#i miss fun nothing posts! that you could make on your own blog! and not have to worry would get judged!

[thatonebabybat]

Being Masc & Goth

This blog usually isn't fashion-focused, but I was thinking about alt fashion and how it's sometimes a struggle to figure out how to style things in a masc way if you're interested in darkalt fashion, but you don't want to go too casual or basic with it. So I thought I'd throw together some tips, link some DIYs, and maybe throw in a few moodboards. I want to preface this with one thing: You do NOT have to adhere to traditional gender roles. Fuck anyone who tells you that you do. If you're a guy and you want to get into alt fashion don't let anyone tell you that you can't pull off a skirt or a dress or a strappy top. Literally the whole point of being alt is Doing Whatever The Hell You Want Forever. However, not everyone feels comfortable in that (I made this post because I'm transmasc and sometimes the long gothic dresses make me dysphoric), and not everyone is safe to do that ( as much as it sucks ass, if you live in a conservative area sometimes it can be genuinely dangerous for guys to wear makeup and dresses in public, and your safety should always come first), so I thought I'd lay out some tips on how to dress alt and masc from my own experience. I'm still learning so feel free to leave your own advice in the replies or reblogs! General Styling Tips: - Jackets. Jackets, jackets, jackets. Something about a big jacket always seems to give an outfit a more masc energy, and adding a cool jacket to an outfit can be a great way to elevate it and add some extra visual interest. I like black blazers, leather jackets, and black denim jackets in particular, but vests (formal menswear ones or more casual denim or leather ones) can work well too, especially in hot weather. - Any basic black pair of jeans will look 100x more alt if you loosely attach some chains to the pockets or belt loops. Also, pants with wider legs tend to look more masc than tighter fits. not sure why. Slacks can also be a really good and underrated option. - If you want to find good headwear, cool sunglasses have never failed me. You may be able to take some inspiration from Ouji fashion as well, but that's just my personal taste. - If you have a basic piece around, you can add pins, patches, safety pins, etc for a more casual look, or if you're going for something more formal, trims and lace details and embroidery can really add interest and elegance to it. (if you can't sew, you can order iron-on embroidered patches online or find them in craft stores that'll do the trick just fine.) This can take your pair of slacks or plain black blazer and turn it into a piece of formal gothic menswear you can make a staple of your wardrobe. - Find inspiration in your favorite goth artists. There's a lot of really cool goth music out there and a lot of those bands get really innovative with their looks! Figure out what you like about their style and try incorporating a few things in, it's fun! - If you have an alt wardrobe already but it just seems like something's missing or it could use some interest, try switching up the silhouettes or adding an extra layer! Seriously, don't be scared of playing with textures and sleeve shapes! I see a lot of dudes who just wear a band tee and a pair of jeans all the time, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, that can be a great look! But I think a lot of dudes just genuinely think that that's their only option and that everything else just "wasn't made for them" and that makes me a little sad. shred up some shirts and layer them, wear some bell sleeves, throw some extra safety pins or studs on, have fun! No one said masc fashion couldn't be fun. Unisex/Masc DIY Videos I Found:

... And Some Inspiration!

[These are all goth music artists, I wrote the band/artist names in small text on the images that were not already watermarked for those who are curious]

[toointojoelmiller]

Update: I continue to work on all things! Nothing is abandoned! New chapters will come!

The actual, fun and exciting update: I'm going to start recommending a few AMAZING TLOU fics that you might have missed on my blog every Saturday for the next while.

I hope you find some new great reads to keep you going while we wait for season 2 - our fandom is seriously so freaking talented, and there are SO many incredibly written fics out there that I want to yell about a bunch of them! Please reblog!

These fics will vary re: how closely they stick to canon and what themes they explore, but you can expect them all to be wonderfully written and, obviously, heavily feature Joel Miller.

Some of these, including this weeks, may include mature content - make sure to read and heed the trigger warnings listed on ao3!

I have never really been interested in fan fiction with OCs, so I missed out on this week's recommendation for a long time and I bet a lot of you did too. It's both a wonderfully told Joel love story and a fic that, in my opinion, really honours the world and characters of TLOU.

Go Your Own Way by @chronicallyonlinewriter 232,575 words || 31 chapters rating: mature [see ao3 tags for full content warnings] featuring: post season/game 1 life in Jackson, angst, fluff, action, romance, smut, plenty of protective Joel and parent Joel

You can check out a review from @march-flowerr below, describing some of what makes this story so special: (vague general spoilers re: themes and mature content)

“Go Your Own Way stands, in my mind, as one of the most well written piece of fiction on Archive of Our Own. Nandorluna has such an intimate and authentic take on the existing characters that we know and love (on Joel and Ellie and all the Jackson gang) but it’s her ability to create stunning, well fleshed out original characters that drew me to her story initially. Her main character, Benny, moves across the story in such a visceral and realistic way; her arc spans not just the present canon timeline, but transports us through an entire lifetime: from childhood to outbreak, to first love, to first loss, to heartbreak and grief and then finally, to her heart’s final resting place: Joel Miller.

Zee manages to write about and embrace such difficult topics as assault, pregnancy loss, and grief without ever once making a show of it. She handles each moment with quiet dignity and intense self reflection; she draws beauty from the hollow depth of heart ache and despair without ever once losing the thread of hope that The Last of Us is known for.

At the heart of Go Your Own Way is the love story of Joel and Benny. Zee manages to create a compelling story about brokenness and connection and the raw, rare glory that is finding someone with whom you can begin to fit yourself together with again. It’s a story of family - of people who when left to wander, find their hearts drawn to each other. It’s a story about love - each relationship, from Benny and Alexei’s long friendship, to Ellie and Joel’s turbulent first years, to Benny and Joel’s steadfast devotion for each other, caters to the soul. It’s a story that I’ve found myself returning to, again and again, in all moods and places in life. If I could change anything about it, it would only be that it did have to end after all."

If you read and love this, please please show the author some love and leave a kudos and comment!! Happy fandoming y'all.

[tagedeszorns]

(Violetbirdie here) I think it's complicated due to a variety of issues. 40k as a franchise is huge, but it isn't the sort of thing that tends to have overlap with tumblr type fanspaces. It also doesn't help that 40k is a fractured fandom featuring tons of different factions, so it's not like a standard fandom where there are main characters and a main story that people will always flock to. The primarchs are the closest thing we have to that, which is why there is naturally more content for them. In addition, fandom itself is in a bit of a flux state and has been ever since the 2018 nsfw ban which caused a lot of people to leave for twitter, which is now undergoing its own huge changes right now (and I just hate twitter on principle).

I suppose the one thing I think would help, would be somehow getting the 40k tumblresque fandom space more consolidated as a whole. Like, somehow have a blog that is popular for all factions that posts headcanons about everything, thus getting people interested in parts they don't normally think about. Because 40k is a huge time investment to learn about. I've been listening to audiobooks for what feels like nonstop for over a month, and even then I could only ever feel confident telling people about Emperor's Children. So it naturally is harder for new people to get into the fandom and focus on some of the smaller things because there is just so much. It's almost how I view your blog. I check it daily for fun art/headcanons/just general character stuff, and you made me more interested in some of the captains and such. But even then, you have your focuses. So a space even more general where someone would reblog art from everything 40k would likely be nice? Maybe I just miss the livejournal days of fandom. As far as more engagement, I think having silly things like character weeks which encourages people to draw or write or talk about specific aspects is a huge benefit. It sets a schedule and makes people feel like they are shouting less into the void.

But as someone new here, maybe its my weird perspective, but I don't feel like things are getting less popular. If anything, from just checking AO3, it seems like things are only getting more popular for less of the reddit type and more for the Tumblr wanting to see hot dudes and their complicated feelings type. Also more people are getting into 40k in this side of the space through rogue trader. Like people I never talked to about 40k are starting to look into the series because they played Baldurs Gate 3, and needed a new RPG to play, and conveniently Rogue Trader is filling that for them. So, I'm optimistic if anything. Sorry about the long ramble! Just kinda dumping my thoughts out.

