#and not to toot my own horn but i am proud of the posts i've compiled here

[favvn]

Jim Kirk / The Conscience of the King / Tarsus IV Masterpost

As someone who enjoys digging into the details of Star Trek TOS and writes meta posts so that I can better understand the characters, especially Jim Kirk at the moment, I am compiling this for easy browsing and to be a resource for anyone else who may need it. This post includes background information on Tarsus IV and the episode The Conscience of the King, the 1967 Writer's Guide, and my own posts that use Tarsus IV as a lens for viewing Jim Kirk.

This will probably continue to be updated as I make my way through my first viewing of the show. Tarsus IV is something that enables endless re-contextualization for Star Trek TOS episodes in my opinion, and it took me a whole month after first seeing The Conscience of the King to start realizing what Kirk's past means for his present.

1967 Writer's Guide: (Text in alt; link is to a pdf)

Transcript of The Conscience of the King (archived link)

Tarsus IV, a planet inhabited by colonists from Earth, originally under the leadership of Starfleet

It is estimated that Jim Kirk lived on Tarsus IV at the age of 13 and survived the upheavals of a revolution, famine, and massacre of half of the colonists. It is unclear if the famine predated the revolution or vice versa, so this is left to the audience to decide. It is also unclear if the "exotic fungus" that infected the crops and destroyed the food supply was a natural occurrence or a manmade one. What is clear is that Kodos seized power during the revolution, Tarsus IV's food supply was so limited that rations were running out, and he chose to kill 4,000 colonists that he deemed fit to die in order to allow the chosen 4,000 to live.

While it was cut from the finished script of The Conscience of the King, Jim Kirk originally lived with his father on the colony until Kodos killed George Kirk for refusing to join him in the revolution. Jim Kirk witnesses this murder according to the same early draft.

Jim Kirk was selected by Kodos to die. He remembers the exact words of the death summons 20 years later but survives along with eight others. The exact nature of how Kirk and the others survived is unclear and left to the audience to develop on their own. But he is one of “nine eyewitnesses who survived the massacre who’d actually seen Kodos with their own eyes," as stated in The Conscience of the King.

Jim Kirk: Life and Death after Tarsus IV a parallel post that compiles how Tarsus IV has impacted Kirk's sense of mortality and how he has continued living in spite of it

Tarsus IV + SINNER REPENT something of a long-belated alternative to my initial post about The Naked Time's wall writing

Jim Kirk: Victim/Survivor or Barbarian/Monster At the time I made the post, I refrained from adding a caption, but that's the gist of my thought process

The Conscience of the King + Mirror, Mirror a post that looks at the mirrored dialogue between the Tarsus IV massacre committed by Kodos that Jim Kirk survived and the Vega IX massacre committed by Mirror Jim Kirk

The Conscience of the King: A Closer Look at Tools and Humanity a meta post analyzing how Kodos and Kirk view tools and what their views reveal about their own humanity

The Terror of Violence a parallel/web weave post about how Jim Kirk can only accept violence if the one who uses it experiences pain and anguish as a result (in other words, a painless death is not the result of mercy, but a suppression of mercy and the desensitization of emotions); in a similar vein, the parallels between how Kirk rejects vengeance in both The Conscience of the King and A Taste of Armageddon

Tools and Humanity a post that combines Georges Bataille's argument that work and the tools created for work inhibits humankind's urge for violence alongside A Taste of Armageddon and The Conscience of the King

Jim Kirk and The Enterprise a post that examines what the Enterprise means for Kirk in light of Lenore Karidian telling him, "You are like your ship--powerful and not human."

Jim Kirk and Lenore Karidian's first meeting a post that looks at how the plot of Macbeth mirrors the plot to The Conscience of the King and the roles Kirk and Lenore play

[jamscandraw]

Artist/writer/creative friends, my darlings, I am reaching through your screens and gently holding your faces in my hands as I say:

Please stop dunking on yourself on public socials.

