#it's gotta be incredibly disheartening

[menlove]

i think part of the issue in this whole "was season 2 good or bad writing" debacle is that we didn't expect there to be a season 2. no one did. season 1 was It. you had season 1, the book, and the radio drama (and well. the movie script/play audio if you knew where to ah. look)

so.... it allowed for everyone to make their own version of events that would happen afterwards and not leave any room for "well maybe this will get changed later so i shouldn't hold onto it". everyone got to become soooooo entrenched in whatever Their version of the characters were and how they thought things might happen and how they would behave and act

so when s2 happened and it Didn't end up w them living in the south downs and behaving exactly as everyone had inferred they would from their version of s1 and introduced a New storyline for the first time in 30 years......... ofc some people did not like that at all and saw it as bad writing. esp if you were a book fan before the show because these are characters with a very specific limited storyline they were attached to for years, sometimes decades

like i get being disappointed. it's just v unfortunate bc none of us had really allowed room in our imaginations for a season 2 so we got to build everything off a story that had already been written for 30 years, not having to care about the continuation of that story from the author bc we didn't think we'd ever get it

[vulturevanity]

.

[phoenixyfriend]

Hey does anyone want a Thought about reblogs, and the whole "Tumblr is turning into Instagram" thing?

Because there are two kinds of posts I see a lot:

Why the hell is nobody reblogging art and writing and gifs. It's incredibly disheartening to creators to only get likes and not have their creations be spread.

Nobody wants to be popular on tumblr, because going viral on tumblr wins you nothing of value, just angry anons in your inbox.

Which, for those of us that have been on the site for years, is not a particular conundrum, because there's an obvious difference between "shitposts that went viral because of bad luck" and "content intended for a wide audience."

But for new users, the kind coming here from tiktok and twitter and so on, is probably really confusing. Some of them may see things they want to reblog and then not do so because they've got one of those "nobody wants to be popular on tumblr" posts on the brain, and they think that not reblogging is actually helping avoid a really annoying problem.

(I mean, it's definitely the minority, but still. It's gotta be confusing.)

In honor of the topic: feel free to reblog. Just don't be weird about it.

[kelcemenow]

Drive Me Crazy - Chapter 8.

Pairing Travis Kelce x Reader

Words 1391

Warnings Some angsty vibes here, but it's going to get better, I swear!

Huge thank you to the Anon who sent this in! They had such amazing words to say about my writing which I massively appreciate and then to top it off, had an incredible request for me! I only have experience with mechanics in the UK, so I’ve tried my best with this one! “I just recently got interested in Travis K. X reader stories and wanted to let you know, I read all of yours as quickly as I could. They are so well done and I couldn’t help but laugh/giggle and feel through each word you typed out. You’re doing amazing and I’m so glad to have stumbled onto your page. If you have any space for a request, I’d be curious about what Trav would think about having a military (like fighter pilot) or engineer or mechanic girlfriend. I see a lot of stories with him paired with models/singers/social media individuals (which are phenomenal!) but just wondering how he would be with a more tomboy like girlfriend!”

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

"Are you sure you're okay?"

You sighed, rolling your eyes, "Travis, I'm fine. I'm just tired."

He stared at you as thoroughly as he could through his phone screen. Faint wrinkles between his eyes deepened as his eyes narrowed. He hummed quietly before laying further back on his bed, his elbows elevating his torso, "Your Dad seemed pretty happy tonight."

You forced a smile, your chest still panging with hurt, "Yeah, thank you for doing all of this, he had a blast."

"And you?"

You paused, a little longer than you should've, "Yeah, it was great."

Luckily, Travis had rolled across the bed to grab the charger for his phone and didn't pick up on your disheartened expression, "I'm still pissed you wouldn't let the team doctor check you over."

"Travis, I really appreciate that you're concerned for me, I am. But honestly, it wasn't necessary."

He sucked his teeth and shook his head, "It's crazy though, there's gotta be a reason you passed out."

You avoided his gaze, adjusting the folds of your bedsheet.

"Anyway baby, I'm tired. I think I'm going to hit the hay, okay?"

Nodding your head gently, you could feel your body yearning to yawn, "Yeah, me too."

"But I'll call you in the morning?"

"Sure."

You watched as his eyes creased into a sweet smile, "G'night, babygirl."

Your stomach fluttered as his left eye quickly closed into a charming wink. It seemed travis had a talent for making you melt, no matter the situation.

"Goodnight, Travis."

The phone display returned to your home screen, a black and white photo of you and your Dad when you were younger. You must have been around 9 or 10 years old and were wearing one of his work t-shirts, splotches of grease and oil covering most of the fabric. He was leaning over the hood of his car and you were stood on a stool in front of him, holding a large tool in your tiny hand. You recognised his battered baseball cap adorning his head as one of your own now, something he gave you when you took on part of his business. 'A good luck charm', he said. Your chest swelled with love before melancholy set in. The opinions of other people had never bothered you in the past, especially the opinions of complete strangers. You had always been confident in yourself and you valued hard work and kindness over appearances. But now here you were, overthinking and distracted by the online comments of people you didn't know.

You laid back on your bed and stared up at the ceiling, shadows forming swirled patterns across the white paint. Taking a few deep breaths, you glanced across to the digital clock on your nightstand before feeling your eyelids droop lower and lower with each breath.

______________________________________________________________

Music blasted from the small radio you had perched on top of the exposed engine. Your head was buried under the hood, fingers tinkering at greased bolts and pipes as the sounds of the garage were overpowered by Whitney Houston.

"Y/N!" A deep voice yelled out from behind you.

Your body jerked as the noise disturbed your focus. Glancing over your shoulder, you noticed Jordan standing 20 yards or so away from you, his eyes avoiding yours.

"Yes?" You said impatiently, without changing your stance, a clear sign that you weren't interested in a lengthy conversation with him.

"I don't know if you're busy or..."

"Yeah, I am."

"Right." Jordan turned away for a second before spinning around and taking a few steps closer to you, "You know, it's just that it's obvious that other people think the same as I do."

You stood up straight, your shoulders tightening, "Excuse me?"