I love Tumblr because, unlike Twitter or Bluesky, it allows for way longer, way more elaborately structured posts. I love it when artists don't just slap their pics into a post and be done with it, but instead add stuff like maybe "I read this book, here's a quote, and it gave me this mighty need to draw this". Or "please listen to this music here while looking at my pic! It goes perfectly with it!". Or just a multi-paragraph-essay (preferably very unhinged) about the character in the upper left corner.

This in advance, so you can see I'm totally with you on the "miss Lifejournal"-thing, because blogs are so much better than just 500 characters, four pics and nothing else. And why I think Tumblr is a very good replacement for Lifejournal.

The multitude of Tumblr-blogs with their many different angles are such a treat and provide such a rich ecosystem! I follow artists posting exclusively admech-stuff, others solely Drukhari, some writers focussing on just one Astartes Legion ... it's phantastic and the depth of their niche-knowledge is mindblowing.

I agree with you that this will be overwhelming for new fans coming from rather monolithic stuff like Rogue Trader. And the key to keeping those new people involved and making them feel welcome is showing them all this variety without scaring them away.

Maybe this new feature Tumblr is working on, can be helpful here. I haven't read much about it yet, but it seems the "Community"-feature has the potential to bundle stuff in a way that's more approachable for new and old fans alike. Maybe there's room for your idea of having "character weeks" (I like that! Sounds very MacDonald's. I'll have Fabius with extra pickles, please! 😁).

I'm sharing your optimism that both the new games and maybe the new series/movies will bring a lot of new fans over and some of them may even stick around. I am a bit wary that there's the possibility of a MCU-situation starting to build up, but since Warhammer-lore is in a constant state of flux anyways this might just add some spice to the mix.

So, yeah, hope for the darkest of futures!

[ghostofskywalker]

Hello!

I was wondering if I could request the prompts "you're an idiot" and "shut up and kiss me already" with echo???

Thank you so much and I hope you have a good day/night!

hi! sorry this is like light years late but thank you for requesting!

words: 607

summary: You spend a quiet morning with the love of your life. 

Time Together

clone troopers masterlist || request a winter ficlet!

You never thought you would miss working for the GAR, but right now you were. You certainly weren’t nostalgic about the abysmal pay, the long hours, or the difficult tasks, but the routine was definitely something you wished could return. Now, running away with your lover and his brothers meant that you no longer had to sit and toil away at a datapad for a cause you were told to believe in, but you also really never got time away from everything else. If something attacked in the middle of the night, there was nothing you could do but get up and fight.

And even though nighttime ambushes didn’t actually happen all that often, morning like this were still incredibly rare. If you didn’t have the night shift, Echo did, and vice versa. You either went to sleep together and then woke up alone, or you were joined in the middle of the night and had to pull yourself away from warmth of his body when it was time for you to watch over the ship.

Now though, you were pleasantly surprised to still feel Echo’s presence beside you as you opened your eyes. The Marauder didn’t exactly let too much natural light into the sleeping chamber, but you could just tell that it was morning, and you found yourself snuggling closer to your boyfriend, inadvertently waking him up as well.

“Hmmmffff cyare,” he said, his voice gravelly from sleep. “What’s going on?”

You wrapped your arms around him and pulled him closer. “We’re not going anywhere.”

“What?”

“I want to stay here for a while.”

“And what if I don’t?” He was joking, you could tell that from the air of humor in his voice and the smile on his face. But it would be fun to mess with him a little.

“Then I guess you’re being kidnapped.”

“You think you could kidnap me in my own bed?”

All you did was snuggle closer. “Yeah, and it looks like so far I’ve been successful.”

You tilted your head up so you could see Echo’s face, and he rolled his eyes playfully at your comment. “You’re an idiot, you know that?”

You just smiled. Considering just last night you had called him the same thing for not liking the fruit you considered your favorite, it was a fair tease. “Oh, just shut up and kiss me already.”

That was a request Echo was never going to refuse, and soon his lips had landed on yours. Your bodies were close and your hearts were closer, making this moment a serious contender for the most perfect one of all time.

Or, you did until a voice interrupted you. “You two couldn’t keep it under control until you were alone?”

Okay, maybe you had forgotten that some of the others were also sleeping in the other bunks at the time. It was Hunter who had spoken, and you turned around to see him staring down at you and Echo. He must have been coming back from watching the cockpit at night.

You looked apologetic. “Oops.”

Hunter snorted before shaking his head. You knew he was full of osik, so you weren’t too worried about anything past a little teasing. “Just go eat breakfast you two,” he said. “I’m too tired for this.”

Echo leaned closer to you and placed a soft kiss on your cheek. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

You smiled as you kissed him quickly. “No it certainly doesn’t.”

You may not have gotten to spend all day in bed like you wanted to, but at least you get to spend more time with your cyare. 

- the end -

i no longer have a taglist! if you're interested in being notified when i post, you can follow my library blog @ghostofskywalker-library and turn on notifications!

[nightswithkookmin]

Okay I'm finally ready to move on from this.

I have been blogging about almost every concept Jimin drops but I have been reluctant to share it because it's just missing a vital piece of myself. Usually when I write, I enjoy what I write and every feeling and emotion I express is real and authentic. So imagine me trying to write something fun and positive while feeling like crap within?

I'm grateful for every single one of you. My instinct was to disengage and disconnect but talking to yall and seeing your attempts to cheer me up- cheered me up. Lol. I don't know why I thought avoiding people and dealing with things on my own was the only way to cope. yalls way equally works too. Works better I'd say.

Thanks for not pushing though and having the grace to let me be when I needed to be alone and not punishing me when I returned to talk to yall.

This is new to me. Well not new new, I do that for others it's just people don't do that for me very often so I don't bother to make friends at all. I'll give and not bother to take nothing. I love you guys for this

I won't feed into the negative. As I said OP isn't the first or last person to pull a stunt like this. I'm aware of others. I don't say anything about those because I can tell from the manner in which they engage with my content they simply just want to amplify my voice and my words.

To such people it's not about me or them, it's about Jimin. Jimin is at the center of their thoughts and actions. Some even say in their posts, I wish Jimin could see this message. And while they fail to credit me for whatever reason, I still feel my work is honored and respected because it is being used the way I intended it to be used.

I don't write these word for no body but Park Jimin. He is the one I adore, he is the one I extol. And if you are going to borrow my words to extol him and honor him then I don't think it matters of you credit me or not. We are all just fans of the same man. We can lend our voices to each other.

Taehyung sees Army's posts and art about Jimin and he saves them and shows them to Jimin. He wants jimin to know people love you, people support you and I think that is truly encouraging for JM himself. There is a while trail of moons on JM's back because Tae chose to amplify someone's fanart.

Jimin does the same thing with Jungkook when people mention him in his lives. He wants Jungkook to know he is being loved on and that I feel motivates and encourages Jungkook.

But for you to take words that are not yours and present them as yours implies you want to be centered and credited for those words. Which invariably means it's not about Jimin or the writer behind those words, it's about you and your need for attention and I find that dishonorable.

It's even more bizarre and disconcerting when you feel you have to go out of your way to deplatform the original creator in order to center yourself.

This is the problem I grapple with in this community. People are constantly trying to deplatform me and claim authorship of my work at the same damn time. And they do this by deliberately concocting lies, stories, misconstruing my thoughts and my words, taking things out of context and massacring my reputation.

It's always, look she said this about Jimin. She hates Jimin. She shades jikook. She is an anti. I hate her guts because she is not an actual fan of the boys. Yall should hate her too. She's creepy. She's the end of days.

So when such people see something they know go against their rhetorics and narratives about me they try to either suppress by discouraging people from engaging with it while they turn around and steal those words as their own to make themselves look good.

And they are not vilifying me because they genuinely believe I'm bad or that I hate these boys. No. They only do it to elevate themselves. Someone has to be bad so they can be good.

It's always, she's bad don't follow her, but look I'm good and nonproblematic and you should follow me not her.

