#fandom snowflake challenge 2022

[hothaonhi]

Navigating the Digital Wild West: Are We Really Snowflakes?

We're all living more and more of our lives online, yet sometimes it feels less like a friendly neighborhood and more like a battleground. Lately, there's been this catchy but kinda insulting label thrown around: the 'snowflake generation' (Haslop et al., 2021, p.1418). The idea is that young folks, especially students, are too delicate and get offended by everything. But is that really the tea? 🤔

New research out of the University of Liverpool throws some serious shade on this 'snowflake' theory (Haslop et al., 2021, p.1418). Their study found that online harassment is so widespread among university students that many just see it as the 'norm' – something to be tolerated rather than challenged (Haslop et al., 2021, p.1424). Think about that for a second. Instead of being overly sensitive, could it be that we're actually becoming numb to online abuse?

This 'snowflake' narrative, pushed by some corners of the media and political sphere, might be intentionally diverting our attention from a much darker reality: the pervasive and damaging effects of online harassment, especially on those who identify as female and transgender (Haslop et al., 2021, p.1418). These are the folks who are disproportionately targeted, contributing to a gender-related digital divide that can silence voices and limit participation (Haslop et al., 2021, pp. 1427-1428). So, are we really snowflakes, or are we facing something much more systemic and serious in our digital world? 

And let's dive into a darker corner of the internet: the manosphere. This is a network of blogs, podcasts, and forums that includes men's rights activists (MRAs) and anti-feminists (Marwick & Caplan, 2018, p.546). Researchers Marwick and Caplan highlight how these groups often use a shared language and narrative that portrays feminism as a movement that hates and victimizes men (Marwick & Caplan, 2018,p.544).

They focus on the term 'misandry' (hatred of men), arguing that within the manosphere, it's used to justify the networked harassment of feminists and anyone advocating for gender equality (Marwick & Caplan, 2018, p.550). By painting themselves as victims of 'misandry', they try to flip the script and silence those calling out actual inequality. It's a wild tactic, right?

Then, we saw the rise of #MeToo, a powerful wave of digital feminist activism (Reinicke, 2022, p.5). Social media became a vital space for survivors of sexual harassment to share their stories and find support (Pollino, 2021). Reinicke suggests that #MeToo has the potential to create real change in how we understand and address sexual harassment (Reinicke, 2022, p.4).

So, where do we go from here in this digital landscape? Here are some things to think about:

Should social media platforms be doing more to tackle harassment and moderate harmful content? What responsibilities do they have to us as users?

How can we push back against narratives that downplay online harassment, like the whole 'snowflake' thing? 

What role can education play in helping us become better digital citizens and understand the real impact of our online words and actions?

How can men step up as better allies in challenging misogyny and online harassment? It's not just on women and marginalized folks to fix this!

What are your thoughts? What have you seen online? How can we make these digital spaces safer and more equitable for everyone? Share your stories!

References

Haslop, C., O’Rourke, F., & Southern, R. (2021). #NoSnowflakes: The toleration of harassment and an emergent gender-related digital divide, in a UK student online culture. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 27(5), 1418–1438. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856521989270

Marwick, A. E., & Caplan, R. (2018). Drinking male tears: language, the manosphere, and networked harassment. Feminist Media Studies, 18(4), 543–559. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2018.1450568

monstie69. (2024, July 7). Post by @monstie69 | 1 image. Tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/monstie69/755381274345193474/let-there-be-chaos

Pollino, M. A. (2021). Turning points from victim to survivor: an examination of sexual violence narratives. Feminist Media Studies, 23(5), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2021.2006260

Reinicke, K. (2022). Introduction. Men after #MeToo, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96911-0_1

The #MeToo Movement. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved December 11, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnGY2fiqHt0Vogels, E. (2021, January 13). The state of online harassment. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/01/13/the-state-of-online-harassment/

[trainsinanime]

Alright, let's do this. For the uninitiated: Dreamwidth is a blogging site that uses the code from LiveJournal (which is/used to be open source) run by a dedicated small company of LiveJournal fans who want to keep it specifically fandom-friendly. I have a Dreamwidth account, but I never used LiveJournal, so most (but not all) of the things I'll say may apply to LiveJournal as it used to exist at some point as well. Points below the cut will be mostly negative in tone.

It's just a blogging site

People compare Dreamwidth to Tumblr, but I find that inaccurate. Dreamwidth is for the most part just a classic blogging site. I know we call Tumblr a blogging site, and we call accounts "blogs", but that's a historic accident. In truth, with favs, reblogs, reblogs with text, private messages and so on, Tumblr is really its own thing. There are a lot of very basic things about this website that only work because Tumblr controls all of Tumblr, and ways in which Tumblr users can add to each other's experience.

Dreamwidth lacks most of that. It's designed to be a host for your blog first and foremost, your online diary where you record your thoughts in a chronological manner, and in that regard it competes with the likes of Wordpress (both Wordpress.com and self-hosted), Blogspot, Blogger, all the others and of course that thing you rolled yourself with PHP and MySQL back in high school and haven't updated since 2018.

Unique

Compared to these, Dreamwidth does offer a number of unique networking features that it can do because it's a centralised site, like Tumblr, that other blogging solutions can't or don't:

Discovery

Identity

Fighting comment spam

Community blogs

Discovery means that there are a number of features that allow you to discover other blogs, most notably a central page where blogs get listed by interests (that you can list on your account; accounts can also be made non-findable if you prefer that). It's kind of bad. The site is not good at merging things that belong together, so top interests include btvs, buffy and buffy the vampire slayer, or things like fan fiction, fanfiction and fanfic. There is no overarching hierarchy; sex and sewing are right next to each other, so there's no good way to drill down through the tags.

It's also the first hint at what is the biggest problem: There's just not that much stuff there. Scrolling through the list doesn't take a lot of time, and it's both telling what is there and what isn't. Firefly and Serenity loom large, but the things on Tumblr's top fandom things of 2022 list don't appear unless they're decades-old franchises. An arbitrary metric, to be sure, but I don't think a worthless one. If your top fandom wasn't relevant before about 2010, then Dreamwidth doesn't have a lot of stuff to offer.

But it's important to note that even if you do find something, the site is not very helpful. You get a list of blogs that have that interest listed, ordered by who updated last, but you have no way to tell who is actually still interested in that topic and who is only talking about other things these days. Maybe it beats Googling "Dream SMP fan blogs" or whatever, but it's still a pretty weak tool. It's no surprise that the community organises their own fandom events to just find other people, somehow, in the form of e.g. the Snowflake Challenge. But that's a thing you could just as well run on different Wordpress blogs that you follow with RSS.

(By the way, I've been using an RSS reader for decades, and thus "getting updates from all my favorite bloggers" is a problem that has long been solved for me. If you don't have an RSS reader, Dreamwidth does provide that following functionality, so I guess you could count that as a plus.)

Compared to all the different ways that Tumblr allows you to discover different people, either through reblogs, seeing them in your notifications, or looking through fandom tags, this is not at all convincing. As an aside, I'm going to say something very controversial. There's a good chance you're morally opposed to algorithms, based on the way Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr in algorithm-feed-mode work. Untethered, free-floating, designed to keep you scrolling, it sucks. But I will argue that algorithms are good actually, where they are opt-in. If you're interested in a new fandom or a news event or whatever, and want to find the things that everyone's talking about, the hot discussion and so on, then algorithms can be great for that. Yes, my main feed should always be chronological, I'll die on that hill, but for discovering things… I think Dreamwidth would be better if it had an algorithm.

The next big feature Dreamwidth provides is a stable identity. If trainsinanime comments under one Dreamwidth blog, and then under another, you know it's always the same guy, specifically me. That's worth something.

Dreamwidth also fights comment spam for you. I have no idea how good they are that, generally speaking, but they don't seem to suck entirely. You have no idea how much comment spam is out there, and how tiring it is to fight it on your own. You think writing your own custom blogging software with PHP will save you from that, but it absolutely will not, they'll still fill all your blog comments with spam until you finally turn them off. And then you have no way of talking to people anymore, except hoping that maybe they'll write a blog post replying to yours. You'll only ever see that if you have them in your RSS reader, though, because there's no notifying mechanism.

(I don't actually know whether Dreamwidth has a notifying mechanism, where the site tells you if someone else mentioned you in a blog post of theirs. I think due to functional comments, it doesn't necessarily need one. But if it has one that would be a point in its favour.)

Finally, Dreamwidth has a feature of community blogs, blogs that are run together. While that is possible with other blogging software, Dreamwidth allows simple mechanisms to let random users join while also limiting the damage they can do. So anyone can join the Miraculous Ladybug community and post there.

A problem I have with that is that posting is exclusive. If I write a post about what would be Adrien Agreste's favourite metro line (the 13, obviously), then I can post it either on my blog, where people following the community blog won't see it, or on the community blog, where people following my blog won't see it. So if a community isn't well established yet, then there is a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem where people won't follow it because it has no content, and people won't post content there because nobody is following it. I don't have that problem if I write that post on Tumblr and post it with the appropriate hashtag.