I know it's so tempting to post some art and put "this came out real bad lol" "I suck so much why did I post this" but as a follower (and as a friend to a lot of people who do this) it's really disheartening and uncomfortable. A friend of mine got a really nice comment on some art they'd made and their reply was "thanks it looks way worse than my usual art" how do you respond to that?? Coming across like you have no faith or love for your own work will most likely mean your followers won't either. And if you're putting this work up for sale/as samples for commissions, it doesn't look very professional.

Yes tooting your own horn is hard but you don't have to swing to the other extreme end of the spectrum and start saying "look at me I'm so amazing!!! I aced this!!" (Although you should definitely try it at least once when you're super proud of something, it's a really good confidence boost sometimes) Just don't be 100% negative about your work in a place your followers/potential customers can see. If you really don't like a piece that you're posting, try and put a positive spin on it: "this didn't come out quite the way I wanted and I think I've learned something about anatomy!" or "working on this made me realize I'd like to get better at drawing backgrounds" etc etc. And if someone gives your work a compliment that you feel your work doesn't deserve, don't try to convince them they're wrong - just say thank you! Not only does it make it much more approachable for your followers (and possibly open up engagement in terms of people offering tips/feedback) but you will start to feel much less negatively about your work, and yourself as well. Please be a little bit kinder to yourself and your hard work ❤️

[burntheedges]

hi bby ✨ I’m hoping to spread a little love around today (it is someone’s birthday after all — so you might see others answering this)! 

I am a big fan of people enjoying cake and celebrating, and sometimes cake can be just tooting your own horn 💁‍♀️ so with that in mind, I’d love to know what THREE pieces of work you’re super proud of that you’d recommend others reading, and why 🍰

Jo!! I love this! You're so sweet 🧡 like cake haha

Ok three things I'm proud of 🥺 I'm not going to include Maintenance Request because I am proud of it but it feels like the obvious answer.

Over Again (Joel Miller x f!reader, 42.6k words, 18+, complete) -- it was my first fic I've written in... decades and it just means a lot to me. It was my first try at writing in fandom and first try at reader fic and it's exactly what I wanted it to be. I probably woudn't write it the same way now, but I think that's always true. I posted it before I started this blog so the masterlist is here but the links are to my updates blog, where it lives.

A day at the lake (Din Djarin x reader, 1k words, gen, complete) -- this is just a random drabble I wrote about Din trying to relax on vacation and I think I'm proud of it because it's funny? I mean, I think it's funny, but other people told me they laughed and I'm like over the moon that other people thought it was funny. Getting inside Din's POV can also be tough so I like exploring it.

Is this a date? (Frankie Morales x f!reader, 9k words, 18+ complete) -- I'm proud of this one because I feel like I pushed myself a bit, with the POVs and the other characters (and the Spanish! but shout out to @urmomsgnocchi for helping with that). It was a lot of stuff to keep track of but I think it worked!

Thank you for asking, Jo, you're the best 🥰

[hellothere-generalangsty]

It's way past my bedtime ans my cat is sleeping-purring next to me but I thought I'd post the process of the @ailani-reillata Ailaniversary art I made today just to talk a bit more about it

Disclaimer: doing traditional art is cool until you need to scan it or post a picture of it 😂 also kinda long post below so ofc no obligation at all to read it!

Phase one: Sketching the Idea

My inspiration for the posture was a Yara Flor comic strip I found on Pinterest. Yara looks over her shoulder and her hair falls on the side of her face, and I loved the way it framed her face and thought it would look great with Ailani's hair.

I drew a little doodle on the page to help me visualize how the hair would be divided, and focused on 3 main parts (the lines, the bubbles, the empty space) which would - supposedly- help me during the lineart stage. Below are images of the final sketch.

I was hesitant on adding details to her arms, such as the folds of a dress, but I was so anxious about ruining the drawing I abandonzd that idea. I was considering adding her tattoos and was still not decided at this stage of the drawing.

Phase 2: Line-ing the Art

Is that even a real word? Idk, I'm too tired to English properly so we will say it is. Following the sketching phase was naturalle the lineart phase, which is one of my favorite stage when drawing. I bought new inking pens too so I was able to test them out, and it went quite well!

As you can see, the ribbons, outline of the skin and facial features have been done with my new pens, and i was quite happy with the result! It gives a more natural look to the whole drawing in my opinion.

