshman year. naturally it starts in media res and explains almost no context. maybe one day i’ll write more?

“theres a war going on out there somewhere and adaine isnt here“ - also subtitled “this is ooc now that ive seen s2e10 but whateveer”, not strictly a WIP but a one-shot i wrote almost immediately after watching s2e9 and talking about it with my friend. fully 4.4k speculation on what would come next that will probably never see the light of day

greeks (hadestown) - this is in fact still a theater blog and here is my proof

“science SHIT” - a portal au i would love to finish writing some day if i ever found the motivation for it again

“spaaaaace” - an au based on the martian that i mostly started writing over long-ass plane rides last summer, will probably not be continued

yeehaw (oklahoma!) - i am nothing if not the self-proclaimed queen of fic for this 77 year old musical 

“eye see” - uh oh someone got stabbed!

“loopy” - a ghd inspired au i don’t know if i’ll return to or not but really liked the concept of??

“oklahomos” - pretty clear, i think. they’re gay now

“road trippin” - okay i wrote most of the above last year and it turns out i was not naming things very creatively back then

“starlight” - aka the only one of these i actually do still really want to finish because i’m like 13 chapters deep and there’s so much more i have planned!! when will my inspiration return to me!!

i also have a catch-all folder for misc one-shots and original (nonfandom) works including some oc stuff, some poetry, a fairytale, etc. also an original epilogue to Moby Dick, don’t look at me

not written yet but stuff i am thinking about writing at some point includes a fh fic about an interscholastic competition a la mathletes and mock trial, a fic about aelwyn going to college, and a long multichapter fic basically retelling sophomore year from the antagonists’ perspective (do NOT expect this one anytime soon. i’m doing research first.) possibly a fh otgw au? probably something for unsleeping city once i get further into the season, maybe something for pirol if the inspiration strikes? (i’m always open to writing prompt ideas and such!)

i’m not gonna tag anyone i think bc i don’t know that many fic writers to tag but! anyone who wants to do this too can feel free to!

[akechicrimes]

apologies for responding to ur tags in an ask of all things fdsjhfjs and thank you for the comment about the nature of confidants reflecting the kind of city loneliness id never thought of that and its really interesting but i just,,,feel like p5's cast re: their group dynamic doesnt do much to actually further their characters. theres very little main plot conflict besides okumura which is a manufactured one which opens up discussion for a divide or conflict in opinion (1)

[original post here] [my tags here]

omg dont apologize this all incredibly good!!! honestly right back at u because i hadnt really thought about what was so blase about the phantom thieves group dynamics before until you started pointing out the lack of conflict!!

i know i sort of semi-defended the value of p5′s social link system, but i’ve been chewing on the word u used in these asks (”stagnant”) so im just gonna, ramble a bit, and try and fiddle a bit with some of the stuff u brought up

the p5 cast seems to get along mostly without any issues, like some kind of super-happy idealistic-world friend group? and like all the things that you mentioned about all the potential problems they could have with each other--all of those are reasonable and interesting and definitely would be a thing in a real friend group!! theyre breaking the law!!! theyre doing shady and immortal things!!! there was a whole rule where they agreed they had to agree unanimously on whether or not to take a target out, and that rule never ONCE got used as a point of conflict. they never ONCE had a hung jury. everyone just agreed and hopped into the metaverse, despite the fact that the cast is, by nature, a bunch of kids with strong opinions on how justice should work. 

but it’s like, this is a happy group of friends!! isn’t this a good thing? isn’t this the healthy ideal friendship models that we should be seeing in our literature?

the thing that i think is interesting about ur post is that with the way u lined it up, “stagnation” is the opposite of “conflict”? which is a true fact that i hadn’t thought about before, and why it’s a shame that (as u mentioned in ur original post) that tumblr is so conflict-averse. because it’s true!! conflict makes things--and PEOPLE--move and grow. a certain amount of conflict is healthy.

in contrast to p5, there’s a basic general direction of p3 in which the group goes from being a bunch of kids who kind of dislike each other to a bunch of kids who would kill and die and live for each other. and it’s not a happy game? or a happy situation? it’s not a feel-good situation? they’re certainly not an ideal group of friends. mitsuru holy fuck why did you think it would be a good idea to hide that from yukari. shinjiro i know ur protecting ken but also you’re seventeen?? 

and it’s because things are so bad in the friend group, it’s because they’re fighting and making bad decisions and fucking up and doing terrible things and sometimes fucking up and doing terrible things so hard that two characters perma-died in the process, it’s because of these conflicts that they learn and grow and become kinder people. so when they finally achieve friendship at the end of the game, it feels fuckin worth it. 

like, i do think the phantom thieves are friends................ but is it a friendship that’s, uh, worth much? if they didn’t really struggle for it? if they never fought and had meaningful conflict...? is it a happy ending with joker and his friends going on a road trip if everything was peaches and cream with joker and co from the beginning?

i wonder too if that has something to do with the fact that p3 was like, the game that atlus made when they were sure that the persona series was going to be cancelled, so they were like, well, fuck it, we’ll just tell exactly the story that we want to, and stories involve messy conflicts and characters who we wrote for us because we wanted to see these characters struggle and be real humans. where persona 5 seems to have been treated as “we need to do everything possible to make as much money off this thing as we can,” so the characters are less characters and more... marketable dolls. a product shaped like a person to be sold. 

the fact that they’re dolls means that it’s really fun to play dollhouse with them, kind of in the way that people ripped the heads off their barbies and simulated various cultish murder dramas with their barbies. but the fact is that the p5 cast is... just a series of character concepts that never went anywhere because there wasn’t any conflict that could motorize it.

[rosykims]

A-Z HEADCANONS // DUNCAN THEIRIN

i was tagged by @nordxz thanks so much tash !! i'm gonna answer this for duncan, my babey and the next gen son of alistair and ella cousland 😊😚😘

i snappped while answering these and accidentally wrote 6 pages and almost 4k words so uh. loooooong infodump ahead.

Alignment: What would be their D&D alignment? How might it come into play?

duncan very easily falls into the lawful neutral category, like i dont rly need to give his alignment too much thought unlike with some of my other ocs. duncan is.....hmm. hes a very KIND person, generous and selfless, and tries his best to make people happy, but i wouldn’t necessarily say he's good, considering a lot his issues lie with his inability to act, or stand up to others. he’s guilty of very blindly following the law, or other people's ideas of what's right, and he doesn't really feel confident enough to rely on his own conscience for most things. so i'd say while he tries to do the right thing and act within the law, sometimes he goes against his own values out of fear or confusion or, simply out of ignorance, since he was born into a life of privilege and can't always distinguish what's right and what’s believed ykno

Beverage: What do they most like to drink, and why?

duncan shares a weird trait with both his brother and sister where they all just inexplicably ?? don't like alcohol at all. so stuff like wine and liquors is off the table. he absolutely LOVES tea though. u know that one scene in scott pilgrim where the gal is going thru her list of like 72 teas? thats him 100%. it's his lifeblood at this point, he has SO much of it and a perk of being the heir to a monarchy means he's got a lot of foreign merchant acquaintances, so he tends to order in different blends from all over. he's a chronic insomniac, and he uses it as a crutch to get through the days some times. modern!duncan still loves tea but obviously has a stronger love for coffee, since its far more effective!

Co-Habitat: Do they live with anyone? What’s “need to know” before moving in?

duncan currently lives in the residential dorms of the college of enchanters, while he's sort of aimlessly studying a bunch of subjects he's already mostly adept at. firstly, duncan is VERY sick lol, he was conceived while ella and alistair still hadn't found the cure for the joining, and essentially he inherited both of their darkspawn taint so 🙂🙂🙂 thats always a good time. so anyone who lives with him needs to prepare for 1) him being sick obviously,, throwing up, coughing up blood, looking like a corpse virtually 23 hours of the day lol. and obviously the fear that one day he might actually die. but also 2) he suffers from grey warden nightmares for the same reasons, hence the insomnia. he can go a concerning number of days without sleeping and usually only takes strategic cat naps when he needs to, but obviously he has his limits. it's very rare that he goes a full night without waking up in a cold sweat due to nightmares so. we stan one depressed king ! oh he also is Incapable of locking the door to his apartment. he always forgets and hes too tired to care about people stealing his stuff fkdkdjdjd he would probably make more of an effort if he had someone living with him, but old habits die hard so !!!!!!

