#but i want my friends and fellow creators to look at my work

[princesssmars]

unexpected

an ellabs x black!streamer!reader

some times your viewers expect you're in a relationship, and one time you spell it out clearly for them.

wc : 1.860

contains : reader is feminine ! the picture is more lightskin but all shades can read <333 ltlvc reference

a/n : coming up with chat usernames is so hard what the fawk??? but yeah while i ignore trolls the ones under these tags were pissing me off so i wrote this for my fellow black girlies <333 i hope u enjoy :)

lets get one thing out of the way, you loved being a streamer. now that you had a good following of a few thousand regular watchers, you were more than financially stable, got to do something you enjoyed as a job, and even made a few new streaming friends.

but when it came to those friends, every content creator knew simple friendships could stir up drama. you had heard of many cases of friendships being strained or ruined because of this job. more specifically because of the fans.

which is why you took an oath to leave finer details like relationships out of your work. if you did tell a story about that time you and your friends nearly got kicked out of a local mall's journey's, you would keep descriptions of friends brief and blank, even resorting to calling people "friend number one, friend number two..."

luckily most of your fans were more than understanding that you wanted to keep some of your life private.

most of them.

●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘

case one : the first p.o. box

it was another po box opening stream you decided to start early in the day, wanting to show and appreciate chat with the things they got for you.

lululemonsz : babe i hope its a new keyboard urs is on a iv drip !

wariolover96 : open it open the box OPEN IT

shelovedantee : damn is there a bomb in it hurry up

you laughed looking at all the people in chat begging you to open the current package in your hand.

"everybody chill out. look, im gonna open the first one now."

you quickly got a pair of scissors to cut off the packing tape on both ends, hurrying to pull the cardboard from its place.

the chat started speeding up when your mouth fell open in shock, slowly reaching in and pulling out the keyboard. it was sleek, mechanical, and your favorite color.

biiiigpoo : omg isnt that thing like $250?

lululemonsz : this as the first gift is CRAZY

ilovestardewmc1237 : one of your viewers is in love with you

you couldn't even respond, turning the keyboard over and back again to admire the details of it. out of the corner of your eye you spot a little yellow sticky note at the bottom, bringing it up to read it without letting the camera see. once you got to the end, your eyes widened and you quickly moved on to the next gifts.

but the light reflecting from your window and monitor was enough for chat to see a few letters on the note. after that, your fandom quickly began talking of a person named "A" who had not only the money to get you crazy expensive keyboards, but was also able to fluster you with a small note.

●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘

case two : the search history.

every so often, your mods would host little events on your stream. these could include giveaways, shitty chat therapy, and little games for everyone to play. today it was a challenege : the more bits people donated, the crazier stuff you had to do for them. it was all pretty tame, and the end goal was one you didnt think you'd manage to hit.

never doubt the power of charisma and a pretty face, because after only three hours you manged to reach that two thousand dollar mark, and chat was raving at what you'd have to reveal next : your search history.

ariagatorr : damn this lowkey invasive 💀

devonchcgo22 : and we dont give a fuck

plantsnparsnip : right open that shit up

"i hate yall, do you know that? like genuinely." you groaned, slowly movied your mouse to open your chrome history.

there wasn't much for chat to bully you about thankfully, just some light teasing about how much you use pinterest and asking what it was you bought on etsy. and just when you thought you were done, someone had to open their big damn mouth.

pian0picass0 : wait a minute why did you open ellies stream THREE times ????

chat started moving faster as they read the comment, everyone asking you to open the stream and show them what was going on. sucking your teeth and denying them as you had shown them what they wanted!

after quickly wrapping up the stream and giving your thanks and goodbyes, a portion of viewers went on a manhunt for any ellie who was streaming at the moment.

once clicking on the stream, they found it was just a casual stream with ellie. she was obviously pretty, but was super laid-back in her jeans and converse as she strummed some songs on her guitar.

"oh hey, welcome to the stream i guess. any requests? i was gonna practice some radiohead because my friend asked for it."

pian0picass0 : hey ellie! do you know who (y/u) is by any chance?

"'sup casso. uhhhh no i dont think i do. did she send yall over here? maybe ill check her channel out."

●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘

case three : the enhanced dm's

"everybody shut the fuck up and lets start this stupid thing."

this was it, one of your biggest streams of the year. and also the most fun. and most aggravating.

the gist was simple. you and 5 other streamers were thrown into a discord call and whoever lasted the longest through the sleep deprivation and challenges won a heap of cash.

what the hell was it with you getting screwed over by challenges?

it didn't seem that bad. the host, a close friend of yours, told you to share your screen so everyone could decide something to tweet from your twitter.

now, your friends in the call didn't notice what was on your screen when you shared it, and if they did they didn't say anything. but never doubt the perseverance of your crazy ass viewers, because one took the liberty to see exactly what you were saying in that split second they could see your dm's, because they swore they knew that profile picture...

abby : don't worry you'll do fine

abby : you're not gonna get embarrassed by any of the challenges

abby : i hope

y/n : seriously

abby : come onn you know i'm rooting for you &lt;3

y/n : aww thanks bee

abby : yup. for the whole event i'm gonna be your personal cheerleader ^3^

y/n : oooo you gonna put on a uniform for me?

abby : don't push it.

●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘

case four : the voice chat slip up

at this point, there was no point in acting like you didn't know the two streamers.

the first was abby. mostly posted fitness, health, and lifestyle videos on youtube, but would occasionally go live on twitch to talk with her fans or stream herself working out at the gym.

(you may or may not have admitted live that you found her by watching a few of her workout streams. whoops.)

and then there was ellie, a gaming streamer who was known for being chill and quiet when playing music but as loud as a plane engine when playing cs:go. don't even get her started on cod.

but luckily you'd manage to convince her to play some games with you on your latest stream! some stardew, maybe some overcooked. even if she kept burning all of the damn food.

leave it to ellie williams to always surprise you, though.

when you hear the du-dum of the discord join noise, your face lights up and your mouth opens to greet ellie before she beats you to it.

"ok, babe, which game we playin first?"

to make a long story shot, your chat went ballistic and you gave a stern talking to the red head after the stream ended.

●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘

case five : the instagram post

most of the time you leave most of your notifications off to avoid your phone sounding like a constant alarm. but you're guessing your recent endeavor of babysitting your cute but horrifically grabby nephew screwed you over, because before you know it the sound of dozens on instagram notifications are waking you up and pushing your bonnet from where it slipped down your eyes before unlocking your phone.

at first it seems like a normal picture abby posted, standing in front of a mirror in her living room , flexing her arm and covered in a thin sheen of sweat after an apparent workout session. ever the show off.

but when you zoomed into a blip of color in the background, your eyes almost pop out of your head when you see it.

its you and ellie, you sitting in her lap while she showed you some stupid meme on her phone she said reminded her of you.

the post was only thirty minutes old but already had a few thousand comments, the previes of 'OMG?????' and "no fucking way" giving you a hint to what people were thinking.

you turned off your phone, tossed it back on the nightstand and went back to sleep.

●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘●∘◦❀◦∘

case six : the joint stream

y/nsstan69 : not an unscheduled stream ??? is it judgement day ???

onlycuntz : "ft surprise guest" girl we aren't stupid

you had to hide the smile from appearing on your face as you read through the comments of your chat. you knew some of them were probably smart enough to know what was going on. the three of you hadn't really been discrete in the days following abby's slip up post, and viewers jumped at the chance to point you out in the background of some of her workout videos. and to point out how you were staring at her.

assholes.

so, here you sat in the comfort of your cute gaming chair ready to tell chat the big news with your special guest.