"I just don't think that you and Travis are a good match for each other." His feet were planted on the floor but his knees were twitching, his hands nervously fidgeting in his washed out denim jeans, "And I know I shouldn't have behaved the way I did the other night, but I was just in shock to see him there, you know? He's a pretty big deal, and you...you're just a-"

"Is this supposed to be an apology?"

Jordan sighed, his hands moving up to his temples, "I just think you would be better suited with someone else."

You laid down the spanner that you had been firmly gripping, the clang ringing out through the garage and capturing everyone's attention, "Someone else? Someone else like you, you mean?"

"Y/N, that's not what I'm saying-"

"What are you saying, then?

Jordan's gaze drifted to the floor, "I...I don't really know."

You took a step towards him, "Exactly. You don't know what you're saying. So, let me give you a clue. Who I date is none of your business, Jordan. It is actually none of yours, or anyone else's business."

You could see heads turning in your peripheral, but all that you could feel was the heat quickly rising in your chest and adrenaline speeding through your veins. Jordan stood with his mouth open, as if he was about to speak but even if he wanted to, you were reluctant to give him the chance.

"So, just...stay out of it, okay?" You waved your hand before rushing over to the bathroom, the wooden door slamming shut behind you.

Your shaking hands reached for the white basin, fingers gripping the smooth, cool, porcelain as you looked up into the mirror. You gritted your teeth as you attempted to hold your composure for a few seconds before you crumbled, tears travelling down your cheeks quickly. The clangs of the garage were muffled in the distance behind your occasional sobs, but you ran the tap just in case anyone could hear you.

Your reflection stared back at you, the skin under your eyes shiny from tears. As your breathing slowed and you took back control of your emotions, you grabbed your hair behind your head and tied it back with a small scrunchie that was snug on your wrist. Wiping your face, you inhaled deeply before a gentle knock on the bathroom door made you jump slightly.

"Uhh, there's someone in here." Your emotionally charged voice gurgled.

"It's Dad."

You looked around the small restroom, for nothing in particular, before flushing the toilet, "I'll just...I'll just be a minute." You called out, grabbing a hand towel and desperately dabbing your face.

There was a short moment of silence on the other side of the door as your Dad waited for the sound of rushing water to cease.

"He's gotten under your skin, hasn't he?"

"Jordan? I couldn't care less about what Jordan thinks." You tucked a piece of hair behind your ear and brushed down your overalls, "I don't-"

"I meant Travis."

You turned towards the door, your eyebrows furrowed.

"Forgive me for saying this, and I know I don't really know much about your dating life-" He let out a chuckle, "-but I've seen a change in you. A good change."

You reached for the door handle, "Really?"

"You seem happier." You could hear a smile in your Dad's voice, "Today aside, of course."

As you gently turned the handle and opened the door, his face came into view, his cheek pressed to the door frame, desperate to comfort you. You exhaled a smile as his eyes scanned your face, "I am happy."

"So, what's this?" He gestured to your eyes.

You shook your head, "It's stupid, really. I saw some comments on a picture of me and Travis online and then Jordan just-"

"And since when did you care what people thought?"

You blinked, "I don't."

Your Dad pushed the door open further and placed his hands on both of your shoulders, "So, what's the problem?"

You giggled, "I don't know."

"I think I know." He winked with a grin.

You lowered your brows again, your lips tightening into a coy smile.

"You like the guy!" He shook you gently, "And I don't blame you. But I have to be honest here, he's the lucky one to have you, sport."

You looked down at your feet, your cheeks flushing with red.

"So, fuck what everybody else thinks!"

"Daddy!" Your head snapped up, your eyes wide at your Dad's uncharacteristic cursing, which was something exclusively reserved for watching football games.

"Go get him."

______________________________________________________________

I think I've got my groove back!

This series will be finishing soonish and then I'll get onto the one-shot requests list that I have sitting in my notes app...which is quite a few!

Anyway, I hope you like this next chapter, it's not too dramatic but it's setting up the finale! If you want to be added to my Taglist, just let me know!

Taglist  @rd14 @dandelionwrites8 @keiva1000 @fantasywritersstuff @caelipartem @anacarangel @she-lives-in-her-dreams @kkrenae @kristencochefski1125 

@countrygirl120983 @charmed2000 @nouis-bum @cixrosie @delicateearthquakellama @wordsaresimple-imnot @amylouwho9 @queenisa17 @talicat713 

@luvvtrent @purecinnamonextract @savaneafricaine @caelipartem @beyxgrande @caitdaniels @ezgirl1108 @vir-tual @lightsoutstyles @macey234 

@s294749w @kelcemesoftly @calirindo @livinginmyfantasies @bernelflo @secretmywritingfictionlawyer @killatravtramp @there-goes-thefighter @unicornblueberry 

@calirindo @tjkelce87 @kristinamae093 @kmc1989 @ajbird18 @triski73 @ctn26 @kgcaputo07 @abby-splace @bobthe-turmpetman29 

@cedricbitch @abby-splace @jmamas92 @bellstwd @killatravsworld @marchmaiden @chimchimmarie @blackstabbath6 @fanficfanatic15 @jessiemariebarnes 

@mmb219 @vanwritesfan-fiction @futebollover @ks-dreams-fantasies @laurenmcucm @blackstabbath6 @nickie-amore @fictionqueen87 @munsonburner666 @hornyavengers

@spookystitchery @powellssaturn @skywalker0809 @shortttcakkee @my-secret-hideaway @shelbygeek

[skeletonapricationday]

Even more spicy David Headcannons

Here's the first one

I forgot how fun headcannons were, especially smutty ones. My David kink is never ending. I know I legit posted minutes ago but IDGAF!

He's so twitchy, he can't help it. His thighs jump and jolt, his fingers clench and twitch, his head can't decide which direction its going with every wave of pleasure. His twitchy self is all over the place. Sometimes you just gotta hold the man down. (He loves being pinned anyway.)

He is so touchy. The only time he pulls your hair is on accident, when his needy hands find there way on your head during a blowjob. Sometimes he'll tug you when he doesn't feel you're close enough when he's doing you from behind. He'll grip his hands onto your back while you ride him, making it impossible to pull away from him. This twink has needy strength!