Decor: What kind of home do they keep? Are there any defining details?

honestly , duncan's house is very devoid of clutter or personal items in general, which is sad. he definitely would have a lot of decor if he could, but since his current housing is only temporary while he's in orlais, he doesn't really want to get... comfortable ykno. other than that, duncan's home is always kept impeccably neat and clean, for two reasons. firstly, growing up in denerim's palace really engrained into his head the importance of keeping up appearances, so its sort of a subconscious ritual of his at this point. but i think more importantly its because of all the nights when he cant sleep, so during the night with nothing to keep him from dwelling on his thoughts or nightmares, he really needs the distraction, and cleaning gives him something to do. duncan really needs to feel like he's doing something, like he's managing, like he's able to achieve something so cleaning is just one little way of taking ownership of his life.

Escape: What do they do to de-stress? How successful is it?

nsfw warning but uhhh..... he has a LOT of sex basically dkdkdksk u wouldn’t know it by looking at him tho ! bc hes very polite and nervous and kinda shy?? but hes also charming and obviously attractive so he doesnt really lack for interested parties. mainly he just sticks to one night stands, with no strings attached, and it helps him take his mind off things when hes exhausted or its late at night and hes afraid to go to sleep. otherwise he also has had some friends with benefits but usually his personal life is too complicated for a serious relationship. aside from that, he also reads a LOT, writes too – when he has the time/energy – and obviously cuddling sessions with his cat, moira dkdkdk

Fluff: What hits their soft spot? Does anything turn them into emotional goo?

so ik above i said that duncan doesnt do serious relationships but thats,, not through any will of his own. he LOVES love and is a complete hopeless romantic , but unfortunately for a number of reasons he's just very unlucky at love ! 😔 so having an emotional, intimate connection with someone that isnt just sex is super healing for him, since he's not used to it at all. being with nadaia is such a positive thing for him, just knowing that his feelings are reciprocated and that he's valued and wanted.

Grudge: How bad does an insult go over? Do they hold a grudge long?

i think it depends on who its directed at !! duncan usually ignores any insults directed at him because he's grown up being so scrutinized by the public and for the most part, fereldens are very weary of him so he hears A LOT. most of criticisms about him he just.. automatically accepts as fact and really buys into them, bc he has such low self esteem. but as for other people, and ESPECIALLY loved ones thats a very different story!! he's not exactly the type to start throwing punches if anyone says a bad word against someone he cares about, but he WILL personally see to it in his own sneaky way that they get whats coming to them dkdkkdjd usually he'll either find a way to expose their dirty laundry, embarrass them in public, prevent a promotion, something like that lol. this goes double if the insult is directed at nadaia or his family.

Hobby: What’s something they do for fun that might be surprising?

ive already mentioned that he's an avid reader and he likes to write occasionally, but he's also a talented musician! He can play harp and lute, and has a beautiful singing voice ! tho he never EVER sings in public and u have to be like,, a ride or die for him to even consider singing in front of u.

Insomnia: What’s their sleeping schedule like? Snorer? Sound sleeper?

well like i said he's an insomniac so sleep rly is a vague, barely recognised concept to him at the point dksksksk he also experiences sleep paralysis during especially bad nightmares, honestly he rly hit the misery jackpot and i feel so bad like hes indisputably my most tormented oc 🙃🙃🙃 so yea hehe doesnt really thrash around during nightmares but he sweats A LOT and sometimes talks in his sleep. during sleep paraylsis obviouslyy he goes COMPLETELY rigid and still which is terrifying for everyone involved lol. on the rare occasion that he is able to sleep he is out like a light lol he would sleep for 17 hours if he could. in saying that because he is also a Strategic Napper he is usually comfortable falling asleep ANYWHERE, because hes so tired comfort really isnt a concern lol.

Jaded: Do they buy into the “happily ever after” ideal? What’s their standard?

no he doesn't unfortunately 😔 or at least i should say he doesn't believe in it for himself - he's pretty convinced that he won't live til 30 and he's existing on borrowed time as it is, so he hasn't really put a lot of thought into his own happiness or the pursuit of his own goals because he doesn't believe he'll be around to see them realized

Kin: What’s their role among their relations? Do they consider others family?

duncan is the firstborn son of king!alistair and ella cousland, my canon warden. he's also the eldest brother to roslyn and bryce theirin. he's also, obviously , the half brother of keiran, tho none of the theirin kids are aware of that oof. his role, officially, is to become king when his parents eventually pass. its NOT something he wants, due to being so sick and unsure of himself. despite what his parents tell him, he doesnt believe he will make a good king and is really terrified of the notion in general, i guess a little like alistair was in dao. duncan kinda,,, avoids his duties, to the point where he literally LEAVES to live and study in orlais. he still does what he needs to do, keeps in correspondence with people he needs to, but its all bare minimum stuff because hes just. so afraid of it lol. he has a mostly good relationship with his family, despite that – theres some resentment between him and his sister, rose, but thats a whole entire story we dont have time for dkdkskdk

Law: What do they think about abiding rules? Are they selective about it?

like i said before he's pretty adherent to the rules and laws of society tho i do see that as more of a flaw than anything. he doesnt really feel comfortable stepping outside the norm and tends to accept that other people know best ! even if he disagrees he's usually too unsure of himself to speak up. that does change quite a bit once he and nadaia grow closer, since SHE is big on bending ridiculous or unjust rules, but he's always gonna be a bit of a follower i think 😒

Magic: In a magic series or not, are they accepting, or is each instance a shock?

he's accepting!! he's a mage so it would be wild of him if he didnt lmao. during his childhood/adolesence he was kinda harsh on himself and had a lot of internalized guilt for being a mage, bc this was obviously still fresh after the mage rebellions. he resented his own abilities and just wanted to be normal, but that was also him projecting a lot of his other problems as well. he had amazing teachers who helped him come to terms with his abilities, and the best of all was my inquisitor, ashara, who is kind of like a very distant, scary aunt who always had a soft spot for him. she helped him – and alistair and ella – RIGHT after they discovered he was a mage, and she was really the biggest role model in his life when it came to magic. duncan has always looked up to her skill and control and confidence, and tried very hard to match that.

Network: Are they connected to the people? How much do they reach out to others?

duncan has an ARMY of acquaintances and connections due to his family, but doesn't really have a lot of people he considers his close friends. he's super friendly and he gets along with most people, but like ive said before serious relationships including friendships are always a bit complicated for him bc of who he is as a person lol. as for reaching out, he's a very independent, introverted person and so he tends not to seek out other people unless he's close to them or has no other choice. he's very self conscious about being a burden on people or being to “needy" so he holds himself back and sometimes comes across as a little cold.

Offspring: What kind of parent would they be? Would they prefer one, or multiple?

he.... probably can't physically have kids unfortunately due to his condition, and as a result he's never really wanted to think too much about it, or imagine a scenario that he believes he cant have. but if it WERE a possibility, or if he felt stable in his own life enough to adopt, he'd probably be comfortable with just one child to completely spoil. he would be such a good father, albiet maybe not the coolest dad ddkdkdks i think nadaia would be the one who got up to the crazy shenanigans and let her child get away with everything, and duncan would be more of the nurturing, responsible one. he'd be a MASTER at telling bedtime stories, would kick ass at homework assistance, and would sing his kid to sleep every single night (until they got too old for it obviously). ooooo im so IMMENSELY emo abt this au now that i think about it

Pistol: Is this character skilled with a weapon? What’s their opinion of violence?

duncan is a very non-violent person, but he does believe that sometimes violence is necessary and will BE violent if he needs to – only in self defence scenarios though. he's an adept mage, and very skilled with a staff, but he isn't a fighter, really – more of a defensive, protective figure.

Question: How often do they feel doubt? What topics are they defensive about?

oh the doubt is constant with him 🙃🙃 he has a lot of deep routed dread about his own morality and whether or not he's a good person or if the maker will accept him when he dies. he's andrastian but TERRIFIED of the notion that its all actually real, bc then he doesnt know where that leaves him. he has this weird existential dichotomy where he doesnt know if hes closer resembling a grey warden or a darkspawn bc of his tainted blood. he also doubts his abilities and his magic bc he's afraid that the taint just,, makes him inherently a corrupted thing. he doubts himself on a more basic level with like, being a good brother, a good son, a good king when the time comes. he wants to be a good student and partner but sometimes his health makes him feel like he cant, and it weighs on him so heavily, almost all the time. basically he needs a hug so badly its not funny 😔😔😔

Reminder: How are they at remembering daily needs? What falls through the cracks?

uhh its very selective !!! for the most part he's very good at taking care of himself, mostly because he NEEDS to otherwise his health gets out of control, but sometimes he tends to prioritize one set of needs above another,, which usually means not sleeping (the most common), forgetting to eat, not letting his loved ones know when he's having a poor health day which usually results in him getting really sick and nobody is around to help him. he also forgets to do certain things like lock up his house, buy foodstuffs, reply to peoples letters n stuff like that.