"so, i bet some of you are wondering why im streaming off schedule, but i had something big in my personal life that i wanted to tell you guys! in a few minutes my gest should be here..."

your voice trailed off as you kept your eye on chat, seeing a bunch of comments that you werent expecting from this big announcement.

motionpickers : lmaooooo are they serious

lululemonsz : she's gonna be so pissed

you begin to turn around in your chair when two pairs of lips press a kiss to each of your cheeks.

"you guys are so unserious."

"and you are so bad at hiding things." ellie pulls up and extra chair and rolls it up to yours so her knees touch yours. she tugs your hand into hers to sit on her lap, ignoring when you pinch her with your nails.

"ignore her. we could tell what you were doing and figured we should all do it together," abby is on your other side, resting her hip on the arm of your chair. "so, go ahead. it's pretty obvious already."

"wow, thanks for the support you guys."

"anytime, hun."

uhuhstasia : i literally cant tell whos luckier

niatargaryen : IS ANYBODY ELSE FREAKNG OUT

ilovestardewmc1237 : is it appropiate to say i called this

[novapark]

So do you like actually playing the sims? Do you want to make friends that also like to play all/any of the sims games with little to no posing and just living at the whims of your sims desires?

Well I have a new discord for you! The Sims Gameplay Society!

Just set up by my friend Kiwi and I, we're looking for fellow simmers who simply wish to play their sims games and to share their legacy families and challenges. Whatever version of that game it may be at the time. So while we love cc creators and pose-based stories this is only for folks who wanna take that work out of the game. We're just here to play!

So if you're over 18 and all this sounds fun to you, sent me a DM and I'll give you more details.

[colourstreakgryffin]

Random Hashira Post #2

Was listening to a horror YouTube channel so let’s do more headcanons of the Hashira! This time, it’s headcanons when playing horror games!

The Hashira

- Obanai’s back is the single wall from safety and complete utter horror

- They(being everybody except Muichiro and Giyuu) all are scampering to leave the room by the end as a very frustrated Obanai is trying to exit the game

- About 80% of the Hashira are scared out of their minds of horror games in all honesty. So, the horror game night never ends right

- “Oh my fucking god, this is not even creepy, this is the worst—“ “Iguro, turn it off!” “This is so unfair! All those poor defenceless animals! How dare that monster hurt them!” “Namu Amida Butsu…” “Obanai, please! Turn it off! Turn it off! It’s so scary!” “Why is everybody so attached to this? None of it is real” “Let’s play another, Iguro! I got a great idea!” “Bring it on, demon! Your ugly ass face isn’t shit!”

Kyojuro Rengoku

- Has the gut to address and wave at the creepy characters though, he is very nervous. The tension is evident in his voice

- He is able to handle horror a bit better then most of his fellow Hashira but eventually, he needs to turn away and rub his eyes to shake off the picture stamped into his head

- Kyojuro compliments the artwork of the game and praises the game’s creator at the end as he believes all small creators deserve to have their work appreciated, even if the said work scared him out of his mind

- Wants to play the game but he feels immense guilt over leading the cute characters to their deaths and loses his shit over fourth-wall breaking. He must only watch or you’ll risk a really upset Kyojuro reluctantly playing

Tengen Uzui

- Calls whatever Hashira(mainly the dudes) a pussy for looking away but screams outloud at the scares he wasn’t suspecting. Hypocrite much

- Horror games don’t phase Tengen, he proclaims but he is on edge and clutching his chair halfway through the game. He denies his fear by pretending he was cold/hungry/other

- Jealous AF of Obanai’s fearlessness and tries to one-up him, just to fail and bolt out of his skin from the sudden creepy still-frame

- These horror games are so unflashy, Tengen hisses under his breath in salt as he has to blink several times to get that one creepy-ass scene out of his head but it doesn’t go away

- He may or may not gain a temporary but horrible fear of the dark after this event and require his wives to accompany him everywhere

Mitsuri Kanroji

- T E R R I F I E D

- Screams at every little noise the game makes and is constantly hiding her face in Obanai’s lap on the verge of tears. She can’t handle watching nor hearing horror games

- Mitsuri is actually shaking, help her

- Has nightmares of the creepy characters she sees for weeks on end and honestly, she calls Obanai in the middle of the night crying and begging for him to sleep with her

- She wants to be brave for her friends and watch the gameplay with them but she can’t take it. So, she is the first Hashira to admit defeat and hide away

- Mitsuri is that one friend that complains and whines about how the game shouldn’t be scary and why it couldn’t be a non-scary game

Gyomei Himejima

- Even though, he can’t see the terrifying characters. He still flinches at the intense noises, the loud screams, the responses of his friends

- He can literally sense the terror of his fellow Hashira so he feels as scared as them and wishes to coax them to calm them down

- Like Kyojuro, he feels very strongly for the characters supposedly getting killed in the horrific world and asks Obanai to shut the game down to save the poor characters

- He is usually just kinda there for emotional support most of the time(being helping to calm down the horrified Mitsuri) but still responds in fear to the scares as well. The screamers rock his world everytime

- The screams do get to him and he thinks about them at night afterwards sometimes. Even if they weren’t real, the sound of pained screaming hurts him

Muichiro Tokito

- Is always spaced out so horror and the sights of horror games just fly over his head. That doesn’t mean he didn’t find the characters creepy, it just doesn’t bother him as much as it bothers his fellow Hashira

- Why do the little animals have to get mangled like that? Muichiro is more curious over the details and the few Easter eggs of the horror game then the actual game itself

- Can be insensitive to the other Hashira’s fear since his own fear is very minuscule, it almost never shows up as he asks why they can’t handle the gameplay

- Weirdly takes a bit too long to jump at the scares as if his brain is skipping over like a buffering screen

Obanai Iguro

- Bow down. Obanai is the literal king of horror

- He is the only Hashira that doesn’t have a single ounce of fear on horror game night so he’s always the one playing. Even Gyomei flinches but Obanai doesn’t

- No jumpscare nor fourth-wall breaking nor creepy character/picture can scare him as he just makes sarcastic remarks, much to the dismay of his fellow Hashira

- He honestly got ALL the fear one could possibly experience out during his childhood so nothing can scare him now

- Finds horror games amusing more than anything yet, he’ll stop playing to help Mitsuri get through jumpscare aftershock

- Obanai fucking LAUGHS at the horror games. He also makes a lot of snarky remarks and sometimes gets frustrated at how long the game stretches out it’s scare.

- By the end of the game, everybody is cowering under the table or behind Obanai. He is use to playing the game by himself

- Tengen is still trying to scare him with other horror game suggestions, it’s not working

Shinobu Kocho

- God, she straight-up hates horror games and can’t stand them. Not because their so scary but because their too loud!