Speaking of blowjobs, he doesn't exactly know his stance on them. They feel incredible, and he enjoys the closeness. Yet, at the same time he hates making you swallow. You're very adamant about it, especially since he's such a healthy eater, you enjoy it. At the same time he would be disheartened if you spit, so there's no winning. He'll always accept one, but it isn't the first thing that comes to mind when he thinks about getting freaky with you.

Now, on the other hand he loves 69ing. It's the best of both worlds to him. It's harder to think about the guilt of you swallowing his unborn children when his tongue is busy. Plus if he cums prematurely he still has his mouth to work you. He loves the way your wetness drips down onto his face and the way you taste, that added onto the pleasure of your mouth wrapped around his cock- there's nothing better. Well, expect actual sex of course.

His tongue is always busy, and I mean busy. He has an obsession with giving rather than receiving. Something about the way you coo and praise him, the way you moan. He loves when your toes curl, when your thighs turn into earmuffs, and being practically waterboarded by your wetness. If he hasn't made you cum once from shoving his tongue inside you during a sexual rendezvou, he has failed. And Davy ain't no quitter. It goes on and on if you don't stop him, so watch out.

David doesn't enjoy being tied up. He hates not being able to run his hands all over you. Wether its having a death grip on your ass, thighs, or even your waist he wants it. He worships you from top to bottom, and that's hard to do with his hands tied. Now, he has found out on the other hand he enjoys tying you up. He still isn't the most dominant when he does, but he does get revenge for all those "one more" s you've given him.

David gains more confidence in the bedroom over time, which is natural for most relationships but when you say confidence you mean it. The more sure he is that he can make you orgasm, the more excited he is for the session. When you taught him how to properly finger you (hes not a virgin, just none of his exes talked him through it), he kept asking you to be his test dummy for weeks. Hes quite the quick learner. Once he learned the basics he became utterly focused on mastering them, and he has. Which has lead to his sexual confidence, at least towards you.

David comes with a nasty habit. He anxiously bites his bottom lip, always leaving it sore and red. This upsets you since he's got such a pretty mouth. He does this in and out of the bedroom. You basically have to shove your fingers in his mouth to make him stop, which has awakened a whole new kink within him. He's started doing it on purpose just so he can feel your dominant hand stop him and fingers press on the bottom of his tongue. Something about the weight and intimacy of it turns him on.

This boy just can't stop saying please. He's so polite even when he's asking to cum. It's such a cute habit of his. "Please let me cum." "Please, you're so tight. I can't do it." "Baby, please." He finds a new use for the word every time you fuck.

He sure knows how to beg. Davy has started looking for the keywords you like the most in bed. Learning what to plead for and what to subtlety demand. You haven't even noticed it over time but his every word is catered to your needs and lust. Oh mommy can't he cum early just this once?

Oh yes he says mommy, look at that cute little face. He just wants to babied every once in a while. Let him lay back with a goofy grin on his face covered in wetness as he patiently waits for more from his mommy. David doesn't say it often cause it makes him feel emrbassed, but when he gets really into it, it just slips out. You first learned about his mommy kink on accident. He was pumping deep inside of you squeezing his eyes shut with an agape mouth on the brink of an orgasm when it slipped. When he said his first mommy you couldn't help but make him cum again and again, hearing it was so cute!

David has no problem exploring any interesting kinks or fetishes you have. He makes you deal with his (you do more than just deal, you enjoy), so of course he'd willingly try yours. Wether its a night when he ends up blindfolded and covered in wax, or a more subtle fetish like spitting into his mouth, he'll try it. Getting you off gets him off. He's a pleasure bottom all the way.

David isn't exactly packing. He isn't huge but he isn't small either. He's working with a perfect 6 inches, average across the board. It's not so big that it'll hurt or take too much preparation, but it's not so small that you don't feel a thing. Like a dirtier version of goldilocks you think his dick is just right.

The base starts out the color of his skin and slowly fades into a dusty pink. It's like the perfect shade to you. He's your multicolored fun stick. He isn't very veiny, he doesn't work out much afterall. His job is athletic enough (herding kids is cardio, for sure). And yes, the carpet does match the drapes.

[queerlilchinchin]

Chinchin's WiYS Stream Official Post

This is the official post announcing my Write in Your Style writing stream.

--

Hello, everyone! Welcome and thank you for your interest in my Write in Your style writing stream.

Stream Description:

To start off, let me describe to you what I envision this stream to look like. Twice a month (every 1st and 3rd Tuesday), I will be getting on my writing streams. Probably somewhere around noon Pacific Standard Time. I will be starting the streams with that stream's strip of writing, then I will read the last stream's submissions.

Of course, I've got to start somewhere, so the first stream will be announcing the start of the streams as well as giving the first prompt. I will be doing livestreaming on twitch, which will then be downloaded and posted on youtube and tik tok. You are welcome to join me on my livestreams. I will open the stream up to questions at the end. It can be questions about the prompt or the concept or whatever else pertaining to the streams.

How to submit writing:

I will likely be making a new blog for it, though I already have a lot of blogs. This blog will be mostly for asking questions about the streams and gaining more interest in them. You may also submit here if you don't wish to e-mail yours to me, which will be the other way. Any submissions left via comments will not be used simply because I don't want to make it easier for others to steal your writing or risk anything like that.

Stream Start Date:

The streams will officially start beginning of December, so the 5th will be the first stream (unless something happens to prevent it starting on time).

Days of the week that the streams occur may change due to my life circumstances being kind of up in the air right now. I'm looking for new work, so my days off may change.

How writing works:

I've had some questions about how exactly the writing part will work and how long you all will have to write. As the streams are bi-weekly, you will have nearly 2 weeks to submit your writing. They will be short pieces of writing, so it shouldn't take terribly long to finish them.

For now, it will only be my original writing that will be used, but as time goes on, I may open up the streams to other writers who wish to also submit their own writing for the original writing for others to rewrite in their own styles.

You may write them however you wish to. It just has to be the same story as the original put in your own way (don't turn a romance about a valkyrie and a demigoddess into a horror about the two characters). You're just recreating the writing, just like draw in your style.