Jealousy is a disease and I won't call anyone jealous.

But also,

I remember, I used to be friends with some people before Tumblr and they are quite "big jikook" accounts. Well some have left the Fandom but still. We would talk about Jikook nonstop and we'd discuss moments and scenes i loved and I'd always tell them, this happened here that happened there and they would download the video and make edits based on my suggestions and share them.

I knew nothing about video editing- still don't, and frankly I don't care to learn. I love writing more.

But when they learned I was doing Tumblr, they turned on me quick. Suddenly they were the ones trying debunk my theories, and when they couldn't they would create their own versions of the videos I had already made or actively try to suppress my content by disparaging me and making up stories.

Suddenly it was, she's trying to compete, she's trying to take z away from us. It was an unending cycle till eventually I stopped making my own videos- well I still make them I just don't share them🥴

There's a popular jikook account who even told me blog analysis are unneeded and that what they did was better than mine because they were providing "actual evidence" and not just opinions and assumptions etc.

And yes they said it to my face as friendly advice😆

Same advice I heard from people who thought I shouldn't be pointing out Jikooks "ground breaking scenes" because it makes me come off creepy🙂

They would rather I told them so they made the edits on their accounts cos they "love me and hate to see me get hated on" out here ☹

Okay besties, and while you're at it why don't you fuck my girlfriend for me cos rubbing vaginas together is really breaking my back👉🏾👈🏾

The elitism in this community is real and they don't like to hear it but gag me and I'll shout it out of my ass

Creators in this space can be very competitive and often envious of others and they try to weaponize their platforms to take out anyone they deem a threat to their delusional high ranks in the-- who-gives-a-fuck-Karen- it's-not-that-deep-sit-down

When you hear them talk about "young impressionable minds" that's when you know they've gone and filled their bellies full of themselves.

Anywho, my reaction was not just because some random person stole my whole blog and made it theirs. It was more a trauma response to the constant vitriol, vilification, malicious attempts at deplatforming me, the constant micro and macro aggressions and the vicious gruesome mental attacks I endure out here.

But I'm good. ✌

[mari-lair]

Hey Mari, I just saw your post, I hope you're okay :(( If you don't mind, could you expand on the Aoi yorishiro one? You may have seen me go insane over that au so I'm really really REALLY sorry for the spam of notifications

I am okay, no worries! It is a bummer to shut down anons, since most of them are just curious or straight-up sweet people who are too shy to show their face, to the point even when I get anxious about a question I rarely feel like the Anon has bad intentions, but it did make me realize I never set boundaries for asks before. I was lucky it hadn't been a problem yet, so that post was basically a little 'i do have boundaries btw, please treat this as a fun fandom blog' message.

And I do not mind expanding on the Yorishiro Aoi ask! I share your insanity over this AU, you have no idea! I plan on either drawing more for it, writing for it, or doing a proper long post on it, when I get the time, so I will keep the info basic for now so as to not spoil too much of any possible projects for the AU:

Akane and Teru got closer during the severance, it's an awkward situation where they have a crush on each other but feel too guilty to pursue a relationship. Akane especially does not want to think about dating after Aoi's death, he will feel any hint of a spark and the wave of love will remind him of the feeling he gets when he used to see Aoi and it will just make him grieve harder/feel conflicted.

Teru feels somewhat guilty for not knowing Aoi well enough to mourn... Or at least, his own mourning feels very insignificant compared to how crushed Akane is.

Teru hears that Aoi is Akane's yorishiro but he cannot see her, for no one can reach the clockkeeper's boundary under normal circumstances and Mirai and Kako don't like visitors. He is more worried than happy for akane about it, unable to tell if it even is Aoi, whatever he is talking to.

Aoi is extremely lonely in the boundary, she tried to distract herself but there isn't much to do. Nothing is alive, is just machines which she has never been particularly been fond of: outside people, she misses her garden and even bugs and cats that hate her.

Akane is very touchy cause a part of him isn't sure she is really there after a year of processing her death, which Aoi both secretly adores (he is so warm, and he pays so much attention to her still, even more than before!) and resent him for it (his love is what trapped her in this mechanical hell in the first place.)

Akane tries to renew his contract with the clock keepers: He is in his third year of high school when the severance is over and he sees Aoi again, so he doesn't have much time until his contract is over and he loses her again

[baxterstockmanisthecenterfold]

old follower from when you were Baxterstockmanismyson, why'd you delete your old blog? What made you come back?

I pretty much explained why here

But to some it up basically, I was just sick of the harassment & constant hateful responses my friends & I Myself would receive almost daily because of the most simple opinions.

Hell I actually remember this one time I was making a rant about 2012 Stockman's character mishandling & I brought up the Rise turtles for 2 seconds & even made a stupid joke about how I'm surprised no one accused the 2012 ones of racial profiling & this one user took it so seriously they harassed me & my followers the rest of the day

I also can't help but find this bit from them ironic considering they could have did the exact same thing with my post & followers.

This isn't even a one time thing too. As I just said. The fandom would just take EVERYTHING too seriously & attack anybody that disagreed with them in any shape or form & a lot of my best friends at the time were victims of cyberbullying because of them including me. Yes I could have ignored them, & most days I did tbh, but every once in a while there was always that one miserable person that just wanted to PERSONALIZE their attacks to me just because I said I didn't like Apriltello or something & they made their insults PERSONAL, to the point where I couldn't help but NOT ignore it. I already suffer from Anxiety and Depression & EXTREMELY low self esteem to the point where I second guess my talents. From my art to my appearance to even questioning why I still exist. If I should even STILL exist.. At that point in 2021 when I deactivated Baxterstockmanismyson I had already been going through enough stressful situations in my life, worrying about a ton of real life personal stresses in my life. And the unnecessary bullying from the fandom consisting of grown ass adults mind you was the last thing I needed. I had actually received yet another hateful message in my askbox because of one of my hot takes the day before I deactivated & it honestly fucked me up majorly so it was the last straw. I deactivated & I overall QUIT & Left the fandom entirely ever since, I just didn't see the point in staying anymore when there's little to zero good memories in it.

I would be lying if I didn't say I did miss some aspects. The one thing I missed the most being Baxter himself. Any version of him. Especially considering he's actually the entire reason I even got into TMNT in the first place (but a story for another time). He's beyond my favorite character, he's my comfort one, my boy ever since I was 12. Then Mutant Mayhem was announced along with the fact that Baxter was in it (& played by FUCKING Giancarlo Esposito) my interest was peaked to say the least. Especially after I found out he looked like this

I'd even say it was honestly the only reason why I saw the movie (even if he was only in it for 4 minutes) which I admit even outside of Baxter, I did end up enjoying it. It was also nice to talk about tmnt again to my Girlfriend & a once mutual friend at the time. Just making it our own personal bubble having zero contact with the fans, especially as I saw literally NOTHING changed just by people's reactions to Mutant Mayhem April smfh. So I assumed it was the right choice.

Another year went by. Things are different once again, that mutual friend I mentioned earlier is...no longer our friend.. and it was back to radio silence in terms of anything turtle related. I had started collecting figures at this point in time & with the release of Human 1987 Baxter & Mirage on the way, I figured it wouldn't hurt to FINALLY add Baxter to my shelf like I always wanted to years ago. Even finally start making custom figures for him that don't exist & it was a fun, exhausting but also therapeutic experience in a way. Especially getting the chance to finally look back at the mad scientist all the way from day one. From schulpting, to talking about him & even looking up other perspectives on him. Even if it was mostly misconceptions like always when it comes to him. And it got to the point where I wanted to let out an outlet to just really let out Stockman talk & facts about the guy that no one knew or already did but with a story behind it. Even taking inspiration from AskSpideypool's @ sciderman & their blog being the most dedicated blog to really get & understand Wade Wilson & Peter Parker with pages worth of history to back up the knowledge. It's honestly how I feel with Baxter Stockman if I'm being legit with you. So about maybe 3 months later or so, I decided to create this new blog, a new start. A blog to just really share & show all I know about Baxter & even find other people that feel the same way. Just a little Baxter bubble that I can have & feel safe in. It's also why you noticed I haven't shared NON Baxter stuff on here yet. To put it short. I'm not really back in the TMNT fandom. Sure I'll post about Baxter Stockman. But that's the ONLY thing I'll go as far as posting. I wasn't too far off when I said I only watched MM for Stockman & the fact that the fandom hasn't changed their ways based on MM April's reception.