- But yes, she also hates how creepy the drawings of the characters are and shields her eyes when she deems necessary

- Ew, all the blood gross her out but the sight of dead bodies shakes her to her core that she clings to the closest Hashira to her(that is usually Mitsuri)

- Hides behind Obanai when the game shifts to horror in a instant and eventually yells at him to get out of the game for the creepy still-frame that takes minutes too long to change over

Giyuu Tomioka

- He could give less of a fuck so he isn’t really watching the gameplay. He is just kinda there

- But when he is forced to, he just shrugs off the scares and/or the creepy pieces. Yeah, they made him jump and struck a cord but he doesn’t respond like his fellow Hashira do

- The Hashira believe Giyuu is like Obanai, that he doesn’t find the games scary but he does. He just won’t admit it, as he sees no need to harp on being scared of fake animated things

- Giyuu plays for Obanai when he has a quick nicknack to do and makes zero comments, other than confusion towards the dead creatures or annoyance over the bad controls

- Why do people always change cute harmless characters creepy? Giyuu doesn’t like that part when it comes to horror games. Like, what did Kirby do to deserve this treatment? He feels a sense of justice for the fake horror variations of fake characters

Sanemi Shinazugawa

- Horror games can kiss his ass, Sanemi likes to believe he isn’t afraid of horror games at all and for most of them, he isn’t

- Very specific ones gets under his skin and create goosebumps. They are usually ones that deal with real-life heavy subjects(such as Among the Sleep)

- Sanemi’s taste in horror is a clearly a bit more precise. He won’t bat a eye at the typical Exe./demon games but anything in the real-life problem category, haunts him at night

- Finds horror games a bit stereotypical and can predict what will happen. He eventually gets bored with how Exe./demon games are basically the same

- Looks out for new Horror games to watch Obanai play for the Hashira as he is interested to see what else is out there. He challenges himself with horror, he wants to know his limit

[silverstonesainz-archive]

favorite fics & other good things ↳ my guilty pleasure reads, social media edits, & favorite people

wanted to compile a list of all my favorite reads, in case yall needed something new to look at. (but also if you follow me, you probably follow all my favs and see all their works anyways). this also a cute little post to show appreciation to my fellow writers/creators on here bc...... it's kind of rough out here and i just wanna give a little love. making this also made me realize i read fics from the same rotation of people so if you have fic recs, do send them my way! but without further ado, here we go!

+ long fics

the devil in disguise by @ricc3rodeo [daniel ricciardo x fem!oc] this can't come as shock to yall. if you haven't read this series then you need to RIGHT now. q is a true & honest to god wench for this series but i love it so much. and i love sam so much. and i love HER so much

moonlight by @vamossainz55 [carlos sainz x fem!reader] another great carlos fic & im not just saying that bc i love niks. the plot is CHEF'S KISS so pls read it is 10/10. (note: the link is to the latest chapter, not a masterlist!)

dogs of war by @schuvries [charles leclerc x fem!reader] spirit is by far one of my favorite writers and people on this hellsite. she has such a way with words and i wanna be here when i grow up. read any and all her works you will never be disappointed.

august rush by @harley-sunday [carlos sainz x fem!reader] the softness, the domesticity, the friends to lovers. so fucking good. easily my favorite fics on this sight.

+ one-shots

to live a lifetime with you by @formulabear [charles leclerc x fem!reader] i remember reading this and feeling every ounce of emotion from it. so good. if you haven't read this then you need to right freaking NOW.

listen up / my dear by @oyesmendes [daniel ricciardo x fem!reader] this one made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. gotta love me some danny ric!!!

though i have to travel far, remember me by schuvries [daniel ricciardo x gn!reader] spirit absolutely tore me apart with this one. ripped me to shreds. so fucking good.

said something stupid, instead of 'i love you.' by @absolutelynotmate [charles leclerc x fem!reader] 27k words of delectable writing. take a seat, drink some coffee, & enjoy the ride of emotions this fic brings

brought me here by @leclsrc [carlos sainz x fem!reader] auds is the only person who can make me cry over oranges. this makes me so ill (but in the best way) and makes me fall for carlos even more.

has yet to pass by leclsrc [carlos sainz x fem!reader] the angsty?? the slow burn?? the ending. you have to read it. HAVE TO.

the 1 by @lxclerc [daniel ricciardo x fem!reader] i think of this fic often. this also tore me to shred in the best way. lex is also one of the best writes yall should read her entire masterlist actually.

+ blurbs

snowflakes by absolutelynotmate [carlos sainz] wanna be in the snow with carlos :(

carousel by absolutelynotmate [carlos sainz] i also want to have his baby

overly sincere by leclsrc [charles leclerc] auds is sick for this one

yellow? by schuvries [carlos sainz] the idea of carlos calling me his "hielo" makes me rabid

frosting by @diorleclerc [carlos sainz / 18+] this... this makes me feral. i want this.

13:44 by formulabear [carlos sainz] the softness of this makes me want to swallow my pillow. i want this man so bad

mick + choking by @whorekneecentral [mick schumacher / 18+] this isn't a blurb so much as it is a brainrot post but it is important to me i include this on the list. i want mick so so so so bad.

+ social media aus

tiktoked / sneaky by leclsrc [carlos sainz] my guilty pleasure au. fuck this is my dream. actually auds got the texts from my phone(real)

a bet is a bet by absolutelynotmate [charles leclerc] this. chef's kiss. the work put into these aus. fuck my wife is PHENOMENAL.

[custardcrazy]

sugar, sugar

summary: You’re Ted’s history tutor. After a study session in the library, he offers to buy you a slushie to thank you for your help - things happen from there. (gn!reader) 

wordcount: 2.2k 

A/N: please forgive me for somewhat ridiculous pacing on this one. also, my requests are open for bill and ted!!  (please help i’ve been stuck in writer’s block for god knows how long. also i love them) 

“And who’s the patron saint of France?” You asked, showing the notecard to Ted. 

It was after school on a Friday, so hardly any other students were still in the building. The librarian had vacated her post a good hour ago - you weren’t sure if that was allowed, but she hadn’t returned thus far. The only other people- or, person - in the library was one kid in the corner, poring over a ridiculously thick book.

Ted took a moment, face scrunching up a little as he thought over your question. “Uhh,” he began, “is it Joan of Arc?” His brow furrowed as he absentmindedly brushed some of his hair out of his face. He didn’t sound sure of himself in the slightest. “I dunno, dude. Or is it Napoleon?”

“Joan of Arc,” you corrected gently, giving him an encouraging smile as you showed him the answer. “That’s six in a row, Ted. You’ve really improved!” 

Since you were one of the top students in the honors-level class, Mr. Ryan had basically forced you to help out Ted with his studies. Things had been awkward at first, as you hadn’t thought much of him, having heard less-than-flattering things from your fellow honors students about him and his friend Bill. But Ted, being himself, had quickly endeared himself to you, and you could gladly consider yourself friends with him now. You’d met Bill a few times as well, but since he was being tutored by somebody else, you didn’t get to see him as often as Ted. 

At your compliment, Ted tilted his head downwards, hiding beneath his bangs in a move that could only be described as bashful. “Thanks, dude.” 

Amused, you shuffled through the cards again. “No problem. Just one more to go, don’t space out on me just yet.” 

“ ‘Kay,” he answered meekly, looking as if he was attempting to regain his composure. Though, as he peeked at you, you could still tell that his face was a bit pink. He was pretty much an open book; even if he tried to hide his feelings, anyone with basic knowledge of human emotion could tell what he was thinking. It was kind of refreshing, actually. And also kind of cute. 

“Alright.” You dispayed another card to him. “Who was the creator of the Mongol Empire?” 

This time, Ted brightened up. “Oh! I know this one, it’s easy.” The embarrassed look was gone in an instant, replaced by a grin. “Genghis Khan, right?” 

Flipping the card over, you nodded. “Yeah, that’s it! Nice work.” 

Seemingly happy at his small victory, Ted’s smile persisted. You couldn’t help but return it; his attitude was contagious. Brown eyes met yours, crinkled up at the corners. And abruptly, time seemed to still. 

You were aware that Ted wasn’t exactly ugly, but. Had you actually looked closely before? Not like this. He was kind of -- 

pretty?