At this stage I decided not to add her arm tattoos and consider this version of Ailani as the one you would find in the early chapters of Begged and Borrowed Time, so before she would get her tattoos.

Phase 2.5: Line-ing the Hair

This stage has it's own part because it was really fun to do! The inspiration for the way I draw hair comes from @/ssavaart (aka Scott Christian Sava on Youtube). I've been following him for a while now and I'm trying to push my art beyond my comfort zone and try new stuff thanks to him, and having fun with drawing hair is one of these things!

Look how beautiful these curls are. I'm not trying to toot my own horn or anything, but I'm really proud of the drawing at this stage 😂 it's the perfect moment where the inking went well and I have not yet ridked myself with the watercolours - so I always take a long sight (and tons of pictures) to celebrate reaching this stage without incidents.

Phase 3: Watercolours

Here comes the difficult part. It always makes me nervous because I always fear ruining my drawing and all the efforts I put into it by doing the watercolours. But I love the medium too much and if I want to get better I need to practice. So, testing the waters, I finally dive head first into this crucial stage.

The watercolouring goes well, I'm overall satisfied enough to take some pictures and even try to scan it, with the hope that the scanned rendering will be better than the usual "photographing and editing" I do with my phone.

Spoiler alert: the scan was NOT better than the pictures, and no amount of editing could change that. (Or maybe I am just very bad at editing.) So, back to my "photographing and editing" habits, I somehow managed to get a good enough result:

I still feel unsatisfied as I find these digital versions do not properly render the visuals I have on paper, IRL. With the digital versionsw the hair is either so dark we don't see the details, or too bright, the colours are too warm and light... And while Ailani looks light-skinned, the paper version has these visible brown tones that I struggled to find on the digital version, even when editing the pictures. The closest I got is the tone you see on the first picture, but the image is not lighted enough so the overall quality of the picture is a bit lessened by that.

Still, I won't complain too much, because overall it was a very fun drawing to do, I enjoyed every stage of it and I would love to do another piece like this! But for now I will go to sleep because it is Way Past My Bedtime 😂

If you've made it this far, thank you for your attention, feel free to let me know which stage is your favorite and what you liked most (or disliked most) about this drawing!

I for one really had fun doing Ailani's lips, as well as filling her hair, and colouring her eyes! 😊

[ramblers-lets-get-ramblin]

Week of November 26-December 2

What I Read:

I got caught up and finished Deliver Me From Nowhere by @atinylittlepain.

This story is one I will likely return to. The content hits so close to home for me and it was very healing for me to read.

Killshots by @magpiepills

This three part series is very good. the imagery and scene setting is wonderful and the tension is delicious. i am an absolute sucker for a good twist and this ending has just that!

Your Summer Dream: Season Two: Autumn Air by @swiftispunk.

obviously, we all know the series. this first installment of season two had me on my fuckin' knees!!! can't wait to see what more han has in store for these two!

Secrets- Cowboy Like Me- Chapter 14 by @macfrog

the truth has finally come out and the fallout is upon us! the dominoes have started to fall and i can't wait to see where they end up. not afraid to admit this one made me cry a little but at the end.

Paranoid Heart- Chapter 9 by @goodwithcheese

oh there are some big feelings happening in the chapter, on both sides. the wedding is quick approaching and the dynamic between Javi and Tabby seems to be headed for a good shakeup. after all, sleeping with someone who's parent is dating yours, is a much different thing than sleeping with you stepbrother, isn't it?

A Sip or a Spoonful- The World Tipped On Its Side by @idolatrybarbie

to be completely honest, i really wasn't ready to let go of these two! this fic has so many components that i've never seen or read and i really really enjoyed it. I am very much looking forward to Bea's new series Revisionist History. Please check them out! you will not be disappointed.

Three's Company Part Two by @absurdthirst and @wardenparker

this chapter picks up right where the last left off. there isn't much to say that won't spoil it. This is just the right balance of hot and sweet and i really love the dynamic here.