I want absolutely nothing to do with the fandom's drama or possible drama the second I step into current TMNT events & I share my thoughts on them even if I had thoughts anyway, I honestly don't really care anymore aside from Baxter.

To sum it up: Unless it involves Baxter, I genuinely don't give a shit. So a heads up if I'm ever asked about something non Stock related like my thoughts on this video game or this ship ect I'm gonna ignore it. I just don't have the mental strength for the drama anymore. And it's not like the fandom itself even cares about Baxter let alone care enough to get mad over a hot take about him which I've yet to see (aside from some 30/40 something year old idiots on Instagram & Twitter that genuinely believed he was always a white guy & him being black is new) so I feel safe in my Stockbubble.

Anyway, hope that clears things up. Both why I left & how this new blog works.

[just-some-guy-joust]

Just Some Guy OC Tourney - Side A: Round 1

Rules:

do NOT be mean to anyone or any characters in these polls. you MUST clarify if you are joking/teasing or you will be blocked. if you are someone who entered an oc into this and you are mean to other contestants you will be disqualified

do NOT claim a character doesn't deserve to be here. yes including your own. be nice

if you are posting propaganda you have to tag us, including if your propaganda is in the reblogs. it is difficult to tell when something is or isn't propaganda. anything not tagging us will likely be missed

please don't hesitate to let me know if i messed something up!

have fun, hype each other up <3 thank you

Adan Botello | He/him | @rainecloud020604

Adan is a highschooler who is just looking to pass class, go home and play Minecraft. He doesn't want to be unique or special any more than he is, maybe being a Minecraft YouTuber would be awesome but that's all he wants out of life. No matter what is thrown at him he tends to run away from it, like a fantasy world trying to claim he's a prince, he wants nothing to do with it. He just wants to be a normal kid, graduate high school and play Minecraft. He's also got transgender and autistic swag

Promos: https://toyhou.se/17322997.adan-botello check out the comic featuring Adan on this blog @a-tale-in-a-bottle

~

Joel Joehn | He/him | @rainecloud020604

Hes a college student, a ghost hunter where nothing ever really happens, and also hes a classic high school bully all at the same time. He likes musicals, and honestly his personality is kinda boring because all it can be boiled down to is "i'm a dick sometimes". his parents love him and support him hes got like two besties who are kinda normal too like nothing is ever going on with this guy except a false ghost report or a misread reading on something.

Promos: https://toyhou.se/23485080.joel-joehn

~

Full images and descriptions under the cut!

Despite the fact all he desires to be is just some guy the universe keeps trying to make him more than some guy. He's supposed to be a hero, a prince, but he keeps running from the idea of it so much he ends up in another world entirely and all he wants is to go home and be normal, all he wants! He's not looking to save his sister, she can save herself she's strong. He just wants to go home :( that's all he really wants in life and he's getting really tired of the universe saying otherwise

imma be real with you guys he is just some guy and he gets kinda boring to rotate because hes so insistent on being normal he doesnt embrace the horrors, he doesnt think being possibly a ghost is cool, he shoves people in lockers and then lies about being a nerd. He is kinda dead but not dead though but that doesnt effect him minus the chronic pain, and he doesnt even consider how cool that could be hes just worried how "weird" and abnormal it might make him. Like the most hes got going on is this evil polycule hes in and the fact hes technically dead.

[fareehaandspaniards]

In case anyone was wondering, why my nickname is Fareeha AND some Spaniards, answer is right under the cut! (Since Tumblr is basically a diary, and I REALLY want to describe, tell, write down, draw and even put it in my blog) Long post ahead! Many screenshots, personal stuff, memes etc.

So you decided to read... Good :'D

It started with Dark Souls 3. The first game experience was very exciting. I spent for about 3 hours creating a character, dealing with a disgustingly made character editor, and they came out.... Simply terrible. Some chubby-cheeked femboy (I have nothing against it, even like it sometimes, but he looked really terrible) with a face like he wants to betray you right now, taking away your family castle and all your feudal possessions. What a waste of time… Also it was sad that I spent 3 hours in the game without starting it. Therefore, I deleted this character and hastily, literally in 5 minutes, created new one - I barely changed one of the in-game templates - slightly lengthened the nose (because big noses are an art); decided to take a hairstyle that would be a little feminine, but at the same time more or less practical - a bun :’D ; made a slightly more stern appearance and it turned out that he was very attractive! There was a problem with the name, but then I also took the first one that came to mind - Esteban. I took the Deprived class because I couldn’t decide who I want him to be and I also wanted to try the so-called “most difficult class,” which turned out to be the most comfortable.

During the game I fell in love with him so much exactly the way he was - and he turned out to be a little frivolous, jester, Casanova, just a handsome guy in my favorite armor of the Black Knights (those devils look INCREDIBLE and make me squeal) and funny older brother of my husband's character.

Tbh now I see that I am making a kind of a doll game out of Fromsoftware games, as it was in childhood - all my characters have their own story, relationships, preferences and strong family bonds lmaooo Why not (I won’t stop)

Esteban was the first "Spaniard". Playing with him as my avatar was incredibly fun - numerous deaths were not perceived so hard, there were LOTS of funny moments, I was scolding Esteban, amusing my husband… In general - we became close, and for a long time finishing the game I could not calm down and was talking about him too much (I genuinely don’t know how my hubbo puts up with me). I was drawing, even wrote a fanfic. And since I LITERALLY CAN’T live without a romantic story, Esteban was the first simp of Prince Lothric and a little bit of Orbeck and Fire Keeper xdd

After DS3, we started Elden Ring. There I created Miguel - also a spaniard, Wretch, cheerful, but more mischievous and feminine than Esteban. I couldn't stop changing his appearance for a very long time until I found something that suits Miguel and fully reflects his character. I really liked Gideon Ofnir, well, really, really liked, but Miguel didn’t share my interest, and I couldn’t really ship them (except for a few explicit drawings :’D). Miguel stayed with Ranni, whom I love dearly, and I started the game again, with a new character. I created a girl. She turned out to be french and received the name Fiquet, and she not only gave me inspiration to finally write a fanfic about her and Gideon, but also brought me mental satisfaction because I finally took the Sorcerer class and spent the entire game killing enemies so easily (except for Mogh and Malenia) with a few hits, without tactics, thinking or other crap. Fiquet, my girl Q_Q

I miss them, enjoy the pics of them

Hello, sir :^)

After Elden Ring we started DS1, where Ramon was created in the same way, and also Jose in DS2 (I didn’t go further than Majula, I can’t help it - I don’t like this game. The desire to continue appears only because of Jose, who is my funniest character I think)

Ramon as his is. No screenshots of Jose, he jumped of a cliff and now looks kinda bad lol...

So it became a tradition to start the game with pathetic (I mean his class xd) spaniard and continue with girl (although I have only Fiquet for now. Others are not much remarkable). That’s how Guillermo was created for playing Bloodborne! I already did absolutely everything I could in BB (I even created a female character to come to Edgar so choir boy won’t be so sad :'D), but Guillermo remains with me - kind, sweet, a little nervous, like an angel from vintage postcards (I see him that way xD), caring, kind of mother figure, confident in his rightness, responsive and sensitive, but at the same time with an impenetrable moral shield (I mean, it’s impossible in any way hurt his feelings). I brought him together with Micolash (not surprising, I guess), came up with a tragic and romantic story for them and an AU with a continuation of the plot after the squid hunter ending for a happy end, endowed him with the blessing of Kos and gave him a backstory. There is something attractive about it when a man receives the blessing of a female deity who protects women - it says a lot about him as a more feminine person on the inside than he appears on the outside.