It's a terrible blogging software

I know there are people for whom these features are the key reasons why they use Dreamwidth, but I want to put them aside for now (as you can tell none of them were that convincing for me), and instead focus on the basics as a blogging site:

It's not a very good one.

Some of the code dates back to 1999, and it absolutely shows. The site has lots of vestigial features, like how "mobile" means posting and getting updates via email, because that was one of the better options in the times before modern smartphones. Most of the site is outdated and ugly. The rich text editor seems to be literally the same one as on Fanfiction.net, with the same tiny icons. Searches don't search automatically, you have to fill out a whole search request form. Icons for various features look like they're from 2003-era KDE or similar free icon packs.

Functionality-wise, the site barely has image hosting, and adding images to posts is a lengthy painful dance, so most people just don't bother all that often. The site is not great for fan artists.

Also worth noting is that the vast majority of themes are bad. The one for the snowflake challenge, for example, with its overly narrow font? Bad. Many of them are too colourful and hard to read, or have weird proportions, or weird font choices. Web design has moved on from where Dreamwidth is, and in my personal opinion, for the better. It is possible to fix all that by adding copious amounts of CSS, which I did; whether the result is any good is up to you. But most people don't, and they shouldn't have to. The default Tumblr theme is functional and modern. That cannot be said for Dreamwidth.

A lot of that is cosmetics rather than core functionality, but making the core of the website pleasant matters. That's why so many people were upset about the dashboard changes on Tumblr here. Dreamwidth's early 2000s interface only seems pleasant if you were raised on LiveJournal and appreciate the familiarity.

It's empty

I've mentioned it before, but it deserves its own point: Dreamwidth doesn't have that many users, so most the networking features it has are effectively pointless. The site is not great at connecting you with other users actively talking about what you're interested in, but that almost doesn't matter, because those users may not even be there.

This isn't a problem if you're only using the site as an actual blog, and indeed it seems to me that this is what most people are doing. I follow several people both here and on Dreamwidth, and here is where the fandom stuff happens, while Dreamwidth goes into how the month or week went.

To be clear, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. It can be nice to have a quiet place to share thoughts that aren't just about blorbos all the time. But I would argue that Dreamwidth is not actually great at being that place, and a Wordpress site may be able to do the same thing much more pleasantly.

It's centralised.

Finally, this is yet another centralised website. That gives it the opportunity to provide some better networking features, which it largely fails at. It also means that you're subject to moderation from that one company, and if that one company ever goes under, you're out of luck. Dreamwidth's fans believe, probably for good reasons, that this company is one of the good ones, not VC funded and genuinely interested in providing for their user base. That's great. But on a philosophical level, if the site isn't doing anything that my private homepage doesn't, then it seems more logical to be free and decentralised. Or be centralised on a site that actually does something useful with the centralisation, even if that costs a lot of freedom.

Dreamwidth's old code base and their small company size means it's neither very good at being a social network nor a good individual blog host.

In the long term, I think the better answer is a decentralised, modern system that can also work like a social network. ActivityPub, known from things like Mastodon, seems like the way to go.

In my opinion, Dreamwidth only makes sense for people who have nostalgia for LiveJournal. It is not a useful Tumblr alternative on any metric I personally care about. I am not saying the people who use and like Dreamwidth are wrong, if they have fun with that site, that's great! But I don't think a mass migration towards Dreamwidth is ever going to happen.

What with the recent goings on I keep wondering whether I should post my review of Dreamwidth. I have a lot of thoughts about that site ever since I set up a blog there, but I always feel bad about actually writing them down and posting them. Everyone in the Dreamwidth fandom here is very nice and very earnestly enthusiastic about their favorite website, and I don’t want to be mean to them. But then I also see a lot of people wondering why it isn’t more popular, and I think that has clear rational answers. I dunno. I suppose it doesn’t actually matter that much one way or the other.

[static-whisper-podfic]

Fandom Snowflake Challenge

Day #2: In your own space, set some goals for the coming year. They can be fannish or not, public or private.

Posted here on 4 January 2022. Cross-posted to DW. Under a read-more due to length. (There are four goals.)

One. I need to finish whatever squares I still want to do for Podfic Bingo 2021 to 2022.

The deadline is 28 February 2022, but if I want to go into the amnesty period, I could post 1 March to 2 April 2022 as well. I don't particularly care about getting a bingo or not, but I have a list of fics I've already found for squares that I should look over.

Two. I have several not yet completed podfics from 2021 that I'd like to finish and post.

I have a What We Do In The Shadows (TV) fic from that overly ambitious treat list. I'm on Chapter 10 of 52 for a weekly epistolary fic. Lightly pencilled in, two and a half: That Voiceteam 2021 challenge. Actually, like, two challenges that aren't yet done.

Three. I need to make a decision about what's still on the To Podfic list from 2021.

I have three or four Prodigal Son fics that I've been carrying over from a To Podfic list from last spring. I have a list specifically for a prolific writer with blanket permission to podfic in that fandom (like, 20 of the over 180 fics). I have a few tentatively liked fic from browsing for Podfic Bingo options.

Four. I would like to do at least one fandom event.

Last year, I did Voicteam, got started on Podfic Bingo, and did three fests, or something like that. I'm very confident that I can find something to take part in; I'm just not entirely sure what yet. (More meta podfic? Try a Big Bang? Some sort of gift exchange? Will this be the year that I remember about Holly Poly? I dunno.)

[mamamittens]

Onsen Delights (+18)

Day#5 of December Event 2022!

Fandom: One Piece

Ship: AceXOC(Saki)

Warnings: Nudity, possessiveness, dirty talk, unsafe sex, filthy sex, creampie, mating press, and biting/marking. Not necessarily in that order.

Word Count: 4,134

@spitfire-of-the-sea

If I need to make any changes, let me know!

It happens from time to time that a storm system moves by the Moby Dick and makes efficient travel impossible. Usually, it’s more along the lines of a hurricane or thunderstorm—rarely staying longer than a few days. But surprisingly for once, it was an entire artic winter system. And they were visiting an island at the time.

In short, the whole ship was beset in ice before they could reasonably leave, which was very impressive considering the sheer size of their ship. So, until the ice was sufficiently melted (or one of the commanders or Whitebeard got bored and broke the ice without damaging the hull), they were locked in place. The fact that this didn’t happen immediately could be contributed to only one simple fact.

The island was famed for hot springs and onsens. As well as their booze.

And they certainly weren’t going to turn down good business.

To keep down in fighting it was decided that parts of the crew would enjoy the amenities of the island at a time. Commanders with their crews and a small portion of those that didn’t get to go with their division to keep the ship running properly. It wouldn’t be a good idea if the entire kitchen staff was let off at the same time, or the medical division after all. Ace was just glad that he happened to be off with a good portion of his old crew. It had been a while since they’d hung out as a group—their responsibilities keeping them elsewhere most of the time.

Thatch tossed his arm over Ace’s shoulder with a rough chuckle, handing him a pass with his name engraved on it. A keepsake the island gave out for their inn with private onsens.

“Don’t forget, your room will have your name on the left side of the door. It’s near the more secluded onsens too.” Thatch winked, “Commander privilege.” He explained. Ace scoffed.

“I heard you the first time, Thatch! Geez, I’m not that forgetful!” Ace shoved the older man away with a laugh. For some reason, several of his brothers had been very insistent on reminding him where his room was. It reeked of a prank of some kind, but Ace was never one to turn down a challenge.

And they couldn’t do anything too destructive since they’d have to explain to Whitebeard why damages needed to be paid. He’d laugh it off, probably, but everyone tended to be embarrassed when it came time to explain the more disastrous incidences to their captain and father.

Regardless, Thatch sighed, ruffling his hair, before shrugging.

“Alright, I got it. You’re a big boy and can handle yourself. We just want to spoil our little brother—is that a crime?” Thatch bemoaned with the most fake ass tears in the corner of his eyes. Ace briefly contemplated shoving his boot into Thatch’s face but decided the best response was to ignore the dramatics completely and get cleaned up for the onsen. “Ah! My concern is being brushed off like snowflakes! Marco! Our baby brother doesn’t love me anymore! What do I do?!”

“Die I guess, yoi.”

“Marco you ass!”

Ace cackled as he retreated into the building, finding the bathing section for the onsen marked on his pass. A kindly old woman presented him with a package for the bath and Ace made sure to keep his manners in mind, bowing deeply as he accepted the bundle.

“Thank you, ma’am. I apologize in advance for my rowdy crew.” Ace offered. She laughed softly, wrinkled skin bending around her lips in humor.

“Oh, don’t you worry about me, young man. You’re hardly the worst pirate crew I’ve served in our inn. Enjoy yourself, you hear me? That’ll be thanks enough for this old woman.” She declared before shuffling off to tend to something else. Ace smiled and did just that.