Sing: Do they like music? Do they listen often/sing/hum/play songs in their head?

yes and yes !! duncan loves music altho its a very personal and private thing for him. he's pretty naturally gifted with music and gets it from ella, who taught him a lot of what he knows. he has a gorgeous singing voice (i kinda hc something similar to dan smith’s vocals from bastille!) that he rarely uses bc he only ever sings when he's alone or if he's forced to by a nosy loved one or something lol

Touch: How do they handle contact? Is their personal bubble big?

duncan doesn't mind being touched !!! in fact in most situations he welcomes it, as long as its like,,, appropriate and not some random stranger obviously. he grew up with ella and alistair who obviously are VERY affectionate people so he loves giving and receiving hugs from friends and he doesnt flinch or feel weird about just? random natural touches or anything. his ~love language~ is also physical touch so he LIVES for cuddling with nadaia and holding hands and anything like that. however !!! his little sister rose HATES being touched by virtually anybody and in any capacity, so he's very aware that not everybody is okay with touch, and is always careful and considerate of other peoples boundaries. he usually waits for the other person to make the first move, or simply asks them first !

Upcoming: How much do they think of the future? Do they make long-term plans?

he doesn't at all 😔 i mentioned this before but he doesn't see himself living very long, and its really impacted his outlook on life. he is afraid to commit to a lot of things, even if its something he really, truly wants, because he doesn't want to get his hopes up for things. it also keeps him from forging positive relationships. a lot of it has to do with him just being overly polite, but he refuses to make the first move with anything, or communicate what HE wants out of something. for example, his relationship with nadaia could have progressed so much faster if he had just,,, told her what he wanted. she had to make a lot of the first moves in the relationship because he just,, doesnt know how to take chances i guess !!! we love a Deeply Flawed king

Vice: What bad habits do they have? Is there something they would be ashamed of?

Some harmless ones are ; him talking to his cat constantly dkdskd also he has very poor time management skills so he's almost always a few minutes late, forgetting to lock his stuff up, and slouching, probably !!! some more serious ones would be like,, having sex with strangers as a coping mechanism lol, not speaking his mind and instead just letting himself be a doormat, also INTENSE avoidance of his problems (moving away to orlais for 9 years to avoid his fear of being king for example 🙃) tho i guess they fall under the same category oof.

Wardrobe: What’s their fashion style? Do they have any staple pieces?

duncan dresses nice, for the most part !!! again, it's mostly to do with growing up in court and having to keep up appearances, but also hes just. a nice bisexual boy who wants to take care of himself ykno, and that includes hygiene/clothing/grooming etc ! he's maybe a bit TOO reserved tho, he mostly wears dark colours like blacks, greys and brows, but hes been known to wears reds/blues/whites as well, and there’s a lot of subtle yet beautiful details on his more formal attire that might go unnoticed by a casual eye. a lot of his clothes are specifically tailored but he's also fond of big oversized sweaters for when hes just hanging out ! he's got a not great relationship with his body lol so he usually dresses very conservatively, with long sleeves and pants and usually more than one layer, but hes also a thot so !!! pants be TIGHT dksksksks

X-Ray: How’s their health? Any problem areas? Do they take care of themselves?

Djdjdksksndjddjkekdidksjs OKAY WELL if u have read this far than obviously u kno the answer to this question. if ur just skimming tho first of all ur valid ! second of all duncan is VERY sick. he was conceived when ella and alistair where still searching for the joining cur, so basically he inherited the darkspawn taint x 2 and nearly died a bunch of times as a baby/young child. obviously idk how the cure storyline is gonna resolve but my hc is that bc the darkspawn taint is something he was BORN with, not just something that happened to him via ritual, his body is much more impacted by it so even if they are able to find a cure, it wouldnt work THAT well and his health would still suffer bc of the prolonged damage. so physically, he deals with a LOT – intense migraines, insomnia, nausea, fatigue, problems with breathing and fevers and stuff. obviously mentally hes.... not doing great either, tho he’s trying his best. sometimes his insomnia gets so bad he starts hallucinating visions from his darkspawn nightmares, and sometimes he just feel paranoid in general that he's actually an Evil Darkspawn and hes just somehow managed to convince everyone hes a normal person – sort of a weird blend of imposter syndrome and body dysmorphia its. complicated. anyway he has very low self esteem and tends to think hes a huge inconvenience to everybody, and when he was a teenager he went thru a period where he was very suicidal, and ANGRY and afraid 😔 he’s doing better though, now that he has learnt how to manage most of his symptoms and he's not suffering in denerim court. nadaia is also a huge help, though he tries not to become too heavily reliant on her, since he's had bad experiences with depending too much on other people.

Yack: What’s their favorite thing to talk about? What do they go on about?

skskdkdk im already crying hehe 🙂 duncan is so introverted and self conscious of being “Too Much" for other people so he tends to keep his thoughts/interests to himself and stick w just. boring small tall or non invasive questions relating to the other person. BUT if u show an interest and he trusts u then oh boy. hes an absolute dork. he loves talking about magic and having really intense conversations abt the technical sides of it (he and dorian would get along SO well) but he also loves history !!!! before he began studying at the college of enchanters he received multiple ??? qualifications?? (idk if thats the right term but u kno) from the university of orlais, one of them being orlesian and ferelden history. also anything to do with the grey wardens, the blights and darkspawn for personal reasons obviously. He's a VERY good storyteller so he somehow finds a way to make even the dryest topics seem very compelling and Cool – varric would be proud !! he finds the orlesian Great Game fascinating, and he enjoys sharing wild anecdotes about the things he's seen asshole nobles get up to. thats always thrilling skdksksk ALSO. He has a secret interest in necromancy and the mortalitasi (its only a secret bc hes the heir and that wouldnt look ... great lol ) but he only ever really talks about that with nadaia, who finds that stuff almost as interesting as he does. also, finally, he loves talking about nadaia 😊😊😊😊 hes the type of guy who will always namedrop “my girlfriend" into any conversation, loves telling people about her accomplishments and how Cool she is ..... he loves her a Lot is what im getting at sksksks

Zodiac: What’s their astro sign? Does it fit? What would you pick, if it’s unknown?

duncan is a pisces babey like his mother !!! tho he could also be a virgo but,,, i think for now pisces works better for him. he's very smart and introspective and creative, but he has some issues with critical thoughts, avoidance and melancholy like ive mentioned. also pisces is a water element so i guess that makes even more sense, since hes an ice mage 👌👌👌

okay !!! im done !!! i cant believe i wrote all that but i guess if u didnt know abt duncan before, u absolutely do now dksksks im so sorry to anyone who actually read thru all of this, u really are braver than the troops

[euthymiclurker]

Question thing tagged by @yung-gunshot, thanks a bunch

I tag @coolest-guy @stainedinlavenderblood @mochi-moshii @bocchikurosawa

theres like 50 of them so im sticking them in the read more

1. What takes up too much of your time? So, night labs were a mistake.

 2. What makes your day better? Sleeping, finishing assignments and stuff for dopamine

 3. What’s the best thing that happened to you today? Getting this to fill out was nice

 4. What fictional place would you like to go to? California, like, could you imagine?

 5. Are you good at giving advice? No

 6. Do you have a mental illness? Yeah, probably a lot, should get that checked out

 7. Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis? yea

 8. What musician inspires you the most? Don’t really have one

 9. Have you ever fallen in love? Like once, regrettably

 10. What’s your dream date? God I don’t even know, does sleeping count

 11. What do others notice about you? "Wow this guy's kinda a bitch"

 12. What’s an annoying habit you have? I can’t express gratitude without feeling super sarcastic

 13. Do you still talk to your first love? What first love

 14. How many exes do you have? 1

 15. How many songs are in your playlist? Don’t have one

 16. What instruments can you play? trombone, badly

 17. What do you have the most pictures of? Assignments and other papers for classes

 18. Where would you like to go before you die? Anywhere but here

 19. What’s your zodiac? Sagittarius

 20. Do you relate to it? No

 21. What is happiness to you?  Sleeping after completing everything I need to do

 22. Are you going through anything right now? Take a wild guess

 23. What’s the worst decision you ever made? Man, they're ALL pretty bad

 24. What’s your favorite store? grocery outlet baby im BROKE

 25. What’s your opinion about abortion? pro

 26. Do you keep a bucket list? What would even go on there, like, rent an apartment? buy a used car?

 27. Do you have a favorite album? Another Light is really doing it for me right now

 28. What do you want for your birthday? money

 29. What are people’s first impressions of you? Hardworking

 30. What age do you seem according to most people? Like 20 or so

 31. Where do you keep your phone while you’re sleeping? on the floor next to me

 32. What word do you say the most?  Well, I mean, I don’t know

 33. What’s the oldest age you would date? 24 or so

 34. What’s the youngest you would date? 20

 35. What job/career do most people say would suit you? warehouse staff or any other repetitive job with minimal people skills