When I imagine any cool plot with Guillermo x Micolash, I feel like

Guillermo in case if you hadn't see him already:

You know, all my oc x canon look like that

(my OCs are always sort of Sportacus for their loved ones lol And also their loved ones are almost every time evil and edgy)

With all this I want to say that my spaniards and Fiquet have probably become like children to me... I love them, I continue to write about them, they are an integral part of my perception of games, and yes, this is probably really a peculiar need to play with dolls at my age xd Maybe that's why Guillermo wears Doll's gloves, Esteban enjoyed wearing Zullie the Witch's dress and gloves (with ADORABLE manicure yknow!!!) and etc lol...

Thanks for reading! I love to tell stories (As you may guessed lol), tho it take a plenty of time to translate it. Love yall

[alchemistdetective]

@divinityunleashed replied to your post “I have my own list on what to do when it comes to...”:

Preeeeeeeech!

​@hxkerwxlf replied to your post “I have my own list on what to do when it comes to...”:

ramble more nerd

((WELL, ALRIGHT, IF YOU GUYS ARE SURE, I'll try to summarize it in a few key points.))

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

Amber's Tumblr RP Activity guide

P.S: This is all based on personal experience based on the time I've been here for years. Results may differ, but this is pretty much what works best for me.

I think everyone knows the usual 'Have Fun' advice, which is pretty much the most important thing, but I have a few things to add on my own:

1) Remember that this is Tumblr, and not Wattpad.

I know, this is very obvious. You are looking at this post in Tumblr.com, after all. But... what exactly do I mean by this?

Tumblr is a social blogging website. And unlike Wattpad, we're not writing a book by ourselves. We're writing said book with others.

RPing is different from traditional writing. And the biggest difference when it comes to these two is:

2) Always, ALWAYS try to throw SOMETHING to get people to be involved easier. Make it as easy as possible!

This... is something I actually kind of want to touch on for a while, because I notice this even among people who have been RPing for years, and that's... not giving bait for people to work with

Here's an example, let's say I make a post:

Chloe is working on alchemy. Oops! She realizes she doesn't have enough ingredients in the shelf! Off she goes to the Human Village to find for ingredients!

It's okay, but... there's not much to work with.

What ingredients is she looking for? Where in the Human Village is she going?

People tend not to figure out these things for you, so they kind of just leave it be there, and people go 'Oh it's just her doing her daily things'

So... let's try to add a bit more stuff in it:

Chloe is working on alchemy. Oops! She realizes she doesn't have enough ingredients in the shelf! She realizes that the things which are missing are as follows: - One Tengu Feather - One Medical Herb from Eientei - One Divine Water from Korin's Tower The human village is a good place to start for the ingredients!

And just like that, it became much better, because it's easier for people to throw themselves with the item in need. Heck, if you want to go the extra mile, throw an ask to those people who like the post, it always worked for me lajsGHLJSHDASD

This goes the same for replies. ALWAYS throw something for the person to reply to.

Think of it like a ping-pong game where the ball keeps bouncing between you and your partner. You want to throw the ball back to them, so they can hit it and throw it back to you.

Have your character ask a question, wonder something about them, something easier for them to lead on to or reply to.

Also, it's preferable you keep things simple, especially when it comes to...:

3) Silly things! Don't be afraid of throwing whatever for dash activity!

You remember the whole universal rule of 'Have fun'? Well, there we go! Anything in your head, just throw it out.

Here, I'll give an example. I'll just post something like:

Crescent makes a fucking cake and it's just nothing but guns

And someone could easily post something like

"lol that's a stupid cake, anyways here's mine"

CONGRATULATIONS, PEOPLE ARE HAPPY, YAAY

Remember, we're all here to have fun! Just let loose, and stuff :DDD

Honestly, casual shenanigans fun is pretty much the best way of doing whatever, and that's mostly when you clear your head of all sense and reason, then post the stupidest thing you can

Don't overthink it, just do! And if nothing happens, then it's fine, you pretty much threw your shot!

Remember, the worst thing that could happen is no one replies to it. It's discouraging, yes, but it's okay, it happens! So just throw your shot, and have fun!

4) Approach people and throw your character AT them. Don't worry, we're all awkward potatoes.

This is doubly-even more so important for OCs, especially new ones. OCs are unfamiliar territory and the Pandora's Box, and most people prefer things they're familiar with, and stick with that.

Don't worry, I understand. It's really intimidating to go up to someone, wave at them, and throw yourself at them.

But seriously, we're all nerds in Tumblr. I'm equally as shy, especially around people I don't know. So... just throw yourself if you see the opportunity to! You see a meme they reblog? Why not throw something?

Really, the worst thing they can do is say 'No'. And if they do, then it's okay, there's next time, or other places who might be interested in them. Just remember, try to take the initiative and get in there.

Double points if you throw your character at something you think their character might need help with, some event they're doing, or the RPer is trying to explore more. (Example for my case, Chloe's hometown or Rirune's world, or for other RPer's cases, their OC's backstories, fears, etc.)

Remember, people are more likely to approach if there's a pre-existing relationship with one character of yours, and vise versa! So try to get in there if you see something you can throw your character at!

5) Don't force activity. The time will come!

If you're struggling on writing anything... it's fine! Just get out of Tumblr, go play a game or something. The last thing we want to do is force ourselves to push activity, even when we're not feeling like it.

If you do force it, that would make Tumblr RPing more of a chore than a hobby, and it will show. And... we don't want to treat our hobby like a side job.

Think of it like fishing. Your inspiration WILL come, just wait for it. Don't force interacting with other people if you can't think of anything, or try pushing things out if you don't have the mood to do so.

Remember, RPing is a hobby where it takes two to tango. Remember, we're here to have fun together!

6) Try to show interest, we're not mind readers

Small little thing, but if someone shows interest to you by trying to start threads with you, throw you an ask... Try to return the favor when the opportunity comes.

We've all been at the side of 'I threw things at the person but they don't seem to want to RP with me, so I'll leave them alone because they're hard to approach', and I don't think anyone wants that ljhgjlad

This isn't 'reblog karma' or anything, when it comes to memes, but rather, showing interest in someone's stuff, whether it's throwing your character back at them, liking their posts, etc. can go a long way to give your partner the OK, which means more activity for you two!

Basically: tl;dr:

1) Remember that this is Tumblr, a social blogging website! You're playing with other people, and the both of you are writing stories together, and having fun in a playground! You can write things yourself via drabbles, but ultimately, we're pretty much in this together!

2) If you do want to do something, make it easy for people to come in! Try to get people involved in the most simplest way possible in your head, and remember, throw a ball to your partner to lead on!

3) Shenanigans are usually the best way for activity because of how simple and fun it is, not to mention easy to get into! Don't be afraid of emptying your mind and throwing the most stupid thing in your head, because we're all here to have fun!

4) Approach other people! Be their cheerleader! Put them in the spotlight! We're all awkward potatoes, so why not approach them first? You can even throw memes at them which prompts a character relationship! The worst thing they could do is say no!

5) Don't force activity. Wait. If you wait, the time will come. Kind of like fishing! It'll be really obvious if you rush it. There's no hidden art about it, but just have fun!

6) We obviously respect each other, but try to show it, ESPECIALLY if it goes both ways. If it only goes one way, it'll be much harder to approach, even if you're interested in them.

Remember, it takes two people to tango! RPing is not a solo hobby, and we're all here to have fun with each other :DDD

[imstillhere-butallislost]

Testosterone gel vs shots, and why I switched

Testosterone gel is gel that is applied topically to your body, and I was on this for over a year.

In September, I switched to intramuscular injections done once weekly.

I'm going to explain my dosage and why I switched methods! This may not apply to you, this is my specific experience.

I was very happy with testosterone gel when I started. I was on 1% gel, starting at one pump and moving to 2 pumps. Each pump was 12.5 mg of testosterone I believe.