Making sure to wash himself thoroughly before grabbing a towel and heading into one of the private onsen. There were several small areas separated by walls for private parties or small groups in a larger party. Likely in case families want to enjoy the hot springs but didn’t want to mingle with in laws or children at the same time. It was hard to say, really. Snow fell in light flurries, melting inches before the ground from the heat. Paper lanterns were hung from the walls as lighting, giving off a hazy amber glow.

He didn’t notice the small figure in the mist above the water at first, focused on setting aside his hat and towel where it wouldn’t get wet. His devil fruit made such luxuries as this a… bit of a gamble. But thankfully with practice shallow pools were no issue for him. Aside from lack of access to his powers, he suffered no side effects from the waters. Glancing across the area Ace felt his heart stutter.

“Saki!” Ace instinctively cried out in joy, completely ruining the sight before him.

His old crewmate-turned-reluctant-Whitebeard-nurse jerked out of her relaxed state. Leaning against the far rock outcropping with a towel over her eyes, completely naked under the glow of the lamplight. Blond hair silver and gold against her bare, white skin. She hissed in surprise, gray eyes narrowed at him before pausing in shock.

“Ace? Ack! What are you doing?!” Saki yelped, arms splashing in the water to cover her breasts. Ace pouted, ignoring the throb of his dick.

“What a weird question, what’s it look like I’m doing?” Ace scoffed, brushing off the obvious issue with his presence. He treaded closer to his friend, eyes helplessly drawn across her damp skin.

So, he… may have a problem. A Saki-specific problem. Usually, it wasn’t that much of an issue. He hid it well… well enough. But found himself inevitably drawn to her anytime she was around. And it was really coming back to bite him in the ass.

Not that he was a perv or anything but… Saki looked really fucking good right now. Skin flush with heat and dewy, hair pulled back off her neck except for rogue strands that clung to her body, and the mist from the hot spring a hazy film that drew his eyes to her arms. Arms that mostly served to push up her breasts and begged to be touched, to see if they were as soft as they looked.

“Oi! Eyes up here, Ace!” Ace flushed, grinning apologetically in a way that usually earned him forgiveness faster from Saki, as he looked at her eyes. Dark mole under the corner of her right eye prominent even in the soft light.

“…Sorry, Saki.” Ace mumbled, reaching out to stroke her shoulder without thinking. A gesture he’d done countless times—a side effect of his ‘Saki-problem’. His fingers slipped over her damp skin and he briefly marveled at the sensation. He felt his core tighten as heat throbbed, familiar arousal teasing him for being a coward.

“Hey, you still haven’t explained why you’re here right now, Ace! You’re supposed to go to the section next to your room!” Saki explained. “This is the women’s area.” Ace whined, once again thinking only with his dick as he buried his face in her shoulder. Her soft, natural scent strong as she yelped, hands pushing against his chest to dislodge his weight.

“This place is so confusing! I thought I was in the right section! How was I supposed to knooooowwwwww, Sah-kiiiii?” Ace whined, lips brushing over her neck as he briefly forgot the situation. Mainly, his erection.

But damn if he didn’t remember suddenly as the tip brushed across her plush thighs. Ace groaned, shuddering softly as he wrapped his arms around her frame.

“Ace!” Saki hissed, poking his abdomen hard to no avail. “You! Are! Naked! Get off me!” It took all of his willpower to stay still. Uncertain if he’d be able to refrain from exposing himself if he moved.

“…soft.” Ace huffed, brushing his hands down her shoulders as he clearly felt her heartbeat through her back. She stiffened, breasts brushing across his chest.

It felt like a dream. Like the best dream—the kind he only seemed to get moments before he was rudely awakened for one reason or another.

“A-Ace! I can feel you, you know!?” Saki hissed, grabbing his hair and tugging, earning a sharp groan as he reflexively pressed against her body. “G-Get out and take care of it, damnit! Stop digging it in!”

Ace huffed.

“What’s the point? It’ll just come right back when I see you…” Ace groaned.

His eyes popped open in horror.

He just admitted to being turned on by his best friend.

Chronically hard at the sight of her.

Saki was also frozen, shocked and likely disgusted.

“…What did you just say?” Saki whispered, fingertips delicately pressed into his spine. Her heart fluttered under his palms.

Ace cleared his throat and nervously pulled back, flustered and horrified.

“Ah-haha! Nothing! Nothing! I-I just—you know what, you’re right! I’m in the wrong place! I should go—” Ace started to the exit quickly, “I’m an idiot, I can’t believe I got lost! I’ll n-never live it down! You definitely don’t want me here—why would you—”

“Why wouldn’t I?!” Saki barked. Ace froze, one foot on the stone pathway and ass totally exposed as he looked over his shoulder. She also paused, face flushed as she looked around desperately, hands waving around in embarrassment. “I-I mean, y-you’re here to relax! Not to b-b-bother with me—uhm, why… why would you want to be in here when you could be enjoying some alone time! Big ship! Big crew! N-Not a lot of space to be alone, is there! N-Not that I’ve thought about that—of course not!”

Ace slowly stepped back into the water; eyes locked on Saki as she floundered to cover her ass. Completely exposing herself to him in the meantime as he slowly began to grin.

So… maybe there was a mutual problem between them after all?

She only fell silent when she realized he was right in front of her. His hands planted on the stones beside her, caging her in as he grinned. Eyes burning into her.

“It sure is a big crew.” Ace began, much to her obvious confusion. “And a big ship… weird how I keep finding my way to you. Every time you walk into a room, I’m right there. When we eat. Party. Plan. Fight. If you’re there… I’m right beside you. I don’t even notice when it happens—it feels so natural. It feels natural being with you… don’t you think so?” Ace asked softly, still grinning a little wildly as his heart was pounding.

Maybe it was the heat and winter air mixing around them making him dizzy. Maybe it was how close he was to Saki’s everything right now. Her most intimate and soft places totally within arm’s reach. Or maybe his head was spinning because for the first time, he seriously suspected that she liked him too.

“Yeah… yeah it does.” Saki admits quietly, her words brushing across his lips as he leaned in closer. Her eyes glanced away anxiously. “…C-Cause we’re such great friends, right?”

“And we want to be more, right?” Ace echoed, enjoying the shock as her eyes widened, pupils constricting as she looked back at him. Then the gray shrank, turning into a slim ring of silver and gold, reflected candlelight.

His whole body tensed. Teeth clenched as the confirmation struck him down to his heels before she even said a word.

“Fuck yes…” Saki whispered, eyes wide still with shock. The sound of her voice going straight to his cock as he pressed his lips against hers, slipping his arms around her body.

He pressed his body against hers completely, hands rubbing over her skin and squeezing the soft curves. Her moan buzzed against his lips as her head tipped back. Leaning into his embrace eagerly. His cock nestled perfectly between her thighs, accidentally sliding across her hot cunt. Ace groaned, pulling back as they panted for air.

Testing, Ace gripped her ass and gently thrust into her thighs. Something hotter and more slick than water covering his cock as Saki gripped his biceps with a moan.

“Ngh.” Ace grunted, relishing the feeling a moment longer before huffing. “Too fast?” He asked hoarsely. Saki shook her head.

“N-No… but maybe we shouldn’t dirty the water.” Saki laughed, moaning as he thrust his hips forward harshly again, just to see her reaction.

“But you look good like this.” Ace groaned, gently grabbing a fistful of hair to pull her back, presenting her breasts to him. He eagerly took advantage of her willingness, still grinding against her as he tested the soft skin with his teeth and tongue.

Softer and more malleable than he ever dreamed of, the pale skin was easily marked under his teeth and lips.

“A-Ace~!” Saki whined, reaching back to pull his hair as she shook, her thighs trembling around his cock. “S-Stop! W-We might get s-seen!” Ace dug under her trapped breast with his tongue, popping the nipple into his mouth hungrily. Still fucking her thighs.

The blood was rushing between his head and cock, muddying his thoughts outside of how fucking good she felt. A delight to his senses—all of them.

But then he remembered that this wasn’t entirely a private area. Anyone from his division could come in at any time.

They could see what he was doing to Saki at any moment.

Huffing, heat building in his chest, Ace released her tit from his mouth and looked at her face. She was flushed and panting, eyes almost closed as she cried out softly with every thrust of his cock against her cunt.

Absolutely not.

No one was going to get to see this.

His cock screamed, on the edge of release as he pulled away completely. His hands gently guiding her out of the water.

“You’re right.” Ace huffed. “We should take this to my room.” Saki stumbled, legs trembling as they got out of the water. Partially because he wanted to make sure she wasn’t soaking wet when they walked to his room, Ace briskly patted her off with his towel. Unable to resist kissing her skin as he pressed the fabric against it.

He managed to mark her breasts without a word but Saki shoved him when he tried to do the same to her thighs. Ace scoffed but allowed it… for the moment.

He wasn’t holding back when they got to his room though.