Wait, since when had you -- 

“That’s all for today,” you said, after a beat. You focused your attention down at the table, suddenly feeling self-conscious, as if he could read your thoughts. “Like I said -- you’ve improved a lot, Ted. I think you’ll do alright on the final, at least.” Aware of the fact that you were speaking just to hide your own increasing awkwardness, you began to clean up your notes, paper rustling as you did so. 

“You really think so, dude?” Ted beamed, and you could practically hear the smile in his voice, even though you weren’t looking at him anymore. (But you wanted to.) 

“Maybe I won’t flunk after all! That would be totally mortifying, after all the effort you’ve put into helping me out, dude.” He was so genuine, as always, but it somehow felt more special now. Of all times. “Thanks again, dude.” 

“It’s no big deal,” you insisted, tucking your stuff into your bag before closing it. Finally, you glanced at him -- his eyes had been on you the entire time. “You’re not nearly as bad as some of the guys on the football team, y’know. One of my friends got stuck with one of ‘em.” You lowered your voice as if you were telling him a painful secret. “This guy in particular has terrible hygiene.” 

“Bogus.” Ted made a face. “I seriously hope that your friend is okay. That sounds odious, having to deal with unsanitary sports dudes.” 

“Oh, I’ve heard enough to know how it is.” Standing up, you swung your bag over your shoulder, before pushing in your chair. Mostly on reflex. You shivered to remember being yelled at for forgetting to ‘leave everything as you found it’... Maybe it was a good thing that the librarian was conveniently absent. 

Ted did the same, and you walked side-by-side out of the library. 

It was perfect outside, and the parking lot was pretty much empty. You checked your watch - 4:30 PM. Ted stilled next to you, and you looked over, meeting his eyes.

“Well,” you said, somewhat stiffly. “We actually ended a bit earlier than usual. Did you study on your own time?” You didn’t say it out loud, as it would probably come off as rude, but your expectations were pretty low when it came to Ted. He was a hard worker when he wanted to be, sure, but that was hardly ever. Most of his brain was occupied by Led Zeppelin and various other bands. Which was delightful, but not when trying to get him to memorize other things. 

The boy shifted where he stood, looking sheepish. “..Maybe a little,” he answered. “The flashcards you gave me really helped, dude. The little drawings on the back, too. The stuff you said about me being a ‘seeing learner’ was right, I think.” 

Huh. He actually studied? “Oh, I thought so -- wait.” You looked at him quizzically. “ ‘Seeing learner’?” 

“You know, uh.” Ted floundered for a moment. “Like, um, learning stuff faster if I see, like, pictures of them? I think?” 

It took you a second to figure it out, but then it clicked. “Oh. Ted, that’s a ‘visual learner’.” 

“Oh,” he said. “Yeah, that.” 

You couldn’t help but snort, which somehow seemed to bring a smile to his face - the reason why being unknown to you. “Right. Keep it up, then. Like I said, I’m pretty sure you’ll pass the final, as long as you have a general idea of what the historical figures did.” You’d already informed him that basically paraphrasing the textbook would probably work, as long as he loosely stuck to the theme. 

Ted nodded, his shoulders bobbing with the movement. “Stellar.” 

“So, uh, you heading home now?” He asked, shy once more. 

“Probably.” You shrugged. “It’s not like I have anything else to do.” 

“Then,” he said, and you quickly took notice of how he was beginning to rush his words. “Do you wanna -- I mean, if it’s okay with you -- I can buy you, like, a slushie or something? At the Circle K?” You opened your mouth to answer, but he kept talking. “If -- if it’s okay with you, dude. Even if you are acting most indifferent about helping me out, I wanna, like. Thank you properly.” 

... You had to admit, you were kind of touched. 

Also, did your heart just skip a beat? What was going on? 

“Sure, if you’re offering,” you said, mentally patting yourself on the back for how nonchalant you sounded, despite the fact that you were also really confused at the same time. 

“Excellent,” he replied, pretty much instantly perking up. If you had to describe Ted in as few words as possible, you’d probably call him a golden retriever. Was that degrading, though? “Let’s go, then! The walk isn’t far, I go from here to there with Bill all the time.” 

Ted ambled off, and you followed after him. 

-- 

As he’d said, the walk wasn’t long, and before long, you were sitting outside the Circle K, on the curb. Ted had paid for both of your slushies, and though he hadn’t mentioned it, you were flattered that he did, despite the fact that he didn’t exactly have a lot of money to his name. 

The way that he’d frantically rustled through his pockets for a five-dollar bill said it all. 

The plastic of your drink was cool against your hands, and you took a sip from the straw. You’d picked your favorite flavor to be safe, as you hadn’t had a slushie for a decent while - but you still enjoyed it all the same, thankfully. On the other hand, Ted had chosen a mixture of flavors that you still weren’t sure if they were safe to combine. 

“Is that edible?” You asked him, after taking another sip from your drink, and gesturing to his. 

“Sure is, dude,” he proclaimed proudly. “After loads of experimentation, I believe that I have found a magnificent combination of slushie flavors.” He smiled at you brightly. “It took all of last summer! Bill still thinks that it tastes gross, though.” 

“Huh.” You couldn’t even remember what he’d put in it. “Mind if I try, then? To see if Bill’s right.” Also, to sate your own curiosity. You weren’t quite sure if Ted’s slushie was radioactive, but even if it was, there was the chance that it was as good as he said it was. Even if the chance itself was slight. “You can have some of mine, too. Fair trade.” 

He gave you one of his jerky nods, and you exchanged slushies. 

You hesitated a little, before trying his. 

It... 

It wasn’t half-bad, actually. Maybe you could even call it good. 

You turned to face him to say so, about to give the drink back to its rightful owner. But you found him, just. Looking at you, like he had while you were talking back in the school library. He was still holding your slushie up, as if he’d just taken a sip from it. 

“What?” You asked. “Do you really hate that flavor or something?” 

Your voice seemed to snap him out of whatever reverie he had been held in, and he shook his head, dark hair flopping around. “Nah, it’s not that, dude, I just --” A pause, in which you waited for him to continue, now feeling somewhat apprehensive. 

“I just realized, like. Sharing the drinks and all...,” He trailed off, and okay, he was going red, you realized. “Sorry, it’s stupid.” 

“What, are you sick?” You urged, now more worried than anything, moving to give the slushie back to him. “Hey, it’s alright, just --” 

“It’s not that either! Like I said, it’s dumb!” Ted interrupted, and now you were officially confused. It probably showed quite plainly on your face, as he hurriedly focused his eyes on your slushie in his hands. Part of you wanted it back, but now you were mostly just concerned for your friend. 

“What is it, then?” Hoping that you weren’t coming off as harsh, you frowned, lowering your voice a little. “If it’s bothering you like this, then it isn’t stupid, Ted.” You’d finally gotten through to him, and his shoulders sagged. He mumbled a few words that you couldn’t hear. 

“Ted?” You asked, hoping he’d speak up. 

You had to strain a little to hear his next sentence. 

“ ... The whole, um, ‘indirect kiss’ thing,” he muttered. “With sharing straws.”

Wait, what? 

“What do you mean by that?” You pushed, and okay, he was hiding behind his hair again. This was new. You were suddenly aware that your heartrate was increasing. “Is there.. something wrong with that?” 

“ ‘M sorry, dude.” He took a steadying breath. “You’re a very intelligent and  helpful tutor, and you’ve really helped me a lot -- wait, you already know that, I’ve told you that before - But that’s all to say that --” Ted ceased his rambling, eyes snapping up to meet yours. 