Seeking What Is Desirable Chapter 2 by @chloeangelic

you and Joel can't stop thinking about each other, weeks and weeks after your encounter at the party. when he shows up at your work, things heat up even more. is it coincidence that you keep crossing paths? or fate?

Creepin' by @elvinaa (dark!Joel)

as you go about your day, you can't help but feel uneasy. like someone is watching you. maybe someone is.

What I Posted:

i released the third, and final, part of When My Time Comes Around. i was sad to come to this end of this story, but i feel really good about it. Not to toot my own horn, but i am so proud of this series. i really feel like it is the best writing I've ever put out. The responses I have received from you all have made feel all of my feelings and i really cannot overstate how much i love you all.

I also posted an angsty Frankie one shot, Tender Is The Night. I start to get the sads when it gets dark at 4 pm and unfortunately for you all, im gonna make it everyone's problem lol

Upcoming:

i have a few things in the works right now:

Linger On- chapter 12 (finally, i know. im sorry)

a Christmas Dieter one shot for @hellishjoel's 12 Days of Pedro

i have outlines for TWO different series that i hope to start working on soon

check out my other weekend updates here!

See ya next week, Besties! 💚

[praetorqueenreyna]

2022 AO3 Year-End Fic Review

Decided to make an AO3 fic roundup questionaire for 2022! Answer all the questions for yourself, then tag some friends!

1. What is your AO3 account?

I'm at LittleQueenTrashMouth on AO3!

2. How many words did you write total in 2022?

I wrote 45,199 words in 2022, for 5 different fandoms! It's fewer words than I wrote the past two years, but WAY more fandoms! I think 2020 and 2021 I exclusively wrote for ATLA.

3. How many fics did you publish in 2022? How many multichapters vs oneshots?

I published 15 fics in 2022! 4 of those are multi-chapter fics, the remaining 11 are oneshots.

4. What was your longest fic? Your shortest fic?

My longest fic for 2022 is my ongoing ACOTAR Tamlin/Lucien fic, lovely and lonely. It's currently at 13,345 words, and STILL GROWING! My shortest fic is modern swinger, a maizukaang fic that I've only written one chapter of (and probably won't write a ton more of I'M SORRY). It's at 791 words. My shortest complete fic is a maizula oneshot I wrote for Mai Week! It's ladies first, baby, I insist, and it's 1,226 words.

5. What was your most popular fic? Your least popular fic?

Most popular fic is my Cassie/Maddie fic, cupcakes, that is at 2,798 hits. My least popular fic is the Tamlin/Rhysand fic I just posted, chimera, which is at 65 hits. WHICH IS FAIR bc it's for a rarepair and it's only been up for a few days!

6. What fic didn’t perform as well as you thought it would?

I would say my maiko Palm Springs AU born lost, which I also wrote for Mai Week. IDK like not to toot my own horn, but I am very proud of this fic and how I managed to incorporate the complexity of the movie Palm Springs into a oneshot that still feels real to Maiko. It was fun having all the different ships, all the cheating, and all the existentialist nihilism that an endless time loop scenario creates. And it's at 317 hits lmao.

7. What fic performed way better than you thought it would?

My first Sandman fic, in the gutter, which focuses on Calliope's recovery after she was imprisoned. esp after spending so long in ATLA fandom, where readership and comments are really low, it got so much love! Somebody even made a podfic for it (LISTEN HERE it's amazing I love this person's voice!) which was like. SO meaningful and sweet!! SANDMAN FANDOM YOU THE REAL ONE ILY!!!!

8. What was your favorite fic you wrote from 2022?

ACK this is hard, I honestly like all my fics! I'll say rebel, rebel, my Mai/Toph oneshot! I loved writing Toph as a butch masc lesbian, which is WHO SHE WAS ALWAYS MEANT TO BE!!! And the arranged marriage trope was SO fun to write for!

9. What was your favorite fic that somebody else wrote in 2022?

I mean. Everything that @lady-tortilla-chip writes is my favorite. But I'll say Do I Keep You Up At Night? is my fave fic of her's, just because the Maizula in it is SO FUCKING GOOD! IT IS EVERYTHING TO ME! PLEASE READ THIS FIC!