Carefully tucking her dry towel over her body, Ace knotted the damp fabric of his at his waist, scooping up his hat and placing it on her head.

Ace didn’t bother with anything else, dragging her behind him as he looked for his room. Once he spotted it—having thankfully never run into anyone else along the way—he reached for the door.

“I-I thought we were going to your room?” Saki whispered. Ace glanced at her with a raised brow.

“We are?” Ace lifted up his hand with hers, the wooden plate reading his name as he gestured to the left side of the door. “See? It’s got my name.”

Saki reached out and opened the door.

“I put my stuff away before I went to bath…” Saki explained.

Ace looked into the room and, to his surprise, she was right. Her things were packed away neatly next to the large futon. Toiletry bag placed near the bathroom door with her hairbrush.

“…They told me to make sure I went to the right room. Thatch even told me twice to look for my name on the left side.” Ace muttered, slowly leading the two of them into the room. Suddenly, he laughed. “Hah! Hey, think they were trying to set us up?” Ace asked.

Saki chuckled, cheeks burning as she nodded.

“Yeah… I think so. I was told the same, but on the right side.”

“Huh… Anyway! Where were we?” Ace asked, scooping Saki up into his arms and tossing her down onto the futon. He kneeled over her, gently removing her towel with a grin. “That’s right… we were right here, weren’t we?” Ace kissed her breasts, reaching up to cradle them in his hands. Their plush weight spilling over between his fingers.

“A-Ace!” Saki moaned in surprise as he licked up at her nipple, worrying the bud between his teeth before sucking it into his mouth hungrily. Her nails dug into his shoulders and scalp as she cried out. He fed off of her reactions and the delightfully soft skin of her breasts in equal measure. Heartbeat pulsing on his tongue as he groaned. Not one to hold back, he gave the other the same treatment, leaving marks along her supple skin.

His erection ached fiercely, reminding him of how soft her thighs were.

And with that reminder, Ace moved down. Nipping at the soft skin of her stomach as he groped her waist. Restlessly, her legs kicked under him, catching on the towel and ripping it off. But Ace was focused only on one thing.

Her thighs spilled over his hands as he slowly pulled them apart. Sinfully soft under his lips and teeth as he nipped the plush skin. And as eager as he was to mark her thighs—that haunted him for months after he saw her wear a bikini once—his mouth watered for something… sweeter.

Ace’s tongue parted her cunt in a firm lick, Saki’s whole body jolting in surprise as he toyed with her clit. Lapping at it as he reluctantly released one of her thighs to play with her body. Slipping his fingers into the growing mess before dipping inwards. Stretching her out slowly. Her hands anchored in his hair as she cried out noisily for him. And he kissed her pussy like it would silence her mewling lips. Tongue forcing his fingers apart as he tasted her. Only driving her to cry out louder.

He knew he was likely bruising her thigh as he gripped it, but he only sought to keep her still under him. To fight off her instinct to buck against him. Ace grinned and panted against her cunt.

“Thanks for the meal.” Ace laughed before diving in, ignoring Saki’s embarrassed screech. Curling his fingers against her walls as she clenched down against him. His tongue dripping with spit and arousal. His cock ached and smeared precum on the bed, but he was far from done.

Finally releasing her thigh, Ace moved both his hands to her waist, lifting her body up for him. Eagerly eating out her dripping cunt as she squeezed against his face. It fell from his chin as he ate her out messily, the lewd sounds turning him on further as he thrust his tongue in deep. Curling up against a spot that made her tremble relentlessly.

“A-Ace! Ace! O-Oh Ace—y-yes! Ah~!” Saki moaned, arching up into his lips and hands, creaming on his tongue. Ace swallowed harshly, lapping up the excess and chasing it as it ran down her thighs eagerly. Cleaning up her soaked cunt, lungs aching as he caught his breath.

“You’re lucky I’m hard as a rock, Saki. Otherwise you wouldn’t get me off your sweet lips with sea stone.” Ace panted, wiping off his chin with a grin. Saki was flushed and panting, eyes wet with unshed tears.

“S-Shut the fuck up, Ace!” Saki whined. Ace pressed a cheeky kiss to her clit.

“The only way you’ll do that is if you let me kiss you.” Ace winked, licking her trembling cunt again. Saki reached down and pulled him up. Slamming her lips into his with a moan.

Ace chuckled against her lips, lifting up one of her legs to place it on his shoulder. Bracing himself on one hand, Ace let his cock slip against her cunt. Coating it in the mixture of spit and arousal before placing the tip against her. With his tongue dominating the kiss, he was treated to the intimate feeling of her moan as he split her open. Hotter than the water they left, Ace groaned as he slowly bottomed up in the tight squeeze.

Despite his aching cock, Ace kept a slow pace. Thrusting against Saki as he tasted her soft cries. Crowding her against the futon as she was pinned open for him. He made sure to reach deeply, panting into her lips as he started going faster. Harder.

“Ace!” Saki yelped, her ankle digging into his spine. Ace let go of her leg, now confident she would hold onto him. Roughly toying with her breasts as he slammed against her thighs, causing her whole body to jerk under him.

“I’m not too much for you, am I Saki?” Ace taunted, eyeing her bouncing tits and the many marks he made. “Not regretting letting me fuck you in half, are you?”

“No! N-No! A-Ace—ooooh! Ace! Ace!” Saki cried out, trembling around him as he kissed her exposed neck. Tasting her heartbeat with his tongue. Her other leg curled around his hips, pulling him closer as he bit down hard. Groaning as she clenched down on his thick cock.

“Fuck yes. Keep it up, pretty baby. Take it for me.” Ace groaned, bracing himself as he picked up her other leg and threw it over his shoulder. Now railing into her plush thighs hard. “Fuck! Look at you, fucked out on my cock. You like that? Like being split open on my cock, baby?” Ace growled.

Saki nodded, the motion stuttered under his rough thrusts.

“Yes! Yes! I-I love it!” Saki mewled, trembling and crying out for him.

“Then why aren’t you cumming for me? Do I need to fuck you harder, Sa-ki?” Ace panted, shoving his knees under her body to lift up her hips. “This is all for you. It’s only fair that you take everything that’s yours… and I take everything that’s mine. What do you need Sa-ki ba-by? Tell me what will make you cum.”

“O-Oh, yes! A-Ace please f-fuck me harder~!” Saki moaned. Ace eager to do so, slammed down against her, letting the bounce against her ass grow harsh as he fucked her. “C-Cum! I-I w-want it! Please!” Saki screamed.

Ace, startled, slamming down to the hilt and without thought, came. Pouring into her quivering cunt as she moaned, squeezing his pulsing cock. The both of them riding out their high.

Ace was stunned. She… actually came just from that... Slowly, carefully, Ace pulled out. Watching the thick mixture drip from her cunt. His cock throbbed as he grew hard again.

Ace grinned, effortlessly holding up her trembling body as he bit her thigh. Watching as she clenched down, more of his cum dripping from her. His. All of it his, as it should be. He smeared his finger into the thick stream and pushed it back in.

“Teasing me for months and now you waste my cum? Tsk.” Ace chided Saki softly. Lifting up her knees and bracing them against her breasts. Fat of her thighs and tits struggling in the narrow space. Ace’s cock throbbed. “I’m sure you’ll get it right this time.”

Ace speared into her cunt again, the slide effortless despite the tight squeeze.

Saki moaned loudly, struggling to arch her back against the pressure on her knees keeping her down and open.

Ace couldn’t help but give a lewd laugh, kissing her panting lips as he sank deep.

“We have so much to catch up on.” Ace promised. “So, you’re going to take it this time, right? Cause you’re mine. Right?” Ace whispered as Saki trembled.

“Y-Yours!” Saki cried out.

“Good.” Ace growled, fucking her into the futon with lewd, wet slaps. Saki’s voice slurring in a litany of cries and agreement to everything he said.

And Ace encouraged her debauched desperation with his own eagerness. Driving her wild and over the edge again and again until they were exhausted.

Saki looked good in the onsen, naked and wet. But she looked divine in his arms, thighs dripping with his cum and littered with hickeys. At this point, Ace didn’t care if he had to thank his brothers or his own poor sense of direction. He was just glad he finally got touch every inch of Saki’s soft body.

“… Love you, ‘ce.” Saki breathed against his neck, closing her eyes as exhaustion finally took her out. His cock throbbed but went ignored, slowly slipping out of her cunt as it softened. Ace grunted as it fell, resting heavily between her thighs in a lewd smear of cum.

“Love you too, Saki.” Ace whispered back, pulling the blanket over them both before following her into sleep.

[hellolovers13]

Annual Writing Self-Evaluation 2022

Annual Writing Self-Evaluation 2022

Shamelessly stolen from @larrysballetslippers

1. Number of stories posted to AO3 this year: 10

2. Word count posted for the year: 83.245 (WTF??)

3. Fandoms I wrote for: One Direction

4. Pairings: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles/Niall Horan

5. Story with the most:

Kudos: I Hope We Never Change 

Bookmarks: I Hope We Never Change 

Comments: love drunk, waiting on a miracle 

More under the cut.