 36. What’s your favorite music genre? Don’t really have one but EDM/house is a safe bet like, 60% of the time

 37. If you could live in any country in the world, where would it be? No preference, except NOT the US or anywhere in Europe really, and absolutely NOT France, I refuse to have the last thing I see be France

 38. What is your current favorite song? Don’t have one at the moment

 39. How long have you had this blog for? Since July 2015

 40. What are you excited for? Bunch of upcoming video games without precise release dates mostly, like Hylics 2, Botw 2, VA11HallA 2, goddamn that’s a lot of 2s

 41. Are you a better talker or listener? Better listener, not a good one mind you

 42. What was the last productive thing you did? Wrote lab stuff for organic chem

 43. What do you want for Christmas? Money, but we don’t even celebrate Christmas, or any holidays really

 44. What class do you get the best grades in? I’ve gotten A’s in all my courses since high school and I’m eagerly awaiting my inevitable doom

 45. On a scale of 1-10, how are you feeling right now? yea

 46. What can you see yourself doing in ten years? I’ll probably will have had like four midlife crises and Oh god I might actually live that long

 47. When did you get your first heartbreak? Can’t get heartbreak if you’ve never loved babey!!!

 48. What age do you want to get married? God could you imagine

 49. What career did you want to have as a child? I didn’t really care as long as it made me money

 50. What do you crave right now? Sleep I guess

[mittensmorgul]

what do you think is the in-universe/fandom/writers perspective of sam, and how do you think they vary? I was thinking about how i usually hear he is the responsible/intelligent one, which i dont think works really well, especially in later seasons and i dont know if that is the way the rest of the characters view him. And I also started thinking about how theres this general believe (1)

that the writers have over time, forgot sam's personality/way of thinking, which explains why we know more about dean, that we do sam. I don't know if this makes sense lol :p I guess I just think that even though there are different interpretations of the characters in the show, since sam is a lot more private than dean, its easier to read dean (2)

Hiya... this is a weird question, but I will do my best to answer. I... don’t think they really vary how they write Sam. I mean, some episodes deal more specifically with him and his point of view and internal drama than others, but I do agree that we are shown less of that side of Sam then we are of Dean. But I also don’t think this is a new thing.

Dean has almost always been our “audience point of view” character. Or at the very least our “audience emotional touchstone” character. With a few exceptions, like a good chunk of the time he was saddled with the Mark of Cain. But aside from that, yeah... he’s the one we most often see the story through.

Going all the way back to s1, things ~happen to Sam~ and Dean reacts. I think they may have originally been shooting for more of a balance, and maybe did even originally intend Sam to be the audience POV character. After all, he was being pulled back into this underworld of sorts of supernatural monsters and demons and stuff. We-the-audience could’ve so easily had our entry into their world through Sam’s eyes, being pulled from normal citizen into the hunter world through Sam’s adjustment to it all. But it never really worked for me. Sam’s pov was Traumatized™ from the end of the pilot episode, while Dean was already grounded in that world, accepting of it and ready to keep living the hunter life. It proved to be a far more stable pov and emotional engagement to the narrative, you know? Sam kept wanting to run away. Kinda hard to feel attached to the narrative through that sort of emotional standpoint, you know? *I* didn’t want to run away...

But then stuff KEPT happening to Sam-- the weird powers that terrified him, the loss of his connection to the normal world that put him off balance just as much, the realization that there might never be an end to the hunting... which put that burden on Dean as a character to keep pushing forward, and that’s the through-line for the audience to cling to emotionally.

Sam’s fighting against the demon blood powers, Dean keeps him grounded and supports him. John tells Dean that he either has to save Sam or else kill him, and we-the-audience are supposed to suspect there’s something Dark about Sam that we should be at the very least wary of, but Dean sticks by him swearing to save him no matter what. Sam’s kidnapped and killed, and Dean finally does save him, buy trading his own soul for Sam’s. In s4, Sam *is* hiding dark secrets, working behind Dean’s back with Ruby, basically succumbing to drug addiction while Dean tries to protect him from all that.

Sam’s soulless, Dean finds a way to save his soul. Sam’s halluciferating, Dean finds a way to save him again. Dean’s in Purgatory, and Sam hit a dog-- not even trying to do the whole saving thing... again, making it hard to put a pin on how we’re supposed to interact with the guy who keeps wanting to run away from his own story while we’re supposed to be engaging with it.

Sam takes on the trials, Dean supports him through it. Sam’s possessed by an angel, and unaware of the fact, so Dean is our window into that entire mess.

Then the Mark of Cain happens, and Sam goes off the dang rails trying to save Dean from himself... which is the only flip in this script, really, aside from Sam trying to save Dean from Michael now in s14.

The thing with s10 is that I personally had a really hard time trusting Sam’s assessment of Dean’s mental state, simply because he’s never really had a bead on it before. The show attempting to force us to see the emotional beats through Sam’s eyes just... didn’t fly for me. It was a disconnect. I’m much happier with the situation now in s14, because I actually *do* feel like I get Sam’s pov now. At least, more than I ever did back in s10.

I think the notion that Sam is “the responsible/intelligent one” is a fandom oversimplification. Like... I said above, Sam was always the one trying to run away from his own life. I mean, that’s not exactly “responsible” behavior. As for intelligence, there’s lots of different types of intelligence, and Dean is just as “intelligent” as Sam is, but in different ways. They think differently. Heck, I wrote a lot about this back during s11, but the tl;dr of all of it was that they are different people with different emotional coping styles. Sam might be great at research and getting people to open up to him and thinking through problems in a linear, logical fashion, but that doesn’t make him “smarter” than Dean. Dean’s more intuitive, and relies a lot more on his own understanding of the world to make logical leaps to solutions. I also think, for a vast number of reasons not least of which is the fact that Dean had essentially been a “parental” figure to Sam his whole life while Sam had unwittingly fallen into a “child” role because of that, that Dean is the more emotionally intuitive and Sam’s not even been fully aware of just how emotionally demanding he’s been of Dean while not offering Dean the same sort of emotional consideration in return. Because kids just don’t do that for their parents (or they definitely shouldn’t, despite Dean’s heaven memory of doing that for Mary in 5.16, but that’s another post entirely).

Sam understands the world through the lens of his own experience. He assumes that everyone else feels and reacts as he would in those circumstances. Dean, however, understands people. But he’s got a couple of huge blind spots when it comes to Sam, just like we-the-audience do. Not through any fault of his own, but because of how he was parentified and how his entire life to a certain point had been devoted to the cause of protecting Sam.

This is partly why I was THRILLED to hear Sam opening up to Rowena in 13.12. What a fantastic episode. Not only did Sam successfully take on the emotional burden of the narrative with aplomb while Dean was compromised, but he actually had an honest emotional chat with Rowena about trauma he admitted to having kept secret for almost EIGHT YEARS. 

I mean, he did pretty good in 12.11, too, when Dean was losing his memories. He became the “hand-holder” for the audience quite nicely in that episode too, even if some of his shortcomings were put on display. But it took him another YEAR after that to really begin to open up about his actual feelings, you know? Rather than clinging to Dean because he needed him (which is a theme that goes way back, long before his talk with Charlie in 10.18 even about how he’d resigned himself to this life, but only as long as Dean was in it with him), it took him rebelling and “picking a side” in s12 for him to really begin to figure out HIMSELF, instead of just what he is as an adjunct to Dean.

GROWTH!

And now he’s responsibly taking on leadership roles and learning about what Dean went through all those years taking care of him through helping to guide Jack through his own life. So I don’t think it’s so much that the writers have “forgotten” who Sam is, but they’re finally letting him grow up in a lot of ways, like they’ve shown us Dean getting to grow into his own person as well. And I think it’s spectacular.

I’ve written a bunch about the differences in Sam and Dean as characters, and a lot of it is tagged “sam sympathizes and dean empathizes”, and a lot of the parentification of Dean stuff is in the “performing dean” tag-- which also deals with this disconnect of how Sam sees Dean through this hazy lens of performance that was often structured specifically to hide Dean’s personal emotional turmoil beneath a Strong Mask for Sam’s benefit-- but as I’m getting into s11 now on my blog retagging project, there’s probably gonna be more stuff falling into that tag, with the perspective of hindsight. :P

[actualbird]

hey, so, this is gonna sound like a weird question, but how did you get to be so well known for your writing? i've written a lot of bmc fanfic and i'd like to think i'm pretty good (i'm actually on your fic rec a couple times) but I feel like it's way harder for fanwriters to get noticed than fanartists. Do you have any advice on how to get word out about your fics? Thank you so much and have a great day!!

not weird at all and in fact ive gotten this question a lot (albeit in dms/private convos) i absolutely agree with you that fic writers have it tougher concerning getting noticed. it’s definitely not because the production of one is harder than the other, but it’s simply by virtue of creating content via a medium that takes longer to consume on social media platforms that are inherently fast paced. on that note, getting “well known” is a mixture of things you Can Control and things you Cant.