“Now that I’ve brought up kissing, dude, I just gotta say that I have been most infatuated with you for the time we’ve known each other.” A beat, in which you merely blinked, stupefied. Ted kept talking. “And I.  I’d, like, really like it if we could actually, like. Kiss. And stuff.” His face was a pretty pink. 

It took a moment for it to sink in. And suddenly, it all clicked. It all made sense now -- how Ted always seemed to become shy when you complimented him. How he always turned his full attention on you when you were talking, even about stuff he found extremely boring. And how when he made you smile, he returned it tenfold. 

Had you really not realized this before? Maybe you were the one who needed tutoring, you thought.

Ted was still looking at you, though, awaiting an answer. He was beginning to shrink in on himself, and you couldn’t have that. Even if his confession was pretty sudden and completely out of nowhere. 

So you delicately placed his beloved drink on the curb next to you. 

Ted’s breath caught in his throat as you moved closer, taking a moment to cup his face, his skin warm against your fingertips. As soon as you made contact, regardless of how soft it was; he folded, maybe a bit literally, eyes automatically fluttering shut as you leaned in. 

At first, he was tentative. Unsure. But after the first kiss, which was rather short and cute, he was much less tense. Your hands carded through his hair, and he pulled you closer.

[celepom]

For Transgender Day of Remembrance, here’s 10 graphic novels with transgender protagonists, are about gender, or are autobiographies from transgender creators.

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier & Val Wise

Annie is a smart, antisocial lesbian starting her senior year of high school who’s under pressure to join the cheerleader squad to make friends and round out her college applications. Her former friend BeeBee is a people-pleaser—a trans girl who must keep her parents happy with her grades and social life to keep their support of her transition. Through the rigors of squad training and amped up social pressures (not to mention micro aggressions and other queer youth problems), the two girls rekindle a friendship they thought they’d lost and discover there may be other, sweeter feelings springing up between them.

Blackwater by Jeannette Arroyo & Ren Graham

Tony Price is a popular high school track star and occasional delinquent aching for his dad’s attention and approval. Eli Hirsch is a quiet boy with a chronic autoimmune disorder that has ravaged his health and social life. What happens when these two become unlikely friends (and a whole lot more . . .) in the spooky town of Blackwater, Maine? Werewolf curses, unsavory interactions with the quarterback of the football team, a ghostly fisherman haunting the harbor, and tons of high school drama.

The Bride Was a Boy by Chii

The heartwarming transgender love story, based on true events! Drawn in the style of diary comics with an upbeat, adorable flair, this is a charming tale about Chii, a woman assigned male at birth. Her story starts with her childhood and follows the ups and downs of exploring her sexuality, gender, and transition--as well as falling in love with a man who’s head over heels for her. Now they want to get married, so Chii’s about to embark on a new adventure: becoming a bride!

Love Me for Who I Am by Kata Konayama

Non-Binary Maid Reporting for Duty! Mogumo is a cute but lonely non-binary high school student who just wants a few loving friends. As someone who doesn’t identify as a boy or a girl, however, finding people who really understand can be a big challenge. When fellow student Iwaoka Tetsu invites Mogumo to work at an untraditional maid café, Mogumo is hopeful that things are looking up. Will they finally find friends to call their own―or just more misunderstanding?

Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition by Julia Kaye

A highly personal collection documenting the early months of artist Julia Kaye’s gender transition. Instead of a traditional written diary, Julia Kaye has always turned to art as a means of self-reflection. So when she began her gender transition in 2016, she decided to use her popular webcomic, Up and Out, to process her journey and help others with similar struggles realize they weren’t alone. Julia’s poignant, relatable comics honestly depict her personal ups and downs while dealing with the various issues involved in transitioning—from struggling with self-acceptance and challenging societal expectations, to moments of self-love and joy. Super Late Bloomer both educates and inspires, as Julia faces her difficulties head-on and commits to being wholly, authentically who she was always meant to be

Magical Boy by The Kao

A breathtakingly imaginative fantasy series starring Max—a high schooler chosen to become the next "Magical Girl." There's just one catch . . . he's a trans boy! Although he was assigned female at birth, Max is your average trans man trying to get through high school as himself. But on top of classes, crushes, and coming out, Max's life is turned upside down when his mom reveals an eons old family secret: he's descended from a long line of Magical Girls tasked with defending humanity from a dark, ancient evil! With a sassy feline sidekick and loyal gang of friends by his side, can Max take on his destiny, save the world, and become the next Magical Boy? A hilarious and heartfelt riff on the magical girl genre made popular by teen manga series, Magical Boy is a one-of-a-kind fantasy series that comic readers of all ages will love.

Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure by Lewis Hancox

A groundbreaking memoir about being a trans teen, in the vein of FUN HOME and FLAMER... and at the same time entirely its own. Lewis has a few things to say to his younger teen self. He knows she hates her body. He knows she's confused about who to snog. He knows she's really a he and will ultimately realize this... but she's going to go through a whole lot of mess (some of it funny, some of it not funny at all) to get to that point. Lewis is trying to tell her this... but she's refusing to listen.

X-Gender, Vol. 1 by Asuka Miyazaki

An autobiographical diary/essay manga about finding love in Japan as an X-gender person. At 33 years old, Asuka Miyazaki realizes that they like women! Asuka, however, is neither a woman nor a man--instead, they're X-gender, which is a non-binary identity. Follow Asuka through the pages of this autobiographical manga as they record the ins and outs of their journey to finding love with a woman.

Girl Haven by Lilah Sturges & Meaghan Carter Three years ago, Ash's mom, Kristin, left home and never came back. Now, Ash lives in the house where Kristin grew up. All of her things are there. Her old room, her old clothes, and the shed, where she spent her childhood creating a fantasy world called Koretris. Ash knows all about Koretris: how it's a haven for girls, with no men or boys allowed, and filled with fanciful landscapes and creatures. When Ash's friends decide to try going to Koretris, using one of Kristin's spellbooks, Ash doesn't think anything will happen. But the spell works, and Ash discovers that the world Kristin created is actually a real place, with real inhabitants and very real danger. But if Koretris is real, why is Ash there? Everyone has always called Ash a boy. Ash uses he/him pronouns. Shouldn't the spell have kept Ash out? And what does it mean if it let Ash in?

DeadEndia: The Watcher's Test by Hamish Steel

Barney and his best friend Norma are just trying to get by and keep their jobs, but working at the Dead End theme park also means battling demonic forces, time traveling wizards, and scariest of all--their love lives! Follow the lives of this diverse group of employees of a haunted house, which may or may not also serve as a portal to hell, in this hilarious and moving graphic novel, complete with talking pugs, vengeful ghosts and LBGTQIA love!

[ladystarksneedle]

What happened to Liv? 😭 I know you two are close I can’t find her blog anymore 😭😭😭😭

Hey anon! Thank you for reaching out. Liv decided to deactivate or delete her blog after all the hate anons she received. It was a pretty pointless debate, if you'd even call it that at this point, with her getting very vile and personally attacking anons to the point where she felt this wasn't a happy place to be sharing her thoughts, to which I absolutely agree with.

Since you've brought up the topic that was the shortest answer I could give you above. If you are interested in reading more I'll expand below the cut, as I have a lot to say.

This whole thing started about a fictional character, Michael Gavey, who hasn't appeared on screen or will appear for 64 seconds and sparked a debate on whether you should write or read or plainly consume fanfiction about a character who hasn't been properly defined.

Now it could have remained that. A debate and I personally see things from both povs

This is a post I agree with as a writer.