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why): 

I Hope We Never Change was my first story and I've put a lot of heart into it. But I also have to mention my advent fic love drunk, waiting on a miracle. Writing 30k words in just three weeks is something I could never have seen myself do. It has been a challenge but I am soo glad I did it.

7. Work I’m least proud of (and why):

I Hope We Never Change Yeah I'm really proud of this one, but I also know I could've done soo much better. As is often the case with your first work, I think.

8. Share or describe a favourite review you received:

This one, because I love when a comment reflects what I wanted to portray. Makes me feel like I've done a good job. Same with this one. And I loved this one, too.

I also received some video reaction from my lovely beta @liberty-barnes which is just something else I love that soo much. <3

But honestly, I cry about almost every comment. I'm just soo grateful people enjoy my silly lil writing.

9. A time when writing was really, really hard:

Finishing Every Snowflake Is Different (Just Like You) was really hard. I struggled with fitting the pieces together a lot

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you:

No really a scene, but then again REALLY a scene XD, but writing Slow Hands really wasn't on by bucket list. It was, if nothing else, a great writing exercise and I'm happy people liked it even tho it had Narry in it XD. (also, if anyone sees this as a kinda sequel to I Hope We Never Change, I will not disagree, although I didn't write it like that it might very well be)

11. A favourite excerpt of your writing:

"All that will ever matter to me is you. My sexuality could never be more important. I haven't figured out what I am yet, but I know I’m yours. And I want you to always be mine. Whether that be my boyfriend, girlfriend, my partner.” (I Hope We Never Change)

12. How did you grow as a writer this year:

When I started again in June after almost ten years of not writing anything, I didn't think I would ever post anything. And now here I am, with 10 stories and over 80k words and I can't quite believe that even happened and that people would enjoy my writing at all.

13. How do you hope to grow next year:

There are a lot of areas I struggle with. Writing a scene with lots of people for example. I hope to get out of my comfort zone a bit next year.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

@liberty-barnes Miah, you already know this, but none of these stories would exist without you. Thank you soo much ily<3

@footy-met-mussy Tricia, you were my first real "fan" (lol) and I'm soo happy every time you comment on my fics or leave a tag or anything. ily

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:

Definitely. Gender stuff is always very close to my heart, but I'm sure loads of my own insecurities blend into my stories as well

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

This will sounds like no advice at all, but just write. Doesn't matter if it's good, doesn't matter if it makes sense, doesn't matter if anything's missing. I have so many things marked as unfinished, so many half written sentences (mark those, otherwise your beta will be very confused XD sorry @liberty-barnes :*)

If I have a scene in my head I'll write it even if it's just a few sentences. I can always change it later if it doesn't quite fit anymore, but at least I have it written down.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: 

Yes, I have a pretty big project planned. Can't wait to start writing.

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read.

@liberty-barnes @neondiamond @harryslonecurl @bananaheathen @wabadabadaba @lunarheslwt @itsnotreal @disgruntledkittenface @alwaysxlarrie @tommokat and anyone else who wants to

[iffeelscouldkill]

Yeah, that's the catch-22 of activity, right - needing the fandom presence in order to be active, but also needing to be active in order to have the fandom presence. People might want to give DW a try, but their community isn't there, so they aren't really incentivised to stick around. And so on...

I've never really used Twitter for fandom, so for me Mastodon is something separate, although the UI familiarity was definitely a bonus. Actually, I guess you could say that the UI was what got me using Mastodon more than Dreamwidth during the Tumblr purge, when both were experiencing a surge of activity; I tried both, but stuck around on one and not the other. I think they both serve a similar purpose of "here's a place where you can post publicly but also semi-privately (to friends/followers only) about anything, including but not limited to fandom". (That last part is true for me at least on a fannish Mastodon instance - I realise it can vary as to what instance you're on).

Sure, absolutely! Snowflake Challenge, my beloved - this is a low-key, welcoming, fandom-oriented challenge that takes place every January, with challenges/prompts posted on odd-numbered days. I came across it first in 2022, but only managed to do Day 1, so I didn't have a good sense of the challenge until I took part this year. It's a really nice antidote to the year-beginning/post-holiday blues, and again, it's very chill; you can complete the challenges at any time, can do any number that you please, and it doesn't have to be in order. I like how specific the activities are, since it means that there'll definitely be something that grabs my interest and lights my fire enough that I have to do it right now - and it's fun seeing what other people did for each day (people often post their challenge completions as comments on the challenge post, and it's encouraged to cheer each other on!)

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth is a bit more nebulous in that there's no set way to take part, though there are various suggestions! The idea is mainly to post content that's dedicated to DW in order to add to the activity there and not just cross-post from elsewhere. Many people aim to post daily on a theme; I found that a bit too energy-intensive, but I managed a couple of posts, and people will check the challenge tag to see what's being posted and leave comments on each other's posts.

I also just learned about the Sunshine Challenge, which is ongoing at the moment - it was created to be an offshoot of the Snowflake Challenge, but held during the summer. It has a similar format, with slightly fewer prompts, and they're a bit broader - I really like the idea of having a summer equivalent of the Snowflake Challenge, but I'm finding it difficult to think of what to post...

every time tumblr pulls some bullshit I get closer to trying to remember how my brain worked well enough to use lj so I can get back on dreamwidth in a more functional way

part of my issue is that the dw interface makes me feel more pressured to have Something To Say as opposed to the occasional shitposting I normally do

also I love the ability to curate my blog by sharing posts from others as I do here & afaik you can't really do the elsewhere

I'm open to suggestions for either how to rewire my brain to work on dw or what other place to go to get what I get from here

I want another place I can refer to like I refer to this blue faesite :/

[convexicalcrow]

2022 End Of Year Fic Meme

So this is something I've done on another blog for many years now, but the last time I did it was 2019, and then the pando hit and I didn't have the energy to compile all my fic after that. But today's snowflake challenge prompt is to celebrate your wins, so I thought I'd actually do this at last and sum up all my Hermitcraft and Empires fic that I've written over the past year (and a lil bit), and reflect on everything I've written.

I have a pile of fic from my old fandom I should probably do this with as well but I think I'll do that elsewhere and also perhaps next week bc there's like twice the fic I need to sum up and I ain't got that time tonight lmao.

If you've never seen one of these before, maaaan, these get Long and I ramble a Lot, so feel free to skip if you're not that interested in fic stats and rambles. Also there will be shippy stuff in here just as a head's up. <3

AO3 Statistics 2022: User Subscriptions: 29 Kudos: 3,184 Comment Threads: 112 Bookmarks: 429 Subscriptions: 77 Word Count: 149,459 Hits: 38,644

Stats: Ficlets under 1,000 words written: 17 Short Stories between 1,000-10,000 words written: 35 Stories over 10,000 words: 3 Ficlets on Tumblr*: 6 Total Fics: 61

*I'm only counting the ones I haven't edited and published to AO3 (yet)

Fandoms: 100 Hours of Hardcore Empires SMP Hermitcraft Kingdom Craft Life Series

Pairings: Cub/Scar 23 (can you tell when the ConVex hyperfixation set in >_>) Doc/Ren 4 The Vex/Cub 3 Ren/Cub 3 Ren/Martyn 3 Cub/Scar/Ariana Griande 2 Scar/Jimmy 2 Tango/Cub 2 Bdubs/Etho 2 Scar/Bdubs 2 Renbob/Doc 1 Grien/Joel 1 Martyn/Mumbo 1 Grimdog/Doc 1 Grian/Scar 1 Ren/Scar 1 Scar/Doc 1 The Vex/Cub/skulk 1 King Ren/The Red King 1 Ren/Bdubs 1 The Vex/Scar 1 Katherine/Cub 1 The Vex/Bdubs 1 Scar/Cub/Ren 1 Tango/Jimmy 1 Sausage/Keralis 1 Doc/Bdubs 1 Doc/Etho 1 Doc/Cub 1 Joel/Sausage 1 Cub/Jarvis 1 Joel/Lizzie 1

Friendships/Other Relationships: Cub & Scar 6 Ren & Bdubs 3 Ren & Doc 3 Cub & Iskall 2 Sausage & Pearl 2 Ren & Martyn 2 Ren & Lizzie 2 Etho & Bdubs 2 Cub & Bdubs 1 Cub & a llama 1 Imagineer Scar & HotGUy Scar 1 Cub & Ren 1 Sausage & Santa Perla 1 Sausage & Saint Bdubs of the Sun 1 Cub & Xisuma 1 Ren & Scar 1 Pearl & Scar 1 King Ren & Scar 1 The Vex & Bdubs 1 King Ren & The Red King 1 Tango & Bbubs 1 Tango & Jimmy 1 Tango & Grumbot Prime 1 Grian & Pearl 1 Ren & Tomato Yoshi 1