Who can write:

Absolutely anyone is more than welcome to write. I will be reading your submissions for now, but as I figure out the features of streaming, I may open up the floor to writers reading their own writing if they wish. I will also be giving credit in any form you wish (if you just want your name or your tumblr blog or your Wattpad/AO3 accounts linked).

Stream Account Links:

Gotta link you guys to the accounts that will be posting the streams!

YouTube

Twitch

TikTok

Blog

@wiys-streaming

Ending Statements

WiYS streams are really a way to showcase and remind writers that we all have our own style of writing, even if it seems like you don't. You are capable of taking a story that was already written and make it your own (not that I'm encouraging copying, but you know what I mean... hopefully). Being a writer can be really disheartening sometimes, especially when you feel like your ideas aren't original, but sometimes the most unoriginal ideas can be home to the most incredible stories. Cliches are/were popular for a reason. Tropes become tropes for a reason. People love what they love and if they love the thing that you are making that is so "unoriginal," they will love your writing.

Don't forget that originality is not synonymous to good. Or creative. You can write something "trite" and make it incredible. I hope that this new stream will remind writers of that. :)

Thank you for your time and if you have questions, please feel free to send them to @queerlilchinchin.

WiYS "tag me to everything" taglist: @nerd-in-distress, @jvten, @steh-lar-uh-nuhs (fyi, tumblr won't let me tag your other blog or I would have), @aether-wasteland-s, @mjrino, @cheezyratz, @accountusername, @perasperaadastrawriting, @mrblazeflappybird, @forthesanityofstorytellers, @mangofen, @bigwipscholar, @pluttskutt, @doublegoblin, @crazytechpersonzreal, @sitiart, @ashesinthewritten, @achildweanedonpoison6, @quotidian-oblivion, @world-of-my-imagination, @marmeegle, @alesseia

WiYS "tag me to important stuff" taglist: @distortedwhite, @lyssentome, @ah0yh0y, @grollow, @perlen-gold, @saltysupercomputer, @vshushmshu, @lordkingsmith, @gummybugg, @quisyop, @enne-uni, @cometkov, @shado48, @cryscal, @mary-is-writing, @elizababie, @squintclover, @schmem14, @foursixtwonineoh-pieces-of-lego, @wakkoroni

[kachow-i-love-being-me]

Me when I get possessed to write about cars human au

I wish I could write this much about my ocs

This is not a ship!!! Unless u want to interpret it like that :3

Cruz and Jackson (and Danny)

“Great job out there, costume girl. Third place bronze looks great on you.” Jackson Storm grimaced as he passed Cruz Ramirez after the latest race.

“Hey, what is your deal, Storm? Why do you gotta be such a dickhead all the time?” Cruz challenged him. What right does he think he has to speak to her like that?

He didn’t even turn to face her. “I don’t know what you mean.” He almost singsonged. Everything about Jackson from how he spoke to how he held his stature, even how he wore his hair and the faces he pulled, made Cruz’s skin crawl. She thought it was impossible for him not to enrage her.

“You do too know what I mean.”

“Do not.”

“Do too.” Cruz really didn’t want this to turn into a never-ending back and fourth. “Whatever.”

She trudged behind him unwillingly, in his shadow both figuratively and literally, then stopped before Storm had caught up to Danny Swervez, the guy who came in second place. He dapped him up and brought him into a celebratory hug.

“Awesome job, dude.” Danny complemented.

“Yeah, yeah same to you.” Jackson half-heartedly responded.

Cruz watched this exchange through slanted eyes. He was so fake, and Danny didn’t even realise it. She felt sorry for the number 19 racer.

Swervez always came off quite closed-off at first, even unpleasant at times. This was why he still hadn’t made any real friends among the racers. Only Cruz bothered to see past his cold front, hence why she was the only one he seemed to talk to. Of course this then meant that he was going to be buzzed with any sort of positive recognition from any of the others; the perfect chance for Jackson to make a mug of him in his weird, twisted ways.

Storm had another thing to say. “Your technique was incredible. Opening up the inside lane for me to sneak right past ya,” he grinned, “I appreciate it man.”

There it was.

Cruz felt her stomach drop as she watched Danny’s eyes switch into a look of embarrassment, he kept his smile but it was clearly weakened by the snide comment.

“Y-yeah. It was…” he struggled to find his words, but that didn’t matter because he wasn’t given the chance to say anything else.

“I’ll see you around, Swervez.” Jackson gave the shorter racer a pat on the back and let his attention be taken by the press waiting to speak with him.

Cruz didn’t want to look at him any longer. He took way too much of her attention, but it wasn’t her fault he was so infuriating it was too hard to ignore him!

She headed towards Danny and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t let him get to you. He doesn’t deserve any of your time.”

The boy smiled to her but it was clear he was a little disheartened. Jackson really needed a good telling-off. Surely there was at least some small chance of him being capable of acting like a decent human being? Cruz doubted it. He was about as ill-mannered as it gets.

Ouuu I might do more of this later idk

If not continuing this scene then definitely something else related to these characters cuz I’m a little bit slightly obsessed

[snorlaxlovesme]

this is called giving Live Action Avatar a fair chance

the Netflix live action Avatar has always been a strange beast. it's a thing no one wanted after the disastrous 2010 movie. public perception of it was extremely low after Bryke walked out on it because of creative differences (disheartening as well as concerning). people tore apart the teaser stills and completely thrashed the early trailers. the news that Sokka's sexism plot was being altered had fans frothing at the mouth. the show seemed to be caught in this limbo where it had an incredibly low bar to rise above, in terms of trouncing The Last Airbender Movie, and infinitely high bar it would be impossible to reach, in terms of the original A:TLA.

now. if i can't go into a live action adaptation with an open mind, i will not watch it. live action Yu Yu Hakusho came out several months ago, and the vibes I got from trailer were not what I wanted, so I shelved it. if I'm going to sit down and watch a re-telling of one of my favorite pieces of media, I'm going to do my damnedest to go in with as open of a mind as a I can bear, because I like to have a good time and I can't do that constantly dogging on something.