Here

I'm an amateur, I've just begun writing but my style or whatever I'm finding, matches the one mentioned above. I need visual cues and I need to see and analyse a character more if I ever consider writing about him so yes, I personally would not write about a character I haven't completely analysed or who hasn't appeared on screen yet.

As a reader however, I have a different perspective. I love spoilers. I like knowing things beforehand and going through them in my head before reading a book or consuming media. Its fun to go "oh what I pictured turned out to be quite close to what's being shown here". The accuracy or near accuracy gives me a boost. I'm happy when I feel like I analysed or thought about a character similar to what I see later on. It shows me I understood the creator and what they were trying to portray even before seeing it. Gives me a "we are maybe on the same wavelength" feeling and thats fantastic.

That's why I can see a similar perspective to authors and creators already writing fanfiction for him before they've seen the movie. They have an image in their head and they want to be creative and show you how wonderful their imagination is. What's wrong with that? I have many moots who've written lovely stories that I want to read and I probably will.

Coming back to the point, what I don't understand is why people decided that these were such drastically opposite views and decided to sling hatred at whoever didn't conform to their idea of consumption and creation of media.

Why was there a need to send hate to a creator who said she didn't want to read or write as yet just because she wanted to get to know him better before doing so?

Why was there a need to harass writers who wanted to write and express their feelings being all gatekeepy over their work instead?

And why was there a need to constantly continue this anon responding and giving them traction all over again. It should have been shot down long before a fellow creator was forced to leave this site for good. We're all friends here why can't we be civil and respect each other's opinions.

A post stating your preference is not calling the other out. It is simply that, stating your preference and we as a fandom need to stop clinging to crumbs and overanalyzing stuff like this and use them for call out games.

Look at his pretty face and analyse those crumbs instead.

This is supposed to be fun, please continue to letting it be fun for others too.

That's all.

[chaifootsteps]

https://www.tumblr.com/lackadaisycats/739255131992981504/wanted-to-shout-out-mookie-tamara-our-wonderful

I know it’s small potatoes compared to all the other shit viv has done. But i have never seen Viv uplift anyother show or creators. She treats the people who MADE her work so famous (animators, va) like garbage and discards them. She doesn’t give proper credit to people. I did not know until very recently that look my way and addict were fansongs. Addict is not soo bad since it does credit at the end with big letters but still. And the time she liked a REPOST of that one persons animations and her using other peoples design as the base for her characters (cherry) without credit. Allowing her supposed “friends” and co creators to refer to themselves as “the bad writers”. Even without all the backtalking and shitty pay and just horrible attitude to anyone who had the displeasure of meeting her, she still is a horrible example and “role model” as an artist. She doesn’t care about art and im glad its biting her in the ass and the gears are turning.

Im happy tracy, goose and others are setting themselves as good rolemodels who not only discourage drama and harrassment but give proper credit to artists and show the genuine passion that made me invested in the indie scene. Stay strong fellow artists, while it feels hopeless because a bad person made it on networks, people who care about the craft will be the ones to stay in the end. -

Beautifully said.

(And those turning gears, they do hurt when you get caught in them.)

[tobiizuweek]

Prompts & Rules 2024

Hello, dear fellow fans of TobiIzu <3 The event goes into the third round! Here are now the prompts and rules for the event in 2024. If any questions occure, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

The event runs from 1 January to 7 January. You can submit your work on ao3 to the TobiIzuWeek2024 collection, if you like. The Hashtag for the event is #TobiIzuWeek2024

Art by @annekalabaza

Image desc and rules under the cut.

Both images show a black and white drawing of Tobirama and Izuna in a top down perspective. They look up to the viewer, Tobirama with his hands at his side and Izuna with his arms crossed. Tobiramawears his amour and happuri with the senju crest, Izuna the typical Uchiah clothing. The images also list the main prompt list and the alternative prompt list as followed:

The main prompt list

Day 1: time travel / kid acquisition Day 2: ronin and samurai / vampire and hunter Day 3: any AU / any swap (generation, body, role ect.) / Crossovers Day 4: social disasters / deaf!tobirama & blind!Izuna Day 5: accidential marriage / fake hate Day 6: feeling out of place / Edo Tensei Day 7: betrayal / clan tradition

Suggested AUs: Pacific Rim, Any Pixar Movie, Western AU, Teachers AU, Incest AU, Modern AU, Historical AU, Dragons AU

Alternative prompts

But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass.

The Two Towers (movie)

And death and I look each other in the eye, in the eye We dance a while, and then we kiss goodbye I'll get you closer to my hide away, lead you astray I'm like a ghost, and I'll arise behind you

Within Temptation - Cyanide Love

You should try not to talk so much, friend. You'll sound far less stupid that way.

Brandon Sanderson - The Final Empire

Rules

Mod is @elenyafinwe​

The event takes place from 1 January to 7 January.

You can participate in any form you like. Write Fanfics, draw something awesome, post headcanons, make edits. Whatever you like. Your work doesn’t have to be in English, I trust you to follow the rules ^^

Only new works please. If you have a yet unpublished WIP, that’s fine tho!  

Any work generated by any form of AI (ChatGBT, AI "art" and the like) is strikly forbidden.

Post your work wherever you want, but if you want it to be featured here, please make a Tumblr post with the work and/or the link to your work, tag this blog and use the hashtag for the event #TobiIzuWeek2024.

You can, of course, use the hashtag on other social media, too, but keep in mind, that I’m only on Bluesky/Mastodon and will only check it there as well (and retweet it with my priv acc, you can tag me there as @/Elenyafinwe.bsky.social / Elenyafinwe@queer.group).

In the post put in all the necessary tags that apply to your work and add warnings accordingly. Please also add the prompt you choose.

NSFW is allowed (just don’t post it fully on Tumblr), as well as any Dead Dove. Just tag it properly. Generally speaking: Any content is allowed that’s also allowed on ao3. It simply has to be tagged. However, any form of harrasment of other content creators over their content for the event is not allowed and will be banned from the event.

The main focus of your work has to be on Izuna and Tobirama. Other pairings are of course allowed.

You can do all prompts, some prompts or no prompts at all … or even more than one prompt per day, if you can manage that. If you don’t like the main prompt list, you can use the alternative prompts and/or mix both lists together. Whatever you like.

You can interpret the prompts as freely as you wish.

The main event takes place in the above mentioned week. But let’s be honest: If you find this blog after this and want to add something to the party feel free to do so! Late submissions will be accepted any time after the official end. However, I will not check the Hashtag forever, so better tag this blog.

No pressure, just have fun.

@faneventshub @fandomweeks @narutoandborutoevents @narutoevents

[wildpeachfarm]

thank you so much for rec Brittany! She is an experienced adult who gets things but can also empathize with these creators bc she was in that position once. Her whole thing about being a “grown up” but she wasn’t “grown grown” like her parents had me nodding along, like this is someone who gets life, who isn’t chronically online. Humans gonna human and bubbles YESYES

This fandom is so young that watching a video like Brittany’s can bring an POV that they might not be privy to for another decade. And thts the point, it’s okay to make mistakes but if my listening to someone with more life experience (and boy does Brittany have life experience! She knows what she’s talking about with this) you can Not make some of these mistakes, be cognizant of what to do and how to stand up for yourself…shouldn’t that be what everyone wants? People here in their late teens early 20s need to listen to what she says. It is so so important especially about different bubbles and having to interact with people who have different bubbles. This is an adult skill you need to have and look at people and situations from multiple angles. Brittany does a very good job using this last stream as an educational tool as well and point out what went wrong and how to avoid certain things in the future. Like she said, taking and pointing out preventative measure is no victim blaming. Preventative measures should be taken (DD, not drinking underage, speaking up for yourself, removing yourself from uncomfortable situations, not drinking with people you don’t know, having friends you can trust if you are drunk). But acknowledging you can do everything right and bad things can still happen.