Gel was really easy to begin with. You have to keep it and the area you apply it on your body away from animals and children and others who might not want extra testosterone on them, but this was not a problem with me. The gel is daily. This helps if you need to do something daily to get it into your routine.

The gel also takes very little time to put on, it is the same consistency of hand sanitizer. It's honestly really foolproof to use, it's very easy and consistent. I noticed some changes within the first couple of weeks! (I have a timeline posted on this blog)

The gel also gives you a very consistent dose of hormones each day, which was definitely good for my mental health.

The cons of gel for me started around summer when It was warmer and putting on gel and then wearing long sleeves over it just was not fun. Going hand in hand with this i also got a boyfriend and did not want to get gel on him accidentally.

The daily nature of the gel also wasn't helpful if I was going to stay the night somewhere because I would need to bring a bottle of gel if I wanted to put it on first thing in the morning, or I could do it when I got home but risk forgetting to do it. Daily gel became a slight hassle with my new routines.

Gel was also so so so very expensive. I'm in Canada and have no insurance. The gel was around 200 dollars monthly.

My levels were also not where I wanted them to be on the gel. This may have been solved if I went on a higher dose, but the higher dose would cost more money that I do not have. This may not apply to you if you have insurance. Male testosterone levels are between 10-35 nmol/l. I was at 3 nmol/l after over a year on testosterone.

For the shots, I've been on intramuscular shots since September. I take .25ml every week. There is 50mg of testosterone in each injection.

My levels have already went up into the male range although I haven't experienced many further changes yet. I'm at 23 nmol/L.

I only have to worry about doing my shot one day a week, and I could have chosen to have those farther apart but I feel like my mental health would suffer if I did them too far apart.

I don't have to worry about gel rubbing off onto anyone or anything like that.

I pay nothing for my testosterone as my local insurance covers it.

The WORST part about doing the injections is... actually doing the injections. It hurts sometimes, and the times it doesn't I'm anxious about it hurting. It's stabbing a needle into your own body, it's difficult.

This makes the shots unpredictable. Unlike the gel, the shots can hurt sometimes and not other times. If predictability is important to you, maybe don't go for shots.

I do understand that the more you do it the better you will get at choosing the correct spot to inject, but for me it's been really hard not knowing if I'm going to be in a lot of pain or if it will not hurt at all. I'm not even a person who is afraid of needles or pain, it's just hard to do it to your self. That being said, it has never been so bad that I've missed an injection before.

That's all I got for now, ask me any questions you need too!!

[why-raven]

quiz: how your adventure ends — yiuno.

You slip away quietly to return to your wandering life.

You smile as the party you have been adventuring with shouts with joy; they hugged and laughed with you until something in the back of your head tells you it’s time to go. You have no home, but these people were the closest you ever got to one. Still, now the adventure is over there is no need for this alliance. You begin on down the road when you hear the pounding of feet behind you and you’re suddenly scooped up by your friends. They tell you wherever you may be, you always have a place with them. You say your goodbyes and then walk into the woods, where you emerged from all those months ago.

(take the quiz here)

Given Yiuno’s diabolic reputation as a ruthlessly efficient assassin in the Eorzean underworld, you wouldn’t expect him to waste his time with a bunch of novices. However, there was nothing to stop this cunningly resourceful man to use everything and anything in his arsenal—including these innocent travelers—for his own agendas.

With his youthful appearance, traveling together with a group of young and budding adventurers would seem less conspicuous, with none the wiser about Yiuno’s true identity. The scarcity of his race and his androgyny did pose some problems, especially with members who were more sexually active. Driven by his survival instinct, Yiuno managed to pacify their lust; in exchange, he had to juggle with a harem he wished he didn’t have.

His only concern, however, was the need to consciously suppress his raw power to better fit in with this group of libido-charged misfits. Feinting incompetency was easier than trying to explain the various shenanigans he was capable of that were too much for others to comprehend.

Throughout his journey with the team, Yiuno watched them grow and mature. He often kept the party at arm’s length—his pretty smile never reached the coldness in his green eyes, and he sealed away their every attempt to steal his kiss with a finger. To the members, Yiuno’s existence was like a fever dream they never want to wake, but alas… the dream must end, when that day came.

The day when Yiuno truly gave them the goodbye kiss.

Was it real? Or was it all a dream? The group could only blink at each other in confusion when they woke up the next day. Something—someone was missing, but their memories were hazy. All they could remember was a handsome young man (or was it a beautiful young lady?) whom they all loved dearly, and now he/she was gone. Forever. They scratched their heads and looked around one last time, then they packed up their belongings and continued their adventure…

All the while unaware that Yiuno was observing them from the shadows, before his impassive face cracked a smile and he faded into the darkness.

(Re-posting old quizzes to main blog for archiving purposes.)

I recalled doing this quiz while somewhat drunk one day; instead of my usual commentaries, I ended up writing a short blurb that probably didn’t make much sense. I dunno what was going through my mind at that time, but I guess this could work as a summary for a what-if story.

Should I turn it into a fic? I’m not sure, honestly—looking back at this now, it doesn’t feel like something I’d normally write, and my memory of this is hazy at best. For now, just bear with this, and I’ll leave you to fill in the blanks with your own imagination.

Tagging @miqojak, @starrysnowdrop, @starforger, @archaiclumina, @thorneyes for being supportive mutuals. And of course, you—yes, you—for being awesome enough to read till the end! Go on and have fun to find out the ending to your blorbos’ epic journey!

[tstwitterupdates]

I feel like (imo from being a creative and having life get in the way) Thomas plotted out s2 and how it was supposed to go a long time ago and then his whole fricken world changed. Cause like, first it was the production company, then Joan and Talyn, then several health scares, then a relationship and a breakup, and, obviously, and entire pandemic and a hurricane ruining part of his studio. And that's just the stuff externally. So I get why it's taking so long, cause he wants to make it perfect, and he can't change his plans for s2 at this point, because it will ruin basically everything. Plus, with Into the Unknown and the among us videos, right, it's clear he's trying his best to put content out there. So I can understand where he is.

I think I'm just frustrated because I miss when we had stuff like Thomas and Friends content, like Real or Fake Anime or Joystick Joyride and stuff. I feel like the Sides/Cartoon Therapy wait would be less painful if we were getting a bit more content on that end, you know? Cause while it's been a long time, I still feel like it would've mitigated the pain seeing him a little more frequently. Plus, I think Roleslaying would feel less odd if there was other content going out around as often as the once-a-week uploads for a month or so, rather than it being basically all the content we see from him, now.

I know Thomas is also getting to a better place with bulk recording an the like, and I'm genuinely still excited to see what's coming up. It just sometimes feels like Thomas is hyperfocusing on the big projects, and not letting himself enjoy the stuff that makes the bigger projects feel more substantial, if that makes sense.

i kinda agree im not sure i haven’t made up my mind on this. i liked the videos with his friends before but they’ve also gotten so extra that i no longer watch them either, im now one of those fans just waiting for sanders sides. but i do wish he would make simpler fun things either small sanders sides episodes or small vlogs. i miss his vlogs. but mostly because of nostalgia, those things made me company through the worst years of high school lol. anyway getting off topic.

i do think thomas is trying his best, i do not doubt that in the slightest. but even when you try your best if you don’t have a good strategy the results might not be the best. but i dont know what their strategy is so i can’t judge i guess.

more asks and replies under the cut

yeah like. they pushed the limits of what they could do with what they had back since accepting anxiety. and then they got better equipment and staff and stuff and instead of saying “now we can do the same things in less time and with less effort” they went “now we can do even bigger things that push our limits just as much!”

which is their decision to make not mine but i assume that’s where some of that stress might be coming from.

yes i agree with all of this. there’s some blogs that have posted criticism or defenses against criticism that i just find incredibly mean spirited or that make good points but phrase it in aggressive ways i don’t like.