so. my rule of thumb is generally this: treat any live action adaptation as fanfiction. if i can recognize the characters and recognize the plot, that's fine. i'm not looking for anything crazy, just interesting fanfiction. that's the level of closeness to canon i'm expecting. bar is on the floor.

and in terms of Good Television, my expectations are also incredibly low. good TV has 1. good writing 2. good acting 3. good action/SFX. for adaptations the best i'm looking for is ONE out of three. the lower my expectations, the more fun i get to have.

i'm explaining all of this because, while I have not seen reviews of Netlix Avatar yet, I know just how brainless the masses can be and i need you to know that THESEEE are the expectations you should be having when going into these things. Avatar: The Last Airbender is hailed as an example of a nearly PERFECT show. if you are expecting that kind of excellence from an adaptation you are simply deranged and I will not be reading your bad faith interpretations of the show.

with these expectations in mind, it's easy to see why i'm loving Netflix Avatar so much. why? because it cleared one of my very low expectations. the bending in the show looks pretty good! the writing of the show is average! some of the actors are quite charming! i am pleased!

i have seen 3 episodes so far ("Aang" through "Omashu", and yes these episode titles DO suck, I'll concede to that)

so, now that i've gotten that little manifesto out of the way, let's get into some actual Thoughts So Far:

-the way the first episode was structured was very cool. i like that they didn't throw us in at the same spot we started in A:TLA. and to avoid the horrible exposition dump the movie gave us, instead they just showed us the start of the war. i like the tactical inclusion that Sozin let word get out that the Fire Nation would attack the Earth Kingdom first to throw the Air Nomads off his scent. i also thought it was cool so show us a day in the life at the Easter Air Temple. the setting was gorgeous and I loved seeing all the monks doing their own thing. it made you feel so attached to the Air Nomads and their kindness and gentleness, so when they were attacked you truly felt for them.

-Monk Giatso's actor was fantastic. i was gagged that they had my crying less than 20 min into the first episode, what the fuck

-Gran Gran reciting Katara's opening speech line by line was funny, hokey, and exactly what I wanted. loved that for her and loved that for ME

-i like the change that Katara has to waterbend in secret for her own safety, not simply because she doesn't have a master

-it felt appropriate that they made Sokka take his warrior/protector role more seriously. the "i gotta go potty" bit from that like 6 year old in the original is hilarious but I don't think that sort of humor would have translated well to live action. i like that Sokka really was a leader to the ragtag group of kiddos and like one teenage boy. and him asking Zuko to duel with him one and one!! a very sweet early act of bravery

-in general i'm just really liking how they're approaching Sokka's character. all the fuss over "they're taking out Sokka's sexism" arc felt idiotic to me for weeks because like of course they did?? let's be SO real here, if you have never seen the original and are watching Netflix Avatar blind for the first time, are you going to rock with the protagonist who makes "girls' only jobs are cooking and sewing" jokes? in 2024? in this sociopolitical climate that shit would NOT fly and people would drop the show for stuff like that. no one would wait to see his character growth, people's attention spans aren't long enough for that these days. plus, for all the naysayers boohooing because that's Sokka's whole character arc, it's literally not! that nasty personality trait sticks with Sokka for FOUR episodes. having his character arc revolve around his identity as a warrior is much more in-line with Sokka's ACTUAL arc. he can skip the "sew my pants" jokes so we can get to his real root of his conflict, being a non-bender and a novice warrior in a world of extreme violence and feeling inferior because of it

-i don't mind that they made Zuko less aggressive. again, with the bar of the original A:TLA being SO fucking high, ESPECIALLY because of Zuko, Netflix was never going to reach that level of excellence. so I'm okay with this Zuko being a little more level-headed and more of a mindless Fire Nation Greatness truther because it's a decent interpretation of his character, for fanfiction. consider everybody on planet earth know that Zuko will eventually be a Good Guy, we don't have to go out of our way to show that he's a giant asshole. we already know he's a good boy.

-on that note I love the bait and switch with the Jet introduction. seeing a cute boy flirting with Katara, I couldn't immediately tell if that merchant boy was just a one-off kind character, or maybe Haru because of his clothing and the way his hair was styled. to have him turn out to be Jet was FUN because it showed me that despite knowing the original canon forwards and backwards, this show can still find ways to surprise me. i had been talking with my sister about whether or not they were going to include Bumi (and his shenanigans) because that's a plot twist that worked when the show originally aired, but wouldn't hit at all in an adaptation where we all know who Bumi is already. where I'm currently at in the show I'm still not sure if we'll see his inclusion or not, but i still appreciated that new bait and switches are possible.

-this meant basically all the Omashu episode was very fun. they way they wove the Freedom Fighters and Mechanist's stories together was very interesting and i liked how fresh it felt

-Suki's actor is incredibly gorgeous. with and without the make-up. that needed to be it's own point because oh my god

-i love that she gave Sokka and fan and i'm DYINGGG to see him use it in a battle

-THEY INCLUDED KYOSHI NOVEL LORE AND I SCREAMED

-they included AVATAR KYOSHI FIGHT SEQUENCES AND I SCREAMED

-i probably should have mentioned this way sooner but Aang's actor is such a little cutie. he's doing such a great job capturing Aang's energy. both wise and playful and so so sweet. i love him

-i found it hilarious that they waited three episodes for Katara to bring up her dead mom. we all know that the super generic and boring critiques of Katara are 1. too much dead mom talk 2. too much hope talk 3. too motherly. i feel like the show intentionally waited two and a half episodes for Katara to bring up Kya and that's so funny to me. they also have only let her mention hope like twice lol. my girl is being STIFLED

-special effects are honestly really good? some of aang's flying is a little wonky but the firebending and waterbending so far as looked fantastic. i haven't seen much earthbending so far besides that opening sequence but i was impressed by that too. and Aang and Zuko fighting in Omashu with Zuko not using his bending? SO much fun. the choreo was awesome, i loved the set piece of fighting amongst all those scarves.