Can Control is based on what i guess we can call quality which youve got cuz if ive recced you then i LOVED whatever it is you wrote!!! and im a little bit of a picky reader kjfhkdsjf. but theres also the intricacies of making sure your fic has a good, enticing summary (ive grown quite fond of the “excerpt + actual fic summary line, possibly witty, possibly vague, you’ll have to read to find out” formula, since it works wonders in getting people to Click), well tagged, well titled, no author’s notes that go “sorry this is crap” (number one turn off is an author who apologizes for quality. if you dont believe in your work, how do you expect anybody else to? that isnt to say all writers should be sure of themselves, but def keep it out of the summary/notes. youre tryna sell yourself, so make it look Good). now that that’s done, make sure to post and promote your fics well. post it on ao3 at a time when people are most likely to be reading (ive assumed this to be in the general morning of the western hemisphere since ppl wake up to check ao3 like a daily newspaper), and make a post on tumblr too if youve got one. tag that post well and reblog that post a bunch of times too. stand on a table and yell at followers to read your fic. i did this sneaky thing where i’d link my other bmc fics in the endnotes of some chapters of forest, kinda like a netflix recommended page, but the only thing i was recommending was Me. perhaps slightly narcissistic but hey, if it works, it works. assuming youve already got all that down and good and your fics still arent getting noticed, this is where things unfortunately lapse into the realm of things you Cant Control.

you Cant really control stuff like what the audience wants. i got well known in bmc because the fic i was writing just so happened to coincide with the thing a lot of people wanted. they wanted boyfs and pining and i just so happened to be writing exactly that. there was a demand and i had supplied it. you Cant really control timing either, something i got super lucky with because i entered the fandom at its mid-early first surge. there wasnt that much fic yet but many people wanted to read, so people flock to whats there. economics or something. you Cant really control the amount of “well known-ness” you already had prior. i’d been writing fic for a long time and picked up a lot of followers bouncing around fandoms which def helped with my fics getting off the ground. you also Cant really control how your fics spiral after that. sometimes somebody else with a lot of followers will like it and rec it, sometimes that wont happen. my fics ended up getting fanart which i am so eternally grateful for and still stare at lovingly from time to time, and that also helped with promoting the fic further. but that was something out of my control. in short, i was pretty goddamn lucky

a lot of “getting noticed” is really not up to you at all, and it makes me really sad to see wonderful works and wonderful writers not getting the recognition i feel they deserve. it’s why i keep making ridiculously annotated fic rec lists and reblog fic posts of fic i enjoy. the only thing you can do as a writer is write what you want to the best of your ability and hope things go well. but for the fic readers, it really goes a long way to show your appreciation through reblogs, comments, bookmarks, and recs. come on guys, we do fuckloads of words for free. throw us a bone. 

anyway, i hope this….helps? this isnt advice so much as me shaking my fist at Circumstance, but i hope your fics get more attention and love. i also hope you have a nice day!!!

[mister-lady]

The fic I wrote!!! It was just a messy drabble and as usual I didn't really proof read it so pardon if theres any typos of sorts! Vmdmkggk. Uhmm... hope yall enjoy! It felt really good to finally be able to write again an maybe I'll get a push sometime soon ^w^!! Also ignore the awkward spacing, I write on google docs and whenever I copy and paste it over it does that qwq

Ship: purple stripes (virgil)

Warnings: none, ask to tag

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

Matt was on a "secret mission" of stealing his lover's jacket. Reason one: it was very big on him and he felt like a turtle all tucked up in a shell. Reason two: its so..so warm. Reason three: best way to lure someone to giving you gay attention is to take something from them! Gayly. Of course, this wasn't unusual of Matt to do. He actually did it quite often and Virgil became quite used to it at some point, though Virgil never knew how he did it because he doesn't even recall himself taking off his own jacket so he doesn't know how Matt manages to slip away with it! 

It was currently some time around 3am, Matt had been trying to sleep but was too cold to go back to bed and decided to slip off to Virgil's room to snag his coat. Matt walked up to the door, and as he used one hand to grab the doorknob to turn it open, while with his other hand he gently put pressure on the door somewhere between the center of the door and the doorknob so it didn't creak as he pushed it open. He opened it enough just to slip in and paused for a moment to let his eyes adjust. The house was dark at night, but Virgil's room always seemed oddly darker for whatever reason. Once his eyes adjusted Matt caught a glimpse of it loosely hung on the back of a chair. He gently picked it up and tried to hold it open so the zipper didn't clack against anything. As he made his way to tiptoe out of the room he couldn't help but have a last second look at Virgil's peaceful and asleep figure, a smile made its way across his face, and he quickly slipped off and closed the door the best he could behind himself. Matt excitedly pranced off to his room and flopped down on his bed, forgetting to be quiet for a moment in the haste of his successful heist. 

Matt tightly wrapped the jacket around him and put his arms in the sleeves the best he could, but the ends of the sleeves still hung over his hands. Matt held in a giggle bubbling in his chest and quickly zipped up the jacket and bathed in the softness and warmth and scent it brought to him. He carefully traced his hands over the stitched on parts of the jacket, basically having where they were located ingrained in his memory from doing it so many times. Matt readjusted himself into a more comfortable sleeping position and pulled the hoodie over his head, causing it to hang over his eyes a little, and snickered a bit, before quickly drifting off to sleep.

When Matt woke up, he instinctively made his first action to check his clock to see what time it was, and had a mix of happiness and sadness that it was only 9:17am, he had slightly wished he woke up earlier but was glad he didn't wake up around lunch time again. He wiped his eyes and stayed laying down and stared at the ceiling for a few moments, letting his body wake up before sitting up; this is when Matt remembered he was wearing the jacket he had taken last night. He stared at it for a moment and pondered his next course of action. He could try to sneakily return it, or he could pretend to act oblivious to the deed that he had done. Matt decided to go with the second option because he thought it would be a funny idea, and would give him more time to wear the jacket anyways.

 Matt got up from his bed, and stumbled a little bit as he made his way towards his door. He crept to the kitchen, and glanced around, confirming that he seemed to be the only one awake so far. He considered making something, but he wasn't fully sure if he was in the mood to make breakfast quite yet. Then, a fun idea popped into Matt's mind, and he quickly scampered to the couch and grabbed his switch controller, and turned on the switch and set up his stuff for playing games. He turned on animal crossing and laid back on the couch belly-up, with his head rested against a pillow that was against the armrest. He partially wanted to get up and grab a blanket, but was too lazy to bother. He smiled as he played and did the daily tasks, losing track of time in the process.

Matt looked up from his game at the distant sound of a door opening, and couldn't help but get a mischievous smile spread across his face as Virgil approached him and sat down at the end of his feet. Matt couldn't stop smiling if he wanted too, he knew what he had done, and he wasn't even trying to hide it. He felt like a cat that had just drank out of its owners glass of water right in front of them. It was a rather great feeling. Virgil didn't really say anything, just gave him a knowing look, causing Matt to giggle a bunch.

"What?" Matt prodded. 

"Couldn't find my jacket this morning." Virgil casually said.

Matt laughed a little, finding the whole thing amusing. "Wonder where it went." He said through giggles.

"Can't say I know." Virgil paused before giving Matt a teasing look. "But would you maybe have a clue where it went?"

"Maybe it evaporated." Matt suggested.

"Right, maybe. Well if you see it let me know." 

"Will do!"

Virgil was about to get up for a moment before hesitating and turning back to face Matt.

"What's with the sudden smug look?" Matt asked before Virgil could speak.

"Nothing, I was just admiring your new jacket. Where'd you get it from? It almost looks a little familiar." Virgil teased.

Matt could feel his cheeks starting to hurt from smiling so much and so hard. "Dunno, I found it." 

"It looks really cozy.. it'd be a shame if..someone were to..share it maybe?" 

"Can't, it's only made for one person at a time." 

"It barely fits you though!" Virgil pointed out.

"It fits perfectly!" Matt scoffed and held up his arms, showing the sleeves hanging out past his hands, purposely disproving his own point.

"Right, and you look so cold too." 

"I was, then I found this jacket and I'm not cold anymore." 

"And you think I'm not cold?" Virgil light heartedly asked.