Acknowledging your friends faults but not blindly defending them…dude side eyeing some of theses streamers. You should know your friends characters. Some friends are messy and hard to deal with, it’s okay to acknowledge that!! Never protect a friend breaking the law etc, but like she said, “I’d turn my friend into the police but I would visit them in jail”. Help your friends get better but if it becomes too toxic, it’s okay to reevaluate that friendship.

It’s a long stream, long videos, but I think a young fandom like mcyt would lean a lot from watching.

I haven’t watched her other videos but I plan to. If people didn’t watch, her background is Iranian/Syrian, raised conservative, moved to Seattle did a 180 being in the gay, party, and bdsm scene identifying as lesbian but now identifies as pan sexual and is settled down with focus on YouTube as her career. This lady knows what she is talking about, not because she has lived it, but she has put in the work to heal and learn. She has seen therapists and done the introspective part. And has acknowledged nothing is black and white. She takes the time to see it from every perspective. Her thing with the color blue and everyone could be talking about the color blue but not the same shade of blue.

Sorry millennial here connecting with a fellow millennial.

yay glad to hear you're enjoying her stuff! and yeah you said it perfectly she's incredibly experienced in so many things and has so much advice to younger people and really provides good perspectives to people who might not have seen it that way before

[bardic-tales]

Good morning! I hope that you have a wonderful Saturday. As I mentioned in my taglist post, the Creators’ Club is to foster a community between like-minded individuals.

I want to thank everyone for making this a really fun first week for this.

Every day, there will be a theme: such as Blorbo Blursday where it is encouraged you go into each other’s ask boxes or even a post on your blog asking about each others’ weekly project or muse.

This project is not to promote your work – even though that will happen organically – but to support the other Tumblr members. It’s to foster a community. You don’t need to participate every day, as I know how it’s important to focus on your health, but please try to interact with each other.

Also, please remember to be kind to everyone and their characters / WIPs. No drama in the creative pool.

Much like most of the week, Friday's themes are on rotation too. We have three events that we have for our members: Sitdown Saturday (share fan factoids about your characters and wips), Spotlight Saturday (where you share your work), and Storyteller Saturday (get to know each other as a authors / creators).

These week, we will be getting to know each other more. After all, the aim of the Creators' Club is to support each other as a community and make friends / connections. 🙂

How to participate: Send an ask to a fellow writer starting with "Happy STS" and ask about aspects of their storytelling.

Please remember to tag @bardic-tales, so I can add your answers to this post, as well as reblog them.

Our members' answers.

@themaradwrites: distinct voices & personalities

@nightingaleflowlibrary: characters and growth

@bardic-tales: why I write fan fiction

@bardic-tales: story behind FWC

@aalinaaaaaa: favorite themes

@megandaisy9: canon or canon divergent

@sliceoflifeshepard: themes

@watermeezer: tropes

@asirensrage: fave fic

@serenofroses: fave trope

@pinkevilwriter: character flaws

@pinkevilwriter: favorite season

The following are the current members of our club:

@watermeezer @nightingaleflowlibrary @megandaisy9 @sliceoflifeshepard @themaradwrites

@serenofroses @kricketbee @pinkevilwriter @asirensrage @aalinaaaaaa

To sign up for the Creators’ Club, please see this post on @bardic-tales’ blog about it:

Creators’ Club Tag List

Thank you for your interest, and we look forward in getting to know you and your works.

[goodboyaudios]

Hiiii! (It seems like whenever I’m here in just sick and have the most random questions to rant about)

BUT ANYWAY HERE I AM :D

Me and my friend Danny (if u see this hi pookie I’m gonna beat you with a rubber duck <3) we wanna cosplay ur characters (mainly devlin and albus) BUT WERE

*GASP* WOMEN 😱😱

Yeah just wanted to tell you that anyway here’s the question

What actually inspired some of your characters what made you look at something and someone and go “hell yeah. I wanna make a person inspired by that >:)”

Anyway love ya gba keep it up (I’m lurking in the shadows and always will :D)

What inspired me for the characters? Hmm...ok! I'll see what I can tell you about the big 3! And Devlin too, why not?

Albus: Inspiration for Albus came from characters like Trevor Belmont or, who was also the vocal inspiration. The joke is, I wanted to be a jerk on the internet and get away with it lol!

2. Tyr: Tyr was inspired, quite literally, by ancient sculptures from way back when. His voice was inspired by fellow content creators, Salemaudio and LyraVA

3. Zed was inspired by my own insecurities. He's almost a completely original character. He was also inspired by characters who have been given high expectations, but have little power. Shonen protagonists. I also wanted to make one who truly became strong through hard work and determination.

[boundinparchment]

I'm a genshin fanfic writer, and I'm starting to feel like my followers only view me as a content farm. I've tried to prompt them into interacting with me, but it never works...It's disheartening.

Hi anon.

I’m not wholly certain if I’m the person to really discuss this. I can say that for a long time, I dealt with the same thing, and that ultimately, this is one of the brick walls I hit face-first when I’m burnt out.

Social media, including tumblr, skews a lot of perspectives as far as what fandom and creating is about. This platform has changed over the years and other social media sites and apps have trained people differently. Fandom is more mainstream, treated as content, and thus prone to both parasocial elements and isolation from fellow creators and fans alike.

Most of my fic posts here, whether it’s a chapter post with a link or the entire one-shot, end up with more silent likes than reblogs. Sadly, that this the nature of fandom thanks, in part, to how other platforms have transformed the way people engage with fan works.

It’s why I post to AO3, and essentially set it and forget it. It’s an archive. People will come across fics as they browse and there’s no algorithm or anything to interfere. If you tag it, someone will find it. It’s also why I reblog the fics I can, both mine and those I enjoy; reblogging is the core of tumblr and how people find stuff! It’s important to me that if I enjoyed someone’s hard work, I would want others to see it!

Some of this comes down to being willing to put yourself out there and engage with others. You get out what you put in. It’s not like the old saying of “make it and they will come.” That saying died when people got too saturated with content but it was also never a saying about fandom.

Fandom is community. Human connection. Always has been.

This isn’t my first writing blog but over the years since writing for Genshin in particular, I’ve come to the realization of two things:

I am here for fun

I do not have a personality that is charismatic or engaging, nor do I want to cultivate it, because I do not want it

I’m not here as an influencer, I’m not looking to grow a fan base; I write for the emotional catharsis and creative expression because otherwise I will be haunted by ideas for the rest of my days.

That other people have found my stories, enjoyed them, and that I’ve gotten to meet people because of this blog? That’s awesome! And I’m very thankful for every friend and every follower!

But it happened because of years of writing and being present and just doing my own thing. I found requests to be very time consuming and not enjoyable in the end when I did them.

The Genshin fandom is fickle and people come and go with the new characters. People have moved on to other hype and other games in the meantime waiting for their fave to appear again. If you are looking to be a writer or engage with people, and only doing that based on requests and engagement alone, you will always be chasing and pivoting and never getting to what you want. You will be basing your creative expression and ideas off of what others want. One’s self-worth cannot be defined by others, otherwise you’ll never value yourself.