Average Word Count: 2527.63 words Total Word Count (2022): 149,459 (AO3) + 4727 (ficlets)= 154,186

List of Fanworks:

100 Hours of Hardcore Hunting For A Kiss (455 words)

Life Series Sacrilege and Sacrifice (6,370 words) Through The Fog Of War: Vignettes From Session Seven (1,507 words) You're the B.E.S.T. (1,058 words)

Empires SMP Black Heart (1,453 words) Charisma Level 6000 (1,658 words) Fading Into Darkness, Clinging To The Light (5,002 words) Fog (18,076 words) Hard Wood (983 words) Here Comes The Vex Again (631 words) Legacy (941 words) Moonbeams (2,961 words) Songs From The Old Country (3,589 words) Stripped Wood (876 words) The Midnight Sun (1,679 words) The Restless Dead (1,108 words) Vexed Devotion (3,356 words) Vicegrip (1,030 words) What's Yours Is Mine (462 words)

Hermitcraft #askjarvis (672 words) A Different Kind Of Magic (550 words) A Small Price To Pay (3,339 words) A Vex Never Works Alone (3,047 words) Another Sunset (3,612 words) Blood Moon Rising: The Madness of Rendog (11,863 words) creep (3,766 words) Five Times Bdubs Was Hunted Around The Crastle (500 words) Free Glass Straight To The Heart (2,337 words) Guess Who? (1,631 words) His Name Is Cubfan135 (1,850 words) HoTGuY: The Seige (2,994 words) Hunting Party (20,222 words) hurts so good (3,359 words) Icicles (2,917 words) Kongen Befaler (1,121 words) Language Barriers (894 words) mirror, mirror… (917 words) Mistress of the Dance, Lady of Joy (1,688 words) Moon Big Trauma… But With Llamas! (3,386 words) Occlusion (3,207 words) Ride The Lightning (591 words) Sacred Waters (1,900 words) sacrosanct (741 words) skulk whispers (941 words) Split/Seconds (100 words) Sway (933 words) The Burning One, who seizes what his heart desires (1,471 words) The Streets Of Scarland (1,774 words) two beds and a mattress store (622 words) Uncomfortably You, Uncomfortably Me (1,257 words) Vexcraft (2,722 words) When You Were Mine: A Collection of RenDoc Drabbles from Season Sixfinity (1,200 words)

Hermittober/Life Series Hermittober 2022 Drabble Collection (4,407 words)

Kingdomcraft SMP masquerade (2,583 words) armour love (1,150 words)

Tumblr Ficlets: Pharaoh Cub and Sphinx Scar (646 words) Evoker Cub and Allay-Turned-Vex Scar (891 words) Cub Zombie Apocalypse AU (312 words) ConVex Knight AU

part one (451 words)

part two (953 words)

part three (1474 words)

The Questions!

My best story of this year:

Through The Fog Of War: Vignettes From Session Seven. I threw all my devastation into that fic, and it turned out perfectly. I would change absolutely nothing about that fic. It was cathartic and painful and didn't dim my Ethubs grief but it did help process it.

Last Life was the first of the Life series that I'd watched live, and session seven absolutely wrecked me frfr. ;_;

My favourite story of this year:

Fog, I think. I loved the process of writing it, drafting it on tumblr as the ideas came to me and then editing it later for AO3. I've never really done that with a fic before, because I was always mostly on twitter and I never really used other journals for that kind of writing. But to have tumblr now where I can just throw ideas out and see how they work? That changed how I write so much, and Fog was the first chaptered work I'd done, and I think it came out so well. I went mad on skulk Cub for two weeks, but the fic that came out of it was cohesive, deep, and felt very satisfying by the end of it. I will forever love that fic as my favourite, I think, just because of how I could see people responding to the chapters as I posted them and getting that kind of feedback was so nice. It kept me writing and seeing how to best resolve the story in the most satisfying way.

My worst story of the year:

idk if it's worst per se, but I do think I could have done Split/Seconds a lot better than I did. I was crunched for time and that usually means I write drabbles but it could easily have been longer if I'd let it. I might have fleshed it out and done something more interesting with that moment than what felt like just rehashing what actually happened.

Story of mine most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion:

Songs of the Old Country, if only because religious world building is kind of a niche thing I think? And maybe it's not as interesting to others as it is to me. >_>

Most overrated story, in my opinion:

This is more in terms of my own inspiration and interest in it but HoTGuY: The Seige. I had a whole thing planned out for it, and life just derailed my work on that fic entirely so it now sits forgotten and I wish I'd given it the time it deserves bc it was going to be a great fic. I just got distracted and yeah.

Most fun story to write:

You're The B.E.S.T., bc who doesn't want a Team B.E.S.T. boy band AU amirite? I loved channelling all my 90s teen boy band nostalgia into that one and I adore the flow of it. It just works perfectly. I have thought about writing follow-ups but I'm not sure I could do it the justice they deserve.

Most representative of you as a writer:

Hunting Party, I think. It's long, kinky as fuck, and contains a lot of the kinky elements I love writing, as well as some new ones that I think worked really well in that setting.

That, and all the trans!Cub fic lmao. I cannot do fandom without writing trans fic I stfg. XD (fics include: masquerade, armour love, mirror mirror..., Sacred Waters)

Contains characterisation you're proudest of:

One of the things I work hard on when I write fic is getting the voices right, bc if you can nail that, you're halfway to getting the characterisation right. And for me, Fog and Occlusion are my picks for this question bc of False. She has quite a distiinctive voice, and I wasn't confident of getting it right when I was first writing her. Helpfully, at the time I was writing ch 8 of Fog, Cub was streaming some MCC practice with False (iirc) so I had that to refer to as I was writing. I don't always write when I'm watching streams but if it's a voice I want to write well, I do use streams for that for sure.

Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:

creep for sure. First time writing predator/prey kink and I had a feeling it would work for Ren and Doc but I didn't know until I'd written it and saw how well it just worked for them both.

Story with the sexiest moment:

Mistress of the Dance, Lady of Joy. There's a moment when Ariana invites Scar to play as well and with the three of them getting involved, it just feels like such joy to me, which was the whole point of this fic.

Most sexy story:

Oh god there's so many. XD But I'll probably say Sacred Waters. I adore that fic so much. The flow of it, the structure, the drabble-length paragraphs/scenes, how it all just feels ever so slightly disorienting while also being so tender and filled with love and care. It's sexy and hot and soft and I love it so much. <3

Hardest story to write:

Through The Fog Of War: Vignettes From Session Seven. bc I didn't want to write about Bdubs and Etho, but I knew I had to, and boy did the tears flow as I wrote it.

Easiest story to write:

That Cub zombie apocalypse ficlet I posted on tumblr. Woke up with fic in my head and it went from there very easily.

Biggest disappointment:

Apart from the HotGuy fic, probably that I didn't get as much work done on the Pharaoh Cub fic I had planned to do for NaNo as I had wanted. It was set in a world I had used before in an origific novel but hadn't really done much with for many years, and I wanted to write Pharaoh Cub as an actual Pharaoh in Egypt with Scar at his side as well. I just didn't get as far along with it as I'd have liked. Ah well, there's always Camp NaNo! :D

Biggest surprise:

I wrote that fucking Grien/Joel fic I stfg. XD

Story you'd give to an editor as a writing sample:

Through The Fog Of War: Vignettes From Session Seven. I know I keep banging on about it, but I do think it's genuinely the best thing I've written in this fandom so far.

Story which has the best title:

Moon Big Trauma... But With Llamas!

Story I'd like to revise:

Split/Seconds, bc like I said above, I feel like I could have done a lot more with that idea than I did.

Story I wish I'd finished:

HoTGuY: The Seige. Just one of those ideas I ran out of steam with bc everything else happened and it got left to the side. :(

Story I didn't write but I swear I will:

Hmm. I don't have any I haven't started that I want to write at this point in time? Mostly I just have a collection of wips that I am slowly working my way through.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this last year, less, or about what you'd predicted?

Far more fic holy fuck. I felt I'd written a bit but seeing the word count up there, like, Maaaaaaan, it's been ages since I managed that much in a year. o.o

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in Jan 2021?

I mean, Hermitcraft and Empires fic tbh. I was in a totally different fandom in Jan 2021.

Did you take any writing risks this last year?

*gestures at the above answer* It's always a risk starting to write for a new fandom, especially as someone who's so very, very used to tiny fandoms. This is a much, much bigger fandom space and figuring out how to navigate it and find people I might gel with has been fun and a little intimidating tbh.

Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the New Year?

Not really? I don't do well setting goals for fic. I just write and see what happens.

[fullmoonficlet]

SIGN-UP FOR PROMPT 514: SNOWFLAKE

This week's prompt is: SNOWFLAKE.

Welcome to Full Moon Ficlet, the weekly prompt community for Teen Wolf!

In order to sign-up, just reblog this post or fill out this form and get writing a fic or ficlet that is inspired by this week's prompt. There are just a few rules:

Be inspired by the prompt of the week!