-building off that, Appa and Momo are very cute. the creatures al look pretty good too. ostrich horses look great

all in all, lots of really good stuff so far. i only have minor criticisms, and they're mostly things I can deal with. Iroh's acting is weird to me. it sounds like it's putting on a silly voice instead of speaking how he normally would, so it scans as off-putting. also in terms of costuming, Iroh's wig is WIGGING so much more than other cast members. it looks so glued on and shaped with hairspray. Mai and Ty Lee (one seen them for a moment so far) also just look like random cosplayers who wandered on set. and i guess both Monk Giatso's reveal of Aang being the avatar, as well as Gran-Gran's immediate understanding that Aang is the avatar, both happened extremely fast.

but yeah! those are my thoughts so far. again, I have no idea what public perception of this show is. i'm trying to avoid reviews and probably won't be back on tumblr until i've at least made it to episode 6. then maybe i'll come back and write more if my opinion drastically changes or I think the world will need another stern talking to about what to expect from an adaptation

[maddygoesthemiles]

I went on the most amazing camping and hiking adventure in Colorado this weekend! Super long post and beautiful pictures are under the read more.

On Thursday, three of my friends and I packed up the car and drove up to Silverton. We set up camp and then went for a big meal at a local establishment. Gotta carb up to prevent altitude sickness!

We were all expecting it to be chilly and wet, but it was actually a bit too warm in the tents.

On Friday, we hiked down to the Animas River. This was a great warm up hike! I loved getting to hear and see the train while we were hiking! It was a tough hike back to the top.

We got back, showered (our campground had hot showers!!), and grabbed some pizza and beer!

Saturday morning started out earlier and chillier. We had to get up early, as Ice Lakes is the most popular hike in southern Colorado (according to a ranger we met on trail on Friday).

I felt disheartened and nervous. The hike on Friday was so hard that I got nervous about the steeper hike on Saturday. I was way more in my head and psyched out than I normally get. I was grumpy until we saw a waterfall and took a super cute group photo.

The trail got steeper and harder when we hit the forest and beyond the tree line. I kept thinking, we’ll take a real break after the next hill is over, but the hill never really stopped.

Finally, we made it up to Island Lake. As everyone on their way down assured us, it was totally and completely worth the climb! It was so incredibly gorgeous. The pictures turned out beautiful and it’s always twice as pretty irl.

We hung out there for a few minutes before traversing the short route to Ice Lake. I came around a bend and started crying at the view. It was the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen and I had worked so hard to get there. I couldn’t get over it and probably walked about a mile with a stupid-huge grin on my face.

The connecting trail took us over an exposed cliff face. Those don’t bug me, but I had to pull out my patient, calm teacher voice to coach my friend across. We all made it!

Ice Lake was just as pretty as Island Lake. The color of these lakes was unreal! We stopped to fill up our water bottles and eat some snacks.

The route down from Ice Lake was very steep. I’m so glad we went counter-clockwise! There was a steep, granite section and a creek crossing (one of many of the day). It started raining and thundering right as we hit the basin.

Ridiculously, people were still climbing up at this point. Some wearing jeans, some with only one water bottle, and all of them who didn’t understand the danger of being above tree line in a thunderstorm. It reminded me of the tourists on Camelback.

Sometimes I wish I could just teleport back. Just as I was hitting that point, we saw/heard a marmot (my favorite animal) and I remembered why the hike back is worthwhile. Did you know they chirp like a dead smoke alarm? I didn’t!

We were well below tree line before it started really pouring. My new raincoat worked great, but at this point, my knees were trashed and I was grumpy. I speed-walked the rest of the way back!

After the hike, we showered and warmed up and broke camp. We drove down to Durango for dinner. All I wanted was nachos but when we got to the restaurant, I found out they were sauerkraut and corned beef. Massively disappointing. I ended up with overcooked wings.

On Sunday, we dilly-dallied around Durango and hit up the Durango Coffee Company. I love it there!

None of us were ready for our time in the mountains to end, so we really took our time driving back. As we were driving through New Mexico, we stopped at this place called the Bisti Badlands! It was a mini badlands. We didn’t have the time or the water to go far, but we stuck it on the list of places to explore. Pictures definitely don’t do this one justice.

We were welcomed back to the valley with a beautiful rain storm! Desert rain smells so much better than mountain rain.

I had the best group ever! We laughed so much and never got tired of each other. It was cool to pair off in different ways depending on the car, the trail, or the tent. We came back with tons of inside jokes, which is the mark of a lot of fun.

[thebuttsmcgee]

With the leak being more spread around even with spoiler warnings, and because of a post I saw earlier when the news of the entire ep being leaked was first breaking, I gotta say

This really is disheartening to see. This really does hurt the whole series and the ones behind it. As of right now, we haven't gotten an official release date, yes we got the 21st from the TV listings but I mean no source from Dana or disney, and while most of us on here know about it, more casual fans and even some international fans don't, so the entire episode being leaked could hurt their excitement or love for the premieres that Always (seriously I mean ALWAYS LMAO never forget HM) get an incredible amount of notoriety, which help boost more support for the series, which JUST recently got noticed by disney.

It hurts the chance of the franchise getting more support (ie books, comics, a possible video game, more official merchant, etc) because of the less talk about the episode.

And while yes a lot of people (including Ms Dana Terrace herself) pirate the show, whether it be due to international troubles or insufficient funds to get disney+, what ultimately helps as well is the notoriety each episode gets. Anyone can pirate yet still make 100+ posts about how good each new episode was and it would help!

Yet this time it doesn't help cause this came outta nowhere and now so many are just being spoiled, getting their hype flattened and being pretty inconsiderate to the entire crew who made all of it possible, the same crew who already were disrespected by their very company. (And I do mean everyone! So many of the crew aren't given as much props and respect yet deserve it all the same!)

And ngl, it really sucks considering this is the 2nd to very LAST possible product of The Owl House as a whole. There was so much support for Thanks to Them yet FtF already seems a bit cluttered.

It's not hopeless cause there's still a chance FtF gets a huge amount of support when it officially releases. This is a huge problem tho, one that's already leaking through every big ocial media.

There's really not a point to this post other than just to say, this fucking blows, support the series in any official way you can when it officially releases (Make posts! Draw as much art as you can! Tune into the PostHoots! Make as much noise as you can!), and please be considerate to those who refuse to even look at it until the time is right.