"You're always warm, you're like a portable heater." Matt muttered and shyly broke eye contact for a moment.

Virgil crawled ontop of Matt and laid ontop of him and rested his head on Matt's chest. "Fine then," Virgil spoke, "I'll just help warm you up then if you need a jacket like this."

Matt gladly used the opportunity to run his fingers through Virgil's hair. He adored how soft it felt, and it was oddly neatly combed. Matt played with the long stands that would hang infront of his face or the ones that ran down the back of his neck, almost making it look like a funky version of a mullet. He brushed the back of his head, letting his fingers get lost and absent mindedly messed with it. He felt Virgil softly smile against him and his breathing slowed and his muscles relaxed. Matt loved seeing Virgil all relaxed and calm, he deserved it.

"It looks kinda funny seeing you not in a jacket… b-but in a good way!!" Matt tried to recover his sad attempt at a compliment.

"Thank you." Virgil replied and softly chuckled.

Matt and Virgil rested in each others company, just simply enjoying the silence together. There was soft music playing in the back from the animal crossing game that Matt had forgotten about, but it was a bonus in the moment. Their breathing slowly fell in sync and there was nothing that could seem to make the moment feel better.

After a while, Matt ended up breaking the silence. "Well… since I have your jacket..guess you gotta give me attention." 

"Is that how it works?" Virgil groggily murmured.

Matt nodded almost a little too eagerly.

"Alright, if you say so, baby."

Matt's brain short circuited for a moment at the pet name, and quickly blushed, but tried to brush it off. "Shush, you're emo and you're gay. Can't imagine being like that."

Virgil laughed at the comment. "Right, cause that doesn't describe you in any form." 

"You're voice is-.." Matt was going to throw out another "insult" that he didn't mean, but hesitated.

"..is?" 

"Its uhm..nice I gues.." Matt's voice quieted towards the end of his sentence and his himself in the jacket.

Virgil wrapped his arms around Matt and snuggled tighter against him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Matt muttered out.

"Have I ever said that you looked cute in my jacket?"

"Okay, since when were you this flirty?" Matt blurted out, his cheeks s rather deep shade of red at this point.

"I like seeing your reaction." Virgil answered.

"Well you better hush before I give you your jacket back." 

"Yeah, cause that would be such a bad thing.." 

[isaacathom]

time to think about various story ideas ive had, yeehaw

ACitDS - Thomas trying to find their parents amidst the angel/demon war. pretty neat. I wanted to make a game out of it so the player could decide which way Thomas swung in terms of angel/demon, giving leeway for players who made mechanical choices against the ‘moral’ choice (cause like, split progression, man. it was gonna be pretty flexible and based mostly on choices within the world, though one route was locked behind a specific skill progression).

ACB - ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. war story about a commander trying to protect their homeland, except they arent even a commander in that homeland, and also its just really complicated. I like the individual characters i guess, even if im pretty sure Black themself was... not... my best character. I’ve made more ableist ones (hhhhhh) but that wasn’t my finest, so acb would need a total rehaul to fix that sorta thing. characters neat though.

SFY/414 - the whole gang of criminals help a guard catch other criminals story. or gay suicide squad, as you wish. i like my characters, and i like a whole lot of it, and i like the world. the core premise is a lil shaky but if you get past it, fun times, i think. i love tamjol especially.

SFY/425 - i dont know shit about the civil war plot except that tamjol is there and gets accused of being a traitor after his group finds out he’s a Shonyul, thats a fun one. thats basically the only thing i know for certain about it, that those scenes happen, and maybe one where he confronts his “father” directly, idk, weird stuff all around.

SFY/BTH/386 - sailing time. theres a storm, a mutiny, a second bloodier mutiny, and then a whole ass dragon eats like 2 whole boats without warning, god damn.

CCC - we have established i think that idea slapped i just never wrote shit. i dont remember any of their names. i just know some fuckers got lazered in the chest. tight.

Codename Seren - oh no

Codename Sworl - uhhh bunch of aliens get sent to earth disguised as teen girls to track down a different group of aliens. i remember nothing except that the sworl Charlotte ended up falling in love with a girl called Aaliyah (??????) who was actually one of the enemy aliens, and also that the sworl overlords were trash. everything else, big ol’ no clue.

EC - former MC fanfic, crystal’s sister and BIL get kidnapped by the goddess of fire in order to get the city (of which the BIL is like, the prince?) to do a bunch of specific things so that the fire goddess can release the imprisoned goddess of darkness. also one of the members of the motley gang crystal acquires is actually the fire goddesses missing daughter, and another is the descendant of some of the dark gods closest attendants who bailed and were hunted down. and the other dude is like. the son of a ghost? like? a ghost? like his human ass father found a portal to an afterlife realm and fucked one of the librarians and now their kid is half fucking ghost, I dont get it, also the man had a wife so uh W. Skye’s dad was messed.

GGS - hell yea. gods forming pacts with a bunch of youngsters who die in tragic circumstances (one was a car accident, another got crushed by a tree, and a pair got caught in a burning house). fun times. the car one had the war goddess as her partner and was able to summon a magic gun, the tree one had the god of time and fought with a magic sword while his COMPLETELY HUMAN sister kept tagging along on his missions and using a dustbin lid as a shield to help him out. nice. i love them all.

KoA - i dont remember whats happening there except that one of the kids was like, iron resistant? so she could use magic even when in iron? and fter they got captured by the govt or whatever they found out about her power and things escalated and im like 90% sure they fucking. hit her on the head with a shovel and killed her? i. i dont know why that was what i decided should happen in my novel but there you go, huh. her sister was very upset and i think ended up finding out she was iron resistant too? i dont remember the plot of this.

Kingdom Keys  - crocodile minigame and a littol skeleton man. basically if you found three keys you could access this area and get a wish granted by the goddess, and the skeleton dude had tried this previously and sort of failed? its kind of unclear but i think it was that he’d adventured with the main girls mother for the keys and i think she died? so then he used his wish to save her life? or the other way around? i think he died trying to get either the 1st or 2nd key and at the end the mother made it to the goddess and used her wish to bring him back, except he was a skeleton for Uh Reasons (how fucking long did it take???) and then i think the mother died after, i DONT know. i just remember littol skeleton boy man dude. he was like, 16 but also like 40, i think, i AM Unclear

Mermaid Cafe - there is no plot to mermaid cafe except that a mermaid like, comes on land and hides her identity, goes to a cafe by the sea one day to be a little closer to home, and then gets trapped along with a bunch of other people when the sea goes Very Bad. it was a very weird dream.

Minds Eye - ? gods claim your kids when theyre born and raise them? there was no further plot. i dont remember shit.

Mistakenbound - the last gasp of my hs phase, may it rest in peace. some heart player got murdered for revolution b4 the game starts but persisted as a ghost and pretended to be a blue blood, which while it was based more off the story of Rhia from COdename Seren, is a fuck of an aradia ripoff, whoopsie fucking Daisies

LOTMV - light demigod gets “kidnapped” by a dark demigod, sparks a war, very complicated, i mostly like it. one draft had the light demigod killing her shitty soldier ex-boyfriend at the end of the story after he almost murders the dark demigod, who has all but become her gf in the time since she left home. fun stuff.

Puppeteers Rebellion - buncha voodoo shit, smth about voodoo being outlawed and a countess using her powers in it to try and overthrow the kingdom, being foiled by the princess who she had (inadvertently?) been training at a sewing circle thing. i think?

Re:Memory - rebirth where your actions in your previous two lives determine your class, protag is class 1 (worst) because her last lives where a fucking infant and a murderer. befriends the princess (class 7) and idk what the hell were they planning to do but it was gonna be smth.

RiH - story about a thief with a metal arm trying to save the metal forest from an unnatural rust, aided by a knight who is one of the few people who actually notices their presence. was actually an MSPFA, ripperino, i still have like, 4 panels total and nothing else.

Royalty Story - uhhh country being run by Queen Adelaide acting as regent for her like, 21 year old son, but then she gets taken captive by this woman named Hazel who starts running the kingdom, forcing Adelaides three kids to flee the castle and try and find a solution. idk what was going on. the kids were Jackson, Morgan, Lillian, in order, iirc? cause the naming scheme was -an (sound). i thought it was neat. Lillian was the only one who shortened her name, to i like just Lilli, but Jackson was never Jack. they were neat.

SoaCS - pirate sets off a curse that means they are followed by a terrible icy storm, ends up being cast overboard by their (new) crew and saved by a woman on an island, who then also helps them escape when the storm ravages her home. then they go on a whole thing try to fix the mistake that HE made, resulting in them going back to where he had abandoned his crew in search of treasure. lotta fun. he even directly saves her life at a point where he had failed/refused to save one of his old partners last time, which was neat, but overall she was saving his ass. fun times. never wrote much for that.