Reblog the original prompt post to sign-up for the week in order to be included in the masterlist or fill out the form above. Do this by Tuesday morning at 10 am Eastern time!

Your creation must be a part of the Teen Wolf fandom. Crossovers and fusions are welcome as long as TW is the primary focus.

Starting 07/03/2022, RPF will no longer be allowed as part of the challenge.

To be considered a ficlet, your story should be at least 200 words minimum and a maximum of 1499 words.

To be considered a fic, your story should be at least 1500 words minimum, and there is no maximum!

Art is art, and we love it! We will not be reblogging art, only a link, so please just make sure we know to mark the link NSFW if it is.

New chapters from a WIP or series are welcome, but please post your story or chapter in its entirety! Posting a chapter or story that is incomplete just makes readers sad. Choose the closest proper category (fic or ficlet) when you submit your completed work for the masterlist.

You can post your fic(let) or art ANYWHERE. If you post on AO3, please feel free to add it to the collection for this week's prompt (FMF_514).

Use the submission form to tell us about your fic by Saturday, December 10, 2022, by 10 am Eastern time in order to have it included on the masterlist.

There is no limit on the number of people who can sign up! Every prompt is a new week and a new event; you only sign up for one week at a time. There is no consequence for pledging to write and being unable to submit a fic that week. We understand that life interferes!

Now go have fun and create new fanworks for Teen Wolf! Art, fic, ficlets; everything is welcome. Enjoy, and get creative!

NOTE: Due to a Tumblr posting SNAFU, the blank masterlist went out a little early but I'm not changing this week's prompt. So you might have seen it. There are days I hate the weird bugs Tumblr sometimes has. I set the darned day and time before the tags yet the tags were right and the scheduled time was not...

[snowflakechallenge]

Fandom Snowflake Challenge #1

Introduction Post* Meet the Mods Post * Master Post on DW

Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.

Some of the names you see here during Snowflake 2022 might be familiar, and some might be complete strangers. (Or, as we like to think of it, friends you haven’t met yet.) We’d like us all to take the first step towards making new friends with this first challenge, which has become our annual first challenge.

Challenge #1

In your own space, update your fandom information! Leave a comment in today’s post at The Fandom Snowflake Challenge on DW saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

If you already have a sticky post or full bio on your profile, make sure they’re up to date so that people visiting your journal can learn something about you. Update your interests; make sure your fic posts are current; check that all your links work, etc. If you don’t already have a sticky post introducing yourself and your fandom interests, create one!

Some of your mods have already done this so that you can get an idea of the variety of ways you can fill this challenge: Tjs_whatnot’s updated DW sticky post, Muccamukk’s updated DW sticky post, and Spikedluv’s updated DW profile and DW sticky post

Check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on.

And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.

(If you want us to reblog your response here at our Tumblr, we’re tracking: snowflakechallenge2022.)

[waynes-multiverse]

Wayne’s 200 Follower Party!

We’re here! THANK YOU so much from the bottom of my heart for following me, reading my little stories, and riding along with me on this journey! I’m so incredibly thankful that I’ve found a kind & welcoming community here. I never expected to meet so many friendly people when I first joined tumblr a couple of months ago 🖤

As some may know, I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety the last couple of years, but I’m so glad I’ve fought tooth and nail to be here today and I can honestly say, I’m very happy, blessed, and love waking up every morning nowadays. Writing is my happy place. However, there’s tons of other incredible writers on here and I want to read more of your amazing stories!

So... challenge, right? As the “new girl” on tumblr who found her chosen family here, I figured a New Girl quote prompt challenge would be fitting. I’ve prepared a couple of quotes that serve as prompts for you to tell me a story in the Supernatural fandom. Can be characters, cast (RPF), or even weird crossovers. Here’s the rules:

Send me an ask, dm, or comment if you want to join this little challenge

All participants must be +18

Smut, crack, angst, hurt, fluff, kinks – all is welcome (just no underage, toilet stuff, Destiel, or Wincest. No offense to anyone. It just isn’t for me)

No word count. Go nuts! Schwing!

Can be reader inserts, OCs, or just characters

One prompt per writer (you can ask for another one if you’re done with the first) & you’re welcome to combine it with other challenges

Tag @waynes-multiverse in AN & use the tag #waynes200followerparty

Deadline is Jan 31, 2022 (If you can’t make it in time, just dm me. It’s not a big deal)

I’ll reblog everything & create a special masterlist with your entries after the deadline (If I miss a post, just send me a smoke signal or a pigeon)

We don’t hate here, we spread love. Remember that!

Prompts below the cut:

1. “Pink wine makes me slutty.” 2. “[Name] isn’t even a man. He’s some kind of man-boy, man-child hybrid.“ 3. “I was sabotaged by my baby box.” 4. “If any of you cross me, I’m gonna kick the testicles clean off your body. Clean off! You’ll look like Ken dolls down there!” – @awkward-and-indecisive​ 5. “I want passion. Even if it’s harder and hurts more.” 6. “Any time a man wants to show a woman how to do something from behind, it’s just because he wants an excuse to get real close and breathe on her neck.” – @deanwithscissors​ 7. “I can’t work under pressure like this. You know I get nervous. I’m just a man. I’m not a God.” 8. “I can’t believe I’m the sober one. That’s actually never happened before in my life.”  – @wonder-cole​ 9. “My funeral is my time to shine!” – @avanatural​ 10. “Do I regret it? Yes. Would I do it again? Probably.” – @that-one-gay-girl​ 11. “I’m like a sexual snowflake. Each night with me is a unique experience.” 12. “I’m the squirrel and you’re my nut. Winter is coming, and I’m gonna store you in my cheek, girl.” – @all-alone-he-turns-to-stone​ 13. “Sandwiches and sex? I want that.” – @padalelli​ 14. “Your asses belong to me now.” 15. “I wanna choke you until your eyes literally pop out of your head.” 16. “Stop being so mean to me, or I swear to God I’m gonna fall in love with you.” – @msmarvelouswinchester​ 17. “Please don’t make me laugh at you.” – @deanwanddamons​ 18. “I want to rub my face on his face.” – @sofreddie​ 19. “I only wanna make a drink a coal miner would want. Straight forward. Honest. Something that says, ‘I work in a hole.'” 20. “Nipple play – off-limits.” Good luck! Can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with! Party on, peeps!

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Saturday, January 15th

FRED: Hi, Lorne. LORNE: Hi. What do you say we put away your little sci-fi toys for a little bit, huh? And maybe we could talk about something a little more important, like my monster mash? FRED: Oh, yeah, your party. LORNE: Our party, tweety bird. Which, by the way, is dying on the vine. I could really, really, really use some help from you guys— some backup? FRED: I wasn't really planning on going. LORNE: Wes. Do you hear this crazy talk? WESLEY: Uh, well, I really hadn't given much thought to going myself. LORNE: Et tu, Brutuses? Why is it so hard to get anyone to have any fun around here?

~~Life of the Party~~

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for at least one new editor! Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! Find out more here.

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Fever Dream, Chapters 1-2 (Buffy/Angel, M) by Janis70

Beloved (OC, Black Widow crossover, T) by Vashti (tvashti)

your bed is a confession booth (Giles/Oz, M) by Gilesbian (jackandthesoulmates)

Aurora's Diary (OC "Aurora Dawn Summers", T) by fatalfae

Something Old, Something New (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by madamcreature

[Chaptered Fiction]

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Shadowed Suspicion, Chapter 228 (Ensemble, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure crossover, T) by madimpossibledreamer

Honest, Chapter 4 (complete!) (Buffy/Tara, M) by Stranger_In_Town

The path to redemption, Chapter 94 (Scoobies, T) by Aragorn_II_Elessar

Yvette, the Vampire Slayer - Arc 2, Chapter 36 (OC Slayer, Castlevania crossover, G) by TheSovereigntyofReality

You Can't Fight Fate - But You Can Decipher Him, Chapter 31 (Dawn, Batman crossover, not rated) by Hermione2be

After Buffy Left, Chapter 5 (Dawn, not rated, warnings: Rape/Non-Con Underage) by Violet_valentine

A new Quest, a new Fellowship, Chapter 7 (Ensemble, Tolkien crossover, T) by Aragorn_II_Elessar

Healthier Choices, Chapter 4 (complete!) (Faith, The Haunting of Hill House crossover, not rated) by BuffyBot3000

Who we are [roleplay], Chapter 3 (Giles/Oz, E) by Gilesbian (jackandthesoulmates), jackandthesoulmates

Gargoyle (complete) (Xander/Graham, E) by sabershadowkat

Come Back to Me, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by honeygirl51885

The Sound of Her Voice, Chapter 11 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Myrabeth

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork/discussion piece: Faith and Spike (worksafe) by toyhdgehog