10. Tag your friends to have them do this year-end fic review as well!

OKIE I TAG PPL! Also if you see this and want to do it, you totally should!

@lady-tortilla-chip @thinkingisadangerouspastime @drowning-in-cacophony @thetpot @queercontrarian @isterofimias @mossytrashcan @northern-star-polaris

[haeroniel-doliet]

Ok y'all are in FOR A TREAT once i finish finish this piece off ....

Rocking on like maybe 25 hrs so far on it not even kidding.

And i'm super proud if it???

I just kinda wanna give it a chance to be EVEN better and color it in but like ... Babe i'm in love w it and i cant wait for yall to see

Dinluke tag better watch out and like yes

[kyluxtrashpit]

Chapter 9 of Fractured is now up!

In which Kylo wakes up

[transfenris-truther]

Writing Year in Review

Thanks to @blarrghe for the tag! This is definitely been my biggest year ever for fic writing, and I'm really proud of all I've accomplished even though I'm a small writer and a small blog. It's been really wonderful to be able to make something I'm proud of. If anyone else wants to do it, please feel free!

Wrote: Juuuuuust shy of 99K words over the course of four fics, plus a few bits and peices that only ever got posted here or never got posted at all.

New things I tried: Writing a fic that actually had a pairing in it. Writing sex. Also multiple POVs. It was a LOT of firsts this year.

Fic I spent the most time on: Almost certainly "No Town More Barren Than Our Town" which I wrote 16 chapters for over this year. It's my first fic ever with a paring so it's been my most popular as well.

Fic I spent the least time on: Probably a one shot I posted just here, but I also want to say "For a Season or Two" which is the only one shot I have on A03 and I wrote in basically a fugue state.

Favourite thing I wrote: I wrote a Fenris/Isabela scene in No Town More Barren Than Our Town that made me really proud of my own writing. It was the first sex I ever wrote, and I'm really proud of the feelings in it as well as everything else.

Favorite thing I read: Not to toot Blarrge's horn too much in this post, but Matchsies makes my day every time it updates.

Writing goals for next year: Improve generally. I want to keep the pace I had this year but write more consistently and with more quality? In 2020, I wrote most of Through the Fog, which I still think is the most high-quality thing I've ever written, but I would like to write something at that quality at an improved pace. There are some chapters in No Town More Barren Than Our Town that I'm just kinda meh on.

Other thoughts: I am really proud of the way I've just written what I wanted to this year. Even though there's stuff I'm not in love with or a little embarrassed by, I'm writing the kind of character stuff that made me love Dragon Age in the first place. And it's genuinely okay with me that it's not perfect and it's not for everyone. Now if I could write about anyone but Fenris.

Happy New Year y'all!

[resinatingbeauty]

I've always felt it tacky to make two posts in one day related to my work but I had to share this, as I've been trying to perfect the Galaxy design for my unisex Galaxy bangle bracelets for the past three years and this most recent one, I feel, captured what I had envisioned this entire time!

It came about as I was fulfilling an order for one of my trans customers who I adore and am honored that they showcase my work! As they are available in two sizes, these handmade to order color changing / glow in the dark bangles are designed to look amazing and fit everyone- they may also be fully customized and personalized as usual.

It's not that I hadn't watched videos nor that I wasn't aware of the technique used to create the galaxy effects- my desire to combine glow in the dark pigments with color changing thermogenic pigments made it a tedious process. The layers had to be done precisely and very thin, with each pigment on a separate layer with clear resin added in between to ensure each one 'popped.'

I don't usually toot my own horn when it comes to my work, but I am very proud of how this bangle came out and I can't wait to send it to its owner. These bracelets are currently on sale in the shop and you will find a video showing the color changing effects in action as well as the ability to select your own glow in the dark color.

Alright that's enough from me!

Samantha

Blursedbaubles.etsy.com

[seekercass]

AO3 Tag Game / About Me

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have fourteen (14) at the moment. I was waiting for the final reveal before posting this.