[thedreadvampy]

not to be a dick but if you've been through actual university level art school and you still think that it's unreasonable bullying to be asked to push yourself or experiment with different art styles or to have aspects of your artwork criticised by people you asked for an opinion. what was the point of art school for you exactly?

when people say shit like 'my art school tutors told me my art was bad bc it was too anime and cartoonish ☹️' that may be true but I'm not gonna lie what I suspect happen is they told you 'you should work on developing a solid foundation for any art style you choose by pushing yourself to try more representational art Anne getting comfortable with ways of seeing and understanding images' and what you heard is 'NOBODY IS ALLOWED TO DRAW CARTOONS EVER AND YOUR WORK IS WORTHLESS'

and furthermore I suspect that you were really annoying in crits and took any even slightly negative comment or suggestion as a personal attack even though literally the point of art school is to learn to take and grow from constructive advice from your peers.

shout out to the girl on my undergrad who burst into tears literally every crit for three years even though about the nastiest thing anyone said to her was 'it might look cleaner if you rubbed out any of your pencil lines after inking and also used a clean rubber while sketching.' and guess whose art didn't improve at all over three years and whose technique actively got sloppier while other people were moving forward in leaps and bounds? yeah.

there were people who started uni as the best in the class and ended as some of the worst bc they just weren't prepared to listen to criticism or change how they did anything. and there were people who started out very mediocre and went on to produce incredible professional work to a high standard bc they listened and were open to change. and that's got nothing to do with who was more painterly and who was more cartoony or whatever it's just. when you ask advice and get something you don't want to hear do you chew on it and try it out or do you dig your heels in and do more of the same?

and like I'm not saying there's anything wrong with sticking to your guns and doing art the way you want to do art and the way that brings you joy. I'm just saying if you don't want feedback, teaching or advice on how to improve I'm really not sure what the benefit of art school is that you couldn't get several thousand pounds cheaper by staying home and drawing there.

(and I'm also saying if you come out of art school like BOOHOO NOBODY LIKES MY STYLE AND MY ART IS WORTHLESS you might. need to pull yourself together and say either I'm committed to this style regardless of whether people like it and I'm going to keep building on this style and make it amazing, or I want to make art that's more like the work people like and I value, what could I change to get more where I want to go? but if you lie down and say waaaaaah it's so unfair that my art is bad and everyone else is just more talented than me then bullshit. by the time you've graduated art school talent is not the deciding factor in the quality of your work. it's a question of your willingness and capacity to put the work in, take criticism, understand what you want to achieve, and slog through trying and failing to get a certain effect until it improves. professional level art is not an innate talent it's a trained skill, and some people might start further along the path than others bc of their talent, eye or training, but the distance between someone who's talented but unpractised and someone who's less talented but puts a lot of thought and work in closes extremely rapidly. it can be disheartening but if you want to do this professionally rather than for yourself you gotta feel your frustration, have a good scream and cry about it, then get back in to figuring out what you need to build on. bc we're all guilty of sometimes going HOWEVER HARD I WORK I'LL NEVER BE AS GOOD AS MY PEERS but no offence if you just lie down and give up where does that get you? if you just start going 'actually you should all feel bad for not liking my work more' instead of making your work more appealing or finding the right audience for it, that's on you not on anyone else. what was the point of art school????)

[the-ocean-is-trans]

bold of leverage to create an episode tackling sexual assault without responding to its own sexual assault allegations

i havent seen anyone talk about this yet so i decided to make this a post: before we applaud leverage redemption for the newest episode we gotta talk about sexual harassment allegations on the show itself that it hasn’t addressed.

in theory, i loved everything about the newest leverage redemption episode. in practice, nothing public has been stated from dean devlin about the multiple sexual harassment allegations against christian kane. 

as a survivor myself it was incredibly empowering to see this young person who could have been the next victim of a crime get the support she needed to take down a serial sex offender without him hurting her and the episode writing itself not going into too much triggering detail. it was maybe the one piece of media that discussed sexual assault that i could actually stomach in years and that was because it was handled very thoughtfully and well. 

all of that was completely undone for me though remembering the fact that dean devlin has not come out with any stance on the allegations against christian kane, and the team seems to be content to have swept it under the rug for leverage redemption. 

i know theres corruption in the tv/film industry, as there is in the world, but given the way john rogers tweets, the folks who created leverage are about tackling real world issues head on, about tackling corruption head on, about going after real people who have caused harm thinly veiled through fiction but hammering home the same message: we can, and must, work outside the system to fight capitalism, corruption, and predators. 

it’s really really disheartening to know that a show that purports to be about this work, that has honestly been a beacon for me and others in a really shit time on this planet, isn’t willing to turn that reflection inward as much as they are asking us to reflect on ourselves. 

i ask this from a place of love for all that this show has given me: please, please do better. 

[rapha-reads]

The Star Beast

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

DOCTOR WHO SAID NONBINARY RIGHTS AND GENDER NONCONFORMING RULES!!!!!!!!

So. DoctorDonna is BACK. With a trans daughter, an absolutely wholesome husband, and a mellowed out mother!!!! What a BLAST that was, seeing her on screen again! It's what she deserves! FIFTEEN YEARS we've been asking justice for Donna Noble, and RTD delivered!!!!

(Also, is it me, or has Catherine Tate NOT aged at all?)

I'm super excited, that first special episode was awesome.

The Meep was terrifying and hilarious, even when they were being all cute, my very first reaction was "yeah, no, don't trust". Shoutout to Miriam Margolyes for the voice acting, that was perfect!

I loved that the Wrarth Warriors were so polite and official posh, with their look, it was super funny and interesting to watch and hear.

Oh, shoutout to our new UNIT liaison officer, Science Advisor 56 Shirley Anne Bingham! She sounds like the life of the party. I hope we get more of her (and her badass wheelchair).

I hope we get to see Wilf, it's so good that he's still alive, Bernard Cribbins is missed.

"Something that a male-presenting Time Lord wouldn't know to do" sent me OFF, lmao, also thank you RTD for all the references to Thirteenth, she WAS amazing and she deserves to be remembered.