Artwork: Buffy and OC twin across BtVS seasons (worksafe) by annyankers

Artwork: Tara and Dark Willow (worksafe) by malvymary

Artwork: Spander (possibly not entirely worksafe) by punksouthie

Artwork: Buffy in "The Body" (worksafe) by slayersandprivateinvestigators

Artwork: Spike in his stupid goggles (worksafe) by sunnyhellcalifornia

Artwork: Buffy/Faith (worksafe) by toyhdgehog

Gifset: Hush | Season 4 Episode 10 by andremichaux

Fanvid: Buffy and Spike | Monsters [S1-S7] Buffy the Vampire Slayer (spuffy) "I Love You" by comeandgEDIT

Videos: Buffy promos (S4-S6) upscaled to HD by BuffyPromosHD

[Reviews & Recaps]

Rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer by ashesandhackles

Podcast: Episode 69: Wild at Heart by Myth Taken

[Recs/search]

Vid rec: Lilah & Wesley: No Life After You by WelcomeToCaritas [Liv] recced by gothamstreetcat

Fic search: Bangelus enemies to lovers fic by messybunbeauty

Fic rec: Comics!Fic: Picture Perfect by gryfndor-godess (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) recced by Joan the Vampire Slayer

Vid recs: Multiple Spuffy vids recced by Joan the Vampire Slayer

[Community Announcements]

Buffyclips: site for people to download [BtVS] scenepacks by buffyclips

[Fandom Discussions]

Snowflake Challenge 2022: Day 7 (tell us about 3 fandom resources, spaces, or communities you use or enjoy) by sparrow2000

Snowflake Challenge 2022: Day 8 (celebrate a personal win from the past year) by sparrow2000

How Buffy’s relationship to her shadow selves and narrative foils shifts entirely after s2 by chasingfictions

[Buffy, Kendra and Faith's names] by chasingfictions

[Willow and Tara's first fight] by girl4music

Finally watching Lineage and my heart breaks for Wesley by gothamstreetcat

Anya and Buffy should’ve been friends by house-monster-fucker

Another reason why Angel is bisexual by oveliagirlhaditright

[Buffy's eyes being golden in Primeval] by oveliagirlhaditright

How Angel was around visions before Doyle and Cordelia by oveliagirlhaditright

What makes the LEAST sense about the ‘Is Giles the First?’ pointless subplot by rachaeljurassic

A way to change up the S2 storyline to make Angelus into the villain he was supposed to be by theleafpile

New fanfic discussions - Seven Year Slayer and The Price is Right by Dutchbuffy2305 by flow

Whose dynamic did you enjoy more- Angel/Spike or Buffy/Faith? by LightBlueSky55

SMG deserved a producer's credit/input by CatofKipling

The Economics of Sunnydale by ErrForceOnes

My first time [watching Buffy] by maplestriker

"Real me" is an underrated episode by MinasTirith8

Restless by dabzandjabz

Why did Angel change his name to Angel/Angelus? by timmorris82

Which character best embodies the show's philosophy? by Individual_Syrup_848

[Glory: what are your thoughts, favorite moments, favorite quotes] by ThatKoffeeBurns

Do you perceive the show differently on rewatches now that you are older? by speashasha

Question about Tara’s death by cherrycranberries

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

[fardell24b]

Snowflake Challenge #14

Challenge #14

In your own space, do the Fandom Wrap Challenge. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

What were your top 5 fandoms for 2022 based on the amount of time you interacted with them? 1.Daria 2.Star Trek 3.Star Wars 4.Spider-Man 5.Doctor Who

What were your top 5 fandom spaces (Discord, Twitter, etc.) you experienced fandom in terms of time spent? 1.AO3/FF.net 2. Tumblr 3. Twitter 4. Lawndale High/PPMB 5. TrekBBS

What are the top 5 things you did to contribute to fandom in terms of time? Did you write? Comment? Send positive energy into the universe? Create art? 1. Reading fic 2. Writing fic 3. Looking at art 4. Commenting on Fic 5. Creating Art

What were your top 5 most appreciated fandom contributions? (i.e. in terms of likes, kudos, reblogs, comments, etc.) (All still on Lawndale High/PPMB, as Beta reading hasn't happened yet. But you can click on my Daria tag: https://fardell24.dreamwidth.org/tag/daria)

Have a Top 5 List you'd like to share?? By all means! Forums other than Daria forums 1. TrekBBS: https://www.trekbbs.com/ 2. Alternate History: https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/ 3. SpaceBattles: https://forums.spacebattles.com/ 4. Gallifrey Base: https://gallifreybase.com/gb/ (Registration required to view) 5. Jedi Council Forums: https://boards.theforce.net/

Check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on.

And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.

[snack-o-ween]

Originally posted over on Pillowfort [on 14 January 2023] where I’m trying to remember to do the Fandom Snowflake Challenge:

Day #7: In your own space, interact with a community or a fic.

I got part of the way through writing up a rec for a fic last night when I was pleasantly surprised by a related work notification email from AO3 today. (Not one, but two.)

[Podfic] A Mistress For Christmas - Read by LenaReads (LenaLawlipop)

Link to my comment. I put together a double drabble for some wintry events in December 2022, and I honestly wasn't expecting anyone to ever podfic it. There's no ship, and I poked fun at stock Dominant phrases a bit instead of actually writing a D/s scene for the prompt. It sounds funnier when someone's actually saying things with inflection and all that, so this podfic was nice to listen to.

[Podfic] A Favourite Silence - Read by LenaReads (LenaLawlipop)

Link to my comment. Again, another fic I never imagined someone podficcing, so it was really nice to see a notification for this. I wrote something short for a Samhain fill in October 2022, and it's a Number 12 Grimmauld Place POV of different generations of Silent Suppers. The last bit with the current people leaving and the house being alone for the first time sounds so much sadder when you hear someone.

[static-whisper-podfic]

Fandom Snowflake Challenge

Day #1: In your own space, update your fandom information! I'm not sure if I've tried to list my fandom information on this account, so I guess we'll make it in the first place.

[Dated 3 January 2022. Cross-posted to DW. Under a cut due to length.]

So far, I've mostly podficced within the Prodigal Son (TV 2019) fandom. It was cancelled in 2021 after two seasons, and you may or may not have seen some attempts to save it.

I have enough familiarity to also consider these other fandoms:

All Creatures Great and Small (TV 2020).

Charmed (TV 2018).

Criminal Minds (US TV).

Evil (TV 2019).

- I've only seen season one. (It moved to Paramount Plus, so I'm not quite sure what season it's on by now.)

Hannibal (TV).

- Honestly, I haven't seen anything after season one, but I'm okay with some canonical fuzziness when reading Hannigram.

Harry Potter:

- Alright to: the books or Lightning Generation, and to the Marauder's Era.

- No, thank you to: Next Gen, The Cursed Child, and the Fantastic Beasts franchise. I have no idea of what's going on with any video game or app based game featuring the HP franchise either.

NCIS.

Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019).

S.W.A.T. (TV 2017). (Sort of.)

Supernatural.

The Exorcist (TV).

It's possible that I'm forgetting some other fandoms due to tumblr exposure, but I think that's enough for now.

[static-whisper-podfic]

Work Title: [Podfic] After Banika 

Rating: General Audiences | Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply | Fandom: The Pacific (TV) | Category: M/M.

Relationship(s): Andrew A. "Ack-Ack" Haldane/Edward "Hillbilly" Jones

Characters: Edward "Hillbilly" Jones, Andrew A. "Ack-Ack" Haldane.

Additional Tags: Love Confessions, Drunken Confessions, Misunderstandings, First Kiss, Angst, Fluff, Pining, Getting Together, Podfic, Podfic Length: 20-30 Minutes, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming.

Posted: 23 February 2022. | Language: English. | Time: 23 minutes and 56 seconds.

This work has been podficced as a rec with blanket permission to podfic from Muccamukk for Fandom Snowflake Challenge 2022, and it is also being counted for Podfic Bingo 2021 to 2022 for the squares: Unfamiliar Pairing and Angst.

[static-whisper-podfic]

Work Title: [Podfic] All The World Loves A Clown 

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences | Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply | Fandom: Band of Brothers (TV 2001) | Category: M/M.

Relationship(s): Carwood Lipton/George Luz.

Character(s): George Luz, Carwood Lipton, Easy Company.

Additional Tags: Canon Era, George Luz POV, Episode: s01e05 Crossroads, Mourmelon-le-Grand, Thanksgiving, Dancing, Mutual Pining, Period-Typical Crossdressing, Crossdressing, Podfic, Podfic Length: 10-20 Minutes, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming.

Posted: 21 February 2022. | Language: English. | Time: 10 minutes and 53 seconds.

This work has been podficced for one of Muccamukk’s Fandom Snowflake Challenge 2022 wishes, and it’s being slid in for Podfic Bingo 2021 to 2022 for the square: Wild Card. (Instead of continuing to try to aim for 2+ Hours on another work, this is both an Unfamiliar Fandom and an Unfamiliar Pairing.)