Shadow Huntress- idk theres a girl called Blake and shes aways running because she thinks if she stops people will notice the scars of battle with like, The Darkness. physical battle, but also the emotional toll. ends up mentoring a few of her classmates who became hunters sort of incidentally. idk.

TDoC - so theres a demon king in the center of the lake, and around this lake are a bunch of cities with demon lords. and you have to kill the demon lords in order in order to be able to access the demon king and kill him. and there was a mechanic in place where you could only kill one demon lord/king. so the new party who is trying to free themselves from demon rule is accompanied by a group who tried many years prior, and in the first battle one of them fucking dies while trying to kill the lord because it turns out! that in the last attempt! he had succeeded in laying the final blow, and his soul was forever weakened and could not withstand the demonic energy this time, so from the outside he basically stabbed down at this demon lords week spot and then the second his blade made contact there was a burst of energy and he collapses like a sag of bricks who barely lives to the end of the battle to explain what happened. that was neat. i like the idea of the party by the time they get to the demon king being people who had all killed a demon lord, meaning they shouldnt be able to kill the king, but then they all manage to deal the final blow together, with their combined souls withstanding the initial burst of energy and killing him. whether they all die afterwards or just kinda pass the fuck out to be found by their allies outside who react to the demonic death wail, idk. i think its neat. that end sounds kinda cliche but presumably they had their best soldiers (demon killers) and then a handful of people with them who HADNT killed a demon who should have been able to, except the king could fucking smell em and wiped the floor with them early, knocking them out or killing them to focus on toying with the ones he wanted revenge on. I’m down for that. cause then its slightly less of a like, “twist”, since in the planning to kill the king SOMEONE would have noticed that they had to send some non-heroes :P So make sure you do, I guess.

TFOS - princess vs dragon, she has a gun and she wants revenge for her older sister and aso to save her kingdom. aided by a mage a knight and a rogue, bunch of lesbian mfers fighting dragons, Nice.

TFT - proto GGS, main difference was that becoming a demigod was essentially randomised and that there was like. a god of computers. who i think i reworked as a god of technology? or something? tech generally, not computer tech. idk. cherry was cute.

WTDD - the worlds surface is a series of spinning gears with cities and towns on them, and the gears all powered a music box below the earth which kept this colossal dragon asleep. and then one day the gears stop and the dragon wakes up. something like that. the initial thing was world is gears, but id probably shift it to a city or an area? cause the idea of a city constantly rotating sucks ass. admittedly that was straight up the reason the gears stopped in the initial writing, because the villain (??) was sick of the rotation ad fucking. blew a gear up. nice.

YD3N - uhh bunch of robots? one for eac letter of the alphabet (so there was Aden, Byden, Cyden, Dyden, Eden, etc) and Yd3n was the source of all of them. and then a robot called syd3n manages to escape and finds the aid of a local engineer called Ignis Lex, and they try to free their siblings and especially Yd3n, and find out the purpose for the alphabet crew. fun fact, this entire story came about because on the way home from uni I saw a dude in front of me with a jumper that said ‘Sydney’, except the last y was covered and my brain misread what was left as Syden, which is why theyre the protag. Neat.

thats the only ones listed. its missing a few, but i dont remember them much or have names for them :P

[maahistrash]

all of them >:3 all the asks

OH WOW THIS BLOG’S FIRST ASK !!!!! OKAY VERY LONG POST AHEAD🕸 1. Who’s the oldest character of yours that you still use?vincent and francis! my boys have been through a fuck ton of development, from halloween of 2015 to now.. they used to be youtuber ocs, and.. well.. yeah i love them both with all my heart!!!⭐️ 2. Who’s the oldest character of yours, defunct or not?a pegasus named raven who is highkey defunct  (mlp oc oof) but lmao her story makes me think i should give her an arc, and maybe put her in another form.. 💡 3. Has creating a character ever made you realize something about yourself?a bunch of times this has happened actually.. vin made me realize im not straight, nargis made me realize im not cis at all, and vin/nate really made me realize how much i self-project, esp in vin’s case🦋 4. Any minor characters that have either taken over or branched off into their own stories?nar was originally supposed to be a very side character, but his concept hit me right in the spot and i wanted to make him a main oc! and kenny has branched off into his own story, so has alde!🐲 5. Do you prefer to make human, animal, monster, or _____ characters? Why?i like humanoid ocs better bc its a more familiar thing to me? its easier  for me to write human-like ocs than animals, but monsters are also REALLY FUN. demons are fair game, usually my ocs are humans with powers, or humanoids as i say.elves also  play a big role in my stories but i guess that also counts as humanoid!🎨 6. When creating a character, do you come up with the visual concept or the written concept first?it really depends on the kind of oc itself but usually i write up the backstory before i even try designing. that way its easier for me to add elements of their past in their appearance, for consistency i.e. scars, birthmarks, style, etc.📌 7. Do you have characters that you know you’ll never use, but can’t bear to get rid of/recycle?elijah :( i dont think i can fit him anywhere in the big story arc and that makes me sad bc i really love his concept! (he’s a half-swedish half-american water witch with gay moms) (and his last name is jerkeryoff… he was a joke oc i fell in love with)💖 8. Is there a character that embodies your good traits, or traits you wish you had?fran or nar have traits i wish i had. theyre both sweet, helpful, unselfish, and though fran’s slightly more a pushover than nar, they’ve both gone through hell and come back shining and stronger. i wish i could do that. i hope i can.💔9. Is there a character that embodies your bad traits? Several characters? Which ones and what traits?i put a bit of myself in all my ocs, and it shows sometimes. vin has a lot of my bad traits (mentally ill [badly], prone to addiction, self-doubt, actually self-loathing really) and nate does too (selfishness, aggressive, mouth runs before brain does)rip♨️ 10. Is there a character that explores your interests or fetishes (orrrr is that just all of you characters)?interests? yes. vin does music, which im VERY interested in, and fran is really interested in space and astrology, like me! fetishes? ………….maybe…. talk to me to find out :^)✒️ 11. If you have characters that embody certain traits of yours—good or bad—has writing them changed how you view those traits? Has it affected you in any way?yeah. it’s been both, tbh. vin’s family drama  and stuff and how it affected him kinda helped me, or is helping me, get through shit. it’s changed my view on divorce. not really elaborating but yeah. fran’s anxiety also worked this way, and his shyness too. the more i wrote of these things, the more i realized how much i empathized. then i realized i self project lmaO💭 12.  Do you fantasize about being any of your characters, or are you more detached?if i was detached from my kids would i make a separate blog for them and have tags……… i love them and i think abt them all the time,,, fantasizing is the #1 reason i have any backstories whatsoever!🎵 13. Do you create playlists for your characters?ive been WANTING to for a WHILE but theres so many ocs and not enough time. one day i will .. i can’t use spotify because its banned where i live so maybe youtube or 8tracks? idk but when i end up making these lists i will share them!!!🎇 14. When writing for specific characters, is there anything you have to do to get into the right mindset?oh yeah def!! i need to be able to relate to the character, and see myself in their shoes, otherwise it’s hard for me to write them properly !!🌻 15. Which character is your guilty pleasure?cam…. for sure audsdafhnai he’s what i aspire to be honestly🌩 16. Is there a character of yours who’s a real struggle to write/draw? Why do you think that is?nobody really, i have a good time writing/drawing all my ocs! 🔑 17. Which character is the easiest to draw/write?the ones ive had for a longer time, i find, are easier for me to write.. so fran/vin, honestly. ive had growth with them, it’s kinda like we went through development together, and we did!!💎 18. Is there anything you really wish you could do, character-design-wise, that you feel is outside your current skillset? A concept that you wish you could pull off but are uncertain about?yeah… i wish i could pull off demons and stuff related to them. i want to make my lore super deep but then it’s not easy bc i barely have time to give, and demons in my universe would be super immersed in the lore. or um.. yknow, ships within my own ocs, instead of other peoples.🏆 19. What’s more important to you: visual design, unique personality, a trendy character aesthetic, etc? If you’re not sure, then what’s the first thing you usually nail down in a character?the first thing i nail down in a character is how theyre related to the big story. this means how they can be linked to other ocs, relationships, familial or friendly, or even past romances. then i figure out their personality from these things, and then i make the design! to me an in-depth personality is more important than anything, it’s a key to character  development. people think cool designs are all that matters, but to grab attention, a complex character makes sense. of course, i feel this because i’m planning to write a book, not make comics. visual appeal does exist ! and i believe in it. but i link personality to looks, and making the personality complex is more realistic and it’s easier to avoid mary sues then.🎬 20. Do you ever plan to do anything (comic, animation, etc) with your characters? Or are you just happy to have them?originally i never wanted to write a book with my kids! i was content just roleplaying. but one of my friends said that they have potential in a story arc, and that the way these people are connected is interesting (this is 2016, with my first three, and oldest ocs, fran, vin, and nate) i was really happy to hear that and got interested in writing a book, hopefully a series, with my ocs! and i plan to make this happen!!!thank u for asking, droki!!