i think whichever opinion you have it’s best to be open minded. acknowledge our own feelings and talk about them without attacking anyone. it’s okay to feel frustrated and angry and then we’re responsible about what we do with those emotions. and i think it’s cool to talk about them with other fanders that have felt the same. just stay open minded about what others have to say and then make up your mind about how much you agree or disagree.

and keep in mind that we know nothing about how thomas and co work. on both sides. like you cant claim their workflow is perfect nor claim it’s horrible because we just don’t know. but we can say we’re feeling disappointed or bored or annoyed or whatever because those are our own feelings.

yeah again this is my blog and i post what i want. and im doing my job by tagging and warning them.

and also thomas is a grown man in his thirties who has been a social media personality for, what? maybe almost a decade? im sure he knows how to be responsible about it and not go digging to read criticism of his work to get hurt by it. or at least i hope so. if he doesn’t then that’s out of my hands as well. and the hundreds of people supporting him on the replies of all his tweets more than make up for a handful of blogs that make angry posts every once in a while.

yes that’s understandable. but i still don’t know. if thomas has these personal problems that are so serious that they cause his content to come sooo slowly and still cause him to have this much stress then he should probably just take a huge actual break. and let us know about it. without necessarily telling us the reason of course.

if after Putting Others First or the last Asides he had said “hey im going on a hiatus for big projects like sanders sides and cartoon therapy while i figure stuff out, but i’ll film x kind of content because it requires less effort and i enjoy it” or even that the entire channel is going on hiatus, and then he came back like a year later and said “okay we’re back first thing we’re doing is writing the finale script!” or whatever then that would have been less frustrating than this. even if it had taken the same 3 years. because at least afterwards you know that he’s better and the wait would be worth it. at least that’s my opinion.

[tbb-appreciation-week]

(Updated May 2024)

Now that the prompts have been revealed, I thought of answering some questions some of you might find helpful about the event.

Please make sure to read the Event Info carefully first, as most of your questions will be answered there already. For everything else, check out the F.A.Q under the cut.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is [fill the blank] allowed?

When in doubt:

And how about…?

Yes, that, too. Give total freedom to your creativity, and don't worry about whether it's allowed or not. Most things are okay, barring anything inciting or glorifying harassment, hatred, or discrimination of any kind.

Do I have to post for all 7 days? 

Participate as little or much as you like! Just be sure to tag your posts properly (e.g., #tbbaw2024 #dayX #warnings #theme (and/or prompts) #medium #more tags). There are no repercussions if you don’t fill prompts for each day.

Can I post early/late?

You could, but I wouldn’t recommend posting early. Since this is an Appreciation Week event, it'd be more fun with everyone doing it at the same time. That being said, I’ll start reblogging works on September 2nd (thinking on the folks living on the other side of the world from me. You know, time zones and all that), but nothing earlier than that.

As for posting late, yes, that's totally fine; I understand that real life gets in the way sometimes. The only thing I ask is that you tag the for the day you should've posted on, not the day you're actually doing it. Example, if you missed Day 2 and are posting it on the Day 4, your tags must include #Day 2, NOT Day 4.

So, when should I start posting?

According to your time zone, during the day at the most convenient time for you, starting on September 3rd until the 9th. If you're super eager and can't wait, post when the clock hits midnight every day. Or if you're late, 11:59pm still counts as on time! 🤣

Will you reblog my post?

Yes, I'll reblog everyone's posts during the week. If it passes more than 2-3 days and I haven't reblogged your post, please let me know. If you tag your post properly and mention this blog, it’s less likely that I'll miss it.

However, I'm thinking that I might queue posts if they're too many at a time to drop them in bulk. If I do that, look for a like from @intrepidmare (my main blog), if you have it, that means I saw it and put it on the queue and eventually will be reblogged.

What if I don’t understand how the themes and prompts work?

Send me an ask! I'm happy to clarify it for you. To put it in simple words, you have a theme that it's in and on itself a prompt, which you can (but not necessarily) combine with any of the prompts for that day. However, you can also ignore the theme and go for a specific prompt only. It's up to you. And remember, the prompts are entirely up for interpretation. Don’t take them too literally. Prompts are suggestions, not mandates. You can go by ✨ vibes ✨ alone.

What kind of content can I make? Can it be NSFW?

Yes, that’s why NSFW prompts are included among the others for each day. And if you use the other safer prompts and turn it into something NSFW, that's okay too. In any case, you should tag your work accordingly, so that others participating in the event can curate their experience and be safe. HERE is a non-comprehensive list of tags you should use if they apply to your work.

Can I combine TBBAW prompts with other creation challenges?

Absolutely! If you have a bingo card to fill or another event to complete, go for it. That’s like shooting two mynocks with one bolt, using one of Crosshair's reflective disks! 

Can I upload/repost my TBBAW content to other social media platforms?

Of course! You can post your own content wherever you like. Additionally, I’ve created an AO3 Collection to archive any work posted there. It can be accessed here. (It's closed right now, but I'll open it in due time)

If any of the prompts fits well for an existing fic/art I am currently working on, can I use it?

If you are actively working on this fic/art at the moment with the Appreciation Week prompts in mind, yes. In the case of using a work retroactively (meaning: already published and complete), then please, don’t. You can, however, add new chapters/pages/panels using one or more of the prompts.

If I’m not comfortable with this or that day’s prompts, can I use a prompt from a different day as a substitute and still count?

No, you can’t exchange prompts from different days (as in exchanging Day 3 prompts for Day 5 prompts). You can simply skip it, or come up with yours. Like I said, the prompts are only a suggestion.

Where can I post my work?

Post where and how you want. You don’t have to cross-post it to Tumblr. Just keep in mind, if it’s not on Tumblr, I won't be able to add it to the blog archive. You can post a just link to anywhere else you've posted if you don't want to put the entire work in your blog. 

Do I have to finish a fic I started? Can I post a work in progress?

Yes, you can post WIPs. And you’re not obligated to finish it. It'd make me happy that this event prompt you to create something longer. Let's appreciate the Bad Batch all year around!

Is co-creating allowed?

Yes, absolutely! Encouraged, even. Not just the usual writer-artist or co-writing collaborations, also any kind of medium combos: fic-podfic, fic-playlist, art-art, etc.

Do I have to create 7 standalone pieces, or can I make one continuous story?

Do whatever you want. One continuous story is fine. The challenge is to create something for 7 prompts. If that’s spread over 7 fics/art pieces/etc. or just one with 7 chapters/panels/parts, it's up to you.

Is there a min/max limit on word count?

None. If you want to write a 100-word drabble or a 50k fic or anything in between for each day, it's all up to you. You're the only one who knows how much time you can dedicate to it and how high/low your level of inspiration/energy is. You can even write a snippet for a fic you'll write later when you have the time/energy. Remember that this is lay-back-type of an event. Do as little or much as you want/can.

Can I combine prompts? Is there a limit on how many?

No limit, and you can combine as many prompts for a specific day as you like. If you want to use them all, do it.

If you want to use all the prompts individually, there's also the option to create several pieces for a single day. It depends on you, your time, and your motivation. This counts too if you do works in different mediums, e.g., write a fic and do art for it (or for a different prompt).

Can I start working on the prompts before September 3rd?

Of course! That’s the idea of posting the prompts so early. I know how difficult it can be to create something in “real time”, without mentioning real life complications, so feel free to start creating as soon as now!! You'll have 2 whole months to work on your pieces.

How do I tag triggers?

Just tag the word/phrase, e.g., blood; main character death. (DO NOT add "tw" either at the beginning or the end. That makes it harder for readers to block the right tags). Here it's the list of the most common warning tags you should use when appropriate.

Also, it would be prudent to add warnings in the body of the post, giving the readers another layer of protection before they do the actual reading.

Do I have to use your tags guidelines?

I'd appreciate it if you did. If you follow the guide I gave you in the tags post here, it'd make it easier for me to keep track of who posted on a determined day, and for anyone else to find and/or avoid the content of a specific tag.

Can we @ you?

Yes, please DO! I think it's the safest way for me not to miss your posts. I'll also be following the #tbbaw2024 tag, just for good measure.