Rose Noble is amazing and precious. She's going to grow up and be a brilliant, badass, amazing woman. That moment when she tells the Meep she feels lonely because she feels different hit right in the feels. Also her face when the stupid schoolboys bully her and call her deadname. [Personal aside: I argued with my mother today in amongst other things because she insists on calling me my full name version, which I don't like, instead of the diminutive, which is my chosen name - and she said "I named you Raphaelle, with the 'elle' ('she' in French, which, nope) at the end, very important", and that made me flinch so hard; please don't gender me, it's Rapha and that's it. Anyway, I'm glad to see more trans and nonbinary rep, especially in Doctor Who.]

Moving on.

If I had a nickel for every time the Doctor questioned "why this face", I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.

DAVID TENNANT. Welcome back, Sir! I have to admit something: when everyone and especially people who kept shitting on Twelfth and Thirteenth got all excited about David Tennant coming back, I got a bit disheartened, because I felt (and a lot of people explicitly said) that it would overshadow and discard Capaldi's excellent work and Jodie's run, and I wasn't as excited about David as most people. BUT I gotta admit it: it is AMAZING to see David back in action as the Doctor, with the added weight of the Doctor's past three regenerations! He knows the character, he knows the history, he knows the universe, and it SHOWS. I love that he's older, wiser, grizzlier, more prudent, they got burn so many times, and yet still ridiculous, goofy, prone to fondness and kind to his bones... Yeah, that's the Doctor again.

And now onto the real star, the one true MVP... DONNA NOBLE. Most important woman in the universe. Brilliant, sassy Donna!!!! I looooove that amnesiac Donna gave away the money, and that it's the first thing she rails against when she gets all her memories back. It's just. Prime Donna stuff. All at once incredibly kind and driven to help, but also down to earth and practical. Yeah, yeah, helping others, of course, that's the priority, but also, damn it, take care of myself too, ya know? She's SO relatable!! Love that she adores her daughter and that's her calling. Remember when she felt so lost and aimless? Now she's got her objective: being a mother to an amazing daughter. Oh, and, uuuh.... Wrecking the Tardis every time she sets foot in it. Oops! Can't wait to see where they land!

Oh, oh, the Tardis! Not sure I'm a fan of the new design, tbh. Too white, too empty. I hope she's not going to stay like this too long. Pretty sure it won't, given that she's already on fire.

And on the last thing for this first episode: I do hope we're getting actual ties-in with the 60 years history...

Onto Wild Blue Yonder!

[imvasic]

i gotta be honest it's really disheartening to see a character and be so happy because you have the same body type as them and then find out people are incredibly upset over how they look... i get not finding a character attractive, that's fine, but dear lord the amount of actually vile comments and actions i've seen are so upsetting :(

i wish people would realize that insulting or degrading a character's appearance, especially when it's... literally just a common body type, can be really painful to those who actually look like that. not liking a design is okay, but actively calling a character ugly or horrible and making fucking edits of them being skinny is absolutely not

it's 2023 and this is an adult media for fucks sake, i'd expect people around here to be more mature about things? grow the fuck up and learn some basic respect. also maybe think about who all might see your hateful comments?

fortunately this is just a loud minority, and i'm so overjoyed by everyone who gets super excited over characters with ""unattractive"" body types <3

[greenbriar-j]

June!! Of course, I remember you :’) I hope you’ve been doing well! Please tell me more about sibling the time loop story, it sounds incredible! 👀

hehehehe i'm always worried that my url changes get out of hand but also you just gotta sometimes

okay, so i did locate the wip intro and a mini character intro

but yeah, we've got these two sisters with different views on romance due to age and personality and they're kind of not that close anymore - not bc anyone has done anything bad but because they're busy in various ways and don't regularly keep in touch

they realize independently that they're stuck in a time loop and the older sister (micah) is trying to handle it herself and the younger sister (josie) went to her for help so micah is now juggling so many things

which then drags in their older brother (hieu) who knows even less about his sisters' lives bc they tell him SQUAT but as a big brother he's here to support.

anyway, josie is set on fixing her romantic relationship to fix this time loop bc that is what fanfiction has taught her and here's where i'm still kind of brainstorming

but i think they manage to fix whatever josie has going on (too many candidates for Boyfriend Status, and she has questionable taste at times), and the time loop stops for a time and then starts up again

and then they try to fix micah's love life (her coworker is in love with her and she likes him but is afraid of commitment) and it works for a bit and then they're stuck in yet another loop

(or vice versa about whose loop they fix first)

and it's all very disheartening bc they've tried so many things yada yada but at the end of the day, they just have to reestablish their sister bond and also get caught up with hieu (who is in a very stable relationship, actually. a real winner) and i figure it's probably their grandma who talks them to this point in the way grandmas do

and the final point is that i wanted this to be a holiday wip, so i wanted to center each time loop around a holiday for extra family dramatics (looking at halloween, christmas, and lunar new year rn)

but yeah! that's currently how it's going in my head

[daily-selfship-questions]

to be honest, i feel bad about loving my f/o sometimes, because theres a lot of misinfo about her spread around that ppl who havent seen her source believe without a second thought, and ive had people get mad at me about stuff they found on unmoderated fandom wikis...

shes a popular character, but correct information about her in english is sparse.

though even despite everything, i still love her a whole lot.

I understand this, and I'm terribly sorry to hear you gotta deal with it, it can be quite a pain in the ass! One of my F/Os fandom wiki page is just littered with twisted things and it's quite disheartening to feel as though you have to justify who you're in love with. Fandom wiki pages bug me for this reason, cause they're simply just fandom wikis, and I've seen an incredible amount of inaccurate stuff on them. Sometimes it won't even show the correct picture of a character or one that's clearly colored over(I'm talkin like MS Paint green over T.wightlight S.parkle kinds of clearly incorrect.)

It's unfortunate how quick people are to believe things without double checking or fact checking if it's even true or all the details to it, it's part of the reason news gets so many people with false information.

I can only imagine how much it means to her that you still love her regardless of others just assuming things about her and criticizing you on it. Everyone deserves to be loved and understood, you get to be her rock, safe space, and she's the same for you, that's a very special kind of love for anyone to have