[topicprinter]

Amazon FBA courses have been all the rage lately, with lofty promises of a lucrative digital nomad lifestyle. There are hundreds of courses to choose from, but 3 stick out from the crowd. It might be due to their high price tag, or maybe its the individuals behind the course. Either way, you cant scroll through any Amazon forums with seeing these courses being discussed. So I went ahead and took all 3 of them. I didn't really intend on dong a review, I just got them so I could learn. I started my journey 2 months ago and today my first product arrived, with 2 more on the way :D Here is my in-depth video review:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD58vSR2Pv4 I will also post the script for the review here in case you prefer not to watch the video at work, or you dont want to use data :) Please keep in mid that the punctuation might be weird because I write my scripts how I talk as opposed to proper English lol. I have fully completed all 3 of these courses. Now full disclosure, I did not pay for amazing selling machine, I had a friend lend me all the videos and files for it. It is however asm 7, so its the newest version. I would also like to add that before taking these courses I knew NOTHING about amazon FBA. Nick just told me how much he was making, so I jumped right into tanner course. So I have have the complete beginner's perspective on this. lets get to it. FIRST UP, Amazon Seller mastery.Price: $498 USDTotal Watch Time: 2 hours 11 minutes= $3.80 per minute So tanners course is the cheapest of the 3, but it is also the shortest. He’s had many successful students come through, including youtuber james bowen. However this course really just skims the surface. There are a total of 5 modules, but I felt like they were all bare bones. Especially as someone who knew nothing about amazon FBA, I finished the course with a bunch of questions. For example, module 2, titled “suppliers and shipping” only contains 2 videos, totaling just 14minutes. To be fair, after finishing that module I felt like I knew all there was to know on suppliers and shipping and I thought “seems easy enough”, it wasnt until I actually tried contacting suppliers that I realized I was still in the dark for some aspects. Overall, tanner does a good job at teaching the material. Its very obvious that he knows what hes talking about and he instructs pretty clearly. That being said, you can tell the production and time spent editing was cut short. He doest cut out beginings or ending of the videos, and some mistakes that could be edited out are just kept in. It feels like he was just winging it for the most part and didnt have too much of the structure pre-planned. Theres even a part where he’s talking about shipping terms, and he straight up says “you can just google what they mean”. Now yes, thats fine and its common sense if you’re making any regular youtube video, but it wouldn’t be that hard for him to google it first and then provide a PDF for student resources. And finally, this might not bother you guys, but for me me it was a little annoying.. None of the videos in the course were captured in full screen. His window was always minimized, so you could see his desktop background. Again not a huge deal, but for a $500 course it just didnt float my boat. So lets get on to Kevin Davids Amazon ninja materclass. Price: $1,250 USDTotal Watch Time: 9h 50min= $2.12 / Minute So Kevin’s course is much pricier than tanners, but as you can see its still a better value per minute of actual content. He also gives you the option to buy each module separately. Now I do like the idea behind separating the modules, but it causes a little bit of overlap for someone that has the full course. What I mean by that is, in some modules, he’ll re-explain some things that he already covered in a previous module. Im sure hes doing it to cover the bases just incase someone bought the module separately, but when you’re watching them consecutively, it just leaves parts to skip. Kevin also has a little underwhelming video production for a 1200 dollar course, some videos his cam is way too big and actually blocks important information. In this clip hes talking about the display ad on the right side, but you cant even see it because its under his webcam. However other than that the visuals arent bad at all. The biggest issue I had with this course was that it wasn't totally sequential or chronological. Yes the modules are in order from product research to facebook marketing, but the content in the modules were all over the place. They werent following (for lack of a better word).. A storyline. Thats actually one thing I liked about tanners course. He starts with the lockpick set and carries on the process for that product in a good step by step order. That being said, Kevin does do long videos to end every module that kind of put the pieces together, but overall its like has all these superb bircks of information on a topic, and then it just all goes into one bucket as opposed to laying them out piece by piece. Now lets get on to what I love about kevins course. First off, and probably the most important. Its loaded to the brim with super insightful information. He goes a lot into the actual mindest or thought process behind what he does and why. And what I like even more is that he doesnt just say “you should do this or do that because im the master”. His vibe is more open ended, like “this is what I suggest you do based on all my experience, but dont blindly take my word for it” which I appreciate. The course is also very practical and inspiring, he doesnt have any fluff, and he’s a great communicator”. On his site he says its the only course you’ll ever need, and I cant say hes wrong. He goes way beyond Amazon in the later modules. Covering in depth facebook ads, instagram, getting onto blogs, and even virtual assistants. With the Ninja Masterclass I’d say the pros heavily outweigh the cons, and its the only course I really refer back to when I run into problems with my new FBA business. But before I crown the champ, I have to talk about the biggest course of them all. Amazing Selling Machine! Price: $3,500Total Watch Time: 36h 53m= $1.58 / minute Now of course I left the big fish for last. Amazing selling machine is longest running and most expensive one of the 3 of courses, and probably of all fba courses in the world. Along with the video lessons, ASM has huge events every year with tickets ranging from $400 to $750. But lets talk about the videos. With nearly 37 hours of screen time, it is definitely a lot to take in. I believe the actual course makes you watch it throughout 8 weeks, but since I just had all the video files already, I decided to binge it. Now I did not watch all the coaching calls, but I finished all the other modules. And I do have to say, compared to the other two, these videos are very dry. They provide lots of info, but they do so with text. I’d say 50-60% of the videos are taken up by this blue screen with white text. As opposed to just showing the practical stuff, they have a lot of fluff. They spend a few minutes before every video explaining everything thats going to happen instead of just diving straight into it. Now you might be thinking “well that makes it great for notes”, but they already provide all these bullet points in the form of PDFs. And thats honestly what bugged me most. Every single video had a pdf to accompany it, which is great, but the guys in the video were just reading off of it. Its almost like they wrote an awesome amazon FBA book, and they’re just reading it to us, instead of a cut to the chase kind of course. Here you can see the PDF, and beside it the video. Its line by line. Now that may be appealing to some people, but for me it was just filler. With tanner and kevin, it felt like you were learning from a friend or mentor, With mike and Rich, its more of a classroom vibe, less passion more rules. And that another thing, their rules or guidelines are very firm. Unlike kevins who i said leaves it at “this is what I suggest, based on experience”. ASM is very much “this is what you need to do to be successful. Use the ASM criteria”. With all that said, there’s still brilliant content inside. The most surprising to me was their product research, being new to FBA, I really thought that jungle scout was the only way to do solid product research. However in ASM they use DS quickview, and a method that heavily relies on a products BSR. While it seems like a little more work than using jungle scout and 999 track, I thinks good to see another perspective on product research, and its something I will add in the future just to be extra sure on my products. They are also the best when talking about having a sequential or chronological order. Its VERY beginner friendly with everything laid out nice and neat. I would even say that you could jump into the ASM course without ever using a computer before, thats how comprehensive they get with their explanations. However the one thing that separates ASM from all the rest in my opinion his how they give you actionable steps at the end of every video. Just like homework. The intention is so that you actually follow along with them as they go to ensure you get results. Of course this can be hard if you dont actually find a product after the product research module. But like I said it was designed to be dripped throughout 8 weeks, not 8 days. So what would I suggest? Well I can starting as a beginner, I feel like I definitely got my degree in FBA after all these courses. They all have a different and unique spin to them, and all of them offer their own little gold nuggets that the other doesn't. However this is just like goldilocks, One of them is too little, one of them is too much, and the other is just right. So, with all things considered, I would have to give the crown to Kevin Davids Ninja MasterClass. Its not the cheapest per minute, but its the most practical, It doesn't have the most content, but it cuts the fluff, and id say he gives the greatest perspective on incorporating amazon into your everyday lifestyle. He talks about how gets great product ideas outside of amazon by just being more observant or talking to people. And its that outside the box thinking that I think sets a good seller apart from a great one. His course actually dives deeper into the facebook and marketing side than ASM does, he could have almost sold that as a separate course. He also has the best tricks in terms of keywords and ranking. As for me, I started watching these courses last month, and today I have 3 products on the way. I can't confirm yet if the products are any good, but one of them gets in tomorrow, so we shall find out soon and update you guys once sales start coming in.