I find purpose in other things. In the work I do day to day. In going outside, reading a book, seeing other people. In time with my loved ones and accomplishing meaningful tasks. Logging out is often the best thing I can ever do for myself.

So, I think it’s worth asking yourself: why are you writing, drawing, creating? Are you chasing the weird bizarre idea of fandom clout and attention? Or do you find satisfaction in the process and merely looking to share, looking to make friends, and have a community you partake in?

[thiscomicruinedmylife]

Yello, first of all, thank you for fueling my seven/eight years long obsession because you're one of the very few content creators about Zombillenium. Second of all, completely unserious question, what do you think Léonie and Blaise's (It's his name in french I dunnae ken if you're french or not but it's the werewolf) baby would be named?

Ayoooo glad to bring some joy to a fellow fan!!!

(Let's imagine that's me bringing you some joy, I never figured how and why would I post these specific images, so it's nice to finally solve this riddle out) ((Also sorry for the delayed answer! Life's been kinda busy and merciless to me these past few weeks)) About your question though uhhh damn it I can't come up with anything to be honest :D (I'm no french but I do know who Blaise is, sadly I was (is?) THAT obsessed with the comic to know characters' original names) Sorry to disappoint but I think the kid would be named something basic and/or boring lol. Andrew seems like a very responsible and decent (were)man and Leonie also seems like a no-nonsense kind of woman. Orrr maybe they'll come up with something sophisticated, also 'cause they're both so responsible and serious. Could be anything really. Now that I think about it some more they could do the most basic thing ever and name the kid after Gretchen or Sirius or something lololol. Let me know your thoughts, maybe you have some ideas? Now I'm curious... Tell you what though, back in the active fan days my friends and I were cooking a lot of headcanons, and we came up with the idea that some werewolves were having kids while working in the park, and Francis had to come up with some sort of activities for the lil' were-shits, since I assume they'll be quite destructive while young. We thought it would be funny if the little werewolves had a hockey team and kid Astaroth would also be there and be as destructive and aggressive if not worse lol. The funny part is the kid's team would be put out against grown ass zombies or vampires and kids would kick their rears every damn time. I even wrote a ficlet and all ha I'm realizing that's not answering your question AT ALL, but I've wanted to ramble with someone who's been in this swamp for as long as I so forgive me :D

(That's how 2017 me imagined lil' Astaroth would look like btw)

[fandom-scatteredthoughtsonpaper]

Announcing a fandom community server!

Hi, guys! This is sorta directed at my followers but also Obey Me fans (and other fandom people).

I mentioned, like, a looong time ago I wanted to do a community server, but I didn't really understand how to use Discord, but since then I've been in a zine, a few collabs, and hosted my own collabs (currently running one for Lucifer 👀). So, I have the experience and knowledge of running a server now!

My urge to create a fandom-centric server has really bloomed and after sitting on the it for a year, I feel confident enough yet still anxious to release a link of an invitation to it (found at the bottom)! It's still fresh, and bots haven't been implemented yet, but I really want to push this out.

I myself am in a lot of different fandoms, obviously Obey Me, but also Baldur's Gate, Stardew Valley, Kingdom Hearts, Persona games, What in Hell is Bad, a few obscure fandoms (like Alien Stage and Touchstarved) and older ones (Homestuck), so I have all the intentions to have this server be inclusive to webcomics, anime and manga and adjacent media, games from standard video games to phone games, graphic novels, books, otome and romance stuff, indie media like web series, cartoons, and games, and more as it grows.

I also want this server to be a hub for writers and artists to share their stuff they're too awkward or anxious to post and receive feedback, and as a place to get to know fellow-minded people in shared fandoms. AUs, theories, headcanons, crossovers, self-inserts, your MCs/OCs - all allowed!

A few things to note:

This is a fandom community server, but it might start out as Obey Me heavy because I'm trying to direct attention to that fandom since that's the one I am mostly in and participated in most things as a fan.

Adults and minors (16+) are allowed, but there are rules implemented that divide channels into SFW and NSFW categories and channels.

Writers, artists, content creators, cosplayers, fans that dabble, etc. are enthusiastically welcomed

The server can also function with channels regarding roleplays and self-publishing (commissions, Etsy shops, etc.)

I really want this server to kinda be a central spot for small fandoms or dying fandoms (like Obey Me) or old fandoms or growing fandoms and ones in-between basically non-existent and probably way too big. I want the server to be a community of different fandoms and the people that incorporate them, and I want it to be a fun place to just either relax with other fans and share works you like or works you've made or as a place to just dip in a silently lurk to look at what people are talking about or look at what is shared or as a place to lose your fucking minds when updates happen or something wild or devastating in the media occurs.

I want this to be a respectful but enjoyable place to come to and join and feel like you can invite friends or maybe even make friends!

Hard rules:

Before entering though, the server has a soft screening process for people to join.

Verifications will be done by me to make sure no one with ill intentions has a chance to cause harassment or harm to members. Fandoms can be toxic and mean in public places like here and Twitter, but this server will be, to the best of my ability, a space away from that.

Absolutely no pedophilic content is allowed. Like, none. It'll be one of the fastest things to get you kicked and banned and blacklisted.

There are rules and specific channels for certain ships and certain explicit content that can be talked about in the server if there are any questions.

This server is for fandom communities and politics and religious hot takes are not applicable here. This is a designated relief zone and none of that is really welcome.

I think that mostly covers the sales pitch and important stuff, lol.

So with all that out of the way--

Link to join: https://discord.com/invite/g8VeSe4t

[blackdragon-selfships]

With Season 5 of TDP now out…I want to share my findings (the last one was found by a friend) with proof that Aaravos is meant to be “complicated”, not “evil” Still a long-game villain, but not evil like Zubeia claims and that the heroes believe and like the show seems to be ignoring or forgetting isn’t the case…until the final episode maybe.

In order of which these interviews and tweets were found:

If this ends up not being the case in season 6 or even the final season…well, this is my evidence for why I hoped otherwise. Multiple times in interviews Aaravos was called complicated and/or something positive by one or both of the creators. So, it’s what I hope and expect to see in season 6 or something.

Bonus:

Someone very important to him is mentioned to be on the map of one of the novel versions of the seasons. This at least shows he actually might not be a boring “looks down his nose at others no matter how they treat him first” and apathetic kind of villain…

No matter what the show does to either scrap these decisions or redo them, I am going to continue to write him how they described here in my work. Except not as a villain because he isn’t in a situation that he would have that role on this blog.

How I write him: A complicated person with a very complicated history and motivation, and someone that is not truly evil or heartless as he’s been said to be by people in his world. That’s the angle of this blog and if you don’t like it, this is the warning and invitation to move on.

—

Sources:

Weirdly enough the interviews and QnA’s from the first three screenshots are missing. Probably taken down either by request of the show (no proof so I’m just speculating) or they took it down for other reasons maybe. But here is the link to the second Forbes article, which includes a video version of the full interview:

View it before it’s gone if you’re a fellow TDP fan that watched up to season 4 because you wanted to see what the co-creator meant by ‘complicated, not evil’ and ‘matter of perspective’

Maybe season 6 will finally give us the full story, being the season named “Star” after that arcanum…but I’m getting tired of being led on like this. I would guess a lot of you are too.

At least the one episode he was in (the last episode), he was his usual self. Still sassy and teasing, with an ominous undertone given the situation and everything.

EDIT: I found the other interview I was going to link, the one with the title “Aaravos is more ‘complicated’ in season 3 than you think”. It was by a different website than I thought, that being Inverse and not Forbes.

I reblogged this post with the link if anyone wants to read the full article.