Is there anything we are absolutely not allowed to write?

As I said before, anything goes, EXCEPT anything inciting or glorifying harassment, hatred, and discrimination of any kind against anything or anyone. THAT WON'T BE TOLERATED. For anything else, please make sure to properly tag your trigger warnings. And keep in mind Tumblr’s policies if you are posting it here (or the policies for whatever other site you use).

Can I cross post on other blogs?

Yes, sure. That's fine. You can also post different works to different accounts under different names, without posting them everywhere at once.

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If you got another question that you didn't find the answer to here, please, send an ask through the inbox, and I'll do my best to clarify your doubts.

Thanks for reading, and happy creating!

[isabellehemlock]

🔥 ask game: 4, 8, 16

Hi Sindi! Thanks for sending me an ask 😎

Since you're all things TOG I hope it's alright to assume these questions for that fandom, so that's through the lens I'll be answering with 🤗

4. What was the last straw that made you finally block that annoying person?

I have "I block liberally" in my bio for a reason lol.

I mean, I strive not to label anyone by adjectives as if that's all they are - and lol, plenty of people find me annoying, too! - but looking at my blocked list, the majority overall theme (keeping in mind there's individual circumstances too, so not a general commentary on every single person blocked) but yeah, the majority? People who stalk and harass people across platforms - over nothing more than what they ship, kinks, etc.

Like I'm not talking about someone who sends their friend a post and wants to discuss to process or something - but like coordinated campaigns, spite events, efforts of several people across platforms, not only against one person but anyone associates with them, and/or telling people what public spaces they're allowed to be in, what ship positions they should or should not write, events they engage in, who to talk to, etc etc.

It's one thing to write on your own personal blog what you're into, and would love to see more of (I do that, too!) - but once it slides into one on one hounding, name calling, harassment, yeah, bye.

8. Common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

Okrrr I'm hesitant to call it "wrong" because well, in life there's always exceptions, so maybe uh, let's reframe as ill-informed? And really, this isn't fandom's fault when the one effin piece of marketing Netflix did was string together a few random bullet points of "facts" for our Immortal Family and then a chunk of people have been dissecting the conflicting comic, movie, and now blink-and-you'll-miss-it marketing of said movie ever since (including, but certainly not limited to: where is Joe from, and why was he in Jerusalem?)

But as someone who's background and studies involve Church history, I'll admit I've been a bit 🫠 at some of the things stated as "facts" in regard to Nicky’s background. I'm not suggesting that someone should have to study up on any given subject in order to write fic (like, it's free fic, not a thesis), but I'm surprised how prevalent it is?

Just this narrative that Nicky *had* to be of noble birth, *and* automatically be more learned than Joe, *and* was a virgin *and* essentially wore his cassock right under the armor onto the battlefield (I'm having a little fun with that last one to lighten the mood lol).

Since I know I like to be informed when someone presents historical facts - I'll link a few articles and links below:

@qqueenofhades wrote an excellent post about the why a priest would not be wielding a weapon - and here's a book about how the Church forbade it, though (ironically, out of the Crusades) thoughts shifted about the Church being actively involved in the sense of authorizing and even directing military campaigns - but again, the average priest maybe had a weapon in the 1200s, and solely for the sake of self protection while traveling. But no, your average parish priest wasn't swinging a long sword onto the battlefield in his cassock.

Here's some information about how non nobles could become priests, or heck, even illegitimate children of priests could become priests.

And yes, 100% there was a social hierarchy within the Church and often to climb it you were likely educated and noble etc etc etc - and yet our Church history does include having illiterate popes, too (and really, just because someone is illiterate doesn't mean they are unlearned or stupid or incapable of learning it at any time. It doesn't have to be an either/or).

And though of course celibacy was encouraged from the beginning, the Church did not make an official decree about it until the 1100s. Priests had families and children - though not often - and yes, there were definitely clergy and religious who were not interested in making, much less, upholding vows of chastity around Nicky’s mortal timeline.

All that to say, that though it's not impossible that a random priest (perhaps a military chaplain ministering to soldiers?) found himself needing to grab a sword on the battlefield in the chaos around him (because perhaps he had a few years of training with a sword as a kid before being sent to a monastary?) - I don't think it was the given I've seen some people declare it as?

But here's the sad truth: Nicky is just a fictional character with conflicting canon sources. So, there will always be discourse. Sigh.

However, for anyone reading along and looking for more resources for their Crusades fic, I've written one up here, and linked not only other sources, but from @actualmermaid resource post as well as the old guard hub resource doc.

16. You can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

Hmmmm I'm not sure if I'm like deeply offended by any particular tropes/canon as much as I filter out certain tags due to personal reasons, etc - I mean even the whole Nicky priest discourse is (for some) potentially rooted in priest kink love lol, so I mean, to each his own?

I definitely filter out the noncon that has happened between Joe and Nicky, but again, that has more to do with personal reasons vs say, a judgment on content (though please pleaseeeee tag it properly).

If you've made it down to here, bless ~ I know this was potentially a heavier reply than what the game was looking for 👀

[keeperoftinyarmy]

Could it be easier for people to start talking about their dislike towards Tae since he hasn't been connecting as much to army and at least on screen to the other members (apart from the runbts episodes we got). We know there's a lot we don't see, even Hobi told us that Tae was very supportive of his solo stuff when it was happening, but we just didn't see it. And now what we see is Tae hanging out with his other friends and doing non-bts related content. He is free to do what he wants as are the other members, but it has felt like he's been making a boundary so to speak, either consciously or by accident. I personally miss seeing more of Tae in bts related things or with the other members so the live was a fun surprise. But I don't blame him from pulling back, if that's what he's done, there's a part of the fandom that hasn't really treated him well, especially last year. I don't always understand him and I don't have to, I'm just a fan, but I can't really think he would have any malicious intents behind his actions. Maybe he's a little bit of a tease sometimes, but they all are.

(by the way I've loved seeing you more on my dash lately, your blog was one of the first ones I followed when I came into the fandom and I've been missing the old times, it's nice to see you're still here)

I actually rarely see hate toward V. The spaces I frequent in fandom are very much filled with love for him. He’s the bias of so many people. I’ve really only seen any “mass” (I put it in quotes because I actually don’t feel it’s widespread at all) negativity toward Tae in jikook spaces..especially of late.

To me…we haven’t seen V less than the other members. (To me the least visible was Jimin - until Face began and of course Jin) V has been posting his photo shoot pictures, random shots and stories, and he’s commented on weverse. He also has his on solo projects - like all the rest - so yes he’s promoting them. Mentioning the Wooga Squad and showing pics with them etc is expected since he’s had Friendcation and Jinnys Kitchen.

Also he’s on a group break, his time is more his own, so he gets to spend time with friends in ways he probably couldn’t for years. I’ve always loved that he had the Wooga squad. It’s healthy and normal to have friendships outside of work. And no matter how much BTS love each other, it is still work for them. So as they’ve mentioned it has been good for them being more apart and it actually has made them closer. 💜

I think the main issue here is lack of consistent BTS content…OT7 content. We don’t have that to pull our focus together so some people are bored and stirring things up. (Not to say that people don’t legitimately dislike Taehyung - his personality is not for everyone) Jikookers especially have no reason (imo) to be saying stuff about Tae. Even if he didn’t say much publicly during Face promotions, JK more than made up for it.

I feel like we took JK’s efforts too lightly. IMO this might have been the biggest public statement he’s ever made. This is a man that consistently pulls in huge numbers of viewers on his lives and he used that to first remind people that SMFpt2 was coming and basically led them to it right at teaser release. Then he spent an entire live watching Jimin content. This is using his platform in a huge way. We should be on our couches still squealing about that and not getting into it with other shippers who are disappointed in their own content and taking out their misery on certain members. I personally have ignored all that (for years) because to me nothing compares to what we get from jikook and I have nothing to debate about with other pairings.

Thank you for following me and noticing I’m back. So kind of you to mention that ☺️