2. What is your total AO3 word count?

160,488... phew. I'm gonna toot my own horn here: as of this year, I've written 82k. I'm trying to hit 100k before the new year. After coming off a long hiatus, I'm really proud of this.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

I've been in tons of fandoms over the years. I've written for Haikyuu!!, Hannibal, Bleach, Star Wars, Da Vinci's Demons, and The Umbrella Academy. And of course one of my current fandoms is HP.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. I've loved and I've lost

2. pure temptation

3. Be safe, be true, and I'll think of you

4. there are monsters here

5. in your eyes and in your mind i see change

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do try to most often! I appreciate every comment because someone took some time out of their day to say something specific about my writing.

6. What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

I am very much a HEA person. That said, my kylux one-shot could fit this bill.

7. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've ever written?

I've thought about doing so, but haven't yet. I'm more interested in fusion AUs. Stealing the worldbuilding and setting instead of mixing up the characters.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes, during the DTH fest. I deleted it and went about my day.

9. Do you write smut? And if so what kind?

I do and hooboy let's see. I'm a complete goblin for writing porn with feelings and the really nitty gritty details. The messiness of it all - give me all the filth.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of.

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

I have not! I would love to one day.

12. What's your all-time favorite ship?

For my current fandom: Drarry. I also love a bunch of rarepairs like Lunasy, Dron, Hedric to name few. I'm a total gremlin for rarepairs, though.

I also love Harringrove, Kylux, Rhack, Barduil, and Hannigram.

13. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

HP.

14. What's your favorite fic you've written?

I've been waiting for reveals to happen to talk about this so the one I'm particularly close to is this year's Quidditch Fest fic, Something Good to Always Keep. I poured a lot of my heart into that one and I'm overly fond of volleyball. I am also extremely fond of my Bleach artist AU Leave Your Mark on Me. I am weak for any artist/painting AUs in general and I gave a lot of myself when I wrote this.

[jungwooswift]

I used to be almost EXCLUSIVELY an EXID blogger and I know I don't really talk about them anymore but lately I've been worried that you guys think I don't love them anymore or something. And that's not it.

I discovered EXID Christmas 2015, just 6 months after getting into K-Pop, and I fell head over heels in love. It took me just one weekend to learn every name, personality, ship and song. They were my whole life. For a minute there, I was basically the only person writing fan fiction for them or shipping them or even TALKING about shipping them and making memes and shit posts for EXID. And I'm not saying that to sound like a dick or toot my own horn or be like 'oh I discovered them tbh I was here first' but because for a while there, I based my entire K-Pop stan identity on being a LEGGO.

I loved BTS and and EXO but EXID? They were my life. I wanted to convert everyone. I used to get messages from boy group stan mutuals saying I got them into EXID. It because a running joke. I got 5 IRL non-K-Pop friends to watch their first episode of Showtime. They were my bias group in the worst way. I felt like I was more... compatible with EXID. Like they suited my personality. Like the weird things about me clicked with this band. They were the underdogs and I loved that they were a smaller group than the two GIANT mainstream monsters I was used to stanning. I loved that people associated me with them. I was so proud of that. I still am! None of that love ever diminished! I still believe they're one of the most talented and unique K-Pop groups of all time.

But it's so different now. It was really tough for them without Solji. Lady was BRILLIANT but it flopped. I Love You didn't get a win. The Japanese album instead of a Korean comeback. The weirdness with BC. It has always felt like disbandment was imminent and let me tell you, friends, my heart would not be able to handle it. Seriously, it would crush me.

They mean so much to me and I've been watching them struggle for 3 years and it just feels more and more like we're rushing towards the end and that breaks my heart and so I've spent the last several months trying to sort of distance myself because if/when that day does come and they go their separate ways, it's going to kill me. But I see a few LEGGOs interact on here and I want to join in (and if you've been following me for a while, specifically those who knew me back in 2016/2017, like the Eclipsed era, you know how much I used to post about them) but I feel like I'm not a part of that world anymore. I don't know. It makes me so sad.

L.I.E (summer 2016) was by far the best K-Pop era I've ever been a part of and I'm so so proud to say that I got to experience that and appreciate it and buy the album and watch the win and thrive. But it feels like we're never, ever going to get back to that and it's really killing me.